by Tommy Goudge
(August 13, 2015) – Caistor Centre, Ontario – Team Turner Racing saw their hard work pay off with strong finishes in all 3 races last weekend, and celebrated the team’s first ever Sprint Car feature win!
AUGUST 7 – OHSWEKEN
The weekend began at Ohsweken Speedway with Jamie Turner and sons Cory and Ryan defending home turf along with other local drivers in a challenge event with the Empire Super Sprints tour.
“It was one of the toughest fields we had seen all year,” noted Cory.
Cory and Ryan were happy to finish well enough in their heat races to qualify for the redraw for feature starting positions. Jamie wasn’t able to advance in his heat race, resulting in a 14th starting spot for him in the feature. Ryan drew the 4th starting spot in the feature, but scratched from the race due to mechanical problems.
“I was the last guy to redraw and was left with the number 3 pill – not a bad deal!” Cory said. “Early in the feature my car was great! I was really good in the low groove, and I was able to get to 2nd and challenge for the lead. I was catching the leader, and as we approached lap traffic Mitch Brown made a great move and drove from 3rd to the lead in one corner. I lost the side board from my front wing on the next lap and caused a caution. After the caution, the car was definitely a handful and I was able to hang on to finish 5th.”
While losing a piece of his wing was unfortunate, Cory was lucky that the race was run under ESS rules, and he wasn’t penalized for causing the debris caution.
“My dad had a great run coming from the 14th starting spot to finish 7th!” Cory said. “He was really happy with his car, which gave us some momentum heading into the rest of the weekend.”
AUGUST 8 – BRIGHTON
Saturday night found Team Turner 250 kilometres east of Ohsweken at Brighton Speedway for the 8th round of the Southern Ontario Sprints season.
All three TTR drivers ended up in the same heat race, which Jamie won, while Cory also gained a redraw spot. Cory drew the 3rd starting spot for the feature, while Jamie started 8th, and Ryan started 11th.
“Early in the race I had a great car and it only got better as the race went on,” Cory said. “With about 10 laps to go I was able to get a great drive off of the bottom and pass Glenn Stryes for the lead! Traffic made things a little bit more difficult, but I was able to hold on for my first career Sprint Car win!”
Ryan’s bad luck continued as his left rear tire went flat just 6 laps into the race, while Jamie advanced to 4th by lap 7, and finished the race there.
“It was a great night for our team as this is not only my first win in a Sprint Car but also our team’s first,” Cory noted. “Hopefully this will lead to a couple more (wins) before the end of the year!”
AUGUST 9 – HUMBERSTONE
The team didn’t have much time to celebrate their win at Brighton, as they made the trip back to race with SOS again at Humberstone Speedway near Port Colborne, Ontario on Sunday night, 300 kilometres from Brighton.
Each TTR driver advanced 2 in their respective heat race, but only Cory and Ryan were able to gain redraw spots. Ryan drew the pole position for the feature, while Cory started 6th, and Jamie started 15th.
“My brother got out to the early lead before I drove in a little too hard into turn 3 and spun out causing a caution that my brother definitely didn’t want to see,” Cory said. “I restarted 22nd and really had to get moving if I didn’t want to get lapped in a very strung out field. The race went caution-free the rest of the way, and my brother led the first few laps before being passed by the eventual winner. (Ryan) was able to get his best career Sprint Car finish – a 4th! My dad drove up to finish 8th, and I was able to get back to 10th after having to go tail. This was by far our best weekend of the year!
UP NEXT
“This weekend we only have one race planned, and that is Friday night with the Corr/Pak Sprints at Ohsweken,” Cory said. “We will have our cars on display at Gale’s Auto Aftermarket on Saturday from 11am to 5pm.”
August 14 – Ohsweken Speedway (Corr/Pak Merchandising 360 Sprint Cars)
POINTS CHASING
The TTR drivers are chasing points towards a pair of championships in 2015 – Ohsweken’s weekly Corr/Pak Merchandising 360 Sprint Car division, and the Southern Ontario Sprints tour:
-#11 Jamie Turner: SOS 5th, Ohsweken 6th
-#19 Cory Turner: Ohsweken 4th, SOS 6th
-#91 Ryan Turner: SOS 7th*, Ohsweken 8th*
*Leads Rookie of the Year standings
SEASON STATS
-#11 Jamie Turner: 21 Races, 0 Wins, 2 Top Fives, 15 Top Tens
-#19 Cory Turner: 20 Races, 1 Win, 7 Top Fives, 17 Top Tens
-#91 Ryan Turner: 21 Races, 0 Wins, 2 Top Fives, 9 Top Tens
TEAM TURNER LINKS
Website: www.TeamTurnerRacing.ca
Twitter: @11teamturner19
Facebook: search “Team Turner Racing”
TEAM TURNER TROOPS
Team Turner Racing would like to thank all their sponsors and supporters for their support during the 2015 season, including KT Gas & Convenience, Aces Bar & Grill, Braemar Building Systems, Alliance Concrete & Interlock, Plazek Auto Recyclers, Pyett Spring & Alignment, V&R Recycling, Booster Juice, Gale’s Auto Aftermarket, Tetra-Chem Industries, The Truck Toppers, Champion Brands Canada, Total Coatings, JNE Recovery, Multiplex Manufacturing, www.HausersPharmacy.com, Jerome Bros. Farm & Market, CJ Mulholland Mattress Factory, Six Nations Bingo, Beamer Farms, Mike Morris Holdings, JB Mechanical, Barlow Farms, Bryan’s Farm Supply, Fine Lines Signs, DSE Performance, The Powerhouse, Hitchman Trailers, V&R Hose & Hydraulics, RCM Racing Equipment, Digital Detail, The Audible Difference, 5 Star Fitness & Nutrition, GF1 Chassis, Wings Unlimited, Wix Filters, and Ti22 Performance.
Visit www.TeamTurnerRacing.ca to find out how you can join the Team Turner Troops!
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