ESS: Dundee ESS Results - April 15

Dan Kaszubinski Uses Late Race Heroics to Win ESS Opener. by Dean Reynolds

DUNDEE, N.Y. - After what he would call a frustrating season, Syracuse, N.Y.'s Dan Kaszubinski made a big statement towards a title drive by passing defending champion Mike Woodring on lap 19 to win the first event of the Empire Super Sprint Tour 2000 at the Black Rock Speedway. Using lapped traffic the driver of the Autotech of Syracuse #20 dogged Woodring several times before making the winning pass on the white flag lap in front of an standing room only crowd for his 10th career ESS victory. "Wow!! This is amazing!" pinned the very happy driver. "I'm in awe! Mike (Woodring) is the best around and to pass him for the win is pretty incredible!" Kaszubinski used the very outside ridge of the 4/10ths mile oval to make the wild, crowd pleasing pass. "My car was terrible on restarts but once we got going I could get momentum and then close in on each lap." said Kaszubinski on his strategy. "The lapped cars helped a bunch. Mike would slow just a bit and that opened the door, luckily I found some room on the outside to make the pass. It's been a great week, I proposed to my long time girlfriend and now I beat Mike Woodring. I still can't believe it!"

By luck of the opening night draw, Woodring pulled the pole for the 20 lap A-Main but it was pins and needles for the Tom and Mary Wade owned team earlier in the night. "We dropped a push- rod in our engine during the heats so we had to change motors. We have a whole complete car ready but we would lose the pole if we used the backup so we actually had to pull two motors." noted Woodring on his labor filled night. "We used John Deuel's trailer (owner of George Suprick's car) to make the change and we were done about five minutes before feature time. We got second and we'll take it, it could have been a lot worse." With the motor change done Woodring skipped out from his pole slot at the drop of the green flag looking to take his third consecutive opening night victory. Kaszubinski drew the third starting position where he was quickly in second on lap two and the war was on. This would simply be a two car race and a show that got the fans on their feet more than once.

Several times the leaders came up on lap traffic but just as Kaszubinski was ready to make his outside swing, the caution was displayed. Once on lap five and then again on lap 13. "I couldn't believe my luck." noted Kaszubinski. "Every time I was just ready to make the pass the yellow lights came on. I was pounding the steering wheel wondering what would it take to beat him." The lap 13 caution would be the last and slower traffic was a huge factor in the closing stages. Both Woodring and Kaszubinski were making daring moves to get through the traffic and continue their pace. But, the highlight of the event was Kaszubinski's wild outside move in turn one to pass both a lapped car and Woodring for the lead where he went on to the exciting opening night victory. Woodring came home in second with a fast closing Craig Keel taking third at the checkers in the Earl Pottorff owned #9. Steve Dow drove a solid race to come from his eighth place start to place fourth with the Walt's Hobby Hard Charger bonus going to George Suprick who came from 19th to finish in fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Bob Podolak, the Lucky's Trailer Sales #91 of Scott Holcomb, Mike Lauterborn, Canadian Rick Wilson and veteran George Ely. The three cautions was made up of Mike Bozzuto doing a quick roll on the backstretch on the original start, Lance Yonge lost a frontend on lap five and debris was the culprit on lap 13. Winning the $25 to win Brodix Cylinder Heads heat events were Yonge, Mike Stelter and Keel. The KSE Racing Products B-Main was won by Suprick with the Lane's Yamaha/Walt's Hobby Dash going to the Lane's Yamaha #5 of Yonge. ESS NOTES: A solid field of 36 sprints filled the Yates County Oval's pit area...Chris Shuttleworth and Mike Castner were flip victims during heat one. Both drivers were fine but the cars were done for the night...With URC getting rained out earlier in the day at New Egypt, Suprick and Matt Gerber made the tow North...Mike Stelter's new Ron Buckner built sprinter was indeed the talk of the pit area. After winning his heat, motor troubles hindered the effort for the rest of the night...With winning bonuses from Car-Mate Trailer Dealers, Penske Shocks, Pro Shocks, Griffin Thermal Products, Red's Speed Shop, Behrent's Performance Warehouse, Hank's, Tire Comp. East, Bicknell Racing Products, Total Seal and Thunder Mtn. Wings the victory was worth $1735...Out of the many new ESS entries, only former Orange County small block star Mike Barlow was able to crack the starting lineup...Joe Timerson made his return to competition even after his wife had major surgery the night prior, Joe was told to go racing by the boss!...ESS will now take a few weeks off before the May 12 show at Albany-Saratoga and the next night it's to the Canandaigua Speedway.

RESULTS:

Heat 1 - Lance Yonge, Dan Kaszubinski, Rob Dietrick, Bob Podolak, Dick Spadaro, Mike Barlow. Heat 2 - Mike Stelter, Mike Woodring, Mike Lauterborn, Steve Dow, R.C. Faigle, Doug Emery. Heat 3 - Craig Keel, Scott Holcomb, Kris Dow, George Ely, Rick Wilson, Ray Preston. Lane's Yamaha/Walt's Hobby Dash - Yonge $100. B-Main - George Suprick, Rich Wood, Bill Coffey, Mike Bozzuto. Added starter - Tim Zimbardi, Provisional - Bubby Kerrick. Did Not Qualify - Chris Shuttleworth, Todd Bauer, Mike Castner, Don Sharp Jr., Randy Years, Bill Bailey, Mike Young, J.T. Henderberg, Joe Timerson, Kyle Drum, Matt Gerber, Dan Bennett. A-MAIN - DAN KASZUBINSKI, Woodring, Keel, S. Dow, Suprick, Podolak, Holcomb, Lauterborn, Wilson, Ely, Wood, Emery, Coffey, K. Dow, Preston, Kerrick, Barlow, Dietrick, Zimbardi, Faigle, Spadaro, Stelter, Yonge, Bozzuto.

Lap Leaders - Woodring 1-18, Kaszubinski 19-10. Walt's Hobby Hard Charger - Suprick (14 pos.) $50. Vicomp Graphics Halfway - Woodring $50. Winner's Bonuses - Car-Mate Trailer Dealers $50, Pro Shocks $100, Penske Shocks $150, Hank's $50, Total Seal $50, Tire Comp. East $75, Griffin Thermal Products $50, Bicknell Racing Products $35, Behrent's Performance Warehouse $30, Thunder Mtn. Wings $20, Red's Speed Shop $25.

Other Bonuses: Weld Racing Hard Luck - Bozzuto $75. Design 500 - K. Dow $100, Suprick $50. C&R Radiator - S. Dow $50 KSE Racing Products - Suprick $50. Total Seal - Ely $30. Bailey Racing Products - Lauterborn $35 Dave Ely Racing - Kaszubinski, Holcomb, Woodring $10. Lauterborn Electric - Emery $10.