Story By: JIM CLARKE / PETERBOROUGH SPEEDWAY – PETERBOROUGH, ONT – Every position gained on the racetrack can make a difference. Each car a driver passes could bring them closer to the ultimate goal of a track championship.
During the regular season finale Championship Clash – Saturday, September 2nd, at Peterborough Speedway – a trio of racers scored feature race wins that led to 2023 titles.
Jacob Kelly entered this year’s Championship Clash with a 13-point advantage over his title rival. By the luck of the draw, he started the night’s 20-lap Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock feature from the outside of the front row and took an early lead in the headliner. When the second-place car in the standings suffered mechanical issues with only a handful of laps complete, his fate was sealed. The driver of the No. 8 machine locked-up the season title and his 3rd win of the year was the icing on the cake. Sean Kennedy finished 2nd in the final rundown, with Tegan Stanley 3rd, 86 points behind.
As the most-recent feature winner, Nolan Gould took the initial green flag for the 20-lap SwitchTire Mini Stock main event from deep in the starting field. He also began the night sitting 2nd in the point standings. It didn’t take long for the Almonte, Ontario racer to make his presence known. He cracked the top-5 with half a dozen laps complete and claimed the race lead with only 4 laps to go. His 6th ‘A’ main event win of the year clinched the 2023 Mini Stock championship by a margin of 3 points over Ember Junkin. Brandon Feeney was 3rd in the final standings, 34 points behind.
Defending Trent Lakes Complete Plumbing Renegade Truck titleholder Kyle Gordon came into the Championship Clash deadlocked with Chad Strawn for the division lead. With 20-laps to settle the score, each driver had their sights set on the big prize up for grabs at the checkered flag. Gordon’s No. 52 ride moved into the runner-up spot with only 5 laps complete and took over the lead following a yellow flag with half the race distance still to go. He’d survive a couple of yellow flags and a late race challenge to take the feature race win that earned his second straight class crown. Strawn was 2nd in the running order, while Paul Boundy finished 3rd in the point standings.
The 30th annual APC Autumn Colours Classic, presented by Motorama kicks-off Friday, October 6th at Canada’s Toughest 3rd Mile Oval. Catch the lid-lifter for this year’s Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing with the first round of qualifying for the Bone Stock, Mini Stock, Super Stock, Canadian Legend Cars, OSCAAR Hot Rods and Modifieds. Action will also include Non-Winner’s races for the Mini Stock and Super Stock divisions, as well as the season finale for the Ontario Modifieds Racing Series. Spectator gates will open at 5:00, with racing at 6:00.
