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Canandaigua Laurels To ’08 Champ Ridley In Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Main
Canandaigua, NY – September 20, 2008 – By Dave Medler, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Series Correspondent
Newly crowned 2008 track points champion Kevin Ridley picked the right time to score his first victory of the year at Canandaigua Speedway on Saturday night. Yet grabbing the lead early, it was anything but easy as he had to hold off late race challenges from Canadian James Michael Friesen to pick up a well-deserved win in the Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Championship "Labatt Ice 45" at the Ontario County Fairgrounds oval.
"I’m in shock right now. I never thought I’d get one of these races, we’ve been trying for four years," Ridley said after exiting his JB Motorsports no. 20x Advanced Lubrication Specialties/Teo machine in victory lane. " I’m pretty excited to finally get one here and the first of the season."
Justin Wright grabbed the early lead in the 45-lap affair before the first of only three caution periods came out on lap two for a spinning Luke Carleton in turn four. Carleton refired and joined the back of the pack that was 30 cars strong.
On the restart Wright and Ridley raced nose to tail and side by side for the next five circuits with the lead in doubt. Keeping his momentum up running the top side, Ridley was scored the leader on the lap eight. Once out front Ridley started to open up a comfortable lead with Wright still holding onto second.
All eyes moved back to Friesen as the third-generation chauffeur was starting to march towards the front to make his presence known. On lap 20 Ridley was still out front on cruise control opening up a three-second lead on the field with Friesen advancing to third and starting to put pressure on Wright for the runner-up spot. Mark D’Ilario and Mark Chiddy ran fourth and fifth.
With no yellows and heavy lapped traffic on the back straight, Friesen was able to pin Wright behind a back marker and take over second. The recently crowned Ransomville Speedway points champion still had his work cut out for him as Ridley remained far ahead continuing to run the top of the speedway.
With 29 laps in the books, the caution came out for Tim Currier who made contact with another car coming out of turn four. The second yellow flag of the race suddenly erased the big lead Ridley had enjoyed and put Friesen right on his back bumper while D’Ilario, Steve Gray and Wright would set up right behind the top two still with a shot at the win.
Ridley got a great restart on the back straight jumping out to a five car-length advantage but by time he exited turn four Friesen pulled almost even using the bottom of the speedway.
The third and final caution arrived for debris on lap 32, once again allowing Friesen to cozy up to Ridley on the ensuing restart. With 10 laps to go Ridley led by a half-second over Friesen as D’Ilario waited for a break in third as the leaders set up for the dramatic dash to the finish.
Over the last eight circuits Friesen hounded Ridley, lap after lap getting underneath him in the turns and showing the leader his door while pulling even. But Ridley wasn’t rattled, running the top side to perfection as he picked up the narrow win over Friesen and emerged as the 10th different winner in 10 tours races run this season.
D’Ilario, Gray and current Series point leaders Dan Wiesner (2nd) and Chris Raabe came next, followed by Wright, pole-sitter Mark Chiddy, Jeremy Pitcher and John Pietrowicz in the top-10.
"I saw him (Friesen) a couple times on the bottom and figured if I kept my car straight as I could and kept the momentum, there was no way he was going to get by me," Ridley said about his crowd-pleasing battle with Friesen that resulted in his first career Sportsman Series victory on home soil.
Round number 11 of the Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series is slated for Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in a move to Central New York as part of the 22nd World Series Weekend on Saturday, September 27.
Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series Race #10 – Canandaigua Speedway, September 20, 2008 ‘Labatt Ice 45’ Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 4 20x Kevin Ridley/Geneva,NY($1,000)
2 9 52 James Friesen/St.Catharines,ONT
3 3 08 Mark D'Ilario/Smithville,ONT
4 11 29g Steve Gray/Rushville,NY
5 10 66 Dan Wiesner/Geneva,NY
6 18 01 Chris Raabe/Napanee,ONT
7 2 11jr. Justin Wright/Piffard,NY
8 1 54 Mark Chiddy/Boston,NY
9 8 14 Jeremy Pitcher/Fulton,NY
10 29 85 John Pietrowicz/Phoenix,NY
11 16 6 Mat Williamson/St.Catharines,ONT
12 12 12 Chad Chevalier/Port Colborne,ONT
13 20 777 Tyler McPherson/St.Catharines,ONT
14 17 10 Tim Currier/Auburn,NY
15 7 76 Rob Bussey/Canandaigua,NY
16 14 51 Cody McPherson/St.Catharines,ONT
17 24 2k Rob Knapp/St.Catharines,ONT
18 15 3 Fran Hilton/Waterloo,NY
19 19 14s Craig Gardner/Beaver Dams,NY
20 22 26h Luke Carleton/Port Colborne,ONT
21 28 62 Rick Bellante/St.Catharines,ONT
22 21 70 Brady Fultz/Dundee,NY
23 13 22 Greg Cool/Geneva,NY
24 26 1h Jason Hallett/Byron,NY
25 6 44 Gary Hotaling/Middlesex,NY
26 27 99p Greg Panunte/Port Colborne,ONT
27 23 2 Brian Sage/Brockport,NY
28 31 18h Todd Henderson/Canandaigua,NY
29 5 06j Jordan Bennett/Pennellville,NY
30 25 67g Eric Giguere/Waterloo,NY
DNS 30 71 Mike Bowman/St.Catharines,ONT
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