It’s one of the most cherished prizes in provincial motorsports.  Every racer dreams of taking home an Autumn Colours Classic trophy and adding the success that comes with that accomplishment to their resume.  The second day of this year’s Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing was welcomed by bright sunshine, warm temperatures and some exceptional competition through every division.

Events got underway with a trio of 8 lap qualifying events for the OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Models.  NASCAR Canadian Tire Series regular J.R. Fitzpatrick took the first round, with Derrick Tiemersma and current series champion and 2012 Autumn Colours winner Brandon Watson taking the 2nd and 3rd heats respectively.  Next on the agenda was a pair of preliminary rounds for the Hurricane Midgets, with Paul Draganac and Jessica James earning trips to victory lane.  A second round of qualifying for the Pro Late Model teams rolled from the staging area for 3 heats.  Defending event champion Mike Bentley, Ryan Kimball and Mark Watson took checkered flags back to their pit stalls.

Thunder Car drivers took to Canada’s Toughest 3rd Mile Oval for their second round of qualifying, with 4 heats designed to improve their starting position for Sunday afternoon’s 50 lap feature event.  Dan Archibald, who crashed hard during the first round,  2011 event champion Rick Walt, defending Autumn Colours winner Joe Adams and Dave Doucette grabbed the wins. Fans grabbed the edge of their seats for a pair of OSCAAR Open Wheeled Modified heat races, as Nick Kozack and Gary McLean earning the victories.  The Hurricane Midget ‘B’ Main went to the #62 of Rob McColl.

Limited Late Model runners came to the line for 3 second round qualifiers, hoping to earn a better starting spot for the 75 lap feature they’d run Sunday afternoon.  Jesse Kennedy, Stompin’ Tom Walters and Andy Kamrath picked-up wins.  Mini Stock fans got to watch their favourites fight for 4 action-packed qualifiers.  Capital City Speedway regular Casey Cavanaugh scored his second win of the weekend, with former event champion Doug Butler, Peter Moore and Mike Gettliffe also claimed wins. The second round of OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model qualifying saw Gary Passer, Jesse Kennedy and Brandon Watson head for the winner’s circle.  The final division on the speedway for their second round of qualifying was the entry level Four Fun machines, with victories belonging to Chase for the Colours pole qualifying winner James Townsend and Andrew Massey.

A 20 lap Thunder Car ‘B’ main would see just 4 of the original 15 starters advance for a chance to become the 2013 Autumn Colours Classic champion, while the rest would load their equipment on the trailer for a trip home.  With a hungry pack looking for a chance to head to the dance, there was a yellow flag on lap 6 for a front stretch incident involving Dan Archibald and Josh Maitland.  Both drivers were sent to the rear, but were able to continue.  3 laps later, Bryan Penny was sent spinning after contact from Archibald.  Retaliation by Penny on the caution laps saw the driver of the #16 parked for the night, while Archibald was warned against further contact.

As the lap counter clicked 10 complete, a number of mid pack cars were collected in a back straight incident.  The final half of the pressure packed event ran caution free with Matt Spence, Dennis Cybalski, Archibald and Shawn Goggins claiming the feature race starting spots.

Hurricane Midget teams took to the tight bullring on Mount Pleasant Road for their 20 lap ‘A’ main, with 24 starters scheduled to take the green for an event that would also determine the 2013 series championship.  A few yellow flags slowed the pace, but fans were treated to an excellent show won by Jamie Bound, with Rob McCall and Paul Draganac completing the top 3 spots.  Robin McLean of Innisfil, Ontario clinched the point crown, while Trenton’s Jessica James earned the Rookie of the Year honours.

With 20 laps on the table, the Mini Stock pack was scheduled for a pair of ‘B’ mains, with 4 starters advancing from each.  Billy Schwartzenburg took the first win, with Cory Young grabbing the second of the last chance affairs.  The Limited Late Model 15 lap ‘B’ main also took 4 cars to Sunday’s feature, with Nick Roth taking the checkered flag.

Autumn Colours Classic action continues Sunday, October 13th with a full day of feature events.  Pit gates open at 10:00, with the spectator grandstands unlocked at 11:30.  The day’s first green flag is at 12:30.  Look to www.peterboroughspeedway.com for complete schedule details and follow Peterborough Speedway on Facebook or Twitter for the latest news.