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Rivers Rushes to Genesee BRP CanAm Win Batavia, NY…Jon Rivers made the best of an uphill battle on Saturday night and emerged as winner of the Pro Speed 40, event #4 of the 12 event 2005 BRP CanAm Series. Rivers, from nearby Basom, NY, is a weekly competitor at the Genesee Speedway. He used the knowledge gained from many hard laps at the Genesee County Fairgrounds facility, some very gritty determination, and a very good Chaddock Performance powered Rocket Monte Carlo to win his first ever BRP CanAm event. The night was full of ups and downs for Rivers. It started with a poor draw for his heat [position 9 of 10]. Jon worked his way up to a very important third in that 10 lap contest. Third was fine since it gave him the opportunity to draw for one of the top 12 starting positions. He drew seven for the start, not bad. However, a flat tire while the race was under yellow sent Rivers and his black and yellow Darrell’s Auto Service #85 scrambling to the pits for a new Hoosier. The crew did its job in great fashion and Rivers restarted the event in 27th with 39 laps left to work his way to the front. Work he did first using patience and later some very exciting and risky passing in the outside lane where few dared to travel. “I did not know if it would work out there, but I didn’t have any choice if I wanted the win. Schram, Kish, Babbitt, Dixon and guys like that do not make mistakes and if you are going to beat them, you have to go where there aren’t. The outside was open. I just tightened the belts, took a deep breath, thought of Russ Prentice, and took a chance. This is great. Any win is good, but to beat all these BRP CanAm guys on a night that we are honoring Russ Prentice makes this really something.” [Russ Prentice, a former Genesee Speedway racer, died earlier in the week after a long illness.] Tim Schram continued his great racing season matching his best ever BRP CanAm Series finish earning runner-up honors in his Warehouse America GRT Monte Carlo. Schram started second and took the lead from pole sitter Stubby Pangrazio after just one lap. Schram survived great challenges from Pete Waldron, Bob Babbitt, and Darren Kish, but had nothing for Rivers after a great side by side duel for laps 28, 29, and 30. On lap 30 Rivers had the advantage. At that point Schram’s attention turned to protecting the runner-up spot. He did not know where Kish, Young, Rice, Babbitt and the others were other than behind him and that is where he wanted to keep them. Darren Kish was undefeated in 2005 BRP CanAm competition with three wins going into the Genesee event. “I never have good luck here and only can hope for luck in the draws and then to stay out of trouble to get a top ten finish,” stated Kish as he waited for the pit gates to open. His Genesee luck has improved. Kish did not do well in the draws, but Lady Luck smiled on him during the 40 laps as he [and perhaps she] methodically moved his Atkinson’s Delivery DSE1 powered Shaw Taurus from 16th starting spot to third at the checkers. A.J. Young was back to his BRP CanAm championship hunt form bringing his Otis Eastern Oil & Gas Field Services Dunham powered Bullitt Intrepid home fourth after starting tenth. Young had a very difficult outing in the prior event at Humberstone. Young was almost smiling as he looked over his car in the post race tech area. happy that his race car had not even picked up a tire mark in the caution infested affair. However, it will take a victory to make the second generation Scio Speed Society member smile. Paul Grigsby was smiling as he waited in the post race tech line. The East Concord, NY speedster was smiling because he had just finished fifth after starting in 24th position. For the second time this year Grigsby has earned the Close Racing Supply Hard Charger Award [$100]. The award goes to the driver who advances the most positions from his original starting position. The only driver to pass Grigsby all night was Rivers. Another driver smiling after the 40 lap grind was “Chief” Neil Patterson who had just finished sixth [from 17th] for his best ever BRP CanAm run. Ron Baker, the 69 year old veteran dirt track warrior who had raced his way from 20th at the start to seventh, was happy with his finish, but perhaps happier that neither his race car nor his shiny black penny loafers were scratched. Bob Babbitt was smiling because he generally smiles a lot and understands about racing luck after nearly 30 years of short dirt track wars. Babbitt was clearly a contender for the win until contact with Jon Lichy sent the Pavilion, NY competitor from third to the rear on lap 28. Lichy, in a great display of sportsmanship, went to the rear as well for what all knew was simply a “racing deal.” Lichy worked his way back to tenth at the finish. John McKay made his first ever BRP CanAm start a memorable occasion. McKay started 25th and rode out the contest by avoiding trouble to finish ninth in his Pro-Mold sponsored entry. Four heats and two B-Mains were used to set the 27 car field from the 40 entries. Tim Schram, Steve Fields, Jim Johnson, and Bob Dixon won the heats. The Ed Carley Motorsports B-Main winners were Dave Stephens and Paul Grigsby. They each earned a $100 bonus. F/A Products - Clevite Engine Builder Award winners were Jon Rivers [Chaddock Performance], Tim Schram [Tony Foth], and Darren Kish [DSE1]. Bob Mullin of Pro Speed added $100 to positions one through ten in the A-Main and $50 to the top two finishers of the B-Mains who did not advance to the A. The next BRP CanAm Series event is Thursday August 18 at the McKean County Raceway [MCR] in East Smethport, PA as part of the 100th Annual McKean County Fair. From MCR, the BRP CanAm racers will go to the Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ontario, Canada on Saturday August 20 for a $10,000 program. Complete results and updated point standing available at www.brpcanamsuperstockseries.com Thanks to our Marketing Partners: Bicknell Racing Products, Atkinson’s Delivery & Bobcat Service, Brad Penn Racing Oil, Can & Bottle Return of Delevan, Clevite Engine Parts, Close racing Supply, Cool Edge Web Designs, Cousin’s Designs, DB Embroidery, DSE1 Race Engines, Ed Carley Motorsports, F/A Products, Hoosier Tire of Canada, Layfield Racing Connection, Lias Tire, Mohawk Speed Shop, Pro Speed, Southeastern Transmissions, Spraker Racing Enterprises, TNT Motorsports, Young Family and our host tracks [ Black Rock Speedway, Genesee Speedway, Humberstone Speedway, Little Valley Speedway, McKean County Raceway, Merrittville Speedway, Ransomville Speedway, and Woodhull Raceway]. Notes:
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