May 24, 2015 11:43 AM EDT
Paine Outlasts Lawson, Sites Collects IMCA Empire State Series Victory At Black Rock Speedway
DUNDEE, NY – For Immediate Release – May 24th, 2015
Steve Paine now has more wins at Black Rock Speedway than any other dirt track he has raced at in his career after Friday night’s victory over Donnie Lawson.
The seven-time track champion at ‘The Rock’ was coming off a great podium finish with the Super DIRTcar Series Wednesday night at Canandaigua. A track where ‘The Hurricane’ has won 91 times before and won eleven track titles. Friday night saw Paine etch his 92nd Black Rock victory in the books- his 8th with Big Block power under the hood.
“He (Lawson) was really good tonight. I kept trying to get a run on him, then I’d have to get back in behind him, then I’d try and get another run,” said Paine in Champion Power Equipment Victory Lane.
“I didn’t think I was going to get him but I knew I had a lot of laps. I think he started slipping a little, I don’t know what he had on for tires.”
Lawson led the field to Scott Hixson’s green flag and pulled away early as the Woodhull Auto Supply #11 was fast and working well on the bottom portion of the speedway. Paine started 9th, right behind ‘AJ Slideways’ Alan Johnson and the two quickly sliced their way through the field and into the top five.
Derrick Podsiadlo rolled off the grid from the third position and had his Penn Yan Express Stop #21 running well as he would race in the top three positions throughout the 30-lap feature event. Paine would work his way by Podsiadlo on a restart and set his sights on the leader.
Paine would begin to work the back bumper of Lawson as the leader was in the preferred line on the bottom. ‘The Hurricane’ had to work a half-lane to a full lane higher than Lawson in the corners and kept trying lap after lap- ready to pounce if the leader bobbled. With 10 laps to go Paine started to make ground on the outside of Lawson.
As the leaders completed lap 23 Lawson edged ahead at the line but there was no stopping the winningest modified driver in the speedway’s history. Paine pulled ahead down the backstretch and made the Swarthout Recycling, Instant Heat Wood Pellets Hig Fab Chassis as wide as he needed to in Turn 3 to complete the pass.
Paine would lead the final six circuits to take win #92 over Lawson, Podsiadlo, Ron Cartwright Jr and Johnson the top five.
“We changed the car and went one way for the heat and it was awful. For the feature we went past what we normally go the other way and it’s a lot better. It feels like it used to when I ran here,” said Paine about the intermission adjustments that paid off with the win.
The Empire State Series IMCA Modifieds were in town for a 25-lap $500-to-win event that also saw the twenty-three cars earn $75 to take the green flag. Robert Wilcox from M&M Auto Sales & Service, the IMCA weekly division sponsor, also recruited lap sponsorships for all but a handful of laps.
With increased pay on the line and the valuable series points on the line, Eddie Sites made the most of his run Friday night to pick up the win. It would be Chris Fleming and rookie Sparky Hills that led the field to the green flag with Fleming claiming the early lead.
Fleming would lead the opening 3 circuits until he very uncharacteristically spun in turn 3 in front of the entire field. Some heads up driving and the utilization of one-way radios allowed the 23 car field to avoid the spun Fleming #10. Fleming would restart at the tail of the field and have to charge back to the front.
This handed the lead over to the rookie Sparky Hills who is new to the IMCA but not new at the racing game. Hills had raced just about every division that has ever run at the ‘Fast Four-Tenths-Mile’ before moving to the IMCAs and on this night Hills had the Sparky’s Engines #45 running fast.
Harry Ely would take the lead on the restart from Hills and Sparky’s great run would end later in the race in a spin off the back bumper of the Sites #15 as he charged through the field.
Ely would lead laps 4 through 15 but the man on a mission was Sites. Sites drove up on Ely and made the pass for the lead on lap 15 and never looked back. Fleming and Brad Sites battled hard for second spot with Fleming ultimately taking second at the checkered flag after fighting back from 23rd on lap 3.
“When this place rubbers up I seem to run well here,” said Sites in Champion Power Equipment Victory Lane.
“We just picked them off one by one and once I got to the lead I backed it down a little bit until I saw someone’s nose. Apparently Chris was coming pretty good so I was trying to save my tires.”
Sites, the current Empire State Series point leader was happy to pick up the victory and extend his point lead.
“We’ve got the points lead right now so we’re just trying to maintain these Top 5 finishes.”
Fleming charged hard to finish second and spoke about the uncharacteristic spin on lap 3.
“I just told dad that was probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. This was the best car I’ve ever had and we’ve won here in the past,” said Fleming.
“I wish we had about three more laps because I felt we had something for Eddie.”
Brad Sites was disappointed to not make it a Sites 1-2 finish but felt positive about their run.
“I wish I could have made it a 1-2 finish but Chris got us at the end. It is what it is,” said Sites just before taking the top three photo in SuperGen/Champion Victory Lane.
Steve Gray out of Middlesex, NY started the Crate Sportsman feature in the pole position and dominated the 25-lap feature to pick up his second win of the season. Eric Bell was scheduled to start on the pole but a mechanical failure in his heat race put the #6 on the trailer for the remainder of the evening.
That put Gray and young shoe Jordan Siri on the front row for the green flag but there wasn’t going to be anyone who denied Gray the victory. Gray weaved his way through slower traffic, extending his lead to a full straightaway.
Chris Silvers who had a mechanical failure on the rear end of the Silvers Auto Sales #7 last week, followed up a poor finish with a heat win and an impressive second place finish. Brent Ayers was solid again for his second third place finish in a row, while point leader Casey Pavlick and Jake Dgien rounded out the top five.
“We made some gambles with the car that paid off,” said Gray in victory lane.
“I’d like to start off by dedicating this win to my crew. I went on vacation this week and left the car a mess for them to fix. I came back home, put the car on the scales and it was perfect. I also want to dedicate the win to Mr. Fields and Steve Seeley, they are going to be greatly missed.”
It had been 4 years and 2 days since Jared Hill last won a street stock feature at Black Rock Speedway. Hill spent some time in a dirt late model for Jim Schuyler but has returned to the Street Stocks and picked up the victory Friday night in the 20-lap MRC Street Stock feature event.
Hill started the Creekside Racing, Creekside Entertainment, Beauty Craft #93 in the sixth spot and quickly worked his way into second behind the leading CJ Guererri. A yellow on lap 4 would put Guererri and Hill on the front row for the restart. On that restart Hill used the top lane to take his Potter Chassis to the lead and clear Guererri in turn 3.
While Hill paced the field the battle was a good one through the top five between Frank Chapman Jr, Roger Kerrick, Tracy Dunn, Guererri, LaVerne Knickerbocker and Dylan Cecce in his first Black Rock Speedway start of 2015.
Hill would lead the rest of the way but late in the race he would have to hold off the charges of Chapman Jr in his ‘Freaky Fast’ paint scheme. A final restart with 2 laps to go saw Chapman make a final charge but could only draw up to the back bumper of the 93 car. Hill took his first win of the season over Chapman, Tracy Dunn, Kurt Stebbins, CJ Guererri and Dylan Cecce.
Chapman Jr would be disqualified during post-race tech inspection, which will move all finishers up one position for the purposes of points. Hill will extend his point lead in the division with the victory.
“It’s been a long time, I haven’t won here in four years,” said Hill of the long streak that got snapped with the win.
“I started overdriving the car- I knew Frank had got up to second. I just had to slow down the last two laps and let him go around me up top because he wasn’t going to get underneath me.”
James Kreidler has raced his fluorescent yellow 79K at the speedway twice now in 2015- both times walking away with the checkered flag and winner’s plaque. This time, however, Kreidler would find himself holding off a much improved Jayson Smart knocking on the door for the victory.
19 strong cars took Scott Hixson’s green flag in the NAPA Know How 4 Cylinder division Friday night with Kreidler going away from the 13th position. Heat race winner Erica Bell started up front and took the early lead through lap 3.
On lap 4 Smart would take the lead in his Speedway Performance #8 and looked awfully strong. The yellow would come out on lap 5 which put Smart and Kreidler on the front row. On that restart Kreidler nosed ahead down the backstretch and eventually cleared Smart in turn 3.
Kreidler fended off several challenges from Smart late in the going, but would go on to pick up victory #2 of the season. Smart had to settle for second, Chad Ayers came home with another top five in third, Codie Baker fourth in his front wheel drive and Del Cummings the top five.
“That last restart, the oil (from the last yellow flag) had me worried but I was able to swerve back and forth to get the tires cleaned up and hold on,” said Kreidler in Champion Power Equipment Victory Lane.
“It felt good, I knew Jayson would be tough to beat. The car handles wherever I put it no matter what track we go to.”
Jeff Daugherty had to spin to win in the Creekside Entertainment Bandit division, but would collect his fourth straight victory in as many races. The bandit feature was extended to 12 laps after their feature was cut short last week due to the rain delay. Daugherty chased down Billy Bowers all race long and made a move on lap 8 to bid for the lead.
Bowers and Daugherty made contact sending Daugherty to the infield in Turn 2, drawing the yellow flag. Daugherty lined up third behind Bowers and Pixie Kinner but was shot out of a cannon on the restart to take the lead on the outside off turn 2. Daugherty was determined to make it four straight and he did exactly that.
“I did the best I could to get around Billy on the inside and the outside but he was holding a good line,” said Daugherty.
“On the last restart I saw the outside was available so I tried to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Next week Black Rock Speedway welcomes fans back to the ‘Fast Four-Tenths-Mile’ in Dundee, NY for another exciting week of action on the dirt with a regular card. Grandstand admission is set for $12 with Seniors and ages 12-17 paying $10 for admission.
The card will include the Modifieds, Sportsman, M&M Auto Sales & Service IMCA Modifieds, MRC Street Stocks, NAPA Know How 4 Cylinders and Creekside Entertainment Bandits. Gates open at 5PM with opening ceremonies starting promptly at 7PM.
Full Results 5/22/15:
Modifieds 16 cars (30 Laps): STEVE PAINE (2), Donnie Lawson, Derrick Podsiadlo, Ron Cartwright Jr, Alan Johnson, Brady Fultz, Cory Costa, Ray Bliss, Stacey Jackson, Joe Dgien, Dale Welty, Daryl Hilkert, Tyler Siri, Wayne Robertson, Chris Ostrowsky, Eric Fisher
Lap Leaders: Lawson 1-23, Paine 24-30
Heats: Tyler Siri, Donnie Lawson
Crate Sportsman 18 cars (25 Laps): STEVE GRAY (2), Chris Silvers, Brent Ayers, Casey Pavlick, Jake Dgien, Dale Welty, Ross Vleck, Mike Buchanan, Chris Fisher, Doug Smith, Lance Irwin, Jordan Siri, Tim Guild, Dave Fultz, John Agnew, John Austin, Ray Bliss Jr, Josh Keesey DNS: Eric Bell
Lap Leaders: Gray 1-25
Heats: Chris Silvers, Brent Ayers, Steve Gray
Empire State Series/M&M Auto Sales & Service IMCA Modifieds 26 cars: EDDIE SITES (1), Chris Fleming, Brad Sites, Harry Ely, Jake Maynard, Keith Lamphere, Rich Karlnoski, Jason Benjamin, Matt Cole, Will Ward, Ken Buck, Brandon Smith, Scott Sebring, Rodney Morgan, Ray McClure, Gary Smith, Bobby Maynard, Sparky Hills, Brad Smith, Tyler Stoddard, Craig Ward, Mike Stoddard, Tony Harris DNS: Billy Ward, Brandon Mathews, James Cornell
Lap Leaders: Chris Fleming 1-3, Harry Ely 4-14, Eddie Sites 15-25
Heats: Matt Cole, Eddie Sites, Scott Sebring
Morseman Racing Chassis Street Stocks 20 cars (20 Laps): JARED HILL (1), Tracy Dunn, Kurt Stebbins, CJ Guererri, Dylan Cecce, Roger Kerrick, Jake Karlnoski, Nate Daggett, Chuck Winslow, Kane Stebbins, Bruce Kinner, Bill Miller, John Burritt, Dennis Cummings, Bob Buono, Ralph Champion Jr, LaVerne Knickerbocker, Brad Rathburn Jr TECH DQ: Frank Chapman Jr DNS: Rich Rider
Lap Leaders: Guererri 1-5, Hill 6-20
Heats: Chuck Winslow, LaVerne Knickerbocker, Tracy Dunn
NAPA Know How 4 Cylinders 19 cars (20 Laps): JAMES KREIDLER (2), Jayson Smart, Chad Ayers, Codie Baker, Del Cummings, Erica Bell, Rich Sharpsteen, David Whetham, Rick Horton, Dan Smart, Jeffrey Moore, Jarod Brown, Chris Percy, Amy Buck, Desi Force, Harold Kinner, Chris Davis, Jeremy Trank, Scott Bradley
Lap Leaders: Erica Bell 1-3, Jayson Smart 4-5, James Kreidler 6-20
Heats: Rich Sharpsteen, Erica Bell, James Kreidler
Creekside Entertainment Bandits 3 cars (12 Laps): JEFF DAUGHERTY (4), Billy Bowers, Pixie Kinner
Lap Leaders: Bowers 1-8, Daugherty 9-12
