Sheridan Wins ESS Opener at Ohsweken
By Curtis Berleue (Ohsweken, ONT) | For the first time since 2015, the Empire Super Sprints made the trip north of the border to the Ohsweken Speedway. Taking on the local regulars, the best 360 sprint drivers in the northeast invaded the Ohsweken oval. In the end, however, it was local Nick Sheridan defending home turf and taking home the win.
Pinnacle Pole Draw winner Nick Sheridan would bring the field to the initial green flag along side of Shawn Donath, with Donath taking the early lead into turns one and two. Close behind the lead duo of Donath and Sheridan, Dylan Swiernik and Jordan Poirier battled for 3rd.
Before the leaders reached lap traffic, the first caution of the event flew on lap 5 for Glenn Styres and Mike Bowan. When action resumed, the top five of Donath, Sheridan, Swiernik, Poirier and Westbrook remained the same.
As the scoreboard hit lap 10, Jordan Poirier worked his way into second, passing both Swiernik and Sheridan, though only momentarily as Sheridan fought back past the Quebec native to regain second.
With 9 laps remaining, Sheridan caught Donath and with a run off of turn two, was able to slide past Donath for the lead a they exited turn four. Poirier followed Sheridan past Donath for second, and not long after Swiernik was able to get by the #53 machine as well.
Up front, Sheridan had set sail and would lead the remainder of the event en-route to his first Empire Super Sprints victory.
“This is something I will never forget,” said Sheridan in victory lane. “My first 360 win here, and my first win against these ESS boys, they’re the real deal – these guys are really good.”
“We had a good car, here. We got a little free early, I threw the wing back and changed some shocks around in the cockpit and we got a little better.”
Jordan Poirier held on for second to start his title defense in 2025.
“The track was pretty much in Nationals conditions, so we had a game plan,” said Poirier. “Our GSR chassis was really good on this slick track. I showed Nick my lane in turn one and he kept it to pass Donath. After that he was really good and I couldn’t catch him.”
Rounding out the podium was Dylan Swiernik.
“It’s my first week back, and we worked hard all off season and all of last summer,” said Swiernik. “To come up here – I haven’t ran all year – and sit third that’s good.”
35 cars signed into the pits to open the Empire Super Sprints season, which would mean the field was divided into four timed hot lap groups. Earning Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards were Dylan Westbrook, Davie Franek, Cory Turner and Josh Hansen. Elab Smokers Boutique heat wins went to Dylan Westbrook, Davie Franek, Dylan Swiernik, and Josh Hansen. The Lacaillade Masonry B-Main was won by Matt Billings.
The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is Saturday May 31st at the Brighton Speedway in Brighton, ONT. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), X (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).
The Empire Super Sprints would like to thank the following series sponsors for their continued support: Rifenburg Contracting Corp, Hoosier Racing Tire, Cobra Coaches, E&V Energy, A-Verdi Storage Containers, Elab Smokers Boutique, Pinnacle Investments, LLC, Lacaillade Masonry, Inc., Wilwood Disc Brakes, FX Caprara, Lanes Yamaha, Ashley Lynn Winery, Slade Precision Shocks, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Bicknell Racing Products, and DirtTrackDigest.com.
The ESS Road Ahead:
Saturday, May 31 – Brighton Speedway – Brighton, ONT ($2,000 to Win)
Saturday, June 7 – Freedom Motorsports Park – Delevan, NY ($4,000 to Win Julia Horton Memorial)
Saturday, June 14 – Evans Mills Raceway Park – Evans Mills, NY ($3,000 to Win Kevin Ward Jr. Asphalt Spectacular)
Full Results:
A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 45-Nick Sheridan[1]; 2. 28-Jordan Poirier[6]; 3. 7C-Dylan Swiernik[4]; 4. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[5]; 5. 12DD-Darren Dryden[9]; 6. 53-Shawn Donath[2]; 7. 7-Eric Gledhill[8]; 8. 79-Jordan Thomas[20]; 9. 68-Aaron Turkey[7]; 10. 88H-Josh Hansen[12]; 11. 77T-Tyeller Powless[14]; 12. #15-Ryan Turner[19]; 13. 3-Paulie Colagiovanni[24]; 14. 28F-Davie Franek[11]; 15. 98-Joe Trenca[25]; 16. 87-Jason Barney[18]; 17. 0-Glenn Styres[15]; 18. 36-Logan Crisafulli[16]; 19. 70MM-Matt Billings[21]; 20. 19D-Allan Downey[23]; 21. 87XS-Skyler Evans[3]; 22. 8-Dillon Paddock[13]; 23. 70-Baily Heard[22]; 24. 13-Evan Reynolds[26]; 25. 17X-Cory Turner[10]; 26. 71-Mike Bowman[17]
Lacaillade Masonry B-Main: 1. 70MM-Matt Billings[2]; 2. 70-Baily Heard[7]; 3. 19D-Allan Downey[4]; 4. 3-Paulie Colagiovanni[8]; 5. 98-Joe Trenca[5]; 6. 21-Alex Therrien[1]; 7. 10-Cole MacDonald[10]; 8. 77E-Ashton VanEvery[11]; 9. 13-Evan Reynolds[9]; 10. 81-Tyler Reynolds[12]; 11. (DNF) 9L-Liam Martin[3]; 12. (DNF) 84-Mike Lichty[6]; 13. (DNF) 21K-Kyle Phillips[14]; 14. (DNF) 81J-Derek Jonathan[15]; 15. (DNS) #5-DJ Christie
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat 1: 1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[1]; 2. 53-Shawn Donath[6]; 3. 87XS-Skyler Evans[2]; 4. 8-Dillon Paddock[5]; 5. 71-Mike Bowman[4]; 6. 21-Alex Therrien[3]; 7. 98-Joe Trenca[7]; 8. 13-Evan Reynolds[9]; 9. (DNS) #5-DJ Christie
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat 2: 1. 28F-Davie Franek[1]; 2. 7-Eric Gledhill[4]; 3. 68-Aaron Turkey[2]; 4. 77T-Tyeller Powless[5]; 5. 87-Jason Barney[9]; 6. 70MM-Matt Billings[7]; 7. 84-Mike Lichty[6]; 8. 10-Cole MacDonald[8]; 9. (DNF) 21K-Kyle Phillips[3]
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat 3: 1. 7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 2. 45-Nick Sheridan[4]; 3. 17X-Cory Turner[1]; 4. 0-Glenn Styres[9]; 5. #15-Ryan Turner[2]; 6. 9L-Liam Martin[5]; 7. 70-Baily Heard[6]; 8. 77E-Ashton VanEvery[8]; 9. 81J-Derek Jonathan[7]
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat 4: 1. 88H-Josh Hansen[1]; 2. 12DD-Darren Dryden[2]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 4. 36-Logan Crisafulli[6]; 5. 79-Jordan Thomas[3]; 6. 19D-Allan Downey[5]; 7. 3-Paulie Colagiovanni[7]; 8. 81-Tyler Reynolds[8]
Awards & Contingencies:
Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #47x-Dylan Westbrook; #28F-Davie Franek; #17X-Cory Turner; #88H-Josh Hansen
Elab Smokers Boutique Heat Winners ($25 each): #47x-Dylan Westbrook; #28F-Davie Franek; #7C-Dylan Swiernik; #88H-Josh Hansen
Lacaillade Masonry B Main Winner ($50): #70MM-Matt Billings
Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #45-Nick Sheridan
Keizer Wheels 5th Place Finisher ($50 Certificate): #53-Shawn Donath
King Motorsports 10th Place Finisher ($25 Certificate): #77t-Tyeller Powless
Pinnacle Investments 11th Place Finisher (5 Gal Fuel): #3-Paulie Colagiovanni
Wilwood Disc Brakes 13th Place Finisher ($50 Certificate): #3-Paulie Colagiovanni
All-Star Performance 15th Place Finisher ($50 Certificate): #98-Joe Trenca
A-Verdi Storage Containers Hard Charger Award ($50): #79-Jordan Thomas (+12)
Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($30): #13-Evan Reynolds
Hoosier Tire Award (RR Hoosier tire): #13-Evan Reynolds
Slade Shock Tech ($50 Certificate): #8-Dillon Paddock
Ashley Lynn Winery Podium (Bottle of Winer): #45-Nick Sheridan; #28F-Jordan Poirier; #7C-Dylan Swiernik
A Feature 1: 1. 45-Nick Sheridan[1]; 2. 28-Jordan Poirier[6]; 3. 7C-Dylan Swiernik[4]; 4. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[5]; 5. 12DD-Darren Dryden[9]; 6. 53-Shawn Donath[2]; 7. 7-Eric Gledhill[8]; 8. 79-Jordan Thomas[20]; 9. 68-Aaron Turkey[7]; 10. 88H-Josh Hansen[12]; 11. 77T-Tyeller Powless[14]; 12. #15-Ryan Turner[19]; 13. 3-Paulie Colagiovanni[24]; 14. 28F-Davie Franek[11]; 15. 98-Joe Trenca[25]; 16. 87-Jason Barney[18]; 17. 0-Glenn Styres[15]; 18. 36-Logan Crisafulli[16]; 19. 70MM-Matt Billings[21]; 20. 19D-Allan Downey[23]; 21. 87XS-Skyler Evans[3]; 22. 8-Dillon Paddock[13]; 23. 70-Baily Heard[22]; 24. 13-Evan Reynolds[26]; 25. 17X-Cory Turner[10]; 26. 71-Mike Bowman[17]
B Feature 1: 1. 70MM-Matt Billings[2]; 2. 70-Baily Heard[7]; 3. 19D-Allan Downey[4]; 4. 3-Paulie Colagiovanni[8]; 5. 98-Joe Trenca[5]; 6. 21-Alex Therrien[1]; 7. 10-Cole MacDonald[10]; 8. 77E-Ashton VanEvery[11]; 9. 13-Evan Reynolds[9]; 10. 81-Tyler Reynolds[12]; 11. (DNF) 9L-Liam Martin[3]; 12. (DNF) 84-Mike Lichty[6]; 13. (DNF) 21K-Kyle Phillips[14]; 14. (DNF) 81J-Derek Jonathan[15]; 15. (DNS) #5-DJ Christie
Heat 1: 1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook[1]; 2. 53-Shawn Donath[6]; 3. 87XS-Skyler Evans[2]; 4. 8-Dillon Paddock[5]; 5. 71-Mike Bowman[4]; 6. 21-Alex Therrien[3]; 7. 98-Joe Trenca[7]; 8. 13-Evan Reynolds[9]; 9. (DNS) #5-DJ Christie
Heat 2: 1. 28F-Davie Franek[1]; 2. 7-Eric Gledhill[4]; 3. 68-Aaron Turkey[2]; 4. 77T-Tyeller Powless[5]; 5. 87-Jason Barney[9]; 6. 70MM-Matt Billings[7]; 7. 84-Mike Lichty[6]; 8. 10-Cole MacDonald[8]; 9. (DNF) 21K-Kyle Phillips[3]
Heat 3: 1. 7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 2. 45-Nick Sheridan[4]; 3. 17X-Cory Turner[1]; 4. 0-Glenn Styres[9]; 5. #15-Ryan Turner[2]; 6. 9L-Liam Martin[5]; 7. 70-Baily Heard[6]; 8. 77E-Ashton VanEvery[8]; 9. 81J-Derek Jonathan[7]
Heat 4: 1. 88H-Josh Hansen[1]; 2. 12DD-Darren Dryden[2]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 4. 36-Logan Crisafulli[6]; 5. 79-Jordan Thomas[3]; 6. 19D-Allan Downey[5]; 7. 3-Paulie Colagiovanni[7]; 8. 81-Tyler Reynolds[8]
Qualifying 1: 1. 47X-Dylan Westbrook, 00:13.569[7]; 2. 87XS-Skyler Evans, 00:13.774[3]; 3. 21-Alex Therrien, 00:14.016[1]; 4. 71-Mike Bowman, 00:14.023[5]; 5. 8-Dillon Paddock, 00:14.056[6]; 6. 53-Shawn Donath, 00:14.135[8]; 7. 98-Joe Trenca, 00:14.285[9]; 8. #5-DJ Christie, 00:14.347[4]; 9. 13-Evan Reynolds, 00:14.798[2]
Qualifying 2: 1. 28F-Davie Franek, 00:14.019[4]; 2. 68-Aaron Turkey, 00:14.183[8]; 3. 21K-Kyle Phillips, 00:14.202[7]; 4. 7-Eric Gledhill, 00:14.224[2]; 5. 77T-Tyeller Powless, 00:14.272[6]; 6. 84-Mike Lichty, 00:14.396[1]; 7. 70MM-Matt Billings, 00:14.547[5]; 8. 10-Cole MacDonald, 00:14.776[3]; 9. (DNS) 87-Jason Barney
Qualifying 3: 1. 17X-Cory Turner, 00:13.941[6]; 2. #15-Ryan Turner, 00:14.005[4]; 3. 7C-Dylan Swiernik, 00:14.089[5]; 4. 45-Nick Sheridan, 00:14.185[1]; 5. 9L-Liam Martin, 00:14.213[9]; 6. 70-Baily Heard, 00:14.478[3]; 7. 81J-Derek Jonathan, 00:14.591[7]; 8. 77E-Ashton VanEvery, 00:14.719[2]; 9. (DNS) 0-Glenn Styres
Qualifying 4: 1. 88H-Josh Hansen, 00:14.124[5]; 2. 12DD-Darren Dryden, 00:14.220[4]; 3. 79-Jordan Thomas, 00:14.238[6]; 4. 28-Jordan Poirier, 00:14.301[3]; 5. 19D-Allan Downey, 00:14.578[7]; 6. 36-Logan Crisafulli, 00:14.611[8]; 7. 3-Paulie Colagiovanni, 00:14.771[2]; 8. 81-Tyler Reynolds, 00:15.881[1]
