BRP CanAm Late Model Series News
Waters Two For Two On BRP CanAm Series Tour
…Mother Nature Also Wins Another…
Keuka Park, NY…John Waters and Mother Nature were winners of the Memorial Day double-header for the Bicknell Racing Products (BRP) CanAm Series Tour. Rain on Friday forced the cancellation of the event planned for Woodhull Raceway. Waters won the Sunday event at Little Valley Speedway (LVS).
The score is now two for John Waters and two for Mother Nature. Waters won the Tour opener at Woodhull in April. Mother Nature won at Five Mile Point Speedway on May 11 and again on May 24 at Woodhull. Waters beat Mother Nature and 26 other competitors in a wild affair under a clear sky with a full moon at LVS on Sunday.
It may have been the full moon or perhaps just bad luck, but five caution periods and a long red flag pause marred the A-Main and forced LVS management to reduce the contest to 15 laps rather than the planned 20 laps.
The cautions were for minor incidents, but track cleanup was slow. The red flag was the result of Buck Payne getting upside down. Payne was not injured, but his car required a rollback and another slow cleanup.
Payne’s crash could have been a lot worse. On lap seven after a restart as a pack of cars exited turn two they proved again that four wide generally does not work and five never does. Payne got tagged in that mess. Had everyone been a tad more patient there would have been no issue. Somehow as Payne’s car shot across the track and into the retaining wall no other cars were collected. That and that fact that Payne was not injured were the good news.
Glenn Whritenour and Jon Rivers paced the 27 cars to the initial start. Whritenour won the race into turn one and held off a determined Rivers until the first caution. That caution was for Rivers.
After the race Rivers shared, “It was my fault. I adjusted the brakes too far and it bit me. I learned two things. First, that this new Rocket is a good fast race car capable of winning. Second, I need to learn how to better adjust the brake balance (front to rear).” Rivers continued, but from the rear and was able to muster a 13th place finish.
Whritenour continued to lead under green and yellow until lap 13. On a restart Waters who had come from 12th at the start to second on lap 12 found an opening under Whritenour as the two raced through turns one and two. Regarding the pass for the lead, Waters observed, “On that restart, I knew there was a good chance. I really didn’t want him (Whritenour) getting his momentum at the start. I saw him leaving the bottom open a little bit, so I knew I had to hug right up on his quarter panel, and make my move in the first corner and luckily it got in there and the car stuck. I think we lost our front brakes, so it was a little difficult getting going, and I couldn’t go in as hard as I wanted to, but it definitely worked out for me tonight.”
Whritenour held on to finish second. After the race while awaiting the technical inspection of his Joe Willcox Automatics sponsored CRS Impala Whritenour was more concerned about the welfare of his good friend Julius Cerrillo who was seriously injured in a highway accident than the race results. A phone check to the hospital where Cerrillo is a patient revealed that the situation was improving and the outlook was good.
Jeremy Wonderling was one who would have liked the full distance. Wonderling had charged through the field from 25th to fourth at the final caution. On the restart he passed Mike Wonderling, his father, for third and was after Whritenour and Waters when time ran out.
Mike Wonderling was happy with his fourth place finish given all that had gone wrong earlier in the program. Mr. Mike’s driveshaft broke in hot laps. His air cleaner flew off on the last lap of his heat race. Mr. Mike ran second to Whritenour laps five through 12 when Waters got by and then third went Jeremy got by a lap later.
Bob Close had his best run ever in Ron Scharf’s beautiful #65. Close was fifth at the checkers. He had no time to celebrate as he quickly moved to his super late for that A-Main. He then had time to celebrate not only his BRP CanAm finish, but more important his win in the hotly contested super late main event.
F/A Products heat race winners were Brian Knowles, John Waters and Glenn Whritenour
The $100 Winters Performance Products Hard Charger was Jeremy Wonderling who started 25th and charged to third at John Powell’s flying double checkers.
The Douglas B. Miles Insurance Rookie of the Race was Jay McConnell. Jay started 15th stayed out of trouble (no easy task) and brought his #112 home eighth in his first ever race at LVS..
The Gater Racing Photo News Leader of the Pack Award winner was Jared Hill. Hill drew the #1 pill for heat race lineups. Unfortunately that was the last of his good luck. The handsome young racer was caught up in several incidents during the A-Main and finished 23rd.
The Die Cast Speed Shop long distance award went to Kevin Olinger. Olinger came from his home in Smithfield, Virginia to enter the event. His absolutely beautiful race car #24k is garaged in Bradford, PA.
The next BRP CanAm Tour event is a return to Little Valley Speedway on Friday June 7. In the interim there will be Series weekly event racing at Black Rock on Friday May 31 and Saturday June 1 at Raceway 5 and Woodhull Raceway.
Close Racing Supply A-Main Finish 30 Laps: JOHN WATERS, Glenn Whritenour, Jeremy Wonderling, Mike Wonderling, Bob Close, Mikey Wonderling, Brady Wonderling, Bruce Miller, Jason Knowles, Brian Knowles, Cecil LaBarron, Steve LeBarron, Jon Rivers, Jay McConnell, Ray Bliss, Jimmy Johnson, Kevin Olinger, Bob Babbitt, Neil Patterson, Wally Wade, DJ Krug, Quinn Sutherland, Jared Hill, Brad LaBarron, Buck Payne, Ron Wilkins, Jim Johnson
The 2013 Bicknell Racing Products (BRP) CanAm Series is presented by: Bicknell Racing Products, ACL Bearings, BC Designs, Beyea Custom Headers, Close Racing Supply, Cousins Designs, Damon’s Dyno’d Race Engines, Dick Berggren’s Speedway Illustrated, F/A Products, Felpro Gaskets, Gater Racing News, Hoosier Tires, ISKY Racing Cams, Lias Tire, Miles-Agency.com, Melling Performance Engine Parts, National Parts Peddler, Phair Enterprises, Scat Crankshafts, Signs Plus of Kanona, Total Seal Rings, Wiles Racing Driveshafts, Winters Performance Products, and Wrisco Racing Aluminum
