DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
Port Perry’s Darrell Pelletier scored his first win at Ohsweken Speedway, on Friday, September 13th, besting a tenacious field of drivers, eager for a second chance to qualify for the biggest race of the season.
Mr. Pelletier was one of the more than 40 crate sprint car drivers vying for the checkered flag, at the 3/8 mile clay oval, in Six Nations. With the 35-lap A-Main Feature paying $7,000 to the winner, the third annual edition of the event drew a highly competitive field, with drivers travelling from across Ontario, Quebec and New York to compete.
After a difficult qualifying session, Mr. Pelletier started sixth out of eight drivers, in his qualifying heat. Taking advantage of the high side of the race track, in the early going, he shot into fourth place. Passing, however, was at a premium as the race wore on, and he was unable to secure a top-three position and qualify directly to the A-Main.
Instead, Mr. Pelletier would start on the pole, in the B-Main last chance qualifier. The race started with 21 cars competing, and the top-ten finishers would earn a spot in the main event of the evening. Roaring around in his usual spot, on the high side of the race track, he would lead all twelve laps, to earn the 19th starting place among the field of 30 cars. He would ultimately finish in 25th position, making several sensational passes to recover from an early spin.
The following night, Mr. Pelletier found his way through traffic, to score a top-20 finish, after A-Main starting in 29th position. He wrapped up the season, at Ohsweken, as one of the highest rising drivers at the track, on Saturday night.
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