The Ohsweken Speedway is a 3⁄8-mile (0.60 km) dirt track in the village of Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Ohsweken’s weekly Friday night racing program runs from May to September each year, featuring 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprint Cars, Thunder Stocks, and Mini Stocks, while the season finishes each year with the annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Ohsweken Speedway also hosts weekly Micro Sprint racing on Thursday nights, and hosted the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series from 2007 until 2017.[1]
| The Big O | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | 1987 Chiefswood Road Ohsweken, Ontario Canada |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (UTC-4 DST) |
| Coordinates | 43°04′58″N 80°06′47″W / 43.082798°N 80.112981°W |
| Owner | Styres Family |
| Operator | Glenn Styres/Curt Styres |
| Broke ground | 1994 |
| Opened | 1996 |
| Major events | NASCAR Pinty's Series Northern Summer Nationals (2022–Present) World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Six Nations Showdown (2007–2017) Super DIRTcar Series Triple Crown Showdown (2015, 2017, 2020) World of Outlaws Late Model Series Six Nations 50 (2008–2009) Canadian Sprint Car Nationals (2005–2022) Northern Sprint Car Nationals (2023–Present) Empire Super Sprints Patriot Sprint Tour Southern Ontario Sprints Great Lakes Super Sprints National Racing Alliance TUSA Canada Mod Lites DIRTcar |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Clay |
| Length | 3/8 miles (0.6 km) |
| Race lap record | 12.047 seconds (180.344 km/h or 112.061 mph) (Kraig Kinser, World of Outlaws Sprint Car, July 30, 2010, 410 Sprint Car) |
History
editIn 1994 race car driver Glenn Styres built the 3/8 mile oval Ohsweken Speedway on 80 acres of Styres family-owned land on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Reserve southeast of Brantford, Ontario. The track has been continuously expanded in each year of its existence.[2][3]
The track’s seating capacity was increased to over 8,000 in 2008 and a project was conducted to install Musco lighting, illuminating the speedway to allow the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series to run at the facility.[4]
World of Outlaws - Six Nations Showdown
editThe prestigious World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series made its first trip to Ohsweken Speedway for the first running of the Six Nations Showdown on July 25, 2007. Jason Sides won the inaugural event. In 2011, NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart won his first career World of Outlaws race at Ohsweken and repeated the victory in 2012.[5]
| Season | Date | Driver | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | July 25 |  Jason Sides
|
[6] |
| 2008 | July 22 | Rainout | |
| 2009 | July 28 | Jason Meyers
|
[7] |
| July 29 | Jason Sides
|
[8] | |
| 2010 | July 30 | Jason Sides
|
[9] |
| August 1 | Donny Schatz
|
[10] | |
| 2011 | July 27 | Tony Stewart
|
[11] |
| 2012 | July 31 | Tony Stewart
|
[12] |
| 2013 | July 30 | Donny Schatz
|
[13] |
| 2014 | July 29 | Donny Schatz
|
[14] |
| 2015 | July 28 |  Stewart Friesen
|
[15] |
| 2016 | July 26 | Donny Schatz
|
[16] |
| 2017 | July 25 | Logan Schuchart
|
Photo gallery
edit-
Front straight and grandstands. -
Steve Kinser and Donny Schatz sprint cars in the pits. -
The pits. -
Tony Stewart at the Six Nations Showdown World of Outlaws event. -
View of main grandstand from backstraight through clay on the crash fence.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Tony Stewart Returns To Ohsweken July 29 & 30". Ontario Oval Speedway News. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ Laskaris, Sam (July 4, 2012). "On the Fast Track: Glenn Styres and the Business (and Thrill) of Race Car Driving". New York: Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ Renwald, Kathy (July 20, 2012). "Glenn Styres Lives His Dream". The Toronto Star Wheels. Toronto: Torstar Corporation. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ "WoO Late Model Series Makes First-Ever Visit to Ontario for Six Nations 50 on June 19 at Ohsweken Speedway". whowon.com. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ McNulty, Dean (July 30, 2011). "Tony Stewart savours World of Outlaws win". The Toronto Sun. Toronto: Sun Media. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ "WoO: 2007 Season Review - Jason Sides". Speed TV. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ "Meyers Wins Ohsweken Opener". Concord, North Carolina: Motor Racing Network. July 28, 2009. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ "Race Report: Jason Sides Wins Finale at Ohsweken". World of Outlaws Sprint Cars. July 29, 2009. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ "Sides Is The Man At Ohsweken". Mooresville, North Carolina: National Speed Sport News. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ "Worth The Wait: Schatz Wins Finale Sunday Night At Ohsweken". Ontario Oval Speedway News. August 1, 2010. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ McNulty, Dean (July 30, 2011). "Tony Stewart savours World of Outlaws win". The Toronto Sun. Toronto: Sun Media. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ "Stewart Repeats at Ohsweken". Concord, North Carolina: Motor Racing Network. July 31, 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
- ^ Goudge, Tommy (July 30, 2013). "Schatz Dominates World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars at Ohsweken". On Dirt Racing News. Retrieved 2013-07-31.
- ^ "Third Straight for Schatz". Concord, North Carolina: Motor Racing Network. July 29, 2014. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
- ^ "Friesen Scores First Outlaws Win". Concord, North Carolina: Motor Racing Network. July 28, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Schatz Comes Out On Top of Three-Way Battle at Ohsweken". DirtTrackDigest.com. July 27, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2016.