In this week’s Motion Motorsport Report for InsideTrackNews.com, Dave Mathers shares some personal racing stories as well as covering all the action from this past weekend.
Has history repeated itself? Fifty-six years ago on Labour Day 1970, I qualified on the pole for a Hobby Car 50-lapper at Wallace Speedway near Mitchell, Ontario. Coming out of Turn 4 for the green flag, the car on the outside pole, Bob Hay, hopped over my right front wheel and sent me flying up into the air. My wife Linda was sitting in the top row of the stands and told me that I went higher in the air than she was! Our second son, Rob, was born prematurely two days later!
The scary part of the wreck was that I ended up driver’s side down and the flip had pulled the filler hose out of the fuel tank. So I’m lying on my side, the engine is wringing about 7 grand, there is fuel on the ground, and my cigar is missing!
I had put a drag racing five-point harness in the car and I hit the quick release so hard I broke two ribs!
I was a columnist and reporter for Wheelspin News at the time so, of course, my pal Dizzy Dean Murray had to have some fun with my wreck, as you can see in the photo from his paper.
Fast forward to a week ago Friday night and my grandson David Mathers came off Corner 2 at Delaware and almost the same thing happened to him. The good news in both wrecks, you ask? Neither of us was hurt other than our wallets!
The ongoing soap opera known as the IHRA continues. Apparently the schedule has been scuttled (or would that be “Cuttelled?”), in spite of the fact that “Disco” Dean (Karns) himself told me on the phone last week that there are three more National Events still to go. I sure hope Dean is correct as the sport really needs IHRA.
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PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY: The 2026 schedule rolls on Saturday, July 18th with the GEN-3 Electrical SportsMods, presented by OMRS Bill Pickford Memorial. The penultimate night of action for the month also includes local Mini Stock and Super Stocks divisions, along with the Trailers Plus Ontario Legend Cars and KOD Disposal Ontario Bandoleros. The night’s intermission feature will be Kid’s Bike Races. Visit the Peterborough Speedway website for additional info from Canada’s fastest 1/3-mile speedway.
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Am I the only one who found it ironic that Richard Childress criticized Shane van Gisbergen after SVG spun Austin Hill last week at Chicagoland? Ironic because Childress was the car owner for a man named “The Intimidator,” Dale Earnhardt, a man who had way more than his share of incidents of retaliation.
Regardless, this interaction between SVG and Hill is something that NASCAR really, really needs. The attached hype is awesome. Hill has made a few enemies in Xfinity in the past and the selection of him to take over the late Kyle Busch ride was quite deliberate by Childress, who loves controversial drivers. Grab some popcorn and enjoy the show as it is only going to get better!!!
BTW – NASCAR made the correct call and declined to penalize SVG!!!
After Max Verstappen slid off track and into the tire barriers a week ago at Silverstone, an investigation has begun regarding the “macarena” rear wings used on his Red Bull as well as on the two Ferraris.
It seems the wing did not close completely, thus reducing the downforce on the rear end and causing the car to slide off track. This new style of wing replaced the previous Drag Reduction System and is much more complex (shocking!!). FIA rules mandate that the wing must transition between open and closed within 400 milliseconds! Try timing that on your Rolex Daytona!
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Good news for “traditional” NHRA fans and racers (translation – old guys like me!!). NHRA is returning Pomona to its long-held spot as the first race on the 2027 schedule. I remember when there were only four national events – the Winternationals (Pomona), the Springnationals (Bristol), the Nationals (Indy), and the World Finals (Pomona). How things have grown since then.
Looking for a cool event to visit? The Model T Ford Club International Tour is bringing 500 Model Ts to Steve Plunkett’s incredible Fleetwood Estate at 9282 Elviage Drive, London, Ontario, on Tuesday, July 21, in the morning and early afternoon. Be there!!
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CANADIAN MOTORSPORT HALL OF FAME: Nominations for the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame ‘Class of 2026’ are being accepted until the end of day on July 31. If you think someone should be inducted, you should do a little bit of research, head to the CMHF.ca website, and submit a nomination on their behalf. If a person isn’t nominated, they’ll never be inducted.
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NASCAR Cup Series – Qualifying for the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway was VERY interesting, to say the least. Ryan Blaney grabbed the pole over teammate Joey Logano (both in Fords) and Kyle Larson (Chev).
The interesting part, you ask? The top Toyota was not from one of the big teams, but rather Erik Jones in 11th. Points leader Denny Hamlin basically started from the parking lot way back in 28th. Number-two points guy and early-season leader Tyler Reddick started 31st. S’up with that?
Thirty-eight cars including 18 Chevs, 11 Fords, and nine Toyotas.
Three laps in and Brad Keselowski scrubbed the wall in Turn 4 but kept going. Blaney won Stage 1 over Tyler Reddick and Larson. Wow, 100 laps completed in just under an hour. Much better than the O’Reilly race!
Oops, red flag at 8:30 for lightning in the area and then rain BIG time!
After a little more than three hours the track was dry and the cars returned ready to go. The green came out at two minutes after midnight with 136 laps to go. At the halfway mark it was Blaney over Logano and Carson Hocevar. This meant that the race was now official.
Blaney won Stage 2. Coming to the flag, Ty Gibbs spun Bubba Wallace, who dropped from fourth to 31st!
On lap 194, A.J. Allmendinger got a flat right front after a bump from Michael McDowell and spun down onto the frontstretch apron but didn’t hit anything. Yellow.
On lap 232, Allmendinger hit the wall after another flat right front tire. Yellow.
On lap 241, Larson seemed to come up on the car in front too fast and spun down across the tri-oval infield but didn’t hit anything. Caution.
The green came back out with 14 to go. With six to go, Larson crashed again, this time on the backstretch, along with Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Austin Hill, and Riley Herbst.
And, of course, NASCAR Overtime!
Blaney got the win over Wallace and Christopher Bell. What a finish! And they were wrecking behind the leaders on the last lap. The race ended at 1:50 a.m.!
In the points, Hamlin leads Reddick by 24 and Blaney by 65.
Next Race – North Wilkesboro, Sunday at 7 p.m. on TSN 5.
NASCAR O’Reilly Series – Sam Mayer nabbed the pole for the O’Reilly (are they really buying NAPA?) race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday over Carson Kvapil and Jesse Love (all in Chevs).
Thirty-eight cars including 30 Chevs, six Toyotas, and two – count ’em, two – Fords, twice as many as last week!
Two laps into the race, the yellow came out for fluid on the track from Joey Gase’s smoking car. The yellow came back out on lap 21 when Leland Honeyman looped it off Turn 4. Kvapil won Stage 1.
Stage 2 went clean and green and points leader Justin Allgaier got the stage win.
On lap 101, Harrison Burton’s motor let go between Turns 3 and 4 for another yellow. On lap 110 Brandon Jones got into the wall in Turn 4 and collected Taylor Gray and Corey Day. Red flag for cleanup as there was oil on the track.
On lap 123, the red flag came back out for more oil on the track, apparently from pole sitter Mayer. That hurts.
And the spins keep coming.
On lap 133, Glen Reen looped it at pit-in for another yellow. One lap after the restart, Jake Finch spanked the wall in Turn 4 for yet another yellow. One lap after the restart, Finch brought the yellow back out when he spun with a flat left rear tire in Turn 2.
Six cautions in Stage 3 already?
One lap after the restart (see a pattern here?), last-place starter Jordan Anderson thought it would be a really good idea to go four-wide on the bottom in Turn 1 and bounced off the apron, taking out at least seven cars. Wow. And yet another red flag for track cleanup.
But wait, there’s more!!
With three laps to go, SVG’s BFF Austin Hill went three-wide going for the lead and then spun in front of the pack, collecting another seven cars. Another (fourth) red flag for cleanup.
Are we going to get to three hours?
NASCAR Overtime!!
Oops, yellow!!! Allgaier bumped Jeremy Clements, who then got into Lavar Scott.
Allgaier got the win over Kvapil and Parker Retzlaff.
Time of the race – 2:58:26!!!
In the points, Allgaier extended his lead over Love to “only” 240 and 273 over Sheldon Creed.
Next Race – Indianapolis, Saturday, July 25.
NASCAR Craftsman Trucks – The series dropped into the really cool sports car track called Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut. I have seen sports car races there but never big, lumbering, honking trucks! I would have loved to have been there.
My favourite feature of the track, other than the elevation changes, would be the neat barn-like building at start-finish.
Points leader Layne Riggs (Ford) won the pole over Connor Mosack (Chev) and Kaden Honeycutt (Toyota). Canadians Stewart Friesen (Toyota) and Cole Butcher (Ford) qualified 18th and 22nd.
Thirty-three trucks – 12 Chevs, nine Fords, seven Toyotas, and five Rams.
Stage 1 went clean and green with Riggs getting the stage win. I loved the pit stop rules – take your time as the race will restart in the same order as at the stage end.
On lap 44, Frankie Muniz got “behind on his steering” but managed to save it. On the next lap, Ty Majeski spun off the track and into the tire wall. First race caution.
On the restart, Landen Lewis got into Riggs. Riggs saved it, Lewis didn’t!
Honeycutt won Stage 2.
OH CANADA!!!!
On lap 61, Butcher led Friesen at the front of the pack. On lap 66, Butcher slowed and Friesen got around him. But apparently Cole had lifted after his spotter warned about the caution caused by Kris Wright’s “assisted” excursion into the tires and the debris he left on track. Yellow, and Cole got the lead back.
On lap 70, the yellow came out for oil on the track followed by the red flag on lap 71.
On lap 79, Chandler Smith stopped on track for another yellow and at the same time a fire broke out on the truck of Thomas Annunziata, which was quickly extinguished.
They ran green to the checker with Grant Enfinger getting the win over Lewis and Honeycutt. Friesen finished ninth with Butcher 11th.
In the points, Riggs leads Honeycutt by 44 and Smith by 154.
Next Race – North Wilkesboro, Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Formula One – Next race – Spa, Sunday, July 19.
IndyCar – Next race – Nashville, Sunday.
IMSA – Thirty-two cars were entered for Sunday’s race at Mosport. The LMP2 car of Dillmann/Clarke started from the pole. The BMW of Verhagen/De Phillippi topped PRO while the Aston Martin of Barrichello/De Angelis was quickest in GTD. The Pfaff Motorsport Lamborghini of Caldarelli/Mitchell started eighth in PRO.
Fifteen minutes in, the P2 car of John Farano spun and ended up on the apron. Yellow flag.
At the 40-minute mark, the P2 car of Tobi Lutke ended up in the tire wall at the end of the back straight for another caution.
At halfway it was the Quinn car in P2, the Lexus of Barnicoat in PRO, and the Mercedes of Ellis in GTD.
Just after halfway, the P2 car of Mikkel Jensen got into the tire wall but was able to get out and keep going.
At the flag, it was the pole-sitting P2 car of Dillmann/Clarke on the top step. The Hawksworth/Barnicoat Lexus took the win in PRO. The Pfaff Lamborghini finished eighth in PRO. In GTD, the Mercedes of Ward/Ellis took the class win.
Only two caution periods over the entire 160 minutes. Very well done.
Rumour has it that the P cars are afraid of Mosport, which is probably the fastest circuit on the IMSA schedule. I’d love to see the P cars run here.
Click HERE for a full report, galleries and video interviews from the Chevrolet GP at CTMP.
Next Race – Road America, Sunday, August 2.
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EDMONTON INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY: Canada’s national stock car series – the NASCAR Canada Series – is making its only Alberta stop at Edmonton International Raceway (EIR) in Wetaskiwin, AB on July 24-25, 2026.
Fans can expect two full days of racing action, including qualifying rounds, autograph sessions, and the main events NAPA 300 under the lights on Saturday night. That’s right, this year’s NASCAR Canada Series stop at EIR will feature two points races!
Visit EdmontonRaceway.com for tickets and event info, including news about the track’s weekly racing program and hands-on driving experiences.
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NHRA – Next race – Sonoma, Sunday.
IHRA – Next race – Dragway 42, August 13–15.
NASCAR Canada Series – Next race – Calabogie, Sunday.
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CASC-OR: The Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region sanctions the RaceOntario Championships, a series of race events run from April through October at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Shannonville Motorsports Park, and Calabogie Motorsport Park. CASC-OR is a group of nearly thirty motorsport enthusiast clubs with two thousand members within Ontario. The organization sets rules and regulations for four divisions, Road Racing, Time Attack, Autoslalom and Ice Racing, and administers & promotes provincial championships in each. For more info, visit the CASC-OR website HERE.
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APC Series – In qualifying for the Super Stock race at Flamboro Speedway, Lane Zardo, who sadly lost his father Billy last week, grabbed the pole over Justin Collver and Shawn Chenoweth.
At the halfway mark it was Zardo over Chad Cocoran and Chenoweth.
At the flag it was Zardo over Nic Ramsey and Chenoweth.
Time of the race – 47:58.
In the Late Models, Brandon Watson got the pole over Connor Pritiko and points leader Jake Sheridan.
At the halfway mark it was Shae Gemmell over Watson and Pritiko.
At the flag it was Watson over Pritiko and Kyle Steckly. Points leader Sheridan finished sixth.
Time of the race – 1:07:42.
Click HERE to view a full report and gallery of images from the night.
Next Race – Sauble, Saturday, August 1.
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FLAMBORO SPEEDWAY: This Saturday, July 18, Flamboro Speedway will host its ‘Christmas in July Toy Drive’ Presented by Galer Equipment. Fans can enjoy a full night of racing action featuring the Canadian Vintage Modifieds, Great Lakes Legend Series, SOMA Pro 4 Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Outlaw Midgets as the season rolls into Race #13.
The evening will also feature the ‘Christmas in July Toy Drive’ and Meet the Drivers Night #1 Presented by Galer Equipment, giving fans the opportunity to meet their favourite drivers and support a great community cause by bringing a new, unwrapped toy donation.
Spectator gates open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 6:30. Visit FlamboroSpeedway.ca for more info.
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Ontario Sportsman Series – Sixteen good-looking cars showed up Friday night at Delaware Speedway for their 100-lapper.
They did group qualifying and Jordan Willms topped Q1 with a 20.803, Shawn McGlynn was quickest in Q2 with a 19.970, Mike “Hollywood” (I gave him that nickname 35 years ago) was the class of Q3 with a 19.903, then Brendan Patrick topped the charts in Q4 with a 19.792, fast time of the night.
Unfortunately, Patrick’s luck ran out on lap 14 when he retired trailing smoke.
The yellow came out on lap 39 when Chad McGlynn and Kyle Istead got together in Turn 2.
Crowd favourite Hryniuk, claiming to be driving his last race (I don’t believe him), had led almost to halfway.
At the halfway mark it was Derek McCullough over Hollywood and Cooper Aubertin.
Another yellow on lap 68 when Shawn McGlynn stopped in Turn 4.
On lap 75, Todd Sheppard overcooked corner entry in Turn 1 and hit McCullough.
Hollywood’s luck ran out on lap 78 when he spun off Turn 2 and crashed.
On lap 90, Donavin Clark also overcooked Turn 1 entry going for the lead and spun.
With three to go, Sheppard once again had problems in Turn 1, hitting both Chad McGlynn and leader McCullough.
Time of the race – 1:12:04.
At the flag it was McCullough over Shawn McGlynn and Clark.
Next Race – Full Throttle Motor Speedway, Saturday, July 25.
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BROCKVILLE ONTARIO SPEEDWAY: On July 18, ‘The Bullring’ plays host to a busy card of racing. Polite Sand & Gravel presents Suprenant Truck Shop Crate Sprints, 358 Mod, Sports, Rookie Sports, Mini Stock & Vintage. Visit www.BrockvilleSpeedway.com for information about this event and all things related to Brockville Ontario Speedway.
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Delaware Speedway – The Ontario Sportsman Series dropped into the track and their results are covered above.
In the Bone Stocks, Paul Fothergill won Heat 1, Sterling Robert got the win in Heat 2, while Len Sterritt won Heat 3. The feature went to Michael Verberne over Charlie Verhoeven and Fothergill.
The Mods saw Marshall Schrenk win the heat while Steve McCaw won the feature over Schrenk and Jay Cox.
Next Race – Late Models, V-8 Stocks, Friday.
Peterborough Speedway – Next race – Bill Pickford Memorial Race & Kids Bike Races. Mini Stocks, Super Stocks, Legends, Bandoleros, OMRS & Kids Bike Races, Saturday.
Brockville Ontario Speedway – Next race – Polite Sand & Gravel presents Suprenant Truck Shop Crate Sprints, 358 Mod, Sports, Rookie Sports, Mini Stock & Vintage, Saturday.
Flamboro Speedway – Next race – Christmas in July Toy Driver Presented by Galer Equipment. Canadian Vintage Modifieds, Great Lakes Legend Series, SOMA Pro 4 Modifieds, Mini Stocks & Outlaw Midgets, Saturday.
Edmonton International Raceway – Next race – Hospitality Appreciation Night and Meet the Drivers Autograph Night. NASCAR Pure Stocks Special, Baby Grands, Buck’s “Race a Wreck” Enduro, and Stackers, Saturday.
Ohsweken Speedway – Next race – Fan Fest Series, Friday.
Flamboro Speedway – Next race – CVM, Legends, SOMA, P/S, O/M, this Saturday.
Buxton Speedway – Next race – Zagorodny Memorial, Saturday.
Full Throttle Motor Speedway – Next race – OSCAAR Mods and Hot Rods, etc., Saturday.
Grand Bend Speedway – Next race – Midseason Championships, Saturday.
Grand Bend Dragway – Next race – Canadian Sport Compact Series, this weekend.
St. Thomas Dragway – Next race – Pro Street 519, this weekend.
Toronto Motorsports Park – Next race – Canada Heads Up, this weekend.
Can Am Stock/Super Stock – Next race – August 1 & 2, St. Thomas.
John Scotti NHRA Canadian Championship Series – Next race – Napierville, this weekend.
Shannonville Drags – Next race, this weekend.
Any comments can be sent to Dave Mathers via email at motionman@rogers.com or by Facebook Messenger.
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The next Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo takes place March 12, 13 & 14, 2027 at Toronto’s International Centre. Vehicle applications are now being accepted at the show’s website. Motorama is Canada’s largest indoor auto-enthusiast and motorsports show and continues a tradition that goes back more than half a century at the same venue on the same weekend! Throughout the year, MotoramaShow.com is loaded with show coverage, galleries and industry news. We’ll see you next March at Motorama!___________________________________________________________________
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