6/28/2024
Can-Am Speedway
Time to look back as Can-Am heads into off weekend
The Golden Jubilee Season at the Can-Am has been filled with excitement and with 8 events into the 2024 campaign it’s time to take a look back and see what has been happening at the speedway heading into a rare open Friday night on the schedule, as track crews prepare for the upcoming Pabst Shootout.
The Whitesboro Plow Shop DIRTCar 358 Modifieds have seen the usual suspects in victory lane this year. Three time and defending track champion Tim Fuller is still the driver to beat winning 4 of the season’s first 8 races and sits 66 points ahead of Lance Willix. Fuller also has not finished outside the top 10 this year in 8 tries with 7 of those efforts being top five runs.
Other drivers such as Lance Willix are enjoying a great season and are keeping Fuller honest on a weekly basis. Willix put a Can-Am crown Jewel in his hip pocket this year winning the Summer Starter and added a second win this past Friday night heading into the off weekend with some momentum.
Billy Dunn has also been one to watch this year as he kicked off the year with his second opening day win in three years and has been knocking out top 5 finishes, including a string of three consecutive runner up finishes, as he chases a 7th track championship.
Ryan Bartlett is also enjoying a solid season and currently sits fourth in track points, but still is seeking his first win since June 17th of 2022. Bartlett has two top fives and seven top tens this year.
Shaun Shaw rounds out the top and he, much like Bartlett is also looking to get back to the winner’s circle since his lone 358 Modified win on September 2nd of the 2022 season. This year Shaw owns two top fives and 6 top tens through eight races.
Derek Webb also is looking to turn his season around and built up some momentum claiming his fist Can-Am win since the 2022 season, back on June 14th. He currently sits just inside the top ten in track points.
Mike Fowler has made a statement this year, that if Tyler Corcoran wants a fifth straight track title in the Bob Johnson Auto Group DIRTCar Sportsman, he will have to go through the 410 machine this year.
Fowler has been consistent through the first 8 events of the year. Take away his flip during the DIRTCar Sportsman Series race in late April and Fowler has been solid and consistent on the year with a string of seven straight top ten runs including his only win of the year on May 24th. Fowler leads the way by 11 points over four time and defending track champion Tyler Corcoran.
Corcoran last week broke the string of different winners at seven as he became the first two time winner this year, holding off Jessica Power to do so. Corcoran has had to battle back from a tough week on June 7th when he finished 16th, but has had a fine year otherwise. He, like Fowler, has seven top tens this year including six top fives, but also knows the field is competitive this year, but the “drive for five” is still very much alive.
Other drivers like Gavin Eisele and Brennan Moore have shown solid runs in 2024.
Eisele has been in the top five seven times this year with a worst finish of 7th back on June 7th, but is still looking to crack victory lane at The Nasty Track of the North for the first time this year and sits tied for third in points with Brennan Moore, just 18 behind Fowler. Eisele does have a win this year at the Brockville Ontario Speedway.
Brennan Moore has basically been dubbed “Mister Second Place” in 2024. The Elgin Ontario driver has finished second three times and is still in search of his first win of the season. Moore has had a great season with 4 top five finishes and 7 top ten runs in 8 starts.
Eric Nier currently completes the top five in Sportsman points and joins Gavin Eisele as the only two drivers to have top 10 finishes in all 8 starts. The Carthage New York driver is close to getting his first career win and has a best finish of fourth on three occasions, including the most recent Friday night program.
Other drivers including Ryan Shanahan, Kingston’s Xavier Andrews and Josh Reome have all visited victory lane this year. Taylor Doxtator also had a big night on May 31st, scoring his first career feature win.
Racing action in other classes has been exciting especially in the Donath Motorworx Limited Sportsman. Logan Brown has been the talk of the town lately with his performances, getting to victory lane in dramatic fashion 5 times this year. Brady Howard has been close on many occasions and recently stopped the Logan Brown train winning his second of the year. Genavieve Bartlett thrilled the crowd on June 21st as she scored her first career win. The division now has three different winners in the first 8 events.
Josh Verne Jr. is still the points leader in the Panther Frameworx Crate Sprint cars but it has been no walk in the park for the Theresa New York driver. Verne recently picked up his third win of the season and 14th of his Can-Am Sprint car career, but other drivers are making their presence felt and giving Verne all he can handle.
Andrew Hennessy of Picton Ontario went on a hot streak claiming three straight wins, all of them over Josh Verne Jr. and looked like he was unstoppable in recent weeks. Tucker Donath is not going away however. Donath scored the opening day win and was the driver that put a stop to Hennessy’s streak, with win number two on June 14th.
The popular Sundance Leisure ThunderCars sees last year's champion Francis White at the head of the class but up until a couple weeks ago, was not happy with his year. He turned that around scoring two wins in a row on June 7th and June 14th and extended his point lead but other drivers are well in line to challenge.
Damien Bechler is quietly having a solid year with back to back wins in early May and a solid performance all year long. Bechler sits just 18 points behind White in the chase for the title.
Other drivers like Lyle Robinson and Justin Pope have found the winners circle once, but Anthony St. Mary Jr. has turned heads recently. The Redwood driver debuted a brand new car on May 24th and scored his first career win. After several weeks of bad luck, went into the off week by grabbing his second win on June 24th.
The 29th running of the Pabst Shootout is Wednesday July 3rd along with the next round for the DIRTCar Sportsman North/Central Regional Series and is the kick off to CNY Speedweeks for the Empire Super Sprints.
Stay tuned to the Can-Am Speedway Facebook page for Pabst Shootout trivia as we will be giving away tickets to the show, so put your Shootout knowledge to the test, have some fun and good luck!
Article Credit: Tim Baltz
