Heffner Scores 200-lap Coors National Vicotry At Lebanon Valley
Sat - September 09, 2006 -- Lebanon Valley Speedway
West Lebanon, NY
Lebanon
Valley Speedway hosted the first 200-lap Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series
event of the season on Saturday, and by the time Sunday morning rolled around
it was track regular J.R. Heffner savoring his first career victory in the 38th
Coors National 200 for DIRT big-block Modifieds. Heffner led the final half of
the feature race that was extended to 204 laps following a late-race caution
period and collected the $10,000 top prize for his second DIRT Modified win of
the year at the West Lebanon oval. The victory also guaranteed Heffner an
automatic starting spot in the Eckerd 200 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse
during Super DIRT Week XXXV, Oct. 4-8. Pole-sitter Jimmy Phelps settled for
runner-up honors after leading the initial 100 laps while Matt Sheppard,
current Mr. DIRT Championship points leader Alan Johnson and runner-up in the
standings Billy Decker completed the front-five.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series Race #20 – Lebanon Valley Speedway,
September 9, 2006 38th Coors National 200 Modified Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 20 74 J.R.
Heffner/Stephentown,NY ($10,000)
2 2 98h Jimmy
Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
3 5 44s Matt
Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
4 12 14j Alan
Johnson/Phelps,NY
5 27 91 Billy
Decker/Unadilla,NY
6 15 1 Bobby Varin/Sharon
Springs,NY
7 3 87 Hector
Stratton/Bennington,VT
8 11 66 Jeff
Heotzler/Wallkill,NY
9 19 55 Mike
King/Nassau,NY
10 8 1t Gary
Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
11 23 42p Pat
Ward/Genoa,NY
12 6 47 Jerry
Higbie/Slate Hill,NY
13 21 7x Steve
Paine/Waterloo,NY
14 18 7 John
Ruchel/Niverville,NY
15 14 27j Danny
Johnson/Rochester,NY
16 25 77x Dale
Planck/Cortland,NY
17 29 OB’s Ric
Hill/Lafayette,NJ
18 4 60 Kenny
Stafford/Homer,NY
19 31 19 Tim
Fuller/Edwards, NY
20 17 20 Brett
Hearn/Sussex,NJ
21 1 4 Andy
Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
22 22 347 Skippy
Fox/Springfield,MA
23 24 115 Kenny
Tremont/West Sand Lake,NY
24 13 87x Paul
Gilardi/Pittsfield,MA
25 7 45 Wayne Jelley/Pittsfield,MA
26 26 34 Steve Hough/East
Greenbush,NY
27 10 88 Ron
Dwyer/Bennington,VT
28 28 43 Keith
Flach/Ravena,NY
29 32 27 Dave
McFeeters/Watervliet,NY
30 16 34r Russ
Reckner/Nassau,NY
31 9 44 Frank Cozze/Wind
Gap,PA
DNS 30 32 Matt Quinn/New
Ashford,MA
DNS 33 17jr. Jeff
Heotzler,Jr./Wallkill,NY
DNS 34 24 Chris
Shultz/Pawling,NY
LAP LEADERS: Phelps (1-100), Heffner (101-204).
CAUTIONS: 10 for 42 laps; 2 RED FLAGS (lap 38, lap 100-Mandatory).
ECKERD 200 QUALIFIER: J.R. Heffner.
QUALIFYING
Heat Races (8 laps, top-5 finishers transferred to feature, top-3 went to
re-draw)
#1: Cozze, Phelps, Sheppard, Gilardi, Hearn, Paine, Planck, Hill, Heotzler Jr.
(DNS).
#2: Heotzler Sr., Stratton, Stafford, D.Johnson, Ruchel, Fox, Hough, Quinn,
Shultz.
#3: Bachetti, Dwyer, Higbie, Varin, King, Ward, Decker, Fuller.
#4: Tomkins, Jelley, A.Johnson, Reckner, Heffner, Tremont, Flach, McFeeters.
Advance Auto Parts DIRT Modified Entries – September 9 (34)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM
(Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
OB’s Ric Hill/Lafayette,NJ
Boria High-Tech Auto/TEO/Precision
1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton
Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Pillsbury/Bicknell/Mastin
1g Bobby Varin/Sharon
Springs,NY Gable Auto Stores/TEO/JPM
4 Andy
Bachetti/Sheffield,MA Albraeda Waste
LLC-Bachetti Auto Sales/PMC/Morrison
7 John
Ruchel/Niverville,NY Jackson’s Old Chatham
House-Kleeber Agency/PMC/Ken Tremont,Sr.
7x Steve
Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Terrell’s
Potato Chips-Geneva Homes-J&M Roofers/TEO/Finger Lakes
14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
NativePoker.Com-Pine Line Auto Sales-Chiefs
Tobacco&Gas/Bicknell/Morrison
17jr. Jeff Heotzler,Jr./Wallkill,NY
Atlas Paving-Adsit Custom Homes/Bicknell/JPM
19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY
JL Motorsports(Native Poker)-Chiefs Tobacco&Gas-G&R Auto
Parts/TEO/Enders
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
Madsen Mtrsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-BPG
Racing-Kruger-WLR/TEO/Enders
24 Chris
Shultz/Pawling,NY Liberty Rock Crushing-TEO
Fabrication/TEO/JPM
27 Dave
McFeeters/Watervliet,NY J&D
Automotive-Lazzaro’s Auto Body/Bicknell/DRE
27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
Quality Concrete-King Enterprises-Chiefs Tobacco &
Gas/Troyer/Kevlar
32 Matt Quinn/New Ashford,MA
Testo’s Gourmet Pasta Sauce-Finch’s Paper/Bicknell/Bedell
34 Steve Hough/East
Greenbush,NY Steve Hough Motors/TEO/JPM
34r Russ Reckner/Nassau,NY
Steve Hough Motors/PMC/JPM
42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
Gypsum Express,Ltd.-Stadium International/Bicknell/Enders
43 Keith Flach/Ravena,NY
Flach Crane & Rigging-Gould Erectors & Riggers/TEO/JPM
44 Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA
Waite’s General Contr-Carquest Auto Parts-Bert
Transmission/TEO/Feil-M2 Power
44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
BKS/G-U Hardware-Currier Pastics-Adam Ross Cut Stone/Bicknell/FingerLakes
45 Wayne Jelley/Pittsfield,MA
K&F Modular Homes-Freedom Plains-TLC Contracting/PMC/Dan
Bedell
47 Jerry Higbie/Slate Hill,NY
G&G Diesel Freightliner Trucks-Team Shaver/Bicknell/Precision
55 Mike King/Nassau,NY
Thoma Tire-Armory Nissan-Otterbeck
Builders/PMC/Waters
60 Kenny Stafford/Homer,NY
HS Edinger Trucking-Amsoil-Fast Line Performance/TEO/Chevy
66 Jeff Heotzler/Wallkill,NY
Atlas Paving-Behrent’s Performance Warehouse/Bicknell/JPM
74 J.R. Heffner/Stephentown,NY
A.Colarusso & Son-Turner Auto-J&D Waste-Bear Mountain
Trucking/Bicknell/JPM
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
East End Auto Parts & Construction-Jacob’s Excavation/Bicknell/Enders
87 Hector
Stratton/Bennington,VT CLS Transportation-Big
Boy’s Toys/PMC/AC Performance
87x Paul Gilardi/Pittsfield,MA
New England Design & Building-Advance Auto Parts/Bicknell/Dan Bedell
88 Ron Dwyer/Bennington,VT
Bedell Race Engines-PromotionalIncentives.com/TEO/Dan Bedell
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders
98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
Mohawk Northeast-New England Race Fuels/Troyer/Bruneau-JanCen
115 Kenny Tremont/West Sand Lake,NY S&S Asphalt-Darcy
Construction-Doherty Bros. Construction/Bicknell/Tremont
347 Skippy Fox/Springfield,MA
Bluenote Café/TEO/Skippy Fox
SKIDMARKS
2006 Tour 12: For the second straight year DIRT MotorSports™ has signed up
the best big-block Modified teams in the Northeast to compete in every Advance
Auto Parts Super DIRT Series show. The list of a dozen contracted drivers (in
alphabetical order) includes popular Pennsylvania pilot Frank Cozze, four-time
and defending Eckerd 200 titlist Billy Decker, reigning overall Hoosier
Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT champion Tim Fuller, all-time Advance Auto
Parts SDS race winner Brett Hearn, DIRT’s winningest big-block Modified driver
Alan Johnson, five-time DIRT MotorSports NE Driver of the Year Danny Johnson,
Canandaigua (NY) Speedway record-setter Steve Paine, second-year tour mainstay
Jimmy Phelps, first-year full-time Series follower Dale Planck, rising star
Matt Sheppard, former Mr. DIRT champion Gary Tomkins and 30-year open-wheel
veteran Pat Ward.
Double Delays: DIRT 358-Modified practice began at 3:05pm and the rains
came. The third small-block heat hit the track and the rains came again at
6:30pm. The third try was a charm with the entire show resuming at 9 o’clock
and being completed in its entirety by 1:45 am. In between, a light shower
quickly turned into a major downpour with hail pelting down on the West Lebanon
facility.
Absentee Ballot Filled: Car count was down in the big-block ranks on
Saturday with at least a dozen Valley regulars failing to make the race day
roster that hovered around the 40 mark last September. Track staples like
second-generation chauffeurs Donnie Corellis and Eddie Marshall, along with
Dave Leckonby, Tim Dwyer and Denny Soltis headed the list. Also missing were
John Hewitt, Guy Sheldon, John Alberti, Don Ackner (manning a parts truck),
Matt Quinn (fielding only a small-block), Wayne Figler Lorne Browe and Kyle
Sheldon.