The American Invasion of Buxton Speedway
Darren Dryden in turn three at Buxton Speedway on June 15, 2024.
–Tom Slager Special from Candid Badger Creations
Tom Slager Special from Candid Badger Creations
On July 13 Buxton Speedway, located in South Buxton, ON, will host the Ontario-based Southern Ontario Sprints (SOS) and the Great Lakes Super Sprints (GLSS) from across the border.
Before COVID-19, race teams crossing the US/Canadian border was common. The World of Outlaws made yearly trips to Ohsweken Speedway. Smaller regional sanctioning bodies and individual teams would compete at Buxton Speedway on occasion, too.
But Covid, a weak Canadian dollar, and the general hassle of crossing the border with a race car meant a decline in US drivers and teams participating in Ontario. “Since Covid, US Racing Teams that used to frequently come to Canada to race got out of the habit of doing so,” said Peter Turford, President of the SOS.
“Border crossings are rarely ever easy especially when you are bringing expensive racing equipment into another country. And because the GLSS has such a solid series in their own backyard (Ohio and Michigan) teams felt no need to travel.”
This year the SOS and GLSS have put together a three race schedule over consecutive nights. The first two are at Ohsweken Speedway on Thursday and Friday, with the final race contested at Buxton Speedway on Saturday. Three nights of racing in a row make it more appealing to cross the border than for just one stand-alone event.
It’s also helpful that the rule book for the race cars are very similar. Both series run winged sprint cars powered by a 360 c.i., methanol-powered engine which puts out 750 HP. Turford says, “Basically you have a car with the same power-to-weight ratio as an Indy car, 1200 lbs and 750 HP.” It makes for a race car that is loud, aggressive, and frighteningly fast. They can rip a lap around the ⅜ mile oval at Buxton Speedway in under 15 seconds.
The track itself is a big part of the challenge. Buxton Speedway was recently reconfigured to a traditional oval. The track was widened and the turns were profiled with significant banking. With a surface made of Ontario clay, the track itself changes from week to week, and even lap to lap. Turford said, “Some teams absolutely love it, like Dylan Westbrook and Darren Dryden. Others find it to be a fast, tricky, scary joint! I think all agree the current configuration is a vast improvement.”
Having two travelling sprint car series facing off brings a nice twist to sprint car racing in the Chatham-Kent area. Turford is looking forward to the event and is confident the crowd will experience something special. “My honest hope is just close, hard competitive racing and I see no reason why this won’t be the case. I want a bunch of teams from one province and two or more states to cinch up their belts, look each other in the eye and say “Let’s race and see who’s best!”
You can find out more by checking out the Southern Ontario Sprints and Great Lakes Super Sprints online. Race day information such as gate times and admission are available on the Buxton Speedway website.