Reigning champ opens year with win
Chad Chevalier sets the pace on hometown track as Humberstone begins 59th season
Chad Chevalier’s Sportsman car has a big number 12 in bright orange on its sides, right where the doors would be if purposebuilt racers in New Humberstone Speedway’s premier class had doors.
Nowhere on the rear of the powerful machine, in any size, in any colour, is there an X or a bull’s-eye.
Yes, the 41-year-old native is the defending points champion at this hometown track, but he doesn’t feel he has a target on his back as the driver to beat.
“No extra pressure really,” he said before racing to victory in the dirt track’s 59th season opener Sunday night. “You just come out here and try to win every race you can.”
Nowadays The division, which also runs regularly at Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, is especially competitive. Any of several drivers could take the checkered flag on any given night, added the 20-year racing veteran, speaking from experience.
“It’s tough racing with this group of guys,” Chevalier, a carpenter at Home Hardware in Port Colborne, said. “There are a lot of good guys in it.
“Just try and do the best you can every week.”
While Merrittville is D-shaped and Humberstone an oval, both 3/8-mile banked clay tracks are remarkably similar, according to Chevalier, a driver who has plenty of seat time at both Niagara stops on the racing circuit.
“We use the same setup,” he said. “It’s just a little bit different configuration.”
Chevalier grew up racing at Humberstone, but that doesn’t necessarily give him home-track advantage.
“I think we all think that,” he said with a laugh.
Last year’s championship car is back for another season of racing mostly intact.
“Just a couple of new parts, a new motor again,” he said.
“Same old body, that’s it.
“We kept it exactly the way it was.”
Sunday night’s race was only the second of the season for Chevalier. His first, two weeks ago at Merrittville’s season opener, also ended in victory lane.
At Humberstone, Chevalier and Greg Panunte exchanged the lead in the early going of the 25-lap feature.
Chevalier set the pace the rest of the way following a Lap 5 restart, but he wasn’t able to cruise to victory. Panunte was able to make up some lost ground, though not all of it, after a couple of mid-race cautions brought the field back together for the restarts.
Cody McPherson, Brad Rouse and Darrell Farraway rounded out the top five in the feature, while Rouse, Adam Leslie and Chevalier won their qualifying heats.
Another reigning Humberstone points king who started 2018 on a winning note was Chad Homan. in Late Models. The hotshoe from Macedon, N.Y., east of Rochester, led John Pinsonneault, Sam Pennacchio, T.J. Downs and Kyle Sopaz across the finish line in a dominating performance in the 20-lap feature.
Port Colborne’s Leroy Buscumb and St. Catharines’ Dylan Llord took checkered flags in Mini Stocks and 4-cylinder trucks, respectively, but opening week wasn’t a sweep for familiar faces in the winners circle at at Humberstone.
Hagersville’s Dave Bailey and Port Colborne’s Jason Fontaine, who have combined to take five of the past eight track championships in Thunder Stocks, finished second and third behind Belleville’s Justin Ramsay in the feature.
Kyle Pelrine and Pete Reid rounded out the top five. Pelrine and Ramsay were the heat winners.
Kyle Rothwell led the main event in Mini Stocks from the green flag. He withstood challenges from Jillian Hills and Buscumb until Lap 9, when Buscumb became the front-runner and held off Hils the rest of the way for the win.
Rounding out the top five were Rothwell, Olivier Larocque and Rob Sauder. Buscumb, Cole Hardy and Alex Riley finished first in the heats.
Llord began defence of his second, consecutive 4-cylinder truck championship holding off co-polesitter Mitch Dumont for the win in the 15-lap feature. Llord took the lead four laps in and maintained his front-running position following a caution of Lap 9.
Nearly 90 race cars and trucks were registered in the pits for an opening night show that ended with fireworks in celebration of the Victoria Day holiday.
Weather permitting, racing returns next Sunday as Walters Excavating presents Don Simpson Memorial Night. Gates open at 4 p.m. with the first race getting underway two hours later.