HOGANSBURG, N.Y � A less than a year ago Steve Poirier lost a race in the closing laps because he was too cautious in slower traffic. He vowed to never let that happen again.
On Saturday night at the Mohawk International Raceway, Poirier threw caution to the wind and made a bold move to score the victory in the 25th Anniversary Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint SUNY Canton 25-lap A-Main
�Sometimes you have a good night and everything goes your way,� stated Poirier. �We had a good starting spot and then when Lance (Yonge) had to slow up I was there to make the pass.
�It was a move that could have ended up with me on my roof but I had to take the chance.�
For the defending series champion, the win earned him $2,000 and his first tour win of the racing season and the tenth of his career.
Racing started with Lance Yonge and Tommy Wickham leading the field to the green. As the field raced off of turn two for the first time, Justin Barger got sideways and ended up getting his No.32 upside down bringing out a red flag.
On the restart, Yonge took the lead with Wickham and Poirier falling in line behind him. The three remained in that running order when the caution came out for the second and final time on lap 10 as Anthony Cain spun in turn four.
When action resumed, Yonge held the top spot while Poirier applied pressure to Wickham for second. On lap 17, Wickham bobbled and Poirier drove by to the inside to take the position away.
Now in second, Poirier began closing in on Yonge as he caught the tail of the field. Then, on lap 22, Yonge slowed up and left a lane open on the bottom allowing Poirier to sneak his AMB powered J&J Auto Racing chassis by for the lead and ultimately the victory.
�It�s easier to be the guy in second in that situation,� said Poirier. �I have the choice to pick which lane I want to go to. If the leader picks a good lane I can follow him and if he picks the wrong lane you can choose the other one.
�He (Yonge) left me just enough room on the bottom and I decided not to lift. It could have ended very differently but it worked out.�
For the second consecutive race, Yonge, of Penn Yan, N.Y., scored a runner-up finish in the final run down.
�I don�t know what it is but I�m having problems with my wings,� commented Yonge about the nose wing on his Maxim. �I broke the brackets off just after half way. The car changed and I couldn�t roll through the corners like I wanted to.
�If the wing didn�t break I wouldn�t have had to slow up in the slower traffic.�
Coming home in third was Tommy Wickham. Wickham, of Canstantia, N.Y, closed briefly on Yonge when he was in the runner-up position but a bobble in turn four cost him second and a chance at the win.
�The car felt really good tonight, the best it�s felt all year,� said the 21-year-old of his J&J Auto Racing mount. �I thought I had something for Lance (Yonge) but I got into a rut on the outside off turn four and that allowed Poirier to pass me.
�I�m happy though, we finally had a good run.�
Alain Bergeron, of St. Pie, Que, started sixth and finished fourth with his Don Ott powered ride. Perry Francis, of Akwesasne, N.Y., finished in fifth in his first ever Sprint Car start piloting a back-up Poirier car.
ESS/Mohawk Notes: Making first ever ESS starts were local hero in Francis, who impressed all with a stout fifth place finish and that was despite a broken front wing and left rear shock, and former Oswego Speedway super modified regular Andy Noto�Chris Jones also made his first ESS start of 2008�Brandon Warner destroyed his sprinter during the second heat when he climbed a wheel and flipped down the front stretch. Unfortunately, he was ESS� first flip victim of the 25th Anniversary Tour�Next week it�s the first of three weekend visits to Autodromes Granby and Drummond, the events will be $2,000 tow win and $450 to start�Also, the Earl Halaquist Memorial is going to be made up on Tuesday. August 5th at the Fonda Speedway.
Heat 1 � Alain Bergeron, Normand Beaudreault, Michael Parent, Jeff Cook, Tim Kelly, Bubby Kerrick, James Hanson.
Heat 2 � Steve Poirier, Tommy Wickham, Perry Francis, Brian McDonald, Gordy Button, Andy Noto, Brandon Warner.
Heat 3 � Justin Barger, Lance Yonge, Cory Sparks, Anthony Cain, Chris Jones, Lee Ladouceur.
C&B Enterprise/Walt�s Hobby Dash � Alain Bergeron.
SUNY Canton A-Main – $2,000 to win � Steve Poirier, Lance Yonge, Tommy Wickham, Alain Bergeron, Perry Francis, Brian McDonald, Tim Kelly, Jeff Cook, Michael Parent, Chris Jones, Lee Ladouceur, Bubby Kerrick, Gordy Button, Anthony Cain, James Hanson, Cory Sparks, Andy Noto, Normand Beaudreault, Justin Barger.
DNS � Brandon Warner.
Lap Leaders � Yonge 1-21, Poirier 22-25.
Cash Bonuses:
SUNY Canton � Poirier $400
Ohsweken Speedway Winner�s Bonus � Poirier $100
National Parts Peddler Halfway Bonus – $100
Les Constructions Ultra Blue Collar Award � Yonge $100
Lane�s Yamaha Hard Charger � Ladouceur $50
AMB Moteurs Fast Time Award � Kelly (15.012) $50
Cook’s Contracting Services -Yonge $50.
HG Associates Pole Award � Yonge $50
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heats � Bergeron, Poirier, Barger $25
Winner�s Contingencies:
Lucas Oil $115, Griffin Thermal Products $100, Design 500 $100, Mangus Pumps $100, Saldana Racing Products $50, GME Steering $50, Hank�s Performance Products $50, Kreitz Oval Track Products $50, Racing Optics $30, Rod End Supply $30, Area Auto Racing News $25, Earl�s Indy $25, Brake Man $25, MRE Productions $10, Ultra Shield $10, Pepsi Cola $10.
Other Contingencies:
Weld Racing Hard Luck � Warner $100
ATL � Wickham $100
M&W Aluminum Products � Barger $75
Leaf Racewear � Bergeron $75
Design 500 � Francis $50, Kerrick $50
Keizer Wheels � Kelly $50
KSE Racing Products � Hanson $50
Zemco Headers � Francis $50
Joe Hunt Magnetos � Beaudreault $50
Rod End Supply � Yonge $30
VMAC Racing � Kelly $25
DMI � Barger $25
Luther�s Way Out Grafix � Bergeron $25
ISC Racers Tape � Cain $10
Ultra Shield � Yonge $10
Pepsi Cola � Bergeron $10, Barger $5.