Raabe Runs To DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals Sportsman Title Saturday At Brockville

*Rick Young Photo Attachment // Brockville, ONT – October 17, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director

Reigning Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman points king Chris Raabe returned to Brockville Ontario Speedway after a year absence wasting little time reminding the opposition why he was the 2008 track champion.

The ‘Teenage Tornado’ set fast time in Xtreme Lubricants Time Trials then come feature time shot by front row starter Dylan Evoy on a lap eight restart and led the remainder of the way to take top honors in the first-ever DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals Championship pocketing $1,000 for the 50-lap victory.

“This is real big for us considering the tight points race and being able to take advantage of a track we’ve had quite a bit of success at,” remarked Raabe, 18, following his 20th win of the season and tour-high fifth triumph on the ’09 short-track campaign. “Ryan’s been hot lately and I wanted a win bad to build my own momentum. I know going back to Black Rock next week anything can happen.”

Napanee, Ont. standout Raabe put himself in prime position to repeat as overall Mr. DIRTcar champion for a second straight season, opening up a 3.2-second victory margin over runner-up Justin Wright, with last Saturday’s Super DIRT Week winner Matt Billings, hometown favorite Randy Earl and closest title contender Ryan Susice from Ransomville, N.Y. scattered around the track.

A year away from the signature track outside the City of the Thousand Islands did little to foster a lapse in memory for Raabe, who also steered owner Gary McColman’s no. 01 Scott’s Industrial Services-TyRoute Communication/TEO entry to win in Brockville’s Sportsman Series showdown in July of ’08.

“The track has been widened and some of the banking has been reduced but the Sportsman still have to roll the top to keep momentum,” noted Raabe, who took nine checkered flags last season at Brockville en route to the points crown. “It’s all relative once you get out there but it was really racy tonight and fun to get around.”

Raabe tucked in on the back bumper of Evoy and alongside Susice to start the 50-lap main event. Tour invader B.J. Willard began fifth on the 30-car grid and looped in turn four to stack up the trailing pack with Susice pushed back to 12th during the first of five caution periods. When Chris Herbison got turned around navigating the first corner, Raabe took advantage on the ensuing restart to grab a lead he would never relinquish.

“I had a terrible push all day, just couldn’t get the car to turn,” said Susice, 19, despite rallying to score his ninth top-five finish including three feature wins behind the wheel of the potent  Investor's Service Company no. k38 Philpac Packaging/Bicknell mount. He’ll need some help from Raabe in next Saturday’s series season finale at Black Rock Speedway, now trailing his Canadian counterpart by 57 markers with a maximum 60 points available to gain in one event.

“I was driving the car a lot harder than I should’ve at the end just to get it to turn. That’s all I could do to keep up the second half of the race. But I’m not giving up yet, there’s still one more to go and I’ll give it my best shot,” added Susice, who earned his first track titles this season at Ransomville and Canandaigua speedways.

Luke Whitteker slowed on the back chute with a flat left rear tire on lap 14 to force out a yellow flag and Evoy spun while jockeying near the front on the following restart, with Raabe opening up a comfortable advantage back under green. Fifth-place runner Sheldon Hoogwerf slid low into the turn four uke tire to incur the final caution with Raabe outdistancing runner-up Wright by nearly a straightaway in the chase to the checkers.

Twenty-four cars finished the race with the first 16 completing the entire distance just as the sun began to set on very cool day north of the border.

Sunset Speedway: Renovation Photos (Oct. 16, 2009)

Now that the racing season is complete, they're hard at work at Sunset Speedway doing renovations on the Barrie-area track. Co-promoter Mark Dilley sent along some shots.

Rick Young's 'Rick at the Races) Super DIRT Week, Part 2

www.rickattheraces.com

PIC 1  Gilles Godard (Center) and his crew

PIC 2   Miss Motorsports

PIC 3  Matt Billings SPORTSMAN # 74

PIC  4  A wreck in the SPORTSMAN race at Syracuse

PIC  5 Mike Perrotte # 35 in the small block race

PIC 6    358 action

PIC 7  Damaged Andy Bachetti 358 Mod

PIC  8 Billy Decker wins the 358 race at the Mike

PIC  9  Steve Kinser's Sprit at Rolling Wheels

PIC 10  Kinser and Lasoski at the Wheels

PIC  11  Chad Brachman wins the Mod race at the Wheels

PIC  12  Ryan Susice wins the Sportsman race at the Wheels

PIC  13  Donny Schatz at the Wheels

PIC  14  WoO winner at the Wheels Tim Shaffer

PIC  15  Gilles Godard winner of the first Pro Stock qualifier

PIC  16  Cory Wheeler wins the second Pro Stock qualifier

PIC 17  Don Carlson goes wide

PIC  18  Pete Stefanski wins the big race for Pro Stocks

PIC 19  Jimmy Horton in the Rite Aid 200

PIC  20 Matt Sheppard wins the Rite Aid 200, second Tim McCreadie (L) and third Tim Fuller (R)

- 10 Oct NYS Fairgrounds , Syracuse, NY

- 10 Oct Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, Elbridge, NY

- 11 Oct NYS Fairgrounds, Syracuse, NY

After Friday's (9 Oct) races were completely wiped out by wet weather I awoke Saturday morning with high hopes. The forecast was for a dry and sunny day. By mid morning, the previous nights rain had petered out and before noon the cars were out on the 'Moody Mile' at Syracuse. By 12-30 the sun was shining just in time for the AARN photo shoot of Miss Motorsports beside the # 66 Gerry Higbie car. As always there were plenty of male photographers swarming the area to take some snaps.

The big race of the day, the 'Salute to the Troops' 150 lap 358 SUPER DIRT Series race started slightly late due to the track preparation needed following the previous days rain. Billy Decker won this one after taking over the lead from Quebec's Martin Roy on lap 100. Brett Hearn came home second with Kenny Tremont third. By the time the checkers fell, time was marching on, and if I wanted to be at Rolling Wheels for the evening show, I had to be on my way. I decided to give the following 50 lap Sportsman race a miss and head for Elbridge. Unfortunately by doing so , I missed one of my local guys, Matt Billings of Brockville taking a surprise victory.

By the time I reached the 'Wheels' the place was already packed with fans and I found it difficult to park. The big attraction was the appearance of the World of Outlaw Sprint Cars. In all the years I've attended the "Wheels', this was the fullest I've seen it. Standing room only !

Joining the Sprint Cars were the Big Block Mods for their last chance 'win and you're in' qualifier for the Rite Aid 200 plus a Series race for Sportsman that had been rain delayed from two weeks previous. I'm not a big fan of Sprint Car racing, but I always enjoy watching the World of Outlaws in action , they are so quick ! It was good to see the likes of Donny Schatz, Steve Kinser, Danny Lasoski and Jac Haudenschild again. Winners that night were Tim Shaffer (WoO Sprint Cars) , Chad Brachman (Mods) and Ryan Susice (Sportsman). It was a great night of racing and past mid night by the time I got out of there.

Even though there was more partying done back at the Fairgrounds, I still managed to be up early on Sunday morning for a 9-00am Photographers meeting called by DIRTCAR. This was held mainly to give any new guys who were there for the first time, a guide to where it was safer to shoot from.

It was a nice dry day with no rain, but the temperature had dropped and I needed to wear my ice racing toque.

There was a lot of racing that had to be crammed into the program, including the Pro Stocks Qualifiers. These poor guys had still not put a wheel on the track. Fridays rain followed by the subsequent delay on Saturday kept them waiting in limbo to find out if they would get any track time. This never materialized so Sunday became their first appearance. I'm pleased to say that both Qualifiers were won by my local drivers. My buddy Gilles Godard took the first race and Cory Wheeler the second. The 30 Lap Feature was dominated from start to Finish by Pete Stefanski, with his main opposition, Joey Ladouceur succumbing to tire failure early in the race. The left rear let go on the first lap then the right rear a few laps later.

After the Pro Stocks main event it was time for the headlining 200 lap RITE AID 200. Dale Planck and Tim Fuller occuppied the front row as I took up my favorite shooting position on the fourth turn. Fuller took the early lead which was taken over by Gary Tomkins on lap 73. After a while I decided to move from turn four and take wander around. 200 laps on a mile circuit is a long race and I have to admit that events of this duration never maintain my full 100% attention. I visited the infield restaurant for a snack then watched the live televised showing of the race going out in the media center. It was warm and confortable in there, and I wasn't the only one with the same idea.

I watched as Jimmy Phelps took over the lead from Tomkins on lap 122 only to loose it to Matt Sheppard on lap 190. 'Super Matt' then went on to take the checkers in this years RITE AID 200.

After taking some Victory Lane photos, I was soon out of the gate and heading back up Interstate 81. and by 8-00pm I was pulling in to the Ponderosa Buffett in Watertown for a late supper. It seamed to be a popular choice, as it was full with other Canadian race fans who'd decided to finish their SUPER DIRT WEEK with a feast.

I avoided any possible delays at the 1000 Island border and drove to the Ogdensburg crossing. There was no line up and I went straight through with no hassle, getting home to Cornwall, Ontario at 10-40pm.

NASCAR: Kasey Kahne's new ride

Received a photo from Leslie Bates (Thanks!) of Kasey Kahne's new look
Budweiser Ford Fusion for next season. It was taken this afternoon in
the pits at Lowe's Motor Speedway (Charlotte). Certainly a different
scheme.

Reminder: Whitlock Motorsports inventory sale this weekend

NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson on pole at Charlotte... press conference transcript

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: NASCAR BANKING 500
LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY: OCTOBER 15, 2009

Concord, NC - Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Impala SS, claimed his third pole of the season taking the top starting spot for the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway (LMS). It is the defending and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion's third pole at LMS.
 
Johnson heads in to the fifth race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series leading the standings at the track where he has five previous victories.
 
Mark Martin, No. 5 Pop Tarts/CARQUEST Impala SS - second in the Chase point standings, will start on the outside of the front row. It is Martin's 10th top-two qualifying effort of the 2009 season.
 
Tony Stewart, No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot - currently fourth in points, will start fifth in the 334-lap/501-mile race on Saturday night to give Team Chevy three of the top-five qualifiers.
 
Ryan Newman, No. 39 Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen Impala SS - 10th in the point standings, will roll off sixth with Mike Bliss, No. 71 TaxSlayer.com Impala SS in the seventh starting position.
 
Brad Keselowski, No. 25 GoDaddy.com Impala SS and Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont/ Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen Impala SS - fifth in the Chase standings, will start eighth and ninth respectively giving Chevy Impala SS drivers seven of the top-10 starters.
 
Other Team Chevy Chase drivers qualified as follows: Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Lysol Impala SS - third in the standings - 18th.
 
The NASCAR Banking 500 is scheduled to take the green flag at 7:25 p.m. EDT with live coverage on ABC TV, PRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S IMPALA SS – POLE WINNER
ON THE LAP
"I don't think we changed anything in any of the runs we went out and ran during practice. It was just a great effort. I'm very proud of Chad (Knaus) and the guys to give me a car right off the truck like that and then happy to go out and back it up when it counted in qualifying. The lap was good. I think the track was a little slick compared to what we saw in practice. I think as the temperatures were dropping, the moisture was settling down on the race track. But we still ran a very similar lap to what we did in practice."

YOU RAN THE FASTEST LAP IN PRACTICE AND FASTEST IN QUALIFYING, DO YOU HOPE YOUR COMPETITORS ARE JUST SAYING HERE WE GO AGAIN?
"I hope so. But I don't expect them too off qualifying. It was a good lap, but it's just one. And we've got 500 miles to run. So I think if we can lead a lot of laps, win the race, and something along those lines will send a statement. But qualifying; I know if I was in this situation and Mark (Martin) won the pole, I'd tell myself oh that's just one lap (laughs). He's got to do it for 500 miles come Saturday night. So I don't think it's going to faze guys much. When I look at the performance that we've seen out of the No. 42 (Montoya), and No. 24 (Gordon), and the No. 5 (Martin) nobody's making mistakes. It doesn't seem like the pressure is really bothering anyone right now. So I don't expect tonight's pole run to do that."

AFTER THE PRACTICE LAP, YOU SEEMED PRETTY EXCITED. IS THAT BECAUSE YOU HEARD YOU RAN A 28.05 OR WAS THAT BECAUSE YOU COULD ACTUALLY FEEL THE SPEED YOU HAD IN THE CAR?
"That was all based on sensation. I can't remember, I could be wrong, but I don't think I've gone that fast before. The cool thing about the lap I ran in practice where I said the track had some more grip is I drove outside of my head and just did the stupidest things possible, I thought. And the car was still secure underneath me. I just couldn’t believe that I could drive it that hard and it didn't budge. It was unbelievable. To experience that was really, really cool. And then in qualifying I think the grip level changed and the car was sliding around a little bit more but I don't think I've been that fast before."

YOU'VE GONE FOUR YEARS WITHOUT WINNING AT THIS TRACK. HOW MUCH HAS THAT BOTHERED YOU AND DO YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO RECLAIM THAT LABEL OF "YOUR HOUSE"?
"I can't remember how the label came along; if I said it or it was place on me. If I did say it, that's a lesson learned for being cocky because we quit winning after that (laughs). So, I've been saying the old track really suited my style; the abrasive surface and the bumps and all that kind of thing worked well. And when tracks are repaved, it kind of brings the group together and it's a little more forgiving and your set-up doesn't have to be as close. Courage will get you a long way too because there is so much grip. So the last couple of years, we've been competitive but didn't have that advantage. I hope to get it back. It's not that I'm looking to reclaim a title, it's just that I want all the points we can get here. Also since I've won here a bunch, there are some other cool stats that I could hopefully someday surpass what other drivers have done here at this race track. The more I keep racing and win races and have cool things take place, I've become more interested in the sport and stuff like that. Hopefully we can do it."

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HAVE MARK MARTIN AS A TEAMMATE AND A COMPETITOR?
"Man, there was one year when we were all in that group and we went to Homestead and had a chance for it (the title). I can remember racing with Mark, but this was my real first experience I think, heads-up, this year racing him. He's been in that No. 5 car and his confidence and his abilities have increased the confidence of that race team and you can just see a team that just is rock solid. They'll tell you they're making mistakes, but from my perspective and everyone's perspective, they're so consistent and doing so well that we'd say it's no mistakes. And that's the type of stuff you need to do to win championships. And they just seem rock solid. Mark is not going to make stupid mistakes and unneeded risks. He might not be the guy who is going to push the groove around on the race track or try to bust off the fastest lap right off the truck. But when he sees someone do it, he knows in his heart that he has the skills to do it and he'll go out and do it. It's almost like you don't want him following you in practice because you could show him a line and you might have him by a little bit on laptracker, and you show him how to do something a little different, and he's got it and he can do it. And you're like damn, I wish he wouldn't have followed me (laughs) because now he knows what we're doing. But the battles I've had in the championship from trying to chase Tony (Stewart) down and Kurt (Busch) down, those guys just one-upped us each time. Every time we thought we had them where we needed to, they'd just beat us by a little bit. So, I think that's what you have to do with it being as close as it is. Somebody's going to have to squeak by with a couple of more points here and there to get this championship won."

IN PRACTICE WHEN YOU HAD THAT FAST LAP, YOU COULD HEAR IT IN BOTH YOUR VOICE AND CHAD'S VOICE. ARE YOU GUYS HAVING MORE FUN THIS YEAR? HAS THERE BEEN A TIME WHEN IT WASN'T CLICKING?
"Today, from looking at the lap times and visually just looking at the car, I think Chad could just see the speed and knew that it was really fast. All of us shared in that excitement of what the car was capable of. Over the years there definitely have been ups and downs. In 2005 was the toughest period in time for us. Chasing Tony for the championship I came up short and was frustrated and we had a talk with Mr. Hendrick and went through some things. There are ups and downs and that's what I feel makes our relationship stronger. It's not always perfect and great. He speaks his mind and I speak mine. We fight and do all the things that go with it. But we don't cross certain lines and there is a great deal of respect that we have for one another And I know at the end of the day, he's doing everything he can and he knows I'm doing everything I can and some days you get beat. Some days you don't have it. We've worked through it enough over the years to have a good understanding of each other and have found a way to work together."

DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE THE NORMAL DROP-OFF IN THE SPEED FOR THE RACE OR IS IT GOING TO BE A REALLY FAST RACE AND ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT?  "I think it is going to be a faster race. Especially with the cooler conditions. We can run more tape on the nose, the engines are going to run better. Less fall-off on the tire. The track will stay with us longer and not be as slick. It has the potential to be a much faster pace than what we normally see. My only fear with that is that the faster we go, the narrower the racing line becomes. We could see more of a single groove race track. That is only downfall that I could see. It is tough to get a really good reading on things because I didn't run any race runs today and I am not sure how much this tire will fall off. It clearly has a ton of grip for one lap. I mean there is a ton of grip there. Hopefully it does have some fall off and we'll be moving around the race track trying to find other lines."
 
WITH YOUR PAST CHASE EXPERIENCE HOW MUCH HAVE YOU NOTICED GUYS TRYING TO FOLLOW YOU AND HOW MUCH HAVE YOU TRIED TO FOLLOW SOMEONE YOU MIGHT BE BEHIND TO SEE A LINE? "It has been helpful for me over the years to follow guys. I can say that it wasn't in the Chase but my first real experience, maybe not real experience, but the largest one in my mind, is following Tony Stewart my second race at Martinsville. First race, man I was terrible and then we broke. Second race he came to lap me early in the event and I followed him for 30 or 40 laps and just following him and figuring the rhythm out and the line and how to enter the corner, where to put the car, just something clicked. I recovered in that race and ran well and since then have been really really competitive there. That is probably the first example that comes to mind for me. Certain guys that have the open mind to explore and to look and follow, other guys are so consumed on the line they are running, they may not look around as much and try things. One guy that I see that is becoming very alert in the car and watching and learning is Juan (Pablo Montoya). I followed him, he was catching me at California last weekend, and I knew I just didn't want to show him what I was doing. I knew he was catching me, I knew he was faster, changed my lines up, he got by me and I could see him running a little different line from what I saw in the mirror. Once I had a big enough gap between where we were, he started running his line again and I got  a good look at it. I'm like "Okay, that works". So I can see guys, there are a few guys that are really smart with that. It impresses me with Juan because he doesn't have a dirt background. But I can say guys like Jeff (Gordon), Kahne, Stewart, Newman, guys that have been on the dirt where they are required to find different lines usually explore a lot more. So, it does impress me that Juan is noticing those things.
 
HAVE YOU SEEN MORE OR LESS MISTAKES FROM JUAN? "I can say that I have seen less because from my perspective in the car, when you see a mistake, then that is only thing we can tell without seeing the in-car (camera) and all that stuff. So, I've less mistakes, sliding around less and some cases driving away from me so I feel he is managing the car really well."
       
MARK MARTIN, POP TARTS / CARQUEST IMPALA SS – Qualified 2nd:
TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT AND THE TRACK CONDITIONS: "The track was just absolutely incredible. I don't know how many laps Kasey (Kahne) made but I made four including qualifying. All four of my laps were spectacular. I am really excited about my race car. It drove so well in practice and that was obviously a really, really great lap. Great race car. It is this race team. It is Alan Gustafson continues to amaze me. The guy is incredible and we are just working really well together."
 
HOW MUCH OF A PLUS WAS IT TO GET PRACTICE AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME YOU WILL RUN THE RACE? "As far as I am concerned, that practice was just a complete wash because we were the first cars on the race track with no rubber. Then the Nationwide cars put some rubber. Most of us were in Q (qualifying) trim anyway.  I don't think you could have done real substantial race trim stuff with zero rubber on the race track. But we got qualifying in and that was good."
 
DO YOU THINK THE SPEED THAT YOU HAVE FOUND IN THIS CAR WILL MAKE FOR A RACIER RACE ON SATURDAY NIGHT?  "You know, an enormous amount of that speed was track conditions. Surprisingly, it was really fast, grippy for no rubber. Sometimes this place needs rubber to get better. I think it is going to be great. It is always great racing here. Continues to get better. The teams continue to make the cars better. I think the no-testing thing has been awesome. I think we have had better racing this year and made plenty of progress with the race cars. I think it is great. Good car and a good program."
 
YOU HAVE SAID YOU WANTED TO DRIVE A FAST RACE CAR AND WIN RACES AND REFUSE TO TALK ABOUT POINTS AND THE CHAMPIONSHIP, BUT OTHERS SAY YOU ARE THE MOST ENERGIZED AND MOST LIKELY TO BEAT JIMMIE, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON IT? "I know what you are saying and I understand your confusion. You also do know me and I feel less pressure and stress right now than I did the last two months before the Chase cutoff. I feel like...I'll see you after the race at Talladega and after the race at Talladega, we'll talk about our championship. I think everybody will know then who the real contenders are and a lot of things can change between now and then. If you'll look back, you will find that I led the points back in '90 from May, Phoenix was the next to the last race and then Atlanta was the last race, and I led the points from May until Phoenix. I really thought I was going to win. That ain't going to happen to me again. I am never going to think I'm going to win and it not happen. So, we'll race and we will let the racing decide the points tally. I'm not going to think about it and I don't have to. I won't change that points tally, so I refuse to look at it. I'm not going to look at it. I'm not going to be thinking about all that. I'm going to think about trying to win this race and then try to win Martinsville."
 
IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE YOU WERE HAVING ANY FUN RACING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP IN '90 AND '97, IS THIS A WHOLE DIFFERENT DEAL? "It is a whole different deal because I really...it really shouldn't be for a number of reasons. One is I didn't think I ever would again and two, because I was convinced that it was too late for me."
 
ARE YOU GUYS COMFORTABLE WITH THE SPEED AS FAST AS THEY ARE? "As far as the racing goes, I think it will be good. Eventually the bottom groove will get rubbered up and Kasey and his buddies that like to run the high side, go up there and find grip. Hard-heads like me stay on the bottom. So you guys up top and got guys on the bottom. I think that will come. It may take a while. It will be tomorrow night's race before that starts to move up. Then when we go out there and do 500 miles, it will happen and I think it is going to be a great show."

From GM

Brockville Brings The Curtain Down On '09 Mr. DIRTcar 358 & Pro Stock Season!

Weedsport, NY – October 14, 2009 - By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director

One down three to go. When the inaugural DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals at Brockville Ontario Speedway, two more overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar champions will be recognized with just one more determined next weekend.

Big-Block specialist Brett Hearn sealed the deal Sunday in the Super DIRT Week showdown on the Syracuse Mile while season-long point chasers will drive away from Brockville this weekend clinging to a pair of coveted titles earned in the 358-Modified and Sportsman ranks. Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, N.Y. brings down the curtain on DIRTcar Racing Northeast’s 34th year of operation when a Sportsman champion is declared for the 20th straight season back in the states.

Right now, all eyes are focused on Brockville as preparations for the biggest weekend in 40 years of racing at Brockville come to a head on October 17-18 when the ‘Beast of the East’ unlocks its gates for the 2009 finale.

Crews have been busy coming up with plans, and repositioning barriers around on the Speedway grounds to handle race fans and teams as they come north of the border to close out the biggest season ever for owners Paul and Cheryl Kirkland. Also on the card is a special open 360 Sprint Car event plus a full-fender Street Stock invitational with qualifying heats beginning each day at 2 p.m.

While Hearn edged recent Rite Aid 200 Presented By Ferris & Snapper Mowers winner ‘Super Matt’ Sheppard by just four points in the final Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block points tally, the remaining three championship are going down to the wire with two to be decided this weekend.

In search of his first-ever title, American hopeful Dale Planck leads defending Mr. DIRTcar champ Pete Bicknell from St. Catharines, Ont. by 52 points as they head toward the City of the Thousand Islands. A finish of 16th or better guarantees Planck a seat at the head of the banquet table, although a victory for Bicknell accompanied by a 17th-place tally by ‘The Natural” will result in a tie atop the small-block standings.

The trip to Brockville for Pro Stockers will mark the first ever series stop for DIRTcar NE’s top full-fender touring division, and in another international confrontation it will be New Yorker Pete Stefanski contending for an unprecedented fourth consecutive overall title against second-generation standout Joey Ladouceur from nearby Alexandria, Ont. Just 37 points separate this dynamic duo that accounts for 24 victories in ’09, including seven of the eight tour wins recorded on both sides of the border. A finish of ninth or better will sew up the championship no matter where Ladouceur crosses the line.

Its Canada vs. United States still one more time as another margin of 37 points stands between reigning Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman points king Chris Raabe from Napanee, Ontario and rising star Ryan Susice from Ransomville, N.Y. The teenage titans will trade paint on Raabe’s (18 yrs) home soil before Susice (19 yrs.) travels closer to home for the Oct. 24 judgment day at Black Rock.

Leading the bullies of Brockville into battle over the weekend will be nine-time 358-Mod track champ Danny O’Brien from Kingston, Ont. and 16 year-old driving sensation Matt Billings, fresh off a command performance leading flag-to-flag last Saturday in the Super DIRT Week Sportsman Championship.

For more information, please contact the Brockville office (613/348-3998) or the DIRTcar NE office in Weedsport (315/834-6606) during normal business hours. In the meantime, log into the homepage at www.dirtcar.com  to find out more about the Mr. DIRTcar Series as well as the entire circuit.

Brockville Ontario Speedway www.brockvillespeedway.com is easily accessible from all directions: From Watertown N.Y. and south take 1-81 to Thousand Islands Bridge, exit onto Highway 401 East, follow Highway 401 East to Highway 29 at Brockville, then turn left at lights following exit follow Highway 29 to track on left; From Ottawa ON and north take Highway 417 to Highway 7, take Highway 7 west to Highway 15 at Carleton Place, follow Highway 15 South to Smith's Falls, pick up Highway 29 at light just after bridge in Smith's Falls, then follow (appox 30kms) to track on right hand side; From Kingston ON and west take Highway 401 East to Highway 29 exit at Brockville, turn left at lights, take Highway 29 13 kms North to find track on left; From Cornwall ON and east, take Highway 401 West to Highway 29 exit at Brockville, turn right at lights, take Highway 29 13 kms North and track is on the left.