BRIGHTON, ON – The Labour Day Classic Sprint Extravaganza at Brighton Speedway was fast and dirty fun. The weekend included two full nights of racing, with eight different classes hitting the track for 12 feature races.
Canadian Modified Double Feature Night One
The Canadian Modifieds had two features lined up for night one of the Labour Day Classic weekend.
Race One saw a nasty caution that sent points leader No. 40 Ron Wadforth to the pits, along with No. 2 Leslie Mowat and No. 85 Brittany Moon. The race ultimately concluded with No. 1 Shawn Gregory taking the win.
Race Two saw both Wadforth and Mowat back on the track for the August 22 make-up race, thanks to impressive efforts from both drivers and their pit crews. Halfway through the race, Wadforth had worked his way into second position behind Gregory. The pair battled hard until the closing laps, but Gregory entered the infield with a mechanical issue on the final lap, allowing Wadforth to capture the victory.
Late Model Feature Night One
The final points night for the Late Model division saw brothers Nathan Rinaldi (No. 3) and Anthony Rinaldi (No. 7) battle for the top two positions. Meanwhile, points leader Charlie Sandercock (No. 57) charged through the field from his 14th starting position.
Nathan Rinaldi secured his second win of the season and tied Brandon Mowat (No. 46) for second in the championship standings.
Sandercock gained 12 positions to finish second in the feature and locked up the season championship.
Stinger Feature Night One
The Stingers hit the track for their second-last race of the season with a tight points battle underway.
Chris Lammle (No. 95C) won the feature and leads the standings with 1,085 points. Cameron Pedersen (No. 20) finished fifth and sits only 50 points behind Lammle. Jorden Pickell (No. 93) finished seventh and now trails Pedersen by just five points.
Crate Sprints Nights One and Two
Twenty-three Crate Sprints took to the track for a 25-lap showdown on Night One.
Last year’s Labour Day Bandit, Connor Ross (No. 44), won the Labour Day Crate Sprint race, so fans were eager to see if he could repeat the feat.
Andrew Hennessy (No. 87) started on the outside pole and powered around Campbell Baker (No. 26X) to take the early lead, with Ross in pursuit. Ross closed in several times but was unable to complete the pass as Hennessy held on for the victory. Ross finished second, while Liam Martin (No. 9) crossed the line third.
Night Two belonged to Theresa, New York’s Josh Verne Jr. (No. 1V), who advanced two positions to score the victory in the 21-car field. Hennessy continued his strong weekend with a second-place finish after moving up five spots. Keegan Baker (No. 16X) completed the podium in third.
360 Sprints Nights One and Two
The final two races of the Brighton Speedway 360 Sprint championship were held during the Labour Day Classic weekend.
Night One saw Jacob Dykstra (No. 5D) earn an impressive victory following a massive crash at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday night. Dykstra said he and his team worked until 4 a.m. repairing the car in time for Brighton.
Fifteen-year-old Skyler Evans (No. 87XS) led the early laps, but as traffic came into play, Dykstra was able to make the pass and pull away for the win. Tyler Powless (No. 77) charged from fifth on the grid to finish second, with Evans rounding out the podium.
Night Two saw Evans start on the outside pole. At the drop of the green flag, he powered past Darren Dryden (No. 12DD) for the lead and this time never looked back, leading all 25 laps for a wire-to-wire victory.
The win also secured Evans’ first 360 Sprint championship at Brighton Speedway. Dryden finished second, while Bowmanville’s Dale Curran (No. 31C) completed the podium in third.
Thunder Stock Double Feature Night Two
An impressive 27 Thunder Stocks turned out for the Labour Day Classic weekend, requiring a B-Main to set the 24-car feature field.
Brock Gregory (No. 26) started on the pole and never looked back, extending his points lead by winning the first feature of the night. Tommy Bailey (No. 44) and Carter Rhodes (No. 10) battled hard for the runner-up position, with Bailey prevailing.
In Race Two, the August 22 make-up feature, Tyler French (No. 0) scored his fourth victory of the season. Gregory finished second, while Kaitlyn O’Blenis (No. 16) crossed the line third.
Mini Stock Night Two
The Mini Stock Open attracted 23 cars, including several competitors from across Ontario looking to challenge Brighton’s regulars.
Local driver Tyson Gregory (No. 22X) battled Doug Butler (No. 3) for the lead. The pair raced cleanly throughout, with Gregory ultimately claiming his sixth win of the season. Butler finished second, while Aidan Fletcher (No. 42JR) came home third.
Dirt Modified Night Two
The Dirt Modified Nostalgia Tour returned to Brighton Speedway for its second appearance of the season.
Twelve cars took part in the feature, with Ian Gordon (No. 17) emerging victorious.
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