by Tommy Goudge (August 1, 2008) – James Michael Friesen had never raced at the Ohsweken Speedway until Friday night, but his inexperience at the track did not phase him in the least as he drove from 15th on the grid into the lead before the halfway point of the 50 lap event, and held off the challenges of Mike Bowman to take the win. The ESSO Mini-Stocks also ran an extra distance event on Friday night as the $1,000-to-win 42 lap Art Hill Memorial race took centre stage. All 42 laps were run caution free, and when all was said and done, young Mitchell Brown was in victory lane with the big trophy. The ESSO Thunder Stocks division was also on the card with a large field of 28 cars on hand, but in the end Cody McPherson bested them all yet again by taking his 7th feature win of the season at Ohsweken. In Friday Night Fun Stock action, Karl Sault erased a big lead built up by Lee Hils and passed the point leader to take his 2nd feature win in the last 3 races, and 3rd win overall this season.
Rob Pratt and Mark Dixon drew the lucky pills to put them on the front row to start the 50 lap race for the Sportsman cars on Friday night, with Pratt taking the early lead, but Mike Bowman quickly moved into the 2nd spot and kept Pratt’s #p38 in sight. Pratt remained out front for the first 13 laps of the event, but a caution flag bunched the field and proved to be Pratt’s undoing. The cause of the stoppage was a spin by Robbie Rounce, who saw a fine run go sour as he had worked his way from 9th to 5th before the spin. Stopped facing the wrong way in turn #2, most of the field was able to take evasive action, but the #11z of Darren Zumpe could not avoid taking the Rounce #111, damaging both cars enough to put them out for the remainder of the race. When the race restarted, Pratt felt pressure from Bowman, but Tyler McPherson was the man on the move and got by both to take the lead on the 14th lap. McPherson led the next 8 laps, but after a caution for Kevin Sharp’s blown engine, Friesen, Pratt, Bowman, and Chad Chevalier all pounced on the leader and moved McPherson from 1st to 5th in just 1 lap. Pratt and Bowman resumed their race-long battle, this time for the 2nd spot, allowing Friesen to open a gap on the field which he would never relinquish, while Bowman eventually got by Pratt for 2nd, with Pratt settling for 3rd, followed by Chevalier and Mat Williamson. Unfortunately tempers flared after the race, resulting in Pratt being moved to the bottom of the running order by officials, and moving Mark Chiddy into the top 5. 29 Sportsman cars were on hand with Rob Knapp, Mark D’Ilario, Rounce, and Pratt taking heat race victories, while Jay Doerr won the Conci.
After a moment of silence and a pace lap in the missing man formation in honour of Art Hill – the only driver ever to lose his life at Ohsweken – it was time to get the 9th annual Art Hill Memorial 42 lap ESSO Mini-Stock feature underway. Mark Czuba and Mitchell Brown drew the front row starting spots and took the green flag side by side. Brown was not to be denied on this night as he immediately took the lead and began putting distance on the rest of the field, while Rick Robinson moved up into 2nd and tried to keep the young Brantford driver in sight. While Brown and Robinson were in another time zone, the battle for 3rd was a race-long struggle between Kevin Hilborn and Abel Castelein, with Craig Erskine also getting in on the action at times. Brown raced through the field at a torrid pace, lapping all but 2nd place Robinson by the time the caution-free race was over. Robinson settled for 2nd, followed by Castelein, Hilborn, and Erskine, who made his first start of the season at Ohsweken a top 5 finish. Heat race wins for the 23 car field went to Hilborn, Castelein, and Brown.
Mike Thorne and Chris Dickie led the field to the green flag for 15 laps of ESSO Thunder Stock action, with Thorne taking the lead and opening a sizeable advantage. Bad luck struck the Thorne #55 yet again, however, as during a caution flag for a crash on the backstretch involving Terry Osmond, Gord Bates, and Brian Pescetti, Thorne’s right front tire went flat, forcing the young driver to relinquish the lead. On the restart, Mike Ward was the man out front, but points leader Cody McPherson had quickly moved up from his 12th starting spot and put his #777 out front yet again. Also in the thick of the battle at the front was rookie of the year contender Jamie Cox, but his fine run came to an end with the #o44 suffering mechanical problems and going pitside. McPherson cruised home to another victory at Ohsweken, followed by Billy Bleich, Jason Fontain, Ward, and Bernard Neiberg, all of whom started 14th or worse. Glen Leinen, McPherson, and Thorne took heat race victories, while Amanda Stoner won the first Conci in the Thunder Stock division at Ohsweken in quite some time.
In Friday Night Fun Stock action, Lee Hils started on the front row and opened a sizeable lead, but Karl Sault made his way into 2nd and began closing the gap, while Hils began fighting lapped traffic. Sault stalked the Hils #181 for much of the event and made his move coming out of the 2nd turn to take the lead and cruise to victory. Hils settled for 2nd followed by Mike Taylor, Dave Hils, and Jesse McDonald.
Friday Night Thunder returns to Ohsweken next Friday, August 8 when ESSO and Speedway Variety present the Lucas Oil 358 Modified Shootout and twin-15’s for the ESSO Thunder Stocks, plus ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Friday Night Fun Stocks! Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken Speedway offers affordable family entertainment just a short drive away from most mid-western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is just $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and kids 12 and under are FREE! Please visit HYPERLINK http://www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information. Gates open at 6:00p.m. with the first race taking the green flag at 7:45p.m. this Friday, August 1!
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
ROUND 11 RESULTS – AUGUST 1, 2008
EVENT SPONSOR – OUTHOUSE IMAGE AND DESIGN www.OuthouseSigns.ca
LUCAS OIL SPORTSMAN MODIFIED SHOOTOUT SERIES
HEAT RACES (Top 5 Transfer to A-Feature, Top 3 Redraw for Feature Starting Spots)
Heat Race #1
1. 2k Rob Knapp (St. Catharines), 2. 12 Chad Chevalier (Port Colborne), 3. 1m Norm Mark (Fort Erie), 4. 77jr B.J. Willard (St. Catharines), 5. 55c Jesse Cotress (Akron, NY), 6. 43t Jay Doerr (London), 7. 99c Nick Cupolo (Thorold), 8. 85 Mikey Kruchka (Hamilton) DNF
Heat Race #2
1. 08 Mark D’Ilario (Smithville), 2. 140 Mark Dixon (Durham), 3. 95 Joe Middlemiss (Chippawa), 4. 54 Mark Chiddy (Colden, NY), 5. 53 Darrell Farraway (Hamilton), 6. 50 Roger Lauzon (Hamilton), 7. 51c Bill Willard (St. Catharines)
Heat Race #3
1. 111 Robbie Rounce (Caledonia), 2. 8s Justin Sharp (St. Catharines), 3. 71 Mike Bowman (St. Catharines), 4. 52 James Michael Friesen (St. Catharines), 5. 11z Darren Zumpe (St. Catharines), 6. 26h Luke Carleton (Port Colborne), 7. 20j Tony Cowell (unknown)
Heat Race #4
1. p38 Rob Pratt (Batavia, NY), 2. 777 Tyler McPherson (St. Catharines), 3. 62 Rick Bellante (St. Catharines), 4. 38 Brian Susice (Ransomville, NY), 5. 6 Mat Williamson (St. Catharines), 6. 11jr Justin Wright (York, NY), 7. 5s Kevin Sharp (Port Colborne), 8. 21jj Jim Johnstone (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
CONCI (Top 4 Transfer to A-Main):
1. 43t Jay Doerr, 2. 11jr Justin Wright, 3. 5s Kevin Sharp, 4. 99c Nick Cupolo, 5. 21jj Jim Johnstone, 6. 50 Roger Lauzon, 7. 51c Bill Willard, 8. 85 Mikey Kruchka, 9. 26h Luke Carleton DNF, 10. 20j Tony Cowell DNS
LUCAS OIL SPORTSMAN MODIFIEDS SHOOTOUT FEATURE (50 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 52 James Michael Friesen (15)
2. 71 Mike Bowman (3)
3. 12 Chad Chevalier (7)
4. 6 Mat Williamson (20)
5. 54 Mark Chiddy (14)
6. 95 Joe Middlemiss (12)
7. 8s Justin Sharp (10)
8. 08 Mark D’Ilario (8)
9. 99c Nick Cupolo (24)
10. 11jr Justin Wright (22)
11. 777 Tyler McPherson (11)
12. 55c Jesse Cotress (17)
13. 38 Brian Susice (16)
14. 140 Mark Dixon (2)
15. 43t Jay Doerr (21)
16. 2k Rob Knapp (4)
17. 53 Darrell Farraway (18)
18. 62 Rick Bellante (5)
19. 1m Norm Mark (6)
20. 77jr B.J. Willard (13)
21. p38 Rob Pratt (1) DQ
22. 5s Kevin Sharp (23) DNF
23. 111 Robbie Rounce (9) DNF
24. 11z Darren Zumpe (19) DNF
ESSO MINI-STOCKS
HEAT RACES (Top 3 Redraw for Feature Starting Positions):
Heat Race #1
1. 72 Kevin Hilborn (Brantford), 2. 113 Mark Thorne (Waterford), 3. 37 Rob Hoskins (Harley), 4. 02 Mark Czuba (unknown), 5. 20 Kevin Magrin (unknown), 6. 88 Marc Hallett (Brantford), 7. 39 Jim Cochrane (Drumbo), 8. 23 A.J. Castelein (Thorold) DNS
Heat Race #2
1. 28 Abel Castelein (Cayuga), 2. 05 Rick Robinson (Brantford), 3. 4p Mike Peterson (Woodstock), 4. 397 Brent Hill (Ohsweken), 5. 11 Mike Giberson (Caleonia) 6. 86 Rick Emberson (Paris), 7. 00 Rick Haimerl (Brantford), 8. 777x Steve Hess (Ohsweken) DNS
Heat Race #3
1. 10 Mitchell Brown (Brantford), 2. 79 Dan Miller (Paris), 3. 7x Chase Hess (Ohsweken), 4. 48 Craig Erskine (unknown), 5. 55 Rob Slater (Dundas), 6. 27 Dan Stewart (Hamilton), 7. 222 Dave Magrin (Hamilton) DNS
ESSO MINI-STOCKS ART HILL MEMORIAL RACE (42 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 10 Mitchell Brown (2)
2. 05 Rick Robinson (4)
3. 28 Abel Castelein (9)
4. 72 Kevin Hilborn (8)
5. 48 Craig Erskine (10)
6. 79 Dan Miller (5)
7. 397 Brent Hill (12)
8. 11 Mike Giberson (14)
9. 7x Chase Hess (7)
10. 86 Rick Emberson (17)
11. 02 Mark Czuba (1)
12. 55 Rob Slater (15)
13. 88 Marc Hallett (16)
14. 20 Kevin Magrin (13) DNF
15. 39 Jim Cochrane (19)
16. 00 Rick Haimerl (20) DNF
17. 27 Dan Stewart (18) DNF
18. 4p Mike Peterson (11) DNF
19. 113 Mark Thorne (6) DNF
20. 37 Rob Hoskins (3) DNF
21. 222 Dave Magrin (21) DNS
22. 23 A.J. Castelein (22) DNS
23. 777x Steve Hess (23) DNS
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS
HEAT RACES (Top 6 Finishers Transfer to Feature):
Heat Race #1
1. 9 Glen Leinen (Hannon), 2. 40 Terry Osmond (Cambridge), 3. o44 Jamie Cox (Cambridge), 4. 3 Brad Bacher (Hagersville), 5. 31 Jason Fontaine (Port Colborne), 6. 191 Gord Bates (York), 7. 18x Amanda Stoner (Hamilton), 8. 33 Colin Court (Alberton) DNF, 9. 24k Kyle Magrin (Hamilton) DNF, 10. 28 Adam Gracey (unknown) DNS
Heat Race #2
1. 777 Cody McPherson (St. Catharines), 2. 11x Mike Ward (unknown), 3. 18 Dave Bailey (Hagersville), 4. 62 Brian Pescetti (Stoney Creek) 5. 1 Chris Dickie (Brantford), 6. 57 Murray Nicholls (unknown), 7. 8 Ryan Dinning (Caledonia) DNF, 8. 38 Terry Martin (Ohsweken) DNF, 9. 13 Mark Saul (Hagersville) DNF
Heat Race #3
1. 55 Mike Thorne (Caledonia), 2. 108jr Billy Bleich (Port Robinson), 3. 0x Bernard Neiberg (Caistor Centre), 4. 37 Jeremy Bean (Stoney Creek), 5. 17 Rob Disher (Grimsby), 6. 55f Vince Fargnoli (Niagara Falls), 7. 98 Lee Winger (Caledonia), 8. 11 Michelle Johnson (Caledonia) DNF, 9. 33x Jack Myers (unknown) DNF
CONCI (Top 6 Finishers Transfer to Feature):
1. 18x Amanda Stoner, 2. 11 Michelle Johnson, 3. 8 Ryan Dinning, 4. 13 Mark Saul, 5. 38 Terry Martin, 6. 24k Kyle Magrin DNF, 7. 28 Adam Gracey DNF, 8. 98 Lee Winger DNS, 9. 33x Jack Myers DNS, 10. 33 Colin Court DNS
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS A-FEATURE (15 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 777 Cody McPherson (12)
2. 108jr Billy Bleich (17)
3. 31 Jason Fontaine (16)
4. 11x Mike Ward (14)
5. 0x Bernard Neiberg (15)
6. 3 Brad Bacher (13)
7. 17 Rob Disher (7)
8. 37 Jeremy Bean (6)
9. 8 Ryan Dinning (21)
10. 9 Glen Leinen (5)
11. 57 Murray Nicholls (18)
12. 13 Mark Saul (22)
13. 55f Vince Fargnoli (9)
14. 1 Chris Dickie (2)
15. 28 Adam Gracey (25)
16. 11 Michelle Johnson (20)
17. 38 Terry Martin (23)
18. o44 Jamie Cox (11) DNF
19. 55 Mike Thorne (1) DNF
20. 18x Amanda Stoner (19) DNF
21. 24k Kyle Magrin (24) DNF
22. 62 Brian Pescetti (10) DNF
23. 40 Terry Osmond (8) DNF
24. 191 Gord Bates (3) DNF
25. 18 Dave Bailey (4) DNF
FRIDAY NIGHT FUN STOCKS A-FEATURE (25 laps)
Position. # Name (Hometown)
1. 81 Karl Sault (Dundas)
2. 181 Lee Hils (Dundas)
2. 3. 72 Mike Taylor (unknown)
4. 18 Dave Hils (Dundas)
5. 88j Jesse McDonald (unknown)
6. 818 Chris Hils (Dundas)
7. 88 Dale Cooke (unknown)
8. 06 Al Van Every (unknown)
9. 86 Ryan Swift (unknown) DNF
10. 13 Kacey Huffman (Hamilton) DNS
UP NEXT @ OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2008
ESSO AND SPEEDWAY VARIETY PRESENT
LUCAS OIL 358 MODIFIED SHOOTOUT 50
AND TWIN-15’S FOR ESSO THUNDER STOCKS,
PLUS ESSO MINI-STOCKS AND FRIDAY NIGHT FUN STOCKS
ADULTS $10, SENIORS AND STUDENTS $8, KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE
GATES OPEN @ 6:00 P.M., RACING @ 7:45 P.M.