There was "gourd" news for Martin Beaulieu at Saratoga Speedway's season finale on Oct. 10.
The Great Pumpkin Race returned for the first time in many years, with all classes taking part and Beaulieu guiding his #11 race car to victory. The Crash to Pass cars, Hornets, Roadrunners, Bombers and I.M.C.A. Modifieds were also on the card, with yet another amazing firework show capping off the 2015 season.
Coming into the final night of racing, only a few classes had serious point battles to be decided. #99 Glenn White held a slim 51-point lead over #98 Nigel Neufeld and #12 Raymond Fortier in the Hornet A division, and #91 Chris Beaulieu held a tight 66-point lead over #72 Travis Stevenson and #88 Troy Tarbuck in the I.M.C.A Modified class.
Some championships were already decided: #53 Rowland Westra wrapped up the Hornet B championship many weeks ago as he dominated the class the entire season, finishing over 600 points in the lead.
Elsewhere, #88 Ryan Guest secured his first-ever Roadrunner championship. He came into the night 334 points ahead of #67 Devon Degraag, making it mathematically impossible for Degraag to catch him.
In the Bomber car division, #87 Boston Larson came into the night 431 points ahead of second place and assured of the championship. In the Crash to Pass division, #73 Sheldon Hopp had his second straight championship nailed down, holding an insurmountable lead over the rest of pack.
Even with most of the championships clinched, some great racing took place on a wet track. Heat race wins went to #87 Boston Larson, #88 Ryan Guest, #12x Brian Calderwood, #31 Clancey Beamish, #08 Trey Woolcock, #10 Blair Mangles, #92 Dano Bryant and #72 Travis Stevenson.
Going into the main events, the I.M.C.A Modified and Hornet A championships were still up for grabs. In the Hornet A division, White, who had Hornet B champion Rowland Westra filling in for him on the night, carried a 48-point lead over Neufeld going into their 25-lap main event and Westra would not let White down, holding on to take the title.
Twenty laps were awarded to the I.M.C.A Modifieds for their main event. Beaulieu carried a 50-point lead over Stevenson going in and he would not be denied his fourth championship. He held off Stevenson, who made a strong run for the title, finishing only 42 points back.
The rest of the main event wins went to #11 Justin Beaulieu in the Bomber class, Guest in the Roadrunner division, Stevenson in the Crash to Pass class, and Woolcock in the Hornet B.
EXTRA LAPS With yet another season in the books, Saratoga Speedway thanks all the sponsors, fans and of course the race car drivers who come out every weekend to put on a great show for the fans … "Without all of you, Saratoga Speedway would not be where it is today, and with that said, we look forward to seeing you all back for the 2016 season," a speedway spokesperson said …