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by Tommy Goudge (August 13, 2008) –
Ohsweken Speedway’s Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division has enjoyed some time off lately, but this Friday night, points leader Keith Dempster and the rest of the sprint car stars will be back in action during round #13 of Ohsweken Speedway Friday Night Thunder, presented this week by Iroquois Poker. Joining the Sprints will be the rest of Ohsweken’s exciting Friday Night Thunder competitors, including the ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini Stocks, and Friday Night Fun Stocks.
After the rainout of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series events on July 22 and 23, and the off-weeks for the sprints over the past 2 weeks, many fans and competitors of the Corr/Pak Sprint Car division are looking forward to getting back into action this Friday. Much is yet to be decided in the Sprint Car division as Friday’s event will be the first of 4 weeks in a row for the sprints to finish the season. Keith Dempster leads the points standings over Ryan Hunsinger by just 5 markers heading into Friday night, while Kevin Job sits 3rd, just 11 points out of the lead. In the last regular sprint car feature held at Ohsweken on July 12, Hunsinger took home his 2nd win of the season after a dramatic late-race battle with Dempster, while Job settled for 3rd. Although not racing for points, the sprints were back in action the following week on July 18 as the Southern Ontario Sprints tour came to town, with Dempster, Job, and Hunsinger once again battling at the front of the pack, but a spin by Hunsinger took his #77x out of contention, and Job was able to get by Dempster for his first ever feature win at Ohsweken.
The ESSO Thunder Stocks return to regular action this week after competing in one of the biggest events of their season last week. Twin-15 lap features were run last week, but it came as somewhat of a surprise that division points leader and 7 time feature winner in 2008 Cody McPherson was not in victory lane at the end of either feature race. Instead, Billy Hogue and Billy Bleich had their photos taken with the big trophies on Friday night after 2 very exciting features which came down to the final laps. The feature win was Bleich's first ever, while Hogue has won many at the Humberstone Speedway over the past few seasons. McPherson, meanwhile, still had 2 very good results on Friday night and still holds a commanding point lead, while most of his competitors in the points chase have suffered mechanical problems or crashes over the past few weeks.
In ESSO Mini-Stock action, Mitchell Brown holds a hot hand lately, as the young driver from Brantford has won 2 features in a row at Ohsweken, including a dominating performance in the 42-lap Art Hill Memorial 2 weeks ago. Abel Castelein's consistency has kept him at the top of the points standings however, and still holds a commanding lead over Brown and the other Mini-Stock competitors as he looks to repeat as Ohsweken track champion. Last Friday's Mini-Stock action also saw the return of Rookie competitor Wyatt Van Wart to Ohsweken. Van Wart was out of action for the entire month of July after he suffered a broken arm on July 4.
The Friday Night Fun Stocks division continues to grow with each passing week, and saw it's largest field ever signed in to the pit area last Friday Night. At the end of the night, it was again Lee Hils in victory lane despite a recent switch to a new car. The victory was the 6th of the season for Hils, who extended his points lead after Karl Sault suffered mechanical issues last week and did not finish the feature.
Ohsweken Speedway's Friday Night Thunder resumes this Friday, August 15 when Iroquois Poker presents the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Friday Night Fun Stocks. 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 15!
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