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What started out as a beautiful day for racing at the Grand Bend Speedway in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada turned into a third time is a charm for Matt Todd when the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Michigan Legends Series visited the Ontario speed plant this past Saturday night, July 18th.

With rain in the area around the speedway but not near the track the heat races came out to entertain the fans and determine the starting grid for the feature race to be contested later in the evening.

Cody Mahoney took the first of two heat races by beating Matt Todd and Matt Barton for the top spot in that race while Chance Rice took the second heat race over Brandon Mahoney and Tony Monge.

With weather moving in to the speedway, the Grand Bend officials pulled the Legends cars out on the track ahead of the schedule in an attempt to “get the show in”. During warm-up and pace laps the skies began to roll out a heavy mist onto the track and after 5 or so laps the caution would fly before taking the green flag and the cars retired to the pits.

Once off of the track the mist stopped and within a half an hour the Legends cars pulled back onto a damp track for some at speed test laps. With the track drying out and the drivers giving the thumbs up, the command was given out over the Raceivers by series Promoter John Turnbull Sr. to get into formation for the start. However, just as the command was given out the sprinkles came again and the drivers once again pulled back into the pits.

With the Grand Bend Speedway officials consulting the local radar it appeared that there would be a window to get the race in. Sure enough and with the tenacity of the Legends Car drivers, series, and track officials the drivers once again rolled out onto the track after a 30 minute rain delay. After a few warm-up laps the drivers gave the thumbs up for the feature.

Matt Todd and Brandon Mahoney would bring the field down for the green flag with Todd taking the lead at the green and Mahoney hot on his bumper in second. The race would stay green until just past the halfway mark when the field would be slowed for a one car spin. Todd would lead at the restart with re-newed pressure from second place runner Chance Rice who had gotten around Mahoney just before the halfway mark. The field would be slowed once more for caution at the 28 lap mark but Todd was up to the challenge and held off Rice for his fourth win of the season proving that third time out on this rainy evening was indeed a charm.

Brandon Mahoney was third with Tony Monge and Cody Mahoney rounding out the top five. Matt Barton, Keera Allen, Gary Joppich, Sean McPherson, and Dave DeHem rounded out the top ten finishers.

Almost as soon as the feature race was completed the persistent sprinkles came back and the remaining races scheduled for the night were cancelled and will be rescheduled for the following race night. A big hats off to the entire crew at Grand Bend Speedway for pulling it all off last night and getting the Michigan Legends Show in so the series would not have to return the following day to complete the show.

The Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Michigan Legends Series will be off for a week before returning to the Owendale Speedway and Saturday August 1st for its third and last race of the year on the dirt. The series always puts on a great show at this clean facility in the Thumb region of Michigan. The series moves to the Auto City Speedway in the Clio/Mt. Morris area near Flint for the annual Great Lakes Nationals that will feature a 50 lap feature for the Legends Cars. This Auto City race is very important in the schedule as it awards double points for the night and a good finish can really help out in the season long point’s race.

So get out to the races next week but remember to make room in your racing plans to come on out to the Owendale and Auto City Speedway on August 1st and 2nd to see the Auto Value/Bumper to Bumper Michigan Legends Series and remember to check out the official website for the Michigan Legends series at www.michiganlegends.com for complete results, schedule, standings, and driver information. While you are there, check out the “Hot Laps” section for all the weekly news from past and present. Until then, “We’ll see you at The Races”.