OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: Three big nights of Canadian Sprint Car Nationals this weekend

By Tommy Goudge (September 14, 2009) – Some of the best Sprint Car racers in North America will take centre stage at Ohsweken Speedway this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Fifth Annual Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.  They'll be descending on the Styres family owned track to battle for bragging rights and the $9,000 winner's cheque on Saturday, September 19.  Already the biggest Sprint Car event in the country, the Nationals were expanded to three nights when an Empire Super Sprints event at the track was postponed in May. 

While the regulars on the ESS tour will be racing in one of their last points championship features of the season, many outside invaders are expected to compete and gain valuable track time in preparation for Friday and Saturday night.  Montrose, New York's Justin Barger holds a big lead over Quebec driver Steve Poirier in the ESS standings heading into the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel sponsored event, while New Yorkers Lance Yonge and Jeff Cook are third and fourth, followed by another Quebec driver in the form of Michael Parent.    Poirier claimed the last ESS event at Ohsweken in June 2008 in a thrilling non-stop twenty-five lapper after starting fourteenth on the grid.  Adult general admission seats for the Empire Super Sprints event are $15, while Senior and Student tickets are $10, and Kids Age 12 and Under are free!  Spectator gates open at 6:00 p.m., while racing gets underway at 7:45 p.m. on Thursday night, September 17.

On Friday night, September 18, Village Pizza, Sit 'n Bull Construction, and Village Café present the "Night Before the Nationals" featuring Twin Features for the Sprint Cars, plus the fifth annual Village Pizza Ohsweken Shootout and third annual Dave McLeod Memorial Mr. Sprint Car Challenge featuring top drivers from each of the affiliate sanctions including Ohsweken's weekly Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, the Southern Ontario Sprints, ASCS CanWest, ASCS Sprints on Dirt, ASCS Patriots, National Racing Alliance, and Empire Super Sprints. 

The winner of each twin feature will earn a guaranteed spot in Saturday night's A-Feature plus $500.  The Village Pizza Shootout is a ten lap dash for cash, paying $500 to the winner, while the Dave McLeod Memorial event pits drivers against each other in one-on-one match races, paying $1,000 to the winner.  Steve Poirier swept both the Shootout and match race portions of the event last year, while Dustin Daggett and Jason Barney claimed the twin feature wins.  Adult reserved seats for the "Night Before the Nationals" are $15, while Adult general admission seats are $10, Kids Ages 6-12 are $5, and Kids Age 5 and Under are Free!  Spectator gates open at 5:00 p.m. with racing scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m.

Saturday night, September 19 will feature seventy or more drivers and teams battling for twenty-eight starting spots in the fifth annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals A-Main event, which pays $9,000 to win and $650 to start this year.  The pre-entry list for the event features Canadian entries for drivers from Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta, along with American entries from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, while entries from British Columbia, Connecticut, and Texas are also expected. 

Defending Nationals champ Wayne Johnson is among the fifty-seven entries on the official entry list thus far, but with so many excellent drivers and teams in the pits, it's anybody's guess who will be the 2009 Canadian Sprint Car Nationals winner.  Adult reserved seats for Saturday night's Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals are $35, while Adult general admission seats are $20, Kids Ages 6-12 are $5, and Kids Age 5 and under are FREE!  Spectator gates open at 4:00 p.m. with hot laps and time trials slated for 5:00 p.m. and racing at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday's ESS race and Friday's "Night Before the Nationals" will also feature the drivers from Ohsweken's regular Friday Night Thunder divisions including the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Bombers, while the Mod-Lite Stars Championship North tour will be in action along with the Sprint Cars on Saturday night. 

Tickets are on sale now for the Fifth Annual Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, coming up September 17, 18, and 19!  Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com and call 1-888-720-RACE to order yours today!  Tickets for Friday and Saturday's events will also be available at the track on Thursday night between 5:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.  Payment can be made by Cash, Debit, or Credit Card.  Make your plans now to attend the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.  Don't miss the biggest Sprint Car race in Canadian history!  Plenty of free camping space is available at the track, and breakfast will be served each morning after the races in the pit concession stand!

Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information on the Fifth Annual Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.  Listen to the TJSlideways Open Wheel Spectacular Radio Show on www.TJSlideways.com on Tuesday night for a special two hour Nationals preview, and stay tuned later in the week on www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for an in-depth preview of Saturday night's big feature race!