RICK @ the RACES ( 5 Oct 2013)
5 Oct Fulton Speedway , NY
As usual, the Outlaw 200 at the Fulton Speedway NY became my unofficial location to ‘kick start’ the forthcoming SUPER DIRT WEEK that takes place each year in October in the Syracuse area. For many years the event scheduled at Fulton, for the weekend before, was known as the Victoria 200, but in recent times, the title has changed it’s name to the Outlaw 200. It’s always a big favorite with the fans and drivers alike, and it’s something I look forward to. It was a two day event, starting on Friday night for the qualifiers etc, with the big races taking place on Saturday.
I was feeling a bit ‘under the weather’ when I started work on Friday, and depending on what time I got finished, it would determine when I set off for Fulton. I was done work by 3-30 pm which would have given me ample time to get down to Fulton, but I decided against it. I was getting the first signs of some ‘flu like’ symptoms, so decided to get myself off to bed with an early night, ready to set off in the morning. The early night did me good, and although I wasn’t feeling 100% , I left home in Cornwall, Ontario at 6-00 am. I made good time and by 9-00 am I was in Mexico, NY having my breakfast. I’d been coughing and sneezing all the way down, and needed to stock up on tissues and medication, so before heading to the track , I stopped off at the Central Square Walmart.
The camping field was already jam packed when I arrived at Fulton , and found a spot close to ‘Stock Car’ Steve Bilow’s fifth wheel camper to park my HHR. I chatted with Steve for a while before going round the pits for a wander.
One of the first of many people I bumped into was my friend Amy Walton, who was excited about her younger brother Mike’s, first time out in a Sportsman.
Apparently in the qualifying races on Friday night, he’d won his heat. Amy introduced him to me, and I got a picture of the two of them beside his car.
After a brief rain shower at around 1.00 pm ( where I sheltered in my car) the track was prepared for the afternoon hot lap sessions.
As you’d expect, there was a large contingent of my photographer friends on hand at this one and I spent most of my day with them, on the infield by turn three and four.
They could tell, I wasn’t feeling too good, and I have to thank them for their concern. A big thanks to Jay Fish who came to my rescue with his emergency bag of Halls Mentholyptus throat candies, after my supply ran out !
Lucky for me, the show moved along quickly, with very little down time or delays. Both of the big feature races were good ones with lots of action on an excellent track that allowed plenty of ‘three wide’ racing.
Young Mike Walton really impressed me in the Sportsman feature, as he diced throughout , with the eventual winner Matt Janczuk.
Matt Pappa got past to take second place in the closing laps, but hey ! , a third in your first ever Feature, is quite an achievement.
The Outlaw 200 gave us plenty of lead changes where Tim McCreadie made the early running.
After making his exit with an early retirement, the race came down to three main contenders. For the final quarter of the 200 lapper it could of been either Jimmy Phelps, Matt Sheppard or Stewart Friesen who all took a turn at leading.
A car spinning off on lap 198 resulted in the caution flags coming out, and the added drama of a single file restart and a Green, White Checkers finish. Up until then Phelps looked like he’d got it in the bag, but a determined Sheppard slightly edged past on the restart.
Phelps wasn’t having any of this, and wasn’t going to let this one slip away, so quickly powered his way back in the lead, to grab the checkers. A great finish to a great night of racing !
It was all over by around 9-30 pm, so after getting my Victory Lane shots , I was out of the gate and heading for home. An early finish was just what the ‘doctor ordered’ and by 1-30 am , I was back home in Cornwall and the warmth of my bed.
By now the Flu symptoms were taking a hold, and I knew with SUPER DIRT WEEK rapidly approaching, I had to remedy the situation quickly. Sunday was spent resting while under medication , and a day off from work was needed on Monday.