CANADIAN SUPER TRUCK SERIES

Tight Points Race Atop Western Short Track Championship

Stories by Robert K. Rooney

TheCanadian Super Truck Series, supported by Allied Industrial Technologies, is five races into its 2023 campaign and who will end up as champion is anybody’s guess. Dean Braham of Kelowna, BC sits atop the standings with 1004 points, but he is only four points up on Dusty O’Connell of Wainwright, AB. The other Wainwright O’Connell, Kyle, is only ten points out of the lead.

Dusty O’Connell started out the right way by winning the Penticton opener on May 20. His No. 76 was trailed by Kyle’s No. 67 with Braham third in the No. 44. Braham topped time-ins, though, but didn’t fare well in the heat race won by Kyle O’Connell.

The next race was two provinces over, at Sutherland Automotive Speedway in Saskatoon, SK. This time it was Kyle O’Connell’s No. 67 first to the chequers with Dusty’s No. 76 the runnerup. Both O’Connell trucks started in the third row, so had some work to do to get to the front. Dave Vennard of Sherwood Park qualified quickest and wheeled the No. 7 to the win in heat one. Starting the main at the back of the field, Vennard managed to get to third by the finish. Matt Byrd of MacKenzie, AB took the other heat and earned fourth in the main.

Years ago, Roy Wigley of Airdrie was one of the top runners in Super Trucks. The Roy Wigley Memorial was held at Medicine Hat Speedway on June 24. Vennard came forward from row three and won the main over Dusty O’Connell. Braham started last and was third at the finish after timing-in first and winning the second heat. Kyle O’Connell won the first heat and was fourth in the Memorial race.

On July 8 and 9, the Super Trucks were back in BC to race in Prince George. Braham won the first night over Byrd and Vennard. The race on July 9 went to Kyle O’Connell with Braham second and Vennard third again.

Gaunt Wins Lakeview Insurance 150

The June 17 Western Speed Association round at Sutherland Automotive Speedway in Saskatoon, SK must have been a big hit for nostalgia buffs and might even have triggered a little deja vu. The Lakeview Insurance 150 finished with the No. 55 of Jim Gaunt under the chequers first – a result that is far from unique in the history of Saskatoon stock car racing.

Gaunt started his day by timing in second and winning his heat race. The quickest qualifier was Tyler Emond of Leduc, AB, a third-generation racer. Matthew Shirley, also from a prominent racing family, timed in third and won his heat race.

Shirley and Gaunt started on the front row for the 150 with Shirley taking the early lead. Veteran Trent Seidel used his position inside the second row to get by Gaunt and spent most of the next 40 laps between a couple of feet and a few inches off Shirley’s back bumper. A car stopped on the front straight brought out a caution that Shirley didn’t need and Seidel went around him into the lead on the restart. By the halfway point, Seidel’s No. 70 was several car lengths ahead and Shirley’s No. 12 was starting to be challenged by Gaunt.

With 68 laps to go, Shirley pulled off the track and there it was, another chapter in the decades-old Gaunt-Seidel rivalry! The two ran nose-to-tail lap after lap as Kevin Dyck of Red Deer tried to enter the conversation. Just a tick behind him, Jared Redekopp of Hague, SK was trying to hold off Emond, who was now in the top five after choosing to start dead last.

Redekopp’s No. 97 failed with 41 to go and shortly after Gaunt stuck his nose under Seidel. With 35 to go he was by. In the meantime, Emond was looking under Dyck but he could only pull alongside, not get clear. Gaunt began to pull away and Seidel’s weakening machine had a little respite as Dyck and Emond disputed third. Dyck finally got around Seidel on the outside with the end of the race in sight. Emond made his pass on the inside and it took until lap 148 for him to get the spot. Trailing Gaunt, Dyck, Emond and Seidel for fifth was Shantel Kalika of Prince Albert.

Wescar Season Underway

With rain causing the cancellation of WESCAR’s first race at Penticton, the tour’s visit to Prince George on June 10 finally got the season started. Jarrett Bonn got started the right way by qualifying quickest with a new track record and winning the first 100-lap race of the year. Joe Cornett-Ching, making his return to the series, didn’t seem to have much rust to knock off. He wheeled his No. 36 to second in the main after winning the A heat. Darrell Horwath nabbed third behind Cornett-Ching. The other heat was won by Cal Bagshaw. IT