Rouse races to 9th win
Sportsman driver heads into holiday weekend leading both Niagara tracks in points race
Brad Rouse’s successful season racing on dirt tracks in Niagara continued Sunday night in Port Colborne with — what else? — another appearance in victory lane.
With five laps remaining in the Sportsman feature the veteran racer from St. Catharines overtook hometown hopeful Chad Chevalier for the lead and went on to win for the fifth time at New Humberstone Speedway, and for the ninth time overall in the region.
Rouse, the defending Humberstone track champion, also has four wins so far this season at Merrittville Speedway. He entered the week atop the driver point standings at both tracks.
Luke Carleton, who started Sunday night’s main event in the front row beside Chevalier, reigning Merrittville champion Cody McPherson and Jay Mallory rounded out the top five. Division rookie Emily Puchalski and older brother Tyler each set the pace in their qualifying heats.
Crate Sprint Cars visited Humberstone Speedway for the second time this summer, and Dylan Westbrook of Oakland, Ont., southwest of Brantford, visited victory lane, also for the second time.
Westbrook, the victor when the Empire Super Sprints raced at Merrittville in late June, moved into second place following a Lap 1 caution and overtook co-pole sitter Jerry Hill for the lead six circuits into the 20-lap feature.
Following Hill across the finish line to round out the top five were Jesse McDonald, Aaron Turkey and Mike Thorne, the other pole sitter. Thorne and Hannah Ferrell set the pace in the heats.
Chad Homan’s pace-setting performance in one of two qualifying heats in Humberstone’s Late Models class was duplicated in the feature race. After heading to the green flag sharing the front row with Jeff Dayman, Homan trailed only Dayman until he took over the lead on Lap 12 and remained the front-runner the rest of the way despite the best efforts of Rob Pietz in the late going.
It was win No. 4 of the Humberstone season for the hotshoe from Macedon, N.Y., east of Rochester.
Sunday night’s six-division, which was sponsored by Reeb House, featured two first-time winners and a racer who was visiting victory lane at his hometown track for the second time this season.
In Street Stocks, Billy Bleich Jr. of Port Robinson took his first checkered flag after pulling away from defending champion Dave Bailey and Ken Sargent on a restart following a restart on Lap 6.
Craig Vlasic of Welland took advantage of a a starting position on the outside pole to race to his first victory of the season in Pro 4 Trucks.
Vlasic led Dylan Llord, the reigning points champion, and Kyle Tomaski by as much as half a straightway by the midway point of the feature.
Jay Moulton and Mike Sarantakos shared the pole for the 15lap Mini Stocks feature, but Leroy Buscumb of Port Colborne needed only a lap to overtake Sarantakos for second.
Buscumb completed the charge to the front five laps later holding onto the lead the rest of the way for his second win of the season.
Max Chichuck outraced Neil Martens, Richard Hare and Tina Ronning for the win in the third qualifier in the Cooper Motorsports Minivans of Mayhem Series.
Following are results from Reeb House Night at the Races:
Crate Sprint Cars: Dylan Westbrook, Jerry Hill, Jesse McDonald, Aaron Turkey, Mike Thorne, Jacob Dykstra, Hannah Ferrell, Holly Porter, Josh Hansen, Paul Ballantyne, Brandon Murrell, Brian Nanticoke, Allan Gilletta, Dan Nanticoke, Liam Martin, Trevor Young, Steven Beckett. Heat winners: Mike Thorne, Hannah Ferrell.
PC Works DIRTcar Sportsman: Brad Rouse, Chad Chevalier, Luke Carleton, Cody McPherson, Jay Mallory, Adam Leslie, Justin Sharp, Jordan Cosco, Dylan Davidson, Mark Chiddy, Tom Richau Jr, Gord McIntosh, Robbie Johnston, Emily Puchalski, Sarah Johnson, Tyler Puchalski, Rob Goulding. Heat winners: Emily Puchalski, Tyler Puchalski
Maple Leaf Foods RUSH Late Models: Chad Homan, Rob Pietz, Jeff Dayman, Tim Gillespie, Sam Pennacchio, Colton Ledingham, Stan Zanchin, Mike Greene, Ken Winfield, Ted Tremblay, Jimmy Johnson, Jay Liverance. Heat winners: Rob Pietz, Chad Homan.
JC Auto Street Stocks: Billy Bleich Jr., Dave Bailey, Ryan Dinning, Ken Sargent, Dave Small, Jason Fontaine, Barry Beck Jr, Bryce Richardson, Mike Miller, Brett Rodwell, Derek VanMil, Brian Teeple, Jim Lampman, Kyle Pelrine, John Overholt, Champ Champigny. Heat winners: Kyle Pelrine, Dave Bailey.
Cosco Haulage Mini Stocks: Leroy Buscum,, Olivier Larocque, Kyle Haynes, Jay Moulton, Jason Coutu, Jonathan Ayrton, Cole Hardy, Fabio Oliveri, Brandon Iudiciani, Mike Sarantakos, Dave Small, Patrick Abrahamson, Sam Iftody, Kourtney Kocarik, David Hoyle, Evan Curtis. Heat winners: Olivier Larocque, Fabio Oliveri.
Mike Knapp Ford Pro 4 Trucks: Craig Vlasic, Dylan Llord, Kyle Tomaski, Mitch Dumont, Taylor Vanderzanden, Terry Ronning, Danny Wurster, Kevin Conley, Jesse Sonnenberg. Did not start: Nate Monahan. Heat winners: Mitch Dumont, Dylan Llord.
Next Sunday’s All-Canadian Championships will feature Street Stocks racing in the Duel of the Dirt Series, Vintages Cars, as well as action in Sportsman, Late Models, Mini Stocks and Pro 4 Trucks.
Also part of a Canal Days weekend program are a post-race party in the camping area and a Tribute to the Troops honouring the Wounded Warriors of Canada.
Vehicles from the first and second world wars will on display with pre-race festivities featuring the firing of two Howitzer cannons and a DC 3 warplane with eight parachute jumpers.
All veterans showing proper identification will be admitted free of charge. Racing gets underway at 6 p.m.
Notes: A total of 88 cars and trucks were pitside Sunday night in Port Colborne … Adam Leslie set the fastest time in time trials for the All-Canadian Championships for the Sportsman class. The Port Colborne driver will be on the pole for heat race No. 1 next week.
Qualifying to the Max
Max Chichalk had a beater that just couldn’t be beat on the weekend.
Sunday’s winner of Round 3 Minivans of Mayhem Series at Humberstone also round himself in victory lane the night before at Merrittville.
Chichalk overtook James Mercer eight laps into the final qualifier for a season-ending Enduro and the battled Mercer and Stephen Conway for the lead until a red flag on Lap 18.
Chichalk regained top spot after the restart and held off Jeremy Cooper, Conway, Shawn MacDonald and Jon MacWhirter for the win.
He will now start Seaway Mall Motorized Mayhem 100-lap Enduro Sunday, Aug. 27, in third spot behind Cooper and Rob Goulding, who both won the other Vansickle Pet Valu & Groomingdale’s Qualifiers sponsored by Niagara College.