Photo by Dale Calnan/Image Factor Media
By Carin Sundin
OHSWEKEN, Ont. (September 12, 2019) – This week’s edition of “In the Driver’s Seat” features Dusty DeBoer #23 from the HRW Automotive Mini Stock division. Each week this segment showcases a driver from the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock or HRW Automotive Mini Stock divisions to share some insight on the drivers wearing the fire suit and behind the wheel of the cars that put on the show.
DeBoer would like to thank the following sponsors for supporting their 2019 race season: Murt Timson Auto, Kickass Metal Works, DeBoer Machining and Caledonia Auto Supply. Dusty would also like to extend a special thank you to his crew members, including: his dad Arnie and brothers Tim and Trevor.
How old were you when you started racing? What division/class? How long have you been in this current division?
DB: “I ran my first race in the Bomber division at 20 years old and then moved up to the Mini Stock division in 2016.”
How did you get involved in racing?
DB: “I watched my brothers run Thunder Stock races at Cayuga Speedway and Ohsweken Speedway for a few years, helping out by timing laps and recording race notes and finish orders. Then in 2010 Trev picked up a 1994 Pontiac Sunbird that we built into a Bomber and he let me race it.”
What was your scariest situation in a racecar?
DB: “It was during a Mini Stock race in 2017. I was hit by another car and it caused my car to launch into a barrel roll. My car rolled 4 times, it felt like it went on forever and the sound of steel crunching around you while tumbling is a bit ominous. Fortunately, I didn’t have anything new wrong with me afterwards.”
Do you get “race nerves” before a race?
DB: “Before every race, I’m always worried about forgetting stuff and making mistakes leading up to getting my car on the track.”
What is your favourite race moment to date (as a driver, fan, growing up, etc.)?
DB: “I have a few favourite moments. A few weeks after I rolled my Mini Stock, they had a Mechanic’s Race and my dad ran it in my Bomber. He won that race and to be there with him to experience victory lane is as good as it gets! And then watching Tim get his first Mini Stock win while standing on my broken car in the infield and watching Trev win his first Thunder Stock race after so many years of trying ranks right up there too!”
If you could race in any other class, which would it be?
DB: “I think a Micro Sprint, or the Go Kart class would be fun to get into and affordable. If it was just going out for one car test session, I’d like to drive a Dirt Late Model for a few laps and see if I can figure it out.”
What advice would you give anyone who is interested in getting into racing?
DB: “Go in with a plan and stay within your means. Take time to get comfortable with driving in close quarters and don’t be afraid to ask for help. There is lots of information available to help make guided decisions such as some threads on twitter that Allan Downey posted this year about his getting started in racing and there are lots of videos to study how drivers react in different situations. Also, if someone says front wheel drive cars aren’t race cars, they are probably not giving you good advice. Anything can be a race car.”
What driver do you most admire? Do they influence your driving style?
DB: “I admire Mike “Pinball” Giberson for his dedication and persistence. No matter what happens, you know he will have his car there and probably have it at Merrittville Speedway the next night. In terms of showing up to the track as late as possible and spending more than our share of time upside down in cars, I’d have to say Mike and I have similar styles.”
If you could compete in any race, what would it be? Which track?
DB: “I’d like to run the ROC Modifieds at Jukasa Motor Speedway, those cars look awesome and it would be neat to run a race there.”
Do you have any race day or pre-race superstitions or rituals?
DB: “No, I don’t have any superstitions. I don’t eat before the race but that’s just from nerves, other than that I just try to focus on a plan for the race night ahead.”
Who picked your number and why?
DB: “My number is the one my Dad always ran when he competed in Demolition Derbies. One year he was assigned number and he liked it, so he stuck with it afterwards.”
What other activities do you enjoy besides race car driving?
DB: “I enjoy sorting through the stats and coming up with different charts about things going on in racing. I watch the races over multiple times and get new data every time and it helps me be more aware about things that go on during a race. I also like keeping up with other forms of motorsport and reading.”
Everybody at Ohsweken Speedway would like to congratulate Dusty DeBoer and the No. 23 HRW Automotive Mini Stock team on their first career championship run in the 2019 season. Thank you, Dusty for getting “In The Driver’s Seat” this week.
__________________________
Canadian Sprint Car Nationals Tickets and Camping Available Now!
The best 360 Sprint Car racers from the Northeast region and beyond will converge on Ohsweken Speedway on Friday, September 13, and Saturday, September 14 for the 15th Annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals weekend. Tickets and reserved campsites for the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals are on sale online at https://ohswekenspeedway.ticketforce.com/ or can be purchased by phone at 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, Hoosier Tire Canada, HRW Automotive, Insta-Insulation/Insta-Panels, Jibs Action Sports, Kool Kidz Ice & Water, McDonald’s Restaurants of Paris & Brantford, Middleport Mechanical, Club 54 Racing, Pinty’s Delicious Foods, Renway Energy, Rochester Knighthawks, Strickland’s GMC and Victory Gamez.