BLOG: Border Patrol – A weekly look at racing from both sides of the 1000 Islands
Craig Revelle – August 8, 2011 — Picking up where we left off last weekend’s racing report, I had just finished five consecutive nights of racing to end the Month of July, and extended that to six straight nights of racing as I traveled with the Whitteker Motorsports team and driver Luke Whitteker to Merrittville Speedway on our holiday Monday last week. This week was still busy, but much less travel then the week before, with just four nights of racing starting with Brockville Speedway Go Karts on Wednesday, Mohawk International Raceway on Friday night, Brockville Speedway on Saturday night, and then Cornwall Speedway to end the weekend on Sunday.
The Brockville Speedway Go Kart track always provides some excitement as children from the age of five on up to teenagers battle on Wednesday nights. Several local kids from my hometown are involved with the Karting and it is fun to watch the progress of all of them. Matthew and Ryan McIntosh, Alex and Braden Nicholl-Carne, Mitchell and Jarrett Roantree and Kathryn Mitchell are just a few of the local racers turning up the Go Kart track on Wednesday nights. It is great family fun, and is a stepping-stone to the bigger cars like so many young stars have done before them.
On Friday night, my original plan was to attend Chapman’s Can Am Motorsports Park, but decided earlier that day to make the drive to Mohawk International Raceway in Hogansburg, New York instead. They had a full show of Modifieds, Sportsman, Mod Lites, Pro Stocks and Bandits. The Sportsman division had their first of three races in the Frenchie’s Ford Built Ford Tough Series, while the Pro Stocks had a Mohawk Racing Parts Pro Stock Series 50 lap feature. In the 25 lap Modified feature, Chris Raabe took the lead and looked well on his way to win the feature, which would have been his 100th win in open wheel Modified racing. With just six laps remaining he got a flat tire, opening the door for teammate and car owner Perry Francis. Francis led the remaining laps for his second win of the season. Mike Perrotte finished second, Matt Billings charged from 21st to come home third. Tim O’Brien was fourth and Raabe stormed back through the field to finish fifth. In the 35 lap Sportsman feature, Dillon Sallows led the race early but a right rear tire going down sent him to the pits. Dylan Evoy grabbed the top spot, and cruised to his seventh win of the season at Mohawk Raceway. Travis Back and Tom Benedict crossed the finish line in second and third, but later failed post race inspection. Josh Jock and Sheldon Hoogwerf rounded out the top five. Joey Ladouceur picked up the win in the 50 lap Pro Stock main event.
Next up was Brockville Speedway on Saturday night. Fan favorite Stephane Lafrance, who started the season off with several wins, but struggled a little of late returned to BOS victory lane over points rival Danny O’Brien in the 358 Modified division. Matt Billings finished third, Bobby Herrington was fourth and Adam Moore rounded out the top five. Just like the previous night, Dylan Evoy took home the win in the Sportsman division over a hard charging Shane Pecore. Chris Herbison, Ryan Poole and Brandon Hagan in his first career start at the BOS rounded out the top five.
A hot and sunny day at Cornwall Speedway quickly turned to cool and damp as rain moved into the area just after 5PM on Sunday night forcing Cornwall Speedway track officials to cancel the night’s racing events.
This coming weekend I will be at Chapman’s Can Am Motorsports Park on Friday night, as NASCAR driver and Speed TV Personality Kenny Wallace will be on hand racing in the Pro Late Model division. A full show of Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, Mod Lites and Thunder Cars will also be in action. On Saturday night, the action moves to Brockville Speedway for a full racing program of Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks and Rookies, plus the Vintage Modifieds. At Cornwall on Sunday night a full show of Modifieds, Sportsman, Semi Pro and Mini Stocks will be joined by the Vintage Modifieds for their only appearance at the track in 2011. Both the Mini Stocks and the Semi Pro class will run special 25 lap features.
I hope you continue to enjoy my weekly column, as always, any comments or suggestions can be sent to crevelle@ripnet.com. Please feel free to check out my website, www.finishlinewebdesign.ca. You can also follow my live up to the minute racing coverage via twitter right on the main page of my website, through Facebook at www.facebook.com/crevelle or by following the link on the main page of www.dirttrackdigest.com for full coverage of racing events throughout the DIRTcar racing community. If you would like a website for your race team or small business, send me a message and I will get back to you.
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