By Doug Townsend
Sauble Beach ON – In a season that seems like it just started yesterday the 2015 racing came to a close in front of a packed house at Sauble Speedway this past Saturday night. With most of the points battles already decided the one most people came to witness was the Sauble Falls Tent and Trailer Late Models where twelve points separated the top five drivers.
The night started with the MacKinnon Plumbing & Heating Jr Late Models and with #37 Eric Thom from Sauble Beach going in as the point’s leader with a comfortable lead it was matter of who would take the last checker of the season. With drivers lined up according to points #37 Thom started on the pole and was able to build a good lead over the rest of the field but a caution on lap seven would bring the field back together one more time. On the restart Thom was able to take off once again but this time #7 Ty Cavallin from Owen Sound was within striking distance which we have seen the last few weeks and once he gets close to the leader he has been able to take it away. As it turned tonight would not be his night as #37 Eric Thom found something extra in the last week and was able to keep his distance in front of Cavallin and not only take home the points championship but the end of season feature race. Second would go to #7 Ty Cavallin, third # Tyson Schreinert from Ayton, fourth #12 Trenton Both from Shallow Lake and rounding out the field #8 Kyle Parker from Hanover. Heat winners were Cavallin and Thom. Final points standings were 1st #37 Eric Thom 778, 2nd #8 Kyle Parker 691, 3rd #12 Trenton Both 662, 4th #7 Ty Cavallin 660, 5th #3 Tyson Schreinert 537.
On the track next was the Rock Solid Landscaping Four Cylinders with points leader #36 Corry Young from Owen Sound leading them trackside and that was all he needed to do finalize his name on the season ending trophy. Off the drop of the green #36 Young would try to put some distance between him and the second place car of #7 Paul Boyd from Harriston. The big race was behind the top two cars as #10 William Gibbons from Kincardine battled with the speedy #51 car driven this night by Chris Ruigrok. With #36 Young starting to run away with lead the second place #7 Paul Boyd had some issues working his way through lapped traffic allowing the #51 Chris Ruigrok to catch and overtake him putting the #7 of Boyd in a last lap dog fight for third with the #10 William Gibbons and as they worked down the back straight away #10 Gibbons would turn the #7 Boyd into the wall earning him a black flag. Final outcome of this race would be #36 Corry Young, #51 Chris Ruigrok for second, third would be awarded to #7 Paul Boyd and fifth would go to #19 Jason Hinde from King City. Heat winners were #10 William Gibbons, #51 Chris Ruigrok, #6 Kyle Jackson from Sauble Beach and #7 Paul Boyd. Final points standings were 1st #36 Corry Young 599, 2nd #7 Paul Boyd 557, 3rd #70 Howard Bentley 510, 4th #1 John VanDyk 473, 5th #46 Nick Vermilyea 473.
Next to crown their champions were the Scott’s Industrial Thunder Cars and again it was no stranger to the crown as #36 Ken Grubb from Walkerton sealed the deal by taking the green flag. Grubb would take this feature race from pole to pole running the only Ford in the field but it would not come easy as #03 Steve Ecker from Hamilton would work over the back bumper of the #36 for most of the race. In the late going in this one as the top runners started to work their way through traffic the #03 of Ecker would gamble wrong on lapping a car and got himself and then third place car of #77 Jake Zevenbergen from Shallow Lake boxed in on the low side allowing fourth place runner #61 Chad Eden from Varney to be Johnny on the spot and jump to the high side picking up two spots as they came to the white flag. This race would end up with #36 Ken Grubb winning, second #61 Chad Eden, third #03 Steve Ecker, fourth #77 Jake Zevenbergen and rounding out the top five #16 Zack Casemore from South Bruce Peninsula. Heat winners were #36 Grubb, #03 Ecker, #16 Casemore and #61 Eden. Final points standings were 1st #36 Ken Grubb 633, 2nd #16 Zack Casemore 526, 3rd #03 Steve Ecker 520, 4th #77 Jake Zevenbergen 508, 5th #17 Kevin Bridge 503.
Then to wrap up the night and the season the closest point’s battle of the season would take to the track, the Sauble Falls Tent & Trailer Late Models. With #17 Josh Stade from Chesley leading the field trackside with a slim four point lead over the car that would line up outside of him defending champion #8 Jason Parker from Paisley everyone where on the edge of their seats to see how this one would play out. Off the drop of the green Stade would get himself out front running side by side with Parker then a caution would fly for a spin further back in the pack setting up another restart. This time on the restart the #17 of Stade and the #8 of Parker would come together again and this time Stade would let him go knowing he had a sight cushion in points. The lead would remain like this until just over half way when #72 Junior Farrelly from Guelph running third would track down the #17 Stade and Stade would just move over letting him go as not wanting to get caught up in any close racing which could cut a tire. And that is how the season ending feature would come to a close, #8 Jason Parker would take the checker, second #72 Junior Farrelly, third #17 Josh Stade, fourth #2 Tim Ellis from Kitchener and for fifth #10 Tom Gibbons from Southampton. Heat winners were #17 Stade, #10 Gibbons, #2 Ellis and #72 Junior Farrelly. For fans that stayed on hand to the end they got to witness one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship seen in racing in a long time. Once he was done with his victory lane photos #8 Jason Parker defending champion would turn his car around at victory lane and head back to corner four where the #17 of Josh Stade waited his turn in victory lane as the 2015 points champion, Parker would pull up beside Stade and hand him the checker flag, the passing of the crown! Final points standings were 1st #17 Josh Stade 521, 2nd #8 Jason Parker 519, 3rd #72 Junior Farrelly 511, 4th #37 Marvin Freiburger 499, 5th #10 Tom Gibbons 498.
