FATHERS DAY EVE WAS SPECTACULAR AT MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY
Molson’s Extreme Canadian Racing Series came to Merrittville Speedway Saturday night and wowed the fans with the first Empire Super Sprint event of 2001, along with the dwarfs, pro stocks, sportsmen, and 358 modifieds.
2000 champions Pete Bicknell (42) and Ken Sargent (25) made it three in a row by collecting victories in the modified and pro stock features. Jeff Johnson (63) won the dwarf car feature, and Garry Moreash (124) brought home his first checkered of the season in the sportsman division. Fan favourite Mike Woodring (19) won the Sprint car main.
With the street stocks having the night off, the dwarf cars were the first onto the track. Kellie Mason (14) took the early lead in the feature. Scott Billing (31) and Wayne Robins (82) spun out in turn two bringing out the first caution. Mark Brighton (33) took the lead on the restart, while Nolan King (55) jumped up in second spot behind him. Dave Russell (88) tried to make a move on the outside, but got too high in turn four and fell back a few positions on lap four. Brighton had a convincing lead on the pack until lap
seven when Dave Ackler (7) started to catch up to him. On lap nine, Ackler was in position to pass him as they started getting into lapped traffic. Jeff Johnson (63) worked his way up on the outside and nabbed second spot on lap 11. A caution came out on lap 12 as Wally Billing (37) and Derek Bredin (117) got collected in turn two. Lee Webber (17) was up to fifth spot going into the caution after starting 21st. Webber managed to get into third spot with only two to go. Johnson wrestled the lead away from Scott
Billing with only one lap to go. The yellow flag came out on lap 14, leaving it a dash for the checkered. Johnson held the lead and was followed in by Ackler, Webber, Brighton, and Scott Billing.
The sportsmen were out on the track next, looking to qualify for the 25-lap feature. Darryl Ebersole (66), Shawn Sliter (71s), Chad Chevalier (12), Tim Lipsitt (29), Brad Gravestock (90) and Gary Kruchka (21) qualified out of the B main.
Steve Devos (13) took the early lead in the pro stock feature, and was followed by Mike Ward (95w). Jeff Dayman (5) and Brian Halliwell (1a) were duking it out for third spot when Mike Childrose (18d), Brad Malloy (5m) and Shawn Keus (7s) wrecked in turn four. Malloy lost his left rear wheel in the
incident. Devos held the lead on the restart, while Dayman tried to put the moves on Ward for second spot. Ken Sargent (25) tried to get around Ward on the inside, while Dayman tried the outside and by lap seven Sargent had gotten the better of the two of them and found himself in second spot. Bill Bleich (108) lost control in turn four and brought out the yellow flag. Devos took the lead easily on the restart, but Dayman tried to put a push on Sargent, but just couldn’t do it. Sargent was up beside Devos on lap ten and around him on lap eleven. Dayman spun out on lap 12, but got it going without the yellow coming out. He went from fourth spot to dead last, with a simple mistake on the back chute. The yellow came out a lap later when Tom Green (15) spun out in turn two on lap 13. Sargent held it to the line and was followed in by Devos, Ward, Rick Baker (78) and Danny Gilbert (400).
The sprint cars had a four lap dash for cash before the intermission with Bill Coffey (13) going home to Caledonia, New York a little bit richer.
The sprint B main qualified Steve Dow (70), Brian Dumigan (9), Tom Taber (57), Kyle Drum (47) and Dick Spadaro (29).
Jack McKinney (57) had the pole for the 25-lap sportsman feature, and took the early lead. Bobby Davidson (73) moved up to challenge Rob Knapp (Y2K) for second spot on lap two and clinched the position a lap later. Chad Brachmann (3b) sat further back in the pack, but as he was making a move up
the outside he lost control and slid back to sixteenth spot. The yellow came out on lap seven as Shawn Sliter (71s), Tim Lipsitt and Gary Kruchka (21) lost control in turn four. Garry Moreash (124) was up to third spot on the restart, as Brachmann started leaping up through the pack. Moreash made it up to challenge Davidson for second spot on lap 12, and made it around him before the caution came out on lap 15. Tim Jones (9), Adam Ferri (1), Pete Cosco (17c) and Rob Pietz (69) were all collected in the bottom of turn one. Moreash tried to get underneath McKinney on the restart, but couldn’t find a line around him until lap 16 when he pulled into the lead. The top five before the restart were McKinney, Moreash, Ferri, Davidson, and Jeff Leggett (3L). Davidson and Ferri were fighting for third spot on the restart, with
Ferri ahead. Wayne Conn (8c) came from nowhere to move into fourth spot on lap 19. Sliter, Brad Gravestock (90) and Lipsitt tangled in turn one again, bringing out another yellow flag. Moreash held the lead to win his first sportsman feature of the season, and was followed in by Leggett, Joe Meisel (15j), Chad Brachmann (3b), and McKinney.
Jamie Turner (11) and Todd Gordon (8eh) started the modified feature on the lead row. Gordon quickly jumped to the lead, although Turner fought hard to get ahead of him. Fred Cade (12) moved up to challenge Harry Sittler (44) for third spot on lap three and secured the spot going into lap four. Turner
battled Gordon back and forth for the first eleven laps but couldn’t get around him. Billy Krull (z1) broke in turn three on lap nine, as Pete Bicknell (42) drove over his front tire, collapsing his front end. Gordon
held the lead on the restart, while Sittler was up to fourth spot behind him. Larry Lampman (42l) used the outside of the track to get himself into third spot on lap 11. Scott Wood (38) found himself in fifth spot on lap 13 coming out of turn two. Wood put the heat on Cade for fourth spot on lap 15, and managed to get around him a lap later. Bicknell broke into the top five after only 16 laps. Another caution came out on lap 21 as Dwayne Winfield (82) spun himself around in turn four. The top five with fourteen laps to go
were Gordon, Lampman, Turner, Bicknell, and Wood. Lampman put a run on Gordon on the restart, and edged ahead of him out of turn four, just in time for the yellow flag to come back out. Fred Cade (12) spun out in turn four. Lampman held the lead on the restart, but Bicknell started putting a push on for the lead with 10 laps to go. The yellow came out on lap 29 as Winfield spun out again in turn one. Bicknell over took Lampman before the caution came out. Bicknell held it to take his fifth checkered of the season, and third in a row. Lampman finished second followed by Wood, Gordon, and Turner.
The sprint cars were the finale of the evening. They began the race with their traditional four wide lap to wave to the fans, and a lap later they were underway. Chris Shuttleworth (11) took the early lead with Don Sharp Jr. (28) right behind him. Bill Coffey (13) slid up behind Sharp and scooted around him on
lap four. Mike Woodring (19) started well back in the pack but was up to third spot by passing three cars on lap eight. Woodring went around Sharp on lap nine to clinch second spot. The top five cars after five laps were: Coffey, Woodring, Sharp, Alain Bergeron (8b) and Lance Yonge (5). Coffey found himself in lapped cars on lap 12 and that gave Woodring the edge he needed to catch and pass him, which he did on lap 14. A caution came out on lap 16 as Yonge spun out in turn four. Coffey tried to challenge Woodring on the restart, but he just didn’t have the power. Woodring took the checkered and was followed in by Coffey, Ray Preston (22), R.C. Faigle (21a) and Sharp.
Pit Notes: Drivers in the Modified, Sportsmen & Dwarf divisions all reported that the one-way radio system is a huge success – track officials and fans are pleased as well – lining up after a caution takes only one lap. Merrittville Speedway officials recently mailed out Entry forms to all of DIRT's 358 Modified member drivers in preparation for a new and unique Super DIRT Series event. Monday July 2nd is the date to mark on your racing calendar for a must-see visit to the Thorold, Ontario track that is celebrating its 50th continuous season of DIRT excitement. Drivers – fax or mail your registration in quickly! 905-892-4820.
Join us next weekend at Merrittville Speedway - Sat June 23rd - when Modern Landfill Inc. presents Mid State Vintage Car Club + Fabulous 50th Full Card plus the rained out ladies race. For more information call 905-892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com.