Rubber finally hits track again as season opens at Laird

After two years of forced closure, rubber finally hit the 1/3 asphalt track at Laird International Raceway. 

The first race of the season took place Saturday under a hot sunny sky. 

The event got going with a 10-lap school bus race. 

There were a couple tense moments as the four buses barrelled around the track.

One bus got a bit high on the track near the exit to the pits on Corner 3 and started to slide down into the dirt off the bank before the driver saved it.

Shortly after the buses were parked, the Enduro cars were brought onto the track to begin their 100-lap race.

Thirty-five cars lined up at the start, two wide, extending half way around the oval.

The more seasoned drivers, ones that have raced before, started at the back. 

In the Enduro race there are no caution flags flown; if a car dies on the track, or if there are vehicle body parts that come off a car, they become obstacles on the course; the only reason for a caution would be if there was a serious safety issue (injured driver, fire, etc.) There was no such issue during the day's race.

Randy Larrett was one of the drivers that started the race near the back.

At the end of the first 25-lap segment, he was parked at the front, but the actual race leader at that time was Cody Champagne.

Larrett spent the 2019 season racing with the Factory Four cars and got some valuable experience then. Champagne also raced at Laird in the past.

In the second segment Larrett got past Champagne a few laps in and finished the segment in the lead. The third segment was not so forgiving on Larrett. He got tied up with other cars spinning in front of him, and started having handling issues. By the end of that segment he found himself in third behind the 33 of Cody Champagne and the 13 driven by young rookies Logan Lavoy and Shane Hamilton.

Larrett changed a right rear tire during the third break, but it didn’t seem to help his handling much as he was seen sliding sideways off corner 4, and almost into the guardrail a couple times.

At the end of the race Cody Champagne was the victor with the checkered flag.

Track promoter Donnie Varcoe presented Cody a cheque for the win of $4,000.

Logan Lavoy and Shane Hamilton took second place.

Third place went to Cody Parr, fourth to Dale Tucker in the Fountain Tire sponsored black and Larrett took fifth.

The race had a fairly high attrition, with just 17 cars left running on the track of the original 35 that started 100 laps earlier.

A few had engine problems or other breakdowns, some became damaged in collisions, and a couple were seen running on bare rims after blowing tires off their car. Quite a few spun on corner 2, but none of those were damaged to the point of not being able to continue. 

The track had parts and debris all over the place.

The next race is the Thursday Night Thunder, scheduled for Thursday July 14, with a full show of Late Models, Modifieds, Factory Stocks, and Stock Fours.

For more information check out Laird Raceway website (https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1970/schedule) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/lairdraceway)