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Tim Sears Jr. Captures Instant Classic Photo Finish on RFH'S Hideaway & Empire Powersports Night

By Hannah Doll

FULTON, NY (June 16, 2024) - It was an epic battle of multi-time track champions. Defending Track Champion Tim Sears Jr. and perennial Fulton favorite Jimmy Phelps had a large crowd on their feet to witness what was likely the closest feature finish in Fulton Speedway history. With a front stretch drag to the checkered, Sears captured his third win of the season with a dramatic photo finish pass narrowly defeating Phelps by a mere .002 seconds at the line.

Other feature winners on RFH's Hideaway & Empire Powersports night included Brett Sears (DOT Foods DIRTcar Sportsman), John Pietrowicz (Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Hobby Stock), and Samuel Groom (E & V Energy Novice Sportsman).

The 35-lap main event saw Rich Keller and Robert Gage lead the field to the Comfort Windows Firing Point with first-year 358-Mod regular Keller jumping out to the early race lead with Brent Joy in tow.

Keller set a solid pace running a smooth high lane around the speedway. By lap six, Matt Caprara had worked his way into the runner-up spot and started to challenge Keller. It would be Keller, Caprara and Chris Mackey in that order for the middle portions of the race with 16th starting Phelps and 15th starting Sears meticulously making their way to the front.

Phelps first appeared in the top-10 on lap 5 and by lap 18 he entered the top-5. Sears, followed Phelps through the field, reaching sixth before the only Milton CAT Caution of the night would fly on lap 27. Unfortunately for Keller, the caution flag was for him as he spun in turn 4 relinquishing his race-long lead.

Chris Mackey and Caprara leading the field back to green on lap 27 with Mackey quickly gaining the advantage. His lead would be short-lived as Phelps powered past on lap 28 to take the lead. Sears quickly followed Phelps past Mackey on lap 29 setting up a six-lap duel to the checkered.

Working his textbook low-line, Sears would close to within a couple of car-lengths of Phelps as the laps ticked away. With starter Ricky Breed's white flag in hand, Sears made his move entering turn 1. Racing side by side down the backstretch and into turns three and four, it was a matter of who got the bite out of four. Ultimately Sears got the most, barely edging Phelps in a race that before the advent of transponder timing and scoring would have likely been called a 'dead heat'.

Mackey completed a strong run in third, with Lance Willix and Amy Holland rounding out the top 5.

Not to be outdone by cousin Tim, Brett Sears would make it a Sears sweep picking up his first DOT Foods DIRTcar Sportsman win of the year. From his seventh place starting spot Sears flexed his muscle early moving to second by lap 4. Sears then got by early leader Tony Finch II on lap 7 and cruised to the win.

Finch II would finish off a solid weekend with another second-place run. Dave Moyer would round out the podium in third, with Emmett Waldron and Jimmy Moyer taking home fourth and fifth.

John Pietrowicz continued his dominating season, picking up the Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Hobby Stock feature win. Brennan Fitzgibbons crossed the line second with Ronald Hawker, Shawn Doucette, and Adam Hunt rounded out the top 5.

Samuel Groom took home his second win of the season, passing Austin Harmer on the last lap for the win. Kingston Sprague crossed in third, with Brian Harber and Bobby Newman rounding out the top 5.

Interlaken's Brian Aman and Brian Cary picked up the win in the 2nd Annual Crazy Chain Race. The team of Zak Petrie and Justin Guyle would finish second with Dan Dennis and Bo Turo rounding out the podium.

Coming up at Fulton Speedway:

Wednesday, June 19
Highbank Holdup 358-Modified Series
Dot Foods DIRTcar Sportsman Industial Tire of CNY Sportsman Shootout Qualifier

Saturday, June 22
Double 35-Lap Modified Features
Dot Foods DIRTcar Sportsman
Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Hobby Stocks
E & V Energy Novice Sportsman

FULTON SPEEDWAY JUNE 14 RFH'S HIDEAWAY & EMPIRE POWERSPORTS NIGHT RESULTS

Tracey Road DIRTcar Modified A Feature 1 (35 Laps): 1. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[15]; 2. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[16]; 3. 3-Chris Mackey[4]; 4. 31-Lance Willix[10]; 5. 5H-Amy Holland[13]; 6. 11C-Matt Caprara[6]; 7. 49-Billy Dunn[23]; 8. 34-Andrew Ferguson[5]; 9. 32R-Ronald Davis III[14]; 10. 17J-Brent Joy[3]; 11. 92-Andrew Buff[18]; 12. 31B-Corey Barker[17]; 13. M1-David Marcuccilli[22]; 14. 13-Robert Gage[2]; 15. 27Z-Dylan Zacharias[19]; 16. 94X-Willy Decker Jr[11]; 17. 11-Justin Crisafulli[8]; 18. 28-Alan Fink[20]; 19. 38-Jason Parkhurst[9]; 20. 58M-Marshall Hurd[25]; 21. 160-Max Hill[12]; 22. 19C-Brandon Carvey[24]; 23. (DNF) 18$-Sean Beardsley[21]; 24. (DNF) 17-Rich Keller[1]; 25. (DNF) B2-Bob Henry Jr[26]; 26. (DNF) 66W-Derek Webb[7]

DNQ: 00 Conner Sellers, 06J Jordan Bennett, 8M Brian Murphy, 06 Bob Bennett, 38H Tim Harris, 10R Ryan Richardson

Heat Winners: Justin Crisafulli, Andrew Ferguson, Matt Caprara, Amy Holland
Consolation Winner: Sean Beardsley

DOT Foods DIRTcar Sportsman A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 83X-Brett Sears[7]; 2. 0-Tony Finch II[2]; 3. 51X-David Moyer[4]; 4. 4-Emmett Waldron[18]; 5. 51-Jimmy Moyer[8]; 6. 01-Zachary Buff[11]; 7. 63-Teddy Clayton Jr[5]; 8. 72-Hunter Hollenbeck[12]; 9. 20K-Kyle Perry[22]; 10. 33JR-Clayton Brewer III[21]; 11. 6-Cody Manitta[15]; 12. 5-Kyle Devendorf[14]; 13. 38JR-Jason Parkhurst Jr[13]; 14. 21-Ryan Barrett[24]; 15. 19J-Joe Kline[17]; 16. 11C-Austin Cooper[25]; 17. 16X-Savannah Laflair[20]; 18. 48-Kearra Backus[1]; 19. 39S-Josh Fellows[9]; 20. 410-Mike Fowler[19]; 21. 06W-Dorian Wahdan[6]; 22. (DNF) 30R-Michael Root[23]; 23. (DNF) 30-Dylan Piersall[3]; 24. (DNF) 00W-Wade Chrisman[10]; 25. (DNF) 57HG-Rocky Grosso[16]; 26. (DNS) 557-Patrick Nolan

DNQ: B2 Kelly Smith, 71 Tim Falter, 220 Tucker Halliday

NAPA Award: 20K Kyle Perry

Heat Winners: Jimmy Moyer, Kyle Devendorf, Tony Finch II

Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Hobby Stock A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 17-John Pietrowicz[5]; 2. 14-Brennan Fitzgibbons[4]; 3. 14JR-Ronald Hawker[1]; 4. Z4-Shawn Doucette[2]; 5. 13-Adam Hunt[6]; 6. OV1-Andy Kieffer[8]; 7. 4-Brian Burkle Jr[7]; 8. 28-Brandon Barron[3]; 9. 13G-Aidan Galvin[10]; 10. 88X-Chuck Thomas[9]; 11. (DNS) 13X-Chad Towle

Heat Winner: Brennan Fitzgibbons

E & V Energy Novice Sportsman A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 14-Samuel Groom[4]; 2. 55H-Austin Harmer[8]; 3. 29K-Kingston Sprague[3]; 4. 18-Brian Harber[10]; 5. 77-Bobby Newman[12]; 6. 199-Ryan Halliday[14]; 7. 21A-Phillip Loosen[7]; 8. 36-Matt Bukovan[9]; 9. 89-Belle Hogan[5]; 10. 57H-Dwight Nichols[13]; 11. 17A-Doug Battles[15]; 12. (DNF) 40X-Tim Halsey[1]; 13. (DNF) 73-Doug Shattell[17]; 14. (DNF) 5G-Cale Gareau[6]; 15. (DNF) 42K-Dave Kingsley[2]; 16. (DNF) 55-Andrew Eaton[16]; 17. (DNF) 98S-Savannah Simmons[11]

Heat Winners: Tim Halsey, Samuel Groom

Crazy Chain Race:

1. Brian Aman/Brian Cary;
2. Zak Petrie/Justin Guyle;
3. Dan Dennis/Bo Turo
   Best Appearing: Petrie/Guyle

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