by Tommy Goudge (August 21, 2009) – Two drivers visited Ohsweken Speedway’s Engine Pro Racing Winner’s Circle for the first time in 2009 on Gales Auto Aftermarket/ESSO Speedway Variety night. In a fast-paced program that finished just after ten o’clock, Keith Dempster snapped a two year winless streak in the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, while Lee Winger edged out Jamie Cox for the ESSO Thunder Stock victory. Mitchell Brown was credited with the ESSO Mini Stock win after Kevin Hilborn’s #72 failed post race technical inspection, and Karl Sault won another feature in the Bomber division. Special Flag Pole and Backwards races were also run on Friday, with Chris Hils claiming Flag Pole honours and Steven Hils winning the backwards race.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
The Corr/Pak Sprint Cars were back in action on Friday night after a week off, and a big shakeup in the top five championship chasers was expected, with Kevin Job sitting out due to engine problems, and Glenn Styres sidelined as well.
Stan Zanchin and rookie Travis Cunningham led the field to the green flag, and it was Zanchin getting the early lead, but he would not hold it for long. Cunningham made his way into the lead on lap three and stayed out front for the next seven circuits while the rest of the field jockeyed for position. Fourth place starter Keith Dempster was on the move early as well, taking over the second spot with four laps in the books, while Jamie Collard, Brad Knab, Dain Naida, Mikey Kruchka, points leader Tom Huppunen, and Kevin Loveys were also looking good.
The only caution flag of the race flew on lap eight when Loveys spun to a stop in turn two. When the race went back green, Dempster wasted little time and made his way around the outside of Cunningham into the lead on lap ten. Cunningham was left to fight off the advances of Knab, who was having the best run of his season, while Kruchka and Collard looked to continue their strong runs of late.
Dempster would go on the claim his first Sprint Car feature win in over two years, while Knab finished a season-best second, followed by Kruchka, Cunningham, and Naida. Points leader and six time feature winner Tom Huppunen looked fast early on, but a broken front wing resulted in a seventh place finish for Fred Cade’s hired gun.
“It’s about time!” exclaimed Keith in victory lane while the jubilant Styres Racing crew mobbed the veteran driver. “Glenn (Styres) was up in the tower texting me tonight. He kept saying ‘move up higher’ and it worked!” “These wins are for the crew,” he continued, “They are the unsung heroes of racing.”
Heat races for the twenty-one car field were claimed by Dempster, Naida, and Ryan Hunsinger.
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS
Mark Thorne and Rob Disher led the field to the green flag for twenty laps of exciting ESSO Thunder Stock action on Friday, and the two drivers quickly went to to work racing for the lead. It wasn’t long before the usual suspects such as Shayne Pierce, Jamie Cox, and Billy Bleich began to make their presence known in the top five, however, but the real story was with Lee Winger who was up on the wheel after sitting out a week due to a suspension.
Winger blasted his way around the outside and into the lead, while Cox was on the move and up into second, looking for his fourth feature win in a row. Cox repeatedly looked to the inside of Winger as the laps wound down, while Brad Herron and Shayne Pierce hovered close behind, waiting for any possible mistake between the top two drivers. Herron looked to make it three wide for the lead on a couple of occasions, but in the end it was Winger holding on for his first win of the season, followed by Cox, Herron, Pierce, and Billy Bleich, Jr.
Heat races for the nineteen ESSO Thunder Stocks in attendance were claimed by Pierce and Kyle Magrin.
ESSO MINI STOCKS
The ESSO Mini Stock feature began with Chase Hess and Mike Giberson on the front row, and it was Hess getting the early lead, which he would hold for much of the first half of the race. While a good battle ensued up front between Hess and Mike Evers, fans were also keeping an eye on Mitchell Brown, who was gunning for his tenth feature win of the season. Brown would eventually make his way to the front, but not before Kevin Hilborn and Steve Hess got their first. Hilborn made a daring three wide move to take the lead for good and cross the line first, but his car did not pass post-race tech inspection, handing the win to runner-up finisher Brown. Chase Hess was credited with second, while Steve Hess got third, followed by Abel Castelein, and Mike Evers.
Heat races for the twenty-one ESSO Mini Stocks were claimed by the Hess’, Chase and Steve.
BOMBERS
The Bomber division featured its largest field ever on Friday night, thanks to the addition of the Flag Pole race later in the evening. Many drivers chose to take part in both events, including eventual Bomber feature winner Karl Sault, who managed to put enough lapped cars between himself and second place finisher Lee Hils to take the feature win with ease. Lee Hils settled for second, followed by Steve Hils, Shawn Ireland, and Brittany Gyorkery.
In the Flag Pole portion of the show, it was 2008 Bomber feature winner Chris Hils claiming the feature win, followed by Steve Hils and Chris Cairns.
FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER 2009
ROUND 14 RACE REPORT – AUGUST 21, 2009
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
EVENT SPONSORS:
GALES AUTO AFTERMARKET AND ESSO SPEEDWAY VARIETY
Race Start: 7:45 P.M.
Race End: 10:05 P.M.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
HEAT RACES (Top 4 Redraw For Feature Starting Spots):
BS&B RADIATOR Heat Race #1
1. 5 Keith Dempster (Alton), 2. 18 Kevin Loveys (Hamilton), 3. 27 Jamie Collard (Burford), 4. 38 Brad Knab (Arcade, NY), 5. 7 Kyle Moffit (South Dayton, NY) DNF, 6. 67 Chris Durand (Port Stanley) DNF, 7. 1k Jessica Zemken (Sprakers, NY) DNS. Time – 1:51.812
BEST WESTERN CAIRN CROFT HOTEL Heat Race #2
1. 6n Dain Naida (Belleville, MI), 2. 71 Travis Cunningham (Grimsby), 3. 14h Jim Huppunen (Fenwick), 4. 94 Stan Zanchin (Fort Erie), 5. 84 Tyler Rand (Consecon), 6. 23 Steve Garry (Dundas), 7. 71x Tim Zack (Wainfleet) DNF. No Time
GRISDALE RACING PRODUCTS Heat Race #3
1. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (Brantford), 2. 47x Louie Carufel (Port Huron, MI), 3. 01 Mikey Kruchka (Hamilton), 4. 12c Tom Huppunen (Fenwick), 5. 5d Dave Dykstra (Port Colborne), 6. 90 James Evans (Beamsville), 7. 31j John Burbridge, Jr. (Simcoe). Time – 1:55.041
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING
SPRINT CAR FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 5 Keith Dempster (4)
2. 38 Brad Knab (3)
3. 01 Mikey Kruchka (6)
4. 71 Travis Cunningham (2)
5. 6n Dain Naida (7)
6. 27 Jamie Collard (5)
7. 12c Tom Huppunen (11)
8. 14h Jim Huppunen (12)
9. 5d Dave Dykstra (15)
10. 1k Jessica Zemken (21)
11. 90 James Evans (18)
12. 18 Kevin Loveys (10)
13. 94 Stan Zanchin (1)
14. 47x Louie Carufel (9)
15. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (8)
16. 84 Tyler Rand (14)
17. 23 Steve Garry (17)
18. 31j John Burbridge, Jr. (20) DNF
19. 71x Tim Zack (19) DNS
20. 7 Kyle Moffit (13) DNS
21. 67 Chris Durand (16) DNS
No Time
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS
HEAT RACES:
Heat Race #1
1. 88 Shayne Pierce (Wainfleet), 2. 17 Rob Disher (Grimsby), 3. 37 Jeremy Bean (Stoney Creek), 4. 108 Billy Bleich, Jr. (Port Robinson), 5. 44 Jamie Cox (Cambridge), 6. 11 Michelle Johnson (Caledonia), 7. 55 Mike Thorne (Caledonia) DNF, 8. 00 Robbie General DNF, 9. 31 Dave Bailey (Hagersville) DNF
Heat Race #2
1. 24k Kyle Magrin (Hamilton), 2. 83 Lee Winger (Caledonia), 3. 12 Brad Herron (Brantford), 4. 40 Terry Osmond (Cambridge), 5. 13 Mark Thorne (Waterford), 6. 8 Ryan Dinning (Caledonia), 7. 32 Rodney Rutherford (Waterdown), 8. 88k Ed McNamara (St. Catharines), 9. 1 Chris Dickie (Brantford)
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 83 Lee Winger (7)
2. 44 Jamie Cox (10)
3. 12 Brad Herron (9)
4. 88 Shayne Pierce (8)
5. 108 Billy Bleich, Jr. (6)
6. 37 Jeremy Bean (5)
7. 24k Kyle Magrin (3)
8. 8 Ryan Dinning (12)
9. 31 Dave Bailey (18)
10. 17 Rob Disher (2)
11. 13 Mark Thorne (1)
12. 88k Ed McNamara (14)
13. 40 Terry Osmond (4)
14. 18 Amanda Stoner (19)
15. 00 Robbie General (17) DNF
16. 1 Chris Dickie (15) DNF
17. 11 Michelle Johnson (11) DNS
18. 32 Rodney Rutherford (13) DNS
19. 55 Mike Thorne (16) DNS
ESSO MINI-STOCKS
HEAT RACES:
Heat Race #1
1. 7x Chase Hess (Ohsweken), 2. 28 Abel Castelein (Cayuga), 3. 10 Mitchell Brown (Brantford), 4. 14 Paul Goodale, 5. 86 Rick Emberson (Paris), 6. 05 David Goodacre (Brantford), 7. 27 Dan Stewart (Hamilton), 8. 48 Craig Erskine, 9. 88 Drew Spencer (Oakville), 10. 9 Jonathan Ayrton (Hamilton) DNS
Heat Race #2
1. 777x Steve Hess (Ohsweken), 2. 72 Kevin Hilborn (Brantford), 3. 11 Mike Giberson (Caledonia), 4. 02 Mike Taylor (Burlington), 5. 265 Mike Evers (Caledonia), 6. 79 Steve Miller, 7. 77x Ethan Martin (Ohsweken), 8. 113 Mark Maidment, Jr. (Jarvis), 9. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (Cambridge) DNF, 10. 55 Rob Slater (Dundas) DNF
ESSO MINI-STOCKS A-FEATURE (15 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 10 Mitchell Brown (12)
2. 7x Chase Hess (1)
3. 777x Steve Hess (11)
4. 28 Abel Castelein (10)
5. 265 Mike Evers (3)
6. 02 Mike Taylor (5)
7. 86 Rick Emberson (8)
8. 05 David Goodacre (4)
9. 48 Craig Erskine (15)
10. 11 Mike Giberson (2)
11. 79 Steve Miller (7)
12. 88 Drew Spencer (17)
13. 27 Dan Stewart (13)
14. 113 Mark Maidment, Jr. (16)
15. 9 Jonathan Ayrton (20)
16. 6x Mike Sarantakes (21)
17. 14 Paul Goodale (6) DNF
18. 77x Ethan Martin (14) DNF
19. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (18) DNF
20. 55 Rob Slater (19) DNS
BOMBERS A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Hometown)
1. 81 Karl Sault (Dundas)
2. 181 Lee Hils (Dundas)
3. 61 Steven Hils (Dundas)
4. 113 Shawn Ireland (Burlington)
5. 17 Brittany Gyorkery
6. 13 Kacey Huffman (Dundas)
7. 818 Chris Hils (Dundas)
8. 13c Mark Maidment, Jr. (Jarvis)
9. 03 Bill Rutherford (Waterdown)
10. 20 Brett Rodwell
11. 00 Mark Czuba
12. 15 Brad McCarten
13. 117 Wayne McCarten
14. 88j Jesse McDonald (Caledonia) DNF
15. 31 Dave Hils (Dundas) DNS
FLAG POLE RACE (20 laps)
Postion. # Name
1. 818 Chris Hils, 2. 61 Steven Hils, 3. 00 Chris Cairns, 4. 31 Dave Hils, 5. 20 Brett Rodwell, 6. 181 Lee Hils, 7. 117 Wayne McCarten, 8. 03 Rodney Rutherford, 9. 88j Jesse McDonald, 10. 81 Karl Sault
BACKWARDS RACE (5 laps)
Winner: 61 Steven Hils
UP NEXT @ OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2009
CAFÉ 54 PRESENTS:
TWIN 15’S FOR CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS,
PLUS MOD-LITE STARS TOUR NORTH, AND
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS, ESSO MINI STOCKS, AND BOMBERS
ADULTS $10, SENIORS AND STUDENTS $8, KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE!
SPECTATOR GATES OPEN @ 6:00 P.M., RACING @ 7:45 P.M.