By Tommy Goudge
(June 10, 2015) – Ohsweken, Ontario – Ohsweken Speedway’s 20th season of racing continues this Friday, June 12 when the Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse club presents the inaugural Wall of Fame Night. The Corr/Pak Merchandising 360 Sprint Car, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car, Affordable Towing & Recovery Thunder Stock, HRW Automotive Mini Stock, & Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bomber divisions will all be part of the show.
The Styres Family, the Southern Ontario Sprints club, and Mike “Pinball” Giberson will be honoured as the inaugural Ohsweken Speedway Wall of Fame inductees this Friday.
Led by brothers Glenn and Curt, the Styres family founded and built Ohsweken Speedway, officially opening it for business on June 16, 1996. Along with Glenn, Tina, Curt, and Trish, many other members of the Styres family have contributed various resources to the success of the speedway, including their time, money, and land use – Anyone who has visited Ohsweken Speedway as a spectator has been greeted by the warm smile of Vera Styres on nearly every race night since the track opened.
The Southern Ontario Sprints club was also founded in 1996, with the second event in SOS history held on Ohsweken’s opening day. Including that first event, the club has sanctioned a total of 92 events at Ohsweken over the last 19 seasons, and played an integral role in the growth of Sprint Car racing at the track and all over Ontario. SOS sanctioned events at Ohsweken include all 10 previous editions of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, and the 92 total SOS events at the track have produced 43 different winners.
There is perhaps no better example of the spirit of local short track racing than Mike “Pinball” Giberson, who competed at Ohsweken on opening day in 1996, and hasn’t missed a race since. His dedication to preserving that iron-man streak would be reason enough to be considered for the Wall of Fame, but Giberson is also the 1996 Ohsweken Speedway Mini Stock division champion, and a three time winner of the Art Hill Memorial Award. He is the only repeat winner of that award, dedicated to the memory of the late Art Hill, and given to the Mini-Stock competitor who demonstrates sportsmanship, both on and off the track, strives to maintain the highest level of competition, and acts as an ambassador for Ohsweken Speedway.
An average of 128 drivers have signed in for each of the first three rounds of the 2015 season at Ohsweken, with the five weekly racing series divisions producing close championship standings, and 15 different feature winners. Wall of Fame Night racing will take the green flag at 7:30pm this Friday, June 12. Adult general admission is just $12, while seniors and students are $10, kids age 7-12 are $2, and kids age 6 and under are FREE. Visit the official Ohsweken Speedway website at www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and Feel The Excitement!
About the Ohsweken Speedway Wall of Fame: The Ohsweken Speedway Wall of Fame is dedicated to celebrating the achievements and contributions of those who have helped Ohsweken Speedway to become a premiere racing facility, and inspired generations to come. Selections will be made annually by the Wall of Fame committee, with potential honourees including (but not limited to) drivers, car owners, manufacturers, car builders, mechanics, sponsors, promoters, officials, sanctioning organizations, and media members.
The community is invited to submit nominations for induction to the Wall of Fame, and all nominations are given due consideration. The number of inductees in any given year shall be at the discretion of the Wall of Fame committee. The names of inductees for any given year will be announced in early spring, and the official induction ceremony will be held at Ohsweken Speedway on a selected race night during the subsequent season.
The 2015 Ohsweken Speedway Wall of Fame Selection Committee included Clinton Geoffrey, Tommy Goudge and Adam Ross, with consultation from Greg Calnan and Doug Leonard. Nominations were accepted until February 28, 2015. To nominate a candidate for consideration for the 2016 Wall of Fame class, please contact media@ohswekenspeedway.com, or utilize the nomination form on the Ohsweken Speedway website at http://ohswekenspeedway.ca/?page_id=3279
TICKETS PLEASE!
Advanced reserved seat tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Triple Crown Showdown featuring the Super DIRTcar Big Block Modified series, the Burger Barn Northern Summer Nationals featuring DIRTcar 358 Modifieds and Corr/Pak Merchandising 360 Sprint Cars, the Arrow Express Six Nations Showdown featuring the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series, the Burger Barn Night Before the Nationals, and the 11th annual Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information, or contact Lorraine Pedersen, Ohsweken Speedway Office Administrator, by phone at 519 717-0023, or by e-mail at lorraine@ohswekenspeedway.com
About Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse club: A charter member of the National Lacrosse League, the Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse club is owned by Arrow Express Sports. The Knighthawks claimed their third consecutive NLL World Championship in 2014, their fifth title in team history. More information on the Rochester Knighthawks can be found at www.RochesterKnighthawks.net
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 360 Sprint Car division at Ohsweken continues for an 8th consecutive season in 2015. 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 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 returns as the title sponsor of the Crate Sprint Car division for a second consecutive season in 2015. 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 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 returns as title sponsor of Ohsweken’s Thunder Stock division for a third consecutive season in 2015. 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 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. HRW Automotive returns as title sponsor of Ohsweken’s Mini Stock division for a fifth consecutive season in 2015. Visit them 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: 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. Gale’s Auto Aftermarket has been a proud supporter of local racing for many years, and returns as title sponsor of Ohsweken’s Bomber division for a third consecutive season in 2015. Call 519-445-2659 for more information.
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/OHSWEKENSPEEDWAY, follow us on Twitter @OhswekenSpdway, and subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/user/OhswekenSpdway
Ohsweken Speedway thanks the following partners for their support: Arrow Express, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc., Renway Energy, O’Neil’s Farm Equipment, Hoosier Tire Canada, EPIC Racewear, 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.