| By Clayton Johns
OHSWEKEN, Ont. – June 7, 2017 – Ohsweken Speedway’s 22nd season of Friday Night Excitement resumes this week when the Patriot Sprint Tour (PST) invades for it’s only visit of the season on Rochester Knighthawks and McDonald’s of Brantford and Paris Night on Friday, June 9. The stars of the Patriot Sprint Tour, a New York-based Sprint Car series, take on Ohsweken’s best Kool Kids-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Car drivers. Also in action are the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers.
Pit gates will open at 5:30pm and spectator grandstands at 6:00pm for the scheduled green flag at 7:30pm. Admission for adults is just $14, $10 for seniors (65+) and Youths (13-17) while kids age 7-12 are only $3. Children 6 and under are free.
Kids 12 and under can sign-up for the Ohsweken Speedway Kids Club, which includes FREE grandstand admission, a souvenir t-shirt, membership card, VIP treatment and other cool perks throughout the season, such as pre-race activities, pit tours and driver meet & greets. Kids Club memberships are just $20.
PST vs. Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars
The first of three challenge races on the 2017 schedule for the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars features the Patriot Sprint Tour. The series brings with it several heavy hitters from the Empire State and beyond for the $2,000-to-win Canadian tour event, including reigning series champion, Jared Zimbardi of Bradford, Pa.
Zimbardi is the current PST American series point leader through six races and has three wins to his credit this season. He has also won the PST vs. Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 challenge event in each of the last three seasons.
Also scheduled to attend his 2015 Canadian Sprint Car Nationals winner Bryan Howland, who has claimed a pair of victories with the Patriots south of the border this season. Jordan Thomas of Harding, PA, Pete Richardson of Verona, NY and Dane Lorenc of Lancaster, NY are also expected to be among the Patriot regulars in attendance.
They’ll battle Ohsweken’s best, including last week’s feature winner and current point leader Jim Huppunen of Fenwick, Ont. Sophomore Dylan Westbrook of Scotland, Ont. currently sits second in the standings ahead of brother Cory and Ryan Turner. Glenn Styres completes the current top-five in Ohsweken points.
Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars
Through two races, Ryan Hunsinger is perfect in Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car competition with two wins. Now in it’s fourth season, the Crate Sprint Car division has drawn fields of 24 or more cars in the first two weeks of action this season. Caledonia’s Jesse McDonald trails Hunsinger by just 11 points in the championship standings while Mack DeMan sits third ahead of Shone Evans and Holly Porter, who are tied for fourth. In total, 28 different drivers have raced with the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars in 2017.
Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks
Like Hunsinger, Dave Bailey has been the only driver to find victory lane with the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks. The Hagerstown driver’s strength over the first two weeks of the season has built an 11-point advantage at the top of the standings over Jim Lampman of Caistor Centre. Derek Lemyre, Ken Sargent and dirt rookie Shawn Chenoweth complete the top-five entering Friday’s action.
HRW Automotive Mini Stocks
The HRW Automotive Mini Stocks have a tie at the top of the standings with Mark Bazuin and Jon Janssens knotted at 166 points apiece. The two drivers each have a win and second-place finish through the first two nights of competition. Behind them, Brandon Janssens, Matt Nuell and Aaron Rewutzsky round out the top-five in the standings.
Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers
Lucas Smith leads the Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers into the third race of the season. Smith won the season opener on May 19 and holds a five-point lead over last week’s winner Jerry Burnham in the standings. Dustin Longboat, Paul Longboat and Jake Maas round-out the top-five in the championship standings.
Tickets Available Now!
Advanced reserved seating tickets are on sale now for all of Ohsweken Speedway’s 2017 major events, including the Northern Summer Nationals on July 24 and the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Six Nations Showdown on July 25 both featuring Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu, the Triple Crown Showdown featuring Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds on August 24, and the 13th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals on September 15-16 are on sale now! Visit www.ohswekenspeedway.ticketforce.com or call 519-717-0023 to order and for more information. For the full 2017 schedule of events, click here.
About the Rochester Knighthawks Lacrosse Club: A charter member of the National Lacrosse League, the Rochester Knighthawks lacrosse club is owned by Arrow Express Sports. For more information on the Rochester Knighthawks, visit www.Knighthawks.com.
About McDonald’s Restaurants of Brantford & Paris: McDonald’s restaurants have served the world some of its favourite food since 1955. McDonald’s is more than just your local restaurant. They’re hardworking small businessmen and women, students working part-time, seniors getting the most out of life, and volunteers lending time to make a difference in the communities they live and work in. McDonald’s locations in Brantford include 73 King George Road, 27 Stanley Street, 300 King George Road, and 299 Wayne Gretzky Parkway, while they’re also in Paris at 307 Grand River Street North. Grab a bite to eat on the way to the races, or visit the drive-thru on your way home. Visit www.McDonalds.ca for more information. |
