CUNNINGHAM CAPTURES FIRST SPRINT CAR WIN AT OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY
by Tommy Goudge (July 6, 2012) - Ohsweken Speedway saw two first-time
winners visit the Engine Pro Racing Winner's Circle on Friday night, as
Travis Cunningham finally got a long-overdue Corr/Pak Merchandising
Sprint Car win, and Jack Myers won the Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder Stock
feature. Derek Wagner won the Modified Lite Stars International
Championship Tour feature for the second week in a row, as did Karl
Sault in the HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, while Max Chechalk got another
Pierced Parts Bombers win.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
Shane Ross and Jim Huppunen began the Sprint Car feature on the front
row, and the rookie Ross took an early lead, while Keith Dempster and
Travis Cunningham shuffled Huppunen to fourth. Ross led the first four
circuits before Dempster slipped by, but Cunningham allowed Dempster to
lead only one lap before taking over out front.
The yellow flag flew on lap 9, when Chris Durand had a steering problem
in turn one just as Cunningham was putting a lap on him. Durand got
sideways in the corner, and Havard Daniels could not avoid a collision.
Both Durand and Daniels climbed from their damage machines uninjured,
but out for the night.
Cunningham remained out front on the restart, and drove to his first
career win unchallenged, while Shane Ross held off Chris Steele for the
second position. Dave Dykstra and Jim Huppunen rounded out the top five.
"My Dad used to always say that when the racing gods keep you down, they
always give you a cookie to keep you going, and this is a pretty good
cookie tonight. This win is for him. He taught me everything I know, and
he got me here," said Cunningham after the race. "This was awesome. The
car was on rails. People always used to ask me if I was getting sick of
not winning. I really wasn't because I had ten second place finishes,
and second pays a lot more than third. I knew it was just a matter of
time, and it's awesome that I'm standing here right now."
Heat races for the 29 car field were claimed by Chris Steele, Mikey
Kruchka, and Dave Dykstra, while Kyle Moffit won the B-Main, then
charged to 10th at the finish of the A-Main.
MODIFIED LITE STARS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR
Paul Klager and Dillan Sliter started on the front row for the Mod Lite
feature, but Klager led only the first lap before third place starter
Tim Anderson got by. Anderson then led until lap 8, when Derek Wagner
took over out front, and didn't look back in a race that went
caution-free in just over 6 minutes.
Wagner won his second consecutive feature at Ohsweken, while Anderson
took the runner-up spot, followed by Josh Sliter, Dillan Sliter, and
Paul Klager.
"We've come a long way in the last year and a half," Wagner said. "You
know, only being my second season in this car, we've made a lot of
improvements, and a lot of changes, and it's getting us to where we need
to be."
Heat races for the 14 car field were claimed by Shawn Sliter and Josh
Sliter.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
Blaine Barrow and Gord Bates started the Thunder Stock feature up front,
but the race was quickly halted when Bates got upside down on the
frontstretch, and was hit by several other cars in a wild melee. The
crash took several fast cars out of contention, including Brad Herron
and Mike Thorne.
The race got underway again, and eventually found 10th row starter Jack
Myers and 11th row starter Devin Habiuk dueling up front, with Myers
prevailing for his first-ever win. Habiuk settled for second, followed
by Ryan Turner, Murray Nicholls, and Bryce Richardson.
"It feels great. I'm exhausted, but this is great," said Myers. "I saw
(Habiuk) coming down on the bottom of me, and I was just hoping the car
would stick on the top, and it turned out it did, so I'm very happy."
Heat races for the 33 car field went to Derek Miller, Brett Rodwell,
Ryan Turner, and Lee Winger, while Devin Habiuk won the B-Main.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
Mike Giberson and Ethan Martin started on the front row for the Mini
Stock feature, but the fastest drivers started deep in the pack and
wasted little time getting to the front. Jeremy Hughes made a beeline to
the front from the 10th row, and again looked like the driver to beat
until a caution late in the race, and Karl Sault made the most of the
opportunity to get around Hughes for the second week in a row. Sault
took the win, followed by Jeremy Hughes, Steve Hess, Dan Erskine, and
11th row starter Mike Evers.
"We've got this car tuned in," said Sault. "It handles great. We had
some problems with the suspension before. It kept bottoming out and
getting loose in the corners, but we've got that figured out, and now
it's dialed in."
Heat races for the 29 car field were claimed by Ethan Martin, Chase
Hess, Rob Slater, and Doug Erskine, while Jason Lungaro won the B-Main.
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
Mark Bazuin and Davey Boughton started at the front of the Bombers
feature, and it looked like the race would be settled between Boughton
and Brady Longboat, who fought for every inch of space on the infield
oval, while trading the top spot. A caution flag bunched the field, and
allowed fourth row starter Max Chechalk into the fight. Chechalk took
advantage of the opportunity, and got by for his third win of the
season. Longboat settled for another runner-up finish, followed by Kathi
Dickie, Boughton, and Dusty DeBoer.
"It was pretty crazy in front of me," Chechalk said in victory lane. "I
thought those two had me beat for sure. I couldn't keep up before that
caution."
Heat races for the 17 car field were claimed by Davey Boughton and Craig
Dowd.
NEXT WEEK AT OHSWEKEN
Wiseco Piston and Evers Financial present “Mid-Season Championship
Night” next Friday, Julu 13. The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprints,
Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, and
Pierced Parts Bombers are all part of round 7 of Friday Night Thunder,
along with a visit by the Vintage Cars. Gates open at 6:00 with racing
starting at 7:45!
COMING SOON
Advanced reserved seat tickets for “Tony Stewart at Ohsweken” July 30,
World of Outlaws Sprint Cars “Six Nations Showdown” July 31, and the 8th
annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals September 14 and 15 at Ohsweken are
on sale now! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and call
1-888-720-RACE to order yours today!
FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER 2012
ROUND 6 RACE REPORT - JULY 6
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
EVENT SPONSOR - ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS
TOTAL ENTRIES - 122
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS (29 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 16 in passing points transfer to A-Feature):
Finish. [Starting Position] Number Name (Hometown)
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT RACE #1
1. [2] 80 Chris Steele (Fenwick), 2. [1] 07x Dain Naida (Tecumseh, MI),
3. [4] 3r Shane Ross (Thedford), 4. [3] 33k Kyle Patrick (Tilbury), 5.
[5] 27h Tom Huppunen (Fenwick), 6. [9] 11 Jamie Turner (Caistor Centre),
7. [7] 30g Steve Goldner (Aylmer), 8. [6] 21j John Burbridge, Jr. (St.
Williams), 9. [10] 10 Mitch Brown (Brantford), 10. [8] 49 Todd Hoddick
(Cheektowaga, NY) DNF. No Time.
GRISDALE RACING PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #2
1. [4] 01 Mikey Kruchka (Hamilton), 2. [5] 71 Travis Cunningham
(Grimsby), 3. [2] 67 Chris Durand (Port Stanley), 4. [8] 0 Glenn Styres
(Ohsweken), 5. [3] 9nz Havard Daniels (Coatesville, NZ), 6. [6] t27 Kyle
Moffit (South Dayton, NY), 7. [7] 7x Jamie Collard (Burford), 8. [9] 43
Scott Sherk (Port Colborne), DNS. [1] 90 James Evans (Beamsville). Time
- 1:58.174.
O'NEIL'S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. [1] 5d Dave Dykstra (Port Colborne), 2. [3] 14h Jim Huppunen
(Fenwick), 3. [6] 52x Scott Kreutter (Alden, NY), 4. [7] 5 Keith
Dempster (Alton), 5. [4] 11z Zach Zumpe (St. Catharines), 6. [8] 81
Derek Jonathan (Lewiston, NY), 7. [2] 96 Shane Butler (St. Thomas), 8.
[9] 5c Conor Mahoney (Waterdown), 9. [10] 40 Sammy Steiss (Ohsweken),
10. [5] 84 Tyler Rand (Consecon) DNF. Time - 1:56.483.
AWESOME RACEWEAR B-MAIN
(10 laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to A-Feature)
1. t27 Kyle Moffit, 2. 9nz Havard Daniels, 3. 11z Zach Zumpe, 4. 49 Todd
Hoddick, 5. 10 Mitch Brown, 6. 5c Conor Mahoney, 7. 21j John Burbridge,
Jr., 8. 30g Steve Goldner, 9. 40 Sammy Steiss, 10. 96 Shane Butler, DNS.
84 Tyler Rand, DNS. 43 Scott Sherk, DNS. 90 James Evans. No Time.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 71 Travis Cunningham (4)
2. 3r Shane Ross (1)
3. 80 Chris Steele (7)
4. 5d Dave Dykstra (5)
5. 14h Jim Huppunen (2)
6. 27h Tom Huppunen (16)
7. 7x Jamie Collard (15)
8. 0 Glenn Styres (11)
9. 52x Scott Kreutter (10)
10. t27 Kyle Moffit (17)
11. 11 Jamie Turner (13)
12. 07x Dain Naida (12)
13. 49 Todd Hoddick (20)
14. 5 Keith Dempster (3)
15. 33k Kyle Patrick (14)
16. 81 Derek Jonathan (6)
17. 01 Mikey Kruchka (8) DNF
18. 11z Zach Zumpe (19) DNF
19. 67 Chris Durand (9) DNF
20. 9nz Havard Daniels (18) DNF
No Time.
Lap Leaders: Ross (1-4), Dempster (5), Cunningham (6-20).
SPRINT CAR AWARDS:
Nathan Ackland State Farm Insurance "Top Gun" (highest passing points
total): 71 Travis Cunningham ($100)
MODIFIED LITE STARS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR (14 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
HEAT RACE #1
1. 71s Shawn Sliter (Port Colborne), 2. 61 Derek Wagner (Middleport,
NY), 3. 77 Randy Hollingshead (Stoney Creek), 4. 67 Rick Brubacher (St.
Clements), 5. 23 Jeff May (Mount Hope), 6. 9 Jared Turnbull (Paris), 7.
16 Rob Goulding (Port Colborne) DNF. No Time.
HEAT RACE #2
1. 17 Josh Sliter (Ridgeway), 2. 26 Tim Anderson (Ridgeway), 3. 7s
Dillan Sliter (Port Colborne), 4. 1 Paul Klager (Beamsville), 5. 19
Jason Corless (Bolton), 6. 33 Kory Howe (St. Catharines), 7. 27s Rick
Koabel (Port Colborne). Time - 2:31.998.
MODIFIED LITE STARS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR
A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name
1. 61 Derek Wagner (7)
2. 26 Tim Anderson (3)
3. 17 Josh Sliter (4)
4. 7s Dillan Sliter (2)
5. 1 Paul Klager (1)
6. 19 Jason Corless (10)
7. 77 Randy Hollingshead (8)
8. 33 Kory Howe (12)
9. 23 Jeff May (9)
10. 27s Rick Koabel (14)
11. 9 Jared Turnbull (11)
12. 67 Rick Brubacher (5) DNF
13. 71s Shawn Sliter (6) DNF
DNS. 16 Rob Goulding (13)
Time - 6:09.631 NEW TRACK RECORD
Lap Leaders - Klager (1), Anderson (2-7), Wagner (8-20).
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS (33 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 5 finishers in each transfer to A-Feature):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
ENGINE PRO RACING HEAT RACE #1
1. 00x Derek Miller (Ohsweken), 2. 00 Robbie General (Ohsweken), 3. 3b
Blaine Barrow (Welland), 4. 13 Kacey Huffman (Hamilton), 5. 191 Gord
Bates (Selkirk), 6. 48 Mike Graham (Caledonia), 7. 84rk Ryan Beagle
(Vittoria), 8. 4 Brittany Gyokery (Jarvis).
6 NATIONS BINGO HEAT RACE #2
1. 77 Brett Rodwell (Caledonia), 2. 11r Bryce Richardson (Port
Colborne), 3. 38 Terry Martin (Ohsweken), 4. 23x Dave Bitner, Jr. (Port
Colborne), 5. 68 Aaron Turkey (Ohsweken), 6. 17 Rob Disher (Grimsby), 7.
44 Kevin Dawson (Caledonia), 8. 29 Adam Gracey (Dunnville).
O'NEIL'S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. 91 Ryan Turner (Caistor Centre), 2. 1 Chris Dickie (Brantford), 3. 10
Jake Brown (Brantford), 4. 57 Murray Nicholls (Hamilton), 5. 8 Dave
Bailey (Hagersville), 6. 333 Kameron Kocarik (Fonthill), 7. 11m Curt
Styres (Ohsweken), 8. 23 Trevor DeBoer (Hagersville).
ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS HEAT RACE #4
1. 2 Lee Winger (Caledonia), 2. 55 Mike Thorne (Caledonia), 3. 28 Jim
Lampman (Caistor Centre), 4. 12 Brad Herron (Waterford), 5. 33m Jack
Myers (Wainfleet), 6. 5h Devin Habiuk (Port Robinson), 7. 04 Wyatt Van
Wart (Cambridge), 8. 108 Jesse McDonald (Caledonia), 9. 33t Cory Turner
(Caistor Centre) DNF.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
B-MAIN (10 laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to A-Feature)
1. 5h Devin Habiuk, 2. 17 Rob Disher, 3. 108 Jesse McDonald, 4. 04 Wyatt
Van Wart, 5. 44 Kevin Dawson, 6. 333 Kameron Kocarik, 7. 23 Trevor
DeBoer, 8. 29 Adam Gracey, 9. 4 Brittany Gyokery, 10. 84rk Ryan Beagle
DNF, 11. 48 Mike Graham DNF, 12. 11m Curt Styres DNF, DNS. 33t Cory Turner.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 33m Jack Myers (19)
2. 5h Devin Habiuk (21)
3. 91 Ryan Turner (11)
4. 57 Murray Nicholls (13)
5. 11r Bryce Richardson (7)
6. 2 Lee Winger (17)
7. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (24)
8. 10 Jake Brown (15)
9. 38 Terry Martin (9)
10. 23x Dave Bitner, Jr. (8)
11. 1 Chris Dickie (12)
12. 00 Robbie General (4)
13. 13 Kacey Huffman (3)
14. 108 Jesse McDonald (23)
15. 77 Brett Rodwell (6)
16. 3b Blaine Barrow (1)
17. 68 Aaron Turkey (10)
18. 00x Derek Miller (5) DNF
19. 28 Jim Lampman (16) DNF
20. 55 Mike Thorne (18) DNF
21. 17 Rob Disher (22) DNF
22. 8 Dave Bailey (14) DNF
23. 12 Brad Herron (20) DNF
24. 191 Gord Bates (2) DNF
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS (29 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 5 finishers in each transfer to A-Feature):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
ENGINE PRO RACING HEAT RACE #1
1. 77x Ethan Martin (Ohsweken), 2. 11 Mike Giberson (Caledonia), 3. 05
Dave Goodacre (Brantford), 4. 52 Kevin Ross (Caledonia), 5. 12 Jonathan
Ayrton (Hamilton), 6. 96 Brock Ducharme, 7. 69 Rob Twitchett (Dundas).
STYRES GAS BAR HEAT RACE #2
1. 7x Chase Hess (Ohsweken), 2. 10 Laura Hughes (Flamboro), 3. 27 Dan
Stewart (Hamilton), 4. 79 Steve Miller (Paris), 5. 38 John Cote
(Hamilton), 6. 53 Sarah Rutherford (Dundas), 7. 84 Dale Gyokery (Jarvis).
O'NEIL'S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. 55 Rob Slater (Dundas), 2. 69e Dan Erskine (Caistor Centre), 3. 222
Kevin Magrin (Hamilton), 4. 777x Steve Hess (Ohsweken), 5. 22 Brittani
Myers (Hamilton), 6. 43 Sarah Miskiewicz (Cambridge), 7. 66 Jon Janssens
(Woodstock).
ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS HEAT RACE #4
1. 64 Doug Erskine (Hamilton), 2. 10j Jeremy Hughes (Burlington), 3. 81
Karl Sault (Dundas), 4. 72 Kevin Hilborn (Brantford), 5. 02 Mike Taylor
(Burlington), 6. 7 Jason Lungaro (Hamilton), 7. 265 Mike Evers
(Caledonia), 8. 99 Robin Elliott (Woodstock) DNF.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
B-MAIN (10 laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to A-Feature)
1. 7 Jason Lungaro, 2. 265 Mike Evers, 3. 84 Dale Gyokery, 4. 66 Jon
Janssens, 5. 53 Sarah Rutherford, 6. 69 Rob Twitchett, 7. 96 Brock
Ducharme, 8. 43 Sarah Miskiewicz DNF, DNS. 99 Robin Elliott.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 81 Karl Sault (18)
2. 10j Jeremy Hughes (19)
3. 777x Steve Hess (15)
4. 69e Dan Erskine (13)
5. 265 Mike Evers (22)
6. 02 Mike Taylor (16)
7. 7 Jason Lungaro (21)
8. 52 Kevin Ross (5)
9. 7x Chase Hess (6)
10. 64 Doug Erskine (17)
11. 27 Dan Stewart (8)
12. 55 Rob Slater (11)
13. 05 Dave Goodacre (4)
14. 72 Kevin Hilborn (20)
15. 12 Jonathan Ayrton (3)
16. 22 Brittani Myers (14)
17. 66 Jon Janssens (24)
18. 11 Mike Giberson (1)
19. 38 John Cote (10) DNF
20. 79 Steve Miller (9) DNF
21. 84 Dale Gyokery (23)
22. 77x Ethan Martin (2) DNF
23. 10 Laura Hughes (7) DNF
24. 222 Kevin Magrin (12) DNF
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS (17 entries)
HEAT RACES (6 laps each)
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
HEAT RACE #1
1. 18x Davey Boughton (Carlisle), 2. 66 Brady Longboat (Ohsweken), 3. 23
Dusty DeBoer (Hagersville), 4. 21 Mark Bazuin (Caledonia), 5. 44 Tylor
Brock (Dunnville), 6. 707 Danny Shantz (St. Agatha), 7. 03d Dakota Potts
(Waterford), 8. 16 Jeremy May (Hamilton).
HEAT RACE #2
1. 88 Craig Dowd (Caledonia), 2. 5 Kathi Dickie (Brantford), 3. 42 Joe
DeBoer (Hagersville), 4. 97 Max Chechalk (Hamilton), 5. 199 Frank Turkey
(Ohsweken), 6. 007 Ian Myerscough (Burlington), 7. 66r Cole Rodwell
(Caledonia), 8. 6 Wayde Thorne (Watford), 9. 07 Sylvana Jonker.
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
A-FEATURE (16 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 97 Max Chechalk (8)
2. 66 Brady Longboat (3)
3. 5 Kathi Dickie (7)
4. 18x Davey Boughton (2)
5. 23 Dusty DeBoer (4)
6. 16 Jeremy May (17)
7. 21 Mark Bazuin (1)
8. 6 Wayde Thorne (15)
9. 007 Ian Myerscough (12)
10. 707 Danny Shantz (11)
11. 42 Joe DeBoer (6)
12. 88 Craig Dowd (9)
13. 199 Frank Turkey (10) DNF
14. 03d Dakota Potts (13)
15. 07 Sylvana Jonker (16)
16. 66r Cole Rodwell (14) DNF
17. 44 Tylor Brock (5)
UP NEXT @ OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY:
FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2012
WISECO PISTON & EVERS FINANCIAL PRESENT:
"MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT"
FEATURING CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS,
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS,
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI-STOCKS,
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS, & VINTAGE CARS
ADULTS $12, SENIORS AND STUDENTS $10, KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE!
SPECTATOR GATES OPEN @ 6:00 P.M., RACING @ 7:45 P.M.