KartPulse Warren Wins Four at Nicholson Speedway

Article Information

  • Published By : Bruce AKRA
  • Published On : Oct 11, 2016
  • Views : 2030
  • Likes : 1
  • Category : Race Reports
  • Description : Race Report AKRA American Sprint Cup Northern Tour Nicholson Speedway
  • Location : Chestertown, MD, United States

Overview

  • Warren Wins Four-Boon Triples

    At AKRA Northern Sprint Cup Finale

     

    Story by Bruce C. Walls

    Images by Action Sports Photos

    Bruce and Susan Walls

     

                Chestertown, MD-The last time Nicholson Speedway (formerly Chestertown Speedway) hosted a regional kart racing tour was 16 years ago. That all changed August 26th-28th when the new American Kart Racing Association (AKRA) American Sprint Cup Northern Tour ended its 2016 season with a stop at the historic Chestertown, MD track that was built in 1957. Entrees from New York to Florida filled the ranks of racers competing that weekend. Tour standouts Colin Warren and Blake Boon finished their seasons with hat tricks.

     

    Green to the Chestertown ¼-mile track, Warren, a 19-year-old Naples, FL native quickly adapted to the smooth course. Warren, a TS Racing backed racer, turned some of the weekend’s fastest lap times with Target Distributing TaG Senior top qualifying laps of 19.779 seconds on Saturday followed by a faster 19.730 seconds run Sunday. Track President John Anderson, of Dover, DE trailed Warren in each feature. Saturday Anderson was 2.479 seconds behind Warren. Sunday Warren stretched the difference to 8.964 seconds.

     

    Jacob Brown was behind Anderson Saturday 9.755 seconds off the pace followed by Roger Myers who was fourth one lap down.   Sunday Derek Grebinger took third 16.785 seconds late. Brown finished seven laps later.

     

    Warren also won Razor Chassis 206 Senior Medium that Saturday. A 21.539 seconds trip earned him the pole, which he shared with Roaming Shores, Ohio racer Frank Sullivan, 22.801 seconds, starting next to him. Warren quickly roared away for the early lead leaving Sullivan to trail a distant12.048 seconds at the checkers. Closely following in third was Long Island, NY’s Andrew Cirillo, son of legendary racer/announcer Tony ‘the Toe’ Cirillo. It was Cirillo’s first ever kart race.

     

    “The races were fun this weekend,” Warren described. “I defiantly enjoyed this track. The kart handled good. I want to thank TS Racing, VEGA Tires and AKRA for putting on tis event.”

     

    Piloting a Margay Karts 206 Package, 28-year-old Cirillo earned his first ever kart race taking the checkered flag in 206 Senior Medium that Sunday. “I loved it, I hope to be doing this for a long while,” Cirillo said of his first win. “The Margay 206 Package is a great package. The motor the chassis, everything worked fine no problems. We had a few chassis issues not that serious at all. It’s a great package; I’ve got to thank Margay for that. I want to thank my father, if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be up and running with all of his knowledge and I also want to thank my brother

     

    That Saturday night Nicholson Speedway offered a four class Money Race. Warren won two of those races pocketing $600.00. The Money Races format was qualifying then features. Payout was $300.00 to win, $200.00 for seconds and $100.00 for third. From their poles Warren won TaG Senior and 206 Senior Heavy. In the TaG race he dialed in the pole with a 19.765 seconds ride. Hometown favorite Vincent (Vinnie) Dinora earned the outside front row starting position with a 19.835 seconds lap that was 0.070 seconds off Warren’s lap time.

     

    Warren and Dinora battled door-to-door during the early laps. Then just as Dinora was poised to take the lead he lost a wheel and was forced to settle for a DNF. That moved Anderson into second where he stayed to the end.

     

    Warren spun a 21.897 seconds lap for 206 Senior Heavy’s pole. This time Frank Sullivan clocked the outside pole lap in 22.271 seconds. That’s how they would finish with Sullivan trailing by 6.982 seconds. Cirillo finished third for the final purse position.

     

    In other Money Racing action Galena, MD brothers Jake and Jimmy Heavlon finished nose-to-tail first and second in Stock Animal. They were separated by just 0.078 seconds with Jacob Connor claiming third for the final money spot. Connor was 0.310 seconds behind the senior Heavlon brother.

     

    Camden Gruber took the 206 Cadet Money feature from the outside pole he earned with a 22.698 seconds lap. Garret Davis was the pole winner with a 22.613 seconds lap. Gruber grabbed the early lead and finished 0.919 seconds ahead of Davis.

     

    Boon scored his trio of wins from their poles with Gruber grabbing second behind him each time starting with Saturday’s PRO Gas Cadet. The eight-year-old triple winner dialed in the pole time in 22.469 seconds with Gruber grabbing the outside pole with a 23.001 seconds run. Boon’s GT Machine powered Coyote Kart rocketed into the early lead and built a dominating 7.839 seconds finish line advantage over Gruber.

     

    “I really like it here. I’ve had a lot of fun. There was good competition,” Boon described.

     

    Sunday Boon blasted a round the track in 22.164 seconds for his second PRO Gas Cadet pole. Gruber was again the outside pole winner with a time of 22.164 seconds. This time Gruber closed the gap-trailing Boon across the stripe by 3.583 seconds.

     

    The Boon vs. Gruber battle’s final fight was in Sunday’s 206 Cadet division where Boon locked in the pole with a lap time of 22.057. Gruber’s fastest lap was 0.406 seconds slower at 22.462 seconds. The early laps were dicey with a three-way fight for the front with Gruber and Garrett Davis doing all they could trying to pass Boon. At the checkers Gruber was 3.598 seconds late.

     

    “It was fun making passes with the other drivers,” Boon said of his 206 Cadet win adding thanks to his parents, GT Machine and Coyote Karts.

     

    Boon was hoping to make it four for four in the Northern Tour. Previously he won all four class at Genesis Valley Kart Club in Avon, NY in June. He did it again in July at Michiana Speedway in Liberty, IN and at again at Thompson Raceway in Thompson, Ohio in August. But at Chestertown he would be denied. Roaming Shores, Ohio racer Alex Sullivan beat him to Kart City Performance 206 Cadet’s stripe ending Boon’s sweep in 4.871 seconds.

     

    Sullivan led it all. He topped qualifying with a 22.286 seconds rounding, beat Boon to the Heat’s finish line by a mire 0.020 before beating him in the Feature with a comfortable 4.871 seconds cushion. Further back Davis and Gruber finished third and fourth.

     

    “The kart handled really well today,” said the 12-year-old GT Machine powered Coyote kart pilot. “I want to thank my dad, my engine builder and everybody else who helped with this.”

     

    William Loller led the way in both Michigan Kart Supply Purple Plate local option classes. Loller piloting a Joe Hersburger Racing Engines powered Coyote Chassis Loller produced pole laps of 24.281 and 24.070 seconds. From there he beat Christopher Spray by 21.816 seconds Saturday and on Sunday by 23.038 seconds.

     

    “The kart handled good, it felt really good around the turns,” 12-year-old Loller described. “

     

    In other Sunday action Colton Brown claimed the Comer Kid Kart win, Jacob Connors captured the Stock Animal checkered flag and Ty Canoles topped Yamaha Junior. Connors was 1.633 seconds ahead of Shannon Spry and Canoles was 4.992 seconds ahead of Roger MLyers

     

    Next up for American Sprint Cup competitors are Grand Nationals scheduled for 103rd Street Sports Complex in Jacksonville, Florida Oct. 21-23.

     

     

    Nicholson Speedway Photo Captions

     

    Please credit photos to:

     

    Bruce C. Walls/Action Sports Photos

    Actionpicsandpromos.com

     

    DSC_2413 Mercury Marine products sponsored Heavlon brothers Jake (3) and Jimmy lead Stock Animal racers to the green flag Saturday night.

     

    DSC_2427-#22 Ryan Bennett leads a pack of racers at Nicholson Speedway during the AKRA American Sprint Cup Northern Tour

     

    DSC_2438-Stock Animal racers #05-Jacob Connors and #50-Kyle Weissner

     

    DSC_2432-Jake Heavlon leads his brother Jimmy in Saturday night’s Stock Animal race

     

    DSC_2454-#23 John Anderson (left) fits bumps #11 Colin Warren before the start of TaG Senior

     

    DSC_3118-Triple winner Blake Boon passes #24-Camden Gruber and #37-Garrett Davis in 206 Cadet Junior

     

    DSC_3529-Tony Cirillo (left) and his son Chris push Chris’s kart back to their pit after Sunday’s Stock Animal race.

     

    DSC_3578-#22 Triple winner Blake Boon with a big lead in 206 Cadet Juinior

     

    DSC_3523-#11 Colin Warren and #7 Andrew Cirillo side-by-side in 206 Medium