By TIM BALTZ

AKWESASNE – Mohawk International Raceway Friday completed the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, the second twin 20 feature from opening night kicked off the action.

Rick Miller and Clayton Benedict brought the field to the green flag with Benedict grabbing the early advantage. Benedict had the track figured out in the early going, with veteran drivers Mike Perrotte and Roy Tarbell giving chase from positions 2 and 3.

Defending track champion Carey Terrance brought out the first yellow of the night as he slowed to a stop in turn 3.

On the restart Benedict continued to lead with Perrotte in second and Chris Raabe who'd charged from 13th spot on the grid to 3rd Roy Tarbe

With the rest of the 20 lap event going caution free Clayton Benedict never looked back and led all 20 laps enroute to his first career DIRTcar 358 modified win. Mike Perrotte, Chris Raabe, Roy Tarbell and Tim O'Brien rounded out the top 5.

The regularly scheduled DIRTcar 358 modified feature saw Ryan Helm and Gage Morin bring the field to the green with Morin taking over the number 1 spot, with Helm, John Lazore, Tim O'Brien and Todd Stone making up the top 5.

The only caution in the 25 lap affair saw Perry Francis come to a stop in turn number 2 after he lost a right rear tire. On the restart Morin was able to hold the field at bay keeping the top spot but Todd Stone was on a mission.

After getting around 2nd place driver Tim O'Brien he moved in on the race leader Gage Morin and grabbed the top spot on lap number 8. With Stone opening up what looked to be a comfortable margin 2009 track champion Roy Tarbell had found the top side of the speedway to his liking and started to charge forward.

Tarbell made a big move from 4th to 2nd passing both Chris Raabe and Tim O'Brien on lap 17 in turn 2. One lap later Tarbell went straight to the top of turns 1 & 2 and charged by the 1x of Stone to grab the lead. With Tarbell out front the best battle on the track was for 2nd and 3rd with Todd Stone eventually winning the battle for the runner up spot.

In the end it was Roy Tarbell ending a slump that dated back to the final event of his championship season in 2009 as he scored the popular win ahead of Stone, Chris Raabe, Tim O'Brien and John Lazore.

The DIRTcar Sportsman division saw 2 youngsters on the front row as Kristian Smoke and Jenna David paced the field to the green with smoke winning the drag race to turn 1.

It didn't take long for the first yellow of the night to be displayed as rookie Louie Jackson Jr. and Dillon Sallows made heavy contact in turn 1.

Both drivers were uninjured and Sallows was able to continue on while Jackson was done for the evening. On the restart Smoke held the top spot over David, Brian Copp, Dylan Evoy and Sheldon Hoogwerf. The yellow would retun to the speedway for veteran Billy Cook as he slowed to a stop on the back stretch.

On the restart Smoke continued to set the pace but man who was on the charge was Tom Conklin. Starting in the 8th spot he rocketed past Dylan Evoy and Jenna David by lap 7 and on lap number 8 was able to get by leader Kristian Smoke with Evoy in 3rd Jenna David 4th and Josh Jock 5th.

On lap 14 Josh Jock who was having the best run of his young sportsman career saw it all go away as he spun to a stop on the top side of turn number 4. On the final restart Tom Conklin grabbed the lead and wouldn't look back as he scored his first Sportsman win at MIR.

Jenna David, Kristian Smoke, Dylan Evoy and Brian Copp rounded out the top 5.

In the DIRTcar defending Mr. DIRTcar champion Louie Jackson and Roch Aubin led the field to the green as Jackson took the lead away, Aubin dropped into 2nd with Dave Bissonnette, Ricky Thompson and David Papineau completing the top 5.

Former track champion Dave Bissonnette brought out the yellow on lap 6 as he slowed on the back stretch. Bissonnette headed pit side and was able to continue. On the restart Jackson continued to pace the field with Aubin, Papineau, Stephane Lebrun, and Jody Swamp making up the top 5.

Ricky Thompson came into the night undefeated in the 1r, and made a charge to the front of the field. On lap 8 his bid for a 3rd straight victory would come to an early end as he spun in turns 3 & 4 ending his night.

Despite several challengers and 3 caution flags Louie Jackson was able to fend off repeated efforts from Roch Aubin, David Papineau and Jody Swamp but on lap 14 that would all change.

On a restart after another Dave Bissonette spin David Papineau got the run he needed down the back stretch and was able to get by Jackson to take over the lead, a lead he would never let go of as he recorded his first career Pro Stock win over Aubin, Louie Jackson, Stephane Lebrun and Jody Swamp.

The Bandit division was set for the opening round of the CKON 97.3FM Radio Series which saw Ernie Cree and John Green on the front row. Cree grabbed the top spot away from Green and was able to hold it for the first 6 laps until a left rear tire went flat on his machine sending him to the pit area.

With the race going relatively smooth for the first 12 laps several drivers experienced mechanical issues during the final 8 circuits. After 6 caution flags in the 20 lap affair John Green was able to cruise to the inaugural series win over Derek Colbert, Stuart Mossow, Andy Fish and Pete Cename.

Next week, Saratoga Eagles with host the Empire Super Sprints at Mohawk International Raceway. Steve Poirier claimed last year's event and will be back to try and defend it.

The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman, DIRTcar Pro Stocks and the Bandits will also be on hand, the green flag drops at 7:45 pm.

DIRTcar 358 Modifieds from 5/20 (20 laps) CLAYTON BENEDICT, Mike Perrotte, Chris Raabe, Roy Tarbell, Tim O'Brien, Perry Francis, Ryan Helm, Todd Stone, Delbert LeGrow, Jeff Sykes, Gage Morin, Rick Miller, John Lazore, Carey Terrance

DIRTcar 358 Modifieds (25 laps) ROY TARBELL, Todd Stone, Chris Raabe, Tim O'Brien, John Lazore, Carey Terrance, Gage Morin, Jeff Sykes, Tom Jock Jr., Mike Perrotte, Clayton Benedict, Ryan Helm, Rick Miller, Perry Francis.

DIRTcar Sportsman (20 Laps) TOM CONKLIN, Jenna David, Kristian Smoke, Dylan Evoy, Brian Copp, Mike Arquiett, Sheldon Hoogwerf, Neal Provost II, Josh Jock, Mike White, Brad Winters, Dillon Sallows, Brent Kelsey, Thunder Anderson, Travis Back, Louie Jackson Jr., Billy Cook.

DIRTcar Pro Stocks (20 laps) DAVID PAPINEAU, Roch Aubin, Louie Jackson, Stephane Lebrun, Jody Swamp, Dave Bissonette, Ricky Thompson Bandits CKON 97.3 FM Radio Series(20 laps) JOHN GREEN, Derek Colbert, Stuart Mossow, Andy Fish, Pete Cename, Owen White, Ernie Cree, Corey Castell, Darryl Mitchell, Gary Sharlow

Mohawk International Raceway is located midway between the Seaway International Bridge to Cornwall, ONT and the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. From Route 37, turn south onto Frogtown Road. Racing is held on Friday nights at 7:45 PM from May through September, featuring the Frenchie's Chevrolet DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, Sportsman and Pro Stocks, as well as the Bandit division.

The website address is www.MohawkInternationalRaceway.com. The MIR office is located at the track, and the phone number is 518-358-9017. The track is owned and operated by Mohawk International Raceway, LLC.