Dain Naida and Shane Stewart started the 35 lap feature on the front row, and Stewart used the middle groove in turn 2 to come out with the lead. Steve Poirier started fifth, but didn't stay there for long as he quickly moved to third. Lou Kennedy, Jr. brought out the first caution flag of the race at the end of the first lap when he stopped off of turn 1 with problems on the left front corner of his machine which ended his night.
Stewart took command when the green flag came back out, while Poirier made his way around Naida and set his sights on Stewart and a third Nationals win. The race was slowed again on lap 5 for Jason Solwold, who stopped in turn 2 with a broken rear end. Naida was still third at the time, but the front wing on his machine was coming loose and he dropped through the field when the green flag came out.
Poirier patiently chased Stewart until the two reached slower traffic on lap 9, but the caution flag came out again on lap 10 for a spin by Caleb Griffith in turn 4. Jason Barney took his machine to the pits during this caution period.
The race restarted with a lapped car between Stewart and Poirier, and another between Poirier, and Lance Yonge who was up to third. Chuck Hebing took third from Yonge when the green flag came back, but the race was slowed again on lap 12 for Dain Naida, who stopped in turn 2 and went to the work area. Naida returned, but would later drop out.
The race started again with no lapped cars between the 3 front-runners, and Poirier saw his chance to pounce. Poirier and Stewart traded slide jobs over the next few laps, while Poirier officially led laps 13 and 14 before Stewart took over again. The final caution flag of the race interrupted the torrid battle at the front on lap 16 when Brian McDonald spun off turn 3, while Michael Parent went to the pits with mechanical problems, and Dain Naida pulled off as well.
The race started again with Stewart leading, and Poirier, Hebing, Yonge, and 23rd starter Dustin Daggett, and 19th starter Jessica Zemken in the top 6. Stewart negotiated heavy traffic and fought to stay ahead of Poirier over the last half of the race, until Hebing pressured Poirier for second. Stewart got the win by 1.942 seconds at the end, while Hebing got by Poirier on lap 33 to finish second. Poirier got third and the Inside Track Motorsport News "Top Canadian" award, while Zemken took fourth, and Daggett finished fifth.
"The thing was 5 laps after every restart we were back in traffic," said Stewart in victory lane. "There was a couple times I just didn't know where to go, and I've seen more races lost than won when you're out leading like that, because you just don't really know where to go. I knew those guys were behind me, and at times of course me and Steve had a great race there."
Stewart pulled away at the end, while Poirier was occupied with the challenges of Hebing.
"My car kind of got a little better there at the end," said Stewart. "I just slowed down and kept the tires underneath me, and Tim and Joe and Cindy just gave me another great car. We kept working on it the last two nights, and kept creeping up on the setup, and they hit it right on the head for the feature."
Stewart's win made him the second driver in the 6 year history of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals to claim two feature wins.
"To be a 2 time winner of this race is an honour for me," said Stewart. "Hopefully I can come back next year and hopefully try for a three-peat."
Some pre-race favourites had trouble this weekend, including Bryan Howland who crashed hard on Friday night, suffering shoulder and leg injuries which finished his weekend.
2009 Ohsweken Speedway Corr/Pak Merchandising divison champion Tom Huppunen crashed in his heat race and scratched for the night on Saturday, while 2010 champion Dave Dykstra crashed in his B-Main, but did make repairs and ran the Little Feature.
Darren Long flipped in his heat race after contact with Dustin Daggett, who suffered a flat tire in the incident.
64 drivers from 3 Canadian provinces and six American states attempted to qualify for the 2010 edition of the Nationals. Father/son team Lou Kennedy, Jr., and Thomas Kennedy returned from Winnipeg, Manitoba, still the only drivers from that province to race at Ohsweken. Alberta-based car owner Richard Saumure was back for a second year in a row, this time with Jason Solwold of Burlington, Washington driving and become the first driver from that state in the Nationals. Randy Hannagan also added California to the list, and won the Riverside Bar & Grill "Little Feature".
Jessica Zemken ran the fastest time overall in group time trials, collecting the Lane Automotive Top Qualifier Award presented by All Star Performance, while Tom Huppunen was second and claimed the Bicknell Racing Products Top Canadian Qualifier award. Mitchell Brown and his crew were awarded with the Corr/Pak Merchandising “Bill Peer Memorial” Best Appearing Car honours.
Ohsweken Speedway wishes to thank all of the sponsors responsible for making this weekend’s events a big success, including Arrow Express, Corr/Pak Merchandising, Village Pizza, Sit n’ Bull Construction, Village Café, Wiseco Piston, BS&B Radiator, Zemco Racing Products, Manton Pushrods, KSE Racing Products, Diversified Machine, Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel, Awesome Racewear, Outhouse Imaging and Design, Bicknell Racing Products, Inside Track Motorsport News, Riverside Bar & Grill, HRP Wings, J&J Chassis, Comp Cams, Grisdale Racing Products, Winters Racing Products, Seals-It, Hoosier Tire, Pancho's Racing Products, Kinser Air Filters, Rocket Headers, Saldana Racing Products, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, and ISC Racer's Tape.
OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY RACE REPORT
OHSWEKEN, ONTARIO, CANADA
SEPTEMBER 18, 2010
EVENT SPONSOR - ARROW EXPRESS
SIXTH ANNUAL ARROW EXPRESS CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS
GROUP TIME TRIALS
(4 laps - Fastest qualifier in each draws for heat race inversion)
GROUP #1:
Position. Number Name (Hometown) - Best Lap (Overall Rank)
1. 12c Tom Huppunen (Fenwick) - 14.057 (2)
2. 17j Lance Younge (Penn Yan, NY) - 14.112 (4)
3. 25 Michael Parent (Granby, QC) - 14.223 (8)
4. 5 Keith Dempster (Alton) - 14.255 (9)
5. 14h Jim Huppunen (Fenwick) - 14.448 (18)
6. 38 Brad Knab (Arcade, NY) - 14.602 (24)
7. 49 Todd Hoddick (Cheektowaga, NY) - 14.630 (27)
8. 187 Gavin Hunyady (Fenton, MI) - 14.656 (29)
9. 5m Brad Malloy (Niagara Falls) - 14.785 (35)
10. 94 Stan Zanchin (Fort Erie) - 14.981 (47)
11. 7p Jim Price (Wainfleet) - 15.375 (59)
GROUP #2:
Position. Number Name (Hometown) - Best Lap (Overall Rank)
1. 14 Jessica Zemken (Sprakers, NY) - 13.995 (1)
2. 7 Kyle Moffitt (South Dayton, NY) - 14.301 (10)
3. 45 Chuck Hebing (Ontario, NY) - 14.343 (12)
4. 6n Dain Naida (Tecumseh, MI) - 14.380 (13)
5. 5d Dave Dykstra (Port Colborne) - 14.392 (15)
6. 12m Caleb Griffith (Castalia, OH) - 14.418 (16)
7. 21x Kevin Job (Campbellville) - 14.448 (17)
8. 30g Stevin Goldner (Aylmer) 15.053 (49)
9. 21j John Burbridge, Sr. (Simcoe) - 15.117 (51)
10. 9jr Tim Zack (Welland) - 16.032 (62)
11. 45x Doug Banks (Inverary) - No Time (64)
GROUP #3:
Position. Number Name (Hometown) - Best Lap (Overall Rank)
1. 3gx Shane Stewart (Pittsboro, IN) - 14.065 (3)
2. 10c Jeff Cook (Antwerp, NY) - 14.381 (11)
3. 80 Chris Steele (Vineland) - 14.787 (36)
4. 11x Tim Allison (Cridersville, OH) - 14.849 (39)
5. 84 Tyler Rand (Consecon) - 14.952 (45)
6. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (St. Williams) - 15.130 (53)
7. 36 Mike Stelter (Webster, NY) - 15.190 (54)
8. 3 Wayne Ashton (Kitchener) - 15.373 (58)
9. 67 Chris Durand (Port Stanley) - 15.433 (60)
10. 10b Bob Crawford (Sutton) - 15.528 (61)
11. f37 Jim Porter (Grand Island, NY) - 17.498 (63)
GROUP #4:
Position. Number Name (Hometown) - Best Lap (Overall Rank)
1. 3g Darren Long (Elida, OH) - 14.154 (5)
2. 2m Dustin Daggett (Grand Ledge, MI) - 14.158 (6)
3. 71 Travis Cunningham (Grimsby) - 14.535 (20)
4. 39c Jason Solwold (Burlington, WA) - 14.576 (22)
5. 21k Lou Kennedy, Jr. (Winnipeg, MB) - 14.770 (28)
6. 151kb Brian McDonald (Cornwall) - 14.806 (37)
7. 87 Jason Barney (Constantia, NY) - 14.861 (41)
8. 24 Devon Caron (Cornwall) - 14.862 (42)
9. 30 Adam West (Ridgetown) - 14.888 (43)
10. 2 Ross Vleck (Rochester, NY) - 15.099 (50)
11. 7c Dylan Swiernik (Port Leyden, NY) - 15.125 (52)
GROUP #5:
Position. Number Name (Hometown) - Best Lap (Overall Rank)
1. 28fm Steve Poirier (Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, QC) - 14.211 (7)
2. 3w Ryan Grubaugh (St. Johns, MI) - 14.461 (19)
3. 12 Tim Kelly (Rock Stream, NY) - 14.613 (25)
4. 7x Mike Ling (Mount Brydges) - 14.625 (26)
5. 42w Rick Wilson (Joyceville) - 14.683 (30)
6. 11 Jamie Turner (Caistor Centre) - 14.770 (34)
7. 10 Mitchell Brown (Brantford) - 15.008 (48)
8. 15aw April Wilson (Joyceville) - 15.275 (55)
9. 51L Lee Ladouceur (Alexandria) - 15.298 (56)
10. 7a Al Blanchard (Welland) - 15.334 (57)
GROUP #6:
Position. Number Name (Hometown) - Best Lap (Overall Rank)
1. 6 Kyle Patrick (Tilbury) - 14.390 (14)
2. 0 Glenn Styres (Ohsweken) - 14.575 (21)
3. 77x Randy Hannagan (San Jose, CA) - 14.589 (23)
4. 32 Justin Barger (Montrose, NY) 14.743 (31)
5. 13 Kevin Ward, Jr (Port Leyden, NY) - 14.764 (32)
6. 22d Dennis Yoakam (Lima, OH) - 14.767 (33)
7. 35 Jared Zimbardi (Salamanca, NY) - 14.820 (38)
8. 49t Gregg Dalman (Bellevue, MI) 14.849 (40)
9. 20k Thomas Kennedy (Winnipeg, MB) - 14.941 (44)
10. 81 Derek Jonathan (Lewiston, NY) - 14.965 (46)
HEAT RACES
(10 laps each - Top 3 finishers in each transfer to A-Feature, Winner of each draws for feature starting position):
WISECO PISTON HEAT RACE #1
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 17j Lance Yonge (1), 2. 25 Michael Parent (3), 3. 5 Keith Dempster (4),/4. 38 Brad Knab (6), 5. 14h Jim Huppunen (5), 6. 49 Todd Hoddick (7), 7. 5m Brad Malloy (9), 8. 187 Gavin Hunyaday (8), 9. 94 Stan Zanchin (10), 10. 7p Jim Price (11), 11. 12c Tom Huppunen (2) DNF. No Time.
BS&B RADIATOR HEAT RACE #2
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 6n Dain Naida (3), 2. 45 Chuck Hebing (4), 3. 12m Caleb Griffith (1),/4. 5d Dave Dykstra (2), 5. 14 Jessica Zemken (6), 6. 7 Kyle Moffit (5), 7. 21x Kevin Job (7), 8. 21j John Burbridge, Sr. (9), 9. 30g Stevin Goldner (8) DNF, 10. 9jr Tim Zack (10) DNF, 11. 45x Doug Banks (11) DNS. No Time.
ZEMCO SPEED EQUIPMENT Heat Race #3
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 3gx Shane Stewart (4), 2. 11x Tim Allison (1), 3. 10c Jeff Cook (3),/4. 84 Tyler Rand (5), 5. 80 Chris Steele (2), 6. 36 Mike Stelter (7), 7. 10b Bob Crawford (10), 8. 67 Chris Durand (9), 9. 31 John Burbridge Jr. (6), 10. 3 Wayne Ashton (8) DNF, 11. f37 Jim Porter (11) DNS. Time - 2:28.334
MANTON PUSHRODS HEAT RACE #4
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 21k Lou Kennedy, Jr. (2), 2. 151kb Brian McDonald (1), 3. 39c Jason Solwold (3),/4. 87 Jason Barney (7), 5. 71 Travis Cunningham (4), 6. 24k Devin Caron (8), 7. 30 Adam West (9), 8. 2 Ross Vleck (10), 9. 2m Dustin Daggett (5) DNF, 10. 3g Darren Long (6) DNF, 11. 7c Dylan Swiernik (11) DNS. No Time.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #5
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 28fm Steve Poirier (6), 2. 12 Tim Kelly (4), 3. 3w Ryan Grubaugh (5),/4. 42w Rick Wilson (2), 5. 7x Mike Ling (3), 6. 11 Jamie Turner (1), 7. 51L Lee Ladouceur (9), 8. 10 Mitchell Brown (7), 9. 7a Al Blanchard (10), 10. 15aw April Wilson (8). Time - 2:31.455
DIVERSIFIED MACHINE HEAT RACE #6
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 32 Justin Barger (4), 2. 0 Glenn Styres (2), 3. 35 Jared Zimbardi (7),/4. 49t Gregg Dalman (8), 5. 6 Kyle Patrick (1), 6. 77x Randy Hannagan (3), 7. 13 Kevin Ward, Jr. (5), 8. 22d Dennis Yoakam (6), 9. 81 Derek Jonathan (10), 10. 20k Thomas Kennedy (9). Time - 2:32.345
B-MAINS
(12 Laps each, Top 2 finishers transfer to A-Feature)
BEST WESTERN CAIRN CROFT HOTEL B-MAIN #1
1. 14 Jessica Zemken, 2. 7 Kyle Moffit,/3. 21x Kevin Job, 4. 14h Jim Huppunen, 5. 38 Brad Knab, 6. 187 Gavin Hunyaday, 7. 5m Brad Malloy, 8. 49 Todd Hoddick, 9. 94 Stan Zanchin, 10. 5d Dave Dykstra DNF, 11. 7p Jim Price DNF, 12. 12c Tom Huppunen DNS, 13. 12m Caleb Griffith DNS, 14. 30g Stevin Goldner DNS, 15. 9jr Tim Zack DNS, 16. 45x Doug Banks DNS. No Time.
AWESOME RACEWEAR B-MAIN #2
1. 87 Jason Barney, 2. 2m Dustin Daggett,/3. 71 Travis Cunningham, 4. 84 Tyler Rand, 5. 24k Devin Caron, 6. 36 Mike Stelter, 7. 80 Chris Steele, 8. 30 Adam West, 9. 2 Ross Vleck, 10. 10b Bob Crawford, 11. 67 Chris Durand, 12. 7c Dylan Swiernik DNF, 13. 3 Wayne Ashton DNF, 14. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. DNF, 15. 3g Darren Long DNS, 16. f37 Jim Porter DNS. No Time.
OUTHOUSE IMAGE AND DESIGN B-MAIN #3
1. 49t Gregg Dalman, 2. 13 Kevin Ward, Jr.,/3. 77x Randy Hannagan, 4. 6 Kyle Patrick, 5. 7x Mike Ling, 6. 42w Rick Wilson, 7. 151kb Brian McDonald, 8. 10 Mitchell Brown, 9. 22d Dennis Yoakam, 10. 20k Thomas Kennedy, 11. 7a Al Blanchard, 12. 11 Jamie Turner, 13. 81 Derek Jonathan, 14. 15aw April Wilson. Time - 3:07.099
RIVERSIDE BAR & GRILL "LITTLE FEATURE"
(15 Laps, Winner transfers to A-Feature)
1. 77x Randy Hannagan,/2. 49 Todd Hoddick, 3. 20k Thomas Kennedy, 4. 187 Gavin Hunyady, 5. 36 Mike Stelter, 6. 5d Dave Dykstra, 7. 30 Adam West, 8. 10 Mitchell Brown, 9. 151kb Brian McDonald, 10. 24k Devin Caron, 11. 31 John Burbridge, Jr., 12. 15aw April Wilson, 13. 10b Bob Crawford, 14. 7a Al Blanchard, 15. 67 Chris Durand DNF, 16. 38 Brad Knab DNF, 17. 84 Tyler Rand DNF, 18. 21j John Burbridge, Sr. DNF, 19. 94 Stan Zanchin DNF, 20. 9jr Tim Zack DNF. No Time.
CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS
ARROW EXPRESS A-FEATURE (35 laps)
Position. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 3gx Shane Stewart (2)
2 . 45 Chuck Hebing (8)
3. 28fm Steve Poirier (5)
4. 14 Jessica Zemken (19)
5. 2m Dustin Daggett (23)
6. 17j Lance Yonge (4)
7. 49t Gregg Dalman (21)
8. 0 Glenn Styres (12)
9. 32 Justin Barger (6)
10. 42w Rick Wilson (25)
11. 7 Kyle Moffit (22)
12. 6 Kyle Patrick (26)
13. 77x Randy Hannagan (30)
14. 13 Kevin Ward, Jr. (24)
15. 25 Michael Parent (7)
16. 21x Kevin Job (28)
17. 71 Travis Cunningham (29)
18. 12m Caleb Griffith (14)
19. 5 Keith Dempster (13)
20. 35 Jared Zimbardi (18)
21. 14h Jim Huppunen (27)
22. 12 Tim Kelly (11)
23. 3w Ryan Grubaugh (17)
24. 10c Jeff Cook (15) DNF
25. 151kb Brian McDonald (10) DNF
26. 6n Dain Naida (1) DNF
27. 11x Tim Allison (9) DNF
28. 87 Jason Barney (20) DNF
29. 39c Jason Solwold (16) DNF
30. 21k Lou Kennedy, Jr. (3) DNF
No Time.
Lap Leaders: Stewart (1-12, 15-35), Poirier (13-14)
AWARDS:
Inside Track Motorsport News Top Canadian A-Main Finisher – 28fm Steve Poirier
Lane Automotive Top Qualifier Award presented by All Star Performance – 14 Jessica Zemken (13.995 seconds)
Bicknell Racing Products Fastest Canadian Qualifier Award – 12c Tom Huppunen (14.057 seconds)
Corr/Pak Merchandising “Roadkill Bill Peer Memorial” Best Appearing Car Award – 10 Mitchell Brown
A-Main Contingency Sponsors:
Comp Cams, Grisdale Racing Products, Winters Racing Products, Seals-It, Hoosier Tire, Manton Pushrods, HRP Wings, Motorstate Distributing, Kinser Air Filters, Diversified Machine, Rocket Headers, Saldana Racing Products, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, ISC Racer's Tape, Corr/Pak Merchandising, Awesome Racewear, Inside Track Motorsport News
VINTAGE CARS
A-FEATURE (12 laps)
Position. Number Name (Hometown)
1. 99 Dave Charczuk (Lewiston, NY)
2. 43 Brian Page (Ridgeway)
3. 16 Daryl Bray (Rainham Centre)
4. 6 Lowry Siemens (Dunnville)
5. 4 Chic Voit (Kenmore, NY)
6. 62 Al Harju (Cayuga)
7. 00 Bill Harju (Fisherville)
8. 400 Jim Atkinson (Smithville)
9. 27 Doug Fralick (Port Colborne) DNS
NEXT UP @ OHSWEKEN:
Ohsweken Speedway Annual Awards Banquet
Saturday, November 13
New Marritt Hall - Ancaster, Ontario
Visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for details
Photos courtesy Peter Anderson/pandersonphotos.com
