Wyant Group Raceway ready for green flag to drop

The Wyant Group Raceway opens its season on Saturday.

    For members of the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association, they might feel like kids opening presents on Christmas morning, because they will begin racing for real.

    On Saturday, the green flag is ready to drop to start an abbreviated season at the Wyant Group Raceway. Normally, the stock car racing season in Saskatoon starts near the last weekend of May.

    Of course, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic wreaked havoc on the local automotive racing season like it has the entire sports world.

    The SSCRA has had a racing season of some sort every year since 1954, and that streak will go on despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

    The front gates are set to open at 4 p.m. on Saturday and the national anthem and invocation will follow at 6 p.m. to kick off the night’s main program.

    Racing is slated to take place in the super late model, bandolero, sportsman, baby grand and mini cup classes.

    Due to Government of Saskatchewan COVID-19 pandemic regulations, the SSCRA was only able to sell 150 tickets for Saturday’s race program, and those tickets were all scooped up a short time after going on sale on Tuesday.
    The fans won’t have any problems when to comes to physical distancing as the Wyant Group Raceway has a capacity of 3,319 spectators, and the track also has 15 corporate chalets that act as box seating.

Racers from the sportsman class head down the front straightaway. 

    With 150 spectators coming to the track, it will almost feel like you could have one fan per every section of stands.

    Still, those in attendance will likely be excited to once again take in one of Saskatoon’s long time summer traditions. The tradition goes back to 1954, when the unincorporated Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Club, which became the SSCRA, operated on the 8^th Street Racing Oval called the Motordrome.

    The track moved to the grandstand area at Prairieland Park for a couple of years in 1970 and 1971. The action shifted to the Bridge City Speedway from 1972 to 2005 before the City of Saskatoon annexed that land to build the residential neighbourhood of Evergreen.

    Since 2006, the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association has called the immaculate Wyant Group Raceway home. For those that have never been there, Wyant Group Raceway feels like a piece of race car heaven, and you almost can’t believe a stock car racing facility that nice is located in Saskatoon.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t on, the Wyant Group Raceway hosts an annual NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop. The NASCAR Pinty’s Series is a minor league circuit that prepares drivers to compete one day at NASCAR’s top level – the Cup Series.

    Still, the racing in Saskatoon’s local classes is top notch and gets the adrenaline pumping. SSCRA supporters will once again be able to see the exploits of various standout drivers in local classes like Aaron Anderson, Neil Schneider, Kevin Dyck, Lachlyn Anderson, Sam Howlett, Blake Erb, Mike Rea, Matthew Shirley and Jim Gaunt.

The super late model class produces tonnes of thrilling races. 

    Prince Albert, Sask., product Shantel Kalika is another track standout, but it is uncertain she will take part in any 2020 races as she is on maternity leave.

    Some of the Saskatoon drivers have been entertaining fans online with a series of iRacing virtual events. While the broadcasts of the virtual events are cool, they can’t replace the feel of live action.

    The shortened SSCRA race season is schedule to run over seven spread out over August and September.

    Considering it seemed possible there wouldn’t be a race season at all in these pandemic times, the 2020 SSCRA season is a special and much welcomed gift.

Could the Saskatoon Field House come back to action?

The front entrance of the Saskatoon Field House.

    It appears the Saskatoon Field House might not be used for any field hospital type purposes at all.

    In early April, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said the Saskatoon Field House was going to be used to stage staff for the field hospital that has been built inside neighbouring Merlis Belsher Place for a surge of COVID-19 cases.

    Merlis Belsher Place was opened on the University of Saskatchewan campus on October of 2018 mainly to serve as the home of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams. Housing two hockey rinks, Merlis Belsher Place was also home to the Saskatoon Contacts under-18 AAA hockey team and the Saskatoon Stars under-18 female AAA hockey club.

    At the moment, Merlis is a “Linus blanket” field hospital in waiting, and for those that have seen the surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States, it is likely a good thing Merlis is a field hospital in waiting.

    It is well known in the Saskatoon sports community that Merlis won’t be available to be a sports facility for the 2020-21 campaign, and it is uncertain when it will ever serve as a sports facility again.

    With that noted, it appears the Saskatoon Field House might escape having to serve the field hospital at Merlis.

    I went biking through that area on Sunday, and there is no Saskatchewan Health Authority signage on the Saskatoon Field House. There are still signs on the doors of the Saskatoon Field House from the City of Saskatoon stating that sports facility is still closed.

    When you go to the back of the Saskatoon Field House, it feels kind of abandoned as some of the weeds by the back door are about three feet high.

    The City of Saskatoon’s website says the Saskatoon Field House is still closed and there are no notes about when it possibly could reopen. Most of Saskatoon’s leisure centres are close with the exception of the Lakewood Civic Centre and the Shaw Centre, which are partially open.

    The Saskatoon Field House in the main practice facility for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s track and field teams and for the local track and field community. If it isn’t being reserved to assist with the field hospital at Merlis, the optimism that the Saskatoon Field House could be opened for sports purposes at some point in the future has to increase.

    The outside of Merlis has various Saskatchewan Health Authority signs placed all over it. The main entrance has a label for staff to enter and door for couriers bring packages to the building.

    The back side Merlis has a pair of doors labeled for patients to enter, and both doors lead to the hockey rink area.

    While Merlis won’t be a sports facility for some time, it would be a huge bonus for the Saskatoon sports community to get the Saskatoon Field House back.

Softball Saskatchewan cancels provincials, other notes

Saskatchewan softball players will just play in local area leagues in 2020.

    Softball Saskatchewan couldn’t hold out any longer.

    On Wednesday, the minor sport governing body cancelled all of its provincial championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While most minor sport governing bodies that oversaw teams sports during the spring and summer hand cancelled their respective provincials some time ago, Softball Saskatchewan was holding out hoping some positive developments would break with regards to the pandemic.

    Softball Saskatchewan cited Government of Saskatchewan restrictions and guidelines for the cancellation. The Government of Saskatchewan still has a ban regarding tournament play for team sports due to the pandemic.

    Only Golf Saskatchewan was able to run provincial championship tournaments this summer due to golf being an individual sport.

    Softball Saskatchewan and Baseball Sask were allowed to get game action going in city and house leagues starting in early July. Those games are continuing throughout August.

    While it is disappointing Softball Saskatchewan won’t be able to host provincial championship tournament, the crew with that organization should be commended for the work they did to try and make those title events a reality.

• On Tuesday, the AHL announced it has cancelled the AHL All-Star Classic for the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Laval Rocket was set to host the AHL All-Star Classic on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 in 2021. Laval will host the event for the 2021-22 campaign on dates that are still to be determined. The AHL hopes to start its 2021-22 regular season on Dec. 4.
• On Tuesday, the Saskatoon Blades announced former captain Ralph Klassen passed away at age 64. Klassen, who is from Humboldt, Sask., played 300 regular season games at centre over five seasons for the Blades from 1970 to 1975 piling up 81 goals and 194 assists for 275 points. Following his time with the Blades, Klassen skated for nine seasons in the NHL from 1975 to 1984 playing for the California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Blues. He appeared in 497 career NHL regular season games collecting 52 goals and 93 assists for 145 points. Klassen passed away after a battle with cancer.
• On Wednesday, the OHL announced it hopes to start its regular season on Dec. 1. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the OHL is reducing the length of its regular season from 68 games to 64 games for each team. The OHL plans to hold playoffs in a 16-team format slated to start on April 29, 2021. The OHL hopes to host the Memorial Cup tournament to crown a CHL champion from June 17-27, 2021 in either Oshawa with the Generals as hosts or Sault Ste. Marie with the Greyhounds as hosts.
• On Wednesday, Phil Andrews announced via Twitter he was remaining with the WHL’s Regina Pats as the team’s director of media and communications. He was set to step down from that post on July 31. Andrews said he will be remaining with the Pats to bridge the gap in that position until the WHL season starts.
• On Thursday, the WHL announced it is moving the start of its regular season for the 2020-21 campaign to Dec.4 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit is still planning to play a full 68 game regular season for each team and four rounds of playoffs.
• On Thursday, the CJFL cancelled its entire 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The venerable Saskatoon Hilltops have won the last six straight CJFL titles and have taken the league crown in nine of the last 10 years. The Regina Thunder had the lone other CJFL title win during that span of time coming in 2013.
• On Thursday, the University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s hockey team and the University of Alberta Pandas women’s hockey team were reinstated as members of the Canada West Conference for the 2020-21 U Sports season. On June 17, the U of Alberta athletics program suspended play in a number of sports for the 2020-21 season due to financial constraints brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Golden Bears and Pandas hockey teams requested to be reinstated following new financial support from donors. At the moment, regular season play in the Canada West Conference is slated to start in Jan. 2021 depending how the COVID-19 pandemic plays out. The Golden Bears have won the most U Sports national men’s titles with 16, and the Pandas have won the most U Sports national women’s titles at eight.
• Gregg Drinnan continues to do solid work tracking how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the sports world in his Taking Note blog. His post from Thursday can be found by clicking right here.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Anderson posts biggest stock car victory of his career

Veteran racer claims Pro Truck Tint Centre 75 and $1,000 prize

Aaron Anderson takes a victory lap at the Wyant Group Raceway.

    Aaron Anderson never had a better day at the Wyant Group Raceway.

    The veteran driver went into the opening day of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop in Saskatoon on Tuesday having won his last four pro truck feature races. With the local classes of the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association taking centre stage on the first day of the annual two-day event, Anderson was aiming to claim the Pro Truck Tint Centre 75 feature race and a $1,000 first place prize.

    The Martensville product jumped into second place during the early portion of the race. After a restart following a caution flag with 21 laps to go, Anderson bolted past leader Alex Leschenko for top spot and held on for victory. The two-day NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop is the local track’s premier show.

Aaron Anderson won a heat race and Tuesday’s pro truck feature run.

    “This is the Super Bowl for us,” said Anderson. “This is the biggest race of the year for us.

    “I’ve been racing 20 years, and this is the biggest win of my career. I’ve never won a race as big and important as this one. I’ve never won $1,000 in one shot.

    “This is my biggest win I have ever had, so I am over the moon.”

    Driving a Toyota Tundra, Anderson trailed Leschenko, who was driving a Ford F-150, by a half straightaway length in the early portion of the race but slowly gained ground on the Saskatoon product. When a caution came out with 21 laps remaining, Anderson was in striking distance of the lead.

    About a couple of laps after the restart, Anderson got ahead of Leschenko and never looked back to win a fifth straight pro truck feature race. Leschenko finished second and Shantel Kalika of Prince Albert came in third.

Aaron Anderson (#19) holds the edge on two pursuers.

    Anderson said his pit crew headed by crew chief Cory Ernst and head mechanic Kelly Voss played a key part setting up the truck for Tuesday’s feature run.

    “We had a big long discussion me and the guys, and it was decided that we were going to tighten it up a little bit more than we would normally have it tight,” said Anderson, who also won a heat race on Tuesday. “We gave it a little bit more wedge than we normally would.

    “As the fuel load burns off, it loosens it up a touch, and it makes it better for the long run. With 21 laps to go on that restart, I managed to have enough tire leftover.”

Aaron Anderson speeds to the checkered flag.

    Upon arriving back in the pits, Anderson was greeted by a huge contingent of family.

    “It makes me feel good I get all this support here,” said Anderson. “My dad, my mom, my uncle, my three daughters, my step son and my step daughter and everybody else, it is just phenomenal to have everybody out here supporting me.

    “I just want to give them a big shout out and a big thanks and tell them I love them all.”

    The Pro Truck Tint Centre 75 wasn’t the lone big local race on Tuesday. Neil Schneider took top spot in the 75-lap sportsman class feature in his 2016 Chevrolet Camero.

    Starting from the third position on the grid, he passed Nicole Sheetka for the lead about 15 laps into the race and remained in front the rest of the way. Matt Neufeld finished second, and Damen Meier came in third. Sheetka ended up finishing sixth.

Neil Schneider (#93) pulls away from the sportsman field.

    Schneider had a small moment of worry after a caution flag with four laps to go wiped out a comfortable lead he had on the field. After getting a quick jump on the restart, he held on for victory. Schneider was pleased a handful of cautions weren’t able to slow his momentum down in his feature race win.

    “We were able to get good restarts,” said Schneider. “The car was really good mid corner, so we were able to turn it.

    “We were able to get a good lead and then coast a bit and save the equipment.”

Schneider was pumped to get his feature victory.

    “Every chance you win you cherish every one, because you never know if it might be your last one,” said Schneider. “(To win) in front of the NASCAR crowd, it is a little extra more special.”

Neil Schneider does a victory lap after winning the sportsman class feature.

    The local super late model class also held a couple of heat races on Tuesday. Matthew Shirley won the first heat race, while Kevin Dyck took the second heat race.

    The NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop concludes with a race program set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Wyant Group Raceway. Wednesday’s races include a 100-lap feature for the local super late model class and two NASCAR Pinty’s Series feature races each lasting 100-laps in duration.

    The Pinty’s Series is a minor-league circuit that prepares drivers to compete one day on NASCAR’s top level – the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Local super late models to get bigger spotlight at Saskatoon NASCAR Pinty’s stop

SSCRA’s super late model class will race in a prime spot.

    Matthew Shirley might be jumping a little more than normal with excitement for this year’s NASCAR Pinty’s Series stop in Saskatoon.

    The 22-year-old races in the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association’s super late model class, and that group is going to have a prime showcase spot at the NASCAR Pinty’s stop. The event runs over two days on Tuesday and Wednesday with the main NASCAR race set for the second of those days.

    This year, the NASCAR Pinty’s Series will hold two feature races 100 laps in length on Wednesday, and both of those races count in the drivers’ standings for the circuit. Those races will be split up by a 100-lap feature race from the local super late model class.

    “It is going to be absolutely exciting, and all the drivers are going to have the jitters going to the max,” said Shirley. “We are going to have a full crowd, we are going to have a great car count and we also going to be racing in front of the NASCAR guys.”

    Tuesday’s action begins at 7 p.m. and that day’s program contains 75-lap feature races for the local pro truck and sportsman class and heat races for the super late models. Wednesday’s action starts at 6 p.m. and that day’s program contains the two Pinty’s Series races and the feature run of the local super late model class.

    The Pinty’s Series is a minor-league circuit that prepares drivers to compete one day on NASCAR’s top level – the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

    On the local circuit, Shirley moved to the super late model class last year after winning two straight track titles in the sportsman class in 2014 and 2015. He turned some heads during the two day NASCAR Pinty’s stop last year capturing the Bryce Mann Memorial super late model feature race.

The SSCRA’s super late models charge down a straightaway.

    “It was one of the highlights of my career winning that Bryce Mann last year,” said Shirley. “That was my first super late model feature win.

    “It was in front of a NASCAR crowd on the Tuesday show. The Tuesday show the crowd is not as strong as the Wednesday. Now, it is on the Wednesday, so the memory you can have of winning this is huge.

    “The main thing I think for us young drivers is we are doing it in front of the NASCAR drivers and they are going to be watching. As a young aspiring racer, you’ve always wanted big names watching you race.”

    Shirley said driving in the local super late model class has been challenging due to the presence of a number of strong veteran drivers. They includes the likes for Jim Gaunt, Trent Seidel, Dave Bone and Doug Bienia, and Shirley watched them race while growing up. He said the veterans seem to get faster as they age.

    “It is pretty humbling and cool when you get to race against them,” said Shirley. “They always pull out different tricks.

    “They set the bar so high, which is great for me as a developing driver. I won two championships in a row in sportsman, and it was like hey we have to move up to super late, so I can kind of just keep developing as a driver.

    “Those guys, they push you. They are the peak of the mountain for definitely here in western Canada racing that is for sure.”

    Shirley said you will be on the track thinking you are doing well in a super model race, and all of a sudden you would be shocked when one of the veterans pulls a move to blow by seven cars to take the lead. The young driver said you have a moment of being both stunned and in awe trying to comprehend what just happened.

    With that said, Shirley is part of a youth contingent in the class along with Jared Reddekopp who are getting noticed. Shirley said the veteran drivers always have the edge, but the super late model feature race on Wednesday will be a competitive one. He believes the crowd that is expected to be around 5,000 will get a good show from the local class.

Jim Gaunt takes a victory lap in 2015.

    It is expected a field of 21 to 22 cars could be present for the NASCAR Pinty’s Series races, and a field of 18 cars is expected for the super late model feature race.

    “When NASCAR comes around, it is always bigger, because there is a lot more excitement,” said Shirley, who is the local track’s director of fundraising. “There is a lot more of a buzz.

    “As a local driver, especially with this new format they have given us where we get to put our super lates in between the two 100 races, it is a big opportunity to show the city of Saskatoon, the corporate sponsors, everybody kind of what they are missing on their week to week racing.”

Blogs of Interest are worth checking out

Ashley Bernstein, left, writes a good-vibes blog.

    Recently, I added a blogs of interest column to my site that contains blogs I find I get engaged with and hope other readers will be engaged with as well.

    I figured I should give a brief description of each blog. They are listed alphabetically. The links to these blog can been found on the “Blog of Interest” bar running down the right side of this page.

    Dominic’s journey with AML – This blog is put together by my former sports editor at the Medicine Hat News – Sean Rooney. Rooney created the blog to document the journey his family went on after his toddler son, Dominic was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on Sept. 12, 2013. Dominic passed away shortly before his third birthday on Sept. 3, 2015.

    Rooney still documents the journey his family still encounters and also details fundraising initiatives they undertake for the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Rooney is a talented writer, and his best work is chronicling some of his family’s most emotional times.

    Dubnetwork – Is the brainchild of co-founders Paul Figler and Jesse Phillips. It is a site devoted to cover the happenings of the Western Hockey League. In just over a year, they have built up a nice roster of writers to help cover the league.

    It is a good independent site that doesn’t have attachments to the mainstream media. Even casual WHL followers will enjoy what Dubnetwork has to offer.

    Hurricane Watch – Pat Siedlecki, who is a former radio play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes, put together this blog that collects all the various new items involving the Hurricanes. For anyone that is looking for a nice way to get a quick roundup with what is happening with the Hurricanes, this blog makes for a nice one-stop place.

    Pick-It Or Flick-It – A movie blog that is produced by my cousin Justin Chomitzky. I myself am not a movie junkie, but when I do want to watch a movie and make a theatre stop, I want to know if it will be good. My cousin’s passion is movies, and his blog reviews have always been bang on in saying what is good and what isn’t good.

    If you are interested in watching a movie on a night out or at home, checking my cousin’s blog is always a wise decision.

    Regan’s Rants – Regan Bartel, who is the play-by-play voice of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets, produces this blog. He writes opinion pieces on happenings involving the Rockets and elsewhere in the WHL. Bartel’s blog gives a good look into one of the most elite and successful franchises in the WHL’s Western Conference.

    RodPedersen.com – Saskatchewan Roughriders play-by-play voice Rod Pedersen produces this blog, and it is one of those blogs that has been around for a lengthy stretch of time. Of course, Pedersen writes about the daily happenings and his views on everything involving the Roughriders.

    His blog also does a good job in rounding up everything else that is going on in Regina’s sports scene. With it being summer, Pedersen’s blog contains frequent posts on the Regina Red Sox of the Western Major Baseball League, who have a big following in “the Queen City.” Pedersen has frequent round ups involving the WHL’s Regina Pats, the University of Regina Rams and the CJFL’s Regina Thunder as well as pieces from a few veteran media members.

    Shawn Mullin’s Swift Current Broncos Blog – Created by Swift Current Broncos play-by-play voice Shawn Mullin, this blog features news about what is happening with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos. It is another blog that has a lengthy history dating back to 2010.

    Due to the fact the Broncos exist in the Canadian Hockey League’s smallest market, they don’t receive a huge amount of media coverage. Mullin provides an easy place that allows you to quickly get a handle on all the news involving the team.

    Taking Note – The granddaddy of major junior hockey blogs produced by Gregg Drinnan and dates way back to June of 2007. When it comes to covering the WHL, Drinnan is the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. He has produced the one stop shop place for everything that happens in the WHL, and he always produces his work in a way that is understandable for everyone.

    Drinnan also gives a few good looks about other happenings in the sports world. He has always been a big supporter of the work I’ve done on this blog, and his Taking Note is always a must to check out.

    The Lost Girl’s Guide to Finding the World – This blog is produced by Ashlyn George, who is a freelance travel writer, photographer and videographer. The former University of Saskatchewan education grad is pretty much an experience junkie, who has visited 55 countries and seven continents all before the age of 30.

    You will be drawn in by her blog of her adventures around the world. Even the stories from her home province of Saskatchewan are amazing and gives those from the province a new look at their home area.

    This is 25 – This blog is produced by Ashley Bernstein, who a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders Cheer Team. She produces upbeat happy posts that create positive vibes in just going through life. It gives you a chuckle when she tells stories about the struggles she has had in dating, and her stories come off in a way they make you laugh.

    She also shares some battles she has had on the mental health front, which have been linked to issues with body image. Bernstein looks perfect, and being on the Riders Cheer Team, you would never think she would deal with any of those issues. That makes her human, and you have to admire the fact she always strive to be that ray of sunshine that seems to brighten up everyone’s day.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.