JOHN WATERS VICTORY MONDAY AT MERRITTVILLE GIVES HIM A CLEAN SWEEP OF SWEENEY
RUSH LATE MODEL TOUR CANADIAN INVASION & $4,175 FOR HIS DOMINATING PERFORMANCE
By
Mike Leone
May 23, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Thorold, ON)…After a successful season
opening event Sunday night at Humberstone Speedway, the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick
GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series powered by Pace Performance wrapped up
the two night swing through Ontario, Canada on Monday night at Merrittville
Speedway with the second running of the “Victoria Day Celebration”.
The second ever visit attracted 28 cars from all over Ontario, Canada
along with United States racers from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West
Virginia, which eclipsed last year’s count of 18 for the first ever Crate Late
Model event at the historic speedway in Thorold.
A total of 32 different cars participated between the two events at
Humberstone and Merrittville.
Since joining up with the Sweeney Touring Series late in 2013, Whitesville, New
York’s John Waters has run 34 Tour events in the United States and yet to find
victory lane; however, the 35-year-old has competed in five Tour events in
Canada and has now won four of the five races!
After winning for the third straight year at Humberstone on Sunday night,
Waters passed Bryce Davis, albeit it with contact, just past the halfway point
on Monday night and then drove a masterful race through lapped traffic for a
$4,175 two-day Canadian sweep!
Waters sits atop the Sweeney Tour standings in his bid for his first
championship and to become the fourth different champion in four years.
“I’m a little disappointed,” stated Waters.
“I didn’t want to get into Bryce there in lapped traffic.
We were just pushing it hard.
I don’t like to drive like that so I guess he owes me one.
I apologize to him and his crew.
This car is phenomenal.
Homework pays off. We had a rough
season last year and we put our heads together and we worked on what we needed
to work on and it’s showing right now.
All these weeks working and racing and my wife and kids missing me,
sending me pictures, and putting up with this.
I want to thank my sponsors, Dale LeBarron the car owner, my guys, and
the fans for coming out- this is a great crowd.
I love coming here to win this, and Canada has been great!”
Via his K&N Dash win, Davis raced to the early lead while Waters was able to
slip past Phil Potts for second.
Waters caught right up to the leader on lap two.
After a solid fourth place effort on Sunday, Jason Knowles cracked the
top five on lap three getting by Mike Pegher, Jr. and one lap later moved by
Dennis Lunger, Jr. for the fourth spot.
Action was really heating up through the pack as Will Thomas III made a
nice move to slip under both Pegher and Lunger for the fifth spot on lap six.
Davis was in lapped traffic on lap seven, but a spin by Travis Martineau slowed
action for the first time and gave Davis a clear track.
Two more cautions occurred in the next three laps.
Jason Knowles suffered a heartbreak as action was set to resume, he
slowed with a suspension failure and needed towed from the speedway.
He was awarded the TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night”.
Racing returned on lap 10 and a long green flag stretch occurred.
After Davis had stretched out his lead, Waters began to reel him back in
on lap 14. Traffic now loomed ahead
on lap 16. Waters made a move in
turn three as it was three-wide with the lapped car of Brian Swank.
Contact was made as Waters came out with the lead.
And like on Sunday night, instantly began to check out.
Pegher started fourth and after dropping back to a far as seventh, the 2013 Tour
champion began to work his way back forward and began to battle Potts for third.
The two caught Davis and it was a three-car race for second on lap 22.
While the battle was taking place behind him, Waters stretched his lead
to more than a straightaway as he picked his way through lapped traffic.
Waters though hit heavy lapped traffic on lap 25 as drivers in front of
them were having their own battles.
Waters continued to be pinned in by two and three-wide racing in front of him on
laps 26 and 27 as Davis, Potts, and Pegher closed in.
Waters had to make a four-wide move racing off turn four as Davis challenged for
the lead. Jeff Dayman ran out of
room, slid off the track and brought out the caution.
One more caution would slow action for a spin by Ledingham setting up a
two-lap sprint to the finish. Waters
played defense on the restarts trying to get the line he wanted and at the same
time killed Davis’ momentum. Waters
went on to lead the final two laps for the $2,000 victory in the Dale
LeBarron-owned, Troups Creek Heating/Fox Shocks/Insinger Performance/Sunoco Race
Fuel/Fastline Performance/Troups Creek Auto Parks/Renegade Forestry
Management/Close Racing Supply/Atkins Appraisal-sponsored #11.
Davis meanwhile couldn’t keep enough momentum on the top side of the speedway in
the final two laps as both Potts and Pegher slipped by on the bottom to take
second and third respectively. For
Potts, it was his second straight $1,000 runner-up finish at Merrittville
repeating last year’s performance for Stuart Archer’s Fowl Mood Race Team.
Potts was also awarded the Maxima Oil “Maximum Performance” award.
“It was a lot of fun passing cars tonight,” expressed the 44-year-old Trenton,
Ontario racer. “I haven’t passed a
gaggle of cars like that in a long time.
We seemed like we were always passing cars, which for me is the funnest
part of the whole race. Thanks to
Stuart and the team- they busted their butt all weekend just so I could play.
Also want to thank the fans.
I appreciate it.”
After finishing a hard fought second place on Sunday night, Pegher brought Jerry
Haseleu’s #RJ1 home in third for a solid two nights in Canada.
“John (Waters) has come a long way since he started,” acknowledged the
30-year-old Cranberry Twp., Pa. racer.
“He and I talk on the phone a lot.
I have to give him and his crew kudos for the whooping they put on us,
but we’ll certainly be back next weekend.
We’re working on it. We made
a bunch of changes on the car. Where
we race it doesn’t get nowhere near as slick as this, but we’re happy with a
second and a third. The car is one
piece and we can head back to Pennsylvania.
I have to thank all my crew and the fans for supporting this.
If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be here.”
Davis, who led both feature events, had to settle for fourth- one position shy
of Sunday’s third place effort.
Brian Knowles was fifth for the second straight night.
Completing the top 10 were Thomas, Brandon Mowat, Charlie Sandercock,
Randy Hall, and Zack Carley. It was
a good run for Mowat, who advanced five positions in his first ever Sweeney Tour
start. Sandercock, the defending
$5,000 Bilstein Bandits Champion, gained seven positions in his first RUSH start
of 2016 again on the $135 sealed, spec Bilstein Shocks.
Carley also made his first start of the season as he was driving Sam
Pennachio’s #311.
After racing his way into the feature through the last chance B main, Ken
Winfield quietly made his way forward from his 23rd starting spot to
11th to earn the $100 Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down” Hard
Charger gift card. Brady Wonderling
was the final car on the lead lap at the finish in 12th and received
a $25 gift certificate from CrateInsider.com.
Jason Knowles set fast time in Bobby Lake Motorsports “Shock the Clock”
Qualifying with a lap of 16.031 to earn $100 then proceeded to win Bobby Lake
Motorsports heat race one for an additional $25.
Potts and Waters also added $25 for their heat race wins, while Andy
Mayhew won the last chance B main.
Bryce Davis won the K&N “Cold Air Induction” Dash for a $100 K&N certificate,
while Potts garnered a $50 certificate for second, and Waters and Pegher added
$25 cash for third and fourth.
The Memorial Day holiday weekend will be busy one with a pair of $2,000 to-win
Sweeney Tour Marquee Events at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio on
Saturday night and Eriez Speedway in Erie, Pa. on Sunday night.
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series Race #2
(30 laps, $2,000 to-win): 1.
JOHN WATERS (LeBarron 11) 2. Phil
Potts (Archer 29) 3. Mike Pegher,
Jr. (Haseleu RJ1) 4. Bryce Davis
(94) 5. Brian Knowles (7)
6. Will Thomas III (9) 7.
Brandon Mowat (46) 8. Charlie
Sandercock (57) 9. Randy Hall (Suppa
4s) 10. Zack Carley (Pennachio 311)
11. Ken Winfield (82) 12.
Brady Wonderling (z1) 13. Paul
Grigsby (24) 14. Andy Mayhew
(1020XX) 15. Steve Dixon (Wonderling
3J) 16. Colton Ledingham (19JR)
17. Travis Martineau (Schwartz 71L)
18. Mike Greene (8) 19. Brian
Swank (12s) 20. Jeff Dayman (44)
21. Tim Gillespie (15) 22.
Rob Pietz (69) 23. Eric Wilson (27W)
24. Jason Knowles (4) 25.
Dennis Lunger, Jr. (Schwartz 71L). (Note:
Brian Swank took a Series provisional)
DNQ for the feature:
John Pinsonneault (0), Brad
Simpson (53), Jim Dale, Jr. (00).
Car Count:
28
Margin of Victory:
1.152 seconds
Feature Lap Leaders: Davis (1-15),
Waters (16-30)
Precise Racing Products “Pedal Down Hard Charger”:
Ken Winfield (+12)
Maxima Oil “Maximum Performance”:
Phil Potts
TBM Brakes “Tough Brake of the Night":
Jason Knowles
CrateInsider.com "Last Car on Lead Lap":
Brady Wonderling
Bobby Lake Motorsports “Shock the Clock” Qualifying
($100 for fast time, TR 15.734 Max Blair 5/18/15): 1. Jason Knowles 16.031
2. Bryce Davis 16.162 3. John
Waters 16.224 4. Dennis Lunger, Jr.
16.282 5. Phil Potts 16.309
6. Mike Pegher, Jr. 16.316 7.
Brian Knowles 16.428 8. Randy Hall
16.475 9. Brandon Mowat 16.577
10. Brady Wonderling 16.611
11. Steve Dixon 16.652 12. Will
Thomas III 16.672 13. Colton
Ledingham 16.780 14. Jeff Dayman
16.812 15. Charlie Sandercock 16.894
16. Zack Carley 17.019 17.
Rob Pietz 17.106 18. Tim Gillespie
17.201 19. Ken Winfield 17.241
20. Paul Grigsby 17.305 21.
Travis Martineau 17.360 22. Mike
Greene 17.363 23. Jim Dale, Jr.
17.574 24. Brian Swank 17.634
25. Eric Wilson 17.700 26.
Brad Simpson 17.737 27. Andy Mayhew
17.819 28. John Pinsonneault 17.843.
Bobby Lake Motorsports Heat 1
(10 laps, $25 to-win, Top 6 transfer): 1. J. Knowles
2. Lunger 3. B. Knowles
4. Wonderling 5. Carley
6. Ledingham 7. Wilson
8. Greene 9. Winfield
10. Pinsonneault.
Bobby Lake Motorsports Heat 2
(10 laps, $25 to-win, Top 6 transfer): 1. Potts
2. Davis 3. Hall
4. Dixon 5. Dayman
6. Pietz 7. Grigsby
8. Simpson 9. Dale.
Bobby Lake Motorsports Heat 3
(10 laps, $25 to-win, Top 6
transfer): 1. Waters 2. Pegher
3. Thomas 4. Mowat
5. Sandercock 6. Martineau
7. Mayhew 8. Gillespie
9. Swank.
Last Chance B Main
(10 laps, Top 6 transfer): 1.
Mayhew 2. Grigsby
3. Wilson 4. Gillespie
5. Winfield 6. Greene
7. Pinsonneault 8. Swank
9. Simpson 10. Dale-DNS.
K&N “Cold Air Induction” Dash
(6
laps): 1. Davis 2. Potts
3. Waters 4. Pegher
5. Lunger 6. J. Knowles.
RUSH Late Model marketing partners include Sweeney
Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco
Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, MSD Performance, Maxima
Racing Oil, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing
Products, ARbodies, TBM Brakes, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, FK Rod Ends,
Velocita-USA, Classic Ink USA, Rocket Chassis, Bobby Lake Motorsports High Gear
Speed Shop, CrateInsider.com, B.R.A.K.E.S., RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.
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