LATE MODELS AND SPRINTS HIGHLIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER THIS WEEK AT OHSWEKEN

by Tommy Goudge (August 27, 2008) –
Full-fendered high-horsepower stock car racing returns to Ohsweken Speedway this Friday, August 29 when H.R.W. Automotive presents the Ontario Dirt Late Models tour, along with Ohsweken’s regular Friday Night Thunder program of Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini Stocks, and Friday Night Fun Stocks.

Dirt Late Models last raced at Ohsweken on June 20 when the World of Outlaws Late Model series visited Ohsweken for the first annual “Six Nations 50”, an event won by Tim McCreadie.  The Ontario Dirt Late Models series worked together with the World of Outlaws to award ODLM points that night to local teams who signed in for competition, creating one of the largest and most competitive fields of Late Models ever assembled in Ontario.  Many of the local teams on hand that night are expected back this Friday night to compete in the 4th of 5 scheduled events for ODLM in 2008.  Current points leader Chris Ross of Wallaceburg, Ontario was the highest finishing ODLM driver in the World of Outlaws event at Ohsweken in June, taking home a 12th place finish in the feature that evening.  The ODLM points standings are very tight, with Warsaw, NY driver Doug Ricotta just 2 points behind Ross, and 3rd place Greg Oakes of Franklinville, NY just 3 points behind Ricotta.  Rounding out the top 5 are Chad Valone of Warren, Pennsylvania, and Port Colbourne, Ontario's Adam Ferri, who are 18 and 24 markers back of leader Ross, respectively.  Ferri, a former DIRT Modified star, put on a great show in the World of Outlaws event at Ohsweken in June by battling back from mechanical issues in his heat race to race his way into the feature through the B-Main and finish 16th in the feature.

After a very exciting feature event that saw Brad Malloy outlast Glenn Styres to visit Engine Pro Racing Victory Lane for the first time in his career, the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division will be back in action this Friday night, with a very tight points race on the minds of many drivers.  Alton's Keith Dempster currently leads the standings, but Rookie of the Year contender Ryan Hunsinger of Brantford is just 2 points behind, while Salamanca, New York driver Jared Zimbardi is 3rd, just 7 points out of the lead.  Also still in the hunt for the championship with 2 races left to go in the Corr/Pak season are Campbellville driver Kevin Job, who is 4th, but just 17 points out of the lead, and Rob Pietz of Port Colbourne who is 36 markers out of the lead.  The battle for the top 10 is also tight, as Rookie driver Mikey Kruchka of Hamilton currently holds the 10th spot in the standings, but is just 11 points ahead of both John Riegling of Chatham and Jim Price of Wainfleet.  The battle to finish in the top 10 is very important, as the top 10 drivers in the Corr/Pak standings will each share a percentage of the championship points fund.  Malloy's feature win marked the 5th different winner in 6 events this year, as Hunsinger is the only repeat feature winner so far this season in the very competitive Corr/Pak division, currently in it's first year of operation at the Speedway.

In the ESSO Thunder Stocks division, the amazing performance of Cody McPherson this season has already clinched him the division championship with 2 races left on the schedule, but the young driver from St. Catharines has not been the driver to beat in the last few weeks.  Fellow Niagara-area driver Billy Bleich of Port Robinson has gotten the best of McPherson for 2 feature wins in the last 2 nights of racing, while regular Humberstone Speedway competitor Billy Hogue invaded on double feature night, coming away with a feature win in the first feature on August 8 before Bleich won his first ever feature in the 2nd 15-lap affair that night.  Behind McPherson in the ESSO Thunder Stocks points standings are Ryan Dinning, Glen Leinen, Rob Disher, and defending champ Brad Bacher, who got back on track on Friday night with a fine 3rd place finish.  Disher suffered engine problems with his #17 on Friday night, forcing him to start the feature race at the back of the grid in Mark Fawcett's #32, but the veteran driver was found all the way up to 7th when the checkered flag fell, keeping him well within the top 5 in the division standings.

In the ESSO Mini-Stock division, defending track champion Abel Castelein is well on his way to repeating as champion this season, and helped his cause by winning the feature event on Friday night.  Mitchell Brown is not giving up however, and has run extremely well in August as he claimed victory on August 1st in the special non-points 42 lap Art Hill Memorial, and then followed that up with another feature win the following week.  Brown, a young driver with a bright future ahead of him, finished 2nd to Castelein this past Friday, and is currently 62 points behind the leader, while Rick Emberson is 3rd, another 12 points behind Brown, followed by Kevin Hilborn and Brent Hill, who rounds out the top 5.

The Friday Night Fun Stocks had one of their best races of the season last week as Lee Hils and Karl Sault battled for the lead for much of the 20 lap distance on the infield oval, with Sault making a late race move to take the lead and go on to his 4th victory of the season.  Hils, however, came home 2nd and maintains a healthy points lead over son Chris, with Sault in 3rd.  Hils, of Dundas, stands a good chance to become the inaugural champion of the Friday Night Fun Stock division, which has grown steadily over the course of the season, and has become an entertaining part of the Friday Night Thunder program.

With the end of the regular season quickly approaching on September 5th, so too are the 4th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals presented by Arrow Express.  Scheduled for Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th, the Nationals promise once again to be a spectacular event this season, and reserved seats are available for purchase for both nights.  Last season, 76 of the best 360 sprint cars in the Northeast came together at Ohsweken for the 3rd annual edition of the event, with Quebec driver Steve Poirier taking the feature win for the 2nd year in a row.  This year, the huge field of competitors will be looking to end Poirier's streak and take home the $8,000 winner's cheque, as well as the bragging rights that go along with winning this great event.  Don't miss any of the exciting Nationals action: Visit HYPERLINK http://www.OhswekenSpeedway.com now for details on how to reserve your seats!

Ohsweken Speedway's Friday Night Thunder resumes this Friday, August 29 when H.R.W. Automotive presents the Ontario Dirt Late Models, Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Friday Night Fun Stocks, plus Mechanics races in the ESSO Mini Stocks and ESSO Thunder Stocks division! Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken offers affordable exciting family entertainment just a short drive away from most Mid-Western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and Kids age 12 and under are FREE! Please visit HYPERLINK http://www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information. Spectator gates open @ 6:00p.m., with the first race taking the green flag at 7:45p.m. this Friday, August 29!

************************************
************************************
Tommy Goudge
Ohsweken Speedway Media
media@ohswekenspeedway.com