Drivers treat race fans on track
Welland driver Vince Pagnotta had a sweet ride Saturday night at Merrittville Speedway.
So did fellow Mini Stock racer Jeremy Smith of Caistor Centre.
They were among the drivers who doled out treats in addition to shaking hands, giving high-fives and handing out postcards of their race cars on Autograph Night at the Thorold track.
Pagnotta’s No. 13 Mustang was among the most popular stops along the frontstretch on a highoctane version of Halloween, minus the costumes and the tricks but plus the mud of a clay track
He was handing out double-size O Henry chocolate bars, courtesy of a company that supplies vending machines. The company is a sponsor of the car that competes in Merrittville’s 4-cylinder division.
Smith was handing out candy as was Tony Kelly, a Mini Stock veteran from Niagara Falls, while other drivers handed out potato chips along with their autographs as hundreds of fans, young and young at heart, got the opportunity to put a face behind the numerals on the sides of the race cars.
While Kelly went on to finish third in the feature, neither Pagnotta nor Smith benefited from anything sort of a sugar rush in their 15 circuits of the D-shaped track. Pagnotta finished 10th and Smith 20 as Alex Riley of Thorold beat Jay Moulton of St. Catharines by 0.669 seconds for his second checkered flag of the season.
Olivier Larocque of Port Colborne and Jason Coutu of St. Catharines rounded out the top five.
Hagersville’s Dave Bailey was once again firing on all eight cylinders in the 20-lap Hoosier Stock feature, just has he done in every one of his starts — at three tracks — this season.
Bailey, who won the night before at Ohsweken Speedway, crossed the finish line 1.73 seconds ahead of Vince Fargnoli of Niagara Falls to start the season 8-0.
Also in the top five were Trevor DeBoer, Hagersville; Steve Shaw, Merlin, Ont., near Chatham; and Kyle Pelrine, Beamsville.
Main events in Merrittville’s three other divisions also featured drivers making return visits to victory lane.
Mat Williamson of St. Catharines outraced Gary Lindberg of Ridgeway with 5.167 seconds to spare for the checkered flag in 358 Modified, while fellow three-time winner Brent Begolo of Thorold was nearly as dominant in the Mod Lite feature, besting Rob Misener of Welland by 4.259 seconds.
Brad Rouse beat Jay Mallory by 3.187 seconds in a battle for St. Catharines bragging rights for his second Sportsman win of the season.
St. Catharines’ Brandon Gruhl ended the 10-lap Novice Sportsman feature with a 0.912-second advantage over Thorold’s Greg Rausher.
Notes: Mod Lite driver R.J. Pietz was uninjured when his car rolled over in the heat but didn’t race in the feature … Begolo did double duty behind the wheel Saturday night finishing third in Sportsman.