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After lack of co-operation from Mother Nature the week before, Flamboro Speedway kicked off its 2001 season on April 28th. Celebrating 40 years of racing history, the track is now looking to the future, with new attitudes and the new slogan, "Next Generation Racing." There was good turnout for opening night, and many more cars are promising to appear later in the year. The rookie talent, which was one of the most anticipated draws over the winter, showed promise early, but did not fair well over the course of the race night.
Even in hot laps, most eyes turned to the #7 Late Model of Petey
Shepherd. Everybody wanted to know how the "rookie sensation" from
2000 would do in his new surroundings, a performance built 2000 Monte Carlo.
Unfortunately, Team Shepherd will have to wait until later in the season
to see if Petey can repeat last year's success. In the first Late
Model heat of 2001, Shepherd started front row, alongside another Late
Model rookie, #57 Rob Maas. Maas, who you may recognize from running
the #16 Canadian Vintage Modified, was on the poll with Petey on the outside.
Out of corner four both drivers hit the gas hard, a little too hard.
Both cars broke loose coming onto the front straightaway. Shepherd
started to collect it but made contact with the #57 of Maas. Out
of reflex Shepherd hit the brakes, and locked it up. The #7 turned
hard into the wall just past the starters' stand while the rest of the
field drove by. Not the way anyone would want to start the season,
the front end of the #7 was badly tore up and broke. But this was
only the start of bad luck for rookies.
Later in the same race Paul Maas, who was in the hunt for the lead,
took a sharp right-hand turn into the wall between corners 3 and 4.
Another badly broken rookie race car, that caught air after the hard contact
and landed solidly, Maas would have a lot of work ahead of him to get the
#57 back to racing condition. In the next heat race rookie Kenny
McNicol Jr., driver of the #77 Late Model, showed a lot of promise as he
charged to the front using both the low and high grooves to get by competitors.
Kenny made his way into the lead, before being over thrown by the #82 Jason
Shaw. McNicol was able to put up a good fight for about a lap, before
retiring pit side with mechanical problems. These problems would
haunt the #77 all night. None of the rookies made it to the green
flag in the second round of qualifying, except for #49 Drew Spicer.
Spicer, who ran the #12 Challenger last year, quietly crept into a top
3 finish and avoided the plague that had been haunting the other rookies.
The 25 lap Late Model feature started cleanly, and allowed #36 Bill
Jackson to separate from his pursuers. The pack split in two, as
Jackson lead the front four away from the rest. The race to watch
was between #44 Steve Laking and the #82 of Jason Shaw as they duelled
for second spot. Shaw brought his #82 up and down the race track,
and Laking’s rear bumper, looking for any room he could find to get by
the #44. His efforts would go un-rewarded though. As they came
across the finish line it was #36 Bill Jackon winning the first Late Model
feature of 2001, followed by #44 Steve Laking and #82 Jason Shaw.
Rounding out the top five were #48 Gerry Wheaton and #9 Chris Boschler.
As for the rookies, #7 Petey Shepherd took the green and completed one
lap before limping his broken modified-looking race car back to the pits.
#57 Rob Maas did not make it out to start the feature, and #77 Kenny McNicol
Jr. finished at the back.
The newly named “Go Four” Mini Stocks made their first appearance
as a regular class at Flamboro Speedway, and showed everyone that fun,
inexpensive racing is still alive and exciting. Heat wins went to
#66 Matt Cochrane, #7 Ben Beacock, and #85 Robert Allerellie. It
seems to be a usual thing for these drivers to race into corner one three-wide
almost every time they take the green. This was the case in the feature
as the four-cylinder stock cars dove into the corners at the start.
#71 Barry Westman got in front early, with the #7 of Ben Beacock, #66 Matt
Cochrane, and #85 Robert Allerellie close to his bumper. Beacock
and Cochrane brought their cars by the #71 and proceeded to have a private
duel for the lead. First Cochrane got by Beacock on the inside, but
then Beacock brought the #7 back around in front. As the front two
came up on slow traffic the space between them became greater, as their
side by side racing could no longer be. It was Cochrane in the #66
who had to back off and fall in behind so as to not make contact with lapped
cars. This was the break that Beacock needed. Time would run
out before Cochrane could once again mount a challenge on the #7.
Ben Beacock won the race, followed by the #66 of Cochrane, #85 Robert Allerellie,
#71 Barry Westman, and then the #2 John “Crash” Myers..
In other racing action, Street Stock driver Dave Miskolczi won his
feature, keeping his familiar #41 ahead of the defending points champion
#72 Randy “The Rocket” Rusnell and the #20 Sean Warren. It had been
wondered if the #41 would even make the feature, after early signs of smoke
trailing from the rear end during qualifying, but all apprehensions were
put to rest when Miskolczi posed for track photographer Dave Franks in
victory lane. Heat wins went to #11 Manfred Henkel, #20 Sean Warren,
and #72 Randy Rusnell.
Experience conquered youth in the Thunder Car division when veteran
driver Ray Gowan put his newly painted #10 in victory lane. Early
in the race the big action was at the front where #31 Kevin Gallant was
in a heated battle with the #43 of Dave Habel. Gallant would claim
the lead, while Habel would head pitside with mechanical problems.
#6 Jim Ball then came to the front with determination, but after “helping”
the #31 of Gallant to the infield, was shown the black. Gowan, who
had started mid-pack, was now in control as the race leader. With
some defensive driving to hold off a charging Randy Richard in the #91,
Ray Gowan collected his first checkered flag in a feature of 2001.
Not bad for a driver who had said he was hanging up the helmet after last
year.
In following with it being a rough night for rookies, something
has to be said about 17 year old driver #55 Jesse Fair. In his first
race in the Thunder Car, a heat race, Jesse came to the front and won,
showing great promise for later in the season. In his second heat
though, the #55 lost a tire and suffered some damage. As a result,
the #55 was absent from the feature. But after the way he raced in
the first heat, fans watch out. Another exciting rookie sensation
could be emerging from the Thunder Car division. Other heat winners
were #50 John Burdick, #7 Robert Disher, and #10 Ray Gowan.
We’re only one night into the race season but things are already
exciting. There’s a lot of new racing talent being developed, and
right now it’s bringing some wily veterans to the top of their game.
2001 will be a year of celebration, as we acknowledge 40 years of racing
history, celebrate the memories, and look ahead to the future of the sport.