Aug 4 2009
Sheppard Captures 2nd Series Win In Merrittville Wilkens Memorial
*Alex Bruce Photo Attachment     *For more News, Notes & Points, log into www.superdirtcarseries.com

Thorold, ONT –  August 3, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, Super DIRTcar Series PR Director 

Second-generation standout Matt Sheppard continued his torrid pace around the Northeast Big-Block Modified circuit, scoring his second Super DIRTcar Series victory of the season Monday night at Merrittville Speedway in the 17th Trevor Wilkens Memorial 100 presented by Toolneeds. 

    ‘Super Matt’ forged the seventh and final lead change on lap 26, then circled the fast third-mile Thorold oval lapping up to the fourth-place car to collect a well-deserved $6,000 payday in the annual Canadian Civic Holiday special. 

“First of all the the track was just awesome tonight, its about the raciest place we go all year,” remarked Sheppard, 27, after finishing with a 10 car-length advantage despite the sixth and final yellow flag bunching the field for the last restart with 14 laps to go. “Every time we come here the facility is great and the track is awesome, just can’t say enough about coming here.” 

Almost as happy with the third straight Super DIRTcar Series show staged at Merrittville were runner-up Brett Hearn, third-place finisher Pat Ward and fourth-place Pete Bicknell, while Larry Lampman Jr. rounded out the top-five one lap down to the leaders. With Sheppard and Hearn each already posting a pair of tour triumphs this season, Ward locked up a guaranteed starting berth in the prestigious Rite Aid 200 Championship race on Oct. 11 of Super DIRT Week XXXVIII at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. 

Fans knew they were in for a treat when Justin Haers kicked off qualifying with a new tour record of 15.044 seconds in Integra Shocks Time Trials. Haers, whose only other top time was recorded at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in 2004, was clocked quickest ahead of heat winners Billy Decker and Sheppard, with two Integra Shocks awards already earned for each during the ’09 campaign. 

When it came time for the customary pre-race draw for starting positions in the 100-lap Modified main, Larry Wight and Lampman grabbed front row starting positions while Sheppard secured the number nine slot with the JB Motorsports no. 9s Xtreme Lubricants-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell mount anxious to advance in the 30-car field. 

At the drop of the initial green flag, ‘Lightning Larry’ Wight wasted little time bolting ahead while Haers and Hearn moved in to challenge after five laps were scored. Tour traveler Gary Tomkins looped his mount in turn four to incur the first caution period and on the ensuing restart Haers took his first lead blasting high out of turn two aboard his potent Phelps Cement Products no. 3 SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell. Just three laps later, local pilot Travis Braun suffered a flat right-rear tire in the same spot to send the yellow lights flashing around the track for a second time. 

A back-and-forth battle among the leaders continued with Wight regaining the point on lap 14 and Haers stealing it back the following circuit. Carrying the momentum from a three-wide maneuver past Hearn and Wight on lap 17, rim-riding Dale Planck needed just two more times around to overtake Haers for the top spot and become the third driver of the night to lead his first laps of the season in Super DIRTcar Series competition. 

While Hearn improved to second by lap 20, Sheppard was even faster as he buckled down on the low side to move into third ahead of early pace-setters Haers and Wight. The next time around another yellow flag unfurled, this time for reigning Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar champ Billy Decker, who limped pitside with a broken shock mount derailing the Gypsum Wholesalers no. 91 Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell ride. 

Quick slowdowns for the parked car of track regular Bill Bleich in turns three and four on lap 22 and Wight, as his mount slid high off turn four, kept the field in check before 56 laps were run off straight through under green with only the strongest able to survive. Sheppard took his first lead by a mere bumper on lap 24 while Planck regrouped to take it back the following circuit. But once ‘Super Matt’ charged to the point on lap 26, there would be no looking back as the Waterloo, New York warrior went unchallenged the rest of the way. 

At the halfway mark lapped cars were easy prey for Sheppard as he out-distanced himself from Planck and Hearn using heavy traffic to his advantage. Just a dozen cars remained on the lead lap with 60 in the score book, although that number quickly diminished as the counter clicked off in the closing stages. 

Tenth-place runner Steve Paine fell victim to Sheppard’s stronghold on lap 64, eighth-place running Danny Johnson went down a half-dozen laps later while defending race winner Jimmy Phelps ran seventh before losing one with 74 circuits on the board. Charging all the way from 22nd on home soil, track owner Bicknell got past Planck on lap 76 and Sheppard followed to leave four cars on the lead lap after just two more circuits. 

DIRTcar 358-Modified rookie Mark D’Ilario lost a wheel exiting turn three to give the field a quick breather, although rain drops began to fall when the green lights came back on lap 86. Sheppard and Hearn rolled out of sight over the final circuits while Bicknell’s last bid to overtake Ward was foiled as he slipped over the edge in turn one with less than 10 laps to go. When the checkers finally waved it was Sheppard posting his DIRTcar Northeast-high 12th Big-Block win of the season, his first-ever triumph at Merrittville that vaulted him into second-place in the series standings through 10 events. 

“This car was just awesome tonight,” beamed Sheppard, following one of the most dominating performances of the season. “I found a little something on the bottom early and pretty much stuck with it and just kept plugging way. It may look fast down there but man, when you’re sitting in the cockpit it feels like you’re barely moving while you’re puttin’ around the bottom.” 

“I had no idea how far ahead I was when that last caution (lap 80) came out but I looked at the scoreboard and said ‘man, I just lapped the 5th-place guy’ so I figured we were pretty good. I have to thank my car owner Jeff Brownell and Bicknell Racing Products for this great team, I only had one guy make the trip up here with me tonight so it’s pretty special,” added Sheppard, following his third win over the extended weekend including victories at Brewerton (Fri.) and Canandaigua (Sat.) speedways. 

Despite settling for runner-up laurels for the second-time this season on tour, runner-up Hearn increased his series points lead to 150 over Sheppard after entering the show 143 markers ahead of Decker. 

“At one time Matt got so far ahead of us I couldn’t believe we were hanging on to second at that point,” noted Hearn, 50, after setting a single-season record with his 10th straight top-five tally to begin the series steering the Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR-BPG/TEO machine. “So I’m real pleased with this (finish), it wasn’t a win but we’ve been so consistent this year, just gotta knock down a couple more Ws now.” 

“After that last yellow, sometimes they let you go up to the leader single-file on the outside so I was trying to get up to the leader’s back bumper. But on the RACEceiver they told me to get back behind a few of the lapped cars. I did that, yet by the time I broke free of all the lapped cars (Matt) was out there a little too far. At the end we had a good line going in, I think we were catching him a little bit but he was probably just taking it easy and being safe,” added Hearn, who already owns a series-best 102 wins and is in quest of an unmatched seventh overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Championship. 

Contending in just his third Super DIRTcar Series event of the season, Ward took third-place honors aboard the LJL Racing no. 42P Gypsum Express/Bicknell team entry. 

“We’re pretty happy with third, we had to fight through a lot of good cars there,” said Ward, 52, who began 10th on the grid before navigating through the pack to salvage show position at the stripe. “We just stayed patient, tried not to spin the tires too much.” 

“We were really good off turn four at the bottom and just kinda held our own in turns one and two. This car has been good all year so I’m pretty happy. Have to thank John, Laura and Larry Wight (owners), my pit crew, Scott Jeffery and all the guys, they all help me out. It was definitely a good run for us tonight,” Ward stated. 

Super DIRTcar Series Race #10 – Merrittville Speedway, August 3, 2009 ‘17th annual Trevor Wilkens Memorial 100 presented by Toolneeds’ Big-Block Modified Event Summary

FIN   STR   CAR#     DRIVER

1          9          9s        Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY ($6,000)

2          4          20        Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ

3          10        42p     Pat Ward/Genoa,NY

4          22        42        Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT

5          2          22        Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT

6          11        98h     Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY

7          5          77x      Dale Planck/Cortland,NY

8          14        7x        Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY

9          8          99        Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY

10        15        fx1       Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY

11        28        1f         Adam Ferri/Pt.Colborne,ONT

12        3          3          Justin Haers/Phelps,NY

13        23        38        Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT

14        6          4s        Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ

15        1          99L     Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY

16        20        26        Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY

17        27        80        Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT

18        21        43t       Fred Carleton/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT

19        17        37s      Wayne Conn Jr./St.Catharines,ONT

20        29        08        Mark D'Ilario/Smithville,ONT

21        19        3b        Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY

22        12        84        Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY

23        24        76        Travis Braun/Jordan Station,ONT

24        7          91        Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY

25        18        71        Mike Bowman/St.Catharines,ONT

26        13        6          Mat Williamson/St.Catharines,ONT

27        30        108     Bill Bleich/Port Robinson,ONT

28        25        xXx     Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT

29        26        52        James Friesen/St.Catharines,ONT

30        16        44        Brian Stevens/St.Catharines,ONT

GATER RACING NEWS LAP LEADERS:   Wight (1-6), Haers (7-13), Wight (14), Haers (15-18), Planck (19-23), Sheppard (24), Planck (25), Sheppard (26-100).                               

CAUTIONS:   6 for 6 laps.                          

HEAT WINNERS:   Planck, J.Phelps, Sheppard, Decker.                              

DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS:   Carleton, Bicknell.         

BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD:   Matt Sheppard.                              

RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD:   Matt Sheppard.            

BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD:   Brett Hearn.                                      

SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER:   Pat Ward.                           

HALFWAY LEADER:   Matt Sheppard.                           

BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD:   Pete Bicknell.               

XTREME LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD:   Dale Planck.               

PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (14th):   Michael Storms.                              

INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD:   Justin Haers (15.044sec/79.766mph) *NEW TRACK RECORD.                            

TOTAL PURSE:   $27,750.                        

CARS ENTERED:   37.                              

NEXT EVENT:   Brewerton Speedway - August 7, 2009.                                

DID NOT QUALIFY(7)

8-Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ

8s-Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY

13-Dennis Giancola/St.Catharines,ONT

16w-Derek Wutzke/Fenwick,ONT

69-Rob Pietz/Gasline,ONT

72-Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT

82-Ken Winfield/Fort Erie,ONT

 

QUALIFYING

            FAST              AVE               

            TIME               MPH               CAR# DRIVER

*1        15.044            79.766            3          Justin Haers/Phelps,NY

*NEW TRACK RECORD                *$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award

2          15.053            79.718            91        Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY

3          15.157            79.171            42p     Pat Ward/Genoa,NY

4          15.205            78.921            9s        Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY

5          15.220            78.844            3b        Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY

6          15.293            78.467            98h     Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY

7          15.308            78.390            20        Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ

8          15.312            78.370            77x      Dale Planck/Cortland,NY

9          15.344            78.206            4s        Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ

10        15.372            78.064            84        Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY

11        15.428            77.781            fx1       Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY

12        15.441            77.715            7x        Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY

13        15.539            77.225            42        Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT

14        15.565            77.096            8          Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ

15        15.600            76.923            99        Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY

16        15.751            76.186            99L     Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY

17        15.764            76.123            22        Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT

18        15.789            76.002            6          Mat Williamson/St.Catharines,ONT

19        15.825            75.829            08        Mark D'Ilario/Smithville,ONT

20        15.841            75.753            38        Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT

21        15.850            75.710            71        Mike Bowman/St.Catharines,ONT

22        15.875            75.591            26        Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY

23        15.893            75.505            108     Bill Bleich/Port Robinson,ONT

24        15.902            75.462            xXx     Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT

25        16.019            74.911            37s      Wayne Conn Jr./St.Catharines,ONT

26        16.044            74.794            80        Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT

27        16.080            74.627            44        Brian Stevens/St.Catharines,ONT

28        16.104            74.516            76        Travis Braun/Jordan Station,ONT

29        16.145            74.326            69        Rob Pietz/Gasline,ONT

30        16.171            74.207            52        James Friesen/St.Catharines,ONT

31        16.176            74.184            43t       Fred Carleton/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT

32        16.252            73.837            1f         Adam Ferri/Pt.Colborne,ONT

33        16.477            72.829            8s        Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY

34        16.491            72.767            82        Ken Winfield/Fort Erie,ONT

35        16.546            72.525            13        Dennis Giancola/St.Catharines,ONT

36        16.656            72.046            72        Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT

37           -NT-               -----               16w     Derek Wutzke/Fenwick,ONT

 

Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature; top 3 redrew)

#1: Planck, Storms, Lampman, Williamson, Conn, Carleton, Gordon, D’Ilario, Giancola, Steele.

#2: J.Phelps, Wight, Haers, Paine, Bowman, Wood, Pietz, Scagliotta.

#3: Sheppard, Ward, Tomkins, Johnson, Brachmann, Bicknell, Braun, Jones, Flannigan.

#4: Decker, Hearn, R.Phelps, Stevens, Richner, Friesen, Bleich, Ferri, Winfield.

Dig Safely New York Last Chance Races: (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature)

#1: Carleton, Wood, Gordon, Steele, D’Ilario, Pietz, Giancola, Scagliotta (DNS), Wutzke (DNS).

#2: Bicknell, Braun, Friesen, Ferri, Bleich, Jones, Winfield, Flannigan.

 

Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Point Standings (Thru Aug. 3, 2009)

Rank  No.      Driver                         Total   Series Diff  Wins  Top-5 Top-10  Starts

1          20        Brett Hearn                918     918        0       2          10        10        10

2          9s        Matt Sheppard          768     768     -150    2          6          7          10

3          98H     Jimmy Phelps          725     725     -193    0          3          7          10

4          91        Billy Decker               722     722     -196    2          5          5          10

5          99        Ryan Phelps             648     648     -270    2          3          6          10

6          3          Justin Haers             629     629     -289    0          0          5          10

7          77x      Dale Planck              616     616     -302    0          1          4          10

8          84        Gary Tomkins           604     604     -314    0          1          6          10

9          FX1     Danny Johnson       559     559     -359    0          1          4          10

10        4          Mike Storms              514     514     -404    0          0          2          10

11        49        Billy Dunn                 486     486     -432    0          1          2          9

12        99L     Larry Wight               458     458     -460    0          0          0          10

13        14J      Alan Johnson           429     429     -489    1          2          4          7

14        29        Jeff Brownell Jr.       368     368     -550    0          1          2          7

15        74        Tim Fuller                  316     316     -602    0          2          2          5

16        7x        Steve Paine              313     313     -605    0          0          4          5

17        FX1     Frankie Caprara       224     224     -694    0          0          2          4

18        8          Rich Scagliotta         218     218     -700    0          0          0          3

19        42        Pete Bicknell            203     203     -715    0          1          2          3

20        6          Pat O'Brien                185     185     -733    0          1          1          3

21        1H       David Hebert             140     140     -778    0          1          1          2

22        22        Mario Clair                 127     127     -791    0          0          0          2

23        3b        Chad Brachmann    125     125     -793    0          0          0          3

24        02        Roy Bresnahan        122     122     -796    0          0          0          3

25        62        Tom Sears Jr.           113     113     -805    0          0          0          2

26        43        Keith Flach               111     111     -807    0          0          0          2

27        34b     Andy Bachetti           110     110     -808    0          1          1          1

28        33        Mike Mahaney          108     108     -810    0          0          0          3

29        9m      Tim McCreadie         105     105     -813    0          0          1          2

30        99B     Chuck Bower            103     103     -815    0          0          0          3

31        76        Travis Braun             97        97        -821    0          0          0          2

            21        Yan Bussiere            97        97        -821    0          0          0          2

33        96        Kyle Dingwall           95        95        -823    0          1          1          1

            97        Michel Chicoine       95        95        -823    0          0          0          2

35        26        Rick Richner             94        94        -824    0          0          0          2

36        42p     Pat Ward                    93        93        -825    0          1          2          3

37        17        Sean Beardsley       92        92        -826    0          0          0          2

38        32c      Vic Coffey                 87        87        -831    0          0          1          2

39        60        Brian Berger             86        86        -832    0          1          1          1

40        73        Alain Boisvert           82        82        -836    0          0          1          1

41        22        Larry Lampman Jr   81        81        -837    0          1          1          1

            33.3    Tommy Meier            81        81        -837    0          1          1          1

            77F     Mark Flach Jr.           81        81        -837    0          1          1          1

44        83x      Tim Sears                  80        80        -838    0          0          0          2

45        57        Donnie Corellis        77        77        -841    0          0          1          1

46        8R       Rob Bellinger           72        72        -846    0          0          0          2

47        42        Guy Sheldon            71        71        -847    0          0          1          1

48        160     Johnny Hill               70        70        -848    0          0          0          2

49        21        Derrick Podsiadlo    69        69        -849    0          0          0          2

50        88        Tim O'Brien               68        68        -850    0          0          0          1

51        98        Eddie Marshall         66        66        -852    0          0          0          1

52        44        Shannon Whaley    65        65        -853    0          0          0          1

            72        Todd Stewart             65        65        -853    0          0          1          1

            07        Tim Kerr                     65        65        -853    0          0          0          1

            54        Steve Bernard          65        65        -853    0          0          1          1

56        14        Jimmy Horton           63        63        -855    0          0          0          1

57        7*        Danny O'Brien         62        62        -856    0          0          1          1

58        1F       Adam Ferri                60        60        -858    0          0          0          1

            72        Tommy Flannigan   60        60        -858    0          0          0          1

            123     Robbie Krull              60        60        -858    0          0          0          1

61        64        Donnie Ackner         59        59        -859    0          0          0          1

62        26        Ryan Godown          57        57        -861    0          0          0          1

63        38        Scott Wood                56        56        -862    0          0          0          1

            22        Eric Gauvreau          56        56        -862    0          0          0          1

            44        Sebastien Gougeon 56      56        -862    0          0          0          1

66        88k      Randy Chrysler        55        55        -863    0          0          0          1

67        3          Claude Brouillard    54        54        -864    0          0          0          1

68        88        Kory Sandstedt         52        52        -866    0          0          0          1

69        24s      Chris Shultz              51        51        -867    0          0          0          1

            46        Kayle Robidoux       51        51        -867    0          0          0          1

            115     Kenny Tremont Jr.   51        51        -867    0          0          0          1

72        52        James M. Friesen    50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

            xXx     Todd Gordon             50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

            6m      Mat Wiliamson         50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

            16        Mike Bowman          50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

            M96    Brian McDonald       50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

            3d        Dexter Stacey           50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

            66w     Wallace Stacey        50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

            23        Dany Bilodeau         50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

            1H       Tim Hindley              50        50        -868    0          0          0          1

81        124     Pierre Dagenais       49        49        -869    0          0          0          1

82        80x      Chris Steele              48        48        -870    0          0          0          1

            72x      Denis Gauvreau      48        48        -870    0          0          0          1

            17c      Bobby Davidson      48        48        -870    0          0          0          1

85        43        Fred Carleton           46        46        -872    0          0          0          1

            24        Jim Witko Jr.             46        46        -872    0          0          0          1

87        37s      Wayne Conn Jr.       45        45        -873    0          0          0          1

            22J      Gino Clair                  45        45        -873    0          0          0          1

            55        Mike King                  45        45        -873    0          0          0          1

90        08        Mark D'Ilario              44        44        -874    0          0          0          1

            39        Clement Therrien    44        44        -874    0          0          0          1

            87        Hector Stratton         44        44        -874    0          0          0          1

93        28        Scott Kerwin             43        43        -875    0          0          0          1

94        21m    Bob McGannon        42        42        -876    0          0          0          1

95        20        Jeff McGinnis           41        41        -877    0          0          0          1

96        71        Mike Bowman          40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            108     Bill Bleich                  40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            44        Brian Stevens           40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            37c      Eric Fisher                 40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            35        Adam Moore             40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            0          Bill Gill                       40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            x31      Andy Lloyd                40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            9          Jason Riddell           40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            85        David Langlois         40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            63        Dominic Dufault      40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            74        Fredric Gamache     40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            49        Francois Berrier       40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            90        Martin Roy                 40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            198h   Erick Rudolph          40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            44v      Phil Vigneri Jr.          40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            93        Rich Vinson              40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            24v      Bobby Varin              40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            33        Ray Swinehart         40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            39        Ryan Larkin              40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            87x      Paul Gilardi               40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            88        Eric Lefebvre            40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            87        Martin Gagne            40        40        -878    0          0          0          1

            61        Jean Boissonneault 40      40        -878    0          0          0          1

119     37md  Jeremiah Shingledecker 30        30        -888    0          0          0          1

120     X         Chad Phelps            25        25        -893    0          0          0          0

            13        Tony Steiner             25        25        -893    0          0          0          0

 

Super DIRTcar Series Modified Entries – August 3 (37)

Car#     Driver/Hometown         Team (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)

xXx          Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT Blue Moon Potatoes-Spats Graphics-Buona Pizza/Bicknell/ERD(Terry Vince)

08            Mark D'Ilario/Smithville,ONT                Pioneer Fuels-Turn 4 Collision-Chevron/Bicknell/Fioravanti

1f             Adam Ferri/Pt.Colborne,ONT               LaFarge In America-RC Delivery-Thruway Muffler/Bicknell/ERD

fx1           Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY Thompson Motorsports/Troyer/Dan Bedell

3              Justin Haers/Phelps,NY        Phelps Cement Products-SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell/Finger Lakes

3b            Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY Mighty Taco/Bicknell/Honest Abe's

4s            Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ                Keizer Aluminum Wheels-Mike Sparta Trckng-Four Star Transmissions/TEO/Morrison

6              Mat Williamson/St.Catharines,ONT Optional Hose & Hydraulics-Jasen Enterprises/Bicknell/ERD

7x            Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY     Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Bicknell/Finger Lakes

8              Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ Central Jersey Trailer & Hitch Depot-Adamsville Maintenance/Troyer/Feil

8s            Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY        Blue Moon Potatoes-Sharp's Auto Center/Bicknell/Balancing Act

9s            Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY                Xtreme Lubricants-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/C.C. Performance

13            Dennis Giancola/St.Catharines,ONT Commercial Auto Electric-Barry Toth Trucking/Bicknell/Gordenmark

16w         Derek Wutzke/Fenwick,ONT                Rosehill Auction House-Base Mechanical/Bicknell/New Generation

20            Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ          Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR-BPG/TEO/Enders

22            Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT CMH Leasing-Turn 4 Collision-Garden City Autox/Bicknell/CC Performance

26            Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY National Vacuum-Jetport Lounge-Lazy Lakes Camping Resort/Bicknell/Gor-Den

37s          Wayne Conn Jr./St.Catharines,ONT Gaston's Auto Sales-Part Source/Bicknell/Ray Stevens

38            Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT    Henderson's Pharmasave-Investors Group/Bicknell/Fioravanti

42            Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT Lucas Oil Products-Merrittville Speedway-Bicknell Race Products/Bicknell/ERD

42p          Pat Ward/Genoa,NY              Gypsum Express,Ltd./Bicknell/Kevlar

43t           Fred Carleton/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT Turn 4 Collision-Pine View Drywall-Brian's Tire Repair/Bicknell/New Generation

44            Brian Stevens/St.Catharines,ONT Fortis Pizzeria-D&T Catering-Stevens Racing/Bicknell/Ray Stevens

52            James Friesen/St.Catharines,ONT Blue Moon Potatoes-New Generation Racing Engines/Bicknell/Al Blanchard(NG)

69            Rob Pietz/Gasline,ONT         Bob Pietz Heating & Air Conditioning-Bas Farms Storage/Bicknell/ERD

71            Mike Bowman/St.Catharines,ONT PVM Hydraulics-Seaway Hose & Hydraulics-Eaton Aeroquip/Bicknell/Fioravanti

72            Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT Kane's Vending-CMH Leasing/Bicknell/Fioravanti

76            Travis Braun/Jordan Station,ONT Brian's Tire Repair-TC Braun Construction-DBN Drywall/Bicknell/DSE1

77x          Dale Planck/Cortland,NY      RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar

80            Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT   Niagara Dental Arts-Mac Outpost Computers-RCM Racing/Bicknell/Fioravanti

82            Ken Winfield/Fort Erie,ONT Bill's Toyota-Tamburri Bros.-Reeb House/Bicknell/Fioravanti

84            Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Rochester Americans-National Guard/Bicknell/Mastin

91            Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY      Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Kevlar

98h          Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer/Bruneau

99            Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY        Big Red Towing-Dave Miller Auto Body/Bicknell/Enders

99L          Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY       Gypsum Express,Ltd./Bicknell/Kevlar

108          Bill Bleich/Port Robinson,ONT            Baron Roofing & Siding-Peninsula Press-Westside Trucking&Excv/Bicknell/ERD

 

SKIDMARKS

Harvey Hainer Sr. Condolences: On a night that honored the memory of former racer Trevor Wilkins, a lifetime of auto racing contributions made by Harvey Hainer Sr. was also remembered on Monday evening. Brother in-law of Lloyd Holt and father of Harvey Hainer Jr., who captured his lone Super DIRTcar Series victory at Ransomville Speedway in September of 1981, Harvey Sr. passed away on July 23 at his home at the age of 75. He was a Hall of Fame inductee at Merrittville Speedway and was in attendance at the track the weekend prior for the Annual Hall of Fame ceremonies. Very active in stock car racing for many years and owner and operator of Hainer's Discount Tire and Auto along with his son for 20 years, Harvey Sr. never raced himself but quipped “I just spend all the money.”

 

Pot Holes: Field of 37 cars bettered last year’s race total by one entry, yet come Integra Shocks Time Trials, 10 of those topped the former one-lap standard set by Brett Hearn who posted a time of 15.383 seconds (78.008 mph) in August of ‘07. This time around Justin Haers paced the group with a single-lap best of 15.044 sec. (79.766 mph) around the ultra-tacky one-third miler….Derek Wutzke was the lone driver not to take time and left early before qualifying….Attempting to follow both the Super DIRTcar Series and Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship trail, Rich Scagliotta was the second car to load up on Monday following a lap two incident in the second of four qualifying heats. New Jersey invader Scagliotta and Merrittville regular Scott Wood touched wheels coming out of turn four and the resulting contact sent the no. 8 Central Jersey Trailer & Hitch Depot-Adamsville Maintenance/Troyer barrel-rolling over the front stretch wall and ending upside down just shy of the starter’s stand. No injuries were reported in the spectacular mishap….Qualifying was some of the best in the series with Sheppard and Ward battling lap after lap without trading paint in heat number three while Decker needed a last turn, last lap pass to steal away a near certain victory from Brett Hearn….Danny Johnson back competing for car owner Dave Thompson, on this occasion wheeling a Dan Bedell-powered Troyer car and rising as high as fourth before fading to 10th at the line.…a pair of Larrys on the front row to start the feature with Wight on the pole and Lampman outside looking to repeat after copping the 50-lap Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship main at Merrittville in May. Jimmy Phelps and Dale Planck chased current Merrittville Small-Block points leader Lampman across the line a couple months back ….A special bike race was held on the front chute following the pre-race feature re-draw that included heat winners Phelps, Matt Sheppard, Billy Decker and Michael Storms (subbed for Dale Planck), plus fast timer Justin Haers and Merrittville high point man Lampman, with Phelps taking top honors in the crowd-pleaser.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

The mighty Mod Squad crosses over into the states and heads east for back-to-back Series shootouts at Brewerton Speedway and Canandaigua Speedway, Aug. 7-8. Can-Am Motorsports Park and Cornwall Motor Speedway (rescheduled from July 12) stage consecutive 100-lappers Aug. 21 & 23 prior to the touring stars closing out the month at Lebanon Valley Speedway on Aug. 27.

 

2009 Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Schedule

NP=Non-Point event; SP=Show-Up Point event.                        

*All events subject to change.

DAY-DATE    TRACK                                     WINNER/LOCATION

Wed-Feb 11  Volusia Speedway Park-NP  Pat Ward

Thr-Feb 12    Volusia Speedway Park-NP  Pat Ward

Fri-Feb 13      Volusia Speedway Park-NP  Jamie Mills

Sat-Feb 14    Volusia Speedway Park-NP  Brett Hearn

Sat-Mar 28     Hagerstown Speedway         rain-cancelled

Sun-Apr 26   Big Diamond Raceway          Duane Howard

Sat-Jun 6       Lebanon Valley Speedway   Matt Sheppard

Sun-Jun 7     Airborne Speedway                rain-cancelled

Wed-Jun 17  Orange Co Fair Speedway   Bily Decker

Fri-Jul 3         Ransomville Speedway        Brett Hearn

Sat-Jul 4        Fulton Speedway                   Alan Johnson

Thr-Jul 9        Brockville Ont Speedway      Brett Hearn

Fri-Jul 10       Autodrome Granby                 Billy Decker

Sat-Jul 18      Cayuga Co Fair Speedway   Ryan Phelps

Sun-Jul 19    Cayuga Co Fair Speedway   Ryan Phelps ($20,000-to-win)

Mon-Aug 3    Merrittville Speedway             Matt Sheppard

Fri-Aug 7       Brewerton Speedway             Brewerton,NY

Sat-Aug 8      Canandaigua Speedway      Canandaigua,NY

Fri-Aug 21     Can-Am Motorsports Park     LaFargeville,NY

Sun-Aug 23  Cornwall Motor Speedway    Cornwall,ONT         

Thr-Aug 27    Lebanon Valley Speedway    West Lebanon,NY ($17,500-to-win)

Sun-Sep 6     Cayuga Co Fair Speedway   Weedsport,NY

Mon-Sep 7    Rolling Wheels Raceway     Elbridge,NY

Fri-Sep 11     Lernerville Speedway            Sarver,PA

Fri-Sep 18     Autodrome Drummond         Drummondville,QUE         

Sat-Sep 26    Rolling Wheels Raceway      Elbridge,NY

Sun-Oct 11    New York State Fairgrnds     Syracuse,NY ($50,000-to-win)

Sun-Oct 18    -TBA-

Sun-Oct 25    -TBA-

 
 

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