OHSWEKEN, Ont. (August 15, 2022) – Paulie Colagiovanni took his first Canadian Sprint Car Nationals win on Monday night at Ohsweken Speedway, holding off Stewart Friesen for the $10,000 prize and his first Pinty’s Knights of Thunder 360 Sprint Car series victory. Mike Bowman won the Action Sprint Tour Crate Sprint Car series fueled by Pinty’s A-Main, while Aaron Turkey won the $1,500 Qwick Wick Hot Lap Challenge for the NASCAR Pinty’s Series cars.
Pinty’s Knights of Thunder 360 Sprint Car Series
Paulie Colagiovanni and Jordan Thomas started first and second respectively to begin the Knights of Thunder A-Main. 30 drivers qualified for the 35 lap race, all of them racing to be the champion of the 17th Running of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Colagiovanni put a commanding lead on the field while Cory Turner and Thomas contended for the second spot. NASCAR Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen began to make his way through the pack from row five and began to challenge for third place with nineteen laps left. Dylan Westbrook ended a bid to win his first CSCN early with mechanical problems. It was all smooth sailing for Colagiovanni until the only caution of the night came out with nine laps to go, as Shone Evans spun and came to a stop on the track. Friesen gave everything he had left in the tank but Colagiovanni prevailed and crossed the finish line first, taking his first CSCN win after being the runner-up in his last attempt. Friesen finished second, Cory Turner third, Jordan Thomas fourth, and Mitch Brown fifth.
Notes
-Dylan Westbrook’s quick time in Qualifications earned him both the Qwick Wick Fastest Qualifier Award and the Fastest Canadian Qualifier Award.
-Liam Martin won the Larry Gartly Memorial Last Chance Hard Charger Award presented by Doddey Creek Agri Services for advancing from the B-Main and gaining the most combined positions between the B-Main and A-Main. Martin started fourth in the B-Main and drove from 27th to 16th in the A-Main.
-Nick Sheridan won the Nitro 54 Variety Hard Charger Award for his drive from 20th to sixth in the A-Main.
Action Sprint Tour Crate Sprint Car series fueled by Pinty’s
The Action Sprint Tour Series returned back to Ohsweken Speedway for the second time this season, and Mathieu Bardier and Jacob Dykstra brought the 24 car field to the green flag. Mike Bowman shot out of a cannon and quickly overtook Bardier and Dykstra for the lead. Bardier quickly began to fall down the order as Lucas Smith moved up to the third position. With two laps left go Bowman was driving as if he was on rails, well over eleven seconds ahead of the pack; Bowman was about to put the sixth place car a lap down when a red flag came out for a collision between Smith and Joshua Hill. Hill’s car flipped on its side; both drivers were unharmed but the vehicles sustained too much damage to carry on racing. The race ended on a green-white-checkered finish; Bowman was again untouchable and sped off for the win making it his fourth Crate Sprint Car victory of the season, and first at Ohsweken.
Darren Dryden finished second, Jacob Dykstra third, Matt Billings fourth, and Brett Stratford fifth.
#OHS2022 Season
The 25th season of weekly Friday Night Excitement at Ohsweken Speedway features four regular racing divisions, including the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks, and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Several special events also highlight the 2022 schedule including the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, and the dirt track debut of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. Visit www.ohswekenspeedway.com for more information.
About Ohsweken Speedway: Opened in 1996, Ohsweken Speedway is a motorsports complex and event centre featuring a 3/8 mile clay oval auto racing track and 1/6 mile clay oval Micro Sprint and Karting track. The facility is owned by the Styres family, and located in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Ohsweken’s weekly Friday Night Excitement racing program runs from May to September each year, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks, and Mini Stocks, while the facility also hosts weekly Micro Sprint and Kart racing on Thursday nights. Several major events highlight the annual schedule including the track’s signature event – the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.
By Brent Otchere
