Danny O'Brien - Sylvain Buisson Photo
Drummondville, QUE — September 13, 2008 – Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director
The return to Autodrome Drummond was an historic one as the Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series event was the biggest ever in the province of Quebec, rewarding the winner $15,000 in the 150-lap feature go for top Small-Block teams converging from around the Northeast.
At the end of the night, though, it seemed just like old times for the brothers O’Brien as Danny and Pat traded paint in the final turns of the final lap to bring the curtain down on ‘Race Mania 4’ at the energized Drummondville oval.
Danny sat in victory lane with a broken rear-end after scoring his second straight tour win while Pat arrived on the podium rideless as his own mount suffered a flat left rear tire the last time the pair rubbed rails in the Saturday showdown in front of a capacity crowd.
“We’ve been down this road a lot of times, it’ll be alright,” remarked Danny, 40, after dancing on the roof top of his banged up 1000 Islands RV Centres no. 17d Stover Bus Lines-Pat’s Radiator/Bicknell machine following the richest triumph of his career. “Wow, what a race … I don’t know how to explain it. This is a three year-old car that should be in a dumpster by now, it just keeps ticking.”
The younger of the O’Brien clan forged the 10th and final lead change on lap 52 of the opening 75-lap segment, then led for the duration in the second portion that was lengthened by an additional two circuits following a late race caution. The dramatic green-white-checkered flag finish was the culmination of two hours of action that turned into a family affair between the Kingston, Ontario siblings.
“It was pretty rough conditions out there and I ran her hard most of the race. I knew (rear end) was broke and figured Pat would go to the top but I didn’t want to give that one up. I got underneath Pat and we got together a bit. He left enough room down there at the end and it really came apart at that point and we just got together. What a team, it keeps digging and digging,” remarked O’Brien after rattling off his 11th career Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship trail win to move into second-place in the overall 2008 Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar point standings.
Following Pat O’Brien across the line were top Frenchman Sebastien Gougeon, current Mr. DIRTcar points leader Pete Bicknell and track regular Dany Bilodeau.
Making his first start on dirt this year in a Modified was second-generation driver Tim McCreadie and he made the most of it, leading the opening 16 circuits aboard the team car of Pierre Dagenais. Recently crowned track champion David Hebert began on the pole to pace the 34-car starting field, yet didn’t move to the point until a four-wide scramble among the leaders in turn four traffic knocked out runner-up Billy Decker and pushed McCreadie back to the second spot.
McCreadie quickly regained the lead on the ensuing lap 18 restart yet a bolt broke in the front end of the no. 124m Quarry Dagenais/Bicknell mount to sideline T-Mac for the remainder and moved Hebert back out front on lap 23. With 30 laps in the books, Dale Planck moved in to challenge Hebert with Kayle Robidoux sandwiched between Pat (3rd) and Danny O’Brien (5th) in the ever-changing front-five.
Season-opening 358-Modified Series race winner Planck grabbed his first lead on lap 33 before Robidoux took over the next lap. Danny O’Brien became the fifth driver to move ahead, bolting to the front on lap 38 as the leaders bounced out of turn four. The same trio shared the top spot once more duirng the next dozen circuits before O’Brien took over for good on lap 52 and held steady until a mandatory break came at the halfway mark.
Despite Planck scheduled to return in second, Pat O’Brien in third, Danny Johnson in fifth and Steve Paine in eighth, none of the veteran pilots responded to the horn indicating the 10-minute intermission was over, thus relegating all four drivers to the rear of the field prior to the lap 76 restart. Even after falling to the back of the 23 field that did re-assemble, Johnson exited for good as a blown motor in the borrowed Perry Francis-owned C&B Boating Enterprisen no. 55 Action Race Parts/TEO entry put him behind pit wall for the remainder.
Back under green, Danny O’Brien wasted little time pulling away despite numerous caution periods continuing to keep the field in check. The 15th yellow flag flew on lap 81 for Paine who sheered off a left-front wheel assembly after contacting the turn two wall as he attempted to make up lost ground.
While holding down the second position, 34th-place starter Gino Clair finally had his night come to an end when the front end collapsed as he exited turn four just three circuits shy of lap 100. When the century mark did arrive, Danny O’Brien was chased by Gougeon, Bicknell, Clement Therrien, Robidoux and Pat O’Brien, with 50 laps still to go.
As the lap counter clicked off, Pat O’Brien continued his attempt to close the gap on his brother, moving past Bicknell for third on lap 20 and setting his sights on runner-up Gougeon. Danny O’Brien lapped 12th-place runner Chad Brachmann on lap 136 while only 15 cars remained trackside to make the stretch run.
Jessica Zemken stopped the Don Thompson-owned no. 19z Street Wise Fight Gear/TEO on the back chute to bring out the yellow lights for the 20th and final time on lap 145, setting up a last-ditch effort for Danny’s closest followers. Brother Pat gave it the best effort, slipping past Gougeon on the lap 151 restart and diving under then past Danny in turns one and two of the final lap.
Pat moved up high down the back straightaway with Danny holding nothing back to fill the void entering turn three. The resulting contact as the lead duo raced toward turn four knocked Pat out of the groove and Danny pushed up further to slam the door closed and head down the frontstretch to score a thrilling victory.
“I’ve had a lot of good wins, including a Big-Block Super DIRT Series win (Can-Am, 1995), and some more good runs along the way. The first win I ever had was really big but this tops it all,” figured Danny, who once again ranks second on the overall Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified points chart, now 37 markers behind Bicknell who is still looking for his first tour win in ’08. “I probably won’t sleep until Monday.”
Brother Pat may be first in line to sound the alarm to begin the week when they both return to work Monday inside Pat’s Rad closer to home in the province of Ontario.
“I could see Dan’s car was broken, I knew he was wounded,” said Pat, 43, himself a four-time Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Champion while Danny remains in pursuit of his first tour title. “I went into turns three and four, just thought I’d run around the top and be safe. I didn’t expect him to come across the track like that.”
“The car was very good. We changed it a bit for the second half but I think we went a little too far so it was probably better in the first part of the race. I was just biding our time in the first half, better to race in the second half. I have to thank John and Laura Wight, without them I wouldn’t be here, and my crew, we’re a long way from home. Also thanks to DIRT for putting on another good program,” added Pat, following his first 358-Modified Series race of the season in the 730 Truck Stop no. 6 Gypsum Logistics-Milestone Concrete/Bicknell car which netted him a cool $7,500 from the total purse in excess of $42,000.
While the O’Briens went at it fender-to-fender for household bragging rights, third-place finisher Gougeon had the best seat in the house despite contending for an even higher perch right up to the end.
“I saw Danny was broke at the end and tried to use that to my advantage,” said Gougeon through a translator has he climbed the podium after parking his Gougeon Bros. Service Center no. 44 Stelpro Design-Castrol/TEO machine. “I also knew Pat was right behind me and would be very tough on that last restart. When I saw them both get together in the last turns I just stepped on the gas and hoped for the best. I’m still very happy going home $3,500 richer in the final show.”
The Quebecois quartet of Robidoux, Therrien, Steve Bernard and Hebert followed the top-five across the stripe while New Yorkers Larry Wight, Chad Brachmann and 26th-place starter Mark Smoke were the last to complete all 152 laps.
Teams chasing points towards the overall Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series return to action back in the states when Canandaigua Speedway stages round number six of the 2008 tour on Friday, September 19 as part of LaBatt Blue RaceFest at the Ontario County Fairgrounds.
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Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series Race #5 – Autodrome Drummond, September 13, 2008 ‘Race Mania 4’ Event Summary
Feature
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 21 17d Danny O’Brien/Kingston,ONT($15,000)
2 5 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
3 9 44 Sebastien Gougeon/Drummondville,QUE
4 8 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
5 17 23 Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE
6 18 46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
7 3 39 Clement Therrien/Victoriaville,QUE
8 13 54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE
9 1 1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
10 23 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
11 27 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
12 26 9s Mark Smoke/Akwesasne,NY
13 20 007 Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY
14 30 22w Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
15 33 19z Jessica Zemken/Sprakers,NY
16 32 97 Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE
17 25 23x Laurent Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT
18 31 124 Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE
19 16 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE
20 29 22c Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
21 34 22j Gino Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
22 11 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE
23 10 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
24 28 72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT®
25 22 55j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
26 15 89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
27 24 63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE
28 19 66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
29 4 19L John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY
30 2 124m Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
31 6 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
32 12 3 Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE
DSQ 7 66 Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
DSQ 14 66x Carey Terrance/Akwesasne,NY
EVENT SUMMARY:
GATER NEWS LAP LEADERS: McCreadie (1-16), Hebert (17), McCreadie (18-22), Hebert (23-32), Planck (33), Robidoux (34-37), D.O’Brien (38-39), Robidoux (40-41), D.O’Brien (42-44), Planck (45-51), D.O’Brien (52-152).
CAUTIONS: 20 for 49 laps.
HEAT WINNERS: P.O’Brien, Lazore, Planck, McCreadie, Gougeon.
CONSI WINNERS: D.O’Brien, Johnson.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Danny O’Brien.
SYRACUSE ITT/GOULDS PUMPS 150 QUALIFIERS: Pat O’Brien & Sebastien Gougeon.
BERT HALFWAY LEADER: Danny O’Brien.
JR PRODUCTION HARD CHARGER: Danny O’Brien.
HOLLEY/BABE DESIGN HARD LUCK: Gino Clair.
PENSKE POWER POSITION (6th): Kayle Robidoux.
RL RACING ENGINES FAST TIME TRIALER: Billy Decker (16.859sec/85.414mph).
TOTAL PURSE: $42,220.
CARS ENTERED: 53.
NEXT EVENT: Canandaigua Speedway – September 19, 2008.
DID NOT QUALIFY(19)
09-Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE
1p-Guy Parenteau/Sorel,QUE
2-Michel Dusseault/Victoriaville,QUE
6g-Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE
14-Mitchell Jock/Akwesasne,NY®
19-Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE
22-Eric Gauvreau/Chelsea,QUE
29-Gilles Bessette/Drummondville,QUE
49-Francois Bernier/St-Hyacinthe,QUE
55-Perry Francis/Akwesasne,NY
66d-Dexter Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
74-Frederic Gamache/Granby,QUE
87-Steve Bernier/St-Hyacinthe,QUE
85-David Langlois/St.Philippe,QUE
88-Eric Lefebvre/Drummondville,QUE
94-Tim Hindley/Monticello,NY
95-Alex Boisvert/Drummondville,QUE
95x-Gaetan Brisebois/St-Hyacinthe,QUE
172-Martin Hebert/St.Pie,QUE
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 16.859 85.414 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
*$100 RL Racing Engines Fast Qualifier Award
2 16.957 84.921 3 Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE
3 16.987 84.771 66 Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
4 17.049 84.462 94 Tim Hindley/Monticello,NY
5 17.067 84.373 007 Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY
6 17.090 84.260 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
7 17.097 84.225 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
8 17.103 84.196 54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE
9 17.160 83.916 97 Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE
10 17.180 83.818 44 Sebastien Gougeon/Drummondville,QUE
11 17.198 83.731 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE
12 17.221 83.619 19L John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY
13 17.224 83.604 39 Clement Therrien/Victoriaville,QUE
14 17.239 83.532 124m Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
15 17.246 83.498 1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
16 17.254 83.459 2 Michel Dusseault/Victoriaville,QUE
17 17.272 83.372 22c Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
18 17.279 83.338 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
19 17.304 83.218 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
20 17.308 83.199 22 Eric Gauvreau/Chelsea,QUE
21 17.311 83.184 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE
22 17.324 83.122 23 Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE
23 17.338 83.055 74 Frederic Gamache/Granby,QUE
24 17.340 83.045 66x Carey Terrance/Akwesasne,NY
25 17.347 83.011 124 Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE
26 17.361 82.945 49 Francois Bernier/St-Hyacinthe,QUE
27 17.384 82.835 55j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
28 17.425 82.640 46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
29 17.434 82.597 63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE
30 17.443 82.555 23x Laurent Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT
31 17.448 82.531 17d Danny O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
32 17.505 82.262 95 Alex Boisvert/Drummondville,QUE
33 17.526 82.164 09 Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE
34 17.528 82.154 66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
35 17.559 82.009 89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
36 17.572 81.949 85 David Langlois/St.Philippe,QUE
37 17.599 81.823 95x Gaetan Brisebois/St-Hyacinthe,QUE
38 17.620 81.725 87 Steve Bernier/St-Hyacinthe,QUE
39 17.637 81.647 22j Gino Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
40 17.652 81.577 22w Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
41 17.663 81.526 19z Jessica Zemken/Sprakers,NY
42 17.676 81.466 6g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE
17.676 81.466 72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT®
44 17.706 81.328 9s Mark Smoke/Akwesasne,NY
45 17.707 81.324 19 Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE
46 17.716 81.282 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
47 17.779 80.994 1p Guy Parenteau/Sorel,QUE
48 17.864 80.609 29 Gilles Bessette/Drummondville,QUE
49 17.972 80.125 55 Perry Francis/Akwesasne,NY
50 17.997 80.013 66d Dexter Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
51 18.015 79.933 88 Eric Lefebvre/Drummondville,QUE
52 18.145 79.361 172 Martin Hebert/St.Pie,QUE
53 18.324 78.585 14 Mitchell Jock/Akwesasne,NY®
Heat Races (10 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to feature, top 2 went to re-draw)
#1: P.O’Brien, Decker, Roy, Bussiere, D.O’Brien, F.Bernier, Zemken, Dusseault, Brachmann, Langlois, Lefebvre.
#2: Lazore, Bicknell, Brouillard, Bilodeau, Boisvert, Parenteau, Flannigan, Brisebois, M.Hebert, M.Clair, D.Johnson.
#3: Planck, Therrien, Bernard, Robidoux, Wight, Gamache, Gagne, Fortier, S.Bernier, Jock, Bessette.
#4: McCreadie, Paine, Terrance, W.Stacey, Dufault, G.Clair, Chicoine, Francis, Smoke, Hindley.
#5: Gougeon, D.Hebert, Burley, Tarbell, Dagenais, Willix, Gauvreau, Pelletier, D.Stacey, Ladouceur.
Consolation Round (10 laps, top 2 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: D.O’Brien, Wight, Dagenais, G.Clair, Zemken, Gagne, Gauvreau, Brachmann, Parenteau, Brisebois, M.Clair, S.Bernier, Bessette, D.Stacey, Hindley (DNS), Lefebvre (DNS), Francis (DNS).
#2: Johnson, Dufault, Chicoine, Ladouceur, Dusseault, Smoke, Langlois, Fortier, Flannigan, Boisvert, F.Bernier, Willix, Pelletier, Gamache, M.Hebert (DNS), Jock (DNS).
Guarantees: Ladouceur, Smoke, Brachmann, Flannigan, M.Clair, Willix, Dagenais, Chicoine.
Provisionals: Zemken, G.Clair.
Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series Points (thru Sept. 13)
Rank No. Driver Total Series Bonus Diff Wins T-5 T-10 Starts
1 42 Pete Bicknell 690 394 296 0 0 3 5 5
2 17d Danny O’Brien 653 353 300 -37 2 3 3 5
3 5 Todd Burley 633 333 300 -57 1 2 3 5
4 3b Chad Brachmann 608 332 276 -82 0 1 2 5
5 99L Larry Wight® 588 288 300 -102 0 1 2 5
6 9s Mark Smoke 519 227 292 -171 0 0 0 5
7 66x Carey Terrance 498 214 284 -192 0 0 1 5
8 16 Lance Willix II 498 222 276 -192 0 0 0 5
9 19L John Lazore 478 186 292 -212 0 0 1 4
10 19z Jessica Zemken® 466 186 280 -224 0 1 1 3
11 23 Laurent Ladouceur 462 178 284 -228 0 1 1 3
12 72 Tommy Flannigan® 458 234 224 -232 0 0 1 5
13 22c Mario Clair 434 170 264 -256 1 1 2 4
14 28 Scott Kerwin 429 155 274 -261 0 1 1 2
15 1h David Hebert 417 121 296 -273 0 0 1 2
16 007 Roy Tarbell 409 159 250 -281 0 0 0 3
17 124 Pierre Dagenais 406 126 280 -284 0 1 1 2
18 123 Robbie Krull 394 120 274 -296 0 1 1 2
19 38 Scott Wood 394 102 292 -296 0 0 1 2
20 90 Martin Roy 388 100 288 -302 0 0 0 2
21 26 Rick Richner 388 134 254 -302 0 0 2 2
22 80 Chris Steele 383 161 222 -307 0 0 1 3
23 22e Eric Gauvreau 378 90 288 -312 0 0 0 2
24 46 Kayle Robidoux 376 76 300 -314 0 0 1 1
25 39 Clement Therrien 376 112 264 -314 0 0 1 2
26 96 Kyle Dingwall 375 95 280 -315 0 1 1 1
27 54 Steve Bernard 374 122 252 -316 0 0 1 2
28 80 Jeff Marshall 358 72 286 -332 0 0 1 1
29 44 Sebastien Gougeon 356 90 266 -334 0 1 1 1
30 23L Larry Lampman Jr. 354 78 276 -336 0 0 1 1
31 20 Jeff McGinnis 348 76 272 -342 0 0 1 1
32 21 Yan Bussiere 341 85 256 -349 0 0 0 2
33 71 Delbert LeGrow 340 94 246 -350 0 0 0 2
34 40 Joel Doiron 340 60 280 -350 0 0 0 1
35 14 Mitchell Jock® 339 75 264 -351 0 0 1 1
36 66 Dale Planck 335 231 104 -355 1 2 2 4
37 15J Tim Jones 334 94 240 -356 0 0 0 2
38 151 Brian McDonald 324 72 252 -366 0 0 1 1
39 111 Kevin Wills 323 97 226 -367 0 0 0 2
40 23b Dany Bilodeau 322 90 232 -368 0 1 1 1
41 M70 Billy Cook 321 95 226 -369 0 1 1 1
42 41 Boyd MacTavish 320 102 218 -370 0 0 0 2
43 9 Ken Cosgrove 320 76 244 -370 0 0 1 1
44 95 Mark Hitchcock 312 42 270 -378 0 0 0 1
45 49 Francois Bernier 310 58 252 -380 0 0 0 1
46 97 Michel Chicione 302 116 186 -388 0 0 0 2
47 22 Mike Bruno 294 0 294 -396 0 0 0 0
48 93 Richie Vinson 292 40 252 -398 0 0 0 1
49 95x Alex Boisvert 290 78 212 -400 0 0 1 1
50 44 Casey Swamp 290 48 242 -400 0 0 0 1
51 115 Stephane LaFrance 290 40 250 -400 0 0 0 1
52 31 Tom Jock Jr. 288 54 234 -402 0 0 0 1
53 24 Patrick Dupree 288 0 288 -402 0 0 0 0
54 94 Tim Hindley 286 10 276 -404 0 0 0 0
55 17 Jerry Higbie 284 0 284 -406 0 0 0 0
56 72 Todd Stewart 282 10 272 -408 0 0 0 0
57 1F Fred Carleton 280 40 240 -410 0 0 0 1
58 34 George Foley 280 0 280 -410 0 0 0 0
59 22J Gino Clair 277 43 234 -413 0 0 0 1
60 7 Sam Crogan 276 50 226 -414 0 0 0 1
61 3 Claude Brouillard 274 40 234 -416 0 0 0 1
62 55 Perry Francis 274 20 254 -416 0 0 0 0
63 44 Brian Stevens 274 10 264 -416 0 0 0 0
64 4 Leon Gonyo 272 0 272 -418 0 0 0 0
65 6g Martin Gagne 268 66 202 -422 0 0 0 1
66 73 Alain Boisvert 268 0 268 -422 0 0 0 0
67 09 Alex Fortier 267 53 214 -423 0 0 0 1
68 8 Tim O’Brien 267 105 162 -423 0 0 1 2
69 1 Todd Gordon 266 50 216 -424 0 0 0 1
70 33.3 Tommy Meier 264 0 264 -426 0 0 0 0
DIRTcar 358-Modified Entries – September 13 (53)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
09 Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE Holy Tek Canada-Plomberie Parre/Bicknell/Fortier
007 Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY Street Wise Fight Gear-Chiefs Tobacco Outlet/TEO/Kevlar
1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE Mazda Drummond-Freightliner Drummond/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
1p Guy Parenteau/Sorel,QUE Mazda Drummond-Freightliner Drummond/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
2 Michel Dusseault/Victoriaville,QUE Fondations J.P.-Castrol-NAPA Auto Parts/Troyer/JCE
3 Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE R.Brouillette Transport-G.A.D. Brouillard/Bicknell/RL Racing Engines
3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY Original Pizza Logs/Bicknell/Honest Abe’s
6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT 730 Truck Stop-Gypsum Logistics-Milestone Concrete/Bicknell/Enders
6g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE Charland Chevrolet Cadillac-Transport Demers-P&G/Bicknell/Boomer’s Racing
7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets-Ramada/Troyer/Finger Lakes
9s Mark Smoke/Akwesasne,NY Thompson Motorsports-Peters Motorsports/Bicknell/West Carleton Automotive
14 Mitchell Jock/Akwesasne,NY® Sweet Dreams-Warrior Racing/Bicknell/Dyke Engineering
17d Danny O’Brien/Kingston,ONT 1000 Islands RV Centres-Stover Bus Lines-Pat’s Radiator/Bicknell/Morrison
19 Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE Service Routier L.S./Bicknell/RL Racing Engines
19L John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY Street Wise Fight Gear-JL Motorsports-G&R Auto Parts/TEO/Enders
19z Jessica Zemken/Sprakers,NY Street Wise Fight Gear-Thompson Motorsports/TEO/Enders
21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE Bud Light/TEO/RL Racing Engines
22 Eric Gauvreau/Chelsea,QUE Micheline Richard Home Sales-Gauvreau Top Soil/Troyer/Ovide Doiron
22c Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE Batiments JDL-Motel Drummond-Freightliner Drummond/Bicknell/Morrison
22j Gino Clair/St-Edmond,QUE Dionne & Bros. Auto Parts-Cofrages M&B/TEO/RL Racing Engines
22w Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY Nor-Shir Construction-TRC-SUNY Canton/TEO/Morrison
23b Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE Entrepot Victo-Stephane Jackson Automobiles/Troyer/RL Racing Engines
23x Laurent Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT Mr. Radiator-Roxborough Bus Lines-Villeneuve Tanks/Bicknell/Ladouceur
29 Gilles Bessette/Drummondville,QUE Bourque Refrigeration-Granutech Recyclage/Bicknell/LaFrance Perform.
39 Clement Therrien/Victoriaville,QUE Carrosserie St-Calixte Racing-JT Rerrassement/Bicknell/RL Racing Engs
42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT Lucas Oil Products-Merrittville Speedway/Bicknell/Morrison
44 Sebastien Gougeon/Drummondville,QUE Gougeon Bros. Service Center-Stelpro Design-Castrol/TEO/Doyon
46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE Bert Transmission-Genesis Shocks-Rube Restaurant/Bicknell/Clements
49 Francois Bernier/St-Hyacinthe,QUE Qualite Summum Fromagerie-Bernier Excavation/TEO/RL Racing Engines
54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE Robert Bernard Tire Service-Robert Transport/Bicknell/AMB
55 Perry Francis/Akwesasne,NY C&B Boating Enterprise-Action Race Parts/TEO/AMB
55j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY Francis Racing-C&B Boating Enterprise-Action Race Parts/TEO/AMB
63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE Transport Pierco-BL-Les Macineries Tenco/TEO/RL Racing Engines
66 Dale Planck/Cortland,NY Akwesasne Filter Manufacturing-RezX Racing/TEO/Kevlar
66d Dexter Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE Bully’s Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell/RL Performance
66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE Bully’s Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell/RL Performance
66x Carey Terrance/Akwesasne,NY Akwesasne Filter Manufacturing-RezX Racing/TEO/Kevlar
72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT® Kane’s Vending-CMH Leasing/Bicknell/Enders
74 Frederic Gamache/Granby,QUE Performance POP-Excavation Ben-Benny/POP Performance/SMA
87 Francois Bernier/St-Hyacinthe,QUE Bernier Excavation/Troyer/RL Racing Engines
85 David Langlois/St.Philippe,QUE R.Langlois Construction-Como Pizzeria-Soudines LPB/Bicknell/Clements
88 Eric Lefebvre/Drummondville,QUE Batiments JDL-Motel Drummond-Freightliner Drummond/Bicknell/Morrison
89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY Bashore Trucking-New York Pizzeria/Bicknell/JanCen
90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE J.E. Fortin Racing-Thermo King-Centre du Camion Gamache/PMC/Clements
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders
94 Tim Hindley/Monticello,NY Sarvis Tree Service-Jakla Construction/TEO/JPM
95 Alex Boisvert/Drummondville,QUE Ferme Des Saules-Boulay & Fils/Troyer/Morrison
95x Gaetan Brisebois/St-Hyacinthe,QUE Ferme Des Saules-Boulay & Fils/Troyer/Morrison
97 Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE GMCI Express-E.Beaudry Enterprises/Bicknell/Enders
99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY Gypsum Express Ltd-Gypsum Wholesalers-Tracey Road Equip./Bicknell/Enders
124 Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE Carriere Sabliere (Quarry Dagenais)/Bicknell/Ovide Doiron
124m Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY Carriere Sabliere (Quarry Dagenais)/Bicknell/Ovide Doiron
172 Martin Hebert/St.Pie,QUE M.H. Performance/Troyer/M.H. Performance
SKIDMARKS
Show Me The Money: Not only was $15,000 up for grabs from the cash purse posted in excess of $42,000, a handful of special awards were on the docket for drivers signed up for this historic event. RL Racing Engines awarded fast timer Billy Decker with a $100 bonus and Autodromes Drummond, Granby and Edelweiss, Cornwall Motor Speedway and the Saint Guillaume Stadiaume rewarded the five qualifying heat race winners with $100 checks. Bert Transmission presented an ‘Ultimate Racing Shock Kit’ as the Halfway Award, valued in excess of $2,000 that included five Modified Shocks plus a pair of coil over installation packages. Martin Roy Jr. (JR Production) offered a $500 gift certificate towards a racing fabrication body of his as the ‘Harder Charger’ Award while the ‘Hard Luck’ Award was equal to a $250 gift certificate for fabrication wear from Babe Design.
Mac Attack: Tim McCreadie made his second start of the season in a DIRTcar Modified, finishing second in the asphalt special at Airborne Speedway in August behind Martin Roy. The 2nd-generation standout joined his father ‘Barefoot’ Bob McCreadie in the pits on Saturday as the younger McCreadie drove a team car of popular Frenchman Pierre Dagenais. T-Mac also finished second in his first appearance of the year at Drummond, chasing Rick Eckert across the stripe in the World of Outlaws Series A-Main held in June.
Dynamic Draw Order: The customary pre-race draw for the front row starting positions was anything but traditional for the big 150-lapper. On this night, the top qualified drivers participating were forced to pass the number that he chose on to another driver of his choice making for a more entertaining outcome. Pat O’Brien was the first to draw and passed his #7 frisbee on to Dale Planck and the remainder of the 10 drivers involved filled in as follows: John Lazore 6th to Billy Decker, Planck 5th to O’Brien, Tim McCreadie 4th to Lazore, Sebastien Gougeon 1st to David Hebert, Decker 8th to Pete Bicknell, Bicknell 2nd to McCreadie, Clement Therrien 9th to Gougeon, Steve Paine 3rd to Therrien and Hebert 10th to Paine.
Defending Champ On Defense: Reigning overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Champion Mario Clair entered Modified Mania 4 at Drummond in 16th-place on the 2008 points chart. Clair is anxiously awaiting the results of an appeal that followed the Frenchman’s apparent victory in the 100-lap main event held at Mohawk Int’l Raceway in August. “Most important is the points as 100 more would bring us back up to seventh and give us a better chance,” said Clair through a translator stationed pitside at Drummond prior to the start of Saturday’s main event.
POT HOLES: Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series regulars making the tow to Drummond to be part of the historic event on Saturday were current Big-Block tour points leader Billy Decker, Danny Johnson, Steve Paine and Dale Planck…..Decker, Johnson, Paine and Planck were among 17 drivers representing New York in t Race Mania 4 with 31 residing in Quebec and five crossing over from neighboring Ontario…..Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series points leader in the Big-Block Modified ranks, Billy Decker kicked off just his second DIRTcar Small-Block event of the season by setting a 358 qualifying track record in time trials. His time of 16.859 sec. was far faster than that of Advance Series Big-Block Integra Shocks Fast Timer Steve Paine who toured the 4/10-miler in 17.234 sec. this past July…..While Yan Bussiere held the former Drummond Small-Block tour standard of 17.182 sec. set just last year, Tim Fuller remains the fastest in a Big-Block with a time of 16.713 sec. turned in during 2007 time trials…..Heavy rain throughout the night soaked the Drummondville oval and upon arrival at the track before 12noon on Saturday racing promoter Yan Bussiere had his grounds crew even packing and grading the pit area. Sun finally broke through at 3:45 p.m., although the ultra-saturated racing surface tested the sturdiest of equipment from beginning to end.
2008 Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK LOCATION/WINNER
Sat-Apr 26 100 Merrittville Speedway Dale Planck
Fri-Aug 1 68 Ransomville Speedway Todd Burley
Thr-Aug 21 100 Mohawk Int’l Raceway Mario Clair
Sun-Aug 31 100 Cornwall Motor Speedway Danny O’Brien
Sat-Sep 12 75 Brockville Ont Speedway Rain-Cancelled
Sat-Sep 13 152 Autodrome Drummond Danny O’Brien
Fri-Sep 19 75 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua, NY
Fri-Sep 26 75 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Wed-Oct 8 75 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville, NY
Thr-Oct 9 75 Brewerton Speedway Brewerton, NY
Fri-Oct 10 100 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge, NY
Sat-Oct 11 150 New York State Fairgrnds Syracuse,NY ($20,000 to win)
Sat-Oct 18 100 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY ($7,500 to win)
2008 358-MODIFIED SYRACUSE CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS
(+)-denotes Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series event.
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/QUALIFIER
Sat-Apr 19 Orange County Fair Speedway Brett Hearn
Sat-Apr 26+ Merrittville Speedway Dale Planck
Sat-May 10 Airborne Speedway Patrick Dupree
Fri-May 16 Autodrome Edelweiss Pierre Dagenais
Sat-May 17 Brockville Ontario Speedway Jessica Zemken
Mon-May 19 Merrittville Speedway Larry Lampman Jr.
Fri-May 23 Ransomville Speedway Pete Bicknell
Sat-May 24 Lebanon Valley Speedway Tom Faxon
Sat-May 24 Mohawk Int’l Raceway Tim Fuller
Fri-May 30 Autodrome Granby Kayle Robidoux
Sat-Jun 7 Autodrome Drummond David Hebert
Sat-Jun 21 Lebanon Valley Speedway Kenny Tremont
Sun-Jun 22 Cornwall Motor Speedway Carey Terrance
Sun-Jun 22 Humberstone Speedway Chad Brachmann
Thr-Jul 3 Ransomville Speedway Robbie Krull
Fr-Jul 4 Autodrome Edelweiss Mitchell Jock
Sat-Jul 5 Can-Am Motorsports Park Billy Decker/Larry Wight(9th)
Thr-Jul 10 Brockville Ontario Speedway B.Decker/Danny O’Brien(9th)
Fri-Jul 11 Autodrome Granby B.Hearn/Alain Boisvert(12th)
Sat-Jul 12 Autodrome Drummond D.Planck/Dany Bilodeau(13th)
Sat-Jul 12 Canandaigua Speedway Todd Burley/Rich Vinson(8th)
Sat-Jul 12 Lebanon Valley Speedway J.R. Heffner
Sat-Jul 19 Autodrome Drummond D.Hebert/Clement Therrien(2nd)
Fri-Jul 18 Ransomville Speedway Todd Burley
Sat-Jul 19 Orange County Fair Speedway Craig Mitchell
Thr-Jul 31 Mohawk Int’l Speedway D.Hebert/Joel Doiron(4th)
Fri-Aug 1+ Ransomville Speedway T.Burley/Scott Kerwin(2nd)
Fri-Aug 1 Autodrome Edelweiss Mario Clair
Sun-Aug 3 Cornwall Motor Speedway D.Planck/Yan Bussiere(5th)
Mon-Aug 4 Merrittville Speedway Jimmy Phelps/Scott Wood(10th)
Wed-Aug 6 Airborne Speedway Martin Roy
Fri-Aug 8 Ohsweken Speedway P.Bicknell/Bill Bleich(2nd)
Sat-Aug 9 Lebanon Valley Speedway Matt Quinn
Sat-Aug 9 Autodrome Drummond K.Robidoux/Francois Bernier(2nd)
Sat-Aug 16 Can-Am Motorsports Park Gary Tomkins/Lance Willix II(14th)
Sat-Aug 16 Orange County Fair Speedway Jerry Higbie
Sun-Aug 17 Cornwall Motor Speedway G.Tomkins/Kyle Dingwall(6th)
Sun-Aug 17 Humberstone Speedway C.Brachmann/Brian Stevens(3rd)
Thr-Aug 21+ Mohawk Int’l Raceway M.Clair/Danny Johnson(2nd)
Sat-Aug 23 Lebanon Valley Speedway Andy Bachetti
Fri-Aug 29 Ransomville Speedway T.Burley/Jeff McGinnis(5th)
Sat-Aug 30 Orange County Fair Speedway Tommy Meier
Sat-Aug 30 Merrittville Speedway L.Lampman,Jr./Tim Jones(6th)
Sat-Aug 30 Mohawk Int’l Raceway John Lazore
Sat-Aug 30 Airborne Speedway P.Dupree/Mark Lamberton(2nd)
Sun-Aug 31+ Cornwall Motor Speedway D.O’Brien/Laurent Ladouceur(3rd)
Mon-Sep 1 Northern Region Champion Kayle Robidoux
Mon-Sep 1 Eastern Region Champion Jerry Higbie
Mon-Sep 1 Western Region Champion Pete Bicknell
Fri-Sep 5 Autodrome Granby M.Clair/Frederic Gamache(6th)
Sat-Sep 7 Lebanon Valley Speedway(2) Corey Sandstedt, Ray Hoard(11th)
Sat-Sep 7 Lebanon Valley Speedway(2) Art Collins, Kale Groff(9th)
Sat-Sep 13+ Autodrome Drummond(2) D.O’Brien/Pat O’Brien(2nd), Sebastien Gougeon(3rd)
Fri-Sep 19+ Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sun-Sep 21 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon,NY
Sun-Sep 21 Airborne Speedway Plattsburgh,NY
Fri-Sep 26+ Rolling Wheels Raceway(4) Elbridge,NY
Sat-Oct 4 Fulton Speedway Fulton,NY
Wed-Oct 8+ Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville,NY
Thr-Oct 9+ Brewerton Speedway Brewerton,NY
Fri-Oct 10+ Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Elbridge,NY
Sat-Oct 11+ New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse,NY
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company’s web site at http://www.advanceautoparts.com.
