Jocelyn Roy to lead off field in Sunday’s DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Championship 25

DIRTcar Pro Stock Series point leader in good shape for series finale

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – October 11, 2014 – Quebecois Jocelyn Roy clocked in with the fastest lap Saturday afternoon at the New York State Fairgrounds to earn him the pole position in Sunday’s DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Championship 25 during NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIII. The stock car racer from the north circled the Moody Mile in 37.696 seconds to lock in the top starting position in the season’s biggest race.

“My car was very good today, it’s very fast,” said Roy, who also claimed fast time honors in 2012.

Roy’s speed on the mile Sunday will start him in the front row for Sunday’s championship race, a 25-lapper that will determine the 2014 DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Champion. With a strong starting position and a series point lead of eight points, things are looking up for the St-Helene, Quebec, driver.

“It’s good for the championship points for the series,” Roy said about his time trial running. “I just have to take it one lap at a time.”

Also locking in top starting positions with fast laps is Dean Charbonneau, an Albany-Saratoga Speedway regular out of Clifton Park, N.Y., with a lap time of 37.810 seconds. Charbonneau will share the front row with Roy when the field goes green tomorrow, a great honor for a driver who thought this spring that he might not be able to race at NAPA Super DIRT Week.

Charbonneau was overcome with emotion during post-race ceremonies. He underwent heart bypass surgery in March, and doctors told him that he might not be ready to return to the cockpit by NAPA Super DIRT Week, but an unexpectedly speedy recovery allowed him a chance to take on the “Moody Mile.”

“It’s amazing coming out here. I love being out here – it’s fast. When you’ve got a good-handling car, it makes it that much better,” Charbonneau said. To stay successful tomorrow, said he will need to “just stay in my groove and don’t get outside that groove, and try to be smart and hold it to the floor.”

The top 24 starting positions in Sunday’s 30-car field will be determined by time trial rank. Saturday’s Last-Chance Qualifier race set the remainder of the field, placing winner Rick Dempsey, of Nassau, N.Y., in the starting lineup along with Tom Harkins of Hudson, N.Y. Richard Bertrand, of Acton Vale, Quebec, Stephane Lariviere of St-Nazaire, Quebec, Terry Ladouceur of Green Valley, Ontario, and Chris Cunningham of Kirkville, N.Y.

The final day of NAPA Super DIRT Week action kicks off when gates open at 10 a.m. and DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds hit the track for practice. The DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Championship 30 precedes the DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Championship 25. The Big Block Modified driver autograph session begins sharply at 11:45 p.m. before the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds hit the track for the week’s grand finale, the Syracuse 100.

For more information and the latest updates on NAPA Super DIRT Week, click www.SuperDIRTWeekOnline.com, follow on Twitter @SuperDIRTWeek, or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SuperDIRTWeek.

DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship 25 Qualifying Results

DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship 25 Last-Chance Qualifier Race

DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship 25 Lineup

The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast Region is brought to fans by several sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Chevy Performance Parts, NAPA Auto Parts, and Safety-Kleen. Contingency partners include the University of Northwestern Ohio, ASI, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix, ButlerBuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Mobil 1, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD LLC, Fox Shocks, Pole Position Raceway, Racing Electronics, Superflow and Wrisco Industries.