Niagara Raceway
Netherby Road / Townline Tunnel
Welland, Ontario, Canada

John Kehoe takes the Final!
Niagara Raceway Results - August 5, 2000
By Duncan Luke luke99@idirect.com

John Kehoe easily clinched his third National title by winning the fifth and final round of the competition from a small field at Welland. He won four of the five rounds and finished well ahead of his closest challenger Jeff Orosz. Kehoe's complete control of this year's championship is evidenced by his remarkable record of success throughout the season. In eighteen starts he finished first 16 times and second twice. His victory lap, with his wife carrying the flag, was well earned this year.

Racing on the night was uninspired and hopes for a close race in the final between Kehoe and Orosz were dashed when the latter slid off at the last bend in their heat race. His DNF relegated him to the penalty line for the final. The first attempt to run this only went as far as the first turn when crowding resulted in a heavy crash for Joe Heye and John Dmytrow. After a considerable delay for treatment Dmytrow made it to the line for the restart but Heye's front wheel was wrecked and he was done for the night.

Kehoe was first into the turn and the result was never in doubt thereafter. Orosz used the outside line to move up to third by the end of the first lap but that was it for racing apart from a close contest at the rear between Mercier and Dmytrow. So the season at Welland, which despite so many weather problems at the outset, provided some excellent racing ended on a very quiet note.

[NOTE: There was no D2 class.]

Photo by Gary Roberts at California's Fast Fridays Speedway during John Kehoe's bid at the North American Qualifier.