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PAINE TOPS TANEY 50-LAP MEMORIAL, ORTIZ AND DEPUY RETURN TO VICTORY LANE CANANDAIGUA, NY...Last Saturday, a full house in the grandstands and 111 race cars on hand made for one of the better Taney Memorials ever run at the "Land of Legends", The Canandaigua Speedway. Four time track modified champion, Steve Paine took his first win of the year, bumping his career wins at Canandaigua to 62. The Patriot Sprints were on hand during the first "Exchange program" between Black Rock Speedway and Canandaigua Speedway, which saw Canandaigua's Sportsman cars venture to "The Rock". George Suprick earn the 20-lap sprint victory, (see this story elsewhere in this paper). In full fender action Adam Depuy won the 15-lap Street Stock feature and Jipp Ortiz took top honors for the first time in 2004 in the Pro Stock 20-lap main. The Taney Memorial 50 got a late start as a full night of racing pushed the start back to quarter to 11 o'clock. Randy Miller and Justin Haers brought the starting field of 26 cars to the green. Haers immediately jumped into the lead, but seemed to miss a shift going down the back stretch on the second lap. This somewhat bunched the pack resulting in Gary Tomkins having nowhere to go in his Beachy Motorsports-Honeyoe Auto Parts number 1. Tomkins gathered the back stretch concrete resulting in his losing a tire. He was able to pit and returned to the back of the restart. Jeff Brownell Jr. was recorded as the leader as the field completed the second lap. Haers gathered himself together and retook the lead on the restart with Darryl Ruggles, Danny Johnson and Brownell Jr. in fourth. Haers's race lasted only seven circuits and he pulled into the infield and out of the race with mechanical woes. This put Danny Johnson in command of the field, now with Steve Paine on his rear bumper. On lap 11, Paine swung around Johnson for the lead as the leaders entered lap traffic. Paine then began to build a significant lead, stretched out to nearly six seconds over Johnson when the yellow flew on lap 22. Randy Chrysler had spun into the front stretch infield, but returned to the back of the pack after a quick pitstop. Two laps later the yellow flew again when Ruggles slow to the high side of the fourth turn. He too pitted and returned on the lead lap. The later half of the 50-laps seemed riddled with yellows as the caution flew for the fourth time on lap 28 when Charlie Donk slowed to a stop off in the second turn. Paine continued to lead Johnson, Chad Brachmann, Vic Coffey and Chuck Hebing, who was on hand to run both his sprinter and modified. On lap 35 Derrick Podsiadlo slowed in the fourth turn with a broken front end and brought out the sixth yellow of the race. He was gathered up by Chuck Bower, who's car suffered extensive sheet metal damage. Bower pitted and came back to the race last on the lead lap. Danny Johnson was not so lucky as he too felt the concrete wall off the backstretch's wrath. He limped into the pits and out of the race. Chuck Hebing saw his race marred when he looped coming down the front stretch in front of nearly three-quarters of the field. He exited the race, 12-laps short of the checkers. On lap 40 the final yellow flew when Shannon Whaley looped his mount in the fourth turn. This set up a ten lap dash to the checkers with Paine leading two time winner Vic Coffey to the checkers. Karl Comfort drove a steady race to finish third, just holding off Brachmann in fourth. Randy Chrysler, who was the first small block across the finish line, came home in fifth. The 20-lap Pro-Stock race saw Daryl Hilkert leading Chad Homan when the yellow came out on lap three. Matt Smith was nailed in the rear of his car and sent spinning into the front stretch infield grass. He returned many laps down to the leader. The restart saw forth place Jipp Ortiz able to maneuver into second using the low side of the track. He then took off after Hilkert and passed him using the high side of the second turn on lap nine. The yellow flew just as the halfway mark was shown to the field. Exiting the fourth turn both Frank Guererri jr, and Homan came together resulting in Homan taking a quick snap roll, landing on all fours. His race was done for the night. Up front Ortiz was able to hold off Hilkert, Bill Hallett and Kevin Smith. On lap 15 the yellow came out again when Matt Smith exited the pits and slowed to a stop in the first turn. Five laps later the checkers then flew over Ortiz. It was his first win of the year at the track he has dominated so over the past few seasons. Hilkert took second followed by Hallett, Kevin Smith and James Henry to complete the top five. The 15-lap Street Stock feature was also action filled as 32 cars were slated to take the green. Only 28 answered the call. This event was slowed by six yellows. There were four different lead changes. Outside pole sitter, Charles Vohs led lap one. Nick Dandino was then credited with leading laps two and three. Mike Murphy held the lead for one lap, lap four. Adam Depuy then took command of the race and led all of the remaining laps. Following Depuy across the finish line were Mike Welch, new comer Nick Rizzo, Murphy and Darryl Barrett. CANANDAIGUA LEGENDS: Mary Taney was on hand and again sponsored Dash-for-Cash races in the Modified and Pro-Stock ranks. Her late husband Fred Taney was the competition director for the Street Stocks and Pro-Stocks for a number of years. Bill Hallett won the $100 dash winners share in the Pro-Stock dash. Vic Coffey took the $100 prize in the DIRT Modified ranks...News reached the track that Gus Hurlburt took the Sportsman win at Black Rock. This event was a Canandaigua track points show...A fine and a two-week suspension was levied on Pro-Stock runner Matt Smith following a post race brawl in the pits. This Saturday racing action returns to Canandaigua with double feature make ups from May 1 for the Sportsman and Pro Stock cars. Race time will begin at 7 p.m. sharp, starting with the two rain delayed features followed by a regular Four Star program. TANEY MEMORIAL NIGHT SUMMARY STREET STOCKS HEAT 1: M. Murphy, J. Condren, C. Force, R. Peters, C. Hunt, D. Jones. FEATURE (15-laps): ADAM DEPUY, Mike Welch, Nick Rizzo, Mike Murphy, Daryl Barrett, Jerry Condren, Kevin Collins, Don Jones, Chris Jacobs, Steve Faulkner, Kyle LaVare, Corey Hunt, Mike Ventra, Joe Woodruff, Nick Dandino, George LaVare, Leroy Lewis, Chris Force, Darren Phippen, Rod Comfort Jr., Randy Peters, Frank Burnell, Charles Vohs, Mike Minutolo, Nat Peckham, Rocco Conte, Dave Marcuiccilli, Tim Burnell,DNS: Eric Chapman, Blane Smith, Jason Whipple, Brian Lloyd. PRO-STOCK HEAT 1: B. Hallett, D. Hilkert, C. Homan, K. Smith, J. Ortiz. FEATURE (20-laps): JIPP ORTIZ, Daryl Hilkert, Bill Hallett, Kevin Smith, James Henry, Billy Brown, Wayne Ellison, Frank Guererri jr., Brian Thompson, Bob Buono, Matt Grubbe, Roger Chrysler, Matt Smith, Chad Homan, Tom Fuller. DIRT MODIFIED HEAT 1: R. Chrysler, C. Graham, R. Miller, M. Ward, S. Boudinot. FEATURE (50-laps): STEVE PAINE, Vic Coffey, Karl Comfort, Chad Brachmann, Randy Chrysler, Chuck Bower, Jeff Brownell jr., Darryl Ruggles, John Pfeffer, Chuck Graham, Steve Gray, Scott Boudinot, Mike ward, Randy Miller, Shannon Whaley, Chuck hebing, Danny Johnson, Ray Bliss, Derrick Podsiadlo, Brian Michels, Charlie Donk, Gary tomkins, Mike Bliss, Bobby Parrow, Ron Cartwright Jr., Justin Haers. |