September 20^th offered fans the busiest schedule of the season at Sunset Speedway, as our rained-out event from the week before was to be made up in addition to our regularly scheduled racing; This meant that the Dominos Pizza Thunder Cars, HF Smith Home Hardware Late Models and Fox’s Bakery Four Cylinder Road Runners would run an additional round of qualifying and features as well as their already scheduled two rounds of qualifying and features.

The Fox’s Bakery Four Fun division kicked the features off; Series veteran Jayson Brown (No. 52 Pro Floor Sanding & Refinishing/Carquest of Bradford Mustang) jumped out to the early lead, and had the dominant car for almost three quarters of the race.  It was not until a late-race caution involving Patrick Macdonald and Marshall Pender, that Brown’s full-straightaway lead was extinguished.  Brown now had to contend with two cars that had carved their way from the back of the pack since the drop of the green; Nicole Podewils (No. 79 Fox’s Bakery & Deli/Central Appliance & Repair Mustang) and ‘Boxcar’ Mark Kehoe (No. 4 Tammy’s Ferrier Service/Signarama of Newmarket Rabbit) were tattooed to the back bumper of the #52 and looking to make the pass, by any means necessary.  On the restart, Brown alternated between the high and low line on the racetrack in an attempt to find the groove that would work.  Podewils took advantage of Brown’s inability to find grip on the slippery track, and motored on to rack up another feature win.  After the race, Podewils offered some predictions for the future “I’m hoping to win next week. We’re unsure of what we’re doing in 2009, but we may move up [to the Road Runner Division]”. With Podewils impressing week-in and week-out, she will no doubt be one of Sunset’s 2009 breakout stars, regardless of which division she competes in.

The first make-up feature from September 13^th was the Fox’s Bakery Four Cylinder Road Runners;  As the cars took to the track for their first 20-lap main event, Doug Butler appeared ready to prove one thing: Exactly why he is the future of the Road Runner division.  Starting mid-pack, Butler (No. 10 Nissan 240sx) weaved his way through traffic swiftly, snatching the lead before the half-way mark. Meanwhile, at the tail end of the field, ‘Too Quick’ Kenny Britt (No. 14 Mady’s Karate/Beatty Automotive Civic) & Jason Podewils (No. 79 Classic Martial Arts/Havoline Mustang) were carving their way through slower cars en route to the front.  With 5 laps to go, it appeared as though Butler’s early sovereignty was beginning to taper off; His once dominant car had fallen off the pace, and 2^nd place car ‘Mr. White Walls’ Nick Brown (No. 48 Brown Bros. Roofing Civic) now posed a certifiable threat.  Butler was able to limp his Nissan across the line with Brown hot on his heels, followed closely by Britt & Podewils who had completed their charge from the tail end of the 24-car field to finish within the top-5. In victory lane, Butler was able to clear up what was amiss towards the closing of the race. “The cars pretty hurt right now. We were running on 3 cylinders towards the end”.  When asked about his meteoric late-season rise, Butler attributed his wins to the help of his crew and good tire strategy.

It was long after the sun had set, when the Road Runners made it back to the track for their second 20-lap feature race. Although the outcome was the same, with a breakout performance coming from another driver who’s experienced a rush of wins late in the year. Stouffville ( Ontario )’s ‘Smokin’ Joe Ireton (No. 54 SML Graphic Solutions, epicmotorsports.ca Civic) had already banked two heat wins, and came out of the gate hungry for his first career hat trick. However, Ireton was not the only sophomore driver in search of a career first; Derek Laronde (No. 66 Pinnacle Martial Arts Civic) has come into his own as a driver, of late, and on Saturday was poised to capture the first feature win of his young career. Utilizing his pole starting position and heavy traffic, Laronde built up an ample lead through the first half of the race. As the halfway mark passed, Ireton and Nick Brown found themselves battling to find a way around Laronde’s #66. With a stereo move to the inside lane, Ireton and Brown disposed of Laronde and continued their battle. At the checkered, it was Joe Ireton completing the hat trick, followed by ‘Mr. White Walls’ Nick Brown and Derek Laronde. “We had some tough luck last week. I dropped a valve in practice and had to borrow [Colt Carcone’s] car. Dan ‘Rover’ Nolan did a tonne of work over the week, and now we’re back with this new motor and the car’s just on rails. This division is so stacked with talent, but I’d absolutely love to win the finale next weekend”.

In recent weeks, the Dominos Pizza Thunder Cars have become synonymous with close finishes.  This statement rang true once again, as both of Saturday night’s features proved exciting down to the wire, with only inches to spare at the finish line.  First up, was the rained out feature from September 13^th, which saw a rematch of a classic battle from earlier this month between ‘Mad Dog’ Larry Mackenzie and ‘Slick’ Rick Walt.  With a field of talent as deep as the Thunder Cars, a driver’s starting position can make or break their night.  Rick Walt (No. 13 Amsoil Monte Carlo) took the green from the start of the field, and was able to build up an early lead; With the laps ticking down, Mackenzie (No. 96 Horner Chassis Chevelle) trekked to the front, and began to lay the bumper to the rear end of Walt’s car. Eventually, ‘Mad Dog’ was able to find a line that worked and pulled up next to Walt’s #13. Lap after lap the two swapped the lead back and forth, though at the line each lap, Walt was the official leader. With the white flag in the air, signalling one lap remaining, Mackenzie knew it was “now or never”. Guiding his #96 up to the wall, Mackenzie propelled downwards out of turn-4 to grab the lead inches before the line for his second win of the 2008 season. An exhausted and overjoyed Mackenzie had nothing but praise for his much younger counterpart; “Let me tell you, that was the best racing I’ve had in years. Hats off to Rick Walt, that kid’s a heck of a driver”. Mackenzie went on to thank his family for their support, as well as his sponsor and long-time friend Dave Horner.

The second Thunder Car feature was every bit as dramatic as the first, with new faces bringing the crowd to their feet. This time, it was polesitter Paul Maltese (No. 23 Presto Appliance & Repair Monte Carlo) that held the lead for much of the 40-lap Season Championship feature; Though the real story, was developing behind the top spot. Burlington ( Ontario )’s Ken Weisbrod (No. 84 Thorncrest Ford/Aldin Industrial Thunderbird) had been running second, and holding off numerous perennial contenders for much of the race. Just under 20-laps in, Weisbrod made contact with the lapped car of Rick Butler, collecting Steve Slaughter Jr. and Mark Adams in the process.  With the field shaken up, and two top-flight race cars done for the evening, the controversial car was made to give Weisbrod the spot back and not name him an involved car in the incident. As the field took the green on the restart, Weisbrod faced a new challenge in the form of points leader ‘The Cheque Casher’ Herb Walters (No. 88 Matt’s Rentals/mariodesign.ca Camaro). As the two battled for second spot, Maltese was able to pad his lead with each passing lap. With 2/3s of the race in the books, Walters made the move around the #84 and began to chase down Maltese. Much like the earlier feature, a side-by-side battle emerged, with neither car looking to have the edge. On the final lap, Walters made a last ditch effort to outpower Maltese down the front straightaway, leading to a near photo finish; After a tense moment of deliberation, starter Rob Robinson and Sunset’s head scorer Deb Morrison, deemed Paul Maltese the victor by mere inches. Maltese was all smiles after capturing the closest win of the 2008 season; “It feels so good to finally get one. We had some [mechanical] issues earlier in the year, but it looks like they’re taken care of. From where I was sitting, I had no clue I had won” jokingly adding, “Are you kidding me? That’s Herb Walters beside me….that guy’s fast”. After running only a partial schedule in 2008, Maltese certainly asserted himself in a big way beating ‘The Cheque Casher’, and will be one to watch in the final race of the season on September 27^th.

Not to be outdone, the HF Smith Home Hardware Late Models brought their share of dramatics to the table on Saturday night.  In the first 20-lap feature, a 3^rd lap caution for a Keith Maiato spin, sent front-runners Chris Morrow, Tom Walters and Rob Poole scattering. Walters (No. 47 Blue Jay Catering/Restotec Motorsports #47 Chevrolet), the current points leader, came away with the most damage. Originally, Walters intended to “tough it out”, though headed to the pits for repair before the re-start. It’s at this point, that the story’s interest picks up.  As the field took the green flag, Walters was nowhere to be found; It was not until the cars had made a complete circuit around the track, that Walters reappeared onto the track, under green (a violation of the Sunset Speedway general rules). For his actions, Walters earned himself a black flag, removing him from competition for the remainder of the race.  Meanwhile, defending 2007 champion and current points runner-up, ‘Mr. Excitement’ Chris Morrow showed no ill-effects of the damage suffered in the earlier caution as he powered into the top spot.  For the remaining laps, the battle was for second as ‘The Professional’ Rob Poole and Ron Quesnelle swapped spots as Morrow checked out for the feature win. In victory lane, Morrow called a homerun that would envy Babe Ruth; “It looks like Tom had some problems, so we’re going to capitalize on that and win the next feature as well. This damage won’t affect us at all, except for how it’ll look in the pictures”.

True to his word, Morrow appeared to be the car to beat in the second instalment of the Late Model features. Early on, Dario Capirchio (No. 03 Christina Excavating & Grading Ford) flexed his muscle up front, setting a blistering pace through the first 15-laps. In the middle of the pack, the bad luck continued for Stompin’ Tom Walters, as contact with Ron Quesnelle (No. 57 Wyebridge Machine/M&S Automotive Chevrolet) sent Walters into the wall; Though his mangled race car returned to finish the feature, the heavy front end damage kept him from being a factor. With his leading competition in the points seemingly out of commission, Morrow charged to the rear of Capirchio, applying heavy pressure in hopes of finding an opening. Persistence paid off, and Morrow found a way into the lead on the inside after laps of coercion. As the Late Models finished their second-last feature of 2008, it was Morrow, Capirchio and Ken Maiato (No. 6 Halton Crushed Stone/Lee Sand & Gravel Chevrolet) the top 3; It should be noted Walters’ #47 charged from the back to a very respectable 4^th place finish. After his second win, Morrow appeared much more focused on the points championship, heading into the final week of racing. “It’s good to get both wins tonight, this’ll definitely help. Tom’s a great competitor, and even though he had a rough night tonight, he’ll be back. We should be a lot closer in the points now. It might be tough to catch him, but we’re definitely ready to try”.

And as the fans headed home after the busiest night of racing in 2008, two things were certain. Everyone in attendance received their money’s worth, and the points battles will be very interesting with September 27^th the last night of racing in 2008.

H.F.SMITH LUMBER INC.
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