FLYIN’ BRIAN STEVENS TAKES ‘EM WHEN HE CAN
(By Bruce Bonham)
A familiar sight in the pre-race Merrittville Speedway pits, long time Pit Steward Bobby St. Amand Jr., chalks up the night’s lineups.
(Photo by Bruce Bonham)
THOROLD, ON — It wasn’t the way Brian Stevens wanted to win his third race of the season, but in the understatement of the night, the wryly veteran simply said: “We’ll take it!”
In one of the most bizarre Merrittville Speedway, L. St. Amand Enterprises finishes of the season, night-long threatening rains peeked just as defending champ Larry Lampman and another vet, Fred Carleton, tangled — for a second time of the night – at the fourth turn of the final lap and halted the action.
While cars circled the damp speedway in an effort to keep the track raceable, tow truck crews struggled with the locked-together racers. When finally freed after about 20 minutes and the rain sprinkling harder, it was clear after a few half-throttle hot laps, the scene of the Lampman-Carleton incident was too treacherous to continue, and the race was reluctantly reduced to 34 laps from the scheduled 35.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure we had him covered, but it would have been a good race,” said Stevens in the Lancaster, Brooks and Welch Barristers and Solicitors’ Victory Lane.
The driver Stevens figured he had covered was popular Cambria, New Yorker Robbie Krull, who diced Stevens several laps, nosing in a couple times, before the white-flag yellow light came on to spoil a certain, exciting finish.
With Turn four partially blocked with Lampman and Carleton’s machinery, Stevens said he saw their crash entering Turn 3.
“I noticed the crash going into (Turn) 3. I couldn’t put on the brakes, I’d lose the car. I saw it before Bobby (Race Director Bobby St. Amand Jr.) came on the radio to warn us. But definitely the radios were a good deal in that situation.”
When Bruce Hope (subbing for chief starter Barry Davidson — at Bristol, TN’s. NASCAR race — for a second week) dropped the green flag, Paul Ashton squirted out of the pole into the lead, opening up a decent margin over out-of-retirement driver Dan Miller, holding the point for nine laps before Stevens made his move.
Krull came to the front, overtaking Tim Murdock when he rode the cushion too high on Lap 23, taking third which accounted for his best finish since returning to the wheel after a shoulder injury.
Scott Wood, who started beside 17-time champ Pete Bicknell in 15th, took fourth in front of the co-owner’s No. 42.
Martin Polhill — another out-of-retirement driver — tallied his second 25-lap Original Pizza Logs Sportsman clash, taking over on Lap 11 after putting a slick move on Dennis Giancola.
Despite several restarts before collecting the Silvr 7 Award presented by Ken and Fran Welsh which recognizes the late Bill Willard’s 40-plus years of local racing, Polhill kept his cool and ran his own race.
“I didn’t know how close anybody was. I just kept running my same line ... I didn’t know if anybody was there (close to me) or not.”
Somebody was there ... a hard-charging Billy Willard, who worked his way up to the front from the back of the 18-car pack to take a solid second.
Point leader Adam Ferri had to restart from the rear after an opening lap, front stretch skirmish, involving Billy Bleich and knocking out defending champ and last week’s winner, Wayne Conn, finished third, fronting Jim Ruston. Giancola, on a good run, settled for fifth.
Ron Kingsbury stepped into Hoosier Stock’s Victory Lane after the 15-lap war, but second-place finisher Mike Dooley, who tried desperately to get by the two-time winner, further padded his slim point lead when his nearest rival, Rob Murray, suffered mechanical woes and was eventually scored 20th out of the 26-car pack.
At the half-way mark of the weekly mayhem, the top four of Kingsbury, Dooley, Dave Dykstra and Rob Knapp staged a splendid display of close, clean racing, ultimately finishing in that order with Pete Reid crossing the line fifth.
With the Syracuse duo of Don Fennor (four wins) and Jeff Barker (two wins), the local Seneca Niagara Casino Dwarf Cars’ contingent watched the tail pipes of first time 15-lap winner Chris Steele lead flag-to-flag.
Dave Ackler made a race of it, but ran out of laps and took second, ahead of Shawn Sliter and vast point leader Scott Billing.
A little thing like getting married didn’t keep four cylinder point leader Trevor Goulding from racing Saturday, saying “I do” in Victory Lane for the sixth time.
Taking over the point six rounds into the 15-lap affair, with only 13 cars taking the green, James Wood ran well, chasing the leader but with no cautions, settled for a solid second.
In arrears of the front two, Paul Klager and defending champ Glenn Leinen fought to the end, with Klager maintaining his top-three finishes and clinging to second in points.
Seneca Niagara Dwarf Car driver Kellie Mason takes a breather before Saturday’s action, hoping to put her little car’s rear-end message to the test and take a third season win. Mason and a host of Dwarf invaders will dance around the D-shape surface September 11 for the annual Rose Webber Memorial.
(Photo by Bruce Bonham)
Tail Pipes: With the rain spoiling the final lap of the exciting mod finish, it also washed out the final round of the Ladies Racing for the Cup event ... Round 4, in which Christine Porter has swept the series, will be included in next week’s Fun-tastic Labour Day celebrations. The tradition John Spencer Memorial Classic signifies the final points for Modifieds ... It’s also the end of sportsman point-running ... the entire night, which also includes a special autograph session and plenty of fan give-aways is supported by Dan Miller’s Garden City automotive Complex. Track owners Bicknells and Williamsons stage a suburb staff appreciation barbeque after the races.
Track photographer Julie Davidson shows off some of her incredible action shots of the action in the pits before heading for the infield to record the night.
(Photo by Bruce Bonham)
RESULTS:
L. St. Amand Enterprises Modified (35 laps - rain shortened to 34 laps): BRIAN STEVENS, Robbie Krull, Tim Murdock, Pete Bicknell, Scott Wood, Rick Richner, Dan Miller, Jamie Turner, Rob Pietz, Paul Ashton, Bob Davidson, Mike Bowman, Travis Cunningham, Todd Gordon, Greg Wilson, Larry Lampman, Fred Carleton, Tim Jones, Chris Ricker, Gary Kruchka, Brad Rouse, Kenny Winfield.
Heats: 1. Dan Miller 2. Paul Ashton 3. Fred Carleton.
Original Pizza Logs Sportsman (25 laps): MARTIN POLHILL, Billy Willard, Adam Ferri, Jim Ruston, Dennis Giancola, Derek Lemyre, Mike Ward, Chad Chevalier, Stan Zanchin, Bob Baker, Mike Kruchka, Mike Bowman, Don Spiece, Dave Flannigan, Boyd MacTavish, Darren Zumpe, Billy Bleich, Wayne Conn.
Heats: 1. Dennis Giancola 2. Dereck Lemyre 3. Chad Chevalier.
Hoosier Street Stocks (15 laps): RON KINGSBURY, Mike Dooley, Dave Dykstra, Rob Knapp, Kirk Wilson, Bob Johnson, Greg Ayres, Rick Beales, Ed Fargnoli, Rick Simons, Travis Braun, Russ Davidson, Bill Houge, Kevin Kocarik, Rick Champigny, Brad Sheehan, Chris Schneider, Danielle Landry, Josh Murgach, Rob Murray, Dave Gifford, Bob McIntyre, Nick Nault, Terry Larmet, Tyler McPherson, Graham MacKay.
Heats: 1. Rick Champigny 2. Greg Ayres 3. Ed Fargnoli.
Seneca Casino Dwarf Cars (15 laps): CHRIS STEELE, Dave Ackler, Shawn Sliter, Scott Billing, Justin Sharp, Kory Howe, Mark Brighton, Kellie Mason, Rick Brubacker, Bob Bredin, Derek Bredin, John Wrobel, Dave Arnold, Ray Sliter, Wally Billing, Ken Knapp.
Heats: 1.Justin Sharp 2. Chris Steele
Four cylinder (15 laps): TREVOR GOULDING, James Wood, Paul Klager, Glenn Leinen, Mike Giberson, Vic Mealing, Corey Gore, Tony Kelly, Dave Small, Roger Shenstone, Bob Brown, Rob Overholt, Norm Mark.
Heats: 1. Norm Mark 2. Glenn Leinen