By Dean Reynolds
LaFARGEVILLE, NY– It’s no secret now how strong Paulie Colagiovanni has been in 2019 with the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS). Coming into the opener of the Donath MotorWorx CNY Speedweek brought to you by Stirling Lubricants, he already took one checkered flag on the season and is the leader in the overall points.
The young 18-year-old had a little luck on his side by drawing the pole for the Mach 1 Chassis A-Main and he took full advantage by leading all 25 laps of the non-stop A-Main to collect $3,160 for the win. Points for the NAPA Auto Parts US Tour and the E&V Energy I90/I81 Series were also rewarded.
“I was a little nervous coming back here (Can-Am), I will admit lining up for the A-Main I was shaking a little bit,” Colagiovanni noted coming back to the track where he had his season ending injury last year. “Once the green came out though you forget about all that.”
When Colagiovanni was in race mode, it was figuring out what the track surface was going to do. “It usually takes rubber here but it didn’t early on in the night so I just didn’t know when it would in the A-Main,” he went on, “Down in one and two it happened quick and you had to run the bottom, in three and four the top was fast.”
As he hit lap traffic he found is answer, “I had to go down low in three to pass a slower car and the car stuck, I went back up top the next lap and I felt I wasn’t as good so I went back down to the bottom,” Paulie continued, “Then when it was bottom on both corners I was staying there.”
Second place running Shawn Donath did close in some in the closing stages and Colagiovanni was boxed behind cars on the bottom but just didn’t have enough to get by. “I think I might have had a better car and was getting closer but I’m not sure if I could have gotten around him though,” said a smiling driver afterwards. “We had to switch cars after timed hot laps but this one has been good all year and it was good tonight.
“I just have to thank all that help me on this car, they put in many hours as well to make sure we have a good car and we really do,” he said, “Now if the luck stays on our side.”
Matt Tanner started outside pole and stayed in a podium position all race to bring his familiar #90 in third. “I think we had just as good of a car as them (Colagiovanni & Donath), it was just where you ran and how you got through the slower cars,” Matt quipped, “I just made a small slip up and Shawn got me but we were right there in case he did the same.”
Matt went on about the Can-Am oval, “I really like running here and we always have a good car, one of these days I’ll finally get my first win.”
Plattsburgh winner Josh Pieniazek took fourth with Parker Evans bringing his #61 in for fifth. A total of 30 sprints were in the pits and they played host to a large crowd on a beautiful Wednesday night.
ESS Speedweek
Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints
Can-Am Speedway
LaFargeville, N.Y.
Thursday July 3, 2019
Heat Race #1:
1. 53-Shawn Donath
2. 10h-Kelly Hebing
3. 3-Denny Pebbles
4. 36-Kyle Moffit
5. 67-Pete Richardson
6. 55-Alex Vigneault
7. 2-Dave Axton
8. 5k-Jake Karklin
9. 10-Jeff Cook
10. 23-Tyler Cartier
Heat Race #2:
1. 10c-Paulie Colagiovanni
2. 99-Mike Kiser
3. fm28-Steve Poirier
4. 91-Scott Holcomb
5. 87-Jason Barney
6. 41j-Josh Flint
7. 5-Justin Barger
8. 197-Ryan Harrison
9. 16L-Roger Levesque
10. 56-Billy VanInwegen
Heat Race #3:
1. 22j-Jonathan Preston
2. 9-Josh Pieniazek
3. 90-Matt Tanner
4. 61-Parker Evans
5. 45-Chuck Hebing
6. 28f-Davie Franek
7. 88c-Chad Miller
8. 14b-Brett Wright
9. 19e-Emily VanInwegen
10. 84-Tyler Rand
Dash:
1. 87-Jason Barney
2. 55-Alex Vigneault
3. 28f-Davie Franek
4. 45-Chuck Hebing
5. 67-Pete Richardson
6. 41j-Josh Flint
B-Main:
1. 2-Dave Axton
2. 5-Justin Barger
3. 88c-Chad Miller
4. 14b-Brett Wright
5. 10-Jeff Cook
6. 56-Billy VanInwegen
7. 19e-Emily VanInwegen
8. 5k-Jake Karklin
9. 197-Ryan Harrison
10. 16L-Roger Levesque
11. 84-Tyler Rand
12. 23-Tyler Cartier
Feature:
1. 10c-Paulie Colagiovanni
2. 53-Shawn Donath
3. 90-Matt Tanner
4. 9-Josh Pieniazek
5. 61-Parker Evans
6. 87-Jason Barney
7. 28f-Davie Franek
8. 36-Kyle Moffit
9. fm28-Steve Poirier
10. 22j-Jonathan Preston
11. 56-Billy VanInwegen
12. 10h-Kelly Hebing
13. 99-Mike Kiser
14. 5-Justin Barger
15. 55-Alex Vigneault
16. 3-Denny Pebbles
17. 91-Scott Holcomb
18. 45-Chuck Hebing
19. 2-Dave Axton
20. 10-Jeff Cook
21. 14b-Brett Wright
22. 88c-Chad Miller
23. 67-Pete Richardson
24. 41j-Josh Flint