TIM MCCREADIE EARNS CANANDAIGUA VICTORY GUERERRI, ORTIZ AND SMITH ALSO WINNERS

Watertown’s Tim McCreadie has proven time and again that he is a driver with unlimited talent, ability, determination and the desire to be classified as one of the best drivers to hit the DIRT circuit. Last night he proved once again that was indeed the case as after an early race spin he would charge from the back of the pack to claim the well deserved victory in the 35 lap Modified feature on Big Dog Country 103.5 night at Canandaigua Speedway for his first victory of the 2003 season.

Other winners visiting victory lane on this evening included Geneva’s Paul Guererri following the 20 lap Sportsman main, Ransomville’s Jipp Ortiz for his 2nd straight victory in the Pro Stock ranks following their 20 lap event and Canandaigua’s Blane Smith following the 15 lap capper for the Street Stocks.

“I had no idea that I won. I had no idea where I was. I figured Chuck (Bower) was first or second… somewhere around there. I think the lapped traffic messed him up a little bit. It was fun though I know that,” McCreadie explained of his pass for the lead on the final circuit. “This Sweeteners bunch is great. I haven’t had a bad ride yet. I’ve got to thank Ann & Carl Myers and the whole team for putting together this whole deal for me.”

Vince Vitale and Phil Vigneri would lead 26 Modifieds to Dave Farney’s green flag to start their 35 lap feature event. Vitale would rocket into the lead while “Barefoot” Bob McCreadie sliced and diced his way into the 2nd spot by lap 5 on his quest to earn his 100th career victory at “The Land of Legends”. The pivotal caution for Tim McCreadie would be displayed on lap 6 after his spin between turns 3 & 4 resulting in a flat tire. He would dive into the pits to have his tire replaced and begin his charge from the back of the pack. Bob McCreadie’s quest would continue and on lap 8 he would pass Vitale for the lead. Caution would again fly on lap 9 for a Vic Coffey spin in turn 2 forcing him to the pits for quick repairs. Another quick caution would be displayed on the restart as Coffey once again found himself involved along with “The Iceman” Steve Gray who was marking his return for the 2003 campaign. Coffey would be able to continue on, but Gray’s night would come to an early demise as his front spindle was sheered off. Vitale would take this opportunity to charge by Bob McCreadie for the point but would now have to contend with “The Power” Chuck Bower who stormed into the 2nd position. Bower would then make a bonsai move under Vitale to claim the top spot, but Vitale would battle back to the delight of the standing room only crowd. For the next 10 circuits, Bower and Vitale would battle hot & heavy for the lead as Tim McCreadie quietly made his charge towards the front moving into the top 5 by lap 22. He then would proceed to pass 4th place running Gary Tomkins and then 3rd place running Matt Sheppard to complete lap 25. He would then close in quickly on 2nd place running Vitale passing him on lap 27 and continued his assault for the front closing quickly on Bower who was now encountering heavy lapped traffic. McCreadie would continue to amaze the electrified crowd with his masterful driving clinic as he raced to the high side of Bower on lap 33 and finally moved around the Lansing speedster as the white flag was displayed. McCreadie would hold on for the final circuit to claim his 8th career victory at the speedway behind the wheel of his Sweeteners Plus/A&C Speedworld #39 TEO powered by a C.C. Performance motor. Bower would hold on for 2nd while Vitale, Steve Paine and Matt Sheppard rounded out the top 5.

Guererri wasted little time taking control of the 20 lap Sportsman finale taking the lead at the drop of the green flag over the 18 car starting grid. Phil LaVare held on to the second spot for the early portion of the event battling with Eldon Payne Jr. while Rob Bussey, Wade Czymmek and Todd Henderson swapped positions as well as paint as they battled for the next 3 positions. Payne would finally get by the very stubborn, but strong running LaVare on lap 13 and then quickly close in on leader Guererri who had gone unchallenged for the first ¾ of the event. The first of 2 caution flags would fly on lap 15 for last week’s winner Kevin Wills who lost his complete front end and vaulted over the banking of turns 3 & 4 coming to rest disabled. Under green flag conditions once again, Payne would test his Bicknell both high and low to determine where he might be able to get his best run by leader Guererri in the closing stages. One final caution period slowed the event on lap 18 for Loren Lincoln who sat on the exit to pit road. Payne Jr. tried to use this caution to his advantage hoping to move around Guererri over the course of the final 2 laps. For the final 2 circuits, Payne Jr. moved his mount high and low trying to get by Guererri finally drawing up side by side with the race long leader on the final 2 corners of the event with both making contact as they exited turn 4 allowing Guererri enough of a run to take the victory over Payne Jr. as the checkers were displayed in his Sponge Bob Square Pants/Gevos Rears and Gears/Blue Mountain Engraving/Inland Reef Bar #7 Bicknell powered by a C.P. Performance motor. Todd Henderson, Phil LaVare and Wade Czymmek rounded out the top 5.

Rookie Pro Stock campaigner Frank Guererri Jr. after picking up his first career heat win in the division earlier in the evening quickly proved to the field of 15 Pro Stocks that his earlier success was no fluke as he took command of the event at the drop of the green for their 20 lap finale. A caution on lap 3 for a spinning Frank Wadsworth bunched the pack tightly together and when the green flew over the field for the restart, Guererri would motor back in front with a torrid battle developing behind him between Tiger Chapman, Steve Miller and last weeks winner Jipp Ortiz for positions 2-4. Ortiz would finally come out on top in that contest taking the 2nd slot on lap 5 and then he would proceed to close on leader Guererri’s back bumper finally racing with the young upstart side by side for several laps before powering by on lap 7 to become the new leader of the event. Caution on lap 10 for Chad Nugent who spun on the frontstretch in front of oncoming traffic would once again bunch the field up but Ortiz would easily move back out front with Guererri comfortably in the second spot. Last weeks runner up to Ortiz, James Henry made his way towards the front of the pack into the # 3 position after battling with Miller, Pete Stefanski and Fulton Speedway regular Jeremy Clark and would set his sights on Guererri as the laps wound down. Henry would power by Guererri on lap 18 with Guererri’s great run coming to an end one lap later as heavy smoke bellowed from his potent machine forcing him to drop to the infield. Henry would just not have enough to close in on the high flying Ortiz who would cross the stripe a half a straight away in front of the pack to earn his 2nd victory of the 2003 campaign and his 14th career victory behind the wheel of his #0 JoshComp/Empro Niagara/North Country Deli Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Following Ortiz and Henry at the finish was Clark, Chad Homan and Stefanski.

Twenty full fender Street Stocks rolled onto the speedway to battle for 15 laps. Castile’s Steve Washburn seeking his 2nd career victory at “The Land of Legends” blasted into the early lead but one lap later, Seneca Falls’ Nathan Peckham wrestled the point away. Two cautions would mar the event early on for spinning cars with Peckham maintaining the advantage until a lap 5 restart when “The One Legged Bandit” Blane Smith in his # 55b Smith Drywall/Payne’s Building & Contracting/Blakesley’s Custom Paint & Design/Lewis & Mooney Chevrolet Camaro drove around Peckham to lead the parade of hot rods. Last week’s winner Mike Welch closed in on Smith as the laps clicked off hoping to be in the right place as he was last week when Smith lead the event until a last lap motor problem allowed him to sneak under Smith for the victory, but déjà vu was not the order of this night as Smith never allowed Welch to make the pass to take this victory away. For Smith it was victory #1 of 2003 with Welch, David Marcuccilo, Leroy Lewis and Adam DePuy rounding out the top 5 positions.

BIG DOG COUNTRY 103.5 NIGHT SUMMARY

STREET STOCKS

FEATURE (15-laps) BLANE SMITH, Mike Welch, David Marcuccillo, Leroy Lewis, Adam DePuy, Nick Rizzo, Steve Washburn, Darren Phippen, Vance Vanderwall, Chris Jacobs, Kevin Collins, Chris Cooper, Nick Dandino, Mike Shaw, Jimmy Brown, Tim Burnell, Nathan Peckham, Mike Minutolo, Jeremy Wilson, Doug Smith - DNS) Kyle LaVare / Clifton Springs, Ken Pierce / Clifton Springs, Rick Kline / Stanley, Mike Rasbeck / Lyons

HEAT WINNERS (5-LAPS): Mike Welch, Mike Minutolo, Blane Smith

PRO STOCKS

FEATURE (20-LAPS) JIPP ORTIZ, James Henry, Jeremy Clark, Chad Homan, Pete Stefanski, Steve Miller, Tiger Chapman, Daryl Hilkert,  Chad Nugent, Jack Terrell, Frank Guererri Jr., Scott Fremouw, Brian Thompson, Fred Arden, Frank Wadsworth - DNS) Matt Smith, Billy Brown

HEAT WINNERS (8-LAPS): Frank Guererri Jr., Pete Stefanski

SPORTSMAN

FEATURE (20-LAPS) PAUL GUERERRI, Eldon Payne Jr., Todd Henderson, Phil LaVare, Wade Czymmek, Gus Hurlburt, John Pfeffer, Scott Joy, Richard Briggs, Dan Wiesner, Frank Burnell Jr., Walt Chyrwaty, Steve Dolle, Jon Miller, Taunya Lovejoy, Loren Lincoln, Kevin Wills, Rob Bussey

HEAT WINNERS (8-LAPS): Rob Bussey, Paul Guererri

MODIFIED

FEATURE (35 LAPS) TIM MCCREADIE, Chuck Bower, Vince Vitale, Steve Paine, Matt Sheppard, Gary Tomkins, Vic Coffey, Justin Haers, Billy Decker, Chad Brachmann, Ray Bliss Jr., John Plumb, Darryl Ruggles, Phil Vigneri, Kenny Johnson, Karl Comfort , Derrick Podsiadlo , Ron Cartwright Jr., Tim Burnett, Dave Rauscher, Bob McCreadie, Jim Roberts, Charlie Donk, Alan Johnson, Steve Gray, Mike Ward

HEAT WINNERS (8-LAPS): Matt Sheppard, Phil Vigneri, Bob McCreadie