No matter what your appetite for racing there was something for everyone at the Emo Speedway. Friday night saw action all night long and drivers of every discipline finding success. Some drivers were patient and methodical and waited for their moment to strike, while others chose to be more akin to a bull in a china shop, forcing their way through the field.
In the first heat of the Emo Street Stocks #54 Dean Kellar was able to jump out to an early lead, but a hard charging #33 of Garett Gamsby would race from the back of the back to challenge for the lead in the final lap, with a lap car holding Kellar up allowing Gamsby to take the win. In the second heat race, after a three-week break, #55 Tylar Wilson was back to his winning form after battling all race long with the always fast #54X of A.J. Kellar. In the Feature Race, despite going through turns one and two, three wide and three rows deep, the #18 of Abraham Germain was able to take an early lead, until a caution came out for a stopped #38 car on the backstretch. Despite a second mechanical failure of the evening, spirits were still high in the #38 car as Steve Bruyere was pushed back to the pits; he took a moment to wave to all the fans who took time out of their long weekend to cheer him and all the racers on. As the racing resumed, A.J. Kellar was able to sneak a nose under Germain, and open the door for several cars to also pass, relegating Germain to 5th. H. owever, despite a late race spin he would race back to a 4th place finish. With a back of the pack start Wilson would have to work all race long to find the front of the pack, and he was only slowed after contact and a spin with the #86 of Kevin Desserre that caused a late race caution. Luckily Wilson was able to continue however Desserre had to be towed off track due to severe steering damage. With only a handful of laps remaining Wilson made a final push for the lead and took the high line to race door to door with Kellar for several laps eventually inching his way forward to the victory.
Top 3 1) #55 Tylar Wilson 2) #54X A.J. Kellar 3) #33 Garett Gamsby
The WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds started their heat races off with a bang, as on the very first lap as the cars entered the 3rd turn there was a 4 wide battle for the lead but every onlooker knew all 4 cars would not make the next turn. Depending on whose seat you are in, luckily/unluckily the #222 of Bob Hammond was the only car who took damage and he was able to drive back to the pits to return for the feature race. As the racing action resumed the #14C Cody Ossachuk was able to hold off all other challengers for the win. The second heat saw a battle for the lead all race long between the 2022 championship winner #4B Brandon Rehill and 2nd place finisher #16 Garrett Paull but this time around Paull was the one who was victorious. The third race saw the first contact of the night as 2 drivers tangled and spun in turn 2 causing a caution, and on the restart some drivers farther back in the pack were using the chrome horn to push and clear the low racing line, while eventual heat winner the #21 of Wyatt Boyum was able to stay clear of all the other cars on the high side. In the Feature Race the race was not only against the other drivers but also the ever changing track surface, with 4 cautions for drivers spinning on their own and one for a gentle 3 car pile-up and all drivers driving away. Despite the several restarts Paull was an unstoppable force defending his lead through each restart. There were several valiant attempts to pass Paull but newcomer #11T Ashton Schulte and Boyum weren’t able to seal the deal. Farther back in the pack #3X Jesse Thompson was able to build his championship points lead by turning a 16th place start into a 6th place finish, and continuing a perfect run of top 10 finishes this season.
Top 3 1) #16 Garrett Paull 2) #11T Ashton Schulte 3) #14C Cody Ossachuk
As the WISSOTA Modifieds took to the track the drivers from Rainy River took everyone to school with both the #4JR of Cameron Brown and the #44 of Tyler Brown gaining 5 positions in their respective heats. Tyler was able to claim the checkered flag in his heat and the #85 of Jeff Davis used his front row start to claim the other heat race win. In the Feature Race #99 Brody Strachan was able to use a 2nd place start to gain an early lead and in the clean air he was able to start to pull away from the pack. Throughout the race there were small battles all over the speedway that Davis would have to work his way through after starting 8th of 10 cars. While most drivers were only able to gain a spot or 2 throughout the whole race Davis was able to pick off all but one to finish second. With an eye on the championship points battle Davis and Strachan are slowly closing in to leader Cameron Brown, however with only 4 nights of racing left it truly is anyone’s championship to win.
Top 3 1) #99 Brody Strachan 2) #85 Jeff Davis 3) #12 Tony Cassie
The Borderland Racing Association would like to say thank you to this week’s sponsor the Nor-West Animal Clinic, and all of the other sponsors who help keep all of the facilities and the race track open and functioning each and every weekend. The Borderland Racing Association would like to also say thank you to all of you fans for cheering for your favourite drivers each and every week. Finally thank you to all the volunteers for their hard work all week long to make sure the track is prepared for the weekend of exciting racing action. Did you know that the Emo Speedway is 100% volunteer ran each and every week and has positions available for people of all interests and skill levels, so if you would like to help out please reach out to the Borderland Racing Association or the Emo Speedway through their respective Facebook pages. The action continues this Saturday August 12th, with the grandstands opening at 6pm and Hot Laps will start at 7pm with the Racing action starting at 7:30pm. See YOU at the races!!
