BRIGHTON, ON – The 2023 Southern Ontario Sprints (SOS) series presented by Tammy 10 Media heads east to Brighton Speedway this weekend for the $2,598-to-win Paul Pekkonen Memorial race.
The race will be run in memory of Paul Pekkonen, the journeyman driver from Brockville who passed away suddenly in November. Paul and his No. 98 car were a familiar sight whenever Sprint Cars raced at Brighton. The A-Main winner on Saturday will receive a commemorative plaque from Paul’s nephew Ben Shaw, while each heat race winner will receive $98.
A competitive field is expected at the Northumberland County oval on Saturday and bragging rights will be on the line between southern Ontario and western New York teams versus those from eastern Ontario and Quebec. Three different Sprint Car points leaders will be on hand, as SOS points leader Dylan Westbrook will be joined by current Empire Super Sprints leader Jordan Poirier and Ohsweken Speedway points leader Josh Hansen.
Several drivers with a winning history at Brighton will compete on Saturday, including “The Joyceville Jet” Rick Wilson, who sits atop the all-time Brighton win list with 22 victories. Westbrook (9), Mitch Brown (7), Chris Jones (6), Cory Turner (4), Kyle Phillips (2), Ryan Turner (2) and Poirier (1) all own 360 Sprint Car wins at Brighton and are expected in the field on Saturday. Phillips claimed two SOS wins at Brighton in 2022, while Ryan Turner snagged one SOS win and Poirier won a Knights of Thunder series event.
Westbrook leads the SOS points standings following his win at Southern Ontario Motor Speedway on May 27, while Ryan Turner, Brown, Shone Evans and Darren Dryden make up the rest of the current top-five. Other drivers expected to compete on Saturday include recent Ohsweken winner Liam Martin, local driver Tyler Rand, 360 rookies Allan Downey, Tyeller Powless and Alex Bergeron, and veterans such as Travis Cunningham and Aaron Turkey.
Racing is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 10. Visit www.brightonspeedway.ca and www.southernontariosprints.com for more information.
About the Southern Ontario Sprints tour:
Founded in 1996, the Southern Ontario Sprints series is a traveling winged 360 Sprint Car tour based in Ontario, Canada. Each points-paying event on the 2023 schedule will pay a minimum of $2,000-to-win and $250-to-start, while a dozen events will pay $2,500-to-win or more, including five Nitro 54 Variety Super Series events paying at least $3,000-to-win. A points fund in excess of $16,000 will be divided among competitors thanks to the support of Tammy Ten Media, and selected events will be broadcast live on GForceTV. The fastest qualifier for each SOS event will receive $100 from Ackland Insurance, while the Hard Charger in each A-Main will receive $100 from Trailer Pros Canada. Visit www.southernontariosprints.com for more information.
- By Tommy Goudge
