Preview: South Buxton Shootout

O Canada, or Stars & Stripes Forever?

By MIKE BENNETT // South Buxton Raceway Public Relations

SOUTH BUXTON – Is this the year a Canadian driver finally makes the lefthand turn into Victory Lane? Americans have dominated the first three Castrol Canadian UMP Late Model Shootouts, as well as it predecessor, the Can-Am Challenge. But local drivers will get two chances to hoist the checkered flag this Saturday at South Buxton Raceway.

Along with the fourth annual Late Model Shootout, South Buxton Raceway is hosting its inaugural Advantage Warehouse UMP Modified Fall Blowout. The total purse is $35,000 (US), the largest in track history. The Late Model winner pockets $6,000 while the Modified winner earns $2,500.

Many racing fans believe the local drivers will have a distinct home-track advantage in the Modified Fall Blowout since the majority of Americans have never seen the track. The drivers, however, do not buy into this theory.

“We may have an advantage in qualifying, but these guys will figure it out by the time we run the heats,” said 11-time track champion Jim Dale Jr. of Shrewsbury. “They’ll just compare this (South Buxton) to another track they run (in the U.S.) and make adjustments.”

Chris Van De Weile of Rutherford, the 2007 South Buxton modified championship race winner, agreed.

“We’ll have a little bit of an advantage because we know the track,” Van De Weile said, “but they travel around to so many tracks, they know their setups and they’ll figure out what to change.”

Dale Jr., who won the mid-season championships in both the Late Model and Modified classes, won’t be the lone driver pulling double-duty on Saturday. “There will probably be a half-dozen Americans running both,” he said. One will be Brian Ruhlman of Clarklake, Mich., who has finished second in the Late Model Shootout twice.

“We should be just as good this year, we’ve always led a lot of laps but just haven’t been there at the finish … well we’ve been there, but just not in the right position,” Ruhlman said of his past Shootout experience. He also expects to contend in the Modified Blowout, hoping for a big pay day in both classes.

The twinbill at South Buxton is the second day of a busy three-day weekend for Ruhlman. He will be running his Late Model for UMP points at Hartford Speedway in western Michigan on Friday before making the long haul to South Buxton.

He will be right back on the road to Findlay, Ohio, for Sunday’s Sunoco American Late Model Series championship night at Millstream Speedway. The Sunoco ALMS finale was rained out two weeks ago at Oakshade Speedway in Ohio, the same weekend which South Buxton suffered its eighth rainout of the season. Ruhlman leads the Sunoco ALMS by 18 points going into Sunday’s showdown at Millstream.

Sitting second in the Sunoco ALMS standings is Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, Mich., the winner of last year’s Shootout at South Buxton after taking the lead from Ruhlman with a bold late-race pass. Schlenk, who also won the Can-Am Invitational in 2004, calls South Buxton one of his favourite tracks. “It’s not your normal Saturday night oval,” he said. “I like a challenging track and South Buxton is definitely a challenging track. South Buxton has its own persona … it’s like two totally different tracks with the corners. I like tracks where driving makes the difference instead of just horsepower and setup.”

The other two past Shootout champions – 2006 winner Curtis Roberts of Coleman, Mich., and 2005 winner Jayme Zidar of Greenfield, Wis. – will also be here Saturday, marking the first time all former champions will be in the field. Schlenk of Jackson, Mich., led an American sweep of the top four positions in the 2007 Shootout, followed by Ruhlman, Zidar and Dusty Moore of Swanton, Ohio.

Andrew Reaume, of Blenheim, was the top Canadian driver as the 2007 Canadian UMP Late Model and South Buxton Raceway track champion finished fifth. Chatham’s Brad Authier was eighth and Dale Glassford of Thamesville finished ninth, the only other South Buxton regulars in the top 10. Chatham’s Joe Field appeared to have the best car in the field as he led past the halfway mark before a flat tire ended his Shootout victory hopes.

Reaume ended his 2008 season with a flourish, winning five consecutive features, including his second straight season championship race while successfully defending his points crown. He hopes his season-ending success carries over into the Shootout. “I think we’ll be in good shape, I think we’ll definitely be competitive with them,” he said of Schlenk and Ruhlman, whom Reaume feels are the drivers to beat. And Chris (Ross) too,” added Reaume, referring to the Wallaceburg driver and former track champion who races regularly on the Ohio circuit.

“He only raced here once and he ran great,” Reaume said of Ross’s feature win on May 24 at South Buxton.

Several other South Buxton regulars have enjoyed outstanding seasons, as Field won three feature races while Glassford and Authier challenged Reaume for the points title right up to the final race.

One top local contender, however, will not be racing Saturday as Chatham’s Kirk Hooker will miss the Shootout because of a wedding.

Dale Jr. and Van De Weile will lead a strong contingent of local Modified drivers, but one of the biggest challengers to win will be watching from the sidelines. Paul DeGoey of Leamington, who was injured in a serious two-car wreck in a heat race on August 30, hopes to return to the track as a spectator. DeGoey won the Schinkels Gourmet Meats UMP Modified points championship.

Fans are reminded of Saturday’s earlier start, as the cars will be on the track at 5 p.m., about two hours earlier that a normal race night. The pit entrance opens at 2 p.m. and the grandstand gate opens at 3 p.m. Cars will take the track at 5 p.m. for hot laps followed immediately by time trials. The heat races are expected to begin around 7 p.m.

The heat races will determine the starting positions for the ‘A’ Mains, which will both be 22-car fields. The car count will determine how many drivers from each heat race earn automatic starting spots in the ‘A’ Mains, as well as qualify for the ‘B’ and ‘C’ Mains .

The Late Model ‘A’ Main will be 40 green-flag laps while the Modifieds will run 35 green-flag laps. The fastest eight qualifiers from time trials advance to the Dash races in each class.

In case of postponement for rain, the schedule moves to Sunday. The pit gates open at 11 a.m. and the grandstand at 12 noon. The drivers’ meeting takes place at 1 p.m. followed by the racing program as soon as the track is deemed ready.

PIT PARKING: Passenger vehicles (cars, vans, pickups, motorcycles) for pit crew members will be allowed to park in a new area inside the pit entrance. After paying your pit admission, drive through the gates and make an immediate right-hand turn into the new pit parking lot. Haulers and trailers will continue into the main pits, as usual.

CAMPING AT BUXTON: For fans and drivers, overnight camping is allowed in the parking lot at South Buxton Raceway. It is raw camping, however, with no water or hydro hookups. Motor homes, RVs, campers, etc. can be set up along the grass and treeline on the north side of the parking lot (on your right as you enter the lot). It is recommended you get to the track early to get a camping spot. The parking lot gate will be open at 8 a.m.

WHEELS INN: For fans or race teams looking for more comfortable accommodations, The Wheels Inn in Chatham is offering a special rate of $89 (plus tax). The Wheels Inn is a complete indoor resort, including swimming pools, spa, fitness centre, arcade, amusement park, restaurant and bar. It is located in the southwest end of Chatham, just five miles from the 401 freeway and 20 miles from South Buxton Raceway. Call toll free (1-800-265-5257), mention that your are coming to Chatham for the South Buxton Raceway weekend (reference code 12738) when you are booking your rooms.

RACE DAY INFO: To check on weather conditions, call the South Buxton Raceway raceday hotline at 1-519-689-7474, or check the website (southbuxtonraceway.com) in case of cancellation.