Mini Stocks outrace wet weather
Not everyone was able to outrace Mother Nature at New Humberstone Speedway.
Only drivers in the Cosco Haulage Mini Stocks and the Mike Knapp Ford Pro 4 Trucks and divisions completed their heats and features before rain washed out the rest of Sunday night’s program at the Port Colborne track.
Points races in the Street Stock, Late Model and Sportsman classes were postponed, as was a visit by the Vintage Cars class. Dates for makeup features will be posted on the speedway’s website once they have been rescheduled.
Port Colborne’s Dave Small and St. Catharines’ Jay Moulton, shared the front row leading the Mini Stocks field to the green flag for the start of the 15-lap feature.
Moulton, the winner the night before at Merrittville Speedway, where he held off Tony Kelly for his first win of the year, set the pace until a spinout on the back straightaway brought out the first caution flag six laps in.
Small took over the lead on the restart with Leroy Buscumb and defending track champion Kyle Haynes overtaking Moulton for second and third place, respectively.
Buscumb’s Volkswagen lost its real axle in a spin in Turn 4 knocking him out of the running with five laps remaining.
Small maintained his position as the front runner despite two more restarts in the caution-filled race to take the checkered flag for the first time this season at his hometown track.
Brandon Iudiciani, Haynes, Olivier Larocque and Evan Curtis completed the top five, with Curtis, Iudiciani and Buscumb setting the pace in the heats.
Danny Wurster of Niagara Falls pulled away from Mitch Dumont of Welland, his co-pole sitter for the truck feature and remained in front for all 15 laps.
The flag-to-flag victory was the first of the season at Humberstone for the veteran racer.
Dylan Llord tried to overtake Dumont on Lap 5, but Dumont was able to hold off the defending points champion to finish second.
Taylor Vanderzanden and Craig Vlasic rounded out the top five. Dumont set the pace in the lone heat.
Also managing to get into the books before the rain started falling Sunday night were heats in the three other regular divisions, as well as two qualifiers to set the starting lineup in Vintage Cars. PC Works DIRTcar Sportsman: Chris Storm, Dave Flannigan Jr., Tyler Puchalski. Maple Leaf Foods RUSH Late Models: Rob Pietz, Sam Pennacchio. JC Auto Street Stocks: Dave Bailey, Ryan Dinning. Vintage Cars: Kevin Lawes, Dillon Sliter.
Sam Pennacchhio of Niagara Falls clocked the fastest time in time trials leading up to the AllCanadian Late Model Championships taking Sunday, Aug. 6, at Humberstone.
Pennacchio is in his third season competing in Late Models after racing to the track championship in his final years in 4-cylinder trucks.
Drivers who were unable to make a time trial but who still want to compete in the All-Canadian will be added to the rear of the qualifying field on the night of the race.
Around the circuit
In racing elsewhere on the racing circuit this past weekend it was Dinning, Bailey, Logan Shwedyk, Trevor DeBoer and Jason Lungaro making up the top five in the Thunder Stocks feature Friday night at Ohsweken Speedway. Bailey is the reigning 8-cylinder points champion at Humberstone, Merrittville and Ohsweken.
Ryan Susice, familiar to Merrittville fans as the driver-for-hire of Randy Slack’s spec engine-powered 3RS, won Friday night’s 358 Modified feature at Ransomville Speedway to increase his points lead over Erick Rudolph to 310 of 302.
Pete Bicknell of St. Catharines, the defending track champion at Merrittville, currently sits third in points at Ransomville, with 294.
Mat Williamson, also of St. Catharines, is second in points in the 358 Modified division at Merrittville, but tops the standings at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., northeast of Pittsburgh. He has already raced to 10 victories this season and leads Brian Swartzlander 274 points to 237.
Weather permitting, racing returns Sunday with Verge Insurance presenting Fan Appreciation Night. Featured will be $1 hotdogs, a side-by-side ATV/UTV race and time trials for the All-Canadian Championships for the Sportsman class.
Pit gates open at 4:30 p.m., the grandstand at 5 p.m. and racing getting underway at 6:30 p.m.
Humberstone notes: A total of 84 cars and trucks were pitside for Sunday’s show … Fans in attendance had the opportunity to head to the track to get their favorite drivers’ autographs during the popular Autograph Session … Flags were at half mast in memory of Bev Kish, who died recently. She was the mother of longtime racer Darren Kish and aunt to Adam Ferri.