Jake Brown (No. 1-10) led the 20 Southern Ontario Sprints car field to the green flag. (Photo: Brighton Speedway)
BRIGHTON, Ont. – The 15th annual edition of the Labour Day Classic got underway on Saturday night at Brighton Speedway. Ultramar CST along with Rock 107, Lucas Oil Products and Mystical Distributing presented an action packed card featuring the Southern Ontario Sprints along with the OilGARD Anti-Rust Canadian Modifieds, Brighton Automotive Pro Stocks, Bill’s Johns Comp 4 and the Quinte Septic Stingers.
Brown Bags First Brighton Win
Sanderson Tire & Automotive Centre once again presented the Southern Ontario Sprints for their fifth visit of the season to the 1/3 mile clay oval. Cory Turner (No. 97) and Jake Brown (No. 1-10) led the 20 car field to the green flag. Turner powered to the lead on the opening circuit of the 25 lap main event, but was passed by Brown on lap two.
The top two raced closely while Mitch Brown (No. 10), Dylan Westbrook (No. 47x) and Ryan Turner (No. 91) battled for positions third through fifth. The top spot changed hands twice through the middle stage of the race as Cory Turner recaptured the lead on lap 12 only to see Jake Brown power back to the top on lap 18. Defending champion Westbrook charged towards the front and looked poised to take his eighth SOS win of the season until contact with the turn four wall ended his night.
Brown led the final seven laps on route to his first career SOS win and second of his young 360 Sprint Car career. Cory Turner finished a close second while Mitch Brown finished third. Ryan Turner and Chris Jones (11J) completed the top five.
King of the Castle
Adam Whaley (No. 12) and Nathan Rinaldi (No. 3) started at the front of the 25 lap OilGARD Anti-Rust Canadian Modifieds feature. Whaley quickly jumped to the lead and paced the field for the first five laps, while Curtis King (No. 07) ran closely behind.
By lap six King moved to the top of the leader board and set his sights on his fourth win of the season. Doug O’Blenis (No. 32) and point leader Andrew Hennessy (No. 87) chased down King. Both spent time in the runner-up position before a tangle in corner three on lap 17 change the complexion of the race. O’Blenis was sent to the tail for incidental contact while King and Hennessy were left at the front to duke it out for the win.
Over the final eight laps King held his ground and drove to victory lane over Hennessy. Charlie Sandercock (No. 7) finished third while Mike Lucas (No. 74) had a solid fourth place result. O’Blenis rallied from the tail of the field to cross the line in fifth when the checkered flag flew.
Anderson Smooth in Win
The Brighton Automotive Pro Stocks competed in their second from last points race of the season on Saturday night. Angie Kirby (No. 23) and Carissa Burrows (No. 02) started on the front row, however point leader Doug Anderson (No. 72) was quick in finding his way to the lead. The driver known as “Big Smooth” moved to the top position on the opening lap.
His closest challenge in the points, Justin Ramsay (No. 03) was also his closest challenger on this night as the two ran nose to tail through much of the race. Austin Reid (No. 85) made his presence known and ran as high as second on two occasions.
When the 20 lap feature concluded Anderson found himself in victory lane over Ramsay and Reid. Wade Purchase (No. 53) made a late race charge towards the front but finished fourth while Mike Freeman (No. 51) was fifth.
Wells Wins One
For much of the 2017 season Adam Wells (No. 48) has been in contention to win in the Bill’s Johns Comp 4 division. Wells started at the front for the 15 lap feature alongside Keith Dunk (No. 22) and easily jumped to the top spot and cruised to his first win of the year. Luke Toms (No. 19) ran closely behind Wells for a majority of the race and crossed the line in second when the race ended.
The best battle of the event was for third where Josh French (No. 08), along with brother Tyler French (No. 0), raced closely with Jeff Humphry (No. 17). The three crossed the finish line in that order after multiple positions changes over the final ten laps.
Golden and Reid Snag Stinger Wins
With just two nights of racing left for the Quinte Septic Stingers the battle for points became even more important. Tony Reid (No. 4) drove to his first win of the season in the Junior Stinger division.
In the 12 lap Super Stinger feature Brittany Golden (No. 85) passed early race leader Chris Lammle (No. 95) for the top spot on lap 4 and cruised to her third win of the season. The victory helped pad her lead in the standings with just one race remaining.
Up Next – Ultramar CST Labour Day Classic Weekend Night Two
The Labour Day Classic Weekend returns to action on Sunday, September 3rd where the Southern Ontario Sprints presented by Sanderson Tire & Automotive Centre will compete again while the Vanderlaan Building Supply Pro Late Models and OilGARD Anti-Rust Canadian Modifieds run topless. The night will also include the final points night for Pro Stocks and the Simon Petit Memorial Wingless Sprint Dash. For admission pricing and more information visit www.brightonspeedway.com.
