The Tillsonburg Indoor Speedway played to a packed house, and a record crowd in their brief two year history on 'Championship Tuesday'.
The night was full of action, including the Senior 75-lapper. With fuel stops in question, the drama built as Dylan Chesterman won the heat race while Cassidy March was able to take the point lead away from Devin Jarvis in the qualifier.
Chesterman entered the night 10-points back and followed us his heat win with a solid performance in the feature, taking the lead early and never giving it up. He would hold off a number of charges from March.
March, the 13-year old spoke about his second place run, "I wanted to take my time, and wasn’t point racing. I was trying to get Dylan for the win. I was trying to get him in lapped traffic, but just couldn't get him."
As far as the championship, March said, "It feels pretty good. I also have to thank my dad."
Jarvis had another top-five finish.
The Juniors saw Bea Courtnage take an early lead, but champion D.J. McRae took command and opened up a massive lead throughout the middle of the race. Courtnage was able to use the help of a caution to close up on D.J. and coming out of turn four on the final lap made her move. She pulled wheel to wheel with McRae, and was declared victorious in a photo finish. Cournage was making her fourth career start, and the feature win was joined by a heat race win for her first and second career wins on the same night.
The Experts put on a 50-lap duel, and with Holly Porter only needing to get out of bed to wrap up the championship. The ‘Dorchester Dart’ overcame some beating and banging by Dave Chesterman and Scott Chesterman in the most physical feature of the year.
Porter was trailing with the lap counter winding down, trying to reel in Dave, who was leading, when the yellow flew. She smiled and said, “I would have caught him anyways.”
When they did take the green, she carved her boyfriend’s (Scott) father (Dave) with surgeon-like precision, taking the lead and waltzing away. Holly didn’t even look like she had broke a sweat, and spoke about what she would like to see in the future of the division, “I just wish they were a few more girls out there so I could have some competition.”
Scott Chesterman finished second in points, and though he can’t seem to beat Holly in Tillsonburg, he is undefeated in Micro Sprint action at Wonderland Speedway.
The Beginner feature had everything, from bent steering parts to leaders bouncing off the walls, to flat tires while leading. The championship battle was staged between D.J. Christie and Jayven March. Most of the cars would hit something during the course of the 60-lap main (which is the eight and nine year old equivalent of the Coca-Cola 600), but the racing was excellent. Both of the championship contenders had their own stories.
A second Christie made an on track debut Tuesday night as Alex Christie [sister], but when Alex spun right in front of her brother, he bent the front end. D.J.’s pit crew, lead by ace head wrench Crew Chief Jay Christie sprang into action, transforming the body into a modified, and requesting to his car chief ‘Let’s see if we can bend this back close’.
The returned to the speedway in the nick of time, and Chirstie was able to wheel a wrecked race car to a solid finish... but would it be enough?
‘Lightning McQueen’ March has already left his footprint on the Speedway, as he runs a line higher than the track grader is willing to go. It seemed to work, and after troubles of his own, March made a late pass and picked another feature win, and scoring as many points as he could in the main.
The effort left March tied with Christie for the championship, and they will be honoured as co-champions of the Spring Series.
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