ALAN JOHNSON TOPS TURNING STONE 100 ON DAY 1 OF ROLLING WHEELS RACEWAY S INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL
ELBRIDGE, NY...Alan Johnson, from Phelps, NY, took top honors in the Turning Stone 358-Modified Super DIRT Series at Rolling Wheels Raceway last Wednesday on day one of the Independence holiday special. Rick Wilson made his Central New York Patriot Sprinters swing even more profitable following a Sunday win at Cayuga County, with a win at the Wheels . A special Pure Stock feature saw Fulton regular Russ Marsden take the 15-lap win.
The 100-lap main saw Tim Fuller and Brett Hearn bring a strong field of 30 cars to the starting line. Hearn jumped into the lead at the drop of the green, but Fuller charged under Hearn down the back stretch to take the lead on lap two. Following both Fuller and Hearn were Alan Johnson, Chad Brachmann and Todd Burley.
The yellow flew for the first of seven times on lap 10 when Ted Lamb Jr. looped his car out in the second turn. Fuller continued to lead Hearn, until lap 12 when the yellow flew again when Alex Hoag spun out in the first turn.
This time, on the restart, Hearn got the better of Fuller as the two raced side-by-side. On lap 16 Todd Burley sailed off the back stretch to cause the third yellow flag of the race.
Hearn was now able to hold off Fuller for just one circuit. On lap 18 Fuller nosed ahead of Hearn. Fuller then established a three car advantage on Hearn. Hearn was now falling back into Alan s clutches. Johnson was able to grab second from Hearn on lap 31. Hearn then continued to drop back as Brachmann took third, Paine move by for fourth, leaving Brett in fifth.
Johnson was able to close in on Fuller. As the leaders were in lapped traffic, Johnson ducked low in the third turn as Fuller drifted high. This moved Johnson into the lead on lap 40. Paine tried to duck low beneath the lapped car of Chris Ostrowsky two laps later. Ostrowsky s car hopped a wheel on Paine s car and was sent into the inside first turn barrier to cause a yellow.
Johnson lead the race at the halfway marker with Fuller in second. Hearn had moved back up to third with Danny Johnson fourth and Brachmann now in fifth.
On lap 61 Vic Coffey exited the track over the third turn banking to bring out the yellow again. Danny Johnson used his restart to move up to third with a fantastic move. Suddenly Hearn slowed with a flat right rear tire. On lap 67 the yellow flew for him. Hearn used an excellent pit strategy to change the tire and not lose a lap. Unfortunately he seemed to have damaged his suspension as his car never was able to turn, staying low, the remainder of the race.
On additional yellow came on lap 79 when Justin Haers spun in the first turn, almost gathering up Hearn in the process. Johnson was now able to pull out a strong lead over Fuller by nearly fifteen car lengths. Fuller in turn held a twenty car advantage over Danny Johnson, in third. On lap 81, Pete Bicknell performed a spectacular move. He spun on the inside of the second turn while running in sixth. He gather his car up, straightened it out and took off without losing an speed, in eighth. Billy Decker was now the car on the move as he switched to the high grove around the track.
Johnson took the win followed by Fuller, his younger brother Danny, Brachmann and Billy Decker. Matt Sheppard was the fast timer for the race with a lap of 21.542 seconds. Alan Johnson was the second fast timer.
The 20-lap Patriot Sprint Car A Main saw Kyle Drum take the early lead of the race. The first lap saw the yellow fly as Jared Zimbardi looped his number 35 in the fourth turn. The restart saw Chuck Hebing right on Drum s rear bumper with Brain Knab in third.
The yellow flew again on lap four when RC Faigle, in the Hebing team car, spun in the second turn. Drum now found himself challenged by both Hebing and Rick Wilson, who had blasted through the field. Still Drum held a five car advantage on Wilson, who passed Hebing on lap eight for second.
On lap 13 George Ely spun out in the first turn right in front of Drum. Drum tried the high line around Ely, but made contact, ruining his front end. Drum drifted off the track on the backstretch, leaving Wilson with the lead.
Wilson now began to pull away from the rest of the field. Mike Lauterborn was now moving through traffic. He took second on lap 14 but was unable to catch up to Wilson. On lap 17 the final yellow flew when Jared Zimbardi spun out for the second time in the fourth turn. This bunched the field together for a run to the checkers.
Wilson captured the feature followed by Lauterborn in second. Billy Krull moved up to third at the finish followed by Hebing and Brian Dumigan.
The 15-lap saw Russ Marsden take off for the pole starting spot and never look back over the 19 car starting field. Marsden was able to pull out to a full straight away lead by the final lap. Only one yellow slowed this event, that coming on lap four when Zeke McKeown spun in the second turn. He returned to the back of the field on the restart.
Marsden was followed across the finish line by Joe Reees, Dave Mannise, Chuck Cushman and Nick Rizzo.
PIT NOTES: A moment of silence was held when Pastor David Wells announced the passing of Vintage car driver Erin Doc Smith, who was killed in a lawn mover accident in the north country...The Patriot Sprint Car organization is proving they can fill the shoes of all former sprint car organizations in the region. So far in their two appearance in Central New York they have put in great runs. Rick Wilson has proven to be the star of this growing organization.
Racing resumes tomorrow at Rolling Wheels when the big blocks will be on hand for their Advance Auto Parts 100, along with Sportsman and enduro cars.
TURNING STONE CASINO RESORTS-MEYERS CAMPER NIGHT SUMMARY
PURE STOCKS
HEAT 1: R. Marsden, D. Mannise, D. Marcuccilli, N. Rizzo, Z. McKeown, D. Krebs.
HEAT 2: J. Reeves, A. Depuy, J. Burba, S. Woodworth, N. Peckham, M. Minutolo.
FEATURE (15-laps): RUSS MARSDEN, Joe Reees, Dave Mannise, Chuck Cushman, Nick Rizzo, Adam Depuy, Dave Marcuccilli, Mike Minutolo, Nat Peckham, Vance Vanderwall, Zeke McKeown, Eric Chapman, Mike Potts, Chris Hogan, Darrell Barrett, Jim Burba, Steve Woodworth, Daryl Krebs, DNS: John Peterson.
PATRIOT SPRINTS
HEAT 1: C. Hebing, B. Knab, B. Krull, H. Singer, J. Zimbardi, T. Zimbardi.
HEAT 2: M. Gerber, M. Shultz, T. Barnard, B. Dumigan, D. Wickam, R. Preston.
HEAT 3: RC Faigle, R. Wilson, G. Button, K. Drum, C. Mulheisen, D. Bellen.
B-MAIN: M. Lauterborn, G. Ely, G. Troutman, H. Singer.
A-MAIN (20-laps): RICK WILSON, Mike Lauterborn, Billy Krull, Chuck Hebing, Brian Dumigan, Matt Gerber, Dave Wickham, Brad Knab, Ray Preston, Tim Barnard, Gary Troutman, Howard Singer, Mark Shultz, RC Faigle, Chris Mulheisen, Don Bellen, Tim Zimbardi, Jared Zimbardi, George Ely, Kyle Drum, Gordy Button, Jeremy Barnard.
358-MODIFIED
TIME TRIALS: Matt Sheppard 21.542 (104.447 mph), Alan Johnson 21.734, Brett Hearn 21.775, Dale Planck 21.792, Mitch Gibbs 21.801, Chad Brachmann 21.810,Steve Paine 21.837, Justin Haers 21.858, Billy Decker 21.870, Rick Richner 21.870, Randy Chrysler 21.911, Tim Fuller 21.938, Jimmy Phelps 21.949, Pete Bicknell 21.968, Alex Hoag 22.042, Danny Johnson 22.071, Ted Lamb Jr. 22.078, Todd Burley 22.122, Frankie Caprara Jr. 22.128, Chuck Hebing 22.151,Craig Terrell 22.155, Jack Johnson 22.165, Billy VanPelt 22.198, Bryon Turner 22.215, Rich Swarthout 22.272, Vic Coffey 22.337, Dave Reilly 22.419, Ron White 22.429, Mike Bliss 22.529, Gill Tegg Jr. 22.556, Chris Shultz 22.722, Jim LaRock 22.812, Tom Greiner 23.104, Chris Ostrowsky 23.162, Dave Callaman 23.272, Kenny Johnson 23.339, Ron Cartwright Jr 23.883, Stephane Nault 25.097.
HEAT 1: B. Hearn, S. Paine, R. Chrysler, A. Hoag, B. VanPelt.
HEAT 2: T. Fuller, D. Planck, D. Johnson, C. Hebing, B. Turner.
HEAT 3: M. Gibbs, B. Decker, J. Phelps, T. Lamb Jr., C. Terrell.
HEAT 4: C. Brachmann, P. Bicknell, T. Burley, R. Richner, V. Coffey.
CONSI: J. Johnson, F. Caprara Jr., J. Haers, R. Swarthout, C. Shultz, G. Tegg Jr., C. Ostrowsky.
ADDED: R. White
FEATURE (100-laps): ALAN JOHNSON, Tim Fuller, Danny Johnson, Chad Brachmann, Billy Decker, Steve Paine, Jimmy Phelps, Matt Sheppard, Pete Bicknell, Dale Planck, Bryon Turner, Chuck Hebing, Craig Terrell, Randy Chrysler, Jack Johnson, Brett Hearn, Justin Haers, Rick Richner, Chris Shultz, Alex Hoag, Todd Burley, Mitch Gibbs, Billy VanPelt, Vic Coffey, Ted Lamb Jr., Ron White, Chris Ostrowsky, Frankie Caprara Jr., Gill Tegg Jr., Rich Swarthout.