World of Outlaws - Ohsweken Speedway
July 25, 2007

The largest crowd in the history of Ohsweken Speedway was on hand on July 25 to see the first World of Outlaws sprint car event in Canada in twenty-five years.

Qualifying started with a bang when the first qualifier immediately broke the old track record. In all, 23 of the 37 qualifiers had faster times than the old track record. At the end, Danny Lasoski had the fastest time at 12.944 seconds. Just behind was Steve Kinser at 12.947.

Steve Kinser is pushed out his pit stall for qualifying

The cars were split into four heat races with the top five cars from each heat going into the "A" Main. The first two heats were run caution-free with Donny Schatz and Sam Hafertepe Jr taking the wins. The third heat was interrupted by caution when the 3T of John Schuyler rolled onto his side. Once the green was out, the lead featured a battle between Joey Saldana and Justin Henderson. Saldana came out with the win on a last lap pass. The fourth heat was won by Dustin Daggett.

The Dash race determined the starting order of the first ten positions of the "A" Main. Donny Schatz took the win in a race that saw him battle Sam Hafertepe Jr for the lead.

With the top twenty cars locked into the "A" Main, the "B" Main was the last chance to qualify. The remaining seventeen cars took the green to attempt to be one of the final four cars to transfer to the "A" Main. Despite Lasoski's fastest qualifying time, his heat finish forced him to run the "B" Main. Lasoski took the win and transferring with him were Chad Hillier, Terry McCarl and Jessica Zemken.

Unfortunately, none of the Canadian racers made the "A" Main. This included Keith Dempster, Fred Cade, John Burbridge, Tom Huppunen, Jamie Collard, Kyle Patrick and Rob Pietz.

The Ohsweken Mini-Stock class rounded out the program. Thirty-three Mini-Stocks were in competition. They ran a set of heats after the WoO heats and their feature immediately before the WoO "A" Main.

Fans were treated to a professional laser show with a rock music soundtrack before the "A" Main.

Danny Lasoski gets ready for the "A" Main

Finally it was time for the 30-lap "A" Main. The Outlaws did their traditional four-abreast salute to the crowd on the pace laps. The Ohsweken crew added an additional twist with fireworks from behind turn 4 and turn 2. They even had fireworks coming from the bed of the Hummer pace truck.

At the drop of the green flag Sam Hafertepe Jr took the lead and was looking strong. The race was red-flagged on lap 4 when Jason Meyers made contact with another car and flipped over the turn 1 wall, ending up against the fence. Meyers was not injured.

Jason Sides closed in on Haftertepe and took the lead on lap 14. Hafertepe, who had been looking unstoppable, began to fade. The race was slowed by caution on lap 18 when Terry McCarl spun in turn 3-4. McCarl was able to get undeway again.

Sides held on for the win, closely followed by Donny Schatz and Jac Haudenschild. Sides picked up $10,000 for the win.

Fans were able to visit the pits after the completion of the night's program. Steve Kinser and Jessica Zemken were the most popular drivers, with each having a large group of fans waiting for autographs.

Winner Jason Sides

Ohsweken owner Glenn Styres and his whole staff deserve large praise for a well run event. Among the improvements to the track there were new grandstands toward turn 1, new fencing, new sound system and new lighting.

For the fans that need more sprint car action, the Southern Ontario Sprints put on a great show across the province all summer. The SOS series will be at South Buxton Raceway on August 4. They run a double-header on the weekend of August 10-11, appearing at Ohsweken on the Friday night and Brighton Speedway on Saturday night. Brighton is the location for a big Labour Day weekend show on September 1-2. The Southern Ontario Sprints are back at Ohsweken on September 7. Ohsweken is the home of the biggest weekend in Canadian Sprint Car racing the following weekend.

Friday, September 14 Ohsweken Speedway hosts the "Night Before the Nationals". The following night, September 15 is the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Over 70 cars have been on hand for each of the last two years. The event draws cars from all over Ontario, Quebec and the border states. The Sprint Car Nationals are a definate "must see" for all Sprint Car fans.

Kinser ready for the "A" Main	Start of Heat 2	Jac Haudenschild
Start of Heat 2	Donny Schatz	Jac Haudenschild prepares for qualifying
Joey Saldana	Paul McMahan	Tim Shaffer