179th Ontario Co. Fair Full-Fender Titles Taken By Dalton Martin & Collin Mills
Teams off July 30 before CRSA returns to speedway for Aug. 6 ‘Saturday Sprint Spectacular’
Back on track for a second straight season, Enduro stock cars took center stage Wednesday evening during the 179th Ontario County Fair with Dalton Martin capturing the lead-off 6-Cylinder championship and Collin Mills making his title run in the 4-Cylinder nightcap presented by Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling at Land Of Legends Raceway.
Boasting a pair of $500 first-place prizes —2nd-$300, 3rd-$200— the twin 50-lap feature format attracted 81 amateur entries with Martin rallying from dead-last to best 29 other sixes while Mills led all but three circuits from his fifth starting position to outlast 50 full-fender foes comprising the field of fours.
“Just stayed out of trouble and took it easy the first couple laps when guys were beatin’ and bangin,’ noted Martin, a weekly contender in Land of Legends’ DIRTcar Sportsman class on Saturdays throughout the summer months. “Then just pretty much held it wide-open for however long at the end.”
Picking up the rear of the 30-car pack under Chief Starter Mike Robinson’s initial green flag, Martin put his black #60 Broccolo Automotive Chevrolet Malibu on cruise control early as Waterloo brothers Justin and Jamie Eldredge Jr. swapped the lead from their front row starts. Justin led the opening two circuits before a flat right front tire forced him pitside to relinquish the point to Jamie.
Marc Minutolo became the third Canandaigua regular to gain command, taking the top spot on lap 11 to begin a back-and-forth battle out front. Minutolo slowed briefly on lap 22 to open the door for Dennis Thompson before the two swapped the lead twice more until Minutolo pulled to the infield for good on lap 24. In a three-wide maneuever out of turn two, Kyle Wilkins from Geneva took a short-lived lead on lap 28 as Martin made his presence known taking over the runner-up slot.
Martin forged what amounted to the final change on lap 30, although the new third-place car was none other than Justin Eldredge, who had stormed back through after losing three laps during the early pit stop. The top-three were all on the same straightaway with 20 to go, each looking for an open lane as slower traffic and parked cars provided non-stop suspense rounding all four corners of the track.
Eldredge went around Wilkins for second on lap 34 and chased down Martin as the pair ran bumper-to-bumper with a dozen laps to go. Eldredge was ready to regain the lead as he pulled alongside Martin down the back chute on lap 39, yet Justin suddenly dropped off the pace after a failing transmission ended the dramatic charge and any chance for a lifetime of fame at the Fair.
It only took a handful of laps for Martin to open up a comfortable straightaway advantage in the aftermath, although Eldredge hung on to finish second while Wilkins salvaged third-place at the line. Still looking for his first open-wheel win at LOLR, the second-generation wheelman from Scottsville now enters his name in the track recordbook for full-fender drivers at the hallowed half-miler.
“Kinda thought Eldredge was leading, figured we were second, at least third,” remarked Martin, who planned a possible return in the same car for the Ontario Co. Fair Demolition derby scheduled over the weekend. “He was the only one that had passed me once so I thought we were probably second.”
After a 45-minute break to re-water the track surface and clean up the muddied carnage from race one wreckage, fans returned to their grandstand seats as the 4-cylinder entries ventured trackside in round two fighting for fair honors.
Joining dad Shawn Mills inside row three to begin the second 25-mile main, Collin only ran second to his father laps 4-6 as the leadfoot from Windsor NY was the class of the field aboard the family’s yellow #9 Mills Logging Chevrolet Cavalier.
“Wanted to get the lead early … if you’re not first, you’re last,” exclaimed the triumphant Mills, who launched his Enduro career last October and now has almost a dozen events under his belt. “Only concern was a couple people that kept hitting me in the left rear. Track kinda got a little bumpy and thought I had a flat tire but I just rode it out.”
While the opening 6-Cylinder showdown ran without a hitch in 27 minutes, three red flags forced Mills to wait out his near flawless finish at the fairgrounds. A fire under the hood of Jim Eldridge’s Honda Civic required the first stoppage with 15 laps complete before Jason Begnouche’s Subaru Impreza came to stop sideways in turn four with the driver’s door facing oncoming traffic to incur the second shutdown on lap 35.
The third setback on the ensuing restart was easily the most thrilling as then race runner-up Raymond Jones caught the front wheel of his Chevrolet Cobalt down low between turns three and four then barrel-rolled multiple times across the track before ending up on all fours. In one of the quickest exits ever caught on video, Jones emerged unscathed as concerns for a fuel leak and the possibility of ignition promoted a breathtaking Houdini-like escape.
Back under green with less than 15 laps to go, Mills quickly built up a straightaway lead and with just five laps left the margin had ballooned to a half-track. When the checkered flag finally unfurled, Mills was the lone driver to complete all 50 laps with Stanley’s Pat Kerrick credited with second and Clifton Springs chauffeur Jeff Landuyt scored in third.
TEAM EFFORT
Turning one year older on Tuesday, LOLR Promoter Paul Cole extended a special thank-you to his loyal staff that managed the special show run seamlessly during the local Fair, including event organizer Tana Robinson, veteran safety tech officials Mike Welch and Casey Wagner, P.A. Announcer Steve Ovens and first-string scorers Sheila Darcy, Toni Dillon, Nick Fultz and Makenna Hansen. LOLR racers Adam DePuy and Darryl Ruggles, along with wife Wendy Ruggles, provided vital trackside assistance along with corner flagman Nick Legrett and Jerry Ellis, who manned track lights throughout this annual affair.
LEGEND LEDGER
There will be no oval track racing on July 30 during the Ontario Co. Fair, with the next ‘Saturday Spectacular’ slated for Aug. 6 at Land Of Legends Raceway. Headlined by a return trip from the CRSA 305 Tour, the lead-off show in August presented by Auction Direct and DisBatch Brewing Company features a complete program of Pepsi Big-Block Modified, Speed Connection Sportsman, Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling Street Stock and Lloyd’s Contracting Hobby Stock racing plus MighTea Boba New Legends Sportsman action.
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.
MIGHTEA BOBA & PEPSI POUR IT ON IN THE PLAZA
Even before the action heats up the track, fans will get a chance to get up close and personal with a talented trio of drivers and their cars while enjoying a tasty BBQ. When lunchtime arrives on Sat, Aug. 6, 11am-2pm, MighTea Boba and Pepsi will play host to a special meet & greet featuring guest wheelmen Peter Britten from Land of Legends headline Big-Block Modified class and Mike Welch and Parker Smith showcasing the Street Stock ranks. Pre-sale tickets for this afternoon event are $12.00 each and available for purchase from MighTea Boba, located next to TJ Maxx in Roseland Plaza on Routes 5 & 20, just minutes south of the track.
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 entering its stretch run, 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.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday Spectacular, Aug. 6 @ 6:30pm; Auction Direct and DisBatch Brewing Company present Big-Block Modified/Sportsman/CRSA 305 Sprint Tour/Street Stock/Hobby Stock plus New Legends Sportsman with Suicide Prevention Benefit.
*No Racing Sat., July 30.
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
photo by Shawn Greene