ALAN JOHNSON RETURNS TO CANANDAIGUA VICTORY LANE IN ADVANCE AUTO PARTS WIN; GUERERRI TOPS SUNOCO RUN

CANANDAIGUA, NY...Alan Johnson, from nearby Phelps, NY, has raced his "Spirit of America" Modified at Canandaigua Speedway twice in 2002 and won each time he has been there. Last Wednesday, August 7, he earned Canandaigua feature win number 112, taking the checkers in the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series 100 lapper. In the accompanying Sunoco Race Fuels Super DIRT Series race for the DIRT Sportsman cars, Paul Guererri, from Geneva, NY, took the 30-lap feature win.

The 100-lap event saw Vic Coffey draw the pole starting spot and jump into the lead. Rookie Steve Gray was second followed by Bob McCreadie, Steve Paine and Chuck Bower. The first of eight caution periods came on lap 11 when Bill Trexler Jr. slowed on the front stretch. The restart saw a mad scramble in the third turn involving a number of cars including Pat Ward and Derrick Podsiadlo.

Coffey remained in the lead as Steve Paine took second. Coffey was able to stretch his advantage as the leaders entered lapped traffic. Tim Fuller was now in third and Alan Johnson fourth. On lap 21 Billy Decker slowed to a stop on the back stretch with a flat tire bringing out the yellow.

Three more yellows flew between laps 34 and 39. Bob McCreadie suffered a flat tire on lap 34 and Joe Beyea was in the middle of performing a "spin-and-go" on the front stretch when the yellow flew on lap 35. On lap 39, Dale Darling slowed on the backstretch with a flat tire on his Ruggles owned machine.

Through all of this Coffey remained the leader, picking up the Holley Carburetor halfway leader money. Paine, Fuller and Johnson held off the advance by Brett Hearn into the top five and then found themselves in a three way side-by-side duel for second. Fuller maintained the second spot on the speedway, however Paine fell back to fourth  On lap 62, rookie Karl Comfort performed a 360 degree "spin-and-go" in the third turn, continuing on his way and not bringing out a yellow.

On lap 65, Johnson blew by Coffey for the lead after Coffey made slight contact with the fourth turn wall, slowing his drive. The yellow flew again when Trexler Jr. again slowed in the fourth turn with a flat. Coffey's contact seemed to create a slow leak in his left front tire. Coffey performed a 360 degree spin on the front straight on lap 72 to bring out the yellow for the last time. Coffey quickly pitted for a new right front tire and returned on the lead lap.

Johnson, now in command of the race, sailed out to a three second advantage over Fuller. Hearn again made his presence known taking third from Paine on lap 76. On lap 88, Bob McCreadie spun off the track and onto pit road and out of the race.

Hearn grabbed second from Fuller with just 11 laps remaining in the race. Johnson took the $6,000 win, his first of the year on the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series. Hearn came home in second followed by Fuller, Paine and Gary Tomkins.

The first third of the 30-lap Sunoco Race Fuels Super DIRT Series for Sportsman race was caution filled. Dave VanHorn Jr. took the lead at the drop of the green with Bob Henry Jr. second and Paul Guererri third.

The caution flag flew on lap four when Chad Phelps stopped on the back stretch. The restart saw Guererri take the lead from VanHorn Jr., only to have the yellow fly again when Scott George and Gary Smoker came together in the first turn. Under yellow a seven car tangle ensued in between the third and fourth turns. When the race resumed the yellow flew for the third time, lap six, when Loren Lincoln, Walt Chyrywaty and Chad Chevalier all came together in the first turn. On lap seven Donnie Wetmore Jr. slowed to a stop on the back stretch.

Finally a green flag of racing took place on lap eight with Guererri in the lead, VanHorn second and John Plumb now in third. The yellow flew on last time on lap nine when Rob Bussey slowed to a stop on the back stretch with a flat tire.

The race would now go green for the remaining 20 laps. During this stint, Guererri drew out to over a nine second lead. VanHorn started to drop back in the pack on lap 10 leaving Plumb in second. Following a torrid duel with Randy Chrysler, Chrysler took second for good on lap 22. The nine second lead was just too great for Chrysler to eliminate. Guererri took the win by 9.919 second over Chrysler. Rob Ledingham inched by Plumb during the final three laps to claim third. Plumb finished fourth followed by consolation race winner Eldon Payne Jr. in fifth.

CANANDAIGUA NOTES: Tim McCreadie was the JE Pistons fast timer in the modifieds with a lap of 18.850 seconds for a speed of 95.491 mph...Announcer Joe Marotta was kidding with Vic Coffey during the redraw at which time Coffey asked Marotta to draw for him. Marotta drew the pole starting position out of the box....33 DIRT Modifieds took time and 35 DIRT Sportsman were on hand in the pits....Pastor Wells, the traveling pastor for the DIRT Circuit, will be undergoing surgery this Friday. Our prayers go with him.

SUNOCO RACE FUELS-ADVANCE AUTO PARTS NIGHT SUMMARY

SUNOCO FUELS SUPER DIRT SERIES FOR DIRT SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: D. VanHorn Jr., D. Wetmore Jr., D. Park Jr., C. Chevalier, M. Schulz.
HEAT 2: B. Henry Jr., R. Hefti, B. Sage, B. Shantel Jr., G. Hurlburt.
HEAT 3: P. Guererri, J. Plumb, D. Wiesner, P. Carey, J. Pfeffer.
HEAT 4: R. Bussey, R. Ledingham Jr., L. Lincoln, F. Burnell, R. Phelps.
CONSI: E. Payne Jr., R. Chrysler, C. Phelps, G. Smoker, R. Briggs, P. LaVare, M. Button, W. Chyrywaty.
ADDED: T. Henderson, K. Wills, S. George.

FEATURE (30-laps): PAUL GUERERRI, Randy Chrysler, Rob Ledingham, John Plumb, Eldon Payne Jr., Dave VanHorn Jr., Mike Button, Bob Henry Jr., Loren Lincoln, Brian Sage, Dick Park Jr., Rob Bussey, Paul Carey, John Pfeffer, Gus Hurlburt, Phil LaVare, Bill Shantel Jr., Mark Schulz, Chad Chevalier, Frank Burnell, Richard Briggs, Kevin Wills, Todd Henderson, Chad Phelps, Walt Chyrywaty, Donnie Wetmore Jr., Ryan Phelps, Russ Hefti, Scott George, Gary Smoker.

ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SUPER DIRT SERIES FOR DIRT MODIFIEDS

TIME TRIALS: Tim McCreadie 18.850 (95.491 mph), Vic Coffey 18.866, Brett Hearn 18.899, Todd Burley 18.991, Bob McCreadie 19.007, Chuck Hebing 19.145, Charlie Donk 19.171, Pat Ward 19.203, Billy Decker 19.206, Ron Smoker 19.208, Gary Tomkins 19.218, Steve Paine 19.234, Tim Fuller 19.242, AJ Romano 19.272, Steve Gray 19.280, Ray Bliss, Jr. 19.292, Alan Johnson 19.437, Danny Johnson 19.453, Joe Beyea 19.461, Chuck Bower 19.484, Josh Skarzenski 19.622, Kenny Tremont 19.691, Vince  Vitale 19.694, Karl Comfort 19.698, Derrick Podsiadlo 19.723, Bill Trexler Jr. 19.744, Tom Sears Jr. 19.898, Justin Haers 19.907, Dale Darling 19.964, Gil Tegg Jr. 20.030, Scott Ridley 20.077, Butch Tittle 20.295, Mike Bliss 20.632.

HEAT 1: S. Paine, S. Gray, B. Decker, B. Hearn, C. Hebing, K. Comfort.
HEAT 2: C. Donk, T. Fuller, T. Burley, R. Smoker, J. Beyea, R. Bliss Jr.
HEAT 3: B. McCreadie, G. Tomkins, A. Johnson, C. Bower, V. Vitale, D. Darling.
CONSI: D. Johnson, T. Sears Jr., K. Tremont, J. Haers, AJ Romano, P. Ward, D. Podsiadlo, B. Trexler Jr., G. Tegg Jr., S. Ridley, B. Tittle.

FEATURE (100-laps): ALAN JOHNSON, Brett Hearn, Tim Fuller, Steve Paine, Gary Tomkins, Chuck Bower, Chuck Hebing, Danny Johnson, Tim McCreadie, Kenny Tremont, Charlie Donk, Steve Gray, Justin Haers, Tom Sears Jr., Joe Beyea, Vic Coffey, Todd Burley, Karl Comfort, Pat Ward, Scott Ridley, Bob McCreadie, Bill Trexler Jr., Vince  Vitale, Ray Bliss, Jr., Dale Darling, Billy Decker, Ron Smoker, Derrick Podsiadlo, Gil Tegg Jr., Butch Tittle, AJ Romano.