Pete Stefanski - Rick Young Photo
Cornwall, ONT — August 31, 2008 – By Martin Belanger, Cornwall Motor Speedway PR
Western New York touring star Pete Stefanski continued his reign on Canadian soil, capturing his third straight Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series victory on Sunday in the Jiffy Auto Services 50 at Cornwall Motor Speedway.
Dion Oakes took the lead in the Cornwall full-fender finale when the first caution came out on lap 2. Joey Ladouceur grabbed the top spot when caution came on the next lap with Stéphane Lebrun having troubles in turn 4.
Ladouceur had company with Oakes on the restart and Pete Stefanski now in third when caution came out on lap 6 for Bruno Cyr. With Ladouceur leading the way for the next 5 laps Mike Martin and Ricky Thompson got together in the front stretch on lap 11.
Although Ladouceur had a strong start, Stefanski used the outside lane to take second from Oakes on lap 14. PJ Peters was also strong on the outside as he was now fourth while Louie Jackson was lready in eighth after starting from the 25th spot.
Jackson moved in to a battle for fifth with Travis Back through 22 laps and Roch Aubin brought a yellow as he stopped in turn 2. Stefanski got a good jump to take the lead but Ladouceur was still there as the leaders got at the halfway point with PJ Peters in third, Oakes and Gauvreau completing the top 5.
A multi-car accident occurred in turn 2 on lap 27 although Ladouceur was back in the lead on the restart with Denis Gauvreau and PJ Peters going at it for third. Jackson seemed pretty strong on the outside as he took 2 spots and was now third. Stefanski was making a charge on Ladouceur and took the lead from the bottom lane on lap 35.
Jackson was trying hard and lost control of his car and Gauvreau got caught in the action and brought out the caution on lap 39. Gauvreau was running in the top-5 and was second in the series points race behind Stefanski.
On the restart, Stefanski was still in the lead with Ladouceur and PJ Peters following him. Stefanski was running the bottom of the speedway with less than 3 laps to go. Ladouceur was on the bumper of the leader but Stefanski was able to resist to win the 50-lap feature ahead of Joey Ladouceur with PJ Peters, Dion Oakes and Daniel Leduc rounding out the top-5.
“The track was slippery but the car was good tonight,’’ said a happy Stefanski, following his third straight tour win which ties him with Jipp Ortiz atop the all-time list with 17 career extra-distance victories. Stefanski continues to hold a comfortable lead in the series points but still added “We have to take one race at a time, we have a 100-lap event coming up and anything can happen.”
Stefanski, Allen Peters and Oakes won the three heat race qualifiers while Ladouceur had the best time in Pro Stock time trials with a time of 14.986 seconds for a speed of 60.056mph.
The 2008 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series returns to Canada in just one more week when Autodrome Edelweiss hosts the Northeast’s top traveling teams in the special 100-lap feature event next Friday, September 5 with $1,500 to win and over $7,000 in prize money.
Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series Race #5 – Cornwall Motor Speedway, August 31, 2008 ‘Jiffy Auto Services 50’ Event Summary
Feature
PETE STEFANSKI, Joey Ladouceur, PJ Peters, Dion Oakes, Daniel Leduc, Corey Wheeler, Travis Back, Don Barnes, George Renaud, David Papineau, Rock Aubin, Brett Martin, Steve Johnston, Don Carlson, Allan Peters, Bruno Cyr, Alain Coursol, Ghyslain Valade, Stéphane Lebrun, Richard Bertrand, Roger Levesque, Jocelyn Roy, Francis Lecours, Louie Jackson, Denis Gauvreau, Gilles Godard, Mike Martin, Ricky Thompson, Chris Wilson, Junior Barnes.
QUALIFYING
Rank Car# Driver Time (sec.)
1 92 Joey Ladouceur 14.986
2 6x Travis Back 15.006
3 72 Denis Gauvreau 15.031
4 88 Allen Peters 15.165
5 48 Dion Oakes 15.173
6 2 Pete Stefanski 15.229
7 18 Louie Jackson 15.235
8 28 Don Barnes 15.235
9 2M Brett Martin 15.269
10 4 Roch Aubin 15.279
11 27 Gilles Godard 15.288
12 73 PJ Peters 15.384
13 29 Daniel Leduc 15.447
14 26 Don Carlson 15.506
15 33 Bruno Cyr 15.516
16 5 Jocelyn Roy 15.549
17 37 Ricky Thompson 15.552
18 47 Corey Wheeler 15.563
19 66 Alain Coursol 15.565
20 99X Mike Martin 15.630
21 55 George Renaud 15.645
22 88X Francis Lecours 15.742
23 188 David Papineau 15.748
24 8 Richard Bertrand 15.763
25 6 Stéphane Lebrun 15.805
26 333 Chris Wilson 15.829
27 99 Ghyslain Valade 15.954
28 98 Steve Johnston 16.055
29 16 Roger Levesque 16.361
30 11x Junior Barnes –NT–
Heat Races
#1: Allen Peters, Joey Ladouceur, Roch Aubin, Steve Johnston, Alain Coursol, Daniel Leduc, Stéphane Lebrun, Jocelyn Roy, Louie Jackson, Francis Lecours.
#2: Dion Oakes, Travis Back, Don Carlson, Don Barnes, David Papineau, Mike Martin, Gilles Godard, Chris Wilson, Ricky Thompson.
#3: Pete Stefanski, PJ Peters, Bruno Cyr, Richard Bertrand, Denis Gauvreau, Brett Martin, Corey Wheeler, Ghyslain Valade, George Renaud, Roger Levesque.
UPCOMING EVENT:
With valuable track bonus points issued towards the overall Mr. DIRTcar Championship after Labor Day Weekend, September emerges as 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 Pete Stefanski
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.
