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ESS EXTRA!!
Ohsweken Speedway, Ohsweken, Ontario
Talk about a track that has come so far in just a very short amount of time. The Ohsweken Speedway has gone from a simple hobby for one Glenn Styres who decided to build a dirt track in his own back yard back in 1996…Literally! To one of Canada’s most successful facilities and now is also Canada’s home of sprint car racing.
The wide, fast and multi-grooved 3/8ths mile oval started out showcasing DIRT Sportsman with several visits from the Southern Ontario Sprints (SOS) so the fans can get their winged fix. As the track grew, Styres’ started bringing in other sanctions of sprints which included the Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprints (ESS) for the first time on July of 2003 where eight-time champion Mike Woodring picked up the historic victory.
Now, a mid-September weekend has been set aside to be the Mecca of 360 sprint cars, called the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Annually over 70 sprints from some six states and two Canadian provinces have made their way to Ohsweken for one of the largest 360 purses ever offered.
ESS will again make their annual full point stop on June 20th, the night after the first ever visit of the World of Outlaw (WoO) Late Models. Then the stars and cars from the Lucas Oil Tour will be in force in hopes of taking home the Nationals crown which ESS regular and now champion Steve Poirier has done the past two years.
Local drivers of interest are Styres himself along with his teammate Keith Dempster and a slew of regulars from the SOS/Western Ontario circuit such as Kevin Job, Daryl Turford, Jamie Collard, Fred Cade, and Tom Huppunen along with many others.
Improvements continue every year and its mind boggling at what has taken place at the dirt track on the Six Nations Reservation. While Ken and Cheryl Pelkie do a great job at marketing, scheduling and just the tiresome part of customer relations which is such a vital part of Ohsweken’s success, Styres continues to put money back into the facility. Over the years there has been new pit bathrooms, concession and tech building built, new walls, fencing and this year fans will see new seating and Musco lighting as the 2008 racing season will be action packed!
The track showcases a tire wear friendly surface with as much as four grooves. The grandstands run the entire length of the front stretch with another set running almost the entire back stretch. The pits are located behind the back stretch so the fans have a clear view of the entire track. Ohsweken also has a practice/heat in engine track in the pit area which is handy if sprint cars need to be fired up.
Not only is the visit by ESS a highlight, but the aforementioned WoO Late Models and also the WoO Sprints will be showcasing a two-day show after last years smash hit inaugural visit. To cap off the season is the highly successful ’08 schedule is the fourth annual Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.
ESS Facts – Ohsweken Speedway:
ESS Events Run: 10
Different Winners: 7
Most Wins: Dan Kaszubinski, Jeff VanDusen and Steve Poirier (2) Each.
Last Event Run: 9/15/07
Most Recent Winner: Steve Poirier (Canadian Sprint Car Nationals)
Ohsweken Speedway Facts:
Location: Chiefswood Rd., off Route 54 on the Six Nations Reservation
ESS Date(s): June 20th, Sept. 12 & 13 – Canadian Sprint Car Nationals
Dash Sponsor: Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel
A-Main Sponsor: Arrow Express
Promoter(s): Glenn Styres, Ken and Cheryl Pelkie
Track Phone: (519) 445-0937
Website: www.ohswekenspeedway.com
Sites of Interest:
Six Nations Reservation
Brantford, Ontario is 20 Minutes Away, home of NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.
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