Speedway honours lost drivers

By RYAN MCCRACKEN on August 11, 2021.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken

Members of the Medicine Hat Speedway paid tribute to those they’ve lost at the Darryl Adams Memorial races this weekend.

Dale Edwards collected a pair of checkered flags over the weekend, winning Friday and Saturday’s main events in the Baby Grands class, to earn the Darryl Adams Memorial trophy – an honour bestowed in memory of a former Speedway champion.

But the Speedway also awarded two new memorial trophies on Saturday night, with Levi Sergeant winning the Dean Wakshinsky Award, and Jonathan Rissling taking the Mark Hanna Award.

“The Hobbies came out to give Mark Hanna a tribute because that’s the class he raced in,” Speedway president Curtis Bigelow told the News, adding Dynamic Industrial Solutions sponsored the Dean Wakshinsky and Mark Hanna trophies, which will be awarded annually at the Darryl Adams Memorial.

“(Wakshinsky’s) family got Dean’s car fixed and got it out for Saturday and they did the same kind of thing, they did a missing man formation for the race and then a tribute to him.”

Rissling earned the checkered flag in both Hobby Stock main events to earn the Mark Hanna Award. Sergeant followed up a second-place finish from Friday’s Busy Bee Auto Rumblebees final with a main event victory on Saturday to claim the Dean Wakshinsky Award – a driver Sergeant used to race alongside.

In the Elite Street Stock, Les Negium won Friday’s main event, followed by Thomas Payne and Mitch Stovka. Negium settled for third Saturday, while Trevor Negium took first and Stovka second.

Ethan Skolarchuk took back-to-back victories in the Evolution Mini Cup Car class. Noah Banman took second and Connor Skolarchuk settled for third on Friday, then Carson Malone and Sebastian Beaupre took second and third, respectively, on Saturday.

Rick Jondreau and Dave Deschner finished second and third, respectively, in both the weekend’s Baby Grands main events.

Kevin Hieb won Friday’s Rumblebee main event before settling for second Saturday, while Brittney Young took third Friday and Tyler Soldaat finished third Saturday.

Darryl Maclean and Patrick Steffan took second and third, respectively, in both of the Hobby Stock main events from the weekend.

Racing returns to the Medicine Hat Speedway Aug. 21, featuring Rumblebees, Hobby Stock, Elite Street, Renegade Trucks and lawnmower racing.