Cantley, QC – Tommy Wickham has come close to winning an event at the Autodrome Edelweiss Speedway in the past. He’s had second-place finishes; then last season, he had a win go by the wayside when the motor in his No. 75 expired. But Friday night, all the pieces finally fell together for Wickham, giving him his second-career Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint, 25-Lap A-Main feature event win. It was also his first win in the Northwood 2 Construction/LaSalle Canadian Sprint Car Series.

 “This place owed us one,” said a smiling Wickham after the event. “It seems like every time we have come, here we’ve finished second. I had a motor let go with five laps to go last year. It feels great to finally win one.”

Wickham started on the pole with Justin Harris to his outside. He and Harris battled as they raced into turn one, with Wickham grabbing the lead as he raced off the bottom of turn two.

Once in front, Wickham pulled away from the competition and quickly made his way into slower traffic. He didn’t have to battle for long as he was saved when Chuck Hebing got into the wall in turn four, bringing out the caution on lap five.

On the restart, Wickham held the lead while Rick Wilson looked to the outside in turn two. Wilson went for the lead in turn three but he went into the corner too hard, causing the car to loop around on him, bringing out the caution for the second time.

Racing resumed with Wickham getting away from all challengers. He had a comfortable lead as laps clicked off until he reached slower traffic on lap 14. Wickham mainly worked the bottom of the speedway but he was able to move around with his Jimmy D’s-powered, Lawson Products-backed sprinter to get by the cars running at the tail of the field.

 

“The traffic was hard get through at times, but eventually I made my way through it,” said Wickham. “I was lucky, though, because I could move around when I needed to. This car was awesome tonight.”

The field got one more shot at the 22-year-old Constantia, New York, driver on lap 20, when Sylvain Erickson spun in turn two. 

For the restart, Wickham had Daniel Lampron's slower car between him and Brian McDonald's second-place running car. Wickham pulled away, and Wickham felt the pressure from McDonald during the final two laps of the race, but he was able to hold him off for the win.

“I looked up at the number board, there under the last caution, and I knew he (McDonald) was behind me,” stated Wickham. “I heard him a couple times there in the last few laps, but I knew if I kept running the line that I had been, I would be alright.

McDonald of Cornwall, Ontario, finished a close second to Wickham with his Engine Research-powered Maxim. McDonald was happy to be in a position to challenge the race lead.

McDonald’s teammate, Lee Ladouceur of Alexandria, Ontario, crossed the line in third with his Maxim ride, his best finish to date.  

 

Alain Bergeron charged from the 12th starting position to finish fourth with his Don Ott-powered J&J. He was chased to the line by St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Quebec, driver Steve Poirier.