@OswegoSpeedway •OSWEGO, NY (April 11, 2016) – Oswego Speedway Hall of Famer Kenny Andrews, the first Canadian track champion and International Classic winner at the Speedway, passed away on Friday at the age of 87.
A real estate broker by day in Burlington, Ontario, Andrews was a fierce Supermodified competitor at Oswego on the weekends, earning a total of 20 main event victories and 75 top five finishes in a career that spanned just eight seasons driving his famous No. 55 creations.
While Andrews was the Speedway’s first Canadian track champion in 1969, scoring five features events during the year including the first three of the season consecutively, some would say his shining moment was his come from behind effort at the 1973 International Classic.
Prior to the ’73 Classic Andrews was the heavy favorite, having won all of the Speedway’s extra distance events that season, driving the Speedway’s fastest Supermodified.
However in hot laps prior to Classic time trials, Andrews was caught in a turn two mishap with Nick Rowe, damaging his No. 55 mount beyond repair for the evening, missing a chance at a time trial effort.
With repairs made overnight in time for race day, Andrews had to work his way through the last chance events on Classic Sunday in order to qualify. In true form, Andrews won both his heat race and semi-final qualifier to make his way into the show, but would start deep in the 200 field.
Steadily working his way through the pack, Andrews eventually found himself on the back bumper of Jim Winks, driving the Howard Purdy Deuce, and began his bid for the race lead.
After several laps of contention, Andrews was finally able to find the room he needed on lap 185 to slip into the lead and charge away as the first Canadian victor of the prized International Classic 200.
Visitation will be held at Smith’s Funeral Home located at 1167 Guelph Line in Burlington, Ontario L7P 2S7 on Wednesday, April 13 from noon until the time of Service Remembrance beginning at 1 p.m., with reception to follow at the funeral home.
If desired, donations in Ken’s memory to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind would be sincerely appreciated by the family.
About Oswego Speedway: Oswego Speedway, a sports entertainment company, is a 5/8 mile semi-banked pavement racing oval located off the shores of Lake Ontario in scenic Oswego, NY. Oswego Speedway has been a continuously run weekly racing venue since August, 1951. The premier open-wheel pavement short track cars in the world, Supermodifieds, run weekly at Oswego Speedway making Oswego the only weekly Supermodified racing venue in the world. The Small Block Supermodifieds accompany the full blown Supers on a weekly Saturday night schedule which runs from May through September. Oswego Speedway is mentioned in racing circles as the “Indy of the East,” as no fewer than a dozen past and present competitors have competed at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway including Mario Andretti, arguably the greatest driver of all time, two-time Indy 500 champion Gordon Johncock, along with former International Classic Champions Bentley Warren, Joe Gosek, and Davey Hamilton.
From: Dan Kapuscinski/ Public Relations Specialist- Oswego Speedway
300 East Albany St.
Oswego, NY 13126
Office: 315-342-0646
Cell: 315-708-7544
www.oswegospeedway.com
Follow on Twitter: @OswegoSpeedway
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