Dunn Earns 358-Modified 150 Pole

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Dunn Earns Pole For Syracuse’s Salute to the Troops 358-Modified Championship 150

Former Syracuse 200 Champ Tops 15-Year-Old Dippel In NAPA Super DIRT Week Qualifying (photo by Bill Moore Jr.)

 

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Oct. 8, 2015 – Billy Dunn of Watertown, N.Y., stood amazed with his car’s performance after ripping off the fastest lap in Thursday afternoon’s 358-Modified time trials to earn the pole position for Saturday’s Salute to the Troops 150 during NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIV at the New York State Fairgrounds.

 

“That was actually the easiest qualifying lap I’ve ever done here,” said the 31-year-old Dunn, who won the headline Big-Block Modified Syracuse 200 in 2013 one day after running out of fuel while the 358-Modified 150. “We made some small changes to the car just before time trials and it was on rails. This Bicknell car-Integra Shocks-Mr. Radiator motor (combination) was just hooked up.”

 

Using a brand-new Bicknell frame, Dunn mastered a one-mile oval that was producing increasingly quick speeds as the sunny fall day wore on.

 

“It’s getting faster and I think we’re gonna see some pretty fast times in the Big-Block time trials (that followed the 358-Modified qualifying),” said Dunn, who earned a $750 prize from Pole Position Raceway for his efforts. “Hopefully it doesn’t stay like this all week, though. It’s fun time-trialing on a real fast track like this, but it ain’t fun racing on it. Hopefully it’ll get slickened up here in the next couple days and we’ll be able to do a little bit of racing.

 

“I’m just happy right now,” he added. “We’ve had a lot of success here but never had a pole, so it’s pretty special to get one here at the last (NAPA Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds before the track is razed). I’m glad we were able to do it.”

 

Dunn’s fast lap topped Tyler Dippel of Wallkill, N.Y., a 15-year-old sensation whose circuit of 31.189 seconds gave him the outside pole for Saturday’s 358-Modified 150 in his first-ever competitive appearance at the Syracuse Mile.

 

Did Dippel, a high-school sophomore taking a few days off from classes to race in the NAPA Super DIRT Week activities, feel any jitters upon taking his first laps at the menacing track?

 

“A little bit,” admitted Dippel, who received $500 from Central New York Golf Carts for landing on the outside pole. “But the car was just awesome. I was expecting at least a top-10 run — I knew the car had speed. I just didn’t know it had that much speed.”

 

Once Dippel secured the number two starting spot for the small-block main event, he struggled to find the words to put his performance in perspective.

 

“I’m just so happy to get that done,” said Dippel, who drove a Teo-Pro car powered by a Billy the Kid engine. “Just … wow. I don’t even know what to say.”

 

Brett Hearn of Sussex, N.J., grabbed the third starting spot for the 150 with a lap of 31.382 seconds. He will bid for his third straight and seventh overall triumph in the race that boasts a $20,000 first-place prize.

 

Also locking into the 150-miler in positions 4-6 was four-time event champion Kenny Tremont of West Sand Lake, N.Y., six-time race winner Billy Decker of Unadilla, N.Y., and J.R. Heffner of Stephentown, N.Y.

 

The remainder of the 40-car starting field for the Salute to the Troops 358-Modified Championship 150 will be determined by the Pullens Truck Center twin 20-lap heat races on Friday afternoon, last-chance events on Saturday and provisional starters.

 

For more information on NAPA Super DIRT Week XLIV, visit www.superdirtweekonline.com.

 

Salute to the Troops 358-Modified Championship 150 Qualifying Results

 

POS No. Name Best Tm
1 49 Billy Dunn 30.838
2 1T Tyler Dippel 31.189
3 20 Brett Hearn 31.382
4 115 Kenny Tremont Jr. 31.401
5 91 Billy Decker 31.416
6 17JR J.R. Heffner 31.526
7 44F Stewart Friesen 31.560
8 66x Carey Terrance 31.620
9 6 Jimmy Phelps 31.733
10 1M Mathieu Desjardins 31.746
11 22c Mario Clair 31.810
12 76 Ronnie Johnson 31.895
13 7m Mike Maresca 31.902
14 FX1 Frankie Caprara 31.947
15 29k Ryan Krachun 31.954
16 3J Marc Johnson 31.971
17 47 Bob Sarkisian 32.104
18 3a Kevin Albert 32.119
19 25R Erick Rudolph 32.132
20 4* Tim McCreadie 32.140
21 21R Ryan Darcy 32.152
22 25P Michael Parent 32.160
23 151 Brian McDonald 32.172
24 21 Yan Bussiere 32.204
25 45 Wayne Jelley 32.207
26 21m Bob McGannon 32.218
27 25J Chad Jeseo 32.222
28 73 Alain Boisvert 32.267
29 8 Rich Scagliotta 32.374
30 91z Jerry Higbie 32.409
31 87 Neil Stratton 32.444
32 111 Demeirjouis Drelllos 32.450
33 115F Stephane LaFrance 32.455
34 99L Larry Wight 32.463
35 1 David Hebert 32.536
36 O8 Mark D’Ilario 32.541
37 39T Clement Therrien 32.583
38 83x Tim Sears Jr. 32.655
39 26 Ryan Godown 32.699
40 R40 Ryan Forte 32.753
41 17 Matt Janiak 32.759
42 37s Tommy Flannigan 32.790
43 24 Patrick Dupree 32.804
44 14 Brett Wright 32.826
45 1NY Greg Atkins 32.846
46 14s Brian Swarthout 33.053
47 12 Brian Sage 33.217
48 12b Kevin Britten 33.396
49 3B Scott Boudinot 33.629
50 21s James Henry 33.886
1 27 Robert Bublak 34.048
51 3m Brady Fultz 34.249
52 99 Mickael Labreche 35.740
53 16 Aaron Jacobs 35.864
54 21x Eric Williams 36.078
55 1 Chris Raabe  

 

358-Modified Twin 20 Heat Race Lineups

 

TWIN #1 TWIN #2
1 49 Billy Dunn 1 1T Tyler Dippel
2 20 Brett Hearn 2 115 Kenny Tremont Jr.
3 91 Billy Decker 3 17JR J.R. Heffner
4 44F Stewart Friesen 4 66x Carey Terrance
5 6 Jimmy Phelps 5 1M Mathieu Desjardins
6 22c Mario Clair 6 76 Ronnie Johnson
7 7m Mike Maresca 7 FX1 Frankie Caprara
8 29k Ryan Krachun 8 3J Marc Johnson
9 47 Bob Sarkisian 9 3a Kevin Albert
10 25R Erick Rudolph 10 4* Tim McCreadie
11 21R Ryan Darcy 11 25P Michael Parent
12 151 Brian McDonald 12 21 Yan Bussiere
13 45 Wayne Jelley 13 21m Bob McGannon
14 25J Chad Jeseo 14 73 Alain Boisvert
15 8 Rich Scagliotta 15 91z Jerry Higbie
16 87 Neil Stratton 16 111 Demeirjouis Drelllos
17 115F Stephane LaFrance 17 99L Larry Wight
18 1 David Hebert 18 O8 Mark D’Ilario
19 39T Alan Therrien 19 83x Tim Sears Jr.
20 26 Ryan Godown 20 R40 Ryan Forte
21 17 Matt Janiak 21 37s Tommy Flannigan
22 24 Patrick Dupree 22 14 Brett Wright
23 1NY Greg Atkins 23 14s Brian Swarthout
24 12 Brian Sage 24 12b Kevin Britten
25 3B Scott Boudinot 25 21s James Henry
26 27 Robert Bublak 26 3m Brady Fultz
27 99 Mickael Labreche 27 16 Aaron Jacobs
28 21x Randy Sweetman 28 1 Chris Raabe
29 32c Vic Coffey   29 343 Randy Sweetman
30 57 Brandon Sweet      

 

The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast Region is brought to fans by several sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Chevy Performance Parts, NAPA Auto Parts, Pole Position Raceway and Dig Safely New York. Contingency sponsors are ASI, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix, ButlerBuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, FX Caprara, Fox Shox, Impact Race Products, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, KSE Racing Products, Mobil 1, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD Performance, Racing Electronics, Superflow, TNT Rescue and Wrisco Aluminum.

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