Jimmy Broderick Returns to Whip City Victory Lane,
Boudreau, Crooker, Fogarty, Walts, Montesi, Johnson Win
By Mark McKeon
Jimmy Broderick “The Brookfield Bullet,” fresh off a runner-up finish with the ASCS Patriots 360 Sprint Cars, returned to his roots and dominated the “Duel on the Dirt by Gillis Bros., Inc.” for 750cc Mini Sprints at Whip City Speedway on Saturday.
“This is my home track and it was great to come back home. It was fun to race with the guys I raced with so often and it was great to have Ted Christopher and Woody Pitkat here,” Broderick said.
Wheeling the Alex Lopes’ owned Bailey, Broderick led the 20 car field from start to finish in a race which went caution free. He also wired his caution free heat race. Jon Moore, who won the other heat race, finished second in the feature while Joe Platt, Ed LeClerc and John Virgilio rounded out the top five. NASCAR Modified stars Ted Christopher and Woody Pitkat had a challenging evening in an unfamiliar environment, finishing twelfth and fifteenth, respectively.
The 20 lap 270cc and 1200cc features were both heartbreakers. John Virgilio humiliated the competition for 18 laps and had a full straightaway lead when the engine on the 1200cc Mini Sprint he was driving exploded, forcing the teenager to execute a hasty exit in a cloud of smoke and steam. Josh Walts held off Chris Haskell to pick up the win, his first of the season. In 270cc action, Dylan Menditto led the first 19 laps, but a restart on the last lap provided Brian Boudreau with an opportunity upon which he capitalized for his third feature win of the season.
Rich Crooker and Jim DeCambra swapped the lead several times per lap in the first half of the 600cc Mini Sprint main, until Crooker finally took command. Crooker then out ran a hard charging Matt Seymour to claim his second brass ring of the season. A highlight of the race was a fever pitched battle between Paul Bigelow (P8) and Luke Greenwood (P12) for fourth place; Bigelow prevailed. The win gave Crooker an advantage in his tight points battle with Anthony Nocella, who flipped his car during the feature, but walked away uninjured.
A spectacular crash on the second lap of the 750 Sportsman Mini Sprint feature eliminated 2/3 of the 9 car field. Jack Fogarty darwined to his second win of the year, followed by Kristin Phillips and Matt Brown.
The Quad 4 Midget feature was a nail biter that wasn’t decided until Lane Bryant commenced crooning. Tony Montesi rode the rim and Scott Viets pedaled the bottom as the pair raced side by side for lap after lap. On the final turn of the final lap, Viets caught the berm with his left front tire and Montesi glided by for the win.
Tim Johnson has 2 victories and 5 podium finishes in his 8 Modified Lites starts this year. His second victory came this week when he took over the lead after Bob Poloski spun on lap 7. Johnson survived a restart on 15 and beat Joe Anselmo to the checkered flag by 2 car lengths.
Duel on the Dirt by Gillis Bros., Inc 750cc Mini Sprints: JIMMY BRODERICK, Jon Moore, Ed LeClerc, John Virgilio, Peter Dance, Rick Stone, Kyle Spencer, Mike King, Chris Haskell, Rob Walendy, Ted Christopher, Michael Parolo, Dan Schaubert, Woody Pitkat, Jason Wood, Tony Montesi, Paul Rose, Jay Haviland, Walt Feldman.
270cc Mini Sprint: BRIAN BOUDREAU, Dylan Menditto, Frank Russo, Seth Carlson, Brian Hurd, Shayne Prucker, Ben Martelle, Bryan Russo, Kelly McCarthy, Kendall Segar, Kevin Tefft, Mark Irving, Brayton Round III.
600cc Mini Sprint: RICH CROOKER, Matt Seymour, Jim DeCambra, Paul Bigelow, Luke Greenwood, Greg Smith, Ricci Hirth, Anthony Marrero, Jay Coppo, Chris Lennox, Susan Lescynski, Terry Finney, Ryan Bigelow, Anthony Nocella.
750cc Sportsman: JACK FOGARTY, Kristen Phillips, Matt Brown, Lowbed Johnson, Darren Peterson, Charlie Pease, Rob Spino, Pete Michels, Kyle Maslak.
1200cc Mini Sprint: JOSH WALTS, Chris Haskell, R.J. Tufano, Jon Walts, Jon Moore, Dennis Lamke, John Casazza, Jamie Beaudry, Bill Adamsky, Bob Dance, Bill Singer, John Virgilio.
Quad 4: TONY MONTESI, Scott Viets, Bethany Viets, Kelly Ferrell, Vince Jacobs.
Modified Lites: TIM JOHNSON, Joe Anselmo, Ryan Charland, Brian Peterson, Ryan Nicewicz, Bob LaForge, Rick Ashlaw, William Carter, Bob Charland, Brett Crowther, Bob Poloski.
250cc Youth: TYLER JACKSON, Jim Santa Maria, Kyle Abbott, Tyler Chartrand, Wayne Ibitz, Jr.
Novice Karts: DYLAN IRISH, Jake Higginson, Corey Lemelin, E. J. Adametz.
Turquoise: KYLE SMITH, Kate Lafreniere, Alex Adamsky, Nora Lemelin, Jeffrey Champagne, Ryan Irish, Kaitlyn Brice, Cullen Pike, Alex Blanco.
Junior: KARA FRANQUEZA, Justin Walts, Elliot Daly, Josh Wood, Dylan Dexter, Makayla Lucia, R. J. Currey, Dylan Campbell, Anna Coons.
Lite: STEVE ROCKWOOD, Dylan Campbell, Josh Dexter, Scott Kalber, Will Coons, Scott Franqueza, Ryan Bigelow, Jake Sapowsky.
Heavy: JAKE SAPOWSKY, Tim Gallant, Justin Dube, Dan Murdzia, Eric Jorgensen, Bill Tack.
Limited: RYAN BIGELOW, Gary Hublard, Roger Fujimoto, Scott Kalber, Steve Rockwood, Jason Wood, Charlie Chaponis, Brian Routhier.
