PORT COLBORNE, ON – Defending DIRT.car Sportsman Champion Cody McPherson, from St Catharines, continued his assault on another title, winning the 30 lap Sportsman Western Region Tour event at Humberstone Speedway on Sunday, July 9th, pocketing $1250 in the process, but needed eleventh hour help to do it, while Dylan Westbrook, from Scotland, made short work of the 25 lap Southern Ontario Sprint Series race, dominating it and banking $3,000.
Twenty-four Sportsman cars were on hand for the evening, dubbed “Sprint Car Summer Heat 23,” with second generation driver, Billy Bleich Jr. starting on the pole, flanked by Taylor Vanderzanden, with McPherson and Curtis Friesen comprising the second row. Bleich held serve at the drop of the green opening a short lead, while McPherson squeezed past Vanderzanden to claim second on the third lap on a track where the bottom was the quick way around, making passing on the outside a premium.
McPherson found that out, as he closed on Bleich, but was unable make any headway on the outside, while Bleich was glued to the bottom. McPherson hectored Bleich for the lead but to no avail, even when the pair entered lap traffic on the 14th circuit. Bleich deftly threaded his way through the mostly compliant lap cars, never giving McPherson any chance to maneuver for a pass.
As the laps ran down, it appeared that Bleich was headed for the win, but fate intervened on lap 29 in the form of a spin by Adam Leslie, bringing out the caution and setting up a green/white checker finish with Bleich and McPherson side by side for the restart. McPherson was able to make the outside work enough to get alongside Bleich and then ease into the lead just before the caution flew again for a five car pile-up in turn one, setting up another green/white/ checker, with McPherson now commanding the bottom with Bleich, James Friesen, Vanderzanden, and Brett Senek trailing.
McPherson immediately drew out to a lead while Friesen eased into second and Senek got past Bleich to claim third. At the line, it was McPherson, James Friesen and Senek, with the unlucky Bleich settling for fourth, while Chad Chevalier, with a late charge, stole fifth from Vanderzanden in the frantic finish.
The 25 lap Southern Ontario Sprint feature had none of the late race drama that the Sportsman produced as Westbrook wired the 14 car field from the pole. As he built a lead from the start, there was movement behind him as fifth place starter Ryan Turner jumped into second on the second lap, and Mitch Brown eased into third on lap three. Then, on lap five, Matt Farnham, one of the two American drivers in the race, grabbed fifth. The field then settled in until the red flag flew when the 87X of Shone Evans flipped on its side. The car and the driver were both fine.
The restart showed Westbrook, Turner, Brown, Darren Dryden, who started on the outside pole, and Farnham the top five. When the green flag flew, the only question was what the margin of victory would be, as the rest of the top five held their positions. As it turned out, Westbrook cruised to the victory by over a straightaway and cashed a big check.
In other racing this night, Peter Reid, from Stevensville started on the pole and held off a tenacious challenge from fifth place starter, Dave Bailey, who claimed second on a lap ten restart, to win the 20 lap Thunder Stock feature, part of the “Duel on the Dirt Series. ” It was his second win of the year. Also, Brent Begolo continued his dominance in the Mod Lites, having won five in a row at Merrittville and seven overall, taking their 20 lap feature easily, grabbing the lead on the third lap after starting fourth. Randy Giroux finished a distant second. Finally, two time track champion Cole Hardy, from Welland, scored his first ever Four Cylinder win in the closest race of the night. Hardy took the lead from the outside pole, inching ahead of polesitter Shawn Keus and then Keus spent the rest of the 15 lap race trying to get it back, with the two seldom more than a car length apart as Keus nipped at Hardy’s heels. The final margin of victory was less than a car length at the wire in the entertaining battle.
RACE RESULTS – July 9th, 2023
DIRTcar Sportsman Western Region Tour – CODY MCPHERSON, James Friesen, Brett Senek, Billy Bleich Jr., Chad Chevalier, Taylor Vanderzanden, Nelson Mason, Curtis Friesen, Justin Sharp, Kyle Richner, Phil Vigneri III, Matteo Panunte, Rob Pietz, Jay Mallory, Terry Smith,Tom Princiotta, Matt Sharpe, Nathan Peattie, Tyler Puchalski, Jeff Panunte, Noah Mamo, Adam Leslie, Chris Hawkins, Doug Walsh Jr.
Qualifying Heats – Cody McPherson, James Friesen, Jay Mallory
Southern Ontario Sprints – DYLAN WESTBROOK, Ryan Turner, Mitch Brown, Darren Dryden, Matt Farnham, Mike Bowman, Liam Martin, Tyeller Powless, Allan Downey, Kyle Philips, Jamie Turner, Jeremy Hughes, Shone Evans, Travis Cunningham
Qualifying – Dylan Westbrook, Darren Dryden
Thunder Stocks – PETE REID (2), Dave Bailey, Jason Fontaine, Ryan Dinning, Zavch Bleich, Steve Shaw Sr., Ken Sargent, Donny Lampman, Kyle Pelrine, Jeff Bean, Gofast Teeple, John Overholt, Robert Disher
Qualifying Heats – Kyle Pelrine, Dave Bailey
Modified Lites – BRENT BEGOLO, Randy Giroux, R.J. Pietz, Leroy Buscumb, Sean Iftody, Ryan Anderson, Chris Watson, Cohen Corbett, Chris Perry, Rob Misener, Dave Cornish
Qualifying Heats: R.J. Pietz, Randy Giroux
Mini Stocks – COLE HARDY, Shawn Keus, Craig Vlasic, John Lubeck, Vincent Pagnotta, Olivier Larocque, Rick Beales, Mason Anderson, Sam Iftody, Robert Hoskins, Grayden Lyons, Roger Winfield, Steve Conway, Ken Hair, Steven Ellis
Qualifying Heats – Craig Vlasic, Cole Hardy
