*Rick Young Photo Attachment // Brockville, ONT – October 18, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
Sunday was a day of firsts on the DIRTcar Racing Northeast circuit as Dale Planck clinched his first-ever Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship following the inaugural DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals staged over the weekend at Brockville Ontario Speedway.
And in a fitting ending when the first time an overall Mr. DIRTcar champion was crowned on Canadian soil, Frenchman Mario Clair scored a victory in the 100-lap Small-Block finale to collect $4,000 for his initial tour triumph north of the border.
“Beating someone of Dale’s caliber is truly a great honor,” was Clair’s translation in victory lane made by Canadian Series Director Brian Mulligan following the St-Edmond, Quebec driver’s second career win on tour. A weekly runner at autodromes Granby and Drummond during the summer, 2007 Mr. DIRTcar titlist Clair scored his first series win in 2008 at Mohawk Int’l Raceway.
“We’ve been running so many tracks the last few years trying to improve. This is certainly a big win for us with such good drivers in competition. I like coming here and hopefully I can continue to do well following this exciting series,” Clair continued through an interpreter.
Overtaking race-long leader Clair just shy of the halfway mark before giving back the point 30 laps later, Planck held off Clair’s teammate David Hebert for the runner-up spot while the Canadian contingent of Pat O’Brien (Ontario) and Yan Bussiere (Quebec) filled out front-five positions in the Brockville season-finale.
With time trials and qualifying heat races run off the day before, a draw for the top-12 starting positions was held minutes before the first green flag dropped to begin the 100-lap 358-Modified main. Clair was the last man in line finishing third in the fourth heat and waiting for him was the #2 as he joined the youngest of three racing brothers, Tim O’Brien, on the front row to head the 32-car field.
Clair was up to the task from lap one, putting his Resist O no. 22 Batiments JDL-Motel Drummond/Bicknell mount far ahead in the early stages while a shift in second-place status carried through during the first half of the race. Fourth starting Stewart Friesen held down second before Planck used the low lane to take over on lap 21 and set his sights on the French favorite who was successfully navigating the high line around Brockville’s smooth 3/8-miler.
With six caution periods all for minor spins slowing the pace during the first third of the race, Planck kept the RezX Racing no. 77x Grow It Hydroseeding/TEO entry glued to the inside groove waiting patiently for his chance to overtake Clair. That opportunity finally arrived as the veteran open-wheel pilot from Cortland, N.Y. ducked low out of turn four to forge his first lead on lap 48.
At the halfway point Clair remained a solid second followed by Pat O’Brien, Bussiere and Hebert, while Tim O’Brien, Friesen, Planck’s closest contender in points Pete Bicknell, rookie Jeremy Wilder and Pierre Dagenais rounded out the top-10. Two-thirds of the way through, 13 cars remained on the lead lap with fellow Frenchmen Martin Gagne and Clement Therrien, along with popular Port Colborne, Ont. driver Larry Lampman Jr. able to keep the leaders in sight.
The yellow lights flashed for the 12th and final time on lap 74 when Dagenais looped his no. 124 Bicknell machine in turn three to tighten the field for the last restart. And that’s all that Clair needed as he blasted by as soon as the green flag reappeared and only needed to navigate lapped cars as the remaining laps clicked off.
And late race traffic was just what Planck was banking on to provide a final chance to pick up his first series win of the season. With just three laps to go, Clair closed in the quartet of Kyle Dingwall, Bobby Herrington, Dagenais and Therrien as Planck put himself in prime position to take advantage of any sudden miscue. Yet that opening never materialized and Clair actually crossed the finish line pushing Therrien under the checkers as Planck trailed by .25-second at the stripe.
“The fact that David finished third in my other car makes this even more special,” smiled Clair, who celebrated his 37th birthday in victory lane at Brockville after his first career victory at the ‘City of the 1000 Islands’ oval that closed out its own 40th Anniversary season of racing. “After Syracuse I heard he was all done for the season so I gave him my back-up. I only warned him not to pass me, that was good for me today.”
Planck settled for the runner-up position for the fourth time this season in 11 series stops, adding in eight more top-10 finishes to put him on top in the final Hoosier-VP Mr. DIRTcar point standings.
“Mario had a helluva run on the outside, I was just waiting for someone to go up top,” remarked Planck, 39, a winner of six 358-Modified features at Brockville, all in 2000. “I played it kind of safe down there on the bottom most of the way. Just wanted to finish this race in one piece so second is all good.”
“Mario is always fast so I can’t really ask for much more. The track was in great shape , good on the top, bottom and in the middle, so we got to put on a heckuva race. This is a great way to cap off a season, especially here in Canada,” Planck said.
Added Herbert after posting his third top-five finish in just five series events, “I wish I had a few more laps to get a little closer to Dale at the end. Mario gave me a great car, I think I could’ve done better with more time out there.”
Following Dale Planck (1262) in the final 2009 Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series Championship point standings are Pete Bicknell (1180), Larry Lampman Jr. (1143), Danny O’Brien (1118), Mario Clair (1042), Carey Terrance (1028), Chad Brachmann (1023), Jeremy Wilder (983), Mat Williamson (938) and Lance Willix II (930).
0 comments:
Post a Comment