Thursday, April 26, 2018

Happy Birthday "The Ohsweken Flyer" Glenn Styres - April 26th, 1964

April 26th, 1964
Glenn Styres
Home:Ohsweken, Ontario Canada.
Glenn Styres is a driver, track owner and racing promoter. He owns the Ohsweken Speedway, one of the premier sprint car racing tracks in North America. He also heads up Styres Racing, which not only includes himself but other drivers as well.

Styres started racing himself in 2000. He’s managed to amass 27 career victories in various series. He primarily races 360 and 410 Sprint Cars, vehicles that weigh 1,400 pounds and that have engines with 700 and 900 horsepower, respectively.

Styres’ most noteworthy victory came on February 25, 2012. He shocked the field by winning the 40-lap Ronald Laney Memorial race, which was held during the King of the 360s Nationals. The race was staged at the East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Fla. Styres began that race, which featured 20 entrants, from the Number 18 spot. And early on it didn’t appear he would have much success at this event as he spun his car. But he managed to recover from that setback and work his way up towards the leaders. Styres secured his win by flying past the race leader on the final corner of the last lap.

Nicknamed "The Ohsweken Flyer" Styres built the 3/8 mile oval track in 1994, after selling his shares from Grand River Enterprises, a successful cigarette manufacturing company. The Ohsweken Speedway, which has a seating capacity of about 8,000, was built on 80 acres of Styres family-owned land on the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation Reserve southeast of Brantford, Ontario. The track has been continuously expanded in each year of its existence. And the track is mere steps from Styres’ front yard.

The prestigious World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series made its first trip to Ohsweken Speedway for the first running of the Six Nations Showdown on July 25, 2007 and has been a yearly stop on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series schedule. In 2011, NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart won his first career World of Outlaws race at Ohsweken and repeated the victory in 2012.

Styres has also captured numerous awards for his promotional and business efforts in the sport. During the past seven years he has been selected as the Promoter of the Year six times, in the 360 Sprint Cars category, by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Knoxville, Iowa.

Styres is not the only member of his family heavily involved in sports. His older brother Curt currently owns a pair of professional franchises, the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League and the Hamilton Nationals, members of the Major League Lacrosse. Curt Styres is also the former owner of the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans.

Racing Highlights: 
• 2012 King of the 360’s winner at East Bay Raceway Park
• Tony Stewart’s first World of Outlaws win at Ohsweken
• 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 & 2014 SOS Champion
• 2014 & 2015 Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car Champion
• 50 Sprint Car Wins
• Multi-time National 360 Sprint Car Promoter of the Year
• Competed With World of Outlaws
• Competed with USAR Pro Cup
• Competed with Goody’s Dash Series at Atlanta

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