By Clayton Johns, with files from Tommy Goudge
OHSWEKEN, Ont. – June 15, 2017 – Ohsweken Speedway is set to resume action with Wall of Fame and Kid’s Race for the Canadian National Autism Foundation Night presented by Core-Mark International on Friday, June 16.
Ohsweken will add five new members to its Wall of Fame, which was established in 2015. The induction ceremony will take place during intermission. Jim Cochrane, Gale Hill, Tom Huppunen, Clinton Geoffrey Kruchka and Adam Ross will be inducted to the Wall of Fame on Friday night.
Cochrane was a Mini Stock racer in Ohsweken’s early years and has remained a major advocate of the division. He was also the first winner of the Art Hill Memorial Award for showing Sportsmanship on and off the track.
Gale Hill has been a proud supporter of the track for several years through his business, Gale’s Auto Aftermarket. His dedication to the track and to several drivers goes well beyond the traditional sponsorship agreement.
Tom Huppunen, well-known locally as the ‘Fenwick Flyer’, was one of the first regular Sprint Car drivers in the area and paved a path to regular 360 Sprint Car action in Ontario. He won the 2009 360 Sprint Car track championship and still holds the track record for the fastest lap ever recorded in a 360 Sprint Car.
Clinton Geoffrey Kruchka and Adam Ross have served in several capacities at Ohsweken over the years, but are best known for their announcing work. Both are back announcing at the track in 2017, while Geoffrey also serves as the track’s general manager. Over the years, both have helped bring a new level of professionalism and improved fan experience to help make Ohsweken a premier racing destination.
The Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars headline the show that also features the only stop of the season for the Pro 4 Trucks. Ohsweken’s regular divisions will all be in action as well, including the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers.
Race time is 7:30pm with Pit Gates scheduled to open at 5:30pm and Spectator Gates opening at 6:00pm. 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.
Pro 4 Trucks
The Pro 4 Trucks will make their only appearance of the season at Ohsweken this Friday. The Pro 4 Trucks call Humberstone Speedway home on Sunday nights and carry sponsorship from Mike Knapp Ford. In two races so far this season, Kyle Tomaski and Dylan Llord have gone to victory lane at Humberstone. The always entertaining Pro 4 Trucks are sure to enjoy the wide and high-banked surface at Ohsweken to showcase their talent.
Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars
After battling the Patriot Sprint Tour last week, the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars resume weekly action in their championship battle. Last week, Dylan Westbrook held off invaders Bryan Howland and Jared Zimbardi to earn the victory. Entering this week’s event, Westbrook is three points behind Jim Huppunen for the division’s point lead. Cory Turner sits third in the standings, one spot ahead of his brother Ryan Turner. Glenn Styres rounds out the current top-five.
Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars
Aaron Turkey got the monkey off his back with his first win since 2015 in Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car action last week. The victory also stopped current point leader Ryan Hunsinger’s win streak at two. Jesse McDonald sits just three points behind Hunsinger in the championship standings while Mack DeMan, Jerry Hill and Mike Thorne round out the top-five. Turkey currently occupies the sixth spot.
Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks
Last week’s Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock feature was a thriller that came down to the final laps where Ryan Dinning scored his first win of the season. Current point leader Dave Bailey finished second after winning the first two races of the season. Bailey’s advantage at the top of the standings sits at 18 over Jim Lampman following three races. Ken Sargent, dirt rookie Shawn Chenoweth and Derek Lemyre hold down top-five positions as well.
HRW Automotive Mini Stocks
The HRW Automotive Mini Stocks always produce some of the best racing at the track with four and five-wide racing occurring on a weekly basis. Last week, the division produced a first-time winner in Dave Crumbie. Crumbie outran point leader Mark Bazuin over the final five laps in the latter’s mad dash to the front from the 21st starting spot. Bazuin currently has an 11-point gap over Jon Janssens while Brandon Janssens, Tim DeBoer and Aaron Rewutzky hold down the top-five positions.
Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers
Gillian Hils proved last week the outside lane can be fast for the Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers. Hils started eighth before making nearly every pass for position on the outside to take the lead and drive off with her first victory of the season. Lucas Smith, who has one win this year, is the current point leader over Paul Longboat, Jerry Burnham, Hils and Dustin Longboat.
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 first ever Action Xpo on July 1, 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.
Action Xpo: Action Xpo at Ohsweken Speedway on July 1 is the first Action Sports Exhibition in Canada. The inaugural event features the best Pro and Amateur Action Sports Athletes including YouTube star Tanner Fox, Freestyle Motorcross, Monster Trucks, Sprint Car Racing, BMX Bikes, Video Games, Vendors, and other heart-stopping thrill shows as well as a massive fireworks display. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.actionxpo.com.
About Core-Mark International: From its humble beginnings in 1888 as Glaser Bros., a single tobacco storefront in San Francisco, Core-Mark has grown into one of the largest distributors and marketers of consumer goods in North America. While the past century has brought incredible changes to the business and the world in which we operate, Core Mark’s goal is the same today as it was over 120 years ago — to provide customers with the best possible service and to help them grow their sales and profits. For more information, visit www.core-mark.com.
About Kids Race: Kids Race is an action-packed race series covering seven tracks in two provinces held each year in support of The Canadian National Autism Foundation. Kids Race was established in 2010 as an idea to create a new platform for autism research and awareness. Shortly after speaking with and working alongside track owners, officials, drivers, crews and fans a common bond was formed. Kids Race realized that passion, dedication, family and the love of what they do was something shared by everyone involved in the races. The races only happen once a year, but the work done for autism is a year-round process. For more information, visit www.kidsrace.ca.
About Canadian National Austim Foundation: The Canadian National Autism Foundation was formed in June 2000 by parents of children with autism. The foundation is completely run and administrated by unpaid volunteers. The objectives of the Canadian National Autism Foundation are charitable. The Canadian National Autism Foundation has been formed to provide funding for educating the general public and professionals, providing information and resources to families of people with autism, providing funding for Canadian based research and development, and promoting national autism awareness. For more information visit www.cnaf.net.
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 are announced in early spring, and the official induction ceremony is held at Ohsweken Speedway on a selected race night during the subsequent season. The Styres Family, the Southern Ontario Sprints club, and Mike “Pinball” Giberson were selected for the inaugural class of Wall of Fame inductees in 2015, while Jay Mallory, Jim Swing, Abel Castelein, and the Bell family were inducted in 2016.
The 2017 Wall of Fame Night festivities are set for June 16, the anniversary of Ohsweken’s inaugural race in 1996. Nominations for the 2017 Wall of Fame class were accepted until February 28, 2017. To nominate a candidate for consideration for the 2018 Wall of Fame class, please contact media@ohswekenspeedway.com, or utilize the nomination form on the Ohsweken Speedway website.
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.
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Website: www.OhswekenSpeedway.com
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Twitter: @OhswekenSpdway
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YouTube: www.YouTube.com/user/OhswekenSpdway
Ohsweken Speedway thanks the following partners for their support in 2017: Arrow Express, Kool Kidz Ice & Water, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc., Renway Energy, Case IH O’Neil’s Farm Equipment, Hoosier Tire Canada, EPIC Racewear, McDonald’s Restaurants of Paris & Brantford, Ackland Insurance, Strickland’s GMC, Lucas Oil, Burger Barn, Pinty’s Delicious Foods, Creative Edge Signs & Graphics, Insta-Insulation, Middleport Mechanical, HRW Automotive, and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket.