Titles on the line
Chase for Merrittville 4- and 8-cylinder track championships going down to wire
Championships in all divisions wrap up when dirt track racing returns to Merrittville Speedway this weekend.
Family autograph night and an extra-distance race, the 50lap John Spencer Memorial for drivers in the modified 358 class, highlight Saturday’s program at the Thorold track.
With a 74-point lead at the speedway where wins are worth 60 points, Cody McPherson of St. Catharines has already clinched his fourth sportsman track title in the past eight years and his first since 2014.
Brent Begolo of Thorold, 848 points; Paul Gaboury, Welland, 830; Jay Mallory, St. Catharines, 816; and Brad Rouse, St. Catharines, 814; round out the top five in the sportsman standings heading into season finale.
Only no-shows will prevent St. Catharines’ Pete Bicknell and Ridgeway’s Josh Sliter from ending the season as division champs. Bicknell, who only has to start Saturday’s feature to clinch for his 24th career title and first at Merrittville since 2013, leads Ridgeway’s Gary Lindberg, last year’s sportsman winner, 980-939 in modified 358, while Sliter has a 726678 margin over Welland’s Rob Misener in the race for the mod lite championship.
Sliter was the driver who couldn’t be beat in the division last year as well as in 2012 and 2013.
Ryan Susice, Ransomville, N.Y., 920; defending champion Chad Brachmann, Sanborn, N.Y., 912; and Chris Steele, St. Catharines, 870; currently round out the top five in modified 358, the premier racing class at the 3/8-mile track.
The rest of the top five in mod lites heading into Saturday night’s program are Steven Beckett, Fonthill, 658; R.J. Pietz, Port Colborne, 628; abd Chris Watson, Niagara Falls, 616.
Races for points championships are closest in the 8- and 4-cylinder divisions. Two-time defending Hoosier stock champion Mark Fawcett of Canfield, Ont., leads Dave Bailey of Hagersville 847-840, and Tyler Lafantaisie heads fellow Wellander Kyle Rothwell 820-801 in mini stocks heading into the weekend.
Bailey, the defending points champ at Ohsweken Speedway and the current points leader at both New Humberstone Speedway and Ohsweken, has been on a hot streak of late, winning seven of seven starts, including five in a row.
He snapped Fawcett’s threerace winning streak at Merrittville by racing to checkered flags in each of the past two programs in Thorold.
Pete Reid, Stevensville, 810 points; Chris Crawford, Welland 786; and Jim Lampman, Caistor Centre, 768; round out the top five in the Hoosier stock point standings.
Last weekend Rothwell edged Tony Kelly of Niagara Falls by 4/10ths of a second to win his sixth feature of the season at his hometown track. The thrilling come-from-behind victory also gave Rothwell the Triple Crown Series championship.
Kelly, in his first year behind the year following a two-year absence, is third in the standings, with 776 points. Jay Moulton, St. Catharines, 629; and Sam Iftody, Fenwick, 618; are fourth and fifth, respectively.
Trevor Wright, 14, of Smithville has a 568-530 lead over Sean Dominey in the race for the firstever track championship in the speedway’s newest racing class, novice sportsman. Rounding out the top five are John Babion, Port Colborne, 352; Chris Watters, Springville, Ont., near Alymer, 348; and Tom Richau, Cambria, N.Y., 244.
Merrittville’s other racing series this year, the three-event David Chevrolet Kings of the Crates for sportsman, wrapped up with a top of McPherson, 294 points; Begolo, 249; Rouse and Gaboury, each with 244; and Rob Knapp, Niagara Falls, 233.
Round 3 of the Eataly Foods Pro 4 Triple Truck Challenge is set for Friday, Sept. 9, with the 50lap, $1,000-to-win Hoosier Stock Duel on the Dirt going to the green one night later.
Merrittville’s 65th season wraps up Sunday, Sept. 11, with a 100lap enduro and a monster truck show.