Brighton Applefest

(Above) Bobby Harrington won the 35 lap DIRTcar Sportsman main at Brighton Speedway’s Applefest Weekend. Photos Courtesy of Brighton Speedway

Bobby Harrington Wins 35-lap DIRTcar Sportsman Main Event

Story by Nicole Kleinsteuber, with Contributions from Tim Baltz

The biggest weekend in racing at Brighton Speedway was a thrilling affair, with Applefest taking place September 23-24.

Justin Cyr was the early pace setter in Saturday’s 35-lap DIRTcar Sportsman feature. On Lap 5, Bobby Herrington took the lead and started to pull away, while using the outside lane, as Justin and Gabriel Cyr put on a great battle for second. Michael Dillon brought out the first caution, setting up a restart, where Herrington was in control once again, as Gabriel Cyr took second.

Herrington marched away and built up a sizeable advantage. On Lap 23, things got interesting as Brennan Moore was involved in an accident on the backstretch. Herrington was taken off the track as he tried to avoid a spinning Jamie Young, but was able to keep going and hold the lead as the yellow flag flew. When the green waved, it was Herrington again in front.

Herrington proved to be too strong on this night; he marched on to become the first driver since Cody McPherson to sweep the DIRTcar Sportsman portion of Applefest weekend. Gabriel Cyr finished a career-best second, while Brad Rouse had 24 Inside Track Motorsport News a third-place result.

Johnathon Ferguson took the lead, from the outside pole, at the start of the 75-lap DIRTcar 358 Modified feature. Ferguson was working the top side of the speedway perfectly in the early laps. On Lap 15, 2019 champion Chris Raabe was on the move, taking third from Erick Rudolph. Raabe continued his charge forward and, on Lap 21, would use the bottom to take the lead and begin a dominant run.

Nearing the halfway point, Raabe began to enter traffic. Derek Vanmill, Chris Herbison, Jarrett Herbison and Todd Gordon all spun heading into turn three and Raabe was able to somehow get by without issues. As the laps clicked off, it became clear that it was going to take something major for anyone to catch Raabe. He authored a dominant performance in the win, ahead of Rudolph and David Hebert. Gary Lindberg scored the 10-lap Dash for Cash victory on Friday night.

Charlie Sandercock led the field to green in the 50-lap Northeast Late Model Alliance Great Crate race. The driver punched on the gas as his contenders hunted him down. Sandercock and Brandon Mowat tossed the lead back-and-forth, with Sandercock sailing to victory lane. Andrew Hennessy finished second, with Steve Baldwin third. Sandercock also won the LMNA ten-lap Dash for Cash on Friday night.

Shawn Gregory had the early lead in a 30-lap Canadian Modified/UMP series race and took the victory, with Ron Wadforth in second. Joel Dick parked it in a ten-lap Mod Dash for Cash on Friday night.

Justin Ramsay was bent and bound to sweep the Applefest Shootout weekend for the first time in his Thunderstock career. Following a pass for the lead with one lap to go on Apples Eve, Ramsay was quick to take the lead on Saturday, as he bolted to victory lane in the 40-lap Insta Panel Duel in the Dirt 40-lap main.

Pierre Picard drove hard on the high side to victory lane in the Mini Stock/ Comp 4 20-lap main, while Mini Stock champ Carter Rhodes was victorious on Apples Eve in the Insta Panels Duel in the Dirt Mini Stock 20lap main.

And the Eastern Ontario Vintage Stock Car Club was on hand for a 20-lap feature event on Friday. Jason Riddell’s car broke while leading, giving the spot to Brandon Gregory, who held off repeated challenges to collect the win. Greg Hale scored the victory in the 50/60 Vintage division. IT

Canadians Raabe and McPherson Star at Brockville Ontario Speedway

Story by Tim Baltz

It was a big weekend for Canadians Chris Raabe and Cody McPherson during the Brockville Fall Nationals, which took place on October 14-15 at Brockville Ontario Speedway.

DIRTCAR 358 MODIFIEDS

Raabe led early on Night 1, moving to the bottom line as it gained rubber during a 62lap green flag run. Traffic became a factor down the stretch in the 75-lap contest, but Raabe was able to hold on for the win.

“I knew I had to try to protect the bottom because that’s where the rubber was,” he said. “I felt confident that as long as I had a lap car beside me, it was going to be awfully hard for anyone to make a move.”

Night 2 featured 100 laps of racing, with $10,000-to-win. Raabe and David Hebert battled for the lead early before Hebert’s car caught fire, from the lead, on Lap 46. Raabe pulled away from Tim Fuller on the restart; he had a versatile car, which he says is key for long races, allowing the car to move between lanes. With a strong car and no concern about the threat of lap traffic, Raabe grabbed another victory.

“Any time you go to a big weekend, like the Fall Nationals, you hope that you can maybe win one night,” he said. “But you certainly don’t expect to sweep the weekend, so it was a pleasant surprise.”

Dave Marcuccilli clinched the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series championship by finishing 12th.

DIRTcar 358 Modifieds winner Chris Raabe (above) and DIRTcar Sportsman Series champion Cody McPherson (below) were big winners at the Brockville Fall Nationals. Photos by Rick Young

DIRTCAR SPORTSMAN SERIES

Shane Pecore led early in the 50-lap race on night one, before a caution on lap eight set up a series of restarts that would create great battles up front. Bobby Herrington passed Pecore on Lap 18 before Pecore took the spot back at the halfway mark. Herrington made another pass on Lap 43, before a green-white-checkered finish was required.

Herrington pulled away to his ninth win of the year and clinched the track’s Ogilvie’s Sportsman Series title in the process. Pecore finished a hard-fought second.

Night 2 saw another 50-lap event for the division, where Cody McPherson entered with a 16-point lead over Zach Sobotka in the DIRTcar championship battle. Cedric Gauvreau passed Jessica Power for the lead after the start, before Herrington took the top spot on Lap 16. A restart on Lap 34 created a close battle between Herrington and Sam Charland before Herrington pulled away.

The closing laps saw Sobotka running third, but McPherson stayed right with him in fourth. Herrington went on to win the race, while McPherson clinched his second career DIRTcar Sportsman Series title.

“You have goals but you just don’t know how they will turn out,” McPherson told DIRTcar Racing. “We started from the very first race. We knew what we had to do to get the most points and what races we needed to make this all happen. It just worked out and thanks to all that helped me as well. What a year.”

There was a key difference for McPherson’s second title, as he says it means a little bit more that he ran his own program for the 2022 campaign, a move that he made about three years ago before pandemic delays.

OTHER DIVISIONS

The Brockville Fall Nationals featured more than just the 358 Modifieds and Sportsman Series. On night one, victories were claimed by Justin Ramsay in Street Stock (25 laps), Mason Barkley in 50s/60s Vintage (20 laps) and Jason Riddell in 70s/80s Vintage (25 laps).

The second night saw Kevin Fettery Jr. win a 30-lap race for the DIRTcar Pro Stocks, while Hayden Brown won a 15-lapper for the Mini Stock division. IT InsideTrackNews.com 25