TOMKINS TAKES GOLD IN WOLCOTT MEMORIAL; CHRYSLER RETURNS TO VICTORY LANE

CANANDAIGUA, NY...Gary Tomkins, from Phelps, NY, won the 35-lap Dick Wolcott Memorial last Saturday at the Canandaigua Speedway. It was Tomkins's second win of the season. In the Sportsman class, Randy Chrysler, from Lewiston, NY, won his fourth 20-lap feature of the year. Jon Miller made it four in a row, seven total, features in the Pro-Stock division. Nick Rizzo picked up his third feature win in the Street Stock division.

The 35-lap Dick Wolcott Memorial was slowed three times for yellow flags. The original start saw the yellow fly when Tim McCreadie looped his Finch Logging machine in the first turn. The restart saw Bob McCreadie, starting in third, quickly passed Ray Bliss Jr. and Joe Beyea to claim the lead. By lap three Gary Tomkins was able to break free from Bliss Jr. and Beyea and take off after McCreadie. McCreadie used the high line around the track with Tomkins glued to the bottom. Tomkins edged closer as the laps clicked off. By now Billy Decker had taken third and was being pursued by Beyea and Tim McCreadie.

On lap 14 the yellow flew when Vic Coffey lost the handle in between the first and second turns. The restart saw Tomkins, who had turned the fastest lap of the race with an 19.060 second lap, took the lead from McCreadie. Bob McCreadie now found himself challenged by both Decker and his son Tim. Coffey caused the next yellow as his car came to a stop on the track in the second turn on lap 22.

Still the battle for second raged, with the cars running three wide around the speedway. This battle allowed Tomkins to build a comfortable lead on the field. Finally on lap 24 Tim McCreadie was able to get around his father and Decker to take off after Tomkins, who now held nearly a two second advantage. McCreadie tried to close but fell short with Tomkins taking the win. Billy Decker came home in third nearly two second ahead of Bob McCreadie in fourth. Rookie sensation Steve Gray finished in fifth, edging out the 2001 track champion Steve Paine.

The 20-lap Sportsman feature saw Wade Czymmek take the lead over Eldon Payne Jr. and Randy Chrysler. These three cars broke away from the rest of the field. However Czymmek's race came to an abrupt end when, on lap four, Tom Jansch spun in the fourth turn in front of the leaders. Czymmek could not get slowed down fast enough and made contact with Jansch's machine, tearing the right side sheet metal off his number 16. This left Payne Jr. in the lead for the restart.

Chrysler began to challenge Payne Jr. early, finally passing for the lead on lap seven. John Plumb in a borrowed cars, after flipping his own car the night before at Oshweken's Sunoco Fuels Sportsman Super DIRT Series show, grabbed third.

The yellow flag flew just one more time, lap 10, when Frank Burnell slowed on the front chute with a flat tire. On the restart Paul Guererri took second and took off in pursuit of Chrysler.

Chrysler took the 1.3 second victory over Paul Guererri. Todd Henderson, who ran the consi, took third followed by Plumb and Payne Jr.

Dave Conant Jr. led the first lap of the Pro-Stock feature only to lose the lead to Billy Brown on the second circuit. Brown, who's 98 year old grandfather had died earlier in the day seemed determined to win one in his memory. By lap seven, multi- time winner Jon Miller had pulled up on Brown's rear bumper. One lap later Miller passed for the lead. The yellow flew when Chad Homan came to a stop in the second turn with a flat tire.

James Henry took second on the restart sending Brown back to third. Both Miller and Henry charged away from the field. Two other short yellows both for spins, one by Ken Michaels and the other by Cory Kolz slowed the race. Miller took his seventh win of the year followed closely by Henry. Brown came home in third followed by Phil Barone and Daryl Hilkert.

The 15-lap Street Stock feature saw 27 cars answer the call to start. A number of yellows slowed the race. Brandon Smith was the early leader, but a yellow flew for a multi-car pile up in turn four. Smith lost the lead to Mike Rasbeck on lap three. The yellow flew a second time when the rear axle and wheel flew off the Jim Cologgi car and sailed over the first turn fence.

A second multi-car collision took place in the fourth turn on lap nine. as Rasbeck was being challenged by Brad Steinruck and Nick Rizzo. On lap 14 Jeff Freeland flipped his number 79 exiting the second turn. The car's engine compartment ignited and a fire quickly broke out. The DIRT Emergency Crew was quick on the job and put the fire out immediately with their "Cold Fire" units.

With just one lap remaining Rizzo flew by Rasbeck for the win exiting the fourth turn. Adam Depuy, Scott Deline and Leroy Lewis, in a new car, rounded out the top five finishers.

This Saturday, July 6, will see the return of the Empire Super Sprints to Canandaigua, plus a complete Four Star program and fireworks. Race time will begin at 7 p.m. sharp. gates open at 5 p.m..

PHELPS CEMENT/ONTARIO COUNTY FAIRBOARD - DICK WOLCOTT MEMORIAL NIGHT SUMMARY

STREET STOCKS

HEAT 1: M. Murphy, B. Smith, M. Welch, J. Brown, J. Freeland.
HEAT 2: B. Steinruck, J. Cowden, C. Jacobs, D. Barrett, A. Depuy.
HEAT 3: W. Close, B. Ball, M. Rasbeck, T. Burnell, B. Hoisington.

FEATURE (15-laps): NICK RIZZO, Mike Rasbeck, Adam Depuy, Scott Deline, Leroy Lewis, Brian Hoisington, Kevin Collins, Bill Ball, Mike Murphy, Kyle LaVare, Brad Steinruck, Wayne Close, Mike Minutolo, Ray Cooper, Mike Shaw, Jeff Freeland, Steve Washburn, Brandon Smith, Jimmy Brown, Ken Pierce, Jerry Cowden, Mike Welch, Jared LaBarge, Jim Cologgi, Brian Lloyd, Tim Burnell, Chris Jacobs. DNS: Shawn Lloyd, Daryl Barrett, Ryan Depuy, Mike Cuppernell.

PRO-STOCKS

HEAT 1: J. Henry, J. Miller, R. Chrysler, M. Smith.
HEAT 2: D. Conant Jr., B. Brown, C. Kolz, D. Hilkert.

FEATURE (20-laps): JON MILLER, James Henry, Billy Brown, Phil Barone, Daryl Hilkert, Bob Bruno, Chad Homan, Dave Conant Jr., Matt Smith, Roger Chrysler, Chad Ray, Ken Michaels, Cory Kolz, Bobby Lutz.

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: E. Payne Jr., J. Plumb, P. Guererri, L. Lincoln, R. Bussey, F. Burnell.
HEAT 2: W. Czymmek, R. Chrysler, J. Pfeffer, G. Hurlburt, S. Joy, R. VanNeil.

CONSI: D. Wiesner, T. Henderson, R. Briggs, P. LaVare, A. Pfeffer, R. Miller, T. Jansch.

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

MODIFIED

HEAT 1: S. Paine, B. McCreadie, V. Coffey, V. Vitale, C. Donk, R. Bliss Jr.
HEAT 2: T. McCreadie, B. Decker, G. Tomkins, J. Beyea, S. Gray, J. Thomas.

CONSI: S. Ridley, R. Miller, B. Michaels, T. Thomas, K. Comfort.

FEATURE (35-laps): GARY TOMKINS, Tim McCreadie, Billy Decker, Bob McCreadie, Steve Gray, Steve Paine, Chuck Bower, Joe Beyea, Charlie Donk, Vince Vitale, Scott Ridley, Randy Miller, Joel Thomas, Karl Comfort, Vic Coffey, Ray Bliss Jr., Todd Thomas, Brain Michaels. DNS: Dave Axton.