A pumpkin race, a rollover and a fireworks show capped off the 2017 racing season Saturday at Saratoga Speedway. It also featured the championship night for the Road Runners, Crash to Pass, Mad Max and Hornet cars with four of five championships decided.
In Road Runners, Campbell River’s Ryan Guest captured his third straight points championship after collecting fast time and the win in the heat before dropping out seven laps into the main with a broken hub. But he clinched the title, 113 points ahead of Austen Hack. In the 15 lap main, Garret Ann Rosner, who purchased Guest’s car for next year, held off Josh Taks and Hack to capture her first main event in three years of racing in the Road Runner class.
In Mad Max, Courtenay’s Danielle Antonik won the 20 lap main and the championship, 188 points ahead of last year’s point champion Damon Dunn. Brad Dimitrov was third overall.
The Crash to Pass points championship also came down to the main event result. Troy Ordano used the win in the exciting 20 lap race to capture the title, 102 points ahead of Rich Hutton and Scott McLellan. The crashers field was bolstered by four cars from Victoria making for one of the best Crash to Pass race nights of the season. Heat race wins went to McLellan and Victoria’s Jake Matthews.
The only championship that didn’t need the last race was the Hornet A class with Carter Hintz having clinched the championship the previous race night. He was 302 points ahead of Luke Dixon. Still, the A cars delivered with two competitive races. Clancy Beamish won the main uncontested while Keith Hunt won the heat.
The tightest point race came in the Hornet Bs as no fewer than five drivers had a chance to win the championship. When the checkered flag fell on the 2017 season, only 60 points separated the top four drivers. Courtenay’s Jimmy Antonik joined his mom Danielle to become the first mom and son championship combo at the speedway. In the final standings, Antonik finished ahead of James Laidlaw by 44 points, Randi Joyce by 59 and Evin McLuckie by 60. In Hornet B races, heat wins went to Saje Kurpiela, Stephanie Addison, Chevy Carlson and Laidlaw. Main wins went to Joyce and Arlend Berry.
The last race of the 2017 season saw Chad Taks win the 42 car Great pumpkin race.
The race season officially comes to a close Oct. 28 with the awards banquet at the Oyster River Resort. For ticket info. contact 250-923-2982.
