Merrittville hometown heroes ready to take on Big-Block Modified stars in Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial

Super DIRTcar Series heads westward to Thorold track for Canadian Civic Holiday race night

 

THOROLD, ONTARIO – Friday, July 26, 2013 – The Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series kicks off its August western swing with a historic show Monday, August 5, at Merrittville Speedway. Now dubbed the Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial, the Canadian Civic Holiday celebratory race night has taken over the speedway every August since 1972.

Modified racing legend Will Cagle won the inaugural event in 1972, and since then, Merrittville’s local racers have been stepping up to the plate every year to try and beat DIRTcar’s best on their home turf. Last year, St. Catharine’s Mike Bowman became one of many hometown heroes to make it to Victory Land at the annual event.

“It was something that I never expected to ever achieve,” said Bowman, whose small-block Modified triumphed over the Big Blocks. “I used to sit in the stands and watch all of those guys come in from out of town when I was young, and to beat them is a dream come true.”

The previous year, 2011, defending Super DIRTcar Series Champion Matt Sheppard took the win, and Bowman narrowly made the feature, qualifying in the last-chance B-Main.

“Going into last year, my expectations were severely less than what I had achieved,” Bowman said. “Every year when that race comes, it’s one of these nights where you know everybody’s coming to town. You want to run well, and you you definitely want to make the show.”

Bowman certainly ran well in the 2012 Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial, winning his heat, drawing the pole, and leading all 100 laps. In fact, his success last August influenced the 71 team’s engine builder, ERD, to send Bowman to the Dirt Track at Charlotte for November’s prestigious

“I definitely put myself on a big stage to get my feet wet,” said Bowman, whose first-ever feature in a Big-Block Modified took him to a 20th-place finish. “Just to get in the show was pretty good. All the best guys were there.”

Bowman returned to a small block for his 2013 season at Merrittville Speedway, where he sits third in track point standings.

In this year’s Fourth Annual Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial, Bowman and other Merrittville locals, such as track point leader Pete Bicknell and fourth in points Mat Williamson, may face an extra challenge from a slightly larger field of series competitors. Seven-time Super DIRTcar Series Champion Brett Hearn did not race in last year’s event due to a health condition, but when he got back behind the wheel he was better than ever.

Hearn won some of the biggest races last year, including Lebanon Valley Speedway’s Mr. DIRT Track U.S.A.,NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week’s VP Small Engine Fuels 200 and Orange County Fair Speedway’sEastern States 200, coming up second in series points. This year, Hearn has already climbed to the top inseries points and is ready to prove, yet again, that he’s made a full recovery.

Although Hearn and the series cohort will invade Merrittville in the powerful Big-Block Modfiieds, Bowman believes the 358-Modifieds of the Merrittville regulars will remain competitive.

“I don’t really feel like we’re at that much of a disadvantage, if any,” Bowman said. “This year, three of us were able to beat (Big-Block Modified driver) Justin Haers’ former record of 15.0. Mat Williamson, Brandon Easey and myself all put down laps quicker than the previous track record this year in our small blocks.”

Gates open for the Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial at 4 p.m. on Monday, August 5, and showtime is 7 p.m. In addition to the Super DIRTcar Series, the show, held in memory of 1972 track champion and longtime Merrittville pit steward Bob St. Amand, Sr., will also include a 20-lap Hoosier Stock “Duel on the Dirt” Big 6 Series Event, an 20-lap Sportsman Non-Winners Event and Enduro Qualifier No. 3 accelerated by Niagara College. For more information about the Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial, contact the speedway office at (905) 892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com.

 

AT A GLANCE:

Bob St. Amand Sr. Memorial

Divisions: Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series (100 laps); Hoosier Stock “Duel on the Dirt” Big 6 Series Event (25 laps); Sportsman Non-Winners Event (20 laps); Enduro Qualifier No. 3 accelerated by Niagara College

Date: Monday, August 5

Time: Gates open at 4 p.m., showtime at 7 p.m.

Location: Merrittville Speedway, 2371 Merrittville Highway, Thorold, Ontario, Canada

For more information: (905) 892-8266 or www.merrittvillespeedway.com

 

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Driver points as of 7/24/13

No. Driver Total Series Bonus Diff Wins Top 5 Top 10 Starts
1 20 Brett Hearn 477 477 0 0 1 4 4 6
2 9s Matt Sheppard 464 464 0 -13 1 3 5 6
3 7z Dale Planck 440 440 0 -37 1 3 5 6
4 49 Billy Dunn 421 421 0 -56 0 2 3 6
5 84 Gary Tomkins 417 417 0 -60 0 2 3 6
6 98H Jimmy Phelps 406 406 0 -71 0 1 4 6
7 5* Danny Johnson 350 350 0 -127 0 1 2 6
8 3 Justin Haers 347 347 0 -130 0 1 2 6
9 21a Pete Britten 334 334 0 -143 0 0 3 6
10 91d Billy Decker 331 331 0 -146 0 2 2 5
11 8 Rich Scagliotta 294 294 0 -183 0 0 0 6
12 1F Stewart Friesen 254 254 0 -223 1 2 2 3
13 66 Bobby Varin 248 248 0 -229 0 0 1 4
14 66x Carey Terrance 236 236 0 -241 1 1 2 4
15 1 David Hebert 219 219 0 -258 0 2 2 3
16 10c Tim Currier 197 197 0 -280 0 0 0 4
17 48T Dave Rauscher 192 192 0 -285 0 0 0 4
18 74 Matt Billings 191 191 0 -286 0 1 1 4
19 7x Steve  Paine 180 180 0 -297 0 0 1 3
20 10V Billy VanInwegen 152 152 0 -325 0 0 0 3
21 26 Ryan Godown 139 139 0 -338 0 1 1 2
22 21 Yan Bussiere 134 134 0 -343 0 0 2 2
23 99L Larry Wight 133 133 0 -344 0 0 0 2
24 22c Mario Clair 126 126 0 -351 0 0 1 2
25 10J Alan Johnson 124 124 0 -353 0 0 1 2
26 64 Daniel Nadeau 110 110 0 -367 0 0 0 2
27 77J Keith Flach 103 103 0 -374 0 0 0 2
28 7 Rich Laubach 103 103 0 -374 1 1 1 1
29 39a Alan Therrien 95 95 0 -382 0 1 1 2
30 4 Mike Mahaney 95 95 0 -382 0 0 0 2
31 115 Kenny Tremont 92 92 0 -385 0 0 0 2
32 34 Andy Bachetti 90 90 0 -387 0 0 0 2
33 49 Francois Bernier 85 85 0 -392 0 0 0 2
34 54 Steve Bernard 84 84 0 -393 0 0 0 2
35 357 Frank Cozze 81 81 0 -396 0 1 1 1
36 46 Kayle Robidoux 77 77 0 -400 0 0 1 1
37 126 Duane Howard 77 77 0 -400 0 0 1 1
38 3J Marc Johnson 76 76 0 -401 0 0 1 1
39 901 Eric Kormann 70 70 0 -407 0 0 1 1
40 124 Pierre Dagenais 68 68 0 -409 0 0 0 2
41 23d Dany Bilodeau 64 64 0 -413 0 0 0 1
42 3d Matt DeLorenzo 63 63 0 -414 0 0 0 1
43 38 Luke Whittaker 63 63 0 -414 0 1 1 1
44 JR1 Rocco Infante 63 63 0 -414 0 0 1 1
45 323 Neal Williams 61 61 0 -416 0 0 0 1
46 61 Jean Boissonneault 60 60 0 -417 0 0 0 1
47 71 David VanHorn 59 59 0 -418 0 0 0 1
48 41 Jim Davis 54 54 0 -423 0 0 0 1
49 88c Doug Manmiller 54 54 0 -423 0 0 0 1
50 2J Ronnie Johnson 53 53 0 -424 0 0 0 1
51 6 Mat Williamson 52 52 0 -425 0 0 1 1
52 73 Alain Boisvert 51 51 0 -426 0 0 0 1
53 22J Gino Clair 50 50 0 -427 0 0 0 1
54 39 Clement Therrien 50 50 0 -427 0 0 0 1
55 1 Billy Pauch 49 49 0 -428 0 0 0 1
56 37 Paul St-Sauveur 46 46 0 -431 0 0 0 1
57 17 Elmo Reckner 46 46 0 -431 0 0 0 1
58 25 Erick Rudolph 46 46 0 -431 0 0 1 1
59 5 Jimmy Horton 46 46 0 -431 0 0 0 1
60 73Jr. Mathieu Boisvert 45 45 0 -432 0 0 0 1
61 29 Sammy Pizza 45 45 0 -432 0 0 0 1
62 62 Matt Jester 43 43 0 -434 0 0 0 1
63 94 Steve Nadeau 42 42 0 -435 0 0 0 1
64 16 Mike Bowman 42 42 0 -435 0 0 0 1
65 44 Sebastien Gongeon 41 41 0 -436 0 0 0 1
66 5 Bob Savoie 41 41 0 -436 0 0 0 1
67 27 David Hunt 41 41 0 -436 0 0 0 1
68 1c Craig VonDohren 41 41 0 -436 0 0 0 1
69 91 Chad Homan 41 41 0 -436 0 0 0 1
70 56 Vince Vitale 41 41 0 -436 0 0 0 1
71 13 Kevin Hamel 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
72 172 Andre Gauthier 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
73 8 Jimmy Cottrell 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
74 3 Mark Kislowski 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
75 35 Mike Perrotte 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
76 6h Josh Hohenforrst 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
77 85 Dan Vauter 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
78 14s Ryan Watt 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
79 4* Jeff Strunk 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
80 83 Brian Swartzlander 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
81 48R Robbie Bellinger 40 40 0 -437 0 0 0 1
82 17d Danny O’Brien 38 38 0 -439 0 0 1 1
83 115 Stephane LaFrance 38 38 0 -439 0 0 1 1
84 99 Bruno LaPage 30 30 0 -447 0 0 0 0
85 5 David Cote ® 30 30 0 -447 0 0 0 0
86 97 Michel Chicoine 30 30 0 -447 0 0 0 0
87 22J Jeremy Wilder 30 30 0 -447 0 0 0 0
88 21k Randy Chrysler 30 30 0 -447 0 0 0 1
89 44 Lance Willix II 30 30 0 -447 0 0 0 0
90 71 Mike J. Bowman 29 29 0 -448 0 0 0 1
91 10x Michael  Maresca 20 20 0 -457 0 0 0 0
92 4J Jeff Sykes 17 17 0 -460 0 0 0 1
93 23 Laurent Ladouceur 13 13 0 -464 0 0 0 1
94 66 Kyle Dingwall 13 13 0 -464 0 0 0 1
95 40 Joel Doiron 11 11 0 -466 0 0 0 1
96 87 Alex Fortier 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
97 7 Patrice Demers 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
98 22P Patrick Beaumier 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
99 87 Martin Gagne 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
100 146 Daniel Rivard 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
101 74g Frederick Gamache 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
102 12 Yanick Ladoux 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
103 25 Mike Kolka 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
104 79 Rocky Warner 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
105 711 JaMike Sowle 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
106 87 Neil Stratton 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
107 816 Jeff Rockefeller 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
108 14 C.G. Morey 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
109 17 Rob Pitcher 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
110 518 Kyle Sheldon 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
111 14 Brian Gleason 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
112 87h Hector Stratton 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
113 151 Brian McDonald 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 1
114 03 Zach Aubertine 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 1
115 27 Gilles Godard 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
116 98L Justin Lalancette 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
117 R70 Ryan Arbithnot ® 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
118 10R Gabriel Richer ® 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
119 14 Tom Benedict 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
120 27T Travis Stacey ® 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
121 72 Tommy Flannigan 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
122 17 Marc Therrien 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
123 16 Gage Morin 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
124 188 David Papineau 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
125 46 Kayle Robidoux 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
126 88 Tim O’Brien 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
127 2b Domink Buffalino 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
128 7F Mark Forte Jr. 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
129 83 Dale Hawkins 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
130 88x Dave Dissinger 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
131 176 Brett Tonkin 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
132 76 Jimmy Blewett 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
133 R40 Ryan Forte 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
134 13x J.J. Oliver 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
135 30 Tommy Scheetz Jr. 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
136 17 Marcus Dinkins 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
137 21 Derrick Podsiadlo 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
138 62s Tom Sears Jr. 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
139 3b Chad Brachmann 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
140 88 Dave Allen 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
141 29 Chris Ostrowsky 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
142 42P Pat Ward 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
143 19w Justin Wright 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0
144 21T Roger Chrysler 10 10 0 -467 0 0 0 0

The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast Region is brought to fans by several sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Chevy Performance Parts, NAPA Auto Parts, and Safety-Kleen. Contingency partners include the University of Northwestern Ohio, Contingency sponsors are ASI, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix, ButlerBuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD Performance, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, Superflow and Wrisco Industries.