By – Carol D Haynes, ISMA PR

Stafford Springs, CT – June 28:  Winning at Stafford for ISMA All-Time win leader Chris Perley wasn’t all that unusual at the Xtreme Tuesday 50 as he had done it four times before starting with the first event in 2004. But, beating out the winningest series driver at that famed oval, Ted Christopher, added a little more excitement to the victory. Perley started in twelfth spot and gradually picked his way up to Christopher, who started on the pole due to handicapping. TC’s main competitor almost from the start was Johnny Benson Jr. who like Christopher, has decided to run most of the 2011 ISMA season. But, after the sole caution of the race, it was Perley who would start knocking on the door of the Christopher driven 61. With less than ten laps to go, as the duo faced some fast traffic, Perley dove around Christopher for the lead. The 50-lap race had flown by in under 19 minutes with one yellow dotting the lightning quick pace. And, most of the duration there was tight racing all over the track.

Top 3 at Stafford (left to right) – Johnny Benson, Jr. (3rd), Chris Perley (1st) & Ted Christopher (2nd)

Perley said in victory that as usual the race was a blast to drive as he described the lead pass. “I got lucky picking the right lane and stuck with it. I tried the bottom and that didn’t work. I figured my car wasn’t great on the outside, but the bottom was blocked so I had to go somewhere else.  And, that’s how I got by. This was a fun race tonight. Winning a race on the last lap is fun. Winning a race lapping the field is fun. And winning a race by passing Ted Christopher is fun. Passing anybody in good clean racing is fun. With it being Ted, it puts the icing on the cake. This win would rank right up there as being a great one for me.”

“I feel comfortable in the car and that makes me comfortable racing it anywhere we go thanks to my car owner and crew. A lot of tracks have one and a half grooves, Stafford seems like it has three grooves that you can use. From the apron to the bottom to the outside – wherever. It makes the car more forgiving. If your car changes, you can still change your line racing. You can still stay in the hunt. We have a blast here. We may be off sometimes but still can have a solid top five run.”

Christopher, with only a handful of supermodified races under his belt ever in his long and illustrious career, admitted he was new to this competition.” It was a good race but it wasn’t where we wanted to end up. More than anything, it’s not knowing the lap guys. I don’t know the people I race with in this division yet. I sort of wish they would use the passing flag, but they don’t. Tonight I learned something about what I have to do and where I have to go when I get to those guys. I watched how Chris did it.  He’s the master at it but I will beat the master before I’m done!”

Perley actually countered that Ted has a bit of an advantage in this particular race. “In tonight’s race knowing lap cars was not an advantage. Ted was getting through the cars first and they were changing lanes. After he passed a lap car they don’t know if I’m behind Ted or not. Tonight I couldn’t just dive bomb wherever Teddy went. There was a couple times he actually gained ground on me in lap traffic because a car would change direction and I’d have to do completely different things. In some cases it pays to know the lap cars. Tonight was not the case. You couldn’t just blow by them. They were still running fast.”

Third place runner Johnny Benson Jr. was content with his third after challenging for the lead and possible win. “It was a good race. I started sixth and I got up to second there. We were just starting to put a little pressure on Teddy and then the caution came out. I kind of didn’t feel like I was in the track very good after that. It took me a while to try and catch up. Then Chris and Teddy got into lap traffic and I started to catch them but I couldn’t do anything with them – maybe with Teddy if I was able to get up to him but I wasn’t as good as I was in the first half, decent but not quite as good.

“I have to thank Brad and Mike Lichty and PATCO Transportation for giving me the opportunity to come do this and all the ISMA people. I tell you they are just great. To come to this Arute-owned track with such a great history is a real pleasure. I really enjoy this race track. It’s a great track and has great fan.”

The 50-lapper started with Christopher and Dave Duggan on the front row but Christopher, after a dnf at Waterford, wanted to race and pulled the Booth 61 out front immediately. Johnny Benson moved quickly to second passing by Bob Magner and the 61 and 74 pulled away from a Magner – Mike Lichty battle as Chris Perley glided up to fifth by lap 10.

Benson was really pressuring Christopher just prior to a lap 22 Jamie Timmons spin that flew the race’s only yellow just as the lead duo was greeted by some heavy traffic.

As the 2010 Seekonk winner stated, Benson lost momentum after that restart and never really regained it. Within two laps Perley was by Benson and heading for Christopher. Now the two masters in different race divisions became the focal point for the remainder of the race while battles set up behind between Benson, Wood, newcomer to the track, Timmy Jedrzejek and Mike Lichty.

Christopher and Perley met with a very racy crowd of Dan Lane, Eddie Witkum Jr. and Ben Seitz ahead just shy of the 10 to go mark that had the crowd holding their breath on every move. Perley tried inside and out on the 61 as TC tried to get by Lane and Seitz after passing Witkum. Finally off turn four with seven to go, Perley picked the lane and passed around Christopher and Seitz as Lane still remained ahead.

The lead duo of Perley and Christopher broke free of traffic by lap 48, but it was too late for TC to catch the Rowley Rocket. Christopher, Benson, Jedrzejek and 2010 ISMA champ Russ Wood completed the top five.

Timmy “J” was more than pleased with his finish after a bad inaugural ride at Waterford in the Soule 32. “This is redemption I guess after Waterford and feeling lousy leaving the track after what happened. This feels nice to reward these guys after all their hard work with a good finish. The car didn’t start out real good, but it started picking up. We just kept coming and consistently started knocking a car off here and there. When up to fourth I thought I might have a shot at Benson. We came into lap traffic and it just got bobbled up. I didn’t want to throw away what we had and I didn’t want to do anything silly and cost either one of us or a lap car a good position. Benson got the run on the outside and cleared the car before I did so I let him go. We’re pleased to go home fourth and congratulations to Chris and the rest of the gang who finished top three. This is the first time I’ve seen this track and only the second time I’ve run with these guys and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. These guys are A-1 with their preparation with the car. It’s my job to steer it and give some input on making it go faster. I don’t have any complaints about the workmanship on this car. It’s second to none.”

Russ Wood commented after his fifth place. “ I might have had a third but I don’t think I made the right choices in lap traffic and I fell back a little bit. All in all we weren’t bad but Chris and Teddy were awesome. We were close but just ended up fifth. We’ll take it.  We’re in one piece and this is certainly better than Waterford. Hope everyone is happy with this one and we’ll move on to the next race.”

Mike Lichty, Joey Scanlon, Justin Belfiore, Bob Magner and Rob Summers finished up in the top ten in a very competitive race that saw a majority of the starters still running a the end when the checkers flew just after 9 pm.

Summary ISMA Event #2 June 28 Stafford Carquest Xtreme Tuesday

Heat 1: Ted Christopher, Bob Magner, Timmy Jedrzejek, Jeff Locke, Eric Lewis, Eddie Witkum Jr., Chris deRitis, Jon McKennedy

Heat 2: Ben Seitz, Russ Wood, Johnny Benson, Dave Duggan, Joey Scanlon, Paul White, Dan Bowes, Eric Emhoff

Heat 3: Mike Lichty, Chris Perley, Jamie Timmons, Rob Summers, Mark Sammut, Danny Lane, Justin Belfiore

Carquest Xtreme Tuesday 50: 1. Chris Perley (11), 2. Ted Christopher (61), 3. Johnny Benson Jr. (74), 4. Timmy Jedrzejek (32), 5. Russ Wood (29), 6. Mike Lichty (84), 7. Joey Scanlon (88), 8. Justin Belfiore (98), 9. Bobby Magner (40), 10. Rob Summers (35), 11. Jeff Locke (37), 12. Mark Sammut (78), 13. Paul White (16), 14. Ben Seitz (17), 15. Dan Lane (97), 16. Jamie Timmons (27), 17. Eddie Witkum (9), 18. Dan Bowes (18), 19. Dave Duggan (51), 20. Chris deRitis (66), 21. Jon McKennedy (71), 22. Eric Lewis (28), 23. Eric Emhoff (2).

*HOLLAND MOTORSPORTS COMPLEX PRESS*

The racing program slated for Saturday evening, June 25, 2011 at the Holland Motorsports Complex was called off due to recurring light rain showers at the Western New York facility. The program was to have featured a 50 lap special for the 4-cylinder Hornets along with a special challenge race for area municipality highway superintendents. Both events have been re-scheduled for Saturday, July 9th.

The Holland Motorsports Complex will have a scheduled off week on July 2nd, with action resuming on July 9th. In addition to the Hornet 50 and the Highway Superintendents Challenge, the slate will include the NASCAR National Overhead Door Pro Modifieds, Late Models of Tomorrow, Bank of Holland Chargers, Casey’s TQ Midget Series, and the M&M U-Pull-it Figure 8 Cars, plus a special appearance by the INEX Legends.

The regular weekly divisions will be competing in Mid-Season Championship events. Heat racing will get underway at 5:00 p.m., with main events beginning at 7:05 p.m. For more information, contact the Holland office at (716)-537-2272 or visit the website at www.hollandspeedway.com.

(Contact – Rick Mooney: Rmooneypr@aol.com or Tim Bennett: (716)-537-2272 )

By – Chris Porter

Oswego’s Tim Barbeau collected his first checkered flag of the 2011 season on Saturday night, passing Cameron Rowe in sight of taking the white flag in a 25-lap NORA small block supermodified event at Thunder Alley Speedpark in Evans Mills, N.Y.

NORA points leader Rob Pullen had looked to be well on his way to capturing his second series win of the season with only a handful of laps remaining, when he and his No. 2 SBS racer suddenly slowed. The field bottled up in a mad-dash to replace Pullen’s vacated position, filled by Rowe, as contact between two of this chasers brought out the caution flag, setting the stage for a 2-lap dash to the finish.

Rowe looked solid on the ensuing restart, but while rounding turns three and four to take the white flag, his No. 77 pushed up high, allowing Barbeau to pounce at the given opportunity. Barbeau pointed his No. 50 to the inside, took the lead and pulled away on his final time around to collect the win.

Listen to – Tim Barbeau

Pullen took the lead from the pole position, bringing Barbeau, Rowe, Mike Bruce and Vern Lafave around to complete lap No. 1 However, as the field raced into the third and fourth turns of lap No. 2, Ivan Steen’s No. 04 was tagged from behind, sending it into the infield grass before coming back onto the racing surface. In doing so, Steen collected a few other small block supers as his No. 04 then proceeded to head off the end of the fourth turn and eventually into the far outside cement barrier.

Steen’s rear wheels continued to spin as a result of a stuck throttle. However, the motor shut down and after gathering his own bearings, Steen emerged from the wreckage. A.J. Bernys and his No. 24 needed a trip pack to the pits via the hook, while a flatbed was brought out to collect Steen’s No. 04.

Listen to – Ivan Steen

The restart saw Pullen lead Barbeau, Rowe, Bruce and Lafave to the green. While Steve Abt (driving the Mark Castiglia-owned No. 90) slipped under Lafave for fifth, Rowe muscled his way under Barbeau for second.

The leader board remained unchanged as Pullen raced virtually unchallenged, though just a car length ahead of Rowe. Abt was able to pick off Bruce on the 14th lap for fourth. By the 20th lap, Pullen held a full two-car advantage over Rowe.

However, Pullen’s No. 2 suddenly slowed and pulled low with just three trips remaining. Rowe took the point as the field scrambled for position. As they rounded the fourth turn, Bruce’s No. 22 tagged Abt’s No. 90, turning it around in the middle of the racing groove. Most were able to avoid the backwards-facing machine, but Barry Kingsley’s No. 23 was pinned to Abt’s lane. Kingsley skidded into the front-end of the No. 90, resulting in both machines needing a tow back to their pit.

Seeking his first small block supermodified win, Rowe led a shaken-up leader board back to racing with two rounds to go.

Initially, Rowe was able to hold Barbeau at bay, but as he made his way through turns three and four to take the white flag, he pushed high, allowing Barbeau to slip underneath him. Once in front, Barbeau was gone. He used the clear track ahead of him to his full advantage, pulling away on the final lap and escaping to victory.

Disappointed with the missed opportunity, Rowe settled for second. Lafave, Bruce and Chris Tedd rounded out the top five.

Listen to – Cameron Rowe

Heat race wins went to Pullen and Barbeau.

Feature Finish: 1. Tim Barbeau (50), 2. Cameron Rowe (77), 3. Vern LaFave (66), 4. Mike Bruce (22), 5. Chris Tedd (27), 6. Rob Pullen (2), 7. Steve Abt (90), 8. Barry Kingsley (23), 9. Pitt Watson (43), 10. Ivan Steen (04), 11. A.J. Bernys (24), 12. DNS – J.J. Andrews (93)

By/Photos – Chris Porter

For years, the talent level of the small block supermodified (SBS) division at the Oswego Speedway had been swelling, as little opportunity to move over to the other side of the pits presented itself. However, during this past off-season, the swell finally gave way. Five of the top 13 drivers in the 2010 SBS final point standings punched their tickets for big block rides.

Finishing sixth in last year’s rundown, Guard Nearbin began his maiden campaign in a supermodified last month. One of eight rookies to have earned points thus far, the nine-year SBS vet currently sits 22nd overall in the Novelis supermodified point standings, fourth in the Rookie of the Year (R.O.Y.) chase.

Guard Nearbin's one of many former small block supermodified drivers entering the big block division in 2011

Pulling off what 2010 Supermodified R.O.Y. David Gruel did – winning a feature in his rookie season – isn’t something Nearbin’s gunning for in his freshman year. He’s fulfilling a dream every time he straps himself into the seat of his sharp-looking No. 78 super. The Superbowl of supermodified racing is what’s on his radar for this season.

“One of the goals,” Nearbin says, “I guess, is to make the Classic. That would make my year. The Rookie of the Year thing, I’m not worried about that. I’m just here to have fun. I want to run a Classic, that’s all. Hopefully, I get going good enough and make the Classic and run the whole race.”

To achieve the goal and make the International Classic 200, Nearbin admits he needs more laps. A recent Friday night test session proved valuable, as has keeping his car in one piece. He’s pleased with the progress thus far, going from upper 18-second lap times to lower 18-second lap times. Hopefully, busting into the 17-second bracket is just around the corner, as will finishing races.

One might think that after racing for nine years on the same five-eighths mile oval, there wouldn’t be much to learn when campaigning the 10th. However, supermodifieds are a totally different animal to get used to.

“The car is so much different than the SBS cars and they’re so much quicker,” he said. “It’s unbelievable, the straightaways went from being 300 yards long to 100 yards long. You come out of turn two and you’re in turn three so quick. You’ve got to hit your marks. It’s unbelievable how much faster they are. I never thought they were that much … as a driver, I never thought it would feel that much different.”

It’s a learning experience for both driver and crew. Driving for nine of them, Nearbin’s also been wrenching in the speedway’s infield for three decades, initially helping out Gary Morton in his supermodified ventures. The same cannot be said about his crew. He says that he has more experience working with supermodifieds than all of them put together.

While the crew familiarizes itself with the car in the pits, Nearbin will continue to get used to its feeling out on the track.

“It’s a learning curve definitely,” he said. “It’s nothing like an SBS car … nothing at all. Every night I’ve been learning. I’m just trying to bring it home in one piece every night and learn a little more the next week and start right up where we left off. We’re getting a little faster every night out. We’re making little steps. We’re having fun. Even my wife’s been happy with me so far this year!”

Listen to more from – Guard Nearbin

Making the journey to the other side of the infield this season is fellow rookie Brian Sobus. Coming into the year, Sobus had one race up on Nearbin … the very race Nearbin yearns to make, the Classic. Not only qualifying in his first attempt to make the 200-lapper, but in his very first weekend in a supermodified,  Sobus accomplished what many supermodified drivers with years of experience had failed to do. He landed a top-10 and finished the race.

Brian Sobus takes his very first lap in a supermodified last September 3rd on Classic Weekend 2010

The bar was set high for his 2011 rookie season, as were his own expectations. However, it took the young driver five feature events to finally finish his first race of the year. Luck has not been on the side of Sobus so far. Was last year’s Classic just a fluke? Should’ve he stayed in the SBS division? Those are the kinds of questions that have haunted the pilot of the No. 79 supermodified since the start of the season.

Fifth-place feature finishes aren’t often associated with victories, but this past June 18th, taking the checkered flag four positions in back of the race winner seemed just as good to the Liverpool native.

“Yeah, it’s kind of tough to believe,” Sobus said of his early season woes. “We did decent in the Classic and I didn’t expect it to be easy, but I expected a lot more than what we’ve had so far. I’ve been really disappointed. But to finally finish a race, to finish in the top five … now I at least feel that I can do it and I don’t feel like I’m out of place.”

The seven-year SBS vet admits that doubts began to settle in.

“After the last couple of weeks and after the first feature (June 18th’s twin 30s), I’m going ‘Do I even belong out here? Am I enough of a driver to race a super? Maybe I should just step back?’ But now that we’ve finished a race and did decent, I feel like I can at least do it now. I don’t have a big head, but at least I can start moving forward now.”

Motor gremlins have been the cause of the majority of his early race exits. They can be momentum killers and they squashed any momentum Sobus was hoping to carry over from last year’s Classic run the very first week he hit the track.

It took them four weeks, but after eliminating the worse-case scenarios, Sobus and crew discovered that sometimes it’s the little things that can bring you back to down to earth and humble you. With those initial issues hopefully behind them, Sobus is looking forward to picking up where he left off in 2010. The irony of his early-season frustrations is that in snapping the bad-luck streak with a feature finish, he accomplished his primary goal for the year – landing a top-five.

Listen to more from- Brian Sobus

“Finally, we’re getting everything together and now we can start moving forward, finishing races and do better,” he said. “That was my goal all along, to finish in the top five in a race. So, now we did it and hopefully we can just keep moving forward.”

R.O.Y. contenders Michael Muldoon (20) & Kody Graham (21)

Rookie Michael Muldoon has had a rough go at times in the Muldoon Racing No. 20

Freshman class member Steve Abt in the Stowell Racing No. 85

Rookie Dave Danzer has laid down the fastest lap times of any of his fellow rookie classmen, stopping the watches with a 17.167 in his heat race a few weeks ago

Bobby Haynes, Jr. has taken off the top wing he's used in the ISMA series to run Oswego. The non-wing rookie has been a nice addition to weekly competition at Oswego in 2011

Canadian Rod Sauter purchased the former Tim Timms No. 33 for his 2011 rookie campaign at the lakeside oval

By – Carol D Haynes, ISMA PR

Stafford Springs, CT – June 28:  Winning at Stafford for ISMA All-Time win leader Chris Perley wasn’t all that unusual at the Xtreme Tuesday 50 as he had done it four times before starting with the first event in 2004. But, beating out the winningest series driver at that famed oval, Ted Christopher, added a little more excitement to the victory. Perley started in twelfth spot and gradually picked his way up to Christopher, who started on the pole due to handicapping. TC’s main competitor almost from the start was Johnny Benson Jr. who like Christopher, has decided to run most of the 2011 ISMA season. But, after the sole caution of the race, it was Perley who would start knocking on the door of the Christopher driven 61. With less than ten laps to go, as the duo faced some fast traffic, Perley dove around Christopher for the lead. The 50-lap race had flown by in under 19 minutes with one yellow dotting the lightning quick pace. And, most of the duration there was tight racing all over the track.

Top 3 at Stafford (left to right) – Johnny Benson, Jr. (3rd), Chris Perley (1st) & Ted Christopher (2nd)

Perley said in victory that as usual the race was a blast to drive as he described the lead pass. “I got lucky picking the right lane and stuck with it. I tried the bottom and that didn’t work. I figured my car wasn’t great on the outside, but the bottom was blocked so I had to go somewhere else.  And, that’s how I got by. This was a fun race tonight. Winning a race on the last lap is fun. Winning a race lapping the field is fun. And winning a race by passing Ted Christopher is fun. Passing anybody in good clean racing is fun. With it being Ted, it puts the icing on the cake. This win would rank right up there as being a great one for me.”

“I feel comfortable in the car and that makes me comfortable racing it anywhere we go thanks to my car owner and crew. A lot of tracks have one and a half grooves, Stafford seems like it has three grooves that you can use. From the apron to the bottom to the outside – wherever. It makes the car more forgiving. If your car changes, you can still change your line racing. You can still stay in the hunt. We have a blast here. We may be off sometimes but still can have a solid top five run.”

Christopher, with only a handful of supermodified races under his belt ever in his long and illustrious career, admitted he was new to this competition.” It was a good race but it wasn’t where we wanted to end up. More than anything, it’s not knowing the lap guys. I don’t know the people I race with in this division yet. I sort of wish they would use the passing flag, but they don’t. Tonight I learned something about what I have to do and where I have to go when I get to those guys. I watched how Chris did it.  He’s the master at it but I will beat the master before I’m done!”

Perley actually countered that Ted has a bit of an advantage in this particular race. “In tonight’s race knowing lap cars was not an advantage. Ted was getting through the cars first and they were changing lanes. After he passed a lap car they don’t know if I’m behind Ted or not. Tonight I couldn’t just dive bomb wherever Teddy went. There was a couple times he actually gained ground on me in lap traffic because a car would change direction and I’d have to do completely different things. In some cases it pays to know the lap cars. Tonight was not the case. You couldn’t just blow by them. They were still running fast.”

Third place runner Johnny Benson Jr. was content with his third after challenging for the lead and possible win. “It was a good race. I started sixth and I got up to second there. We were just starting to put a little pressure on Teddy and then the caution came out. I kind of didn’t feel like I was in the track very good after that. It took me a while to try and catch up. Then Chris and Teddy got into lap traffic and I started to catch them but I couldn’t do anything with them – maybe with Teddy if I was able to get up to him but I wasn’t as good as I was in the first half, decent but not quite as good.

“I have to thank Brad and Mike Lichty and PATCO Transportation for giving me the opportunity to come do this and all the ISMA people. I tell you they are just great. To come to this Arute-owned track with such a great history is a real pleasure. I really enjoy this race track. It’s a great track and has great fan.”

The 50-lapper started with Christopher and Dave Duggan on the front row but Christopher, after a dnf at Waterford, wanted to race and pulled the Booth 61 out front immediately. Johnny Benson moved quickly to second passing by Bob Magner and the 61 and 74 pulled away from a Magner – Mike Lichty battle as Chris Perley glided up to fifth by lap 10.

Benson was really pressuring Christopher just prior to a lap 22 Jamie Timmons spin that flew the race’s only yellow just as the lead duo was greeted by some heavy traffic.

As the 2010 Seekonk winner stated, Benson lost momentum after that restart and never really regained it. Within two laps Perley was by Benson and heading for Christopher. Now the two masters in different race divisions became the focal point for the remainder of the race while battles set up behind between Benson, Wood, newcomer to the track, Timmy Jedrzejek and Mike Lichty.

Christopher and Perley met with a very racy crowd of Dan Lane, Eddie Witkum Jr. and Ben Seitz ahead just shy of the 10 to go mark that had the crowd holding their breath on every move. Perley tried inside and out on the 61 as TC tried to get by Lane and Seitz after passing Witkum. Finally off turn four with seven to go, Perley picked the lane and passed around Christopher and Seitz as Lane still remained ahead.

The lead duo of Perley and Christopher broke free of traffic by lap 48, but it was too late for TC to catch the Rowley Rocket. Christopher, Benson, Jedrzejek and 2010 ISMA champ Russ Wood completed the top five.

Timmy “J” was more than pleased with his finish after a bad inaugural ride at Waterford in the Soule 32. “This is redemption I guess after Waterford and feeling lousy leaving the track after what happened. This feels nice to reward these guys after all their hard work with a good finish. The car didn’t start out real good, but it started picking up. We just kept coming and consistently started knocking a car off here and there. When up to fourth I thought I might have a shot at Benson. We came into lap traffic and it just got bobbled up. I didn’t want to throw away what we had and I didn’t want to do anything silly and cost either one of us or a lap car a good position. Benson got the run on the outside and cleared the car before I did so I let him go. We’re pleased to go home fourth and congratulations to Chris and the rest of the gang who finished top three. This is the first time I’ve seen this track and only the second time I’ve run with these guys and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. These guys are A-1 with their preparation with the car. It’s my job to steer it and give some input on making it go faster. I don’t have any complaints about the workmanship on this car. It’s second to none.”

Russ Wood commented after his fifth place. “ I might have had a third but I don’t think I made the right choices in lap traffic and I fell back a little bit. All in all we weren’t bad but Chris and Teddy were awesome. We were close but just ended up fifth. We’ll take it.  We’re in one piece and this is certainly better than Waterford. Hope everyone is happy with this one and we’ll move on to the next race.”

Mike Lichty, Joey Scanlon, Justin Belfiore, Bob Magner and Rob Summers finished up in the top ten in a very competitive race that saw a majority of the starters still running a the end when the checkers flew just after 9 pm.

Summary ISMA Event #2 June 28 Stafford Carquest Xtreme Tuesday

Heat 1: Ted Christopher, Bob Magner, Timmy Jedrzejek, Jeff Locke, Eric Lewis, Eddie Witkum Jr., Chris deRitis, Jon McKennedy

Heat 2: Ben Seitz, Russ Wood, Johnny Benson, Dave Duggan, Joey Scanlon, Paul White, Dan Bowes, Eric Emhoff

Heat 3: Mike Lichty, Chris Perley, Jamie Timmons, Rob Summers, Mark Sammut, Danny Lane, Justin Belfiore

Carquest Xtreme Tuesday 50: 1. Chris Perley (11), 2. Ted Christopher (61), 3. Johnny Benson Jr. (74), 4. Timmy Jedrzejek (32), 5. Russ Wood (29), 6. Mike Lichty (84), 7. Joey Scanlon (88), 8. Justin Belfiore (98), 9. Bobby Magner (40), 10. Rob Summers (35), 11. Jeff Locke (37), 12. Mark Sammut (78), 13. Paul White (16), 14. Ben Seitz (17), 15. Dan Lane (97), 16. Jamie Timmons (27), 17. Eddie Witkum (9), 18. Dan Bowes (18), 19. Dave Duggan (51), 20. Chris deRitis (66), 21. Jon McKennedy (71), 22. Eric Lewis (28), 23. Eric Emhoff (2).

*HOLLAND MOTORSPORTS COMPLEX PRESS*

The racing program slated for Saturday evening, June 25, 2011 at the Holland Motorsports Complex was called off due to recurring light rain showers at the Western New York facility. The program was to have featured a 50 lap special for the 4-cylinder Hornets along with a special challenge race for area municipality highway superintendents. Both events have been re-scheduled for Saturday, July 9th.

The Holland Motorsports Complex will have a scheduled off week on July 2nd, with action resuming on July 9th. In addition to the Hornet 50 and the Highway Superintendents Challenge, the slate will include the NASCAR National Overhead Door Pro Modifieds, Late Models of Tomorrow, Bank of Holland Chargers, Casey’s TQ Midget Series, and the M&M U-Pull-it Figure 8 Cars, plus a special appearance by the INEX Legends.

The regular weekly divisions will be competing in Mid-Season Championship events. Heat racing will get underway at 5:00 p.m., with main events beginning at 7:05 p.m. For more information, contact the Holland office at (716)-537-2272 or visit the website at www.hollandspeedway.com.

(Contact – Rick Mooney: Rmooneypr@aol.com or Tim Bennett: (716)-537-2272 )

By – Chris Porter

Oswego’s Tim Barbeau collected his first checkered flag of the 2011 season on Saturday night, passing Cameron Rowe in sight of taking the white flag in a 25-lap NORA small block supermodified event at Thunder Alley Speedpark in Evans Mills, N.Y.

NORA points leader Rob Pullen had looked to be well on his way to capturing his second series win of the season with only a handful of laps remaining, when he and his No. 2 SBS racer suddenly slowed. The field bottled up in a mad-dash to replace Pullen’s vacated position, filled by Rowe, as contact between two of this chasers brought out the caution flag, setting the stage for a 2-lap dash to the finish.

Rowe looked solid on the ensuing restart, but while rounding turns three and four to take the white flag, his No. 77 pushed up high, allowing Barbeau to pounce at the given opportunity. Barbeau pointed his No. 50 to the inside, took the lead and pulled away on his final time around to collect the win.

Listen to – Tim Barbeau

Pullen took the lead from the pole position, bringing Barbeau, Rowe, Mike Bruce and Vern Lafave around to complete lap No. 1 However, as the field raced into the third and fourth turns of lap No. 2, Ivan Steen’s No. 04 was tagged from behind, sending it into the infield grass before coming back onto the racing surface. In doing so, Steen collected a few other small block supers as his No. 04 then proceeded to head off the end of the fourth turn and eventually into the far outside cement barrier.

Steen’s rear wheels continued to spin as a result of a stuck throttle. However, the motor shut down and after gathering his own bearings, Steen emerged from the wreckage. A.J. Bernys and his No. 24 needed a trip pack to the pits via the hook, while a flatbed was brought out to collect Steen’s No. 04.

Listen to – Ivan Steen

The restart saw Pullen lead Barbeau, Rowe, Bruce and Lafave to the green. While Steve Abt (driving the Mark Castiglia-owned No. 90) slipped under Lafave for fifth, Rowe muscled his way under Barbeau for second.

The leader board remained unchanged as Pullen raced virtually unchallenged, though just a car length ahead of Rowe. Abt was able to pick off Bruce on the 14th lap for fourth. By the 20th lap, Pullen held a full two-car advantage over Rowe.

However, Pullen’s No. 2 suddenly slowed and pulled low with just three trips remaining. Rowe took the point as the field scrambled for position. As they rounded the fourth turn, Bruce’s No. 22 tagged Abt’s No. 90, turning it around in the middle of the racing groove. Most were able to avoid the backwards-facing machine, but Barry Kingsley’s No. 23 was pinned to Abt’s lane. Kingsley skidded into the front-end of the No. 90, resulting in both machines needing a tow back to their pit.

Seeking his first small block supermodified win, Rowe led a shaken-up leader board back to racing with two rounds to go.

Initially, Rowe was able to hold Barbeau at bay, but as he made his way through turns three and four to take the white flag, he pushed high, allowing Barbeau to slip underneath him. Once in front, Barbeau was gone. He used the clear track ahead of him to his full advantage, pulling away on the final lap and escaping to victory.

Disappointed with the missed opportunity, Rowe settled for second. Lafave, Bruce and Chris Tedd rounded out the top five.

Listen to – Cameron Rowe

Heat race wins went to Pullen and Barbeau.

Feature Finish: 1. Tim Barbeau (50), 2. Cameron Rowe (77), 3. Vern LaFave (66), 4. Mike Bruce (22), 5. Chris Tedd (27), 6. Rob Pullen (2), 7. Steve Abt (90), 8. Barry Kingsley (23), 9. Pitt Watson (43), 10. Ivan Steen (04), 11. A.J. Bernys (24), 12. DNS – J.J. Andrews (93)