SYDNEY, NS – It was a day of firsts on Saturday at Sydney Speedway. Austin Tanner (Shubenacadie, NS) and Danny Chisholm (Canning, NS) both took home their first wins in their respective classes on Saturday afternoon at the re-opening of Sydney Speedway. Tanner was the winner in the 25-lap Steve Lewis Auto Body Bandolero feature while Chisholm drove to the victory in the Colbourne Auto Legend 50-lap feature. Both events served as INEX National Qualifiers. Danny Chisholm (photo by Ken MacIsaac)Austin Tanner (photo by Ken MacIsaac) The pair earned victories in a similar fashion. Tanner took the lead in the Bandolero race when Chisholm and Dylan Dowe (Bedford, NS) made contact battling for the lead, setting the pair to the back of the pack with two laps to go. A late restart saw Chisholm up front in the Legend main event following an incident between leaders Kody Quinn (Sydney, NS) and Cory Hall (Jolicure, NB). Tanner raced to the victory ahead of Chisholm and Dowe in the Steve Lewis Auto Body Bandoleros. Chisholm held on for the win in the Colbourne Auto Legends over Quinn and division rookie Devin Wadden (Hammonds Plains, NS). Brennan MacInnis (Glace Bay, NS) drove to the victory in the PPM Inc. Street Stock Exhibition Event over Colton Beaver (Louisbourg, NS) and John Halliday (Sydney, NS). Brenna MacInnis (photo by Ken MacIsaac)Dave Matthews (photo by Ken MacIsaac) The Passione Flooring & Interiors East Coast Mini Stock Tour ran the first of two Veterans for Healing 75s on Saturday afternoon. In a great showcase of Four Cylinder racing, it was Dave Matthews (Kennetcook, NS) holding off all challengers for the victory. Matthews, the point leader on the Series, took home the win ahead of Jesse Deveau (Greenwood, NS) and home track fan favorite Dave Timmons (Inverness, NS). Nineteen cars checked in to the pit area for the race with qualifying heat races going to Mike Edwards (Penobsquis, NB), Matthews and Josh Benac (North Sydney, NS). The track is back in action Sunday, July 28 for the second day of the doubleheader opening weekend. The Steve Lewis Auto Body Bandolero and Colbourne Auto Legend divisions are back in action along with the second leg of the Veterans for Healing Twin 75s for the Passione Flooring & Interiors East Coast Mini Stock Tour. Fans will also be treated to a Late Model Sportsman Exhibition and the show will end with a Demolition and Endurance Racing event. Pit gates open at 8:30 am, grandstands will open at 10 am with the green flag flying at 12 pm. About Sydney Speedway:Opened in 1975, Sydney Speedway has built a racing tradition on Cape Breton Island over the past four decades. Purchased in 2019 by local businessman and racing enthusiast Greg Dowe, the track is home to a number of stock car racing divisions, a destination for local touring series and motorsports events. For more information on Sydney Speedway, find them online at SydneySpeedway.ca and on various social media platforms at @SydneySpeedC
