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TOMKINS CONTINUES HIS DOMINATING WAYS, ROOKIE WINS SPORTSMAN RUN CANANDAIGUA, NY...Gary Tomkins took home top honors last Saturday on RC Racing and Canandaigua Chrysler-Dodge Night at Canandaigua Speedway. Tomkins, driving his Honeoye Auto Parts-Beechy Motorsports number 1 took the lead on lap 14 of the 35-lap DIRT Modified feature and cruised home with the $2,000 first place paycheck. Ray Bliss Jr. was the highest placing 358 Modified in the finish. Rookie driver, Justin Henderson, from Canandaigua, took home his first ever DIRT Sportsman feature victory. "I had a lot of help from my mom and dad in earning this win," stated an elated Justin from victory lane. His father Todd, finished second to him in the feature. In full fender action it was Adam Depuy knocking down his fifth feature win of the 2004 campaign at Canandaigua Speedway. In the Pro-Stocks Jipp Ortiz made it win number eight on the year. This feature ended in controversy as the second place runner was spun out in the second turn late in the race. The 35-lap DIRT Modified main got off to a flying start with Mike Bliss taking the early lead over Ron Cartwright Jr. and Brian Michaels. The only caution of the race flew on lap five when five time feature winner Vic Coffey slowed in the fourth turn. Apparently a large clump of mud sailed into Vic's car and hit him heavily in the shoulder, numbing the feeling in his arm. After a short yellow, he returned to the rear of the field. The restart saw Darryl Ruggles grab the lead with Karl Comfort moving into second and Gary Tomkins taking third. Tomkins moved along side of Comfort on lap 11, taking second on the next lap. Lap thirteen saw Tomkins duck low in the third turn and sail by Ruggles to be recorded as the leader of lap 14. Tomkins then began to sail by lapped cars and build himself a 2.5 second lead by lap 16. Four laps latter that lead stretched to a full 3 seconds. With ten laps remaining Tomkins held a full straight away advantage over Chad Brachmann, who had taken second from Ruggles on lap 18. At the finish line it was Tomkins followed by Brachmann, Steve Paine, Coffey and Ruggles. The 25-lap DIRT Sportsman main saw a long delay on the first lap to break apart Phil LaVare and Russ Hefti who seemed "welded" together after contact in the first turn on the first lap. Once the race got started Justin Henderson was the leader. On lap seven Dan Wiesner pulled to a stop on the back stretch to bring out the yellow. At that time the rookie, Henderson, was stretching out a five car lead over Paul Guererri and Rob Bussey. The restart had the fans on the edge of their seats to see if the rookie could hold back Guererri, last year's track champion. Henderson pulled off a perfect restart and was able to pull away again from the competition. At the halfway mark in the feature his lead was 1.6 seconds ahead of Guererri, with Scott Schrader now in third. On the move through the field was Justin's father Todd. Todd took third from Schrader on lap 12 and moved by Guererri on lap 14 for second. He then proceeded to close the gap on his son. With five laps remaining he caught Justin and was trying to pass him on the low side exiting the fourth turn. Justin held off his father for the victory. Todd came home in second and joined Justin in victory lane. Points leader, Eldon Payne Jr. finished third followed by Guererri and Schrader. The 20-lap DIRT pro-Stock feature saw a run away race turn into a controversial finish. Billy Brown was recorded as the leader of the first lap. he then lost the lead to Frank Guererri Jr.. On lap five the yellow flew when Doug Smith and Matt Grubbe came together in the second turn. The restart saw Jipp Ortiz take the lead from Guererri Jr. and start to pull away from the competition. Bill Hallett then took second on lap eight and tried to close the lead Ortiz had built. Ortiz, however, was able to maintain and even add to his lead. With just two laps remaining Guererri Jr. slowed on the back stretch with a flat tire. This bunched the field together for the restart. Ortiz maintained his lead. Hallett then received a push from behind by the third place car, Daryl Hilkert, and was sent spinning off into the infield off the second turn. Hilkert held on to second at the checkers but was penalized to finish behind Hallett in the final run down. This moved James Henry into second followed by Chad Homan, Roger Chrysler and newcomer Joe Stefanski. The 15-lap Street Stock main saw 27 cars take the green. Mike Murphy was the early leader with Leroy Lewis in second. The yellow flew on lap two when Chris Jacobs coasted to a stop in the third turn and Mike Schultz last a rear wheel and axle. The restart saw Murphy maintain his lead, now over Mike Minutolo. On lap six the yellow came out when Corey Hunt lost a wheel in the second turn. One lap later it was Minutolo's turn to lose a wheel. he pitted and did not return. This did move Adam Depuy into second for the restart. Depuy took complete advantage of his position and grabbed the lead. Depuy came home the winner followed by Mike Welch, Leroy Lewis, Jason Quigley and Daryl Barrett rounding out the top five. There are only two weeks remaining in the regular points season, August 28 and September 4. This Saturday will be Victor excavating & Landscaping and Hoselton Auto Mall night featuring the four regular classes of cars in action. Race time starts at 7 p.m. sharp. PIT NOTES: Gary Tomkins took out Bryon Turner's 358-modified for some practice time before this Wednesday's Turning Stone Super DIRT Series 358-Modified Tour came to town...Ray Bliss returned to small block power after starting off the season with a small block...Three new sportsman were on hand; Kevin Wills, Clay Parmelee and Nick Joy. Joy is just 14 years old and wants to follow in his family's footsteps...Another rookie on the track was Dennis Thompson in his family's Pro-Stock for heat race competition. Brian Thompson returned to behind the wheel for the feature. For more information about the speedway go to canandaiguaspeedway.com. RC RACING-CANANDAIGUA CHRYSLER-DODGE NIGHT SUMMARY STREET STOCKS HEAT 1: M. Murphy, B. Smith, L. Lewis, J. Quigley, D. Jones. FEATURE (15-laps): ADAM DEPUY, Mike Welch, Leroy Lewis, Jason Quigley, Daryl Barrett, Nick Rizzo, Nat Peckham, Don Jones, Jason Whipple, George LaVare, Kevin Collins, Mike Shaw, Ray Cooper, Charles Vohs, Roco Conte, John Pratt, Rod Comfort Jr., Blane Smith, Steve Faulkner, Mike Murphy, Mike Minutolo, Scott Smith, Corey Hunt, Darren Phippen, Mike Schultz, Chris Jacobs, Mike Walters, DNS: Tim Burnell. PRO-STOCKS HEAT 1: J. Henry, J. Ortiz, F. Guererri Jr., K. Smith, R. Florack, D. Smith. FEATURE (20-laps): JIPP ORTIZ, James Henry, Chad Homan, Roger Chrysler, Joe Stefanski, Frank Guererri Jr., Rick Florack, Bill Hallett, Daryl Hilkert, Kevin Smith, Matt Grubbe, Brian Thompson, Billy Brown, Doug Smith. SPORTSMAN HEAT 1: P. Guererri, T. Henderson, R. Bussey, K. Wills, D. Wiesner, E. Payne Jr. FEATURE (25-laps): JUSTIN HENDERSON, Todd Henderson, Eldon Payne Jr., Paul Guererri, Scott Schrader, Rob Bussey, Lance Dusett, Ricky VanNeil, Dan Wiesner, Russ Hefti, Phil LaVare, Loren Lincoln, Gus Hurlburt, Clay Parmelee, Rick Miller, Mike Johnson, Amy Pfeffer, Kevin Wills, Chris Mangiarelli, Nick Joy, Fran Hilton. DIRT MODIFIED HEAT 1: D. Ruggles, G. Tomkins, R. Cartwright Jr., S. Gray, R. Bliss, C. Bower. FEATURE (35-laps): GARY TOMKINS, Chad Brachmann, Steve Paine, Vic Coffey, Darryl Ruggles, Chuck Bower, Ray Bliss, Steve Gray, Chuck Graham, Scott Boudinot, Ron Cartwright Jr., Derrick Podsiadlo, Brian Michaels, Justin Haers, Ron White, John Pfeffer, Shannon Whaley, Mike Payne, Dale Kissel, Allen Willoughby, Charlie Donk, Karl Comfort, Don Slover, Mike Bliss, Jeff Brownell Jr., Mike Ward. |