Tyler Corcoran is getting used to seeing Can-Am Speedway’s Victory Lane in April.
For the second straight season, the Central Square, NY driver won the DIRTcar Sportsman Series North Region opener, holding off Richard Murtaugh on Friday to earn his seventh career Series win.
“After they moved this race to this week, I said, let’s see if we can get two (openers) in a row,” Corcoran said. “That one really got the adrenaline pumping.
“I had to live and die by the top, but man, this thing was a rocket.”
Murtaugh led the field to the green in the 30-lap Feature, opening a two-point-eight-second lead over Gavin Eisele in the first 18 laps. However, caution for Owen Nier on Lap 19 negated the Fulton, NY driver’s advantage.
When the race resumed, Corcoran, who restarted fourth, went to the outside and gained momentum, passing Eisele and Bobby Herrington to get to second. That’s when Corcoran started challenging Murtaugh, who was searching for his first win at Can-Am.
The two drivers raced side-by-side for the next five laps before the win almost slipped away from Corcoran. As he entered Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 25, Corcoran slid too high in the middle of the corner, allowing Murtaugh to get away. However, that advantage was short-lived, as Corcoran gained momentum on the outside lane down the backstretch.
When the two reached Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 26, Murtaugh moved to the outside of the racetrack after seeing the momentum Corcoran had over the last few laps. As Murtaugh slid up, Corcoran also changed lanes, dropping to the inside and battling to the start/finish line. Both drivers waged war around Can-Am, with Corcoran narrowly gaining the advantage as they completed Lap 28.
But as they entered Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 29, Murtaugh’s chance at a win slipped away when his wheel caught an implement tire, allowing Corcoran to get away.
From there, Corcoran held on to win the $1,000 prize and his 17th victory at Can-Am.
“Richard was really good in (Turns) 1 and 2,” Corcoran said. “And I wasn’t hitting the top as good as I was all race long. I could see he was struggling coming off (Turns) 3 and 4, and that’s kind of where I made up my ground. I showed him my nose, and he started moving up, and I said, man, I have to go to the bottom now.
“I didn’t think it was going to work, but man, what a hell of a show we put on for these guys.”
Murtaugh settled for second after leading the first 27 laps. It’s the second time a win has eluded him after narrowly missing out on a Championship Series win last September.
“This place just hates me,” Murtaugh said. “I’ve never had good luck here. Same deal as the Championship Series race. We were so good for 28 laps, but the last two laps the car just goes away, and we can’t get it back. Especially with those restarts.”
Eisele crossed the line third, earning his fourth straight North Region podium. The LaFargeville, NY, driver said his car was a little off toward the end of the race and thought he had one chance to pass Murtaugh.
“I thought if I could meet Murtaugh going into the corner, I could kind of crowd him so I could get the run into (Turn 1),” Eisele said. “But he got a good start, and I kind of just fell into line. I was hoping it would end like that, but [Corcoran] had other plans.”
Defending North Region champion Shane Pecore finished fourth, and Herrington rounded out the top five.
Up Next: The DIRTcar Sportsman Series North Region heads to the Brockville Ontario Speedway on Saturday, May 24.
For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Facebook page and the Series’ X/(Twitter) page.
DIRTcar Sportsman Series North Region Feature (30 Laps): 1. 64-Tyler Corcoran[7]; 2. 33-Richard Murtaugh[1]; 3. 18-Gavin Eisele[2]; 4. 0-Shane Pecore[6]; 5. 88H-Bobby Herrington[3]; 6. 410-Mike Fowler[10]; 7. 91-Josh Reome[5]; 8. 35B-Brennan Moore[13]; 9. 52-Jessica Power[9]; 10. FOX28-Tyler Stevenson[8]; 11. 34K-Keegan Nier[11]; 12. 92T-Tristan Ladouceur[18]; 13. ZERO-Xavier Andrews[16]; 14. 34-Eric Nier[14]; 15. 32RS-Ryan Shanahan[12]; 16. 92-Frank Sibley[20]; 17. 20-Elliot Gamache[21]; 18. 16X-Savannah Laflair[4]; 19. 03-Joshua Jock[17]; 20. 54-Brady Howard[15]; 21. 621G-Trevor Gibbons[24]; 22. 338-Pascal Payeur[19]; 23. 7O7-Greg Brinklow[28]; 24. 14-Camdin Cook[27]; 25. 35D-Dylan Moore[22]; 26. 2-Taylor Doxtater[25]; 27. 7D-Dustin Hutton[26]; 28. 17-Owen Nier[23]; 29. 2X-Martin Lessard[30]; 30. 1D-Paul DeRuyter[29]
Post-Race Tech: Fuel and MSD Box Wiring were checked.
