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| DEMPSTER,
MCPHERSON, CASTELEIN, AND HILS HONOURED AS 2008
OHSWEKEN CHAMPIONS |
by Tommy Goudge (May
16, 2008) – The 2008 Ohsweken Speedway
season was capped off in fine fashion on Saturday
night with the annual awards banquet at the Marritt
Hall in Ancaster. Keith Dempster was honoured as the
inaugural champion of the Corr/Pak Merchandising
Sprint Car division, while Cody McPherson was
crowned ESSO Thunder Stocks champion, Abel Castelein
claimed the ESSO Mini-Stock title for the second
year in a row, and Lee Hils was honoured as the
first champion of the Friday Night Fun Stocks.
CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS - AWARDS
HARD CHARGER AWARD
Kevin Job (passed 38 cars)
“HARD LUCK” AWARD
Dave Dykstra
DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION AWARD
Bobby Crawford
BEST APPEARING CAR AWARD
John Riegling
MECHANIC OF THE YEAR AWARD
Steve Moulton and crew of Styres Racing team 0, 5,
and 77x
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD
Mikey Kruchka
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Brad Malloy
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Ryan Hunsinger
The Top 10 in the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars
were:
1st - Keith Dempster, Alton...In his 2nd year
driving for the Styres team, Dempster competed in
all 13 sprint car events run at Ohsweken, including
the 7 Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division
events. While he did not claim a feature win in
2008, Dempster’s consistency kept him at the top
of the standings as he finished no worse than 8th in
the Corr/Pak events, with an average feature finish
of 4.57.
2nd - Jared Zimbardi, Salamanca, NY…Zimbardi
competed in 11 of the 13 sprint car events run at
Ohsweken this season, including 6 of the 7 Corr/Pak
races. Zimbardi also raced on the Patriot trail full
time, which forced him to miss Mid-Season
Championship night at Ohsweken, but “The Juice”
took advantage of the mulligan rule to stay in the
title hunt. Zimbardi won the feature on June 6th and
his average feature finish was 4.33.
3rd - Ryan Hunsinger, Brantford…Hunsinger parlayed
a last-minute opportunity to drive Miles Hill’s
#77x into a very successful season. “The
Gunslinger” claimed feature wins on May 30 and
July 11 on his way to the Rookie of the Year award
in the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division in
2008, with an average feature finish of 6.29.
4th - Kevin Job, Campbellville…Job competed in all
13 sprint car events held at Ohsweken this season,
finishing out of the top 10 only twice, and claimed
the Southern Ontario Sprints tour feature win on
July 18. In Corr/Pak action, he finished out of the
top 10 just once, and compiled an average feature
finish of 5.86.
5th - Glenn Styres, Ohsweken…”The Ohsweken
Flyer” book-ended the Corr/Pak season by winning
the feature on opening night, and holding off Dave
Dykstra for another victory on August 29. Styres’
average finish in the Corr/Pak events was 8.14.
6th - Rob Pietz, Port Colborne…Pietz competed in
11 of the 13 sprint car events run at Ohsweken this
season, including 6 of the 7 Corr/Pak races. Pietz
recorded 4 top 5’s in the Corr/Pak events with a
best finish of 2nd on May 30 and an average feature
finish of 6.5.
7th - Dave Dykstra, Port Colborne…Dykstra showed
lots of promise during his first season in a sprint
car, during which he competed in 12 of the 13 sprint
car events held at Ohsweken, recording his best
finish on August 29 when he nearly got past Glenn
Styres in the last corner of the last lap but
settled for 2nd. Dykstra recorded 2 top 10 finishes
in Corr/Pak action, with an average feature finish
of 11.0.
8th - Brad Malloy, Niagara Falls…Malloy competed
in 12 of 13 sprint car events at Ohsweken in 2008,
including 6 of the 7 Corr/Pak events. Malloy
celebrated his first ever sprint car feature win on
August 22 after a hard fought battle with Glenn
Styres in what will go down as one of the best races
of the 2008 season. Malloy recorded 2 Top 5’s and
an average feature finish of 8.8 this season.
9th - Mikey Kruchka, Hamilton…Yet another rookie
competitor finishing in the top 10 in points,
Kruchka showed rapid improvement over the course of
the season. Kruchka competed in all 7 Corr/Pak
events, recording 3 straight top 10 finishes in the
last 3 events, including a 3rd place on August 29
for his best finish of the season. Kruchka’s
average feature finish this season was 9.7.
10th - John Riegling, Chatham…One of the most
experienced drivers in the field, Riegling was able
to claim the 10th spot in the standings by just 2
points over Bob Crawford and Jim Price, who finished
tied for 11th. “J.R.” competed in 10 sprint car
events at Ohsweken in 2008, including all 7 Corr/Pak
events. His best finish was a 10th place on August
22.
ESSO THUNDER STOCKS - AWARDS
HARD CHARGER AWARD
Cody McPherson (passed 100 cars)
“HARD LUCK” AWARD
Mike Thorne
DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION AWARD
Rob Disher
BEST APPEARING CAR AWARD
Thunder Stock – Glen Leinen
MECHANIC OF THE YEAR AWARD
Mikey Granton and crew of Cody McPherson #777
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD
Ryan Dinning
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Terry Osmond
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Mark Saul
The Top 10 in the ESSO Thunder Stocks were:
1st - Cody McPherson, St. Catharines...The young
driver of the #777 had a dream season in the ESSO
Thunder Stock division. McPherson competed in all 14
Thunder Stock events at Ohsweken in 2008, finishing
out of the top 3 only once - when a flat tire on
July 11 forced him off the track before the race was
completed - although he still managed to salvage an
8th place finish that night. McPherson scored 8
feature wins at Ohsweken this season, with an
amazing average feature finish of 2.0.
2nd - Ryan Dinning, Caledonia…Finishing 12th in
points in 2006 and 4th in 2007, Dinning improved his
points finish for a 3rd straight season. Competing
in all 15 Thunder Stock features in 2008, Dinning
finished outside the top 11 in a feature just 3
times, and recorded 6 Top 5 finishes. His average
feature finish was 8.93.
3rd - Glen Leinen, Hannon…2008 was Leinen’s 2nd
season behind the wheel of a Thunder Stock, and
while he couldn’t match his results from 2007, the
driver of the #9 did record 5 Top 5’s and 9 Top
10’s in 15 events this year, with an average
feature finish of 8.5.
4th - Rob Disher, Grimsby…Disher missed opening
night, but competed full time for the rest of the
season, running 14 features in all. A smooth and
consistent driver, Disher recorded 1 Top 5 and 9 Top
10’s, with an average feature finish of 10.57.
5th - Brad Bacher, Hagersville…The defending
Thunder Stock champ fought through some adversity
this season to finish in the top 10 in Thunder Stock
points for a 5th consecutive season. Competing in 12
of the 15 races, Bacher finished in the Top 5 on 5
occasions and recorded an average feature finish of
9.17.
6th - Mike Thorne, Caledonia...Thorne finished 6th
in points for the 2nd year in succession this
season. Competing in all 15 events, Thorne recorded
6 Top 10 finishes, the best of which was a 6th place
on opening night. The young driver could well have
taken home a feature win or two were it not for flat
tires and other gremlins derailing many of his best
runs. Mike's average feature finish this season was
12.4.
7th - Michelle Johnson, Caledonia...Johnson competed
in 14 Thunder Stock events this season, recording 6
Top 10 finishes along the way, including a 7th place
in the Mid-Season Championship feature. Michelle's
average feature finish was 12.21 this year.
8th - Terry Osmond, Cambridge...This year marks the
first season since 2004 that Osmond has not finished
5th or better in the standings. Terry started the
season with 2 wins and 7 Top 10 finishes in the
first 8 events, but ran into trouble and had to miss
Double Feature night, dropping him behind in the
points in the process. In total, Osmond recorded 8
Top 10's in 13 races, with an average feature finish
of 10.62.
9th - Chris Dickie, Brantford...After finishing 11th
last season, Dickie moved into the top 10 in the
final points tally this season with 3 Top 10
finishes in 14 races. His best finish was a 6th
place in the Mid-Season Championship race, and he
recorded an average feature finish of 13.5.
10th - Brian Pescetti, Stoney Creek...Pescetti was
just starting to get into a groove when a crash put
the #62 out of action for 3 weeks in August. The
young driver did record a feature win on June 27,
with 3 Top 5's and 7 Top 10's in 12 races this
season, recording an average feature finish of
11.17.
ESSO MINI-STOCKS - AWARDS:
HARD CHARGER AWARD
Abel Castelein (passed 64 cars)
“HARD LUCK” AWARD
Wyatt Van Wart
DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION AWARD
Rick Emberson
BEST APPEARING CAR AWARD
Kevin Hilborn
MECHANIC OF THE YEAR AWARD
Dan Stewart #27 Crew
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD
Mitchell Brown
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Rob Slater
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Brent Hill
ART HILL MEMORIAL AWARD
Mike Evers
The Top 10 in the ESSO Mini-Stocks were:
1st - Abel Castelein, Cayuga...Abel claimed his 2nd
consecutive ESSO Mini-Stock track championship this
season, claiming 4 feature wins along the way to
match his total of a year ago. Castelein competed in
all 14 Mini-Stock events in 2008, finishing out of
the top 6 only twice, with 11 top 5 finishes and an
average finish of 4.36.
2nd - Mitchell Brown, Brantford...Brown avoided the
"Sophomore Slump" in a big way this
season, scoring 4 feature wins and 9 Top 5's in 13
races, including the 42-lap Art Hill Memorial in
August. He finished the season with 8 consecutive
Top 10 finishes and an average feature finish of
5.31.
3rd - Rick Emberson, Paris...The 2005 track champion
fought through adversity with his "Purple
People Eater" #86 this season, including a
rollover on Mid-Season championship night.
Amazingly, the car was back on track after missing
just 1 race, while Rick jumped behind the wheel of
the Miller #79 to keep his points position intact.
Despite the problems, Rick ended the season with 7
Top 5's and 13 Top 10's in 14 races, and an average
feature finish of 6.29.
4th - Kevin Hilborn, Brantford...After falling to
10th in points last season, Hilborn was back in the
Top 5 this season. Always a consistent finisher,
Hilborn drove to victory lane for the first time
ever on September 26, while also recording 10 Top
5's and 14 Top 10's in 14 races, with an average
finish of 4.14.
5th - Brent Hill, Ohsweken...Hill was a rookie in
name only this season, driving like a veteran all
year, and finishing the season with 10 straight Top
10 finishes. Hill recorded 2 feature wins, 4 Top
5's, and 11 Top 10's in 14 races, with an average
feature finish of 7.57.
6th - Chase Hess, Ohsweken...Hess is another driver
who quickly found his rhythm this season, recording
5 Top 10's in the first 8 races, including a feature
win on June 6. Hess ended the season with 6 Top 5's,
10 Top 10's, and an average feature finish of 9.07.
7th - Mark Thorne, Waterford...Thorne recorded 6 Top
10 finishes in a row to start the season, but ran
into trouble on Mid-Season Championship night and
never quite recovered. He ended the season with 5
Top 5's and 7 Top 10's in 14 races, and an average
feature finish of 10.64.
8th - Dan Stewart, Hamilton...The middle of the
season went a long way toward Stewart's Top 10
finish in the points standings as he recorded 5 Top
10 finishes in a row between June 20 and July 18. In
all, Stewart ended the season with 2 Top 5's, 8 Top
10's, and an average feature finish of 9.64.
9th - Mike Giberson, Caledonia...One of the most
popular drivers at Ohsweken, "The Pinball"
recorded Top 10 finishes in half of the 14 events he
competed in this season. His best finish was 8th, a
spot where he finished twice, including in the Art
Hill Memorial race in August, and he finished the
season with an average feature finish of 11.36.
10th - David Goodacre & Rick Robinson (Team 05
Racing), Brantford...Robinson and Goodacre split the
driving duties in the #05 again this season,
combining for 1 feature win, 4 Top 5's, and 6 Top
10's. Their combined average feature finish was
10.71.
FRIDAY NIGHT FUN STOCKS - AWARDS
The Top 3 in the Friday Night Fun Stocks were:
1st - Lee Hils, Dundas...Lee was not in attendance
on opening night, but competed full time in the new
Fun Stock class for the rest of the season,
collecting 6 feature wins along the way. Lee never
finished worse than 3rd in any of the 14 races he
competed in, despite the level of competition rising
over the course of the season. Hils’ average
finish was 1.64!
2nd - Chris Hils, Dundas...Hils competed in all 15
Fun Stock events in the division's inaugural season,
the only driver to do so. He recorded a feature win
on June 6 and finished in the Top 5 on 10 occasions.
3rd - Karl Sault, Dundas...Sault won the first ever
Fun Stock feature and went on to claim 3 more
feature wins in 2008, along with 11 Top 5 finishes
in 14 races.
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