PETERBOROUGH, ON (August 30, 2021)- The opening round of action for the 2021 edition of the Canadian Legend Car Asphalt Nationals rolled into Canada’s Toughest 1/3-Mile Paved Oval Saturday, August 28th, with the home track Mini Stock and Super Stock divisions, along with the Ontario Outlaw Super Late Models joining the bill at Peterborough Speedway.
Jiffy Lube Mini Stocks were the first to break through the gate for a 20-lap feature tilt that had Erin Kearns and Ember Junkin on the front row, The lady racers have never been shy about beating their male counterparts and Junkin grabbed the early lead, with this year’s big winner Ryan Oosterholt on her back bumper. An early yellow flag for an issue on the backstretch slowed the pace and that proved to be all the motivation Oosterholt needed. The No. 79 machine took the lead on the restart and wasn’t challenged the rest of the way. While the rest of the pack battled for their own finishing spots behind him, Oosterholt claimed another main event win. Junkin, Ryan Edwards-Kiss, Kevin Strutt and Jeremy Kelly completed the top five.
Oosterholt had a pair of qualifying heat wins, with Junkin and Edwards-Kiss taking the others.
With 35 laps to settle the score, the Trailers Plus Ontario Legends Series came to the line 21 strong with Matt Haufe and Nicholas Ledson – a pair of former series champions – on the front row. From the drop of the green flag, Haufe took the lead, with Ledson on his tail. It was a show fans have seen several times this year, as the duo swapped the lead back and forth lap after lap. A lap six yellow flag briefly slowed the pace, with Haufe back in control when racing resumed. Ledson moved into the runner-up position on lap 22 and took over the lead again with just three laps remaining. Haufe grabbed in back as the field came to the white flag and held-on for another Peterborough Speedway victory. Parker Traves, Ledson, Kevin Foisy and Hudson Nagy rounded-out the fast five.
Ledson scored a couple of Ontario Legends’ preliminary round wins, with Haufe and Foisy taking single checkered flags.
The much anticipated return of the Hoosier Racing Tire Ontario Outlaw Super Late Models saw Brandon Passer and John Owen in control of the pack for their 50 lap feature.
Passer took an early lead, but Owen and Glenn Watson weren’t about let him out of their sight, John Cadman Jr. and Dario Capirchio joined a five-car breakaway with less than a handful of laps complete. Watson moved into second and was looking to snatch the lead from Passer as Owen kept watch from third. A yellow flag for an issue in turn three brought things back together with just over a dozen laps on the board. Cadman Jr. took advantage of a slip by Watson to take second as pack maintained its torrid pace.
The leaders encountered lapped traffic near the halfway mark, with the lead duo about half a track ahead of the third place. In the closing stages, Passer continued his strong run and picked-up the win. John Cadman Jr., John Owen, Ethan Courneyea and Mike Wilkinson completed the top five.
Capirchio picked-up two Outlaw Super Late Model heats, with Watson and Todd Campbell claiming one each.
Rob Richards and Tyler Bouillon brought the field of 16 KOD Super Stocks from the staging area for the final main event of the night. Richards grabbed an early lead from the drop of the green flag, with a four-car fight charging from behind. Mark Gordon moved into the lead with six laps on the scoreboard, but things were tightened-up with the yellow flag waved for an incident on the backstretch with 13 circuits complete. Gordon continued in control of the field on the restart and was being challenged by Anthony DiBello as the pack caught the tail-end of the running order. Mark Gordon took the win over DiBello, Bailey Jacobs, Paul Boundy and Brandon McFerran.
Super Stock heat race wins went to Jacobs, DiBello, Boundy and Kyle Gordon.
Bullring bullet points: A brief shower delayed the start the night’s action by about 5 minutes. Later in the evening, an oil leak during the Super Late Model feature necessitated a track clean-up interruption, while an on-board fire during the Ontario Legends ‘A’ main sent safety crews onto the track. There were no injuries in either incident… Brandon McFerran joined the Super Stock ranks and recorded a top five main event finish. Tim McKnight and Tyler McMurter returned to action in the Mini Stock ranks.
Prepared by Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media
