by Tommy Goudge,Photo Credits – Dale Calnan/ImageFactor.ca
(September 7, 2012) – The championships in each weekly division of Ohsweken Speedway’s Friday Night Thunder series were not decided until the final regular event in 2012, and a brief rain shower during qualifying couldn’t keep the racers from settling things on the track. The Season Championships were presented by O’Neil’s Farm Equipment and Case IH, and featured plenty of close racing, especially in the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car feature. Dain Naida claimed his first Sprint Car feature win at Ohsweken in 2012, while Chris Steele took the runner-up spot, and assured himself of the championship as long as he takes a green flag during next weekend’s Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Mike Thorne won the Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder Stocks feature, and locked up his second consecutive championship, while Jeremy Hughes won the HRW Automotive Mini Stock feature, and Karl Sault finished third to take his second championship in a row. Davey Boughton also won the Pierced Parts Bombers feature and championship on Friday night.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
Four drivers entered Friday night with very good chances to take the Sprint Car championship, and the standings got even more tight after the heat races were complete, with Tom Huppunen, Chris Steele, Glenn Styres, and Travis Cunningham all in the mix, separated by just five points. Dain Naida and Glenn Styres began the 25 lap feature on the front row, but Travis Cunningham got turned around in turn two before the first lap was complete.
Naida took the lead after the complete restart, but Styres and Steele were close behind, and Tom Huppunen tried to pick his way forward from his seventh row starting spot. Styres briefly got around Naida and led the fifth lap, but Naida quickly got the spot back, while Steele pounced on Styres to take second on lap seven. Huppunen was up to the seventh spot by lap nine, but couldn’t make up much ground after that, leaving Styres and Steele to settle the championship.
Styres was close behind as Steele tried to stay with Naida, but he couldn’t get by, and then briefly lost the position to Jessica Zemken until she found a rut in turn two. Naida cruised to the feature win, followed by Steele, Styres, Zemken, and Todd Hoddick. Steele’s runner-up finish put him four points ahead of Styres and Huppunen heading into the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, an event which pays show-up points towards the Corr/Pak championship.
Heat races for the 24 car field were claimed by Jamie Collard, Keith Dempster, and Scott Kreutter.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
Jack Myers entered the night trailing Mike Thorne by just six points in the Thunder Stock standings, but trouble found him in both his heat race, and the B-Main. When the Season Championship feature began, Myers could only sit and watch as Mike Thorne clinched the title. Thorne didn’t just cruise to the championship though, as he made his way to the front from row seven, and took the feature win. Wyatt Van Wart, Cory Turner, Aaron Turkey, and Ryan Turner rounded out the top five.
Heat races for the 29 car field were claimed by Brad Bacher, Aaron Turkey, and Chris Dickie, while Jim Lampman won the B-Main.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
Karl Sault entered the evening with a twenty point advantage over Mike Evers, and only needed to keep the retiring veteran driver in sight to claim his second Mini Stock title in succession. Sault was not content with that though, and gave chase to eventual feature winner Jeremy Hughes, while John Cote was also in the mix. Hughes took his sixth win of the season at Ohsweken, followed by Cote, Sault, Dan Stewart, and Jason Lungaro.
Heat races for the 26 car field went to Laura Hughes, John Cote, and Doug Erskine, while Mark Czuba won the B-Main.
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
Davey Boughton and Max Chechalk entered the evening separated by just one point, but Boughton quickly got the lead when the feature race began, and cruised to the championship-clinching feature win. Chechalk made a valiant effort to finish fourth after starting outside row six, but settled for the runner-up spot in the points standings. Brady Longboat, Jeremy May, Chechalk, and Kathi Dickie chased Boughton to the finish line.
Heat races for the 13 car field were claimed by Wayde Thorne and Brady Longboat.
NEXT WEEK AT OHSWEKEN
The “Night Before the Nationals” is ready to go on Friday, September 14. The first night of the 8th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals weekend will include Twin 15 lap features for the Sprint Cars, plus the Ohsweken Shootout, Dave McLeod Memorial Mr. Sprint Car Challenge, and Vintage Cars. Spectator gates open at 5:00 with racing starting at 7:45!
TICKETS PLEASE
Advanced reserved seat tickets for the 8th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals coming up on Friday, September 14, and Saturday, September 15 at Ohsweken are on sale now! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and call 1-888-720-RACE to order yours today! The pre-entry list for this huge event already includes 42 drivers from as far away as Texas and Iowa, and many more are expected. Friday and Saturday Nationals tickets are now also available at the Styres Gas Bar located at the Speedway entrance.
FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER 2012
RACE REPORT – SEPTEMBER 7
“SEASON CHAMPIONSHIPS”
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
EVENT SPONSOR –
O’NEAL’S FARM EQUIPMENT/CASE IH
TOTAL ENTRIES – 92
RACE START: 7:45P.M.
RACE END: 10:40P.M.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS (24 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 16 in passing points transferred to A-Feature):
Finish. [Starting Position] Number Name (Hometown)
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT RACE #1
1. [2] 7x Jamie Collard (Burford), 2. [4] 71 Travis Cunningham (Grimsby), 3. [6] 33k Kyle Patrick (Tilbury), 4. [3] 11 Jamie Turner (Caistor Centre), 5. [7] 01 Mikey Kruchka (Hamilton), 6. [5] 3r Shane Ross (Thedford), 7. [1] 9nz Havard Daniels (Coatesville, NZ). Time – 1:50.803.
GRISDALE RACING PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #2
1. [2]5 Keith Dempster (Alton), 2. [1] 49 Todd Hoddick (Cheektowaga, NY), 3. [6] 07x Dain Naida (Tecumseh, MI), 4. [3] 27h Tom Huppunen (Fenwick), 5. [7] 80 Chris Steele (Fenwick), 6. [4] 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (St. Williams), 7. [5] 14h Jim Huppunen (Fenwick), 8. [8] 43 Scott Sherk (Port Colborne). Time – 1:51.310.
O’NEIL’S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. [4] 49x Scott Kreutter (Alden, NY), 2. [6] 0 Glenn Styres (Ohsweken), 3. [1] 10 Mitch Brown (Brantford), 4. [5] 77x Jessica Zemken (Sprakers, NY), 5. [9] 35 Jared Zimbardi (Salamanca, NY), 6. [3] 5c Conor Mahoney (Waterdown), 7. [7] 67 Chris Durand (Port Stanley), 8. [8] 11z Zach Zumpe (St. Catharines), 9. [2] 21j John Burbridge, Sr. (Simcoe) DNF. Time – 1:50.375.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
“SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP” A-FEATURE (25 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 07x Dain Naida (1)
2. 80 Chris Steele (4)
3. 0 Glenn Styres (2)
4. 77x Jessica Zemken (3)
5. 49 Todd Hoddick (9)
6. 27h Tom Huppunen (14)
7. 01 Mikey Kruchka (5)
8. 33k Kyle Patrick (12)
9. 7x Jamie Collard (11)
10. 14h Jim Huppunen (19)
11. 5 Keith Dempster (7)
12. 10 Mitch Brown (13)
13. 35 Jared Zimbardi (24)
14. 3r Shane Ross (15)
15. 11 Jamie Turner (10)
16. 9nz Havard Daniels (22)
17. 71 Travis Cunningham (8)
18. 67 Chris Durand (18)
19. 5c Conor Mahoney (17)
20. 43 Scott Sherk (20)
21. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (16) DNF
22. 21j John Burbridge, Sr. (23) DNF
23. 49x Scott Kreutter (6) DNF
DNS. 11z Zach Zumpe (21)
No Time.
Lap Leaders – Naida (1-4, 6-25), Styres (5)
SPRINT CAR AWARDS:
Nathan Ackland State Farm Insurance “Top Gun” (highest passing points total): 49x Scott Kreutter ($100)
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS (29 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 6 finishers in each transferred to A-Feature):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
ENGINE PRO RACING HEAT RACE #1
1. 85h Brad Bacher (Hagersville), 2. 8 Ryan Dinning (Caledonia), 3. 62 Brian Pescetti (Stoney Creek), 4. 77 Brett Rodwell (Caledonia), 5. 44 Kevin Dawson (Caledonia), 6. 84rk Ryan Beagle (Vittoria), 7. 13 Kacey Huffman (Hamilton), 8. 00 Robbie General (Ohsweken), 9. 4 Brittany Gyokery (Jarvis), 10. 85b Luke Greiner (Barrie) DNF.
6 NATIONS BINGO HEAT RACE #2
1. 68 Aaron Turkey (Ohsweken), 2. 11r Bryce Richardson (Port Colborne), 3. 38 Terry Martin (Ohsweken), 4. 00x Derek Miller (Ohsweken), 5. 57 Murray Nicholls (Hamilton), 6. 333 Kameron Kocarik (Fonthill), 7. 28 Jim Lampman (Caistor Centre), 8. 31 Dave Bailey (Hagersville), 9. 48 Shaun Quinn (Caledonia).
O’NEIL’S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. 1 Chris Dickie (Brantford), 2. 91 Ryan Turner (Caistor Centre), 3. 2 Lee Winger (Caledonia), 4. 55 Mike Thorne (Caledonia), 5. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (Cambridge), 6. 10 Jake Brown (Brantford), 7. 33m Jack Myers (Wainfleet), 8. 17 Rob Disher (Grimsby), 9. 33t Cory Turner (Caistor Centre), 10. 5h Devin Habiuk (Port Robinson) DNF.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS B-MAIN
(10 laps – Top 6 finishers transferred to A-Feature)
1. 28 Jim Lampman, 2. 48 Shaun Quinn, 3. 33t Cory Turner, 4. 31 Dave Bailey, 5. 17 Rob Disher, 6. 00 Robbie General, 7. 13 Kacey Huffman, 8. 33m Jack Myers, 9. 4 Brittany Gyokery DNF, 10. 5h Devin Habiuk DNF, DNS. 85b Luke Greiner.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
“SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP” A-FEATURE (25 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 55 Mike Thorne (14)
2. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (4)
3. 33t Cory Turner (21)
4. 68 Aaron Turkey (8)
5. 91 Ryan Turner (13)
6. 57 Murray Nicholls (3)
7. 31 Dave Bailey (22)
8. 38 Terry Martin (6)
9. 77 Brett Rodwell (5)
10. 62 Brian Pescetti (11)
11. 28 Jim Lampman (19)
12. 333 Kameron Kocarik (1)
13. 85h Brad Bacher (18)
14. 00x Derek Miller (2)
15. 10 Jake Brown (7) DNF
16. 1 Chris Dickie (12)
17. 13 Kacey Huffman (25) DNF
18. 2 Lee Winger (10) DNF
19. 8 Ryan Dinning (16) DNF
20. 17 Rob Disher (23) DNF
21. 44 Kevin Dawson (17) DNF
22. 84rk Ryan Beagle (9) DNF
23. 48 Shaun Quinn (20) DNF
24. 00 Robbie General (24) DNF
DNS. 11r Bryce Richardson (15)
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS (26 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 6 finishers in each transferred to A-Feature):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
ENGINE PRO RACING HEAT RACE #1
1. 10 Laura Hughes (Flamboro), 2. 66 Brandon Janssens (Woodstock), 3. 01 Mark Da Silva (West Flamborough), 4. 69 Rob Twitchett (Dundas), 5. 81h Glen Hils (Dundas), 6. 12 Jonathan Ayrton (Hamilton), 7. 11 Mike Giberson (Caledonia), 8. 7x Chase Hess (Ohsweken) DNF, DNS. 53 Sarah Rutherford (Dundas).
STYRES GAS BAR HEAT RACE #2
1. 38 John Cote (Hamilton), 2. 27 Dan Stewart (Hamilton), 3. 99 Robin Elliott (Woodstock), 4. 79 Steve Miller (Paris), 5. 55 Rob Slater (Dundas), 6. 05 Dave Goodacre (Brantford), 7. 1 Josh Shantz (St. Agatha), 8. 22 Brittani Myers (Hamilton), 9. 84 Dale Gyokery (Jarvis).
O’NEIL’S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. 48 Doug Erskine (Hamilton), 2. 777x Steve Hess (Ohsweken), 3. 7 Jason Lungaro (Hamilton), 4. 265 Mike Evers (Caledonia), 5. 81 Karl Sault (Dundas), 6. 10j Jeremy Hughes (Burlington), 7. 02 Mark Czuba (Burlington), 8. 69e Dan Erskine (Caistor Centre).
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS B-MAIN
(8 laps – Top 6 finishers transferred to A-Feature)
1. 02 Mark Czuba, 2. 1 Josh Shantz, 3. 69 Rob Twitchett, 4. 84 Dale Gyokery, 5. 22 Brittani Myers, 6. 11 Mike Giberson, 7. 7x Chase Hess DNF, DNS. 53 Sarah Rutherford.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
“SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP” A-FEATURE (25 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 10j Jeremy Hughes (10)
2. 38 John Cote (16)
3. 81 Karl Sault (12)
4. 27 Dan Stewart (3)
5. 7 Jason Lungaro (13)
6. 99 Robin Elliott (14)
7. 69e Dan Erskine (1)
8. 265 Mike Evers (11)
9. 1 Josh Shantz (20)
10. 777x Steve Hess (15)
11. 01 Mark Da Silva (17)
12. 48 Doug Erskine (8)
13. 66 Brandon Janssens (6)
14. 05 Dave Goodacre (7)
15. 84 Dale Gyokery (22)
16. 12 Jonathan Ayrton (2)
17. 22 Brittani Myers (23)
18. 69 Rob Twitchett (21)
19. 79 Steve Miller (9) DNF
20. 11 Mike Giberson (24) DNF
21. 55 Rob Slater (5) DNF
22. 02 Mark Czuba (19)
23. 10 Laura Hughes (4)
24. 81h Glen Hils (18) DNF
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS (13 entries)
HEAT RACES (6 laps each)
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
HEAT RACE #1
1. 6 Wayde Thorne (Waterford), 2. 42 Joe DeBoer (Hagersville), 3. 25 Kevin Nicol (Hamilton), 4. 21 Mark Bazuin (Caledonia), 5. 707 Danny Shantz (St. Agatha), 6. 16x Dwight Staats (Ohsweken), DNS. Ian Myerscough (Burlington).
HEAT RACE #2
1. 66 Brady Longboat (Ohsweken), 2. 16 Jeremy May (Hamilton), 3. 18x Davey Boughton (Carlisle), 4. 5 Kathi Dickie (Brantford), 5. 23 Dusty DeBoer (Hagersville), 6. 97 Max Chechalk (Hamilton).
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
“SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP” A-FEATURE (15 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 18x Davey Boughton (4)
2. 66 Brady Longboat (5)
3. 16 Jeremy May (1)
4. 97 Max Chechalk (12)
5. 5 Kathi Dickie (6)
6. 6 Wayde Thorne (2)
7. 23 Dusty DeBoer (10)
8. 42 Joe DeBoer (3)
9. 21 Mark Bazuin (7)
10. 007 Ian Myerscough (13)
11. 707 Danny Shantz (9)
DNS. 25 Kevin Nicol (8)
DNS. 16x Dwight Staats (11)
UP NEXT @ OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
“THE NIGHT BEFORE THE NATIONALS”
SPRINT CAR TWIN 15’s,
OHSWEKEN SHOOTOUT,
6TH ANNUAL DAVE MCLEOD MEMORIAL MR. SPRINT CAR CHALLENGE,
PLUS VINTAGE CARS
ADULTS $20 RESERVED OR $15 GENERAL ADMISSION,
KIDS 6-12 $5, AND KIDS 5 AND UNDER FREE!
SPECTATOR GATES OPEN @ 5:00 P.M., RACING @ 7:45 P.M.