Friesen wins DIRTcar big block Modifieds

By Tana Robinson

Ransomville Speedway

The DIRTcar big block Modifieds made their annual trek into Ransomville Speedway last Tuesday night at the 32nd annual Summer Nationals, sponsored by Coors Light and Parco Buildings.

Forty DIRTcar Big Block Series Modifieds checked into Ransomville Speedway. The beautiful weather continued with the perfect record at Ransomville Speedway this season. The Big R recorded its 15th straight event in 2016 without any weather issues. Another huge crowd was on hand.

Stewart Friesen of Sprakers, New York, won the Super DIRTcar big block Modified Summer Nationals for the second consecutive year.

Friesen took the lead on lap 44 on a restart, passing both leader Australian Pete Britten and Matt Sheppard of Waterloo. The victory was Friesen's fourth career Summer Nationals win.

Sheppard would challenge Friesen at the end of the 100-lap extravaganza. Friesen damaged his car in time trials, forcing the Halmar Race Team to bring out the backup car. Friesen entered the field following the drop of the initial green flag to start the race.

Thirty cars led off the biggest event of the season at Ransomville Speedway. Britten and Brett Hearn started on the front row. Hearn of Vernon, New Jersey, made every attempt to get by Britten. On lap nine, Hearn took the lead. At this point of the race, the leaders were into lapped traffic. After Hearn took the lead, Matt Sheppard began to work on Britten for second.

At the halfway point, Hearn continued to lead, picking up the Jeffery Performance $100 bonus. Friesen, Britten, Sheppard and Billy Decker of Unidilla, New York, followed.

Once Friesen took the lead, the only real challenge came from Sheppard, who finished second. Britten finished third.

Chad Brachmann of Sanborn took fourth and the first 358 Modified crossing the finish line, winning a $100 bonus from Bud's Apple Pie. Hearn ended up fifth.

Danny Johnson of Rochester, driving the Kyle Coffey Modified, finished sixth, winning the Outlaw Motorsports Hard Charger $100 award after his ride was damaged in warm-ups. Tim Fuller of Watertown was seventh; Decker took eighth, Vic Coffey of Leceister, New York, ninth; and Tommy Flannigan was 10^th. The two consolation winners were Pete Bicknell and Tommy Flannigan.

All Super DIRTcar heat winners earned a $100 bonus by race sponsors.

In the National Maintenance Contracting Corporation Dash for Cash, it was Billy Decker winning the four-lap event. A total of $750 was distributed to the Dash for Cash drivers.

In the 25-lap Investors Service Company feature, Derrick Borkenhagen of Sanborn won the first of his career. Borkenhagen took the lead on lap four from Dave DiPietro of North Tonawanda, who had led from the drop of the green flag. Borkenhagen came close several times only to fall short.

Mike Williams of the Tuscarora Nation came in second. James Henry of Niagara Falls finished third and Brett Senek of Ransomville was fourth. Greg Martin of Wilson was fifth, with Jesse Cotriss of Medina taking sixth after starting deep in the field. Brett Martin of Lockport was seventh; Kevin Wills of Ransomville, eighth; Matt Farnham of Tonawanda, ninth; and Jonathan Reid of Lockport finished 10^th. A total of 23 competitors took the green flag.

Heat race winners in the Investors Service Company sportsman were Greg Martin, Steve Lewis Jr. and Senek.

In the 25-lap Ki-Po Chevrolet Street Stock feature, it was Pat Dell of Niagara Falls winning his second feature of the season. Dell would also pick up an additional $100 from sponsor Stirling Lubricants. He proved to be too strong for second-place finisher Austin Hauser.

Track point's leader Cory Sawyer of Niagara Falls finished fourth. Mike Short of Tonawanda was fifth after coming back from a lap-two accident that resulted in Short going into the turn-one wall.

Pat O'Keefe took sixth in his first-ever Street Stock start. Chris Dziomba was seventh; Joey Zimmerman of Wilson finished eighth; Ryan Hoolihan and Roger Israel, both of Wilson, rounded out the top 10.

Heat race winners in the Ki-Po Chevrolet division were Pat Dell and Mike Short.