by Tommy Goudge (Friday, September 10, 2010) - Kevin Job got the feature win Friday night at Merrittville Speedway in the Southern Ontario Sprints "Season Championship" finale. Job took the lead just after the halfway mark and never looked back in claiming his first win of 2010. Glenn Styres led the SOS standings going into the night, and finished with a runner-up, and his fourth career SOS championship.
Brad Malloy drew the pole position for the twenty lap main event, with Glenn Styres to his outside. Malloy got out to the early lead before a caution flew on lap two for a tangle between Brad Lodge and Stan Zanchin in turn four. Zanchin would later return after making repairs to the left rear corner of his car, while Lodge took his machine to the pits with wing damage.
Malloy again led when the race went back to green,, but appeared to be fighting a loose condition, and a hotly contested race for the lead began with Malloy, Styres, sixth starter Kevin Job, and Travis Cunningham. Cunningham used the low line to move into second and pressure Malloy for the lead when the caution flag came out for a lap seven spin by Doug Banks in turn four. Malloy clipped the Banks machine with his right rear tire, but did not seem the worse for wear.
The race restarted with Malloy out front, Cunningham second, Job third, and Styres back to fourth, but the next seven laps found that order changing each time they crossed the start/finish line. Job was the driver on the move as the race moved into its second half, and took the lead around the outside of Malloy in turn four. Styres also moved up to second before the race's final yellow flag fell for Tim Zack's stopped car.
Job got through slower traffic and held off a late charge by Styres to get the win. Styres settled for second after almost hitting the front stretch wall as the checkered flag flew. Cunningham finished third, Warren Mahoney fourth, and Dain Naida fifth as Malloy fell to sixth. Adam West took seventh, Keith Dempster eighth, Tyler Rand ninth, and Al Blanchard rounded out the top ten.
"It's nice to get a win," said Job afterwards. "We thought we were going to get zeroed out this year, but we'll take it!"
Kevin commented on the slicing and dicing for the lead in the first half of the race.
"The bottom came in right at the beginning of the race and I got by a lot of guys right on the start, and then I showed Brad the wing. I figured he'd go down to block, so I went up top and that's when Travis got me. I was just lucky on the restart to keep my foot in it and the cushion just kept me in there and we rode the cushion the rest of the race."
Job acknowledged in victory lane that he almost didn't make it to the track at all.
"We wrecked a lot of stuff last Friday," said Kevin. "We were busy at work and we didn't even wash it until 2:30 this afternoon. We had a bunch of parts to fix, we had new wings to put on it, and I didn't think they ran on Friday nights down here."
Glenn Styres came up one position short again at Merrittville, but his second place finish was good enough for his fourth career Southern Ontario Sprints season championship.
"That's awesome," said Glenn afterwards. "I thought I was going to bite it down the front straight, and I'm just glad it's staying on all four wheels. Normally I don't do very well here, and the car's been good all night, and I really thought we had a chance to win it. I saw the guys were melting their tires and I was just trying to be patient, and I almost got 'em!"
Travis Cunningham was a local favourite and on a hot streak heading into the night, but again settled for a podium finish rather than a feature win.
"It was just tough once everyone got going there, pretty much holding their ground," said Travis afterwards. "Just on that restart, it looked like the leader was going high so I darted low and then at the last second he thought he was coming low and killed my momentum and the 0 and 21x got by me. I'm not going to complain though, (tonight) was a pretty good deal."
Heat races for the twenty car field were claimed by Styres, Job, and Cunningham.
NOTES
- The race was the first for the SOS tour at Merrittville since August of 2003. Local drivers Jim Price, Stan Zanchin, Rob Pietz, and Tim Zack made their first SOS starts of the season, while Sprint Car rookies Todd Hoddick and Al Blanchard ran with the tour for first time ever.
- Styres' championship season was a model of consistency this year. The Ohsweken driver did not claim an SOS feature win, but finished second three times in seven races, and third in another.
- Jim Munsie wrapped up the 2010 SOS Rookie of the Year award with a thirteenth place finish on Friday night.
- Details regarding the 2010 SOS awards banquet will be announced shortly. Please check www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com for more information.
RACE REPORT – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2010
SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS
2010 SEASON EVENT #9
Merrittville Speedway - Thorold, Ontario
ENTRIES
(Number Name - Hometown)
0 Glenn Styres - Ohsweken
2 Brad Lodge - Stouffville
5 Keith Dempster - Alton
5m Brad Malloy - Niagara Falls
7 Jim Price - Wainfleet
7a Al Blanchard - Welland
9 Jim Munsie - Pickering
9jr Tim Zack - Welland
10 Bob Crawford - Sutton
21x Kevin Job - Campbellville
25 Warren Mahoney - Lefroy
30 Adam West - Ridgetown
45x Doug Banks - Inverary
49 Todd Hoddick - Cheektowaga, NY
71 Travis Cunningham - Grimsby
71x Rob Pietz - Gasline
77x Dain Naida - Tecumseh, MI
79 Dick Mahoney - Newmarket
84 Tyler Rand - Consecon
94 Stan Zanchin - Fort Erie
HEAT RACES
(top 3 finishers redraw for feature starting positions)
HEAT RACE #1
(8 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 0 Glenn Styres (2)
2. 25 Warren Mahoney (4)
3. 77x Dain Naida (5)
4. 84 Tyler Rand (6)
5. 9 Jim Munsie (3)
6. 7 Jim Price (1)
7. 94 Stan Zanchin (7)
HEAT RACE #2
(8 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 21x Kevin Job (1)
2. 5 Keith Dempster (2)
3. 5m Brad Malloy (4)
4. 45x Doug Banks (5)
5. 10 Bob Crawford (6)
6. 2 Brad Lodge (7)
7. 9jr Tim Zack (3)
HEAT RACE #3
(8 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 71 Travis Cunningham (1)
2. 30 Adam West (2)
3. 49 Todd Hoddick (3)
4. 79 Dick Mahoney (5)
5. 7a Al Blanchard (4)
6. 71x Rob Pietz (6)
'A' FEATURE
(20 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 21x Kevin Job (6)
2. 0 Glenn Styres (2)
3. 71 Travis Cunningham (4)
4. 25 Warren Mahoney (4)
5. 77x Dain Naida (8)
6. 5m Brad Malloy (1)
7. 30 Adam West (9)
8. 5 Keith Dempster (7)
9. 84 Tyler Rand (10)
10. 7a Al Blanchard (15)
11. 49 Todd Hoddick (3)
12. 10 Bob Crawford (14)
13. 9 Jim Munsie (13)
14. 79 Dick Mahoney (12)
15. 7 Jim Price (16)
16. 45x Doug Banks (11)
17. 9jr Tim Zack (20)
18. 94 Stan Zanchin (19)
19. 2 Brad Lodge (17)
20. 71x Rob Pietz (18)
Stealth Racewear "Under the Radar" Award - 30 Adam West
UNOFFICIAL FINAL TOP 5 IN POINTS
Rank. Number Name Total
1. 0 Glenn Styres - 1087
2. 5 Keith Dempster - 1011
3. 84 Tyler Rand - 1005
4. 30 Adam West - 964
5. 79 Dick Mahoney - 869
Please visit www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com for more news and information about the Southern Ontario Sprints! 2010 marks the fifteenth year of operation for the Southern Ontario Sprints, brought to you this season by Wiseco Piston, Kenetic Photos, Stealth Racewear, Triple X Race Co., ASI Racewear, The Racers Edge, BS&B Radiator, www.ImageFactor.ca, Hepfner Racing Products, Saldana Racing Products, Kreitz Oval Track Parts Inc., Keizer Aluminum Wheels, and Have Bus Racing Tours.
Photo courtesy Mike Doughtery/www.FourWidePhotos.com
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