@GrisdaleAPC • @FlamSpeedway • HAMILTON, ON – You may remember just three weeks ago, Matt Pritiko had a great battle with Dale Shaw and came out the winner after 75 laps in Round One. Another great battle tonight was expected and the drivers didn’t disappoint the great crowd in attendance.
The Ontario Pro Challenge were on hand for their second race of the season at Flamboro. They were also joined by our other weekly divisions, the Klotz Auto Repair & Engine Machine Shop Mini Stocks, the Ponderosa Nature Resort Pure Stocks and the Ray’s Auto Centre and Towing Thunder Cars. Double heats for all divisions including the Late Models and two heats for the Pro Challenge would get the evening underway.
Heat wins were as follows, Late Model winners included Robbie Thompson, David Elliott, Shawn Chenoweth and Matt Pritiko. Both Pure Stock qualifiers went to Josh Shantz, Mini Stock heat wins went to Darren Dryden, Mike Holmes and two by Blair Wickett. Thunder Car heat wins went to Shawn Arnott, Brad Collison and two by Shawn Chenoweth. Ontario Pro Challenge wins went to Mike Westwood and Chris McIssac.
After a brief intermission we got into feature racing with the Ontario Pro Challenge up first. Sixteen cars took the green with Chris McIssac and Peter Hattin on the pole for the thirty lap feature. The caution flag flew on lap one as Tim Shanahan spun in turn four. After that it was pretty much a clean race. Peter Hattin led lap one but Chris McIssac took over the lead on the restart and held it until lap ten. Josh Nicholson would take over the lead in turn two on lap 11 and held off Tim Norris and Justin Billington to pick up the feature win and take over the points lead in the Pro Challenge point standings.
Up next, the Late Models lined up on the front straight and were introduced one by one and wished luck by John Casale, Bill Grisdale and Adam Lockwood. David Elliott and Matt Pritiko started on the pole for the 75 lap feature race. On lap one, Rick Burbridge and Nick Roth got involved and Burbridge came away with a flat tire. He was able to make it to the pits and return for the restart. David Elliott would lead early on and on lap 39, Shawn Chenoweth, who had been battling for the lead, spun to the infield heading down the back stretch. He lost a lap as the field past him by and ten laps later Chenoweth had to retire to the pits with a broken shock.
Shortly after that, Matt Lockwood got a little to close to Robbie Thompson going into turn three and around he went. Nick Roth and Al Bowman got mixed up as well as they had no where to go. Roth had to be taken off by Ray’s Towing. On the restart, Elliott managed to hold onto the lead but on lap 60 going into turn two, Elliott seemed to get a little high and Pritiko went underneath and took over the lead followed by Dale Shaw. After that, Pritiko held off the pack including Shaw and Elliott to pick up his second straight Grisdale Triple Crown feature win.
The Pure Stock feature was up next with Wayde Thorne and Gillian Hils on the pole for the 15 lap feature. Hils got out to a big lead early and Shawn Taylor closed in and made a race of it but Hils was able to hold off Taylor and Josh Shantz to pick up her second feature win of the year.
Although the Grisdale race was billed as the big show of the night, the Mini Stock feature was also high anticipated with some great action of late and with Mike Holmes, Russ Aicken and Darren Dryden battling for the points lead, the three made it interesting in the heat races with some fierce action. Hudson Nagy and Jake Gilbert were on the pole for the 25 lap main event. Dryden started seventh in the field, Aiken eighth and Holmes at the back of the pack after winning last weeks feature. Before long the three were closing in on the lead and Dryden spun on lap 19 and his chance of winning was done. Through all this however, Blair Wickett quickly and quietly was roaring to the front and after Nagy led the first four laps, Wickett took the lead on lap five and held off the three previously mentioned drivers and picked up an impressive feature win as Aiken and Holmes continued their battle and as they crossed the line Aiken was second and Holmes third. Yet another amazing and exciting feature race for the Klotz Auto Repair & Engine Machine Shop Mini Stocks.
The last race of the night was the 25 lap feature for the Thunder Cars. Mike Gilmour and Rob Istead were on the pole. Dave Bailey looked like he might pick up his first Flamboro Speedway Thunder Car feature win but on lap 19, Shawn Chenoweth (above by SuperNovaPhotos) got by Bailey and cruised to his third feature win of the year and second in as many weeks.
That wrapped up another exciting night of racing. Please make plans to join us next week, July 12th for Mid Season Championship Night, featuring the Grisdale Late Models, the Klotz Auto Repair & Engine Machine Shop Mini Stocks, the Ponderosa Nature Resort Pure Stocks, the Ponderosa Nature Resort Pro 4 Modifieds and the Ray’s Auto Centre and Towing Thunder Cars.
Pit gates open at 3pm, Grandstands at 5pm and green flag flies at 6:30pm.
Please check the website, www.flamborospeedway.ca for more details including the schedule, Admission Prices for the grandstands and pits and updated point standings for all divisions.
By Randy Spencer / Flamboro Speedway
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