STYRES FAMILY, SOS, & GIBERSON HEADLINE INAUGURAL “WALL OF FAME” CLASS
STYRES FAMILY, SOS, & GIBERSON HEADLINE INAUGURAL “WALL OF FAME” CLASS
by Tommy Goudge (April 16, 2015) – Ohsweken, Ontario – Ohsweken Speedway officials are pleased to announce the inaugural class of inductees for the Ohsweken Speedway Wall of Fame.
The Styres Family, the Southern Ontario Sprints club, and Mike “Pinball” Giberson will be honoured on Wall of Fame Night on Friday, June 12 as Ohsweken Speedway celebrates the past, and looks forward to the future during the track’s 20th season of racing.
Led by brothers Glenn and Curt, the Styres family founded and built Ohsweken Speedway, officially opening it for business on June 16, 1996. Along with Glenn, Tina, Curt, and Trish, many other members of the Styres family have contributed various resources to the success of the speedway, including their time, money, and land use – Anyone who has visited Ohsweken Speedway as a spectator has been greeted by the warm smile of Vera Styres on nearly every race night since the track opened.
The Southern Ontario Sprints club was also founded in 1996, with the second event in SOS history held on Ohsweken’s opening day. Including that first event, the club has sanctioned a total of 92 events at Ohsweken over the last 19 seasons, and played an integral role in the growth of Sprint Car racing at the track and all over Ontario. SOS sanctioned events at Ohsweken include all 10 previous editions of the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, and the 92 total SOS events at the track have produced 43 different winners.
There is perhaps no better example of the spirit of local short track racing than Mike “Pinball” Giberson, who competed at Ohsweken on opening day in 1996, and hasn’t missed a race since. His dedication to preserving that iron-man streak would be reason enough to be considered for the Wall of Fame, but Giberson is also the 1996 Ohsweken Speedway Mini Stock division champion, and a three time winner of the Art Hill Memorial Award. He is the only repeat winner of that award, dedicated to the memory of the late Art Hill, and given to the Mini-Stock competitor who demonstrates sportsmanship, both on and off the track, strives to maintain the highest level of competition, and acts as an ambassador for Ohsweken Speedway.
About the Ohsweken Speedway Wall of Fame:
The Ohsweken Speedway Wall of Fame is dedicated to celebrating the achievements and contributions of those who have helped Ohsweken Speedway to become a premiere racing facility, and inspired generations to come. Selections will be made annually by the Wall of Fame committee, with potential honourees including (but not limited to) drivers, car owners, manufacturers, car builders, mechanics, sponsors, promoters, officials, sanctioning organizations, and media members.
The community is invited to submit nominations for induction to the Wall of Fame, and all nominations are given due consideration. The number of inductees in any given year shall be at the discretion of the Wall of Fame committee. The names of inductees for any given year will be announced in early spring, and the official induction ceremony will be held at Ohsweken Speedway on a selected race night during the subsequent season.
The 2015 Ohsweken Speedway Wall of Fame Selection Committee included Clinton Geoffrey, Tommy Goudge and Adam Ross, with consultation from Greg Calnan and Doug Leonard. Nominations were accepted until February 28, 2015. To nominate a candidate for consideration for the 2016 Wall of Fame class, please contactmedia@ohswekenspeedway.com, or utilize the nomination form on the Ohsweken Speedway website at http://ohswekenspeedway.ca/?
2015 SEASON
Ohsweken Speedway’s 20th season of racing begins on Friday, May 15 with Opening Night 2015. The weekly Friday night racing program will include Corr/Pak Merchandising 360 Sprint Cars, Strickland’s GMC Crate Sprint Cars, Affordable Towing & Recovery Thunder Stocks, HRW Automotive Mini Stocks, and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket Bombers. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more news about Ohsweken Speedway’s 20th anniversary season.
2015 ROSTERS
Drivers rosters for the 2015 season are already taking shape, and the 2015 roster page is regularly updated on the track website. Visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com to keep an eye on your favourite driver’s plans for the 2015 season.
TICKETS PLEASE!
Advanced reserved seat tickets are now on sale for the inaugural Triple Crown Showdown on Tuesday, June 30, the Northern Summer Nationals on Monday, July 27, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series Six Nations Showdown on Tuesday, July 28, the Night Before the Nationals on Friday, September 18, and the 11th annual Canadian Sprint Car Nationals on Saturday, September 19. Please visit www.OhswekenSpeedway.com for more information, or contact Lorraine Pedersen, Ohsweken Speedway Office Administrator, by phone at519 717-0023, or by e-mail at lorraine@ohswekenspeedway.com
About Ohsweken Speedway:
Founded in 1996, Ohsweken Speedway is a motorsports complex which includes a 3/8 (0.375) mile clay oval track. The facility is owned by the Styres family, and located 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, Mini Stocks, and Bombers, 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 has been a yearly stop on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car series schedule since 2007.
Visit the official Ohsweken Speedway website at www.OhswekenSpeedway.com, like us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/
Ohsweken Speedway thanks the following partners for their support: Arrow Express, Corr/Pak Merchandising Inc., Renway Energy, O’Neil’s Farm Equipment, Hoosier Tire Canada, EPIC Racewear, McDonald’s Restaurants of Paris & Brantford, Nathan Ackland State Farm Insurance, Strickland’s GMC, Mobil 1, Burger Barn, Affordable Towing & Recovery, HRW Automotive, and Gale’s Auto Aftermarket.
