MILLER CAPTURES FRIDAY VICTORIA PRO STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP SUPER DIRT SERIES EVENT AT FULTON SPEEDWAY; SPORTSMAN AND PURE STOCKS POSTPONED TO SUNDAY AT 5:30PM
FULTON, NY – Jon Miller of Olcott captured his third Empire Sports Network Pro Stock Super DIRT Series win in a row to kick off the 17th Annual Victoria 200 Weekend last Friday night at Fulton Speedway. The first career victory for Miller at Fulton Speedway came before rains fell postponing the remainder of the program including the Sportsman Super DIRT Series and Pure Stock Victoria Weekend features to Sunday at 5:30pm.
Former track champion Tom Barron and Brian Kotarski led the 30-lap Empire Sports Network Pro Stock Super DIRT Series 31 car field down to the green flag with Barron taking the early race lead. Jon Miller methodically paced his way through the field, advancing from the sixteenth starting position into contention for the victory just halfway through the event. Miller was in an entertaining battle for the lead with Derek Excell, who took the lead on lap 3 from Barron.
Miller took the point from Excell on lap 18 and never looked back enroute to his third consecutive Super DIRT Series victory. Excell had to settle for second, with Steve DeVos in third. Jipp Ortiz charged from twentieth to finish fourth, with Tom Barron in fifth. Completing the top ten it was Pat Hobbs, Lee Burnett, Mike Williams, Dan Mayer, and Jason Rood.
Heat winners in the competitive 58-car Pro Stock division were were Tom Barron, Brian Kotarski, Dave Bruno, Steve DeVos, Pete Gulick, and Derek Excell. Consi victories went to Mike Williams, Roger Chrysler, and Pat Hobbs. Seven cautions slowed the 30-lap affair, the most serious when Fulton champion Jeremy Clark hit a jersey barrier in turn three. Clark was ok, but the same could not be said about his No. 25. Derek Excell won the Syracuse Super DIRT Week guaranteed starting spot.
Following the completion of the Pro Stock feature, the 2003 CarQuest Motorsports Expo / Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman Super DIRT Series 30-lap event took to the speedway. Paul Carey and Scott George paced the 34-car starting field down to the green and Carey raced out to the early lead. Several yellows in the early laps slowed the field, with polesitter Carey into the infield tire marker in turn four on lap 5.
The race resumed with George taking the lead, however the winds had picked up and the rain started falling. The cars were run under yellow for several laps, at an increased speed, but the rains became harder and harder. Management took the cars off the speedway, and the rain stopped for a while and the packers were back on the track. The rains came back shortly thereafter, postponing the race to Sunday. Running order at the time of the rains was George the leader, Brian Sage in second, Jamie Christian in third, Willy Decker in fourth, Randy Chrysler in fifth, Tom Sears Jr in sixth, Shawn Donath in seventh, Ryan Odasz in eighth, and Mike Button in ninth, and Daryl Hagen in tenth.
The remainder of the Sportsman feature as well as the complete Pure Stock feature will be completed on Sunday after the regularly scheduled Non-Qualifiers program, with gates opening at 4:30pm, and racing at 5:30pm. Free grandstand admission will be the highlight of the second show on Sunday of the 17th Annual Victoria 200 Weekend.
PIT NOTES: Over 200 cars jammed the pits for Friday night Victoria 200 Weekend competition in addition to the 358-Modified teams who were on hand to practice for the 17th Annual Dynomax Victoria 200. Sportsman heat race wins were claimed by Paul Carey, Scott George, Willy Decker, Jamie Christian, Randy Chrysler, Rob Pratt, and Dick Park while the consis were won by Dave Schulz, Jim Davis, and Craig Terrell. 71 Sportsman drivers showed up in an attempt to qualify. 358-Modified teams arriving late did not get a practice session because of the heavy rain showers. In an early evening warmup session, Scott Prentice blew a motor and will be out for the weekend. For sure it will be interesting to see who can get a handle on the Fulton 3/8-mile clay oval surface early tomorrow afternoon with very limited practice time for tomorrow’s Victoria 200 event. Everything is a go for the remainder of the weekend, which will feature clearing skies and sunny conditions, as well as comfortable temperatures.
FULTON
SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY
17TH ANNUAL DYNOMAX VICTORIA 200 WEEKEND
RACE
DATE: FRIDAY OCTOBER 4, 2002
VICTORIA PRO STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP / EMPIRE SPORTS NETWORK SUPER DIRT SERIES (30-LAPS) – JON MILLER, Derek Excell, Steve DeVos, Jipp Ortiz, Tom Barron, Pat Hobbs, Lee Burnett, Mike Williams, Dan Mayer, Jason Rood, Dave Bruno, Chad Homan, Joe Santoro, Dave Fox, Bret Belden, Fred Dennis, Ricky Breed, Daryl Hilkert, Roger Chrysler, Joey Ladouceur, Ray Maloney, Scott Govertsen, Mitchell Jock, Dave Schulz, Paul Stoneburg, Brian Kotarski, Bob Buono, Joe Palmer, Pete Stefanski, T.J. Fitzgibbons, Jeremy Clark.
VICTORIA 2003 CARQUEST MOTORSPORTS EXPO SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP / SUNOCO RACE FUELS SUPER DIRT SERIES – Rain postponed at lap 6 to Sunday at 5:30pm.
VICTORIA 200 PURE STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP – Rain postponed to Sunday at 5:30pm.
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