‘Bam Bam’ Leads Trio of First Time Winners Into Victory Lane
Spencer Lewis - June 11, 2011
From the drop of the first green flag that kick-started the 2011 campaign on May 7th, the most oft-repeated comment heard throughout both the pit area as well as the grandstands has been that each of Sunset’s 3 divisions are as competitive as they have ever been.
So it was no surprise when, on June 11th, each division welcomed a driver into victory lane for their first win of 2011.
The 30-lap Limited Late Model affair saw fan favourite Jason ‘Bam Bam’ Witty (No. 19 Jason Witty Remax Realty/LaRue’s Haulage Chevrolet) work his way from a 4th row starting position to end his evening with the checkered flag in hand.
Early portions of the event saw both Ernie Fumerton (No. 10 JFS Hydroseeding & Sodding Chevrolet) and 2011 Rookie of the Year contender Billy ‘Z3’ Zardo (No. 46 National Exhaust/Better Contracting Chevrolet) spend time at the front of the field, before June 4th victor ‘Hollywood’ Taylor Holdaway (No. 41 ImageFactor.ca/Holdaway Automotive Ford) usurped the top spot shortly before the halfway mark.
As Holdaway cleared Zardo to assume sole control of the point position, Witty made sure to follow in his tire tracks, not allowing the Orillia, ON driver more than a car length as the pair began to distance themselves from the rest of the field.
Witty would remain glued to Holdaway’s back bumper until a Bruce Rankin (No. 55 Rankin’s Automotive/B&B Decals Chevrolet) spin brought out the second caution of the evening on lap 18, tightening up the field for a dramatic dash to the finish.
The ensuing restart would see Witty make a convincing challenge for the lead on Holdaway’s outside, and by the time lap 20 was shown on the board, ‘Bam Bam’ was enjoying a widening 2-car length lead.
Witty would complete the remaining 10-laps unchallenged, cruising to his first win of the young 2011 season. Holdaway would hang on for the runner-up spot, while Sean Cronan (No. 84 Spira Fire Protection/Locker Room Sports Bar Chevrolet), ‘The Bully’ Dwayne Baker (Four Valley’s Excavating/St. Onge Recreation Chevrolet) and Kevin Cornelius completed the top-5.
“We’ve got the new sponsor [Jason Witty Remax Realty] on the hood this week, that must be what brought us the luck” laughed Witty in victory lane.
“I have to thank my crew first and foremost. All these guys do is make adjustments to this car to get us faster, they do an awesome job and I can’t thank them enough”
When asked if he felt Holdaway was a threat through the final 10-laps, Witty explained “I felt Holdaway was fast. But after we made that pass, I knew that we were in control”
“We’ll be back tomorrow for the [MRE/Sunset Speedway Summer Shootout] event, and we’ll definitely look to make it 2 in a row!”
Witty certainly wasn’t the only crowd favourite to celebrate in victory lane on Saturday, as perennial contender Jason Elliott (No. 22 Denley’s Sports Bar/Simcoe Auto Recyclers Monte Carlo) was met with a chorus of cheers as he exited his winning ride after winning a late-race tilt with former divisional champion Flyin’ Frank Davey (No. 49 Grass Pro Plus/HWY 400 Transmission & Driveline Service Camaro).
It was Davey, the River Drive Park, ON veteran, that appeared poised for victory after snatching the lead from early pace-setter Stan Coe (No. 58 SCC Construction/Stayner Tim-Br Mart Camaro) on lap-7.
Flyin’ Frank would appear dominant for 19 laps before Elliott was able to complete his pass for the lead with only a handful of laps remaining.
After clearing Davey, Elliott would then have to survive a strong late-race challenge from June 4th winner Matt Bentley (Bev Thring Race Car Fabrication/Gary Bentley Motorsports Nova), keeping the youngster from enjoying back-to-back victories by mere inches.
A visibly exhausted Elliott relented in victory lane, “Man, it is so incredibly hard to win around here when you’re competing with guys like Matt Bentley and Mr. Davey”
“We’ve all just put so much work into this car, and it seems as though its really starting to pay off”
The Angus, ON driver closed out his celebrations by thanking his dedicated crew as well as his girlfriend and sponsors.
Not to be outdone, the Mini Stocks closed out the evening with another phenomenally competitive – and clean – 25-lap A Main.
Barrie, ON’s Nicole Podewils (No. 79 Fox’s Bakery & Deli/Central Appliance & Repair Ford) utilized a last lap-last corner pass on two-time defending track champion Doug Butler (No. 10 Homeworks Certified Home Inspections/Iconz Computers Nissan) to eek out the victory.
The event was contested in just over 11-minutes, with the 25-car field racing green to checkered to the delight of the Sunset Speedway faithful.
Sophomore driver Brandon Bullen (No. 67 Alliston Transmission/Ploder’s Collision Honda) controlled much of the race, taking the lead on lap 4 before losing the top spot to a hard-pressuring Butler on lap 23. Even more impressive than a driver with limited experience spending such an extended period of time at the front of the field is the fact that Bullen did so with his back-up car, after experiencing engine problems with his primary car in practice.
Bullen`s gutsy performance would reward him with a 3rd place finish, unfortunately the Bond Head, ON driver`s Honda Civic would fail post-race technical inspection, handing Bullen a 25th place finish.
QUICK RESULTS
Limited Late Model
Heat 1: `The Professional` Rob Poole Innisfil, ON
Heat 2: Keith Maiato Caledon, ON
Heat 3: Sean Cronan Barrie, ON
Heat 4: Stompin`Tom Walters Bradford, ON
A Main:
1) Jason `Bam Bam` Witty Queensville, ON
2) `Hollywood` Taylor Holdaway Orillia, ON
3) Sean Cronan Barrie, ON
4) `The Bully` Dwayne Baker Stayner, ON
5) Kevin Cornelius Orangeville, ON
Super Stock
Heat 1: Matt Bentley Acton, ON
Heat 2: `Too Quick` Kenny Britt Midhurst, ON
Heat 3: Matt Bentley Acton, ON
Heat 4: Marty Monette Hamilton, ON
A Main:
1) Jason Elliott Angus, ON
2) Matt Bentley Acton, ON
3) Flyin` Frank Davey River Drive Park, ON
4) Marty Monette Hamilton, ON
5) Lane Zardo Brampton, ON
Mini Stock
Heat 1: `The King of Hearts` Brian Love Barrie, ON
Heat 2: Nicole Podewils Barrie, ON
Heat 3: Doug Butler New Lowell, ON
Heat 4: `Mr. White Walls` Nick Brown Keswick, ON
Heat 5: Branden Bullen Bond Head, ON
Heat 6: Rob Krystal Holland Landing, ON
B Main: Rob Gibson Jr. Barrie, ON
A Main:
1) Nicole Podewils Barrie, ON
2) Doug Butler New Lowell, ON
3) Branden Bullen DISQUALIFIED Bond Head, ON
4) Dan `The Bandit` Britt Midhurst, ON
5) Terry Clodd Holland Landing, ON
