PJ Peters - Jeremiah Fish Photo
Akwesasne, NY — September 1, 2010 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
Ten days ago P.J. Peters was winless on the DIRTcar Racing Northeast Pro Stock circuit in 2010.
After Wednesday night’s flag-to-flag victory in the ‘Eastern Door 50’ at Mohawk Int’l Raceway that was postponed from Aug. 21 due to rain, Peters has now scored two straight feature wins and has moved back into contention for his first-ever overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship.
“Really been struggling all year,” remarked Peters, 37, after posting his second career Mr. DIRTcar champ trail win, his last coming in August of 2004 when the same track was known as Frogtown Int’l Speedway and operated by Dennis White. He finished third a year ago when the race was extended to 50-laps.
“My crewman Duane stepped up our tire program and we also put in all new springs, changed about everything else lately, too. We’ve done a lot more maintenance the last 3-4 weeks and started to run better. Found a pretty good balance now and I can finally drive the car the way I like it,” said Peters, who notched his first win of the year Sunday at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway en route to logging his initial Top-5 finish on tour this season.
Dave ‘Bulldog’ Bissonnette settled for second just a car-length behind at the stripe, followed by hard-charging Louie Jackson, the current Series points leader, and top touring regulars Chip Smith Jr. and Corey Wheeler. Frenchman Jocelyn Roy (12th) was the last driver scored on the lead lap in the hour-long finale slowed by a dozen yellow flags.
Luck of the draw put Peters on the pole to lead off the feature, with the top-three finishers in four qualifying heats joining in the pre-race re-alignment. 2004 Mr. DIRTcar titlist Joey Ladouceur set fast time among 30 full-fender entries, then joined Jody Swamp, last year’s victor Pete Stefanski and Jackson in the winner’s circle after heat race victories.
The tone was set early as north country racer Billy Woodward Jr. looped his full-fender mount all alone rounding turn four on the second circuit to force the first slowdown. Some 40 minutes later after nine more caution periods, only 17 laps were on the scoreboard with many of the 23 cars remaining trackside either dented or missing sheet metal.
The most serious incident occurred on lap four when contact between Top-10 runner Roch Aubin and nearest chaser Chip Smith resulted in Aubin looping his mount sideways between turns one and two. When the smoke cleared moments later, 10 cars had joined in the fray including early race favorite Ladouceur who was forced pitside to replace a flat tire.
In the early stages Peters’ Sunrise Racing no. 73 Hair Secrets Salon/Chevrolet Impala entry was shadowed by Swamp and Wheeler while track points leader Ricky Thompson (4 wins) stormed into the runner-up slot just before getting crossed up in turns one and two on lap 10 to require a sixth yellow.
Defending race winner Stefanski was on the move from his sixth place start, grabbing second from Dion Oakes on lap 13 before a pair of 47s —Wheeler #47s, Bissonnette #47— also slipped past Oakes to round out the front-five ahead of Jackson with 15 complete.
Bissonnette quickly disposed of Wheeler a third of the way through while Jackson continued his relentless pursuit of the leaders as he put his Adams Marina no. 18 Keegan Smoke Shop/Chevrolet Monte Carlo machine among the front-five by lap 17. Jackson swept high around Stefanski for third and at the halfway point set his sights on Peters and Bissonnette as he pulled away from Stefanski and Smith.
The final caution period arrived on lap 27 when Ladouceur drifted high over the bank exiting turn one, setting up a splendid battle that ran non-stop with positions seeming to swap each time around. It took Jackson until lap 35 to again reel in the leaders, yet once on their bumpers he never let Peters and Bissonnette alone.
Running up high in no man’s land for much of the distance, Jackson savored his first taste of second on lap 37 before falling back behind Bissonnette the next circuit. The leaders reached traffic on lap 42 and Jackson again moved into the runner-up slot after five more times around the ultra-smooth 4/10-miler.And just when Jackson was ready to make a final bid to overtake Peters with two to go, the lapped car of Claudia Tarbell filled the high side not only slamming the door shut, but allowing Bissonnette to regain second where he would remain the rest of the way.
“There were so many cautions early, couldn’t believe how bad it was so I guess getting the pole was a big benefit tonight,” said Peters, after pocketing $1,000 for his 15th career win at Mohawk. “That made it a lot easier.”
“Before we could get going at the end I was getting real frustrated. Wasn’t sure why we didn’t go single-file on restarts much earlier, that would’ve made for a lot cleaner race. I ran pretty hard at the beginning then took it easy not feeling pressure from anybody. Then I heard somebody there with about 5 to go. I was trying to ease up at the time and the track was getting slick. Running into lapped traffic was messing up my rhythm at the end so I’m just glad to have pulled it off,” Peters added.
Charging from 13th to second in 16 laps aboard his Totem Pole Novelties No. 47 Sweet Dreams/Chevrolet Monte Carlo ride, Bissonnette matched his second-place finish behind Peters in the ’04 Series stop at the popular Route 37 oval.
“Early in the race I tried going to the outside a few times and I’d lose positions, so once I got into second just stayed there and waited patiently for P.J. to make a mistake,” noted Bissonnette, 43, a winner of 41 (5 in 2010) DIRTcar Pro Stock features, yet still in search of first trophy on tour. “But he just doesn’t make any.”
“The lapped traffic was awesome tonight moving out of the way, and it made for a good race up front at the end. I’m sure Louie would’ve got by us if the lapped traffic wouldn’t have come into play. There were a few times he passed me and got right beside P.J. before traffic got in the way leaving us with a favorable line.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect with the track and new clay, it was changing quite a bit but as we ran the track came to us. It got a little dry and slick which I favor more. And I like the distance races, they’re a matter of time and patience. I tried not to pay attention and get bothered by all the cautions, just worry about the guys in front of me and concentrate on what lines they were running. P.J. is just so smooth, I could’ve chased him all night and he probably would’ve never made a mistake,” Bissonnette added.
Already a four-time weekly winner this summer at Mohawk, Jackson also ran a mistake-free race that resulted in his first-ever top-five finish in Series competition at Mohawk.
“It was pretty tough most of the race, every time I got heat in the tires and built up some momentum the cautions came,” said Jackson, 41, who still increased his Series points lead from five over Jocelyn Roy going in to 26 ahead of Chip Smith heading to Lebanon Valley Speedway in 10 more days. He finished 11th on the final points chart in 2009.
“I just wanted to stay patient early on, pass any cars I could and avoid a flat (tire). Be smart and be near the front then race hard the last 20 laps. I used to run the high side here all the time, but last year and now this season have been very successful going low. Tonight I had to go back up top and it paid off … until I hit the lapped traffic,” Jackson smiled.
The 2010 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series point chasers get three weeks off from tour competition before making their way to the high banks of Lebanon Valley Speedway on Sept. 11 for round #5 in New York State’s Capital District.
SKIDMARKS
A solid field of Pro Stock teams returned for Wednesday’s mid-week make-up show that was postponed due to rain from the original date of Sat., Aug. 21. While Canadian chauffeurs Ryan Stabler from Cornwall, Ont. and Francois Adam from St-Pie, Que. failed to cross the bridge back into the states, debut appearances by locals Thunder Anderson and Dave Sawatis, plus Roger Levesque from Kingston, Ont. and Rocky Warner hauling in from Gloversville, N.Y. elevated the total car count to 30 — 2 more than had registered in August … Louie Jackson was a late arrival after changing a motor, yet not as late as Allen Peters who pulled into the pits after hot laps with a fresh powerplant under the hood … First-ever Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Champion Tony Corcoran was in attendance helping Roger Levesque pitside. Engines were actually 320 cubic inches back when Kingston, Ont. resident Corcoran, now 48 years old, captured the title in 1983 and today he continues to service the racers at Brockville Ontario Speedway … Making a test run in preparation for his return to Super DIRT Week and the Syracuse Mile in October, Rocky “The Flying Squirrel” Warner signed up for his first Series show of the season. On the verge of clinching the division points title at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park (5 wins), Warner was also the highest placing DIRT-legal racer at Fonda (3 wins) during his 2010 campaign … Pro Stocks shared the Wednesday card alongside the World of Outlaws Late Model Series in their debut at Mohawk, with a dozen —half the 24-car starting field— current and former Modified drivers qualifying for the 100-lap WoO A-Main including the Gypsum tandem of Tim Fuller, Billy Decker and Larry Wight, Sweeteners Plus teammates Tim McCreadie and Vic Coffey, Dale Planck, Ricky Elliott, Carey Terrance, Roy Tarbell, Russ King, Peter Mantha Jr. and Alan Fink. Josh Richards outlasted McCreadie in the headline 100-lapper to collect the track record $20,000 first-place prize.
Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series Race #4 – Mohawk Int’l Raceway, September 1, 2010 ‘Eastern Door 50’ Event Summary
Feature
FIN ST CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN
1 1 73 P.J. Peters/Akwesasne,QUE ($1,000)
2 13 47 Dave Bissonnette/Apple Hill,ONT
3 11 18 Louie Jackson/Akwesasne,NY
4 14 116s Chip Smith Jr./Durham,NY
5 2 47s Corey Wheeler/Cornwall,ONT
6 15 99 Ghislain Valade/N.Lancaster,ONT
7 7 1r Ricky Thompson/Hogansburg,NY
8 5 69 Jody Swamp /Hogansburg,NY
9 6 2 Pete Stefanski/Wheatfield,NY
10 8 7 Rob Yetman/Castleton,NY
11 4 6 Stephane Lebrun/Gatineau,QUE
12 16 05 Jocelyn Roy/St-Helene,QUE
13 18 7d Claudia Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY
14 24 88 Allen Peters/Westville,NY
15 19 17 Rod Tarbell/Akwesasne,NY
16 3 48 Dion Oakes/Akwesasne,NY
17 21 50 Scott Kocher/Waddington,NY
18 10 79 Rocky Warner/Gloversville,NY
19 9 92 Joey Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT
20 25 10 Buddy Hencke/Sand Lake,NY
21 17 188 David Papineau/Akwesasne,NY
22 23 16 Roger Levesque/Kingston,ONT
23 26 37 Mikey Blais/Alexandria,ONT
24 28 30 Thunder Anderson/Hogansburg,NY
25 29 56 Billy Woodward Jr./Norwood,NY
26 12 4 Roch Aubin/Alexandria,ONT
27 30 6x Dave Sawatis/Akwesasne,NY
28 20 15 Guy Viens/St-Hubert,QUE®
29 22 66 William Adams/Snye,QUE
DNS 27 7jr Harvey Arquette/Akwesasne,NY
— -NS- 0 Francois Adam/St-Pie,QUE
— -NS- 7e Ryan Stabler/Cornwall,ONT
LAP LEADER: PJ Peters (1-50).
CAUTIONS: 12.
HEAT WINNERS: Swamp, Ladouceur, Stefanski, Jackson.
SYRACUSE QUALIFIER: PJ Peters.
HALFWAY LEADER: PJ Peters.
FAST TIMER: Joey Ladouceur (19.628sec/73.365mph).
CARS ENTERED: 32
NEXT EVENT: Lebanon Valley Speedway – Sept. 11, 2010.
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 19.628 73.365 92 Joey Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT
2 19.692 73.126 2 Pete Stefanski/Wheatfield,NY
3 19.698 73.104 18 Louie Jackson/Akwesasne,NY
4 19.844 72.566 48 Dion Oakes/Akwesasne,NY
5 19.852 72.537 69 Jody Swamp /Hogansburg,NY
6 19.873 72.460 05 Jocelyn Roy/St-Helene,QUE
7 19.885 72.416 73 P.J. Peters/Akwesasne,QUE
8 19.948 72.188 79 Rocky Warner/Gloversville,NY
9 19.962 72.137 15 Guy Viens/St-Hubert,QUE®
10 20.015 71.946 1r Ricky Thompson/Hogansburg,NY
11 20.036 71.871 47 Dave Bissonnette/Apple Hill,ONT
12 20.078 71.720 99 Ghislain Valade/N.Lancaster,ONT
13 20.092 71.670 188 David Papineau/Akwesasne,NY
14 20.116 71.585 47s Corey Wheeler/Cornwall,ONT
15 20.145 71.482 17 Rod Tarbell/Akwesasne,NY
16 20.207 71.262 7jr Harvey Arquette/Akwesasne,NY
17 20.216 71.231 4 Roch Aubin/Alexandria,ONT
18 20.225 71.199 7 Rob Yetman/Castleton,NY
19 20.292 70.964 10 Buddy Hencke/Sand Lake,NY
20 20.326 70.845 6 Stephane Lebrun/Gatineau,QUE
21 20.350 70.762 56 Billy Woodward Jr./Norwood,NY
22 20.358 70.734 7d Claudia Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY
23 20.429 70.488 66 William Adams/Snye,QUE
24 20.688 69.606 116s Chip Smith Jr./Durham,NY
25 20.697 69.575 30 Thunder Anderson/Hogansburg,NY
26 20.933 68.791 37 Mikey Blais/Alexandria,ONT
27 21.310 67.574 50 Scott Kocher/Waddington,NY
28 23.151 62.200 16 Roger Levesque/Kingston,ONT
29 -NT- —– 6x Dave Sawatis/Akwesasne,NY
30 -NT- —– 88 Allen Peters/Westville,NY
31 -NS- —– 0 Francois Adam/St-Pie,QUE
32 -NS- —– 7e Ryan Stabler/Cornwall,ONT
Heat Races (8 laps, all transfer to feature; top 3 redraw)
#1: Swamp, Warner, Yetman, Bissonnette, Papineau, Kocher, Hencke, Stabler (NS).
#2: Ladouceur, Aubin, Lebrun, Smith, C.Tarbell, Adams, Blais, Sawatis (DNS).
#3: Stefanski, PJ Peters, Oakes, Valade, R.Tarbell, Levesque, Arquette, Adam (NS).
#4: Jackson, Thompson, Wheeler, Roy, Viens, A.Peters, Anderson, Woodward.
Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series Point Standings (Sept. 1)
Rank No. Driver Total Diff Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 18 Louie Jackson 347 0 0 3 4 4
2 116s Chip Smith Jr. 321 -26 0 3 4 4
3 47 Dave Bissonnette 310 -37 0 2 3 4
4 05 Jocelyn Roy 310 -37 1 2 3 4
5 47s Corey Wheeler 308 -39 0 3 3 4
6 2 Pete Stefanski 290 -57 0 1 4 4
7 92 Joey Ladouceur 272 -75 1 1 3 4
8 73 P.J. Peters 270 -77 1 1 1 4
9 10 Buddy Hencke 266 -81 0 1 3 4
10 7 Rob Yetman 217 -130 0 1 3 3
11 1r Ricky Thompson 212 -135 0 0 3 3
12 6 Stephane Lebrun 201 -146 0 0 0 4
13 188 David Papineau 197 -150 0 0 0 4
14 88 Allen Peters 192 -155 0 0 0 4
15 17T Rod Tarbell 185 -162 0 0 0 4
16 48 Dion Oakes 185 -162 0 0 0 4
17 115 Stephane Lemire 184 -163 0 0 2 3
18 15 Guy Viens 178 -169 0 0 0 4
19 33 Bruno Cyr 143 -204 0 0 0 3
20 99 Ghislain Valade 136 -211 0 0 1 2
21 48 Francois Lareau 118 -229 0 0 0 2
22 97 Roland Hebert 110 -237 0 0 0 2
23 7d Claudia Tarbell 96 -251 0 0 0 2
24 0 Francois Adam 93 -254 0 0 0 2
25 3 Norman Voghell 86 -261 0 0 0 2
26 08 Richard Bertrand 81 -266 0 0 0 2
27 47 Mario Gagnon 80 -267 0 0 0 2
28 69 Jody Swamp 68 -279 0 0 1 1
29 8m Marc Lalonde 58 -289 0 0 0 1
30 7e Ryan Stabler 50 -297 0 0 0 1
31 50 Scott Kocher 48 -299 0 0 0 1
32 79 Rocky Warner 46 -301 0 0 0 1
33 24 Jacques Robert 46 -301 0 0 0 1
34 16 Jean-Pierre Labelle 42 -305 0 0 0 1
35 55 George Renaud 41 -306 0 0 0 1
36 12 Alain Brochu 40 -307 0 0 0 1
37 14 Marc Dumont 40 -307 0 0 0 1
38 22 Frederic Lussier 40 -307 0 0 0 1
39 20 Francis Landerville 40 -307 0 0 0 1
40 55 Donald Provencher 40 -307 0 0 0 1
41 17 Joceyln Chicoine 40 -307 0 0 0 1
42 14 Chris Tremblay 40 -307 0 0 0 1
DIRTcar Pro Stock Entries – Sept. 1 (32)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Make-Model / Chassis)
0 Francois Adam/St-Pie,QUE Adam Racing Motorsport/Cadillac STS/Cannizzaro
05 Jocelyn Roy/St-Helene,QUE Remorcage 05-Lettrage Lucy/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/CRT
1r Ricky Thompson/Hogansburg,NY Brass Horse Grill-Fatty Cats-S&L Construct./Chevy Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
2 Pete Stefanski/Wheatfield,NY Sunrise Racing-San Ter Sewing-PJ NFB Auto Parts/Chevy Monte Carlo/JACR
4 Roch Aubin/Alexandria,ONT Home Hardware-Mr. Sew & Sew/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
6 Stephane Lebrun/Gatineau,QUE Patio Vidal Restaurant-United Auto Parts(UAP)/Pontiac Grand Prix/Wild Thing
6x Dave Sawatis/Akwesasne,NY Sawatis Racing/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
7 Rob Yetman/Castleton,NY Lazzaro’s Auto Body-Madsen Overhead Door/Pontiac Grand Prix/JACR
7d Claudia Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY D&D Constr. & Excavation-Lonewolf Racing/Chevy Monte Carlo/Black Widow
7e Ryan Stabler/Cornwall,ONT RSI Industrial Supply-C&D Trucking/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/CSC
7jr Harvey Arquette/Akwesasne,NY A&L Enterprise-Brass Horse Grill/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
10 Buddy Hencke/Sand Lake,NY Stinger X/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Stinger X
15 Guy Viens/St-Hubert,QUE® Donald Viens & Sons General Mechanical/Chevrolet Impala SS/Stinger
16 Roger Levesque/Kingston,ONT Corcoran’s Speed Shop/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Sparta
17 Rod Tarbell/Akwesasne,NY Akwesasne Gas-Log Cabin Smoke Shop/Chevrolet Impala SS/Cannizzaro
18 Louie Jackson/Akwesasne,NY Adams Marina-Keegan Smoke Shop/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Black Widow
30 Thunder Anderson/Hogansburg,NY Anderson Racing/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
37 Mikey Blais/Alexandria,ONT Home Hardware-Mr. Sew & Sew/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Stinger
47 Dave Bissonnette/Apple Hill,ONT Totem Pole Novelties-Sweet Dreams/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
47s Corey Wheeler/Cornwall,ONT Valade Backhoe-RSI Industrial Supply-PM Promotions/Cadillac ETS/Cannizzaro
48 Dion Oakes/Akwesasne,NY Oakes Racing-Noah King Family-Akwesasne Gas/Chevolet Impala/Cannizzaro
50 Scott Kocher/Waddington,NY Mort Backus & Sons-Morgan’s Auto Gas Service/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/B&S
56 Billy Woodward Jr./Norwood,NY Woodward Racing/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
66 William Adams/Snye,QUE Adams Construction/Ford Fusion/Kenyon
69 Jody Swamp /Hogansburg,NY Smokin Arrows-Native Pride Dog Food/Chevrolet Impala SS/HRD
73 P.J. Peters/Akwesasne,QUE Sunrise Racing-Hair Secrets Salon/Chevrolet Impala/JACR
79 Rocky Warner/Gloversville,NY West End Towing-Don’s Towing/Chevrolet Impala SS/EMS
88 Allen Peters/Westville,NY Sunrise Racing-PJ NFB Auto Sales-JACR Chassis/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/JACR
92 Joey Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT Coffrage 20-20-Minimax Express/Cadillac STS/Stinger X
99 Ghislain Valade/N.Lancaster,ONT Gerry Prieur Garage-Glengarry Tire/Chevolet Monte Carlo SS/Cannizzaro
116s Chip Smith Jr./Durham,NY Cricketdale Farm/Pontiac Grand Prix/Cannizzaro
188 David Papineau/Akwesasne,NY D&D Constr.-Totem Pole Novelties-Team Papi/Chevy Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
UPCOMING EVENTS
Full-fender title contenders have two more series events in September, leading off with Lebanon Valley Speedway (9/11) in the middle of the month before concluding with Rolling Wheels Raceway Park (Sept. 25) at the end. Track bonus points will be issued towards the overall Hoosier-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship following Labor Day Weekend.
*NOTE: Originally listed on Sun., Oct 17, the 2010 Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series finale at Brockville Ontario Speedway will be run Fri., Oct. 15 while tour stops at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park (Sept. 12) and Canandaigua Speedway (Sept. 18) have been dropped from the schedule.
2010 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/LOCATION
Sun-May 23 Cornwall Motor Speedway Joey Ladouceur
Fri-Jun 25 Autodrome Granby *Rob Yetman
Sat-Jun 26 Autodrome Drummond Jocelyn Roy
Wed-Sep 1 Mohawk International Raceway P.J. Peters
Sat-Sep 11 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon,NY
Sun-Sep 12 Glen Ridge Motorsports Park -cancelled-
Sat-Sep 18 Canandaigua Speedway -cancelled-
Sat-Sep 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Elbridge,NY
Sun-Oct 10 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse,NY
Fri-Oct 15 Brockville Ontario Speedway Brockville,ONT
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds, home of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend in July. DIRTcar Northeast’s crown jewel event —Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse runs annually in October featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions. Ticket and schedule information is available by contacting the Weedsport office (315/834-6606) during the day or logging into www.allstar100weekend.com and www.superdirtweekonline.com anytime.
The Big-Block Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Hoosier Racing Tire www.hoosiertire.com, VP Racing Fuels www.vpracingfuels.com and GM Performance Parts www.gmperformanceparts.com. Promotional partners include the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and Chizmark & Larson Insurance www.chizmarklarson.com, and contingency sponsors are Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, MSD Ignition www.msdignition.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Vicci Racing Apparel www.vicci.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.
