FRASERVILLE, ON - After an extremely successful 2010 campaign, everyone was anxious for the new season to get underway. Drivers, crew members, fans and even speedway officials were counting the days to Friday, June 3rd and the first green flag of 2011. With Kawartha Speedway’s opening night of action in the books, the event was well worth the wait.
Nearly perfect late spring weather conditions greeted a standing room only crowd as the Fraserville, Ontario 3/8th miler kicked-off its second decade of racing. Qualifying heats for the NAPA Auto Parts ACT Late Models were the first order of business, as Larry Jackson and Dwight Brown shared the checkered flags. The Better Carpet Thunder Cars were next on the agenda, with 10 lap preliminary events split between Chad Strawn and Andy Ford, while Ryan Oosterholt and Daryl Fice visited victory lane following the first round of Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rental Mini Stock action. Craig Graham, Willie Reyns and Fice claimed the late model, thunder car and mini stock semi features. Earl Ireland and ‘Too’ Moroney earned starting spots in their respective main events by winning the late model and mini stock consolation rounds.
Matt Spence and Howie Crowe brought the pack of Better Carpet Thunder Cars to the line for their 20 lap ‘A’ main, but the story of the show was Queensville, Ontario’s Ken Donaldson Junior. In a pack where the top 6 drivers were often fighting for the win, the younger brother of former division champion Kyle Donaldson survived an early race incident with Willie Reyns and Chad Strawn to earn the opening night honours. Andy Ford, Reyns, Steve Mayhew and Crowe followed Donaldson across the line.
The NAPA Auto Parts ACT Late Models took the green flag nearly 20 strong, with Kyle Donaldson and Ryan Kimball on the front row. The pace was slowed early for a 2 car incident involving Ken Downer and Tim Cole, but there was no denying Donaldson. While the rest of the fast 5 battled for position behind him, the basic black #53 Chevrolet shot away from the pack and matched his brother’s winning effort from earlier in the night. The division’s all-time win leader Dan McHattie was second, followed by Bryan Mercer, Dwight Brown and Kimball.
A 20 lap feature for the Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rental Mini Stocks closed-out the 2011 opener. Neil Hannah and Corey Horner paced the fastest 4 cylinder machines to the stripe, but before there was even a handful of laps in the history books, the field was shown a yellow flag for a grinding front stretch wreck involving Michael Batchelor and Brad Martin. Batchelor left under his own power, while Martin was towed off the track, but each driver was finished for the night. Running 3 and 4 wide throughout the pack, Daryl Fice clawed his way to the front from his 9th place starting spot and not even a red flag for Kyle McCabe’s erupted power plant in the second turn could keep the youngster from his first win of the year. ‘Too’ Moroney, Tyler Junkin, Mike Nelson and Ryan Oosterholt rounded-out the top 5.
Kawartha klips: Thunder car racer Bob Mercer made the tow from Orillia, Ontario to make his first ever Kawartha Speedway start...For the second time in his career, Fice swept his mini stock heat race, semi feature and main event...’Too’ Moroney, last season’s second place mini stock point finisher suffered fuel issues in the first qualifier and pulled off before the green flag. He rebounded to win the consolation event...Glenn Watson started on the pole and despite numerous mishaps behind him, went wire-to-wire to win the 50 lap OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model feature. Their tour returns to the Fraserville, Ontario oval for the annual running of the 75 lap Don Biederman Memorial Friday, August 5th...Kawartha Speedway now takes an early season break, returning to action Friday, June 17th with a 100 lap invitational late model feature as the headline event. See the full schedule and updated news at www.kawarthaspeedway.com.
Photo attachment: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications
For the second time in his career Oshawa, Ontario’s Daryl Fice earned a clean sweep of the Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rental Mini Stock action at Kawartha Speedway. The youngster scored a heat race, semi feature and main event win Friday, June 3rd.
Prepared by: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications
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