‘FENWICK FLYER’ BREAKS TEN YEAR DROUGHT WITH VICTORY AT OHSWEKEN
by Tommy Goudge (May 15, 2009) – When Tom Huppunen last won a Sprint Car feature, Y2K was in the headlines, and Jean Chretien occupied the Prime Minister’s office. Driving Fred Cade’s Cairn Croft #12c, Huppunen dominated Opening Night Presented by Corr/Pak Merchandising at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday night to break a winless drought of almost ten full years. Meanwhile, Shayne Pierce won a thrilling Thunder Stock feature, Mitchell Brown outdueled rival Abel Castelein for the Mini-Stock feature win, and Karl Sault fought off a last lap charge by Dale Cooke to claim the Bomber feature.
The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car feature began with Huppunen and Ryan Hunsinger on the front row, and it didn’t take long for Tom to assert himself as the man to beat. On lap three, Huppunen turned the fastest recorded lap of the evening at 13.458 seconds, and quickly began to work lapped traffic. With lapped machines running two-wide in front of him, Huppunen made some daring moves to keep a gap on Hunsinger. Behind them, surprising rookie Kevin Loveys was having a great race and had moved into the top five. Loveys’ fine run came to an end during lap twelve when his driveline failed in turn two, unfortunately leaving Dain Naida with nowhere to go. Naida’s machine sustained heavy front end damage in the incident and he retired for the evening. The caution period quickly turned to a red flag when a fire started under the hood of Kyle Moffit’s machine while the field was lining up. Moffitt climbed out of his #7 unscathed, but would retire for the evening.
On the restart, Huppunen once again held court out front, while the battle raged on for other spots in the field. Huppunen claimed the feature win in convincing fashion, followed by Ryan Hunsinger, Kevin Job, Dave Dykstra, and Glenn Styres, who moved up six positions to round out the Top Five. Huppunen’s last Sprint Car feature victory came in the first annual Canadian Sprint Car Championship on September 25, 1999. Heat Race victories went to Jamie Collard, Dain Naida, and Glenn Styres, while Brad Knab claimed the B-Main. A total of twenty-seven Corr/Pak Sprint Cars signed in for competition on opening night.
A wild night in the ESSO Thunder Stocks division saw the Ohsweken debut of Shayne Pierce behind the wheel of the Mikey Granton owned-machine that claimed last year’s championship with Cody McPherson at the controls. The feature began with Kyle Magrin and Mike Ward on the front row, and the veteran Ward quickly asserted himself out front while a great battle for the second spot waged on between Magrin, Brad Herron, and Pierce. Behind them, Billy Bleich, Jr. was quietly moving up from his starting spot outside row four. While attempting to take over the second spot, Pierce was forced to spin in turn two and would have to restart at the rear of the field. Herron and Magrin also experienced problems, leaving Bleich the job of chasing Mike Ward. Pierce didn’t stay at the back of the field for long, and by the time a caution flag fell with two laps remaining, Pierce was back up to the third position. On the restart, Ward was working with a misfire and Pierce made his move around both Bleich and Ward to take over the lead and go on to the feature win. Bleich also made his way around race-long leader Ward to finish second, followed by Ward, Jeremy Bean, and Glen Leinen. Heat races for the twenty-two Thunder Stocks in attendance were claimed by Magrin, Ward, and Herron.
It didn’t take long for Abel Castelein and Mitchell Brown to renew acquaintances in the ESSO Mini-Stock division. The two competitors accounted for seven of the twelve feature wins last season, and immediately began to battle for the lead when the green flag dropped on the feature event. A winner in a non-points feature at the end of last season, Kevin Hilborn also made his presence known at the front. Much of the fifteen lap affair was contested with Castelein, Brown, and Hilborn bunched together at the front of the field, but eventually Brown was able to make his way to the lead and held on for the win. Castelein, Hilborn, Chase Hess, and Mike Evers rounded out the Top Five. Heat races for the twenty-one Mini-Stocks in attendance were claimed by Wyatt Van Wart, Castelein, and Brown.
The newly named Bomber division was the first feature of the evening, and created some excitement when Dale Cooke chased down race-long leader Karl Sault with less than two laps left. With the white flag flying, Cooke caught Sault off-guard and made a move for the lead, but Sault didn’t give up and passed Cooke back in the last set of corners to hold on for the feature win. Cooke settled for the runner-up spot, followed by Brad Hill, Kacey Huffman, and Jesse McDonald.
Friday Night Thunder returns to Ohsweken Friday, May 22 when Grisdale Racing Products presents the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, Friday Night Fun Stocks! Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken Speedway offers affordable family entertainment just a short drive away from most mid-western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is just $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and kids 12 and under are FREE! Please visit HYPERLINK
http://www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information. Gates open at 6:00p.m. with the first race taking the green flag at 7:45p.m. this Friday, May 22!
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER 2009
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO
ROUND 1 RACE REPORT – MAY 15, 2009
EVENT SPONSOR – CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING
Race Start: 7:45 P.M.
Race End: 10:20 P.M.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
HEAT RACES (Top 5 Transfer To A-Feature):
BS&B RADIATOR Heat Race #1
1. 27 Jamie Collard (Princeton), 2. 1a John Riegling (Chatham), 3. 18 Kevin Loveys (Hamilton), 4. 5d Dave Dykstra (Port Colborne), 5. 22 Jim Porter (Grand Island, NY), 6. 38 Brad Knab (Delevan, NY), 7. 10 Bob Crawford (Sutton), 8. 14h Jim Huppunen (Fenwick), DNS. 7m Justin Martin (Shedden). Time – 1:51.189
BEST WESTERN CAIRN CROFT HOTEL Heat Race #2
1. 6n Dain Naida (Belleville, MI), 2. 7 Kyle Moffit (South Dayton, NY), 3. 12c Tom Huppunen (Fenwick), 4. 21x Kevin Job (Campbellville), 5. 11 Chris Jones (Demorestville), 6. 5m Brad Malloy (Niagara Falls), 7. 84 Tyler Rand (Picton), 8. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (Simcoe), 9. 66 Frank Baranowski (Hamilton). No Time
GRISDALE RACING PRODUCTS Heat Race #3
1. 0 Glenn Styres (Ohsweken), 2. 90 James Evans (Beamsville), 3. 5 Keith Dempster (Alton), 4. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (Brantford), 5. 71 Travis Cunningham (Grimsby), 6. 01 Mikey Kruchka (Hamilton), 7. 21j John Burbridge, Sr. (Simcoe), 8. 3 Wayne Ashton (Kitchener), 9. 01m Jason Martin (Shedden) DNF. Time – 1:52.727
B-MAIN
(Top 5 Transfer To A-Feature)
1. 38 Brad Knab, 2. 5m Brad Malloy, 3. 01 Mikey Kruchka, 4. 10 Bob Crawford, 5. 14h Jim Huppunen, 6. 21j John Burbridge, Sr., 7. 66 Frank Baranowski, 8. 01m Jason Martin DNF, 9. 3 Wayne Ashton DNF, 10. 84 Tyler Rand DNF, 11. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. DNF, DNS 7m Justin Martin. No Time
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING
SPRINT CAR FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 12c Tom Huppuen (1)
2. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (2)
3. 21x Kevin Job (3)
4. 5d Dave Dykstra (4)
5. 0 Glenn Styres (11)
6. 1a John Riegling (9)
7. 22 Jim Porter (13)
8. 5m Brad Malloy (17)
9. 01 Mikey Kruchka (18)
10. 5 Keith Dempster (5)
11. 27 Jamie Collard (6)
12. 38 Brad Knab (16)
13. 71 Travis Cunningham (15)
14. 10 Bob Crawford (19)
15. 14h Jim Huppunen (20)
16. 90 James Evans (
17. 18 Kevin Loveys (7) DNF
18. 6n Dain Naida (10) DNF
19. 7 Kyle Moffit (12) DNF
20. 11 Chris Jones (14) DNF
No Time
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS
HEAT RACES:
Heat Race #1
1. 24k Kyle Magrin (Hamilton), 2. 88 Shayne Pierce (Welland), 3. 37 Jeremy Bean (Stoney Creek), 4. 55 Mike Thorne (Caledonia), 5. 32 Rodney Rutherford (Dundas), 6. 02 Erinn Bailey (Paris) DNF, 7. 397 Brent Hill (Ohsweken) DNS
Heat Race #2
1. 95 Mike Ward (Niagara Falls), 2. 83 Lee Winger (Caledonia), 3. Billy Bleich, Jr. (Port Robinson), 4. 17 Rob Disher (Grimsby), 5. 40 Terry Osmond (Cambridge), 6. 13 Mark Thorne (Waterford), 7. 33 Colin Court (Jerseyville)
Heat Race #3
1. 12 Brad Herron (Brantford), 2. 44 Jamie Cox (Cambridge), 3. 9 Glen Leinen (Hannon), 4. 9m Tyler Anderson (St. Catharines), 5. 8 Ryan Dinning (Caledonia), 6. 18 Amanda Stoner (Hamilton), 7. 31 Dave Bailey (Hagersville), 8. 1 Chris Dickie (Brantford)
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 88 Shayne Pierce (4)
2. 108 Billy Bleich (
3. 95 Mike Ward (2)
4. 37 Jeremy Bean (7)
5. 9 Glen Leinen (9)
6. 83 Lee Winger (5)
7. 8 Ryan Dinning (15)
8. 18 Amanda Stoner (17)
9. 55 Mike Thorne (10)
10. 40 Terry Osmond (14)
11. 13 Mark Thorne (16)
12. 1 Chris Dickie (20)
13. 33 Colin Court (18)
14. 9m Tyler Anderson (12)
15. 24k Kyle Magrin (1) DNF
16. 17 Rob Disher (11) DNF
17. 44 Jamie Cox (6) DNF
18. 12 Brad Herron (3) DNF
19. 02 Erinn Bailey (21) DNF
20. 32 Rodney Rutherford (13) DNS
21. 31 Dave Bailey (19) DNS
22. 397 Brent Hill (22) DNS
ESSO MINI-STOCKS
HEAT RACES:
Heat Race #1
1. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (Cambridge), 2. 11 Mike Giberson (Caledonia), 3. 39 Jim Cochrane (Drumbo), 4. 265 Mike Evers (Caledonia), 5. 77x Ethan Martin (Ohsweken), 6. 9 Jonathan Ayrton (Hamilton), 7. 58 Baden Curtis DNS
Heat Race #2
1. 10 Mitchell Brown (Brantford), 2. 72 Kevin Hilborn (Brantford), 3. 37 Rob Hoskins (Harley), 4. 05 Dave Goodacre (Brantford), 5. 55 Rob Slater (Dundas), 6. 27 Dan Stewart (Hamilton), 7. Rob Goulding (Port Colborne)
Heat Race #3
1. 28 Abel Castelein (Cayuga), 2. 7x Chase Hess (Ohsweken), 3. 86 Rick Emberson (Paris), 4. 02 Mike Taylor (Burlington), 5. 777x Steve Hess (Ohsweken) DNF, 6. 10s James Small (St. Catharines) DNF
ESSO MINI-STOCKS A-FEATURE (15 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 10 Mitchell Brown (2)
2. 28 Abel Castelein (3)
3. 72 Kevin Hilborn (5)
4. 7x Chase Hess (6)
5. 265 Mike Evers (10)
6. 05 Dave Goodacre (11)
7. 86 Rick Emberson (9)
8. 11 Mike Giberson (4)
9. 02 Mike Taylor (12)
10. 37 Rob Hoskins (
11. 58 Baden Curtis (19)
12. 27 Dan Stewart (16)
13. 39 Jim Cochrane (7)
14. 55 Rob Slater (14)
15. 77x Ethan Martin (13)
16. 04 Wyatt Van Wart (1) DNF
17. 9 Jonathan Ayrton (15) DNF
18. 10s James Small (18) DNS
19. 777x Steve Hess (17) DNS
20. 16 Rob Goulding (20)
21. 43 Matt Deschamps (21)
BOMBERS A-FEATURE (20 laps)
Position. # Name (Hometown)
1. 81 Karl Sault (Dundas), 2. 4 Dale Cooke, 3. 397 Brad Hill, 4. 13 Kacey Huffman (Hamilton), 5. 88j Jesse McDonald
UP NEXT @ OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY:
FRIDAY, May 22, 2009
GRISDALE RACING PRODUCTS PRESENTS:
CORR/PAK SPRINT CARS, ESSO THUNDER STOCKS,
ESSO MINI-STOCKS, AND BOMBERS
ADULTS $10, SENIORS AND STUDENTS $8, KIDS 12 AND UNDER FREE
GATES OPEN @ 6:00 P.M., RACING @ 7:45 P.M.
Linkback: https://www.canadianracingonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=9648.msg67324#msg67324
