Welcome to Doug's Dirt Diary

SUNY Canton Automotive Technology program

Webmaster's Note

I added two new photo bins to see what happens. Let me know how it works.

Tuesday, May 21st 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Matt Sheppard talks with Jay Fish after winning his third Modified win of the year at Canandaigua.
Jimmy Phelps finished second at Canandaigua and told Jay Fish about his up & down race night.
Aaron Jacobs described how his season has been going as he runs at Glen Ridge and Utica Rome.
Tommy Juhl got ready at Fulton and talked about Marcia Wetmore going into the Hall of Fame.
Steve Cummings prepared for his first race of the year and talked about his time off from racing.
Greg Cool earned his very 1st Sportsman feature win and told Jay Fish how he felt about the victory.
Frank Burnell had a good 9th place finish at Canandaigua and talked about his early struggles.
Dale Caswell is looking for his first Late Model win of the year and wonders about his aggression.

We have a lot of new audio for you today from three different speedways. I have stuff from my trips to Fulton and Utica Rome while Jay Fish also has some stuff up today from his night at Canandaigua.

We also have a lot in the can with nineteen chats already recorded and I should be back in the studio today to get more. And again it is so nice to have another voice on the site besides mine. I have offered the opportunity to many but Jeremiah is the only one to take me up on the offer. Thanks again buddy!

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today for you to listen to on the Audio Page. I begin with some stuff from Saturday night. Matt Sheppard talks with Jay Fish after winning his third Modified feature of the year at Canandaigua. He spoke about how he knew how good his car was, where he was making his moves as he came from 18^th and how tough it was to pass a good friend for the lead.

Jimmy Phelps finished second at Canandaigua and told Jay Fish about his up & down race night. He told him why he almost pulled in early, how a well timed yellow helped and where he feels he is right now.

Aaron Jacobs described how his season has been going as he runs at Glen Ridge and Utica Rome. He told me how his small block does at the smaller track, how different his car is in the rear suspension and wonders if he has to back things off a bit.

Tommy Juhl got ready at Fulton and talked about Marcia Wetmore going into the DIRT Hall of Fame. He shared some stories of her involvement on the Outlaw Circuit, explained how he keeps his trailer level on the hill in the pit area and how important it is to support the back of the Sportsman while on the road.

Steve Cummings prepared for his first race of the year and talked about his time off from racing. He talked about the help he had with his new Troyer, what his plans are for the season and described his background in the sport as well as what put him out of the sport 15 years ago.

Greg Cool earned his very 1st Sportsman feature win and told Jay Fish how he felt about the victory. He explained what he started thinking about at the half way point of the race, how tight he is with the drivers he races against and how nice it was to get congratulations from the people he races with.

Frank Burnell had a good 9th place finish at Canandaigua and talked about his early struggles. He told Jay Fish how he felt his car was, how a slower car got him in the infield and how his fellow racers tease him during the week on facebook. Good stuff here!

Dale Caswell is looking for his first Late Model win of the year and wonders about his current level of aggression. He spoke about how to find the perfect balance point, how good he has been overall and looks forward to racing tomorrow night at Can Am.

Monday, May 20th 2013

New on the Audio Page from the Utica Rome Speedway:

Pre race conversations:

Claude Hutchings Jr. remembered last week’s win and when he showed his car to school kids.
Shane Andrews talked about his return to Utica Rome to help and his demo derby on Saturday.
Pat Ward spoke about his win Saturday at Fulton and what happened on the last lap at Brewerton.
Bill Knapp recently blew up a Ford engine and talked about the older one he had in for Sunday.
Mark Weaver described the help he received to get a motor back together after blowing one early.

After the heat races:

Chris Carr walked me through his pass for the lead as he won the first Pro Stock heat of the night.
Bill Knapp won his heat with an old motor and talked about how good it was on the tacky track.
Casey Williams led all but one lap to win his heat and spoke about his battle at the front of the field.
Rob Bellinger was in a loaded heat and talked about his move on lap six that got him the victory.
Dale Planck took a car that was in a bad crash on Friday to a heat win and told me how it felt.

After the feature races:

Pete Stefanski won is first Pro Stock race of the year and described his battle up front for the win.
Matt Sheppard was part of a great Modified feature and walked us through the final few laps.
Stewart Friesen finished in second place leading one lap and offered his take on the race up front.
Willy Decker had a nice third place run in the Modified race and told me where he felt he was better.

It was a fun night at the Utica Rome Speedway as the track really moved things along on an overcast, cold night. The track was tacky early on and from what I heard stayed tackier than usual all night long. And the Modified feature was one that people will be talking about this week for sure.

Matt Sheppard took the lead from Casey Williams with 14 laps to go. The two had battled in a heat race earlier in the night with Williams taking the checkered flag after Sheppard got by on the white flag lap.

In the feature, Sheppard coolly got by Williams with a low move in turn four but this one was far from over as last week’s winner Stewart Friesen caught the leader on lap 24. There laps later he tried a slide job that Sheppard looked ready for and quickly re-took the lead.

But with the white flag waving, Friesen was able to get by with a slide job that stuck only to have Sheppard come back with a similar move in turn two on the final lap. The two made contact but there was no retaliation or harsh words afterwards. It was just a super competitive Modified race.

I recorded the victory lane interview and then hit second and third place in the pit area afterwards. It was a race that like I said, people will be talking about this week. And if you missed this, you need to be sure to get back there next week for their big Memorial Day Weekend two day show.

All in all it was another real good show at a track that is currently putting together one of the best Modified fields around. The Pro Stock race was very entertaining as well as the Sportsman which saw another good race there. Plus at the end of the night the Mods put on sail panels to practice for next week where they will be allowed on both days.

We may have some photos up today as I will try them at some point with Webmaster Andy here to make sure it goes well. We’re still working hard to see if we have our issues solved and we will keep you posted.

We also have 29 interviews in the can for release this week and will be in the studio again tomorrow to get more. And don’t forget that Can Am has a show on Wednesday so go to their website off our Track Links Page to learn more. Have a great Monday. I know I will!

Sunday, May 19th 2013

New on the Audio Page from the Fulton Speedway:

Pre race conversations:

Chad Phelps talked about his Modified win at Fulton last weekend and how he got some help.
Rob Bellinger explained how he went from 3^rd to 1^st on the last lap to win Friday at Brewerton.
Chuck Bower described the lap one crash he was involved in the night before and how bad it was.
Ronnie Davis III came from way back the week at Fulton before and talked about his feature win.
Matt Hulsizer was also involved in Friday’s big crash at Brewerton and described the damage.

After the heat races:

Chris Hulsizer talked about his win in the first Sportsman heat and an issue they found on his car.
Greg Mrzywka won the second Sportsman heat and told me about some radiator problems.
Joe Kline led every lap to win the final heat and told me why the body on his car was so beat up.
Katelyn Kane picked up her first Modified heat win and talked about how close it was at the line.
Dale Planck crossed the line second but was awarded the win and told me about some recent gains.

After the feature races:

Alan Fink spoke with Bill Foley after winning the Late Model feature with a lap fourteen pass.
Jason Occhino won his career first at Fulton and celebrated in victory lane with Adam Buchanan.
Pat Ward picked up his first win since the Outlaw 200 last year and talked about it with Bill Foley.

I had a nice time as I stayed close to home to spend more time with my kids as my wife had to work last night. Fortunately they were able to spend some time with my folks letting me head out.

It was a pretty good night at Fulton and a food night to drive a red Modified as the Gypsum cars swept the top three spots. Early on it looked like Dale Planck might get a win with the experimental chassis designed by Larry Wight and assembled by the Donath’s. But the car started to fade and eventually finished outside of the top ten.

Larry Wight looked like he might get the win but Pat Ward, who was bouncing off a tough night on Friday at Brewerton, got by on lap 22 and never looked back earning his first victory since the Outlaw 200 last year.

Billy Decker got by Wight late to pick up second while Ryan Phelps and Chad Phelps rounded out the top five. Only two cautions slowed the pace of this one with 20 cars taking the green flag in the feature.

Jason Occhino won his career first in the Sportsman race and despite a yellow flag with six laps to go, Occhino stayed calm and drove away from the field for the win. And here’s the thing, he had not been in the top five before this night. Talk about a surprising win for one of the good guys.

I did record twenty one interviews and was able to save eight for during the week. And Jeremiah Fish was also at Canandaigua with my primary recorder so look for more from him during the week. Thanks again buddy.

I’ll be heading out to Utica Rome today with hopes of chasing down some of the weekend winners. I hope to see you guys there and I hope all of you have a great Sunday.

Saturday, May 18th 2013

   New on the Audio Page for today:

Billy Van Pelt got ready last week at Woodhull and told Jay Fish about a change under the hood.
Otto Sitterly described how his car was in practice and some changes he made in the off season.
Matt Janczuk talks with Jay Fish about his season so far as he looks for his first win of 2013.
Kreig Heroth ran down how his week one finish went and where he felt he needs to be better.
Jeff Hachmann previewed the Hall of Fame 60 at Rolling Wheels coming up in just a few weeks.
Shane Andrews talks about getting back in a demo derby again this Saturday at Canandaigua.

What a nice day I had on Friday. Claude Hutchings Sr. and Jr. brought out the Sportsman and Four Cylinder Super Stocks to my daughter’s school to teach the kids a little about racing. They jumped when we started the four cylinder and then really jumped when the open motor Sportsman came to life.

I am sure it was an experience they will never forget and hopefully some of them will bug their parents and come to the track to see them for real. A big thanks goes out to Claude Sr. and Jr. for their help and I hope they enjoyed their lunch at Dinosaur BBQ.

We are back today with more audio and again everything seems to be going well. I will be going somewhere today but I am not sure where just yet as I do want to keep checking things out for a while before heading out.

I hope all of you are having a great weekend and I hope you all enjoy what we have for you today on the Audio Page. I begin with the last of Jeremiah Fish’s conversations from last weekend. Billy Van Pelt got ready last week at Woodhull and told Jay Fish about a change under the hood. He talked about racing in front of a big crowd, his history at this wonderful Saturday track and what night they get their shop work done.

Otto Sitterly described how his car was in practice and some changes he made in the off season. He talked about why he was not pushing too hard in those hot laps, how nice it is to have a teammate for the night and what he was thinking as he prepared for time trials.

Matt Janczuk talks with Jay Fish about his season so far as he looks for his first win of 2013. He spoke about just getting back into his championship car, why this season is going a lot like some others and how tough it is to win in a Sportsman at Utica Rome.

Kreig Heroth ran down how his week one finish went and where he felt he needs to be better. He explained why he likes a car that is a little loose, described how the car was in his 8^th place finish and why he was surprised at how far they had to go with changes.

Jeff Hachmann previewed the Hall of Fame 60 at Rolling Wheels coming up in just a few weeks. He talked about doing this show on a Wednesday night, reminded folks about the induction ceremony the night before and how good things looked at the track when they went to check on it. And don’t forget about your free fan pit passes by buying ahead. Go to www.dirtcar/tickets for more.

Shane Andrews talks about getting back in a demo derby again this Saturday at Canandaigua. He told me how it went when he did his first derby last year, what eventually took him out of it and looks forward to getting back to Rolling Wheels in early June.

Friday, May 17th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Ryan Godown spoke with Jay Fish as he got ready for his first start of the year at Utica Rome.
Grant Hilfiger drives a lot of different racecars and talked with Jay Fish about racing at Woodhull.
Joe Trenca had a 4^th place in the PST heat race at Woodhull and told Jay Fish how he felt he did.
Parker Evans told Jay Fish about his heat race at Woodhull and offers his initial impressions.
Matt Roberts tells me about his recent IMCA win and evaluates how the class is faring in 2013.
Mike Bills summed up how he has been doing so far and told Jay Fish about the need for some luck.
Dan Lashure had his Pro Stock at Utica Rome on Sunday and spoke about why he likes it so much.

Things seem to be going pretty well this week and all the feedback we are getting from you guys has been very good. So we got back in the studio and recorded two new chats. One is up today and the other will be up tomorrow as I’d like to babysit the site for at least one more day.

Again, a big thanks goes out to Jeremiah Fish for all his help and as you can see he is the dominant voice on the site this week. Thanks so much Bud! Without you it would have been a much tougher week.

Also today Claude Hutchings Jr. and Sr. are bringing racecars to my daughter’s elementary school for Special Person’s Week. It’s like a show and tell where you can bring in a parent and have them tell the class what they do.

So rather than talk about racing, we’ll show them what it is like. We’ll start up the cars, let the kids sit in them and believe it or not, you know what the kindergartners liked best when I did this for Allie a few years ago? The hauler. They liked knowing where things went and exploring what I called, “our home away from home.” So today is going to be a fun day.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with a man who was enjoying a laid back weekend so far. Ryan Godown spoke with Jay Fish as he got ready for his first start of the year at Utica Rome. He talked about his hopes for his first top ten at the track, how it felt to be off until Sunday last weekend and how his 2013 season is going so far.

Grant Hilfiger drives a lot of different racecars and talked with Jay Fish about racing at Woodhull. He spoke about the need to do well on his sponsor’s night, how good his Sportsman car is and previews what he will doing this season.

Joe Trenca had a 4^th place in the PST heat race at Woodhull and told Jay Fish how he felt he did. He talked about how nice it was to participate in his first dash for cash, what changes they made after the heat and how valuable his family is in his racing efforts.

Parker Evans told Jay Fish about his heat race at Woodhull and offers his initial impressions. He explained why he was down on power for this show, how he gathered himself after a big crash and how tough the move to a full sized Sprinter can be.

Matt Roberts tells me about his recent IMCA win and evaluates how the class is faring in 2013. He talked about the three tracks he has raced at so far, why it is tough for rookies to win and how he & dad tease each other after the races.

Mike Bills summed up how he has been doing so far and told Jay Fish about the need for some luck. He talked about his hopes for later in the night at Woodhull, how tough this paper clip shaped racetrack can be and where he likes to run.

Dan Lashure had his Pro Stock at Utica Rome on Sunday and spoke about why he likes it so much. He told Jay Fish about the work they did to the car during the week, why it is so important to check every nut & bolt and his hopes to travel more in the future.

Thursday, May 16th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Brett Hearn told Jay Fish his thoughts before he got ready to race at Utica Rome on Sunday.
Vic Coffey made a Modified start at Utica Rome and told Jay Fish about his goals for the day.
Shawn Donath won a heat race last Saturday at Woodhull and walked Jay Fish through it.
Dave Gruel was second in the Oswego practice and told me how he got progressively quicker.
Dave Wickham got ready at Woodhull for the PST race and talked about his hopes with Jay Fish.
J.J. Andrews ran down how his practice laps went and how he was feeling about his chances.
Frank Dunning talked with Jay Fish about the tough start he has had to his 2013 season at Woodhull.
Jordan Thomas is a young Sprint Car racer and spoke with Jay Fish about his two races.
Wes Campbell described how his 2013 season has been going so far and what went wrong early.
Andy Lashure spoke with Jay Fish about his expectations last week and his season so far.

Well we’re feeling a little better as we seem to be humming along pretty well with the site right now. Webmaster Andy is busy watching how we are doing and how our memory allocation issues are doing and it seems like we are getting a little better each day.

Of course we still need you guys to hit our site hard and continue to give us feedback as website fixes are often like physics. For each reaction or change you make, it can cause another reaction that is often unanticipated. So we are going to monitor for a few days and may even take a shot at uploading some photos if things are still going well.

I thank all of you for your patience and for those who have sent emails, a double thanks goes out to you. Of course Andy and Jay Fish were my saviors this past week so we are totally in their debt. And if I were to win the lottery, they would surely get some of the money and a good chunk at that. Thanks guys.

So again, keep hitting us hard, go through the archives and let me know how it is going with an email to doug@dougsdirtdiary.com. We’ll get this and soon we will be right back to where we were.

Now let’s chat more about what is new for today on the Audio Page. I begin with some clips from a big show on Sunday in Vernon. Brett Hearn told Jay Fish his thoughts before he got ready to race at Utica Rome on Sunday. He explained why he made it to the track last Sunday, how he raced to a third place on Friday at Albany Saratoga and how happy he was to race his way to the front.

Vic Coffey made a Modified start at Utica Rome and told Jay Fish about his goals for the day. He talked about how he has done in the past, compares it to another track he knows well and what he likes about coming back to race with his Modified buddies.

Shawn Donath won a heat race last Saturday at Woodhull and walked Jay Fish through it. He told him how he fell back a little early, how much he enjoyed his first laps at the track and why they decided to try someplace new.

Dave Gruel was second in the Oswego practice and told me how he got progressively quicker. He explained why he would run scuffed tires in time trials, how much different things are with the track being a little green and wondered what it was like if you got outside of the groove.

Dave Wickham got ready at Woodhull for the PST race and talked about his hopes with Jay Fish. He spoke about trying a new set up on the car, why you can’t always trust what you see with a track early in the night and what he learned from doing some research on what happens when a car flips.

J.J. Andrews ran down how his practice laps went and how he was feeling about his chances. He talked about how the car was in each session, how the asphalt at Oswego was changing on this cold day and which types of conditions he prefers.

Frank Dunning talked with Jay Fish about the tough start he has had to his 2013 season at Woodhull. He spoke about the people who help him get to the track, his hopes to turn it around and the need to get a little racing luck.

Jordan Thomas is a young Sprint Car racer and spoke with Jay Fish about his two races. He offered his initial thoughts on Woodhull, thought back on his start in racing in go carts at age five and when he decided to move up to a bigger car.

Wes Campbell described to Jay Fish how his 2013 season has been going so far and what went wrong early. He ran down each of the issues they have had so far, how he keeps his head right when things go wrong and keep the proper perspective.

Andy Lashure spoke with Jay Fish about his expectations last week and his season so far. He described an incident he was involved in the week before, how his brother helps him gain perspective and how watching the videos helps him learn.

Wednesday, May 15th 2013

New on the Audio Page for today:

Jimmy Phelps told Jeremiah Fish about his Saturday night and how his car felt in hot laps.
Bryan Howland won his PST heat race at Woodhull and talked about how tough the track is.
Cory Sparks won his heat as the PST visited Woodhull and told Jay Fish how good his car was.
Brad Alger was hoping to turn his luck around on Sunday and what went wrong in the opener.
Tony Steiner spoke about how his Super Modified was in hot laps and how fast these cars are.
Bryce Davis ran down how his Modified heat race went at Woodhull and an issue they had.
Dave Dubois talked about his heat race win and wondered how much the track might change.
Jeremy Pitcher described an issue he was having with his Small Block Super at Oswego.

Well we did make a bunch of changes over the course of Monday and into Tuesday and so far so good. All the feedback we received yesterday was positive and from what I am hearing from you and seeing on our usage graphs, we are okay right now. Are our audio issues fixed totally? Not sure yet but today will tell us a lot.

So once again we ask you to hit us hard today and click on everything you can to see how we do. Nothing bad will happen at your end as the issues are database related at our end. We think we may have found a big issue that may have been troubling us for years and led to the issues we always seem to have at Super DIRT Week and other high volume times.

We do have a few more things to do and will begin work on our photo issue as soon as we feel we have this audio issue solved. And a big thanks goes to Webmaster Andy as he has been working super hard and keeping me updated as he makes changes. Also Jeremiah Fish is a true friend and ran with the ball this weekend while Andy and I were busy trying to figure out what was wrong.

So now let’s talk more about the new stuff on the Audio Page that I really want you guys to hit hard. Jimmy Phelps told Jeremiah Fish about his Saturday night and how his car felt in hot laps. He talked about the car he brought to the big show at the Brewerton Speedway, how the car did the last time he had it out and when he will start to race more.

Bryan Howland won his PST heat race at Woodhull and talked with Jay Fish about how tough the track is. He told him about the bite he found, the need to keep your eye on the track and how hard he had to drive in turn four.

Cory Sparks won his heat as the PST visited Woodhull and told Jay Fish how good his car was. He spoke about how much he enjoyed his side by side battle up front, how optimistic he is about later on and what would make his night a successful one.

Brad Alger was hoping to turn his luck around on Sunday and what went wrong in the opener. He told Jeremiah Fish how much better things went the second time out, how a bad shield on his helmet led to him getting the car off the track and why he likes Utica Rome so much.

Tony Steiner spoke about how his Super Modified was in hot laps and how fast these cars are. He talked about how many laps he has at the Oswego Speedway, compares this car to the dirt Modified he drove for so many years and how to get the cars through the corners.

Bryce Davis ran down how his Modified heat race went at Woodhull and an issue they had. He told Jay Fish how it differs from his Late Model, which he prefers at this point and how much he enjoys the extra power.

Dave Dubois talked about his heat race win and wondered how much the track might change. He told Jay Fish what he thought might happen, where he felt he could be better and who helped him get to the track.

Jeremy Pitcher described an issue he was having with his Small Block Super at the Oswego Speedway. He told me what they were doing to tighten up the car, why he can’t do what he could with his Dirt Sportsman and looks ahead to getting back to Fulton this weekend.


	Who will have the best season in 2010? Frank Cozze Billy Decker Brett Hearn Danny Johnson Ronnie Johnson Jimmy Phelps Matt Sheppard Kenny Tremont Pat Ward Duane Howard Jeff Strunk Alan Johnson Steve Paine Jerry Higbie Click here for more results


	Check out the forums at:

This page best viewed at 1024 x 768.
   This site designed and maintained by Pyro, Doug and a crack team of invisible interns. We hate popups, trojans and spyware more than you do...if you're seeing popups or virus warnings here, your computer has been compromised. To contact us, see the About Us page.

   Doug's Dirt Diary maintains a strict policy of neutrality with regards to tracks, teams, sanctioning bodies, drivers and fans.

   All content copyright 2006-2008 Doug's Dirt Diary and Elkins Media Service. Any use without prior authoriziation (other than legal "fair-use" applications) is strictly prohibited. See our picture page for an explanation of our picture use policy.
This site has been tested on Mozilla 1.7, Firefox 2.0, Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0. Yes, it works.

Be safe, be fast and have fun!.