Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
“I can’t even describe it. Unreal….”
After showing speed late in the season, Chris Allard picked up right where he left off on opening night, sweeping the night as he won his heat, his dash and the feature.
The night didn’t go cleanly, as Joe Dunlop and Peter Wakeling would get together on the second lap of the first heat. Allard picked up the win ahead of Ken Townsend, Chandler Bos, Doug Wilman, Dunlop, James Levi, Melissa Bullen, Eric Rainey, Wakeling and Billy McLeod.
Fred Jordan won the second heat ahead of Johnny Paradzinski, Daniel Montanari, Thomas Dunn, Dylan Holmes, Jeremy McLean, Scott Brooks, Morgan Robson Jr., Harold Noseworthy and Wendy Adams.
Allard kept the winning ways going, winning the Dash ahead of Jordan, Paradzinski, Townsend, Montanari, Bos, Dunlop, Wilman, Dunn, Holmes, Levi and McLean.
The b-main wouldn’t go smoothly as Eric Rainey would spin in turn four on lap three, while Robert Toope, DeLeeuw and Rainey would each have mechanical problems. Melissa Bullen picked up the victory in his first race since wrecking last year, followed by Brooks, McLeod, Wakeling, Robinson Jr., Noseworthy and Adams.
Ken Townsend would grab the early advantage in the feature behind the wheel of the No. 21 Honda Civic ahead of Thomas Dunn and Chandler Bos, set to drive away from the field. However, he wouldn’t get the opportunity as the caution flew on lap three for Billy McLeod and Morgan Robson Jr. getting together. Doug Wilman pulled off under the caution, as a result of having a flat tire due to contact with Johnny Paradzinski.
Townsend got a good restart to maintain the lead, while Chris Allard made his way up to second ahead of Dunn, Bos and Melissa Bullen. The caution would fly once again, though, as Robert Toope and Fred Jordan would run into problems on lap seven. With 13 laps to go, Townsend led Allard, Dunn, Bos, Bullen, Daniel Montanari, Paradzinski, Peter Wakeling, Joe Dunlop, Scott Brooks, Lisa DeLeeuw, Harold Noseworthy, Billy McLeod, Wendy Adams, Jordan, Robson Jr. and Holmes.
The restart resulted in a lead change as Allard put his No. 76 Georgian Chevrolet Buick, Hair We Go Stayner, Morley Photography, Weldit Creations, Surb Hard and Soft Scales and Cabral Racing Promotion Mini Stock out front ahead of Townsend and Dunn. Montanari would move up to fourth on lap nine ahead of Paradzinski and Bos, with Dunlop and Jordan rounding out the top eight as DeLeeuw battled Wakeling for ninth. The caution would then fly on lap 11, though, as Bullen would go for a spin.
Allard got a good restart to maintain the lead ahead of Townsend as Montanari moved up to the third spot, while Dunn and Paradzinski battled for fourth. Behind them, Dunlop ran sixth ahead of Jordan, Bos and DeLeeuw – till Bos got by Jordan for seventh at lap 15.
Chris Allard would lead the rest of the way en route to scoring the victory ahead of Ken Townsend, Daniel Montanari, Johnny Paradzinski, Thomas Dunn, Joe Dunlop, Chandler Bos, Lisa DeLeeuw, Fred Jordan, Melissa Bullen, Dylan Holmes, Billy McLeod, Peter Wakeling, Scott Brooks and Wendy Adams.
“Run what you brung. I’m not sandbagging like half the kids in this class,” Allard said post-race. “I know the track is going to move me up, but if that’s what they want to do, all power to them.”
