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Ruckus Racing
The past two weekends, Billy Innes and his Carstar / Auto Trim / Ruckus Racing Chevrolet Monte Carlo were ready to take on the competition at Mosport Speedway to open the 2007 inaugural Ontario Sportsman Series championship.
The weekend started with practice, and Innes and the Ruckus Racing Team were able to shake the D. J.K. Racing-prepared machine down.
In qualifying, Billy put his machine in the middle of the pack for the first 50-lap feature, and battled through the entire 50-lap distance. Innes explained, “Our car was really working well, especially since it was our first time out this season. We didn’t get any practice in at all, and the only bad thing we had was a little oil leak. That was throwing fluid back on to the clutch, and it started slipping as we got to halfway. ” Innes would limp his Chevy through the final part of the event for a tenth-place finish, as Steve Robblee held off Josh Wood for the victory.
The Ruckus Racing crew went back to work, trying to correct the clutch issues. Following the inversion, the #00 rolled off near the front for the second feature of the evening, a 30-lap affair. Innes was quick early on, but the clutch problem wasn’t solved, and it started to slip again. He once more rolled to a 10th-place finish. “All in all, I’m pleased with the night as a whole. We didn’t put up the results we wanted to, but the car is in one piece, and we know what we have to work on for next weekend at Cayuga. ”
In second feature, Shawn McGlynn held off Robblee for the victory, while Steve took the overall night win based on the pair of features.
The second event, at Cayuga Speedway would be in Innes’ backyard, and his day would start with a solid practice session. “We made some changes on the car, and I think we’re going to be way better than we were last week. ”
Billy qualified 11th, and would roll from the inside of the sixth row in the first 50-lap feature. He moved into the top-ten by the halfway point, and continued to press forward. “We were having a great run. The car was the best it had been all day and I was competitive. ” Innes would climb to as high as eighth, before giving up a pair of spots late for a ninth-place finish when the clutch gave him trouble again. “We had a seal leak in the tranny and it was throwing fluid back at the clutch again. We’re going to try and get it fixed again for the second feature. ”
Following a short break, the OSS took to the field again, and after the inversion Billy started third. When the green flag came out, front row starters Ashley Taws and Mark Patrick started battling for the lead. Innes saw his chance and flashed by both of them. Innes would build a cushion until Abe Harder found second-place. With Harder pressing, Innes stayed up on the wheel and held on to the point. “We had one heck of a battle going. I knew he was coming, but I was driving it as hard as I could to stay out front. ”
He would pace the field for 15 laps before Robblee made his way to the rear of the #00 car. Innes tried to hold Steve off, but to no avail. The same problem had started on Billy’s Monte Carlo, as he was still having a problem with the clutch slipping. ” Despite the very solid start to the second feature, a flat right rear tire would end Billy’s shot at a good result, as he finished 12th. “Once more, we ran better than we finished. It was awesome leading at Cayuga for 15 laps, and we showed what we can do. We have to get back to work and get the clutch problem sorted out before Sauble Beach next weekend. ”
Innes would finish 11th overall.
In the first event, Matt Robblee beat Steve Robblee, and in the second feature, Steve won, with Matt second. The tie was broken by the better qualifying time, with Steve getting the edge.
The next event for the Ruckus Racing Team will be next weekend, Saturday, June 30th at Sauble Speedway. It will be event number three of the six-race tour, and Innes is looking forward to the tour up north. “Sauble is a great place to race, and I think we can run well there. We’ll just have to get our clutch sorted out first. ”
