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PAINE PICKS UP ANOTHER WIN AT THE LAND OF LEGENDS CANANDAIGUA, NY...Steve Paine picked up his third win of the 2004 campaign at Canandaigua Speedway last Saturday on Ferris Industries and Industrial Tire night. Also returning to victory lane in 2004 was Paul Guererri in the sportsman 20-lap main and Mike Minutolo in the street stocks feature. It has been five years, 1999, since Kevin Smith took a win at Canandaigua in the Pro-Stocks. He upped his Pro-Stock wins to a total of three by claiming the popular win last Saturday. The 35-lap DIRT Modified main saw Derrick Podsiadlo take the lead at the drop of the green and pull away from Chuck Graham and Ronnie White. Moving through the lead pack was Chuck Bower, who grabbed third on lap eight. Bower shoot by Graham on the outside on lap 13 and looked at the job of running down Podsiadlo. This task was made much easier by a yellow caused by Chad Brachmann for a flat tire. This would prove the only yellow of the race. Bower now took the lead, with Steve Paine, who was running sixth at the time of the yellow, taking second. Tagging on the back of these two leaders was Gary Tomkins, who passed Podsiadlo on lap 17 for the position. The three leaders; Bower, Paine and Tomkins, then began to stretch out their lead over Darryl Ruggles and Podsiadlo. On lap 21, Tomkins was able to pass Paine for second. Paine bounced right back to retake the position two laps later in heavy lapped traffic. On lap 26 Paine ducked low in the fourth turn and passed Bower for the lead coming down the front chute. Four laps later it was Tomkins passing on the outside and sending Bower back to third. The checkers flew over Paine some 3.3 seconds ahead of Tomkins. Bower came home in third followed by Vic Coffey and Ruggles. The race averaged 87.686 mph. Randy Chrysler was the best finishing 358-Modified for the seventh time this year. He continues to lead in 358-Modified points at the track. The 25-lap Sportsman race was riddled with cautions for the third week in a row. This time almost all cautions came in the first eight laps. Dan Wiesner was the early leader of the event. On lap two Lance Dusett slowed going down the back stretch and came to a abrupt halt for the first yellow. Lap four saw Scott Schrader get "booted" out of the pack in the fourth turn for the second yellow. The restart saw a multi-car accident in the first turn involving Schrader, Frank Wadsworth, Dusett and Chris Mangiarelli. The lap six restart saw Guererri take the lead from Wiesner and John Plumb move up to third. The yellow appeared for the fourth time when Andrew Joy and Rob Bussey both went around in the first turn. Guererri held off many challenges by Wiesner, including a side-by-side duel for the lead on laps 11 through 13. As Wiesner exited the fourth turn, on lap 23, a plum of smoke came from his exhausts as his engine expired. He was able to pull off into the infield but the yellow was out to set up a dash to the checkers. Guererri took the win followed by Plumb, Eldon Payne Jr., Brian Sage and Ricky VanNeil. Guererri averaged 71.933 mph for the 25-lap distance. The Pro-Stock race saw four wide racing on a super smooth racing surface. Roger Chrysler was the early leader and took command up front over Daryl Hilkert, Kevin Smith and Chad Homan. On lap six the yellow flew when Homan was spun out of the pack in the third turn. Both Homan and Jipp Ortiz were sent to the rear for the restart. Hilkert swung wide on lap eight, allowing Smith and Bill Hallett to get by him. Smith then took a run, on the low side to pass Chrysler for the lead. Following a side-by-side race for the front, the yellow came out for a multi-car accident involving nearly half the field in the first turn. Involved were Frank Guererri Jr., Billy Brown, Homan, James Henry and Rick Florack. Only Brown, who had a flat tire, was not able to continue. Smith was now ahead of Hallett and Chrysler, when on lap 12 Brian Thompson spun in the third turn to bring out the third yellow of the race. Hilkert challenged Hallett for second on lap 15 and seemed to be in position to claim the spot, when again he fell back losing third to Jipp Ortiz when Hilkert had a tire go down and the yellow fly. Also suffering a flat on this same yellow was Thompson. Ortiz, who was in pursuit of his 28th Pro-Stock win at the track joined Smith and Hallett in a three car break away over the final laps. At the checkers it was Smith followed by Hallett and Ortiz nearly a half second out front of Homan and Henry in fourth and fifth respectively. The race's average speed was 70.034 mph. Mike Minutolo took the lead of the 15-lap Street Stock main from Steve Faulkner on the second lap and never looked back. Minutolo, who celebrated his birthday the day before, July 9, seemed determined to celebrate his special day with a win at Canandaigua. He over came three cautions in doing so. On lap three Joe Woodruff's car lost a wheel and spun in the third turn. On lap eight it was Rocco Conte hitting the concrete wall in the fourth turn. And on lap 11, Don Jones spun in the first turn. All the while it was Minutolo out front. At the checkers it was an elated "Big" Mike with the win followed by Mike Welch, Adam Depuy, Nick Rizzo and Blane Smith rounding out the top five. CANANDAIGUA LEDGER: A special reminder for all. The Canandaigua schedule card has the wrong date for the annual Ontario County Fair stock car races. The schedule card show July 24, when the Fair races are actually July 31. The Fair will run this year from July 26 through the 31...It was great to Danny Johnson back at the speedway after many weeks off. He was behind the wheel of the Brian Michels number Z8. He finished tenth in the DIRT Modified feature...Also on hand for the first time in 2004 was Brian Sage in the sportsman division. Sage finished a fine fourth in the sportsman feature...The Kid's Club held a special pre-race picnic dinner just outside the pavilion for the kids. Each week the Kid's Club keeps growing and having more specials. This Saturday, July 17 will be Dewey Auto & Tire Center and Philip's Hair Designers night at the speedway. It will be autograph night with a number of drivers on hand to sign autographs for their fans. Race time is scheduled for 7 p.m. sharp. FERRIS INDUSTRIES/INDUSTRIAL TIRE/SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT NIGHT SUMMARY STREET STOCKS HEAT 1: A. Depuy, D. Phippen, J. Whipple, N. Rizzo, M. Murphy. FEATURE (15-laps): MIKE MINUTOLO, Mike Welch, Adam Depuy, Nick Rizzo, Blane Smith, Nick Dandino, Nat peckham, Leroy lewis, Kevin Collins, Tim Burnell, Mike Murphy, Jason Whipple, Mike Shaw, Steve Faulkner, Charles Vohs, Don Jones, Chris Seeley, George LaVare, Rocco Conte, Corey Hunt, Scott Deline, Chris Jacobs, Mike Walters, Darryl Barrett, Rich Gorton, Joe Woodruff, Mike Rasbeck, DNS: Darren Phippen, Chris Force, Rod Comfort Jr. PRO-STOCK HEAT 1: K. Smith, C. Homan, J. Ortiz, J. Henry, M. Grubbe. FEATURE (20-laps): KEVIN SMITH, Bill Hallett, Jipp Ortiz, Chad Homan, James Henry, Roger Chrysler, Frank Guererri Jr., Rick Florack, Daryl Hilkert, Brian Thompson, Matt Grubbe, Billy Brown, DNS: Jim McGuigan. SPORTSMAN HEAT 1: S. Schrader, P. Guererri, R. VanNeil, D. Wiesner, B. Sage. FEATURE (25-laps): PAUL GUERERRI, John Plumb, Eldon Payne Jr., Brian Sage, Ricky VanNeil, Dick Park Jr., Gus Hurlburt, Justin Henderson, Andrew Joy, Loren Lincoln, Phil LaVare, Rick Miller, Mike Johnson, Amy Pfeffer, Dan Wiesner, Frank Wadsworth, Dale Kissel, Todd Henderson, Dave Just, Rob Bussey, Chris Mangiarelli, Scott Schrader, Lance Dusett. DIRT MODIFIED HEAT 1: D. Podsiadlo, S. Paine, C. Graham, K. Comfort, R. Smoker, R. Bliss. FEATURE (35-laps): STEVE PAINE, Gary Tomkins, Chuck Bower, Vic Coffey, Darryl Ruggles, Chad Brachmann, Ron Smoker, Randy Chrysler, Justin Haers, Danny Johnson, Charlie Donk, Karl Comfort, Derrick Podsiadlo, Chuck Graham, John Pfeffer, Jeff Brownell Jr., Ray Bliss, Scott Boudinot, Ron White, Ron Cartwright Jr., Mike Payne, Shannon Whaley, Ed Monroe, Don Slover. |