Justin Barger

Chris Steele

Scott Kreutter

Mitch Brown and his Haldex / Pro-Fit / Strodes BBQ & Deli / Brown Auto Service / Leitch Performance Engines Maxim Sprinter Steve Poirier

A collective look back on the 2012 dirt track scene featuring highlights of ● Ohsweken Speedway’s 2012 season ● the

Patriot Sprint Tour ● the Northern Summer Nationals ● the

Canadian Sprint Car Nationals ● & the Six

Nations Showdown ● Colourful Photo Galleries and much more.

A Special Year End Edition of HB Motorsports’ Team Newsletter

FULL PAG

Editor’s

Comments

Welcome to… ● Welcome to Chasin’ the Sprints 2012

● It Was Excitement Plus in 2012

● Salute to the Safety Crew

● He’s the Real Deal –Chris Steele Once again it is our pleasure to publish t his second annual year-end salute to our fellow competitors, ● Oh So Close in the Championship Race team owners, tracks and promoters who make up

the competition and venues of dirt track racing both ● Rounding Out the Top-Ten at Ohsweken here in Ontario and in the neighbouring states - tracks at which HB Motorsports competes. ● Others in the Chase

● As not ed by the events and competitors featured in They Added to the Entertainment this edition of our annual newsletter, it was another

exciting and colourful season on the dirt ovals and ● Tony Stewart –Smokin’ Hot at Ohsweken

again highlights the intense and entertaining aspects ● the drivers of these winged, open-wheel machines Six Nations Showdown

ca n generate be it in heat races, short dashes or in ● The Lighter Side the A-Main features where again this season some new faces appeared in the winner’s circle. ● Shane Stewart – Up for the Challenge

Take a look inside and see what happened in 2012 ● Mitch Brown Can’t Wait ‘Til 2013 through the photos and commentaries that we

believe will help to gain some new fans to our sport ● Team Pix 2012 =and prove to sponsors that their investment in our team efforts and those of our competitors and tracks is ● Jake Brown Making Moves worthy of their support . ● Team Sponsors and Crew In closing out this recap of the 2012 season, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize my fel low photographers ● Patriot Sprint Tour Champions who put up with me each week at the track and supply me with some of their professional shots that ● Barger Tops in Northern Summer Nationals are identified in this publication; to Greg Calnan of Image Factor Motorsports Design for his terrific ● Plenty of Colour and Excitement

work in the design and ongoing modif ications to our ● team website www.hbmotorsports.ca ; to Ken and 2012 Canadian Sprint Car Nationals

Cheryl Pelkie in providing me with access to one of the finest racing venues in Canada; and to Mike Emhof of Mike Emhof Motorsports, owner/promoter Cover Photo of the #10 Car – Gary Eves of the Patriot Sprint Tour for providing another Other Contributing Photographers Dale Calnan, Phil Armishaw, Peter Anderson and competitive series for our team driver to broaden his Bill Mehlenbacher experience.

Hope to see you around the tracks next season.

Ken Spencer

-

With the running of the October 13 th Patriot Sprint Tour event at ● Pierced Parts Bombers Brockville Ontario Speedway, the season –as covered by this Davey Boughton and Max Chechalk entered the evening publication- is now complete. separated by just one point but Boughton quickly got the lead when the feature race began and cruised to the championship- And what a terrific season it was. clinching feature win.

It was a season that saw … PATRIOT SPRINT TOUR ♦ Three track and series championships determined on the final nights of their schedules In the off-season leading up to the 2012 Patriot Sprint Tour ♦ A record crowd watch a NASCAR star steal the spotlight from Owner/Promoter Mike Emhof came up with a recipe to attract some of the best Sprint Car drivers in North America more Canadian racers to his New York State-based series by ♦ The first three-time winner of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals formulating a Canadian Championship to align with an ♦ Some new faces in the winner’s circle American Championship. And based on the results, it was a ♦… and a season that was filled with spills, thrills, excitement huge success. and yes, even some disappointments. The American Championships was decided on the final night of OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY the schedule when Scott Kreutter came from 36 points behind The championships in the weekly divisions of Ohsweken leader Brian Howland to win the title by 9 points when Howland Speedway's Friday Night Thunder series were not decided until experienced mechanical problems and failed to finish the race. the final regular event in 2012, and a brief rain shower during Justin Barger won the Canadian Championship by a more qualifying couldn't keep the racers from settling things on the comfortable margin over Jamie Collard track.

● Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars NORTHERN SUMMER NATIONALS Four drivers entered the final night of Ohsweken Speedway’s The battle for the championship in the four-race Northern regular season points’ schedule with very good chances to take Summer Nationals, co-hosted by Ohsweken Speedway and the Sprint Car championship and the standings got even tighter South Buxton Raceway, also went down to the final race of the after the heat races were complete with Tom Huppunen, Chris series where Justin Barger of Montrose NY took the title by 9 points over a hard charging Dustin Daggett of Grand Ledge, MI. Steele, Glenn Styres, and Travis Cunningham all in the mix separated by just five points. Daggett had won the last two events of the series in August but By the end of the evening, Chris Steele had vaulted past Styres couldn’t overcome the 11-point lead Barger held after the first and Huppunen to win his first Championship by a mere 4 points. two races in June.

Dain Naida slipped past a faltering Cunningham to finish fourth TONY DEFENDED HIS TITLE with Cunningham a disappointing fifth. And if the naysayers still think Tony Stewart doesn’t draw attention outside of his NASCAR Sprint Cup programs, they Steele hadn’t won a Sprint Car A-Main prior to the 2012 season weren’t at Ohsweken for the Six Nations showdown on July but won two in pursuit of the title. 31st. On that night Stewart not only defended his title against Travis Cunningham, despite his late drop in the standings, was the , but that show, with Stewart in the line-up attracted the largest crowd in the track’s history. another racer to win his first feature in 2012 then added two more before the season was over. CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS ● Lighthouse Tattoos Thunder Stocks With seventy-six cars in the pit area for the eighth annual Jack Myers entered the night trailing Mike Thorne by just six Canadian Sprint Car Nationals picking a winner was like points in the Thunder Stock standings, but trouble found him in choosing the winning numbers in a lottery. And what are the both his heat race, and the B-Main. When the Season odds you can pick a winner for the third time?

Championship feature began, Myers could only sit and watch as If you placed your bets on Steve Poirier you made a great Mike Thorne clinched the title. Thorne didn't just cruise to the choice as the Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Quebec competitor championship though, as he made his way to the front from row copped his third title in the leading Sprint Car Championship on seven, and took the feature win. Wyatt Van Wart, Cory Turner, September 15 th . Aaron Turkey, and Ryan Turner rounded out the top five.

THERE WERE UPS, DOWNS AND EVEN OVERS IN 2012 ● HRW Automotive Mini Stocks Racing can be an unforgivable sport or it can be an uplifting Karl Sault entered the evening with a twenty-point advantage experience and in 2012 there were plenty of moments with both for over Mike Evers, and only needed to keep the retiring veteran Sprint Car and even the Thunder Stock, Mini Stock and Bomber driver in sight to claim his second Mini Stock title in succession. competitors in 2012- far too many in fact to list in this publication. Sault was not content with that though, and gave chase to eventual feature winner Jeremy Hughes, while John Cote was WHAT’S IN STORE IN 2013? also in the mix. Hughes took his sixth win of the season at Still too early for any forecasts but it can only get better for Ohsweken, followed by Cote, Sault, Dan Stewart, and Jason followers of dirt track racing. Lungaro. So be sure to get in on the excitement in 2013

They are trained, experienced and at the ready… and they are often unheralded.

They are the men and women who form the safety team at Ohsweken Speedway

On behalf of HB Motorsports and our fellow competitors, THANK YOU for providing us with the most important service we rely on throughout the season.

“Your Trackside Supplier of HRP and Bicknell Racing Products,

Hoosier Tires and Racing Fuel for HB MOTORSPORTS Sprint Car teams at Ohsweken

401 Erie Avenue Brantford, Ontario N3T 5L9 Speedway throughout the Season” (519) 752-9531

www.hbmotorsports.ca

2012 Champion

Ohsweken Speedway’s

Corr/Pak Sprint Car Division

MAKE NO MISTAKES ABOUT CHRIS STEELE…

HE IS THE REAL DEAL

Just check out his 2012 season performance and you’ll see why he’s lived up to his moniker.

Fenwick Ontario’s Chris Steele had one of those seasons a lot of racers only dream about – 11 top-five finishes and two added top-tens in Ohsweken Speedway’s 15-night program of racing enroute to the 2012 Corr/Pak Sprint Car Championship.

But even with that remarkable record that also included two A-Main feature wins, he had to wait for the September 7 th final results to be recorded and then take a green flag start in the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals the following week before it was time to celebrate. #80 CHRIS STEELE No problem for the well disciplined driver of the Golfi Concrete & Drain Division: Corr/Pak Sprint Cars Ltd.; Niagara Dental Arts; Pete Cosco Haulage; Turn 4 Collision; RCM Hometown: Fenwick, ON Racing Equipment, A-Z Expediting #80 Sprinter. Birth Date: December 25, 1987 Career: Dental Technologist On the final night of O hsweken’s regular season Steele chased Dain Naida to his first feature win of the season and in so doing edged out Years in Racing:10 fellow Fenwick competitor Tom Huppunen and Ohsweken track owner Sponsors: Golfi Concrete & Drain Ltd. Glenn Styres to take the championship title by a mere four points. Niagara Dental Arts; Pete Cosco Haulage And he reaffirmed that championship one week later by finishing fifth in Turn 4 Collision, heat #1 of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals after setting a new track RCM Racing Equipment qualifying record of 13:308 around the quick 3/8 th -mile Ohsweken oval. A-Z Expediting Steele, who is just starting out in his career as a Dental Technologist, made only two starts in the 2012 four-race Northern Summer Nationals due to his conflicting schedule with his DIRTcar Modified program at Merrittville Speedway. But in those NSN events he was again at the top of his game recording a second-place finish on June 22nd and a third-place th run on August 17 both at Ohsweken.

Chris began his career in Merrittville Speedway’s weekly karting series, and quickly progressed through the ranks to race Mod-Lites, and DIRT Modifieds. He tasted success at each level and joined the Sprint Car ranks in 2009, living up to his nickname – “The Real Deal” – with a 10th place finish in his first ever Sprint Car start at Ohsweken Speedway. Mechanical problems put a damper on his rookie season in the Corr /Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division but improved to a rewarding seventh place finish in the 2011 final Corr/Pak standings.

Watch for even better things from Chris Steele in 2013.

. Chris Steele had a busy night at Merrittville Speedway Chris Steele celebrates one of his two A-Main wins at Ohsweken Speedway with on June 30 th competing in the Empire Super Sprint family members …just another moment he’ll reflect back on in the off-season special (above) then switching to his #17 Dirt Modified for a run in his regular Saturday night program.

Two former track champions were in the title hunt again in 2012 but when the dust had

settled they ended 4 points short of grabbing Ohsweken Speedway’s Corr/Pak Trophy.

Fans following the Sprint Car season at Ohsweken were treated to a real nail biter in the chase for the Corr/Pak trophy with five drivers still in contention for the championship in the closing weeks of the regular schedule. These two ended up just four points short when the final results were tallied as Chris Steele of Fenwick slipped into the lead on the final points’ night of the season.

Glenn Styres –driver of the Ohsweken Speedway, Town Line Variety; Arrow Express; Rochester Knighthawks; Metal Works #0 ; obviously knows the quickest way

around his own oval winning four A-Mains and adding another eight top-ten finishes. But the three-time Track Champion gambled on missing the August 3 rd show in his own back yard for a chance to run stateside- a decision that ruined his bid for his fourth title.

Tom Huppunen - driver of the Five Star Racing Products, Solaris Tint, Dominion Auto Body -sponsored #27 captured Ohsweken’s Sprint Car Championship in 2009, ran again in 20 10 then sat out the 2011 season. But the Fenwick, ON resident came back strong in 2012 winning two A-Mains, five qualifying heats and recorded nine other top-ten finishes in feature events.

DNFs on July 13 and August 31 scarred an otherwise successful season.

Others in the chase are noted on page 9 including Travis Cunningham of Grimsby, Dain Naida of Belleville, MI and Jim Huppunen of Fenwick, ON, the 2011 Corr/Pak Champion.

In any racing series there i s only one champion but these competitors battled hard to stay in the challenge especially Dain Naida of Belleville, Michigan and Travis Cunningham of Grimsby, Ontario .

Cunningham won three A-Mains and appeared to be headed for the title in the 2012 crusa de but his chances for the ultimate goal were felled by some unusual late season incidents.

th Naida toyed with the points’ lead throughout most of 2012 4 Place -Dain Naida - Belleville, MI but in the end wound up fourth in the chase.

th th 5 Place –Travis Cunningham – Grimsby, ON 6 Place – Jim Huppunen, Fenwick, ON

th th 7 Place - Keith Dempster, Alton, ON 8 Place – Mikey Kruchka, Grimsby, ON

th th 9 Place –Todd Hoddick, Cheektowaga, NY 10 Place – Mitch Brown, Brantford, ON

Are you looking for ways to generate awareness and create interest in your racing activities?

We’ve got some ideas the may solve your promotional needs .

Ken Spencer Promotional Brochures Press Releases 1151 Ballantry Road Newsletters Oakville, Ontario etc L6H 5N1 For Sports & Recreation (905) 301- 5289 Community Groups [email protected] Small Business

“CHASIN’ the SPRINTS 2012” Is produced by Brochures etc and

is the official yearend newsletter of HB Motorsports. The contents appearing in this publication have been selected for the purpose of keeping our sponsors and race fans informed of our team activities and to help promote the efforts of our competitors and tracks that are a part of our colourful sport

Comments/suggestion should be directed to the editor.

Editor/Publisher Ken Spencer (905) 301-5289 Email [email protected] Team website www.hbmotorsports.ca

401 Erie Avenue, Brantford, Ontario N3T 5L6

(519) 752-9531 [email protected]

BROWN AUTO SERVICE 401 Erie Ave.

Brantford, ON N3T 5L6 (519) 752-9531 [email protected]

Welcome to Brown Auto Service. . .

We are a friendly, clean and efficient, full service, automotive repair and maintenance shop serving the Brantford area for over 50 years with consistent and friendly service.

We understand that car repairs can be stressful and we do everything possible to make our customers feel welcome, comfortable and satisfied with their service experience.

At Brown Auto Service, we know how busy you are and want to help keep your vehicle in top condition. When it is time for maintenance, we remember for you through our free service reminders!

We make your service experience hassle-free. We are happy to offer early bird and night-owl drop-box service and local shuttle service to your home or office.

Our Professionalism sets us apart from the rest. Visit us for a complete line of maintenance and repair needs, including quality auto parts.

Certifications/Products/Specialties We look forward to serving you

Brown Auto Service 519-752-9531 [email protected]

11 th – #3 Shane Ross Thedford, ON

th 12 – #11 Jamie Turner Caistor Centre, ON

th 13 – #7X Jamie Collard Burford, ON

14 th - #52 Scott Kreutter Alden, NY

15 th - #5 Dave Dykstra Port Colborne, ON

16 th – #5c Conor Mahoney Waterdown, ON

17 th – #31 John Burbridge Jr St. Williams, ON 18 th – #30G Steve Goldner Aylmer, ON th 19 – #9NZ Havard Daniels Auckland, NZ

th 20 – #35 Jared Zimbardi Little Valley, NY

21 st – #40 Sammy Steiss Ohsweken, ON

22 nd –#33K Kyle Patrick Tilbury, ON

23 rd – #94 Stan Zanchin Fort Erie, ON

24 th – #5M Brad Malloy Fort Erie, ON

25 th – #67 Chris Durand Port Stanley, ON

2012 CHAMPION- Mike Thorne, Caledonia, ON 2012 CHAMPION - Karl Sault, Dundas, ON

2nd Place – Jack Meyers, Wainfleet, ON 2nd Place – Mike Evers, Caledonia, ON

rd rd 3 Place – Wyatt VanWART, Cambridge, ON 3 -Place – Jason Lungaro, Hamilton, ON

th th 4 Place – Jeremy Hughes, Burlington, ON 4 Place – Davin Habiuk, Port Robinson, ON

th 5 Place – Lee Winger, Caledonia, ON 5th Place – Mike Taylor / Mark Czuba – Burlington, ON

The Bomber Division at Ohsweken’s weekly shows provides a lot of amusing racing. Dave Boughton (18x above) won the Championship The International Modified Lite Championship Tour (below left) and the Vintage Cars (below right) also added to the entertainment in 2012.

TONY STEWART SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS

WORLD OF OUTLAWS WIN AT OHSWEKEN

From the World of Outlaws - OHSWEKEN, Ontario, July 31, 2012 Tony Stewart, Ohsweken Speedway and Victory Lane are beginning to become synonymous.

The NASCAR driver led all 30 laps on Tuesday to claim his third career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series victory and his second in a row at the 3/8-mile oval. Counting Monday’s win in Corr/Pak Sprints action, he has ended his last three events at Ohsweken Speedway a top the podium.

“Last year we won the thing running through the middle and tonight we were really good right on the top edge of the race track,” Stewart said. “It wasn’t really anything consistent between the nights. It’s just a neat, little racetrack. It’s a lot of fun. You can race all over the place.

“And what an honor it is to stand here with this group of guys. To win with the World of Outlaws is awesome.” TONY STEWART 'SMOKES' THE FIELD AT OHSWEKEN SPEEDWAY A year after picking up his first-ever Outlaws win, Stewart dominated in the return to July 30 2012 Ohsweken Speedway in front of the largest crowd in the track’s history. He manoeuvred from

third to first in the opening turn of the dash and held off World of Outlaws championship Ohsweken Speedway welcomed back standings leader Craig Dollansky for his first dash victory of the season. 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart o n Monday night and That earned Stewart the pole for the feature on a track that had started to slick off 'Smoke' put on a show to remember. early in the heat races. The main event was caution free and featured a variety of

close calls throughout traffic for Stewart and Dollansky, who stayed within several car After transferring from the B-Main lengths the entire race. Stewart worked from his 17th starting spot in the main event to capture the win “He’s rolling around here good,” said Dollansky, who has recorded a top three in four with the Corr/Pak Sprint Cars. Glenn of his last five events. “He did last year and he did again this year. We were with him Styres finished second while Jessica and working through lapped traffic. A couple things go a little bit different in lapped Zemken rounded out the top three . traffic, I think we had a shot at the win.”

A night later, the largest crowd in the The duo entered traffic on lap nine, which forced both to move around the track and history of Ohsweken Speedway was on leave the preferred top groove. Midway through the feature Stewart had to check up hand for the July 31 st Special as a car slid in front of him exiting turn four, which allowed Dollansky to close to the rear bumper. However, Stewart maintained the position and later held off a late rally from Dollansky, who closed to within two car lengths on the final lap.

“You just had to play when you caught those guys a little bit and make sure you didn’t get to a part of the corner where you just got stuck,” Stewart said. “Just keeping the momentum up was the big thing just to get by those guys.”

Had there been a late caution, Tony Stewart Racing driver could have played a spoiler role. Kinser charged from 12th to sixth in the first 12 laps and cracked the top five at the midpoint of the feature.

As Kraig Kinser worked past for third place with five laps remaining, Steve Kinser split the duo and eventually gained third place on the ensuing lap. He finished third to earn a podium for the second consecutive race after starting in the middle of the field.

“We’re making recoveries, but that’s not the way to be doing it,” Kinser said.

Kraig Kinser, who set quick time in qualifying, placed fourth and Schatz was fifth. Cody Darrah ended sixth, Chad Kemenah seventh, eighth, Kerry Madsen ninth and Michael Parent charged from last – 24th – to round out the top 10 and earn the KSE Hard Charger Award.

Darrah, Schatz and Swindell each won a heat race, and Jamie Collard claimed the Last Chance Showdown Photo Credit - Bill Mehlenbacher

Craig Dollansky, Elk Rover, MN. Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND Kerry Masden, Knoxville, IA

Ohsweken Speedway Statistical Report July 31, 2012

(Start A-Main - (30 Laps) – Pos) 1. 14- Tony Stewart (1) 2. 7- Craig Dollansky (2) 3. 11- Steve Kinser (12) 4. 11K- Kraig Kinser (4) Sammy Swindell, Germantown, TN 5. 15- Donny Schatz (3) Cody Darrah – Red Lion, PA 6. 4- Cody Darrah (5) 7. 63- Chad Kemenah (7) 8. 1- Sammy Swindell (8) 9. 29- Kerry Madsen (15) 10.25P- Michael Parent (24) 11. 5W- Lucas Wolfe (13) 12. 1Z- Jessica Zemken (9) 13.27H- Tom Huppunen (16) 14. 2M- Dustin Daggett (11) 15.80- Chris Steele (23) 16. 7X Jamie Collard (18) Joey Saldana, Pittsboro, IN 17.71- Travis Cunningham (20) Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN 18. 3R Shane Ross (19) 19. 9- Joey Saldana (10) 20. 55X-James McFadden (14) 21. 0 - Glenn Styres (17) 22. 5- Keith Dempster (21) 23. 6- Bill Rose (6) 24. 07X- Dain Naida (22)

Lap Leaders: Tony Stewart 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 25P-Michael Parent [+14]. Chad Kemenah, Findlay, OH Bill Rose, Plainfield, IN

Lucas Wolfe, Mechanicsburg, PA Ohsweken Speedway July 31, 2012 Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, IN That’s right - SOME GUYS EXPECT A LOT! pepperoni, onions and double cheese and yes I want it delivered to the infield at Ohsweken Speedway.

But you may have to paint a BIG number on your car to get it to me! I’m in turn one

Hope I can get this job do ne before my ashes drop.

Damn… Another pair of white socks ruined!

Gosh, has he ever got bad breath Now I ask you…wasn’t that the tastiest BBQ you ever had?

Geez… I’m sorry Tommy. What was that question again?

Oh man! Is this ever a tiring job.

I never work this hard at the City of Hamilton

Shane Stewart Dominated First Annual Can- Am Challenge at Autodrome Granby Spring Trip Profitable for Oklahoman Sprint Car Driver By Mike Mallett -Empire Super Sprints May 12, 2012

GRANBY, QC – When the idea of putting on a big 360 Sprint car event at the famed Autodrome Granby in Quebec was put Shane Stewart of Bixby, Oklahoma made the trip north a profitable into place, it attracted one of the best sprint car drivers one by capturing the first Annual Can-Am Challenge at Autodrome anywhere. Bixby Oklahoma’s Shane Stewart took the lead from Granby in May 2012. He also won A-Main #2 the night before. Quebec native Alain Bergeron on lap 13 and never looked back in winning the first annual Can-Am Challenge. “I didn’t need the two those late cautions, I used up my tires coming through to the front so I didn’t have much for him there Stewart was piloting the Scott McClaren owned sprint and he at the end.” noted the Montrose, NY chauffeur. “I was trying, took home $5,000 for his winning efforts in the 30- lap A-Main. he’s a fulltime racer so I wanted to win one for the locals but the The event found drivers from five states and two Canadian late yellows kind of sealed my fate.” provinces making for the most diverse field ever in the French- speaking province. The final two laps under green and it was Stewart that flashed under the double-checkered flag and it positioned himself atop “This was fun, to come up here for the first time and have a of the podium in victory lane. good weekend. I’m just happy for the whole team,” said the multi-time winner of the ASCS National Tour. “He (Bergeron) “It was a challenging track, different than last night as it took got a little better jump on me on that second restart but I just rubber. We all were worried if we could make 30 laps but it waited it out a bit as I knew lapped cars would figure into the wasn’t as bad as we thought it would turn out.” Stewart event. Thirty laps is a longer race so it was bound to happen.” continued. “The lap cars were key for me. He (Bergeron) was fast but I think I had a better handling car. If the race went non- By virtue of points earned during the night, Bergeron, the 2006 stop, not sure if I could get by him though so we used what was Empire Super Sprints (ESS) champion was on the pole with given to us and it was a cool win.” Stewart starting alongside. On the drop of the green flag, Stewart was able to pull out into the lead but a caution for a For third finishing Bergeron, third was nice but he wanted one stopped Dale Gosselin made for an original restart. for the hometown crowd. “Ah darn!” deadpanned the St. Pie resident. “Car was a little tough to drive, I slid up just a little bit The second try was the charm for Bergeron and he led right and he got by me. We tried!” until the second caution was displayed on lap four for a stopped Keith Dempster. Even though it was double file restarts, Behind Stewart, Barger and Bergeron was two-time ESS champion Bergeron again got the jump and lead the A-Main. Lance Yonge followed by four-time Patriot Sprint Tour (PST) champion Bryan Howland. For Howland, it was mental victory if This time though, the event went through a long green flag stint anything else. The crew had to rebuild the entire car except for and the slower cars that Stewart talked about would figure into motor, seat and steering wheel after a wild flip on Friday night. the fray. Just past lap 10, Stewart was now pressuring Bergeron and when lap 13 was about to be placed in the books, he found Rounding out the top ten were Jamie Collard, Kevin Loveys who a lane underneath to take over the top spot. subbed for the injured Steve Poirier, followed by an ESS threesome in Jeff Cook, Shawn Donath and Paul Kinney. Even though he has never seen the half-mile, the fulltime sprint car driver’s knowledge soon took over. An aggressive attack on Bergeron set fast time of the night during group time-trials with lapped cars saw him open up a distance. the heats won by Bergeron, Stewart, Loveys and Donath. The twelve lap B-Main was captured by Cook. On lap 19, the seventh place starting Justin Barger came through the field and he also slipped past Bergeron to take second with hopes of possibly tracking down Stewart.

Just one lap later the red lights were displayed for a double flip Dain Naida won the by Friday night winner Dain Naida and Anthony Cain. With first A-Main of the Can- Am preliminary lapped cars going tail, it was now a battle between Stewart and action. His teammate the 2009 ESS champion in Barger. Jamie Collard was

The two pulled out from the field and was going to try to decide right on his heels at the end of the 15-lap the Challenge by themselves. Two quick cautions on lap 27 sprint added top the excitement but it wasn’t what Barger was looking for.

Because of his hockey commitments, Brantford, Ontario’s Mitch Brown has had little time to reflect on the results of his 2012 se ason but you can bet he’ll be making some adjustments when the 2013 season gets underway

MITCH BROWN CAN’T WAIT FOR NEXT SEASON TO ARRIVE But In the Off Season He’s Got Some Other Work to Do

Mitch Brown began the 2012 season with high hopes.

After coming off an amazing 2011 sophomore season where he finished fifth in Ohsweken Speedway points standings and captured two A-Mains he was determined and well prepared to make a run for the Corr/Pak Sprint Car Championship at Ohsweken Speedway.

But as those involved in any sport know, the road to reaching their goal can often be affected by luck, both good and bad.

The end result was a disappointing tenth-place finish in the final points’ standings but it certainly wasn’t from the lack of intensity and effort he put into his racing endeavours.

Anyone familiar with Mitch’s knowledge of the sport and his determination to be at or near the front of the field each night out knows he might have done better with a break or two throughout the season. But that lucky break was certainly not in his corner in 2012. Not even when it came to drawing a good starting spot prior to the night’s qualifiers or in the redraws among the top finishers heading into the A-main feature events. Brantford, Ontario’s Mitch Brown just completed his third year of competition in the Over the course of the season he recorded eight top-ten finishes in A-Mains and ultra-fast world of but many garnered a couple of heat wins at Ohsweken but unquestionably his failure to th who race against the youngster consider him qualify for the main event on June 6 was a night he’d rather forget. a veteran even at nineteen years of age. Perhaps it was a wake-up call as Mitch went on to record six of those top-tens Although he slipped a notch or two from his over the remainder of the season. superb fifth-place finish in the 2011 Ohsweken His performance could have been better had it not been for a self-described Speedway Corr/Pak points standings, Mitch th may have felt a tinge of disappointment with driver error on August 24 . He was running very strong in fifth-place in the night’s A-Main when he clipped the inner wall between turns one and two with his Sprint his tent h place posting in this season’s championship race but he sure didn’t spend car’s left front wheel on lap 18 bending the hub and wheel and breaking the radius rod. much time reflecting on the final results. The damage caused the #10 car driver to spin to the infield ending his night two laps from the finish. He’s just not the type. For the driver of the Haldex/Pro-Fit/Strodes BBQ & Deli/Brown Auto Service Sprinter And besides, by the time the checkered flag gaining experience is key to improving his racing skills and ultimately his results. waved on the final race at Ohsweken Speedway he was already racin g home to In addition to his regular Friday night schedule at Ohsweken, Mitch participated grab some sleep and pick up his equipment in a limited number of winged, open-wheel events on the Patriot Sprint Tour, for game two of his hockey season with the selected races with the Empire Super Sprints and even some races where most competitors are considered professionals who race on the short tracks throughout Caledonia Pro-Fit Corvairs of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. the United States.

As team captain, he definitely knows where Mitch was in seventh place in the Canadian Points standings of the Patriot Sprint his responsibilities lie once the racing Tour prior to the last race of the season at Brockville Speedway but was forced to seas on is over. miss that event due to his hockey commitments. He wound up 11th when the final race results were tallied.

Among the many professional competitors he faces are the drivers on the World of Outlaws circuit – considered the epitome of Sprint Car racing and a travelling series that runs throughout the United States and Canada.

Although he missed making the main event at the Ohsweken-hosted World of Outlaws show by one qualifying spot in the B-main, he knew he’d given it his best shot and can’t wait for the return of the touring series in 2013.

Left –Mitch Brown and Brian Bowerman – General Manager of Haldex Canada pose with the #10 Sprinter during the company’s September BBQ.

Haldex has been a long time sponsor of HB Motorsports and have confirmed they’ll be back again in 2013.

MITCH BROWN CAN’T WAIT FOR NEXT SEASON TO ARRIVE (Continued form Page 19)

The Canadian Sprint Car Nationals at Ohsweken Speedway posed another challenge for Brown where 76 drivers from 3 Canadian provinces, 8 American states, and New Zealand attempted to qualify for the September 2012 edition of the event. Despite his Friday hockey schedule, he was determined to run on Saturday taking a chance he could qualify through time trails or one of several planned heat races

With the Friday show postponed because of rain, Mitch posted a strong run in the reformatted qualifying time trials, made the big show then narrowly missed finishing in the top 20 of 30 drivers.

So how does a teenager feel about driving an open-wheel Sprint car Mitch Brown shared the podium with winner Brian Howland and at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour on a 3/8 th -mile oval third-place finisher Jared Zimbardi after finishing second in a th against some older, experienced and professional competitors? Patriot Sprint Tour race at Cornwall Speedway on July 15 .

When discussing his racing exploits with Darryl Smart, reporter for the Brantford Expositor, the nineteen year old said he is not bothered that many of the competitors he faces on the track are older and race full time.

"I've been racing against professionals for quite a while now, so it really doesn't faze me," Brown said. "I started racing when I was 14. The way I look at it, it's another race and the other guys are just other drivers.

"My dad was racing when I was growing up, so I was always at the track," he said.

"As I got older, I got more involved and really wanted to try it. Then I started racing and haven't wanted to stop."

And it's something that he might like to do full time, once he is done Photo Credit - Phil Armishaw with hockey.

Hockey and racing are the two passions Mitch (above right) is "Right now, it's just fun," Brown said of racing. "But maybe down the dedicated to and he pursues both sports with the same amount road I'll be able to do this for a living if hockey doesn't work out. of intensity.

"There are a lot of opportunities out there, whether it be driving or working on the cars."

He’s a Multi-Sport Athlete

At the time of that interview, Mitch Brown was not only getting ready to finish up his racing season by running in the eighth annual Arrow Express Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, he was also set to kick off his Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League season with the Caledonia Pro-Fit Corvairs

In the 2012-13 hockey season Mitch will Captain the Pro-Fit Corvairs –a team that operated as the Brantford Golden Eagles in 2011-2012 but moved to Caledonia in the off-season.

And even when he’s not on the ice or on a racetrack, you might want to keep your head up on the golf course. Apparently he’s Getting in some extra seat time on the Patriot Sprint Tour or a giving that sport a whack once in a while too. race with the Empire Super Sprints helps build his co nfidence

Photo Credit - Phil Armishaw

…for another successful season of racing in 2012.

And thanks for allowing us to be a part of your family again this past season.

To Mitch, Jake, Harold, Doug, the extended team members and family of the Browns’, congratulations on a great year on and off the track and be sure to count on us to be back as friends, fans and sponsors of your teams in 2013.

Talk about a roller coaster ride…wow!

That’s about the only way one can describe the season Jacob Brown had in his 2012 “rookie” sea son in the Thunder Stock Division at Ohsweken Speedway.

The seventeen year-old younger brother of Mitch Brown wanted desperately to contend for a top -five spot in points of the Lighthouse Tattoos-sponsored division at the local track but found the challen ge a little more than he was expecting. And he also found that running the outer rim of the 3/8 th -mile clay oval has a lot of unforgiving changes each night throughout the season –changes he hadn’t encountered in his past two seasons in the Mini Stocks.

Perhaps it was the added car weight and overall size. Perhaps it was the numerous mechanical problems that plagued his

Monte Carlo throughout the season. Or perhaps it was just his inexperience competing against some of the division’s veterans who have made the Thunder Stocks so competitive over the past few seasons and have plied their racing talents at the Big “O” for a few years

Despite the problems or lack of experience, “Jake” did finish tenth in the final results and came oh so close to earning

“Rookie of the Year” accolades – a reward he missed by a slim Photo Credit – Bill Melhenbacher 12 points to award winner Ryan Turner who edged past the Brantford youngster on the final night of the season.

th th Going into the September 7 final points’ night, Jake appeared The teenager lined up 8 in the 20-car starting field and pulled th to be in a good positio n to cap that award but his aspirations off a daring charge into 4 -place at the end of the first lap. were derailed midway through the Thunder Stock feature event With the early leaders pulling away from the balance of the field, he when his car began over heating forcing him to the pits two laps decided to use the higher outside line around the 3/8 th -mile oval from the finish…out of the race and out of the chase to the rookie title. which enabled him to produce some steady lap times in chasing down the second and third place runners in the closing laps. It was just ano ther disappointment the teenager and his crew had to endure in 2012 He commandeered second spot on the final lap but couldn’t run down race winner Brad Herron. The “Rookie” Thunder Stock driver certainly had to endure a lot of mechanical woes throughout the season including an Unfortunately the “gremlins” returned in the ensuing weeks annoying fluid leak that led to a persistent smoke trail behind turning strong runs in qualifying heats and what look ed like his # 10 Monte Carlo and he was not a happy camper. It also challenging starts in feature events into disappointing finishes. appeared to affect his concentration level while battling against a strong field of seasoned drivers in his new division. His record for the season consisted of three top-ten and a total of eleven top-fifteen finishes in the 16 events listed in the But following a smoky fourth-place run in his June 22nd Thunder Stock schedule at Ohsweken. qualifying heat, his c rew found and corrected the source of the oil leak/venting problem and apparently improved the young What’s in Store for 2013? driver’s disposition as well. Among the items listed atop the team’s “To Do” list is a

complete overall of the car including some identified modifications to the #10 Monte Carlo.

“We have some major changes to make in order to get this car to run better through the corners ,” lamented car chief and veteran racer/car builder Harold Brown.

With the former Supermodified and Late Model competitor assessing the issues and applying his knowledge and skills you can be sure next year will see some major improvements in the #10 Thun der Stock driven by a youngster who is a far better driver than his 2012 record shows.

Jake Brown will be back behind the wheel in 2013 out to improve upon this past season’ tenth place finish in the standing.

Jacob Brown

Driver of the Port Dover Auto Parts & Performance, Strodes Express, Brown Auto Service #10 Monte Carlo

PORT DOVER AUTO PARTS and PERFORMANCE

511 Main Street

Port Dover, Ontario

Phone: 519-583-0222 Fax: 519-583-1541

“Proud Sponsors of HB Motorsports”

Your one-stop shop for Performance Auto Parts for Cars and Trucks

We stock such popular brands as AC Delco, Fram, Monroe, Bosch, Blue Streak, Rough Country®, River City Diesel, MKM Customs / Sinister Diesel, MagnaFlo, K&N Filters and many more .

Doug Brown Harold Brown

Robyn Cadiou Steve Kisielewski Rick General Ken Spencer

Noah Thomas Jamie Howe

Mitch, Doug and Jake await the start of racing at Stateline Speedway south of Jamestown, NY in mid-May

Craig “Woody” Woodrow of Strodes (a team Sponsor) The team won’t have to content with the crowded finds it a tight fit behind the conditions they experienced while travelling to PST events wheel of the #10 Sprinter in the past – as shown above. A new 37’ hauler with added height has already been delivered to their race shop. Mitch and Harold

checking out the competition prior to the June 23 rd PST race at South Buxton

Mitch and Jake as toddlers. They were close back then and still are today

Mitch visited the Haldex operations in Cambridge on September 13 th for a company BBQ. Oh no! Not another family member about to get into racing?

Brady Spencer, a second cousin to Mitch and Jake tries out his racing skills in Bob Slack and Butch Coates stopped by the #10 team to chat wit h a Dale Earnhardt Jr Harold Brown prior to the racing action at Ohsweken on July 30th car.

Scott Kreutter Claims Second Patriot Sprint Tour Win and

First Championship at Eriez Sep 3, 2012

Rich Vleck, HAMMETT, PA, (September 2, 2012)- Entering the final race of the PST America season, Scott Kreutter’s opportunity to claim the championship was out of his control; but when point leader Bryan Howland fell out of the event on lap 6, Kreutter seized the moment and pulled off a stunning upset.

Kreutter, of Alden, NY, dominated the 25-lap Patriot Sprint Tour American Series Finale and in the process claimed his first career championship by a PST-record nine points to earn the $10,000 championship payout. Kreutter had been in the championship mix all season, but after the feature at Mercer the night before was lost to rain, it appeared that it had slipped away.

“After last night getting rained out I didn’t think it was possible,” Kreutter reflected in Victory Lane on his championship expectations entering the night. “Bryan usually runs really good. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get to race for but it came down to the wire and I can’t believe it. It’s awesome!”

“Going in to (the event) I just figured if (the championship) was meant to be it would happen. I tried not to think about the points, obviously I knew how far back I was but was and it was my mind. My whole goal was to get a second feature win for the first time in a season.”

Kreutter dominated his heat race for his series-high seventh heat win of the season and then drew the fourth starting position for the A-Main. Upon the drop of the green flag, “The Straight Shooter” quickly leaped to third, shot to the bottom of the track, and drove underneath front row starters Tim Kelly and Jamie Bodo to take the lead off of turn two; he would never look back.

Entering the weekend, Kreutter knew it would take a near-miracle to jump to the top of the standings, a process that would start by doing all he could do. With that said the six-year sprint competitor that has almost always run a No. 52 sprint jumped back behind his teammate Todd Hoddick’s No. 49, a machine he is very confident in.

“This is definitely a good car,” Kreutter noted standing in front of the Hoddick Motorsports/ Airport Collision No. 49 Maxim. “They gave me the pick of the cars to drive this weekend and we won with this car at McKean so I figured we’d take it. This is an awesome piece.”

The race started slowly with a trio of caution flags appearing on lap six, the final one for Howland’s No. 51. Howland needed to finish 12th or better to claim the championship, and was running in sixth when the steering bolts in the right from sheered and knocked the four-time champion out of the event. Just because Howland was out though did not mean the championship picture was settled though; Kreutter still needed to finish in the top-two to ensure the title, a situation that he was not fully aware of.

“When I saw Bryan pull off I figured it was for a flat tire. When I On the in 2012 heard over the radio we were coming back to green I slung the car sideways quick to see the back of the field and didn’t see him back there. I didn’t know how many cars were already out but I knew I had a chance.”

The final 19 laps would run off without another stoppage. Kreutter had no pressure from behind, but had a multitude of lapped cars to deal with. For the most part, he was able to drive around them, but at times things got tricky for the leader. As the 25-year-old drove underneath Scott Hixson’s double- checkered flags, he had lapped up to eighth.

Only seconds after pulling into Victory Lane, Kreutter climbed out and before even removing his helmet did a wing dance in front of a packed house on a beautiful night in Northwest

Pennsylvania. Track Owner Bobby Roehrer soon after would Runner-up in the Championship chase, Bryan Howland, scored a present Kreutter with the 2012 Championship Trophy, as he big win in Cornwall (above) in mid-season but had his luck turn bad in the season final of the American series at Eriez Speedway becomes the sixth different driver to claim a Patriot Championship.

Kreutter was the class of the field all night long, but his buddy

Jamie Collard was also strong, and was able to run in second from start-to-finish in his first trip to Eriez. The Canadian was all smiles in Victory Lane after his best finish on American Soil.

In the process, Collard will join Kreutter in the Ohsweken Shootout at the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals with this event serving as the PST qualifier.

Jamie Bodo, another driver that made his first trip to Eriez on th Sunday, was also impressive, as he won his heat and fought Jamie Collard #7X won at Brockville on July 15 hard to round out the podium in third. Bodo had fallen behind and finished sixth the following day at Cornwall Jared Zimbardi midway through the race but got back in to his groove and shuffled the defending PST Champion back. Tim Kelly was also able to move back by Zimbardi late in the event to finish in fourth. Kelly drew the pole and was looking to win his first Patriot event since this event two years ago, a feat that as it played out would have earned him the title as well. Nonetheless, Kelly was able to earn a fourth place effort.

Zimbardi would cross in fifth at the site of his first career win back in 2007. “The Juice” had driven from 10th to 5th on the opening lap and was still going forward until just after halfway.

The second five also had a host of compelling stories. George Suprick was involved in the lap one caution when Steve Collins was spun and Tommy Wickham was also collected. Suprick would drive back up to finish in sixth.

Tommy Wickham scored his first PST A-Main Dave Wickham, who scored his first heat race win since August win at Stateline on May 26th of 2004 earlier in the night, stayed steady throughout the feature and finished in seventh, just ahead Tommy Wickham, his cousin who, like Suprick, drove from the back to inside the top 10 to place in eighth.

Bruce DeWick earned a strong ninth place effort, with Steve Hutchinson Jr. capping off a successful rookie year with a career-best 10th place showing.

For the second straight night, 21 Patriot sprints were in competition; despite some issues early on, all but two of those drivers were running at the finish, with one being Howland. The team did not get off on the right foot for the 51 Team when on the opening lap of his heat race Howland bicycled his ride on to the right side and perhaps damaged the right front spindle to cause the first failure of such kind for the nine-year Justin Barger blasted to the Pa triot Sprint Tour Win at th sprint veteran. Brockville on August 25

3. #12 Tim Kelly, Rock Stream, NY 4. #75 Tommy Wickham, Constantia, NY 5. #87 George Suprick, Clarks Summit, PA,

6. #35 Jared Zimbardi, Little Valley, NY 7. #67 Steve Collins, Belfast, NY 8. #10B Brandan Warner, Syracuse, NY

9. #2 Steve Hutchison, Jr, Oswego, NY 10. #3 Clint Ide, Dallas, PA 11. #21 Don Adamczyk, Williamsville, NY

- Justin Barger Claims Inaugural PST Canada Championship -

Justin Barger of Montrose, NY captured the first Championship of the new Patriot Sprint Tour Canada Series on October 13th at Brockville Ontario Speedway.

Barger simply had to show up and start a heat race to take the title in a points battle that saw Hill Racing teammates Dain Naida and Jamie Collard running second and third respectively in the points’ standings heading into the final event on the 2012 PST schedule.

Barger finished fifth in the 25-lap A-Main with Collard coming home seventh but Naida was a no show due to other commitments.

The Championship run for Barger was his second Canadian Championship in 2012. Earlier he finished atop the points’ standings in the Northern Summer Nationals –a four-race mini series co-hosted by Ohsweken Speedway and South Buxton Raceway.

Jamie Collard, runner -up in the Championship chase won the th July 14 PST event at Brockville but couldn’t close the g ap enough to catch Barger in the final race of the season. Jamie Collard – Driver of the # 7X Dain Naida –driver of the #07X Teammate Dain Naida was second in points heading to finished second in the PST wound up fifth in the standings Canada Championship the final race but didn’t venture to Brockville after missing the final race

Justin Barger Claims Inaugural PST Canada Championship Steve Poirier Score Season-Ending Patriot Sprint Tour Event at Brockville and force the veteran to reflect on his racing past to guide him to his third sprint win at “The BOS”.

“I remembered on the last lap that my first sportsman race I lead the whole race and I got passed in the final corner and I felt that I learned from that mistake from like 15 years ago.”

In this his 12th sprint start at Brockville, Poirier’s fifth place finish in his heat was only the third time he has not won his qualifier at the ¼-mile; interestingly enough, on two of those three occasions now he has gone on to win the feature.

Bryan Howland’s runner-up finish was a solid showing for a multi-time champion that had a season not up to his team’s standards. Howland appeared to have a car capable of chasing down Poirier early on, but in the late stages his No. 51 tightened up and noted afterwards that he was riding the brake the entire way around the track to keep his car turning.

While the front row drivers remained in the top two spots, Jason Barney drove up from eighth to get in the top three early Steve Poirier collects the winning hardware and a sizeable cheque on and round out the podium. Barney had second late in the for his dominating ru n in the final Patriot Sprint car event of the race but a caution flag would appear before he could complete season at Brockville Ontario Speedway that lap. Michael Parent started and finished fourth but had to work his way back up after a slow start. Rich Vleck, BROCKVILLE, Ont., (October 13, 2012)- In his mind, Steve Poirier considers 2012 an off year for him; but after Justin Barger finished in fifth, which was more than enough to an impressive performance Saturday Afternoon at Brockville claim the Inaugural PST Canada Championship. Barger was Ontario Speedway, he appeared to be as on as ever as he put the talk of the heat races as he drove from 10th to the win, but a the cap on what was still a strong sprint season. seventh place starting spot on a track that was difficult to pass on prohibited the Montrose, NY driver from repeating at “The Poirier, of St. Mathieu de Beloeil, QC, led all 25 laps to bookend Beast of the East”. the Patriot Sprint Tour season with a win six months after his win at Fulton in April in the season opener. It has been a wild Past Brockville winners Alain Bergeron and Jamie Collard were season in between for Poirier, who missed much of the summer sixth and seventh, respectively, while Patrick Vigneault drove up events recovering from knee surgery but also scored the to eighth. Former modified star and Canadian Tire Series Canadian Nationals win. His win Saturday gave him 10 wins in standout Martin Roy scored an impressive ninth place finish in a just three starts. second Poirier entry, just ahead of 2009 Fall Nationals winner Glenn Styres, who completed the top 10. The seven-year sprint car regular drove from ninth to fifth in his heat race, just good enough to get him in the A-Main redraw, Patriot Sprint Tour Results: 10/13/12, Brockville Ontario where he selected the pole position. With the track taking Speedway, Brockville, Ontario. rubber early in the 25-lap event, that starting spot would pay major dividends on the brisk afternoon. A-Main (25 Laps)- 1. Steve Poirier (28FM), 2. Bryan Howland (51), 3. Jason Barney (87), 4. Michael Parent (25), 5. Justin An amazing field of 31 cars took the green flag for the final Barger (5), 6. Alain Bergeron (8B), 7. Jamie Collard (7x), 8. sprint feature in the Northeast this season, and did quite well Patrick Vigneault (55), 9. Martin Roy (20FM), 10. Glenn Styres early on with the first seven laps running caution free. By lap (0), 11. Keith Dempster (5k), 12. Devin Caron (24k), 13. Lee three, Poirier had caught the tail end of the field but would have Ladouceur (51L), 14. Jeff Cook (10), 15. Sammy Reakes IV (1), difficulty getting by. This allowed the outside polesitter to close 16. Charlie Sandercock (57), 17. Scott Kreutter (49), 18. Rick in and make a pair of bids for the lead. When the first caution Wilson (42w), 19. Paul Pekkonen (98), 20. Darren Zumpe (11z), flag flew it appeared as if Howland was the car to beat, but as 21. Sean Durand (67), 22. Kyle Fraser (01), 23. April Wilson the race went along, Poirier’s No. 28FM got better, the rubber (15aw), 24. Conor Mahoney (5c), 25. Kevin Ward Jr (13), 26. on the track began to build up, and the cautions fell right into the Etienne Girard (422), 27. Mario Clair (22), 28. Tyler Rand (84), leader’s hands. 29. Doug Bowman (57x), 30. Brandan Warner (10B), 31. Dale “I thought the lapped cars would make a big difference,” Gosselin (3). admitted Poirier after the event. “I was a bit tight on turn entry Lap Leaders- Poirier 1-25. with lapped cars and it was tough to get around them so probably if I would have raced with them a long time I would Patriot Sprint Tour Canada Series Final Standings (Top 10) have had a problem but every time we got to traffic we got a yellow so it played out in my favor today.” Justin Barger 1153, Jamie Collard 1014, Scott Kreutter 957, Alain Bergeron 947, Dain Naida 928, Lee Ladouceur 843, Jared In the final 18 laps, Poirier was never in lapped traffic for more Zimbardi 832, Keith Dempster 819, Bryan Howland 806, Glenn than a lap. A caution would fly with one lap remaining though Styres 766

4. #8B Alain Bergeron, St. Pie, PQ 6. #51L Lee Ladouceur, Cornwall, ON 3. #52 Scott Kreutter, Alden, NY

7. #35 Jared Zimbardi, Little Valley, NY 8. Keith Dempster, Alton, ON 9. #51 Bryan Howland, Auburn, NY Bergeron,

10. #0 Glenn Styres, Ohsweken, ON, 11. #10 Mitch Brown, Brantford, ON 12. #67 Chris Durand, Port Stanley, ON

Make no mistakes about it … Justin Barger of Montrose, NY gets full marks for his impres sive performances in capturing the 2012 Northern Summer Nationals.

After all, with a record of one win and finishes of second, Justin Barger third and fourth in the four 2012 Northern Summer Nationals Champion race series hosted by Ohsweken Speedway and South Buxton Raceway, he was at the top of consistenc y Dustin Daggett- won two that earned him the series’ A-Mains and a close Justin Barger second place finish in championship. the 2012 Northern But Barger’s run to the title was almost overshadowed by Summer Nationals. Three heat wins and a second Dustin Daggett of Grand Ledge, MI who powered his way to back to back wins in the final weekend of the series and place finish in the qualifiers added to his finished a strong second to Barger in the June 23 rd event. impres sive run in the Even in four qualifying heats, the two were in step with points race but a racing rd incident with a back Barger winning three and finishing 3 in another Daggett also had three wins and finished second in marker in the open event at Ohsweken resulted in heat competition. th a 17 -place finish The end results showed Barger with 411 points and Daggett nine back at 402.

POS. NO. DRIVER/HOME SERIES PTS 1 5b Justin Barger * Montrose, NY PST 411 2 2m Dustin Daggett ** Grand Ledge, MI other 402 Travis Cunningham #71 of 3 0 Glenn Styres Ohsweken, ON C/P 388 Grimsby, ON ended up 4 71 Travis Cunningham Grimsby, ON C/P 386 fourth when the final results 5 07x Dain Naida Tecumseh, MI SOS 385 of the Northern summer 6 8b Alain Bergeron St. Pie, QC PST 375 nationals were tallied 7 52 Scott Kreutter Alden, NY PST 374 8 10 Mitch Brown Brantford, ON C/P 366 9 7x Jamie Collard Burford, ON C/P 366 10 5 Keith Dempster Alton, ON C/P 354 11 25 Warren Mahoney Lefroy, ON SOS 344

12 30 Adam West Ridgetown, ON SOS 343 13 01 Mikey Kruchka Grimsby, C/P C/P 340 14 3 Shane Ross Thedford, ON C/P 332 15 51L Lee Ladouceur Alexandria, ON SOS 329 16 5c Conor Mahoney Waterdown, ON C/P 325 17 67 Chris Durand Port Stanley, ON SOS 305 18 9 Jim Muncie Pickering ON PST 290 17 35 Jared Zimbardi * Bradford, PA PST 282 20 51 Bryan Howland Auburn, NY PST 266

Even the Wind Turbines shut down The field lines up four abreast at Ohsweken to salute the fans before the green flag nd early to take in the June 23 South Buxton event

An unusual dry spell in the South Buxton area made the June 23 rd race appear like a dust bowl Jared Zimbardi won the opener of the four-race series

3rd Place #0 Glenn Styres th 5th Place #07X Dain Naida 6 Place #8 Alain Bergeron 7th Place #52 Scott Kreutter

th 9th Place #7X Jamie Collard 10 th Place #5 Keith Dempster 8 Place #10 Mitch Brown

STEVE POIRIER WINS THIRD CANADIAN

SPRINT CAR NATIONALS TITLE by Tommy Goudge (September 15, 2012) –

Steve Poirier of Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Quebec became the "(Poirier) drove a great race, and had a great race car," Stewart first driver to win three Canadian Sprint Car Nationals A- said afterwards. "We were just second place tonight, and we Features on September 15 th in the 8th annual edition of actually almost finished third. I could see (Huppunen) sneaking Ohsweken Speedway's signature event. Poirier led 32 of 35 around the bottom, but I just can't thank Joe and Tim and Cindy laps in the feature to earn the $12,000 prize, while 2-time enough. They worked really hard to put together a really good Nationals winner Shane Stewart settled for second, and 2011 team and program, and it's always fun to come race for them. Ohsweken Speedway track champion Jim Huppunen took third. It's good to see all the fans out here. I know it's a little chilly out, but it was a good race. They did a great job preparing the race track." Jeff Cook and Steve Poirier made up the front row for the A- Feature, but were moved back to the second row after a false Huppunen improved on his 10th place finish in 2011 by getting start, allowing Shawn Donath and Glenn Styres to start up front. to the podium this year, but couldn't help but wonder if he could Poirier didn't let that setback get in his way, as he took the lead have done even better.

after a brief joust with Donath. Dustin Daggett looked to be on a "This track was what I wanted," Huppunen said of the slick mission, as he moved around both Stewart and Donath into conditions in the feature. "I almost got Shane there at the end. I second place on lap 6, and gave chase to Poirier while Donath blew it into (turn) one and I missed my mark, and I cursed and then Stewart went off track momentarily before Thomas myself going around that last lap, but all in all, wow that was fun!" Kennedy spun in turn 2 to bring out a caution flag on lap 9. 76 drivers from 3 Canadian provinces, 8 American states, and Daggett had just one lapped car between himself and the leader New Zealand attempted to qualify for the 2012 edition of the when the race restarted, but Poirier streaked away until traffic Nationals on Saturday night. Chris Steele ran the fastest time became a factor. Poirier missed his mark entering turn 3 on lap overall in group time trials, collecting the Lane Automotive Top 15, allowing Daggett to take over out front, but Daggett himself Qualifier Award, along with the Bicknell Racing Products Top got crossed up in the same spot on lap 18, and Poirier went Canadian Qualifier award, and setting a new 360 Sprint Car back out front for good. Daggett slid back to 5th by the end of time trial track record at 13.308 seconds. Kyle Sauder and his the race, while Stewart and Jim Huppunen tried to chase down crew were awarded $300 for the Corr/Pak Merchandising “Bill Poirier. Huppunen had moved up from row 5, and was ahead of Peer Memorial” Best Appearing Car honours, and Lee Stewart several times as the race wound down, but could not get by. Ladouceur received a $200 bonus from Brighton Speedway as The rest of the field had a final chance to chase Poirier down the highest finishing driver from the Southern Ontario Sprints.

when Ryan Grubaugh spun to bring out a caution on lap 31, Heat races went to Glenn Styres, Steve Poirier, Shane Stewart, setting up a 4 lap dash to the finish. Poirier had 4 lapped Dustin Daggett, and Jeff Cook, while the B-Mains were claimed machines between himself and Stewart when the race by Todd Hoddick, Michael Parent, and Dylan Swiernik, and restarted, and cruised to the win while Stewart and Huppunen Randy Hannagan and his crew changed engines in time to win again raced side-by-side for second, with Stewart prevailing. the "Little Feature" and the final A-Feature starting position after Huppunen, Hebing, and Daggett rounded out the top 5, while starting deep in the field. Jessica Zemken, Bryan Howland, Shawn Donath, Jeff Cook, and Jamie Collard finished in the top-10. The Ohsweken Shootout and Dave McLeod Memorial Mr. Sprint Car Challenge were also contested on Saturday, after being Poirier made sure to thank crew chief Kevin Loveys, a former rained out on Friday. Chuck Hebing took the win in the weekly racer at Ohsweken, for helping him to get back to victory Ohsweken Shootout, while Randy Hannagan won the Dave lane at Ohsweken after a tough season which saw him miss McLeod Memorial Mr. Sprint Car Challenge. several races due to injury.

"I would exchange many wins this year for that one," said Poirier after the race. "It looked like our season was going the wrong way with my knee injury. Not too much luck on our side, but tonight all night luck was on our side. The car was super good - thanks to Kevin (Loveys). I know he wanted that trophy pretty bad because he lives around here, so I'm really happy for him, and for my team to win that three times. This track has been so good to me. We always do good here, but the competition is getting tougher and tougher. It's even better than the first two wins we had here."

Stewart was also trying to win the Nationals for the third time in his career, but came up just a bit short this time.

Steve Poirier tests his #28 Sprinter during pre- race practice then spends some time with trackside announcer Tommy Gouge following his win in the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.

CANADIAN SPRINT CAR NATIONALS Randy Hannagan won the ARROW EXPRESS A-FEATURE (35 laps) Dave McLeod Memorial

Mr. Sprint Car Challenge. Finish. # Name (Starting Position) 1. 28fm Steve Poirier (2) 2. 3g Shane Stewart (6) 3. 14h Jim Huppunen (9) 4. 45 Chuck Hebing (11) 5. 2m Dustin Daggett (5) 6. 77x Jessica Zemken (10) 7. 51 Bryan Howland (7)

8. 33x Shawn Donath (3)

9. 10L Jeff Cook (1) 10. 7x Jamie Collard (12) Jessica Zemken drove the 11. 51L Lee Ladouceur (24) Miles Hill owned #77X to a 12. 17 Jared Horstman (14) 6th -pace run in the A -Main 13. 7c Dylan Swiernik (21) 14. 25 Michael Parent (20) 15. 22h Randy Hannagan (30) 16. 16 Ryan Ruhl (17) 17. 07x Dain Naida (22) 18. 21k Lou Kennedy, Jr. (8) 19. 49 Todd Hoddick (19) #3 Shane Stewart the 20. 00 Ryan Grubaugh (16) 2011 Canadian Sprint Car 21. 10 Mitch Brown (27) Nationals Champion made a valiant effort to retain his 22. 0 Glenn Styres (4) title but had to settle for 23. 80 Chris Steele (25) DNF second place in the 35-lap 24. 20k Thomas Kennedy (26) DNF main event. 25. 35 Jared Zimbardi (13) DNF 26. 17j Lance Yonge (23) DNF 27. 35r Ron Blair (29) DNF (Left) Former Super-Modified 28. 5b Justin Barger (18) DNF star and Oswego Speedway 29. 49x Scott Kreutter (28) DNF Champion Warren Coniam 30. 55 Patrick Vigneault (15) DNF. chats with old friend Steve No Time. Moulton crew chief of the #0 and members of the #7 and Lap Leaders: Poirier (1-15, 19-35), Daggett (16-18) #77 teams prior to the Sprint Car special AWARDS: Lane Automotive Top Qualifier Award – 80 Chris Steele (13.308 seconds) Bicknell Racing Products Fastest Canadian There was plenty of action Qualifier Award – 80 Chris Steele (13.308 seconds) in the “Little Feature” as 39 Corr/Pak Merchandising “Bill Peer Memorial” Best drivers fought for one Appearing Car Award – 2 Kyle Sauder remaining spot in the Arrow Brighton Speedway Highest Finishing SOS Driver - Express 35-lap A-Main 51L Lee Ladouceur Tommy Wickham (37), DNS. 90 Matt Tanner (39), DNS. 49 Shawn Dancer (40). No Time.

Parking in the expanded pit area filled up Lance Yonge of Pen Yan, NY was one of Bryan Howland (#51) and Glenn St yres early with 76 Sprint teams hoping to several Empire Super Sprint competitors (#0) duke it out during Heat #1. Styres qualify for the $12,000 to win event on hand for the Big Show won the race with Howland second

#4z Joel Lehman and #45 Chuck Hebing Tom Huppunen (#27) of Fenwick, ON and Jeff Cook #10L wards off Justin Barger ran the first h eat of the Dan McLeod Mr. Mark Stelter (#36) of Ontario, NY fell a few enroute to his win in qualifying heat #6 Sprint Car Challenge won by Hebing spots short of qualifying for the A-Main

Lance Yonge (#17), Scott Kre utter (#49) Todd Hoddick get pushed to the warm #80 Chris Steele, #49 Todd Hoddick and and Ryan Ruhl run three abreast through up track to get the night underway #10 Mitch Brown battle it out in the A-Main turns 1 and 3

Jared Horstman (#17J), Michael Parent #25) Jessica Zemken (#77X) tries the outside #8b Alain Bergeron passes #33 Kyle and Justin Barger run three abreast in A-Main line around Kyle Sauder (#2) in heat race #4 Patrick in B-Main #2

Tommy Wickham had his problems in B- Justin Barger finds the inside line in Jamie Collard #7X finished second in heat Main #3 and was finished for the night getting past Joe Beaver #6 one spot better than Justin Barger