@DelawareSpdway • (May 27, 2015)- Potential is in the air at Delaware Speedway as our hometown heroes are ready and set for the Weekly Racing opener at 7:30 pm this Friday, May 29 under the lights sponsored by Toromont CAT.
Brandon Verhoeven (#7) of Kerwood proved to be the dominant force in the Groundmasters Super Stocks last season. The 18-year old student/farmer racked up an impressive five wins in twelve starts. The strong performance netted the sophomore driver the division championship in just his second season of competition. Darrell Lake (#77) of London was the runner up in that championship. The 28-year old from London earned a single win late in July last year. Shae Gemmel finished just a handful of points behind Lake, ending the year with three feature wins to his credit. These top three podium finishers will be three to watch for signs of strength (or weakness) on opening night, which has the potential to set the tone for the rest of the season.
The Pro-Late Model series will take on a new character this season. With many of the drivers focusing on the transition to the new provincial APC United Late Models of Ontario Series, the local program this year is short: running five races. This means that every event counts more than ever in the competitive series. Matt Pritiko (#21) of London is the defending champ in the series, good consistency and a victory in July last year kept him in top spot. The driver everyone will be watching out the gate, however, is sure to be Jesse Kennedy, the 46-year old Ironworker out of Oneida. Expectations are high as the 30+ year speedway veteran returns to competition. Fans can bet the 2007 and 2009 winner of the Great Canadian Race winner certainly isn’t returning to full-time competition to run second.
In the Demar Aggregates Trucks Tom Zagorodny (#77) of London went home with the championship trophy. Consistency all season long as well as a midseason feature race victory helped secure the spot for Zagorodny. The championship itself, however, could have been Joe Windis’s. The driver of the #65 truck from Cathcart was strong out the gate with a pair of feature wins within the first three races, backed up by yet another win in race number five. Windis suffered a setback mid season, however, choosing to withdraw his truck from feature race competition after an incident during the heat race qualifiers, a decision which likely cost him the championship. Job number one for the very quick Joe Windis will be to let his speed do the work and avoid getting mixed up with other drivers on the track if he is to put himself in championship contention this year.
Spectator gates open at 6:00 pm for the driver practice sessions, racing will get underway at 7:30 pm. Admission is $16 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, kids age 12 and under are FREE to all speedway events in 2015.
Media Contact: John Houghton
519 652 5068 x 201
john@delawarespeedway.com
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