Billy Decker picks up Super DIRTcar Series victory at Rolling Wheels
Decker’s victory makes him second in points to Matt Sheppard
ELBRIDGE, N.Y. — July 4, 2014 — Endurance paid off Thursday night for Big-Block Modified racer Billy Decker, of Sidney, N.Y., who claimed victory in the Stars & Stripes Summer Super Show presented by Dig Safely 811 Super DIRTcar Series 81-lap feature.
Determined not to make critical mistake twice, Billy Decker and the LJL Racing team came to the track Thursday, July 3, prepared for the challenging 5/8-mile of “The Fast Track” at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park. In the previous round of the Super DIRTcar Series set at Cornwall Motor Speedway, Decker’s Gypsum Wholesalers No. 91 ride spun out halfway through the feature, giving the lead to Matt Sheppard.
“After that rookie mistake at Cornwall, I had to stick it out here,” Decker said during Victory Lane ceremonies in front of packed grandstands at Rolling Wheels early Friday morning. “We get our chins down once in a while, but we’ve got to keep them up. You need a win every once in a while, and it’s good to come back here to Rolling Wheels to get one.”
Decker started the race on the pole, but was outpaced at the green flag by Tim McCreadie in the No. 4*. A caution before the conclusion of the first lap gave Decker a second chance, and on the restart he grabbed the lead.
However, McCreadie’s ride cruised ahead on “The Fast Track” and made it past Decker’s No. 91 in lap 91. McCreadie pulled further and further away from the rest of the field, darting around lapped cars.
McCreadie seemed to dominate the field, even after caution in laps 33 and 42 brought the field back together for double-file restarts. Decker followed from second, but couldn’t get enough speed on the straightaways to pass Decker.
With just 10 laps to go, McCreadie No. 4* broke, causing him to slow on the front stretch. He discreetly pulled off the track and the field stayed green with Decker the new race leader over LJL Racing teammate Larry Wight.
“We didn’t have anything for the 4* car,” Decker said. “I didn’t even know I was leading there, he just disappeared off the into the sunset.”
The yellow flag waved one last time with four laps to go, a very inopportune turn of events for Decker, who realized during the caution laps that one of his tires was going soft.
“I was on the gas, you can count on that,” said Decker, who wasn’t willing to run his hard fought lead with fewer than five laps left. “I knew I couldn’t get on that cushion in (turns) 1 and 2, there was a pretty good wall there. I had to just wait and try to catch a good run off of (turn) 2. Once i got that thing pointed in the right direction, I knew I was on the deck.”
Just before 2 a.m. Friday morning, Decker claimed victory over Wight in second. Stewart Friesen, who claimed a win earlier that night in the Empire Super Sprints 25-lap feature, came in third. Sheppard, who led in series points going into Thursday’s racing at Rolling Wheels, finished seventh.
“I can’t thank the fans enough,” Decker said to the packed house Friday.
Decker’s victory takes him to second place in series point standings, moving defending champion Brett Hearn to third. Sheppard’s top-ten finish kept him in the point lead.
The series moves to Albany-Saratoga Speedway Tuesday, July 8, for Brett Hearn’s “The Big Show 6.” For more information about the Super DIRTcar Series, visit www.superdirtcarseries.com.
A-Main (81 Laps):
1. 91 Billy Decker – Sidney, N.Y.
2. 99L Larry Wight – Altmar, N.Y.
3. 1wcg Stewart Friesen – Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
4. 98h Jimmy Phelps – Baldwinsville, N.Y.
5. 673 Gary Tomkins – Clifton Springs, N.Y.
6. 7z Erick Rudolph – Ransomville, N.Y.
7. 9h Matt Sheppard – Waterloo, N.Y.
8. 816 Bobby Varin – Johnstown, N.Y.
9. 3 Justin Haers – Phelps, N.Y.
10. 20 Brett Hearn – Sussex, N.J.
11. 42p Pat Ward – Genoa, N.Y.
12. 8R Rob Bellinger, Dexter, N.Y.
13. 83x Tim Sears, Jr. – Clay, N.Y.
14. 83 Brian Swartzlander – Leechburg, Penn.
15. 8 Rich Scagliotta – Hillsborough, N.J.
16. X Chad Phelps – New Haven, N.Y.
17. 43 Keith Flach – Ravena, N.Y.
18. 74 Tim Fuller – Edwards, N.Y.
19. 21a Pete Britten – Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
20. 4* Tim McCreadie – Watertown, N.Y.
21. 10v Billy VanInwegen – Sparrowbush, N.Y.
22. 56 Vince Vitale – Cato, N.Y.
23. 74m Matt Billings – Brockville, Ontario, Canada
24. 28p Eldon Payne, Jr. – Clay, N.Y.
25. 27J Danny Johnson – Rochester, N.Y.
26. 5* Tyler Siri – Watkins Glen, N.Y.
27. 14g Brian Gleason – Altamont, N.Y.
28. 35 Mike Perrotte – Plattsburgh, N.Y.
29. 63 Adam Roberts – Watertown, N.Y.
30. 49 Billy Dunn – Watertown, N.Y.
31. 19w Justin Wright – Piffard, N.Y.
Did Not Start:
62s Tom Sears – Clay, N.Y.
13 Rick Regalski – Slippery Rock, Penn.
37md Jeremy Shingledecker – Polk, Penn.
77 Brian Sage – Brockport, N.Y.
31m Jimmy Maiei – Spencerport, N.Y.
3m Henry Maiei – Spencerport, N.Y.
7x Steve Paine -Waterloo, N.Y.
3K Mark Kislowski – Ballston Spa, N.Y.
76 Ronnie Johnson – Duanesburg, N.Y.
99 Ryan Phelps – Newark, N.Y.
88 Dave Allen – Palmyra, N.Y.
10c Tim Currier – Auburn, N.Y.
55 Matt Hulsizer – Stony Point, N.Y.
B-Main 1 (top 2 transfer): D. Johnson, Scagliotta, Wright, Perrotte, J. Maier, Dunn, Regalski, Britten. DNS: R. Johnson, Kislowski, R. Phelps, Paine, Hile
B-Main 2 (top 2 transfer): Siri, Gleason, Varin, Rudolph, Hulsizer, H. Maier, Allen, Shingledecker, Flach. DNS: Sage, Tom Sears, Currier
Qualifying Heats (top 4 transfer, top 2 redraw)
Heat 1: Hearn, Vitale, Fuller, Tomkins, Scagliotta, H. Maier, D. Johnson., Sage, J. Maier
Heat 2: Wight, Haers, Payne, Billings, Siri, Britten, Allen. DNS: Paine, Tom Sears
Heat 3: McCreadie, Decker, Tim Sears, Phelps, Dunn, Varin, Kislowski, Hulsizer, Perrotte
Heat 4: Sheppard, Swartzlander, Bellinger, VanInwegen, Gleason, Wright, Shingledecker, Regalski, Currier
Heat 5: Friesen, Roberts, C. Phelps, Ward, R. Johnson, Rudolph, R. Phelps, Flach
Time Trials: 1. Hearn 20.265, 2. McCreadie 20.324, 3. Wight 20.374, 4. Haers 20.481, 5. Friesen 20.498, 6. Vitale 20.623, 7. Fuller 20.641, 8. Sheppard 20.646, 9. D. Johnson 20.664, 10. Decker 20.736, 11. Flach 20.746, 12. Payne 20.788, 13. Phelps 20.831, 14. Tomkins 20.867, 15. Ward 20.872, 16. Swartzlander 20.915, 17. Bellinger 21.043, 18. Tim Sears 21.048, 19. Rudolph 21.069, 20. VanInwegen 21.095, 21. Dunn 21.097, 22. R. Phelps 21.151, 23. Varin 21.160, 24. Kislowski 21.177, 25. Billings 21.211, 26. Siri 21.230, 27. Currier 21.242, 28. Britten 21.345, 29. Sage 21.368, 30. Gleason 21.383, 31. Roberts 21.405, 32. Perrotte 21.418, 33. Paine 21.436, 34. Regalski 21.443, 35. Tom Sears 21.454, 36. Scagliotta 21.490, 37. Shingledecker 21.510, 38. Allen 21.533, 39. Wright 21.561, 40. C. Phelps 21.610, 41. R. Johnson 21.632, 42. Hulsizer 21.684, 43. J. Maier 2.996, 44. H. Maier 23.155
The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast Region is brought to fans by several sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Chevy Performance Parts, NAPA Auto Parts, Safety-Kleen, and Velocita USA. Contingency partners include the University of Northwestern Ohio, ASI, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix, ButlerBuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD LLC, Fox Shocks, Racing Electronics, Superflow and Wrisco Industries.
