4/20/2024
Merrittville Speedway
WESTBROOK WINS, LINDBERG, LAMPMAN AND RILEY BRING THE SIZZLE ON CHILLY OPENER AT MERRITTVILLE
THOROLD, Ontario (April 20th, 2024) … On a chilly night at Merrittville Speedway, four drivers started off hot with wins the Peters Construction Group Spring Sizzler 2024. Defending champion of the Southern Ontario Sprints Dylan Westbrook of Scotland, Ontario wasted no time finding victory lane in the first event of the season. Gary Lindberg of Ridgeway, Ontario scored the victory in the Commercial Auto Electric 358 Modifieds feature. Caistor Centre, Ontario’s Jim Lampman won the Hoosier Stock opening race, and Alex Riley of St. Catharines, Ontario made it two defending champions in victory lane after winning the Vansickle Pet Valu/PV on the Lane 4 Cylinders feature.
The Commercial Auto Electric 358 Modifieds returned to Merrittville Speedway Saturday night to cap off a chilly Spring Sizzler. The Carleton brothers Fred and Luke led the field to green on the front row after both picked up heat wins early in the night. Fred led early and showed speed throughout the race. The first caution of the event occurred on lap 15 when Nelson Mason had a mechanical failure that dropped fluid on the track. On the restart, Gary Lindberg, racing in his first event since failing post-race tech at the Brian Stevens Memorial last June, tracked down Carleton for the lead. Lindberg was a man on mission and opened a comfortable margin out front before a caution on lap 31 set up a 4-lap shootout. On the single file restart, Carleton tried to hang with Lindberg but couldn’t get a pass completed before Lindberg ran away with clean race track out front. Chad Brachman finished third, with defending Modified Champ Pete Bicknell in fourth and Luke Carleton fifth.
The Southern Ontario Sprints began the 2024 campaign in chaotic fashion. Well still under pre-race pace laps, front row starters D.J. Christie and Dylan Westbrook fired a lap before the green flag was scheduled to be displayed. After realizing it was one to go at the line, and not the green both drivers slowed, stacking up an on rushing pack of cars who were confused by the front row firing. Multiple cars were involved in the incident with Eric Gledhill and Jamie Turner flipping over. Both drivers were okay, however their nights, as well as the nights of four other drivers, came to an end before it began. Once the race did get going, Westbrook emerged as the star of the show, with blistering speed. The car was so hooked up, the right front tire would lift off the ground on corner exit, all while pulling away from the competition. Jason Barney did have a shot Westbrook after a lap 21 restart but could not cleanly pull off a last corner slide job and settled for second place after starting 11th. Ryan Turner rounded out the podium after driving from 14th starting spot. Christie was fourth and Mike Bowman finished fifth.
Steve Shaw Sr. and Pete Reid lead a field of 28 Hoosier Stocks to the green flag. Shaw led early and for much of the race. Frequent early cautions for a variety of single car incidents, made it difficult for the race to gain any momentum. Jim Lampman, who started third, found himself on the front row for a restart with Reid on lap 11, which he was able to take the lead on. Two laps later, a caution once again came out when Gofast Teeple slowed. The final seven laps of the event ran green and the veteran Lampman started the year off with a big win, over Reid, Rodney Rutherford, Dave Bailey, and Shaw.
The Vansickle Pet Valu/PV on the Lane 4 Cylinders began the evening with Austyn Werstroh and Anthony Kelly on the front row. The field saw the yellow flag for the first time when Brendan Lefrancois had a mechanical issue. Two laps later John Lubeck and Jason Coutu tangled while racing inside the top 10. Alex Riley took the lead of the race before the caution and lead his championship rival from 2023 Werstroh and teammate Kyle Rothwell back to green. Rothwell would chase Riley like a dog on a bone for much the race’s final 7 laps but could never get close enough to sneak by for the win. Riley made it back-to-back wins in the season opener, with Rothwell and Werstroh rounding out the podium, Mason Anderson fourth and Ken Hair finishing fifth.
As stock car racing returns to Southern Ontario, next week Select Total Service presents the 73rd Season Opener at Merrittville Speedway. All five Bobcat of Hamilton Weekly Racing Series divisions will be in action including the Commercial Auto Electric 358 Modifieds, Baron Roofing/Semenuk’s Esso DIRTcar Sportsman, Hoosier Stocks, Rona Doidge Mod Lites, and Vansickle Pet Valu/PV on the Lane 4 Cylinders. Pit gates will open at 5:30 pm, and racing will begin at 7:00 pm.
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RACE RESULTS –- April 20th, 2024.
Southern Ontario Sprints – DYLAN WESTBROOK, Jason Barney, Ryan Turner, D.J. Christie, Mike Bowman, Jordan Poirier, Allan Downey, Todd Hoddick, Darren Dryden, Dale Curran, Shone Evans, Aaron Turkey, Liam Martin, Derek Jonathan, Josh Hansen, Matt Farnham, Cory Turner, Brent Begolo, Travis Cunningham, Eric Gledhill, Scott Hall, Tyeller Powless, Jamie Turner
Qualifying Heats – Dylan Westbrook, D.J. Christie, Eric Gledhill
Commercial Auto Electric 358 Modifieds – GARY LINDBERG, Fred Carleton, Chad Brachmann, Pete Bicknell, Luke Carleton, Brad Rouse, Noah Walker, James Friesen, Boyd MacTavish, Trevor Wright, Justin Sharp, Adam Leslie, Martin Polhill, Derek VanMil, Shayne Pierce, Darrell Farraway, Mike Bowman, Nelson Mason, Brian Page, Ken Winfield, Bill Gill
Qualifying Heats – Fred Carleton, Luke Carleton, Mike Bowman
Hoosier Stocks – JIM LAMPMAN, Pete Reid, Rodney Rutherford, Dave Bailey, Steve Shaw Sr., Ryan Beagle, Kyle Haynes, Mark Fawcett, Zach Bleich, Rob Murray, Todd Shaw, Tyler French, Brock Gregory, Spencer Smolders, Rob General, John Couture, Kacey Huffman, John Overholt, Gofast Teeple, Gord Grant, Jason Fontaine, Kyle Pelrine, Jonathan Mason, Kyle Andress, Jody Mason, Bryce Richardson, Rob Disher, Murray Nichols
Qualifying Heats: Steve Shaw Sr., Pete Reid, Jim Lampman
Vansickle Pet Valu/PV on the Lane 4 Cylinders – ALEX RILEY, Kyle Rothwell, Austyn Werstroh, Mason Anderson, Ken Hair, Cierra Keus, Randy Always, Anthony Kelly, Sam Iftody, John Lubeck, Ray Cerenzia, Cameron Lane, Richard Hadler, Nick Bowman, John Trivieri, Braden Keus, Jay Moulton, James Marshall, Jason Coutu, Olivier Larocque, Sierra Robison, Brendan Lefrancois, Clinton Barrick, Kallie Akins
Qualifying Heats – Austyn Werstroh, Anthony Kelly, Kyle Rothwell
Article Credit: Jonathon Howe
Submitted By: Jonathon Howe
