McLaughlin Captures 1st Super DIRTcar Series Show At Dad’s Former Hometrack
Tyler Corcoran dominates Sportsman Series special for 2nd LOLR win of 2022 season
Land Of Legends Raceway continued its march through time with second-generation standout Max McLaughlin scoring his first Super DIRTcar Series points race win Thursday night in the ‘Stars & Stripes 76’ presented by Honeoye Auto Parts & Emerson Oil Company/Castrol.
It was at the same Ontario County Fairgrounds oval in Canandaigua, NY that his father Mike McLaughlin logged his first-ever Pepsi Big-Block Modified victory on Aug. 25, 1979, while Max matched that feat in a Saturday show on July 17, 2018.
“Pretty cool that my dad won his first race here,” remarked McLaughlin, 22, whose father ‘Magic Shoes’ also took his 15th and final checkered flag at LOLR in August of 1981. Forty years later ‘Mad Max’ etches his name in racing lore both at the fairgrounds and on the Super DIRTcar Series, after becoming the 22nd SDS race winner at LOLR since 1976.
“We’ve been horrible the last couple weeks but never gave up, kept digging. All the guys in the shop worked their tails off, can’t say enough about them..”
Filling out the ‘Thursday Spectacular’ in front of a full house of eager race fans, Tyler Corcoran led all but the opening circuit to claim the companion 25-lap Northeast Series Central/West Region headliner for Speed Connection Sportsman.
Boasting 24 of the top-25 in SDS points and a host of hometrack favorites, a banner field of 43 Big-Block teams flocked to the fairgrounds for the mid-week series show. Veteran Pat Ward earned the $100 Fast Time Award in My Place Hotels trials after a one-lap clocking of 20.381sec. (88.318 mph) but unfortunately re-drew the highest number among the top-12 heat finishers. Reigning LOLR points king Justin Haers selected the pole while McLaughlin chose sixth on the 28-car starting grid.
As expected, Haers jumped out early at the drop of chief starter Scott Hixson’s initial green flag, jockeying with front row partner Adam Pierson as Tim Sears Jr., Jimmy Phelps and Phelps teammate McLaughlin were already mired in the mix. Current LOLR points leader Peter Britten cracked the front-five with 15 laps complete yet soonafter pulled his smoking #21A machine to the infield to put an abrupt end to the night.
Haers took advantage of the non-stop green flag racing with his closest challengers searching for the fastest way to catch him around the smooth half-miler. A third of the way through, Sears had settled into the runner-up slot with a torrid battle waged between Phelps, McLaughlin and 11th starting Matt Sheppard demanding the most attention.
McLaughlin finally grabbed third from Phelps on lap 34 and a half-dozen circuits later tracked down Sears to take over second. Meanwhile, Sheppard swept by Phelps on lap 37 while Erick Rudolph closed in on the top five just past the halfway point.
The first and only yellow flag finally flew on lap 46 when all-time Canandaigua winner Alan Johnson slowed with a flat right-rear tire. Haers’ seemingly comfortable lead suddenly evaporated with McLaughlin, Sears, Sheppard and Phelps now staring him down and Rudolph, Kyle Coffey and Stewart Friesen gaining a clearer line of sight to the leaders.
Rudolph disposed of Phelps then stole fourth from Sheppard after the ensuing restart before ‘Super Matt’ regained the position on lap 53. Two miles later it was Sears falling victim to a charging Sheppard, leaving only Haers and McLaughlin in the way of a seventh series win in Canandaigua.
McLaughlin had other ideas as the the laps clicked off, cutting the gap on Haers with the lead duo maneuvering through traffic at a methodical pace. Inching closer and closer to the finish, the HBR #8H F.X. Caprara Harley-Davidson-Armor Security-Cellular Sales-Mohawk Northeast/Bicknell entry finally pulled alongside the Haers #3 Phelps Cement mount as the pair exited turn two, forging the lone lead change with just four laps to go then holding on for a dramatic five car-length victory worth $7,600 and a place in the record book.
“When Matt first showed his nose I thought it was too late and he was gonna make a run,” recalled McLaughlin, describing his mid-race move to the front. “Then I got a real good run out of (turn) four. Saw Matt get a little high and I said ‘man, this is my time’ and I split him and Jimmy in turn one.”
“We had a really good race car. Can’t say enough about Justin Haers, he drove a helluva race and he’s one of my favorite guys in the pit area. He raced me clean and that was fun. Have to thank Al Heinke (owner) for giving me this opportunity to come back here and run,” added McLaughlin, who makes his home away from racing in Mooresville, NC.
Residing much closer to the track in nearby Phelps, a disheartened Haers still took solace in a superb second-place tally despite leading the initial 72 laps.
“What a shame, I really wanted to win this race but Max’s car was better than mine at the end,” stated Haers, still looking for his first feature win this season although standing second on the LOLR points chart just a single marker behind Britten. “I knew when we got into lapped traffic I was having some problems. They were maintaining with me if not getting away. I just got loose coming off turn two halfway through the race and it just kinda killed my drive off.”
“I was really good in three and four, just couldn’t get through one and two. But can’t hang your head with a second-place finish going against these guys. My crew worked their butts off preparing for this race and we were competitive all night, maybe needed a shorter race,” smiled Haers, who finished 19th and 6th when inclement weather helped dictate a twin 60-lap feature format last summer.
Sheppard placed 10th and 5th in the same doubleheader a year ago, yet took top prize in the SDS show held in September before finishing third on Thursday.
“Had a really good car, was able to overcome a bad draw and get up here on the podium which is still pretty good,” figured Sheppard, an eight-time Super DIRTcar Series champion as well as the winningest driver with nearly 80 tour triumphs. The Waterloo native won at LOLR in mid-May to give him 86 career Big-Block wins at the fairgrounds and rank fourth all-time.“All-and-all a good heat win and points night for us.”
“Was able to show Max my nose and unfortunately show him the line up top. Track was super tricky. Kinda ran the leaders down after that caution and thought I might have something for them but the car turned the other way on me. Poor draw but a good finish, we’ll take it and move on,” added Sheppard (822 pts), who moved ahead of McLaughlin (818) and Canadian star Mat Williamson (808) in the SDS standings after six extra-distance events.
The Super DIRTcar Series returns to action at Big Diamond (Pa.) Speedway on Tue. July 12 with a $7,500 winner’s share awaiting the top Big-Block traveling teams in the 75-lap main event. The premier Big-Block tour returns to LOLR on Thr. Aug. 18 as the third and final leg of the Super DIRTcar Series SummerFAST, with another $7,500 on top for the 60-lap victor.
The first of two Sportsman Series stops scheduled at the Land of Legends in ’22 attracted 38 teams on Thursday with open-wheel entries matching their Big-Block counterparts by running group time trials, four qualifying heats and a pair of consolation rounds to determine the final 30-car starting order.
Unlike last summer when Corcoran was fast all night steering his no. 64 Halmar Int’l-Power Seal-Dirt Track Digest/Bicknell mount to a second-best qualifying time, on this night the Central Square pilot was sixth quickest in his nine-car group. He regrouped just in time to finish third in his heat to earn an all-important re-drew spot for the 25-lap finale.
“Just like last night I sucked in time trials once again,” said Corcoran, 20, who finished 10th on Wednesday night in the Sportsman Series event staged at Can-Am Speedway in LaFargeville NY. Ironically, Can-Am’s 30-lap feature winner David Rogers placed 10th at LOLR on Thursday. “To put it in the re-draw was definitely the biggest thing on this track tonight. There’s really a stacked group of drivers here like the Guererri boys and (Joe) Sobotka. Hats off to Rich and Paul (Cole, LOLR promoter), this is a phenomenal race track, I could go anywhere with the lapped cars.”
Current LOLR points leader Nick Guererri out-sprinted pole-sitter Andrew Buff to lead the opening circuit before a multi-car tangle between turns one and two incurred a quick caution period the second time around. Ryan Dolbear and Ryan Barrett were able to rejoin the field although Chris Mackey was done for the night.
Corcoran wasted little time on the ensuing restart, bolting ahead and immediately establishing a big advantage up front. Fifth-starting Justin Henderson grabbed second from Guererri on lap five followed by Buff and Canandaigua mainstay Kane Bristol.
The final 24 laps were run caution-free with Corcoran stretching the margin to a full straightaway. Canandaigua’s previous Saturday night feature winner Henderson crossed the line second in the final rundown followed by Guererri and Buff with Bristol nipping Tyler Murray for fifth rounding turn four.
“Everybody jokes around about my left-front always being picked up in the air,” noted Corcoran, after becoming the first repeat winner in nine races at the fairgrounds in 2022. He also won the series stop at LOLR last August. “Could definitely feel that thing up there but that’s where I felt really glued no matter how hard I came into the corner. Man, this car was just unbelievable.”
“When the middle of turns one and two went away on me, kinda gotta a little concerned. I just tried to diamond off the bottom in three and four, show them my nose and hopefully run them clean and not scuff up anything,” Corcoran added.
Fresh off his first feature win in 10 seasons at LOLR, runner-up Henderson could only be satisfied settling for one spot below Saturday’s memorable outing.
“After the initial start then when we went to the restart he was gone,” said Henderson, following a second successive solid run against some of the best in the business. “We had a great car but just didn’t have anything for him tonight. We have a great crew, some phenomenal sponsors and my dad a multi-time track champ wrenching on the car … really good deal going on right now.”
In the quest of capturing his first track crown, Guererri was just as content considering the extent of competition he faced Thursday as well as every Saturday night at his weekend stomping grounds.
“I’m happy to be up here (podium). We had a good car, just not good enough,” said Guererri, looking to dethrone younger brother Matt Guererri, the two-time defending Sportsman titlist at the fairgrounds. “We were a third or even fourth-place car, Buff was faster at the end.”
“Just goes to show what the competition looks like here on Saturday nights. A lot of Canandaigua cars up front so I’m pretty proud of that,” added Guererri, noting the group of weekly track regulars that comprised seven of the Top-10 spots on the final scoresheet.
The series returns to the Ontario Co. Fairgrounds in Canandaigua alongside the Big-Blocks once again when LOLR stages its second stop for both tours on Aug. 18. It will be the third Sportsman qualifying event leading up to the 4th Annual Gerald Haers Memorial on Sat. Sept. 17 with Karl Comfort joining Corcoran as guaranteed starters in the season-ending autumn attraction.
LEGEND LEDGER
While there will be no racing at the fairgrounds on July 2, the ‘Saturday Spectacular’ presented by Lee Depew & Son Trucking on July 9 includes a full-tilt five-star show plus MighTea Boba New Legends Sportsman and the third Land Of Legends Wall of Fame induction in 2022 honoring long-time racer Danny Johnson. Pepsi Big-Block Modifieds take center stage alongside Speed Connection Sportsmen, Mike Emhof Motorsports 305 Sprints, Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling Street Stocks and Lloyd’s Contracting Hobby Stocks.
Practice sessions kick off on-track activity at 5:30pm. Heat race qualifiers for all six divisions go green at 6:30pm with pit gates opening at 3:30pm and spectators gaining admittance into the main grandstands at 5 o’clock.
SKIDMARKS
If you can’t make it out to the race track this season, LIVE video coverage of every event can still be enjoyed weekly through Land of Legends TV as all LIVE streaming will once again be offered FREE in 2022. On-line registration at https://landoflegendstv.com/
Also available for download is the LOLR mobile app found at Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/
App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/
In 2022 regular weekly ticket prices remain $15 Adults, $13 Seniors, Kids under 16 FREE. Pit Admission is $40 for all ages. For those youngsters needing pit access, Child Season Pit Passes are $30 for 2 & Under and $150 for kids 3-14. Camping is FREE at all race events.
To purchase ticket and pit pass bundle packages in advance or discuss marketing opportunities available at the track this season, please contact LOLR Marketing Director Tana Robinson via e-mail tana@landoflegendsraceway.com or cell 716-799-5669.
With the 59th season naering the halfway mark, be sure to follow the point standings and breaking news online by visiting www.LandOfLegendsRaceway.com.
Land of Legends Raceway is located at the Ontario County Fairgrounds, east of the city on Town Line Road (County Road 10), with easy access off either Exit 43 (Manchester, Route 21 South) or Exit 44 (Farmington, Route 332 South) of the New York State Thruway, just ½-hour southeast of Rochester.
Land of Legends Raceway Event Summary – June 30, 2022
Honeoye Auto Parts & Emerson Oil Company/Castrol present
Thursday Super Spectacular – Super DIRTcar Series Race #6
Pepsi Big-Block Modified “Stars & Stripes 76”
*Feature (76 laps): 1. 8h-Max McLaughlin ($7,600), 2. 3-Justin Haers, 3. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 4. 25-Erick Rudolph, 5. 44-Stewart Friesen, 6. 83x-Tim Sears Jr., 7. 4*-Anthony Perrego, 8. 23c-Kyle Coffey, 9. 48g-Gary Tomkins, 10. 98h-Jimmy Phelps, 11. 99L-Larry Wight, 12. 3j-Marc Johnson, 13. 84y-Alex Yankowski, 14. 91-Billy Decker, 15. 14j-Alan Johnson, 16. 42p-Pat Ward, 17. 215-Adam Pierson, 18. 2L-Jack Lehner, 19. 7z-Zach Payne, 20. 88-Mat Williamson, 21. 49-Billy Dunn, 22. 70a-Alex Payne, 23. 14-CG Morey, 24. 32r-Ronnie Davis III, 25. m1-Dave Marcuccilli, 26. 21a-Peter Britten, 27. 37-Paul St. Sauveur, 2a-Mike Gular(DNS).
Heats (8 laps / 5 qualify / top-3 redraw)
#1: Sheppard, Pierson, Ward, Coffey, Tomkins, Dunn, D.Johnson, Dinkins, Morey, St.Sauveur, Lawrence.
#2: Britten, Friesen, Rudolph, Yankowski, Lehner, Z.Payne, Corriveau, Root, Krentz, D.Johnson Jr, Birosh.
#3: Phelps, A.Payne, McLaughlin, M.Johnson, Marcuccilli, Davis, Johnston, Sharp, Rauscher, Podsiadlo, Sperring(DNS).
#4: Sears, A.Johnson, Haers, Wight, Perrego, Decker, Williamson, Sweeting, Gular, Fuller(DNS).
HYTORC Last Chance Showdowns (10 laps/ 2 qualify)
#1: Dunn, Z.Payne, Corriveau, Root, Dinkins, Morey, Krentz, St.Sauveur, D.Johnson Jr, Birosh, Lawrence, D.Johnson(DNS).
#2: Decker, Davis, Johnston, Williamson, Smith, Sweeting, Gular, Rauscher, Podsiadlo, Fuller(DNS), Sperring(DNS).
Provisionals: Williamson, Gular, St.Sauveur, Morey.
My Place Hotels Group Time Trials (3 laps / 43 cars)
#1: Ward 20.381sec. (88.318 mph), Pierson 20.590, Sheppard 20.680, Coffey 20.782, Morey 20.918, Tomkins 21.006, Dunn 21.017, Dinkins 21.257, St.Sauveur 21.570, Lawrence 21.739, D.Johnson(-NT-).
#2: Britten 20.465sec. (87.955 mph), Rudolph 20.653, Z.Payne 20.724, Yankowski 20.752, Lehner 20.774, Friesen 20.793, Corriveau 20.967, Root 21.005, D.Johnson Jr 21.317, Krentz 21.368, Birosh(-NT-).
#3: Phelps 20.598sec. (87.387 mph), A.Payne 20.664, McLaughlin 20.795, M.Johnson 20.855, Smith 21.058, Johnston 21.116, Davis 21.137, Marcuccilli 21.201, Rauscher 21.294, Podsiadlo 21.346, Sperring 21.433.
#4: Sears 20.660sec. (87.125 mph), A.Johnson 20.666, Decker 20.769, Haers 20.862, Wight 20.893, Perrego 20.957, Williamson 21.056, Gular 21.288, Sweeting 21 557, Fuller(-NT-).
DNQ: 7-Troy Sperring, 11j-James Sweeting, 12-Darren Smith, 17-Marcus Dinkins, 19-Tim Fuller, 21-Derrick Podsiadlo, 27j-Danny Johnson, 27jr-Daniel Johnson Jr., 29ny-Greg Birosh, 33j-Robbie Johnston, 34-Kevin Root, 48too-Dave Rauscher, 56-Garrison Krentz, 96-JF Corriveau, 174-Jeff Lawrence.
Speed Connection Sportsman Modified
DIRTcar Northeast Series Central Race #2/West Region Race #3
Gerald Haers Memorial Qualifier #2
*Feature (25 laps): 1. 64-Tyler Corcoran ($1,000), 2. 18h-Justin Henderson, 3. 25g-Nick Guererri, 4. 92-Andrew Buff, 5. 31-Kane Bristol, 6. 1m-Tyler Murray, 7. 35t-Cameron Tuttle, 8. 113jr.-Frank Guererri Jr., 9. 132-Dalton Martin, 10. 44-Dave Rogers, 11. 410-Mike Fowler, 12. 12g-Matt Guererri, 13. 72-James Michael Friesen, 14. 10-Karl Comfort, 15. 18e-Gavin Eisele, 16. 38-Zach Sobotka, 17. 22-Noah Walker, 18. 10g-Austin Germinio, 19. 3n-Justin Sharp, 20. 108-Bill Bleich Jr., 21. 89-Dylan Madsen, 22. 7-Paul Guererri, 23. 51-Tim Lafler, 24. 31b-Ryan Dolbear, 25. 27z-Ray Bliss, 26. 33-Richard Murtaugh, 27. 21-Ryan Barrett, 28. 42-Daryl Nutting, 29. 3-Chris Mackey, 63-Teddy Clayton Jr.(DNS).
Heats (8 laps / 5 qualify / top-3 redraw)
#1: Comfort, Buff, Bristol, F.Guererri, Lafler, Dolbear, Sharp, Clayton, Velez, Hoxie.
#2: Murtaugh, N.Guererri, Henderson, Bliss, Walker, Eisele, Sperring, Bleich, Bruno, Barrett.
#3: Tuttle, Martin, Corcoran, Fowler, Sobotka, M.Guererri, P.Guererri, Mackey, Breezee.
#4: Murray, Rogers, Friesen, Germinio, Nutting, Madsen, Moden, Baker, Gregg.
Last Chance Showdowns (10 laps/ 3 qualify)
#1: Eisele, Sharp, Dolbear, Clayton, Sperring, Hoxie, Velez, Bruno, Bleich.
#2: M.Guererri, Madsen, P.Guererri, Mackey, Baker, Moden, Breezee, Barrett, Gregg.
Provisionals: Clayton, Mackey, Bleich, Barrett.
Group Time Trials (3 laps / 38 cars)
#1: Buff 20.533 sec. (87.664 mph), Comfort 20.662, F.Guererri 20.668), Bristol 20.683, Lafler 20.814, Dolbear 20.884, Clayton 21.033, Sharp 21.117, Velez 21.185, Hoxie 21.293.
#2: Murtaugh 20.775 (86.643 mph), Henderson 20.824, Walker 20.998, N.Guererri 21.004, Eisele 21.172, Bliss 21.331, Sperring 21.344, Bleich 21.357, Bruno 21.485, Barrett 21.560.
#3: Tuttle 20.903 (86.112 mph), Martin 21.024, Sobotka 21.027, Fowler 21.036, P.Guererri 21.080, Corcoran 21.172, Mackey 21.282, M.Guererri 21.315, Breezee 21.540,
#4: Germinio 21.202 (84.898 mph), Nutting 21.255, Murray 21.299, Madsen 21.339, Rogers 21.359, Friesen 21.558, Baker 21.937, Gregg 22.146, Moden 22.424.
DNQ: 00-Sam Hoxie, 7-JT Sperring, 9-Tim Baker, 18-Cliff Gregg, 21v-Tony Velez, 22x-Johnny Bruno, 28-Jordan Moden, 29b-Jason Breezee.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday Spectacular, July 9 @ 6:30pm; Lee Depew & Son Trucking presents Big-Block Modified/Sportsman/305 Sprint/Street Stock/Hobby Stock plus New Legends Sportsman and Wall of Fame Induction Night #3.
*No Racing Sat., July 2.
Track Instant Info
Website: www.LandOfLegendsRaceway.com
E-Mail: info@LandOfLegendsRaceway.com
Twitter: @LandofLegendsNY
Facebook: @LandofLegendsNY
Instagram: @LandofLegendsNY
Live Stream: https://landoflegendstv.com/
Along with recognizing its weekly 50/50 raffle fund beneficiaries, Land of Legends Raceway is proud to salute several sponsors and corporate partners that continue to help bring its fans the best Saturday night racing show in the Northeast. Listed alphabetically are 2022 division sponsors Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling, Mike Emhof Motorsports, Pepsi Geneva Club Beverage, Lloyd’s Contracting, MighTea Boba, Speed Connection; event sponsors Admar Construction Equipment & Supply Company, Auction Direct USA, A-Verdi Storage Containers, Cargill, DC Rauscher Contractor, Lee DePew & Son Trucking, Emerson Oil Company/Castrol, Ferris Mowers, FH Mechanical HVAC, Genesee Beer/Coors Light/Twisted Tea, Geneva Club Beverage/Pepsi, Honeoye Auto Parts, Jack Howell Properties, iFreeze Storage & Distribution Center, LSI Solutions, MCS Farm & Feed, Nashville’s Rockin Country Redneck Tavern, Phelps Cement Products, Prouty’s Bar & Grill, Regional Truck & Trailer, Seneca Auto Sales & Service, Seneca Meadows, Sherwin Williams Paint, Tradition Automotive Group, VP Racing Fuels; promotional partners Always Locked Self Storage, Auto Value Parts Stores, Baker’s Externinating, Cazbah Internet Marketing, Champion Power Equipment, ConEquip, Disbatch Brewing Company, Elab Smokers Boutique, Enertech, Geneva Club Beverage, Hoosier Racing Tire, Legott’s Club 86, Mac’s Dairy Bar & Mini Golf, Ontario County Fairboard, On The Rocks Bar & Grill, Phelps Community Center Head Start Program, The “Original” Red Osier Landmark Restaurant, RockAuto.com, Schultz Heating & Cooling, Stirling Lubricants, Superior Plumbing Service, Taylor The Builders, Vance Metal Fabrication, Weedsport Hall of Fame, Wicked Tees.
Sources: Tom Skibinski, Land of Legends Raceway PR
Shawn Greene photo