Jul 26, 2015 09:19 PM EDT
New Smoke- Alan Johnson Takes 2nd Win Of 2015 At ‘The Rock’
DUNDEE, NY – For Immediate Release – July 26th, 2015 – Curtis Berleue Photo –
A major headline heading into 2015 at Black Rock Speedway was the addition of Alan Johnson to the weekly fold that already included Steve Paine, Brady Fultz, Ron Cartwright and Derrick Podsiadlo. Not only were the mighty Modifieds back, an outstanding level of competition has greeted fans each week.
For Johnson, it has been up and down with motor troubles being a recurring theme over the course of the first half of the season. Johnson, from Middlesex, NY, now running a self-owned self-run operation has seen the Friendly Ford, Commercial Roofing & Sheet Metal #14J suffer mechanical failures.
However “AJ Slideways” was able to put it all together for a victory on June 26th, and on Friday night picked up win #2 of 2015 after taking the lead from Podsiadlo on lap 10.
The Modified feature was rough and tumble for 30 laps on Friday night, with the biggest incident taking place on lap 2 in Turns 1 & 2. Marcus Dinkins lost the handle on the #17 machine, collecting five additional cars in the melee- drawing Scott Hixson’s red flag. Four of those machines went in on the hook including Brady Fultz, who has seen his fair share of bad luck this season.
Under the red flag, Dinkins continued to drive his car near the accident scene toward the pit entrance. Race Control radioed to the Montour Falls, NY driver several times to alert the red flag condition with Dinkins not heeding the directive.
Dinkins would be disqualified for not following Race Control’s directive. A post-race altercation involving the Dinkins crew has since resulted in the Dinkins #17 receiving an indefinite suspension from Black Rock Speedway.
Once the race took the green, Podsiadlo in the Penn Yan Express Stop #21 took off to fair margin over Johnson who took second on the restart. Johnson would close up to a few car lengths of Podsiadlo but could not make a move to get by.
As the Penn Yan, NY pilot crossed the line to complete lap 9, something in the engine compartment came apart- ending what could have been the first victory of 2015 for Podsiadlo.
“I don’t think I had anything for the 21 (Podsiadlo), I think he had us all covered tonight. Once he broke, that put us in position,” said Johnson after taking the 30-lap victory.
This handed the lead to Johnson who never looked back to take his second victory of the season. Lee Bills won a heat race and came home with his best career finish at Black Rock, finishing second. 7-time Black Rock track champion Steve Paine took his beaten and battered Hig-Fab 7x to the trailer in third place, extending his points lead. Cory Costa was strong after a flip the previous week in fourth while Donnie Lawson also recovered from last week’s flip for a top five.
Afterwards, Johnson was quick to thank Mark Spoor and Jeff Brownell for stepping up in the time of need for the 14J team. Spoor and Brownell were instrumental in securing ‘new smoke’ to put under the hood of Johnson’s car.
“This is one of Matt Sheppard’s old motors and it made us feel like Matt Sheppard out there tonight,” said Johnson of the new smoke under the hood of the 14J.
Steve Gray and the Proctor Enterprises, City Hill Construction, Ayers Painting #29g team returned to Black Rock Friday determined to put the controversy of the previous week behind them. ‘The Iceman’ did so in the only way he has known how to over the course of his illustrious career on dirt- dominate and win.
A newcomer to Black Rock in recent weeks, Jason Scales, was the rabbit early by leading the first five laps. Chris Fisher in the Bully Hill Vineyards #37 took the lead on lap 6 and was poised to take his first win of 2015. Fisher was pulling away at the halfway mark while point leader Casey Pavlick and Gray battled intensely for the runner-up position.
The most hotly contested battle during the 25-lap feature was the battle for fourth place through the remainder of the top ten. Chris Silvers, Jordan Siri, Mike Buchanan, Dale Welty, Jake Dgien and Scales were all routing and gouging for position. Lap 18 saw contact amongst this group send Buchanan around with others in turn 2.
On the restart Gray set sail for Fisher, taking the lead for good just one lap later. Another yellow for Scales on lap 21 would set up a four lap dash, but ‘The Iceman’ had the ponies under the hood to take win number five on the season. Fisher had to settle for a disappointing second place finish, Pavlick consistent again for third, Silvers with a strong showing in fourth and Siri rounding out the top five.
“I was running it hard the whole time trying to find a fast line around,” said Gray in Champion Power Equipment Victory Lane.
“I want to thank my wife and kids for putting up with all the hours in the shop as well as our sponsors for their support.”
Although all Crate Sportsman competitors cleared post-race tech, a post-race altercation initiated by the team representing driver Russell Morseman ensued in the pit area. Race officials gained control of the situation in the pit area, and Morseman was served a disqualification for Friday night’s event along with a one-week suspension.
The 305 Sprint Car contingent was in town Friday night for their lone appearance at the “Fast Four-Tenths-Mile” in 2015. Darryl Ruggles, 2014 305 Sprint track champion at the speedway, along with his team put together this special event for the 305 competitors who had the week off from Canandaigua Motorsports Park. 12 competitors pulled into the pit area for the $750 to win, $100 to start event. Six drivers competed in a unique ‘Revenge Redraw’ on the front stretch during intermission to set the starting lineup.
Veteran competitor Lee Sanders had a lot of NAPA Know How on his side as he cruised away out front to lead the opening six circuits. Ruggles wasted no time, moving into the second position on the initial start and would chip away at Sanders’ lead until making a move as the pair clicked off lap 6.
Ruggles would go to the lead on lap 7 and never looked back to pick up yet another victory on the Dundee clay. Ruggles’ last win at Black Rock also came in an added-purse type event last season. He would have to survive a late charge from Nick Cooper in the Honeoye Auto Parts #35 who turned the wick up the last half of the race. Fortunately for Ruggles in the #48, the feature event was only slated for 20 laps.
The race was exciting and a tuneup for the upcoming Patriot Sprint Tour stop on Friday August 7th, part of Trevor Bayne’s MRO Night during Watkins Glen weekend. The event did see one red flag for Steve Glover and Steve Gray who synchronized a flip in Turn 2, collecting two other machines as well.
Ruggles would come away victorious, Cooper finished second, Jonathan Preston third, Sanders fourth after leading early and Alysha Ruggles rounded out the top five finishers.
In the M&M Auto Sales IMCA Modifieds, the Black Rock fans were treated to the most exciting finish of the night. The competition has been much-improved over the last month and Promoter Mike Jackson elected to run the IMCA’s second on the Feature lineup- the IMCA competitors did not disappoint.
Todd Stone in his brightly colored #28 was dominant, leading the first 19 of 20 laps. Ken Buck ran a strong second for much of the race but the man on a mission on this night was the point leader from Towanda, PA- Keith Lamphere.
Lamphere put on a dirt track clinic throughout the last 7 laps of the event. First, Lamphere dispatched of Jason Benjamin who he has been sparring with all season long for the 2015 track championship. With five laps remaining, Lamphere set up a high-low switch on Brad Smith’s #76 to take the third position.
On just the next lap, Lamphere made his way around the fast #30 of Buck and set his sights on Stone for his sixth win of the season. Lap 18 saw Lamphere once again try the high-low switch on Stone for the lead, but Stone was up to the task. This would however set up a memorable last lap to determine the feature winner.
Stone led the field into Turn 3 for the final time but Lamphere blasted his way around the corner to draw even terms with Stone’s machine exiting Turn 4. In a drag race to the line it was Lamphere but half-a-car-length over Stone, Buck, Logan Terry and Benjamin.
For Lamphere it was #6 on the season- extending his points lead at Black Rock and in the Northeast Region standings. He would go on to pull off another win at Skyline later in the weekend as well. Lamphere will go for four-in-a-row and #7 on the year coming up on August 7th as the IMCA division has the week off on July 31st.
In the Morseman Racing Chassis Street Stock division it was two strong competitors finding themselves at the top of the heap battling for the win. Chuck Winslow and Nate Daggett put on a show Friday night for the win, as they have done several times this season. Bad racing luck has given both drivers the opportunity to start toward the front based on the handicap, but the key is to pounce when that opportunity presents itself.
Winslow would do that on this night, which saw his teammate Gene Balmer suffer damage in the heat race that would put the #38 out of the feature. The driver out of Elmira, NY put that out of his mindset and went on to score his third victory of 2015. This win would be Winslow’s first since his June 5th win which came several weeks after that date due to a rained out makeup feature.
For Daggett, proprietor at Daggett’s Garage in Dresden, this was his best finish since June 19th when he came home as the runner-up to point leader Jared Hill on Jeffy Searles night. Jeremy Potrzebowski came home third, 2014 Empire 100 winner Kurt Stebbins fourth and LaVerne Knickerbocker who bounced back from a tough week last week for a top five.
The win for Winslow and second for Daggett will aid both drivers in the point race for the championship. Winslow now moves up to third place, eight points behind CJ Guererri for second and thirty-five points behind Hill for the lead. For Daggett, Friday’s finish moves him up to fourth in the standings, only two points behind Winslow for third.
Rich Sharpsteen continued his winning streak on Friday night, winning his third NAPA Know How 4 Cylinder feature in a row. Sharpsteen has better than a two race lead in the points race now and picked up Friday’s victory, his 101st in his career, after taking the lead on lap 6.
The top five was filled with young guns and ageless veterans of the division as Scott Bradley, Jayson Smart, Zach Teed and Jeremy Trank filled out positions two through five. Even though Sharpsteen is cruising away with the championship, there is an intense battle happening to stay in the top five.
Smart leads Chad Ayers by just ten points, while he leads Trank in fourth by twenty-two points. David Whetham’s early-season consistency has allowed him to maintain the fifth spot over Bradley who has missed a few races in 2015.
In the Creekside Entertainment Bandits, Jeff Daugherty got back to his winning ways after seeing Billy Bowers pick up the win last week. Daugherty took win #10 on the year with Bowers coming home second, Brandon Kinner third, ShiAnn Labar fourth and Pixie Kinner the top five.
An exciting announcement for the Creekside Entertainment Bandits is forthcoming this week, which will announce a special event for the Bandits coming up on a Friday night in August as the season winds down. Stay tuned to BlackRockSpeedway.com for more details.
Next week on the ‘Fast Four-Tenths-Mile’ Black Rock Speedway will be featuring the MidState Vintage Racing Club along with a weekly racing program consisting of Modifieds, Crate Sportsman, IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, 4 Cylinders and Bandits. Pits open at 4PM, Grandstands at 5PM with the first green flag waving promptly at 7PM.
For more information including weekly recaps, driver profiles, results, points and information on the $100,000 Contingency Connection Rewards Program race over to www.blackrockspeedway.com or visit Black Rock Speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BlackRockSpeedway or follow us on Twitter @BlackRockSpeed
Black Rock Speedway is proud to partner with the Contingency Connection in 2015 to offer their race competitors over $100,000 in prizes. Drivers lucky enough to be awarded Contingency Connection books will save thousands of dollars on the parts, pieces and products that they use each week and every winter.
Knapp & Schlappi Lumber Company Night Official Results Friday July 24th, 2015:
Modifieds, 16 cars (30 Laps): ALAN JOHNSON (2), Lee Bills, Steve Paine, Cory Costa, Donnie Lawson, Chris Ostrowsky, Ron Cartwright Jr, Tyler Siri, Fran Hilton, Derrick Podsiadlo, Daryl Hilkert, Dale Welty, Brady Fultz, Joe Dgien, Stacey Jackson DQ: Marcus Dinkins (Post-Race Altercation)
Lap Leaders: Podsiadlo 1-9, Johnson 10-30
Heats: Lee Bills, Cory Costa
Crate Sportsman, 19 cars (25 Laps): STEVE GRAY (5), Chris Fisher, Casey Pavlick, Chris Silvers, Jordan Siri, Jake Dgien, Brett Buono, Dale Welty, JJ Kreidler, Doug Smith, Zach Ziegenhagen, Brent Ayers, Mike Buchanan, Jason Scales, Lance Irwin, Stacey Jackson, Chris Daugherty DQ: Russell Morseman (Post-Race Altercation) DNS: Loren Lincoln
Lap Leaders: Jason Scales 1-5, Fisher 6-18, Gray 19-25
Heats: Loren Lincoln, Steve Gray, Casey Pavlick
305 Sprint Cars, 12 cars (20 Laps): DARRYL RUGGLES, Nick Cooper, Jonathan Preston, Lee Sanders, Alysha Ruggles, Dan Bennett, Will Glover, Ed Kelley, Steve Gray, Steve Glover, Dan Naegle, Eric Karlsen
Lap Leaders: Lee Sanders 1-6, Darryl Ruggles 7-20
Heats: Daryl Ruggles, Lee Sanders
Morseman Racing Chassis Street Stocks, 14 cars (20 Laps): CHUCK WINSLOW (3), Nate Daggett, Jeremy Potrzebowski, Kurt Stebbins, LaVerne Knickerbocker, Ralph Champion, Dennis Cummings, CJ Guererri, Roger Kerrick, Tracy Dunn, Allison Teed, Jared Hill, John Burritt DNS: Gene Balmer
Heats: Jared Hill, Chuck Winslow
M&M Auto Sales & Service IMCA Modifieds, 11 cars (20 Laps): KEITH LAMPHERE (6), Todd Stone, Ken Buck, Logan Terry, Jason Benjamin, Brad Smith, Tim Sebring, Rodney Morgan, Bruce Tinsley, Brandon Mathews, Sparky Hills
Lap Leaders: Todd Stone 1-19, Lamphere 20
Heats: Keith Lamphere, Rodney Morgan
NAPA Know How 4 Cylinders, 18 cars (20 Laps): RICH SHARPSTEEN (6), Scott Bradley, Jayson Smart, Zach Teed, Jeremy Trank, Chad Ayers, Joe Povoski, David Whetham, Erica Bell, Jarod Brown, Desi Force, Mike Webster, Mike Nabone, Amy Buck, Jeff Moore, Ashley Sutryk, David Kinner, Del Cummings
Heats: Del Cummings, Chad Ayers
Creekside Entertainment Bandits, 5 cars (10 Laps): JEFF DAUGHERTY (10), Billy Bowers, Brandon Kinner, ShiAnn Labar, Pixie Kinner
Lap Leaders: Daugherty 1-10