MOTHER'S DAY EVE AT MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY
By Alexis DeWolfe
Thorold, Ont.....Mother's Day Eve at Merrittville Speedway was a great night for moms and race fans at the local oval celebrating it's 50th year of stock car racing. The first 100 moms to enter the speedway received beautiful carnations and the ladies feature winner earned a bouquet of roses for her efforts. NiagaraRaceNews.com presented Dale Earnhardt memorabilia to lucky mall show winners Lennox Stevenson, Phillip Gladman, and Dave Sargent who were able to enjoy the night's action in a VIP suite.
Lloyd Cichocki (8c) won his second street stock feature of the season, after Jerry Deschamps (f30) lead half the race, and broke. Ray Webber (77), won his first dwarf care feature of the season, with his brother Lee knocking on his back door. 2000 pro stock champion Ken Sargent (25) also took a second feature win. Chrissy Michaud, driving the #5 street stock won the first ladies race win of the season narrowly beating out Christine Porter. Chad Brachmann (3b) pulled off an incredible sportsman feature win, after starting in 12th spot. Pete Bicknell (42) proved once again why he was the 2000 Modified champ, after starting tail on the second lap of the feature and coming back to win it.
Jerry Deschamps (f30) and Peter Reid (05) started the street stock feature on the lead row. Deschamps rocketed ahead to take the early lead, as Kirk Wilson (08) spun out. Rob Murray, last weeks feature winner hung back in third spot and nabbed second, just as the yellow came down. Darlene Gifford (34c) and Mike Dooley (310) collided on the front straightaway on lap two, bringing heavy damage to both cars. Deschamps held onto the lead on the restart as Murray and Lloyd Cichocki (8c) tried to reel him in. Deschamps slowed down unexpectedly on lap 6 allowing Murray and Cichocki to get around him. Deschamps left the track down the back chute, another disappointing weekend of racing in a row for Deschamps. Cichocki got ahead of Murray and just started making tracks. Wilson made a comeback through the pack and managed to wrest Murray of his second place positioning on lap nine. Darren Zumpe (11z) blazed his own trail landing himself in fourth spot. Cichocki took the checkered and was followed in by Wilson, Murray, and Zumpe.
Bill Perry (9) started the dwarf feature side by side with John Wrobel (6), but jumped ahead of him as the green flag flew. Scott Billing (31) spun out in turn two of the first lap, collecting Mike Green (3), Derek Bredin (117) and Nol King (55). Perry retained the lead on the restart, only to have Ray Webber (77) blow by him a lap later to move into the coveted number one spot. Lee Webber (17) started making his move up through the pack on lap 5, and fell into third spot. Jeff Johnson (63) made it up to fourth by lap six. Lee managed to get under Perry for second on lap 10, and put the pedal to the medal to catch up to Ray who had a good lead on the pack. The yellow flag flew on lap 11 as Wrobel and King tangle again. Lee just couldn't catch his brother, but Johnson got around Perry to nab third spot. The final order was Ray Webber, Lee Webber, Johnson, Perry and Chris Rimmen (7x).
The two 95's (Mike Ward and Herb Hunter) lined up side by side for the pro stock feature. Ward (95w) jumped to the early lead, while Ken Sargent (25) and Steve Devos (13) duked it out for third behind Hunter. Bill Bleich (108) made a run up on Hunter for second spot on lap 3, but Devos came out of nowhere to jump into the lead, getting ahead of Ward and Hunter. Sargent made it into second spot, with only five laps down, but Devos was making tracks to put some distance between him and the pack. Bleich broke on lap 9 leaving Rick Baker (78) with an easy third spot. Sargent caught up to Devos on lap 10. Devos went high in turn four, and Sargent took the line below him, leaving him out in front. A caution came out on lap 14 when Gord McKey (14) spun out in turn four. A one lap dash to the checkered found Sargent with his second feature win of the season, Devos with the runner up spot, Baker in third, Ward in fourth and Danny Gilbert (400) rounded out the top five.
Rob Ledingham (19) won the Sportsman 'B' main to qualify for the Sportsman feature. Qualifying with Ledingham were Chris Wood (4w), Adam Ferri (1), Shawn Sliter (71s), Gary Kruchka (21) and Jeff Leggett (3).
As part of Mother's Day Eve Madness the Ladies raced on Saturday night. Chrissy Michaud (5) jumped to the early lead in the feature, followed by Christine Porter (16dd), and Kathy Rodgers (71) fell into a comfortable third spot. Porter managed to get around Michaud on lap five, giving her the lead. Porter and Michaud battled it out on the last lap with Michaud coming out the victor and carrying the lead to the checkered. Porter settled for second with Rodgers finishing in third spot.
The Sportsman took to the track after a brief intermission. Brian Elliotson (30)and Bobby Davidson (73) started the feature in the lead row, but Davidson rocketed to the lead as the green flag fell on the field. Tim Lipsitt (29) made it up into second spot on lap two. Jack McKinney (57) moved into third spot a lap later. Davidson put a good gap between himself and the rest of the field, as Pete Cosco (17c) moved into fifth spot on lap six. John Hagerman (71h) slid under McKinney for third spot on lap 11 and Cosco went with him to secure fourth. Rob Pietz (69) broke and came to rest on the back straightaway on lap 14 bringing out the first caution. Davidson held the lead on the restart, but Chad Brachmann (3b) broke into the top five, after starting 12th in the race. Brachmann made it up to second by lap 18 and was knocking right on Davidson's back bumper. Brachmann found a hole and took it right into top spot on the front straightaway. Lipsitt threw a wrench into the works when he spun out with only one lap left. A one lap dash to the finish line found Brachmann with the win, Davidson in second Tim Jones (9) in third, Wayne Conn (8c) in fourth and Joe Meisel (15j) rounded out the top five.
The Modifieds had less than a perfect start, as Paul Ashton (3a) jumped to the early lead, only to have to slow for a caution as Chris Ricker (13) gets pointing the wrong way in turn four. Ashton held the lead again, on the restart, only to have Pete Bicknell (42) nearly come to a stop as his right front tire locked up on him. He limped out to the pits and made it back for the field to take the green. Ashton grabs the point for the third time, on lap three but once again the familiar yellow flag came out on the starters stand as Ken Cosgrove (9) and Rick Richner (26) tangled in turn three. Ashton moved into the lead once again as they restarted. A battle for second spot took place as Fred Carleton (96) tried to hold off Greg Panunte (99p), he managed to do it until lap five when Panunte got around him. Yellow once again on lap six as Don Spatorico (65) slowed down on the back straightaway, but was able to limp to the pits after the yellow came down. Ashton held the lead on the restart, while Panunte and Carleton fought for second spot. Spatorico came back out to take the green but broke again, causing yet another caution. He was given the black flag for his troubles. Dan Miller (22) and Jamie Turner (11) sat back and fought for fourth and fifth spot, with Miller ahead. Bicknell was making his way up through the pack, and managed to get to 8th by lap 11. Yellow on lap 12 as Ricker and Aaron Jakobus (2) tangled. Ashton held the lead on the restart, but Bicknell had his number. Bicknell was up to fourth spot by lap 18, and just kept moving up. Bicknell got under Robbie Krull (123) on lap 24 for second spot, and nabbed first a lap later. Chad Brachmann (3b) broke into the top five with only one lap left in the race. Bicknell held it to the line and was followed in by Ashton, Krull, Turner and Brachmann.
Join us at Merrittville Speedway next Saturday - May 19th - when the Welland Tribune Carrier & Reader Appreciation Night presents Family Fun Night - Fabulous 50th Full Card - Fire Safety with Sparky, face painting and Catfish Derby Pre-Registration Night. For more information call 905-892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com.