Round 3 - Mallory Park (Oval Stocks)

Team Kwik Fit complete emotional Oval Stocks sweep with Wallace and Dillinger wins


It was an emotional weekend to begin with. Before the Oval Stocks race, the field completed 2 laps around the Mallory Park circuit to remember Ebony Phillips; a Team Kwik Fit driver who had been killed in an accident the race before at Rockingham Motor Speedway. Atlantic Motorsports had been the favourite to continue their dominance after they had been fast as always, but during the race they faltered in more ways than one.

Instead, it was Team Kwik Fit in the limelight for the first race, as Harriet Wallace outsmarted and outpaced everyone to take home her first win under the Dash Cup banner. Wallace did burnouts on the front stretch, and was ecstatic with her first ever victory. 

"I hope I can continue this into tomorrow!" said the Super Touring regular, "This one was for Ebony. She was really one of a kind. The whole team deserve this victory after what they've been through, and I'm glad that we managed to pull this one off!"

The car that Phillips had piloted had now been taken over by Matilda Dillinger, who was taken out of her commitments in the Over 16s Legends Road series so that she could run the remainder of the Oval Stocks schedule, did not fair off as well as Wallace in the first race. Dillinger was taken out after a collision sparked by the reckless Kellan Rogers-Ashby, a collision which seen the #2 tip onto its side before coming back down on its wheels. Thankfully, Dillinger climbed out unscathed.

However, things were to get better for the youngster.

Dillinger qualified on the outside of the front row for the second race, with only Ashley Flynn, piloting for the suspended Kellan Rogers-Ashby, out-qualifying her. Dillinger was described as "too passive" by pundit Todd Benatar, but Dillinger proved this was an admirable trait afterwards, as she managed to save enough fuel while maintaining a quick pace to make it to the end, and cross the line first. Immediately after the flag, Dillinger's motor blew, much like her teammate Harriet Wallace's did with 10 laps to go.

"I can't believe this! One weekend and we're in the victory circle!" said Dillinger, "The car was fast all weekend, but I didn't know how fast we could go. I was a bit scared to make some bolder moves, but I tried to conserve fuel, and we just got it to work!"

Dillinger was next asked about Phillips, who Dillinger had been a huge fan of while growing up watching Dash Cup racing. It became apparent how much the win, and Phillips, had meant to Dillinger, as she immediately teared up.

"Ebony was absolutely my hero. She meant a lot to me. She was the woman I always looked up to and said to my parents 'That's who I want to be like.' She's the reason I'm racing today, and she's who I won this race for."

Dillinger was met with a lot of praise after the race, with Ben Atkins, Amber Clagett, Hannah Percy among other visiting her in victory lane to congratulate her. Dillinger will run the rest of the season in the #2 car, while race 1 winner Wallace has finished her Oval Stocks schedule until the race at Warneton.


Atlantic Motorsports drop the ball on Rogers-Ashby; "No more Oval Stocks"

Kellan Rogers-Ashby has been barred from running any more Oval Stocks races in the future after a reckless display in the first race in which she ended the race of at least the competitors.

Team owner William Atkins described the Canadians performance as "disgusting", stating that Rogers-Ashby should have known better than to race the way she did, especially in the wake of recent events.

Rogers-Ashby was involved in the accident that killed Ebony Phillips at Rockingham just the previous race, some people going as far to say that Phillips' death was just to Rogers-Ashby not holding the brakes when spinning through the grass.

A surprising critic to Rogers-Ashby's driving was close friend and reigning Dash Cup champion Hannah Percy, who reiterated Atkins' statement, saying that Rogers-Ashby is "better than that" and that "she really should be ashamed".

William Atkins also revealed why Cassandra Collins was really taken out of her car. Collins had said she did not feel comfortable piloting her car for the second race after she had caused an accident which took out Christopher Mertin, and Collins' decision was made entirely by herself. Atkins credited Collins for "taking the high road and taking responsibility."