DELAWARE - It was a night where St. Marys' Scott Lindsay had to settle for second best at Delaware Speedway Park.
Here last Friday night, Lindsay had the second-fastest lap time in time trials, was second in the first Late Model feature, and finished second overall in the Triple Crown points series. The veteran St. Marys racer also picked up a fourth in the second 25-lap feature of the night.
The night featured the third and final (two) races in the Triple Crown series, which gives L.M. drivers another opportunity to earn NASCAR points and to accumulate Delaware track points.
Mt. Brydges' Ron Sheridan, Lindsay and Londoner Jamie Ramsay were one, two and three in time trials, with Dorchester's Steve Robblee posting the fifth-quickest lap.
"We had a real good time trial," Lindsay reported. "We had a new set-up in the car, and it was a bit loose up off the corners, or we would have earned the pole (position) pretty easily."
Nasty crashes
There were a couple of nasty crashes in the two 18-car, 25-lap Late Model features, but the drivers involved--Londoners Matt Pritiko and Jonathan Urlin--emerged okay, but their cars incurred heavy damage.
Sheridan and Lindsay started one-two in the night's first feature. A third of the way into the race, Sheridan's lead was anything but comfortable as Lindsay crowded him and Robblee pushed up to third spot with about five car lengths between them and the next five cars.
After a nasty crash on Lap 20, not involving the front-runners, Sheridan went on to take the checkered flag followed by Lindsay in second and Robblee in third.
"We were the fastest car there, but unfortunately we ran out of laps in the first race," Lindsay noted. "The car was really, really fast."
The St. Marys driver started ninth in the second feature.
On Lap 11, a near rollover between turns one and two drew a serious red-flag stoppage, and caused a hush over the crowd, until word came that Urlin was okay. His car was pushed into the pits.
Southwold's Jesse Kennedy claimed the win, after grabbing the lead on Lap 7. Dorchester's Jamie Cox was second, Hepworth's Andrew Gresel third, Lindsay fourth and Robblee fifth.
The fifth was enough to give Robblee the Triple Crown title for this season. He started the night 21 points ahead of Lindsay in the series, and finished, unofficially, with a 14-point margin of victory.
"We had a pretty good car again, but it kind of tightened up going through the centre of the corner," Lindsay said. "And with about five laps to go, one of the rockers in the engine came loose and we dropped the seventh cylinder.
"We held on to our spot, but I was glad that race ended when it did."
In the Delaware track points chase, Lindsay went into the night 23 points behind Sheridan, who has held the lead for most of the summer.
When all the night's results were all tabulated, the Mt. Brydges driver gained two points on his St. Marys rival. With either three or four races remaining on the schedule, it's strictly a two-man battle as Ramsay sits a very distant third--127 points behind Sheridan.
"Things are far from over yet," Lindsay said. "We're just going to keep on doing what we've been doing. And hopefully things will turn in our favour."
Humphrys ninth in S.S. feature
Matt Humphrys, of St. Marys, meanwhile, finished ninth overall in a 19-car Delaware Super Stocks feature race last Friday.
Appin's Stephen Richmond took the checkered flag.
Humphrys, who would like to finish as high as sixth, is currently in eighth place on the points ladder--99 behind leader Steve Smith, of Arkona. Smith holds a narrow two-point lead on Londoner Kris Lawrence and is just six ahead of Jason Lidster, of St. Thomas.
Humphrys is 25 points out of sixth spot.
Track side:
--Scott Lindsay's best lap time in time trials last Friday was 18.785 seconds.
--This Friday, Aug. 27, the Late Models, Super Stocks, Demar Aggregates Trucks and Transmission Enduro Challenge are all on the night's program.
St. Marys' driver Shawn Johns is currently third in the trucks class, 27 points behind leader and defending champ, Paul Fothergill of London.
--Lindsay says he and '20' crew will be competing in the Great Canadian 200-lapper on Sunday, Sept. 5. It features a $10,000 cash prize for the race winner.
--Championship night for all weekly divisions at Delaware is Friday, Sept. 17.
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