Photo Credit: Dale Calnan (www.imagefactormedia.com)

Article Credit: Brent Otchere

OHSWEKEN, Ont. (May 9, 2025) – Ohsweken Speedway’s 28th season of racing began on Friday; Cody McPherson, Jacob Dykstra, Dave Bailey, and Gillian Hils took A-Main wins.

RoC Sportsman Modifieds
Doug Walsh Jr and Bill Bleich made up the front row bringing the 22 car field to green for the 25 lap Sportsman Modifieds A-Main. Bleich quickly established a lead over the field, gaining a 1.8 second advantage. Brad Rouse took the lead on lap seven, only to have Bleich take the lead back on lap ten.

Rouse and Bleich traded the lead throughout the race, however a succession of yellow flags and a red flag allowed Cody McPherson to pounce on them and take the lead with seven laps left to go. McPherson went on to take the third Ohsweken Sportsman win of his career. Crossing the finish line next were Bleich in second, Rouse third, Curtis Friesen fourth, and Jacob Chevalier fifth.

Strickland’s Crate Sprint Cars
Tanner Podwinski and Jacob Dykstra brought the field to the green flag for the Crate Sprint Car A-Main. Dykstra quickly overtook Podwinski, leading the first laps while Jesse Costa began to battle Podwinski for the second position. A few caution flags fell during the race, however Dykstra defended his lead with tremendous car control. Another caution flag fell with four laps left, nullifying Dykstra’s lead. Officials judged Dykstra to have restarted outside the restart zone on the ensuing restart, penalizing him two positions.

Costa inherited the lead for the next restart. Costa had his sights on victory lane, however Dykstra was fired up after his penalty and quickly overtook second and first in just one lap. Dykstra went on to claim his fifth career Ohsweken Crate Sprint Car win – and first since 2022 – while Costa came home second, Steve Murdock third, Podwinski fourth, and Austin Roes fifth.

Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks
Dave Bailey started on pole with Trevor DeBoer next to him for the 20 lap Thunder A-Main. Bailey set the pace, leading the opening laps with ease. Lap seven brought a red flag with a multi-car crash; all drivers involved in the wreck were unharmed. Reigning Thunder Stock champion Ryan Beagle gained the lead on the eleventh lap. Beagle preferred the high line while Bailey chose the low line as they raced door-to-door.

The leaders were lapping traffic when Brando Green-Styres got loose in front of the leaders, forcing Braedan Burning and Beagle to check up. Bailey passed Beagle before a caution flag came out, taking the opportunity to reset and go on to claim his 44th Ohsweken Thunder Stock victory. Beagle settled for second, while DeBoer finished in third, Zack Bleich fourth, and Robert Hoskins fifth.

Insta-Insulation Mini Stocks
New track record holder Bill Pearsall started on pole alongside Gillian Hils to take the green flag for the 15 lap Mini Stock A-Main. Pearsall took the opening lap lead, however Fabio Oliveri broke down on lap two, bringing out the caution flag.

Hils took advantage of the restart, overtaking Pearsall for the lead. The 2024 Mini Stock champion, Hils led every lap thereafter, surviving several caution flags and restarts. Hils took the victory – her first at Ohsweken since 2018 – with Jeff Elsliger second, DeBoer third, Alex Riley fourth, and Nick Erskine fifth.

Up Next at Ohsweken Speedway
The Greatest Show on Dirt is back at Ohsweken next week! Don’t miss the return of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 15. The Late Model Open will also be part of the show on Wednesday, while the UMP vs. Canadian Modified Challenge will run on Thursday. Visit www.ohswekenspeedway.ca for more information.
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Ohsweken Speedway Statistical Report
Friday, May 9, 2025
Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada
Total Entries: 108

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RoC Sportsman Modifieds (22 Entries)

A-Main [Started] 25 laps – NT
1. 7-Cody McPherson[8]; 2. 108-Bill Bleich[2]; 3. 18R-Brad Rouse[7]; 4. 68-Curtis Friesen[11]; 5. 12-Jacob Chevalier[9]; 6. 78JR-Nigel Pendykoski[6]; 7. 72-James Friesen[12]; 8. 74-Taylor Vanderzanden[5]; 9. 99PJR-Matteo Panunte[10]; 10. 11-Dan Ferguson[21]; 11. 3N-Noah Mamo[15]; 12. 5S-Matt Sharpe[14]; 13. 0-Glenn Styres[3]; 14. 96-Tyler Lafantaisie[13]; 15. 25-Chris Hawkins[17]; 16. 391-Trevor Pitt[19]; 17. 88-Elijah Knutt[16]; 18. (DNF) 28-Mitch Dumont[4]; 19. (DNF) 24-Doug Walsh Jr[1]; 20. (DNF) 29-Matthew Jessome[18]; 21. (DNF) 13M-Daniel McKay[20]; 22. (DNF) 185-Tyler Puchalski[22]
Hard Charger – Dan Ferguson +11

Heat Race 1 [Started] 8 laps – NT
1. 78JR-Nigel Pendykoski[2]; 2. 74-Taylor Vanderzanden[1]; 3. 68-Curtis Friesen[3]; 4. 24-Doug Walsh Jr[5]; 5. 96-Tyler Lafantaisie[7]; 6. 88-Elijah Knutt[6]; 7. 391-Trevor Pitt[8]; 8. (DNF) 185-Tyler Puchalski[4]

Heat Race 2 [Started] 8 laps – 2:17.176
1. 18R-Brad Rouse[1]; 2. 28-Mitch Dumont[2]; 3. 12-Jacob Chevalier[3]; 4. 99PJR-Matteo Panunte[4]; 5. 5S-Matt Sharpe[6]; 6. 25-Chris Hawkins[7]; 7. 13M-Daniel McKay[5]

Heat Race 3 [Started] 8 laps – 2:15.541
1. 7-Cody McPherson[2]; 2. 72-James Friesen[1]; 3. 108-Bill Bleich[3]; 4. 0-Glenn Styres[5]; 5. 3N-Noah Mamo[6]; 6. 29-Matthew Jessome[7]; 7. (DNS) 11-Dan Ferguson

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Strickland’s Crate Sprint Cars (28 Entries)

A-Main [Started] 20 laps – NT
1. 5D-Jacob Dykstra[2]; 2. 52-Jesse Costa[4]; 3. 2M-Steve Murdock[16]; 4. 72-Tanner Podwinski[1]; 5. 3S-Austin Roes[3]; 6. BS39-Brett Stratford[7]; 7. 9C-Brian Nanticoke[9]; 8. 1-Holly Porter[6]; 9. 28T-Cameron Thomson[15]; 10. 53-Logan Shwedyk[5]; 11. 16X-Keegan Baker[14]; 12. 94-Ryan Fraser[18]; 13. 88-Lance Erskine[21]; 14. 2S-Al Sleight[12]; 15. 2-Travis Hofstetter[17]; 16. 44-Connor Ross[13]; 17. 24K-Kiana Teal[24]; 18. 11W-Jeremy May[19]; 19. 26X-Campbell Baker[26]; 20. 78-Darren McLennan[28]; 21. 5-Tom Pellezari[20]; 22. 27-Niko Hansen[25]; 23. 8-Kurtis Connell[27]; 24. (DNF) 24A-AJ Lewis[11]; 25. (DNF) 50LS-Adrian Stahle[8]; 26. (DNF) 14-Larry Gledhill[10]; 27. (DNS) 14B-Broden Weiler; 28. (DNS) 20-Johnny Miller
Hard Charger – Steve Murdock +13

Heat Race 1 [Started] 8 laps – NT
1. 53-Logan Shwedyk[1]; 2. 50LS-Adrian Stahle[2]; 3. BS39-Brett Stratford[5]; 4. 44-Connor Ross[3]; 5. 16X-Keegan Baker[6]; 6. 2-Travis Hofstetter[7]; 7. 94-Ryan Fraser[8]; 8. 88-Lance Erskine[9]; 9. 24K-Kiana Teal[4]; 10. 78-Darren McLennan[10]

Heat Race 2 [Started] 8 laps – NT
1. 3S-Austin Roes[2]; 2. 52-Jesse Costa[1]; 3. 5D-Jacob Dykstra[7]; 4. 14-Larry Gledhill[6]; 5. 2M-Steve Murdock[4]; 6. 28T-Cameron Thomson[8]; 7. 26X-Campbell Baker[9]; 8. (DNF) 20-Johnny Miller[5]; 9. (DQ) 27-Niko Hansen[3]

Heat Race 3 [Started] 8 laps – 2:07.778
1. 72-Tanner Podwinski[3]; 2. 9C-Brian Nanticoke[1]; 3. 1-Holly Porter[5]; 4. 24A-AJ Lewis[6]; 5. 2S-Al Sleight[8]; 6. 11W-Jeremy May[2]; 7. 5-Tom Pellezari[7]; 8. 14B-Broden Weiler[4]; 9. 8-Kurtis Connell[9]
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Middleport Mechanical Thunder Stocks (30 Entries)

A-Main [Started] 20 laps – NT
1. 49-Dave Bailey[1]; 2. 84RK-Ryan Beagle[4]; 3. 23-Trevor DeBoer[2]; 4. 108-Zack Bleich[7]; 5. 37-Robert Hoskins[6]; 6. 93K-Mike Klazinga[8]; 7. 8-Ryan Dinning[21]; 8. 13-Kacey Huffman[11]; 9. 96-Steve Shaw Sr[3]; 10. 43-Kyle Andress[23]; 11. 427-Tim Phalen[13]; 12. 03-George Grosul[12]; 13. 24-Blake Bomberry Jr[15]; 14. 07-Scott McPhail[9]; 15. 13X-Bella General[25]; 16. 81-Brando Greene Styres[20]; 17. 76-Jamie Goudge[24]; 18. 21J-Braedan Burning[29]; 19. (DNF) 222-Nick Masi[10]; 20. (DNF) 96O-John Overholt[27]; 21. (DNF) 55-Mike Thorne[14]; 22. (DNF) 26-Keith Dale[22]; 23. (DNF) 62-Brian Pescetti[19]; 24. (DNF) 11-Gofast Teeple[17]; 25. (DNF) 17-Robert Disher[16]; 26. (DNF) 77-Mitch Petta[26]; 27. (DNF) 69G-Brian General[18]; 28. (DNF) 21X-Mark Bazuin[28]; 29. (DNF) 88L-Logan Ferguson[5]; 30. (DNS) 51D-Dylan Peckham
Hard Charger – Ryan Dinning +14

B-Main [Started] 6 laps – 2:04.130
1. 8-Ryan Dinning[1]; 2. 26-Keith Dale[3]; 3. 43-Kyle Andress[9]; 4. 76-Jamie Goudge[7]; 5. 13X-Bella General[4]; 6. 77-Mitch Petta[6]; 7. (DNF) 96O-John Overholt[8]; 8. (DNS) 21X-Mark Bazuin; 9. (DNS) 21J-Braedan Burning; 10. (DNS) 51D-Dylan Peckham

Heat Race 1 [Started] 10 laps – NT
1. 84RK-Ryan Beagle[7]; 2. 88L-Logan Ferguson[2]; 3. 93K-Mike Klazinga[5]; 4. 108-Zack Bleich[11]; 5. 07-Scott McPhail[1]; 6. 13-Kacey Huffman[14]; 7. 427-Tim Phalen[6]; 8. 24-Blake Bomberry Jr[9]; 9. 11-Gofast Teeple[10]; 10. 62-Brian Pescetti[4]; 11. 8-Ryan Dinning[13]; 12. 26-Keith Dale[8]; 13. 21J-Braedan Burning[15]; 14. 76-Jamie Goudge[3]; 15. (DNF) 43-Kyle Andress[12]

Heat Race 2 [Started] 10 laps – 3:15.675
1. 49-Dave Bailey[2]; 2. 96-Steve Shaw Sr[6]; 3. 23-Trevor DeBoer[11]; 4. 37-Robert Hoskins[1]; 5. 222-Nick Masi[10]; 6. 03-George Grosul[5]; 7. 55-Mike Thorne[9]; 8. 17-Robert Disher[3]; 9. 69G-Brian General[8]; 10. 81-Brando Greene Styres[7]; 11. 21X-Mark Bazuin[13]; 12. 13X-Bella General[14]; 13. 77-Mitch Petta[4]; 14. 96O-John Overholt[12]; 15. (DQ) 51D-Dylan Peckham[15]
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Insta-Insulation Mini Stocks (28 Entries)

A-Main [Started] 15 laps – NT
1. 32-Gillian Hils[2]; 2. 11J-Jeff Elsliger[11]; 3. 9-Tim DeBoer[5]; 4. 17-Alex Riley[15]; 5. 64-Nick Erskine[4]; 6. 38P-Bill Pearsall[1]; 7. 4A-Mason Anderson[8]; 8. 20J-Nathan Joyner[14]; 9. X-Jeremy Cooper[27]; 10. 01-Tristan DaSilva[3]; 11. 6X-Mike Sarantakos[24]; 12. 44-Doug Erskine[18]; 13. 66-Jon Janssens[16]; 14. 23-Dusty DeBoer[6]; 15. 32L-Grayden Lyons[25]; 16. 00-Steven Overhof[22]; 17. 71C-Ray Cerenzia[20]; 18. 54-Christopher French[19]; 19. 11-Mike Giberson[23]; 20. (DNF) 46-Wayde Thorne[9]; 21. (DNF) 24R-Rodney Rutherford[12]; 22. (DNF) 51-Jesse McDonald[21]; 23. (DNF) 1-Jason Tolton[17]; 24. (DNF) 5K-Ken Hair[7]; 25. (DNF) 04-Rogan Monaghan[13]; 26. (DNF) 79-Steve Miller[28]; 27. (DNF) 12-Mark Deagle[26]; 28. (DNF) 16-Fabio Olivieri[10]
Hard Charger – Jeremy Cooper +18

Heat Race 1 [Started] 8 laps – 2:48.985
1. 5K-Ken Hair[1]; 2. 64-Nick Erskine[3]; 3. 4A-Mason Anderson[8]; 4. 32-Gillian Hils[14]; 5. 46-Wayde Thorne[9]; 6. 11J-Jeff Elsliger[7]; 7. 04-Rogan Monaghan[12]; 8. 17-Alex Riley[10]; 9. 1-Jason Tolton[11]; 10. 54-Christopher French[5]; 11. 51-Jesse McDonald[6]; 12. 11-Mike Giberson[13]; 13. (DNS) 32L-Grayden Lyons; 14. (DQ) X-Jeremy Cooper[2]

Heat Race 2 [Started] 8 laps – 2:51.152
1. 23-Dusty DeBoer[10]; 2. 9-Tim DeBoer[7]; 3. 38P-Bill Pearsall[8]; 4. 01-Tristan DaSilva[1]; 5. 16-Fabio Olivieri[6]; 6. 24R-Rodney Rutherford[5]; 7. 20J-Nathan Joyner[14]; 8. 66-Jon Janssens[9]; 9. 44-Doug Erskine[13]; 10. 71C-Ray Cerenzia[2]; 11. 00-Steven Overhof[3]; 12. 6X-Mike Sarantakos[12]; 13. 12-Mark Deagle[11]; 14. 79-Steve Miller[4]
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Ohsweken Speedway on GForceTV
Can’t make it to the track or don’t live within driving distance? No problem! Check out all of Ohsweken’s weekly Friday Night Excitement action live online for FREE on GForceTV. Just search for GForceTV on YouTube, OHSWEKENSPEEDWAY on Facebook, or visit www.ohswekenspeedway.ca to watch.

About Ohsweken Speedway: Opened in 1996, Ohsweken Speedway is a motorsports complex and event centre featuring a 3/8 mile clay oval auto racing track and 1/6 mile clay oval Micro Sprint and Karting track. The facility is owned by the Styres family, and located in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Ohsweken’s weekly Friday Night Excitement racing program runs from May to September each year, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks, and Mini Stocks, while the facility also hosts weekly Micro Sprint and Kart racing on Thursday nights.

Ohsweken Speedway Media
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