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St. Catharines, ON…2007 marks the fifth anniversary season for the BRP CanAm Late Model Series. It all starts on Saturday April 7 at Black Rock Speedway. By all planning metrics the new season will be the best ever for the Series which features 360 dirt late models.
“More and new events with more and new race teams all racing for record prize money are ingredients for another great year,” says Series co-director Bruce Thompson from his office in St. Catharines. “We have 20 events scheduled which is the most we have ever attempted. We believe that the event distribution across a 29 week spring, summer, and fall calendar makes the schedule very doable. The heart of the schedule is a near duplicate of prior years. I am delighted that we are returning to Humberstone Speedway after not racing there in 2006. We will again have three events on my side of the border. The new events are our first visit to Bobby Rohrer’s Eriez Speedway, a Memorial Day event at Woodhull Raceway, a third event at Ransomville Speedway, a third event at Black Rock Speedway, and a second event at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway [CCFS]. My partner, Gary Montgomery, is very big on the CCFS event since it will be part of Super DIRT Week.”
The health of the 360 dirt late model division is excellent. Genesee Speedway and McKean County Raceway continue to be the standard bearer weekly tracks for these race teams. Both of those facilities have strong fan and competitor support. Woodhull Raceway has revised its Rule Book to allow BRP CanAm legal cars to race weekly at that track as they begin a migration from super stocks to late models. Black Rock Speedway is in year two of their transition to late models from super stocks. A simple three page statement of technical specifications which are enforced is a key ingredient to the success of this Series.
New teams to the Series who will compete for rookie of the year honors include: Bob Bartlett, Derrick Boyle, Jason Boyle, Bob Buono, Keith Cameron, TJ Downs, Beamer Guzzardi, Sparky Hills, JJ Mazur, Scooter Pangrazio, Dick Park, Tim Peterson, Jesse Qutermous, Mike Williams, and Brady Wonderling.
Bartlett, the Boyle brothers, Buono, Guzzardi and Mike Williams are all moving up from the DIRT Pro Stock division. JJ Mazur, Scooter Pangrazio, and Tim Peterson are moving up from the E-Mod ranks. Keith Cameron will not make all of the races since he lives in Tilbury, Ontario which is in the far western part of the Province near Detroit, Michigan! Cameron’s car owner Debbie Brush recently purchased the Warrior Grand Prix previously campaigned by Wayne Adamczak. TJ Downs and Jesse Qutermous are both street stock graduates. Downs will race the first 2007 CRS Monte Carlo crafted by Joel Smith. Dick Park will move up from the DIRT Sportsman ranks in a Rocket Grand Prix purchased from Coffey McCreadie Enterprises which has been retrofitted at Bob Mullen’s ProSpeed to BRP CanAm specs. Brady Wonderling plans to join his brothers Jeremy and Mikey on the Series to make it a family affair run for the checkers.
Perhaps the most interesting Rookie contender is Sparky Hills of Painted Post, NY. Hills started his racing career in 1967 when he fielded a six-cylinder car for southern tier racing legend Cliff Pierce. In 1970 Sparky became an owner and operator and will continue that 37 year tradition in a 2007 CRS Monte Carlo.
Returning to the Series after “time off” are Ed Carley and Terry Pangrazio. Carley has a new Shaw car with his name on it under construction in the corner of his shop that he works after customer hours. Carley won three Series events in 2004, but spent 2005 and 2006 in super late
model and E-Mod cars. Terry Pangrazio took some time off to race E-Mods, but now plans to return to the Series in the car that Darren Kish drove to the 2006 Series Championship.
Leading the list of the 77 drivers who competed in the 2006 Series that plan a 2007 campaign is defending Series Champion Randy Hall. Hall will defend his title with his totally freshened 2006 CRS Camry. Jon Rivers has “replaced everything, but the frame, steering wheel and driver” with all new parts on his 2006 ProSpeed Rocket in an effort to move up that all important one spot from runner-up [to Hall] to Champion.
The only driver that raced the entire 2006 Series that will not return in for the fifth anniversary season is TJ Shaw. Shaw’s racing operation is for sale since the racing budget will now be spent sending his boys to college. TJ has both a doctor and a teacher in the making. One is a student at Niagara University the other at Keuka College.
More on returnees next time.
2007 BRP CanAm Series schedule: Apr 7 Black Rock Speedway, May 21 Merrittville Speedway, May 28 Woodhull Raceway, Jun 10 Humberstone Speedway, Jun 22 Ransomville Speedway, Jun 24 Cayuga County Fair Speedway, Jul 1 Eriez Speedway, Jul 13 Black Rock Speedway, Jul 21 McKean County Raceway, Aug 4 Genesee Speedway, Aug 11 Canandaigua Speedway, Aug 15 McKean County Raceway, Aug 18 Merrittville Speedway, Aug 24 Ransomville Speedway, Sep 14 Ransomville Speedway, Sep 15 Woodhull Raceway, Sep 29 McKean County Raceway, Oct 6 Cayuga County Fair Speedway, Oct 19 & 20 Black Rock Speedway
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