by Tommy Goudge (August 8, 2008) – Pete Bicknell proved once again why he is known as “Mr. Small Block” on Friday night by taking the feature win in the 50 lap Lucas Oil 358 Modified Shootout series stop at Ohsweken Speedway presented by ESSO and Speedway Variety. Meanwhile, it was also a big night for the ESSO Thunder Stocks, as they contested twin 15 lap features on Friday. 2 new faces graced Ohsweken’s victory lane after those events, as Billy Hogue took the the first feature, with Billy Bleich taking his first ever feature win in the second 15 lapper. In ESSO Mini Stock action, Mitchell Brown continued his winning ways, taking the checkered flag for a second week in a row, while Lee Hils won yet another Friday Night Fun Stock feature.
Pete Cosco and Brian Stevens paced the field to the green flag to start the 50 lap 358 Modified Shootout event, with Cosco taking the early lead. Caution flags slowed the event multiple times, but between the slowdowns, Chad Brachmann and Pete Bicknell began to pick their way to the front. Brachmann and Bicknell entered the evening tied for the points lead in the 7 race series contested at 4 different area tracks, and came into the evening as favourites to win, as Bicknell took the feature win honours in this event 1 year ago, with Brachmann following in 2nd. Brachmann was able to take the lead from Cosco with 5 laps completed, but Bicknell quickly followed him to the front and began looking for a way around the Brachmann machine. Mechanical failure struck Brachmann during the 17th lap as the driveshaft came loose on the #3 while he and Bicknell were racing side by side for the lead in what was shaping up to be a race-long duel for the series points lead. With Brachmann sidelined, Bicknell was on cruise control for much of the remainder of the event, but Bill Bleich was having a good race holding down 2nd, and got 1 final shot at Bicknell when a caution bunched the field with just a handful of laps left. On the restart, Bleich gave it everything he had, but could not get by the Bicknell #42, finishing 2nd by just 0.193 seconds, while Bicknell took the feature win for the 2nd year in a row at Ohsweken. Heat race victories for the 27 car field were won by Scott Wood, Chris Steele, and Bicknell.
Another stellar field of ESSO Thunder Stocks signed in for competition at Ohsweken on Friday night to contest one of their biggest events of the season, with twin 15-lap features on the card. Dave Bailey and Mike Thorne were on the front row at the start of the first feature event, but all eyes were on the action in the middle of the pack, as many fast cars were frantically trying to make their way to the front. Regular Friday Night Thunder fans have grown accustomed to seeing the Cody McPherson #777 at the front of the pack as the young driver from St. Catharines has taken 7 feature wins at Ohsweken already this season and made his way to the front again on Friday night, however McPherson had company in the form of Billy Hogue and Billy Bleich as the laps wound down. Hogue, a champion driver at the Humberstone Speedway, found the wide and fast Ohsweken surface to his liking and passed McPherson for the lead in the late going and held on for the feature win, while Bleich also snuck by for 2nd after starting 23rd! Bleich’s run to 2nd was made all the more amazing because of the amount of damage the Bleich #108jr had sustained in a crash on the backstretch during heat race action when the colourful machine made contact with the wall and came close to flipping. Bleich wasn’t done there, however, as he had more in store for the 2nd 15 lap feature.
The starting order for the 2nd feature was determined by inverting the order of finish for all the cars on the track at the end of the 1st feature, meaning Brad Herron and Michelle Johnson shared the front row for the 2nd go-round, with Herron taking the early lead. The top cars from the first feature had no intention of staying in the back of the pack and quickly made their way forward in spectacular fashion, sometimes going 3 and 4 wide as they charged to the front. Once again Bleich, McPherson, and Hogue were battling it out for the feature win, but they were also joined by the very fast #18a of Amanda Stoner. In the late going, Stoner appeared to be the fastest car on the track, but when the checkered flag fell, it was Bleich holding on for the feature win, with McPherson in 2nd, and Stoner settling for 3rd. The win for Bleich was a popular one as friends and family were on hand to congratulate Billy on what is surely the first of many feature wins. Heat race victories for the 25 cars on hand went to Brad Bacher, Hogue, and McPherson.
In ESSO Mini-Stock action, it was back to points racing on Friday night after a special non-points event last Friday when Mitchell Brown took home a cool $1,000 for winning the 42-lap Art Hill Memorial race. With just the regular distance of 15 laps on tap on Friday night, Brown wasted no time getting the front and holding on for the victory after starting 9th, but points leader Abel Castelein made sure Brown didn’t gain too many markers on him by making a charge of his own, driving from 13th to 3rd when all was said and done. The race was stopped with a red flag briefly when the #18 of Dan Depagder got upside down very hard on the frontstretch while racing in a big pack of cars. Fortunately Depagder was able to emerge from his mount under his own power, but the car he had just recently purchased and made his 2008 debut with suffered extensive damage. Heat races for the 18 car field were won by Depagder and Rick Emberson, who came home 2nd in the feature to Brown.
The Friday Night Fun Stocks showed up with a record 14 car field on Friday night, with several drivers making their racing debut including Jeremy Westover and Craig Dowd. Points leader Lee Hils made a debut of his own by taking the feature win honours in a new car this week after suffering mechanical problems on his #181 last week. Karl Sault won last week’s feature and was running up front again this week, but mechanical problems derailed his attempt at winning 2 in a row early on. Hils drove off to a commanding lead and took the win, but the battle for 2nd between Mike Taylor and Kacey Huffman lasted for much of the race, with Taylor holding on for the position.
Friday Night Thunder returns to Ohsweken next Friday, August 15 when Iroquois Poker presents the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Friday Night Fun Stocks, PLUS the 2nd and final Autograph Night of the season! 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 15!
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
ROUND 12 RESULTS – AUGUST 8, 2008
EVENT SPONSOR – ESSO AND SPEEDWAY VARIETY
LUCAS OIL 358 MODIFIED SHOOTOUT SERIES
HEAT RACES (Top 4 Redraw for Feature Starting Spots)
Heat Race #1
1. 38 Scott Wood (Thorold), 2. 5jr Travis Braun (Jordan Station), 3. 71 Mike Bowman (St. Catharines), 4. 17c Pete Cosco (St. Catharines), 5. 16w Derek Wutzke (Fenwick), 6. 56 Dereck Lemyre (Hamilton), 7. 26 Rick Richner (Niagara Falls, NY), 8. 11 Bob Broomfield (Youngstown, NY), 9. 85 Graham MacKay (Welland)
Heat Race #2
1. 80 Chris Steele (Fenwick), 2. 44 Brian Stevens (St. Catharines), 3. 108 Bill Bleich (Port Robinson), 4. 15j Tim Jones (Sanborn, NY), 5. c1 Todd Gordon (St. Catharines), 6. 00 Boyd MacTavish (Ransomville, NY), 7. 55 Todd Kendrick (London), 8. 37s Andrew Sittler (St. Catharines), 9. 96 Fred Carleton (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
Heat Race #3
1. 42 Pete Bicknell (St. Catharines), 2. 3 Chad Brachmann (North Tonawanda, NY), 3. 28 Scott Kerwin (Newfane, NY), 4. 123 Robbie Krull (Lockport, NY), 5. 91 Travis Cunningham (Grimsby), 6. 72 Tom Flannigan (St. Catharines), 7. 7 Sam Crogan (Lewiston, NY), 8. 2k Rob Knapp (St. Catharines), 9. 18 Rick Hoctor (Cheektowaga, NY)
LUCAS OIL 358 MODIFIEDS SHOOTOUT FEATURE (50 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 42 Pete Bicknell (11)
2. 108 Bill Bleich (5)
3. 91 Travis Cunningham (15)
4. 44 Brian Stevens (2)
5. 38 Scott Wood (10)
6. 56 Dereck Lemyre (16)
7. c1 Todd Gordon (14)
8. 71 Mike Bowman (4)
9. 80 Chris Steele (12)
10. 17c Pete Cosco (1)
11. 26 Rick Richner (19)
12. 55 Todd Kendrick (20)
13. 11 Bob Broomfield (22)
14. 37s Andrew Sittler (23)
15. 28 Scott Kerwin (6)
16. 00 Boyd MacTavish (17)
17. 2k Rob Knapp (24)
18. 7 Sam Crogan (21)
19. 5jr Travis Braun (7)
20. 15j Tim Jones (3)
21. 85 Graham MacKay (25)
22. 72 Tom Flannigan (18)
23. 123 Robbie Krull (9)
24. 3 Chad Brachmann (8)
25. 96 Fred Carleton (26)
26. 18 Rick Hoctor (27)
27. 16w Derek Wutzke (13)
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS TWIN-15’s
HEAT RACES:
Heat Race #1
1. 3 Brad Bacher (Hagersville), 2. 12 Brad Herron (Brantford), 3. 18 Dave Bailey (Hagersville), 4. 18a Amanda Stoner (Hamilton), 5. 0 Scott McPhail (unknown), 6. 13 Mark Saul (Hagersville), 7. 33 Colin Court (Alberton), 8. 11 Michelle Johnson (Caledonia), 9. 98 Lee Winger (Caledonia) DNS
Heat Race #2
1. 777 Cody McPherson (St. Catharines), 2. o44 Jamie Cox (Cambridge), 3. 55 Mike Thorne (Caledonia), 4. 17 Rob Disher (Grimsby), 5. 37 Jeremy Bean (Stoney Creek), 6. 15 Mark Thorne (Waterford), 7. 81 Chris Van Dusen (Guelph), 8. 31jr Michael Bosse (St. Catharines) DNS
Heat Race #3
1. 48h Billy Hogue (Dain City), 2. 9 Glen Leinen (Hannon), 3. 8 Ryan Dinning (Caledonia), 4. 38 Terry Martin (Ohsweken), 5. 191 Gord Bates (York), 6. 1j Jason Fontaine (Port Colborne), 7. 1 Chris Dickie (Brantford), 8. 108jr Billy Bleich (Port Robinson)
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS A-FEATURE #1 (15 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 48h Billy Hogue (12)
2. 108jr Billy Bleich (23)
3. 777 Cody McPherson (11)
4. 18a Amanda Stoner (5)
5. 37 Jeremy Bean (14)
6. o44 Jamie Cox (3)
7. 18 Dave Bailey (1)
8. 17 Rob Disher (6)
9. 9 Glen Leinen (4)
10. 191 Gord Bates (15)
11. 55 Mike Thorne (2)
12. 3 Brad Bacher (8)
13. 38 Terry Martin (9)
14. 31jr Michael Bosse (24)
15. 0 Scott McPhail (13)
16. 1 Chris Dickie (22)
17. 13 Mark Saul (16)
18. 11 Michelle Johnson (20)
19. 15 Mark Thorne (17) DNF
20. 12 Brad Herron (10)
21. 81 Chris Van Dusen (19) DNF
22. 1j Jason Fontaine (21) DNF
23. 33 Colin Court (18) DNF
24. 8 Ryan Dinning (7) DNF
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS A-FEATURE #2 (15 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 108 Billy Bleich (18)
2. 777 Cody McPherson (17)
3. 18a Amanda Stoner (13)
4. 48h Billy Hogue (19)
5. 12 Brad Herron (1)
6. o44 Jamie Cox (14)
7. 0 Scott McPhail (5)
8. 1j Jason Fontaine (22)
9. 11 Michelle Johnson (2)
10. 17 Rob Disher (12)
11. 37 Jeremy Bean (15)
12. 1 Chris Dickie (4)
13. 55 Mike Thorne (9)
14. 38 Terry Martin (7)
15. 3 Brad Bacher (8)
16. 13 Mark Saul (3)
17. 15 Mark Thorne (24)
18. 31jr Michael Bosse (6)
19. 18 Dave Bailey (20) DNF
20. 191 Gord Bates (10) DNF
21. 33 Colin Court (21) DNF
22. 9 Glen Leinen (11) DNF
23. 8 Ryan Dinning (24) DNS
24. 81 Chris Van Dusen (23) DNS
25. 98 Lee Winger (25) DNS
ESSO MINI-STOCKS
HEAT RACES:
Heat Race #1
1. 18 Dan Depagder (unknown), 2. 55 Rob Slater (Dundas), 3. 88 Kelly Hallett (Wilsonville), 4. 265 Mike Evers (Caledonia), 5. 777x Steve Hess (Ohsweken), 6. 05 Rick Robinson (Brantford), 7. 28 Abel Castelein (Cayuga), 8. 113 Mark Thorne (Waterford), 9. 23 A.J. Castelein (Thorold) DNF
Heat Race #2
1. 86 Rick Emberson (Paris), 2. 10 Mitchell Brown (Brantford), 3. 37 Rob Hoskins (Harley), 4. 72 Kevin Hilborn (Brantford), 5. 27 Dan Stewart (Hamilton), 6. 397 Brent Hill (Ohsweken), 7. 11 Mike Giberson (Caledonia), 8. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (Cambridge), 9. 7x Chase Hess (Ohsweken)
ESSO MINI-STOCKS A-FEATURE (15 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 10 Mitchell Brown (9)
2. 86 Rick Emberson (3)
3. 28 Abel Castelein (13)
4. 72 Kevin Hilborn (7)
5. 37 Rob Hoskins (1)
6. 397 Brent Hill (12)
7. 05 Rick Robinson (11)
8. 23 A.J. Castelein (18)
9. 265 Mike Evers (6)
10. 88 Kelly Hallett (4)
11. 777x Steve Hess (8)
12. 27 Dan Stewart (5)
13. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (16)
14. 11 Mike Giberson (14) DNF
15. 7x Chase Hess (17) DNF
16. 55 Rob Slater (2) DNF
17. 18 Dan Depagder (10) DNF
18. 113 Mark Thorne (15) DNF
FRIDAY NIGHT FUN STOCKS A-FEATURE (25 laps)
Position. # Name (Hometown)
1. 181 Lee Hils (Dundas)
2. 72 Mike Taylor (unknown)
3. 13 Kacey Huffman (Hamilton)
4. 22 Trevor Deboer (unknown)
5. 818 Chris Hils (Dundas)
6. 88 Dale Cooke (unknown)
8. 388 Craig Dowd (Caledonia)
9. 8 Jeremy Westover (unknown)
10. 86 Ryan Swift (unknown)
11. 5 Ryan Hess (Ohsweken) DNF
12. 173 Cole Jamieson (unknown) DNF
13. 81 Karl Sault (Dundas) DNF
14. 88j Jesse McDonald (unknown) DNF
UP NEXT @ OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2008
IROQUOIS POKER PRESENTS
THE CORR/PAK SPRINT CARS, ESSO THUNDER STOCKS,
ESSO MINI-STOCKS AND FRIDAY NIGHT FUN STOCKS,
PLUS AUTOGRAPH NIGHT
ADULTS $10, SENIORS AND STUDENTS $8, KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE
GATES OPEN @ 6:00 P.M., RACING @ 7:45 P.M.