DANNY JOHNSON, SHANE PECORE AND WAYNE RIDDELL SCORE BIG VICTORIES AT FALL NATIONALS FINALE The 2nd night of the 1000 Islands RV Fall Nationals, a Craig Revelle Tribute presented by St. Lawrence Radiology and RezX Racing was delayed by several showers that passed through the area early in the day. But with all the hard work of the track crews got the speedway back in fine form and all drivers were set to go for the final race of the season. The Big Block Modified Super DirtCar Series was first up for their 100 lap contest and outside pole sitter Brian McDonald took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Danny Johnson, Billy Dunn, Billy Decker and Jimmy Phelps making up the top 5. Slim, as he is dubbed, was flying around the top side of the speedway in his 358 Modified and pulled out to a half straight away advantage by lap 6. The first yellow flew on lap 10 for Billy VanInwegen as he slowed on the back stretch. On the restart McDonald remained in control over Johnson and Dunn and was one of the fastest cars on the speedway as he once again began to pull away. 2 quick cautions came out first on lap 14 for Rich Scagliotta and Keith Flach as they went off turn 4 but were able to continue on. The next yellow flew on lap 21 for Pierre Dagenais when he spun to the inside of turn 2. When the green flew again McDonald continued to lead but The Doctor found a little something extra and was putting the pressure on McDonald for the top spot as Erick Rudolph, Billy Dunn and Jimmy Phelps were having great runs in the top 5. On lap 37 Johnson finally made the move for the lead as he took the top spot from McDonald with Dunn, Rudolph and Dale Planck making his way into the top 5. Johnson may have taken the lead but McDonald was not letting him get away quietly and was all over Johnson for the top spot. On lap 42 the yellow flew for Tim Kerr who spun in turns 1 & 2. The green came back and it was the Johnson, McDonald show at the front of the field. Over the next 20 laps as these 2 drivers were pulling away from the rest of the field and was a race for 3rd through the midpoint of the race as Billy Dunn, Erick Rudolph, Billy Decker and Matt Sheppard all were battling hard for a top 5 position. On lap 75 Justin Haers came to a stop in turn 2 and under the same yellow Billy Dunns great run came to a disappointing end as he slowed to the inside of turn 2. When the green flew McDonald and Johnson continued their great battle and it became pretty physical but The Doctor held strong as was able to keep the top spot with McDonald still working hard to take it away. Over the next 15 laps the track conditions changed quickly making it tough to pass on the high side of the speedway. By lap 96 Johnson had a 6 car length lead over McDonald with Decker, Rudolph and Sheppard making up the top 5. On lap 98 Larry Wight slowed on the speedway with a flat tire. On the final restart Johnson was able to pull away from McDonald and go on to record his 76th career Super DirtCar Series win along with the weekend sweep of the Fall Nationals, having won the 358 race on Friday night. McDonald finished an impressive 2nd with Billy Decker, Erick Rudolph and Matt Sheppard. The Sportsman Super DirtCar Series was ready to close out their 2014 season and Mathieu Desjardins, Brad Rouse and Shane Pecore all had a shot at the series crown. When the green flew Brockville Speedway track champion Shane Pecore jumped out to the early lead with Mike Maresca, Corey Wheeler, Dany Gagne and Cody McPherson completed the top 5 early on. On lap 2 Brad Rouse saw his chance for a 2nd straight tile go away as he had front end problems. Rouse would return later in the race many laps down. When the green flew Pecore proved he had a fast race car in the early going as he pulled away once again while Mike Maresca tried to keep pace. On lap 12 the yellow flew for 5 car tangle in turn 4. On the restart Maresca got by Pecore for the lead with Wheeler, Gagne and Dylan Evoy completing the top 5. Maresca has had a solid season all year on the Sportsman tour and was looking for his first ever series win but on lap 18 the yellow flew for Gilles Godard as he hit the wall breaking the rear end on his machine. When the green flew a massive pile up occurred in turn 1 behind the top 10 which resulted in many torn up race cars including Ryan Stabler who flipped off turn 1. All drivers were ok but many of them were done for the evening. When the green flew Maresca kept his lead but Pecore would stay right there to challenge. On lap 22 Pecore made the move to get the top spot back with Mathieu Desjardins now 3rd, Corey Wheeler and Dany Gagne rounding out the top 5. Pecore had a solid car past the halfway point and was looking to pull away but Maresca also had a great car and stayed within 3 car lengths of the leader. On lap 28 Mathieu Laramee spun to a stop in turn 2. When the green flew another big wreck occurred on the front stretch which saw Jon Mills roll his machine. All drivers were ok, Jon Mills was pushed back to the pits but was unable to return to the field. Several late race cautions slowed the event which allowed Wheeler, Desjardins and Jessica Power to make their way back into contention but had some work to do to catch the top 2 drivers. Shane Pecore did all he had to do and would pull away in the closing laps to score his 2nd tour win of the year over Maresca, Wheeler, Mathieu Desjardins and Jessica Power who came from 28th starting spot to finish a solid 5th. Mathieu Desjardins 4th place run was just enough to secure his first Sportsman Super DirtCar Series title by just 1 point over Shane Pecore. The Vintage Modifieds were set to close out the Fall Nationals and Wayne Riddell had one of the fastest cars all day and raced out to a quick lead over Dave Wilgosh. Riddell was looking to end the race quickly but a lap 6 caution for Pete Stapper bunched the field up giving Wilgosh another chance at catching Wayne Riddell. When the green flew Wilgosh tried to keep pace but Riddell had a stronger car and was able to pull away from Wilgosh, Steve Arbuthnot, Paul Billings and Steve Billings. Without the aid of another yellow in the 15 lap event nobody had any chance of catching Wayne Riddell who went on to become the only 2 time Vintage Modified winner of the year and his first ever win at the Fall Nationals. Wilgosh came home 2nd with Arbuthnot, Paul Billings and Pete Stapper who recovered from an early race spin to finish 5th. The entire staff and management at the Brockville Ontario Speedway would like to thank all the fans and race teams who supported us throughout the 2014 racing season and are looking forward to an even bigger year when the 2015 season gets underway. From all of us at the Brockville Ontario Speedway, have a safe and happy holiday season and we will see you next year, at the races. Big Block Modified Super DirtCar Series DANNY JOHNSON, Brian McDonald, Billy Decker, Erick Rudolph, Matt Sheppard, Dale Planck, Danny OBrien, Jimmy Phelps, Gary Tomkins, Yan Bussiere, Mike Adderley, Matt Billings, Jordan McCreadie, Brett Hearn, Keith Flach, Tim Kerr, Pat Ward, Peter Britten, Justin Haers, Chris Herbison, Larry Wight, Pierre Dagenais, Mario Clair, Stephane Lafrance, Rich Scagliotta, Billy Dunn, Jason Riddell, Ryan Arbuthnot, Steve Bernard, Billy VanInwegen Sportsman Super DirtCar Series SHANE PECORE, Mike Maresca, Corey Wheeler, Mathieu Desjardins, Jessica Power, Joey Ladouceur, Martin Pelletier, Justin Lalancettem Jeremy LaSalle, Mathieu Laramee, Adam Leslie, Louie Jackson Jr., Cody McPherson, Mike Stacey, Dany Gagne, Thomas Cook, Brad Rouse, Dillon Sallows, Jon Mills, Dylan Evoy, Jason Shipclark, Johnathon Ferguson, Ryan Scott, Bruce Makinson, Aaron Pugh, Ryan Stabler, Gilles Godard, Ricky Thompson, Wyatt Mullin, Greg Ezard Vintage WAYNE RIDDELL, Dave Wilgosh, Steve Arbuthnot, Paul Billings, Peter Stapper, Steve Billings, Cole Dingwall, Tim Charland, Paul Pekkonen, Denzil Billings, Steve Lackie, Brandon Gregory, Jeremiah Stephenson, Kevin McKay, John Stanley, (DNS) Tim Hegarty
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 22:44:57 +0000