Review of action at Dunn Tire Raceway Park

A Tuesday special last night at Dunn Tire Raceway Park (DTRP) in Lancaster as the DIRTcar Modifieds invaded the 5/8ths oval for a Syracuse Qualifier. The car count for the Modifieds were not that great as I-88 Speedway in Afton scheduled a "Thunder on the Thruway" Series race after this race was already on the schedule. Also on the racing card included the Street Stocks, 4 Bangers and the Casey's TQ Midget Series.

The low car count didn't disappoint this race fan as the Modifieds put on a very good show. The drivers that made the long haul were the Bartemy Brothers, Adam and Aaron. From Sheldon, Vermont the Bartemy brothers came to DTRP and dominated the feature action. Adam would make the 7 hour 42 minute drive (according to MapQuest) worth while as Adam would win the 35 lap special. Aaron would finish fourth after starting in row number four. Keith Flach, a regular at Orange County Fair Speedway finished second after a great battle with Airborne regular Patrick Dupree. Aaron Bartemy would finish in fourth followed to the line by pole-sitter Andy Powell, from Hannibal NY representing the Airborne Speedway. Local Sportsman regular James Henry out of Niagara Falls received the guaranteed starting spot for the Sportsman during Super DIRT Week in October at the NYS Fairgrounds in Syracuse. There were only four Western New York competitors in the field including Henry was Warsaw's Ray (Zeke) Bliss Jr., Ransomville's Erick Rudolph and Wheatfield's Chad Brachmann. Brachmann had cylinder head problems all evening under the hood of the Mighty Taco number 3.
Modified heat winners were Andy Linderman and Patrick Dupree

The Street Stocks put on a good show as well as Mike Nash (pictured left) led the event wire to wire. Rookie's Jake Lyon and TJ Cochrane put on a great battle for second during most of the event until Cochrane made a "rookie mistake" and Lyon was able to pass him as well as Nate Straus, Cory Gallagher and second generation driver Matt Druar. Nash would win in dominating fashion over Lyon, Straus, Gallagher and Druar.
Heat winners: TJ Cochrane and Mike Nash

The 4 Bangers were interesting as they run on the quarter mile oval at Dunn Tire Raceway Park. Charles Buchanan (pictured right) won his fifth of the season after a great battle with former Wyoming County International Speedway regular Bob Bogner. Mike Hossfeld, cousin of Modified superstar Chuck Hossfeld finished third after working his way through the 19 car field.
Heat winners: Mike Hossfeld, Bob Bogner, Charles Buchanan

The Casey's TQ Midget Series had 24 cars sign in pit side to do battle on the quarter mile inner oval as well at Lancaster. Andy Jankowiak dominated much of the event in his Englewood Collision ride driving for Vinnie Christiano, however it was Jim Fleischman (pictured left) picking up his first career win in a TQ Midget in the 20 lap feature event. Third generation driver Camden Barber had an engine problem with a handful of laps remaining while running third. Andy J would finish second and teammate Dave Wollaber would finish third. 
Heat winners: Camden Barber, Bobby Holmes, Andy Jankowiak

Photos Courtesy of: Jeremiah Fish Photography (Top Photo), Laura Looooo Photography and Jim Fleischman

ROC Sportsman 100 Contingencies Keep Coming In

ROC WEEKEND SPORTSMAN 100 TEAMS TO SEE BIGGER PURSE AND SEVERAL BONUSES UP FOR GRABS.  ONE DRIVER COULD WIN A BRAND NEW 2QWIK CHASSIS. 

BINGHAMTON, NY…The 61st Sunoco Race of Champions Weekend is just around the corner and the traditional Sportsman 100 that in the past kicked off the weekend will now wrap up the three day of speed at Oswego Speedway.  The 2011 RoC Sportsman 100 will see an increased purse once again this year along with a number of great bonuses being put up for grabs.  The Race of Champions Weekend will take place on July 22nd, 23rd and 24th at Oswego Speedway.

The Sportsman 100 on Sunday will certainly be a must see event.  They will be joined with a Street Stock showdown and Late Model 100 on the card that day.  The Sportsman teams will once again see an increased purse for the event along with some great bonus opportunities.

Rick Kluth from 2Kwik Chassis has committed to a fantastic program for the Sportsman teams.  Should a driver win both the RoC Sportsman 100 on July 24th at Oswego Speedway and the U.S. Open Sportsman event at Dunn Tire Raceway Park in September that driver will win a free brand new 2Kwik Chassis from Kluth Motorsports and Rick Kluth.  As another bonus for teams on the RoC weekend the top three teams with a best overall finish from the Decker Memorial Sportsman event at Holland Speedway and the RoC Sportsman 100 will earn 2Qwik Chassis product certificates.  The best overall two day finish will earn $300, second $200 and third $100 all in product certificates.

RoC Cooridinator Andrew Harpell has also raised the bar above the purse increase.  A $500 bonus is being offered to the top finishing driver in the 100 lap Sportsman event running under the 2009 SST rulebook.  This means any team not running the platinum heads or other more recent rule packages will be eligible.  In addition Jason Urso from French’s Auto Parts, the official tire vendor of the weekend will post a $500 bonus to the top finishing team in the Sportsman 100 that purchases their four race tires from their shop.  Pete Morgantini from Morgantini Race Engines is also posting a $100 bonus to the top finishing driver in the 100 using one of his motors.

Other bonuses and contingencies are still being worked on for the Sportsman 100.  As in the past Marilyn and Don Toal have been collecting lap fund money for the Modified division and doing another tremendous job.  Anyone interested in posting bonuses or contingencies for any of the weekend divisions are encouraged to participate. 

Harpell commented on the RoC Sportsman 100, “We expect to see one of the most diversified fields in recent memory for the 100 this year.”  “We have already received entries from teams all over the northeast once again making this a true Race of Champions from all tracks that host Sportsman racing.”  “We feel that our rule package this year will incorporate all of the tracks in the northeast and make for a fantastic field of talent.”

The Race of Champions Weekend is quickly approaching on July 22nd, 23rd and 24th at Oswego Speedway.  The best talent in asphalt racing will be converging on the Steel Palace for a weekend of speed. 

With the addition of the Oswego Super Modifieds to the Saturday Modified 200 program advance sale tickets have been on a steady pace for this 2011 edition.  RoC event coordinator Andrew Harpell commented, “To this point our Saturday advance sale tickets are the best we’ve have seen since the year Tony Stewart appeared.”  “The addition of the Super Modifieds has really sparked the local interest in the event and the advance sale tickets have been reflective of that.”

The 61st running of the Sunoco Race of Champions Modified 200 will take place on Saturday, July 23rd.  The event will be a tribute to the memory of the late great Richie Evans.  That day will see the Modifieds in their 200 lap event along with the Oswego Supers battling in a point race that will be 61 laps in distance.  The Super Stocks will round out the Saturday program.

Friday will be highlighted by the return of the ISMA Super Modifieds to the “steel palace” along with the SBS Super Modifieds and Mini Stocks.

Tickets for the 61st running of the Sunoco Race of Champions are available through the Oswego Speedway box office.  They can be contacted directly at 315-342-0646.  The Race of Champions offices can be contacted at 607-775-5555 or by emailing the office at rocpavement@aol.com.  The official RoC website can be found at www.raceofchampions.net.

 Taken from RoC Website

Rich Christman Gets UAS National Qualifier Win at Limerock

Photos Courtesy of MG Photography

CALEDONIA, NY… Rich Christman made the trip from Canajoharie, NY worth his while as he picked up a National Qualifying spot for the UAS Kart Series when the series made their stop at the Limerock Speedway. Also picking up wins at Limerock includes Eric Wise in the 600cc Open Class, Dan Muench in the 250/450cc Super Sportsman, Jake Muench in the 600cc Wingless, and Missy Clauss in the 125cc Sportsman. The Limerock Go-Kart feature winners were Tyler Irwin and Chase Peck while Ryan Noone and Josh Watson winning in the Quad division.

Andy Pritt and Rich Christman would lead the headliners for the day, the UAS Hurricane Karts to the green flag in their 25 lap feature event with Pritt out to the early advantage. Christman would get the pass on Pritt and to take over the lead on lap number two. Pritt was trying to hold off Steve Windle Jr for the number two spot but Windle would pass Pritt for second on lap five, the same lap that Jeff Drugan slowed on the back straightaway. Christman would show the field back to James Mitchell’s green flag with Windle Jr and Pritt right there behind the race leader in a three kart battle for the lead.

The field would get a competition yellow on lap 15 with Steve Windle Jr leading Rich Christman, Andy Pritt, Eric Grice and Ben Gallop running inside the top five. After the completion caution, Windle Jr would lead the field back to the green flag and would get challenged by Christman. Griz Wrisley would loop his ride on the front stretch to slow the field down on lap 17. Ben Gallop and Bobby Baldwin would collide with each other in turn two slowing the field down just two laps later. Christman would get around Windle Jr for the lead with a handful of laps remaining to pick up the victory.

Jason Luce and Brett Mesler led the UAS Extreme Karts to the green flag and it was Luce out to the early lead. The Limerock Speedway regular was showing the invaders how to get it done. Jim White spun on the front straightaway with contact from Brett Windled. Luce would lead the Extreme Karts back to the green flag with Luce showing the way. Brandon Zavarella would pass Luce for the lead with four laps remaining and would take off and open up a huge lead. Zavarella would go on and score the victory over Windled and Brett Mesler.

The regular Saturday night racing program at Limerock Speedway took to the 1/8^th mile oval and the Sportsman would be first to hit the racing surface.  Missy Clauss and Kennedy White participated in the 125cc Sportsman feature event. Clauss would get a sizeable lead over White before the halfway mark of the event. The competitors would close in on each other and Clauss would get the win over White.

Dan Muench and Shane O’Grady would lead the field of Solid Surfaces Inc. 250/450 class to the green flag with Muench getting the early lead. Joe Austin would have issues on his ride as he hit the turn three arco barrier and broke his right rear suspension. Second place runner O’Grady would have a night to forget as he broke on the front stretch to cause the yellow flag to come out again. The green flag would fly once again with Dan Muench continuing to show the way out front. Muench would lead from start to finish to pick up the win over Jeff Clauss and Jim Austin.

Eric Wise and Danny Knoll III would lead the field of 600cc Micro Sprints to the green flag with Wise out to the early lead. Ben Kysor would smack the turn three wall early on and was able to continue on racing. Tony Chiruck and Jake Muench would put on a great battle for third early on in the 30 lap feature. Danny Knoll III would pass Wise for the lead off turn two on lap number two and he would pull away quickly from the rest of the field. Muench would pass Wise for second on lap nine and would begin his assault on race leader Danny Knoll III. The caution would fly right at the halfway mark of the event as Matt Smith would loop his racer after contact with Pete Resch. Off the restart, “DK3” would pull away from the field in his Colton RV, WNY Jobs.com machine. Pete Lute spun in turn four to bring out the caution with nine laps remaining. Off the restart green, Knoll would pull away once again and loop it in turn two but was able to get back racing. Therefore, Eric Wise and Tony Chiruck would take over the front of the field. Wise would hold off Chiruck for the win. Pete Resch would finish in third followed closely to the line by Matt smith and Jake Muench.

Jake Muench and Pete Resch was on the front row for the 600 Wingless feature and it was Muench out to the early race lead. Muench was pulling away from the field early on with Resch and John Colaprette right on Muench’s tail. The recent High School graduate, Jake Muench would lead every lap to pick up the victory in the 600 Wingless feature event.

The next round of Quad wars took to the 1/8^th mile oval in Caledonia with John Schllegater leading the most laps; however it was Ryan Noone getting the lead from Schllegater in the late stages to pick up the win in the Amateur Feature. In the Pro class, it was Ben Seever leading the way with Josh Watson and Dusty Williams putting on a great battle for second. Seever would continue to lead but Watson would reel in and look to pass Seever for the lead with five laps remaining but the outside line was not working for Watson. The outside would finally work for Watson as he would get around Seever for the lead and the win.

The regular division of the Limerock Speedway went and in the Blue Plate division, it was the Irwin family on the front row with Tyler and Makayla leading them to the green flag with Tyler out to the early lead. Makayla would lose the handle of her ride and spin in turn two. Makayla would work her way back up through the field and would begin to close in on Brother Tyler. Katy Knoll would begin to reel in the Irwin family as she was running strong in third position. Tyler Irwin would lead from start to finish picking up the win in the Junior 2 class. Katy Knoll would win in the flatheads and Kenny Unger would win in the Senior Clone division.  In the Purple Plates, Chase Peck would pick up the feature win.

Limerock Speedway will be closed next week (July 2^nd) in observance of the 4^th of July Weekend. Action will resume at “the little track with a big heart” on Saturday July 9^th for the Midseason Championships plus the 125 Sportsman running a King of the Hill event. Limerock Speedway is run under Tri County Racing Inc. and is located on Flint Hill Road, just off of NYS Route 5, between Caledonia and LeRoy. For more information, log on to www.limerockspeedway.com

OFFICIAL RESULTS

UAS Karts – RICH CHRISTMAN, Steve Windle Jr., Andy Pritt, Eric Grice, Ben Taft, Ben Gallup, Bobby Baldwin, Steve Windle, Shawn Decker, Griz Wrisley, Robert Windle, Jeff Drugan, Tom Voeltz

Heat Winners: Rich Christman, Steve Windle Jr., Robert Windle, Eric Grice

UAS Extreme Karts – BRANDON ZAVARELLA, Brent Windled, Brett Mesler, Jason Luce, Jim White

Heat Winner: Jason Luce

UAS Blue Plate Clone – Anthony Natrigo

600cc Open Class: ERIC WISE, Tony Chiruck, Pete Resch, Matt Smith, Jake Muench, Ben Kysor, Brandon Goetz, Pete Lute, Darryl Pierce, Mark Buchanan, Stubby Pangrazio, Danny Knoll III, Rich Buchholtz, Diane Hausfelder

Heat Winners: Mark Buchanan, Eric Wise

600cc Wingless: JAKE MUENCH, Pete Resch, John Colaprette, Jake Szymkowiak, Stubby Pangrazio

Heat Winner: Jake Muench

Solid Surfaces Inc. 250/450cc: DAN MUENCH, Jeff Clauss, Jim Austin, Shane O’Grady, Joe Austin

Heat Winner: Jeff Clauss

125cc Sportsman: MISSY CLAUSS, Kennedy White

Heat Winner: Kennedy White

Amateur Quads: RYAN NOONE, John Schllegater, Joe Santini, Matt Seever, Jacob Callan

Heat Winner: John Schllegater

Pro Quads: JOSH WATSON, Ben Seever, Dusty Williams, Robert Stevenson III

Heat Winner: Dusty Williams

Blue Plate FEATURE FINISH: TYLER IRWIN,  Makayla Irwin, Katy Knoll (Flathead Winner), Christian Peck, Kenny Unger (Senior Clone), Anthony Natrigo

Heat Winner: Tyler Irwin

Purple Plate Clones: CHASE PECK

Heat Winner: Chase Peck

WCIS Makes Tire Amendment

A note from WCIS Owner/Promoter Jim Majchrzak 

We all can see its tough all over the asphalt racing community, and local ignorance on the unification of SST, compounded by economy, probably has a lot to do with the smaller fields. I stood hard against the blind promises of Hoosier Corporate and our regional distributor based on their price escalation and poor business ethics. Unfortunately, with padded pockets, other promoters opted stand dormant rather than support a program that supported the SST racers.

So here we are, six tracks and 3 different tire manufacturers….But after several conversations, I think we’ve come up with a small solution…with a positive twist that supports those who continue to support the efforts of WCIS.

A test period, from now until the end of July, WCIS will allow visiting drivers to race at the BullRing on 10/70’s or Hollands Goodyear for the SST Mods and the 980 for the SST SuperStocks. The purse will be reduced for only non American Racer equipt competitors.

All others remain the same. (Reduction Per position SST Mods $100 / SST SuperStocks $50)

Here’s the twist. Instead of $200 to take the green, the non complying Mod will only receive $100.( par to the other regional purses) the extra $100 will be divided up and credited toward the individual purchase of American Racers by the teams that comply and support WCIS during that race.

Example….One visiting mod team with hoosier tires would provide a $10 credit for the remaining 10 American Racer teams in that race. The cost of the new American Racer Tire will drop from $120 normal to $110. The credit will continue to compound each time non complying visitor challenges the BullRing. American Racing teams are encouraged to invite visitors to race at the BullRing, and take advantage of the additional tire discounts.

This is a way for WCIS to continue to support teams who support the Perry Facility and open the competition to those who are using an outside tire program as an excuse for not being able to travel…The BullRing is for racers to go racing and fans to have fun…see you soon

Kirchberger Girls Running With the Guys in the Hornets

In a series that I started in my Gater News column, I am talking to the competitors that run at both the Holland NASCAR Motorsports Complex and Wyoming County International Speedway. This story features two young and coming lady competitors in the Hornet division at Holland. 

In 2011, the Holland NASCAR Motorsports Complex did a little re-organizing in their entry level 4 cylinder division. The Hornet-Queen Bees will still run against each other in one feature and the winner of each will still get their interview and pictures in victory lane, however the points will be combined for one overall 4 Cylinder Hornet Champion.

Ashley and Nikki Kirchberger will be two of the Queen Bees that will battle the boys each and every race night here at Holland. Ashley has been racing with us for the past 7 seasons including winning three track titles in 2007, 2008 and 2010.Ashley was also featured in an article back in 2007 in the Buffalo News as well as winning the Best in Show Award in 2007 at the car show at McKinley Mall. 

Ashley’s #70 orange Honda Civic is always a strong contender to be the first woman across the line in the 4 Cylinder Hornet feature here each and every Saturday night. Ashley says that she is in the Hornet division because it is less expensive than the other divisions. “I started in this division when I first started racing”. She continued saying that “when I first started it racing, it was kind of a beginner class but as the years went on, the class grew”. “It’s a very competitive class and I have a lot of fun” she said. Her expectation for the 2011 season is to “keep it all in one piece”. She also says that she “just wants to have fun and maybe get another Championship. She also hopes that her sister Nikki has fun and hopes to see her crack victory lane. “I’ve been tossing around the thought of moving up” Ashley said when thinking about the next division she would want to get into. “If we were to move up, it would be up to the Bank of Holland Chargers” she said. Ashley likes racing here at Holland because she likes “that everyone knows everybody. It’s like everyone is one big family and everyone helps everyone”. “The track officials are just as friendly and helpful as the other drivers and crew members are”.

Ashley has some thoughts about racing against her sister Nikki. “Even though it’s her first year, I loved having her around just in the pits, but to have her actually racing this year is pretty cool”. “She tries hard and is always asking and looking for help and advice”. Nikki listens to her older sister Ashley whenever she tries to help her and coach her to how to get around the 3/8^th high banks oval. “Even though we are serious about racing, we still joke around and have fun”. Ashley continued saying that “but as far as racing against her, I don’t really feel like I am racing against her. She is more or less like a teammate that is still learning”. Ashley jokingly said that “when she starts to catch me is when I have to start worrying”.

It takes a lot of time, effort, commitment, sponsors and crews to make any racing team successful. The Kirchberger Racing Team would like to thank their sponsors and crew for everything that they have done. DeRonde Tire Supply, On the Mark Signs, Lil Liquors, Shaffer and Sons Used Tires, Southtowns Chimney Sweep, Fiebelkorn’s Collision and Frame Repair, and Timmy Regan Towing and Recovery are on the Ashley’s car. While Fiebelkorn Collision, Custom Tee Identity Ink, RJP, On the Mark, Southtowns Chimney Sweep, and DeRonde Tire are on Nikki’s racer in 2011. The crew is also important both girls would like to thank their Mom and Dad (Robyn and Edd), Grandma Shirley Kelly, sister Sarah, Chuck and Dutch for working on the cars and making sure that both of them are race ready each and every race night.

Younger sister Nikki is just staring out in the big cars. She started her racing in the go-karts at Bliss International. The rookie from West Seneca is no rookie to Holland, as she cheered her sister on from the stands and now she gets to cheer for her and race against her in her #10 Honda Civic. “It’s kind of cool when I start in the back and just look in the middle of the pack and see my sister going straight for the front” Nikki said. The car is painted orange on one side and purple on the other. Nikki even catches herself cheering for her sister while racing against her. “I even yell for her when I’m in the car just because I’m so used to it and I have to keep doing it” Nikki continued.  Nikki’s favorite moment with her sister Ashley is right before they go on to the track, while waiting in the line-up shoot. “We joke around about stuff and “Shake n bake” and then we know it’s time for business”.

Nikki just “wants to get used to the traffic and the track all together” in this her rookie season. A state champion hockey player, Nikki wants to “try and get a top ten and maybe win a race”. Nikki likes Holland because “I like the people and everyone understands that I’m new and I don’t mean to get in the way and they are all just fun people to race with”.

The Kirchberger girls have a saying “It’s a family thing and it always will be”. Both Ashley and Nikki are looking forward to put on a great show for you the fans each and every race night right here at the Holland NASCAR Motorsports Complex. 

Photos courtesy of Facebook

Where we are today. The Chemung Speedrome ~steven

Where we are today. The Chemung Speedrome
~steven

Happy fathers day everyone! Off with dad to the Chemung Speedrome
~steven

Faster pastor race at holland

Faster pastor race at holland

Jankowiak Wins Third in a Row at WCIS

PERRY, NY… Sunny skies and warm temperatures welcomed race fans from all over Western New York to Wyoming County International Speedway for the June 17th racing program. The annual bike race and giveaway is one of the nights that area kids circle on their schedules for the chance to race their bikes on the historic Perry oval. Racing action at WCIS saw Andy Jankowiak pick up his third win on the season in the SST Modifieds. 2010 Track Champion Phil Alhart Jr won his first feature of 2011 in the Super Stocks and Matt Druar picked up the win in the 4 Cylinders.

Ed Schueler and heat winner Andy Jankowiak were on the front row for the SST Modified feature event with Jankowiak getting the early race lead. TJ Zacharias moved up to the runner up spot and began to reel in Jankowiak. Zacharias would throw “everything at him but the kitchen sink” early on until a lap 11 caution for debris. The restart saw Jankowiak and Zacharias leading the way with Jankowiak back out front ahead of the class. Dick Kluth would loop his 27 machine on the front straightaway to slow the field down on back to back laps.

Back under green flag conditions, John Barber would move up from the rear of the field to battle Ed Schueler for third place on the halfway mark of the 35 lap feature. The caution would fly for a third time after race leader Jankowiak received a mechanical black flag. The tracks position on this matter was that “we (the speedway) brought out the caution, not the driver”. Therefore Jankowiak was allowed to reclaim his first place spot.

The race would then resume with Jankowiak and Zacharias up front and yellow lights would come back on for Brittany Jack as she looped her Atlas Pizza sponsored 6x around on the back stretch. Jankowiak would hold off TJ Zacharias and Ed Schueler to collect his third straight win on the Bullring.

Jeremy Gray and Dale Wolfer were on the front row for the Super Stock feature with Gray out front early. Mike Chenaille slowed his Just Us Renovations number 20 on the second go around to slow the field down for the first time. Jay Canonico looped his 13 on the back stretch to slow the field for the second time.

Off the restart, defending track champion Phil Alhart Jr showed the way with Gray back in second and Daniel Majchrzak running a strong third. Alhart and Majchrzak would hold the top two spots when a caution came out for a slowing Canonico. Back to back feature winner Canonico would pull his Dago-Fast Fabrication, Vic’s Auto Service entry pit side and his night would come to an end. An overheating Dale Wolfer would pull his 76 machine to the pits just a couple of laps later.

That set up a three car battle to settle the score and pick up the victory as Alhart would continue to lead Gray and Majchrzak around the 1/3rd mile Bullring. Alhart would lead the remaining laps to pick up his first win of the 2011 campaign in his Alhart Construction entry out of Fairport. Jeremy Gray would finish second and Daniel Majchrzak would finish third.

Eric Haistreiter and Brian Johnson led the 4 Cylinders to the green flag and it was Johnson out to the early advantage. Third place starter Charles Buchanan got around Haistreiter for second on lap one as did Matt Druar on lap two to take over the third position.

Heat winner Druar got around Buchanan for second a few laps later and began to put pressure on Johnson for the race lead. The pressure would be just enough as Druar would pass Johnson for the lead just before the halfway mark and rolled on for the victory. Johnson would finish second and Buchanan would round out the top three.

WCIS will be back in action on Friday June 24th on Aloha to Summer Night. The Hawaiian night theme is joined by the Crash and Smash Series plus a regular show. The Crash and Smash event is Junkyard Hockey and that will follow the racing action featuring the SST Modifieds, Super Stocks and 4 Cylinders. Pit gates and grandstand gates open at 5:00pm and racing gets underway at 7:30pm. For more information, log on to www.wyomingcountyinternationalspeedway.com or follow the speedway on Facebook. You can also call the speedway office at 585-237-2580 or on race day at 585-237-2510.

Official Finish 6-17-11
SST MODIFIEDS: ANDY JANKOWIAK, TJ Zacharias, Ed Schueler, Jim Love, Dick Kluth, John Barber, Brittany Jack

SST SUPER STOCKS: PHIL ALHART JR, Jeremy Gray, Daniel Majchrzak, Dale Wolfer, Jay Canonico, Mike Chenaille, Brad Collings (DNS), Austyn Fugle (DNS)

4 CYLINDERS: MATT DRUAR, Brian Johnson, Charles Buchanan, Eric Haistreiter, Troy Collings, Joe Horvatits

pictures courtesy of Rob Micoli - MM Sports Photos and Facebook

Racing This Weekend

This weekend will be a busy one as I will be at three different racetracks for Father's Day weekend.

The racing festivities begin on Friday over at the Wyoming County International Speedway in Perry, NY. The racing program starts at 7:30pm featuring the SST Modifieds, Super Stocks and 4 Cylinders. There will be a bike race tonight as well as a bike giveaway.  Pit gates and grandstand gates will swing open at 5:00pm at the Adrian Road Speedplant. Andy Jankowiak,  Jay Canonico and Charles Buchanan all look for their third win of the season at WCIS.

Saturday is off to the Holland NASCAR Motorsports Complex for the annual Bank of Holland Gold rush and the special 50 lap event for the Bank of  Holland Chargers. The Chargers always put on one of the best shows of the night. A full field of the NASCAR Whelen All American Series is also on the card featuring the National Overhead Door Pro Modifieds, the Late Models of Tomorrow (LAMOT), the Hornets, M&M U-Pull It Figure 8's and the Casey's TQ Midget Series. Gates open at 4pm with the Faster Pastor Race getting underway at 5 and NASCAR racing starts at 7:05 in the Holland hills.

Father's Day Sunday it is off to the Chemung Speedrome for their Father's Day classic featuring twin 30's for the Modifieds. The Super Stocks,4 Cylinders,  INEX Legends and Bandoleros are also on the card that gets underway at 2:15pm. It will make the second straight season that me and my Dad have spent Fathers Day together at Chemung.

NASCAR Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees

The announcement was made yesterday for the Class of 2012 to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC. The announcement, which was made live on Speed Channel, announced the newest members to this prestigious club.




Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip headline the Class of 2012. Both drivers brought NASCAR to the national stage during the 1970's and through the 80's. Yarborough became the first driver to win three consecutive Cup titles, teaming with Hall of Fame car owner Junior Johnson to capture championships in 1976, '77 and '78. Yarborough retired after the 1988 season with 83 wins in 560 starts. In addition, he posted 255 top-five and 319 top-10 finishes and won 69 career poles. He ranks sixth all time in victories and fourth in poles. Yarborough is a four-time winner of the Daytona 500, capturing the series' biggest race with three different car owners, and a five-time winner of the Southern 500 at Darlington. His involvement in a last-lap crash, and the ensuing fight, with brothers Bobby and Donnie Allison  in the 1979 Daytona 500 created an unexpected windfall of fan interest in the sport. The event was the first live, flag-to-flag coverage of a major NASCAR Cup race.

Darrell Waltrip won three NASCAR titles during his career, driving for Hall of Famer Junior Johnson.
Waltrip's 84 career wins, which came in 809 starts, is tied for third all-time in the Cup series. Among his victories are the Daytona 500 and Southern 500, and he holds the record for consecutive wins at Bristol with seven (1981-84). Currently, DW is in the broadcast booth for FOX Sports.

Also joining the Class of 2012 include Dale Inman (crew chief and cousin of Richard Petty), Glenn Wood and the "Rapid Roman" Richie Evans. 
Inman served as crew chief for the majority of Richard Petty's 200 career wins but also was a mentor for a number of today's hands-on personnel. Inman won eight championships in NASCAR's Cup series -- seven with Petty and one with Terry Labonte . In 1967, he and Petty teamed up for 27 wins, including one stretch of 10 in a row.


Glenn Wood was the foundation upon which the legendary Wood Brothers Racing organization was built. After a brief driving career, during which time he won four times in 62 starts, he and brothers Leonard and Delano Wood stuck to ownership and turned the driving over to others.

The team has 98 Cup wins, including a win in this year's Daytona 500 with rookie Trevor Bayne. 


Richie Evans rounds out this year's class. A nine-time Modified champion, Evans, of Rome, N.Y., was known as the King of the Modifieds and in 2003 was named No. 1 among all-time Modified competitors in NASCAR. Richie has over 200 career wins in the open-wheeled Modifieds and is one of the best drivers in Modified history.

Billy Decker wins Jan Corcoran Memorial at Canandaigua

 Photo: Jay Fish Photography












CANANDAIGUA, NY… After a year hiatus, the stars of the Super DIRTcar Series (SDS) Big Block Modifieds made a stop at Canandaigua Motorsports Park (CMP) for the Jan Corcoran Memorial. The 64 lap tribute paid $3000 to the winner and their name will go into the record books for picking up the victory at the “Land of Legends”.

Unadilla’s Billy Decker was the big winner at Canandaigua for the second stop of the 2011 season in Central New York for the Super DIRTcar Series. Decker’s victory at the “Land of Legends” marked his fourth series triumph as well as his 17^th overall in Modified competition at the Ontario County Fairgrounds.

Also on the racing card included a regular show featuring the NAPA Auto Parts Sportsman and the Parts Plus Stock Cars took to the half-mile oval in Wine Country in companion events in honor of track promoter Jeremie Corcoran’s late mother Jan, who passed away in October 2010 at the age of 64. Steve Gray won the NAPA Sportsman feature while Russ Marsden led from green to checkered to snag the Parts Stock Car feature go.

39 Big Block Modifieds signed in pit side for the $3000 to win event. During Time Trials, “Batman” Pete Britten set fast time with an 18.308 second lap around Canandaigua to grab his first career fast time award on the Super DIRTcar Series. 

After four qualifying heats, two consolation races and the luck of the draw, the 31 car starting field was set and it was Canandaigua regular and current track point’s leader “Super” Matt Sheppard and Billy Decker would lead the field to Dave Farney’s green flag and it was Sheppard out to the early lead. The Waterloo pilot would open his lead up early in the 64 lap affair and looked unstoppable through the midway point of the race.

The field would slow down for the first time on lap 12 as Pat Ward slowed on the back stretch. Ward was piloting the second Ryan Phelps machine for the evening. Sheppard would lead the field back to the green flag with Decker, “Kid Troyer” Rob Bellinger, Vince Vitale and Justin Haers in the top five and there was a battle behind them for sixth as “The Corporate Jet” Brett Hearn, “T-Mac” Tim McCreadie and Mike Mahaney went three-wide on several occasions throughout the event.

Derrick Podsiadlo’s spin on the front straightaway brought out the second caution of the event just five laps later on lap 17. Sheppard and Decker would continue to show the way as the third yellow would fly on lap 26 for a collision in turn three involving Carey Terrance and Podsiadlo. The field went back to green flag action as “Super” Matt and the “Franklin Flyer” continued to show the way around the Land of Legends as Brett Hearn and Tim McCreadie started to show their stuff just past the halfway mark.

Sheppard would get a major push in his X-Treme Lubricants 9s machine and the Gypsum Wholesalers ride of Decker would take advantage as Decker would claim the top spot on lap 46. Brett Hearn would pass Sheppard for second as did McCreadie and Stewart Friesen.

Once out front, Decker would hold off the hard charging Hearn to claim the victory in the Jan Corcoran Memorial. Hearn would finish second followed by McCreadie, Friesen, Sheppard, Justin Haers, Jimmy Phelps, Dale Planck, Mike Mahaney and Rob Bellinger completed your top 10. “I was throwing everything I had at Matt, he was just driving away. Then Justin (Haers) got by me and he was chasing down Matt, and Brett rolled me down in turns 3 & 4 with about 15 or 18 (laps) to go. We got lucky on that double-file restart, Matt took the outside and I got right back into second. It seems like the car just took off from there,” noted new series point’s leader Decker, following the first series win of the season for car owners John and Laura Wight.

“Hollywood” Daryl Hilkert and Todd Henderson would lead the NAPA Sportsman to the green flag and it was Henderson out to the early lead. Steve Gray would move up to the runner up spot after a lap one caution and began to put pressure on Henderson as did Karl Comfort. Comfort and Gray would dice for several laps as the two former champions would cut into Henderson’s lead with 10 laps remaining.  Dan Wiesner and Nick Guerierri would battle for fourth place for a while with Guerierri getting the better end of the deal when the race was completed.

Gray would complete the pass for the lead on lap 18 and would go on to win the feature event over Henderson, Comfort, Nick Guerierri and Dan Wiesner. Gray’s victory was the sixth different feature winner for the Sportsman at Canandaigua this season. Gray, who is from Middlesex, stated in victory lane that ““I was trying to stay on the bottom and Todd was running in the middle. Wasn’t really sure if I was going to be able to run him down but with about 8 or 10 laps in I decided to try the outside in (turns) 1 & 2 and the car stuck really good. So then I’m thinking let’s try it down in 3 & 4 and it stuck
even better. Now I thought we actually got a shot at (winning) this thing. We stayed on top and (Todd) stayed in the black and finally just ran him down”.

The Parts Plus Stock Cars would hit the half-mile oval in Wine Country for their 20 lap event and it was Russ Marsden and Frank Burnell leading the field to green with Marsden out to the early advantage. Nate Peckham would pass Burnell on lap five and begin his assault on the leader but Mike Welch was on the move. The Original Pizza Logs, Investor’s Service machine went around Peckham with 5 laps remaining and just couldn’t get the pass off to get the lead and victory. Russ Marsden would pick up his first win at Canandaigua over Welch, Peckham, Burnell and Jack Terrell. “I didn’t really see anybody much the whole race. You just couldn’t pass on the bottom; the track is just so fast on the outside. My hats off to Pat Flack and Marty Patchen, they put this whole operation together and give me anything I want. It’s nice to finally get a win here after coming close so many times,” Marsden added while celebrating the win in victory lane.

Canandaigua runs each and every Saturday night on the Ontario County Fairgrounds featuring the Big Block Modifieds, Sportsman, Stock Cars and Pure Stocks. Race time is at 7 pm.

Klein Steel Retail and Promotion Custom Metal Fab Present 1st Jan Corcoran Memorial

Big-Block Modified Super DIRTcar Series

*Feature (64 laps): 1. 91 - Billy Decker, 2. 20 - Brett Hearn, 3. 4* - Tim McCreadie 4. 1f - Stewart Friesen, 5. 9s - Matt Sheppard, 6. 3 - Justin Haers, 7. 98h - Jimmy Phelps, 8. 77x - Dale Planck, 9. 33 Mike Mahaney, 10. 8r - Rob Bellinger, 11. 27j - Danny Johnson, 12. 99b - Chuck Bower, 13. 21a - Pete Britten, 14. 10v - Bobby Varin, 15. 49 - Billy Dunn, 16. 62s - Tom Sears Jr., 17. 673 - Gary Tomkins, 18. 56 - Vince Vitale, 19. 25 - Paul Habeck, 20. 10 - Tim Currier, 21. 8 - Rich Scagliotta, 22. 48too - Dave Rauscher, 23. 99r - Ryan Phelps, 24. 99L - Larry Wight, 25. 99 - Charlie Donk, 26. 7x - Steve Paine, 27. 11x - Alan Johnson, 28. 77 - Carey Terrance, 29. 21 - Derrick Podsiadlo, 30. 28p - Eldon Payne Jr., 31. 99p - Pat Ward

Heats (8 laps, 5 qualify, top 3 redraw)

#1: Hearn, Vitale, Bellinger, Tomkins, Scagliotta, Currier, Terrance, Wight, Varin, O'Brien

#2: Haers, Sheppard, Dunn, Paine, Donk, Podsiadlo, Ward, Payne, A. Johnson, Daniel A. Johnson

#3: J Phelps, Planck, Britten, Bower, Danny Johnson, R Phelps, Rauscher, Willix, Tegg Jr., Allen DNS

#4: Mahaney, McCreadie, Decker, Friesen, Sears Jr., Whaley, Habeck, Humes, VanInwegen DNS

Consolations (10 laps, 4 qualify):

#1: R Phelps, P Ward, Currier, Terrance, Varin, Wight, Rauscher, O'Brien, Tegg Jr., Willix

#2: Podsiadlo, Habeck, A Johnson, Payne Jr., Whaley, Humes, Daniel A. Johnson, VanInwegen DNS, Allen DNS

Time Trials: 1. Peter Britten 18.308 (98.318 mph), 2. Justin Haers 18.324, 3. Jimmy Phelps 18.355, 4. Matt Sheppard 18.464, 5. Mike Mahaney 18.492, 6. Vince Vitale 18.510, 7. Chuck Bower 18.523, 8. Brett Hearn 18.524, 9. Dale Planck 18.538, 10. Tim McCreadie 18.538, 11. Billy Decker 18.541, 12. Tom Sears Jr. 18.554, 13. Derrick Podsiadlo 18.587, 14. Rob Bellinger 18.670, 15. Billy Dunn  18.672, 16. Gary Tomkins 18.693, 17. Rich Scagliotta 18.697, 18. Steve Paine 18.719, 19. Tim Currier 18.734, 20. Charlie Donk 18.851, 21. Pat Ward 18.854, 22. Larry Wight 18.864, 23. Danny Johnson 18.870, 24. Dave Rauscher 18.924, 25. Stewart Friesen 18.995, 26. Carey Terrance 18.997, 27. Mike O’Brien 19.003, 28. Alan Johnson 19.034, 29. Paul Habeck 19.048, 30. Bobby Varin 19.061, 31. Gil Tegg Jr. 19.150, 32. Shannon Whaley 19.199, 33. Ryan Phelps 19.243, 34. Eldon Payne 19.389, 35. Lance Willix 19.417, 36. Daniel Johnson 19.422, 37. Billy VanInwegen 19.580, 38. Dan Humes 19.820, 39. Dave Allen NT

NAPA Sportsman Modified

*Feature (25 laps): 1. 29g - Steve Gray, 2. 21h - Todd Henderson, 3. 10 - Karl Comfort, 4. 25g - Nick Guererri, 5. 66 - Dan Wiesner, 6. 20x - Kevin Ridley, 7. 22 - Greg Cool, 8. 38 - Rich Swarthout, 9. 5 - Tom Keyes, 10. 11j - Justin Wright, 11. 7 - Paul Guererri, 12. 2p - Tom Juhl, 13. 21 - Randy McCulloch, 14. 83x - Bryan Faulkner, 15. 2L - Loren Lincoln, 16. 1f - A.J. Lloyd, 17. 8 - Joe Cook, 18. 31 - Kane Bristol, 19. 12g - Matt Guererri, 20. 4 - Daryl Hilkert, 21. 62 - Andrew Northrop, 22. 18h - Justin Henderson, 23. 76 - Rob Bussey, 24. 79 - Rocky Warner

Heats (8 laps, 6 qualify)

#1:  J. Henderson, Wright, Lincoln, Gray, Juhl, Cook, Faulkner, Ellsworth, Kimball, Hilton

Lewis DNS

#2: Comfort, Hilkert, Keyes, Cool, Lloyd, Northrop, Freese, McCulloch, Bristol DNS, Lerch DNS

#3: Henderson, Wiesner, P Guererri, Ridley, Warner, N Guererri, Swarthout, M Guererri, Wagner, Bussey

Consolation (8 laps, 6 qualify)

#1: Swarthout, McCulloch, Faulkner, M Guererri, Bussey, Bristol, Wagner, Hilton, Lerch, Freese, Ellsworth, Kimball DNS, Lewis DNS

Parts Plus Stock Car

*Feature (20 laps): 1. 28 - Russ Marsden, 2. 00 - Mike Welch, 3. 90 - Nate Peckham, 4. 57b - Frank Burnell Jr., 5. 98t - Jack Terrell, 6. 715 - Michael Cooper, 7. 75 - Scott Smith, 8. 55b - Blane Smith, 9. 272 - Kevin Smith, 10. 38 - Jason Whipple, 11. 00r - Andy Fisk, 12. 02 - Brad Steinruck

Heats (6 laps)

#1: Marsden, Peckham, Welch, Whipple, K Smith, Cooper

#2: Burnell Jr., Terrell, S Smith, Fisk, B Smith, Steinruck

Brett Hearn Won heat one and Justin Haers won heat two at Canandaigua

the sign on the backstretch at Canandaigua

the sign on the backstretch at Canandaigua

the sign on the backstretch at Canandaigua

the sign on the backstretch at Canandaigua

Welcome to Steve Petty Motorsports Media

In conjunction with Steve Petty Sports, Steve Petty Motorsports Media will bring you all the racing action from all over Western and Central NY. News will be posted not only on this site, but my Gater News Blog as well.

I will be posting the latest race results/releases from tracks throughout the region as well as starting to put together a race next season. Who knows when and where it will be so stay updated on this as well!

Lets go Racing!