KINROSS SPEEDPARK
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Forty-one cars in three divisions ushered in the 2019 local stock car season at the Kinross Speedpark this past weekend as the facility shifted to Saturday night entertainment.
Under mostly sunny skies, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. product Dustin Jackson took the first checkered flag of the night winning the Modified Division Four Car Dash.
He would be the first of four different winners in the top division at the track.
2018 runner-up Mark Laakso (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) grabbed one of the heat races before Pickford, Mich. pilot John Clawson captured the checker flag in the other.
When the division rolled out for their 40-lap feature event, all 12 cars would make the call.
When the dust settled it would be second generation pilot Buddy Gray IV (Petoskey, Mich.) taking the win with Tim Aho (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) and Steve Saddison (Harbor Springs, Mich.) rounding out the final podium positions.
Bob Carson (Petoskey, Mich.) made a triumphant return to short track racing. Getting back behind the wheel for the first time in 23 years, the veteran competitor captured the ABC Stock Car A-Division four car dash.
John Carter (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) took the win in the heat race.
The feature event saw a spirited battle for the win, with Larry Young Jr. (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) edging out Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. driver Keenan Spurway.
Speedpark founding father, Dennis Aho rounded out the top three.
Todd Nyberg started off 2019 the way he ended 2018 – with a win. The Pickford, Mich. product was the ABC Stock Car B-Division’s feature winner at last year’s Memorial Invitational, while this day he grabbed early bragging rights in the four car dash.
Brad Leach (Petoskey, Mich.) and Daniel Bibeau (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) drove to heat race victories.
Bibeau and Nyberg would run side-by-side and nose-to-tail in hot pursuit of the feature win before finishing in that order just ahead of two-time track champion Buddy Palahnuk (Goulais River, Ont.) to round out the top spots.
Three different drivers would carry the checkered flag in the Four Cylinder Division on the night.
Megan Hayes (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) showed the boys the quickest way around the track in the Four Car Dash before Cody Beach (Petoskey, Mich.) took their heat race win.
Adversity may have played a factor come feature time, but that wouldn’t slow down Prince Township, Ont. driver Rob Wager as he would kick off the new season with the feature victory.
Ken Fewchuk (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) and rookie competitor, Noah Gray (Petoskey, Mich.) finished second and third place respectively.
The track will now continue it’s bi-weekly schedule on Saturday, June 15.
The night will feature a full show of Modifieds, ABC Stock Cars, Four Cylinders while the Mini Wedges will join the program.
Time trials are set for 4 p.m. with racing action to start at 6 p.m.
This second event on the 2019 schedule is proudly presented by Autore Oil Company / Shute Oil and will also feature live post-race music by Steelhead.
The 50/50 draw will support Save Haven / Sault Ste. Marie Housing Commision.
For more information on the Kinross Speedpark you can find them online or on Facebook (Kinross Speedpark).
Kinross is a proud member of Contingency Connection’s $150,000 weekly Racer Rewards Program.
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