Saturday, September 13, 2008
FLAMBORO: Cancelled for tonight
Brockville: Modified Mania Cancelled
4TH ANNUAL CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS HAVE BEEN POSTONED TO SEPTEMBER 26TH & 27TH
THE ENTIRE WEEKEND HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26TH AND SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27TH. SEE DETAILS BELOW.
Friday September 26th
'VILLAGE PIZZA with SIT-N-BULL Construction & VILLAGE CAFÉ' presents
4th Annual "OHSWEKEN SHOOTOUT" & "The Night Before The Nationals"
plus 2nd Annual "Dave MacLeod Memorial - Mr. Sprint Car Challenge"
ALSO INCLUDES THUNDER STOCKS, MINI STOCKS AND FUN STOCKS (non-points)
Adult RESERVED - $15 / Kids RESERVED 6 - 12 - $5 / Under 6 - FREE / Adult GENERAL Admission @ $10 / Kids 12 and under FREE / PIT PASS AVAILABLE for $5 WITH ADULT RESERVED EVENT TICKET
--------------------------------------------------
Saturday September 27th
ARROW EXPRESS presents
4th Annual "CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS" (30 laps - $8,000 to Win)
plus RIVERSIDE BAR & GRILL "Non-Qualifiers Second Chance"
Adult RESERVED - $35 / Kids RESERVED 6 - 12 - $5 / Under 6 - FREE / Adult GENERAL Admission @ $20 / Kids GENERAL Admission 6 -12 - $5 / Under 5 - FREE / PIT PASS AVAILABLE for $5 WITH ADULT RESERVED EVENT TICKET
Rain Date: Sunday September 28th
Friday, September 12, 2008
Ohsweken Speedway: Friday night racing cancelled... Saturday still a 'go'
From Ohsweken Speedway:
Racing action at Ohsweken Speedway has been cancelled for Friday September 12th due to rain.
Saturday's racing program remains scheduled as planned for September 13th. Pit gates open at 8am while spectator gates open at 1pm.
Thanks and have a great weekend
Wonderland Speedway: Sept. 12 races cancelled
Racing is cancelled for Sept. 12, and will be run next Friday Sept. 19th
at the normal hour.
The Wonderland Classic will still be held on Sept. 20th
Gates open at 3 pm // hot laps at 4 pm // time trials at 5 pm // racing
at 7 pm
Hornaday talks to the media about possible "substance abuse"
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
NASCAR, RON HORNADAY AND KEVIN HARVICK PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
September 12, 2008
RON HORNADAY, NO. 33 CAMPING WORLD SILVERADO; KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL IMPALA SS AND CO-OWNER OF KEVIN HARVICK, INC. (KHI), HORNADAY’S RACE TEAM AND JIM HUNTER, NASCAR VICE PRESIDENT CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS met with members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to discuss recent media story concerning possible substance abuse:
JIM HUNTER: “Good morning everybody. Well, Ron Hornaday has been in the news the last couple of day and we are here this morning to help clear the air. Ron is, as most of you know, or some of you know, is a pretty candid guy. From NASCAR’s perspective, we appreciate Ron’s candor as well the openness of his truck owners, Kevin and DeLana Harvick. The Harvicks have been very active when it comes to substance abuse in our sport. We have discussed the substance abuse issue with them very extensively for the past several days.
“Here is what we know: our substance abuse experts have told us the prescription Ron Hornaday used did not enhance performance or impair his judgment. It is our understanding Ron had a very serious health issue which is continuing to be addressed.
“The facts as we know them today are as follows: His health issues go back to 2004, ’05 and ’06. Ron was sick and tried to find out why. In December of ’04, he began to lose weight and just wasn’t up to par. By the end of the year, some personal friends referred him to a clinic. Following blood tests and consultation, he was given a testosterone cream prescription. By mid-summer or mid-season of 2005, he continued to lose weight. He also had an emergency appendectomy. He still wasn’t feeling very good. He had lost more than 20 pounds. He went to another doctor and that doctor gave him a full physical. I will let Ron tell you about that, from top to bottom. He was diagnosed with gastrolitis and treated accordingly. By late February of ’06, he still wasn’t 100% and had lost 30 pounds. After the California race, Kevin (Harvick) made Ron go see Kevin’s physician. Hornaday was diagnosed with hyper-active thyroid and was told he needed to be treated immediately.
“Ultimately, his physician prescribed Synthroid for use in thyroid conditions. I will let Ron pick it up from here.
RON HORNADAY: “A lot of you know me, some of you don’t know me, but I am a pretty open person. I think a lot of people have seen me through the years of racing, how much weight I have lost and stuff. I know I was doing the right thing for my health, so, when Kevin told me I was going to his doctor, I got pretty upset. I told them I had just done a full scan, I can’t say it can I? Up the wrong side, down my throat and everything. When he came back and said I had gastrolitis, I argued with Kevin and said I have seen doctors and just got the whole thing done.
“At the February Daytona race (2006), I got IV’d before the race. Then we got to the California race and I was really sick down there, had IVs again before the race. I think we had a brake problem and ended up pretty far back.
“We got home, Kevin called me that Monday morning and asked me what I was doing that morning, I said I was coming up to the shop that afternoon. He said he needed me up there now. When I got there, Rick Carelli (KHI general manager and Hornaday’s spotter) was waiting for me at the door and said we had an appointment. I kinda told Carelli a couple of foul words and told him that I didn’t think that was fair and all that stuff. We finally got over there (Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center) to the doctor, just walking him the door, Kevin had explained to him what my feelings were and what I had been doing and all that stuff, he kinda looked at me and said ‘I kinda know already what it is. I can see it in your eyes.’ He told me to take my hat off and felt my hair and said I will let you know by this afternoon. He did all the blood work and all that stuff. When he called me about 3:30 or 4:00 o’clock in the afternoon, I think he spoke to me and asked if he could release the records to Kevin. He told me it was called Grave’s Disease. I didn’t know what it was.
“I asked if I could take care of it after the season and he said no, it was a life and death situation right now and that I needed to take care of it now. For four or five days where they check what you eat, you go that morning, that afternoon, that morning, that afternoon for three or four days. They give you a little pill; I don’t know what it is called, nuclear something or another, when the nurse brought it in there, she opened up this little vial up and dropped the pill down my throat. I couldn’t see my wife; she couldn’t come around me for forty-eight hours, the whole deal.
“Now, I have to keep going back to the doctors, for two years, you have to go back every three months. Now I am every six months, I have to see the doctor, take blood work, then they prescribe the Synthroid. Sometimes you guys see me fat, sometimes you see me skinny. They are measuring how much my body does.
“I felt like I was chasing, I don’t know how to say it.”
KEVIN HARVICK: “Chasing ghosts. From a friend stand point, when you see Ron’s health start to deteriorate. It is not about driving. This whole situation is not driving; this is about somebody’s personal health. Ron went to the extent of trying to make his life better, trying to make his health better. When he went to the extremes of being mis-diagnosed twice, after the California race, I pretty much told him, that is it. You are done until you figure out what is wrong.
“From an owner’s standpoint, maybe that is not what I should have done or how I should have done it. But from a friend’s standpoint, that is how I did it.”
HORNADAY: “I don’t know if anyone has seen the championship speech I gave, I thanked Kevin and DeLana not only for winning the championship but helping me with my life. That is kinda what I meant. I could have kept going down the same path thinking it was gastrolitis and keep taking the little pills the doctor was giving me for gas or whatever it was, I probably wouldn’t be here. So, Kevin and DeLana, I owe everything to for making that phone call to set it up with their doctor.”
HOW ARE YOU FEELING NOW RON AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE THIS ALL UNDER CONTROL?
HORNADAY: “I when I came here with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in ’94 and ’95, I weighed 200-205 pounds and that is where I sit right now. My belly might show it. I feel fine. I felt fine before. I started losing weight and I got the shakes real bad. I felt fine then, other than just losing weight and getting the shakes. A little tiredness and stuff like that, but I mean, heck I am 50, I am going to be tired now, so it don’t matter.”
JIM, IS THERE ANY NASCAR INVOLVEMENT WITH WHAT RON DID OR IS IT OVER AND DONE WITH?
HUNTER: “It is over and done with, he is cleared to race. We don’t see where Ron did anything wrong. Our substance policy is based on reasonable suspicion. If you talk to physicians, which I would encourage you to do, on a case-by-case basis, depending upon on what a person’s condition is, then their prescriptions with all sorts of substances that are used for treatment, in some cases, those are acceptable. In Ron’s case, it was back in ’04, ’05, it is over.”
IS IT CORRECT THAT THE TESTOSTRONE CREAM IN QUESTION WAS NOT ADDED TO THE LIST OF NASCAR SUBSTANCES UNTIL THIS SEASON?
HUNTER: “When you really analyze our policy, and by-the-way, within the next few weeks we are going to announce what we are doing in making some improvements to our policy. It doesn’t necessarily make a substance illegal. There are some conditions under which, that is why I used the phrase, talk to physicians, there are certain conditions where testosterone might be prescribed. So I would hesitate to blanket say a substance is totally banned. There are certain substances that are banned. Until we announce our new policy, I don’t think I want to just lay a blanket over certain substances.”
YOUR COMMENTS ON IF THIS PERSON HAD KNOW YOU AS MOST OF US KNOW YOU WOULD NEVER TAKE SOMETHING OR THINK OF SOMETHING AS PERFORMANCE ENHANCING TO BEGIN WITH:
HORNADAY: “I appreciate that. I don’t take aspirin. A lot of people in here know that I do drink beer, I love my beer, but I don’t drink beer the night before a race and I don’t drink on the race track. You guys know I have nothing ever to hide.
“When this gentleman came in to do this story, I thought it was the Southwest Tour days and stuff. He took me out back and wanted to see the beautiful lake and talk to me about it. He brought it up and asked if I have done steroids. I said “Yea”. For one, you don’t have to take me out back, my family knows what I do, I have nothing to hide, so, am I ashamed? No. I would do it today, but from 2004-2008 there are different laws or whatever you want to call. I saw a nurse, I showed Kevin and DeLana. I wasn’t even upset when this guy was talking to me about it. I just had to call Kevin and DeLana and tell them this guy is going to write a story. I have got all the documents that Kevin has in his hand right there and showed NASCAR. I have nothing to hide.”
HARVICK: “For us, we have all the paperwork, we have all the blood work, everything that he went through to get the cream and the diagnosis of why it was prescribed and why it all came this way for him.
“Bob (Margolis), you can relate to this as good as anybody. We have seen it a lot with DeLana’s father. There is just a lot of different health reasons that you would have to use steroids for. Synthroid is actually a form of steroids that is prescribed to him now to take care of thyroid. If he doesn’t take that, he pretty much dies.
“It is unfortunate the way that the interview was obtained through our PR department and through the things that had all went down. That part is unfortunate. But, the people who know who he is and what he is about. Sure, there is probably a different route to go about it today. But, he it was right on the verge of the HIPA laws and the things that come with, of really really crossing the line. That, to me, is unfortunate for a lot of you people in this room that have to deal with these types of people on your side.”
JIM, IS HGH, I DON’T KNOW IF YOU CAN REALLY TEST FOR IT, IF YOU FIND OUT SOMEONE IS USING IT, DO YOU FEEL LIKE IN CERTAIN INSTANCES…..
HUNTER: “I am not going to speculate.”
HARVICK: “Hold on here, the HGH side of this, we are not going to drag Lindy (Hornaday) in to this. We have already violated enough personal records. The HGH part of it, we are not dragging Lindy Hornaday in to this as well. We are not going to violate that side of personal records. These are personal health issues and Ron has been kind enough to show NASCAR and show us his personal health issues. On the HGH side, we aren’t getting in that.”
HORNADAY: “I did show them Lindy’s too.”
KEVIN, DID YOU KNOW WHAT RON WAS TAKING IS NOW ON NASCAR’S LIST?
HARVICK: “Until this situation came about, we didn’t know that Ron had sought this form of medical attention. Once we knew all the details of it and we knew he health issues and we know we have fixed them since then.”
JIM, CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, BUT EVERY DRIVER IN NASCAR’S TOP-THREE SERIES HAS TO GO THROUGH A PHYSICAL BEFORE THEY ARE ALLOWED TO RACE AT THE START OF THE YEAR AND SHOULD THIS HAVE BEEN CAUGHT AT THAT TIME?
HUNTER: “Going back to then and this is now, I don’t know that there is anything in the physical that would have indicated. Like I said, there are certain prescriptions for things that are not in violation of the policy. I don’t want to speculate on what might have been. What we hope to do with our new policy is have a much better policy. In that regard, the Harvicks have worked very closely in developing a policy of their own for KHI, as have other team owners. I think this is an individual case where a person’s health was the central issue.”
RON, YOU WERE SO FORWARD WITH YOUR FAMILY, WERE YOU AS FORWARD WITH NASCAR IN 2005-2005?
HORNADAY: “The nurses had seen me; they questioned me at the race track. I told them I had seen doctors and stuff like that. By putting it down, no, I didn’t do that because, if you checked me, my levels were so low that probably put me back to standard so I don’t know.”
HARVICK: “He didn’t know the diagnosis at the time, it was a moving target.”
CAN YOU DESCRIBE FOR US HOW STUBBORN RON WAS WHEN YOU TRIED TO DRAG HIM TO THE DOCTOR?
HARVICK: “For me it is different. I just look at it as Ron. I have known Ron, I say 16, he says younger. It all depends upon who you talk to as far as when I started racing late model stuff. Ron was struggling to find out exactly what was wrong with his health and obviously, he had the appendix problem. I had watched him for the first two weeks of the season, lay in the infield care center and take IVs before the race. For me it was a no-brainer. Ron is one of my best friends, for me it was simple. I called Carelli and told him to take him to Wake Forest. He was a little bit stubborn about it with Carelli. I actually wasn’t there, but we had a plan to get him to the hospital, so I didn’t see that stubbornness, and get it figured out.”
HORNADAY: “Yea, you hid from me.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BEING A DRIVER AND THE MINDSET THAT YOU CAN’T BE SICK?
HORNADAY: “When I first started driving for Dale (Earnhardt), I couldn’t ride a Harley, I couldn’t water ski, I couldn’t roller skate. With Kevin, I told him, if I go out there and water ski and break my toe, I ain’t going to tell ya. I break my leg, I ain’t going to tell you either. I want to race. We do stupid things, skate boarding and all that stuff.
HARVICK: “I would like to see that. I would really enjoy that.”
HUNTER: “I would too. Skate Boarding?”
HORNADAY: “It is my office behind that steering wheel. I was back in right after I had my appendix out. You love sitting in that truck; you love racing. I don’t care if it is a car or truck, it is fun. I think it is more mental; when I was younger it was more physical. But now it is more mental and having that equipment to drive.”
HARVICK: “And things have changed since a lot of the things he is talking about and you are talking about, Ray (Dunlap) as far as the way NASCAR goes. The nurses are around every week. They know when you have been in an accident. They knew what things are going on. It is just like the Synthroid for Ron, it is on his physical forms. They know it is a moving target with his dosage and the way it works.
“Back when I broke my sternum in 2005 at Daytona, I raced with it in the Nationwide races and in the Cup races for weeks. I had to have help getting in and out of the car, but they knew there was nothing else they could do; obviously you can’t take pain medicine or anything like that. They know all that is going on and especially, not only this situation, but there are a lot of instances in the garage where there is not enough credit for the communication between the teams and the drivers. A lot of times it is a personal issue that you guys never hear about, they know about most of it. Sometimes they do, but sometimes they don’t, but more times than not, they know what is going on. Our world is public, but sometimes the health issues have to stay private.”
DOES THIS REAL-WORLD SITUATION HAVE ANY IMPACT ON THE NEW DRUG POLICY?
HUNTER: “I think any time you say certain words, it raises the level of interest. But I don’t think the particular issue, to us; this is a health issue of whether a person is sick or ill and trying to find a way to fix it. One of the things about our new policy, I should say revised policy, is that we have sought and have spoken to just about every car owner, just about every driver so we have gotten a tremendous amount of input from them so that we put a better policy in place for today’s world. When we announce that I think it will be.”
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.
From GM
Targa Newfoundland...start your engines!
ST. JOHN’S (September 12, 2008) – The 2008 edition of Targa Newfoundland will commence tomorrow, Saturday, September 13 with a car show at the RE/MAX Centre in St. John’s (formerly called the St. John’s Curling Club) from 3 pm to 10 pm. The general public is encouraged to drop by to view many of the amazing competitors’ vehicles being showcased.
The official start of Targa Newfoundland 2008 is at 12 noon on Sunday in front of the Keg on Harbour Drive. 85 teams will begin their quest to compete and finish at the top of their respective divisions.
Daily updates including results and images will be available on-line at www.targanewfoundland.com
Owned and operated by Newfoundland International Motorsports Limited, Targa Newfoundland is one of three internationally recognized Targa motorsports events in the world. The 7th annual Targa Newfoundland will start and end in St. John’s and will cover more than 2,000 kilometres of the challenging, twisty roads of the central and eastern portion of the island of Newfoundland over six days, including up to 400 kilometres of closed-road, flat-out Targa stages. Competitors have come from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Holland, the Bahamas and the U.K. for the first six editions of Targa Newfoundland and international interest continues to build with competitors registering daily from places such as Germany and the Turks & Caicos.
-30-
From: Ian Chaytor // ian@targanewfoundland.com
<<Targa Newfoundland...Start your engines release.doc>>
AIM Autosport - Miller Motorsport Park pre race report
One to go - with some unfinished business:
Woodbridge, Ontario - September 11, 2008: If momentum means anything, the final race in the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 should be something special for the AIM Autosport team. Momentum has played a very big role since the race at Daytona back in July when Mark Wilkins recorded the team's first pole. Since then, The Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley has been on pole two more times, made three trips to the podium and led each of the last five races. In two of those races, Brian Frisselle would drive from the back of the pack to hand over the car in contention for a good result. Both resulted in podiums so yes, momentum must mean something and the hope is to carry that forward to the final race at Miller Motorsport Park next weekend.
Going into the race in Tooele, Utah, AIM Autosport sits fifth in the team championship. just six points out of third place. Mark and Brian are in a tie for ninth in the drivers' championship. Both are a far cry from being nineteenth after the Rolex 24 in January, but it has been a steady climb ever since. Starting in the top five twelve times certainly helps the cause but racing is also a tough master and on more than one occasion, gremlins (both mechanical and natural) have kept the No. 61 Ford Riley from reaching the intended goal. Each and every race however, the entire crew was back with stronger focus and greater dedication to get the job done. Then they knocked over that first domino with the win in Montreal. Now the goal is to cap off the season with a strong enough effort to move up a few positions and serve notice for 2009.
The good news is that Mark and Brian will have some assistance in reaching that goal in the 1000 kilometer race with the addition of Cristiano da Matta. The 2002 CART Champion and former F1 driver brings a level of technical expertise to the team and both Mark and Brian have expressed their excitement at learning from someone with da Matta's skills, technical insight and knowledge. Cristiano has expressed that he is excited to be joining with "these two young guys who are out there kicking butt right now."
Of course winning the race – and keeping the appropriate cars a safe number of positions back, is job one, but there are a couple of other milestones to consider. Mark has the opportunity to tie for the most poles by a driver this season (three) and if he does so, it would bring a tie for the most poles by any team (four). AIM Autosport is also one of only two teams to record multiple wins in 2008 while Mark and Brian join only a handful of drivers making three or more trips to the podium. It should be an exciting weekend in Utah.
"Other than having an extra weekend off since New Jersey in what has been a hectic two month schedule, nothing has changed in the program," commented team principal Ian Willis. "For everyone at the shop, Miller is 'just the next race' and we have the same goal in mind as if it were any other ... have a strong, fast car capable of winning. Of course there are some differences with the addition of Cristiano and the consensus is, this just makes us stronger." He continued, "Brian and Mark are certainly excited by the prospect of having Cristiano in the car while the crew know they have to bring their 'A' game like they always do. It will be a pretty fantastic way to close out the year and give us momentum going into '09."
The Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 is on track for the SunRichGourmet.com 1000 at Miller Motorsport Park in Tooele, Utah starting with official practice on Friday, September 19 starting at 10:20 a.m. PT (12:20 p.m. ET). The race is scheduled to start at 11:08 a.m. PT (1:08 p.m. ET) Saturday, September 20. The 1000 km race will be broadcast live on SPEED TV starting at 1:00 p.m. ET.
AIM Autosport Facts: Established in 1995, AIM Autosport has a mandate to identify, train and manage emerging motorsport talent. AIM has provided many young drivers with a solid foundation on which to build a career in professional racing. The success of the AIM driver development programs has been achieved through the dedication of our employees and the ongoing support of our commercial and technical partners. Away from the track, AIM Autosport serves the needs of the racing community with a purpose-built preparation shop situated in the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ontario. AIM fields the Exchange Traded Gold #61 Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype in the Rolex Grand Am series with drivers Mark Wilkins and Brian Frisselle. The team also competes in the Star Madza Championship presented by Goodyear with John Edwards at the wheel of the #7 Formula Mazda.
Photo credit: Caitlin Fell
From: Chris Jameson // Level Ten Communications
<<AIM_Infineon_6612.jpg>> <<AIM_Infineon_6988.jpg>>
ONTARIO SHORT TRACKS: Bryan Mercer Tackles the Track
By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications
Although he’s only 35 years old, Bryan Mercer has spent much of his adult life chasing racing. What started as a casual hobby for the Port Hope, Ontario resident has turned into a passion he feeds every Friday night between May and September.
In 2007, Mercer earned Kawartha Speedway’s most improved driver honours and finished 4th in the late model division. He’d hoped to parlay that momentum into some early season success and possibly do a little more travelling this year, but other than a trip to Delaware Speedway near London, Ontario in April and a rainout at Capital City Speedway, his road trips have been few and far between. The father of 3 has stayed pretty close to home.
“The Delaware show helped us get a jump on the season but may have also hurt us,” says Mercer. “We finished 8th, but an on-track incident might’ve damaged the car more than we first thought. It was kind of a rough race and some of the other competitors were a tad over anxious to get their season rolling. I was looking forward to the Ottawa race. Larry, Dan and Brandon (Kawartha Speedway drivers Larry Jackson, Dan McHattie and Brandon Watson) were there too, but rain caused the promoter to pull the plug.”
Mercer has been a little frustrated by the way his crew has had to ‘chase’ the car Friday nights at Kawartha this year. He says the track has become very temperature sensitive and things his McColl chassis Chevrolet does during the practise sessions don’t always translate well to how it performs under race conditions later on. There have also been mechanical issues to deal with that have caused some long hours in the shop.
Friday, September 5th looked like it could be a good night for the #81 Sine’s Flooring/Royal LePage Pro Alliance Real Estate-Derek Friedrich team. A 3rd place run in their qualifying heat gave them a spot in the semi-feature. Unfortunately, rain moved into the area and cancelled the remainder of the night just after the limited late model semi feature.
“The weather has hurt everyone this year,” says Mercer. Drivers, sponsors, race tracks – they’re all feeling the pressure. Kawartha has lost 5 shows this year. That’s a huge fact, especially when you consider they ran 2 complete seasons without a rainout.”
Saturday, August 30th Bryan Mercer did some travelling to get his racing fix. A last minute run to Delaware Speedway for the Great Canadian Race APC 300 produced some unexpected results. In time trials, he was 25th out of 33 cars. In the main event, Mercer turned-in an 11th place finish.
Look to www.kawarthaspeedway.com to track Bryan Mercer’s 2008 performance.
Photo tag line: Bryan Mercer holds the bottom line through turn 3 at Kawartha Speedway. (Jim Clarke photo)
Media contact: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications
<<010.JPG>>
NASCAR: Hornaday admits taking testosterone; received HGH
Saratoga Speedway Saturday Night Action
Port Albernie’s Rob Gaudrealt, who went into the nights racing only 2 points up on Campbell River’s Stewart Lee, took advantage of a late race spin by Lee to capture the 35 lap Bomber car main event and increase his advantage to 26 points. The main event saw Lee quickly move through the field and into the lead. While lapping other cars, he spun on turn 3 giving up the lead to Gaudrealt who would go on to finish ahead of Lee. Justin Beaulieu capped his best night of racing with his best ever main event finish.
In earlier heat race action wins went to Darren Larsen, Justin Gamble, Kyle Harrison and Beaulieu.
A completive field of Dwarf cars were on hand to make up for an earlier rain out date and even though their car count was down from 20 to 12 the racing was tight and close. Nanaimo’s Dave Emmerson held off a determined Jim Pridge to win the 30 lap main event after earlier winning his heat race. Other heat wins went to Campbell River’s Gord Kraus, Pridge and James Dore.
In Stock car action Oyster River’s Martin Beaulieu held off Victoria’s Kerry Steen for wins in the 20 lap main event along with the 2nd heat race win while Steen took the win in the 1st heat. In IMCA racing action Victoria’s Tony Johnson took the win in the 20 lap main event with heat race wins going to Rob Ryan and Kevin Noble.
In Victoria Saturday night, Jason Beaulieu put yet another feather in his cap by winning the Canada 200 Late Model Stock car race and increased his series point lead in the Katana Boat series to 49 points with one race remaining in Vernon this Saturday night. Beaulieu overcame two mishaps on his way to the win, the first early in the race which forced him into the pits for a quick check over which had him missing no laps but had to start at the back of the pack. After making his way to third before the 100 lap break he would waste no time in pulling into the lead after the restart, then with 17 laps remaining he made contact with a spinning car but was able to control his car and keep his position. The contact caused body damage which rubbed on his tire but he was able to hold on to become the second Campbell River driver to win the Canada 200 with the first being George Stewart.
A planned visit by the Wilroc Sprint cars for a rescheduled rain out date for this Saturday night has been cancelled due to an unsure car count. This leaves the Black Creek oval with no Sprint car race in the 2008 season. This Saturday night will feature the 3rd last race night for the Crash to Pass cars along with the Figure 8’s, Mini Ovals, Hornet and Road Runner cars with gates open at 5.30 followed by qualifying at 6 and racing at 7pm.
A reminder that the speedway Go-Karts are operating still on Saturday and Sunday noon till 4pm along with the Island’s only Monster Truck ride truck which also operates after every race night.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
LAUNCHED: The Inside Track Pit Board Racing Forum
I created a racing forum so that readers of Inside Track Motorsport News and visitors to our websites can initiate discussions and respond to issues pertaining to racing (Canadian primarily)... in a courteous and thoughtful manner.We would be honoured if you take time to visit and contribute, although I want everyone to register using their FULL NAME (first and last). Too often, people are emboldened by anonymity to say the nastiest things to others, in a way they never would if their identity wasn't concealed. There are lots of sites that permit nicknames and anonymous posting. This isn't going to be one of them.
I have to approve every new user who attempts to register, so if a person's full name isn't part of the registration process, it will be rejected outright and that person will be free to try again with their full and real name.
The new Inside Track Pit Board is located here. It's a work in progress and I'm planning to add some additional features once I get the hang of the program and its codes. We're open to suggestons in terms of topics and I encourage racetracks, series and teams to post their releases in the appropriate areas. I hope to encourage our contributors and others to become moderators.
Centre For Speed: Fans Affected by Hanna to Get Break
Fans Affected by Hanna to Get Break
SHEDIAC - CFS is announcing today that it will give Fans who missed the Sept 6th reschedule date of the August 3rd Lucas Oil Pro Stock 150 a break on tickets to the Atlantic Stock Car Championships - Speed Weekend '08. "We've received a few calls from folks who were caught in the remnants of hurricane Hanna on Sept 6th or who were reading the various weather web sites and expected our event to be cancelled. So under the unusual circumstances, CFS is offering fans who had tickets to the Aug 3rd date and missed the Sept 6th running, front gate entry to the Atlantic Championships Pepsi 150 and Sportsman 100 on Oct 11th for just $15. Fans must present their original unmarked Aug 3rd Ticket or Pit Pass for exchange and credit at the ticket window on Oct 11 and will receive the discounted entry.
From: Tim Wile / Centre For Speed
Mitsubishi nets a podium in grueling rally Défi
Two of the strongest contenders, Mathieu L’Estage with codriver Yanick Napert and Andrew Comrie-Picard with American Marc Goldfarb had been fighting for second and third place all day long but both couldn’t make it to the finish. ACP was second when his engine sucked in some water from the numerous puddles along the forest roads. L’Estage took over and completed the speed stages only to retire on the last transit to the finish when his transmission lost all gears.
“I’m very proud of our teams who carried the Mitsubishi colors brilliantly”, commented Mr. Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, who attended the event. “The drivers demonstrated tremendous skills and their crews are very professional. I witnessed how treacherous the roads were and how difficult it was them when they withdraw because of unexpected reasons. I want to congratulate the four Mitsubishi crews that finished in the Top 7 places. They prove that our products are reliable and that our crews are competitive.”
Rally Défi in short
Rally Défi 2008 took to the roads from Ste-Agathe in the Laurentians on Friday night in what became a fight for seconds and the lead between Comrie-Picard, L’Estage, Legault and two other teams. Saturday, four of the five top places were Mitsubishi crews before the last section of speeds stages. But Bacon and Watt came charging from 8th place to take second while Legault settled with best rookie – he now leads the class in Canada – and 4th place overall.
Jan and Jody Zedril took second place in Production 3 class and now lead the class in the national standings. Finally, Ian Crerar from Picton, Ontario in his Lancer EVO IV and Arthur Chabot from Maine at the helm of a Galant VR-4 took first and third in the regional part of the event. Only 23 cars out of the starting 44 made it to the finish.
Next round of the Canadian Rally Championship will see competitors head back West to Merritt, British-Columbia for the fifth event of the calendar, the Pacific Forest Rally on October 17 and 18.
FW: BARRIE- PIZZA PIZZA 300 TSN TV TIMES
Watch the PIZZA PIZZA 300 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race from BARRIE SPEEDWAY this Saturday on TSN/TSN HD and TSN2
First Airing: SATURDAY, SEPT 13th @11:00AM EST
Replays: THURSDAY 18th @3:30PM and SATURDAY 21st (NIGHT) @ 1:00AM EST/10:00PM PST
(Ed: I understand the crew got Dave Whitlock's spectacular double-barrel roll from several angles, so you won't want to miss this race.)
Chris Raabe's Racing Road-Trip: A Weekend on the Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Tour
By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications
It wasn’t exactly the weekend he had planned, but sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug.
Chris Raabe and his #01 Scott Industrial Service/TyRoute Communications-Telus/Kingston Hyundai/Kingston RV Centre/Waste Management/Brunet Plumbing/Kwik Load Products/McColman Media/Len Corcoran Excavating team hit the highway Friday, September 5th planning to run 3 events in their quest for the Mr. DIRTcar sportsman modified title. As the loaded their pair of TEO Pro Car rides into the haulers, the Teenage Tornado was tied for the overall point’s lead with Geneva, New York’s Dan Wiesner.
The first event of the weekend’s trifecta at Ransomville Speedway was cancelled due to rain. The next night at Merrittville Speedway, Raabe was put in the unfamiliar position of running the consolation race to make the starting field. The only positive in that scenario was Wiesner needing to use his ‘guaranteed starter’ status to advance to the feature.
Raabe had run Merrittville Speedway in the past, but doesn’t have a patented set-up for the Thorold, Ontario oval in his notebook. Luckily, most of the drivers on the tour are willing to share some of their secrets – but not all of them. Once the green flag dropped, Chris began working his way through the field. The 50 lap distance didn’t give the 2008 Brockville and Thunder Alley sportsman division track champion a lot of time, his driving style has never seen him ram his way to the front.
Raabe was looking for a fast lane around the unfamiliar Merrittville turf, when the car developed a push. Just like the week before at Rolling Wheels, there were brake problems and the car wasn’t turning well. Drifting up into a higher line allowed others to work past on the bottom groove. At the checkered flag, Merrittville Speedway regulars made-up the top 9 positions. Brad Rouse led from start to finish and took home the $1,000 winner’s cheque. Raabe was 20th at the event’s conclusion, while Wiesner finished 15th and now enjoys an 8 point cushion atop the standings.
The scheduled Sunday, September 7th stop at Humberstone Speedway was also cancelled due to rain and will be re-scheduled for Friday, September 19th. This weekend, the sportsman tour will give the Ransomville Speedway event another try Friday, September 12th before heading to Genesee Speedway in Batavia, New York Saturday, September 13th to conclude the weekend.
For more information on Chris Raabe, see www.chrisraabe.com.
Photo tag lines:
#1). Chris Raabe’s 2006 TEO Pro Car at the start of Brockville Speedway’s 2008 season. (Jim Clarke photo)
#2). The #01 team re-skinned Raabe’s favourite piece for the Mr. DIRTcar sportsman modified tour events. (Jim Clarke photo)
<<022.JPG>> <<069.JPG>>
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint Ohsweken preview
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It’s one of the most look forward to weekends on the calendar…The 4th Annual Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Two days of some of the most exciting 360 sprint car racing found in two countries and it all happens this weekend (Sept. 12 and 13) at the Ohsweken Speedway.
As in the previous three editions, the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) will be a big part of the weekend extravaganza and also hoping to once again bring home the victory banner. The past two events, defending ESS champion Steve Poirier has brought home the Nationals crown and he will be one of the many favorites looking for the $8,000 top prize that comes with this year’s checkered flag.
ESS has had tremendous success in the Nationals; not only with Poirier’s triumph’s but in the first event it was Kenny Jacobs winning in a car prepared and owned by eight-time ESS champion Mike Woodring. Finishing right behind Jacobs were ESS standouts Jeff VanDusen and Lance Yonge. For this years events, Yonge will be in the field joining Poirier with tour regulars Justin Barger, Alain Bergeron, Michael Parent, Jeff Cook, Tim Kelly, Brian McDonald, Lee Ladouceur, Doug Emery and Mike Stelter. Also expected to be in the field will be part-time ESS chauffeurs Chuck Hebing and Jason Barney who finished in the runner-up position to Poirier the past two years.
While ESS will bring some of the star talent, top drivers from the Ohsweken’s own Corr-Pak Sprint Cars, the Southern Ontario Sprints, ASCS Sprints on Dirt, ASCS Patriot Region and the National Racing Alliance will bring the car count to over 60 machines for the lucrative weekend. Top names such as Ohsweken point leader Keith Dempster, Dustin Daggett, Jared Zimbardi, Darren Long, Dain Naida, track owner Glenn Styres, Bryan Howland, Rick Wilson, Kevin Job, Tim Allison, J.R. Stewart, Ryan Hunsinger, Kyle Patrick, Blake and Bobby Breen along with Australia’s own Steven Lines makes it a who’s, who in 360 sprint car racing from both sides of the border.
Friday night is the twin 15 lap Shootouts which is dubbed the Night Before the Nationals. Not only is there $500 to win each event but also guaranteed starting positions for the Nationals that is up for grabs. Also part of the exciting first night will be the second annual Dave MacLeod Memorial/Mr. Sprint Car Challenge where Poirier and Yonge will represent ESS in the special one on one challenge format that also pays $500 to win. Saturday comes time trails, a slew of heat race events followed by C and B-Mains all leading up to the 30 lap finale. Fans and competitors should note that Sunday is set up as a possible rain date.
It’s the fourth annual edition, $8,000 to win, $600 to start…Ohsweken Speedway, the Canadian Nationals brought to you by Arrow Express. The Lucas Oil sponsored tour will be out in full force in hopes of taking home the crown once again. But most important, for sprint car fans from far and wide, the Canadian Nationals will provide excitement guaranteed!!
For more information: www.ohswekenspeedway.com/news/CSCNinfo.htm or www.empiresupersprints.com
Auto Clearing Motor Speedway: WEST event preview
Saturday, September 13 at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway under the lights will be the final race for 2008 and the Siemens WEST. Many positions in the standings are up for grabs leading into the weekend.
Siemens West
Position Driver City, State Points Behind
1 Dan Shirley Saskatoon SK 1125 Leader
2 Devon Brown Herschel SK 1012 -113
3 Ben Busch Prince Albert SK 980 -145
4 Nick Allen Asquith SK 933 -192
5 Les Harding Saskatoon SK 915 -210
6 Scott Kessler Calgary AB 893 -232
7 John Rees Saskatoon SK 825 -300
8 Shannon Harding Saskatoon SK 776 -349
9 Jason Hankewich Kindersley SK 654 -471
10 Travis Deforest Prince Albert SK 525 -600
11 Fred Whiteman Spruce Grove AB 455 -670
12 Nathaniel Wagner Hague SK 276 -849
13 Raichelle Wagner Hague SK 274 -851
14 Cal Vance Medicine Hat AB 272 -853
15 Paul Savoie Saskatoon SK 176 -949
16 Alex Leschenko Saskatoon SK 137 -988
17 Wheeler Boys Fort McMurray AB 123 -1002
HANS Device awarded European patent
Via Jennifer de Winter // CSC Racing
Atlanta, Georgia (September 10th, 2008) – The European Patent Office has granted a patent that recognizes the uniqueness of the HANS Device design. The award has taken over nine years to secure and covers nineteen European countries. It protects the fundamental HANS Device design and technology, which is now familiar to racers worldwide.
HANS Performance Products CEO Mark Stiles said, “This award reaffirms just how special the HANS Device is. It is a reminder that the innovations which make the HANS Device easy to use and give it class-leading performance are benefits we have been working on for many years.”
Mark added, “While the patent is an important achievement, we are just as proud of our new value priced Sport Series, which brings HANS Device performance within reach of every racer’s budget. Also, our recently introduced Vision Advantage PLUS™ sliding tether system provides unrivalled head motion.”
The HANS Device is worn by 60,000 racers worldwide and continues to be the #1 choice for performance, #1 for vision and #1 for winners.
Gary Elliott: Flamboro Speedway Sept. 6 2008 report
-707235.jpg)
-707657.jpg)
MILLGROVE, ON - Our crew had their work cut out for them after the APC 300 race at Delaware Speedway on the Labor Day weekend. It took a few hours every night to get the car to where it was prior to wreck during the biggest race of the season. Once the welding, fabricating and set was complete, the true test of workmanship, and whether the car was back to it’s competitive ways, would be put to the test at the track.
The first bit of luck was in the pre race draw for position. Picking #1 gave the team pole position in the qualifying heat. The race was tight with the top 3 running nose to tail. One mistake, one loss of concentration would be all the cars behind would need to capitalize, but the Quaker State Monte Carlo showed dominance picking up the checker, our 5th win of 2008. It was obvious after warm ups, the car was very close to top running form. The heat win verified that concern.
In the feature, starting from the 9th position would be a challenge. The field of cars was tough, producing a very competitive race. One aspect of close competition is the real chance of accidents. The first happened on lap one. Though not serious, it moved our team to 8th on the restart. The next caution happened immediately as the green flag came out.
Four cars ahead of us were involved in a mix up coming off turn four. We were fortunate to get out of the way. When the dust settled we were in fourth. The next run lasted four laps. Packed together, the train of eight cars ran bumper to bumper. Suddenly things went wild when the third place car, in an effort to get by second place, ran into the car in front taking them both out and bringing out the final yellow of the night.
Once again the Quaker State team had to make quick moves to stay out of the wreck. After the cars were sorted out, we found ourselves in 2nd place, behind leader Jeff Stewart. The fans got a show with the top five cars battling for the lead. At the finish line our team cheered as we brought the car home with a strong runner up position.
The efforts during the week by our team members, and help from fellow racers Ken Stenhouse and Linda Dean proved very satisfactory with the excellent performance of our car. The consistency over the second half of the season has moved us to 4th in the standings with four points nights remaining.
On Sunday we took our car to the Oakville Church of The Nazarene for a Rally Day event. Kids got to sit in the racecar and received autograph pictures.
This Saturday morning we will have our car on display at the Burlington United Way fund raiser, on Brant Street…later that evening it will be regular racing at Flamboro Speedway….then on Sunday Nonie and I will take our car to Central Gospel Church in St. Catharines for a special event with race cars the theme.
PHOTOS: The bike photo was provided by future Hall of Fame photographer Dave Franks ... The other 2 photos were taken on Sunday at the Oakville Church of he Nazarene
Please check out our web site www.elliottracingteam.com. On the right hand side of our front page are the logo's for our sponsors. Please click on the logo to see their site (not all have web sites). We ask that you support our sponsors when ever possible.
From Elliott Racing
CRC: Subaru's Pat Richard wins tough Rallye Defi
Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec (CARS Media) -- Subaru Rally Team Canada driver Pat Richard and co-driver Alan Ockwell came out on top at a difficult Rallye Defi to extend their lead in the Canadian Rally Championship.
Richard and Ockwell kept up a fierce pace throughout the two-day event to take the win in their 2008 Subaru Impreza STI. Now, with just two events remaining in Canada’s six-event rally series, the team is all but assured of a championship victory with 80 points to Antoine L’Estage’s 41.
“It’s great to have won of course, but I was really looking forward to battling with Antoine (L’Estage) on the longer stages -- so in that sense it’s a bit of a disappointment.” said Richard.
L’Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard were the favourites coming into the event, but midway through the Day 2 action, they suffered an engine failure in their Hyundai Tiburon that put them out of the contest.
“This is a really disappointing result for us, after having such a reliable car for the last two years.” he said.
Second place went to Bill Bacon and Peter Watt in their Mitsubishi EVO IX. Bacon and Watt both have a wealth of rally experience and stayed calm in the face of the difficult final stages of the rally.
“We just tried to take it easy and not push too hard,” said Bacon. “People started dropping out, so we let them do that and made it to the end.”
Craig Henderson and Lyne Murphy of St-Constant, Quebec employed the same strategy, keeping cool heads to round out the podium in third place.
The local team of David Legault and Pat Levigne impressed many with their speed and determination finishing fourth in an event that caught out many with much more rally experience.
Another local team, Sylvain Bazinet and Patrick Piche, finished as the top two-wheel drive entry in their VW Golf GTI in tenth place overall, while Ted and Lise Mendham drove a steady event to finish sixth overall as the top production car in their 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX.
The challenging event saw fewer than half the teams who entered cross the finish line. Among its victims were Mathieu L’Estage and Yanick Napert who were on their way to a well-deserved podium finish before suffering a cruel transmission failure on the final stages.
Mitsubishi veterans Andrew Comrie-Picard and Marc Goldfarb also came to Rallye Defi 2008 hoping to gain some valuable points in the championship after suffering mechanical problems at previous rounds. However, the team was forced to retire on Saturday after taking an impact to the front of the vehicle that caused the engine to overheat.
Also retiring were Erik Grochowski and Leanne Junnila, who had travelled all the way from Alberta in hopes of securing the Group 2 Canadian Rally Championship in their VW Golf. Initially the event was going well, but the car began to suffer from a slew of mechanical problems on Day 2, and the pair was forced to retire late in the day.
“The event went really well, and we’re really happy with all the work of the volunteers, as well as the depth and quality of the field this year” said Rallye Defi 2008 organiser B. Gilles Lacroix.
Rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometers of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.
The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.
The series moves West to Merritt, British Columbia for the Pacific Forest Rally, October 17-18, 2008.
Full coverage of the championship airs on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.
For more information: www.carsrally.ca or www.rallyedefi.com
Rallye Defi 2008 Final Results (full results at www.rallyedefi.com)
1 ) Pat Richard – Alan Ockwell (Subaru WRX STI) - 1 hour 08 min. 27 sec.
2 ) Bill Bacon – Peter Watt (Mitsubishi EVO IX) – 1:15:23
3 ) Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:16:54
4 ) David Legault – Pat Lavigne (Mitsubishi EVO IV) – 1:17:12
5 ) Gord Olsen – Todd Patola (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:18:07
6 ) Simon Losier – Maxime Losier (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 1:18:46
7 ) Rejean Losier – Philippe Poirier (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 1:19:45
8 ) Ted Mendham – Lise Mendham (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:25:10
9 ) Hardy Schmidtke – Adam Vokes (Subaru Impreza WRX) – 1:25:52
10) Sylvain Bazinet – Patrick Piche (VW Golf GTI) – 1:26:46
PHOTO BY: Andrew Harvey Photography (Mandatory Credit)
<<cars_pr_1.jpg>> <<cars_pr_2.jpg>> <<cars_pr_3.jpg>>
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Race City suspends all racing operations until further notice
Calgary, Alberta - We regret to inform that at 1:00pm Tuesday Sept 9th, 2008, all racing operations by Calgary International Speedway Inc., the operating company for Race City, are suspended until further notice. All scheduled racing events for the remainder of the 2008 season have been canceled.
We would like to thank all our Volunteers, Staff, Fans, Sanctioning Bodies, Sponsors and Racers who have supported us through the last three years of operation. CIS set out to save racing in Calgary after the announced closure of Race City in 2005. Unfortunately, the rainy weather and lack of major sponsorship support and low spectator counts to pay for the racing events that have been held at Race City over the last few years has left us with no choice but to cancel all racing and shut down operations. All rental operations under Speedway Track Rentals Inc. are still in effect.
Race City Inc. will resume with business operations for the remainder of 2008 and beyond. Art MacKenzie of Race City Inc. is in the process of deciding what racing events and rentals will be held at the facility for the 2009 season. Please see www.racecity.com or call 403-272-7223, for further information.
Rome Awde
Calgary International Speedway Inc.
PHOTO GALLERY: Flamboro Speedway - Sept. 6, 2008 - By Dave Franks
OHSWEKEN: 4TH ANNUAL ARROW EXPRESS CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS TAKE CENTRE STAGE THIS WEEKEND
By Tommy Goudge (September 9, 2008) – The 2008 season at Ohsweken Speedway will be capped off in spectacular fashion this Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13 when Arrow Express Presents the 4th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Featuring 70 or more of the best 360 sprint car teams and drivers from Ontario, Quebec, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and beyond, the Nationals have quickly grown into a must-see event for Canadian race fans and Sprint Car fans everywhere.
Continuing the commitment made by Speedway co-owner Glenn Styres and event coordinators Ken and Cheryl Pelkie to increase the purse each year, this Saturday’s A-Main will pay a whopping $8,000 to the winner, $4,000 to the runner-up, and $600 just to start the race. Also on the line are bragging rights, as the winner will have to beat the best drivers from the Southern Ontario Sprints, Empire Super Sprints, ASCS Sprints on Dirt, ASCS Patriots, National Racing Alliance, the new Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division that has been competing weekly at Ohsweken all season long, plus potential surprise visitors - including one already confirmed all the way from Australia.
Ken and Cheryl Pelkie were surprised and happy to receive a late entry on Monday from Steven Lines of Mount Gambier, South Australia. Lines is an accomplished racer in his native land, and has been in the US since the middle of June racing with the United Sprint Car Series in the South-Eastern U.S., and lately in weekly events at Sharon Speedway in Ohio and Lernerville Speedway in Western Pennsylvania for car owner Jeff McCall of Cherryville, North Carolina.
Lines took home 1 feature win during the last Australian season, and has won 2 USCS features this summer. The toughest competition for Lines thus far in his North American season was on Labour Day weekend at Lernerville Speedway when the All Star Circuit of Champions visited the track with 39 cars signed in for competition. Lines performed well, making the field by winning his heat race, and coming home 17th in the feature, ahead of champion 410 sprint car drivers such as Byron Reed and Greg Wilson. Lines will be the first entrant from outside North America in the Nationals since Knoxville International Development Driver (KIDD) program driver Stevie Walsh of New Zealand competed in the first edition of the event in 2005.
It was a successful first season for weekly sprint car racing at Ohsweken Speedway, and that success has prompted title sponsor Corr/Pak Merchandising to sign on again for next season, as well as return to present the Best Appearing Car award at the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals this weekend for the 2nd year in a row. Only two drivers claimed multiple Corr/Pak features this season at Ohsweken, including Corr/Pak Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Ryan Hunsinger, who claimed victory on May 30, and again on Mid-Season championship night on July 12.
Hunsinger also claimed 2 feature wins at the Brighton Speedway during Southern Ontario Sprints Labour Day Classic weekend, and has 4 feature wins total in 2008. Glenn Styres also has 2 Corr/Pak feature wins to his credit this season, as he claimed victory on opening night, and again visited the Engine Pro Racing Winner’s Circle at Ohsweken on August 29.
Styres also claimed 3 Southern Ontario Sprints victories on his way to a 2nd consecutive SOS championship, and is tied with Steve Poirier for the most sprint car feature wins in Ontario this season. Other Corr/Pak feature winners include Quebec invader and regular Empire Super Sprints competitor Alain Bergeron on May 23, Salamanca, New York driver Jared Zimbardi on June 6, and Brad Malloy of Niagara Falls on August 22.
The inaugural champion for the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division is Keith Dempster, who claimed the title by a margin of just 3 points over Zimbardi, while Hunsinger finished 3rd in the standings, just 6 points back of Dempster. Rounding out the rest of the top 10 in the Corr/Pak standings are Kevin Job, Glenn Styres, Rob Pietz, Rookie Dave Dykstra, Brad Malloy, another Rookie in Mikey Kruchka, and John Riegling in 10th. Dempster doesn’t have a feature win in 2008, but has been very consistent all season, finishing no worse than 8th in any of the Corr/Pak features.
Along with the weekly action, special sprint car events also took place at Ohsweken this season, starting with the Empire Super Sprints tour on June 20. Steve Poirier of Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloueil, Quebec claimed the victory that night after starting 14th on the grid, and has since gone on to dominate the Northeast 360 Sprint Car Poirier has won the last 2 Empire Super Sprints points titles, as well as the last 2 editions of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, currently leads the ESS standings again this season, and must be considered the odds-on favourite to win again this weekend.
On July 4 and 5, the first annual American Sprint Car Series Northern Summer Nationals weekend came to Ohsweken, featuring the Michigan-based ASCS SoD series versus the New York-based ASCS Patriot series, with a $3,000 winner’s cheque going to Saturday night’s feature winner. Portland, Michigan’s Dustin Daggett claimed Friday night victory, while Brian Howland of Auburn, NY bounced back from missing the feature on Friday night to take the big win on Saturday night.
The Southern Ontario Sprints tour also made a visit to Ohsweken this season on July 18, and it was Kevin Job of Campbellville taking feature win honours that night, after an entertaining duel with Keith Dempster, while Warren Mahoney, Rob Pietz, and Glenn Styres rounded out the top 5 after he charged through the pack from 17th on the grid.
Playing a large part in the success of the Nationals are the 5 affiliate sanctioning bodies and clubs which have agreed to be a part of the event again this season. They include the Ontario-based Southern Ontario Sprints, Michigan-based American Sprint Car Series Sprints on Dirt region, Ohio-based National Racing Alliance, and the Empire Super Sprints and American Sprint Car Series Patriot region, both of which are based in New York State.
As part of the sanctioning agreement, receive a provisional starting spot in Saturday night’s A-Main final, if none of that sanction's competitors qualified for the A-Main. Saturday’s A-Main starting field will be determined using Time Trials, 6 heat races, and 3 B-Mains, plus the new Riverside Bar and Grill Non-Qualifiers Second Chance, which will transfer the winner of that “Little Feature” to the tail of the A-Main field. Time Trials take on added importance this year as the driver who runs quick time will receive $500 from Kear's Speed Shop, while the Fastest Canadian Qualifier award presented by Bicknell Racing Products is also back this season.
On Friday night, twin 15 lap features will cap off the "Night Before the Nationals" show, and the winner of each of those races will receive a guaranteed starting spot in Saturday night's Canadian Sprint Car Nationals A-Main. Also running on Friday night are two unique events - the Village Pizza Ohsweken Shootout and the Dave MacLeod Memorial Mr. Sprint Car Challenge. The Shootout will pit the top finishers from each affiliate sanction's event at Ohsweken against each other in a 10 lap race, with $500 going to the winner, while the Mr. Sprint Car Challenge will consist of a match-racing tournament, which proved to be a popular portion of the program last season.
The Southern Ontario Sprints champion for 2008 is Glenn Styres of Ohsweken, who clinched the title for the 2nd year in a row, and record 3rd time overall on Labour Day weekend at Brighton Speedway. Behind Styres in the SOS standings is Lefroy’s Warren Mahoney, who claimed a feature win at the South Buxton Raceway on August 2, a 3rd place in SOS action at Ohsweken on July 18, and made 1 appearance in the Corr/Pak division at Ohsweken, scoring a 10th place finish on May 23rd.
Keith Dempster, Adam West, and Bob Crawford of Sutton round out the top 5 in the SOS points, and Dempster and Crawford also ran full time in the Corr/Pak division at Ohsweken this season. Crawford did not have a season he would have liked, but did come home 5th in SOS points and 11th in Corr/Pak points, and does have one career feature win at Ohsweken, a feat he accomplished in 2004.
The ASCS Sprints on Dirt (SoD) tour champion for 2008 is Brett Mann of Goshen, Indiana. Mann won 3 SoD features in 2008, including the King of Michigan event at Hartford Speedway last Friday night. Mann has not yet filed an entry, but will likely be in attendance this weekend. Other SoD drivers already pre-entered for the weekend include Louie Carufel, Dain Naida, Dustin Daggett, Andy Teunessen, and Ryan Grubaugh. Naida has made the trip to Ohsweken with his #6n as often as he can this season, and has been very fast each time out.
Naida’s last visit to Ohsweken on August 22nd produced a 3rd place feature finish, despite his 14th starting position that night. Grubaugh’s last race at Ohsweken was not a highlight, as his #00 suffered heavy damage after a hard flip on the frontstretch on July 5. The night before, Grubaugh had raced his way to 5th after starting 18th, and has made the Nationals A-Main in each of the last 2 years, including a 3rd place in 2006.
Running a full schedule but not all with the same series, Daggett has claimed 8 feature wins this season, and has also run a handful of 410 sprint car events with the World of Outlaws and All Star Circuit of Champions this season and been competitive. Daggett's record at Ohsweken is very good, as he has claimed 5 wins and finished in the top five 9 times in 13 career visits to the Speedway, but he would like to add a Nationals victory to his resume.
The National Racing Alliance (NRA) champion for 2008 is J.R. Stewart of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Stewart took just 1 feature win in NRA competition this season, but his consistency throughout the season earned him the title over Elida, Ohio's Darren Long, who took home 3 NRA feature wins in 2008. Stewart made a name for himself last year at Ohsweken by claiming the win in the first annual Dave MacLeod Mr. Sprint Car Challenge, which consists of a series of tournament-style match races.
Also entered from the NRA series is Tim Allison of Lima, Ohio. Allison, surprisingly, did not collect an NRA feature win in 2008, but did finish 4th in NRA points this season, and won 3 features in weekly competition at Limaland Motorsports Park and Waynesfield Motorsports Park. Allison struggled in the Nationals at Ohsweken last season, but finished 10th in 2006.
The battle for the Empire Super Sprints title is ongoing, but with a 269 point lead, Steve Poirier is in command at the top of the standings, and looks to be on his way to a 3rd ESS championship in a row. Poirier has won 9 ESS features this season, as well as an SOS feature in his first and only SOS thus far in his career at Brockville Ontario Speedway in May, and enters this weekend having won the last 2 Nationals in a row. Poirier enters the weekend as the favourite, but his fellow ESS competitors will surely be very competitive as well.
2nd in the ESS standings is Lance Yonge of Penn Yan, New York. Yonge does not have a feature win yet in 2008, but his consistency has been matched only by Poirier, as Yonge has finished in the top 10 in 18 ESS races this year, while Poirier has accomplished that feat 19 times. Other ESS drivers currently pre-entered for the weekend include Mike Stelter, Chuck Hebing, Tim Kelly, Doug Emery, Jeff Cook, Justin Barger, and Alain Bergeron.
Like ESS, the title fight in the ASCS Patriots series has not yet been decided, but unlike ESS, the gap between 1st and 2nd is only 90 points with 4 more points events to go in the Patriots season. Bryan Howland of Auburn, NY currently leads Salamanca, NY driver Jared Zimbardi in the battle for the championship, while another New Yorker in Chris Muhlheisen sits 3rd. Howland took the big ASCS Northern Summer Nationals $3,000 paycheque at Ohsweken on July 5 in dominating fashion, and has since won 2 more features in Patriot competition, while Zimbardi has yet to claim a win on the Patriot circuit this season.
Other Patriot drivers currently pre-entered for the weekend include Daniel Lampron, the brother team of Blake and Bobby Breen, Bubba Broderick, Jared Fink, Kyle Moffitt, and Scott Kruetter. Broderick, a rookie this season from Connecticut, turned heads with some veteran moves in his first visit to Ohsweken in July and is currently 4th in the Patriot standings, followed by Kruetter in 5th, who came home with two 3rd place finishes in two nights at Ohsweken in July.
Plenty of good seats still remain for both the Night Before the Nationals on Friday, September 12, and the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals on September 13. Advance Reserved seats for Friday night are available at a cost of $15 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids 5 and under, while general admission seating will be available on race day only at a cost of $10 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids 5 and under. Advance Reserved seats for Saturday night are available at a cost of $35 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids 5 and under, while general admission seating will be available on race day only at a cost of $20 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids 5 and under. Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for additional information about ticket sales, gate times, directions to the speedway, and much more!
NCATS: Whitock Takes Wild Ride at Barrie
Barrie, ON, Sunday September 7, 2008: When the No. 39 Dickies/NMT/PCRFC Dodge Avenger came to a halt on its roof Saturday night at Barrie Speedway, everyone held their breaths for a few minutes until driver Dave Whitlock was seen emerging from his car. After a lap 237 restart and with the frontrunners battling for position, Whitlock who lined up third was attempting to make a pass on No. 77 Derek Lynch.
Lynch got tapped from behind by another competitor and got out of shape. Whitlock and Lynch's tires rubbed resulting in the No. 39 Dickies Dodge climbing over the hood of the No. 77 car. The momentum then sent him airborne and into a double roll before landing on his roof. A collective sigh of relief went up as Whitlock climbed from his wrecked car.
Earlier in the day Whitlock put his No. 39 Dickies Avenger on the outside front row in qualifying after setting the second quickest time of the day. "The car just worked really well," stated Whitlock after qualifying. "We practiced here a couple of weeks ago so we were confident the car would work good."
The Pizza Pizza 300, event number eleven in the thirteen race NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 2008 tour was the second appearance at Barrie Speedway this year. Whitlock's earlier visit resulted in a blown motor and a disappointing DNF so they the team was looking to redeem themselves.
At the drop of the green everyone was quite racy and Whitlock got shuffled back a few positions. They weren't worried about it as 300 laps at Barrie takes a lot of patience and good luck. At lap 132, while running in tenth, Whitlock headed down pit road for left side tires and fuel and a slight wedge adjustment. He then ducked back in again on the next lap to take on right sides tires and would be good to go for the remainder of the race. This strategy played out well for the No. 39 team as a later caution would see a lot of the remaining teams coming back down pit road for right side tires giving Whitlock fourth place track position, just as they had planned.
Whitlock would run here until an opportunity to pass the No. 19 Graham machine presented itself moving him into third. Then came the lap 237 restart that would result in the end of the day for the No. 39 Dickies team. "We were aiming for the podium tonight and I think we had the car to do it," stated Whitlock after the race. "It just goes to show that all the safety features that NASCAR mandate work. I have never been on my roof before so that was a first. I also want to thank all the emergency workers and paramedics on hand tonight. They were very thorough and we all appreciate that." After being checked out by the medical staff on hand Whitlock was released and declared okay.
The No. 39 team have there work cut out for them to get the Dickies Dodge Avenger back in racing form for event number twelve of thirteen in two weeks at Riverside Speedway in Antigonish, NS. Whitlock finished fifth in this event last year and they hope to better that finish this time. For more event information please visit www.riversidespeedway.ca.
The Pizza Pizza 300 was won by Scott Steckly, his fourth win of the year, second went to Don Thomson Jr. with the final podium position going to Kerry Micks. John Gaunt would finish fourth with Whitlock teammate Mark Dilley finishing in fifth.
The Pizza Pizza 300 will be broadcast on TSN on Saturday September 13th at 11 a.m. EST.
For more information on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series please visit www.nascar.ca . For more information on Dave Whitlock and Whitlock Motorsports please visit www.whitlockmotorsports.com or contact:
From Linda Jones // Wide Open Motorsport Solutions
Posts
