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Little Valley’s BRP CanAm Win To Bruce Miller
…Bruising Battle Required 7 Cautions… Little Valley, NY…The Bicknell Racing Products (BRP) CanAm Late Model Series teams helped the Cattaraugus County Agricultural Society close out their 2011 racing season at Little Valley Speedway (LVS) on Saturday night with Series tour event #10 of the 11 event 2011 schedule. Bruce Miller emerged the winner of the race which Dave Sully, the LVS Media Coordinator, described as a “bruising battle.” Any 20 lap short track event that requires seven cautions can fairly be called a “bruising battle.” There were no driver injuries in the bruising, but several cars suffered heavy damage. None was worse that Quinn Sutherland’s Miles-Agency.com Lazer Impala which was nearly destroyed. The bruising was all going on behind a nice clean race at the head of the class by Miller, Greg Galligan, Jeff Chesebro, John Waters and Bob Close. Those drivers completed the top five finishing positions without a scratch on their race cars. The same can be said for Jason Knowles, Mike Wonderling, Glenn Whritenour, and Brian Hoffman. Those four finished six through nine. From there on back it was “bruising” and generally not pretty. Miller’s win came in his Dad’s #40 which he has used since his own #80 was destroyed in an accident at Woodhull Raceway several weeks ago. Miller started fourth, took the lead from Galligan on lap four, and raced out front for the duration. Miller now owns three BRP CanAm tour event wins for the 2011 season (two at LVS and the other last week at Merrittville). His LVS BRPCanAm wins now total five out of 16 events since 2003. Greg Galligan’s runner-up finish matched his best ever at LVS. Galligan believes he opened up a lane for Miller that cost him the win. Galligan may be correct. When there were enough consecutive green flag laps he was able to catch Miller and test for an opening on the bottom. The surprise of the night was Jeff Chesebro’s return. Cheez has been absent from the racing scene for the past several weeks. Chesebro, the 2008 and 2009 Series champion, sold his best motor to Dale LaBarron and parked the famous #97 Foot Hills of Rew (FHR) Black Beauty. He planned to sit out the balance of the 2011 season. Plans changed when LaBarron called Cheez and offered the seat in the Troups Creek Auto Parts #15 that Glenn Whritenour had been driving. Chesebro did not surprise anybody with his great drive from 14th to earn the final podium position. John Waters started 5th, slipped back several spots to avoid crashing, and finished fourth to narrow the gap to Jeremy Wonderling in their season long battle for the 2011 Series championship. Waters now trails Wonderling by one point. One point, but Wonderling carries a perfect 100 for home track bonus points. Waters is short of that mark with only four events (three at Woodhull and the ISKY Cams Championship at Black Rock) remaining. Bob Close turned in another nice run in Bob Scharf’s beautiful CRS Corvette. Close moved from 10th at the start to fifth at John Powell’s flying double checkers. Heading the Knowles family on the finish list was Jason (a son) in sixth. Next in line was pole position starter Mike Wonderling (the father) in seventh, the best of his clan. Glenn Whritenour was eighth at the finish. Whritenour was in his own CRS Impala. Brian Hoffman rounded out the non-bruised finishers in ninth with his Dart Hard Charger run from 21st. Hoffman won the F/A Products B-Main for his ticket to the big dance. Finishing 10th at the head of the bruised class was Jeremy Wonderling. Jeremy charged from the rear after an altercation with Larry Knowles at the mid-race point while both were racing inside the top ten. 10th was worth 30 LVS track points and that earned Wonderling the 2011 LVS track championship. That trophy joins the 2011 Woodhull championship trophy. Is there room for the BRP CanAm Series trophy in Wonderling’s collection? Notes: Heat race winners were Bruce Miller, Mike Wonderling, Jeremy Wonderling, and John Waters…Jon Rivers, Raceway 5 2011 champion, and Mikey Wonderling 2011 champion from Black Rock Speedway were among the 8 that did not finish the bruiser…Miles-Agency.com rookie of the year contenders Dusty Waters (18th) and Jared Hill (21st) both had problems…next and last is the 2011 Tour event #11 the ISKY Cams Championship at Black Rock Speedway on Saturday October 22 Melling Performance Parts A-Main Finish: BRUCE MILLER, Greg Galligan, Jeff Chesebro, John Waters, Bob Close, Jason Knowles, Mike Wonderling, Glenn Whritenour, Brian Hoffman, Jeremy Wonderling, Brian Knowles, Cecil LaBarron, Larry Knowles, Buck Payne, DJ Krug, Bob Babbitt, Brad LaBarron, Dusty Waters, Quinn Sutherland, Jon Rivers, Jared Hill, Bryce Davis, Mikey Wonderling, Alan Wais DNQ: Dave DuBois, Steve LaBarron, Carl Cleveland, Sam Conti Scat Crankshafts Heat #1– Miller, B Knowles, J Knowles, My Wonderling, Rivers, S LaBarron, B LaBarron Total Seal Rings Heat #2– M Wonderling, Galligan, Close, Chesebro, Hill, Hoffman, Cleveland Fel-Pro Gaskets Heat #3– J Wonderling, D Waters, L Knowles, Wais, Babbitt, Krug, C LaBarron ACL Bearings Heat #4– J Waters, Sutherland, Davis, Whritenour, Payne, Conti, DuBois F/A Products B-Main– Hoffman, B LaBarron, C LaBarron, Krug, Cleveland, S LaBarron, Conti, DuBois (DNS) Provisional Starters: C LaBarron, Krug ISKY Cams Back Row Challenge - $1000 – Mike Wonderling – declined Dart Machinery Hard Charger ($100): Brian Hoffman (start 21 / finish 9) Miles-Agency.com Rookie of the Race: Brian Hoffman Gater Racing News Draw Award: Greg Galligan |
