Action may have started about an hour late, but Mother Nature couldn’t get in the way as the Ontario Sportsman Series, Ontario Legend Car and Ontario Bandolero tours joined the home track Bone Stock and Late Model fields on Saturday, August 8th at Peterborough Speedway.
Former Peterborough Speedway race winner Kevin Trevellin and Todd Sheppard brought the Ontario Sportsman Series field to the green flag for the first half of the Silver Wheel 100 presented by AF International. Trevellin took the early lead, with Sheppard, Shawn McGlynn, Donavin Clark and Cooper Aubertin close behind. The lead group ran up on the tail end of the field early, putting the No. 6 of Jamie Morency a lap down with only 10 circuits complete. Trevellin and Sheppard continued to put laps on the board, while Austin Seburn – who’d previously run with the Ontario Bandoleros at Peterborough – battled for third with Clark, before Seburn locked-up the spot on Lap 20. Trevellin took the checkered flag over Sheppard, Seburn, Clark and Amber Balcaen.
Eldon Hughes and Shawn Dearmer were on the front row as the 22-car Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock starting field came to the line for a 20-lap headliner. Customarily, the Bone Stock field has been the track’s entry level class, with the group bringing some strong numbers to the popular Central Ontario oval. Dearmer took the early race lead as the lead pack put backmarkers a lap down with a fifth of the race distance complete. A couple of yellow flags – each for incidents in turn three – brought the pack back together, with early-season winner Zachary Cheng taking the top spot with 16 laps complete. He’d hold on for the win, with Angelo Novis, Chris Ephgrave, Dearmer and Jacob Stavropoulos next across the line.
In post-race inspection, Ephgrave and Dearmer were both discovered to have camber violations and were disqualified. Stavropoulos was moved to third, with Steve Oakes and Emma Melhuish fourth and fifth respectively.
The 30-lap Late Model feature came to the line with a pair of heavy hitters – in the form of Ryan Kimball and Kelly Balson – on the front row. Kimball took the early lead with Balson, Jacob Mercer and Ollie Ferguson hot on his tail. The lead duo broke away from the field, but that advantage vanished when a wreck in turn three brought out the first yellow flag with eight laps on the scoreboard. Jacob Mercer’s No. 81 was towed from the scene and unable to finish the race distance. Kimball and Balson continued to show the way until a scary wreck on the backstretch stopped the race with 14 laps complete. Steve Powell’s No. 72 flipped and landed upside-down in turn three. Track safety and emergency crews arrived quickly on the scene and began the arduous task of getting the car back on its wheels. Powell was checked on the scene and walked to the ambulance. Another yellow, with less than a handful of laps remaining, slowed the pace. Kimball picked up the win, with Gary Hannah, Dan McHattie, John Owen and Mitch Wright following him across the line.
The No. 55 of Ollie Ferguson was penalized for retaliatory contact during the late-race yellow and parked for the night. Ferguson will also be suspended for speeding and driving aggressively through the pit area after being told of the penalty.
KOD Disposal Ontario Bandolero teams ran a pair of 15-lap semi features during the night’s action. The opening round saw Lucas Finnegan take the checkered flag, with Josh Davenport, Landon Sellers, Ethan Dobb and Keegan Moat rounding out the top-five. Davenport scored the win in the second round. Sellers, Finnegan, Dobb and Moat chased the No. 30 car across the line.
Preliminary round action saw Jacob Stavropoulos and reigning track champion Alex Dallaire take the Bone Stock checkered flags, with John Owen and Jacob Mercer picking up the Late Model heat race wins. Ontario Legend Car Series qualifying events went to Andrew McFadden, Keaton Pipe, Dawson Drimmie and Mackenzie Milwain. All finishing positions are unofficial, pending scoring review and post-race inspection.
Bullring Bullet Points:
- Mitch Wright was on-hand and made his first start of the year in the No. 21 Late Model. He did double duty, also running with the Ontario Legend Car Series.
- Super Stock regular Coltin Everingham ran his first Legend Car main event in a renumbered No. 48 machine from JDC Motorsports.
- With many tracks forced to pull the plug, the Peterborough Speedway crew thanks everyone for their patience while waiting out the rain delay.
- Because of time constraints, the night’s Ontario Legend Car feature was postponed to Saturday, August 22nd.
- Originally planned as a 100-lap event, the Ontario Sportsman Series ‘A’ main was split into two 50-lap segments. After a discussion with race teams, the show was called official after the opening round.
- Due to the late start, a planned Kid’s Barrel Race intermission feature was cancelled.
The season’s third and final Double Toonie/Fan Appreciation Night – presented by Pepsi – takes centre stage on Saturday, August 15th. Spectator grandstand admission is just $4.00 for a great night of action with the home track Mini Stock, Renegade Truck and Junior Late Models, plus the Outlaw Midgets and GEN3 Electrical SportsMods by OMRS. An on-track autograph session will be featured at intermission. Grandstands open at 4:00 p.m., with racing at 5:00.
Keep up with the latest track news and schedule information by checking www.peterboroughspeedway.com and the venue’s social media pages and platforms.
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