Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
The third different feature winner of the year graced victory lane on Friday evening at Sunset Speedway as it’d be 2015 Autumn Colours Classic Champion Travis Hallyburton scoring his first feature victory of this season.
Following time trials, it’d be Nick Goetz starting on pole behind the wheel of the No. 24 Lake Huron Rod & Gun, Mondo Car Wash, Boston Pizza, Super 8 Motel, Lord Elgin Fish & Chips, Rosener’s Service Centre, Roberto’s Pizzeria, Great Lakes Concrete, Austin Graphics, Pierson Motors of Kincardine and ImageWraps.ca Late Model after posting a lap of 14.927 seconds. Travis Hallyburton would start second (15.125), followed by Mike Bentley (15.176), Lane Zardo (15.190) and Taylor Holdaway (15.204).
Cayden Lapcevich started sixth, followed by Brittney Gresel, Gord Shepherd, Chris Morrow, Paul Maltese, Adam Martin, Ernie Fumerton, Thayne Hallyburton, Danny Benedict, Ryan Kimball, Jordan Latimer, Mike Wilkinson, Al Inglis and Tom Walters.
After an early battle for the lead, Goetz took the early advantage on Lap 2 ahead of Travis Hallyburton and Bentley as Inglis headed down pit road. Lane Zardo moved into the fourth spot on Lap 3 ahead of Holdaway, Gresel, Morrow, Lapcevich and Shepherd.
Shepherd got alongside Lapcevich on Lap 5 for eighth, completing the pass a lap later with Martin following suit at Lap 8. Shepherd’s climb through the field continued as he’d pass Morrow on Lap 11 to move into seventh. Morrow now ran eighth ahead of Martin, as Lapcevich and Fumerton battled for 10th.
Known for being fast, Holdaway was set to climb through the field, getting alongside Zardo for fourth at Lap 14, completing the pass three laps later before the caution flew for Fumerton spinning in turn four. With 19 laps to go, Goetz led Hallyburton, Bentley, Holdaway, Zardo, Gresel, Shepherd, Morrow, Martin, Lapcevich, Kimball, Maltese, Thayne Hallyburton, Benedict, Latimer and Fumerton.
Travis Hallyburton put the No. 39 HILLSDALE SERVICE CENTER, KNIGHTWORKS Design Late Model out front on the restart as Morrow got loose off turn four, bottling up the second half of the field. Behind Hallyburton, it’d be Holdaway and Goetz side-by-side for second, with Goetz getting the spot on Lap 21.
Holdaway now ran third as Bentley and Gresel battled for fourth. Gresel got the spot, and kept the momentum rolling to pass Holdaway to move up into third at Lap 23. Holdaway ran fourth ahead of Bentley, Shepherd, Zardo, Lapcevich, Morrow, Martin and Kimball. Bentley’s top-five run came to an end at Lap 26 as he was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop for his food flapping up in the breeze.
As the laps drew to a close, Martin looked to try and make up more ground, getting alongside Morrow for eighth with three to go, but instead got passed by Kimball for ninth a lap later.
Travis Hallyburton picked up the win ahead of Nick Goetz, Britney Gresel, Taylor Holdaway, Gord Shepherd, Lane Zardo, Cayden Lapcevich, Chris Morrow, Ryan Kimball, Adam Martin, Paul Maltese, Thayne Hallyburton, Ernie Fumerton, Danny Benedict, Jordan Latimer and Mike Wilkinson.
“I can’t thank the guys back in the shop after we got wrecked up a few weeks ago,” Hallyburton commented post-race. “We found a bunch of stuff, tried something new and I think we hit the button.”
