By Rich Vleck
TULSA, Okla. (August 16, 2010)- After the final week off of the regular season, the ASCS Patriot Sprints are back in action with a pair of shows at two of the finest facilities on tour.
The Patriots return to Ohsweken Friday Night for another ASCS vs. Corr/Pak event. This time, it will pay $2,000-to-win and give many teams a final opportunity to view the 3/8-mile oval before the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.
On Saturday, the Patriots make their only stop of the season at Merrittville Speedway near Niagara Falls. This event will also pay $2,000 to the winner.
These will be the second and third events in the Fine Touch Collision King of the Golden Horseshoe. With the June 4 rained-out event at Ohsweken now being held on September 16, “The Big O” will host the championship race for this Northwest leg of the Five Crown Tour.
Bryan Howland and Jared Zimbardi are still in prime position to claim the 2010 Championship, with Howland holding a 33 point advantage over Zimbardi. Both feel Ohsweken plays into their hands.
Howland, of Auburn, NY, has scored two wins in his career at “The Big O” and has won all three of his races this season in features that paid at least $2,000-to-win. He was potentially the quickest car in the Northern Summer Nationals in July but had to come from deep in the pack.
While most of the Patriots took the week off, Zimbardi, of Little Valley, NY, scored the win Friday Night in Ohsweken’s Corr/Pak Merchandising 20-lap feature. With five point races to make up his deficit, “The Juice” realizes this could be a chance to chip away at Howland’s advantage.
Howland has the advantage at Merrittville, where he has finished in 1st and 3rd in just two trips there. Zimbardi’s best is a third.
Tim Kelly has been on a hot streak of late since busting out of a string of mid-season bad luck. With five straight top-fives, the Rock Stream, NY driver is now third in points. Kelly led the first seven laps of last year’s Canadian Sprint Car Nationals and finished second and Merrittville and should be excited for this weekend.
Bubba Broderick, of Brookfield, CT, will once again be making the long trip to race. Broderick has struggled to record top results at either track despite winning heat and dash races in Southern Ontario.
Don Adamczyk, from Williamsville, NY, will make the short trip over the border to race this weekend. “The Williamsville Warrior” had possibly his most impressive performance at Ohsweken in 2006 with a fourth place showing in the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Last year at Merrittville, Adamczyk was out in front early on and looks to make it all 25 laps this time around so that he can capture his first career feature win.
A number of other New Yorkers will be in competition this weekend, including Ohsweken regulars Kyle Moffit, Todd Hoddick and Derek Jonathan. The Insinger Race Fuels Rookie of the Year Battle will intensify between Shayne Ely and Dylan Swiernik on hand. Fellow rookies Bob Reis and Ross Vleck will also be on hand. Alain Bergeron, Michael Parent, Chris Jones, Doug Banks, Devin Caron, Travis Cunningham and Doug Bowman, also familiar faces to the Patriot Tour, are likely to be on hand.
The wealth of locals that will get geared up for the weekend is headlined by Dave Dykstra, who leads Ohsweken’s weekly Corr/Pak Standings. Kevin Job, Keith Dempster, Glenn Styres, Tom and Jim Huppunen, Mikey Kruchka, John Burbridge, Jamie Turner, Mitchell Brown and Stan Zanchin are just some of the other names that will take their turn with the Patriots this weekend.
On Friday Night, the Patriot Point format will be used, awarding points to only teams that have run a stand-alone Patriot race this season, with all others removed. Saturday’s event at Merrittville will be a standard point show.
ASCS Patriot History at Ohsweken:
Races: 5
9/25/2004- Rick Wilson
5/6/2005- Kyle Wilson
7/14/2006- Bryan Howland
7/6/2007- Bobby Breen
8/14/2009- Trevor Lewis
ASCS Patriot History at Ohsweken with Multiple Sanction:
Races: 9
9/17/2005- Kenny Jacobs (Canadian Sprint Car Nationals)
9/16/2006- Steve Poirier (Canadian Sprint Car Nationals)
9/15/2007- Steve Poirier (Canadian Sprint Car Nationals)
7/3/2008- Dustin Daggett (ASCS Northern Summer Nationals)
7/4/2008- Bryan Howland (ASCS Northern Summer Nationals)
9/27/2008- Wayne Johnson (Canadian Sprint Car Nationals)
7/3/2009- Tom Huppunen (Northern Summer Nationals)
9/19/2009- Shane Stewart (Canadian Sprint Car Nationals)
7/2/2010- Dustin Daggett (Northern Summer Nationals)
ASCS Patriot History at Merrittville
Races: 2
6/24/2006- Bryan Howland
8/1/2009- Scott Kreutter