by Tommy Goudge (August 20, 2008) -
Weather affected Ohsweken Speedway's Friday Night Thunder series for just the 2nd time this season last Friday night, but despite the threat of rain last week that eventually turned into a shower and washed away the evening's events, a fine field of competitors still travelled to the Speedway, intent on competing that night.
Another great field is expected this Friday night when Cafe 54 presents Round #14 of Friday Night Thunder for 2008 featuring the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Friday Night Fun Stocks, plus the return of the Modified Lite Stars Championship Tour North, and Autograph Night!
In the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, the points battle is tight at the top, with Keith Dempster of Alton just 5 points ahead of Brantford's Ryan Hunsinger, and 11 points in front of Campbellville driver Kevin Job. Consistency has been the key for both Dempster and Job, as each driver has 4 top-5 finishes to their credit, but no feature wins. Hunsinger has 3 top-5's, but 2 of those were feature wins, and the rookie of the year contender has also won 3 heat races this season, a mark matched by Fred Cade and Rob Pietz, who sit 10th and 12th in the standings, respectively. The standings figure to get even closer after this Friday night when the "mulligans" for the season are taken into account. After the races this Friday, each driver's lowest weekly points total will be removed, allowing drivers who have suffered problems or missed a night to compete for the championship without major penalty. Jared Zimbardi of Salamanca, NY is one driver who will benefit from this as he has been competing full time on the ASCS Patriot region trail all season, as well as running weekly at Ohsweken. Zimbardi is currently 7th in the Ohsweken standings and 2nd in the Patriot standings, but will likely move back into the top 3 in the Ohsweken standings if he has a good run on Friday night.
Paul Klager of Vineland was the feature winner on May 30th when the Modified Lite Star Championship Tour North last visited Ohsweken. Klager also leads the tour's points standings heading into this Friday's event, but Port Colborne driver Shawn Sliter is just 6 points behind, and has also run well at Ohsweken in the past, including a 4th place in the last event. Despite threatening weather on that night back in May, a fine field of 18 of the Mod-Lites, or Dwarf Cars as some fans may know them, signed in for competition and put on a great show. Another good field and great racing is expected when the very fast motorcycle-engine powered racers return this Friday night. Other feature winners on the 2008 tour include Mikey Hay at Merrittville, Adam Murphy at Humberstone, and Adam Leslie at both Merrittville and Humberstone.
The ESSO Thunder Stocks have run some spectacular and competitive races this season, but in the points standings one driver has distanced himself from the rest of the field. Cody McPherson of St. Catharines has won 7 feature races, has yet to finish outside the top 3 in any feature race he has contested this season, and still managed to finish 8th when he had a flat tire on July 11th. This amazing consistency coupled with trouble for many of his weekly competitors has McPherson ahead by 170 points over Ryan Dinning in the division standings, while Glen Leinen, Rob Disher, and Michelle Johnson round out the top 5. McPherson has faced stiff competition lately, however, as invading drivers from Merrittville Speedway and Humberstone Speedway have been racing at Ohsweken lately, and winning. Billy Bleich and Billy Hogue both beat McPherson for feature wins on August 8th when the Thunder Stocks ran double features, while local driver Amanda Stoner gave the 3 Niagara-area drivers a run for their money by taking 4th and 3rd that night, and had a spectacular 3-wide pass negated late in the event due to a caution flag. After getting a late start to the season, Stoner looked very fast during her last night out and figures to be a contender for wins as the season draws to a close.
In the ESSO Mini-Stock division, Abel Castelein is on a mission to repeat as Ohsweken's Mini-Stock track champion, but Mitchell Brown has other ideas as the young 3rd-generation driver from Brantford has been the man to beat lately. Brown is riding a 2-race win streak, but Castelein's consistency has kept Brown from eating into his lead too much, as he is still ahead by 58 markers. With 3 races left, the championship could still see plenty of twists and turns. Just 6 points back of Brown is Rick Emberson, who has managed to stay in the top 5 and in the hunt despite a nasty rollover that heavily damaged his #86 on Mid-Season Championship night. Emberson worked hard and got his machine back on track and in the hunt, and has yet to finish out of the top 10 in any feature race this season, except for the night of the crash. Yet to finish outside the top 10 this season is Kevin Hilborn, who has also been very consistent and sits 4th in the standings, 18 points ahead of Brent Hill, who rounds out the top 5.
The Friday Night Fun Stocks have been an entertaining part of Friday Night Thunder, and continue to grow in numbers as the year moves along. 22 different drivers have now made appearances in the Fun Stock division in it's inaugural season, and new ones are appearing each week. Lee Hils currently holds the points lead over son Chris by 34 markers, while Karl Sault is another 26 points back. The recent announcement of another $250 winner's prize for the season-ending event on September 5th is sure to bring even more interest to the new and very affordable entry level class which competes on the infield oval at Ohsweken.
With the end of the regular season quickly approaching, so too are the 4th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals presented by Arrow Express. Scheduled for Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th, the Nationals promise once again to be a spectacular event this season, and reserved seats are available for purchase for both nights. Last season, 76 of the best 360 sprint cars in the Northeast came together at Ohsweken for the 3rd annual edition of the event, with Quebec driver Steve Poirier taking the feature win for the 2nd year in a row. This year, the huge field of competitors will be looking to end Poirier's streak and take home the $8,000 winner's cheque, as well as the bragging rights that go along with winning this great event. Don't miss any of the exciting Nationals action: Visit HYPERLINK http://www.OhswekenSpeedway.com now for details on how to reserve your seats!
Ohsweken Speedway's Friday Night Thunder resumes this Friday, August 22 when Cafe 54 presents the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Friday Night Fun Stocks, plus the Modified Lite Stars Championship North Tour, and Autograph Night! Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken offers affordable exciting family entertainment just a short drive away from most Mid-Western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and Kids age 12 and under are FREE! Please visit HYPERLINK http://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, August 22!
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