Drivers can register for the 2012 season and pay for their reserved parking spaces.

Class rules and race procedure regulations will also be available.

There will be a second Registration Day in March, the date to be announced.

Drivers can also register during the annual Mall Show, April 13-15 at the Downtown Chatham Centre.

The 2012 season begins with Practice Day on Saturday, April 28.

Opening Night is Saturday, May 5.

The Comp 4 meeting starts at 1 p.m. followed by the Sport Stocks at 2 p.m.

The meetings take place at Outhouse Image & Design, 281 Richmond St. (beside Sentry Fire & Safety, across from Waddick Fuels and Campbell Toyota).

Brian Ruhlman 'goes four it,' winning the Canadian Fall Shootout Modified feature for the fourth straight year on Saturday. (James MacDonald Apex One Photos' click on photos for larger views).

Brian Ruhlman was a one-man show on Saturday night - literally.

The Clarklake, Mich., native swept both feature races in the seventh annual Canadian Fall Shootout in front of a large crowd at South Buxton Raceway.

Ruhlman took the lead at the halfway mark and led the final 15 laps to win the Modified Shootout for the fourth straight year.

Earlier in the night, he led all 30 laps to win his first Late Model Shootout.

He went four-for-four on the night, winning heat races in both classes while pocketing $5,000 for his efforts.

Ruhlman is a perfect nine-for-nine in his Modified car at South Buxton since the class was added to the Shootout in 2008.

He pulled off Saturday’s sweep despite travelling solo to South Buxton after his lone crew member was turned back at the border in Windsor.

“We had to go back to Detroit and wait for someone to pick him up, then I came here by myself,” Ruhlman said.

But when he got to South Buxton, he found plenty of willing bodies to help him with his two cars.

“That’s the nice thing about this place, everybody helps out,” he said. “If you need a hand, there’s more than enough people to help out.”

Ruhlman, who builds and sets up race cars for a living, said his cars are well prepared before they leave his race shop.

He only had to change gears in his Modified after racing Friday in the Crown 4 Nationals at Eldora Speedway where he finished second to Jeff Babcock, of Wayne, Ohio.

But on Saturday, Ruhlman turned the tables by passing Babcock on lap 15 as he went on to preserve his distinction as the only driver to win the Modified Shootout in its four years.

It was also the second year in a row for a Ruhlman-Babcock one-two Shootout finish.

Brian Ruhlman receives congratulations and Modified trophy from Shootout sponsor Al Goggin, of Concours Mold in Windsor.

Kevin Reeves - whose crew helped Ruhlman set up his car - led the first four laps before getting passed by Babcock and Ruhlman after a restart on lap five.

Ruhlman followed Babcock for the next 10 laps before getting a run on the high side and making the pass coming out of turn two on lap 15.

“I kept thinking under the caution, ‘I bet I could roll him on the outside,’ ” Ruhlman said.

“But I had to get all the way up beside him so he could see me, because he was drifting up to the wall.

“If I didn’t get up far enough where he could see me, then I was probably going to get freight-trained on the bottom.

“So I threw it in there to see if it would stick, and it worked,” Ruhlman said.

Ruhlman, however, wasn’t able to build on his lead as five of the race’s 10 cautions came after he took the lead.

While the yellow parade hurt his momentum, Ruhlman said the cautions allowed him to stay out of the lapped traffic.

On the final two laps, Babcock used the lap traffic to close the gap on Ruhlman but was barely able to hold off Reeves, of Hanover, Mich., for second as he collided with Merlin’s Brad McLeod at the finish line.

Jim Fletcher was the top South Buxton regular as the Louisville resident was fourth.

John Brooks, of Wayne, Ohio, and Nick Katterhenry, of St. Marys, Ohio, were fifth and sixth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Leamington’s Justin Coulter, Chatham’s Jeff Daniels, Windsor’s Dan McIntyre and Belle River’s Mario Toniolo.

Ruhlman admitted he had a bigger concern than the lapped traffic in the waning laps.

“We lost the belts off the motor and it was starting to spit water,” said Ruhlman, who noticed the problem with two laps to go.

“The last lap it was really bad … I wouldn’t have wanted to go another lap or two,” he said.
Fletcher was more than pleased with his fourth-place finish as he ended the season strong after getting behind the wheel of the new Eugene Hoekstra-owned machine in late August. He alternated with Hoekstra’s son Darryl in the team’s original car for the first three months of the season.

“The car was awesome,” Fletcher said. “Scotty (Ball) gambled and put something new together for the rear suspension and it worked great.”

Although he finished the season with top-fives in all four features in the new car, Fletcher said the race team was frustrated by a series of problems.

“We didn’t know if it was a fuel problem or ignition, so this week we changed everything … distributer, coil, fuel pump … this is the first night it ran good, thanks to Scotty.”

Chatham’s Eric Vanderiviere, Reeves and Brooks won the other Modified heat races.

It took seven tries but Brian Ruhlman finally won his first Late Model Shootout on Saturday.

In the Late Model Shootout, Ruhlman was the chasee instead of the chaser for a change - and no one could chase him down.

“I think we were as good as we’ve always been here, it’s just that everything went our way this time,” said Ruhlman, who finished second three times, third, fourth and sixth in the first six Shootouts.

“It’s good to win finally both, I’ve been trying to do it every year.”

He finished second to Andrew Reaume in the last two Shootouts but the Blenheim native was never able to make up any ground from his third-row starting position and finished third.

Chatham’s Brad Authier, who won South Buxton’s Late Model championship race two weeks ago, made a late-race pass to move into second but only had two laps to try and catch Ruhlman.

“I needed a caution,” said Authier. “There’s no question in my mind I had a fast enough car … I think I could have caught him.”

He ran third behind Jamie Zidar, the 2005 Shootout winner from Greenfield, Wisc., for 20 laps before moving into second with two to go.

“I was on the inside I could see his tire bobble a couple of times,” Authier said of chasing Zidar.

“I was afraid he was going to come down into me … not of his fault, but his tire … so when I had a chance in (turns) three and four, I got by him.

“I started reeling in Brian but ran out of laps,” said Authier, who finished in the top-four in all features he ran in 2011.

“I’ve got to thank Dave McCorkell for giving me a great engine and Charlie Field for the set-up … this car has been fantastic since that Mid-Season crash,” Authier said.

Charing Cross’ Chris Ross, the 2008 Shootout champ, finished fourth, as like Reaume, could not get a run on the lead cars.

Eric Spangler, of Lake City, Mich., rounded out the top five while Zidar faded to a sixth-place finish with his injured car.

Chatham’s Kirk Hooker, South Buxton’s 2011 Late Model points’ champion, was seventh, followed by Chatham drivers Gregg Haskell and Jim Jones in eighth and ninth and Wallaceburg’s Mike Lewis rounding out the top-10.

Reaume and Spangler joined Ruhlman as heat-race winners.

DeSerrano takes father’s car for a winning  joyride

A different car but the same result - Cottam’s Denis DeSerrano in the Winner’s Circle.

DeSerrano entered the Shootout riding a three-feature win streak in the Tirecraft Comp 4s, including the season championship race on Sept. 10.

For fun, he and his father Norm decided to swap cars for the night.

And for the fourth straight week, Denis DeSerrano made the left turn into the Winner’s Circle.

Cottam's Denis DeSerrano won his fourth straight Tirecraft Comp 4 feature but this time, he drove his father Norm's car to the victory.

“I wanted to show him it wasn’t the car,” Denis laughed after leading all 20 laps in his father’s No. 96.

Norm finished fourth in Denis’ No. 69.

“I just drive a lot harder than he does,” Denis said about the differences in the cars.

“Maybe when I get as old as him, I’ll start slowing down,” he laughed again.

He said his only regret was starting on the pole, a reward for winning his heat race.

“I should have thought about it sooner, but I wish I would have started at the back,” he said.

“It’s a lot more fun winning when you have to pass cars.”

Tilbury’s James Beaulieu was second, with Chatham’s Matt Wauthier and Chatham’s Jerry Ramault fifth.

Cottam’s Rob Quick ran second for 12 laps before breaking with three laps to go.

Merlin’s Steve Shaw Jr. started at the back but moved all the way to fourth on lap six when he pitted for a flat tire. He stormed from the back a second time all the way to third by lap 13 before a second flat with three to go ended his night.

Two-time points champion Shawn Jones of Blenheim did not race.

DeSerrano won the first two and last four Comp 4 features of the season while Jones won the 10 in between.

“I won a few in a row when we were on a run a few years back, but I can’t remember winning four in a row before,” DeSerrano said of his season-ending tear.

Pit Notes

• Ruhlman’s Late Model win was his first at South Buxton since the 2004 ALMS feature, his first visti to the track in what turned out to be the prelude to the Shootout.
• Ruhlman’s double-feature win was the second for a driver this season as DeSerrano won both Comp 4 features on May 21. It was the first double-feature win on a trophy night since Shrewsbury’s Jim Dale Jr. did it in back-to-back years - the 2008 Mid-Season Championship and 2009 Summer Sizzler.
• Concours Mold in Windsor, owned by Modified driver Mark Goggin; Fast Time Race Engines, owned by Modified driver Clayton Smith; Dig ‘R Wright, owned by Modified car owner and seven-time track champion Eugene Hoekstra; and Outhouse Image & Design sponsored the Shootout.
• Twenty-seven Modifieds and 17 Late Models were on hand for the seventh annual Shootout - five more Modifieds but one less Late Model than last year.
• However, only four Americans drove in 2010, including Ruhlman and Babcock who ran both classes. This year’s Shootout featured 10 Americans.
• The week-long forecast calling for a rainy weekend likely deterred some American drivers from making the trip but Saturday turned out to be one of the most pleasant nights of the season.
• Saturday’s crowd was the largest for a Shootout since 2008, as reflected by the $1,190 50-50 draw, won by Paula Pajak of Blenheim in the pits.
• Along with Jones, another notable absentee was Ridgetown’s Dale Glassford in the Late Models. The two-time Late Model points champion finished third in the 2010 Shootout.
• Sport Stocks points champion Eren Vanderiviere drove Jeremy Shoemaker’s 07S in the Comp 4s and finished 10^th after running in the top five for more most of the race.
• Essex’s Gerald Martin, who finished second in the Sport Stocks points, made his debut in the Modifieds, driving the former Mario Toniolo car to a 15^th-place finish.
• Toniolo also debuted a new Modified at South Buxton which he bought a year ago. He rebounded from an early penalty to finish 10^th.
• The top two Schinkels Gourmet Meats UMP Modified points drivers had forgettable nights. Points champion Jim Dale Jr. ran as high as sixth before tangling with Daniels, ending his night on lap 13 and finished 23^rd out of the 25-car field. Leamington’s Joel Dick, who won the season championship race on Sept. 10, finished second in his heat but broke a control arm and scratched from the Shootout.
• While South Buxton’s season is over, several drivers will extend their season at Oakshade and Eldora over the next couple of weeks. Oakshade has a ‘topless’ night for the Late Models next week while Eldora hosts the UMP Nationals in two weeks.
• Saturday’s wins were Ruhlman’s third in his Modified and second in the Late Model for the season.
• South Buxton’s awards banquet is Saturday, Nov. 19 at Club Lentinas. Tickets are $35 and available at Outhouse Image & Design at its new location on Richmond Street near Inshes Ave., next to Sentry Fire & Safety and across from Waddick’s Fuels.

Unofficial Results

Results include driver’s car number in brackets and hometown. (All drivers from Ontario, unless noted).

UMP Modifieds

Feature (30 laps)

1. Brian Ruhlman (49) Clarklake, Mich.

2. Jeff Babcock (555B) Wayne, Ohio

3. Kevin Reeves (117) Hanover, Mich.

4. Jim Fletcher (36) Louisville

5. John Brooks (32) Wayne, Ohio

6. Nick Katterhenry (15) St. Marys, Ohio

7. Justin Coulter (555) Leamington

8. Jeff Daniels (20D) Chatham

9. Dan McIntyre (77) Windsor

10. Mario Toniolo (DK) Belle River

11. Joe Brosseau (47B) Merlin

12. Scott Mackenzie (80) Maidstone

13. Brandon Coles (33) Chatham

14. Brad McLeod (43) Merlin

15. Gerald Martin (43G) Essex

16. Eric Vanderiviere (1A) Chatham

17. Louis Clements (3) Chatham

18. Jody Mason (4) Merlin

19. Ray Jackson (31J) Wayne, Ohio

20. Brian Hilton (66) Windsor

21. Brian Speelman (22S) Chatham

22. Eddie Shaner (67) Wapakoneta, Ohio

23. Jim Dale Jr. (00) Shrewsbury

24. Gary Vyse (99) Wallaceburg

25. Curtis Coulter (5) Leamington

DNS - Joel Dick (09D) Leamington

DNS - Clayton Smith (55) Taylor, Mich

First Heat (All Heats 10 Laps)

1. Reeves

2. Dale Jr.

3. Daniels

4. Speelman

5. Jackson

6. McIntyre

7. Brosseau

Second Heat

1. Brooks

2. J. Coulter

3. McLeod

4. Clements

5. Toniolo

6. Coles

7. Martin

Third Heat

1. Ruhlman

2. Dick

3. Katterhenry

4. C. Coulter

5. Mackenzie

6. Shaner

7. Smith

Fourth Heat

1. Vanderiviere

2. Babcock

3. Fletcher

4. Hilton

5. Vyse

6. Mason

UMP Late Model

Feature (30 Laps)

1. Brian Ruhlman (49) Clarklake, Mich.

2. Brad Authier (1A) Chatham

3. Andrew Reaume (88) Blenheim

4. Chris Ross (18R) Charing Cross

5. Eric Spangler (27) Lake City, Mich.

6. Jamie Zidar (9Z) Greenfield, Wis.

7. Kirk Hooker (38) Chatham

8. Gregg Haskell (RH21) Chatham

9. Jim Jones (34) Chatham

10. Mike Lewis (05) Wallaceburg

11. Don Gordon (33) Chatham

12. Jeff Jardine (28) Dover Centre

13. Jeff Dayman (7D) Welland

14. Jason Haskell (RH94) Blenheim

15. Paul Rivait (11) Tilbury

16. Norm Bechard (18B) Chatham

17. Tom Hazlett (44) Blenheim

First Heat

1. Spangler

2. Authier

3. Hooker

4. Jones

5. G. Haskell

6. Rivait

Second Heat

1. Ruhlman

2. Ross

3. Lewis

4. Dayman

5. Hazlett

6. Bechard

Third Heat

1. Reaume

2. Zidar

3. J. Haskell

4. Gordon

5. Jardine

Tirecraft Comp 4s

Feature (20 laps)

1. Denis DeSerrano (96) Cottam

2. James Beaulieu (09) Tilbury

3. Matt Wauthier (4) Chatham

4. Norm DeSerrano (69) Kingsville

5. Jerry Ramault (91) Chatham

6. Joel Desjardins (23D) Chatham

7. Shane Fryer (08) Cottam

8. Rob Quick (43) Cottam

9. Steve Shaw Jr. (62) Merlin

10. Eren Vanderiviere (09S) Merlin

11. Todd Shaw (34) Chatham

12. Jeff Newham (17) Merlin

13. Jamie St. Pierre (21) Chatham

14. Jim Arnel (33) Chatham

15. Randy McKinlay (26) Chatham

DNS - David Bacon (29) Belle River

DNS - Ryan Beaulieu (747) Tilbury

First Heat

1. D. DeSerrano

2. Wauthier

3. R. Beaulieu

4. Newham

5. Arnel

6. S. Shaw Jr.

Second Heat

1. Desjardins

2. Ramault

3. T. Shaw

4. Fryer

5. Vanderiviere

6. Bacon

Third Heat

1. McKinlay

2. St. Pierre

3. J. Beaulieu

4. Quick

5. N. DeSerrano

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

The weather looks good and the radar is clear, so it looks we’re in for a great night for racing - but you may want to bring a jacket, because after all, it is September and it is the ‘Canadian Fall’ Shootout.

The cars are already starting to pull in, the first being 2005 Late Model Shootout winner Jamie Zidar of Greenfield, Wisc.

And good news from the Modified circuit, Eldora Speedway did get in its Crown 4 Nationals show on Friday - won by Jeff Babcock, with Brian Ruhlman second,  Nick Katterhenry fifth and Justin Coulter 10th - all expected to be in tonight’s Modified Shootout field.

Ruhlman has won the three previous Modified Shootouts and is a perfect seven-for-seven in his No. 49 Modified at South Buxton.

The pits open at 4:30 p.m., grandstand at 5 p.m., with hot laps slated after 6 p.m. and the first qualifying heat race taking the track at 7 p.m.

Admission is $20 for adults (ages 17-59); $15 teens (ages 13-16) and seniors (60-over); $5 kids (6-12); and free for under-5.
Pit admission is $35 per person (Late Models and Modifieds); $25 for Comp 4s.

Brian Ruhlman won his third straight Modified Shootout last September. (Click on photos for larger views).

Blenheim's Andrew Reaume won his second Late Model Shootout in a row last fall. (Click on photo for larger view).

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Andrew Reaume will be going for the ‘hat trick’ this Saturday night - a third straight Canadian Fall Shootout Late Model championship.

Brian Ruhlman, who already has a hat trick in the Modifieds, hopes to end Reaume’s streak by pulling a Late Model win out of his hat.

The two drivers - and close friends - will be trying to extend their winning streaks in this Saturday’s seventh annual Canadian Fall Shootout as South Buxton Raceway’s 40^th anniversary season comes to an exciting climax.

Reaume is coming off Late Model Shootout wins in 2009 and 2010, with Ruhlman finishing second both times.

“We’re certainly hoping to win it again,” said Reaume.

However, Ruhlman has ruled the Modified division since it was added to the Shootout in 2008.

Ruhlman, of Clarklake, Mich., has not lost a race in three years in his Modified at South Buxton, winning all three features and heat races plus the dash in 2008 for a perfect seven-for-seven record.

“You got to have a little bit of luck,” Ruhlman said of his Modified success in a phone interview from his race shop on Wednesday.

After his win and runner-up finish last September, Ruhlman said felt comfortable at South Buxton from the first time he ran here, winning the 2004 ALMS event, the forerunner of the Shootout.

“This place has a lot of the same characteristics of the tracks I grew up racing on at Stateline and Erie,” he said last fall. “You get the car in the corners fast, you pin the bottom so it doesn’t slide up and you have to hit your marks every lap.”

In the Late Model, Ruhlman has three second-place finishes plus a third and a fourth in the Shootout.

He said he has been running strong all season “but haven’t won as many features.”

His most recent Late Model feature win came in the Baltes Classic at Eldora Speedway on Labour Day weekend, a race which Reaume was leading until he lost a motor.

Reaume is still looking for his first feature win since last September’s Shootout victory.

He came close to his first career win in the United States in June when he finished second in the Bernie Oldfield memorial at Oakshade Speedway, as race he led 31 of 40 laps but was passed by Eddie Carrier Jr. in turn two on the final lap.

The Shootout will be Reaume’s second visit to his home track this season. He finished second to Greg Oakes, of Franklinville, N.Y., in the Ontario Dirt Late Model feature on July 30.

“I think we’ll be in better shape this time,” he said.  ”We had a bent right year shock and lost the side bite.”

Reaume will also have his father Brett’s motor under the hood on Saturday, after losing his primary power plant at Eldora.

Chris Ross, the first Canadian Shootout winner in 2008, will also be in Saturday’s field.

The Charing Cross resident has a win and two second-place finishes in his four South Buxton features this season. He was fourth in the ODLM feature.

The highlight of Ross’s season was his first win on U.S. soil in early July at Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio.

Ross finished second in the final ODLM standings.

South Buxton’s big three of Windride Transportation UMP Late Model points champion Kirk Hooker of Chatham, second-place  Dale Glassford of Ridgetown and season championship race winner Brad Authier will all be looking to challenge the big three ‘Rs’ of Reaume, Ruhlman and Ross.

Hooker won six features, Glassford five and Authier two.

And there is word that two-time Shootout champion Jamie Zidar, of Greenfield, Wis., is considering making his first trip to South Buxton since 2008.

Zidar won the first two Shootouts in 2005 and 2006 and was third in 2007 behind winner Rusty Schlenk and runner-up Ruhlman. He crashed early n the 2008 Shootout and finished 20^th.

Shrewsbury’s Jim Dale Jr., who captured his seventh career points championship this season, hopes to give Ruhlman a run for the money in the Modified class.

Dale Jr., who won six features in the 2011 Schinkels Gourmet Meats UMP Modifieds, started sixth in last year’s Shootout but finished 16^th last year after getting caught up in an early crash. His best Shootout finish was a fourth in 2009.

Leamington’s Joel Dick, whose season championship race victory was his fifth feature win of the season, is also a strong threat to Ruhlman’s domination.

Merlin’s Brad McLeod, a record eight-time track champion, has the best finish for a South Buxton regular in the Modified Shootout, finishing second to Ruhlman in the fog-shortened 2009 feature.

Jeff Babcock, of Wayne Ohio, who finished second to Ruhlman last September, is expected to be in Saturday’s field.

Pit Notes

• The Modifieds and Late Models will run 10-lap qualifying heat races and 30-lap features. A pill draw will determine the heat line-ups.
• The Modified winner receives a $3,000 prize while the Late Model winner’s purse is $2,000. The full Payout list is posted under the 2011 Canadian Shootout icon.
• The Tirecraft Comp 4s will be the support class this season, the last chance for a driver other than points champion Shawn Jones of Blenheim (10) and Cottam’s Denis DeSerrano (five including the season championship) to win a feature in 2011.
• The Comp 4s will also have a pill draw to determine the starting positions for the 10-lap heats, which will set the starting grid for the 20-lap feature.
• Special Admission prices are in effect ($20 for adults 17-59; $15 teens 13-16 and seniors over-60; $5 kids 6-12 and free 5 under).
• Pit admission is $35 for Late Model and Modifieds and $25 for Comp 4s. There is no registration fee for the Shootout.
• South Buxton’s Tirecraft Comp 4s will be the support class.
• The pits open at 4:30 p.m., grandstand at 5 p.m. with the green flag waving on the qualifying heat races at 7 p.m.
• Tickets for the Awards Banquet (Saturday, Nov. 19 at Club Lentinas in Chatham), will be on sale at the Pit and Grandstand booths at the Shootout as well as at Outhouse Image & Design on Richmond St. in Chatham. Tickets are $35 per person.

]]> http://www.southbuxtonraceway.com/streaking-ruhlman-hopes-to-end-reaumes-shootout-streak/feed http://www.southbuxtonraceway.com/purses-set-for-modified-late-model-shootout-winners http://www.southbuxtonraceway.com/purses-set-for-modified-late-model-shootout-winners#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:19:37 +0000 mbennett http://www.southbuxtonraceway.com/?p=4283 The complete purses have been finalized for the seventh annual Canadian Fall Shootout on Saturday, Sept. 24.

The Modified feature winner will pocket $3,000 and the Late Model winner $2,000 - the same first-place prize earnings as 2010. (Please click on SHOOTOUT PAYOUT below for full field purses).

Brian Ruhlman, of Clarklake, Mich.,  has won all three Modified Shootouts while Blenheim’s Andrew Reaume is the two-time defending Late Model Shootout winner.

The Tirecraft Comp 4s will be the support class.

Special Admission pricing will be in effect (Please go to Track Info and click on Admission).

Pit Admission is $35 per person for Late Model and Modified drivers and team personnel; $25 for Comp 4 competitors, who will pay at a designated Pit Window. No one under the age of 14 will be admitted into the pits.

BANQUET TICKETS - Drivers and fans can purchase tickets to the Awards Banquet at Outhouse Image & Design (new location across from Campbell Toyota/Waddick Fuels on Richmond St.) during regular business hours and at the pit and main grandstand ticket windows at The Shootout.

The banquet is Saturday, Nov. 19 at Club Lentinas in Chatham. Tickets are $35 per person.

Click to view SHOOTOUT PAYOUT

Merlin's Steve Shaw enjoyed a milestone night on Saturday with his sixth career season championship win in the Sport Stocks, which was also his 100th career feature win. (James MacDonald ApexOne Photo; click on photos for larger views).

Sport Stocks Championship Review

When Steve Shaw won the feature race on South Buxton Raceway’s 40^th anniversary night, he called it the biggest victory of his career.

His 99^th career feature win came on a night when South Buxton honoured the track’s original owner Joe Atkinson, whom Shaw looked up to growing up in Merlin.

“This is the best one. I’m thrilled to win this race,” he said in his post-race interview on July 30. “The 100^th (feature) win or any of the other races, including the championships, won’t mean anything compared to this one.”

On Saturday night, he lived up to his word when he won his sixth career championship race, which was also his 100^th career feature win.

But he said his milestone night still pales in comparison to his July 30 win and honouring the 80-year-old Atkinson on his tribute night.

“The 40^th is the best,” Shaw said. “This (championship and 100^th win) is icing on the cake.

“I got the 40^th trophy at home with a thank-you note from Joe and his family … that one’s going in the (trophy) case.

“This is Colin’s first,” he said of car owner Colin Sherrah.

“He gets to keep this trophy and anything else I win this year. The (anniversary trophy) is the one I wanted,” Shaw said.

Ironically, Saturday night’s championship race was very similar to his anniversary night victory.

That night, Shaw was running third behind the leader Gerald Martin of Essex and Eren Vanderiviere of Merlin with four laps to go before passing both on the outside to take the lead with two to go en route to win his 99^th career feature.

In Saturday’s championship race, Shaw was running side-by-side with Vanderiviere behind the leader Martin with eight laps to go.

This time, however, Shaw didn’t have to pass anyone to take the lead.

You could have thrown a blanket over the trio as they went through turns one and two when contact from Vanderiviere sent Martin to the infield bringing out the caution flag.

Shaw inherited the lead as Martin had to pit to repair a tire while Vanderiviere was placed to the back for causing the caution - but with just four cars on the track, he only lost two positions.

Jay Fox, who was running fourth, preferred to start at the back and waved Vanderiviere to move ahead of him before the green came out.

But Martin came out of the pits and immediately rammed into the back of Fox’s car, earning the Essex driver the black flag.

Shaw led the final eight laps without incident, while Vanderiviere passed Kingsville’s Rob Young for second and Fox finished fourth. Chatham’s Ken Morrison finished fifth despite exiting the race with nine laps to go, as only four of the 11 starters were on the track at the end of the race.

Vanderiviere’s second-place finish, coupled with Martin’s black flag, gave the Merlin driver the points title, unofficially by 43 points. He went into the feature with a five-point lead, meaning Martin would have had to finish three positions ahead of Vanderiviere to win the points title.

When reached by phone on Sunday, Martin was still livid at Vanderiviere.

“It’s pretty said that he had to win the points that way … I guess he wanted it more than I did,” Martin said.

“We never, ever had problems with each other all year until now. He didn’t have to run through me like that.”

Martin said the contact wrecked the rear end and tranny. He fixed the tire with one goal in mind, to get revenge on Vanderiviere.

“I feel bad that I hit the other guy instead … I thought it was him (Vanderiviere),” he said about running into Fox.

Fox drives the 29V and Vanderiviere the 29 - as the teammates’ cars both have ‘Yeah, Buddy!’ written on the back panel, leading to Martin’s case of mistaken identity.

“I hate to lose my temper like that … but I would never race that way,” said Martin, who loaded his car and left the track immediately after the incident.

Vanderiviere was sombre in his pit area after the race.

“I don’t like winning it the way it went down with Martin,” he said.

“I don’t like to lose friends over racing … we’ve always gotten along fine.”

Vanderiviere said it was a combination of going for the lead and a loose race car that got him into Martin.

“I don’t feel it was my fault. I was at the bottom and had I think he was out of shape,” he said. “And I had Shaw right beside me … but I didn’t want it to go down that way.

“I’ve been battling that a bad push the last couple of weeks … that’s what happened last week when I got into Steve,” Vanderiviere explained.

In last week’s feature, Vanderiviere made contact with Shaw in a battle for the lead. Shaw was knocked out of the race while Vanderiviere was sent to the back for the restart and eventually finished second to Martin.

In Saturday’s championship race, Vanderiviere pushed up the track several times in the corners before the incident with Martin.

He lost the lead to Martin on lap three when he drifted up the track in turn four and six laps later it happened again in turn two as Shaw made the pass for second.

“The car was tight the whole end of the year,” Vanderiviere said. “If I didn’t drive it hard in, it gets a little push and doesn’t want to turn. We tried loosening it up but didn’t want to go too far and wind up spinning ourselves out every lap.”

Shaw had the best seat in the house for the pivotal turning point.

“At least he didn’t get into me this week,” he grinned.

“Eren wanted that points championship and he did what he had to do, he ran hard,” Shaw said.

“It’s too bad that happened to Gerald, I’ve been running with him a lot of years - and run behind him a lot too - and tonight was probably the best he’s ever run,” Shaw declared.

“I could stay with him but I had nothing to get by him.  He was giving me the bottom and then he’d close it up pretty quick. I could have stayed in it but then I would have put him in the infield.

“He ran a great race,” he said of Martin. “It’s unfortunate what happened, but that’s what happens when you get in a points race.”

Shaw’s hopes for a points title all but ended when he was suspended for a week in June. He rebounded all the way to fourth in the standings and 40 points behind Vanderiviere in early August before a crack-the-whip accident forced him to scratch from the Aug. 13 feature, ending his bid for a fifth points title.

“We did everything we wanted to do this year … the points weren’t one of them,” said Shaw, who led the class with five feature wins and 20 flags as well as earning his 300^th career checkered on July 16.

“It was a perfect year.”

Sport Stock Notes

• The championship race was typical of the year for the Sport Stocks, as the features either ran nearly caution-free or finished with less than half the starting field on the track. They went caution free in the Mid-Season championship, won by Vanderiviere, and in Tyler Lozon’s win on Aug. 27. They also finished with three cars on the track on June 4.
• In that June 4 feature, Martin inherited the lead when Vanderiviere broke a trailing arm while leading with less than two laps to go, prompting these quotes from Martin. “I like to win a race, but not the way I won it. I like the 29 guy, he’s a heckuva good driver, he’s clean and he’s fair,” he said of Vanderiviere.
• Ironically in all of the mayhem that has ensued all season, Vanderiviere and Martin seemed to steer clear of all the carnage until Saturday’s incident.
• Martin bought Mario Toniolo’s modified car but after Saturday’s disappointing end to his title hopes, he’s considering returning to the Sport Stocks next season.
• Vanderiviere’s car is owned by his brother Eric, who has a couple of offers to sell. If that happens, Eren said he’ll be back in his own car next year, the ill-fated 29V from Saturday night.
• Shaw seemed more pleased at his son Steve Jr’s second-place finish in the Comp 4 championship than his own victory. “That’s big, starting where he did. I can’t believe how long it takes him to get going, but once he gets going and if it stays green, the momentum is awesome.”
• Steve’s other son Todd had a good night as he was second in his heat and third in the crack the whip before a collision on lap nine knocked him out of the championship race, where he finished 11^th.
• When Martin passed Vanderiviere for the lead, it marked the first lead change in a Sport Stocks championship race since Shaw took the lead from Gary Johns five laps into his 2007 victory. Louis Clements led all 25 laps in his 2008 and 2009 championship wins, as did Eric Vanderiviere last year.
• And it was fitting that Young had another top-three finish, as one the track’s classiest drivers could barely see the entire race because the left pin came loose and the Kingsville driver’s view was blocked by the flapping hood, yet he never hit anything or anybody, as usual.
• Trophies were only presented to the winners on Saturday. The second and third-place trophies will be presented at the Nov. 19 banquet.

Denis DeSerrano and wife Sandy celebrate his third career season championship race win on Saturday in the Tirecraft Comp 4 class. (James MacDonald ApexOne Photo; Click on photo for larger view).

Tirecraft Comp 4s Championship Review

After Denis DeSerrano’s feature win on Aug. 27, the veteran Cottam driver hoped that he could finish his season “with a bang.”

He just wishes his friendly rival’s season didn’t end with a bang into the wall.

DeSerrano won his third straight feature and the third season championship race of his career in the Tirecraft Comp 4s on Saturday night.

And for the second straight week, DeSerrano and Blenheim’s Shawn Jones put on a thrilling door-to-door battle.

This time, they battled from the drop of the green, trading the lead five times until lap 16 when Jones’ championship hopes came to a crashing halt.

Jones said he felt something wrong under the hood a lap before crashing into the turn four wall.

After the restart, DeSerrano went virtually unchallenged for the final four laps to win take the championship checkered.

In his Winner’s Circle interview, DeSerrano said he was sorry that Jones’ night ended the way it did.

“I wished he would have been out there for the finish,” said DeSerrano.

“We battled pretty good. It would have been exciting.”

Last week, DeSerrano used the high side of the track as he fended off Jones for 11 thrilling to win his second straight feature.

This time, Jones got up on the high side, forcing DeSerrano to the bottom.

“It ran better than expected down there,” DeSerrano admitted.

“The track was pretty good so the car could run anywhere.

“I still wanted to run the high side but he was up there so I had to stay on the bottom.”

DeSerrano said he messed up early in the race while running the top.

“I screwed up and went in too high … that’s how he got by me for the lead,” he said of his second lap miscue, allowing Jones to lead the next five laps before retaking the lead.

Shawn Jones (27) works the inside on Denis DeSerrano (69) early in Saturday's Tirecraft Comp 4s season championship race. DeSerrano won the race while Jones won the division points title.

Jones took the lead for the third time on lap 13 but gave it back up two laps later.

The next lap, Jones was in the turn four wall.

“I think the motor started coming loose … the throttle was going back and forth, something was falling apart,” Jones said as he felt something let go that put him into the straightaway wall before coasting around the corner and coming to a halt on the turn-four wall.

“I thought I was going to get him, I was trying as hard as I could .. I had fun,” he said of his battle with DeSerrano.

DeSerrano admitted he was worried about his own engine.

“It was working fine in the heat and crack-the-whip, but it started missing again a lap into the feature,” he said.

“I don’t know what the problem is … but it was still working and I’m just glad it lasted the whole way.”

Jones’ ninth-place finish was enough to win his second straight points championship by 19 points over DeSerrano.

Merlin’s Steve Shaw Jr., who started in the fifth row, worked his way through the field to a second-place finish.

Ironically, Shaw Jr. also finished second to DeSerrano in the first feature of the season on May 21.

Norm DeSerrano - Denis’ father - was elevated to a third-place finish when Chatham’s Randy McKinlay failed post-race inspection and was disqualified.

It was the elder DeSerrano’s ninth top-five feature finish of the season.

Chatham’s Rick Balasin finished fourth while James Beaulieu, driving for his brother Ryan, finished fifth.

Comp 4 Notes

• The championship race completed the ‘Comp 4 feature sandwich’ as DeSerrano won the first two and the last three features, with Jones winning the 10 in between.
• DeSerrano’s previous season championship race wins came in 2004 and 2007. His points titles came in 2000 and 2004.
• Jones would have been an eight-year-old member of the Junior Fan Club when DeSerrano won his first points title.
• Earlier in the night, Jones won the first heat race for his track leading 23^rd flag of the season and DeSerrano won the crack-the-whip as he finished with nine flags.
• Jeremy Shoemaker was the unfortunate victim of Jones’ crash as he busted a radiator when he couldn’t stop. He won his heat race earlier in the night for this third flag of the season.
• DeSerrano said he has no plans to switch to a mini-mod in 2012. “This old car may not be the prettiest car at the track but it’s still in good shape, so I’ll keep running it.”
• Jones said his father Dave is considering getting a Sport Stock car for him but he prefers to stay in the mini-mod for at least another year.
• Fourteen Comp 4s started the championship race and nine finished, all on the lead lap.
• The Comp 4s will be the support class at the Shootout on Sept. 24.