On a day when Owen Groves navigated his maiden voyage in a NASCAR Division I series car to victory in the Wounded Warriors 75 at Eastbound International Speedway, the remaining 2018 series championships were locked up heading into the final races of the season set for Sept. 29 at the Avondale track.
Groves won his 16th consecutive MNR Performance Bandolero race en route to his second straight championship in the Bandolero series.
The 15-year-old from Hearts Delight took the checkered flag which was coupled with a caution flag as he made it to the finish line ahead of 12-year-old Nick Codner of Torbay.
Both drivers slowed up as they approached the finish and as they recognized the caution, which had resulted from a pair of cars spinning in Turn 1, nearly three quarters of the track behind the leaders. The caution was thrown to alert the drivers they would be approaching the site of the incident after the start/finish line.
Joey Arsenault brought his blue No. 3 home in third place.
“Winning the Bandolero title, it’s big for me,” Groves said.
“The car is so good each week, all I have to do is get in and drive. It performs well and for me to have won as many races in a row (is) humbling.”
Groves was quick to pinpoint his family’s involvement in what has been his successful racing career to date. He credited his father with doing the heavy lifting to keep his car tuned and dominant every week and his mom for being the glue that keeps it all together.
“Once I get out front, I just keep pushing it and try not to look back,” he said.
“You have to be on the edge every lap if you want to go fast here.”
In addition to his tremendous family support, Groves credits the help of his sponsors, especially his major sponsor, Quinlan Brothers .
“They (Quinlan Brothers) have committed to me for as long as I want to run, so that is a great addition to my racing dreams,’’ he said.
Eyeing the future
Michael Neary captured the title in the Hanlon Realty U.S. Legends series in his rookie campaign.
Neary, who finished second to Groves in the Bandolero series in 2017, swept the nine races so far in his first season in the seat of his No. 23 Legends car.
Neary’s car continues to turn out laps of under 18 seconds on a consistent basis and he seems to like the clean air of being out front. In most cases, he grabs the lead, holds onto it and extends his first-place margin throughout the race.
In fact, Neary may have set the track record for Legends cars as he clocked — what is for now — an unofficial fast lap of 17.44 on Lap 16 of the 25-lap final. The caution flag came out after Neary finished his lap so if the lap stands, it will be an Eastbound record.
“I have had a really good year. I hit the ground running ,” said Neary. “To be as successful as this team has been … (to have) all the wins has been incredible.”
“When we set goals to start the year, we hoped to get the championship and rookie of the yea , but I didn’t expect it to go this way.”
Neary said when he started racing, he looked up to the older guys at the track and hoped he could be like them as his career progressed. Well, that future has come faster than he anticipated … so he has to re-evaluate his goals and continue to raise the bar for himself.
That included a trip to Nova Scotia in July to run an event at Riverside Speedway in James River just outside of Antigonish, where he finished 12th out of 28 competitors.
“The competition there is a whole lot tougher than what it is here. I was running with guys like Cory Hall and Craig MacDonald,’’ he said.
“It is good to stack up against them and see what you have to do to get better as they are some of the best in Eastern Canada. It gives you (an) idea of how good you are and what you have to do better. I tried to bring that back home with me and work on those things.”
Neary, who is entering his last year of high school at Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John’s is eyeing post-secondary education while continuing to race.
There is the potential of moving into Pro Stock racing in the Maritimes, as part of a series Placentia’s Josh Collins has run in for several years.
“My dad (Carl) has been talking with a few guys we met while we were there about the possibility, but for now, I am focusing on the Legends racing here and getting into school for next year,” said Neary.
“The rest will come later.”
Hobby Stock series
Despite not being able to complete more than a few laps of attempted qualifying, Shane Collins and his No. 33 car from Placentia captured the Atlantic Dodge Dealers Hobby Stock championship for 2018.
Collins started the day with an insurmountable 70-point lead over Andrew Morgan to claim the 2018 series crown.
Morgan, Stephen Guest, Cody Lake and Cody Johnson will all battle hard to the finish later this month to see who claims the second through fifth-place positions.
It appeared Lloyd Kielley was in line for the victory Sunday until he got roughed up late, was pushed up the track, and had to settle for third place. The hand gestures he made as he exited the car made his displeasure obvious.
Nathanial Wall took the checkered flag while Mark Best finished second.
N.L. championship
Wayne Walsh had a great points day in the NASCAR Division I series to capture the Newfoundland and Labrador championship in addition to sealing his victory in the division for a second consecutive year.
He started the day with a 56-point lead over Josh Collins, who finished a few places ahead of Walsh on Sunday, but is still too far back to have any chance of taking the 2018 title.
FAST TRACKS
Phil Fowler and his No. 11 team have surpassed the halfway mark in fundraising for the Children’s Wish Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. By Sunday, the St. John’s-based, Forteau, Labrador-born Fowler and his team had raised more go online to http://www.childrenswish.ca/donate/ or go to Fowler’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/philfowler11/ to find out how you can help out with this project. … Sunday’s racing had a special meaning for a host of people in and around the Eastbound racing community. In addition to featuring a race with the Wounded Warrior affiliation, it saw the continuation of what, over the past four years, has been known as Memorial Race weekend in honour of drivers and builders instrumental in making the track what it is today. The day honoured Dennis Weir (No. 59) and Chris Ryan (No. 68), who both were drivers at Eastbound and who passed away at the age of 45 four years ago. In addition, Kerry Bourne, affiliated with the No. 5/No. 96 teams was remembered, as was former track announcer and Second World War veteran Edward (Jiggs) Borland and builder Cy Robson Sr., who along with Bern Hickey, were critical to the establishment of the Avondale Dirt Track. … Nick Codner, displaying the wisdom and swagger that only a 12-year-old driver could possess, served as spotter for Owen Groves in his NASCAR Division I debut … Sara Thorne was hoping to match Groves in making her own NASCAR Division I debut Sunday, but an accident in practice was too much to overcome, so that will have to wait … Normally at Eastbound, when the final checkered flag waves, fans head to the exits to head home after a great day of competition. However, Sunday’s NASCAR Division 1 debut victory by Groves produced a different finish to the day. Hundreds of fans who had braved a three-hour rain delay, stayed a bit longer and stood on the front stretch cheering and helping the young driver celebrate his triumph …
