Save the Best for Last: An Exciting End to the Regular Wednesday Night Season at CCS

Stittsville, ON – Wednesday, August 27, 2014 – Kirk Mulligan – Finally, after the past two weeks being postponed due to rain, Mother Nature cooperated and Wednesday night racing at Capital City Speedway (CCS) could continue.  The night was sponsored by Strongco and Ontario Rental Service (ORS).  The night consisted of racing from the regular classes of Late Model, Legends, Thunder, Mini Stock, 4 for Fun (4FF) and two special features.  The special feature events were a final visit from the Dinardo’s Karts class as well as a 100 lap enduro.  Added excitement for the fans before the races was found out in the parking lot.  Wicked Garage Car Show Series was having a show and shine.  Fans were fascinated with the custom details of the many antique cars.  In other news, a couple of new drivers made appearances for this week’s event.  Former CCS late model regular, Ken Baird (car #2), was back after a horrific crash about a month ago.  Also in attendance was Thunder Stock regular, Mike Hennick (car #71).  Fans also witnessed the new ride of another Thunder Stock regular, the new black Autovation.ca machine of Casey Cavanagh (car #49).  I would like to finally thank all of our drivers for an exciting and magnificent end to the racing season!

Before we move on to the racing, I want to take this opportunity to thank those whom supported the track and donated prizes for the fans.  Firstly, I want to thank Paul Lalonde for donating 4 karting passes for the Le Circuit Quyon.  The 4 passes were raffled off throughout the evening.  CCS would also like to thank Hunter McCaig of Rideau Auctions for donating another kid’s bike to be raffled off at intermission.  Congratulations to Owen McDougall for winning the bike!  Lastly, a special thanks again this week goes out to the director of www.PoconoBusTrip.com, Scott McIssac, for setting up a grand prize raffle scheme and donating 2 grand prize tickets to the 2015 Nascar race at Pocono International Raceway.  On this night, Scott drew 5 raffle finalist tickets.  Congratulations to newest set of finalists: Chris Brunje, Steph Morrow, Nicole DeRidder, Kyle Speck and Geoff Simpson.  Scott informed me that there will be another 4 finalist draws before the grand prize draw.  The finalist draws will be during CCS’s Summer Slam event at 3:30pm, 4pm, 4:30pm and 5pm.  The grand prize draw for the Nascar Pocono tickets will then be at 6pm.  Finally, in the words of Scott McIssac: “So come early to CCS Summer Slam and don’t miss out!”

This weeks racing event began with a make-up Enstone Construction 15 lap Legend feature.  The race consisted of the same 10 cars as two weeks ago.  Matt Haufe (car #7) and Bob Broad (car #18) made up the front row.  After the green flag dropped, Haufe put the pedal to the metal and took the early lead.  However, by lap 3, points leader Kevin Foisy (car #57) had squeezed by the inside of Haufe in turn 3.  Foisy took the lead and left Haufe to battle it out for second position with the hard charging Brian Saunders (car #15).  Saunders worked hard and eventually passed Haufe in lap 7 on the inside of turn 3.  Saunders would continue his charge towards the front.  Unfortunately, Saunders ran out of laps and could not catch his teammate Foisy.  Foisy went on to win for his 6th feature win of the season.

After 2 sets of accident free heat races, it was time for the SFL Metal Works 10 lap 4FF feature race.  Peter Love (car #2) and Joann Blais (car #81) made up the pole positions.  Love started in the pole position during last weeks feature as well.  This time Love was looking for a different fate.  After the green flag dropped, Love took the lead.  Behind Love, Andrew Thompson (car #5) and Sara Sproule (car #99) battled for second spot.  Sproule worked the inside corned of turn 2 in lap 6 to pass Thompson.  Sproule was racing hard to catch the leader, Love.  Love maintained his lead by holding off two late race challenges from Sproule.  As a result, Love was successful and went on to win the feature!

The Autovation Thunder Stock 15 lap feature race was up next.  Keith Riddell (car #59) and Chris Lloyd (car #41) were the font runners in this race.  Riddell took the lead in the early going and was looking really strong for most of the race.  However, Jessica Pasinetti (car #56) and Neil Leblond (car #88) were on the prowl.  By lap 6, the two experienced drivers, Pasinetti and Leblond, had moved into second and third spots.  Pasinetti and Leblond were battling hard behind Riddell.  In fact, Pasinetti and Leblond were driving side by side for laps 8 through 10.  All of sudden, on the outside of turns 3 and 4 in lap 11, Leblond had made his car stick as he passed by both Pasinetti and Riddell.  Leblond was living the dream again as he went on the win the feature event.

The Drummond’s Gas 25 lap Late Model feature was the next exciting feature.  This race got off to an unfortunate start. In fact, there was so much carnage that the race had to be cut down to a 15 lap feature due to time constraints.  The race began with the Sparks Street Racing team heading up the front row.  Both Paul Dejong (car #88) and Gilles Seguin (car #86) were in the pole positions.  After the race began, I am not sure what happened but the cars got bunched up in turn 2 of the first lap.  Both Steve Munro (car #00) and Chris Ferguson (car #08) had to exit the race because of this collision.  Both cars eventually returned.  On the restart, the race experienced another slow down.  This time Tim Kirby (car #10) had spun in turn 1.  The field of cars were reset and race was started again.  However, before we could finish a lap in this race, Sean “Bulldog” Kennedy barreled his way into turn 3.  Coming out of turn 4, Kennedy got tripped up and spun out on the front stretch infield.  Kennedy began to slide and just missed sliding into the center of a deep puddle of water found in the infield.  Kennedy managed to get the car restarted and drove out of the wet infield back onto the track.  Unfortunately, Kennedy was now dragging what looked to be the exhaust on the ground.  Sparks were flying!  The fourth restart saw another collision between Ferguson and Seguin.  Finally, after a fifth restart, the race completed a lap.  Points leader Justin Holtom (car #17) took the early lead.  Holtom was followed by Kirby and Ken Baird (car #2).  Kirby and Baird battled for second spot during lap 5, 6 and 7.  During lap 8, Baird finally managed to pass Kirby.  But, the question that remained was whether Baird had enough laps and speed to catch Holtom.  Baird was quick on this night as he in fact caught up to Holtom.  With two laps to go Baird was right behind the leader.  Baird then decided to pull the old bump and run move.  Coming through turns 3 and 4 of lap 13, Baird lightly tapped Holtom’s rear bumper.  Baird’s tap was just enough to allow Holtom to get slightly loose.  Holtom veered slightly to the outside as he tried to regain total control of his machine.  That slight bit of space allowed Baird to stick the nose of his car down to the inside of the corner.  Baird pulled the front of his car right up beside Holtom’s door as they exited turn 4.  This reminds me of one of my favourite lines from one of the best racing movies of all time where the character Harry Hogg exclaimed: “Rubbing son is racing!”  Baird now had the inside advantage and went on to pass Holtom in the final lap.  Baird took home the victory for his first feature win of the year.

After all the excitement from the Late Model feature, it was time for the Stittsville Trailers 15 lap Mini Stock feature race to take center stage.  Mark Morrow (car #16) and Derek Demont (car #7) paced the field.  Morrow took the lead in the early going.  The lead was short lived, as in lap 3, Cory Wilson (car #33) took over the lead, but even Wilson’s lead was short lived as well.  The man on the move was Nolan Gould (car #28).  Gould had raced his way from seventh to first by lap 5.  Gould was running on all cylinders as he easily cruised to victory.

The Dinardo’s Kart Series was up next on the card with a 10 lap feature event.  The feature race included a total of 14 karts.  Unfortunately, due to the large amount of karts and the difficulty of reading the small illegible numbers on the karts, I don’t have a lot of information to report.  However, with that said, I can tell you that I think the winner of this feature event was Carter Fisher (kart #833).

The next race was the second Enstone Construction 15 lap Legends feature.  Brad Haufe (car #7) and Brian Saunders (car #15) made up the front row.  Saunders was eager to win after finishing second earlier in the evening.  Saunders took the lead after the green flag dropped.  Steve Yendall (car #1) and points leader Kevin Foisy (car #57) followed.  Foisy was making up ground as he moved into second spot in lap 4.  Foisy was all over Saunders rear bumper by the final lap.  Saunders managed to hold off all challenges from Foisy.  Saunders then went on to win the feature.

Finally, the night was ended with a 100 lap Enduro.  There were a total of 27 entries in the race.  After all 100 laps were in the books, the race winners were Scott Cuthbertson (car #2) and Jessie Duguay (car #217) in the 8 and 4 cylinder classes, respectively.   

Up next, Saturday, September 12, 2014, is CCS Summer Slam.  The race day will feature Twin 25’s Late Model races, a Legend National Qualifier race, Mini Stock, Thunder and 4-For-Fun divisions.  Also in town are special feature races for the Sportsman and Vintage Modifieds, an appearance from the Quebec Vintage Stock Car Series, a 100 lap enduro as well as a Demolition Derby.  The races will start at 3:00 pm sharp!  Regular general admission is $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $15 for teens (13-16) and as always children 12 & under are free.

Join us Wednesday August 27th.

Join us Wednesday August 27th for our last regular night Wednesday Show. It all seems so short at this point as we wind down another season at CCS. Once again, Mother Nature wins the championship for "Worst Racing Weather Award" for the 2014 season. ONE Day of nice weather on Wednesday Nights all season. The good news is that tomorrow night looks like it will be the best night weather wise all year. Join us for a full card of racing plus Dinardo Karts and a 100 Lap Enduro. We will also start the night with a Legends feature to make up some of the lost races they have had this year.

Due to the rain outs we have had we will have 3 Night Sponsors with us - Strongco, Interstate Batteries and Ontario Rental Supply and Service. We will also have the Wicked Garage Car Show Series on hand with us up front. Come on out and see some great show cars on display. Normally we have these cars out on the track at intermission for a parade of sorts, but that will not happen tomorrow. We have rescheduled the 100 lap enduro for tomorrow and we will need to cut intermission short to fit all of the program in. Looking for a lot of racing to happen in one night, then come on out and catch the last regular show of the season.

I hope to see you at the races tomorrow.

Dragfest this Weekend.

Join us on Saturday for what will be the best Drag Racing Event of the season. The Ontario Nostalgia Drag Racing Series will be in town along with a Front Engine Dragster Shoot Out and our What A Drag Series.

We will also have a car show with several classes, so bring down your show car and put in on display. $ 5.00 off your entry when you bring it out. You could win $ 50.00 and a car plaque.

Join us Saturday for Trickle Creek playing in the beer garden for your enjoyment.

It all gets under way around 11:00 am with racing starting after we have gone through our Time Trial portion.

Thanks to our Sponsors for this event Lentech Automatics. Looking for a great transmission, then give Chris Nugteren a call at 613-838-5390. Lentech is located at 3835 McBean Street in Richmond, Ontario.

Thanks to M & SS Auto Service at 215 Bridge Street, Carleton Place, Ontario. Ride in Style and Performance with Mark and Stephanie Morrow.

Thanks to Beckwith Auto Centre 1551 9th Line, Carleton Place, Ontario. For all of your auto service requirements.

I hope to see you out at Dragfest this weekend.

Wet and Wild: Father and Son Duo Dominate at CCS

Stittsville, ON – Wednesday, August 13, 2014 – Kirk Mulligan – This past Wednesday night at Capital City Speedway (CCS), the night began with an uncertain weather forecast.  However, this was not enough to keep a large car turnout from the speedway.  It was Strongco night at the track!  The regular classes of Late Model, Legends, Thunder, Mini Stock and 4 for Fun (4FF) were present.  Fans were also treated to a special featured appearance from the Vintage Modified class.  Similarly to last week, several new drivers were on hand for this week’s event.  Former CCS champion, Quincy Roberts (car #71R), was back with his mini stock car. In addition, former Late Model driver, Derek Horsley was driving Sara Carter’s (car #24) mini stock car.  This was the second outing of the season for Sara’s ride.  In the Thunder Stock class, Peterborough speedway regular John Baker (car #63) made the trek from Oshawa, ON.  Long time driver and former Thunder stock champion, Todd Musker (car #13) returned as well.  Todd is currently the points leader at Evans Mills speedway in their Thunder Stock Sportsman division.  Chris Lloyd (car #41) also made the trip back to CCS with his Thunder car from Kingston.  For the second week in a row, the Legend class saw the return of new driver Bob Broad (car #18) of Napanee, ON.  Also back in the Legend class was points leader Kevin Foisy (car #57).  Finally, I would like to thank all of our drivers (regular and visiting) for putting on a fantastic show this past week!

Before we got started racing on this cool night in August, Mother Nature unfortunately, had other plans.  In fact, about 15 minutes before the race start time, the skies opened up and began to pour.  It was raining cats and dogs!  However, there was no way that we could cancel the evening’s event with such a large car count on hand.  Drivers were asked by track staff to go out and put some heat into the track.  Regrettably, not everyone was as supportive as some in this endeavor.  As a result, I want to take this opportunity to thank those who did.  After all, if it weren’t for them, there wouldn’t have been any racing that night.  Before I begin to list those whom I observed participating, I apologize if I am missing anyone.  In the Mini Stock class I want to thank Darryl Gow (car #44), Jason Moss (car #12), Brandon Scott (car #86), visiting driver Quincy Roberts (car #71R), Trevor Hartwick (car #13), Mark Morrow (car #16), Derek Horsley (car #24) and Derek Demont (car #7).  In the 4FF class I would like to thank Malcolm “Pops” MacDonald (car #80), Sara Sproule (car #99) and Daniel Watchorn (car #97).  I would like to thank Vintage Modified drivers Denzil Billings (car #X22), Paul Billings (car #B22), Pete Stapper (car #27), Tim Charland (car #12) and Kayla Charland (car #13).  In the Thunder class I would like to thank Jessica Pasinetti (car #56), Casey Cavanagh (car #49), visiting driver John Baker (car #63) and Jean Leblond (car #08).  I would also like to thank Al Dickie of Sparks St. Racing for bringing out the lawn tractor and the track blower.  I would like to thank and recognize the help also received from Gloucester Towing, the Stittsville Trailers pace truck and the Ottawa X-treme Paintball pit truck and team.  Finally, I want to thank the other vehicles with mystery drivers.  They are the driver’s of a red Saturn, a silver Pontiac Grand Am, a black Audi, a black Dodge Neon, a white Ford F150 and Scott Cuthbertson’s green Dodge Magnum.  Thanks again everyone, it was really appreciated! 

     

After all the rain had fallen and the time spent drying up the track had elapsed, it was off to the races.  The track staff tried tremendously to fit in the entire event in the time remaining.  The night started off with some exciting heat races!  The cool weather made the track slick.  As a result, the crowd was treated to a remarkable amount of passing on the outsides of the turns.  Following the heat races was a short intermission.  During intermission, 3 more raffle finalist tickets were drawn for the Summerslam grand prize tickets to the 2015 Nascar race at Pocono.  As stated in last week’s report, this fantastic prize was donated by the director of www.PoconoBusTrip.com, Scott McIssac.  Congratulations to Joe Waschuck, Connie Young and Emilie Welburn for being selected as this week’s 3 raffle finalists!

Feature racing began with the SFL Metal Works 12 lap 4FF race.  Peter Love (car #2) and Daniel Watchorn (car #97) made up the front row.  Watchorn took the early lead after the drop of the green flag.  Second in the points, Sara Sproule (car #99), was hot on Watchorn’s heels as she took over second spot in lap 3.  However, Sproule was forced to fend off challenges from Malcolm “Pops” MacDonald (car #80) in the next few laps.  This led to a minor collision on lap 6 in turn 2 between MacDonald and Sproule.  The race would continue as these two drivers are fantastic competitors.  Although points leader Mike Atwell (car #72), managed to squeeze by MacDonald and Sproule.  Unfortunately for Atwell, there was no catching Watchorn.  Watchorn went on to win his first feature race of the year.  Congratulations Daniel!

Next up on the card was the Stittsville Trailers 15 lap Mini Stock feature race.  Rookie driver Derek Demont (car #7) and visiting driver Quincy Roberts (car #71R) paced the field.  Fans were treated to the biggest car count of the year in this class.  Roberts took the lead in lap 1 and was looking for his first feature win.  Dwayne Emon (car #72) and Dave “Dentman” Watchorn (car #97) were not willing to let that happen.  In fact, Dentman was the man on the move.  He raced his way from seventh spot to top spot by lap 6.  Dentman was not going to let his son show him up after winning the previous feature.  Dentman continued to dominate this race as he fended off multiple challenges from Emon during the remainder of the race.  This night would see Dentman take home his first feature victory since 2009 and perform the unthinkable, a dynamic racing duo.  Congratulations to both father and son Watchorn!

The Home Building Centre Perkins Lumber Vintage Modified class was the next feature of the night.  However, there was already a mist that was becoming more prevalent by the second.  The mist would become rain and unfortunately the remainder of the program had to be put on hold.     

This coming week, Wednesday evening, August 20, 2014, is Interstate Batteries night and Strongco Night.  The race night will feature Late Models,  Mini Stock, Thunder and 4-For-Fun divisions.  Also in town is the special feature Sportsman Modifieds and a 100 lap endure race.    The races will start at 7:15 pm sharp!  Regular general admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for teens (13-16) and as always children 12 & under are free. 

Wednesday August 13th - Racing is ON.

Capital City Speedway will be open for racing tonight. Based on all radar forecasts it gives us a really good chance to get all of our racing show in tonight. I can't see any possible rain until maybe 10:30 or so, and we will be finished by then. Lets keep our fingers crossed that it holds true.
I hope to see all of you at the races tonight.

Thunder in the Pines: Roaring and Rowdy Racing at CCS

Stittsville, ON – Wednesday, August 6, 2014 – Kirk Mulligan – Before I begin with this week’s race report, I just want to correct and apologize for some information that I have mistakenly reported in the last couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that I have been falsely identifying the points leader in the Late Model division.  It should be noted that Justin Holtom (car #17) has been and is the Late Model points leader.  In fact, Justin has been the points leader for the entire season in this division.  This is quite an achievement!  Furthermore, I can’t remember the last time someone of his age and experience has achieved such an accomplishment.  I am not even sure if our hall of famer, race director, Tim Dorning, knows of someone to have completed this immense and consistent task.   With this matter acknowledged, I would gratefully ask that in any future event where I have mistakenly reported something, I would appreciate if it was indicated to me immediately so that repetition of an issue can be avoided. 

Getting back to racing, it was the famous thunder in the pines this past Wednesday night at Capital City Speedway (CCS)!  The speedway was fortunate to have two main sponsors on this night, Ottawa Valley TreeExperts and Dymon Self Storage.  The night included the regular classes of Late Model, Legends, Thunder, Mini Stock and 4 for Fun (4FF).  The night also featured an appearance from the Sportsman Modified class as well as a 100 lap Enduro.  Similar to last week, this week’s racing again saw record car counts and record prizes for the fans!  Several new drivers were on hand for this week’s event.  Long time CCS racer, Bob Williams (car #11 formerly car #72), was back in his new thunder car.  This week also saw the return of Casey Cavanagh (car #49) after a vicious accident two weeks ago.  Cavanagh will be driving Jessica Passinetti’s backup car until the damage of his own vehicle is repaired.  Keith Riddell (car #59) was also back after a couple of weeks of absence.  The Legend class saw new drivers Chris Zieren (car #51) of Ottawa, ON., and Bob Broad (car #18) of Napanee, ON.  This was the first visit to CCS this year for both Zieren and Broad.  I also want to mention that Zieren is currently the points leader in the Legends class at Evans Mills Speedway in Evans Mills, NY.  Another note in the Legend class was that former veteran driver Brent Egan was standing in for points leader Kevin Foisy (car #57).  In the Mini Stock division, Danny Benedict (car #54) of Orono, ON., hauled his car to CCS for his first ever visit.  Benedict currently runs at Peterborough and Sunset speedways on a regular basis.  In fact, he was fresh off a feature win at Peterborough Speedway last Saturday night.  Other Mini Stock car news happened just after practice.  Points leader Jason Moss (car #12) had some transmission issues.  That car had to be put onto trailer for the night.  However, rookie driver Brandon Scott (car #86) graciously gave up his ride so that Moss would not lose any valuable points.  The Late Model division saw the addition of new driver Stephane Poirier (car #18) from Orleans, ON.  This was Poirier’s first visit of the season to CCS.  Finally, as a special treat, Rod Sauder of Marmora, ON., was on hand at CCS with his Super Modified (car #33).  Sauder currently runs the International Supermodified Association (ISMA) circuit on a regular basis.  Sauder put on quite a demonstration for the fans both before the race night and during intermission.  This car was amazing!  Sauder was attaining speeds close to 130 mph around the 3/8 asphalt oval. 

On the fan side of things, I want to thank for the fourth week in a row Hunter McCaig of Rideau Auctions for donating another brand new kids bicycle.  The bicycle was again raffled off at intermission.  Congratulations to Serena Provost for winning the bicycle!  The night also featured the annual Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) golf ball toss.  Golf balls were sold and registered for 5 dollars each.  The prize for the closest golf ball to the target was $100 dollars.  All of the remaining proceeds were to be donated to CHEO.  Thus at intermission, the purchasers of the golf balls were all allowed on to the front stretch to make the toss.  The target for the toss was a small ice cream cup located near the center of the infield.  Congratulations to Kathy Simon for winning the toss!  Dymon Storage was also auctioning off 3 rides around the track in their sporty, mustard colour and electrically driven Tesla car.  Again the proceeds were to be donated to CHEO.  Steve Flood won the first auction with a top bid of $43.  The second auction was won by Tyler Jordan after bidding $55.  Finally, the last auction was won by Nathalie Martin of Moncton, NB., after bidding $70.  Thank you so much to everyone for your generous bidding!  CCS would also like to thank Brad and Connie Young for assembling and raffling off 2 Pocono Prize Packages. Congratulations to Jordyn Horner and Danica Yuill for winning these amazing racing souvenirs!  Lastly, a special thanks goes out to the director of www.PoconoBusTrip.com, Scott McIssac, for setting up a complex grand prize raffle and donating 2 grand prize tickets to the 2015 Nascar race at Pocono International Raceway.  Scott will be drawing 3 raffle finalist tickets from each of the next 5 race nights.  After he obtains the 15 finalists, there will be a grand prize draw at SummerSlam for the Nascar tickets.  Congratulations to Brad Young, Peter Limlaw and Marg Morgan for being selected as this week’s 3 raffle finalists!

    

This week again saw a lot of prizes given away, however, this was not to overshadow the racing.  The heat races were full of excitement and the stage was definitely set for a thrilling night of feature racing!  The Drummond’s Gas 20 lap Late Model feature was up first of the list.  The race began with Paul Dejong (car #88) and Chris Ferguson (car #08) in the pole positions.  The racing was door to door and hub to hub!  Unfortunately, by lap 5 someone had to give as Tim Kirby (car #10) got into the rear bumper of Ferguson.  Ferguson spun and the caution flag flew.  On the restart, Dejong had a new challenger, Steve Munro (car #00).  In fact, Justin Holtom was also present lurking behind Dejong in third spot.  It wasn’t long before Dejong lost the lead to Munro.  Furthermore, Holtom moved into second position on lap 7.  The race was going well until lap 10, when Ferguson accidentally dumped Sean Kennedy (car #14) on the front stretch.  The two drivers would do battle again on lap 13 resulting in them both receiving a black flag.  For those whom are not familiar, a racer receiving a black flag is equivalent to the driver being disqualified.  Meanwhile, Munro and Holtom were battling for the lead.  However, out of nowhere came Tim Kirby on the outside line.  Kirby flew by Munro and Holtom!  Kirby’s car must have been set up perfectly to stick that way to the outside line.  After Kirby passed by, Holtom followed to pass Munro for second place.  Kirby would ultimately hang on and cruise to victory.

  

The ProFlow Plumbing Services Sportsman Modified 12 lap feature race was up next.  Heat winner Joey Evans (car #09) paced the field.  Points leader Dana Aikens (car #8a) started on the outside of the front row.  However, Evans was phenomenal as his car just took off after the green flag dropped.  After lap 5, Evans had over a 5 car length lead.  The remaining four cars appeared as if they were on a string for the remainder of the race.  However, this night belonged to Evans as he easily took home the victory.

This weeks Enstone Construction 10 lap Legends feature consisted of the highest car count of the season!  The race started with the announcement that the race teams of Brian Saunders (car #15) and Brent Egan/Kevin Foisy (car #57) would be donating their driver payouts to CHEO.  That was a wonderful gesture!  Brad Haufe (car #17) and Steve Yendall (car #1) made up the front row.  This race had a slow start.  It was not until the fourth restart before we successfully recorded a lap.  After lap 1, Matt Haufe (car #7) and Saunders were battling for the lead.   Haufe eventually took the lead.  However, the lead was quickly lost.  On lap 5, Haufe got loose in turn 2 and from out of nowhere Chris Zieren (car #51) slid by on the inside lane.  Saunders seized the moment and followed Zieren.  This was a familiar site for Zieren and Saunders.  In fact, the two battled last Saturday at Evans Mills speedway.  On that occasion Saunders had won the feature.  Saunders was looking for the repeat win.  The next couple of laps saw Saunders all over the back bumper of Zieren.  Zieren was doing everything he could to hang on to the lead.  But, miraculously on the final turn of the race, Saunders put the pedal to the metal and passed Zieren on the inside.  Saunders took the victory for the second time in a week from Zieren!

The Autovation Thunder 10 lap feature race was up next.  Before I begin, I just wanted to mention that I was approached before the race by points leader Neil Leblond (car #88).  Leblond explained to me that the night before he had a dream.  Leblond dreamt that he had won this week’s feature race and that his picture was all over the front page of the CCS website!  Wow, what a vision!  This made me eager to see how this feature race was going to pan out.  Keith Riddell (car #59) and Casey Cavanagh (car #49) made up the front row at the beginning of the race.  The second row consisted of the blossoming rivals Leblond and Jessica Pasinetti (car #56).  After the first 3 laps, Leblond and Pasinetti were battling for top spot.  Unfortunately for Pasinetti, Leblond was firing on all cylinders as he began to pull away from the field by lap 5.  By the end, Leblond had finished the race victoriously and lived the dream!

In the Stittsville Trailers 10 lap Mini Stock feature race, Derek Demont (car #7) and Cory Wilson (car #33) paced the field.  Wilson pulled out to an early lead after the drop of the green flag.  Unlike most weeks, Jason Moss (car #12) and Nolan Gould (car #28) were not factors in this race.  The ultimate factor in this race proved to be visiting driver Danny Benedict (car #54).  After lap 3, Benedict had moved from ninth to third position.  This race was loaded with excitement!  Cars were going into the corners three wide.  In turn 3 of lap 4, Benedict and “Dentman” Dave Watchorn (car #97) moved to the front of the pack and battled for the lead.  The two drivers were on a string for the remainder of the race.  This night would see visiting driver Benedict take home the checkers.  I hope this is not the last we see of this surprising visitor!

The final regular class feature of the night was the 4FF SFL Metal Works race.  This race was an 8 lap affair.  The race began with rookie Joann Blais (car #81) starting in the pole position.  Although, this was not the enduro race, cars were all over the speedway.  In fact, on lap 5, Malcolm “Pops” MacDonald (car #80) even took a shortcut through the infield to get to the pits.  After all was said and done, this night belonged to Blais as he went on to win this feature event. 

Finally, the night was ended with a 100 lap Enduro.  There were a total of 33 entries in the race.  Unfortunately, due to the City of Ottawa noise bylaw, the race was cut short at 58 laps.  The race winners were Dave Quinton (car #78) and Milton Dennie (car #25th) in the 8 and 4 cylinder classes, respectively.

This coming week, Wednesday evening, August 13, 2014, is Strongco night.  The race night will feature Late Models, Legends, Mini Stock, Thunder and 4-For-Fun divisions.  Also in town is the special feature Vintage Modifieds.  In addition, it’s fan appreciation night!  The races will start at 7:15 pm sharp!  Regular general admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for teens (13-16) and as always children 12 & under are free.