FULL BORE: Can-Am Speedway Geared Up for Thunder in the Thousand Islands
Super DIRTcar Series championship battle commences Saturday, April 10, Tim Fuller poised to take on Series’ best
LAFARGVILLE, NY – On Saturday, April 10 the Super DIRTcar Series launches the 2021 championship points chase at Can-Am Speedway with the $7,500-to-win Thunder in the Thousand Islands 100.
Series stars like Canadian hero and defending champion Mat Williamson, seven-time champion Matt Sheppard, and many more premier Series drivers will be on hand to make their mark on the new season.
Under the tutelage of the Bartlett family, Can-Am Speedway, or as some call it, The Nasty Track, has experienced a racing renaissance. The track sanctions DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, and Pro Stocks in the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship program every Friday night, and all four DIRTcar Northeast Series make stops there.
The Super DIRTcar Series has made Can-Am its points championship opener for the past two years with the new fan-favorite $7,500-to-win Thunder in the Thousand Islands 100.
Tim Fuller, of Watertown, NY, launched his career at The Nasty Track. Fuller is looking at a pair of eights when it comes to Can-Am Speedway records. The pilot of the St. Lawrence Radiology No. 19 is tied for eighth in all-time Super DIRTcar Series wins and he is also eighth in all-time Can-Am Speedway Feature wins with 28.
“I started at Can-Am Speedway racing full seasons 1992-94,” Fuller said. “Last year was the first time I had done a full season there since then. It’s basically what I grew up on. I guess you get comfortable.”
Fuller’s success at the track spans decades. Over the past few years, the track surface has been receiving a facelift, but that has not phased him.
“I don’t think the track has changed that much,” he noted. “Everyone talks about the changes, but I still run the exact same gear. I’ve noticed that on the exit of Turn 2 you can’t swing out as wide. They took the egg shape out. It’s more of a straightaway.”
Fuller worked hard from day one to put himself in a position to race with strong, funded race teams. He holds one of the longest gaps between Series wins, which is a testament to his tenacity. Fuller shocked the Series best at Brockville Ontario Speedway in 1996 but didn’t pick up his second Feature win against the Series until 2003 at Rolling Wheels.
“It was a local track. I had just started Big Block racing,” Fuller said of his early first career Series win. “I didn’t have a pot to piss in all those years. I was racing with my money and there was very little. I couldn’t finance a team. It was half a joke. When 2000 rolled around I hooked up with Bob Faust. I had the experience and the right equipment. From there, things took off. 1996 to 2000, it was a joke. I had less than average equipment, but I was a race junkie and I was racing to get going and move forward and find something better.”
Fuller isn’t worried about records, but the significance of being tied with the great “Jumpin” Jack Johnson is notable.
“I am past worrying about the record books, but no doubt it’s amazing to be tied with Jack Johnson,” said Fuller. “But I think I’ve gone about as far as I can go in this sport. I’m not getting any younger. But I plan on popping off one or two Series wins in the next couple of years.”
The legendary “Hurricane” Steve Paine currently holds the record for the most Series wins at Can-Am with three. Matt Sheppard, who has two Series wins there, has the Series track record with a 19.084 sec. lap.
Also on the card are the DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds and the full-fendered DIRTcar Pro Stocks. They’ll be racing hard for valuable Hoosier points.
Gates open at 12 p.m., grandstands at 4:30 p.m., and finally Hot Laps go green at 4:30 p.m.
Head to Can-Am Speedway’s website for contact info and more. Follow the Super DIRTcar Series on Facebook, Twitter, Instagra
If you can’t make it to the track then be sure to pick up your DIRTvision FAST PASS for all the Super DIRTcar Series, World of Outlaws, and DIRTcar Racing action live.
Super DIRTcar Series Winners at Can-Am Speedway
7/19/88 – Doug Hoffman
7/18/89 – Brett Hearn
7/17/90 – Pat O’Brien
7/23/91 – Steve Paine
7/21/92 – Doug Hoffman
7/21/93 – Steve Paine
7/20/94 – Alan Johnson
8/30/95 – Danny O’Brien
7/18/96 – Bob McCreadie
7/17/97 – Steve Paine
7/16/98 – Pat Ward
7/22/99 – Billy Decker
7/20/00 – Danny Johnson
7/24/02 – Tim McCreadie
9/6/03 – Tim McCreadie
7/28/04 – Gary Tomkins
8/18/07 – Tim Fuller
8/18/07 – Steve Paine
8/16/08 – Gary Tomkins
8/21/09 – Matt Sheppard
4/13/19 – Matt Sheppard
10/9/20 – Anthony Perrego
All-Time Can-Am Speedway Winners
Pat O’Brien 73
Billy Dunn 51
Doug Carlyle 37
Danny O’Brien 36
Bob McCreadie 35
Marcel LaFrance 33
Frankie Caprara 32
Tim Fuller 28
Rick Wilson 27
Lee Gill 27
Tony Corcoran 24
John Dahm 22
Dave Heaslip 20
Billy Willcox 18
Steve Roberts 17
Ovide Dorion 16
Tim McCreadie 16
Bill Gill 14
Chris Raabe 12
Steve Paine 11
Billy Decker 10
Justin Haers 9
Laurent Ladouceur 8
Jimmy Johnson Jr. 8
Alan Johnson 8
Pat Ward 7
Doug Fuller 7
Jeff Sykes 7
Randy Ritskes 6
Ryan Arbuthnot 6
Larry Wight 6
Charlie Wilber 5
Dave Camara 5
Rob Winters 5
Mark Hitchcock 5
Steve Hulsizer 5
Rob Bellinger 5
Bob Makison 4
Pierre Dagenais 4
Jason Barney 4
Danny Johnson 4
Dale Planck 4
Vic Coffey 4
Rylee Gill 4
Mike Adderley 4
Doug Hoffman 3
Andy Romano 3
Brent Cross 3
Buzzie Reutimann 3
Lansing Petzoldt 3
Dale Eggleston 3
Gus Schmidt Jr. 3
Scott Parliament 3
Matt Billings 3
Zach Aubertine 3
Andy Howard 3
Brandon Sweet 3
Jordan McCreadie 3
Zach Aubertine 3
Andy Howard 3
Brandon Sweet 3
Jordan McCreadie 3
Erick Rudolph 3
Bill Munro 2
Dave Bartlett 2
Dave Cole 2
Kevin Martin 2
Jim Narrow 2
– – – Murdock 2
Bill Munro 2
Dave Bartlett 2
Dave Cole 2
Kevin Martin 2
Jim Narrow 2
Gary Tomkins 2
Todd Stewart 2
Mitch Gibbs 2
Matt Sheppard 2
Ryan Phelps 2
Michael Maresca 2
Roy Makinson 1
Mike Romano 1
Chuck LoPresti 1
Kenny Tremont Jr. 1
Brett Hearn 1
Mike Noto 1
Pete Bicknell 1
Dave Carr 1
Wayne Side 1
Gus Schmidt 1
Larry Welling Jr. 1
Chris Higgins 1
Kenny Stafford 1
Brian McDonald 1
Mike Mahaney 1
David Hebert 1
Mark Smoke 1
Tyler Meeks 1
Ryan Bartlett 1
Stewart Friesen 1
Bobby Herrington 1
John Lazore 1
Jason Potter 1
John Ramsey 1
Scott Webb 1
Luke Stewart 1
Lance Willix 1
Mike Maresca 1
Tim Sears Jr. 1
Anthony Perrego 1
109 Drivers 811 Features
The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.
Sources: Joe Grabianowski, Super DIRTcar Series PR
PHOTO: Joe Grabianowski