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Friday, October 8, 2010

Super DIRT Week: Raabe, VanBrocklin & Caswell Fastest 'Futures' In Super DIRT Week Specials

Syracuse, NY – October 7, 2010 – By Kevin Kovac, DIRTcar Racing PR ... Rising star Chris Raabe of Napanee, Ont., joined American Tradition Motorsports teammates Josh VanBrocklin of Watertown, N.Y., and Dale Caswell of Central Square, N.Y., as winners in the DIRTcar ‘Futures’ feature events that capped Thursday’s Super DIRT Week XXXIX at the Syracuse Mile.

Raabe captured the 8-lap DIRTcar 358-Modified ‘Futures’ race in what was his second-ever start in the division, while VanBrocklin and Caswell made team owner Dean Patterson proud by rolling to victories in the twin 12-lap DIRTcar Sportsman mains that were run to accommodate the large field of 31 aspiring racers.

The fourth annual ‘Futures’ series – short sprints for drivers seeking their first starts in their respective divisions’ headline Super DIRT Week events – ended the first full day of competition at the storied one-mile oval on the New York State Fairgrounds.

Raabe, 19, demonstrated his budding talent in his first DIRTcar 358-Modified start on the Syracuse Mile, leading the eight-car race from start-to-finish off the pole position. He outgunned front-row mate Matt Billings of Brockville, Ont., for the top spot at the initial green flag and was never threatened thereafter en route to a dominating victory margin of 13.637 seconds – roughly a full straightaway – over Denis Gauvreau of Gatineau, Que.

Billings settled for third-place, George Foley of Saranac Lake, N.Y., was fourth and Aaron Jacobs of Frankfort, N.Y., took fifth.

“Matt jumped me a little bit from the outside and tried pinching me down getting into turn one,” said Raabe, the two-time and defending Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman champion. “But I just held my ground and came out with the lead out of turn two.”

Raabe, who survived a mid-race scare when he jumped the cushion in turn four and bent the front valence on his Bicknell car, added the $600 ‘Futures’ triumph to a resume that is building very quickly. He is completing a memorable 2010 campaign that includes a DIRTcar Sportsman single-season record 30 feature wins and track titles at Mohawk Int’l Raceway in Akwesasne, N.Y., and Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway.

“I’ve been here with a Sportsman twice, but winning our first time here in a 358 is pretty exciting,” said Raabe, a mechanical engineering student at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. “I just want to go as far as I can (in racing).”

Raabe, who drives for John and Perry Francis of Akwesasne, N.Y., will continue his chase of a third consecutive Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman in Saturday’s 30-lap SUNY Canton Sportsman Championship event. He also hopes to compete in Saturday’s ‘Salute to the Troops’ 358-Modified 150 after timing 19th-fastest in Thursday’s qualifying session, giving him a 10th-row starting spot in the first of Friday afternoon’s twin 20-lap heat races.

VanBrocklin, meanwhile, won the first DIRTcar Sportsman ‘Futures’ event to begin a sweep of the division’s twin-bill by the American Tradition Motorsports team, a three-car Super DIRT Week squad fielded by Philadelphia, N.Y.’s Patterson. He wasn’t headed after racing off the pole position to grab the lead at the start, beating fourth-starter Steve Barber of Lansdowne, Ont., to the finish line by 2.166 seconds.

Don Spatorico of Ransomville, N.Y., finished third, followed by Jeff Leslie of Fly Creek, N.Y., and Shane Jablonka of Stanfordville, N.Y.

An entrant in last year’s Sportsman ‘Futures’ feature before failing to qualify for the DIRTcar Sportsman Championship race in his first-ever visit to the Moody Mile, VanBrocklin showed improvement in his second stab at the historic track.

“I’m a lot more confident in my driving,” said VanBrocklin, whose fifth season of DIRTcar Sportsman competition saw him finish second in Can-Am’s weekly points and emerge as the champion of the track’s nine-race SUNY-Canton Series. “I just tried to run my own race. I know (Barber) was on my bumper at the start and he gave me a tap one time, but I didn’t know how much of a lead I had.”

VanBrocklin scored a $400 victory in his first start driving a Bicknell car from Patterson’s stable. He recently accepted Patterson’s offer of a ride for Syracuse, freeing VanBrocklin to enter his family-owned car in this Friday night’s Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Series event at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to drive for (Patterson),” VanBrocklin said after climbing from the machine that sports sponsorship from the movie Jesus: The Lost Years. “We run our own car at Can-Am and park next to him, so we’ve become friends.”

Caswell, 28, topped off Patterson’s perfect ‘Futures’ day, winning the second race with another flag-to-flag effort. He beat fourth-starter Nate Reynolds to the checkered flag by 4.340 seconds.

Shane Pecore of St. Andrews, Ont., placed third, ahead of Andy Durie of Stillwater, N.Y., and Anthony Perrego of Montgomery, N.Y.

Caswell was behind the wheel of Patterson’s unique 9-11 Tribute car, a Bicknell mount carrying a special paint scheme in honor of the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and western Pennsylvania. It was just the second DIRTcar Sportsman start of his career.

“I tried out a Sportsman once before in 2005 at Fulton (Speedway),” said Caswell, who has also won this season in the crate Late Model, IMCA Modified and Mod Lite divisions. “I was excited when Dean gave me a chance to drive one again. He came down to my shop about a month ago to get some work done on his some race cars and asked me if I wanted to drive, and I said, ‘Sure.’”

Caswell has concentrated his 2010 racing on crate Late Models, running to a championship at Brewerton (NY) Speedway and finishing second in the points battle at Fulton Speedway. He also qualified for two World of Outlaws Late Model Series events this season with his crate Late Model.

The ‘Futures’ series continues during Friday’s Super DIRT Week program, with events for budding Big-Block Modified and Pro Stock racers on the agenda. Scheduled start time is 4 p.m.

358-Modified ‘Futures’ Feature Finish (8 laps): CHRIS RAABE, Denis Gauvreau, Matt Billings, George Foley, Aaron Jacobs, C.G. Morey, Cass Bennett, Henry Maier (DSQ).


SUPER DIRT WEEK XXXIX 'FUTURES' TIME TRIALS @ NYS Fairgrounds, Oct. 7    
*Determined feature race starting positions.                                            
358-MODIFIED                                            
            FAST              AVE               
            TIME               MPH            CAR#    DRIVER
1          33.324            108.030          01        Chris Raabe/Napanee,ONT
2          33.894            106.213          24        Patrick Dupree/Saranac Lake,NY
3          34.100            105.572          74x      Matt Billings/Brockville,ONT
4          35.217            102.223          72        Denis Gauvreau/Alymer,QUE
5          35.258            102.104          72        Cass Bennett/Mechanicville,NY
6          35.455            101.537          14m    C.G. Morey/Rutland,VT
7          35.755            100.685          34        George Foley/Saranac Lake,NY
8          36.014            99.961            3m       Henry Maier/Spencerport,NY
9          36.081            99.776            16        Aaron Jacobs/Frankfort,NY
10          -NT-                 -----               5h        Rob Hile/Syracuse,NY
11          -NT-                 -----               85        Ted Lamb Jr./Clay,NY           

Sportsman ‘Futures’ Feature No. 1 Finish (12 laps): JOSH VanBROCKLIN, Steve Barber, Don Spatorico, Jeff Leslie, Shane Jablonka, Jake elley, Brent Kelsey, Kristian Smoke, Jenna David, Thunder Anderson, Jason Occhino, Tom Keyes, Henry Desormeau, Brad Winters, Dean Patterson (DNS).

Sportsman ‘Futures’ Feature No. 2 Finish (12 laps): DALE CASWELL, Nate Reynolds, Shane Pecore, Andy Durie, Anthony Perrego, Jimmy Spellmon, Robert Bublak, Tim Paul, Steve Hankle, Jack Gentile, Brett Martin, Christine Martin, John Wilber, John Scarborough, Paul Kline, Rick Eggers Jr., Travis Back, Brandon Sweet (DNS).

SUPER DIRT WEEK XXXIX 'FUTURES' TIME TRIALS @ NYS Fairgrounds, Oct. 7    
*Determined feature race starting positions.                                            
SPORTSMAN                                             
            FAST              AVE               
            TIME               MPH           CAR#     DRIVER
1          35.216            102.226          10        Josh VanBrocklin/Watertown,NY
2     35.283            102.032          9-11    Dale Caswell/Central Square,NY
3          35.313            101.945          67        Don Spatorico/Ransomville,NY
4          35.400            101.695          61s      John Scarborough/Bomoseen,VT
5          35.623            101.058          62        Jeff Leslie/Fly Creek,NY
6          35.638            101.016          15        Shane Pecore/Cornwall,ONT
7          35.675            100.911          14        Paul Kline/Reading,PA
8          35.726            100.767          80        Steve Barber/Lansdowne,ONT
9          35.810            100.531          6r         Nate Reynolds/Newfane,NY
10        35.882            100.329          25        Jake Jelley/Pownall,VT
11        35.910            100.251          32        Andy Durie/Stillwater,NY
12        36.010            99.972            9          Kristian Smoke/Akwesasne,NY
13        36.143            99.604            28        Jimmy Spellmon/Butler,NJ
14        36.184            99.491            44x      Shane Jablonka/Stanfordville,NY
15        36.221            99.390            18x      Anthony Perrego/Montgomery,NY
16        36.233            99.357            30        Brent Kelsey/Plantagenet,ONT
17        36.268            99.261            10m    Brett Martin/Burt,NY
18        36.444            98.782            92ny    Brad Winters/Lison,NY
19        36.757            97.941            20        Jack Gentile/Ballston Lake,NY
20        36.758            97.938            60        Henry Desormeau/Weedsport,NY
21        36.909            97.537            19        Rob Bublak Jr./Ballston Spa,NY
22        36.952            97.424            1          Travis Back/Hogansburg,NY
23        36.957            97.411            42        Tim Paul/Stony Point,NY
24        37.192            96.795            42p     Jason Occhino/Fulton,NY
25        37.242            96.665            21b     John Wilber/Fulton,NY
26        37.483            96.044            2          Jenna David/Akwesasne,QUE
27        38.944            92.440            81        Christine Martin/Wellesley Island,NY
28        69.106            52.094            5          Tom Keyes/Fairport,NY
29          -NT-                 -----               3d        Dean Patterson/Philadelphia,NY
30          -NT-                 -----               7          Tom Benedict/Akwesasne,QUE
31          -NT-                 -----               24        Brandon Sweet/Watertown,NY
32          -NT-                 -----               44        Steve Hankle/Averill Park,NY

SKIDMARKS
The ‘King of the Mile’ Dash field has been set for Friday, Oct. 8 at the Syracuse Mile with Jason Sides, Lucas Wolfe, Chad Kemenah, Kerry Madsen and Keith Dempster participating in the unique World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series exhibition. As an added treat, Work’N Woody, the Official Push Truck & Safety Vehicle of the Outlaws, which has pushed countless cars at Syracuse over the years, will return to the Moody Mile as well and help push off the drivers for the dash which starts at 3:30pm.

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