PAINE WINS FIRST AT CANANDAIGUA, PLUMB REPEATS, ORTIZ SCORES PRO WIN

CANANDAIGUA, NY...Steve Paine, from nearby Waterloo, NY, powered his Sweetners Plus number 7X into victory lane for the first time in 2002 at Canandaigua Speedway. John Plumb Jr. won the 20-lap DIRT Sportsman main event for the second time in two weeks. Jipp Ortiz, from Ransomville, NY, broke Jon Miller's hold on victory lane in the Pro-stock division and won the 20-lap Pro-stock main event. In the Street Stocks a field of 34 was to have taken the green. Jared LaBarge came home the winner on what many will admit was a markedly better racing surface then the past few weeks.

The 35-lap DIRT Modified feature saw rookie driver Steve Gray blast from his pole starting spot and pull out a seven car advantage over Charlie Donk, Joe Beyea and Bob McCreadie. Gray continued his dominating performance until lap 14 when the field was bunch together due to Chuck Hebing slowing on the speedway with a broken rear suspension bar.

On the restart Gray had his hands full with Donk and Steve Paine, who quickly grabbed second from Donk. Gray pulled to a four car lead, but as the leaders entered lapped traffic, lap 23, Paine was able to use this traffic and drop low in turn three to power by Gray for the lead. On lap 28 the yellow flew for just the second time in the race. This time Darryl Ruggles slowed with a flat tire on the back stretch. His team quickly repaired the problem and had Darryl back on track without losing a lap.

The final yellow flew on lap 31 when Gil Tegg Jr. came to a stop in the fourth turn. This set up a run to the checkers. Paine took the win with Gray .267 second back in second. A battle for third saw Tim McCreadie nip Vic Coffey. Track points leader, Gary Tomkins, rounded out the top five finishers.

Heat wins in the DIRT Modifieds went to Billy Decker, Gray and Bob McCreadie. McCreadie set fast time on the evening turning in a 19.545 second lap during his heat race.

The Sportsman feature saw Mike Majors take the lead at the drop of the green. Majors was holding off Rob Bussey and Todd Henderson. On lap five, just before the yellow flew as Richard Briggs slowed to a stop on the back stretch, Bussey grabbed the lead.

On lap seven, John Plumb Jr. took over second from Majors and took off after Bussey. On lap 10 the yellow flew as Paul Guererri lost a front left wheel going through the second turn. The restart saw Plumb take the lead only to have Bussey retake the point one lap later. On lap 13 the yellow flew as Dan Wiesner slowed on the track, in turn one, with engine problems.

The restart saw Plumb pad his lead and pull out to a four car advantage over Bussey. Bussey was having problems of his own holding back a hard charging Eldon Payne Jr., on Payne Building and Contracting Night. Randy Chrysler joined the fray and took third from Payne Jr. on lap 18.

Plumb took his second victory in a row at Canandaigua, winning by 2.292 seconds over Bussey. Chrysler, Henderson and Payne Jr. rounded out the top five finishers at the line.

"Big" Mike Cooper lead the first lap of the 20-lap DIRT Pro-stock feature, however that was the only lap he would lead as Jipp Ortiz powered his Boyle's Boys NAPA  Monte Carlo by Cooper on the second lap, following a restart, into the lead. A two car incident in the second turn involving Billy Brown and Wayne Ellison on the first lap brought out the yellow.

The race for the third position ran hot all race long with Chad Homan holding off Roger Chrysler until lap nine. Chrysler passed Homan and set his sights on Cooper. At times Cooper and Chrysler raced side-by-side, with Cooper just noising out Chrysler at the finish line by .005 seconds. Multi-time feature winner, Jon Miller passed Homan with just two laps remaining to take fourth. Homan rounded out the top five.

The timed fifteen minute, 15-lap Street stock feature only took thirteen minutes to run, as 34 cars were called to the starting line. Only 27 reported and took the green flag.

Three yellows slowed the race, all for cars that either stopped on the speedway or spun out. Jim Cologgi lead laps one to seven. At that time outside pole sitter Kevin Collins was able to take the lead. His lead was short lived as the eventual winner Jared LaBarge grabbed the front position on lap ten and lead to the checkers. Cologgi was able to work his way back into second followed by Nick Rizzo, Mike Minutlo and Adam Depuy to round out the top five.

This Saturday will be Wilbert's Buick and GM Parts night featuring the ESS sprint cars return to Canandaigua. The ESS cars will join the Four Star racing program provided each and every week at Canandaigua Speedway featuring the DIRT Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro-Stocks and Street Stocks. Race time will begin sharply at 7 p.m., with pit gates opening at 4:30 p.m..

PAYNES BUILDING AND CONTRACTING/ PAYNES TILT BED SERVICE NIGHT SUMMARY

STREET STOCKS

HEAT 1: K. Collins, C. Jacobs, B. Ball, N. Rizzo, A. Depuy, M. Minutlo.
HEAT 2: T. Burnell, R. Cooper, B. Lloyd, J. LaBarge, L. Lewis, M. Cuppernell.
HEAT 3: J. Mosher, G. Wethey, B. Smith, M. Welch, J. Cologgi, K. Pierce.

FEATURE (15-laps): JARED LABARGE, Jim Cologgi, Nick Rizzo, Mike Minutlo, Adam Depuy, Chris Jacobs, Mike Welch, Tim Burnell, Kevin Collins, Leroy Lewis, Ray Cooper, Mike Cuppernell, Scott Deline, Darryl Barrett, Mike Shaw, Brandon Smith, Chris Cooper, Mike Murphy, Bill Ball, Brian Lloyd, Joe Mosher, Ken Pierce, Kent Fletcher, Kyle LaVare, Jimmy Brown, Gordon Wethey, Brian Hoisington, DNS: Richard Kline, Craig Robinson, Vance Vanderwall, Mike Rasbeck, Robert Pierce, Brad Steinruck, Cory Sawyer.

PRO-STOCKS

HEAT 1: C. Homan, P. Hobbs, R. Chrysler, C. Kolz.
HEAT 2: M. Cooper, J. Ortiz, J. Miller, D. Hilkirt.

FEATURE (20-laps): JIPP ORTIZ, Mike Cooper, Roger Chrysler, Jon Miller, Chad Homan, James Henry, Patrick Hobbs, Corey Kolz, Bob Bruno, Daryl Hilkirt, Phil Barone, Rick Florack, Dave Conant Jr., Wayne Ellison, Billy Brown.

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: J. Plumb Jr., E. Payne Jr., M. Majors, D. Wiesner, R. Briggs.
HEAT 2: R. Bussey, P. Guererri, T. Henderson, R. Chrysler, G. Hoteling.
CONSI: W. Czymmek, J. Pfeffer, P. LaVare, E. Giguere, K. Stell, A. Pfeffer.

FEATURE (20-laps): JOHN PLUMB JR., Ron Bussey, Randy Chrysler, Todd Henderson, Eldon Payne Jr., Mike Majors, Wade Czymmek, Gary Hoteling, Amy Pfeffer, Phil LaVare, Eric Giguere, Keith Stell, John Pfeffer, Richard Briggs, Dan Wiesner, Paul Guererri, Gus Hurlburt, DNS: Frank Burnell, Rick VanNeil.

MODIFIED

HEAT 1: B. Decker, J. Brownell, G. Tegg Jr., G. Tomkins, C. Hebing.
HEAT 2: S. Gray, T. McCreadie, S. Paine, V. Coffey, D. Ruggles.
HEAT 3: B. McCreadie, C. Donk, V. Vitale, J. Beyea, D. Johnson.

CONSI: D. Axton, K. Comfort, S. Ridley, T. Juhl, R. Bliss Jr., R. Miller, G. Hixson, E. Monroe.

FEATURE (35-laps): STEVE PAINE, Steve Gray, Tim McCreadie, Vic Coffey, Gary Tomkins, Vince Vitale, Darryl Ruggles, Charlie Donk, Billy Decker, Joe Beyea, Karl Comfort, Tom Juhl, Scott Ridley, Greg Hixson, Randy Miller, Ed Monroe, Gil Tegg Jr., Chuck Hebing, Danny Johnson, Bob McCreadie, Dave Axton, Ray Bliss Jr., Jeff Brownell.