South Buxton Raceway: May 24 report results

South Buxton Raceway
 
By MIKE BENNETT
 
SOUTH BUXTON, ON - Chris Ross returned to his roots in an effort to work the bugs out of his new car and was rewarded with a trip to victory lane. The 27-year-old Wallaceburg, ON native won the Event Medical Response feature race in the Castrol UMP Late Model class on Campbell Toyota's Night at South Buxton Raceway on Saturday.
 
"We've been struggling trying to get the handle all year and we haven't been able to make a show yet," said Ross, who races in the Sunoco UMP Late Model Series at Oakshade Raceway on Saturday nights.
 
"We stayed home tonight because we know traction is big at this track, and that's what we've been struggling," said Ross, who won the 2002 Great Lakes Late Model season championship at South Buxton.
 
Ross built a straightaway lead over the field on the 3/8th-mile clay oval before a series of late cautions erased his advantage.
 
Blenheim's Andrew Reaume, the 2007 Late Model track champion, put the heat on each of the final three restarts but Ross held off the challenger at the drop of each green. "I could feel him trying to get his nose under me in the corner, but I just concentrated on holding my line and staying smooth. "The cautions were killing us," he added. "We were better on the longer runs."
 
Ross is in his second season racing in the Ohio late model circuit at Oakshade, Eldora and Attica, but has yet to make an 'A' main this year.
 
"Hopefully this gets us going in the right direction," said Ross, who left South Buxton immediately after the race for Eldora and Sunday night's Johnny Appleseed Late Model Classic. Reaume won his heat as well as the Heuvelmans/Blenheim Chevrolet Dash For Cash.
 
Jim Dale Jr. of Blenheim won the Schinkel's Meats UMP Modified feature in a race that saw just five of the 12 modifieds still running at the end of the night.
 
It was sweet revenge for Dale Jr., who was leading the Opening Night feature two weeks ago when he was put to the back of the field after a spinout midway through the race.
 
Dale also won his heat and the pursuit for a perfect three-for-three night.
 
Chatham's Todd Wellman also pulled off a sweep in the Lube Tech Sport Stock class, capped off by a victory in the feature after starting in the fifth row.
 
"We just picked them off one at a time and were in the lead before we knew it," said Wellman, who held off Steve Shaw over the final six laps to take the checkered. "I knew he was there … he let me know it a couple of times," Wellman said. "But we've been racing each other for 15 years. We have a lot of respect for each other and we know we`re going to race each other hard but clean."
 
Ironically, Wellman also won the heat, pursuit and feature races on the second night of the 2007 season.
 
Rob Quick of Cottam won the Garage Restaurant Comp 4 feature as well as his heat for a perfect two-for-two night.
 
May 24 Results
 
Castrol UMP Late Models
Event Medical Response Feature (25 laps)
1. Chris Ross (18R) Wallaceburg; 2. Andrew Reaume (88) Blenheim; 3. Kirk Hooker (38) Chatham; 4. Jim Dale Jr. (00) Blenheim; 5. Brett Reaume (77) Blenheim; 6. Brad Authier (1A) Chatham; 7. Mike Lewis (05) Wallaceburg; 8. Jim Jones (34) Chatham; 9. Mark Glassford (90) Goderich; 10. Gregg Haskell (21RH) Chatham; 11. Justin Coulter (94) Leamington; 12. Dale Glassford (60) Thamesville; 13. Paul Rivait (11) Tilbury; 14. Tom Hazlett (44) Blenheim; 15. Don Gordon (33) Chatham; 16. John Vanderlinden (13X) Chatham. 
 
First Heat
1. A. Reaume; 2. Hooker; 3. D. Glassford; 4. Joe Field (4) Chatham; 5. Jones; 6. Dale Jr.; 7. Gordon; 8. Lewis; 9. Hazlett.
 
 Second Heat
1. Ross; 2. Authier; 3. B. Reaume; 4. Vanderlinden; 5. Haskell; 6. Rivait; 7. M. Glassford; 8. Coulter.
 
Heuvelman's/Blenheim Chevrolet Dash For Cash
 1. A. Reaume; 2. Ross; 3. Authier; 4. D. Glassford; 5. B. Reaume; 6. Hooker; 7. Jones; 8. Vanderlinden.
 
Time Trials
Group 'A' – 1. Hooker 16.386 seconds; 2. A. Reaume 16.443; 3. D. Glassford 16.485; 4. Field 16.850; 5. Jones 16.937; 6. Dale Jr. 17.277; 8. Lewis 17.575; 9. Gordon 18.016.
 
Group 'B' – 1. Ross 16.459; 2. M. Glassford 16.650; 3. Authier 16.802; 4. B. Reaume 17.325; 5. Vanderlinden 17.821; 6. Haskell 17.832; 7. Rivait 18.208; 8. Coulter, no time.
 
Schinkel's Gourmet Meats UMP Modifieds
Campbell Toyota Feature
1. Jim Dale Jr. (00) Blenheim; 2. Curtis Coulter (5) Leamington; 3. Brian Speelman (22s) Wyoming; 4. Mario Toniolo (25M) Belle River; 5. Abe Unger (46) Leamington; 6. Mike Demars (75) LaSalle; 7. Dan McIntyre (77) Windsor; 8. Clayton Smith (55) Woodslee; 9. Chris Van De Wiele (0) Rutherford; 10. C.J. Field (4) Chatham.
 
First Heat
1. Dale Jr.; 2. Coulter; 3. Paul DeGoey (1D) Leamington; 4. McIntyre; 5. Van De Wiele; 6. Toniolo.
 
Second Heat
1. Unger; 2. Smith; 3. Speelman; 4. Demars; 5. Field.
 
Pursuit
1. Dale Jr.; 2. Coulter; 3. Smith; 4. Demars; 5. Unger; 6. Speelman; 7. McIntyre.
 
Lube Tech Sport Stocks
 
Feature
1. Todd Wellman (25) Chatham; 2. Steve Shaw (96) Merlin; 3. Eric Vanderiviere (93) Chatham; 4. Gary Vyse (99) Wallaceburg; 5. Rob Young (23) Kingsville; 6. Doris Lajeunesse (38) Essex; 7. Eren Vanderiviere (29) Merlin; 8. Jamie Parker (98) Windsor; 9. Ken Morrison (28) Chatham; 10. Jim Ellis (32) Kingsville; 11. Randy McKinlay (14) Chatham; 12. Chris Sherrah (17S) South Buxton; 13. Louis Clements (3) Chatham; 14. Dave Small (48) Windsor; 15. Gerald Martin (43) Essex; 16. Rick Balasin (21) Chatham.
 
First Heat
1. Wellman; 2. Martin; 3. Shaw; 4. Bob Chapman (5) Leamington; 5. Morrison; 6. Parker; 7. Eric Vanderiviere; 8. Joel Dick (9) Leamington; 9. Young.
 
Second Heat
1. Vyse; 2. Clements; 3. Eren Vanderiviere; 4. Lajeunesse; 5. McKinlay; 6. Balasin; 7. Ellis; 8. Small; 9. Sherrah .
 
Pursuit
1. Wellman; 2. Eric Vanderiviere; 3. Shaw; 4. Dick; 5. Lajeunesse; 6. Morrison; 7. Young; 8. Parker; 9. Small; 10. Martin
 
Garage Restaurant Comp 4s
Feature
1. Rob Quick (18) Cottam; 2. Denis DeSerrano (69) Cottam; 3. Brandon Windsor (70) Leamington; 4. Shawn Nelson (20) Windsor; 5. Jim Van Dyk (44) Blenheim; 6. Norm DeSerrano (96) Kingsville; 7. Steve Bastien (99) Harrow; 8. Jordon Arnel (33) Chatham; 9. Shawn Jones (27) Blenheim; 10. Kyle Hope (93) Blenheim; 11. Randy Lewis (7) Windsor; 12. Dan Sheehan (52) Tilbury; 13. Gerry Rivait Jr. (Tilbury); 14. Nate McNally (8) Charing Cross; 15. Joel Desjardins (23); 16. Murray Van Hooste (13) Blenheim; 17. Shane Dixon (6).
 
 First Heat
1. D. DeSerrano; 2. N. DeSerrano; 3. Bastien; 4. Windsor; 5. Rivait; 6. Sheehan.
 
Second Heat
1. McNally; 2. Nelson; 3. Van Dyk; 4. Hope; 5. Desjardins; 6. Dan Thiesen (2); 7. Lewis. Third Heat
 
1. Quick; 2. Jones; 3. Arnel; 4. Dixon; 5. Van Hooste.
 
 Pursuit
1. McNally; 2. Van Dyk; 3. Jones; 4. Nelson; 5. N. DeSerrano; 6. Bastien; 7. Rivait; 8. Windsor; 9.  D. DeSerrano; 10. Sheehan.
 
Next Race Date : Sun Parlour Trailers Night, Sat. May 31.