RACE RESULTS AND WRAP

Race Wrap: Season Opener

HYDRAULICS PLUS BANDOLEROS - BOUDREAU TAKES FIRST CAREER SPEEDWORLD WIN

With the first race of the season bringing in some new faces across the Scotia Speedworld Weekly Racing Series ladder, it was Cole Boudreau (Chipman, NB) who made the biggest splash by taking the victory on Opening Day in the Hydraulics Plus Bandoleros in his first ever start at the Speedworld. Boudreau and his #00 State Farm Insurance Bandolero started on the pole of the feature after winning the first heat race of the afternoon. INEX Outlaws Champ Cole Tanner (Shubenacadie) and 2011 Speedworld Track Champion Jarrett Butcher (Porter’s Lake) continued their Speedworld title battle from one season ago with Tanner edging out Butcher for the runner-up spot behind Boudreau. Rounding out the top five on Opening Day included 2011 Canadian Bandits Champion Luke Ettinger (Kennetcook) and Heat Two winner Braden Langille (Shubenacadie), whose team spent most of the morning replacing an engine that went sour in the first practice.

Boudreau, who is a regular at Speedway 660 in the Bandolero class, was quick to thank his team and sponsors in victory lane for putting together a fast car for him. Though he is only running a partial schedule at Scotia Speedworld, he also thanked the staff and racers at the track for their hospitality. The Hydraulics Plus Bandoleros are in action next on Friday, June 8th at 7pm.

ACE LUMBERMART LIGHTNING - SMITH SHOWS THE WAY ON OPENING DAY

Jorden Smith (Lakeside) set records last season in the ACE Lumbermart Lightning class by having the biggest margin of victory of any former Lightning car champion in the point standings and placed in the top five in the last ten years for biggest margin of victory over any Weekly Racing Series division. Smith may be out to beat his own mark this year as he doubled down on Opening Day, winning the heat and feature in the two dozen car field that assembled at the Speedworld on Sunday. Smith had to hold off the field on many restarts as it was a “rough and tumble” race behind the leaders. “The Outlaw” Mike Umlah (Stewiacke) gave Smith all he could handle for the lead but had to settle for second at the finish while third year driver BJ Nicholson (Beaverbank) had to settle for third. Jamie Dillman (Carroll’s Corner) came home a solid fourth place in his Chevrolet while Jeffrey Breen (Antigonish) was scored as the last driver on the lead lap in fifth place at the checkers.

Smith and his #144 Rent-A-Center/DaBest Construction Dodge Neon started the race from the pole by virtue of his heat race win. JR Lawson (Bible Hill) and Nicholson also picked up 10-lap qualifying race wins in the 24 car field. The ACE Lumbermart Lightning cars are back in action Friday, June 8th.

ACE LUMBERMART THUNDER - LIVELY TAKES CHECKERS

Heading into his fourth season as an ACE Lumbermart Thunder car driver, Stevie Lively has done just about everything you can do in the division. The Shubenacadie driver has won the biggest races at the Speedworld and has taken the biggest prize in the sport by winning the championship in 2010. The driver of the #32 Hubley Auto Sales Civic is on a drive in 2012 to cement his name with the greatest Thunder drivers ever to strap in to a Honda powered four cylinder car and he began that journey Sunday by winning the first feature race of the season. Lively started on the outside pole and quickly took the advantage from Drew MacEachern (Dartmouth) in the 25-lap feature. Former ACE Lumbermart 50 winner Kyle MacMillan (Hammonds Plains) and MacEachern put a show on for the second spot throughout the event with MacMillan besting MacEachern as the two were surrounded by lapped traffic late in the race. MacMillan and MacEachern looked to be catching Lively at the end, but ran out of time in the caution free affair. Truro’s Dwayne Flemming was fourth in the first race for the class in 2012 and was followed to the stripe by Kennetcook’s Andrew Cluett.

MacEachern and Lively each took qualifying heat race victories. Next up for the ACE Lumbermart Thunder class is Friday, June 8th, under the lights at Atlantic Canada’s Action Center.

JACK DANIELS TRUCKS - SMITH SEALS FIRST WIN OF SEASON

After an abrupt end to his 2011 season and subsequent championship run in the Jack Daniels Truck class, Lower Sackville’s Dan Smith returned to the track in championship form by doubling down on Opening Day. Smith, in a Parker Kligerman-esque #39 Glen Stone Excavating and Trucking Limited Chevrolet, held off 2011 Champion JP Arsenault of Church Point for the win, much like the case was one season ago when the #4 and #39 had an incredible season long battle. Jason Fenton (Eastern Passage) was third, followed closely by Vernon Brown (Antrim) and 2011 Wooden Door Bistro Rookie of the Year Ryan Goldsmith (Bridgewater). As was the case one season ago, the Trucks put on one of the best shows of the afternoon as they swapped paint and positions throughout their caution free 20-lap affair.

Seven trucks started the event, but more are expected by their next event on Friday, June 8th in which we could see double digit truck totals when the green flag flies.

STRICTLY HYDRAULICS LEGENDS - BAKER SCORES SECOND CAREER WIN

Fall River’s Shelby Baker is no stranger to victory lane. The former Hydraulics Plus Bandolero champion pulled into victory lane last season for his first Strictly Hydraulics Legend car win and followed that up Sunday with a big win in the season opening event at Scotia Speedworld. Baker, aboard the #53 Atlantic Tiltload/Hope for Wildlife Ford, had to hold off “The Legend” Cy Harvey (Elmsdale) and Cole Butcher (Porter’s Lake) in the late laps to secure the win in the Legend class. Fourth place in the feature belonged to Derek MacCallum (Lower Sackville) with Hantsport’s Jeff Cruickshank completing the top five in the 25-lap affair.

Butcher started the afternoon by picking up his first ever checkered flag in a Legend car by winning the first of two heat races for the Strictly Hydraulics Legends class. The 16-year old shared the front row with Harvey, who felt a bit aged following the feature. “These young guys have me in a senior sandwich!” Harvey said after climbing from his #37 Harvey Racing/Kirk Heating Limited car. The Strictly Hydraulics Legend cars are back on track on June 15th for Strictly Hydraulics Night.

DARTMOUTH DODGE SPORTSMAN DIVISION - BOUTILIER RETURNS TO VICTORY LANE

It’s hard to believe that third place point driver Aaron Boutilier (Porter’s Lake) went all 2011 without winning a main feature. Boutilier wasted no time in 2012 getting back to victory lane though as the #4 CARSTAR Collision Center Ford Fusion won the Dartmouth Dodge Sportsman Series opener on Sunday. Boutilier started from the pole by virtue of his heat race victory earlier in the afternoon and held the lead over multiple restarts in what turned out to be a caution filled 38-lap event. Jordan Veinotte (Porter’s Lake) and ’11 Champion Jeff Dillman (Middle Musquodobit) had to come from the rear of the field at least once each but rebounded to finish on the podium, in front of veteran Larry Fisher (Porter’s Lake) and Alex Johnson (Enfield), who scored his first top five in his #14 Sportsman car.

Heat races on the afternoon were won by Boutilier and Harry Ross White (Noel Road). HOSS returned to the track after a season off and was poised for a great finish in the feature before accident damage took him out of the race 12 laps into the event.

The Dartmouth Dodge Sportsman Series will run 38-laps throughout the 2012 season in memory of multi-time Speedworld track champion and three-time Shriner’s Classic winner Terry Roma, who lost his courageous battle with cancer on April 15th. The field ran in the “missing man formation” during the pace laps for the 38 lap feature, in which the pole was left open in memory of Roma. The next 38-lap feature for the division is Friday, June 8th.