With a blanket of snow still covering the grounds, Ohsweken Speedway is set to turn up the heat as they announce the schedule for their most ambitious season yet. For the first time ever in Ontario, Sprint Cars will be the weekly attraction as they have been selected to replace the Sportsman division. A new entry level class named "Fun Stocks" will join the Corr/Pak Sprint Cars along with ESSO Thunder Stocks and ESSO Mini Stocks as the regular Friday night program.
Fans will just have to wait a little over three months before a practice session that is open to all classes of cars who will compete at the speedway during 2008 takes place on Friday night, May 9th. The season then officially gets underway with the first of five regular programs on Friday night, May 16th when Corr/Pak Merchandising presents the inaugural running of the weekly Sprint Car division that will carry their title sponsorship for the season on the fast 3/8 mile clay oval. Other regular events take place when Iroquois Poker presents the action on May 23rd, June 6th for Lone Wolf Pit Stop night, June 13th when Awesome Racewear brings the action, and August 15th as Iroquois Poker returns to present the night of racing.
The first special event of the season takes to the track May 30th when Trailers by Jim Bray presents the "Modified Lite Star Championship Tour North" along with a regular program for the first of two appearances. They will return on August 22nd when Café 54 presents the night of racing.
Following regular programs on June 6th and 13th, Arrow Express brings the "World of Outlaws" Late Models to Ontario for the first time on Thursday night, June 19th. The 50 lap feature event will cap the night of racing. Corr/Pak Sprints will also be on the evening program. The next night, June 20th Gales Auto Aftermarket will bring the action of the Empire Super Sprints to the speedway for their annual appearance. They will be supported by the Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Fun Stocks.
Grand River Electronics presents Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Fun Stocks along with the return of the Sportsman as June racing closes out on the 27th. The $1,000 to win event utilizing 2007 DIRT engine rules for the Sportsman will be the first of two appearances in 2008. The Sportsman division will return as part of the Lucas Oil Shootout on August 1st for a 50 lap affair when Outhouse Designs presents the Art Hill Memorial for the ESSO Mini Stocks. Thunder Stocks and Fun Stocks will also compete on the program.
July 4th and 5th will see the inaugural ASCS Northern Summer Nationals for 360 Sprints take place. Engine Pro Racing will present the two day competition as the ASCS Patriots and ASCS Sprints ON Dirt go head to head with $3,000 going to the winner of the Saturday night, 30 lap main event. Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Fun Stocks will also be on the Friday night racing program with Saturday being a Sprint only event. Sunday, July 6th will serve as a rain date for the July 5th racing program.
Wiseco Pistons will present the mid-Season Championships for all four regular divisions on Friday night, July 11th. Vintage racecars will also be on hand. Then on Friday, July 18th, the Southern Ontario Sprints will make their stop at the speedway as the Best Western - Cairn Croft Hotel presents the racing action. Again the Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Fun Stocks will support the program.
July will conclude with the return of the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars on July 22nd and 23rd. Last year a standing room only crowd greeted the world's premier sprint car program for a single day of racing. This year additional seating is being installed to accommodate the anticipated crowd as two complete programs will be presented. Brought to you by Arrow Express, the ESSO Thunder Stocks will be on the program on Tuesday night while the ESSO Mini Stocks will compete on Wednesday night. Friday night, July 27th will find the speedway in darkness as no racing will take place in order to give the staff the weekend off after the mid-week Outlaw races.
Following the Sportsman 50 lap affair on August 1st, the 358 Modifieds return to go 50 laps as they contest the Lucas Oil Shootout on August 8th. The ESSO Thunder Stocks will also contest a pair of 15 lap feature races that evening as ESSO & Speedway Variety present the program. Mini Stocks and Fun Stocks will round out the racing action.
HRW Automotive presents the return of the Ontario Dirt Late Models on August 29th as they join a regular program of Corr/Pak Sprints, Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Fun Stocks to close out August.
Season Championship events will be contested on Friday, September 5th as Iroquois Poker closes out the point races for the regular season for all four divisions.
Friday, September 12th the 4th Annual Village Pizza - Ohsweken Shootout returns to headline the Night Before the Nationals. Along with twin 15 lap features for the Sprint Cars presented by Sit-N-Bull Construction and Village Café that guarantee the winners a starting position in the Saturday feature event, the Ohsweken Shootout provides an opportunity to see qualified cars from the sanctioning bodies compete head to head in a 10 lap showdown. The 2nd Annual Dave MacLeod Memorial - Mr. Sprint Car Challenge is also scheduled to run on Friday night. The Bracket style elimination event to honour the life long competitor from the western New York region has become a fixture on the Friday night portion of Nationals weekend.
Then the season closes on Saturday, September 13th as the 4th Annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals presented by Arrow Express takes to the speedway. In its three year history, the Canadian Nationals has averaged 76 competitors per year and quickly become the flagship event of Ohsweken Speedway while ranking among the top events for 360 Sprint Cars in North America. Paying $8,000 to win the 30 lap Feature event, twenty- eight cars will line up for the green flag with $600 going to the last place finisher. As an added incentive for teams to compete in this years event, Riverside Bar & Grill has stepped up to fund a non-Qualifiers Second Chance feature which will see the winner locked into the 28th starting position of the Main Event.
Several other sponsors have stepped up to support Ohsweken Speedway in a major way throughout the season including BS&B Radiator, Grisdale Racing Products, Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel, Zemco Speed Equipment, HRP Racing Products, Canton Racing Products, Saldana Racing Products, Johnston Research & Performance, DMI, VMAC Racing Products, The Brakeman, Winters Performance, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Kinser Air Filters, and Metal Works who combined will expand the Corr/Pak Sprint Car point fund to over $20,000 in cash and product. Advanced Ticket Sales for all events where reserved seating will be utilized which include the three World of Outlaws shows and the Canadian Nationals will commence in early March with the exact date posted on the official website at www.ohswekenspeedway.com .
For immediate release - Ken Pelkie, Ohsweken Speedway
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