08/16/2004

Steve Fisher Wins ACT Thriller at Seekonk
- Catches Cyr at the finish for 1st career Win -

Seekonk, MA -- Steve Fisher got underneath Jean-Paul Cyr in the fourth turn of the final lap and beat the defending ACT Dodge Tour champion to the finish line by two feet for his first career win in the New England Dodge Dealers 100 at Seekonk Speedway Saturday night. Mark Lamberton was third, two car-lengths back, followed by Tom Fearn and Patrick Laperle.

Fisher started ninth in a thirty-car field. The race was characterized by outstanding racing at the front, and ragged racing deep in the field. Eleven cautions resulted, the last on lap 91. Cyr had led from lap 82 when he cleared Fisher after a sensational eight-lap sequence that saw the two repeatedly cross the finish in a virtual dead heat with Lamberton at their heels.

On the final restart, Lamberton sped under Fisher for second, but Fisher turned the tables with two laps remaining. "My car was really hooked up on the bottom, the lower the better," said Fisher. "Then I saw that Cyr was coming back to me. My spotter was saying - dig right in this is going to be your day - when we got to the line I knew I had him. I’m thankful for the respectful way he raced that last lap, he’s a champion and he was the first to congratulate me afterwards."

"I did what I could," Cyr said. "I was having trouble with the right front and I was wrestling the car and I got beat."

Lamberton took the lead from Dan Colby early and was in command until Fisher worked the Days Inn Chevrolet No. 24 underneath him on lap 44. At the halfway mark, the leaders were being closely tracked by Tom Fearn, Jamie Fisher, Cyr and Brent Dragon. Dragon rose as far as fourth before giving way late to Fearn and Patrick Laperle and finishing sixth. Laperle and Cyr began the night tied for the ACT Dodge tour lead and both won their respective heats.

Laperle wound up fifth the hard way. His Demers Ambulance Chevrolet No. 91 was beaten and battered at the end, after being rear-ended once and barely escaping major damage in a later skirmish. Number four point man Todd Stone fared worse, finally retiring on lap 49 after hard contact with Dave Whitcomb on lap 24. Unofficially, Cyr enters next Saturday’s event at White Mountain with an eleven point advantage. Positions 7-10 went to Jamie Fisher, Ken Dufour, rookie BJ Piekarski and Eric Chase.

Source:  Tom Herzig/ACT N.E. Dodge Tour PR
Posted:  August 16, 2004