By Tommy Goudge
Ohsweken, Ontario – May 14, 2014 – Ohsweken Speedway’s 19th annual Opening Night will take the green flag on Friday, May 16 at 7:30pm, and large fields are expected in all of the regular Friday night divisions. The opening event of Ohsweken’s season will include the Corr/Pak Merchandising 360 Sprint Cars, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Affordable Towing & Recovery Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers, with extra-distance features scheduled for each.
TEST & TUNE RESCHEDULED
The Test & Tune session scheduled for Friday, May 9 at Ohsweken Speedway was cancelled due to inclement weather, and rescheduled for Thursday, May 15. Due to the cancellation, the discounted early bird pit membership fees have been extended to Thursday, May 15 as well. Contact Mary Wilkinson, Director of Customer Relations, by phone at 519 717-0023, or by e-mail at mary@ohswekenspeedway.com to purchase your pit membership.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING 360 SPRINT CARS
Jim Huppunen enters the 360 Sprint Car season opener with a target on his back, as he claimed the 2013 track championship. Huppunen, who also won the 2011 title, became the first driver in the history of the division to win two championships. Past champions Keith Dempster, Tom Huppunen, Dave Dykstra, and Chris Steele are just a few of the others capable of challenging for this year’s title, along with 2013 feature winners Glenn Styres, Kyle Patrick, Jamie Collard, Mitch Brown, and Mikey Kruchka, plus many more.
The Rookie of the Year award will also be hotly contested, with multiple Thunder Stock feature winner Cory Turner, former Mod-Lite champ Shawn Sliter, and Wonderland Speedway graduate Curtis Gartly set to join the Sprint Car ranks.
STRICKLAND’S GMC CRATE SPRINT CARS
Ryan Hunsinger has four 360 Sprint Car feature wins at Ohsweken on his resume, and will be a favourite to win the inaugural Crate Sprint Car division championship. He’ll have challenges from several talented open wheel rookies from the Ohsweken stock car ranks, including 2011 and 2012 Thunder Stock champion Mike Thorne, 2013 Mini Stock champion Davey Boughton, 2012 Brock Leonard Memorial 50 winner Brad Herron, former Thunder Stock racers Jake Brown, Robbie General, and Aaron Turkey, and former Mini Stock racer Mark Czuba.
The new division, which utilizes the GM 602 crate engine, has also attracted attention from former Mosport Modified champ and asphalt Late Model veteran Tyler Hendricks, Hurricane Midget series racer K.J. Durnin, Flamboro Speedway Mini Stock driver Josh Shantz, and Mike Westwood, a veteran of several different asphalt divisions.
AFFORDABLE TOWING & RECOVERY THUNDER STOCKS
Lee Winger will return to the Thunder Stock division to defend his 2013 championship, but he’s sure to have lots of competition for the title. Wyatt Van Wart, Karl Sault, and Dave Silverthorn, Jr. all claimed Thunder Stock feature wins last season and plan to be back this year. Bryce Richardson, Jim Lampman, and Chris Dickie all finished in the top 6 in the championship standings last year in what was the most competitive season in the division’s history.
The quest for the Rookie of the Year award will also be competitive. As many as 9 drivers could be going after that honour, including Laura Hughes and Chase Hess, who both claimed Mini Stock feature wins last year, plus former Mini Stock racers Brittani Myers and John Cote.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
Davey Boughton won the 2013 Mini Stock championship, but has moved to Crate Sprint Cars this year, leaving the door open for a new champ. Alex Schuts and Jason Lungaro finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in last year’s Mini Stock standings, and will be favourites to win the title this year, but more than 30 drivers have already pre-registered to race in the Mini Stock division in 2014. Steve Miller, Jonathan Ayrton, Dave Goodacre, Jeremy May, and Jon Janssens all finished in the top 10 in the Mini Stock standings last season, and are among those drivers who have already registered.
The chase for the Rookie of the Year award will include at least 7 drivers, including Bomber graduates Tim DeBoer, Wayde Thorne, Adam Hallett, and Mark Bazuin.
GALE’S AUTO AFTERMARKET BOMBERS
Dusty DeBoer will be back to defend his 2013 Bomber championship, and he’ll certainly have lots of competition from the always unpredictable division. Max Chechalk is one driver who will give DeBoer a good challenge, as he has been in the title hunt on multiple occasions, and won several features too. Clinton Nicholls, Gillian Hils, and Dakota Potts finished in the top 10 in last year’s standings and plan to be back this year as well.
TICKETS PLEASE!
Advanced reserved seat tickets are now on sale for the Burger Barn Northern Summer Nationals on Monday, July 28, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series Arrow Express Six Nations Showdown on Tuesday, July 29, and the 10th annual Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals weekend on Friday, September 12, and Saturday, September 13. Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information, or contact Mary Wilkinson, Director of Customer Relations, by phone at 519 717-0023, or by e-mail at mary@ohswekenspeedway.com
THURSDAY NIGHT MICRO SPRINT RACING AT OHSWEKEN
Thursday Night Micro Sprint Racing takes place on the Warm Up Track in the Ohsweken Speedway pit area each week from _ to September __, and spectator admission is just $5! Visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information.
OUR SPONSORS
About Corr/Pak Merchandising: Corr/Pak’s support of the Sprint Car division at Ohsweken continues for a seventh consecutive season in 2014. 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. Please visit www.CorrPak.ca for more information on the title sponsor of 360 Sprint Car racing at Ohsweken Speedway.
About Strickland’s GMC: Strickland’s is the title sponsor for the inaugural season of Ohsweken’s Crate Sprint Car division in 2014. Strickland’s is a family owned and operated business that has been serving Southwestern Ontario for over 30 years. They have never been afraid to change in order to better serve their customers, but one thing has remained the same – they have always run their company based on the old proverb “Treat others the way you wish to be treated”. Strickland’s is the only full line General Motors dealer in Brantford and the surrounding area, serving the community for over 90 years. Strickland’s GMC is located at 19-21 Lynden Road in Brantford, at the intersection of Lynden Road and Wayne Gretzky Parkway, and just 15 minutes from Ohsweken Speedway. Visit Strickland’s GMC online at www.Stricklands.com, or call them at 1-800-599-5558.
About Affordable Towing & Recovery: Affordable Towing & Recovery returns as title sponsor of Ohsweken’s Thunder Stock division for a second consecutive season in 2014. Affordable Towing & Recovery provides a full range of towing and breakdown services in Brantford and Southwestern Ontario, as well as flat-bed freight and equipment hauling, and police towing. They can get your vehicle out, no matter where it’s located – from an underground parking garage to a creek bed. Affordable Towing & Recovery offers roadside assistance, and a vehicle storage compound, as well as towing services for anything from motorcycles to big trucks. Affordable Towing & Recovery is located at 55 Shaver Street in Brantford, near the intersection of Garden Avenue North and Colborne Street East, and just 10 miles from Ohsweken Speedway. For solutions to any vehicle transport need, go to Affordable Towing & Recovery. Visit them online at www.affordable-towing.ca, or call them at (519) 755-7526.
About HRW Automotive: HRW Automotive returns as title sponsor of Ohsweken’s Mini Stock division for a fourth consecutive season in 2014. HRW Automotive was founded by Robert Workman in 1990. By providing good old-fashioned customer service, HRW has gained a loyal following in the community. Many area residents and businesses have come to depend on the expertise of HRW’s friendly staff to keep their vehicles and equipment in peak condition. You can entrust all of your vehicle’s service and repair needs to the team of automotive professionals at HRW Automotive. HRW Automotive is located at 163 Baptist Church Road in Caledonia near the intersection of Pauline Johnson Road, and just 5 miles from Ohsweken Speedway. Visit the title sponsor of Mini-Stock Racing at Ohsweken Speedway on the web at www.HRWAutomotive.com, or call HRW today at 519-752-2063, and find out what good customer service is all about!
About Gale’s Auto Aftermarket: Gale’s Auto Aftermarket returns as title sponsor of Ohsweken’s Bomber division for a second consecutive season in 2014. All your automobile parts and supply needs can be met at Gale’s Auto Aftermarket, located on RR 6 near Hagersville, Ontario, just 15 miles from Ohsweken Speedway. Call 519-445-2659 for more information.
THIS WEEK AT OHSWEKEN
Ohsweken Speedway’s 19th season of racing begins this Friday, May 16 with 2014 Opening Night, including 25 lap features for the Corr/Pak Merchandising 360 Sprint Cars, and Affordable Towing & Recovery Thunder Stocks, a 20 lap feature for the HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, and 15 lap features for the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers.
Weekly Friday night racing at Ohsweken offers affordable, exciting, family entertainment just a short drive from many Mid-Western Ontario locations. Weekly Friday night racing adult general admission is just $12, while seniors and students are $10, and kids age 12 and under are FREE! Spectator gates open @ 6:00p.m., with the first race taking the green flag at 7:30pm this Friday, May 16! Visit the official Ohsweken Speedway website at www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and Feel The Excitement!
About Ohsweken Speedway: Founded in 1996, Ohsweken Speedway is a motorsports complex which includes a 3/8 (0.375) mile clay oval track. The facility is owned by the Styres family, and located in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Ohsweken’s weekly Friday night racing program runs from May to September each year, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Bombers, while the season finishes each year with the annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Ohsweken Speedway also hosts weekly Micro Sprint racing on Thursday nights, and has been a yearly stop on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series schedule since 2007.
Visit the official Ohsweken Speedway website at www.OhswekenSpeedway.com, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/
Ohsweken Speedway thanks the following sponsors for their support: Arrow Express, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc., Renway Energy, O’Neil’s Farm Equipment, McDonald’s Restaurants of Paris & Brantford, Nathan Ackland State Farm Insurance, Strickland’s GMC, Mobil 1, Burger Barn, Affordable Towing & Recovery, HRW Automotive, and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket.