Walters’ Captures Point Lead With Clutch Late Season Victory

Spencer Lewis - September 3, 2011

On an evening in which the top-4 Limited Late Models entered competition separated by 9 points in the championship standings, veteran Tom Walters (No. 47 McColl Racing Enterprises/Pro Floor Sanding & Refinishing Chevrolet) added clarity to the title picture, putting together a spectacular performance in Saturday’s 30-lap A Main to walk out the point leader.

Walters rolled off the grid from outside the fourth row, and utilized patience early on, working to guide his 2011 McColl Racing Enterprise chassis through the field while his teammate, road racing graduate Sean Grosman (No. 29 Stompin’ Tom Motorsports/Landing Strip Gentleman’s Club Chevrolet), enjoyed time at the front of the field.

Grosman, of Golden Beach, FL, would lead until lap 10, when contact with runner up Dario Capirchio (No. 03 Innisfil Machine & Welding/Ground Work Drilling Chevrolet) exiting turn-2 ended with Grosman sideways down the back straightaway, collecting a number of cars and dealing extensive damage to his #29 in the process.

With Grosman finished and Capirchio sent to the back as an involved car, championship contenders Sean Cronan (No. 84 Sophie’s Place Restaurant/TSS Top Shop Chevrolet) and Walters made up the front row.

A well-timed restart from Walters had the 28-time champion in the lead at the conclusion of lap 11, beginning what would be a phenomenal battle between the veteran and the young upstart.

For 19 laps, Walters would work overtime to keep the 4^th year driver in his rearview mirror, with Cronan stapled to his rear bumper, looking to force the veteran to make a mistake.

Fortunately for Walters’ championship hopes, he was able to fend off Cronan’s advances, picking up a much needed victory late in the season. Cronan held on for a close second, 2011 win leader Kevin Cornelius (No. 17 Halton Crushed Stone/Lee Sand & Gravel Chevrolet), 7-time champion ‘Mr. Excitement’ Chris Morrow (No. 11 Morrow Electric/Contractor Rental Supply Chevrolet) and ‘The Bully’

 Dwayne Baker (No. 48 Clearview Heating/Baker Performance Chevrolet) completed the top-5.

“First off, I have to thank [Sean] Cronan for running me so clean. That was a lot of fun” beamed an excited Walters as he hopped from his winning ride.

“We had a terrible go in the second round of qualifying. We DNFd in our 2^nd heat race after we caught two flat tires, I think we might have run over something out here, but the guys pulled together and we turned this night around”

“I hope the fans are enjoying this. This is a great facility, with a fantastic talent pool. This is the best racing in Ontario”

Walters concluded his interview with a nod to his chassis builder, “Cronan has really been coming on as of late. But, that’s exactly what happens when you buy a McColl chassis!”

The 30-lap Super Stock contest would see two of the most exciting young drivers in Ontario pitted against one another, in an A Main with serious points championship implications.

Flamboro Speedway transplants Lane Zardo (No. 46 National Exhaust/Holmes on Homes Monte Carlo) who currently leads the Sunset Super Stock championship point standings and Matt Bentley (No. 21 Gary Bentley Motorsports/Bev Thring Race Car Fabrication Nova) brought the crowd to their feet as they diced their way from the rear of the 19-car field.

The pair reached the 2^nd and 3^rd spots at lap 11, but found great difficulty finding a way past fellow teenager Paul Geniolle Jr. (No. 81 Priggen Automotive/Canadian Tire of Port Perry Camaro). After a 6 lap battle, Bentley nosed past the sophomore in the #81, bringing Zardo in tow.

However, one lap later, Zardo utilized the outside groove – tentatively nicknamed the ‘Zardo Line’ – to slip past his long-time friend.

Bentley would park himself in Zardo’s rearview mirror, but unable to find a way to retake the lead, and with mounting pressure from third place Marty Monette (No. 66 AATEL Communications/Arnott Automotive Camaro), gave up battling for the lead and worked feverishly to hold on to the runner-up position.

At the line, Zardo held on for his 4^th win of 2011, with Monette taking over 2^nd spot on the final lap. Bentley, ‘Doomsday’ Dan Archibald and former champion Paul Maltese completed the top-5.

“This is incredible. Matt [Bentley] and I, off the track, are best friends. We love each other. But out here [on the track], it’s all business” smiled a visibly exhausted Zardo surrounded by friends and family in victory lane.

“This is the first time my Mom’s been here for one of my wins, she’s normally back at Flamboro. So this is extra special”

“Tonight was a little more difficult. It kinda seems like guys have figured me out. They know that I like to use the outside line here, so they made it a little harder for me to get there”

“It’s so hard to find your way to the front here” continued the 15-year old “so my strategy is to get through as much traffic as I can early, then use my patience to pick off the last few cars in line”

When asked about his championship aspirations, increased on an evening when his closest championship contender Randy Rusnell was caught up in an on-track incident, Zardo shrugged “I hate that that happened to Randy. I love racing with him, he’s a great competitor. I want to win championships, but I want to win them on the track, I don’t want to win them like that”

One week removed from his first career A Main victory, fan favourite Dan ‘The Bandit’ Britt (No. 41 Dr. Parts of Barrie/Douglas Ford Collision Center Honda) returned to the Sunset winner’s circle, taking the lead at the halfway mark and holding off current point leader Nicole Podewils (No. 79 Fox’s Bakery & Deli/Central Appliance & Repair Ford) through the final 6 laps.

“I’m start to get used to winning” laughed Britt, checkered flag in hand “this feels pretty good”

“We just kept the exact same setup in this car that we had last week, it worked then and it certainly seemed to work tonight, so here we are” added the Midhurst, ON product with a smile

When asked his thoughts on the most effective way to win a Mini Stock A Main, Britt explained “It’s all about getting through the traffic, staying consistent and hitting your marks. You only need to mess up once and everyone catches you”

QUICK RESULTS

LIMITED LATE MODEL

Heat 1: ‘Hollywood’ Taylor Holdaway                                                     Orillia, ON

Heat 2: Stompin’ Tom Walters                                                                   Bradford, ON

Heat 3: ‘The Frequent Flyer’ Sean Grosman                                         Golden Beach, FL

Heat 4: Mike ‘Lights Out’ Bentley                                                             Acton, ON

A Main:

1)      Stompin’ Tom Walters                                                                  Bradford, ON

2)      Sean Cronan                                                                                      Barrie, ON

3)      Kevin Cornelius                                                                                                Orangeville, ON

4)      ‘Mr. Excitement’ Chris Morrow                                                 Anten Mills, ON

5)      ‘The Bully’ Dwayne Baker                                                            Stayner, ON

SUPER STOCK

Heat 1: Paul Maltese                                                                                      Alcona Beach, ON

Heat 2: Randy ‘The Rocket’ Rusnell                                                         Cambridge, ON

Heat 3: Jason Elliott                                                                                        Angus, ON

Heat 4: Lane Zardo                                                                                          Brampton, ON

A Main:

1)      Lane Zardo                                                                                          Brampton, ON

2)      Marty Monette                                                                                 Hamilton, ON

3)      Matt Bentley                                                                                     Guelph, ON

4)      ‘Doomsday’ Dan Archibald                                                          Barrie, ON

5)      Paul Maltese                                                                                     Alcona Beach, ON

MINI STOCK

Heat 1: Dan ‘The Bandit’ Britt                                                                     Midhurst, ON

Heat 2: Warren Paxton                                                                                  Holland Landing, ON

Heat 3: Rob Krystal                                                                                          Holland Landing, ON

Heat 4: Rory Collett                                                                                        Holland Landing, ON

A Main:

1)      Dan ‘The Bandit’ Britt                                                                    Midhurst, ON

2)      Nicole Podewils                                                                                               Barrie, ON

3)      Rob Krystal                                                                                         Holland Landing, ON

4)      Warren Paxton                                                                                 Holland Landing, ON

5)      Eric Yorke                                                                                            Milton, ON

Morrow Continues Summer Hot Streak

Spencer Lewis -August 27, 2011

After a week off due to inclement weather, Sunset’s 3 core divisions were back in action on August 27^th. With points battles beginning to wind down, a healthy crowd of fans were treated to a fantastic night of side-by-side competition.

Entering Saturday’s competition, the Limited Late Model division’s top-4 in points were separated by less than 35 points. When all was said and done, an ‘off’ night for point leader Kevin Cornelius, coupled with strong outings from contenders Chris Morrow and Tom Walters, left the top-4 separated by a mere 9 markers.

Morrow, a 7-time Sunset champion, picked up his 3^rd victory in 6 starts after a highlight-reel battle with Walters. The pair carved through the field from their mid-pack starting positions, with both drivers reaching the front at lap 14. After dispatching early leader Ernie Fumerton, the two crowd favourites embarked on a 16-lap side-by-side battle, with Morrow able to withstand Walters’ constant pressure to seal his 2^nd victory in as many weeks.

In Super Stock competition, 15-year old point leader Lane Zardo further distanced himself from his fellow championship contenders, as he once again displayed his command of Sunset’s outside line to charge from his 7^th row starting position. The third generation star found his way past sophomore Dan Archibald on lap 21, then held off Randy Rusnell – who entered the event second in points – to capture his 3^rd victory of the 2011 season.

Finally, the Mini Stock division welcomed two different drivers to victory lane, as Warren Paxton locked-up his 4^th win of 2011 in the makeup feature from August 13th, then Dan ‘The Bandit’ Britt solidified his first career victory in the evening’s 2^nd Mini Stock A Main.

QUICK RESULTS

LIMITED LATE MODEL

Heat 1: Sean Cronan                                                   Barrie, ON

Heat 2: ‘Mr. Excitement’ Chris Morrow                      Anten Mills, ON

Heat 3: ‘The Professional’ Rob Poole                         Innisfil, ON

Heat 4: Al Inglis                                                          Orillia, ON

A Main:

1)      ‘Mr. Excitement’ Chris Morrow                       Anten Mills, ON

2)      Stompin’ Tom Walters                                    Bradford, ON

3)      ‘The Professional’ Rob Poole                          Innisfil, ON

4)      Sean Cronan                                                    Barrie, ON

5)      Ernie Fumerton                                                Alliston, ON

SUPER STOCK

Heat 1: Lane Zardo                                                     Brampton, ON

Heat 2: Matt Bentley                                                  Guelph, ON

Heat 3: Randy ‘The Rocket’ Rusnell                           Cambridge, ON

Heat 4: Marty Monette                                               Hamilton, ON

A Main:

1)      Lane Zardo                                                      Brampton, ON

2)      Randy ‘The Rocket’ Rusnell                            Cambridge, ON

3)      ‘Doomsday’ Dan Archibald                             Barrie, ON

4)      Stan Coe

5)      Flyin’ Frank Davey                                           River Drive Park, ON

MINI STOCK

Heat 1: Nicole Podewils                                              Barrie, ON

Heat 2: Warren Paxton                                               Holland Landing, ON

HeaHeHeat 3: Nicole Podewils                                              Barrie, ON

Heat 4: Warren Paxton                                               Holland Landing, ON

A Main:

1)      Dan ‘The Bandit’ Britt                                     Midhurst, ON

2)      Warren Paxton                                                Holland Landing, ON

3)      Rob Krystal                                                      Holland Landing, ON

4)      Nicole Podewils                                              Barrie, ON

5)      Shawn Murray                                                 Alliston, ON

Morrow Notches Win #2, Zardo Completes Second Hat Trick of 2011

Spencer Lewis – August 13, 2011

On an evening in which it appeared, at times, that mother nature would wash away the program before the features even had a time to hit the racetrack, the fans were treated to a pair of exciting events that saw Limited Late Model veteran Chris Morrow and Super Stock upstart Lane Zardo return to victory lane for their second victories of the season.

Heading into the 30-lap Limited Late Model A Main, Morrow was already one to watch. The Anten Mills, ON driver appeared incredibly quick through practice and had raised eyebrows in an impressive victory in the first round of heat race qualifying.

Taking over the lead on lap 3, Morrow would withstand a barrage of late-race cautions, and hold on for a dominating return to victory lane.

“We made wholesale changes this week” admitted the 7-time Sunset champion, “just trying to change the direction of our program”

When asked if his Morrow Boys racing team had felt the momentum swing since their initial feature victory on July 23^rd, ‘Mr. Excitement’ explained, “Morale is definitely up now that we’re winning. But the more we win, the closer to the back we’ll be starting every week and I know there’s alot of tough guys back there. Guys like [Kevin] Cornelius, Tom [Walters] and [Sean] Cronan who have been having some great battles every week”

“

I love racing with all these guys in this division. There are 10 guys that can win on any given night at this track. You can’t ask for better than that”

In Super Stock competition, 15-year old sophomore Lane Zardo swept both rounds of qualifying as well as the abbreviated 28-lap A Main to solidify his second hat trick this season.

The third-generation pilot dispatched fellow teen Brian Wilson Jr. at lap 14 after an incredible 3-wide pass on the far outside of the racetrack, before fending off a bevy of challenges from 2x winner Marty Monette to complete the win.

When asked in victory lane about his confidence level in attempting a 3-wide manoeuvre on a rain-slicked race track, Zardo replied,

“When I made my 3-wide pass in the third lane, it wasn’t too slippery”, adding “I had actually spent the caution laps running up toward the wall trying to dry off that part of the track so I could take a run at the guys in front of me”

“The room wasn’t exactly there, but I tried to make it work” smiled the personable sophomore

On the topic of walking out of the event with the points lead after fellow championship contender – and 5x winner – Randy Rusnell, ended his evening with a disappointing DNF, Zardo shrugged,

“I don’t really worry about points, alot of guys on my team do, but my grandpa taught me a long time ago that if you just get the wins the points will take care of themselves”