Head of the sportsman class
Cody McPherson wins two of three races to win King of the Crates series at Merrittville Speedway
When the going got tough, Cody McPherson kept going faster.
On Saturday night the St. Catharines sportsman driver raced to his fifth victory of the season at Merrittville Speedway despite losing commanding three-second leads on restarts with nine and two laps remaining in the feature.
His victory over Brad Rouse, also of St. Catharines, and Chad Chevalier of Port Colborne in the 40-lap, $1,000-to-win Gabe Bellante Memorial also gave him the championship in this year’s King of the Crates racing series.
McPherson and St. Catharines’ Justin Sharp came into the final round of the three-race series with one win apiece, but a multiple-car collision along the front stretch two laps in sent Sharp to the pit area and knocked him out of contention for the King of the Crates title.
Top five in the King of the
If you don’t hit that cushion right, it will take you out. Luckily for me, I hit it tonight.” Cody McPherson
Crates standings are McPherson, with 294 points; Brent Begolo, Thorold, 249; Rouse, 244; Paul Gaboury, Welland, 244; and Rob Knapp, Niagara Falls, 233.
McPherson’s victory by eight car lengths over Rouse, the frontrunner for much of Saturday night’s marquee race, was credited to taking advantage of a cushion at the top of a tacky clay racing surface at the Thorold track.
“If you don’t hit that cushion right, it will take you out. Luckily for me, I hit it tonight,” said McPherson, who is on pace to win his first points championship since 2014.
Knapp and Jay Mallory of St. Catharines rounded out the top five as racing returned to Merrittville following a two-week break.
A moist track that enhanced tire grip treated fans to some of the fastest action they have enjoyed all season at the speedway.
In his victory lane comments, Hoosier stock winner Dave Bailey of Hagersville said he didn’t know whether to thank track maintenance crews or a lucky star for his second win of 2016 at Merrittville.
“Whoever it is, I sure appreciate it. I like a tacky track,” said Bailey, who won street stock feature the night before at Ohsweken Speedway where he is the defending points champion.
Speaking of reigning champions, Chad Brachmann of Sanborn, N.Y., who took the 358 modified track title at Merrittville last season, and Pete Bicknell of St. Catharines, the winner of 23 championships – and counting – overall, exchanged leads – and some paint – for much of the 35lap nailbiter.
They also exchanged condolences after Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, N.Y., made a decisive charge with two laps remaining to win his second of the season at Merrittville.
Rudolph, who regularly races south of the border and is among the top winners on the dirt track circuit in the northeast U.S., said he was content to stay in third while biding his time.
“I was hoping maybe I would be able to find something at the end and make a move,” he said.
Ransomville’s Ryan Susice and Smithville’s Mark D’Ilario roundRIO
Ransomville’s Ryan Susice and Smithville’s Mark D’Ilario rounded out the top five in the 358 modified feature.
Tyler Lafantaisie of Welland edged Tony Kelly of Niagara Falls in a battle of hard chargers that went down to the wire before the mini stock main was decided.
Lafantaisie, who started the 15-lapper seven rows back on the inside, said he needed to keep Kelly, who went to the green in Row 5, also on the inside, from settling into a front-running groove.
“Tony’s very good on the inside. I just had to keep him out of the bottom,” Lafantaisie said after winning his fifth of the year by little more than a car length.
Saturday night’s other series race, a 20-lap TUSA Special for late models, was the only feature that was devoid of drama. Beamville’s Paul Klager, the winner of Round 1 at the beginning of the season, cruised to a flag-to-flag victory over Derek Wagner, Medina, N.Y.; Jamie Gilbert, Welland; Jeffrey May, Mount Hope, Ont., near Hamilton; and Chris Watson, Niagara Falls.
Josh Sliter of Ridgeway placed seventh in the field of 15 in the mod lite feature after his car rolled and landed on its roof with two laps remaining in a qualifying heat.
Footpower replaced horsepower in children’s box car races that took place on the front stretch during intermission. Carter Gaboury, 5, of Welland; Brennan Hagar, 8, Welland; and Savannah Fontaine, 10, Port Colborne; won their age groups, while Scarlett Gaboury, 8, Welland; was awarded the best in show prize for a fire engine-red vintage race car with gleaming black tires.
Racing returns next Saturday with the final race in the Triple Crown Series for mini stocks and the Bill Willard Sr. Sterling Silver Sportsman Event. BFranke@postmedia.com