Story By: TIM BALTZ / BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY – BROCKVILLE, ONT – After two weeks of disappointment with the weather, this past Saturday at the Brockville Ontario Speedway turned out to be picture perfect.
The second leg of the Ogilvie’s Triple Crown Series for the DIRTCar 358 Modified and DIRTCar Sportsman took center stage along with the Eastern Ontario Mini Stock Challenge Series and a full program.
The 25 lap Eastern Ontario Mini Stock Showdown Series kicked off the feature action Saturday night and it took a few tries to get some laps in. On lap 4 after several cautions, the red flag flew as Brockville regular Clayton Celovsky clipped an infield tire in turn 3, flipping his car several times. Celovsky was not injured in the crash. Up front when the green flew Antoine Dumouchel led the way with Brockville regular Matt Boal and Brighton Speedway competitor Tommy Bailey giving chase. These three drivers put on a great show for the fans in the early laps, trading positions several times, before Dumouchel took control on lap 8. A quick yellow for a spun Curtis Lindsay bunched the field up for another restart. When the green came back out Dumouchel once again was the faster car holding Matt Boal off for second, but Tommy Bailey was on the charge. Bailey got by Boal for the runner up spot and tried his best to run down the leader. Over the final laps and a late race restart, Antoine Dumouchel proved to be too much and made his first Brockville Mini Stock start a good one as he scored the big win. Tommy Bailey finished a hard fought second over Carl Gorry, Matt Boal was the best of the Brockville regulars finishing 4th, with Anthony Laflamme crossing 5th. 28 drivers took the green flag.
Ryan Arbuthnot and Steve Bernier made it known to everyone that they would be the drivers to beat in the 50 lap Ogilvie’s Triple Crown Series feature for the DIRTCar 358 Modifieds. Arbuthnot led early with Bernier there in second, while Tristan Draper, Dylan Evoy and Kalen Draper completed the top 5. The top two would pull away from the field on a track that was hard to pass as the bottom lane became the dominant groove. By halfway Bernier had closed in slightly on Arbuthnot but the reigning track and series champion was able to fend off the Quebec invader, while behind them Tristan and Kalen Draper were in their own battle as they tried to hold off Kyle Dingwall. Gavin Macfarlane spun off turns one and two on lap 32, bringing out the yellow. Restarts were key as Bernier would get close to Arbuthnot several times but the Renfrew native used his track experience to hold off Bernier, who was in search for his second series win in a row. As the laps clicked off Steve Bernier had been saving his right rear tire and he knew it was time to go as he drew closer to the race leader. On lap 46 Steve Bernier made the winning move, getting by Ryan Arbuthnot for the lead. Bernier led the final laps to score his 2nd win of the season and second in his last three Brockville outings. Arbuthnot scored another runner up finish over a fast-closing William Racine, while Tristan and Kalen Draper completed the top 5.
Gavin Eisele was the driver to beat early on in the Ogilvie’s Sportsman 40 lap feature event. The Lafargeville native came into the night close in the overall track title battle with Bobby Herrington and was driving away from the field as Shane Pecore, Herrington, Jessica Power and Karl Letendre were in a fierce battle for a top five spot. Drivers enjoyed running the inside lane around the speedway, making it tough for anyone to get by Eisele, who appeared to have the race well in hand at the half way point. On lap 17 the first yellow flew as Xavier Perrin slowed with a problem on the back stretch. When the green flew it was Eisele again in front, with Herrington getting by Pecore for second and the battle was on. Lapped cars were tough to get by on this night as everyone wanted the bottom lane, which proved to be a help to Herrington as he was right on Eisele waiting for a mistake. The opening he got came on lap 32 as Eisele got caught in traffic in turn one, allowing Herrington to slip by for the top spot. On the final lap Herrington was caught in traffic and Eisele made a bid for the lead in turn three, but it was not meant to be as the defending track and Ogilvie’s Series champion Bobby Herrington notched his second win of the season. Eisele settled for another runner up spot over a fast-closing Shane Pecore, who crossed in third. Karl Letendre ran an impressive 4th while Jessica Power claimed her second straight top five finish on the season, with a 5th place effort.
Adam Turner made history the last time we raced at Brockville on June 15th when he won his first ever Surprenant Truck Shop Crate Sprint car feature event. Turner set the record or having won in 5 different classes at the speedway, but was more focused on winning another race and closing in on the track title battle during Saturday’s 20 lap affair. Turner held the lead early over Lee Ladouceur and Ryan Poole. Turner held a comfortable lead but knew with one small error, Ladouceur would be right there to take advantage of it. It appeared Turner was going to roll on to his 2nd win in a row, but a caution on lap 18 slowed the field, giving Ladouceur one last shot at the leader. On the final restart Adam Turner got a great launch and would not be denied as he scored his 2nd win of the season and become the first multi-time Crate Sprint Car winner of the year. Ladouceur held on for second, while Ryan Poole held off Andrew Hennessy for the final podium position.
The Novice Sportsman were the final feature of the night and Patrick Kudrinko was the leader early in the 12 lap feature, with Melcolm Banks and Nick Merkley close by. Merkley was on the move early, looking for his second win in as many starts, as he slipped by Banks for second and tried to run down the leader. On lap 4 Merkley took over the point and looked to have the race well in hand as he pulled away from the field. A caution would bunch the field up for a lap 10 restart giving Kudrinko one last try at the lead. On the final restart Nick Merkley would go unchallenged to score his second win of the year and become the fist two-time winner in the division this year. Patrick Kudrinko held on for 2nd with Melcolm Banks, Blake Smith and Matt Mould completing the top 5.
Next week the Eastern Ontario Vintage Stock Car Club will highlight the evening plus a full show for DIRTCar 358 Modified, DIRTCar Sportsman, Surprenant Truck Shop Crate Sprints, Novice Sportsman and the Street Stocks will be back. Racing begins at 7pm Saturday night.
DIRTCAR 358 MODIFIEDS
A Feature 1 (50 Laps): 1. 25*-Steve Bernier[2]; 2. R70-Ryan Arbuthnot[1]; 3. 35R-William Racine[7]; 4. 17-Tristan Draper[3]; 5. 18-Kalen Draper[4]; 6. 66-Kyle Dingwall[12]; 7. 38J-Jarrett Herbison[6]; 8. 44-Johnathon Ferguson[8]; 9. 83-Dylan Evoy[5]; 10. 1M-Matt Billings[10]; 11. 64-Terry McClelland[14]; 12. 17M-Gavin MacFarlane[9]; 13. 80EH-Doug Buzzell[15]; 14. 08-Chris Ferguson[11]; 15. SS3-Sandy MacFarlane[13]; 16. 88-Lee Ladouceur[16]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. R70-Ryan Arbuthnot[1]; 2. 17-Tristan Draper[2]; 3. 83-Dylan Evoy[3]; 4. 35R-William Racine[4]; 5. 17M-Gavin MacFarlane[6]; 6. 08-Chris Ferguson[7]; 7. SS3-Sandy MacFarlane[8]; 8. 80EH-Doug Buzzell[5]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 25*-Steve Bernier[2]; 2. 18-Kalen Draper[1]; 3. 38J-Jarrett Herbison[3]; 4. 44-Johnathon Ferguson[4]; 5. 1M-Matt Billings[5]; 6. 66-Kyle Dingwall[6]; 7. 64-Terry McClelland[7]; 8. 88-Lee Ladouceur[8]
DIRTCAR SPORTSMAN
A Feature 1 (40 Laps): 1. 88Z-Bobby Herrington[4]; 2. 18E-Gavin Eisele[1]; 3. 0P-Shane Pecore[2]; 4. 8KL-Karl Letendre[5]; 5. 52-Jessica Power[3]; 6. 88K-Dylan Kirkland[6]; 7. 22S-Shane Stearns[9]; 8. FOX28-Tyler Stevenson[7]; 9. 35B-Brennan Moore[12]; 10. 16-Matt Barbour[15]; 11. 23-Michael Dillon[14]; 12. 35D-Dylan Moore[16]; 13. 32-Tyler Stewart[10]; 14. 18-Jordan Wood[21]; 15. 98-Domonick Merkley[8]; 16. 91-Kraig Handley[19]; 17. 11J-Justin Saunders[18]; 18. 707-Greg Brinklow[13]; 19. 98D-Paul Donnelly[17]; 20. 20-Nathan Lambert[22]; 21. X41-Xavier Perrin[11]; 22. 17M-Madie Wallace[20]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 18E-Gavin Eisele[1]; 2. 88Z-Bobby Herrington[2]; 3. FOX28-Tyler Stevenson[4]; 4. 32-Tyler Stewart[3]; 5. 707-Greg Brinklow[5]; 6. 35D-Dylan Moore[6]; 7. 91-Kraig Handley[7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 0P-Shane Pecore[2]; 2. 8KL-Karl Letendre[1]; 3. 98-Domonick Merkley[4]; 4. X41-Xavier Perrin[3]; 5. 23-Michael Dillon[5]; 6. 98D-Paul Donnelly[7]; 7. 17M-Madie Wallace[6]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 52-Jessica Power[2]; 2. 88K-Dylan Kirkland[3]; 3. 22S-Shane Stearns[1]; 4. 35B-Brennan Moore[5]; 5. 16-Matt Barbour[4]; 6. 11J-Justin Saunders[6]; 7. 18-Jordan Wood[8]; 8. 20-Nathan Lambert[7]
WINGED CRATE SPRINTS
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 9-Adam Turner[1]; 2. 51L-Lee Ladouceur[2]; 3. 00-Ryan Poole[4]; 4. 87-Andrew Hennessy[3]; 5. 4K-Jamie Kay[6]; 6. M52-Marc Surprenant[5]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 87-Andrew Hennessy[2]; 2. 51L-Lee Ladouceur[1]; 3. 9-Adam Turner[5]; 4. 00-Ryan Poole[6]; 5. M52-Marc Surprenant[3]; 6. 4K-Jamie Kay[4]
DIRT MINI STOCKS
A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 7-Antoine Dumouchel[3]; 2. 44-Tommy Bailey[6]; 3. 48-Carl Gorry[7]; 4. 37-Matt Boal[1]; 5. 40-Anthony Laflamme[8]; 6. 87-Jamie Larocque[9]; 7. 06J-Jarrod Galway[17]; 8. 46-Hayden Brown[4]; 9. 67-Maxx Steele[26]; 10. 29-Tyson Slinger[10]; 11. 88-Mike Saunders[12]; 12. L29-Landen Slinger[16]; 13. 97-Dave Watchorn[21]; 14. 95-Zac Lynch[23]; 15. 16J-Jesse Wolfe[25]; 16. 007-Matt Bond[14]; 17. 76-Rylan Banks[24]; 18. 25X-Justine Stevens[28]; 19. 75-Emily Massy[22]; 20. 03C-Colin Chisamore[18]; 21. 30B-Jean Cedrick Bouchard[2]; 22. 19M-Martin Bernard[11]; 23. 88C-Curtis Lindsay[5]; 24. 00-Kyle Kudrinko[27]; 25. 24-Clayton Celovsky[20]; 26. 66P-Mark Packer[15]; 27. 83-Steven Boies[13]; 28. 73-Dakota Boal[19]
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 7-Antoine Dumouchel[3]; 2. 37-Matt Boal[8]; 3. 29-Tyson Slinger[2]; 4. 83-Steven Boies[4]; 5. 06J-Jarrod Galway[5]; 6. 97-Dave Watchorn[1]; 7. 25X-Justine Stevens[7]; 8. 67-Maxx Steele[6]
Heat 2 (6 Laps): 1. 87-Jamie Larocque[1]; 2. 48-Carl Gorry[6]; 3. 88C-Curtis Lindsay[7]; 4. 007-Matt Bond[4]; 5. 03C-Colin Chisamore[5]; 6. 75-Emily Massy[2]; 7. 76-Rylan Banks[3]; 8. 00-Kyle Kudrinko[8]
Heat 3 (6 Laps): 1. 40-Anthony Laflamme[6]; 2. 30B-Jean Cedrick Bouchard[7]; 3. 88-Mike Saunders[5]; 4. 66P-Mark Packer[1]; 5. 73-Dakota Boal[2]; 6. (DNS) 93M-Travis Lamarche; 7. (DNS) 68L-John Lamarche
Heat 4 (6 Laps): 1. 44-Tommy Bailey[2]; 2. 46-Hayden Brown[3]; 3. 19M-Martin Bernard[7]; 4. L29-Landen Slinger[1]; 5. 24-Clayton Celovsky[6]; 6. 95-Zac Lynch[4]; 7. 16J-Jesse Wolfe[5]
NOVICE SPORTSMAN
A Feature 1 (12 Laps): 1. 911-Nick Merkley[5]; 2. 35P-Patrick Kudrinko[1]; 3. M75-Melcolm Banks[2]; 4. 18B-Blake Smith[4]; 5. 39-Cory Lambert[8]; 6. 80D-Damien King[7]; 7. 22D-Daylon Ezard[6]; 8. 9-Logan Brown[9]; 9. (DQ) 28-Matt Mould[3]
Heat 1 (6 Laps): 1. 911-Nick Merkley[6]; 2. 35P-Patrick Kudrinko[1]; 3. M75-Melcolm Banks[2]; 4. 28-Matt Mould[5]; 5. 18B-Blake Smith[4]; 6. 80D-Damien King[8]; 7. 22D-Daylon Ezard[9]; 8. 39-Cory Lambert[3]; 9. 9-Logan Brown[7]