Post by Jeff Kempton on Aug 7, 2012 10:15:27 GMT -4
ACSSA 2012 STOCK/SUPER STOCK CHALLENGE RACE #3;
Presented By Moncton Chrysler Superstore, Moncton, NB
Race 3 opened to sunny skies over Miramichi and a solid field of nineteen class cars ready to rumble. Things got rolling early when we were called to the lanes shortly before 10AM for our first Qualifying session, and that fast pace would continue through the day. Despite the rapidly climbing air temperature (which would peak in the low 30s) the conditions proved good for qualifying, and several racers ran their best times to date. At the conclusion of the second qualifying session Kelly had hung onto the top spot with a 1.25 under pass, but it came at a price. It was then that one of the greatest positive aspects of our sport was displayed yet again.
Before writing this report I read the race weekend updates that were posted by Mario VanWiecken and Benny Niesten, where they described having mechanical issues at the track and on the road home and how fellow racers jumped in quickly to help them out. Here in the ACSSA camp we had a similar situation which demonstrated our racers’ willingness to help their fellow racers. After Qualifying ended I dropped by Kelly’s pit to tell him he was still the Top Qualifier, and found a crowd gathering around the open hood of his Demon. It turns out that the potent 340 had bent a valve, and all indications were that he was done for the day. However; knowing what racers are like, it hardly surprised me when I went back a few minutes later and saw that a small army of Stock/Super Stock competitors had shown up with tools in hand and were thrashing to get it repaired before Round 1. Luckily Kelly had a fresh pair of heads in the trailer for a new engine he is planning, and he also found some good luck in the bad when the damage was limited to just the one valve and there were no other issues. There were so many people helping that at times there was hardly enough room for Kelly to work on the car himself! Thanks to all this help the car was fired and ready to go a good 15 minutes before Round 1.
Kelly wanted me to be sure to say “THANKS” to all the racers who helped him out. When we awarded him the “Just For Fun” Award in recognition of his cheerful attitude while overcoming this challenge, he stressed that his day would have ended much earlier if not for the help of so many people.
FINAL QUALIFYING ORDER:
01. – Kelly MacKay, Mineville, NS - H/SA 1972 Demon 11.199 / 12.45 Index (-1.251)
02. - Chris Howes, Rothesay, NB - B/SA 1970 Challenger 10.315 / 11.55 Index (-1.235)
03. - Jack Keirstead, Onslow Mtn, NS - K/SA 1978 Nova 11.755 / 12.95 Index (-1.195)
04. - Malcolm London, Saint John, NB - L/SA 1980 Malibu 11.831 / 13.00 Index (-1.169)
05. - Mark Howes, Rothesay, NB – SS/JA 1971 Duster 10.261 / 11.30 Index (-1.039)
06. - Jeremy Keans, Brooklyn, NS – G/SA 1985 Camaro 11.268 / 12.30 Index (-1.032)
07. - Greg Nickerson, Lr. Sackville, NS - C/FIA 1996 Firebird 10.922 / 11.90 Index (-0.978)
08. - Blair MacDonald, Sackville, NB - SSGT/GA 1986 Camaro 10.247 / 11.20 index (-0.953)
09. - Scott Underhill, Bedford, NS – E/SA 1971 Pontiac T37 11.102 / 12.00 Index (-0.898)
10. - Terry Knapper, Moncton, NB - I/S 1978 Camaro 11.620 / 12.50 Index (-0.880)
11. - Rick Wilson, Jacksonville, NB – SS/HA 1969 Camaro 10.180 / 10.90 Index (-0.720)
12. - Tom Coughlan, Renous, NB - C/CM 1988 Mustang 10.493 / 11.20 index (-0.707)
13. - Dave Garland, Moncton, NB - SS/HA 1967 Camaro 10.241 / 10.90 Index (-0.659)
14. - Trevor Ervin, Nerepis, NB – SSGT/AA 1986 Camaro 9.776 / 10.40 Index (-0.624)
15. - Wayne Deveau, Middleton, NS – SSGT/CA 1980 Starfire 10.091 / 10.70 Index (-0.609)
16. - Bill Sheppard, Lakeview, NS – H/SA 1973 Duster 11.951 / 12.45 Index (-0.499)
17. - Alan Harper, Salisbury, NB - SS/KA 1980 Mirada 11.372 / 11.55 Index (-0.178)
18. – Joe Dupuis, Amherst, NS – B/FI 2012 Mustang CJ 11.387 / 11.55 Index (-0.163)
19. - Bill Campbell, Moncton, NB – E/SA 1969 Fairlane conv. 11.862 / 12.00 Index (-0.138)
Race 2 winner Jack Keirstead was in the "Bounty Hunter" crosshairs this time; and Tommy Coughlan would be the first one with a chance to collect the Bounty Hunter bonus.
ROUND 1:
Greg Nickerson .045 RT, 10.954 (10.99) defeated Bill Sheppard -.001 RT, 12.095 (12.00)
Dave Garland .010 RT, 10.294 (10.24) defeated Malcolm London .097 RT, 11.938 (11.85)
Scott Underhill .114 RT, 11.233 (11.18) defeated Joe Dupuis .192 RT, 11.310 (11.30)
Blair MacDonald -.057 RT, 10.384 (10.30) defeated Alan Harper -.062 RT, 11.576 (11.48)
Tommy Coughlan .079 RT, 10.607 (10.52) defeated Jack Keirstead .072 RT, 11.806 (11.82)
Bill Campbell .035 RT, 11.873 (11.87) defeated Terry Knapper .049 RT, 11.665 (11.63)
Rick Wilson .072 RT, 10.216 (10.20) defeated Chris Howes .098 RT, 10.396 (10.39)
Jeremy Keans .049 RT, 11.373 (11.29) defeated Wayne Deveau .141 RT, 10.148 (10.00)
Mark Howes .009 RT, 10.347 (10.33) defeated Trevor Ervin .030 RT, 9.809 (9.80)
Kelly MacKay .020 RT, 11.337 (00.00) defeated (BYE)
Tommy took out our most recent race winner when; after getting a slight edge on the tree, Jack was unable to tighten it up quite enough at the top end and broke out. Bill Sheppard red-lit by just a thousandth of a second against Greg Nickerson. Dave Garland used a .010 light to get by Malcolm London, while Scott Underhill defeated the steadily improving entry of Joe Dupuis. Bill Campbell put together a solid package to defeat the game effort of Terry Knapper, and Rick Wilson defeated Chris Howes with a better light when both racers ran just off their dials. Meanwhile; Kelly MacKay showed his faith in his “Pit Crew” when he powered through on his Bye run with his freshly repaired race car.
The best race of the first round was definitely between Mark Howes and Trevor Ervin. Mark used the best package of the round to just edge out Trevor’s second best package of the round. Trevor was driving his Dad’s GT/AA Camaro for the first time, and he didn't take long to adjust to the quicker ride!
ROUND 2:
Bill Campbell .056 RT, 11.866 (11.87) defeated Mark Howes .105 RT 10.297 (10.33)
Tommy Coughlan .008 RT, 10.563 (10.52) defeated Blair MacDonald .195 RT, 10.351 (10.28)
Scott Underhill .033 RT, 11.162 (11.16) defeated Dave Garland .038 RT, 10.255 (10.24)
Kelly MacKay .014 RT, 11.336 (11.33) defeated Jeremy Keans .031 RT, 11.408 (11.31)
Greg Nickerson .079 RT, 11.020 (10.92) defeated Rick Wilson .015 RT, 10.488 (10.19)
In Round 2, Greg dodged a bullet when Rick strapped a big holeshot on him but missed his dial when his Camaro went into a major wheelstand and unloaded the rear tires. Dave put together another solid package but was taken out by Scott Underhill’s effort. Kelly combined a solid light with an almost perfect pass to take out young gun Jeremy Keans, and looked like a strong bet for the Best Package money until he was edged out by Scott Underhill in Round 3.
ROUND 3:
Bill Campbell .098 RT, 11.859 (11.87) defeated Tommy Coughlan -.007 RT 13.119 (10.52)
Scott Underhill .007 RT, 11.162 (11.15) defeated Kelly MacKay .020 RT, 11.277 (11.30)
Greg Nickerson .052 RT, 10.807 (10.92) defeated (BYE)
In Round 3, Bill Campbell advanced on Tommy’s redlight, and earned his way into the Finals via a Bye run in the Semifinal round. Scott Underhill used the aforementioned Best Package of the day to push Kelly MacKay into a breakout pass. Greg Nickerson earned the Bye run for this round and made a hard pass anyway to gather some data for Round 4.
ROUND 4:
Greg Nickerson .035 RT, 10.960 (10.79) defeated Scott Underhill .102 RT, 11.258 (11.15)
Bill Campbell .052 RT, 19.610 (11.87) defeated - BYE
In the Semis Greg used a better light to get past Scott, while Bill took an easy pass in his Bye run.
FINAL ROUND:
Greg Nickerson .032 RT, 10.752 (10.77) defeated Bill Campbell .081 RT, 11.821 (11.87)
Race 3 saw first time finalist Bill Campbell taking on multi-time winner and defending Series Champion Greg Nickerson, and in the ensuing double-breakout battle Greg got the win light and has the Event Champion’s red hat to show for it.
Thanks once more to everyone who contributes to the success of our series; including racers, track personnel, sponsors, and spectators. We couldn’t do it without you! Race 4 will be back in PEI on September 1st, hope to see you there!
ACSSA 2012 STOCK/SUPER STOCK CHALLENGE RACE # 3 WINNER
--------------------- GREG NICKERSON !! -----------------------
ACSSA Stock/Super Stock Challenge Race 3 Payouts
Event Winner: ($550)
Greg Nickerson
Event Runner-Up: ($300)
Bill Campbell
Event Semi-Finalist: ($150/person)
Scott Underhill
Event Quarter-Finalists: ($100/person)
Kelly MacKay
Tommy Coughlan
Event 2nd Round Finishers: ($50/person)
Dave Garland
Jeremy Keans
Rick Wilson
Blair MacDonald
Mark Howes
The following special awards were also presented:
Top Qualifier Award (Sponsored by A&J Automotive):
Kelly MacKay: $100
(11.199 on a 12.45 index (-1.251)
Best Package In Eliminations Award (Sponsored by BMR Structural Engineering)
Scott Underhill $50
(.007 RT + .012 over the dial = .019 package in the 3rd round)
“Best Of The Rest” Best Losing 1st Round Package (Sponsored by Trans World Bolts)
Trevor Ervin $50
(.030 RT + .009 over the dial = .039 package against Mark Howes’ winning .028 package)
"Bounty Hunter" Award: (Sponsored by LaFarge Concrete):
Tommy Coughlan $50
(defeated our most recent race winner; Jack Keirstead, in the 1st round)
"Just For Fun" Stock/SS Series Award: (Sponsored by Dents & Stones Automotive):
Kelly MacKay