From Tom Skibinski - DIRTcar Racing Northeast Region PR Director - Syracuse, NY – October 8, 2010 – The Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau Big-Block Modified Triple 20 qualifying heats held Friday at the New York State Fairgrounds not only rewarded winners Jimmy Phelps, Billy Decker and Pat Ward with a lucrative payday, they kept the seasoned Empire State trio locked in as pre-race favorites for Sunday’s headline SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 Presented by Ferris/Snapper/Simplicity Championship.
Continuing to set the pace in the 39th edition of Super DIRT Week on the Syracuse Mile, Phelps, Decker and Ward each posted flag-to-flag victories in preparation for Sunday’s ‘Super Bowl’ of DIRTcar Racing worth $50,000 to the 200-mile winner.
Following up with his fast time trial on Thursday at the historic Salt City speedplant, Phelps out-gunned Canadian chauffeur Stewart Friesen on the initial green flag and never looked back en route to his second career Triple 20 victory in Syracuse.
“Hopefully we can keep it going on Sunday, its been a banner week so far,” remarked Phelps, after returning to the podium beside the potent HBR Motorsports no. 98h Wave Energy Drink-Mohawk Northeast/Troyer entry on Friday afternoon. “At Syracuse you’ve really got to have everything go your way to stand a chance.”
“We had a really fast car today, that always helps here, and the guys made real good decisions when they sent us out. My radio came undone on the very first lap so I felt a little lost out there and just bided my time to get the job done,” Phelps noted.
The caution-free affair ended with Friesen five car-lengths back at the checkers, while Garden State invader Ryan Godown, Eastern New Yorker Tim Hindley and popular Frenchman David Hebert completed the top-five.
Decker was just as dominant in round two, making it a clean sweep after capturing a Twin 20-lap 358-Modified qualifier earlier in the day steering a similarly prepared small-block-powered LJL Racing no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell mount
“Yes, things are good right now,” smiled Decker, in search of his fifth SEF 200 victory that would tie him with tour rival Brett Hearn for wins since the most prestigious Big-Block Modified event in the nation was launched in 1972. Decker also ranks behind only Hearn (29) as the Unadilla, N.Y. driver has now taken 22 checkered flags during Super DIRT Week in both Big-Block and 358-Modified competition.
“We’ve got two more days of competition out here, things are really looking good but we’ve been around long enough to know anything can happen at any time. Hopefully we’ll be just as happy as right now come Sunday, that’s when we’ll either be a hero or a goat. There’s really only one winner at Syracuse, we’re two-thirds of the way right now,” figured Decker, who last won in 2005 when the race was rain-delayed into November.
Decker only need 12 minutes to best runner-up J.R. Heffner in what amounted to a 20-lap dash, with Bobby Varin, Bob McGannon and Tim McCreadie settling in for front-five finishes at the stripe.
Open-wheel qualifying action came to a close with Decker’s Gypsum Express teammate Pat Ward cruising out to a 10 car-length victory in the third and final segment.
“The outside turned pretty slippery so we got a good jump on everybody from the start and just stayed out of trouble the rest of the way,” said Ward, after registering his third career Triple 20 victory. Unlike the first two heats run Friday, the final round required a red flag on the opening lap when Ted Lamb Jr. slid low on the front straightaway and dug deep into the soft clay to force his M.R. Burdick Enterprises no. 85 Ferguson Water Works/TEO machine into a slow rollover.
“It got dusty out there with all the sun and wind, hopefully we’ll get it all blown off in time for the weekend events and we can do some racing. Up front is certainly the place you want to be, hopefully we can stay there and have a chance at the end. That’s everybody’s goal, just give yourself a chance and be in the hunt over the final laps,” Ward added.
Time trials (6), qualifying races (27), BRP Tour winner and two guaranteed starters from the Super DIRTcar Series bring the total to 33 cars before the 'Dig Safely New York Shootout' last-chance consolation round on Sunday morning, the addition of provisionals, and Saturday night shootout at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park complete the 45-car starting grid for Sunday's headline SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 finale scheduled for 2 p.m.
SUPER DIRT WEEK XXXIX MODIFIED TRIPLE 20s RESULTS
Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau Heat #1
FIN CAR# DRIVER
1 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
2 44 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
3 747 Ryan Godown/Ringoes,NJ
4 1th Tim Hindley/Monticello,NY
5 1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
6 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
7 98 Eddie Marshall/Ridgefield,CT
8 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
9 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
10 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
11 96 Todd Milton/Auburn,NY
12 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
13 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
14 57 Donnie Corellis/Averill Park,NY
15 16 Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
16 44v Phil Vigneri/Elba,NY
17 3j Marc Johnson/Guilderland,NY
18 22L Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT
Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau Heat #2
FIN CAR# DRIVER
1 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
2 74 J.R. Heffner/Pittsfield,MA
3 10 Bobby Varin/Sharon Springs,NY
4 21m Bob McGannon/Garnerville,NY
5 39 Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
6 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
7 usa1 Richie Tobias Jr./Anneville,PA
8 14 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
9 45 Wayne Jelley/Pittsfield,MA
10 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
11 56 Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY
12 02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY
13 24 Chris Shultz/Pawling,NY
14 93x Craig Mitchell/Poughkeepsie,NY
15 48too Dave Rauscher/Waterloo,NY
16 14s Brian Swarthout/Beaver Dams,NY
17 8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
DNS 19 John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY
Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau Heat #3
FIN CAR# DRIVER
1 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
1 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
2 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
3 12a Ronnie Johnson/Duanesburg,NY
4 74 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
5 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
6 115 Kenny Tremont/West Sand Lake,NY
7 34 Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
8 43 Keith Flach/Ravena,NY
9 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
10 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
11 13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY
12 1ny Greg Atkins/Clintonville,NY
13 7 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
14 62s Tom Sears Jr./Clay,NY
15 151kb Brian McDonald/Cornwall,ONT
16 85 Ted Lamb Jr./Clay,NY
DNS 24 Patrick Dupree/Saranac Lake,NY
DNS 24x Mike Perrotte/Plattsburgh,NY
SUPER DIRT WEEK XXXIX MODIFIED NON-QUALIFIERS RACE LINE-UP (Oct. 10)
Dig Safely New York Shootout – 5 Qualify
ST CAR# DRIVER
1 16 Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
2 8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
3 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
4 02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY
5 13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY
6 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
7 24 Chris Shultz/Pawling,NY
8 1ny Greg Atkins/Clintonville,NY
9 57 Donnie Corellis/Averill Park,NY
10 93x Craig Mitchell/Poughkeepsie,NY
11 7 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
12 48too Dave Rauscher/Waterloo,NY
13 151kb Brian McDonald/Cornwall,ONT
14 44v Phil Vigneri/Elba,NY
15 14s Brian Swarthout/Beaver Dams,NY
16 85 Ted Lamb Jr./Clay,NY
17 3j Marc Johnson/Guilderland,NY
18 22 Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT
2008 MODIFIED SEF SMALL ENGINE FUELS Presented By FERRIS-SNAPPER-SIMPLICITY 200 STARTING LINE-UP
STR CAR# DRIVER
1 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
2 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
3 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
4 44 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
5 74 J.R. Heffner/Pittsfield,MA
6 62s Tom Sears Jr./Clay,NY
7 747 Ryan Godown/Ringoes,NJ
8 10 Bobby Varin/Sharon Springs,NY
9 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
10 1th Tim Hindley/Monticello,NY
11 21m Bob McGannon/Garnerville,NY
12 12a Ronnie Johnson/Duanesburg,NY
13 1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
14 39 Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
15 74 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
16 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
17 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
18 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
19 98 Eddie Marshall/Ridgefield,CT
20 usa1 Richie Tobias Jr./Anneville,PA
21 115 Kenny Tremont/West Sand Lake,NY
22 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
23 14 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
24 34 Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
25 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
26 45 Wayne Jelley/Pittsfield,MA
27 43 Keith Flach/Ravena,NY
28 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
29 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
30 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
31 96 Todd Milton/Auburn,NY
32 56 Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY
33 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
*Top-6 locked in from Thursday time trials;
*Positions 7-33 locked in from Friday Triple-20s
