MAIN PHOTO: Braden Langille passes Sam Rogers in Legends feature action at Petty. (Healey photo)
SCOTIA SPEEDWORLD: The COVID19-shortened 2020 race season concluded on Sept. 25 at Scotia Speedworld, and it was an entertaining one for local fans.
With close to the 500 max fans allowed on the grandstand side due to public health guidelines, Dave Matthews of Nine Mile River put on a show outdueling the usually quicker Lightning cars in his 99 Thunder car to pick up the victory over 25 other cars that took the green flag.
It was the largest field for a TOURSEC Thunder/Lightning car race in recent memory with three heats needed to decide the starting field.
Fall River’s Steve Matthews in his no. 198 machine was second and tried a couple of times to get past Matthews in his Mystery Machine but just could not pull it off, settling for second. But he was the top Lightning car, so in a way it turned into a victory as well.
Rational Richard Drake in his COVEYS/Ken-Etic/The Laker News-sponsored no. 141 hot rod came home in fourth place.
In the Beginner Bandolero, Chase Livingstone drove his no. 39 to victory in the heat race and the feature, besting Beaver Bank’s Brett Pashkoski for the win.
The 97 of Daniel Vandenberg was third while Sam MacDonald in the no. 14 came home in fourth place.
In the Bandit/Outlaw race, it was the Lively’s Construction/Rooftight-sponsored no. 24 of Windsor Junction’s Ayden Christensen who took the heat race win. However, in the feature, while he had what appeared to be the fastest car of them all, he got caught up in a lap 3 wreck and had to be hauled off to pit road.
Tanton Wooldridge of PEI took advantage of that and picked up the win.
Dawson Noble of Nine Mile River brought home the Noble Trucking machine in second while it was Brooke Dowe rounding out the podium in the no. 22.
The 23T of Teagan Dempsey from the Fredericton, N.B. area made his debut at Scotia thanks to support from several, including The Laker News. Unfortunately, his racing was cut short with a broke brake rotor.
Braden Langille of Shubenacadie continued his winning ways in the heat race for the Legend cars taking the no. 51 to victory lane.
In the Young Lions Legend race, Nine Mile River’s Colton Noble grabbed the win, followed by a vastly improving each week no. 25 of Gage Gilby of Enfield.
However, in the feature Sam Rogers in the no. 12 did something that was only done once all race season and that was finish one better than Langille picking up the win, while Langille was second.
Craig MacDonald of Waverley came home in third place in the no. 8 machine.
Noble was second best Young Lion in the feature, while Gilby was third. Danny Chisholm was the top Young Lion finisher in the Legend combined feature.
Wayne Miller of Kennetcook took heat 2 in the Sportsman race, while Alex Johnson of Oakfield was fifth setting up a good crop of racers in the field for the final 38 lap feature of the year.
In the feature, it was 94 Devin Smith once again up on the wheel and taking the checkered flag.
