Kawartha Speedway: Bryan Mercer gets by with a little help from his friends

By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications

Rubbing is racing.

It was one of the best known lines from the movie ‘Days of Thunder.’

Bryan Mercer has seen enough rubbing over the last 2 events to last an entire season.  The veteran racer – who competes in the NAPA Auto Parts Late Model division at Kawartha Speedway – brought out a newly designed, bright red Chevrolet Monte Carlo at the start of the season and since then, nearly every corner of the car has sustained some sort of damage.

“It's just part of the game,” said the Port Hope, Ontario driver.  “We’re all racing hard out there and everyone is trying to gain a position or 2, whether it’s in a heat race, the semi feature or main event.  Sometimes, we try to stick the car in a hole that isn’t really there – or sometimes, a spot we think is there can close up in a hurry.”

The evening didn’t get off to a bad start for the driver of the #81 Sine’s Flooring/Quantrill Chevrolet-Cadillac machine.  From a starting spot of 9th in the night’s second qualifying heat, his 5th place run put him into the semi-feature.  That was where Bryan Mercer’s promising night turned bad.  Nick Sinopoli and Ryan Kimball came together in the middle of turns 3 and 4 and left Mercer with no place to go.  His car was then hit by the #8 of Mike Sinopoli and forced into the #7 car, resulting in some serious right-side damage.

“I guess we were the meat in the sandwich,” observed Mercer while the crew started repairs.  “It’s a real shame because the car worked really well during the qualifying heat and I was hopeful for a strong finish in the 100 lapper.  We’ll just have to lick our wounds and hope for the best.”

Bryan Mercer’s crew attacked the damaged racer and received help from some expected sources.  Dan McHattie, the current point leader in the late model division pitched-in and helped the team remove the crumpled front fender and hammer it back into shape.  When it was noticed the contact had also damaged a spindle, a bystander who’d been watching the repairs mentioned that he had one in his trunk, then rushed-off to retrieve the needed part.

“That’s what makes racers such wonderful people,” said Mercer.  Guys like McHattie will battle you with all they’ve got on the track – but they’ll be first in line to help when things go wrong.  My guys would be over there in a heartbeat too – no matter who it was that needed a hand.  It’s a brotherhood and none of us have a problem helping each other.”

Mercer took the green flag for the 100 lap main event from the outside of the front row.  Even though he was hoping for the best, he knew it might be some tough sledding.  The #81 ran with the leaders for the first portion of the race, but when the car developed a vibration, Bryan Mercer started racing with his head instead of his right foot.  Dropping back through the pack, but keeping the car on the track seemed like a better idea than fighting an ill-handling machine.  He was able to stay on the lead lap until the late stages of the event, but bringing a battered and bruised Chevy across the line with a top 10 finish is nothing to be ashamed of.

“We’ll spend some extra hours in the shop this week,” said Mercer.  There’ll be more pieces to straighten and parts to check over before the next race.  It’s a long season and we have to tell ourselves to stay focused on the big picture.”

Photo attachments:  (Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)
#1).  Bryan Mercer shows his strength during the NAPA Auto Parts Late Model qualifying heat at Kawartha Speedway.
#2).  A 4 car crash in turns 3 and 4 during the June 19th semi feature at Kawartha Speedway will mean some extra hours in the shop for Bryan Mercer’s team.