Hoosier Stock, 4-Cylinder drivers go 2-0
Five-division program highlights the official opening of Merrittville’s 71st season
Dave Bailey and Tyler Lafantaisie were again firing on all eight and four cylinders, respectively, when Merrittville Speedway officially opened its 71st racing season Saturday night in Thorold.
For the second time in as many weeks, Bailey, from Hagersville, Ont., set the pace in Hoosier Stock, the speedway’s 8-cylinder class. After winning his heat, the defending track champion held off Ryan Beagle to take the checkered flag in the 20-lap feature.
Lafantaisie, the reigning 4-Cylinder points king from Welland, also opened the season on the 3/8-mile clay track 2-0. He became the frontrunner — and stayed there — after starting the 15-lap main event seventh in a field of 20 cars and trucks.
Nobody was faster than Gary Lindberg over 35 laps in the 358 Modified feature, the show stopper on Saturday’s five-division program. The Ridgeway racer went on to lap up all but nine cars in 30 laps of green-flag racing after overtaking Pete Bicknell, the Week 1 winner, in the early going.
Cody Mcpherson of St. Catharines celebrated receiving his 2021 Sportsman track championship in a pre-race ceremony by setting the pace in both his heat, eight laps, and feature, 25 laps.
Fort Erie’s Tyler Winger held off Josh Sliter by less than a car length for the win in the first Mod Lite feature of the season.
Before going on to place ninth in the Sportsman feature, Brent Begolo, a third-generation racer from Toronto and the defending Mod Lite champion, set the pace until midrace contact with a lapped car ended his night early.
V6, the speedway’s entry-level racing class, is scheduled to make its 2022 debut next Saturday on a six-division program presented by Loop Point.
Weather permitting, 358 Modified, Sportsman, Sportsman, Hoosier Stock, Mod Lite and 4-Cylinder are also scheduled to run.
Pits open at 5 p.m., main gates at 5:30 p.m., with on-track action beginning with hot laps at 6:30 p.m.
Following are the top five, heat winners, the margin of victory, as well as fastest lap times and starting fields from the five-division Peters Construction Night program Saturday:
Corr/pak Merchandising 358 Modified, 35 laps 1. Gary Lindberg, 2. Ryan Susice, 3. Pete Bicknell, 4. Chad Chevalier, 5. Fred Carleton.
Heat winners Scott Wood, Chevalier. Margin of victory 4.052. Fastest lap Lindberg, 17.106. fifth lap.
Starting field 18.
Right Choice Auto & Leisure DIRTCAR Sportsman, 25 laps 1. Cody Mcpherson, 2. Adam Leslie, 3. Rob Knapp, 4. Jay Mallory, 5. James Michael Friesen. Heat winners Bleich, Friesen. Margin of victory 4.238. Fastest lap Taylor Vanderzanden, 17.311, fifth lap. Starting field 21.
Hoosier Tire Canada Hoosier Stock, 20 laps 1. Dave Bailey, 2. Ryan Beagle, 3. Rob Murray, 4. Jason Fontaine, 5. Mark Fawcett.
Heat winners Fontaine, Bailey. Margin of victory 0.401. Fastest lap Beagle, 18.837, 11th lap. Starting field 15.
Rona Doidge Building Centre Mod Lites, 20 laps 1. Tyler Winger, 2. Josh Sliter, 3. Sean Iftody, 4. Jeffery May, 5. Rob Misener. Margin of victory 0.173. Fastest lap Winger, 17.546, seventh lap. Field 18.
Vansickle Pet Valu/pv on the Lane 4-Cylinders, 15 laps 1. Tyler Lafantasie, 2. Trevor Deboer, 3. John Lubeck. 4. Brian Aube, 5. Shawn Kues. Margin of victory 1.569. Heat winners Vincent Pagnotta, Clinton Barrick, Jay Moulton. Fastest lap Lafantasie, 20.064, 14th lap. Starting field 20.