For more info, please visit DIRT and Merrittville Speedway .
Thorold, ONT - April 26, 2008 - By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director
A successful Small-Block chauffeur throughout most of his career, Advance Auto Parts Super
DIRTcar Series standout Dale Planck returned to his roots Saturday night as he captured round
one of the 2008 Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series at Merrittville Speedway.
Not only did Planck collect $4500 for his fourth career victory on DIRTcar Racing NorthEast's
premier Small-Block tour, the Cortland, New York traveler led every lap of the Baron Roofing
Windows and Doors 'Spring Sizzler 100' and lapped all but second-place finisher Danny O'Brien
in a command performance.
Finishing behind Planck and O'Brien, one lap down to the leaders, were New York invaders Chad
Brachmann and Bert Hard Charger Todd Burley, with defending track points champion Pete
Bicknell filling out the front-five. Heats wins went to Lance Willix II, Dan Miller, Planck and Rick
Richner with Frenchman David Hebert and Merrittville regular Travis Cunningham sharing
consolation round victories to break down the solid 38-car field signed in.
Racing in the Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Series continues back in the states later in the summer
when Ransomville (NY) Speedway hosts round #2 of the premier Small-Block Modified tour in the
Northeast on Friday, August 1. Coors Light, Hard Copy Wholesale and Mighty Taco present the
Alex Friesen Summer Nationals with $6,800 on the line for the 68-lap feature winner.
Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series Race #1 - Merrittville Speedway, April 26, 2008
Baron Roofing Windows and Doors 'Spring Sizzler 100' Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 2 66 Dale Planck/Cortland,NY ($4,500)
2 6 55 Danny O'Brien/Kingston,ONT
3 13 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
4 27 5 Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
5 17 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
6 7 9 Ken Cosgrove/Allanburg,ONT
7 10 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY
8 *14 23L Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT
9 5 80 Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT
10 23 38 Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT
11 3 28 Scott Kerwin/Newfane,NY
12 20 37 Kyle Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY
13 21 1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
14 9 15j Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY
15 29 99 Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
16 4 00 Boyd MacTavish/Ransomville,NY
17 8 56 Dereck Lemyre/Hamilton,ONT
18 24 66x Carey Terrance/Akwesasne,NY
19 1 16 Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
20 26 22c Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
21 25 111 Kevin Wills/Ransomville,NY
22 11 26g Scott George/Wilson,NY
23 31 9s Mark Smoke/Akwesasne,NY
24 15 23 Laurent Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT
25 28 22e Eric Gauvreau/Chelsea,QUE
26 19 108 Bill Bleich/Port Robinson,ONT
27 32 1f Fred Carleton/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
28 16 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY
29 18 5jr. Travis Braun/Jordan Station,ONT
30 30 72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT
31 22 91 Travis Cunningham/Grimsby,ONT
DNS 12 22 Dan Miller/St.Catharines,ONT
EVENT SUMMARY:
GATER NEWS LAP LEADER: Planck (1-100).
CAUTIONS: 1 (lap 9).
HEAT WINNERS: Willix, Miller, Planck, Richner.
CONSI WINNERS: Hebert, Cunningham.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Dale Planck.
SYRACUSE ITT/GOULDS PUMPS 150 QUALIFIER: Dale Planck.
HALFWAY LEADER: Dale Planck.
BERT HARD CHARGER: Todd Burley.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK: Mario Clair.
PENSKE POWER POSITION (10th): Scott Wood.
TOTAL PURSE: $20,450.
CARS ENTERED: 38.
NEXT EVENT: Ransomville Speedway - August 1, 2008.
DID NOT QUALIFY(7)
1-Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT
1f-Fred Carleton/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
1p-Darren Peters/Ft. Erie,ONT
16w-Derek Wutzke/Fenwick,ONT
31-George Bosse/St.Catharines,ONT
37s-Andrew Sittler/St.Catharines,ONT
44-Brian Stevens/St.Catharines,ONT
QUALIFYING
Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature, top 3 went to re-draw)
#1: Willix, MacTavish, Cosgrove, Brachmann, Bicknell, Wood, Wills, Hebert, Bosse, Carleton.
#2: Miller, Jones, Steele, Lampman, Braun, Wight, Peters, Gordon, Burley.
#3: Planck, Lemyre, Kerwin, Ladouceur, Bleich, Gauvreau, Clair, Terrance, Sittler.
#4: Richner, O'Brien, George, Krull, Jacobs, Cunningham, Stevens, Smoke, Wutzke, Flannigan.
Consolation Round (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Hebert, Wood, Wills, Burley, Wight, Carleton, Gordon, Peters, Bosse.
#2: Cunningham, Terrance, Clair, Gauvreau, Flannigan, Smoke, Sittler, Wutzke, Stevens.
Provisional: Smoke.
Added: Carleton.
2008 Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK LOCATION/WINNER
Sat-Apr 26 100 Merrittville Speedway Dale Planck
Fri-Aug 1 68 Ransomville Speedway Ransomville, NY ($6,800 to win)
Thr-Aug 21 100 Mohawk Int'l Raceway Akwesasne, NY
Sun-Aug 31 100 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall, ONT
Sat-Sep 6 75 Brockville Ont Speedway Brockville, ONT
Sat-Sep 13 150 Autodrome Drummond Drummondville,QUE ($15,000 to win)
Fri-Sep 19 75 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua, NY
Fri-Sep 26 75 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Wed-Oct 8 75 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville, NY
Thr-Oct 9 75 Brewerton Speedway Brewerton, NY
Fri-Oct 10 100 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge, NY
Sat-Oct 11 150 New York State Fairgrnds Syracuse,NY ($20,000 to win)
Sat-Oct 18 100 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY ($7,500 to win)
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the
Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts and Hoosier
Racing Tire. Rite Aid Corporation is a promotional partner and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks,
Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams,
Dig Safely New York, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, KSE Racing Products,
Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks, Rislone Oil Stabilizer and Wrisco Industries.