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Dunn Continues Winning Ways At Can-Am

LAFARGEVILLE, NY - Mid-summer weather continued for yet another week at Chapman’s Can-Am Motorsports Park in Lafargeville, NY on Saturday night. Temperatures were in the upper seventies as hot laps began on Cheney Tire night at the track. A bit of levity kicked off the night when hot laps were halted to allow a family of geese to cross the back straight away from the infield pond. No word on whether a “geese crossing� sign will be erected for next week. It was a full race schedule at the track, including a twin twelve-lap feature for the Sportsman Mods, and a twenty-five lap feature for the 358 Small Block Modifieds. Also racing were the Pro Street Stocks, Thunder Cars and Novice Sportsman.

HEAT RACES
The Sportsman Modifieds were on the track first, with two heat races to determine the order for the first of two features. In the first heat 2 Chris Thurston and 72 Mike Prentice started in the top two positions with 25 George Sanford and 38 Zach Sobotka in third and fourth, respectively. Prentice took the lead out of the first turn, with Thurston filing into second. The leaders separated from the pack early. Meanwhile 44 David Rogers climbed up from seventh to fourth by lap three. Sobotka was not making it easy for Rogers to move up any additional positions, as the 38 of Sobotka powered away to catch up to the leaders by lap six. On the final lap, Sobotka went low through turns one and two and grabbed onto second place, supplanting Thurston. The top five finishers from the first heat were 72 Mike Prentice in first, 38 Zach Sobotka in second, 2 Chris Thurston in third, 44 David Rogers in fourth, and 621 Brian Hudson in fifth.
The second heat had 71 Delbert LeGrow and 415 Andrew Wren in the front row with 12 Troy Fleming and 7x Justin White in third and fourth starting positions. The green flag was unfurled, and it was LeGrow in the lead through turn one. 12 Troy Fleming and 271 Tiger Chapman Jr. got together in turn one of lap two, with Chapman spinning down into the infield. 91 Josh Reome, in an effort to avoid a wreck, went up over the berm of turn one and had to get a push back onto the track. This brought out the caution flags. All cars were able to return to racing without heading to the pits. On the restart, 21 Taylor Caprara grabbed onto the lead, after driving his way all the way up from a seventh position start. 271 Tiger Chapman Jr. was also moving up with an extremely fast car. By lap five, Chapman had moved into second position, passing LeGrow. 5 Amy Holland had a good heat race as well, advancing from an eighth place start up to fifth. At the checkered flag it was 21 Taylor Caprara, 271 Tiger Chapman Jr., 71 Delbert LeGrow, 12 Troy Fleming, and 5 Amy Holland in fifth.

Next up were the Thunder Cars, a burgeoning class with seventeen cars entering two heat races for the evening. 21 Gage Howard and 83 Carl Burdick started the first heat race in the top two positions. At the drop of the green, it was 17 Mike Greendfield who took the lead with 17N Justin Nier leaping out to second position from a sixth place start. On a lap three restart after a caution, 42 Lyle Robinson moved into second position as Greenfield faded through turn two. Robinson continued his conquest for first, pushing past Nier on the final lap. At the checkered flag it was 42 Lyle Robinson, 17n Justin Nier, 32 Chuck Monica, 17 Mike Greenfield, 83 Carl Burdick.
In the second heat, 94 O.J. White and 111J AJ St.Mary starting in the top two positions. White jumped out to an early lead, but got loose along the front stretch of lap one and headed into the infield. On the next lap, White was involved in another mishap, this time slamming into the 11J Justin Burns after he was knocked sideways in turn four. It was a hard collision, ending the race for both the 94 and 11J. Fortunately the drivers were able to walk away from the wreck, though their cars required the helping hitch from the track tows. On the restart after the extended caution, it was 17x Pat Sullivan and late entry, 70 Nick Trapp in the top two positions. At the drop of the green, 26M Phil Desormeau III catapulted out of third position into first, putting multiple car lengths between himself and the rest of the pack almost immediately. 27 Justin Pope was a hot mover as well, moving up from seventh to third by lap four. 16 Matt Marcinko cruised up to second position by the drop of the checkered flag. At the finish line it was 26M Phil Desormeau III, 16 Matt Marcinko, 17x Pat Sullivan, and 70 Nick Trapp.

358 Small Block Mods hit the track next, with 39 Tyler Bartlett and 12 Keith Weston starting in the top two positions. Weston got high in turn one, and faded to the back of the pack, while Bartlett retained his lead early. A hard charging 9 Billy Dunn moved up from last position to second by lap five. Out of turn two on lap six, Dunn made his move and slipped past Bartlett. Meanwhile 93 Ryan Bartlett moved up from an eighth position start to third place by lap six, relegating 1 Craig Collier to fourth position. At the checkered flag it was 9 Billy Dunn, 39 Tyler Bartlett, 93 Ryan Bartlett, 1 Craig Collier, 51x Brady Gill.

Novice Sportsman was also a packed class for the night, with two heat races. 00 Billy Matteson and 24 Jordan Kelly started in the top two positions. The green flag waved and Kelly leaped out front by turn one, with 1 Cole Davidson also with a good start, moving up from fourth to second. By lap two 34 Eric Nier challenged and then passed Davidson for second position. The top five finishers were 24 Jordan Kelly, 34 Eric Nier, 54G Greg Snyder, 18 Justin Gadbaw, 00 Billy Matteson.
The next heat for Novice Sportsman had 76G Skylar Greenfield and 15 Greg Henry in the top two positions to start. Greenfield retained first through lap one, despite getting loose early. 4x Mike Gadbaw was hard-charging, taking over first position by lap two, after starting in third position. 15 Greg Henry regained second place after passing Greenfield in lap three. 30 Hunter Schwander moved through the pack from a fifth position start, challenging for third in lap three. It was fast and clean racing, as these novices blazed through their heat race. By the drop of the flag it was 4x Mike Gadbaw, 15 Greg Henry, 30 Hunter Schwander, 76g Skylar Greenfield, and 60 Jackson Gill.

Pro-Street Stocks rolled onto the track next with 1x Mike White and 3k Shawn Kirby in the top two positions to start the first of two heat races. White retained the lead, with Kirby slotting into second behind him. 45R Preston Forbes made quick work of advancing from sixth position to third, completing the maneuver by lap two. 3 Rick Dusckas was also moving up, challenging 83 Milt Combs for fourth position, and gaining the advantage by lap three. Kirby moved into first and was several car-lengths ahead at the checkered flag, with 1x Mike white, 45R Forbes, 3 Dusckas and 83 Combs rounding out the top five.
The next heat for Pro-Street Stocks had 272 Tiger Chapman and 711 Russ Marsden in the top two starting positions. It was door-to-door and wheel-to-wheel all through lap one, with Chapman edging out Marsden for first place. The two continued to battle hard, as 32 Ryan Shanahan moved into third behind them, moving past 19 Robert Scott. A lap three caution brought the pack back together for a heart-pounding restart. Once again Chapman gained the advantage snatching away first position on the restart. Meanwhile, 75 Kenny Hartshorn had quietly moved up from fifth to third on the final lap. At the checkered flag it was 272 Tiger Chapman, 711 Russ Marsden, 75 Kenny Hartshorn, 32 Ryan Shanahan, and 19 Robert Scott in fifth.

FEATURE RACES
The Sportsman Modifieds were out on the track for the first of two twelve-lap feature races on the night. 2 Chris Thurston and 71 Delbert LeGrow started in first and second positions, with 72 Mike Prentice and 12 Troy Fleming starting the race in row two, third and fourth positions respectively. Sixteen cars started the first feature, a solid showing for a packed house. The green flag flew, and LeGrow wasted no time grabbing onto the lead while Thurston anchored the second position. 621 Brian Hudson moved up early to third, after starting in sixth. 12 Troy Fleming, sparred and parried with Hudson for third place through the early laps. 72 Prentice got up onto the berm in turns one and two during lap six, and that cost him multiple spots on the track, moving him all the way back to fifteen. It was a tough break after starting third. 21 Taylor Caprara was an early mover, taking the high line around the track to rise to fifth position after a ninth place start. In lap ten, 621 Hudson made his move on second position, edging past LeGrow, who also gave way to 44 Dave Rogers. Rogers had moved up from an eighth position start. At the checkered flag, it was 2 Chris Thurston, 621 Brian Hudson, 44 David Rogers, 21 Taylor Caprara, 71 Delbert LeGrow. It was a caution-free race and seemed to fly by in mere moments. The racing order would be reshuffled for the second feature, closing out the night.

Thunder Cars hit the track next, for a fifteen-lap feature race. 83 Carl Burdick and 111J AJ St.Mary started in the first row, in positions one and two. 17 Mike Greenfield and 17x Pat Sullivan started in the next row in third and fourth positions. 42 Lyle Robinson charged up from fifth to first in the first lap, with 26M Phil Desormeau II nipping at his heels in second place, after starting in sixth. 32 Chuck Monica was also racing hard, moving from ninth to third by lap number three. Desormeau challenged for the lead through laps four and five, taking the high line around the track. By lap six, Desormeau had sole possession of the lead, but Monica and Robinson were not relenting. Moving into lapped traffic in lap eight, Desormeau faded, giving Robinson the lead once again. Meanwhile, 16 Matt Marcinko moved up from eighth position to fourth, racing door-to-door with 17N Justin Nier. 32 Monica managed to pass up Desormeau for second place by lap eleven, while Robinson led the race by several car lengths. 60 Francis White moved all the way up from fourteenth to sixth, but was too far away in the final laps to break into the top five. At the finish line it was 42 Lyle Robinson, 32 Chuck Monica, 26M Phil Desormeau III, 16 Matt Marcinko, and 17N Justin Nier.

The twenty-five lap 358 Small Block Modified feature was up next. 39 Tyler Bartlett and 1 Craig Collier started in first and second positions. Row two was occupied by 10 Josh VanBrocklin and 57 Rylee Gill, in third and fourth positions. The green flag was up and 39 Tyler Bartlett assumed sole possession of first place by turn one. VanBrocklin wasted no time in getting into second position, while 93 Ryan Bartlett was solidly in third by lap two, after starting in sixth place. 9 Billy Dunn had moved up four positions to fifth by lap three, while VanBrocklin challenged Bartlett for first, successfully grabbing the position by lap five. 93 Ryan Bartlett moved up to second position, moving Tyler Bartlett to third. But that position change was wiped out and not scored as a caution flag came out when 24B Roger Leveresque blew out his right rear tire and went up over the turn one berm. The restart positions had 10 VanBrocklin, 39 Bartlett, 93 Bartlett and 57 Rylee Gill in the top four positions. VanBrocklin shot out to the lead once again after the side-by-side restart. 9 Billy Dunn had moved up to third position, while 93 Ryan Bartlett held on to second. The race for fifth position was heating up by lap seven as 16 Lance Willix II passed up 57 Gill, after having started in tenth position. Willix then set his sights on fourth, challenging and then passing 39 Tyler Bartlett by lap eleven. 9 Dunn was making his move for second and then first positions, slipping past the leader VanBrocklin in lap thirteen. At lap fifteen it was Dunn, VanBrocklin, Ryan Bartlett, Willix and Tyler Bartlett in the top five positions. 51x Brady Gill had started in fifth position, but had been moved back during the first half of racing. By lap eighteen he was back challenging Tyler Bartlett for the position, diving low in the corners, but loosing ground in the straightaway. By lap nineteen, Willix had improved his position once again, taking over third place from Ryan Bartlett. 9 Billy Dunn had a substantial lead over second place when a lap-twenty-one caution brought the racing field back together for a side-by-side restart, thus erasing Dunn’s extensive lead. The table was set for a delicious racing meal featuring Dunn and VanBrocklin in the top two positions and Bartlett and Willix in third and fourth. VanBrocklin got bumped through turn two and that slid him back in the pack substantially. With one lap remaining it was Dunn, Willix, Ryan Bartlett, 51x Brady Gill and 57 Rylee Gill in the top five. And that’s how it would remain as the checkered flag waved at the finish line. It was another victory for Billy Dunn and a tough break for VanBrocklin who gave up track position to avoid a wreck after contact during the final laps.

The next feature on the racing docket was the Novice Sportsman in a fifteen lap feature. 76g Skylar Greenfield and 24 Jordan Kelly started in positions one and two. 1 Cole Davidson and 4x Mike Gadbaw were in row two, starting in third and fourth positions. Kelly was shot out of a cannon in lap one, but an immediate caution triggered a restart with no laps completed. Kelly performed a repeat on the restart, shooting to the lead, but was once again flummoxed by another caution as 0 Joe Wilcox got together with a few other cars in the back of the pack. Wilcox got the short end of the stick and a short ride to the pits on the hook of the Can-Am track tow truck. The yellow escalated to a red flag stoppage as the 0 car required a full lift to the pits. A tough break for Wilcox on his first night of racing out at the track. On the restart Kelly once again took the lead, with 4x Gadbaw powering into second place. 34 Eric Nier was an early powerhouse, moving up from eighth position to third by lap two. 60 Jackson Gill was also making some noise, climbing from tenth to fourth by lap three. In lap four, 4x Gadbaw went high through turn two, giving way to the hard racing Gill and Nier. While Kelly was far out front, it was Gill in second and Nier in third by lap six. 30 Hunter Schwander was steadily climbing through the pack, moving from seventh to fifth by a lap eight caution. The caution erased Kelly’s immense lead, and brought 60 Gill up on his door for a restart. A spinout on the restart triggered another caution, with all drivers avoiding a major wreck and able to resume racing moments later. 60 Gill was able to best Kelly on the restart to grab onto first place, but moments later another caution flag was waved as four cars got caught up in a wreck in turn two. 76G Skylar Greenfield and 00 Billy Matteson bore the brunt of the wreck, requiring a ride to the pits, complements of the Can-Am tow crew. On the restart 60 Gill took firm hold of the lead, with 24 Kelly in second. 30 Hunter Schwander and 34 Eric Nier battled for third position. 54G Greg Snyeder had moved up to fifth by lap eleven, after getting sent to the back of the pack in lap one. Schwander made a play for second place on the final lap, taking the outside lane to pass Kelly on the last turn. At the checkered flag it was 60 Jackson Gill, 30 Hunter Schwander, 24 Jordan Kelly, 34 Eric Nier, and 54G Greg Snyder.

The next feature to hit the track was the Pro Street Stock class with a twenty-lap race. 1x Mike White and 272 Tiger Chapman started in first and second positions, with 3k Shawn Kirby and 711 Russ Marsden in row two in third and fourth positions. A lap one caution triggered a restart after 83DA Dustin Bradley and 62 Jonathan Murphy got together in the back of the pack. On the restart Chapman and Kirby were side-by-side and wheel-to-wheel, with Kirby edging past Chapman for the lead by lap three. Another caution brought the pack back together for another restart. Kirby shot to the lead on the restart relegating Chapman to second. 3 Rick Dusckas was busy moving up from eighth position to fourth by lap four. A lap-six caution brought everyone back together just in time for another caution as 83DA Dustin Bradley spun out for the third time on the night. Bradley took the car to the pits, bringing an end to his night of racing. On the restart, once again it was Chapman and Kirby battling for the lead. It took a lap, but Kirby was able to move into the lead by lap twelve. 1x Mike White found a fast groove around the track and moved on the leaders from the third position. Meanwhile, Dusckas was in fourth with an idea to challenge White for third place. With three laps remaining it was Kirby, Chapman, White, Dusckas and 711 Russ Marsden in the top five positions. And that’s how it would remain, as the checkered flags were unfurled.

The final feature race was the second twelve-lap feature for the Sportsman Modifieds. 97 Mike Mandigo Jr. and 72 Mike Prentice started in first and second positions. In the second row it was 7x Justin White and 27W Nick Webb, in third and fourth positions to start the race. 72 Mike Prentice moved to the lead with 91 Josh Reome right on his heels in second place, by lap two. The night of the yellow flag continued in this feature, as a lap three caution brought everyone back together for a restart. Mike Mandigo took it to the pits in lap three with a flat left rear tire. On the restart it was Prentice and Reome in the top two positions. Reome threaded the needle through turn two to claim first place. 271 Tiger Chapman was on the move by lap three, moving up from tenth position to second, nipping at the heels of Reome. 5 Amy Holland spun out in turn two just a few laps later to bring out the yellow flag. She was able to get back into the race moments later, albeit at the back of the pack. 21 Taylor Caprara and 44 Dave Rogers were in fifth and sixth positions on the restart, having moved up from thirteenth and fourteenth positions respectively. Caprara moved into fourth with Rogers in fifth right behind him a lap later. 38 Zach Sobotka had quietly moved from seventh to third position by lap nine, but Caprara was hard charging and snatched the position away just a lap later. Rogers followed Caprara’s lead, as he had all night. At the checkered flag it was 91 Josh Reome, 271 Tiger Chapman Jr., 21 Taylor Caprara, 44 Dave Rogers, and 38 Zach Sobotka.

FEATURE RESULTS

06/04/16 Can-Am Feature Winner - Chris Thurston - Sportsman Modifieds (Feature 1)
Sportsman Modifieds: 1) 2 Chris Thurston, 2) 621 Brian Hudson, 3) 44 David Rogers, 4) 21 Taylor Caprara, 5) 71 Delbert LeGrow Sr., 6) 12 Troy Fleming, 7) Tiger Chapman Jr., 8) 25 George Sanford, 9) 5 Amy Holland, 10) 38 Zach Sobotka, 11) 91 Josh Reome, 12) 415 Andrew Wren, 13) 27W Nick Webb, 14) 7x Justin White, 15) 72 Mike Prentice, 16) 97 Mike Mandigo Jr.

06/04/16 Can-Am Feature Winner - Lyle Robinson - Thunder Cars
Thunder Cars: 1) 42 Lyle Robinson, 2) 32 Chuck Monica, 3) 26M Phil Desormeau III, 4) 16 Matt Marcinko, 5) 17N Justin Nier, 6) 60 Fancis White, 7) 17 Mike Greenfield, 8) 27 Justin Pope, 9) 83 Carl Burdick, 10) 70 Nick Trapp, 11) 17x Pat Sullivan, 12) 10x Jessie Bender, 13) 111J A.J. St. Mary, 14) 61 Gerry Rogers, 15) 5 Don Woodworth, 16) 21 Gage Howard (DNS), 17) 11J Justin Burns (DNS), 18) 94 O.J. White (DNS).

06/04/16 Can-Am Feature Winner - Billy Dunn - 358 Small Block Modifieds
358 Small Block Modifieds: 1) 9 Billy Dunn, 2) 16 Lance Willix II, 3) 93 Ryan Bartlett, 4) 51x Brady Gill, 5) 57 Rylee Gill, 6) 39 Tyler Bartlett, 7) 10 Josh VanBrocklin, 8) 1 Craig Collier, 9) 12 Keith Weston, 10) 24B Roger Levesque.

06/04/16 Can-Am Feature Winner - Jackson Gill - Novice Sportsman
Novice Sportsman: 1) 60 Jackson Gill, 2) 30 Hunter Schwander, 3) 24 Jordan Kelly, 4) 34 Eric Nier, 5) 54G Greg Snyder, 6) 1 Cole Davidson, 7) 4x Mike Gadbaw, 8) 15 Greg Henry, 9) 7x Burton Ward, 10) 18 Justin Gadbaw, 11) 00 Billy Matteson, 12) 76G Skylar Greenfield, 13) 0 Joe Wilcox.

06/04/16 Can-Am Feature Winner - Shawn Kirby - Pro Street Stock
Pro Street Stock: 1) 3k Shawn Kirby, 2) 272 Tiger Chapman, 3) 1x Mike White, 4) 3 Rick Dusckas, 5) 711 Russ Marsden, 6) 83 Milt Combs, 7) 45R Preston Forbes, 8) 75 Kenny Hartshorn, 9) 4 Mike Durham, 10) 19 Robert Scott, 11) 62 Jonathan Murphy, 12) 32 Ryan Shanahan, 13) 83DA Dustin Bradley.

06/04/16 Can-Am Feature Winner - Josh Reome - Sportsman Modified (Feature 2)

Sportsman Modified (2nd Feature): 1) 91 Josh Reome, 2) 271 Tiger Chapman, 3) 21 Taylor Caprara, 4) 44 David Rogers, 5) 38 Zach Sobotka, 6) 25 George Sanford, 7) 12 Troy Fleming, 8) 71 Delbert LeGrow Sr., 9) 27w Nick Webb, 10) 621 Brian Hudson, 11) 415 Andrew Wren, 12) 2 Chris Thurston, 13) 5 Amy Holland, 14) 92 Mike Mandigo Jr., 15) 7x Justin White, 16) 72 Mike Prentice.

Racing returns to Chapman’s Can-Am Motorsports Park Saturday June 18th. The racing schedule will feature 358 Small Block Modifieds, Sportsman Mods in a twin 15-lap feature, Pro Street Stocks, Thunder Stocks, Novice Sportsman, Vintage Modifieds and a 30 Lap Cheney Tire Enduro. Pit gates open at 4pm, grandstands open at 5pm with hot laps at 6:10pm and racing beginning at 7pm. Tickets are $12 for adults, kids 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. Military personnel receive a half price discount with ID.

A huge racing extravaganza is planned for Independence Day weekend at Chapman’s Can-Am Motorsports Park!

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