OHSWEKEN, Ont. (August 25, 2018) – One of the busiest nights of the season at Ohsweken Speedway saw a total of 142 cars pit side for Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Minor Sports night. Several dozen kids enjoyed free admission while sporting their minor sports uniforms for the night. The Race of Champions Sportsman Series was also in action on the night for their reschedule appearance after a June rainout, marking the only night for Sportsman racing at Ohsweken this year.
After the final checkered flags had waved, it was Brent Begolo who scored the Race of Champions Sportsman tour win, Dylan Westbrook who grabbed the win in the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Car Feature and Jacob Dykstra won the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car main event for the third time in 2018. For the stock cars, Jeremy May won the HRW Automotive Mini Stock Feature.
The night was scheduled to be a special one for the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock drivers, who were ready to race for $2,000-to-win in the 50-lap Gale’s Cash Blast as well as $750 for second and $500 for third. However, the race was postponed to Friday, August 31 after a long medical delay in the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Car Feature would have pushed the start of the race until after midnight.
On lap nine of the 360 Sprint Car Feature, Tyler Hendricks, Mack DeMan and Alex Hill were involved in a turn one accident. Hendricks was attended to by Ohsweken’s emergency first responders after notifying them of back and neck pain. He was then transported to Brantford General Hospital. He was alert and responding to medical staff throughout the process. As of 9:00am Saturday morning, Hendrick’s wife Carly provided an update to say Tyler had been transferred to a Hamilton hospital to see a specialist.
More updates will be provided via Ohsweken’s social media if the Hendricks family makes them available. Ohsweken Speedway officials have Tyler and the entire Hendricks family, including Carly, Nash, Scott and Sharon, are in our thoughts and prayers today.
Race of Champions Sportsman Tour
Chad Chevalier and Emily Puchalski brought the Sportsman field to the green flag for the 30-lap A-Feature. Before the first lap was completed, Dylan Davidson tagged the outside wall on the backstretch and was facing the wrong way. With damage to his right-front, Davidson’s night was done.
Brad Rouse took full advantage of the restart and drove to the lead on the opening lap, but was reeled in by cautions on laps three and four for Chevalier and for Fred Carleton. The third restart on lap four saw Brent Begolo drive under Rouse to lead lap five and then opened a 10-car length advantage by lap 10 as Rouse and Darrell Farraway joined a three-car breakaway.
After the flurry of early cautions, the field clicked off a series of green flag laps that allowed Begolo to open a half-straightaway advantage over Rouse by the halfway point of the 30-lap affair. With 10 laps to go, Begolo was in lapped traffic, but working through it without any major issue. However, that all changed when the caution waved for the fourth time on lap 21 after Derek Van Mil spun in turn one.
The final restart put Rouse to Begolo’s outside once again with Farraway in the second row alongside Justin Sharpe. Begolo was strong once again in the bottom lane as Rouse went to the outside, but couldn’t find the same speed as Begolo’s No.16. With five laps remaining, Begolo’s advantage was half a straightaway, a gap that he continued to grow until the checkered flag. It was Begolo’s first career Ohsweken win.
Rouse settled for second while Farraway claimed third, Sharpe finished fourth and Chavalier rallied to a fifth-place finish. Begolo, Rouse and Farraway won qualifying heats while Rouse was fastest overall in timed hot laps with a lap of 16.635 seconds.
Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars
Jim Huppunen and Tyler Hendricks paced the field to the green flag for the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars 20-lap Feature. Immediately after the green flag, Shawn Sliter got sideways on the front stretch and was facing the wrong way. Curtis Gartly had nowhere to go and launched off the nose of Sliter’s No.22, sending both cars flipping wildly into turn one. Both drivers were uninjured.
Hendricks jumped to the lead on the restart and paced the opening lap until fourth-starting Dylan Westbrook jumped to the point on the next lap. While Westbrook opened a straightaway lead, sixth-starting Ryan Turner quickly made his presence felt as he raced into a battle for second with Hendricks, Huppunen and Mitch Brown before taking the spot on lap six. On the next lap, the caution waved for a slow Mike Thorne, setting up the first single-file restart.
Westbrook was dominant on the restart and re-established his lead of a full straightaway over Ryan Turner by lap nine. Before lap 10 could be completed, Mack DeMan and Hendricks got together in turn one and both flipped, collecting Alex Hill in the process.
With the red flag displayed, Ohsweken’s emergency first responders attended to Hendricks before outside paramedics arrived. The race resumed approximately 50 minutes later, with Dylan Westbrook leading the final 11 laps to score his eighth win of the season. Mitch Brown was second while Jim Huppunen, Ryan Turner and Chris Steele rounded out the top-five.
Cory Turner, Ryan Turner and Mack Deman, were heat race winners earlier in the night. Tyler Hendricks was the Ackland Insurance Top Gun after earning the most passing points in heat race action.
Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars
Trevor Young and Caleb Wood led the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars to the green flag for their 20-lap Feature. In the first corner, sixth-starting Rob Neely spun and point leader Shone Evans was collected after he went high to try and avoid Neely.
Wood took the lead on the complete restart while Young maintained second until a red flag on lap three when Dereck Lemyre flipped in turn three, but was uninjured. When the race resumed, Wood regained his advantage and open a full straightaway advantage over Young and Jacob Dykstra by lap eight.
By lap 12, Wood had worked into slower traffic and made a couple of daring three-wide moves to try and maintain his lead over Dykstra, who found his way into the runner-up spot. Wood’s advantage stayed at a half straightaway until lap 16 when Holly Porter spun in turn two.
The ensuing restart saw Dykstra drive to the inside of Wood in turn two and take the lead exiting corner four to lead lap 17. Dykstra pulled away over the final three laps to score his third win of the year at Ohsweken over Wood, Paul Klager, Bailey Heard and Young.
Jordan Hill, Brian Nanticoke, and Shone Evans were Heat Race winners earlier in the night while Holly Porter won the B-Main. Jordan Hill also earned the Ackland Insurance Top Gun award as the night’s top qualifier after accumulating the most passing points in heat race competition.
Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks
The ultra-competitive Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock division had Jay Liverance and Lee Winger set to bring the field to the green flag for the 50-lap Gale’s Cash Bash. The race was scheduled to be the final Feature of the night. However, due to the delay following the Mack DeMan and Tyler Hendricks flip in the 360 Sprint Car Feature and the delay that followed, the $2,000-to-win Gale’s Cash Bash was postponed to Friday, August 31.
Lee Winger, Jim Lampman, Ken Sargent and Mark Fawcett took heat race victories earlier in the night while Logan Shwedyk won the B-Main. See below for the full starting line-up.
HRW Automotive Mini Stocks
The HRW Automotive Mini Stock feature started with Jeremy May and Cody Sommerville on the front row. May jumped out to an early advantage with Daniel McKay and Kevin Thorne joining a three-car breakaway up front. They were reeled in by the first caution on lap three when point leader Gillian Hils tangled with Fabio Olivieri in turn two. Hils returned to the track with five laps to go, but was seven laps down.
May maintained the lead on the restart until the second caution on lap five when McKay lost a wheel in turn three before coasting to a stop. Rob Twitchett took advantage of the restart and stole the lead from May. At the halfway point, the top-five were single-file and led by Twitchett with May, Tristan Da Silva, Andy Ryckman and Dusty DeBoer giving chase.
The caution waved again on lap 10 when Ryckman spun in turn two and collected Matt Nuell, ending the night for both drivers. The ensuing restart produced chaos and a four-wide battle up front. May retook the lead with a strong run through the middle groove while Twitchett was shuffled back out of the top-five.
With two laps to go, May led Da Silva and Kyle Wert by less than two car lengths. On the final corner, Wert tapped the back bumper of May’s No.16J, but May maintained the handle to drive to his first Ohsweken win since May 23, 2014 while Wert settled for second and Da Silva rounded out the podium. Tim DeBoer and Sean Iftody completed the top-five.
Jeremy May, Matt Nuell, Jonathan Ayrton and Gillian Hils took heat race victories to begin the night while Patrick Abrahamsson won the B-Main.
Up Next at Ohsweken Speedway
Ohsweken Speedway returns to action on Friday, August 31 for Epic Racewear Back to School Back Pack night. The Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars are in action for double features as they make-up their July 27 rainout to start the evening. The Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks will race the rescheduled 50-lap Gale’s Cash Blast. The Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks will be in action as well for regularly scheduled programs. A pre-race autograph session will take place behind the main grandstand with select drivers prior to race time. Race time is 7:30pm and adult admission is just $14 and children 12 and under are $3 or less. For additional event information, visit www.ohswekenspeedway.ca.
About Gales Auto Aftermarket: All your automobile parts and supply needs can be met at Gale’s Auto Aftermarket, located on RR 6 near Hagersville, Ontario, just 15 miles from Ohsweken Speedway. Gale’s Auto Aftermarket has been a proud supporter of local racing for many years. Call 519-445-2659 for more information.
Canadian Sprint Car Nationals Tickets and Camping Available Now!
Advanced reserved seating tickets are on sale now for the 14th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals on September 14-15 are on sale now! The event features two full nights of Sprint Car action, including Saturday’s $10,000-to-win Feature Event. Visit www.ohswekenspeedway.ticketforce.com or call 519-717-0023 to order and for more information. For the full 2018 schedule of events, click here.
Ohsweken Speedway Live Stream
Can’t make it to the track or don’t live within driving distance? No problem! Check out all of Ohsweken’s weekly Friday Night Excitement action live online for free via the Ohsweken Speedway Live Stream. The stream goes live at 7:30pm EST each race night at www.OhswekenSpeedway.ca and on our official Facebook page.
2018 SEASON
Ohsweken Speedway’s 23rd season of weekly Friday Night Excitement features four divisions of racing, including the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com to view the schedule or call (519) 717-0023 for more information.
About Ohsweken Speedway: Founded in 1996, Ohsweken Speedway is a motorsports complex which includes a 3/8 (0.375) mile clay oval track. The facility is owned by the Styres family, and located in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Ohsweken’s weekly Friday night racing program runs from May to September each year, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks and Mini Stocks. The season finishes each year with the track’ annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Ohsweken Speedway also hosts weekly Micro Sprint racing on Thursday nights.
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Phone: (519) 717-0023
Email: media@ohswekenspeedway.com
Website: www.OhswekenSpeedway.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/OHSWEKENSPEEDWAY
Twitter: @OhswekenSpdway
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/OhswekenSpeedway
YouTube: www.YouTube.com/user/OhswekenSpdway
Ohsweken Speedway thanks the following partners for their support in 2018: Arrow Express, Kool Kidz Ice & Water, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc., Renway Energy, Case IH O’Neil’s Farm Equipment, Hoosier Tire Canada, EPIC Racewear, McDonald’s Restaurants of Paris & Brantford, Ackland Insurance, Strickland’s GMC, Lucas Oil Products, Burger Barn, Pinty’s Delicious Foods, Creative Edge Signs & Graphics, Insta-Insulation, Middleport Mechanical, HRW Automotive, and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket.
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