By Jim Clarke

A fresh page on the calendar led to some exciting action on the track as Peterborough Speedway kicked-off the June portion of its 2024 schedule with home track Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock, SwitchTire Mini Stock and KOD Disposal Late Model divisions, plus the Ontario Legend Car Series and Outlaw Midget tours.

Chris Tubman and Ember Junkin brought the Mini Stock field from the staging area for a 20-lap feature to open the night’s main events. The driver of the No. 88 machine was quick out of the box and took the early lead with Junkin filling his rear-view mirror. A 4-car breakaway with Tubman, Junkin, John Lavalle and Rob Crick was leaving the rest of the pack behind as the laps clicked away. Junkin started to close on the leader near halfway, while Crick wrestled 3rd away from Lavalle with a pass as the scoreboard showed 11 laps complete. As the No. 19 of Junkin slowed, Crick began to close on his good friend Tubman, but the chase was too little too late and Tubman took the win. Lavalle, Erin Kearns and Mark Downer rounded-out the fast 5.

Kelly Balson and Jacob Mercer set the stage as the KOD Disposal Late Model teams rolled to the Great Canadian RV green flag for their 25-lap feature tilt. With a steeped Peterborough Speedway history, Balson took the lead, with Ryan Kimball moving into the runner-up position. James Horner was turning-in a strong performance, as the No. 79 ride moved into 3rd with just over a handful of laps complete. A frontstretch incident saw the pace slowed and a new leader, as defending track champion Ryan Kimball took over the top spot on the restart, with Balson and Dan McHattie next in line. Even with McHattie taking over the 2nd spot, Kimball held back his late race charge for the early season win. Balson, Mercer and Steve Powell followed the lead duo across the line.

With Angelo Novis and Johnnie McIntyre III on the front row it was time for the Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stocks to hit the track for a 20-lap ‘A’ main. Novis and Tegan Stanley were running nose-to-tail after only a single lap. The race’s first yellow waved with only a couple of circuits on the scoreboard, but that slight pause didn’t keep the pilot of the No. 21 Mini Cooper from leading a 4-car breakaway that also included John Bates and Cory Horne. Novis picked-up the win over Bates, Stanley and Horne. Dwight Lavoie completed the top 5 at the line.

In post race inspection, the No. 12 of John Bates was penalized. The top 5 finishers are now Novis, Stanley, Horne, Lavoie and Christen Lavalle.

Kevin and Nick Spiesz were on the front row as the Outlaw Midget Series rolled out for a 20-lap feature event. Nick Spiesz had an early lead over Jason Metcalfe and Mike Homewood. As the laps rolled on, Spiesz continued to lead with Metcalfe in the thick of the fight. The No. 29 machine took over the top spot with 14 laps complete and held on for the win. In the final running order, the top 5 finishers were Metcalfe, Nick Spiesz, Mike Homewood, Rob McCall and Fred Homewood.

It was a great night for Peterborough’s Dawson Drimmie who scored a pair of Trailers Plus Ontario Legend Car Series 25- lap feature event victories. The first came with a top 5 of Mitch Wright, Cole McFadden, Adam Cuthbertson and Jordan Latimer. In the nightcap, Adam Cuthbertson, Matt Haufe, Wright and Wes Cuthbertson finished behind the race winner.

Rob Crick had a pair of Mini Stock preliminary round wins, with the others going to Ryan Babin and Chris Tubman. Bobby Cousineau, James Horner, Ryan Kimball and Dan McHattie split the Late Model heat races. Tegan Stanley had a couple of Bone Stock opening round checkered flags, with the others going to Johnnie McIntyre III and John Bates. Mike Homewood and Jason Metcalfe each picked-up a pair of Outlaw Midget qualifying heats.

All finishing positions are unofficial and subject to scoring review and post race technical inspection.

Bullring bullet points: Several racers were taking their maiden voyage in the track’s Mini Stock and Bone Stock fields…After being involved in a late race incident during the Late Model feature on the May 18th opening night, the cars of James Horner, Kelly Balson and Ryan Kimball were able to return to action…Sean Kennedy took a week off at the controls of his No. 9 Bone Stock and handed-over the driving duties to Kyle Novis…During intermission, fans were given the opportunity to take a ride around the Central Ontario oval in a racecar…Ontario Legend Car Series teams were on hand for a pair of feature events with a decommissioned Ladder Truck from Firehouse 343 on hand to represent the sponsor as pace vehicle and participate in the Kid’s Rides.

2024 action continues Saturday, June 8th with the season’s first Double Toonie/Fan Appreciation Night, with $ 4.00 spectator grandstand admission. Racing includes the Bine Stock, Mini Stock, Renegade Truck, Super Stock, Late Model and Junior Late Model divisions. Gates open at 4:00, with a 5:00 Great Canadian RV green flag.

A quick look at the newly designed http://www.peterboroughspeedway.com will provide the latest track news and schedule updates throughout the year. Peterborough Speedway’s promotional team is also very active through various social media platforms and pages.