From Mike Mallett
Brewerton, NY — (September 4, 2015) — Jason Barney impressed the hometown crowd on Friday night at the Brewerton Speedway as he came from the 13th starting position to secure his first career Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint win in front of his hometown fans. Barney, who lives only a few blocks from the speedway, worked past high point man Steve Poirier while on his way to the win in the 25-lap affair.
The win closed the gap between Barney and Poirier at the top of the heap in the chase for the 2015 title. The race was also part of both the NAPA Auto Parts Tour of the U.S. and the SUNY Canton Racing series. It was Barney’s second win of the season and the 10th of his career with the traveling organization.
“I was so awful here in a Modified that even though I lived ten miles away I avoided it (Brewerton) like the plague,” joked Barney after his win. “It seems like in a Sprint Car I’ve been able to drive it like I should have ten years ago. Everything seemed to go our way tonight. We are on a good roll. One of my goals has always been to win here. I’ve been coming here my whole life, I used to watch Bob McCreadie and Donnie Wetmore dominate here. I stood in those stands for 20 years and I always wanted to win here. I’m glad we finally did.”
Barney had a little luck on his way to the win as he was forced into the dash after losing a top four finish in the heat race in the final laps. Barney won the dash earning him the inside of the seventh row for the A-Main. More importantly the team had a seal go bad in the dash. Had that seal failed in the A-Main he would have possibly lost an engine and dropped out early.
“I made bad decisions in the heat and cost myself a redraw spot,” said Barney. “The best thing that ever happened was running that dash. We put our feature stuff in and I ended up blowing a gasket on the front of the engine. If I didn’t run the dash it would have happened in the feature and I would have ended up melting down an engine.”
Chad Miller started on the pole but Daryl Ruggles would be the one to lead the first lap. Ruggles jumped to the outside at the outset and paced the field early putting his car in the extreme high line around the speedway.
Ruggles stayed out in front early as the battle for second picked up quickly between Jeff Cook and Dylan Swiernik. The two swapped the runner-up position several times in the early go before the first caution on lap four.
Cook managed to take the top spot on the restart while Swiernik stayed second and Steve Poirier moved from his 12th starting spot up to third. They remained the top three as the battle for supremacy before the halfway point.
Dave Axton and Parker Evans got together on lap 10 in turn two causing the second caution of the A-Main. Evans was towed off while Axton was able to continue on. Cook led with Swiernik and Poirier in tow and Barney now in the top five after started back in 13th.
Swiernik got a run on Cook at the green and was able to lead lap 11 while Barney moved from firth to the third position. From there he worked the bottom lane as both Swiernik and Cook raced on the outside of the speedway surface.
Barney pulled along-side Swiernik on lap 12 before completing the pass one lap later on the bottom. From that point he drove away from the field as he used the inner lane perfectly.
Barney led Swiernik and Poirier as the laps clicked off, but ultimately the field was brought under one final caution on lap 20 as Sammy Reakes got into an implement tire on the bottom of the speedway in turn three with five laps to go.
“I really didn’t want that caution there at the end,” Barney commented. “I was really using the brakes so hard I was starting to run out of brake. I was thinking under the caution maybe the brakes will cool down and I won’t mess this thing up getting in on the bottom in turn one. I’ve given up a lot of spots at the end of races this year and I wasn’t going to let that happen again.”
Barney dove right to the bottom at the green while Poirier went to the top in turns one and two looking for an opportunity. That opportunity never came as Barney drove away to score the victory in his No. 87.
Poirier crossed the line in second behind Barney. He tried to hang with Barney in the closing laps on the outside but couldn’t make it work over the final five circuits causing his night to end with a second place finish.
“I thought maybe at the end I’ve have a chance” said the five-time and defending series champion Poirier. “The moisture kind of came back and the bleeder left some air in the rear tire so for two or three laps I had something but it was not enough tonight.”
Canastota, N.Y., driver Paul Kinney rallied late to finish third after starting 15th. Like Barney, Kinney hugged the inner lane around the speedway to make up ground late in the race to put him in the final podium spot at the finish.
“Any time there is anything on the bottom and if I can stay out of trouble I usually sneak my way up here somehow,” stated Kinney. “We kept hitting our marks. I was complaining all night that I didn’t have any brakes. We thrashed and thrashed all night to the last second. Pete Richardson gave us a steel rotor for the left front and it stopped which allowed me to hit my marks on the bottom.”
Larry Wight made a late dash to the front and ended up finishing in the fourth spot and Chuck Hebing held on to finish in fifth after running as high as third in the feature event.
ESS/Brewerton Notes – A nice field of 29 sprints filled the pits for the make-up of the Aug. 14 rain out….Curt Michael made his first start of 2015…Tim Axton had engine issues early which saw him not run the qualifying events…A large crowd filled the stands for the Labor Day Weekend event.
A-Main – Jason Barney ($1,650), Steve Poirier ($1,075), Paul Kinney ($850), Larry Wight ($630), Chuck Hebing ($765), Shawn Donath ($660), Dylan Swiernik ($505), Joe Trenca ($420), Darryl Ruggles ($495), Curt Michael ($400), Jeff Cook ($385), Matt Tanner ($145), Alysha Ruggles ($325), Mike Stelter ($290), Chad Miller ($285), Paulie Colagiovanni ($280), Danny Varin ($350), Tommy Wickham ($270), Steve Hutchinson ($290), Sam Reakes IV ($360), Dave Axton ($255), Parker Evans ($300), Keith Granholm ($275)
Did Not Qualify – Dave Wickham, Pete Richardson, Denny Peebles, Tim Axton, Doug Crews, Thomas Radivoy
Lap Leaders – D. Ruggles (1-3), Jeff Cook (4-11), Dylan Swiernik (12-13), Jason Barney (14-25)
Car Mate Trailers $25 to win Heats – Swiernik, Poirier, D. Ruggles
Lacaillade Masonry $50 to win B-Main – Reakes IV
87 Speed/X1 Race Cars – Cobra Coaches Dash – Barney $100
Bonuses:
Insinger Fuels Hard Charger – Barney (12 pos.) $50
Engler Machine and Tool Halfway – Swiernik $50
Ohsweken Speedway 20th Anniversary – Reakes IV $50
SUNY Canton Smart Move – Evans $50
Beard Sewer and Drain Determination Award – Poirier $50
Fondations 55 Pick 5 – Hebing $35
Bitner Automotive Blistering Fast Time – D. Ruggles $25
9/11 Restoration – D. Ruggles and Cook $25
Hoosier Tire – Hebing $200
Vahlco Wheels – Donath $190