12/05/2023
LITTLE WITHIN REACH OF ECS SPRINTCAR TRACK TITLE SATURDAY NIGHT MAY 13
One fixture – the final meeting of the season at Eastern Creek Speedway, Saturday May 13 – stands between Troy Little and victory in the ECS Sprintcar Track Championship. The finale to the 2022-23 term represents one of the biggest shows of the season with the traditional Midget 50 lap main event also on the card, as well as a very good V8 Dirt Modified entry list, also Late Models and RSA Street Stocks programmed. The massive night of racing will feature a huge fireworks display.
Troy has one hand on the trophy after a very impressive season of consistency where good performances in main events have been the catalyst behind his position at the top of the points chart.
The title can still be won and lost, but earlier heat performances Saturday night will put him well in command entering the deciding 30-lap feature race. Either way, it means Brisbane's Aaron Kelly trails by108 points, though he still is there with enough points to be won and lost. It sets the scene for a thrilling outcome to the grand final (round 17) of the 2022-23 season ECS Sprintcar Track Championship. Entering the last round, it also means the final finishing order in the top ten is far from certain – particularly the battle between the third and fourth championship positions with just one point between the current third-placed Daniel Sayre and fourth driver in the standings Jessie Attard.
Thirty-three Sprintcars have nominated for this weekend and amongst the entries are Warren Ferguson, Kaidon Brown, Lachlan Caunt and Zac Pacchiarotta – all within the top ten – in a showdown to determine the final standings.
Sydney's Nathan Smee and high flying Kiwi Michael Pickens are the two most successful drivers in the modern day history of the Sydney 50-lap Midget main event and both will drive this Saturday night. Pickens has recorded six wins since the return of the Sydney 50 lap feature on a regular basis in 2005, while Smee has five victories. “Michael and I have always had some close battles in this race, I think even right from his first win and even up to the last he won in 2019 held at Parramatta,” Smee said.
Smee is a long distance specialist. In addition to his Sydney results, he also has a very impressive winning record in this race at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway.
“It's important, starting from the back, not to 'use up' the car too much and instead try to pace yourself, but still watching where the other back markers are coming through the field and not to let them get away,” Nathan added.
Driving for Graham Racing Development, the team are well prepared and certainly enter the half century of laps one of the major contenders. The Midget entry list is impressive with 27 nominations chasing the lucrative prize money on offer with every lap of the marathon sponsored. Kaidon Brown is on the nomination list for both Sprintcar Midget competition, as is Michael Stewart. It's a strong car count to round out the season for the Mighty Midgets with Matt Jackson, Troy Jenkins, DJ Raw, Troy Wagstaff, Troy Ware, Dan Biner, Glen Arnold entered, along with another hard running Kiwi Hayden Williams . . . the latter set to compete in the Andy Hassan owned Midget.
Queensland's Kevin Britten, the man who set a record for the Australian V8 Dirt Modified Championship with five consecutive victories, heads the entries on May 13. Competitors from Queensland and Victoria make this one of the best line-ups for the V8 Dirt Modifieds seen in Sydney for a number of seasons. The field includes former National Champion Scott Cannon.
The man who has shown very good form in the Late Model ranks at ECS this season, Lachlan Only, will compete, while one of the most consistent drivers for many years in Sydney sedan racing – even tracing back to the days at Liverpool City Raceway – Darryl Grimson, has nominated. Throw in the likes of Joel Carrig, Nathan Disney, Robert Carrig, Alan Baker, Ryan Fenech, Brad Smith, Todd Bayley and former Sprintcar driver turned Late Model exponent Steve Caunt, the Late Models are set to round out the season on a high note.
Twenty RSA Street Stockers will turn on their own brand of action. Troy Dawes, Matt Alexander, Matthew Stewart, Anthony Attard, Butch Dawes and Shannon Alexander are among the regulars set to compete this Saturday night.
Racing from 4:30PM. Pit gates open 1PM.
Main gates for online ticket holders from 2:30PM.
General admission sales open from 3PM.
www.easterncreekspeedway.com.au/events.htm for ticketing, pricing and event info.
Story by: Dennis Newlyn.
Photo caption: Brisbane's Aaron Kelly is next in line to Troy Little in the ECS Sprintcar Track Championship point standings and still has a mathematical chance of taking honours entering the deciding round 17 this Saturday night, May 13. Photo: Gary Reid.
