News

As disappointing as this is to Drivers, Fans, Promoters and Track Owners we are still not back racing as we need to continue to follow the COVID-19 guidelines.  There have been a few practices for drivers and limited crew based on the guidelines but no fans in the stands.  It horrifically sad to all!  Every week, when they make the announcements, I keep thinking maybe this week, they will allow restricted access by the fans.  Enough that a track could survive and not run at a loss.  Drivers and cars are mostly ready! Fans are defintly ready! Management is ready!  I just thought, its time to maybe get some normalcy back in the season and hopefully the rest will fall into place.  Practice sessions (no fans) have been and are taking place.  A lot of changes in race car equipment and changes in drivers moving to a new division.  It’s probably one of the strongest and most interesting drivers line up in a long time in most divisions.

DRIVERS INFO 2020

One of the biggest surprises and late announcement, was Trevor Collver moving up to the Pro Late Model division this year.  Shouldn’t be any problem for Trevor to be fast right out of the gate!!

Trevor Collver #1 Pro Late Model

“This is a 2015 McColl Racing Straight Rail Chassis. Looking forward to making the jump up to the Pro Late Model. I am ready for the challenge. None of this would be possible without the endless support from my family, dedicated crew and sponsors” 

Name: Trevor CollverHOMETOWN: LucanOCCUPATION: ElectricianYEARS IN RACING: 14CURRENT DIVISION: Pro Late ModelRACECAR:

SPONSORS: Inventory Express Lubricants, Carter Trucking, D-K Equipment, Hodgins Custom Service, Sissios Pizza, Wilds Printing, Fix Auto London Northwest, Novus Glass, Minuteman Press London North, Mister Transmission Exeter Road, Nu-Vista Reality Ahmed Waqas, Mark Kennedy Trucking, Outback Tire Shack, G&L Automotive, Goris Rentals, Hallmark Memorial, Dave Collver Auto Care, Melrose Garage, Collver Towing.                    

Trevor Collver ‘s new #1 Pro Late Model

Jeff Ferguson #23 V8 Stock

Name: Jeff FergusonHOMETOWN: Brant CountyOCCUPATION: System AdministratorYEARS IN RACING: 13CURRENT DIVISION: V8 StockGOAL FOR 2020: Win my first raceRACECAR: ExistingEXISTING: New Rear Clip & new Built motor by Ralph Book

OWNER: Darryl Ferguson   (Father)SPONSORS: Silentium Group, Adkins Financial, Carstar, Crescent Oil

Jeff Ferguson #23 V8 Stock

Joe Kicks #12 Bone Stock

Name:  Joe KicksHOMETOWN:  London, OntarioOCCUPATION:  Takumi Stamping SupervisorYEARS IN RACING:  6CURRENT DIVISION:  Bone StockGOAL FOR 2020:  continue to improve from previous season

RACECAR:  2005 Sunfire built by students at Clarke Road Secondary SchoolOWNER:  Joe KicksSPONSORS:  Clarke Road S.S., Keeping It Up Groundscare, Baker Auto Wreckers, Waste Connections of Canada, John Zubicks, Disturbing the Pease Customs

Joe Kicks #12 Bone Stock

Eric Marten #42 Bone Stock

HOMETOWN: AlvinstonOCCUPATION: Baker @ Tim Hortons WatfordYEARS IN RACING: 1 year Bonestock, I ran a lot of Enduro races many years agoCURRENT DIVISION:  BonestockGOAL FOR 2020: Improve my car a lot and run consistently in the top 10 or better. Win at least 1 race (lol)RACECAR: Same 2003 Cavalier. new body panelsIF EXISTING: replaced worn out parts, k frame, brakes. bearings.

OWNER: Eric MartinSPONSORS: S & E Personal Creations Alvinston, Dominion Lending Center (Scott Riddel), Ebikes in Strathroy (Jeff Peacock), Attridge Concrete

Nick Masson #48 Bone Stock

HOMETOWN:  IngersollOCCUPATION:  MachinistYEARS IN RACING:  1 year

CURRENT DIVISION:  BonestockGOAL FOR 2020:  To complete a full year and build on what I learned from last year

RACECAR:  2004 Pontiac Sunfire.

 OWNER:  Nick Masson

Nick Masson #48 Bonestock

DRIVERS 2020 PAINT SCHEMES

Patrick Freel #18 Pro Late Model

Shane Gibson #69 V8 Stock

Cody Coburn #91 Super Stock

Hopefully we will be racing very soon!!!

See you soon for the next column publication.         Until next issue, Stay Safe and healthy      Bob, Steve

Any comment, suggestions, news, topics, welcome. Please feel free to contact me at trackside@DelawareSpeedway.com

Delaware Speedway’s first practice of the 2020 Season, under COVID19 Guidelines, for registered cars. Exciting to finally see race cars on the track and be able to inhale the gas fumes!!  As per Government Regulations, Spectators are not permitted to attend at this time. As the COVID19 guidelines and phased in approach is communicated, Delaware Speedway will publish a Schedule accordingly.

Nick Ramsay

Jaden Chapman

Paul Fothergill

Steve Arrand

Ryan Dyson

Bill Brekelmans

See you soon for the next column publication.         Until next issue, Stay Safe and healthy      Bob, Steve

Any comment, suggestions, news, topics, welcome. Please feel free to contact me at trackside@DelawareSpeedway.com

WOW, its hard to believe that so much has happened in the world since the last column. So many things have changed, and everyone is managing as well as they can, based on the direction from the World Health Organization and information being provided daily by the media. Trusting that everyone is staying safe and healthy. My hope is that this will normalize sooner, rather than later and we will all be in a position to get back to a more normalized life that YES includes the sound of engines, smell of fuel fumes and fresh rubber is being laid on the track, kicking of the 2020 Delaware Race Season.
This month’s column contains a mixture of news and thoughts as we look to a more normalized future. Hoping it will provide a little reading material sparking excitement of the upcoming race season and an opportunity to share a little of what has been happening over the winter months in the world of Delaware Racing as we look to better days ahead.
If you haven’t checked the 2020 Delaware Speedway Roster pages yet, you should! Late Models seem to be exploding with entries! It’s probably going to be the strongest field in many, many years. New entries, new cars, drivers moving up into the division, highlight this class in 2020.
The Super Stocks have lost a few regulars from last year but have gained some new entrants which should really shake up the class for sure.
Truck and V8 Divisions are down in entrants currently. Hopefully we will see additional cars and trucks before opening night.
Bone Stocks look as strong as ever!
Over all lots of promise as we look at the current entries and making a call for those who have not entered to do so prior to the Delaware 2020 Race Season starting.

DRIVERS INFO 2020

Gary Adriaensen #55 Pro Late Model
“Things are going well here at Adriaensen Motorsports. It’s been a busy off season with building a new house and recently getting engaged. The car is coming along well in between all that and we’re excited to get back on the track and make a run for the Delaware Championship”
Name:  Gary Adriaensen
HOMETOWN:  Glencoe
OCCUPATION:  Electrician
YEARS IN RACING:  20
CURRENT DIVISION:  Pro Late Model
GOAL FOR 2020:  Championship
RACECAR:
IF EXISTING:  No major upgrades to speak of. Just a better understanding of adjustments
OWNER:  Adriaensen Motorsports
SPONSORS:  Dowler Karn Fuels, Bumper to Bumper, London Drive Systems, Guild Electric, Doxtator Property Maintenance, Speedpro Imaging, Century 21 – Murray Mugford

Gary, “the paint scheme will be the same for the most part with a very minor change”

Darrell Lake #77L Pro Late Model
Name:  Darrell Lake
HOMETOWN:  Mount Brydges
OCCUPATION:  Customer Service
YEARS IN RACING:  20+
CURRENT DIVISION:  Pro Late Model
GOAL FOR 2020:  To be competitive for the Canadian Short Track Nationals
RACECAR
EXISTING:  Same chassis as last year , but upgraded with new Mustang Gen 6 Body
OWNER:  Matt Lake
SPONSORS:  London Drive Systems, Custom Fluid Power, Maple City Tire

Bill Brekelmans #07 Super Stock
Name:  Bill Brekelmans
HOMETOWN:  Ingersoll Ontario
OCCUPATION:  Financial Services Advisor
YEARS IN RACING: 15
CURRENT DIVISION:  Super Stock
GOAL FOR 2020:  Win a race in Super Stock, Rookie of the Year
RACECAR:  McColl Super Stock Chassis, Trans Am Body
OWNER:  Jack Van Herk
SPONSORS:  Radar Auto Parts, Mitchell Cycle, Wilders Custom Paint, Brandy Point Service, A&J Auto Sales TC Performance.ca

Jason Lidster #11 Pro Late Model

HOMETOWN:  St. Thomas
OCCUPATION:  Thames Valley Schoolboard Employee & long time St. Thomas business Owner
CURRENT DIVISION:  Pro Late Model
GOAL FOR 2020:  Consistent top 3 finishes and title contender

RACECAR:  New to the team
IF NEW:  Former McColl 2019 APC Championship Winning Car
SPONSORS:  Southwinds Roofing, Bill Fehr CPA, D&S Plumbing, Dominion Lending Centres, Elgin Travel & Cruises, First Ave Laundry, GWB Heating & Cooling, Stumps R Us, Elgin Tirecraft, Yarmouth Crane Service, McGregor Auto Parts

Jason, “without these sponsors we wouldn’t be able to put together the level of equipment we will have this year”

Ryan Dyson #28 Truck
Name:  Ryan Dyson
HOMETOWN:  London, ON
OCCUPATION:  Marketing
YEARS IN RACING:  3 in full size cars
CURRENT DIVISION:  Trucks
GOAL FOR 2020:  Win more races and learn more in the races we’re able to attend this season. We want to build off a great rookie season and be up front every week.
RACECAR:  Existing
IF EXISTING:  New Chevy Silverado body
SPONSORS:  APC Auto Parts Centres, MacMaster Chevy Buick GMC, Epic Racewear, Lucas Oil, Thorne Property Management LTD., 20/20 Insurance, Black Fly Beverage Co., ourExpression Studio, Puckstoppers, Frank & Gus Pizza, Dave Franks Photos

Ryan, “for 2020 we built a completely new body once again, and are what I believe is the first ones in Ontario and maybe Canada to debut the new Chevy Silverado. We also stripped the truck down and went over everything and made some upgrades where we felt necessary. We also spent a lot of time getting the truck to look exactly how we wanted with the panels, paint and vinyl”

Cody Coburn #91 Super Stock
Name:  Cody Coburn
HOMETOWN:  Mount Brydges
OCCUPATION:  Zamboni Driver
YEARS IN RACING:  24
CURRENT DIVISION:  Super Stock
GOAL FOR 2020:  Learn as much as I can towards the car and finish every race
RACECAR:  New McColl Chassis 2016(never raced yet), Dodge Body
OWNER:  Cody Coburn
SPONSORS:  Looking for sponsorship opportunities currently

Matt Robblee #51 Pro Late Model
Name:  Matt Robblee
HOMETOWN:  Cambridge ON
OCCUPATION:  Engineering Technician
YEARS IN RACING:  20
CURRENT DIVISION:  Late Model
GOAL FOR 2020:  9 Races = 9 consistent finishes
RACECAR:  Same car as 2019 –McColl Perimeter LM – Former Ramsay/Cox/Gemmell car
EXISTING: any upgrades to current model? – We made a bunch of upgrades to the Chassis ahead of the 2019 season. Over the winter, we’ve just cleaned things up (new body, chassis cleanup, ETC) and made things more comfortable. We rearranged the driver’s area, moved the seat and added more upgrades to the radio equipment
OWNER:  Matt & Steve Robblee
SPONSORS:  VIP Autopro, Kettlea Farms, Ray Cullen Chevrolet, Ball Construction, Federated Insurance, STS Roofing

Matt, “2019 didn’t yield the results I think we are capable of. Some mechanical issues, bad weather and bad luck seemed to get ahead of us. That being said, I’m super happy with the progress we made with the car – We took a 10+ year old car and worked it up to run in the same “tenth of a second” as newer cars with much larger budgets. Were not the only team doing similar work – and its something that I think gets overlooked. Anyone can spend $100,000+ and have a fast car – we have several teams, ourselves included, who produce beautiful equipment at a fraction of that cost and still manage to run quick. That said, we all know how expensive any form of racing is and especially in these crazy times I think its important to keep sending out the message to support business who support racing! I’m not sponsored directly by the Autopro brand (for example) – We get support at the local level and it’s important to make it known that these businesses aren’t just names on the side of a car – they’re made up of great people who share the same enthusiasm for racing as we do! Its also great to finally see guys moving up through the ranks. All of the divisions have had some new driver activity, and I’m looking forward to seeing some growth and talent development over the next few seasons. I think the racing community in Ontario is slowly coming together – It won’t happen overnight – but steps are being made in the right direction.”

Ray Morneau #03 Pro Late Model
Name:  Ray Morneau
HOMETOWN:  Windsor ON
OCCUPATION:  Tombstone engraver
YEARS IN RACING:  13
CURRENT DIVISION:  Late Models
GOAL FOR 2020:  Win a feature
RACECAR:  Existing
IF EXISTING: any upgrades to current model? – New Body
OWNER:  Ray Morneau
SPONSORS:  Xpress group, Hallmark Memorial, Highland tools, Sun parlour trailers, Leitch Performance

2020 PAINT SCHEMES

Jaden Chapman #13 Pro Late Model

Steve Arrand #37 Pro Late Model

Kris Lawrence #28 Pro Late Model (courtesy of Ashley McCubbin)

Don’t Miss your opportunity to still get the Inaugural Delaware Speedway Calendars
Delaware Speedway 2020 Inaugural Calendars featuring the drivers you voted for. These can be ordered online at diane@delawarespeedway.com for $10. Get your orders in while they last!
See you soon for the next column publication. Until next issue, Stay Safe and healthy Bob, Steve

Any comment, suggestions, news, topics, welcome. Please feel free to contact me at trackside@DelawareSpeedway.com

Happy 2020 everyone. Snow is on the ground, and I think we are all ready for some short track racing. I’m sure a lot of you will be heading south soon for some warmer temperatures and yes racing. Probably in a short few weeks to the Daytona Beach area. If you are, I’m envious. I’m seeing pics of race cars being built or refreshed and its exciting. Plans being made for the upcoming race season which is very exciting. It’s a really nice feeling. I’m sure, this year we are going to see racers coming back after a few years break or changing divisions and ones that are headed in a different direction this year, that we might not see at all or only one or two times. Kills me when we lose cars, but fully understand drivers have to do what they think best for them, and maybe new challenges. I think its going to be a very interesting and exciting year at Delaware Speedway for 2020, one I’m sure that will be very competitive! Lot of different Late Models, that I know of. I’m sure we can expect the same in the other divisions. If anybody has news of drivers from all divisions, please send it along to me at trackside@delawarespeedway.com. Would be great to get it out there to build fan and racer excitement for the upcoming season.

Always looking for storylines for each column, and late last year got a great suggestion from Kris Lawrence, Late Model and Bone Stock driver. He suggested finding and doing a feature on current 2nd and 3rd generation drivers. I was able to go through a few old programs and decided to list the generational drivers. I had no idea there were so many and I’m sure I have missed some. Delaware Speedway, being an older track, has a rich history of drivers and crews. In my humble opinion, no other track in Canada, is close, but I’m sure others would argue. But, how many tracks in Canada can say they have supplied a NASCAR Race Winner (Earl Ross) and a NASCAR Point Champion Crew Chief (Cole Pearn) plus other hugely talented drivers and crews.

Listed below is the list I have compiled so far:

Legend

(GF) Grandfather, (F) Father, (S) Son, (D) Daughter, (GS) Grandson

Current active drivers at Delaware Speedway noted in BOLD

 List 

Dave Lawrence (F), Kris Lawrence(S), Jo Lawrence(S)

Russ Urlin(F), Jon Urlin(S)

Manny Demelo(F), Justin Demelo(S)

Harvey Lennox(F), Rick Lennox(S)

Bill Rowse(F), Bill Rowse Jr(S)

Ron Lindsay(F), Scott Lindsay(S)

Vic Robblee (GF), Steve Robblee(F), Matt Robblee (S & GS)

Ron Sheridan(F), Jake Sheridan(S)

Stan Adams(F), Piper Adams(S)

Brad Jacques(F), Terry Jacques(S)

Manny Ferreira(F), Andrew Ferreira(S)

Wayne Pilkey(F), Samantha Pilkey(D)

Grant Manning(GF), Duane Manning(F), Lucas Manning(S)

Gary Zagorodny (F), Tom Zagorodny(S)

Randy Thompson(F), Lonny Thompson(S)

Steve Aubertin(F), Cooper Aubertin(S)

Lou Fucile(F), Shawn Fucile(S)

Mike Howard(F), Cassie Howard(D)

Dion Verhoeven(F), Brandon Verhoeven(S)

Jay Christie(F), D.J. Christie(S)

Mike Hrynuik(F), Mike Hrynuik Jr(S)

Ron Pearn(F), Cole Pearn(S)

Dave Mathers(F), Paul Mathers(S)

Jack Greedy(F), John Greedy(S)

Warren Coniam(F), Ryan Coniam(S)

Rick Coburn(F), Cody Coburn(S)

Dave Hosie(GF), David McCullough (GS), Derek McCullough(GS)

 

TIDBITS

-Former Street Stock driver Kevin Delong #17 will be returning to the Speedway, in the Late Model Division, with former Barrie area racer Terry Swan as car owner

-APC regular Patrick Freel #18, will be running full season at Delaware Speedway in 2020 Late Model

-Jamie Grover #33 Late Model will be running Delaware in 2020 as much as he can

-Bill Brekelmens, former V8 Stock, moving up to Super Stock in the #07

-Jamie Klumper #07, top runner in the Super Stock division, will move up to the Late Models in 2020, for a partial run. The car is the former Jay Doerr #43 from a few years ago.

-Rob Windis #29, in a former Dave McCullough Super Stock this year

-Bone Stock driver Shane Gibson #69 moving up to the V8 class this year

-Bob Miller #74 Late Model, returns after a year’s absence with a new Late Model

-multi time Truck Champion Tom Zagorodny #77, moving to the Late Model division in 2020

 

MEET THE DRIVER – STEVE ARRAND

Steve Arrand, former top runner in the V8 Class, will be running in the Late Model (picture above) division at Delaware in 2020.

Sponsors: Transport N Service, Arrand Insurance Solutions, Steelhead Food Co., Pine Valley Minute Lube, Pennzoil, Front Street Heat…. Canada’s Hot Sauce, After the Lounge

            

Kevin Delong                                                                                    Bob Miller

                        

Jamie Grover                                                                            Shane Gibson 

REMINDER – DRIVER REGISTRATION: 2019 PRICES END JANUARY 31st. SAVE ON 2020 PRICING, REGISTER THIS WEEKEND. 

 Don’t Miss your opportunity to still get the Inaugural Delaware Speedway Calendars

Delaware Speedway 2020 Inaugural Calendars featuring the drivers you voted for.   These can be ordered online at diane@delawarespeedway.com for $10. Get your orders in while they last!

See you in February as Trackside is now on a monthly publication during the off-season months.        Until next issue, Bob, Steve

Any comment, suggestions, news, topics, welcome. Please feel free to contact me at trackside@DelawareSpeedway.com