By Dave Vokey - Beautiful weather provided the backdrop for ideal race conditions at Barrie Speedway on June 15, as it was the only Barrie appearance of 2013 for the Oscaar Super Late Models and Oscaar Modifieds on Bracebridge Taxi Night. The big winner on the evening was a local favorite, as #9 Brandon Watson of Stayner piloted his Shear Metal Products/Barrie Frame and Alignment Chevy Outlaw to victory lane in the 50 lap Super Late Model main in front of the large gathering in attendance. The feature win for Watson was his first at the High Line since the 2009 season, when the talented wheelman was a part time competitor in the Limited Late Model division. Watson, who cut his oval track racing teeth at the track in 2005 as part of the Pure Stocks ranks, was chased to the line every step of the way by a hard charging #7 Derrick Tiemersma of Newmarket and rookie standout #81 Andrew Gresel of Hepworth as those three paraded to the checkered in nose to tail fashion.

The race would begin with Watson and Tiemersma battling door handle to door handle from the front row, as Tiemersma had several looks to the inside of his fellow competitor racing out of turn two, but was unable to find the necessary traction to make a potential pass stick. Further in back of that duel #17 Kevin Cornelius of Shelburne was making a charge towards the front, as he would check into 3rd in the early going, finding the inside line in front of #42 Tyler Hawn of Oro Station. Watson, would eventually open up a single car length lead over Tiemersma with laps in a blistering 13.4 seconds covering the one third mile tri oval, as Gresel and #45 Rob Poole of Cookstown began to crank up the heat on Hawn for 4th in the running order just past the 10 lap mark. During this time, the best battle on track was the race for 8th, as longtime series veteran #2 John Owen of Peterborough and current Barrie Limited Late Model competitor #83 Ian Bourque of Newmarket went to war for that position, in a battle eventually won by Owen.

The lead duo of Watson and Tiemersma was setting a torrid pace at the front of the field, opening up 5 car lengths on the 3rd place car of Cornelius, with perhaps the biggest shock being defending race winner #10 Jesse Kennedy of Oneida First Nation and former 4 time series champion #49 Rob “Magic Shoes” Clarke of London going a lap down before the race reached the 20 lap mark. The race’s only caution flew on lap 24, as Clarke went around on the nose of #63 Henry Hagen of Innisfil, as #97 Brandon Vanderwal simultaneously spun in turn 1, with Bourque also spinning to avoid the prone Vanderwal ride. Bourque, would rightfully retain his place in the running order, setting the stage for another epic Watson/Tiemersma battle from the front row. Watson, would power out to the point once again when Tiemersma got partially crossways out of turn 2, with Cornelius still slotted in 3rd despite increasing pressure from the 81 of Gresel. On lap 27, Gresel would finally dive to the inside of Cornelius entering turn 3, to relieve him of third in the running order, as former 2 time Barrie Late Model champ #22 Glenn Watson was also now inside the top 5 after starting 8th in the 19 car field. Watson, would quickly find Cornelius back bumper, executing a clean inside pass between turns 1&2 to take over 4th place positioning.

With 15 laps remaining, Tiemersma would close in on Watson for the race lead once again, but didn’t really look to be pressing the issue, perhaps with the thought of not wanting to slip up and lose runner up positioning to the impressive Gresel, who was right there on his back bumper running third. Once again the best battle was forming just outside of the top 5 as the 2 of Owen would pass Poole for 7th on the outer groove, leading the way for an alert Bourque to follow into 8th, again along the top side of Poole’s #45 Outlaw. Over the duration the pace would slow at the front of the field, as Watson was now completing laps in the 14.1 second range, as the former Jegs CRA Tour competitor would parade to the checkered by a narrow margin over Tiemersma at the finish. #81 Andrew Gresel would turn in a solid 3rd in only his 2nd start in the series, and first in his brilliantly prepared new Hamke chassis, while Glenn Watson, and Cornelius would round out the fast five.

Heat wins went to Gresel with a pair, Tiemersma, Glenn Watson, #49 Rob Clarke, and Cornelius. The win for Cornelius would be his first career checkered flag in the Oscaar ranks coming in just his 2nd start in the series.

As mentioned earlier, also on hand were the unique Oscaar Modified division as the win would go to #7 Brent McLean in his Bowmanville Home Hardware/Dave Franks Photos Troyer Chassis. McLean, was chased to the line every inch of the way by cousin and defending Barrie race winner #8 Gary McLean of Conn who finished a strong second. #1b Brad Pearsall of Innisfil would turn in an impressive drive in coming to the checkered in third in his Plaza Kia/Ponderosa Nature Resort Kia Optima, while former Delaware Speedway regular #39m David McCollough turned in a solid run coming home in 4th, with former Hurricane Midget stalwart #2 Matt Barton rounding out the top 5.

Heat wins went to Brent McLean and Gary McLean with a pair each.

Pit Notes ——————— Former Barrie Limited Late Model pilot #42 Tyler Hawn would have his best career Super Late Model result, finishing a solid 6th place in the 50 lapper. Hawn, ironically enough also captured the first Late Model feature win at the track, after it was converted to its current 1/3rd mile tri oval configuration from a 1/4 mile oval bullring at the beginning of the 2005 season. Be sure to join us this coming Saturday June 22nd as all three home track divisions are back in action on Fox’s Buns Master & Deli Night. Current Wahta Springs Late Model point leader #10 Gord Shepherd holds a 20 point lead on the strength of 4 feature wins over 2011 track champ #57 Ron “The Dominator” Quesnelle, who went to victory lane on the opening race of the season, while sophomore sensation #14 “Hurricane” Thayne Hallyburton sits just 37 points in back of Shepherd, having gone to victory lane twice in 2013.. The closest point race is in the Canestoga Sprayers & Asphalt Repair Thunder Cars as 2009 track champ #00 Darryl St. Onge sits a scant two points ahead of #44 Dave “The Deuce” Doucette, who went to victory lane for the first time on June 8, while #39 Travis “The Enforcer” Hallyburton sits just 5 points further in back of Doucette. In the Pure Stock ranks speedway newcomer #10 Doug Butler of New Lowell holds a 9 point advantage over defending champion #9 Charlie Smith, while #77 Mike Gettliffe sits just 15 points behind point leader Butler. Of the trio, only Smith holds multiple feature wins in 2013, having visited the winners circle twice thus far, while Butler and Gettliffe each have one feature victory to their credit. Pit gate opens at 2pm, with spectator gates open at 5pm, and green flag slated to drop at 6:30pm sharp.. THIS WILL PROVE TO BE YET ANOTHER CAN’T MISS EVENT!!

By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)

The OSCAAR Super Late Models return to action Saturday night after nearly a month-long layoff after round two of the 2013 campaign was rained out at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on June 1. Saturday’s event at Barrie Speedway marks the first time OSCAAR is the only racing on the schedule without local support divisions. If the race plays out anything like the 2012 edition, there will be no shortage of excitement.

One year ago, Jesse Kennedy (No. 10) entered OSCAAR as a rookie Super Late Model driver with a ton of Pro Late Model experience. The Oneida Nation, Ont. driver surprised many, including himself, last season at Barrie when he passed Brandon Watson (No. 9) late in the 50-lap feature to earn his first OSCAAR victory. Kennedy ran third for most of the 2013 season opener at Sunset Speedway before a mechanical failure with five laps to go handed him an undeserved DNF. Look for Kennedy to get rolling this weekend.

Multi-time OSCAAR champion Glenn Watson (No.22) is a former Barrie Speedway Late Model regular and always enjoys returning to his old stomping grounds. Glenn finished second to open the season at Sunset, but is still looking to end a 14 race winless streak. Barrie provides an excellent opportunity for the hometown driver to grab the points lead and his first win of the season.

Brandon Watson opened his season with a victory at Sunset Speedway. He was strong last year at Barrie, finishing second to the aforementioned Kennedy. Brandon will need another top-five finish to maintain his spot at the top of the championship standings as he continues his title defense. A win would extend a streak of four consecutive victories, dating back to the Sunset Velocity 50 on September 23, 2012.

Tyler Hawn (No. 42) also has deep roots at Barrie Speedway. Hawn struggled to adjust to his new chassis on opening night, but battled through the carnage to an 11^th-place finish. Hawn will look to find the top-ten again tonight as he did for much of his rookie season in 2011. Hawn will spend the morning promoting the race at Fox’s Bakery in Barrie from 10am to 12:30pm.

Current Barrie Late Model regular Ian Bourque (No. 83) will make his first OSCAAR start of the season. Bourque ran a partial schedule with OSCAAR for several seasons before returning to Barrie fulltime in 2013. Bourque already has one feature victory this year.

Brandon Vanderwel (No. 97) makes his return to OSCAAR tonight after a year absence due to a hand injury. Vanderwel has partnered with Protect the Children to help raise awareness against childhood abuse. He will have honourary pit crew members tonight as part of the program.

Mike Beyore (No. 54) is hoping to make his season debut on Saturday night as well, but is currently battling illness. Beyore hopes to fend of the bug in time to race at the tight 1/3-mile oval. Beyore’s Jeff Hanley-prepared car is in race-ready condition.

Andrew Gresel (No. 81) will finally be able to debut his brand-new chassis on Saturday as he searches for his first OSCAAR top-five finish. The team was prepared to unload the new Hamke-built car at CTMP on June 1, but the car was kept in the shop another two weeks due to rain. The Hepworth, Ont. driver competed in his template body Pro Late Model to open the season after delays preparing the final Outlaw-bodied car.

Gresel will battle fellow rookies Kevin Cornelius (No. 17) and Sean Cronan (No. 8) for the top spot amongst newcomers at Barrie. Cronan also has considerable experience at Barrie, and may hold the advantage among rookies entering round two. Cronan will hope to get his first feature finish in a Super Late Model following a disappointing DNF to open the season. Cornelius will be hungry for a top-five finish after falling just short at Sunset.

Spectator gates open at 5:00pm on Saturday, June 15 ahead of a 6:30pm green flag. The OSCAAR Super Late Models and OSCAAR Modifieds are the only two divisions on hand and will take part in an on-track autograph session with fans from 5:45pm to 6:15pm prior to the first race of the night.

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Directions: Barrie Speedway is located on the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte between Barrie and Orillia just off of Highway 11, 10 minutes north of Barrie and 10 minutes south of Orillia.

Directions from Barrie: Hwy 400 North, follow Hwy 11 North to the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte, Turn Right – Track 1km on the right side.

Directions from Orillia: Hwy 11 South to the 7th Line of Oro-Medonte, take the overpass back to Hwy 11 North to the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte, Turn Right – Track 1km on the right side.

For more information, visit www.barriespeedway.com.

The OSCAAR Super Late Model tour is presented by a number of dedicated sponsors throughout Ontario, including: Knightworks Design, Hoosier Racing Tire, Klotz Synthetics Canada, Race2way.ca, Dave Franks Photos, Dickson Printing, Finishline Fabrication, McColl Racing Enterprises, McGunegill Engine Performance, Stefko Racing Engines, VP Racing Fuels, OntarioOval.com, RaceTime Radio, Inside Track Motorsport News, Jenco Equipment, Midas of Orangeville, Reinhart Trailer Sales, North Toronto Auctions, and South Shore Services. 

By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)

It will have been 26 days since most OSCAAR Modified drivers sat in their cars come Saturday night at Barrie Speedway. Most series regulars have had nearly a full month to tinker and make changes following their opening day results at Sunset Speedway. The extended time for  adjustments should level the playing field for round two of the 2013 campaign as everybody took the opening race to see their equipment in race action for the first time.

In the series’ inaugural visit to Barrie one year ago, Gary McLean (No. 8) dominated the event, beating Brandon Crumbie (No. 72) and Josh Gruntz (No. 31) to the checkered flag. Neither Crumbie or Gruntz will make starts this Saturday, so McLean will be faced with a new set of challengers this time around, but they are likely to be the same ones who challenged the wily veteran last month. Regardless McLean will be looking for double-digits, his 10^th OSCAAR victory in 14 starts.

Brent McLean (No. 7) should be a big factor in determining whether Gary earns his second victory of 2013. Brent finished second at Sunset to open the season and is the only other modified driver to win multiple OSCAAR features. McLean got tangled with a lapped car last year, ending his night with a DNF. If the team avoids trouble, look for them to be in contention.

Sophomore pilot Matt Barton (No. 2) had his best career OSCAAR finish to start the season when he tallied a third place result. Barton led part of the event and is second in the championship standings as a result. Barton had a strong showing in his first trip to Barrie last season, and should be able to improve on it given the upgrades his MDB Racecars team made over the offseason.

Davey Terry (No. 14) narrowly missed the podium at Sunset. Terry’s fourth-place finish had him itching for more, so the Erin, Ont.-native is aiming for a podium result at Barrie this week.

Brad Pearsall (No. 1B) will make his season debut this weekend and will make history as the first OSCAAR driver to compete in a car under the ‘Kia Optima’ moniker. As announced earlier this week, Pearsall secured major sponsorship from Plaza Kia for this season which will allow him to run the remaining 14 races this year.

Brian McLean (No. 47) makes his first start of the year as well. The veteran driver won one OSCAAR race at Peterborough in 2012 as part of a limited schedule.

Rookie Bobby Tolton (No. 13) makes the second start of his young career as well. Tolton tested this week at Flamboro Speedway to try and rectify some of the problems the team uncovered on May 19. The team feels they have fixed the major issues and will now be able to focus on car setup for the remainder of the year.

Mike Westwood (No. 91) is nearing completion on his Modified. Westwood has fabricated the car himself and after numerous hours in the shop, the Milton, Ont. driver appears to be ready to make his season debut at Barrie.

Former Kawartha Speedway Late Model regular Max Beyore (No. 91N) is also hoping to make his seson debut. Beyore is the brother of veteran Super Late Model driver Mike Beyore (No. 54). Both Max’s Jeff Hanley-built modified and Mike’s Super Late Model are race ready for Saturday Barrie. A kink, however, was thrown in to the mix this week when Mike became ill with pneumonia. Since the pair travels together, if Mike’s health does not allow him to race Saturday night, both drivers will hold off another week before making their season debut.

The OSCAAR Modifieds are joined by the OSCAAR Super Late Models on Saturday night. The two OSCAAR series are the only divisions on tap for the night, marking the first time an OSCAAR event has been held without support divisions.

Spectator gates for the event open at 5:00pm before the first green flag at 6:30pm. Fans will be able to take part in an on-track autograph session with OSCAAR drivers from 5:45pm to 6:15pm prior to qualifying heat races.

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Directions: Barrie Speedway is located on the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte between Barrie and Orillia just off of Highway 11, 10 minutes north of Barrie and 10 minutes south of Orillia.

Directions from Barrie: Hwy 400 North, follow Hwy 11 North to the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte, Turn Right – Track 1km on the right side.

Directions from Orillia: Hwy 11 South to the 7th Line of Oro-Medonte, take the overpass back to Hwy 11 North to the 8th Line of Oro-Medonte, Turn Right – Track 1km on the right side.

For more information, visit www.barriespeedway.com.

The OSCAAR Super Late Model tour is presented by a number of dedicated sponsors throughout Ontario, including: Knightworks Design, Hoosier Racing Tire, Klotz Synthetics Canada, Race2way.ca, Dave Franks Photos, Dickson Printing, Finishline Fabrication, McColl Racing Enterprises, McGunegill Engine Performance, Stefko Racing Engines, VP Racing Fuels, OntarioOval.com, RaceTime Radio, Inside Track Motorsport News, Jenco Equipment, Midas of Orangeville, Reinhart Trailer Sales, North Toronto Auctions, and South Shore Services. 

By Dave Vokey - A near capacity crowd was on hand on June 8 at Barrie Speedway, and the legions of fans in attendance were treated to an evening of highly competitive on track action on BFI Canada Night. The evenings big winners were #02 Shawn Murray of Alliston and #10 Gord Shepherd of Oro Station, with each driver capturing a 30 lap feature race win in the track’s premier Wahta Springs Late Model division. With the win, current point leader Shepherd extended his point lead from 12 to 20 over second place point man #57 Ron “The Dominator” Quesnelle of Penetang, who continued an impressive string of top 5 finishes, coming to the checkered in 5th place in both features. Meanwhile, division sophomore Murray captured his second feature win of 2013, further cementing the talented driver in fifth place in the season long point standings, just 12 markers back of 2010 track champ #69 Al “Red Rocket” Inglis of Orillia, who ironically enough would finish the runner up in both feature races.

In the initial 30 lap race, it was rookie of the year contender #24 Leonard Johnston of Bracebridge who found the front early, after gaining the advantage on #74 Roy Manary of Gravenhurst from the drop of the green. Manary, would continue to get shuffled further back in the running order as he was passed to the inside by the duo of Murray and Inglis just two laps in. On the front end, Johnston was looking stout, running laps just a shade over the 15 second mark, holding a 2 car length lead over Murray, while further back an impressive three way dice was shaping up just outside of the top 5 involving Quesnelle, Shepherd, and #14 “Hurricane” Thayne Hallyburton of Hillsdale. Nearing the ten lap mark, Murray found himself welded to Johnston’s back bumper in search of the race lead, which he would later take with a clean inside pass entering turn 1. Once again it was Inglis who was quick to follow the Murray move, diving down inside of Johnston entering turn 3, to inheirit runner up positioning.

On lap 13, the fast duo of Quesnelle and Shepherd had entered the top 5, with both division veterans getting to the inside of Manary to complete the pass exiting turn 4. Just one lap later, Shepherd was really turning up the heat on Quesnelle for 4th, getting to the inside and passing his fellow competitor as the duo exited turn two. At the front of the pack, Murray was looking strong on the point, completing circuits of the one third mile tri oval in 15.1 seconds, all the while having to take to the outer groove as the 2006 Pure Stock track champion was working lapped traffic. Murray, was able to maintain a 2 car length lead over the hard charging Inglis, with Johnston still sitting in 3rd, as Shepherd began to reel him in with each passing lap. At this point in the race, the best battle on track was the race for 10th place, as #83 Ian Bourque of Newmarket and #43 Darin Malcolm of North Bay were waging all out war for that position, with Bourque eventually coming out on top of that duel. On this evening the promising upstart Murray was not to be denied however, taking the win by a slender margin over Inglis at the finish. Shepherd, would just nip the 24 of Johnston at the stripe for 3rd, as 2011 track champ Quesnelle rounded out the fast five.

In the 30 lap finale to the evening, it was #2 “Hometown” Mike Brown who broke out to the early lead from the outside pole position. The field would quickly bunch up in back of leader Brown, with #02 Shawn Murray receiving a tap from behind and getting crossways between turns 3&4. Murray, would eventually pull off a remarkable save and was able to keep his spot in the running order, with a nice show of class exhibited by the field who didn’t press the issue in allowing Murray to gather it up. An early caution would fly after the 74 of Manary would lock the brakes entering turn 1, getting crossways as a result, as #5 Mike “The Hulkamaniac” Langley would make contact with the Manary ride, with the incident also collecting Quesnelle, Malcolm, and #44 Rick Meyer. All drivers involved would eventually be able to continue the race. The top five at this point was comprised of leader Brown, Johnston, Murray, #91 Andre Pepin of Midland, and Inglis. On the restart, Brown would again seize the lead, with Johnston battling hard on the outer groove, and being able to slot into 2nd in front of Murray midway down the backstretch. Also on the move towards the front was the 69 of Inglis, as the multi time track champion would pass the 91 of Pepin for 4th entering turn 1, as the ominus 10 of Shepherd was lurking behind that duo.

After a debris caution appeared on lap 7, race one winner Murray would take advantage by getting to the inside of Johnston on the restart to take over 2nd place positioning. Johnston, would soon come under fire from the 10 of Shepherd, with the latter completing a clean inside pass exiting turn 2, to take over third place positioning. Nearing the midway mark, the race’s third caution would appear when #4 Glenn Lloyd of Barrie spun in turn 4, just as the 69 of Inglis was beginning to pressure Johnston for 4th, looking to the inside of his fellow competitor on several occasions. On the restart, Brown would jet out to a 2 car length advantage over Shepherd, after the latter slipped past Murray with a nifty low move entering turn 3. Shepherd, would take over at the front of the field as he powered around Brown on the outside after another mid race restart, leaving Brown to fall back into the clutches of Murray in the battle for runner up positioning. On lap 17, the unthinkable happened when the third place car of Murray would turn Brown on the exit of turn 2, with Brown coming to rest against the tire wall on the enterance to pit road. The ensuing result would see Murray sent arrears as an involved car, with Brown receiving the black flag for an ensuing on track melee. This turn of events would totally reshuffle the top 5 which was now made up of  Shepherd, Inglis, Johnston, Pepin, and #43 Darin Malcolm. On lap 20, the action was heating up all over the track with Johnston and Pepin locked in a tooth and nail battle for third, with Malcolm and Quesnelle racing fast and furious in behind for the final top 5 position. Malcolm, looked to be gaining the advantage on Quesnelle as the former Autumn Colors Classic winner was quickly reeling in the 4th place car Pepin.

Inside of five laps remaining, Malcolm had closed the distance on Pepin considerably, with division sophomore Pepin not willing to give up the fight just yet, as the talented wheelman was able to maintain fourth in the running order. Perhaps the hard charge to the front was beginning to take its toll on Malcolm’s Chevy Camaro SS, as he now found himself locked in a door to door battle with Quesnelle, who was putting in a remarkable drive of his own after the earlier misfortune that brought about a stop on pit road. On the front end, Shepherd was holding a cozy 3 car length advantage over the wily veteran Inglis, with Johnston still solidly in third. As has been proven before on multiple occasions this season, once out front the 10 of Shepherd has been hard if not impossible to catch, and that was the scenario that played out here. The 2009 track champ Shepherd, would parade to his 4th feature win of the season on his main sponsor’s night, thus drawing a huge ovation from those in attendance. Inglis, would cap off a solid point night in finishing 2nd, with Johnston, Pepin, and Quesnelle comprising the remainder of the top 5.

In Canestoga Sprayers & Asphalt Repair Thunder Car action it was a familiar face returning to victory lane as #44 Dave “The Deuce” Doucette of Angus captured his first feature win of 2013. Doucette, the victim of some tough luck in the opening weeks would finally receive a break at the midway point of the 30 lap main, when the front running duo of #40 Donny Brandon and #39 Travis “The Enforcer” Hallyburton collided along the backstretch, sending Brandon for a wild spin towards the inside retaining wall and Hallyburton to the rear of the field as an involved car. For the ensuing restart the top 5 would consist of new race leader Doucette, defending track champ #10 Rick Walt, point leader #00 Darryl St. Onge, #12 Jim “Polish Prince” Belesky, and rookie standout #37 Robbie Sikes. Doucette, would power out to a two car length lead over Walt on the restart, with St. Onge third, and the 4th place car of Belesky now trapped on the high line, as the hard charging Sikes passed the former 2 time track champ for that position.

Just outside of the top five the best battle forming on track was the race for 6th, as #20 Luke Gignac and #55 Greg Callow were locked in an impressive door handle to door handle duel for that spot, as the venerable veteran Callow would come out on top. At the front of the field, Doucette was beginning to increase his lead over Walt with laps in the 15.9 second range, as Walt was passed for runner up positioning by St. Onge inside of five laps remaining. Over the closing stages, St. Onge was able to marginally slice into the 3 car length lead Doucette had at the front of the field, but it was not to be on this evening however, as 2007 track champ Doucette would take the victory be a mere 7/10ths of a second at the checkered. St. Onge, would maintain a slender 2 point lead on Doucette heading into this weekend’s action, with a solid 2nd place showing, while Walt, Sikes, and Belesky rounded out the top five.

Heat wins went to Walt, Sikes, #39 Travis Hallyburton, and #16 Bryan Penny. The wins were the first ever in a Thunder Car for both Sikes and Penny, as the two rookie stalwarts have proven they belong among the elite Thunder Car pilots in the province throughout the opening weeks of 2013.

In the 20 lap St. Onge Recreation Pure Stock main, it was defending track champion #9 Charlie Smith of Orillia who brought his Dodge Neon to victory lane to claim his 2nd feature win of the season. The race would begin with #83 Sean Sikes getting the initial lead, with #71 Pete Gettliffe having a brief 3 wide look around the duo of #63 Jamie Cairns and #6 Josh Inglis, who were slotted in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Cairns, would inheirit the lead on lap 2, when he passed leader Sikes to the inside of turn two. Also making nice progression through the field was the duo of #09 Dean Curry and Smith, as that duo had now entered the top 3 after working past #06 Ryan Hardy of Markdale, after Hardy had moved past the 2nd place car of Sikes a couple laps earlier. Cairns, was still looking strong on the front end, holding a 2 car length lead on Smith, with Curry in third, and current point leader #10 Doug Butler of New Lowell now in fourth, after disposing of the 06 of Hardy.

Just shy of the 10 lap mark, Smith would take over the race lead, passing Cairns to the outside in turn one. Cairns, would continue to get shuffled further back in the running order, when the duo of Butler and Curry worked their way around just past the midway mark. Curry, would come under heavy fire from the 10 of Butler, as the provincial heavyweight would pass his fellow competitor to take over 2nd place. Butler, would take to the high line in pursuit of leader Smith, quickly finding his back bumper and giving him a nudge entering turn 3, inside of 5 laps remaining. These two drivers would treat the fans to a whale of a show over the duration, drag racing door to door approaching the checkered, as Smith was able to fend off the staunch Butler challenge, taking the win in the caution free affair by a slender 2/10ths of a second at the stripe. Curry, would record a season best 3rd place result, as #77 Mike Gettliffe, and #15 Will Davies filled out the remainder of the top 5.

Heat wins went to #06 Ryan Hardy with a pair, Butler, and Curry.

PIT NOTES ———————–  A number of new faces continue to appear at the High Line as #17 Kevin Reynolds of Warminster would make his first start of the season in the Wahta Springs Late Models, with #8 Paul Bogensberger of North Bay taking to the track for the first time in 2013 in the Thunder Car division, and #31 Gil Brooks, and #38 Dave Rice also making their first starts of the season in the Pure Stock ranks. Be sure to join us this coming Saturday night for the only Barrie appearance of 2013 for the OSCAAR Super Late Models and the OSCAAR Modifieds, as #10 Jesse Kennedy in the Super Lates and #8 Gary McLean in the Modifieds look to defend their Barrie victories of a season ago. Also on hand will be a couple of local favorites as former 2 time Barrie Late Model track champ #22 Glenn Watson and nephew #9 Brandon Watson are expected to be in the Super Late field, as both drivers look for their first career victories at the High Line in the OSCAAR series. Pit gates open at 1pm, with spectator gates commencing business at 5pm, and green flag slated to drop at 6:30pm sharp. This will prove to be a can’t miss event !!!

By Dave Vokey / Photos by Mike Kiers - Bitterly cold temperatures were the order of the day on May 25 at Barrie Speedway, and despite the cold air presence the action on track was scorching, as #83 Ian Bourque of Newmarket and #14 “Hurricane” Thayne Hallyburton of Hillsdale each captured a 30 lap feature victory in the track’s premier Wahta Springs Late Model division. The win for Bourque was his first at the track since the 2006 season, with the talented pilot having spent the better part of the last six years touring around the province in his Oscaar Super Late Model. With the win, Bourque has now entered the top 10 in the season long point standings, after some struggles in the opening weeks of the season, while Hallyburton’s victory comes just 2 weeks after his first career Late Model feature win, further locking the driver solidly in third place in points, just 26 markers in back of the current leader #10 Gord Shepherd of Oro Station. Speaking of Shepherd, the 2009 track champ would see his impressive streak of 6 feature races with no worse than a second place finish come to an end, as the hard charging wheelman could only manage a 4th place showing in the initial feature, backed up by his fourth runner up result of 2013 in the finale to the evening.

In the first 30, it was Bourque who jetted into the early lead from the outside pole position, after the driver gained the advantage on #74 Roy Manary of Gravenhurst from the drop of the green. Manary, would continue to get shuffled further back in the running order, after getting crooked while racing out of turn two the driver was passed by the duo of #54 Randy Bull of Haliburton and #02 Shawn Murray of Alliston, as that pair checked into 2nd and 3rd respectively. Murray, would be the first of the lead grouping to make a move towards the front, getting down to the inside of Bull entering turn three, and completing the pass as the pair raced into turn 1 on the very next lap. Also putting on a charge towards the front was 2011 track champ #57 Ron “The Dominator” Quesnelle of Penetang, as the longtime division veteran would charge from his 11th place starting spot to land in third, after disposing of Bull just shy of the ten lap mark. At the front of the field, Bourque was now clear of the pack by half a straightaway, as Quesnelle began to dig hard on the 02 of Murray for 2nd in the running order.

Approaching the midway point the man on the move was the #14 of Hallyburton, as the division sophmore would file past Bull and into 4th place, with Bull seemingly having a misfire under hood at this point in the race. On lap 16, Quesnelle found himself welded to the back bumper of Murray in the race for 2nd, looking to the inside of his fellow competitor racing out of turn two, but unable to make the potential pass stick. Perhaps the most impressive drive was being put in by a returning #2 “Hometown” Mike Brown of Hawkestone, as the driver would slip past Hallyburton low in turn two for 5th, after sharting shotgun in the 15 car field. This would come one lap after the 10 of Shepherd also moved past Hallyburton, who clearly had his right front tire going down. With two laps remaining, both Murray and Quesnelle had caught up with the 83 of Bourque and began to pressure him in an attempt to wrestle away the race lead. Bourque, would actually get partially crossways out of turn 2 during this time, with a nice display of sportmanship exhibited by both Murray and Quesnlle as they allowed the leader to gather it up. This turn of events would temporarily halt Murray’s momentum on the inside line, allowing Quesnelle to take to the high side to duel with Murray to the checkered. It was apparent this race would belong to Bourque however, with the 3 time track champion taking the win in the caution free affair by 2 car lengths at the finish. Quesnelle, would just edge out Murray for 2nd, as Shepherd and Brown rounded out the top 5.

In the 30 lap nightcap to the evening, it was the 54 of Bull who captured the early lead, after 3 solid laps door handle to door handle with the 74 of Manary. Sitting comfortably in third and looking for racing room was the 14 of Hallyburton, while an impressive dice was taking shape for 4th involving Bourque and #91 Andre Pepin of Midland, as Bourque would eventually come out on top of that side by side battle. On lap 5, Hallyburton would begin his charge to the point, getting under Manary for 2nd and clearly setting his sights on race leader Bull. It was on lap 11, when Hallyburton would power out front for the first time, diving to the inside of Bull in turn two and taking control at the front of the field. At this point in the race, there was contact made midpack as the 02 of Murray and #24 Leonard Johnston of Gravenhurst got together along the backstretch, with both drivers taking a stop down pit road for damage, with both being able to eventually continue but several laps down.

Just past the midway mark, the man to watch was the #69 of 2010 track champ Al “Red Rocket” Inglis of Orillia, as the wily veteran would relieve Manary of 3rd, with a nice clean inside pass between turns 1&2. The Inglis move would lead the way for the 57 of Quesnelle to quickly follow into fourth in the running order, as Quesnelle suddenly began to intensify the pressure on fellow veteran Inglis for 3rd place. On lap 21, Quesnelle would finally sneak past Inglis, with a nifty low move entering turn one. The race’s first caution appeared on lap 23, when Brown who was having another strong race, would get crossways out of turn 4, after perhaps a slight tap from the #28 of Robin Jongen of Kilworthy. This would leave the 74 of Manary nowhere to go but hard into Brown’s right side door panels, thus ending the night for the stout Brown ride. On the restart, Bull would have a picture perfect restart from the outer groove, powering past Hallyburton to reclaim the race lead. Hallyburton, would look to the inside of Bull between turns 1&2 a couple laps later, marginally gaining the advantage, when the 2nd and final caution appeared for Johnston spinning in turn 2. This would set the stage for a Bull/Hallyburton battle from the front row once again, this time with Bull manning the preferred inside line. This turn of events would not but a damper on the game Hallyburton’s search for the race lead, as the Hillsdale Service Center Monte Carlo SS would once again find the point from the outside, leaving Bull to fend off the challenge of the front running 10 of Shepherd, who alertly took 2nd along the outside. Over the closing stages, Shepherd would marginally cut into the Hallyburton lead at the front of the pack, but it wasn’t to be, as Hallyburton would parade home to the win by a single car length at the stripe. Shepherd, would cap off a solid point night racing to the line in 2nd, with Quesnelle, Bull, and Inglis comprising the remainder of the fast five.

In Canestoga Sprayers and Asphalt Repair Thunder Car action, it was #00 Darryl St. Onge of Barrie who checked into victory lane for the third time in 4 weeks. Despite the strong start to the season for St. Onge, the real story of the race was the performance of rookie of the year contender #37 Robbie Sikes of Orillia. Sikes, would grab the lead after an early restart on lap 2, and continue on at the point for the next 21 circuits of the one third mile tri oval, despite the presence and challenges of a pair of former track champions #12 Jim “Polish Prince” Belesky and #10 Rick Walt at his back bumper. After a debris caution flew on lap nine, Sikes and Belesky raced tooth and nail for the lead for several laps on the restart, with Sikes finiding the front once again, as Belesky slotted into 2nd, with #40 Donny Brandon of Barrie running 3rd, while St. Onge and #55 Shawn Goggins of Orillia were right in the mix as well, running 4th and 5th respectively.

Sikes, would eventually break out to a five car length lead on Belesky, who was for under heavy fire from both Walt and St. Onge in the battle for podium positioning. On lap 16, Walt would get to the inside of Belesky between turns 1&2 to move to 2nd, with an alert St. Onge quick to claim 3rd in the running order. The best battle on track at this point was the race for fifth, as Brandon and Goggins waged war for that position. A hard fought battle would come to its conclusion on lap 23, when Brandon would make contact with Goggins left rear after that pair were working around the lapped car of #2 Ken Jones. The ensuing result would see Goggins and Brandon both send to the tail of the field as involved cars, with St. Onge now manning the outside line for the restart, presenting a ultra tough challenge ahead for the calm and collected race leader Sikes. St. Onge, would manuver into the race lead with relative ease from the outside line, when the caution again flew on lap 25 for a nasty incident as the 55 of Goggins came to rest on top of the tires at the enterance to pit road. After a lengthy red flag to remove the prone Goggins ride, St. Onge, once again got the jump on Sikes when the race resumed, with Sikes now trapped to the high side as he was shuffled back by the trio of #39 Travis “The Enforcer” Hallyburton, Walt, and #44 Dave “The Deuce” Doucette. The always exciting Doucette would eventually make a pass on Walt for third, with St. Onge now having to fend off the challenge of Hallyburton, who was cutting into the St. Onge lead with each passing lap. Once out front the #00 Ski Doo/Marnoch Electrical/ Young Drivers of Canada Pontiac Grand Prix has proven tough if not impossible to catch, and that was the case here at 2009 track champ St. Onge would take the win by 2 car lengths over an oncoming Hallyburton at the checkered. Doucette, would come to the stripe in 3rd, with Walt and Sikes completing the top 5.

Four different heat race winners came in the form of Hallyburton, Doucette, #40 Donny Brandon, and #55 Shawn Goggins.

In the 20 lap St. Onge Recreation Pure Stock main it was #11 Adam Misener of North Bay who piloted his Nissan 240 into victory lane. The race would begin with #06 Ryan Hardy of Markdale, checking into the initial lead from the outside pole position, with #09 Dean Curry and Misener quick to follow Hardy through along the top side to land in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Just two laps in the 09 of Curry would overcook the enterance to turn one, getting into the back of his teamate Hardy and sending him for a spin, with both drivers summoned arrears deemed invloved cars. This turn of events would hand the lead over to Misener, with #63 Jamie Cairns, #400 Justin Holmes, #57 Ryan Toon, and #18 Tim Gagne comprising the remainder of the fast five in the early going. On the restart Misener would find the point , leading the way for Holmes to claim 2nd as those two drivers began to brack away from the tightly bunched pack racing in behind.

On lap 5, the man on the move was 2010 track champ #15 Will Davies of Orillia, as the promising young upstart would pass Gagne for 5th, leading the way for #77 Mike Gettliffe to follow a short time later. At the front of the field, Holmes was hounding Misener lap after lap for the race lead, looking to the inside of his fellow competitor out of turn 2, but evetually having to back out of the move when he got loose out of the same corner. After a lap 12 restart for an incident involving Curry and Gettliffe came about, the silky smooth Davies would begin to hound Holmes for 2nd along the inner groove, eventually completing a pass as the duo raced out of turn 4. Further in back of that duel, current point leader #10 Doug Butler of New Lowell was fast approaching, passing both Curry and Toon along the outside, to slot himself into 4th place positioning. After a late race caution came about, Misener would again break away from Davies, with 3rd place Holmes now locked in an impressive dice with Butler, with the former Autumn Colors Classic champion Butler taking that spot after two solid laps door to door. The race would belong to the stout Misener ride however, as the division runner up in 2012 would notch his second career feature victory. Davies, would just nip Butler at the line by inches in the battle for second, as Holmes, and Curry rounded out the top 5.

Heat wins were claimed by Misener, Butler, Curry, and #06 Ryan Hardy.

Photo gallery by Mike Kiers / www.CableGuyPhotos.com 

By Dave Vokey - Barrie Speedway would kick off the Victoria Day long weekend in fine style, as ideal weather conditions were forcast for the evening’s racing card on Sat May 18, at the one third mile tri oval located on the 8th Line of Oro. The fortunate forcast would bring out legions of fans and drivers alike, to see and compete in Central Ontario’s hottest on track racing action. The evenings big winners in the tracks featured Wahta Springs Late Model division, were #02 Shawn Murray of Alliston and #10 Gord Shepherd of Oro Station. For Murray, the win would be his first of 2013, after amassing an amazing 4 feature wins in his rookie campaign, while Shepherd continued a very impressive streak of 6 feature races with no worse than a 2nd place result, as the 2013 season approaches month number two at the High Line. Murray, would have to fight off very intense late race challenges from the duo of Shepherd and #57 Ron Quesnelle of Penetang in the first of twin 30 lap features, with the victory propelling the Alliston resident to a spot in the top 5 in the season long points standings. Meanwhile, Shepherd’s win would further widen his point lead to 13 over Quesnelle as the first month of the season comes to a conclusion, with just another six points back to third place #14 “Hurricane” Thayne Hallyburton of Hillsdale.

The first 30 lap feature race would see outside pole sitter #74 Roy Manary of Gravenhurst gain the early lead, after getting the jump on #5 Mike Langley of Orr Lake from the drop of the green. Also in the mix early, was the duo of #24 Leonard Johnston of Bracebridge and #83 Ian Bourque of Newmarket, with Johnston snatching second from Langley, with an alert Bourque quick to follow into third. Approaching lap five is when Murray began to make his presence felt, disposing of Bourque for 3rd in the running order, after a hard fought two laps door handle to door handle. After an early caution, Manary would again find the point, this time from the inside line, with a game Johnston trapped to the high side, as the rookie sensation was passed by the stout Murray, who is campaigning an entirely different ride for the 2013 season himself. It would take Murray another two laps to run down leader Manary, with Murray executing a clean inside pass exiting corner 4 to take over the race lead on lap nine. Fast on the move towards the front of the field was the duo of Quesnelle and Shepherd, as the two longtime division veterans hooked up together on the top groove, to land themselves just outside the top 5, after starting 12th and 14th respectively.

Just past the midway point is when former track champs Quesnelle and Shepherd began to make their move, entering the top 5 past Bourque and the #54 Camaro SS of Randy Bull of Haliburton, while a little further up front Johnston would relieve Manary of second, with a clever move to the inside while racing down the backstetch. Manary, would then come under fire from Quesnelle and Shepherd, with Quesnelle’s #57 Sunrise Toyota Camry completing an inside pass for 3rd exiting corner 2, with the crafty Shepherd able to follow that move one lap later. At the front of the field, Murray was holding a slim two car length lead in his Lake Simcoe Heating & Air/Flight Path Impala SS, with Johnston now under heavy fire from Quesnelle for 2nd, with the latter taking the spot after a solid 2 lap side by side battle. With the jockeying for positions going on in behind him, Murray was able to open up a 4 car length lead at the front of the pack with laps in the 14.9 second range, as Quesnelle checked comfortably into 2nd, with Shepherd now advancing to 3rd after getting past the 74 of Manary. Over the closing stages, Quesnelle would draw closer to the bumper of Murray, even getting to within a single car length of the leader, with Shepherd now also beginning to mount a challenge to the outside of Quesnelle for second. With 2 laps remaining, Shepherd would pull a nose in front of Quesnelle entering turn 1, setting the stage for a two car drag race towards the finish. As the battle for second raged on in behind him, Murray would again marginally stretch out his lead at the front of the pack, putting on a masterful drive, hitting all his marks along the way to eventually land in victory lane. Shepherd, would just edge Quesnelle at the stripe for 2nd, as rookie contender Johnston would record his 2nd top five of the season in finishing 4th, while Manary would notch a career best fifth place showing.

In the 30 lap finale to the evening it was #43 Darim Malcolm of North Bay who burst out to the early lead, with the fast two car duo of 2010 track champ #69 Al “Red Rocket” Inglis of Orillia and #91 Andre Pepin of Midland closely in tow, after that pair disposed of pole sitter Langley to check into 2nd and 3rd respectively. On lap 5, Inglis would have a look to the low side of leader Malcolm exiting turn 2, but was unable to make a pass stick. A little further in back of that battle, the action was hotly contested in the race for 4th, as the 10 of Shepherd would pass Johnston, with a nice low move along the backstretch. On lap 6, it was Inglis’ turn to take over at the front of the field, as the wily veteran dove to the inside of Malcolm in turn 3, exectuing a cunning pass as sophmore sensation Pepin sat just 2 car lengths in behind, running in third place. The early laps along the top groove seemed to take its toll on the 91 of Pepin however, as he would drift high out of turn 4, allowing the 10 of Shepherd to slip past into 3rd, approaching the ten lap mark.

At the front of the field Inglis was firmly in control, holding a 2 car length lead over Malcolm, while a little further in behind there was a three car war for 4th place positioning , with the 57 of Quesnelle and 24 of Johnston locked in a side by side duel for that position, with Hallyburton tucked in behind, looking to enter the top five. Just past the midway mark, Shepherd would execute a bump and run type move on Malcolm out of turn two, taking over 2nd place, with leader Inglis now clear of that battle by five car lengths at the front of the field. The leaders would begin to come into lapped traffic approaching lap 20, with Shepherd pulling alongside leader Inglis and executing a brilliant outside pass on the exit of turn 2 on lap 21.. Once out front of the pack Shepherd’s Waste Managment Sloutions/Montana’s Cookhouse Fusion began to widen its lead with each passing lap, covering the tri oval in the 14.8 second range, as Inglis sat solidly in 2nd, with Malcolm another 3 lengths behind in 3rd. They would come to the line in this order, with Shepherd taking his third win of 2013. Inglis, would record a season best second place result, while Malcolm fresh of a six year hiatus from the speedway would round out the podium. Rising talent Hallyburton would record solid 4th finish in the caution free affair, whlie 2011 track champ Quesnelle would round out the fast five.

In Canestoga Sprayers and Asphalt Repair Thunder Car action, a familiar face would come home the victor, as #00 Darryl St. Onge of Barrie captured his second feature win in 3 weeks in his Pontiac Grand Prix. The race would begin with #16 Bryan Penny and #21 Bill Walt battling for the first two laps side by side, when Walt would find the point from the outside line, as the duo of #40 Donny Brandon of Barrie and St. Onge were also quick to shoot through along the top side, to check into 2nd and 3rd respectively. On lap 5, Brandon would take over the race lead, with an inside move on Walt in turn 3, also opening up the necessary room for St. Onge to take over runner up positioning. Brandon’s time at the front would be short lived however, as St. Onge would power out front on the high side between turns 1&2, with a hard charging #10 Rick Walt also having a brief look at a three wide move past Brandon exiting turn 2. Making a charge towards the front of the pack was last season’s rookie of the year #39 Travis Hallyburton of Hillsdale, as the promising upstart would pass Bill Walt for 5th, with a nifty low move in turn 4.

At the front of the field St. Onge appeared to be untouchable, completing laps in the 15.5 sec. range, checking out on Brandon by five car lengths, with the latter still fending off a staunch challenge to the outside from the 10 of Walt. On lap 16, Hallyburton would get under Walt between 3&4 in the race for third place, with Hallyburton finally working his way past entering turn 3 on the next lap. The race’s first caution would appear one lap later, when rookie Penny spun in turn four, thus wiping out the large lead St. Onge had built up at the front of the field. Once again, St. Onge would break out on the restart from the 40 of Brandon, pulling out to a 3 car length advantage, while the best battle on track was the race for 5th, as #12 Jim “Polish Prince” Belesky would file past #37 Robbie Sikes to take that position. A late race caution would fly on lap 25, when #44 Dave “The Deuce” Doucette would inadvertantly run up on the 10 of Walt between turns 1&2, with Walt sent for a spin and both drivers summoned to the rear of the field as involved cars. St. Onge, would appear to be a man on mission on this night, with the 2009 track champ proving flawless on restarts, powering past Brandon once again, as Hallyburton would take advantage of St. Onge’s momentum to slip into 2nd. Hallyburton, would marginally cut into the St. Onge lead over the duration, but was unable to mount much of a challenge, as St. Onge would cruise to the victory by 3 car lengths at the stripe. Hallyburton, would cap off a solid point night in finishing 2nd, as Doucette, Belesky, and Walt would comprise the remainder of the top 5.

Heat wins went to #55 Shawn Goggins with a pair, Hallyburton, and Belesky.

In the 20 lap St.Onge Recreation Pure Stock Main it was #77 Mike Gettliffe who brought hid SMK Automotive/TSS Top Shopps Dodge Neon to victory lane. Gettliffe, would have to fend off late race challenges from the duo of #10 Doug Butler of New Lowell and defending track champ #9 Charlie Smith of Orillia, as those two drivers waged an all out war for 2nd place in the late going, exchanging that position on sucessive laps at one point. Butler, would eventually nip Smith at the line for 2nd, as Getliffe a former competitor in the Thunder Car ranks drove with materful precision en route to taking his 2nd feature win since his return to the Pure Stock division at the midway point of last season. Butler, would take over the point lead with a workmanlike runner up effort, while Smith #57 Ryan Toon and #09 Dean Curry rounded out the top 5.

Heat race wins went to Butler and Curry with a pair each.

PIT NOTES ————— A number of few faces continue to appear at the High Line as #27 Sam Reckzin of North Bay would take to the track in the Wahta Springs Late Models. Reckzin, who last competed in 1999 at the now defunct North Bay Speedway finished impressively on the lead lap in both 30 lap feature races, keeping a clean car under him all night long while racing amongst some of the best shoes in the province. The new faces would not end there however, as #2 Tom Woods and #67 Rick Santiago would make there first Barrie starts in the Thunder car ranks, but unfortunately each would encounter mechanical difficulties in heat races, ending any chance at making the start in the 30 lap main. In the Pure Stock division #83 Sean Sikes of Sault Ste. Marie would debut a Ford Probe in the class,with the car being a former Laird Speedway Championship car. It  will be interesting to see how it might progress in the coming weeks in the hands of rookie Sikes. Be sure to join us this coming Sat May 25 when all three divisions are back in action. as well as a visit from the Ontario Legends Series who brought 18 cars strong to their opening event.

Photos by Mike Kiers / www.cableguyphotos.com

OntarioOval.com Exclusive – By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)

Oro Station, Ont. – A full card of racing action was set for Barrie Speedway’s third week of action in 2013, including the Wahta Springs Late Models, Canestoga Sprayers & Asphalt Repair Thunder Cars, and St. Onge Recreation Pure Stocks.

Wahta Springs Limited Late Models Feature 1

The first of two 30-lap main events for the limited late models would start the feature portion of the night. Mike Langley (#5) held down the pole position in a handicapped starting grid.

However, it was clear from the early laps that Shawn Murray (#02) had the car to beat to start the evening, charging from his sixth-place starting spot to the front in just a handful of laps. Murray moved around Roy Manary (#74) to take the lead before the ten-lap mark.

Murray would be challenged in the closing laps by Ron Quesnelle (#57) and previous week’s winner Gord Shepherd (#10). Murray was able to fend off the pair as they dueled for the second spot on the podium over the final five laps, to earn his first feature victory of the season.

Results: 1. #02 Shawn Murray; 2. #10 Gord Shepherd; 3. #57 Ron Quesnelle; 4. #24 Leonard Johnston; 5. #74 Roy Manary; 6. #91 Andre Pepin; 7. #14 Thayne Hallyburton; 8. #69 Al Inglis; 9. #83 Ian Bourque; 10. #54 Randy Bull; 11. #43 Darrin Malcolm; 12. #5 Mike Langley; 13. #4 Glenn Lloyd; 14. #27 Sam Reckzin, 15. #44x Rick Meyer (DNS).

St. Onge Recreation Pure Stock Feature

Mike Getliffe (#77) stole the show in the pure stock feature, emerging from his mid-pack starting position to find victory lane. Getliffe wasted little time, taking the lead on lap five of the 20-lap affair. Getliffe worked around Dean Currie’s #09 in the early going before pulling away from the remainder of the 12-car field.

Getliffe would be reeled in late in the race by Charlie Smith (#9). Smith dueled with Doug Butler (#10) for the second spot over the final laps. The war for the second spot on the podium would allow Getliffe to hold off his challengers to earn the victory. Butler would narrowly edge Smith at the line, using momentum on the outside line to his advantage.

Top five finishers included Getliffe, Butler, Smith, Ryan Toon (#57), and Currie.

Doug Butler and Dean Currie each won a pair of heat races.

Canestoga Sprayers and Asphalt Repair Thunder Car Feature

A tough field of 13 thunder cars took the green flag for the division’s third feature of the season. Darryl St. Onge (#00) stole the show, after starting sixth, to earn his second win of the season.

Donny Brandon (#40) jumped out to an early lead after starting fourth, but St. Onge quickly drew to the back bumper of Brandon’s Monte Carlo. St. Onge would take the lead on lap eight, and would never surrender it.

A caution on lap 12 for a spinning Bryan Penny (#16), tightened the field for the second-half of the 30-lap feature, but the real battle would be for second place as St. Onge dominated the remainder of the night.

Dave Doucette (#44) would work his way from the back of the field he got tangled up with Rick Walt (#10) in the opening laps. Doucette would battle his way back to the front, challenging second-place runner Travis Hallyburton for the middle-step on the podium. Doucette, however, would run out of laps and settle for third.

Former Barrie champion Jim Belesky would finish fourth, while Walt would round out the top-five.

Wahta Springs Limited Late Models Feature 2

Darrin Malcolm (#43) lead early on in the second 30-lap feature of the night after starting second, but it would be Gord Shepherd to earn his third feature win in six starts at Barrie to start the season.

Malcolm would lead until lap six when Al Inglis (#69) would steal the lead after starting fourth.

The story was all Shepherd though, who was quickly moving up from his 10^th-place starting spot. Shepherd needed just three laps to find fifth place, and five more before he sat third. Shepherd utilized the highline to his advantage, as many drivers had glued their cars to the bottom of the speedway.

Shepherd stole second from Malcolm on lap 14, setting up a battle for the lead with Inglis. Shepherd took until lap 19 to track down ‘The Red Rocket’, but once again used the outside. With Inglis on the bottom, the duo battled for two full laps before Shepherd would eventually take the lead on lap 21. He wouldn’t  look back from there, cruising to his third victory in as many weeks.

Malcolm would fend off week two winner Thayne Hallyburton (#14) to hold on to the third spot, while Ron Quesnelle (#57) would earn his second top-five of the night.

Results: 1. #10 Gord Shepherd; 2. #69 Al Inglis; 3. #43 Darrin Malcolm; 4. #14 Thayne Hallyburton; 5. #57 Ron Quesnelle; 6. #24 Leonard Johnston; 7. #91 Andre Pepin; 8. #54 Randy Bull; 9.#02 Shawn Murray; 10. #83 Ian Bourque; 11. #4 Glenn Lloyd; 12. #5 Mike Langley; 13. #74 Roy Manary; 14. #27 Sam Reckzin; 15. #44x Rick Meyer (DNS).

Barrie Speedway will be back in action on Saturday May 25, 2013 with full nights of racing for the Pure Stocks, Thunder Cars, and Limited Late Models, as well as a visit from the Ontario Legends Series.

Photo gallery courtesy Mike Kiers / www.cableguyphotos.com

By Dave Vokey - Extremely fridgid temperatures were the order of the day on May 11 at Barrie Speedway, quite the contrast from the week prior, thus causing several drivers to alter their previous race set ups as the evening’s card was set to commence. The biggest story to form on the night was the performance of sophmore Late Model driver #14 “Hurricane” Thayne Hallyburton of Hillsdale, as he would capture his first career feature win in the first of twin 30 lap features in the Wahta Springs sponsored division. Hallyburton, who has toiled in both the Thunder Car and Pure Stock ranks prior to his Late Model debut last season, was chased to the line by current point leader #10 Gordie Shepherd of Oro Station, who eventually would finish second in a stellar and talent laden 16 car field. With the win, Hallyburton would advance to third in the season long point standings just 9 points in back of Shepherd, with 2011 track champ #57 Ron “The Dominator” Quesnelle of Penetang sandwiched in between the pair just 6 markers behind.
 
The race would begin with another sophmore competitor #91 Andre Pepin of Midland grabbing the initial lead from the pole position, after getting the jump on #74 Roy Manary of Gravenhurst from the drop of the green. Pepin, would soldier on with the lead for the first few laps, with the duo of Hallyburton and Shepherd also shooting through along the inside line past Manary to check into 2nd and 3rd respectively. Hallyburton, would begin to reel in Pepin when the race’s first and only caution would appear on lap 7, when #28 Robin Jongen of Kilworthy spun in turn 2 after contact with #43 Darin Malcolm of North Bay, with the ensuing result seeing both drivers summoned to the back of the pack as involved cars. This would set the stage for Hallyburton to power to the point from outside pole on the restart, leaving Pepin to fend off a challenge from both Shepherd and #69 Al “Red Rocket” Inglis of Orillia, who was diligently working the outer groove. Shepherd, would be the first one to find the back bumper of Pepin, darting down to the inside line on the exit of turn 4, and completing the pass as the duo raced out of turn two on lap 12.
 
At the front of the field, leader Hallyburton was now clear of Shepherd by 5 car lengths, with Shepherd cutting into Hallyburton’s lead ever so slightly just past the midway mark. By lap 21, Shepherd had now closed the distance considerably and was right on Hallyburton’s tail looking to both the high and low side, trying to cause a slip up from Hallyburton’s Hillsdale Service Center Monte Carlo SS. The lead duo would run into lapped traffic just two laps later, with both drivers negoiating that dilemma with relative ease. On lap 26, Shepherd would take one final stab at the race lead, giving Hallyburton a bump in turn 4 and getting him crossways approaching the flagstand. In a true show of class, division veteran Shepherd would back off and allow Hallyburton to gather it up, as the latter would move out once again to a five car length advantage. They would race to the checkered in this order, as a jubilant Hallyburton would notch the feature race glory. Shepherd, would continue an impressive streak of finishes in coming home the runner up, with Quesnelle, Inglis, and #02 Shawn Murray of Alliston rounding out the top 5. 
 
In the 30 lap finale to the evening, it was Shepherd who would ride into victory lane in his BFI Canada/ Montana’s Cookhouse/Cowden Woods sponsored Ford Fusion. With the win, 2009 track champ Shepherd, would continue a string of 4 straight feature races in which the driver has notched no worse than a runner up result. The race would begin with the 02 of Murray and 43 of Malcolm doing battle from the front row, with Murray powering to the lead in turn 2 along the  inside line just a couple laps in. This turn of events would leave Malcolm to fall back into the clutches of the 57 of Quesnelle, with the latter setting up a nifty inside pass in turn three on lap 5. Just one lap later, Malcolm would run up on Quesnelle’s bumper between turns 1&2, with contact made between the pair sending Quesnelle for a loop and both drivers summoned arrears deemed involved cars. At this point in the race the top five would consist of Murray, Shepherd, Jongen, #54 Randy Bull of Haliburton, and race one winner Hallyburton. Murray and Shepherd would have an impressive dice on the restart, with Shepherd gaining the advantage after two solid laps door handle to door handle.
 
Approaching the ten lap mark, Shepherd was widening his lead with each passing lap, leaving Murray to do battle with the 28 of Jongen, while in behind Bull and Hallyburton were waging war for 4th place positioning, in a duel eventually won by Hallyburton. Also making his presence felt in the lead grouping was the 69 of Inglis, as the talented veteran would pass Bull on the inside of turn three on lap 13, to enter the top 5. At the midway point, the lead duo of Shepherd and Murray was approaching lapped traffic with Shepherd making his way through very efficently, further extending his lead over Murray, with Quesnelle and Malcolm now battling mid pack for seventh, with Quesnelle working his way around his fellow competitor on the outside of turn three on lap 19. At this point in the race the best battle on track was the race for third involving Jongen and Hallyburton, with a game Hallyburton looking to the outside of Jongen but unable to make a pass stick. On lap 24, the caution would fly once again, this time for rookie contender #44 Mike Meyer, who spun just before the enterance to pit road in turn 2. Shepherd, would once again jet out to the point over Murray on the restart, as Murray soon found Jongen nipping at his heels for 2nd in the running order. Jongen, would give Murray a knock in turn 2, shooting Murray crossways and up onto the outer groove, leading into what was a stunning save, but also allowing the 14 of Hallyburton to get past to claim 3rd place. Murray, would become some what of a human pinball entering the next corner, when he valiantly tried to find the inside line, cutting down in front of the 4th place car of Inglis, with contact made sending Murray for a spin and both drivers sent to the back of the pack with just a handful of laps remaining. It was clear nobody was catching the stout Shepherd on this evening however, as he would parade to the checkered by a comfortable margin over Jongen at the finish. Hallyburton, would cap off a solid point night with a hard earned third place finish, with Quesnelle and Pepin rounding out the fast five. 
 
In Canestoga Sprayers and Asphalt Repair Thunder Car action, it was defending track champion #10 Rick Walt of Hawkestone who came home the victor in the 30 lap main. The race would kick start with #12 Jim “Polish Prince” Belesky of Carthew Bay moving into a healthy lead from the outside pole, leaving pole sitter #52 Greg Callow of Oro to do battle with #39 Travis Hallyburton for runner up positioning, in a dice that saw Hallyburton come out on top. Also on the move in the early going was the #44 of Dave “The Deuce” Doucette of Angus, as the talented wheelman would charge from 8th on the starting grid into 4th in the running order, after disposing of #40 Donny Brandon of Barrie to claim that position.  Doucette’s charge to the front would not end there, as he would work to the inside of Callow to take 3rd, as an alert Walt was quick to follow that move, dropping Callow back to fifth place. 
 
Just past the ten lap mark, Hallyburton had now run down Belesky for the race lead, and the young upstart would take over at the front of the field, with a hard charging Doucette also finding a way past Belesky to move into runner up positioning. At this point in the race, the best battle was shaping up just outside of the top five with Brandon, and staunch rookie #37 Robbie Sikes of Orillia battling tooth and nail lap after lap, with Brandon coming out on top with an inside pass in turn 3 on lap 15. At the front of the pack the action was just as fast and furious, with leader Hallyburton holding a slender car length advantage over 2007 track champ Doucette. On lap 18, the unthinkable would happen when Doucette would get Hallyburton loose and make contact with his right rear quarter panel while trying to work around the outside groove. The result would send Hallyburton for a wild spin just beyond the flagstand, with the caution appearing and Doucette slowing along the inside line of the track, basically admitting guilt and taking his place at the rear of the field with Hallyburton joining him as an involved car. This set the stage for close friends and bitter on track rivals Belesky and Walt to do battle from the front row, with Walt moving out to a big lead, as Belesky appeared to have mechanical issues pending, as last weeks feature winner #00 Darryl St. Onge of Barrie took over 2nd place positioning. Once out front Walt has proven tough, if not impossible to catch, and that was the story here as Walt would take the win by a substantial margin over St. Onge at the stripe. Belesky, was able to complete the race coming home 3rd, as Hallyburton and Doucette comprised the remainder of the top 5.
 
Heat wins went to current point leader St. Onge and Doucette.
 
In the 20 lap St. Onge Recreation Pure Stock main, it was a relative newcomer to the speedway #10 Doug Butler of New Lowell who claimed feature race glory in his ultra quick Nissan 240 sx. Butler, a longtime staple of the area Pure Stock ranks, put in a masterful drive, excuting a brilliant 3 wide pass of early race leader #09 Dean Curry of Singhampton and #57 Ryan Toon of Stayner on the inside of turn 2 in the late stages to take the race lead. Butler, who started 11th in the 15 car field would claim his first ever Barrie feature win on a points night, with the driver only having visited the High Line winners circle in an invitational race a few seasons ago. #57 Ryan Toon would match a career best in coming home in 2nd, while promising upstart #400 Justin Holmes of Barrie would round out the list of podium finishers. Defending track champ and last weeks feature winner #9 Charlie Smith of Orillia could only manage a 4th place showing after starting from the 13th place position, with a solid 5th place showing turned in by #77 Mike Gettliffe, also of Orillia.
 
Four different heat winners came in the form of Holmes, Smith, #11 Adam Misener, and visiting driver #36 Cory Young of Owen Sound.
 
PIT NOTES ————- As mentioned earlier, the Pure Stock ranks would see a new face appear as #36 Cory Young of Owen Sound would make his third career Barrie appearance in his Honda Civic, capturing a heat win and finishing just outside of the top 5 in the feature race. Young, a longtime front runner at Sauble Speedway, plans to call Varney Speedway home in 2013, with a couple returns to the High Line not ruled out of his 2013 plans. Be sure to join us next weekend when all three divisions are back in a ction for Jeggs Night, and in two weeks time its the return of the Ontario Legends Series, as former Barrie Challenger competitor #24 Andy Warbutton leads a strong contingent of Legends drivers to the High Line for their only appearance of the 2013 season.. Pit Gates open at 1pm, with spectatior gate open for business at 5pm, and green flag slated to drop one hour later at 6pm. Highlight these dates on your calendar’s folks, as they will prove to be can’t miss events!!!

By Dave Vokey – Absolutely ideal weather conditions would welcome back Barrie Speedway fans and drivers alike, as the historic bullring would kick off its 48th season in fine style, as a quartet of former or current track champs would come to victory lane in the feature races as #57 Ron Quesnelle of Penetang and #10 Gord Shepherd of Oro Station would each capture a 30 lap win in the Late Model division, while 2009 track champ #00 Darryl St. Onge of Barrie turned the trick in the Thunder Car class, with defending track champ #9 Charlie Smith of Orillia taking the checkers in the 20 lap Pure Stock main. Ironically enough in the featured Wahta Springs Late Model division, Quesnelle and Shepherd would take turns chasing each other to the winners circle, as each driver would also record a 2nd place result on the evening, in a strong 16 car field littered with some of the most accomplished drivers anywhere in the province, to lock themselves in a tie atop the point standings entering week two of competition.

In the initial 30 lap segment it was Quesnelle who grabbed the early lead from outside pole positioning, getting the jump on solid rookie contender #24 Leonard Johnston of Bracebridge, with the fast duo of #14 “Hurricane” Thayne Hallyburton and Shepherd shooting through along the inside line to pass #91 Andre Pepin of Midland, checking themselves into 2nd and 3rd respectively just a couple laps in. On lap 5, Shepherd’s charge to the front would continue, as the division veteran would slip past Hallyburton for third with a clean outside pass between turns 1&2. By lap 10, Quesnelle was starting to look more dominant on the point, opening up a five car length advantage on the now forming battle for the runner up post between Johnston and Shepherd, when the race’s first caution would appear as #92 Dan Dixon of Parry Sound would spin in turn two. On the restart, Quesnelle would again gain the advantage over Johnston, with the latter now under intense pressure from Shepherd, who completed a nifty pass along the inside line. The caution flag would once again be shown on lap 13, when Hallyburton would make contact with #28 Robin Jongen of Kilworthy while racing for 5th, sending Jongen for a loop and to the back of the pack for the ensuing restart.

At the midway mark, Quesnelle had once again moved out to a marginal lead, this time over Shepherd, with Johnston and Hallyburton now locked in an impressive dice for third, a duel eventually won by Johnston. Also putting on a charge towards the front was sophmore sensation #02 Shawn Murray of Alliston, as he would catch up with Hallyburton for 4th, executing a nice inside pass in turns 1&2 on lap 18, a move that was followed by 2010 track champ #69 Al “Red Rocket” Inglis of Orillia one lap later, as the wily veteran would snatch the final top 5 position. Inglis, was now driving like a man on a mission with five laps remaining, slipping inside of Murray exiting turn two, to advance to 4th in the running order. At the front of the pack Quesnelle was not to be denied on this evening however, cruising to the win by a single car length over Shepherd at the checkered. Johnston, would turn in a silky smooth third place in his first career Late Model start, as Inglis and Murray would complete the fast five.

In the 30 lap finale to the evening, race one winner Quesnelle would pull a 5 for the inversion draw, bringing the duo of Murray and Inglis to the front row for the drop of the green, from which Inglis would power to the point, along the suprisingly fast outer groove. Murray, would begin to battle fast and furious with the 10 of Shepherd for 2nd place positioning, with Hallyburton claming fourth outside of Johnston on the exit of turn two, with Quesnelle tucked right in the pocket behind that duo. The caution was quick to appear in this one, as Murray would be forced to pit lane with a cut tire after possible contact with Shepherd while racing for 2nd. On the restart, the first man to make a move was Shepherd, as he powered past Inglis on the outside of turn two on lap 5 for the race lead, with Quesnelle now cranking up the heat on Hallyburton for third. A little further back of that battle, the action was really heating up with the 28 of Jongen and #43 Darin Malcolm of North Bay exchanging 6th place positioning on sucessive laps.

On lap 9, Inglis would give Shepherd a nudge from behind in an attempt to open up racing room, with a staunch Shepherd able to fend off that challenge, with Quesnelle slipping past Hallyburton for third, and Inglis for 2nd one lap later. The second and final caution would appear on lap 17, with Dixon spinning in turn two just as Hallyburton was working his way around Inglis for 3rd, only to see that pass negated. On lap 19, the man on the move was the 43 of Malcolm, as the longtime front runner would complete an inside pass of Jongen between turns 1&2 to notch 6th in the running order. With five laps remaining, the best battle on track was the race for ninth involving Pepin and rookie stalwart #44 Mike Meyer, with Pepin eventually claiming that spot with a clean inside move entering turn 3. At the same point in the race, Hallyburton had once again found Inglis’ back bumper, working around the outside of the ever tough Inglis to wrestle away third place. Over the closing laps the Shepherd/Quesnelle battle hit a fevered pitch for the race lead, with Quesnelle closing to a half a car length approaching the checkered, with an alert Shepherd able to fend off that challenge, taking the win by a slender 3/10ths of a second at the line. Hallyburton, would notch his first podium of 2013 in taking third, as Inglis and Johnston rounded out the top five.

In the Canestoga Sprayers and Asphalt Repair Thunder class, St. Onge would put on a dominant performance from the pole position after being the benefactor of top qualifier on the evening #44 Dave “The Deuce” Doucette pulling a 5 on the inversion draw. Doucette, would eventually finish a strong 2nd in this one despite an early race mishap that saw the 2007 track champ go to the rear of the field just a handful of laps in. By lap 7, St. Onge had opened up 3 car lengths over 2nd place #40 Donny Brandon of Barrie, with the action heating up for third in behind as #52 Greg Callow would word aroung strong rookie contender #37 Robbie Sikes to take that spot. Approaching the ten lap mark, Doucette had now caught the lead pack, getting inside of Sikes for 4th, then taking third from Callow one lap later with a clean pass midway down the backstretch.

Approaching the midway point, the duo of defending track champ #10 Rick Walt and #39 Travis Hallyburton were both back inside the top 5, after they too were caught up in earlier incidents. Walt and Hallyburton would duel tooth and nail for 4th in the running order, as that pair closed in on Brandon for third, with the latter also having his best run in recent memory. On lap 24, Hallyburton would take third from Brandon, with an inside pass between 1&2, leading the way for Walt to follow, dropping Brandon back to fifth place, with leader St. Onge now clear of the field by half of the one third mile tri oval configuration. Doucette, lurking in 2nd place in behind the race leader, would not see the late race caution he so desparately needed, with St. Onge cruising to the win by a wide margin at the finish. Doucette, would get his season kick started under solid footing with a second place showing, while Walt, Hallyburton and Brandon comprised the remainder of the top 5.

Heat race wins went to Walt and Hallyburton.

In the St. Onge Recreation Pure Stock division, it was the championship winning Dodge Neon of Smith that found victory lane, after charging from 3rd on the grid and surviving an early race 3 way dice with pole sitter #77 Mike Gettliffe of Orillia and #57 Ryan Toon of Stayner. Smith, would eventually slip into the lead on lap 7, after disposing of race leader Gettliffe with an outside pass in turn two. Also making his presence felt at the front of the field was 2012 division runner up #11 Adam Misener of North Bay, as he too would work over Gettliffe and take 2nd place on the inside line entering turn three. At this point in the race, solidly etched in 4th was 2010 track champ #15 Will Davies, as an impressive duel was forming for 5th involving Toon and #400 Doug Butler. In a true show of class and sportmanship, provincial heavyweight Butler would change the mumber on his standard #10 Nissan to run for points for third year driver #400 Justin Holmes who broke in his second heat race.

The race’s ony caution flag would fly on lap 15, when #3 Randi Sequin and #63 Jaime Cairns collected in turn 4. This would set the stage for a 5 lap shootout with Smith and Misener from the front row, with Smith able to pull out to a 4 car length over Misener, a lead he would not relinquish in taking his first feature win of 2013. Misener would earn a workmanlike 2nd place showing, while Gettliffe would just nip Davies at the line for 3rd, as Butler rounder out the list of fast 5 finishers.

Four different heat race winners came in the form of Misener, Gettliffe, Butler, and Holmes.

PIT NOTES ——— A couple of familiar faces with links to track titles would make their way to Barrie Speedway with both #83 Ian Bourque of Newmarket and #43 Darin Malcolm of North Bay, making their return to the High Line. Bourque, is a former three time track champ in the now defunct Sportman Challenger division and was making his first Barrie start in a Late Model since the 2007 season, after having spent the better part of six season as a competitor on the OSCAAR Super Late Model tour, while Malcolm comes with impressive credentials of his own, and is the son of former 5 time track champ Brian Malcolm… Be sure to join us next weekend as all three divisions are back in action with a new early 6pm start time for the races the entire month of May, pit gates open at 3pm and spectator gates commence business at 5pm.. DONT YA DARE MISS THIS ONE!!!

12-Race Slate Includes Companion Weekend With NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 8, 2012) – NASCAR announced today the 2013 schedule Canada’s premier racing series, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.

The schedule features 12 dates at 11 different tracks across five provinces. The slate includes tracks and events familiar to the series, but with a little different look for this edition.

“The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series features the top drivers in the country competing on Canada’s finest stock-car racing circuits,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president, regional and touring series. “With a challenging mixture of ovals and road courses, and a new high-profile companion event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the 2013 calendar will continue to bring excitement to race fans from coast to coast.”

The series will kick off the season on Victoria Day weekend (May 19) on the 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park near Bowmanville, Ont.

It will make a return visit to the track’s road course on Labour Day weekend (Sept. 1) when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes its Canadian debut at the historic venue, which has undergone extensive renovations that last two years under new ownership.

For the first time since the 2010 season, the Canadian Tire Series returns to the .4-mile oval at Autodrome St. Eustache (Que.) on July 27.

The annual trek to the Nova Scotia’s Riverside International Speedway moves from mid-September to Aug. 17 and it follows the Aug. 11 date for the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres (Que.) – the always popular road-course event.

The annual swing through Western Canada includes stops at Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, B.C., and Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Sask., on July 13 and July 17, respectively.

The series will visit the challenging 2.113-mile airport road course of Mirabel, Quebec’s Circuit ICAR on July 7.

Exciting short-track races at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway on June 15, the Speedway at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on June 22 and a Sept. 7 date at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway highlight the schedule, as well.

The season will draw to a close and a new champion will be crowned at Kawartha Speedway, the .375-mile oval near Peterborough, Ont., on Sept. 21.

2013 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Schedule

Schedule Subject to Change

BARRIE, Ontario, Canada — Pete Shepherd III was in the right place at the right time to take the victory in the Wahta Springs 300 Sunday at Barrie Speedway. It marked Shepherd’s third career win in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1.

Shepherd was running third at the start of a green-white-checkered finish on the tight .333-mile oval when race leader Steve Mathews and second-place J.R. Fitzpatrick got together. The contact allowed Shepherd to slip by into the lead.

“This is unreal,” said a surprised and happy Shepherd. “It’s our first win of the year and having a win three years in a row is really special.”

Andrew Ranger took second, followed by Noel Dowler. Mathews, who won the pole position in qualifying earlier Sunday afternoon, dropped back to fourth. Dexter Stacey rounded out the top five.

Fitzpatrick led a race-high 113 laps but wound up sixth, followed by Ron Beauchamp Jr., Jason Hathaway, Scott Steckly and rookie Larry Jackson.

Steckly dominated the late stages of the race — leading 110 laps — before contact with Matthews battling for the lead on Lap 294 sent Steckly spinning and set up the final caution.

The late-race incident between Mathews and Steckly was the opportunity Shepherd needed to get back in contention for the win after a rough day in the pits which put him in the back of the field near midway of the race.

“We had a little problem in the pits with a jack or something, but we have a great crew and a fast car and we always know we are able to win these races and we were so strong,” said Shepherd.

Shepherd was making his third start of the season. His previous wins have come at Kawartha in 2010 and Saskatoon in 2011.

Ranger stayed out of many of the on-track incidents and collected one his best finishes on an oval track.

“It’s always interesting to come to Barrie and the races are always exciting,” Ranger said. “I knew we probably didn’t have the fastest car but when the caution came out there at the end I was excited because I thought I had a shot.”

It proved to be a great show for the fans who came back out on Sunday after rain postponed the race on Saturday night, as there were 10 lead changes among seven drivers.

Points leader D.J. Kennington encountered early-race fuel pump issues and finished 21st, 27 laps down. It was Kennington’s first finish outside of the top-10.

While Kennington’s problems at Barrie his lead drops to just 14 over Ranger and 18 over Fitzpatrick with two races remaining.

Kennington and Steckly had accounted for five wins in the previous seven races run at Barrie.

The Wahta Springs 300 will air on TSN, Saturday, Sept. 15 at Noon ET, and on RDS2, Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. ET

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series returns to the track Saturday, Sept. 15 in the penultimate race of the season for the Wilson Equipment 300 at Riverside International Speedway in Nova Scotia.

NASCAR CANDADIAN TIRE SERIES presented by MOBIL 1-Wahta Springs 300 Unofficial Results

Sunday

At Barrie Speedway

Barrie, Ontario

Lap length: 0.333 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (8) Pete Shepherd, III, Brampton, Ont., Dodge, 307 laps, 51.697 mph.

2. (10) Andrew Ranger, Roxton Pond, Que., Dodge, 307.

3. (15) Noel Dowler, Sherwood Park, Alta., Dodge, 307.

4. (1) Steve Mathews, New Liskeard, Ont., Ford, 307.

5. (19) Dexter Stacey, Kahnawake, Que., Dodge, 307.

6. (4) J.R. Fitzpatrick, Cambridge, Ont., Chevrolet, 307.

7. (2) Ron Beauchamp, Jr., Windsor, Ont., Dodge, 307.

8. (7) Jason Hathaway, Dutton, Ont., Dodge, 307.

9. (3) Scott Steckly, Milverton, Ont., Dodge, 306.

10. (17) Larry Jackson, Oakville, Ont., Dodge, 305.

11. (12) L.P. Dumoulin, Trois-Rivieres, Que., Dodge, 303.

12. (20) Jeff Lapcevich, Grimsby, Ont., Dodge, 301.

13. (11) Joey McColm, Ajax, Ont., Dodge, 300.

14. (16) Dave Connelly, Arnprior, Ont., Dodge, 299.

15. (22) Mike Scholz, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Chevrolet, 298.

16. (14) Isabelle Tremblay, St. Hippolyte, Que., Dodge, 298.

17. (13) Jason White, Sun Peaks, B.C., Dodge, 297.

18. (9) Martin Roy, Napierville, Que, Dodge, 286.

19. (21) Ray Courtemanche Jr., Montreal, Que., Dodge, 285.

20. (5) Mark Dilley, Barrie, Ont., Ford, 282, transmission.

21. (6) D.J. Kennington, St. Thomas, Ont., Dodge, 280.

22. (18) Hugo Vannini, Repentigny, Que., Ford, 132, accident.

Race Statistics

Time of Race: 1 hour 58 minutes 39 seconds

Margin of Victory: .729 seconds

Fastest Qualifier: S.Mathews (84.162 mph, 14.244 seconds)

Caution Flags: 13 for 125 laps.

Lead Changes: 10 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders: S. Mathews 1-3; S. Steckly 4-26; J. Fitzpatrick 27-139; P. Shepherd,III 140-156; M. Dilley 157-162; M. Roy 163-164; M. Dilley 165-178; L. Dumoulin 179-206; S. Steckly 207-293; S. Mathews 294-305; P. Shepherd,III 306-307.

Standings: 1. D. Kennington, 422; 2. A. Ranger, 408; 3. J. Fitzpatrick, 404; 4. S. Steckly, 393; 5. R. Beauchamp,Jr., 350; 6. J. Hathaway, 330; 7. L. Dumoulin, 330; 8. J. White, 308; 9. M. Roy, 307; 10. J. Lapcevich, 229.

BARRIE, ONTARIO, CANADA  (SEPT. 8, 2012) – Due to non-stop rain at Barrie Speedway on Saturday afternoon, officials were forced to postpone the Wahta Springs 300 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race.

The weather forecast is for continuous rain in the region through the evening with clearing expected Sunday morning.

The race will now be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

By Dave Vokey - The last race weekend of August would produce another night of highly entertaining, fast paced action on Aug 25 At Barrie Speedway, as several drivers appear to be hitting their stride approaching the final weeks of 2012, with the jockeying for position in the season long standings bound to produce some hotly contested on track battles moving forward. The big winners on Barrie Thunder Classics Car Club Night were Wahta Springs Late Model drivers #10 Gord Shepherd of Oro Station and #48 Dwayne Baker of Stayner, as each driver would capture a feature win in the customary twin 30 lap format. The win for Shepherd, was his first since the opening race of the season, improving the driver to fourth place in the season long standings, while Baker would capture his division leading 13th feature win of the season, to increase his point lead to 99 over the defending track champion #57 Ron “The Dominator” Quesnelle of Penetang. Entering the final month, the best race appears to be the fight for third place, with 2010 track champ #69 Al “Red Rocket” Inglis of Orillia currently holding that spot, with just 7 points further back to Shepherd, while 2008 track champ #19 Keith McLeod of Barrie sits just 11 points back of fellow veteran Inglis.

In the first 30, it was pole sitter #33 Dave Lewis taking the lead from the drop of the green, as the trio of #14 “Hurricane” Thayne Hallyburton, #02 Shawn Murray, and McLeod would slide through along the inside line and pass #74 Roy Manary for position just a couple laps in. The best battle in the early stages was the race for 7th, as Shepherd and #2 “Hometown” Mike Brown waged an impressive dice for that position, with 2009 track champ Shepherd eventually coming out on top. At the front of the field rookie Hallyburton had caught up with veteran Lewis, and began searching high and low for a way past, with the wily Lewis being able to maintain control of the point. The race’s first caution came about on lap 11, as #92 Dan Dixon went around in turn 2, in his debut in a sleek new ride. With Hallyburton deemed leading at the stripe on the last completed lap prior to the caution, Lewis would once again move out to a marginal lead on the outside groove with laps in the 14.9 second range, as Hallyburton would fall back into the clutches of fellow division rookie Murray, with the latter executing a nifty inside pass in turn two to inheirit the runner up position. Hallyburton, would slot back in line in 3rd place just ahead of the battle that was forming for 4th, with McLeod and Baker involved, as Baker would make a clean pass on the outside of McLeod to take over that position.

The second and final caution appeared on lap 18, when McLeod and Inglis collided in turn 4 while racing for 5th, with McLeod sent spinning towards outside retaining wall, and both drivers summoned arrears as invloved cars. This set the stage for what is becoming a developing rivalry between Lewis and Murray, as those two drivers were set to lead the field to green from the front row. Murray, would power to the point after three solid laps door handle to door handle with Lewis, as Baker would follow the Murray move on the outside to wrestle away 2nd from Lewis one lap later. Inside of five laps remaining, the man on the move was the 57 of Quesnelle, as the defending champ would run up on the 10 of Shepherd in the battle for 4th, setting up a well executed pass low in turn 2, to take control of that spot, as Baker was now hounding Murray at the front of the field in an attempt to take the race lead. On lap 28, Baker would make the winning move, passing Murray to the outside of turn two, and from there the 2007 track champ would drive on unchallenged to record the feature win. Murray, would fall just short in his attempt to win the opening feature for the fourth week in succession, coming home a solid 2nd, while Lewis, Quesnelle, and Shepherd rounded out the top 5.

In the 30 lap finale to the evening, it was Inglis moving out front early from the pole position after a tough early duel with the 14 of Hallyburton. By lap 5, Shepherd had worked his way to Hallyburton’s bumper, pulling off a clean low pass on the exit of turn two to take over second in the running order. This turn of events would lead the way for the hard charging Quesnelle to move up to third along the inside of Hallyburton, as Shepherd was now dogging Inglis for the race lead, executing a brilliant inside pass in turn 3 to move out front. The Shepherd pass soon would be negated however, as the caution appeared before lead duo hit the stripe, when Lewis and Murray collected between turns 1&2, with Lewis being shown the black flag for rough driving, bringing his race to an abrupt end. On the restart, Inglis and Shepherd waged side by side war for the race lead, with Shepherd eventually clearing Inglis on the outside, after two solid laps of highly intense action.

Approaching lap 20, the car to watch was once again the 57 of Quesnelle, who had now caught up with Inglis for 2nd, with Quesnelle’s Sunrise Toyota Camry pulling off a clean inside pass between turns 1&2, as the front running Baker was also now at the front of the field, slipping past Inglis for third place at the same point on the racetrack one lap later. At the front of the field, Shepherd had now opened up a 2 car length lead over Quesnelle, running laps in the 14.9 second range covering the one third mile tri oval configuration. Over the duration, Quesnelle would come under heavy fire from Baker for 2nd, with the latter looking both high and low for a way past, with Quesnelle being able to remain calm and collected enough to fend off the Baker challenge. It was clear on this evening nobody was catching the 10 of Shepherd however, as the longtime track staple brough his BFI Canada/Montana’s Cookhouse Ford Fusion to the checkered by three car lengths over Quesnelle at the finish. Baker, would cap off a solid point night with a 3rd place showing, while Inglis and Hallyburton comprised the remainder of the fast five.

The Canestoga Sprayers & Asphalt Repair Thunder Cars would treat the legions of fans in attendance to a whale of a show, running the entire 30 lap main in a caution free manner, as #00 Darryl St. Onge of Barrie brought home his 3rd feature win of the season in his Industrial Commutator/Marnoch Electrial sponsored Pontiac Grand Prix. The race would begin with #20 Luke Gignac taking the initial lead, as #55 Shawn Goggins and #77 Brian Murray slotted themselves into 2nd and 3rd respectively. Murray, would begin to work over Goggins for 2nd, while further in back #21 Desi Walt had entered the top 5, after disposing of #5 Mike “The Hulkamaniac” Langley, with St. Onge following that move to place himself sixth in the early stages. Murray, would eventually make his way past Goggins for 2nd, and by lap 9 he had run down the leader Gignac, powering up along the outside line in turn one to take over the race lead. Further back in the pack, St. Onge was beginning to make his presence felt, making an outside pass on #80 Doug “Shaky” Shakell to take over 4th place, then eventually landing on the bumper of Gignac and making an outside pass in turn 1 to take over 3rd in the running order on lap 14.

Just past the midway mark, the three car train of Murray, Goggins, and St. Onge had begun to break away from the pack, with Murray holding a slender 2 car length lead over Goggins while running laps right at 16 seconds flat. At this point in the race several of the front runners were still mired mid pack, with #44 Dave “The Deuce” Doucette and the current point leader #10 Rick Walt being the first to break clear of that group, as the duo careened past Gignac and Shakell to enter the top five on lap 20. St. Onge, would continue his charge to the front of the field, working past the 55 of Goggins, and then catching and passing the race leader Murray with an inside move on the exit of turn 4, with just six laps remaining. St. Onge, would begin to open up a more substantial lead as the laps ticked off, with Goggins now closing in on Murray for runner up positioning, but unable to find his way past. St. Onge, would parade on to take the checkered by 3 car lengths at the checkered, as Murray and Goggins would both have season best finishes in placing 2nd and 3rd respectively, while Doucette and Walt rounded out the top 5.

Heat wins went to Doucette with a pair, Murray, and Rick Walt.

In St. Onge Recreation Pure Stock action, the win in the 20 lap main was claimed by sophmore sensation #400 Justin Holmes of Innisfil in his Hwy 400 Transmission sponsored Mustang. The win for young upstart Holmes was his 2nd career Barrie Speedway feature win, as he would charge from the 9th place starting position in the 20 car field to slip past early race leader #09 Dean Curry of Singhampton, with an outside move between turns 3&4 on lap seven. The race would begin with #1 Ralph Sikes moving out front from the 3rd place starting position, executing a 3 wide move on the opening lap, slipping past the duo of #63 Jamie Cairns and #6 Josh Inglis. On just the second lap, point leader #11 Adam Misener of North Bay would be forced to retire to the infield with mechanical gremilins, with Curry and Holmes now on the move towards the front, checking into 2nd and 3rd respectively. Curry, would eventually slip past Sikes for the race lead, leading the way for an alert Holmes to quickly follow through to snatch 2nd place. On lap 7 Holmes made the winning move on the outside of Curry, and the young upstart began to pull away from Curry’s Dodge Neon with each passing lap, with division front runners #14 Billy Melenhorst, #57 Ryan Toon, and #15 Will Davies also closing in on the 09 of Curry.

Over the closing laps, Holmes was setting a torrid pace at the front of the field, running laps in the 16.6 second range, opening up a full straightaway lead on the side by side duel involving Curry and Melenhorst in behind him. Melenhorst, would make his way past Curry with a clean outside pass in turn one to take over 2nd in the running order, with Davies and Toon doing battle for 4th, as Davies claimed that spot with an inside pass of his fellow competitor in turn 3. After a recent string of hard luck, Holmes would easily take the checkered in the caution free affair putting in his most impressive performance to date, as Melenhorst would edge Curry in the race for 2nd, while Davies and Toon comprised the remainder of the fast five.

Heat wins went to Holmes, Davies, #11 Adam Misener, and #9 Charlie Smith.

PIT NOTES ————– As mentioned earlier #92 Dan Dixon of Parry Sound would debut a new car in the Wahta Springs Late Models. The ride is a Lefthander Chassis and was last campaigned in seasons past by fellow Barrie Late Model driver #74 Roy Manary of Bracebridge. Dixon, would ride out some initial quirks and bug a boos to record 10th and 11th place results in the twin 30 lap feature races, finishing just a single lap down in both races.

On tap this weekend its double header action for all three regular divisions, with Rock 95 Night commencing on Sat Sept 1, with pit gates opening at 3pm, spectator gates open at 5pm, while green flag racing is slated for 7pm sharp. On Sun Sept 2nd the good folks from KICX 106 take over the sponsor deck for an afternoon race to make up for an earlier Aug 11 rainout. For the Sunday affair, the pit gate will be opening at 11am, with spectator gates one hour later at noon, and racing set to begin at 1pm sharp. With several tight points battles still to be decided throughout the standings in all three divisions these are two events you just won’t want to miss!!!

By Dave Vokey – Yet another gorgeous late summer evening was the backdrop on Aug 21 at Barrie Speedway, and after losing last week’s card to Mother Nature the drivers would all come to the track with a little extra “pep in their step” on All Wildlife Removal Night, as the cooler temperatures in the air produced many close finishes throughout all three divisions. The evening’s biggest winners were #02 Shawn Murray of Alliston and #48 Dwayne Baker of Stayner, as each driver would capture a 30 lap feature win in the track’s featured Wahta Springs Late Model division. The win for rookie Murray, marked the third week in sucession the talented driver has captured the opening feature race, while Baker won for the 12th time this season, but would ironically see his point lead narrowed from 44 to 41 over his nearest rival #19 Keith McLeod of Barrie, who ended up with a pair of third place results to show for his evening in the office. Approaching the final month of the season look for these two provincial heavyweights to battle tooth and nail to see which one will be crowned the 2012 track champion, in what would be a prospective second track championship for both drivers.

In the first 30, it was outside pole sitter #57 Ron “The Dominator” Quesnelle who found the point early, after getting the jump on #74 Roy Manary from the drop of the green. Manary, would soon find the duo of Murray and #33 Dave Lewis nipping at his heels, as that pair was able to slip past Manary’s #74 Pontiac Grand Prix to advance to 2nd and 3rd in the running order respectively. Approaching the ten lap mark, Quesnelle was looking strong at the front end, holding Murray at bay by 2 car lengths with laps in the 14.9 second range, as the battle was really heating up for 3rd in behind, as the duo of #69 Al “Red Rocket” Inglis and Baker shot through along the inside line underneath Lewis between turns 1&2 to advance further in the running order, as Lewis was finally able to find the inside lane in order to maintain 5th place. Nearing the midway point the car on the move was the 48 of Baker, as the 2007 track champ would wrestle away 3rd from Inglis, with a clean inside pass in turn three, with the 19 of McLeod also making his presence felt, as the 2008 track champ manuvered past Lewis top enter the top 5. Meanwhile, at the front of the field a very game Murray had closed in on leader Quesnelle and was searching to the inside and outside for a way past.

Just past the 20 lap mark, the battles were heating up all over the track, as the duo of #14 Hurricane Thayne Hallyburton and #10 Gord Shepherd began to pressure Lewis for position just outside of the top 5, while at the front of the pack Baker had caught the lead duo, claiming second from Murray with a clean outside pass in turn 3. Hallyburton, would soon find the inside of Lewis between turns 1&2, dragging Shepherd along with him to eventually land the duo in 6th and 7th place respectively. Over the duration, Baker quickly reeled in the leader Quesnelle and began to pressure him to the high side, looking to make a pass out of turn 4 on successive laps. On lap 28, the unthinkable happened when Baker and Quesnelle would make contact in turn 4 after racing in very tight quarters for several laps prior. The result of the contact, would see Quesnelle sent spinning towards the infield, with both drivers summoned arrears for a green, white, checkered finish. With pesky rookie Murray and wily veteran Inglis now comprising the front row, the large crowd on hand sat on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the thrilling finish to come. Murray, would dive down hard to the inside line and into the turn 1 curbing on the restart, kicking him crossways across the track and halting the momentum of Inglis on the outside, as Murray was able out to a marginal lead as a result. On the last lap, Inglis was driving like a man posessed, again moving alongside Murray on the outside entering turn 1, as the two drivers waged side by side war for the race lead once again. Murray, would see a recent hot streak continue, driving with a calm and collected presence on his way to taking the checkered, just nipping Inglis by inches at the finish. McLeod, would come home a solid 3rd, while Hallyburton and Shepherd rounded out the fast five.

In the 30 lap finale to the evening, it was Baker who moved out to the early advantage from the outside pole, after battling the first two laps door handle to door handle with the 74 of Manary. Quickly moving through along the outside line was the 57 of Quesnelle, as the Penetang resident would relieve Manary of 2nd, as the trio of Hallyburton, Shepherd, and McLeod raced covered by a blanket for fourth, with McLeod eventually coming out on top of that battle. Manary, would continue to get shuffled further back in the running order, as the trio of McLeod, Hallyburton, and Shepherd all would file past, with Shepherd also slipping to the inside of Hallyburton between turns 3&4 to take away 4th place, after a hard fought battle. At the front of the field, Baker was widening his lead over Quesnelle with laps in the 14.7 second range, now opening up a near half straightaway lead with the race nearing the midway mark.

As the laps began to click off towards the finish, Baker was widening his lead with each passing lap, with the best battle heating up being the race for 5th, as Murray and Inglis were for challenging Hallyburton for that position, with both drivers able to slip past along the inside groove along the backstretch. Once out front it was clear nobody was catching Baker however, as the driver found redemption from the misfortune in the initial feature, taking the win by a wide margin over Quesnelle at the finish. McLeod, would cap off a solid point night with a tidy 3rd place effort, while Shepherd and Murray completed the top five.

In Canestoga Sprayers and Asphalt Repair Thunder Car action, it was a familiar face returning to victory lane as #44 Dave “The Deuce” Doucette of Angus captured the win in the 30 lap main. The win for Doucette was his first at the Barrie track since the 2009 season, and comes after a recent string of podium finishes, as the G.D Coates Suzuki/Extreme Auto Machine Chysler 300 Z looks to have its early season problems righted moving forward. With the win Doucette also picked up ground in the season long point standings, moving past the defending track champ #12 Jim “Polish Prince” Belesky into 3rd place, with a scant 12 points now separating the two former track champs for that position as the 2012 season closes out its final month. Doucette, would move out front just past the midway point in this one, disposing of early race leader #77 Biran Murray with a clean inside pass entering turn one on lap 18. Murray, who was having his best performance in recent memory, would lose 2nd to current point leader #10 Rick Walt of Hawkestone in the late stages, with Walt closing in on the bumper of leader Doucette over the last five laps but unable to find the necessary horsepower to make a pass stick. The trio of Doucette, Walt and Murray would parade to the checkered in nose to tail fashion, with the 2007 tack champ Doucette claiming the win by half a car length at the finish. Walt, would solidify his stature atop the standings with a workmanlike runner up performance, while Murray would have a season best 3rd place, as #24 Leonard Johnston and Belesky rounded out the list of top 5 finishers.

Heat wins went to Doucette, Walt, Murray, and Johnston.

The St. Onge Recreation Pure Stocks would feature a first time winner was crowned in the division as #77 Mike Gettliffe notched the win in his TSS Top Shoppe/ Snapper The Scrapper sponsored Dodge Neon. Gettliffe, would lead flag to flag in this one, after clearing #23 Terry Tompkins from the onset, then having to fend off a late race challenge of perennial front runner #11 Adam Misener of North Bay who eventually finished 2nd. The most eventful occurance came with a handful of laps remaining, while the top 5 drivers were racing in a tightly packed bunch, as #09 Ben Melenhorst would eventually nudge #400 Justin Holmes while trying to make an inside pass for 3rd place on the exit of turn two. The result would send Holmes for a spin, and both drivers to the rear of the pack deemed involved cars. It was at this point in the race Gettliffe and Misener battled furiously on the restart for two solid laps door handle to door handle, as former Thunder Car pilot Gettliffe captured his first Barrie feature victory since the 2004 season when he resided in the Thunder Car ranks. Misener, would take over the point lead with a solid 2nd place, while #15 Will Davies, #9 Charlie Smith, and #57 Ryan Toon rounded out the top 5.

Heat wins went to #400 Justin Holmes with a pair, Smith, and #14 Billy Melenhorst.

PIT NOTES ——- Barrie Speedway would be well represtented at a recent Sunset Speedway 75 lap Late Model invitational, with #48 Dwayne Baker coming home an impressive 3rd behind provincial front runners Mike Bentley of Sunset and Jonathon Urlin of Delaware, while 2009 Barrie champ #10 Gord Shepherd notched a tidy 8th place showing in the same event. Speaking of Shepherd, he would be forced into a back up car for the Sat night show at Barrie, after encountering motor issues the previous evening at Kawartha. Shepherd, would still be able to come home with a solid 6th place effort in that race, coming from the back of the pack twice in a deep and talent laden 17 car field at the Freserville area track. In other news, 2009 Barrie Pure Stock champ Ben Melenhorst made just his 2nd start of 2012, in the #09 Neon usually campaigned by Dean Curry of Singhampton, with Melenhorst running into some late feature race misfortune ending what was shaping up to be a solid top 5 finish, after running impressively in the earlier heat races..

On tap this week its the “Crown Jewel” of the Barrie race season the 100 lap Garry Reynolds Memorial for Late Models, with a 50 lap Thunder Car race also on the docket on Thurs August 23. With several of the province’s top racers already confirmed to be in attendance, this is an event you just can’t afford to miss.. Pit Gate opens at 2pm, with spectator gates open at 5pm and green flag scheduled for 7:30pm sharp…. On Sat night its back to regular racing for all three divisions for Barrie Thunder Classics Car Club night, with pit gates open at 3pm, spectator gates at 5pm, and green flag set for 7pm. BE SURE TO JOIN US FOR BOTH THESE SURE FIRE THRILLERS!!!

By Dave Vokey – A near capacity crowd came out to Barrie Speedway on July 28 to catch some of the hottest racing action in the province, and the drivers would not disappoint on The Dock 104.1 FM Night, as the evening’s festivities featured tight, close quarter racing all night long, producing many close finishes along the way. The biggest story to form on this evening was the performance of rookie Late Model pilot #02 Shawn Murray of Alliston, as the former 2 time Pure Stock division titlist would capture the first of twin 30 lap features in the Wahta Springs sponsored division. Murray, would be chased to the line every inch of the way by current point leader #48 Dwayne Baker of Stayner, who eventually finished second. Baker, would cap off his evening by winning the second 30 lap segment, further widening his point lead from 40 to now 51 over his nearest competition #19 Keith McLeod of Barrie, as both drivers look to notch their second track championship moving forward. In capturing his first Late Model victory, Murray moved inside the top 100 in the Nascar Whelen All American Series, as he currently sits 4th among rookies, just 7 points in back of fellow Barrie competitor #14 “Hurricane” Thayne Hallyburton, as the two drivers look to chase down the highest placing rookie Vince Quenneville of Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Vermont in the coming weeks.

In the first 30 lap feature, it was #33 Dave Lewis who moved out front early after gaining the advantage of #74 Roy Manary from the drop of the green. Quick to follow Lewis through along the inside line was the duo of Murray and McLeod, as they would file underneath the 74 of Manary to check into 2nd and 3rd in the running order just a couple laps in. By lap 4, the three car train of Lewis, Murray, and McLeod had began to marginally break away from the pack, as #10 Gord Shepherd stuck a nose to the inside of #69 Al “Red Rocket” Inglis, as the two former track champions began to wage war for fourth place. At the front of the field, a very game Murray had several looks to the inside of Lewis looking for the race lead, but he was unable to find the necessary opening to make a pass work. Further back in the pack, Shepherd would eventually power his way past Inglis on the outside to land in 4th, as Inglis was now coming under heavy fire from Baker for the final top 5 position. Baker, would eventually complete a clean outside pass of his fellow longtime competitor between turns 3&4 on lap 12. Just past the midway mark, Lewis was still clear of Murray by a single car length at the front of the field, with Murray again closing in and having a look to the inside in corner 3, again being unable to make a pass stick, as Shepherd was now digging on McLeod for third, giving his fellow competitor the “chrome horn” from behind in an attempt to free up the preferred inner groove.

The race’s first caution would come about on lap 20, when #4 Glenn Lloyd spun underneath the flagstand, setting the stage for a battle from the front row featuring veteran Lewis and rookie Murray. After two solid laps door handle to door handle, Murray would move to the point, getting a great run off the high side in turn two to capture the lead from Lewis. Lewis, would soon find the 10 of Shepherd nipping at his heels, as the 2009 track champ was able to complete a pass of Lewis on the outside to take over runner up positioning. A strong race for Lewis would turn sour on lap 24, as the driver would slow in turn two, the victim of a cut right front tire incurred while battling with McLeod and Baker for third place. This turn of events would set up a five lap dash for the checkered, with Murray’s Lake Simcoe Heating & Air/Hitch House Dodge Charger and Shepherd’s BFI Canada/Montana’s Cookhouse Ford Fusion making up the front row. Murray, would have a textbook restart, getting the jump on Shepherd, who now had the 48 of Baker filling the opening to the low side, with Baker slipping into 2nd with a nifty low pass on the exit of turn two on lap 27. Murray, was holding a narrow two car length lead at this point in the race, as the hard charging Baker had now set his sights on the race lead in behind. Over the duration, Baker closed right in on the back bumper of Murray but was unable to find his way past, as Murray remained cool and collected with laps in the 14.9 second range, taking the win by a slender margin over Baker at the checkered. Shepherd, would get his night kick started in fine fashion in coming home in 3rd, while McLeod and Inglis rounded out the top five.

In the 30 lap finale to the evening, it was once again the 33 of Lewis who powered to the point, this time from the outside pole position after outduelling the 74 of Manary while racing into turn one. Also fast on the move towards the front was the 14 of rookie Hallyburton, as the Hillsdale resident would slip past Manary on the outside of turn two and begin his pursuit of leader Lewis. Approaching the ten lap mark, the best battle on track was the race for 3rd, as Baker had charged from his 8th place stating spot to challenge McLeod for that position, having a look to the low side exiting turn two, but unable to make a pass work. On lap 12, Hallyburton would slip down to the inside of Lewis exiting turn 4, with light contact made between the pair causing Lewis to get crossways approaching the flagstand, thus losing several positions along the way, as Hallyburton was now the new race leader. Hallyburton, would soon find the ever ominus 48 of Baker on his rear bumper, with Baker hounding the promising upstart to both the high and low side in an attempt to capture to point, while further in back McLeod was now locked in a dogfight with Shepherd for third, as Shepherd pulled alongside his counterpart on the outside of turn 3, as the duo continued to race fast and furious side by side for several laps.

The race’s first caution would fly on lap 22, when Lewis and Murray would make contact between turns 1&2 while trying to work their way around the lapped car of #4 Glenn Lloyd of Barrie. This turn of events would send Murray pitside with a cut right rear tire, with the hard luck Lewis also joining him for a brief stop on pit road, setting the stage for yet another duel featuring rookie and veteran for the restart, as Baker slotted alongside leader Hallyburton. Baker, would make short work of Hallyburton when the race went green, with Shepherd taking advantage of Baker’s momentum on the outside to also move past Hallyburton and advance further in the running order. The Shepherd pass would soon be negated however, when the caution again flew for a nasty crash involving #54 Randy Bull and #2 Ron Lethbridge on lap 24. On the restart, Baker would again capture the race lead after outduelling Hallyburton, with Shepherd quickly taking over 2nd in the running order, again taking advantage opening created by Baker. Over the closing laps Baker was able to marginally distance himself from Shepherd with laps in the 14.7 second range, as McLeod would relieve Hallyburton of third, with a clean low pass between turns 3&4 as the drivers were approaching the white flag. Baker, would drive on unchallenged from there, capturing his division leading 11th feature victory of the season by three car lengths over Shepherd at the checkered. McLeod would cap off a solid point night with a workmanlike third place showing, with the impressive Hallyburton and Inglis comprising the remainder of the fast five.

In Canestoga Sprayers & Asphalt Repair Thunder Car action, it was a familiar face returning to victory lane as point leader #10 Rick Walt of Hawkestone brought home the win in the 30 lap main. The win for Walt was his sixth feature victory of the season, but first since mid June after the driver ripped off an ashtonishing five feature wins in succession to begin the 2012 season. The race would begin with #72 “Pistol” Pete Marquardt and #5 Mike “The Hulkamaniac” Langley battling door to door from the front row, as #21 Desiree Walt and cousin Rick were running in 2×2 fashion in behind the lead duo. On lap 3, Langley would clear Marquardt at the front of the field, with Rick Walt moving from his 4th place starting spot to eventually capture 2nd in the early stages. The Walt charge to the front would not end there however, as the talented wheelman would relieve Langley of the race lead one lap later, executing a nifty low pass in turn three. Also making his persence felt at the front of the field was #00 Darryl St. Onge, as the 2009 track champ would complete as pass of Langley for 2nd on lap nine, leading the way for the duo of #39 Travis “The Enforcer” Hallyburton and #44 Dave “The Deuce” Doucette to advance to 3rd and 4th in the running order respectively, this dropping the ever improving Langley back to the fifth place position.

Approaching the midway point, Walt was still steadily pacing the field with laps in the 15.8 second range, holding St. Onge at bay by two car lengths, with the duo of Hallyburton and Doucette fast approaching St. Onge’s Marnoch Electrical/Industrial Commutator sponsored Pontiac Grand Prix. On lap 19, the action really began to heat up further back in the pack, as #24 Leonard Johnston was turning up the heat on Langley for fifth, executing a low pass between turns 1&2. This move would lead the way for the duo of Desi Walt and #12 Jim “Polish Prince” Belesky to follow through to 6th and 7th respectively, dropping Langley even further back in the pack after a strong first half of the race. Inside of five laps remaining, Doucette began to pressure Hallyburton for 3rd, when suddenly the second place car of St. Onge would slow on track with mechanical issues, allowing the stout rides of Hallyburton and Doucette both to slip past. It was clear on this evening the win belonged to the front running Walt however, as the division veteran was able to pilot his Abstract Hair Salon/Shepherd Trucking Monte Carlo to victory lane by a comfortable margin over the oncoming Hallyburton in the caution free affair. Former track champion Doucette who is still looking for that elusive first feature win of the season, came to the stripe a tidy third, while St. Onge and Johnston rounded out the top five.

Heat wins went to Doucette, St. Onge, Johnston, and #21 Desi Walt.

In St. Onge Recreation Pure Stock action , it was 2010 track champ Will Davies of Orillia who claimed the win in the 20 lap feature race. The win for Davies, was his first since that championship season, and should help further cement the driver inside the top 5 in the season long point standings. The race would see #06 Ryan Hardy and #91 Kyle Lethbridge battling door to door from the onset, with the trio of Davies, #400 Justin Holmes, and #9 Charlie Smith all entering the top 5 after disposing of #3 Randi Sequin who got crossways while racing into turn 2. After an early caution, Lethbridge would take the lead on the outside of Hardy, who quickly fell back into the clutches of Davies and Smith, with that pair filing through along the inside line on the exit of turn two on lap 6. One lap later, the hard charging Davies had caught up with leader Lethbridge, pulling off a cunning low pass in turn 4, as Smith again followed, dragging #14 Billy Melenhorst along with him to take over third position.

On lap 12, the man on the move was point leader #11 Adam Misener, as the Noth Bay resident snatched 4th away from Lethbridge with a low move in turn three, after racing 3 solid laps door handle to door handle with his fellow competitor. Approaching five laps remaining, Davies was still looking poised at the front of the pack, running impressive laps in the 16.8 sec. range covering with tight and tricky one third mile tri oval, with Smith just a single car length in behind, as Melenhorst was pinned Smith’s bumper, having a brief look to the high side in attempt to wrestle away second. Over the duration, Davies was able to fend off a late race challenge from close friend Smith, taking the win by a slender margin at the checkered. Melenhorst, would continue a string of impressive results in coming home 3rd, with Misener and #57 Ryan Toon rounding out the top 5.

Four different heat winners came in the form of Davies, Smith, Melenhorst, and #49 Larry “Doc” Woodward.

Also on hand were the super fast and highly entertaining Lucas Oil Can Am TQ Midgets, who were making their first Barrie appearance in two seasons, after having last season’s race fall victim to Mother Nature. It wouldnt take long for the stellar field of 17 to adjust to the tight and tricky track, as the drivers put on a miraclous show for the large gathering in attendance, completing both their 10 lap heat races and the 25 lap feature event in a caution free manner. In that feature race, it was pole sitter #39 Corey Moseker who grapped the point from the onset, with outside pole sitter #16 Chris Holman battling back to take the lead with a low move between turns 3&4 on lap two. Holman, would quickly find the duo of #74 Rob Neely and #40 Mack Deman attached to his rear bumper, after that pair started 4th and 6th respectively. These three drivers raced covered by a blanket over the next 10 laps, when Neely finally powered out front with a clean low pass of Holman in turn two. Neely, the most recent winner at the Barrie track, would soon find a stern challenge from the 40 of Deman, with the latter powering into the lead to the low side in turn 3, as the duo were clicking off astounding laps in the 12.9 second range. Approaching lap 20, Neely and Deman would exchange the race lead on sucessive laps, with each driver executing a sucessful crossover type pass of the other between turns 3&4, a turn of events made all the more impressive due to the fact drivers were working lapped traffic at the time. Over the final laps, Deman began to marginally check out on Neely in behind him, opening up a 3 car length advntage, as Holman and #82 James Gray waged a late race war for 3rd in the running order, with Holman able to hold firm and maintain that position. They would come to the line in this order as Deman would notch his 3rd feature win of the season, taking the win by just 2 car lengths over Neely at the checkered. Holman, would record his first podium of the season with a third place effort, while Gray and point leader #48 Darren McLennan made up the remainder of the fast five.

Heat wins went to Holman and McLennan.