OHSWEKEN, Ont. (August 3, 2018) – An action-packed night saw 131 cars sign in at Ohsweken Speedway across four divisions, including 25 Late Models, for Bradshaw Brothers Emergency Services night on Friday, August 3. The night honoured all first responders and emergency services workers for their bravery in the community with free admission.
After the final checkered flag had waved, it was Jacob Dykstra who grabbed his second straight Action Sprint Tour win. For the stock cars, Rob Pietz claimed a thrilling win in the Open Late Model main event, while Christopher Hale won his first career Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock Feature. Matt Nuell and Kyle Wert collected checkered flags in a pair of HRW Automotive Mini Stock Features.
Late Model Open
The Open Late Model Feature event attracted 25 cars, featuring both Crate Late Model and Super Late Models from South Buxton Raceway, Humberstone Speedway and Brighton Speedway. It was the only Late Model race of the year at Ohsweken. Chris Ross won the pole for the 20-lap Feature with Gregg Haskell starting to his outside after winning his heat and the four-lap Dash.
While Ross was dominant in preliminary action, it was Haskell who immediately drove to the lead on the backstretch after initially falling back to fourth. Haskell ran the outside lane of a slick, but smooth racetrack as fourth-starting Rob Pietz, who had a Crate motor under the hood of his No.69, raced with veteran Andrew Rheaume for third.
At the halfway point, the leaders were in heavy lapped traffic and encountered some dicey situations, which eroded Haskell’s lead over Pietz and Rheaume. With four laps to go, the top two of Haskell and Pietz had separated from the pack and found some clean air. Pietz reeled in Haskell’s No. rh21 in the closing laps, but couldn’t quite make a pass. Haskell appeared to have the trophy in hand, but the caution flag waved before the final lap could be completed when Don Douglas spun his No.19d in turn two.
The ensuing restart setup a spectacular one lap dash to the finish. Pietz catfished around the bottom of the track before sliding up in front of Haskell off of turn four to lead his only lap of the race and score the win while Haskell settled for second and Rheaume claimed third. Ross came home in fourth while another Humberstone regular, Ken Winfield, completed the top-five.
Ross, Haskell and Rheaume were also the heat race winners.
Action Sprint Tour Powered by RaceRivalz.com
The Action Sprint Tour powered by RaceRivalz.com was making the second of three appearances at Ohsweken in 2018 and had 30 cars locked in for competition. For the 20-lap Feature it was Jacob Dykstra and Holly Porter who led the field to full speed.
Porter jumped out to an early advantage, but Dykstra stayed close as the two drivers raced away from the pack and into traffic by lap seven. On lap nine, the field was reset after a caution for a spun Brad Herron in turn four. The restart saw Porter lead Dykstra, Matt Hill, Shone Evans and Liam Martin back to green.
Dykstra again stayed with Porter and on lap 11 took the lead in the outside lane with a good run down the backstretch. The top two again stormed away from the field while Evans got around Hill for third on lap 13.
The second and final caution of the race came on lap 15 for debris in the racing groove in turn four. The restart proved no problem for Dykstra though, as he raced to his second straight win with the Action Sprint Tour. It was also the third overall victory this season for the Port Colborne, Ont. teenager.
Brandon Murrell, Holly Porter and Hannah Ferrell collected heat race wins to begin the evening while Jerry Hill won the B-Main and claimed the 19th starting spot for the Feature.
Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks
The ultra-competitive Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock division saw Ryan Dinning and Brian Teeple lead the field to the green flag for the 20-lap main event. Neither driver could gain an early advantage as fifth-starting Billy Bleich Jr. raced forward to the point on the opening lap.
Bleich paced an eager group of drivers that shuffled the front row starters back quickly and resulted in 12th-starting Christopher Hale and sixth-starting Ken Sargent locked into a battle for second. Hale prevailed in the battle while Bleich led a four-car breakaway that also included Sargent and Blake Bomberry Jr.
The race saw three consecutive cautions on laps 10, 11 and 12. Hale made the most of the first restart and drove to the inside of Bleich, who had chosen the outside lane, in turn one and drifted in front of him to claim the point. He then held off Bleich on the lap 11 and 12 restarts and again following a lap 16 caution. Hale was able to sneak away in the final laps to his first career Ohsweken Feature win as Ryan Beagle wrestled the second spot away from Bleich. Point leader Dave Bailey earned the hard charger award with a drive from 18th to fourth and Sargent rounded out the top-five.
Bleich, Hale, and Trevor DeBoer took heat race victories to begin the night while Jason Lungaro won the B-Main.
HRW Automotive Mini Stocks
The HRW Automotive Mini Stocks were in action for a pair of Feature races as they started the night with a make-up Feature from July 20. It saw Jason Dixon and Paul Longboat make-up the front row with Longboat grabbing an early lead.
Jon Janssens raced forward from 12th to take the lead on lap four while 16th-starting Matt Nuell battled with Dixon for second as Longboat got shuffled backwards. The only caution of the race came on lap nine when Sean Iftody came to a stop at the top of turn four. On the restart, Nuell was able to use the outside lane to drive to the outside of Janssens and drove away over the final six laps to score the victory. Mark Bazuin stole the second spot at the finish while Janssens settled for third as Dixon and Nick Masi rounded out the top-five.
In the second Mini Stock Feature of the night, it was Mike Giberson and Daniel McKay who paced the field to the green flag. McKay grabbed an early lead but was quickly reeled in when Sean Iftody spun in turn four. On the restart, Kyle Wert drove to the lead in what turned out to be the winning pass. A trio of cautions through the middle portion of the race forced Wert to be strong on several restarts as he had to contend with Nick Masi. The top two broke away from the rest of the field in the closing laps, but Wert held on while Masi scored the runner-up finish ahead of point leader Gillian Hils, Tristan Da Silva and Fabio Olivieri.
Earlier in the night, Daniel McKay, Jason Tolton, Gillian Hils and Matt Nuell picked up heat race wins while Jonathan Ayrton and Jon Janssens collected checkered flags in a pair of B-Mains to qualify into the 28-car Feature.
Up Next at Ohsweken Speedway
Ohsweken Speedway returns to action on Friday, August 10 as Renway Energy presents Halloween in August and the Art Hill Memorial. The Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars will return to action after a week off. The Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars will run double features as they start the night with their July 20 feature that was postponed due to rain. Both the Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks and HRW Automotive Mini Stocks will also be in action. 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 Bradshaw Brothers: Based in Waterford, Ontario, Bradshaw Fuels Limited was founded in 1979. The company’s line of business includes the wholesale distribution of petroleum and petroleum products. Call them at 519 443-8611, or visit their website at www.BradshawFuels.com.
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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