Fuller, Corcoran, Stefanski, Verne Jr. & White Honored At 49th Can Am Night Of Champions

Story By: TIM BALTZ / CAN-AM SPEEDWAY – CLAYTON, NY – With the Golden Jubilee Season on the horizon the staff and management took an evening to honor the 2023 Can Am Speedway Track Champions at the Harbor Hotel in Clayton New York on Saturday March 2nd.

The packed Ballroom at the Hotel along the St. Lawrence River saw Watertown New York’s Tim Fuller claim top honors once again in the Whitesboro Plow Shop DIRTCar 358 Modified division.

With most of the season claimed by rain, Fuller was once again the dominant driver, winning 4 times in 11 events including his record 8th DIRTCar 358 Modified Series race in the final race of the year on September 8th. Fuller, who was inducted into the Northeast Modified Hall of Fame in July of 2023, finished the year with 3 wins during the regular season and along the way claimed 8 top 5s and 9 top 10 finishes on the season for his third consecutive crown.

Six time track champion and 61 time Can Am Modified feature winner Billy Dunn got back into his routine of winning races this past season. Dunn won twice in a 3 week span which included his second triumph in the prestigious Pabst Shootout, leading to a runner up spot in the standings.

Jordan McCreadie also had a great year finishing 3rd in points with one feature win on the year, followed by the ever-consistent Shaun Shaw, who backed up his strong 2022 campaign with another great year. He didn’t get to victory lane but claimed 4th in the title chase. Lance Willix won 8 races across 3 different tracks last year and claimed two of those wins at Can Am, on his way to 5th in the title chase. Willix also won the 2023 Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Series championship for the DIRTCar 358 Modifieds.

The rest of the top 10 in points were Scott Webb who won his first 358 Modified feature after winning a Big Block race in 2007, Ryan Bartlett was 7th in points with 2 top 5s and 7 top 10 runs. Preston Forbes, Derek Webb and Tyler Meeks filled out the top 10 award winners.

Tyler Corcoran once again was the top driver in the Bob Johnson Auto Group DIRTCar Sportsman class. Corcoran only claimed one win in 2023, but his 8 top 5 finishes and 9 top 10 runs were good enough to secure a 4th straight crown, the first since Steve Hall to do so, by a slim 4 points at seasons end. Mike Fowler did everything possible to get his first track title, including winning a race in 2023 and finishing in the top 10 in all 10 regular season races. Fowler ended a long dry spell with his only win on July 7th to finish 4 points short of the track championship.

Gavin Eisle and Elgin Ontario’s Brennan Moore had solid seasons finishing 3rd and 4th in the standings. Eisle claimed a pair of wins in 2023 and once he got the bad luck out of the way, claimed 6 top 5s and 7 top 10s, while Moore scored his first career win in a thriller over Owen Nier on May 5th. Moore also claimed 3 top 5s and 7 top 10s.

Jessica Power enjoyed another consistent year, although she did not win in 2023, showed she will be a force in 2024, finishing 5th in points including a best finish of 2nd in the annual John Burr Memorial for the DIRTCar Sportsman Series to Dave Rogers on September 8th.

The rest of the top 10 were honored with Remington Hamm finishing 6th in the championship, The Racing Fireman Josh Reome had another solid year claiming 7th in points followed by veteran Eric Nier in 8th with 4 top 5s and 6 top 10 efforts, Ryan Shanahan won the season opener and regular season finale to finish 9th in points while Taylor Doxtator rounded out the top 10.

Pete Stefanski had literally done it all behind the wheel of a DIRTar Pro Stock. 4 DIRTCar Pro Stock titles, two Super Dirt Week Pro Stock Championships and Two World short Track Championships in Charlotte. So, what was left? Well, the Wheatfield native had not held the FABCO DIRTCar Pro Stock championship at Can Am and finally checked that off the list in 2023. Stefanski won the final points race on September 1st and was in the top 5 in every race held this past year.

Dakota Sharp kept Stefanski on his game every week with solid runs and was a serious threat for the title. Sharp claimed 4 wins in 5 events but missed the title by 32 points with his good friend Tyler Bushey right with him in 3rd in the championship standings. Kenny Hartshorn was solid finishing 4th in points and veteran Rick Dusckas rounded out the top 5.

Josh Verne Jr. has owned the Panther Frameworx Crate Sprint Car division claiming his 2nd straight championship in the class. This year he won the first 5 races and many wondered if he would ever be beat. Verne’s “worst” finishes of the year were back to back runner up efforts. Verne would close out the season with his first career Action Sprint Tour East Series win on September 8th. Along with the title, Verne is the divisions all time winningest driver with 11 wins in two seasons.

Tucker Donath had another solid year as runner up in points, with 7 top 5s in 7 events. Rookie Andrew Hennessy was solid this year as well finishing 3rd in points with 6 top 5s. Bruno Richard claimed his first career win on September 1st with veteran racer Mike Cousins completing the top 5 in points.

Sundance Leisure Thundercar division saw Francis White have one of the most dominant and consistent seasons ever seen in the division. White, claimed 4 wins in 2023, but was never out of the top 3 in any event all season. White claimed his first Can-Am title by 80 points over Steve Smith, who, despite not winning a race, was in the top 5 in 8 of the 9 regular season races, good enough for a runner up finish.

The remainder of the top 6 drivers claimed awards on this night. Damien Bechler had 5 top 5 runs in 2023 to finish 3rd in points with OJ White finishing with 8 top 10 finishes along with Anthony St. Mary Jr., who finished the year with 4 top five runs and Jared Gilson took the number 6 spot with 2 top 5s in 2023.

The Donath Motorworx Limited Sportsman does not hand out a track championship but drivers were honored for their efforts in the 2023 season. Keegan Nier won 4 features during the year and the most heat races with 4 as well. Dylan Moore claimed two of his 8 season wins at Can Am last year. Brady Howard also notched back to back wins in early May with Genevieve Bartlett claiming 7 top 5 finishes and Alan McDonald was also honored with his 2 top 5s and 9 top 10 finishes in 2023.

Drivers are geared up and ready to go for the first event of 2024, The Thunder on the 1000 Islands will kick off the Golden Jubilee Season April 12th and 13th. Several big shows are planned during the special season with two Super DIRTCar Series events and three visits from the Empire Super Sprints as well.

Karting Stars honored at Night of Champions in Clayton

With all the talk about the upcoming Golden Jubilee season at the Can Am Speedway in Lafargeville New York, it was time to shift to the accomplishments of the drivers from the 2023 karting season at the speedway Friday March 1st at the Harbor Hotel in Clayton New York.

A near standing room only crown in the Ballroom witnessed future racers and some established veterans claim top honors across 9 different divisions.

In the Heller’s Gas Red Rookie Clone division all drivers on hand received awards. Charlotte Bartlett, Bryce Bartlett, Julian Gamble, Tyler Sibley and Russell Trickey all claimed top honors in this division and were all smiles after receiving their trophy.

The Lakeside Outdoor Services Junior Red Clone saw a familiar last name but future star at the head of the class. Bryson Gill out of Plessis New York kept the winning tradition going with a great season. Gill claimed 5 feature wins and topped Liam O’Connor for the crown. August Bassett, Nolan Schroy, Lily Walters and Harloe Russell also received division awards.

The Purple Clone class sponsored by L and J Landscaping saw a narrow battle for the season long championship. Loik Robertson edged out Jackson Welling this year by a slim 8 points for the championship with Deagan Holder completing the top three drivers.

In Junior Green Clone the top 6 drivers were honored and Lyle Robinson topped the season long title battle this year by 14 points. Robinson claimed 2 wins during a consistent year over Anderson Minnick and Liam Pakenham, who each claimed a feature win this year. Mason Rogers had an impressive year in limited starts with 4 wins in 6 tries, while Hayden Bayne and Bryson Ludlow were 5th and 6th respectively.

Elliot Stacey makes the long haul from Colborne Ontario every week to race at Can Am and this year it paid off with a track title in the Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux Ford Junior Blue Clone division. Stacey claimed 1 win but was in the top 5 every week. Genevieve Bartlett, who also ran full time in Limited Sportsman on Fridays this year, finished 12 points behind with 2 wins on the year. The rest of the award winners were Oliver Collins 3rd, Ally Wilkinson also was impressive this year finishing 4th, with Parker Allen and Allison Timerman 5th and 6th. Allen claimed 4 wins on the year, the most in the division.

The Junior Non-Restricted class was sponsored by D&S Landscaping and Circle T Concrete this year. Logan Brown made this division and this season his personal playground, winning an impressive 6 times in 8 events. Jack Hutton finished runner up and did manage to get a win last year. Rylynn Bain was 3rd in the standings followed by Athens Ontario’s Blake Smith and Troy Hutton filled out the rest of the top 5 drivers.

Seth Whitney was the class of the field and made one of his two trips to the stage for a championship title. Whitney won the Foy Insurance Agency Clone Light title on the strength of 2 wins in 2023, over Jeremy Shelley who was in the top 5 five times last year. Anthony Scott ran only 6 events but was impressive, winning 5 times to finish 3rd in points. The rest of the award winners included McKenzie Graham in 4th who was also featured on “ABC 50 For The Love of Dirt” last year. Haley Brownell completed the top 5 with Bryton Garnsey and Osgoode Ontario’s Adam Kouk also honored in the top 7.

As quick as Whitney was honored for one title, he was called back to the stage a second time as the champion in the Primal T Shop Clone Heavy division. Whitney was dominant in the class claiming 6 feature wins in 2023 for a 36 point cushion at seasons end, with Adam Collins taking second and 1 feature win. Courtney Robbins, who has wins in every karting division she has competed in during her career, claimed a win in 2023 along with a 3rd place effort in the points. The rest of the top 6 saw William Young finish 4th, with Cameron Taylor 5th and Grayson Soper finishing up 6th.

William Young may not have claimed a win in Clone Heavy but he sure made up for it in the Maggie’s On The River Clone Super Heavy division claiming 4 feature wins, but he didn’t have an easy time. Quillon Dann was on his tail all season also claiming 4 wins and, in the end, it was Young claiming the top honors by 10 points. Randy Revelle Jr. had another solid season as the former Brockville Speedway Champion finished 3rd in points, Lafargeville’s Ben Timerman finished in top 5 in all 8 races to finish up 4th in the standings, Todd and Jacob Macuicca made the haul from Pulaski every Saturday night and were 5th and 6th in points at seasons end.

With 2023 in the record books the drivers are looking forward to 2024 with an open practice session to be held April 20th and the first points paying event of the year will take place May 18th.

The season will also be highlighted by two Double Down Under the Lights shows July 27th and August 17th. Track champions will be crowned on August 31st.

The staff, management and the entire Bartlett family look forward to seeing returning drivers and new faces to the speedway for the upcoming season and hope to see more fans come out and enjoy a Saturday night of fun and excitement at Can-Am Speedway.