PAYNE AND SHEPPARD TOP OPEN WHEEL RUNS AT CANANDAIGUA

CANANDAIGUA, NY...You had to have the number 28 on the side of your car to make it into victory lane last Saturday at Canandaigua Speedway. Matt Sheppard (28s) earned his first big block win at the "Land of Legends", while Eldon Payne Jr. (28p) topped the 20-lap Sportsman feature.

Winning in the full fender classes were Jipp Ortiz, for the third time in a row, in the Pro-Stocks and Mike Welch in the Street Stock class, his second in three starts this season.

The 35-lap Modified feature got off to a rocky start when 358-Modified points leader Derrick Podsiadlo made contact with the back stretch wall and was sent across traffic, collecting Modified points leader Steve Paine. Paine slide to the inside of the third turn and up on top of the Jersey Barrier. Podsiadlo's car was too damaged to continue, however Paine fell in at the rear of the field on lap one.

Karl Comfort was recorded as the leader of the first lap, but the restart saw Chad Brachmann take command of the lead. young Matt Sheppard held onto third. On lap three Sheppard zigged high around Comfort and sailed low down in the fourth turn to grab the lead from Brachmann.

The yellow came out on lap nine, when Jim Roberts slowed on the back stretch with a flat tire. The restart saw Sheppard maintain his lead over Chuck Bower, Billy Decker, Brachmann and Comfort.

The yellow flew for the third time on lap 14 when Dave Axton looped into the inside of the back stretch. At this time a number of cars pitted including Gary Tomkins, Bob McCreadie, Steve Gray, who stopped on the back stretch, and Brachmann, who's car was disabled from contact with Paine.

When the green flag flew Sheppard began to build a full straight away lead over Bower, Paine, Vic Coffey, and Decker. Last Week's feature winner, Tim McCreadie made some fancy moves to take third on lap 20. Just two laps later he took second and started to close the gap. Lapped traffic played into Sheppard's hands. Sheppard took the win followed by McCreadie, Paine, Bower and Coffey. This was Sheppard's first win at Canandaigua in a modified. Prior to this he had 10 wins in the sportsman division at this track.

Earlier in heat race action Billy Decker's beautiful number 91 was torn apart after being struck by newcomer Don Slover. Both cars were done for the night. Decker used a backup car in the feature.

Rob Bussey parlayed his outside pole starting spot into the lead at the drop of the green in the Sportsman feature. Bussey was able to hold off Steve Doell, Jon Miller, Wade Czymmek and Frank Burnell.

The first yellow flew just as the leaders received the halfway crossed flags. As the pack exited the fourth turn, Richard Briggs's car slowed with a flat tire. He was tagged in the back and looped into the infield. this yellow ruined the full straight away lead that Bussey had held.

Eldon Payne Jr. was able to grab second on the restart. On lap 14 he ducked low entering the fourth turn and blasted by Bussey for the lead. A spin by Kevin Wills, that resulted in a tangle with Taunya Lovejoy, brought out the yellow for a second time in the race. On the restart, Czymmek slowed to cause yet another yellow.

With just a three lap dash ahead Payne Jr. was able to run for the checkers. Bussey finished second followed by todd Henderson who had made a late race charge. Paul Guererri and Gus Hurlburt rounded out the top five finishers.

The 20-lap Pro-Stock feature saw just ten cars take the green flag. Daryl Hilkert earned the credit of leading the first lap after he held off a charge by pole sitter Brian Thompson.

Frank Guererri Jr. was able to take second from Thompson and then take off after Hilkert. Guererri Jr. ducked low and took command of the lead on lap three. He then was able to build a five car advantage. But the car on the move was Jipp Ortiz. Ortiz passed Homan for second on lap six and then Guererri on lap eight.

Ortiz then proceeded to build a comfortable lead over Guererri. In the late stages of the race Homan mad e a charge at Guererri for second. His efforts fell short as Ortiz took the win followed by Guererri, Homan, James Henry and Tiger Chapman.

The 15-lap Street stock feature Mike Minutolo took command of the race from his outside pole starting spot. Nat Peckham was able to tag onto Minutolo's rear bumper and not allow the Camaro driver to escape with any kind of big advantage.

On lap five the first of four yellows flew. Adam Depuy looped in the fourth turn. The restart saw the number 2 of Jimmy Brown slow on the back chute billowing smoke for the second yellow. Also on this same restart Peckham was able to fly high around Minutolo for the lead.

Mike Welch was now advancing and passed Peckham for the lead on lap 10 jest as the third yellow flag of the race appeared. Unfortunately this flag flew for Peckham who had gone too high into the fourth turn and flew off the track.

On the restart Welch was able to build a significant lead. Lap 12 saw Steve Washburn lose a number of positions following contact with the inside fourth turn Jersey Barrier. He was able to continue without a yellow. On the next circuit Minutolo seemed to get sideways exiting the third turn and began a series of barrel rolls through the turn. In the end he had gone over four times and emerged uninjured.

Welch went on the for the win. Depuy recovered from his earlier spin-out to finish second. Leroy Lewis, Jeremy Wilson and Chris Jacobs rounded out the top five finishers.

This Saturday will be Auto Trader Magazine of Rochester night at the speedway. On rap will be a complete four star race card of DIRT Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro-Stocks and Street Stocks. Race time is at 7 p.m. sharp.

PAYNE'S BUILDING AND CONTRACTING NIGHT SUMMARY

STREET STOCK

HEAT 1: M. Welch, T. Burnell, A. Depuy, K. LaVare, J. Wilson.
HEAT 2: S. Washburn, L. Lewis, J. Brown, D. Barrett, M. Schwdder.
HEAT 3: B. Smith, N. Peckham, M. Minutolo, N. Rizzo, C. Jacobs.

FEATURE (15-laps): MIKE WELCH, Adam Depuy, Leroy Lewis, Jeremy Wilson, Chris Jacobs, Blane Smith, Kevin Collins, Nick Dandino, Kyle LaVare, Steve Washburn, Jason Whipple, Jack Stoddard, Mike Shaw, Mike Minutolo, Tim Burnell, Nathan Peckham, Jimmy Brown, Nick Rizzo, Daryl Barrett, Richard Kline.

PRO-STOCK

HEAT: J. Ortiz, F. Guererri Jr., D. Hilkert, J. Henry, C. Homan.

FEATURE(20-laps): JIPP ORTIZ, Frank Guererri Jr., Chad Homan, James Henry, Tiger Chapman, Daryl Hilkert, Brian Thompson, Scott Fremouw, Rick Florack, Frank Wadsworth.

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: J. Pfeffer, R. Briggs, L. Lincoln, S. Doell, G. Hoteling.
HEAT 2: J. Miller, T. Henderson, P. LaVare, P. Guererri, W. Czymmek.
HEAT 3: E. Payne Jr., R. Bussey, G. Hurlburt, D. Wiesner, F. Burnell.
CONSI: K. Wills, S. Joy, T. Lovejoy, W. Chyrywaty, D. Kissel, S. Cheesman.

FEATURE (20-laps): ELDON PAYNE JR., Rob Bussey, Todd Henderson, Paul Guererri, Gus Hurlburt, Dan Wiesner, Loren Lincoln, Jon Miller, Scott Joy, Kevin Wills, Frank Burnell, Phil LaVare, Walt Chyrywaty, Steve Doell, Richard Briggs, Wade Czymmek, Taunya Lovejoy, Dale Kissel, John Pfeffer, Gary Hoteling, Steve Cheesman.

MODIFIED

HEAT 1: M. Sheppard, T. McCreadie, K. Comfort, J. Plumb, R. Swarthout, A. Willoughby.
HEAT 2: D. Ruggles, C. Bower, V. Vitale, D. Podsiadlo, S. Gray, K. Johnson.
HEAT 3: G. Tomkins, S. Paine, V. Coffey, C. Brachmann, C. Donk, R. Bliss.
CONSI: D. Axton, J. Hull, J. Roberts, B. McCreadie.

FEATURE (20-laps): MATT SHEPPARD, Tim McCreadie, Steve Paine, Chuck Bower, Vic Coffey, Darryl Ruggles, Gary Tomkins, Billy Decker, Bob McCreadie, John Plumb, Karl Comfort, Ray Bliss, Jim Hull, Kenny Johnson, Vince Vitale, Rich Swarthout, Chad Brachmann, Steve Gray, Dave Axton, Jim Roberts, Charlie Donk, Allen Willoughby, Derrick Podsiadlo, Ron Cartwright Jr.