VERNON, NY – Steve Poirier lost last September’s race at the Utica-Rome Speedway in the final lap of the event when Chuck Hebing slid up in front of him as they exited turn four. This past Sunday Poirier was not going to be denied as he held off the challenges of Shawn Donath and raced through traffic to score his first Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint series win of 2011.
“It was a pretty good starting position but it was not easy win,” commented Poirier on the A-Main that went 25 non-stop green flag laps. “I was waiting at the end of the race because I always see the No. 45 go by me on the last corner but I drove my car as fast as I could.”
Poirier started on the front row of the SUNY Canton Series event in a different car from the previous night as that car was destroyed in a flip at Fonda Speedway.
“It seems like in my Sprint Car years after we have a bad night sometimes we had good night afterwards,” said Poirier. “I have to thank the crew they worked hard all day getting ready. It is what made the difference today.”
At the green, Poirier bolted to the lead from his outside pole starting position on the high-side of Gene Cole’s newly revamped oval. He used the extreme top which is well over a lane higher than in previous seasons. Donath made his move at the green as well and moved into second behind Poirier.
With seven laps complete, Poirier’s first encounter with traffic went smoothly as he stayed on the outside while the cars at the tail of the field went down low. Within a few laps, the traffic intensified and Donath now closed in.
As the race reached lap 10, Donath increased his pressure on Poirier. At every turn Poirier was challenged by Donath. As Poirier worked high in traffic on many occasions Donath worked low looking for one opportunity to take the lead.
Poirier and Donath paced the field and continued to slide in and out of traffic with Poirier making a daring three-wide moving between two lapped cars as he raced into turn on lap 18. This move proved to be a difference maker as it allowed him to get away from Donath’s pressure.
“I took a few chances with lapped cars tonight,” said Poirier. “The track was really wide tonight which made it a little bit easier to drive through traffic.”
On lap 22 Hebing blasted by Donath on the outside to take the runner-up position away. Hebing, who started 12th, was nearly a full second quicker than the leader but he to now struggled with traffic in his quest to chase down Poirier.
At the checkered flag it was Poirier, in his AMB Moteurs powered Eagle, earning his fourth career win at the speedway with Hebing unable to repeat history another time being forced to settle for second.
“We had such a good car and I could see Steve (Poirier) there at the end,” stated Hebing. “He got out so far I was only going to catch him with a caution. It would have been nice to get to his bumper, he likes when I slide job him on the last lap.”
Donath, driving his Doug Emery Motorsports powered ride, finished in third after battling with Poirier for much of the event.
“I figured I would try showing him the bottom a few times and he’d (Poirier) fall for it,” joked Donath after the event. “The top was super fast and he was just quicker through lapped traffic. I tried going to the bottom to get by them and that allowed Chuck (Hebing) to go by me on the top.”
Kevin Ward Jr. got back on track Sunday afternoon with a fourth place finish which was exciting as he and Alain Bergeron got together coming off turn four seeing both cars spinning across for the checkers. Cory Sparks, of Edinburg, N.Y., came from deep in the field to finish in fifth. It was his third top five finish of the 2011 racing season.
Rounding out the top ten were Fonda winner Justin Barger, Lance Yonge aboard the Anthony Cain #15C, Jeff Cook, Michael Parent and his second tenth place finish in a row aboard the Dutcher family #6K Mike Stelter.
ESS/Utica-Rome Notes – A total of 22 sprints were in the pits on the first of four visits to the Vernon, NY half-mile…Not only did the A-Main go non-stop but the caution lights were not displayed during the entire evening…Making first ever ESS starts were big block modified pilots Charlie Donk and Paul Habeck…Yonge’s engine woes at Fonda was terminal which saw him in the Cain mount, Cain then took over the controls of the Tyler Rand back-up…All 22 cars that started the A-Main finished the event as well…Next weekend the stars and cars will now head north of the border for trips to Autodrome Granby and Drummond.
Lucas Oil ESS/SUNY Canton Series A-Main – Steve Poirier, Chuck Hebing, Shawn Donath, Kevin Ward Jr., Cory Sparks, Justin Barger, Lance Yonge, Jeff Cook, Michael Parent, Mike Stelter, Alain Bergeron, Josh Pieniazek, Matt Tanner, Dylan Swiernik, Charlie Donk, Tommy Wickham, Tyler Rand, Jared Fink, Anthony Cain, Paul Habeck, Mark Zemcik, Warren Alexson
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 1 – Hebing, Donath, Bergeron, Pieniazek, Tanner, Wickham, Habeck, Cain
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 2 – Poirier, Sparks, Yonge, Cook, Barger, Stelter, Alexson.
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 3 –. Parent, Ward Jr., Rand, Zemcik, Fink, Donk, Swiernik.
Dover Brake and Clutch/Cobra Coaches Dash –. Spark
Lap Leaders – Poirier 1-25
Bonuses:
Cook’s Contracting Services Halfway – Poirier $100
WestFront Construction Hard Charger – Hebing (10 pos.) $50
Ohsweken Speedway Winners Bonus – Poirier $50
Mohawk Racing Parts Pick 5 – Sparks $50
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heats – Hebing, Poirier, Parent $25
HG Associates Fast Time – Barger (17.438) $25
Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints Points: Chuck Hebing 333, Cory Sparks 327, Shawn Donath 318, Justin Barger 311, Alain Bergeron 310, Steve Poirier 295, Kevin Ward Jr., 285, Lance Yonge 252, Matt Tanner 211, Jeff Cook 207