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Rizzo Cops ’08 Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock Series Opener At Canandaigua
Canandaigua, NY – September 19, 2008 – By Dave Medler, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Series Correspondent
Two-time defending Cayuga County Fair Speedway Champion Nick Rizzo took advantage of race leader Adam DePuy’s tangle with a lapped car on lap 17 to grab the lead and from there the Wolcott, New York driver was able to hold off challenges from Ron Hawker to claim opening round honors in the Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock Championship Series Parts Plus 25 on Friday night at the Canandaigua Speedway.
"That happened to me a couple years ago, it’s a bad situation," Rizzo said about the incident coming out of turn four between race leader DePuy and the lapped car of Bryan Faulkner. The tangle also involved third-place running Nathan Peckham. "(DePuy) just chose the wrong lane. I was committed to the top and got around it. It was one of those things you can’t control."
Pole-sitter Chris Fisher out-raced Hawker to the first turn to lead the opening laps of the 25-lap main. With the field battling all over the speedway for top spots the first of five yellow flags flew on lap three involving two early favorites, defending race winner Mike Welch and Frank Burnell Jr. Both went pit side before returning at the back of the pack.
On the restart, Fisher was able to slam the door on Peckham and keep control of the race. DePuy, Hawker and Dave Mannise were right there making it a tight top-five battle around the ultra-heavy half-miler.
Coming out of turn two Fisher slipped up the track just enough to allow Peckham to get by and to be scored the leader of lap 7 before a second caution dropped for a multi-car tangle in one.
While everyone’s attention was on the yellow, Fisher went to the pits with a flat, the first of four flats on the night for the ’08 Black Rock Speedway points king.
When the green came back out DePuy found the power he needed and blasted by Peckham to take command of the feature.On lap 10 a blanket could have been draped over the top-three of DePuy, Rizzo and Peckham, as Hawker and Welch started gaining on the top trio.
The complexion of the race suddenly changed on lap 17. As the front-three exited turn four, DePuy committed to the bottom and Rizzo went up top with Faulkner the lapped car between them in the middle. Faulkner appeared to come down on DePuy launching the leader over the hood of the Faulkner machine. Rizzo was able to slip by as DePuy shot across the track collecting the third place running Peckham.
Amazingly, both DePuy and Peckham went in to finish the race, although wheeling battered machine at the stripe.
One more caution period would slow the race although Rizzo still managed to hold off late race challenges from Hawker and Andy Fisk for a car-length win. Peckham and defending Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock Champion Scott Smith filled out the front-five in Canandaigua’s Street Stock finale while Mannise, Blane Smith, DePuy, Burnell and Mike Vaughn followed to complete the top-10.
"It got hairy there for a little while, I hope I didn’t chop Dave (Mannise) too bad,” added Rizzo. “I got a shove from somebody that upset me, then I started to drive. The racing with guys here is tough, they are the best in the business. Mike Welch and Parts Plus have helped me out a lot. I’m just glad they have stepped up and are sponsoring this deal now.”
Nineteen of the 20 cars entered in the event made the starting grid with Derek Excell the lone driver unable to take the initial green flag. Early race leader Fisher was the Holly Hard Luck Award recipient after being forced pitside four times with flat tires.
Traveling teams return to competition in round two of the 2008 Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock Series, with Rolling Wheels Raceway Park staging the second event on Friday, September 26 as part of the 22nd World Series Weekend.
Mr. DIRTcar Street Stock Championship Series Race #1 – Canandaigua Speedway, September 19, 2008 Parts Plus 25 Event Summary FIN ST
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN
1 6 115 Nick Rizzo/Wolcott,NY($500)
2 2 14 Ron Hawker/Jordan,NY
3 10 33 Andy Fisk/Williamson,NY
4 3 90 Nathan Peckham/Seneca Falls,NY
5 13 75 Scott Smith/Rushville,NY
6 5 8x Dave Mannise/Fulton,NY
7 12 55b Blane Smith/Canandaigua,NY
8 4 99 Adam DePuy/Macedon,NY
9 8 57b Frank Burnell Jr./Waterloo,NY
10 15 11 Mike Vaughn/Jordan,NY
11 19 17j Chris Jacobs/Rochester,NY
12 14 9 Phil Norman/Canastota,NY
13 7 00 Mike Welch/Lyons,NY
14 9 6x Patrick Hobbs/Rochester,NY
15 17 83 Bryan Faulkner/Naples,NY
16 1 37 Chris Fisher/Penn Yan,NY
17 20 47 Pete Kowaleski/Liverpool,NY
18 16 93 Jared Hill/Dundee,NY
19 11 28 Larry Bezner/Rodman,NY
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