Picton race car driver Andrew Hennessy notched his 100th win at the CanAm Speedway in Lafargeville, NY June 13 in his Crate Sprint Car.

Nearly a quarter century running laps at tracks in Brighton, Brockville, Oshweken, Merritville, and all points in between, Mr. Hennessy hit triple digits in style.

Racing in the Father’s Day weekend 20-lap Panther Frameworx Crate Sprint Car feature race, Mr. Hennessy trailed both Ken Klinkowsky and Bruno Richard with under five laps to go. Despite sitting third and the race quickly coming to its end, the veteran patiently waited to make his move.

Finally, coming out of turn four on the 18th lap, he passed both racers and moved to the lead in dramatic fashion. It was a night to remember in County motorsports history.

A proud as punch Carter Hennessy joined his father in Victory Lane, holding a collage of pictures from previous Hennessy triumphs.

Getting His Start

Recalling his start in racing at Brighton at the Comp 4 Class way back in 2001, Mr. Hennessy said, “I remember thinking when I first got started, I might never win one! Once I did get a win though, 100 feature wins seemed pretty far off.”

The victories started to flow in his second season but not before some early trying times. Mr. Hennessy blew four motors in his first four starts of 2002. “My parents gave me the option to use my driver’s education money they had saved for me. Did I want drivers ed or do I want the money to build a new motor,” he laughed. “We built a motor.”

Developing the confidence it takes to race in the dirt at Brighton, Mr. Hennessy motored up the ranks of the various classes. He moved up to the Street Stock Class and then on to the Canadian Modified Class, Mr. Hennessy traded paint with fellow County native Dan Ferguson. For several years running at the Brighton track, the rivalry between the two PEC drivers was the stuff of legend.

“First and foremost, it’s a competition, but I don’t think you can have the races we’ve had together and not tip your hat to the other guy at the end of them,” Mr. Hennessy added.

A Sprint to the Finish

While race cars have changed over the last two dozen years, Mr. Hennessy’s level of support hasn’t.

“Really, the only thing I can say is thank you to everyone that’s been a part of this journey. I can go on for days, coming up with names of people that have helped me along the way,” Mr. Hennessy said.

One person Mr. Hennessy pointed to was the late Bill Monro. A key member of the team from 2011 to 2019, Mr. Hennessy noted that he didn’t start wining in bunches until Bill showed up.

“He took me from just being a driver and made me into a racer. He is the one who was with me weekly for those eight seasons,” Mr. Hennessy explained. “He taught me how to scale a car, where to place weight properly, how to set caster/camber on the tires, valves, adjust float levels on carburetors etc.”

Prince Edward County has always punched above its weight when it comes to race car drivers. At various points in its history, as many as 35 per cent of the drivers coming to the starting line in Brighton came from here.