April 10, 2000

Fulton, NY…Fulton Speedway held its 1999 season banquet at the Thunder Island Recreation Center recently, and Jimmy Phelps of Baldwinsville received top honors as the 358 Modified Champion.  Phelps had strong support at the April 7th affair from his family and team members, and said he was appreciative of their support over his years of racing.

    “I can’t thank my family and all of my crew and sponsors enough for being there over the years,” Phelps said.  “This is very much a team effort, and it means a lot to me to be able to accept this for everyone who has worked so hard for it.”

    Other drivers in the 358 class who received points awards included Mitch Gibbs, Todd Burley, Alan Johnson, Tom Kinsella, Gus Schmidt, John Barker, Dale Planck, Dave House, and J.J. Michaels.

    The DIRT Sportsman valedictorian was none other than Tony Buffa, who picked up top honors for the second year in a row.  Buffa will be moving into the 358 division for the 2000 season, leaving the door wide open for a new champion to take the throne.  Timmy Sears, Billy Shantel, Sr., John Cunningham, Willie Decker, Ronnie Richardson, Greg Doust, Tim Johnson, Ron Davis, and Mark Yorker filled out the top ten in Sportsman points.

   John Petrowicz was named overall DIRT Pro-Stock track champion, defeating runner up “Mighty Mike” Watkins by 19 points to win the title.  Ricky Breed, TJ Fitzgibbons, Jerry Holmes, Bill Shantel, Jr., Jason Rood, John Cooper, Gerry Newman and Paul Stoneburg also received awards for this very competitive division.

    Darren Kelso won the Pure Stock title with an even 800 points over perennial frontrunner Dave Mannise.  Lou Levea finished in third, with the top five being rounded out by Kevin Raymond and Chad Ray.  Finishing sixth through tenth in the standings were Dan Butterfield, Bruce Stanton, Dan Hatch, Ken Wentworth, and Ricky Degroff.

    With the book on the 1999 season now officially closed, Fulton Speedway is preparing for the Carson Automotive Group “Icebreaker 50” that will kickoff the new Century at the Route 57 oval.  The 50-lap event for the DIRT 358 Modifieds will be accompanied by a complete show of DIRT Sportsman, DIRT Pro Stocks, and Pure Stocks.  Gates will open at 5pm with race time scheduled for 7pm sharp.

    For more information contact the speedway office at 593-6531, or check out the speedway’s website at www.fultonspeedway.com.