May 24, 2008: Peterborough Speedway
By Melissa Fenwick
PETERBOROUGH, ON – The Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets were in action at Peterborough Speedway on May 24. The night was off to an exciting start with Greg Smulders taking first position in lap one of the first heat, as he carried the lead to the checkered. Harvey Walsh and Larry Wilson rounded out the top three.
Heat two ran green to checkered, with rookie Corey Moesker starting on the pole and defending his position until the last lap where he was passed by James Gray; Paul Smith finished third.
With only one full lap complete in the feature, the race was called due to an eleven car pile up at the start/finish line. There was a lot of damage to most of the field, but we were fortunate enough to see everyone walk away with only minor injuries.
There happened to be a lot of speedy dry on the track, due to an oil spill from earlier in the evening, which caused some slippery conditions for the Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets, who run on slick tires.
Of the eighteen cars that took the green flag, only six cars managed to remain untouched in the massive wreck. Although it was unfortunate that many of the top contenders and current points leaders were involved in the crash, the fact that all of the drivers involved managed to walk away, from what appeared to be a devastating accident, is a true testament to the high level of safety these cars offer.
Without the recent mandating of mandatory head and neck restraints, we may have experienced a much different outcome this evening as far as driver safety is concerned. With no positive identification of the true cause of the pile up, we are all simply relieved, and extremely fortunate, that none of our drivers were seriously hurt.
No comments:
Post a Comment