By BRETT DEYO/Area Auto Racing News
BINGHAMTON, NY (Jan. 5) - Mention the word "class" in an asphalt Modified pit area and Pete Brittain's name is certain to arise.
Brittain, a respected veteran racer from Oakhurst, N.J., added another line to his long resume in 2007 when he clinched the Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour overall championship for the first time in his career.
On Saturday night at the Binghamton Regency Hotel and Conference Center, The 53-year-old was honored for his accomplishment before a gathering of 600 race enthusiasts during the annual Race of Champions Dart Dirt & Asphalt Modified Tour/Five Mile Point (N.Y.) Speedway Awards Banquet.
And Brittain received his laurels with unparalleled distinction.
Taking the microphone from master of ceremonies Brett Deyo, Brittain sincerely gave accolades to all who contributed to his championship effort - his wife, Carey; car owner and longtime friend Mike Kelly; crew chief/team manager Terry Zacharias; Race of Champions administrative director Andrew Harpell and the traveling RoC officials, who he named personally; Don and Marilyn Toal, who each year raise a phenomenal amount of lap-sponsorship money for the Race of Champions 200 at Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway; and even the trade paper writers and photographers who cover the sport.
Brittain presented engraved photos to Harpell and the Toals for their dedication to asphalt Modified racing.
"I wanted to show a little appreciation for what they do," offered Brittain. "They all do it because they love it. They aren't getting paid big bucks. They do it for the same reason that we're racing. A little bit of recognition, I think is important.
"Marilyn and Don (Toal), they do so much for us," Brittain added. "We pulled like $17,000 out of that Race of Champions (at Oswego, N.Y). We won more than Jan (Leaty), who won the race. People like that make our sport what it is.
To conclude his speech, Brittain shared emotional, heartfelt words about his friend John Blewett III, killed at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway last August in a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event. Brittain, who lives closeby to the Blewett family, has many fond memories of JBIII, from him as a child to a fierce competitor at Flemington (N.J.), where Brittain and Blewett spent many Saturday nights racing wheel-to-wheel.
Brittain earned the '07 RoC Dart Modified overall title by 37 points over Matt Hirschman. The 25-year-old Hirschman actually led the standings entering the season's final event, the U.S. Open at Lancaster (N.Y.) Raceway Park. However, a scheduling conflict found Hirschman at Conn.'s Stafford Motor Speedway for the 'Fall Final.'
Brittain finished second in the U.S. Open to winner Chuck Hossfeld and took his breakthrough RoC overall crown, having been a regional champ in the past.
While Hirschman's absence played a part, Brittain's performance on the track put him in position for the crown. He earned the North Region championship by eight points, using a win at Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome on Aug. 11.
In the combination events, the driver known as 'Pistol Pete' won the Richie Evans Memorial 100 at Oswego on May 26 and used consistent finishes to pile up points.
The championship came on the heels of two consecutive runner-up finishes in the overall RoC points.
Brittain, the owner of a successful Garden State excavation/landscaping business, credited Terry Zacharias and a focus on using one car for his increased speed.
Zacharias maintains Brittain's equipment in his Candor, N.Y., race shop. Brittain shows up with his helmet and turns left.
"There is no way that I could ever possibly think about maintaining race cars," explained Brittain, in his fifth season with Zacharias. "In the summertime, when we're wide open, I have 60 employees.
"With Terry, I can climb into a race car, go out the first lap and run as hard as you can run and feel safe. That's a big plus."
After running multiple cars in past seasons, Brittain and Zacharias used one proven piece - a Troyer they had run in SST Modified competition in '06. A Gail Clark-built Tour-Type engine was installed along with a dry-sump system.
It proved to be the right move.
"We finally decided we would concentrate on one car and I feel that made the greatest difference of what we did all year."
Does a chassis mean that much? According to Brittain, it does.
"If you never drove a race car, it's hard to describe.  Every race car has a different feel. In 1990, I had two Troyer cars that were out of the jig one after another. Those two cars were a little bit different - you couldn't put the same set-up in them.
"The more I learn about cars - and believe me I'm still learning - it has a lot to do with the way they're welded and the car has a different feel."
Hirschman's bid for his second RoC overall crown may have fallen short, but it was still a productive season for the second-generation driver. He earned a combination-race victory at Thompson in September.
En route to the Central Region title, Hirschman won the opening regional race at Oswego on May 13 and picked up four top-five finishes in five events. He also placed fourth in the North Region, taking the checkered first at Lancaster on July 7.
Lee Sherwood and Daren Scherer, both of Binghamton, N.Y., placed third and fourth in the overall standings, respectively, with Bethlehem, Pa.'s John Markovic completing the front five.
Placing sixth through 10th were Billy Putney of East Aurora, N.Y.; Eric Beers of Northampton, Pa.; Phil Slater of Owego, N.Y.; Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y.; and Rick Kluth of Brockport, N.Y.
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Brittain (202 points) took the North Region title over teenager Erick Rudolph (194), Putney, Bobby Holmes and Hirschman. Scherer, Sherwood, Kluth, Rusty Smith and Markovic filled out the front 10.
Hirschman (232 points) was best in the Central Region over his neighbor, Eric Beers (192). Sherwood, Brittain and Zane Zeiner completed the front five. Sixth through 10th were Markovic, Slater, Smith, Scherer and Earl Paules.
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Mike Kelly of Colts Neck, N.J., was presented with the Owner of the Year Award for his backing of Brittain's No. 66.
Rudolph, the latest of the Rudolph racing dynasty to find success, earned Rookie of the Year laurels. Daren Scherer received the Most Improved Driver and Best Appearing Car Award, while Eric Beers reluctantly accepted the Hard Luck Award.
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RoC RECAPS: Andrew Harpell concluded the awards ceremony by praising the talent and dedication of his RoC Dart Asphalt Modified Tour teams, calling them "second-to-none."....
Brittain was previously a champ in his home state at Flemington in 1998 (Mod) and 1999 (TAR-CAR) and at Wall Township (1990), while earning the RoC Central crown in 2004....
Dart Machinery, represented at the Awards Banquet by general manager Ted Keating, supplied a VIP suite for "after hours" partying long after the awards has been distributed.
Dart had a major presence at the affair with signage, hats and gift bags....