Nicholson Tops Field on Varney High Banks

Report Courtesy of Jody Buschen - Varney Speedway


The heat wave of the previous week finally let go on Saturday as Southwestern Ontario was pounded with rain. With Varney Speedway soaking wet, a full pit area of race cars and drivers anxiously awaited the decision to 'go' or 'go home'. The touring Ontario Pro Challenge Series was on hand for their second scheduled event of the 2010 season. After the first date was cancelled due to rain back on June 12th, the ruling finally came down that speedway officials would wait out the rain and dry the track.

The rain would ease and, with blue skies on the horizon, the Varney Motor Speedway track crew proceeded to dry the track. Brimming with confidence that this night would yeild some very competitive racing, the Pro Challenge drivers began to unload their cars as speedway regular series cars took to the track to assist with the drying. The hard work paid off and, the green flag dropped on the night's first race just before 8:00pm.

The 3/4 scale late model Pro Challenge cars ran the highbanks in 2009 as an exhibition race but, based on the success of that experiment, Varney Motor Speedway secured two points races for the touring series. All things considered with the weather and all, the grandstands were still half full as #10 Bob Hopton of Kitchener and #77 Patrick Freel of London brought the field to green for Saturday night's feature race.

Hopton would take the early lead from his pole position and Freel would stay close before making a challenge for the top spot in turns three and four. Protecting the lead, Hopton would slip up the track in turn four making contact with Freel's car sending the London driver up into the unforgiving turn four wall, bringing out the first caution flag of the race. Freel would end up in the pits while Hopton found himself at the back for the restart.

Coming back for the restart, #40 Owen Smith of Holland Landing led the way with #60 Scott Fletcher and # 66Josh Nicholson of Brantford; last year's feature race winner; in pursuit. Smith would lead briefly before Fletcher dove to the inside in turn four. Fletcher would take over the top spot as #99 Ken Nicholson of Brantford and Pro Challenge points leader #02 Dennis Thompson of Dundas fllowed through into second and third respectively.

The second caution would come out for a spin in turn two involving #37 Larry Majuery of Niagara Falls. The pack bunched up quickly as Fletcher hoped to protect his lead. Moving up through the field quickly were #88 Tim Norris of Dundas and #71 Dario Valente of Stoufville who both started near the back and now found themselves flirting with the top five.

Green again as Fletcher led the way but, heading into turn four, K. Nicholson would move to the bottom of the track and make the pass for the lead. Then, battling for third, Thompson and Smith would run out of real estate as Smith; unassissted; would spin in turn four to bring out the third caution. K. Nicholson, Fletcher and Thompson led the pack back to green and, over the next several laps, K. Nicholson would build up half a straightaway lead as Fletcher and Thompson raced for second. Fletcher would eventually relinquish the position just as Norris would spin in turn two bringing out the fourth caution of the race.

After another caution flag as #00 Ken Lilycrop finds the turn four wall, Fletcher's night would also come to an early end. After taking the green on the restart following Lilycrop's incident, Fletcher's car would start to lose power from the thrid position and the winner of one of the early heat races would quickly drop back in the pack before parking it for the night.

Meanwhile, K. Nicholson would maintain the top spot and, after one more caution for a second spin involving #40 Owen Smith, Nicholson and Thompson would engage in a fierce battle for the lead as the two drivers would pull away from the rest of the pack. Positions two on back were certainly up for grabs as J. Nicholson, #04 Tim Forbes of Barrie, Norris, Valente and #7 Jason Podewils of Barrie all remained in contention.

With five laps to go, Thompson would close in on K. Nicholson as he was looking for his fifth win of the year but, Nicholson would not be denied and after watching his son take the checkers one year ago, Nicholson would indeed hang on for his first win of the year keeping the Nicholson streak at Varney intact. After winning the first five of the year, Thompson watched the second in a row slip away as he settled for the second spot. J. Nicholson, Norris and Forbes rounded out the top five with Valente, Podewils, #8 Dale Watson of Kitchener, Majuery and #16 Rick Seeley completing the top ten.

While the Pro Challenge series highlighted the night, they weren't the only show in town. Varney regular racing divisions also ran on this night. In the Stock 4's, #51 Clark Hartman of Waterloo was able to break through and into the lead early to speed on to his second feature race win of the year. Street Stock #93 Bill Cole got his season back on track by shutting down last week's winner, #19 Brian Wilson, enroute to another feature race win. In the Late Models, #12 Justin McLellan took advantge of the caution flags to work his way to the front holding off #76 Tyler Williams for the win and, #85 Matt Clarke of Mt. Forest clinched the Super Street feature.

This coming weekend will be another action-packed long weekend double header as all regular divisions will see time on the track inlcuding the Annual All Pro Modified Rick Woolner memorial on Sunday night. Green flag drops both nights at 7:00 pm. For more information, visit http://www.varneymotorspeedway.com. 

Varney Motor Speedway
Durham, Ontario
Race Results - Saturday, July 24, 2010

Pro Challenge- FEATURE
Pos Driver Car #
1 Ken Nicholson 99
2 Dennis Thompson 02
3 John Nicholson 66
4 Tim Norris 88
5 Tim Forbes 04
6 Dario Valente 71
7 Jason Podewils 7
8 Dave Wilson 8
9 Larrry Majerie 37
10 Rick Sealy 16
11 Owen Smith 40
12 Scott Fletcher 60
13 Bob Hopton 10
14 Ken Lillycrop 00
15 Patrick Freel 77
16 Kyle Batty 38

Heat races won by: Hopton, Fletcher

Norris Breaks Through for First 2010 Victory

For the first time since the Ontario Pro Challenge series kicked off its season back in May, a driver other than reigning champion Dennis Thomson grabbed the checkered flag in a feature race. Thomson laid down a streak of four straight feature wins to begin his title defense, but last Saturday (July 17) at Sunset Speedway, series veteran Tim Norris (#88 ApprencticeSearch.com / Lucas Oil Dodge Intrepid) was able to fend off his challenges to score his first win of the year. The racing was hard-fought, as Dario Valente (#71 Apartments International Monte Carlo) capitalized on a heat race win and his subsequent main event pole position to finish second, holding back Thomson ($02 Thomson Signs Ford Mustang) during the final laps of the race.

Rookie Jason Podewis (#7 Monte Carlo) turned in his best effort of the season as the top freshman of the night, running third for a time before losing the spot to a charging Thomson. Podewis would maintain his position in fourth, which brought him a nice points haul and advanced him to 16th overall in the championship standings and sixth in the rookie race. There is still a lot of racing to be had and Podewis is now finding a competitive comfort level in his ride, which will keep him in the hunt for the rookie title. Tim Forbes (#04 Midhurst Roofing Ford Mustang) completed the top-five.

The heat race wins went to Valente, Norris and rookie Patrick Freel (#77 Dodge Intrepid). As previously detailed, Valente would leverage his qualifying victory to finish second overall, while Norris drove up through the field for the win. Freel had issues and would finish up in 14th.

Thomson now leads the points by 36 markers over Norris, with Forbes in hot pursuit. The leading rookie is Owen Smith (#40 Ford Taurus), who sits ninth in the standings, just four points ahead of Rick Seeley (#16). Smith was eighth at Sunset while Seeley took 11th.

The series will be on the road again this weekend, running a track perfectly suited for the ¾ scale hot rods. The Ontario Pro Challenge drivers will be heading to the banked ¼-mile Varney Speedway on Saturday night (July 24) to give the fans a taste of some their unique door-to-door competition.

Four-for-Four For Reigning Champion

After winning his seventh career Ontario Pro Challenge title in 2009, it appears as though Dennis Thomson has no plans to let anyone steal the crown away from him in 2010. The Dundas, Ontario veteran sold his championship-winning ride during the off-season to help grow the program’s field, and now armed with a new Ford Mustang, he has been on fire from the beginning of the new season. Coming off wins at both Sunset (June 6 and June 13) and Sauble (June 29), Thomson once again found himself in victory lane on Saturday, July 3 when the Pro Challenge drivers visited Mosport Raceway for the first of two trips to the half-mile facility. While the influx of freshman pilots is providing new faces in the top-10, neither the rookies nor the veteran drivers have been able to step the series’ powerhouse. Following a pair of 10-lap heat races at Mosport Speedwat, which were claimed by the Fords of Tim Norris #88 and Thomson #02, Norris led the field to the green flag to begin the 25-lap feature. With Thomson’s Taurus filling his mirrors, Norris led the opening handful of laps before a major, five-car incident on lap five slowed the proceedings. Once the track was clear, Thomson used his experience to take the low line through Turn Two, edging past Norris for the lead. Once clear of traffic, Thomson never looked back, taking the checkered flag for his fourth feature win of the season. “This is a quirky track,” said Thomson. “You have to have a car that you can work around the bumps to be successful. This is a new car this year, but it feels just as good as the old one. It seems to work really well here.” Norris was hard pressed to maintain his runner-up position, as he led a four car procession to the stripe, followed to the line by the son and father tandem of Josh (#66) and Ken (#99) Nicholson with Dario Valente (#71) rounding out the top five. The top rookie in the race was Owen Smith, who finish a strong sixth ahead of Kyle Batty and freshman Patrick Freel. Tim Forbes and Bob Hopton rounded out the top-10. In the points hunt, Thomson maintains a nice cushion over Nicholson and Forbes. Ken Nicholson and Tim Forbes complete the top-five. The top rookie in the standings is Smith, although he is just three points ahead of Rick Seeley in the chase. The Ontario Pro Challenge drivers are back at it this weekend at Sunset Speedway.

Thomson Extends Ontario Pro Challenge Streak To Three

The Ontario Pro Challenge got back underway this past weekend after a three week break, rolling the dice on the province’s crazy weather patterns as they trekked northwest to Sauble Speedway for the first of two trips to ‘The Beach’ on Saturday night (June 26). After rain hammered the region through Friday and early Saturday morning, the racing gods smiled down on the 1/4 –mile bullring with bright sunshine that dried off the racing surface and opened the gates for a great night of competition. A total of 17 Pro Challenge cars made the call for Sauble, and when the dust had settled, reigning champion Dennis Thomson had extended his winning streak to three with a solid victory over series veterans Ken Nicholson and Tim Norris. Kyle Batty (#38 Compassion Canada Ford Taurus) scored the win in the opening heat race, his first in OPC competition, outrunning Tim Forbes (#04 Midhurst Roofing Ford Mustang) and Ken Nicholson (#99 International Truck and Engine Chev Monte Carlo) for the victory and the main event pole. Tim Norris (#88 ApprencticeSearch.com Dodge Intrepid) and Dario Valente (#71 Apartments International Monte Carlo) rounded out the top-five. In the second heat, which features to drivers with the highest average point totals, it should come as no shock that Thomson took the checker in his new Thomson Signs Dodge Charger. What is surprising it that this was his first heat race win of the year. Thomson has been unbeatable in the mains, but in the shorter heat races, he has not been overly aggressive in fighting his way to the front. Josh Nicholson (#66 Firkin Pubs Dodge Charger) was second at the checker, coming in ahead of Jonathan Sloot (#22 Monte Carlo). Owen Smith (#40) and Rick Seeley (#19 Pontiac Grand Prix) were fourth and fifth, respectively. In the main, Forbes led early, but it was all about Thomson, as he was able to work his way methodically through the field to assume the point before the end of the 30-lapper. Thomson is currently unbeaten in main event action and now enjoys a 22-point lead over Josh Nicholson, who was fourth in the feature race. Ken Nicholson scored the runner-up result in Sauble, crossing the stripe behind Thomson. Norris was third overall, ahead of Nicholson and Forbes. Scott Fletcher (#60 Hype Energy Drink Monte Carlo) came back from fuel pump issues in his heat race to take sixth in the main, coming in ahead of Valente, Danielle Wilson (#21 Huber Window Cleaning Monte Carlo), and Batty. Jason Podewis (#7 Chev Monte Carlo) was the top finishing freshman in tenth after a series of great on-track battles with fellow rookies Seeley and Smith. The Ontario Pro Challenge teams will return to Sauble Speedway on August 21, but not before heading to Mosport Speedway on Saturday, July 3 as part of Fan Appreciation Night. Round #3 – June 26, 2010 Sauble Speedway – Hepworth, Ontario Heat #1: 1. Kyle Batty 2. Tim Forbes 3. Ken Nicholson 4. Tim Norris 5. Dario Valente 6. Danielle Wilson 7. Scott Fletcher 8. Malcolm McMaster 9. Bob Hopton Heat #2: 1. Dennis Thomson 2. Josh Nicholson 3. Jonathan Sloot 4. Owen Smith 5. Rick Seeley 5. Jason Podewis 7. Dale Wilson 8. Ken Lillycrop Feature: 1. Dennis Thomson 2. Ken Nicholson 3. Tim Norris 4. Josh Nicholson 5. Tim Forbes 6. Scott Fletcher 7. Dario Valente 8. Danielle Wilson 9. Kyle Batty 10. Jason Podewis 11. Jonathan Sloot 12. Malcolm McMaster 13. Owen Smith 14. Rick Seeley 15. Dale Wilson 16. Ken Lillycrop 17. Bob Hopton