OHSWEKEN, ONT. – Jeff Cook has been on a roll the last few weeks. The Antwerp, N.Y., driver has finished in the top five in three out of the last four races with a feature win eluding him. Not anymore.
Cook passed Wayne Johnson on his way to the $2,000 to win in the Arrow Express 25-lap A-Main event at the Ohsweken Speedway in a makeup Lucas Oil Empire Super Sprint event which was part of the Lasalle Motorsports/Northwood 2 Construction Canadian Sprint series.
It was Cook’s first win since 2007 and his first ever at the three-eighths mile Ontario oval with his Jim Brown powered Maxim and it propelled him the Canadian series championship.
“This feels great,” commented Cook after the win. “We’ve been getting better and better and we had a few wins taken away from us earlier this year because we were too patient. This just feels awesome. For the boys that were starting in front of me I would have been happy finishing in sixth.”
The defending Canadian Nationals winner, Wayne Johnson, of Knoxville, IA., started on the front row and took the lead heading into turn one on the first lap.
Dustin Daggett, who had won his heat and the dash earlier in the night, moved by Johnson on the low side of turns three in four to lead the second circuit.
With Daggett leading, Cook was working on a way to get by Johnson for the runner-up position.
As Cook closed in on Johnson, Johnson was busy looking for a way back around Daggett for the top spot.
The three cars were right together as they entered turn one on lap eight. Daggett and Johnson utilized a higher lane giving Cook the bottom groove. As they came off of turn two, Cook drove by both of them for the top spot.
With ten laps complete, Cook opened up an advantage as he navigated his way through traffic. Daggett and Johnson meanwhile were in the midst of a torrid battle for the second position which Johnson ultimately reclaimed on lap 14.
The first caution of the event was displayed on lap 19 when Scott Bonnell spun in turn two after his top wing came apart.
“I was happy to see that yellow come out,” said Cook. “I would rather have clear track ahead of me. I’ve been on my head too many times and I get too cautious in traffic. You don’t know what those guys are going to do and then you make mistake. I knew on clear track I could hold the throttle down and run my line.”
With field bunched behind him, Cook shot away on the restart. Only one more lap would be run before another incident stopped the field. Dave Dykstra got upside down hard in turns one and two. His car sustained heavy damage but he was uninjured in the incident.
Another restart gave the field another opportunity to challenge Cook for the lead of the event.
Cook went to the middle of turns one and two while Johnson tried to get by him on inside lane. Cook was loose off the corner but was quick enough to hold off Johnson for the moment.
With two laps remaining, Cook stayed in the middle groove as he struggled with the handling on his North Country Welding No. 10 with Johnson now gaining on the outside.
“When you got a red flag you got a lot of time to think inside the car,” laughed Cook. “I kept pulling the wing back a little at a time and that was the wrong thing to do. I was trying to get the wing back forward there at the end because the car was way too tight off the corners.”
On the final lap heading into turn four, Cook again went to the middle with Johnson going to the outside. As they came off the corner for the final time Cook was able to sneak up in front of Johnson for the victory.
Johnson finished in second after he was unable to maneuver by Cook in the closing laps. Afterwards he was upset with himself that he didn’t go the top on the restart after the red because that decision may have cost him a chance at the win.
“On the restart I should have drove around the outside,” stated Johnson. “I don’t know why I went to the bottom. It was one of those deals when sometimes you make a mistake and I made a mistake because I ran the wrong line.”
One of the best races within the race was Johnson and Daggett’s battle for second. It took Johnson some time to get by Daggett which helped him find the quickest lane on the speedway and had the yellow not come out he might have been able to get back to the lead.
“I was searching around to see where the racecar was the best,” said Johnson. “Starting on the front row you don’t always know where the racetrack is. I was looking around a little bit there and those guys got by me. I was able to get back to Daggett and I was closing on the ten (Cook) when the yellow come out. I think without the caution there I had a shot at getting the lead back.”
Ryan Grubaugh, of St. Johns, MI., drove to the front late in the event from the eighth starting position. He was gaining on the top two as the checkered flag was displayed.
“I’m very happy with the way things went tonight,” stated the Sprints on Dirt regular. “We had a fairly good car and it came on at the end. It was a good run with this tough ESS series. We were catching the top guys there at the end. Maybe five more laps we could have had something for them.”
Shane Stewart, of Pittsboro, Ind., was forced to run the B-Main. He was undeterred as he advanced 20 positions to finish in fourth earning him hard charger honors. Daggett faded in the closing laps but held on to finish in fifth.
Rounding out the top ten were two-time ESS and Canadian Nationals champ Steve Poirier, current point leader Justin Barger. All he has to do is make an appearance next week at Fonda and he will be crowned Lucas Oil ESS Champion. Former World of Outlaw star Paul McMahan was eighth followed by Jessica Zemken and Upper Black Eddy, NJ’s Trevor Lewis.
ESS/Ohsweken Notes: An ESS record of 51 cars filled the pits on the Thursday night make-up from the May 29th rain out…Making first ever ESS starts and welcome additions were Lou and Thomas Kennedy from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Travis Rutz from Vancouver, British Columbia, Gord Kynoch and Jessica Lavallee from the province of Alberta…Also first ever full point and sanctioned ESS starts for Johnson, Grubaugh, Stewart, Daggett, McMahan, Lewis, Brett Mann, Gregg Dalman, Al Blanchard, Kyle Fraser and Doug Banks…Brian McDonald, Chuck Hebing and Lee Ladouceur were full ESS tour regulars that didn’t make the A-Main…Next Saturday will be the SUNY Canton Series event at the Fonda Speedway. ESS will take on all challengers with a $1,000 bonus to anyone that is a non-ESS regular that wins the 25 lap A-Main making it $3,000 to win.
Arrow Express A-Main: Jeff Cook ($2,000), Wayne Johnson, Ryan Grubaugh, Shane Stewart, Dustin Daggett, Steve Poirier, Justin Barger, Paul McMahan, Jessica Zemken, Trevor Lewis, Lance Yonge, Alain Bergeron, Dain Naida, Jamie Collard, Tommy Wickham, Lou Kennedy, Bubba Broderick, Michael Parent, James Evans, Travis Cunningham, Dave Dykstra, Kevin Job, Jim Porter, Scott Bonnell, Brett Mann, Doug Emery
Did Not Qualify – Brian McDonald, Chuck Hebing, Daniel Lampron, Lee Ladouceur, Gord Kynoch, Glenn Styres, Keith Dempster, Thomas Kennedy, Jessica Lavallee, Ryan Hunsinger, Jared Zimbardi, Travis Rutz, Kevin Loveys, Rick Wilson, Gregg Dalman, April Wilson, Tyler Rand, John Burbridge Sr., Al Blanchard, Louie Carufel, Kyle Fraser, Tim Kelly, Chris Jones, Kyle Moffit, Doug Banks
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 1 – Bubba Broderick, Jim Porter, Lou Kennedy, Dave Dykstra, Jamie Collard
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 2 – Wayne Johnson, Jeff Cook, Jessica Zemken, Paul McMahan, James Evans
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 3 – Lance Yonge, Justin Barger, Dain Naida, Kevin Job, Brett Mann
Car Mate Custom Built Trailers Heat 4 – Dustin Daggett, Ryan Grubaugh, Tommy Wickham, Travis Cunningham, Doug Emery
Cobra Coaches Dash – Dustin Daggett, Wayne Johnson, Bubba Broderick, Lance Yonge
KSE Racing Products B-Main 1 – Alain Bergeron, Scott Bonnell
KSE Racing Products B-Main 2 – Trevor Lewis, Shane Stewart
Provisionals – Steve Poirier, Michael Parent.