BRIGHTON, ON – Fans poured through the gates on June 13, all in search of the thrill that the School Bus Races bring to Brighton Speedway twice a year. Fifteen school buses took to the track for heats, and by the end of the feature only 10 remained. The night was action-packed with feature races from the Late Model, Canadian Modified, Thunder Stock, and Mini Stock divisions.
School Bus Feature
The 15-lap School Bus Feature saw Jack Juby start on the pole in school bus No. 28, with Dee Waite in the purple No. 22 to his outside. Starting in the second row were No. 116 Eric Delbianco in third and No. 9 Stu Archer in fourth, followed by Tommy Grant in school bus No. 44 to round out the top five.
On lap one, the red flag waved for No. 88 Bryan McColl and No. 81 Justin Terhaar, sending both to the pits. On the restart, No. 9 Archer took the lead. Meanwhile, No. 77 Bernie Rhebergen worked through traffic and battled for second, taking over the top spot on lap 11. Despite a coolant leak spraying the back of his driver’s seat, Rhebergen held on for the win.
Rounding out the top five were No. 44 Tommy Grant in second, No. 22 Dee Waite in third, No. 9 Stu Archer in fourth, and No. 98 Kyle Rhebergen in fifth.
Mini Stock Feature
The 15-lap Mini Stock Feature had No. 5 Eric Conlin starting on the pole with No. 97 Kyle Gregory to his outside. Starting third was No. 91 Jack Veenstra, followed by No. 1 Coleson Gregory in fourth and No. 5K Matt Knowlton in fifth.
On lap one, No. 97 Gregory and No. 91 Veenstra moved past Conlin to take the top two positions. Throughout the race, Veenstra attempted to track down Gregory, but an issue forced him to pit before the finish.
No. 37 AJ Peters capitalized, moving into second and holding steady to the checkered flag. No. 97 Kyle Gregory secured his second win of the season, followed by Peters, No. 2 Trevyn McCrillis in third, No. 5 Eric Conlin in fourth, and No. 4 Chris Tufford in fifth.
Canadian Modified Feature
Eighteen Canadian Modifieds took to the track for their 25-lap Feature, with No. 51 Mike Freeman starting on the pole and No. 97 Dave Barrett alongside. No. 2 Leslie Mowat started third, followed by No. 29 Phil Potts and No. 40 Ron Wadforth.
In the opening laps, Mowat drove past Freeman and Barrett to take the lead. Close behind, Wadforth made his move and took over the top spot on lap 4. Wadforth maintained control for the remainder of the race while the field battled for second.
At the finish, it was No. 40 Ron Wadforth taking the win, followed by No. 29 Phil Potts, No. 1 Shawn Gregory, No. 25 Greg Belyea, and No. 2 Leslie Mowat.
Late Model Feature
The 30-lap Late Model Feature began with No. 11 Kyle Sopaz on the pole, followed by No. 05 James Seymour. No. 151 Brian McDonald started third, with No. 46 Brandon Mowat in fourth and No. 5 Steve Baldwin in fifth.
Sopaz led early, but the battle for second quickly intensified among Seymour, Baldwin, and Mowat. On lap nine, Baldwin briefly took the lead before Mowat surged ahead on lap 15.
Mowat held strong through the closing laps to secure the win. No. 3 Nathan Rinaldi finished second, followed by No. 57 Charlie Sandercock, No. 41 Ryan Lambert, and No. 5 Steve Baldwin.
Thunder Stock Feature
The final race of the night saw No. 10 Carter Rhodes start on the pole for the 20-lap Thunder Stock Feature. No. 18 Kyle Anderson lined up second, followed by No. 45 Dylan Riley, No. 46 Dion Riley, and No. 16 Kaitlyn O’Blenis.
Rhodes led early, but a caution on lap six sent him to the back of the field. Anderson inherited the lead but soon faced pressure from No. 0 Tyler French. On lap 10, French completed the pass and took control of the race.
French went on to take the checkered flag, followed by No. 26 Brock Gregory, No. 18 Kyle Anderson, No. 16 Kaitlyn O’Blenis, and No. 45 Dylan Riley.