School bus showdown leaves fans screaming for more at Brighton Speedway

By: Nicole Kleinsteuber

The excitement of the ever-popular Brighton Recycling School Bus races drew in thousands of enthusiastic fans, all eager to experience an electrifying night of dirt track racing at Brighton Speedway on Saturday.

The energy in the air was electric as a capacity crowd erupted with cheers, ready to witness an exhilarating and action-packed showdown presented by Jack Links and LeClair Electric.

The night did not disappoint, as 98 cars dialled in for a complete race card featuring the school buses, Canadian Modifieds, Thunder Stocks, 4-Cylinders, and Stingers.

Sousa Sails to Victory in School Bus Showdown

A four-wide-formation start to the school bus feature was a spectacular site and moved fans to their feet during the wave lap. Twenty buses stocked the field for the Brighton Recycling 15-lap main event. As soon as the green flag waved, chaos erupted on the track as the massive buses roared into action, tearing through turns one and two. On lap four, No. 88 Bryan McColl took the lead from polesitter No. 5 Del MacGregor. McColl’s lead was short-lived as he drove hard and crashed his bus headfirst into turn 2. The fans cheered with delight as he emerged uninjured, but his bus did not survive the dramatic wreck. On the restart No. 94 Shawn Sousa gained the lead and sailed to the winner’s circle with No. 98 Kyle Rhebergen in second. No. 9 Stu Archer placed third, No. 116 Jordan Flood fourth and No. 19 Jim Perry fifth.

Belyea Books it to Winner’s Circle

Second starter No. 32 Doug O’Blenis was quick to snap up the point from polesitter No. 51 Freeman on the lead lap of the 25-lap Bainer’s OilGARD Canadian Modified feature. O’Blenis was ruthless on the high side and looked like he was well on his way to scoring his first feature win of the season. With 10 laps to go a caution slowed the pace and No. 25 Greg Belyea jumped out into the lead on the restart. Belyea was unstoppable as O’Blenis, and No. 40 Ron Wadforth hunted him down. When the checkers fell, Belyea was victorious with Wadforth in runner-up. O’Blenis took third, No. 2 Leslie Mowat fourth and No. 51 Mike Freeman fifth.

Ramsay Reels in Another Win

No. 03 Justin Ramsay slid into the lead ahead of polesitter No. 16 Kaitlyn O’Blenis on the first lap of the Brighton Automotive Thunder Stock 20-lap affair. Ramsay was flawless as he chased his second feature flag of the season. Halfway through the race, Ramsay got too wide coming down the backstretch and allowed No. 72 Doug Anderson to slip into the lead. With four to go, Ramsay regained the point and went head-to-head with No. 0 Tyler French in a nailbiter to the finish. The pair rode hard to the line with Ramsay in first and French behind. Officials handed French a penalty for aggressive driving at the end of the race leaving him with a last place finish. Anderson placed second, No. 10 Carter Rhodes third, O’Blenis fourth and No. 97 Dave Barrett fifth.

Checkers Fly for Fletcher Again

It only took No. 42 Aidan Fletcher two laps to pounce on the lead from his fifth starting position in the 15-lap Bill’s Johns 4-Cylinder feature. Fletcher was hooked on the high side as No. 10 Travis McLean put the hammer down and charged from his 19th starting position into second on lap 4. “The Hammer” tried to catch Fletcher but even lapped traffic couldn’t slow the 42’s pace. Fletcher scored his second win of the year with McLean in second. Polesitter No. 20 Cody placed third, No. 3 Shawn Knowlton was fourth and No. 61 Ryan Branscombe charged from 14th to 5th.

McKeown Picks up 1st Career Win

No. 93 Jorden Pickell pulled into the lead on the first lap of the Quinte Septic Stingers 12-lap main. He rode like the wind to victory lane with No. 9 Cole McKeown in his rearview. Pickell crossed the line first but after a tech inspection he was disqualified leaving McKeown to pick up his first racing career victory. No. 95c Chris Lammle was second, No. 21 Michael Storey third, No. 17 Ryder Punchard fourth and No. 31 Billy O’Hara fifth.

Up Next
It’s time again to appreciate our fans! This Saturday night Bill’s Johns Portable Toilets presents Fan Appreciation  along with the Vanderlaan Building Products Late Models, Bainer’s OilGARD Anti Rust Canadian Modifieds, Bill’s Johns 4 Cylinders, and the Quinte Septic Stingers. Front Gates open at 5:00 PM and action begins at 7:00 PM.

About Us
Racing at Brighton Speedway continues every Saturday until October. Race fans can find a complete schedule and more information by visiting our website at brightonspeedway.ca or by following us on our socials. A 1/3rd mile clay oval, Brighton Speedway is in the municipality of Brighton on the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1967, the Speedway hosts five divisions on a weekly basis, beginning on the first weekend in May and ending on the first weekend in October. With two travelling series, the Lawns We 360 Sprint Cars and the Vanderlaan Building Products Northeast Late Model Division calling Brighton home, other series visit the track each season to impress the fans and challenge the tight turns on the dirt track.
Photos by Rod Henderson, CanadianRacer.com
1. The Brighton Recycling School Bus feature event saw #94 Shawn Sousa with his first checkered flag in the series at Brighton Speedway on Saturday night.

 

Media Results for 7/19/2025 at Brighton Speedway – Brighton, ON

Bainer’s OilGARD Anti Rust Canadian Modified 15 Entries

A Feature 1 25 Laps

1. 25-Greg Belyea[6]; 2. 40-Ron Wadforth[8]; 3. 32-Doug O’Blenis[2]; 4. 2-Leslie Mowat[9]; 5. 51-Mike Freeman[1]; 6. 12-Caleb Severin[7]; 7. 41-Corey Halbert[10]; 8. 09-Dan Price[14]; 9. 91-Jaiden Miller[15]; 10. 08-Angie Kirby[12]; 11. 26-Bob Green[11]; 12. 85-Brittany Golden[3]; 13. 1-Shawn Gregory[4]; 14. 50-Dylan Boyle[5]; 15. 7-Rick Phillips[13]

Heat 1 8 Laps | 00:02:18.662

1. 32-Doug O’Blenis[1]; 2. 1-Shawn Gregory[5]; 3. 51-Mike Freeman[2]; 4. 12-Caleb Severin[4]; 5. 2-Leslie Mowat[7]; 6. 26-Bob Green[8]; 7. 7-Rick Phillips[6]; 8. 91-Jaiden Miller[3]

Heat 2 8 Laps | 00:02:17.664

1. 25-Greg Belyea[4]; 2. 40-Ron Wadforth[1]; 3. 85-Brittany Golden[2]; 4. 50-Dylan Boyle[6]; 5. 41-Corey Halbert[7]; 6. 08-Angie Kirby[5]; 7. 09-Dan Price[3]

Brighton Automotive Thunder Stocks 21 Entries

A Feature 1 20 Laps | 00:08:27.368

1. 03-Justin Ramsay[2]; 2. 72-Doug Anderson[6]; 3. 10-Carter Rhodes[11]; 4. 16-Kaitlyn O’Blenis[1]; 5. 97-Dave Barrett[14]; 6. 21-Ryan Kimball[3]; 7. 09T-Garren Taylor[12]; 8. 5-Jake Hadley[8]; 9. 26-Brock Gregory[5]; 10. 73-Jason Preece[4]; 11. 46-Dion Riley[7]; 12. 19-Zeke McKeown[10]; 13. 89-Kolby Ellis[17]; 14. 0-Tyler French[9]; 15. 82-Brad Brooking[16]; 16. 76-Cody Driscoll[13]; 17. 54-Tim Moore[15]; 18. 06-Chris Hackett[20]; 19. 7-Josh Toon[18]; 20. 45-Dylan Riley[19]; 21. (DNS) 74-Mike Lucas

Heat 1 8 Laps | 00:03:43.030

1. 16-Kaitlyn O’Blenis[2]; 2. 73-Jason Preece[6]; 3. 5-Jake Hadley[4]; 4. 19-Zeke McKeown[3]; 5. 76-Cody Driscoll[7]; 6. 82-Brad Brooking[5]; 7. 45-Dylan Riley[1]

Heat 2 8 Laps | 00:02:25.400

1. 72-Doug Anderson[1]; 2. 26-Brock Gregory[4]; 3. 0-Tyler French[7]; 4. 10-Carter Rhodes[6]; 5. 97-Dave Barrett[5]; 6. 89-Kolby Ellis[3]; 7. 06-Chris Hackett[2]

Heat 3 8 Laps | 00:06:58.669

1. 03-Justin Ramsay[2]; 2. 46-Dion Riley[4]; 3. 21-Ryan Kimball[7]; 4. 09T-Garren Taylor[3]; 5. 54-Tim Moore[6]; 6. 7-Josh Toon[5]; 7. 74-Mike Lucas[1]

Bill’s Johns 4 Cylinder 22 Entries

A Feature 1 15 Laps | 00:11:03.329

1. 42-Aidan Fletcher[5]; 2. 10-Travis Mclean[19]; 3. 20-Cody Sager[1]; 4. 3-Shawn Knowlton[3]; 5. 61-Ryan Branscombe[14]; 6. 91-Jack Veenstra[4]; 7. 18K-Matt Knowlton[21]; 8. 37-AJ Peters[7]; 9. 24-Travis Fox Connor[9]; 10. 17E-Evan Minnie[12]; 11. 25-Lawrence Evenden[6]; 12. 1-Coleson Gregory[22]; 13. 8-Devon O’Brien[17]; 14. 75-Owen Chilvers[20]; 15. 47K-Karl Lecuyer[11]; 16. 5-Eric Conlin[15]; 17. 71-Alesha Gerrard[8]; 18. 04-Owen Chamberlain[10]; 19. 22-Tyson Gregory[18]; 20. R72-Michel L’Ecuyer[2]; 21. C41-Valaire Lecuyer[13]; 22. (DNS) 35-Richard Belair

Heat 1 8 Laps | 00:08:03.196

1. R72-Michel L’Ecuyer[7]; 2. 91-Jack Veenstra[8]; 3. 71-Alesha Gerrard[6]; 4. 04-Owen Chamberlain[5]; 5. C41-Valaire Lecuyer[2]; 6. 35-Richard Belair[1]; 7. 10-Travis Mclean[4]; 8. 1-Coleson Gregory[3]

Heat 2 8 Laps | 00:02:32.508

1. 42-Aidan Fletcher[5]; 2. 25-Lawrence Evenden[1]; 3. 24-Travis Fox Connor[4]; 4. 47K-Karl Lecuyer[6]; 5. 61-Ryan Branscombe[7]; 6. 8-Devon O’Brien[3]; 7. 75-Owen Chilvers[2]; 8. 71-Alesha Gerrard

Heat 3 8 Laps | 00:03:43.859

1. 20-Cody Sager[6]; 2. 3-Shawn Knowlton[4]; 3. 37-AJ Peters[5]; 4. 17E-Evan Minnie[1]; 5. 5-Eric Conlin[3]; 6. 22-Tyson Gregory[7]; 7. (DQ) 18K-Matt Knowlton[2]

Quinte Septic Stingers 18 Entries

A Feature 1 12 Laps

1. 9-Cooper McKeown[9]; 2. 95C-Chris Lammle[18]; 3. 21-Michael Storey[5]; 4. 17-Ryder Punchard[8]; 5. 31-Billy O’Hara[10]; 6. 41-Adam Flieler[13]; 7. 03-Dillon Barker[12]; 8. 66-Ray Davies[7]; 9. 28-Kyle Keller[14]; 10. 07-Megan Golden[15]; 11. 45-Matt Schonauer[17]; 12. 18-Brian Cross[11]; 13. (BF) 35-Ethan Lord[4]; 14. (BF) 74-RJ Punchard[2]; 15. (DNS) 6-Tom Cole; 16. (DNS) 12-Shane Vale; 17. (DNS) 4A-Lucinda Allen; 18. (DQ) 93-Jorden Pickell[3]

Heat 1 6 Laps

1. 93-Jorden Pickell[5]; 2. 31-Billy O’Hara[6]; 3. 28-Kyle Keller[1]; 4. 66-Ray Davies[3]; 5. 6-Tom Cole[2]; 6. (DNS) 4A-Lucinda Allen

Heat 2 6 Laps

1. 41-Adam Flieler[3]; 2. 9-Cooper McKeown[5]; 3. 12-Shane Vale[4]; 4. 21-Michael Storey[2]; 5. 03-Dillon Barker[6]; 6. 07-Megan Golden[1]

Heat 3 6 Laps

1. 18-Brian Cross[1]; 2. 95C-Chris Lammle[4]; 3. 17-Ryder Punchard[3]; 4. 74-RJ Punchard[2]; 5. 35-Ethan Lord[5]; 6. 45-Matt Schonauer[6]