Results-2018

August 26 2018

Steve Poirier wins second Lucas Oil ESS win of weekend at RPM Speedway

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > RPM 8/25/2018

Published August 26, 2018

Steve Poirier wins second Lucas Oil ESS win of weekend at RPM Speedway

By Dean Reynolds

MARCEL, PQ –Steve Poirier makes it two in a row on dirt in Quebec with his victory at Le RPM Speedway. The driver claimed his 71^stcareer win with the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) and also took home the 1000 Islands RV Centre Canada Tour and Fondations 4 Saisons Quebec Series point titles

For Poirier, the 35^th Anniversary Tour was to be a pick and choose season, but riding the wave of early success he has found himself right on the heals of Jason Barney in quest of his eighth championship.

“How can you say it? The stars are just running with me this weekend. We didn’t have the best car but the draws have gone our way and also what happened on the track,” Poirier said with some disbelief in his voice. “Tonight starting on the pole here is a big advantage as the track is fast but very tight.”

Poirier indeed redrew the front row start which was key as two tries to get the 25 Lap Mach 1 Chassis A-Main fell victim to red flags. With the upfront start, Poirier was able to avoid trouble.

“Racing here is just so quick and he need to be in the right place sometimes,” he went on, “Once we got going the track was racy where you can move around. That is a plus as lap traffic comes up fast and you need to pick you lines.”

While Poirier was out front, Billy VanInwegen and Shawn Donath kept the #28FM in their sites. Once the race got it’s third green flag try and went non-top right to the checkered flag.

“It’s tough, you want to be patient passing lap cars as they are racing too and you don’t want to get caught up with them,” Steve noted on how the race panned out, “But, you also can’t wait to long as someone will pass you so that’s what I had to do tonight.”

Even with VanInwegen and Donath swapping the runner up slot several times they also could try to make a move on Poirier if the situation fell right. “I made some moves there late and I guess it helped me to get the win.” Poirier said afterwards.

For VanInwegen, who is tackling the full ESS tour for the first time, this was his best career ESS finish and he was all smiles standing on the podium. “We finally got a good redraw and we just had to take advantage of it and we did the best we could,” said the Sparrowbush, NY driver, “To finish second to Steve here in Quebec is pretty cool.”

Donath’s third place finish was some consolation from the night before where he was leading Poirier just past halfway when his motor let loose. “This was definitely better than last night,” Donath said with a smile, “It was a bad ending but we know we have something to work with and then to come back tonight, not give up and get a top three I just want to thank the guys for their hard work.”

The win for Poirier was worth $2,110 with VanInwegen and Donath close behind. Rounding out the top ten were Jason Barney, Chad Miller, Dave Axton, Dan Douville, Matt Tanner, Matt Billings and Mike Mahaney.

Another nice field of 24 sprints were in the pits on night #2 in Quebec.

Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints

Mach 1 Chassis A-Main at RPM Speedway – Steve Poirier ($2,110), Billy VanInwegen ($1235), Shawn Donath ($1035), Jason Barney ($855), Chad Miller ($780), Dave Axton ($695), Dan Douville ($645), Matt Tanner ($685), Matt Billings ($625), Mike Mahaney ($585), Jeff Cook ($605), Brett Wright ($525), Dale Gosselin ($515), Paul Kinney ($635), Alex Vigneault ($505), Kelly Hebing ($500), Yan Bilodeau ($500), Scott Holcomb ($500), Alain Bergeron ($525), Coleman Gulick ($725), Jordan Poirier ($500), Guillaume Neiderer ($500), Matt Hoyt ($500), Ray Sitterly ($500)

E3 Spark Plugs Fast Time – Tanner, Kinney, Cook $25

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Tanner, Bergeron, Gulick $25

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – S, Poirier $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – S, Poirier $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Kinney (9 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Kinney $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – Cook $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Miller $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – Cook $35

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – S, Poirier, VanInwegen, Donath $10

Hoosier Tire – Gulick $200

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints

The Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints are brought to you by: Lucas Oil, Mach 1 Chassis, NAPA Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tires, Donath Motorworx, E3 Spark Plugs, Insinger Performance/Sunoco Race Fuels, 1000 Islands RV Centre, Car Mate Trailers, Fondations 4 Saisons, Ohsweken Speedway/Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, Cobra Coaches, Fondations 55, E&V Energy, SUNY Canton, Pinnacle Employee Services, Engler Machine and Tool, Kevin Nouse Design/K1 Racegear, Winters Performance, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Lacaillade Masonry, FX Caprara Ford/Chevy, ASI Racewear and many, many associate sponsors!!

August 25 2018

Steve Poirier Thrills Hometown Crowd with Lucas Oil ESS win at Autodrome Granby

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Granby 8/24/2018

Published August 25, 2018

Steve Poirier Thrills Hometown Crowd with Lucas Oil ESS win at Autodrome Granby

By Dean Reynolds

GRANBY, PQ – Steve Poirier now has 70 career wins on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) tour which puts him atop of the all-time win list with the club celebrating its 35^th Anniversary. But, when the Quebec native puts his familiar #28FM into victory lane as he did Friday night at Autodrome Granby it always means a little bit more.

The seven-time champion admitted he was a bit lucky when leader Shawn Donath dropped out with engine woes just after halfway. He kept a high flying Matt Tanner at bay to get the win in front of a huge crowd that filled the big grandstands. The Mach 1 Chassis A-Main that also awarded points towards the 1000 Islands RV Centre Canada Tour and the Fondations 4 Saisons Quebec Tour was worth $2,235.

“I don’t know if I could have caught Shawn (Donath), his car was just so fast,” Steve said shortly afterwards, “I was going to need lapped traffic to help me try to get by. Cautions wasn’t going to help as my motor was stumbling bad on restarts.”

After starting in fourth, Poirier worked his way to second and began the chase on Donath. “The track was real fast tonight so I knew even starting in fourth it would be tough to get a win as everyone was fast tonight,” Poirier continued, “We got up to second and was trying different ways to close on Shawn but I think this was going to be his win, then he had troubles and we were a little lucky on that.”

For Poirier, there’s nothing like winning at home. “Yea, it means a lot. We only come here two times a year so a lot of my friends don’t get to see me as much as my modified days,” Steve said on his special victories in Quebec, “They get to follow what we do on Facebook and Twitter but they aren’t at the track so when they see you finish fourth of fifth some nights they don’t know why. When you win at home it makes them happy also.”

Matt Tanner has slowly crept into the ESS championship hunt and another runner-up finish didn’t hurt his late season run. “We just have such a good set up on the bigger tracks and we have been getting good finishes,” said the happy driver of his #90, “We just have a few of the short tracks to get down now and I think we have a good package,

“To finish on the podium with guys like Steve (Poirier), Jason (Barney), Coleman (Gulick) and others you know you are getting there,” Matt went on, “We will keep digging and see what where we can finish in the points and we know we will have something to work on for next year.”

On this night, Tanner was echoing some of the same words as Poirier, “We needed some traffic and I think a late caution if we were going to get Steve,” he went on, “I know we were as fast as he was as he wasn’t pulling away but we needed some help, but still a very good run.”

Jason Barney started 14^th and clawed his way to a third place finish and more importantly get as many points as he can to keep Poirier behind him in the championship fight. “We didn’t change anything on the car all night, we had a plan and it was working there at the end,” he said, “The track was so fast in warmups so time trials was such a crap shoot, we missed it a bit but we just kept at it and got third here in the end.”

Alex Vigneault took a fine fourth with Matt Billings backing up his strong run at Brockville with a fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Paul Kinney, Coleman Gulick, who rebounded from a flat tire, Billy VanInwgen, Chad Miller and Dave Axton.

A total of 24 cars in the pits for the first of three days in Quebec.

Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints

Mach 1 Chassis A-Main at Autodrome Granby – Steve Poirier ($2,235), Matt Tanner ($1260), Jason Barney ($1085), Alex Vigneault ($880), Matt Billings ($780), Paul Kinney ($720), Coleman Gulick ($655), Billy VanInwegen ($645), Chad Miller ($635), Dave Axton ($625), Mike Mahaney ($620), Dale Gosselin ($545), Brett Wright ($525), Jeff Cook ($565), Dan Douville ($560), Kelly Hebing ($505), Ray Sitterly ($500), Guillaume Neiderer ($500), Sean Durand ($500), Shawn Donath ($575), Yan Bilodeau ($525), Matt Hoyt ($500), Scott Holcomb ($500), Alain Bergeron ($550).

E3 Spark Plugs Fast Time – Bilodeau, Vigneault, Tanner $25

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Poirier, Kinney, Donath $25

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – Donath $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – Bergeron $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Barney (11 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Cook $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – Douville $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Billings $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – Mahaney $35

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – Poirier, Tanner, Barney $10

Hoosier Tire – Poirier $200

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints

August 19 2018

Mike Mahaney Masters Brockville Ontario Speedway for Second Career Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint Win

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Brockville Ontario 8/18/2018

Published August 19, 2018

Mike Mahaney Masters Brockville Ontario Speedway for Second Career Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint Win

By Dean Reynolds

BROCKVILLE, ONT – It’s been a tough year to date for King Ferry, N.Y., driver Mike Mahaney. He and his Doug Emery Motorsports team had yet to register a win and only mustered three top five finishes this season with a best of third. On Saturday night he finally broke through for his second career Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint (ESS) A-Main win.

Mahaney redrew the pole for the start of the race with Coleman Gulick to the outside. He was able to keep Gulick at bay on the tacky race track in the early go. A caution late set up a dash to the finish where he was forced to keep ESS stalwart Steve Poirier bay. Mahaney was up to the task in taking home the checkers in the 1000 Island RV Centre / Mach 1 Chassis feature event.

“That’s what we needed all year, just a little bit of luck,” stated Mahaney about starting from the pole. “It’s really been a tough year for me and all the teams that I drive for. What a great time turn it around. If I can do anything to inspire any of you guys if you are having a tough time, just keep digging through it. Eventually things get better.”

Mahaney got the lead at the start but that was negated before a lap could be completed as a multi-car melee collected several cars in turn four bringing out the red. Chuck Hebing flipped after contact with Dylan Swiernik who was also involved. Matt Tanner, Jeff Cook and Jason Barney were also collected. All drivers were uninjured with Hebing, Swiernik and Tanner unable to continue.

Mahaney kept the lead on the restart as Gulick looked to keep pace on the high-side as Poirier was marching forward from his ninth position. Mahaney continued to lead on lap five as Poirier moved into third to threaten Gulick for the runner-up position.

The race was slowed on lap nine as Dave Axton and Brett Wright came together in turn four. Wright got into a tire on the bottom of the speedway collapsing his frontend. Axton also suffered damage to the front of his car as well causing him to stop in turn one.

Once the green flag fell it was Mahaney resuming the lead as Poirier shot around Gulick to take the runner-up position. This allowed him to put his full focus on Mahaney. Mahaney was up to the challenge as he kept Poirier in check. Poirier searched and searched for an opening but none came until late.

Mahaney kept up the quick pace catching slower traffic with ten laps remaining. At times he got boxed in as he searched for the right lane to get through the cars at the tail of the field.

“I was trying look ahead to where they were going and stuff, but they got two wide in front of me,” mentioned Mahaney. “The only place to go was the middle. There wasn’t a lot of track there.”

The final yellow flag was flown on lap 23 as Billy VanInwegen got over the cushion in turn four and spun off the speedway surface. This set up a double-file restart with Poirier pulling to the outside of Mahaney for the green flag.

Mahaney got a great jump at the start and beat Poirier into the first corner. From there he opened a gap that Poirier was unable to overcome putting him in Victory Lane.

“There is nothing tougher than Coleman Gulick on the cushion on the start then Steve Poirier at the end when it is slick,” commented Mahaney. “To hold them guys off really feels special.”

Poirier was solid but just not good enough to get a run on Mahaney. By virtue of the second place finish, Poirier moved closer to the top of the point standings as he chases his eighth title.

“Mike did a good job all night long,” cited Poirier. “He was better than us in the heat race. I tried to give him a surprise on that last restart, but things didn’t play out my way. I was surprised he went to the inside. I should have gone to the outside. I was just waiting for a mistake. I’m happy with a good finish.”

Local favorite, Matt Billings made a late rally to get up to the third spot sneaking by Gulick on the final laps to get the spot.

“Thank you to everyone for coming out,” said Billings to the hometown fans. “After the last six weeks we’ve had … I haven’t been doing much right. To get up here and talk to everybody, talk to you makes it fun. We weren’t even going to come tonight because we blew a motor at Can-Am (Speedway) and bent the frame. Mike (Stelter) worked all week fixing this thing. I’m glad I could do something right for him.”

Gulick finished in fourth position after starting on the front row. Shawn Donath advanced from the 19^th starting position to complete the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Paul Kinney, Kelly Hebing, Jason Barney, Chris Jones and Jonathan Preston.

Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints

Mach 1 Chassis A-Main at Brockville – Mike Mahaney ($2,135), Steve Poirier ($1,010), Matt Billings ($810), Coleman Gulick ($630), Shawn Donath ($605), Paul Kinney ($470), Kelly Hebing ($430), Jason Barney ($445), Chris Jones ($435), Jonathan Preston ($500), Chad Miller ($395), Jeff Cook ($320), Billy VanInwegen ($400), Paul Pekkonen ($350), Keith Granholm ($525), Tyler Rand ($300), Dave Axton ($375), Brett Wright ($325), Chuck Hebing ($325), Dylan Swiernik ($300), Matt Tanner ($300)

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Barney, C. Hebing, Mahaney $25

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – Mahaney $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – Mahaney $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Donath (14 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Pekkonen $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – VanInwegen $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Donath $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – Miller $35

Herbison Tree Service/Cobra Coaches Dash – Preston ($100), Axton ($75), VanInwegen ($50), Wright ($25), Granholm ($25), Jones ($25)

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – Mahaney, Poirier, Billings $10

Hoosier Tire – Granholm $200

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints

August 15 2018

Doesn’t Hurt to Have a Little Luck on Your Side, Steve Poirier tops Lucas Oil ESS Field at Weedsport

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Weedsport 8/12/2018

Published August 15, 2018

Doesn’t Hurt to Have a Little Luck on Your Side, Steve Poirier tops Lucas Oil ESS Field at Weedsport

By Dean Reynolds

WEEDSPORT, NY – Steve Poirier won his fourth Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) A-Main of the 2018 racing campaign which extended his all-time win total to 69. While he was fast, he did admit a little luck was on his side to claim the $2,060 victory over Chuck Hebing and Jason Barney.

The two moments that helped Poirier to claim the NAPA Auto Parts US Tour and E&V Energy I90/I81 Series event was when leader Lucas Wolfe had a spud break on his magneto while leading on lap 17 and when Dave Farney displayed the two to go signal the motor began to stumble. Poirier was running low on fuel.

The Quebec star did draw the pole for the Mach 1 Chassis A-Main and lead to a lap three restart when Wolfe went around the outside. “I had a real good car and was comfortable running in the middle in one and two until Lucas drove around the outside of me, so I knew I had to change my mine,” said the multi-time ESS champion, “I was closing in on him in traffic and was going to try to make a move and all of a sudden he slowed on the track. It was going to be interesting but he had the bad luck.”

After the caution for Wolfe, it put Hebing in second and he put the pressure on Poirier. The closing laps saw the familiar #28FM on the cushion with Hebing trying different lanes.

“I was good on the top after that and I was going to stay there. Then all of a sudden the motor started to stumble,” Poirier noted, “I was letting off a little bit to make sure it would make it to the finish but it was tough to do as the track was so racy and you didn’t know what they were doing behind you.”

Hebing did close in on the final laps but fell just a few car lengths short. For Poirier, it was another podium finish and the plans are to go for the championship. “We were going to decide after Can-Am and we said let’s give it a shot. I don’t feel any pressure as we didn’t plan on it in the beginning of the season. We will see if we can come out ahead of Jason and Coleman,” he went on, “If we do it will be pretty cool, if we finish second or third we will be ok with that as well as we didn’t plan on running for it.”

The runner-up finish for Hebing added another to a long string of podium finishes as of late. “This car just has been so good lately,” he simply said, “We ran the top hard during the heat and I didn’t know if Steve so that as he was hard up top in the feature. We tried some different moves but just ran out of time.”

For Barney, the third place finish was his first podium finish in a few races which kept Poirier and Gulick at bay in the points. “It feels good to get some speed back. We want to be a few positions higher but top three with Steve and Chuck is a good outcome,” said the defending ESS champion, “We are happy to put on a good show for our sponsors who were in the stands tonight. It was an important night for us and hope they had a good time.”

Billy VanInwegen and Jeff Cook rounding out the top ten with Danny Varin, Joe Trenca, Paul Kinney, Matt Tanner and Tommy Wickham making up the next five.

A total of 34 sprints filled the pits on the Legends Reunion night at Weedsport. Earlier in the afternoon, Tom Taber and Bobby Parrow had their plaques officially hung on the wall in the Dirt Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints

Mach 1 Chassis A-Main at Weedsport – Steve Poirier ($2,060), Chuck Hebing ($1,060), Jason Barney ($810), Billy VanInwegen ($630), Jeff Cook ($580), Danny Varin ($520), Joe Trenca ($455), Paul Kinney ($445), Matt Tanner ($460), Tommy Wickham ($400), Mike Mahaney ($435), Coleman Gulick ($445), Chad Miller ($325), Denny Peebles ($450), Kelly Hebing ($350), Sam Reakes IV ($300), Lucas Wolfe ($350), Darryl Ruggles ($300), Josh Pieniazek ($300), Alysha Bay ($300), Matt Billings ($300), Shawn Donath ($325), Jonathan Preston ($500), Brett Wright ($300)

DNQ – Emily VanInwegen, Erik Karlsen, Dave Axton, Kevin Carlson, Scott Holcomb, Keith Granholm, Josh Flint, Cory Sparks, Ryan Susice, Vinny Vitale.

E3 Spark Plugs Fast Time – Trenca, Preston, C. Hebing, Cook $25

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Kinney, Donath, C. Hebing, Miller $25

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – Wolfe $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – Poirier $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Varin (14 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Peebles $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – Peebles $50

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main – K. Hebing – $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Cook $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – Mahaney $35

L&J Landscaping/Cobra Coaches Dash – Gulick ($125), Mahaney ($75), Peebles ($50), Tanner ($50)

Around Town Plumbing and Heating Just Missed – Axton $25

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – Poirier, C. Hebing, Barney $10

Hoosier Tire – Preston $200

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints

August 12 2018

Danny Varin Tops Lucas Oil ESS Field at Can-Am

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Can Am 8/10/2018

Published August 12, 2018

Danny Varin Tops Lucas Oil ESS Field at Can-Am

By Dean Reynolds

LaFARGEVILLE, NY – Danny Varin will tell you that he just hasn’t felt comfortable for most of the year in his familiar #00. But he again put together 25 strong laps to pick up the win Friday night at the Can-Am Speedway. The win was worth $2,085 and fourth this year on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) 35^th Anniversary Tour.

Taking the lead on lap five of the Mach 1 Chassis A-Main when leaders Paulie Colagiovanni and Matt Tanner came together, Varin never looked back in the NAPA Auto Parts US and E&V Energy I90/81 Series event besting Paul Kinney and Billy VanInwegen for the podium finishes.

“We have been struggling some this year but they had the car phenomenal tonight, I just felt so comfortable,” said the Fonda, NY native, “I actually was just trying to make sure I got the car to the end.”

Varin did admit he was a little lucky getting the lead, “They (Colagiovanni and Tanner) were just going for the lead and the same spot, it was a racing deal but we were lucky to avoid it as I was going low anyways,” he went on, “The lap traffic was throwing me a curve as the dirty air was moving my car all over.”

The caution lights came on in the late stages and Varin welcomed the slow down, “Usually I like the lap traffic as I seem to be able to make the right passes but this time I wanted to be back in clean air,” he continued, “I mean there are a lot of good cars here but I just felt the clean air was better for me.”

The runner-up spot for Kinney was a welcomed sight for the driver that has had some trouble finding speed during the 2018 campaign, Unlike Varin, Kinney was welcoming the late race caution, “I actually didn’t want to see the yellow as I seem to be catching Danny a little bit,” Kinney talk about the late stages, “On the restart he pulled out about ten car lengths and that was about it.”

Still, the Durhamville, NY driver was happy with his finish, “It’s just good to get a strong finish and to finish second to Danny feels real good,” Kinney went on about his performance as of late, “It seemed we were having problems even qualifying at some races, last week we got sixth and now here so we hope we can keep the momentum going.”

For VanInwegen, he came from the dash (which he won) to start 13^th and make it home third, “We learned a lot from the dash and just had a real good car,” he said, “I’m glad we were better on the ½ mile, our short track program seemed to be a bit better this year,”

He went on, “The guys have been working hard to get me to what I like on set-ups. We are still learning as this is our first time on the entire ESS tour. It’s been tough but we are having fun.”

Jeff Cook and Jason Barney rounded out the top five, the next five was made up of Mike Mahaney who earned hard charger honors coming from 25^th, Tanner rebounding for seventh, Steve Poirier, Jonathan Preston and Brett Wright.

A total of 32 sprints filled the pits in front of a big crowd.

Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints

Mach 1 Chassis A-Main at Land of Legends – Danny Varin ($2,085), Paul Kinney ($1,035), Billy VanInwegen ($935), Jeff Cook ($630), Jason Barney ($555), Mike Mahaney ($220), Matt Tanner ($480), Steve Poirier ($445), Jonathan Preston ($410), Brett Wright ($400), Kelly Hebing ($395), Scott Holcomb ($320), Denny Peebles ($350), Josh Flint ($150), Alex Vigneault ($375), Keith Granholm ($350), Jeff Trombley ($300), Paul Pekkonen ($300), Dalton Herrick ($350), Pete Richardson ($300), Dave Axton ($500), Paulie Colagiovanni ($325), Mike Kiser ($350), Coleman Gulick ($325), Dylan Swiernik ($300), Yan Bilodeau ($350)

DNQ – Chad Miller, Chris Jones, Shawn Donath, Matt Billings, Emily VanInwegen, Tyler Trump

E3 Spark Plugs Fast Time – Donath, Gulick, Tanner, Varin $25

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Colagiovanni, Kinney, Tanner, Poirier $25

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – Varin $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – Kiser $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Mahaney (19 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Flint $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – Peebles $50

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main – Bilodeau – $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Barney $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – Hebing $35

L&J Landscaping/Cobra Coaches Dash – VanInwegen ($125), Vigneault ($75), Herrick ($50), Granholm ($50)

Around Town Plumbing and Heating Just Missed – Jones $25

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – Varin, Kinney, VanInwgen $10

Hoosier Tire – Axton $200

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints

August 7 2018

Steve Poirier Tops Huge Lucas Oil ESS Field at Land of Legends

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Land Of Legends 8/4/2018

Published August 7, 2018

Steve Poirier Tops Huge Lucas Oil ESS Field at Land of Legends

By Dean Reynolds

CANANDAIGUA, NY – Quebec’s Steve Poirier moved from his sixth place starting position past Paul Kinney on lap eight and never looked back collecting his third Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) Mach 1 Chassis A-Main. The win worth $2,085 came over ESS’ largest field to date with 43 sprint cars filling the pits at the Ontario County Fairgrounds with the A-Main completed in just over eight minutes.

For Poirier, it was a set up he once found successful several years back that he went to and it did the trick, “We went to a set up we tried like five or six years ago that made the car fast in the middle and up on top, “ Poirier said on the set up try, “The last four or five races here we have not been that good so we went back to a shock combination that we put aside that wasn’t the best at other tracks but it worked here.”

Poirier quickly moved through the field and then was pressuring the Kinney machine after he took over the lead on lap six from Josh Pieniazek. “We were so good at the beginning when the track was clean from top to bottom,” he continued, “I got by Paul and then I could run where I was the most comfortable”

Poirier began to open up a sizable lead so eyes then moved to the positions behind him that were occupied by Kinney, Pieniazek, Matt Tanner, Jason Barney and soon by 13^th place starting Chuck Hebing. It was Hebing that did his charge to front passing all several laps past halfway.

“I don’t look at the scoreboard here but when they told me it was Chuck that got second I knew he past a lot of cars because I knew where he started,” Poirier mentioned, “Chuck is real good here and they told me he was faster at the end. That didn’t surprise me as I didn’t feel as fast at the end when the clean groove of the track moved to the bottom only.”

The win was Poirier’s 68^th career with ESS and closed him even more on Barney and Coleman Gulick for the overall point lead. Poirier has some thinking to do, “We weren’t going to go for the championship when the year started but we have finished every race but one and we are in the points,” he went over the season plans, “Next weekend there is a race on Friday and then Sunday, it will be tough to stay down for all weekend with us busy at work. We will see how we do after Can-Am an make the decision and the next two weekends are close to home. I think I will have to talk to the boss as well (Poirier owns his business)”

For Hebing, it was just a matter of not finishing high enough in his heat race, “We were in just such a tough heat and the track was fast mostly on top which made it hard to pass,” he said on the beginning of the night, “You don’t want to be in the dash but we did try a few things.”

Hebing earned the hard charger bonus as was faster than Poirier at the end, “When I got up to second I could see Steve up ahead and that means you know you’re close but we just ran out of laps,” Hebing then went on about his ser up, “We have been real good here for about the last month or so with this shock package we have so we go on to next weekend and see if we can get some good finishes.”

For Tanner, his third place finish backs up his win in the CNY Speedweek finale’. But at the start of the race his #90 went backwards instead. That was a surprise after timing fast time in his group and winning his heat easily.

“I was just driving too hard. The top was starting to go away and I was just trying to stay up there and make it work,” said Tanner on the early stages, “Once to calmed down and started to go where the track was fast I started to move back up front.”

Tanner did pick up several spots including Barney on the last lap, “It was good to get by Jason and get a podium finish,” he said, “We have just got a good set up here and Utica-Rome, we come in to each track thinking we have a shot,”

Barney did take fourth from eighth with pole starting Pieniazek taking fifth for his best career ESS finish. Kinney, Jeff Cook, Danny Varin, Paulie Colagiovanni and Mike Mahaney rounded out the top ten.

Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints

Mach 1 Chassis A-Main at Land of Legends – Steve Poirier ($2,085), Chuck Hebing ($1,185), Matt Tanner ($850), Jason Barney ($655), Josh Pienazek ($630), Paul Kinney ($495), Jeff Cook ($430), Danny Varin ($420), Paulie Colagiovanni ($435), Mike Mahaney ($400), Shawn Donath ($395), Dan Douville ($545), Billy VanInwegen ($300), Jared Zimbardi ($425), Coleman Gulick ($300), Joe Trenca ($300), Darryl Ruggles ($300), Dalton Herrick ($350), Scott Holcomb ($100), Matt Billings ($100), Dave Axton ($350), Sam Reakes IV ($350), Jeff Trombley ($350), Cory Turner ($300), Steve Doell ($350), Alysha Bay ($300).

DNQ – Jonathan Preston, Max McLaughlin, Pete Richardson, Keith Granholm, Chad Miller, Dan Kuhn, Dan Bennett, Kevin Carlson, Derrick Juliano, Sean Durand, Steve Hutchinson Jr., Cory Sparks, James Hanson, Kelly Hebing, Josh Flint, Mike Kiser, Erik Karlsen.

E3 Spark Plugs Fast Time – Colagiovanni, Poirier, Tanner, Barney $25

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Douville, Kinney, Tanner, Pieniazek $25

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – Poirier $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – Pieniazek $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Hebing (11 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Zimbardi $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – Herrick $50

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main – Trombley, Reakes IV – $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Pieniazek $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – Donath $35

Danny Willmes Enterprises/Cobra Coaches Dash – Hebing ($125), Zimbardi ($75), Axton ($50), Doell ($50)

Around Town Plumbing and Heating Just Missed – Kiser, Preston $25

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – Poirier, Hebing, Tanner $10

Hoosier Tire – Douville $200

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints

July 31 2018

DANNY VARIN SCORES BIG PAYDAY AT NIGHT #2 OF THE OUTLAW SPEEDWAY SUMMER NATIONALS PRESENTED BY A-VERDI STORAGE CONTAINERS

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Outlaw 7/28/2018

Published July 31, 2018

DANNY VARIN SCORES BIG PAYDAY AT NIGHT #2 OF THE OUTLAW SPEEDWAY SUMMER NATIONALS PRESENTED BY A-VERDI STORAGE CONTAINERS

By MIKE MALLETT

DUNDEE, NY…..On the heels of an action-packed first night of the A-Verdi Storage Containers Summer Nationals at Outlaw Speedway, racers and fans recovened at the 4/10 mile oval for night two, featuring a $6,000 to win main event for 360 Sprint cars and a $4,000 to win paycheck awaiting the winner of the Friendly Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Outlaw Modified event. 152 cars filled the pit area for the night’s action.

Matt Tanner and Chuck Hebing started on the front row of the 30-lap 360 Sprint ‘A’ Main by virtue of their wins in Friday night’s twin ‘A’ features. Hebing took the lead and carved through traffic as Danny Varin got past Jordan Thomas and Matt Tanner and began chasing him down. Varin and Hebing battled for the lead over the final four laps, with Varin taking the lead for good on lap 28 and scoring the win over Hebing, Thomas, Coleman Gulick, and and Jeff Cook in a caution-free contest.

360 Sprint heats were won by Joe Trenca, Danny Varin, Kelly Hebing, and Jortdan Thomas. The ‘B’ Main was won by Chad Miller and the Dash was captured by Jordan Thomas.

RACE RESULTS-A-VERDI STORAGE CONTAINERS SUMMER NATIONALS NIGHT #2-OUTLAW

SPEEDWAY-JULY 28, 2018

360 SPRINT CAR ‘A’ MAIN-DANNY VARIN, Chuck Hebing, Jordan Thomas, Coleman Gulick, Jeff Cook, Johnathan Preston, Matt Tanner, Jared Zimbardi, Joe Trenca, Kelly Hebing, Steve Poirier, Billy VanInwegen, Jordan Poirier, Shawn Donath, Scott Holcomb, Jason Barney, Matt Billings, Chad Miller, Scott Kreutter, Scott Goodrich, Darryl Ruggles, Steve Glover, Paul Kinney, Dalton Herrick, Josh Pieniazek, Kyle Drum, Brett Wright, Dave Axton

July 11 2018

Matt Tanner Takes Checkers; Danny Varin Captures Second Donath Motor Worx CNY Speedweek Championship with Lucas Oil ESS at the Utica-Rome Speedway

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Utica Rome 7/8/2018

Published July 11, 2018

Matt Tanner Takes Checkers; Danny Varin Captures Second Donath Motor Worx CNY Speedweek Championship with Lucas Oil ESS at the Utica-Rome Speedway

By MIKE MALLETT

VERNON, NY – Donath MotorWorx Central New York Speedweek came to a close on Sunday night at the Utica-Rome Speedway with another different winner in victory lane while a familiar face was able to grab the week long championship.

Matt Tanner, of Stephentown, N.Y., utilized the outside lane of the speedway to work his way from 12th up to the top spot to score his first win of the 2018 season with the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints. Tanner earned $2,500 for winning the E & V Energy, NAPA Auto Parts, Mach 1 Chassis 25-lap feature. Danny Varin’s second place finish was enough to secure him his second consecutive Speedweek championship.

“After the heat I was little disappointed honestly because I thought we had a really good car in hot laps, then we kind of lost it and then we redrew 12 and I thought we were done for the night,” said Tanner after the win. “The guys gave me an awesome car tonight. They went out and watered that top and that was perfect. Man, I can’t believe we won from 12th.”

Friday night’s feature winner Steve Poirier took the lead after starting second at the green. Unfortunately he was only able to lead a lap before driveline issues caused his No. 28FM to slow to a stop in the fourth corner. This handed the lead over to Saturday night winner Jordan Poirier.

Jordan brought the field back up to speed in his first ever visit to Utica-Rome Speedway while Tanner was busy flying around the top side. Tanner got to second on lap three of the feature when another caution was necessary for a slowing Mark Smith.

The restart was all Tanner needed to take his No. 90 to the lead. Jordan went to the bottom of turns one and two with Tanner rocketing around him on the outside to take the lead as they exited turn two. Jordan fought back on the bottom of turns three and four but it wasn’t enough to get back to Tanner.

Tanner paced the field with Varin, who started ninth taking over the second position on lap seven. Jordan was searching for a faster lane which Varin took advantage of. Varin worked the bottom of the speedway in turns one and two to get around Jordan for second.

The follow circuit Chuck Hebing entered the fray after starting 22nd. Hebing, like Tanner, was using the extreme outside of the speedway to make up ground. He blew by the field on the top allowing him to make huge gains in the early parts of the event.

“That second restart I was kind of worried because we were on the inside,” stated Tanner. “I kind of bullied my way to the top down the frontstretch because I knew no one was going to run up there. Everyone saw the water on the bottom. I got a little nervous when I saw the 00 (Varin) and the 45 (Hebing) from the B-Main, but we ran some good clean laps and put it away.”

Tanner got his first major taste of traffic just before the halfway point of the race. His lane around the top proved to be the place to be as much of the traffic went to the inside groove on the speedway giving Tanner an open look to get by. This forced Varin to alter his line to move to the outside.

The final stages of the race saw Varin begin to close in on Tanner as the top lane began to change. Tanner was able to ride high for the final few laps to pick up his third career win at the Utica-Rome Speedway with the Empire Super Sprints.

Varin, of Fonda, N.Y., worked as hard as he could to make the bottom of the speedway go. The top just proved to be too good over the course of the race to allow Varin to have a shot at Tanner.

“Halfway through I felt like we were tracking him down pretty good,” cited Varin. “The bottom just started getting a little slick and he was so good at rolling the black. Last time here I told my crew chief that Tanner had the fastest car and he showed it tonight.”

By virtue of his solid week, which included only one finish outside the top five, Varin joined Steve Poirier as a two-time Donath Motor Worx Central New York Speedweek Champion.

“It’s huge,” commented Varin about another title. “Last year I really didn’t care about the points. I really never even thought about it until Dean (Reynolds) ran up and told us we won the championship. I just didn’t think about it. This year we had everyone coming up to us letting us know where we stood.”

Chuck Hebing completed the night on the podium finishing third. Hebing worked the cushion throughout the race but could never gain enough ground to be able to challenge the top two before the checkered flag.

“I had a real good car but we got in trouble in the heat race and that got us way behind tonight,” said Hebing. “We had to run the B-Main. Starting 22nd in this group of people it is a tough go. We had a heck of a car. We had something for them but I think I used it up a little bit. We’ll take third with the way it started.”

Cory Sparks finished in the fourth position in his only Speedweek start while Mike Mahaney had his best run of the week finishing in fifth.

A Speedweek high of 42 cars filled the pits on a beautiful Sunday night.

Donath MotorWorx CNY Speedweek Night #5

Lucas Oil ESS/Mach 1 Chassis A-Main Utica-Rome Speedway – Matt Tanner ($2,585), Danny Varin ($1,510), Chuck Hebing ($1,200), Cory Sparks ($725), Mike Mahaney ($555), Larry Wight ($470), Bobby Varin ($455), Jordan Poirier ($495), Jason Barney ($535), Shawn Donath ($450), Paulie Colagiovanni ($395), Coleman Gulick ($345), Billy VanInwegen ($300), Dylan Westbrook ($375), Matt Billings ($300), Josh Pieniazek ($350), Chad Miller ($300), Jonathan Preston ($300), Jeff Cook ($100), Yan Bilodeau ($300), Keith Granholm ($300), Brett Wright ($100), Eddie Strada ($300), Paul Kinney ($350), Mark Smith ($350), Steve Poirier ($325)

Did Not Qualify – Emily VanInwegen, Sean Durand, Josh Flint, Dave Wickham, Ryan Harrison, Tyler Trump, Steve Glover, Dave Axton, Kelly Hebing, Dan Douville, Scott Holcomb, Mike Kiser, Denny Peebles, Bobby Hackel, James Hanson, Jeremiah Munson

E3 Spark Plugs Fast Time – B. Varin, Smith, Tanner, Gulick $25

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Westbrook, Sparks, S. Poirier, J. Poirier $25

Power Seal Power Move of the Night – Hebing $100

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – Tanner $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – J. Poirier $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Hebing (18 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Westbrook $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – Pieniazek $50

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main – Miller, Hebing – $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Mahaney $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – Colagiovanni $35

Prestige Pool and Spa/Cobra Coaches Dash – Barney ($125), Smith ($75), Donath ($50), Kinney ($50)

Around Town Plumbing and Heating Just Missed – Hackel, Peebles $25

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – Tanner, D. Varin, Hebing $10

Hoosier Tire – Kinney $200

Final Donath MotorWorx CNY Speedweek Points.

Danny Varin 547
Steve Poirier 483
Jason Barney 475
Chuck Hebing 450
Shawn Donath 420
Matt Tanner 410
Mark Smith 392
Mike Mahaney 379
Paulie Colagiovanni
Coleman Gulick 352

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints

The Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints are brought to you by: Lucas Oil, Mach 1 Chassis, NAPA Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tires, Donath Motorworx, E3 Spark Plugs, Insinger Performance/Sunoco Race Fuels, 1000 Islands RV Centre, Car Mate Trailers, Fondations 4 Saisons, Ohsweken Speedway/Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, Cobra Coaches, Fondations 55, E&V Energy, SUNY Canton, Pinnacle Employee Services, Engler Machine and Tool, Kevin Nouse Design/K1 Racegear, Winters Performance, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Lacaillade Masonry, FX Caprara Ford/Chevy, ASI Racewear and many, many associate sponsors!!

July 8 2018

Jordan Poirier Rides the High Side for Lucas Oil ESS Victory on Night Four of Donath MotorWorx CNY Speedweek at Fulton Speedway

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Fulton 7/7/2018

Published July 8, 2018

Jordan Poirier Rides the High Side for Lucas Oil ESS Victory on Night Four of Donath MotorWorx CNY Speedweek at Fulton Speedway

By MIKE MALLETT

FULTON, NY – On Saturday night at the Fulton Speedway it was the Poirier name again in victory lane. This time it was Jordan Poirier stealing the spotlight as he scored his first Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint win in the United States. The win came on night four of Donath MotorWorx Central New York Speedweek at the Fulton Speedway.

Poirer had an intense battle with front row starter Danny Varin as well as Steve Poirier. The three were close the entire distance with Jordan coming out on top to take the $2,500 victory. Jordan road the high-side to win Saturday night’s A-Main presented by both NAPA Auto Parts as well as Mach 1 Chassis.

“What a feeling,” exclaimed Jordan. “To beat Varin and Steve. The track was good for me. There was a little cushion for me to put my right rear on. I can’t thank my crew enough. After last night we were quite disappointed about the finish. Tonight it can’t be better.”

Varin raced out to the lead to open the feature with the pair of Poiriers and Jason Barney in tow behind him. Varin worked low while Jordan planted his No. 28 up on the high-side of the speedway. He stayed there which allowed him stay close to Varin.

Traffic was an issue for the first time on lap seven with many of them in Varin’s lane on the bottom. That opened the door for Jordan to make a move. He stayed just off the rear of Varin’s waiting for his opportunity to pounce.

His opportunity came just before halfway. Jordan took the lead for the first time on lap 12 before Varin regained the top spot a lap later. Jordan stayed on the top while Varin never gave up his bottom lane as they wrestled for the lead in traffic. Varin kept Jordan at bay.

As they came to the line to complete lap 16 Varin edged just in front of Jordan at the line as they raced off of turn four. Jordan got a huge run off the top of turn two on the next lap to take the lead while putting some distance between himself and Varin. At that point Varin began searching.

Jordan stayed up on the outside while Varin moved up the speedway to mirror his line in turns one and two while staying down on the bottom of the track in turns three and four. Varin stayed in close, but traffic was tough for him as cars that were getting put a lap down stayed on the bottom of the speedway.

“I was trying hard to run the outside and every lapped car was running the inside,” stated Jordan. “It made my job easier to pass him. It was tough to pass Varin, but the race was clean. It is an awesome feeling to win at Speedweek with such a good car count.”

Over the final five laps Jordan outraced Varin while Steve closed in. Steve nearly got to Varin for the second position but ran out of time. Jordan came across the line for the win, the second of his career with his other coming at the Cornwall Motor Speedway last year.

Varin, a former Fulton winner, was able to hold off Steve for the second position after starting on the pole. Varin didn’t give up on the bottom lane until it was too late.

“He knew the fast way there,” commented Varin about Jordan. “He was able to run up there the first lap and feel it out. I was leading and little too comfortable to venture out. It was a great effort by these guys. The car was really good. It’s a hell of job by this team. It’s been a long week.”

Steve, who holds an 18 point lead in the chase for his third Speedweek point title, ended up third. He was consistent one night after winning the previous night’s main-event at Brewerton.

“My strategy at first was to use the moisture on the bottom hoping it would come in a little bit,” mentioned Steve. “I tried to make a move on the outside later, then Jordan passed me on the outside. He was doing pretty good. I tried that lane but I was not catching him. Danny was searching to try and find a way around him. I was hoping to have some luck in traffic to catch them.”

Jason Barney continued his consistency finishing fourth with Chuck Hebing completing the top five. The next five was made up of dash winner Larry Wight, Shawn Donath, Mike Mahaney, Scott Holcomb and Matt Billings.

A field of 36 sprints were in the pits on night #4 of the Speedweek.

Donath MotorWorx CNY Speedweek Night #4

Lucas Oil ESS/Mach 1 Chassis A-Main Fulton Speedway – Jordan Poirier ($2,510), Danny Varin ($1,600), Steve Poirier ($1,025), Jason Barney ($700), Chuck Hebing ($530), Larry Wight ($645), Shawn Donath ($430), Mike Mahaney ($445), Scott Holcomb ($410), Matt Billings ($400), Paulie Colagiovanni ($495), Mark Smith ($395), Coleman Gulick ($375), Jeff Cook ($350), Paul Kinney ($325), Billy VanInwegen ($400), Mike Kiser ($300), Kelly Hebing ($350), Chad Miller ($300), Matt Tanner ($300), Dan Douville ($300), Steve Hutchinson ($300), Josh Flint ($300), Brett Wright ($300)

Did Not Qualify – Sean Durand, Yan Bilodeau, Ryan Harrison, Pete Richardson, Tyler Trump, Steve Glover, Keith Granholm, Dave Axton, Ray Preston, Tommy Wickham, James Hanson, Steve Doell

E3 Spark Plugs Fast Time – Kinney, Wight, Smith, Colagiovanni $25

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Mahaney, C. Hebing, S, Poirier, Colagiovanni $25

Power Seal Power Move of the Night – $100

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – Varin $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – Varin $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Wight (7 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Cook $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – VanInwegen $50

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main – VanInwegen – $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – C. Hebing $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – Colagiovanni $35

Pitre Painting/Cobra Coaches Dash – Wight ($125), Gulick ($75), Smith ($50), K. Hebing ($50)

Around Town Plumbing and Heating Just Missed – Wickham $25

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – J. Poirier, Varin, S. Poirier $10

Hoosier Tire – Colagiovanni $200

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints

July 7 2018

Steve Poirier Outlasts Chuck Hebing to Win Night 3 of Donath Motor Worx CNY Speedweek for Lucas Oil ESS at Brewerton

ESS SprintsResults-2018

History > Tour Archive > 2018 > 2018 Results Page > Brewerton 7/6/2018

Published July 7, 2018

Steve Poirier Outlasts Chuck Hebing to Win Night 3 of Donath Motor Worx CNY Speedweek for Lucas Oil ESS at Brewerton

By Dean Reynolds
Contact: DeanR@empiresupersprints.com

BREWERTON, NY – The third night of Donath MotorWorx Central New York Speedweek saw an epic battle at the front of the field as two former series champions exchanged slide jobs to see who was going to come out on top. Steve Poirier and Chuck Hebing battled throughout the 25-lap A-Main on Friday night at Brewerton Speedway. Eventually it was Poirier, of St. Mathieu de Beloeil, Que., who outlasted Hebing for his record 67^th career win.

Poirier and Hebing exchanged the lead no less than five times as they swapped slide jobs looking for the $2,500 top prize. Poirier ran the extreme top of the speedway while Hebing found something through the middle. Poirier ultimately altered his line late just enough to keep Hebing behind him in the NAPA Auto Parts, E & V Energy, Mach 1 Chassis A-Main.

“We haven’t been struggling, but we’ve been in the top five and not winning like in the past,” commented Poirier. “It could not be tougher to win than during Speedweek. When you win one of these it is better. I had fun racing with the Cobra (Hebing) and Jason (Barney) at the front. We race each other clean and try to put on a good show. I have a great respect them. That makes this feel better.”

Barney and Poirier redrew the front row for the start of the race. On the opening circuit Barney dove low with Poirier working high. Barney edged Poirier the line to lead lap one. Poirier was able to take the lead on lap two as the blasted around the cushion.

The top two remained unchanged until lap seven when Brett Wright spun in turn four. At the green flag, eighth starting Chuck Hebing moved his way from third to battle Barney for second. He took the spot on lap 10. He now put his full attention to tracking down Poirier.

On lap 11 Hebing made his move to take the lead from Poirier only to have the race come under caution for a second and final time. Matt Tanner slowed to stop in turn two necessitating the yellow.

The green flag flew once more with Hebing getting the hole shot and Barney also moving by Poirier to take over second. Poirier quickly regrouped getting rolling once more on the top of the speedway. On lap 14 Poirier got the lead back.

Hebing drove back by him on lap 15 off the bottom of turn two only to have Poirier pull a slide job in turns three and four to regain the top spot. Hebing stayed right with him while continuing to work the extreme bottom lane of the speedway.

“On a tight bull ring like this we are all fighting for our small space,” stated Poirier. “When I saw Cobra (Hebing) I thought I was done. I was searching for a lane. I didn’t know where to go. I was pretty good early on the outside of three and four but then it started going away. He was good in the middle so I knew I needed to find something different.”

As the race reached the final third, traffic now factored into the race forcing Poirier to not only contend with Hebing but also slower cars at the back of the pack. Hebing continued to work over Poirier for the lead with a late charging Larry Wight entering the fray as well.

Poirier made all the right moves late to find himself in victory lane at the end for his first Brewerton Speedway triumph since August of 2011.

Hebing, coming off his win at Land of Legends Raceway the previous night, ended up coming to the checkers in the second position. The Ontario, N.Y., driver was all smiles afterwards even though he didn’t get the win.

“Steve and I have been racing a long time together and we really enjoy it, but I enjoy it more when I beat him,” joked Hebing. “He said I showed him the middle of the race track so I went down and chose the bottom. I should have stuck to what I was doing. That cost me the win there but it was good race.”

Wight, a Modified regular as the speedway, was in the mix late but came up short finishing third after starting in 11^th position. Wight made up much off his ground as Poirier and Hebing tried to get through traffic. He worked the extreme low lane on the race track.

“I wish I had another 10 laps to watch them struggle in traffic,” stated Wight. “I think I could have maybe got them while they were in lapped traffic. I kept hoping for a lapped car to slide up so I could drive underneath both of them.”

Barney ended up finishing fourth with Danny Varin gaining a couple spots from his seventh starting position to finish in fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Shawn Donath, Jeff Cook, Coleman Gulick, Mike Mahaney and Scott Kreutter.

A field of 40 sprints filled the pits for Night #3 of Speedweek,

Donath MotorWorx CNY Speedweek Night #3

Lucas Oil ESS/Mach 1 Chassis A-Main Brewerton Speedway – Steve Poirier ($2,510), Chuck Hebing ($1,560), Larry Wight ($1,085), Jason Barney ($725), Danny Varin ($605), Shawn Donath ($495), Jeff Cook ($755), Coleman Gulick ($445), Mike Mahaney ($435), Scott Kreutter ($400), Billy VanInwegen ($435), Mark Smith ($370), Matt Billings ($300), Paulie Colagiovanni ($350), Dave Axton ($300), Jordan Poirier ($300), Matt Tanner ($300), Tommy Wickham ($300), Jeff Trombley ($350), Jonathan Preston ($100), Chad Miller ($350), Denny Peebles ($100), Scott Holcomb ($350), Brett Wright ($350), Dan Douville ($300), Kelly Hebing ($300)

Did Not Qualify – Emily VanInwegen, Sean Durand, Josh Flint, Josh Azzi, Steve Hutchinson Jr., Dave Wickham, Joe August Jr., Yan Bilodeau, Ryan Harrison, Pete Richardson, Tyler Trump, Steve Glover, Sam Reakes IV, Keith Granholm,

E3 Spark Plugs Fast Time – Donath, Varin, Mahaney, Wight $25

Car Mate Trailers Heats – Gulick, Varin, Barney, Wight $25

Power Seal Power Move of the Night – $100

Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – C, Hebing $50

Pinnacle Pole Award – Barney $50

Insinger Performance Hard Charger – Wight (8 pos), $50

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals 14^th Anniversary – Colagiovanni $50

Fondations 55 Last Car Lead Lap – Miller $50

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main – Holcomb, Trombley – $50

Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Varin $25

SUNY Canton Smart Finish – VanInwegen $35

Robert Finley Sr. Memorial/Cobra Coaches Dash – Cook ($125), VanInwegen ($75), Smith ($50), Wright ($50)

Around Town Plumbing and Heating Just Missed – Glover $25

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium – Poirier, Hebing, Wight $10

Hoosier Tire – Cook $200

For more Information on the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints:
Web: www.empiresupersprints.com
Twitter: @ESSprints
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints