QWICK WICK, DIRTCAR & MORE

Celebrating Champions On Asphalt And Dirt

PETE VANDERWYST – QWICK WICK SUPER STOCKS

PeteVanderwyst completed an intense five-race schedule by winning the second official Qwick Wick Super Stock Series championship. The St. Thomas, ON driver started the season with finishes of fourth at Flamboro Speedway and fifth at Peterborough Speedway, before encountering issues in the middle race of the season, at Delaware Speedway.

“We had tested, we were in really good shape, then we had a rightfront spring collapse,” said Vanderwyst. “(That) was really disheartening for us, being our home track, we would’ve run really well there.”

Vanderwyst finished eighth in that event, where tire management became another challenge. The team wrecked a tire in that race but wasn’t allowed to replace it due to a tire shortage, which he says caused issues for a lot of drivers.

Following another eighth-place result, at Sunset Speedway, Vanderwyst entered the Delaware finale in a tight championship battle; he was third in the standings, despite being just two points back of leader Gerrit Tiemersma.

Vanderwyst ran second for most of the race, leading eight laps before crossing the start-finish line in the runner-up position. He was later credited with the win, after Rick Spencer-Walt was disqualified.

“(We had) a top-10 in all the races, finished all the laps and we were fortunate enough to end up on top,” said Vanderwyst. “At the end of the day, the goal at the beginning of the season was to win as many races as we could and let the points fall where they’d fall.”

While he doesn’t worry much about points when he’s racing, it doesn’t mean the championship was no big deal.

“It was a great feeling; it was a great accomplishment for our whole team and the program that we put together,” said Vanderwyst.

Vanderwyst plans to defend his title next season, while also running some of the specials.

CODY MCPHERSON – DIRTCAR SPORTSMAN SERIES

A strong Super DIRT Week performance highlighted a second DIRTcar Sportsman Series championship for Cody McPherson.

The St. Catharines, Ont. driver got off to a rough start in the Fall Championships portion of the schedule, at Fulton Speedway, before starting the prestigious Super DIRT Week with a win at Weedsport Speedway. He then led every lap of the Chevy Performance 75 at Oswego Speedway, the main Sportsman Series event during Super DIRT Week.

“When we got wrecked at Fulton, it put us behind the eight ball, we lost our points lead and lost a bunch of points to other drivers,” said McPherson. “Definitely made us work harder. We knew we had to have a good DIRT Week to even have a chance at the championship and, luckily, we had a good DIRT Week.”

A fourth-place result in the next race, back on home turf at the Brockville Fall Nationals, clinched the Sportsman Series title for McPherson.

“It felt great; winning (the championship) just proved that all the hard work paid off and that we were the best of the best,” he said.

McPherson finished 17 points ahead of Zach Sobotka, on the strength of 16 feature wins across the Fall Championships, Western Region and the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly events. While he won the championship in 2012, there are a couple of key differences between the two titles.

“This is a first for me as being my own car owner,” he said. “Back then it was (also) more of a travelling series…this one was a little bit harder because you had to make sure you performed in your region shows; you want to max out on all your bonus points.”

McPherson says he’ll probably run a similar schedule next season, sticking with DIRTcar Sportsman.

KEVIN TREVELLIN – ONTARIO SPORTSMAN SERIES

It was a dream season for Kevin Trevellin in the Ontario Sportsman Series (OSS). The veteran racer entered 2022 searching for the first touring series victory of his 30-plus year career. After four top-five finishes in the first five races, he broke through for that maiden win at Peterborough Speedway.

“I had discussions with Mike McColl about some setup stuff…and I wasn’t too far off from where they would be,” said Trevellin. “I just made a few little adjustments and, at Peterborough, we were able to put four brand new tires on, which is something that I can rarely afford and haven’t done in a long time.”

While that first win was special, the people he knew at the track made it a little more meaningful when he scored his second career victory in the next race, at Delaware Speedway. He continued to reach new heights in his racing career just two events later, when he clinched his first touring series title.

“It was amazing; I’ve been at this for so long, (there were) so many disappointments and it was quite the relief to win,” he said. “I’ve got a picture of myself sitting on the car and I couldn’t believe it, everything just went so well the last part of the season, it was just wild.”

Trevellin says he’ll defend his OSS title next season, in the same car, and he’s also rebuilding his super stock for Delaware Speedway action. While it’s been a long time since his CASCAR debut in 1992, he finally enters an off-season as a champion.

“I’ve been told numerous times that I should just quit, give up – you don’t do very well,” he said. “Don’t ever give up on what you want… keep your passion up, keep trying, because one day you’ll persevere.”

DAVID HEBERT – 358 MODIFIED CHALLENGE

David Hebert won the inaugural 358 Modified Quebec-Ontario Challenge championship, in what could be considered a long-awaited title defense. Hebert was competitive out of the gate, winning the first event of the five-race schedule, held during the Quebec Bowl Weekend at Autodrome Granby. He then had his worst result of the season, finishing eighth at Cornwall Motor Speedway.

Runner-up finishes at Le RPM Speedway and Autodrome Drummond gave Hebert a five-point lead over Steve Bernier entering the finale, at Brockville Ontario Speedway. He finished third in the Brockville Fall Nationals event to clinch the championship.

Hebert credits consistency as his key to success, having finished on the podium in all but one race. He says that he’s considered a competitive driver at every event and that he had an excellent season overall, with 13 wins across various series.

Bernier finished fourth in the finale, capping off a season where both drivers had one win and four top-five finishes, finishing next to each other in every race. When asked about the biggest challenge that he overcame in his championship battle, Hebert cited the competition in the series.

“To fight race after race with Steve Bernier, who is always a great competitor and hard to beat,” said Hebert.

While this was the series’ first season, it’s not completely new. The promoters of the five tracks on the schedule decided to launch the tour after the return of the Canadian 358 Modified Series, which had not seen action in the last 13 years, was delayed to 2023.

Hebert won the last title in that formerly named Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Series in 2009, following championships in 2006 and 2008. The Quebec driver says he’ll race at his local tracks in 2023, while competing in some big shows at various tracks. IT