August 28, 1999

ALAN JOHNSON FINDS VICTORY LANE AGAIN AT FULTON  
FULTON, NY.....Alan Johnson broke a few weeks' worth of bad luck by dominating Saturday night's 35-lap DIRT 358 Modified feature event at Fulton Speedway.  Tony Buffa made a daring outside pass going into the final lap to score the Sportsman win, while TJ Fitzgibbons and Darren Kelso were repeat winners in the Pro Stocks and Pure Stocks respectively.
 
Doug Fuller and Dave House traded the lead back and forth in the first two laps of the Modified feature event, but the red showed on lap 3 after a multiple car pileup in turn two took out point leader Todd Burley and Mitch Gibbs.  Gibbs returned to action just as the green flag flew and began tearing up the field.  Meanwhile, Alan Johnson had moved up from his eighth starting spot to second behind House.  On lap 8, Alan moved under House to take the lead.
 
As Gibbs continued to storm through the pack, Roger Phelps linked up in a battle for third with Jason Barney.  After the halfway point, both of these drivers faded as J.J. Michaels, Gus Schmidt, Jimmy Phelps, and Gibbs battled heavily for position.  Up front, Alan Johnson was stretching out his lead over the field as the leaders encountered lapped traffic.
 
In the closing stages of the feature, Gibbs and Tom Kinsella made strong moves toward the leaders, but Johnson was not to be denied as he took the victory.  Jimmy Phelps was five car lengths back in second, followed by Kinsella, Michaels, and Gibbs.  DIRT 358 Modified heats were won by Roger Phelps, Johnson, and Michaels.  Gil Tegg won the Modified consi.
 
The 20-lap Sportsman feature began with Jim Bowman pulling out into the lead.  Mark Yorker held the second spot early on, but lost it to Ron Richardson, who in turn lost the spot after a battle with Willy Decker and Tony Buffa.  On lap 12, Buffa slipped past Decker to take the second spot.
 
The remaining laps were filled with action as Buffa tried high and low to pass Bowman, with Bowman holding him off at every turn.  Finally, coming down to the white flag, Buffa moved up high.  Bowman slid high in turn four and Buffa was barely able to squeak by for the lead.  Bowman tried to retake the spot, but Buffa hung tough to claim the win.  Decker finished thrid, followed by Richardson and Bill Shantel.  Sportsman heats were won by Walt McArdell, Yorker, and Decker.  The consi was claimed by Dave Bargabus.  Dean Bower won the Sportsman 'B' Dash.
 
The 20-lap Pro Stock feature saw Ray Maloney hold the lead with Mike Watkins holding on in a battle for second until and unscheduled trip into an infield tire knocked him out of the event.  TJ Fitzgibbons battled with Gerry Newman for the second spot until Fitzgibbons moved into the runnerup spot for good on lap 9.
 
The second half of the race was a side by side battle for the lead between Fitzgibbons and Maloney.  Neither had an advantage until Fitzgibbons slipped into the lead just before a lap 16 yellow.  Fitzgibbons held him off the rest of the way for the checkers, followed by Newman in third, Bill Shantel Jr. in fourth, and Ricky Breed in fifth.  Pro Stock heats were won by Maloney, Watkins, and Fitzgibbons.
 
The 15-lap Pure Stock feature event was another wild affair with plenty of three and four wide racing, but as the laps counted down the lead battle narrowed down to Darren Kelso, Dave Mannise, and Jeff Pastorella.  Kelso got the best of them to score another win, followed by Pastorella, Mannise, Jim Thomas, and Don Stevenson.  Pure Stock heats were won by Lou Levea and Jim Thomas.
 
Next Saturday night it's "'Rasslin' and Racin'" with gates opening at 5pm, UWA Ringmasters wrestling beginning at 5:30pm, and racing starting at 7pm with the Eastern Limited Sprints joining the 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro Stocks, and Pure Stocks.
 
RACE SUMMARY-FULTON SPEEDWAY
AUGUST 28, 1999
 
DIRT 358 MODIFIED FEATURE-ALAN JOHNSON, Jim Phelps, Tom Kinsela, JJ Michaels, Mitch Gibbs, Gus Schmidt, Dave House, Roger Phelps, Gil Tegg, Jason Barney, Pete Taylor, Doug Fuller, Roy Shields, Ty Hunt, Rick Miller, John Knapp, John Ventura, Eric VanSciver, Billy Woodworth, Jeff Rudalavage, Todd Burly, Jay Hopkins, Randy Storms, John Barker.
 
SPORTSMAN FEATURE-TONY BUFFA, Jim Bowman, Willy Decker, Ron Richrdson, Bill Shantel, John Cunningham, Tommy Collins Jr., Tim Sears, Dan Vail, Ron Davis, Joe Beyea, Walt McArdell, Mark Yorker, Paul Kinney, Dave Bargabus, Tim Johnson, Chad Phelps, Terry Knoblauch, Mark Tily, Jeremy Pitcher, Russ Hefti, Paul Benz, Greg Doust.
 
PRO STOCK FEATURE-TJ FITZGIBBONS, Ray Maloney, Gerry Newman, Bill Shantel Jr., Rick Breed, John Pietrowicz, Herm Flowers, Leroy Saban, Tim Harris, Dave Fox, Jason Rood, Mike Dickquist, Jason Dockstader, Jerry Holmes, Dan Winks, John Cooper, Paul Stoneburg, Mike Watkins, Chuck Thomas, Keith Butler, Howie Koegel.
 
PURE STOCK FEATURE-DARREN KELSO, Jeff Pastorella, Dave Mannise, Jim Thomas, Don Stevenson, John Eiss, Kevin Raymond, Ken Connonrs, Bruce Stanton, Dan Butterfield, Chad Ray, Gary Barton, Phil Trim, Carl Wright, Rick DeGroff, Dan Hatch, Tim Pitonza, Lou Levea.