By: Clayton Johns/Insta-Insulations Motorsports
July 28 2016
Oakland, Ontario – Karl Sault was the class of the field during Monday night’s Burger Barn Northern Crate Nationals at Ohsweken Speedway. Sault led the charge for the Middleport Mechanical-sponsored Insta-Insulation team as he earned his first Thunder Stock win of the season during a busy doubleheader weekend.
The Thunder Stock field battled in twin 15-lap features lined up by time trials. Sault was fourth fastest overall, placing him second in the lineup for the second race.
“(Ryan Dinning) pulled away from me on the start, and I reeled him back in before passing him on the outside. The car just stuck up top and we got around him,” Sault said of what became the winning pass.
The chance to start up front was different from Sault’s usual starting spot due to Ohsweken’s lineup procedure that puts the fastest cars at the rear of the field.
“It was nice and a lot easier. When you start at the back, some of the faster guys can get through traffic and you have to try and reel them back in too. When you start up front, you don’t have to deal with any of that,” Sault said with a laugh.
After four second-place finishes earlier this year, Sault was finally able to shake the monkey and drive his Great Lakes Brewer/Waterous Holden No.81 to victory lane. The win came on a special show-up only points night.
“It feels good to finally get a win. Now I want to do it on a full points night. We won’t say no to it. A trophy’s a trophy,” Sault joked.
Sault also finished sixth in the regular Friday night feature.
Brad Herron and Alex Schuts also competed at Ohsweken over the special double shot weekend in their Crate Sprint Cars. Herron recorded a ninth-place finish on Friday night after starting at the rear of the field following problems in his heat. He returned Monday with a heat race win and a sixth-place finish in the 20-lap A-Main
Herron comes away from the weekend satisfied with the way his car ran in the feature, but knows there are adjustments he and his team can make to improve the Miska Trailer Factory/Climatizer Cellulose No.12.
“We haven’t been bad, but I’m not sure what we’re lacking. To be fair, the last two weeks we just beat ourselves when we over tightened the car and it just wouldn’t turn through the centre,” Herron explained.
“There is something more for us to learn. It’s too easy to get complacent and it’s too hard to make a change. You can’t be afraid to take those leaps of faith. You might just be surprised with what you find.”
Herron remains in the top-five in points amongst a very tight battle at the top of the standings. With six points races remaining in the standings, Herron is excited for the stretch run following this Friday’s off night.
“I can’t say we have to keep on doing what we’re doing. We have to do it better. It’s nice to have a break now and try something different,” Herron said enthusiastically. “The points battle is still very much up for grabs and it’s anybody’s game.”
Schuts had a much more challenging weekend. He was involved in an incident that resulted in hard contact with the inside wall in turn four on Friday night. The front end damage to the car was not repairable in time for Monday night’s race, but Schuts will be able to return for the August 5 event.
After the busy stretch of two races in four nights, Ohsweken is closed on Friday, July 29 and will return to action on Friday, August 5. Event information is available at www.ohswekenspeedway.ca.
SEASON STATS
Brad Herron: 10 Starts – 0 Wins, 6 Top-5s, 9 Top-10s
Alex Schuts: 9 Starts – 0 Wins, 0 Top-5s, 2 Top-10s
Karl Sault: 10 Starts – 1 Wins, 7 Top-5s, 8 Top-10s
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Website: www.instainsulationmotorsports.ca
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The Insta-Insulations Motorsports team is proud to partner with a dedicated group of sponsors, including Elastochem Insulation Extreme Spray Foam, Miska Trailer Factory, Middleport Mechanical, Climatizer Cellulose, Great Lakes Brewery, Insta-Insulation, Insta-Panels, Lake Erie Warehousing (Simcoe), Insight Graphics, Millards Chartered Professional Accountants, Expressway Volvo, Waterous Holden Amey Hitcheon LLP, Fence and Deck Perfection, Action Transmission, Baeumier Approved, Hotline Apparel, Lintec Label and Print Solutions, Brant Auto Painting, Rondex, Brantford Nissan and NAPA (Brantford, Tilsonburg, Delhi, Norwich).