Pro Stock Star Quickly Growing Accustomed to New Division
RANSOMVILLE, N. Y. – Friday, July 5, 2013 – He may just be a rookie in a Sportsman Modified, but Ontario’s Joey Ladouceur has enough laps under his belt to be able to dominate a race. With the skill of a longtime modified driver, Ladouceur took the lead in Wednesday’s DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series race at the green flag and kept it all 50 laps for the win.
Ladouceur drew the second spot in the grid for the feature at Ransomville Speedway’s Battle at the Border and left pole sitter Martin Pelletier in his wake at the initial start.
An lap 7 collision in turn 4 involving Jessica Power, Jenna David and Brad Rouse slowed the pace and brought the field back together for a double-file restart. Ladouceur kept the lead, followed by Pelletier in second, Adam Hilton in third, and Jesse Cotriss in fourth.
Ladouceur outlasted six more cautions, including one brought by a multi-car pileup in lap 35. After 14 laps, lapped cars at the end of the field and reached lapped traffic. However, he maneuvered through lapped cars with apparent ease, not giving an inch to Gary Lindberg in second. The caution took series points leader Boyd MacTavish to the pits with a right rear flat, but a pileup just off the restart in turn 1 brought the yellow out again, and gave the MacTavish team time to change the tire and send the car back to the track.
The eighth caution of the race was brought in lap 36 as a couple cars in the middle of the field hit the wall on the outside of turn 1. Ladouceur again triumphed off the restart, and with ever lap put more distance between himself and Lindberg. The checkered flag marked Joey Ladouceur’s first-ever win in the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series.
Ladouceur said his experience racing a Pro Stock at Ransomville against a competitive field set him up for success even in a new division.
“I’m real fortunate. When I came here and raced Pro Stock back in the day – against Jeff Ortiz and Pete Stefanski – they’re pretty tough,” said Laouceur, who is also getting some help from a friend. “This is a tough class too, but I have Billy Dunn from Number One Speed helping me with setups, and it’s made the learning curve a lot quicker.”
Lindberg finished second, Pelletier third, Spatorico fourth, and Scott George in fifth rounds out the top five. The defending DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Champion Cody McPherson finished 26th and MacTavish, who was points leader going into the Wednesday, July 3, race, finished twentieth.
The DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series heads back to north of the border with Round 4 on Friday, July 22, at Autodrome Drummond.
DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series – Round 3
Ransomville Speedway
Wednesday, July 3. 2013
A-Main (50 laps):
1. 92 Joey Ladouceur – Alexandria, Ontario
2. 28 Gary Lindberg – Ridgeway, Ontario
3. 92p Martin Pelletier – St. Robert, Quebec
4. 5 Don Spatorico – Ransomville, N. Y.
5. 26 Scott George – Wilson, N. Y.
6. 3a Adam Hilton – Buffalo, N. Y.
7. 21 James Henry – Niagara Falls, N. Y.
8. 92c Billy Coleman – Ransomville, N. Y.
9. 111 Alan Wills – Ransomville, N.Y.
10. 52 James Friesen – St. Catharines, Ontario
11. 3m Mathieu Desjardins – Sorel Tracey, Quebec
12. 54 Mark Chiddy – Boston, N. Y.
13. 10 Brett Martin – Burt, N. Y.
14. 1 Andrew Smith – Lockport, N. Y.
15. 52p Jessica Power – Kingston, Ontario
16. 28 Nate Reynolds – Newfane, N. Y.
17. 18 Brad Rouse – St. Catharines, Ontario
18. 18jr Louie Jackson Jr. – Akwesasne, N. Y.
19. 2 Jenna David – Akwesasne, N. Y.
20. 41 Boyd MacTavish – Ransomville, Ontario
21. 55c Jesse Cotriss – Akron, N. Y.
22. 19c Rob Clark – Georgetown, Ontario
23. 1R Ricky Thompson –
24. 62 Dave Conant – Niagara Falls, N. Y.
25. 8s Justin Sharp – St. Catharines, Ontario
26. 7 Cody McPherson – St. Catharines, Ontario
27. 94 Chris Burek – Wilson, N. Y
28. 51 Kevin Wills – Ransomville, N. Y.
29. 4 Greg Martin – Youngstown, N. Y.
30 1m Bill Mullin – Iroquois, Ontario
Did Not Qualify:
47v Phil Vigneri – Elba, N. Y.
25 David Borkenhagen – Niagara Falls, N. Y.
28w Sandy Pemberton
6R Mat Reynolds
27 Jim Zimmerman
B-Main 1: Nate Reynolds, Chiddy, Clark, Smith; Vigneri, Mullin
B-Main 2: Desjardins, Brett Martin, Friesen, Power, Borkenhagen, Thompson
Heat 1: Wills, Lindberg, Jackson, Sharp, Greg Martin, Smith, Vigneri, Mullin, Pemberton
Heat 2: Cotriss, Hilton, Ladouceur, David, McPherson, Mat Reynolds, Chiddy, Clark, Thompson
Heat 3: George, MacTavish, Conant, Burek, Rouse, Brett Martin, Zimmerman. DQ: Friesen
Heat 4: Spatorico, Pelletier, Henry, Wills, Coleman, Desjardins, Power, Borkenhagen
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. Contingency sponsors are ASI, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix, ButlerBuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD Performance, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, Superflow and Wrisco Industries.
