From Tommy Goudge
“The Fenwick Flyer” Tom Huppunen and Fred Cade combined their efforts for the 2009 racing season and enjoyed more success than even they predicted. With Tom at the controls of the Cade-owned Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel Gaerte-powered Maxim chassis #12c, the team collected six feature wins and nine top five finishes on their way to the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division season championship at Ohsweken Speedway.
The season started off on the right foot when Tom found victory lane on opening night at Ohsweken.
“Winning the first event really took some pressure off me and set the tone for the rest of the season,” says Tom, “We have had a great year, no doubt, but we’ve had lady luck with us from the first race.”
In 360 Sprint Car competition at Ohsweken, the #12c quickly became the car to beat, and ended up finishing all but one feature in the top seven. Driving brother Jim’s car, Tom also qualified for one of the World of Outlaws features at Ohsweken in July, despite being at a disadvantage compared to the larger 410 engines of the WoO tour. The team also traveled to the first annual Quebec Sprint Car Nationals at Autodrome Drummond, where they claimed a top ten, while Tom finished seventh in ESS competition at Merrittville Speedway driving his own car. In all, Tom qualified for sixteen A-Mains in 2009 and won six, along with nine “Top 5’s” and fourteen “Top 10’s”. The team’s biggest win of the season came on July 3 at Ohsweken when they claimed the three thousand dollar winner’s cheque in the second annual Northern Summer Nationals.
Tom’s only finish outside the top ten in 360 action came in the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals in September, but he feels good about that event as well, in light of the tricky track conditions, and especially since it was his first successful qualifying attempt for the big race after four previous tries.
“I think that we did great to make it into the A-main at the CSCN,” says Tom. “We turned a decent lap in the time trials and made it into the main through the heat race. Of course, seventeenth wasn’t a great finish, but we learned something about running on such a slicked-off track…We should have put on the winter tires!”
After many years with a family-owned team or paying the bills himself, the 2009 season marked the thirty-three year old’s first as a “hired gun”.
“Compared to racing my own car, I believe the biggest advantage racing for Fred was the well-organized, non-stress environment working with him on the car during the week, and knowing the car was second to none,” says Tom. “This left more time for me to concentrate on driving other than wondering if the car will stay together for one more weekend, or how to get the car to the track!”
Like many local racers, Tom and the team enjoyed the second year of weekly Sprint Car racing at Ohsweken Speedway, and they’re already looking forward to next year.
“I’d like to thank the Styres family and their staff for such a great facility, Ken, Cheryl and Dawn Pelkie for keeping all of us crazy drivers in line at the track, and all of the fans and sponsors of Ohsweken Speedway for their support in 2009,” says Tom. “Special thanks to John Brush of Corr/Pak Merchandising for supporting our series. Let’s make 2010 even better!”
TOM’S TRIVIA
Tom took a break from racing and lived in his father George’s homeland of Finland for three and a half years, where he learned to speak Finnish!
WHAT’S HUPPUNEN
Q: What are your plans for next year?
A: “We have already purchased a new Maxim chassis along with a new Winters V8 rear-end, so I’ll be in the #12c again in 2010 for Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken Speedway. I am currently looking for support to build a second car to race at other tracks next year. I have a chassis and engine, and have recently purchased an R.V. for towing.”
Tom and the #12c team would like to thank all their sponsors and partners for their support during the 2009 season, including Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel, Cobra Motorhomes & Trailers, Niagara Custom Powder Coating, Engine Pro, Wiseco Piston, Praxair, Gaerte Engines, Maxim Racing Chassis, Mom’s Videography, Dad’s Chassis Repair, Andrew and Jimmy’s Crew Service, Jim’s Sprint Car Rental, NGK Spark Plugs, and MW Graphics.
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Tom and the #12c team would like to send well wishes to fellow Canadian sprint car racer Travis Rutz and his family. Travis suffered severe injuries in a crash at the Terre Haute Action Track on September 27, and remains in hospital at the time of this writing. For updates and information on how you can donate to the Rutz family to help with medical costs, please visit www.TravisRutz.com.
For more information on Tom Huppunen and the #12c Sprint Car team, including schedules, news releases, photos, videos, merchandise, and contact information, please visit www.FenwickFlyer.com.