May 23, 2001

SEARS WINS DIRT SPORTSMAN FEATURE AT FULTON ON BURKE’S HOME CENTER NIGHT 

FULTON, NY…Tim Sears claimed the win in the 20 lap DIRT Sportsman feature race at Fulton Speedway last Wednesday on Burke’s Home Center Night. Sears earned $500 for the victory, which was his third in a row on the Fulton Speedway high banks. R.C. Faigle won the wild Empire Super Sprint feature and Billy White was the winner of the Central New York Mini-Sprint feature as part of the special Open Wheel Wednesday program.

     Chad Phelps raced out to the early lead at the start of the Burke’s Home Center DIRT Sportsman feature from the pole starting position. Phelps led the opening two laps of the main event before Clayton Brewer Jr., took command on lap three. Phelps came right back to take the lead on lap four. Brewer regained the top spot on lap six, as the lead duo were involved in quite a battle.

     Phelps took the top spot back on lap seven and at the halfway mark he continued to lead with Brewer, Steve Way, Mike Button and Sears following in the top five. In the late going Sears started his charge to the front. Sears took over the second spot on lap 16 and one circuit later he was the race leader. Sears led the rest of the way for the win in the 20 lap event. Phelps crossed in second and was followed by Button, Willy Decker and Way.

     R.C. Faigle claimed the win in the wild 20 lap Empire Super Sprint feature. Faigle led the entire distance for the win, but he barely managed to hold off the late race challenge of Lance Yonge. Faigle and Yonge touched while racing for the checkered flag. Faigle crossed first and Yonge slid across the finish line sideways in second. Steve Dow, Bill Coffey and Ray Preston completed the top five feature finishers.

     The race was stopped for two red flag periods. The first came about when Bill Bailey spun in the fourth turn and was collected by Mike Woodring. The collision sent Woodring flipping, but the six time ESS champion walked away from the ordeal. Tom Taber flipped over the first turn wall in the late going in a show stopper. Taber, also escaped injury in the wild ride.

     Billy White was the winner of the Central New York Mini-Sprint feature. White was followed by Steve Boyd, Lance O’Dell, Don Harvey and A.J. Bagozzi. White took the lead on lap 12 of the 15 lap affair. A solid field of 25 cars took the green flag in the Central New York Mini-Sprint main event. The group will return to Fulton on Saturday, September 1.

FULTON NOTES---Race action continues every Saturday night at Fulton Speedway featuring the DIRT 358 Modifieds. Also in action are the DIRT Sportsman, DIRT Pro Stocks and Pure Stocks. Race time is 7 p.m…A total of 38 drivers attempted to qualify for the ESS main event…Former DIRT 358 Modified star Rick Wilson had his night end early in ESS competition after flipping down the back stretch in hot laps…Former Fulton Speedway Modified drivers Bob Podolak and Dale Planck were in the ESS main event.

                              BURKE’S HOME CENTER RACE SUMMARY

DIRT SPORTSMAN FEATURE---Tim Sears, Chad Phelps, Mike Button, Willy Decker, Steve Way, Clayton Brewer Jr., Jimmy Kite, Terry Knoblach, Tom Juhl, Paul Kinney, Dave Bargabos, Russ Hefti, Dan Vail, Jeremy Pitcher, Ryan Richardson, Kyle Wilson, Jim Larock, Steve Binns, Shane Donath, Bill Shantel Jr., John Cunningham, Walt McArdell, Ron Loveless, Greg Doust and Adam VanPatten.

ESS A-MAIN - R.C. FAIGLE, Yonge, Dow, Coffey, Preston, Barger, Years,
Gerber, Planck, Bennett, Kaszubinski, Zimbardi, Holcomb, Kerrick,
Dietrick, Emery, Karklin Jr., Drum, Stelter, Bailey, Podolak,
Taber, Dumigan, Woodring.

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