MOSPORT SPEEDWAY RACE RECAP FOR MAY 21, 2011
Scott Harrison Takes First Career Late Model Feature Win (BOWMANVILLE, ON – May 24, 2011) Despite precarious weather conditions, a full pit area greeted the returning Mosport Speedway faithful on May 21, as Canada’s Fastest Half-Mile Paved Oval swung open its gates to kick off the 22nd year of Saturday Night Stock Car Racing. Following a seemingly endless, eight month off-season, it didn’t take the Speedway competitors long to knock off the rust, along with a variety of automotive body parts. |
The Pure Stocks The newly re-badged Pure Stock (formerly Six Or Less) cars were given the honour of initiating the 2011 season with four different drivers, Kevin Hinds, Kyle Hope, Nick Mulders and defending series champion Kevin Pickford, claiming heat race victories. A host of mechanical, early season maladies limited the feature grid to 13 starters, but there was no shortage of racing action, especially at the front of the field. Family patriarch Hank Mulders (#99) grabbed the early feature lead, with Kevin Hinds in his copper-coloured #57 Grand Am slotting into second place after a tremendous jump up from his Row Five starting position. In full charge mode, Hinds out braked Mulders as the pair entered Turn Three on the second lap, assuming the race lead, a position that he would not relinquish. Following a furious, three-car scramble, Nick Mulders (#89) emerged with the runner-up spot, tenaciously holding on to Hinds’ back bumper for the remaining 12 laps. “I’ve been waiting all winter to get back in the car and onto the track, the neighbours get a little upset when I try to race on the street,” laughed an exuberant Hinds. “The secret this year was the help I got from Trevor Coppins, who gave me advice on how to make this car handle better.” Duane Jeffery (#26 Camaro) crossed the stripe in a lonely third place, six car lengths behind the race-leading duo, with past champions Kevin Pickford and Jeff Scott rounding out the top five. The Bob’s Towing Sportsman Next up on the opening night schedule were the Bob’s Towing Sportsman cars, and it was John Baker Jr. in his #63 Marksmen Club Monte Carlo putting on a driving clinic, taking the checkered flag eight car lengths clear of 2009 champion Bill Northam (#85 Five Points Mall Pontiac) with Bob Kish in the #78 Chevrolet a similar distance further back in third spot. An incredible opening lap charge gave Baker his advantage, as he powered past seven rivals by Turn Three to assume the point. “I was so far back and I knew I needed to pull a rabbit out of my hat,” explained ‘Big John’ from the Winner’s Circle. “Coming to the green flag I suddenly found a big hole and charged through it. I held the gas wide open and when the car stuck going into (turn) One, I knew I had it.” An early yellow flag for contact between Anthony DiBello and Todd Cormier regrouped the pack, but Baker would not be denied as he simply powered away from the Bob’s Towing Sportsman field. Andy Ford, making a return to Mosport Speedway, edged out a determined Dale Wood (#10) for fourth place at the stripe. The Late Models An opening lap caution period (for contact between Todd Delisle and Darren Kearnan) only delayed the inevitable as Scott Harrison in his #68 Chevy went flag-to-flag to earn his first career, Late Model feature victory. With a freshly-rebuilt powerplant under the hood of the #68, Harrison grabbed the early race lead from the outside of the front row, with Dwight Brown and Jim ‘The Professor’ Rossiter lurking dangerously close to his back bumper. Running in a tight three-car train until lap 17, Rossiter was displaced for a podium result due to an increasingly ‘loose’ condition in the #66 Impala. A wobble in Turn Four allowed Shannon Kimmerly to grab third place away. Time after time, Brown (#2) would poke his nose underneath Harrison’s mount, but as the pair would head onto Mosport’s 800 foot-long straights, the power difference would become apparent, Harrison eventually taking the checkered flag by two car lengths from Brown. “This was a good night for me,” stated a relieved Harrison. “I’ve been waiting a lot of years for this moment. I need to thank Dwight for running me clean. He gave me a few taps to let me know he was there, but never enough to knock me out of the way.” A Turn Four slide with two-to-go slowed Brown’s charge, the Beeton resident later admitting that he “threw his chance away”. “I had something for Scott, but the only way I was going to catch him was in traffic. But I learned something for the next time.” Kimmerly held onto her season opening third place result with Rossiter and division rookie Tyler Betts (#86) rounding out the top five finishers. The Open-Wheel Modifieds The open-wheeled Modifieds made their first appearance of five this year, and the night truly belonged to 2004 champion, Darren ‘Not the Kid Anymore’ Kearnan. Pulling his familiar #46 Yellow Jacket Modified “out of the barn” just two weeks prior to the opening night, Kearnan swept the evening’s two heat dashes and then survived a heated battle with pole sitter Rob Warnes (#90) to claim the feature win. A last lap caution period sent the 15 lap race into overtime, with the contest ending with a Green/ White/ Checkered dash, Kearnan holding off Warnes by two car lengths at the line. Mosport Modified veterans Randy Hollingsworth and Bill Pickford crossed the stripe nose-to-tail for the final podium position. “I love this car, it feels awesome to have this car out on the track again,” proclaimed Kearnan. Supposedly retired Bill Burrows (#63) claimed a top five result with the #06 of Wayne Carson rounding out the lead lap finishers. - 30 - |
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