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Friesen Takes 37th Southern Tier 100; Pat Ward RoC Modified Champion |
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10/14/07 -
By JR KENNERUP ( RoC MEDIA )
Kirkwood, NY- Saturday night at the Five Mile Point Speedway the season long Race of Champions Dart Dirt Modified Tour ended with the 37th running of the Southern Tier 100. This event marked the end of the historic National Quarter Mile Dirt Track Championship at the track.
Third generation racer Stewart Friesen of Niagara on the Lake, Ontario etched his name into the record books as the first winner of this race who calls Canada home as he won the 100 lap feature.
he race became a tire wear attrition affair with every car that finished the feature with the exception of one having to pit at some point during the feature to change a flat tire.
Friesen who started 19th was running second when he got a flat tire on lap 80. Bringing out the 11th yellow of the race Friesen stopped on the track, pitted and returned to the race. Taking advantage of the same flat tire woes his fellow competitors were having Friesen found himself back in fifth just five laps later. Friesen was running second on lap 95 when leader Ronnie Johnson driving his dad’s famous 12a on the night got a flat tire.
After inheriting the lead Friesen had to hold off the strong and relentless challenges of former track champion Brian Weaver who started 11th to claim the $5,500 win; Weaver pitted twice for tires in the Randy Decker Motorsports entry.
Pat Ward who started 16th pitted twice, almost got lapped early in the race, and came on strong after his second pit stop to end up third. The finish enabled Ward to win the 2007 Race of Champions Dart Dirt Modified Tour title.
JR Hurlburt who started ninth drove a patient and conservative race to finish fourth. Hurlburt who earned the track $250 bonus for the highest finishing regular was the only car who did not pit throughout the entire race to change tires.
Mike Colsten started 17th was running as high as fifth when he got a flat tire on lap 84 rallied back to wind up in fifth.
“It was a wild race," said the smiling race winner. "I knew at the beginning that everyone was going to run out of tires before the end of the race. I was just trying to ride it out when I was in second and I didn’t expect the tire to go when it did on lap 80."
Stewart pitted not only for his flat right rear but also had a new left rear tire put on at that time. Stewart said this about his pit stop.
“I have to thank the Grammes guys as they changed my tires. Jeff Strunk did the right rear and Kevin Bates did the left rear, I have to thank two of my fellow racers for helping me out. I really appreciate all of their help on this night."
Stewart who earned an additional $500 for being the first small block across the line moved methodically to the front and he entered fourth on lap 47. Stewart stayed in fourth for one lap before settling into third. Stewart inherited second when leader Jack Johnson got a flat tire on lap 79. Stewart then got his flat one lap later and lady luck kind of shined down on him at that time.
“We had a great pit stop and I was basically one of the first guys at the front to have a flat so when the field recycled through I was in front of everyone else who pitted for tires. We kind of got lucky with all that happening as everyone was in the same boat with tires blowing."
Once Stewart inherited the lead he knew he had a tough customer behind him in Brian Weaver. “I could hear him and he pulled up alongside of me during the yellow when I got the lead trying to intimidate me. But I knew all that I needed to do was hit my marks in every corner for the next four laps and if I did that he wasn’t going to pass me."
Stewart spoke about his second big win within the last month as he won $10,000 at Utica-Rome nearly one month ago.
“Winning comes and goes, just like luck and we’ve had some luck in these two wins. But it also comes down to where we kept all of our stuff in order and got everything prepared for the end of the season. We’re going so good right now I don’t want to see the season end."
Stewart, the 27th different winner of this race then spoke about winning this race as he became the first Canadian to win this historic race. “I love racing here because there is so much history. My family from my grand dad to me has had a great relationship with this race track and the Heath and Harpell families. There are always a lot of tough customers who race here and whether you win a 30 lapper here or a 100 lapper here I get excited. Because it’s tough to win here and when you win here it is an accomplishment because of all the history that this place holds in racing. It’s an honor to race here and then when you win here it’s an even bigger honor."
“This was the first demolition race I’ve ever been in," said third-place finisher Pat Ward. “There was a lot of eight wheel racing tonight as the guys were really driving over their heads. I’m just glad to finish with what went on out there tonight."
Ward who failed to get into a re-draw position for the feature almost saw his hopes of a RoC Dart championship go away as he got involved in a lap six skirmish. The result was a flat right rear tire and this forced Pat to pit and return to restart at the tail end of the field.
With Ward at the rear the leading duo of Jack and Ronnie Johnson quickly got up to the back of the field. Jack trying to help the chances of his son to win the championship tried just about everything to get Pat down a lap between laps 12 and 21. Ward who was next in line to be put a lap down got a break as the yellow came out for the stopped car on Wade Decker on lap 21.
When asked about that situation Pat replied. “I knew I had a car as good as Jack and Ronnie. I just didn’t want to beat up my car and especially my tires at that point in the race. I just lost my good right rear as it got a hole in it and I certainly didn’t want to burn off the spare I just put on. But I had to stay on the lead lap."
Pat worked his way up to fourth on lap 80 only to have to re-enter the pits to change a right rear tire once again on lap 88. Pat then worked his way back up to third at the end to win his championship.
Pat spoke about winning the RoC Dart Dirt Modified Tour title. “The title, we won it the same as I won the small block title a few years ago. I didn’t start out the year by wanting to run for points. But we won two races in a row and when it came time at the end of the year we won the Region and so then we decided to go race for the championship. This is a nice little Series as you don’t have to race all the time and you don’t have to travel all over the place too. I like these little tracks that we race on because they’re fun to race on plus you don’t need a whole bunch of money and horsepower to be competitive in them. The 75 lappers that we run early in the year pay a decent purse and you have fun running these races. I hope we have more tracks to run at next year because this is a fun Series to compete in."
Qualifying for the 43 car field saw heat wins go to Weaver, JR Crouse, Ryan Grim, Ronnie Johnson, and Roy Bresnehan while Billy Van Pelt and Jim Gabriel, Jr. won the consi’s.
COUNTER POINTS; The original plan was the re -groom the entire track surface following the daytime show. This plan never materialized as that show ended later than expected and only track watering was done between the programs due to the now very strict 11 o’clock curfew. With this happening the all green flag laps in the feature with a halfway fuel stop was scrapped in favor of caution flag laps counting between laps 26 and 75 and no fuel stop. With Ronnie Johnson in his car, Jack Johnson drove the Carol and Alton Palmer owned entry. Jumpin Jack turned back the clock as he was dominating the feature until he got a flat tire while leading on lap 79. Jeff Strunk drove the second Brad Grammes owned entry while Jim Gabriel, Jr. was in the Jim Crawn car. Alan Johnson found himself in the Butch Getz owned car once again and was almost in the feature via the heat race. With the checker waving exiting turn four Alan was spun out by Jackie Brown, Jr. Tire problems started to pop up just before the halfway point as the finish resembled the 1997 version of this race where tire woes claimed many people.
RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART DIRT MODIFIED TOUR FINALE THE 37TH SOUTHERN TIER 100 ON NATIONAL QUARTER MILE DIRT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
FINISH; Stewart Friesen, Brian Weaver, Pat Ward, JR Hurlburt, Mike Colsten, Joey Grammes, JR Crouse, Jerry Higbie, Jr., Carl Nagel, Ronnie Johnson, Jim Gabriel, Jr., Eric Palmer, Ken Titus, Wade Decker, Roy Bresnehan, Bob Hamm, Jr., Jackie Brown, Jr., Jack Johnson, Alan Johnson, Mike Trautschold, Joel Batzel, Danny Creeden, Mitch Gibbs, Ryan Moyer, Glenn Knapp, Jr., Billy Van Pelt, Ted Lamb, Jr.
DNQ’S; Jason Smythe, Scott Brady, Bernie Kelly, Joey Colsten, Les Gillette, Darwin Greene, Dan Morden, Dennis Dietrich, Gerald Curry, Jeff Strunk, Butch Cerullo, Brent Wilcox, Dave Zona, Tim Votra, Chris Ostrowsky, Andy Bachetti.
LAP LEADERS; J. Johnson ( 1 – 79 ), R. Johnson ( 80 – 95 ), Friesen ( 96 – 100 )
DALE & SUE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY HALFWAY BONUS $500; J. Johnson
SMALL BLOCK BONUS $500; Friesen
FIVE MILE POINT SPEEDWAY LOYALITY BONUS $250; Hurlburt
GUARANTEED STARTER; A. Johnson
BUY – IN PROVISIONAL; Palmer, Batzel
FINAL TOP 15 IN POINTS; Ward – 682, R. Johnson – 639, Weaver – 619, Friesen – 591, Higbie – 539, D. Johnson – 519, Varin – 518, B. Decker – 506, Hearn – 500, Grammes – 498, Lamb – 478, W. Decker – 442, Bates – 433, Davis – 427, Colsten – 425.
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