From Tommy Goudge, image courtesy of Pete Anderson
(November 13, 2010) – The 2010 Ohsweken Speedway season was capped off in fine fashion on Saturday night with the annual awards banquet at the new Marritt Hall in Ancaster. Dave Dykstra was honoured as the third champion of the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, while Jamie Cox was crowned ESSO Thunder Stock champion, Trevor Goulding received ESSO Mini-Stock accolades, and Karl Sault was awarded his second trophy as champion of the Bomber division.
The night began with a brief summary of the highlights of the 2010 season. The steady growth of fan attendance throughout the year was noted. 44 race teams were honoured for perfect attendance in 2010, while 8 others missed only 1 event. Next season was also mentioned, as new title sponsors are on board for the Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Bombers, while Corr/Pak remains for the Sprint Cars.
Special sponsor presentations were made to:
Arrow Express, Village Pizza, Village Café, Corr/Pak Merchandising, Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel, Awesome Racewear, Jones Brown Insurance, Trailers By Jim Bray, IroquoisPoker.net, Outhouse Image and Design, Evers Financial, Metal Works Powder Coating, Hoosier Tire Canada, HRW Automotive, Engine Pro Racing, Wiseco Pistons, BS&B Radiator, Grisdale Enterprises, Gales Auto Aftermarket, Hepfner Racing Products, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Kinser Air Filters, Diversified Machine Inc., The Brakeman, ISC Racers Tape, Rod End Supply, XYZ Machining, Pancho’s Racing Products, Jay Hewer Racing Products, and King Racing Products.
Triple XXX Race Co. was also thanked for its support of Ohsweken Speedway, and the prize of a new 2011 chassis to Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division champion Dave Dykstra.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS – AWARDS:
HARD CHARGER
Keith Dempster (passed 34 cars in feature race action)
“HARD LUCK”
James Evans
DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION
Kyle Moffit
BEST APPEARING CAR
Derek Jonathan
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Dykstra Racing
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER
Travis Cunningham
SPORTSMANSHIP
Jim Huppunen
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
PRESENTED BY
IROQUISPOKER.NET
Jamie Turner
DRIVER OF THE YEAR
(Voted on by drivers)
Kevin Job
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CAR
POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Dave Dykstra
The Top 10 in the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars were:
1st – Dave Dykstra, Port Colbourne…Following 7th and 4th place finish in the last 2 years, Dave’s third season driving Sprint Cars was excellent. He claimed his first Sprint Car title with 2 feature wins, 9 “Top 5’s”, and an average feature finish of 3.83. The #5d team took home $5,000 plus product prizes, including a new 2011 chassis courtesy of Triple XXX Race Co.
2nd – Kevin Job, Campbellville…Kevin took the runner-up spot for the second year in a row with 8 “Top 10’s” and an average feature finish of 9.5. The #21x team took home $3,420 plus product prizes.
3rd – Kyle Moffit, South Dayton, NY…The lone American in the top 10, Kyle was in the title chase for much of the season before mechanical problems got in the way. He claimed 2 feature wins and finished in the Top 5 on 5 occasions, with an average feature finish of 9.29. The #7 team took home $3,160 plus product prizes.
4th – Keith Dempster, Alton…The 2008 Corr/Pak champ had another solid season this year, with 4 “Top 5’s” and an average feature finish of 7.42. The #5 team took home $2,895 plus product prizes.
5th – Glenn Styres, Ohsweken…”The Ohsweken Flyer” got 3 feature wins at Ohsweken in 2010 and sits alone atop the all-time win list at the track he owns. He got 5 “Top 5’s” and had an average feature finish of 9.36. The #0 team took home $2,630 plus product prizes.
6th – Tom Huppunen, Fenwick…”The Fenwick Flyer’s” title defence did not go as planned, but Tom persevered to finish in the Top 10. He got a feature win, 3 “Top 5’s”, and had an average feature finish of 12.00. The #12c team took home $2,370 plus product prizes.
7th – Jim Huppunen, Fenwick…Tom’s younger brother had a strong sophomore season, finishing in the Top 10 after taking 12th last season. He finished in the Top 10 in 9 out of 14 races, and had an average feature finish of 10.93. The #14h team took home $2,100 plus product prizes.
8th – Kyle Patrick, Tilbury…”The Tilbury Tornado” returned after a full season off and didn’t skip a beat. He finished in the Top 10 in 7 of his 13 races, and had an average feature finish of 8.90. The #33k team took home $1,840 plus product prizes.
9th – Jamie Turner, Caistor Centre…A former Modified ace, Turner returned to racing after a few years off and looked fast all year. He scored 3 Top 10’s and an average feature finish of 13.67. The #11 team took home $1,580 plus product prizes.
10th – Travis Cunningham, Grimsby…The 2009 Rookie of the Year got a late start to the season, missing the first 3 races at Ohsweken due to engine problems. He made up for lost time though, collecting 3 runner-up finishes in a row in August. His average feature finish was 10.4. The #71 team took home $1,320 plus product prizes.
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS – AWARDS:
HARD CHARGER
Jamie Cox (passed 85 cars in feature race action)
“HARD LUCK”
Mike Thorne
DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION
Chris Dickie
BEST APPEARING CAR
Rob Disher
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Van Wart Racing
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER
Phil Nyssen
SPORTSMANSHIP
Chris Dickie
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Ed McNamara
DRIVER OF THE YEAR
(Voted on by drivers)
Jamie Cox
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS
POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Jamie Cox
The Top 10 in the ESSO Thunder Stocks were:
1st – Jamie Cox, Cambridge…Following a 2nd place finish last season, Cox aimed for the top of the podium this year and outlasted Billy Bleich to get the title. He had a strong 2nd half to the season once again, claiming the win in 4 of the last 6 races. He finished in the Top 5 in 11 of 13 races and had an average feature finish of 3.85.
2nd – Billy Bleich, Port Robinson…Billy was in the title hunt again this year, but fell just short. He scored 2 feature wins in a row to start the season, and had 9 “Top 10’s” in 14 races. His average feature finish was 4.43.
3rd – Ryan Dinning, Caledonia…Consistency was Ryan’s hallmark in 2010, but mechanical problems took him out of the title fight. He finished in the Top 5 on 8 occasions this year, and had an average feature finish of 4.23.
4th – Lee Winger, Caledonia…Lee finished outside the Top 10 only once this year, and finished in the Top 5 in half his 14 races. His average feature finish was 6.14.
5th – Mike Thorne, Caledonia…2 hard crashes did little to deter the 55 crew. Mike got a feature win and finished in the Top 5 in 7 of 14 races this year. His average feature finish was 5.92.
6th – Chris Dickie, Brantford…Chris continues to improve each season, and has improved his finish in the season standings each year since 2007. This year he finished in the Top 10 in half his 14 races, and had an average feature finish of 10.43.
7th – Ed MacNamara, Sherkston…A former Truck division driver at Humberstone, Ed raced the former Billy Hogue machine to the Rookie of the Year title at Ohsweken. He finished in the Top 10 in 6 of his 13 races, and had an average feature finish of 12.77.
8th – Phil Nyssen, Burford…Phil challenged Ed MacNamara for the Rookie of the Year title for much of the season, but had too many mechanical problems along the way. He finished the season strong with 3 “Top 5’s” in the last 7 races, and had an average feature finish of 11.15.
9th – Rob Disher, Grimsby…A strong season went sour for Rob in August when he missed starting 2 features. Rob’s #17 was in the Top 10 in 10 of his 14 races, and he had an average finish of 8.75.
10th – Wyatt Van Wart, Cambridge…Wyatt’s rookie year was a struggle with mechanical problems, but the former Mini Stock racer competed in all 14 Thunder Stock events. His average feature finish was 13.71.
ESSO MINI-STOCKS – AWARDS:
HARD CHARGER
Trevor Goulding (passed 102 cars in feature race action)
“HARD LUCK”
Mike Giberson
DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION
Jamie Goudge and Robin Elliott
BEST APPEARING CAR
Trevor Goulding
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Erskine Racing
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER
Mike Taylor
SPORTSMANSHIP
Steve Hess
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Jake Brown
ART HILL MEMORIAL
DRIVER OF THE YEAR AWARD
(Voted on by drivers)
Steve Hess
ESSO MINI STOCKS
POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Trevor Goulding
The Top 10 in the ESSO Mini-Stocks were:
1st – Trevor Goulding, Welland…A part-time visitor to Ohsweken in the past, Trevor decided to go for the title in 2010 and it paid off. He started the season with 3 wins in his first 4 races and never looked back. His worst finish all season was 7th on August 13. Trevor scored a win in the Art Hill Memorial 42 along with 3 other wins, and had an average feature finish of 3.08.
2nd – Steve Hess, Ohsweken…Steve finished outside the Top 5 just once all season, when he did not finish the feature on June 25. He scored 3 feature wins and had an average feature finish of 4.75.
3rd – Craig & Doug Erskine (#48), Brantford…Craig did the majority of the driving, while Doug filled in nicely with a 3rd place on May 28. The #48 finished outside the Top 10 only once in 2010, scored 1 feature win, and had an average feature finish of 5.31.
4th – Mike Evers, Caledonia…One of the long-standing veterans of the Mini Stock division, Mike had another consistent season. The #265 was in the Top 10 in all but 2 races this year, and had an average feature finish of 5.4.
5th – Mike Taylor, Burlington…Mike’s second full season in the Mini Stocks was a good one. He scored his first feature win in August, and finished in the Top 5 in 7 of 13 races. His average feature finish was 7.54.
6th – Abel Castelein, Cayuga…The 2008 champ didn’t get off to a good start this season, but never finished outside the Top 5 in his last 9 races. He also scored 4 feature wins and had an average feature finish of 5.18.
7th – Kevin Hilborn, Brantford…Kevin was in the title hunt for the first half of the season, but things went south after that. He was in the Top 5 in half his 12 races, and had an average feature finish of 8.00.
8th – Steve Miller, Paris…Steve finished in the Top 10 in 7 of 13 races, and had an average feature finish of 11.92.
9th – Paul Goodale, Brantford…Paul finished in the Top 10 in points despite missing a race. He recorded 7 Top 10’s and an average feature finish of 11.36.
10th – Jake Brown, Brantford…Jake had big shoes to fill, taking over for brother Mitch in the #10 which won 15 races over the past 2 seasons, and the 2009 championship. Jake improved as the season went on, and scored 8 “Top 10‘s” in 13 races on his way to the Rookie of the Year title. His average feature finish was 10.85.
BOMBERS – AWARDS:
HARD CHARGER
Karl Sault (passed 57 cars in feature race action)
DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION
John Cote
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER
Jeremy Hughes
SPORTSMANSHIP
Sarah Rutherford
DRIVER OF THE YEAR
(Voted on by drivers)
Karl Sault
BOMBERS
POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Karl Sault
The Top 10 in the Bombers were:
1st – Karl Sault, Dundas…Karl triumphed over a much-improved Bomber field for his 2nd consecutive title. He scored 4 feature wins and 10 “Top 10’s” in 13 races on his way to the championship. His average feature finish was 3.62.
Tie 2nd – Jeremy Hughes & Lee Hils (#10), Burlington…Jeremy drove the majority of the races and got 3 feature wins and 6 “Top 5’s” in 13 races. His average feature finish was 6.36.
Tie 2nd – John Cote & Mike Bodogan (#38), Hamilton…Cote drove in all but 1 race, and scored a feature win in August. He finished in the Top 5 on 6 occasions, and the #38 had an average feature finish of 6.50.
4th – Jesse & Mike McDonald (#88j), Caledonia…Jesse scored 2 feature wins and 6 “Top 5’s” in 13 races this year. His average feature finish was 7.69.
5th – Kacey Huffman, Hamilton…A stalwart in the Bombers, Kacey scored 5 “Top 5’s” in 13 races this year, with an average feature finish of 6.45
6th – Sarah Rutherford, Dundas…Sarah scored a season-best 2nd place on Season Championship night, and finished in the Top 10 in 7 of 13 races. Her average feature finish was 9.17.
7th – Matt Smith, Rockton…Matt missed the first 2 races of the season, but finished outside the Top 10 just twice the rest of the way. His average feature finish was 7.7.
8th – Chris & Brian Cowell, Caledonia…Chris & Brian teamed up to put the #99cc in the Top 10 in 8 of 13 races this year. Their average feature finish was 9.64.
9th – Kyle Andress, Hamilton…Kyle had good runs this season, but didn’t get the finishes to show for them. He did get 4 “Top 10’s” and an average feature finish of 11.55.
10th – Shawn Ireland & Kevin Martin (#113), Burlington…The second half of the season didn’t go according to plan for team #113. All 6 of their Top 10 finishes came in the first 7 races. Their average feature finish was 10.82.
SPECIAL AWARDS:
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY
Curt Styres
Ohsweken Speedway would like to thank all the racers, fans, staff, sponsors, and everyone else who made 2010 the best season yet!
Weekly Friday Night Thunder action is again on tap for Ohsweken’s 16th season in 2011. It all begins on Friday, May 20, 2011. Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information.