McCREADIE TOPS CANANDAIGUA GOLD, FINK WINS FIRST EVER CNY MINI-SPRINT FEATURE
by Gary Spaid
CANANDAIGUA, NY...Tim McCreadie, from Watertown, NY, won the 35-lap DIRT Modified feature last Saturday at the Canandaigua Speedway. In the sportsman division, a massive first lap pile up did not deter Paul Guererri from earning his second DIRT Sportsman main of the year. In full fender action Jon Miller continues to dominate the Pro-Stock class earning his sixth feature victory in nine outings. Mike Minutolo, who has gone winless since the end of April, was able to out muscle Mike Welch for the victory. In a special appearance of the CNY Mini-Sprints, Jared Fink took his first ever feature win.
The 35-lap DIRT Modified main was pushing curfew, but was completed on time. Joe Beyea jumped out into the lead at the drop of the green. Beyea was holding back Charlie Donk, Billy Decker and Bob McCreadie as a pack of four cars pulled away from the rest of the field. Decker saw his race come to a halt when he broke a front shock and came to a stop high in the second turn on lap six to bring out the yellow.
On the restart Beyea lost the lead to Donk, but fought back to lead lap eight by turning the fastest lap of the race, 18.980 seconds. On lap nine the yellow flew again when Darryl Ruggles stopped in the fourth turn.
Beyea would continue to lead, and even pull away from Donk, Bob McCreadie and Tim McCreadie. On lap 14 Tim McCReadie passed Donk for second and then tried to close the gap built by Beyea. On lap 19, as McCReadie exited turn two, he pulled to the outside to pass Beyea for the lead. MccReadie then proceeded to pull away, to a three car advantage. Suddenly as the leaders came down the front straight on lap 23, Beyea's motor started to skip badly. He was forced to pull his car into the infield and out of the race.
McCreadie managed to overcome one more yellow flag, lap 26 for a spin by rookie Alan Willoughby in the second turn, to claim the victory. Donk came home in second for his best finish of the year. Steve Paine, Gary Tomkins and Vic Coffey rounded out the top five finishers.
In Sportsman action a massive pile up consumed nearly the entire outside row at the start of the race. Five cars were unable to answer the call for the restart; Tom Jansch, Phil LaVare, Keith Stell, Ricky VanNeil and Eldon Payne Jr.. The race was red flagged and realigned for another attempt at a start. This time Wade Czymmek took the lead with Paul Guererri on his tail. Guererri was able to make the pass for the lead just before the yellow flew when rookie Kyle Inman and Gus Hurlburt came together on the front stretch. Both cars were able to continue.
Guererri was able to pull out to a four second lead in the closing laps of the 20-lapper. He took the win some three seconds ahead of John Plumb. Randy Chrysler, who was in the first lap accident finished third. Czymmek and John Pfeffer rounded out the top five.
A special appearance of the CNY Mini-Sprints saw some 28 cars on hand. a 15-lap feature saw 26 cars answer the call. Jared Fink used his outside pole starting spot to take the early lead over James Brush, Doug Norrie and Bryan Howland. The first lap saw a tangle between Robert Lynt and Dave Huss in the second turn. The restart saw Fink maintain his lead over Norrie and Brush.
A second yellow flew on lap six when Mike Emhof slowed exiting turn four and hugged the concrete wall on the front stretch.
Through this all Fink was able to maintain a five car lead at the checkers. In the closing laps of the race, Howland was able to pass Norrie for second. Matt Norrie finished a distant fourth followed by Brusch in fifth.
With the large contingent of Mini-Sprints on hand the Pro Stock heat races were foregone. A complete handicapped feature line up saw Dave Conant Jr. take the lead at the drop of the green followed by Billy Brown, Zack Shove and Mike Cooper. Cooper was the first to leave the race as he parked his car high in the fourth turn on lap three for the first of five yellows.
A host of flat tires were the cause for the remaining yellows, except the final yellow on lap 19. Jon Miller took the lead from Conant Jr. on lap five and never looked back.
The lap 19 incident saw Roger Chrysler, running in third place at the time, stuck on the inside of the first turn setting up a dash to the checkers. Miller came home with the victory followed by James Henry, Conant Jr., Daryl Hilkert and Billy Brown. Conant was then penalized for contact with Chad Homan on the final lap in a incident that saw Homan spin out of his third position. This moved Homan into fifth.
The 15-lap Street Stock feature saw 25 cars answer the call with Mike Murphy taking the early lead in the race. Four yellows, including a last lap yellow slowed the race. On lap five, on one of the restarts, Mike Cuppernell was able to pass Murphy for the lead, only to lose the lead on the very next lap to Mike Minutolo. Joe mosher took the lead from Minutolo for one circuit, lap 12, only to see Minutolo retake the front position. A last lap yellow set up a dash to the checkers in which Mike Welch duck under Minutolo down the back stretch. Minutolo was forced high by Welch, but muscled his way to the checkers first. Welch finished second. A battle for third and fourth by Nick Rizzo and Jared LaBarge saw the two make contact and spin in turn four. This allowed Ray Cooper and Murphy to take the third and fourth positions respectively. Cuppernell finished fifth. Rizzo regained enough composure to drive backwards across the finish line but out of the top ten.
CANANDAIGUA NOTES: Starting this Saturday the Street Stocks will be allowed to race the same carburetor as is used in the DIRT Sportsman and Street Stock divisions. The restrictor plate is also in use with this carburetor for the Street Stock class.
The Saturday will be Phelps Cement Products, the Ontario County Fairboard and the Dick Wolcott Memorial at the speedway. Racing will begin sharply at 7 p.m.. Canandaigua Speedway is located just east of the village of Canandaigua on County Road 10.
CASTLE CAR CARE PRODUCTS/CANANDAIGUA CARPETS NIGHT SUMMARY
CNY MINI-SPRINTS
HEAT 1: J. Fink, B. Howland, D. Fink, D. Woodruff, A. Copeland, H. Brush.
HEAT 2: J. Brush, M. Emhof, J. Lamothe, D. Epping, E. Cartier, J. Quick.
HEAT 3: D. Norrie, P. Perowchik, M. Norrie, J. Howell, C. Sparks, D. Roloson.
FEATURE (15-laps): JARED FINK, Bryan Howland, Doug Norrie, Matt Norrie, James Brush, Phil Perowchik, Jeff Howell, Dennis Fink, Lance O'Dell, Cory Sparks, Jeff Lamothe, Duby Woodruff, Dale Roloson, Barry Virts, Harold Brush, A.J. Bagozzi, Jeremy Quick, Aric Copeland, Tom Richard, Woody Woodruff, Eric Cartier, Mike Emhof, Dave Huss, Robert Lynt, Dave Epping, Blake Brean.
STREET STOCKS
HEAT 1: M. Minutolo, M. Welch, L. Lewis, J. LaBarge, J. Brown.
HEAT 2: J. Mosher, M. Murphy, M. Cuppernell, A. Depuy, T. Burnell.
HEAT 3: J. Cologgi, R. Cooper, S. Deline, M. Rasbeck, N. Rizzo.
FEATURE (15-laps): MIKE MINUTOLO, Mike Welch, Ray Cooper, Mike Murphy, Mike Cuppernell, Scott Deline, Jimmy Brown, Brian Hoisington, Chris Jacobs, Kevin Collins, Brian lloyd, Jeff Freeland, Kyle LaVare, Nick Rizzo, Jared LaBarge, Jim Cologgi, Joe Mosher, Leroy Lewis, Daryl Barrett, Tim Burnell, Mike Rasbeck, Adam Depuy, Chris Cooper, Bill Ball, Ken Pierce.
PRO-STOCKS
FEATURE (20-laps): JON MILLER, James Henry, Daryl Hilkert, Billy Brown, Chad Homan, Dave Conant Jr., Zack Shove, Ken Michaels, Roger Chrysler, Bob Bruno, Mike Cooper.
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: J. Plumb, J. Pfeffer, T. Henderson, R. Miller, R. Briggs, G. Hoteling.
HEAT 2: P. Guererri, R. Chrysler, W. Czymmek, R. VanNeil, E. Payne Jr., R. Bussey.
FEATURE (20-laps): PAUL GUERERRI, John Plumb, Randy Chrysler, Wade Czymmek, John Pfeffer, Dan Wiesner, Rob Bussey, Todd Henderson, Richard Briggs, Amy Pfeffer, Kyle Inman, Rick Miller, Gary Hoteling, Walt Chyrywaty, Gus Hurlburt, Eldon Payne Jr., Ricky VanNeil, Keith Stell, Phil LaVare, Tom Jansch.
MODIFIED
HEAT 1: B. Decker, S. Paine, C. Hebing, J. Beyea, G. Tomkins, G. Tegg Jr.
HEAT 2: T. McCreadie, C. Donk, V. Vitale, V. Coffey, B. McCreadie, R. Swarthout
FEATURE (35-laps): TIM McCREADIE, Charlie Donk, Steve Paine, Gary Tomkins, Vic Coffey, Bob McCreadie, Vince Vitale, Chuck Hebing, Karl Comfort, Darryl Ruggles, Randy Miller, Brian Michaels, Alan Willoughby, Rich Swarthout, Joe Beyea, Gil Tegg Jr., Ed Monroe, Ray Bliss Jr., Billy Decker, Dave Axton, Steve Gray.