A brisk breeze was the only thing to cool off a hot night of racing Saturday, June 4^th at Canada’s Toughest 3^rd Mile Oval. Peterborough Speedway welcomed a strong crowd for the year’s first Double Toonie/Fan Appreciation Night, presented by Pepsi.

The Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stocks were the first of the feature events to hit the track, as Brad Lavalle and Angelo Novis brought the field to the line for the 20 lap affair. Lavalle took full advantage of his inside front row starting spot and took the early lead, bringing Jake Kelly along with him. The pack had a fast feel early as the top 4 runners broke away with only 5 laps complete. While most of the frontrunners were using the inside groove, Sean Kennedy was looking to advance by running the tougher outside line and took the 3^rd spot just before the halfway mark. With Lavalle still in charge, the leaders caught the back of the pack with 11 circuits complete. The No. 6 machine was the best of the bunch as Brad Lavelle scored his first win of the year. Steve Finnegan, Kelly, Kennedy and Novis completed the top 5.

Up next was 25 laps of excitement for the hometown Late Model division, with James Townsend and Tim Batty leading the pack from the staging area. Townsend took the lead early, with Bobby Cousineau following into 2^nd. Dan McHattie – who was running a brand new chassis he’d built over the winter – took over the runner-up spot with 4 laps on the scoreboard and took the lead just a couple of circuits later. A yellow flag with 10 laps complete slowed the pace but couldn’t keep McHattie from parking his new piece in a familiar place. Townsend, Cousineau, Jacob Mercer and Tyler Junkin rounded-out the top 5. The No. 24 of Robert Cousineau was parked by track officials for unsportsmanlike conduct, after running into Junking during the caution period.

With Ember Junkin and Ryan Edwards-Kiss showing the way, the Jiffy Lube Mini Stockers came to the line for their feature event. Edwards-Kiss took the lead on the drop of the green flag and showing the fast way around as the pack of 16 starters worked through slower traffic with 8 laps on the board. Defending Mini Stock track champion Jeremy Kelly had his sights set on the lead and after trying for about a handful of laps, he finally took the spot as he and Edwards-Kiss exited turn 2 with only 4 laps remaining. The pair ran the closing laps of the caution-free event nose-to-tail, with Junkin, John Lavalle and Brock Baker next across the line.

The Trailers Plus Canadian Legend Car Series came to the Great Canadian RV green flag 17 cars strong with Hudson Nagy and Dawson Drimmie on the front row. Up to the halfway mark of the 30 lap affair, frontrunners and backmarkers were battling for position on the track. Multi-time Peterborough feature winner Matt Haufe took the lead after a lap 15 yellow flag but his friend and teammate Parker Traves was hot on his tail. The driver of the No. 60 machine survived several late race caution flags and a green, white checkered finish to take the tour’s first win of 2022. Haufe was 2^nd, with Dawson Drimmie, Jordan Latimer and Josh Inglis completing the top 5.

Mike Homewood and Kevin Spiesz showed the way as the Outlaw Midget Series 20 lap feature closed-out the night’s action. Larry Lawson took the early lead as the field worked through slower traffic with 4 laps complete. Crowd favourite Jessica James was working her way through the field and took the lead at the halfway mark. She held-off Lawson, Rob McCall, Jamie Kay and Rob Harrison for the win.

Steve Finnegan and Brad Lavalle shared the Bone Stock qualifying events, with Tim Batty and Bobby Cousineau splitting the Late Model heats. Brock Baker, Ryan Edwards-Kiss, John Lavalle and Jeremy Kelly each had a Mini Stock preliminary win. Rob McColl, Larry Lawson, Jessica James and Mike Bradley each had an Outlaw Midget checkered flag. Matt Haufe had a couple of Canadian Legend Car heat wins, with the others going to Dawson Drimmie and Hudson Nagy.

All finishing positions are unofficial and subject to scoring review and post-race safety and technical inspection.

Bullring bullet points: Adrian Edwards of Douro, Ontario pocketed nearly $750 in the night’s 50/50 draw, The Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock feature ran caution free…until the No. 39 of Zachary Cheng suffered a serious mechanical issue and laid-down a huge fluid spill in the 1^st turn. The driver was unhurt…Reigning Bone Stock track champion and current Mini Stock rookie Shawn Solomon was slated to start on the front row of the night’s feature event but was unable to answer the call.

Next on the calendar is the Saturday, June 11^th Summer Kick-Off, presented by Lucas Oil Products. On track action includes the home track Battlefield Equipment Rental Bone Stock, Jiffy Lube Mini Stock, Trent Lakes Complete Plumbing Renegade Truck and KOD Disposal Super Stock divisions, plus the Trailers Plus Canadian Legend Car Series and Kid’s Rides at intermission. Pit gates open at 2:30, with spectator grandstands unlocked at 5:00 and racing at 6:00. Passes can be ordered through the ‘buy tickets’ tab on the track website or at the walk-up ticket window on raceday.

To learn everything you’ll need to know about the 2022 season at Canada’s Toughest 3^rd Mile Oval head to www.peterboroughspeedway.com or bookmark the track’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram social media platforms.