LMS: Cayuga summary

Charlie Menard gets it done in Canada; Wins the Canada 200 Presented by Sicard Holiday Campers at the Cayuga (ON) Speedway Park.

Hagersville, Ontario (Canada) (07/01/2007): The Seventh Race of the Fifth Anniversary 2007 Racing Season for the ASA Late Model Series Presented by GM Performance Parts is now complete. The historic Cayuga (ON) Speedway Park located West of Buffalo, New York and Southeast of Brantford in Hagersville, Ontario/Canada served as gracious hosts for "America's Premiere Short Track Series'" first ever International event.

The ASALMS first ever event held outside of the United States was the running of the Canada 200 Presented by Sicard Holiday Campers at one of the most historic and storied tracks in all of Canada, the Cayuga Speedway Park.

As for the Canada 200 Presented by Sicard Holiday Campers, Eau Claire, Wisconsin veteran, Charlie Menard took the lead from 21-year-old Michael Annett on Lap 126 and from there, Menard steered his Menards Home Improvement/Ford Fusion to a dominating victory, his first since October 7, 2005 at his home track of the LaCrosse (WI) Fairgrounds Speedway during the prestigious Oktoberfest Weekend.

Pat Bourdow Memorial Rookie of the Year Points Leader, Derek Thorn and Michael Annett were the front row. Originally, Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame Driver, Butch Miller was to start on the outside of the front row, but problems even before the ASALMS Wave Lap force Miller to pit and the Coopersville, Michigan veteran would have to start at the back of the field.

So it would be Thorn and Annett leading the 23-car field to guest Chief Starter from Hamilton, Ontario, 30-year veteran, Chip Shunaman's green flag to begin the 200-lap Feature and it was Thorn who would edge out Annett heading into the first corner to take the early lead.

Thorn set a torrid pace in the early going as he jumped out to over a full straight away lead over Annett and the rest of the field. The first of only three cautions thrown all evening was displayed on Lap 30 when Colt James suddenly slowed in Turn One. On the restart, Thorn again pulled away from Annett and began lapping fellow competitors at a rapid rate.

As lapped traffic became heavy at times, Thorn would carefully negotiate around the lapped cars. On Lap 91 and after five laps of trying to pass the potential lapped car of Alec Carll, Thorn got into the back of the 17-year-old from Grand Rapids, Michigan turning him around. ASALMS Officials sent Thorn to the rear of the field giving the lead to Annett.

Annett himself would then take off from the rest of the field when on Lap 99, Peter Cozzolino and Charlie Menard collided coming down the front stretch sending Menard around and into the infield grass. With the Lap 100 ½ way break coming on the next lap, the teams took the crossed flags and Yellow Flag to end the first half.

Menard was awarded his spot back in Fourth as Cozzolino was sent to the rear of the field to begin the second half of the Canada 200 Presented by Sicard Holiday Campers. Annett led the field to the green to begin the second half with a the hard charging Travis Dassow, the current ASALMS Challenge Division Points Leader who earlier in the afternoon won the ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products Fast Qualifier Award and 18-year-old Keeton Hanks.

Menard began his charge to the front and quickly made short work of Hanks and later Dassow. He then set his sights on Annett and finally on Lap 126, Menard made the pass coming out of Turn Four to take the lead.

From there, Menard would set another torrid pace rivaling that of Thorn's earlier run and would proceed to continue Thorn's work by putting cars laps down. Overall, Menard lapped everyone all the way up to the Fifth Place car during the caution free second half.

Eddie Hoffman and Annett had a spirited battle for second place as for over 40 laps, they two drivers diced in and out of lapped traffic all the while battling each other. Finally on Lap 162, Hoffman got by Annett and set his sights on Menard.

But by then, Menard had build up a nearly insurmountable lead of almost 10 seconds! Hoffman was able to cut the lead down to just over three seconds but ran out of time as Menard would put an exclamation point on his dominance of the second 100 laps by steering his Menards Home Improvement/Ford Fusion to the checkered flag to win the Canada 200 Presented by Sicard Holiday Campers.

Hoffman settled for second as the second 100 laps would run caution free for the first time since the current Challenge Division Format went into affect in 2006! Annett tied a career high for the second time in a row with a strong third place showing Current ASALMS Challenge Division Points Leader, Travis Dassow finished a solid fourth and in a show of Menard's dominance, was the last car on the lead lap.

18-year-old Keeton Hanks completed the Top Five one lap down. Richmond, Michigan veteran, Bob Varney came home a solid sixth for his first Top 10 finish in over three seasons while Canadian Pete Vanderwyst was seventh as Michael Simko, Kris Stump, and Thorn rounded out the Top 10.

The Canada 200 Presented by Sicard Holiday Campers established a new ASALMS Challenge Division record for fewest cautions in an event with just Three total! The previous record under the current Challenge Division format was set back on May 27, 2006 at the Madison (WI) International Speedway during the Miller Lite 200 which boasted only four cautions.

Earlier in the afternoon in ARP Bodies/Aluminum Racing Products Qualifying, Dassow established the ASALMS track record in Canada by touring the 0.625 Mile Semi-Banked Paved Oval at a 20.078 which measures out to a fast 112.063 MPH.

The next event for the ASALMS Challenge Division will be the Radfest/Race Against Drugs 200, the final tune-up before the biggest ASALMS event in the series Five Year History two weekends later at the famed Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway, is set for Friday and Saturday July 20-21, 2007 at the 0.417 Mile Progressively Banked Paved Oval of the Motor Mile (VA) Speedway, located approximately an hour Southwest of Roanoke in Radford, Virginia.

Joining the ASALMS Challenge Division for the Eighth Race of the Fifth Anniversary 2007 season in Radford, Virginia will be Motor Mile Support Divisions "To Be Announced".

In what will be the biggest race in the ASA Late Model Series' Five Year History, Race Number Nine of the Fifth Anniversary 2007 Season in the ASALMS Challenge Division is set for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday August 2-3-4, 2007 at the famed 0.533 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval of the Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee for the running of the Crate American Race/Thunder Valley 200.

The next race overall within the ASALMS will see the ASALMS Northern Division kick off the month of July with Race Number Three, which is set for Saturday July 7, 2007 at the fast 0.500 Mile High-Banked Paved Oval of the Madison (WI) International Speedway located South of the Capital City of Madison in Oregon, Wisconsin for the running of the Mad Summer Meltdown 100.

Then the ASALMS Southern Division gets back in the swing of things with Race Number Four on Saturday July 14, 2007 at the famed 0.625 Mile Semi-Banked Paved Oval of the Birmingham (AL) International Raceway in Birmingham, Alabama for the running of the Crimson 125.

This will be the first of two appearances at the historic Alabama speed plant. The second show will be the 2007 ASALMS Southern Division Season Championships on Saturday October 27, 2007. Joining the ASALMS Southern Division this time around will be the tracks weekly divisions of BIR Sportsmen, Mini Modifieds, Street Stocks, Renegades, and Buzz Cars. T\

-credit: asa