BURLEY AND SPATORICO CLAIM TITLES AT RANSOMVILLE SPEEDWAY;
BICKNELL, FLANNIGAN, COOPER, SUSICE, AND SPARKS COLLECT WINS

(Alex and Helen Bruce Photos)

Ransomville, NY – Friday, August 31, 2007 – Ransomville Speedway couldn’t have asked for a better night to cap off the regular season as mother nature cooperated in a major way providing clear skies and comfortable temperatures last Friday night. A total of one hundred and seven cars entered for competition amongst the four divisions.

     Pete Bicknell of St. Catharines, Ont took top honors aboard the Mighty Taco Modified main event last Friday night. Bicknell used a pass to the inside of Todd Burley to take over the point position on lapthirty-nine. Burley battled back but to no avail as Bicknell captured the checkered. Burley, Stewart Friesen, Jeff McGinnis, and Dave Just
rounded out the top five. Todd Burley was crowned the 2007 Mighty Taco Modified champion.
     The fifty lap feature main proved to be one of the most exciting features of the season as side by side racing for the top spot kept fans on the edge of their seats. Just and Burley battled side by side for several laps prior to Burley taking the top spot on lap thirty.  Burley appeared to be on his way to victory lane but Mr. Smallblock Pete Bicknell had something to say about that as he challenged Burley on lap thirty-seven. Once again a side by side battled ensued with Bicknell taking the top spot on lap thirty-nine. Bicknell was able to keep Burley at bay the remaining distance and took the $2000 win.
Burley’s five wins aided him to his second track championship in as many years.
     Tommy Flannigan was awarded the win aboard the Original Pizza Logs Sportsman main after Don Spatorico was penalized for rough driving. John Smith and Spatorico were putting on a great show up front as they battled side by side lap after lap for the top spot. As the pair came off turn four looking for the checkered-Spatorico drifted
high-Smith ran out of racing room and ended up hard into the front stretch moat. Flannigan was awarded the win while Spatorico was placed behind Smith in the feature finish. John Panattoni led laps one through ten prior to losing the top spot to Smith on lap eleven. Steve Schumacher, Scott Just, Greg Martin, and Ed Cain rounded out the top five.

     Nick Cooper collected the win aboard the New York Modified Midget twenty lap main event. Cooper inherited the lead after Timex Morgan lost a left front sneaker while holding the point position. The top three cars were involved in the maylay giving the lead to Cooper on lap seven. Tatter Kysor, Ben Kysor, John Smith, and Jim Laffler rounded out the top five.

     Ryan Susice of Ransomville, NY took top honors for the fourth time this season aboard the Johnston’s Restaurant Streetstock division.  Susice took the lead away from Wayne Close on lap five of the first fifteen lap main and was never seriously challenged after that point.  Close, Ricky Washburn, Brandon Sherwood, and Tim Raymond rounded out the top five.

     Brian Sparks of North Tonawanda, NY became the twentieth different winner aboard the Johnston’s Restaurant Street Stock division last Friday night. Sparks took the lead at the drop of the green and maintained it for the entire fifteen laps. Chris Burek, Boots Martin, Derek Borkenhagen, and Ken Washburn rounded out the top five.  Burek was later moved to 17th for a technical infraction, moving Martin up to 2nd.

MIGHTY TACO MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH – PETE BICKNELL, Todd Burley,
Stewart Friesen, Jeff McGinnis, Dave Just, Kevin Wills, Robbie Krull,
Chad Brachmann, Danny Johnson, Rich Vinson, Scott Kerwin, Sam Crogan,
Ricky Richner, Joe Kubiniec, Roger Chrysler, Rick Hoctor, Dave
Kubiniec, Bob Broomfield, Pete Cosco, Mark Golding, Boyd MacTavish,
Bill Torissi, Jon Miller, Tony Hartman, and Corey Brachmann.  Heat
Winners – Kevin Wills, Jon Miller, and Rich Vinson.

ORIGINAL PIZZA LOGS SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH – TOMMY FLANNIGAN, Steve
Schumacher, Scott Just, Greg Martin, Ed Cain, Jipp Ortiz, Steve Miller,
John Panattoni, Dennis Giancola, Sandy Pembleton, Tony Purgarich, Mike
Short, James Michael Friesen, Nathan Reynolds, Mark Williams, Derek
Smith, Peter Gordon, John Smith, Don Spatorico, Bernie Pangrazio, Jessy
Cotriss, and Jim Zimmerman. Heat Winners – Jessy Cotriss, John
Panattoni, and Don Spatorico.

NYMM MICRO-SPRINTS FEATURE FINISH – NICK COOPER, Tatter Kysor, Ben
Kysor, John Smith, Jim Laffler, Ron Gamble, Lindsey Podgers, Kenny
Wills, Bill Westlake, Amy Scott, Jim Radney, Ryan Gordon, Dan Shoop,
Zack Morgan, Erick Rudolph, Timex Morgan, Joe Zahno, Dan Miller, Mike
Foster, Darren Flower, Paul Hebeck, and Kirsten Dombroski. Heat Winners
– Tatter Kysor, Darrin Flower, and Nick Cooper.

JOHNSTON’S RESTAURANT STREETSTOCK FEATURE FINISH # 1 – RYAN SUSICE,
Wayne Close, Ricky Washburn, Brandon Sherwood, Tim Raymond, Webb
Nashwinter, Steve Shoop, Carla Duchnick, Roger Israel, Randy Zimmerman,
Brandon Laughing, Chad Livermore, Sean Letts, Gerald Poole, Charles
Harvey, Joe Rickard Jr., Jaren Israel, and Stuart Kumm. Heat Winners –
Randy Zimmerman, Brian Sparks, and Boots Martin.

JOHNSTON’S RESTAURANT STREETSTOCK FEATURE FINISH # 2 – BRIAN SPARKS,
Boots Martin, Derek Borkenhagen, Ken Washburn, Kirk
Tuttle, Ron Graham, Ben Harms, Allan Wills, Brian Harris, Pat Dell,
Dave Stolzenburg, Brandon Poole, Dan Baughman, Cliff Gregg, John Cobb,
Dave Conant, Chris Burek and Nate Vetter.