PAINE, CHRYSLER, MILLER ALL REPEAT, DEPUY NEW TO VICTORY CIRCLE

CANANDAIGUA, NY...With just one week remaining in the 2002 point season the racing was wild-and-wooly to earn those important points towards the Canandaigua Track Championships. Modified points leader Steve Paine knocked down his fourth win of the season winning the 35-lap main event. Likewise, the points leader in the sportsman division, Randy Chrysler took the top honors in that division's 20-lap feature. Jon Miller returned to the Canandaigua Pro-Stock victory lane for the ninth time in 2002. Adam Depuy was a first time winner in the Street Stock division.

What seemed to be a rainy day broke around 5 p.m., allowing race officials the opportunity to get the show in the record books. With other area tracks rained out, the DIRT modified field was unusually large.

The 35-lap DIRT Modified feature was waved off with Vince Vitale, the pole sitter, taking the lead. As the cars completed the first lap the yellow flew as rookie Steve Gray slowed on the front stretch. Vitale was able to hold off Billy Decker for one lap following the restart. Decker grabbed the lead on lap three.

The yellow flag flew for the second time on lap five for debris. this allowed the second place car, Steve Paine, to pull alongside of Decker for the restart. Paine seemed to drop back, but recovered and began to challenge Decker for the lead. He first tried the low side through turn three to no success. One lap later Paine was on the high side for the lead. Decker fought back as the two lead cars crossed the start-finish line side-by-side on lap 10.

Paine was able to establish a lead just as the yellow flew on lap 12 for Vitale, who slowed on the track's backstretch. Chuck Hebing now found the high grove as he took second from Decker.

A number of took place during laps 16 to 19. Bobby Varin, on hand as Fonda had the night off, broke a rear end on lap 16. Tim McCreadie slowed in the fourth turn with a flat left rear tire on lap 17. On lap 18, the restart saw Chuck Bower tagged and slowly roll his Currier Plastics sponsored number 99B in the second turn. Scott Ridley looped his car on lap 19 in the first turn. The race did not seem to be able to get going again.

Finally the race resumed for one lap with Paine leading teammate Vic Coffey when the yellow flew as Gary Tomkins pitted out of gas.

Paine led Coffey until lap 26 when the yellow flew as Gary Tomkins suffered a flat tire. The restart saw Tim McCreadie duck under Coffey for second as his father Bob negotiated with Coffey, but remained fourth.

Paine took the win followed by Tim McCreadie. Coffey finished third. Charlie Donk took fourth from Bob McCreadie at the line.

The 20-lap Sportsman feature saw the field scatter on the first lap following wall contact by John Plumb. Involved in the accident were Frank Burnell, Todd Henderson and Ricky VanNeil. Henderson's car was done for the night with front end suspension problems. At the front of the field Rob Bussey was being challenged by Eldon Payne Jr.. Payne Jr. took the lead with an outside move through the fourth turn on lap three. He was able to hold this lead until challenged by Randy Chrysler on lap six. Chrysler found a "friend" in the high grove around the turns. He made up time using the cushion and took the lead.

Chrysler then proceeded to pull away from the field for the win despite a late race caution which bunched the field together. Payne Jr. held on for second followed by Loren Lincoln, who used the late race caution to pull up from sixth to third. Phil LaVare and John Pfeffer rounded out the top five finishers.

In the 20-lap Pro-Stock feature a battle royal took place at the front of the pack. Mike Cooper battled early with James Henry, resulting in Cooper taking the lead on lap two. On lap seven the yellow flew when a three car accident took place in the fourth turn. Zack Shove's car sat on top of the inside wall and had to be removed by track tow vehicles.

The restart saw sixth place Daryl Hilkert slap the front stretch wall, breaking the rear suspension in his car and forcing the race back under yellow.

Cooper now had his hands full with Chad Homan. Homan, who was looking for the $200 JoshComp back-to-back feature bonus, got together with Cooper through the fourth turn to take the lead. Cooper recovered and then tangled with Homan in the first turn spinning both cars out. they both had to start at the rear with third place, now first, Jon Miller out front.

Miller held off Henry for the remaining laps for the win. Homan worked back up to third at the finish with Cooper coming home fourth. Pete Stefanski rounded out the top five.

Hilkert won the $50 JoshComp "Hard Luck Award" and Miller took home the JoshComp $50 "Hard Charger Award".

The 15-lap Street Stock feature saw Adam Depuy take the lead at the drop of the green. Depuy maintained a one car advantage over the second place runner the entire race except for the final lap, when a three car wide finish charged out of the final turn. Depuy barely held off Jared LaBarge and Brad Steinruck in that final lap for the win. Blaine Smith returned to the top five with a fourth. Nick Rizzo's fifth place finish makes it four in a row the number of times he has finished in the top five, eleven total times in 2002.

This Saturday will be Labatt/Owasco Beverage and Paine Motorsports night at Canandaigua. The track championships for 2002 will be determined at this event. Special 50-lap DIRT Modified, 25-lap Sportsman and Pro-Stock features are on tap, along with a regular 15-lap Street Stock main event. Race time will be at 7 p.m..

The speedway will then be closed the night of September 7, but then reopen the following week for the return of the Finger Lakes 100 for DIRT Modifieds and the Top Gun One ShootOut for Pro-Stocks. The Street Stocks will also be in action that evening in a special 20-lap season finale. Race time on September 14, will be two hours earlier then normal, at 5 p.m. sharp.

UFPO DIG SAFELY NEW YORK/PETER KOCH CHRYSLER-DODGE-JEEP NIGHT SUMMARY

STREET STOCKS

HEAT 1: M. Minutolo, J. Mosher, M. Rasbeck, B. Steinruck, V. Vanderwall.
HEAT 2: A. Depuy, T. Burnell, S. Washburn, M. Welch, J. Freeland.
HEAT 3: B. Smith, L. Lewis, J. LaBarge, N. Rizzo, S. Deline.

FEATURE (15-laps): ADAM DEPUY, Jared LaBarge, Brad Steinruck, Blaine Smith, Nick Rizzo, Mike Rasbeck, Vance Vanderwall, Brian Hoisington, Kevin Collins, Mike Cuppernell, Ray Cooper, Mike Welch, Scott Deline, Mike Minutolo, Steve Washburn, Fran Funch, Jeff Freeland, Leroy Lewis, Joe Mosher, Tim Burnell, Chris Jacobs, Pete Pieczynski, DNS: Kyle LaVare, Jimmy Brown, Mike Murphy, Robert Lloyd.

PRO-STOCKS

HEAT 1: J. Henry, C. Homan, P. Stefanski, B. Brown, B. Michael.
HEAT 2: J. Miller, M. Cooper, S. Pesarek, Z. Shove, D. Hilkert.

FEATURE (20-laps): JON MILLER, James Henry, Chad Homan, Mike Cooper, Pete Stefanski, Leon Pieczynski, Brian Michael, Billy Brown, Zack Shove, Jack Terrell, Steve Pesarek, Daryl Hilkert, Scott Fremouw, Bob Bruno.

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: E. Payne Jr., R. Chrysler, J. Plumb, J. Pfeffer, P. LaVare, L. Lincoln.
HEAT 2: P. Guererri, R. Bussey, R. Briggs, R. VanNeil, W. Chyrywaty, A. Pfeffer.

FEATURE (20-laps): RANDY CHRYSLER, Eldon Payne Jr., Loren Lincoln, Phil LaVare, John Pfeffer, Rick Miller, Amy Pfeffer, Walt Chyrywaty, Keith Stell, Rob Bussey, Paul Guererri, Gus Hurlburt, Ricky VanNeil, John Plumb, Richard Briggs, Frank Burnell, Tom Jansch, Todd Henderson.

MODIFIED

HEAT 1: B. Decker, V. Vitale, C. Donk, T. McCreadie, C. Bower, G. Tomkins.
HEAT 2: J. Beyea, B. McCreadie, S. Gray, D. Ruggles, S. Crogan, K. Johnson.
HEAT 3: C. Hebing, S. Paine, R. Bliss Jr., V. Coffey, K. Comfort, B. Varin.
CONSI: S. Hulsizer, D. Axton, S. Ridley, G. tatich, R. Miller, M. Ward.

FEATURE (35-laps): STEVE PAINE, Tim McCreadie, Vic Coffey, Charlie Donk, Bob McCreadie, Billy Decker, Karl Comfort, Randy Miller, Gary Tomkins, Greg Tatich, Joe Beyea, Scott Ridley, Kenny Johnson, Sam Crogan, Chuck Hebing, Darryl Ruggles, Dave Axton, Chuck Bower, Steve Hulsizer, Bobby Varin, Mike Ward, Vince Vitale, Ray Bliss Jr., Steve Gray.