Jul 11, 2016 12:00 AM EST
‘AJ Slideways’ Wins; ‘The Streak’ Now Extended To 42 Years
Media Contact: Steven Ovens - pr@outlawspeedwayllc.com or (315) 729-3825
For Immediate Release – July 10th, 2016 – Don Romeo photo -
(Dundee, NY) – When Middlesex, NY driver Alan Johnson competed in extra-distance specials and eventually transitioning to racing in Dundee on Friday nights, race fans not only were treated to seeing a dirt modified legend compete, they’ve been able to see history in the making for three years straight.
For the past three seasons all under different speedway names, Johnson has extended his consecutive seasons with a feature win streak. First to a big milestone of forty years back in a late fall special at the then-named Yates County Speedway under Dan Harpell. Last season a feature win, when the speedway was promoted by Mike Jackson as Black Rock Speedway, to extend the streak to forty-one years.
Friday night made it forty-two straight years, when Tyler Siri’s No. 5* went up in a big plume of smoke on a lap twenty-six restart. Johnson had done as he had done for the last several races- move into striking position late in the Friendly Dodge & Ford Modified thirty-lap feature event on Pepsi Fan Autograph Night at the speedway.
Johnson started way back in the twelfth position out of the seventeen cars that would take Steve Kellogg’s green flag. Lee Bills and a rejuvenated Jordan Siri would lead the field to green with the younger Siri taking the early lead.
Several weeks back, Siri found that the rubber floor on his No. 28 was bound up pretty bad. They fixed that problem, and since then have been on fire winning heat races in consecutive weeks. It was now up to the young pilot out of Horseheads, to get the job done in the feature.
He would lead the first three circuits, before the field was slowed for the first time. The first caution of the event fell on lap three when point leader “The Hurricane” Steve Paine had an uncharacteristic mistake, spinning all on his own in turn one.
Tyler would lead the father-son, one-two punch for six laps after he blasted by on lap four, but a lap eight caution flag for Gary Tomkins’ right rear flat tire slowed the field. At that point, Johnson had moved up from twelfth to the sixth position.
On the restart, Jordan went to work on the outside of the track and left his dad in the dust on lap ten to reclaim the lead. His lead would only last until lap fourteen, when Tyler went back by again in what was a classic battle up front.
Shortly after taking the lead, the caution would come back out for Ron Cartwright Jr. and Jordan Siri who both had mechanical problems and would head to the pits to the attention of their crews. This put Johnson on Siri’s back bumper and put him in position to try and extend that coveted winning streak.
As Johnson gave chase to Siri, Paine was on the comeback trail moving into the top five on lap sixteen. He would take the fourth spot on lap eighteen and set his sights on the leaders Siri, Johnson and Dundee, NY’s Brady Fultz. Fultz has caught fire of late with great runs at Outlaw and nearby Woodhull Raceway and raced in the top five all night long.
A caution on lap twenty-six would stack the field up for an exciting finish and was the key moment in the event. As the field ripped off turn four to take the green, something went massively wrong under the hood of the No. 5* for Siri. Siri slid to a quick stop in turn one, with a significant plume of smoke smoldering from underneath the car, ending his awesome race and battle for the lead with his son.
This gave Johnson the break he needed as well as clean air out front for the final four lap dash. He would pull away on the restart and put distance on second and third. Paine was able to get by Fultz for second with two laps remaining, but it would prove to not be enough.
Johnson streaked across the line for his first feature win anywhere in 2016, extending the win streak that dates back to 1975. It’s also the longest winning streak of any Northeast Dirt Modified driver, with Johnson having a few seasons advantage over Billy Pauch and Brett Hearn.
“I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time tonight,” said Johnson in Outlaw Victory Lane. “I had a good car but I don’t think there was any catching (Siri). Sometimes you just have to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Johnson was asked about how well they’ve run of late and whether the streak and winning a race was starting to wear on them?
“We’ve been knocking on the door, and when you consistently knock on the door, sooner or later someone is going to let you in. Just happy we got it off our back, it was getting mid-year and we were getting a little nervous about it. We just hung in there.”
The win was big Johnson’s team, it took the streak talk off the table, but also would have big points implications as he gained four more points on Paine and a bunch on Siri Friday night.
“Here it’s going to be a matter of probably who has the least amount of DNF’s.”
The Crate Sportsman field had Todd Hayward and Chris Silvers lead the field to green, with Hayward once again leading the field early for the first five laps. The driver in the No. 33 has been one of the most improved drivers of the division this season and scored a big top five finish again on Friday night.
A yellow flag on lap five saw Mike Buchanan and Stacy Jackson nearly wipe out the Outlaw Speedway pace car in the infield, with both drivers returning to competition. That put Brent Ayers alongside Hayward for the restart, and when the green rag dropped- Ayers hit the afterburners.
Ayers would blow the field away to score his first victory of the 2016 season and a much-needed win for a team that has been in more messes of other drivers’ doing than anyone else this season. Brett Buono worked Hayward for what seemed like the entire race, with Buono finally getting by on lap eighteen.
The fellow driver out of Dundee would advance to second, but didn’t have near enough time to catch Ayers who was untouchable on Friday night. Hayward held on to third, Loren Lincoln another top five effort for fourth, while Chris Fisher passed three cars on the final lap to crack the top five. Afterwards, Ayers was relieved to finally have a good run, much less a win.
“We’ve been fast for the last few weeks, we just haven’t had any luck,” said Ayers. “Tonight we went out and won the heat. Brady Fultz came up to me and said ‘get on the high side and don’t move.’ It got to the point where we were just getting sick of having the bad luck and spending the countless hours in the shop. When you get something like this, it really seems to pay itself off.”
Brian Knowles won his heat in the RUSH Crate Late Model division on Friday night and would start on the hammer for the feature event. He would make it a three-peat as he would walk away from the rest of the field for his third win of 2016.
At the checkered flag, Knowles had a half-track advantage over his brother Jason Knowles. On this night, it was a matter of who could navigate the bumps the best and ‘Pork Chop’ was money in every corner.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve done that (win three-in-a-row),” laughed Knowles. “It was just a matter of not hurting the radiator in these cars. The radiator is only about an inch and a half off the ground. I started backing up (turn one) so I wasn’t beating on it.”
The Farmers Insurance IMCA Modifieds also saw a three-peat in victory lane as Shawn Bruce continues his magical run in the family-owned No. 7*. Bruce, out of Troy, Pennsylvania, started in the seventh position and wasted no time getting his ride to the front.
Scott Sebring and Todd Stone would lead the field to green with Stone taking the early advantage in his No. 28. Bruce would only need until the halfway mark to get by and sail away for his fourth points win of the season and third in a row.
Matt Cole made a rare Outlaw Speedway appearance with I-88 off for the night for their annual fair, and made Bruce earn it in the second half of the event. Cole got to the bumper several times, but that was as close as he would get. Bruce got the win over Cole, Brandon Smith, Rodney Morgan and “Big Daddy” Mike Stoddard.
“Tonight was a tough one too,” said Bruce about holding off Cole. “Matt Cole come down from Afton and boy was he tough competition tonight. That’s what we want, we are on a tear and I’m loving every minute of it.”
The Fight Night All Star Street Stock Series was back in action on Friday night for a twenty-lap affair, and just like back in June, it was Chuck Winslow parked in Victory Lane. Also like June’s event, there were a lot of torn up racecars at the finish, as drivers were reluctant to give an inch in the event that was littered with yellow flags.
Although not caught up in any of the messes behind his Precision Racing Fabrication No. 61, Winslow commented on the amount of caution flags.
“I don’t know how it was back there, but I guess up front was the place to be,” said Winslow. “Tonight we had a good field of cars so if you get that chance to start up there, then you don’t get involved in what happens behind you.”
It wasn’t a part of Winslow’s plans to compete on the full Fight Night tour, but after his second win on the series it just might become part of their plans now.
“No, but I guess we’re going to have to think about it now,” laughed Winslow. “I don’t even know when the next race is to be honest with you.”
Winslow, Teddy Morseman, Darryl Krebs, Jeredd Dennis and Brett Marlatt completed the top five.
JJ Kreidler was able to do on Friday night, what Rich Sharpsteen had so badly wanted to do all season long- park the ‘Flyin’ X’ in Victory Lane. Kreidler needed a little bit of that racing luck that is often talked about in the pit area, and it came at the disposal of Ray Hyer’s engine as the white flag came out on the field.
Hyer had driven a perfect race, taking the lead from rookie Billy Bowers on lap seven and setting sail. It would have been a special win as Hyer is still searching for the first win since encountering a family tragedy just a couple weeks ago. He was just one lap short of doing so on Friday night.
As the field came down for Steve Kellogg’s white flag, Hyer put a rod right through the block of his Four Cylinder engine which shot a huge plume of smoke into turn one. Kreidler took the lead at the stripe with Hyer’s car slowing, but Hyer kept his foot in the gas trying to nurse the Brian and Vanessa Grant Jr.-owned No. 4D to the finish.
Kreidler raced away to the Sharpsteen-owned mount’s first win of the season at Outlaw. Bowers just got by Hyer at the checkered flag with Hyer third with a blown engine, Erica Bell fourth which will give her the point lead once again and Dave Whetham the top five.
“I wasn’t expecting to drive this car tonight,” said Kreidler as Sharpsteen asked Kreidler to drive the car when he arrived through the pit gates. “This one goes to Richie. I knew I was going to have to make the high side work to get around Ray and he slowed down, I’m not sure what happened to him.”
Sharpsteen was just as excited to see a season of disappointment turn into a win with his buddy Kreidler behind the wheel.
“Hopefully this changes (the car’s) luck this season,” said Sharpsteen with a big smile.
Last week, Jordan Bacon made headlines in the Winners Circle Deli Bandit feature by winning his first career feature event in thrilling fashion. This week, Bacon set out to prove that last week was no fluke. Bacon dominated the ten-lap feature event and cruised away to his second career victory.
Austin Labar drove the No. 42 to the limits of the car’s handling on Friday night, but just couldn’t reel in the newcomer to the division. Afterwards, Bacon was just as energetic in Outlaw Victory Lane as the week before.
“We did some work on the car (after hot laps) and did some work on the tires which helped quite a bit,” said Bacon. “It’s very hard, a lot different from the go-kart, I can tell you that.”
For those that are wondering, yes, Bacon also got his second career winner’s kiss from Miss Outlaw Speedway.
Coming up next Friday night at Outlaw Speedway, it’s Mac’s Dairy Bar night in Dundee as all divisions will be in competition as well as the return of the One-on-One Spectator races. The vehicle must be registered and insured for road use, nothing pulled to the track on a trailer. There will be a car division winner, a truck/SUV division winner and then a combined winner with the car and truck/SUV division winners going head-to-head.
The Friendly Dodge & Ford Big Block/Small Block Modifieds, Crate Sportsman, Crate Late Models, Farmers Insurance IMCA Modifieds, Creekside Entertainment Street Stocks, Four Cylinders and Winners Circle Deli Bandits will all be in competition.
General admission for Mac’s Dairy Bar Night will be $12 for adults 13 and up, Senior Citizens $10 with children 12 and under always being Free at Outlaw Speedway. Pit passes will be $30 on Friday night.
The Winners Circle Deli Bandits will begin at their customary 6:45PM race time. Qualifying heat races will roll off at 7:00PM with the grandstands opening up at 5:00PM sharp. The Pit area will open at 4PM.
For more information race over to www.outlawspeedwayllc.com follow Outlaw Speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OutlawSpeedwayLLC or follow us on Twitter @OutlawSpeedPR and Instagram @OutlawSpeedway
Outlaw Speedway is located at 82 Main St in Dundee, NY and holds dirt track racing weekly on Friday nights from mid-April through Labor Day Weekend in September. The speedway also hosts special events on the grounds with special races run during the fall months of September and October. A new era is being ushered in for 2016 as Tyler Siri takes over ownership of the Yates County oval nestled in the heart of the Finger Lakes.
Outlaw Speedway Pepsi Night Official Results 7/8/2016:
FRIENDLY DODGE & FORD MODIFIEDS, 17 cars (30 Laps): ALAN JOHNSON (1), Steve Paine, Brady Fultz, Justin Wright, Cory Costa, Gary Tomkins, Daryl Hilkert, Marcus Dinkins, Ron Cartwright Jr., Lee Bills, Donnie Lawson, Tyler Siri, Derrick Podsiadlo, Joe Dgien, Nick Nye, Jim LaRock, Jordan Siri
Heat Race Winners: Jordan Siri, Tyler Siri, Ron Cartwright Jr.
Lap Leaders: J. Siri 1-3, T. Siri 4-9, J. Siri 10-13, T. Siri 14-26, A. Johnson 27-30
CRATE SPORTSMAN, 15 cars (25 Laps): BRENT AYERS (1), Brett Buono, Todd Hayward, Loren Lincoln, Chris Fisher, Tommy Collins Jr., Chris Silvers, Dale Welty, Mike Jackson, Stacy Jackson, Doug Smith, Zach Ziegenhagen, Hillary Ward, Mike Buchanan, AJ Lloyd
Heat Race Winners: Chris Silvers, Brent Ayers
Lap Leaders: Hayward 1-5, Ayers 6-25
CRATE LATE MODELS, 5 cars (20 Laps): BRIAN KNOWLES (3), Jason Knowles, Bob Buono, Adam Depuy, Frank Guererri Jr.
Heat Winner: Brian Knowles
Lap Leaders: Brian Knowles 1-20
FARMERS INSURANCE IMCA MODIFIEDS, 15 cars (20 Laps): SHAWN BRUCE (4), Matt Cole, Brandon Smith, Rodney Morgan, Mike Stoddard, Tony Harris, Tyler Stoddard, Scott Sebring, Brad Smith, Sparky Hills, Todd Stone, Rich Karlnoski, Phil Yaw, Jeff Austin DNS: Will Ward
Heat Winner: Scott Sebring, Todd Stone
Lap Leaders: Stone 1-9, Bruce 10-20
FIGHT NIGHT ALL STAR STREET STOCKS, 22 cars (20 Laps): CHUCK WINSLOW (5), Teddy Morseman, Darryl Krebs, Jeredd Dennis, Brett Marlatt, CJ Guererri, Quinn Sutherland, Chris Mashewske, Jake Karlnoski, Nate Daggett, Jayson Smart, Ryan Krause, Jon Carpenter, Dan Babcock, JJ Kreidler, Sean Boynton, Jared Hill, Allison Teed, Carl Cleveland, David Kinner, LaVerne Knickerbocker, Dennis Cummings
Lap Leaders: Krebs 1-2, Winslow 3-20
Heat Race Winners: Jon Carpenter, Quinn Sutherland, Darryl Krebs
FOUR CYLINDERS, 21 cars (20 Laps): JJ KREIDLER (3), Billy Bowers, Ray Hyer, Erica Bell, Dave Whetham, Bruce Kinner, Zach Teed, Del Cummings, Scott Lehman, Codie Baker, Jarod Brown, ShiAnn Labar, Derrick Puryear, Desi Force, Timmy Borden, Chad Ayers, Jordan Keefer, Scott Bradley, Brad Rathbun Jr., Steven Perkins Sr. DNS: Brian Grant Jr.
Lap Leaders: Bowers 1-6, Hyer 7-18, Kreidler 19-20
Heat Race Winners: Billy Bowers, Ray Hyer, Dave Whetham
WINNERS CIRCLE DELI BANDITS, 4 cars (10 Laps): JORDAN BACON (2), Austin Labar, Steven Perkins III, Joey Clark
Lap Leaders: Bacon 1-10
