Paine Says “This Car Is Really, Really Good” After 1^st Canandaigua Win

Canandaigua, NY – May 12, 2022 – By Gary M. Spaid, Canandaigua Speedway PR

Steve Paine took one of his new Troyer cars to victory last Saturday at Canandaigua Speedway, winning by over six seconds. “This car works really, really, really good, especial in some places around the track I used to have problems with,” stated Paine as he stood in front of his new “Tweety Bird Special” in the Canandaigua victory lane. “We almost went to Troyer three years ago. We found we were running well in the old cars at Black Rock and Canandaigua, but were stale at all of the other tracks we tried. We needed a change.”

In other racing action at Canandaigua, it was Dan Wiesner picking up the $100 Crate Bonus as he won his first feature of the 2022 campaign in the DIRTcar Sportsman division. It took Rod Comfort Jr. four years, but he finally won in the PureStox division. Nathan Peckham took home the honors in the Street Stock division. In the “Crazy Chicks” race Ashley Lantz take over the wheel of the Mike Dandino number 71d and win the five-lap special event.

The 35-lap DIRTcar Big-Block Modified main event began with Paine blasting from his seventh-place starting position and take the lead after just two circuits in a car that would prove dominating on the evening. The first lap was interrupted by a yellow flag brought out for Paul Habeck, who looped his car in the third turn. Two other yellows were also brought out by the rookie as he learns to get “on his feet” in the headline Modified division.

Paine started to draw away after each yellow, building up a four to six second advantage over the second-place runner. It was the battle for runner-up honors that would prove most interesting. At first it was Dave Rauscher in second once he lost the early lead to Paine. Rauscher was then passed by Russ Hefti, who was using an extremely high line around the half-mile oval. Next up to take second was last week’s winner Charlie Donk, who passed for the position on lap 24, using a low side move through the fourth turn.

At the finish it was Paine followed by Donk and points leader going into this race, Chuck Bower. Hefti and Rauscher round out the top-five finishers.

The 25-lap DIRTcar Sportsman feature opened with points leader Todd Henderson exiting the track in the first turn on lap two. He would have to restart at the back of the field and charge his way back to the front.

In the lead was outside pole-sitter Daryl Hilkert. Second spot started out as a toss up between Mark Chiddy, Bill Coleman and Jim Hull, and it was Chiddy taking the runner-up spot on lap four from Coleman. On the move was Dan Wiesner, taking second just as the yellow flew on lap 12 when Greg Hixson exited the racing surface off the third turn. On the ensuing restart, Wiesner use a high line pass around Hilkert to take the lead. A number of yellow flag periods would follow, all for minor spin outs. On lap 18, Jim Hull also exited the racing surface almost in the same place as Hixson had before.

Wiesner took his car on to victory followed by Tim Currier and Chiddy. Hilkert and Eric Giguere rounded out the front-five.

The 15-lap Street Stock feature ran green-to-checkers as a field of 20 cars filled the starting grid. Up front it was Nathan Peckham taking the lead after a brief battle with Chris Fisher. Peckham then pulled away to a slight lead as a torrid battle, sometimes three wide, took place for the remaining top-five positions.

Just as the white flag flew, Mike Schultz hit the front stretch wall and slid along it into the first turn, which allowed starter Craig Palmaree to throw the checkered and yellow flags together. It was Peckham with the win followed by Scott Smith, Mike Welch, Steve Faulkner and Frank “Bubba” Burnell Jr.

The PureStox race included a couple of different leaders. First it was Marc Minutolo taking the lead. Then Rod Comfort Jr. took over the points spot on lap four. Comfort’s car was showing signs of smoking, which concerned the fans on hand that he might not be able to hold the car together to cover the 10-lap distance. In victory lane Comfort related that he had been trying for four years to get his first ever feature win. Corey Hunt, Les Excell, Russ Lurcock and Karl Wilkins rounded out the fast-five finishers.

LEGENDS LOG: Phil LaVare was forced to switch to his back-up Sportsman car after losing a motor in his primary ride during pre-race warm-ups….Cold winds whipped through the fairgrounds making for a chilly evening of racing. But track officials made sure the main part of the show was completed by just after 9:30 p.m….Jipp Ortiz was a welcome addition to the Sportsman division. Ortiz was on hand to break in a car he had purchased from Gary Tomkins and trying to make the car stick to the bottom of the speedway…. WNYR 98.5 personalities took part by being the honoree flagger and flagger assistants.

This Saturday will be “This is Our Town” night. On tap will be all four DIRTcar/UMP divisions including DIRTcar Modifieds, Sportsman Modifieds, UMP Street Stocks and PureStox. Race time is at 7 p.m. sharp, with pit gates opening at 4 p.m. The Canandaigua Speedway is located at the Ontario County Fairgrounds, located just east of the village of Canandaigua, NY, along County Road 10. You can find out more about the speedway by going into canandaiguaspeedway.com.

QUEEN FOR THE NIGHT-WNYR 98.5 Radio Crazy Chicks-N-Cars Catfight Night Summary

PURESTOX

HEAT 1: R. Comfort Jr., E. Chapman, L. Excell, B. Peters, B. Lloyd.

HEAT 2: M. Minutolo, K. Wilkins, C. Hunt, R. Lurcock, G. LaVare Jr.

CRAZY CHICKS MAIN (5-laps): Ashley Lantz, Kim Rosell, Leslie LaVare, Vicky Martin, Jenny Pizik.

FEATURE (10-laps): ROD COMFORT JR., Corey Hunt, Les Excell, Russ Lurcock, Karl Wilkins, Marc Minutolo, Ryan DePuy, Brian Lloyd, Beetle Peters, Gary Parsons, George LaVare Jr., Brian Faulkner, Chris Guererri, Eric Chapman.

UMP FERRIS MOWERS DIRTcar STREET STOCK

HEAT 1: S. Faulkner, S. Smith, B. Smith, L. Lewis, M. Welch.

HEAT 2: N. Peckham, D. Smith, A. Fisk, C. Fisher, P. Marsden.

HEAT 3: A. DePuy, M. Schultz, F. Burnell, M. Rasbeck, C. Jacobs.

FEATURE (15-laps): NATHAN PECKHAM, Scott Smith, Mike Welch, Steve Faulkner, Frank Burnell, Blane Smith, Phil Marsden, Andy Fisk, Doug Smith, Chris Fisher, Mike Rasbeck, Mike Dandino, Nick Rizzo, Mike Schultz, Leroy Lewis, Rob Ingraham, Chris Jacobs, Adam DePuy, Nick Dandino, George LaVare Sr. (DNS)

DIRTcar SPORTSMAN MODIFIED

HEAT 1: M. Chiddy, T. Henderson, G. Hixson, R. Bussey, J. Ortiz.

HEAT 2: J. Hull, L. Lincoln, P. Guererri, D. Allen, B. Coleman.

HEAT 3: D. Hilkert, D. Wiesner, T. Currier, K. Ridley, E. Giguere.

FEATURE (25-laps): DAN WIESNER, Tim Currier, Mark Chiddy, Darryl Hilkert, Eric Giguere, Paul Guererri, Todd Henderson, Bill Coleman, Loren Lincoln, Rob Bussey, David Allen, Phil LaVare, Darryl Ruggles, Eric VanSkiver, Jipp Ortiz, Clay Parmlee, Eric Heffernan, Gary Hotaling, Bruce DeWick, Jim Hull, Greg Hixson, Kevin Ridley.

DIRTcar BIG-BLOCK MODIFIED

HEAT 1: S. Paine, E. Payne Jr., D. Podsiadlo, C. Donk, G. Monica, M. Johnson.

HEAT 2: D. Rauscher, C. Bower, R. Hefti, P. Vigneri, C. Homan, B. Tittle.

FEATURE (35-laps): STEVE PAINE, Charlie Donk, Chuck Bower, Russ Hefti, Dave Rauscher, Derrick Podsiadlo, Butch Tittle, Chad Homan, Phil Vigneri, Pete Taylor, Greg Monica, Mike Johnson, Ed Monroe, Paul Habeck, Fran Hilton, Eldon Payne Jr., Don Slover.

The DIRTcar Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company and Wrisco Industries.