Syracuse, NY – October 7, 2010 – By Kevin Kovac, DIRTcar Racing PR ... Rising star Chris Raabe of Napanee, Ont., joined American Tradition Motorsports teammates Josh VanBrocklin of Watertown, N.Y., and Dale Caswell of Central Square, N.Y., as winners in the DIRTcar ‘Futures’ feature events that capped Thursday’s Super DIRT Week XXXIX at the Syracuse Mile.
Raabe captured the 8-lap DIRTcar 358-Modified ‘Futures’ race in what was his second-ever start in the division, while VanBrocklin and Caswell made team owner Dean Patterson proud by rolling to victories in the twin 12-lap DIRTcar Sportsman mains that were run to accommodate the large field of 31 aspiring racers.
The fourth annual ‘Futures’ series – short sprints for drivers seeking their first starts in their respective divisions’ headline Super DIRT Week events – ended the first full day of competition at the storied one-mile oval on the New York State Fairgrounds.
Raabe, 19, demonstrated his budding talent in his first DIRTcar 358-Modified start on the Syracuse Mile, leading the eight-car race from start-to-finish off the pole position. He outgunned front-row mate Matt Billings of Brockville, Ont., for the top spot at the initial green flag and was never threatened thereafter en route to a dominating victory margin of 13.637 seconds – roughly a full straightaway – over Denis Gauvreau of Gatineau, Que.
Billings settled for third-place, George Foley of Saranac Lake, N.Y., was fourth and Aaron Jacobs of Frankfort, N.Y., took fifth.
“Matt jumped me a little bit from the outside and tried pinching me down getting into turn one,” said Raabe, the two-time and defending Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman champion. “But I just held my ground and came out with the lead out of turn two.”
Raabe, who survived a mid-race scare when he jumped the cushion in turn four and bent the front valence on his Bicknell car, added the $600 ‘Futures’ triumph to a resume that is building very quickly. He is completing a memorable 2010 campaign that includes a DIRTcar Sportsman single-season record 30 feature wins and track titles at Mohawk Int’l Raceway in Akwesasne, N.Y., and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway.
“I’ve been here with a Sportsman twice, but winning our first time here in a 358 is pretty exciting,” said Raabe, a mechanical engineering student at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. “I just want to go as far as I can (in racing).”
Raabe, who drives for John and Perry Francis of Akwesasne, N.Y., will continue his chase of a third consecutive Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman in Saturday’s 30-lap SUNY Canton Sportsman Championship event. He also hopes to compete in Saturday’s ‘Salute to the Troops’ 358-Modified 150 after timing 19th-fastest in Thursday’s qualifying session, giving him a 10th-row starting spot in the first of Friday afternoon’s twin 20-lap heat races.
VanBrocklin, meanwhile, won the first DIRTcar Sportsman ‘Futures’ event to begin a sweep of the division’s twin-bill by the American Tradition Motorsports team, a three-car Super DIRT Week squad fielded by Philadelphia, N.Y.’s Patterson. He wasn’t headed after racing off the pole position to grab the lead at the start, beating fourth-starter Steve Barber of Lansdowne, Ont., to the finish line by 2.166 seconds.
Don Spatorico of Ransomville, N.Y., finished third, followed by Jeff Leslie of Fly Creek, N.Y., and Shane Jablonka of Stanfordville, N.Y.
An entrant in last year’s Sportsman ‘Futures’ feature before failing to qualify for the DIRTcar Sportsman Championship race in his first-ever visit to the Moody Mile, VanBrocklin showed improvement in his second stab at the historic track.
“I’m a lot more confident in my driving,” said VanBrocklin, whose fifth season of DIRTcar Sportsman competition saw him finish second in Can-Am’s weekly points and emerge as the champion of the track’s nine-race SUNY-Canton Series. “I just tried to run my own race. I know (Barber) was on my bumper at the start and he gave me a tap one time, but I didn’t know how much of a lead I had.”
VanBrocklin scored a $400 victory in his first start driving a Bicknell car from Patterson’s stable. He recently accepted Patterson’s offer of a ride for Syracuse, freeing VanBrocklin to enter his family-owned car in this Friday night’s Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Series event at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to drive for (Patterson),” VanBrocklin said after climbing from the machine that sports sponsorship from the movie Jesus: The Lost Years. “We run our own car at Can-Am and park next to him, so we’ve become friends.”
Caswell, 28, topped off Patterson’s perfect ‘Futures’ day, winning the second race with another flag-to-flag effort. He beat fourth-starter Nate Reynolds to the checkered flag by 4.340 seconds.
Shane Pecore of St. Andrews, Ont., placed third, ahead of Andy Durie of Stillwater, N.Y., and Anthony Perrego of Montgomery, N.Y.
Caswell was behind the wheel of Patterson’s unique 9-11 Tribute car, a Bicknell mount carrying a special paint scheme in honor of the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and western Pennsylvania. It was just the second DIRTcar Sportsman start of his career.
“I tried out a Sportsman once before in 2005 at Fulton (Speedway),” said Caswell, who has also won this season in the crate Late Model, IMCA Modified and Mod Lite divisions. “I was excited when Dean gave me a chance to drive one again. He came down to my shop about a month ago to get some work done on his some race cars and asked me if I wanted to drive, and I said, ‘Sure.’”
Caswell has concentrated his 2010 racing on crate Late Models, running to a championship at Brewerton (NY) Speedway and finishing second in the points battle at Fulton Speedway. He also qualified for two World of Outlaws Late Model Series events this season with his crate Late Model.
The ‘Futures’ series continues during Friday’s Super DIRT Week program, with events for budding Big-Block Modified and Pro Stock racers on the agenda. Scheduled start time is 4 p.m.
358-Modified ‘Futures’ Feature Finish (8 laps): CHRIS RAABE, Denis Gauvreau, Matt Billings, George Foley, Aaron Jacobs, C.G. Morey, Cass Bennett, Henry Maier (DSQ).
SUPER DIRT WEEK XXXIX 'FUTURES' TIME TRIALS @ NYS Fairgrounds, Oct. 7
*Determined feature race starting positions.
358-MODIFIED
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 33.324 108.030 01 Chris Raabe/Napanee,ONT
2 33.894 106.213 24 Patrick Dupree/Saranac Lake,NY
3 34.100 105.572 74x Matt Billings/Brockville,ONT
4 35.217 102.223 72 Denis Gauvreau/Alymer,QUE
5 35.258 102.104 72 Cass Bennett/Mechanicville,NY
6 35.455 101.537 14m C.G. Morey/Rutland,VT
7 35.755 100.685 34 George Foley/Saranac Lake,NY
8 36.014 99.961 3m Henry Maier/Spencerport,NY
9 36.081 99.776 16 Aaron Jacobs/Frankfort,NY
10 -NT- ----- 5h Rob Hile/Syracuse,NY
11 -NT- ----- 85 Ted Lamb Jr./Clay,NY
Sportsman ‘Futures’ Feature No. 1 Finish (12 laps): JOSH VanBROCKLIN, Steve Barber, Don Spatorico, Jeff Leslie, Shane Jablonka, Jake elley, Brent Kelsey, Kristian Smoke, Jenna David, Thunder Anderson, Jason Occhino, Tom Keyes, Henry Desormeau, Brad Winters, Dean Patterson (DNS).
Sportsman ‘Futures’ Feature No. 2 Finish (12 laps): DALE CASWELL, Nate Reynolds, Shane Pecore, Andy Durie, Anthony Perrego, Jimmy Spellmon, Robert Bublak, Tim Paul, Steve Hankle, Jack Gentile, Brett Martin, Christine Martin, John Wilber, John Scarborough, Paul Kline, Rick Eggers Jr., Travis Back, Brandon Sweet (DNS).
SUPER DIRT WEEK XXXIX 'FUTURES' TIME TRIALS @ NYS Fairgrounds, Oct. 7
*Determined feature race starting positions.
SPORTSMAN
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 35.216 102.226 10 Josh VanBrocklin/Watertown,NY
2 35.283 102.032 9-11 Dale Caswell/Central Square,NY
3 35.313 101.945 67 Don Spatorico/Ransomville,NY
4 35.400 101.695 61s John Scarborough/Bomoseen,VT
5 35.623 101.058 62 Jeff Leslie/Fly Creek,NY
6 35.638 101.016 15 Shane Pecore/Cornwall,ONT
7 35.675 100.911 14 Paul Kline/Reading,PA
8 35.726 100.767 80 Steve Barber/Lansdowne,ONT
9 35.810 100.531 6r Nate Reynolds/Newfane,NY
10 35.882 100.329 25 Jake Jelley/Pownall,VT
11 35.910 100.251 32 Andy Durie/Stillwater,NY
12 36.010 99.972 9 Kristian Smoke/Akwesasne,NY
13 36.143 99.604 28 Jimmy Spellmon/Butler,NJ
14 36.184 99.491 44x Shane Jablonka/Stanfordville,NY
15 36.221 99.390 18x Anthony Perrego/Montgomery,NY
16 36.233 99.357 30 Brent Kelsey/Plantagenet,ONT
17 36.268 99.261 10m Brett Martin/Burt,NY
18 36.444 98.782 92ny Brad Winters/Lison,NY
19 36.757 97.941 20 Jack Gentile/Ballston Lake,NY
20 36.758 97.938 60 Henry Desormeau/Weedsport,NY
21 36.909 97.537 19 Rob Bublak Jr./Ballston Spa,NY
22 36.952 97.424 1 Travis Back/Hogansburg,NY
23 36.957 97.411 42 Tim Paul/Stony Point,NY
24 37.192 96.795 42p Jason Occhino/Fulton,NY
25 37.242 96.665 21b John Wilber/Fulton,NY
26 37.483 96.044 2 Jenna David/Akwesasne,QUE
27 38.944 92.440 81 Christine Martin/Wellesley Island,NY
28 69.106 52.094 5 Tom Keyes/Fairport,NY
29 -NT- ----- 3d Dean Patterson/Philadelphia,NY
30 -NT- ----- 7 Tom Benedict/Akwesasne,QUE
31 -NT- ----- 24 Brandon Sweet/Watertown,NY
32 -NT- ----- 44 Steve Hankle/Averill Park,NY
SKIDMARKS
The ‘King of the Mile’ Dash field has been set for Friday, Oct. 8 at the Syracuse Mile with Jason Sides, Lucas Wolfe, Chad Kemenah, Kerry Madsen and Keith Dempster participating in the unique World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series exhibition. As an added treat, Work’N Woody, the Official Push Truck & Safety Vehicle of the Outlaws, which has pushed countless cars at Syracuse over the years, will return to the Moody Mile as well and help push off the drivers for the dash which starts at 3:30pm.
