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The 2024 Sunset Speedway season opened with the Steve Slaughter Classic, the feature event of which was the one-hundred-lap Steve Slaughter Classic Pro Late Model race.
There are ten events on the Sunset schedule to determine the track's Pro Late Model class champion.
The Pro Late Model cars in the Sunset Pro Late Model championship are constructed to specifications and controls common to most stock car series. The chassis is a tube frame covered with fiberglass bodies. Depending on the engine choice, a car can weigh as much as 2800-lbs. Crate motors from General Motors (GM 604 & GM 602) and Ford (347) are used in the series. Competitors use a spec tire from American Racer and Bilstein A2 shock absorbers to regulate expenses. There are also rules restricting the options for transmissions, ignition components, body material, brakes, etc. The fourth round of Sunset Speedway's Pro Late Model championship was held on July 27th as part of the 2nd Annual Junior Hanley Classic. The event was a 172-lap contest around the 0.333-mile banked oval. As an added incentive, competitors received $800 to start, with the winner collecting a $15,000 cheque. The event used APC United Model Series procedures such as the 'Choose Rule.' However, the inversion rule was not employed and competitors were gridded based on their fastest qualifying time. The yellow flag was displayed on lap 100 to allow competitors the option of pitting for fuel or retaining their position on the track. |
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The starting grid for the 2nd Annual Junior Hanley Classic was set by qualifying times. On the pole is Jake Sheridan in the No. 52 Pride Seeds / Vibrent Farms Ford Mustang. Josh Stade's No. 17 Canadian Flat Roof System Toyota Camry shares the front row with Sheridan. This was the third time in 2024 that Stade started on the front row at Sunset Speedway — the first two were the Steve Slaughter Classic and round one for the APC series. |
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For Sunset Speedway regulars, it wasn't surprising to see Jordan Howse at the front of the field at the end of the 172-lap contest. Howse's racing resume includes an APC United Late Model win at Sunset, a victory earlier in the season at the Steve Slaughter Classic and the 2021 Sunset Late Model track championship. Howse qualified sixth fastest in the No. 8 BW Towing Chevrolet SS. On lap 113, he moved into the lead and went unchallenged. |
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Jo Lawrence was the runner-up at the 2nd Annual Junior Hanley Classic. He finished 7.239 seconds behind Jordan Howse. Lawrence was one of several APC drivers who entered for a shot at the $15,000 and more track time in preparation for the Stewards 200 on August 10th. He was fourth quickest during the time trials driving the No. 78 Elite Racing Team Ford Fusion. In the second half of the race, Lawrence was handicapped with a power steering issue. |
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Sunset Speedway regular Dwayne Baker drove the familiar No. 48 Zancor Homes / Nisco National Leasing Ford Fusion. Baker recorded a qualifying time that put him seventh on the grid for the 172-lap contest. He appeared on the top-five scoreboard when sixty-five laps were left in the race. Baker moved as high as second place before surrendering the position to Jo Lawrence and finishing third. |
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On the opening lap of the Junior Hanley Classic, the second-fastest qualifier, Josh Stade, jumped into the lead. A lap later, the pole-sitter, Jake Sheridan, grabbed first place. The driver of the No. No. 52 Pride Seeds Ford Mustang would hold the top position for fifteen more circuits before being displaced by Stade. During the remainder of the race, Sheridan remained in contention. With just over ten laps left, he was in fourth and held the position to the checker. |
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Local favourite Rick Spencer-Walt entered the Junior Handley Classic driving the No. 38 Grassmere Construction LTD Ford Fusion. The car is a new Wight Motorsports chassis owned by racer Michael Goudie. Goudie drove the Ford in round two of the APC United Late Model Series, where he finished seventeenth. Spencer-Walt qualified third and ran as high a second. Two pitstops during the race almost cost him a lap, but he preserved to finish fifth. |
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In his first visit of the season to Sunset Speedway, Josh Stade was the fastest qualifier and finished second. At the opening round of the APC series, Stade started on the pole, but he retired after only fifteen laps. During his latest visit, Stade put the No. 17 Canadian Flat Roof System Toyota Camry on the front row. He led the first lap but dropped back to second, only to grab the top spot again. Unfortunately, Stade slid down the race order and finished eighth. |
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The 2nd Annual Junior Handley 172 winner, Jordan Howse, shows off his $15,000 cheque, compliments of the bearing company NTN BCA. Howse was victorious in the season-opening Steve Slaughter Classic and race two of Sunset Speedway's Pro Late Model track championship. His other successes include the 2021 Sunset Speedway Pro Late Track title and the 2017 Super Stock Track championship. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | SPONSOR / CAR | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Jordan Howse | McMaster GMC Orangeville / Chevrolet SS | 172 |
| 2 | 4 | Jo Lawrence | Elite Racing Team / Ford Fusion | 172 |
| 3 | 7 | Dwayne Baker | Zancor Homes / Ford Fusion | 172 |
| 4 | 1 | Jake Sheridan | Cameron Crane & Riggers / Ford Mustang | 172 |
| 5 | 3 | Rick Spencer-Walt | Grassmere Construction / Ford Fusion | 172 |
| 6 | 8 | Billy Zardo | KRM Medweld / Ford Fusion | 171 |
| 7 | 11 | Travis Hallyburton | R. Semple Solutions / Chevrolet Camaro | 171 |
| 8 | 2 | Josh Stade | Canadian Flat Roof Systems / Toyota Camry | 171 |
| 9 | 10 | Kendra Adams | Mobil 1 / Chevrolet Camaro | 171 |
| 10 | 16 | Gord Shepherd | WeMoveIt.ca / Chevrolet SS | 171 |
| 11 | 13 | Cole Timms | Gaunt Collision Centres / Chevrolet SS | 171 |
| 12 | 12 | Samantha Shaw | Shaw Motorsports / Chevrolet SS | 171 |
| 13 | 14 | Taylor Holdaway | Humberviewparts.ca / Chevrolet SS | 131 |
| 14 | 15 | Mike Bentley | Platinum Contracting / Ford Mustang | 125 |
| 15 | 9 | Paul Maltese | Presto Appliance Repair / Chevrolet Camaro | 120 |
| 16 | 5 | Blair Wickett | Ry-Mat Mini Storage / Ford Mustang | 41 |
| 17 | 17 | Jeff Hanley | Creative Edge / Toyota Camry | 32 |
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