VIDEO: J.J. Yeley after qualifying for the Daytona 500

On Thursday afternoon, J.J. Yeley qualified for Sunday's Daytona 500. Following the post-qualifying press conference in the infield media centre, I asked Yeley about his Ohsweken Speedway firesuit....

DEMPSTER TAKES SOS OPENER AT BRIGHTON

by Tommy Goudge (May 22, 2010) - The Southern Ontario Sprints fifteenth
anniversary tour kicked off Saturday night at Brighton Speedway, and
when the dust settled a familiar face was in victory lane. Keith
Dempster claimed his fifteenth career SOS feature in spectacular
fashion, holding off hard-charging Tyler Rand by less than two feet at
the finish line.

Glenn Styres and Keith Dempster made up the front row for the first SOS
feature of 2010, and the two teammates swapped the lead twice between a
rash of early cautions in the first three laps. Back under green flag
conditions for a longer period, Styres opened his lead while Dempster
and Rick Wilson fought over the runner-up spot until Wilson clipped one
of the infield tire markers and broke his left front suspension and went
pitside.

Styres opened his lead once again when the race restarted, but disaster
struck for the three time SOS champion when the spud gear on his fuel
pump broke with just a handful of laps remaining. The misfortune for
Styres handed the lead back to Dempster again, but all eyes were on
eighth starter Tyler Rand who had sliced his way through the field using
the bottom groove. Rand, the 2009 SOS Rookie of the Year, made his way
past Adam West in turns three and four and set his sights on Dempster,
who was dealing with heavy traffic.

Rand drew alongside of Dempster as the two headed for the checkered
flag, but came up just a few feet short of his first career Sprint Car
feature win.

"This is a tough place for lapped traffic," said Dempster from Victory
Lane. "We like to come up here and support Brighton Speedway and the
fans here. I have to thank the crew - there's about eight of them over
there, and they make it easy for us to drive these race cars. These wins
are for them."

NOTES
- Rookie driver Brad Lodge made his first career SOS start on Saturday
night. Lodge, Doug Banks, Erin Joyce, and Jim Munsie are all eligible
for the Rookie of the Year award this season. Munsie scored a career
best fifth place finish, and was also the hard charger on the night
after gaining nine positions in the feature.

- Tyler Rand arrived at the track late and started the night at the tail
of his heat race. Rand blew his engine on test and tune night at
Brighton earlier in the month and had just gotten his car back together
at 5:30 on Saturday afternoon. The hard work of his team paid off with a
career-best second place finish.

- The SOS tour gets back to action for round two on Saturday, June 19
back at Brighton Speedway.

RACE REPORT – SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2010
SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS
2010 SEASON EVENT #1
Brighton Speedway - Brighton, Ontario

ENTRIES
(Number Name - Hometown)
0 Glenn Styres - Ohsweken
01 Kyle Fraser - White Lake
2 Brad Lodge - Stouffville
5 Keith Dempster - Alton
9 Jim Munsie - Newmarket
10 Bob Crawford - Sutton
11j Chris Jones - Demorestville
15aw April Wilson - Joyceville
30 Adam West - Ridgetown
33j Erin Joyce - Alcove, QC
42w Rick Wilson - Joyceville
45x Doug Banks - Kingston
66 Frank Baranowski - Mount Hope
79 Dick Mahoney - Newmarket
84 Tyler Rand - Consecon
98 Paul Pekkonen - Brockville

HEAT RACES
(top 3 finishers redraw for feature starting positions)

HEAT RACE #1
(8 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 0 Glenn Styres (3)
2. 5 Keith Dempster (2)
3. 42w Rick Wilson (1)
4. 30 Adam West (4)
5. 79 Dick Mahoney (5)
6. 45x Doug Banks (7)
7. 01 Kyle Fraser (6)
8. 2 Brad Lodge (8)

HEAT RACE #2
(8 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 11j Chris Jones (2)
2. 10 Bob Crawford (3)
3. 15aw April Wilson (4)
4. 84 Tyler Rand (8)
5. 98 Paul Pekkonen (5)
6. 66 Frank Baranowski (6)
7. 9 Jim Munsie (7)
8. 33j Erin Joyce (8)

'A' FEATURE
(20 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 5 Keith Dempster (2)
2. 84 Tyler Rand (8)
3. 30 Adam West (7)
4. 10 Bob Crawford (5)
5. 9 Jim Munsie (14)
6. 79 Dick Mahoney (9)
7. 45x Doug Banks (13)
8. 66 Frank Baranowski (11)
9. 2 Brad Lodge (15)
10. 15aw April Wilson (4)
11. 0 Glenn Styres (1)
12. 42w Rick Wilson (3)
13. 98 Paul Pekkonen (10)
14. 01 Kyle Fraser (12)
15. 11j Chris Jones (6)
16. 33j Erin Joyce (16)

Stealth Racewear "Under the Radar" Award - 9 Jim Munsie

UNOFFICIAL TOP 5 IN POINTS AFTER ROUND #1
Rank. Number Name Total
1. 5 Keith Dempster - 171
2. 84 Tyler Rand - 164
3. 30 Adam West - 159
4. 10 Bob Crawford - 156
5. 9 Jim Munsie - 146

NEXT SOS EVENT:
Saturday, June 19, 2010
@ Brighton Speedway
Brighton, Ontario
www.BrightonSpeedway.com
www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com

SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS KICK OFF FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY SEASON SATURDAY

By Tommy Goudge (May 20, 2010) – A sure sign of spring in Ontario is the opening of Sprint Car racing season. This Saturday night, the Southern Ontario Sprints tour will return to familiar territory when Brighton Speedway hosts the SOS season opener for the eleventh year in a row.

Always a fan favourite at Brighton, Joyceville’s Rick Wilson will try to add to his stellar record at the Northumberland County oval this weekend. In thirty-seven career Sprint Car events at Brighton, “The Joyceville Jet” has claimed thirteen feature victories, along with a dozen runner-up finishes.

Other active drivers with feature wins at Brighton include Glenn Styres (10), Keith Dempster (7), Warren Mahoney (3), Kyle Wilson (3), Adam West (2), Kevin Job (1), and Dick Mahoney (1).

Feature winners at Brighton last season included Glenn Styres (May 17, June 6, September 5), Adam West (July 11), Rick Wilson (August 8), and Ryan Hunsinger (September 6).

Others expected in competition on Saturday night and looking to add their names to Brighton’s sprint car win list include; Chris Jones, April Wilson, Jamie Collard, Bob Crawford, 2009 SOS Rookie of the Year Tyler Rand, Kyle Fraser, Tim Zack, Paul Pekkonen, 2010 Rookie of the Year candidates Brad Lodge, Erin Joyce, and Jim Munsie.

Don’t miss the first event of the SOS racing season on Saturday, May 22nd! Rock 107 and Van Zuylen Tire present the evening’s activities, featuring the Southern Ontario Sprints season opener, along with Brighton’s new DIRTCar Pro Late Models, Canadian Modifieds, Pro Stocks, and Comp 4’s.

WHAT:
Southern Ontario Sprints 2010 Season, Round #1
www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com

WHERE:
Brighton Speedway
775 County Road 64
Brighton, Ontario
K0K 1H0
Phone: (613)-475-1102 or toll free 1-(866)-681-1102
e-mail: info@brightonspeedway.com
On the Web: www.brightonspeedway.com

WHEN:
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Pit Gates open @ 3:00p.m., Spectator Gates Open @ 5:30p.m., Racing @ 7:00p.m.
Tickets: $18 Adults, $14 Youth and Seniors, $4 Children Ages 7-12, FREE Children Ages 6 and Under, $42 Family Pass
** Advance ticket sales are available for all SOS events at Brighton Speedway in 2010. Visit www.BrightonSpeedway.com for details. **

Please visit www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com for more news and information about the Southern Ontario Sprints! 2010 marks the fifteenth year of operation for the Southern Ontario Sprints, brought to you this season by Wiseco Piston, Kenetic Photos, Stealth Racewear, Triple X Race Co., ASI Racewear, The Racers Edge, BS&B Radiator, www.ImageFactor.ca, Hepfner Racing Products, Saldana Racing Products, Kreitz Oval Track Parts Inc., Keizer Aluminum Wheels, and Have Bus Racing Tours.

SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS HISTORY
BRIGHTON SPEEDWAY
SEASON OPENER WINNERS
May 6, 2000 - 5k Keith Dempster
May 5, 2001 - 6 Ryan Coniam
May 4, 2002 - 42 Rick Wilson
May 3, 2003 - 16w Kyle Wilson
May 1, 2004 - 6 Cody Geldart
May 7, 2005 - 30 Adam West
May 6, 2006 - 0 Glenn Styres
May 12, 2007 - 42w Rick Wilson
May 10, 2008 - 42w Rick Wilson
May 17, 2009 - 0 Glenn Styres

OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY: SEASON OPENER, TAKE TWO

By Tommy Goudge (May 19, 2010) – Mother Nature decided to give Ohsweken Speedway’s race teams and fans an extra week to get ready for the 2010 season, but now the sky has cleared and it’s time to go racing! Ohsweken’s fifteenth anniversary season kicks off this Friday night when RapStar Energy Drink presents Friday Night Thunder featuring the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini Stocks, and Bombers, plus the first of three visits by the Mod Lite Stars Championship Tour North!

The Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars are once again the headline division for Friday Night Thunder in 2010, and 2009 Corr/Pak Champ Tom Huppunen enters the season as the driver to beat. Veterans Kevin Job, Keith Dempster, Glenn Styres, Mikey Kruchka, and Jamie Collard are just a few of the challengers for the title this season, while former Ohsweken feature winner Mike Ling returns to dirt after a decade of pavement racing. The Rookie of the Year award is sure to be fiercely contested as an even half dozen first year drivers are signed up, including Jamie Turner, Chris Steele, Stevin Goldner, Shane Butler, Todd Hoddick, and 2009 Ohsweken Speedway ESSO Mini Stock champion Mitchell Brown

The always competitive ESSO Thunder Stocks division featured the closest points chase of any Friday Night Thunder division last season, and the same could happen this year. Defending champ Shayne Pierce will be back this season, this time in his family owned car. Meanwhile, other top ten drivers such as Billy Bleich, Jamie Cox, Jeremy Bean, Mike Thorne, Brad Herron, Ryan Dinning, Rob Disher, Lee Winger, and Chris Dickie would all like to take their first Thunder Stock title.

The ESSO Mini Stock division won't feature a repeat champion in 2010, as '09 champ Mitchell Brown has moved to the Corr/Pak Sprints. Former champions Abel Castelein (2007, 2008), Rick Emberson (2005), Kelly Hallett (2000, 2001) and Mike Giberson (1996) will try to add to their totals, while Dave Goodacre, Dan Stewart, Rob Slater, Ethan Martin, and Mike Evers are sure to compete for feature wins as well. Five first year drivers are also signed up to compete for the Rookie of the Year award, including Jacob Brown in the #10 seat vacated by brother Mitchell, along with Ryan Beagle, Brittani Myers, Jamie Goudge, and Robin Elliott.

The driver to beat in the Bomber division is Karl Sault, who claimed his first championship in 2009. The always unpredictable Bombers are also likely to include Jesse McDonald, Kacey Huffman, new driver Rob Twitchett, and a host of others having fun in the very affordable division.

Before Friday's action takes the green flag, Thursday night features Test and Tune for all divisions competing at the Speedway in 2010. The Test and Tune session offers a sneak peek at the 2010 season, and the best part? It's free for fans to observe from the main grandstand!

Ohsweken Speedway's Friday Night Thunder kicks off this Friday, May 21 when RapStar Energy Drink presents the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars, ESSO Thunder Stocks, ESSO Mini-Stocks, and Bombers, plus the Mod Lite Stars Championship Tour North.

Friday Night Thunder at Ohsweken offers affordable exciting family entertainment just a short drive away from most Mid-Western Ontario locations. Friday Night Thunder Adult General Admission is $10, while Seniors and Students are $8, and Kids age 12 and under are FREE! Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information.

Spectator gates open @ 6:00p.m., with the first race taking the green flag at 7:45p.m. this Friday, May 21

COUNTDOWN TO OHSWEKEN OPENER HEATS UP AS TRACK SAFETY TEAM GATHERS

By Ken Pelkie - For the past two seasons Ohsweken Speedway in Southwestern Ontario has embarked on a program to enhance safety for everyone who attends the track. The commitment has been rewarding to teams and fans alike as Ohsweken has visibly improved the number of personnel in safety positions at the speedway.

This past Sunday, a dozen of the speedways first line fire and safety personnel gathered in Brantford for a full day of classroom training in scene assessment; first aid and basic life support; firefighters role and basic fire suppression; and immobilization for extrication. This training will be enhanced with supplementary hands on sessions when the team gathers for “Test and Tune” day on May 8th at the speedway.

“This training has been in the planning stages since last fall and I have received a lot of positive feedback from many of the attendees” stated track owner Glenn Styres on Monday morning. “To me you cannot put a price on Safety and we want to provide a feeling for everyone who attends our track that we are serious about their well being and have them know we are trained and prepared to handle every situation that arises”. “We just hope that we never have to use the knowledge but we have to be prepared”. “This is just a sensible approach for the business we are in and we plan to build on the base that we have set”. “I would really like to thank everyone who gave up their Sunday and especially to Kevin Barry and Darren Allan from EMR for providing the training” Styres concluded.

When the gates swing open on May 14th for the opening round of “Friday Night Thunder”, fans will be able to “Feel The Excitement” each week as the ground pounding winged Sprint Cars embark on a seventeen race chase to the championship as the main draw at Ohsweken. They will be supported by Thunder Stocks, Mini Stocks, and Bombers. Vintage cars will visit monthly over the summer and the Mod Lites will make three appearances. The World of Outlaw Sprint series will run two programs in 2010 with July 30 and 31 appearing on their schedule and the 6th Annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals will close out the season with a $10,000 to win show on September 16, 17, & 18. Special events designed to entertain every fan are scattered over the summer with something different being presented each week. With “Affordable Family Entertainment” as the primary goal, Ohsweken Speedway is the place to be at 7:45 PM each Friday night for an evening of action packed entertainment.

The Junior Fan Club will take on a new look in 2010 as Amy Dale has agreed to breathe new life into the social gathering of the young fans. Exciting activities will be available weekly to kids’ ages 6 through 12 that will promise to interest all.

“We have been focusing our attention toward family entertainment while giving our fans a true racing alternative in the area” states Ken Pelkie, Director of Racing Operations. “Our commitment to the fans is to provide an entertaining, first class show that the whole family will enjoy and present it in a timely manner. Two to two and one-half hours is the target for completion of the program throughout the season” Pelkie concluded.

Many sponsors have committed to return and support Ohsweken Speedway in a major way throughout the season. Grisdale Racing Products, BS&B Radiator, Outhouse Imaging & Design, Awesome Racewear, Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel, Engine Pro Racing, Village Pizza, Arrow Express, and Jones Brown Insurance headline our list of marketing partners who support Ohsweken Speedway. Trailers by Jim Bray, Evers Financial, WISECO Pistons, Gales Auto Aftermarket, Metal Works, HRW Automotive, The Rochester Americans, The Rochester Knighthawks, and Speedway Variety, appear as weekly program sponsors. Zemco Speed Equipment, HRP Racing Products, Canton Racing Products, Saldana Racing Products, DMI, KING Racing Products, The Brakeman, Winters Performance, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, and Kinser Air Filters combined will expand the Corr/Pak Sprint Car point fund to over $25,000 in cash and product.

Advanced Ticket Sales for all events where reserved seating will be utilized which include the World of Outlaws shows and the Canadian Nationals continue to the general public, Monday through Thursday during normal business hours at 1-888-720-7223. The transfer of these sales to Ticket Master will be coming in the very near future. Please follow instructions to obtain your tickets as posted on the official website at www.ohswekenspeedway.com . Any questions should be directed to Cheryl or Ken Pelkie at (1-888) 720-7223 or email to pelkiekj@ebtech.net.

Until the sound of racing engines fill the spring air, Ohsweken Speedway will be participating in a couple of final static displays this week. The first two will take place Wednesday, April 21 through Saturday, April 24 at the Lynden Park Mall in Brantford. Sprint cars of Glenn Styres, Mikey Kruchka, and Mitchell Brown will be on display along with the Thunder Stock of Rob Disher and the Mini Stock of Jacob Brown. A Bomber recently completed by Glen Hills will also be on display along with information on rules for the very affordable novice racing class. The second event takes place in Ancaster at the Ancaster Flea Market located at the Ancaster Fair Grounds. The Sunday show is open from 9:00AM to 5:00PM.

Be sure to come out and see us and for more information please check out the official website of Ohsweken Speedway at www.ohswekenspeedway.com.

From Ken Pelkie/Ohsweken Speedway

SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS ANNOUNCE 2010 SCHEDULE

By Tommy Goudge (March 24, 2010) – The fifteenth season of Southern Ontario Sprints competition is set to kick off in less than two months time. The touring Sprint Car club will award championship points in events at Autodrome Edelweiss, Brighton Speedway, Merrittville Speedway, and Ohsweken Speedway, and has signed on as an affiliate once again for the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals at Ohsweken.

Brighton Speedway is once again the anchor track for the tour, and hosts the season opener for the eleventh year in a row on Saturday, May 22. The tour will also travel to Brighton on Saturday, June 19, Saturday, July 10, Saturday, August 7, and the annual Labour Day Classic weekend Saturday, September 4, and Sunday, September 5. Winners at Brighton last season included Glenn Styres (May 9, June 6, September 5), Adam West (July 11), Rick Wilson (August 8), and Ryan Hunsinger (September 6). More information about Brighton Speedway can be found on the official website at www.BrightonSpeedway.com.

The club returns as an affiliate sanction for the third annual Northern Summer Nationals at Ohsweken Speedway on Friday, July 2. For this year’s edition of the Summer Nationals, points towards the SOS season championship will be awarded to SOS members. The tour will also be back at Ohsweken in a non-points capacity to support the sixth annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals September 16 to 18. More information about Ohsweken Speedway can be found on the official website at www.OhswekenSpeedway.com.

The SOS tour will visit Autodrome Edelweiss in Cantley, Quebec just outside Ottawa for the first time ever on Friday, July 9, creating a doubleheader weekend with Brighton the next evening. The event will be the first ever championship points race for the club in the province of Quebec, and figures to be a contest for provincial pride with many Quebec drivers set to take on the travelers from the SOS. Autodrome Edelweiss is a fast 1/4 mile oval which regularly features Sprint Cars lapping in the eleven second range. The track has hosted twenty-eight Sprint Car events since 1990, including feature wins by Steve Poirier and Tommy Wickham in Empire Super Sprints competition last season. More information about Autodrome Edelweiss can be found in both English and French on the official website at www.AutodromeEdelweiss.com.

Merrittville Speedway will also host a round in the SOS championship for the first time since 2003. The 2010 championship chase will come to a conclusion for the SOS at Merrittville on Friday, September 10 as part of Merrittville's Championship Triple Header Weekend. Four SOS races were held at the historic 1/3 mile clay oval located just outside St. Catharines between 2001 and 2003. All-time SOS feature wins leader Rick Wilson won two of those, while Billy Krull took a victory, along with Warren Mahoney who was the most recent SOS winner at Merrittville on August 16, 2003. More information about Merrittville Speedway can be found on the official website at www.MerrittvilleSpeedway.com.

Make your plans to attend events on the 2010 calendar and celebrate fifteen years of homegrown Canadian Sprint Car racing!

2010 SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS SCHEDULE

1. May 22 – Brighton Speedway
(Rain Date – May 23)

2. June 19 – Brighton Speedway

3. July 2 – Ohsweken Speedway
(Northern Summer Nationals – Points for SOS members)

4. July 9 – Autodrome Edelweiss

5. July 10 – Brighton Speedway

6. August 7 – Brighton Speedway

7. September 4 – Brighton Speedway
(Labour Day Classic)

8. September 5 – Brighton Speedway
(Labour Day Classic)

9. September 10 – Merrittville Speedway
(SOS Championship)

NP. September 17 – Ohsweken Speedway
(Night Before the Nationals)

NP. September 18 – Ohsweken Speedway
(Canadian Sprint Car Nationals)

Please visit www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com for more news and information about the Southern Ontario Sprints! 2010 marks the fifteenth year of operation for the Southern Ontario Sprints, brought to you this season by Wiseco Piston, Kenetic Photos, Stealth Racewear, Triple X Race Co., ASI Racewear, The Racers Edge, BS&B Radiator, www.ImageFactor.ca, Hepfner Racing Products, Saldana Racing Products, Kreitz Oval Track Parts Inc., Keizer Aluminum Wheels, and Have Bus Racing Tours.