RPW Column: Tim Fuller Rockets His Way To Fourth Win Of ’21 At Can-Am; Takes Point Lead

Column By: CAN-AM SPEEDWAY – LAFARGEVILLE, NY – As the dog days of summer creep in, racing competition at Can-Am Speedway continues to stay hot in the Whitesboro Plow Shop DIRTcar 358 division.

With drivers like Tim Fuller, Billy Dunn, Ryan Bartlett, Lance Willix and Jordan McCreadie, all vying for the win each week, race fans have been treated to intense competition each and every Friday night.

Billy Dunn and Tim Fuller have been the two drivers that have landed in the Bob Johnson Auto Group victory lane at Can-Am the most times in 2021. Both drivers had three victories heading into Friday night’s race, and only two points separated them for the track championship.

After qualifying heat races on Friday night, Tim Fuller found himself starting in thirteenth position and Billy Dunn started in fifteen position. At the drop of the green, Fuller tucked in around the bottom of the track and climbed up multiple positions in just a few laps. A caution during lap five brought about another restart. By this time Fuller was up to sixth position. On the restart Fuller leapfrogged up to second position behind Mike Mandigo. Another caution came out in lap seven, giving Fuller the opportunity for another restart. He took full advantage and passed up Mandigo for the lead.

Fuller spent little time extending that lead, knowing the strength of the field behind him. No lead would be safe if there was another caution.

Billy Dunn was steadily climbing through the pack even as Fuller was trying to distance himself from it.

It was wide open racing through the middle of the race, with Dunn climbing up to third position just as a caution flag came out with five laps remaining. It was exactly the event Fuller did not want to happen. His sizeable lead over the field was erased, and Dunn had managed to move up to within striking distance.

As green flag racing ensued, Fuller launched out ahead once again, stringing together perfect laps, while Dunn was able to maneuver into second place. Any hopes for a showdown between the two titans of Can-Am were dashed as the competitors simply ran out of laps. Fuller crossed the finish line for the victory and Dunn had to settle for second place.

The win for Fuller put him back on top in the points race, while Dunn’s second place finish kept him well within reach of the track championship.

Last week Dunn said that he would worry about points in the last race of the season. In each of Fuller’s victories, he didn’t seem too worried about points either. Both drivers have been focused on the week-to-week battles, not the overall war.

“It’s all in who can get the breaks and who can get the advantage in traffic,” Fuller said in victory lane, Friday night.

Indeed, Fuller got the breaks on the night. Early in the race, while most of the drivers were looking for a fast lane around the top of the track, Fuller stayed low. Time and time again, he found the perfect position on the track in order to pass, and he made it work for him all the way to the front.

With only a handful of races remaining on the schedule, and no certainty that weather won’t interfere, each and every race becomes more and more important as the season winds down.

Next week will it be Fuller or Dunn who takes the victory? Will another competitor like Ryan Bartlett or Lance Willix or Jordan McCreadie step in and demand their spot in victory lane? This is what dirt track racing is all about and Can-Am Speedway is witnessing a stellar show each week this season.