Sprints On Deck After Wash Out
Water in Turn 1 half way up the banking at South Buxton Raceway – Contributed Photo
An all-day rain forced Saturday’s program to be postponed.
Track officials had hoped to reschedule for Sunday but those plans were scratched as much of the racing surface, pits and parking lots were still under water.
This is South Buxton’s fourth rain-out in the first nine weeks of the season after going since August 2013 without a complete rain-out.
Racing resumes this Saturday, July 4, with the Southern Ontario Sprints making their second visit of the season.
Local drivers Kyle Patrick of Tilbury, Adam West of Ridgetown and Kyle Hendricks of Pain Court are expected to be in the 20-plus car field.
Hendricks finished 10th and West 17th in the June 6 SOS feature. Patrick raced in Ohio that night.
Chris Jones, of Picton, earned his first South Buxton feature win in the SOS’s first visit.
Jones is 42 points behind Brantford’s Mitch Brown after the first four SOS events this season.
South Buxton’s other five classes will all be in action.
Dale Glassford has been the class of the track through the first five race nights as the Ridgetown native has won all five features in the Westside Performance Plus UMP Late Models.
Glassford holds a commanding 74-point lead over Chatham’s Jim Jones, with Chatham’s Brad Authier four more points back in third.
The Gord Gotelaer memorial race for the Late Models has been rescheduled for Sept. 5 following this weekend’s rain outs.
Leamington’s Joel Dick has a 19-point lead over Belle River’s Mario Toniolo atop the Schinkels Gourmet Meats UMP Modified division standings.
Dick, the defending series champion, has won four straight features, with Toniolo finishing second the last two Saturday nights.
Port Lambton’s Drew Smith won the opening night feature before Dick began his win streak.
Kingsville’s Rob Young is atop the Tirecraft Sport Stocks standings for a fourth straight week, leading Merlin’s Steve Shaw by 52 points.
Five different drivers have won Sport Stocks features through the first five race nights – Blenheim’s Andrew Reaume, Chatham’s Jake Hooker and Eren Vanderiviere, along with Young and Shaw.
Kyle Hope is still looking for his first feature win in the Tirecraft Mini-Mods but five straight finishes of fourth or better has the Blenheim driver on top of the standings.
Kingsville’s Dylan Wolters, 15, on the strength of a feature and three heat-race wins over the last three race nights, sits second, 46 points behind Hope.
The hottest driver in the Mini-Mods is Cottam’s Rob Quick, who is tied for third with Essex’s Tom Reimer despite missing opening night.
Quick has two feature wins and a second-place finish to Wolters in the last three race nights.
Kingsville’s James Kelly leads Merlin’s Cale Johns by 28 points in the AutoTech Bombers.
The grandstand opens at 4 p.m. and racing begins at 6:30 p.m.
In case of rain, the race program will move to Sunday starting at 5 p.m. However, the SOS will not be part of a Sunday rain-out program.
Check www.southbuxtonraceway.ca for updates in case of weather issues.