Raabe Rolls To North Country Sportsman Series Win At Can-Am
*Rebecca Eisele Photo Attachment
LaFargeville, NY – April 17, 2009 – By Martin Belanger and Jim Clarke, DIRTcar Racing Northeast Series Correspondents
Can-Am Motorsports Park was the stop for round two of the 2009 Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series. After 49 drivers signed in at Black Rock Speedway for the series oepner, a total of 61 cars rolled into the pits on Friday. All the top names of the Sportsman tour were present to do battle on the fast half-mile speedway located in LaFargeville, New York.
Ally Amell and Justin Wright led the 32-car field in the 30-lap main event although it was 2008 Mr. DIRTcar Champion Chris Raabe who took the lead with a great pass down low from his third starting spot. A quick yellow for debris on the track slowed the field with just one lap in, yet Raabe got a good jump on the ensuing restart with Wright in second and Dave Marcuccilli in third.
While Raabe was alone in front, Marcuccilli was putting pressure on Wright with five laps in the books. Brandon Sweet was also with this group trying to make a move for third as Matt Hulsizer and Jipp Ortiz battled for fifth. Raabe had opened nearly a full stretch lead when a three-car crash came in turn three on lap nine to bring out the second caution of the feature. On the restart, Raabe was still the frontrunner with Jordan Bennett challenging Hulsizer for fifth spot.
On lap 12, a car stopped in turn four brought the field back together with Raabe still leading while Brockville, Ontario teen Matt Billings had already moved up to fourth spot after starting seventh. At the halfway point, just three laps later, the top-five included Raabe, Wright, Marcuccilli, Billings and Hulsizer.
Black Rock’s recent tour winner and early points leader Sammy Reakes IV brought out the caution after suffering a right rear flat with 15 laps to go, and frontrunner Ortiz retired to the pits on the same caution. Raabe built himself another comfortable lead as some great fights for position were occurring at the back of the field.
With 10 laps to go, Raabe had a opened up a 1.0-second lead over Wright, while Hulsizer and Billings diced lap after lap for fourth. Hulsizer claimed the spot as the yellow came out in turn turn on lap 24. As the race resumed, Raabe was still the leader with Wright and Marcuccilli running in spots two and three.
The last yellow flag flew on lap 29 to give the pack one last shot at the defending champion, but as starter Matt Burdick displayed the white and green flags together, the ‘Teenage Tornado’ held his line the final circuit to win his first feature of the season. The Napanee, Ontario driver was followed by Wright, Marcuccilli, Hulsizer and Matt Billings in the front-five.
“The track get slick but the track was great tonight, kudos to the Can-Am organization,” remarked Raabe, who led all 30 laps to score his second tour triumph, his first registered last summer at Brockville Ontario Speedway. “I always liked running on dirt and this win confirms it.”
The Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Series takes two and a half months off before teams return for four straight nights of activity at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, Brewerton Speedway, Brockville Ontario Speedway and Cornwall Motor Speedway to open July.
Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series Race #2 – Can-Am Motorsports Park, April 17, 2009 Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 3 01 Chris Raabe/Napanee, ONT
2 2 19w Justin Wright/Piffard, NY
3 4 m1 Dave Marcuccilli/Cayuga, NY
4 5 55 Matt Hulsizer/Bridgeport,NY
5 20 74 Matt Billings/Brockville, ONT
6 9 06j Jordan Bennett/Pennellville,NY
7 10 17d Tom Juhl/Weedsport, NY
8 21 25b Steve Bernier/St-Hyacinthe,QUE
9 6 24 Brandon Sweet/Watertown, NY
10 15 777 Tyler MacPherson/St. Catharines, ONT
11 14 20x Kevin Ridley/Geneva, NY
12 18 14 Jeremy Pitcher/Fulton, NY
13 7 k38 Ryan Susice/Ransomville, NY
14 26 77jr BJ Willard/St. Catharines, ONT
15 31 99p Greg Panunte/Port Colborne, ONT
16 19 85 John Pietrowicz/Phoenix, NY
17 8 0 Jipp Ortiz/Ransomville, NY
18 11 38s Luke Whitteker/Iroquois, ONT
19 30 66 Dan Wiesner/Geneva. NY
20 25 36c Mark Webb/Watertown,NY
21 32 54 Mark Chiddy/Boston, NY
22 13 92 Adam Turner/Picton, ONT
23 17 12 Brandon Hagan/Plessis,NY
24 1 2a Ally Amell/Watertown, NY
25 22 29c Tom Conklin/Gouverneur, NY
26 31 62 Rich Bellante/St. Catharines, ONT
27 29 17k Sammy Reakes IV/Palermo, NY
28 16 83x Tim Sears Jr./Fulton, NY
29 12 10 Josh VanBrocklin/Watertown, NY
30 24 2 Loren Lincoln/South Bristol, NY
31 25 9m Mark Osmstead Jr/Elbridge,NY
32 32 17t Todd Town/Jordan,NY
SYRACUSE TOWN MECHANICAL 30 QUALIFIER: Chris Raabe.
Heat Races (8 laps, top 3 finishers transferred to feature, top 2 went to re-draw)
#1: Matt Hulsizer, Ally Amell, Adam Turner, Tom Conklin, Steve Savoie, Dana Aikins, Brian Copp, Mark Chiddy, Alan Fink.
#2: Justin Wright, Tom Juhl, Kevin Ridley, Sammy Reakes IV, John Pietrowicz, Mark Webb, Greg Belyea, Jessica Power, Cody MacPherson, Greg Gould.
#3: Jipp Ortiz, Chris Raabe, Tyler MacPherson, Mark Omstead Jr, BJ Willard, Dylan Evoy, Mark Davison, Brad Rouse, Mark Fowler, Zach Amo.
#4: Dave Marcuccilli, Brandon Sweet, Tim Sears jr, Matt Billings, Dan Wiesner, Greg Panunte, Dean Patterson, John Wilber, Ken Bearup, Brad Winters.
#5: Jordan Bennett, Luke Whittaker, Brandon Hagen, Loren Lincoln, Todd Town, Rich Bellante, Verne Harris, Bob Tefft, Kevin Gamble, Christine Martin.
#6: Ryan Sucise, Josh VanBrocklin, Jeremy Pitcher, Shane Pecore, Steve Bernier, Eric Giguere, Rod McDonald, Bill Eisele, Erik Mullikin, Ryan Buzzell, Marcus Dinkins.
Consolation Round (8 laps, top 3 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: John Pietrowicz, Tom Conklin, Mark Webb, Sam Reakes IV, Alan Fink, Mark Chiddy, Brian Copp, Dana Aikins, Steve Savoie, Jessica Power, Cody MacPherson, Greg Belyea.
#2: Matt Billings, Mark Osmstead, BJ Willard, Mark Davison, Dylan Evoy, Dan Wiesner, Greg Panunte, Brad Rouse, John Wilber, Mark Fowler, Brad Winters, Ken Bearup.
#3: Steve Bernier, Loren Lincoln, Todd Town, Eric Giguere, Shane Pecore, Rod MacDonald, Rich Bellante, Kevin Gamble, Bill Eisele, Christine Martin, Verne Harris, Ryan Buzzell, Erik Mullikin, Marcus Dinkins.
Guaranteed Starters: Reakes, Wiesner, Bellante, Panunte.
Provisional starter: Chiddy.
Pot Holes: A half-dozen qualifying heats were needed to make up the starting grid for the 30-lap finale with Matt Hulsizer, Justin Wright, Jipp Ortiz, Dave Marcuccilli, Jordan Bennett and Ryan Sucise the winners. John Pietrowicz, Matt Billings and Steve Bernier won the consolation round races. Hulsizer was also the fastest in Xtrme Lubricants Time Trials, as the cars took to the track in their heat race groupings to run under the clocks to establish the pre,iminary race line-ups...Smithville, Ontario’s Mark D’llario, who was the fastest time trailer and finished second at Black Rock, will spend the year in a DIRTcar 358-Modified and didn’t make the trip to Can-Am…Geneva, New York’s Dan Wiesner used his status as a guaranteed starter for the second consecutive event…The dominating race win for Raabe was a total reversal of fortune from the opener as the 18 year-old needed to use his guaranteed starting spot at Black Rock.
