Entering Sunday’s opener at Cornwall Motor Speedway, Burton Ward had never earned a DIRTcar Pro Stock Series top five. Now, he’s added his name to the Series win list.
The Massena, NY driver took the lead from Ian Bressett near the midway point and held off all challenges to win the 2025 Series opener and the $1,500 (CAN) prize.
“A great run for us tonight,” Ward said. “We’re happy to be back in Victory Lane. I can definitely tell you that. We’ve been fighting for one of these, so this means a lot for us.”
DIRTcar Pro Stock veteran Marc Lalonde wrestled the lead away from Ward on the race’s opening lap, aiming for back-to-back wins at the 1/4-mile track. However, his chances slipped away on Lap 3 when the Plantagenet, ON driver cut a tire, bringing out the first caution.
When the race resumed, Ian Bressett snuck by Ward to take the lead and narrowly held on to the top spot through the first half of the Feature.
As the laps continued to click off, Ward continued to challenge Bressett for the lead, using the inside lane to try and sneak by the No. 5B. That moment finally came on a Lap 26 restart, when Ward found momentum on the bottom to power past Bressett and take the lead.
Ward held off Bressett’s challenges for the next 20 laps, but no matter what Bressett did, he didn’t have enough to wrestle the lead back. That allowed Ward to stay in front and score his first career DIRTcar Pro Stock Series win.
“It was good tight racing,” Ward said. “I’ve known Ian for a long time. We actually live about three miles apart. It was a lot of fun.
“It’s unfortunate about Marc (Lalonde) at the beginning. We kind of bumped, and he ended up getting a flat. That sucks. But that’s racing.”
Bressett crossed the line third, after Bruno Cyr passed him in the closing laps. With his third career Series podium, the Brasher Falls, NY driver said he had a fun battle for the lead.”
“We were door to door for, I think, I counted, 41 laps,” Bressett said. “I was giving it my all, and he was giving it his all. But I think I could’ve gotten him with three laps to go until I thought there was going to be a caution on the backstretch. I let off because I thought the [lap car] was going to come back on the track. That’s when Bruno got underneath me.”
Cyr earned his second-place finish after starting 15th. The St. George, QC driver said he dedicated his finish on Father’s Day to his dad, who he lost earlier this season. He also had a message for the fans while he was in Victory Lane.
“I want to thank you for the support that you give to the Pro Stocks,” Cyr said. “I know a lot of people love the Pro Stocks, and I think we put on a great show tonight. I’m very proud to be a Pro Stock driver.”
Three-time Series champion Jocelyn Roy finished fourth, and Lalonde rebounded to finish fifth.
UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Pro Stock Series returns to action on Saturday, July 19, for a trip to Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, QC.
For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Facebook page and the Series’ X/(Twitter) page.
DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Feature (50 Laps): 1. 28-Burton Ward[1]; 2. 3A-Bruno Cyr[15]; 3. 5B-Ian Bressett[3]; 4. 48-Jocelyn Roy[9]; 5. 8-Marc Lalonde[2]; 6. 2-Pete Stefanski[5]; 7. 777-Tommy Lizotte[14]; 8. X15-Tyler Bushey[7]; 9. 57K-Kevin Fetterly Jr[6]; 10. 12S-Dakota Sharp[20]; 11. 22B-Blayne Nichols[11]; 12. 177-Chris Stalker[16]; 13. 11A-Dave Seguin[13]; 14. 110-Devon Camenga[10]; 15. 72G-Denis Gauvreau[18]; 16. 9JD-Jonathan Galipeau[23]; 17. 115-Jean Philippe Guay[21]; 18. 38-Justin Chaput[24]; 19. 54S-Zachary Sorrentino[27]; 20. 58-Roxanne Roy[26]; 21. 71B-Luc Biron[19]; 22. 4-Rock Aubin[12]; 23. 6C-Brian Carter[30]; 24. (DNF) 3-Mike Gaucher[25]; 25. (DNF) 71-Delbert LaGrow Jr[8]; 26. (DNF) 9-Eric Jean Louis[17]; 27. (DNF) 2Z-Hugh Page[4]; 28. (DNF) 17-Marc Peladeau[28]; 29. (DNF) 28D-Phil Defiglio[29]; 30. (DNF) 66-Mathieu Renaud[22]
