by Tommy Goudge
(July 13, 2012) – Chris Steele won his second career Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car feature on Friday night at Ohsweken Speedway, and took over as the championship leader in the process. Doug Fralick won the first 2012 event for the Vintage Cars at Ohsweken, while Wyatt Van Wart extended his lead in the Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder Stock standings with his third win of the year, Steve Hess took an exciting win the HRW Automotive Mini Stock feature, and Brady Longboat got his first career win in the Pierced Parts Bomber event.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
Chris Steele and Scott Kreutter started on the front row of the 25 lap Mid-Season Championship feature for the Sprint Cars, and Steele quickly took command. The caution flag flew on lap 4 when Glenn Styres and Dave Dykstra collided in turn 1. The incident was disastrous for both drivers, as Styres entered the night as the points leader, and Dykstra was 5th in the standings. The Styres crew made repairs, and eventually salvaged a 13th place finish, but a new leader is atop the championship standings.
The race got back underway with Steele at the front, while Keith Dempster and Dain Naida were two drivers making their way through the pack from 11th and 8th on the grid, respectively. Trouble struck another championship competitor on lap 10 when Tom Huppunen got a piece of the wall and pulled into the infield, while the race stayed green.
Steele was still the leader when the race reached the halfway mark, with Kreutter, Naida, Jim Huppunen, and Jamie Collard giving chase. Two more caution flags and a red flag for a flip by Mike Stelter gave the field chances to catch Steele, but he was strong on the restarts and took his second career Sprint Car win.
“The car’s been so fast,” Steele said after the race. “We’ve been hitting the setup pretty good. We’ve been in the top four I think every night except for one, so I knew we had another (win) to come.”
Dain Naida, Scott Kreutter, Jim Huppunen, and Keith Dempster chased Steele to the finish line. Jamie Collard, Dain Naida, and Travis Cunningham won heat races for the 28 car field, while Tom Huppunen won the B-Main.
VINTAGE CARS
The Vintage Cars made their first appearance of 2012 at Ohsweken, with Gord Edwards and Chic Voit on the front row for the feature race. Doug Fralick, Rick St. Pierre, and Steve Arbuthnot quickly made their way to the front, and raced hard for the win.
St. Pierre took the lead late in the race, but then slowed on the backstretch, allowing Fralick to get back out front, where he stayed until the checkered flag flew. St. Pierre settled for the runner-up spot, followed by Arbuthnot, Al Harju, and Mark Saul.
“It’s getting tougher every week,” Fralick said of the increased competition. “The #20 was definitely better than I was. I don’t know what happened over there, but it’s the only reason I won.”
Arbuthnot and St. Pierre won heat races for the 13 car field.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
Kevin Dawson and Rob Disher made up the front row for the Thunder Stock feature, and both remained near the front for much of the event, while other drivers made their way up from deep in the field. Dawson led much of the first half of the race, while points leader Wyatt Van Wart spun early before making a big comeback.
Dawson lost the lead when teammate Brett Rodwell slowed with a flat tire, but remained near the front until spinning out of a top 5 spot on the last lap. Van Wart drove through the field and took a convincing win, followed by Jack Myers, Mike Thorne, Jim Lampman, and Dave Bailey.
Heat races for the 30 car field went to Terry Martin, Ryan Turner, Cory Turner, and Lee Winger, while Murray Nicholls won the B-Main.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
The Mini Stock feature began with Rob Twitchett and Brian Crosgrove on the front row, but they didn’t stay there long as wild action ensued.
Eventually Steve Hess and Karl Sault separated themselves from the pack, and put on one of the best races of the season as they traded slide jobs back and forth. Fluid was laid down in turns one and two from a crash late in the race, which Hess used to his advantage to take his first win of the season.
“It was fun. I knew I could get him over here (in turn 4), but over there I wasn’t sure, especially after the fluid was down,” Hess said of his duel with Sault. “I tried to keep him up there into the fluid. I guess it worked. I’d like to dedicate this win to my sister-in-law who passed away in March, and to Abel Castelein.”
Sault settled for second, followed by Mark Czuba, Jeremy Hughes, and Dan Erskine. Championship leader Mike Evers recovered from a spin early in the race to claim 6th in the race his Evers Financial group supported. Heat races for the 28 car field were claimed by Brian Crosgrove, Dale Gyokery, Steve Hess, and Mike Evers, while Mark Da Silva won the B-Main.
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
Danny Shantz and Mark Bazuin were on the front row for the Bomber feature, and Bazuin led until Brady Longboat took over, looking for his first career win. Longboat had been close several times before, and almost saw the race slip away when he made contact with a lapped machine on the last lap. The young driver held on to take his first win, followed by Bazuin, Davey Boughton, Max Chechalk, and Kathi Dickie.
“I was pretty nervous,” Longboat said of the last few laps. “I’d like to thank my Dad, my Grandpa, and my mechanic Gary Johnson.”
Heat races for the 18 car field went to Bazuin and Dickie.
NEXT WEEK AT OHSWEKEN
Outhouse Image & Design and McDonald’s (Brantford and Paris locations) present “Christmas in July” next Friday, July 20. The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprints, Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, and Pierced Parts Bombers are all part of round of Friday Night Thunder, plus a visit from Santa Claus, the annual Toy Drive, and another Autograph Night. Gates open at 6:00 with racing starting at 7:45!
COMING SOON
Advanced reserved seat tickets for “Tony Stewart at Ohsweken” July 30, World of Outlaws Sprint Cars “Six Nations Showdown” July 31, and the 8th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals September 14 and 15 at Ohsweken are on sale now! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and call 1-888-720-RACE to order yours today!
FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER 2012
ROUND 7 RACE REPORT – JULY 13
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
EVENT SPONSORS –
WISECO PISTON & EVERS FINANCIAL
TOTAL ENTRIES – 117
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS (28 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 16 in passing points transfer to A-Feature):
Finish. [Starting Position] Number Name (Hometown)
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT RACE #1
1. [3] 7x Jamie Collard (Burford), 2. [2] 35 Jared Zimbardi (Salamanca, NY), 3. [7] 80 Chris Steele (Fenwick), 4. [4] 0 Glenn Styres (Ohsweken), 5. [5] 27h Tom Huppunen (Fenwick), 6. [8] 10 Mitch Brown (Brantford), 7. [9] 3r Shane Ross (Thedford), 8. [1] 21j John Burbridge, Sr. (Simcoe), 9. [10] 30g Steve Goldner (Aylmer), 10. [6] 9nz Havard Daniels (Coatesville, NZ) DNF. Time – 1:52.685.
GRISDALE RACING PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #2
1. [1] 07x Dain Naida (Tecumseh, MI), 2. [2] 52x Scott Kreutter (Alden, NY), 3. [5] t27 Kyle Moffit (South Dayton, NY), 4. [3] 49 Todd Hoddick (Cheektowaga, NY), 5. [7] 14h Jim Huppunen (Fenwick), 6. [6] 36 Mike Stelter (Webster, NY), 7. [8] 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (St. Williams), 8. [4] 94 Stan Zanchin (Fort Erie), 9. [9] 40 Sammy Steiss (Ohsweken). Time – 1:55.759.
O’NEIL’S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. [1] 71 Travis Cunningham (Grimsby), 2. [6] 5 Keith Dempster (Alton), 3. [5] 01 Mikey Kruchka (Hamilton), 4. [9] 5m Brad Malloy (Niagara Falls), 5. [7] 11 Jamie Turner (Caistor Centre), 6. [8] 5d Dave Dykstra (Port Colborne), 7. [3] 11z Zach Zumpe (St. Catharines), 8. [2] 5c Conor Mahoney (Waterdown), 9. [4] 96 Shane Butler (St. Thomas). Time – 1:53.802.
AWESOME RACEWEAR B-MAIN
(10 laps – Top 8 finishers transfer to A-Feature)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 27h Tom Huppunen (1), 2. 36 Mike Stelter (3), 3. 3r Shane Ross (2), 4. 30g Steve Goldner (6), 5. 94 Stan Zanchin (7), 6. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (4), 7. 5c Conor Mahoney (8), 8. 40 Sammy Steiss (11), 9. 9nz Havard Daniels (12), 10. 21j John Bubridge, Sr (9), DNS. 11z Zach Zumpe (5), DNS. 96 Shane Butler (10). No Time.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING
MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP
SPRINT CAR FEATURE (25 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 80 Chris Steele (1)
2. 07x Dain Naida (8)
3. 52x Scott Kreutter (2)
4. 14h Jim Huppunen (3)
5. 5 Keith Dempster (11)
6. 71 Travis Cunningham (9)
7. 7x Jamie Collard (7)
8. 49 Todd Hoddick (6)
9. 10 Mitch Brown (15)
10. 01 Mikey Kruchka (12)
11. 3r Shane Ross (19)
12. 11 Jamie Turner (13)
13. 0 Glenn Styres (14)
14. 94 Stan Zanchin (21)
15. 5c Conor Mahoney (23)
16. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (22)
17. 30g Steve Goldner (20)
18. t27 Kyle Moffit (4) DQ
19. 36 Mike Stelter (18) DNF
20. 40 Sammy Steiss (24) DNF
21. 35 Jared Zimbardi (10) DNF
22. 5m Brad Malloy (5) DNF
23. 27h Tom Huppunen (17) DNF
24. 5d Dave Dykstra (16) DNF
No Time.
Lap leaders: Steele (1-25)
SPRINT CAR AWARDS:
Nathan Ackland State Farm Insurance “Top Gun” (highest passing points total): 5 Keith Dempster ($100)
VINTAGE CARS (13 entries)
HEAT RACES (10 laps each):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
HEAT RACE #1
1. r70 Steve Arbuthnot (Renfrew), 2. 16 Daryl Bray (Rainham Centre), 3. 2 Roy Rinne, 4. 601 Gord Edwards, 5. 4 Chic Voit (Kenmore, NY), 6. 3 Scott Phillips, 7. 00 Bill Harju (Fisherville).
HEAT RACE #2
1. 20 Rick St. Pierre, 2. 27 Doug Fralick (Port Colborne), 3. 62 Al Harju (Cayuga), 4. 13 Mark Saul (Hagersville), 5. 6 Lowry Siemens (Dunnville), 6. 25 Brad McLeod.
VINTAGE CARS
A-FEATURE (10 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 27 Doug Fralick (4)
2. 20 Rick St. Pierre (10)
3. r70 Steve Arbuthnot (11)
4. 62 Al Harju (12)
5. 13 Mark Saul (3)
6. 00 Bill Harju (5)
7. 16 Daryl Bray (13)
8. 601 Gord Edwards (1)
9. 4 Chic Voit (2)
10. 2 Roy Rinne (9)
11. 6 Lowry Siemens (8)
12. 3 Scott Phillips (7)
13. 25 Brad McLeod (6) DNF
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS (30 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 5 finishers in each transfer to A-Feature):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
ENGINE PRO RACING HEAT RACE #1
1. 38 Terry Martin (Ohsweken), 2. 17 Rob Disher (Grimsby), 3. 44 Kevin Dawson (Caledonia), 4. 13 Kacey Huffman (Hamilton), 5. 23 Tim DeBoer (Caledonia), 6. 84rk Ryan Beagle (Vittoria), 7. 4 Brittany Gyokery (Jarvis).
6 NATIONS BINGO HEAT RACE #2
1. 33t Cory Turner (Caistor Centre), 2. 31 Dave Bailey (Hagersville), 3. 333 Kameron Kocarik (Fonthill), 4. 68 Aaron Turkey (Ohsweken), 5. 77 Brett Rodwell (Caledonia), 6. 00 Robbie General (Ohsweken), 7. 00x Craig White.
O’NEIL’S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. 91 Ryan Turner (Caistor Centre), 2. 55 Mike Thorne (Caledonia), 3. 28 Jim Lampman (Caistor Centre), 4. 11r Bryce Richardson (Port Colborne), 5. 8 Ryan Dinning (Caledonia), 6. 1 Chris Dickie (Brantford), 7. 24k Kyle Magrin (Hamilton), 8. 3b Blaine Barrow (Welland).
WISECO PISTON HEAT RACE #4
1. 2 Lee Winger (Caledonia), 2. 10 Jake Brown (Brantford), 3. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (Cambridge), 4. 33m Jack Myers (Wainfleet), 5. 5h Devin Habiuk (Port Robinson), 6. 85b Jesse McDonald (Caledonia), 7. 57 Murray Nicholls (Hamilton), 8. 85h Mike Styres.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS B-MAIN
(10 laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to A-Feature)
1. 57 Murray Nicholls, 2. 1 Chris Dickie, 3. 85b Jesse McDonald, 4. 85h Mike Styres, 5. 00x Craig White, 6. 84rk Ryan Beagle, 7. 3b Blaine Barrow, 8. 4 Brittany Gyokery, 9. 00 Robbie General DNF, 10. 24k Kyle Magrin DNF.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP A-FEATURE (25 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (18)
2. 33m Jack Myers (20)
3. 55 Mike Thorne (15)
4. 28 Jim Lampman (12)
5. 31 Dave Bailey (9)
6. 2 Lee Winger (16)
7. 17 Rob Disher (2)
8. 1 Chris Dickie (22)
9. 57 Murray Nicholls (21)
10. 91 Ryan Turner (13)
11. 8 Ryan Dinning (14)
12. 85b Jesse McDonald (23)
13. 10 Jake Brown (17)
14. 38 Terry Martin (5)
15. 23 Tim DeBoer (3)
16. 68 Aaron Turkey (7)
17. 44 Kevin Dawson (1) DNF
18. 33t Cory Turner (8) DNF
19. 85h Mike Styres (24) DNF
20. 5h Devin Habiuk (19) DNF
21. 77 Brett Rodwell (10) DNF
22. 13 Kacey Huffman (4) DNF
23. 11r Bryce Richardson (11) DNF
24. 333 Kameron Kocarik (6) DNF
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS (28 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 5 finishers in each transfer to A-Feature):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
ENGINE PRO RACING HEAT RACE #1
1. 96 Brian Crosgrove (Hamilton), 2. 69 Rob Twitchett (Dundas), 3. 79 Steve Miller (Paris), 4. 53 Sarah Rutherford (Dundas), 5. 12 Jonathan Ayrton (Hamilton), 6. 77x Ethan Martin (Ohsweken), 7. 11 Mike Giberson (Caledonia).
STYRES GAS BAR HEAT RACE #2
1. 84 Dale Gyokery (Jarvis), 2. 7x Chase Hess (Ohsweken), 3. 38 John Cote (Hamilton), 4. 66 Brandon Janssens (Woodstock), 5. 22 Brittani Myers (Hamilton), 6. 27 Ashton Reekie (Hamilton), 7. 10 Laura Hughes (Flamboro) DQ.
O’NEIL’S FRAM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. 777x Steve Hess (Ohsweken), 2. 02 Mark Czuba (Burlington), 3. 55 Rob Slater (Dundas), 4. 99 Robin Elliott (Woodstock), 5. 69e Dan Erskine (Caistor Centre), 6. 05 Dave Goodacre (Brantford), 7. 43 Sarah Miskiewicz (Cambridge).
EVERS FINANCIAL HEAT RACE #4
1. 265 Mike Evers (Caledonia), 2. 10j Jeremy Hughes (Burlington), 3. 81 Karl Sault (Dundas), 4. 7 Jason Lungaro (Hamilton), 5. 64 Doug Erskine (Hamilton), 6. 01 Mark Da Silva (Flamborough), 7. 4 Jason Coutu (St. Catharines).
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS B-MAIN
(10 laps – Top 4 finishers transfer to A-Feature)
1. 01 Mark Da Silva, 2. 05 Dave Goodacre, 3. 27 Ashton Reekie, 4. 43 Sarah Miskiewicz, 5. 4 Jason Coutu, 6. 11 Mike Giberson, 7. 77x Ethan Martin, 8. 10 Laura Hughes DNF.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP A-FEATURE (25 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 777x Steve Hess (13)
2. 81 Karl Sault (20)
3. 02 Mark Czuba (15)
4. 10j Jeremy Hughes (18)
5. 69e Dan Erskine (16)
6. 265 Mike Evers (14)
7. 05 Dave Goodacre (22)
8. 79 Steve Miller (5)
9. 22 Brittani Myers (10)
10. 01 Mark Da Silva (21)
11. 64 Doug Erskine (17)
12. 84 Dale Gyokery (8)
13. 43 Sarah Miskiewicz (24)
14. 12 Jonathan Ayrton (4)
15. 66 Brandon Janssens (6)
16. 27 Ashton Reekie (23)
17. 53 Sarah Rutherford (3)
18. 7 Jason Lungaro (19) DNF
19. 55 Rob Slater (11)
20. 99 Robin Elliott (12) DNF
21. 7x Chase Hess (7) DNF
22. 69 Rob Twitchett (1) DNF
23. 38 John Cote (11) DNF
24. 96 Brian Crosgrove (2) DNF
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS (18 entries)
HEAT RACES (6 laps each)
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
HEAT RACE #1
1. 21 Mark Bazuin (Caledonia), 2. 707 Danny Shantz (St. Agatha), 3. 44 Tylor Brock (Dunnville), 4. 16 Jeremy May (Hamilton), 5. 23 Dusty DeBoer (Hagersville), 6. 18x Davey Boughton (Carlisle), 7. 007 Ian Myerscough (Burlington), 8. 42 Joe DeBoer (Hagersville), 9. 03d Dakota Potts (Waterford).
HEAT RACE #2
1. 5 Kathi Dickie (Brantford), 2. 66 Brady Longboat (Ohsweken), 3. 199 Frank Turkey (Ohsweken), 4. 16x Dwight Staats (Ohsweken), 5. 97 Max Chechalk (Hamilton), 6. 66r Cole Rodwell (Caledonia), 7. 6 Wayde Thorne (Waterford), 8. 07 Savannah Jonker, 9. 05 Chad Corcoran.
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP A-FEATURE (15 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 66 Brady Longboat (8)
2. 21 Mark Bazuin (2)
3. 18x Davey Boughton (11)
4. 97 Max Chechalk (9)
5. 5 Kathi Dickie (7)
6. 16 Jeremy May (5)
7. 66r Cole Rodwell (12)
8. 23 Dusty DeBoer (3)
9. 44 Tylor Brock (4)
10. 007 Ian Myerscough (13)
11. 05 Chad Corcoran (18)
12. 42 Joe DeBoer (14)
13. 16x Dwight Staats (10) DNF
14. 199 Frank Turkey (6) DNF
15. 707 Danny Shantz (1) DNF
16. 03d Dakota Potts (15) DNF
17. 07 Savannah Jonker (17) DNF
DNS. 6 Wayde Thorne (16)
UP NEXT @ OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY:
FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012
OUTHOUSE IMAGE AND DESIGN
AND MCDONALD’S (BRANTFORD/PARIS LOCATIONS)
PRESENT: “CHRISTMAS IN JULY”
WITH SANTA CLAUS, ANNUAL TOY DRIVE, & AUTOGRAPH NIGHT
FEATURING CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS,
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS,
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI-STOCKS,
& PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
ADULTS $12, SENIORS AND STUDENTS $10, KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE!
SPECTATOR GATES OPEN @ 6:00 P.M., RACING @ 7:45 P.M.