Contact: Julia Foy
Promotions/PR Coordinator - DIRTcar NE
315.834.2299 | jfoy@dirtcar.com
Stewart Friesen dominates Big-Block Modified feature at DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment
Strong finishes two nights keep Haers in event point lead
BARBERVILLE, FLA. - February 20, 2014 - Big-Block Modified driver Stewart Friesen made his way into Super DIRTcar Series victory lane early this year, picking up the win Thursday night at Volusia Speedway Park. The Niagara-on-the-Lake native dominated the second Super DIRTcar Series race of DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment, leading the 30-lap feature flag-to-flag.
"We were very happy to win tonight," said Friesen, whose last Super DIRTcar Series victory was the World of Outlaws World Finals finale last November. "We had a great race car."
Thursday's win launched Friesen's event point standing from seventh to second, putting him that much closer to winning the big gator trophy.
Friesen led from the green flag Thursday after winning his heat race and redrawing this first spot on the starting grid. Aussie driver Pete Britten, who gave Haers a run for his money Wednesday but finished seventh, shared the front row with Friesen at the initial start and held on to second as Friesen pulled ahead to lead.
Haers came up third and Billy VanInwegen fourth. Behind them, Billy Pauch, of Frenchtown, N.J., and Mario Clair, of Drummondville, Quebec, were quickly making moves to push their way forward. Pauch passed VanInwegen in lap 1 and by lap 4 Clair was close behind.
As Friesen pulled away from the field in the Jake Sprakers No. 1 wcg, the battle between Britten and Haers heated up. Haers closed in on the second place Troyer No. 21a in lap 7, and the two raced side-by-side until Haers pulled ahead in lap 8. Britten quickly learned his lesson and overtook Haers in lap 10.
By lap 11, Friesen was lapping cars and by lap 14 he had put four lapped cars between himself in first and Britten in second. Britten made his way through the traffic, but was no match for Friesen, who darted three-wide between and around cars to stay ahead.
"I think we had a pretty smooth, consistent run going there," said Britten, who was second at the checkered flag. "Not quite good enough to run down Stewie or anything, but second, we'll definitely take it."
The lapped traffic may have been an extra obstacle for Britten, but it was a boon to defending series champion Brett Hearn, who started ninth in the feature. Hearn was able to use lapped cars to his advantage, deftly maneuvering forward and gaining positions. By lap 20, he was in third place, but Britten and Friesen had put too much distance on the rest of the field for him to advance further and the Madsen Motorsports No. 20 finished in third.
"It's just an awesome race track. We ran all over that thing tonight," Hearn said. "This is the way that most of us guys like it. It's just a blast, and if you're good, you're going to get near to the front. If you're not, you go backwards. It was a good strategy for us, a good setup."
Haers stayed steady in fourth after Hearn took over and, with his win Wednesday, is in the lead in event points. Matt Sheppard, of Waterloo, N.Y., worked his way from 14th to fifth through lapped traffic in the new Heinke-Baldwin Racing No. 9h. Pauch finished sixth, VanInwegen seventh and Clair eighth. Big-Block Modified rookie Anthony Perrego finished ninth. Jimmy Phelps started 11th and finished tenth.
The action at Volusia Speedway Park continues Friday, Feb. 21, and Saturday, Feb. 22., with the final nights of DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment. Both nights feature the Super DIRTcar Series and the World of Outlaws Late Models Series. For ticket information, visitwww.dirtcar.com/tickets. For information on pay-per-view live screening video coverage, visit www.dirtvision.com.
A-Main (30 laps): 1. 1w Stewart Friesen / Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario; 2. 21a Peter Britten / Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; 3. 20 Brett Hearn / Sussex, N.J.; 4. 3h Justin Haers / Phelps, N.Y.; 5. 9H Matt Sheppard, Waterloo, N.Y.; 6. 1 Billy Pauch / Frenchtown, N.J.; 7. 10v Billy VanInwegen / Sparrowbush, N.Y.; 8. 22c Mario Clair / Drummondville, Quebec; 9. 55 Anthony Perrego / Montgomery, N.Y.; 10. 98h Jimmy Phelps / Baldwinsville, N.Y.; 11. 5 Jimmy Horton / Neshanic Station, N.J.; 12. 07 Tim Kerr / Picton, Ontario; 13. 7z Dale Planck / Homer, N.Y.; 14. 6m Mat Williamson / St. Catharines, Ontario; 15. 54 Steve Bernard / Granby, Quebec; 16. 30 Jamie Mills / Milford, Del.; 17. 3a Kevin Albert / Lebanon, Penn.; 18. 323 Neal Williams / Pittsgrove, N.J.; 19. 21k Randy Chrysler / Lewiston, N.Y.; 20. 8 Rich Scagliotta / Hillsborough, N.J.; 21. 21 Yan Bussiere / Drummondville, Quebec; 22. 85 H.J. Bunting / Milford, Del.; 23. 42 Kyle Sheldon / Nassau, N.Y.; 24. 48Too Dave Rauscher / Waterloo, N.Y.; 25. 88 Dave Allen / Palmyra, N.Y.; 26. 22J Jeremy Wilder / Fort Plain, N.Y. DNS: 1g Darwin Greene / Susquehanna, Penn.; 8R Rob Bellinger / Dexter, N.Y.; 14 C.G. Morey / Rutland, Vt.; T21 Roger Chrysler / Lewiston, N.Y.; 29 Chris Ostrowsky / Conklin, N.Y.; 64 Daniel Nadeau / Maryvill, Quebec; 99 Bruno Lepage / Maplegrove, Quebec.
B-Main 1 (10 laps): Bussiere, Wilder, Morey, Randy Chrysler, Bellinger, Greene, Lepage
B-Main 2 (10 laps): Sheldon, Allen, Ostrowsky, Scagliotta, Nadeau, Chrysler
Qualifying heats (8 laps, top 5 transfer, top 2 redraw)
Heat 1: Haers, Perrego, Hearn, Albert, Rauscher, Morey, Wilder, Randy Chrysler, Greene
Heat 2: Williams, Pauch, Horton, Sheppard, Planck, Bussiere, Bellinger, Lepage
Heat 3: Britten, VanInwegen, Phelps, Bunting, Kerr, Sheldon, Allen, Roger Chrysler
Heat 4: Friesen, Mills, Clair, Bernard, Willismons, Scagliotta, Ostrowsky, Nadeau
Time Trials:
1
Haers
17.189
2
Perrego
17.344
3
Hearn
17.389
4
Britten
17.401
5
VanInwegen
17.439
6
Horton
17.588
7
Williams
17.597
8
Sheppard
17.599
9
Friesen
17.631
10
Pauch
17.653
11
Mills
17.671
12
Bussiere
17.687
13
Planck
17.722
14
Phelps
17.765
15
Bunting
17.834
16
Clair
17.899
17
Wilder
17.920
18
Williamson
17.985
19
Scagliotta
18.020
20
Albert
18.042
21
Kerr
18.053
22
Greene
18.059
23
Bernard
18.091
24
Rauscher
18.121
25
Chrysler
18.234
26
Morey
18.298
27
Allen
18.351
28
Bellinger
18.353
29
Ostrowsky
18.467
30
Sheldon
18.566
31
Chrysler
18.803
32
Nadeau
18.807
33
LaPage
19.246
DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment Big-Block Modified Point Standings
POINTS
CAR#
DRIVER / HOMETOWN
1
120
3H
Justin Haers/Phelps, NY
2
111
1w
Stewart Friesen/Niagara-on-the-Lake,ONT
3
110
21a
Peter Britten/Brisbane, AUS
4
104
55
Anthony Perrego/Montgomery, NY
5
102
1
Billy Pauch/Frenchtown,NJ
6
99
9H
Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
7
98
20
Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
8
83
7z
Dale Planck/Homer, NY
9
80
98H
Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville, NY
10
73
TEN
Billy VanInwegen/Sparrowbush,NY
11
72
5
Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
12
69
30
Jamie Mills/Milford,DE
13
68
22c
Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
14
66
07
Tim Kerr/Picton,ONT
15
64
54
Steve Bernard/Granby, QUE
16
60
323
Neal Williams/Pittsgrove, NJ
17
53
6m
Mat Williamson/St. Catherines, ONT
18
53
8
Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
19
50
21k
Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
20
45
85
H.J. Bunting/Milford, DE
21
45
22J
Jeremy Wilder/Fort Plain, NY
22
40
42
Kyle Sheldon/Nassau, NY
23
40
48too
Dave Rauscher/Waterloo,NY
24
36
3a
Kevin Albert/Lebanon, PA
25
32
21
Yan Bussiere/Drummondville, QUE
26
31
14
C.G. Morey/Rutland, VT
27
30
88
David Allen/Palymra, NY
28
30
99
Bruno LePage/Maplegrove, QUE
29
28
74
J.R. Heffnerf/Valatie, NY
30
20
8r
Rob Bellinger/Dexter,NY
31
20
1g
Darwin Greene/Susquehanna,PA
32
20
64
Daniel Nadeau/Maryville, QUE
33
20
29
Chris Ostrowsky/Conklin, NY
34
20
T21
Roger Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast Region is brought to fans by several sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Chevy Performance Parts, NAPA Auto Parts, Safety-Kleen, and Velocita USA. Contingency partners include the University of Northwestern Ohio, Contingency sponsors are ASI, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix, ButlerBuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD LLC, Fox Shocks, Racing Electronics, Superflow and Wrisco Industries.