GRANBY, QUE. � Steve Poirier has turned more laps at Autodrome Granby than any other driver currently racing with the 25th Anniversary Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint tour. On Friday night Poirier used that experience to help him capture the Fondations 4 Saisons 25-lap A-Main event for the first leg of the SMAC Magazine Canadian Invasion Series.
�It�s fun to win here,� stated the driver from St-Mathieu de Boloeil, Que. �I get to see a lot of people that I haven�t seen in a while. Some of them can�t afford to travel to see me race in the United States so it�s good to get a win in front of them.�
The win was Poirier�s second consecutive victory with the tour as well as he second win in a row at the half-mile oval. The win paid him $2,200 for his efforts and it was his 11th career with the Empire Super Sprints.
Alain Bergeron raced out in front at the drop of the green flag from his pole starting position. He beat Justin Barger into turn one and drove off the bottom of turn two.
Bergeron and Barger remained one and two while Poirier was working his way up through traffic from the inside of the third row.
Bergeron held the lead as the first caution of the event slowed the field on lap 12 when Kevin Beaucage slowed and came to a stop on the back straightaway. One lap later, the race was brought under the red flag when Jeff Cook and Jeff VanDusen flipped on the front straightaway.
The restart placed the top three drivers nose to tail with no slower cars between them. As the green flag dropped Bergeron and Barger ducked to the inside of turn one with Poirier racing hard around the top to take the second position away. Then, just four laps later, Poirier again went to the outside of turns one and two to take the lead.
�The key was to drive the car hard and straight into the turn,� said Poirier. �The guys on the bottom had to really slow down to run the bottom and I could get a good run off the turn on the top.
�The track was tricky tonight and I didn�t have the best setup but I think we were just a little better than everyone else.�
Once he took the lead, Poirier opened up a half straight advantage on the field until he got a big scare on lap 20. As Poirier entered the turn, he attempted to race to the outside of Daniel Lampron when the two came together sending Poirier up near the outside wall.
�I thought he (Lampron) was going to go low but he went high and I got into the back of him,� stated Poirier about the incident. �When it happened I thought I was going to hit the outside wall and wreck the car. I got lucky that it didn�t really do any damage to my car.�
Poirier had one final scare in the closing laps as Barger was able to close in and challenge for the lead. As the duo raced to the line to with two laps remaining, Barger pulled even with Poirier off of the fourth corner. Fortunately for Poirier, Barger got slowed by a slower car running his line and he was unable to get by for the win.
�I got too cautious after the contact,� said Poirier. �It took me a two or three laps to get my momentum back again.�
Barger, driving the same car he rolled last Saturday, made it interesting in the closing laps but he was unable to pull off the shocking late race pass for the victory as he got boxed in behind some slower traffic.
�Sometimes the slower cars help you and other times they hurt you,� commented Barger. �Tonight it hurt us but I�m happy that we came out and ran as well as we did after rolling the car over last weekend.�
The red flag period at the halfway point may have caused Bergeron, of St. Pie, Que, to finish a disappointing third after leading much of the event.
�For some reason the car wasn�t as good after the red,� said Bergeron. �I don�t know if the tires cooled down or what it was but I could run the bottom like I had before.�
Finishing in fourth was the current point leader from Penn Yan, N.Y., Lance Yonge. Tim Kelly, of Rock Stream, N.Y., scored his first top five of the season as he finished in fifth.
ESS/GRANBY NOTES: Even with the cost of fuel for haulers hitting $5.00 a gallon, 21 sprints made the tow on a picture perfect night�Once again the combination of the sprints and the Fondation Mira race for the blind, an absolute SRO crowd of 8,000 plus was on hand�Good to have Russ Bennett back on the tour with current Granby modified point leader Kayle Robidoux out for the first time, fourth place in sportsman points at Granby in Keven Beaucage was in the Bergeron back-up and looked fast out of the box�VanDusen picked up a ride from Brian McDonald for the weekend but unfortunately ended with the flip on lap 13�McDonald himself had a power steering pump explode while pushing off for the A-Main and he didn�t take the green flag�The Lucas Oil backed tour with the SMAC Magazine Canadian Invasion Series will make two more stops to Granby on Friday, Aug. 1 and Aug. 29th
Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints Fondations 4 Saisons A-Main (25 laps): Steve Poirier, Justin Barger, Alain Bergeron, Lance Yonge, Tim Kelly, Tommy Wickham, Doug Norrie, Michael Parent, Gordy Button, Lee Ladouceur, Kayle Robidoux, Anthony Cain, Normand Beaudreault, Russ Bennett, James Hanson, Daniel Lampron, Jeff Cook, Jeff VanDusen, Keven Beaucage, Brandon Warner, DNS � Brian McDonald
Lap Leaders � Bergeron 1-16, Poirier 17-25.
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 1 (10 laps): Alain Bergeron, Tim Kelly, Jeff Cook, Anthony Cain, Brandon Warner, Kevin Beaucage, Kayle Robidoux
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 2 (10 laps): Justin Barger, Steve Poirier, Gordy Button, Michael Parent, Jeff VanDusen, Normand Beaudreault, Daniel Lampron
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 3 (10 laps): Lance Yonge, Tommy Wickham, Doug Norrie, Lee Ladoceur, James Hanson, Russ Bennett, Brian McDonald
CASH BONUSES:
Fondations 4 Saisons A-Main � Poirier $200
Ohsweken Speedway Winner�s Bonus � Poirier $100
National Parts Peddler Halfway Bonus � Bergeron $100
Les Constructions Ultra Blue Collar Award � Barger $100
Lane�s Yamaha Hard Charger � Robidoux (8 pos.) $50
Cook�s Contracting Services Bridesmaid Bonus � Barger $50
AMB Moteurs Fast Time Award � Ladouceur $50
HG Associates Pole Award � Bergeron $50
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers � Bergeron, Barger, Yonge $25
Winner�s Contengincies:
Lucas Oil $115, Griffin Thermal Products $100, Penske Shocks $100, Design 500 $100, GME Steering $80, Saldana Racing Products $50, Hank�s Performance Products $50, Kreitz Oval Track Products $50, Racing Optics $30, Rod End Supply $30, Area Auto Racing News $25, Brake Man $25, Ultra Shield $10, Pepsi Cola $5.
Other Contingencies:
Weld Racing Hard Luck � Cook $100
ATL � Bergeron $100
Mangus Pumps � Yonge $100
M&W Aluminum Products � Ladouceur $75
Leaf Racewear � Kelly $75
Design 500 � Kelly $50, Robidoux $50
Keizer Wheels � Cain $50
KSE Racing Products � Bennett $50
Zemco Headers � Kelly $50
Joe Hunt Magnetos � VanDusen $50
Rod End Supply � Barger $30
VMAC Racing � Wickham $25
DMI � Warner $25
Luther�s Way Out Grafix � Yonge $25
ISC Racers Tape � Ladouceur $10
Ultra Shield � Barger $10
Pepsi Cola � Bergeron, Barger, Yonge $5.