Raabe takes DIRTcar 358 Modified checkers with last lap pass at Brockville

By: Tim Baltz

The temperatures were hot outside and the racing this past Saturday at the

Brockville Ontario Speedway was even hotter. Point chases are heating up and

drivers needing wins is becoming priority, which is a recipe for some intense

action, which fans got to see on this night.

Josh Powers was out front early at the start of the 25 lap DIRTcar Sportsman

feature over Tyler Stewart and Michael Dillon. Several early race cautions slowed

the start of the event, one of which involved points leader Bobby Herrington and

three time feature winner Jessica Power. When the race finally got going and laps

started to click off, Powers and Stewart were putting on a fantastic show for the

fans as they had a great battle for the race lead. On the charge was Bobby

Herrington, who went to the pits and was on a mission to get to the front. While

Powers and Stewart continued their back and forth battle, Herrington got by for

third and set sail after the top 2. With five laps left Stewart would make his move

to take the lead while Herrington was able to get by for second. On lap 23

Herrington would make his move in turn three to take control of the race. From

there the defending champion denied Stewart his first ever win, by scoring his

fourth of the season and second in a row. Stewart would once again cross in

second over Shane Stearns, Josh Powers and Dan Ferguson.

Madison Mulder has won DIRTcar 358 Modified races in his career, but has yet to

win at Brockville. Mulder led the early laps of the DIRTcar 358 Modified feature

over Kalen Draper, Jeremy LaSalle, Chris Herbison and Kyle Dingwall. The track

was fast on this night as Mulder stabilized the lead at around 4 car lengths but

Draper was on the move as he closed in on the leader. After the half way mark of

the event, defending track champion Ryan Arbuthnot had moved to the third spot

as the field entered into lapped traffic. Arbuthnot was able to clear Draper after a

great battle, then set sail after the leader. On lap 20 Arbuthnot would tangle with

a lapped car and make contact with an infield tire, breaking the front end, which

forced him to the pits. The green would fly and this time Kalen Draper would take

the top spot over Mulder, with Chris Raabe getting into the mix, over Kyle

Dingwall and Johnathon Ferguson. Draper held a slight lead and found himself

under attack from Dingwall and Raabe with five laps to go. Dingwall tried a move

on the high lane in turn four, which did not work, however one lap later Raabe

would drive by for second and go to work for the lead. Coming to the white flag

Chris Raabe would drive by the rookie driver and take the lead. From there Chris

Raabe would pull away to score his third win of the season in dramatic fashion.

Draper would finish a career best second over Kyle Dingwall, Johnathon Ferguson

and Lance Willix.

When you stick with something, even though it has been frustrating, usually the

pay off is pretty big. That’s exactly what happened to Holly Denard in the Novice

Sportsman division this past Saturday night, as she led early over Shawn Hodge

and Jordan Wood. Denard had a great car and was able to drive away from the

field while Hodge and Wood battled for second and third. With 3 laps to go it

looked like Denard was cruising to her first career win but the caution would fly,

which forced a restart. When the final green flag flew, Denard would once again

charge to the lead as Shaw Hodge, Jordan Wood challenged from second and

third. After several early season struggles, the three year wait paid off as Holly

Denard would score a popular first career win in the 12 lap feature. Shawn Hodge

would come across in second over Jordan Wood, Paul Donnelly and Sandy

MacFarlane.

Todd Raabe took the lead on lap 5 of the 15 lap Street Stock feature from early

pace setter Christian Beaucheme. Raabe would start to pull away slightly while

behind him, Brighton Speedway regular Kraig Handley was making just his third

start of the season and was looking for his first ever Brockville win. Handley would

take over the lead once the race reached the half way point, as the fans were

treated to a great three car battle, with Todd Raabe and Peter Raabel. Several late

cautions slowed the event, but it would not stop Handley’s pursuit of victory lane

as Kraig Handley, would drive away in the final laps, to score his first Street Stock

win at “The BOS”. Todd Raabe, Peter Raabe, Brett Horner and Sylvain Gauthier

completed the top 5.

The 15 lap 1000 Islands RV Crate Sprint Cars saw a great battle between Matt

Billings and Lee Ladouceur on this night. Billings would pull away in the early laps

and appeared to be the driver to beat. However Ladouceur, who had 30 laps on

the speedway in the DIRTcar 358 Modified event, would close the gap on the

Brockville native and tried to get by for the lead. Despite the effort and the race

going 15 laps caution free, Matt Billings would make it three wins in three starts in

2022. Ladouceur settled for second over Ryan Poole, Tim Bailey and Luke Stewart.

Next week the DIRTcar 358 Modified and DIRTcar Sportsman will be ready to go

along with the Novice Sportsman, 1000 Islands RV Crate Sprints and the return of

the Supernant Truck Shop Mini Stocks. Racing gets underway at 7pm. For the

latest news visit our website at brockvillespeedway.com and for instant updates,

give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

DIRTcar 358 Modified (30 laps)

CHRIS RAABE, Kalen Draper, Kyle Dingwall, Johnathon Ferguson, Lance Willix,

Jordan McCreadie, Chris Herbison, Joe Banks, Jeremy LaSalle, Jeff Sykes, Ryan

Scott, Terry McClelland, Lee Ladouceur, Steve Bilow, Madison Mulder, Ryan

Arbuthnot, Jarrett Herbison, (DNS) Tristan Draper

Heat Winners: Jeremy LaSalle and Kalen Draper

DIRTcar Sportsman (25 laps)

BOBBY HERRINGTON, Tyler Stewart, Shane Stearns, Josh Powers, Dan Ferguson,

Greg Brinklow, Dylan Kirkland, Josh Jock, Jessica Power, Andrew Young, Brennan

Moore, Xavier Andrews, Chris Ferguson, Michael Dillon, Xavier Perrin, Ricky

Thompson, Tammy Jalbert, Evan Reynolds, Dominick Merkley, Trent Wallace

Heat Winners: Josh Powers and Michael Dillon

Novice Sportsman (15 laps)

HOLLY DENARD, Shawn Hodge, Jordan Wood, Paul Donnelly, Sandy MacFarlane,

Matt Pruner, Keira Turner, Hayden Brown, Cory Lambert, Stephane Fournier,

Mario Dupuis, Derek Cryderman, Gavin MacFarlane, (DNS) Guillaume Foster

Heat Winners: Holly Denard and Gavin MacFarlane

Street Stock (15 laps)

KRAIG HANDLEY, Todd Raabe, Peter Raabe, Brett Horner, Sylvain Gauthier,

Christian Beaucheme, Curtis Merkley, Claude Gatien. Francis Gauthier, (DNS) Nick

Merkley, Daniel Gemme, Patrice Foster and Guy Amese

Heat Winners: Kraig Handley and Francis Gauthier

1000 Islands RV Crate Sprint Cars (15 laps)

MATT BILLINGS, Lee Ladouceur, Ryan Poole, Tim Bailey, Luke Stewart, (DNS)

Mathieu Bardier

Heat Winner: Matt Billings