By MIKE MALLETT
GRANBY, QUE – Justin Barger led all 30-laps of Friday night’s Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint main-event at Autodrome Granby to claim nearly $2,000. For the Montrose, N.Y., driver it was his third series victory of the 2012 season.
Barger also earned valuable points in the Le Groupe Ultra Tour of Canada and the Fondation 4 Saisons Quebec Super Star Series en route to his 27th career tour win. Barger is chasing his second career tour title.
“We are trying to win this series here,” said Barger. “Hopefully in the end the points work out in our favor.”
Barger redrew the pole for the feature and quickly asserted himself into the top position with Quebec native, Michael Parent, putting his family owned sprinter into the runner-up position in the early going.
Barger encountered his first obstacle in the A-Main with eight laps showing complete as he caught the tail end of the field. Once he began working slower traffic Parent began to close in.
On lap 12 Barger nearly lost his advantage after contact was made with a slower car at the tail end of the field. As Barger worked to regroup Parent go to his back bumper. Barger didn’t back down though as he stayed in the top groove with Parent closing in on the bottom.
“On the bottom you had to slow down a lot to get off the corner good,” stated Barger. “The top was pretty much the fast way around.”
Barger raced with Parent right to his rear for the next ten laps until the caution came out on lap 22 for Matt Tanner as he spun and stopped in the second turn. This set up a double-file restart.
“We were pretty good in clean air there,” said Barger. “That last yellow really helped us because it cleared the track out.”
At the green Barger raced away once again but action behind him picked up as Steve Poirier and Shawn Donath battled with Parent for position with Poirier gaining second with just five laps to go after he started 12th.
Poirier chased Barger over the course of the closing laps and even jumped the cushion on the final circuit as he tried to catch him allowing Donath to slide by into the runner-up position.
Donath, of South Onondaga, N.Y., was happy to gain the position on the final lap in his Doug Emery Motorsports machine.
“The car was really touchy in the beginning with all that fuel in it,” said Donath. “I would have loved to have a caution there at the end. We were great. We didn’t change much all night long.”
Like most, Donath didn’t expect Poirier to make a mistake in the closing laps to give up a position.
“I got to admit that I was surprised,” commented Donath about Poirier’s mistake. “He usually doesn’t make those mistakes but like he said to me he was trying to win.”
St. Mathieu de Beloeil, Que., driver Poirier finished in third. Poirier missed the middle portion of the season recovering for knee surgery and as a result he went for the win on the final lap rather than worrying about his place in the point standings.
“When I reached second place I knew it would be hard to pass Barger,” said Poirier. “I was hoping for a yellow at the end and I would have really liked that. I saw a lapped car coming and he bobbled a bit and I made up two car lengths. When I saw the white flag I said what the hell and I went for it going into turn one and obviously it didn’t work.”
Lance Yonge drove from the eighth starting position to finish in fourth while Parent’s bleeders went bad on the final laps causing him to fade back to fifth.
ESS/Granby Notes: A field of 21 sprints were in the pits in front of a big crowd…Quebec modified champion Mario Clair made his first ever sprint car start as a teammate to Etienne Girard. He enjoyed his first experience behind the wheel…Another modified favorite Kayle Robidoux has engine woes and he was forced to scratch from the A-Main. With the added purse money, Barger collected $1975 for the win while 20th place took home $520 in the A-Main.
Le Groupe Ultra/Fondations 4 Saisons A-Main – Justin Barger ($1975), Shawn Donath, Steve Poirier, Lance Yonge, Michael Parent, Cory Sparks, Paul Kinney, Chuck Hebing, Jason Barney, Patrick Vigneault, Jeff Cook, Alain Bergeron, Etienne Girard, Matt Tanner, Dale Gosselin, Mike Stelter, Joe Trenca, Anthony Cain, Mario Clair and Donald Lemire.
Did Not Start – Robidoux.
Lap Leader – Barger 1-25
Car Mate Custom Built Trailer Heat 1 – Barger, Yonge, Donath, Stelter, Hebing, Girard, Robidoux. Car Mate Custom Built Trailer Heat 2 – Poirier, Kinney, Sparks, Tanner, Cain, Trenca, Lemire. Car Mate Custom Built Trailer Heat 3 – Parent, Vigneault, Barney, Cook, Bergeron, Gosselin, Clair.
Bonuses: Westward Painting Corp Halfway – Barger $100 Lee’s Repair Auto and Truck Hard Charger – Poirier ( 9 pos.) $50 Ohsweken Speedway Winners Bonus – Barger $50 Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Parent $50 North Eastern Pool and Spa Power Pick – Hebing, Lemire $50 Car Mate Custom Built Trailers – Barger, Poirier, Parent $25
The Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints are brought to you by: Lucas Oil, Le Groupe Ultra, SUNY Canton, Universal American, Hoosier Racing Tires, Fondations 4 Saisons, Cobra Coaches, Westward Painting Company, Mach 1 Chassis, Lee’s Repair Auto and Truck, Fondations 55, Eric Varin Roofing, North Eastern Pool and Spa, Car Mate Trailers, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Ohsweken Speedway, Northwood 2 Construction/Lasalle Motorsports, AKS Firearms, Jasmin Peloquin Sport, 730 Truck Stop, Riverside Bar and Grill, FX Chevy and many, many associate sponsors!!