CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Danny O'Brien wins the first race of the Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Challenge

Cornwall, Ont – Sunday, May 17, 2009 – Martin Bélanger - The Cornwall Motor Speedway started the season with splash with the first series race of the Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Challenge. A solid field of 48 modifieds signed up for the 100-lap feature race with the winner getting a cool $3,000. The other categories were also in action.

Dale Planck and David Hébert were in front of the 31-car field for the first race of the Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Challenge. Hébert got a great jump and took the early lead over Planck and Bussière. Hébert got quickly into traffic as he was caught in a tangle with 3 other cars and yellow came out on lap 5 qui Planck now the new leader. Planck leads the way with Clair using the outside lane to take second, with Bussière third, Boisvert fourth and Danny O'Brien fifth with 10 laps down.

Alex Boisvert had issues with his car in the fourth turn and yellow comes out on lap 11. Clair took the lead on the following green on Planck and gets a good lead when Brian McDonald brought the caution on lap 15. Clair is still the leader with O'Brien now third, a good battle between Clair and Planck for the lead when Planck uses the outside lane to retake the lead when Clair goes too high and O'Brien is now on the backbumper of O'Brien with 20 laps in the book. Michel Chicoine has issues and brings caution on lap 22.

O'Brien had a great jump from the inside lane and he is now the new leader with Boisvert using the same strategy to try and take second from Planck but he is able to resist has Hébert is now in the top 3 with 30 laps completed. Hébert and Planck were battleling for second with Planck able to resist. Caution went back on the field on lap 35 for Marc Therrien. O'Brien still on top when Alain Boisvert goes out of the track as he was fourth and the yellow is back out on lap 37. On the following green, Hébert does a great pass from the inside and gets second on Planck.

An accident occurs and the races slows on lap 38. Hébert now back in front with Therrien now second when Dave Heaslip hit the wall in backstretch on lap 39. Hébert uses the inside lane to stay in front and two laps later Stéphane Lafrance stops in turn 4. When the race resumed, Hébert is still in front when Brian McDonald flips in the backstretch the red is out on lap 43. Hébert is still the leader with Planck in third when Dany Bilodeau stops on lap 46, two laps later Mitch Jock slows the field. After two fast laps, Carey Terrance brings the caution and at the halfway point, the top 5 were Hébert, O'Brien, Clair, Bussière and Planck.

The yellow laps are now counting and the races are now on lap 56 when green is back but Boisvert and Bilodeau got tangled and the race is slowed. Hébert is still in front with O'Brien on his backbumper and Clair in third with 65 laps down, O'Brien is driving in the outside lane and tries to pass Hébert and finally does it when they get caught with slower cars on lap 71 in front of the grandstand and takes a good lead with 25 laps to go. Martin Roy is now third with Planck and Therrien who goes at it for the fifth with 15 laps left. O'Brien has built himself with an advantage of a stretch with less than 10 to go. With 5 laps left, the lapped cars slowed O'Brien but Hébert was not able to catch him and O'Brien led the final laps and won the first series race in front of Hébert, Clair, Roy and Therrien completes the top 5.

Dale Planck, Alain Boisvert, Steve Bernard, Danny O'Brien, Yan Bussière and Mario Clair won the qualifying heats.

A strong field of 21 Pro-Stock took the start in the 20-lap feature with Bruno Cyr in the early lead when Roch Aubin and Mike Gaucher brought the yellow. PJ Peters has a good start and Cyr loses a lot of positions, Bissonnette and Ladouceur are now second and third when Aubin slips inside the infield and yellow is back out on lap 7. Peters is still in front with an accident comes on the following lap. Peters is still the leader at the halfway point with Bissonnette and Ladouceur doing battle for second, Ladouceur wins this fight with five laps to go. Peters leads the final laps to win the feature in front of Ladouceur and Jackson completes the podium. Peters had a perfect night as he won the first heat, VanWinden and Oakes won the others.

In the mini-stock feature, Ronnie Tyo led the first lap when Jean-Marc Larose had issues in the backstretch and brought the first yellow. On the restart, Tyo stays first when another comes up. On the following green, François Bélair does a rollover and the red flag is out with 2 laps down. Eli Gilbert had a great start and takes the lead in the feature, Gilbert had a comfortable lead when yellow came out for debris on the track. Gilbert led the final laps to win his first feature of the year in front of Tyo and Jean-Marc Larose completes the podium. Tyo and Larose won the qualifiers.

The Semi-Pro feature was pushed to next week because of the time, they will have double features. A complete race program is on the schedule for next week on Paul`s Auto Body night. Be there!

Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Challenge Modified Feature Results (100 laps)
Danny O'Brien, David Hébert, Mario Clair, Martin Roy, Clément Therrien, Dale Planck, Yan Bussière, John Lazore, Steve Bernard, Stéphane Lafrance, Dominic Dufault, Claude Brouillard, Alain Boisvert, Kayle Robidoux, Roy Tarbell, Dexter Stacey, Dany Bilodeau, Laurent Ladouceur, Mitch Jock, Roy Delormier, Brian McDonald, Fred Gamache, Gino Clair, Dave Heaslip, Marc Therrien, Michel Chicoine, Carey Terrance, Todd Stewart, Joel Doiron, Alex Boisvert, Pierre Dagenais

Pro-Stock Feature Results (20 laps)
PJ Peters, Joey Ladouceur, Louie Jackson, Dave Bissonnette, Roch Aubin, Dion Oakes, Marc Lalonde, Donald Leduc, Billy Woodward, Travis Back, Michel Desjardins, Kees VanWinden, William Chubb, Ghyslain Valade, Stéphane Lebrun, Bruno Cyr, Chris Tremblay, George Renaud, Richard Bertrand, Corey Wheeler, Mike Gaucher, Ricky Thompson

Mini-Stock Feature Results (12 laps)
Eli Gilbert, Ronnie Tyo, Jean-Marc Larose, Frank Colpitts, Cory Winters, Mark Radbourne, Dave Séguin, Kyle Bouvier, Trevor Gaucher, Justin Leroux, Chris James, Gerry Ozkachewicz, Frank Belair, Jamie Larocque, Marc Usereau, Serge Myre