Win at Crazy Canuck Has Speedyman Singing Ohh Canada

Dave Ohh Wins First Crazy Canuck Snowball Derby Feature and Pairs with Brad Keysor on Snowball Derby Winning Team, Can-Am Challenge Narrowly Won by Team USA

Ohh, and last year’s winner, Keysor paired up to claim the Snowball Derby Team Championship with an all-time record total of 178 points. Meanwhile a couple of SUPRS rookies went at it tooth and nail all night long to determine the winner of the Can-Am Challenge. Team USA was declared the Can-Am Challenge Champions when representative Steven Vincent narrowly pulled off the win by finishing two places in front of Team Canada’s John Held in the feature. Vincent had 49 points for Team USA versus Held’s 44 Canadian points.

Winner Happy to Be Up Front and Stay There

Able to keep the lead through a myriad of restarts, Ohh won his ninth race of the season and was happy that he was able to start up front after winning the Canadian Pursuit. “It was good to get a win,” began the CT driver. “It was good to start up front, that was a huge factor in that, (winning).” “There were a lot of cautions and that leaves a lot of opportunities for mistakes, but I was able to get good restarts and keep Brad behind me.”

Defending winner Brad Keysor, definitely tried to keep Ohh honest, pressuring him on every restart in the first 18 laps, but it was a lapped car that became his undoing, and as Keysor fought for traction to keep from being another caution, it was all Ohh needed to create the gap that helped him stretch his lead the last 32 circuits.

“I’m not sure what lapped car it was, but I got by it a little better than he did and that was what I needed. I was able to keep the gap.” The 2020 SUPRS Gold Crest Non-Wing Supermodified champion added, “It was a crazy one, there was a lot of caution laps and a lot cold tires and cold brakes.”

Vincent Pleased to Represent Team USA

Going into the night, everyone knew that as the lone Canadian competing in SUPRS competition this year, John Held of Hagersville, ON, would represent his home country in the Can-Am Challenge. As to who would be the representative for Team USA was anyone’s guess as there were four possible drivers that could have been chosen from a blind draw. Steven Vincent, Held’s fellow Icings on Top Rookie of the Year Contender, found out that he would go head to head for the Can-Am Challenge as Team USA’s representative.

“I wasn’t one of the fastest guys out there,” said Vincent of Cicero, NY. ” I felt like I had a lot of pressure on me to win since it was me versus John.” After Time Trials and the Heat Races were complete, Held and Team Canada had the advantage going into the feature nine points to four, making the pressure even greater on the driver of the Creative Assistant #28.

Vincent lined up for the 50 lap feature in tenth starting place, immediately behind Held who was one row further forward directly in front of the American in eight place. Things really began to look bleak when Vincent was caught up in an early race caution and sent to the back. “We had a good battle there the first part of the race, but I got caught up in a questionable accident at the start, then had to go to the rear and had to overcome some cars that were just a little slower than me but ran a good line,” said Vincent.

Vincent continued to claw his way back up through the pack, dodging cars and parts as the race ground to a halt more often than not for spun or crashed rFactor supermodifieds. “I had to take my time getting through there,” he said. “I was able to pick up a few spots when other guys had to go to the back.”

Vincent struggled, but was able to get by Held and gap him by one other car, giving him enough points to take the Can-Am Challenge by just five markers. “This definitely feels good,” Vincent said of representing Team USA for the Can-Am Challenge win. “It feels like I got a huge weight off of my shoulders.” Vincent not only had to hope to stay ahead of Held, but also found himself sweating when he realized he may not make the finish because of a lack of fuel. “I had less than a gallon and a half left,” he said. “I wouldn’t have had many laps left if we had anymore cautions.”

Preliminary Events

Earlier in the night, Brad Keysor shattered his own one year old track record of 16.804, turning in a lap of 16.296, far and above second quick qualifier Ryan Cloonan who was also under Keysor’s old record with a 16.608. Third quick qualifier Erich Becker joined Cloonan and Keysor under the old mark, and ran a 16.678.

Conspicuously absent from the top of the speed charts was Dave Ohh who already has four New Track Records to his name this season. Ohh turned in the slowest lap of the 16 qualifying attempts at 18.345, then pulled in on his second lap. This action led many of his fellow competitors to contend that he had intentionally “sandbagged” to take advantage of the format , hoping to be paired with the fastest qualifier in order to pad his chances at winning the 10 bonus points for being on the winning Snowball Derby Championship team. SUPRS officials could find no particular rule book infraction, and determined that Ohh’s time, and eligibility for the Snowball Derby Championship, would stand.

Heat wins went to Bob Gangwer, Rob Warren and Ohh. Ohh also won the wild Canadian Pursuit where all but the top two finishers made it to the checkered flag after six laps.

Although attrition decimated the field, with over half of the starters crashed out or having pulled off the track before the half-way point of the race, SUPRS officials were still pleased with the car count of 16,, the largest since 2010 when 21 drivers attempted to make the race.

Headed to Ohio

SUPRS heads to Ohio and “The North Coast Home of the Supermodifieds” – Sandusky Speedway for the two-day 13^th Annual Terry Gibson Memorial next week. The Terry Gibson Fast 50 will be held on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, and practice gets underway at 8:00 pm with racing set for 8:45 pm. The winner of this race becomes a guaranteed starter for the the big 100 lap feature on Wednesday.

That show on January 13, 2021 is the 13^th Annual Terry Gibson Memorial 100 a race to honor the memory of Terry Gibson, a supermodified racer that lost his life at Toledo Speedway while racing his real supermodifed. This NASCAR Heat race at Sandusky gets underway with practice at 8:00 pm, followed by the driver’s meeting at 8:15 pm. After that drivers take to the track for time trials at 8:30 pm with racing slated to begin with heats at 8:40 pm. The green flag drops on the main event at 9:15 pm after driver introductions and pre-race festivities.

Both races are part of the SUPRS/HeatFinder.net NASCAR Heat Supermodified Challenge Series and are open to all drivers that have registered at SUPRS.net and downloaded the proper car and track files within 24 hours of race time.

The winner of the race becomes a guaranteed starter for the season ending 17^th Annual Summit Classic 125 at Madera Speedway in April.

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Final Snowball Derby Team Championship Points

Final Can-Am Challenge Points