Andrew Gresel wins Midas of Orangeville 50 at Kawartha Speedway
Rookie Andrew Gresel would score his second OSCAAR Super Late Model feature victory of the season as he led flag-to-flag at Kawartha Speedway on Sunday evening.
Points leader Brandon Watson won the first heat ahead of Shane Maginnis, Gresel, Derrike Tiemersma, Rudy Oppersma, Tyler Hawn and Craig Stevenson.
Glenn Watson won the second heat ahead of Jesse Kennedy, Dwayne Baker, Wayne Issacs, Ian Bourque, Ethan Cournyea and Todd Campbell.
Rob Clarke won the third heat ahead of Mike Beyore, Jeff Hanley, John Owen, Jim Bowman and Gary Passer.
Derrike Tiemersma won the fourth heat ahead of Gresel, Maginnis, Brandon Watson, Hawn, Oppersma and Stevenson.
Jesse Kennedy won the fifth heat ahead of Glenn Watson, Baker, Issacs, Bourque, Cournyea and Campbell.
Clarke went for the daily double ahead of Beyore, Hanley, Owen and Bowman.
Andrew Gresel would start pole in the feature ahead of Kennedy, Brandon Watson, Glenn Watson, Beyore, Clarke, Maginnis, Tiemersma, Issacs, Baker, Owen, Bourque, Bowman, Oppersma, Hawn, Cournyea, Passer, Campbell and Stevenson.
The initial start wouldn’t be ago as Gresel jumped it. However, the second attempt went off without a hitch as Gresel led Brandon Watson while Kennedy and Glenn Watson battled for third. Glenn Watson would clear Kennedy on lap two before Bowman would spin, collecting Cournyea in the process.
On the restart, Gresel would hold the lead once again ahead of Brandon Watson while Maginnis would get sideways while running mid-pack through turns one and two due to contact from Clarke, but managed to keep it straight and kept it going. However, there’d still be a caution as Passer would spin off of turn two.
Gresel held the lead on the restart ahead of Brandon Watson, Glenn Watson and Kennedy while Maginnis and Beyore battled for fifth. Maginnis would hold Beyore off.
On lap 19, the third caution flew when Beyore would have problems in turn two. Also at the same time, Derrike Tiemersma would have a rear end let go, resulting in oil around the entire oval. The result was a lengthy clean-up that included a red flag with the cars stopped so they could clean the speedy dry off of the windshields as a result of the dust from the clean-up.
With 41 laps to go, Gresel would lead Brandon Watson, Glenn Watson, Kennedy, Maginnis, Clarke, Baker, Owen, Bourque, Hawn, Campbell, Passer, Cournyea, Issacs and Bowman.
Gresel would hold the lead on the restart ahead of Brandon Watson, Kennedy, Clarke and Glenn Watson. Glenn Watson would then fall back to fifth after being passed by Maginnis before the fourth caution flew for Brandon Watson stalling on the frontstretch.
Brandon Watson would be pushed back to pit road where his team would diagnose an ignition problem. Once it was fixed, Watson rejoined the race later on, a couple laps down.
Brandon Watson had his problems at lap 33 so with 17 laps to go, Gresel leads Kennedy, Clarke, Campbell, Glenn Watson, Baker, Hawn, Bourque, Issacs, Owen, Cournyea, Passer and Bowman.
Gresel got another good start as he got away from the field ahead of Clarke, Kennedy and Maginnis while Glenn Watson and Baker battled for fifth. They’d battle all the way till the caution at lap 34 for Owen having problems in turn four.
The top six remained the same all the way till the next caution for Issacs slowing in turn one.
On that restart, the top four would remain the same with Gresel leading Clarke, Kennedy and Maginnis, however Baker would get by Glenn Watson for fifth. Baker would continue him climb, passing Maginnis for fourth. Baker cracked the podium with a pass on Kennedy while Watson got by Maginnis for fifth. Watson would continue his climb, passing Kennedy for fourth.
However, at the front, Andrew Gresel held serve and picked up his second career victory in the Midas of Orangeville 50 after picking up a win earlier this year at Sauble Speedway. Rob Clarke would finish second in his first start with the series since his problems at Barrie Speedway back in June. Dwayne Baker would round out the podium for his fourth top three in four features run this year. Glenn Watson and Jesse Kennedy rounded out the top five followed by Shane Maginnis and Tyler Hawn.
Darren Kearnan scores first career OSCAAR Modified feature victory
The OSCAAR Modiifeds saw yet another new face in victory lane as Darren Kearnan scored his first career OSCAAR Modified victory at Kawartha Speedway. Kearnan marks the sixth different winner this year thus far.
Chad Strawn won the first heat ahead of Justin Demelo, Shane Stickel, Branden Bullen, Ryan Dick and Darryn Wright.
Defending series champion Gary McLean won the second heat ahead of Kearnan, John Harper, Davey Terry and Mike Westwood.
Brent McLean won the third heat ahead of Max Beyore, Lane Zardo, Brad Pearsall and Ted Patterson.
In the fourth heat, Stickel would go for a spin on lap one in turn three. Dick scored the win ahead of Demelo, Stickel, Bullen, Strawn and Westwood. Dick won the race with a last lap pass on Demelo on the outside coming to the line.
Kearnan won the fifth heat ahead of Gary McLean, Terry, Matt Barton, Harper and Westwood.
Beyore won the final heat ahead of Pearsall, Brent McLean, Zardo and Patterson.
Virtue of their qualifying efforts, Gary McLean started pole ahead of Brent McLean, Darren Kearnan, Max Beyore, Justin Demelo, Chad Strawn, Lane Zardo, Brad Pearsall, Ryan Dick, Shane Stickel, Branden Bullen, Davey Terry, John Harper, Ted Patterson, Mike Westwood, Matt Barton and Darryn Wright.
Gary McLean took the early lead ahead of Kearnan and Brent McLean. Demelo would pass Brent McLean on lap two to move into the third position, with Beyore passing Brent McLean on lap three to bump McLean back to fifth.
Darren Kearnan would get alongside Gary McLean, passing him to take over the lead before the caution flew on lap 10 for Pearsall going around. With 20 laps to go, Kearnan leads Gary McLean, Demelo, Beyore, Brent McLean, Strawn, Zardo, Terry, Stickel, Harper, Bullen, Patterson, Wright, Westwood, Pearsall and Dick.
Kearnan held the lead on the restart ahead of Demelo, Gary McLean and Beyore. Behind them, Brent McLean and Strawn battled side-by-side for fifth with McLean able to hold off Strawn. Terry then got alongside Strawn and passed him to take over the sixth position.
For the rest of the race, the field got strung out single-file as they made their way around the fast Kawartha Speedway oval with Darren Kearnan crossing the finish line first for the win. Justin Demelo finished second, followed by Max Beyore, Gary McLean, Brent McLean, Davey Terry, Chad Strawn, Lane Zardo, Shane Stickel, Matt Barton, Ryan Dick, Brad Pearsall, John Harper, Branden Bullen and Darryn Wright.
Greg Belyea wins Vanderlaan DIRTcar Pro Late Model Exhibition Race at Kawartha Speedway
Imagine taking a car that runs on dirt and sticking it on asphalt for a race. Well, that’s what was done this past weekend at Kawartha Speedway. OSCAAR, Kawartha Speedway and Brighton Speedway officials teamed up to put Brighton’s Vanderlaan DIRTcar Pro Late Models on the asphalt Kawartha track as part of the OSCAAR show. The result was a thrilling treat to fans in watching the drivers try to wrestle their cars around Kawartha.
In the end, it was Greg Belyea leading all 15 laps in the exhibition race to take the victory.
Zeke McKeown won the first heat ahead of Norm Mayhew, Matt Vanderlinden, Belyea and Kyle Sopaz.
Brandon Mowat won the second heat ahead of Phill Potts, Greg Peake and Mark Rayner.
Kyle Sopaz would start on pole in the feature and led till Belyea got beside him and took the lead before the first caution came out for Mowat spinning in turn three and then Peake and McKeown making contact behind him.
Belyea would lead on the restart ahead of Vanderlinden, Mayhew, Sopaz and Potts. Potts would then pass Sopaz to move up into the fourth position.
From then on, the field ran single-file with Greg Belyea scoring the win ahead of Matt Vanderlinden, Norm Mayhew, Phill Potts and Brandon Mowat. Kyle Sopaz finished sixth followed by Zeke McKeown, Greg Peake and Mark Rayner.
Keselowski: ‘I did the right thing’ in not wrecking Kyle Busch
Watkins Glen and Penske Racing are becoming synonymous with each other. That being synonymous with finishing second as the No. 2 Miller Lite car has wound up there the last four consecutive years.
Defending Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski had been behind the wheel for the last three of those. Sunday he had the chance to beat Kyle Busch for the win in the Cheez-It 355 coming to the checkered flag off the final turn. He could have moved him out of the way. Actually, he could have flat out run him over if he wanted to.
Instead, Keselowski decided to race the hard way for the win. And he came up short. While the disappointment of still being winless on the year sunk in, the satisfaction in feeling he made the right choice meant much more.
“In my mind, points are great when you’re in the Chase. Before that, to me it’s about wins, even if you don’t end up in the top 20,” said Keselowski afterwards, who won at The Glen on Saturday in the Nationwide Series.
“I’d rather be a wild card with four or five wins than be a guy in the Chase with zero wins … I could have definitely dumped Kyle and won the race. That stuff goes back and forth, and I’m sure someone in the tabloid side of the media will make a big deal about that, but it won’t be me because I know I did the right thing.”
Upon climbing from his car and watching Busch celebrate with a large burnout, Keselowski noted that he’s had enough drama in his short career. He wasn’t about to add more on Sunday. There’s been past run-ins with Busch, including this race last season in which Keselowski spun Busch – who was leading – on the last lap.
A year later, Keselowski defended that move, saying it was just racing. Busch had made a hole and he went to fill it when the two made contact. Keselowski’s also had his share of controversy with Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin, both in the NNS and NSCS.
So when the opportunity present itself on Sunday to set Busch aside and take the victory, which would go a long way in helping him make the Chase, Keselowski fought off the temptation. And trust him, he says; there was plenty of temptation.
“It doesn’t mean there isn’t temptation, but there’s a level of respect and a code of honor that you have to have as a man,” Keselowski said.
Busch won at Watkins Glen for the second time in his career. It comes after two years of his own frustration since he had been leading before being passed with two laps to go in 2011 and spun by Keselowski last year.
As Keselowski battled his own inner drama, Busch was battling thoughts of his own, watching as Keselowski hounded him the final half of the race. Busch said he “commended” Keselowski for having a cleaner race this year and enjoyed how the two ran each other at the finish, even if he couldn’t get away from him.
“Certainly when you get wrecked by somebody you’re not all too happy with it. But then you come with races like this and you come towards the end of the race and a guy can get in the back of you and spin you out, I guess, yeah, you cut that guy a little bit more slack maybe the next time you race him,” Busch said of the chain of events.
“You try to race as best you can, as clean as you can and get the win for yourself and not by moving people out of the way. That’s where the real talent comes in. There’s not much talent in just driving through somebody and then taking a checkered flag that way.”
So, while Busch goes home with his third victory of the season, all but assuring himself a spot in the 2013 Chase, Keselowski looks ahead to four more hard weeks in hopes of getting to defend his championship. In a way, both happy with how a trip to upstate New York played out over 90 long, winding laps.
“If I would have wrecked him today, in my mind it wouldn’t have been a racing deal, it would have been just wrecking, and there’s a huge difference,” said the Michigan native.
“When somebody blocks you, that’s different. When somebody runs off the track, pulls down in front of you, that’s racing. Those are all just racing deals. When you just run into the back of someone and drive them headfirst into the wall, that’s bulls— racing, and I just don’t like it.”
Kyle Busch wins a thriller at Watkins Glen!
After the destroyed racecars were towed away, the smoke faded and the crowd dispersed, Kyle Busch was left standing triumphantly in victory lane at Watkins Glen. Brad Keselowski got to the bumper of Kyle and bumped him in the final corner but it wasn’t enough to dislodge the No.18 from the top spot. This is Kyle’s 27th career NASCAR Sprint Cup win and his third of the year. Sonoma winner Martin Truex Jr. finished third while pole-sitter and race favorite Marcos Ambrose crashed out heavily with just a handful of laps remaining.
NASCAR’s 28th visit to Watkins Glen International Raceway was definitely an exciting one which produced an abundant supply of carnage and epic battles during the 90 lap event. The race kicked off around 1:30pm and quickly claimed its first victim via a crash in the form of 4-time NSCS champion Jeff Gordon who slammed head-on into the guard rail after getting into the wall with the left side.
Most of the big wrecks took place in the esses with a four car melee taking place 40 laps in when Ron Fellows got into Travis Kvapil. The race was red flagged to clean up the oil that was spread around the track by the wrecked cars. The turning point of the race occurred with 30 laps to go when Aric Almirola crashed during green-flag pit stops. A bunch of drivers had their days ruined by the unexpected caution but the most notable was obviously Marcos Ambrose who ironically, is Aric’s teammate. The Aussie had led all but 10 laps up to that point but was forced to restart 12th while Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr led the way.
The two made door-to-door contact in the bus stop with Busch prevailing and Keselowski moving to second. Travis Kvapil returned to the track after his earlier wreck but quickly blew a tire and the tire carcass ended up in the grass. Busch got a great restart while the field bottled up behind him and in the esses. Kasey Kahne crashed into the guard rail and after backing it into the fence, he was nailed by his teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr. A few other cars got tangled up in the mess as well.
They didn’t make it any further on the following restart when Marcos Ambrose spun off the nose of Max Papis in the esses and collected Brian Vickers. Both the No.9 and No.55 were destroyed and done for the day. Marcos angrily threw his steering wheel, helmet and HANS Device before getting into the ambulance for a mandatory visit to the infield care center.
That wreck proved to be the last as they went clean and green for the final two laps with Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch left to fight it out for the win. Brad began to reel in the No.18 on the penultimate lap and in the final corner, he laid the bumper to Kyle but refused to dump him stating that there is a “code of honor” that he felt he should abide by. Busch, Keselowski and Truex Jr. led the field across the stripe as the No.18 crew and Samantha celebrated on pit road.
Kasey Kahne who finished 34th and Ryan Newman who finished 14th currently hold the wild card spots with four races remaining in the regular season. Jimmie Johnson has officially clinched a spot in the chase after finishing 8th and everyone in the top seven in points is expected to make the chase with ease unless something catastrophic happens. The full race results can bee seen below…
1.) Kyle Busch #18
2.) Brad Keselowski #2
3.) Martin Truex Jr #56
4.) Carl Edwards #99
5.) Juan Pablo Montoya #42
6.) Clint Bowyer #15
7.) Joey Logano #22
8.) Jimmie Johnson #48
9.) Kurt Busch #78
10.) AJ Allmendinger #47
11.) Jamie McMurray #1
12.) Casey Mears #13
13.) Kevin Harvick #29
14.) Ryan Newman #39
15.) Max Papis #14
16.) Greg Biffle #16
17.) Paul Menard #27
18.) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17
19.) Denny Hamlin #11
20.) Danica Patrick #10
21.) David Ragan #34
22.) Boris Said #32
23.) Matt Kenseth #20
24.) Owen Kelly #51
25.) David Gilliland #38
26.) Jeff Burton #31
27.) Dave Blaney #7
28.) Landon Cassill #40
29.) Alex Kennedy #19
30.) Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88
31.) Marcos Ambrose #9
32.) Brian Vickers #55
33.) David Stremme #30
34.) Kasey Kahne #5
35.) Ron Fellows #33
36.) Jeff Gordon #24
37.) Aric Almirola #43
38.) Michael McDowell #35
39.) Brian Keselowski #52
40.) Travis Kvapil #93
41.) Victor Gonzalez Jr. #36
42.) Tomy Drissi #87
43.) David Retimann #83
