Photo by Dale Calnan/Image Factor Media
By Clayton Johns
OHSWEKEN, Ont. (July 30, 2019) – After a rare quiet Friday night on July 26, Ohsweken Speedway is excited to return to action on Friday, August 2 as Insta-Panels presents the Brock Leonard and Art Hill Memorials as well as the DIRTcar Sportsman. The Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars have the night off to allow teams the option to compete in the 360 Knoxville Nationals in Knoxville, Iowa. Ohsweken will host an autograph session behind the main grandstands and outside the new concession building from 5:30pm to 6:30pm for fans to meet a variety of drivers from all divisions.
The DIRTcar Sportsman will join the card for their second and final visit of the season for the Sportsman cars. They will be joined by the Strickland’s Brantford Chevrolet Crate Sprint Cars. Ohsweken’s stock car divisions will both run their annual memorial races and both events will be combined races for the Insta-Panels Duel on the Dirt Series. The Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks will run a 50-lap feature for the Brock Leonard Memorial and the HRW Automotive Mini Stocks will compete in the 42-lap Art Hill Memorial.
Adult admission is just $14 while Seniors (65+) and Youths (13-17) are only $10. Kids aged 7-12 are only $3 and Kids 6 and under are free. Race time is 7:30pm. The pit gates open at 5:00pm before the main grandstand opens at 6:00pm. For the full schedule of Ohsweken Speedway events, visit www.ohswekenspeedway.ca.
Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks
The longest race of the year for the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks is the annual 50-lap Brock Leonard Memorial. The race is run each year in honour of former track official Brock Leonard, father of current Ohsweken race director Doug Leonard. Friday’s race marks the eighth edition of the race. Christopher Hales is the most recent winner of the event after claiming the victory in 2018. Other past winners of the race include Ryan Beagle, Ryan Dinning, Karl Sault, Lee Winger, Ryan Turner and Brad Herron. No driver has won the event more than once.
It is also the third combined race on the Insta-Panels Duel on the Dirt schedule for the Thunder Stocks. Entering the race, Dave Bailey still sits atop the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks weekly Ohsweken standings. The reigning and defending champion has managed nine straight top-five finishes since the first green flag of the season, the only driver to accomplish the feat. His lead is 42 points over Trevor DeBoer, who has three wins with five top-five results. Trailing Deboer by 44 points is third-place Jim Lampman of Caistor Centre who has seven top-10 results. A single marker back of him is Vittoria’s Ryan Beagle, who has a win and six top-fives to his name while fifth-place Logan Shwedyk rounds out the top-five and remains in search of his first victory of the season.
HRW Automotive Mini Stocks
The HRW Automotive Mini Stocks will battle in by far their longest event of the season in what is also the second combined race of the Insta-Panels Duel on the Dirt Series for the Mini Stocks. The 42-lap Art Hill Memorial is run annually in honour of the late Art Hill, the only driver to have lost his life in competition at Ohsweken Speedway. The race was first run in the year 2000 and has been on the Ohsweken schedule every year since. Jason Tolton is the most recent winner of the event.
Entering Friday’s race, the HRW Automotive Mini Stock division once again has a tight points race. Tim DeBoer leads Kyle Wert by just two points with each driver holding six top-five finishes. Despite the small deficit, Wert has four wins while DeBoer has yet to reach victory lane, but has been the benchmark for consistency with his eight top-10 finishes in nine starts. Dusty DeBoer currently holds down the third position, 25 points arrear of Wert but has a 15 point advantage over Wayde Thorne while Tristan Da Silva sits two points back of Thorne in the final top-five position.
DIRTcar Sportsman
Anytime the DIRTcar Sportsman return to Ohsweken it is a homecoming of sorts for many drivers. The track hosted weekly Sportsman racing until the end of the 2007 season before switching to a full-time Sprint Car track for 2008. The Sportsman cars were in action at Ohsweken last week during the Northern Summer Nationals with the Race of Champions Sportsman Tour when ‘JMF’ James Michael Friesen scored the win. Brent Begolo also scored an RoC win at Ohsweken in 2018. Since 2013, Sportsman cars have completed eight Feature events at Ohsweken, with Brad Rouse and Chad Chevalier the only two drivers scoring multiple wins, each with two trips to Victory Lane.
Strickland’s Brantford Chevrolet Crate Sprint Cars
The Strickland’s Brantford Chevrolet Crate Sprint Cars return to action following a pair of Action Sprint Tour events that saw New York invader Matt Farnham score both wins last week. The parity in the division has been exceptional as demonstrated by the tie at the top of the championship standings between St. Thomas, Ont. driver Jesse Costa and Steven Beckett. Costa has claimed a pair of wins this season, but both drivers have seven top-five finishes in eight starts this season. Just six points back of the lead duo is Brantford’s Lucas Smith, who is remains one of just three drivers in the division to qualify for all nine features this season (Brad Herron and Rob Neely are the others). Teenage rookie sensation Nick Sheridan continues to enjoy a phenomenal season with a win and five top-five finishes to his credit, good enough for fourth in the standings so far and remaining in championship contention as he sits only 22 points off the lead. Beamsville’s Paul Klager rounds out the top-five, and is one of the eight drivers to score a win in the division this season.
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About MavTV Canada’s All North Racing Powered by Pinty’s
Ohsweken Speedway is excited to announce its Friday Night Excitement racing will be the centerpiece of a new international television broadcast on MavTV Canada called All North Racing powered by Pinty’s. All North Racing will visit Ohsweken for six live broadcasts that will be re-aired multiple times in Canada and the United States. The MavTV broadcasts are scheduled for May 31, June 21, July 22, July 23, August 30 and September 14. These broadcasts include both nights of the Northern Summer Nationals featuring Tony Stewart, Christopher Bell and Rico Abreu as well as the 15th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. For more information on MavTV Canada, visit www.facebook.com/MAVTVCanada.
Northern Summer Nationals Tickets Available Now
Tony Stewart, Christopher Bell and Rico Abreu are coming to Ohsweken Speedway for two action-packed nights on July 22-23. All three Sprint Car stars will be in action both nights for two $5,000-to-win 360 Sprint Car shows. Tickets and camping for the Northern Summer Nationals are on sale online at https://ohswekenspeedway.ticketforce.com/ or can be purchased by phone by calling (519) 717-0023.
Ohsweken Speedway Live Stream
Can’t make it to the track or don’t live within driving distance? No problem! Check out all of Ohsweken’s weekly Friday Night Excitement action live online for free via the Ohsweken Speedway Live Stream. The stream goes live at 7:30pm EST each race night at www.OhswekenSpeedway.ca and on our official Facebook page.
2019 SEASON
Ohsweken Speedway’s 24th season of weekly Friday Night Excitement features four divisions of racing, including the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com or call (519) 717-0023 for more information.
About Ohsweken Speedway: Founded in 1996, Ohsweken Speedway is a motorsports complex which includes a 3/8 (0.375) mile clay oval track. The facility is owned by the Styres family, and located in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Ohsweken’s weekly Friday night racing program runs from May to September each year, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks and Mini Stocks. The season finishes each year with the track’ annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Ohsweken Speedway also hosts weekly Micro Sprint racing on Thursday nights.
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Phone: (519) 717-0023
Email: media@ohswekenspeedway.com
Website: www.OhswekenSpeedway.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/OHSWEKENSPEEDWAY
Twitter: @OhswekenSpdway
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/OhswekenSpeedway
YouTube: www.YouTube.com/user/OhswekenSpdway
Ohsweken Speedway thanks the following partners for their support: Nitro 54 Variety, Ackland Insurance, Arrow Express, Auto Parts Centres, Bradshaw Brothers Fuels, Burger Barn, Case IH O’Neil’s Farm Equipment, Core-Mark International, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc., Creative Edge Signs & Graphics, EPIC Racewear, Gale’s Auto Aftermarket, Grisdale Racing Products, Hoosier Tire Canada, HRW Automotive, Insta-Insulation/Insta-Panels, Jibs Action Sports, Kool Kidz Ice & Water, Lonewolf Fireworks, McDonald’s Restaurants of Paris & Brantford, Middleport Mechanical, Miska Trailer Factory, Club 54 Racing, Pinty’s Delicious Foods, Renway Energy, Rochester Knighthawks, Strickland’s GMC and Victory Gamez.