Tuesday, September 2, 2008

WATKINS GLEN: Legendary F-5000 driver Brian Redman set to meet and greet fans this weekend

Watkins Glen, NY (September 02, 2008) – Brian Redman, the featured guest during the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International September 5-7th, is scheduled to make several appearances throughout the weekend, including autograph sessions and fan forums. The weekend will serve as a tribute to him and his racing career.

Five of Redman’s autograph sessions will be held at The Pyramid Souvenir Center in the infield of the track throughout the weekend and will give fans the chance to have their racing collectables and merchandise signed by the legendary driver.  He will sign autographs on Friday, September 5, from 12:45 pm – 2:00 pm and Saturday, September 6 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am and again from 2:00 pm – 2:40 pm and on Sunday, September 7 from 11:00 am – 11:45 am and again from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm. 

The weekend’s featured guest will also make two appearances at the F-5000 tent to participate in the F-5000 Legends autograph sessions.  The first will take place on Saturday, September 6, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm and the second is scheduled on Sunday, September 7, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am.

In addition to the autograph sessions, Redman will make stops at both the Crown Royal Club at The Glen and the Pit Terrace Grandstand during the weekend. His first speaking appearance will be on Friday, September 5, at the Grand Prix Festival during “Legends Speak” at 3:00 pm.  Guests joining the Crown Royal Club at The Glen on Saturday, September 8 will be treated to a special Q&A opportunity with Watson from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm.  Admission to the Crown Royal Club at The Glen is required to attend this Q&A.  Then on Sunday at 12:35 pm, Redman will participate in a 30-minute session in the Pit Terrace Grandstand. All fans are invited to participate in the Pit Terrace Fan Forum.

Don’t miss the Chemung Canal Trust Co. Antique Auto Show on Saturday, where fans can display their antique cars in friendly competition and take a parade lap around the historic track on Saturday afternoon. Tickets for the auto show are $65 and include one (1) three-day general admission ticket, vehicle entry into the show, a parade lap, and a special gift.

Celebrate 60 years of racing in the village of Watkins Glen during the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix, September 5-7.  Tickets are still available!  Weekend adult tickets are only $45 and kids ages 12 and under are FREE with the purchase of an adult ticket.  Sunday admission is only $30 for adults.  All tickets provide access to the grandstands, the garage and paddock areas and participation in the autograph sessions, fan forum and Q&A sessions with Brian Redman. For tickets or more information call 866-461-RACE, or visit our official website at www.TheGlen.com.

Brian Redman Appearance Schedule
Friday, September 5
12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.               Autograph session at Pyramid Souvenir Center
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.                 “Legends Speak” at the Grand Prix Festival

Saturday, September 6
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.             Autograph session at Pyramid
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.               Brian Redman Q & A (in *Crown Royal Club at The Glen)

*Crown Royal Club at The Glen admission required

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.                 Autograph session at F-5000 Tent
2:00 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.                 Autograph session at the Pyramid

Sunday, September 7
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.             Autograph session at F-5000 tent
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.             Autograph session at the Pyramid
12:35 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.               Brian Redman Q&A in Pit Terrace Grandstand – open to anyone with an admission ticket

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.                 Autograph session at the Pyramid

###

From Eiron M. Smith // Director of Communications // Watkins Glen International

PHOTO GALLERY: APC 300 Delaware Speedway Aug. 31, 2008 by Dave Franks



This is a 393-photo gallery from Delaware Speedway on Sunday, August 31, 2008, featuring the APC 300 'Great Canadian Race'. Thanks to Dave Franks for the photos. You can see Dave's website here.

CLPGH Gets Grant to Digitize

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has picked up a 600-thousand dollar grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to tackle a massive digitizing project. The money will be used to first catalog and then digitize the library’s iron and steel collection. The materials dating back to the 1800’s are housed at the Allegheny depository on the north side. Library director Barbara mistick says the more than 400-thousand pages in the collection need to be preserved because the space is not climate controlled and already about 20% of the collection is “too fragile to touch.” Once the items are digitized they will be put on line where readers can add annotations to the collection. Along with books about steelmaking the collection holds catalogs from area steelmakers.

Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship: President's Trophy Races report (Aug. 30-31, '08)

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship Presented by Toyo Tires was featured at the President’s Trophy Races at Mosport International Raceway on August 30-31, 2008.  The strong field put on incredible races on the hot and sunny weekend.

 

Saturday’s qualifying was run on a clear track and sunny skies.  Nigel Krikorian drove the lap of his life and put his Subaru on pole in Super Touring Class by over two seconds in front of Scott Nicol in his Honda and Gregory Pootmans in his BMW.  Nigel Heron was strong in Touring Class and put his Acura on pole followed by John Lockhart in his Saab and Christian Raymond in his Mazda.

 

Saturday’s race was run under sunny skies.  Nigel Krikorian drove a strong race and won Super Touring Class followed by his brother Nicholas Krikorian and Scott Nicol.  The Touring Class race was very close with John Lockhart winning at the line by two tenths of a second over Christian Raymond and Nigel Heron.

 

A large crowd had gathered for Sunday’s feature race and the cars took to the track under sunny skies.   The field sped away at the green flag and a number of battles ensued.  Arek Wojciechowski crashed heavily at the bottom of corner 2 which brought out a full course caution and bunched up the field.  After the restart, Nigel Krikorian powered his way to victory in Super Touring Class by only one tenth of a second over his brother Nicholas Krikorian.  David Bensadoun rounded out third place with his first podium of the year.  John Lockhart brought his Saab to victory in Touring Class over Alain Lauziere and Christian Raymond.

 

Rob McAuley started at the back in the feature race and drove to ninth in Super Touring Class.  His drive has won him the Hard Charger Award sponsored by CSC Racing Products Inc.

 

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship features Canada’s Best Drivers Racing Today’s Hottest Touring Cars.

 

The Championship’s Season Finale is at Mosport International Raceway on September 13-14, 2008.  Free tickets are available through the Championship website.

 

From: John Bondar / CCTCC

ACT Late Models: Leighton Takes Unlikely Bond Auto Labor Day Classic Win at Thunder Road

BARRE, VT – Brad Leighton blazed a new trail to victory lane at the 30th Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 stock car race for the American-Canadian Tour Late Model Championship cars on Sunday afternoon.  The Center Harbor, NH driver’s 200-lap trip to the winner’s circle included two 90-mph, fully-airborne flights off the top of Thunder Road’s treacherous Turn 2 embankment, and four visits to pit road for flat right-front tires.  On top of that, Leighton drove his Irving Oil/Subway/Coca-Cola #55NH Ford Fusion out of a lap-172 three-way slide with front-runners Eric Williams and Patrick Laperle before scoring the win by two car- lengths.

“You talk about overcoming a lot of stuff, these guys on my crew changed everything on this car.  Four flat tires, sway bars, bent rims, and that was all during the race!” said an exhausted Leighton.  “It’s been five years since I’ve won a race, and I can’t think of a better place to get a win than right here in front of these Thunder Road fans.  This place is awesome.”

Leighton, a former champion of the former ACT Pro Stock Tour, added to his resume with his first win on the current ACT Late Model Tour.  Including bonuses, Leighton pocketed over $9,600 for his efforts.  He won the 2000 Bond Auto Labor Day Classic behind the wheel of a NASCAR Busch North Series (now Camping World East Series) car during his most recent championship season.

Cris Michaud of Northfield, VT scored his best ACT Late Model Tour finish of the season in second place in the Merchants Bank/Burrell Roofing #6 Ford Fusion.  Michaud nipped Williams, of Hyde Park, VT, by a fender for the runner-up spot.  Williams, winner of the most recent ACT Late Model Tour race at New Hampshire’s White Mountain Motorsports Park and the 2008 Thunder Road track championship, drove his Unicel/Ward’s Systems #7VT Chevrolet Monte Carlo to third pace over Turner, ME driver Ben Rowe and Laperle, of Montreal.

Randy Potter of Groveton, NH finished in sixth place, ahead of Dennis Demers of Shelburne, VT.  Joey Laquerre of East Montpelier finished eighth, followed by Graniteville, VT’s Pete Potvin, III, and Trampas Demers, Dennis Demers’ son, of South Burlington, VT.

ACT Late Model Tour point leader Scott Payea of Milton, VT walked away from a violent lap-149 crash in Turn 4 that sent his Ouellette Plumbing & Heating/Leahy Press #89 Ford Fusion into the catch fence and back down into traffic.  Payea, who led four times for a total of 48 laps, and running in second place behind Williams at the time, was then collected by top-ten drivers Jamie Fisher and Jamie Aube.  No one was injured.

Forty-eight drivers from New England and eastern Canada attempted to qualify for the 30-car starting grid.  Six drivers traded the lead a total of ten times during the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200, which was completed in one hour and 46 minutes.

 
Thirteen caution periods slowed the event.  Qualifying heat races were won by Dave Pembroke, Michaud, Brooks Clark, Phil Scott, and Leighton.  Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., rookie Nick Sweet, and Jay Laquerre won the consolation rounds, with Rowe winning the last- chance “B” Feature.

The ACT Late Model Tour’s top 11 drivers will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 6 with the first-ever Coors Light 200 “Showdown at Chaudiere” all-star race at Autodrome Chaudiere in Vallee-Jct., QC.  The top 11 ACT Late Model Tour drivers will face off against the top 11 Canadian Serie ACT Castrol drivers in a non-points, $5,000-to-win event.  For more information, call

(802) 244-6963 or visit www.acttour.com.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – 30th Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 American-Canadian Tour – Thunder Road Int’l Speedbowl – Barre, VT Sunday, August 31, 2008

(# - denotes rookie)

Pos.-(Start)-Driver-Hometown
1.      (9) Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, NH
2.      (13) Cris Michaud, Northfield, VT
3.      (15) Eric Williams, Hyde Park, VT
4.      (25) Ben Rowe, Turner, ME
5.      (24) Patrick Laperle, St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, QC
6.      (7) Randy Potter, Groveton, NH
7.      (22) Dennis Demers, Shelburne, VT
8.      (20) Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier, VT
9.      (30) Pete Potvin, III, Graniteville, VT
10.     (11) Trampas Demers, South Burlington, VT
11.     (1) John Donahue, Graniteville, VT
12.     (3) Dave Pembroke, Middlesex, VT
13.     (21) Ryan Nolin, Georgia, VT
14.     (10) Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT
15.     (29) Glen Luce, Turner, ME
16.     (16) # Matt White, Northfield, VT
17.     (18) Dave Whitcomb, Essex Junction, VT
18.     (14) Brooks Clark, Fayston, VT
19.     (27) # Tyler Cahoon, St. Johnsbury, VT
20.     (2) # Nick Sweet, Barre, VT
21.     (23) Doug Murphy, Tunbridge, VT
22.     (4) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH
23.     (26) Bobby Dragon, Milton, VT
24.     (5) Scott Payea, Milton, VT
25.     (6) Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT
26.     (17) Jamie Aube, Bow, NH
27.     (8) Phil Scott, Montpelier, VT
28.     (19) Chip Grenier, Graniteville, VT
29.     (28) Joey Becker, Jeffersonville, VT
30.     (12) Jay Laquerre, East Montpelier, VT
-30-
From: Justin St. Louis / ACT <<leighton1.JPG>> <<leighton2.JPG>>

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Hathaway Battles Back from Set Backs on His Way to Another Top 5

August 31, 2008- Nelles Corners Ontario- Appin, Ontario driver Jason Hathaway and the Team 3 Red/EHR Snap-on Tools Dodge battled back from a list of hurdles yesterday on their way to earning their second best finish of the 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tires Series in The Coke Zero 200.

The 3/8 of a mile fast oval track, located near Hamilton, has not been a great track for the Team this season. Hathaway’s Team lead by Giulio Montanari was certainly out to change that yesterday. The hurdles started early for the Team, beginning in practice when Hathaway felt something wrong not quite right with his motor.  After a disappointing 15th place practice result, the Team inspected the motor and made the call to pull the motor and replace it with another one.   The motor exchange caused the Team to miss their qualifying session and placed Hathaway at the rear of the field for the start of the 200 lap event.

A miscue on pit road and an on track incident at the start of the race put Hathaway 2 laps down to the 22 car field only 6 laps into the race.  The Team 3 Red/EHR team focused and rallied behind their driver.  Lap times on the #3 Snap-on Tools Dodge were quick and numerous times throughout the night Hathaway was the fastest racing machine on the race track.

Lady Luck made her first appearance for the Team when they were awarded the “Free Pass-Lucky Dog Award” not once but twice before lap 85. Hathaway’s driving effort paid off; giving him back the 2 laps he went down earlier in the race and placed him back on the lead lap.

Hathaway brought his Dodge onto pit road on lap 164 to the attention of his crew in the 12th running spot on the track.  The crew didn’t let Hathaway down changing right side tires, fuelling  the car to take Hathaway  to the end, lining their #3 Snap on Tools Dodge back up on the track for the 30 lap shoot out in the 10th spot. Hathaway’s restarts were excellent all night and they really came through at the end of the race with a series of caution periods.  Hathaway put on a show for the crowd racing each and every corner and straight away and putting his car three wide twice to make an awesome pass for position.  After a long and hard fought event at Cayuga, Hathaway posted his second top 5 finish of the year finishing 4th.

“We got behind early, but we never gave up” Hathaway admitted getting out of his car in tech lane. “The guys worked hard to get this motor changed this afternoon and it was up to me to show them what all their hard work could accomplish.  We also moved solidly into the top 10 in points this weekend.  I’m really happy that Ray Lavender from Snap-on was here to see our awesome finish, without their support and our other sponsors we won’t be able to do this each and every week.”

“I am really proud of his whole team tonight” said Team owner Ed Hakonson.  “Our third place finish at Trois Rivieres backed up by this awesome effort by Jason tonight really shows what this Team is capable of.  Jason drove the wheels off his car tonight and it was so great to see.  There wasn’t a better show on the track than watching him work his way from the back to the front.  The pit crew was flawless, Giulio’s calls from the top of the box were on the money and our spotter Ray kept Jason out of trouble on the track. This was a great effort this weekend by everyone.”

The next event for Team 3 Red/EHR on the 13 race schedule is at the tight bullring of Barrie Speedway next weekend September 5, 2008.

-30-

Team 3 Red/EHR is proud to be associated with their great sponsors and supporters. Team 3 Red/EHR thanks Snap-on Tools, Super 8 Motels, Advantex Freight Forwarders, Fast Eddie Racewear, Choko Motorsports, Castrol, Napoleon Fireplaces & Barbeques, Xilarate Sports Fluid, Praxair, BOSCH Canada and Dayco Canada.  For more information on our sponsors please visit our website at www.team3red.com

From Team 3 Red/HER

<<Jason Hathaway.JPG>> <<2008 Dodge Avenger.JPG>>

Sauble Speedway: Results: Aug. 30-31, 2008

Sauble Speedway Saturday Aug. 30th 2008 - Presented by: Sparling’s Propane
Heat Winners

Rain-X 4 Cyl: #50 Bruce Beacock, #13 Todd Loughnan, #1 John Van Dyke, #66 Mike Smith
Street Stocks: #6 Jason Ritchie won two, #29 Mark Cameron.
Reg Noble Thunders: #48 Shawn McAdam won two heats
Quaker State Late Models: #99 Steve Adams, #10 Tom Gibbons, #28 Roy Wilkie, #76 Tyler Williams
Can-am Midgets: #74 Rob Neely, #82 James Gray, #1 Todd Creswell  
 
Feature Winners:
Rain-X 4 Cyl: #78 Adam McCulloch
Street Stock: #6 Jason Ritchie
Reg Noble Thunders: #48 Shawn McAdam
Quaker State Late Models: #99 Steve Adams
Can-am Midgets: #82 James Gray
 
Sauble Speedway Sunday  Aug. 31st 2008 - Presented by: TIM-BR Mart - Wiarton
Anthem By: Isabella
Heat Winners
Rain-X 4 Cyl: #09 Dean Curry, #66 Mike Smith, #56 Kevin Paupst, #13 Todd Loughnan
Street Stocks: #55 Sherry Fox, #16 Kevin Bushell, #48 Paul McCartney, #6 Jason Ritchie
Reg Noble Thunders: #40 Ken Goode, #48 Shawn McAdam
Quaker State Late Models: #18 Andrew gresel, # 35 #16 Brian Torrie, #76 Tyler Williams
Can-am Midgets: #74 Rob Neely, #00 Greg Smulders, #49 Adam Walsch 
 
Feature Winners:
Rain-X 4 Cyl: #66 Mike Smith
Street Stock: #27 Mark Rioux
Reg Noble Thunders: #69 Scott McTeer
Quaker State Late Models: #8 Jason Parker
Can-am Midgets: #1 Todd Creswell
 
Congratulations to #1 Todd Creswell the  TIM-BR Mart Wiarton 2008 Champion
 
Next Race - Sat. Sept 6th 2008 - Racing Starts at 3:00pm
Featuring: Quaker State Late Models, Thunder Cars, Street Stocks, 4 Cyl's Plus Kids Bike Races....
For More Details see: www.saublespeedway.com

Cornwall Motor Speedway: 358 SDS and PROSTOCK SERIES RACE at CORNWALL (31 Aug 08)

Rick Young's photos from the 358 SDS and PROSTOCK SERIES races at Cornwall Motor Speedway on Aug. 31, 2008. Thanks for the photos Rick!

FW: Steckly Has Fast Car But Finishes 18th in Coke Zero 200

Hamilton, On, Monday September 1, 2008:  The 22 Racing/Tow Truck in a Box/Erb Group Dodge Avenger team of Scott Steckly experienced the highs and lows typical of motorsports on Saturday night at Cayuga during the running of the Coke Zero 200. When practice wound up in the afternoon on Saturday, Steckly found himself third quickest out of the twenty-two cars entered.  Time Trials would have them post the quickest time until No. 4 Don Thomson Jr. took to the track late in the session. He beat their time by a few thousandths of a second to take away the pole and knock them to start on the outside of the front row.

On a re-start on lap 13, Steckly would nose into the lead at the line, but going into turn one he got pushed three wide with his No. 22 Tow Truck in a Box Dodge being the car moved up high on the outside.  When the dust settled Steckly had been spun into the infield but lucky for him none of the twenty cars coming behind hit him, but he was a long way back in the field.  Not to be deterred, Steckly starting marching his way back to the front and was back up to eighth when the oil pump belt came off the motor.  Coasting onto pit road and the time it took to make the repair would see Steckly lose ten laps to the field and not a single car dropped out for the remainder of the race so they were unable to advance their 18th place position.

“We had a good top five car again tonight,” stated Steckly in his usual upbeat way.  “We took a hit in the points we know with Ranger finishing second but we know its tough to go the whole season without some bad luck.  My team works very hard and I am sure they will give me another good car for Barrie and we will see what we can do their.”

Steckly’s commanding 113 point lead over 2nd place D.J. Kennington going into this event ten of the thirteen race schedule has unofficially dropped to 68 over now second place Andrew Ranger, the 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion. 

Finish 1. Mark Dilley  2.  Andrew Ranger  3. Derek Lynch  4. Jason Hathaway  5. Ron Beauchamp Jr.  18. Scott Steckly.

TSN will broadcast the Coke Zero 200 on Saturday September 6th at 11 a.m. EST.

Next up for 22 Racing is a return to Barrie Speedway, home of one of their three wins this season, for event eleven.  For more information on the Pizza Pizza300 including schedule, tickets and direction please visit www.barriespeedway.com.

22 Racing is supported by a large group of associate & product sponsors including:  Erb Group of Companies, A. W. Millwrights, D. H.  Jutzi Ltd., Willride Transportation, Reefer  Sales, Mr. Transmission (Guelph), Milverton Garage, Groeneveld, Commercial Babcock, Classy Collectables, Generation 2 Filtration, Twin City Graphics, Motorsport Design, Glasvan Great Dane Trailer Sales Inc., Wix Filters, Chris Root Precision Machine, Camions International West Island Inc., IRL International, Wilcan Electronics Canada Ltd and Royal Distributing. 

For more information and complete race results please visit www.nascar.ca .

From Linda Jones // Wide Open Motorsport Solutions

NC 8: Good news for Obama and Hagan, not for Perdue

Barack Obama 43
John McCain 43
Bob Barr 5

In 2004 George W. Bush beat John Kerry 55-44 in this district, so Barack Obama keeping it tied at this point is just another indication of North Carolina's virtual swing state status this year. The folks undecided for President right now are a Democratic leaning bunch- they support Kay Hagan, Bev Perdue, and Larry Kissell. Evidently they have some doubts about Obama but given their overall voting preferences it would seem he has a leg up.

Kay Hagan 45
Elizabeth Dole 41
Christopher Cole 3

Just more evidence of how this race has been fundamentally altered over the last month. Dole won the district 51-48 in 2002. Hagan is getting almost as much Republican support (15%) as Dole is Democratic support (17%). Given the state's overall Democratic lean Hagan would coast to victory if that held up statewide.

Pat McCrory 43
Bev Perdue 40
Michael Munger 4

Not good news for the Democratic candidate, though not necessarily surprising news either given that a lot of this district is her opponent's home turf. The last time the Governor's seat was open Mike Easley beat Richard Vinroot 53-44 in this district. McCrory is getting 21% of the Democratic vote in this district that includes a lot of territory in the Charlotte media market. Perdue will improve her standing if she can pick up most of the support of the 20% of black voters who are currently undecided.

Full results here.

NC 8: Hayes continues small lead

Robin Hayes 44 Larry Kissell 39

There has been virtually no movement in the 8th District Congressional race since July, when PPP found Hayes leading by six points.

Kissell, despite a tv advertising campaign, is still mostly undefined with the electorate of the district. 28% of voters view him favorably, 23% view him unfavorably, and 49% still have no opinion.

Even when it comes to the job performance of Hayes, a ten year incumbent, there's a high level of ambiguity. 38% approve of him, 31% disapprove, and 30% have no opinion.

Here's the good news for Kissell in the poll:

-59% of the undecideds are Democrats while just 13% are Republicans. If he can ensure that his partisans vote the entire ballot and not just for the marquee offices, he'll be in much better shape. Taking it a step further, 40% of the undecideds are African Americans who tend to actually vote much more Democratic than registered white Democrats who often cross over to support Republicans in some races, especially for federal offices.

Here's the good news for Hayes in the poll:

-He's getting the support of almost 20% of Democrats in the poll, something he'll need to win reelection in this district where party identification overwhelmingly favors the opposing party. He's also got nearly unanimous support from his fellow Republicans, and a 43-27 advantage with independent voters in the district.

This contest looks like it will be close again as it was in 2006. Kissell just needs to do a better job of shoring up support from his party's base voters and the contest virtually becomes a tie.

Who wins this seat may eventually come down not so much to anything having to do with Robin Hayes or Larry Kissell, but just how much Barack Obama is able to increase turnout in heavily black Charlotte precincts.

Note: Thomas Hill, former Libertarian candidate, was included in this poll and received 4%. I think you can safely consider those who expressed support for him to be in the undecided category with him out of the race.

Full results here.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Doug Brown's strong start ends early at Cayuga

Doug Brown’s bid to prove he can tame nearby Cayuga Speedway came to another early ending on Saturday night when a minor skirmish with a group of cars on lap 54 damaged the car’s differential forcing the Brantford-based team to park the car with a broken ring gear.

 

Initially the driver and crew suspected the force of the accident had merely jammed the transmission into second gear but during a hectic attempt to repair the problem on pit road the ring gear was damaged.

 

A further inspection of the car the following day uncovered a piece of the shifter had broken off subsequently jamming the transmission and adding to the problems.

 

The DNF marked the third time in four NASCAR Canadian Tire Series events at the fast 5/8th-mile oval for the Haldex Dodge–sponsored team  -a record that is not one they had hoped to gain recognition for.  Brown had started the day with fourth quickest time in the early practice sessions but qualified a puzzling 12th in time trials. 

 

Despite the disappointing starting spot, the veteran campaigner was on the move early and made steady forward progress until encountering difficulty passing the Chevrolets of Peter Gibbons and JR Fitzpatrick. When he finally broke free he was running a strong seventh until the racing accident ended his run.

 

“I don’t know what to say,” the disgruntled driver responded when questioned for his thoughts on the evening and the way the season has developed. “It sure seems this track has a hex on us but there is nothing we can do. The engine was really strong and the car was extremely comfortable right from the drop of the green and then this happens. We’ll just have to head to Barrie next weekend with confidence. I like the short Barrie oval and hopefully we can salvage better results with a strong run there and in the remaining events at Antigonish and Kawartha.”

 

“It’s not just the disappointment for myself and the team but also for the folks at Haldex who continue to show strong support for our efforts. We feel that we’re letting them down.’ 

 

Mark Dilley of Barrie in the Dodge-sponsored Dodge Avenger won the Coke Zero 200 presented by Sicard Holiday Campers after waging a torrid battle with fellow Dodge driver Ron Beauchamp of Windsor through the early stages of the race then withstood a late charge from Andrew Ranger in the Wal-Mart/Tide Ford Fusion to cap the victory, It was Dilley’s first win of the season.

 

The race was forced into overtime when a late race spin brought out the caution setting up a green-white-checkered flag finish.

 

Derek Lynch of Warkworth finished a strong third with Jason Hathaway of Appin and Beauchamp rounding out the top five.

 

Points’ leader Scott Steckly of Milverton fell off the pace early after qualifying second and finished 18th, ten laps down to the leaders. Don Thomson Jr, started on the pole and managed to finish 7th after some early race problems. 

 

Prepared By Ken Spencer - HB Motorsports

Duquesne City School Teachers Strike

Classes are canceled indefinitely in the Duquesne City School District after teachers struck today in a dispute over salaries. The dispute is over a wage re-opener not the full contract. The teachers union wants a 19% pay hike this year. The Allegheny Intermediate Unit, which is the governing body for the distressed district, has offered 3%.
Butch Santicola, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, argues that even with a 19% increase, the Duquesne teachers would still be the lowest paid in Allegheny County. But, A-I-U Solicitor Bill Andrews says that Duquesne is the only bankrupt district in the county and is 1 of the 2 poorest districts in the state. Andrews says giving a 19% salary hike will hinder achieving the goal of a viable district. The two sides are waiting for a state mediator to call them back to the bargaining table.

Elections Board Tosses Ballot Questions

The Allegheny County Elections Board has eliminated two ballot measures dealing with the 10% drink tax enacted this year to subsidize public transit. Three county judges ruled that questions were not legal because only County Council can lower or raise taxes. The judges heard the case because the Elections Board' regular members had declared positions on the ballot measures and recused themselves. The proposed referendum by opponents of the drink tax, Friends Against Counterproductive Taxation (FACT), would has asked voters to reduce the tax from 10% to point-5 percent. Another referendum put forth by Democrats on Council would have asked voters if they wanted to eliminate the drink tax in favor of higher property taxes. Kevin Joyce, a board member of FACT, says the county code indicates that only Council can raise or lower property taxes but doesn't mention other levies like the drink tax. Joyce says their next step is to appeal to Common Pleas Court.

Varney Speedway Announces New Fall Classic... Sept. 27-28

VARNEY SPEEDWAY FALL CLASSIC… WITH OVER $15,000.00 IN PRIZE MONEY

WHEN: Saturday September 27th and Sunday September 28th

FEATURING:

- ALL PRO MODIFIED    40 Laps $1,000.00 to WIN
- LIMITED LATE MODELS    50 Laps $1,500.00 to WIN
- SUPER STREET STOCKS 30 Laps $800.00 to WIN
- STREET STOCKS   30 Laps $500.00 to WIN
- STOCK FOURS 30 Laps $500.00 to WIN

(NO 16 VALVE ENGINES ALLOWED)
Qualifying Saturday for first 18 positions last chance qualifying Sunday for final 6 positions in each class
Saturday Green Flag 5 PM – Sunday Green Flag 2 PM
Front Gate Sat $12.00 Sun $15.00 / Pit Gate Sat. $25.00 Sun $30.00 Weekend $50.00
Free on site camping available
For complete details check out the web site: www.varneymotorspeedway.com

JL Racing dominates with 3 wins at Mosport

Toronto. Sep 1, 2008. The last weekend in August has proved to be the most successful in the history of JL Racing and a milestone in Saab motorsport. After a difficult beginning to the season, the JL racing team came through at Mosport with three wins and a second place.

John Lockhart set the standard early Saturday by qualifying second on the pole. At the start of the race, Lockhart quickly took the lead. However, with three laps to go, Chris Raymond managed to sneak past. As they came through Corner 5 on the last lap, they both went wide and Lockhart managed to snatch back the lead. They roared through the last corner side by side and in a thrilling photo finish, the Saab 9-3 won by half a car length.

John Lockhart commented, ““That was one of the most thrilling races I have had. Christian and I were very close the whole race and we teamed up to gap the rest of the field. But I knew with a lap or two to go Christian would charge hard.”

In the second race of the series on Sunday, John Lockhart once again demonstrated the superiority of the Saab by comfortably leading the entire race and took the chequered flag by a significant margin. Lockhart’s Crew Chief and Engineer, Damon Sharpe made adjustments on the car overnight that improved the handling of the car. “We made some changes and discussed a strategy that would complement the setup as it was a 40 minute race”. Sharpe said, “We executed perfectly and were able to maintain a good pace that kept the car handling great. This strategy allowed us to pull away from the field and win by a pretty comfortable margin. The double win is very important for us and Saab as it occurs on Canada's most prestigious road racing event, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship.”

Jordan Marrison drove the Saab 9-3 in the Ontario Regional Sprints and similarly threw down the gauntlet in a field of over 30 cars by qualifying second on the grid. He drove a flawless race to take second place. On Sunday morning Marrison again demonstrated his driving abilities and the strength of the Saab by dominating the race and took the chequered flag in first place.The team is now looking to the last races of the season with the knowledge that the Saab 9-3 now has the reputation as being one of the fastest cars in the Touring Class and one of the strongest overall teams in Canada.

About JL Racing.
JL Racing is one of Canada's premier sport sedan racing teams. In 2006, JL Racing formed a partnership with Saab Canada to race and showcase Canada's only Saab 93 race cars. The team has made headlines several times with a first race, first place finish and subsequent podium finishes in the Saab 9-3. For more information: www.jlracing.net

JL Racing Media Contact:Phil Reilly info@jlracing.net416 503 8086

Humberstone Speedway race report and results: August 31, 2008

Delaware Speedway: APC 300 Great Canadian Race Results

Delaware Speedway
APC 300: THE GREAT CANADIAN RACE

THE GREAT CANADIAN RACE:1. Ron Sheridan (Mt. Brydges, ON), 2. David Elliott, 3. Steve Robblee (Dorchester, ON), 4. Jonathan Urlin (London, ON), 5. Dion Verhoeven (Kerwood, ON), 6. Duke Sawchuck (Emeryville, ), 7. Rob Clarke (London, ON), 8. Jason Shaw (Guelph, ON), 9. Pete Vanderwyst (, On), 10. Scott Lindsay (St. Marys, ON), 11. Bryan Mercer (Port Hope, ON), 12. Jesse Kennedy (Southwold, ON), 13. Cole Weber (New Hamburg, ON), 14. Matt Box (Mississauga, ON), 15. Mark Watson (St. Thomas, ON), 16. Simon Wild (Ingersoll, ON), 17. Lloyd Rawlings (Windsor, ON), 18. Steve Laking (Guelph, ON), 19. Jesse Pontello (St. Catherines, ON), 20. Chad Rijnen (London, ON), 21. Brandon Watson (Stayner, ON), 22. Jamie Ramsay (St. Thomas, ON), 23. Rick Emery (Ruscom, ON), 24. Jamie Cox (Dorchester, ON), 25. Jim Wiersma (Dorchester, ON), 26. Jamie Grover (Glencoe, ON), 27. Gary Elliott, 28. Kirk Hooker (Chatham, ON), 29. Matt Robblee (Dorchester, ON), 30. Kevin Blenish (Milton, ON), 31. Doug Stewart (London, ON), 32. Glen Gault (Hubbard, OH), 33. Danny Delisle (Lasalle, ON),

Delaware Championship(APC Late Model 8/31/08)

Feature:1. Duke Sawchuck (Emeryville, ), 2. Dion Verhoeven (Kerwood, ON), 3. Ron Sheridan (Mt. Brydges, ON), 4. Scott Lindsay (St. Marys, ON), 5. Jesse Kennedy (Southwold, ON), 6. Chad Rijnen (London, ON), 7. Kirk Hooker (Chatham, ON), 8. Steve Robblee (Dorchester, ON), 9. Jamie Ramsay (St. Thomas, ON), 10. Matt Box (Mississauga, ON), 11. Simon Wild (Ingersoll, ON), 12. Jesse Pontello (St. Catherines, ON), 13. Rick Emery (Ruscom, ON),

Invader Feature:1. Jonathan Urlin (London, ON), 2. Mark Watson (St. Thomas, ON), 3. Rob Clarke (London, ON), 4. Danny Delisle (Lasalle, ON), 5. Pete Vanderwyst (, On), 6. Brandon Watson (Stayner, ON), 7. David Elliott, 8. Steve Laking (Guelph, ON), 9. Jason Shaw (Guelph, ON), 10. Jim Wiersma (Dorchester, ON), 11. Bryan Mercer (Port Hope, ON), 12. Lloyd Rawlings (Windsor, ON), 13. Gary Elliott, 14. Matt Robblee (Dorchester, ON), 15. Cole Weber (New Hamburg, ON), 16. Jamie Grover (Glencoe, ON), 17. Doug Stewart (London, ON), 18. Glen Gault (Hubbard, OH), 19. Jamie Cox (Dorchester, ON), 20. Kevin Blenish (Milton, ON),

Time Trials:1. Danny Delisle (Lasalle, ON), 2. Pete Vanderwyst (, On), 3. Brandon Watson (Stayner, ON), 4. Duke Sawchuck (Emeryville, ), 5. Jesse Kennedy (Southwold, ON), 6. Chad Rijnen (London, ON), 7. Matt Box (Mississauga, ON), 8. Dion Verhoeven (Kerwood, ON), 9. Jonathan Urlin (London, ON), 10. Mark Watson (St. Thomas, ON), 11. Rob Clarke (London, ON), 12. Ron Sheridan (Mt. Brydges, ON), 13. Scott Lindsay (St. Marys, ON), 14. Jason Shaw (Guelph, ON), 15. Steve Laking (Guelph, ON), 16. Jamie Cox (Dorchester, ON), 17. Steve Robblee (Dorchester, ON), 18. Glen Gault (Hubbard, OH), 19. Kevin Blenish (Milton, ON), 20. Gary Elliott, 21. Rick Emery (Ruscom, ON), 22. Doug Stewart (London, ON), 23. Kirk Hooker (Chatham, ON), 24. Jamie Ramsay (St. Thomas, ON), 25. Bryan Mercer (Port Hope, ON), 26. Cole Weber (New Hamburg, ON), 27. Lloyd Rawlings (Windsor, ON), 28. Jim Wiersma (Dorchester, ON), 29. Jesse Pontello (St. Catherines, ON), 30. Simon Wild (Ingersoll, ON), 31. Matt Robblee (Dorchester, ON), 32. Jamie Grover (Glencoe, ON), 33. David Elliott,

Unofficial Points Standings

Delaware Speedway

1. (799)Steve Robblee, 2. (793)Ron Sheridan, 3. (780)Jesse Kennedy, 4. (777)Scott Lindsay, 5. (758)Duke Sawchuck, 6. (742)Dion Verhoeven, 7. (701)Kirk Hooker, 8. (694)Jamie Ramsay, 9. (677)Chad Rijnen, 10. (653)Matt Box, 11. (635)Jesse Pontello, 12. (611)Rick Emery, 13. (576)Simon Wild, 14. (366)Al Lebert, 15. (360)Mark Hickson, 16. (316)Jonathan Urlin, 17. (300)Danny Delisle, 18. (277)Jason Shaw, 19. (251)Doug Stewart, 20. (173)James Shaw, 21. (171)Jamie Grover, 22. (137)Steven Matthews, 23. (133)Pete Vanderwyst, 24. (126)Lloyd Rawlings, 25. (126)Gary Elliott, 26. (124)Scott Menlin, 27. (122)Kevin Blenish, 28. (119)Craig Zurbrigg, 29. (114)Matt Robblee, 30. (74)Jamie Cox, 31. (74)D.J. Kennington, 32. (69)Bryan Mercer, 33. (68)Rob Clarke, 34. (63)Tyler Brown, 35. (61)Jeff Cassidy, 36. (59)David Elliott, 37. (55)Brandon Watson

People lie to pollsters

Something really jumped out at me in the CBS News poll that came out yesterday- the finding that 71% of respondents said they watched the Democratic convention. Given that even the last night of the convention only 24.5% of American homes were tuned in according to the Nielsen ratings (still quite an impressive showing!) it's still close to impossible that 71% watched some chunk of it even when you account for nonvoters in the population at large.

This reminded me of a finding we had in our tracking poll last week about the debates for Governor that came out so unrealistically that I didn't even bother to release it. 21% of North Carolinians claimed to have watched the debate WTVD hosted a couple weeks ago. That in and of itself is not remotely believable but the crosstabs made it seem like even more of a joke- 30% of voters in the southeastern part of the state, 25% in the northeast, and 17% in the Mountains, Charlotte, and Triad claimed to have watched the debate. The only problem with that? As far as I know it wasn't even televised outside of the Triangle! There was a replay on UNC-TV over the weekend but by then we had already finished polling. So are we to believe that about one in five voters across the state went online to watch it? Not a chance.

I think folks tell the truth about who they're supporting for various offices, but they appear to be eager to come across as more informed and engaged than they actually are when it comes to things like watching debates and conventions- not a whole lot us pollsters can do about that.

For what it's worth (not much) respondents in the Triangle who said they watched the debate thought Bev Perdue beat Pat McCrory by a margin of 54-46.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Dilley Drives No. 9 Dodge to Win in Coke Zero 200

Hamilton, ON, Monday Sept. 1, 2008:   Saturday’s running of the Coke Zero 200 at Cayuga Speedway Park just outside of  Hamilton Ontario was won by Mark Dilley driver of the No. 9  Dodge Avenger.  After leading the most laps and waiting out delay of over an hour at lap 88 for track lighting to be fixed, Dilley took the lead for the final time on lap 192 and cruised to his first victory of the season and his second in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

Dilley’s car was not up to his expectations at practice so the team went to work prior to qualifying and made wholesale changes to the car.  “I didn’t know what it was going to do in qualifying,” stated Dilley, “but we just threw a bunch of changes at it and it worked.”

The No. 9 Avenger would start the Coke Zero 200 from the eighth position but Dilley didn’t stay there long.  By lap 20 he was up to fourth and on lap 70 he took the lead for the first time, a position he would maintain for the next 67 circuits.  On lap 161 the caution flew and the No. 9 driver brought his Avenger to the attention of his crew for tires and fuel.  When all the pit stops had cycled through Dilley restarted from the third position.

He would make the pass for the lead again on lap 183 but the ensuing caution flag would wipe it out as NASCAR goes back to the last completed lap running order when the caution waves.  When racing resumed, Dilley would again move his No. 9 Dodge past the 60 Mopar Dodge of Ron Beauchamp Jr. and after another late race caution that would see a green, white, checkered finish, Dilley cruised to victory.  “We just nailed the setup tonight,” said Dilley.  “My team did an awesome job all day today to get this Dodge Avenger to victory lane.”

Andrew Ranger held on for second place, while Derek Lynch crossed the line third.  Jason Hathaway and Ron Beauchamp Jr. rounded out the top five. As a result of the win and leading the most laps, Dilley’s No. 9 Dodge Avenger is now being shown unofficially in sixth in the Championship standings with three events remaining.

The Coke Zero 200 from Cayuga Speedway will be aired on TSN on Saturday Sept. 6th at 11 a.m. EST. Mark Dilley is supported by a group of associate sponsors including, Leland Industries, Maple Lodge Farms, Exide, Mobil 1, Wild Wing, Reefer Sales, Mopar and CRS Trucking.

For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit www.nascar.ca. // For more information on Mark Dilley please visit www.whitlockmotorsports.com

From Linda Jones // Wide Open Motorsport Solutions

Sunset Speedway report August 30, 2008

By Spencer Lewis // Photo courtesy of Al McLean

STROUD, ON - On the afternoon of August 30th, the usually stoic and focused Tom Walters, offered up a prediction to the dozen or so fans and crew members milling about his hauler; He would win both of the nights HF Smith Home Hardware Late Model features. 'Stompin' Tom started off the night with a win in the make-up feature from August 23rd. Starting towards the front of the pack, the Blue Jay Catering #47 had the lead by lap 5 and never looked back, despite a torrent of cautions and a late race charge by the #11 of 2007 defending champion 'Mr Excitement' Chris Morrow. With a feature win already in the books, a repeat would prove difficult, as Walters found himself starting near the back of the pack in the second 30-Lap HF Smith Home Hardware sponsored event.

The second verse was the same as the first, as Walters hounded the #03 of Dario Capirchio for the lead, while trying to hold off Morrow and the #19 of Jason Witty. Just short of the half way mark, Walters squeezed into the lead and managed to keep Witty and Morrow at bay for his second feature win of the night. "I'm not usually cocky before a race" beamed Walters "but tonight I just felt good, the crew gave me a great car and I really felt like the one to beat. This second one wasn't any tougher than the first, I was battling with Chris [Morrow] there and he left the door open on the inside, so that was that. I stayed smooth all night, and here we are". With these wins, Walters padded his already vast points lead over 2nd place Chris Morrow, as he works towards a 25th championship.

The Dominos Pizza Thunder Car feature proved a much different outlook for a fellow Walters; Points leader, 'The Cheque Casher' Herb Walters was looking for a 4th straight feature win, and seemed to have the car to beat. However, lady luck would have something to say about that before all was said and done. Walters' started the feature just one row from the very back of the field, with about 15 cars sitting between himself and inside pole sitter 'Slick' Rick Walt. Walters worked diligently to creep into the top three, before doing battle with the #7 of Charlie Smith and the #96 of 'Mad Dog' Larry Mackenzie, all trying to take a stab at the top spot held by Walt's Amsoil sponsored #13.

A late race caution set the stage for a four car shoot out, with a result no one expected. As the green flag was displayed, the entire field charged forward, except the leader. A mechanical problem kept Rick Walt's Monte Carlo from gaining speed, which resulted in second place Walters piling into the back of him, sending both cars to the back of the pack. From there, all Larry Mackenzie had to do was hold off the #7 of Smith for his first win of 2008.

Mackenzie was as surprised as anyone in victory lane. "I think I got a little lucky there, with [Herb] having to go to the back, because he was coming strong. This is my first win in a Thunder Car in about 8 years, so we'll take it. I just want to thank Dave Horner for helping me put all this together".

In the Fox's Bakery Four Cylinder Road Runner division, the crowd was treated to a breakthrough victory two years in the making. 'Smokin' Joe Ireton comes from an excellent racing stable, Epic Motorsports. You might have heard of them. The same guys that brought you two time champion 'Classic' Colt Carcone and 2007 defending champion 'Hollywood' Matt Henderson. Starting mid-pack, Ireton looked every bit as good as his championship caliber running-mates.

Lapped traffic and slower cars, as they often do in the Four Cylinder divisions, played a large part; However, Ireton kept a cool head coming through the pack, and with 5 laps remaining found an opening underneath the leading #8 of Rob Gibson Jr. With the #48 car of 'Mr. White Walls' Nick Brown tattooed to his back bumper, Ireton picked up his first ever feature win.

'Smokin' Joe could hardly find the words after the race, "That was probably the most intense race I've ever ran. It was insane. I hope to get a couple more before the season's out, but this division is so stacked, there's about 10 or 12 guys that can win on any given night. I just want to thank all my crew and the fans here for supporting me, I also want to thank Dan 'Rover' Nolan, he's not here tonight but he's done everything on this car and without him I'd be nowhere". A story within the story was also brewing Saturday night.

'Too Quick' Kenny Britt and Dave Burrows came into the night tied for the points lead, and had placed almost equally all through the night, with the slight advantage going to Britt. However, on lap 14, the outcome of both the feature race and points championship was changed dramatically. While Britt's #14 was battling for position inside the top 5,  he came around to lap the much slower #05 of rookie driver Brad Burleigh; Though the blue passing flag was displayed, Burleigh refused to move out of the path of the leaders, instead forcing cars to pass on either side.

As the quicker cars went sailing by, Burleigh inexplicably lost control of the car, careening into Britt and sending him into the wall. "We had a real good car tonight. Lapped cars.what are you going to do?" shrugged a disappointed Britt after the race, "We'll have another car out next week and we might surprise some people".

Saturday August 23rd was a record setting night for both the Fox's Bakery Four Fun division as well as driver of the #9, Marshall Pender. The Beeton (Ontario) native began the night with a wall shaking crash that ended his Four Cylinder Road Runner rookie bid. "We hit the wall pretty good in practice, so the [Road Runner] is done for the year. But we'll be back out in 2009, right now we're just focusing on the Four Fun".

Focused was certainly the word of the day for Pender, as he took home wins in 5 of the 6 races he competed in. The tally at the end of the night read, 3 heat wins as well as both feature wins. A new record for the Four Fun division. "We've just been good all night, the second feature was pretty tough, Rob Krystal was coming on at the end pretty good. I'm happy we pulled it out, and as long as we're still allowed to race we should have a good shot at the championship."

SRA KARTING: Jesse Lazare Crowned 2008 Quebec Champion

Montreal, Québec – September 1, 2008- Sportimage.net. 11 year-old Jesse Lazare left many drivers stunned at SRA karting last Sunday as he clinched the Quebec title. He also took home the Canadian title three weeks ago.

"It was not easy for me because I was registered to race in two categories and I had to jump from one kart to the other without having any time to rest. But my goal was reached and I am very happy to have won the 2008 title in Honda Junior," explains Jesse leaving the podium.

Jodoin was not far.
"Driver Jean-Philippe Jodin (finished second place) was the closest rival to Jesse. Only 73 thousands of a second separated them," explains his mechanic Hugo - SH karting team mentor. "Again, Jesse took many chances and raced impeccably," explains Hugo.

An oil stain.
Jesse would have also liked to win the title in the Mini-Max category. Unfortunately, after a "STOP and GO" during the final he finished fifth with only 2.7 seconds behind the winner. "They penalized many drivers for driving on the security patches," explains Hugo. "Jesse made a Stop and Go and was able to come back strong. The worst had passed!"  he explains.

For the second consecutive year, Lazare is sponsored by garage doors Garaga, SH Karting team, Kart-o-mania and the family business, Dor Doctor.

Montreal Championship
Provisional Championship Classification

Honda Junior
Pos     Name
1       Jesse Lazare – Quebec Champion
2       Jean-Philippe Jodoin
3       Jean-Mary Bigras 

From: Gordon Lazare

SOS @ Brighton: Hunsinger 'Livin the dream'; takes second feature win of weekend, while Styres wins championship

By Tommy Goudge (August 31, 2008) - Another bright, sunny day greeted the fans and teams for Night #2 of the Southern Ontario Sprints 2008 Labour Day Classic at Brighton Speedway on Sunday.  A great evening of racing was expected as the SOS championship battle was set to be decided, with Glenn Styres, Warren Mahoney, and Keith Dempster all in the hunt, and 1 of those drivers would come away with a piece of history as the 1st 3-time champ in club history.  With an increased $1,200 prize set to be awarded to the night's feature winner, and other tight battles going on in the top 10 in the standings, the fans at Brighton were in for a treat, as the final event of the SOS season was set to be contested at the track for the first time in the club's 13-year history.

The final SOS points-paying feature race of 2008 began with Ryan Hunsinger and Bob Crawford on the front row, while points leader Glenn Styres started 7th, 2nd place points man Warren Mahoney started 10th looking to make up 27 markers on Styres after losing 3 points in the heat races, and 3rd place Keith Dempster started 11th, 42 points behind.  Crawford got the early jump into turns 1 and 2 at the start, but Hunsinger was on a mission and drove back by Crawford's #10 down the backstretch to lead the first lap.

Styres quickly but methodically began to make his way through the pack, intent on keeping his championship rivals behind him, but his race came unravelled with 4 laps complete as Styres and Dave Dykstra made contact coming out of turn 4, resulting in a yellow flag as Dykstra spun to a stop with a flat left rear tire, while Styres also suffered a flat right front tire and was forced pit side for a new one.  Styres' crew worked quickly to get the tire changed and got the #0 back out on the track in short order, but the championship chase was now suddenly much closer, as Warren Mahoney was in the top 10, while Styres restarted at the tail.

On the restart, Hunsinger again took a commanding lead while Rick Wilson continued another charge to the front, Styres made his way forward from the back, Warren Mahoney tried to move forward and put himself in position to win the championship, and Keith Dempster - suddenly with a real shot at the title again after Styres' trouble - raced towards the top 5.  More trouble struck Styres with 8 laps complete as the #0 spun to a stop in turn 4, bringing out another caution and once again forcing Styres to start from the tail.  Mahoney and Dempster were having trouble capitalizing on Styres' misfortunes, however, as Mahoney was mired in 8th, unable to make any headway towards the top 5, while Dempster, who was fast early on, began to fade through the field, and eventually dropped out of the race before it's conclusion.

The last 12 laps ran caution-free, but Mahoney was not able to make any headway towards the front while Styres moved steadily up through the pack and kept the Mahoney #25 in sight.  Rick Wilson continued his charge to the front and got by Bob Crawford for 2nd after an entertaining battle, but ran out of time to catch Hunsinger before the chequered flag fell.  Hunsinger crossed the line first to claim his 2nd feature win of the weekend and 4th overall sprint car feature win in 2008, while Wilson settled for 2nd, followed by Crawford who solidified a 5th place finish in the points standings by finishing 3rd, Kyle Wilson in 4th, and Justin Martin finishing off a fine weekend by rounding out the top 5. 

Warren Mahoney was not able to advance past 8th, while Styres came home 10th, which was good enough to claim the championship.  The title is Glenn's 2nd consecutive, and his 3rd overall as he also claimed the '03 title.  Styres will be crowned the 2008 champion and first 3-time champion in Southern Ontario Sprints history at the awards banquet on November 8th at the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

NOTES:
- 4 drivers in competition on Saturday night did not return on Sunday night, as Craig Downie, Chris Jones, Frank Baranowski, and Bill Baldwin did not sign in, while 1 new driver signed in, as Joe Middlemiss stepped into the Baldwin #14 for the evening.  Downie won his heat on Saturday night and looked very fast, but a vibration in his engine caused the Burlington driver to fade from 3rd to 8th in the feature, and sit out Sunday night's action.

- Dave Dykstra and Ryan Hunsinger took heat race victories, while Dykstra also claimed the RBM Carriers Dash for Cash.  In a surprise move, Glenn Styres chose to take part in the Dash, rather than save his car from possible damage in a race that did not have any points implications.  Styres did get valuable track time on the slick surface, however, and finished 2nd in the race.

- With his 2nd place finish in Sunday night's feature, Rick Wilson recorded his 3rd runner-up finish of the weekend, as the Joyceville driver also finished 2nd in both features run on Saturday night.  Wilson also picked up the $150 Hard Charger award presented by Tim Phillips Garage of Grand Island, New York on Sunday night by advancing from 8th on the grid to 2nd.

- The only red flag of the weekend came in hot laps on Sunday night when Dick Mahoney slid high in turn 4 and made contact with the outside retaining wall, and rolled onto his side.  Mahoney's #79 suffered enough damage that the team decided to switch to their backup car, affectionately known as "Lefty", which was originially brought along for the weekend in case Warren needed it to keep his championship hopes alive.

- 2 non-points events remain on the 2008 Southern Ontario Sprints schedule, as the teams next head to the Ohsweken Speedway for the 4th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals on September 12th and 13th, and then finish the season at the Brockville Ontario Speedway on October 18th with a Can-Am Challenge event co-sanctioned by the Empire Super Sprints and ASCS Patriots.

RACE REPORT - Sunday, August 31, 2008
SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS 2008 SEASON Event #11 Brighton Speedway - Brighton, Ontario

ENTRIES
0 Glenn Styres - Ohsweken
01 Kyle Wilson - Joyceville
5 Keith Dempster - Alton
5d Dave Dykstra - Port Colborne
7m Justin Martin - St. Thomas
9jr Tim Zack - Dain City
10 Bob Crawford - Sutton
14 Joe Middlemiss - Chippawa
15 Mike Ferrell - London
15aw April Wilson - Joyceville
22 Jim Porter - Grand Island, NY
25 Warren Mahoney - Lefroy
30 Adam West - Ridgetown
42w Rick Wilson - Joyceville
77x Ryan Hunsinger - Brantford
79 Dick Mahoney - Newmarket
81 Derek Jonathon - Lewiston, NY

HEAT RACE #1
(8 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 5d Dave Dykstra (4)
2. 0 Glenn Styres (8)
3. 42w Rick Wilson (9)
4. 01 Kyle Wilson (6)
5.. 30 Adam West (5)
6. 5 Keith Dempster (7)
7. 81 Derek Jonathan (3)
8. 15 Mike Ferrell (1) DNF
9. 79 Dick Mahoney (2) DNF

HEAT RACE #2
(8 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (1)
2. 10 Bob Crawford (3)
3. 22 Jim Porter (4)
4. 7m Justin Martin (8)
5. 25 Warren Mahoney (7)
6. 15aw April Wilson (6)
7. 14 Joe Middlemiss (5)
8. 9jr Tim Zack (2) DNF

RBM Carriers Dash For Cash
(4 laps)
1. 5d Dave Dykstra (1)
2. 0 Glenn Styres (3)
3. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (4)
4. 22 Jim Porter (2)

'A' FEATURE
(20 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (1) - $1,200
2. 42w Rick Wilson (8)
3. 10 Bob Crawford (2)
4. 01 Kyle Wilson (5)
5. 7m Justin Martin (6)
6. 22 Jim Porter (4)
7. 30 Adam West (9)
8. 25 Warren Mahoney (10)
9. 81 Derek Jonathan (13)
10. 0 Glenn Styres (7)
11. 9jr Tim Zack (16)
12. 14 Joe Middlemiss (14)
13. 5d Dave Dykstra (3)
14. 15aw April Wilson (12)
15. 5 Keith Dempster (11)
16. 15 Mike Ferrell (15)
17. 79 Dick Mahoney (17)

Lap Leaders: Hunsinger (1-20) Tim Phillips Garage $150 Hard Charger Award: R. Wilson (Gained 6 positions) Caution Flags: 2 (lap 4, lap 8)

UNOFFICIAL TOP 10 IN POINTS AFTER ROUND #11 Rank. Number Name Total (positions gained/lost) 1. 0 Glenn Styres 1343 (--) 2. 25 Warren Mahoney 1326 (--) 3. 5 Keith Dempster 1290 (--) 4. 30 Adam West 1284 (--) 5. 10 Bob Crawford 1192 (--) 6. 79 Dick Mahoney 1126 (--) 7. 81 Derek Jonathan 1122 (--) 8. 77x Ryan Hunsinger 1044 (--) 9. 42w Rick Wilson 947 (+3) 10.. 10 Mike Ferrell 911 (--)

NEXT SOS EVENT: Canadian Sprint Car Nationals (non-points event) September 12th and 13th, 2008 @ Ohsweken Speedway www.OhswekenSpeedway.com www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Whitlock 8th At Cayuga in Coke Zero 200

Hamilton, ON, Monday Sept. 1, 2008:  Dave Whitlock drove his No. 39 Dickies/NMT/PCRFC/POINTTS Dodge Avenger from the back of the twenty two-car field twice on Saturday night in the Coke Zero 200 to finish 8th.  The event was lengthened by over an hour as the lighting on the race track went out forcing a red flag situation.

During practice the team struggled to get the No. 39 Dodge up to speed and after much discussion, made several changes prior to the qualifying session.  When Whitlock came off the track from his time trail, another team discussion ensued as the car had developed a major vibration.  The team made the decision to pull the car out of the race line up and take it back to their pit stall.  NASCAR mandates that in an impound race such as this, after qualifying you cannot work on your cars prior to the race and if you do it is under heavy supervision and you are relegated to start at the rear of the field.  “We decided to change everything that we could think of that could cause that vibration,” stated Whitlock before the race. “We weren’t exactly sure what it was so we made the decision to change as much as we could.”

When the green dropped for the start of the 200 lap Coke Zero 200, Whitlock almost immediately radioed to his crew that the vibration was gone. The car was a little lose though, so on lap fifty-two during a caution period he brought the car down pit road for an adjustment and enough fuel to go the distance.  Whitlock immediately started to move up through the field and after an hour delay in the race due to the lighting failure he was being scored in tenth and still on the move.  On a restart around the half way mark, Whitlock was accessed a drive through penalty for a much undeserved rough driving call.  When Whitlock brought his No. 39 Dickies Dodge back onto the racing surface he was five car lengths ahead of then leader and teammate Mark Dilley.

Whitlock would stay in this position for the next sixty laps until the caution flew again.  He then brought the No. 39 Dodge down pit road to the attention of his crew for tires.  With a little over thirty laps to go, Whitlock would have his work cut out for him to get to the front of the pack.  With two more caution periods eating up valuable laps they were able to get back to eighth at the drop of  the checkered flag. “We had such a good car for the last half of that race and the 8th place finish is not indicative of how good this car was tonight” said Whitlock after the race.  “We ran in front of the leaders for a good chunk of this race and they couldn’t catch us.  My team  just made all the right calls early to get me in for adjustments before we put new tires on later in the race.  We just needed a caution after we got the penalty and we could have been in a position to be on the podium with Mark tonight.”

Whitlock teammate Mark Dilley won the Coke Zero 200 with Andrew Ranger in second, last years winner of this event Derek Lynch in third, Jason Hathaway crossed the line fourth with Ron Beauchamp Jr. finishing fifth.

Whitlock now finds himself just a few points out of the top ten in Championship points in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series with three events remaining in the thirteen race schedule. The Coke Zero 200 from Cayuga will be broadcast on Sat. September 6th at 11 a.m. EST on TSN.

Whitlock Motorsports will now head to Barrie Speedway for the Pizza Pizza 300 on Saturday September 6th.  For more event information and tickets please visit www.barriespeedway.com. For more information please visit www.nascar.ca or www.whitlockmotorsports.com .

From Linda Jones