With the season-ending Championship Clash less than a month away, teams in the weekly divisions at Canada’s Toughest 3^rd of a Mile Paved Oval are looking to gain any advantage possible toward the 2016 track titles. Saturday, August 6^th, drivers in the Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun, Jiffy Lube Mini Stock and Paul Davis Systems Thunder Car fields were joined by the Ontario Modifieds and Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup tours to kick-off the annual Hot August Night Series at Peterborough Speedway.

Main events for the night got rolling with a 25 lapper for the Ontario Modifieds Racing Series, that had Willow Barberstock and Rick Warnes on the front row. Barberstock would lead the first pair of laps, before giving up the position to her grandfather, Randy Hollingsworth who enjoyed a strong run and paced the field with the most recent winner Alex Lees, John Baker Jr. and Ryan Babin on his tail. Baker was looking to the outside line to gain position and snatched away the point with 14 laps on the board. From there, the popular Thunder Car grad never looked back and took his 5^th win of the season. Hollingsworth, Donny Beatty, Babin and Ryan Dick completed the top 5.

The Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun pack rolled from the staging area with the father and son combo of Keith and Connor Parkes showing the way. The elder Parkes took the lead early, with current point leader Jeremy Kelly moving into 2^nd. Defending track champion Ryan Oosterholt climbed to 4^th with 8 circuits complete, as the leaders caught the back of the pack a lap later. Kelly moved into the lead with just 5 laps to go, but a late race yellow produced the need for a green, white, checkered finish but not even that would keep Kelly from victory lane. Oosterholt, Jake Kelly, Keith Parkes and Cody Fenton – filling-in for Sean Kennedy – rounded-out the top 5.

With 20 laps to settle the score, Kyle Gordon and Brad Lavalle led the field to the Paul Davis Systems Thunder Car Great Canadian RV green flag. A confident Gordon would lead the first few laps, with Daryl Fice on his back bumper. Fice would take the lead on the restart following a lap 4 caution flag, with Dan Archibald moving into second. Another yellow – this time with 10 down – put Rob Richards and Bailey Jacobs on the front row for the restart and the #60 machine moved into the lead with just a handful of laps remaining. Current point leader Howie Crowe moved into 2^nd, but Jacobs’ advantage of nearly 7 car lengths would propel the talented teen to another win. Nick Oram, Archibald and Richards would chase the lead duo to the stripe.

Tiffany Vanderbelt and Brandon Hannah were on the front row as the Jiffy Lube Mini Stock division hit the track for their main event. Hannah ran a quick opening lap, but made contact with the retaining wall exiting the 4^th turn and was knocked from competition. It was another strong night for point leader James Townsend, who grabbed the lead on a restart that followed a yellow for Hannah’s incident and never looked back. Defending track champion Tyler Betts was second, with Donovan Price, Vanderbelt and Erin Kearns 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th respectively.

The 100 lap Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup Series main event wrapped things up for the night. After earning the pole position during qualifying and maintaining that spot during the Fast 5 Redraw, Brandt Graham put on a show – leading all 100 laps – for his 3^rd straight win. Full event results can be found on the series web-site, www.lucasoilsportsmancup.com.

Earlier in the show, heat race wins went to Ryan Oosterholt, Tyler Junkin with a pair and James Stewart in the Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun. Dan Archibald and Howie Crowe each took a pair of Paul Davis Systems Thunder Car checkered flags. John Baker Jr., Ryan Dick, Rob Warnes and Rick Warnes shared the Ontario Modifieds Racing Series preliminary rounds. James Townsend with a pair, Tyler Junkin and Erin Kearns won the Jiffy Lube Mini Stock openers.

In time trials for the Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup Series, Brandt Graham set fast time with a 14.67 second lap. Bobby Tolton, former Peterborough Speedway Thunder Car champ Donny Beatty, Bob Merrifield and Doug Cathcart completed the top 5.

Bullring Bullet Points: Glenn Neiman of Omemee won the 50/50 draw – in support of the Millbrook Lions Club – taking home $560.50…Chris Conn was back in action, with the former Luke Gignac Thunder Car carrying #16. Tyler Junkin was doing double-duty, filling-in for Mike Howe in the #T4 4Fun machine and also driving his own #41 Mini Stock. Ken Townsend also made a start in the Mini Stock ranks…After having his company name as a sponsor on cars for a number of seasons, Paul Boundy put his given name over the door of the #08 4Fun machine for his maiden racing voyage.

Up next on Peterborough Speedway’s 2016 calendar is another Toonie Spectator Grandstand Admission/Fan Appreciation Night – presented by Pepsi – Saturday, August 13^th. Race action will include the Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun, Jiffy Lube Mini Stock, Earl Ireland Auto Sales Late Model, INEX Ontario Legends and the Ontario Modifieds Racing Series. There will also be an on-track autograph session during intermission. Pit gates will open at 2:00, with the spectator grandstands unlocked at 4:00 and the first heat race at 5:00.

Full schedule details – along with up to the minute news and results – are always available at www.peterboroughspeedway.com, by liking the track on Facebook or following it on Twitter. You can also download the free Peterborough Speedway app on your Smartphone.