Veteran drivers steal show at Laird Raceway (8 photos)

With an estimated crowd in upwards of 1500 people on hand, Late Model racer George Wilson put on a clinic en route to winning his third straight feature race at Laird International Raceway this season.

On Thursday night, Wilson fought off late charges from young Jeremy Van Hoek, who finished second, and Chris Furkey, who finished third.

The feature victory capped off a solid night from the veteran driver as Wilson found himself finishing in top spot in the Fast Car Dash and the first Late Model heat race of the night. Wilson also set a new track record in qualifying with a lap time of 14.579 seconds, which tops a previous record of 14.636 second, set by Wilson just one week earlier.

Furkey and Van Hoek finished second and third respectively in the first heat race, although Furkey did manage to take top spot in the Late Model Division's second heat race.

In the Modified Division, Kevin Oicle was once again dominant. After sweeping the heat races as well as coming out victorious in the feature race in week one and winning a heat race and the feature in week two, the question was, what would he do for an encore? In short, keep winning.

Oicle again swept the podium in week three coming out victorious in both heat races and winning the 15-lap feature race beating out second-place Jordan Sims and third-place Duane Jones in the feature races. Nick Jobst had a pair of second-place finishes in the heat races.

The Factory Stock Division saw another Laird veteran enjoy plenty of success. Steve Kent joined Kevin Oicle in completing the triple crown in winning both heat races and then moving on to win the feature race.

Kent beat out Bill Butler and John Fragale in the first heat race before topping Butler again and third-place Dick Wellwood in the second heat race. In the feature, Kent came from behind, taking over the lead with just two laps remaining and holding off a charging Fragale to take the checkered flag.

In a big field in the Stock Four Division, Cody McLean and Gord Hunt put on a show for the fans in attendance as they battled throughout the night on the track. Following a pair of heat race victories, both in which Hunt finished second, Hunt proceeded to win the most important race of the night – the feature.

Hunt topped the field in the 15-lap feature. Mike Hardy had a pair of third place finishes – one in the second heat race and the other in the feature. Tyler Parsons, a third generation stock car racer, had a third- and two fourth-place finishes, with the third place finish coming in the first heat race.

Action continues at Laird International Raceway on Thursday evening with qualifying set for 6 p.m. and racing to begin at 7 p.m.

Last season's Late Model Champion Michael Gold, who did not race on Thursday due to his graduation, is expected to be back next week as he prepares for his first CASCAR Sportsman Series race of the season on June 18 in Bowmanville, Ontario at Mosport Oval.