OHSWEKEN, Ont. (June 10, 2022) – Modified Madness invaded Ohsweken Speedway on Friday night as the 358 Modifieds and UMP/Canadian Modifieds featuring NASCAR legend Ken Schrader joined the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Mat Williamson, Justin Mills, Dave Bailey, and Tyler Lafantaisie emerged with A-Main wins.
DIRTcar 358 Modifieds
Chad Chevalier and Dave Flanigan had front row starting positions for the first 358 Modified A-Main at Ohsweken in nearly six years. Chevalier took the lead, but Flanigan had early problems and brought out the yellow flag with three laps complete. Gary Lindberg had moved to second and took the lead from Chevalier after the restart, while Mat Williamson also got past Chevalier just before a debris caution. Lindberg stayed up front and opened a gap on Williamson after the restart, but a broken driveshaft derailed Lindberg’s race with 20 laps remaining. Williamson assumed the lead, while Fred Carleton moved into the second position. Chevalier fought back and dueled with Carleton for several laps while Tyler Willard closed in on both of them. Mark D’Ilario spun and brought out a yellow with 10 laps to go, but Williamson was undeterred and drove on to his third career Ohsweken 358 Modified win. Willard, Mike Bowman, Chevalier, and Brad Rouse came home with top five finishes. Heat race wins went to Bowman and Williamson.
DIRTcar UMP/Canadian Modified Challenge
Justin Mills and Shawn Gregory started up front for the 25 lap UMP/Canadian Modified A-Main, and Mills opened a healthy lead while Ken Schrader moved into second. A yellow flag with five laps complete negated the Mills lead and Schrader took over at the front of the field. Another yellow flag bunched the field again and the ensuing restart found Schrader and Mills dueling for the lead while Drew Smith and Glenn Styres raced closely behind for the third spot. Mills finally got clear of Schrader after the two repeatedly traded slide jobs and opened a lead, but a Styres spin with six laps left erased the Mills advantage again. Mills patiently worked the middle groove after the restart while Schrader searched high and low in pursuit of his third Ohsweken win.
Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks
Jim Lampman and Trevor DeBoer were front row starters for the 20 lap Thunder Stock A-Main. DeBoer took the lead and held it through a couple of early caution flags, while opening night winner Dave Bailey picked his way quickly through the pack from row five. DeBoer, Mike Thorne, and Bailey raced three-wide for the lead and Bailey took the lead as the trio completed the fourth lap, just before another yellow flag for a Ken Sargent spin. Bailey kept the lead and opened a gap during the ensuing green flag run, while wild three-wide racing throughout the field kept the fans entertained. Bailey was closing in on heavy traffic when yellow flag for a Melissa Miller spin set up a six lap dash to the finish. Bailey took advantage of the clear track to claim his 30th career Ohsweken Thunder Stock win, followed by Chris Hale, DeBoer, Rob Hoskins, and Mark Fawcett. Heat race wins went to Fawcett, Hale, Devon Bacher, and Ryan Beagle, while Kacey Huffman won the B-Main.
HRW Automotive Mini Stocks
Fabio Olivieri and Nick Erskine were on the front row for the 15 lap Mini Stock A-Main, and Olivieri grabbed the early lead. The polesitter opened a healthy lead after an early caution flag but a flat right rear tire derailed his bid for the win. Opening night winner Tyler Lafantaisie inherited the lead as a result of Olivieri’s misfortune and eventually went on to take the victory, but not before row seven starter Braden Keus gave the leader a challenge. Lafantaisie pulled away at the end of the race while a frantic race for the runner-up spot finished with Keus edging out Matt Nuell, Erskine, and Jeremy Hughes. Heat race wins were claimed by Hughes, Elsliger, and Olivieri, while Don Deagle won the B-Main.
Up Next At Ohsweken Speedway
O’Neil’s Farm Equipment and Case IH present Friday Night Excitement on June 17 featuring the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars and Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, plus Duel on the Dirt home races for the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Visit www.ohswekenspeedway.com for more information.
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY ON GFORCETV
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 on GForceTV. Just search for GForceTV on YouTube, OHSWEKENSPEEDWAY on Facebook, or visit www.ohswekenspeedway.com to watch.
#OHS2022 SEASON
The 25th season of weekly Friday Night Excitement at Ohsweken Speedway features four regular racing divisions, including the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks, and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Several special events also highlight the 2022 schedule including the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, and the dirt track debut of the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. Visit www.ohswekenspeedway.com for more information.
About Ohsweken Speedway: Opened in 1996, Ohsweken Speedway is a motorsports complex and event centre featuring a 3/8 mile clay oval auto racing track and 1/6 mile clay oval Micro Sprint and Karting track. The facility is owned by the Styres family, and located in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Ohsweken’s weekly Friday Night Excitement racing program runs from May to September each year, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks, and Mini Stocks, while the facility also hosts weekly Micro Sprint and Kart racing on Thursday nights. Several major events highlight the annual schedule including the track’s signature event – the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.
Report from Tommy Goudge
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