While the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals have only been around since 2005, the extravaganza at Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario has quickly become one of the premier events in all of sprint car racing. A “Who’s Who” of drivers have won the event over the years, including a Hall of Famer, a trio of ASCS past champions and a multi-time Empire Super Sprints title winner. Another stout field of drivers is entered this year for the two-night event, which opens on Friday, September 14 and concludes on Saturday, September 15.

The track

Ohsweken Speedway is a semi-banked, three-eighths-mile clay oval, located in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada, which was built in 1996. The track is owned by longtime sprint car driver Glenn Styres and his family. Ohsweken Speedway is literally situated in Styres’ backyard, as he is able to look out his backdoor and see the state-of-the-art racing venue.

The payout

The winner of the 35-lap finale on Saturday night will earn $10,000 USD, while each start in the main event will pocket at least $1,000 USD. A number of contingency awards await drivers during the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals as well. Among the contingency prize are “Rookie of the Year,” “Long Tow Award,” and cash prizes for the top finisher from each of the six sanctioning bodies represented.

Past winners

Nine drivers have been victorious in the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, dating back to the inaugural event in 2005, which was won by Hall of Famer Kenny Jacobs. 

Steve Poirier and Shane Stewart are the winningest drivers in the event, each having visited victory lane three times. 

Carson Macedo is the defending Canadian Sprint Car Nationals winners, which marked the fourth time that the Joe Gaerte/Tim Norman No. 3G has been victorious at Ohsweken. Fellow rising star Parker Price-Miller won at Ohsweken in 2016. 

Bryan Howland won the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals in 2015, while Jessica Zemken was victorious in 2014. A pair of former Lucas Oil ASCS champions have also won the event, as Sam Hafertepe Jr. won in 2011 and Wayne Johnson scored a win in 2008.

Oh Canada

Steve Poirier, who hails from Quebec, leads just about every statistical category at the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. Along with his three wins, which are tied for the most in event history, Poirier has led the most feature laps at the event, has the most top-10 finishes, the most top-five performances and is tied for the most heat race wins. The veteran driver also has been the highest finishing Canadian driver 10 times in his career at the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals.

Entry list

The current entry list is at 69 drivers from Canada and the United States. A number of series/sanctioning bodies will be represented including the Southern Ontario Sprints, Lucas Oil ASCS, Empire Super Sprints, Patriot Sprint Tour, Sprints on Dirt, NRA Sprint Invaders and Great Lakes Outlaw Sprints among others.

Rookies

The crop of rookies currently entered in this year’s Canadian Sprint Car Nationals sits at eight. The majority of those making their first Canadian Sprint Car Nationals appearance are regulars in weekly competition at Ohsweken Speedway. That list includes: Scott Burk, Mack DeMan, Barry Dunn, Jacob Dykstra and Dan Nanticoke. Mike Summer from Indiana will be representing the Great Lake Super Sprint Series, while Scott Goodrich will carry the torch for the Patriot Sprint Tour and Billy VanInwegen will fly the Empire Super Sprints flag.

Massive car counts

The average car count for the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals over the course of the first 13 editions of the event has been 68.3. The highest car count was 77 in 2009, while the “lowest” was 58 last year. Five times there have been 70-plus cars entered in the event.

Tuning up

Sam Hafertepe Jr. made the trek up to Ohsweken Speedway last weekend to get a race under his belt prior to the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals. The journey paid off as the Texas native was victorious in the 20-lap main event, leading from green-to-checker, after starting on the outside of the front row. Hafertepe opened the night by winning a heat race and earned the most passing points in heat race competition. The current Lucas Oil ASCS point leader now has four career wins at Ohsweken Speedway.