Brad Rouse races to second win a row

Two defending track championships were among the repeat winners who ended Sunday night’s racing program at New Humberstone Speedway in Victory Lane.

Brad Rouse of St. Catharines won his second in a row and third of the season in Sportsman, the top division at the Port Colborne track, while Dave Bailey posted win No. 2 in Street Stocks.

There was only one newcomer who made his way to victory lane on a program sponsored by Walters Excavating. Features in each of the other five regular racing divisions were dominated by a driver who won for at least the second time this year.

Chad Homan of Macedon, N.Y., took his third checkered flag of 2017 in Humberstone’s Late Model class on a night when Kyle Tomaski from Dain City also celebrated his third win of the year in Pro 4 Trucks,

Jason Coutu of St. Catharines, who lost on a lap-last pass, almost under the tower at the finish line the night before at Merrittville Speedway, raced to his first victory of the season Sunday in Port Colborne.

Adam Leslie and fellow Port Colborne driver Tyler Puchalski were the co-pole sitters for the 25-lap Sportsman feature. Rouse quickly overtook Puchalski for second with Leslie setting the pace for the first six circuits.

That pecking order changed – for good, as it would turn out – when Rouse went outside to pass Leslie on the back straightaway on Lap 7 to take the lead. He pulled away from the rest of the field after that for the win.

Jim Lampman of Caistor Centre and Jason Fontaine of Port Colborne led the field to the green flag for the 20-lap main event in the Street Stock class. A back-andforth battle between Lampman and Fontaine for the front-runner position ended when Bailey moved into first seven laps into the feature.

Fontaine battled Bailey for the lead following a restart on Lap 11 but the hometown hopeful was unable to keep up the reigning 8-cylinder champ at three tracks – Humberstone, Merrittville, Ohsweken - the rest of the way.

In the 20-lap Late Models feature it was Jeff Dayman of Welland setting the pace early on and Homan overtaking second from R.J. Pietz of Port Colborne five laps in.

Three laps later it was Dayman’s turn to fall victim to the hard-charging Homan, who remained in first the rest of the way despite two caution flags and running into lap traffic with five laps remaining in the race.

Sam Iftody of Fenwick and Fabio Oliveri of Thorold started the 15-lap Mini Stocks feature in the front row, with Coutu overtaking Oliveri for the lead three laps in.

Nearing the halfway mark it was Coutu locked in a fender-to-fender battle with Caledon driver and defending champion Kyle Haynes for the top spot.

However, unlike the night before, Sunday was Coutu’s night. Even a restart following a rollover by Brian Smith exiting Turn 4 and two late cautions could prevent Coutu from racing to his first win of the season.

Smith climbed out of his car under his own power after it went over the edge and landed on its roof in the gulch.

Tomaski pulled away from Port Colborne’s Craig Vlasic, his copole sitter in the truck feature, and remained the front-runner the rest of the way despite encountering lap traffic as early as the midway point of the 15-lapper.

Following are results from Sunday night’s feature races at New Humberstone Speedway as well as the heat winners: PC Works DIRTcar Sportsman: Brad Rouse, Tyler Puchalski, Adam Leslie, Cody McPherson, Dave Flannigan Jr, Chad Chevalier, Jay Mallory, Darrell Farraway, Dylan Davidson, Jordan Cosco,

Dave Bailey Tom Richau Jr., Chris Storm, Emily Puchalski, Gord McIntosh, Chad Brown, Jeff Armstrong, A.J Custodi. Heat winners: Farraway, McPherson Maple Leaf Foods RUSH

Late Models: Chad Homan, Jeff Day man,R.J.Pietz,S am Penn ac ch io, Tim Gillespie, Stan Zanchin, Jay Liverance, Mike Greene, Ted Tremblay, Ken Winfield. Heat winner: Pietz.

JC Auto Street Stocks: Dave Bailey, Jason Fontaine, Ryan Dinning, Kyle Pelrine, Ken Sargent, Bryce Richardson, Billy Bleich Jr., Barry Beck Jr., Rob Disher, Donny Lampman, Kevin Kocarik, Jim Lampman, Brian Teeple, Rich Champigny, John Overholt, Risi George. Heat winners: Richardson, Bailey. Cosco Haulage Mini Stocks: Jason Coutu, Kyle Haynes, Cole Hardy, Jonathan Ayrton, Kyle Rothwell, Olivier Larocque, Jay Moulton, Fabio Oliveri, Evan Curtis, Tom Neale, Brandon Iudiciani, Sam Iftody, Mike Sarantakos, Tony Kelly, Rob Sauder, David Hoyle, Teeple, Brian Crosgrove, Clinton Nicholls, Brian Smith. Did Not Start: Leroy Buscumb. Heat winners: Ayrton, Buscumb, Coutu. Mike Knapp Ford Pro 4 Trucks: Kyle Tomaski, Dylan Llord, Craig Vlasic, Mitch Dumont, Danny Wurster, Nate Monahan, Taylor Vanderzanden, Kevin Conley, Jesse Sonnenberg, Jamie Ayers. Heat winner: Tomaski.

A racers-only demolition derby, originally set to run Sunday night, was scrapped after only two participants registered. The demolition derby that was originally scheduled for earlier in the season, has been rescheduled and added to the Sunday, July 23, racing card.

The racing action continues at Humberstone on Sunday as the Metro Group of Companies presents a full card of racing plus Vintage Cars, All Canadian Championship Time Trials for the RUSH Late Models and its Autograph Night! Pit gates will open at 4:30 p.m. Grandstands at 5 p.m. with race time scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Notes: A total of 73 cars and trucks were pitside for a five-division program that wrapped up at 9:25 p.m. … Time trials were conducted for the Mini Stocks and Pro 4 Trucks for the All-Canadian Championships, with Olivier Larocque, in Mini Stocks; and Craig Vlasic clocking the fastest times… Time trials set the heat lineups … Drivers who cannot attend a time trial but want to race on All-Canadian Championship Night Sunday, Aug. 6, will will be added to the rear of the field in qualifying heats.