Lafrance thrills crowd with dominant Run What Ya Brung Win at Brockville

Race Results from the Brockville Ontario Speedway from July 8, 2023

By: Tim Baltz

Forthton – It had been an event that was popular in the mid-2000s and this past Saturday on Trick Race Parts night, the Run What Ya Brung for the Modifieds returned. No points, just 50 laps, a big trophy and an experiment, to see whose creation could go the fastest.

Before that, the first event of the night was the PM Promotions DIRTCar Pro Stocks for a 20-lap event. Tyler Bushey wasted no time getting to the lead with Marc Lalonde, Stephane Lebrun, Denis Gauvreau and Eric Jean Louis completing the top 5. Bushey had a great car and was inching away from Lalonde, who was having his own spirited battle with Gauvreau for the runner-up spot. Roch Aubin brought out a caution on lap 11 as he slowed to a stop in turn 2. On the restart, it was Bushey in command as the fight for second continued with Gauvreau and Lalonde. As the laps clicked off Bushey continued to pull away and, on this night, would be no match for the rest of the field. Bushey powered to his second straight victory. Lalonde would get the runner-up spot, followed by Denis Gauvreau, Stephane Lebrun and Thomas MacDonald would grab 5th at the checkers.

Domonick Merkley claimed his first career DIRTCar Sportsman win last year at Brockville and was leading the field in dominant fashion in the early laps over Jonah Lewis Xavier Andrews Tyler Stewart and Dylan Kirkland. Merkley was pulling away, while behind him a great battle for second was taking shape. Xavier Andrews would get by and along the way would bring Bobby Herrington into the mix with Lewis and Jessica Power right behind him. Andrews would grab the lead on lap 16 while Herrington would make the move a lap later for 2nd. Once in front, it was clear that Andrews and Herrington were going to settle his amongst themselves. After a great side-by-side battle, Bobby Herrington was able to take the lead on lap 21 for good as he pulled away for his second straight win and 3rd of the season. Andrews brought the car home with a solid runner-up finish. Domonick Merkley claimed third over Jessica Power and Brennan Moore.

The race everyone was talking about was up next, the Run What Ya Brung for the Modifieds and Stephane Lafrance who took his crazy creation to the front and within a span of 3 laps had nearly a half-track lead, over Ryan Arbuthnot, Kyle Dingwall Brian McDonald and Tristan Draper. It became clear to everyone who had the car to beat as Lafrance continued to work in traffic, while McDonald began his charge to second by lap 18. Lafrance was turning laps on track nearly 2 seconds quicker than any other driver, which made the closure rate on lapped cars a bit of a challenge, but the veteran remained in control. McDonald was making small gains but was had some work to do to catch the leader. On lap 35 Chris Ferguson spun bringing out the only yellow of the event and maybe a little hope for the rest of the field. On the restart, Lafrance again took off from everyone and pulled away to another big lead with McDonald Ryan Arbuthnot, Tristan and Kalen Draper completing the op 5. In what he said would be his final Brockville appearance, Stephane Lafrance left his mark, with a dominant win in the 50-lap event. Brian McDonald, Ryan Arbuthnot, Kalen Draper and Johnathon Ferguson completed the top 5.

Novice Sportsman was up with traditional-looking cars next and Dylan Moore was pulling away from everyone while Nathan Lambert and Matt Pruner were trying to keep pace. Moore had well over a straightaway lead and looked to be driving to his second win of the year with no problem. On lap 10 Cory Lambert and Damien King tangled in turn 2 bringing out the yellow. On the final restart, Moore would nail it perfectly, as he marched on to his 2nd win of the season in a dominant effort. Nathan Lambert Matt Pruner Melcolm Banks and Madie Wallace completed the top 5.

Mason Barkley led the opening laps of the 50/60 class for the Eastern Ontario Vintage Stock Car Club with Dexter Billings and Pete Stapper right there to challenge. Barkley had a great car and was looking for his third club win of the year. On lap 5 the yellow flew as Bob Beattie sailed off turns 3 and 4. Beattie was able to rejoin the field. On the restart, things took a bad turn as Billings and Barkley hooked bumpers which sent the Barkley machine hard into the outside wall off turn 4. Jeff Cledgett and Tim Bailey were also caught up in the incident and the field slowed to a stop. To the relief of everyone, Mason Barkley, Jeff Cledgett and Tim Bailey all walked away without injury. The race was shortened to 15 laps after this and Billings took over the lead as the excitement was building toward a great finish. As the laps wound down Pete Stapper began to close in along with Christopher Pryor. On the final lap, these three drivers put on a fantastic show for the fans as they raced hard for position. At the checkers, Billings was able to hang on for his first win of the season. Pete Stapper Christopher Pryor Darrell Wilson and Greg Hale made up the top 5.

The 70/80 portion of the Eastern Ontario Vintage Club saw Josh Powers take the early lead in the 20-lap affair with Jason Riddell, Steve Billings, Gavin Riddell and Matt Barbour right there to challenge. Powers would open up to a strong lead on the field as behind him, Matt Barbour was on the move to the front. Barbour took third on lap 10 then ran down Jason Riddell for the runner-up spot. Using the outside lane, Barbour would make the pass on lap 12 but had a long way to go to catch Powers. As the Laps clicked off Barbour’s only chance was to catch a caution to have a shot at the leader. On this night, it would not happen as Josh Powers, would go on to claim his 3rd club win of the year and second at Brockville this season. Barbour finished up 2nd with Steve Billings, Jason Riddell and Gavin Riddell rounding out the top 5.

The night concluded with a 20-lap Trailer Pro Canada Crate Sprint Car feature and the question was, who could beat Lee Ladouceur once again? Ladouceur proved to be the clear-cut favourite as he took the lead early over Andrew Hennessy, Adam Turner, Evan Reynolds and Chris Herbison. Ladouceur picked his way through the traffic cleanly while Turner and Hennessy renewed an old rivalry that dated back to their Street Stock days, as they staged a great battle for the runner-up spot. On lap 16 Jamie Kay spun in turn 3, which gave everyone one last shot at the leader. On the final restart, Ladouceur got away but Turner quickly moved to second and began his pursuit of Ladouceur. When it was all over with Lee Ladouceur would charge to his 4th win in a row and move into a 4-way tie with Jacob Dykstra, Matt Billings and Mathieu Bardier, for most division wins with 5 and become the first driver to ever win 4 straight features in the class as well. Turner finished a close second over Andrew Hennessy, Evan Reynolds and Chris Herbison.

Next week it will be time to get those hero cards out and grab some Sharpie pens as it is Autograph Night with Tackaberry construction on hand. The night will return to traditional racing for the DIRTCar 358 Modified plus DIRTCar Sportsman, the Action Sprint Tour East Series sponsored by Surprenant Truck Shop, Street Stock and Novice Sportsman. Gates open at 5 pm with racing starting at 7 o’clock.

To keep up with what is happening at The BOS in 2023, be sure to check out our website at brockvillespeedway.com. To find out instant updates at the speedway, be sure to give us a follow on our social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

DIRTCAR PRO STOCK

A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. X15-Tyler Bushey[1]; 2. 8-Marc Lalonde[2]; 3. 72G-Denis Gauvreau[6]; 4. 6-Stephane Lebrun[4]; 5. 27-Thomas MacDonald[7]; 6. 33-Bruno Cyr[5]; 7. 17-Marc Peladeau[8]; 8. 9-Eric Jean Louis[3]; 9. 4-Rock Aubin[13]; 10. 2X-James Clarke[9]; 11. 06-alex labrun[14]; 12. 6JR-Natacha Lebrun[10]; 13. 67-Eric Raiche[12]; 14. 81-Danny Larose[11]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. X15-Tyler Bushey[4]; 2. 9-Eric Jean Louis[2]; 3. 33-Bruno Cyr[5]; 4. 27-Thomas MacDonald[1]; 5. 2X-James Clarke[3]; 6. 81-Danny Larose[6]; 7. 06-alex labrun[7]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 8-Marc Lalonde[1]; 2. 6-Stephane Lebrun[2]; 3. 72G-Denis Gauvreau[5]; 4. 17-Marc Peladeau[4]; 5. 6JR-Natacha Lebrun[6]; 6. 67-Eric Raiche[7]; 7. 4-Rock Aubin[3]

17 entries

DIRTCAR SPORTSMANS

A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 88Z-Bobby Herrington[12]; 2. 0-Xavier Andrews[11]; 3. 98-Domonick Merkley[2]; 4. 52-Jessica Power[8]; 5. 35B-Brennan Moore[7]; 6. 88K-Dylan Kirkland[10]; 7. 73J-Jonah Lewis[1]; 8. 22S-Shane Stearns[9]; 9. 91-Kraig Handley[13]; 10. 32-Tyler Stewart[4]; 11. X41-Xavier Perrin[14]; 12. 23-Michael Dillon[5]; 13. 21L-Terry Ladouceur[15]; 14. 18J-Jordan Wood[17]; 15. 27D-Mario Dupuis[16]; 16. 707-Greg Brinklow[6]; 17. 11J-Justin Saunders[3]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 88Z-Bobby Herrington[4]; 2. 73J-Jonah Lewis[1]; 3. 52-Jessica Power[3]; 4. 0-Xavier Andrews[5]; 5. 91-Kraig Handley[2]; 6. 27D-Mario Dupuis[6]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 22S-Shane Stearns[3]; 2. 11J-Justin Saunders[1]; 3. 707-Greg Brinklow[2]; 4. 98-Domonick Merkley[4]; 5. X41-Xavier Perrin[5]; 6. 18J-Jordan Wood[6]

Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 35B-Brennan Moore[2]; 2. 32-Tyler Stewart[4]; 3. 88K-Dylan Kirkland[3]; 4. 23-Michael Dillon[1]; 5. 21L-Terry Ladouceur[5]

15 entries

DIRTCAR 358 MODIFIEDS

A Feature 1 (50 Laps): 1. 115-Stephane Lafrance[1]; 2. 151KB-Brian McDonald[6]; 3. R70-Ryan Arbuthnot[3]; 4. 18-Kalen Draper[10]; 5. 44-Johnathon Ferguson[4]; 6. 17-Tristan Draper[8]; 7. 66-Kyle Dingwall[2]; 8. 46-Gage Morin[14]; 9. 75J-Joe Banks[5]; 10. 88-Lee Ladouceur[7]; 11. 08-Chris Ferguson[9]; 12. 17M-Gavin MacFarlane[11]; 13. SS3-Sandy MacFarlane[12]; 14. 26-Michael Mandigo[13]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 115-Stephane Lafrance[2]; 2. R70-Ryan Arbuthnot[3]; 3. 75J-Joe Banks[7]; 4. 88-Lee Ladouceur[6]; 5. 08-Chris Ferguson[4]; 6. 17M-Gavin MacFarlane[1]; 7. 26-Michael Mandigo[5]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 66-Kyle Dingwall[1]; 2. 44-Johnathon Ferguson[3]; 3. 151KB-Brian McDonald[4]; 4. 17-Tristan Draper[5]; 5. 18-Kalen Draper[6]; 6. SS3-Sandy MacFarlane[7]; 7. 46-Gage Morin[2]

8 entries

WINGED CRATE SPRINTS

A Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 51L-Lee Ladouceur[1]; 2. 9-Adam Turner[5]; 3. 87-Andrew Hennessy[2]; 4. 13-Evan Reynolds[4]; 5. 17X-Chris Herbison[3]; 6. 115-Dan Deyo[7]; 7. 4K-Jamie Kay[8]; 8. M52-Marc Surprenant[6]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 51L-Lee Ladouceur[6]; 2. 87-Andrew Hennessy[4]; 3. 13-Evan Reynolds[2]; 4. 17X-Chris Herbison[7]; 5. 9-Adam Turner[5]; 6. M52-Marc Surprenant[3]; 7. 115-Dan Deyo[1]; 8. (DNS) 4K-Jamie Kay

10 entries

NOVICE SPORTSMAN

A Feature 1 (15 Laps): 1. 35D-Dylan Moore[2]; 2. 20-Nathan Lambert[1]; 3. 16-Matthew Prunner[4]; 4. M75-Melcolm Banks[3]; 5. 17M-Madie Wallace[6]; 6. 25-Pierre Picard[8]; 7. 82-Nicolas Mainville[5]; 8. 80D-Damien King[9]; 9. 39-Cory Lambert[7]

Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 16-Matthew Prunner[4]; 2. M75-Melcolm Banks[3]; 3. 82-Nicolas Mainville[2]; 4. 39-Cory Lambert[1]

Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 35D-Dylan Moore[1]; 2. 17M-Madie Wallace[2]; 3. 20-Nathan Lambert[3]; 4. 25-Pierre Picard[4]; 5. 80D-Damien King[5]