Sunset Speedway Aug. 01, 2009 Race Report

Aug. 01, 2009 Race Report

Walters and Morrow Go To War For Feature Supremacy

Spencer Lewis

With the blend of experience and youthful potential that makes up Sunset’s Limited Late Model field each Saturday, it’s virtually a guarantee that any driver hoping to visit victory lane will not be given the luxury of an easy night. August 1^st 30-lap feature was living proof of this, as a pair of battle tested veterans wrote another chapter in a rivalry that’s quickly becoming the talk of the 2009 season.

However, Saturday’s drama began before either Tom Walters (No. 47 G&D Wholesale Tires Chevrolet) or Chris Morrow (No. 11 Morrow Electric/CRS Contractor Rental Supply Chevrolet) had even completed a lap; As the 18 car field exited turn-4 to take the inaugural green flag, ‘The Professional’ Rob Poole (No. 45 Alliston Auto Sales/Visser Farms Chevrolet), who had made heavy contact with the front stretch wall earlier in the night, lost power in front of the two pole-sitters. As the field made every effort to dodge the Cookstown, ON driver, contact was made that saw Brian Davis (No. 05 Triton Auto Ford) end up in the wall entering turn-3.

When the field restarted, it took defending champion Morrow a mere handful of laps to find the lead utilizing the track’s racy second groove. ‘Mr. Excitement’s lonely cruise at the front of the pack would be short-lived, as Walters began to apply pressure to the rear end of Morrow’s championship-winning ride.

The duo brought the crowd to their feet when, as Morrow came around to lap the slower car of Wally Everingham, Walters attempted a bonsai move to the inside. Sensing Walters’ challenge, Morrow pinched the 25-time champion down to the 1^st groove and used Everingham’s vehicle as a ‘pick’ to keep the #47 at bay; A move made famous by Northeast Modified legend Richie Evans.

Though it would be Walters who would have the last laugh laps later, when the battle entered turns 1 & 2, Walters utilized a crossover manoeuvre that saw his #47 fake high and cut low before passing Morrow for the lead.

Walters would cruise to victory, while Morrow would enjoy a fantastic side-by-side battle with Jason ‘Bam Bam’ Witty (No. 19 Larues Haulage/Toronto Bearings Chevrolet) for second spot throughout the race’s closing laps. The top-5 at the finish were Walters, Morrow, Witty, ‘Quick’ Vic Parsons and Ernie Fumerton.

In victory lane, Walters emphasised the victory was due largely in part to his crew. “We were alright in that first heat, then I brought it down to the pits and Kenny [Donaldson] and the guys made a bunch of changes to it. Let me tell you, this is the best this thing has ever been. It was fantastic tonight. That was a lot of fun racing Chris, and we’ll definitely be back tomorrow for the Sunday show”.

Mark Adams has long been painted as a picture of consistency while doing battle in Sunset’s ultra-competitive Thunder Car division. And while the Mississauga, ON veteran has a litany of top-5s in 2009, he has yet to visit victory lane. That is, until the night of August 1^st.

A stout field of 21 cars took the green, with veteran Howard Eden (No. 27 Handi Maids/Howie’s Japanese Auto Chevrolet) taking the initial lead. Eden would do battle with up-and-coming Mini Stock transplant ‘Too Quick’ Kenny Britt (No. 14 Mady’s Karate/Shoeless Joe’s Chevrolet) for much of the race’s first half.

The turning point came shortly before lap 15, when Eden found himself out of shape on the backstretch. Several cars were forced to slow, in order to allow Eden to regain control of his #27. This allowed Adams (No. 51 Rankin’s Auto/Oakville Trailers Chevrolet) to leap-frog into the lead, passing the top-3 on the high side of the race track.

Adams would begin to pad his lead lap by lap, while Britt engaged in a fantastic battle with 2008 track champion ‘The Cheque Casher’ Herb Walters (No. 88 Master Mechanic of Newmarket/mariodesign.ca Chevrolet).

The top-3 at the finish were Adams, Britt and Walters. After climbing from his winning car, Adams was all smiles when speaking about his first win of 2009. “When the 27 car got loose, I just took advantage of the opportunity. We put two rear tires on the car just before the feature, made some adjustments for the colder temperatures and away we went.”

Joe Ireton is a name not often spoke at Sunset since the conclusion of a 2008 year that saw the charismatic sophomore capture his first ever championship in a run that was both dramatic and captivating; And that’s exactly the way the Alcona Beach, ON native would like it to be. Ireton had planned on taking a year off from active competition in the Mini Stock division, opting to instead aid and support his brother ‘Good Luck’ Chuck Ireton in his rookie campaign. Though on August 1^st, ‘Smokin’ Joe showed the division he championed that he can still get the job done.

Ireton started mid-pack in the 24-car field, and by lap 7 had already found himself inside of the top-5. An early race re-start presented Ireton with the opportunity to make up even more ground, and by half-way the 2008 champion was in firm control of the race’s lead.

As Ireton began to put more asphalt between himself and the rest of the pack, Terry Clodd (No. 34 Bourque Transmission/Barrie Tire Shaving Honda) broke through and mounted a charge to reel in Ireton’s #54, at times coming within a car length. As the duo sped through slower traffic, Ireton was able to maintain his slight lead for his first victory of 2009. He was followed to the stripe by Clodd and ‘Mr. White Walls’ Nick Brown.

“This was a lot of fun to come back and race with these guys. Terry’s really upped his game in his first year here. He was getting pretty close towards the end there. That’s all good though, he can get as close as he wants so long as he doesn’t take me out” laughed the defending champion. “You should see me out here a couple more times this year, then I’ll be heading to [Peterborough Speedway’s] Autumn Colours Classic to represent Sunset. I’ve heard all about the great things going down here in 2010, so I’ll definitely be back next season to check all that out”.