MERLIN, ON – Darren Dryden claimed his first win of the 2024 season on Saturday night at Buxton Speedway in a co-sanctioned event with the Southern Ontario Sprints and Great Lakes Super Sprints tours. Dryden started the 25 lap A-Main on the front row along with Phil Gressman, and Dryden took the early lead. Lap six was calamitous for several drivers; the first of two yellow flags appeared when Eli Lakin slowed on the frontstretch with apparent mechanical problems.
Contact with DJ Christie turned Gressman around in turn three after the restart; Dylan Westbrook could not avoid Gressman’s car and the ensuing damage ended Gressman’s race. Westbrook was able to restart and salvage an eighth place finish.
The race went green for the final 19 laps, and Dryden successfully navigated through traffic to claim the win. Ryan Turner charged forward to take the runner-up spot away from Christie. Turner took the second spot, while Christie came home third. Shone Evans and Max Stambaugh rounded out the top five.
The win was the second Buxton score of Dryden’s career, but first in a 360 Sprint Car; his previous win at the 1/3 mile oval came in an Action Sprint Tour Crate Sprint Car event in 2021. Turner won both the Hard Charger Award and the Quick Time Award, while Dryden and Westbrook won the heat races.
2024 Southern Ontario Sprints Season
Statistical Report – Saturday, July 13
Buxton Speedway – Merlin, Ontario, Canada
A-Main [Started] 25 laps: 1. 12DD-Darren Dryden[1]; 2. 15-Ryan Turner[6]; 3. 5-DJ Christie[3]; 4. 87X-Shone Evans[4]; 5. 71H-Max Stambaugh[7]; 6. 77T-Tyeller Powless[9]; 7. 17-Jared Horstman[8]; 8. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[5]; 9. 85-Dustin Daggett[10]; 10. 68-Aaron Turkey[12]; 11. 77E-Ashton VanEvery[14]; 12. 49T-Gregg Dalman[11]; 13. 28K-Tate O’Leary[15]; 14. (DNF) 7C-Phil Gressman[2]; 15. (DNF) 70-Eli Lakin[13]
Heat Race 1 [Started] 8 laps
1. 12DD-Darren Dryden[1]; 2. 5-DJ Christie[2]; 3. 71H-Max Stambaugh[3]; 4. 15-Ryan Turner[4]; 5. 77T-Tyeller Powless[5]; 6. 49T-Gregg Dalman[6]; 7. 70-Eli Lakin[7]; 8. 28K-Tate O’Leary[8]
Heat Race 2 [Started] 8 laps
1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[4]; 2. 7C-Phil Gressman[2]; 3. 87X-Shone Evans[1]; 4. 17-Jared Horstman[3]; 5. 85-Dustin Daggett[5]; 6. 68-Aaron Turkey[6]; 7. 77E-Ashton VanEvery[7]
Qualifications: 1. 15-Ryan Turner, 00:13.884[13]; 2. 47X-Dylan Westbrook, 00:13.928[3]; 3. 12DD-Darren Dryden, 00:13.961[9]; 4. 87X-Shone Evans, 00:14.059[4]; 5. 5-DJ Christie, 00:14.074[8]; 6. 7C-Phil Gressman, 00:14.079[6]; 7. 71H-Max Stambaugh, 00:14.137[1]; 8. 17-Jared Horstman, 00:14.225[7]; 9. 77T-Tyeller Powless, 00:14.253[5]; 10. 85-Dustin Daggett, 00:14.259[12]; 11. 77E-Ashton VanEvery, 00:14.316[14]; 12. 49T-Gregg Dalman, 00:14.330[2]; 13. 68-Aaron Turkey, 00:14.356[11]; 14. 70-Eli Lakin, 00:14.601[10]; 15. 28K-Tate O’Leary, 00:15.764[15]
