Photo by Rick Young // www.rickattheraces.com
Cornwall, ONT – May 23, 2010 – The Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series event at Cornwall Motor Speedway was moved ahead three months in the schedule this year. That only gave two-time defending track champion Joey Ladouceur an earlier start on his bid for a second overall division title in DIRTcar Racing Northeast's top full-fender traveling show.
Second-generation standout Ladouceur forged the sixth and final lead change on lap 34 of the headline 'Minute Auto Wash 50' en route to capturing his second straight tour race Sunday at Cornwall, worth $1,000 and an automatic starting berth at Syracuse during the Super DIRT Week Pro Stock Championship in October.
"It's not getting any easier, the boys really gave me all I could handle tonight," said Ladouceur, 34, after making sure the 2010 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series began just the way it ended last season. The Alexandria, Ont. favorite scored a decisive victory on home soil at Brockville Ontario Speedway in the October '09 Series finale, although he hopes that the final point standings are just a little different this time around.
Rallying to take second-place ¾ of a straightaway behind Ladouceur at the stripe was four-time defending Mr. DIRTcar Champion Pete Stefanski, Louie Jackson and Corey Wheeler. Ricky Thompson rounded out the original top-five yet was stripped of his fifth-place points and earnings following post-race inspection that uncovered a rev limiter chip infraction.
"For a while it was Louie, then for a while it was Dave (Bissonnette). It was just good, hard racing. The track was decent tonight, better than it was last week, and hopefully it continues to get better," remarked Ladouceur, who settled for runner-up honors last season behind Stefanski on the final Mr. DIRTcar points chart despite posting a tour-high total of five feature wins.
While Ladouceur led the entire distance in last autumn's 50-lap finale at Brockville, he wasn't quite as dominant in the spring lid-lifter despite leading 33 of the 50 circuits to kick off the 16th season of Pro Stock Series competition. Top touring regulars Jackson and Bissonnette had plans of their own on a warm Sunday evening at the racy quarter-miler.
Pole-sitter Ladouceur out-dragged front row partner David Papineau and opened up a sizable advantage over Jackson just five laps in, looking just as confident as he did a year ago when leading all 50 to score a convincing win at Cornwall. The first of eight yellow flags flew on lap eight, and it was just what Jackson needed as he took to the high side past the leader on the ensuing restart.
Ladouceur quickly retaliated and ducked the Coffrage 20-20 no. 92 Minimax Express/Cadillac STS/Stinger X entry back under for the lead on lap 13, but Jackson gathered up his Adams Marina no. 18 Keegan Smoke Shop/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/Black Widow mount and regained the point one lap later. While Ladouceur and Jackson continued to swap the top spot, veteran Bissonnette steered his way to the front, finally reeling in the leaders just shy of the halfway mark.
And just as Steve Johnston looped his ride between the third and fourth turns, Bissonnette salvaged his first lead while the field completed lap 24 under caution. At the midway point, Bissonnette and Ladouceur continued to head the pack while Jackson, Eastern New Yorker Buddy Hencke and Stefanski filled out the front-five.
A seventh yellow for the second consecutive spin by Papineau on lap 29 prompted the remaining restarts to begin single-file, with the leaders still able to pull away back under green. Ladouceur took advantage of Bissonnette getting boxed in behind the lapped car of Dion Oakes and blasted high to grab his fourth lead of the night.
Bissonnette was not yet done, charging under Ladouceur with 10 to go but coming up just short as the lapped car of Ryan Stabler spun directly in his path as the leaders rounded turn one. Ladouceur quickly slid high to avoid the incident yet the 'Bulldog' wasn't as fortunate, making contact with Stabler to force him pitside and out of contention for the remaining circuits.
After starting 28th on the 30-car grid, Thompson was solidly in the top-five and trying to pressure runner-up Jackson on the last lap 41 restart. Wasting little time as the final laps clicked off, Stefanski skirted under both Jackson and Thompson to pick up valuable points in quest of an unprecedented fifth championship trophy.
"It was close for so long, Dave finally got caught up with that lapped car when it spun, don't know if I could've got back by without switching lanes again," said Ladouceur, following his 14th career Series triumph, which puts him into third-place all alone behind only Stefanski (23) and Jipp Ortz (17). "Dave really showed some muscle there, I had no choice but to go back to the outside when he met up with traffic. Don't know if I could've held him off if I got off the bottom, he was plenty fast and is gonna be tough to beat (here) this year."
The 2010 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series resumes next month when autodromes Granby and Drummond host a big back-to-back doubleheader for the Northeast's top traveling teams on June 25-26. Ladouceur dominated the special in Drummondville last summer while Granby officials anxiously await the first ever tour stop at their spacious half-miler.
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