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IN THIS ISSUE August/September 2021 I Volume 25, Issue 05
INSIDE News 26 Qwick Wick Super Stocks Collver wins 50-lap season opener OSCAAR Modifieds & Hot Rods 28 Emms and Kennedy win at Sunset Speedway 29 Canadian Vintage Modifieds Marshall wins Hank Franks Memorial 30 Maritime Short Track Report Naugle wins Parts for Trucks 150 32 Western Racing Outlook Signs of life in Western Canada 70 FEL Sports Car Championship Canada Signoretti stays hot in new series 71 Canadian Rally Championship Series returns at the Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs 72 IHRA Canadian Nationals Grand Bend hosts biggest event since 2019 Ontario Gassers, Altereds & Dragsters 78 Series gets underway at St. Thomas Dragway INSIDE Features Formula E 12 Vancouver to host E-Prix in 2022 16 Pinty’s Hot List Parker Thompson eyeing Porsche title 20 NASCAR Pinty’s Series Lessard sweeps series openers at Sunset 22 APC United Late Model Series Watson opens season with back-to-back wins 54 VARAC Vintage Grand Prix CTMP hosts 41st annual vintage celebration 62 BARC Canadian Touring Trophy CASC-OR racers return to the track at CTMP 64 Super Production Challenge Shannonville Motorsport Park hosts Round 1 66 The Road Racers of Atlantic Canada TRAC rumbles back to life at AMP 68 Formula 1 Virtual Paddock Online hospitality program innovates 74 Canada Heads Up Streetcar Shootout Series begins 2021 season with event at TMP 76 Western Drag Racing Spider Electric Canadian National Open
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INSIDE Opinions 06 The Inside Line Greg MacPherson remembers Rob Morton Shifting Gears 10 James Neilson discusses Formula 1’s title fight 80 Technically Speaking Larry Holt on the future of performance 84 This, That & the Other Ernie Saxton comments on Larson’s big year 86 Looking Back Dave Mathers and the Kennington family 88 Tomas Tales Celebrating Merrittville’s 70th anniversary
Photo by Dave Franks
SPECIAL Feature 34 Flamboro Speedway Celebrating the iconic track’s 60th anniversary
ALSO 90 104
Inside Qwick Wick Victory Lane Honouring the latest Canadian race winners Monthly Results Coast-to-coast Canadian short track results
ON THE Cover Flamboro Speedway owners John and Frank Casale grace the latest cover, celebrating the historic track’s 60th anniversary season. Design: Dawn McClintock Photos: Dave Franks and Greg MacPherson. InsideTrackNews.com 3
I OPINION
THE INSIDE LINE By Greg MacPherson
HEARTBROKEN
The Inside Track family suffered two losses in early August. Founding partner and National Sales Manager Rob Morton (above) passed away following a short illness and stroke. And Nancy Hopkins, the wife of Inside Track partner John Hopkins, passed after a lengthy cancer battle.
A
s I write this, I’m numb. We all are. Earlier today, myself and the Inside Track / Motorama family learned that Rob Morton passed away yesterday (August 9). It was a few days after he suffered a devastating stroke. And that came on the heels of major surgery almost two months ago. Rob was a very private person, and didn’t want to make a big deal out of what he was going through. Most of us have known Rob and worked with him since 1991. He was one of the four original partners when we left our old gig and launched Inside Track Motorsport News, in 1997. Rob is listed in our masthead as our National Sales Manager, but we’re a small crew and we all wear a lot of hats. For many years, Rob was also pretty much the public face of Inside Track as he and his wife, Fran, would set up the promotional tent behind the grandstands, at the tracks, to sell subscriptions, single issues, and to chat with the magazine’s readers and advertisers. When the rest of us had an opportunity to do a shift in the tent, we’d always be asked, “Where is Rob?” and “How is Rob doing?” It was amazing how many people he connected with and made an impression upon. Everyone loved Rob. 6 Inside Track Motorsport News
Rob was also a great salesman. He was successful because he forged personal relationships with his clients and made sure we did our best to work hard for them and their businesses. But more than that, Rob was a very nice man. He always had a big smile and was genuinely happy to see old friends, and to make new ones, whether it was on the hill at Delaware Speedway or Mosport – where we launched Inside Track on Labour Day 1997 – or at the Motorama Show Office desk, or at our booth at the PRI show, in Indy. Not long after we started Inside Track, we all attended Rob’s 50th birthday. He was always older than the rest of us, but you could never tell. He was tough and hated when he had to let on that he was feeling out of sorts. In recent years, he and Fran moved to Prince Edward County. We didn’t see him as often as the days when we’d all be in the office together, but that was OK. Because their sons were starting their own families, and he and Fran were having such a great time being grandparents. And although he was over 70 and busy with his growing clan, Rob still wanted to stay involved in Inside Track and Motorama. He kept his key accounts – you know who you are – and we all chatted on the phone regularly and via email.
The pandemic has been a difficult time for us – as it has for many people – and it kept us from spending more time with Rob, that we’ll never be able to recover. I know we’re all sad about that. As with anyone who passes suddenly, we’re relieved that Rob didn’t suffer after his stroke. But we sure will miss him and we’ll always regret that we didn’t get a chance to say a proper goodbye to our great partner, co-worker and friend. On behalf of all of us, we love you, Rob. Our deepest condolences to Fran, Chris, Craig and your entire family. Thank you for sharing him with us for the past 30 years. And just days before Rob’s passing, we were also crushed to hear about the passing of Nancy Hopkins, the wife of another of our founding partners, John Hopkins. John and Nancy have lived near Tweed, ON and have courageously fought through recurrences of Nancy’s cancer for several years. We are so sad for both of them, and their families. Prior to this week, I had planned to write about fans returning to the tracks and a possible light at the end of the tunnel for the pandemic, as it relates to Canadian racing. But today, that takes a backseat as we deal with the losses in our family. We’ll be back on track for next issue. IT
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8 Inside Track Motorsport News
SIGHT FOR SORE EYES As vaccine rates continue to grow, racing is reaping the benefits, and one of the first big Canadian racing events to kick off the 2021 season was the VARAC Vintage Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, featuing classic cars, F1600 open-wheelers and the debut of the FEL Sports Car Championship.
PHOTO BY TIM McGILL InsideTrackNews.com 9
I OPINION
SHIFTING
GEARS By James Neilson
MAX THE UNLUCKY
Inside Track Communications, Inc. PO Box 370, Brights Grove, ON N0N 1C0 (Administration) 78 Airdrie Road, East York, ON M4G 1M2 (Editorial) 416-962-RACE (7223) • Fax: 416-962-7208 • www.insidetracknews.com EDIT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Greg MacPherson greg@insidetracknews.com
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A
fter reeling off three consecutive victories at the French, Styrian and Austrian Grands Prix, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen saw his lead in the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship disappear after scoring two points combined in the British and Hungarian Grands Prix thanks to two separate incidents, neither of which were his fault. The dutchman now trails title rival Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes by eight points as the series heads into its annual summer break prior to resuming with the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of August. At the British Grand Prix, Verstappen started on pole, but a better start by Hamilton resulted in a first-lap duel that ultimately ended in disaster for the Red Bull Racing star. Heading into the Copse Corner, Hamilton got a run on Verstappen, but the seven-time Formula 1 World Champion came up short and, depending on where your loyalties lie, either Hamilton didn’t give Verstappen the room to make it through the corner safely, or Verstappen should have backed off. The two title rivals clashed, Verstappen crashed out of the event, and the race was red flagged. After the restart, Hamilton was assessed a ten-second penalty, but overcame it to earn a record eighth win at his home track. I think the ten-second penalty was too lenient. If you watch the replays, Verstappen was ahead of Hamilton going around Copse and had plenty of room to get through the corner, the Mercedes driver drifted past the middle of the racing line and, especially in a corner that fast, could have easily taken a tighter line and gone right back on the attack. Instead, Hamilton’s front wheel touch Verstappen’s back wheel and the duel was over. At the following race in Hungary, Valtteri Bottas made a kamikaze move on the start, braked late and punted McLaren’s Lando Norris right into the side of Verstappen’s RB16B, severely damaging the turning vanes on the right front sidepod, slowing Verstappen to the point that he finished a lowly ninth, good for a mere two points. Prior to the British and Hungarian Grands Prix, Verstappen was pulling away from Mercedes and Hamilton. Now, he must claw back a deficit when the series resumes in Belgium in late August. It’s a tough spot to be in as Mercedes has looked stronger over the last few races, exacerbated by the fact that none of this is Red Bull nor Verstappen’s own doing. In the last issue, I spoke of how excited I was to see Hamilton and Verstappen duel for the 2021 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship. Well, the duel is back on after a brief flurry by Verstappen, I just wish it were under better circumstances. IT 10 Inside Track Motorsport News
COPY EDITOR Elisa Ward elisa.l.ward@gmail.com
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PUBLISHER Inside Track is published 10 times a year by Inside Track Communications, Inc. PRESIDENT: John Hopkins john@insidetracknews.com
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CONTRIBUTORS Mary Bignotti-Mendez, Ryan Dyson, Jenn Earle, Blake Farnan, Larry Holt, Dave Mathers, Tim Miller, Jeff Pappone, Robert K. Rooney, Ernie Saxton, Jessie Sharpe, Bob Sumak, David Swain, Tim Terry, Erik Tomas.
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Canada last hosted an FIA Formula E race in 2017, on the streets of Montreal, QC. Photo by Paolo Pedicelli
12 Inside Track Motorsport News
C
anadian promoter OSS Group Inc announced in July that it will be organizing an ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race as part of a unique three-day festival in Vancouver, BC. The City of Vancouver will kick off summer by hosting the event during next year’s July long- weekend (June 30-July 2, 2022) in the iconic False Creek area of downtown. The public at large will be invited to the first event of its kind – a colourful three-day program in Canada’s “greenest” city. The key elements of the “Creative Business Conference, Concerts, and Formula E Race” program will be revealed in the fall of 2021.
InsideTrackNews.com 13
The ABB FIA Formula E series is the only sport certified net zero carbon since inception and was founded to counteract climate change by accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship brings intense and unpredictable all-electric racing to the heart of iconic cities around the world. In its first six seasons, Formula E crowned five different champions and celebrated 17 winners in 69 races. With more automotive manufacturers on the grid than any other motorsport, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is not only one of the most compelling racing series on the planet but also an unparalleled proving ground for race-to-road electric vehicle and sustainable mobility technologies. In late April, the Vancouver City Council offered overwhelming support by approving a motion to host a Formula E race. Councillors Sarah Kirby-Yung and Michael Wiebe, who brought the motion to Council, are great advocates of the event. “We’re excited that Vancouver was OSS Group’s top choice to host this fantastic event, and we’re thrilled to work with them to make it a reality for our city. We look forward to OSS working with our teams and the local community to deliver and ‘electric’ event experience in July 2022. Formula E is a win on so many levels, from being a net-zero event that supports sustainable transportation, to being a huge boost for our hard-hit tourism sector, our residents and our local economy” said Councillor Kirby-Yung and Councillor Wiebe. The OSS Group is Canada’s leading independent promoter involved in motorsports events. As the creator and producer of major events in the racing world and related side events and activities, OSS Group plays an important role, introducing new concepts in auto racing. OSS Group members believe its flagship event – The Canadian E-Fest (Vancouver ePrix) – is a “can’t-miss, with festivities that combine business, entertainment and racing.” All three founding partners of OSS Group – Matthew Carter, Anne Roy and Phillip Smirnow – bring to the table a wealth of know-how and years of experience from the most prestigious spheres of auto racing and event organization, providing turnkey service that ensures the success of the projects assigned to them. Tangible benefits will be realized as part of multiple efforts to restart the post-pandemic economy according to Matthew Carter, President and CEO of OSS Group Inc. Carter believes the Canadian E-FEST will be a major asset for Vancouver’s tourism industry, motorsports and the economy of the entire province. “I cannot express how delighted we are to confirm the dates for the Formula E event in 2022. For all of us at OSS, Vancouver was the natural fit to bring Formula E back to Canada, and with the new CEO (Jamie Reigle) being a proud Canadian, it was written in the stars that the Series return.” said Carter. “The real work starts now. We will set up a Vancouver office close to the track, where we will employ Vancouverites in as many key roles as possible. “We could not have reached this milestone without the support of Councillors Kirby-Yung and Wiebe, as well as the local residents. One of our main missions is to work closely with the City of Vancouver and the False Creek residents to ensure this event is here to stay and that we leave a lasting legacy, year on year, be that charging stations, improvements to facilities or items of significant interest. We really look forward to making this a marquee event on the Formula E calendar while showcasing all that Vancouver and British Columbia have to offer.” All three founding partners of the Canadian OSS Group are wellknown in the world of motorsports. Carter, Roy and Smirnow bring a 14 Inside Track Motorsport News
The 2022 Vancouver E-Prix will take place in the iconic False Creek area of the city. Photos Courtesy of OSS Group and by Paolo Pedicelli
wealth of knowledge and years of experience to the table as they’ve been involved in different major-league racing Series across the globe, including Formula 1, Formula E and IndyCar. Formula E’s Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo welcomed the addition of Vancouver on its 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar, with race day scheduled for Saturday July 2. “In Formula E’s short history, we have always looked to grow the championship and our reach. Next season is set to be another landmark for the series with a record number of races and incredible new cities backing Formula E and our electric movement. To be returning racing to South Africa, along with the likes of Vancouver and Seoul, is a huge achievement for the series, on top of expanding Monaco to an annual event. As our last season with the Gen2 car, it promises to be one of the most exciting yet and lay the foundations for the all-new Gen3 era in season nine.” For updates on the 2022 Vancouver E-Race and its schedule, visit canadianefest.com. – With Files from OSS Group IT
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But going forward, you’ll have to clarify which Steckly you’re referring to, when you hear that surname. Scott’s son, Kyle, is coming into his own on the Ontario racing scene, and it likely won’t be too long before you see his name on an entry list for a NASCAR Pinty’s Series race. Just a few weeks after posting some top finishes in Pro Late Model action at Flamboro Speedway – and winning his first career race in the division – Kyle Steckly scored a perfect night in Round 2 of the Grisdale Triple Crown, at the Millgrove, ON paved oval. Known as a tight and challenging Steckly (r) in Flamboro’s Qwick Wick Victory Lane with Qwick Wick President Dave Lloyd. Photo by Peter Anderson track, Steckly posted the fastest lap KYLE STECKLY (Milverton, ON) during time trials, putting him on the pole for August 7 race, in front of a field jammed with quality racers. Since 1992, fans of Canadian stock car racing have likely thought Steckly’s No. 24 Qwick Wick Camaro car led the entire race, of five-time NASCAR Pinty’s Series champion Scott Steckly when from the drop of the green until being the first to pass by the checkthey heard the name “Steckly” mentioned, in relation to short track ered flag. Reigning Grisdale Triple Crown champ Shae Gemmell was stock car racing. The Milverton, Ontario racer was inducted into the hot on Steckly’s heels throughout, and took second, ahead of Shawn Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2017. Chenoweth, at the end. – Story by Greg MacPherson IT RAPHEL LESSARD (St-Joseph-de-Beauce, QC) For the past few years, Canadian racing fans have known that Raphael Lessard is a talented stock car driver. As a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie, last season, he won in the tour’s visit to Talladega, in October. In January, Lessard’s team announced he would be driving for the GMS Racing team’s Truck Series operation, full-time in 2021. But in early May, a subsequent announcement notified his supporters that the pandemic had impacted efforts to secure sponsorship for Lessard and that he would no longer be racing for the team, this season. In late June, the WMI NASCAR Pinty’s Series team released the news that one of its regular drivers, Donald Theetge, had injured his right hand and would not be able to race in the season-opening doubleheader at Sunset Speedway in early August. Filling in for Theetge – in the No. 80 Camaro – would be 20-yearold Lessard, from St-Joseph-de-Beauce, QC, for both races. Lessard had won in his only other career NPS oval start, at his home track Autodrome Chaudière, in 2019. The youngster demonstrated that the victory wasn’t just rookie luck, as he left Sunset, on August 1, with two more ‘first place’ trophies. Both 125-lap events featured close racing and demonstrated that Lessard has what it takes to go head-to-head with Canada’s top stock car drivers and teams. 16 Inside Track Motorsport News
Raphael Lessard filled in for Donald Theetge at the NPS doubleheader at Sunset on August. 1, winning both races for the new WMI racing team. Photo by Steve Traczyk
“It was a perfect night, I can’t thank WMI and Theetge Chevrolet and everyone enough for this opportunity,” said Lessard, afterwards. “That’s three for three on the ovals now.” Lessard hopes that his performance at Sunset turns heads in corporate boardrooms and with team owners in Canada and in the US. He’s certainly doing his part. – Story by Greg MacPherson IT
D.J. CHRISTIE (Beachville, ON) Nineteen-year-old D.J. Christie scored the first 360 Sprint Car win of his career on August 7 in Pinty’s Knights of Thunder series competition at Southern Ontario Motor Speedway, snapping Jordan Poirier’s four-race win streak in the process. Ryan Turner and Holly Porter made up the front row for the 25 lap A-Main, and Turner led the first lap with row two starters Christie and Poirier hot on his heels. Christie went low and Poirier high as both got past Turner in turn 2 and began to pull away. Christie stuck to the low groove in traffic, with Poirier generally running a similar line; Poirier did venture to the high side at one point and lost a lot of ground in the process. Poirier had closed the gap considerably when Dan Nanticoke and Baily Heard both spun on lap 13. Christie kept the lead on the restart, but another yellow flag immediately came out. Christie again kept the lead on the restart, but the red flag came out on lap 15 when Scott Burk spun out in turn 3 and Dan Nanticoke hit the wall and flipped wildly. Nanticoke emerged from his damaged car uninjured but done for the night. Christie again held court on the restart and kept Poirier at bay for the rest of the race. The win was especially sweet for Christie after a grinding crash at Humberstone a week earlier. “That’s our fifth 360 start and we’re in victory lane!” said Christie. “I’ve got to say a special thanks to Poirier. I’ve been asking him questions all week. I’ve probably been annoying him, but apparently it has paid off. I think he’s going to stop helping me now.”
D.J. Christie with the ceremonial sword handed out to Knights of Thunder Sprint event winners. Photo Courtesy of Dale Calnan / Imagefactor.ca
Poirier was happy with his second-place finish, despite seeing the end of his win streak. “Hat’s off to D.J. He was awesome,” added Poirier. “At the first part of the race he passed Ryan and I thought I could get him on the outside. The track was in amazing condition. It’s awesome to come race here, and the fans in the stands, it’s crazy! Fun to be back to something close to normal.” – With Files from Tommy Goudge IT
PARKER THOMPSON (Red Deer, AB) Canada’s Parker Thompson earned his second Porsche Carrera Cup North America win in the second of two races at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI during IMSA’s annual visit to the historic 6.515 km road course. Monsoon Rain cancelled Friday qualifying, but the Red Deer, AB native was on the pace early and often, finishing second in the weekend opener before his green-to-checkered run to victory in the weekend finale. “This weekend at Road America is a testament to the work that JDX Racing puts in day in and day out,” said Thompson. “It’s no secret that we have a limited testing budget this year compared to our championship rivals, and to completely turn our performance around from The Glen to a dominant win at Road America is unheard of at this level of competition. There’s no better feeling delivering a burly outside pass in turn 1 then translating it to a dominant win when you have the group of guys that I have behind me! “ “What a great weekend and I’m very proud of everyone on our race team,” added Jeremy Dale, Managing Partner/JDX Racing. “Of course, we are most happy that Parker won today, his second race win of the season. The most important part of the weekend was that our results were based on lots of hard work from our drivers, crew and engineers and that process is what created our results this weekend. What is nice about a weekend like this is it
Thompson celebrates his win at Road America. Photo Courtesy of JDX Racing
creates confidence. Confidence is one of those things that creates momentum, so I’m excited to get to Indianapolis.” After Road America, Thompson sits in third in the overall Porsche Cup North America standings with 129 points. The Kelly Moss Racing duo of Dutchman Kay van Berlo and the UK’s Seb Priaulx, who have 171 and 164 points, respectively. – With files from JDX Racing IT InsideTrackNews.com 17
in the six-hour race to take the lead. That let his No. 55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi RT24-P pass Olivier Pla, who had built a 15-second lead before the caution in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-05 that he shared with Dane Cameron. Knowing he was dangerously low on fuel, Tincknell tried to save as much as possible while staying ahead of Pla, a former Mazda teammate who won the 2019 Sahlen’s Six Hours of (Left to right) Jonathan Bomarito, Oliver Jarvis and Harry Tincknell celebrate Multimatic’s win at Watkins Glen. The Glen with Tincknell and Photo Courtesy of IMSA Bomarito in 2019. Tincknell managed to hit the required fuel numbers and reached MULTIMATIC MOTORSPORTS (Markham, ON) the finish line 0.965 seconds ahead of Pla. He made it a few more turns around the 5.5 km circuit before the Mazda coughed to a Getting a lift to the pits in a safety car usually isn’t a good sign for stop, its fuel tank dry. Tincknell applauded the work of the engineers a racecar driver. In Harry Tincknell’s case, it was pure joy. Tincknell and strategists atop the No. 55’s pit box, who calculated it right won the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen Interdown to the last drop. national in late June with a car so low on fuel that it ran dry on the “They had their numbers absolutely spot on,” said Tincknell. “To cool-down lap, leaving Tincknell to wait for a ride to victory lane to be honest, a perfect race car is the one that crosses the line and greet co-drivers Oliver Jarvis and Jonathan Bomarito. then breaks down. They did a fantastic job there. He’s been driven back to the pits after a race, Tincknell said, but “I had the call on the last lap to go flat-out,” Tincknell said. “I knew never after winning. at that point we should be OK. The team calculated it perfectly “I’ve never been driven straight to victory lane,” said Tincknell, for the last lap, but they forgot about the in lap, so I ran out of fuel after the celebration subsided. in turn 7. It was quite a cool moment, all of us being pushed into Tincknell and the Mazda Motorsports strategists used a short victory lane.” – With Files from IMSA IT fill in the pits during a pit stop under caution with 50 minutes left ROMAN DE ANGELIS Not even the elements can seem to stop Ross Gunn and Canadian Roman De Angelis in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The No. 23 Heart of Racing Team drivers continued a torrid streak that began late last year, winning the GT Daytona (GTD) portion of the Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in mid-July. Originally scheduled for two hours, 40 minutes, the race was red flagged after 90 minutes due to lightning in the area and unable to be restarted. The result netted De Angelis and Gunn their second win of the season in the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage GT3, their fourth straight podium finish and 11th top-five performance in the last 12 races dating to last September at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. In addition, the high-riding driver duo took over the GTD season points lead and extended their advantage in the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup. De Angelis started from the pole position and only surrendered the lead when he made what turned out to be the only pit stop of the day 47 minutes into the race. Gunn took over the car and returned to the front as the stops cycled through. He was leading Madison Snow in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 by nearly two seconds when IMSA officials ordered a full18 Inside Track Motorsport News
Roman De Angelis has been on a tear since last year. Photo Courtesy of
IMSA
course caution for lightning. The red flag officially came with 70 minutes remaining. Additional nearby strikes continued to push back the mandatory 30-minute window for no lightning in the area until not enough time remained to continue the event. “Historically it’s been a track where the guy who starts on pole usually has a pretty good chance at winning,” said De Angelis, who dedicated the victory to his grandfather Frank De Angelis, who passed away earlier in the week week. “I pushed as hard as I could and got the most out of the car, and the crew did an amazing job as always. Just happy to get a win after a tough week for myself. Really happy to try to get that win for him.” – With Files from IMSA IT
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NASCAR PINTY’S SERIES LESSARD SWEEPS SERIES OPENERS AT SUNSET SPEEDWAY Story by Greg MacPherson
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n August 1 – and for the first time since September of 2019 – the drivers and teams of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series came together to compete in front of fans. The setting was Sunset Speedway, in Innisfil, ON, just south of Barrie. Ontario’s soggy summer of 2021 was on full display on race day, the Sunday of the province’s Civic Holiday long weekend. APC Series regular Pete Shepherd III posted the fastest time during qualifying and was one of the strongest of the 18 cars in action at Sunset. But in the end, it was Quebec racer Raphael Lessard who swept both 125-lap wins. The young star won his NASCAR Pinty’s Series (NPS) debut, in June 2019, at Autodrome Chaudière. And when he left Sunset Speedway, he was a perfect ‘three for three’ in career oval outings on Canada’s national stock car championship. His only other start with the tour came at the GP3R. As you might expect, both races at the high-banked, .333-mile oval featured a lot of close racing and contact. The first race – The Frontline Workers 125 – saw Shepherd lead the field to the green flag for the first time since 2012. But just seven laps into the race, the long-predicted rain began, triggering a red flag which sent the cars to the infield and under tarps for almost four hours. When racing eventually resumed, the lead was swapped between Shepherd, rookie Treyten Lapcevich and two-time series champion Andrew Ranger. With just under two dozen laps remaining, Lessard was out front after diving underneath Shepherd, who was preoccupied with a car over his right shoulder. And just a few laps later, contact between Lessard and Shepherd resulted in Shepherd spinning out and going to the back of the pack. It was a tough result
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for Shepherd, after being the ‘driver to beat’ for most of the race. With Shepherd out of the mix, Lessard led the rest of the way to the checkered flag to secure his second victory in as many NPS outings, and the first for the WMI team. Ranger claimed second, ahead of Alex Tagliani and Kevin Lacroix. Ontario racer Shae Gemmell earned an impressive fifth place in his NPS debut. “It was awesome. First, we had to start in the back because of inspection, but we got the car pretty good in practice,” said Lessard, in Victory Lane. “This was my first time seeing the place, this morning. It wasn’t the way I wanted to do it. During the race, I was trying to pass on the outside, on the bottom, but it was always to save tires, so I didn’t know if I could have enough time to get there. I knew I was really good on the restarts, so when I restarted third, it was my shot. The No. 7 (Shepherd) moved up a little bit, so I took the chance and we made it happen. It’s awesome.” The damp, cool conditions after the rain delay made for challenging conditions, especially early in the race. “It was wet up there on the outside lane and I couldn’t move that high,” said Lessard. “I just stayed on the other guys’ doors. But yeah, it was pretty tricky because one time I moved up to avoid Treyten Lapcevich when he got turned around and I moved up right into the wet spot and you couldn’t do nothing. But you just had to be careful.” As the Victory Lane celebrations took place, the drivers rested and the teams thrashed on their cars, making repairs and tweaking the handling for the second 125-lap chase. This time, Ranger was out front for the start. But it didn’t take long for Lessard to work his way back to the front. He led laps 2 through
(Opposite page) For the first time since the 2019, fans were in the stands for an NPS race. (Above, left) Raphael Lessard filled in for the injured Donald Theetge and ended up winning both races at Sunset. Lessard win Victory Lane with Pinty’s Tony Spiteri. Photos by Greg MacPherson and Steve Traczyk
61. But all the while, Shepherd was right on his rear bumper, often making contact with the leader but not getting him out of shape. On lap 62, Lessard got too deep into a turn and Shepherd was able to get underneath him and into the lead. On the next corner, Lessard pounded Shepherd’s rear bumper, turning him around and eventually bringing out the caution flag. Many expected Lessard to receive a penalty for the contact, but he didn’t receive one. After the race, Lessard admitted it was intentional. “Oh yeah, I think he (Shepherd) knows (why I spun him). I think if you look at his front bumper, he knows why. I told my guys, I said, “if he keeps running into me every freaking lap and just not using his brakes – he was using me to brake – he was going to learn a lesson.’ And that’s what he did. So, I think next time, he’ll know.” With Shepherd out of the way, Lessard’s main challenger the rest of the way was Treyten Lapcevich. At one point, the young third-generation star briefly held the lead. But it was with just three laps to go that he appeared to have a real chance to get past Lessard. But Lapcevich entered Turn 3 too hot and got into the side of Lessard and spun because of the contact. That bumped D.J. Kennington to second, but he couldn’t challenge Lessard, who took his second checkered flag of the night in the race that was extended by five laps by the late caution. In the end, Lessard swept both 125 twin races at Sunset, making him three-for-three in career oval outings in the series. Despite mechanical issues in the first race, Kennington rebouned to finish second in the General Tire 125. It was his best finish at Sunset in six career starts. He was followed home by L.P. Dumoulin, who won the Pinty’s Series opener at the track, last season. Lapcevich managed to rebound for fourth, while Albertan Brett Taylor rounded out the top-five. “It was a great race. It was tough,” said Lessard, in his second trip to Victory Lane, that day. “I don’t think we had the best car for Race No. 2. We were a little bit tight and then we got really loose as it went on. And Treyten Lapcevich did an awesome job. I didn’t think he was going to be there at the end, but he was actually faster than me and I was trying everything told him off. He came and ‘saw’ me and I think he messed up (causing the spin) but it happens and I’m sure he’s going to win a lot of races this year. He’s a great kid.” Asked about conserving his car and surviving the restarts, Lessard said, “The restarts were tricky. People were good, I had to fight one lap at a time and conserve as much as I could. But great race and I want to thank everyone. It feels amazing. It’s a perfect night. [I have] a perfect resume on the ovals. Three-for-three in the NASCAR
Pinty’s Series. I’m really happy and I couldn’t do it without all this team, including Donald Theetge. Everybody just did an awesome job.” It was a great night for Wight Motorsports, scoring their first two NASCAR Pinty’s Series victories. “They (the team) listened to me and we tried to make it better,” said Lessard. “I think we went the wrong way, at first. We didn’t think the racetrack was going to loosen up that much, but it was great. That one was a tough one; I fought really hard.” Lessard obviously has an affinity for the Pinty’s Series cars. He’s certainly figured them out, in just a handful of events. “Compared to what I’m used to running and what I grew up racing – Super Late Models and Late Models – they’re not the same performance with the brakes, the shocks, the suspension… it’s kind of basic. But it’s got a lot of horsepower, a lot of torque, so you always gotta be careful coming out of the corner and going in, and not using too much brake. It’s a lot of fun because I feel like they’re hard to drive. You got to work all race long even if your car is good you still have to work to manage it the best and that’s awesome. And the series is competitive. The guys… it’s rough racing. It’s short track racing. So it’s fun.” Asked if he would like to compete in the NPS series some more, he replied, “Hopefully, I’ll know soon. I think two wins, like that, is gonna bring me maybe a little bit more races and more opportunities. It never hurts winning. It brings a lot of opportunities.” RESULTS RACE 1 (Frontline Workers 125): 1. (Started 4th) No. 80 Raphael Lessard (125); 2. (6) No. 51 Andrew Ranger (125); 3. (8) No. 18 Alex Tagliani (125); 4. (5) No. 74 Kevin Lacroix (125); 5. (12) No. 8 Shae Gemmell * (125); 6. (3) No. 47 L.P. Dumoulin (125); 7. (9) No. 22 Marc-Antoine Camirand (125); 8. (14) No. 52 Alex Guenette (125); 9. (2) No. 20 Treyten Lapcevich * (125); 10. (11) No. 84 Larry Jackson (125); 11. (10) No. 64 Mark Dilley (125); 12. (1) No. 7 Peter Shepherd III (125); 13. (17) No. 98 Shantel Kalika * (125); 14. (18) No. 61 Brent Wheller * (125); 15. (13) No. 3 Brett Taylor (125); 16. (15) No. 2 T.J. Rinomato (125); 17. (7) No. 17 D.J. Kennington (69); 18. (16) 92 Dexter Stacey (65). RACE 2 (General Tire 125): 1. (Started 2nd) No. 80 Raphael Lessard (130 laps); 2. (3) No. 17 D.J. Kennington (130); 3. (11) No. 47 L.P. Dumoulin (130); 4. (6) No. 20 Treyten Lapcevich (130); 5. (10) No. 3 Brett Taylor (130); 6. (9) No. 52 Alex Guenette (130); 7. (16) No. 84 Larry Jackson (130); 8. (13) No. 64 Mark Dilley (130); 9. (5) No. 18 Alex Tagliani (130); 10. (12) No. 8 Shae Gemmell * (130); 11. (18) No. 98 Shantel Kalika * (130); 12. (8) No. 22 Marc-Antoine Camirand (130); 13. (4) No. 7 Peter Shepherd III APC (129); 14. (15) No. 61 Brent Wheller * (129); 15. (14) No. 2 T.J. Rinomato (125); 16. (1) No. 51 Andrew Ranger (111); 17. (7) No. 74 Kevin Lacroix (29); 18. (17) No. 92 Dexter Stacey (0). // * Rookie. POINTS AFTER 2 EVENTS (TOP 15): 1. Raphael Lessard 95; 2. L.P. Dumoulin 79; 3. Treyten Lapcevich 77; 4. Alex Tagliani 76; 5. Alex Guenette 74; 6. Shae Gemmell 73; 7. Andrew Ranger 72; 8. Larry Jackson 71; 9. Mark Dilley 69; 9. D.J. Kennington 69; 9. Marc-Antoine Camirand 69; 12. Brett Taylor 68; 13. Kevin Lacroix 67; 14. Peter Shepherd III 66; 15. Shantel Kalika 64. IT InsideTrackNews.com 21
BRANDON WATSON OPENS 2021 APC SEASON WITH WINS AT DELAWARE AND FLAMBORO Story by Jamie Maudsley
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he 2021 APC United Late Model Series presented by Grisdale season kicked off July 2 at Delaware Speedway. A total of 29 Late Models turned out at the London, ON-area half-mile oval, for the first race of the season. In a striking change from last season, it was gratifying for everyone to see the stands filled to 25 percent capacity for the event, which also featured the Qwick Wick Super Stocks. Past series champ Brandon Watson got it done in the feature, demonstrating that he’ll be tough to beat this season, in his No. 9 Chevrolet. During qualifying, rising star Treyton Lapcevich set the fastest time (18.347 seconds), which was less than two-tenths off Dale Shaw’s track record for the APC Series. Watson – the 2018 series champ – was next fastest with a lap of 18.359. Pete Shepherd III, another former champ Matt Pritiko and defending APC champion Jo Lawrence were the other top racer during time trials. A ‘pill-draw’ shuffled the top-five for the start, putting Shepherd and Lawrence on the front row, with Watson, and Pritiko taking the green from Row 2. Shepherd jumped to an early lead with Watson applying pressure, while Lawrence struggled early. Meanwhile, Lapcevich, Pritiko, and Shae Gemmell were chasing the lead duo. On Lap 22, Gemmell moved to fourth, getting around Pritiko in lapped traffic. Watson passed Shepherd for the lead, on Lap 34, eventually putting space between them. Meanwhile, Gemmell took third, to win his second career feature event, and his first at his home track. On Lap 42, Gemmell shuffled by Shepherd for second spot, with Lapcevich also getting by Shepherd, knocking him to fourth. By this point, Andrew Gresel, J.R. Fitzpatrick, D.J. Kennington and Jake Sheridan were moving toward the front of the pack. On Lap 48, a flat tire sent Gemmell to the pits, while running second. At that point, the running order was Watson, Lapcevich, Shepherd, Pritiko, Sheridan, 22 Inside Track Motorsport News
Kennington, Gresel, Fitzpatrick, Lawrence, and Danny Benedict. Pritiko fell by the wayside on Lap 63 as his crew headed under his hood to see what was wrong. This moved Dale Shaw into the top ten. The race’s first yellow finally emerged on Lap 73 after contact between Gresel and Darrell Lake, sending the latter for a loop and erasing Watson’s three-plus second lead. On the restart, Lapcevich kept Watson pinned down and took the lead. But on Lap 81, Watson retook the top spot, coming out of Turn 4. Eventually, Lapcevich was passed by Shepherd and Gresel, falling to fourth. Following another yellow, Gresel passed Shepherd but was unable to reel in Watson during the closing laps, as Watson took his 17th career APC feature win. Gresel came home second, ahead of Kennington, who made a late charge to finish third. Fitzpatrick and Shaw completed the top five. In Victory Lane, Watson talked about his race. “We definitely had a good short-to-mid-range car there. On the long runs, we got a bit loose. We were able to have a bit of a gap there to save our stuff as much as we can. “We have to figure out those restarts, because we were quite tight for the first couple laps, but after that the car came in really good. We had a good run with (Treyten) Lapcevich and got to the inside of him. And we had a good one with Petey (Shepherd) and all the other guys up front, there. It’s a great start. I see a lot of people here, it's definitely a good crowd tonight, which is great to see.” Talking about his challenge from Gresel, he continued, “You always gotta worry about who's behind you and there was a whole field of good cars behind me. After a couple laps, I was able to get some speed in the car. The restarts really got to us, but we were able to come away with the win.”
(Opposite page) Watson made it ‘two-for-two’ by winning the caution-filled APC Series race at Flamboro Speedway, on July 18. (Top) Delaware Speedway hosted 25 percent of the number of fans who would normally be allowed. It was the first time since 2019 that races were held at the London-area halfmile oval. (Below) Watson (centre) in victory lane for the 19th time in his APC career. Treyten Lapcevich (left) was third behind Pete Shepherd III (right) in second. (Bottom) Brandon Watson opened the APC United Racing Series season with a win on July 2. Photos by Dave Franks and Greg MacPherson
The series was back in action at Flamboro Speedway on July 18, the race taking place a day later than scheduled, due to rain on the Saturday night. The delay didn’t bother Brandon Watson, however, as he emerged from the crash-filled race with his second consecutive win of the season. During qualifying, J.R. Fitzpatrick posted the fastest time (15.118 seconds), clocking in just ahead of Jake Sheridan, Pete Shepherd III and Watson. The top ten qualifiers were inverted – via points – for the green flag, which put Jordan Sims – from Sault Ste. Marie, ON – on the pole, alongside of Jake Sheridan. Row 2 featured Shae Gemmell and Josh Stade, with Ryan Kimball and Lawrence behind them. Fitzpatrick and Shepherd were on Row 4, with Lapcevich and Watson rounding out the top 10 starters. Sims led early, with Sheridan and Stade behind. A tangle on Lap 11 sent Fitzpatrick to the pits, with damage. Back on track, Fitzpatrick was involved in the next caution, as well, five laps later. That one ended the day for Tom Gibbons. Another caution, prior to Lap 20, saw Watson climb to fourth. Following another caution, Watson got stuck up high, as Gemmell moved to fourth, and took off after Sims, Sheridan, and Stade. The top-six runners pulled away, until Brandon McFerran hit the wall, bringing out another yellow. Several drivers sustained damage while slowing down. At the halfway point, the running order was Sims, Sheridan, Watson, Gemmell, and Stade, occupying the top-five, with Shawn Chenoweth, Fitzpatrick, Gresel, Shaw, and Tyler Di Venanzo, rounding out the top-ten. On Lap 52, Sheridan finally got to the inside of Sims, and into the lead. Sims fell quickly to fourth. Kimball slowed with a flat tire on Lap 60, triggering another yellow flag. This put Watson alongside Sheridan for the restart, up front. Gemmell passed Watson on the bottom, on the restart, while Sheridan held serve on the lead. InsideTrackNews.com 23
APC UNITED LATE MODEL SERIES
Watson celebrates in Victory Lane. The Stayner, ON racer is the winningest racer in the history of the APC Series. Photo by Dave Franks
The race’s seventh yellow flag emerged on lap 67 when Chenoweth spun through the infield, just after Watson had re-passed Gemmell for second place, putting Watson on the outside of Sheridan for another restart. With 25 to go, Sheridan led a train of Late Models. He was followed by Watson, Gemmell, Stade, and Fitzpatrick. Gemmell’s shot at victory ended on lap 76 when something let go in his car’s front suspension, sending him into the wall and out of the race. Five laps into that run, Watson started to pressure Sheridan and moved him up the track – enough to open the path to the lead – on Lap 84. But Sheridan stayed tight to Watson’s bumper. On Lap 96, Sheridan returned the favour – in the same spot – and pushed Watson up the track to re-take the lead. Watson fought back with a crossover move, but Sheridan held him off until Lap 97 when Watson took the lead down the backstretch. Sheridan spun in Turn 1 on Lap 98, leaving Watson and Stade on the front row for a three-lap shootout, with Gresel, Shaw, and Shepherd filling in the top-five. Stade crowded Watson on the restart, and this allowed Gresel to sneak by into second, only to see another yellow on Lap 98 when Fitzpatrick and Shaw ended up in a crumpled mess in Turn 1. A flat tire under yellow ended Stade’s shot at victory, giving Gresel the outside of the front row for the next restart. Watson held him off on the initial green, but Gresel was able to get the inside of Watson coming out of Turn 2. After some contact on the backstretch, Gresel entered Turn 3 too low and spun into the wall, putting Shepherd on Watson’s outside, and Lapcevich on Watson’s tail for another crack at the final three laps. After one failed attempt, another re-start was called for, as Sims, and Lawrence were also now in the top-five. Shepherd gave Watson all he could handle on the high side, but at the end of the day, Watson won his second APC main in as many races this season, and the 18th of his career. Shepherd finished second, with Lapcevich joining them on the podium. “From the start of the race, she was a rough one,” said Watson, in Victory Lane. “Ten laps in, we were getting moved around. It was tight racing. Everyone – at the start – had a close car, so it was tough to 24 Inside Track Motorsport News
make passes. I just had to do some work on restarts. Our car got a little roughed up. I had a good little race there, criss-crossing with the No. 52. I was loose, there, coming off (Turn) 2. The No. 81 was inside of me when I got straightened up, so there was nothing I could do about that. Other than that, this car was great. We started loosening up, later in the race. It was hard to keep the tires on it.” Second-place Pete Shepherd was also pleased with his result, considering the nature of the race. “I’m happy with this… I’ll take this one (second place). There are things that happen out there that you’re not proud of, but it’s short track racing. There’s one groove (here). I’d like to thank everyone at APC / CANUSA. It was an excellent day. Thank God (Mike) McColl builds these cars as tough as he does, because I’ve never, ever brought a car home looking this bad and be able to drive it. I think the ‘toe’ is still intact. It’s a pretty impressive build by these guys.” Treyten Lapcevich finished third and said, “I guess we’ll take what we can get here. For a second, it didn’t even look like we were going to get a top ten… Coming home with a third place after all that, we kind of have to be happy.”
DELAWARE SPEEDWAY (JULY 2, 2021): 1. No. 9 Brandon Watson; 2. No. 81 Andrew Gresel; 3. No. 28 D.J. Kennington; 4. No. 84 JR Fitzpatrick; 5. No. 83 Dale Shaw; 6. No. 22 Pete Shepherd; 7. No. 32 Treyten Lapcevich; 8. No. 54 Danny Benedict; 9. No. 78 Jo Lawrence; 10. No. 29 Ryan Kimball; 11. No. 27 Mat Box; 12. No. 1 Shawn McGlynn; 13. No. 97d Tyler Di Venanzo; 14. No. 88 Rick Verberne; 15. No. 61 Dustin Jackson; 16. No. 17 Josh Stade; 17. No. 18 Patrick Freel; 18. No. 3 Shae Gemmell; 19. No. 4s Zach Sprung; 20. No. 52 Jake Sheridan; 21. No. 77 Darrell Lake; 22. No. 4 Connor James; 23. No. 21 Matt Pritiko; 24. No. 10 Tom Gibbons; 25. No. 79 James Horner; 26. No. 69 Wally Wilson; DNS No. 47 Jordan Sims FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY (JULY 18, 2021): 1. No. 9 Brandon Watson; 2. No. 22 Pete Shepherd; 3. No. 32 Treyten Lapcevich; 4. No. 47 Jordan Sims; 5. No. 78 Jo Lawrence; 6. No. 89C Shawn Chenoweth; 7. No. 52 Jake Sheridan; 8. No. 97d Tyler Di Venanzo; 9. No. 81 Andrew Gresel; 10. No. 17 Josh Stade; 11. No. 61 Dustin Jackson; 12. No. 83 Dale Shaw; 13. No. 84 JR Fitzpatrick; 14. No. 1 Shawn McGlynn; 15. No. 3 Shae Gemmell; 16. No. 29 Ryan Kimball; 17. No. 69 Wally Wilson; 18. No. 4 Connor James; 19. No. 27 Mat Box; 20. No. 64 Brandon McFerran; 21. No. 79 James Horner; 22. No. 54 Danny Benedict; 23. No. 10 Tom Gibbons POINTS AFTER 2 EVENTS: 1. No. 9 Brandon Watson – 132 pts.; 2. No. 22 Pete Shepherd – 121; 3. No. 32 Treyten Lapcevich – 120; 4. No. 81 Andrew Gresel – 115; 5. No. 84 J.R Fitzpatrick – 112; 6. No. 78 Jo Lawrence – 112; 7. No. 83 Dale Shaw – 109; 8. No. 97 Tyler Di Venanzo – 105; 9. No. 52 Jake Sheridan – 102; 10. No. 61 Dustin Jackson – 100; 11. No. 1 Shawn McGlynn – 100; 12. No. 29 Ryan Kimball – 100; 13. No. 17 Josh Stade – 100; 14. No. 47 Jordan Sims – 98; 15. No. 27 Mat Box – 96. IT
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QWIK WICK SUPER STOCKS Delaware Home Track Star Collver Wins 50-Lap Season Opener Story By Jamie Maudsley With Files From Greg MacPherson he Qwick Wick Super Stock Series was in action at Delaware Speedway on July 2 as part of a doubleheader with the APC Late Models. An impressive 39 Super Stocks showed up with intentions of qualifying for the 32 spots in the 50-lap feature. As part of Ontario’s reopening plan, Delaware was able to accommodate 25 percent of its usual fan capacity. And while it wasn’t jammed, it was a step in the right direction to have several thousand cheering spectators in attendance. During qualifying, Trevor Collver of nearby Lucan, ON was the man to catch, posting a fast time of 20.551 seconds around the half-mile paved oval. Next closest was Brampton’s Lane Zardo, just 0.016 seconds behind. Gerrit Tiemersma, Nic Ramsay and Dwayne Baker were third through fifth, respectively, on the time trial sheet. Ramsay drew the pole in the ‘pill draw scramble,’ with Randy Morneau on his outside. Ramsay pulled away from the field in the early going, with Morneau holding second. Ryan Dyson was on a charge, and battled Zardo for third, before starting to fade. At the 15-lap mark, Zardo started his move forward, bypassing Morneau to move to second, before the race’s first yellow flew on Lap 19 when Lonny Thompson Doug Stewart got tied up in Turn 2. On the restart, Zardo was shoved out of the groove and fell back to seventh. Meanwhile, Morneau moved back to second, and Colliver made a daring, three-wide pass for third. Thompson spun again in Turn 4, bringing out another caution (on Lap 21). During the restart, Ramsay and Morneau were side-by-side for the lead when contact from Zardo sent Ramsay around, turning the lead over to Morneau, with Collver, Zardo, Dyson, and Andrew Ferreira rounding out the top-five. Collver rallied on the outside, on the next restart, and after a lap and a half side-byside, took control from Morneau. By the halfway point, Mike Weeda had moved into the top-five, displacing Dyson, while Zardo nabbed the runner-up spot from Morneau. Ferreira got by as well, bringing Weeda and Dyson back into the top-five, and shuffling Morneau backwards, before disaster struck for Zardo on Lap 29, as the car lost
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power and turned into the pits. With scoring going back to the last completed lap, Morneau restarted in third, but he was no match for Collver and Ferreria, who got lined up and checked out on the field. The race was slowed again, on Lap 33 as Matt Bentley lost power in Turn 1. Baker was into the top-five for the restart. This time, it was Dyson who was caught on the outside of a three-wide exchange and hemorrhaged spots, before another yellow flew on lap 35 for an incident involving Ryan Bright, Ethan Constable, and Ramsay. Collver set sail again, gapping Ferreria, during the final 15-lap green flag run to take the checkers in a thrilling Qwik Wick Super Stock season opener. Morneau held off a spirited charge from Baker to finish third, with Baker fourth. Nick Troback – who had started 27th – posted an impressive fifthplace result. “It means a lot because there’s a lot of people who support me,” said Trevor Collver, in Victory Lane. “This track is where I grew up racing and I always dreamed of racing here. This one is super special.” At that point, Collver was overcome by emotions, thinking about his buddy Jared Doxtator, who was a track announcer at Delaware and passed suddenly two years ago. Doxtator’s name was over the passenger window, of Collver’s car. “Jared Doxtator… one of my best friends. He would be super proud to see the track like it is today. Big kudos to Luke Ramsay for all the heavy lifting and all the good ideas. He’s got a helluva crew behind him. To all the new (Delaware) ownership group, we gotta thank them. “But most of all, I gotta thank the people who helped me get here, in Victory Lane. Also want to thank Qwick Wick for spon-
(Top) An overflowing field of Qwick Wick Super Stocks turned out at Delaware for the tour’s first race of the 2021 season. (Above) Trevor Collver celebrates winning the season opener for the Qwick Wick Super Stocks, at Delaware Speedway, on July 2. Photos by Dave Franks
soring the series. And my crew. I couldn’t be here without them. The car was on rails tonight and that wasn’t because of me. There were a lot of people who helped us get to Victory Lane tonight.” RESULTS Qwick Wick Super Stock 50: 1. No. 1 Trevor Collver; 2. No. 9 Andrew Ferreira; 3. No. 03 Ray Morneau Jr.; 4. No. 48 Dwayne Baker; 5. No. 73 Nick Troback; 6. No. 17x Kenny McNicol Jr.; 7. No. 39 Dave McCullough; 8. No. 8 Jason Parker; 9. No. 28 Ryan Dyson; 10. No. 29 Paul Pepper; 11. No. 08 Paul Boundy; 12. No. 83 Johnny Morrison; 13. No. 6 Mike Weeda; 14. No. 7 Doug Stewart; 15. No. 12 Justin Collison; 16. No. 30 Todd Davenport; 17. No. 11 Ethan Constable; 18. No. 71 Cory McAllister; 19. No. 37 Marvin Freiburger; 20. No. 19 Kevin Trevellin; 21. No. 45 Ryan Bright; 22. No. 90 David Rockwood; 23. No. 21 Marlie Owen; 24. No. 49 Frank Davey; 25. No. 4 Lonny Thompson; 26. No. 33 Roy Wilkie; 27. No. 07 Nic Ramsay; 28. No. 21b Mathew Bentley; 29. No. 36 Lane Zardo; 30. No. 17 Gerrit Tiemersma; 31. No. 93 Carson Nagy; 32. No. 10c Dennis Cybalski. IT
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Jesse Kennedy (No. 10) started from the back of the field en route to winning the OSCAAR Hot Rod feature at Sunset Speedway. Photo by Dave Franks
OSCAAR MODIFIEDS AND HOT RODS A.J. Emms and Jesse Kennedy Earn Victories at Sunset Speedway
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espite starting tail of the field after missing qualifying, A.J. Emms worked his way through the field to score the victory in the Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC OSCAAR Modifieds presented by Just Foam It feature at Sunset Speedway on July 25. Emms missed qualifying due to getting married on the Saturday prior to the event. “Almost speechless,” said Emms. “What a great day for our team. Big thanks to Taylor Holdaway for jumping in. Obviously had prior arrangements so couldn’t be here, but Taylor (Holdaway) and the crew did an awesome job getting the car where it needed to be. Really tough decision whether I was going to drive in the feature, but the racer in me had to jump in and roll the dice.” With Emms busy with post-wedding commitments, the team made the decision to put 2015 Sunset Speedway Late Model Champion Taylor Holdaway in the car, and it paid off. Following a pair of solid practice sessions, Holdaway won the first qualifier, followed by a runner-up in the second. During the race, Emms worked his way through the field, benefitting from late-race contact among the lead group, which left him in first for the final restart, where he held off the late-race charge from series veteran Kelly Balson and rookie Steve Lyons to score the victory. It marks his seventh career OSCAAR win, and second straight at Sunset Speedway following last September. 28 Inside Track Motorsport News
KENNEDY’S BUSY WEEKEND Taking the lead midway through the event, Jesse Kennedy would score his first career Knightworks Design OSCAAR Hot Rod Series victory at Sunset Speedway on July 24. Kennedy started eighth in the feature, with Kelly Balson leading in the early going after passing pole-sitter Cole Weber at the start of the race. Meanwhile, Kennedy worked his way into second by lap 10 after passing Tyler Hawn. A few laps later, Kennedy got behind Balson and made a move for the lead but was unable to clear his rival despite drawing alongside. However, on lap 15, his efforts paid off as Kennedy put the No. 10 OSCAAR Hot Rod out in front of the field before a caution period a lap later. After the restart the pair continued to battle before Kennedy got out front for good on lap 22, cruising to the finish line en route to the victory ahead of Balson, Hawn, Steve Book and Trevor Thompson, who rounded out the top five. Earlier in the event, Kennedy started off the night in victory lane by winning the first heat race qualifier. Thompson, Book, Cole Weber and Marty Monette won heat races, too. Thompson won two, while Weber and Monette’s heat race victories were the first of their OSCAAR Hot Rod careers. – With Files from Ashley McCubbin IT
KERRY MICKS’ RETIREMENT In ITMN 25.03, we ran a feature on the career and retirement of NASCAR Pinty’s Series racer Kerry Micks. His long-time sponsor, Leland Industries, Inc., offers a personal note of congratulations to Micks, on behalf their owners and everyone at Leland. Well, congratulations on your retirement, Kerry! As you know, Leland has been involved with CASCAR and then NASCAR for about 20 years. Throughout that time, we enjoyed watching you as a driver of one of the other cars, and more recently, as a driver for our car. At all times, you were a great competitor on the track, giving us and all fans the very best entertainment and enjoyment. We thank you for your dedication to the sport and wish you and Susan good health and happiness in your retirement. Please stay in touch by joining us at the races, and you also know where we live. Congratulations again and take care, Byron, Dianne, Jason, Duane, their families and all the Leland team IT
I NEWS
YOUNG DRIVERS CDN. VINTAGE MODIFIEDS Marshall Wins Hank Franks Memorial Stories by Jon Morrison n June 19, thirteen Young Drivers of Canada Canadian Vintage Modifieds took to the track at Flamboro Speedway. The season opening race was the ‘Hank Franks Memorial Presented by the Ponderosa Nature Resort,’ in honour of the late father of Hall of Fame photographer Dave Franks. Mike Klotz started on the pole in the 30lap feature, with Ricky Willigar alongside on the front row. Klotz led the first few laps but was eventually passed by Willigar, who was followed by Mike Podd and Steve Murdoch. Connor Ross brought out the caution flag on Lap 6 when he locked up the left-front tire and headed for the wall. On the restart, Willigar was to the inside of Podd, out front. The latter took the lead on the restart, with Willigar sliding back to third as T.J. Marshall nabbed his spot. Not long after, Podd fell victim to a locking left-front tire, letting Marshall slide through and to the lead. On a restart, Jerrid Morphy got by Podd and set his sights on Marshall, out front. With eight laps to go, Willigar tangled with a lapped car, which sent him into the wall, ending his day. On the final restart – and with eight laps remaining – Marshall led Podd. Behind them, Morphy established himself in third, where he would finish. In the end, Marshall took the Hank Franks Memorial, ahead of Podd.
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PODD WINS ROUND 2 AT FLAMBORO The Young Drivers CVMs were back in action July 3 at Flamboro. The night was notable because it was the first race that fans were able to attend, as part of Ontario’s reopening plan. Fifteen CVMs were in the pits and ready to race in the club’s two feature races, on the schedule.
John Karley and Ricky Willigar were on the front row for the first 25-lap main, with Joe Arsenault and Jake Gilbert, behind them. Karley led Willigar in the early-going and enjoyed a safe cushion for much of the race. He survived several restarts, but Mike Podd was able to get around Karley as the field powered up to speed again, late in the race. Podd held for the win and Karley was subsequently disqualified, bumping Quintin Murdoch and Jake Gilbert to second and third. In the second feature, Jeremy Riopelle was on the pole with Doug Hood alongside and Steve Murdoch and Joe Arsenault on Row 2. Almost immediately after the start, an eight-car pileup removed several drivers from contention, including Podd and Willigar. The rest of the feature was a caution-filled affair, slowed by a total of six yellows. Riopelle survived to take the checkered flag, in front of Gilbert and Arsenault. Based on his two finishes (fourth and second), Gilbert was named the Overall Winner of the night. KARLEY AND MORPHY SPLIT WINS On July 10, the Young Drivers returned to the one-third mile Flamboro Speedway oval
(Above) Dave Franks (right) in victory lane with T.J. Marshall. (Below) Jerrid Morphy made his first-ever visit to Flamboro’s CVM Victory Lane. Photos by Dave Franks
for their third race night of the year. John Karley started on the pole in the first feature, with Dale Lucas to his outside. Chaos struck right away as Quintin Murdoch and Lucas got together, sending the latter hard into the outside wall. Back under green, the top-six ran nose-totail for a time, until Jerrid Morphy slid from second. Ricky Willigar joined him, in spinning off, and was done for the race. On the restart, Karley took the point and you could have thrown a blanket over the top-four for the final seven laps. In the end, Karley held to take his first feature win since 2019, ahead of T.J. Marshall and Mike Podd. Doug Hood was on the pole for the second feature of the night, with Morphy alongside. He (Morphy) jumped out to an early lead, with Hood and Podd fighting for second. Marshall charged to second after Podd slid high in turn 3 and set out after Hood. All the while, Morphy was building a substantial lead. Despite another slowdown, Morphy held the top spot en route to collecting his first career feature win with the Young Drivers Canadian Vintage Modifieds, ahead of Marshall and Podd. RESULTS (TOP FIVE) RACE 1: 1. No. 15 TJ Marshall; 2. No. 5 Mike Podd; 3. No. 18 Jerrid Morphy; 4. No. 17 Joe Arsenault; 5. No. 46 Mike Klotz // RACE 2: 1. No. 5 Mike Podd; 2. No. 7 Quintin Murdoch; 3. No. 03 Jake Gilbert; 4. No. 15 T.J. Marshall; 5. No. 8 Ricky Willigar // RACE 3: 1. No. 18 Jeremy Riopelle; 2. No. 03 Jake Gilbert; 3. No. 17 Joe Arsenault; 4. No. 33 Mike Westwood; 5. No. 30 Dale Lucas // RACE 4: 1. No. 19 John Karley; 2. No. 15 T.J Marshall; 3. No. 5 Mike Podd; 4. No. 7 Quintin Murdoch; 5. No. 18 Jerrid Morphy // RACE 5: 1. No. 18 Jerrid Morphy; 2. No. 15 T.J Marshall; 3. No. 5 Mike Podd; 4. No. 24 Rodney Rutherford; 5. No. 8 Ricky Willigar. IT InsideTrackNews.com 29
I NEWS
NAUGLE WINS PARTS FOR TRUCKS 150 Re-branded Series in Action at Riverside International Speedway for Round 2
Nicholas Naugle (third from right) in victory lane after winning the Parts for Trucks 150 at Riverside International Speedway. Photo Courtesy of PST
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icholas Naugle (Dartmouth, NS) started on the pole and never looked back picking up his first win of the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour (PST) season at the Parts for Trucks 150 at Riverside International Speedway. Craig Slaunwhite (Terence Bay, NS) was the bridesmaid again coming home second in two consecutive races. Cole Butcher (Hantsport, NS) raced his way to a third-place finish, just ahead of Greg Proude (Springvale, PE) and younger brother Jarrett Butcher (Porter’s Lake, NS) who rounded out the top five. The race marked round two of nine for the East Coast International Pro Stock Tour. Cole Butcher, Naugle and Donald Chisholm (Antigonish, NS) won the three Atlantic Tiltload heat races respectively which set the field for the main event. Jarrett Butcher took home the Kenny U Pull Hard Charger award, picking up nine positions on the field in the feature. The race was slowed by only five cautions and took one hour to complete. The Napa Sportsman Series opened their 2021 season at Riverside on Saturday in the Henry Auto Pro 75. Russell Smith Jr. (Lakeside, NS) took home the first checkered flag of the summer. Pete Miller (Kennetcook, NS) finished second, followed by Deven Smith (Lakeside, NS) in third. The PST – formerly the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour – is
considered the highest level of stock car racing in eastern Canada. The Tour is recognized in the industry as one of the healthiest stock car racing series in North America. PST visits four tracks throughout the Maritimes during its May through September season. – With Files from Tara Foster IT SPT ANNOUNCES REVISED SCHED The East Coast International Pro Stock Tour has announced a revised 2021 schedule. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the Series has had to make major adjustments to their original plans. The revised schedule for the elite stock car racing series will feature nine events, down from the usual 12 races and will feature one double header weekend. Unfortunately, the Tour will not be able to host an event on Prince Edward Island this summer due to severe fan capacity restrictions. The Tour has every intention to return to Oyster Bed Speedway in 2022. East Coast International Trucks is an authorized International® dealership with locations in Moncton, Dartmouth, Millbrook and Charlottetown. They carry a large selection of new and used trucks and trailers and offer one of the largest inventories of truck parts in Atlantic Canada. All their locations are Cummins certified and service all-make trucks and trailers. Their Idealease division provides truck leasing and rental solutions, and all their locations offer in-house financing and insurance. For more information on East Coast International, visit www.eastcoastint.com. – With Files from Tara Foster 2021 SCHEDULE Jul 17 Jul 24 Jul 31 Aug 14 Aug 15 Aug 21 Aug 28 Sep 11 Sep 25
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Scotia Speedworld Riverside International Speedway Petty International Raceway Scotia Speedworld Scotia Speedworld Riverside International Speedway Petty International Raceway Riverside International Speedway Scotia Speedworld IT
SYDNEY SPEEDWAY Local Racers Take Over Nova Scotia Track
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Sydney Speedway’s new ownership took over the facility in mid-July. Photo Courtesy of Sydney Speedway
Story by Tim Terry reg Dowe and the PPM Inc. Racing team announced the sale of Sydney Speedway to Late Model Sportsman racer Lynden MacDougall and Kyle Mackinnon. The deal was finalized in mid-July, with MacDougall, Mackinnon and his staff taking over operations of the almost 50-year-old facility, built by Wendell “Bud” Greer, effective immediately. Dowe, who purchased the Speedway in January 2019, said he and MacDougall began talking about the potential purchase of the Speedway in late 2020. “After we purchased the facility, even with the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives got busy both professionally and personally,” said Dowe on the decision to sell the track. “Our businesses away from the racetrack have seen growth and our kids are growing up, taking away valuable time we wanted to devote to the Speedway. I had no intentions on selling the track, we released our schedule, new divisions and information for the season before COVID swept through with another wave. When Lynden and Kyle came along and showed interest in the track, it proved to be the right time to step back. They will bring more life back into the Speedway, I wish them all the best and look forward to seeing what the future holds! “We feel proud to have resurrected oval racing on Cape Breton Island and this time, instead of the track sitting idle, it is a change of ownership that will see the track continuing to operate. I would like to take this opportunity thank all the marketing partners, staff, racers and fans for all of their support over the last two years. A special thanks to Kody Quinn for all his help behind the scenes to make sure the facility has been ready to go for race day.” While one door is closing for Dowe, one remains open for Dowe as he plans on still competing at the track with his team. “We love the facility and the people, it is a great place to come and race,” said Dowe of the track. “The folks in Sydney have been nothing short of accommodating and the fans are as loyal here as anywhere in North America. We will still be racing there as our schedules permit with Dylan and Brooke along with the hopes of bringing a Sportsman car up at some point.” Fans can watch the Sydney Speedway Facebook Page and SydneySpeedway.ca for future information from MacDougall, Mackinnon and their operations team about the 2021 racing season. Opened in 1975 and built by Wendell “Bud” Greer, Sydney Speedway has built a racing tradition on Cape Breton Island over the past four decades. The track is home to several stock car racing divisions, a destination for local touring series and motorsports events. IT
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InsideTrackNews.com 31
I NEWS
Western Speedway’s future is up in the air as the land the track is located on is up for sale. Photo by Maureen York
WESTERN RACING OUTLOOK Signs of Life in Western Canada as Tracks Re-Open for the Summer Story by Robert K. Rooney fter more-or-less losing the 2020 racing season, both racers and speedways are hoping that the encouraging move to reopen the world will start motorsports on the road to recovery. On Vancouver Island, big changes are underway. Rumours that started back in 2019 that the land where Western Speedway is located – one of Canada’s most venerable racetracks – was up for sale proved accurate. The new owner’s plan for the property doesn’t include the track after 2022, although one of the conditions of the sale was that a substantial sum would be provided to assist in the creation of a replacement facility. Racing is still scheduled for this summer and next, although Western Speedway will now be known as Westshore Speedway for legal reasons. Efforts are underway to find a place to keep alive Western Speedway’s racing heritage, which dates to 1954. Further up the island, Saratoga Speedway has also changed hands, but the outlook for the 3/8th-mile oval is rather more positive. Rob Leighton, a local businessman who raced in several different classes at Saratoga over the years, is investing a significant amount of time and money to upgrade the track, which opened in 1968. New walls, better access to facilities and an upgraded infield are intended to make for a much better experience for both racers and fans.
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Another British Columbia track in the process of improvement is Penticton Speedway. Now under the management of a group headed by well-known racer Trevor Seibert, big changes have been affected on the Okanagan quarter-mile oval. The sad demise of Sun Valley Speedway turned out to be a bit of an opportunity for the new Penticton management as they were able to purchase the seating, lighting, sound system and catch fence from the now-defunct Vernon track. Progressive banking and a change in the turn radius should make for very competitive shows from now on. When was the last time you heard about a track that was closed 15 years ago being resurrected? It’s happened at Clearwater Speedway in the British Columbia interior. The 3/8th-mile clay oval is in operation again with assistance from the group that operates the dirt track in Merrit. The first winner on the revived Clearwater Speedway was Madyson Clark – a 15-year-old. Clark needed a HANS device to race, so a local beauty salon held a fundraiser to make sure Clark could race her Monte Carlo. Organizing anything racing-related during COVID was extraordinarily difficult because of the uncertainty about just when, if ever, racing would resume. WESCAR, which sanctions British Columbia’s Sportsman Late Model series, was determined not to lose the 2021 season. The series will run
two doubleheader weekends, one in July at Prince George and one in September at Gold Pan Speedway in Quesnel. On the other side of the Rockies, the Super Truck Racing Series have managed to find a series sponsor – Annugas Compression – and book a six-race schedule at five different tracks. Races at King’s Park Speedway in Regina and Medicine Hat Speedway have already been run and Dusty O’Connell of Lloydminster leads Ron Larsson of Edmonton and Gerry Bilodeau of Stony Plain in the points chase. A big event is the Dale & Mona Bettcher Tribute 100 at Wyant Group Raceway in Saskatoon which marks the 25th anniversary for the Super Trucks. The International Motor Contest Associates (I.M.C.A.) Canada season is well underway with several shows at Taylor Speedway in the British Columbia interior already on the books. The other tracks sanctioned with I.M.C.A. are all in Alberta – the paved ovals at Hythe Motor Speedway near Grande Prairie and Edmonton International Raceway in Wetaskiwin as well as Dinosaur Downs – the dirt track in Drumheller. According to Bruce Hampton, the President of I.M.C.A. Canada, the organization is seeing a steady influx of new racers. Overall, there are distinct signs of life in the Western Canadian racing community with many tracks already open and putting cars on the track. IT
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF GREAT RACING Story by Randy Spencer Curator Flamboro Stadium & Speedway Hall of Fame lamboro Speedway in Millgrove, ON has a longstanding tradition in short oval track Stock Car racing. Some of the greatest names in the history of our sport have come through Flamboro over the years. It has been a place where many racers have started their careers and built their reputations. Well known for hosting some of the greatest names, characters and battles, all of these factors have given Flamboro the distinction of having amongst the longest and richest racing histories in Ontario. It all began in 1962 when Flamboro Speedway opened for the first time. Since then, the Millgrove area has never been the same. Glen Schurr, one of the original owners, said, “When we opened the track, many people thought we were crazy building it here.” But it was a central location, close to Hamilton, Kitchener, Galt, Guelph, and Brantford and not far from London and Toronto. Once just a farmer’s field, a group of five shareholders got together and bought the land and built the track for $60,000. The group was headed by Schurr, and his car owner and partner, Russ Cockwell. Herb Sage, a Listowel farmer, and Leno Didero, who supplied all the fill and gravel for the track, were the other partners. CNE driver John Flach, a surveyor for the Department of Highways, laid out the track. When it was built, it featured the latest type of metal grandstands with seating for 6,000. The first race took place July 28, 1962. Louis Cremasco had the honour of winning the first ever race at the new track, with Jack McCutcheon of Brussels (ON) winning the first feature race. Other first night winners included Dave Stephenson, Howie Scannell, Fred Engel, Harvey Lennox, and Tom Jones. In the early days, 1965 and 1966 were big years. Crowds averaged 4,000 a night, with one crowd in ‘66 for an invitational race listed as having 8,000 in attendance. June 25, 1966 was probably the most tragic day in the history of the track. Slammin’ Sam Snider died as a result of an accident during time trials for a 100-lap invitational. In the fall of 1968, Rocco DiCarlo purchased the track. Many big changes took place that year when Flamboro followed the trend of many of the other local tracks dropping the very popular Super Modified division. Racing changed to Friday nights and the opening night crowd was close to 4,000. It soon changed back to Saturdays. In the spring of 1972, Rocco DiCarlo bought Pinecrest Speedway and ran it, along with Flamboro. DiCarlo moved the Flamboro race night to mid-week from the traditional Friday / Saturday nights. This proved to be the beginning of the end of racing at Flamboro. And by the early summer of ’72, the track closed its doors and sat dark for the remainder of the year. It was only four short years previous that Flamboro was the undisputed ‘number one’ track in Canada. In 1973, John and Frank Casale purchased the track and have been running it ever since. This season marks the 49th consecutive year of continuous operation by the Casale family. In the mid to late ‘70s a battle between rivals Don Biederman and Junior Hanley was the main focus of attention, at Flamboro. The two waged an ongoing battle. At times, it got heated and even included a few fist fights as the two emerged from their cars on the front
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(Top) Frank and John Casale – with Junior Hanley in the middle, with a trophy – stand in front of Flamboro Speedway’s racers with the Turn 1 entertainment facility in the background. (Middle) Flamboro has played host to many memorable races and events over the years, including numerous on-track battles between Hall of Famers Junior Hanley and Don Biederman. (Above) In its heyday, fans packed the stands at the Millgrove, Ontario paved oval. Photos by Dave Franks
straight and battled each other. The early ‘70s saw the old guardrail fence replaced by a cement wall. In 1998, the track went through an overhaul and the old racing surface was torn up and replaced with a new one. As well, the banking was changed slightly and new walls and banks, behind them, were added. In 2004, more improvements took place, including the addition of new lights and a new scoreboard. In 2006, a new VIP entertainment facility was constructed in Turn 1, with a majestic view of track and facility. In 2008, a go kart racing surface was constructed in the infield, which added even more excitement to Flamboro. The new track was designed to challenge, educate, entertain and cultivate the next generation of racers. The track has also played host to many racing stars, over the years. Between 2011 and 2013, several NASCAR stars made an appearance at Flamboro, for the first time. Jimmy Spencer, Kenny Schrader, Ernie Irvan and Kenny Wallace all raced at the track. In 2012, to honour the many individuals who made outstanding contributions and helped make Flamboro Speedway the greatest racing venue in Ontario, we created the Flamboro Stadium and Speedway Hall of Fame. The mission of the Hall is to preserve the history of Stock Car racing and to recognize and pay tribute to those who have given of themselves, whatever their roles in racing may have been. This endeavour was one more way to draw new and old fans to the track, and celebrate the heroes of yesterday, while teaching the young and ‘up and coming’ racers and fans about the track’s history, as they build its future. The members are a ‘who’s who’ of the greatest names in Canadian Stock Car racing history. They include: Don Biederman, Junior Hanley, Ray Gowan, Jack Greedy, Jimmy Howard, Harvey Lennox, Bill Lyons, Earl Ross, Glen Schurr, Randy Slack, Sam Snider, Ken Stenhouse Sr., Earl Stroh, Ralph Book, Dave Franks, Rich Grady, Ray Hughes, Pete Shepherd Jr., Bill Zardo Sr., Charlie Beck, Jim Collison, Jack Cook, Wayne Keeling, Terry Kitchen, Howie Scannell Sr., Jay Hughes, Alex Nagy Jr., Harry Nicholson, Jack McCutcheon, Stan Pokupec, Jason Shaw, Bob Beck, Harold Brown, Gary Elliott, David Elliott, Bill Grisdale, Scott Lyons, Dave McKee, Albert Bowman, Ron Snyder, Don Thomson Jr., Warren Coniam, Ron Shaw, Bernie Campbell, Gene Karley, Linda Stenhouse, Dave Burbridge, Bob Kurtin, Don Thomson Sr., Keith Barton, Terry Maginnis and Don Cox. In recent years, many more improvements have taken place, at Flamboro. More track and corner lighting, cement race pads, more space in the pits for larger haulers, pit road paving, and more. Entering 2020, the track looked set to continue building memories, but the pandemic looked to put those plans on the backburner. For the first time in 59 years, the possibility of a full year with out racing at the corner of Brock Road and the Fifth Concession was a real possibility. Fortunately, a handful of events took place, including a visit by the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, which made its first-ever appearance at Flamboro. At the start of this year – year number 60 – the season was delayed by the ongoing COVID crisis, but it eventually started to loosen its grip and racing resumed. And not long after, fans were allowed back in the stands in significant numbers. As of early August, the rest of the season looks strong with regular Saturday night racing being augmented by another visit by the APC Late Model Series, a return of the Pinty’s Series and the ever-popular Frostoberfest, two-day season finale. Congratulations to Flamboro Speedway and those who have contributed – over the past 60 years – to making it the fantastic racing venue that it is! IT
(Top) A shot of an old Flamboro Speedway program. (Middle and above) Jimmy Howard (#38) and Jack McCutcheon (#73) were two early Super Modified stars at Flamboro, dating back to the early ‘60s when the track opened. In fact, McCutcheon won the first feature, on opening night, in 1962. Photos Courtesy of Bob Sumak and Randy Spencer InsideTrackNews.com 35
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
A DREAM BECOMES REALITY IN THE SUMMER OF 1962 Story by Bob Sumak lamboro Speedway was a dream of Glen Schurr, Ross Cockwell and Leon Didero that became a reality in the summer of 1962. Built on a 50-acre parcel of farmland at the corner of Brock Road and Concession Road 5 West, in Millgrove, ON, the track was designed to be a 3/8-mile, paved oval with a modern grandstand. Over the years, rumours have persisted that it first opened in 1961 as a dirt track, but based on the info available today, Opening Night took place late in 1962, on pavement. The feature winner that night was Jack McCutcheon from Brussels, ON. Not long after opening, the track switched to Saturday nights so that the Super Modifieds could race Tuesday night at Nilestown Speedway (just east of London), Friday nights at Delaware and Saturdays at Flamboro. I was 13 years old in the summer of 1962 and our next-door neighbours were avid Super Modified fans. I got permission from my parents to go to Flamboro with them. On the way, they told me that this was a brand-new racetrack, and it was their first time going to it, as well. I vividly remember walking towards the grandstand and hearing the Supers thunder by during practice. I also remember the smell of the burnt alcohol fuel. Once in the grandstand, I kept looking in amazement at this big new track and how fast the Supers were turning laps. As a 13-year-old, this was a big deal! It quickly became the destination for Ontario’s Super Modified race fans. If you didn’t get there early, you wouldn’t get a good seat. Full grandstands were the norm. The current ‘end’ grandstands were added shortly after the track opened, to accommodate more fans, due to the enormous popularity of the track. For the next few years, I continued to go to Flamboro with my neighbours. But when I turned 16 and got my driver’s licence and a car, started to go in the pits, where the action was. Drivers of that era became household names to the fans. Nicknames such as ‘Jessie James’ Howard, ‘Smilin’ Jack Greedy, ‘Flipper’ Billy Rouse, ‘The Flying Farmer’ Al Mitchell, Jack ‘The Ripper’ McCutcheon with a ‘Woody Woodpecker’ painted on the car, ‘Colonel’ Glenn Schurr, Howie ‘The Chief’ Scannell, and ‘Animal’ Andy Brown were often shouted out by fans whether it was for a popular win or an unpopular one. Jimmy Howard prepared his own car (#38) and two additional cars out of his shop on the Beach Strip in Hamilton, with Gary Witter (#19) and Bob MacGillvray (#28) driving for him. Andy Brown (#00) drove one of Howard’s cars, as well. Most Supers were powered by Chevrolets but Howard was a staunch Mopar man and managed to make them very competitive, winning a share of races. Flamboro attracted American drivers such as Gordon Dukes, Wayne Landon, Jim Grisley, Jack Conley, Ray Wright, Nolan Johncock, and Harry Jones in his ‘Lone Merc,’ to name a few, for the ‘big money’ special events. By the mid ‘60s new cars were being built with the latest technology and equipment of the day, put together by very talented people resulting in qualifying lap times for the top supers in the 15:30 to 15:40 second range. Competition was fierce, at times. And with full fields, see-saw battles for positions were commonplace. Some of my most vivid memories include the night Pete Harvey
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(Top) Gary Witter was one of the early Super Modified stars at Flamboro, in the early ‘60s. He campaigned a car prepared by Jimmy Howard. (Above) Sam Snider was the only driver ever to lose his life at Flamboro as a result of a crash. That happened in 1966, during a qualifying crash and fire. Photos Courtesy of Randy Spencer
tangled with another car and cleared the guardrail in Turn 3, landing outside the track. He had the dubious distinction of being the first driver ever to exit the track, but he wouldn’t be the last! There was the night that Gary Witter spun on the back straightaway and was hit hard by Jack Sharpe, heavily damaging both cars. Thankfully both were shaken up but not injured. Bill Rouse and Harvey Lennox got together with Bill ending up on top of Harvey. It took some time to get the cars separated without causing any further damage. In 1965 Jack Greedy did a series of flips down the front straight and escaped unscathed. For a couple of years, Flamboro had what was called a ‘Winter Wooly” event. This was a daytime event, held in mid November. It was cold and you really needed your winter woolies to keep warm. One fun night I remember was the time a bikini contest was held on the front straight. Jack Greedy had a pickup truck, with a camper, parked near the event. The camper door opened and out came Jack’s brother-in-law, ‘Cheesie,’ dressed in a wig with makeup and a bikini. The fans loved it! They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I didn’t see it!
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION The Hobby division – now known as The Canadian Vintage Modifieds – have been a staple at Flamboro since the beginning. Car counts north of 40 were commonplace in those early days. The cars were coupes and coaches from about 1948 and earlier. Throughout all of the changes and travels the Vintage Modifieds have seen and done, Flamboro still remains their home track. When ‘Dizzy’ Dean Murray became the track announcer, he added lively commentary to the action, telling jokes – some risqué for the era – and colourful driver descriptions. No doubt he dreamed up some of the nicknames for those drivers. “Get your cold, cold CocaCola and hot, hot hotdogs,” was a familiar refrain from Dizzy, over the PA. He was just starting Wheelspin News at that time and, while announcing, he would encourage fans to get their copy for the latest racing news. Then, at intermission, he would go down into the stands and sell copies of his paper. There were times when Dizzy threw in more than one intermission to make sure sales were good. Pop Degraw owned food trucks that would travel from track to track. He’d open the awning door at the back of the truck and start selling steamed hot dogs. Anyone who remembers having his hot dogs know I’m not kidding when I say they were the best hot dogs around. I would make sure I was hungry when I got to the track and eat at least two or three of them. Or more. Today Pop DeGraw’s truck has been replaced with a new burger stand in the pits cooking up the track’s famous ‘Flamburgers.’ Even with improvements built into the newer editions of the Supers, safety systems were in their infancy during that era, and injuries were still occurring. Helmets were open-faced and didn’t go through the rigorous testing and certification required of today’s helmets. Fire suits could be anything from coveralls soaked with a fire retardant to an early manufactured suit. Often, drivers didn’t wear gloves. There were no fuel cells or head and neck protection. And for longer, special races, larger fuel tanks were added right behind the driver, often riding as high as the driver’s head! This came into sharp focus when, in June 1966 during qualifying for a 100-lap special, Sam Snider broke a brake rotor going down the back straightaway and slammed hard into the guard rail. His car rolled twice and caught fire. Track workers got him out of the car and he was transported to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries about a week later. I will never forget that day. By 1968, things were changing, and the decision was made to do away with the Supers and bring in the Late Models. Not a lot of Late Models or fans showed up that first night in 1968. We all wondered if getting rid of the Super Modifieds was the right decision. In time, it proved to be more than the right decision. That year was the first time I saw Don Biederman. He had been racing on the NASCAR Grand National circuit and had just returned to Ontario. He was colourful, outspoken and opinionated. But he was a racer! Many of the former Super Modified drivers either retired or moved on to compete at Oswego (NY). A few did make the transition to Late Models. Howie Scannell, Harold Brown and Walt Zavits were all successful with the move to ‘fendered’ cars. The original owners decided to sell the track at the end of the 1968 season to Rocco DiCarlo, the owner of Pinecrest Speedway (in Concord, ON) at that time. Over the next couple of seasons, car counts were improving and the fans were beginning to come back. In 1972, Rocco moved from Saturdays to Fridays, putting the track in direct competition with Cayuga Speedway and Speedway Park. Then Rocco switched to Wednesday nights. Car and fan counts 38 Inside Track Motorsport News
(Top) The stands were packed on August 18, 2001 for the inaugural Don Biederman Memorial, at Flamboro. (Above) Former track owner Rocco DiCarlo and announcer ‘Dizzy’ Dean Murray were also in attendance that night. Photos by Dave Franks
dwindled. By mid-season, the track was shuttered and up for sale. In stepped brothers John and Frank Casale, purchasing the track at the end of 1972 and reopening it for the 1973 season. They knew nothing about racing but began to work on a weekly program for the track, eventually adding popular specials including the ‘Triple Crown,’ with three, 50-lap races crowning an overall winner. They also introduced the ‘Twin One Hundred,’ ‘Octoberfest’ and many other special events over the years. The idea was to give the drivers opportunity to race in major events for some serious prize money and ensure Flamboro was the place to be as a fan and competitor. The cars and the fans returned in droves. Today Flamboro Speedway continues to create many memories for today’s competitors and fans. I feel very fortunate to have been able to have attended races at Flamboro every year since 1962, other than 2020; the year of COVID. The fond memories I have are many and it is my hope the speedway is around for many more years to come. IT
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS, JOHN AND FRANK CASALE HAVE OWNED/OPERATED FLAMBORO Story by Greg MacPherson ifty years is a long time. And not many people can say they’ve had the same career for half a century. But for John and Frank Casale, they’re coming up on owning and running Flamboro Speedway for that long. When the track sat dormant, in 1972, the brothers purchased it and re-opened the facility for the 1973 season. Next year – 2022 – will mark their 50th anniversary season. It’s an incredible achievement and the Ontario stock car community is grateful to the brothers for giving them such a great place to race, for so long. During a mid-week day in July, we caught up with them, at the track, as they were taking delivery of food and drinks, in preparation for another Saturday night show. Same as they’ve been doing for almost five decades. “We closed the deal in September of ’72, purchasing it from the DiCarlo family,” said John, in the Turn 1 tower, at Flamboro Speedway. “At that time, Rocco DiCarlo and his family had purchased Pinecrest Speedway, in Toronto, and they were trying to run both places, by running Friday nights here, and Saturday nights there. But it didn’t really work for them, and they shut this place down in 1972, and put it up for sale.” At that point, the future looked bleak for Flamboro Speedway, but the Casales decided to purchase it, and so began their long-running tenure at the track. When they started, they were in the business of fixing cars. They weren’t really into racing. Prior to that, older brother John had a service station in the west end of Toronto, and Frank – three years younger – was working there while still in school. With that business doing well, in ’72, a real estate agent told John about the track being up for sale. “In those days, we were doing pretty good and we had some money to invest, so we thought it would be a good thing to do. But we also didn’t know anything about racing. But when you’re young, you take chances.” Little did they know it would end up playing such a huge role in their lives, their families’ lives, and in the lives of so many others. “Thank God, some of the people who worked for Rocco were willing to help us out for a couple of years, until we got things going,” continued John. “One key guy was Doug Bowerman, who just recently passed away. He knew the routines here. It was tough for a couple of years, but we did the best we could. And you learn over the years.” In ’74, John moved to nearby Millgrove, to cut down on the driving between the track and Toronto. A year later, the brothers purchased a car service garage on Hwy. 6, which Frank ran and lived over top of. Asked about some of the big races and events they’ve put on over the years, there are too many to document. “The racing was incredible,” said John. “I don’t think we’ll see those days again. The racers were very, very dedicated.” “Racing was their hobby and a big part of their lives,” added Frank. “I remember race nights when there were three or four engine swaps, in the pits, and the guys would be back on the track within an hour,” said John. “The drivers had so many people willing to help in those days. Today, I feel bad for a lot of these guys because they have don’t have the help they need when they have problems.” “These days, the racers pay the admission for their teams,” Frank
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John and Frank Casale have operated Flamboro since 1973. Frank works on the fan-side and John is in charge of the pit-side. Photos by Dave Franks and Greg MacPherson
continued. “But back then, people paid their own way in and helped out whoever they liked, whether that was Hanley or Biederman or someone else.” Talking about some of the great families that have raced at Flamboro, John Casale is also proud to note, “We’ve created a lot of families here!” Asked about some vivid memories, John recalls one story involving former racer Wayne Howden. “He was a character, that guy,” laughed Casale. “In ’75, we put a cement wall around this place; it used to be guardrails here. We used to have a racer we called ‘Bulky Bill.’ He raced Super Late Models. His throttle got stuck and he took out about 15 feet of that wall, in Turn 3. “He only had a little bruise in his leg. Meanwhile, to go racing again, we had to plug that hole. Fortunately for us, they were running a gas pipeline through the area and they rented a corner of our property to store their heavy equipment. There was a big dozer there. Wayne (Howden) was in construction and knew how to run it. And all of the sudden, he’s driving this dozer up – with a 20-foot blade – and plugged the hole with the blade. And we went racing.” Another memorable story, the brothers tell, involves the famous ‘Lake Flamboro’ that would form in the infield, after heavy rains. “It would happen in (Turns) 3 and 4, in the middle,” said John. “There was a drain, but it was tiny,” laughed Frank. “Many times, we had to get a local farmer – who had a giant pump – to bring it over here and get enough of the water out so it was off the racetrack. That used to happen a lot,” said John. “The things with Lake Flamboro and plugging the wall almost became entertainment for everyone, in those days. We were frustrated by them, but we all went with it.”
But at its core, John Casale loves the track and the racing. “If you can master this place, you can run pretty well anywhere. It’s pretty much the same configuration as always. The banking is the same, but we redid the wall and asphalt in ’98. Capacity in the stands is 5,000 and we’d have 1,000 in the pits on any given night.” Discussing some of the characters who have raced at the track over the years, Don Biederman is top of mind for John Casale. “Biederman was a real showman. He played it up really well. People either loved him or hated him. There was no in between.” Next, John told a story about a boxing match that unfolded, on the front-straight, between the flagman and Junior Hanley. “There was something going on between the two of them. To this day, I don’t know why it happened but there was a boxing match right there. And everyone made sure they came back the next week to find out what was going to happen next. “Those guys… their emotions were very high. But then, an hour later, they were drinking beer together. A lot of the things that happen on the track, they’re not intentional. Good racers are very aggressive. If you’re not aggressive, you don’t belong out there. Getting back to Biederman, his instincts were incredible. If there was a hole, he’d go for it.” Asked if they still love the racing and the competition, John Casale said, “I do. I really do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing it. Because it’s hard work. And there are times when people get angry or say things, but a week later, they’ll call me and say they’re sorry. Everyone wants to win and everyone who doesn’t is frustrated. In the end, you couldn’t find better people anywhere. When someone needs help, people step up. Over the years, we’ve made a lot of friends here.” The Casale brothers’ almost 50 years running Flamboro is unprecedented, in Ontario racing. “It’s a lot of hard work but at the same time, what else am I going to do,” laughed John. “I’m too old to start doing anything else.” One neat thing is that John and Frank have done it together, and have remained very close, through it all. “You have to play a role,” said John. “My role is back there (in the pits) and his role is over here (on the fans’ side). And we both do our thing and we’re fine. The only way that you can succeed is if you can surround yourself with good people.” At that point, John became visibly emotional, thinking about some of the people who helped the brothers at the track, over the years. “There are several… Carolle and Bill (Lyons),” said John, before choking up. Frank picked it up, at that point. “When we first got the track, Bill showed up – and it was in the winter time – and he said, ‘You guys gotta open up the racetrack this year. And he’s telling us what needs to be fixed. And we didn’t know where to start. He was instrumental, and he got the Hobby Club to help us out.” Talking about Carolle, John smiled, calling her his “right-hand man.” She passed away in January of 2020, and thinking about her loss still brings tears to John’s eyes. Bill Lyons had passed away in 2011. “She looked after the scoring, and all the people who work pitside, the corner guys, the starter and a lot of the paperwork. She looked after a lot of that stuff, and she enjoyed what she did. She knew that I appreciated it. And Bill worked for us for a few years, but he was another type of person and took things very seriously. He had to give it up because it was taking a toll on him.” Looking ahead, while the Casales don’t think they’ll ever see things back at the level it was in the glory days of Ontario short track racing, they’re getting a sense that people are eager to get out and experience things again, as the pandemic is hopefully running its course. “I’ve noticed a lot of new people,” said Frank. “Faces that we ha-
(Top) Racing has always been a family affair at Flamboro. In the case of the Zardo and Shepherd families, Sharon Zardo – a successful racer in her own right – and Pete Shepherd Jr., got married and started another generation of racers. (Middle) John Casale (right) with the late Bob Slack (left), from Cayuga Speedway. (Above) Flamboro underwent a major renovation in 1997-98. Photos by Dave Franks
ven’t seen before. And some that we haven’t seen for a long time.” “The older people are very dedicated and they’ll come and watch the races because that’s what they did growing up. I hope that we can also get the new generation to come out, too.” As for some things they’d still like to do, John said, “Before my days are done here, I’d like to invite all of the racers who raced here – from the time that we took over – out for a night. We’ve lost a lot of them, but there are a lot still around. “I’d like for them to come back and enjoy a night at the races, on our dime. It would be nice and it’ll happen. We’re not sure if it will happen next year or the one after. It would be nice to honour those people and remember them,” continued John. “A lot of good racers have come out of this place. Don Thomson Jr., Pete and Petey Shepherd, Howie Scannell… they all started here. So many, over the years, who started here and made it in racing.” On behalf of everyone, we congratulate John and Frank Casale on their almost 50-year run and we wish them many more. IT InsideTrackNews.com 41
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
A RACING LEGEND TALKS ABOUT FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY By Bob Sumak and Greg MacPherson n 1973, an unknown driver showed up to race at Flamboro. Junior Hanley had arrived on the Ontario racing scene. Almost immediately, he became a perennial winner of regular night features and won his share of Triple 50s, Twin 100s and Octoberfest events. As time went on, an intense rivalry developed between Don Biederman and Hanley, giving fans dazzling displays of driving. Recently asked about what he thought of Flamboro, the first time he saw it after arriving from Nova Scotia, Hanley said, “I got here on a Saturday and went right there. They had cars everywhere. Then, they had two classes of cars. They had lots of cars and a lot of people. Down east, they didn’t have that many. At Flamboro, you could hardly get in the pits.” According to Hanley, it took him a bit to get up to speed with the established racers. “It took a while. Probably the second year. I didn’t have good enough stuff, but I liked racing there. I had a red Chevelle. It took two years to get enough money to buy a good motor. We’d also race at Pinecrest, Sunset, Delaware and Raceway Park.” Asked about the style of racing at Flamboro, Hanley said, “I think it was a bit better before they repaved it, than it is now. Most of the ones they repave aren’t as good as they were before. They had an apron on the bottom, but it went away after they repaved it.” One of Hanley’s keys to success was to race cleanly. “You can’t rough people up. If you do, you don’t usually finish. That was a big thing when I started. I always wanted to be fast at the start and I was no good at the end. Now, you gotta be good at the end.” Recalling some of his big races and wins at Flamboro, Hanley continued, “(John) Casale used to have a series of races, every year, and if you won all three, you got a good bonus. You could win really good money at those. I won those a couple of times.” Hanley also remembers the ACT race at the track, in 1993. “That was about the biggest show I was ever at there. When ACT was there and Dizzy Dean (Murray) promoted it. That was about the biggest thing that ever happened at Flamboro as far as I was concerned.” Discussing his relationship with Don Beiderman, Hanley said, “If it wasn’t for Don, I never would have come up here. The first year I came up here, I came with John Chisholm – we were good friends – and I went to Bobby Allison’s with him, and got a car built, way back. “Chisholm wanted to come up for a big race at Cayuga – and then he wanted to come up (from NS) and race weekends. So, I stayed up. And then, I used to go to the States with Biederman to race. And on the weekends, Chisholm would come up to race and I’d be here (in Canada). It seemed like Biederman was a great guy… as long as he wasn’t near a racetrack. Once we went near a track, he almost flipped out. That first year, I went home and came back the next year. And when the races were over, I sold Biederman my Chevelle and he went to Martinsville (VA) with it. And I went home and built a new car for Chisholm and one for myself. But that was about it for me and Biederman. When I got running better, he got pissed off. We had a lot of good times together, and a lot of shitty times (laughs).” Discussing Flamboro, Hanley was asked about John and Frank Casale, and how they’ve lasted so long.
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(Top) Junior Hanley won a lot of races at Flamboro Speedway during his legendary career. (Above) Hanley (left) is very complimentary about John (right) and Frank Casale. “They’re old-fashioned people. There won’t be anybody like them, again. They treat people really good.” Photos By Dave Franks
“They’re great guys. I tease them all the time, saying they probably got their holes dug out back of the place, so that if something happens, they’ll still be here (at the track).” Discussing the Casales’ commitment to the racing, Hanley said, “Neither one of them needs to do that. I think they have more money than God. They’re old-fashioned people. There won’t be anybody like them, again. They treat people really good. “They’re really good people up there and most of the time they have good people working there. If you ain’t a good person, you’re not going to work out there. When they (the Casales) say something, they do it. That’s pretty hard to find anymore.” On any Saturday night, you’ll likely see Hanley helping young racers at the track. “I help out some kids and I just like seeing all the people there. You know, I really like to see young guys succeed. I mostly work on their cars because it’s pretty hard to coach a young kid on driving anymore. They know everything (laughs). They race online and they don’t need to race nowhere else.” IT
FLAMBORO MEMORIES: TIM MILLER Little did I realize that after watching the Saturday night show of Super Modifieds and Hobby Cars at Flamboro – as a teenager in the early ‘60s – that I would be reporting on the racing and personalities at the track starting about 20 years later. As the motorsport writer for the Hamilton Spectator, Flamboro was a natural for stories. And several times a year, I would make the journey to the paved oval to tell stories of the track and its people. Perhaps the memory that is most prominent involves one of Canada’s most notorious and best-loved Late Model drivers, Don Biederman. I met up with him in the pits one Saturday and he was holding court. Why I remember this meeting was due to the sticker placed on the dashboard of his Camaro race car: “I don’t get mad, I get even.” He was congenial with me, and we spoke about the sport in general, and he gave me his views on the up-and-comers at the time. I think he DNFd in the feature and his pace was not what it once was when he fought with Junior Hanley every lap of every race they entered together. Other memorable interviews include a session with Linda Dean, who was on her game every time she put on her driving suit and hopped in her car. Others were Trevor Monaghan, who showed what he could do with little in the way of equipment and talking with Ralph and Steve Book a couple of years ago when they were prepping their Studebaker Hawk for an OSCAAR Hot Rod race. I also remember some tempers flaring – both in the pits and with drivers duking it out with officials. Also recall a media kart race, which I tried to win by driving across the infield to the finish line. And watching the AVSS Sprint Cars trying to pass on the third-mile track. Other vivid memories are of sitting in the tower trying to see
One of Tim Miller’s memories of Flamboro is seeing the Enduro cars. Photo by Dave Franks
the action on the track as the sun blazed in the western sky. And watching a huge line-up of Enduro cars that not only filled the racing surface, but went into the pits. One of the coolest moments at Flamboro for me was watching Alcohol Funny Car driver Bob Elliott fire up his Flopper and do some burnouts down the front stretch. It was just as entertaining to watch the fans’ jaws drop, as it was to see Elliott’s burnouts. Flamboro gave me my introduction to Dave Franks, who was selling photos out of the trunk of his Firebird at the time. Although he has slowed down a bit, he still shoots regularly at the track. And I still enjoy sitting in his cart, eating his licorice and hearing all the racing gossip. I always felt welcome at Flamboro. And while many have people remarked that I was so fortunate to get paid for doing what I enjoyed, it has been a profession with me, and the Casale brothers and their staff have been great hosts over the years. Thank you. IT
FLAMBORO MEMORIES: DAVE FRANKS For many, when they think about Flamboro Speedway, they think of Dave Franks. A member of the track’s Hall of Fame, but legendary photographer has been a familiar face at the track for decades. When Dave thinks about the track, he recalls flying through the air one night during the Octoberfest races, after a car slid through the infield – prior to the initial green flag – and into the golf cart he was standing beside. “I remember seeing the red of John Owen’s hood. And I remember the sound of something hitting fibreglass – which was me bouncing off his hood. I was a little sore but it ended up OK. And for years later, John Owen asked me if I was OK. The moral was you never know what will happen, and you do what you can to avoid those things.” But for the most part Dave’s memories of the place are mostly positive. He’s been going to Flamboro long before there was an Inside Track. Dave says he’s been shooting races since the late ‘70s and has been shooting at Flamboro for almost all that time. “I’ve had a lot of good years at Flamboro,” Franks said. “Flamboro has always been good to me. John and Frank bought the track from Rocco DiCarlo and they’re treated me well the whole time, and I’m still there. “It’s been good racing and I have a lot of good memories. I’m just thankful that the Casale brother hung in so we have a place to go.” Asked about some big events he’s worked, Franks recalls the Super Modifieds putting on a great show, and the TQ Midgets being popular when they visited. And it was a biggie when the NASCAR guys like Kenny Schrader came. The grandstands were looking pretty good for those shows.” Thinking back about some of the dominant racers he’s photo-
Dave Franks has been a fixture at Flamboro Speedway since the late ‘70s. Photo by Dave Franks
graphed, Franks said, “Scott Lyons is right there, number one. And going right to the top – God and his Brother – Hanley and Biederman. Not necessarily in that order. “That was the best thing that ever happened to Flamboro and racing around here, when Biederman convinced Junior to come up to Ontario to race. The two of them put Flamboro on the map, and other tracks, too. Same with Bill Zardo, Wayne Keeling, Rich Grady, Dave McKnight and others. The best there ever was raced at Flamboro. Same thing today.” “The Casales are doing a great job,” concluded Franks. “They’re hanging in. I don’t know why other than they love it so much. That’s why all of us are still doing what we’re doing.” – Stories by Greg MacPherson IT InsideTrackNews.com 43
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
CANADIAN MOTORSPORT ICON GOT HIS START AT FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY Story by Greg MacPherson lex Nagy has an impressive racing resume. A successful CASCAR racer, he ran his own racing business before moving to the States and eventually working with Alex Tagliani in IndyCar. He then went on to be the series director of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, before leaving to oversee the reconstruction of Cayuga Speedway (now Jukasa Motor Speedway) and being that track’s General Manager. But before all that, he was a grassroots short track racer, competing primarily at Flamboro Speedway. An early inductee into the track’s Hall of Fame, Nagy will become a member of the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame when the Hall holds its next induction ceremony, ideally next February. Asked about how he started racing at Flamboro, Nagy recalls, “My dad raced dirt, initially, so I attended a lot of dirt races, but we ended up migrating to Flamboro. I remember sitting in the stands there, in 1980, and thinking, ‘I need to race.’ That fall and winter, I built my first Street Stock, and away we went, in 1981. “I raced there weekly, as well as at Sunset, Varney, Sauble and Cayuga. We didn’t have near enough equipment, but we got a lot of experience running around, primarily at Flamboro.” It was a long and successful run at Flamboro, before his attention turned to CASCAR. “I raced there until ’92,” Nagy continued. “And in my last few years there, teamed up with Sam Rounce and we’d talk about doing something different. Over time, I was fortunate enough to win some track championships and a bunch of different events there and around the province. And I just kind of wanted a new challenge and we made the move to CASCAR in ’93.” Quizzed to recall some of the big wins and events he was part of, at Flamboro, Nagy said, “We won a lot of races. We talk about it all the time, now – Pete Shepherd (Jr.) and I – you know we were arch-rivals back then. And there was the ‘Biederman / Hanley’ thing. That was everywhere, but also at Flamboro. I enjoyed watching that for years. “And me and Shepherd – our rivalry was almost as crazy between the families and those around us. We always had a ton of respect for each other, but we never talked because we were enemies. Now, we’re real good buddies and we get a chance to laugh about it. “But we battled forever. We had a handicap system, at that time, and the best we could ever start was 15th, or something. And so we always started at the back. And more often than not, him or I won the feature every week. “We both won our share of races and battled for championships,
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Alex Nagy, shown here in Flamboro’s Victory Lane following a Legends feature in 1999, got his start in racing at the Hamilton-area short track. Photo by Dave Franks
until I went CASCAR racing and he went to Super Late Models. And then we never really crossed paths, after that, until I ended up doing some Crew Chief work with Dave Jacombs, in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, helping Alex Tagliani.” Nagy continued, “But Tag ended up doing some IndyCar races and they had another driver. It ended up being Pete Shepherd III. I remember asking Dave, ‘Are you sure? Because, you know, me and his parents haven’t really gotten along.’ But mostly it was because we hadn’t talked for years. “Dave said, ‘They’re excited that you’re going to be part of it. And that was the start of the friendship. And Petey was excited about me helping. It was pretty cool.” Talking about Flamboro and John and Frank Casale, Nagy talks about his induction into the track’s Hall of Fame. “When I was fortunate enough to get inducted into the Flamboro Speedway Hall of Fame, they invited me to their banquet, for the induction ceremony, and that brought back a lot of memories at that time. And when I spoke, I definitely talked highly of those two guys (John and Frank Casale), despite having some differences over the years. They deserve a ton of credit. It’s funny, now, John and I talk almost weekly as track operators. John is set in his ways but he’ll always call me and we have a good relationship. “The guy has so much experience that I love to chat with him and get his view on things. I’ve got a ton of respect for those guys and how they operate a racetrack, the way they have for that many years. They work their butts off and have done a really nice job with the speedway and they continue to improve it.” IT
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FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
FLAMBORO MEMORIES: PETE SHEPHERD JR. Prior to working on this feature, I must admit that I was unaware of Pete Shepherd Jr.’s accomplishments as a racer. In ’97, he paused his racing career to support his son, Pete (Petey) Shepherd III, and his racing ambitions. Before that, he was one of Flamboro’s most successful competitors, winning big races and championships. “Nineteen-ninety-seven was my last year in racing,” said Shepherd, who is married to Sharon (formerly Zardo), the daughter of Bill Zardo Sr. The combination of the Shepherd and Zardo racing families will always be one of the lasting legacies of Flamboro Speedway, as several of the clan’s grandchildren are now successful racers. That was my home track. And the rivalry with Alex Nagy, that was between our fathers, more than anything. But we’re all great friends now. We went at it every week and it was either him or me that seemed to be winning. It was a pretty good show for the fans.” Asked about the coming together of the Shepherd and Zardo families, at Flamboro, he said, “That’s where that started, for sure. Both of our fathers originally hung around dirt tracks, but when we were old enough to race ourselves, that’s where we ran. And that’s where we went. And that’s where Sharon and I met.” Shepherd remembers Flamboro as the place the best raced at. “When it comes down to it – for all the successful guys like Hanley and Biederman – Flamboro was the hub of it all. If you ran good and were successful there, you’d be you’d be good almost anywhere.” Shepherd credits the track’s location for a lot of its success. “I think it was the location, which was really good. In southern Ontario, once Pinecrest closed – which was in the GTA – Flamboro was the closest place for everybody to go. And it paid well, there. So that was really the place. The level of competition there was so good.” In addition to all that happened at the track, Flamboro also played a role in Pete and Sharon buying their first home.
Pete Shepherd Jr. (left) and Sr. (middle) chat with Flamboro co-owner John Casale (right), in the early ‘90s, in the pits. Photo by Dave Franks
“The Triple 50s were always something, with Hanley and Biederman winning it. And Bill (Zardo Sr.) won it. And John had the Triple 50s for our class. In 1983, it was called the Canadian Super Street Stock Championship. You got points based on how you finished in all three and I finished second in all of them and won it that first year when the money was big, like five or six thousand dollars. I ended up winning that race four times over the years. “Sharon and I bought our first house from the money we won in just that Labour Day race! So, it makes Flamboro even more important in terms of our family.” Talking about the Casale brothers, Shepherd said, “John, especially, has an absolute passion for racing. I think he can afford to sell it or retire, but I think he just loves it so much. He just wants to carry on for as long as he can. He likes the different generations of all the families that show up there.” IT
FLAMBORO MEMORIES: BILL ZARDO SR. One of the patriarchs of the Zardo / Shepherd racing clan, Bill Zardo Sr. is a legend at Flamboro Speedway and other tracks and series. He first started racing at Flamboro, in the late ‘70s, after Pinecrest Speedway closed. That track was located in Concord, ON, not far from the Zardos’ home base, of Brampton. “We raced there for a lot of years. And I have a lot of good memories from there,” said the racer, known as ‘The Big Z.’ “There was a lot of good racing back in the day, there, and the stands used to be full and there were a lot of cars in the field. It was just good racing.” Zardo won one of the biggest races ever held at Flamboro Speedway. It was an American-Canadian Tour (ACT) race, in 1993, that was heavily promoted by former track announcer and WheelSpin Magazine publisher ‘Dizzy’ Dean Murray. It was part of an ACT doubleheader weekend in Ontario, that started on Friday night at Flamboro, and wrapped up Saturday afternoon at Sauble Speedway. Featuring drivers like Junior Hanley, Beaver Dragon, Kevin Lepage, Ralph Nason, Dave Whitlock, Derek Lynch and others, the tour had a huge following on both sides of the border. Asked about the biggest win of his career, Zardo recalled that night at Flamboro. It was the season’s sixth race, and Hanley had won four of them. But the ‘Big Z’ took the win. “I guess it would be the ACT race, in 1993. The track was full for a race promoted by ‘Dizzy’ Dean Murray and we won it. It was a big one. I also won four or five points series racing there. We had a good time there.” 46 Inside Track Motorsport News
Bill Zardo Sr. won many big events at Flamboro during his legendary career. Photo by Dave Franks
Talking about John and Frank Casale, and their time running Flamboro, Zardo said, “John and Frank have done a good job there. They needed some help, but they certainly knew how to run the place.” Like Hanley, Zardo felt the track was better suited to competitive racing prior to the big renovation. “I think the track was better to race on, back in the day. Today, it’s a tough track to race on because there’s only one lane. There used to be two lanes, there, that you could run. You’re OK if you run the inside, but if you go to the outside, you just go backwards.” That said, Zardo says he still enjoys attending races there and seeing old friends. – Stories by Greg MacPherson IT
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InsideTrackNews.com 47
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN ‘THE IRONMAN’S’ HEART
(Left) Gary Elliott is interviewed in his Canadian Vintage Modified after a win at Flamboro. (Right) The Ironman has a lot of great memories from his days at Flamboro, and a lot of respect for the way the Casale brothers have run the place, for almost 50 years. Photos by Dave Franks and Greg MacPherson
Story by Greg MacPherson or decades, Gary Elliott was a prominent fixture on the Ontario racing scene, primarily at Flamboro Speedway. ‘The Ironman’ recently moved to Nova Scotia and competes on the Maritime Pro Stock Tour, but Ontario fans have many memories of him piloting his #36, Quaker State-sponsored cars in their province. The 74-year-old has carried Quaker State on his cars for 48 seasons, and his goal is to make it to 50, “God willing.” As far as Elliott’s history at Flamboro, he’s been going there since the mid ‘60s. “I used to follow the Super Modifieds when they were there. I watched them at the CNE until that closed, in ’66. And then I started going to Flamboro to watch them on Saturday nights. My favourite driver was Glenn Schurr. He was No. 36 and that’s how I ended up with that number, because he was my hero, as a kid.” By that point, Elliott had the racing bug, but his father reminded him that he didn’t have a trailer, truck, tools or a garage. Grasping the situation, Elliott entered a few demolition derbies, his first taking place on July 29, 1967. He drove a ’55 Chevy two-door hardtop, in a 34-car field, and won the derby. And I won another one at Flamboro, in 1969. “And by then, I was racing Mini Stocks at Cayuga and they went to Flamboro for a special, in 1970. Then I started racing ‘Hobbies’ in ‘72 at Flamboro, but it was only a shortened season before Rocco Di Carlo closed and then sold the track. “And when the Casales bought it in ’73, the Hobbies were back full-time. It took us a while to build car counts up, but we did. During my career there, I’ve won Hobby, Late Model and OSCAAR Modified features at Flamboro.” Talking about Flamboro as a place to race, Elliott said, “I love the fact that John Casale would do anything to get a race night in. Other
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tracks would have cancelled by 3:00 on Saturday because it was raining or calling for rain. But we’d call Flamboro, and they’d say, ‘nope… not called yet.’ It was before cell phones, so we’d start driving. We’d get there and the rain would have stopped and the skies would clear and he’d ask the guys to go out on the track and dry it. Myself and others would use a tank of gas to try to dry the track. I just love that he (John Casale) wouldn’t cancel, and wanted to race. And next thing you know, by 8:30, the track was dry, the sun was just setting, and we’d start racing.” Another thing Elliott likes about the way John Casale runs Flamboro, is the way he lets rivalries develop. “John always liked rivalries. So, he never really wanted to kick anybody out for being a bad guy. Even if the guy was a jerk to the staff, John liked it if the guy was going to get the fans going. He wasn’t politically correct, but he went by the rules. He hates to see cars get all beat up, but he doesn’t mind guys roughing each other up a bit.” Elliott said the design of Flamboro can often add to the tension. “Flamboro is a very tight, long-straightaway track. It generates a lot of speed and then it comes to a really tight turn… and you’ve got to slow down. And the problem is, you need to have respect and back out, sometimes. If a guy chops you, you can’t be that stubborn and keep going in, and spin him, because you’ll wreck yourself, too. There’s always payback down the road. I don’t need that.” Getting back to the Casales, Elliott said that John would have rubbed his hands together the whole time the ‘Biederman / Hanley’ rivalry was raging. “Holy cow, he never would have kicked out one of those guys. But he’s (John) a very gracious man. He loves racing and so does Frank. I went to high school with Frank and he is really a peaceful guy. He’s just laid back and always wanted to be a peacemaker.” IT
FLAMBORO MEMORIES: BILL GRISDALE Bill Grisdale can’t exactly remember being at Flamboro Speedway the night it opened, in 1961, but he says it’s very likely he was there. And you can’t fault him for being a little fuzzy recalling the details of that one day at the track, because he was around the property before it was a racetrack and has likely been there thousands of times in the 60 years since it opened. “I only lived about two miles from the track. I knew the Didero family quite well and Leno Didero was a part-builder of that racetrack; he was the construction guy. He and my dad ‘chummed’ together and that’s how I knew about the racetrack. I was likely hanging out there before the track got built, because I knew the next-door neighbour. I was likely there for opening day.” While never a stock car racer himself, Grisdale raced off-road cars for about six years and got involved as a sponsor and fan at Flamboro Speedway when his automotive and racing-related business began to grow. “Since the early ‘80s, we sponsored the Late Model ‘Diamond’ class, along with Dick Monaghan, of Newport Leasing. We were friends and he was always after me to sponsor his car, and that turned into sponsoring the series, too. And we’d give fibreglass late model stock car bodies away; that was our forte.” To this day, Bill Grisdale and Grisdale Racing Products are still involved at Flamboro, including being the presenting sponsor of the prestigious three-race Grisdale Triple Crown series, each season. Grisdale estimates the Triple Crown has been running for 15 years. “We’ve had some really good races with the Triple Crown, over the years,” said Grisdale, proudly.
Bill Grisdale (front right) has been a long-time sponsor at Flamboro. Photo by Dave Franks
Asked about his long-time association with the track and John and Frank Casale, Grisdale said, “I like the Casale brothers. They’re always fair, and I don’t think we’ve ever had a contract with them. We’d shake hands and that was it. And when John said he was going to do something… he did it. He’s straight. I didn’t have that same rapport with some of the other promoters over the years. The only other one I can think of – who was like John – was Bob Slack, at Cayuga. “John tells us what he wants. We agree, or we don’t agree. Maybe we argue a little bit (laughs). But once we do all agree, we all live up to it. It’s been good that way with John and Frank.” Reminded that the Casales have owned and operated the track for nearly 59 years, Grisdale said that John (who he has dealt with more on the business side) is the same today as when he started dealing with him 40 years ago. Grisdale also appreciates all the effort the brothers put into making the track as nice as it can be. “They’ve got the place looking beautiful… it’s really nice.” IT
FLAMBORO MEMORIES: MIKE SCHMIDT If you’ve been to Flamboro Speedway – or pretty much any Ontario short track, for that matter – you know Mike Schmidt and London Recreational Racing (LRR). He is a huge supporter of stock car racing, sponsoring drivers, races and events. And during the winter, Team LRR is very involved in snowcross snowmobile racing. Asked when he first started ‘attending’ races at the Millgrove, Ontario short track, Schmidt figures it was while he was still in his mother’s belly, when his dad (Howie Schmidt) was a racer there, in the summer of 1961. But after that, Schmidt didn’t return until 2007 or 2008, when he started helping Brad Collison. “I pretty much came full-time, after that,” Schmidt smiled. Asked what he loves about Flamboro, he says it’s very close to his home, which is convenient. “It’s also a bit of ‘old-school.’ I like all the people I’ve met through racing and John (Casale) has a ton of passion for it and looked like he could use some help with some things. “It started with FrostFest (now Frostoberfest) and trying to show that it could be a cool place to hang out at, again. I’ve had a lot of success, there, with our teams, too. We’ve (Team LRR) won a lot of big races and championships. We’ve had some ‘clean sweeps’ through the years, too, with our cars winning everything on some nights. And it gives me an ‘out’ from work, where I can get away and relax. When it’s Saturday night and the engines are going, I can’t hear my phone for a few hours. I’ve always loved auto racing and the competition.” Another huge draw, for Schmidt are all the great people and relationships he’s formed over the years. Coming up, LRR is sponsoring the September 4 visit by the APC Late Model Series. The LRR 100 has been a fixture for the series, at Flamboro, since the tour was formed. And on October 2-3, Frosto-
The LRR-commissioned igloo trophies are coveted by Frostoberfest feature winners. (L-R) In 2018, Mike Schmidt posed with Brad Collison, Jake Sheridan and Eric Dalla Riva (right / Mini Stock). Photo by Dave Franks
berfest takes to the track at Flamboro, with major support from London Recreational Racing and Grisdale Enterprises. Schmidt commissions several soapstone carvings that are distributed as trophies to select class winners at Frostoberfest. These carvings are highly coveted and are among the neatest prizes available in Canadian racing. “I’m proud of how it’s turned out. We have cool trophies, cool prizes and still a good purse. Now, it’s a crown jewel event that everyone puts on their lists when they’re thinking about specials to attend.” The soapstone carvings, created by Schmidt’s snowmobile friend Hop Isaluk, in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, started in Schmidt’s second year with the year-end special. “We started thinking about unique trophies, and with the event being late in the year and my buddy Hop living way up north, we came up with the igloo. It’s one trophy that doesn’t get shuffled away by the wife. They’re proudly displayed. If you’ve won one, it’s rare. If you have a couple, it’s very, very rare.” – Stories by Greg MacPherson IT InsideTrackNews.com 49
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
FLAMBORO MEMORIES: DAVE FRANKS PHOTOS Over the years, no one has taken as many photos at Flamboro Speedway, as Dave Franks. The veteran shooter has promoted the track, its racers and sponsors – for several decades – through his diligent work documenting the action and personalities, and getting those images to the track, magazines and his website. This is a small selection of some of Dave’s photos from over the years. If you’re looking for more, or something in particular, visit DaveFranksPhotos.com and he likely has it. Thanks to Dave for all of his efforts and friendship over the years! IT
Scott Lyons was a perennial winner at Flamboro for several years.
Pete Shepherd Jr. in Victory Lane, along with several family members.
Junior Hanley is likely the most famous racer to come out of Flamboro.
Paul Howse in Victory Lane.
Rob Munday was another successful Flamboro competitor.
An aerial view of the track, taken by Dave Franks.
Dale Shaw (left) is currently one of the province’s top racers.
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InsideTrackNews.com 51
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Hanley with two of Don Biederman’s sisters, Barb (l) and Bernice (r).
Trevor Monahan waves Dave Franks’ checkered flags.
Smilin’ Ray Hughes had a long career with the Hobby Club.
Second-generation racer David Elliott drove Hobby cars before Late Models.
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InsideTrackNews.com 53
Despite the ongoing pandemic, VARAC hosted more than 150 drivers at the 41st Vintage Grand Prix.
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espite COVID 19-related obstacles, the 41st VARAC Vintage Grand Prix enjoyed a successful event over the Father’s Day weekend with more than 150 competitors, including the debut appearance of the FEL Sports Car and Radical series, challenging the legendary venue of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Interest was high among the vintage participants, the fields in Vintage/Historic Groups 1, 2 and 3 exceeding 45 vehicles, while the larger displacement V/H and Classic classes 4 and 5 boasted 38 starters. Only slightly less populated was Group 6, with 19 open-wheel race cars taking the green flag. Each class was granted four 20-minute races over the course of the weekend, with a Saturday afternoon special – the annual MG versus Triumph contest completing the vintage racing schedule. InsideTrackNews.com 55
As always, the VARAC Vintage Grand Prix features and eclectic mix of both closed- and open-wheel classic race cars.
In the Vintage Historic Groups 1/2/3 races, Scarborough, ON’s Steve Gidman swept the weekend, his obscenely quick No. 05 1963 Ginetta G4R capturing all four overall and VH-2 class victories. While no one had anything to challenge the Ginetta, Russ Bond (No. 55 1972 Mazda RX3) and Andrew Nelson (No. 52 1963 Austin Cooper S) put on a dazzling driving display in the battle for the overall runner-up position, with Bond edging his rival in each race, the largest margin of victory between the two at the checkered flag being a mere 0.347 seconds. Nelson took top spot in VH-3 scoring in three races, with Francois Audette (No. 737-1963 MGB) capturing the class win in the final round when Nelson was bumped up to VH-2. In VH-4, Phil Cooper (No. 62 MGB Roadster) won the weekend opener, with Del Bruce aboard his No. 32 1972 Porsche 914 sweeping the remaining races. Jody LeClaire (No. 212 MGB) and Gord White (No. 214 MGB) captured VH-5 class victories, while Jim Holody’s twin cam-1959 MGA carried him to the wins in the weekend’s final two contests. In the VH Big Bore and Classic Groups 4 and 5, it was a plethora of Porsches, a horde of Hondas, plus a few Chevys and other oddities challenging the fast Ford Taurus of Blaise Csida for overall honours, all to no avail. Csida’s Trans-Am mount swept the four weekend races, taking top spot in CL-A, with Gregg Clifton (No. 56 1994 Camaro) the only one who could keep the blue No. 182 Ford in sight. Del Bruce, aboard his rumbling No. 99 1971 Corvette, captured three consecutive CL-1 class wins after Marco Beretta guided his No. 301 1982 Porsche 911 SC to the checkered flag in the opening round. The closest racing action of the weekend was witnessed in the CL-2 class, with mid-field pack racing garnering the most attention. With a field of 16 cars and closely matched competition, it was little wonder that three different drivers made it to top spot in class, with Guy Desjardins (No.121 1970 Boss Mustang), Matthew Gidman (No. 07 1965 Mustang) each enjoying one class win while Lain Vendittelli (No. 19 Porsche 944 Turbo) went two-for-two in the final twin dashes. The situation was similar in the 11-car battle for CL-3 honours, as Ultraray Motorsports’ Jon Dunski, in his No. 446 Porsche 944, and Dave Bagshaw (No. 149 1989 Chevy Camaro) took victories in the 56 Inside Track Motorsport News
first two contests while Perry Mason was able to rebound for twin wins to close out the weekend aboard his repaired No. 60-1981 Audi 80 coupe. Obviously comfortable in his Audi mount, Mason even found time to occasionally throw a wave out the window of his car as he approached the daunting, high-speed first turn. Don't you just hate it when you’re cruising to a fourth consecutive overall victory and then the oil pressure warning light comes on with two laps to go? That was the situation that faced Paul Subject in the weekend finale on the Formula Classic series. After dominating the opening trio of 20-minute races, Subject was forced to retire his No. 77 1998 Formula Mazda on the last lap, “because it could have gotten expensive if I tried to continue,” said Subject. Benefiting from Subject’s misfortune was his weekend shadow, the No. 241 Reynard F2000 car of Jeff Watson, who captured the overall and FC70 class win following three overall runner-up finishes. Former F1600 champion Stephen Adams brought his beautifully restored No. 29 1980 Lola T540 out to vie for CF honours, bringing the car home at the front of the class in each appearance with the equally well-tuned No. 47 1981 Crossle of Doug Beatty and Shane Viccary’s No. 27 Citation Zink earning second place finishes. The four FC races included a healthy number of Formula Vee/1200 cars, and has become the custom, it was the No. 173 Caracal-C of Phil Wang who ran to victory in three of the races, falling a mere 0.072 seconds shy of the weekend sweep as he chased Sid Nye (No. 8 BRD) to the stripe in the second round. Saturday afternoon’s racing action concluded with the annual MG versus Triumph shootout. In the 16-car special, VARAC veteran Joe Lightfoot came to the green flag from the sixth row of the grid, but by the third lap had pushed his No. 169 1969 MGB to the front of the field, a position he would maintain until the lap 12 checkered flag. Erick Levac (No. 167 MG Midget) wrestled second spot away from the Phil Cooper’s No. 62 MGB Roadster with five laps run and managed to fend off repeated challenges from Levac to take the checkered with a 0.242-second margin over his rival. IT
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Inaugural GT4 class winner Marco Signoretti
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he FEL Sports Car Championship Canada and the FEL Cup Canada for Radical sports cars made their debut doubleheader appearance at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park as part of the VARAC Vintage Grand Prix weekend. The VARAC weekend provided practice and qualifying rounds for both series, with the sports cars enjoying a pair of 40-minute races while the Radicals were allotted one race of 30 minutes and another of 40 minutes. The FEL SCCC is a showcase for FIA-sanctioned GT4 and Touring Cars and is destined to provide a valuable training ground for up-andcoming racers. The weekend’s opening round saw just two GT4 cars on the grid, with overall pole sitter Marco Signoretti aboard the Multimatic Motorsports GT4 Mustang leading a dozen Touring Car class cars to the green flag. A chain reaction incident in turn 3 on the opening lap effectively eliminated a trio of vehicles with Tom Kwok (No. 55), Nick Looijmans (no. 15) and Bob Attrell (No. 88) all suffering damage. Three laps were run behind the pace car before competition resumed, with Signoretti once again fronting the pack and Marco Cirone (No. 82 Mark Motors Audi) in charge of the Touring Car class. A second full-course yellow on lap seven re-grouped the field, the green on lap 11 allowing the action to resume for a ten-lap dash to the checkered flag. 58 Inside Track Motorsport News
Ultimately, Signoretti, a former Nissan Micra Cup champion, crossed the stripe for the GT4 and overall victory, taking the checkered flag 5.685 seconds in front of Touring Car class victor Cirone. Quebec touring car specialist LP Montour (No. 45) captured the Touring Car runner-up position with Travis Hill (No. 26) completing the podium finishers. “We spent this weekend getting me sorted out,” said Multimatic Development driver Signoretti. “This weekend was my first time in this car at CTMP and I needed to get used to the feel of the car, the speed and the aero. Right now, there aren’t a lot of GT4 cars racing here in Canada, so this is the perfect time for me to get seat time to work on my skills and adapting to a new driving style.” For Cirone, a multi-time Porsche GT3 Cup Masters champion, it was a fun win. “It’s great to be the first Touring Car class winner in the FEL series, but it took a lot of thinking,” admitted Cirone. “There were a lot of yellow laps so you couldn’t really get into a comfortable rhythm. The tires would cool off and you’d have to remember to be careful of them on the restarts. “I think the end of the race may have been more excited than normal because of the tires. By running so many laps under yellow, the tires still had a lot of life left in them at the end. I think everyone was a little more aggressive than usual.”
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Fiat Abarth should have no problem being voted as the vehicle ‘Least Likely to Become a Race Car,’ but don’t tell that to Alain Raymond. Already wearing out one such racing example, last year the Brome, QC resident made a trek to Belgium to find a replacement, his newly refurbished No. 4 1972 Abarth making its debut appearance at the 2021 VARAC Vintage Grand Prix. “These cars are very popular in Europe, they were originally intended to compete against the Minis,” explained Raymond. “Here in Canada, they are a bit of a novelty, they attract a lot of attention.” Replacing the powerplant in his new ride with a race-proven four-cylinder, 1000 cc motor from his previous car, Raymond suggests that he may pull a ‘wind-assisted’ 160 kph from the 90-horsepower motor that is coupled to a four-speed transmission. The car has double wishbone front suspension with coil overs in the rear. The strongest asset of this car is its four-wheel disc brakes. “The car only weighs 650-kilograms, it is very light. With the disc brakes, it can stop on a dime,” revealed Raymond. “Unfortunately, at a track like Mosport, I hardly touch the brakes, so I lose my advantage. This car likes the tight, twisty tracks.” Being a rear-engine vehicle, Raymond also noted that the car needs to be handled carefully as it “can very quickly go from understeer to oversteer.” However, making the car more drivable is its incorporated ‘rear wing’. “Originally these cars were air cooled and the trunk lid was left open for cooling. This car has a front radiator, so the cooling is not so much an issue. But with the lid open, it makes the car much more stable. Rumour has it that Mr. Porsche was once talking to Carlo Abarth about the wing, and that was the idea behind the Whale Tail of the Porsche 911!” IT
The ‘Marco and Marco’ show was repeated in the second race of the event with both drivers earning back-to-back wins. In Touring Car class action, Looijmans rebounded from his opening race problems to record a second place result, holding off Montour by 1.315 seconds for the top spot. The FEL Cup Canada series has the same format as their sports car counterparts, with two distinct divisions, the Platinum and Cup Pro classes being differentiated by engine size. The Platinum class cars are equipped with a V8 powerplant, while the Cup Pro SR-3 entries are limited to 1340 cc motors. Taking advantage of his bigger motor, Bruce McIntyre (No. 67) easily outdistanced his rivals to score unchallenged, back-to-back overall and Platinum class wins. However, behind him the racing was more furious. In the series opener, former Radical Cup Canada champion Matt Graham scored the win over Alan Shaw (No. 99) and Peter Dyck (No. 73), his efforts made somewhat easier when defending series champion Austin Riley was forced to park his No. 20 RS-3 with an overheating issue. His motor problems resolved for round two, Riley rebounded but was forced to settle for a Cup Pro runner-up result after pressuring class winner Graham for the entire 28-lap contest. “Austin never let me breathe, he was right on my tail for the entire race,” said Graham. “Somehow, he gets through turn 3 better than I do. There were a couple of times I thought that he had me. Good racing, close racing, that was a lot of fun!” IT
The new FEL Cup Canada series features two distinct divisions: the Platinum and Cup Pro classes.
InsideTrackNews.com 59
Sam Baker earned wins in F1600 races 2 and 3 at the VARAC Vintage Grand Prix.
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f the opening three rounds of the 2021 Toyo Tires F1600 Championship chase are any indication, this season will undoubtedly be an exciting, albeit a potentially hazardous one. Twenty-six F1600 cars recorded times in qualifying at the Fathers’ Day event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, with the field split 1511 between F1600-A and the older B-class cars. Topping the qualifying charts were series rookie Nick Gilkes (No. 64) in the A-class and Connor Clubine (No. 6) in the B-class. After six overall lead changes between three drivers in the 12 laps of the weekend’s first event, a full-course caution brought the race to an end with the No. 2 BGR Piper Honda of Jonathan Woolridge the first to pass under the checkered flag. It was Woolridge’s inaugural Toyo Tires series victory. “I have to say, that was a kind of scary race, a lot of blocking and weaving,” noted Woolridge. “But to come out on top of a race like that makes this first win even more precious.” Woolridge credited the manipulation of the draft along the long CTMP back straight as the secret to success. “The draft is so strong at this track. You build your entire lap around getting a good launch coming out of turn 5. We were in a pack of seven or eight cars, and you can’t believe the effect of the air on your speed and handling.” Pole-sitter Nick Gilkes (No. 64 Britain West Mygale-Honda) notched a runner-up result, pursued to the stripe by Baker Racing’s Sam Baker in the No. 51 Spectrum-Honda.
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These same three drivers were all in contention for the victory in the middle stanza, with Baker pushing his Spectrum to the front on lap 8 (of 13) and defending his spot against all challengers to score his debut series win. “That race may have been only 22 minutes long, but it was mentally exhausting,” declared the second-generation driver. “I spent a lot of time defending and a lot of time checking my mirrors, but it was fun.” In the race to the checkered flag, Baker was followed by Woolridge, Gilkes, Jack Polito (No. 4) and Jake Cowden (No. 66), the top five finishers covered by just 1.009 seconds. Ten lead changes would take place in the weekend finale, the race ultimately ending with a red flag for a turn 3 incident that saw Jonathan Woolridge impact the tire wall. The first driver under the starter’s stand was series sophomore Jack Polito, however a review of the finish by Track Stewards rewound the race results by two laps, providing Sam Baker with his second consecutive victory. Gilkes was credited with the runner-up result, followed by Cowden, Polito and Woolridge. In F1600-B competition, the weekend truly belonged to Connor Clubine. Setting the fastest time in qualifying, the driver of the No.6 Britain West Motorsports Van Diemen-Ford scored the three-peat, regularly running with the faster A-class cars and ultimately outdistancing class runners-up Steve Bodrug (No. 41 Van Diemen-Ford) on two occasions and Mike Dodd (No. 24 Van Diemen-Ford) in the weekend finale. IT
Dan Corcoran (main) and Blaise Csida (below, left) picked up GT1 wins at the BARC Touring Trophy Races. Daniel Scott (below, right) earned a podium finish in race 1 in his Chevy Silverado. Photos by Howard Cohen
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Story by J. Wally Nesbitt he 2021 CASC-OR season finally received the green flag on July 17 with the running of the annual BARC Canadian Touring Trophy Races weekend. As usual, the GT cars were out in full force, as was the Toyo Tire F1600 series, each accompanying a gaggle of vintage racing machinery and Formula Libre entries.
“It’s my second year in the car and I definitely feel more comfortable now,” admitted the third-generation driver. “My car may be older than the A-class cars, but it is so well prepared I find I can keep close to them. My biggest goal is trying to race hard while learning to recognize trouble and avoid incidents. Just trying to push while bringing the car back with all four corners on it.”
TOYO TIRES F1600 There are multiple headlines trending in the F1600 open-wheel series this year. One trend that continued in the second event on the tour’s calendar was the recognizing of a first-time race winner. In Saturday’s opening 22-minute sprint, 16-year-old Nick Gilkes (brother of 2020 F1600-A championship runner-up Megan) started from the pole aboard his No. 64 Britain West Mygale-Honda and led every lap on his way to his debut series victory. An opening lap, multi-car incident forced the first six laps to be run behind the safety car, but once under green Gilkes came under the pressure from the hard charging No. 51 Spectrum-Honda of Sam Baker. Repelling all advances, Gilkes crossed the stripe holding a slight 0.804-second margin over his rival. Gilkes’ teammate, Jake Cowden (No. 66) completed the ‘A’ class podium, leading a five-car train to the checkered flag. “After the safety car, I made up my mind to really go for it,” said Gilkes. “The track was still damp, but I went hard and took every corner as fast as I could. Getting this win is really nice, and actually a relief, because I’ve been so close before.” Race 1 runner-up Baker continued a trend of his own in the weekend’s remaining two races, adding back-to-back victories to his two previous successes. In the middle stanza, Baker powered his No. 51 Spectrum around Gilkes on the third lap and never looked back, taking the checkered flag 0.379 seconds in front of his challenger. The final race was a different story, with the lead unofficially changing hands ten times in 15 laps between Jonathan Woolridge (No. 2 BGR Piper-Honda), Baker and Gilkes. A last lap pass allowed Baker to assume the lead, the trio passing under the checkered flag separated by just 0.512 seconds. For Woolridge, it was a satisfying rebound for what had been a trying weekend. A practice crash and a second contact-related incident in the opening race forced the Brian Graham Racing effort to replace much of the suspension components on the No. 2 car. In the second race, Woolridge recovered from a tail end starting position to finish in sixth spot, and he led five laps in the finale on his way to the runner-up result. Continuing a trend of his own, series sophomore Connor Clubine (No. 6 Britain West Van Diemen-Ford) is now six-for-six in F1600-B class victories.
GT SPRINTS The big guns came out to play in the GT1/2 class events on the Touring Trophy Races weekend, with GT1 victories shared between the powerful No. 125 Chevy Impala of Dan Corcoran, Roberto Tutino’s sleek No. 78 Porsche GT3 mount and the thundering No. 120 Camaro of Blaise Csida. A damp track for the weekend’s first round forced several teams to leave many of the faster cars in their trailers, explaining the second and third place overall finishes by GT2 racers Daniel Bois (No. 32 Ariel Atom) and Darren Scott (No. 5 Chevrolet Silverado). Normal running order was restored on a dry Sunday morning circuit, with Edward Caranci (No. 24 Pickup) edging Daria Khachi (No. 199 BMW) for top spot in GT2, ninth place in the overall results. Caranci then doubled down in the final, earning his second consecutive class win. The GT3/4/5 competitors enjoyed their own trio of races. Bringing his No. 34 Subaru STi out of storage after a two-year sabbatical, Jonathan Rashleigh used his car’s all-wheel-drive to outduel his father Bryan aboard the similarly equipped No. 87 Subaru Legacy for the opening round win. “I was a little worried because at the start, the track was starting to dry and I thought that I was losing my advantage, but later on the rain returned and I was able to keep the tires under me,” explained Rashleigh. Behind the wheel of her No. 26 BMW E46, Demitria Chalkias had only two-wheel-drive to try and keep close to the leaders, but fell a disappointing 35.510 seconds shy of the front runners in race one. However, in the Sunday races on a dry track, Chalkias was virtually untouchable, cruising to back-to-back GT3 class wins. “Yesterday, the Subarus had the upper hand, but today the conditions played into our favour,” said Chalkias. “The strategy was to get up to pace on the first lap and run consistent laps. I was able to gap the field a little and then I tried to manage the race from the front.” A pair of women displayed their driving abilities in GT4 with MarieFrance Nadeau (No. 89 Subaru) taking the event opener, while Chantal Carter (No. 123 Miata) closed out the event with back-toback wins. Pierre Knobbs (No. 113 BMW 325) was perfect in GT5, capturing a trio of checkered flags. IT
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hirty-one drivers were in attendance at Shannonville Motorsport Park over the June 26-27 SMP Cup weekend for the season opening tripleheader date for the Super Production Challenge tour. Exemplifying the talent of the SPC field, seven different drivers scored class victories, with only two drivers able to repeat race successes. SUPER PRODUCTION CLASS Drivers racing for the overall and SP class honours had their work cut out for them with close competition not only at the front of the 29-car pack, but throughout the three-class, combined field. James Houghton, a multi-time Ontario Time Attack champion, launched the No. 83 RySpec Racing Honda past Eric Hochgeschurz (No. 11) and Olivier Bedard to snatch the early Super Production class lead, but on lap 5 overcooked the entrance into the final hairpin, allowing Bedard in the No. 96 Nissan 370Z to assume top spot. Although Houghton rebounded with subsequent fast laps, his challenge came up 1.459 seconds shy of the win, Hochgeschurz besting Eric Cote (No. 16) for the final step of the SP podium. “The first laps were very hectic. We went through several corners side-by-side,” noted three-time Micra Cup champion Bedard, postrace. “But when things sorted out, I knew I had the speed to pass for the lead, but I knew it would be easier if I could pressure him (Houghton) into a mistake. When he went wide, I thought ‘okay, it’s my turn.’ I had some issues with traffic in the last laps, James got pretty close, but not close enough.” “I was told that I couldn’t ‘Time Attack’ for 30 minutes, but we did it and made out okay,” joked Houghton. “We’ve been making adjust64 Inside Track Motorsport News
ments to the car after every session and we’re improving, so I plan to do another 20 minutes of Time Attack Sunday morning.” Although his Time Attack strategy didn’t quite work out as planned, Houghton was able to record another runner-up result in the weekend’s second round, chasing Eric Cote, aboard Etienne Borgeat’s former championship winning No. 16 Pontiac Solstice, to the checkered flag. Houghton’s persistence was rewarded in the weekend finale as the No. 83 Civic closed in on the class frontrunners when the race leading Arek Wojciechowski No. 11 BMW retired with a disconnected throttle cable on lap 9. The resulting full-course caution handed the lead to Bedard, with Houghton, Carl Wener (No. 6 Honda) and Cote lined up immediately behind the Bedard’s Nissan. Getting the better launch on the restart, Houghton snatched away the point, working traffic and leading Bedard and Cote in a three-car train to the checkered flag. PRODUCTION CLASS The closest racing of the weekend was found in the Production class. Everywhere on the track, multi-car battles were raging, each driver looking for the slightest advantage to gain a position. And at the head of the 11-car Production field it was a trio of Mini Coopers that stole the show over the course of the three events. In the opening round, Sylvain Laporte (No. 50-LAPSE Motorsport Mini) carried a 1.425-second lead over the No. 45 Octane Cooper of Nelson Chan to the checkered flag following a race-long duel, with the No. 48 Octane car piloted by Paul Gravel rounding out the top three
The 2021 SPC season looks like it will be a competitive one, with seven different drivers earning victories over the course of the three opening events at SMP to start the year.
class finishers. Chan gained one spot in the second race, topping the scoring charts and leading teammate Gravel to the stripe by a comfortable eight seconds. Yet another Mini Cooper, this one in the hands of Yannick Lupien (No. 34), completed the podium finishers. Chan doubled down in the final race, guiding his orange No. 45 Octane mount to second consecutive win, this time sharing the winner’s circle with runner-up Laporte and third place driver Gravel. COMPACT CLASS Although sadly under-represented in numbers at the SMP Cup weekend, the Compact class showed what you are able do with limited horsepower and lots of bravery. Sharing the driving duties aboard the No. 23 Toyota Echo Cup car, Yves and Mathieu Legris were the class frontrunners throughout the weekend, although neither was able to dominate their challengers on their way to a trio of class wins. In the opening race of the season, Yves captured the victory after 14 laps of racing, with Wittmer family patriarch Patrik (No. 93 Honda Fit) taking the checkered flag seven seconds behind and Marc-Andre Bourdages (No. 95) a further three seconds back in third place. The middle stanza saw the No. 23 Toyota with Mathieu Legris at the controls go flag-to-flag for the win, chased to the stripe by Steven Scala (No. 81 Echo) and Bourdages, the podium positions decided by a mere 3.947 seconds. Mathieu Legris made it back-to-back Compact class wins in the 21-lap, 30-minute weekend finale as he once again edged the Honda Fits of Wittmer and Bourdages to claim the top step of the podium. IT InsideTrackNews.com 65
SERIES RETURNS TO ATLANTIC MOTORSPORT PARK FOR START OF 2021 SEASON
Story and Photos by Jenn Earle
Story and Photos by Jenn Earle fter a long winter break, made even longer with COVID-19 restrictions, road racing was back at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS with the Carson Exports TRAC Series. The extra time paid off for several competitors, with many new builds joining the field. One such build was the lovingly crafted No. 15 E30 BMW of Michael Reese, looking stunning in BMW-inspired livery. After chasing a fuel issue in the week leading up to the event, the car performed flawlessly all weekend, gaining top class finishes in all his races. The other story was the return of the former No. 188 CRX as the newly minted No. 149 – a nod to the Y49 yellow CRX curse that has plagued the car since its arrival at AMP. Over the winter, owner Nick Roussakov worked with Daniel Dugdale to refine the car and solve issues they experienced last season. The car was then repainted to its original yellow and returned to AMP. Roussakov and Dugdale had a few hiccups over the weekend, but overall were successful in breaking the curse.
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PAYING TRIBUTE The overall theme of the weekend was paying tribute to a veteran racer the series lost in the off-season. On April 30, long-time head instructor and multiple-time champion Derek Lugar passed away after a battle with angiosarcoma. He was known for his many years racing the No. 51 Volkswagens, and as a long-time supporter of the series as a sponsor. “Like many, Derek was my race school instructor,” said racer Ken MacKay. “Years later, I still hear his voice when circulating around the track reminding me to look up the track, shift my hands on the wheel before turning in to 2, or to take a late apex into 9.” 66 Inside Track Motorsport News
“It wasn't uncommon for Derek to land with boxes of used parts brake pads in particular in my pit area,” remembered James Whitman, former racer and current regional tech inspector. “(He was) always willing to help with advice or parts or some direction of where to dig in the trailer for what you might need. Bits and parts from cars I bought from him over the years live on in many builds along with his wisdom.” In honour of Derek, the series ran a 51-lap Derek Lugar Memorial race as the endurance portion of the program, after a 51-second moment of silence on the grid. RACING ACTION For 2021, the Carson Exports TRAC Series is running three championships – the KMM Mechanical & Fabrication Sprint Series (GT1-6) and the Sensory Motorsport Sprint Series (split into GT1-3 and GT4-6 races), as well as the Vantage Motorsports Endurance series. First on track was the Sensory Motorsport series – with the GT13 race featuring ther Pettipas brothers, Aaron and Leigh in the No. 178 and No. 06, as well as Paul Machan in the newly built No. 05 Pro Stock of Jay MacPhee, Ben Easson in the No. 66 K-Miata and Stacy Chapman in the No. 12 Porsche 914-6. Aaron Pettipas set a blistering lap of 1 minute 6.430 seconds in qualifying but suffered mechanical issues at the beginning of the race. Class winners were Leigh Pettipas in Pro Stock, Ben Easson in GT1 and Stacy Chapman in GT3. In the GT46 race, competition was fierce in the GT4 class, with Joel Nelson taking the victory in the No. 87 Honda Del Sol after Nick Roussakov broke out of his time bracket and took a penalty, but Steve Phillips snapping at his heels just 0.341 seconds behind in
second spot. New racer, Nick Murray had a slight off track in turn 5 in his newly acquired No. 98 BMW 318is, but returned in the later races in the day. Shane Spudik, having scrambled to put an engine together for the No. 57 Hyundai Tiburon just the week before the race, was reclassified into GT5 for repeated breakouts of GT6 after finding more speed. He held position and had some great battles. Class winners were Joel Nelson in GT4, Michael Guy in GT5 in his newly built No. 16 Honda Civic, and Michael Reese in GT6 in the No. 15 E30 BMW. Next up, in the KMM Sprint Race, new racer Andy Clement, co-driving the No. 98 BMW, started in third position. After losing some spots on a cautious opening lap, he managed to work his way back up to a second place finish overall. Paul Gray took the No. 51 VW GTI across the line under the checkered flag in memory of his friend, Derek, taking the overall win and a class win in GT4. Brian Partridge rounded out the top three in the No. 78 Mazda Miata. Class winners were Gray in GT4, Cal Vandaalen in GT5 in the No. 31 Mazda Miata, and new racer Ryan Burrill in the No. 27 Mazda Miata in GT6. In the afternoon Sensory Motorsport Sprint GT1 race, Aaron Pettipas was back on track in the No. 178 Chevy Camaro, quickly making his way to the front of the pack to cruise to the checkered flag. His brother, Leigh took second spot overall, followed by Ben Easson in third. Class winners were Aaron Pettipas in GT1, Leigh Pettipas in Pro Stock, and Stacy Chapman in GT3. The Sensory GT4-6 race was action-packed as usual, with intense racing between the front-runners. Nick Roussakov broke out of bracket and took a penalty, dropping him down the finishing order, but had a great race in the No. 149 CRX. Steve Phillips also broke out in the No. 28 BMW M Coupe after leading much of the race. Nick Murray in the No. 98 BMW had another off-track in turn 4, bringing out a caution, as he tries to learn his new machine. Luckily, damage was minimal. At the end of the race, Brian Gay brought the No. 51 VW GTI across the line under the checkered flag, with another victory for the late Derek Lugar. He was followed by Joel Nelson in the No. 87 Honda and Andrew Mitchell in the No. 78 Mazda Miata. Class winners were Brian Gay in GT4, Cal Vandaalen in GT5, and Michael Reese in GT6. The last race of the day was the highly emotional Derek Lugar Memorial Race. After a touching tribute on the front straight, competitors took to the track for a 51-lap race. The “cursed” CRX was a star, with Daniel Dugdale at the wheel on his rookie weekend, taking the car to a third-place overall finish and second-place class finish in GT4. Leigh Pettipas and Paul Machan teamed up in the No. 06 Pro Stock for a flawless race, taking the overall win, followed by Joel Nelson in the No. 87 Honda Del Sol and Dugdale in the CRX. Class winners were Pettipas/Machan in Pro Stock, Nick Roussakov in the No. 25 Radical in GT1, Stacy Chapman in GT3, Nelson in GT4, Cal Vandaalen in GT5, and Michael Reese in GT6. For more information on the Carson Exports TRAC Series, visit traceries.ca. IT
Both Aaron (below) and Leigh Pettipas earned opening weekend wins at Atlantic Motorsport Park, Aaron in his ultra-quick Dairy Queen-sponsored No. 178 Trans Am Camaro.
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sk any Formula 1 enthusiast and they’ll tell you that nothing compares to being at the track. It’s all about the smell of oil and gas, blue smoke and burning rubber, screaming engines, and the possibility of rubbing shoulders with drivers and celebrities. With none of that happening for the better part of two seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Formula 1 community responded with innovative solutions to keep fans, sponsors and guests engaged while they can’t go to races in person. In addition to upping their social media games and serving up increasingly engaging content on the likes of Twitter and Instagram, many in the paddock looked to virtual as an effective way to fill the gaps and keep everyone happy. Enter the Virtual Paddock Club, a two-session Zoom event that made its debut at the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix. It attempts to replicate the extravagant hospitality offered to sponsors and their guests on Grand Prix weekends, although the virtual attendees must supply their own snacks and refreshments. Taking place for about an hour on Saturdays and 90 minutes on Sundays of Grand Prix weekends, the show features interviews with drivers, track walks and virtual tours of the paddock and pitlane. The star is former driver Jean Alesi, the Virtual Paddock Club’s Formula 1 ambassador. Alesi’s role as celebrity host is to give attendees a sense of the impending action and take some questions from the audience. Sean Kelly, the “Virtual Stat Man,” also does short segments, offering interesting facts about the history of the race at hand along with some trivia questions to keep everyone guessing.
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The racers interviewed during the French Grand Prix edition attended by Inside Track Motorsport News were Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen reserve driver Callum Ilott, Formula 3’s Victor Martins and Clément Novalak and W Series competitor Alice Powell. All-in-all, it’s a slick production that helps virtual paddock attendees connect with the sport at a time when essentially only team personnel, rights holders and media are allowed anywhere near Formula 1’s inner sanctum. Although it’s different animal than Twitter, Aston Martin chief marketing officer Rob Bloom feels the rise of social media in the last ten years paved the way for today’s virtual engagement and, more importantly, it ensured that teams had the tools they needed when the pandemic forced their hands. “We learned a lot about what fans want: They want access, they want insight and feeling proximity to the team and drivers, and they want entertainment and not just what the teams are doing on social media,” said Bloom, pointing to the huge success of Drive to Survive, the Netflix Formula 1 documentary series now in its third season. As part of the effort to raise awareness of its new branding as Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 Team, the former Racing Point outfit developed an #IAM digital campaign to help launch its team this year, but also designed it to keep fans interested long after the outfit revealed its new car and livery. “It’s about saying ‘I’ — so the individual, who could be a fan, it could be an influencer, or it could be anybody — and Aston Martin of course, ‘AM,’ and what we’re saying is don’t just engage fans or story-tell fans,
(Opposite page) Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen reserve driver Callum Ilott (left) and Virtual Paddock Club’s Formula 1 ambassador Jean Alesi. (Above) “Virtual Stat Man” Sean Kelly. (Below) Sports Broadcaster Laura Winter doing a virtual pit walk. Photos Courtesy of Jeff Pappone and Wikia Commons
but invite fans in to co-create the story, including the amazing content and experiences that fans can share with us,” said Bloom. That said, the bottom line is that while virtual is a great tool, there’s still something to be said for sponsors being able to host guests in the Paddock Club where they can sip champagne and nibble on canapés while watching Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen go toe-to-toe on track. “This has been all about trying to make the most of and deal with a set of circumstances that the world has put upon us and it in no way diminishes the value of and the appetite for those more traditional rites and experiences that Formula 1 is so brilliant at doing,” said Bloom. Despite the innovative approaches, there’s no doubt that the commercial side of the sport suffered during the pandemic, and when it starts firing on all cylinders again is anybody’s guess. A recent survey of paddock insiders by UK-based Crunch Communications found about half felt the sport wouldn’t be fully back on its commercial feet until 2023, while one-third were more optimistic, saying that things would return to normal by next year. McLaren Racing chief executive officer Zak Brown wasn’t among them. He feels that his team not only weathered the pandemic admirably on the commercial side, but it also enjoyed impressive success in attracting new partners. He thinks that’s because the corporate world simply recognizes that it’s time to get back to business and it’s happy to adapt to a virtual model do it. “I think commercial is back to normal,” said Brown on Cisco Webex call during British Grand Prix weekend. “If you would have said to me pre-COVID ‘could you ever bring on a new partner without meeting them or bringing them to a race?’ I would have laughed. But I can now mention half-a-dozen partners that I’ve yet to meet in a physical environment or that have attended a race.” Like Formula 1’s Virtual Paddock Club, McLaren also runs its own virtual hospitality and organizes meetings with drivers for partners
and fans. Brown feels these events are hugely successful in part because virtual interactions often deliver a better experience than in-person ones. “When you take drivers around at the racetrack, they’re often getting pulled in many directions, so you meet them, but it doesn’t feel maybe as much one-to-one than when you have them on a Webex call where you can ask them questions and they’re with you for an hour because you can do it any time of the day and any day of the week,” said Brown. “We have found, to our pleasant surprise, actually more engagement via virtual than if we could do it live. I think there’s going to be a lot of learning where we’ll continue with the virtual hospitality and driver appearances and be able to bring back doing it live – then we’ll have the best of both worlds.” IT
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TWOth Autosport had a good weekend at CTMP, earning a win and four top-five finishes in the TC class. Photo by Tim McGill
FEL SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIP CANADA Signoretti Stays Hot in the Second Weekend for New Series Story by J. Wally Nesbitt or the second event on the 2021 FEL Sports Car Championship Canada, the tour returned to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park over the July 17-18 weekend for a twin-bill of races. For the FEL SCCC season’s rounds three and four, Marco Signoretti once again set the standard in the GT4 field, guiding his No. 22 Multimatic Mustang to back-to-back overall victories. That contrasted with the action in the class competition. Due to a pre-weekend testing session crash, previous race winner Marco Cirone and the No. 82 Mark Motors Audi were unable to make the grid, opening the field to battle for class honours. Saturday’s opening round was run on a damp track with L.P. Montour aboard the No. 45 GT Racing VW Golf GTi launching to an early and substantial lead. Seven seconds clear of his nearest rivals; Montour saw his
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advantage evaporate when the double yellow flags were displayed to allow for the retrieval of the stricken No. 86 Hyundai. Once again under green with five laps remaining, and with Travis Hill’s No. 26 TWOth Autosport Audi filling his mirrors, Montour maintained the point until there were just four minutes left on the clock. “There was still a lot of standing water along the back straight, so I was trying to follow right in L.P.’s tire tracks, letting him dry the surface a bit,” explained Hill. “Three or four times I pulled out to make the dive in (turn) eight but couldn’t make it stick. Finally, I was able to swing past on the outside.” The weekend’s second 40 minute race was playing out in a similar fashion with Signoretti and Montour leading their respective classes until the twin yellows were again thrown for an incident involving the No. 24 RS3 Audi of Tony Martella. Behind
the pace car, the field was forced to come to a complete stop in turn three to allow the recovery vehicles to extract the awkwardly placed Audi from the tire wall. Finally receiving the green flag for a two lap sprint to the finish, a scramble behind the class leaders was ultimately resolved with Gary Kwok (No. 66 M&S Racing Honda) edging into second place, relegating Hill to the final step of the TC class podium. “I wanted to try something different after the red flag, so I have Travis the inside line into turn one and then went wide to take the position from him,” recalled Kwok. RESULTS (TOP FIVE) Race 1: GT4: 1. No. 22 Marco Signoretti, 2. No. 61 Gilles Nadeau // TC: 1. No. 26 Travis Hill, 2. No. 45 Louis-Philippe Montour, 3. No. 15 Nick Looijmans, 4. No. 24 Tony Martella, 5. No. 66 Gary Kwok. Race 2: GT4: 1. No. 22 Marco Signoretti, 2. No. 61 Gilles Nadeau // TC: 1. No. 45 LP Montour, 2. No. 66 Gary Kwok, 3. No. 26 Travis Hill, 4. No. 15 Nick Looijmans, 5. No. 88 Bob Attrell. IT
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CANADIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Series Returns at the Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs in Quebec With Files and Photos Courtesy of Carsrally.ca he Canadian Rally Championship returned to action in New Richmond, QC at Rallye Baie-des-Chaleurs. Kicking off the 2021 championship season, 20 teams descended on the Gaspé Peninsula, eager to get back to action after a long hiatus. Quebec’s Joel Levac and Laurence-Fanny L’Estage dominated from the start in their World Rally-spec MINI Countryman. Despite nursing some small technical problems, the team set commanding times throughout the day, winning ten out of 11 stages to claim the win. “We had lots of challenges today,” said Levac, “We pushed and had some little issues then came back, fixed everything and went flat-out after. It was a beautiful weekend, and the event was perfect. It’s nice to be back to normal life and back in the car.” Maxime Labrie and Anik Barette were the early challengers for the podium, but retired from the event after four stages, promoting the hard-charging André and René Leblanc. They took the lead briefly on Stage 6 when Levac stumbled but held on for a solid second place finish in their Subaru WRX STI. “Pretty good day for us,” said André
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Joel Levac and Laurence-Fanny L’Estage (above) earned the overall win, while Jason Bailey and Shane Petersen (below) took 2WD honours.
Leblanc. “When Joel Levac shows up to an event, second place is kind of the best place we can hope for. Unfortunately, our friend Maxime Labrie went out, but we took second from there and we just improved our times, so I’m very happy with the day.” Jérome Mailloux and Philippe Poirier overcame flat tires to take the third step on the podium in their Subaru.
“We are very happy,” said Mailloux, “We took it as it came and got into our rhythm with no major issues. I still have work to do to get more comfortable in the car and with the notes to get faster. In certain section I know I can go faster and have more confidence in the notes to perform better in years to come.” A big battle in two-wheel-drive fizzled early when Nicolas Laverdière crashed out in his new Fiesta, and Mathieu Leblanc suffered overheating issues in his Civic. But Jason Bailey and Shane Petersen from British Columbia drove their Fiesta R2 to a top-five overall position, winning the twowheel drive class. “We had our fair share of moments this weekend, but we got away with them,” laughed Bailey. “I don’t know where we ended up overall, but we won two-wheel drive and that’s what matters; that’s what we came here for.” The 2021 Canadian Rally Championship continues with six more rounds this year, continuing in September at Rallye Defi in Montpellier, QC, and finishes in December in British Columbia. IT
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IHRA CANADIAN NATIONALS Grand Bend Motorplex Hosts Biggest Event Since Start of the Pandemic
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n the August long weekend, Grand Bend Motorplex opened its doors to its biggest event since the start of the pandemic. With 75 percent fan capacity permitted, the IHRA Canadian Nationals took place in front of 5,500 spectators. Unfortunately, it was a soggy long weekend and the finals for the Sportsman events were washed out on both Saturday and Sunday. But there was still lots of other action at the southwestern Ontario dragstrip. Russ Lethbridge’s Hellfire Freightliner Jet Truck warmed the crowds, putting on a fiery display. And the Paton Brothers – Todd and Tony – were there with their A and B Fuel Dragsters and made multiple runs. Todd was behind the wheel of one, while Jeff
Chatterson piloted the other. Chatterson was also busy with his own A/ Fuel Dragster, competing against Jeff Veale and Quebec’s Dan Mercier. The latter also made passes in his new Funny Car. Waterloo, ON’s Rob Brown made some loud ‘hits’ on his Nitro Harley, and there were two Front-Engined Nostalgia Dragsters on hand, too. Amo Paone and the Konigshofer brothers took part in match races in their Mountain Motor Pro Stock cars. In Pro Mod action, for the first time in Grand Bend track history, eight of the 11 Pro Mods in action were in the ‘three second’ zone. Raymond Commisso not only won the event but secured the No. 1 qualifying spot with a track record ET of 3.743
seconds, while defeating Cobourg, ON racer Al Martorino. Toronto’s Mike Yedgarian piloted his Speedwire-sponsored Pro Mod Firebird to a track record 211.71 mph in the eighth-mile. In Top Sportman action, the Smokie’s Garage Camaro, of Stratford, ON’s Scott Wildgust took No. 1 qualifier honours. He went on to win the final against Phil Sampson in his nitrous-powered Studebaker. Wildgust ran 4.158 seconds at 179.78 mph in the quarter-mile final. Tony Positano was top qualifier in the Top Dragster division, in his new look Dragster. He went 6.014 (secs.) to take top spot. In the final, Kevin Knight bested Dustin Gabel in a close race. – With files from Blake Farnan IT
(Top) Ray Commisso was the man to beat in a competitive Pro Mod field. (Above, left) Scott Wildgust’s Smokie’s Garage Chevy Camaro was the top qualifier and eventual winner in Top Sportsman. (Above, right) Dan Mercier was busy at the Canadian Nationals, competing in multiple classes. Photos by Blake Farnan
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(Top) Toronto, ON racer Mike Yedgarian went 211.71 mph to notch a new GBM record speed. (Middle, left) The Konigshofer Brothers were at Grand Bend with their Pro Stock Mustang. (Middle, right) Mercier in his Nostalgia Funny Car. (Above, left) Todd Paton in his Top Fuel dragster. Photos by Blake Farnan
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he 2021 Maxima Racing Oils Canada Heads Up – Shootout Series powered by Speedwire season got underway at Toronto Motorsports Park (TMP) at the end of June after the cancellation – due to COVID restrictions – of what was originally supposed to be the series’ season debut at St. Thomas Dragway. “Congratulations to all of the teams that made the call to the lanes for our first event,” said series founder Ian Hill. “We were a little rusty in the lanes during Q1, but the weekend got better and better from there. Once the rain stopped Saturday morning, the TMP crew got to work on spreading out the pudding in the pit area and worked on preparing the outstanding race surface for the weekend!” Wade Stevens won the Joe Van O Pro10five class in his LE Chassis Chevelle that usually sees duty in the Super Street class. Wade was the No. 1 qualifier and received a competition single in the finals as his competitor, Nick Agostino, was left broken in the pits with a damaged transmission. The VP Racing Super Street qualifying sheet was led by a strong 4.38-second run by Nick Agostino. After some extremely close racing, it was Ed Szram in his sleek 1969 Camaro that took the win over Sportsman Racer of the day Ryan Sammut and his freshly built Toyota Supra. Sammut made the call to the lanes and in a great display of sportsmanship, realized Szram was late and refused to drive into the water box until his competitor could make the call almost 20 minutes later, giving fans the showdown they were waiting for. The Dilts Piston Hydraulics EZ Street qualifying sheet was dominated by the only qualifier that Adam Basterache was able to make the call for. Basterache blistered out a 4.62 but was unable to back his pass up to reset the record as he struggled with transmission issues. Vince Melao was able to set the EZ Street record with a 4.69-second run in his Procharged Fox Body combo. The Paul Silva Performance Street275 class saw Jeff Biro and Jay Gallant battling it out for the No. 1 qualifier title. In the end, it was Biro who not only qualified on top, but also knocked Gallant out in the final round with both cars skating around at the starting line. The JP Powder Coating Stock Wheel-Base Bike division was dominated top to bottom by 2020 season champion Nick Kempers. But not far behind, and showing some great performance over the weekend, was Damian Tong, who smashed the elapsed time record with 8.73-second run. The RM Racing Lubricants King of the Streets Bike class saw Jesse Vanbetlehem not only lead the qualifying sheet, but win the event, set the class record and become the fastest man on a no bar bike in Canada with a run exceeding 200mph!
Lakeshore Pools and Hot Tubs Crazy8s Bike champion: Murray Lonsbary BLASTALLequipment.com 5.50 Index: Frank Marchee BLASTALLequipment.com 6.0 Index: Mike Thompson BLASTALLequipment.com 6.50 index: Jay Lightheart Priority Collision Saturday Jr.: Kami Scott Boomer and Deb Sunday Jr.: Cole Ferri ICD Insurance Saturday Mod: Tony Valerio ICD Insurance Saturday Super Pro: Yvon Maurte ICD Insurance Sunday Mod: Chris Van Baalen ICD Insurance Sunday Super Pro: Chris Van Baalen IT 74 Inside Track Motorsport News
(Opposite page, top) VP Racing Super Street winner Ed Szram. (Opposite page, bottom) Matt Glassford gets some air under the front wheels of his Chevy Nova. (Top, left) RM Racing Lubricants King of the Streets winner Jesse Vanbetlehem. (Top, right) Paul Silva Performance Street275 winner Jeff Biro. (Above, left) JP Powder Coating Stock Wheel-Base Bike winner Nick Kempers. (Above, right) Joe Van O Pro10five winner Wade Stevens.
In just his third season in motorcycle drag racing, Ontario’s Jesse Vanbetlehem has achieved the crown of the fastest no-bar motorcycle in Canada. Entering the 2021 season, Vanbetlehem’s 2008 GSX-R1000, equipped with a new engine and turbo setup from VanPal Racing, immediately impressed running a series of 200-plus mph runs at the opening round of the Maxima Racing Oils Canada Heads Up Shootout Series on the quarter-mile dragstrip at Toronto Motorsports Park. In addition to winning the King of the Streets class that weekend, Vanbetlehem’s fastest speed of 204.77 mph set a new benchmark for no-bar bikes in Canada. For more information on the Maxima Oils Canada Heads Up Shoot- Jesse Vanbetlehem set the Canadian record for fastest no-bar bike out Series, visit www.ontariogrudgewars.com/canada-heads-up/. IT with a 204.77 mph run at Toronto Motorsports Park. Photo by Blake Farnan InsideTrackNews.com 75
Story and Photos by Patrick Lambie ollowing a prolonged period of confusion and frustration resulting from the seemingly ever-changing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, racing action has returned to dragstrips throughout Western Canada including Edmonton’s Castrol Raceway. While ongoing travel constraints at the Canada/US border have made it impossible for the track to hold its traditional headline events like the Rocky Mountain Nationals, which features marquee racers from south of the border, Castrol raceway provided drag racing fans with some needed entertainment with the Spider Electric Canadian National Open on July 10 and 11. Featuring a full lineup of NHRA bracket classes, competition on the July 10 and 11 weekend was headlined by Funny Cars and the West Coast Pro Mods classes as well as exhibition runs by the Edmonton Police Service’s Blue Line Racing. Inside Track was on hand to take in all the drag racing action and capture these images. IT
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(Top) Gary Urlacher launches his ’63 Corvette in Pro Mod action at Castrol Raceway’s Canadian National Open. (Middle) West Coast Pro Mod action at Castrol Raceway. (Left) Tom Reithmayer’s Mustang was part of the West Coast Pro Mod field. (Above) Defending West Coast Pro Mod champion Dean Bettenson lost out in the final elimination round. 76 Inside Track Motorsport News
(Top, left) Edmonton Police Service’s Blue Line Racing team was on hand to entertain fans and promote awareness. (Top, right) Road Hammers Racing’s Carl Tebb qualified No. 1 and won the Funny Car class. (Middle, left) Norm Kolwich and his ’53 Corvette with a one-of-akind flaming paint job. (Middle, right) Steve Harris on a solo run in first round eliminations in the Wild Thing Dodge Charger. (Bottom, left) Mike Gonziola’s nitrous injected pro mod took the win in the West Coast Pro Mod class earning Gonziola his first ever Wally. (Bottom, right) Max Yaremko’s and his Pontiac Trans Am in Funny Car competition.
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I NEWS
ONTARIO GASSERS, ALTEREDS & DRAGSTERS Popular Nostalgia Drag Race Series Gets Underway at St. Thomas Dragway
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ostalgia drag racing is alive and well in southern Ontario. The smell of race fuel, the sound of long, smoky burnouts, and the smiles on the faces of racers and fans proved the COVID hasn’t killed their love of speed and horsepower. The Ontario Gassers, Altereds and Dragsters (OGAD) kicked off their 2021 racing season with an event at St. Thomas Dragway, on July 10. A total of 19 vehicles were on hand at the southwestern Ontario drag strip, although one was unable to participate. Organizers Tom Hough and the Speed Syndicate Car Club split the remaining cars into two groups of nine Gassers and nine Altereds and Dragsters. Stew Froese was the overall winner, in his ’34 Altered ‘T’. He bested Dave Opie in his ’48 Austin Pick-up. Ron Gahagan posted the fastest reaction time, in his ’37 Fiat Topolino. Larry Kerrigan guided his ’33 ‘Sinister Minister’ Willys to runner-up honours in Gasser class action, while Gio Pierinelli was the Altered/Dragster class runner-up, in his Front-Engine Dragster. The next event for the OGAD tour was scheduled for August 7, back at St. Thomas Dragway. – With files from Tom Hough and Pat Cheatley IT
(Top) Gio Pierinelli was the Open-Wheel class runner-up in his front-engine Dragster. (Middle) Event winner Steve Froese in his 1934 Altered ‘T.’ (Above, left) Joe Hishon’s 1940 Willys put on a great show, at St. Thomas Dragway. (Above, right) David Opie was Runner-Up at the St. Thomas Dragway OGAD opener in his 1948 Austin Pick-Up. Photos by Kenny Kroeker 78 Inside Track Motorsport News
Luciano Vitelli - Super Street Mustang uses Speedwire Systems
ianhillracing.com
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omething technical this issue (sort of), I dedicated my last piece to John Valerio, one of Multimatic’s greatest engineering minds, who died tragically in a motorcycle accident at only 34 years of age. There hasn’t been a day since it happened that I haven’t either had an emotional wobbly or cursed him for not being around to fix a technical issue; it turns out we’re fairly screwed without him (which I already knew, but it is now truly manifest in not being able to get shit done). He may continue to come in and out of my writing…because of what he represented. It’s an outrageously busy time for Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations (MSVO) right now, and I’ve not been able to take a single day away from it this year despite an ever-growing pile of personal stuff requiring attention (the not-running projects have now eclipsed the running projects, which could qualify me as a scrap dealer). My Ford GT has returned to Canada, without having seen much usage during its twelve-month visit to the UK, accompanied by a 1983 Ferrari 308 project car (LHD, Euro spec.) that I am not going to waste valuable column space to explain or justify because the general concept will become clearer later in this piece. So, the only activities that I can report on are all MSVO related. Since my last submission we won the Six Hours of Watkins Glen, two years on from the Mazda RT24-P DPi’s legendary first ever race victory, a fully historic duplication of that significant occasion. It was 80 Inside Track Motorsport News
an epic win coming at the end of a close fought battle through the entire first five hours of the event. But in almost identical circumstances to the Mid-Ohio race earlier in the year, a full-course yellow occurred seven laps before the final fuel window opened. Without a further caution it was going to be another economy battle to the end. We had been running a strong third at that point behind the No. 60 Acura and Ganassi’s No. 01 Cadillac, but this time we were fully intent on controlling the race from the front when it went green , the only way of being able to properly influence the pace enough to keep the fuel consumption on target. Because we weren’t even halfway through our penultimate 24-lap stint when the yellow flew, the fuel fill was estimated to be a mere ten seconds, not enough to even take single side tires, so because we had seen some blistering of the right front due to the super-hot track temperatures, we opted to swap only that corner, which was slickly executed within the extremely short fueling time. Other competitors went “conventional” and took left sides, which although fast still took longer than their fuel, and we were available to jump everybody and send Harry back into the fray at the front. We tightly controlled his pace for the final 50 minutes of the race, balancing fuel usage, time and laps remaining to the white flag (to avoid causing ourselves an extra lap) as well as the gap to an ever-present Olivier Pla in the second place Acura. The last ten minutes were fully fraught as we backed Harry up to make sure he
got the white and Pla started to reel us in, but the fast Frenchman wasn’t going to risk an additional lap and stayed put until the start of the last lap. Both drivers had been banking a little fuel and it became a flat-out sprint to the end with Harry taking the checker by less than a second ahead of Olivier. A truly spectacular team effort, won with strategy, pit work and a tightly controlled drive in the last stint. Doesn’t get any better than that! In addition to the IMSA DPi program we are campaigning Seb Priaulx, with Kelly-Moss Racing, in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, and have Marco Signoretti driving one of our Multimatic Mustang GT4 cars in the new FEL Sports Car Championship Canada. The latter is a truly fantastic initiative by FEL Motorsports, led by Chris Bye, to provide a top-level racing series in the Great White North during a time when it has become increasingly difficult for Canadian teams to compete in the US due to the COVID restrictions. Multimatic has fully stepped-up to support what we believe will become a cornerstone of the Canadian racing scene. At the time of writing this article, the Mazda holds down second place in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, Seb is running a close second in the PCCNA, and Marco has gone four wins in four races in SCCC competition. As I tap this out on my trusty Toughbook, I’m at 37,000 feet in an American Airlines Dreamliner direction Chicago, on the way to Elkhart Lake, WI for the Road America round of the IWSCC. A two hour and forty-minute race for the Mazda, as well as two 45-minute sprints for the No. 15 Porsche GT3 Cup car. With two sprint races up at Calabogie for the Mustang, this weekend challenges us with five races in two countries for three teams/cars…busy few days for Multimatic Motorsports. We are also working hard on trying to “launch” (automotive parlance for getting into production) a couple of Hypercars. Mostly confidential stuff but suffice to say it is non-trivial, and I’m spending a load of time and a lot of MSVO resource getting it to all come good…which it finally is. Deeply cool technologies pushing the absolute boundaries of what is possible in the realities of today’s (and more restrictably, tomorrow’s) highly regulated automotive industry. I will not rant about the rules because it would be irresponsible. And that’s not me wearing a politically correct hat, it is my view of the facts. I was once told that I shouldn’t whine about the ever-decreasing quantity of snow around Uxbridge, ON, causing my snowcross track layout to be considerably degraded year over year, because I had significantly contributed to the causal climate change via my obsession with high performance premix two stroke engines used in the machines that ran on that track. Really? Maybe a bit! The programs that we are presently undertaking both give a nod to hybridization, but they are also quite heavily challenged by emissions legislation. The Ford GT that we developed six to seven years ago suffered a few compromises due to having to meet global emission regulations, but it only slightly impinged on the final product. However, the present generation of performance cars are now being significantly affected by the ever-escalating requirements for reduced tailpipe emissions. For instance, the present EU legislation for an OEM’s fleet average CO is for it to be under 95g per km driving (that’s the headline, there is a load of other stuff dictating levels for NO , particulates and non-tailpipe shit like evaporative emissions, which we have occasionally failed when fresh paint was still gassing-off on the test car…it’s that tight). All those numbers continue to be driven down (the EU is demanding another 37.5 percent reduction by 2030) and then the goal for countries like the UK is to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by the end of the decade (I’m hanging on to everything I own with an internal combustion engine in
In addition to racing the Mazda RT24-P DPi in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (top and opposite page), Multimatic is working with Kelly Moss Racing in the Porsche Carerra Cup North America (middle) and running Marco Signoretti in the FEL Sports Car Championship Canada (above). Photos Courtesy of IMSA and Multimatic InsideTrackNews.com 81
Is the future of automotive performance analogue, restomod cars of the past like the Multimatic-assembled Singer Porsche 964-based DLS? Photos Courtesy of Singer
it…forever). Not so many supercars are going to make the cut. For instance, the fully hybrid, highly efficient Ferrari SF90 claims 160g CO /km. Luckily, the requirement is calculated as the average of the company’s entire fleet, so if they can sell a bunch of electric cars the offset can get them in the box. The penalty is 95€/g CO over the limit per car sold. Runs up some big numbers quite quickly. So, what’s the future of performance vehicles? Potentially, stuff like what Singer’s doing with their Porsche 964-based DLS. This is another thing keeping us busy, building 85 of those in the UK for the popular California based company. This is not a sequential, line-built vehicle, it is jewelry, carefully assembled in a dedicated station by a small team of highly skilled professional race mechanics with some help from a few massively pedantic interior experts from Singer. It is a truly beautiful creation and takes whatever time it takes to get it 100 percent perfect. The engine was developed by Williams Advanced Engineering (yes, the Formula 1 guys) and it is, in my opinion, the ultimate interpretation of the Porsche air-cooled boxer.
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Totally unique four valve heads and 500 very real horsepower. All I can say is that Multimatic is very proud to be entrusted to build such an amazing car. To get a taste, look at the Top Gear review (https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qghjl2tJsoo). The guy just couldn’t be faking that level of pure enthusiasm and joy. But listen carefully to what he says, it’s the answer to the future of performance vehicles. Which is not the Rimac Nevera; the four wheel drive all electric beast that recently blew-off an SF90 in a drag race on a Croatian airstrip. How inappropriate was that video? Not a great way to make friends in a small industry (it’s also on YouTube if you don’t get the reference). I agree with the Top Gear guy, the future of automotive performance will be (should be) analogue, restomod cars of the past. Why do I think this? Because recently I find the historic sportscar racing, organized by Lord March at his most excellent Goodwood track, far more entertaining than what goes on in prototype sportscar and Formula 1 competition every other weekend. Guys in Alfa GTVs, Cortinas, Minis and Mustangs, door handle to door handle, fully sideways on skinny tires, everybody with big smiles on their faces. I’m fully bought in. All that stuff must be period correct, the Singer DLS takes it to a higher level, and hits the sweet spot of performance and the human experience. There are a host of other companies doing it with Alfas, MkI/MkII Escorts and all kinds of other cars of my youth; it’s got to be the way ahead. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always deeply impressed when I flat foot a Tesla Model S in Ludicrous mode, but does it beg me to hang it out with an armful of opposite lock? Nope. So, I figure chasing emissions regulations down to zero with high performance cars will turn out to be a bit of a “mug’s game” (sorry, a British saying…look it up) and that the Singer, Alfaholics and Retro power guys are on to something. And that is my excuse of why I have all the unfinished projects sitting around in the barn and at Nutts Performance Classics, including an MGB shell that was caustic soda dipped 20 years ago and I never got round to priming; proper patina! All those old bodies, all those vintage VIN plates, pure gold I figure. IT
I OPINION
THIS, THAT & THE OTHER By Ernie Saxton
LARSON’S REDEMPTION TOUR
Controversial NASCAR star Kyle Larson has been on a hot streak over the first half of the 2021 NASCAR season. Photo courtesy of NASCAR/Getty Images
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had been impressed by Kyle Larson for quite a while, so it was a shame to see his career temporarily implode due to his racist online comments during an iRacing event in 2020. However, Larson has come out of the sensitivity training he participated in after his online comments, seems genuinely remorseful, and his career is prospering once again. He won 46 times in 97 appearances last year across dirt Sprint Cars, Midgets and Super Late Models. According to Matt Weaver of Autoweek, he feels Larson is approaching Tony Stewart territory in his elite versatility. The same Stewart that won every USAC championship, won the Indy Racing League and then became a three-time Cup Series champion. There are certainly parallels. Now driving the best equipment in NASCAR, Larson is leading the Cup Series in victories and is absolutely a championship threat. It makes a certain subset of the motorsport community uncomfortable, and rightly so, but Larson is absolutely one of the best race cars drivers on the planet. “All you want as a race car driver is to be able to win every night and that’s what I have right now,” said Larson in an Autoweek
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interview on the Monday after winning at Lawrenceburg. “Every time I show up at the track, I have a shot, no matter what type of car I’m in and that’s exciting.” Those who don’t respect what Larson has done in a Sprint Car or Midget over the past decade would always say, ‘yeah, but he hasn’t done it in NASCAR.’ In hindsight, Larson was overachieving with Chip Ganassi Racing and has been absolutely unleashed by Hendrick Motorsports this season. Superspeedways, intermediates, short tracks and road courses, Larson is leading laps everywhere this season. Ironically, his worst result was at Bristol on dirt when he tangled with fellow Sprint Car archetype Christopher Bell. I would have thought that would have been one of his best efforts. And recently he won the All-Star race, which had a lot of us wondering why NASCAR had gone to great lengths to make it such a confusing event. ‘Too many segments’ is just one of the thoughts that I had about it. And very next night he won an All-Star Sprint race in Ohio. “Seems like this year we’ve been strong at every racetrack. I feel like I’m confident as a driver in what I’ve been learning, getting
better at. I feel like I’m a better driver than I was in 2017, but our team is also extremely good right now,” said Larson. Who knows how the rest of the season will play out on the NASCAR side? Especially with the Russian roulette that is the Cup Series playoffs, but Larson is at the top of his game. Larson doesn’t talk about the work he has done to make amends, but there has been a tremendous amount of diligence placed towards his education. He has attended sensitivity training, increased his work with various urban youth organizations and opened a charity that raises money for children, families and communities in need of support. If Larson keeps this up, he’ll be in Phoenix in November racing for a championship, and there will be no shortage of opportunities to raise money and cement his legacy as one of the greatest versatile racers of his generation…if not ever. “There’s still a lot of racing left,” said Larson. “I think if you were to point right now at a favorite, I think for sure you’d have to look at us, with us running up front, leading lots of laps, getting the stage wins, things like that, and now getting a couple race wins these last two weeks.”
HOW NBC IS INTEGRATING BETTING INTO NASCAR BROADCASTS Viewers of NBCSN’s coverage of the Ally 400, the network’s first NASCAR broadcast of 2021, saw betting elements interspersed during the pre-race show and the race itself, as TV and league executives look to strike a balance between offering gamblers the content they seek while not turning off fans uninterested in betting. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Paisley kicked off pre-race coverage on “Countdown to Green,” betting odds ran across the ticker on the bottom of the screen, along with Sunday’s lineup, Cup Series standings, and factoids about drivers and Nashville Superspeedway. From pit road toward the end of the show, after the odds were displayed on screen, Jac Collinsworth asked Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty for their picks. Jarrett offered Kyle Busch as value play at 10/1 odds, while Petty, asked by Collinsworth for a long shot, took a flyer on Tyler Reddick at 35/1. The right side of the ticker served as promotional real estate for NBC, as teasers for the NBC Sports Predictor app (including a free-to-enter NASCAR pick ‘em game with a $100,000 jackpot) and NBC Sports Edge (which provides fantasy and gaming analysis across a number of sports) ran concurrent
with promos for the US Open, Stanley Cup Playoffs and Olympics. During the race, as Stage 2 ended, lead announcer Rick Allen reminded Fantasy Live players that this was their last chance to activate drivers in their garage. Then, on Lap 194, odds to win the race were displayed on the left side of the screen, underneath the leaderboard. All this betting content was branded by PointsBet, which signed on last year as NBC’s official sports betting partner. As legal gambling expands, so too does the integration of odds and betting analysis in broadcasts. Networks are mindful that not everyone cares for this content and that it is even annoying to some viewers. Ed Williams, director of content, sports betting and gaming at NBC Sports Edge (formerly Rotoworld), agrees and expects betting content to be gradually woven into race broadcasts as the season progresses. “We’ll slowly ramp up, depending on how those integrations go and feedback we get,” said Williams. “We (the NBC Sports Edge team) are in conversations (with the broadcast side) about how we can add to the broadcast.” Here are some of the additions that fans can expect to see the rest of this year and in the seasons to come:
“We went to some of the folks on the NASCAR side, and funny enough, they were thinking of coming to us anyways,” said Williams. “So, we’re aiming to put together probably a 60-second clip, nothing too intense, hitting on best bets, some of the dark horses, that kind of thing.” The segment will be hosted by Steve Letarte and Dan Beaver, who already host a weekly digital video on NBC Sports Edge. “This will be in addition to that, and they’ll tailor this one to what broadcast is looking for,” added Williams. Live betting: There’s a belief within NASCAR circles that in-race wagering is key to driving betting interest in the sport. It’s natural, therefore, to expose viewers to live odds and in-race betting options. “From my point of view, there are opportunities there, and that’s another one of those things where we’re kind of just getting started,” said Williams. “I think that it is ultimately where you can expand to, and as more people get used to betting in general, live betting will become more prevalent. That’s going to start to happen across all the sports. As betting becomes a more common part of the broadcast, it seems to make sense that is a direction we will likely be headed.” IT
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I OPINION
LOOKING BACK By Dave Mathers
DOUG AND D.J. KENNINGTON
D.J. Kennington (third from the left) with his family – including father, Doug (left) – celebrating his 2012 NASCAR Pinty’s Series title. Photo by Greg MacPherson
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n the spring of 1960, a group of St. Thomas drag racers belonging to a car club named the Gear Jammers decided driving to either Kohler (Cayuga Dragway) or Detroit Dragway involved too much travelling. They got together, approached St. Thomas City Hall, and negotiated a lease on a runway at the city owned St. Thomas Airport for Sunday drag racing. In the fall of 1961, rain ended racing early one day… and everybody left. But they left the timing tower out beside the runway instead of towing it back into the field. In a ‘one in a million’ chance, on Monday morning, a Ministry of Transport plane flew in with a federal minister – the Honourable Ellen Fairclough – on board. The wing of the plane came very close to the tower and that signalled the end of the racing at the airport. Doug Kennington, one of the club members, delivered dry cleaning for Towers Cleaners in St. Thomas. One of his customers was Bob Harvey, the owner of Harvey Hardware in Sparta. Doug asked Bob if he wanted to build a dragstrip. After going to Pomona (California) for the Winternationals, Bob and Helen Harvey bought a farm across from their farm, and St. Thomas Dragway was built. Doug did tech in the mornings and campaigned several different Olds-powered cars
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in the afternoon. His favourite expression was, ‘don’t look back because I’ll be right there’!” Doug eventually got into the trucking business with his friend Jim Waldie and ran a very successful repair shop for heavy trucks. He became a genius working on Cummins engines and was able to extract a bunch more power out of them, without breakage. Trucking companies came to him for his ‘tuneups.’ Urban legend has it that he was even visited by some Cummins engineers. Doug and Pat had two girls – Debbie and Deanna (DeeDee) – and then a boy named D.J. When D.J. was six years old, he found that by letting the air out of the air ride seats, he could reach the pedals on the heavy trucks in the yard… and he started driving them. He had been running around the yard with a go kart, so Doug built a little dirt oval at the back of the lot and ran regular races there on mid-week evenings. D.J. quickly became the guy to beat. He moved up to the Micro Sprint class at Hughie Smibert’s Wonderland Speedway and consistently beat the adults. While in Florida for Speedweeks 1993, racer Barry Harmer told me he was retiring from racing CASCAR and asked if I knew anyone who wanted to buy his equipment. I came home, went over to Doug’s shop and
told him the offer. One car, one trailer and lots of spare parts. Deal. Bob Hume drove the car, that year, until D.J. turned 16. With Doug building the Mopar engines, D.J. became one of the front-runners, at Delaware Speedway, in short order. The team acquired Castrol as its sponsor. Still in place to this day, that sponsorship partnership is the longest running deal of its kind in that company’s history, even eclipsing the amount of time they spent with NHRA legend John Force. Doug doesn’t drink, but he did smoke El Producto cigars with me ‘back in the day.’ D.J. also doesn’t drink, nor does he smoke. D.J. bought the house next to Doug and Pat, and then they built a race car shop in the backyard. Doug was able to obtain a dynamometer from Ron Beauchamp and set that up at the rear of the shop. They build and run cars on the NASCAR Canada Pinty’s Series, where D.J. has twice won the championship, in 2010 and 2012. He continues to race and win on Canada’s national stock car championship. Before that, he won several track championships at Delaware Speedway and was a perennial frontrunner on the CASCAR Super Series. DJK Racing has also built and prepared cars for several drivers over the years, including 2019 NASCAR champion Andrew Ranger. Along the way, Doug has accumulated an interesting collection of Mopar cars and trucks. And he even has a Dick Landy 16plug Hemi, on an engine stand. A gorgeous 1966 Plymouth Satellite Hemi four-speed sits front and centre in the shop, along with several sanitary Dodge pickups. I’m reminded of a trip to St. Eustache back in the mid 1990s where I, for some reason, was driving our race car hauler home and Doug pulled up beside me with his Cummins Freightliner. We were running side-by-side on Highway 20 at a buck seventy until we hit the 401 and I lifted! Needless to say, I was accused of being a ‘chicken’ and other things, for quite a while after that, all in good fun. Doug and D.J. are two good guys, in all respects! IT
Speed with Purpose
Since 1992, motorsport has provided Multimatic with a high-speed laboratory where innovative engineering, creative thinking and rapid problem-solving have not only led to multiple championships and outstanding race successes but also significantly enhanced the company’s overall approach to product development.
www.multimatic.com www.multimaticmotorsports.com
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I OPINION
TOMAS TALES By Erik Tomas
YOUR ANNOUNCER IS MEAN!
(Left) Raceline Radio's Erik Tomas in his track-announcing days, talking to Brett Hearn. (Above) Sprint Cars in action at Merrittville Speedway. Photos by Alex & Helen Bruce
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he Reunion Committee at Merrittville Speedway in Niagara is assembling a “memory wall” marking the 70th Anniversary of Canada’s oldest and longest operating dirt track. As I submitted the story of the Uhl/ Friesen ownership era of the 1970s and 1980s, and my wife Miss Janice’s family history at Merrittville, it got me thinking of a critical component of any speed-plant, the track announcer. He’s the person barking at you non-stop before the races, describing what’s happening during the races, and reminding you to “leave the racing at the speedway and not the highway and we’ll see you next week” when the night is done. I jumped into track announcing in the early 1970s at both Merrittville and sister track Ransomville Speedway on the American side, as the Uhl/Friesen families ran both facilities. A gentleman no longer with us showed this young blabbermouth just breaking into radio broadcasting how it’s done with a speedway microphone. Gordie Wilson at Ransomville and Merrittville made the announcing classroom a fun place to learn on Friday and Saturday nights. I always tried to be a little different announcing races to be as entertaining as I could. Being boring was not an option. 88 Inside Track Motorsport News
But every once in a while a few fans would take exception to the experimentation. This meant interesting parlay with a few lovable ticket-buying patrons that kept us in business. Bless ‘em! Between races I would often mention other racing series and news “beyond our fences” as points of interest. Yet a few fans complained I talked too much about Formula 1 and IndyCars. On another occasion, as a particularly long frustrating night dragged on, I grew impatient with kids who insisted on running up close to the catch fence whenever a car wound up against the wall on the front stretch. This is a particularly dangerous practice, as damaged over-heated race cars can spray scalding hot coolant or catch fire. Using a measured amount of sarcasm, I told the unthinking parents of the offending children to “please have your little ones run up to the fence,” hoping the message to keep them back would finally sink in. I certainly would never encourage danger and a majority of those listening understood what I was getting at. But management got a stinging letter from yet another offended fan, un-signed of course and on a piece of torn note paper declaring, “your announcer is mean! It’s obvious Erik Tomas has lost the joy for local racing!”
Yes, I dislike local racing so much I’m still involved with it around home base in Niagara and have been for over 40 years, even though I retired from weekly track announcing some time ago. It’s undeniable track announcing was the seed that germinated into Raceline Radio that’s culminated into an induction into The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. You no doubt have your favourites on the mic. Along with my good friend Dave Moody with MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, who is still the best I’ve ever heard, and the current voice of the Super DIRTCar Series Shane Andrews, my list includes too many who have left us. Among them, Tom Carnegie at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, The NHRA’s Dave McClelland and dirt racing’s Jack Burgess. Ron St. Clair, himself headed to the Hall of Fame and the voice of CASCAR, was a splendid announcer. Dave Moody has the best description of what a track announcer’s job actually is. It’s to convince the audience the elephants they’re watching in the circus ring are the biggest and best elephants in the world! But the next pack of elephants about to come out are bigger and even better! Good night! Drive carefully and we’ll see you right here next week! IT
InsideTrackNews.com 89
PETTY RACEWAY Cory Hall posted the fasted time during time trials for the June 20 Pro Stock race at Petty, and went on to win the feature at the River Glade, NB short track.
CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY Kyle Dingwall, from Morrisburg, ON, won the June 19 Modified feature at Cornwall, after holding off Mat Williamson. It was Dingwall’s first checkered flag of the season.
Photo by Tanya Everett / Petty Raceway
Photo by Rick Young / RickAtTheRaces.com
ATLANTIC MODIFIED TOUR Chris Wilson won his second consecutive Atlantic Modified race, on July 31, at New Brunswick’s Speedway 660. The tour was back in action, the following day, for another feature. That one was won by Joe Hoyt.
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY Second-generation racer Kyle Steckly continued his hot season when he scored his first career Pro Late Model win, on July 24 at Flamboro Speedway.
Photo courtesy TimsCorner.ca
Photo by Peter Anderson
CIRCUIT ICAR The NASCAR Whelen Series Sportsman cars were in action at Mirabel, QC’s ICAR oval on Saturday, July 24. Veteran stock car competitor Dave Coursol took the feature win.
MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY Brad Rouse made the trip to Merrittville Speedway’s victory lane following the July 24 Sportsman feature at the Thorold, ON oval.
Photo by Rick Young / RickAtTheRaces.com
Photo by Alex & Helen Bruce
90 Inside Track Motorsport News
SUNSET SPEEDWAY John Bird smiles in Victory Lane, at Sunset Speedway, after winning the 13-car Bone Stock feature at the Innisfil, ON oval, on July 17.
OUTLAW MIDGETS Mike Bradley won his second Outlaw Midget feature race of the season – in just three outings – on July 17 at Sunset Speedway. Richard Woodland and Larry Dawson were second and third, respectively.
Photo by Ashley McCubbin
Photo by Ashley McCubbin
PINTY’S KNIGHTS OF THUNDER Jordan Poirier (middle) won the Pinty’s Knights of Thunder 360 Sprint Car main at Merrittville Speedway, on July 10. Jim Huppunen (left) was second, ahead of Mack DeMan (right).
ACTION SPRINT TOUR The Action Sprint Tour was also on track at Merrittville Speedway on July 10. Jacob Dykstra made the trip to Victory Lane after the feature race for the crate-powered Sprints.
Photo by Alex & Helen Bruce
Photo by Alex & Helen Bruce
LAKE OF THE WOODS SPEEDWAY In WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds action at LOTWS, on July 9, Austin Hunter (44) recovered from a ninth-place finish in his heat to take the 20 lap feature race, after starting eighth. Chris Thomas (24) won the 20-lap WISSOTA Pure Stock main, on the heels of a runner-up result in his heat. Photos courtesy Anthony Leek / LOTWS
InsideTrackNews.com 91
SUNSET SPEEDWAY Flyin’ Ryan Kimball (29) came out on top in Late Model action at Sunset Speedway on July 10. That same night, Dan Archibald’s supporters joined him in Victory Lane following his win in the Super Stock feature. Photos by Ashley McCubbin
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY Shawn Chenoweth (above left) earned his first feature win of the season, in Pro Late Model action at Flamboro Speedway on July 10. Following an inversion of the grid, the PLMs took to the track for their second feature of the night. NASCAR Pinty’s Series star D.J. Kennington started up front and won that one. Photos by Dave Franks
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY Carson Nagy (93) carved through the field late in the first Super Stock feature, on July 10 at Flamboro, en route to the win. In the second Super Stock feature, Kelsey Lamont (56L) scored his first-ever feature win at the track, which is celebrating its 60th season of racing. Photos by Dave Franks
92 Inside Track Motorsport News
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InsideTrackNews.com 93
CANADIAN BIG BLOCK MODIFIEDS The Canadian Big Block Modifieds had a stop at Autodrome Drummond on July 19. Mathieu Desjardins (above left) came out on top, in that one. The series visited Cornwall Motor Speedway two days later (July 21) and it was Mat Williamson, of St. Catharines, ON who made the trip to Victory Lane after that feature race. Photos by Rick Young / RickAtTheRaces.com
SPEEDWAY MIRAMICHI July 10 was dubbed Firecracker Night at Speedway Miramichi (NB). More than 90 cars, across four divisions, were in the pits. Mark Kingston overcame mechanical issues to win the Firecracker 50 Bomber main, while J.R. Lawson was the driver to beat in Mini Stock action. Photos courtesy Denver Matchett / Speedway Miramichi
BRIGHTON SPEEDWAY July 10 marked the first time since the fall of 2019 that fans were back in the stands at Brighton Speedway. With five divisions and 104 cars in the pits, Shawn Gregory (1) came from the back of the pack to win the Canadian Modified feature. And in the Late Model division, Charlie Sandercock (57) made the familiar trek to victory lane, at the end of the main. Photos by Rod Henderson / CanadianRacer.com
94 Inside Track Motorsport News
QWICK WICK: THE WORLD’S BEST FIRE STARTER
I
f you’re a fan of Canadian racing, you’ve no doubt heard about Qwick Wick Fire Starters. Billed as ‘the world’s best fire starters,’ the small cups filled with a special wax blend, wood shavings and a wick have made a big impression, in a short time. One of the reasons for this is the active marketing program, including the Qwick Wick Racing Family. More than a dozen drivers and teams across Canada are members, including Treyten Lapcevich (NASCAR Pinty’s Series) and Kyle Steckly (Pro Late Model), both of the 22 Racing team. Amanda Balson (OSCAAR Hot Rod) and members of the London Recreational Racing team (stock cars and snowmobiles) are also a part of the Qwick Wick Racing Family, along with several others. As well, more than a dozen racetracks and series are involved. Dave Lloyd is the President of Qwick Wick and discussed QW Racing Family program. “The Qwick Wick Racing Family is kind of a tiered support program for racers and tracks. At the highest level, we are the Official Fire Starter and Partner of NASCAR Canada and have our involvement with the NASCAR Pinty’s Series and 22 Racing, primarily with the #20 car of Treyten Lapcevich. “And then there’s Pro Late Model racer Kyle Steckly – also part of the 22 Racing Stable – who everyone anticipates will move up to the Pinty’s Series, in the future.” Below this first tier, Lloyd felt they also had to do something to support the tracks and grassroots racers. “For these cars and teams, we’re supplying them with a set amount of retail value of product, for free, that they can promote and sell. They can then put the profits towards their racing programs, as they see fit. We can see it’s working for them, creating revenue and interest in their programs. “In exchange, we’ve asked them to support us on their social media and have some branding on their cars. A committee at Qwick Wick picked the team members and we have wide representation in various series and tracks across Canada, from Pro Late Models
Treyten Lapcevich and the No. 20 Qwick Wick-sponsored NPS car. Photos by Greg MacPherson
to OSCAAR Hot Rods, to the Ontario Pro Challenge, Legends cars, Sportsman series, karts and others.” Looking at the tracks, Qwick Wick has purchased billboards, done some product giveaways to fans and feature winners, and given partner tracks some product to sell and keep the profits. “We’re the new guys on the block in Canadian racing, and we look at our involvement as our corporate responsibility,” said Lloyd. “Companies really need to get involved after COVID and all the harm it’s caused. If there are no car counts, then it’s going to hurt everyone.” Asked about the reaction to Qwick Wick’s entry into Canadian racing, Lloyd replied, “I’ve been involved for 30 years in sports marketing, and I can tell you that racing people are the most loyal and satisfied I’ve ever seen. “People walk up to us and shake our hands and thank us for what we’re doing. We’re extremely humbled and thankful for their reactions. They support us because we’re here, and they come to us and say, ‘these things are amazing.’ And people are blown away by how good they are, which is nice.” “Right now, our marketing program has two components. We call them ‘Adrenaline’ and ‘Lifestyle.’ The racing program is our Adrenaline component and the Lifestyle side of it focuses on cottagers and RVing. There’s a large degree of crossover, but both groups are becoming aware of Qwick Wick and learning that they work really well.” Lloyd also noted that their distribution footprint is growing quickly, too, across Canada. “We’re available in all the big box stores, so they’re available to people who learned about us through racing or who used one to start a fire. They even work when they use damp or wet wood; they’re that good!” For more information, visit QwickWick.com. IT InsideTrackNews.com 95
TRAILERS BY JIM BRAY
M
ost people involved in Canadian motorsports know Jim Bray as a former racer and current NASCAR team owner. But he’s also bought and sold trailers since he was 16, on a part-time basis. And he’s been doing it full-time for the past 25 years. The main Trailers by Jim Bray location is located in Brantford, ON. He recently added a new race car shop in Appin, ON, which is also serving as a second trailer location. He’s also worked with a dealer in North Bay for the past 15 years. While many businesses have suffered during the pandemic, Bray notes that his biggest problem, for the past year, is keeping trailers in stock. If you’re in the market for something, Jim can help source and secure what you’re looking for in less time than you can find it elsewhere. “Last year was a record year for us, for the past 12 years,” said Bray. “And this year, the factory that I deal with, their factory burned down on Valentine’s Day, and they got behind getting a new location.” But in spite of that, Bray has been selling trailers at a fast clip. “As of right now, I’m at about the second week in November for where I’d usually be, for sales this year,” continued Bray, in early August. “Our big issue is that we can’t keep stock and our trailers come and go very quickly.” Discussing his product line, Bray said, “We have all kinds of trailers, but mostly enclosed trailers. They’re popular with contractors, motorcyclists, ATV people… but mostly contractors. We also do ‘dump’ trailers and ‘open’ trailers. The company I deal with for enclosed trailers is located near Elkhart, Indiana. They’re called Darkhorse Cargo and they’re relatively new. I’m their top Canadian dealer and third, overall. Our ‘open’ trailers are Canadian-built.” For more information about Trailers by Jim Bray, you can call (519) 720-0777, email Jim at jimbray56@gmail.com, or visit the Brantford location at 1356 Colborne Street East.
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FAST WHEELS
Fast Wheels is a proudly Canadian alloy wheel brand dedicated to covering a wide range of wheel styles and fitments for the tuning, luxury, electric and light truck markets. The Fast Wheels team has more than 30 years of experience in wheels, and their products are a testament to their enthusiasm and wealth of industry knowledge. Starting with a modest three-style repertoire, the line grew quickly gaining a solid reputation for filling a wide range of niche vehicle fitments. Today, Fast Wheels has more than 60-plus active models, along with sister brands Braelin, FastEV, HD Series, Replika and their own accessory line, Dialyn. For more information or to find a dealer in your area, visit fastco.ca/Fast-Wheels.
98 Inside Track Motorsport News
RENEGADE PERFORMANCE FUELS AND LUBRICANTS Renegade Performance Fuels and Lubricants doesn’t just say they make power, they do! They don’t just sell racing fuel and lubricants they engineer them and are racers, too. Renegade’s lubricants have the highest amount of “balanced” ZDDP and their car care items have NASA Space Hall of Fame technology in them. “A few years back we made the switch to Renegade. It’s not a decision that we took lightly. We saw the numbers, we saw some of the best racers winning the biggest races in the country with Renegade decals on their cars and we wondered, ‘maybe there’s something to it,’” said said NHRA Go FAST! Energy Super Comp Dragster driver Kris Whitfield. “There was. We made the switch, and our good cars became great cars. The goalposts were moved.” Hall Race Fuel Ltd. is the Canadian distributor of Renegade Performance Fuels and Lubricants. For more, contact hallracefuel@gmail.com or visit renegaderacefuel.com.
YOKOHAMA TIRE
For more than 100 years, Yokohama has been a world leader in the development of outstanding tire designs and technology, giving drivers better control on the road. Since its establishment in 1917, Yokohama has been devoted to advancing the leading edge of the industry. Yokohama was the first Japanese tire manufacturer to be granted ISO9001 certification in recognition of a quality-assurance model-company in design, development, manufacture installation and related services. Yokohama also takes its responsibilities to the environment very seriously. Among its many ongoing initiatives, Yokohama has eliminated the use of CFCs and trichloroethane in the manufacturing process and have switched from heavy oil to natural gas to reduce CO2 emissions and save energy. For more information, visit tire.yokohama.ca.
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CANTON RACING PRODUCTS
Since 1981, Canton Racing Products has specialized in high performance oil pans, oil system accessories and engine products. All the components are subjected to extensive testing to guarantee optimal performance, and the parts are made in the US. Canton Racing Products carry the complete line of oil pans, oil pumps, starters, alternators, power steering pumps and numerous other components guaranteed to get you down the street or strip mile after mile. For more information, call 203-481-9460 or visit cantonracingproducts.com, where you can download a free PDF catalog of their performance parts. You can also visit Canton Racing Products’ blog at blog.cantonracingproducts.com, which is your source for information and insight on the world of engine oil and cooling systems.
100 Inside Track Motorsport News
WHEEL TECH GROUP
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The Concord, ON-based Wheel Tech Group Inc. offers performance aftermarket wheels from Blackhorn Off-Road, OEPlus and Superspeed Wheels. With over a decade of experience in designing and manufacturing aftermarket wheels, Superspeed Wheels aims to apply the latest industry technology, the broadest range of applications, and the best quality to their products. There’s no compromise. At Superspeed, they’ve put all their knowledge and experience on each different aspect of the business, from engineering, designing, manufacturing and packaging to sales. Superspeed believes they can use their vision to shape the industry. For more information on Wheel Tech Group Inc. products, and to find dealers in your area, visit wheeltechgp.com or super-speed.ca.
Kugel bearings use the most advanced manufacturing technology and offer unmatched quality on the market. All Kugel bearings use multi-lip seals that are made with nitrile rubber (NBR) which can successfully function at temperatures of minus 50°C while resisting contamination from fluids and debris. Premium quality Chevron Grade 2 molybdenum grease also ensures performance in all-weather conditions. Kugel bearings use inner rings made of AISI 52100 alloy steel, exceeding ASTM International quality standards and exceed the automotive-industry TS16949 quality standard to offer the best quality on the market. ABS stainless steel sensor with plastic wire clips included when applicable. Torque information available in the box. No modification needed, ready to be installed right out of the box. All Kugel bearings are backed by a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. For more information, visit transitinc.com/en/kugel-bearings.
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GRISDALE RACING PRODUCTS Grisdale Racing Products is one of the most well-known and respected racing-related businesses in Canadian motorsports. Located in Dundas, Ontario near Flamboro Speedway, the company operates under the Grisdale Enterprises umbrella, which also oversees an OK Tire Franchise, an auto and truck sales business, and a mini storage operation. But it all started in 1980 when founder Bill Grisdale incorporated and went full-time with his previously ‘part-time’ fibreglass racing body fabrication business. Leading up to that, Grisdale had raced off-road cars for approximately six years. And while he’s never raced a stock car on an oval track, he has a passion for the sport and has attended and been a sponsor at Flamboro Speedway and other short tracks and series for six decades. “I’ve worked on lots of stock cars and helped a lot of people, but I never raced a circle track car,” said Grisdale. “At first, I was in the fibreglass business, making bodies for off-road racers. Starting in ’72, I went to Las Vegas, to race, with a home-built body on our car. “After Vegas, I realized how far behind we were up here. I had some good ideas and came home and built and sold some bodies for five or six years. And a part-time deal turned into full-
time, making Late Model bodies.” The business continued to grow with an automotive shop. Not long after – almost 30 years ago now – Grisdale added an OK Tire franchise. “And all along the way, we always had a race car shop,” Grisdale continued. “Thatcher Krupp worked for us for 25 years and kind of semi-retired about eight or nine years ago. He ran the race car Grisdale’s Adam Lockwood (left) and Bill Grisdale (right) shop for us and did a good job at that, with Grisdale’s grandkids (middle). Photo by Dave Franks with four or five guys in that shop. For renovation period. The 5,000 square foot space a long time, we became the Hino Truck is scheduled to be ready in September. dealer for Hamilton. That was my baby, working Grisdale is truly a family business, with several on that with Warren Coniam and others. And we generations working in different capacities, at sold that two-and-a-half years ago.” the company. These days, racing tires are the focus of the Bill continued, “My wife worked on it for many racing side of the business. For the past 25 years, with me. And now I have my daughter – years, Grisdale has been the Eastern Canadian who is married to Adam (Lockwood) – and my (Ontario and everything east) dealer for Amerson both working here. He works in the shop ican Racer tires, which are used extensively on because he doesn’t like the office part. I also asphalt ovals. As an example of how big that have two grandsons who work for the business, business is, the company would sell more than on the race tire side.” 1,000 tires to competitors at the Canadian Grisdale Racing Products is located at 400 Short Track Nationals, at Jukasa Motor SpeedBrock Road, in Dundas, Ontario. Their phone way, each time the event was held. number is (905) 627-0224, and they’re on the Grisdale Racing Parts also has a retail race web at GrisdaleRacingProducts.com. IT car parts store, which is coming to the end of a
102 Inside Track Motorsport News
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InsideTrackNews.com 103
I RESULTS
July Short Track Round-Up AGASSIZ SPEEDWAY
July 03, 2021 STREETS: 1. No. X Paul Tourond, 2. No. 7 Derrick Lewis, 3. No. 43 Steven Van Meel, 4. No. 55 Murray Jones, 5. No. 26 Chris Thimer // HEATS: 1. No. 43 S. Van Meel, 2. No. 55 M. Jones, 3. No. 43 S. Van Meel, 4. No. X P. Tourond. MINI STOCKS: 1. No. 22 Austin Bennett, 2. No. 41 Ryan Willison // HEATS: No. 22 A. Bennett (2). HORNETS: 1. No. 88 Al Sylvestre, 2. No. 11 Angelo Gallo, 3. No. 19 Dillon Gordon, 4. No. 25 Finn Dallman, 5. No. 15 Jayden Ruhl // HEATS: 1. No. 24 J. Edwards, 2. No. 88 A. Silverstre, 3. No. 27 T. Price, 4. No. 88 A. Sylvestre. July 24, 2021 LATE MODEL: 1. No. 5 Korbin Thomas, 2. No. 33 Dave Hemrich, 3. No. 65 Russ Jansen, 4. No. 26 Baylee Wright, 5. No. 11 Dave Coombes // HEAT: No. 6 K. Thomas. STREET STOCK: 1. No. X Paul Tourond, 2. No. 27 Kale Woodske, 3. No. 93 Brent Rohrer, 4. No. 7 Derrick Lewis, 5. No. 44 Keith Tourond // HEATS: 1. No. 38 B. Schouten, 2. No. 92 J. Wright. MINI STOCK: 1. No. 71 Mark McFadden, 2. No. 41 Ryan Willison, 3. No. 19 Dillon Gordon // HEAT: No. 41 R. Willison. MIDGETS: 1. No. 11 Troy Globe, 2. No. 77 Levi Klatt, 3. No. 38 Al Stanley, 4. No. 03 Bradie Rogers, 5. No. 9a Jeremiah Franklin // HEAT: No. 11 T. Globe.
BRIGHTON SPEEDWAY
July 10, 2021 CANADIAN MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 1 Shawn Gregory, 2. No. 3 Nate Rinaldi, 3. No. 32 Doug O’Blenis, 4. No. 39 Jonah Mutton, 5. No. 69 Julian Phillips. LATE MODELS: 1. No. 57 Charlie Sandercock, 2. No. 92 Adam Turner, 3. No. 311 Sam Pennacchio, 4. No. 87 Andrew Hennessey, 5. No. 9 Bryan Sudsbury. THUNDER STOCKS: 1. No. 03 Justin Ramsay, 2. No. 85 Austin Reid, 3. No. 53 Wade Purchase, 4. No. 0 Tyler French, 5. No. 92 Adam Turner. MINI STOCK: 1. No. 6r Jason Dixon, 2. No. 11 Mike Whyte, 3. No. 96 Cole Abrams, 4. No. 12 Caleb Severin, 5. No. 14m Matthew Moore. STINGERS: 1. No. 95 Chris Lamlme, 2. No. 18 Carter Rhodes, 3. No. 67 Josh Whitney, 4. No. 17 Gavin Rushlow, 5. No. 61 Ryan Branscombe.
BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY
July 04, 2021 358 MODIFIEDS: 1. Ryan Arbuthnot, 2. Kyle Dingwall, 3. Brian McDonald, 4. Johnathon Ferguson, 5. Tristan Draper // HEATS: 1. R. Arbuthnot, 2. C. Raabe, 3. J. Ferguson // FAST Q: R. Arbuthnot- 14.456s. CRATE SPRINTS: 1. Matt Billings, 2. Lee Ladouceur, 3. Dan Ferguson, 4. Dave McKnight, 5. Kalen Draper // HEATS: 1. L. Ladouceur, 2. M. Billings. SPORTSMAN: 1. Bobby Herrington, 2. Dylan Kirkland, 3. Ryan Scott, 4. Ricky Thompson, 5. Jessica Power // HEATS: 1. D. Kirkland, 2. R. Scott, F. Swamp // FAST Q: B. Herrington- 15.438s. NOVICE SPORTSMAN: 1. Justin Cyr, 2. Brennan Moore, 3. Eric Loyer, 4. Blayden Arquette, 5. Nathan Lambert // HEAT: J. Cyr. STREET STOCK: 1. Brock Cullen, 2. Nick Gauvreau, 3. Nick Merkley // HEAT: N. Merkley. MINI STOCK: 1. James Clarke, 2. Jaarod Galway, 3. Brandon McMillan, 4. Jamie Larocque, 5. Matt Boal // HEATS: 1. J. Clarke, 2. J. Lamarche. July 11, 2021 358 MODIFIEDS: 1. Mat Williamson, 2. Ryan Arbuthnot, 3. Gary Lindberg, 4. Brian McDonald, 5. Johnathan Ferguson // HEATS: 1. R. Arbuthnot, 2. K. Dingwall, 3. M. Williamson. SPORTSMAN: 1. Bobby Herrington, 2. Jessica Power, 3. Dylan Kirkland, 4. Gabriel Cyr, 5. Jarrett Herbison // HEATS: 1. J. Herbison, 2. J. Power, 3. B. Herrington. NOVICE SPORTSMAN: 1. Justin Cyr, 2. Brennan Moore, 3. Eric Loyer, 4. Jordan Wood, 5. Blayden Arquette // HEATS: 1. B. Moore, 2. J. Cyr. STREET STOCK: 1. Todd Rabbe, 2. Brock Cullen, 3. Keith Riddell, 4. Derek Demont, 5. Nick Gauvreau // HEAT: B. Cullen. MINI STOCK: 1. Dan Cook, 2. Jarrod Galway, 3. Hayden Brown, 4. Tyson Singer, 5. Frank Belair // HEAT: D. Cook. 104 Inside Track Motorsport News
Mario Clair won the Modified feature race at Cornwall on July 4. Photo by Rick Young / RickAtTheRaces.com July 24, 2021 CRATE SPRINT: 1. Jacob Dykstra, 2. Ryan Poole, 3. Jeffrey Weare, 4. Matt Billings, 5. Dave Curran // HEATS: 1. B. Cloutier, 2. J. Weare. MODIFIEDS: HEATS: 1. Tristan Draper, 2. Johnathan Ferguson. SPORTSMAN: HEATS: 1. Dylan Kirkland, 2. Bobby Herrington, 3. Ricky Thompson. NOVICE SPORTSMAN: HEAT: Eric Loyer. STREET STOCK: HEATS: 1. Adam Turner, 2. Wade Purchase. MINI STOCK: HEATS: 1. Dan Cook, 2. Hayden Brown. VINTAGE: HEATS: 1. Josh Powers, 2. Dexter Billings. July 31, 2021 358 MODIFIEDS: 1. Kyle Dingwall, 2. Ryan Arbuthnot, 3. Chris Rabbe, 4. Brian McDonald, 5. Dylan Evoy // HEATS: 1. B. McDonald, 2. D. Evoy // FAST Q: D. Evoy. SPORTSMAN: 1. Bobby Herrington, 2. Shane Stearns, 3. Jessica Power, 4. Gabriel Cyr, 5. Tyler Stewart // HEATS: 1. B. Herrington, 2. T. Stewart, 3. G. Cyr // FAST Q: B. Herrington- 15.478s. NOVICE SPORTSMAN: (1): 1. Justin Cyr, 2. Eric Loyer, 3. Brennan Moore, 4. Greg Brinklow, 5. Jordan Wood // (2): 1. Jordan Wood, 2. Greg Brinklow, 3. Blayden Arquette, 4. Eric Loyer, 5. Justin Cyr // HEATS: 1. J. Wood, 2. J. Cyr. STREET STOCK: (1): 1. Todd Raabe, 2. Adam Turner, 3. Brock Gregory, 4. Shawn Hodge, 5. Nick Merkley // (2): 1. Todd Raabe, 2. Brock Cullen, 3. Adam Turner, 4. Brock Gregory, 5. Gilles Mongeon // HEATS: 1. B. Cullen, 2. G. Mongeon. MINI STOCK: 1. Dan Cook, 2. Jarrod Galway, 3. Pierre Picard, 4. Tyson Slinger, 5. John Lamarche // HEATS: 1. D. Cook, 2. K. Gregory.
CORNWALL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
July 04, 2021 358 MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 22c Mario Clair, 2. No. 47s Corey Wheeler, 3. No. 18j Louis Jackson Jr., 4. No. 21 Yan Bussiere, 5. No. 13 Kevin Hamel // HEATS: 1. No. 47s C. Wheeler, 2. No. 25 S. Bernier, 3. No. 66 K. Dingwall, 4. No. 21 Y. Bussiere. SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 77e Ryan Stabler, 2. No. 22c Cedric Gravreau, 3. No. 7 Cody McPherson, 4. No. 18r Brad Rouse, 5. No. 27 Gilles Godard // HEATS: 1. No. 22c C. Gravreau, 2. No. 27 G. Godard, 3. No. 04 S. McGill, 4. No. 7 C. McPherson // LCQ: No. 35 T. Cook. ROOKIE SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 18 Blayden Arquette, 2. No. 88j Justin Cyr, 3. No. 96 Eric Loyer, 4. No. 09t Tim McColman, 5. No. 35b Brennan Moore // HEATS: 1. No. 88j J. Cyr, 2. No. 92t T. Ladouceur. ROOKIE STOCK: 1. No. 2x James Clarke, 2. No. 23b Brandon MacMillan, 3. No. 49 Alexis Charbonneau, 4. No. 22j Justin Jodoin, 5. No. 7m Dan Cook // HEATS: 1. No. 22j
J. Jodoin, 2. No. 2x J. Clarke. VINTAGE: 1. No. 75 Randy Gydette, 2. No. 73 Josh Powers, 3. No. 66 Jeff Bode // HEAT: No. 75 R. Gydette. July 11, 2021 358 MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 6 Mat Williamson, 2. No. 66x Carey Terrance, 3. No. r70 Ryan Arbuthnot, 4. No. 151k Brian McDonald, 5. No. 17d Tristan Draper // HEATS: 1. No. 151k B. McDonald, 2. No. 17d T. Draper, 3. No. 6 M. Wiiliamson. SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 94 Gabriel Cyr, 2. No. 38j Jarret Herbison, 3. No. 27 Gilles Godard, 4. No. 77e Ryan Stabler, 5. No. 41 Samuel Charland // HEATS: 1 No. 41 S. Charland, 2. No. 77e R. Stabler, 3. No. 88s F. Swamp. PRO STOCK: 1. No. 6 Stephane Lebrun, 2. No. 11a Dave Seguin, 3. No. 8 Marc Lalonde, 4. No. 4 Rock Aubin, 5. No. 1 Dennis Hamel // HEAT: No. 8 M. Lalonde. ROOKIE STOCKS: 1. 2x James Clarke, 2. No. 7m Dan Cook, 3. No. 22j Justin Jodoin, 4. No. 33 Kevin Sabourin, 5. No. 77 Pierre Picard // HEATS: 1. No. 22j J. Jodoin, 2. No. 2x J. Clarke. STR: 1. No. 96 Patrick Lague, 2. No. 21 Yan Bussiere, 3. No. 12 Mathieu Bardier, 4. No. 95 Dominic Beauchensne, 5. No. 52 Frederick Fobert // HEATS: 1. No. 96 P. Lague, 2. No. 21 Y. Bussiere. July 18, 2021 SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 94 Gabriel Cyr, 2. No. 41 Samual Charland, 3. No. 77e Ryan Stabler, 4. No. 10 Michael Delormier, 5. No. 38j Jarret Herbison // HEATS: 1. No. 29d J. Desrosiers, 2. No. 94 G. Cyr, 3. No. 38j J. Herbison. NOVICE SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 88j Justin Cyr, 2. No. 92t Tristan Ladouceur, 3. No. 707 Greg Brinklow, 4. No. 09t Tim McColman, 5. No. 96 Eric Loyer // HEATS: 1. No. 23 P. Stacey, 2. No. 88y J. Cyr. PRO STOCK: 1. No. 338 Pascal Payeur, 2. No. 33 Bruno Cyr, 3. No. 88 Dennis Gauvreau, 4. No. 72 Bruno Richard, 5. No. 6 Stephane Lebrun // HEATS: 1. No. 8 M. Lalonde, 2. No. 11a D. Seguin, 3. No. 338 P. Payeur. LIGHTNING SPRINTS: 1. No. 28 Jordan Poirier, 2. No. 1 Jean-Christophe Bolduc, 3. No. 87 Maxime Foley, 4. No. 72 Eric Mireault, 5. No. 88x Jeffery Weare // HEATS: 1. No. 88x J. Weare, 2. No. 28 J. Poirier. MOD LITES: 1. No. 28 Eric Desileotes, 2. No. 117 Kevin Boucher-Carrier, 3. No. 6a Alex Forcier, 4. No. 58 Steve Comeau, 5. No. 6f Martin Forcier // HEATS: 1. No. 6f M. Forcier, 2. No. 117 K. Boucher-Carrier. July 25, 2021 MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 66x Carey Terrance, 2. No. 01 Chris Raabe, 3. No. 25 Steve Bernier, 4. No. 47s Corey Wheeler, 5. No. 38 Luke Whitteker // HEATS: 1. No. 23 J. Ladouceur, 2. No. 151k B. McDonald, 3. No. 66 K. Dingwall.
SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 77e Ryan Stabler, 2. No. 85 Tyler Givogue, 3. No. 94 Gabriel Cyr, 4. No. 1 Justin Lalancette, 5. No. 1r Rickey Thompson // HEATS: 1. No. 35r W. Racine, 2. No. 22c C. Gravreau, 3. No. 1 J. Lalancette // NOVICE SPORTSMAN HEATS: 1. No. 35b B. Moore, 2. No. 92t T. Ladouceur. PRO STOCK: 1. No. 33 Bruno Cyr, 2. No. 11a Dave Seguin, 3. No. 8 Marc Lalonde, 4. No. 6 Stephane Lebrun, 5. No. 9 Eric Jean-Louis // HEATS: 1. No. 8 M. Lalonde, 2. No. 33 B. Cyr. ROOKIE STOCK: 1. No. 49 Alexis Charbonneau, 2. No. 7m Dan Cook, 3. No. 2 Frank Belair, 4. No. 22j Justin Jodoin, 5. No. 93 Travis Lamarche // HEATS: 1. No. 2 F. Belair, 2. No. 7m D. Cook. LIGHTNING SPRINTS: 1. No. 28 Jordan Poirier, 2. No. 29 Stephen St-Laurent, 3. No. 1 Jean Christophe Bolduc, 4. No. 16 Eric Sundborg, 5. No. 87 Maxime Foley // HEATS: 1. No. 22 T. Moreau, 2. No. 1 JC Bolduc.
DELAWARE SPEEDWAY
July 02, 2021 APC UNITED LATE MODELS: 1. No. 9 Brandon Watson, 2. No. 81 Andrew Gresel, 3. No. 28 DJ Kennington, 4. No. 84 JR Fitzpatrick, 5. No. 83 Dale Shaw // FAST Q: No. 32 T. Lapcevich- 18.347s. QUICK WICK SUPER STOCK: 1. No. 1 Trevor Collver, 2. No. 9 Andrew Ferreira, 3. Ray Morneau, 4. No. 48 Dwayne Baker, 5. No. 73 Nick Troback // FAST Q: No. 1 T. Collver. July 09, 2021 LATE MODEL: 1. No. 73 Cole Powell, 2. No. 52 Jake Sheridan, 3. No. 51 Matt Robblee, 4. No. 22 Marshall Schrank, 5. No. 03 Ray Morneau // HEATS: 1. No. 51 M. Robblee, 2. No. 13 J. Chapman. SUPER STOCK: 1. No. 45 Ryan Blight, 2. No. 39 David McCullough, 3. No. 1 Trevor Collver, 4. No. 2 Doug Stewart, 5. No. 28 Ryan Dyson // HEATS: 1. No. 39 D. McCullough, 2. No. 9 A. Ferreira. V8 STOCK: 1. No. 33 Paul Fothergill, 2. No. 45 Barry Watson, 3. No. 01T Devon Bloemendal, 4. No. 23 Jeff Ferguson, 5. No. 810 Kyle Mezenberg // HEAT: No. 45 B. Watson. BONE STOCK: 1. No. 21c Jason Lovie, 2. No. 55 Craig Cole, 3. No. 28 Kris Lawrence, 4. No. 51 Derek Moesker, 5. No. 92 Jordan Wilms // HEATS: 1. No. 21c J. Lovie, 2. No. 73 J. Morris. July 23, 2021 NATIONAL STOCK CAR ASSOCIATION: 1. No. 18 Chad McGlynn, 2. No. 2 Todd Sheppard, 3. No. 90 David Rockwood, 4. No. 31 Kevin Gallant, 5. No. 15 Mike Hryniuk, Jr. // FAST Q: No. 18 C. McGlynn: 19.969s PRO LATE MODELS: 1. No. 77 Darrell Lake, 2. No. 39 Brady Smith, 3. No. 52 Jake Sheridan, 4. No. 51 Matt Robblee, 5. No. 13 Jaden Chapman // HEATS: 1. No. 39 B. Smith, 2. No. 77 D. Lake. SUPER STOCK: 1. No. 1 Trevor Collver, 2. No. 9 Andrew Ferreira, 3. No. 7 Pete Vanderwyst, 4. No. 07 Nic Ramsay, 5. No. 39 David McCullough // HEATS: 1. No. 17 K. McNicol Jr., 2. No. 9 A. Ferreira. July 30, 2021 SUPER STOCK: 1. No. 1 Trevor Collver, 2. No. 9 Andrew Ferreira, 3. No. 7 Pete Vanderwyst, 4. No. 17 Kenny McNicol Jr., 5. No. 03 Ray Morneau // HEATS: 1. No. 4 L. Thompson, 2. No. 07 N. Ramsay. V8 STOCK: 1. No. 33 Paul Fothergill, 2. No. 45 Barry Watson, 3. No. 810 Kyle Mezenberg, 4. No. 01 Devon Bloemendal, 5. No. 96 Steve Shaw Jr. // HEAT: No. 810 K. Mezenberg. BONE STOCK: 1. No. 90 Mark Lamont, 2. No. 21c Jason Lovie, 3. No. 55 Craig Cole, 4. No. 6 Kris Fairweather, 5. No. 28 Kris Lawrence // HEATS: 1. No. 90 M. Lamont, 2. No. 55 C. Cole.
Cole Powell won the July 9 Late Model race at Delaware Speedway. Photo by Rick Young / RickAtTheRaces.com
EDMONTON INT’L RACEWAY
July 03, 2021 SUPER STOCK: 1. No. 96 Erica Thiering, 2. No. 2 Mike Ramm, 3. No. 51 Terry Dowler, 4. No. 18 Rob Hildebrandt // HEATS: 1. No. 96 E. Thiering, 2. No. 51 T. Dowler. THUNDER: 1. No. 08 Don Lawrence, 2. No. 34 Don Roberts, 3. No. 56 Rob Gitzel, 4. No. 4 Devon Rendell, 5. No. 6 Jonathan Peters // HEATS: 1. No. 56 J. Gitzel, 2. No. 08 D. Lawrence. PURE STOCK: 1. No. 82 Kevin Sakaluk, 2. No. 67 Don Vallee, 3. No. 33 Gary Buchnell, 4. No. 36 Mitchell Bushnell, 5. No. 16 Holly Crandell // HEATS: 1. No. 12 K. Stensrud, 2. No. 8 C. Sakaluk, 3. No. 67 D. Vallee, 4. No. 82 K. Sakaluk. FUTURE STOCKS: 1. No. 16 Davin Kropinske, 2. No. 6 Acacia Graham, 3. No. 15 Ainslee Russnell, 4. No. 50 Skye Brenneman // HEATS: No. 16 D/ Kropinske (2). MINI CUPS: 1. No. 44 Sebastien Beaupre, 2. No. 18 Ethan Skolarchuk, 3. No. 8 Connor Skolarchuk, 4. No. 27 Ayden Banman, 5. No. 22 Noah Banman // HEATS: 1. No. 44 S. Beaupre, 2. No. 15 J. Schofield, 3. No. 22 N. Banman, 4. No. 15 J. Schofield. July 10, 2021 IMCA MOFIFIEDS: 1. No. 92 Mike Clark, 2. No. 14 Justin MacTavish, 3. No. 81 Tyler Knowles, 4. No. 61 Karey Stular, 5. No. 99 Alex Krause // HEATS: 1. No. 14 J. MacTavish, 2. No. 81 T. Knowles, 3. No. 99 A. Krause, 4. No. 12 C. Malone. PURE STOCKS: 1. No. 82 Kevin Sakaluk, 2. No. 67 Don Vallee, 3. No. 8 Cameron Sakaluk, 4. No. 36 Mitchell Bushnell, 5. No. 37 Garry Garvey // HEATS: 1. No. 8 C. Sakaluk, 2. No. 61 D. Thomson, 3. No. 67 D. Vallee, 4. No. 2 K. Saucier. July 17, 2021 SUPER STOCK: 1. No. 96 Erica Thiering, 2. No. 51 Terry Dowler, 3. No. 2 Mike Ramm, 4. No. 18 Candice Pahl, 5. No. 47 Kevin Sakaluk // HEATS: 1. No. 96 E. Thiering, 2. No. 51 T. Dowler. FUTURE STOCKS: 1. No. 6 Acacia Graham, 2. No. 16 Davin Kropinske, 3. No. 50 Skye Brenneman, 4. No. 43 Mercedes Pattison // HEAT: No. 16 D. Kropinske. MINI CUP: 1. #22 Noah Banman, 2. No. 27 Aydin Banman, 3. No. 18 Ethan Skolarchuk, 4. No. 44 Sebastien Beaupre, 5. No. 8 Connor Skolarchuk // HEATS: 1. No. 27 A. Banman, 2. No. 8 C. Skloarchuk, 3. No. 18 E. Skolarchuk, 4. No. 8 C. Skolarchuk. ENDURO: 1. No. 99 Lee Krause, 2. No. 18 Tyler Duncan, 3. No. 43 Nick Bell, 4. No. 11 Wally Jones, 5. No. 53 Georgia Kessler. July 23, 2021 IMCA MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 57 B.J. Clark, 2. No. 46 Jamie Krzysik, 3. No. 81 Tyler Knowles, 4. No. 14 Justin MacTavish, 5. No. 57 Justin Bujold // HEATS: 1. No. 87 T. Bujold, 2. No. 77 M. Reeve, 3. No. 23 B. McTavish. 4. No. 12 C. Malone, 5. No. 14 J. MacTavish, 6. No. 81 T. Knowles. MINI CUPS: 1. No. 8 Connor Sklarchuk, 2. No. 22 Noah
Banman, 3. No. 18 Ethan Skolarchuk, 4. No. 76 Carson Malone, 5. No. 44 Sebastien Beaupre // HEATS: 1. No. 22 N. Banman, 2. No. 76 C. Malone, 3. No. 27 A. Banman, 4. No. 76 C. Malone. FUTURE STOCKS: 1. No. 16 Davin Kropinske, 2. No. 6 Acacia Graham, 3. No. 15 Ainslee Russnell, 4. No. 50 Skye Brenneman, 5. No. 43 Mercedes Pattison // HEATS: No. 16 D. Kropinske (2). July 24, 2021 IMCA MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 12 Chad Malone, 2. No. 81 Tyler Knowles, 3. No. 23 Barry McTavish, 4. No. 87 Jason Bujold, 5. No. 59 BJ Clark // HEATS: 1. No. 23 B, McTavish, 2. No. 92 M. Clark, 3. No. 7 C. McTavish, 4. No. 99 A. Krause, 5. No. 97 C. Guidolin, 6. No. 91 C. Grover. MINI CUPS: 1. No. 27 Aydin Banman, 2. No. 22 Noah Banman, 3. No. 88 Berlyn McKay, 4. No. 33 Thomas Hinse, 5. No. 18 Ethan Scholarchuk // HEATS: 1. No. 15 J. Schofield, 2. No. 44 S. Beaupre, 3. No. 22 N. Banman, 4. No. 76 C. Malone. July 30, 2021 SUPER STOCK: (1): 1. No. 96 Erica Theiring, 2. No. 2 Mike Ramm, 3. No. 51 Terry Dowler, 4. No. 18 Candice Pahl, 5. No. 01 Chris Moore // (2): 1. No. 2 Mike Ramm, 2. No. 51 Terry Dowler, 3. No. 96 Erica Theiring, 4. No. 18 Candice Pahl, 5. No. 01 Chris Moore. THUNDERS: 1. No. 08 Don Lawrence, 2. No. 56 Josh Gitzel, 3. No. 4 Deven Rendall, 4. No. 6 Jonathan Peters, 5. No. 69 Cooper Gill (DNF) // HEATS: 1. No. 69 C. Gill, 2. No. 56 J. Gitzel. PURE STOCK: 1. No. 8 Cameron Sakaluk, 2. No. 82 Kevin Sakaluk, 3. No. 37 Garry Garvey, 4. No. 22 Otto Stensrud, 5. No. 36 Mitchell Bushnell // HEATS: 1. No. 22 O. Stensrud, 2. No. 16 H. Crandell, 3. No. 8 C. Sakaluk, 4. No. 16 H. Crandell. July 31, 2021 SUPER STOCK: 1. No. 96 Erica Theiring, 2. No. 18 Candice Pahl, 3. No. 01 Chris Moore, 4. No. 47 Rodney Pahl, 5. No. 2 Mike Ramm // FAST Q: No. 96 E. Theiring13.782s. THUNDER: 1. No. 08 Don Lawrence, 2. No. 56 Josh Gitzel, 3. No. 69 Cooper Gill, 4. No. 4 Mitchell Bushnell, 5. No. 6 Jonathan Peters // HEATS: No. 08 D. Lawrence (2). PURE STOCK: 1. No. 82 Kevin Sakaluk, 2. No. 67 Don Vallee, 3. No. 16 Hailey Crandell, 4. No. 8 Cameron Sakaluk, 5. No. 36 Mitchell Bushnell // HEATS: 1. No. 22 O. Stensrud, 2. No. 61 D. Thomson, 3. No. 36 M. Bushnell, 4. No. 16 H. Crandell.
EMO SPEEDWAY
July 03, 2021 MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 99 Brody Strachan, 2. No. 4c Chris Bouwman, 3. No. 85d Jeff Davis, 4. No. 4jr Cameron Brown, 5. No. 15r Raice Westover // HEATS: 1. No. 85d J. Davis, 2. No. 4c C. Bouwman. MIDWEST MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 85 Jamie Davis, 2. No. 70jr David Simpson, 3. No. 4b Brandon Rehill, 4. No. 88v Paul Veert, 5. No. 20 Nick Audette // HEATS: 1. No. 20 N. Audette, 2. No. 70jr D. Simpson, 3. No. 621 Colin InsideTrackNews.com 105
I RESULTS
July Short Track Round-Up Chaschuk, 4. No. 88v P. Veert // B-MAIN: No. 15 A. Dennhardt. STREET STOCKS: 1. No. 96w Darren Wolframe, 2. No. 15r Raice Westover, 3. No. 12 David Caruk, 4. No. 24 Andrew Piilo, 5. No. 86 Kevin Desserre // HEATS: 1. No. 15r R. Westover, 2. No. 96w D. Wolframe. July 10, 2021 MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 99 Brody Strachan, 2. No. 85d Jeff Davis, 3. No. 21 Matt DePiero, 4. No. 14 Blake Ferris, 5. No. 4jr Cameron Brown // HEAT: No. 85d J. Davis. MIDWEST MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 99 Brody Strachan, 2. No. 59x James Lambert, 3. No. 88 Tanner Williamson, 4. No. 10d Patrick Davis, 5. No. 06 Mike Wilson // HEATS: 1. No. 88 T. Williamson, 2. No. 99 B. Strachan. STREET STOCKS: 1. No. 15r Raice Westover, 2. No. 33 Garrett Gamsby, 3. No. 86 Kevin Desserre, 4. No. 3x Stephan Brown, 5. No. 24t Lyle Thompson // HEAT: No. 86 K. Desserre. July 17, 2021 MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 85d Jeff Davis, 2. No. 16 Jamie Davis, 3. No. 14 Blake Ferris, 4. No. 4jr Cameron Brown, 5. No. 50 Brody Caul // HEATS: 1. No. 99 B. Strachan, 2. No. 85d J. Davis. MIDWEST MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 88 Tanner Williamson, 2. No. 70jr David Simpson, 3. No. 59x James Lambert, 4. No. 33c Cole Chernosky, 5. No. 621 Colin Chaschuk // HEATS: 1. No. 10p P. Davis, 2. No. 70jr D. Simpson, 3. No. 4b B. Rehill. STREET STOCK: 1. No. 15r Raice Westover, 2. No. 3x Jesse Thompson, 3. No. 24t Lyle Thompson, 4. No. 41 Jyllian Westover, 5. No. 54x D. Kellar/ S. Happy // HEAT: No. 24 A. Piilo. July 25, 2021 MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 16 Jamie Davis, 2. No. 44 Tyler Brown, 3. No. 21 Matt DePiero, 4. No. 85d Jeff Davis, 5. No. 4jr Cameron Brown // HEATS: 1. No. 21 M. DePiero, 2. No. 99 B. Strachan. MIDWEST MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 4b Brandon Rehill, 2. No. 3h Keelan Hall, 3. No. 59x James Lambert, 4. No. 15 Adam Dennhardt, 5. No. 06 Mike Wilson // HEATS: 1 No. 15 A. Dennhardt, 2. No. 4b B. Rehill. STREET STOCK: 1. No. 15r Raice Westover, 2. No. 86 Kevin Desserre, 3. No. 12 David Caruk, 4. No. 24t Lyle Thompson, 5. No. 28 Doug Derendorf // HEAT: No. 15r R. Westover.
ESTEVAN MOTOR SPEEDWAY
July 03, 2021 IMCA MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 21z Isaiah Geisel, 2. No. 02 Kody Scholpp, 3. No. 10e Aaron Turnbull, 4. No. 10 Tyson Turnbull, 5. No. 66Kelly Bauman // HEATS: 1. No. 10 T. Turnbull, 2. No. 02 K. Scholpp. SPORTS MODS: 1. No. 22 Keenan Glasser, 2. No. 55h Mike Hudson, 3. No. D1 Adrian Dickie, 4. No. 95 Rylan Raynard, 5. No. 13 Justin Fichter // HEATS: 1. No. 25r L. Runge, 2. No. 95 R. Raynard. STOCKS: 1. No. 17h Chris Hortness 2. No. 68 Jeremy Swanson, 3. No. 21c Chase Davidson, 4. No. 95 Gregg Mann, 5. No. 46 Geoff Mann // HEATS: 1. No. 71 L. Wagner, 2. No. 95 Gr. Mann. HOBBY STOCK: 1. No. 12 Dexter Saxon, 2. No. 91 Kaiden Tuchscherer, 3. No. 27jr Kruz Wilson, 4. No. 52L Landon Runge, 5. No. 26 Riley Mann // HEATS: 1. No. 27jr K. Wilson, 2. No. 98h K. Hjorteland. SLINGSHOTS: 1. No. 18 Ryder Raynard, 2. No. 99 Cash Saxon, 3. No. 19 Kolby Fichter, 4. No. 33j Jacek Ashworth, 5. No. 44j Jagger Ashworth // HEATS: 1. No. 18 R. Raynard, 2. No. 99 C. Saxon. July 16, 2021 WESTERN CANADA LATE MODELS: 1. No. 21 Aaron Turnbull, 2. No. 06 David Smith, 3. No. 10 Mike Balcaen, 4. No. 10w Ward Imrie, 5. No. 86 Matthew Smith // HEATS: 1. No. 21 A. Turnbull, 2. No. 86 M. Smith. MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 02 Kody Scholpp, 2. No. 10e Ed Turnbull, 3. No. 10 Tyson Turnbull, 4. No. 21z Isaiah Geisel, 5. No. 39 Shawn Teunis // HEATS: 1. No. 10e E. Turnbull, 2. No. 01 J. Galloway. SPORT MODS: 1. No. 25r Leevi Runge, 2. No. 7b Bailey Cousins, 3. No. 2 Kyle Scholpp, 4. No. 36 Ryan Cousins, 5. No. 66k Brian Kentner // HEATS: 1. No. 7b B. Cousins, 2. No. 25r L. Runge. 106 Inside Track Motorsport News
Mike Clark won the IMCA Modified feature at EIR on July 10. Photo by Perry Nelson STOCKS: 1. No. 17 Austin Daae, 2. No. 95 Gregg Mann, 3. No. 17h Chris Hortness, 4. No. 47 Devon Gonas, 5. No. 21c Chase Davidson // HEATS: 1. No. 17 A. Daae, 2. No. 17h C. Hortness. HOBBY STOCK: 1. No. 27jr Kruz Wilson, 2. No. 12 Dexter Saxon, 3. No. 91t Kaiden Tuchscherer, 4. No. 52L Landon Runge, 5. No. 7h Tony Mikulcik // HEATS: 1. No. 98h K. Hjorteland, 2. No. 12 D. Saxon. SLINGSHOTS: 1. No. 18 Ryder Raynard, 2. No. 99 Cash Saxon, 3. No. 14 Kolby Fichter, 4. No. 3 Dave Skjerdal, 5. No. 44j Jagger Ashworth // HEATS: 1. No. 18 R. Raynard, 2. No. 44j J. Ashworth. July 17, 2021 WESTERN CANADA LATE MODELS: 1. No. 06 David Smith, 2. No. 24 Ward Imrie, 3. No. 10b Mike Balcaen, 4. No. 21 Aaron Turnbull, 5. No. 86 Matthew Smith // HEATS: 1. No. 06 D. Smith, 2. No. 24 W. Imrie. MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 02 Kody Scholpp, 2. No. 10e Ed Turnbull, 3. No. 10 Tyson Turnbull, 4. No. 29 Les McLenehan, 5. No. 01 Joey Galloway // HEATS: 1. No. 01 J. Galloway, 2. No. 56 G. Dushanek. SPORTS MODS: 1. No. 47 Devon Gonas, 2. No. 95 Gregg Mann, 3. No. 17h Chris Hortness, 4. No. 17 Austin Daae, 5. No. 44 Ryan Atkings // HEATS: 1. No. 17 A. Daae, 2. No. 17h C. Hortness. HOBBY STOCK: 1. No. 12 Dexter Saxon, 2. No. 15 Connor Hansen, 3. No. 91t Kaiden Tuchscherer, 4. No. 7 Tony Mikulcik, 5. No. 98h Kayden Hjorteland // HEAT: No. 06 K. Smith. SLINGSHOTS: 1. No. 18 Ryder Raynard, 2. No. 99 Cash Saxon, 3. No. 44j Jagger Ashworth, 4. No. 33j Jacek Ashworth, 5. No. 51 Gage Goetz // HEATS: 1. No. 18 R. Raynard, 2. No. 44j J. Ashworth.
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY
July 03, 2021 MINI STOCKS: (1): 1. Will Gibbons, 2. Shawn Taylor, 3. Dale Millard, 4. Tyler Lewis, 5. Gillian Hils // (2) 1. Will Gibbons, 2. Gillian Hils, 3. John Istead, 4. Shawn Taylor, 5. Dale Millard. PURE STOCKS: (1): 1. Phil Givens, 2. Kris Lawrence, 3. John Cote, 4. Kyle Lucas, 5. Leo Labarbera // (2): 1. Kris Lawrence, 2. Kyle Lucas, 3. Andy Wheller, 4. Chase Mitchell, 5. Leo Labarbera. PRO 4 MODS: (1) 1. Dan Pettit, 2. Nick Aballe, 3. Shannon Morris, 4. Ken Mercer // (2): 1. Dan Pettit, 2. Nick Aballe, 3. Ken Mercer. CANADIAN VINTAGE MODIFIEDS: (1): 1. Mike Podd, 2. Quinton Murdoch, 3. Jake Gilbert, 4. TJ Marshall, 5. Rick Willigar // (2): 1. Jeremy Riopelle, 2. Jake Gilbert, 3. Joe Arsenault, 4. Mike Westwood, 5. Dale Lucas. ONTARIO PRO CHALLENGE: (1): 1. Tim Norris, 2. Bryan Stevanus, 3. Peter Hattin, 4. Mike Norris, 5. Rick Seely // (2); 1. Mike Norris, 2. Tim Norris, 3. Peter Hattin, 4. Bryan Stevanus, 5. Rick Seely.
July 10, 2021 LATE MODELS: (1): 1. No. 89 Shawn Chenoweth, 2. No. 27m Mat Box, 3. No. 24 Kyle Steckly, 4. No. 2 Rick Burbridge, 5. No. 03 Jake Gilbert // (2): 1. No. 28 DJ Kennington, 2. No. 24 Kyle Steckly, 3. No. 2 Rick Burbridge, 4. No. 27 Kevin Albers, 5. No. 89 Shawn Chenoweth. SUPER STOCK: (1): 1. No. 93 Carson Nagy, 2. No. 73 Nick Troback, 3. No. 10 Dennis Cybalski, 4. No. 56 Kelsey Lamont, 5. No. 97 Austin Penny // (2): 1. No. 56 Kelsey Lamont, 2. No. 12 Justin Collison, 3. No. 73 Nick Troback, 4. No. 10 Dennis Cybalski, 5. No. 93 Carson Nagy. MINI STOCK: (1): 1. No. 32 Gillian Hils, 2. No. 76 Shawn Taylor, 3. No. 17 Dylan Sharpe, 4. No. 79 John Istead, 5. No. 8 Dale Millard // (2): 1. No. 76 Shawn Taylor, 2. No. 17 Dylan Sharpe, 3. No. 8 Dale Millard, 4. No. 32 Gillian Hils, 5. No. 18 Cole Quinton. PURE STOCK: (1): 1. No. 48 Connor Ellis, 2. No. 8 Kyle Lucas, 3. No. 90 Gary Slama, 4. No. 91 David Rockwood, 5. No. 50 Matt Longford // (2): 1. No. 91 David Rockwood, 2. No. 90 Gary Slama, 3. No. 8 Kyle Lucas, 4. No. 6 Wayde Thorne, 5. No. 73 Megan Mitchell. CANADIAN VINTAGE MODIFIEDS: (1) 1. No. 19 John Karley, 2. No. 15 TJ Marshall, 3. No. 5 Mike Podd, 4. No. 7 Quinton Murdock, 5. No. 18 Jerrid Morphy // (2): 1. No. 18 Jerrid Morphy, 2. No. 15 TJ Marshall, 3. No. 5 Mike Podd, 4. No. 24 Rodney Rutherford, 5. No. 8 Ricky Willigar. July 17, 2021 APC LATE MODELS: 1. Brandon Watson, 2. Pete Shepherd III, 3. Treyton Lapcevich, 4. Jordan Sims, Jo Lawrence // FAST Q: JR Fitzpatrick- 15.118s. CAN AM MIDGETS: 1. Daniel Hawn, 2. Brody Rickwood, 3. Adam Racine, 4. Jeff Blackburn, 5. Dominique Smith // HEATS: 1. A. Racine, 2. D. Hawn. MINI STOCKS: (1): 1. Dylan Sharpe, 2. Will Gibbons, 3. Jeff LaFlamme, 4. Karl Sault, 5. Gillian Hils // (2): 1. Dylan Sharpe, 2. Shawn Taylor, 3. Will Gibbons, 4. Gillian Hils, 5. Tyler Lewis. July 24, 2021 LATE MODEL: (1): 1. Kyle Steckly, 2. Kevin Albers, 3. Chris Howse, 4. Rick Burbridge, 5. David Gallinger // (2): 1. Kyle Steckly, 2. Rick Burbridge, 3. Kevin Albers, 4. Chris Howse, 5. Coltin Everingham. CANADIAN VINTAGE MODIFIEDS: (1): 1. Quinton Murdoch, 2. Jerrid Morphy, 3. TJ Marshall, 4. Daryl Henwood, 5. Mike Podd // (2): 1. Mike Podd, 2. Rick Willigar, 3. Jerrid Morphy, 4. Joe Arsenault, 5. Quinton Murdoch. SUPER STOCK: (1): 1. Justin Collison, 2. Carson Nagy, 3. Paul Boundy, 4. Kelsey Lamont // (2): 1. Justin Collison, 2. Carson Nagy, 3. Paul Boundy, 4. David Rockwood. MINI STOCK: (1): 1. Dylan Sharpe, 2. Gillian Hils, 3. Cole Quinton, 4. John Istead, 5. Mike Gilmour // (2): 1. Dylan Sharpe, 2. Gillian Hils, 3. Mike Gilmour, 4. John Istead, 5. Cole Quinton. PURE STOCK: (1): 1. Jordan Morris, 2. Matt Longford,
3. Scott Tonelli, 4. Phil Givens, 5. Bobby Mercer // (2): 1. Jordan Morris, 2. Phil Givens, 3. Kyle Lucas, 4. Matt Lamont, 5. Michael Neumeister. July 31, 2021 CANADIAN VINTAGE MODIFIEDS: (1): 1. TJ Marshall, 2. Joe Arsenault, 3. Rick Willigar, 4. Jake Gilbert, 5. Doug Hood // (2): 1. Quinton Murdock, 2. Joe Arsenault, 3. Jerrid Murphy, 4. Rick Willigar, 5. Mike Klotz. SUPER STOCKS: (1): Justin Collison, 2. Lane Zardo, 3. Dennis Cybalski, 4. Paul Boundy, 5. Carson Nagy // (2): 1. Lane Zardo, 2. Carson Nagy, 3. Steve Cashmore, 4. Justin Collison, 5. Johnny Morrison. MINI STOCKS: (1): 1. Shawn Taylor, 2. Gillian Hils, 3. John Istead, 4. Dale Millard, 5. Mike Gilmour // (2): 1. Shawn Taylor, 2. Gillian Hils, 3. Mike Gilmour, 4. John Istead, 5. Kaitlyn Wallace. PURE STOCKS: (1): 1. Reece Bourgeois, 2. Scott Tonelli, 3. Wayde Thorne, 4. Blair Mayhew, 5. Eric Stewart // (2): 1. Megan Mitchell, 2. Kyle Lucas, 3. Matt Langford, 4. Wayde Thorne, 5. Bobby Mercer. PRO 4 MODIFIEDS: (1): 1. Mark Lucas, 2. Shannon Morris, 3. Dan Pettit, 4. Ken Mercer // (2): 1. Dan Pettit, 2. Shannon Morris, 3. Mark Lucas, 4. Ken Mercer.
FULL THROTTLE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
July 10, 2021 LATE MODEL (1): 1. No. 34 TJ Edwards, 2. No. 01 Travis Farrow, 3. No. 88 Rick Bastein Jr., 4. No. 21 Logan White, 5. No. 50 Brad Taylor // (2): 1. No. 01 Travis Farrow, 2. No. 34 TJ Edwards, 3. No. 88 Rick Bastein Jr., 4. No. 21 Logan White, 5. No. 06 Kyle Woods. STREET STOCK (1): 1. No. 78 Larry Hartley, 2. No. 11 Ronald Parsons, 3. No. 14 Luke Bos, 4. No. 30 Jim Ferrier, 5. No. 16 Lucas Dillman // (2): 1. No. 11 Ronald Parsons, 2. No. 14 Luke Bos, 3. No. 16 Lucas Dillman, 4. No. 30 Jim Ferrier, 5. No. 14x Eppe Bos. MINI STOCK (1): 1. No. 47 Thomas Wunsch, 2. No. 7 Brian Wilson, 3. No. 5 Jeremie Duguay, 4. No. 3 Mitch Wilkins, 5. No. 34 Chris Pendelbury // (2): 1. No. 7 Brian Wilson, 2. No. 3 Mitch Wilkins, 3. No. 34 Chris Pendelbury, 4. No. 47 Thomas Wunsch, 5. No. 34 Brian Wilson. THUNDER TRUCK (1): 1. No. 7 Alex Hamilton, 2. No. 18 Jason Hale, 3. No. 78 Larry Hartley, 4. No. 83 Henk Bos, 5. No. 182 Lyle Lorenz // (2): 1. No. 7 Alex Hamilton, 2. No. 94 Mark Dixon, 3. No. 18 Jason Hale, 4. No. 66 John Green, 5. No. 78 Larry Hartley. CRAZY TRAINS: (1): 1. The Avengers, 2. The Crayon Crew, 3. Flirtin’ With Disaster, 4. Here We Go, 5. The Undertaker // (2): 1. The Avengers, 2. The Undertaker, 3. The Crayon Crew. July 17, 2021 VINTAGE LATE MODELS: (1): 1. No. 18 Billy Alderson Jr., 2. No. 4 Rob Wark, 3. No. 0 Bill Clarke // (2): 1. No. 18 Billy Alderson Jr., 2. No. 4 Rob Wark, 3. No. 0 Bill Clarke. THUNDER TRUCK: (1): 1. No. 94 Mark Dixon, 2. No. 7 Alex Hamilton, 3. No. 18 Jason Vale, 4. No. 3 Adam Hartley, 5. No. 83 Henk Bos // (2): 1. No. 18 Jason Vale, 2. No. 94 Mark Dixon, 3. No. 7 Alex Hamilton, 4. No. 66 John Green, 5. No. 83 Henk Bos. STREET STOCK: (1): 1. No. 16 Lucas Dillman, 2. No. 14 Luke Bos, 3. No. 11 Ronald Parsons, 4. No. 78 Larry Hartley, 5. No. 30 Jim Ferrier // (2): 1. No. 16 Lucas Dillman, 2. No. 14 Luke Bos, 3. No. 78 Larry Hartley, 4. No. 11 Ronald Parsons, 5. No. 8 Jade Richardson. ROOKIE STOCK: (1): 1. No. 22 Teegan Ellis, 2. No. 92 Kyle Flemming, 3. No. 16 Joseph Embros, 4. No. 78 Richard Geerlinks, 5. No. 6 Cooper Donaldson // (2): 1. No. 92 Kyle Flemming, 2. No. 19 Steve Hubbs, 3. No. 16 Joseph Embros, 4. No. 6 Cooper Donaldson, 5. No. 78 Richard Geerlinks. FUN STOCK: (1): 1. #62 Mark Merritt, 2. #0-?, 3. #18 Nathan Detwiler, 4. #2p Michael Peters, 5. #17-? // (2): 1. #0-?, 2. #17-?, 3. #18 Nathan Detwiler, 4. #2p Michael Peters, 5. #71-? MINI TRUCK (1): 1. #15 Kaisha Zimoch, 2. #29 Jake
Gillian Hils earned a Mini Stock win at Flamboro Speedway on July 10. Photo by Dave Franks Pardy, 3. #15 Tim Bourne // (2): 1. #15 Kaisha Zimoch, 2. #29 Jake Pardy, 3. #15 Tim Bourne. CRAZY TRAINS: (1): 1. The Avengers, 2. The Crayon Crew, 3. Here We Go, 4. Shaque & Bake, 5. The Undertakers // (2): 1. The Crayon Crew, 2. The Avengers.
GRAND BEND SPEEDWAY
July 04, 2021 PRO LATE MODEL: 1. No. 84 Ross Jacob, 2. No. 67 Jacob Kennedy, 3. No. 70 Gord Bennett. SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 77 Alvin McNicol, 2. No. 17 Miranda Gill. FOUR STOCK: 1. No. 71 Zach Hatch, 2. No. 50 Kris Lawrence, 3. No. 17 Hailey McNicol, 4. No. 07 Roland Goodfellow, 5. No. 52 Rick Vankleet. MINI TRUCK: 1. No. 49 Hayden Sim, 2. No. 15 Kaisha Zimoch, 3. No. 43 Carson Sim, 4. No. 24 Jessica Ferreira, 5. No. 67 Richard Baskett. JUNIOR LATE MODEL (1): 1. No. 7 James Relou, 2. No. 15 Caleb Goertz, 3. No. 53 Kara Martin, 4. No. 37 Del Freiberger, 5. No. 88 Ryder White // (2): 1. No. 37 Del Freiburger, 2. No. 7 James Relou, 3. No. 6 Will Quarrie, 4. No. 15 Caleb Goertz, 5. No. 88 Ryder White. JUNIOR SPRINTS: (1) 1. No. 4 Dylan Graham, 2. No. 15 Siobhan Alquire, 3. No. 77 Ryan McNicol, 4. No. 01 Logan Chapman, 5. No. 7 Ayden McNicol // (2): 1. No. 15 Siobhan Alquire, 2. No. 01 Logan Chapman, 3. No. 11 Colin Klumper, 4. No. 7 Ayden McNicol, 5. No. 5 Emma Graham. JUNIOR MINI TRUCKS: (1): 1. No. 16 Jolene Renou, 2. No. 51 Braydon Martin, 3. No. 77 Austin MacLennan, 4. No. 78 Lucas Chapman // (2): 1. No. 16 Jolene Renou, 2. No. 77 Austin MacLennan, 3. No. 51 Braydon Martin, 4. No. 78 Lucas Chapman. OUTLAW SPRINTS: 1. No. 78 Adam MacLennan, 2. No. 77 Austin MacLennan. PRO 4 MOD: 1. No. 28 Tate O’Leary, 2. No. 88 Ken Mercer.
HUMBERSTONE SPEEDWAY
July 30, 2021 KNIGHTS OF THUNDER SPRINT CARS: 1. No. 28 Jordan Poirier, 2. No. 13 Cory Turner, 3. No. 90 Travis Cunnigham, 4. No. 5d Jacob Dykstra, 5. No. 91 Ryan Turner // 1. No. 1 H. Porter, 2. No. 13 C. Turner, 3. No. 87 S. Evans. ACTION SPRINT TOUR: 1. No. 5d Jacob Dykstra, 2. No. 19d Allan Downey, 3. No. 45L Curtis Gartley, 4. No. 7 Eric Gledhill, 5. No. BS39 Brent Stratford // HEATS: 1. No. 56 D. Lemyre, 2. No. 49L Lucas Smith, 3. No. 5d J. Dykstra, 4. No. 19d Allan Downey // B-MAIN: No. 20 J. Miller. STREET STOCK: 1. No. 25 Ken Sargent, 2. No. 1j Jason Fontaine, 3. No. 49 Dave Bailey, 4. No. 03 Justin Ramsay, 5. No. 53 Wade Purchase // HEATS: 1. No. 79 C. Hale, 2. No. 25 K. Sargent, 3. No. 49 D. Bailey. MINI STOCK: 1. No. 96 Tyler Lafantaisie, 2. No. 21x Mark Bazuin, 3. No. 01 Tristan DaSilva, 4. No. 6x Mike Sarantakos, 5. No. 14L John Lubeck // HEATS: 1. No. 46 W. Thorne, 2. No. 96 T. Lafantaisie, 3. No. 114 K. Rothwell.
July 31, 2021 KNIGHTS OF THUNDER SPRINT CARS: 1. No. 28 Jordan Porier, 2. 14h Jim Huppunen, 3. No. 13 Cory Turner, 4. No. 91 Ryan Turner, 5. No. 68 Aaron Turkey // HEATS: 1. No. 28 J. Poirier, 2. No. 68 A. Turkey, 3. No. 88h J. Hansen. ACTION SPRINT TOUR: 1. No. 5d Jacob Dykstra, 2. No. 08 Steven Beckett, 3. No. 94 Ryan Fraser, 4. No. 74 Rob Neely, 5. No. 19d Allan Downey // HEATS: 1. No. 77t T. Powless, 2. No. 45L C. Gartley, 3. No. 94 R. Fraser, 4. No. 5d J. Dykstra // B-MAIN: No. 38 D. Miller. LATE MODEL: 1. No. 19 Rob Ledingham, 2. No. 69 Rob Pietz, 3. No. 48 Brett Hope, 4. No. 01 Eli Mayhew, 5. No. 0 John Pinnsoneault // HEATS: 1. No. 15 T. Gillespie, 2. No. 311 S. Pennacchio, 3. No. 00d J. Dale Jr.
LAKE OF THE WOODS SPEEDWAY
July 09, 2021 MIDWEST MODIFIEDS: 1. No. 44 Austin Hunter, 2. No. 4b Brandon Rehill, 3. No. 88 Tanner Williamson, 4. No. 20 Nick Audette, 5. No. 14 Edward Bell // HEAT: No. 4b B. Rehill. 4 CYLINDERS: 1. No. 25 Alexander Farr, 2. No. 33 Jake Mazur, 3. No. 17 Kamea Mulholland, 4. $01 Brady Park, 5. No. 18m Hayley Moncrief // HEAT: No. 25 A. Farr. PURE STOCK: 1. No. 24 Chris Thomas, 2. No. 28 Alex Mira, 3. No. 46 Michael Copp, 4. No. 55 Ken Lane, 5. No. 91b Bryson McDonald // HEAT: No. 46 M. Copp
LITTLE MIDDLETON RACEWAY
July 20, 2021 OPEN: 1. No. 77e Ashton Vanevery, 2. No. 34 Scott Chesterman, 3. No. 48L Lance Erskine, 4. No. 15 Brent Smith, 5. No. 1 Holly Porter // HEATS: 1. No. 34 S. Chesterman, 2. No. 0j J. Miller. BOX STOCK: 1. No. 13 Race McConnell, 2. No. 24K Kiana Teal, 3. No. 7s Sebastien Powless, 4. No. 56 Jeffrey Showler, 5. No. 96 Brennen Hagar // SEMIS: 1. No. 18 E. Dietze, 2. No. 56 J. Showler // HEATS: 1. No. 100 M. Dos Santos, 2. No. 87xs S. Evans. BEGINNERS: 1. No. 17z Zayden Miller, 2. No. 15g Grayson Huehn, 3. No. 92p Skye Giles, 4. No. 18g Grayson Powless, 5. No. 17xs Brock Pitts // SEMIS: 1. No. 17xs B. Pitts, 2. No. 15g G. Huehn // HEATS: 1. No. 27 R. Verberne, 2. No. 67 S. Maracle. July 27, 2021 OPEN: 1. No. 1 Holly Porter, 2. No. 5 Tom Pellizzari, 3. No. 31 Allison Jackson, 4. No. 34 Scott Atherton, 5. No. 14 Paige Smith // HEATS: 1. No. 1 H. Porter, 2. No. 34 S. Chesterman. BOX STOCK: 1. No. 96 Brennan Hagar, 2. No. 24k Kiana Teal, 3. No. 16 Aubry Smith, 4. No. 87xs Skyler Evans, 5. No. 56 Jeffery Showler // HEATS: 1. No. 96 B. Hagar, 2. No. 41 J. Burbridge // SEMIS: 1. No. 87xs S. Evans, 2. No. 88 R. Mercer. BEGINNERS: 1. No. 15g Grayson Huehn, 2. No. 29 Gwen Verberne, 3. No. 17z Zatden Miller, 4. No. 28 Chase InsideTrackNews.com 107
I RESULTS
July Short Track Round-Up Kennington, 5. No. 86 Riley Forth // HEATS: 1. No. 76 B. Hill, 2. No. 15g G. Huehn // SEMIS: 1. No. 17xs B. Pitts, 2. No. 28 C. Kennington.
MERRITVILLE SPEEDWAY
July 03, 2021 358 MODIFIEDS: 1. Mat Williamson, 2. Fred Carleton, 3. Mike Bowman, 4. Austin Wood, 5. Gary Lindberg // HEATS: 1. G. Lindberg, 2. T. Jones, 3. S. Wood. SPORTSMAN: 1. James Friesen, 2. Cody McPherson, 3. Justin Sharp, 4. Brent Begolo, 5. Ryan Ferri // HEATS: 1. R. Ferri, 2. D. Farraway, 3. B. Rouse, 4. J. Friesen. STOCKS: 1. Dave Bailey, 2. Rob Murray, 3. Kyle Pelrine, 4. Steve Shaw Sr., 5. Logan Schwedyk // HEATS: 1. S. Shaw Sr., 2. K. Wert, 3. L. Schwedyk, 4. D. Bailey. MOD LITES: 1. Brent Begolo, 2. Josh Sliter, 3. Chris Watson, 4. Shawn Sliter, 5. Jeffrey May // HEATS: 1. J. May, 2. J. Sliter. 4 CYLINDERS: 1. Kyle Rothwell, 2. Tyler Lafantaisie, 3. Kenny Hair, 4. Austyn Werstroh, 5. Leroy Buscumb // HEATS: 1. T. Lafantaisie, 2. D. Llord, 3. K. Hair. V6: 1. John Couture, 2. Jordan Fidler, 3. Dustin Duga, 4. Josh Dmytrow, 5. James Small // HEAT: D. Duga. July 10, 2021 KNIGHTS OF THUNDER 360 SPRINTS: 1. Jordan Poirier, 2. Jim Huppunen, 3. Mack DeMan, 4. Josh Hansen, 5. Cory Turner // HEATS: 1. J. Poirier, 2. C. Turner, 3. A. Turkey. ACTION SPRINT TOUR: 1. Jacob Dykstra, 2. Lucas Smith, 3. Nick Sheridan, 4. Jesse Costa, 5. Steven Beckett // HEATS: 1. S. Beckett, 2. N. Sheridan, 3. J. Dykstra, 4. DJ Christie. SPORTSMAN: 1. James Friesen, 2. Dave Flannigan, 3. Cody McPherson, 4. Brent Begolo, 5. Darrell Farraway // HEATS: 1. R. Knapp, 2. J. Mallory, 3. J. Panunte, 4. J. Friesen. STOCKS: 1. Rob Murray, 2. Dave Bailey, 3. Logan Schwedyk, 4. Chris Hale, 5. Ryan Beagle // HEATS: 1. J. Fontaine, 2. L. Schwedyk, 3. M. Fawcett, 4. D. Bailey. July 24, 2021 MODIFIEDS: 1. Gary Lindberg, 2. Mat Williamson, 3. Mike Bowman, 4. Tim Jones, 5. Pete Bicknell // HEATS: 1. M. Williamson, 2. G. Lindberg, 3. M. Bowman. SPORTSMAN: 1. Brad Rouse, 2. Cody McPherson, 3. Jay Mallory, 4. Brent Begolo, 5. Justin Sharp // HEATS: 1. B. Rouse, 2. G. Panunte, 3. J. Mallory. STOCKS: 1. Dave Bailey, 2. Rob Murray, 3. Mike Thorne, 4. Logan Shwedyk, 5. Ryan Beagle // HEATS: 1. K. Knapp, 2. J. Lafontaine, 3. D. Bailey. 4 CYLINDERS: 1. Tyler Lafantaisie, 2. Jay Moulton, 3. Austyn Werstroh, 4. Kyle Rothwell, 5. Leroy Buscumb // HEATS: 1. T. Lafantaisie, 2. D. Llord, 3. K. Rothwell. V6: 1. Dustin Duga, 2. John Couture, 3. Josh Dmytrow, 4. Alex Desroches, 5. Tina Ronning // HEAT: J. Fidler. MOD LITES: 1. Shawn Sliter, 2. Brent Begolo, 3. Jeffrey May, 4. Josh Sliter, 5. Tyler Winger // HEATS: 1. T. Winger, 2. J. May. July 31, 2021 358 MODIFIEDS: 1. Fred Carleton, 2. Pete Bicknell, 3. Mike Bowman, 4. Mat Williamson, 5. Scott Wood // HEATS: 1. T. Podwinski, 2. C. Chevalier, 3. S. Wood. SPORTSMAN: 1. Brent Begolo, 2. James Friesen, 3. Greg Panunte, 4. Brad Rouse, 5. Ryan Ferri // HEATS: 1. J. VanMil, 2. G. Panunte, 3. R. Ferri. STOCKS: 1. Dave Bailey, 2. Justin Ramsay, 3. Wade Purchase, 4. Evan Curtis, 5. Jim Lampman // HEATS: 1. D. Bailey, 2. S. Smolders, 3. C. Nicolls // B-MAINS: 1. K. Pelrine, 2. J. May. MOD LITES: 1. Randy Giroux, 2. RJ Pietz, 3. Brent Begolo, 4. Sean Iftody, 5. Jeffery May // HEATS: 1. C. Watson, 2. S. Iftody, 3. T. Winger. 4 CYLINDERS: 1. Kyle Rothwell, 2. Kenny Hair, 3. Austyn Werstroh, 4. Jay Moulton, 5. Fabio Olivieri // HEATS: 1. F. Olivieri, 2. T. Lafantaisie, 3. D. Llord // B-MAIN: M. Deagle. V6: 1. Dustin Duga, 2. Josh Dmytrow, 3. Cameron Lane, 4. Tina Ronning, 5. Zach Dmytrow // HEAT: J. Dmytrow.
PENTICTON SPEEDWAY
July 30, 2021 STREET STOCK: 1. No. 75 Graham Cook, 2. No. 4 Jeremy Small, 3. No. 15 Rhett Smith, 4. No. 67 Billy Coles, 5. No. 29 John Revell // HEATS: 1. No. 15 R. Smith, 2. No. 67 B. Coles. HORNETS: 1. No. 33 Pieter Vanderbroek, 2. No. 58 108 Inside Track Motorsport News
James Friesen scored a Sportsman class win at Merrittville Speedway on July 10. Photo by Alex & Helen Bruce Jason Thorpe, 3. No. 27 Mark Richmond, 4. No. 23 Jenn Chipurda, 5. No. 77 Bentan Atkinson // HEATS: 1. No. 23 J. Chipurda, 2. No. 33 P. Vanderbroek. HIT TO PASS: 1. No. 32 Rick Digby, 2. No. 99 Maaike Antonides, 3. No. 38d Josh Miller, 4. No. 69 Brennan Bischke, 5. No. 4 Frankie Moriarty // HEAT: No. 32 R. Digby.
PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY
July 10, 2021 SUPER STOCK: 1. Anthony DiBello, 2. Tyler Bouillon, 3. Rob Richards, 4. James Townsend, 5. Brad Stevenson // HEATS: 1 T. Bouillon, 2. M. Gordon, 3. A. DiBello, 4. M. Owen. MINI STOCK: 1. Ryan Oosterholt, 2. Jeremy Kelly, 3. Ember Junkin, 4. Brad Lavalle, 5. Kevin Strutt // HEATS: 1. R. Oosterholt, 2. E. Junkin, 3. R. Oosterholt, 4. E. Kearns. BONE STOCK: 1. Ryan Oosterholt, 2. Jake Kelly, 3. Shawn Solomon, 4. Sean Kennedy, 5. Angelo Novis // HEATS: 1. R. Oosterholt, 2. S. Solomon, 3. R. Oosterholt, 4. J. Kelly. ONTARIO LEGENDS: 1. Matt Haufe, 2. Nick Ledson, 3. Parker Traves, 4. Kevin Foisy, 5. Paul Pierik // HEATS: 1. M. Haufe, 2. N. Ledson, 3. M. Haufe, 4. N. Ledson. July 17, 2021 LATE MODEL: 1. Dan McHattie, 2. Bryan Mercer, 3. Robert Cousineau, 4. Kyle Batty, 5. Steve Powell // HEATS: 1. D. McHattie, 2. K. Batty, 3. D. McHattie, 4. B. Mercer. MINI STOCK: 1. Ryan Oosterholt, 2. Jeremy Kelly, 3. Brad Lavalle, 4. Ember Junkin, 5. Kevin Strutt // HEATS: 1. R. Oosterholt, 2. J. Kelly, 3. R. Oosterholt, 4. K. Strutt. BONE STOCK: 1. Ryan Oosterholt, 2. Jake Kelly, 3. Angelo Novis, 4. Mark Griffin, 5. John Lavalle // HEATS: 1. R. Oosterholt, 2. S. Solomon, 3. R. Oosterholt, 4. S. Solomon. ONTARIO MODIFIEDS: 1. John Baker Jr., 2. Alex Cuzzilla, 3. Rick Warnes, 4. Bob Franks, 5. Chad Strawn // HEATS: 1. C. Strawn, 2. A. Cuzzilla, 3. C. Strawn, 4. J. Baker Jr.
PETTY INT’L RACEWAY
July 10, 2021 PRO STOCK: 1. No. 83h Cory Hall, 2. No. 99 Craig Slaunwhite, 3. No. 08 Nicholas Naugle, 4. No. 2 Ashton Tucker, 5. No. 42 Kyle Reid. LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 53 Laurie Cormier, 2. No. 94 Deven Smith, 3. No. 78 Russell Smith Jr., 4. No. 65 Brandon Carter, 5. No. 85 Kenny MacKenzie Jr. EAST COAST MINI STOCK TOUR: 1. No. 51 Jesse Deveau, 2. No. 88 Kody Quinn, 3. No. 46 Ryan McKnight, 4. No. 99 Dave Matthews, 5. No. 17 Shay MacPhee. HOT ROD CLASSIC: 1. No. 33 Tylor Hawes, 2. No. 61 Jocelyn Laliberte, 3. No. 63 Jim Rankin, 4. No. 134 Pat Lawrence, 5. No. 66 Stephane Laliberte. BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 24 Ayden Christensen, 2. No. 71 Chase MacKay, 3. No. 8 Dawson Noble, 4. No. 88 Caden Tufts, 5. No. 3 Nathan Singer. BEGINNER BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 92 Ian Crawford, 2. No. 13 Rory Coates, 3. No. 86 Marco Doiron, 4. No. 14 Sam MacDonald.
July 11, 2021 STREET STOCK: 1. No. 60 Mike Weagle, 2. No. 68 Michael Cormier, 3. No. 99 Shawn Hyslop, 4. No. 85 Kenny MacKenzie Jr., 5. No. 55 James Matchett. MINI STOCK: 1. No. 88 Kody Quinn, 2. No. 33 Trevor Smith, 3. No. 66 Chris Garnett, 4. No. 46 Ryan MacKnight, 5. No. 01 Nick Brun. BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 53 Kelsea Lewis, 2. No. 23 Teagan Dempsey, 3. No. 92 Ian Crawford, 4. No. 13 Rory Coates, 5. No. 86 Marco Doiron. LEGENDS: 1. No. 98 Craig MacDonald, 2. No. 27 Austin MacDonald, 3. No. 66 Owen Mahar, 4. No. 38 Darren Sherwood, 5. No. 68 Michael Cormier. WOMEN ON WHEELS: 1. No. 88 Paula Evans, 2. No. 85 Hannah Gallant, 3. No. 33 Gail Thebeau, 4. No. 46 Rease Delahunt, 5. No. 48 Taylor Pridgeon. July 24, 2021 MINI STOCK: 1. No. 81 JR Lawson, 2. No. 30 Chantel Ackles, 3. No. 67 Cody Bryne, 4. No. 01 Nick Brun, 5. No. 46 Ryan McKnight. EASTERN LEGENDS: 1. No. 08 Brad Eddy, 2. No. 03 Colton Noble,3. No. 12 Sam Rogers, 4. No. 87 Danny Chisholm, 5. No. 51 Nathan Blackburn. BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 24 Ayden Christensen, 2. No. 71 Chase MacKay, 3. No. 8 Dawson Noble, 4. No. 39 Chase Livingston, 5. No. 88 Caden Tufts. BEGINNER BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 13 Rory Coates, 2. No. 14 Sam MacDonald, 3. No. 86 Marco Doiron. DEMO DERBY: Teagan Negus. ENDURO: Shane Donovan. July 31, 2021 PRO STOCK TOUR: 1. No. 53 Cole Butcher, 2. No. 2 Ashton Tucker, 3. No. 99 Craig Slaunwhite, 4. No. 54 Jarrett Butcher, 5. No. 83 Cory Hall // HEATS: 1. No. 8 K. Vincent, 2. No. 53 C. Butcher. MARITIME LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 1. No. 27 Austin MacDonald, 2. No. 98 Craig MacDonald, 3. No. 08 Brad Eddy, 4. No. 12 Sam Rogers, 5. No. 66 Owen Mahar. MINI STOCKS: 1. No. 0 Rob Poirier, 2. No. 46 Ryan McKnight, 3. No. 33 Trevor Smith, 4. No. 67 Cody Byrne, 5. No. 27 Matt Watson. OUTLAW BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 88 Caden Tufts, 2. No. 24 Ayden Christensen, 3. No. 71 Chase MacKay, 4. No. 8 Dawson Noble, 5. No. 39 Chase Livingston. BEGINNER BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 13 Rory Coates, 2. No. 41 Brayden Wadden, 3. No. 5 Ethan Hicken, 4. No. 14 Sam MacDonald.
SARATOGA SPEEDWAY
July 17, 2021 I-MODS: 1. No. 1 Geoff Morris, 2. No. 8 Brad Purdy, 3. No. 97 Mike Dionne, 4. No. 55 Kurt Rompain, 5. No. 98 Pat Brown // HEATS: 1. No. 46 R. Monks, 2. No. 8 B. Purdy. DWARF CARS: 1. No. 89 Mike Meeres, 2. No. 19 Stewart Lee, 3. No. 28 Dave Wright, 4. No. 93 Riley Windsor, 5. No. 17 Darian Zeinstra // HEATS: 1. No. 42 B. Scafe,
2. No. 15 J. Misener, 3. No. 28 D. Wright, 4. No. 17 D. Zeinstra. HORNETS- A: 1: 1. No. 87 Boston Larson, 2. No. 98 Nigel Neufeld, 3. No. 43 Wesley Pheaton, 4. No. 02 Colton Ohlman, 5. No. 39 Georgia Georgiev // HEAT: No. 43 W. Pheaton. HORNET- B: 1. No. 41 Ryder Lippy, 2. No. 80 Owen Hohnstein, 3. No. 30 Stephanie Addison, 4. No. 76 Taylor Pheaton, 5. No. 60 Brandon Hopp // HEATS: 1. No. 47 T. Lippy, 2. No. 03 A. Hoffman.
SAUBLE SPEEDWAY
July 03, 2021 UNITED 8s: 1. No. 26x Dalen Martin, 2. No. 26 Dave McMahon, 3. No. 15-?, 4. No. 17 Jennifer Hatch, 5. No. 99 Jaymee Adams // HEATS: 1. No. 26x D. Martin, 2. No. 15-?. COMBINED 4s: 1. No. 71 Cory McAllister, 2. No. 08 Pat Farrow, 3. No. 1 John Vandyck, 4. No. 71x Zach Hatch, 5. No. 17 Hailey McNicol // HEATS: 1. No. 08 P. Farrow, 2. No. 71 C. McAllister. OUTLAW MIDGETS: (1): 1. Larry Lawson, 2. Mike Bradley, 3. Richard Woodland, 4. Wayne McKibbon, 5. Rob Harrison // (2): 1. Mike Bradley, 2. Wayne McKibbon, 3. Richard Woodland, 4. Larry Lawson, 5. Rob Harrison // HEATS: 1. J. Bound, M. Bradley, 3. L. Lawson, 4. M. Bradley. July 10, 2021 UNITED 8: 1. No. 26m Dalen Martin, 2. No. 74 Jaeger McMaster, 3. No. 81 Andrew Gresel, 4. No. 26 Dave McMahon, 5. No. 16 Zack Casemore. COMBINED 4: 1. No. 711 Gary Jones, 2. No. 1x John VanDyk, 3. No. 49 Tom Eckensweiller, 4. No. 08 Pat Farrow, 5. No. 67 Kody Cook. JUNIOR LATE MODELS: 1. No. 63 Cole Burrows, 2. No. 8 Kyle Parker, 3. No. 7 Laila Walser, 4. No. 6 Tyler Gilliand, 5. No. 51 Cole Kamrath. July 17, 2021 COMBINED 4S: 1. No. 1x John Vandyk, 2. No. 07 Nic Ramsay, 3. No. 14 Glen Schmidt, 4. No. 67 Kody Cook, 5. No. 09 D&E Hackney. JUNIOR LATE MODELS: 1. No. 88 Ryder White, 2. No. 37 Del Frieburger, 3. No. 7 Laila Walser, 4. No. 51 Cole Kamrath, 5. No. 6 Tyler Gilliland. July 28, 2021 UNITED 8s: 1. No. 8 Jason Parker, 2. No. 36 Lane Zardo, 3. No. 51 Mark Ruigrok, 4. No. 00 Trevor Thomson, 5. No. 83 Johnny Morrison. COMBONED 4s: 1. No. 1 Karl Sault, 2. No. 71 Cory McAllister, 3. No. 24 Jeff Laflamme, 4. No. 46x Wayde Thorne, 5. No. 518 Steve Heard. MINI TRUCKS: 1. No. 49 Hayden Sim, 2. No. 43 Carson Sim, 3. No. 14 Aimee Cassidy, 4. No. 75 Tim Borne, 5. No. 67 Rick Baskett. JUNIOR LATE MODELS: 1. No. 8 Kyle Parker, 2. No. 37 Del Freiburger, 3. No. 15 Caleb Goetz, 4. No. 63 Cole Burrows, 5. No. 7 Laila Walser.
SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD
July 11, 2021 THUNDER & LIGHTNING: 1. No. 145 Travis Keefe (L), 2. No. 99 Darren Flemming (T), 3. No. 94 JJ MacPhee, 4. No. 158 Jamie Dillman, 5. No. 133 Tyler Hallahan // HEATS: 1. No. 158 J. Dillman, 2. No. 145 T. Keefe. LEGENDS: 1. No. 51 Braden Langille, 2. No. 12 Sam Rogers, 3. No. 3 Dylan Dowe, 4. No. 18 Josh Langille, 5. No. 87 Danny Chisholm // HEATS: 1. No. 12 S. Rogers, 2. No. 7 J. Cruikshank. BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 0 Tanton Woolridge, 2. No. 8 Dawson Noble, 3. No. 88 Caden Tufts, 4. No. 45 Brett Pashkoski, 5. No. 71 Chase MacKay // HEATS: 1. No. 0 T. Woolridge, 2. No. 77 B. Dowe. BEGINNER BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 19 Landon Pierce, 2. No. 41 Brayden Wadden, 3. No. 13 Avery Decoste, 4. No. 99 Bristol Matthews // HEAT: No. 19 L. Pierce.
Larry Lawson won race 1 (of 2) for the Outlaw Midgets at Sauble Speedway on July 3. Photo by Ashley McCubbin July 16, 2021 BEGINNER BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 41 Brayden Wadden, 2. No. 19 Landon Pierce, 3. No. 13 Avery DeCoste, 4. No. 14 Sam MacDonald, 5. No. 99 Bristol Matthews // HEAT: No. 14 S. MacDonald. BANDOLERO OUTLAWS: 1. No. 8 Dawson Noble, 2. No. 71 Chase MacKay, 3. No. 0 Tanton Woolridge, 4. No. 24 Ayden Christensen, 5. No. 03 Nate Singer. LIGHTNING: 1. No. 106 Marshall Bezanson, 2. No. 172 Chevy MacDonald, 3. No. 158 Jamie Dillman, 4. No. 145 Travis Keefe, 5. No. 147 Colin Matthews // HEATS: 1 No. 145 T. Keefe, 2. No. 106 M. Bezanson. THUNDER: 1. No. 99 Dave Matthews, 2. No. 0 Jason Pickles, 3. No. 17 A&A Charron // HEAT: No. 0 J. Pickles. LEGENDS: 1. No. 03 Colton Noble, 2. No. 44 Nathan Blackburn, 3. No. 08 Brad Eddy, 4. No. 7 Jeff Cruikshank, 5. No. 20 Devin Wadden // HEATS: 1. No. 03 C. Noble, 2. No. 12 S. Rogers. YOUNG LIONS LEGENDS: 1. No. 19 Nathan Langille, 2. No. 66 Owen Mahar, 3. No. 25 Gage Gilby, 4. No. 3 Dylan Dowe // HEATS: 1. No. 3 D. Dowe, 2. No. 19 N. Langille. July 25, 2021 SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 92 Pete Miller, 2. No. 14 Alex Johnson, 3. No. 94 Deven Smith, 4. No. 90 Wayne Miller, 5. No. 66 Jeffrey Breen // HEATS: 1. No. 66 J. Breen, 2. No. 90 W. Miller. THUNDER/ LIGHTNING: 1. No. 99 Dave Matthews, 2. No. 158 Jamie Dillman, 3. No. 145 Nick Hurshman, 4. No. 133 Tyler Hallahan, 5. No. 107 Kenny Hope // HEATS: 1. No. 107 K. Hopper, 2. No. 145 N. Hurshman. LEGENDS: 1. No. 08 Brad Eddy, 2. No. 44 Nathan Blackburn, 3. No. 12 Sam Rogers, 4. No. 87 Danny Chisholm, 5. No. 9 Andrew Lively // HEATS: 1. No. 18 J. Langille, 2. No. 87 D. Chisholm. BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 24 Ayden Christensen, 2. No. 8 Dawson Noble, 3. No. 77 Brooke Dowe, 4. No. 89 Emily Chisholm, 5. No. 88 Cayden Tufts // HEATS: 1. No. 8 D. Noble, 2. No. 71 C. MacKay. BEGINNER BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 41 Brayden MacDonald, 2. No. 14 Sam MacDonald, 3. No. 5 Ethan Hicken, 4. No. 13 Avery DeCoste, 5. No. 19 Landon Pierce // HEAT: No. 19 L. Pierce.
SPEEDWAY 660
July 17, 2021 ELITE PRO STOCK: 1. No. 2 Ashton Tucker, 2. No. 26 Brent Roy, 3. No. 48 Dave O’Blenis, 4. No. 23 Lonnie Sommerville, 5. No. 88 Kevin Moore // HEATS: 1. No. 26 B. Roy, 2. No. 1 R. Messer. LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 74 Alexandra O’Blenis, 2. No. 54 Clark Moore, 3. No. 48c Courtney O’Blenis, 4. No. 27 Curtis Collins, 5. No. 40 Richard Atkinson // HEATS: 1. No. 74 A. O’Blenis, 2. No. 27 C. Collins. STREET STOCKS: 1. No. 68 Michael Cormier, 2. No. 99
Shawn Hyslop, 3. No. 11 Caleb Urquhart, 4. No. 7 Tristan Harris, 5. No. 00 Karl Schaefer // HEATS: 1. No. 68 M. Cormier, 2. No. 38 J. Cole. SHARP SHOOTERS: 1. No. 33 Matt Martin, 2. No. 32 Darren Wilcox, 3. No. 68 Ryan Bernard, 4. No. 29 Ricky Arbeau, 5. No. 13 Austin Harnish // HEATS: 1. No. 83 B. Maillet, 2. No. 69 B. Gillespie, 3. No. 33 M. Martin. July 31, 2021 ATLANTIC MODIFIED TOUR: 1. No. 2W Chris Wilson, 2. No. 7 Travis Conroy, 3. No. 55 Zean Dutcher, 4. No. 58 Yves McCray, 5. No. 75 Doug Matchett. SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 74 Alexandra O’Blenis, 2. No. 40 Richard Atkinson, 3. No. 23 Drew Greenlaw, 4. No. 48c Courtney O’Blenis, 5. No. 42 Matt Rogers. STREET STOCKS: 1. No. 77 Riley Goodwin, 2. No. 11 Caleb Urquhart, 3. No. 41 Rob Raynes, 4. No. 7 Tristan Harris, 5. No. 25 Christian Savoie.
SUNSET SPEEDWAY
July 03, 2021 LIMITED LATE MODEL: 1. No. 2 Kendra Adams, 2. No. 23 Paul Maltese, 3. No. 69 Al Inglis, 4. No. 46 Billy Zardo, 5. No. 16 Dustyn Mombourquette. MINI STOCK: 1. No. 78 Matt Boyes, 2. No. 67 Josh Bullen, 3. No. 15 Charlie Smith, 4. No. 28 Connor Maltese, 5. No. 8jr Paul Bogensberger Jr. BONE STOCK: 1. No. 23 Matt Boyes, 2. No. 55 Brandon Steele, 3. No. 17 Aundrea Luck, 4. No. 25 John Bird, 5. No. 14 Karlie Wilman. JUNIOR LATE MODELS: 1. No. 7 Laila Walser, 2. No. 8 Kyle Parker, 3. No. 63 Cole Burrows, 4. No. 88 Ryder White, 5. No. 52 Keegan Moat. July 10, 2021 PRO LATE MODEL: 1. No. 29 Ryan Kimball, 2. No. 48x Dwayne Baker, 3. No. 8 Jordan Howse, 4. No. 17 Josh Stade, 5. No. 39 Travis Hallyburton. SUPER STOCK: 1. No. 07 Dan Archibald, 2. No. 83 Johnny Morrison, 3. No. 21 Matt Bentley, 4. No. 47 Tom Walters, 5. No. 36 Lane Zardo. MINI STOCK: 1. No. 5 Charlie Smith, 2. No. 67 Josh Bullen, 3. No. 8jr Paul Bogensberger Jr., 4. No. 6 Curtis Stewart, 5. No. 83 Cameron McGlashan. BONE STOCK: 1. No. 0x Phil Givens, 2. No. 23 Matt Boyes, 3. No. 9 Austin Jennett, 4. No. 14 Karlie Wilman, 5. No. 68 Jordan Owens. July 17, 2021 LIMITED LATE MODEL: 1. No. 31 Rick Spencer-Walt, 2. No. 46 Billy Zardo, 3. No. 49 Miles Tyson, 4. No. 16 Dustyn Mombourquette, 5. No. 4 Alex Hastie. MINI STOCK: 1. No. 10 Doug Butler, 2. No. 67 Josh Bullen, 3. No. 15 Charlie Smith, 4. No. 45p Bryan Penny, 5. No. 28 Connor Maltese. InsideTrackNews.com 109
I RESULTS
July Short Track Round-Up BONE STOCK: 1. No. 25 John Bird, 2. No. 23 Matt Boyes, 3. No. 55 Brandon Steele, 4. No. 55x Craig Cole, 5. No. 9 Austyn Jennett. July 25, 2021 ONTARIO OUTLAW SUPER LATE MODELS: 1. Ethan Courneyea, 2. Michael Wilkinson, 3. John Cadman, 4. Glenn Watson, 5. Sean Grosman. OSCAAR MODIFIEDS: 1. AJ Emms, 2. Kelly Balson, 3. Steve Lyons, 4. Jason Keen, 5. Coltin Everingham. OSCAAR HOT RODS: 1. Jesse Kennedy, 2. Amanda Balson 3. Tyler Hawn, 4. Steve Book, 5. Trevor Thompson.
THUNDER VALLEY SPEEDWAY (NL)
July 25, 2021 HOBBY STOCK: 1. No. 9 Roger Ryan, 2. No. 23 Jimmy Lee Sheppard, 3. No. 53 Clary Hunt, 4. No. 55 Ron Thomas, 5. No. 4 Ryan Sheppard // HEATS: 1. No. 96 K. Lane, 2. No. 9 R. Ryan // DASH: No. 77 B. Sheppard. SPORTSMAN: 1. 28 Todd Moss Jr., 2. No. 13 Colan Chranofsky, 3. No. 47 Brad Melendy // HEAT: No. 28 T. Moss Jr. BOMBER: 1. No. 10 Bern Quinlan, 2. No. 213 Jason Gedge, 3. No. 5 Damian Roberts, 4. No. 99 Tyler Cheeks, 5. No. 6 Tristan Hunt. LEGENDS: 1. No. 23 Michael Neary, 2. No. 02 Austin Hiscock, 3. No. 04 Grace Melendy // HEAT: No. 23 M. Neary. BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 05 Jacob Lawrence, 2. No. 12 Johnny Upshall, 3. No. 42 Alex Evans // HEATS: 1. No. 17 J. O’Leary, 2. No. 05 J. Lawrence // DASH: No. 10 P. Young.
WESTSHORE SPEEDWAY
July 03, 2021 DEMO C&T: 1. No. 24 Cody Young, 2. No. 12 Kenny Baker, 3. No. 56 Thomas Fanthorpe, 4. No. 42 Richard Morgan, 5. No. 78 George Haywood // HEATS: 1. No. 24 C. Young, 2. No. 95 B. Stidston. BOMBERS: 1. No. 73 Cam Stanfield, 2. No. 10 Craig Matthews, 3. No. 1 Dylan Ross, 4. No. 74 Mark Zacchigna, 5. No. 85 Jake Spring // HEATS: 1. No. 73 C. Stanfield, 2. No. 77 S. Campbell. CLAIMERS: 1. No. 73 Desiree Veld, 2. No. 81 Dustin Hortwig, 3. No. 12 Mike Dash, 4. No. 77 Joanna O’Brien, 5. No. 43 Lucas Dash // HEAT: No. 12 M. Dash. MF8: 1. No. 49 Tanner Jacobs, 2. No. 22 Riley Noyce, 3. No. 08 Daryn Cahill, 4. No. 11 Alex Gwilliam, 5. No. 86x Richard Carey // HEATS: 1. No. 13 B. Gnoinski, 2. No. 81 C. Carlson. July 10, 2021 LATE MODEL (1): 1. No. 16 Rory Smith, 2. No. 33 Dave Hemrich, 3. No. 4 Kyle Cottham, 4. No. 81 Jason Frost, 5. No. 10 Wes Mader // (2): 1. No. 33 Dave Hemrich, 2. No. 16 Rory Smith, 3. No. 36 Mike Haslam, 4. No. 81 Jason Frost, 5. No. 14 Brandon Carlson // HEATS: 1 No. 16 R. Smith, 2. No. 36 M. Haslam. STOCKS: 1. No. 22 Rhett Smith, 2. No. 16 Brenden Moore, 3. No. 43 Dave Reside, 4. No. 24 Cody Young, 5. No. 64 Mitch Melin // HEATS: 1. No. 98 B. Clutchey, 2. No. 22 R. Smith. HORNETS: 1. No. 15c Ashley Creed, 2. No. 89 Paul Flynn, 3. No. 6 Dylan Thorpe, 4. No. 66 Jenn New, 5. No. 15 Trent Fairclough // HEATS: 1. No. 9 J. Manuel-Mills, 2. No. 66 J. New. DWARF CARS: 1. No. 42 Brad Scafe, 2. No. 17 Darion Zeinstra, 3. No. 70 Jeff Von Kampen, 4. No. 28 Dave Wright, 5. No. 93 Riley Windsor // HEAT: No. 42 B. Scafe. July 17, 2021 STOCKS: 1. No. 22 Rhett Smith, 2. No. 43 Dave Reside, 3. No. 24 Cody Young, 4. No. 98 Brian Clutchey, 5. No. 33 Jeff Hamstra // HEATS: 1. No. 22 R. Smith, 2. No. 51 N. Perry. OTRA: 1. No. 24 Troy Tarbuck, 2. No. 25 George Jenson, 3. No. 04 Tracy Cessford, 4. No. 54 Doug Richens, 5. No. 35 Kail Beck // HEATS: 1. No. 93 R. Trotter, 2. No. 54 D. Richens. OUTLAW 4S: 1. No. 96 Alex Mouner, 2. No. 51 Jason Day, 3. No. 28 Sean Constantine // HEAT: No. 96 A. Mouner. HORNETS: 1. No. 66 Jenn New, 2. No. 16 Trent Fairclough, 3. No. 89 Paul Flynn, 4. No. 9 Jackson Manuel-Mills, 5. No. 26 Brady Wratter // HEATS: 1. No. 89 P. Flynn, 2. No. 66 J. New. BOMBERS: 1. No. 73 Cam Stanfield, 2. No. 15 Ryan Alex110 Inside Track Motorsport News
A.J. Emms won the OSCAAR Modified feature at Sunset Speedway on July 25. Photo by Steve Traczyk
ander, 3. No. 5 Rich Gerhardt, 4. No. 1 Dylan Ross, 5. No. 10 Craig Matthews // HEATS: 1. No. 3 T. Robinson, 2. No. 77 S. Campbell. CLAIMERS: 1. No. 81 Dustin Hartwig, 2. No. 12 Mike Dash, 3. No. 18 Dennis Stewart, 4. No. 73 Desiree Veld, 5. No. 43 Lucas Dash // HEAT: No. 72 D. O’Brien. July 22, 2021 HORNETS: 1. No. 18 Dave Featherby, 2. No. 77 Bryce Hobbs, 3. No. 16 Trent Fairclough, 4. No. 33 Maeva Legeault, 5. No. 15 David Newell // HEATS: 1. No. 26 B. Wratter, 2. No. 16 T. Fairclough. July 24, 2021 C&T Demo: 1. No. 95 George Haywood, 2. No. 24 Cody Young, 3. No. 12 Kenny Baker, 4. No. 42 Richard Morgan, 5. No. 54 Cory Truscott // HEAT: No. 12 K. Baker. CLAIMERS: 1. No. 12 Mike Dash, 2. No. 73 Desiree Veld, 3. No. 18 Dennis Stewart, 4. No. 21 Stephen Green, 5. No. 43 Lucas Dash // HEAT: No. 21 S. Green. BOMBERS: 1. No. 73 Cam Stanfield, 2. No. 74 Mike Zacchigna, 3. No. 10 Craig Matthews, 4. No. 4 Tyler Kambo, 5. No. 15 Ryan Alexander // HEATS: 1. No. 73 C. Stanfield, 2. No. 10 C. Matthews. MF8: 1. No. 08 Daryn Cahill, 2. No. 49 Tanner Jacobs, 3. No. 13 Ben Gnoinski, 4. No. 42 Sean Williams, 5. No. 81 Chevy Carlson // HEATS: 1. No. 49 T. Jacobs, 2. No. 22 R. Noyce.
WYANT GROUP RACEWAY
July 03, 2021 PRO TRUCKS: 1. No. 92 Brennan Kirton, 2. No. 10 Rob Naismith, 3. No. 91 Mitch Bone, 4. No. 2 Dusty Carrier, 5. No. 01 Alex Leschenko // HEATS: 1. No. 01 A. Leschenko, 2. No. 91 M. Bone // FAST Q: No. 92 B. Kirton- 15.900s. MINI STOCKS: 1. No. 6 Trent Pitchko, 2. No. 17 Dorian Andre, 3. No. 8 Braxton Clewes, 4. No. 10 Lachlyn Anderson // HEATS: No. 10 L. Anderson (2). STREET STOCKS: 1. No. 86 Bryan Johnson, 2. No. 22 Ryan Fredrickson, 3. No. 1 Scott Barrand, 4. No. 37 Scott Kozak, 5. No. 18 Mike Rea // HEATS: 1. No. 18 M. Rea, 2. No. 22 R. Fredrickson // FAST Q: No. 1 S. Barrand-16.429s. RACE YOUR JUNK: 1. No. 95 Hunter Goodall, 2. No. 74 Riley Freer, 3. No. 7 Lindon Goodall, 4. No. 54 Curtis Speidel, 5. No. 22 Chris Tetlock // HEAT: No. 95 H. Goodall. July 11, 2021 PRO TRUCKS: 1. No. 92 Brennan Kirton, 2. No. 2 Dusty Carrier, 3. No. 23 Cole Nixey, 4. No. 27 Mitch Stewart, 5. No. 91 Mitch Bone // HEATS: 1. No. 23 C. Nixey, 2. No.
91 M. Bone. STREET STOCKS: 1. No. 86 Bryan Johnson, 2. No. 22 Ryan Fredrickson, 3. No. 37 Scott Kozak, 4. No. 1 Scott Barrand, 5. No. 18 Mike Rea // HEATS: 1. No. 86 B. Johnson, 2. No. 37 S. Kozak, 3. No. 22 R. Fredrickson, 4. No. 18 M. Rea. SASKATCHEWAN LEGENDS: 1. No. 21 Blake Erb, 2. No. 25 Hayden Hoogeveen, 3. No. 29 Udi Saadon, 4. No. 27 Jody Stewart, 5. No. H20 Darrell Buckingham (DNS) // HEATS: No. 21 B. Erb (2) // TIME TRIALS: No. 21 B. Erb. BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 16 Jaydon Ewen, 2. No. 51 Grayson Jewell, 3. No. 27 Nevaeh Stewart, 4. No. 15 Henry Neufeld, 5. No. 24 Leni Carrier // HEATS: No. 16 J. Ewen (2). July 17, 2021 SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 93 Neil Schneider, 2. No. 19 Aaron Anderson, 3. No. 49 Shantel Kalika, 4. No. 51 Sam Howlett, 5. No. 52 Ryley Schneider // HEATS: 1. No. 93 N. Schneider, 2. No. 19 A. Anderson. SUPER TRUCKS: 1. No. 76 Dusty O’Connell, 2. No. 14 Ron Larson, 3. No. 20 Neil Fitzgerald, 4. No. 2 Brain Sparks, 5. No. 43 Terry Kovachs // HEATS: 1. No. 11 C. Keller, 2. No. 43 T. Kovachs, 3. No. 15 T. Goguen, 4. No. 2 B. Sparks // FAST Q: No. 76 D. O;Connell. MINI STOCKS: 1. No. 10 Lachlyn Anderson, 2. No. 6 Trent Pitchko, 3. No. 8 Braxton Clewes, 4. No. 21 Dakota Wollf // HEATS: 1. No. 10 L. Anderson, 2. No. 6 T. Pitchko. BANDOLEROS: 1. No. 16 Jaydon Ewen, 2. No. 88 Tanner Emond, 3. No. 51 Grayson Jewell, 4. No. 27 Nevaeh Stewart, 5. No. 15 Henry Neufeld // HEATS: 1. No. 51 G. Jewell, 2. No. 16 J. Ewen. July 24, 2021 SUPER LATE MODELS: 1. No. 8 Kelly Admiraal, 2. No. 04 Tim Kammer, 3. No. 97 Jarred Reddekopp, 4. No. 84 AJ Morrison, 5. No. 10 Kevin Dyck // HEATS: 1. No. 55 J. Gaunt, 2. No. 8 K. Admiraal, 3. No. 12 M. Shirley, 4. No. 10 K. Dyck. SPORTSMAN: 1. No. 51 Sam Howlett, 2. No. 93 Neil Schneider, 3. No. 19 Aaron Anderson, 4. No. 4 Tony Mikulcik, 5. No. 52 Ryley Schneider // HEATS: 1. No. 51 S. Howlett, 2. No. 93 N. Schneider. STREET STOCK: 1. No. 22 Ryan Fredrickson, 2. No. 86 Bryan Johnson, 3. No. 1 Scott Barrand, 4. No. 18 Mike Rea, 5. No. 42 Kohl MacLaggan // HEATS: 1. No. 1 S. Barrand, 2. No. 42 K. MacLaggan. PRO TRUCKS: 1. No. 10 Rob Naismith, 2. No. 23 Cole Nixey, 3. No. 92 Brennan Kirton, 4. No. 2 Dusty Carrier, 5. No. 27 Mitch Stewart // HEATS: 1. No. 10 R. Naismith, 2. No. 23 C. Nixey. IT
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