Motorsports fans had plenty to be thankful for, as the 21st Annual Autumn Colours Classic – presented by Lucas Oil Products – at Peterborough Speedway took the green flag.  Perfect weather conditions and a packed pit area greeted a capacity crowd to kick-off this year’s Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing on Canada’s Toughest 3rd of a Mile Oval.

A trio of Pro Late Model heats rolled from the staging area for the first round of qualifying.  2012 Autumn Colours Classic champion Mike Bentley, Andy Kamrath and 2 time event champ Dan McHattie claimed the wins.  Next on the agenda was a quartet of Mini Stock qualifiers with Casey Cavanaugh, Ryan Babin, Tyler Junkin and Dave Bailey taking a trip to victory lane.  The Open Wheel Modifieds hit the track 20 strong for a pair of heats, with wins shared by Matt Barton and Brad Stevenson.

The Thunder Car field rolled onto the tight bullring west of the Liftlock City to start the second half of the night’s action, as Randy Rusnell, Chase for the Colours pole qualifying winner John Baker Jr., Todd Musker and Brad Collison earning checkered flags.  In Limited Late Model qualifying, Kelly Balson, Nick Goetz and Craig Perry grabbed the wins.  Heat race action concluded with a pair of events for the entry level Four Fun division.  Jeff Scott and Ryan Oosterholt took the wins.

Friday Night Pit News & Notes:  Pre race practice sessions saw some rough on-track incidents as drivers struggled to adjust to a slick, sun-baked racing surface.  The most serious mishap saw a broken driveshaft send 17 year-old Lane Zardo for a wild ride that put the #46 machine on his roof in the second turn.  His own crew and others in the pit area thrashed of his machine and remarkably, the 3rd generation speedster would rebound to score a 2nd place run in the night’s 3rd Thunder Car qualifier…After finishing second in points during the regular season, Thunder Car pilot Matt Spence from Bailieboro, Ontario climbed the 4th turn retaining wall in the 4th heat and was towed from the track.

Autumn Colours Classic action continues throughout the Thanksgiving Weekend at Canada’s Toughest 3rd of a Mile Oval.  Saturday, October 12th, pit gates open at 10:00, with the spectator areas unlocked at 1:00.  Racing starts at 3:30.  See the full schedule of events at www.peterboroughspeedway.com.  Fans can also follow the track on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.