OHSWEKEN, ON – Strode’s BBQ & Deli and Insta-Insulation presented Memorial Night at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday, July 19; Brent Begolo, Ryan Beagle, Alex Riley, and Tyler Winger took A-Main wins.
Strickland’s Crate Sprint Cars: Johnny Miller started on pole with Logan Shwedyk next to him for the 28 lap Crate Sprint Car A-Main that was be split into two equal segments for the Noelle Teal Twin 14’s. Brett Stratford quickly led the first lap after starting from fourth on the grid and overtaking the leaders. Traffic became a factor in just six laps as Stratford began to navigate through the slower drivers as a caution flag came out. Stratford was able to pull away on the restart, leading all the way to the first half break.
The second half of the race saw Stratford lead the field to green with Steve Murdock next to him. Once again Stratford proved to be fast, as he caught up to traffic in just five laps. The tides began to change when Murdock and Brent Begolo challenged for the lead from with seven laps left to go. Stratford was about to lose his lead when a red flag was thrown due to Jonah Mutton and Tanner Podwinski getting tangled up and flipping into turn one. Both drivers were thankfully unharmed.
The red flag set up a three lap dash to the finish which saw Stratford try his best to close out the race, but Begolo had the momentum, beating him to the finish by 0.568 seconds. Rounding out the top five were Murdock in third, Liam Martin fourth and Brian Nanticoke fifth.
Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks: Ryan Beagle started on pole alongside Zach Bleich to take the green flag for the Brock Leonard Memorial 50 A-Main for the Thunder Stocks. Beagle led early, and Robert Hoskins brought out the caution on lap six due to a spin. Kyle Wert became the new race leader four laps after the restart, but his lead was short-lived as Beagle reclaimed the lead just one lap later.
Lap 23 saw Dave Bailey bring out the caution flag as he suffered two flat left side tires and spun, ultimately ending any chance of winning the prestigious event. Beagle began to feel pressure from Brock Gregory in the later stages of the race, but Beagle had enough pace to hold him off. Gregory settled for second, with the rest of the top five being Mark Fawcett in third, Wert fourth, and Steve Shaw Sr. fifth.
HRW Automotive Mini Stocks: The front row of the Mini Stock grid featured Shawn Taylor and Tim DeBoer to begin the 42 lap Art Hill Memorial A-Main for the Mini Stocks. Tim DeBoer led the opening laps until Taylor reclaimed his spot at the front. Gillian Hils became the third new race leader, pulling away from the pack on lap six. Debris brought out the first caution flag of the race on lap ten.
Jeff Elsliger took advantage of the restart and rocketed ahead of Hils, however Elsliger began to slow due to a mechanical failure and lost his lead to Alex Riley on lap 16. The final caution of the race fell on lap 30 due to Mike Sarantakos coming to a stop in turn one. Riley led the final eleven laps to claim back-to-back Art Hill Memorial 42 victories. Finishing next in the endurance test were Shawn Keus in second, Hils third, Dusty DeBoer fourth, and Tim DeBoer fifth.
Mod Lites
Dave Cornish and Joe Isabell brought the field to the green flag for the first Mod Lites A-Main at Ohsweken since 2016 The opening laps were filled with caution flags, however proper racing resumed on lap six with Josh Sliter leading the race. Isabell claimed the lead on lap eight, only to retire from the race three laps later just as another caution came out. Tyler Winger claimed the lead on the restart.
The final caution flag set up a six lap dash to the finish and saw Winger lose the lead briefly to Justin Williams, only to claim it back with three laps left. Winger locked down the win, while Williams had to settle for second. Ryan Anderson finished third, Greg Zack fourth, and Anthony Kelly rounded out the top five.
