HERRON WINS INAUGURAL BROCK LEONARD MEMORIAL AT OHSWEKEN; HUPPUNEN TAKES
SPRINT CAR POINTS LEAD
Photo credits - Dale Calnan/www.ImageFactor.ca
by Tommy Goudge (August 24, 2012) - The Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder
Stocks raced at Ohsweken Speedway in memory of former track official
Brock Leonard on Friday night, and Brad Herron outlasted the field to
claim the big win in the 50 lap feature. Meanwhile, Tom Huppunen quietly
moved up through the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car standings over
the past month, and now has the points lead after a feature win on
Friday night. Derek Wagner won another Modified Lite Stars International
Championship Tour feature, Jeremy Hughes went back to the Engine Pro
Racing Winner's Circle after the HRW Automotive Mini Stocks feature, and
the Pierced Parts Bombers division saw a first-time winner in the form
of Mark Bazuin.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS "BROCK LEONARD MEMORIAL 50"
Wyatt Van Wart and Ryan Turner made up the front row for the inaugural
Brock Leonard Memorial race, but third starter Cory Turner quickly took
over the lead before a rash of early caution flags slowed the pace.
Cory led much of the first half of the race before falling back after
contact with Rob Murray, but then rebounded to take the lead again. Cory
looked like he might be on the way to his first win of the season, but
Brad Herron had other ideas and grabbed the lead with less than 10 laps
left.
Herron cruised to a lucrative victory thanks to extra money in the purse
courtesy of Gale's Auto Aftermarket, while Cory and Ryan Turner settled
for second and third, and also shared in some additional prize money
from Gale's. Devin Habiuk and Rob Murray came home with top five finishes.
"It was a little sketchy at the beginning, but everybody kind of settled
in," Herron said after his big win. "I don't even know what to say. This
is awesome. This race has been fairly hyped up - I know I've been
looking forward to it for a long time. I want to dedicate this to Doug,
and all the Leonards."
Heat races for the 36 car field went to Mike Thorne, Ryan Turner, Brad
Herron, and Jake Brown, while Brad Sheehan won the B-Main.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
Glenn Styres and Tom Huppunen started on the front row of the Sprint Car
feature, and the race quickly turned into a duel between those two
veteran drivers. A caution flag flew on lap 9 when Steve Goldner
contacted the wall on the front stretch, giving Styres a good chance to
get around Huppunen on the restart.
Styres had trouble in turns one and two that time, and Huppunen streaked
away briefly until another caution flag came out for the stopped machine
of Shane Ross. Styres got a much better restart on his second chance,
and began pressuring Huppunen for the lead. Huppunen officially led all
but one lap of the 20 lap race, but Styres was ahead of Huppunen several
times as they traded slide jobs in turn 4. Styres officially led lap 17
at the start/finish line, but couldn't stay there to get the win.
Mitch Brown had run in the top five for much of the race, but went to
the infield with less than 5 laps to go. Huppunen prevailed for the win,
while Styres settled for second, followed by Mikey Kruchka, Bryan
Howland, and Jared Zimbardi. Huppunen's win coupled with a 9th place
finish for Travis Cunningham has Huppunen atop the points standings for
the first time this season, with just two races left.
"That was awesome," Huppunen said after his second win of the season.
"This year's been kind of up and down for me - wrecked it once on my
own, and I guess this will make up for that. Glenn's a tough competitor,
and over the years I've raced with him side-by-side with him many times.
We've bumped a few times and apologized to each other, and you know it
was just a great race - very clean, and I heard him coming and gave him
a little extra room, and he did the same for me, and that's what racing
is all about."
Heat races for the 25 car field went to Jared Zimbardi, Tom Huppunen,
and Keith Dempster, while Scott Kreutter won the B-Main.
MODIFIED LITE STARS INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR
The Mod-Lite event quickly turned into a two car race between Jason
Corless and Derek Wagner, with Corless leading laps 2 through 7 before
Wagner got into him as the two exited turn four. Corless spun out, while
Wagner was sent to the back of the field for the restart. Wagner was
faster in making his way forward again, and took the lead from Derek
Moore with 5 laps to go.
Wagner went on to win, while Corless crossed the line second, but was
disqualified after running into Wagner during the cool-down lap. Derek
Moore claimed the runner-up spot, with Paul Klager joining him on the
podium.
"We had an interesting little run there," Wagner said after yet another
Ohsweken win. "Made a little mistake there down there with Corless. I've
got to apologize to him for that. It's just hard racing trying to put a
show on for the fans here, and we got down on the bottom, got in there a
little heavy."
The heat race for the 6 car field was claimed by Jason Corless.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
Jeremy Hughes made this week's Mini Stock feature look like a carbon
copy of last week's race, as he got to the front quickly from mid-pack,
and drove away to his fifth win of the season. Karl Sault tried to keep
pace, but settled for the runner-up spot again while he continues to
lead the championship standings.
Bill Rutherford drove through the field from the last row to claim
third, followed by Mike Taylor and Lee Hils.
Heat races for the 24 car field went to Lee Hils, Robin Elliott, and
Jeremy Hughes.
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
Mark Bazuin led the entire Bombers feature to get his first ever win on
Friday night, but Kathi Dickie was never far behind as she went after
her consecutive win. Bazuin got the win, while Dickie settled for
second, followed by Dusty DeBoer, Dwight Staats, and Davey Boughton. Max
Chechalk led the standings entering Friday night's action, and finished
one spot behind currently second place points driver Boughton, meaning
the two are now tied for the championship lead with two races left on
the schedule.
"It's been a long time, but we're finally getting it working," said
Bazuin the first-time winner afterwards. "I was watching as much as I
can see out the back of this car, and I knew there was someone right
there, and then I just didn't look back."
Heat races for the 15 car field went to Joe DeBoer and Brady Longboat.
NEXT WEEK AT OHSWEKEN
Woodstock Ford presents the Awesome Racewear Labour Day Special this
Friday, August 31. The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, Lighthouse
Tattoos Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, and Pierced Parts
Bombers are all part of this event, along with a Double Flagpole Race,
and Kids Box Car Races. The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car A-Main
will also serve as a qualifier for the Ohsweken Shootout scheduled for
Friday, September 14th, during Canadian Sprint Car Nationals weekend.
Gates open at 6:00 with racing starting at 7:45!
COMING SOON
Advanced reserved seat tickets for the 8th annual Canadian Sprint Car
Nationals coming up on Friday, September 14, and Saturday, September 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
RACE REPORT - AUGUST 24
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
EVENT SPONSORS -
KIDS RACE & GALE'S AUTO AFTERMARKET
TOTAL ENTRIES - 106
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS (25 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 16 in passing points transferred to
A-Feature):
Finish. [Starting Position] Number Name (Hometown)
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT RACE #1
1. [1] 35 Jared Zimbardi (Salamanca, NY), 2. [3] 10 Mitch Brown
(Brantford), 3. [2] 01 Mikey Kruchka (Hamilton), 4. [7] 51 Bryan Howland
(Auburn, NY), 5. [5] 5m Brad Malloy (Niagara Falls), 6. [6] 33k Kyle
Patrick (Tilbury), 7. [8] 9nz Havard Daniels (Coatesville, NZ), 8. [9]
84 Tyler Rand (Consecon), 9. [4] 40 Sammy Steiss (Ohsweken). Time -
1:58.148.
GRISDALE RACING PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #2
1. [5] 27h Tom Huppunen (Fenwick), 2. [1] 0 Glenn Styres (Ohsweken), 3.
[6] 80 Chris Steele (Fenwick), 4. [7] 07x Dain Naida (Tecumseh, MI), 5.
[4] 49 Todd Hoddick (Cheektowaga, NY), 6. [2] 11 Jamie Turner (Caistor
Centre), 7. [8] 5c Conor Mahoney (Waterdown), 8. [3] 15 Mike Ferrell
(London). Time - 1:54.978.
O'NEIL'S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. [3] 5 Keith Dempster (Alton), 2. [1] 14h Jim Huppunen (Fenwick), 3.
[8] 71 Travis Cunningham (Grimsby), 4. [4] 3r Shane Ross (Thedford), 5.
[2] 30g Steve Goldner (Aylmer), 6. [5] 49x Scott Kreutter (Alden, NY),
7. [6] 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (St. Williams), 8. [7] 94 Stan Zanchin
(Fort Erie). Time - 1:58.097.
AWESOME RACEWEAR B-MAIN
(10 laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to A-Feature)
1. 49x Scott Kreutter, 2. 9nz Havard Daniels, 3. 84 Tyler Rand, 4. 5c
Conor Mahoney, 5. 11 Jamie Turner, 6. 31 John Burbridge, Jr., 7. 40
Sammy Steiss, 8. 94 Stan Zanchin, 9. 15 Mike Ferrell. Time - 2:29.110.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING
SPRINT CAR FEATURE (20 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 27h Tom Huppunen (2)
2. 0 Glenn Styres (1)
3. 01 Mikey Kruchka (3)
4. 51 Bryan Howland (6)
5. 35 Jared Zimbardi (5)
6. 80 Chris Steele (11)
7. 07x Dain Naida (7)
8. 14h Jim Huppunen (10)
9. 71 Travis Cunningham (9)
10. 11 Jamie Turner (21)
11. 9nz Havard Daniels (18)
12. 5 Keith Dempster (12)
13. 33k Kyle Patrick (16)
14. 5m Brad Malloy (13)
15. 49x Scott Kreutter (17)
16. 49 Todd Hoddick (14)
17. 5c Conor Mahoney (20)
18. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (22)
19. 10 Mitch Brown (4) DNF
20. 3r Shane Ross (8) DNF
21. 30g Steve Goldner (15) DNF
22. 84 Tyler Rand (19) DNF
No Time.
Lap Leaders - Huppunen (1-16, 18-20), Styres (17).
SPRINT CAR AWARDS:
Nathan Ackland State Farm Insurance "Top Gun" (highest passing points
total): ($100)
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS (36 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each – Top 4 finishers in each transferred to
A-Feature, Top 3 from each redrew for A-Feature starting positions):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
ENGINE PRO RACING HEAT RACE #1
1. 55 Mike Thorne (Caledonia), 2. 2 Lee Winger (Caledonia), 3. 33t Cory
Turner (Caistor Centre), 4. 33m Jack Myers (Wainfleet), 5. 8 Ryan
Dinning (Caledonia), 6. 57 Murray Nicholls (Hamilton), 7. 85b Luke
Greiner (Barrie), 8. 4 Chris Gyokery (Jarvis), 9. 9 Dave Silverthorn,
Jr. (London).
6 NATIONS BINGO HEAT RACE #2
1. 91 Ryan Turner (Caistor Centre), 2. m1 Rob Murray (St. Catharines),
3. 5h Devin Habiuk (Port Robinson), 4. 00x Derek Miller (Ohsweken), 5.
84rk Ryan Beagle (Vittoria), 6. 40 Terry Osmond (Cambridge), 7. 23 Tim
DeBoer (Caledonia), 8. 85h Bucky Hill.
O'NEIL'S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. 12 Brad Herron (Waterford), 2. 17 Rob Disher (Grimsby), 3. 04 Wyatt
Van wart (Cambridge), 4. 48 Shaun Quinn (Caledonia), 5. 25 Billy Bleich,
Jr. (Port Robinson), 6. 68 Aaron Turkey (Ohsweken), 7. 56b Brad Sheehan
(St. Catharines), 8. 38 Terry Martin (Ohsweken), 9. 00 Robbie General
(Ohsweken).
METAL WORKS HEAT RACE #4
1. 10 Jake Brown (Brantford), 2. 23x Dave Bitner, Jr. (Port Colborne),
3. 4k Kevin Knapp (Thorold), 4. 333 Kameron Kocarik (Fonthill), 5. 11r
Bryce Richardson (Port Colborne), 6. 67 Dave Small (Port Colborne), 7.
28 Jim Lampman (Caistor Centre) DNF, 8. 77 Brett Rodwell (Caledonia)
DNF, 9. 13 Kacey Huffman (Hamilton) DNF.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS B-MAIN
(10 laps - Top 10 finishers transferred to A-Feature)
1. 56b Brad Sheehan, 2. 67 Dave Small, 3. 8 Ryan Dinning, 4. 11r Bryce
Richardson, 5. 68 Aaron Turkey, 6. 85b Luke Greiner, 7. 84rk Ryan
Beagle, 8. 38 Terry Martin, 9. 40 Terry Osmond, 10. 25 Billy Bleich,
Jr., 11. 9 Dave Silverthorn, Jr., 12. 00x Derek Miller, 13. 23 Tim
DeBoer, 14. 00 Robbie General, 15. 4 Chris Gyokery, 16. 57 Murray
Nicholls DNF, 17. 85h Bucky Hill DNF, DNS. 28 Jim Lampman, DNS. 77 Brett
Rodwell, DNS. 13 Kacey Huffman.
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS
"BROCK LEONARD MEMORIAL 50"
A-FEATURE (50 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 12 Brad Herron (6)
2. 33t Cory Turner (3)
3. 91 Ryan Turner (2)
4. 5h Devin Habiuk (14)
5. m1 Rob Murray (11)
6. 1 Chris Dickie (8)
7. 55 Mike Thorne (7)
8. 11r Bryce Richardson (20)
9. 84rk Ryan Beagle (23)
10. 9 Dave Silverthorn, Jr. (26)
11. 8 Ryan Dinning (19)
12. 2 Lee Winger (10)
13. 40 Terry Osmond (25)
14. 48 Shaun Quinn (15)
15. 23x Dave Bitner, Jr. (9)
16. 4k Kevin Knapp (5)
17. 38 Terry Martin (24)
18. 10 Jake Brown (4)
19. 68 Aaron Turkey (21)
20. 33m Jack Myers (13) DNF
21. 17 Rob Disher (12) DNF
22. 67 Dave Small (18) DNF
23. 333 Kameron Kocarik (16) DNF
24. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (1) DNF
25. 56b Brad Sheehan (17) DNF
26. 85b Luke Greiner (22) DNF
DNS. 25 Billy Bleich, Jr. (26)
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS (24 entries)
HEAT RACES (8 laps each):
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
ENGINE PRO RACING HEAT RACE #1
1. 81h Lee Hils (Dundas), 2. 4 Jason Coutu (St. Catharines), 3. 10 Laura
Hughes (Flamboro), 4. 53 Sarah Rutherford (Dundas), 5. 27 Ashton Reekie
(Hamilton), 6. 12 Jonathan Ayrton (Hamilton), 7. 11 Mike Giberson
(Caledonia), 8. 69 Rob Twitchett (Dundas).
STYRES GAS BAR HEAT RACE #2
1. 99 Robin Elliott (Woodstock), 2. 69e Dan Erskine (Caistor Centre), 3.
55 Rob Slater (Dundas), 4. 22 Brittani Myers (Hamilton), 5. 79 Steve
Miller (Paris), 6. 05 Dave Goodacre (Brantford), 7. 84 Dale Gyokery
(Jarvis), 8. 38 Bill Rutherford (Dundas).
O'NEIL'S FARM EQUIPMENT HEAT RACE #3
1. 10j Jeremy Hughes (Burlington), 2. 777x Steve Hess (Ohsweken), 3. 7
Jason Lungaro (Hamilton), 4. 81 Karl Sault (Dundas), 5. 02 Mike Taylor
(Burlington), 6. 265 Mike Evers (Caledonia), 7. 44 Josh Shantz (St.
Agatha), 8. 64 Doug Erskine (Hamilton) DNF.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 10j Jeremy Hughes (9)
2. 81 Karl Sault (15)
3. 38 Bill Rutherford (23)
4. 02 Mike Taylor (4)
5. 81h Lee Hils (18)
6. 265 Mike Evers (11)
7. 99 Robin Elliott (14)
8. 7 Jason Lungaro (13)
9. 777x Steve Hess (16)
10. 10 Laura Hughes (2)
11. 79 Steve Miller (12)
12. 64 Doug Erskine (24)
13. 22 Brittani Myers (7)
14. 44 Josh Shantz (21)
15. 05 Dave Goodacre (10)
16. 84 Dale Gyokery (20)
17. 55 Rob Slater (6)
18. 27 Ashton Reekie (1)
19. 12 Jonathan Ayrton (8)
20. 4 Jason Coutu (17)
21. 53 Sarah Rutherford (3)
22. 69e Dan Erskine (5)
23. 11 Mike Giberson (19)
24. 69 Rob Twitchett (22) DNF
MODIFIED LITE STARS
INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR (6 entries)
HEAT RACE (6 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
1. 19 Jason Corless (Bolton), 2. 61 Derek Wagner (Middleport, NY), 3. 1
Paul Klager (Beamsville), 4. 77 Randy Hollingshead (Stoney Creek), 5. 91
Derek Moore (Welland), 6. 23 Jeff May (Mount Hope). Time: 1:53.089.
MODIFIED LITE STARS
INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR
A-FEATURE (15 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 61 Derek Wagner (5)
2. 91 Derek Moore (3)
3. 1 Paul Klager (4)
4. 77 Randy Hollingshead (2)
5. 23 Jeff May (1)
6. 19 Jason Corless (6)
No Time.
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS (15 entries)
HEAT RACES (6 laps each)
Finish. Number Name (Hometown)
HEAT RACE #1
1. 42 Joe DeBoer (Hagersville), 2. 6 Wayde Thorne (Waterford), 3. 16x
Dwight Staats (Ohsweken), 4. 44 Tylor Brock (Dunnville), 5. 21 Mark
Bazuin (Caledonia), 6. 007 Ian Myerscough (Burlington), 7. 21x Grant
O'Neal, 8. 07 Savannah Jonker (Woodstock).
HEAT RACE #2
1. 66 Brady Longboat (Ohsweken), 2. 5 Kathi Dickie (Brantford), 3. 18x
Davey Boughton (Carlisle), 4. 97 Max Chechalk (Hamilton), 5. 23 Dusty
DeBoer (Hagersville), 6. 707 Danny Shantz (St. Agatha), 7. 16 Jeremy May
(Hamilton).
PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS
A-FEATURE (15 laps)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 21 Mark Bazuin (1)
2. 5 Kathi Dickie (6)
3. 23 Dusty DeBoer (7)
4. 16x Dwight Staats (3)
5. 18x Davey Boughton (9)
6. 97 Max Chechalk (8)
7. 42 Joe DeBoer (4)
8. 007 Ian Myerscough (11)
9. 44 Tylor Brock (10)
10. 707 Danny Shantz (12)
11. 21x Grant O'Neal (13)
12. 6 Wayde Thorne (14)
13. 07 Jeremy May (15)
14. 66 Brady Longboat (5) DNF
DNS. 16 Savannah Jonker (14)
Notes: Jeremy May drove Savannah Jonker's #07 in A-Feature.
UP NEXT @ OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012
WOOSTOCK FORD PRESENTS:
THE AWESOME RACEWEAR "LABOUR DAY SPECIAL"
FEATURING CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS,
LIGHTHOUSE TATTOOS THUNDER STOCKS,
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI-STOCKS,
& PIERCED PARTS BOMBERS,
PLUS "DOUBLE FLAGPOLE RACE", & KIDS BOX CAR RACES
ADULTS $12, SENIORS AND STUDENTS $10, KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE!
SPECTATOR GATES OPEN @ 6:00 P.M., RACING @ 7:45 P.M.