Southern Ontario Sprints Celebrate Canada Day with Doubleheader Weekend
by Tommy Goudge (June 25, 2008) –
The Southern Ontario Sprints will celebrate Canada’s 141st birthday this weekend with 2 big races. On Saturday, June 28th, the tour will visit the South Buxton Raceway near Chatham, Ontario, and then travel East along the shores of Lake Erie for a Sunday, June 29 date at the Humberstone Speedway in Port Colborne, Ontario. 2-time SOS champ Keith Dempster of Alton leads the points standings heading into the weekend, but Rick Wilson of Joyceville is just 4 points behind, while Demorestville’s Chris Jones is just 1 point behind Wilson.
South Buxton Raceway was the venue for the first ever Southern Ontario Sprints event back in 1996, and has been the site of many great SOS races through the years, including 3 last season. Last year, Rick Wilson won the feature on June 23 after charging to the front from his starting position 12th on the grid, while local favourite Kyle Patrick of Tilbury came all the way from 19th to finish 2nd. On July 14th the racers and fans dodged rain drops at the beginning of the evening but were rewarded for their patience with a great track surface and fast racing all night, as Kevin Job of Campbellville took home his 2nd career feature win. Job was followed home by Dempster, Patrick, and another local favourite in Chatham’s John Riegling. On August 4th, Adam West of nearby Ridgetown took home a popular win with the home crowd after a torrid battle for the lead with Riegling. A win at South Buxton had been a goal for West – the ’05 SOS champ – for quite some time, and he was very happy to finally take home a feature win at his home track. Jeff Daniels, another local driver from Chatham, is expected to be in action this weekend as well. Daniels took his first win in sprint car competition in heat race action at the SOS opener at Brighton on May 10. The event on Saturday, June 28 at South Buxton will also include South Buxton’s regular Comp 4, Sport Stock, UMP Modified, and UMP Late Model divisions.
Humberstone Speedway first hosted a Southern Ontario Sprints event on September 8th, 2002, with legendary New York driver Mike Woodring visiting victory lane that night at the track then known as Gasport. After a season away, the SOS teams and officials are very happy to be returning to the Cosco family-owned track located on the Niagara Peninsula this year. In total 7 SOS events have been held at Humberstone, with 7 different winners in those 7 races. Current active drivers with Gasport/Humberstone wins on their resumes include Glenn Styres, Rick Wilson, Kyle Patrick, and Kevin Job, who won his first career sprint car feature at Humberstone in 2006. Many regulars from Humberstone’s bi-weekly Dirt Track Digest 360 Sprint Car series are expected to be on hand to defend home turf against the touring SOS drivers, including current Humberstone points leader Brad Knab. An autograph session is also scheduled at Humberstone when the Port Colborne Sailors Junior B hockey team presents the action on Sunday, June 29, along with a full card of the track’s regular DIRT Sportsman Modifieds, Street Stocks, Mini-Stocks, Trucks, and Pure Stocks.
WHAT:
Southern Ontario Sprints 2008 Season Rounds #4 and #5
www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com
WHERE:
South Buxton Raceway
20945 AD Shadd Road
Merlin, Ontario
N0P 1W0
Phone: 518-689-7474 (track) or 1-888-272-2251 (toll free)
e-mail: sm@southbuxtonraceway.com
On the Web: www.SouthBuxtonRaceway.com
Humberstone Speedway
1716 Highway 3
Port Colborne, Ontario
L3K 5V4
Phone: 905-834-4002
e-mail: info@humberstonespeedway.com
On The Web: www.HumberstoneSpeedway.com
WHEN:
South Buxton Raceway –
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Spectator Gates Open @ 4:30p.m., Racing @ 7:00p.m.
Tickets: $20 Adults, $15 Youth/Seniors, $8 Kids ages 6-12, and $2 Kids age 5 and under.
Humberstone Speedway
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Racing @ 6:30p.m.
Tickets: $15 Adults, $13.50 Seniors, $5 Kids, FREE Kids age 7 and under.
Please visit www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com for more news and information about the Southern Ontario Sprints. The commemorative 2008 T-Shirts and yearbooks are now available, as well as free posters that will come in especially handy during Humberstone’s autograph session. 2008 marks the 13th year of operation for the Southern Ontario Sprints, brought to you this season by Pennzoil, Wiseco Piston, Kenetic Photos, and www.ImageFactor.ca.
SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS HISTORY
SOUTH BUXTON RACEWAY
FEATURE WINNERS
May 18, 1996 – 2w Jerry Whitney
June 29, 1996 – 0 Steve Irwin
August 3, 1996 – 9 John Naida
August 31, 1996 – 52 Mark Broughman
May 17, 1997 – 2w Jerry Whitney
June 28, 1997 – 5b Larry Atkinson
August 2, 1997 – 55 Mike Ling
September 20, 1997 – 55 Mike Ling
May 2, 1998 – 4z Joel Lehman
May 23, 1998 – 55 Mike Ling
July 18, 1998 – 55 Mike Ling
August 1, 1998 – 2w Jerry Whitney
August 22, 1998 – 55 Mike Ling
September 5, 1998 – 69 Garry Evans
July 3, 1999 – 4z Joel Lehman
July 24, 2004 – 1a John Riegling
June 18, 2005 – 33k Kyle Patrick
July 23, 2005 – 22 Jim Porter
July 15, 2006 – 1a John Riegling
August 26, 2006 – 79 Dick Mahoney
June 23, 2007 – 42w Rick Wilson
July 15, 2007 – 21x Kevin Job
August 4, 2007 – 30 Adam West
SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS HISTORY
GASPORT INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY/HUMBERSTONE SPEEDWAY FEATURE WINNERS
September 8, 2002 (Gasport) – 19 Mike Woodring
May 18, 2003 (Gasport) – 7 Billy Krull
July 6, 2003 (Gasport) – 0 Glenn Styres
May 22, 2005 (Humberstone) – 33k Kyle Patrick
May 21, 2006 (Humberstone) – 42w Rick Wilson
June 18, 2006 (Humberstone) – 21x Kevin Job
August 20, 2006 (Humberstone) – 42s Ken Swan
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Tommy Goudge
Media Officer
www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com
tommygoudge@hotmail.com