RPW Column: Fans See Billy Dunn Double Up Friday At Can-Am; Full Night Of Racing Action On Cold Evening

Column By: CAN-AM SPEEDWAY – LAFARGEVILLE, NY – Cold temperatures did not mean Billy Dunn was cooling off at Can-Am Speedway Friday night.

Dunn, in his unsponsored red and orange number 49 Bicknell modified,weaved his way through the field to claim his second victory of the season in the Whitesboro Plow Shop DIRTcar 358 Modified feature.

He was aided by a litany of early race cautions that allowed him to do what he does best: leap-frog competitors on restarts.

Dunn knows Can-Am extremely well, having logged several track championships there over the years. He’s no stranger to victory lane, with many victories at the track. But Friday night was abit unusual for a late May Friday evening. The temperatures were cold all day, with snow reported in the near vicinity of the track during the morning. The cold front seemed to take hold just south of the track’s location in Lafargeville, New York, as the entire rest of New York state was rained out for racing Friday night. Though there weren’t any major wrecks on the night, thecold temperatures, which hovered in the lower 40s,did affect track conditions.

Paul DuRuyter, winner of the Donath Motor Worx Limited Sportsman Modified feature, talked about the track conditions during his interview in the Bob Johnson Auto Group Victory Lane, “Itwas a good race. It was slippery in three and four,I thought there would be more grip with the colder weather, but it went the other way.”

It seemed to be a tale of two tracks. Turns one and two had grip, while turns three and four were slippery, which meant taking different lines through each end of the track. Once again,Dunn’s familiarity with his home track gave him the advantage and he was able to climb up from a twelfth place start to end up in first place with the victory.

“This was just a fast car. I have to thank my crew.I got the best group of guys anybody could ask for, this car is awesome,” Dunn said, with steam from his breath rising in the cold night air. “It’s a race to the front every week with the number 19 (Fuller)he’s always got a fast race car.”

Indeed, Tim Fuller in the number 19 was right on Dunn’s heels, waiting for him to make a mistake that would let him get by. But Dunn was practically perfect around the oval track. Three weeks ago, when Fuller took the victory, he as much as said that each week it would be a battle between himself and Dunn. So far, advantage Dunn,2-1.

The evenings events, which were sponsored by RJW Enterprises and Jiffy Dumpsters, were accentuated with a tribute to past drivers, fans and racing contributors as well as the armed forces of the United States. Paul DuRuyter put it succinctly, when he said from victory lane, “I just want to thank the men and women of the armed forces for giving us the freedom to come out and race like this.”

Mike Fowler in his yellow, blue and white 410 was the winner in the Bob Johnson Auto Group DIRTcar Sportsman Modified feature. It was an emotional victory for Fowler who had raced in his younger days, and then took about a decade off from the sport, only to return in the last few years.

“My dad never got a chance to see me win,” Fowler said, fighting back tears in victory lane. “So,this one’s for him.”

Racing action will continue next week at Can-Am Speedway as the Dunn/Fuller battle for supremacy continues.