Fontaine Finishes Fifth in AACS 2004 Points at Desoto

Saturday, December 11, 2004

    Bradenton,FL-With his ninth place finish in the final AACS 125 race for 2004, Chris Fontaine and the Chris Fontaine Racing team clinched the fifth spot in the series points race at Desoto Speedway.

        Throughout the season, Fontaine drove the GGR Roofing, BDH Construction, Fletcher Contracting #47 to two wins, 9 top tens and 6 top fives out of 16 total races in the series.

           Fontaine's closes the 2004 race season with two wins, 16 top tens and 9 top fives out of 28 races including the FASCAR, USAR, and I-Power Dash races. 

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Sun Shines on Fontaine a Second Time

Chris Fontaine led the last 70 laps at Bradenton,FL.

From Late Model Digest staff and track reports

BRADENTON, FL. (Nov.28) - When Chris Fontaine won the season-opening Icebreaker at DeSoto Super Speedway, it was his first career Super Late Model victory. He figured it might be the start of a real breakthrough season.

     He did not anticipate going winless for most of the rest of the year, especially considering how fast he was at other times during the spring and summer. After a season spread out with podium finishes and fast times, he gave himself, crew chief Kevin Ingram, and his family an early Christmas present by winning the last regularly-scheduled race in DeSoto's Hoosier Cup miniseries.

    "I wasn't expecting it to be that long," Fontaine said. "We just haven't had quite the right luck. We've been a little tick off here and there. We finally got it put together. It was another day race; maybe there's something about us racing in the sunlight."

    This race was postponed one day by rain and was DeSoto's first afternoon Super Late Model event since the February opener. The conditions allowed Ingram to revert to a setup that worked well at the Icebreaker.

    "We've messed with the car a lot, and we kept getting farther and farther from what we had," Fontaine said. "We finally put things back where it was."

     Fontaine qualified next to fast timer Dave Pletcher, and they started in the third row after the inversion. B.J. McLeod soon made it around front-row starters Dwayne Dempsey and Steve Dorer and took the lead, and Fontaine followed suit a little later and set his sights on McLeod.

    "It was fun," Fontaine said. "I saw B.J.  get a little bit loose, and I kept working underneath of him until I got by him."

    McLeod's handling forced him to loose two more spots in the second half of the 125-lap feature, to Dempsey and Jeff Scofield.  Scofield clinched the Hoosier Cup championship with one rescheduled race remaining.

Race notes: Fontaine's Chevrolet is a Port City chassis with a Five Star Body, and a Dan O'Connell Racing Engine.  Sponsors include GGR Roofing, BDH Construction and Frasier Contracting.

Fontaine Dominates AACS Race

By Rick Anges Bradenton, FL Nov 28, 2004 - Mother nature washed out the Saturday night show but not before “Big Daddy” Dave Pletcher took fast time with a 14.45 second blast around the High Banks. With Saturday night called the racing action was moved to Sunday afternoon. Under blue skies the field lined the front stretch for the 125 lap AACS feature and with the roll of the die 3 rows were inverted from qualifying.

Steve Dorer jumped out to the early lead but it wasn’t long before B.J. McLeod made a move on the outside to take the top spot. Dave Pletcher who had fast time fell out on lap 2 to mechanical woes.

McLeod had his hands full when Chris Fontaine roared up on his back bumper. The handle appeared to go away on the 78 machine allowing Fontaine to get around and take command bringing with him Dwayne Dempsey.

Although Dempsey’s ride was fast it wasn’t enough to keep up with Fontaine as he dominated the rest of the race to take the win and then to thrill the fans to a smokey burn out on the front stretch.

REPRINT FROM SPEEDNETDIRECT.COM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  Fontaine Gets Second Win of 2004 at Desoto

Sunday, November 28, 2004

    Bradenton,FL-Chris Fontaine got his second Late Model win of the 2004 season in the AACS series 125 at Desoto Speedway.

        Fontaine qualified the GGR Roofing, BDH Construction, Fletcher Contracting #47 in the second spot to start the race, but the roll of the dice moved him back to a sixth place start.

        By lap 56, Fontaine had worked his way through the field.  He passed B.J. Mcleod to take the lead in turns three and four, and never looked back.

          Fontaine's 2004 race record now stands at two wins, 9 top fives and 15 top tens out of 27 races.

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FONTAINE QUALIFIED SECOND FASTEST  RUNNING TWO WIDE IN TURN FOUR

FONTAINE PASSES B.J. MCLEOD ON LAP 56 AND LEADS TO THE CHECKERED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  Fontaine Finishes 7th in Governor's Cup Race #3 After 29th Place Start

Saturday, November 20, 2004

    New Symrna Beach,FL-Chris Fontaine charged through a large field to a seventh place finish after starting 29th in  the third and final race of the 2004 Florida Governor's Triple Crown.

          Fontaine's 2004 race record now stands at one win, 8 top fives and 14 top tens out of 26 races.

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SAM HART WELCOMES CHRIS FONTAINE TO GOVERNOR'S CUP TROPHY RACE

LARGE LINEUP FROM SEVERAL STATES FOR THE CUP RACE

PASSING ON THE FRONT STRAIGHTAWAY      PASSING COMING OUT OF FOUR

THE TEAM GOES TO WORK ON A PITSTOP

Fontaine Finishes Fifth in FASCAR Florida Governor's Cup Race #1 at Bronson

Saturday, October 30, 2004

    Bronson,FL-Chris Fontaine got his second pole start of 2004, and his eighth top five finish in race number one of the Florida Governor's Triple Crown last Saturday.

          Fontaine's 2004 race record now stands at one win, 8 top fives and 13 top tens out of 22 races.

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FONTAINE GOT HIS SECOND POLE START OF THE YEAR AT BRONSON

RUNNING ON THE FRONT STRAIGHTAWAY

Fontaine Finishes Fourth in FASCAR Florida State Late Model Championship

Saturday, October 16, 2004

    Lakeland,FL-Chris Fontaine worked his way up from a 13th place start in the FASCAR Florida State Late Model Championship to finish 4th. 

    The 200 lap event had the added element of a tires and gas pitstop, an element Chris and the team don't encounter in the 125 lap races at Desoto Speedway.

    Fontaine's 2004 race record now stands at one win, 7 top fives and 12 top tens out of 21 races.

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        FONTAINE FINISHES ON THE LAKELAND

RACING IN TURN THREE                         THE PITCREW AT WORK

LEAVING THE PITS                                        CHRIS FONTAINE SIGNING PHOTO CARDS

Fontaine Gets Pole at Desoto to Start the Seafest 250 On October 9th

Saturday, October 9, 2004

    Desoto,FL-Chris Fontaine took the pole to lead the field to the start of the first 125-lap leg of the Seafest 250 race at Desoto Speedway.  He avoided a first-lap wreck among the leaders to drive the GGR Roofing/BDH Construction/Frasier Contracting #47 to a fourth place finish in the race.

    Fontaine was lined up in the eighth spot to start the second 125-lap leg. On lap 56, Fontaine went under a three-car wreck in turn three, but got broadsided by one of the cars. He was credited with 20th place; good enough to maintain his fifth place position in the 2004 AACS Hoosier Cup points race.

    Fontaine's 2004 race record now stands at one win, 6 top fives and 11 top tens out of 20 races.

CHRIS WAVES TO THE CROWD FROM THE POLE   CHRIS LEADS THE FIELD TO THE START

CHRIS AVOIDED A FIRST LAP WRECK

DESOTO 9/18/2004

CHRIS AND THE TEAM CELEBRATE THIRD PLACE FINISH AT DESOTO

POSING FOR THE THIRD PLACE PHOTO WITH FANS

RACING FOR POSITION

GOING UNDERNEATH

RACING AT DESOTO

FONTAINE AVOIDS "THE BIG ONE" AT NEW SMYRNA

GETTING UNDERNEATH IN TURN FOUR       RACING THREE WIDE IN TURN ONE

RUBBING AND RACING ON THE FRONT STRETCH AT NEW SYMRNA

Fontaine Finishes 13th at Pensacola, Ninth at Mobile in Double-Duty Weekend

Friday, June 11, 2004

Pensacola,FL-After starting 15th of 22, Chris Fontaine drove the GGR Roofing/BDH Construction/Frasier Contracting #47 to a 13th place finish in the Blizzard Series 100 race #2 at Five-Flags Speedway.

The next night, the Chris Fontaine Racing team traveled to Mobile International Speedway, where Chris raced in another 100-lap event and finished ninth out of 21 starters.

The finish improves Fontaine's 2004 race record, giving him one win, two top fives, and six top tens out of 13 races to date.

                                STARTING THE BLIZZARD RACE #2              THE #11 AND #61 CHASE THE #47 

Fontaine Takes 6th in Hoosier Cup Race,

Improves Record To 4 Top 10's Out of 7 Series Races

Saturday, June 5, 2004

Bradenton,FL-Chris Fontaine drove the GGR Roofing/BDH Construction/Frasier Contracting #47 to a sixth place finish in the AACS Hoosier Cup race at Desoto Speedway.

The finish improves Fontaine's series record to four top 10's and two top 5's with one win out of seven series races to date in 2004.

In the closing laps of Hoosier Cup Race #5, Fontaine passed Jimmy Cope in the #61 to take the fifth spot.

During the race, the #07 and the #1 were running side by side trying to run down the #47.

Fontaine Finishes 16th in Hoosier Cup Race Despite Setback

Saturday, May 29, 2004

Bradenton,FL-After starting 11th and working up to sixth, Chris Fontaine and the GGR Roofing/BDH Construction/Frasier Contracting #47 suffered a 15-lap setback midway through the race when officials stopped Fontaine for an oil leak and made him go to the pits to fix it.

When Fontaine returned to the track, he made up for a lot of the lost time, and finished the race in 16th.

Fontaine’s record in the AACS Hoosier Cup series currently stands at one win, two top 5’s and three top 10’s out of six races.

The next race for Fontaine and the team is on June 5 at Desoto Speedway for race #7 of the Hoosier Cup series.

Valve Spring Ends Fontaine’s Run In the Pete Orr Memorial

Saturday, May 22, 2004

New Symrna Beach,FL-A weak valve spring ended a great run for Chris Fontaine in the 2nd annual Pete Orr Memorial Orange Blossom 125. 

 Fontaine qualified the GGR Roofing/ BDH Construction/Fraiser Contracting #47 in the 11th spot to start the race, and by lap 34 had worked his way up to sixth spot before the valve spring let go on lap 64.

After starting 11th, and a caution on lap two, Fontaine was lined up in nineth for the restart. 

Through the next 40 laps and three cautions, Fontaine was kept busy fending off the charge of the #61 and the #11, before the #11 fell out with problems on lap 42.

On lap 44, caution came out again, and on the restart Fontaine was lined up in eighth spot.

On the restart on lap 50, Fontaine avoided a four car pileup between the leaders in turn four.

Fontaine was lined up sixth for the next restart on lap 54.

Nine laps later Fontaine’s engine expired in turn four.

Fontaine’s 2004 race record now stands at two top 5’s and 4 top ten’s out of nine races.

The next race for the Chris Fontaine Racing team will be Saturday, May 29^th at Desoto Speedway.

Fontaine’s record in the AACS Hoosier Cup series currently stands at one win, two top 5’s and three top 10’s out of five races.

Fontaine Gets Top Five Finish In Hoosier Cup Race #5

Saturday, May 8, 2004

Bradenton,FL-Chris Fontaine bettered his record in the Hoosier Cup series race #5 at Desoto Superspeedway with a fifth place finish.  The finish brings Fontaine’s 2004 series record up to 1 win, 2 top 5’s and 3 top 10’s out of five races.

Fontaine qualified the GGR Roofing/ BDH Construction/Fletcher Contracting #47 in the 7^th spot to start the race.  Setup problems kept him from getting a better starting position.

Two laps into the race, the #75 went wide in turn two with problems, and on the restart, Fontaine was in the sixth spot.

Fontaine chased the #61 of Jimmy Cope for the next 19 laps, almost passing him just as another caution came out.

It seemed that each time Fontaine and the #47 would get up to speed and the tires got hooked up, another caution would come out.

After another restart on lap 80, Fontaine pulled alongside Cope again, only to slide up the track in turn one, allowing two cars to get by.  But, Fontaine held onto it and retook the sixth spot, and was threatening for fifth again when a wreck amoungst the leaders in turn three brought out the caution on lap 92.

Cope dropped out of the race by lap 100, moving Fontaine up to the 5th spot.

After getting spun in turn four on lap 105, Fontaine was restarted in the sixth spot. For the next six laps Fontaine fended off the charge by the #07 running side by side with the #1, chasing the #47.

On lap 111, BJ Mcloud hit the wall in turn four, moving Chris up to the fifth spot on the restart.

The #1 tried to get by Fontaine on lap 114, but he got loose in turn four and spun.

After the restart,running in fourth, Fontaine’s #47 was getting a little tight in the corners causing him to drift up and the #07 got under him to take the spot.

Fontaine held onto the fifth spot through  another caution and to the checkered flag.

Go to chrisfontaine.com for more on Fontaine’s schedule, news, photos, fan club and more.

Fontaine Gets 9th in WPCV 125 at USA Speedway

Saturday, May 1, 2004

Lakeland,FL-Chris Fontaine drove the GGR Roofing/BDH Construction/Fletcher Contracting #47 to a ninth place finish in the FASCAR Sunbelt Super Late Model Series WPCV 125 last Saturday night.

“The car was loose during qualifying,” Crewchief Kevin Ingram said of Fontaine’s 27th place qualifying effort in the 36 car field.  During an early race caution, Fontaine pitted and the team made adjustments that helped the car’s handling.

After pitting, Fontaine began moving up through the field until he caught up to the #74 Pennzoil car.  The two battled for position through the rest of the race.

“We finished where we did through attrition, people getting wrecked and stuff” Ingram said, adding, “We passed about four cars.”

At the end of the race there were only 15 cars still running out of 36 starters.

“We need to do more testing there, we just don’t quite have the setup right for there,” Kevin said.

The finish brings Fontaine’s 2004 season record to 1 win and 3 top 10’s out of 7 races.

This Saturday, May 8, Fontaine will be racing in race number 5 of the AACS Hoosier Cup series at Desoto Superspeedway.  Fontaine’s 2004 record in the Hoosier Cup series stands at 1 win and 2 top 10’s out of 4 races.           

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fontaine Sponsors Super Cup Challenge

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Lakeland,FL- AACS and Hooter’s Cup driver Chris Fontaine is sponsoring the 2004 Chris Fontaine Super Cup Challenge for the Florida Mini Cup Racing Association.  The Association races ½ scale NASCAR style mini-cup cars throughout Florida, and is part of the MMRA national association.

            " I have been a big fan of the series ever since i ran it five years ago. Mini Cups is the series that I started in and I am proud to be a part of their support," Fontaine said.

Fontaine won the 1999 MMRA North Florida Region Championship and the 1999 MMRA National Indoor Championship.

            One of the mini-cup drivers drives a mini-cup that is painted exactly like Fontaine’s #47 that he drives in the AACS Hoosier Cup series and the USAR Hooter’s Cup series.

            The mini-cup drivers competing in the Chris Fontaine Super Cup Challenge will be awarded points for each race they compete in according to their performance.  At the end of the year, Fontaine will present trophies to the winners.

            Fontaine also invited any of the mini-cup drivers competing in the Challenge to join him and the Chris Fontaine Racing team at any of his races.

Go to chrisfontaine.com for more on Fontaine’s schedule, news, photos, fan club and more on the Chris Fontaine Super Cup Challenge.

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Fontaine Finishes 7^th in AACS Hoosier Cup Race #3   

Wednesday, April 07, 2004

Bradenton,FL- Chris Fontaine finished the AACS Hoosier Cup race number 3 at Desoto Superspeedway in seventh place last Saturday night.  The finish moves Fontaine to third in series points, and only 90 points out of first place.

Fontaine was running in second place going into turn four on the last lap of the race when he had a tire go down and the third place #1 car got into him.  Both cars spun into the infield short of the finish line, but Fontaine refired the car and got across the finish line.

Fontaine qualified seventh in the 23-car field to start the 125 lap race.

Fontaine ran strong, holding down the eighth spot up to the first caution on lap 18.  On the restart on lap 21, Fontaine was lined up in the eighth spot.

For the next 20 laps, Fontaine barked at the heels of the #7 car as the leaders lapped the field.  Caution came out on lap 39, and on the restart on lap 43, Fontaine was in the sixth spot.

Another caution came out on lap 51, and when the race restarted on lap 55, Fontaine was up to fifth.

On lap 63, Fontaine passed the #1 car on the outside to take over the third spot. 

For the next 50 laps, and five cautions, Fontaine watched the two lead cars battle it out.

With three laps to go, Fontaine closed in on the two lead cars as they battled for the lead. Then the leader took turn three too deep and got in the dirt, sliding up and into the wall.  That put Fontaine in second place for the green,white,checker finish before the tire went down.

Fontaine has one win and two top 10’s out of three races in the series so far this year, putting him third in the 2004 AACS Hoosier Cup points.

Go to chrisfontaine.com for more on Fontaine’s schedule, news, photos, fan club and more.

In the Desoto Superspeedway AACS Hoosier Cup race #3 on April 3rd, Fontaine was running in second place going into turn four on the last lap of the race when he had a tire go down and the third place #1 car got into him.  Fontaine's #47 spun into the infield, gathering up several other cars in the process, and coming up short of the finish line.   Fontaine quickly refired the car and got across the finish line in 7th place.

THE MINI CUPS ALSO HELD A RACE AT DESOTO ON 4/3 AS PART OF THE CHRIS FONTAINE SUPER CUP CHALLENGE SERIES

Fontaine’s Desoto Repeat Performance Foiled By Oil 

 Tuesday, March 23, 2004

 Bradenton,FL- Chris Fontaine’s attempt to get back-to-back wins in the AACS Hoosier Cup series at Desoto Superspeedway was cut short last Saturday night when his car slipped on some oil in turn one and backed into the wall.

            Fontaine started the race on the outside pole after the roll of the dice inverted four rows.   From the green flag, Fontaine ran neck and neck on the outside of the leading #94 for two laps before moving into line in the third spot behind #75.

            Fontaine held the third spot through two early race cautions and 20 laps before he started to make his move to the front.  Then Fontaine began to threaten, pulling up to the second place car in every corner.

            On lap 24, yellow came out for a car that had hit the wall in turn one and two, rupturing an oil line and dumping lots of oil on the track and bursting into flames.  The race was red-flagged until cleanup could be completed.

            After the restart, on lap 27, Fontaine began to make his move for second place, pulling up on the #75 and beginning his move around him to the outside in turn four.  They ran side by side down the front straight. 

Then just as Fontaine began to pull ahead in turn one, he hit some oil still on the track, sending him sliding into the wall between turns one and two.  The impact broke the right rear shock and knocked the rearend out of alignment, ending Fontaine’s night.

Fontaine was credited with 25^th place, dropping him from first to eighth in the AACS Hoosier Cup points.

“We had the fast car again, and we will be back to try again,” Fontaine said of the unfortunate outcome.       

Go to chrisfontaine.com for more on Fontaine’s schedule, news, photos, fan club and more.

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Fontaine Finishes 16th in First Career USAR Race

Thursday, March 04, 2004

Lakeland,FL-Chris Fontaine finished his first career USAR race in 16th  place last Saturday at Lakeland’s USA Speedway, despite having power to only one rear wheel for the whole race.

“We broke a rear differential and then he had only one rear tire that caught,” Crewchief Kevin Ingram said, adding,” we tried to get the weight on that one tire to help him as much as possible, but we could only do what we could with one rear tire pulling.”

 Fontaine qualified 32nd in the 36-car field to start the race, and drove hard to keep from loosing ground with the gear problem.  On lap 22 ,when the first caution came out, he pitted to work on the problem.

 An accident in turn 4 brought out the caution on lap 48. Fontaine pitted again to make adjustments in an effort to improve the situation.

 Fontaine narrowly avoided a five car wreck in turn one on lap 63 by getting on the binders, causing the right rear of the car to slide into the wall.  The impact broke the right rear shock, and damaged the quarter panel and spoiler.

 Fontaine pitted under caution so the team could make what repairs they could.

  On the restart, Fontaine was lined up in the 29th spot at the back of the field.

 On lap 93 the fourth caution came out for debris on the front straightaway.  Fontaine took the opportunity to pit for tires and gas.

 During the next 10 laps, Fontaine worked to maintain his position in the field, but the broke shock and crippled differential proved too much as five cars got by him, putting him at the rear of the field again.

 Fontaine pitted again for adjustments when the caution came out on lap 183, and had to restart at the end of the field.

 He quickly passed three cars on the first lap, but the #18 came back to overtake him on the next lap.

 Caution flew again on lap 195 for a wreck coming out of turn four.

 When the race restarted on lap 199, Fontaine was lined up in 21st spot.  

 Handicapped by an illhandling and damaged car, Fontaine manhandled the #47, but he continued to loose ground until the yellow came out again on lap 218.

 When Bill Bigley was given a stop and go penalty before the restart on lap 225, it moved Fontaine up to 18th.

 Caution came out again, and on the restart on lap 240, Fontaine was lined up 19th.

 Fontaine continued to battle the crippled car through the next 10 laps to finish his first career USAR Pro Cup race in 16th overall out of a starting field of 36.

 The race will be televised on the SPEED channel on Thursday, March 11.

 Fontaine’s USAR Hooter’s Cup #47 is sponsored by GGR Roofing, BDH Construction and Frasier Contracting. 

 The three sponsors also helped Fontaine with his debut at Daytona International Speedway in the IPOWER Dash Series, and sponsor  Fontaine’s #47 Late Model car in Desoto Speedway’s Hoosier Cup AACS Series. 

 Fontaine won the first race in that series for 2004 on Feb. 22.

 The next race for Fontaine is the second Hoosier Cup AACS series 125 on March 20 at Desoto Superspeedway.

 Go to chrisfontaine.com for more on Fontaine’s schedule, news, photos and fan club.

Fontaine Wins the Desoto Superspeedway AACS 125 Icebreaker

 Chris Fontaine got his first career win in the first race of Desoto Speedway’s Hoosier All American Challenge Series of 2004 on Sunday, February 22.

 Fontaine qualified sixth to start the race. 

“We started out fast. I knew we would be fast, but I didn’t know if we would be fast enough to beat Wayne Anderson,” Fontaine said.  

“I started the race, getting in the groove and waiting for everyone to calm down.  I realized we had to get moving because some fast cars were coming up through the field,” Fontaine said, adding, “So I started making a move and went to the outside of a couple of cars, and passed the leader on the outside”.

Fontaine took the lead at lap 50 and never looked back.

“I knew there were strong cars behind us, and that I had to get as much distance as I could on second place, so I just got in a rhythm and drove lap after lap exactly the same,” Fontaine said.

By the end of the race, Fontaine had lapped most of the field all the way up to the fifth place car.

“The #74 car got in the way a little bit, but when I got by him I just drove it to victory for my first win. And that first win just fueled the fire to our flames, and it will be hard to put them out,” Fontaine said.

“It was a good showing to what the team can do.  We have been able to be that good for a long time, but the luck just hasn’t come our way,” Fontaine said, adding, “Now we know we have got what it takes, and we have proven it.”

The next race for Chris Fontaine and his team is this coming Saturday, Feb. 28.  Fontaine will be competing in the Hooter’s Pro Cup season opener at Lakeland’s USA Speedway.

This will be Fontaine’s first USAR race of his career.

Cover and article reprinted compliments of Late Model Digest

Fontaine ices cold spell with big win

By Jim Carson Late Model Digest editor

BRADENTON, FL. (Feb. 22) - The story of Chris Fontaine's first Super Late Model victory couldn't have been any better if the driver had written it himself.

His breakthrough came against a star-studded field in DeSoto Super Speedway's traditional season opening Icebreaker. He made the pass for the lead on the outside, showing the strength of his ability and his car. He had a comfortable lead at the end, and in second place was 2003's top driver Wayne Anderson.

And the last half of the 125-lap event went green to the finish. That was the important part.

Fontaine, from Lakeland, Fla., moved up from sixth to second in the first 45 laps, then went around Dwayne Dempsey on the high side six laps later. After two separate spins forced a yellow, the flagman waved the green again on lap 60. Moments later Anderson emerged from a tough second-place battle with Billy Bigley Jr;, and the prevailing thought was that Anderson would eat that leader kid's lunch the next time there was a restart.

. Anderson's still waiting for that next restart, because it never came. Under green, he never cut into the quarter-track lead that Fontaine had built.

"I felt like I was slowly running him down, but. the kid never slipped all day," Anderson said. "We still set fast time by a couple tenths, got caught on the outside, then got back up and worked our way to second."

Second wouldn't have satisfied Fontaine this time (not that it felt that great for Anderson). Fontaine scored some podium finishes in the second half of last season at DeSoto and he had led some laps early in races, but he had yet to reach victory lane in a Super Late Model until the Icebreaker. He had spent full seasons in the former NASCAR All Pro circuit and the now-defunct SARA series, but he hadn't impressed many folks there, and his trio of NASCAR Busch Series starts late in 2002 are better off ignored. This was the best thing to happen to him since his team regrouped and focused on Late Models,aside from hiring Kevin Ingram as his crew chief.

"This is a big step for us," Fontaine said. "Before we just didn't have the right help, and we were probably a little eager. Today my car handled from the start. It got just' a little bit free, but when I was out by myself I could concentrate really well."

Near the end of the Icebreaker, he was probably a little anxious. There were three instances that almost forced cautions which would have erased his large lead over Anderson. Twice backmarkers spun exiting turn four, Sean LeMaster with 23 laps left and Ritchie Anderson with five to go, but each time the looper made it far enough into the infield grass and were nowhere close to the racing lines, and they each refired and blended back into the action.

"I was going, '.stay off the track! Stay off the track!' They stayed off the track and kept it green," Fontaine said.

His other close call came with about 30 laps remaining as he was putting a lap on Jay Middleton. Middleton ran second for most of the first 50 laps, but then he damaged his front end when he couldn't avoid hitting leader Dempsey's rear as the field slowed down for another spin. Last year's Florida Pro Series champion pitted and had his hood removed, and the resulting aerodynamic and handling problems knocked him off. the pace. He still put up a fight when Fontaine came up to lap him, and Fontaine had to escape above the top groove to avoid him when Middleton passed a slower car at the same time he was being lapped.

The high side around the highbanked 3/8-mile suited Fontaine all right, however. That's where he made his winning move around Dempsey.

"I tried it back in November (at DeSoto's 2003 finale) and 1 passed a couple of strong cars on the outside. I got into second that night, and I just didn't have time to run the next guy down," he said. "I learned how to do it that race. I learned what it felt like. Now I can put it out there anytime. Once I got into second today, I knew I could get by the # 7 (Dempsey) and the #7 would hold them up a little bit."

Pursuers Bigley and Anderson weren't held up much by Dempsey, who later admitted that he was out of tires because he chose too soft a compound. Dempsey wound up sixth, dropping spots near the end to defending DeSoto champion Dave Pletcher and Jeff Scofield, and he was lapped in the closing moments of the race.

Race notes:

Fontaine's Chevrolet is a Port City chassis with a Five Star body, shocks from Carrera, and an engine from Dan O'Connell. Sponsors include GGR Roofing, BDH Construction, and Frasier Contracting.

PHOTOS FROM FONTAINES FIRST USAR HOOTERS CUP RACE

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS ON A PITSTOP                 THE GGR #47 ON PIT ROAD

FONTAINE AVOIDED THE ACCIDENT BUT HIT THE WALL

THE PIT CREW MAKES REPAIRS                   RUNNING WITH THE PACK

GETTING TIRES AND GAS                     SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS

CHRIS FONTAINE AND BILLY BIGLEY                                      STRAPPED IN

CHRIS FONTAINE PREPARES FOR HIS FIRST CAREER USAR RACE

WAITING IN LINE FOR TECH

Chris Fontaine Makes Daytona Debut in the IPOWER Dash 150 Race Last Sunday

Chris Fontaine realized a life-long goal of racing Daytona International Speedway last Sunday, Feb. 8, as he ran in the IPOWER Dash 150 race.  Chris started the race in the 17th spot and finished 15th.

"If we had not had to replace the engine on qualifying day, I would have been able to draft with a much faster pack of cars, and would have started a lot better," Chris said.

The race was shortened because of an accident on lap 20 that brought out the red flag for two hours.

While Chris was running 12th, the team had pitted the car to take on gas, anticipating running the full 60 laps. But when the SPEED channel ended their live coverage, and with darkness falling, officials decided to shorten the race to 40 laps. 

Chris drove his way back up through the 36 car field to finish 15th, but his goal of a top 10 finish was dashed by the officials call.

As far as continuing in the IPOWER Dash Series, Chris said, “I wanted to run Daytona. We may run one or two other races, but that’s it. ”

Chris Fontaine Racing Releases Tentative Race Schedule for 2004 Season

Chris Fontaine's tentative race schedule for the 2004 season includes 28 possible races in 5 states and           4 different racing series. 

On six of the tentative race dates, the team will have to decide which race to attend since races are run in two different series at different tracks on the same date.

Go to chrisfontaine.com for more news on Chris Fontaine and his 2004 racing schedule.  Keep checking back as the schedule will be updated as race locations are decided upon.    

Chris Fontaine Co-Stars With Chip Carter in Commercial on Fox 13 TV

Late Model race car driver Chris Fontaine co-stars along with news reporter Chip Carter in a commercial currently airing on Fox Channel 13. 

In the commercial, Fontaine and Carter debate who has the fastest machine, and then shows them racing Fontaine's #47 Late Model car against Carter's news helicopter.

At the end of the commercial, the two do donuts, while the screen displays "NASCAR on Fox" below them.

Go to chrisfontaine.com for more news on Chris Fontaine and his 2004 racing schedule.