Green Flag Waves On South Buxton’s 2012 Season Saturday Night

One new champion is guaranteed this season at South Buxton Raceway.

Kirk Hooker will abdicate his crown as the reigning Glencoe Auto Recyclers UMP Late Models points champion.

The veteran Chatham driver will not return to defend his title, as the 2012 season opens this Saturday.
The grandstand gates open at 5:30 p.m., with hot laps at 6 p.m. in preparation for the green flag at 7 p.m.

Hooker won his third career South Buxton points title last season, but said throughout the year he would not return as a car owner in 2012. He had hinted he could possibly return as a driver for another car owner but never seriously pursued an opportunity.

“I’ve got too much going on to dedicate myself full time to racing, and like I said last fall, it’s time to get out,” Hooker said.

He said will spend more time with his son Jake’s go-cart racing on Saturday afternoons in Tilbury and his daughter Taylor’s volleyball commitments. Hooker said he will run his asphalt car at Delaware Speedway and could possibly return to South Buxton periodically with his dirt car.

“I might be back for Don Hendricks (memorial race),” he looked ahead to the July 28 event.

Chatham’s Brad Authier won the Late Model season championship race last fall.

The veteran Authier had two wins and finished in the top-four in all 10 features he ran in 2011 after missing the first three weeks with motor issues. The 2011 Late Models were dominated by Hooker (six features and 12 checkered flags) and Ridgetown’s Dale Glassford (five features and 14 checkered flags).
Glassford, who won the 2009 championship race, finished second to Hooker in 2010 and Authier last year.

South Buxton’s other three division champions will be back to defend their titles.

Jim Dale Jr. of Shrewsbury will be looking for an eighth career points title after winning the Schinkels Gourmet Meats UMP Modified crown last year.

The Modified class was a two-car battle between Dale Jr. and Leamington’s Joel Dick as they combined for 11 of the 14 feature race victories. Dale Jr. had six feature wins and 10 top-five finishes to go along with his 15 checkereds. Dick, however, won the season championship race and four other features to go along with 10 top-fives and 16 checkered flags.

Merlin’s Brad McLeod’s eight point championships are the most in track history, one more than Dale Jr. and Authier.

The Modified class is expected to have more than 20 registered drivers this season. Blenheim’s Shawn Jones will be looking for his third straight points championship in the Tirecraft Comp 4 class. The 19-year-old Jones enjoyed a record season in 2011, winning an unprecedented 10 straight feature races from late May until mid-August.

The only other driver to win a feature race in the Comps last season was Kingsville’s Denis DeSerrano, who won the first two and the last three features, including the division championship race.

Jones led all drivers with 23 checkered flags in 2011 as he won at least one checkered flag on 16 of the 17 race nights. He had 12 top-five finishes in 15 features. DeSerrano had nine checkereds 13 top-five finishes in 15 features.

Merlin’s Eren Vanderiviere will be trying the keep the Windride Transportation Sport Stocks points championship in the family for a third straight year. Vanderiviere won his first career points title in 2011, one year after older brother Eric won his first in 2010. Last year’s points battle went right down to the championship race as Vanderiviere held a slim five-point lead over Essex’s Gerald Martin. An incident between the two drivers with eight laps to go led to a black flag for Martin, allowing Vanderiviere to win the points title.

Merlin’s Steve Shaw won his sixth career season championship race, with Vanderiviere finishing second. It was Shaw’s 100th career feature win as he led the class with five features and 20 total flags.
Merlin’s Gary Johns will begin the season behind the No. 17 car that Shaw pilots and is owned by Merlin’s Colin Sherrah. Johns won three straight Sport Stocks points championships from 2005-07 but has not raced since.

Pit Notes

• Martin has moved up to the Modified class.
• The Sport Stocks have 15 registered drivers, after racing with as few as nine cars on some nights last season. The Comp 4s has 25 registered cars.
• Fans will vote for the Best Appearing Cars on Saturday, with the winners to be announced next Saturday.
• Fans – and drivers – will notice two major enhancements to the racing surface. More banking has been added into both corners and a cement wall has been installed in the second corner, extending from the pit wall in Turn 3 to the main grandstand all in Turn 4.
• Saturday is the first night of a 22-date schedule which will feature visits by four touring series.
• The first major event with be the Northern Summer Nationals Sprint Series on June 23. The series opens a night earlier at Ohsweken Speedway. The second weekend of the series is Aug. 17-18.
• The Modified Lites Stars International Championship Tour returns on June 30 while Topless Sprints. out of the Michigan-Ohio-Indiana area, make their debut on July 21 and the TUSAC Mod Lites make their first visit to South Buxton on Sept. 22.
• The first of five memorial nights takes place June 2 with the Brian Outhouse Modifieds, followed by Cory Schives Comp 4s on June 16, Don Hendricks Late Models on July 28, Len Bryden Sport Stocks on Aug. 25 and Rick Haskell Late Models on Sept. 1.
• Mid-Season Championship Night is slated for July 14.
• Two other key dates are Family Night on June 9 and the Junior Fan Club Party on Aug. 11.
• The Southwestern Ontario Tractor Pullers Association will return with their fourth annual South Buxton Raceway Tractor Pull on Friday, Aug. 3.
• Admission prices on regular race nights remain unchanged – $12 adults, $10 senior-teens and $5 children (kids 5 and under are free).