It was another Saturday night with a heat warning – on and off the track – on Saturday, August 9th at Peterborough Speedway, where the Ontario Sportsman Series, Legend Cars and Bandoleros joined a couple of weekly divisions.
The first 50-lap segment for the Ontario Sportsman Series saw Connor James and Mitch Wright on the front row for the Eco Tech 50. James took the early race lead, with Brendan Patrick moving into second. ARCA racer Amber Balcaen – wheeling the No. 47 ride – moved into third and joined a six-car breakaway before the race was slowed for the first caution, with 16 laps on the scoreboard. The No. 33 car continued to be the class of the field after the restart, with the pack working through slower traffic with less than 10 laps remaining. James held on for the win over Patrick, Wright, Balcaen, Brad Robinson, Chad McGlynn, Cooper Aubertin, Nathanial Greenaway, Shawn McGlynn and Kevin Trevellin.
Following the initial 50-lap segment, Trevellin – the driver of the No. 19 car – approached another competitor in the pit area about an on-track incident and was directed by track officials to leave the property.
Twenty laps of action brought the Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stocks from the staging area, with John Bates and Tegan Stanley on the front row. Stanley – who entered the night’s action eight points in arrears to last week’s feature winner Alex Dallaire – took the early race lead. Jacob Stavropoulos, Cory Horne, Bates and Kali Dearmer were next in line. Stanley was still leading and started to work his way through lapped traffic near the halfway mark, while a hard-charging Stavropoulos kept the leader in his sights. Stanley was first across the stripe in a caution-free feature, followed by Stavropoulos. Horne, Kyle Novis and Bates.
In post-race inspection, Stanley was found to have excessive camber and the No. 23 was disqualified. The revised finishing order is now Stavropoulos, Horne, Novis, Bates and Dearmer.
KOD Disposal Late Model teams had a 25-lap headliner on the table, with James Horner and Ollie Ferguson showing the way to the Great Canadian RV green flag. Horner grabbed the early race lead, with Jacob Mercer, who started inside row two, on his tail. Kelly Balson claimed the runner-up spot with four laps complete, while reigning track champion Ryan Kimball grabbed third a couple of laps later. The top-three broke away from the pack, with a Lap 14 yellow flag bringing the field back together. Balson took the lead on the restart and held on through another late-race caution to take the win. Kimball, Horner, Ferguson and Mercer completed the top-five.
Ontario Bandolero Series racers ran a pair of 15-lap showcase events, presented by Hastings Marine Service. The first ran caution-free with a finishing order of Lucas Finnegan, Austin Seburn, Keagan Moat, Landon Sellers, Ava Boundy, Jace Milson, Luke Cuthbertson and Lyla Sikma. The nightcap had an early-race caution flag and saw Seburn in victory lane, followed by Sellers, Moat, Sikma, Boundy, Milson, Cuthbertson and Finnegan.
A 25-lap feature for the Trailers Plus Ontario Legend Car Series presented by Nadeau’s Collision saw the field of 21 starters led to the green flag by Paul Pierik and Caleb Drimmie. Pierik was the early leader, with the No. 58 of Mark Griffin hot on his tail. Griffin took over the top spot with three circuits complete, with Mitch Wright – who came from seventh in the original line-up – claiming the spot a lap later. Leaders started to put slower traffic a lap down with about six laps complete, while the contenders broke away in groups of two. The driver of the No. 21 machine held the lead through a series of late-race cautions, but things got interesting when Dawson Drimmie came knocking on the event’s final lap. The No. 66 ride got the better of his championship rival and claimed the win; Wright, Adam Cuthbertson, Cole McFadden and Mark Griffin completed the top-five.
The night’s action wrapped up with the second 50-lap Ontario Sportsman Series feature. Connor James and Brendan Patrick brought the field to the green flag. As he did in the opening round, James took the early lead and ran some strong, consistent laps, with Patrick on his tail. The pack encountered slower traffic with 14 laps complete, with the pace slowed 10 laps later for the show’s only caution flag. Amber Balcaen was parked by series officials for rough driving after the Lap 24 incident. James continued to lead on the restart and looked to be on his way to another win, but coming off turn four on the last lap, the No. 33 car experienced ignition failure and was tapped by Patrick as the pair came to the line. As a result, Patrick was declared the race winner, with James, Shawn McGlynn, Mitch Wright and Cooper Aubertin completing the top-five.
Cory Horne, Jacob Stavropoulos, Tegan Stanley and Victoria McLenon shared the Bone Stock heat races, with Jacob Mercer and Ryan Kimball splitting the Late Model checkered flags. Jake Spencer-Walt, Keaton Pipe, Dawson Drimmie and Mitch Wright were the Ontario Legend Car Series preliminary round winners. All finishing positions are unofficial, subject to scoring review and post-race inspection.
Bullring Bullet Points:
- Kyle Novis climbed behind the controls of the popular family-owned No. 21 Mini Cooper Bone Stock.
- After the No. 08 Ontario Legend Car ride lost an engine during practice sessions, the No. 58 of Mark Griffin earned championship points on behalf of former series champion Parker Traves.
- With the Ontario Sportsman Series in town, fans had the chance to watch ARCA racer Amber Balcaen in action in the No. 47 backed by Brimstone Games.
Coming up next week, Peterborough Speedway will host its final Double Toonie/Fan Appreciation Night of the season. Action on the track will include the home track Mini Stock, Super Stock, Renegade Truck and Junior Late Model divisions, plus the annual GEN-3 Electrical OMRS SportsMods Bill Pickford Memorial event.
Find all the event details and schedule information at www.peterboroughspeedway.com and on the track’s social media platforms and pages.
