Even though preparations are already in high gear for the 2020 campaign, there was still some left over business to attend to from the 2019 season. This past Saturday February 1, all of the drivers and crews got together to celebrate the 2019 track champions and hand out some hardware.
With 11 wins and 18 top-five’s, J.R. Fitzpatrick was able to take home the 2019 Grisdale Racing Products Late Model Championship. Rick Burbridge finished second, followed by Mark Burbridge, Kevin Albers, Chris Howse, Jake Gilbert, Carson Nagy, Mike Klotz, Dave Gallinger, and Chad Corcoran.
For the Grisdale Triple Crown, it was Shae Gemmell taking the top honors following finishes of first, second, and second in the three races. J.R. Fitzpatrick finished second, followed by Billy Schwartzenburg, Jake Sheridan, Chad Corcoran, Shawn Chenoweth, Rick Burbridge, and Mark Burbridge.
With nine wins and 21 top-five’s, Brad Collison was able to take home the 2019 Ray’s Towing Super Stock Championship. Randy Rusnell and AJ Miller followed in the standings.
With 10 wins and 27 top-five’s, Karl Sault was able to take home the 2019 Klotz Auto Repair and Machine Shop Mini Stock Championship. Erik Dalla Riva finished second, followed by Dylan Sharpe, Shawn Taylor, Tyler Lewis, Jonathan Ayrton, Kyle Istead, Kyle Da Silva, Kaitlyn Wallace, Mike Hooper, and Wendy Adams.
With six wins and 31 top-five’s, Leo Labarbera was able to take home the 2019 McClurkin Properties Cambridge Pure Stock Championship. Mark Thorne finished second, followed by Bobby Mercer, Jared Bodner, Dale Lucas, Jimmy Hooper, Kyle Lucas, Brian Gamble, and Jeff Kells.
With two wins and 15 top-five’s, Dan Pettit was able to take home the 2019 Pro 4 Modified Championship. Mark Lucas finished second, followed by Shannon Morris, Cliff Hodgkinson, Dave Hodgkinson, and Mike Westwood.
The Flamboro Speedway Memorial Night of Champions were also recognized, as well, as follows – Bobby Mercer (Pure Stock), Karl Sault (Mini Stock), Brad Collison (Super Stock Feature #1), Steve Cashmore (Super Stock Feature #2), J.R. Fitzpatrick (Late Model), Max Wright (Canadian Vintage Modified #1), and TJ Marshall (Canadian Vintage Modified Feature #2).
On top of the champions being honored for their accomplishments, there were several awards handed out.
Each division saw steady growth through the year with solid car counts through the season, including a couple first year competitors. Kyle Lucas would take home the Rookie of the Year honors in the Pure Stocks, with Jake Gilbert leading the way in the Late Model class. Lucas follows in the footsteps of his father Dale who picked up the division title in 2018, while Gilbert made the move to Late Models following a successful Mini Stock career.
While several drivers stand out on-track, there are those who step up behind the scenes, which was recognized at the banquet with the “Dedication to Racing” Award. The following drivers were the winners, with their division in the bracket that follows: Brian Gamble (Pure Stock), Rich Schwartzenburg (Mini Stock), A.J. Miller (Super Stock), Mark and Rick Burbridge (Late Model), and Dan Pettit (Pro 4 Modified).
Beyond being dedicated to racing, there were others who stood out simply by how their cars appeared on track, and one driver per division received recognition with the “Best Appearing Car” Award. The following drivers were the winners, with their division in the bracket that follows: Kyle Lucas (Pure Stock), Dylan Sharpe (Mini Stock), Brad Collison (Super Stock), Mike Westwood (Pro 4 Modified), and Jake Gilbert (Late Model).
Another atmosphere that you always see walking through the pits is respect amongst competitors. There are some drivers who stand out in that department, and each division was allowed to award their most sportsman driver. As voted by their peers, the following drivers were the winners, with their division in the bracket that follows: Leo Labarbera (Pure Stock), Kyle Da Silva (Mini Stock), AJ Miller (Super Stock), and Jake Gilbert (Late Model).
Running up front weekly is everyone’s goal, and that was recognized at the banquet with each division seeing the driver who held the most checkered flags receive a trophy of recognition. The following drivers were the winners, with their division and number of victories in the bracket that follows: Leo Labarbera (Pure Stock – six), Karl Sault (Mini Stock – 10), Brad Collison (Super Stock – nine), Mark Lucas (Pro 4 Modified – five), and J.R. Fitzpatrick (Late Model – 11).
On the flip side, there were some drivers who battled adversity through the year with several tough occurrences. Those competitors were recognized for their perseverance with the Hard Luck Award. The following drivers were the winners, with their division in the bracket that follows: Jimmy Hooper (Pure Stock), Shawn Taylor (Mini Stock), Randy Rusnell (Super Stock), Shannon Morris (Pro 4 Modified), and Kevin Albers (Late Model).
The Perfect Attendance Award was given to the drivers that were able to run all of the nights scheduled for their division through the 2019 season. Six drivers received recognition in the Pure Stocks – Mark Thorne, Brian Gamble, Jared Bodner, Jimmy Hooper, Dale Lucas, and Leo Labarbera. 10 drivers received recognition in the Mini Stocks – Kyle Da Silva, Jonathan Ayrton, Dylan Sharpe, Erik Dalla Riva, Kaitlyn Wallace, Tyler Lewis, Shawn Taylor, Mike Hooper, Kyle Istead, and Karl Sault. Brad Collison would be the only driver awarded in the Super Stock division, with eight drivers recognized in the Late Models – Mark Burbridge, Rick Burbridge, Jake Gilbert, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Kevin Albers, Mike Klotz, Chris Howse, and Carson Nagy. The Pro 4 Modifieds would have four drivers recognized – Shannon Morris, Dan Pettit, Dave Hodgkinson, and Mark Lucas.
With the banquet out of the way, the focus shifts entirely on the upcoming 2020 campaign as the full schedule was revealed at the banquet.
The pre-season driver’s meeting and registration for the Late Models, Super Stocks, Mini Stocks, Pure Stocks and Pro 4 Modifieds is scheduled for Sunday February 23, beginning at 1pm, at the Milgrove Community Center – 855 Millgrove Side Road.
Any drivers looking for a copy of the registration form can download it from the track website under rules and forms. If you have any questions, you can call John at 905-689-6052, or e-mail the track at wendyann149@hotmail.com.
The full schedule once released, along with any other information you may inquire about, can be found on the track’s website at http://www.flamborospeedway.ca.
Be sure to keep up with the latest by following the speedway on Twitter at https://twitter.com/FlamboroSpdwy and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/flamborospeedway.
By: Ashley McCubbin
