No Sweat For Billy Dunn At Caprara’s Can-Am Saturday

Story By: ADAM CORNELL / CAN-AM MOTORSPORTS PARK – LAFARGEVILLE, NY – On a swelteringly hot night at Caprara’s Can-Am Speedway, in Lafargeville, NY, Billy Dunn wasn’t sweating the competition. He moved through the field quickly and captured yet another win in the 358 Modified class. In a caution-less feature, Dunn was averaging nearly a second faster than the rest of the field, finishing well ahead of a second place Ryan Arbuthnot.

Josh Reome put on a show in the Sportsman Modified feature, climbing up from seventh to take the lead with only a few laps remaining. Anthony Stockman grabbed the lead on a late caution restart, but lost out on the victory after Reome dove low in turn two on the final lap to recapture the lead and ride it all the way to victory lane. Stockman had run a brilliant race as well, having started in fifteenth position and finishing in a close second, on a crowded night of Sportsman Modified racing at Caprara’s Can-Am Speedway.

Additional winners on the night included Skylar Greenfield in Novice Sportsman, Sid Harmer Sr. in Pro Street Stock and Phil Desormeau III in Thunderstock.

No racing at Caprara’s Can-Am Speedway next Saturday. Racing resumes at Can-Am on Wednesday June 28th.

HEAT RACES

NOVICE SPORTSMAN: 621 Trevor Gibbons and 15 Jamie Brown started in the lead, and remained the leader through the first few laps, with 57H Remington Hamm moving through the field to second position by the close of lap one. It was flat out racing through the heat, with 15 Brown taking the win, 57H Hamm taking second place and 6 Matt Brown taking third.

PRO STREET STOCKS: Two heats were in store for the crowd at Can-Am for the Pro Street Stocks. 83D Dustin Bradley and 4 Mike Durham started in the top two positions. Within one lap, Durham had firm control of the lead, with 273 Tiger Chapman moving up from fifth to second position by lap two. Chapman tried several unsuccessful attempts for the lead, but at the checkered flag, it was 4 Durham with the win, 273 Chapman in second and 3 Rick Dusckas in third.

For the second heat, it was 62 Johnathan Murphy and 32 Ryan Shanahan starting in the top two positions. 14R Sid Harmer Jr. wasted no time leaping from fifth to first, grabbing the lead by turn one of lap one. 3k Shawn Kirby improved from fourth to third, battling Shanahan for the number two position all through laps two and three. It took another lap for Kirby to wrest second away from Shanahan, who gave up two positions, allowing 1x Mike White to sneak into third position with one lap remaining. At the checkered flag, it was 14R Sid Harmer Jr. cruising to the win, with 3k Shawn Kirby in second and 1x Mike White in third.

358 MODIFIED: A full class, with two heats for the 358 Mods took the track next, with 72 Scott Webb and 51 Brady Gill started in the top two positions. Webb retained the lead through lap one, while 27W Nick Webb shot up from fourth to second by turn two of the first lap. 93 Ryan Bartlett got loose through turn two in lap two, bringing out a caution. On the restart, R70 Ryan Arbuthnot shot to the lead, putting a huge distance between himself and the rest of the pack after just a few laps. 51 Brady Gill moved back up through the field, after fading early, grabbing onto second position with one lap remaining. At the checkered flag, it was R70 Ryan Arbuthnot in first, 51 Brady Gill in second and 72 Scott Webb in third.

The second heat had 19 Luke Stewart and 39 Tyler Bartlett in the top two starting positions. 9 Billy Dunn was the man on the move early, moving up to second position by lap two, after starting seventh. With Stewart hanging onto the lead, Bartlett slid back in the pack, making way for 57 Rylee Gill to move into third. It took until lap five for Dunn to capture the lead, forcing Stewart back into second. At the checkered flag, it was 9 Dunn with the win, 19 Stewart in second and 57 Gill in third.

SPORTSMAN MODIFIED: A packed class for the Sportsman Modifieds forced four heat races, with 18 Justin Gadbaw and 5 Amy Holland in the top two positions. Holland held the lead for most of lap one, until 91 Josh Reome pushed into the lead just as a lap two caution forced a restart. By lap three, it was Reome in the lead, with 44 David Rogers in second and 1 Jack Meeks in third. As the cars stretched around the track by the middle laps, 21 Taylor Caprara moved through the field into fourth, challenging Meeks for third position. On the final lap, Caprara dove low through turn one to capture the position. At the finish line, it was 91 Reome, 44 Rogers and 21 Caprara in the top three positions.

Heat race two had 4x Mike Gadbaw and M-1 Rick McCready in the top two starting positions. McCready moved into the lead out of turn two of the first lap, while 60 Jackson Gill moved into second. 34R Kevin Root moved into third, battling Gill for second, by lap four. Root passed Gill in lap five and took the lead one lap later, leaving McCready in second and Gill in third. On the final lap Gill moved into second position, supplanting McCready. At the checkered flag, it was 34R Kevin Root with the win, 60 Jackson Gill in second and M-1 Rick McCready in third.

Heat race number three had 22 Josh Verne and 26 Mike Mandigo Jr. in the top two starting positions. 22 Verne grabbed the lead through lap one, with Mandigo in second. 415 Andrew Wren challenged for and gained second position by lap two, setting his sights on reducing the enormous lead Verne had established. 38 Zach Sobotka moved up to third by lap four, after starting back in sixth position. It took Sobotka just one more lap to land in second position. Verne’s lead was too much for Sobotka to overcome, and at the finishline, it was 22 Josh Verne with the win, 38 Zach Sobotka in second and 415 Andrew Wren in third.

The fourth and final Sportsman Mod heat race had 34 Eric Nier and 29J Joel Hall in the top two starting positions. Racers went three wide through turn one of lap one, with Hall emerging with the lead. 621 Brian Hudson was charging hard, however, capturing the lead by the close of lap two. 2 Chris Thurston captured third for a time, but 29NY Joel Hardgrave swooped in by lap three to take over third place. Hardgrave sniffed second place for a moment, but slid back, allowing 57 Anthony Stockman to pass him. Stockman quickly moved into second while Hardgrave settled into third. At the checkered flag, it was 621 Brian Hudson with the win, 57 Anthony Stockman in second and 29NY Joel Hardgrave in third.

THUNDERSTOCKS: 61 Jeremy Rogers and 94 O.J. White started the first of two heats in the top two positions. 32 Chuck Monica quickly moved to the lead position at the drop of the flag, with Rogers settling into second. At the finish line, it was 32 Monica in first, 61 Rogers in second and 17x Mike Greenfield capturing third.

The second heat had 26M Phil Desormeau III and 111J A.J. St.Mary in the top two starting positions. Desormeau shot far ahead of the field immediately, with 16 Matt Marcinko climbing into second, after starting fifth. 60 Justin Pope followed Marcinko through the field, grabbing onto third position by lap two. Pope and Marcinko traded positions through laps three and four, with Marcinko holding on at the checkered flag. 26M Phil Desormeau III took the win, with Marciko in second and Pope taking third.

FEATURE RACES:

NOVICE SPORTSMAN FEATURE: For the first feature of the evening, the Novice Sportsman Mods took to the track, with 15 Jamie Brown and 76G Skylar Greenfield started in the top two positions. Brown got the holeshot through turn one, retaining the lead, with Greenfield in second. 57H Remington Hamm wasted little time moving past Greenfield and then Brown for the lead. Brown wouldn’t go without a fight, however, as he squeezed Hamm up against the berm on the back straightaway through lap three, forcing Hamm to back off, leaving the lead for Brown. By lap six, Greenfield regained the second position from Hamm. 621 Trevor Gibbons spun out through turn four in lap eight, bringing out the race’s first caution. Gibbons was able to return to racing without any damage to the vehicle. On the restart, Greenfield took the high line around the track and grabbed away the lead from Brown. 6 Matt Brown was on the move, battling for third position with Hamm through out lap nine. 318 Dave Richer went over the berm of turns one and two, eliciting a caution in lap ten. He was able to rejoin racing without damage. Greenfield retained the lead on the restart, and led for two laps until the 318 of Richer got loose again, this time in turn four. Richer came to a stop against the wall, but was once again able to rejoin the race at the tail of the field. By lap twelve, 6 Matt Brown moved into second position just as another caution flag was unfurled at the flag stand. Greenfield had a good restart, retaining the lead, but 6 Matt Brown was hot on the heels of the 76G. At the checkered flag it was 76G Skylar Greenfield with the win, 6 Matt Brown in second, 15 Jamie Brown in third, 18 Gavin Eisele in fourth and 621 Trevor Gibbons in fifth.

PRO STREET STOCKS FEATURE: Under hazy skies, the Pro Street Stocks took to the half mile track, with 4 Mike Durham and 32 Ryan Shanahan starting in the top two positions. At the drop of the green flag, 3 Rick Dusckas dove low, going three wide with the leaders through turn one. Dusckas emerged from turn two as the leader, with 690 Sid Harmer Sr. following his lead through the field and capturing second place by lap two. 3k Shawn Kirby fought his way into third by lap three, after passing up Shanahan. By lap four, the field stretched out half way around the track, in single file. 1x Mike White moved into the top five after passing up Shanahan, and 14R Sid Harmer Jr. followed suit. 83D Dustin Bradley went over the berm of turn two in lap nine, bringing out the caution flag. All leads were reset, as a side-by-side restart ensued. On the restart Dusckas got loose and narrowly avoided disaster, getting sideways for a moment in front of the entire field. Dusckas was able to continue racing at the back of the field, going from first to last in a blink of the eyes. Dusckas’ vacancy left 3k Shawn Kirby and 690 Sid Harmer Sr. in the top two positions on the restart. In lap ten, Kirby squeezed 14R Sid Harmer Jr. up against the berm of the back straightaway. Harmer narrowly avoided a wreck, and surrendered the fight for the moment. One lap later, the roles were reversed, and the 14R machine did the squeezing, forcing Kirby off the back straightaway, and into a spin out. This elicited a caution and moved Kirby to the back of the field on the restart. By lap twelve, it was 690 Harmer Sr. and 14R Harmer Jr. in the top two positions, with 1x Mike White in third and 3 Rick Dusckas back in fourth position, steadily moving back through the field. 3k Shawn Kirby was busy getting back into contention as well, moving into fifth position by lap seventeen. With two laps remaining, 83D Bradley got loose again, triggering his third caution and an end to his night of racing. At the checkered flag, it was 690 Sid Harmer Sr. with the win, 14R Sid Harmer Jr. in second, 1x Mike White in third, 3 Rick Dusckas in fourth and 3k Shawn Kirby in fifth place.

358 MODIFIED FEATURE: As the big boys roared onto the track for the third feature of the night, it was 72 Scott Webb and 19 Luke Stewart in the top two positions. 51 Brady Gill and 57 Rylee Gill started in row two, in positions three and four. Points leader 9 Billy Dunn started in row four in eighth position. Webb retained the lead at the drop of the green, while 9 Dunn charged up to fifth immediately. By lap three Dunn moved into third, and a lap later owned second place. In lap five, Webb and Dunn traded paint and rubber in a battle for first, with Dunn squeezing through the low side and capturing the lead. Dunn distanced himself from the rest of the field by lap ten, with Webb in second, 19 Stewart in third, 57 Rylee Gill in fourth and 51 Brady Gill in fifth. By lap twelve 57 Gill moved into third position and R70 Ryan Arbuthnot captured fifth. Arbuthnot passed up Stewart in lap eighteen, taking over fourth position. In lap twenty-three, Arbuthnot passed up Rylee Gill for third, and captured second position one lap later. But nobody was catching 9 Billy Dunn, who finished a half-track ahead of the rest of the field. At the checkered flag it was 9 Billy Dunn with the victory, R70 Ryan Arbuthnot in second, 57 Rylee Gill in third, 10 Josh Vanbrocklin in fourth and 19 Luke Stewart in fifth.

SPORTSMAN MODIFIED FEATURE: Thirty-one cars entered the Sportsman feature, with 22 Josh Verne and 5 Amy Holland starting in the top two positions. M-1 Rick McCready and 26 Mike Mandigo followed in row two. 5 Holland captured the lead by the close of lap one. 91 Josh Reome moved up from a seventh place start to fourth by lap five. Holland was able to retain the lead through seven laps, but 22 Verne made a move in lap eight for the lead. It was short lived, as Holland recaptured the lead by turn four. Holland had her hands full with Verne attempting to pass low, and Josh Reome going high. Reome had the right idea, taking the lead going high by lap eleven. Meanwhile, 57 Anthony Stockman moved up from fourteenth to fourth, hot on the heels of Holland and Verne. By lap fourteen Stockman passed Verne and a lap later took second away from Holland. As Reome was forced to navigate through lapped traffic, Stockman closed the gap on the leader, coming within striking distance by lap eighteen. Reome’s tactic of taking the high-line around the track changed, as Stockman had a fast line running low, forcing Reome to slide down and block. The first caution of the feature came out in lap twenty-one. The single-file restart had 91 Reome in first, 57 Stockman in second, 21 Taylor Caprara in third, 22 Josh Verne in fourth, and 26 Mike Mandigo in fifth. On the restart 57 Stockman fired ahead into the lead, but Reome stayed right on Stockman’s bumper, looking for an opportunity to recapture the lead in the final laps. Reome dove low through turn two and snaked the lead from Stockman, and was able to hold on to the checkered. At the finish line, it was 91 Josh Reome with the victory, 57 Anthony Stockman in second, 21 Taylor Caprara in third, 26 Mike Mandigo in fourth and 22 Josh Verne in fifth.

THUNDERSTOCK FEATURE: The four-cylinder fury got off the line next, with 61 Jerry Rogers and 26M Phil Desormeau III starting in the top two positions. 94 O.J. White and 17B Mike Greenfield started in row two, in third and fourth positions, respectively. Desormeau moved into the lead by turn one, as 60 Justin Pope moved up from sixth position to third by lap two. A dangerous wreck occurred during lap two as 61 Rogers got sideways across the field, and took a hard, broadside impact from 5 Don Woodworth, rolling the number 61 car through turn one. It came to rest on its tires, facing the wrong direction. It was a heart-stopping wreck, but all drivers walked away from it sore, but relatively unscathed. On the restart, Desormeau regained the lead, and 60 Pope moved into second, leaving 94 White in third. By lap four, 50 Zach Stone was in third, leaving 94 White and 17B Mike Greenfield to battle for fourth behind him. 16 Matt Marcinko wanted in on the action, igniting a three-way battle for fourth. Greenfield and Marcinko got by White in lap seven, both catching up to 50 Stone by lap nine. It became a three-way battle for third by lap eleven, with Stone holding the advantage, followed by Greenfield and then Marcinko. By lap twelve, Marcinko was able to sneak by Greenfield and started putting more pressure on Stone for third position. Marcinko made his move on Stone in the final lap, grabbing third position. At the checkered flag, it was 26M Phil Desormeau III, 60 Justin Pope, 16 Matt Marcinko, 50 Zach Stone and 17B Mike Greenfield in the top five positions.

FINAL RESULTS:

NOVICE SPORTSMAN: 1) 76G Skylar Greenfield, 2) 6 Matt Brown, 3) 15 Jamie Brown, 4) 18 Gavin Eisele, 5) 621 Trevor Gibbons, 6) 57H Remington Hamm, 7) 38 Dave Richer, 8) 0 Joe Wilcox.

SPORTSMAN MOD: 1) 91 Josh Reome, 2) 57 Anthony Stockman, 3) 21 Taylor Caprara, 4) 26 Mike Mandigo, 5) 22 Josh Verne, 6) 415 Andrew Wren, 7) 38 Zach Sobotka, 8) 7S Shaun Shaw, 9) 34R Kevin Root, 10) 5 Amy Holland, 11) 44 David Rogers, 12) M-1 Rick McCready, 13) 24 Jordan Kelly, 14) 621 Brian Hudson, 15) 29NY Joel Hardgrave, 15) 1 Jack Meeks, 17) 71 Delbert Legrow, 18) 60 Jackson Gill, 19) 25 George Sanford, 20) 99R Anthony Rasmussen, 21) 29J Joel Hall, 22) 1R Ricky Thompson, 23) 66W Derek Webb, 24) 2 Chris Thurston, 25) 31 Tom Jock Jr., 26) 92NY Brad Winters, 27) 18 Justin Gadbaw, 28) 7X Justin White, 29) 34 Eric Nier, 30) 4X Mike Gadbaw, 31) 45R Preston Forbes+.

358 MODIFIED: 1) 9 Billy Dunn, 2) R70 Ryan Arbuthnot, 3) 72 Scott Webb, 4) 57 Rylee Gill, 5) 10 Josh VanBrocklin, 6) 19 Luke Stewart, 7) 9J Jordan McCreadie, 8) 51 Brady Gill, 9) 28 Tyler Meeks, 10) 93 Ryan Bartlet, 11) 27W Nick Webb, 12) 39 Tyler Bartlett, 13) 24 Brandon Sweet.

PRO STREET STOCK: 1) 690 Sid Harmer Sr., 2) 14R Sid Harmer Jr., 3) 1X Mike White, 4) 3 Rick Dusckas, 5) 3K Shawn Kirby, 6) 55 Kenny Clark, 7) 273 Tiger Chapman, 8) 4 Mike Durham, 9) 32 Ryan Shanahan, 10) 83D Dustin Bradley, 11) 62 Johnathan Murphy- DNS.

THUNDERSTOCK: 1) 26M Phil Desormeau, 2) 60 Justin Pope, 3) 16 Matt Marcinko, 4) 50 Zach Stone, 5) 17B Mike Greenfield, 6) 94 OJ White, 7) 32 Chuck Monica, 8) 111J AJ St.Mary, 9) 61 Jeremy Rogers, 10) 4 Jesse Bender, 11) 5 Don Woodworth, 12) 7X Tyler Bates, 13) 111V Tony St.Mary.