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Bubby Kerrick Collects Second A-Main win of 2007 with $2,000 Empire Super Sprint Triumph at Autodrome Drummond.
DRUMMOND QC – “Brain told me to either run this thing hard or just watch from the stands.” Simply put by Stanley, N.Y.’s Bubby Kerrick. Brian is Brian McDonald, Kerrick’s new teammate and partial sponsor of the white #4U Maxim. On lap 20, ironically, Kerrick blasted by McDonald to win the non-stop 25 lap Lucas Oil Canadian Invasion Series event for the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) at Autodrome Drummond Saturday night. With the victory of the Fondations 4 Saisons backed A-Main, the many-year ESS faithful took home over $2,000 in cash.
McDonald has not only taken a major role in ESS sprint car racing in general with four cars of his own, he also has provided added equipment for Kerrick to use to finish up the tour that is brought to you by Jacobs Motorsports. “I have to thank so many people, Ryan Jacobs, Sylvain Mercier, Dave Thompson, there is just so many people that keep me at the track. The equipment is good, but we just didn’t have spares to waste.” noted the driver who just collected his third career ESS A-Main. “But, with Brian and his West Front Construction business he has given me the extras that I need. If something breaks I have parts and use of his other cars which means so much. With that, he just told me to run these like sprint cars as hard and as fast as you can go!”
While Kerrick did start the feature event on the pole, when lap one was scored it was McDonald going around the top from his fourth place starting spot to take the lead. Even though the Cornwall, Ontario resident only has a handful of sprint car starts, he his no stranger to speed and was looking for the first ever ESS triumph.
The Drummond oval was fast and multi-grooved with all 22 starters doing battle at top speeds. It wasn’t long before lapped traffic would figure into the equation which became the advantage for Kerrick. “Brian is a great driver but still a little new in sprint cars. They’re easy to drive fast while you’re alone but when you get into traffic it’s a whole different deal.” Kerrick said as he has over a decade experience behind the wheel. “I knew the lapped traffic was going to help me. I think that is the only reason why I made the pass, if it wasn’t for that this was his race.”
Indeed, coming off of turn two on lap 19, Kerrick slipped under McDonald’s Maxim to take the lead and it was a lead that wasn’t going to anyone else in the final five laps. For McDonald, who did fade to fourth at the end of the 25 lap affair, it was disappointing not to get the win but he is satisfied with his effort. “We are getting close. I wanted to win this race so bad but I just couldn’t get by the lap cars as good as Bubby did.” said the man known as “Slim” in these parts. “Hey, if I’m going to lose a race, it might as well be Bubby!”
At the waving of Danny Mulligan’s double checkered flag, it was Kerrick out front with a great battle right behind is sprinter. On the last corner of the last lap ninth place starting Justin Barger did a precise “slide-job” on Cory Sparks to take the runner-up honor at the stripe. Sparks shook off some of his bad luck with a solid third followed by McDonald and Jeff VanDusen. Steve Poirier backed up his win the night before at Granby with a sixth place finish over Tommy Wickham, the Spectro Oils #65 of Russ Bennett, Lance Yonge and Jeff Cook.
Taking the Car Mate Custom Built Trailer heats were Poirier, Mike Stelter and Barger with the Transport Desrochiers/Walt’s Hobby Dash copped by Poirier.
ESS/DRUMMOND NOTES: A total of 23 cars in the pits in front of an absolute packed grandstand on championship night…Not only was the A-Main non-stop, but the restart cone was not used the entire evening…Making his first ESS start ever was young Dale Beach as a teammate to Jeff VanDusen. Beach has been on the crew, side by side with VanDusen for several years and welcomed his first shot behind the wheel of a 360 sprinter…Poirier has a slight lead over VanDusen and Yonge in the Lucas Oil Canadian Invasion Points with the final event set for Friday, Sept. 21st at Autodrome Edelweiss Speedway.
RESULTS:
Heat 1 – Steve Poirier, Bubby Kerrick, Brian McDonald, Tommy Wickham, Jeff VanDusen, Kayle Robidoux
Heat 2 – Mike Stelter, Alain Bergeron, Jeff Cook, Anthony Cain, Lee Ladouceur, Jamie Collard
Heat 3 – Justin Barger, Cory Sparks, Lance Yonge, Jessica Zemken, Russ Bennett, Michael Parent
Transport Desrochiers/Walt’s Hobby Dash – Poirier.
Did Not Qualify = Dale Beach
A-MAIN – BUBBY KERRICK, Justin Barger, Cory Sparks, Brian McDonald, Jeff VanDusen, Steve Poirier, Tommy Wickham, Russ Bennett, Lance Yonge, Jeff Cook, Alain Bergeron, Mike Stelter, Jessica Zemken, Michael Parent, Lee Ladouceur, Kayle Robidoux, Jami Russell, Jamie Collard, Anthony Cain, Normand Beaudreault, Daniel Lampron, Ryan Stabler
Fondations 4 Saisons Winner’s Bonus – Kerrick $200
Canadian Sprint Car Nationals Winner’s Bonus – Kerrick $100
National Parts Peddler Halfway Bonus – McDonald $100
Les Constructions Ultra Blue Collar Award – Sparks $100
Lane’s Yamaha Hard Charger Bonus – Barger (7 pos.) $50
Cook’s Contracting Bridesmaid Bonus – Barger $50
HG Associates Pole Award – Kerrick $50
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heats – Poirier, Stelter, Barger $25
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