FULTON, NY – Donnie Wetmore Sr of Concord, North Carolina won the 30-lap Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman Super DIRT Series event presented by Motorsports Expo 2004 to kick off the 18^th Annual Dynomax Victoria 200 Weekend at Fulton Speedway on Friday night. Jason Rood of Oneida won the companion Empire Sports Network Pro Stock Super DIRT Series 30-lap event, while Rusty Marsden of Mexico won the nightcap 20-lap Top Stitch Custom Embroidery Victoria Championship for the Pure Stock division.

Wetmore, filling in for his son Donnie Jr who had a recent bout of appendicitis, returned to his racing roots at the speedway to claim the win in the Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman Super DIRT Series event presented by Motorsports Expo 2004. Wetmore, the All-Time Fulton Speedway Modified feature winner who now works for the Richard Petty Driving Experience, came from the fourth starting position to take the lead on lap 6 and led the remainder of the 30-lap distance behind the wheel of the E&V Energy/TEO Pro Car. The win for the legendary 50+ year old Wetmore, who last won at Fulton Speedway in 1997, was worth $1,500.

Young Stewart Friesen and Shawn Donath paced the Super DIRT Series event to the green flag with Friesen taking the early lead. Wetmore worked his way into second on lap 2, with Donath taking over on lap 3. Wetmore was on the move on a lap 5 restart and went right on by Donath for the lead on lap 6. Tom Juhl was running the high side of the track and made a great move to take over third, with Friesen in second. Friesen made a run for the lead on a lap 10 restart, but Wetmore held on to the top spot when Friesen slowed with a flat left rear tire.

On the restart, Donath made a run for the lead but Wetmore held the spot. At the halfway point, Wetmore was the leader over Donath, Ryan Richardson, Paul Carey, and Rob Ledingham. A three way battle for the second position began between Richardson, Carey, and Donath, with Richardson finally able to take over second on lap 24. Ledingham toke over third from Donath on lap 28, but making a late race charge was Tim Dwyer who took over third on the final lap. Wetmore, who dominated Fulton in the mid 1980’s-1990’s, was too strong and took home the feature win, his first ever at the track in a Sportsman car. Second was Richardson, followed by Ledingham, Carey, Dwyer, Scott George, Shawn Donath, Tim Sears, Billy Shantel Jr, and Russ Hefti. Wetmore will be converting the car over to a 358-Modified to compete in the 18^th Annual Dynomax Victoria 200, the one race at Fulton the six time champion has never won.

Track regular Jason Rood came from eighth and copped his first ever Empire Sports Network Super DIRT Series victory in the 30-lap Leaf Racewear Victoria Championship event. Rood took the lead on lap 20 and led the rest of the event unchallenged to the victory. Jip Ortiz led the opening circuit until John Lazore took over on the second lap. Ortiz started falling back in the pack somewhat with Jason Rood heading to the front, as he took over fifth on lap 9. Track champion Jeremy Clark took over on lap 10 sending Lazore into second. John Pietrowicz was the next driver on the move as he moved into second on lap 15.

Clark appeared to hit a marker tire on the inside of the track on lap 17, taking himself into the wall in turn four. This put Lazore back into the lead, with Rood running the high side of the track. Rood took over the lead on lap 20, which he held for the remainder of the race. Pietrowicz was second, followed by Lazore, Lee Burnett, and Pete Stefanski. Jip Ortiz, Joey Ladouceur, Roger Chrysler, Dave Schulz, and Marc Therrien completed the top ten finishers.

Rusty Marsden claimed the 20-lap victory in the Top Stitch Pure Stock Victoria Championship event. Phil Marsden took the early race lead until Rusty Marsden grabbed the top spot on lap 5. Phil Marsden was in second but retook the lead on lap 6. It was a great battle for the win between both Marsdens, Todd Storace, and Dave Mannise, all rival drivers. On lap 9, Rusty retook the lead with Phil, Mannise, Storace, and Jim Cronin running in the top five. Phil led lap 11, with Rusty once again taking over for good on lap 14. At the finish, Dave Mannise was second, followed by Waylan Wilczek, Ricky Trexler, Chuck Cushman, Jim Cronin, Don Stevenson, Phil Marsden, and Darryl Krebs.

PIT NOTES – Over 200 cars jammed the Fulton Speedway pit area to capacity in addition to the 358-Modified teams on hand to practice for tomorrow’s 18^th Annual Dynomax Victoria 200. 76 Sportsman cars were entered, with 54 Pro Stocks and 56 Pure Stocks. The early fall cold snap continued with race night temperatures in the low 40’s. No major caution flags or accidents, with the exception of two minor flips, happened to start the weekend off on a good note. Sportsman heat race wins were claimed by Shawn Donath, Stewart Friesen, Rob Ledingham, Ryan Richardson, Donnie Wetmore,Sr., Mike Holmes, Matt Janczuk, and Tom Juhl, while the Consi wins went to Jim Bowman, Kenny Stafford, Mike Button, and John Scarborough. Pro Stock heats were won by John Lazore, Jip Ortiz, Marc Therrien, Jeremy Clark, Joey Ladouceur, while the Consi wins went to Roger Chrysler, Fred Dennis, and Tom Denton. Phil Marsden, Don Stevenson, Jim Cronin, Dave Mannise, and Rusty Marsden won the Pure Stock heats with Ricky Trexler, Mike Minutolo, Ryan Buskey winning the Consis. 358-Modified warmups for the Dynomax Victoria 200 went off without any major problems. Billy Pauch Jr did spin twice in the first warmup session, while Kyle Wilson spun once on the slippery high banks. Pit gates open tomorrow for the Victoria 200 at 10am, followed by the grandstand gates at 11am. Hot laps will begin at 1pm, followed by racing beginning at 2:30pm. The 18^th Annual Dynomax Victoria 200 should begin around 6pm.

SUNOCO RACE FUELS SPORTSMAN SUPER DIRT SERIES 30 presented by Motorsports Expo 2004 (30-LAPS) – DONNIE WETMORE SR, Ryan Richardson, Rob Ledingham, Paul Carey, Tim Dwyer, Scott George, Shawn Donath, Tim Sears, Billy Shantel Jr., Russ Hefti, Adam Ferri, Ken Stafford, Tim Jones, Greg Doust, Matt Butler, John Pfeffer, Brian Sage, Matt Janczuk, Chad Phelps, Jim Livingston, Eldon Payne Jr, Bob Henry Jr, Rick Mill, Jessica Zemken, Jim Bowman, Tim Clemons, Tom Perrego, Ron Loveless, John Scarborough, Kyle Inman, Lance Willix, Tom Juhl, Mike Button, Stewart Friesen, Mark Schulz, Jeremy Pitcher, Mike Holmes.

EMPIRE SPORTS NETWORK PRO STOCK SUPER DIRT SERIES 30 presented by LEAF RACEWEAR (30-LAPS) – JASON ROOD, John Pietrowicz, John Lazore, Lee Burnett, Pete Stefanski, Jip Ortiz, Joey Ladouceur, Roger Chrysler, Dave Schulz, Marc Therrien, Mike Williams, Dan Mayer, Dave Bruno, Bret Belden, Fred Dennis, Louis Jackson, Tom Denton, Paul Stoneburg, Dan Jalbert, Jody Swamp, Brian Kotarski, Eric Vanderhoof, Roy Fifield, Geoff VanRiper, Derrick Excell, Jeremy Clark, T.J. Fitzgibbons, Todd Raabe, Chris Morris, Buddy Hencke.

PURE STOCK VICTORIA WEEKEND CHAMPIONSHIP presented by TOP STITCH EMBROIDERY (20-LAPS) – RUSTY MARSDEN, Waylan Wilczek, Dave Mannise, Ricky Trexler, Chuck Cushman, Jim Cronin, Don Stevenson, Nathan Peckham, Darryl Krebs, Mike Minutolo, Phil Marsden, Rick DeGroff, Brandon Warner, Todd Storace, Mike Lartz, Ron Hawker, Zeke, McKeowen, Chris Cunningham, Curt Prevo, Rob Whipple, Jim Wallace, Dana Aikens, John Simmons, Bill Clark Jr, Darren Kelso, Mark Davison, Dave Marcuccilli, Ryan Buskey, Shane Ray, Steve Woodworth.