By Tommy Goudge (April 15, 2014) – Drivers and teams from Ohsweken Speedway are hard at work getting ready for the 2014 racing season, which begins next month. Davey Boughton took a break from those preparations to look back at his 2013 HRW Automotive Mini Stock division championship, and ahead to his rookie season in the new Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car division.
The offseason has again been full of changes for Davey Boughton, as he is leaving the Mini Stock division after just one season to pursue his dream of racing Sprint Cars. He won the Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bomber championship and Flamboro Speedway Pure Stock championship in 2012 before moving up to the HRW Automotive Mini Stock division last season. His success continued in the Mini Stocks, as he claimed 7 feature wins on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award, and 2013 championship.
Davey jumped at the chance to get into a Sprint Car when Ohsweken officials announced the formation of the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car division which will join the weekly program this season. He has been busy acquiring an engine, car, and spare parts, plus getting a new website up and running, and adding several new sponsors.
DAVEY BOUGHTON – FAST FACTS
Birthdate: March 26, 1989
Hometown: Carlisle, Ontario
Occupation: Heavy Equipment Operator
Car #: 18x
Website: www.18xmotorsports.com
Twitter: @18xmotorsports
Sponsors: Liquid Chrome, Redline Racing, ImageFactor.ca, Hunt Chrysler Fiat, JW Property Maintenance, Fred Hyde Farms, Saliba Farms, MANN Construction, and LCS.
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TG: “You expressed interest in the new Crate Sprint Car division right from the moment it was announced. What appeals to you about this class?”
DB: “The fact that it is cost efficient, allows me to race an open wheel car, learn the ropes, and possibly move into a 360 if the time and circumstances are ever right. Also, the fact that we are all running the same type and horsepower motors is going to make for really exciting and great racing in my opinion. No one’s budget will win the races.”
TG: “Aside from the obvious, what changes did you need to make in order to switch divisions?”
DB: “The main thing I needed was to know I was going to have the support and knowledge from friends of mine to help me with the learning curve for the big jump from a 4 cylinder Mini Stock to a 602 Crate Sprint Car. Second, I needed some sponsorship backing to be able to purchase proper safety gear to run, along with other expenses we would have a hard time covering with such a low budget race team. Third, I have been preparing myself mentally that it’s not if – it’s when – I will flip, and that can’t be at the top of my mind. I still have to go out, race hard, and whatever happens will happen on its own. That’s just my way of thinking.”
TG: “It wasn’t really a secret that you were a big fan of Sprint Car racing, and wanted to drive one someday. What was it like telling your family and friends when that dream started to become a reality?”
DB: “I’ve been a fan of Sprint Car racing since I saw my first race in Florida when I was 11. It was great telling everyone – all of my friends and family were very supportive right off the bat, as they know the passion I have for racing and for Ohsweken in general. I’m sure there were a few naysayers who didn’t think I would sell my Mini Stock and make the jump, but I am excited to get behind the wheel of a car with equally matched horsepower, and compete against some seasoned drivers to prove I can run with the best.”
TG: “You spent last year racing in the HRW Automotive Mini Stock division, winning the Rookie of the Year award, and the championship. Who do you think we’ll see contending for that title this year, now that you’ve moved on?”
DB: “I feel this year that the championship winner won’t be a rookie to the Mini Stocks. He won’t only win the championship, but he will get his first feature win(s) ever at Ohsweken . He has the car, the new hand controls, and the skill to get the job done. That guy, if you haven’t figured it out yet, would be the #99 of Robin Elliott. If I had a second choice, it would be the #81 of Alex Schuts, who is always fast.”
TG: “Ohsweken’s Crate Sprint Cars have drawn a lot of interest in the local racing community. What advice do you have for someone who is interested in getting involved, especially those who have never competed at Ohsweken before?”
DB: “The advice I have for people with no prior racing experience would be to look into the Bombers. The Bomber division teaches you everything you need to know about the track, the nightly procedures, how to obey the flag man, how to respect fellow drivers, how to line up and take proper restarts…the list is endless really. It is a great class all around. With that said, the track offers a class for all levels of budget and experience. It’s all what you are interested in.”
TG: “The majority of drivers in the new Crate Sprint Car division will be rookies. What do you think it’s going to be like when the green flag drops on the first race?”
DB: “I would like to think that cooler heads will prevail, and we will all give each other the room and respect we need to learn, but still race at the same time. But, it is sprint car racing and anything can happen at any time. For me personally, I will be feeling out the car and track, and learning how to run in traffic the first few nights out, and that’s just being realistic. I don’t want to wreck my car or anyone else’s on the first night.”
TG: “This will be your third division in three years at Ohsweken, and you won a track championship in each of the last two seasons. What are your goals for 2014, and beyond?”
DB: “My goal for this season is to finish in the top five in points, and compete for rookie of the year. That being said, it will be tough, seeing as it’s a field full of rookies. I have no doubt in my mind – once I get the hang of the car and track – that I can and will park the 18x in victory lane. As for seasons in the future, I plan to upgrade my crate sprint program with a possible new motor and chassis, make the car I have now a back-up, and go for the championship.”
TG: “If you could change one thing (a rule, etc…) in racing, what would it be?”
DB: “To be honest the only thing I would change would be to possibly add a few travelling dates for the 602 Crate Sprint Cars to other tracks to get the name out for us. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
TG: “What do you think the 602 Crate Sprint Car division will be like in 5 years?”
DB: “I am almost 100 percent sure that the Crate Sprint class will do nothing but grow and become very popular part of the show at Ohsweken. With 15 possibly cars expected out for opening night, that is very healthy for a brand new division.”
TG: “Do you have any superstitions or habits, especially on race day?”
DB: “Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love dogs, especially my own. I don’t have any real superstitions on race day, but I do have my old dog Dora’s collar that I keep clipped to the roll bar of my race cars. Dora was unfortunately hit by a car the day we were welding the cage in my 2012 Bomber car. I clipped it in the day after. I do believe the fact her collar rides with me is the reason I have had such good racing luck. I reach in and hang onto it on every white flag lap.”
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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 Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Bombers, while the season finishes each year with the annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Ohsweken Speedway also hosts weekly Micro Sprint racing on Thursday nights, and has been a yearly stop on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series schedule since 2007.
Visit the official Ohsweken Speedway website at www.OhswekenSpeedway.com, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/OHSWEKENSPEEDWAY, follow us on Twitter @OhswekenSpdway, and subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/user/OhswekenSpdway
Ohsweken Speedway thanks the following sponsors for their support: Arrow Express, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc., Renway Energy, O’Neil’s Farm Equipment, McDonald’s Restaurants of Paris & Brantford, Nathan Ackland State Farm Insurance, Strickland’s GMC, Mobil 1, Burger Barn, Affordable Towing & Recovery, HRW Automotive, and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket.