Tim Fuller scored his second Super DIRTcar Series win in two weeks after being inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 13th. (DIRTcar photo)
BROCKVILLE, Ontario – When Tim Fuller last won the Super DIRTcar Series at Brockville Ontario Speedway in 1996, he had not yet won his Super DIRTcar Series title, had not yet won Super DIRT Week and had not entered the Northeast DIRT Modified Hall of Fame.
It was also his first consecutive win.
Almost 30 years later, as a Series Champion, Super DIRT Week Champion and Hall of Famer, he returned to winning ways with the Super DIRTcar Series at the Canadian track on Wednesday night – still just as happy to win as he was the first.
“It’s pretty cool, it really is,” Fuller said. “To come back here and do this 27 years later, that’s a long time and a lot of rounds. (I had) the support of many good people. They’ve stayed behind me through thick and thin and that’s what keeps it all going.”
The Canadian Classic at Brockville-Ontario Speedway marked the first time the Super DIRTcar Series was back on track since 2019.
Before the 75-lap event began, the new draw determined the top nine grid positions, with Chris Hile winning the SRI Performance/Stock Car Steel Pole Award. Max McLaughlin started from the outside, while current series leader Matt Sheppard was in fifth and Fuller in seventh.
However, the Watertown, NY driver didn’t last long in his seventh place on the grid, making the most of his small-block engine on the slick track.
Hile and McLaughlin dueled for the lead at the green flag drop, with McLaughlin eventually winning the fight. Behind them, Fuller prevailed against his competitors one after the other. By the 17th lap he had fought his way up to third place.
As he was marching, so was Tim Sears Jr. The Clay, NY driver sped past McLaughlin on lap 20 to take the lead. Three laps later, Fuller also pushed his way past McLaughlin and focused his energy on passing Sears.
Fuller kept pace with the leader for the next 25 laps, at times close enough to touch Sears’ No. 83X. Using the instincts he had developed after three decades of racing, Fuller carefully assessed the circumstances and patiently planned his next move.
“Sears Jr. ran a great race up front, but he really put the heat on the right back,” said Fuller. “The longer the race lasted, the better it got for me. It became more and more slippery and you could no longer approach the brown from the outside. It just came to me because the trail was disappearing. The performance drops immediately and the tires no longer spin.
“I jumped on him and finally let him go. When the track disappeared I had that advantage.”
After taking the lead on lap 50, Fuller showed no sign of slowing down and went full steam ahead into the final third of the 75-lap duel.
He wasn’t quite out of the race, however, as Sheppard, the nine-time and reigning series champion, was also on the road and on Lap 55 passed Sears for second. It looked like the epic fight since Land of Legends Raceway started all over again on July 19 as Sheppard finished second behind Fuller.
Mat Williamson, currently second in the points battle of the series, was also in the race later and moved up to third by lap 58.
Neither Sheppard nor Williamson had the stamina needed for the No. 19 machine as he held his ground steadily at the front and finished the final 20 laps clean. He crossed the line more than two seconds ahead of Sheppard, his second straight win of the season and second at Brockville Ontario Speedway.
Sheppard retained second place, his fourth second in the last six races. Sheppard extended his lead by five more points and returned to American soil with a 59-point lead.
“Tim was really good with that little block,” Sheppard said. “No one hit him tonight. I had nothing for him. Fuller was the class of the field tonight and he deserved the win.”
After two fifth places at Autodrome Drummond, Williamson finished third on the podium, his seventh top five result of the year.
“I just have to qualify better,” Williamson said. “I need to qualify better and do better in the heats without dumping spare cars and I think we might have won one of those races.” Hats off to Tim Fuller. He has won two races this year, is not a platinum driver and is now in the Hall of Fame.”
Peter Britten bounced back from Tuesday night’s retirement at the Drummond Autodrome to claim his sixth top-five finish of the season. Jimmy Phelps finished fifth – his fourth top 5 of the season.
Feature Results (75 rounds)
1. 19-Tim Fuller[7]; 2. 9S-Matt Sheppard[5]; 3. 88-Mat Williamson[10]; 4. 21A-Peter Britten[6]; 5. 98H-Jimmy Phelps[9]; 6. 35-Mike Mahaney[8]; 7. 5H-Chris Hile[1]; 8. 2-Jack Lehner[14]; 9. 83X-Tim Sears Jr[3]; 10. 8H-Max McLaughlin[2]; 11. 17X-Tristan Draper[17]; 12. 54-Steve Bernard[20]; 13. 21-Yan Bussiere[13]; 14. 44F-Johnathon Ferguson[16]; 15. 91-Felix Roy[19]; 16. R70 – Ryan Arbuthnot[18]; 17. 18-calen Draper[25]; 18. 12-Darren Smith[22]; 19. 99L Larry Wight[12]; 20. 215-Adam Pierson[4]; 21. 52-Jessica Power[21]; 22. (DNF) 17D-Danny O’Brien[27]; 23. (DNF) 3RS-Erick Rudolph[15]; 24. (DNF) 38J-Jarrett Herbison[26]; 25. (DNF) 75J-Joe Banks[23]; 26. (DNF) 88L-Lee Ladouceur[24]; 27. (DNF) 66D-Kyle Dingwall[11]
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