Neighbors Pat Ward And Will Shields Win Brewerton Speedway Modified And Sportsman Features; Empire Super Sprints Speedweek Coming Wednesday, June 29
Story By: DAVE MEDLER / BREWERTON SPEEDWAY Photos By: JAY FISH / RACERSGUIDE.COM
BREWERTON, NY- June 25, 2016- It was a night of celebration at the Brewerton Speedway Friday for two King Ferry, NY neighbors Pat Ward and Will Shields who live literally feet from each other .
In the wild and unpredictable Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Modified 35 lap feature Pat Ward didn’t take the lead until lap 34 in a race as Ward related that nobody seemed to want to win. With less than a handful of laps to go race leaders Max McLaughlin and then Tim Kerr ran into problems ending their bids for the win. Ward who was right up front battling for the win took full advantage, going to victory lane.
In the 25 lap SUNY Canton Sportsman feature Will Shields took the lead on lap 6 and would have to hold off late race challenges from Corey Barker and Tony Finch II for his first career win.
Other winners on NAPA Auto Parts night were, Joe Isabell (Mod Lites) Chuck Powelczyk (4-CYL) Kevan Cook (Late Models).
Tim Kerr would bolt away from Max McLaughlin and the rest of the field to lead the early going of the 35 lap Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Modified feature.
With two and three wide racing throughout the field there was a wild scramble on lap 6 that saw Tim Sears Jr. and Jimmy Phelps get together exiting turns three and four at a high rate of speed. Phelps would head to the pits to remove leaves and tree branches from his off track excursion and returned to the back of the field. Sears wasn’t as fortunate as his car went back to the pits on a flatbed.
On the restart McLaughlin would go to the the top of the speedway to be scored the new leader of the race. McLaughlin’s lead would be short lived as Kerr battled back on lap 9 narrowly taking the lead back with Matt Hulsizer and Pat Ward right there waiting to pounce on any mistake by the top two.
At the halfway point, lap 18, Kerr held the biggest lead of the race and that was by only a couple car lengths over McLaughlin. Ward, Chad Phelps and Ryan Phelps were putting on a show of their own racing hard for third through fifth.
On lap 21 with a battle royal still going on at the front, McLaughlin running the bottom found enough speed to be be scored the leader at the line just before a yellow for Matt Hulsizer who had front end problems.
With 10 laps to you could have thrown a blanket over McLaughlin, Chad Phelps and Tim Kerr. Just a car length back of the lead trio was Ward and Chris Hile.
The yellow would wave on lap 27 when Tom Sears Jr. and Matt Sheppard made contact going into turn one that saw Sheppard spin to a stop. Sheppard would continue.
The whole complexion of the race would change in a big way in the closing laps at the front of the field. On lap 31 McLaughlin, who was still right there in contention for the win, would clip the implement tire exiting turn four as he flew into in the infield down the front straight spinning in turns one and two.
The problems at the front of the field didn’t end there when Sheppard had a flat on lap 33 bringing out the caution. On the white flag lap to go back to green leader Kerr suddenly stopped on the back straight with a transmission problem.
Ward, a fan favorite who ran with the leaders most of the race, took advantage and lead the final two laps parking his No.42P in a high energy victory lane to the cheers of the crowd.
Jimmy Phelps was a man on a mission as he drove from the back of the field to finish second. What made Phelps run even more impressive was he did it with a bent frame from his off-track incident early in the feature.
Chad Phelps, Chris Hile and Ward’s teammate Larry Wight finished third through fifth.
In the 20 lap SUNY Canton feature the entire race would have no lead safe as the leader was always under constant pressure.
Alan Fink and Zach Sobotka would lead early laps before Will Shields would take over the top spot on lap 6.
When the scoring tower showed the 10 lap mark the action was hot and heavy at the front of the field as Shields, Sobotka, Stephen Denton and Corey Barker were in a four car tussle at the front with Fink just a few car lengths back in fifth.
With 10 laps to go Shields still led but he had Barker and Sobotka breathing on his back bumper looking for a way by. Tony Finch II and Denton had the top-three in their sights as the final laps started clicking off.
On the final lap Shields still ran the bottom leaving Barker only one place to go for a shot at the win. In turns three and four Barker went all out on the top of the speedway bringing the finish to a drag race down the front straight to the checkers. Shields didn’t flinch, winning by a mere 0.072 of a second for his first career win. Finch was only 0.992 back in third. Tyler Trump and Stephen Denton finished fourth and fifth.
Zack Babcok would lead the opening 11 laps of the 20 lap Firehouse Subs Mod Lite feature. On lap 11 there would be a caution and on the restart Babcock would be penalized one spot for a restart violation giving the lead to Jim Bogett.
On lap 17 Joe Isabell would grab the lead. Over the last 3 laps it was a three car battle to the checkers between Isabell, Bogett and Justin Williams. Isabell would get the narrow win. Bogett and Williams were both credited for second. Lowell Zehr was fourth and early leader Babcock, fifth.
In their only 2016 appearance at the Brewerton Speedway for the Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux RUSH Late Models, Kevan Cook used his track experience that includes 33 IMCA wins and track titles to his advantage. In the caution-free 20 lap feature Cook would take the lead from Alan Fink on lap 3 and never look back.Canadian champion Charlie Sandercock would finish second. Brandon Ford, Chris Fleming and Alan Fink finished third through fifth.
Colby Herzog would lead the opening lap of the 15 lap JB Logging & Firewood Four Cylinder feature before Tim Dunn took over the top spot. When it looked like Dunn would run away and hide Chuck Powelczyk had other ideas. Powelczyk was able to run down and grab the lead on lap 8. Once in the lead there was no slowing down Powelczyk as he was first under the checkers. Tim Dunn, Ray Bechler, Colby Herzog and Sam Curcie finished second through fifth.
This coming Wednesday, June 29 there is a huge show at the Brewerton Speedway as it is night one of the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints Speedweek that brings some of the best 360 Sprint Cars drivers in the Northeast together. To make the night even more exciting the SUNY Canton Sportsman will be racing for the $1,000 to win and a spot in the lucrative Industrial Tire Of CNY Sportsman Shootout during the Fulton Speedway 31st Annual Outlaw 200 Weekend on Friday, September 30 & Saturday October 1.
Adult admission on Wednesday, June 29 will be $16 with everyone 18 years old and younger is free, pits will be $35. Gates will open at 5:30 with racing at 7:30.
Any questions you might have and for marketing opportunities please contact Cory Reed at cory@brewertonspeedway.com (315) 668-6906. For all the latest news go to www.brewertonspeedway.com and like the Facebook page www.facebook.com/BrewertonSpeedway .
NAPA AUTO PARTS JUNE 24 RESULTS
(TRACEY ROAD EQUIPMENT DIRTcar MODIFIEDS 35 LAPS) – PAT WARD, Jimmy Phelps, Chad Phelps, Chris Hile, Larry Wight, Ryan Phelps, Rob Bellinger, Tom Sears Jr., Vic Coffey, Rich Scagliotta, Jim Witko Jr., Mike Bowman, Andrew Ferguson, Chuck Bower, Jeff Blackburn, Tim Kerr, Matt Sheppard, Max McLaughlin, Matt Hulsizer, Vinnie Vitale, Ryan Bartlett, Tim Sears Jr. DNS Roy Shields.
(HEAT WINNERS) – Matt Sheppard, Jim Witko Jr., Mike Bowman.
(SUNY CANTON SPORTSMAN 25 LAPS) – WILL SHIELDS, Corey Barker, Tony Finch II, Tyler Trump, Stephen Denton, Zach Sobotka, Brent Joy, Chris Cunningham, Glenn Forward, Billy Clark Jr., Ron Davis III, Jack Meeks, Alan Fink, Nick Krause, Dylan Zacharias, Earl Rudy, Beth Bellinger, Gregg Kimball, Rich Townsend, Ricky Yelle, Todd Root, Jeff Stevenson, Joe Sobotka, Jim Spano.
(HEAT WINNERS) – Zach Sobotka, Will Shields, Stephen Denton.
(DNQ) – George Sanford, Mike Stanton Jr. Joey Buonagurio, JJ Courcy, Kyle Fink.
(FIREHOUSE SUBS MOD LITES 20 LAPS) – JOE ISABELL, Justin Williams (2nd), Jim Bogett (2nd), Lowell Zehr(4th), Zack Babcock, Jeremy Isabell, Joe Garafolo, Dave Brown, Sam Usborne, Mike Mullen, Keith Stevenson, Kelly Skinner, Tyler Winger, Josh Kinney, Brian Meyers, Mike LaRose, Jeff Sykes.
(HEAT WINNERS) – Justin Williams, Joe Isabell.
(BILLY WHITTAKER CARS & TRUX LATE MODELS 20 LAPS) – KEVAN COOK, Charlie Sandercock, Brandon Ford, Chris Fleming, Alan Fink, Johnny Hill, Jason Parkhurst, AJ Kingsley, Dale Caswell, Chad Homan, Steve Coit, Bill Eisele, Tony Finch II, Alan Chapman, Brandon Carvey.
(HEAT WINNERS) – Chris Fleming, Alan Fink.
(JB LOGGING & FIREWOOD FOUR CYLINDERS 15 LAPS) – CHUCK POWELCZYK, Tim Dunn, Ray Bechler, Colby Herzog, Sam Curcie, Mike Sherbeck, Ken Pitsley, Quin Wallis, Stephanie Seeley, Scott Wright, Chris Bonoffski, Evan Wright.
(Heat Winners) – Chuck Powelczyk, Tim Dunn.
