Friday, July 26, 2013- Delaware Speedway celebrated its rich racing history with Vintage Modifieds Amazing Value Night sponsored by Ground Masters. The night began with a Classic Car Cruise sponsored by Hagatery Insurance in which nearly 100 vehicles participated.
The Outlaw Modifieds visited the track for a 25-lap feature, won by Gary Elliot (#36Q) of Waterloo. The Lucas Oil Canadian Vintage Modifieds also made an appearance on the track with a feature won by Steve Lyons (#9) of Carlisle. Shae Gemmell (#3) of Dorchester won his first-ever 35-lap Super Stocks feature and Gary Adriaensen (#55) of Belmont returned to victory lane for the Trucks & V8 Stocks feature.
Shae Gemmell (#3) of Dorchester won the Coca-Cola Super Stock feature race on Friday evening. The victory is the rookie driver’s first-ever in Super Stock competition with an impressive drive starting from 11th spot. Gemmell took the lead on lap sixteen after tracking down Jamie Grover (#33) of Glencoe who had taken the lead on lap eight of the 35-lap event.
“I’m glad I got it!” Exclaimed Gemmel. in victory lane. “I got the crew, I got the car, and I’m not done yet!”
The race proved to be a challenging one for top points runners Matt Robblee (#51) of Dorchester and Jeff Showler (#44) of Mt. Elgin. The pair were involved in a caution on the first lap of the race that sent Showler into the inside wall. Both drivers were able to return the the event where Showler ultimately overcame a flat tire in the closing laps of the event to finish seventh, Robblee finished one position ahead in sixth. Despite rallying back, both drivers would fall in the championship standings but now find themselves tied for third. Coming out of the night the division has a new championship points leader: Kenny McNicol (#17) of Exeter. Gemmell vaulted to second place with the bonus points he received for his rookie win.
Thirty-six proved to be the lucky number to be running for Outlaw Modified drivers. Gary Elliott (#36Q) won the twenty-five lap feature with Dave Hodgkinson (#36) of Breslau finishing second in the 25-lap event. Tom Houghton (#33) of Kitchener led the first lap of the feature until Dave Hodgkinson took an early lead in lap two. Hodgkinson held the lead until lap twelve when he was passed by Cliff Hodgkinson, who led until lap eighteen. Gary Elliott found an opportunity to pass and took it to claim the win, chased in the final laps by Dave Hodgkinson. Cliff Hodgkinson went on to take third.
Gary Elliott’s victory is a historic one: he is the longest running driver on the Ontario circuit with over forty years of racing in various divisions throughout the province. This win, howver, is his first at Delaware Speedway. Elliott is fast approaching the milestone of his impressive 2,500th event start.
The Vintage Modified cars raced hard on the track, even in their heats. A pileup in the second heat rendered more than half of the cars unable to finish the race, however their teams worked hard and all but one of them was able to compete in the feature. One of those drivers, Steve Lyons (#9) of Carlisle, went on to take the win. TJ Marshall (#15) of Rockton held a strong lead for the first twelve laps of the feature until he lost it to Lyons. Lyons finished first, with Jason Keen (#18) of Oakville placing second, and Brian Atkinson (#92) placing third. There were four cautions in the event including a particularly hard crash on lap number one that knocked a handful of drivers out of competition.
Gary Adriaensen (#55) took his fifth win of the season in the Demar Aggregates Truck & V8 Stocks feature, after tough competition from Brady Smith (#39) of Coldstream. Smith led the first eight laps of the race until he lost the position to Adriaensen. After significant effort to regain the lead, Smith was unable to pass Adriaensen who took first. Smith placed second and Tom Zagorodny (#77) of London placed third.
Visit Delaware Speedway next week to see the FT Garage Late Models, Coca-Cola Super Stocks, and Demar Aggregates Trucks. For more information, visit the track website www.delawarespeedway.com. Tickets for the upcoming ISMA Super Modified event are also available.
MEDIA CONTACT: John Houghton (john@delawarespeedway.com) 519-652-5068 ext 201
From: Delaware Speedway PR
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