Through her career behind the wheel, Melissa Bullen was always fast in Mini Stock competition, making a couple visits to victory lane. So it’s no wonder the division she became known for is hopeful of putting on a really good show this weekend at Sunset Speedway.

The entry list is full of a mix of experience and inexperience, with a couple drivers hoping to invade the party and have some fun.

Jeff Laflamme enters the weekend as one of the most intriguing drivers on the list. He has some Mini Stock experience under his belt, showing speed in his limited amount of starts behind the wheel of a mustang at Peterborough Speedway and Flamboro Speedway. However, he has totally changed up his program for 2021, purchasing a Honda Civic from Kevin Bridge over the off-season. If you know anything about Bridge and Sunset, Laflamme should be able to have the same amount of success if he an ounce of the same speed.

Another fast car that changed hands over the winter was Andy Kamrath selling his Honda Civic to Matt Boyes. The mere mention of the previously numbered No. 35 Honda, and you think victories with the amount of crown jewels amassed over the years. Boyes should be no slouch behind the wheel, considering he found feature victory lane twice in his rookie Pure Stock campaign at Sunset Speedway in 2019.

Another driver graduating from Pure Stock competition is Ryan D’Antimo, who rebuilt his car after scoring five feature wins and 10 top-10’s in the 2019 season. He debuted the car in the shortened campaign at Flamboro Speedway in 2020, with a best finish of 13^th.

Keeping in the family, he will be battling against Jason D’Antimo, who hopes to build upon his 2019 Mini Stock campaign that saw him score 11 top-10’s, including a pair of top-five’s.

Another driver whom showed promise in Sunset Speedway’s last full campaign for the Mini Stocks was Curtis Stewart. The year may have started off slow, but learning as the year progressed resulted in an improvement with the results. After finishing off 2019 with nine straight top-10’s including three top-five’s, it will be interesting to see whether the momentum carries forward.

You also cannot ignore Peter Wakeling, as he has had a couple strong runs over the years, with three top-10’s including a sixth in 2019.

Experience from all divisions will be at play, with Coltin Everingham ready to make his voice heard. The previous Super Stock Champion has put together an effort for the Mini Stock season opener, and looks to mix it up with the regulars in the process.

There’s also experience from other tracks, as Peterborough Speedway regular Brad Lavalle will be making the trip to Sunset Speedway to kick off the 2021 campaign. Can he replicate the same type of success in transitioning from the toughest oval to the widest oval? That’s the question everyone will be asking.

Though if any of these drivers want to visit victory lane, they will have to make sure they are ahead of two Sunset Speedway heavyweights in Ty Seaboyer and Doug Butler.

Seaboyer won the last track championship in 2019 with two feature wins, 13 heat victories, and 10 feature top-10’s. Although the No. 23 spent last year on the sidelines, you can expect him to pick up where he left.

Butler’s reputation in the division is widely known, as witnessed with multiple track championships and crown jewel victories. Although he has not been as active in recent seasons, success at Jukasa Motor Speedway a couple years ago and the top of the Ontario Mini Stock Drivers Over the Past 10 years has kept the No. 10 on everybody’s radar.

You also can’t count out another past champion, as Cameron McGlashan will hope to put his mustang back at the front of the field as he was able to do a couple years ago en route to title glory.