Showdown In The Pines 100
Wed - August 24, 2005 -- New Egypt Speedway
New Egypt, NJ
Author: Tom Skibinski, DIRT Modified Series Reporter
Just two months ago traveling stars from the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series left bragging rights at New Egypt Speedway with the local favorites. Led by a threesome of ’Elite 11’ drivers from the Northeast, invading teams from DIRT MotorSports’ premier Modified tour redeemed themselves Wednesday night in the "Showdown In The Pines" and restored their status for at least another 30 days.
Continuing to reign supreme in the 2005 edition of the Advance Auto Parts SDS, Tim Fuller outlasted fellow New Yorker Matt Sheppard and veteran New Jersey pilot Brett Hearn to capture the 100-lap big-block Modified main event and earn $6,000 for his series-high sixth victory in 14 extra-distance outings. "I guess the next one is the tie-breaker," said Fuller, 37, who rebounded from a fourth-place finish in New Egypt’s initial series showdown on June 22 behind track regulars Billy Pauch (winner), Ryan Godown and Frank Cozze. On this night Cozze was the only one to finish as Pauch and Godown were DNFs (did not finish) on the final scoresheet.
The Advance Auto Parts tour makes its third and final appearance at the popular Garden State oval on Saturday, Sept. 24 when the ’Legends of the Fall’ festival of speed closes out the Grosso Family’s eighth season of short-track competition. It will also mark the tour’s eighth trip to New Egypt with Pauch remaining the only repeat winner as Bob McCreadie, Billy Decker, Alan Johnson and Hearn own one victory apiece.
The century grind opened with Cozze out-dragging pole-sitter Alan Johnson to gain command early while Sheppard, Godown and Rick Grosso, Jr. shuffled for position directly behind. When Saturday night regular Darren McCaughey slowed in turn four with fuel pick-up problems, the first yellow flag flew to tighten the field with six laps complete. Pauch was already on the move as he blasted from 14th-starting spot to eighth and ready to pounce on Hearn once back under green.
Another slowdown came on lap 10 when runner-up Sheppard ran low exiting turn three and locked up after hitting a water spot that occupied his inside line. He looped his no. 44s Adam Ross Cut Stone/Bicknell entry all alone in turn four and the pile-up that ensued directly behind involved Elite 11 upstart Stewart Friesen, Rick Laubach, Jack Johnson and Scott VanGorder. The restart found 23rd-place starter Jimmy Horton cracking the top-10 while Pauch bordered on the front-five in pursuit of his 620th career feature win.
Fresh off his feature win the evening prior at Grandview (Pa.) Speedway, Cozze was in good position to collect his second straight set of checkers. Yet before the race was 10 minutes old, the Wind Gap, Pa. standout gave way to a charging Grosso on lap 15. Four circuits later Cozze made a quick stop pitside following a third caution period to sort out a turn four tangle involving E11 members Gary Tomkins and Chad Brachmann plus Jeff Brownell, Jr. He returned to the speedway soonafter filing into last place on grid, just as Godown sped past Grosso to take his first lead on the lap 19 restart. At this juncture Horton had moved into sixth while Sheppard appeared to have the fastest car on the track and already cracked the top-10.
Starting ninth in the line-up aboard the potent red no. m1 MBF Racing-B&F General Machine mount, Fuller was methodically making his move toward the front and chased Godown with a quarter of the race complete. Two laps later Fuller crossed the line a wheel ahead of Godown and in seven more circuits the Ringoes, N.J. runner bolted past Fuller just as Pauch’s night came to a close with a broken rear axle denying him a second successive tour win at home.
Horton entered the battle up front as he gained third spot by lap 40 and set his nearest sights on frontrunners Godown and Fuller. Just as Sheppard had maneuvered back into contention for the coveted race title, Cozze had worked his way into the top-10 during the past 20 laps. By the midway mark Godown and Fuller retained the top-two slots followed by Horton, Alan Johnson and Sheppard with Grosso slipping to sixth ahead of Brett Hearn, Pat Ward, Cozze and Billy Decker.
Green lights continued around the speedway as the leaders reached heavy traffic by lap 55. Suddenly on lap 62, the quick change rear-end gears blew out on Godown’s no. 26 Stanton Hills Landscaping/Bicknell ride and Fuller was in position to re-take the lead. With 21 cars remaining trackside for the lap 67 restart, Fuller held down the number one slot in front of Horton, Alan Johnson and the charging number 44s of Sheppard and Cozze. Hearn ran silent in sixth and was shadowed by Grosso, Billy Decker, Gypsum teammate Pat Ward and younger sibling Danny Johnson.
Sheppard continued his rally toward the front, sweeping high around Johnson for third on lap 77 as Fuller extended his lead over Horton by 10 car-lengths. With just 11 laps to go the axle broke on the #TEN Sherlock Motorsports-CRC Community Rental/TEO driven by ’A.J. Slideways’ and Johnson was towed into the pits to finish 18th on the night. The slowdown tightened the pack and Sheppard took advantage to duck under Horton for second with just a half-dozen laps remaining.
But that was as far as Sheppard could advance as Fuller sustained a solid four car-length margin under the checkered flag while Hearn nipped Horton at the line to steal away third. Cozze settled for his second straight top-five finish at New Egypt in the tour-type competition while 14 of the 17 cars remaining trackside complete the entire 100-lap distance.
"That 26 car was setting a wild pace out there and I could run close but I wasn’t gonna catch him," said Fuller, after recording his 61st career DIRT big-block Modified feature win. The Edwards, N.Y. chauffeur led the entire DIRT circuit last season with 18 victories including the prestigious Syracuse Eckerd 200 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. "At the end he broke and I caught a break, after that I just had to run smooth and stay consistent. Its a long drive out here (from New York) but I love the bitchin’ and moanin.’ The money’s always good and the crowd keeps coming back so I guess we will, too. At least one more time in September and that will put somebody one ahead."
Fuller is already one ahead on the Super DIRT Series career win chart, scoring five victories the last two seasons before adding six more triumphs in 2005. His first-ever feature wins at Lowe’s, Grandview, Lernerville and now New Egypt accompany early-season tour triumphs at Rolling Wheels and Cayuga County Fair Speedway, the home of DIRT NorthEast’s regional office.
Sheppard is still looking for the second Advance Auto Parts SDS win of his short-track career, while a half-dozen top-five tallies highlight his growing ’05 season resume. "Somebody got down low in turn three early on and splashed up some water," said Bert ’Hard Charger’ Sheppard, 23, who scored his lone SDS triumph on Canadian soil last summer at Autodrome Drummond. "After that I just had to suck it up and start over again from scratch. I knew the car was good so to have any chance I had to run it hard the rest of the way. We just came up one spot short today so considering what we had to do to get here it’s a pretty good deal."
While Sheppard went from front to back and forth throughout the 50-mile main, Hearn hovered around the top-10 for the duration before edging out New Jersey rival Horton at the stripe to post his eighth straight top-five finish in the series dating back to July 4 at Rolling Wheels. "I have to be happy, we had a 7th or 8th-place car tonight and came away with third," said Hearn, DIRT’s all-time Modified SDS win leader with 86 tour wins. Despite being the most consistent series runner in ’05 aboard the no. 3 Page Trucking-Gable Auto Stores-Kruger-WLR Construction-TEO Fab./TEO machine, Hearn has only gained 35 points on Fuller since starting his top-five streak on Independence Day. However, the ’Corporate Jet’ has since improved from ninth to second in points during that same time frame behind Fuller, who trailed early-season tour leader Pat Ward going into the sixth event at Rolling Wheels. "We’re doing pretty much what we want to out here but Tim has just been hot everywhere we’ve run. There are still a lot of races left so we’ll just have to stay around the front and give ourselves a chance. We’ve been around long enough to know anything can happen
With Fuller and Hearn putting forth their best bid to pull away from Gary Tomkins and Billy Decker in the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series point standings, ’04 DIRT Driver of the Year Fuller will be heading home to Brewerton (NY) Speedway on Wednesday, August 31 as teams travel back to the Empire State for round number 15 on the 24-race schedule.
Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series – New Egypt Speedway, August 24, 2005 Showdown In the Pines Event Summary [*Official box score posted on www.dirtmotorsports.com by selecting DIRT NorthEast then choosing either the 358-Modified SDS, Sportsman SDS or Pro Stock SDS before clicking the ’Advance’ logo top left on homepage]
FEATURE FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 9 m1 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY ($6,000)
2 3 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
3 8 3 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
4 23 901 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
5 4 44 Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA
6 12 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
7 20 74 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
8 17 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
9 7 r24 Rick Grosso,Jr./Belle Mead,NJ
10 18 20 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
11 24 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
12 22 1t Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
13 26 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
14 *2 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
15 27 29b Jeff Brownell,Jr./Waterloo,NY
16 25 3h Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
17 13 17 Scott VanGorder/Somerset,NJ
18 1 TEN Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
19 10 4tj Jim Scherer/Monroe Township,NJ
20 5 86 Kyle Strickler/Sinking Spring,PA
21 16 5 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
22 21 12a Jack Johnson/Duanesburg,NY
23 6 26 Ryan Godown/Ringoes,NJ
24 28 8j Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY
25 14 1 Billy Pauch/Frenchtown,NJ
26 29 23 Tom Carberry/Hopewell,NJ
27 30 Z Butch Tittle/Saylorsburg,PA
28 19 3b Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY
29 15 6j Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
30 11 28 Darren McCaughey/New Egypt,NJ
DNS DNQ 85 Jim Robertson/Levittown,PA DNS DNQ 47 John Dixon/Marlboro,NJ
*Started last in back-up car after blowing motor in heat practice. Lap Leaders: Cozze (1-14), Gross (15-18), Godown (19-26), Fuller (27-33), Godown (34-61), Fuller (62-100). Bert Hard Charger: Matt Sheppard.
QUALIFYING FAST AVE TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
#1 17.243 104.390 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
2 17.258 104.299 1 Billy Pauch/Frenchtown,NJ
3 17.262 104.275 r24 Rick Grosso,Jr./Belle Mead,NJ
4 17.339 103.812 26 Ryan Godown/Ringoes,NJ
5 17.366 103.651 m1 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
6 17.424 103.306 44 Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA
7 17.458 103.105 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
8 17.461 103.087 3 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
9 17.606 102.238 17 Scott VanGorder/Somerset,NJ
10 17.659 101.931 4tj Jim Scherer/Monroe Township,NJ
11 17.661 101.919 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
12 17.742 101.454 5 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
13 17.759 101.357 12a Jack Johnson/Duanesburg,NY
14 17.799 101.129 28 Darren McCaughey/New Egypt,NJ
15 17.813 101.050 6j Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
16 17.861 100.778 86 Kyle Strickler/Sinking Spring,PA
17 17.924 100.424 TEN Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
18 17.959 100.228 20 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
19 17.968 100.178 47 John Dixon/Marlboro,NJ
20 17.972 100.156 901 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
21 17.974 100.145 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
22 18.023 99.872 29b Jeff Brownell,Jr./Waterloo,NY
23 18.056 99.690 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
24 18.101 99.442 74 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
25 18.114 99.371 3h Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
26 18.142 99.217 1t Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
27 18.180 99.010 3b Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY
28 18.192 98.945 8j Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY
29 18.224 98.771 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
30 18.394 97.858 85 Jim Robertson/Levittown,PA
31 18.748 96.010 Z Butch Tittle/Saylorsburg,PA
32 18.990 94.787 23t Tom Carberry/Hopewell,NJ
#NEW TRACK SERIES RECORD
*Top-2 locked into pre-race feature draw.
Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature, top 3 went to re-draw)
#1: Grosso, Sheppard, Decker, Bachetti, Brachmann, Coffey, Tittle, Dixon.
#2: Godown, Hearn, Strickler, Laubach, D.Johnson, Horton, Sears, Carberry.
#3: Fuller, VanGorder, A.Johnson, Ward, J.Johnson, Haers, Paine.
#4: Cozze, Scherer, McCaughey, Friesen, Tomkins, Brownell, Robertson.
Consolation Round (10 laps, top 8 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Horton, Coffey, Haers, Paine, Brownell, Sears, Carberry, Tittle, Robertson, Dixon (DNS).
Skidmarks: * Super DIRT Series competition returns to New Egypt on September 24 for "Legends of the Fall" season finale" culminating with an Advance Auto Parts Modified SDS 100-lapper. A raindate of Sun., Sept. 25 has been listed on the track schedule. The one-day event remains a work in progress with a tentative schedule kicking off with Sportsman and Super Stock action at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon with the Southern rock band Boot Hill Express performing during the 5-6:30 p.m. intermission. Action for the regular SS Sprints and big-block Modifieds picks up at 6:30 p.m. while an autograph session for retired stock car champions and a vintage stock car exhibition take place throughout the show. "We finally got all of our past bills out of the way with DIRT and we’re moving forward with all our plans," said New Egypt Promoter and Race Director Jim Swanson. "Becoming more involved with DIRT MotorSports in future is something we’ll definitely consider during the coming months. It’s very hard nowadays for independent tracks to pass up on tire deals. But if something comes up and DIRT can match the sponsorship dollars we already have in place then we have no problem climbing on the DIRT bandwagon."
* Looking to improve on his runner-up finish in the June 22 Advance Auto Series showdown at New Egypt, track regular Ryan Godown led 36 laps before the rear quick change gear let loose to relinquish the point on lap 62 to eventual winner Fuller. "We’ve had eight second-place finishes this year so a series win would obviously be a big one for a lot of reasons," said Godown, 30, a past Syracuse Super DIRT Week Sportsman champion. "If the track stays tacky the locals will have a good shot at repeating but the tour guys are better on a slick surface. In the last race we put on Hoosiers ---New Egypt track tire is American Racer--- and the car actually ran better when the track was heavy, we even carried over some of the set-up and it made the car better for the regular Saturday show. So far we’ve had trouble getting through traffic from the back. When we finally get by all the top guys have usually already made it to the front. So around here its whoever gets through the pack first that normally wins. Its a little frustrating having a fast car and going home empty every week. For that last tour race in June our car was 2-tenths quicker than everybody else that night."
* Competing the previous night in the 358-Modified SDS event at Canandaigua Speedway were top-three finishers Alan Johnson, Steve Paine and Andy Bachetti, plus Danny Johnson (5th) and Elite 11 mainstays Gary Tomkins (18th, lost tire tread), Stewart Friesen (23rd, broken rear hub), Brett Hearn (24th, motor), Chad Brachmann (27th, crash) and Matt Sheppard (29th, panhard bar, shock). Sheppard and Hearn rebounded to score top-three finishes at New Egypt ahead of Danny Johnson (7th), Friesen (10th), Tomkins (12th), Paine (13th), Alan Johnson (18th), Brachmann (28th) and Bachetti (29th).
* The top-15 finishers in the ’Finger Lakes Championship 100’ (Aug. 11) at Canandaigua Speedway were at the head of the line to share in the unique $3,000 Winner’s Circle fund that has been set aside to be divided among the highest finishing drivers at each event. The distribution of this special $3,000 fund is based on the feature race finishing order: drivers placing in positions 1-5 each earn $100, 6th – 10th-place finishers receive $200 and 11th – 15th pocket $300. Competitors are required to attend and attempt to qualify for the next Advance Auto Parts SDS event to collect payment of the Winner’s Circle bonus.
By racing at New Egypt, Gary Tomkins, Matt Sheppard and Brett Hearn received $100 each, Tim Fuller, Tom Sears Jr. and Chad Brachmann earned $200, while Billy Decker, Vic Coffey, Jimmy Phelps and Stewart Friesen pocketed $300. Mitch Gibbs, Tim McCreadie, Todd Burley, Chuck Bower and Charlie Donk were no shows. Upon attempting to qualify at the next event, Brewerton Speedway on Aug. 31, Fuller, Sheppard, Hearn, Jimmy Horton and Frank Cozze will collect $100 each, Decker, Danny Johnson, Pat Ward, Rick Grosso, Jr. and friesen will receive $200, with Coffey, Tomkins, Steve Paine, Phelps and Jeff Brownell, Jr. in line for $300 bonuses.
* Jimmy Phelps was the first driver to time trial and proceeded to establish a new track tour record of 17.243 sec. (104.390 mph) around the heavy half-miler. June SDS feature winner Billy Pauch was second quickest ---25th car out--- followed by track prep man Rick Grosso, Jr., Ryan Godown and Tim Fuller, who on June 22 set fast time with the exact same speed as Steve Paine in DIRT’s 2003 visit to New Egypt. It took only 14 minutes for 32 open-wheel entries to conduct time trails on Wednesday night with Bucky Kell remaining the single-lap record-holder with a time of 16.476 sec. recorded on May 11, 2005. Unfortunately for Phelps, he lost the motor in the no. 98h H&H Motorsports-Mohawk Northeast-New England Race Fuels/Troyer entry in his heat race practice session ---even selecting number two in the customary pre-race draw--- to relegate him to the back of the 30-car starting field before ending up in 14th and the last car scored on the lead lap.
* The June 22 ’Garden State Gunfight’ lured 36 cars and drivers to New Egypt while 32 signed in for the return appearance of the Super DIRT Series on Wednesday. Among the missing were Ron John Koczon, Bob McCreadie, Brian Godown, Ray Bliss, Scott Flammer, keith Hoffman, Bucky Kell, Jeff Strunk, Doug Hoffman, Jeff Isabell and Sean Beardsley. It was reported that Isabell and Beardsley were on their way and teammates even drew for time trial positions yet neither showed. Hauler trouble also forced Beardsley to miss Canandaigia’s big-block race run on Aug. 11. Rich Scagliotta was in attendance yet competing in the regular track points event with his customary Sportsman machine. The newcomers for round two were Danny Johnson, Butch Tittle, Jim Scherer, Andy Bachetti, Darren McCaughey, Scott VanGorder, Sportsman graduate Jim Robertson, John Dixon and Tom Carberry, a New Egypt feature winner in 2005.
* Promoter Vince Vicari made a rare appearance Wednesday at New Egypt to get the wheels rolling for the 3rd IMI Central Penn 100 that takes center stage at Williams Grove Speedway on October 16. The return of Super DIRT Series action to the historic Mechanicsburg, Pa. oval will feature DIRT’s “Elite 11” taking on all the area stars from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in the upcoming autumn event.
* An important notice has been given to all teams planning to return to New Jersey for competition at either New Egypt on Sept. 24 or Bridgeport Speedway on Oct. 22-23. Even though the 2005 Official DIRT MotorSports NorthEast Rule Book recommends use of a five-point seat belt no older than five years, New Jersey State law mandates that no safety harness may be used that is older than two years. While the significance of this matter was stressed by a number of law enforcement agents on race night, the same individuals noted that direct action will taken against any teams failing to take heed of this particular
* With RACEceiver now recognized as the Official Driver Communicator of DIRT MotorSports™ in 2005, fans, as well as the competing drivers, were able to hear first hand everything that was happening throughout the entire New Egypt show. A compact radio receiver that conveniently fits into a driver’s pocket, a RACEceiver allows each driver to hear directions from series officials, which greatly enhances the safety and timeliness of events. A similar version available to fans allows RACEceiver users to hear what information series officials are relaying to the drivers. For more information about RACEceiver, visit www.raceceiver.com, call 866/301-7223, or look for their sales trailers at various events.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIED SERIES SPONSORS The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Dynomax Performance Exhaust, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional Partners include Stacker 2®, AMB i.t., RACEceiver and Zippo Lighters and the contingency sponsors are DART Machinery, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, MSD Ignitions and Wrisco Industries.