By Tommy Goudge
(August 16, 2011) – Another special event hits the track this Friday at Ohsweken Speedway when Jones Brown Insurance presents round 3 in the Northern Summer Nationals Sprint Car series. The Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, and Pierced Parts Bombers will also be in action this Friday night, August 19 for round 11 of Friday Night Thunder.
NORTHERN SUMMER NATIONALS
The final rounds of the Northern Summer Nationals Sprint Car series will take place this weekend, with racing Friday at Ohsweken Speedway, and Saturday at South Buxton Raceway. Four affiliated sanctioning bodies are involved in the series, including Ohsweken’s Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, along with the Southern Ontario Sprints club, ASCS Sprints on Dirt series, and Patriot Sprint Tour.
The opening round of the series was rained out at Ohsweken on June 24, so the Northern Summer Nationals kicked off at South Buxton Raceway the following night. Keith Dempster of Alton claimed the win in that round, and holds a slim 1 point margin over teammate Glenn Styres heading into this weekend. Lefroy’s Warren Mahoney is currently tied for 3rd in the standings with two New York drivers – Jared Zimbardi and Bryan Howland. The overall winner of the series will receive cash awards, plus a guaranteed starting spot in the seventh annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals feature race coming up on September 17.
The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car regulars will defend home turf on Friday night, with Fenwick driver Jim Huppunen leading the way. Huppunen is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in all 11 Corr/Pak events held so far in 2011, including an impressive run from 20th to 6th in a borrowed car last Friday. “Tilbury Tornado” Kyle Patrick got his first feature win of the season two weeks ago, and followed that up with a runner-up finish on Friday, cutting Huppunen’s lead to just 21 points. Burford’s Jamie Collard is third, followed by South Dayton, NY driver Kyle Moffit, and Mitch Brown of Brantford. Brown won his first ever Sprint Car feature last Friday night, and became the 10th different winner in 11 Corr/Pak events held at Ohsweken this year. Corr/Pak points leader Jim Huppunen is the only driver with more than one win at Ohsweken this season. Corr/Pak drivers who have accumulated Northern Summer Nationals points already include Keith Dempster, Glenn Styres, Kyle Patrick, Dain Naida, Jamie Collard, Mitch Brown, Chris Durand, Travis Cunningham, and John Burbridge, Jr.
Patriot Sprint Tour drivers are always hard to ignore at Ohsweken. Salamanca, NY driver Jared Zimbardi leads the PST points standings, and has also tasted success at Ohsweken this year, winning the Corr/Pak feature on June 10. Zimbardi is one of the hottest drivers in the Northeast right now, following a $4,000 win at Black Rock Speedway last Friday. Tim Kelly of Rockstream, NY, and Williamsville, NY driver Don Adamczyk have already accumated Northern Summer Nationals points, along with Bryan Howland of Auburn, NY. Howland has missed a couple of PST events, but still ranks 8th in the PST standings, and won the Corr/Pak feature at Ohsweken on June 17. Howland won the 2008 Northern Summer Nationals, and was on his way to winning the ’09 event when his front wing came loose with 3 laps to go.
Dustin Daggett’s name is always the first mentioned whenever the ASCS Sprints on Dirt series is involved with an Ohsweken event. The Grand Ledge, Michigan resident has already won 6 times on the ASCS SOD tour this season, and leads that points chase. Daggett has also won at the Northern Summer Nationals twice before, and sits tied for second all-time on the Ohsweken Speedway feature win list with 9. Daggett crossed the finish line first at South Buxton in June, but Goshen, Indiana’s Brett Mann is second in the ASCS SOD standings, and is on a hot streak lately with 2 feature wins, 2 runner-up finishes, and a 4th place in his last 5 ASCS SOD starts. The 2-time ASCS SOD champ missed the first Northern Summer Nationals weekend to compete in a pavement event, but is all set and ready to race on the dirt both nights this weekend in Ontario. Ken Mackey, Robert Huisken, and Jim Lingar also scored Northern Summer Nationals points for ASCS SOD in June.
Lee Ladouceur of Alexandria, Ontario leads the Southern Ontario Sprints club heading into this weekend’s action. Ladouceur doesn’t have a feature win yet this year, but has been consistent, finishing 8th or better in each SOS event he’s competed in, including June’s Northern Summer Nationals event. Sutton driver Bob Crawford is 2nd in the SOS standings, followed by Warren Mahoney, and Grimsby’s Travis Cunningham, who is the only weekly Corr/Pak driver who has also competed in all of the SOS events held so far this season. Jim Munsie, Adam West, Dick Mahoney, Frank Baranowski, and Brad Lodge also scored Northern Summer Nationals points for the SOS club in June.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
Burford driver Phil Nyssen holds a hot hand in the Thunder Stock division, winning the last 3 features, but Caledonia’s Mike Thorne continues to control the championship chase with consistency. Thorne scored yet another top 10 finish last Friday, and holds a 71 point lead over Ryan Dinning, also of Caledonia. Port Robinson driver Devin Habiuk, Caistor Centre rookie Cory Turner, and Cambridge’s Wyatt Van Wart round out the top 5.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
Karl Sault of Dundas has seen his points lead in the Mini Stock division shrink over the last couple of weeks, but he still holds a 31 point advantage over Caledonia’s Mike Evers heading into Friday’s event. Cayuga driver Abel Castelein is 3rd in the standings, followed by Jake Brown of Brantford, and Ohsweken’s Steve Hess. Burlington’s Jeremy Hughes won his 3rd feature of the season last Friday, and now sits 6th in the standings.
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
The Bomber standings were shaken up last Friday when points leader Rodney Rutherford of Waterdown had mechanical problems and failed to finish for the first time this season. Rodney continues to hold the lead, but the gap is now just 16 points between he and 2nd place driver Jesse McDonald of Caledonia. Hamilton’s Jeremy May is 3rd in the standings, followed by first time feature winner Sarah Rutherford, and Dunnville driver Tylor Brock.
CHICKEN TONIGHT?
The fans have spoken, and after sorting through many submissions they’ve named Ohsweken Speedway’s official mascot “Ohswicken”. Keep an eye out for Ohswicken at many of Ohsweken Speedway’s events…you’ll never know where he might turn up, or what he’s got in store!
TICKETS PLEASE!
Advanced reserved seat tickets for the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals on September 15, 16, and 17 at Ohsweken are on sale now! The 7th annual edition of this huge event will bring together 60 or more of the best Sprint Car drivers and teams from all over North America to compete for the $11,000 winner’s prize. Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and call 1-888-720-RACE to order your tickets today!
RIDE WITH THE PROS
Ohsweken Speedway has two custom-built two-seater Sprint Cars available each race night for rides during intermission and after the races. Please visit www.OhswekenTwoSeater.com to learn how you can take the ride of your life with one of the stars of the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars!
OUR SPONSORS
About Jones Brown Insurance: Jones Brown Motorsport is Canada’s insurance provider to the motorsports industry. They offer the widest range of products specifically designed to protect motorsports associations, facilities, teams, and special events. As this country’s only dedicated supplier of motorsports insurance products and services, they provide the broadest coverage, exclusive risk management advice, and the strongest negotiation available on your behalf. Their team’s in-depth knowledge of industry challenges and service requirements includes over 50 years of first-hand experience. For more information on motorsport products and programs, please visit www.JonesBrown.com
About Corr/Pak Merchandising: Founded in 1997, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc. is based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and 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, steel, or any combination of those. Corr/Pak’s support of the Sprint Car division at Ohsweken continues for a fourth consecutive season in 2011. Please visit www.CorrPak.ca for more information on the title sponsor of Sprint Car racing at Ohsweken Speedway.
About Lighthouse Tattoos: The friendly and knowledgeable staff at Lighthouse Tattoos are there to assist you in choosing a tattoo from thousands of in-store designs, or they can create a custom tattoo using your own idea. Lighthouse Tattoos is a clean and sterile environment, and is health department inspected and approved. They provide a fun and relaxing atmosphere to make sure your tattoo experience is a memorable one. Visit the title sponsor of Thunder Stock racing at Ohsweken at 245 Lakeshore Road East in Mississauga, or online at www.LighthouseTattoos.com.
About HRW Automotive: HRW was founded by Robert Workman in 1990. By providing good old-fashioned customer service, HRW has gained a loyal following in the community. You can entrust all of your vehicle’s service and repair needs to the team of automotive professionals at HRW Automotive. Visit the title sponsor of Mini-Stock Racing at Ohsweken Speedway at 163 Baptist Church Road in Caledonia, or on the web at www.HRWAutomotive.com.
About Pierced Parts: Operators of Silver Dragon Alternative Body Fashion retail stores in Brantford, Waterloo, London, and Port Stanley, Pierced Parts offers wicked selections of body jewelry, crazy contacts, and hair dye for the alternative lifestyle. Pierced Parts Studios will also open soon, offering the best jewellery from Silver Dragon, plus professional body piercing services, other fashion accessories, and apparel. Visit the title sponsor of Bomber racing at Ohsweken on the web at www.PiercedParts.com.
THIS WEEK AT OHSWEKEN
Ohsweken Speedway’s Friday Night Thunder continues this Friday, August 19 when Jones Brown Insurance presents the third round of the Northern Summer Nationals Sprint Car series. Ohsweken’s Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car stars will be joined by drivers and teams from the Southern Ontario Sprints, ASCS Sprints on Dirt, and Patriot Sprint Tour for a big $2,000-to-win event. The Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, and Pierced Parts Bombers will also be part of the 11th round of Friday Night Thunder this week.
Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken offers affordable, exciting, family entertainment just a short drive from many Mid-Western Ontario locations. Adult General Admission for this special Northern Summer Nationals event is just $20, 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, June 24! Visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and Feel The Excitement!