MILLGROVE, Ontario --- Taking the lead on Lap 16, Andrew Ranger did not look back en route to winning the NASCAR Pinty’s Series MotoMaster Batteries 125 at Flamboro Speedway on Sunday afternoon.
Ranger, making his first trip to the 3/8-mile oval, was dominate all race long, consistently holding a steady advantage over his competition. While there were a couple challenges along the way through the 125 laps, none of them fazed him en route to victory.
“It was fun,” Ranger said afterwards. “My first time here at Flamboro, and to have a race like that is fantastic for the 51 car we’re racing. It’s been a tough season, but we finally got our first win tonight.”
The third different winner in three races for the Pinty’s Series at Flamboro certainly was glad to have the victory in hand, as it marks the first for Rick Ware Racing this season after a frustrating start to 2021. Despite being ranked third in the standings, he has placed outside of the top-15 in three of the seven races.
“The car was very good, very consistent, I was able to carry a lot of speed into the corner and everything was just perfect for tonight,” Ranger added. “D.J. (Kennington), my friend, was right behind me, he gave me a lot of pressure throughout the race.”
D.J. Kennington, who has made several starts at Flamboro behind the wheel of a late model including a trip to victory lane, scored a strong second-place finish after stalking Ranger closely through the final 30 laps.
Brett Taylor continued to grow his experience in the series, rounding out the podium in third, in front of Alex Taglani. As a result, Tagliani was able to leave Flamboro with an 11-point advantage over L.P. Dumoulin
Pete Shepherd rounded out the top-five, and that was a feat in itself. The driver of the No. 7 entry wrecked at the very beginning of practice as a result of a brake failure, resulting in Jacombs Racing having to unroll their back-up. Their effort did not go unnoticed, with the car being rolled onto the grid just moments before the green flag.
Brandon Watson placed sixth in his series debut, followed by Dumoulin and Alex Gunette. Guenette ran the Ontario Sportsman Series event the day before to gain experience, scoring a second-place finish to Todd Shepherd. His event did not start off well, either, as he went around for a quick spin off of turn two.
Pole sitter Treyten Lapcevich led the first 15 laps, before having a flat tire and stalling on the track in turns one and two. He was only able to rebound to finish ninth in front of Donald Theetge. Theetge did not have the race he wanted, either, backing into the turn three wall.
Malcolm Strachan finished 11th, followed by Brent Wheller, Shae Gemmell, Sam Fellows, Marc Antoine-Camirand, Larry Jackson, Dexter Stacey, and Kevin Lacroix. Notably, Gemmell entered confident after having scored past Late Model victories at Flamboro, and was up to third when he was forced pit side with an issue.
The NASCAR Pinty’s Series was scheduled to run a pair of 125-lap events at Flamboro Speedway, however the Qwick Wick 125 was rained out following persistent showers after the first event. NASCAR is still determining how they will go about making up the event this season.
Thanks to Derek Smith (http://www.racepulse.com), Peter Anderson (pandersonphotos@gmail.com), and Shaun Lumley (Zoompics.com) for their images of the racing action each week.
The next event at Flamboro Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, September 18, with the Pro Late Models headlining the night of racing action. Also on hand will be the Canadian Vintage Modifieds, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, Pure Stocks, and Pro 4 Modifieds. The spectator gates will open at 5 p.m., with racing starting at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets will be $25.00 for adults, $20.00 for seniors 65 and older, and $5.00 for children ages six to 12. There is also a family ticket available for $55.00 which includes two adults and up to four children. Please note HST is included in those prices.
Also on Sunday September 19, the Trinity Auto Meets Annual Car Show will be taking place at the track from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. If you have a muscle car, vintage car, hot rod, or a show truck, come take part in a REV battle and burnout competition. Please note it is $20.00 per vehicle for the show. There will be giveways throughout the day, with the food concessions open.
Be sure to keep up with the latest by checking out Flamboro Speedway’s website at http://www.flamborospeedway.ca. You can also keep up via your favorite social networking website by following the speedway on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FlamboroSpdwy and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/flamborospeedway. Fans are encouraged to like the speedway’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Flamboro-Speedway-Authorized-Page-102328664646735/.
By: Ashley McCubbin
