Autumn Colours Classic

(Above) J.R. Fitzpatrick flashes the No. 1 sign as he takes the checkered flag to win the Electric City 167. Photo by Greg MacPherson

FITZPATRICK WINS ELECTRIC CITY 167

Peterborough Speedway: Autumn Colours Classic

Story by Jim Clarke

Afresh, fall day dawned – Sunday, October 9 – with nothing but the final events of the 29th edition of the Lucas Oil Autumn Colours Classic on the agenda at Canada’s toughest 1/3-mile oval, as a strong crowd packed the stands at Peterborough Speedway.

With Chris Milwain and Luke Gignac on the front row, the OSCAAR Modifieds rolled to the line for a 50-lap feature to get the final day of action underway. Milwain led through the event’s early stages, with the No. 14 of AJ Emms and Andy Kamrath, in the No. 35 ride, marching towards the front of the field. Emms was running second, with Kamrath third at the halfway mark.

As the leaders started to work through slower traffic, Kamrath moved into the lead and had a straightaway advantage with 39 laps complete. Not even a late-race caution flag – with less than a handful of laps remaining – would keep Kamrath from the win and the 2022 OSCAAR Modified title. Emms, Colton Everingham, T.J. Edwards and Dale Reinhart completed the top five.

David Rockwood and Phil Givens led the way as the Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stockers rolled from the staging area for their 40-lap Autumn Colours feature tilt. Givens took the early lead but surrendered the spot to Rockwood with seven circuits on the scoreboard. A yellow flag just one lap later brought the field back together, with Kyle Neumeister taking the lead on the restart.

David Booth took over the top spot at the halfway mark and survived a pair of late-race caution flags for the checkered flag. Craig Cole, Steve Finnegan, Eric Stewart and Spencer Riddell were next across the line. Though Booth, No. 26, was the first car across the line, he was disqualified for a technical violation discovered in post-race inspection. Cole, No. 55, was credited with the win.

Front row starters J.R. Fitzpatrick and multi-time Peterborough Speedway track champion Dan McHattie showed the way as the Electric City 167 Late Model shootout took centre stage. A quick yellow flag slowed the pace early but, for the most part, the longest race distance that many of the 19 racers in the starting field will ever run was a steady affair.

Fitzpatrick’s No. 84 machine built-up a strong advantage and had started working through the tail-end of the field with 14 laps complete. Gord Shepherd moved into the runner-up position and set his sights on Fitzpatrick.

There were a few more yellow flags before the competition caution brough the pack back together, but there was no match for J.R. Fitzpatrick – the 2022 APC Pro Late Model Series champion – who led every lap on his way to the win. Shepherd held on for the second-place finish, 2021 event winner Ryan Kimball was third, with Travis Hallyburton fourth. Connor James – who marched to the front of the field after experiencing issues in qualifying and starting at the back of the pack – completed the top five.

Dawson Drimmie and Jordan Latimer had the front row starting spots for the weekend’s second 30-lap Trailers Plus Canadian Legend Car Series feature run. Off the initial green flag, Drimmie and inside second row starter Hudson Nagy ran side-by-side for the opening lap, before Nagy took the lead.

A yellow flag with five laps complete slowed the pace and saw Drimmie take the lead on the restart, before Cole McFadden took over the position.

The leaders started working through the tail-end of the field just past the halfway mark, with Adam Cuthbertson taking the lead. The driver of the No. 79 machine held on for the win, with McFadden, Drimmie, Nick Portt and Jordan Latimer completing the top five.

Even though he didn’t participate at Autumn Colours, Parker Traves was named the 2022 Trailers Plus Canadian Legend

(Top, left) Shawn Chenoweth was the man to beat in Super Stock action at the ACC. Photo by Greg MacPherson (Top, right) The Autumn Colours Classic is the province’s best attended and final asphalt ‘special’ of the Ontario racing season. Photo by Dave Franks (Above, left) Andy Kamrath cruised to the OSCAAR Modified win and the 2022 points championship. Photo by Dave Franks (Above, right) Following the DQ of the driver who took the checkered flag, Craig Cole was credited with the Bone Stock feature win. Photo by Dave Franks

Car Series champion. With his fifth-place main event finish, Jordan Latimer clinched third-place in the overall standings and was named the 2022 rookie of the year.

Todd Davenport and Lane Zardo brought the 15-car KOD Disposal Super Stock 50-lap ‘A’ main to the line. Zardo picked up the early lead, with the crowd watching strong runs by Rick Spencer-Walt and Shawn Chenoweth. Following the race’s first caution flag, Chenoweth took the lead away from Zardo, with slower traffic becoming an issue with just less than 20 laps remaining. Zardo snatched the top spot back following a lap 38 yellow flag, but a short time later, mechanical issues forced the No. 36 machine behind the wall.

Chenoweth and Spencer-Walt swapped the lead back-and-forth several times before running out of laps for another change. Shawn Chenoweth earned the traditional crown that goes to the Autumn Colours Classic Super Stock feature winner, with Spencer-Walt, Davenport, Paul Pepper and Brian Wilson completing the top five.

As the top finishing Peterborough Speedway regular, Paul Boundy, in the No. 08, earned a $250 bonus from Larry Crowe Jr. with his sixth-place effort.

With 67 laps on the table – in memory of Melissa Bullen – the Jiffy Lube Mini Stock field came to the stripe with Josh Bullen and Chandler Bos on the front row. Following an early yellow flag, for an issue in the third turn, James Townsend took control of the field with Josh Bullen, Johnny Paradzinski, Shawn Taylor and Bobby Mercer hot on his tail.

With 28 starters taking the initial green flag, attrition was a major factor on the day as several top runners fell out of the field. Townsend – who had claimed the Peterborough Speedway Late Model track championship a month earlier – survived a late-race caution flag and held off a hard charging Nolan Gould to take the win. Paradzinski was third, with Taylor and Mercer completing the top five.

The final main event of the 29th Autumn Colours Classic was a 40-lap headliner for the OSCAAR Hot Rod teams. As Tyler Hawn and Tom Walters attempted to bring the field to the Great Canadian RV green flag, an impromptu rain shower delayed the start of the event, but fans were still treated to an entertaining end to the weekend.

Hawn took the early lead, with Walters and Bill Zardo Sr. – a pair of Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame inductees – making headlines. Just as the leaders were working through the tail of the field, the race’s only yellow flag flew. Not even that slowdown could keep Tyler Hawn – the 2017, 2018 and 2019 series champion – from victory lane, with Big Bill, Stompin’ Tom, Steve Book and J.R. Fitzpatrick next across the line.

The fourth-place finish clinched a second straight OSCAAR Hot Rod Series title for the No. 47 of Steve Book. The driver from Brantford, Ont. recorded a win and seven top five finishes in 12 races this season. IT

(Below) Adam Cuthbertson took the lead near the halfway point of the Canadian Legend Car Series, en route to the win. Photo by Greg MacPherson