MILLGROVE, Ontario --- After a successful first round of Operation Green Flag, it’s just mere days now until the second round takes place at Flamboro Speedway. The July 4 event will feature the Pure Stocks and Mini Stocks for 40 laps, with the Super Stocks running 50 laps.
With the current government restrictions, no spectators or children are allowed to be in attendance for the event. However, Flamboro Speedway has partnered with GForceTV to broadcast the event. Fans are encouraged to log on for the service free on their website at http://www.GForce.net to take in the action, as well as other racing.
The races will take place at 4:05 pm ET, streamed live on the service, with the broadcast beginning at 4pm ET.
With registration complete and the field set, here is a preview of what to expect this weekend.
Andrew Shilling had signs of speed in his rookie campaign at Sunset Speedway, scoring six top-10 finishes. This will mark his first trip to Flamboro, though.
Andy Wheller is a veteran of the sport, and somebody you can never count out when it comes to Pure Stocks at Flamboro. He scored a fourth-place overall finish at Frostoberfest last year to go along with seven top-five results in the regular season.
Austyn Jennett showed speed through his rookie campaign at Sunset Speedway, scoring five top-10 finishes as he gets set for his first trip to Flamboro.
Bobby Mercer is no stranger to Flamboro, having made several laps there across the track’s divisions. His experience shined through last season with a third-place overall finish at Frostoberfest to go along with three wins and 30 top-five’s across the regular season.
Brian Gamble continues to steadily gain experience each time he hits the track, as evident with five top-10 finishes last season in regular competition.
Connor Parkes may be a new face for Flamboro fans, but he could easily factor into the equation after experiencing lots of success at Peterborough, including an Autumn Colours Classic win under his belt.
Courtney Scott has experienced success at Flamboro, as she scored a feature victory last season along with four top-five’s in regular competition.
David Rockwood was able to be successful at Flamboro last season, scoring five feature victories. He also proved that he can get it done in the biggest fields, shining through with speed in both Sunset Speedway’s Fall Velocity and Peterborough Speedway’s Autumn Colours Classic.
Although Doug Wilman is not a regular Pure Stock competitor, he has spent the past seasons behind the wheel of a Mini Stock at Sunset Speedway. Despite running a shortened schedule last year, he was able to score a top-10 finish.
Gillian Hils shined through as the top lady in the Pure Stocks last year at Flamboro, scoring five feature victories across the season.
Jimmy Hooper continued to gain experience through his rookie campaign last season at Flamboro, scoring three top-five finishes.
John Lavalle will hope to shake things up this weekend, hoping to prove the Peterborough Speedway regulars can mix it up right there with the best of Flamboro.
Karlie Wilman continued to improve through her rookie campaign at Sunset Speedway last year, scoring seven top-10 finishes as she gets set for her first trip to Flamboro.
Kris Khan proved to have the quickest car at Peterborough Speedway’s Autumn Colours Classic last season, and should easily be a factor for the win this weekend.
Kris Lawrence knows what it takes to win at Flamboro, as he was the overall winner of Frostoberfest last year, despite some contact resulting in the door coming off his car during the second feature. He’ll be hoping to hold the checkered flag once again on Saturday, just like he did in the first 20-lap affair in October.
Kyle Lucas may not have the experience of his competitors, but he’s no stranger to success at Flamboro. He scored a ninth-place overall finish at Frostoberfest last year, combined with four wins and 11 top-five’s in the regular competition.
Kyle Neumeister has proven to be fast at Flamboro Speedway before, having hoisted the checkered flag there on a couple of occasions. The 2019 Autumn Colours Classic Champion scored a pair of top-10’s in regular competition last year.
Leo Labarbera put together the dream campaign in 2019 en route to winning the track championship with six wins and 31 top-five finishes, with just one result outside of the top-eight. He also proved that he can get it done when the big names show up, too, scoring the victory in the second Frostoberfest feature to finish second overall.
Any big race across the province always sees Phil Givens factor into the equation, as he is fast no matter what speedway he attends. This shined through with a sixth-place finish at Frostoberfest last year, along with a victory on August 31 in regular competition.
Russ Couture has been building his racing experience the past couple years, with experience in both the Living Lighting OSCAAR Pro Sprints and Pure Stocks.
Steve DeLeeuw will hope to have a solid run after scoring just one top-10 finish last season at Flamboro.
After experiencing success in go-karts, Zach Harrison is ready for the next chapter of his racing career, as this event will mark his debut behind the wheel of a Pure Stock. He was originally scheduled to be a regular at Sunset this season pre-pandemic.
A pair of regulars at Delaware Speedway, Don Yorke and Jo Lawrence should factor into the equation at Flamboro this Saturday. Lawrence also has experience at the Hamilton-based oval, competing in a Pro Late Model most recently there.
Other drivers pre-registered to compete include Stephen Charles, Brandon Steele, Steve Arrand, Nic Ramsay and Kyle Novis.
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
