By Rich Vleck
BROCKVILLE, Ont, (June 12, 2010)- Jared Zimbardi entered Brockville with three straight second-place finishes in ASCS Patriot competition and knew he was just a good redraw away from grabbing his first win of the year. Landing the pole for the feature along with some good luck in lapped traffic was just what he needed to pull it off.
Zimbardi, of Little Valley, NY, made his longest single-race tow of the 2010 ASCS Patriot Season pay off in fine fashion as he dominated the second-half of the 25-lap feature at the Brockville Ontario Speedway for his first win of the season and inherit the point lead in the process.
Despite starting on the pole, local favorite Brian McDonald soared into the lead on the start of the A-Main, setting the pace for the first 10 laps; as he was coming to complete lap 11, with Zimbardi nipping at his rear bumper, the No. 151kb got tangled up in lapped traffic and flipped off of turn four. It was a lucky break for Zimbardi, but one that he felt deserving to capitalize on.
“It’s ironic,” noted the 23-year-old in Victory Lane. “I lost a race here four years ago in nearly an identical incident, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes,” alluding to a near-miss at what would have been his first Patriot win in 2006.
“It was going to be tough to get around Brian because he was really strong on the top and that’s where the momentum was but it’s tough in lapped traffic and stuff happens.”
“The Juice” appeared to have something for McDonald, especially in lapped traffic, but with “Slim” out of the event, nobody was in the same league as the Bundle of Warmth/ Kill Buck Center No. 35 on this night.
The win was Zimbardi’s fifth on the ASCS Patriot Circuit, moving him into a tie for sixth on the all-time wins list with Bobby Breen. He became the fifth different winner in as many contests thus far in 2010. It was also his first time winning a Patriot race in Canada, which he explained how it would be different after the event.
“We’re going to have to stick around here tonight and have some Canadian Beer and enjoy this one,” Zimbardi stated, which was followed by a hearty laugh from the full grandstands.
As Zimbardi checked out from the pack, Don Adamczyk would put together a solid showing in his No. 21 to cross in second. Like Zimbardi, Adamczyk made the most of his longest single-race tow to score the first runner-up showing for “The Williamsville Warrior” since his photo finish at Eriez in May of 2008.
Bubba Broderick had more problems getting to the BOS than he did getting around it on Saturday. The Brookfield, CT youngster charged from seventh to third for his third top-five in Patriot competition at Brockville in as many starts.
Fan favorite Rick Wilson figured out his Riverside Bar and Grill No. 42w in time for the feature as he quickly charged from his 10th place starting position into the top-five in the first three laps and would bring it home in fourth.
Shawn Donath rallied from what could have been a major incident in his heat when he slid over the banking in turn four and made hard contact with an implement tire covering the start of the frontstretch wall. Luckily for Donath, he would hit it in the right nerfbar and only break a Jacob’s Ladder. He would be the hard charger on the night, running up from 17th to fifth.
Alain Bergeron also figured out the setup in the feature and came from 11th to sixth. Chris Jones, like Bergeron, moved up five spots to crack the top-10 in seventh.
Kyle Fraser scored his first career heat win and followed it up with his first career top-10, placing eighth. April Wilson also recorded her best Patriot finish as she made the redraw and crossed in ninth. The Wilson “Camp” was also represented well by Doug Banks, who completed the top-10.
Tim Kelly, who dominated National Parts Peddler Heat Race 1, flipped on the opening lap in turns three and four, ending what seemed to be a promising night very early.
Bryan Howland, who entered the night as the point leader, broke a radius rod in his heat race but rebounded to get into the top-five in the feature before snapping the front axle inexplicitly with six laps remaining, forcing him to the pits prematurely.
Vern Wasson’s first trip from Pennsylvania to Eastern Ontario was one he will want to forget as he blew an engine in his heat race and was scratched for the remainder of the night.
Devin Caron scored his first ASCS Patriot Checkered Flag on the night as the 2009 Insinger Race Fuels Rookie of the Year dominated the Four Laps of Fame Dash, pulling away from Rick Wilson to earn a trip to Victory Lane.
For more information, visit www.ASCSpatriotsprints.com or www.ASCSracing.com.
ASCS Patriots Results: 6/12/10, Brockville Speedway, Brockville, Ontario, CANADA.
Riverside A-Main (25 Laps)- 1. Jared Zimbardi (35), 2. Don Adamczyk (21), 3. Bubba Broderick (5), 4. Rick Wilson (42w), 5. Shawn Donath (33), 6. Alain Bergeron (8B), 7. Chris Jones (11J), 8. Kyle Fraser (01), 9. April Wilson (15aw), 10. Doug Banks (45x), 11. Paul Pekonnen, 12. Devin Caron (24k), 13. Tyler Rand (84), 14. Bryan Howland (51), 15. Shane Ely (90), 16. Brian McDonald (151kb), 17. Tim Kelly (12), 18. Vern Wasson (5v).
Lap Leaders- McDonald 1-10, Zimbardi 11-25.
Four Laps of Fame Dash (4 Laps)- 1. Devin Caron (24k), 2. Rick Wilson (42w), 3. Alain Bergeron (8B), 4. Chris Jones (11J), 5. Bryan Howland (51), 6. Paul Pekkonen (98).
National Parts Peddler Heats (8 Laps Each)-
Race 1: 1. Tim Kelly (12), 2. April Wilson (15aw), 3. Devin Caorn (24k), 4. Rick Wilson (42w), 5. Bryan Howland (51), 6. Vern Wasson (5v).
Race 2: 1. Kyle Fraser (01), 2. Don Adamczyk (21), 3. Shane Ely (90), 4. Chris Jones (11J), 5. Doug Banks (45x), 6. Tyler Rand (84).
Race 3: 1. Brian McDonald (151kb), 2. Jared Zimbardi (35), 3. Shawn Donath (33), 4. Bubba Broderick (5), 5. Alain Bergeron (8B), 6. Paul Pekkonen (98).