by Tommy Goudge (July 18, 2008) - 
Kevin Job has been close to victory lane at Ohsweken Speedway on numerous occasions, but the top spot has always eluded him. That changed on Friday night as the Campbellville resident drove his #21x under the chequered flag first during Round #6 of the Southern Ontario Sprints 2008 season at Ohsweken. It was his first feature win of 2008 after taking a win during his rookie season in 2006 at Humberstone, and two wins last season, which came at South Buxton and Brighton.

Ryan Hunsinger and Derek Jonathon led the field to the green flag to start the 20 lap feature, with Hunsinger getting the early lead, but 4th starter Keith Dempster immediately glued himself to the rear nerf bar of Hunsinger's #77x. Rookie Kris Root found the going rough in turn 1 as his #69r bicycled and then made contact with another car, breaking the front end on Root's car and bringing out a caution. At the same time, a fine run in the top 5 for Dick Mahoney ended in a plume of smoke as the #79's oil filter was dislodged. Teammates Hunsinger and Dempster opened a gap on the field on the restart and quickly approached lapped traffic, which proved to be the undoing of Hunsinger, who spun out of the lead in the 4th turn while attempting to put a lap on Mike Ferrell's #15. Meanwhile, the front wing on the Dempster machine had collapsed for a second week in a row, and on the restart 10th starter Kevin Job had moved in behind the #5 machine of Dempster, with Adam West up to 3rd and Rob Pietz in 4th.. Incredibly, Job's front wing also collapsed, but the 2 front running cars still ran at a very fast pace, while Hunsinger quickly charged through the field after restarting at the tail. 

Adam West's fine run came to an end when his engine quit on the backstretch, bringing out a caution flag and sending the #30 to the pit area. Job was able to get by Dempster shortly after the green flag came back out, taking a lead he would not relinquish. The race was halted one more time when Jim Porter got sideways coming out of the 4th corner, causing Joel Lehman to spin and then roll over. Lehman climbed from his machine uninjured, but the #4z suffered extensive wing and front end damage. The race went back green for a dash to the finish, but Job was not to be denied victory on this night. Just a lap short of the finish, Ryan Hunsinger pulled off the track with apparent mechanical issues, while Kyle Patrick spun out of the 4th position in corner 3 on the final lap. Job crossed the finish line first followed by Dempster, Warren Mahoney, Pietz, and Glenn Styres, who twice charged through the field after starting 17th, making his way into the top 10, then catching a bump in turn 1, falling back, and charging back up through the pack again. Craig Downie, Keith Dempster, Ryan Hunsinger, and Dick Mahoney took the heat race victories.

NOTES:
- 9 drivers competed in their first SOS action of the season on Friday night, including Frank Baranowski, Joe Middlemiss, Brad Malloy, Kyle Patrick, John Riegling, Jim Sweers, Tom MacLeod, James Evans, and Kris Root. Middlemiss, a winner of 2 SOS events last season, was behind the wheel of the Turford #29 for the evening, but power steering issues caused him to scratch out after his heat race. MacLeod's appearance was the first behind the wheel of a sprint car for the pavement modified driver who is the son of former SOS driver and car owner, the late Dave MacLeod. Root and Evans also made their SOS debuts on Friday night.

- Attrition was heavy on Friday night, as only 12 cars were able to finish the feature event due to a combination of mechanical issues and heavy track conditions. The attrition was beneficial for James Evans and John Burbridge, Jr. who came home with 11th and 9th place finishes respectively after starting on the back row of the feature.

- Chris Jones, who entered the evening tied with Glenn Styres for the SOS points lead, was not in attendance on Friday night. As a result, Jones unofficially dropped all the way to 7th in the standings, but Styres has very little breathing room at the top as both Warren Mahoney and Keith Dempster gained on the leader, and are now just 14 and 15 points behind, respectively. Adam West, who entered the night 3rd in the points, also stood a good chance to finish in the top 5 and close the gap with Styres, but mechanical problems halted his race while he was running 3rd.

RACE REPORT - Friday, July 18, 2008
SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS 2008 SEASON Event #6
Ohsweken Speedway - Ohsweken, Ontario

ENTRIES
0 Glenn Styres - Ohsweken
1a John Riegling - Chatham
4z Joel Lehman - Guelph
5 Keith Dempster - Alton
5m Brad Malloy - Niagara Falls
7 Jim Price - Wainfleet
9jr Tim Zack - Dain City
10 Bob Crawford - Sutton
14 Jim Porter - Grand Island, NY
15 Mike Ferrell - London
21x Kevin Job - Campbellville
22 Tom MacLeod - 
25 Warren Mahoney - Lefroy
29 Joe Middlemiss - Chippawa
30 Adam West - Ridgetown
31 John Burbridge, Jr. - Simcoe
33k Kyle Patrick - Tilbury
66 Frank Baranowski - Hamilton
69p Rob Pietz - Port Colborne
69r Kris Root - Delaware
71 Craig Downie - Burlington
75 Jim Sweers - Hamilton
77x Ryan Hunsinger - Brantford
79 Dick Mahoney - Newmarket
81 Derek Jonathon - Lewiston, NY
90 James Evans - Beamsville
94 Stan Zanchin - Fort Erie
99c Nick Cupolo - Thorold

HEAT RACE #1
(8 laps - Top 5 Transfer to A-Main)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 71 Craig Downie (2)
2. 30 Adam West (1)
3. 25 Warren Mahoney (4)
4. 5m Brad Malloy (5)
5. 0 Glenn Styres (3)
6. 14 Jim Porter (7)
7. 90 James Evans (6)

HEAT RACE #2
(8 laps - Top 5 Transfer to A-Main)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 5 Keith Dempster (2)
2. 33k Kyle Patrick (6)
3. 69p Rob Pietz (5)
4. 15 Mike Ferrell (1)
5. 75 Jim Sweers (7)
6. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (3)
7. 99c Nick Cupolo (4) DNF

HEAT RACE #3
(8 laps - Top 5 Transfer to A-Main)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (1)
2. 21x Kevin Job (5)
3. 1a John Riegling (7)
4. 10 Bob Crawford (2)
5. 94 Stan Zanchin (4)
6. 9jr Tim Zack (3)
7. 66 Frank Baranowski (6)

HEAT RACE #4
(8 laps - Top 5 Transfer to A-Main)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 79 Dick Mahoney (2)
2. 81 Derek Jonathon (1)
3. 7 Jim Price (4)
4. 69r Kris Root (5)
5. 4z Joel Lehman (3)
6. 29 Joe Middlemiss (6)
7. 22 Tom MacLeod (7)

'B' FEATURE
(12 laps - Top 4 Transfer to A-Main)
CANCELLED - 4 cars scratched after heats:
22 Tom MacLeod
29 Joe Middlemiss (mechanical)
66 Frank Baranowski (mechanical)
99c Nick Cupolo (crash)

'A' FEATURE
(20 laps)
Finish. Number Name (Starting Position)
1. 21x Kevin Job (10)
2. 5 Keith Dempster (4)
3. 25 Warren Mahoney (8)
4. 69p Rob Pietz (9)
5. 0 Glenn Styres (17)
6. 5m Brad Malloy (13)
7. 71 Craig Downie (6)
8. 10 Bob Crawford (15)
9. 31 John Burbridge, Jr. (24)
10. 7 Jim Price (7)
11. 90 James Evans (23)
12. 94 Stan Zanchin (19)
13. 33k Kyle Patrick (11) DNF
14. 77x Ryan Hunsinger (1) DNF
15. 1a John Riegling (12) DNF
16. 81 Derek Jonathon (2) DNF
17. 14 Jim Porter (21) DNF
18. 9jr Tim Zack (22) DNF
19. 4z Joel Lehman (20) DNF
20. 30 Adam West (5) DNF
21. 15 Mike Ferrell (14) DNF
22. 79 Dick Mahoney (3) DNF
23. 69r Kris Root (16) DNF
24. 75 Jim Sweers (18) DNF

Hard Charger: Burbridge, Jr. (Gained 15 positions)

UNOFFICIAL TOP 10 IN POINTS AFTER ROUND #6
Rank. Number Name Total (positions gained/lost)
1. 0 Glenn Styres 818 (--)
2. 25 Warren Mahoney 804 (+2)
3. 5 Keith Dempster 803 (+2)
4. 30 Adam West 750 (-1)
5. 10 Bob Crawford 718 (+1)
6. 79 Dick Mahoney 673 (+1)
7. 11j Chris Jones 670 (-6)
8. 81 Derek Jonathon 591 (+2)
9. 15 Mike Ferrell 588 (+1)
10. 42w Rick Wilson 521 (-2)

NEXT SOS RACE:
Saturday, August 2 @ South Buxton Raceway - South Buxton, Ontario
www.SouthBuxtonRaceway.com
www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com