Justin Wright - Bill Moore Photo
Weedsport, NY — July 18, 2009 – By Dave Medler, DIRTcar Racing Northeast Series Correspondent
Justin Wright out of Piffard, New York wasn’t going to be denied his first-ever Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series win Saturday night at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway on night two of All-Star Weekend. Wright grabbed the lead on the opening circuit of the 30-lap feature and never looked back being the first under starter Dave Farney’s checkered flag.
“That wasn’t easy but it was fun,” said Wright, after exiting his no. 19W Mercer Milling Company-Yager Brothers Trucking/Bicknell machine. “The track locked down but I hit my marks, it was mine to give away, just glad I didn’t do that.”
Wright and fellow Cayuga County regular Dave Marcuccilli led the 30-car starting field down to the green to open the ‘All-Star 30’ main event, with Wright taking advantage of his pole-position after the top-eight heat race qualifiers redrew for starting spots.
Just as soon as the field got up to full speed the first yellow would fly on lap two for a spinning Steve Gray in turn three. Gray went pit side and returned to the tail of the field. On the ensuing restart Wright rocketed away opening up a couple car-length margin over Marcuccilli.
With five laps in the books, Wright and Marcuccilli put some distance between themselves and their closest chaser Ryan Susice, while Tommy Juhl and Jipp Ortiz battled for fourth and fifth.
On lap seven Marcus Dinkins got turned around in front of the field on the front straightaway bringing out another yellow flag. Heads up driving by the pack behind him avoided a major wreck in the early stages
With 10 laps scored Wright was still running the bottom to perfection as Marcuccilli and Susice tried to close in on the leader. Timmy Sears Jr. and Juhl showed in the top-five.
A third yellow flag flew at the halfway mark when Dinkins got into the back of another car breaking his front-end and ending his night on the front straight. The order remained intact with 10 laps still to go as Wright was on rails showing the way. Marcuccilli ran alone in second, Susice, Sears Jr. and Juhl still locked down the front-five spots.
The most serious incident on the night brought out the caution lights for the final time on lap 23. Going into turn one, Steve Gray caught the inside jersey barrier then flipped his Fox’s Auto No.29g. Amazingly, Gray was able to drive his car to the pits for quick repairs and return.
Over the final laps no one could offer a serious challenge to Wright as he was the first under the checkers with Marcuccilli, Susice, Sears Jr. and Juhl settling for top-five finishes further back.
“I got to thank my grandpa and dad,” remarked Wright, after pocketing the $1,000 first-place prize for the biggest win of his career. “I’m probably not the easiest guy to work with at times, they put up with a lot. We had some carburetor issues to work through, but it all finally paid off in the end.”
Filling out the Top-10 at the line were tour regular Jipp Ortiz, defending Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Champion and current points leader Chris Raabe, Western New York invader Mark Chiddy, two-time reigning Cayuga County points king Jeremy Pitcher and Rob Bussey. All but the last two cars completed the entire 30-lap distance in round five of the Mr. DIRTcar champ trail.
The Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Series has just three days off before getting back on track for round number six at Canandaigua Speedway on Tuesday, July 21 as part of the 166th Ontario County Fair in wine country.
Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series Race #5 – Cayuga County Fair Speedway, July 18, 2009 ‘All-Star 30’ Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 1 19w Justin Wright/Piffard,NY ($1,000)
2 2 m1 David Marcuccilli/Cayuga,NY
3 4 38k Ryan Susice/Ransomville,NY
4 11 83x Tim Sears Jr./Central Square,NY
5 9 17d Tom Juhl/Weedsport,NY
6 3 0 Jipp Ortiz/Ransomville,NY
7 12 01 Chris Raabe/Napanee,ONT
8 18 54 Mark Chiddy/Boston,NY
9 14 14 Jeremy Pitcher/Fulton,NY
10 8 76 Rob Bussey/Canandaigua,NY
11 7 99p Greg Panunte/Port Colborne,ONT
12 10 17k Sammy Reakes IV/Palermo,NY
13 6 85h Bob Humphreys/Elbridge,NY
14 16 5 Don Spatrorico/Ransomville,NY
15 13 67g Eric Giguere/Waterloo,NY
16 15 66 Dan Wiesner/Geneva,NY
17 19 11n Ricky Newton/Oakfield,NY
18 26 77jr. BJ Willard/St.Catharines,ONT
19 23 74 Matt Billings/Brockville,ONT
20 17 jvs1 Jim Spano/Skaneateles,NY
21 28 24a A.J. Lewis/Stoney Creek,ONT
22 22 9s Kevin Ridley/Geneva,NY
23 24 57s Beth Schneider/Cicero,NY
24 5 29g Steve Gray/Middlesex,NY
25 27 38s Luke Whitteker/Iroquois,ONT
26 29 81 Christine Martin/Wellesley Island,NY
27 20 24 Brandon Sweet/Watertown,NY
28 30 92 Adam Turner/Picton,ONT
29 25 21jj Jim Johnstone/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
30 21 17 Marcus Dinkins/Watkins Glen,NY
LAP LEADER: Wright (1-30).
CAUTIONS: 4 (lap 2, lap 8, lap 15, lap 23).
HEAT WINNERS: Bussey, Gray, Ortiz, Marcuccilli.
CONSI WINNERS: Dinkins, Ridley.
SYRACUSE TOWN MECHANICAL 30 QUALIFIER: Justin Wright.
XTREME LUBRICANTS FAST TIME AWARD: Jim Spano (17.082sec/79.031mph).
CARS ENTERED: 36.
NEXT EVENT: Canandaigua Speedway – July 21, 2009.
DID NOT QUALIFY(6)
1h-Jason Hallett/Byron,NY
1s-Tom Keyes/Fairport,NY
8-Joe Cook Jr./Seneca Castle,NY
16-Billy Brown/Cheshire,NY
29ny-Greg Birosh/Horseheads,NY
55-Matt Hulsizer/Bridgeport,NY
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 17.082 79.031 jvs1 Jim Spano/Skaneateles,NY
Xtreme Lubricants Fast Qualifier Award
2 17.132 78.800 17d Tom Juhl/Weedsport,NY
3 17.208 78.452 17k Sammy Reakes IV/Palermo,NY
4 17.215 78.420 66 Dan Wiesner/Geneva,NY
5 17.237 78.320 99p Greg Panunte/Port Colborne,ONT
6 17.265 78.193 76 Rob Bussey/Canandaigua,NY
7 17.270 78.170 83x Tim Sears Jr./Central Square,NY
8 17.293 78.066 19w Justin Wright/Piffard,NY
9 17.371 77.716 01 Chris Raabe/Napanee,ONT
10 17.372 77.711 67g Eric Giguere/Waterloo,NY
11 17.376 77.693 29g Steve Gray/Middlesex,NY
12 17.388 77.640 38k Ryan Susice/Ransomville,NY
13 17.403 77.573 0 Jipp Ortiz/Ransomville,NY
14 17.414 77.524 m1 David Marcuccilli/Cayuga,NY
15 17.429 77.457 21jj Jim Johnstone/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
16 17.447 77.377 54 Mark Chiddy/Boston,NY
17 17.517 77.068 85h Bob Humphreys/Elbridge,NY
18 17.518 77.064 24 Brandon Sweet/Watertown,NY
19 17.534 76.993 14 Jeremy Pitcher/Fulton,NY
20 17.538 76.976 38s Luke Whitteker/Iroquois,ONT
21 17.581 76.787 77jr. BJ Willard/St.Catharines,ONT
22 17.597 76.718 74 Matt Billings/Brockville,ONT
23 17.637 76.544 5 Don Spatrorico/Ransomville,NY
24 17.665 76.422 17 Marcus Dinkins/Watkins Glen,NY
25 17.714 76.211 1s Tom Keyes/Fairport,NY
26 17.746 76.073 1h Jason Hallett/Byron,NY
27 17.755 76.035 55 Matt Hulsizer/Bridgeport,NY
28 17.765 75.992 24a A.J. Lewis/Stoney Creek,ONT
29 17.776 75.945 29ny Greg Birosh/Horseheads,NY
17.776 75.945 57s Beth Schneider/Cicero,NY
31 17.809 75.804 9s Kevin Ridley/Geneva,NY
32 17.818 75.766 11n Ricky Newton/Oakfield,NY
33 17.850 75.630 81 Christine Martin/Wellesley Island,NY
34 17.892 75.453 92 Adam Turner/Picton,ONT
35 18.143 74.409 16 Billy Brown/Cheshire,NY
36 18.185 74.237 8 Joe Cook Jr./Seneca Castle,NY
Heat Races (8 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature; top 2 redrew)
#1: Bussey, Wright, Juhl, Giguere, Spano, Johnstone, Billings, Martin, Hallett.
#2: Gray, Humphreys, Reakes, Pitcher, Chiddy, Dinkins, Whitteker, Hulsizer, Keyes.
#3: Ortiz, Susice, Sears, Wiesner, Newton, Ridley, Schneider, Birosh, Cook.
#4: Marcuccilli, Panunte, Raabe, Spatorico, Sweet, Willard, Turner, Lewis, Brown.
Consolation Round (8 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Dinkins, Billings, Johnstone, Whitteker, Martin, Keyes, Hulsizer (DNS).
#2: Ridley, Schneider, Willard, Lewis, Turner, Birosh, Brown, Cook, Hallett.
Mr. DIRTcar Series Sportsman Point Standings (Through July 18, 2009)
Rank No. Driver Total Diff Wins Top 5 Top 10 Starts
1 01 Chris Raabe 379 0 2 2 4 5
2 17K Sammy Reakes IV 359 -20 1 2 3 5
3 11Jr Justin Wright 349 -30 1 2 3 5
4 99p Greg Panunte 346 -33 0 1 3 5
5 0 Jipp Ortiz 341 -38 0 1 3 5
6 24x Brandon Sweet 306 -73 0 1 2 5
7 38k Ryan Susice 304 -75 0 2 3 4
8 92 Adam Turner 289 -90 0 1 2 5
9 M1 Dave Marcuccilli 277 -102 0 2 2 4
10 74 Matt Billings 277 -102 0 1 2 5
11 66 Dan Wiesner 275 -104 0 1 1 5
12 54 Mark Chiddy 268 -111 0 0 1 5
13 67G Eric Giguere 226 -153 0 0 1 4
14 83x Tim Serars Jr 225 -154 1 2 2 3
15 14 Jermey Pitcher 203 -176 0 0 1 4
16 77Jr B.J. Willard 203 -176 0 0 0 4
17 38s Luke Whittaker 198 -181 0 0 0 4
18 17D Tom Juhl Jr. 192 -187 0 1 2 3
19 20x Kevin Ridley 190 -189 0 0 0 4
20 06J Jordan Bennett 152 -227 0 0 2 2
21 55 Matt Hulsizer 143 -236 0 1 1 2
22 777 Tyler MacPherson 116 -263 0 0 1 2
23 85 John Pietrowicz 104 -275 0 0 0 2
24 21JJ Jim Johnstone 102 -277 0 0 1 2
25 17 Marcus Dinkins 100 -279 0 0 0 2
26 15 Shane Pecore 100 -279 0 1 1 1
27 2L Loren Lincoln 100 -279 0 0 0 2
28 62 Rich Bellante 98 -281 0 0 0 2
29 9m Mark Olmstead Jr. 96 -283 0 0 0 2
30 08 Mark D’Ilario 95 -284 0 1 1 1
31 29g Steve Gray 90 -289 0 0 0 2
32 v28 Billy VanPelt 90 -289 0 1 1 1
33 28 Alan Fink 88 -291 0 0 1 1
34 1s James Spano 84 -295 0 0 0 2
35 410 Mark Fowler 75 -304 0 0 1 1
36 85H Robert Humphreys 66 -313 0 0 0 1
37 10 Steve Savoie 66 -313 0 0 0 1
38 5 Dave Wilgosh 65 -314 0 0 1 1
39 76 Rob Bussey 62 -317 0 0 1 1
40 8a Dana Atkins 62 -317 0 0 0 1
41 2kH Chris Hile 55 -324 0 0 0 1
42 5 Don Spatorico 54 -325 0 0 0 1
43 57s Beth Schneider 51 -328 0 0 0 1
44 81 Christine Martin 50 -329 0 0 0 1
45 80 Ryan Buzzell 50 -329 0 0 0 1
46 29c Tom Conklin 50 -329 0 0 0 1
47 11n Ricky Newton 48 -331 0 0 0 1
48 95 Tammy Jalbert 48 -331 0 0 0 1
49 26h Luke Carleton 46 -333 0 0 0 1
50 27 Sheldon Hoogerwerf 45 -334 0 0 0 1
51 84 Claude Hutchings Jr. 44 -335 0 0 0 1
52 36C Mark Webb 44 -335 0 0 0 1
53 44 Todd Ferguseon 44 -335 0 0 0 1
54 24a A.J. Lewis 43 -336 0 0 0 1
55 16 Earl Rudy 43 -336 0 0 0 1
56 3 Fran Hilton 43 -336 0 0 0 1
57 12 Brandon Hagan 41 -338 0 0 0 1
58 11 Donnie Lawson 41 -338 0 0 0 1
59 63 Chris Herbison 40 -339 0 0 0 1
60 66x Tabatha Murphy 40 -339 0 0 0 1
61 86 Adam Trickey 40 -339 0 0 0 1
62 11 Ben Wheeler 40 -339 0 0 0 1
63 83k A.J. Kingsley 40 -339 0 0 0 1
64 2a Ally Amell 40 -339 0 0 0 1
65 10 Josh VanBrocklin 40 -339 0 0 0 1
66 2K Rob Knapp 40 -339 0 0 0 1
67 4 Darryl Hilkert 40 -339 0 0 0 1
68 70 Brady Fultz 40 -339 0 0 0 1
69 18H Todd Henderson 40 -339 0 0 0 1
70 29 Greg Birosh 20 -359 0 0 0 0
71 11 Brian Copp 20 -359 0 0 0 0
72 29J John Wilber Jr. 20 -359 0 0 0 0
73 20k Brad Rouse 20 -359 0 0 0 0
74 7 Cody McPherson 20 -359 0 0 0 0
75 8 Joe Cook Jr. 10 -369 0 0 0 0
76 1s Tommy Keyes 10 -369 0 0 0 0
77 20 Randy Earl 10 -369 0 0 0 0
78 18J Joe Gwilt 10 -369 0 0 0 0
79 2m Jon Tesoriero 10 -369 0 0 0 0
80 2a Jason Brimmer 10 -369 0 0 0 0
81 9 Greg Gould 10 -369 0 0 0 0
82 25 Greg Belyea 10 -369 0 0 0 0
83 52 Jessica Power 10 -369 0 0 0 0
84 83 Dylan Evoy 10 -369 0 0 0 0
85 22z Zach Amo 10 -369 0 0 0 0
86 18 Bill Eisele 10 -369 0 0 0 0
87 k12 Rod McDonald 10 -369 0 0 0 0
88 17T Todd Town 10 -369 0 0 0 0
89 7 Verne Harris 10 -369 0 0 0 0
90 7g Kevin Gamble 10 -369 0 0 0 0
91 15 Bob Tefft 10 -369 0 0 0 0
92 06 Brandon Easey 10 -369 0 0 0 0
93 37 Ken Bearup 10 -369 0 0 0 0
94 3d Dean Patterson 10 -369 0 0 0 0
95 140 Mark Dixon 10 -369 0 0 0 0
96 244 Jeff Leslie 10 -369 0 0 0 0
97 111 Allan Wills 10 -369 0 0 0 0
98 54x Stewart Garrison 10 -369 0 0 0 0
99 59 Gregg Kimball 10 -369 0 0 0 0
Mr. DIRTcar Series Sportsman Entries – July 18 (36)
Car# Driver/Hometown Team (Sponsor / Chassis)
0 Jipp Ortiz/Ransomville,NY Pizza Logs-Lee Heil-Ed’s Garage/Bicknell
01 Chris Raabe/Napanee,ONT Scott Industrial Services-Kingston RV Centre-Tyroute Communications/TEO
1h Jason Hallett/Byron,NY Jans Smoke Shop/Bicknell
m1 David Marcuccilli/Cayuga,NY Barbay&Son Const-Crew Boyz Racing-Stormin/Bicknell
1s Tom Keyes/Fairport,NY Embroidary Loft/Bicknell
jvs1 Jim Spano/Skaneateles,NY Spano Paving & Excavating/Bicknell
5 Don Spatrorico/Ransomville,NY CGB Construction/Bicknell
8 Joe Cook Jr./Seneca Castle,NY Lupini Construction/Bicknell
9s Kevin Ridley/Geneva,NY Xtreme Lubricants-JB Motorsports-Seneca Auto/Bicknell
11n Ricky Newton/Oakfield,NY Gary Herman Properties/Troyer
14 Jeremy Pitcher/Fulton,NY MDV Construction-Empire State Container/Troyer
16 Billy Brown/Cheshire,NY AJC Motorsports/Bicknell
17 Marcus Dinkins/Watkins Glen,NY DashRacewear-WatkinsGlen NAPA-Hazlitt Winery/TEO
17d Tom Juhl/Weedsport,NY Post Realty/Bicknell
17k Sammy Reakes IV/Palermo,NY Whittaker’s Trophy Auto Sales-ProMotion/Bicknell
19w Justin Wright/Piffard,NY Mercer Milling Company-Yager Bros. Trucking/Bicknell
21jj Jim Johnstone/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT Select Stone/Bicknell
24 Brandon Sweet/Watertown,NY Clarence Henry Coach-Powis Excavating/Bicknell
24a A.J. Lewis/Stoney Creek,ONT Greco Bros. Manufacturing-RCM Racing Equipment/Bicknell
29g Steve Gray/Middlesex,NY Fox’s Auto/Bicknell
29ny Greg Birosh/Horseheads,NY McMichael Electrical Contractors-Irwin Industrial Tools/Birosh
38k Ryan Susice/Ransomville,NY Investor’s Service Company/Bicknell
38s Luke Whitteker/Iroquois,ONT Rust Check-Jim’s Performance Plus/Bicknell
54 Mark Chiddy/Boston,NY D&B Motorsports-Pachys Firewood/Bicknell
55 Matt Hulsizer/Bridgeport,NY Thompson Road Tavern/Bicknell
57s Beth Schneider/Cicero,NY Thompson Road Tavern/Bicknell
66 Dan Wiesner/Geneva,NY Monroe Wheelchair-Suttleworth Asphalt Paving/Troyer
67g Eric Giguere/Waterloo,NY Safety Awareness Solutions-WB Automotive/TEO
74 Matt Billings/Brockville,ONT Billings Automotive-Stealth Racewear/Bicknell
76 Rob Bussey/Canandaigua,NY J & J Speed/TEO
77jr. BJ Willard/St.Catharines,ONT CAA Niagara Battery Assist-Speck Trucking/Bicknell
81 Christine Martin/Wellesley Island,NY Meade Optical/Troyer
83x Tim Sears Jr./Central Square,NY Total Site Development/Bicknell
85h Bob Humphreys/Elbridge,NY Humphrey’s Garage/Bicknell
92 Adam Turner/Picton,ONT Paul Turner Auto Repair/Bicknell
99p Greg Panunte/Port Colborne,ONT Montgomery Gas, Heating & Cooling-Gaston’s Auto Sales/Bicknell
UPCOMING EVENTS
The 20th Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Series continues across New York State at DIRTcar NE charter member Canandaigua (NY) Speedway on July 21 for a rare mid-week special to help kick off Ontario County Fair Week. Tour activity resumes on Labor Day in September, with every extra-distance affair offering valuable points towards the overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship as well as guaranteed starter status for the Super DIRT Week main event in October.
2009 Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK WINNER/LOCATION
Sun-Apr 5 75 Black Rock Speedway Sammy Reakes IV
Fri-Apr 17 30 Can-Am Motorsports Park Chris Raabe
Thr-Jul 2 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park rain-cancelled
Fri-Jul 3 30 Brewerton Speedway Tim Sears Jr.
Sat-Jul 4 30 Brockville Ontario Speedway rain
Sun-Jul 5 50 Cornwall Motor Speedway Chris Raabe
Sat-Jul 18 30 Cayuga County Fair Speedway Justin Wright
Tue-Jul 21 33 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Mon-Sep 7 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Elbridge,NY
Fri-Sep 11 50 Ransomville Speedway Ransomville,NY
Sat-Sep 12 50 Merrittville Speedway Thorold,ONT
Sun-Sep 13 50 Humberstone Speedway Pt.Colborne,ONT
Fri-Sep 18 33 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Sep 19 30 Genesee Speedway Batavia,NY
Sat-Sep 26 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Elbridge,NY
Fri-Oct 2 30 Fulton Speedway Fulton,NY
Wed-Oct 7 30 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville,NY
Fri-Oct 9 30 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Elbridge,NY
Sat-Oct 10 30 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse,NY
Sat-Oct 24 50 Black Rock Speedway Dundee,NY
@Driver’s (2) worst finishes dropped through September; last (5) events count.
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds www.cayugacountyfairspeedway.com, home of the 2009 DIRTcar All-Star Weekend, July 17-19, featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Sportsman and Big-Block Modifieds in the richest short-track show of its kind in the nation — the $20,000-to-win Super DIRTcar Series “DIRTcar All-Star 100” on Sunday, July 19.
The Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Hoosier Racing Tire www.hoosiertire.com and VP Racing Fuels www.vpracingfuels.com. Promotional partners include Rite Aid Corporation www.riteaid.com, Dig Safely New York www.digsafelynewyork.com and the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks www.barsproducts.com, Bert Transmission www.berttransmission.com, Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, Brodix Cylinder Heads www.brodix.com, Ferris Industries www.ferrisindustries.com, Integra Shocks www.integrashocksandsprings.com, Intercomp www.intercomp-racing.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Rislone Oil Stabilizer www.barsproducts.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.
