In this week’s Motion Motorsport Report, Dave Mathers raves about his two nights at Ohsweken Speedway for the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, and much more…
Tony Stewart has indicated that he is interested in expanding his ‘made for TV’ Thursday night SRX Series. So how about Ohsweken Speedway? He has raced there in the past and it would be perfect for his two-hour show. I’m sure Glenn Styres would be more than happy to fix him up with a couple of sprint cars as well!
I must agree with Sky Formula One announcer David Croft, who states that Formula One must take over the creation of the rules from the FIA. And, while they are at it, why not get rid of the incompetent stewards program.
Ohsweken Speedway hosted the two NASCAR Pinty’s Series races last week. It is probably the most beautiful dirt track that I have ever attended. When was the last time that you saw tiled bathrooms with HOT water and, as ‘Spotter for all the Stars’ Joe Chisolm Jr. says, it is now ‘a great spot to have a dump’!! He said it, NOT me! LOL?
The always expanding pits have concrete pads for almost every entry. Styres, the man who had a dream to put a racetrack in his front lawn, has outdone almost every track on the planet with his work there. Smiling and courteous staff, good food, clean grounds and superb lighting. And the fireworks are a show all in themselves. Well done!
My wife Linda wouldn’t go last year because of the dust we have experienced at so many other tracks (Eldora, East Bay, St. Augustine, etc.). I told her that last year there was no dust, as the track was smooth as glass. She came with me Monday. First lap of the first Sprint Car race I got ‘the look’ – dust and lots of it. She didn’t go back Wednesday.
Monday, I heard the group behind us, during a break, talk about IMSA removing the P cars from Canadian Tire Motorsport Park next year. I turned around and told them I had just complained about that in my latest blog. Turns out the lady was the aunt of famous IMSA racer Nick Tandy!! We had great conversations for the rest of the night!
The bad news – part-time NASCAR Xfinity and Truck racer Jason White got charged with a DWI in Huntersville, North Carolina last week. The good news – that is NOT our Canadian Jason White, aged 50, but an American, aged 44. Just wanted to clear that up!!
NASCAR CUP SERIES: Denny Hamlin (Toyota) nailed the pole for the Cup race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, ahead of William Byron (Chev) and last week’s Indy Road Course winner Michael McDowell (Ford). I only counted one ‘road race ringer’ in the pack, IMSA racer Andy Lally in a Rick Ware Racing Ford.
Things went according to plan for five laps before Daniel Suarez got crossed up in his steering in the dreaded bus stop and hit the wall, but was able to keep going. One lap later, Harrison Burton spun in the same spot, after slowing for traffic then getting tagged from behind, but was also able to keep going. McDowell won Stage 1.
Things went smoothly all the way through Stage 2, with Byron winning. Who knew that a race on a bad-fast road course like the Glen could get boring? These guys are clearly getting better at their craft, getting their ‘stuff’ together! The only miscues appeared to be when they got onto pit road – mistakes made by both drivers and crews. On Lap 56 (of 90), Chase Elliott stopped in the bus stop with problems (ignition maybe?), bringing out the laundry. He needs a win to get into the playoffs. So no Chase for the Chase? Sorry, I’ll let myself out!! LOL.
On Lap 73, Aric Almirola pulled off a 360-degree spin exiting corner seven and kept on going. A couple of laps later, McDowell encountered problems on-track, when the engine cut off, and pitted, where the crew put the hood up. They replaced an ECU unit, didn’t work. Coming to the flag, it appeared that Kyle Larson got into Austin Dillon, with the result that both cars spun but kept going.
At the flag, it was Byron with an almost three-second advantage over Hamlin, then Christopher Bell, A.J. Allmendinger and Ty Gibbs.
In the points, Martin Truex Jr. leads Hamlin by 39 and Byron by 76. Only one race left before the playoffs, so Daytona promises to be intense on Saturday night!!
There has been a lot of discussion about the lack of stopping for stage ends on road courses; I predict a change back for next year. Their next race is Daytona, Saturday on TSN 5 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: Ty Gibbs (Toyota) picked up the pole for the race at Watkins Glen on Saturday, ahead of Alex Bowman and Justin Allgaier, both in Chevs. Canadian Alex Labbe (Chev) started 22nd. On Lap 4, there was some (expected) action in the bus stop, with Max McLaughlin spinning Brennan Poole, but no yellow. A couple of laps later, Connor Mosack looped it in the bus stop. The normal road course bumping and banging continued but no yellows. Gibbs won Stage 1.
A yellow flag for Ryan Ellis stopping on track came out on Lap 21. A couple of cars got together behind the pace car, with Josh Williams rear-ending Stefan Parsons, resulting in serious damage to the front of the Williams car. On Lap 30, Sammy Smith hit Kaz Grala in the bus stop, bringing out the caution for a lot of grass on the track! Some more bumping and banging but just local yellows. Gibbs won Stage 2.
On Lap 46, McLaughlin hit the tire wall hard for a yellow. There were some close calls on pit road, with Bowman appearing to have been blocked in by another car (Stanton Barrett maybe?). On Lap 63, Cole Custer dove into Bowman at the end of the front straight, with both spinning – no yellow. A lap later, Custer spun off track. On Lap 75, Parker Retzlaff buried his car in the sand trap at corner six for a caution. Custer’s ‘fun’ day continued, as he clipped Allgaier exiting the bus stop, collecting Bowman and Grala for a yellow.
Business REALLY picked up after the last restart, with Sam Mayer diving into corner one, taking out both Gibbs and Austin Hill. Mayer hung on to win the race over Sheldon Creed, Parker Kligerman, Ross Chastain and Mosack. Labbe finished 24th. In the points, Hill continues to lead by 9 over John Hunter Nemechek and by 34 on Allgaier. Their next race is Daytona, Friday on TSN 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS: Their next race is Milwaukee Mile, Sunday on Fox Sports Racing at 4 p.m. ET.
FORMULA ONE: Their summer break is over, so F1 is back at it, this coming weekend, in the Netherlands, Sunday at 8:55 a.m. ET on TSN 5.
INDYCAR: Their next race is Gateway, Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
IMSA: Their next race is at VIR, Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on RevTV.
NHRA: Only 14 Top Fuelers showed up at Brainerd, with Justin Ashley the low qualifier with a 3.746. Ron Capps was number one in Funny Car, with a 3.894.
Notable was Jim Campbell qualifying 16th, with an 18-year-old Monte Carlo!! Khalid alBalooshi ran a 5.778 for the top spot in Pro Mod. Notable here is that alBalooshi is from Dubai and the number two qualifier, Dmitry Samorukov, is from Russia!! Greg Anderson was number one in Pro Stock, with a 6.597.
In the Top Fuel final, Antron Brown beat Leah Pruett in a close race. There were five upsets (lower qualified car wins) and four smokers (loss of traction). Ron Capps continues to be strong in Funny Car, topping Robert Hight in the very close final – 3.887 to a 3.900. Three upsets and three smokers. It was the 75th Wally of Capps’ great career!
Pro Mod was the battle of the Jasons in the final, with Jason Lee getting the win after opponent Jason Scruggs had problems, following his burn out, and got shut off. Six upsets and two smokers. Dallas Glenn won Pro Stock, when Kyle Koretsky chattered his tires in the final. Five upsets and one ‘Smoker’ (Koretsky).
Their next race is the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis on Labour Day weekend, with lots of TV coverage all weekend on Fox Sports Racing.
SUPERSTAR RACING EXPERIENCE (SRX): Tony Stewart’s series finished their season at the fast 3/8-mile Lucas Oil Speedway dirt track, in Springfield, Missouri.
Local dirt superstar Jonathan Davenport won Heat 1, which featured a yellow at Lap 10 to clean the mud off the front of the cars!! Bobby Labonte won Heat 2.
In the main, on Lap 34, there was a ‘Tony Stewart’ yellow, followed by another ‘no reason given’ yellow on Lap 51. Ernie Francis Jr. spun Helio Castroneves on Lap 68, then, in maybe a case of ‘karma’, Francis hit the wall. In the closing laps, Davenport and Clint Bowyer mixed it up, before Labonte spun on Lap 87. At the flag, it was Davenport over Brad Keselowski, Ken Schrader (ah, that’s why he missed Wednesday’s NPS race), Ryan Newman and Bowyer. In the final points standings, Newman won the championship by 45 over last year’s champion Marco Andretti and Keselowski, who were tied for second.
NASCAR PINTY’S SERIES: Well, that was exciting!! In Monday’s races at Ohsweken Speedway, NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader won the first qualifying heat, teammate Treyten Lapcevich won Heat 2, while D.J. Kennington won Heat 3.
In the main, Wallace Stacey spun on Lap 3, Alex Tagliani looped it on Lap 4 and Larry Jackson on Lap 14. Lapcevich led at the first stage break. The spinning continued – Lap 31, Tagliani, Lap 39, Jackson. Lapcevich ahead at the second break, with Schrader right there. More spinning – Lap 53, Dexter Stacey and Trevor Monaghan, Lap 56, J.P. Bergeron, Lap 59, Stacey and Stacey, Andrew Ranger and Brandon Watson. On Lap 79, a lapped car bounced off the backstretch wall and slowed leader Lapcevich, pushing him back to fourth and allowing Schrader to take the lead.
More spinning – Lap 81, Monaghan and Jackson, then the spinning stopped!
At the flag, it was Schrader, Kevin Lacroix, Kennington, Lapcevich and Marc-Antoine Camirand, who won the contest for having the most tire marks on the right side of his car!! Schrader became the oldest winner and first non-Canadian winner in the series.
Tuesday’s race was postponed to Wednesday due to the threat of rain, a LOT of rain. Schrader couldn’t return for Wednesday, so Kyle Steckly took over (it is his car). Lapcevich won Heat 1, Kennington won Heat 2 and Thomas Nepveu won Heat 3.
For the main, Steckly, who had qualified fourth, had to start at the rear. He pulled the gun out of the holster and came back through the pack like a man possessed!! On Lap 15, Tagliani spun for a yellow. Lap 22, caution for debris and Steckly was up to eighth. Lapcevich led at the first stage break. On Lap 30, Aaron Turkey and Watson got into the wall in turn four to bring out a very long caution. Three laps later, Turkey spun in turn two, with Steckly third. Three more laps and Dave Bailey stopped on track, got the yellow and drove away. Lapcevich was ahead at the second break.
Those first 50 laps took 55 minutes to run! I’m guessing a steep learning curve for the drivers, with little dirt experience. A few more cautions for debris on the track. On Lap 66, Glenn Styres took out Turkey in turn two. Stewart Friesen pitted and did not come back out. Daniel Bois spun on Lap 73, Turkey spun on Lap 83. At the flag, it was Lapcevich, Steckly, Ranger, Bergeron and Kennington. Steckly definitely had the fastest car on the track, no question about it. He played ‘good teammate’ in my opinion. Smart!
Lapcevich extended his points lead to 45 over Camirand and 72 over Tagliani (who finished Monday’s race with many, many body panels missing). Their next race is Saturday at Circuit ICAR.
APC SERIES: Their next race is Sauble Speedway on Saturday.
ONTARIO SPORTSMAN SERIES: Tim Tolton won the race a week ago at Varney (Full Throttle) over Connor James, Brad Robinson, Cory McAllister and Ollie Ferguson. James leads Chad McGlynn by 11 and McAllister by 16 in the points. Their next race is Sunset Speedway on Saturday.
DELAWARE SPEEDWAY: The weather was cool for the Late Model 75 and Super Stocks Twin 35s on Friday night, meaning that the tires would stick better and the engines would put out more power.
In the Super Stocks, Hudson Nagy won Heat 1, while Shawn Chenoweth won Heat 2. The first 35 lapper had lots of yellows. On the very first lap, Ryan Bright climbed the front wall and collected Jay Doerr, Connor Van Steensel, Brad Collison and Cody Wilds. The last two left on the hook. On Lap 5, Trevor Collver looped it in corner two.
On Lap 14, Ryan Dyson stopped in turn four, while a few laps later, Pete Vanderwyst Jr. stopped on the front straight. At the flag, it was Chenoweth over Doerr, Carson Nagy, Lane Zardo and Hudson Nagy.
Feature 2 went green to checker with no interruptions. Carson Nagy topped Zardo, Doerr, Hudson Nagy and Chenoweth. Carson Nagy leads the Super Stock points by 7 over Doerr and by 12 on Zardo.
In the Late Models, there were three, count ‘em, THREE number 22 cars. Kyle Steckly’s No. 22 set fast time, at an 18.159, while Chase Pinsonneault’s No. 22 went 18.199 for second and Marshall Schrenk’s No. 22 was fourth, with an 18.294.
Things went smoothly in the main until Lap 45, when Jason Lidster got loose and tangled with Barry Watson. Lidster collected both leaders, Steckly and Jake Sheridan, in the process. Mysteriously, Sheridan spun on Lap 52 for a yellow – nudge, nudge, wink, wink!! On the restart, Jesse Kennedy and Steckly were fighting for the same piece of track and Steckly got spun out of the lead. Kennedy was sent to the rear on the restart.
At the flag, it was Pinsonneault in the winner’s circle, with a beaming and ecstatic grandfather Alex, a former CASCAR and ASA racer!
He was followed by Steckly, Ray Morneau, Kennedy and Connor Pritiko. In the Late Model points, Pritiko leads Morneau by 37 and Pinsonneault by 38. Their next race is Late Models, Bone Stocks and King of the Hill on Friday.
FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY: Their next race is the Bill Pickford Memorial on Saturday.
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: I covered the Pinty’s Series races above but I have to comment on the accompanying Sprint Car races. Awesome!! I witnessed one of the smoothest drivers I have seen in a long time – Mike Bowman.
He won both of Monday’s Crate and 360 Sprint races, as well as both of Wednesday’s. This earned him $30,000!!! Wow. And in Wednesday warmups, he got caught up by a spinning car and shoved up to the wall, damaging the front axle. They had a new axle assembly installed in 20 minutes. Outstanding!!
Former CASCAR racer Rob Neeley had a strong third-place finish on Monday and a fifth-place on Wednesday. Their next race is Club 54 Racing on Friday.
SOUTHERN ONTARIO MOTOR SPEEDWAY (BUXTON): Their next race is regular racing on Saturday.
GRAND BEND SPEEDWAY: Their next race is the GBS Championship Night on Thursday, the last race of the year.
GRAND BEND DRAGWAY: Their next race is the Thunder by the Beach, Labour Day weekend.
CANADIAN MOTORSPORT HALL OF FAME – CELEBRATION OF SPEED: The Celebration of Speed takes place Monday, August 28 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. This is your opportunity to speed around the legendary Grand Prix Circuit in some incredible high-performance and exotic cars. Click here for tickets and information.
ST. THOMAS DRAGWAY: Their next race is the Championship Weekend, this weekend.
TORONTO MOTORSPORTS PARK: Their next race is the Race Cayuga Series, this weekend.
SHANNONVILLE DRAGS: Their next race is this weekend.
CAN AM STOCK/SUPER STOCK SERIES: Their next race is at TMP, Labour Day weekend.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
Discussion about this post