Ron Davis III Keeps Sportsman Shootout Victory At His Home Track
Story By: DAVE MEDLER / FULTON SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Photos By: RACERSGUIDE.COM PHOTO STAFF
FULTON, NY – October 3, 2016 – With a less than favorable forecast for the entire weekend, fans and competitors showed up in numbers when all but 12 laps were run during the 31st Annual Sunoco Fulton Ethanol Facility Outlaw 200 Weekend presented by SUNY Canton.
The big winners were weekly Fulton Speedway competitors with Jimmy Phelps collecting $20,000- pay day for the modified victory and sportsman track champion Ron Davis III pocketing $2,500 in the Industrial Tire of CNY Sportsman Shootout 50 by Goodyear Retreaders.
Even though the race was shortened to 188 laps of the scheduled 200 because of rain, the entire distance had two, three and at one point the leaders and back markers going five wide with no contact. Only six total cautions and only one after the lap 101 break would slow the action.
Jimmy Phelps from Baldwinsville, N.Y would take the lead from Larry Wight on lap 102 and would lead until lap 188 when the rain moved in ending the race. Before the rain Phelps would have to hold off in heavy lapped traffic Mike Mahaney and a fast closing Alan Johnson.
After parking his J&B Installations/HBR/No.98H in a celebratory victory lane Jimmy Phelps talked about his second Outlaw 200 victory.
“This means a lot,” commented Phelps afterwards. “We validated that we can do it again. It means a lot because it is with these guys. It was special to get one with dad and now to be able to come back and do it with these guys (Heinke-Baldwin Racing), they are like family too. So this is cool.”
Vic Coffey and Billy Decker would lead the 44 car starting field down to the green with Billy Decker grabbing the early, narrow lead. Decker’s lead would only last 14 laps. Exiting turn four trying to put cars a lap down Decker would have to get hard on the brakes from hitting a back marker. His car would shut off and had a hard time restarting, later dropping out with what was reported as alternator issues.
Coffey would lead from lap 15 to lap 19 when Matt Sheppard would use the top of the speedway to drive into the lead.
Sheppard at times would open a half a straightaway, with cars all the way around the speedway racing for position. Larry Wight who started 13th would move into second on lap 39 and set his sights on Sheppard.
At the halfway point of the first segment (lap 50) Sheppard still showed the way out front with no chance to relax with cars still occupying the entire race surface. Wight was still in second trying to close the gap on Sheppard. Billy Dunn, Tom Sears Jr. and Mike Mahaney were in a tight battle for third through fifth in heavy lapped traffic.
By lap 80 Wight had run down Sheppard as the two were putting on a show for the race lead in what was still heavy traffic. Dunn, Sears and now Jimmy Phelps battled for third through fifth.
On lap 89 Wight would pull even with Sheppard, then in turn four a lapped car would make contact with Sheppard on the bottom of the speedway. Sheppard’s car then made contact with a ute tire causing heavy front end damage, ending his shot at the win.
Wight would lead the final laps to the break at lap 101 for cars to make adjustments.
Larry Wight, Jimmy Phelps, Billy Dunn, Tom Sears Jr., Bobby Varin, Mike Mahaney, Pat Ward, Chad Phelps, Chris Hile and Vic Coffey would make up the top 10 to start the second segment.
When the race went back to green, Jimmy Phelps would use the top groove of the speedway on lap 102 to blast into the lead after starting 20th at the drop of the green.
At lap 150 and no yellows and the majority of the field still racing, battles throughout the field were hotly contested. Phelps at that point opened up a four-second lead as Wight, Mahaney, Dunn, Hile from 31st starting position and Alan Johnson slugged it out for second through sixth.
By lap 165 Mahaney was the fastest car on the track as he cut Phelps’ four-second lead down to one second as lapped cars were using every inch of the speedway making it tough for the leaders to break free to a clear track.
With 20 laps to go and still no cautions since the start of the second segment, Mahaney was still within striking distance of Phelps, with Johnson rapidly closing in on the top two, Hile and Wight were still having strong runs in the top five.
On lap 188 the caution would wave for a slowing Chad Phelps with front end problems. Under the caution the rain would start falling. One more attempt would be made to restart the race but it was too slick and the race was checkered and called official.
Top ten finish – Jimmy Phelps, Mike Mahaney, Alan Johnson, Chris Hile, Larry Wight, Tim Sears Jr., Pat Ward, Tom Sears Jr., Mat Williamson, Bobby Varin.
Phelps talked about the changes made at the halfway point that got him the lead and the victory.
“We didn’t change anything,” said Phelps. “We had a bent drag link that Kurt (Wiegel) repaired and then we sanded, re-siped and went back out with the same four tires. My biggest thing was I didn’t have another right rear that I felt comfortable in where it was going to get size wise. I was prepared to use it if I had to, but it became a crap shoot because I didn’t know where I was going to end up with it. We decided to stay with the proven deal.”
“If it wasn’t raining at all, I was pretty comfortable with my car on a clean track, but the lapped traffic was brutal,” stated Phelps. “At that point it was a guessing game where to go. You are trying to race second and trying to race five lapped cars in front of you. At the end of the day it wasn’t like started on the pole and got to halfway.
We had a strong car and they knew we were here. It’s still pretty special. I was happy to see the yellow to get rid of guys and let me have open track. I got tight so the minute I punched the car I scuffed off some speed. I really needed to be able to use the whole race track and the yellow was going to allow me to do that again. It was about a half a second when I had to cut under somebody. My right front started to give up. I was having a hard time racing guys.”
Eighty cars signed in the pits for the DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series. It would take eight heat races, four consolations and three last chance qualifiers to set the 31-car starting field to do battle in the $2,500-to-win Industrial Tire of CNY Sportsman Shootout 50 by Goodyear Retreaders.
Series regular Martin Pelletier and Fulton weekly racer Nick Krause would lead the field down to the green with Pelletier grabbing the early lead.
With 10 laps complete Pelletier and former race winner Jeremy Pitcher ran bumper to bumper and side by side battling for the top spot. Series point leader Shane Pecore, Kevin Root and Brad Rouse raced for third through fifth just a few car lengths back from the top two.
After a yellow on lap 12 Pitcher went to the top of the speedway to be scored the new leader. Pitcher would keep the lead until a restart on lap 18 when Pecore and Rouse would drive into the top two spots.
At the halfway point (lap 25) Rouse who grabbed the lead on lap 22, Pecore, Root, track champion Ron Davis III from the 17th starting spot and Rocky Warner from 18th were having a tough battle at the front of the field.
After a caution on lap 32 it would take Davis just 2 laps using the top of the speedway to drive by Rouse and into the lead.
Over the remainder of the race and no yellows to tighten the field up Davis was the class of the field picking up his first Outlaw 200 Weekend
Industrial Tire of CNY Sportsman Shootout 50 by Goodyear Retreaders. Brad Rouse, Rocky Warner, Kevin Root and Shane Percore finished second through fifth.
(31st Sunoco Fulton Ethanol Facility Outlaw 200 By SUNY Canton 200 Laps Rain at Lap 188) – JIMMY PHELPS, Mike Mahaney, Alan Johnson, Chris Hile, Larry Wight, Tim Sears Jr., Pat Ward, Tom Sears Jr., Mat Williamson, Bobby Varin, Vic Coffey, Willy Decker, Ryan Phelps, Chad Phelps, Ronnie Johnson, Billy Whittaker, Tim Kerr, Justin Wright, Mike Bowman, Mike O’Brien, Mike Maresca, Jeff Crambo, Jimmy Davis, Claude Hutchings Jr., Alan Barker, Billy Dunn, Danny Johnson, Carey Terrance, Roy Bresnahan, Ryan Jordan, Tim Fuller, Brett Hearn, Ryan Godown, Nick Webb, Gary Tomkins, Katelyn Hile, Dave Rauscher, Chuck Bower, Mitch Gibbs, Matt Sheppard, Tommy Kinsella, Erick Rudolph, Billy Decker, Danny Varin.
Lap Leaders – Billy Decker (1-14) Vic Coffey (15-19) Matt Sheppard (20-89) Larry Wight (90-101) Jimmy Phelps (102-188 as rain ended the event).
5 Qualify – 2 Redraw
(Heat 1) – Billy Dunn, Danny Johnson, Larry Wight, Ryan Godown, Nick Webb, Joe August Jr., Chris Hile, Yan Bussiere, Brandon Walters, Tim Schneider Jr., Rick McCready, Roy Shields.
(Heat 2) – Billy Decker, Alan Johnson, Mike Bowman, Mat Williamson, Chad Phelps, Alan Barker, Mike O’Brien, Andrew Ferguson, Jean Corriveau, Roy Bresnahan, Greg Birosh, Rich Riggs.
(Heat 3) – Tim Sears Jr., Vic Coffey, Carey Terrance, Gary Tomkins, Erick Rudolph, Tommy Kinsella, Jeff Crambo, Chuck Bower, JR McGinley, Jeff Blckburn, Jimmy Davis.
(Heat 4) – Mike Mahaney, Tom Sears Jr., Ryan Jordan, Willy Decker, Katelyn Hile, Jeremy Smith, Dave Rauscher, Jim LaRock, Claude Hutchings, Otto Sitterly, John West.
(Heat 5) – Matt Sheppard, Bobby Varin, Ronnie Johnson, Billy Whittaker, Tim Kerr, Justin Wright, Brett Hearn, Rusty Smith, Nick Nye, Robbie Bellinger, Brett Tonkin.
(Heat 6) – Pat Ward, Ryan Phelps, Jimmy Phelps, Tim Fuller, Danny Varin, Mitch Gibbs, Mike Maresca, Lee Dewitt, Mario Clair, Tim Harris, Tim Murphy.
(Consolation 1) – Chris Hile, Alan Barker, Mike O’Brien, DNQ Roy Bresnahan, Andrew Ferguson, Tim Schneider Jr., Brandon Walters, Jean Corriveau, Yan Bussiere, Greg Birosh, Roy Shields, Rick McCready, Joe August Jr.
(Consolation 2) – Tommy Kinsella, Jeff Crambo, Claude Hutchings Jr., DNQ Jimmy Davis, Jeff Blackburn, Jeremy Smith, JR McGinley, Dave Rauscher, Chuck Bower, Jim LaRock, Otto Sitterly, John West.
(Consolation 3) – Mitch Gibbs, Justin Wright, Mike Maresca, DNQ Brett Hearn, Brett Tonkin, Nick Nye, Rusty Smith, Mario Clair, Tim Harris, Lee Dewitt, Tim Murphy, Rob Bellinger.
Hard Luck Award – Hoosier Tire – Jeremy Smith
DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series
(Industrial Tire of CNY By Goodyear Retreaders Sportsman Shootout 50 Laps) – RON DAVIS III, Brad Rouse, Rocky Warner, Kevin Root, Shane Pecore, Todd Root, Martin Pelletier, Tyler Meeks, Dave Marcuccilli, Will Shields, Jeremy Pitcher, Nick Krause, Brianna Ladouceur, Brad Alger, Louie Jackson Jr., Corey Barker, Jessica Power, Alex Lajoie, Matt Farnham, Mike Button, Connor Cleveland, Jack Meeks, Tyler Trump, Brent Joy, Dylan Zacharias, Alan Fink, Jeff Stevenson, Billy Clark Jr., Zach Sobotka, Amy Holland, Chris Cunningham.
(DNQ) – Nate Higgins, Allison Ricci, Greg Doust, Brett Draper, Joe Kline, Brandon Carvey, Garrett Rushlow, Chris Hulsizer, David Schilling, Rich Riggs, Aron Backus, Steve Abt, Torrey Stoughtenger, Greg Martin, Joel Hargrave, Jason Occhino, JJ Courcy, Mike Phelps, Mike Mandigo, Pat LaPage, Brian Murphy, Ricky Yelle, Tyler Thompson, Dorian Wahdan, Jeremy Dygert, Tom Collins, Brian Hudson, Earl Rudy, Austyn Fugle, Dave Dipietro, Chris Thurston, Rich Townsend, Jackson Gill, Thomas Cook, Joe Sobotka, Taylor Lamb, Tim Baker, Andrew Smith, Tony Finch, Joey Buonagurio, Colby Herzog, Michelle Courcy.
Hard Luck Award – Hoosier Tire – Joe Kline
Atomic Wrap Winner- Brianna Ladouceur
Industrial Tire of CNY/ Syracuse Retreaders Heat Race Bonus Cash – 1 ($150) 2 ($100) 3 ($50)
Henry’s Exhaust $50 Gift Certificate To Each Heat Winner
Beyea Custom Headers $50 Gift Certificate 3rd Place Each Heat
DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series – Industrial Tire of CNY Shootout Heats – 2 Qualify – 1 To Redraw
(Heat 1) – Kevin Root, Dylan Zacharias, Jack Meeks, Brad Alger, Tom Collins Jr., Brandon Carvey, Mike Button, Dorian Wahdan, Andrew Smith, Michelle Courcy.
(Heat 2) – Zach Sobotka, Cory Barker, Ron Davis III, Jeremy Dygert, Jessica Power, Brian Murphy, Jackson Gill, Earl Rudy, Garrett Rushlow, Aaron Backus.
(Heat 3) – Jeremy Pitcher, Tyler Meeks, Joe Kline, Brent Joy, Brian Hudson, Chris Cunningham, Allison Ricci, Tony Komuda, Mike Mandigo.
(Heat 4) – Shane Pecore, Todd Root, Rocky Warner, George Sanford, Jason Occhino, Austyn Fugle, Tim Baker, Rich Townsend, Patrick LaPage.
(Heat 5) – Brad Rouse, Alan Fink, Will Shields, Matt Farnham, Mike Phelps, Tyler Thompson, Joel Hargrave, Casey Williams, Joey Bounagurio, Brett Draper.
(Heat 6) – Nick Krause, Jeff Stevenson, Billy Clark Jr., David Schlling, Connor Cleveland, Chris Thurston, Taylor Lamb, Colby Herzog, Tom Tophoven, Brianna Ladouceur.
(Heat 7) – Dave Marcuccilli, Tyler Trump, Nate Higgins, Greg Martin, JJ Courcy, Greg Doust, Joe Sobotka, Thomas Cook, Torrey Stoughtenger, Chris Hulsizer.
Heat 8) – Martin Pelletier, Alex LaJoie, Amy Holland, Louie Jackson Jr., Dave DiPietro, Ricky Yelle, Tony Finch II, Hunter Schwander, Steve Abt, James Carlson.
