OHSWEKEN, Ont. (June 6, 2019) – The Action Sprint Tour is ready to resume its sophomore campaign with its second race of 2019 at Southern Ontario Motor Speedway (SOMS) in Merlin, Ont. on Saturday, June 7. The race will be the first since a successful season opener at Merrittville Speedway on May 20 after last Sunday’s event at Humberstone Speedway was cancelled due to wet grounds.
Southern Ontario Motor Speedway (formerly South Buxton Raceway) is entirely neutral ground for the Action Sprint Tour, with the series having only visited the facility once prior on June 9, 2018. A total of 22 cars made the pilgrimage west for the first-ever stop when Shone Evans picked up the win. With Evans since moved on to 360 competition, the door is wide open for a new winner.
After his season opening win, Beamsville teenager Josh Hansen is the current point leader and will look to make it three straight wins with the tour dating back to last September’s finale at Ohsweken. Last season, he struggled at SOMS and suffered a DNF, but is significantly more experienced a year later and will be looking for redemption.
Another tough challenger will be Jacob Dykstra. The Port Colborne, Ont. teenager finished third at Merrittville and had a heat race win last year at SOMS before a 10th-place finish in the main event. Each time he unloads, the driver of the No.5d seems to be a threat for the top spot.
Keep an eye open for St. Thomas, Ont. driver Jesse Costa in his return to SOMS. Costa recorded a heat race win and a third-place finish at SOMS last year and is also coming off a weekly win at Ohsweken last week. This is as close as it gets to a home game for Costa, so look for him to be at his best.
‘The Gunslinger’ Ryan Hunsinger hopes to contend for his first Action Sprint Tour win. Hunsinger was fourth in last year’s visit. Now driving his own car, Hunsinger finished fifth in the series season opener, so he’ll look to build on that momentum moving forward.
A rejuvenated Brad Herron will also be a driver to watch at SOMS. The Waterford-based pilot is once again behind the wheel of a Glenn Styres Racing entry and will look to improve on the fourth-place finish he had to start the season. Last year, he was 13th at SOMS. He’ll likely have to contend for a podium spot with GSR teammate Jesse McDonald, who was a runner-up finisher to start the campaign.
Another driver who perhaps planned to fly under the radar is Binbrook, Ont. teenager Liam Martin. The youngster has had a stellar start to the year with a 13th-place finish at Merrittville that included earning the Hard Charger award after winning the B-Main. He followed up that performance with a win in weekly action at Ohsweken before charging from 18th to second last week. Keep an eye on Martin to challenge for his first tour win.
The 2019 Action Sprint Tour season continues at Southern Ontario Motor Speedway on June 8, 2019 with race time scheduled for 7:00pm. Pit gates are scheduled to open at 3:00pm (drivers are permitted to park beginning at noon) before spectator gates open at 4:00pm. Adult grandstand admission is $20, while Seniors/Youth 12-16 are $18 and Youth 9-12 are $10. For additional event information, visit www.humberstonespeedway.com.
For more information on the Action Sprint Tour, including a full break down of the Series’ 2019 point fund and race purses as well as series rules, visit www.ActionSprintTour.com.
2019 Action Sprint Tour Schedule
Mon. May 20 – Merrittville Speedway – Thorold, Ont.
Sun. June 2 – Humberstone Speedway – Port Colborne, On
Sat. June 8 – Southern Ontario Motor Speedway – Merlin, Ont.
Mon. July 1 – Merrittville Speedway – Thorold, Ont.
Sun. July 14 – Humberstone Speedway – Port Colborne, Ont.
Tue. July 23 – Ohsweken Speedway – Six Nations, Ont.
Sat. July 28 – Merrittville Speedway – Thorold, Ont.
Sun. August 11 – Humberstone Speedway – Port Colborne, Ont.
Sat. August 17 – Brighton Speedway – Brighton, Ont.
Sat. September 14 – Ohsweken Speedway – Ohsweken, Ont. – Canadian Sprint Car Nationals
ACTION SPRINT TOUR MEDIA
Website: www.ActionSprintTour.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ActionSprintTour
Twitter: @ActionSprints
About the Action Sprint Tour: The Action Sprint Tour is a travelling Winged Sprint Car Series based in Ontario, Canada. The cars on the Action Sprint Tour are powered by GMC 602 Crate Motors modified specifically to fit a Sprint Car chassis. The Series ran its inaugural season in 2018 and in 2019 will run 10 races at five different Ontario tracks. Drivers will compete for a point fund and bonuses totaling $10,000. For additional information, including rules, event purse and series point fund, visit the Action Sprint Tour official website at www.ActionSprintTour.com.
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