Column By: ADAM CORNELL / RPW – LAFARGEVILLE, NY – Early in the season at Can-Am Speedway, Tim Fuller of Watertown, NY was the man to beat, winning two of the first four feature races in the Whitesboro Plow Shop DIRTcar 358 modified division, and placing second and third in the other two competitions.
Over the next four races Fuller drew up a 3rd, 2nd, 7th and 4th place finishes. It’s not as if his performance fell off a cliff and he was turning in DNFs or placing double digit finishes, he was always knocking at the door of victory, but a win was frustratingly elusive.
Not that Fuller’s calm, professional demeanor would ever make you believe he was frustrated in the least.
During those weeks of barely missing victory lane and the always coveted conversation with track announcer, Tim Baltz, Fuller could only watch as his massive points lead for the Can-Am track championship slowly dwindled away. Drivers like Ryan Bartlett, Derek Webb and Jordan McCreadie each scored a victory and had several single-digit placement finishes to all pull within striking distance of the points race.
Fuller has regularly stated that he doesn’t worry about points. He drives to win each race and if he focuses on that, the points will take care of themselves. But after winning the track championship in 2021, a victory in 2022 is sure to be an achievement that any driver wouldn’t mind adding to his record.
The victory Friday night was not without its challenges. Fuller started ninth in the feature and threaded his way through the field arriving at third position by lap eleven. It took just one more lap for him to pass up Lance Willix and Preston Forbes to take over the lead. Once he did, Fuller never looked more comfortable. He hit his marks around each corner and managed to overcome a caution restart to keep the lead. Once the checkered flag waved over the track Fuller crossed the finish line well ahead in first, adding a third win to his record for the year. The win boosted him 50 points ahead of the next competitor, Ryan Bartlett for the championship chase. It’s breathing room to be sure, and if he can continue his top five finishes through the rest of the second half of the season, it might already be enough to hand him his second track championship in a row.
This season has already seen Fuller accomplish some fantastic achievements, including tying the legendary Barefoot Bob McCreadie for second most victories all time at Can-Am Speedway. Another victory would move Fuller into sole possession of second all-time winningest driver at Can-Am behind Hall of Famer Pat O’Brien, who holds a record that may never be broken after such an extensive career.
“Any time you can tie Bob McCreadie in anything that’s a good thing, but it just means I’ve been around for a long time,” Fuller said from victory lane on Friday night. “We have some fantastic racers here at Can-Am. Sometimes you don’t make it sometimes you do. It’s been tough the last couple of weeks. The cautions helped tonight. When it goes green to checkered here, it makes it really tough. It’s good to get back down here [in victory lane.]”
Despite the tough competition currently showing up every Friday night at Can-Am, Fuller looks like he has mastered the track and has a great hot rod beneath him each and every week to be able to be the driver to beat for the rest of the season. He will look to extend his points lead Friday, July 22nd and maybe, just maybe move up that list for most wins ever at Can-Am.