Anthony Leek
It was an evening of racing that Keith McNally would have been proud of.
The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds, WISSOTA Modifieds, and Street Stocks all paid their respects Saturday night to a fellow racing companion who tragically lost his life at the Emo Speedway on Sept. 3, 1993 when his Thunder Stock rolled over in turn #1.
Every year, the McNally Memorial is for the entire racing community to remember the risks, and the importance of safety, associated with stock car racing, as well as to honour a great competitor and friend.
In Amsoil Dirt Track Racing Series action, the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds were divided into two heats.
In the first heat, Chuck Lambert came from second last in sixth spot to win it.
Matthew Mutz finished where he started in second, with John Hettinga charging from last to third.
Ken Perry led early on in the second heat, but an accident involving him and Steve Nordin finished Perry off.
On the restart, Tylar Wilson came from sixth to take the win but continually was challenged by Christopher Leek, who took second.
Kendal Gamsby wound up third.
The Street Stocks were next to take to the banked oval with two heats.
In the first one, Daniel Hettinga cleared Terry Martin for the win while Carlee Bosma took third.
Then in the second heat, Don Bowman started in third to take the checkered flag while Ron Westover and Lindsay Bourre finished second and third, respectively.
And in the WISSOTA Modifieds, Ron Korpi earned his first heat win of the year by passing Dwayne Pelepetz and Gary Wilson.
In the second heat, Glen Strachan took advantage of a battle for the lead with Bill Witherspoon and Denny Trimble to scoop the victory.
The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds feature was a quick event, with only two caution flags flying—one for Cody Ossachuk over the embankment and then for debris on the track.
T. Wilson and Leek started on the front row and took an early lead by pulling away from the pack while the rest of the field battled for position.
Caul and Hettinga started to battle it out on their own, with the two getting together once.
Leek, meanwhile, tried everything he could to get by Wilson but could only get alongside him.
On the last lap, Hettinga and Caul managed a pass on Leek to take them to the checkered flag in second and third, respectively.
Taking the win for the third time in a row, Tylar Wilson is over the moon with his sensational first year in the open wheel class.
“It has been a lot of fun, and it is great to be doing so well in the class that is very competitive,” he remarked.
The Street Stocks feature was extra exciting with an extra $500 bonus for the winner sponsored by Dimit Bus Lines Ltd.
Due to unfortunate luck and circumstances for Hettinga last week, the point average was his best friend, allowing him to start from the outside on the second row.
The early leader was Martin, who had a decent car in the heat. It wasn’t meant to be, however, as Hettinga grabbed the lead just a few laps in.
Starting in last place, Ron Westover was making his way through the field and finally caught up to Bosma, who was having a good show.
The two battled for a bit, but Westover made a nice manoeuvre to scoop second.
With little time left, however, the veteran driver risked one final challenge on the last corner but was unable to hold the car down.
Hettinga won a very satisfying feature and a clean swept for the evening.
The WISSOTA Modifieds were up last and Strachan was like a rocket ship once again.
With nothing but bad luck last season, Strachan has enjoyed a dream season in 2010, winning several races so far and leading the points standings by a wide margin.
He also was coming off a close but well-deserved Rea Memorial championship a week ago.
The early leader was Denny Trimble as he passed rookie Tyler Brown for the lead. Strachan, meanwhile, was moving quickly as he gained several spots in the early going.
There were a couple of cautions, but the restarts were very quick.
Trimble was able to get beside Strachan on one of the restarts, but was unable to hold it there. At the same time, Gary Wilson had a great showing, coming from last to finish third.
Kyle Gavel and Tyler Brown both were DNFs due to accidents.
Strachan was emotional and exhausted during the post-race interview, but was all smiles as he wanted to do his best to win the evening for his late brother-in-law.
“I want to dedicate this win to Tasha [Keith’s daughter],” a noticeably-tired Strachan said.
“Nothing is greater than to win this race for Keith and the whole family,” he stressed.
With only one week left until the season championships, Strachan has sealed the deal in the WISSOTA Modifieds class by winning his first-ever championship.
As well, Ron Westover already has claimed the Street Stock title—his sixth all-time.
The only battle is with the WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds as Brady Caul tries to hold off hard-charging veteran John Hettinga with only a 10-point margin.
Racing resumes this Saturday (Sept. 4), with hot laps at 7 p.m. and the racing at 7:30 for the season championships (weather permitting).
Visit www.borderlandracing.com for more information on the standings, schedule, photos, and more!
SUMMARY
WISSOTA
Modifieds
•Feature–1. Glen Strachan 2. Denny Trimble 3. Gary Wilson 4. Ron Korpi 5. Dwayne Pelepetz 6. Bill Witherspoon 7. Shawn Hnatiuk 8. Rick Bourre 9. Randy Belluk 10. Kyle Gavel 11. Tyler Brown
•Heat #1–1. Korpi 2. Pelepetz 3. Hnatiuk 4. Brown 5. Bourre 6. Wilson
•Heat #2–1. Strachan 2. Witherspoon 3. Gavel 4. Trimble 5. Belluk
WISSOTA
Midwest
Modifieds
•Feature–1. Tylar Wilson 2. John Hettinga 3. Christopher Leek 4. Brady Caul 5. Anthony Visser 6. Chuck Lambert 7. Matthew Mutz 8. Kendal Gamsby 9. Mike Wilson 10. Matt DePiero 11. Steve Nordin 12. Cody Ossachuk
•Heat #1–1. Lambert 2. Mutz 3. Hettinga 4. Caul 5. DePiero 6. Ossachuk 7. M. Wilson
•Heat #2—1. T. Wilson 2. Leek 3. Gamsby 4. Visser 5. Perry 6. Nordin
Street Stocks
•Feature—1. Daniel Hettinga 2. Ron Westover 3. Carlee Bosma 4. Terry Martin 5. Richard Visser 6. Lindsay Bourre 7. Charlene Nicolson 8. Libby Wilson 9. Wes Morriseau 10. Nick Leininger 11. Don Bowman
•Heat #1–1. Hettinga 2. Martin 3. Bosma 4. Morriseau 5. Nicolson 6. Wilson
•Heat #2–1. Bowman 2. Westover 3. Bourre 5. Visser 6. Trimble 7. Leininger
