Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
John Baker Jr. capped his championship season off in style as he dominated Sunday afternoon’s Ontario Modified Racing Series feature at Sunset Speedway.
Chris Burrows won the first heat ahead of Rob Warnes, Mark Gordon, Connor James, R. Hollingsworth and Rick Warnes.
The second heat saw a caution on Lap 2 when Willow Barberstock spun off of turn four, making slight contact with the wall. Then on Lap 6, Ryan Dick went around for a spin in turn four. John Baker Jr. picked up the win ahead of Cory Horner, Stu Robinson Jr., Alex Lees, Dick and Adam Hagen.
Mark Gordon won the third heat ahead of Burrows, Rob Warnes, James, Hollingsworth, Ryan Babin and Rick Warnes.
John Baker Jr. went for the daily double in the fourth heat ahead of Robinson Jr., Lees, Horner, Dick, Hagen and Barberstock.
Come feature time, it’d be Alex Lees starting pole ahead of Chris Burrows, Rick Warnes, R. Hollingsworth, Ryan Dick, Rob Warnes, Ryan Babin, Stu Robinson Jr., John Baker Jr., Connor James, Mark Gordon, Cory Horner, Willow Barberstock, Adam Hagen and Gary Elliott.
Off the drop of the green flag, Chris Burrows grabbed the lead ahead of Lees as Dick battled Rick Warnes for third. Dick got the spot on Lap 2 just before the caution flew for Hagen spinning in turn two.
The restart saw a battle for the lead between Dick and Burrows, with Burrows getting the top spot on Lap 3 as Dick got squirrelly off of turn two. As a result, Dick ended up falling to fifth as Lees, Baker Jr., and Gordon were able to get by. Baker Jr. then got alongside Lees for second at Lap 4, completing the pass two laps later. Dick continued to run fifth ahead of Babin and Robinson Jr.
The battles continued as Gordon got alongside Lees for third at Lap 8, completing the pass a lap later as Robinson Jr. got by Babin to move into sixth. The second caution then flew at Lap 10 for Rob Warnes spinning Babin in turn three. With 20 laps to go, Burrows led Baker Jr., Gordon, Lees, Dick, Robinson Jr., Horner, Elliott, James, Hollingsworth, Rick Warnes, Hagen, Rob Warnes and Babin.
John Baker Jr. got a good restart to take the lead ahead of Burrows as Gordon continued to run third with Robinson Jr. alongside Lees for fourth. Robinson Jr. got the spot on Lap 13 ahead of Lees, as Dick moved into sixth ahead of Horner, Elliott and James. Rob Warnes then got alongside James for ninth at Lap 15, with Horner getting alongside Dick for sixth a lap later. Warnes was able to get ninth at Lap 17 ahead of James, Hollingsworth. Rick Warnes and Hagen.
There’d be a small slip-up for Dick on Lap 19 as he got sideways, slowing up, which resulted in him losing some positions. As a result, Horner moved into sixth ahead of Elliott, Rob Warnes and Dick. Dick wasn’t set to give up, though, passing Warnes back for eighth at Lap 21. Dick then got alongside Elliott for seventh a lap later, as Rick Warnes headed down pit road.
Horner was then able to get by Lees to move up to fifth with five laps to go, while Dick took the seventh spot ahead of Rob Warnes, Elliott, James, R. Hollingsworth and Hagen.
At the front of the field, John Baker Jr. led the rest of the way en route to scoring the victory ahead of Chris Burrows, Mark Gordon, Stu Robinson Jr., and Cory Horner. Alex Lees ran sixth ahead of Ryan Dick, Rob Warnes, Gary Elliott and Connor James. R. Hollingsworth finished 11th, followed by Adam Hagen, Ryan Babin, Rick Warnes and Willow Barberstock.
