RPW Exclusive: The Turn Four Perspective: Southern Ontario Sprints Night At Ransomville

Column By: BROOKE JOHNPIER / RPW – RANSOMVILLE, NY – When I went outside Friday morning to get the mail, I was surprised at how chilly it was. So you know that I was bundled up like it was the middle of winter when I got over to the Ransomville Speedway at 5pm.
My parents and I got all settled in the parking lot at this point, and were tailgating and having a good time. The only problem was that it was insanely windy, my mom’s hair was all over the place, and I had to keep adjusting my cowboy hat on my head so it wouldn’t blow away.
Luckily though, the wind settled down just enough for all of us to snap a selfie, capturing my last Friday at the races this year.
On August 25th, I move into college at St. Bonaventure University, where I will be studying Sports Media, and learning to do this type of work professionally.
While these thoughts were going through my head the time flew by, and before I knew it it was time to go in.
We got our tickets, got our seats, and went and got some amazing Ransomville food. While eating, the Southern Ontario Sprints came out for the first time in over a decade. It was just for some “walking” laps, but it was still cool to see them. After that all of the other cars came out to help pack the track in.
After this was done, all of the classes came back out for Hot Laps, and then the opening ceremonies began. The prayer was followed by the Canadian, and then the American national anthems. After this, the Heat races began.
The Heats went in order of the way the classes were scheduled to start, and so the Streetstock class went first. There was only one Heat for the Streetstocks, but that was because there were only eight cars. Brandon Sherwood was on the front row, and he would stay in the front for the entire duration of the eight lap race.
Next up were the Mini Stocks. There were two Heats for these guys, and there were about six cars in each Heat. The first Heat started out with Chris Leone in the pole position, and that’s the spot he would hold for the six laps he whipped around the ⅜ mile. The same thing happened in the next Heat with Mr. Cole Susice. Throughout the pack on both races, drivers were trying to get a hold of the leaders, but no matter what they did they couldn’t catch them.
After the Mini Stocks were the Modifieds. Just like the Mini Stocks, the Modifieds also had two Heats. These two Heats would also follow in the same fashion as the Mini Stocks with the one driver being on the front row would be the one to win the entire race. The first race had this happen with Chad Brachmann, and the second race saw this same thing happen to Gary Lindberg. Both men led all eight laps of their Heat races.
After the Modifieds came more high stakes, exciting action. The Southern Ontario Sprints came out onto the track. These 360 cubic inch engine cars also had two Heats, but unlike the other classes, the front row man didn’t take the lead right away. I can’t tell you what exactly happened, but I can tell you that in the first Heat DJ Christie won, and in the second Heat Darren Dryden won. Once both drivers got out front, it was a walk in the park for them for the remainder of their eight lap races. During the first Heat though, history was made. Hometown driver Matt Farnham beat the previous record set by a 360 Sprint car for the fastest time at Ransomville. I can’t exactly remember the time, but I know it was low 14’s.
Last but not least, the Novice Sportsman came out. The Novice had the same set-up as everyone else (two Heats), and would also have the same outcome (guy on the front row wins) but these races were extra special. For the first Heat, Jim Forster won. He led the entire eight laps of his race, and so would Mike Kramarz in the second Heat. But what made these races special is that both Jim and Mike are on the same team (DK Motorsports).
It was at this point in time that intermission happened. After the intermission was over, the Streetstock class came back out for their fifteen lap main event.
The starting line-up consisted of Heat race winner Brandon Sherwood being on the front row, and as luck would have it, he would hold the pole position for the entire race. But, before the race could even get started, something bumped into Ken Camidge’s rear-end and spun him out, ending his career for the night. After this, the race went smoothly, and Sherwood was your victor.
After that, the Mini Stocks came out. In the same fashion as the Streetstocks, the future race winner was on the front row. The fifteen lap race began, and everything was as good as can be. There was some good competitive racing between Cole Susice and Chris Leone, and the rest of the pack was looking good. But around lap eight, Ian Paul and Matt Hornquist got into it with the turn four wall. Ian’s car stayed on the high side of the track, but Matt tried to drive his off to no avail. Since both cars were right in front of me, I saw that the entire front-end of Hornquist’s car was damaged, and I could also see water under his car and a trail going back to the wall which indicated that he had a busted radiator. Ian’s car on the other hand just had the front clip ripped off. Ian was also jumping in and out of his car like nothing happened, but Matt wasn’t as energetic. The ambulance came over for the mandatory ride to the pits, and the cars were on their way to their respectful trailers. After this the race continued, and Chris Leone ended up winning.
After the Mini Stocks came the Modifieds. This race was one for the books. The front row consisted of Gary Lindberg (who got disqualified from his win last week due to being one pound light) and Andrew Smith. When the race started, Smith took an early lead, and would hold that lead up until lap twelve. At lap twelve a caution happened (can’t remember what caused it) and on the restart Gary passed Andrew in turn two. Lindberg would hold that first place position for the rest of the thirty lap feature, and would get his time in Victory Lane with both Sherwood and Leone.
After the Victory Lane ceremonies were over, the Southern Ontario Sprints came back out. Unlike the other big series that come to Ransomville, they didn’t have a four-wide salute. But, they did do something just as cool though: they had one of their own lead the pack. Instead of the pace truck leading them around the track, they had their own Kyle Phillips do it. Once that parade lap was over, they got into formation, and off they went. Dylan Westbrook was on the pole, and he would hold that position throughout all of the cautions that occurred. After each caution though, the cars behind the leader had to go behind the lapped traffic cars that they hadn’t passed yet. So on the restarts they weren’t directly behind the leader. Liam Martin and Mitch Brown had just passed those lapped cars when second place driver Matt Farnham hit the wall, and had his night be over. A few laps would pass after this, and then race leader Westbrook just abruptly stopped, and had to be pushed into the pits because his car wouldn’t start. This would allow Liam Martin to take home the win, and get his time in Victory Lane.
Once the SOS’s Victory Lane was over, the final class of the night, Novice Sportsman, came out. The winner of this race would start on the front row as well, but a lap didn’t even get in before something insane happened. The green flag was waved, and the fifteen lap race started. Jim Forster had gotten a good grip and was coming out of turn two already, when rookie driver Doug Castile went sailing over the wall and landed inside the outside fence. For about a solid ten minutes, the track was on a solid stop. Luckily, Doug was okay, and the race resumed. There were a few more little accidents and spin-outs, but Jim Forster would end up taking home the win, with his two teammates Mike Kramarz and DJ Rosinski right behind him. What a great night for DK Motorsports!
It was at this point in time that dad and I headed out of the stands, and over to the pits. Since it was cold out and my teeth were chattering, we didn’t stay in the pits long. We stayed long enough to see the damage done to Castile’s car (which was really bad), and we saw the injured Sprint that barrell-rolled in turns one and two. After we saw the wrecks, we decided to head back out the parking lot, and go home.
In conclusion, tonight was an amazing night of racing. I couldn’t have asked for a better last Friday night to cover. If you haven’t been to Ransomville Speedway yet, come on out. I guarantee that you will be so happy you did, and you just might get to see a car fly like I did.
Until Tuesday!