2006 Advance Auto Series opens with Mr. DIRT Champ Fuller on defense
by Tom Skibinski
WEEDSPORT, N.Y. -- Reigning Mr. DIRT champion Tim Fuller opens his quest for a second straight title when Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway kicks off the 2006 Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series on March 25. What better track to begin defense of the coveted overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Championship than one ranked among the favorites by Fuller and many of his biggest rivals on the Advance Auto Parts all-star tour.
"I just love the place, especially at night," said Fuller, 38, who time trialed fourth fastest, won his heat, then suffered an overheated motor and finished 24th last year when the race was rain-delayed until June. The Edwards, N.Y. pilot placed eighth in DIRT's 2001 debut and improved to fourth the following spring before settling for runner-up laurels in one of the greatest tour events ever witnessed in '04. "There's always a smooth surface where you can set the car up and expect to move forward if it's the right one. Hagerstown is definitely one of the top stops on the DIRT circuit and it's a great place to start things off for another year."
The 100-lap lid-lifter at Hagerstown, paying $6,000 to win, leads off the 27-race Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series. Brett Hearn claimed round one last season at Rolling Wheels (NY) Raceway while back at Hagerstown in 2004 Gary Tomkins became the first driver since 'Barefoot' Bob McCreadie (1995) to win the opener and go on to capture the prestigious Mr. DIRT crown in the same year.
Fuller comes into the season-opening 'North-South Shootout' as the man to beat. Despite showcasing a new number and paint scheme, he will be steering the same car that he captured the crown with last season; the same big-block entry that put him into victory lane recently at Volusia Speedway Park and carried his team to second in the final Florida Tour point standings.
"Bob and Michele (Faust, '05 championship car owners) turned the whole deal over to me this year and other than a new look that's about all that's really changed," said Fuller, who returned to his old number 19, dressed the car up in green and white, then adorned the TEO mount with sponsorship from JL Motorsports (NativePoker.com), Chiefs Tobacco & Gas-G&R Auto Parts. Crew chief Eugene Mullaney is back with him for a seventh consecutive year to maximize experience on the Northeast's premier open-wheel traveling tour.
"It's just go, go, go the first part of the season, there's no being conservative out there anymore. When the dust settles you just have to let the chips fall where they will at the end of the year. We always go to every race wanting to win but you still have to finish in the top-5 to stay in the hunt. There's a lot of points to take care of in between and a lot of money still waiting for the champion at the end," Fuller added.
Fuller captured the elusive Hoosier-Sunoco Mr. DIRT Championship ---the same title he had garnered twice before in DIRT 358-Modified competition--- posting a tour-best 6 wins, 14 front-5 finishes and 16 top-10 tallies in the 21 races run during the 2005 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series. He concluded his 11th season of big-block Modified competition by capturing a division-best 14 DIRT big-block feature wins to extend his career count to 62 ---add one more in Florida--- and rank him 19th all-time.
Last season Fuller moved into the top dozen on the all-time Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series win list with 11 extra-distance victories. However, the year before one of his best performances of the season netted him only second-place at Hagerstown in the 2004 thriller. Featuring a SDS record 16 lead changes, he traded the point with eventual Mr. DIRT champ Tomkins on five occasions over the final 36 laps while peeling a tire on the white flag lap to stall any chance for the top prize.
Fuller leads another banner field of big-block chauffeurs into competition Saturday at Hagerstown that includes all-time Advance Auto Parts SDS race winner Brett Hearn, five-time DIRT NE Driver of the Year Danny Johnson, and past Hagerstown tour winners Alan Johnson (2005), Gary Tomkins (2002, '04) and Steve Paine (2001). The 2006 event will mark only the fifth DIRT Modified race ever staged at Hagerstown as the track continues in its 59th consecutive season of operation under the promotion of Frank Plessinger, his daughter GM Lisa Bragunier, and PR Director Stan Dillon.
Joining the mighty Advance Auto Parts Modifieds in the doubleheader program will be the Late Models. Pit gates are scheduled to unlock at 3:00 p.m., grandstands open at 4:00 p.m. with warm-ups starting at 6 o'clock followed by big-block time trials. Hagerstown Speedway is located on U.S. Route 40, four miles west of I-81 and adjacent to the Gateway Seafood Restaurant, the official track restaurant where drivers and fans meet after the races. For additional information, log into www.dirtmotorsports.com, contact the speedway office at (301) 582-0640 or visit the track website at www.hagerstownspeedway.com.
The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, DART Machinery, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company and Wrisco Industries.
Tim Fuller's DIRT Modified Diary
DIRT NorthEast Advance Auto Parts Hoosier-Sunoco
Year Circuit Wins Series Wins Mr. DIRT Points
2005 14 6 1st
2004 18 4 3rd
2003 5 1 10th
2002 5 -- 4th
2001 3 -- 7th
2000 2 -- 8th
1999 3 -- 7th
1998 1 -- 10th
1997 4 -- 10th
1996 3 -- 13th
1995 3 -- 19th
Totals: 61 11 1 Title
|
Email this article to a friend
Print Version