Up and down season for veteran driver
Posted By JOSEPH CASSIDY, SPECIAL TO THE STANDARD

Dave Dykstra has reached some real lows and real highs in the world of super-sprint car racing this year.

After smashing his car last week, Dykstra came back to claim his first-ever feature win at Oshweken Speedway on Friday.

"The win was great for the whole team," said the 33-year-old Dykstra. "I pretty much wrecked my whole car last week, so to come back and win was huge."

On Saturday, the Dykstra Race Team visited Merrittville Speedway for the last time this season. After starting ninth in the feature, Dykstra moved up to fifth place halfway through, but he ended up in 12th in a race won by Chuck Hebing.

"I broke a (brake) rotor halfway through the race," Dykstra said. "The car was running well until then."

Dykstra has been racing for 15 years. He started in the street stock division, moved to the sportsman division, then moved to the super-sprint division where he has been racing in the Empire Super Sprints Championship Tour for the last two years.

"The super sprints are really difficult, and you have to run hard," said the Port Colborne resident, who - when not at the track - can be found at home with his wife Jammie and two kids: six-year-old Jacob, and 10-year-old Bryon.

"The biggest difference is horsepower in this division. My car is 660-horsepower and weighs about 1,525 pounds."

Dykstra has a strong crew behind him which includes his father Gary, sister Sylvie, brother-in-law Darrin Roy and friends Mike and Tom Neale, Bob Deswaige and Don Habiuk.

"It was awesome to get the win (on Friday), and let's hope we can get more wins," Gary Dykstra said. "Dave works good under pressure."

Dave's brother-in-law, Darrin Roy, is the owner of D&S Automotive, and the company has been sponsoring the Dykstra Race Team for 10 years.

"I enjoy helping and I enjoy racing," Roy said. "It helps to get my company name out there."

Over the last year, the team has started a partnership with the Methanex Corporation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Through the team's fundraising efforts they brought 13-year-old Hamilton resident Alex to Merrittville on Aug. 1.

"Anything to help someone," Dave said. "I have two kids of my own, and I would hope someone would help me if anything ever happened.

"I thank Tom (Neale), because he did a lot of the legwork."

Saturday's race-card schedule featured three divisions which wrapped up the 2009 season, and a feature in the super sprints which visited Merrittville.

St. Catharines resident B. J. Willard won the 50-lap sportsman feature over Chris Raabe.

Rob Murray won his sixth feature in 2009 by taking the checkers over Ken sergeant in the 20-lap sportsman feature.

Mike Hay from Summerset, Pa., won the 20-lap open wheel lite feature, and Chuck Hebing captured the 25-lap super sprint feature.