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LINDBERG SWEEPS MODIFIED TITLE AND JOHN SPENCER MEMORIAL ON SEMENUK’S ESSO POINT FINALE NIGHT AT MERRITTVILLE

THOROLD, Ontario (August 31st, 2024) … As the Bobcat of Hamilton Weekly Racing Series championship season came to a close at Merrittville Speedway, fans were treated to a fantastic show after track crew and officials worked tirelessly to have the facility ready following a rash of rain showers hours before green flag. The Commercial Auto Electric 358 Modified’s contested the 50 lap John Spencer Memorial which was won by Ridgeway, Ontario’s Gary Lindberg, who also won his third 358 Modified track title. In the Semenuk’s Esso/Baron Roofing DIRTcar Sportsman feature, Matteo Panunte of Port Colborne, ON won his first feature, while Cody McPherson of St. Catharines, ON was crowned champion. Fellow Port Colborne, ON native Jason Fontaine grabbed the checkered in the Hoosier Stocks, with Dave Bailey from Hagersville, ON winning the division title. Tyler Winger of Ridgeway, ON scored the win in the Rona Doidge Modified Lites, with Josh Sliter of Port Colborne, ON winning the championship. Alex Riley of St. Catharines, ON had a walk off win in the Vansickle Pet Valu/PV on the Lane 4 Cylinder feature to also claim the track championship.

With the championship for the Commercial Auto Electric 358 Modified’s already in hand, Gary Lindberg started fourth in the 50 lap John Spencer Memorial feature. Ahead of him on the grid were Fred Carleton, Justin Sharp and pole sitter Pete Bicknell, who jumped out to a sizeable lead after a caution for Luke Carleton slowing on lap 3. The lead was erased on lap 29 when Bill Gill came to a halt in the middle of turn 3 and 4, giving Sharp another shot at Bicknell, while Lindberg worked past his early season rival Carleton for third. Lindberg would eventually catch Sharp, and run down Bicknell, but he was running out of laps. With five laps to go, Lindberg was within striking distance, eventually wrestling the lead away with four laps to go. After catching fire through the summer, Lindberg put the icing on the cake of his track championship by winning the John Spencer Memorial. Bicknell finished second, while Brad Rouse, who mounted a late race charge finished third. Sharp and Carleton rounded out the top five.

After losing an engine the week prior, Matteo Panunte was able to jump in Jay Mallory’s Sportsman ride to finish out the season, starting on the outside of the front row. After multiple early incidents, Panunte was able to grab the lead where he looked quite comfortable in the borrowed ride. After a restart on lap 15, fellow Sportsman young gun, Nigel Pendykoski took the lead away from Panunte, who then took it right back two laps later before the yellow came out. While the top two jockeyed for position prior to the yellow, track champion McPherson closed on the top two, and the restart seemed like the perfect opportunity to make his move to the front. However, both young drivers would do enough to hold off McPherson, with Panunte winning his first feature race. Pendykoski came home second, with McPherson third, Matt Sharpe and Adam Leslie finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Jason Fontaine was one of the fastest Hoosier Stocks each week in 2024, but at times it seemed he may be cursed, as mechanical issues and flat tires throughout the year keeping him from taking the championship fight to Dave Bailey, who clinched his sixth Merrittville Hoosier Stock title by starting the feature on Saturday night. Fontaine, meanwhile, started on the pole alongside Chris Crowe. The race ran flag to flag without incident, with Fontaine leading every lap. In the end, he would have to work for it as Mark Fawcett, closed to within less than a car length, but could not make a clean move on the last lap. Fontaine took the win, his second of the season and 100th of his career, with Fawcett finishing second. Spencer Smolders, Crowe and Bailey rounded out the top five.

The Rona Doidge Modified Lites championship was one of two titles that were mathematically in play heading into the final points night of the year Merrittville Speedway. Brent Begolo needed some major help to catch Josh Sliter, and unfortunately got the exact opposite of that. Begolo’s crew was scrambling in hot laps with an issue that forced him to miss the session. Then come feature time, after a torrent pace on the opening lap, he brought out the races first caution when he locked bumpers with Chris Watson. On the restart, the two would somehow find each other locked together again while racing at the back of the pack, ending Watson’s night. After another restart, Begolo still had speed, but his night would take one final turn for the worst when his car flipped in turn three. He would be okay, but his title defence was over. After the race returned to green, R.J. Pietz took the top spot, and would surrender the lead to Tyler Winger two laps later. After Dan Kviring spun with four laps to go, Josh Sliter was given a shot to win both the title and the race. However, Winger proved to be too quick and Sliter would settle for second, doing more than enough to win the track championship. Pietz, Ryan Anderson and Jamie Gilbert completed the top five.

The math for the Vansickle Pet Valu/PV on the Lane 4 Cylinders championship was easy. With Alex Riley and Ken Hair tied in points, whoever finished better would win the title. Of course, it didn’t play out that simple. Riley started one row ahead of Hair in 12th, and drove to fifth in one lap, after Brendan Lefrancois stacked the field up on the back stretch, forcing drivers to lift from the front row back. Hair also took advantage and gained a significant number of spots. After a restart on lap two, Alex Riley took the lead on lap five from Clinton Barrick, while Hair had worked himself to third. After a late caution, Riley lined up on the inside with Hair right on his bumper. However, Hair would not be able to advance further than second and Riley took the walk off race and championship win over Hair in a fitting finale. Austyn Werstroh finished third with Barrick fourth and Rick Beales finishing fifth.

While the championship hardware has been handed out already, Merrittville Speedway still has plenty of action to come this season. Next Saturday, the Southern Ontario Sprints return, the Semenuk’s Esso/Baron Roofing DIRTcar Sportsman contest a 50-lap feature. The Hoosier Stocks will contest the Duel on the Dirt combined race, and the Rona Doidge Modified Lites race in the IMCA Canadian Championships. School Bus Racing will cap off the night. Pit Gates will open at 5pm, with grandstands opening at 5:30pm, and racing will get underway at 7pm. For more information, visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com and can follow the action on My Race Pass.

Follow Merrittville on social media including Facebook (facebook.com/MerrittvilleSpeedway), Twitter (@Merrittville), and now on Instagram (@merrittvillespeedway). For results, point standings, and more, check out www.merrittvillespeedway.com

RACE RESULTS –- August 31st, 2024.

Commercial Auto Electric 358 – GARY LINDBERG (8), Pete Bicknell, Brad Rouse, Justin Sharp, Fred Carleton, James Friesen, Todd Gordon, Martin Polhill, Shayne Pierce, Scott Wood, Jay Mallory, Nelson Mason, Dave Flannigan Jr., Dylan Davidson, Jacob Dykstra, Darrell Farraway, Brian Page, Derek VanMil, Ken Winfield, Bill Gill, Luke Carleton

Heat Winners – Gary Lindberg, Brad Rouse, Nelson Mason

Semenuk’s Esso/Baron Roofing DIRTcar Sportsman – Matteo Panunte, Nigel Pendykoski, Cody McPherson, Matt Sharpe, Adam Leslie, Daniel McKay, Billy Bleich Jr., Mitch Dumont, Jacob Chevalier, Noah Mamo, Tyler Puchalski, Boyd MacTavish, Jeff Panunte, Kyle Rothwell, Taylor Vanderzanden, Elijah Knutt, Tyler Lafantaise, Matthew Jessome, Curtis Friesen, Graeme Toth

Heat Winners – Matteo Panunte, Matt Sharpe, Cody McPherson

Hoosier Stocks – JASON FONTAINE (2), Mark Fawcett, Spencer Smolders, Chris Crowe, Dave Bailey, Kyle Pelrine, Zach Bleich, Dustin Duga, Kyle Haynes, Pete Reid, Gofast Teeple, Donny Lampman, Rob Disher, Kacey Huffman, Jim Lampman

Heat Winners – Jason Fontaine, Dave Bailey

Rona Doidge Modified Lites – TYLER WINGER (3), Josh Sliter, R.J. Pietz, Ryan Anderson, Jamie Gilbert, Leroy Buscumb, Cohen Corbett, Ashton Anderson, Greg Zack, Sean Iftody, Anthony Kelly, Chance Kotar, Dan Kviring, Dave Cornish, Cole Hardy, Ryleigh Sliter, Tyler Colbert, Nick Sarantakos, Roger Pardis, Brent Begolo, Chris Watson

Heat Winners –Tyler Winger, R.J Pietz, Josh Sliter

Vansickle Pet Valu/PV on the Lane – ALEX RILEY (5), Ken Hair, Austyn Werstroh, Clinton Barrick, Rick Beales, Hana Rothwell, Mason Anderson, Jeremy Cooper, Joshua Dmytrow, Randy Alway, Sierra Robison, John Lubeck, Olivier Larocque, Ray Cerenzia, Mark Deagle, Dave Wininger, Grayden Lyons, Braden Keus, Sam Iftody, Brendan Lefrancois, James Marshall, John Trivieri, Cierra Keus, Nick Bowman

B Feature – Ray Cerenzia, Cierra Keus, Mark Deagle, Sam Iftody, Nick Bowman, James Marshall, Jacob Mcintyre, Richard Hadler, Jay Burghall, Joe Stevenson, Roger Winfield

Heat Winners – John Lubeck, Austyn Werstroh, Sierra Robison

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