By Tommy Goudge (November 14, 2009) - The 2009 Ohsweken Speedway season was capped off in fine fashion on Saturday night with the annual awards banquet at the new Marritt Hall in Ancaster. Tom Huppunen was honoured as the second champion of the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, while Shayne Pierce was crowned ESSO Thunder Stocks champion, Mitchell Brown claimed the ESSO Mini-Stock title, and Karl Sault was honoured as champion of the Bomber division.

CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS - AWARDS

HARD CHARGER 
Tom Huppunen (passed 56 cars in feature race action)

“HARD LUCK” 
Brad Malloy

DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION 
Mikey Kruchka

BEST APPEARING CAR 
Dain Naida

TEAM OF THE YEAR 
Fred Cade and crew of the #12c

MOST IMPROVED DRIVER 
Jamie Collard

SPORTSMANSHIP 
Kevin Job

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 
Travis Cunningham

The Top 10 in the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars were:

1st – Tom Huppunen, Fenwick…Huppunen’s first year driving for Fred Cade went very well. “The Fenwick Flyer” won six times in Corr/Pak action, including the $3,000 Northern Summer Nationals. He also recorded nine top fives, and finished seventh or better in all twelve features, with an average feature finish of 2.92.

2nd – Kevin Job, Campbellville…Job took the win on September 4, and has now recorded a feature win in each of his four sprint car seasons. Kevin competed in eleven Corr/Pak events in 2009, finishing in the top five on six occasions, and out of the top ten just twice. His average feature finish was 5.64.

3rd – Glenn Styres, Ohsweken…Styres competed in eleven Corr/Pak events, finishing fifth or better seven times. He recorded three runner-up finishes and an average feature finish of 7.18

4th – Dave Dykstra, Port Colborne…After a strong rookie season last year, Dykstra continued to improve in 2009. He recorded ten straight finishes of ninth or better until a crash on September 4. Dykstra returned the following week with a vengeance, taking his first ever sprint car feature win in dominating fashion. His average feature finish was 7.08.

5th – Ryan Hunsinger, Brantford…”The Gunslinger” found victory lane twice in 2009 Corr/Pak action, and also recorded more heat race wins (five) than any other driver. He found the top ten in half of his twelve races, and recorded an average feature finish of 8.08.

6th – Jamie Collard, Burford…After almost an entire season away from sprint car racing, Collard took the controls of Ray Ballantyne’s #27 in 2009 and came out flying. Despite some mechanical trouble in May, Collard still recorded seven top ten finishes, and an average feature finish of 7.4.

7th – Keith Dempster, Alton…Dempster struggled in defense of his 2008 championship, but did take a feature win and seven top ten finishes in 2009. The veteran driver recorded an average feature finish of 9.83.

8th – Mikey Kruchka, Hamilton…The sophomore sprint car driver looked poised to record his first career feature win in 2009, but a wild flip on August 7 was a setback. Kruchka finished the year with six top ten finishes, and improved his position in the final standings after finishing ninth last year. His average feature finish was 9.27.

9th – Travis Cunningham, Grimsby…Cunningham prevailed in a close race for the Rookie of the Year award, and became a threat for feature wins as the season progressed. The former Modified competitor recorded eight top tens and an average feature finish of 10.5 this year.

10th – Dain Naida, Belleville, MI…The only American to finish in the top ten, Naida fought through some mechanical failures and a serious crash to record seven top ten finishes and a feature win this year. His average feature finish was 10.0.

ESSO THUNDER STOCKS – AWARDS

HARD CHARGER 
Shayne Pierce (passed 74 cars in feature race action)

“HARD LUCK”
Billy Bleich, Jr.

DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION
Rob Disher

BEST APPEARING CAR
Lee Winger

TEAM OF THE YEAR
Crew of #108jr Billy Bleich

MOST IMPROVED DRIVER
Jamie Cox

SPORTSMANSHIP
Jeremy Bean

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Mark Thorne

The Top 10 in the ESSO Thunder Stocks were:

1st – Shayne Pierce, Welland…Picked to replace 2008 champion Cody McPherson behind the wheel of car owner Mikey Granton’s machine this year, Pierce had big shoes to fill. The nineteen year old lived up to those expectations by taking two feature wins and seven runner-up finishes on his way to the 2009 Thunder Stock championship. Pierce finished in the top ten in all seventeen of his feature races, and recorded an average finish of 3.88.

2nd – Jamie Cox, Cambridge…Cox’s had an excellent second season at Ohsweken, claiming five feature wins and thirteen top ten finishes in sixteen races. He recorded three wins in a row from July 31 to August 14, and had an average feature finish of 6.06.

3rd – Brad Herron, Brantford…A familiar face at the track, Herron returned for a full season in 2009, recording a feature win and fourteen top ten finishes in seventeen races. His average finish was 5.25.

4th – Billy Bleich, Port Robinson…Bleich and eventual champion Pierce battled back and forth for the title for much of the year, before mechanical problems interfered. Bleich recorded three feature wins and top ten finishes in sixteen of eighteen races, and an average finish of 5.28.

5th – Jeremy Bean, Stoney Creek…A consistent season for the “Bean Machine” resulted in top ten finishes in fifteen of eighteen races. He recorded two runner-ups and an average finish of 6.61.

6th – Ryan Dinning, Caledonia…Problems early in the season kept him out of the title hunt, but Dinning was a threat to win most weeks, and took his first career victory on Mid-Season championship night. He recorded fifteen top ten finishes out of eighteen races, and an average finish of 8.06.

7th – Chris Dickie, Brantford…Dickie continued to improve in 2009, and ended the year with a heat race win, and five top ten finishes in fourteen races. He also finished eleventh four times, and recorded an average finish of 11.43.

8th – Rob Disher, Grimsby…Disher persevered through some crashes and mechanical problems to claim a feature win and ten top tens in eighteen races. His average feature finish was 10.44. 

9th – Lee Winger, Caledonia…Winger finished fifteen of seventeen races in the top ten, and recorded three feature wins along the way. His average finish was 6.24.

10th – Mike Thorne, Caledonia…Thorne broke through with his first career win in 2009, and finished half of his sixteen races in the top ten. His average finish was 10.47.

ESSO MINI-STOCKS - AWARDS:

HARD CHARGER 
Mitchell Brown (passed 99 cars in feature race action)

“HARD LUCK” 
Mike Evers

DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION 
Mike Giberson

BEST APPEARING CAR 
Mitchell Brown

MECHANIC OF THE YEAR 
Doug Brown and crew of the #10

MOST IMPROVED DRIVER 
Ethan Martin

SPORTSMANSHIP 
Dan Stewart

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 
Ethan Martin

The Top 10 in the ESSO Mini-Stocks were:

1st – Mitchell Brown, Brantford…After narrowly missing out on the 2008 championship, the young driver made sure he was up front right from the start this year. The third generation racer won eleven features in 2009, and also finished in the runner-up position three times for a total of fourteen top fives in seventeen races. His average feature finish was an excellent 2.88.

2nd – Abel Castelein, Cayuga…After two straight championships, Castelein had to miss a couple of events this year but still came home second in the standings. Abel won two features in 2009, and finished in the top five in fourteen of sixteen races. His average feature finish was 3.56.

3rd – Rick Emberson, Brantford…Rick’s “Purple People Eater” finished in the top ten in fourteen of seventeen features this year, including two races with Sam Miller behind the wheel. Rick’s average feature finish was 7.93.

4th – Dave Goodacre, Brantford…After sharing the #05 ride with Rick Robinson for a couple of seasons, Dave and Rick each fielded a ride as teammates in 2009. Dave took home eleven top ten finishes in seventeen events, including a third place on Season Championship night. Dave’s average feature finish was 8.53.

5th – Mike Evers, Caledonia…The veteran driver competed in his one-hundredth career Mini-Stock race in 2009, and continued to be a threat for feature wins every week. The #265 finished in the top ten in fourteen of sixteen events in 2009, including one with fellow veteran racer Jim Cochrane at the controls. Mike’s average feature finish was 7.29.

6th – Dan Stewart, Hamilton…A stalwart in the Mini-Stock division, Stewart recorded four top ten finishes in seventeen races this year. His average finish was 12.1.

7th – Mike Giberson, Caledonia…”The Pinball” was the only driver to compete in all eighteen Mini-Stock events held at the track in 2009. He recorded five top fives, and an average feature finish of 12.1.

8th – Rob Slater, Dundas…Slater’s #55 was in the field for all eighteen events in 2009, including one with brother Kevin in the driver’s seat. Rob recorded three top ten finishes and an average finish of 14.3.

9th – Ethan Martin, Ohsweken…After a crash cut his season short last year, Martin came back full time in 2009 with his rookie eligibility intact. He scored a career best third place on July 31, and finished in the top ten four times total in seventeen races. His average finish was 11.8.

10th – Kelly Hallett & Drew Spencer (#88), Wilsonville/Oakville…Veteran Hallett and newcomer Spencer shared the #88 in 2009, combining for fifteen feature events. Hallett recorded two top ten finishes in seven races, and an average finish of 15.1.

BOMBERS - AWARDS
The Top 3 in the Bombers were:

1st – Karl Sault, Dundas…After a second place finish in points last year, Sault returned with six feature wins and sixteen top five finishes in seventeen races on his way to the 2009 championship. He also finished in the runner-up position nine times!

2nd – Kacey Huffman, Hamilton…Kacey’s second year in the Bombers found him in the top five in eleven of seventeen events.

3rd – Jesse McDonald, Caledonia…Jesse recorded five feature wins and twelve top five finishes out of sixteen events in 2009, while father Mike drove the #88j to a third place on August 7.

SPECIAL AWARDS

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY 
Glenn Styres

ART HILL MEMORIAL AWARD
Mitchell Brown

Ohsweken Speedway would like to thank all the racers, fans, staff, sponsors, and everyone else who made 2009 the best season yet! Weekly Friday Night Thunder action is again on tap for the fifteenth anniversary season in 2010. It all begins on Friday, May 14, 2010. Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information.