OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: Fresh faces make their way to victory lane

By Tommy Goudge (August 21, 2009) – Two drivers visited Ohsweken Speedway's Engine Pro Racing Winner's Circle for the first time in 2009 on Gales Auto Aftermarket/ESSO Speedway Variety night.  In a fast-paced program that finished just after ten o'clock, Keith Dempster snapped a two year winless streak in the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, while Lee Winger edged out Jamie Cox for the ESSO Thunder Stock victory.  Mitchell Brown was credited with the ESSO Mini Stock win after Kevin Hilborn's #72 failed post race technical inspection, and Karl Sault won another feature in the Bomber division.  Special Flag Pole and Backwards races were also run on Friday, with Chris Hils claiming Flag Pole honours and Steven Hils winning the backwards race.

CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS
The Corr/Pak Sprint Cars were back in action on Friday night after a week off, and a big shakeup in the top five championship chasers was expected, with Kevin Job sitting out due to engine problems, and Glenn Styres sidelined as well.

Stan Zanchin and rookie Travis Cunningham led the field to the green flag, and it was Zanchin getting the early lead, but he would not hold it for long.  Cunningham made his way into the lead on lap three and stayed out front for the next seven circuits while the rest of the field jockeyed for position.  Fourth place starter Keith Dempster was on the move early as well, taking over the second spot with four laps in the books, while Jamie Collard, Brad Knab, Dain Naida, Mikey Kruchka, points leader Tom Huppunen, and Kevin Loveys were also looking good.

The only caution flag of the race flew on lap eight when Loveys spun to a stop in turn two.  When the race went back green, Dempster wasted little time and made his way around the outside of Cunningham into the lead on lap ten.  Cunningham was left to fight off the advances of Knab, who was having the best run of his season, while Kruchka and Collard looked to continue their strong runs of late.

Dempster would go on the claim his first Sprint Car feature win in over two years, while Knab finished a season-best second, followed by Kruchka, Cunningham, and Naida.  Points leader and six time feature winner Tom Huppunen looked fast early on, but a broken front wing resulted in a seventh place finish for Fred Cade's hired gun.

"It's about time!" exclaimed Keith in victory lane while the jubilant Styres Racing crew mobbed the veteran driver.  "Glenn (Styres) was up in the tower texting me tonight.  He kept saying 'move up higher' and it worked!"  "These wins are for the crew," he continued, "They are the unsung heroes of racing."

Heat races for the twenty-one car field were claimed by Dempster, Naida, and Ryan Hunsinger. 

ESSO THUNDER STOCKS
Mark Thorne and Rob Disher led the field to the green flag for twenty laps of exciting ESSO Thunder Stock action on Friday, and the two drivers quickly went to to work racing for the lead.  It wasn't long before the usual suspects such as Shayne Pierce, Jamie Cox, and Billy Bleich began to make their presence known in the top five, however, but the real story was with Lee Winger who was up on the wheel after sitting out a week due to a suspension.

Winger blasted his way around the outside and into the lead, while Cox was on the move and up into second, looking for his fourth feature win in a row.  Cox repeatedly looked to the inside of Winger as the laps wound down, while Brad Herron and Shayne Pierce hovered close behind, waiting for any possible mistake between the top two drivers.   Herron looked to make it three wide for the lead on a couple of occasions, but in the end it was Winger holding on for his first win of the season, followed by Cox, Herron, Pierce, and Billy Bleich, Jr.

Heat races for the nineteen ESSO Thunder Stocks in attendance were claimed by Pierce and Kyle Magrin.

ESSO MINI STOCKS
The ESSO Mini Stock feature began with Chase Hess and Mike Giberson on the front row, and it was Hess getting the early lead, which he would hold for much of the first half of the race.  While a good battle ensued up front between Hess and Mike Evers, fans were also keeping an eye on Mitchell Brown, who was gunning for his tenth feature win of the season.  Brown would eventually make his way to the front, but not before Kevin Hilborn and Steve Hess got their first.  Hilborn made a daring three wide move to take the lead for good and cross the line first, but his car did not pass post-race tech inspection, handing the win to runner-up finisher Brown.  Chase Hess was credited with second, while Steve Hess got third, followed by Abel Castelein, and Mike Evers.

Heat races for the twenty-one ESSO Mini Stocks were claimed by the Hess', Chase and Steve.

BOMBERS
The Bomber division featured its largest field ever on Friday night, thanks to the addition of the Flag Pole race later in the evening.  Many drivers chose to take part in both events, including eventual Bomber feature winner Karl Sault, who managed to put enough lapped cars between himself and second place finisher Lee Hils to take the feature win with ease.  Lee Hils settled for second, followed by Steve Hils, Shawn Ireland, and Brittany Gyorkery. 

In the Flag Pole portion of the show, it was 2008 Bomber feature winner Chris Hils claiming the feature win, followed by Steve Hils and Chris Cairns.

NEXT WEEK AT OHSWEKEN
Friday Night Thunder resumes on Friday, August 28 when Café 54 presents "Twin 15's" for the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, plus the Mod-Lite Stars Tour North, and the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini Stocks, 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.