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CAREER FIRST AT FONDA FOR TIM MCCREADIE




Last year at the Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series race at Fonda, Tim McCreadie led the event until lap traffic cost him the win with eight laps to go. Lap traffic was something that McCreadie had to deal with again last night but this time he mastered getting by the lap cars and everyone else as he went on his first win at the Track of Champions.

“I didn’t know where victory lane was,” McCreadie said after the win. “I’ve finished second here so much I didn’t know where to go.” McCreadie celebrated his win with a burnout on the infield and a roof dance when he got out of the car. He set the tone of the night early on in warm-ups when he set a new track record with a time of 18.981 sec.

Brett Hearn was scheduled to start on the pole after the luck of the draw but used a different car in the feature than he did in his heat race so that relegated him to the rear of the field. Billy Decker started the event in the third position and immediately took the lead at the drop of the green flag to start the event.

McCreadie started in the fifth row and the Sweeteners Plus ride was quick as he got by both Alan and Danny Johnson for the seventh spot on lap six. McCreadie continued his run to the front getting by Ronnie Johnson and Steve Paine for the fifth spot while Decker was out to a full straightaway lead.

Decker was already in lap traffic on lap eleven while McCreadie continued to make shambles of the field getting by Bobby Varin for third on the next lap. Varin didn’t make it easy for him though, coming right back to retake the position. McCreadie did eventually get by with the next car to pass being Fonda regular A.J. Romano who was second.

McCreadie got alongside Romano for the second position and got the spot while A.J. scraped the frontstretch wall while trying to get by a lap car. McCreadie caught Decker easily and took over the lead on lap nineteen, getting by both Decker and a lap car on the backstretch. On lap twenty-nine, A.J. Romano came to a stop in turn four ending his night way too early while running third.

From that point on the race was for second and for the guaranteed starting spot at Syracuse as McCreadie was on rails and stretched out his lead on every restart. Decker slowed on lap fifty-five and was out of the event while running in the top five which now consisted of McCreadie, Alan Johnson, Varin, Gary Tomkins, and Steve Paine.

The battle at the end of the race was for the third position as Varin and Tomkins staged a side by side war for the position, which Tomkins eventually took over. Varin’s suspension broke on lap seventy-seven while he was running in the fourth position ending his night before the finish.

While all of that was going on Tim Fuller and Fonda regular Mike Romano were battling for the fourth position, which turned out to be the race for the Syracuse spot. Lap after lap Fuller used the outside groove while Mike was strong on the inside as these two battled it out hard to the end of the event.

McCreadie went on to a convincing win followed by Johnson, Tomkins, Romano, and Fuller. Romano won the Syracuse starting spot with his fourth place finish as all of the other cars in front of him already had spots for Syracuse.

“People think that we changed motor builders or something but the same guy that has done it for the last six or seven years for the Sweeteners Plus team is still doing the engines,” McCreadie said. “The difference has been the new Teo car that Bobby Hearn built for us. With this car we are right back to where we were last year in Finch’s car.”

Skip Pabis started on the pole position in the IMCA feature and immediately took the early lead. Last Saturday (7/12) Joe Williams finished second in the IMCA feature and last night he showed early on that he was fast again. Williams started fifth in the event but on lap two he took over the lead from Pabis using the inside groove in turn three.

As Williams cruised away to a big lead, Steve Bidwell and George Catanzano were side by side for the fifth position on lap four with Bidwell taking the position on the next lap. Danny Ballard got by Pabis for second on lap nine but Bidwell was lurking behind.

Bidwell got by both Kevin Buff and Pabis for third at the halfway point with lap traffic coming into play for the leaders, Williams never flinched in lap traffic and got through with ease while Ballard, and Bidwell raced side by side for second over the final laps.

Williams cruised to his second victory of the season followed by Ballard, Bidwell, Buff, and Catanzano.

Fonda will be back in action this Saturday at 6:00 p.m. with a regular show along with the four cylinders.

TIME TRIAL RESULTS – 39 total cars – top two locked into feature without running heats – BOBBY VARIN 19.453, STEVE PAINE 19.552, Tim McCreadie 19.576, Jeff Trombley 19.613, Billy Decker 19.665, Ronnie Johnson 19.678, Danny Johnson 19.717, Mike Romano 19.747, A.J. Romano 19.822, Vic Coffey 19.824, Jerry Higbie Jr. 19.886, Tim Fuller 19.889, Gary Tomkins 19.915, Brett Hearn 19.916, Alton Palmer 19.933, Pat Ward 19.981, Chris Schultz 20.014, Jack Johnson 20.223, Alan Johnson 20.236, Dave Lape 20.288, Craig Criscone 20.308, Chuck Bower 20.351, Robert King 20.391, Butch Tittle 20.405, Matt Sheppard 20.468, Bob Sitterly 20.507, John Marsh 20.634, Kenny Tremont Jr. 20.761, Jim Davis 20.776, Kenny Hanson 20.804, Ronnie Holmes 20.818, Steve Akers 20.833, Ray Zemken 20.898, Brian Borst 20.987, Ancel Collins 20.996, Jerry Pennock Jr. 21.036, Erik Gall 21.106, Jeremy Matthies 21.132, Bob Vedder 21.399

MODIFIED HEAT RACES – 5 qualify – top 3 redraw

HEAT 1 – Tim McCreadie, Alan Johnson, Danny Johnson, Jerry Higbie Jr., Alton Palmer
HEAT 2 – Jeff Trombley, Tim Fuller, Pat Ward, Mike Romano, Dave Lape
HEAT 3 – Billy Decker, Gary Tomkins, A.J. Romano, Matt Sheppard, Craig Criscone
HEAT 4 – Ronnie Johnson, Brett Hearn, Vic Coffey, Jack Johnson, Chuck Bower
MODIFIED CONSOLATIONS – 4 qualify
CONSI 1 – Robert King, Ronnie Holmes, John Marsh, Bob Sitterly
CONSI 2 – Chris Schultz, Jim Davis, Brian Borst, Kenny Hanson

MODIFIED FEATURE – 100 LAPS – TIM MCCREADIE, Alan Johnson, Gary Tomkins, Mike Romano, Tim Fuller, Vic Coffey, Steve Paine, Pat Ward, Craig Criscone, Jerry Higbie Jr., Ronnie Johnson, Brett Hearn, Brian Borst, Butch Tittle, Dave Lape, Kenny Tremont Jr., Danny Johnson, Chuck Bower, Chris Schultz, Jeff Trombley, Robert King, Bobby Varin, Kenny Hanson, Ronnie Holmes, Matt Sheppard, Billy Decker, Alton Palmer, John Marsh, A.J. Romano, Jack Johnson, Bob Sitterly

IMCA QUALIFYING – 23 total cars – 5 qualify

HEAT 1 – Joe Williams, Steve Bidwell, George Catanzano, Chris Reckner, Eric Stumpf
HEAT 2 – Steve Vrooman, Danny Ballard, Kevin Buff, Kurt Olsen, Skip Pabis, George Proctor

IMCA FEATURE – 20 LAPS – JOE WILLIAMS, Danny Ballard, Steve Bidwell, Kevin Buff, George Catanzano, Skip Pabis, Steve Hough, Steve Vrooman, Jeff Davis, Dennis Vroman, Shawn Simmons, Eric Stumpf, George Proctor, JoJo Donato, Chris Reckner, Aaron Jacobs, Bob Banks Jr., Tom Funk, Eric Taber, Justin Labombard, Rich Contryman, Billy Ward, Kurt Olsen