OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: Richards rockets to Six Nations 50 World of Outlaws LM victory

By Tommy Goudge (June 18, 2009) – The World of Outlaws Late Model series visited Ohsweken Speedway for the second annual “Six Nations 50” on Thursday night, bringing forty-two of the best drivers in Dirt Late Model racing to the Southern Ontario speed plant.  At the end of a rough and tumble evening, twenty-one year old West Virginia driver Josh “Kid Rocket” Richards was left standing in victory lane.  The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars were also in action on Thursday, with Tom Huppunen coming out on top of the twenty-eight car field.

Defending World of Outlaws Late Model series champion Darrell Lanigan and young gun Austin Hubbard began the fifty lap affair on the front row, and it was Lanigan getting the early advantage, but his lead would be short-lived.  During a caution period on lap five, Lanigan was forced to the pits with a flat left front tire, leaving Hubbard in command out front, with a hard-charging Richards already on his tail. 

The early portion of the race became a matter of survival, as cautions on laps five, seven, fourteen, and sixteen, and a red flag on lap ten slowed the pace.  The red flag was a result of a three-car pileup involving Shane Clanton, Gregg Satterlee, and Clint Smith, in which Satterlee came close to getting upside down.  Clanton and Satterlee were done for the evening, while Smith’s crew scrambled to make repairs.  Their efforts would eventually pay off as Smith would salvage a thirteenth place finish despite missing much of the front section of his machine.

A lap fourteen caution was for series points leader Steve Francis, who hit the turn four wall hard and retired from the event.  Hubbard led Richards on the restart, but pulled off the track with a blown engine, ending his bid for a first career series victory and handing the lead to Richards.  After another caution for Tyler Reddick’s damaged machine on lap sixteen, the green flag came out and stayed out for the remaining thirty-four circuits, all of which would be led by Richards.  “Kid Rocket” would not take the victory easily however, as Brady Smith was on the prowl, and closed in on Richards in lapped traffic, while Darrell Lanigan fought his way back through the pack and into third. 

As the race wound to a close, Smith was right on Richards’ tail, while Lanigan made a last-ditch effort to pass both of them, but came up short.  Richards’ margin of victory was 0.429 seconds over Smith, who held barely held off Lanigan for the runner-up spot.  Lanigan’s third place finish was good enough to take close to within two points of Steve Francis in the series points standings, with Richards just another four markers back.

Lanigan set a new Late Model track record in time trials with a lap of 14.718 seconds around the three-eighths mile oval, and also won the first heat race.  Tim Fuller, Shane Clanton, and Steve Francis also claimed heat race wins, while Russell King and Tony Knowles won the two B-Mains.

In Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car action, a fine twenty-eight car field signed in for competition on Thursday night.  Travis Cunningham and Mikey Kruchka led the field to green in the twenty lap feature, and it was Kruchka taking over the lead before the completion of the first lap.  Jared Zimbardi quickly moved up from his starting spot inside row three to challenge Kruchka for the lead, but the sophomore driver was hanging tough at the front.  Zimbardi was able to get by for the lead on lap six, before the race was slowed for the stopped machine of Darren Long on the backstretch. 

The race went back green, but was quickly stopped again as the red flag came out for the ambulance to attend to Long, who had been hit by a rock or mud clod that came through his screen.  Long was checked out and released, and the race went back green once again, with all eyes now on division points leader Tom Huppunen, who had advanced to third from his tenth starting spot by the time the seventh lap was complete.

On lap nine, Glenn Styres came to life, passing three cars in just one lap and taking over third from Huppunen.  Both drivers pounced on Kruchka on lap ten, relegating him to fourth, and then Styres blasted around the outside of Zimbardi and into the lead coming out of the fourth turn to complete the eleventh lap.  Styres held court out front for much of the last half of the race, while Huppunen and Zimbardi battled for the runner-up position. 

Huppunen finally disposed of Zimbardi on lap seventeen and began to close back in on Styres as the race came to a conclusion.  Styres still looked to have the race in hand, but had trouble getting around the lapped machine of Brad Malloy, and Huppunen used that opportunity to pounce.  Coming through the final set of corners on the last lap, Huppunen was able to nose ahead and hang on for the win, officially 0.664 seconds ahead of Styres.  Zimbardi settled for third, followed by Kruchka, and Kevin Job. 

Heat races on the ultra-fast surface were won by Zimbardi, Long, Ryan Hunsinger, and Huppunen, while Dain Naida claimed the B-Main victory after a spectacular incident in his heat race in which his right rear wheel broke off and flew high into the air.  Huppunen’s lap of 13.024 in heat race action is now the fastest lap ever recorded for a 360 sprint car at the speedway, which he ran on his way to establishing a new record for an eight lap heat race.

Friday Night Thunder resumes on Friday, June 19 when Outhouse Image and Design presents the first “UMP Modified Summer Sizzler” in conjunction with South Buxton Raceway, plus the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Bombers! Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken Speedway offers affordable family entertainment just a short drive away from most mid-western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is just $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and kids 12 and under are FREE! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information. On Friday night, gates open at 6:00p.m., with the first race at 7:45p.m.