Pete Stefanski - Sylvain Buisson Photo
Drummondville, QUE — August 23, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director
DIRTcar Racing NorthEast’s winningest UMP Pro Stock driver Pete Stefanski added another victory to his growing list after capturing the Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series Coca-Cola 50 at Autodrome Drummond on Saturday.
Stefanski’s second straight tour triumph extended his points lead over Frenchman Denis Gauvreau, New Englander Don Carlson and Akwesasne native P.J. Peters, with each also placing second through fourth in the feature. Louie Jackson filled out the final front-five on Saturday.
“The track was great, the facility is great, you couldn’t ask for much more from 50 laps for us,” beamed Stefanski, 38, following his 16th career Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series victory that pulls him to within one of career leader Jipp Ortiz. Stefanski has now taken 74 checkered flags to rank nearly 20 wins ahead of runner-up Ortiz, who closed out his full-fender career with 56 feature wins.
A handful of caution periods slowed the pace early on with Peters and track regular Normand Lemire swapping the lead before Gauvreau took charge on lap four. Stefanski began third on the 23-car starting grid and never dropped beyond fourth-place before getting on track with 20 laps to go aboard his Sunrise Racing no. 2 San Ter Sewing-Sunrise II Sport Fishing-PJ NFB Auto Sales Chevrolet Monte Carlo entry.
With the eighth and final yellow flag flying on lap 28, Stefanski took advantage of the ensuing green flag conditions methodically working his way to the front as the circuits clicked off. The Wheatfield, New York veteran grabbed third from Peters on lap 34, ducked under runner-up Jackson the next time around and chased down Gauvreau to forge the final change by inches to close out lap 39.
“We were just trying to be a little patient knowing its 50 laps,” remarked Stefanski, who has now won tour events at 10 different tracks around the DIRTcar NE circuit. “We felt better as the greens went, yet we were a little slow when they first came out.”
“We were just hoping the car would come in at the end and it did for us really good. We’re leading the points right now but we come in to each race one at a time because its not hard (to get caught). You have a couple bad finishes with the top runners like Denis, Don and Joey (Ladouceur) and they’re there just waiting to jump on it. They have a couple good ones and we have a bad one and we’re right out of it. So we take it one race at a time right now,” Stefanski said.
Leading for nearly three-quarters of the race, runner-up Gauvreau was still content with a solid run in front of the partisan crowd which kept him within reach of Stefanski through four of 12 point races.
“We’re happy to finish second, that’s where we are in the points,” said Gauvreau, still in search of his first series win of the season despite the Gatineau, Quebec driver registering three top-five tallies aboard the Gauvreau Top Soil no. 72 Micheline Richard Royal LePage/Chevy Monte Carlo ride to keep him in the hunt for the overall title. “We just have to keep up our good finishes, the rest will take care of itself I’m sure.”
Racking up his second top-three finish of 2008 on tour, Carlson was even more satisfied filling in the show position despite steering an untested ride around the racy 4/10-mile clay oval.
“We brought out a brand new car with us today, weren’t too sure how it was going to go but we got it going pretty good,” beamed Carlson, winner of the Super DIRT Week Pro Stock main last October on the Syracuse Mile. “The track was kind of slick but pretty fast, it was a good race. It was still nerve-racking to get a set-up and wonder if its going to be alright. We had our fingers crossed all night,” admitted Carlson, who debuted a new orange Dodge Charger carrying sponsorship from Benziger Winery-Kleer on the EMS machine.
For the first time this year in Pro Stock series competition, time trials were run with heat race line-ups determined by clockings in each three-lap session. Being the inaugural event at Drummond, Joey Ladouceur established a new single-lap Pro Stock mark touring the tacky 4/10-miler in a time of 19.995 sec. (72.018 mph). Unfortunately for the second-generation driver from Alexandria, Ontario, after starting ninth Ladouceur suffered a broken right front wheel to take him in and out of the pits early before retiring for good with just 15 laps complete.
The 2008 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series returns to Canada in just one more week when Cornwall Motor Speedway hosts the Northeast’s top traveling teams in the
Jiffy Auto Service 50 on Sunday, August 31.
SKIDMARKS
A solid field of 25 UMP Pro Stock entries, including 17 of the top-20 in points, signed in with those same 17 all in competition at Genesee Speedway on Aug 2. 2004 Mr. DIRTcar Champion Joey Ladouceur already is fielding phone calls from numerous drivers looking to move into the UMP Pro Stock ranks after watching the success achieved so far at Drummond. Only time will tell if sister speedway Autodrome Granby follows suit and sanctions the UMP Pro Stocks in 2009.
The inaugural Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series event at Autodrome Drummond was the second tour stop of 2008 conducted at the popular Quebec oval, coming on the heels of the annual Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series show for Big-Block Modifieds run on July 12. Its time for the 358-Modifieds to take center stage at Drummond for the biggest event in track history when Small-Block stars on both sides of the border chase a $15,000 top-prize in 150-laps of open-wheel competition on Saturday, September 13.
Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series Race #4 – Autodrome Drummond, August 23, 2008 ‘Coca-Cola 50’ Event Summary
Feature
FIN ST CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN
1 3 2 Pete Stefanski/Wheatfield,NY($1,000)
2 6 72 Denis Gauvreau/Gatineau,QUE
3 11 26 Don Carlson/Richfield,CT
4 4 73 P.J. Peters/Akwesasne,QUE
5 10 18 Louie Jackson/Akwesasne,NY
6 21 48 Dion Oakes/Akwesasne,NY
7 9 28 Don Barnes/Gasport,NY
8 13 33 Bruno Cyr/Carignan,QUE
9 5 05 Jocelyn Roy/St-Helene,QUE
10 2 16 Normand Lemire/Drummondville,QUE
11 17 88 Francis Lecours/Trois-Rivieres,QUE
12 24 99 Mike Martin/Lockport,NY
13 8 88x Allen Peters/Massena,NY
14 19 115 Stephane Lemire/Drummondville,QUE
15 22 ba98 Steve Johnston/Ingelside,ONT
16 1 4 Roch Aubin/Alexandria,ONT
17 16 188 David Papineau/Akwesasne,NY
18 14 *6 Stephane Lebrun/Gatineau,QUE
19 18 97 Roland Hebert/St-Dominique,QUE
20 25 37w Ricky Thompson/Hogansburg,NY
21 15 115p Jocelyn Perreault/Drummondville,QUE
22 7 92.1 Joey Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT
23 12 08 Richard Bertrand/Acton Vale,QUE
DNS 23 15 Martin Gagnon/Port Cartier,QUE
DNS 20 24 Eric Varin/Gatineau,QUE
*Lebrun qualified #24 Varin car after time trials.
EVENT SUMMARY
LAP LEADERS: PJ Peters (1), N.Lemire (2), PJ Peters (3), Gauvreau (4-38), Stefanski (39-50).
CAUTIONS: 8 (lap 1, lap 2, lap 4, lap 9, lap 17, lap 19, lap 25, lap 28).
HEAT WINNERS: Ladouceur, Gauvreau, Jackson.
SYRACUSE QUALIFIER: Denis Gauvreau.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK: Joey Ladouceur.
FAST TIME TRIALER: Joey Ladouceur (19.995sec/72.018mph) *NEW TRACK RECORD.
CARS ENTERED: 25.
NEXT EVENT: Cornwall Motor Speedway – August 31, 2008.
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
*1 19.995 72.018 92.1 Joey Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT
2 20.266 71.055 73 P.J. Peters/Akwesasne,QUE
3 20.295 70.953 18 Louie Jackson/Akwesasne,NY
4 20.574 69.991 88x Allen Peters/Massena,NY
5 20.599 69.906 72 Denis Gauvreau/Gatineau,QUE
6 20.675 69.649 26 Don Carlson/Richfield,CT
7 20.737 69.441 2 Pete Stefanski/Wheatfield,NY
8 20.781 69.294 4 Roch Aubin/Alexandria,ONT
9 20.844 69.085 05 Jocelyn Roy/St-Helene,QUE
10 20.889 68.936 33 Bruno Cyr/Carignan,QUE
11 20.950 68.735 08 Richard Bertrand/Acton Vale,QUE
12 21.024 68.493 99 Mike Martin/Lockport,NY
13 21.038 68.448 16 Normand Lemire/Drummondville,QUE
14 21.053 68.399 6 Stephane Lebrun/Gatineau,QUE
15 21.231 67.825 28 Don Barnes/Gasport,NY
16 21.246 67.777 188 David Papineau/Akwesasne,NY
17 21.267 67.711 24 Eric Varin/Gatineau,QUE
18 21.405 67.274 48 Dion Oakes/Akwesasne,NY
19 21.648 66.519 ba98 Steve Johnston/Ingelside,ONT
20 21.723 66.289 88 Francis Lecours/Trois-Rivieres,QUE
21 -NT- —– 15 Martin Gagnon/Port Cartier,QUE
22 -NT- —– 97 Roland Hebert/St-Dominique,QUE
23 -NT- —– 115 Stephane Lemire/Drummondville,QUE
24 -NT- —– 115p Jocelyn Perreault/Drummondville,QUE
25 -NT- —– 37w Ricky Thompson/Hogansburg,NY
*NEW TRACK RECORD
Heat Races
#1: Ladouceur, Stefanski, A.Peters, N.Lemire, Cyr, Papineau, S.Lemire, Johnston.
#2: Gauvreau, PJ Peters, Aubin, Bertrand, Lebrun, Lecours, Varin(DNS), Gagnon(DNS).
#3: Jackson, Roy, Carlson, Barnes, Perreault, Hebert, Oakes, Martin, Thompson(DNS).
Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series Point Standings (Aug. 23)
Rank No. Driver Total Diff Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 2 Pete Stefanski 380 0 2 4 4 4
2 72 Denis Gauvreau 342 -38 0 3 4 4
3 26 Don Carlson 321 -59 0 2 3 4
4 73 PJ Peters 312 -68 0 3 4 4
5 11 Don Barnes 294 -86 1 1 3 4
6 18 Louis Jackson 264 -116 1 2 2 4
7 4 Roch Aubin 260 -120 0 1 3 4
8 05 Jocelyn Roy 241 -139 0 0 1 4
9 48 Dion Oakes 236 -144 0 0 2 4
10 92 Joey Ladouceur 229 -151 0 0 2 4
11 33 Bruno Cyr 228 -152 0 0 1 4
12 6 Stephane LeBrun 228 -152 0 0 2 4
13 ba98 Steve Johnston 204 -176 0 0 0 4
14 99 Mike Martin 196 -184 0 1 1 3
15 71 Scott Gribben 190 -190 0 0 1 3
16 88 Allen Peters 179 -201 0 0 1 3
17 188 David Papineau 172 -208 0 0 1 3
18 37 Ricky Thompson 151 -229 0 0 0 3
19 12g Eric Greenlief 125 -255 0 1 1 2
20 6z Butch Zimmerman 110 -270 0 0 0 2
21 49 Bill Woodward, Jr. 91 -289 0 0 0 2
22 2m Steve Lewis 90 -290 0 1 1 1
23 3 Bill Pascual 85 -295 0 1 1 1
24 14 Mitchell Jock 65 -315 0 0 1 1
25 16 Normand Lemire 62 -318 0 0 1 1
26 88 Francis Lecours 60 -320 0 0 0 1
27 115 Stephane Lemire 54 -326 0 0 0 1
28 99s Roy Seavy 50 -330 0 0 0 1
29 93 Dick Parkhurst 48 -332 0 0 0 1
30 69 Jody Swamp 46 -334 0 0 0 1
31 97 Roland Hebert 45 -335 0 0 0 1
32 2m Brett Martin 45 -335 0 0 0 1
33 27 Gilles Godard 45 -335 0 0 0 1
34 4 Dean Charbonneau 44 -336 0 0 0 1
35 09 Robert Rowe 44 -336 0 0 0 1
36 115p Jocelyn Perreault 43 -337 0 0 0 1
37 1s Scott Stolzenberg 42 -338 0 0 0 1
38 11 Mike Vaughn 42 -338 0 0 0 1
39 08 Richard Bertrand 41 -339 0 0 0 1
40 5 Ryan Worthington 41 -339 0 0 0 1
41 98T Jack Terrell 40 -340 0 0 0 1
42 15 Martin Gagnon 10 -370 0 0 0 0
43 24 Eric Varin 10 -370 0 0 0 0
UMP/DIRTcar Pro Stock Entries – August 23 (25)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
05 Jocelyn Roy/St-Helene,QUE Roy Racing Products-Lettrage Lucy/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/CRT
08 Richard Bertrand/Acton Vale,QUE Bar Concorde-B.L. Auto Electric/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/EMS
2 Pete Stefanski/Wheatfield,NY Sunrise Racing-SanTer Sewing-Sunrise II Sport Fishing/Chevy Monte Carlo/EMS
4 Roch Aubin/Alexandria,ONT Home Hardware-OK Tire-Alain Beaupres Const.Chevy Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
6 Stephane Lebrun/Gatineau,QUE Mecanotech-Omax Restaurant/Pontiac Grand Prix/Wild Thing
15 Martin Gagnon/Port Cartier,QUE Gagnon Racing/Pontiac Grand Prix/Danny Gagnon Racing
16 Normand Lemire/Drummondville,QUE Roullettes Lupien 2000-Pavage Paving/Chevy Monte Carlo/Black Widow
18 Louie Jackson/Akwesasne,NY Native Cigarettes-Action Race Parts-C&B Enterprise/Chevy Monte Carlo/Stinger
24 Eric Varin/Gatineau,QUE Eric Varin Roofing-Beachamp Car Wash-Auto/Pontiac Grand Prix/Stinger
26 Don Carlson/Richfield,CT Benziger Winery-Kleer Trim Board/Dodge Charger/EMS
28 Don Barnes/Gasport,NY Original Pizza Logs-Action Race Parts-CNFX Designs/Pontiac GTO/Black Widow
33 Bruno Cyr/Carignan,QUE Soudure Welding-Secure Deck/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Stinger
37w Ricky Thompson/Hogansburg,NY 37 West Steakhouse&Lounge-Forbs Copy Ctr/ChevyMonte Carlo/Cannizzaro
48 Dion Oakes/Akwesasne,NY Orca Power Boats-Mohawk Billiards/Chevolet Impala/Cannizzaro
72 Denis Gauvreau/Gatineau,QUE Gauvreau Top Soil-Micheline Richard Royal LePage/Chevy Monte Carlo/EMS
73 P.J. Peters/Akwesasne,QUE Sunrise Bakery-Jake’s Pit Stop/Chevrolet Impala/JACR
88 Francis Lecours/Trois-Rivieres,QUE Metaux M.D.-Garage Marchand/Chevrolet Lumina/Lecours
88x Allen Peters/Massena,NY Sunrise Bakery/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
92.1 Joey Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT Sweet Dreams-Minimax Express/Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS/Stinger
97 Roland Hebert/St-Dominique,QUE Groupe Labrecque/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Hebert
ba98 Steve Johnston/Ingelside,ONT Snap Trucking-Bub’s Auto/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Stinger
99 Mike Martin/Lockport,NY BDK Constr.-Able Auto Insurance-Basket Factory/Chevy Monte Carlo/JACR
115 Stephane Lemire/Drummondville,QUE Michel auto-Peinture Prefontaine/Chevrolet Camaro/A.R.M.
115p Jocelyn Perreault/Drummondville,QUE Madon Denis-TDG Auto Parts/Chevrolet Camaro/Chassis LP
188 David Papineau/Akwesasne,NY Skidders Garage-Team Papi/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Cannizzaro
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Cornwall Motor Speedway stages its sixth annual series stop on August 31 with valuable track bonus points issued towards the overall Mr. DIRTcar Championship after Labor Day Weekend. September is the biggest month of the year for full-fender title contenders with the $1,500-to-win, 100-lapper at Autodrome Edelweiss leading off the four-race stint in Canada and the U.S.
2008 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Championship Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK LOCATION/WINNER
Sat-Apr 19 25 Can-Am Motorsports Park Louie Jackson
Thr-Jul 3 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Don Barnes
Sat-Aug 2 35 Genesee Speedway Pete Stefanski
Sat-Aug 23 50 Autodrome Drummond Pete Stefanski
Sun-Aug 31 50 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall,ONT
Fri-Sep 5 100 Autodrome Edelweiss Hull,QUE
Sat-Sep 6 30 Mohawk Int’l Raceway Hogansburg,NY
Sat-Sep 20 30 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Sep 27 30 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Fri-Oct 3 30 Fulton Speedway Fulton,NY
Sun-Oct 12 25 New York State Fairgrnds Syracuse,NY
Sun-Oct 19 25 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts and Hoosier Racing Tire. Rite Aid Corporation is a promotional partner and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks, Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Dig Safely New York, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks, Rislone Oil Stabilizer and Wrisco Industries.
