Gater News - July 27th, 2010

Three. That’s it - just THREE regular Saturday night races left at Oswego Speedway. Not included are Classic Weekend, and a “penciled in” USAC Silver Crown race on Wednesday, August 4^th. But that’s it. With the track closed on two Saturdays in August (14^th and 28^th), this season is winding down quite rapidly. In light of that information, I highly recommend that you mark the next two Saturdays, as well as August 21^st on your calendar. I can’t believe the season is winding down so fast!

---- This week’s show at Oswego is a huge one. It’s the coveted “Mr Supermodified and Mr. Small Block Supermodified“ $10,000 to win event for the supermodifieds, and $1,500 for the small block supers. This event is always very well attended, and you’ll see some great action. That big check on top sometimes makes the guys do some crazy stuff….

---- Also on the schedule this week is the third annual “Ms. Hoosier Mama” women’s race for the small block supermodified division.

---- Samantha Todd has swept the first two events, driving the Barry Kingsley #23 machine. But a spin - and meeting with the wall - during a recent practice may slow her down a little. It hasn’t been easy, and the first two races were very exciting. Some side by side racing and excellent dicing between Todd and Janine Regan for the win have made these races a lot of fun to watch. This year, 12 cars are pre-entered, and ten of them participated in an open practice session a couple of weeks ago.

---- The starting lineup finds veterans Debbie Bond and Kathy Harrington on the front row, followed by Regan and Todd. Tracey Finke and Jamie Crosset comprise the third row, followed by Jayne Danzer and Margi LeVea. Robin Phillips and Casey Danzer (row 5), and Jackie Bruce and Morgan Cliff round out the field. It should be quite a war.

---- Coming up next week, August 7^th, is the 60 lap “pack the track” race. For just a $6.00 general admission, there will be a ton of fans flocking to the track. As for the upcoming USAC Silver Crown race that is on the schedule for August 4^th, I have some concerns about that race still happening. No advertising about this race on the speedway website just a week and a half before the date is what makes me skeptic. Stay tuned!

---- Andy Noto may be at the track this week with his brand new Xtreme Chassis ride. They’ve been putting in some long hours at the Xtreme shop, but Andy expects to be ready for this week’s $10,000 to win show. With everything being new on the car, I’m sure ten grand would really come in handy!

New owner for the Tim Barbeau #50 small block supermodified

SOLD! That’s the story on the Barbeau #50 FFB car, previously driven this year by Chris Proud and Vern LaFave, and to the championship in 2009 by Dave Gruel.

“I was going to sell it at the end of the year”, explained Barbeau, “but when Chris quit driving it, it was kind of getting to be too much of a headache maintaining that car, also”. Barbeau currently sits 5^th in points as the driver of the Steve Abt #58, but 4^th in owner points for the #50 car. “Jim was kind of going to buy it anyway at the end of the year, but somebody else made me an offer on it, so I gave him first shot. It’ll be a good car for him to learn with”, added Barbeau.

Vern LaFave was tabbed to drive the car after Chris Proud decided to jump out of the ride, citing financial reasons. “Vern was having a good time driving it”, said Barbeau, and the guys split on good terms. “He said he’d like to drive for us in the future.” Barbeau’s plans for 2011 are to continue to pilot one of the two small block supers that Steve Abt owns. “Steve may get a super for next year, but he’s still going to keep both small blocks. That was the deal”, added Barbeau.

The new owner is Jim Bernys, who bought the car for his son A.J. Bernys to pilot. A.J. has extensive experience in quarter midgets and go-carts, and has been jonesing for awhile to get in a small block super. “Maybe I should be shot in the head”, Bernys joked. “I wasn’t really ready to buy it financially until the end of the year, but there were a few people looking at it. I’ve got a lot to do to get ready. We still have to get a new seat, Hans device, and some other stuff.”

The plan is to get him out a couple times this season, do some warm-ups, maybe a practice session. “We’re taking very small steps. He still has to learn how to use a clutch. The easy part is done - the car is ready. I’m happy to start with a great car”, said Bernys. But you won’t see a lot of hard racing from A.J. this year. “Our goal is to make Classic this year, then run for rookie of the year in 2011.” The car will definitely not be at the track this week (July 31^st), but possibly after that. Jim’s on vacation next week, so he’ll have plenty of time to tinker and fuss with the car. “But we do both have season pit passes, so the only expense to take the car to the track (for rookie warm-ups) is fuel.”

As many people find out, buying a car is the easiest part of going racing. You still need a ton of other stuff like crew, tools, shop, hauler, knowledge, etc. Bernys is aware of this, and knows that he has a lot of work ahead of him building a team. The car is currently stored in Jim Losurdo’s garage.

“I’m happy to give my kid the opportunity to live his dream. But even though he’s the driver, I’m still the owner”, finished Bernys. “If he screws up, I can put somebody else in it.”

 

Gater News - July 20th, 2010

It’s been a fun year at Oswego Speedway in 2010. Yes, it is always fun at Oswego Speedway. But this year has been even better because of all of the new winners! Two of which happened just last week.

---- In the small block supermodified division this year we have seen Kreig Heroth, Bobby Henry, and now Barry Kingsley all get their first wins in the division. In the supermodified division, Bob Bond won his first feature ever two weeks ago, and this last week rookie Dave Gruel scored his first victory. New winners sure do put a smile on peoples faces! Drivers, crew, AND fans!

---- And what small block supermodified driver deserved a win more than Barry Kingsley? I can’t think of one. Barry has been at Oswego Speedway since he was a little kid. Barry crewed for several different supermodified teams, but the itch was always there to get behind the wheel.

---- Barry’s first crew assignment came in 1987, when he helped out Tony Pafumi in the super division. Over the years, Barry worked on cars driven by Howard Page, Keith Gilliam, Danny Kapuscinski, and NASCAR driver David Reutiman (David ran dirt modifieds in the area for a summer several years ago). A paid crew chief position for D&D Racing took Barry and wife Debi to East Andover, New Hampshire many years ago to maintain supermodifieds for drivers Doug Boisvert and Joey Payne.

---- But many guys that work on racecars are distracted. While they’re working on the car for their driver, they are secretly thinking about being the one behind the wheel. Maybe hoping one night that maybe their driver would “come up missing”, leaving no option other than to get in the driver’s suit instead. I think that was Barry.

---- So in April of 2006, Barry bought a small block super from Bobby Garafolo, and the rest is history. Running that car for awhile, then upgrading to the newer Proud Chassis (currently numbered as 24), then this year making the move to Chris Lupa’s Hedger Chassis, Barry has continued to move up the ladder. Maybe not as fast as he would have liked at times, but it all culminated with his first victory this last weekend. Things looked good in the heat, when only a punt from Steve Abt kept Barry away from his first heat win.

---- As a member of Barry’s raceday crew, I’ve seen him go through a lot of ups and downs. Actually, probably more downs than ups. So it’s really gratifying to see someone who has worked so hard finally get his just due. Most of the work is done by Barry himself in his garage, under the watchful eye of Debi, and their daughter Paige. People have no idea about the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that Barry has put into this division. I would be willing to bet that Barry doesn’t have one enemy in the whole pit area, and the mob of people slapping Barry on the sweaty back and rubbing his brush cut was huge.

---- Victory lane was emotional for all of us. Unfortunately Debi and Paige were not at the speedway for the win, but showed up later to help him celebrate, Paige sporting her “victory pajamas”. Barry kept it together, but told me later that the one person that he would like to talk to about the win was his Dad, Donald Kingsley, who passed away soon after he bought his first racecar in 2006. For those of you who don’t drive a racecar, you probably can’t appreciate the magnitude of a win for us at Oswego Speedway. But it sure gets the juices flowing for those of us who do “get it”, and brings out all of the emotions. Barry will simmer in this win as if it were a sauce, and will actually enjoy it more on Monday, Tuesday, etc., when he has some quiet time to let it sink in. I couldn’t be happier for Barry and Debi, and I know of hundreds of people who feel the same way.

---- On Sunday, Barry was overwhelmed with the amount of phone calls, e-mails, Facebook messages, and pats on the back that he had received from people. “It’s really overwhelming to see how much support and friends that we have out there”, said Barry. “It’s really gratifying to see what a close knit group we are at Oswego, and see how many people are really behind me.” Please say it aloud when you see Barry - feature winner, Barry Kingsley!

---- Sometimes many stars have to align for a first time winner, and this week was no different. One of the most important parts of winning a race is having a clean, honest driver behind you, and Barry had that Saturday night. Rookie Mike Bruce has shown huge amounts of talent this year in the Rob Pullen owned #2, and now has two third place finishes in a row. Bruce was faster than Barry, but as I’ve discussed before, if you’re running the right line, and don’t make any mistakes, it’s really hard for someone to pass you, unless you’re a lot faster.

---- Barry did make a couple of slips here and there, but Bruce was not able to capitalize, partially because he was also involved in a fight with Dave Cliff to maintain the 2^nd spot. “Dave was my ace in the whole”, said Barry, knowing that Bruce’s defense was cutting into his time on offense.

---- But I - and many others - were very impressed with the poise and talent of the recent high school graduate Mike Bruce. Cliff robbed him of his earned 2^nd place on the last lap, just nipping him at the line. It was a great finish, and an awesome run for all three drivers.

---- A few incidents on the track got a couple of guys riled up in the hot temperatures, and gave the fans something to talk about. A low move into the third turn by Bobby Henry sent Vern LaFave spinning. It was an obvious mistake, and Henry apologized to Vern after the feature ended. Vern needed some cool-down time, as he stormed to Bob’s pit stall while we were doing some quick repairs to the car during the feature. Fortunately, we sent Bobby back onto the track before Vern got to speak his mind, in the heat of the moment. Vern was fine later, but like everyone, he’ll probably make a mental note. Vern wasn’t really amused when I reminded him of a conversation he and I had just a week earlier, when he said how he was just out there to have a good time, and wasn’t going to get too mad or cranked up about it. I’m sure I’ll needle him about that a little more next time I see him, as well. Vern’s one of the nicest guys in the pits, and we’ve been friends for years, so I know I can get away with a lot of chop-busting with him.

---- I haven’t asked him, but I bet Andrew Schartner has officially chosen a least favorite driver. The week before, Andrew felt a lot of contact from the front bumper of the Steve Abt ride from behind him throughout the feature. This last week, the same guy sent him spinning when he attempted a low move going into the first turn, ending his shot at a good finish. It’s always a bummer when you get caught up in someone else’s mistake, but it’s really a bummer when it’s the same guy two weeks in a row. I bet 75 percent of the accidents at Oswego in the small block super division happen when someone is underneath a car going into the turn, but not far enough for them to see him when he turns down for the turn.

---- Also a bummer for Jason Simmons, who looked like he wanted to cry last week. Starting on the outside pole for the feature, Jason took the lead from Barry Kingsley, and led the first six laps. A broken throttle linkage on the lap six restart made it impossible for Jason to take off, taking away what could have been his own first career victory. Jason won his qualifying heat earlier in the night, and looked great for those first few laps. That could have been his night, and maybe I would have been saying all of those nice things about him instead of Barry right now.

---- Mod lite driver Doug Williams drove the Eddie Horne owned small block super, and looked pretty impressive for his first time in one of these cars. This car has been sitting in mothballs for a couple of seasons, and I was quite impressed to see it go so fast, with a driver that had never driven one of these before. He cranked off a 19.817 second lap in the feature. If it wasn’t for a mid-race spinout, he probably would have finished much better than his final spot of 12^th. “Please sell that car for me”, said owner Eddie Horne. $7,500 is the asking price.

---- The supermodified division also found a new winner in victory lane last weekend. Rookie supermodified driver Dave Gruel had been struggling all season in the Double Deuce Racing Team #50 car, chasing some injection / engine problems that they just couldn’t figure out. Big things were expected from Gruel, who had just come off a five win, championship season in the small block supermodified division. But they had not lived up to the expected potential, fighting to even crack the top ten in points.

---- But once again, everything worked out for the team, and a great charge by Otto Sitterly in the closing laps was fought off bravely. Sitterly was very quick, and maybe one more lap would have painted a different picture. But we run 45 lap features on a regular night at Oswego Speedway - not 46. It was a solid win for Gruel, a night that he will certainly not forget. And probably just as exciting for the team as winning the feature, is the fact that the problem that they had been chasing is cured, so they can be on board for a great rest of the season. Congratulations to Dave Gruel and the Double Deuce Racing Team!

---- Gruel’s teammate Pat Lavery is one of the most consistent drivers out there, and is shockingly still looking for his first feature win. Pat’s been driving in the division for years, and often finishes in the top five or better in the features and the point standings. I have a theory though on why he hasn’t cracked victory lane. It’s called the “curse of consistency”. Finishing well every week obviously hurts you in the handicapping, so if you have regular top five finishes, you will have a bad starting position in the feature and heat. I suffered from the same problem when I was a weekly racer, which kept me out of victory lane.

---- So it’s a good news / bad news thing. The good news is: you’re a good driver, you’re fast, and you don’t wreck the car. The bad news is: several guys that had some bad luck the last couple of weeks will be starting ahead of you every week, making it real tough to get to the front. Dooming you to yet another 4^th place finish. Which is great, but I’m sure Pat’s had enough 4^th place finishes. He wants that “W”, but that “curse of consistency” is working against him each and every week.

---- A couple of comeback kids by the name of Bentley Warren and Greg Furlong made their season debuts last week in the supermodified division at Oswego. Two of the greatest drivers of all times in the division are now part-timers, and happened to make their return to the track on the same night.

---- Both looked pretty good for being out for the first time of the season, turning times just a couple of tenths off of the winner. Warren finished in 7^th place in a car that was purchased from Clyde Booth, passing several cars. I look forward to seeing Bentley back next week for the $10,000 to win “Mr. Supermodified” race. Furlong had a 16^th place DNF on the night, only completing 23 of the available 45 laps. And he’s a several time “Mr. Supermodified” winner. Should be a fun week next week!

---- It was great to see teammates Shaun Gosselin (12^th) and Tim Snyder (17^th DNF) back in action, after launching engines the previous week. Jerry Curran, who also toasted an engine on King of Wings night was not back last week.

---- In closing, I would like to mention the passing of my beloved cousin, Dick Delaney. Oswego Speedway fans from decades ago would remember Dick, as he was a huge fan of the speedway. I believe Dick’s old camper / bus that he took to the track, that had the names of track champions and Classic winners painted on it, still sits in a junkyard behind my brother Bob’s house.

---- Dick was best known for his booming laugh, and his always positive attitude. Always with a smile and kind words, Dick was a great guy to be around. As he moved to Florida several years ago, we didn’t spend much time together. But a few years ago, his interest in Oswego Speedway was rekindled, and he joined the crew of our small block supermodified #93. Dick spent some time with us, and even bought some property in Williamstown so he could spend summer here, and spend a lot of Saturdays at Oswego Speedway, with us and his daughter Lynn. I have some autograph cards that feature a very proud “Cuzzin Dick”, in his crew shirt, when we won best appearing car and crew. I’m sure Rose still has that shirt somewhere.

---- Dick eventually sold the New York house, and hadn’t made it to the track in a couple of years. Fast moving cancer took Dick, 72, much sooner than he deserved, and he will be missed greatly by those that knew him. Our family will remember the good times with Dick, and I bet a lot of his Oswego Speedway friends will remember him, as well. Rest in Peace, cousin Dick Delaney.

Gater News - July 14th, 2010

It was officially BOND night at Oswego Speedway last week! No, not James Bond. (Although he was there. Bob and Mike Bond‘s Dad‘s name is actually James Bond, even though he goes by Dave. There‘s a family secret for you.) Both divisions were dominated by people named Bond, and it was a great night to see.

---- Bobby Bond has been racing in the supermodified division over ten years, and has gone winless the entire time. Fast cars, close calls, and some tough wrecks have been the story for Bobby. It’s been a shock to everyone for the last several years that he has gone winless in the division. Bob spent ten years as a weekly competitor at Oswego from 1998 - 2007, finishing as high as 3^rd in points in 2005, but was never able to seal a victory.

---- After the 2007 season, Bond chose to switch to the winged ISMA series with his car, after a disagreement with Oswego Speedway management, which had changed some supermodified rules over the winter. The new Xtreme Chassis that he had just had purchased, with at that time new independent front suspension technology would be “outlawed”, unless he wanted to cut the car up. Man of principal that he is, the decision was made to stop racing at his beloved Oswego Speedway, which is located about 7 miles from his home. He hadn’t missed a race as a driver or a fan in over 30 years at Oswego.

---- An 8^th place in ISMA points in 2008 was followed by a nasty foot injury in 2009, which sidelined him for most of the season. 2010 didn’t start off well for Bond, when he wrecked on the first lap of the first practice of the first race of the year. A couple of 9^th place finishes later, Bond came into the Oswego race 17^th in points. Not many, including “Bubsy” himself, expected what would happen next.

---- “Not very good”, is how Bobby told me his car was running after warm-ups. The perennial “Debbie Downer” never has anything good to say about himself. In the thirty plus years that I’ve known him (Bob and his brother Mike were in our wedding in 1985) I’ve probably seen Bobby get enthused maybe two or three times, and that conversation sure wasn’t one of them. “It’s not too bad” is what Bobby would tell me, even if he was getting ready to lap the field.

---- But July 10^th was certainly his night, as he would make history when he and brother Mike both won their qualifying heats AND features, the first time in 60 years that brothers had swept the action at Oswego Speedway. Just a great night for the family and crew, and I was very happy to be there to watch it unfold.

---- The iPhone picture that I have of Bob, Mike, teary-eyed dad Dave Bond, and longtime crew man Ed Matteson in victory lane is one of my new favorite pictures. (Must be Larry VonHoltz, Larry VonHoltz Jr., and Travis Cole were too overcome with emotion to make the picture.) I can only imagine what it felt like for Dave to see both of his boys win on the same night, and I’m tearing up just thinking about the look on Dave’s face. Mom Nancy wasn’t at the track that night due to some health reasons, but “changed out of my jammies” and called her sister Donna for a speed run to the speedway for the celebration. The laughing and hugging went on for hours. I couldn’t be happier for the whole family, who have dedicated decades to racing as a family. What a great night.

---- But just Bobby’s luck. In 2009, the King of Wings event paid $10,000 to win. This year, I believe the cash was distributed more through the field, leaving $5,000 for the winner. Yes, I’m sure Bob was happy with the five gees, but I bet he’s thinking a little today about what he could have done with that other five large.

---- And what more can be said about Mike Bond, the best driver in the history of the small block supermodified division? Mike now has 21 career feature wins, more than anyone. Ever. Some nights he makes it look easy, and this was one of those nights. But hour after hour in the shop, and a knack for driving are what make Mike the winner that he is. Mike spent hours and hours working on the car after a wreck the previous week. This win moves him to 2^nd in points, just four points behind Dave Cliff. I’ve never seen a prouder brother in victory lane than the picture I have of Mike standing with baby brother Bobby after his win.

---- Bobby Bond had to hold off a huge field of winged supers to take home the “W”, as 37 winged supermodifieds were in attendance. Cars from all factions of supers from Oswego, MSA, and ISMA worked together to make up this astounding field. The title “King of Wings” is certainly an appropriate name when you have this type of representation. It was a great example of all of the groups working together, and I look forward to more of this in the future.

---- Great to see a couple of Oswego regulars strap on a wing and run well. The Oswego supers don’t often do well with wings on, but a few of them looked pretty stout. Bobby Magner, who runs both ISMA and Oswego, finished 4^th. Joe Gosek ran to 5^th in the 00. And Otto Sitterly, who often dominates the un-winged races but fails to live up to his potential when he flies the kite, came across with a solid 8^th.

---- Paul White in the Steve Miller Sweet 16 looked great in the feature. They were running very well in the feature, and moved into third place just a few laps from the end, before retiring to the pits in a cloud of smoke. “We fought the engine all night. We knew we had trouble. It was way down on horsepower - we couldn’t get over 7,000 RPM’s”, Steve explained. But the car was fast in spite of the tired motor, and expired just three laps from the end. “There was oil and water coming out of places that it shouldn’t have come out.” This old Evans motor has been around so long that Eddie Bellinger ran it in the early 90’s when he was driving the Graves car. “It’s been around since Hector was a pup!”, said Miller.

---- A new Enders Motor has been in the works since before the new year, but some parts have been tough to come by. “Kevin Enders is real particular and real fussy”, said Steve, not looking to rush him. It will be a brand new engine, from the base all the way to the “Kinsler Dragon Claw injection”, Said Steve. He doesn’t know, as of last Sunday, when he will be getting the new power plant. But it looks like the team will be in pretty good shape when they get it.

---- Some other unfortunate casualties of blown engines were Tim Snyder, Shaun Gosselin, and Jerry Curran. It’s especially heartbreaking for Curran, who had just spent almost a whole year rebuilding from a huge wreck. He sure doesn’t need a huge engine bill to pay for after all of the digging and scrambling to get the car done. And Shaun Gosselin’s father Steve told me “I’m not sure what we’ll do. I just sent in a big check for Shaun’s (college) tuition.” There will be a lot of scrambling this week. Hopefully some guys will be able to salvage some parts, and get back soon.

---- When there are 37 cars attempting to make a 26 car field, some have to go home empty-handed. Snyder, Gosselin, and Curran are three of the Oswego regulars that didn’t make the show. Dave McKnight and Danny Connors were both on the outside looking in come feature time. McKnight never even got to attempt to qualify for the show after a warm-up crash. Connors spun in his time trial, and finished 9^th in a consi that took four cars. Dave Gruel (6^th) and Larry Muroski (8^th) were two drivers who just missed the cut. Ray Graham got into the feature via provisional after having problems, and finished 18^th in the feature.

---- Other Oswego regulars who did make the show were Pat Lavery (15^th), Lou LeVea (19^th), Jason Spaulding (21^st), Joey Payne (22^nd), Keith Shampine (23^rd), and Jeff Holbrook (24^th).

---- Ridiculously scary wreck for Danny Lane, who took a flyer off of Tim Snyder’s right rear tire during the heat, when Snyder’s engine blew. Lane piled into the first turn at what looked like full speed, ripping the front end off of the car, sending the front axle flying through the air. The balance of Lane’s car then barrel-rolled, coming to rest upside down, with the engine still running, the spinning rear tire dangling in the air.

---- It was a horrifying scene, but Lane eventually emerged uninjured, after some extra time to get him extricated from the car. I was really shocked to see him looking so calm when he finally did get out of the car. I expect to see some amazing pictures of this wreck, as many photographers were right on the scene. The front axle and tires, after flying high into the sky, ended up dangerously near where some photographers stand - in the infield, nowhere near the remains of the car.

---- The biggest story in the small block supermodified division was Mike Bond winning the feature, setting up the aforementioned clean sweep for the Bond brothers in both divisions. But the other shocking story was the story of who was NOT racing.

---- With one feature win already under his belt, and sitting poised in second place in the points, Chris Proud chose to step away from his ride in the Tim Barbeau owned # 50. “On Thursday, Chris called me and said he wasn’t going to be racing the car, and brought it back to me”, said Barbeau. The car was returned, and Barbeau went to work to find a driver for it.

---- Vern LaFave had already wheeled a car for Steve Abt earlier in the season, and the deal was cut for him to drive it the rest of the year. “Vern wasn’t my first choice. I called Mark Regan, but he didn’t want to do it”, said Barbeau. There are a couple of other things that Vern had planned for some Saturdays, but he thinks he’ll be able to make all or most of the remaining four race nights. “That car’s an animal!”, said Vern when I asked him how he liked the #50.

---- So how could Proud walk away from such a potent ride? “I’m just running low on funds”, said Proud, summing up his stunning decision. Proud’s arrangement with Barbeau was that he was to pay the expenses on the car, such as tires and fuel, and he was also responsible for repairs, maintenance, etc. As everyone knows, racing is not a cheap sport.

---- The car was ready, and he could have raced it, “but I told Timmy that if I wrecked it, I wouldn’t be able to afford to fix it”, said Proud. Trying to avoid a possible disaster, Proud decided that the sensible thing to do would be to avoid that possibility. “My race money was set aside, and when that was gone, that was gone”. Chris also had some unexpected bills come up for his son, who has had some medical problems. It was a decision of paying bills or racing, and paying bills had to win.

---- Proud reached out to some of his sponsors for some help, but nobody was in a position to help get him over the hump for the remaining five weeks. Money is tight for everyone right now, and with no money coming in, it was impossible for the whole racing budget to come from his paycheck. Winnings from the car during the season went to the car owner, so money raised from Proud’s fundraiser and sponsors evaporated quickly.

---- Some theorized that Proud’s decision was based on the fact that he was involved in an incident that happened on the track the previous week. That was not the case. That had nothing to do with his decision, as that stuff had all blown over by last Saturday. The two drivers spoke just a few hours after the blowup, and put it in the past.

---- Great runs last week for Dave Danzer, and rookie Mike Bruce. Danzer has been struggling all year with a car that looked haunted at times, so it was great to see the team pull together a solid finish. I know Dave and his Dad Craig work very hard on this car, so it’s great to see them get some positive results. Unfortunately, they are the only ones who do all the work, because Jayne and Casey will NOT help.

---- Mike Bruce moves into the top ten in points unofficially, surging into the lead in the rookie standings with the solid third place finish. Bruce looked very fast and smooth, and shows a lot of promise behind the wheel. But he doesn’t dare relax too much. If I’ve figured it correctly, Dennis Richmond sits only five markers behind in the rookie points. Nice run for the youngster!

---- Steve Abt was bluffing when he said he was going to protest Brian Sobus’ engine, as a retaliation from a protest the previous week. No protest happened, and no DQ’s or penalties were handed down after tech inspection last week. Head games are fun!

---- But Steve was NOT bluffing when he said he would be using the bumper if he needed to. He caught some crossfire from Mike Bond after the qualifying heat, where Mike thought he almost was spun. Then he wore out Andrew Schartner’s rear bumper for a good portion of the feature, repeatedly nailing and muscling him, throughout the race. Schartner was irritated, but not intimidated, keeping the car straight to finish 5^th. The usually calm Andrew was still quite animated an hour later when I asked him about his feature experience. Maybe even walking a little funny.

---- Say what you want about that Steve Abt (and they do!), but he sure is making some noise for himself in the small block super division, and making things exciting. I haven’t decided yet if he’s the new Russ Brown, or the new Larry Muroski. Either way, we sure know he’s there!

---- Kreig Heroth took a flyer up onto the inner hubrail in the heat race, after colliding with Guard Nearbin. It looked like Nearbin came down into Heroth after pushing high, possibly not seeing Heroth dive underneath. Fortunately the previous week’s winner didn’t receive too much damage, and was able to come back for a 12^th place finish in the feature. Which moved him to 4^th in the points.

---- With Proud bailing out, it now looks like a three man separation for the small block supermodified championship. Dave Cliff (680), Mike Bond (676), and Brian Sobus (663) have busted out from the rest of the field, and appears as though these three drivers will be the ones who will decide the title. It would be Cliff’s or Sobus’ first championship, if they can pull it off. Heroth sits in 4^th, with 593 points, and Tim Barbeau is 5^th, with 577. And yes, these digits are unofficial numbers that I figured myself Sunday night. Go ahead and sue me if I’m wrong.

---- Good news: both Bryan Haynes and his brother Brad Haynes were in competition last week in the small block supermodified division. Bad news: both guys had problems, and struggled to finishes of 15^th (Bryan) and 18^th (Brad). Good news: I think this was the first time that two brothers had competed against each other since the infamous Andrews Brothers raced together in the division in 2001. Bad news: many people chose to stay home when they heard the Haynes Boys were going to racing, afraid of the dreaded “Malachi Crunch”, that these dudes are certainly capable of!

---- Bryan was driving his own car, the #86, for the first time this season. Bryan lives out of state these days , and doesn’t get to go racing as often as he would like. But he was able to wrestle the ride away from Brad this week, because the Pitt Watson owned #43 had been completed. Watson and B-Rad had been working on the car all season, and last week was its first time on the speedway. Good luck to both drivers in the future!

---- My own car, the #93 driven by Bobby Henry Jr., should be back at the track this week. Henry heard through the grapevine, then received a letter the next day that he was suspended for an additional week after a skirmish with safety officials sent him to the principal’s office on July 3^rd. It was called a one week suspension, but it cost him two features. An appeal with myself and speedway officials Steve Gioia, Chuck Handley and Craig Tyrell was unsuccessful, as the video footage of the incident was mostly inconclusive when the isolated camera shot of the scuffle was recorded over accidentally.

---- The gentlemen were courteous in meeting with me, but the discussion did not go as I had hoped. Any chance of a different outcome evaporated with the lost video footage, so we were all going on what we had heard - not seen. Which are different stories. So the two week red-ass (classified as a one week suspension by track officials) has now been paid, and we’ll put this all behind us. This is the first driver suspension that has occurred in many many years at the speedway (they couldn’t tell me how long ago the last one was, it was so far in the past.) We will agree to disagree, and attempt to salvage a good run or two before the season runs out.

---- So did Henry sit around and whine about it? Nope. He picked up a ride in a sportsman car at Skyline raceway, and raced it to second place. Not a bad night off, at all.

---- Jason Simmons had to jump into his old car, the #91 that has been hanging around as a spare, due to an engine problem in his regular ride, the Terry Solazzo owned #25. It has NOT been a good season for Jason. Jason also informed me that the 91 has actually been sold, to soldier Dennis Rupert Jr., who will be back from overseas deployment in time to run the car Classic Weekend. They will have the car all ready for Dennis when he gets back from Afghanistan.

---- And one other sale of a small block supermodified sees Chris Tedd buying the #05 car from Steve Abt, that Bill Moore, then Vern LaFave competed in during the season. This purchase makes Teddneck Racing a three car team, that will now field cars for Dennis Richmond (#7), Keith Gilliam (#37), and an occasional different driver now in the third car.

---- Tedd tells me that he may see some time in the third car, along with Zack Crawford, who he may have on board for a full season in 2011. No amount of hinting or looking moon-eyed has been able to get me a ride in any of these extra cars. Don’t you guys know that the older I get, the faster I used to be? Come on boys - my birthday is coming up - and it just happens to be on a race night! (August 7^th.)

---- This Sunday is the fun / fundraiser event that’s coming up in a couple of weeks to benefit small block supermodified competitor, and all-around good guy Barry Kingsley. Here are the details:

---- Sunday, July 18th. KINGSLEY RACING #23 Small block super GOLF TOURNAMENT AND BBQ. Tamarack Golf Club, Oswego and Front Door Tavern, Oswego, 10am-5pm. Golf- 4 man captain and crew 9 hole golf tournament- $30 per person- this includes 9 holes and cart and the BBQ that follows at the Front Door Tavern. Teams and tickets are still very much available, and will be right up until game time. Call Barry any time to set up your team, or to purchase a hole for the event at 315-374-6195. I will see you there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gater News - July 7th, 2010

Wow! Talk about fireworks on the 4^th of July! We definitely saw our share of fireworks at Oswego Speedway last week!

---- Of course I’m going to begin by talking about all of the excitement involved with my own car, the small block supermodified #93. All of the emotions came into play this week.

---- Our driver Bobby Henry Jr. started on the pole for the first feature of the night, which was the rained out event that was supposed to take place on June 19^th. Obviously the pole starting position is a big advantage, but it takes a lot of things to fall together to win a feature in this division when you don’t have the fastest car.

---- The first thing it takes is a clean driver behind you. Tim Barbeau started on the outside pole and ran 2nd for all 30 laps, but he drove him clean. He tried everything he could to get under him in the turns, but he never quite got up next to him enough to complete the pass. There were a couple of times where it was a really close call, as Bob came down in the turns while Barbeau was under him, but not quite enough next to him for Henry to realize he was there.

---- Was he intentionally blocking? I don’t think so. But was he taking up a lot of space? Absolutely. That’s the way it’s done at Oswego. I know any car I ever passed at Oswego sure made me work hard for it. There’s one groove on that speedway that if you run it perfectly, it’s almost impossible to get passed, unless the guy is a ton faster than you, or uses his bumper. Barbeau was definitely faster, but he did not use the bumper. I thanked him for that. And Bob’s definitely lucky that it was Tim behind him instead of a lot of other guys, who would have laid the iron to him. “The wideness is just built into that car”, someone said in the pits afterwards.

---- Barbeau wasn’t particularly pleased with the outcome, but the two drivers talked at the tech shed. No lasting hard feelings will haunt the friends. The story I heard later about someone from the crew wanting to fight with Henry about it in victory lane was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard in my life.

---- Although Bob Henry is a newcomer to the division, a lot of effort is what put him in victory lane. To the people that think he just jumped in my car and started racing it, nothing could be further from the truth. He and his buddy Dave Gruel worked on that car all winter, going through it from front to rear in Dave’s garage. They checked every part on that car, and did a ton of changes and maintenance to a car that had pretty much been neglected for the last few seasons. New shocks, springs, heims, brakes, transmission, clutch, etc. Not to mention the motor that Bob’s Dad, Bob Henry Sr. of Henry Performance built.

---- This win was no fluke. It happened because of hard work, driving talent, and the necessary amount of luck and opportunity. Just like every other win.

---- So that was the cool part of the day for the 93. In the heat race for the night‘s second feature, things got ugly. And I do mean ugly.

---- Running hard, Henry and Chris Proud came together on the front stretch. I saw the video, and talked to Chris about it. “We came together when I tried to get under him, and we brushed wheels. You know what happens sometimes when these cars hit wheels”, he said. The cars came together when Chris drifted into him coming off of turn four, and around they went. The 93 went hard into the front straight wall, wrecking the body on the left rear, bending a spindle, heims, rim, etc. The full extent of the damage will be assessed this week, but it looked a lot worse than it actually was. Bobby and Proud talked calmly about the incident later in the evening.

---- “When I got out of the car, I saw dollar signs!”, said Henry, explaining his anger. Our deal is that Bobby is responsible for the car - not just the labor, but also replacing parts and repairing whatever happens. They’ve put a lot more money into that car than I have this year, and they are also competing Sundays at Utica-Rome Speedway with their dirt modified.

---- It all went downhill when Proud started gesturing at Henry after the incident, possibly in response to some jawing from Henry. That would set anyone off, and when Bobby tried to cross the track to answer the call, he was aggressively restrained. Some bruises on his arm show that he was grabbed pretty hard, but it is also possible that they were trying to prevent him from walking into traffic. In the process, he also fell getting out of the car, and was bent down trying to pick up his radio.

---- The scene got ugly after that, because one return shove from an angry driver brings an army of safety workers defending their own. It was a huge show of force, as I have a picture of exactly EIGHT safety officials escorting him to the gate. The situation escalated to where Henry was paraded across in front of the grandstand and booted out the front gate.

---- So was Bobby wrong to be angry? No. He’s an old school racer, and from the time I’ve spent around him and his Dad, they’re not the type of guys to take any crap. But you can’t return shove track safety workers, even if you feel that they shoved you first. Maybe he’d take that back. I didn’t see the whole exchange myself, but I wonder if maybe the scene could have been diffused with a little hug around the neck and calm talk. Yelling in someone’s face to calm down is not how you get someone to calm down. Adrenaline makes everything tricky in these instances, and a lot could be gained by just a couple of deep breaths, or maybe a count to ten. That didn’t happen. I wish it had, for the sake of everyone involved. And I don’t want any of these words to be taken negatively by the speedway officials. I still think Oswego has the best safety / security crew of any track, and I’m sure the same guys that flexed on Bobby will be the first ones there to help him if he’s injured in an accident.

---- Bobby came back after the races were over to get the car, and we hung out the rest of the night. I’m expecting that this thing will all blow over soon, and hopefully he’ll be back on the track this weekend. I assume that the one race suspension that he served that evening, and the ensuing loss of points will serve as his penalty, so hopefully he will be back this week. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen an incident that seems like a huge deal at the time calm down real soon, and I imagine this will too. I wish it hadn’t turned into such a big public scene. He was made out to look like a real gangster, and he didn’t need groups of people standing around glaring at him while he was being berated. “He was really angry and upset, but that’s to be expected in a situation like this”, said track official Craig Tyrell. “He apologized after he got calmed down”. I’m sure some things were said that he wished he wouldn’t have said. “I just didn‘t think they had to treat me like that”, said Henry.

---- Bottom line, and this will be a controversial statement: incidents like these are not necessarily bad for the sport. It’s a very emotional sport, and you would never want to take that out of it. Fans want to see passionate drivers. Have you ever seen a guy win the feature, then be dragged out by his ear like the angry lunch lady in middle school? It’s a first for me. This drama will give people something to talk about all week. You can’t judge how you would react in this situation unless you had as much on the line as Bobby, or any driver does. Please don’t judge our guy until you’re in the same spot. As his car owner, I’m not that embarrassed by the incident. Bobby’s a passionate dude, and he’s good for this track, as well as the dirt tracks where he runs his modified. I’ll only be mad if it happens again. I love this kid. Don’t hate him because he’s beautiful.

---- Now he has earned a new nickname from me. He’s not “Handsome Henry” any more. Now he’s “Hothead Henry”.

---- Oh, and there was one other good thing that happened this night. With Bobby in the principal’s office, the guys really wanted to put the car back together and get it out for the feature. I was too annoyed to care actually, but Mark insisted. “Find a fire suit - you’re taking this $%&*ing car out in the feature!”, Mark told me after the car was cradled to our pit. We started looking at things, cobbing on body panels, changing bent parts, and I went shopping for safety equipment. Chris Tedd’s racing shoes, a borrowed blimpo fire suit that Barry bought on Ebay but is way too huge for anybody under 400 pounds to wear, Bobby’s helmet and Hans. I tried to get into Kevin Knopp’s old fire suit, but we didn’t have enough butter for my hips.

---- After a slow lap around the pits I was interested again, and I had a fun time racing to a 9^th or 10^th place finish from scratch, after a gray area trip to the rear for jumping the start once during a huge brake check incident. ¾ inch of toe didn’t help it much, but the car still felt pretty drivable and fun. I had been itching to turn a wheel, so that itch was scratched. It was fun, and I really like the changes that Bobby made to the car.

---- Okay enough about me. I understand that there were some other people that raced at the track this week, as well.

---- Congratulations to Kreig Heroth on his first win, also! Kreig won the second feature of the evening in Tom Aaserud’s #44 car, in what I heard was an excellent race. Tom has assembled quite a team of drivers for the 2010 season, as Andrew Schartner won a feature earlier in Aaserud’s other car, the #18. As a Hedger Chassis guy myself, it was really great to see Hedger guys sweep the evening. We’re definitely outnumbered by the speedy FFB’s, but we still have some quality representation at the speedway!

---- Steve Abt finished 3^rd in both features, but an extended, closed door stay in the tech shed after a protest from another team may prove to be a change in the order of finish. I spoke with Steve on Sunday, and he confirmed that he was deemed illegal due to an illegally modified crankshaft. But he’s not cool with it.

---- “Sobus better bring a lot of tools this week! I’m protesting his engine. He’s pulling a piston out, and we’re checking the ring size”, promised Abt. Sobus’ sponsor is who put up the cash to protest the engine, and Steve’s not happy. “He’s mad because I beat him in the heat”, said Abt, who felt the protest was not done within the guidelines of the rules, which dictate that a protest must be filed previous to the qualifying heat, not after it. So he’s ready for some retribution this week. “We’re definitely protesting one car a week, every week, for the rest of the season. Sobus is first, and a lot of other people will follow”, said Abt. Steve told me that at press time he hadn’t been informed what the penalty will be for the transgression, but I’m sure it will be announced soon. Abt now has a new Morrison Engine being built for his car. The speedway’s website shows that Abt was moved to 24^th position in the second feature, but was allowed to keep the third place finish from the first feature of the evening, prior to the protest.

---- A few welcome additions to the field were Keith Gilliam, Danny Kapuscinski, and Fred Kilian, making up a full field of 24 cars for the second feature.

---- Gilliam was asked to drive the Chris Tedd #37 car, and looked pretty good. He won the “fireworks” heat, and finished 7^th in the second feature. Tedd would like to see Keith back in the car, Gilliam said.

---- Kapuscinski was driving the second Barry Kingsley car, numbered 24. Last week was just a shakedown for the car, but this week the North Carolina resident will put some tires on the car and see what he can really do with it.

---- Fred Kilian came back out with his #02 Twinz Racing ride for the second time of the season. Fred pulled in early, however, credited with 23^rd in the second feature. Great to see Fred back in action.

---- Some solid runs for Dave Cliff, who had a 2^nd and a 5^th on the evening. Also a good night for Guard Nearbin, who rattled off 6^th and 8^th place finishes. And it was no fun staring at Brian Osetek’s rear bumper, as he finished 9^th in the night’s second feature. Nice run!

---- The supermodified events were also pretty exciting. Maybe not AS exciting as the drama-filled small block races, but pretty cool nevertheless.

---- The surprise of the night was that Otto Sitterly, who had won every other event at the speedway this year, did NOT win. You know you’re good, when people are shocked when you don’t win. But Otto was definitely off his game this night, finishing 4^th and 9^th in the two features. He looked really quick in the day’s first feature, but needed a couple more cautions. But he wasn’t himself in feature number two, for whatever reason.

---- Jeff Holbrook grabbed a feature win in his #35 machine, after leading the whole race. He also led some laps in the early feature, before falling out early in the race. But he made up for it in the nightcap, and grabbed his third career victory in the supermodified division at Oswego Speedway.

---- Holbrook had to stay ahead of Keith Shampine, who finished 2^nd at the end. It was a bittersweet night for Shampine, who almost snatched his first career victory in the early feature. Shampine spun the car while leading on lap 21, possibly due to some fluid that was on the track from another car. It’s a real heartbreaker for Shampine, who continuously almost wins in the division.

---- Ray Graham was also a winner at Oswego, capturing the earlier race after Shampine spun. Graham went on to score the victory by a very large margin, and we’ll always wonder if he would have beat Shampine if he hadn’t spun out. Some quick evasive action was taken by Graham to even miss the spinning #88. Graham was 7^th at the end of the second feature.

---- Once again, Mr. Consistency Joey Payne landed two excellent finishes, while just missing a win in the newer Strong Racing #99 car. 2^nd and 3^rd place finishes would be a relief for anyone, for sure. Dave Cliff Jr. ran his first and second supermodified features ever in the other Strong Racing entry, pulling down 14^th and 12^th place finishes.

---- Dave McKnight also headed home with some solid results. 4^th and 3^rd place finishes, in a damage-free evening in the Syrell Racing #08 would be appreciated by anyone. Joe Gosek scored 5^th and 6^th place finishes. And Dan Connors landed 6^th and 8^th place finishes when all was said and done.

---- Davey Hamilton flew in from the west coast to race one of the John Nicotra owned cars, but he looked like he wasn’t hooked up as much as he had hoped. Hamilton was 11^th in the 2^nd feature of the evening, the last car on the lead lap at the finish.

---- And it was great to see Jerry Curran back at the speedway for the first time since a horrible incident last season put him on the sidelines. The “Nuclear Banana” looks great, and Jerry turned some good times with the car before retiring on lap 33. The car was so fast that when I saw Jerry later in the evening, his hair had turned completely orange, and turned into an afro under his hat. Just when you thought he couldn’t get any more handsome. Welcome back, Jerry!

---- This weekend is the second annual “King of Wings” weekend, which will feature winged supermodifieds on both Friday and Saturday nights. Regular Oswego Speedway race teams will strap on wings for the MSA sanctioned event. An excellent $55,000 purse awaits the teams for the weekend of racing action. Twenty four cars will qualify into each feature event with two promoter’s options, one each for MSA and the Oswego Speedway, which could push the starting field each night to twenty six cars. Race teams will get $600 to start the 40 lap feature on Friday night with the winner getting $3,000. On Saturday night, race teams will get $700 to start the 50 lap feature with the winner getting $5,000. Saturday night carries a rain date of Sunday afternoon. Joining the winged supermodifieds on Friday night will be the Tobias SpeedSTR's presented by Parts Plus and on Saturday night the small block supers will be running a "$1,000 to Win" 30 lap feature event. This should be a weekend to remember, just like last weekend!

---- I finally made it back to Brewerton Speedway, and once again I was not disappointed. Every time I go to Brewerton it’s a solid show, and last week was no different. Photo finishes, new winners, and plenty of side by side action!

---- It was great to see mod lite and small block supermodified competitor Andrew Schartner get his first win in the mod lite division. Schartner switches back and forth from pavement to dirt every weekend driving in the two divisions, and does it effortlessly. Andrew has won on both surfaces this year, proving that if you have enough talent, anything is possible.

---- The mod lite feature was a tight race, as many of the drivers were commenting about how the track surface was so much different than it usually is prepared. Shartner led most of the laps in the middle groove, although eventual second place finisher Joe Garafolo was doing all of his business in the low line. As the laps wound down, and three time winner Garafolo was charging underneath Schartner, we were hoping he would move to the low groove to block Garafolo, but he stuck to his guns. Excellent decision. And a great win. Doug Williams and Tim Devendorf, who usually also fight for most wins, finished 6^th and 7^th.

---- The IMCA modified race also saw a first time winner, and a photo finish! I couldn’t call who the winner was, as Michael Smith and Dale Caswell came across side by side for the checkers. Smith led most of the laps, but the often dominant Dale Caswell made his charge through the field. When a caution took Smith’s lead away, it seemed obvious to me that Caswell would use the help to close the gap, and win another feature. But Smith held the position, for the rewarding first victory. Great show!

---- The Crate Late Model division, although still suffering from smaller fields, puts on a great show. An 11 car field is still not what fans expect to see, but it’s an improvement from what was available the last time I was at Brewerton. They really are cool cars to watch, though.

---- Alan Fink was the winner, but AJ Kingsley, in the Patriot Trucking / Finkel Distributing ride was the driver to watch. Kingsley charged high on the cushion, momentarily taking the lead from Fink, before jumping the cushion, falling back several positions. But he never gave up hope, and at the finish he was side by side with Fink for the victory. Looks like that cushion was an effective yet dangerous tool for many of the drivers. After it cost Kingsley some spots, he then used it to get them - or most of them - back. Fun to watch!

---- In the modified feature, it looked for awhile as if Larry Wight or Tony Steiner would steal the glory away from regular winners like Billy Decker, Alan Johnson, Jimmy Phelps, Matt Sheppard, Pat Ward, and Michael Storms. But Wight’s big lead was eventually negated by a caution flag, allowing the cream to rise to the top.

---- We were wondering for awhile if there would be any “team orders” for Decker to maybe take it easy on Wight, who happens to be the son of his car owner John Wight. That was not the case, as the drivers ran side by side for awhile before Decker pulled away.

---- Jimmy Phelps was the dominant car, catching and dusting Billy Decker, who had just wrestled the lead away from his teammate Larry Wight. He was definitely the car to beat, and nobody would do that this week. Decker was 2^nd at the finish, and Wight would eventually fade to 8^th.

---- Matt Sheppard was in the pits more than he was on the track, it seemed. After a hard wreck into the first turn fence early in the race, and another pit stop or two during the feature, he still came back for an impressive third place finish. Maybe that car thrives on drama.

---- Chad Phelps borrowed Larry Wight’s backup car for a “start and park” in the feature, after finding some engine problems after his qualifying heat. I knew it wasn’t a good thing when I saw that dreaded gray water/oil mixture on the ground behind Chad’s car when I went over to say hello. And then I really knew it was bad when I saw a couple of the spark plugs, which had flattened ends on them Not good.

---- Early leader Tony Steiner walked away from a hard double flip late in the race, which looked quite nasty. Nothing scares these guys.

---- People are getting geared up for a fun / fundraiser event that’s coming up in a couple of weeks to benefit small block supermodified competitor, and all-around good guy Barry Kingsley. Here are the details:

---- Sunday, July 18th. KINGSLEY RACING #23 Small block super GOLF TOURNAMENT AND BBQ. Tamarack Golf Club, Oswego and Front Door Tavern, Oswego, 10am-5pm. Golf- 4 man captain and crew 9 hole golf tournament- $30 per person- this includes 9 holes and cart and the BBQ that follows at the Front Door Tavern.

 

Gater News - June 30th, 2010

With the Oswego Speedway season half over, everything is in line for an excellent second half of the season. A lot of cool stuff is on the schedule in July and August, and of course Classic Weekend in early September.

---- For example: July 3^rd - double features for the Supermodifieds and Small Block Supermodifieds, along with an autograph session and fireworks. (Important note about this show: races start at 4:00PM, instead of the normal 6:30 starting time.) July 9^th and 10^th - two nights of winged supermodified racing. July 31st - “Mr. Supermodified and Mr. Small Block Supermodified” night which pays $10,000 to win for the supers, plus the “Hoosier Mama” Ladies Race. August 7^th - 60^th Anniversary night, for just $6.00 admission. And on August 21^st, twin features for both divisions. A lot of fun stuff coming up, for sure!

---- I had a conversation with track owner Steve Gioia last week about the Oswego Speedway season, and sensed a lot of optimism. It’s been a tough season so far for the track due to weather, low car counts, and other issues, but things are looking up from here forward. Many of the issues that have been gossiped about this year have been corrected, including a shortage of tires and fuel at the track. “Yes, there have been some problems, but we have rectified the situation and we’re ready to move ahead and run the speedway as it should be run”, said Gioia when I asked him about rumors of some disagreements with co-owner Pat Furlong. As with any partnership, people aren’t always going to agree on everything, but that goes with the territory. “We need to do a better job of getting the show done”, Gioia acknowledged, and changes are being made to do that. I predict a quick show this week, with limited intermission.

---- The Wednesday, August 4^th USAC / Silver Crown remains on the schedule, and details are still being worked out for this event. Kasey Kahne promoted the event in 2009, which was a huge success, but will not be promoting it in 2010. The race will be an Oswego Speedway promoted event. The toughest part of putting a race of this magnitude together is lining up some “name” drivers. Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman competed last year, which is the main reason for the success of the event. Gioia has been working with some agents to make that happen for 2010, but could not give any names at this time. He also acknowledges that the Cup drivers were the main reason for the big crowd in ‘09, so much that the show may not even go on if he can’t get a commitment from any of the Sprint Cup drivers. Stay tuned.

---- Looking at the mid-season point standings at Oswego, I see some interesting stuff. Some surprises, and some not so surprising.

---- For example, nobody is surprised to see Otto Sitterly in the super points lead. He’s been the lead dog the last few seasons, and it would be a surprise if he wasn’t in the lead. Let’s face it - he’s won all of the features. Nobody’s catching him. They may as well write the check today. He is 80 points ahead of Dave McKnight currently.

---- But if it wasn’t for Sitterly, it would be a pretty tight race. McKnight being in second is kind of a surprise to me, because he hasn’t been a regular competitor at the track for years. But he’s fast in the Syrell Racing #08, and he’ll get a win before the season is over. Pat Lavery and Joey Payne are 3 and 11 points behind McKnight, which can be made up very quickly.

---- It’s good to see Keith Shampine running 5^th, since he hadn’t been a steady driver at the speedway in some time either. Joe Gosek and Tim Snyder, in 6^th and 7^th, are a little lower than many thought, but even Snyder is only 30 points out of 2^nd place. Dave Gruel leads the rookie standings in 8^th, over Larry Muroski (12^th) and Shaun Gosselin (13^th). Craig Rayvals is 14^th currently, but may be done racing at Oswego on a weekly basis.

---- The small block super point standings are a lot closer, with Dave Cliff running the show. But Chris Proud sits just 14 points behind. Brian Sobus and Mike Bond are well within striking distance, as only 24 points separate the top four.

---- Steve Abt sits in 5^th place, after a DQ a few weeks ago. At many speedways, a competitor loses their handicap and all of the points earned on the night of a disqualification, but Abt was able to keep many points from that evening. At 47 points behind the leader, a run for the title is still not out of the question.

---- Stan Gates is currently listed in 6^th place, but will fall this week because he wasn’t at the speedway for the June 19^th rained out event. Barry Kingsley (329) is currently listed in 7^th, but hot on his trail are Kreig Heroth (328), Jason Simmons (322), Guard Nearbin (320), and Mike Bruce (317).

---- The biggest surprises in the small block standings are Tim Barbeau (13^th), who has dropped out of two races while leading, and Andrew Schartner (15^th),who missed a race a few weeks ago. These two drivers certainly were expected to be in the top five. It should be a very interesting rest of the season!

---- People are getting geared up for a fun / fundraiser event that’s coming up in a couple of weeks to benefit small block supermodified competitor, and all-around good guy Barry Kingsley. Here are the details:

---- Sunday, July 18th. KINGSLEY RACING #23 Small block super GOLF TOURNAMENT AND BBQ. Tamarack Golf Club, Oswego and Front Door Tavern, Oswego, 10am-5pm. Golf- 4 man captain and crew 9 hole golf tournament- $30 per person- this includes 9 holes and cart and the BBQ that follows at the Front Door Tavern.

 

Gater News - June 23rd, 2010

 

Gater News column - June 15th, 2010

Keepin’ it Real by JJ Andrews

What will happen this week at Oswego Speedway? The last few weeks have caused havoc at the track for many in the supermodified division, and last week’s scheduled week off may have been just what the doctor ordered. A lot of supermodifieds have been damaged so far in 2010, and that will hopefully be behind us all when we get back to racing this week.

---- This week’s scheduled events feature another $12 admission night, or $10 with advanced sale tickets purchased at any Price Chopper grocery store. Many different racecars are expected to be back at the speedway this week, many for the first time this season. A look at the roster on the speedway website shows several drivers that may be out this week, or soon, that we haven’t seen much of in 2010.

---- Bentley Warren, Greg Furlong, Jason Spaulding and Jerry Curran are four drivers who are rumored to be in attendance this weekend. Coming soon also will be Andy Noto, Michael Barnes, and Davey Hamilton. Keith Gilliam has picked up the motor for his supermodified, and will see action in a few weeks. Hal LaTulip, Joe Chillemi, Bill Sharkey, Todd Stowell, and Bob Bogwicz are all on the roster at www.oswegospeedway.com, but haven’t seen any track time so far this season. And Stephen Gioia III and Shawn Muldoon are two drivers still on the mend - both physically and financially - from nasty 2009 accidents. So although car counts have been off, we’re very close to seeing a big field of cars any week now.

---- Then after another scheduled week off on June 26^th for graduation week, July promises to be a huge month at Oswego Speedway. July 3^rd finds the fireworks, kids autograph night, and the “Hoosier Mama” powder puff event, which will once again be won by Samantha Todd. Then on July 9^th and July 10^th, two huge nights of winged supermodified racing will take place at the speedway. A rare Friday / Saturday show will feature two nights of supermodifieds, topped off by the MSA “King of Wings” show on Saturday night. And then on July 31^st, the supers will compete for $10,000 to win in the “Mr. Supermodified” event, while the small block supers will get a huge boost to $1,500 for the win. Youngsters also will be able to meet the drivers for autographs on this night. July promises to be a huge month at Oswego Speedway!

---- Another big promotion at the speedway that is sure to get a lot of people excited is the recently announced “Ride with the Legends” event for the 2-seat supermodified at Oswego Speedway. The following is a press release provided by the speedway.

---- “Oswego, N.Y. - Classic Weekend at the Oswego Speedway you will have the opportunity to ride in the 2-seat Supermodified driven by Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame and future Hall of Fame drivers. Five members of the Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame, and a two other drivers who are sure to become Hall of Fame members will be behind the wheel of the 2-seat Supermodified giving fans rides, and raising money for Cleaning for a Reason. Imagine hitting speeds up to 150 MPH with an Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame Driver behind the wheel!

---- Cleaning for a Reason is an organization whose mission is to provide free home cleanings to women who are undergoing cancer treatments. Tom Heveron’s Beachland Cleaning, with 3 Florida locations, is one of more than 650 partners in all 50 states and 3 Canadian provinces supporting this program. Beachland Cleaning is the sponsor of the 2010 Oswego Speedway Supermodified Rookie of the Year and Supermodified Classic Rookie of the Year programs.

---- Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame members Pat Abold, Eddie Bellinger, Davey Hamilton, Doug Heveron, Bentley Warren, and future Hall of Fame members Greg Furlong and Joe Gosek have all committed to take part in the program. All will be behind the wheel of the 2-seat Supermodified Classic Weekend to help the Cleaning for a Reason program.

Starting immediately, a maximum of 3 rides will be sold with each of the following drivers, Pat Abold, Eddie Bellinger, Greg Furlong, Joe Gosek, Davey Hamilton, and Doug Heveron. Each ride will consist of a push off lap and 5 green flag laps. From now until August 1 you can schedule a ride with these Hall of Fame drivers for $200.00 each, with a portion of the proceeds going to Cleaning for a Reason. After August 1^st, if there are any rides remaining, they will be sold at $250.00.

---- On Friday night of Classic Weekend, during the Party in the Pits, one additional ride with each Hall of Fame and future Hall of Fame drivers will be auctioned off, with the minimum bid being $150.00. At that time one ride will be auctioned off to have Bentley Warren as the driver. Bidding for the ride with Bentley Warren will start at $250.00. All rides will be taken starting at 9:00AM on Saturday, September 4. In the event of inclement weather all rides will be rescheduled.

---- During the Ride with the Legends the Oswego Speedway main grandstand will be open with free admission for those who want to watch the greatest drivers of all time return to the Big O. To schedule your ride with an Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame driver Classic Weekend call Roy Sova at 315-297-2262.”

---- A last minute trip to Utica-Rome Speedway last week turned out to be a good idea. I don’t get to Utica-Rome very often, but when I do, I’m always impressed. Since I got there at about 10 minutes after the starting time of 5:30, I had already missed two sportsman heats. A prompt starting time is important on a Sunday race, and Utica-Rome management is obviously very aware of that. Qualifying heats for FIVE divisions of racecars were completed by 6:20, as the show is moved along rapidly. Unfortunately a rain delay held things up for around an hour, but I was still on the way home at 9:30, after seeing all five features. Which means without the rain, it would have been a three hour show, getting me on the road by 8:30 or so.

---- I enjoyed the whole concept of the show.

1. Start promptly. No dilly-dallying.

2. Plenty of racecars. Even though no divisions had more than 24 cars, five divisions of cars placed over 90 different cars on the speedway surface during the evening.

3. Keep the night moving. A short intermission was filled with an uneventful four car spectator race. There were no big groups of time where there was nothing to watch. And no excessive caution laps before the races start. When you hit the track, you see the white flag. You had better be ready to line up and go, or else they’re starting without you.

4. And a very nice facility, with friendly track employees at every turn makes a big difference. Just a smile from the guy checking your pit pass, or a kind word at the ticket booth goes a long way toward making your visit enjoyable. That, to me, is the most important part of running any business - make your customers feel comfortable.

---- Not everything was perfect, but it’s easy to overlook a negative here and there when there are a lot of positives. Obviously the speedway couldn’t control the weather, but they made the best of it. And a huge opportunity for the track to sell a lot of food was lost when concessions were either closed or out of food during the rain delay, and the rest of the evening. Concession prices were on par with most tracks (not cheap, by any means), but that early closure certainly spelled missed opportunity. And a seeping water hole in the front straight never stopped gushing water, no matter how many cars raced across it.

---- Bottom line: the product is there. Utica-Rome is an exciting, fast track. Plenty of cars and a really impressive crowd made for a great show. I loved my trip to U-R, and maybe the owners of some other speedways would do themselves a favor by heading down there on a Sunday night and taking in the show. Look around. Compare notes. The crowd was excited, and everyone was having a great time. And there was no time for people to nit-pick over concession prices or long intermissions.

---- It sure helped that the racing was excellent, too, which is something track management can’t control. Side by side battles for the lead in all but the modified division kept it exciting for all. Pete Taylor won his first race since 2003 and was very happy about that. He bested Willy Decker, Ronnie Johnson, Paul Jensen, Todd Burley, and Pat Ward.

---- Steve Way and Mike Button swapped the lead repeatedly in the sportsman feature, putting on a very exciting show for the fans. Mike Janczuk grabbed second near the end of the very competitive event.

---- The “602 crate sportsman” division made one of three scheduled events at the speedway, which was won by John Scarborough, was also hotly contested. Jeff Leslie was right there with Scarborough, followed by Jeremiah Munson, Kory Wilder, and Jack Gentile.

---- I chose the right place to sit in the stands during the pro stock feature. I always enjoy animated fans, and I happened to sit right in the middle of “Shawn Frost Country”. Shawn Frost was the winner of the pro stock event, and it was fun to see his friends and family and fans enjoy the win. But just as excited as they were for their car to win, they were equally excited about the misfortunes of another driver, who apparently isn’t their favorite. “Learn how to drive!”, was just one of the barbs yelled at Pro Stock driver Mark Effner by the animated fans. Effner’s car, which has a “rubber ducky” attached to the roof, was definitely a target for these fans, and they were very happy to see him not make it back into the top ten after a trip to the pits with a flat tire, possibly due to a run-in with Frost early in the race. The “rubber ducky” was even a target of some insults. Plenty of fun, for sure. The only insult I didn’t hear, which I expected, was “eff you Effner!”

---- I think Bret Belden was the fastest car in the division, but coming from the back of the field, Belden never quite got his shot to tussle with Frost. He missed stealing 2^nd place from Rocky Warner by inches, but a few laps more and he would have had the position. Great drive by Bret, who we used to call “Bretski” back in the days when we raced together at Brewerton and Fulton. After the race, in a moment of extreme brown-nosing, Belden thanked track owner Gene Cole twice in a victory lane interview, yet thanked his wife Brenda a total of zero times. Possible tactical error.

---- I also had someone to cheer for in the pure stock division, as my old arch-nemesis Chris Cunningham had probably the fastest car in the pure stock race. Like Belden, Cunningham had to come from deep in the field, and made it as far as second at the finish. It was a solid drive for Cunningham, who has the best looking car in the field. Even if it is a Chrysler. It’s even better looking than “Junkyard” Jim Thomas’ 55 Chevy pure stock. I’m proud to say that I’ve finally stopped holding a grudge against Chris for an on-track incident we had around 20 years ago. Maybe I’m growing up.

---- One more thing that I really enjoyed at U-R is the interviews for the top three drivers in all divisions. It’s tough to get to the top three, and I’m sure the guys are grateful to get to say their thanks and pat their sponsors on the back. And also it’s great for the fans to get to know the drivers.

Gater News column - June 8th, 2010

What were you doing when you were 16 years old? Playing video games? Watching TV? Chasing girls? Thinking about sneakers? Outrunning adults in $50,000 racecars?

---- That’s what 16 year old Daniel Connors is doing. Connors has established himself as one of the top drivers in the supermodified division at Oswego Speedway in only his second year in a super. On opening night, Connors finished a solid third, after dusting a couple cars off in the closing laps.

---- Last week, Connors looked as though he would have his first trip to victory lane, leading - and at times running away - for the first 39 laps. He ran a great line, and if it wasn’t for “Mr. Domination”, Otto Sitterly, he would have had his entry into the “Thousand Dollar Club”. One slip, on lap 39 of 45, and Sitterly blew by for the lead, and 4^th victory of the four race season. But everyone in the house went home talking about Dan Connors, Jr., and his future in the sport. The crowd did go pretty wild earlier in the day also, when he captured his first ever heat win in the division.

---- Sitterly’s domination must be recognized, however. He’s absolutely the guy to beat, week in and week out. Although people are starting to get sick of seeing Otto win every race, please take a minute to appreciate the hard work and dedication that is required to win at this level. Yes, he has a great car owner in John Nicotra, but John will be the first to tell you that Otto works harder than anyone on the cars to keep at this level. Equipment is one thing, but it takes a lot more than excellent equipment to run like Otto does. There are very few guys that could do what he‘s doing - even with the same equipment. “I got lucky to hook up with Otto just at the right time in his career”, Nicotra told me last year.

---- Another horrible wreck swallowed up a bunch of supers again last week. It appeared as though a top five running Dave McKnight slowed down coming down the back straight. As Lou LeVea, who was running behind him lifted for the slowing McKnight, he was collected by Jeff Holbrook, who was trapped. All hell broke loose, as Pat Lavery, his teammate Dave Gruel, Ray Graham, Holbrook and others were caught up. Lavery scared everyone, flipping the 22. It was a nasty, costly, damaging wreck.

---- Although the Lavery car was badly damaged, LeVea’s Mark Castiglia owned ride may have received the worst damage. It was a shame, because for the first time this year, LeVea was running great. A horrible season for the team seems to keep getting worse. LeVea limped away from the scene holding his side, “probably broke a rib or two”, he told me on his way back to the pits. He was later transported to the hospital, heading home without any broken bones. I heard on Sunday that he was in plenty of pain, but was “already trying to work on the car”.

---- Lavery was uninjured in the accident. The team was quite relieved to see that he was okay, and looked pretty shook up before he walked away. Very scary and upsetting scene, for sure. “I’m fine - it wasn’t too bad”, Pat told me later. That’s easy for you to say, buddy!

---- When racing finally resumed, Rookie Shaun Gosselin had the best run of his short rookie supermodified career, finishing in 6^th place. And rookie Larry Muroski also was credited with a solid 7^th place, continuing his wreck-free season.

---- Chris Proud won his first feature of the season in the Tim Barbeau owned #50 ride, holding off a determined Brian Sobus and Dave Cliff. Proud survived some major bumper-banging in the heat with Kreig Heroth, which was punctuated with a huge shot to Heroth’s rear bumper after the checkers. The car was definitely straightened around for the feature though, landing the FFB car in victory lane.

---- The race was a wreck-filled contest as well, with one wreck after another sending guys to the pits. Sobus’ rear clip was crushed around his fuel cell from some heavy contact with Cliff, as the two were caught up in one of the many tangles. Cliff’s front lower wing was pushed under the car, dragging on the ground for the rest of the race. Cliff’s upper nose also flapped and waved in the breeze for most of the race, but he was allowed to continue anyway. Seemed dangerous to me, but I was relieved that it never came flying off.

---- The number of laps in this race was eventually shortened from 30 laps to 25 laps for the small block feature after all of the wrecks. The official word was that it was because of impending bad weather, and too many wrecks. But the rest of the story is that since the speedway wasn’t able to supply the small blocks with enough fuel, there was concern that many of the cars would be running out after all of the caution laps. There was fuel at the speedway, but the tank was empty before everyone got what they needed for the night.

---- Track tech and a few of the drivers were seen traveling from pit to pit scavenging fuel for the cars that needed it, since the speedway had no fuel for the cars after warm-ups. I know Barry Kingsley shared a couple of gallons with Brian Osetek and winner Chris Proud, that didn’t have enough fuel to race. It was definitely a bad situation, but fortunately everyone made it. If the speedway is going to make it mandatory to buy the fuel at the track, they had better be able to provide you with that fuel. I am sure that many people will be bringing their own fuel to the speedway from now on, even though it is against the rules or wishes of the speedway. I know if I was racing, I sure wouldn’t want to be going from pit to pit begging my competitors for a gallon or two of fuel.

---- Jason Simmons had a shot at his first ever win in the Terry Solazzo owned #25 car. After inheriting the lead when Tim Barbeau’s engine launched, Simmons led some laps. But mechanical problems then attacked Jason, and he had to start driving the car one-handed, with the transmission jumping out of gear. Simmons held on for 6^th in the final rundown.

---- That’s two heartbreakers in a row for Tim Barbeau, who dropped out of the race while leading both times. After winning heat number two, engine builder Doug Holmes was called to Barbeau’s pit because of an oil pressure problem with the engine. There’s usually not much you can do at the race track to cure an oil pressure problem though. “I put duct tape over the gauges and told him to run it”, car owner Steve Abt told me later. Barbeau lasted ten laps in the feature, and turned the fastest time of the race, before “grenading“ the engine.

---- It was a solid, and nearly damage-free night (other than the rear bumper that was caved in by Chris Proud after the heat) for Tom Aaserud’s Crow Motorsports team. Kreig Heroth finished 5^th, and one-time driver Bobby Henry finished 7^th. Great run for both cars.

---- Henry, who usually drives my #93, was enlisted by Aaserud to fill in this week while regular driver Andrew Schartner had to fulfill a “previous commitment”. It was a great night of experience for Henry, who has been hampered by a few problems in the 93 so far in 2010. Schartner will be back in the car for the next race, although there is one other race night later in the season that he will have to miss.

---- The original plan, incorrectly reported by me, was for me to drive the #93 and work on setup last week while Henry drove the #18, but that plan changed on Saturday morning when Bob chose to not bring the 93 to the track. Since he’s been racing his dirt modified as well on Sunday nights, the 93 wasn’t quite ready, so the decision was made to leave it home. But some changes were made on the car, and it should be ready to win when it comes back on June 19^th. (The speedway is closed on June 12^th, giving everyone a week off.)

---- Our bro Barry Kingsley is starting to drive with an attitude.. and I LIKE it! He’s getting the Lupa-Kingsley #23 dialed in better every week, and has now landed in the top ten every night out this year. He was involved in an incident trying to pass Dennis Richmond early in the race, dinging up the car and cutting a tire. But despite a horribly long tire change by his unprepared crew, we still got him back on the lead lap, and he came back for 8^th place at the finish. He also finished 2^nd in his heat, after leading a few laps. I think he’s feeling this Hedger Chassis…..

---- Can Mark Castiglia’s fun times at the speedway be any worse? First, a grinder accident in the shop on race day gave him some nasty gashes. After a violent wreck the previous week that everyone was shocked to see repaired by race time, a lap 4 crash in the feature ended his night again, with another bent race car. But don’t forget - that wasn’t the extent of his bad evening. Castiglia also owns the supermodified that Lou LeVea drives, which was destroyed in an accident Saturday, as well. I’m sure that week off will come in quite handy.

---- Also a very rough and stressful night for Stan Gates. The Ray Pike owned machine showed up at the track after warm-ups, which always puts you way behind the eight-ball. It’s tough watching Stan pace nervously waiting for his ride to show up. Then he struggled adjusting to a new setup without having the warm-up time. A 6^th place finish in the qualifying heat, and a 17^th in the feature after a lap 7 crash were not what the team had in mind.

---- The Eagles Fan Club at Oswego Speedway has been doing a lot of work this year to build up the point fund for the drivers of the supermodified and small block supermodified divisions. Coming up on Sunday, June 13^th, the Eagles and LaGraf’s Pub will present a captain and Crew Golf Tournament at Tamarack Golf Club. A $250 prize will greet the winning team, and a driver’s shootout and skins will add to the fun. $55 /person includes 18 holes with the cart, and a great buffet and prizes afterwards at LaGraf’s Pub. For more information, contact Larry Lee at 315-529-1504, or Bob Garafolo at 315-254-6528. Or email oswegoeaglesracingfanclub@yahoo.com. ALL proceeds benefit the Eagles Fan Club general fund and injured drivers fund.

---- I wonder…

---- Ed Horne told me awhile back, and I’ve heard a few times since that mod lite driver Doug Williams would be trying out the division in Horne’s small block at some point. I wonder when that will happen.

---- What happened to small block rookie Fred Kilian, who I featured in a story in the Post-Standard about being the oldest rookie in the small block super division? He raced one time out of four weeks, in week two, and I haven’t seen him since. As he had never driven any type of racecar before that, maybe he just didn’t like it, as some people decide.

---- I wonder if Chris Tedd will be back behind the wheel of his Teddneck Racing #37 next week, after handing the seat of the #37 over to Dennis Richmond, who handed the seat of Tedd’s other car, the #7, over to first time driver Zack Crawford. Confused yet?

---- I wonder if Dave Danzer found out what that hideous skip was in his small block super. Sounded nasty.

---- I wonder if Vern LaFave will tie a string around his finger to remember to take his firesuit to the track, so he doesn’t have to miss the first set of warm-ups, driving half way home to Philadelphia, N.Y. to get it.

---- I wonder how bad the #26 small block super got damaged when it hit the fence head-on last week? “I didn’t even look at it - just pushed it in the trailer”, said driver Mike Bond.

---- I wonder if you’ll support the following fundraisers?

…. Saturday, June 12^th. Gnomey Racing, Dave Cliff, small block supermodified. LaGraf‘s. 1:00 - sold out. Steak Bake!

…. Saturday, June 12^th. Crow Motorsports, Andrew Schartner and Kreig Heroth, small block supermodified. Ukranian National Club in Auburn, N.Y. Chicken barbecue and car show. Noon - ?.

…. Sunday, June 13^th. Eagles Fan Club golf tournament at Tamarack Golf Club. See more information above.

…. Sunday, July 18^th. KINGSLEY RACING #23 Small block super GOLF TOURNAMENT AND BBQ. Tamarack Golf Club, Oswego and Front Door Tavern, Oswego, 10am-5pm. Golf- 4 man captain and crew 9 hole golf tournament- $30 per person- this includes 9 holes and cart and the BBQ that follows at the Front Door Tavern.

 

Gater News column - June 3rd, 2010

 

Gater News column - May 26th, 2010

 

Gater News Column - May 19th, 2010

 

Gater News  - May 12th, 2010

 

Gater News - May 5th, 2010

 

Gater News - April 28th,2010

 

Gater News - April 21st, 2010

 

Gater News - March 31st, 2010

“Dear Mr. Andrews. Thank you for a postcard and autographing them. Your soot is ausome! We liked the books that you read to us. We all liked your car. Thank you for taking time off your day and reading to our class. From Owen and Jason.”

---- One of my all-time highlights in auto racing happened a few weeks ago, and it had nothing to do with driving a racecar. This was my payoff for my several years as a driver, earned by knowing the right people. This was a GREAT day for me. A day that I will not forget any time soon.

---- “Dear Mr. Andrews, thank you for coming to Weedsport Elem. School. The pictures are nice of your racecar. It was wonderful that you read to us. We appreciate that you took time off from work to read to us. We hope u have a grate day. From, Maddie and Alex.”

---- Jane Redding, mother of small block supermodified driver Andrew Schartner, and teacher at Weedsport Elementary School, arranged for me to attend the school’s “Rev up for Reading” campaign on March 8^th, along with several other drivers from the Central New York area. This was a day of school dedicated to encouraging the students, grades K-6, to read books, and every driver in attendance was very happy to help with that encouragement.

---- “Dear Mr. Andrews, We love the stories you read. Thank you for spending time with us. Thank you for the autographs. We love your racing outfit. Reading is important to us and to you. It helps us everyday. Love Gwen and McKenna.”

---- I read books to three different 2^nd grade classes, while the other seven racers in attendance also took turns reading to the other students at the school. Late Model racer Joe Gwilt, small block supermodified drivers Andrew Schartner and Brian Sobus, sportsman and modified driver Tom Juhl, former sprint car and small block supermodified driver Mike Bozzuto, driver of pavement modifieds and many other divisions, Rick Zacharias, and sportsman driver Katelyn Kane, all took turns, while wearing their driving suits. Gwilt had his late model at the show for the students to admire, along with the small block supermodified

and the mod lite cars that will be campaigned by Andrew Schartner in 2010.

---- “Dear Mr. Andrews, We appreciate you taking the time to read to us. Our class appreciates you giving us pictures of your car. Reading helps you write your articles and helps us to read and write in school. Your racing fans, Jenna and Aaron.”

---- Mrs. Loperfido’s second grade class sent me these well-written letters with perfect penmanship, which brought a smile to my face, and a tear to my eye. Kelly Voll wrote a story about this campaign for the March 9^th edition of The Citizen newspaper (www.auburnpub.com). Previous to the reading in the classrooms, all of us drivers were introduced at a special assembly in front of the entire school. We were treated as heroes this day, and I will never forget the looks on these children’s faces. Thanks to everyone involved for allowing me to spend some time with this great bunch of kids.

---- (on the cover) “J.J. Andrews is in first! (Inside) Dear Mr. Andrews, Thank you for coming to Weedsport Elem. to read. We loved the post cards that you gave us! You taught us that reading is important. From: Michaella and Aubrey.”

---- Now for a story about driver with a new ride, that was originally posted on my blog at www.gaternews.com. Note: while the blog section of the Gater News website has been hampered by some technical difficulties lately, rest assured that it will be corrected soon….

---- “This is a whole new environment - I’m ready to go out and have some fun, and win some races!”, said Jason Simmons, the new driver of the Terry Solazzo owned #25 FFB small block super. This rumor had been floating around for awhile, but it was never an officially done deal until just recently.

---- In 2009, Solazzo’s two car team found Mike Bond 3rd in points, and Rob Pullen 9th. With Pullen not returning to the seat, Solazzo had to decide whether he was going to just field the one car, for Bond, or link up with another driver. Of course at the end of last season, the talk was of only returning with the one ride. But I know how racing season is. Many of the season’s frustrations and woes that build up during the racing season seem to cool off with the cool weather, and are often mostly forgotten with the first big freeze. It’s just the way it works - I see it every year.

---- Simmons will supply his own engine for the Solazzo #25, a Mike O’Connor built power plant that was new near the end of the 2009 season. Jason’s own car though, will be at the speedway weekly, and be ready as a backup, or “in case you want to hop in it”, Jason offered.

---- The #25 will have some new body panels and bumpers, and will be gone through thoroughly before the season takes the green. “It’s a level playing field now”, Jason enthused, looking forward to trying a newer car than his own, with all of the current updates. “I want to push the envelope…”

---- Simmons also still owns an SST modified, which he ran once last year. That car will also be prepped and ready for a few events at Oswego, and maybe Shangri-La2 or Spencer Speedway. The SST will also sport a new O’Connor motor, and driving duties will be shared by Simmons, and Mike Bond. It’s not a full-time deal for either one, as the focus will be on the small block supermodified division, but there will definitely be a few shows for the #91 SST mod.

---- Brian Sobus, who retired from small block supermodified racing after the 2009 season, admitted recently that he’s coming out of retirement…again. He’s not sure yet if he’ll run the full season, but he’ll be there when the green flag drops.

---- “To be honest with you, I don’t really want to do the whole season. We’ve got to see how the first couple of races go”, Brian informed. But we all know what an illness racing is. My prediction is that once they race a few times, they will be locked in. It happens every year. Especially with Brian and his family owned team.

---- They did consider moving to the SST modified division. “I love the speedway, and don’t want to give it up yet”, Brian shared. Sobus and the family team were involved in some controversy at the end of ‘09, so it wasn’t definite that they would come back - or be allowed back. But things always blow over, and in the light of spring, racing at Oswego Speedway looks like fun again.

---- So add the #79 back into the equation for the weekly (I predict) drivers. Although the division looked like it may be faltering at one point, I think car counts will be equal with, or maybe even a little ahead, of the 2009 field.

---- Rob Pullen, who reportedly wasn’t planning to race much in 2010 due to the startup of a new business, may still have the car at the speedway on a weekly basis. I heard recently that mod lite driver Mike Bruce may be wheeling the car on several race nights, and that Pullen himself may still hop behind the wheel for selected races. The division grows again!

---- And yet another small block super has been purchased by rookie Chris Tedd. In addition to the former Kevin Knopp car, renumbered as #37, Tedd has bought the former White’s Car Care # 4, and will campaign that as a second car under the “Teddneck Racing” umbrella in 2010. Teddneck’s crew chief Dennis Richmond will be behind the wheel of the car a few times, and other “guest” drivers may see some time on the track.

---- Tedd is looking for someone to bring some sponsorship or cash to run the #7 car (formerly the #4) a few times. The car is also signed up for the commitment program in ‘010, and hopefully will be there weekly. Several open nights are available. If you’re interested, get in touch with Chris Tedd, and work out a deal.

---- The prep work on the #37 car (formerly #04) is almost done, and is going back together this week. Dan Dennie is building a new body for the car. The #7 (formerly #4) was in very good shape, and didn’t need a lot of work to be ready for the season. The engine will be freshened.

---- Chris is still very excited about the new season and the new challenge, and will be a great addition to the small block supermodified community. He has a track rental scheduled for April 30^th. And he’s very appreciative of all of the help that he has received from guys like Dennis Richmond, Steve Abt, Dan Dennie and others. And most importantly, “my family’s still excited about it!”, said Tedd.

---- You can also possibly add in Chris Lupa’s #46 car, as several inquiries have been made recently about the fully updated Hedger car, which has recently been offered at a closeout price of $6,500. I predict that this car will be sold soon, and see laps at the speedway in 2010. That’s a ridiculous deal for that price. And Shawn Walker’s #68 is still for sale for $5,500 or best offer or trade for whatever.

---- One dedicated longtime small block supermodified driver may have a tough time supporting the division in 2010, as originally planned. Jack Patrick suffered an injury to his shoulder in the off-season, and is unsure at this stage in his recovery if he will even be okay to drive when the green flag flies on May 8^th. Like Arinze Onuaku for the Syracuse Basketball team, only time will tell how soon the recovery will happen. Jack has said that he will consider putting another driver behind the wheel of the car temporarily if he’s not healed up by the season’s opener. “I do want to have the car there for every race, even if I can’t drive it”, said Patrick. He definitely wants to support the division, live up to his obligation to the commitment program, and give his sponsors the visibility that they deserve.

---- Former supermodified driver Bob Reis is hitting the dirt in 2010. After driving other divisions of racecars including pavement modifieds and supers, Reis has purchased a dirt sprint car that he will compete on the ASCS Patriot Series in 2010. “I don’t have any dirt experience”, Bob told me, but he’s anxious to give it a try.

---- The scheduled 31 race ASCS series will not be enough to satisfy Reis’s “need for speed” this year though. Bob still has his asphalt modified in the garage, and plans to hit the Race of Champions pavement mod trail when he can.

---- But does that mean Reis’s legion of supermodified fans have seen the last of him in a super? Absolutely not. He’s not done with supers. His couple race stint in the Daratt Farms Racing entry in 2009 was enough to keep him interested in the “world’s most awesome racecar,” as I like to call it. Bob has actually looked at a supermodified recently to purchase, and may be behind the wheel of that at some point in 2010. Quite an ambitious schedule for the personable driver. Best of luck in 2010!

---- It’s officially Fundraiser season. This is the time where many race teams organize fundraisers and parties to start raising some funds for our season of racing. It’s a great way to support your favorite driver, as well as a fun time to touch base with your racing buddies. I go to as many as I can. Here’s a list of some upcoming fundraisers, and the information. Please let me know about yours, so I can plug it here. Here are the ones I’ve heard about.

…. Saturday, April 3^rd. Double Deuce Racing. Lighthouse Lanes. 1:00- 7:00. Chicken barbecue, and Millenium Music.

…. Saturday, April10^th. Jerry Curran. Dominick’s Sports Bar in Scriba (new location). 1:00 - ? Chicken barbecue.

…. Saturday, April 10^th. Proud Motorsports. LaGraf’s. 1:00 -7:00. Chicken barbecue. Race simulators. Music.

…. Saturday, April 17^th. Steve Abt. Lighthouse lanes.

…. Sunday, April 18^th. Chris Tedd’s Teddneck Racing. Change of Pace Tavern in Syracuse. Noon to 6:00.

…. Saturday, April 24^th. TTR Racing. (Luther Gray, Nick Demling and Jason Vickery’s Kart team.) LaGraf’s. Noon - 9:00. Chicken barbecue. Millenium Music.

…. Saturday, May 1^st. Mike Bond. Lighthouse Lanes. (After open practice.)

---- There’s an initial list of the upcoming fundraisers. More to come. Please support when you can.

---- Also, I’d like to add one more subject on fundraisers. I recently saw a Facebook message that stated “thanks to those who came to my fundraiser, and (profanity) to those who didn’t”. While many people support fundraisers, we can’t hate the ones who don’t attend, for many reasons. Although I have gone to this racer’s past fundraisers, It was impossible for me to support the aforementioned person’s party at the time it was held since I was out of town. But the nastyBook that I received while I was down there made sure that I didn’t contribute later, as I often do. Yes, we do make mental notes of who doesn’t come to our fundraisers, but we must try not to take it personally. I prefer to focus more on what people DO for me, than what they don’t do.

---- I did get some interesting feedback from my last column which featured some of my personal favorite columns that I had written in the past. I came across this one recently that gave me a chuckle, from April, 2007…

---- I suppose you’re all wondering why I’ve called you here today. I’m here to speak with you all about a subject that is very near and dear to my heart. I suspect that if you are reading this today, that we are of similar mind, and that many of you may be suffering from a parallel condition. I am here today to speak to you about addiction.

---- Addiction is a chronic relapsing brain disease. Brain imaging shows that addiction severely alters brain areas critical to decision-making, learning and memory, and behavior control, which may help to explain the compulsive and destructive behaviors of addiction. Many of you are familiar with addiction. You may have a friend of a friend who has an addiction. You may have a relative with an addiction. Some of you may even have an addiction of your own. People in all walks of life are subject to addictive behavior. Poor people in the ghetto often suffer from addictions. A wealthy man in a high-rise office building may be addicted to something. Soccer moms - often addicted. Doctors - lawyers - Indian chiefs. Many are addicted.

---- Gater News columnists - I know one with an addiction. It is with a heavy heart that I go public with this confession. MY addiction. This column is a cry for help. I’ve dropped hints with my friends. My family, aware of my torture, refuses to help me. I need an intervention. Does anyone out there care enough to help me? Or are you too wrapped up in your own sicknesses to be my “knight in shining armor”?

---- Okay - out with it. Enough beating around the bush. Time for my confession: I’m addicted to… auto racing. There - I said it. That confession in itself was very liberating. A huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Thank you. I can’t get enough of auto racing. Fast cars. Slow cars. Cars with doors. Cars with tops. Cars with wings. Cars with expensive parts. Noisy cars. Quiet cars. Cars driven by men. Cars driven by women. Cars driven by people with nappy hair.

---- For years I’ve replaced the word “addiction” with the word “passion”. “Racing is my ‘passion’. But let’s be honest here. I’m not gonna lie. The lies are over. According to my calculations, this is the year 2007. Since my formative years in the 70’s, approximately several years ago, I have been forced to hear the rumble. Brewerton Speedway and Weedsport Speedway (yes, I called it Weedsport Speedway - not today’s weird name of CCFS. That in itself should illustrate how severely this addiction has gripped me) were the haunts that my parents unwittingly used to lay the groundwork for my pain. Why would they do it? Why did I love to hate Will Cagle and George Mowry, and love to love Fran Kitchen and Frankie Doll and Stoney Stoneburg and Deek Decker and Dale Weigand? In their defense, my parents had no idea what they were doing to me back then. Just like cigarette smoking and Diet Pepsi and broccoli, the research wasn’t out there in those days, informing us of the dangers of such actions.

---- Next came the beginning of what I call “the driving years”. I’ll never forget the rush. I was hooked the first time I tried it. Although I’ve never tried any actual drugs, I think the symptoms of driving a racecar are the same. Surge of euphoria ("rush") accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities. Mental functioning becomes clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system. It was a cool night, July 8th, 1979. Weedsport Speedway. 1967 Chevy Impala. 283 cubic inch engine. Painted with a brush. First place trophy. Interview in front of the grandstands with announcer Joe Marotta. (Note: some of these facts may be inaccurate or embellished for dramatic license. For example, the “amateur division” was so disrespected in those days that I doubt that there was an interview with Joe Marotta, maybe a two word comment from the flagman. The facts are a little fuzzy after all of these years. But I’m being honest about the first place trophy. Although I only finished third in the six lap, seven car race, during intermission, they gave me the wrong trophy. Yes, I kept it, and didn‘t say anything. Track management was in a big hurry to get our ugly cars off the speedway in favor of the Gremlin and Pacer bodied modifieds.) I’ll never forget that day. Or was it night…

---- Bottom line - I was hooked. Fast forward to 2007- approximately plenty of years later. It’s been an outstanding career. Multiple championships. Countless feature wins. Trophy hotties. Champagne. High-paying offers. The envy of my peers. (Again, don’t mind the dramatic license.) Just one year removed from my worst season in many years of competition at Oswego Speedway. I was THISCLOSE to quitting. Don’t have the time. Can’t justify the expense. Crew guys getting busy. Kids getting older. Business issues. Competitors threatening petitions against me. It was time to hang it up. Good run, lot of fun, time to be done. I even ditched a week of racing, for the first time almost ever. Heck with it.

---- Then BOOM! I don’t know how to explain it. Now look at me. Somehow I’ve gone from being ready to get out, to now having the best available car to race in 2007. Ray Hedger’s cars frequently dominate the division of small block supermodifieds, and I’ve got one. Doug Holmes builds the best engines for small block supermodifieds, and I’ve got one. New aftermarket spindles, best of everything. How did this happen? How did I go from having my fill, to having the best equipment in my garage? I’ve got one word: addiction. If anyone has the name of a good counselor, please get me an appointment. If not, I’ll see you at the opener. But not because I want to. Because I HAVE to.

---- Do any of you suffer from “racecar-itis”. That is why I’ve started a self help group, called “R.A.”. Racer’s Anonymous meetings will be held starting May 5th, on Saturday nights. Meetings will be held at my pit stall at small block supermodified car #93 at Oswego Speedway after the races. R.A. does not keep membership files, or attendance records. You do not have to reveal anything about yourself. No one will bother you if you don’t want to come back. Don’t be nervous about seeing people that you know there. They will be there for the same reason you are there. They will not disclose your identity to outsiders. You will find people talking about what racing did to their lives and personalities, what actions they took to help themselves, and how they are living their lives today.

---- Just ask one of our members, we’ll call him “Chip W.” in the interest of anonymity, how he feels about R.A. “Ever since I joined R.A., I have led a more successful and happy life. I now spend my Saturday nights watching T.V. and occasionally even conversing with my family, when they are not at the evil races. I purchased a boat when I sold my racecar, and I expect that I may use it one day. Yes, I have fallen off the wagon a few times, usually around Classic Weekend, but I’m trying to get better. Yes, my beer bill has increased, but my tire bill hasn’t. I even buy another small block super every now and then to prove my strength, which will all sit around my garage in various states of repair. I love not racing, and I extend my hand to anyone who would like to join me this summer for R.A. meetings. I will be contacting some drivers/owners, whom I also will leave nameless, such as “Mike B“, “Russ B”, “Eddie H”, “Kevin K”, “Pitt W”, and “Jack P” (names abbreviated to maintain their privacy), who were recommended to me by “JJ A”, that he feels could benefit from our meetings.”

---- Just remember our slogan, made up by fellow members, ex-racers named “Andy N” and “Chris P” - a non-racer is a happy racer! It makes sense.

 

Gater News - February 24th, 2010

 

Gater News - February 10th, 2010

 

Gater News - January 12th, 2010

 

Gater News - December 14th, 2009

 

Gater News - November 18th, 2009

 

Gater News - October 21st, 2009

 

Gater News - October 14th, 2009

 

Gater News - October 7th, 2009

 

Gater News - Sept. 30th, 2009

 

Gater News - Sept 22nd, 2009