Lucas Punkari
Green flag
set to wave
on Saturday
With their cars sitting in garages since September, local racers were itching for the chance to get their machines back out onto the 3/8th-mile dirt oval at the Emo Speedway.
A number of them did just that Saturday evening in advance of this weekend’s season-opener as the track held its annual “test-and-tune” session that allows drivers to work out any issues with their cars prior to the first green flag waving.
But it wasn’t only the drivers who were getting the kinks worked out. Borderland Racing Association president Anthony Leek, for one, was keeping a close eye on how the track was holding up.
“We didn’t think we would be able to keep water on the track, but it dried out quite well and so the drivers are starting to change their set-ups around to see what works and what doesn’t work,” he explained.
“And to have the amount of seat time is also good for some of the newer drivers like Lindsay Bourre, who has moved up from a Street Stock to a WISSOTA Modified for this season,” Leek added.
Saturday’s “test-and-tune” also saw a few veteran drivers make their way out to the track to get their cars worked out. Fort Frances native Brad Loveday shook down his Modified before setting on the USMTS circuit this summer.
But the biggest name to take to the oval was NASCAR driver and former track champ Steve Arpin, who drove a couple of laps in Cody Ossachuk’s Midwest Modified.
“It’s really neat to have Steve drive my car as it’s an opportunity that not many people have a chance to get,” enthused
Ossachuk, who won his first career feature last season.
“He was bugging me after that he couldn’t believe that I drove that car, and that it was the worst car he’s ever driven,” he laughed.
For the most part, though, the biggest changes noticeable around the track were the new paint schemes on some of the cars, such as defending WISSOTA Modified champ Gavin Paull, whose #16 has switched from black as its dominant colour to a sharp white paint job.
“We decided to switch things up a bit and come out with a new look,” smiled Paull, who won eight-straight feature races last season.
“Another thing that we did this off-season was put a new motor in under the hood, which has a little higher RPM and a little more horsepower.
“Tonight was the first time out with it, and after we made a few changes to the back of the car, it’s been running strong,” he added.
Saturday’s season-opener will get underway with hot laps at 7 p.m., followed by the first heat at 7:30 p.m. (weather permitting).
In other news, the Emo Speedway will be welcoming back the WISSOTA Super Stock class for a mid-season special on July 14, which will feature drivers from Manitoba, Ontario, and Minnesota.
“They would be classified as a class that would be in between both our Modified divisions, with the major difference being that they are full-bodied cars,” Leek noted.
“When we had them last run here from 2006-08, we had as many as 16 cars take part in those shows, and we’re expecting something close to that here once again,” he added.
Leek also stressed the track still is in need of volunteers to help out with a variety of tasks each race night.
Those interested can contact him at 482-1070 or via e-mail at emospeedway@gmail.com
