Phelps, Tomkins, Henderson, DePuy Share Rolling Wheels Series Spotlight

 

Elbridge, NY – September 3, 2007 –Rolling Wheels Raceway Park PR

 

A full card of Super DIRTcar Series racing attracted a big field of cars and a capacity crowd was in attendance to take in the annual Labor Day attraction at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on Monday.

 

It was a memorable night for Jimmy Phelps and Gary Tomkins as they shared space in the winner’s circle at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park after splitting Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Petrocci Twin 50s presented by Ferris Mowers. It was Phelps first tour win of the 2007 campaign and Tomkins second, with his first coming at the same Elbridge oval during the Independence Day holiday.

 

Todd Henderson bested a stellar 32-car line-up to capture the 30-lap Mr. DIRTcar Dig Safely New York Sportsman main event while Adam DePuy held back race long pressure from Blane Smith to pick up the win in the 20-lap Caprara Brothers Outdoor Toy Store Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock Super Series win, his third in the inaugural season for the tour.

 

Phelps started on the pole to pace the 33-car starting field in round one but his first Advance Auto Parts Series win of the season was never guaranteed, especially after Alan Johnson blew past on the lap 10 restart and tried his best to extend the advantage the rest of the way. Numerous caution periods thwarted the efforts of ‘A.J. Slideways,’ with a half-dozen slowing the action over the ensuing 22 laps. Phelps shadowed the leader the entire way until ducking under in the H&H Motorsports no. 98H Mohawk Northeast-New England Race Fuels/Troyer Spl. to forge the final lead change on lap 39. Billy Decker finished his race-long charge in second while tour points leader Tim Fuller salvaged third-place ahead of Johnson and Vic Coffey.

 

After Phelps drew to invert the top12 for round two, Tomkins started fifth and watched as pole-sitter Dale Planck and Matt Sheppard held the point for the first half of the race. Tomkins stayed steady aboard the no. 84 Honeoye Auto Parts-Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell entry and reeled in Sheppard for the final lead exchange on lap 23. Fuller improved one position from race one to finish second while Phelps slipped past Sheppard on the final circuit to secure third with Pat Ward filling out the front-five.

 

The 30-lap Sportsman Modified finale had 32 cars called to the starting line from the 64 teams that had originally signed in. The first yellow flag flew immediately when Greg Carner slid off the first turn. Up front Scott Schrader was scored as the race leader although on the restart Jipp Ortiz jumped out to take the point and begin to stretch out a lead. The caution lights appeared again to bunch the field together once more.

 

By lap 11 Todd Henderson had assumed the lead on a restart following a yellow for Canandaigua Speedway standout driver Dan Wiesner, who’s car had come to a stop in the first turn. Danny Varin was the next to bring out a yellow lap 12 as he slowed on the back stretch.

 

The final 18 laps were all run under green flag conditions. Henderson used this period to stretch out a six-second lead on Ortiz, who in turn was building an advantage over Eric Giguere.

 

Lapped cars started to have a effect on the leaders with seven laps remaining. Henderson crossed the finish line just 24 minutes after he started the race. Ortiz, Giguere, Paul Guererri and Shawn Donath rounded out the top-five finishers.

 

In the Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock feature DePuy and Smith led the field down to the starter’s green flag with DePuy leading the pack into turn one to grab the early led. Smith, Mike Welch and Ron Hawker tucked in right behind DePuy to pace the opening laps of the feature. As the early laps clicked off DePuy, Smith and Welch, all Canandaigua Speedway regulars, started to pull away from the rest of the field.

 

The first yellow of the race came on lap five as Dave Marcuccilli and Bobby Boynton made slight contact in turn three sending the pair spinning, both were able to continue. As the pace of the race quickened the yellow came out again, this time on lap eight for LeRoy Lewis, who was able to rejoin the field at the back of the pack.

 

When the green waved DePuy kept his foot down with Smith right on his bumper. Seventh-place starter Scott Smith, the previous Series feature winner at Rolling Wheels, joined the battle for the lead. With five laps still to go, DePuy was able to open up a three-four car length lead on the straights yet in the corners Smith was able to close in despite never finding enough speed to get by. Under the checkers DePuy won by a narrow margin over Blane Smith, Scott Smith, Andy Fisk and Mike Welch, who charged back from the rear of the field to complete the front-five.

 

Rolling Wheels Raceway Park returns to action when the 21^st annual World Series Weekend takes center stage at the ‘Fast Track’ on Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22. Super DIRT Series events for all five touring classes ---Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman Modified, Pro Stock, Street Stock--- fill the bill during the popular autumn motorsports attraction.

 

For more information regarding Rolling Wheels, contact DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Headquarters during the week at 315/834-6606, call RWR (315/689-7809) on raceday or visit www.rollingwheelsraceway.com on the internet anytime.

 

FERRIS MOWERS/DIG SAFELY NEW YORK ROBERT N. PETROCCI MEMORIAL EVENT SUMMARY

UMP/DIRTcar STREET STOCK

HEAT 1: B.Smith, Hawker, Peckham, S.Smith, Fisk, Norman, Rizzo, Knapp, Chapman.

HEAT 2: DePuy, Welch, Schultz, Lewis, Boynton, Hyatt, Marcuccilli, LaVare, K.Smith.

BUDWEISER 20: Adam DePuy, Blane Smith, Scott Smith, Andy Fisk, Mike Welch, Dave Marcuccilli, Ron Hawker, Nathan Peckham, Nick Rizzo, Frank Hyatt, Leroy Lewis, Kevin Knapp, Mike Schultz, Phil Norman, Kevin Smith, Bobby Boynton, George LaVare Sr., Eric Chapman.

 

DIRTcar SPORTSMAN MODIFIED

HEAT 1: J. Williams, J. Ortiz, J. Juhl.

HEAT 2: C. Hile, J. Johnstone, J. Behron.

HEAT 3: D. Wiesner, M. D’Ilario, P. Guererri.

HEAT 4: T. Henderson, R. Hile, A.J. Kingsley.

HEAT 5: E. Giguere, T. Currier, K. Hotchkiss.

HEAT 6: J. Venuto, J. Juhl II, L. Lincoln.

CONSI 1: L. Wight, N. Cupolo.

CONSI 2: C. Higgins, D. Spatorico.

CONSI 3: G. Panunte, D. Varin.

GUARANTEES ADDED: R. Pratt, T. McPherson, A. Fink, Shawn Donath, M. Hulsizer, J. Pietrowicz, C. Garner, J. Pitcher.

DIG SAFELY 30: TODD HENDERSON, Jipp Ortiz, Eric Giguere, Paul Guererri, Shawn Donath, Chris Hile, Mark D’Ilario, John Venuto, Dan Wiesner, Larry Wight, Joe Williams, Chris Higgins, Tyler McPherson, Rob Hile, Jin Johnstone, Tim Currier, John Juhl, John Pietrowicz, Jeremy Pitcher, Matt Hulsizer, John Behron, Loren Lincoln, John Juhl II, Don Spatorico, A.J. Kingsley, Nick Cupolo, Greg Panunte, Rob Pratt, Danny Varin, Alan Fink, Keith Hotchkiss, Greg Carner.

DNQ: Todd Town, Joe Cook Jr., Tom Flannigan, Matt Smith, Earl Rudy, Jack Meeks, Jordan Bennett, Scott Goodrich, Don Ogden, Bill Colman, Beth Schneider, Rich Quick, Michael Storms, Luke Carleton, Brady Fultz, Anthony Steiner, Amanda Whitney, Shane Donath, Fran Hilton, Rick Bellante, Damon Walker, James M. Friesen, Daryl Hilkert, Jeff Isabell Jr., Mark Dixon, Rob Knapp, Nick Guererri, Jesse Pontello, James Spano, Brett Ford.

 

DIRTcar BIG-BLOCK MODIFIED

HEAT 1: J.Phelps, R.Phelps, Fuller, B.Decker, Paine.

HEAT 2: Planck, Sheppard, A.Johnson, W.Decker, Bower.

HEAT 3: P.Ward, Tomkins, D.Johnson, Coffey, Bates.

HEAT 4: Hearn, Varin, Cozze, Podsiadlo, Beyea.

CONSI 1: Dunn, Lamb, Godown, Hanson, Beardsley

CONSI 2: Haers, Tittle, Hefti, Payne, Henry.

Added: Whaley, Bowman, Ward.

PETROCCI  50: JIMMY PHELPS, Billy Decker, Tim Fuller, Alan Johnson, Vic Coffey, Pat Ward, Danny Johnson, Gary Tomkins, Matt Sheppard, Chuck Bower,

Brett Hearn, Dale Planck, Kevin Bates, Ryan Godown, Billy Dunn, Bobby Varin,

Ryan Phelps, Ted Lamb Jr, Willy Decker, Derrick Podsiadlo, Butch Tittle, Eldon Payne Jr, Craig Hanson, Russ Hefti, Justin Haers, Sean Beardsley, Mike Ward,

Steve Paine, Frank Cozze, Mike Bowman, Bob Henry Jr, Shannon Whaley, Joe Beyea.

FERRIS MOWERS 50: GARY TOMKINS, Tim Fuller, Jimmy Phelps, Matt Sheppard, Pat Ward, Brett Hearn, Vic Coffey, Billy Dunn, Dale Planck, Willy Decker, Alan Johnson, Ryan Godown, Bobby Varin, Chuck Bower, Frank Cozze,

Justin Haers, Kevin Bates, Sean Beardsley, Joe Beyea, Mike Bowman, Eldon Payne Jr, Derrick Podsiadlo, Ted Lamb Jr, Ryan Phelps, Steve Paine, Billy Decker, Mike Ward, Butch Tittle, Russ Hefti, Craig Hanson, Danny Johnson, Bob Henry Jr. (DNS), Shannon Whaley (DNS).

DNQ: Darwin Greene, Joe Isabell, Randy Chrysler, Roger Chrysler, Brian Murphy.

 

The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., F.X. Caprara Car Companies, Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company and Wrisco Industries.