OHSWEKEN, Ont. – August 25, 2017 – Ohsweken Speedway was in action for the second time this week with 145 cars signed-in to the pit area for Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Fan Appreciation night featuring $5 admission to see the Topless Late Model Open and 50-lap, $2,000-to-win Gale’s Cash Bash for the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks. The night also had the rescheduled 42-lap Art Hill Memorial for the HRW Automotive Mini Stocks and 20-lap Feature for the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars that were rained out on August 11.
When the dust settled, it was Charlie Sandercock who claimed his first career Ohsweken win in the Topless Late Model Open. Mike Thorne earned his first career Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car victory while Jesse McDonald also went to Lucas Oil Victory Lane. Ryan Dinning won the 50-lap Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock feature and a $2,000 bonus courtesy of Gale’s Auto Aftermarket. Rookie driver Nick Masi claimed the Art Hill Memorial win while Bobby Tolton won the later 15-lap Feature. Adam Plazek scored his first career win in the Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bomber Feature.
TOPLESS LATE MODEL OPEN
The Topless Late Model Open saw 29 cars sign-in to the pit area with Humberstone Speedway regulars Ken Winfield and Rob Pietz leading the field to the green flag for the 20-lap Feature. A collision as the green flag waved slowed the start of the race as did cautions on laps one, two and three.
Pietz was the early leader, but had to retire during the lap one caution due to an engine issue, handing the lead to South Buxton Raceway regular Jason Haskell. Following a lap three restart, Haskell immediately had his hands full with Brighton Speedway point leader Charlie Sandercock, who was driving his open motor car. Sandercock used the outside lane to power around Haskell on lap six and pulled away by 10 car lengths as he worked through traffic on lap eight.
The second half of the race saw a trio of cautions, including one on lap 18 to setup a green-white-checkered finish, but nobody in the field had anything to challenge Sandercock who was in a league of his own. Sandercock cruised to his first career victory at Ohsweken over Haskell, Kyle Sopaz, Greg Belyea and Brad Simpson.
Sandercock, Sopaz and Brad Authier were heat race winners.
STRICKLAND’S GMC CRATE SPRINT CARS
Liam Martin and Holly Porter started on the front row for the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars August 11 make-up Feature. Martin led the opening three laps until Porter took the point off of turn four on lap four while Mike Thorne drove past Martin for second.
Porter and Thorne broke away from the rest of the field by a half straightaway. Thorne pressured Porter with a quick line against the cushion. Thorne used the outside groove to take the lead from Porter on lap nine. With two laps to go, Porter showed the nose to the inside of Thorne in turn three. Thorne changed lines and took away the bottom from Porter to maintain the lead. The move ensured Thorne would park in Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the first time in his Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Car career.
The second Crate Sprint Car Feature was the final race of the night. Jesse McDonald used his front row starting spot to take an early lead over polesitter Shone Evans. A pair of early caution kept McDonald close, but he and Evans were able to distance themselves on a number of restarts. On a lap 13 restarts, Josh Shantz made his move for a shot at the lead when he took second from Evans and immediately set out to track down McDonald.
On lap 15, Shantz drove to the outside of McDonald and came away with the lead in turn four. McDonald, however, fought back on the bottom and two laps later reclaimed the lead. A slight bobble by Shantz in turn one with two laps to go allowed McDonald to drive underneath him and build a solid lead that cemented the victory. Shantz settled for second while Evans rounded out the podium. Aaron Turkey and Jesse Costa completed the top-five.
Evans, McDonald, Costa and Thorne were heat race winners. Mack DeMan and Steven Beckett each won B-Mains.
MIDDLEPORT MECHANICAL THUNDER STOCKS
Nick Liverance and Chris Dickie brought the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock Feature to the green flag for the 50-lap and $2,000-to-win Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Cash Bash. Dickie grabbed the early advantage until Jason Lungaro took over the point on lap 5. Behind Lungaro, point leader Dave Bailey and Ryan Dinning were marching through the field from 18th and 17th up to fourth and sixth, respectively.
On lap nine, Bailey nosed under Lungaro in a battle for the lead and one lap later took the point position in the bottom lane while Dinning followed Bailey to take the second spot. By lap 15, Bailey had worked his way into traffic with Dinning following within a car length.
A caution on lap 20 put Bailey and Dinning side-by-side for the restart. While Bailey maintained the lead, Dinning stayed close and on lap 24 nosed under Bailey. Dinning used the short route around the track to claim the lead on lap 26, but couldn’t clear Bailey until lap 30. Behind the top two, Trevor DeBoer followed closely in third.
Cautions on lap 33 and 37 prevented Dinning and Bailey from taking of from the rest of the field, but they were dominant. Dinning had the victory in the bag when he took the white flag, but a caution for debris in the racing groove on lap 49 setup a one lap shootout. Dinning was able to hold off Bailey for the $2,000 win. Bailey earned $750 for his second-place finish while Ryan Beagle darted into third to claim a $500 prize. DeBoer and Lungaro completed the top-five.
HRW AUTOMOTIVE MINI STOCKS
Jake Bazuin and Mark Bazuin started on the front row for the 42-lap August 11 Art Hill Memorial make-up Feature. After a couple of early cautions, Mark Bazuin grabbed an early lead. Brandon Janssens, Brandon Crumbie and Nick Masi all made their way into the top-five. The race was slowed on laps 10 and 13 for problems with Jake Bazuin and Wayde Thorne.
At the halfway mark, Mark Bazuin continued to lead with rookie driver Nick Masi moving past Janssens for second. That pass proved critical as Masi lined up outside Mark Bazuin on a lap 25 restart after Oilivier Larocque broke the front axle on his No.91. On the restart, Masi took the lead when Bazuin missed a shift. Masi then held off Bazuin over a couple further restarts and a late surge with three laps remaining to score the win. Mike Sarantakos raced from 22nd to claim the final spot on the podium.
The regularly scheduled 15-lap Mini Stock Feature had Fabio Olivieri and Tim Nuell on the front row. Olivieri claimed an early advantage and raced ahead of a Gary Hodgson who maintained pace within two car lengths of Olivieri until the halfway point. Behind the leaders, all eyes were on 16th starting Bobby Tolton who quickly made his way through the field and on lap 12 took the lead from Olivieri for good. Tolton paced the final four laps to earn the win over Kyle Wert, who made a late surge to finish second. Mike Sarantakos completed the podium and was the race’s hard charger with his run from 22nd to third.
Wert, Mark Bazuin and Martin Schroeder were heat race winners.
GALE’S AUTO AFTERMARKET BOMBERS
Brooke Nelson and Zach Buchwald started on the front row for the 12-lap Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bomber Feature. Nelson jumped out to an early lead, but was quickly under pressure from third-starting Adam Plazek. On lap three, Plazek took the lead from Nelson, but couldn’t pull away to a significant lead due to a caution on lap five.
The rest of the race rain caution-free and Plazek flexed his muscle to outrun a hard-charging Dustin Longboat and, later, Cody Sommerville to score his first career Bomber Feature win. Sommerville took second from Dustin Longboat in the closing laps to claim the runner-up position. Dustin Longboat rounded out the podium while Paul Longboat and Point Leader Lucas Smith completed the top-five.
UP NEXT AT OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY
Ohsweken Speedway returns with Friday Night Excitement on September 1 for Epic Racewear Championship night. The 2017 track champions will be crowned in all five weekly divisions, including the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprints Cars, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers. Several divisions still have tight points battles where the 2017 champion won’t be decided until the final checkered flag falls.
Junior race fans will have the chance to win 1 of 100 Ohsweken Speedway/Epic Racewear back packs filled with school supplies on Back to School night. For additional event information, visit www.ohswekenspeedway.ca.
Tickets Available Now!
Advanced reserved seating tickets are on sale now for all of Ohsweken Speedway’s 2017 major events, including the 13th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals on September 15-16 are on sale now! Visit www.ohswekenspeedway.ticketforce.com or call 519-717-0023 to order and for more information. For the full 2017 schedule of events, click here.
About Gale’s 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, and returns as title sponsor of Ohsweken’s Bomber division for a fourth consecutive season in 2016. Gale’s also returns as the presenting sponsor of Brock Leonard Memorial night at Ohsweken again in 2016. Call 519-445-2659 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, Mini Stocks, and Bombers, while the season finishes each year with the annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Ohsweken Speedway also hosts weekly Micro Sprint racing on Thursday nights, and has been a yearly stop on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series schedule since 2007.
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Website: www.OhswekenSpeedway.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/OHSWEKENSPEEDWAY
Twitter: @OhswekenSpdway
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/OhswekenSpeedway
YouTube: www.YouTube.com/user/OhswekenSpdway
OHSWEKEN PARTNERS
Ohsweken Speedway thanks the following partners for their support in 2017: 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, 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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