by Tommy Goudge
(August 2, 2010) – The eighth round of Ohsweken Speedway’s Friday Night Thunder hits the track this Friday, August 6. This week’s event is presented by the Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse club, and features the annual “Art Hill Memorial 42” for the ESSO Mini Stock division, along with a full card of Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, and Bombers, plus Chain Racing and the second annual Ohsweken Speedway Hot Dog Eating Championship!
The Art Hill Memorial event is always a special night on the Ohsweken Speedway calendar, and honours the only driver ever to lose their life at the Speedway. 2009 ESSO Mini Stock champion Mitchell Brown has won two consecutive “Art Hill Memorial 42” features, but has moved to the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, making way for a possible new name on the Art Hill trophy. At least two active drivers in the ESSO Mini Stock division have claimed the Art Hill Memorial victory in the past, including 2005 winner Rick Emberson, and Dave Bailey who got the win in 2007.
Trevor Goulding of Welland leads the ESSO Mini Stocks championship standings heading into Friday’s event, and has three feature wins so far this season. A trio of Brantford drivers – Craig Erskine, Kevin Hilborn, and Paul Goodale – are second, third, and fourth in the standings, while Steve Miller of Paris rounds out the top five. Twelfth in the standings is Jake Brown of Brantford, who leads the Rookie of the Year chase. Abel Castelein of Cayuga has won two features this season, while Craig Erskine, and Steve Hess have one each.
This Friday is the last “mulligan night” for the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division. Following the conclusion of this week’s feature, each driver’s worst single-night points total will be removed from the standings, which could bring the already close points chase even tighter. Dave Dykstra of Port Colborne leads the Corr/Pak division by just ten points over South Dayton, NY driver Kyle Moffit heading into Friday’s event. Keith Dempster of Alton is currently third, followed by Campbellville’s Kevin Job, and Ohsweken driver Glenn Styres. Dykstra has claimed two Corr/Pak feature wins this season, while Moffit, Tom Huppunen, and Dain Naida have one each. Jamie Turner leads the Corr/Pak Rookie of the Year standings by a narrow nine point margin over Chris Steele, while Mitchell Brown is just five more points behind, and Todd Hoddick remains within striking distance.
The ESSO Thunder Stock division also features a tight championship battle, as leader Billy Bleich of Port Robinson is ahead of Cambridge driver Jamie Cox by just twelve points. Caledonia’s Lee Winger sits third, followed by Jeremy Bean of Stoney Creek, and Caledonia driver Ryan Dinning. Bleich and Devin Habiuk each have two ESSO Thunder Stock feature wins this season, while Cox, Winger, Mike Thorne, and Shayne Pierce have one each. Phil Nyssen leads the ESSO Thunder Stock Rookie of the Year chase by eleven points over Wyatt Van Wart, while Ed McNamara is close as well.
Karl Sault of Dundas has a commanding seventy-one point lead in the Bomber standings heading into Friday’s event, while Hamilton’s Kacey Huffman, Shawn Ireland of Burlington, Caledonia driver Jesse McDonald, and John Cote of Hamilton round out the top five. Sault has four Bomber wins this year, while Adam Riedel has two, and Dave Patton, Jeremy Hughes, and McDonald have one each.
TICKETS!
Advance reserved seat tickets are on sale for the sixth annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals presented by Arrow Express coming up September 16th, 17th, and 18th. Less than two months remain until the $10,000 to win extravaganza takes centre stage at Ohsweken, and discounted pre-entry fees for competitors end August 15. More information for fans and competitors alike is available on www.OhswekenSpeedway.com.
OUR SPONSORS
About the Rochester Knighthawks: A charter member of the National Lacrosse League, the Rochester Knighthawks team is owned by Curt Styres. The season begins in January 2011, and more information can be found at www.RochesterKnighthawks.net.
About Corr/Pak Merchandising: Founded in 1997, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc. is a designer and producer of Point of Purchase (POP) displays for retail. Strong emphasis on creative design and speed of response has seen Corr/Pak achieve great success in a very competitive industry. Their in-house capabilities and broad range of trusted suppliers enable them to develop any sort of effective solution for your retail display needs no matter the materials used, whether corrugated, wood, boxboard, plastic, wire or steel, or any combination of those. Please visit www.CorrPak.ca for more information on the title sponsor of Sprint Car racing at Ohsweken Speedway
RIDE WITH THE PROS
Ohsweken Speedway has two 410 cubic inch two-seater Sprint Cars available each race night for rides during intermission and before racing starts! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information.
THIS WEEK AT OHSWEKEN
Ohsweken Speedway’s Friday Night Thunder returns this Friday, August 6th when the Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse club presents the “Art Hill Memorial 42” for ESSO Mini Stocks. The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, and Bombers will also be in action, plus Chain Racing and the second annual Ohsweken Speedway Hot Dog Eating Championship!
Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken offers affordable exciting 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 age twelve and under are FREE!
Spectator gates open @ 6:00p.m., with the first race taking the green flag at 7:45p.m. this Friday, August 6th! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information.