HUPPUNEN, PIERCE, BROWN, AND SAULT HONOURED AS 2009 OHSWEKEN CHAMPIONS
By Tommy Goudge (November 14, 2009) - The 2009 Ohsweken Speedway season was capped off in fine fashion on Saturday night with the annual awards banquet at the new Marritt Hall in Ancaster. Tom Huppunen was honoured as the second champion of the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, while Shayne Pierce was crowned ESSO Thunder Stocks champion, Mitchell Brown claimed the ESSO Mini-Stock title, and Karl Sault was honoured as champion of the Bomber division.CORR/PAK MERCHANDISING SPRINT CARS - AWARDS
HARD CHARGER
Tom Huppunen (passed 56 cars in feature race action)
“HARD LUCK”
Brad Malloy
DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION
Mikey Kruchka
BEST APPEARING CAR
Dain Naida
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Fred Cade and crew of the #12c
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER
Jamie Collard
SPORTSMANSHIP
Kevin Job
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Travis Cunningham
The Top 10 in the Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Cars were:
1st – Tom Huppunen, Fenwick…Huppunen’s first year driving for Fred Cade went very well. “The Fenwick Flyer” won six times in Corr/Pak action, including the $3,000 Northern Summer Nationals. He also recorded nine top fives, and finished seventh or better in all twelve features, with an average feature finish of 2.92.
2nd – Kevin Job, Campbellville…Job took the win on September 4, and has now recorded a feature win in each of his four sprint car seasons. Kevin competed in eleven Corr/Pak events in 2009, finishing in the top five on six occasions, and out of the top ten just twice. His average feature finish was 5.64.
3rd – Glenn Styres, Ohsweken…Styres competed in eleven Corr/Pak events, finishing fifth or better seven times. He recorded three runner-up finishes and an average feature finish of 7.18
4th – Dave Dykstra, Port Colborne…After a strong rookie season last year, Dykstra continued to improve in 2009. He recorded ten straight finishes of ninth or better until a crash on September 4. Dykstra returned the following week with a vengeance, taking his first ever sprint car feature win in dominating fashion. His average feature finish was 7.08.
5th – Ryan Hunsinger, Brantford…”The Gunslinger” found victory lane twice in 2009 Corr/Pak action, and also recorded more heat race wins (five) than any other driver. He found the top ten in half of his twelve races, and recorded an average feature finish of 8.08.
6th – Jamie Collard, Burford…After almost an entire season away from sprint car racing, Collard took the controls of Ray Ballantyne’s #27 in 2009 and came out flying. Despite some mechanical trouble in May, Collard still recorded seven top ten finishes, and an average feature finish of 7.4.
7th – Keith Dempster, Alton…Dempster struggled in defense of his 2008 championship, but did take a feature win and seven top ten finishes in 2009. The veteran driver recorded an average feature finish of 9.83.
8th – Mikey Kruchka, Hamilton…The sophomore sprint car driver looked poised to record his first career feature win in 2009, but a wild flip on August 7 was a setback. Kruchka finished the year with six top ten finishes, and improved his position in the final standings after finishing ninth last year. His average feature finish was 9.27.
9th – Travis Cunningham, Grimsby…Cunningham prevailed in a close race for the Rookie of the Year award, and became a threat for feature wins as the season progressed. The former Modified competitor recorded eight top tens and an average feature finish of 10.5 this year.
10th – Dain Naida, Belleville, MI…The only American to finish in the top ten, Naida fought through some mechanical failures and a serious crash to record seven top ten finishes and a feature win this year. His average feature finish was 10.0.
