By: Jim Irvine Merrittville/Speedway Public Relations
July 31 2017 

Thorold, Ontario - Tony Kelly’s 6th W of the season earned the Niagara Falls Driver the 2017 Tomaski Racing Triple Crown Series Title for the Central Fabricating & Welding 4 Cylinder Division on W Abrasives Night Saturday July 29th.

Also taking home his 6th W – Brent Begolo in the Wood Motor Company Modified Lite Division with the third generation Thorold racer also taking home his second win in the S&W Service Centre Sportsman Division.

The busy Bobcat of Hamilton Weekly Racing Series Event also saw Mat Williamosn and Chad Brachmann, (Pinty’s 358 Modifieds). Rob Murray (Hoosier Stock) and Max Chechalk in the final Vansickle Pet Valu & Groomingdale’s Enduro Qualifer accelerated by Niagara College chalk up Ws of their own.

“Wow … was I that far ahead?’ questioned Tony Kelly of his about 8 second margin of victory in the final Triple Crown Series Event, “I knew I had to win my heat to start up front. Thanks to (2016 Triple Crown Champion) Kyle Rothwell for all he’s helped me.”

Kelly, a little winded from running a victory lap around his car after the 20 lap event took the lead down the backstretch the first time from fellow front row starter Sam Iftody.

With action quickly three wide behind him, Kelly was able to open up a 10 car advantage just 2 laps in. By lap 5 Kelly’s kept driving away and three laps later he was almost a full straightaway head of the race for second spot.

The race for second was one of the many to watch with Iftody holding off Billy Sauder until lap 12 when Sauder was able to get by. Iftody then faced a challenge from 2016 Triple Crown Champion Kyle Rothwell for third.

At the finish, Kelly extended his lead to a half lap on Sauder who would finish up in the runner up spot to Kelly in the Triple Crown Points as well.

Iftody, Rothwell and Garnet Wilson would round out the top 5.

“I glad I could run the bottom,” said Brent Begolo after his 6th Mod Lite Feature of the season, “both cars actually are pretty good there.”

Begolo’s JSR Team-mate RJ Pietz was first to lead until a lap 5 caution slowed the field. Pietz, Marty deMoel and Begolo were quickly three wide on the restart with Begolo eventually landing in top spot.

Three cautions on lap 12. 14 and 16 would slow Begolo and his car owner Josh Sliter most notably the final time.

“It took me a while to find some grip,” said Sliter in Victory Lane rain-delayed from July 22nd’s Hingston Metal Fabricators Night, “and when I found it … the rad hose let go.”

Tyler Winger took over second spot on the lap 14 restart but after the final caution – could only get to about a ¼ lap behind the leader at the finish.

Begolo and Winger were followed by Pietz, Chris Watson and Steven Beckett.

“I got stuck in lap traffic at the start … but once everyone settled in – I found an opening and just kept picking them off,” said Brent Begolo after winning his second S&W Service Centre Sportsman Feature of the season.

Charlie Lynch and Chris Bellamy took the field to the green flag before Trevor Wright became the new leader on lap 2.

Caution on lap 6 would have the sophomore driver Wright and veteran Jay Mallory on the front row and side by side until Mallory took control on lap 7. Begolo would soon challenge Wright for second.

Mallory would be slowed for a lap 14 caution with Begolo in control down the back stretch. The race for second between Mallory and Rouse allowed Begolo to drive away to about a straightaway lead at the finish.

“It was a great race last week,” said Rouse post-race in another rain-delayed Hingston Metal Fabricators Victory Lane after the St. Catharines driver took home his 4th win of the season.

Behind Begolo and Rouse were Cody McPherson, Mallory and Justin Sharp.

“Tommy had the better car tonight … but it’s great to get our 5th win,” said St. Catharines driver Mat Williamson who won the 35 lap feature from Hingston Metal Fabricators Night some 140 hours after it started, “we waited all week for this … so I guess I can wait til later tonight to celebrate.”

Flannigan, who had hoped to celebrate his birthday July 22nd until rain paused the event at lap 12 led the field back to green. Two laps in the second generation driver had a 10 car lead.

After a lap 15 caution, Flannigan was again stretching his lead to lap 20. 5 laps later, Flannigan, Williamson and Larry Lampman broke away from the field until a lap 27 caution.

Flannigan and Williamson were side by side on the restart until Williamson took control. Two cautions would slow the pace on laps 29 and 32. With Williamson out front, the final laps had Flannigan and Lampman battling for second spot.

In the last green flag run, Flannigan in second made one last challenge on the leader but fell about a half car length short.

Williamson, Flannigan and Lampman were followed by Pete Bicknell and Ryan Susice.

“Last week was a tough night,” said Chad Brachmann of Sanborn NY in Victory Lane for the third time of the season, “you just have to put nights like those behind you and move on.”

When the rain came last week Brachmann wasn’t even on the track after being involved in an earlier wreck. In the regularly scheduled Feature Brachmann would only lead a ¼ lap … the final ¼ lap out of Turn 4 to the checkered flag after a final turn pass of leader Larry Lampman Jr.

Prior to that, the night cap was a battle between Tim Jones and Lampman,

Jones beat Scott Wood’s W Abrasives #38 to the initial green flag only to be slowed for a caution on lap 3. Jones was back out front on the restart with Lampman pulling alongside and taking over top spot just before a lap 18 caution.

Jones would regain the lead crossing the start finish line to start lap 20. Caution would quickly slow the race for top spot with Jones out front before Lampman once aqgain challenged.

By lap 30, Lampman would hold a couple car length lead. Once into second, Brachmann was able to close in on the leader leading up to the final turn.

Brachmann and Lampman were followed by Erick Rudolph with Jones and Ryan Susice rounding out the top 5.

“Thanks to my crew … they really got it going the last half of the year,” said Rob Murray of St. Catharines after his second Hoosier Stock win of the season.

With Jim Lampman out front early in the 20 lap Feature there was lots of action through the field. Trevor deBoer, Kyle Pelrine, Dave Small and Murray went three wide by lap 5 with deBoer holding on to the runner up spot til losing it to Murray. While all this was going on – joining the battle to sort out the top 5 was Dave Bailey who was third by lap 8.

Murray began to inch closer to Lampman as the halfway point neared and by 11 was het new leader. Caution on lap 13 found Murray and Lampman side by side once again until Murray was again out front until a final caution on lap 15.

Murray resumed the lead on the restart with Small getting by

Bailey. Lampman settled for fourth with Steve Shaw fifth.

With Brent Campbell out front at the start of the 20 lap Vansickle Pet Valu & Groomingdale’s Enduro Qualifier accelerated by Niagara College the action quickly had Rick Agnew and James Mercer taking it three wide for the lead.

Mercer would land in top spot until losing it to Max Chechalk on lap 8 – setting off a see saw battle that would last for most of the race between the two. Mercer would take the race back to green after a lap 13 incident until Stephen Conway became the leader up to another red flag on lap 18.

Chechalk would regain top spot on the restart through to the finish ahead of Jeremy Cooper, Conway, Shawn MacDonald and Jon MacWhirter.

Chechalk will now start Sunday August 27th’s Seaway Mall Motorized Mayhem 100 lap Enduro in third spot behind Cooper and Rob Goulding who both won the other Vansickle Pet Valu & Groomingdale’s Qualifiers by Niagara College.

UPCOMING at Merrittville Speedway

Merrittville will host a Wednesday Night Practice August 2nd. The Pits will open at 5:30 with the first cars on the track at 6:30.

The second Double Header of the 2017 Season kicks off Saturday August 5th when Tim Hortons presents a Bobcat of Hamilton Weekly Racing Series Event that features 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, Hoosier Stocks, the second Eataly Foods Pro 4 Trucks Triple Truck Challenge.Event and the Thunder of the Dirt Vintage Racing Series.