OHSWEKEN, Ont. – Core-Mark presented the annual Late Model Open night on Friday at Ohsweken Speedway; Gregg Haskell, Mack DeMan, Dave Bailey, and Ryan Hillar took A-Main wins.
Late Model Open
Jason Haskell and Nick Glassford brought the field to the green flag for the 30 lap Late Model Open A-Main. Jason Haskell lost the lead to Gregg Haskell after a lap five restart after Brad Bloomfield brought out the caution. The racing became very heated despite a bevy of caution flags throughout the race, along with a red flag. Through all the carnage, fortunately no drivers were harmed. Gregg Haskell saw the checkered flag first, taking the win over CJ Field , Jason Haskell, Brian Speelman, and Cody VanDeWynckel. The win was Haskell’s first at Ohsweken, and the first Late Model Open win for a driver from Southwestern Ontario. Brian Speelman set a new eight lap track record earlier in the night by winning his heat race in 2:07.042.
Oakwood Transport Action Sprint Tour West
Lance Erskine and Larry Gledhill brought the field to the green flag for the 25 lap Crate Sprint Car A-Main which served as the opening round of the Action Sprint Tour’s West series. Erskine led the first lap, but the pace slowed on lap two when Jeremy Hughes crashed out of the race. Gledhill had a busy race, battling both Mack DeMan and Brett Stratford on different occasions but ultimately conceding positions to both. Drivers became more antsy as the laps ticked down, leading to Brian Nanticoke and Dale Curran colliding and bringing out the red flag. Both drivers were unharmed in the wreck.
Mack DeMan had a spectacular restart which saw him gain the lead with four laps left to go. DeMan crossed the finish line first with over a two second lead over second place finisher Erskine. Steve Murdock finished in third, Sheldon Bender fourth, and Johnny Miller fifth. Gledhill now leads over Stratford by ten points in the Strickland’s Crate Sprint Car division standings. Stratford set new single lap (14.346) and eight lap track records (1:57.195) earlier in the evening, but did not finish the A-Main.
Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks
George Grosul started on pole alongside Tyler Lafantaise to take the green flag for the 20 lap Thunder Stock A-Main. Ken Sargent shot past the two leaders to lead the first lap, only to relinquish the lead to Dave Bailey on the third lap. Ryan Beagle took advantage of two restarts to place himself in the second position after starting the race in the nineteenth spot.
Sargent and Robert Hoskins jockeyed for the third position, providing some of the best racing of the night. Beagle broke through for the lead with only three laps left to go, however Bailey rallied back to take his second consecutive win. Beagle finished in second, Hoskins third, Ryan Dinning forth, and Sargent fifth. Bailey broke his own single lap record in his heat race with a 18.806 second circuit. Beagle now leads over Kyle Wert by three points in the championship standings.
HRW Automotive Mini Stocks
The front row of the grid featured Mark Martin and Christopher French to begin the 15 lap Mini Stock A-Main. Wayde Thorne took the lead away from French just as the caution flag came out on lap two due a grinding crash between Paul Longboat, Dusty DeBoer and Jason Tolton. A hard hit into the concrete wall caused major damage to DeBoer’s car, and sent the former track champion to the hospital.
Ashton Dickie timed the restart perfectly, propelling himself into the lead. Eventually Ryan Hillar hunted down Dickie on lap six, overtaking and gaining the lead for the eventual win. Dickie settled for second, while Mike Sarantakos finished in third, Lofton Schuts fourth, and Dylan Bonner fifth. Hillar now leads over Sarantakos by 16 points in the overall standings.
Up Next at Ohsweken Speedway
Ackland Insurance presents Canadian National Autism Foundation Night on Friday, June 16, featuring the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars, Strickland’s Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks, and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Visit www.ohswekenspeedway.com for more information.
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