Kyle Larson Wins Northern Summer Nationals At Ohsweken

Story By: CLAYTON JOHNS / OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY – OHSWEKEN, ONT – An impressive 117 cars singed in across four divisions to compete in Ohsweken Speedway’s Burger Barn Northern Summer Nationals, including 31 cars in the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Car field which featured NASCAR star Kyle Larson.

When the checkered flag waved, it was Larson who claimed the win after a spectacular duel with Parker Price-Miller. Holly Porter scored a $1000 victory in the Ackland Insurance Clash of the Crates for the Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Ryan Beagle scored his first ever Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks win in the 50-lap Brock Leonard Memorial and Joel Dick completed the sweep of UMP Modified competition at Ohsweken in 2017 with his second win of the year.

All Crate Sprint Car and Thunder Stock drivers in attendance were entered into a draw to win a new GMC 602 Crate Motor courtesy of Strickland’s GMC in Brantford. Thunder Stock driver Jay Liverance was the lucky winner.

Kyle Larson started on the front row with Mitch Brown for the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Car main event. Many had Larson, an Elk Grove, Calif. native pegged to lead flag-to-flag, but Brown quickly changed the conversation when he led the opening lap.

Third-starting Parker Price-Miller of Kokomo, Ind. quickly made it a three-car battle for the lead while Larson retook the point on lap two. Price-Miller drove low into turn one and slid up in front of Larson in turn two to take the lead only to have Larson turn back underneath and lead on corner exit. Price-Miller didn’t make the same mistake twice as he executed a slidejob in turn four to take the lap three lead.

“I knew he’d be good,” Larson said of Price-Miller in Victory Lane. “I’ve watched videos of him and he’s been really good here. His car had a lot of grip all night. I knew he’d be the one I’d have to beat. He got to the lead really quick and was ripping really hard up top.”

From there, the dynamic top two pulled away from the rest of the field and worked into traffic by lap seven. On lap nine, both cars were caught behind slower traffic and had to alter their preferred lines. Price-Miller ran the top wherever possible, while Larson stumbled upon a fast bottom lane.

“ It started getting really slick and slow off four and I actually made a mistake on the backstretch and ran the bottom on accident because I almost clipped the wall,” Larson said. “I gained time on him so I was like ‘okay, we can run down there’. Once we got to traffic I was able to work it and get by him on the bottom.”

Larson made what ultimately turned out to be the winning pass in traffic when he returned the slidejob in turn two and took the lead from Price-Miller for good. He was able to pull away on lap 16 when Price-Miller missed his entry into turn three in the top groove, but the lapped traffic forced Larson to remain sharp.

Larson took the white flag out in front of the field and raced down the backstretch to the checkered flag, but the caution waved for the first time before he could claim the win when Tom Huppunen spun at the top of turn three. A one-lap dash settled the finish and Larson ran the top perfectly to claim the win.

“It’s an awesome racetrack,” Larson said. “This is one of the most fun tracks I’ve been to. It’s super slick, technical. The moisture was basically off the track, so you had to find that. I had a lot of fun racing with Parker.”

Price-Miller, the reigning Canadian Sprint Car Nationals winner after his victory last September, was happy with his second-place finish but was clear he aspired to beat the NASCAR star. Price-Miller returned to action in the Hill’s Racing No.67x after he was involved in a wreck on Friday night where he suffered a minor injury to his wrist.

“I really wanted that one just because Kyle’s the best there is out there and it would be really cool to beat him,” Price-Miller said. “My guys gave me a great car and they fixed a lot of stuff from Friday night. I’m still a little soar and my arm kind of gets banged up racing, but you don’t think about it. It’s still a good night, but I like to win. We’re always good at Ohsweken, so we’ll try again tomorrow with the 410.”

On the final lap, the battle for third shook up the finish. Brewerton, NY driver and current Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint point leader Jason Barney restarted in third, but was involved in contact with Dylan Westbrook in turn one. Barney suffered a flat tire and damaged wheel, but limped the car to a ninth-place finish.

Westbrook was able to avoid serious contact and finished third. With the third-place finish, the Scotland, Ont. teenager’s six-race win streak at Ohsweken was snapped.

“I’m not sure if he caught the wall first or if he slowed down real quick and I couldn’t get on the brakes quick enough to get around him,” Westbrook said of the last lap collision. “It kind of sucks. I think he probably would have beat us, but it’s still good to come home in third.”

Westbrook is now set to make his first start with the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series in the Arrow Express Six Nations Showdown on Wednesday night.
“I’m really excited. It’s going to be my first time ever in a 410,” Westbrook said. “It’s going to be a really cool experience, so we’ll have some fun with it and hope for the best.”

Brown finished in fourth while Bradford, Pa’s Jared Zimbardi rounded out the top-five. Ryan Susice was the Hard Charger of the race. He advanced from the dead last starting position, 24th, to finish 6th.

Larson, Price-Miller, Danny Lasoski of Dover, Mo. and Ryan Coniam of Denver, Co. earned heat race wins and Max Johnston of Sydney, Australia won the B-Main.

PORTER SCORES WIN IN ACKLAND INSURANCE CLASH OF THE CRATES

The Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars faced a unique, special event format for the Ackland Insurance Clash of the Crates. The field was split into two groups and Timed Hot Laps set the field for twin 15-lap Features. The top-four finishers in each Feature qualified to the 8-lap, $1000-to-win Clash of the Crates. Shone Evans and Holly Porter set fast times in their respective groups to gain the pair of pole starting positions.

In the first Feature, Evans grabbed the early lead despite a trio of early cautions. When the race hit full speed, Evans stayed up front until Mack DeMan took the lead off a lap seven restart. DeMan pulled away to half straightaway lead until the caution waved on the final lap. DeMan was perfect again on the restart to claim the win over Evans, Ryan Hunsinger and Jesse McDonald.

The second Feature brought a thrilling battle up front between Porter and second-starting Mike Thorne. The two drivers raced side-by-side, exchanging the lead several times, until lap 11 when Porter was forced to brake behind a car about to be lapped. Thorne was able to pull away by eight car lengths to drive off to the win ahead of Porter, Michael Summer of Warsaw, Ind. and 15-year-old rookie Josh Hansen of Beamsville, Ont.

The eight-driver Clash of the Crates rolled on to the track before the main event for the Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars. Thorne grabbed the lead from the pole, but DeMan attempted a slidejob in the opening corner to try and take over the point. Thorne evaded the action to lead the opening lap before Porter got by both driver to take the lead on lap two. At the halfway mark, Porter had gained a half straightaway advantage and maintained it to the finish to score the $1000 payday ahead of DeMan, Hunsinger, Thorn and McDonald.

BEAGLE GETS FIRST MIDDLEPORT MECHANICAL THUNDER STOCK WIN

The Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks ran their longest and most prestigious race of the season in the Brock Leonard Memorial. The race also saw several out of town drivers in attendance for the race, which doubled as the first round of the Duel on the Dirt series.

Third-starting Ryan Dinning drove to the lead on the opening lap after Dave Bailey and Jay Liverance had brought the field to the green flag. Liverance battled early for second with Frankie Turkey Jr. until Turkey’s car broke on lap 10 to bring out the first caution.

On the restart, Ryan Beagle battled door-to-door with Dinning for the point position and eventually wrestled it away on lap 17 and cleared Dinning one lap later. A lap 18 caution slowed the race again and allowed Dave Small to make his move forward.

Over the next 32 laps, including on a lap 36 restart, Beagle continuously fought off Small’s challenges which routinely saw him try to cross lanes behind Beagle, who was married to the bottom lane. With six laps to go, Small’s move nearly worked when Beagle slipped half a groove in turn four, but the young driver recovered in turn one to break Small’s momentum and hold the lead.

It proved to be the difference as Beagle drove his first career Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stock victory over Small, Dinning, Ken Sargent and Christopher Hale. Dereck Lemyre, Dinning, and Bailey won qualifying heats. Jason Fontaine won the B-Main.

JOEL DICK COMPLETES UMP MODIFIED SWEEP

The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds were back at Ohsweken for their second visit of the year. The field was composed entirely of drivers who race primarily at South Buxton Raceway located in Merlin, Ont. After Joel Dick of Leamington, Ont. and Joe Brosseau of Merlin, Ont. won qualifying heats, the two drivers lined-up on the front row for the 20-lap main event.

Dick got an excellent jump off the initial start and left Brosseau to battle Tim Richardson of Comber, Ont. for second. A pair of cautions on laps five and seven were the only thing that slowed or challenged Dick as the veteran driver dominated the main event. Dick had no issues navigating through slower traffic over the final five laps and drove to the win by over six seconds to complete the sweep of UMP Modified events at Ohsweken in 2017.

Brosseau earned a hard-fought runner-up spot ahead of Blenheim, Ont.’s Brian Speelman. Richardson and JJ Beaulieu of Chatham, Ont. rounded out the top-five.

UP NEXT AT OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY

JULY 25 – ARROW EXPRESS SIX NATIONS SHOWDOWN FEATURING WORLD OF OUTLAWS CRAFTSMAN SPRINT CAR SERIES
Ohsweken Speedway returns to action on Tuesday, July 25 for the Arrow Express Six Nations Showdown featuring the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series. The DIRTcar Sportsman tour Western Region will also be in attendance along with the HRW Automotive Mini Stocks. Race time is 7:30pm, with hot laps and time trials taking place beforehand. For a full schedule of events, visit www.ohswekenspeedway.com. Excellent seats are still available at https://ohswekenspeedway.ticketforce.com.

OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY STATISTICAL REPORT
July 24, 2017
Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada
Burger Barn Northern Summer Nationals
Total Entries – 117

Kool Kidz-Corr/Pak 360 Sprint Cars (31 entries)

A-Feature (25 laps – No Time)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 57 Kyle Larson (1); 2. 67x Parker Price-Miller (3); 3. 47x Dylan Westbrook (9); 4. 10 Mitch Brown (2); 5. 35 Jared Zimabrdi (7); 6. 18 Ryan Susice (24); 7. 98 Joe Trenca (15); 8. 14h Jim Huppunen (6); 9. 87 Jason Barney (5); 10. 5w Ryan Coniam (4); 11. 3r Shane Ross (22); 12. 91 Ryan Turner (17); 13. 0 Max Johnston (21); 14. 01k Mikey Kruchka (12); 15. 67c Steve Collins (23); 16. 17x Dain Naida (10); 17. 77x Alex Hill (19); 18. 27z Stan Zanchin (18); 19. 21 Tom Huppunen (13); 20. 1-10 Jake Brown (20); 21. 9 Steve Lyons (16); 22. 38 Tyler Hendricks (14); 23. 49 Scott Kreutter (11); 24. 49x Danny Lasoski (8). A-Feature Lap Leaders – Mitch Brown 1; Kyle Larson 2, 16-25; Parker Price-Miller 3-15; Hard Charger – Ryan Susice (+18 – 24th to 6th)

Lucas Oil Products Heat Race No.1 (8 laps – Time: 2:03.088)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 57 Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA (1); 2. 17x Dain Naida, Tecumseh, MI (2); 3. 47x Dylan Westbrook, Oakland, ON (5); 4. 87 Jason Barney, Brewerton, NY (8); 5. 77x Alex Hill, Six Nations, ON (3); 6. 0 Max Johnston, Sydney, NSW, AUS (4); 7. 3r Shane Ross, Thedford, ON (6); 8. 18 Ryan Susice, Ransomville, NY (7).

Creative Edge Signs & Graphics Heat Race No.2 (8 laps – Time: 2:07.603)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 49x Danny Lasoski, Dover, MO (4); 2. 49 Scott Kreutter, Alden, NY (2); 3. 14h Jim Huppunen, Fenwick, ON (7); 4. 35 Jared Zimbardi, Bradford, PA (8); 5. 1-10 Jake Brown, Brantford, ON (3); 6. 18h Brad Herron, Burford, ON (1); 7. 11 Jamie Turner, Caistor Centre, ON (6); 8. 90 Travis Cunningham, Grimsby, ON (5)

O’Neil’s Farm Equipment Heat Race No.3 (8 laps – Time: 2:12.244)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 5w Ryan Coniam, Denver, CO (2); 2. 21 Tom Huppunen, Fenwick, ON (1); 3. 38 Tyler Hendricks, Pain Court, ON (3); 4. 98 Joe Trenca, Clay, NY (4); 5. 91 Ryan Turner, Caistor Centre, ON (5); 6. 67c Steve Collins, Belfast, NY (8); 7. 00 Dane Lorenc, Lancaster, NY (6); 8. 97 Cory Turner, Caistor Centre, ON (7).

Burger Barn Heat Race No.4 (8 laps – Time: 2:07.009)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 67x Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, IN (4); 2. 01K Mikey Kruchka, Hamilton, ON (2); 3. 10 Mitch Brown, Brantford, ON (7); 4. 9 Steve Lyons, Carlisle, ON (1); 5. 27z Stan Zanchin, Fort Erie, ON (5); 6. 15 Mike Ferrell, London, ON (3); 7. DNS 2w Lee Winger, Mount Hope, ON (6)

B-Feature (10 laps – NT)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 0 Max Johnston (6); 2. 3r Shane Ross (9); 3. 67c Steve Collins (1); 4. 18 Ryan Susice (12); 5. 97 Cory Turner (13); 6. 00 Dane Lorenc (11); 7. 11 Jamie Turner (10); 8. 90 Travis Cunningham (14); 9. 18h Brad Herron (8); 10. 15 Mike Ferrell (7); 11. DNS 2w Lee Winger (15)
Ackland Insurance “Top Gun” Award ($100): Danny Lasoski

Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars (31 entries)

Ackland Insurance Clash of the Crates (8 laps – Time: 2:25.718)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 1 Holly Porter (4); 2. 4 Mack Deman (1); 3. 43h Ryan Hunsinger (5); 4. 55 Mike Thorne (2); 5. 88 Jesse McDonald (7); 6. 18s Michael Summers (6); 7. 87x Shone Evans (3); 8. 88h Josh Hansen (8).

Lucas Oil Products Heat Race No.1 (15 laps – No Time)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 4 Mack DeMan, Mississauga, ON (2); 2. 87x Shone Evans, Scotland, ON (1); 3. 43h Ryan Hunsinger, Stouffville, ON (4); 4. 88 Jesse McDonald, Caledonia, ON (9); 5. 52 Jesse Costa, St. Thomas, ON (3); 6. 5d Jacob Dykstra, Port Colborne, ON (6); 7. 18 Josh Shantz, St. Agatha, ON (5); 8. 15 Dan Nanticoke, Ohsweken, ON (7); 9. 3 AJ Lewis, Stoney Creek, ON (13); 10. 9 Paul Ballantyne, Brantford, ON (16); 11. 9c Brian Nanticoke, Ohsweken, ON (10); 12. 29 Liam Martin, Binbrook, ON (12); 13. 3x Gary Klutt, Halton Hills, ON (8); 14. 18x Davey Boughton, Carlisle, ON (14); 15. 52s Jake Sheridan, Mount Brydges, ON (11); 16. 44 Cody Day, Courtland, ON (15).

Klotz Automotive Heat Race No.2 (15 laps – No Time)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 55 Mike Thorne, Caledonia, ON (2); 2. 1 Holly Porter, Delhi, ON (1); 3. 18s Michael Summers, Warsaw, IN (5); 4. 88h Josh Hansen, Beamsville, ON (9); 5. 8 Hannah Ferrell, Vanessa, ON (7); 6. 6m Eric McGlone, Union, ON (4); 7. 5c Conor Mahoney, Waterdown, ON (3); 8. 51x Trevor Young, Ancaster, ON (6); 9. 5 DJ Christie, Beachville, ON (13); 10. 26 John Verney, Salmon Arm, BC (14); 11. 10 Lofton Schuts, Oakland, ON (12); 12. 19 Brandon Murrell, Gores Landing, ON (10); 13. 7 Caleb Wood, Komoka, ON (11); 14. 49h Jerry Hill, Hagersville, ON (8); 15. DNS 8h Matt Hill, Ohsweken, ON (15).

Timed Hot Laps – Group A (Top-5): 1. 87x Shone Evans, 15.376; 2. 4 Mack DeMan, 15.390; 3. 52 Jesse Costa, 15.457; 4. 43h Ryan Hunsinger, 15.553; 5. 18 Josh Shantz, 15.691

Timed Hot Laps – Group B (Top-5): 1. 1 Holly Porter, 15.484; 2. 55 Mike Thorne, 15.843; 3. 5c Conor Mahoney, 15.997; 4. 6m Eric McGlone, 16.015; 5. 18s Michael Summers, 16.046

Ackland Insurance “Top Gun” Award ($100): Shone Evans

Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks (38 entries)

A-Feature (20 laps – NT)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 84rk Ryan Beagle (6); 2. 7x Dave Small (14); 3. 8 Ryan Dinning (3); 4. 25 Ken Sargent (5); 5. 79 Christopher Hale (16); 6. X Billy Bleich Jr. (7); 7. 72 Doug Anderson (13); 8. 56 Dereck Lemyre (9); 9. 1j Jason Fontaine (19); 10. 17 Rob Disher Sr. (17); 11. 49 Dave Bailey (1); 12. 40 Jay Liverance (2); 13. 24 Blake Bomberry Jr. (4); 14. 93 Melissa Miller (23); 15. 37h Rob Hoskins (20); 16. 47x Kyle Pelrine (18); 17. 77 Brett Rodwell (24); 18. 23 Trevor DeBoer (11); 19. 90 Vince Fargnoli (22); 20. 96 Steve Shaw (21); 21. 53 Logan Shwedyk (12); 22. 28 Jim Lampman (10); 23. 7 Jason Lungaro (15); 24. 71 Frank Turkey Jr. (8). A-Feature Lap Leaders –.Ryan Dinning 1-16, Ryan Beagle 17-50; Hard Charger – Dave Small (+12 – 14th to 2nd)

Lucas Oil Products Heat Race No.1 (8 laps – Time: 2:48.696)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 56 Dereck Lemyre, Hamilton, ON (3); 2. 28 Jim Lampman, Caistor Centre, ON (1); 3. 53 Logan Shwedyk, Jerseyville, ON (2); 4. X Bill Bleich Jr, Port Robinson, ON (5); 5. 72 Doug Anderson, Trenton, ON (7); 6. 79 Christopher Hale, Guelph, ON (9); 7. 119 Shaun Quinn, Caledonia, ON (8); 8. 93 Melissa Miller, Six Nations, ON (10); 9. 11r Bryce Richardson, Port Colborne, ON (6); 10. 90 Vince Fargnoli, Niagara Falls, ON (4); 11. 1 Chris Dickie, Brantford, ON (11); 12. 14d Chris Dorland, Demorestville, ON (12); 13. 11jr Andrew Reece, Welland, ON (13)

Caledonia Auto Supply Heat Race No.2 (8 laps – No Time)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 8 Ryan Dinning, Caledonia, ON (2); 2. 71 Frank Turkey Jr, Ohsweken, ON (10); 3. 84rk Ryan Beagle, Vittoria, ON (7); 4. 24 Blake Bomberry Jr., Hagersville, ON (4); 5. 7x Dave Small, Port Colborne, ON (3); 6. 17 Rob Disher, Grimsby, ON (1); 7. 1j Jason Fontaine, Port Colborne, ON (12); 8. 37h Rob Hoskins, Harley, ON (6); 9. 53p Wade Purchase, Demorestville, ON (5); 10. 11 Risi George, Brantford, ON (9); 11. 911L Nick Liverance, Brantford, ON (13); 12. 46 Kevin Pauls, Canfield, ON (11); 13. 93k Mike Klazinga, Caledonia, ON (8)

Miska Trailer Factory Heat Race No.3 (8 laps – Time: 2:46.233)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 49 Dave Bailey, Hagersville, ON (1); 2. 23 Trevor DeBoer, Hagersville, ON (6); 3. 25 Ken Sargent, Port Colborne, ON (4); 4. 40 Jay Liverance, Brantford, ON (8); 5. 7 Jason Lungaro, Hagersville, ON (10); 6. 47x Kyle Pelrine, Beamsville, ON (7); 7. 96 Steve Shaw, Chatham, ON (12); 8. 13 Kacey Huffman, Brantford, ON (2); 9. 77 Brett Rodwell, Mount Hope, ON (5); 10. 6 Mike Ferguson, Hamilton, ON (9); 11. 211 Brian Teeple, Thorold, ON (11); 12. 38 Terry Martin, Ohsweken, ON (3)

B-Feature (8 Laps – No Time)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 1j Jason Fontaine (2); 2. 37h Rob Hoskins (5); 3. 96 Steve Shaw (3); 4. 90 Vince Fargnoli (10); 5. 93 Melissa Miller (4); 6. 77 Brett Rodwell (9); 7. 53x Wade Purchase (8); 8. 119 Shaun Quinn (1); 9. 11r Bryce Richardson (7); 10. 93k Mike Klazinga (20); 11. 46 Kevin Pauls (17); 12. 11jr Andrew Reece (19); 13. 1 Chris Dickie (13); 14. 11 Risi George (11); 15. 38 Terry Martin (18); 16. 211 Brian Teeple (15); 17. 911 Nick Liverance (14); 18. 14d Chris Dorland (16); 19. 13 Kacey Huffman (6); 20. DNS 26 Mike Ferguson (12).

UMP Modifieds (17 entries)

A-Feature (20 laps – No Time)
Finish. # Name (Starting Position)
1. 09 Joel Dick (1); 2. 47b Joe Brosseau (2); 3. 22 Brian Speelman (7); 4. 5x Tim Richardson (5); 5. 26 JJ Beaulieu (12); 6. 00 Jim Dale Jr. (15); 7. 5 Gerald Martin (11); 8. 86 Drew Smith (3); 9. 98p Patrick Lajeuness (8); 10. 14 Mario Toniolo (9); 11. 69 Denis Deserrano (10); 12. 36 Eugene Hoekstra (4); 13. 21 Chris Vanderweile (13); 14. 14b Brad Bloomfield (14); 15. 3c Louis Clements (6); 16. 11 Phil Vilaranda (16); 17. DNS 6m Justin Mills (17). A-Feature Lap Leaders: Joel Dick 1-20; Hard Charger: Jim Dale Jr. (+9 – 15th to 6th)

Lucas Oil Products Heat Race No.1 (6 laps – No Time)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 09d Joel Dick, Leamington, ON (8); 2. 86 Drew Smith, Port Lampton, ON (5); 3. 5x Tim Richardson, Comber, ON (2); 4. 22 Brian Speelman, Blenheim, ON (4); 5. 14 Mario Toniolo, Woodslee, ON (6); 6. 5 Gerald Martin, Essex, ON (1); 7. 21 Chris Vanderweile, Retherford, ON (9); 8. 00 Jim Dale Jr., Shrewsbury, ON (7); 9. 6m Justin Mills, Wheatley, ON (3)

Caledonia Auto Supply Heat Race No.2 (6 laps – No Time)
Finish. # Name, Hometown (Starting Position)
1. 47b Joe Brosseau, Merlin, ON (8); 2. 36 Eugene Hoekstra, Belnheim, ON (3); 3. 3c Louis Clements, Chatham, ON (6); 4. 98p Patrick Lajeunesse, Harrown, ON (1); 5. 69 Denis Deserrano, Cottom, ON (7); 6. 26 JJ Beaulieu, Chatham, ON (2); 7. 14b Brad Bloomfield, Cottom, ON (4); 8. 11 Phil Varanda, Chatham, ON (5).