Ohsweken Speedway: Cair Croft Hotel brings stars of ESS to Ohsweken on Friday

By Tommy Goudge (May 26, 2009) – The first special event of the 2009 Ohsweken Speedway season takes the green flag this weekend, when the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel presents round three of Friday Night Thunder.  The cars and stars of the Empire Super Sprints tour will be on hand Friday night to do battle with Ohsweken’s weekly Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car contingent, while the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini Stocks, and Bombers will also join in on the fun!

Both the ESS tour and Ohsweken’s weekly competitors have competed in two events so far this season.  Weekly winners at Ohsweken were Tom Huppunen and Dain Naida, while Doug Emery and Jessica Zemken claimed ESS victories at Fonda and Utica-Rome respectively last weekend.  Those four and many more are expected this Friday night, including ESS stars like two-time champion Steve Poirier, Lance Yonge, Chuck Hebing, and Justin Barger.  Poirier is also the defending winner of the Empire Super Sprints tour event at Ohsweken, as he came from fourteenth on the grid to win on June 20, 2008. 

Corr/Pak drivers such as ’08 Ohsweken track champ Keith Dempster, Ryan Hunsinger, Kevin Job, Glenn Styres, and Brad Malloy are expected to defend their home turf against the invading ESS drivers.  Another driver who could make an appearance on Friday is Dan Kaszubinski, who dominated ESS events at Ohsweken in 2004 and 2005.  After partial schedules in each of the past two seasons, Kaszubinski is back in the saddle on a regular basis this year and competed in both ESS events last weekend.

The ESSO Thunder Stocks get back to action on Friday night after a scintillating feature last week.  With the checkered flag in sight, Jamie Cox was able to power his way to victory around week one winner Shayne Pierce.  Pierce did hold onto the runner-up spot and holds the points lead by seventeen markers over Jeremy Bean, who has had a strong start to his ’09 season.  Glen Leinen, Lee Winger, and Cox round out the current top five in the championship standings heading into this Friday’s event.  Twenty-four competitiors signed in for Thunder Stocks action on Friday night, and as many and more are expected each night throughout the season.

The ESSO Mini Stocks competitors are all chasing young Mitchell Brown these days.  The third-generation driver from Brantford has won both of the first two rounds of the Mini Stocks season, but with success comes increased difficulty, as the frequent winners will start deeper in the pack with each passing week.  Abel Castelein and Kevin Hilborn have both looked strong early on this season, and will be looking to stop Mitch’s streak on Friday night.  Those two drivers are currently second and third in points, while Mike Evers and Chase Hess round out the top five.

In Bomber action, a new winner visited victory lane last week as Jesse McDonald dominated the feature event.  It is opening night winner Karl Sault who leads the points, however, followed by Dale Cooke, Kacey Huffman, McDonald, and Brad Hill.

Advanced reserved seat tickets for the World of Outlaws Late Models June 18 featuring guest star Ken Schrader, World of Outlaws Sprint Cars July 28 and 29, and Canadian Sprint Car Nationals September 18 and 19 are on sale now. Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway and call 1-888-720-RACE to order yours today! Tickets for all 2009 Ohsweken Speedway World of Outlaws events will also be on sale at the track THIS FRIDAY ONLY!

Ohsweken Speedway's Friday Night Thunder returns this Friday, May 29 when the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel presents the Empire Super Sprints, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Bombers. Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken offers an affordable, fast-paced, and exciting evening of family entertainment just a short drive away from most Mid-Western Ontario locations. Adult general admission for this special event is just $15, while Seniors and Students are $8, and Kids age 12 and under are FREE! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information. Spectator gates open @ 6:00p.m., with the first race taking the green flag at 7:45p.m. this Friday, May 29!