Fuller Scores Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Win Wednesday At Can-Am!

LaFargeville, NY - October 3, 2007 - By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director

It was just Wednesday of Super DIRT Week and Tim Fuller from nearby Edwards, N.Y. had already begun to build momentum for another successful assault on DIRTcar NorthEast's biggest event of the year. Fuller made his latest stop in victory lane on home turf after the 75-lap Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series satellite event at Can-Am Motorsports Park.
 
Fuller led all but the initial 17 circuits with a late race caution flag extending the event to 76 laps, with Todd Burley, Bert Hard Charger Danny O'Brien, Randy Chrysler and a rallying Lance Willix II making up the final top-five running order.
 
"I'm glad to start out the week on a high note, its good for the whole team to find some success early," said Fuller, following his 13th career Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified tour victory which earned him a guaranteed starting berth in Saturday's ITT Corporation-Goulds Pumps 150-lap 'Salute to the Troops' Championship at the New York State Fairgrounds. "John Lazore's guys took care of this small-block car all week so they deserve all the credit. It's a big week so picking up a win is a big morale booster heading back to Syracuse."
 
Chrysler was among the top-three finishers in the four qualifying heats to earn a re-draw, and once the green flag flew the Lewiston, N.Y. traveler jumped out front of pole-sitter and front row partner Mario Clair to set the early pace. Yet that only lasted one circuit as Burley flew past the second time around the spacious half-miler with top-two Mr. DIRTcar 358 point chasers Clair and Carey Terrance in hot pursuit.
 
Canadian chauffeur Kyle Dingwall slowed in the first corner to incur the initial caution period on lap seven while on the ensuing restart a turn four tangle forced a rare red flag situation as Orange County Fair Speedway invader Danny Creeden ended upside down. Also involved in the mid-pack mishap were Pat O'Brien, Bill Gill, Steve Planck and Robbie Grant.
 
Burley continued his stronghold up front back under green while Fuller worked his way toward the front from his 11th-place starting spot on the original 30-car grid. Cutting through the pack even quicker was 28th-place starter Danny O'Brien, who was scored 13th with eight laps complete.
 
Willix slowed to bring out a second yellow flag and Fuller took advantage of the lap 12 restart to bolt past Chrysler for second and he nosed past Burley for first following another slowdown on lap 18 to forge the final lead change. With 25 laps in the books, Fuller opened up a comfortable margin over Burley and Chrysler, with O'Brien moving into fourth ahead of Kyle Jacobs.
 
Fast time trailer Stewart Friesen began 21st after winning the consolation race and became a factor two-thirds of the way through as only 16 cars remained trackside with 50 laps complete. Friesen tried to improve on his fifth-place position as the laps clicked off yet turn three contact with O'Brien cost him terminal front end damage with just a dozen laps remaining in the scheduled 75-lap finale.
 
The order of Fuller, Burley, O'Brien, Chrysler and Jacobs remained intact until Mike Adderley slowed just off the infield to bring the yellow lights back on for the eighth and final time on lap 72. The green-white-checkered flag finish was enough to give Willix his first top-five finish of the Series as the feature was prolonged an additional lap.
 
"The track got a little narrow out there, you just had to treat it with kid gloves and you'd be alright," added Fuller, following his first Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series win of the season behind the wheel of the no. 19 Street Wise Fighting Gear-JL Motorsports/TEO entry. "We had to pound it out on the cushion a few times but fortunately things worked out for us tonight and here we are."
 
Runner-up Burley recorded his first top-five finish of the 2007 tour, never dropping out of the top two spots for the duration. "The car was really tight all night so I had nothing for Tim out there. I was trying to run the bottom since I knew Tim was good up top. Second isn't too bad considering who came out first."
 
O'Brien was just happy to start the main event after missing his heat and coming home eighth in the last chance qualifier. "I owe this one all to Norm Dunn from Number One Speed. We blew an oil line early and he drove back to Watertown to find a replacement. Without him we would've already been heading back home about now."
 
Racing in the Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series takes less than a 24-hour break before returning for three consecutive nights of extra-distance activity during the annual Super DIRT Week extravaganza in the Salt City. The rare quadrupleheader carries on Thursday, October 4 at Brewerton Speedway followed by Rolling Wheels on Friday before closing out with the headline ITT Corporation-Goulds Pumps 150-lap 'Salute to the Troops' Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series Championship race Oct. 6 on the Syracuse Mile.
 

Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series Race #9 – Can-Am Motorsports Park, October 3, 2007 Event Summary
FIN      STR    CAR#            DRIVER
1          11        19        Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY($3,000)
2          4          5          Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
3          28        17d     Danny O'Brien/Kingston,ONT
4          2          21k      Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
5          26        16        Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
6          5          37        Kyle Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY
7          7          007     Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY
8          15        66w     Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
9          27        9          Mark Smoke/Akwesasne,NY
10        19        22        Eric Gauvreau/Chelsea,QUE
11        29        63        Steve Roberts/Watertown,NY
12        22        99        Mike Adderley/Watertown,NY
13        21        ofp1    Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
14        18        84        Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
15        12        60        Bill Gill/Plessis,NY
16        1          22c      Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
17        6          124     Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE
18        23        28        Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
19        3          66x      Carey Terrance/Hogansburg,NY
20        16        124x   Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
21        8          fx1       Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
22        13        0          Russ Hefti/Elbridge,NY
23        24        46        Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
24        14        1f         Fred Carleton/St.Catharines,ONT
25        9          6          Pat O'Brien/Kingston,ONT
26        10        16x      Danny Creeden/Middletown,NY
27        20        77x      Steve Planck/Cortland,NY
28        25        77g     Robbie Grant/Malone,NY
29        17        96        Kyle Dingwall/Morrisburg,ONT
30        30        21h     Andy Howard/Hammond,NY
GATER NEWS LAP LEADERS: Chrysler (1), Burley (2-17), Fuller (18-76).
CAUTIONS: 8 for 14 laps; 1 RED FLAG (lap 7).         
SYRACUSE ITT CORP./GOULDS PUMPS 150 QUALIFIER: Tim Fuller.
DID NOT QUALIFY(4)
7j-Jeff Isabell/Pennellville,NY
37p-Francisco Perera/Etobicoke,ONT
42b-Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
86-Mark Webb/Watertown,NY
 
QUALIFYING
FAST              AVE               
TIME               MPH           CAR#     DRIVER
1          19.265            93.434            ofp1    Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
2          19.322            93.158            22c      Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
3          19.324            93.148            19        Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
4          19.331            93.115            16x      Danny Creeden/Middletown,NY
5          19.351            93.018            124     Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE
6          19.443            92.578            fx1       Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
7          19.509            92.265            6          Pat O'Brien/Kingston,ONT
8          19.585            91.907            66x      Carey Terrance/Hogansburg,NY
9          19.622            91.734            46        Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
10        19.699            91.375            99        Mike Adderley/Watertown,NY
11        19.753            91.125            5          Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
12        19.790            90.955            42b     Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
13        19.795            90.932            37        Kyle Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY
14        19.807            90.877            1f         Fred Carleton/St.Catharines,ONT
15        19.811            90.859            28        Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
16        19.820            90.817            37p     Francisco Perera/Etobicoke,ONT
17        19.887            90.511            96        Kyle Dingwall/Morrisburg,ONT
18        19.909            90.411            9          Mark Smoke/Akwesasne,NY
19        19.926            90.334            22        Eric Gauvreau/Chelsea,QUE
20        19.944            90.253            21k      Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
21        19.948            90.235            0          Russ Hefti/Elbridge,NY
22        19.960            90.180            007     Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY
23        20.007            89.969            66w     Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
24        20.148            89.339            124x   Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
25        20.155            89.308            60        Bill Gill/Plessis,NY
26        20.201            89.104            84        Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
27        20.252            88.880            86        Mark Webb/Watertown,NY
28        20.274            88.784            77x      Steve Planck/Cortland,NY
29        20.337            88.509            21h     Andy Howard/Hammond,NY
30        20.449            88.024            63        Steve Roberts/Watertown,NY
31        20.451            88.015            77g     Robbie Grant/Malone,NY
32        -NT-                 -----               7j         Jeff Isabell/Pennellville,NY
33        -NT-                  -----               16        Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
34        -NT-                 -----               17d     Danny O'Brien/Kingston,ONT
 
Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature, top 3 went to re-draw)
#1: Dagenais, Jacobs, Gill, Hefti, Dingwall, Friesen, Robidoux, Howard, Isabell (DNS).
#2: Clair, Caprara, Tarbell, Carleton, Tomkins, Adderley, Smoke, Roberts, Willix.
#3: Fuller, P.O'Brien, Burley, Stacey, Gauvreau, Decker, Grant, Webb.
#4: Creeden, Terrance, Chrysler, Dunn, Planck, Perera, Bates, D.O'Brien (DNS).