Gater News - July 2nd, 2009
People think it’s easy. As you read this, it’s been almost two
weeks since I’ve seen any races, and I’m starting to get itchy.
A mid-season hiatus from racing for me due to our daughter
Chelsea’s high school graduation ( and big party - thanks to
everyone who made it!), and an Independence Day party with some
friends in New Jersey have kept me away from the tracks. Sure,
I miss the races, but there is certainly life outside of
racing. It took me a long time to figure that out, but that’s
part of why I no longer race full time. I’ll be happy to get
back to see my racing buddies in another week or so.
---- This week’s Oswego Speedway holiday race should be pretty
exciting. It’s the Burritt Motors and Davis Brothers Memorial
Night. The racing will consist of the Jim Shampine Memorial
Super 58, the Tony White Memorial SBS 34, Midstate Antique
Modifieds, and a great Fireworks display. Also, the Domicolo &
Barlow Band will be playing after the races. A kids autograph
session will start the night at 5:45.
---- The BIG ONE is coming up next week, though! Oswego
Speedway’s website is billing it as the “Richest Winged Super
payday in history”. Here’s the press release, posted on the
speedway website on June 24th… “Four months of hype are just
about over as the first ever $10,000 to win “King of Wings”
supermodified event is set for the Oswego Speedway on Saturday
July 11th. Thirty eight race teams from MSA, ISMA and the Oswego
Speedway have pre-registered and are set to do battle for the
richest first place check ever offered for winged supermodifieds.
The historic racing night is sponsored by Burkes Do-It Best Home
Centers, Community Bank, N.A. and AT&T. As the month of June
passes into July each group of teams will have one last race
before the big July 11th date at the Oswego Speedway. MSA will
have done battle at Sandusky Speedway in Ohio on June 27th,
Oswego teams will have run the Jim Shampine Memorial on July 4th
and ISMA will have run their annual Tuesday night affair at
Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut on July 7th. Each of
these events will serve as one last chance for the thirty eight
pre-registered teams to get their equipment ready to chase that
big $10,000 check at the Oswego Speedway on July 11th.
---- This MSA sanctioned event has drawn a great cross sample
from all three racing groups that represent the very best
supermodified drivers in North America. It is expected that some
additional Oswego regulars will join the field on race day along
with some New England area ISMA teams that would be heading to
Cayuga Speedway in Canada for a scheduled ISMA race on Sunday
afternoon July 12th. The car count on hand in the infield of the
Oswego Speedway for the “King of Wings” event is likely to
exceed forty supermodifieds and set a regular season record.
The weekend kicks off at 6:00 on Friday night July 10th with the
annual WSEN & Syracuse Nationals Mid-Summer Super Cruise and
Party in the Pits. Saturday morning at 10:00 it’s the 2009 Days
Inn & Scottish Inns Old Timers Reunion behind the back
grandstands. After the reunion ends at 4:00 the action shifts
into the speedway as the front and back grandstands open and
race team practice begins. The PathFinder Bank SBS Series will
be in competition, running a regular 30 lap feature with an
extra large first place check of $1,000.
---- A win in the “King of Wings” event will trigger a $20,000
bonus available only to that driver if he comes back to the
Oswego Speedway on Saturday August 1st and wins the 23rd annual
non-winged “Mr. Novelis Supermodified” event. Both wins will pay
$10,000 each and that driver will then collect the $20,000 AT&T
“Rollover Bonus” making his payday a cool $40,000 for the two
wins. The driver can compete in each race in different cars of
he chooses. It all starts with the richest winged supermodified
first place check in history at the Burkes Do-It Best Home
Centers, Community Bank, N.A. and AT&T “King of Wings” event at
the Oswego Speedway on July 11th.
---- Go to the website at
www.oswegospeedway.com for a list of the thirty eight
pre-registered drivers. I won’t be surprised if this list is
well over 40 cars by the time you read it, or by the time of the
race.
---- My crystal ball has been working pretty well this
season. I was looking at my pre-season predictions, and it
looks like I’m doing pretty well. Check this out…
---- Supermodified top eleven, listed in the order I picked
them, followed by where they actually are as of today:
11th - Okay, this was my biggest miss. I picked Stephen Gioia
III to finish 11th, but he’s currently in 5th.
10th - Jason Spaulding is 13th, but he won’t be staying there.
9th - Bob Magner - he is 9th.
8th - Ray Graham - right on again. He’s 8th.
7th - Tim Snyder - he’s 6th.
6th - Jerry Curran - he’s 7th.
5th - My other mistake. I didn’t know he was going to skip a
race. Greg Furlong is 11th.
4th - Pat Lavery. - Exactly.
3rd - Otto Sitterly - he’s 1st.
2nd - Doug Didero - Exactly again.
1st - Joey Payne - He’s 3rd right now.
---- I did even better with the small block supermodified s:
10th - Barry Kingsley is 14th. Thanks for screwing me, Barry!
9th - Dave Danzer - Missed by one. He’s 8th.
8th - Jack Patrick - Off by one again. He’s 9th.
7th - Rob Pullen - He’s 10th right now.
6th - Kevin Knopp - Off by one again. He’s 5th.
5th - Brian Sobus - He’s 7th.
4th - Dave Cliff - He’s in 3rd.
3rd - Mike Bond - He’s 2nd.
2nd - Dave Gruel - He’s in 1st.
1st - Russ Brown - He’s 4th right now.
---- Pretty good, huh? Maybe I should predict my next finish
as a driver….
---- Bobby Bond is still in pretty rough shape after his
supermodified accident in the ISMA race at Toledo Speedway on
June 12th. Bond was in a hard crash on lap 48 of the event,
when he tangled with Rich Reid. He hit the wall so hard that
his right front tire was ripped off, but was still attached by a
tether, that crushed the foot box area, pinning his foot. Bond
hobbled to our grad party on crutches last week, and I resisted
picking on him. He’ll be down for awhile, as he’s also out of
work due to his injuries. Maybe he should take up basket
weaving.
---- I’m disappointed that Lou LeVea Sr. has parted from the
supermodified ride in the Coon-France Motorsports #03, after a
disagreement between Lou and the car owners Mike France and Dick
Coon. Their last race as a team was a MSA winged race at Lorain
County Speedway in Ohio. Lou Jr. will continue to drive the
#04, with an eye on the rookie of the year title. It’s none of
my business what happened with the team, but it’s a shame to see
them split. LeVea really put the team on the map last year with
a solid, consistent season, and an 8th place finish in the
points. Lou also won the rookie of the year honors with his
performance.
---- Thanks to everyone for the kind words about my recent
column and blog about Father’s Day a couple of weeks ago. I
apparently touched a lot of people with my words, and I thank
everyone who talked to me about it. If you missed it, you can
find it
www.gaternews.com.
Gater News - June 24th, 2009
The small block supermodified drivers found a way to fill the
two week hiatus while Oswego Speedway is shuttered. Last
Friday, a NORA sanctioned small block supermodified race took
place at Spencer Speedway, in Williamson, N.Y.
---- Let’s see if you can guess who won our feature at
Spencer. I’ll give you a hint: it’s the same guy that always
wins.
---- Dave Gruel has now won four out of the five small block
supermodified races that have been run this year. And if you go
back to last year, he’s now five of six. If it wasn’t for Mike
Bond, this division would be known as “the Dave Gruel
Supermodifieds”. In spite of his awesome roll though, Gruel
remains humble. As far as I know, he hasn’t had to purchase a
larger helmet. That’s got to be torture for car owner Tim
Barbeau, who against the advice of his personal life coach,
decided to step out from behind the wheel to let Gruel drive
it.
---- Dave Cliff wanted to keep Gruel honest, but never really
got a shot at him. Cliff looked like the hardest working driver
out there from my vantage point, as he ran high, low, and in
between to get to the front. But a long 18 lap run, and a
determined Rob Pullen kept Cliff from having anything left for
Gruel by the time he got to second place. I bet five different
times I thought Cliff was wrecked or spun, but he saved it every
time. Always fun to watch Dave Cliff drive. He never gives
up. Rob Pullen held on for third.
---- Cliff did receive a little perk, however, for his
troubles. In addition to the 2nd place payday, Cliff received a
$100 bill from Lighthouse lanes, in a random draw. Thanks to
Lighthouse Lanes for the extra bonus.
---- Also thanks to race sponsor Chris Porter’s
www.sbsracingnews.com. Chris not only supports the small
block supers with excellent press coverage from his website, but
he’s also slapping down some cash for us. You really need to
check out the website for the great coverage, and several
interviews with the drivers. Great stuff. Thanks, SBSracing
news!
---- Our man Barry “Killer Kingsley” had a solid night in the
#23, earning his first career top five finish. Barry’s car was
pretty solid, and he was very happy with his 5th place finish.
Apparently in the future, Barry needs a bet for motivation, as a
friendly wager with his teammates J.J. Andrews and Chris Lupa
have earned him a couple of nice prizes. Two bottles of liquid
refreshment would be coming to the driver amongst the three of
us who finished furthest ahead of the three. Congratulations
Barry!
---- Barry asked me to thank everyone who helped or attended
his golf tournament fundraiser on Father’s day. The event was a
huge success; and a lot of fun! “I sure am appreciative for all
of the support and friendship”, said Kingsley.
---- Terry Solazzo was to drive the Rob Pullen #2 car, which
so far this season has been campaigned by Chip Wood, as a backup
to the TMS Racing Team cars of Mike Bond and Rob Pullen.
Solazzo had some problems in pre-race practice, though, and Mike
Bond was enlisted to take over the chores behind the wheel.
Bond drove the car to a 7th place finish.
---- Dave Danzer passed plenty of cars during the night. But
a tangle that sent him backwards, sent him to the rear. Danzer
kept the foot on the gas though, and worked his way back up to
8th at the finish. These young guys are persistent! He didn’t
seem the least bit shy earlier in the race, when he blew by the
outside of me for position.
---- Jack Patrick made his first trip to Spencer Speedway in
his Chrysler powered #9 Hedger Chassis machine. Jack ended up
ninth in the final rundown, and enjoyed the challenge of
Spencer. The car looked good, and he loaded it up damage-free
at the end of the night.
---- Dennis Richmond landed the ride behind the wheel of the
Shawn Walker #68 for the night. Richmond drove his first race
in the division, and stayed out of trouble the whole night to
land an 11th place finish.
---- Mark Castiglia had a blown radiator hose in the first
warmup session, but had it repaired no problem for the rest of
the night’s races. Castiglia finished 12th in the final
rundown.
---- My other teammate, Chris Lupa took the seat of his car
for the first time in a couple of seasons. The #46 ran pretty
good, and Lupa got some much-needed seat time. A spin to the
inside sent him to the rear of the field, but all of the other
cars missed him. Lupa also loaded the car at the end of the
night with no damage, which was his main goal for the evening.
---- Dennis Rupert enjoyed his second trip to Spencer, and was
also able to load his car on the trailer at the end. Last
week’s Dennis Rupert Racing fundraiser helped out the tire fund,
and he asked me to thank everyone who supported. The chicken
was great, the cookies were fresh, and the fruit roll-ups were
awesome!
---- Steve Abt was the only driver that suffered some damage
on the evening. On the first lap of the heat, after putting the
car sideways off of turn two, Abt took a flyer out into the ding
weeds off of the right tire of an elderly driver’s car. Steve
pointed the “finger of guilt” at me as he was being towed off of
the track, but we discussed it a little later. Just one of
those things, as I felt that Steve was maybe a little too
aggressive going into the third turn. I was wondering though,
when Steve rocketed into the air off of my tire, why it says “JJ
Andrews sucks” on the bottom of his belly pan. Did he plan to
do that?
---- It was fun to come out of semi-retirement with my #93
small block supermodified, even though not everything went as
planned. Racing is still fun, and I’m glad I took my car to
Spencer.
---- I ran fairly well in my heat race, and ended up with a
starting position of 5th for the feature. A tire change didn’t
work out as planned, so I think I was a little slower in the
feature. I was running okay though, and I had a solid shot at a
top five finish. The car ran great, and had no mechanical
problems, which was great. Some tentative driving on my part
held me back a little, but I escaped (almost) damage free at the
end of the day.
---- I was the victim of a ridiculous call by the race
director, which got me a 10th place finish at the end of the
feature, instead of the top five that I deserved. Jason Simmons
and Dave Danzer wrecked, sending Danzer spinning. The simple
act of me avoiding Danzer got me put to the rear, which made no
sense to me or anyone else that saw the incident. I made no
contact with anyone, never spun, never stalled or stopped, but
was penalized. I didn’t understand the blown call, but there
was no way to argue my case from the driver’s seat. I was left
to do nothing but chalk it up as a mistake.
---- “It’s a dumb rule…it’s the rule”, I once heard Andrew
Harpell say at a driver’s meeting. That’s all I could think of
when I got put to the rear for my non-involvement.
Coincidentally, I was told by NORA officials that Andrew Harpell
was the person that made the call to put me to the rear.
Apparently Harpell was in the tower helping with directing the
show, as the RoC mods were in competition on this night. Andrew
- you owe me one on that deal!
---- It sure felt great to be behind the wheel again, though.
I still love my racecar, and it was cool to be working on the
car with Mark and Scott like the old days. And it was also fun
teaming up with Barry and Lupa. Reminds me of why racing is so
much fun. I’m very much looking forward to the next NORA
Spencer race on July 17th.
---- I’ll have some more info soon about a couple of issues at
Spencer that annoyed some of our competitors. A $45 pit pass
and $10 a gallon race fuel price at the speedway made many of us
feel unwelcome. I’ll try to come up with an explanation for
these situations before our next race at Spencer.
---- Okay, I know that by the time you’re reading this, it’s
not Father’s Day any more. But I’m writing this on Father’s
day, so I hope you’ll let me be a little sappy for a few
minutes. And if not, that’s okay too. Just tune out for the
rest of the column. Later, I’ll be sure to get back to the
normal racing BS that I usually write.
---- A few of the guys in our division are fortunate enough to
have their fathers side by side with them to help with their
racing careers. Dave Cliff Sr. owns and fields the #06 small
block supermodified that is piloted by his son, Dave Jr.. Craig
Danzer is the driving force behind his son Dave’s #52 small
block super. Brian Sobus has had his moments of stress and
heartache behind the wheel of his family owned #79, but his
father Brian Sr. and family’s support always have him back at
the track for the next race. And I’ve known Dave Gruel for a
few years, and I’ve never seen him at the races without his Dad,
Dave Sr. Dave, Craig, Brian Sr., and Dave - thank you. Your
sons need you, and none of them would be where they are without
you. Don’t ever forget that.
---- I’m not limiting my congratulations to those four
fathers. Many of the drivers have fathers who are also
involved, in many different capacities. Bob Lupa (Chris), Dave
Bond (Mike), Bob Pullen (Rob), Tim LaRochelle (Josh), Duane
Heroth (Kreig), are all drivers’ fathers that I see or have seen
at the track in support of their driving sons. I apologize to
the other drivers’ Dads that I haven’t mentioned. You are all
appreciated and needed, and it’s great that you are able to be
there. Many drivers have Dads that aren’t or can’t be involved
for whatever reason, but I still recognize you for the
contribution that you have made to our sport. You made a
racecar driver - and put a special breed of person on this
earth.
---- As a father, I wish I was like you guys. No matter how
hard I tried, I have never been able to beg, bribe, or coerce
any of my kids to share my love of racing. My daughters, 19 and
18, apparently like other things, like boys and other yucky
stuff. My son John Jr., 17 next month, couldn’t be any less
interested in racing. And I can’t even bribe him with French
fries to get him to go to the races, like when he was little.
“J.J. Andrews Jr.” drove quarter midgets for awhile, but it
eventually became evident that he was just humoring me, and
wasn’t really into it. Hey - you like what you like. Never
figured out how to control that.
---- It really bothers me that I can’t race with my son. But
you can’t force your kids to like something that you like, no
matter how hard you try. If you guys have any suggestions,
please let me know. I would put John in my car in ONE SECOND if
he was the least bit motivated. While many of you guys use
racing to connect with and spend time with your families, racing
has only been a wedge with my children. My only chance now is
that maybe I’ll have a grandchild that I can trick into liking
racing down the road. J.J. Andrews III has a nice ring to it.
---- Don’t get me wrong. April and I have three great kids,
who will be great members of society. You would like every one
of them. Great personalities and awesome senses of humor. Not
sure where they got that. Lacey, Chelsea, and John - I love
you. You make my Father’s Day amazing!
---- Now to the sons: worship your father. Appreciate what
he’s done for you. He’s put his heart, soul, money, work, etc.
into racing for YOU. Yes, it’s also for his own
self-gratification. He enjoys it, too. But please tell him how
you feel. Thank him for his efforts. Don’t take him for
granted. You have no idea how stressed he is when you’re out on
the track. When you have a rough night, it’s worse for him than
it is for you. But he enjoys it more than you do when you do
win. The next time you think he’s barking at you, just let it
roll off your back.
---- Racecar drivers are badasses. We’re the toughest guys on
the planet, and for every one of us who are fortunate enough to
drive racecars, there are thousands out there who wish they were
us. I know it’s not really what racecar drivers do, but to all
of you sons out there - now is the time to show Dad your soft
side for a minute. Tell Dad you love him - I dare you. Just
watch the look on his face. It’ll be well worth any
embarrassment that you may feel.
---- When I was 14 years old, my Dad, Bob Andrews and I built
my first racecar. This wasn’t a quarter midget or a microd or a
go-cart or anything like that. It was a 1967 Chevy Impala
“amateur division” car for Weedsport Speedway, that lasted a
total of three weeks. First race was on July 8th, 1979. Charlie
Fletcher welded a roll cage into it, and it was about as
primitive as you could get. After that car was destroyed, we
cut the roll cage out with a torch and welded it into a ‘72
Lemans 4 door, which we flat-towed with a tow bar until we hit
the big time and bought a trailer. Not too far down the road,
when I was 16, Dad moved me up to Street Stock at Brewerton and
Fulton Speedway. Not because I was ready, but because he cut a
great deal over a Schaefer draft with Pete Compeau, who was in
the mood to get out of racing that day. Probably needed some
beer money. Dad was there when I took my first checkers, in a
consi at Brewerton over Sam Reakes III. Somewhere there’s a
picture of me in that #16 Chevelle, with an angry Reakes in the
background, protesting to the flagman about some injustice that
he felt I had done.
---- A year or so later, my racing career took a turn when Dad
had his heart attack. He fought back to half speed over the
next year and a half, and passed away in 1982. He was only 52
years old. The night he died, my brother Bob and I, and our
friend Mike Bond had just returned home from watching the races
at Weedsport Speedway, if I remember correctly.
---- He would have enjoyed my racing at Oswego Speedway,
because he was a pavement guy. He raced the paved (they called
the surface “macadam” in those days) speedways at Brewerton and
other places in the 50’s. Bob Andrews drove a few different
cars, some numbered ½, but only had a limited career as a
driver. More of his racing was as crew or occasional driver for
his brothers Bernie and Ron Andrews, when he was home on leave
from the Marine Corps. I can still feel the bump that Dad made
me feel on his nose from when he flipped Uncle Bernie’s car into
Archie Green’s junkyard, which was off the first turn of
Brewerton Speedway.
---- When I won my feature at Oswego Speedway in 2001, the
first thing I thought of was how much my father would have
enjoyed it. Dad had been gone for 19 years, but he was the first
person that I thought of. He never took us to Oswego Speedway as
kids, but I bet he would have been there to watch me race. He
would have thought that a small block supermodified was the
coolest thing. And he would have encouraged me to have a Ford
engine in it - not an old “stove bolt Chevy”, as he called
them. Dad would have been a lot of fun in the pits. We
probably would have been involved in a few fights, too. Bob
Andrews was a tough bar owner and Marine with a short fuse and a
love for life. I inherited one half of that. You guys would
have liked him. I’ve got some stories if you’re interested.
---- I’d pay a lot of money to have my Dad bark at me in the
pits or the garage. Or give me an awkward man hug. And I would
very much enjoy to see that look on his face when I tell him “I
love you”.
Gater News - June 17th, 2009
Wow! If you weren’t at Oswego Speedway last week, you missed
out! Two features, two great races, two exciting finishes.
---- Amazingly, Doug Didero, who had been in a horrible wreck
the previous week, was back in action Saturday. After initial
reports that the Xtreme supermodified would be out of action for
awhile due to the extensive damage, nobody was shocked to see
the hauler enter the pits on race day. Remember - the car was
built from start to finish in less than a month previous to
Classic last year. So the fact that builder Paul Colloca could
work miracles was already established.
---- And as in the past, the car came out of the trailer ready
to rock. And rock it did. The car was the only supermodified
that cracked the 17 second mark during the feature, and the
stunt was completed with another victory. Just amazing, once
again. Congratulations to Doug Didero, Paul and Megan Colloca,
and the rest of the Xtreme crew.
---- It wasn’t an easy win, though. It looked like it may be
a runaway, when Didero blew by everyone and opened up a big
lead. But it’s never going to be easy when you’ve got a guy
like Joey Payne in the race behind you. Payne led several laps,
and for awhile it looked as though Joey may finally get that
first ever non-winged feature win at Oswego Speedway. Didero
spoiled that hope for awhile, but Payne never gave up. Even as
Didero stretched out the gap, Payne still had to fight with
McKnight to hold second.
---- But as the laps wound down, Didero encountered a bunch of
lapped traffic. Maybe he was slowing down, too, or the car was
going away. I doubt he was getting complacent. But Payne and
McKnight caught up at the end, and Joey came within inches of
pulling off the shocker. On the last turn of the last lap,
Payne had one shot, and a very good one. Joey got all the way
beside the #3 for the lead and win, but there just was not quite
enough in the high groove for the surprise ending. But it sure
made for a finish that people will be talking about for months!
---- John “Luther” Gray has officially entered the record
books as a competitor in the supermodified division. Luther was
offered the opportunity to race Keith Gilliam’s car as a payback
for all of the good he has done for the Make-A-Wish foundation.
Luther ran the qualifying heat, starting right behind legend
Bentley Warren, earning his spot in the record books forever.
Great gesture by Gilliam, and quite a thrill for Gray. I was
told that the “oops I crapped my pants underbritches” did not
quite catch everything.
---- Keith Gilliam was allowed to then race the feature in the
car (since there was not a full field), and looked quite
impressive, coming home in 7th place. Of course, we all
complimented Luther for the fine run in the feature, and gave
him all of the credit. Isn’t that how it goes? Gilliam does
something nice for someone, then gets busted on for it. It is
the opinion of many of us that maybe Luther should run next
time, as well.
---- The legend Bentley Warren was in competition in the #15
supermodified, finishing in 10th place. Bentley started 19th
and slowly worked his way up to 10th at the finish, not quite
the finish that the team had hoped for. The car looked very
scary to drive in warm-ups, as Bentley looked every lap as
though he may be going for a ride into the fence. Didn’t seem
to bother him though, as he kept the foot buried right in the
throttle no matter where the rearend of the car was headed.
---- Dave Sanborn out of Tilton, N.H., along with his
entourage made his second visit ever at Oswego as a driver of an
un-winged super. Sanborn had a good time, and was able to
complete his successful mission of loading the car into the
trailer without the assistance of a tow truck. (Or as he said
it with his New England accent “a wreckah”.) He did bang up
some rear sheet metal by backing it into the fence, but a
well-timed speedway light malfunction gave him a half hour to
get the car back together, on the lead lap.
---- Sanborn’s supermodified experience has been as a winged
ISMA racer, but he is very intrigued by racing at the famous
Oswego Speedway. In 2009, Dave is “using my ISMA money to fund
my Oswego habit”. Dave raced with ISMA at Waterford Speedway on
May 23rd, finishing 11th. That $1000 was put aside to help
finance Dave’s trip to Oswego this weekend. Dave’s Oswego
winnings will help get him to the July 7th Stafford Speedway
ISMA race, which is only a couple of hours from his home. And
then his Stafford winnings, two races from now, are already
earmarked for a trip back to Oswego Speedway in late July.
Suggestion: I recommend that Dave save a couple of bucks from
his winnings to buy a pair of sunglasses. He had the most scary
looking sty on his eye that I’d ever seen….
---- I did a fun interview with the colorful Sanborn last
week, and I’d like you to read it. You can find that on my blog
at
www.gaternews.com. Might be good for a laugh!
---- Keith Shampine made his first appearance of the season in
the Randy Daratt owned #88. Shampine has been sharing the wheel
with Bob Reis in 2009. It wasn’t the most successful journey
for Shampine, who was credited with a DNF 18th in the final
rundown. The 88 was sporting a nice new body that was built by
Xtreme Chassis. Shampine lasted 30 laps, turning some decent
times, before his premature exit.
---- Dan Connors Jr. was back in action in the supermodified
division after a nasty wreck the previous week. Connors was
also a DNF on the evening, however, credited with a 20th place
when his evening ended after 15 laps. Good to see the young
driver back, though, after the hard hit.
---- The small block supermodified season was equally
awesome. The racing has just been outstanding at Oswego
Speedway this year, and this was another example.
---- I had my doubts. You don’t just hop into a small block
supermodified and know how to do it. Especially when you’re a
young racer, and most of your experience is behind the wheel of
a dirt car. Plus, he wasn’t able to attend the pre-season open
practice, OR a track rental the following week, to start
learning how to drive a pavement car. “That kid won’t crack 20
seconds before July”, a crotchety old driver / columnist
scoffed. “These cars take a lot of seat time. What’s Tom
thinking of?”
---- Andrew Schartner proved me wrong. In a big way. In just
his fourth feature ever in Tom Aaserud’s small block super, the
rookie came very close to winning a feature. After fighting off
Stan Gates on lap two, Schartner went on to lead the next 27
laps of a 30 lap feature. He drove an excellent line, turned
great times, and only a bonzai move by a Hall of Famer cost him
the win. I hereby eat my words. This kid’s got some natural
ability, great equipment, excellent teachers, and a great future
behind a steering wheel. Wherever that takes him. Great find,
Tom!
---- But leave it to the amazing Mike Bond to steal Andrew’s
thunder. Bond started 10th, and methodically sliced his way
through the field, ripping the win away from the Crow
Motorsports ride with an amazing - and clean - pass right at the
end. Bond seemed to find a new trick this week, patented a few
years ago by supermodified driver Randy Ritskes, called the
“ballsout crazy third turn dive”.
---- Ritskes perfected this move a few years ago, passing a
lot of cars, and causing a lot of excitement. It’s kind of
risky, but it sure is a lot of fun to watch. Especially if you
don’t have any equipment on the speedway.
---- And one other fact about the “ballsout crazy third turn
dive”… the other drivers HATE it. I’ve had it done to me
before, and it scares the crap out of you. It’s not illegal,
it’s not dirty driving, and it’s only slightly dangerous. But
you really hate to have it played on you.
---- Russ Brown had some problems with the Ford engine in the
Ray Pike owned Hedger car, and changed back to a Chevy engine
for last week’s race. They’re still searching for some speed,
but another podium finish will keep the team in a decent place
in the point standings.
---- And one other great fact, speaking of Hedger cars - the
dominance of the FFB small block super chassis was not evident
last week, with Ray Hedger built frames grabbing half of the top
ten finishing positions. 2nd (Schartner), 3rd (Brown), 6th
(Brian Sobus), 8th (Jack Patrick), and 9th (Dave Danzer). As a
Hedger guy, I’m happy to see it!
---- Great runs for Rob Pullen (4th), Brian Sobus (6th), and
Guard Nearbin (12th) who have been struggling quite a bit this
year. All three guys are shaking off the slumber of the early
season, and getting the cars faster.
---- Dave Danzer and crew had a long day at the speedway.
After installing a new rearend in the car during the week, a
problem with that rearend during the first warmup necessitated a
change back to the old rear. Changing a rearend in one of these
cars isn’t a ten minute project, and to do it at the racetrack
makes it that much tougher. But the job was completed in time
for the heat, and Danzer went on to a 9th place finish in the
final rundown.
---- Dave Cliff was involved in every accident, it seemed.
But the car didn’t get damaged in either of the scrapes, and he
kept charging from the back. Cliff passed about a hundred cars,
and finished 10th at the end of the day.
---- Stan Gates received a lot of damage to his Ford powered
#28 machine in one of those tangles with Cliff. Apparently the
two cars brushed wheels as Cliff was attempting a pass, and
Gates ended up with a very hard impact, which caused a ton of
damage. Bent clip, a lot of body work, etc., will require a lot
of work.
---- Gregg Davis made his first appearance of the year in the
Shawn Walker #68. Davis and Walker have struck a deal for Davis
to drive the car a few times this year when Walker isn’t
available, or has other plans. Davis ended up 15th in the long
run.
---- IT’S SPENCER SPEEDWAY TIME! The NORA small block supers
return to Spencer Speedway this Friday, June 19th, for the first
time since 2007. Many of us are very excited about hitting the
track again, and are breaking our cars out of cold storage to do
it.
---- NORA officials and competitors are very excited about the
return to Spencer Speedway, and there is a decent chance that
there will be 20 small block supers in attendance for the
event. NORA has a long history at Spencer Speedway, and have
put on some amazing races at the speedway. The racing in the
small block super division has been excellent in 2009, so expect
a great show from us at Spencer this week.
---- J.J. Andrews and Chris Lupa are making our first driving
appearances of the year for this race, and I can’t wait to work
the kid over. Of course, I’m sure he feels the same way, but we
all know he can’t measure up to the greatness that is ME.
---- I am pretty excited about my return to the cockpit, after
being Barry Kingsley’s full time assistant to the assistant crew
chief. It’s going to feel good to shake the cobwebs off, and
give a run to the ol’ 93. It’s a sweet old car, and I can’t
wait to see what she’ll do. Driving a racecar is like riding a
bike. I hope.
---- One concern that I have: most of the cars at Oswego this
year are 3-4 tenths faster than they were last year. Does that
mean that storage has made my car faster, as well? I hope so.
See you there! Please come down and say hello - even if I DON’T
win.
---- On June 20th, Dennis Rupert will be holding a fundraiser
for his small block supermodified team. The chicken barbecue
will be held at the Crazy Gator, in Fulton, N.Y. and will
feature some delicious chicken, macaroni salad, baked beans, and
maybe some other special surprises. (Word on the street is that
fruit roll-ups will be included with every 5th meal.) Be there
at11:00AM, until 3 O’clock, or until the chickens are all
gone.
---- And then on Sunday, June 21st, is the Barry Kingsley
Racing golf outing / fundraiser. Barry’s trying to assemble a
bunch of people to share a few laughs, hit some golf balls, and
raise a couple of bucks for his small block supermodified. The
golf starts at 9:00AM at Tamarack Golf Club in Scriba, N.Y. $30
includes 9 holes of golf, a cart, and all the jokes you can
bring. But that’s not all. After the golf, an excellent meal
will be served at the Front Door Tavern in Oswego, starting at
noon. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, salt potatoes, salads, and
other goodies will get golfers fed, all of which are included
for FREE for the $30 ticket. So what if you can’t make the
golf, but you still want to eat and support Barry? Come on
down, bring $8.00, and join the fun! For more information, to
contribute, or to buy a hole, please call Barry at
315-374-6195.
---- And don’t forget - NO racing at Oswego Speedway for the
next two weeks. The mid-June graduation hiatus last for two
weeks at the track this year,with the next race being on July
4th. Can you wait?
Gater News - June 10th, 2009
Another amazing night of close racing at Oswego Speedway this
week. You had to be impressed by how close and competitive the
racing was in both divisions.
---- After the season opening supermodified practice at Oswego
Speedway, many people were concerned that one car, the #3 Xtreme
car driven by Doug Didero, would dominate the division, and make
it a boring season. The best thing for the division this year is
that although Didero has been fast, he has NOT been dominant.
The division looks pretty evenly matched this year, and I expect
to see a lot of different winners. There are several different
drivers that are ready, willing, and able to win this year, and
it looks like it’s going to be a great season for the supers at
Oswego!
---- Stephen Gioia III jumped out to the early lead, and
looked for a long time as though he may join the “Thousand
Dollar Club”, which is the exclusive club where only Oswego
Speedway feature winners can hangout. You could feel the
excitement in the air as fans toyed with the idea of Gioia’s
name entering the same record book as his father, track owner
and legend Steve Gioia Jr. The nine was really cookin’, and it
was a great moment in the making! Gioia was eventually passed
by Tim Snyder, then eventual winner Otto Sitterly, but held on
for a very solid third place finish. He turned some excellent
times, and turned a lot of heads.
---- Tim Snyder over the winter was in a tough spot. His team
owned a Hawk Chassis, which had been one of the fastest cars at
the track a few years ago. But the tide was turning, as Paul
Colloca’s new Xtreme cars were making a lot of noise. The
decision was made to sell the car, and then decide after that
which direction to head for the 2009 season. That didn’t work
out, as it’s very difficult to sell a race car for anything near
what it’s worth. So what do you do now? He didn’t want to
alienate Joe Hawksby, who had brought him to prominence with one
of the original Hawk Chassis. But it was obvious that the Hawks
were falling behind, and Joey Hawksby’s new position as a full
time teacher of the Motorsports Fabrication department at Oswego
County BOCES would make it harder to catch up or develop a new
car.
---- So how about a mixture of the two chassis brands? I don’t
know who came up with the idea, but it was smart. Snyder’s Hawk
Chassis would head to Colloca’s Xtreme shop, and have the front
suspension reworked / updated similar to the Xtreme cars that
were looking as though they may be the dominant car for 2009.
Saturday night it looked like that experiment may be working
well, as Snyder was very fast on the way to his 2nd place
finish. My suggestion for a name for this new combo car?
Frankenstein!
---- Otto Sitterly emerged as the favorite after methodically
picking his way through the field for the win. It was a
textbook example of the fastest car, driving a smart race, doing
just what he had to do to win, without taking chances. After a
third place finish on opening day, Otto and the John Nicotra
team have certainly established themselves as favorites to
contend for back to back championships.
---- Pat Lavery had another solid run, just missing the podium
finish, coming home in 4th. Lavery had a long battle with Doug
Didero, as Didero tried everything he could think of to pass the
Double Deuce Racing #2, but never got by. But after listening
to Chris Porter’s interview with Lavery on the
www.superracingnews.com website, it is apparent that the
team player was more concerned with damage inflicted to his
teammate Bobby Magner’s car in an early race crash, than
celebrating his own good fortune. Lavery’s season so far has
consisted of a 7th place finish, and two 4th place finishes in
his first three races.
---- Doug Didero was in a horrible wreck in the Xtreme Chassis
#3, when he cracked the wall coming off of turn two. Didero was
running hard, trying to pass Lavery, when his car got loose, and
snapped around. It was a horrible hit, and Didero was very slow
climbing out of the car. We were very relieved to see that he
was okay, as it sounded like a bomb exploded when he hit the
wall. Didero’s crew reports that it will be a few weeks before
the car is repaired, as the damage was very extensive /
expensive.
---- If my calculations are correct, Joey Payne will win his
first supermodified race for Strong Racing on the $10,000 to
win night. Here’s how I’ve come to that conclusion: Payne
finished 9th in his first race of the year, the winged race at
Oswego. Two weeks ago, he was 8th. Last week - 7th. See where
this is headed? If my math is correct, this week he’ll crack
off a 6th place finish, then it will be all top fives up until
August 1st, which is exactly six Oswego races from now.
---- Oh - and the other way I figured that out? The team
expects to finish their new car up during the second half of
June, when Oswego is on its two week hiatus because of typically
lightly attended graduation weekend. The new car AND the new
engine, which engine builder Doug Holmes is trying to get them
to run this week in the current car, should be a whole different
kettle of fish, starting off with a bang on July 4th.
---- Surprise! That’s what “Mr. Stubborn”, Bobby Bond said
when he surprised everyone by showing up with his car on
Saturday night. Just a few short weeks ago, as I continued my
repeated grilling trying to get him to get over himself and
bring the car back despite his hard feelings, he reminded me
once again that “I don’t care if I ever go back there”. The
wedge was buried, the line was drawn in the sand, the decision
was cast in stone, and any other anecdotes that you can think
of. For the longest time, I thought he was just being a baby,
and would eventually get his head out of his @#$ and show up.
He finally convinced me that he wasn’t coming, and I gave up on
him. Mr. Stubborn was serious. And also - since we’ve been
friends for such a long time, he or Larry or Eddie would
certainly give me the scoop that he’s coming back, if he was
actually coming back.
---- Somehow, he got a brainstorm to retrofit the front end
from the independent front suspension to a legal solid axle
car. He and the guys started on Wednesday, and had the car
ready for Saturday. He ran well, finishing 8th in his first
race with the new setup. So will he now be a weekly competitor
at Oswego. “Nah…I’m still running with ISMA. I just wanted to
make sure the car is ready with the solid axle, for the $10,000
to win race and Classic”, said Bob. But do we really know?
Great to have you back, Bubs, however often you do make it. A
pleasant surprise.
---- Coming this week: the debut of a Mr. John “Luther” Gray,
in the supermodified division! At Luther’s Make-A-Wish party
early this year, Keith Gilliam offered up his super for a night
for Luther, to repay him for his years of charity in raising
over $100,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Well this week is
the culmination of that promise, as Gilliam is turning over the
steering wheel to his buddy. It’s not just a slow lap or hot
lap thing, either. Luther’s running the heat, earning points,
and will forever have his name in the Oswego Speedway record
books as a COMPETITOR in the supermodified division. How many
of you can say that?
---- So if he likes it or does well, Luther will be given the
option to drive the feature, as well, if he wants to.
Otherwise, Gilliam will take a scratch position in the feature,
or possibly run a different heat. My fear is that if Luther
goes out and laps the field in his heat, then does the same in
the feature, that a wedge may be driven between the friends. So
do we have to root for Luther to fail, so Keith doesn‘t hate him
for showing him up?
---- Seriously, it’s a great gesture for Gilliam to put an
untrained driver in his $70,000 machine, with no strings
attached. And a well earned perk for Luther, who does so much
for so many, who gets to live a dream.
---- Very tragically, supermodified racer Tim Timms passed
away two weeks ago. The Canadian Timms was a rookie in the
supermodified division, and had only raced a few times prior to
his passing. A great tribute to Timms was done by announcer Roy
Sova, and his untimely passing was definitely in the hearts and
minds of the fans and competitors at Oswego Speedway.
---- Everyone at Oswego Speedway also had supermodified racer
Shawn Muldoon on their minds, who had been in a horrible stuck
throttle accident the week before. Muldoon’s injuries were
numerous, and his hospital stay will be lengthy, as he requires
several surgeries for broken bones and other injuries. Muldoon
is apparently in good spirits despite his injuries, and very
thankful for all of the help and support from his many racing
friends.
---- Last week at the speedway the competitors in both
divisions went through the stands and the pits with their
helmets, collecting donations for Muldoon’s medical expenses.
In an incredible outpouring of affection, friends and fans
contributed over $4,200 toward the fund, showing what great
people our community can be. If you’d like to send Shawn a card
(or contribution),the address is: Shawn Muldoon, 395 County
Route 20, Oswego, NY 13126-4500. Get well soon, Shawn - we all
have you in our thoughts!
---- I’ll never forget my first - and only small block super
win at Oswego. I led most of the race, but one guy pursued me
cleanly the whole time. Watching the video later I found out
that he was inches from my bumper, high and low, but NEVER
touched me. That guy was Shawn Muldoon.
---- Speedway tech Mike Bozzuto called a special meeting to
address the stuck throttle situation. Bozzuto is being
proactive, trying to prevent any further accidents or injuries.
A new type of kill switch, either attached to the brake pedal or
the throttle pedal is now mandatory for the supers, who have had
four stuck throttles in the last season or two. It was not felt
that this kill switch was necessary for the small block supers,
as they haven’t had that type of problem. So why wait? I
submit that maybe it would be a good idea anyway, and maybe
eliminate a problem before it happens. It’s not impossible to
get a stuck throttle in a small block super, and I’ve got the
stained underwear to prove it.
---- Can anyone beat Dave Gruel in the small block
supermodified division? There have been three features this
year, and Dave has won every one of them. And just for good
measure, Gruel won the last feature of 2008, for a total of FOUR
in a row. He’s off to an amazing start in Tim Barbeau’s car,
and has been unbeatable. How long before he starts getting real
cocky and full of himself, and makes everyone hate him? Like
Kyle Busch?
---- But once again, it wasn’t handed to him. This week he
started fifth, which was still ahead of a lot of the big dogs.
He took the lead on lap 5, but Mike Bond and Dave Cliff caught
him on lap 16, and did everything they could to pass him. It
was an incredibly entertaining race, as three great drivers put
on a driving exhibition racing cleanly with each other. These
three drivers have emerged as the top dogs, and had everyone on
their feet for the whole race. Great driving and great
equipment.
---- Oh - and one other fact about Gruel. He turned the
fastest lap all day - a 19.241 second lap while winning his heat
race. It’s no fluke that he keeps winning - he’s the fastest
car. But this week, no matter what, he’ll be starting 12th or
worse. He’ll have to pass every good car. If he wins this
week, we’ll have no choice but to bow in his presence every time
we see him. And I’ll end this thought with this teaser: Gruel.
Supermodified. Something’s up.
---- Mike Bond and Dave Cliff’s battle behind Gruel was one
for the ages. Just like the supermodified race two weeks ago
that saw Doug Didero and Otto Sitterly battling behind Ray
Graham, these guys were well worth the price of admission.
(Which was only ten bucks - same as this week.) Mike and Dave
had some contact the week before, but they proved that bygones
are bygones, and put that stuff behind them. Just great driving
- a lot of fun to watch.
---- Dave Danzer had a solid 4th place finish, after leading a
few laps. Danzer turned some excellent 19.3 second laps, and is
surely a contender for some more decent finishes - and maybe
another win in 2009 to back up his first win in ‘08. He got
passed by some really solid competitors and held off Kevin Knopp
at the end.
---- Have to recognize Jason Simmons and Stan Gates for some
exciting side by side action for several laps. The two friends
put on quite a battle, but Simmons eventually held the advantage
due to some bumper assistance from Kevin Knopp. Maybe it was an
optical illusion, as Simmons never seemed to get loose, but it
looked to me like he was sure getting a few extra shoves from
Knopp while he and Gates were running side by side. It was a
great race to watch, along with the other wars that were
happening on the speedway.
---- I hate to see Brian Sobus struggle so much in 2009.
Brian’s just as good of a driver as those cars that are
dominating the races lately, but he just hasn’t been able to get
the car going as well as he needs to. Although many people
would be satisfied with two 10th’s and a 7th so far this year, I
can assure you that he and his team are not. Brian, along with
Dave Danzer, Jack Patrick, Russ Brown, and Andrew Schartner, are
working hard to get the Hedger Chassis machines back up front
with the FFB cars. It’s been tough so far, but Ray Hedger is at
the track every week, and I’m sure he has some tricks up his
sleeve that will get his cars back up front very soon. Probably
as soon as this week. Even though I’m not racing my own car so
far this year, I’m still a Hedger guy, and I know “we’ll” be
back soon. “Keep diggin’”, is Ray Hedger’s most famous quote.
---- Don’t forget, Russ Brown has been fast every week in the
Ray Pike owned Hedger house car. Brown had two thirds in the
first two weeks, and was running well last week before blowing a
hose on the Ford powered machine. His 21st place finish last
week will help him start ahead of some of the good cars this
week, so this may be his week.
---- Our guy Barry Kingsley had his share of fun last week.
He did get a couple of guys squawking at him after his heat
race, where he fought hard to maintain his 4th place handicap
spot, which would help him maintain a decent starting spot in
the feature. As we all know, starting position means
everything. Jack Patrick and Kevin Knopp both grumbled a
little. But a couple of spins in the feature caused problems
and damage for Barry, relegating him to a 15th place finish at
the end. Both incidents, involving Andrew Schartner and George
Knight, looked to me like the result of the classic “I was in
there and you came down” or the “I never saw you there”
scenario. First one was Schartner sticking his nose inside of
Barry, causing contact, and the second one was Barry sticking
his nose inside of Knight, causing contact. Barry’s not
usually one to assign blame, and took both accidents in stride.
(My scorecard had him as the victim in one, and the aggressor in
the other.) New nose, new bumper, try again this week.
---- Two weeks ago, a few of the rookie small block super
drivers had to be sent to the pits early because they were not
holding their line, and race director Chuck Handley was
concerned for the safety of them and others when the leaders
came up. Some of the guys were upset by this, and were
concerned about how they were supposed to learn, if they were
sent to the pits with perfectly good cars.
---- So last Saturday, Handley setup a special rookie only
pre-race practice to help get these drivers up to speed. It was
a great idea, and was much appreciated by the drivers who
attended. I thought that was a cool thing to do, and I give
Handley a big pat on the back for that. And he was rewarded by
some better rookie driving, which only helps the division in the
long run.
---- While it hadn’t been announced as of press time, I expect
an announcement that the NORA small block supermodified event
scheduled for June 27th at Shangri-La2 Speedway will be
cancelled. While in heavy construction, it is becoming apparent
that the facility will not be ready in time. July 4th weekend
may be the opening weekend, which would make it unlikely that
the NORA division could schedule a race there this season. I’m
sure it will be a beautiful facility when it is completed,
judging by the pictures on the speedway’s website. Hey - Rome
wasn’t built in a day!
---- Happy Birthday to Oswego, Weedsport, and sometimes
Brewerton Speedway announcer Joe Marotta. Joe recently
celebrated his millionth birthday, and shows no interest in
retirement. Joe is one of the true gentlemen of the sport. He
was a little under the weather last week, but he didn’t let that
hold him back.
---- Over at the Brewerton Speedway, I have to send a shout
out to my buddy Chad Phelps. I watch him and cheer for him all
the time, but apparently he can only win when I’m not there.
Chad’s got two wins now this year in the big block modified
division, beating many of the top dogs both times. The good
news is, this second win begs a change in his nickname status
from “the other Phelps” to “the Phelps”. Or “that Phelps Kid”.
It also affects his cousin Ryan Phelps’ nickname, who has now
become “the other Phelps.” Congratulations, Chad! Sorry I
missed it - and the accompanying awkward hug. I’ll give you
another shot this week!
---- On June 20th, Dennis Rupert will be holding a fundraiser
for his small block supermodified team. The chicken barbecue
will be held at the Crazy Gator, in Fulton, N.Y. and will
feature some delicious chicken, macaroni salad, baked beans, and
maybe some other special surprises. (Word on the street is that
fruit roll-ups will be included with every 5th meal.) Be there
at11:00AM, until 3 O’clock, or until the chickens are all
gone.
---- And then on Sunday, June 21st, is the Barry Kingsley
Racing golf outing / fundraiser. Barry’s trying to assemble a
bunch of people to share a few laughs, hit some golf balls, and
raise a couple of bucks for his small block supermodified. The
golf starts at 9:00AM at Tamarack Golf Club in Scriba, N.Y. $30
includes 9 holes of golf, a cart, and all the jokes you can
bring. But that’s not all. After the golf, an excellent meal
will be served at the Front Door Tavern in Oswego, starting at
noon. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, salt potatoes, salads, and
other goodies will get golfers fed, all of which are included
for FREE for the $30 ticket. So what if you can’t make the
golf, but you still want to eat and support Barry? Come on
down, bring $8.00, and join the fun! For more information, to
contribute, or to buy a hole, please call Barry at
315-374-6195.
Gater News - June 3rd, 2009
Very exciting night of racing this week at Oswego Speedway! Let
me tell you about it.
---- Ray Graham has been racing supermodifieds for several
years. Although he now lives in Iowa, he still travels all over
the northeast to race his supermodified, which is kept and
maintained locally, near Oswego, N.Y. The last several years,
Graham has concentrated on the ISMA series, hitting as many
shows as possible. He’s had mixed results, has run very fast,
and has great equipment. He also has run at Oswego
occasionally, sometimes with a wing, and sometimes without. But
the former small block supermodified champion had never been
able to put together that elusive first supermodified win at
Oswego Speedway.
---- Previous to the season, Graham made a decision to commit
to focusing on Oswego Speedway’s schedule of mostly non-winged
racing for the 2009 season. Over the winter, Graham worked with
supermodified expert Clyde Booth, sending the car to Booth’s
shop in North Carolina for some changes and updates. Booth has
often been a few steps ahead with some ideas, and it looks as
though he has a few tricks up his sleeve to share with Graham.
It was time to concentrate on one thing - that first super win
at Oswego. On opening night, during a winged MSA / Oswego combo
event, Graham had the race sewn up. Fastest car, big lead. But
then an electrical problem slowed the car, sending him to the
pits. It was a heartbreaker, but he didn’t let that get him
down. Congratulations to Ray Graham and crew for leading every
lap, and throwing that monkey off of his back finally. This
could be a banner year for Graham!
---- Although he led all of the laps, Graham had no cakewalk.
It was a classic battle between three great drivers. Doug
Didero and Otto Sitterly waged a major war against Graham and
each other. Sitterly made his way into second place on lap
three, and the race was on. Meanwhile, Didero was working
through the field from his 8th place starting position, and
joined the battle just after lap 10. Nobody used their seats for
the rest of the day, as the war was on! As Otto tried Graham on
the outside, he nearly crashed, allowing Didero to grab away the
second spot.
---- Then it was Didero’s turn to chase and hound and pester
Graham. And try he did, lap after lap. But Graham held his
line, and Didero was not able to go to the outside to make the
pass. Over the years, Didero has always been one to run the
bottom of the speedway, often faster than anyone else. But this
time, there was no outside lane to be had, and Graham did a
perfect job of holding his line on the inside of the speedway.
One mistake, and the race would have been Didero’s. But he
never made that mistake. Didero had the fastest lap of the
evening, at 17.024, but that was not enough. I see many epic
battles ahead this season for this trio, along with several
others who are still working out some bugs.
---- And another fact that makes the season look so exciting
for the supermodified division? How about a 23 car field of
supers? In 2008, the division struggled to have a 20 car field,
reaching a low of 13 supermodifieds on one scary night. But now
the supermodified division’s future looks so bright, they’ve
gotta wear shades. (They should make a song about that.)
---- One very scary downer on the evening though was a
horrendous crash during warm-ups. Shawn Muldoon flew into the
first turn wall when his throttle stuck, totally destroying his
super, but more importantly, sending Muldoon to the hospital.
Many rumors flew around about the extent of Muldoon’s injuries,
but I’ve not heard anything definite as of press time. None of
the rumors indicate that Muldoon’s injuries were life
threatening, but broken bones and bruises were the talk. Muldoon
was taken to Upstate Hospital in Syracuse, but that’s all that I
really know. As I write this, on Sunday after the races, I’ll
be checking the Oswego Speedway website and other websites for
updates about his condition. I’m sure
www.oswegospeedway.com will keep us updated.
---- Mike Ordway Sr. (he used to be just Mike Ordway, before
his son started running fast and winning races in the
supermodified division) was a surprise entry in the Stout Racing
#49 car. Ordway was fast, but did not tear through the field as
many thought he would. Ordway started 11th, and ran at or just
out of 10th for most of the race. But he did catch a few breaks
and pass a few cars in the last ten laps, ending up in 6th place
in the final rundown.
---- Keith Gilliam was running around the same spot, just out
of 10th for most of the race, as well. A late race tangle with
Dave McKnight could have been disastrous, as he was pinched when
he tried to move inside of McKnight. But Gilliam only suffered
minor damage to his front wing, and continued on to an 11th
place finish in the final tally. The word was that an evening
of dirt racing and karaoke singing the night before with some
really cool people was very excellent therapy, and really helped
to clear his mind for race day. (I don’t charge much for my
services…)
---- Todd Stowell made his first appearance of the season, and
his new light blue paint job looked extremely sharp.
Unfortunately, Stowell only completed 7 laps in the feature, and
had a few problems on opening night. But it’s great to see
Stowell back at the speedway, and I look forward to some strong
runs from the attractive, family owned #89 Xtreme Chassis.
---- Going over to the supermodified side of the pits last
week was like walking into a wall. There was an overwhelming
sense of tension from the super drivers about a rumor that
surfaced during the evening. I tried to get the rumor
confirmed, which would send a panic throughout the division, or
denied, which would allow the supermodified drivers to breathe a
sigh of relief. But I was only stonewalled when I asked this
direct question of Larry Muroski: “is it true that you are
planning to move to the supermodified division in 2010,as the
rumor mill has indicated?” And why wouldn’t he? He has nothing
left to prove in the small block supermodified division.
Muroski would neither confirm or deny the rumor, which in itself
leads me to this one suggestion for those in the supermodified
pits: be afraid - be VERY afraid.
---- Have you ever heard of leading every lap in the feature,
in the first time that you jumped into a new car? Okay - you’ve
probably heard of that. That’s been done. But how about doing
that three times? So far, Dave Gruel has led every lap (70) and
won every feature (3) that he has driven in Tim Barbeau’s #50
car. Quite a record, for sure. But the gravy train is over now
for Gruel. Dave was able to capitalize on a poor finish and
blown motor at the end of the 2008 season to handicap to the two
cakewalks in 2009. But that ship has officially sailed, and
he’ll have to work for the rest of the season.
---- Gruel in essence traded a $5,000 blown motor last year
for two feature wins this year - a small price to pay. (I’d pay
$5,000 for just ONE more feature win! I spent a lot more than
that on my car in the past, trying to get that. And I would do
it again, if I thought I had the equipment / help / knowledge
to get there. That’s a legitimate offer. Any takers?)
---- But let’s not minimize Gruel’s wins by talking about how
he started up front. I know a lot of guys who have started up
front and NOT won. Some of them are me. Sure, that helps. But
you still have to be fast, run your groove, and not make any
mistakes. Not to mention the potential for problems with the
car. Know this: other than one quick lap of 19.257 by Mike Bond,
Gruel was the only driver to crack the 19.2’s,with a 19.295. If
the car isn’t set up right, or there is a mechanical issue,
you’re going nowhere. Everything has been done perfect by Dave,
Tim Barbeau, Steve Reynolds, Dan Dennie and the gang, and they
are reaping the rewards. Now that the handicap slate has leveled
out, Dave will have to pass some cars this week. He’ll still be
fast, though, and I predict a top five this week - but not
another win. He’ll put on a show. Watch.
---- But like the supermodified feature, Gruel didn’t have it
easy this time. Kevin Knopp was ON him like white on rice.
Knopp rebounded solidly from a wreck on opening night, with a
strong second place. But he was definitely all over Gruel, and
one slip would have given him the win. Kevin’s car looked
solid, after replacing a brand new, but defective distributor
that had been slowing him down.
---- Dave Cliff landed another solid top five, finishing 4th.
But Cliff was involved in a controversial incident earlier in
the feature, where some heavy contact from him on lap 15 sent
Mike Bond on a little ride. Mike wasn’t too happy about the
contact, which happened while the two were jockeying for
position in some tight quarters. “It’s not the first time”,
said Bond, who did acknowledge that maybe Cliff was retaliating
from some earlier contact. Bond felt that there was more than
one incident of contact from Cliff. “Caved in the whole bumper”,
said Bond.
---- Bond’s fun wasn’t done, though. After a trip to the pits
to modify some body damage from the incident, Bond made it back
onto the track on the same lap. During that time, Mike turned
his fastest time, and the fastest lap of the day, trying to get
his position back. Without the benefit of many cautions, Bond
worked his way to 11th before disaster struck. Bond drifted
high coming off of turn two, and caught his nose which had been
hanging low from the earlier contact. The dragging nose took
away the steering, and Mike piled into the wall in turn one at a
high rate of speed, collecting Andrew Schartner in the process.
Taking inventory of the crash on the next day, Bond found a ton
of right side damage “everything but the caliper”, along with
bars, bumper, and a few tweaks to the frame. Definitely a tough
hit for the TMS crew, who will certainly have a lot of work to
do this week.
---- Great run for Steve Abt, who had a solid performance in
his brand new FFB car. Steve started third, and held his own in
the front to finish 6th at the end,moving into 4th place in the
points. He did have to apologize to Barry Kingsley though for a
lap 8 nudge that caused a “freight train”, which cost Barry
several positions. The good-natured ribbing and threatening
went on for hours after the race. I believe that the contact
cost Abt more than one adult beverage.
---- I was happy for our man Barry Kingsley, who did bring the
car home in a solid 8th place at the end of the day. Barry
started on the pole, and held second place behind Gruel for
several laps before losing some positions. Barry had the #23
going pretty well, and recovered nicely - through a lot of hard
work during the week - from an opening day crash.
---- Sometimes I fault Jack Patrick for being too clean of a
driver. If he was a little more aggressive, maybe he’d win
more. But it sure comes in handy when he’s racing your guy, and
you’re confident that he’s not going to wreck them.
---- Jack ran with Barry Kingsley for a good portion of the
race, but drove him cleanly, despite gestures from his crew,
encouraging him to “take him out!” and “spin him!” and “make him
flip over and burn!”. (They don’t think that I know hand
signals, and they denied that they were saying bad things, but I
know exactly what those gestures meant.) I fixed them though,
with a signal of my own to our driver, suggesting that he “back
into Jack Patrick if gets anywhere near you and inflict enough
damage that he will not be able to successfully compete for the
rest of the evening, and in addition two or three subsequent
evenings depending upon your discretion as to the severity of
the indiscretion deemed necessary at that time.”. I also used a
gentle reminder that “I will punch you” to his crew, if anything
happens on the track. Barry may not be the tough guy on the
speedway, but Samantha and I certainly hold up our end of the
bargain in the pits. Take that as a warning, everybody who
races with Barry.
---- Several drivers were the victim of the seldom used “guilt
by association” rule in the small block supermodified division
last week.
---- Dennis Rupert was asked on lap six to take his car to the
pits, as scorers felt that he was not running fast enough laps,
or keeping a straight enough line to continue. Rupert was the
victim of the same fate on opening day, as he was parked just a
few laps from the end, costing him a top ten finish. This is a
very controversial rule for the person who is sent packing, left
to wonder how he’s supposed to learn to drive if he’s parked in
the pits. Rupert was obviously very disappointed, but chose to
discuss it with race director Chuck Handley during the week,
after he had cooled off. I hope that whoever makes these
decisions to park someone is fully aware of the work, money, and
heartache involved in fielding a car, and is cognizant of how
devastating it would be to have to park a racecar that you are
trying to learn how to drive, and cannot learn without seat
time. He knows he’s not fast, but he wants to get there. And
to add insult to injury, announcer Roy Sova told me that he
won’t use the “Dynamite Dennis” nickname until he cracks the 21
second barrier…
---- First George Knight felt that he was barked at when he
arrived at the track, by tech. Apparently he didn’t have any,
or the correct roll bar padding on his car, and he had to either
fix it or leave. Right now. “I almost did leave”, said Knight,
who felt that he didn’t have to be yelled at. (After a huge
wreck the previous week, his first ever race as a rookie, I’m
sure the roll bar padding slipped his mind when he was
completely rebuilding the rear clip of the car.) On the first
night, the AMB scoring on the speedway website called him “Greg
Knight”, instead of George. He was disrespected again this
week, when the website listed him as “David Knight”. My
suggestion for next week - Dwight Knight. Or maybe Michael
Knight. But the dissing hadn’t stopped yet. On lap four, Knight
was sent to the pits by the race director, for the same reason
as Rupert. Welcome to racing, Greg - I mean David - I mean
George!
---- Bryan Haynes made his first appearance in his own #86
small block super. Bryan has been working on the car for a
couple of seasons now, and was very happy to finally see the
track with it. He struggled throughout warm-ups, and his
qualifying event was the first time on the track. The car looks
good, though, and he’ll be fine with some time. Haynes was
victim #3 of the “park it - you’re going too slow” rule, on lap
#5.
---- Seven for seven. That’s the story at Brewerton Speedway
this week. Or seven races, zero rainouts. Everything is still
floating along very smoothly at the speedway under the new
management. Even some nasty holes in the speedway that
developed during the heat races were corrected, and the track
was much better for feature time. I had a nice visit with
Harvey Fink during the night, and you could tell that he’s very
happy that things are going well at the speedway. And I could
also tell that he was very disappointed about the disrepair that
the speedways had fallen into since he sold them a few years
back. He takes it very personal - which probably explains why
he’s worked so hard to get the speedways back to prominence.
---- Billy Decker is starting to emerge as a favorite, after a
slower start. Decker has now won three of the seven features,
and stunk up the show a little in the process. It was the first
feature that I had seen that wasn’t closely fought to the end.
Good race for Decker. Decker is the points leader, but by only
16 points over teammate Pat Ward.
---- Kevin Bates was so fast that he finished 4th AND 6th.
Okay, that’s not really what happened. I was just talking crap
to see if you noticed. Bates was actually 4th, and Alan Johnson
finished 6th in Bates’ backup car, which is identical to Bates’
primary #42. Apparently Johnson’s regular ride wasn’t ready or
available, and he cut a deal with the Bates team to keep up his
points position. It worked - Johnson is now 7 for 7 top tens,
and 4th in points.
---- Rob Keller won his second IMCA event in a row, leading
most of the laps in the process. Keller has rebounded from a
troubled early season, where he had plenty of bad luck, and is
slowly moving back up in the point standings. Keller currently
sits 6th in the standings.
---- Dale Caswell returned to the track for the first time
since opening night, and raced to a second place finish in the
IMCA feature. Point leader Kevan Cook, who hadn’t finished any
worse than second all season, finished in 4th place, behind J.J.
Courcy.
---- Tim Devendorf took the early lead in the mod lite
division, but didn’t run away with it, as expected. Doug
Williams eventually caught - and passed - Devendorf, running to
the victory. In fact, he made it look like so much fun that
Justin Crisafulli joined in, finishing in 2nd place in the final
rundown. Mike Mullen was 10th, and Andrew Schartner recovered
from a crash to finish 11th.
---- It must be tough up there in the announcer’s booth.
Nobody has the stamina to really hang in with Bill Foley in the
tower at Brewerton Speedway. He started the season with Shane
Andrews. Then he had Joe Marotta up there for a couple of
weeks. Then Shane Andrews worked up his nerve again, to
co-announce last week. What is Bill doing to wear out all of
these guys? Who can hold up to the challenge this week? I know
one kind thing that Bill Foley did, though. He made a special
arrangement for driver Pat Ward to sign an autograph card for
one bashful fan, who was intimidated by his presence. Now, if
Bill can get me - I mean that fan - an autograph…or maybe a
meeting… with Pamela Anderson, I’ll really be impressed.
---- Coming up on Sunday, June 7th, is the Coon/France/LeVea
Motorsports #03/#04 Racing Fundraiser. The father/son
supermodified team are hoping for a one/two sweep in the points
this year, but they need a little help from you in the
pocketbook department. So starting at noon, at LakeView Lanes
in Fulton, N.Y. the guys will host a big party. An $8.00 BBQ
chicken dinner will be delicious, and many 50/50 drawings,
raffles, door prizes, etc. will give you a way to win or
contribute. For tickets, see any crew member or call Volney
Tire @ (315)598-3936 weekdays. These parties are a lot of fun!
---- On June 20th, Dennis Rupert will be holding a fundraiser
for his small block supermodified team. The chicken barbecue
will be held at the Crazy Gator, in Fulton, N.Y. and will
feature some delicious chicken, macaroni salad, baked beans, and
maybe some other special surprises. (Word on the street is that
fruit roll-ups will be included with every 5th meal.) Be there
at11:00AM, until 3 O’clock, or until the chickens are all
gone.
---- And then on Sunday, June 21st, is the Barry Kingsley
Racing golf outing / fundraiser. Barry’s trying to assemble a
bunch of people to share a few laughs, hit some golf balls, and
raise a couple of bucks for his small block supermodified. The
golf starts at 9:00AM at Tamarack Golf Club in Scriba, N.Y. $30
includes 9 holes of golf, a cart, and all the jokes you can
bring. But that’s not all. After the golf, an excellent meal
will be served at the Front Door Tavern in Oswego, starting at
noon. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, salt potatoes, salads, and
other goodies will get golfers fed, all of which are included
for FREE for the $30 ticket. So what if you can’t make the
golf, but you still want to eat and support Barry? Come on
down, bring $8.00, and join the fun! For more information, to
contribute, or to buy a hole, please call Barry at
315-374-6195.
Gater News column May 26, 2009
Finally! Oswego Speedway’s first race of the season was
completed last week, and a great crowd was there to see it. And
coming up the next three race nights at Oswego - $10 admission
night! That’s right - only $10 adult admission at Oswego
Speedway on May 30th, June 6th,and June 13th.
---- Twenty-eight winged supermodifieds were in the pits for
the combined MSA/Oswego winged supermodified race. That’s a
great field of cars, and a great start to the season. And all
of those fans were NOT disappointed.
---- So who the heck is this Trent Stephens kid? I’ll tell
you who he is- he’s the driver of the Stout Racing #19, the same
20 year old young man who just put a whoopin’ on the rest of the
28 car field to take the victory at Oswego. Stephens now wheels
the car that was formerly driven by Moe Lilje, and certainly
started the season off in solid fashion. I had a few words with
Trent after his win, and while he was happy, he didn’t seem
shocked by his win. This friendly young guy strikes me as a
pretty confident - and talented driver. And apparently car
owner Steve Stout, who watched the Ohio native as a driver in
the Buckeye Sprint division, saw that same confidence and talent
in the 13 time sprint car feature winner. Stephens won the 5th
sprint car race that he competed in as a rookie, but he stepped
it up in the supers,winning his 4th ever race. Now that’s what
I call a “natural talent”. Stout first noticed Stephens’
talents as a friend of Trent’s father, and I’m sure has to be
feeling pretty satisfied with his decision. Congratulations to
Trent Stephens, and the Stout Team.
---- But would it have happened if Ray Graham hadn’t had an
electrical problem? Graham jumped out to the lead with the #90,
and was way ahead. It looked as if he would have an easy win,
but that all changed when Graham coasted into the pits on lap
18. Quite a disappointment for Graham, but he had to be happy
with his run up to that point. Laps in the 16.1 bracket, the
fastest of the race, prove that Graham will be one of the cars
to watch this year. Graham has stated that he will run weekly
at Oswego.
---- But on the MSA circuit, I bet people are feeling pretty
nervous about that Stout team. Not only did Trent Stephens grab
the win, but his teammate Randy Burch snatched the second spot.
Burch is also new to the Stout team, replacing Dave Shullick
Jr., who left to drive Clyde Booth’s car. Can’t ask for a
better start to the season!
---- And one more thing about Steve Stout. Apparently he is
an excellent judge of talent. His old driver, Dave Shullick
Jr., also won a feature last week. Shullick won the ISMA
opener, at Waterford Speedway, beating some guy named Chris
Perley. So…I guess if you want to win a supermodified race this
year, you had better somehow get linked up with Stout.
---- For awhile on Saturday night, though, I thought it may go
another way. Jason Spaulding was having a very strong run, and
for awhile while he was running in second place, we were
starting to feel it. Spaulding has never won a super race, but
seems to improve a little more every time he straps a wing onto
the Jake’s Automotive #23. We know now that Spaulding finished
third, but there was a time when we thought that maybe, just
maybe…
---- Pat Lavery also had a solid run, spending the whole race
in the top five. Pat finished in 4th, starting off the season
near the podium for the Double Deuce Racing Team. His teammate
Bobby Magner was fast, but had some problems, eventually
finishing 13th, one lap down.
---- I accepted some good-natured ribbing from Xtreme Chassis
builder Paul Colloca, for picking his driver Doug Didero to only
finish 4th in the feature. “But you guys don’t have a great
record with a wing on”, I defended. And Paul’s reply? “Yet…”,
he said confidently. He really felt that they had the
combination, but it looks as though they WISH I would have been
right. Didero still ran well, but I guess we established who is
superior in the prediction department: the #3 finished 7th,
which is closer to 4th, than it is to 1st.
---- But the rest of my predictions, listed on my blog at
www.gaternews.com, turned out to make me look right a real
stickhead. Timmy Jedrzejek, who I picked to win, finished 8th.
Bobby Dawson, who I picked for 3rd, was 17th. But Jerry Curran,
who I saw finishing 7th, was 10th in the final rundown. And I
was only two spots away for Joey Payne, who I picked out of the
top ten, but finished 9th. (Okay - busted. I forgot all about
Joey Payne, because I used last year’s results for my research,
when he wasn‘t racing. But who’s to say I didn’t have him 11th,
but only listed my top ten? Yeah, that‘s the ticket.)
---- John Torrese was out with his new Hawk Chassis, the only
new car that Joey Hawksby built over the off season. But it was
scratched before the qualifiers even began.
---- “I got fired!”, an exasperated Greg Furlong told me when
I asked why he was in street clothes at the track, instead of a
fire suit. I was not shocked, because the internet has told me
many times that Furlong had or would be fired from his family
owned team. But I have to admit I was skeptical, because as I
reminded Greg, “that’s not true - because you know that I’m next
in line to drive that car if you ever get out of the seat - and
I haven‘t heard a thing”. “You better go home and check your
answering machine then…”, replied Furlong. Talk about missed
opportunity!
---- Needless to say, I was quite shocked to see Greg and his
brother Pat Jr. watching the races together later in the day.
Something just seemed off. How could Pat fire him, but still
have no hard feelings between the two. Could the internet
message boards be wrong? I doubt that. Could Greg be busting my
chops? Of course not - nobody would kid with me. I don’t go
that way.
---- Okay okay… everybody just calm down. Of course that’s a
bunch of hooey. “Budget cuts”, is the real reason the #72
wasn’t there, according to Pat Jr. Since they are still
struggling with their non-winged car, which is their priority,
they didn’t need the distraction - and extra money involved-
taking the focus from the primary car to the winged car, which
is not the main goal for 2009. Sort of a “make one good before
the other” scenario, the way I understood it. Apparently they
are not running for points this year, and could afford to give
up the 40 showup points that are awarded to Oswego cars for
competing in the MSA / Oswego events.
---- The small block supermodified feature saw a lot of
opening night carnage. Why does that happen? Do people forget
how to drive? Is driving a small block super NOT like riding a
bike? Do they forget how much money it costs to fix these
cars? Or are they just all hyped up, and can’t calm down until
they bend some metal?
---- Only five cars finished on the lead lap at the end of the
race. A new low for the division, as far as I can remember.
---- We almost saw a one-two team finish in the small block
super division. Dave Gruel, who drives a car owned by Tim
Barbeau led Tim Barbeau, in a car owned by Steve Abt, and it
looked as though they would finish one-two. But that dream went
away on lap 18, when the motor in Abt’s #58 (which is Barbeau’s)
blew up. Confused yet, about who owns what, and which car and
engine is owned by who?
---- I’ll straighten it out for you. Both cars are crew
chiefed by the same guy - also known as “Mr. Common
Denominator.” Steve Reynolds works on both cars, and is
involved in many of the setup decisions for the teams. Steve’s
been around these cars for many years now, and many of us would
have really enjoyed seeing Steve’s efforts rewarded with a
one-two result. Not quite. Word on the street is that Steve
has been contacted by Jack Roush about his setup knowledge, but
he turned it down because he only works on Chevys.
---- A little mixup for the victory lane crew after the small
block super feature. Third place Russ Brown and second place
Dave Cliff gave very nice interviews to infield announcer Danny
Johnson, but everyone seemed to lock up when it came to the
interview with the winner Gruel. It was an awkward moment to
watch, but somehow Gruel never got the message to go to the
interview stand, and Johnson never got his attention to wave him
over. If I ever win another race at Oswego, you will not be
able to pry that microphone from my hands!
---- There was one guy faster than both Gruel and Barbeau,
though. Dave Cliff Jr. started the race way back in 11th, and
cracked off the fastest lap of the night, a 19.151, on his way
to the front. The handicap system will bring a couple of cars
back with Cliff, who will once again be starting poorly next
week. Now the challenge will be to see who can rip through the
field as well as Cliff can; who can pass more cars. A few guys
are certainly up to the challenge, but Cliff’s #06 can match up
with the best of them. And I’m not just saying that because
Dave taught me the “Soulja Boy” dance at Mike Bond’s
fundraiser. His talents as a driver are only exceeded by his
skills as a dance instructor.
---- On lap two, Dave Danzer went spinning around like a top,
in front of the whole field, collecting several cars in the
process. Dave was running pretty well that night, winning his
heat and cranking off some 19.3 second laps in the process.
That early in the feature, it was hard to tell how his night
would go, but he never got the chance to find out. According to
scorers and announcers, the instant replay was inconclusive
about who was at fault. I think Danzer may have gotten loose,
but a pretty hard shot from Russ Brown was what sent him
spinning. Did Russ dump him on purpose? Of course not. He
doesn’t have that reputation or history of doing that - usually
he’ll just pass you. But it sure looked to me like contact from
the #60 is what sent Danzer spinning. It should be an
interesting week this week! Brown finished third in the final
rundown, after getting passed by Cliff at the end.
---- Mike Bond was moving toward the front, after starting in
9th position. But a wheel-banging incident with another car
slowed his progress, slowing down the TMS Motorsports #26 with
some bent pieces. Bond held on for 4th place, thanks to
attrition.
---- Shawn Walker rounded out the top five, after several
trips to the pits, and his involvement with Barry “whatshisname”
Kingsley in a crash. I don’t think Barry held any animosity
about the accident, as he’s not usually one to assign blame.
But I bet Barry will be a little ticked when he listens to the
Walker interview that is on Chris Porter’s
www.sbsracingnews.com website. Big Daddy was so excited
about his top five finish, that he could absolutely not remember
Barry’s name during the interview, calling him, and I quote,
“23...what’s his name…23.…Kingsley - Barry Kingsley”, only after
someone whispered the name to him. Maybe he hit his head in the
accident.
---- I’m told that when Walker got home, he also drew a blank
on the family dog’s name, and called him “J.J.”. Dude - Barry’s
been at that track longer than you. And I don’t look anything
like your dog. Your dog’s name is Red Rocket - not J.J.
(Anybody catch the “South Park” reference?)
---- Jason Simmons didn’t spend all of his money on Oakley
sunglasses this year. He apparently dumped a few sheckles into
his racecar. (Actually, I’ve been told that Jason’s uncle is
Gene Simmons, from the band “Kiss”, and that Kiss will be
playing a fundraiser soon.) It looks pretty sweet, and ran
pretty good, too. He led a few laps in his heat race, and ran
up front in the feature for a few circuits before running into
trouble. His 8th place finish sounds good on paper, but the fact
that he was two laps down made his hair turn red.
---- Brian “Smoke Show” Sobus had an engine blow, and put so
much smoke into the air that airplanes going to the Oswego
County airport were flying blind for a few minutes. The engine
kept dieseling, and wouldn’t shut off, sending smoke out the
exhaust for a long time. Apparently Sobus didn’t have their
regular engine in the car, so they still have that one available
for a backup. He almost made it though - the smoke show didn’t
start until lap 31. Still nailed a top ten.
---- Why do they call him “Dynamite Dennis” Rupert? I haven’t
found out yet. Okay, confession: they don’t call him that. But
I think they should. Are you with me, announcers Roy Sova and
Joe Marotta, or do you only use names that you invent? I think
it’s got a “ring” to it. Oh yeah, about his racing. The rookie
is definitely getting the hang of it, and was credited with an
11th place finish on his first night, using “whatshisname’s”
backup engine. He finished ahead of other rookies Mark
Castiglia, George Knight, and Andrew Schartner, but behind other
other rookie Steve Abt, who was 6th.
---- You had to be impressed with Andrew Schartner’s debut in
the small block supermodified division. Schartner drives Tom
Aaserud’s #18 Crow Motorsports machine, and comes from a quarter
midget and dirt mod lite background. These small block supers
are quite a different animal than those cars. But he clicked
off some 19.7 laps in only his second warmup session, which
shows huge natural ability. He unfortunately had some problems
in the feature, and didn’t get to show what he could do, but
those numbers look very impressive for his first night.
---- George Knight was out for his first time in the car that
he bought from Tim Cuyler, that was campaigned last year for
part of the season by Guard Nearbin. But his career started out
a little shaky when he backed it into the 1st turn wall on the
first lap. It’s going to take a rear clip and a lot of sheet
metal repair to get that car back to the track.
---- Bill Moore was at the track, but not with his car. After
a track rental a few days prior to opening night, the car was
all ready to fly. But lack of help and “lack of desire” kept
the car home on opening day. After seeing all of the wreckage
that happened during the feature, I bet Bill was quite satisfied
with his decision.
---- After a 13 car supermodified field showed up for the MSA/Oswego
wing show at Dunn Tire Raceway Park in Lancaster, N.Y., many of
the MSA competitors are questioning their partnership. I
certainly am not in a position to make assumptions or explain
why zero of the regular Oswego competitors chose to attend the
race, but I would think that quite a wedge has been driven into
the relationship. I think we’ll hear more on this down the
road.
---- The races at Brewerton Speedway last week were once again
very competitive. It always amazes me that these guys can run
side by side, lap after lap, at those high speeds, on that
slippery dirt track. Tom Sears and Kevin Bates were the ones
that put on the best show last week, fighting lap after lap. A
great driving exhibition, but unfortunately neither one of them
were able to take home the checkers. Sears was 4th at the end,
while Bates was 7th.
---- Matt Sheppard broke the streak of winning Gypsum cars,
with a dominating performance. Pat Ward and Billy Decker did
snatch the 2nd and 3rd place spots, though.
---- One classy thing I saw though, after heats, was all four
Gypsum drivers, Billy Decker, Pat Ward, Larry Wight, and Ryan
Phelps going through the stands, signing autographs, and kissing
babies. (Okay - kissing babies is an exaggeration. But they
were doing the other stuff.) There was no discussion about it
from announcers Bill Foley and Joe Marotta, but I thought that
it was a pretty classy thing for those guys to be doing. I
wanted Pat Ward’s autograph, but I was too shy.
---- On this night, the IMCA event was dedicated in honor of
the late Dean Hubbs, who passed away 12 years ago in an IMCA
modified accident at Brewerton. The cars were lined up on the
track, and all of the drivers assembled to greet the Hubbs
family and show their respect. Rob Keller made a special speech
about Hubbs, and presented flowers and well wishes to the
family. Keller’s eloquent words were certainly a great tribute
to Mr. Hubbs and his family. Just a great moment, and I was
proud of the speedway management and Keller for continuing to
honor his memory forever, by continuing the Dean Hubbs Memorial
event, despite the change of ownership.
---- I was already, but after last Friday I’ve become a bigger
fan of one of the IMCA modified drivers, who showed the ultimate
in class and leadership. First Rob Keller impressed me with his
words about Dean Hubbs. But then when the green flag flew, he
impressed me by being a great racecar driver. After breaking in
his heat race, Keller was mired in the rear of the field for the
start of the feature. But you could tell that the race meant a
lot to Keller, as he backed up his sincerity with a legendary
drive to the front, passing Kevan Cook on the last lap for the
win. It was a great drive, and one that many fans will remember
for a long time. What made the win even more special was the
fact that Keller has had a ton of bad luck so far in the 2009
season. A great win for a quality guy.
---- Although it’s a week late, I would like to take this
opportunity to congratulate Chad Phelps on his first - of many -
dirt big block modified win two weeks ago at Weedsport
Speedway. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see it, so Chad has
promised to win one for me at Brewerton when I am there to see
it. And if he does, I will make this promise to Chad: no more
awkward hugs from me in your racecar trailer, no matter how
excited I am for you. I’m still getting chills from that last
one…
---- Coming up on Sunday, June 7th, is the Coon/France/LeVea
Motorsports #03/#04 Racing Fundraiser. The father/son
supermodified team are hoping for a one/two sweep in the points
this year, but they need a little help from you in the
pocketbook department. So starting at noon, at LakeView Lanes
in Fulton, N.Y. the guys will host a big party. An $8.00 BBQ
chicken dinner will be delicious, and many 50/50 drawings,
raffles, door prizes, etc. will give you a way to win or
contribute. For tickets, see any crew member or call Volney
Tire @ (315)598-3936 weekdays. These parties are a lot of fu
Gater News column - May 21, 2009
What are the chances of a race actually happening at Oswego
Speedway in May? Stupid weather issues always seem to pop up
on Saturdays. Yet just 33 miles away, in Brewerton N.Y.,
every lap of every week has been completed, on Friday nights
since April 17th. Why are the weather Gods so accommodating
to John and Laura Wight, the new owners of Brewerton Speedway,
but so annoyed with Pat Furlong and Steve Gioia, who own
Oswego Speedway? Did somebody offend someone? Or does
someone have a picture of Mother Nature with a …cloud or
something? I’ve enjoyed going to Brewerton, but I really
would have liked to have spent one of the last two Saturdays
at Oswego. If this weekend’s races at Oswego get ditched, I’m
going to melt down. The screaming will be heard wherever you
are - I guarantee it.
---- I know last week was only scheduled to be an open
practice. Then why was I so disappointed? Because I was
going to be driving. I was really anxious to feel that
feeling again - the feeling of flying into the turn at over
100 miles an hour, slamming on the brakes, cranking it to the
left, then easing back into the throttle. The feeling that
people who aren’t racecar drivers will never understand - but
are dying to. After driving for several years, it’s a feeling
that guys like us take for granted. But as practice day got
closer, I found myself thinking about it more and more. We
were there, with the car, waiting for the weather to go away,
but it never did.
---- I know it’s just practice, but practice is like a
“gateway drug”. What if I cranked up the car, went fast, and
fell in love with it again? Maybe it would have changed my
plans, which are to leave the car parked until the first NORA
event, on June 19th at Spencer Speedway. So maybe the rainout
of practice was a good thing. As I write this, I’m back to
my original plan of leaving the car in the garage. Will I
change my mind and do something crazy this week? Remains to
be seen. I’m assuming that the $450 tire bill (it really
wouldn’t make sense to try to race it with antique tires) -
and a $95 registration fee - will keep the car quiet this
weekend. But I will definitely be there as a fan and crew
man. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
---- Thanks to Barry Kingsley for pushing me to get out the
car and get it ready. Barry came and got the car, then he, I
and Samantha Todd worked on it to get it ready. The old girl
looks great, and is all ready to go. I often need a push to
get motivated, and that was exactly the push I needed. Barry
sensed my weakness, and confirmed once again than I AM
susceptible to peer pressure. So I ask you this: if I don’t
race the opener, will I still be able to win the championship?
---- This Saturday is the annual “Port City 150” event, which
features 150 total laps of feature racing action between the
three divisions on hand. The Small Block Supers will run 35
laps, the MSA/Oswego winged supers will run 40 laps, and the
Race of Champions modifieds will have a 75 lap event. Racing
starts a little earlier this week, 4:00, so don’t wait until
the normal starting time to get there. Thanks to Gater Racing
News (my favorite racing paper) and Parts Plus (I owned a Part
Plus auto parts store for 11 years) for sponsoring the show!
---- Another great show at Brewerton Speedway last week
greeted the fans. Everything seems to be pretty smooth
sailing at the speedway this year, and they seem to be doing a
great job. Five weeks into the season, and zero rainouts!
Unfortunately though, the season opener for Brewerton’s sister
track Fulton Speedway was rained out last week. Maybe it’s an
Oswego County thing?
---- John Wight’s cars are still undefeated in modified
action at the speedway. Billy Decker picked up his second win
of the season, holding off teammate Pat Ward in the point
standings. That’s bound to get the competition fired up. I
imagine the grumbling has already started.
---- It looked for a while as though Jim Witko would break
the streak. Witko was fast, and led several laps, but he was
eventually overruled by Decker. Then, to add insult to
injury, Pat Ward snatched second place away toward the end.
Witko looked strong though, and I’m expecting a win from him
this season - if somehow the Gypsum cars can be beat.
---- The IMCA division is still totally dominated by Kevan
Cook this season. Check out this record: out of five features
run this year, Cook has four wins, and one second place
finish. Pretty impressive record! "This new car is pretty
awesome. I just hope it still runs this way when Dale comes
back from the series race", said Cook in victory lane,
referring to Dale Caswell. Caswell won 12 out of the 16 IMCA
races at Brewerton last year. When I look at the Can-Am
Speedway’s website, it appears as though Caswell is spending
his Friday nights up north, where he competes in two divisions
- IMCA and crate Late Models. He did win last week in the
IMCA division, but only seven cars competed in the division.
He was third in the late models, but only three cars were in
competition in the startup division. How long before Caswell
tires of racing against ten cars a night, in two divisions?
---- Happy Birthday to Brandon Carvey, who just turned 16
years old, according to the announcers. I think that’s a
mistake - I’ve known Brandon from hanging around with his Dad
Chauncey at the races for a long time, but I still picture him
as a little kid. Could he really be 16 now? Maybe so - he is
getting the hang of the IMCA car better every week. Brandon
cracked off a 9th place finish last week, and currently stands
8th in points. This week - Brandon’s first top five.
---- Doug Williams has a decent lead over Clayton Brewer III
in the Mod Lite division points. That’s what happens when you
finish every race in the top five. Williams has two wins, two
seconds, and a fifth to his credit so far this season. How do
you top that?
---- Kelly Skinner and Billy Izyk were both in competition
for the first time of the season in the mod lites. However,
neither one had the debut they were hoping for. Skinner was
22nd, and Izyk was 25th. Andrew Schartner, who will be making
his debut in a small block supermodified this Saturday night,
drove his mod lite to a fine 6th place finish last week. His
first appearance, on May 8th, earned him a solid 11th place
right out of the box.
---- Is Joe Marotta ever not working? He was announcing at
Brewerton last week, along with Bill Foley. Joe announces at
Oswego Speedway in Oswego (when it doesn’t rain), Weedsport
Speedway on Sundays, and does a radio show called “Around the
Tracks” every Saturday morning at 9:00AM on AM oldies 1390
WFBL in Syracuse. But enough about Joe. Can anyone out there
tell me where he gets those sweet shirts with the antique cars
all over them?
---- Okay, all of these race car drivers and announcers and
car owners are pretty cool. But I have a NEW racing hero! As
far as I know, he doesn’t own, drive, or sponsor a car. He’s
probably best known as a race fan. But to me - he’s a hero!
So why is Mike DeFrietas my new racing hero? Because he’s the
guy who returned my lost cell phone to me at Brewerton last
Friday. I was on total meltdown mode last week when I lost my
iPhone. Fortunately for me, an honest man found it, and
brought it back to me once he figured out how to get in touch
with me. Thanks Mike - you are a quality guy!
---- Coming up on Sunday, June 7th, is the Coon/France/LeVea
Motorsports #03/#04 Racing Fundraiser. The father/son
supermodified team are hoping for a one/two sweep in the
points this year, but they need a little help from you in the
pocketbook department. So starting at noon, at LakeView Lanes
in Fulton, N.Y. the guys will host a big party. An $8.00 BBQ
chicken dinner will be delicious, and many 50/50 drawings,
raffles, door prizes, etc. will give you a way to win or
contribute. For tickets, see any crew member or call Volney
Tire @ (315)598-3936 weekdays. These parties are a lot of
fun!
---- And then on Sunday, June 21st, is the Barry Kingsley
Racing golf outing / fundraiser. Barry’s trying to assemble a
bunch of people to share a few laughs, hit some golf balls,
and raise a couple of bucks for his small block supermodified.
The golf starts at 9:00AM at Tamarack Golf Club in Scriba,
N.Y. $30 includes 9 holes of golf, a cart, and all the jokes
you can bring. But that’s not all. After the golf, an
excellent meal will be served at the Front Door Tavern in
Oswego, starting at noon. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, salt
potatoes, salads, and other goodies will get golfers fed, all
of which are included for FREE for the $30 ticket. So what if
you can’t make the golf, but you still want to eat and support
Barry? Come on down, bring $8.00, and join the fun! For more
information, to contribute, or to buy a hole, please call
Barry at 315-374-6195.
---- Or if you want to do something nice for Barry, and make
it a surprise, secretly contact ME at 315-447-6998. How great
would it be to spring a NEW ENGINE, or a SEASON’S TIRE BILL on
Barry the day of the party? I can help arrange that.
---- Okay, seriously, I doubt anyone is going to step up big
like that. But if there was ever a team that you should help
out, Barry’s your guy. ( I bet he’s blushing right now reading
this…). We all know Barry. He’s crewed on, fixed, or somehow
helped out many of us, on both sides of the pits -supers and
small blocks. He’s probably helped YOU at some point. He
currently has his spare engine in someone else’s car, who
wasn’t going to be able to race for a few weeks. He jumped in
and got my car ready for me. Definitely put this party on
your calendar. And if you can’t make it to the party, be sure
to “Kingsley” it to help out the team. (The definition of the
term “Kingsley” was coined several years ago, when Barry
contributed to a fundraiser that he couldn’t attend, helping
out the team with a check although he wasn’t able to be
there.) I will see you there, for sure!
Predictions! May 14th, 2009
Here we go again with the opening day rainouts at Oswego
Speedway. Again. Always. But this year is even worse,
because they could have got the show in. The races were
cancelled very early in the day, around 10:00AM, while it was
sunny and warm. It was based on a forecast. So the plug was
pulled because it MIGHT rain. It did eventually rain, and
rain hard, making the cancellation look correct. But then it
quit, and the roads were dry in Oswego hours before the
scheduled race time. It did get cold and windy again later,
and the threat to rain was always there, but the races could
have happened.
---- Unfortunately, in this day and age, it doesn’t work
like that any more. If it MIGHT rain, a large number of race
fans are staying home. They’ll do other stuff. They’ll go to
dinner. They’ll play X-Box. They’ll go to or rent a movie.
But the casual fan won’t even think about a trip to the races
if it might rain. Sure, us die-hards would be more than happy
to shiver, get everything wet, then help dry the track with
our street cars when the rain quits. I’ll spend gas, and
drive around for hours to see a race. And there are a lot
more people that would have been right there with me. But not
enough. The differences between a profitable night and a
losing night for a race track are pretty close. “If I see two
raindrops, I’m pulling the plug”, Pat Furlong once told me a
couple of years ago, speaking of a specific day that we were
discussing.
---- I sure wish it wasn’t that way. I know it’s not my
money to spend, but with the number of fans that I know that
were salivating for this opener, I’m not so sure that there
weren’t enough of us to at least break even. And we would
have been so grateful, that we would have been willing to pay
double for hot dogs! Now, since there isn’t a race even
scheduled for this week, we have to wait another two weeks for
this opener. Pretty disappointing, to say the least.
---- So since I didn’t see any races this weekend, I’ve had
plenty of time to think about my Oswego Speedway predictions.
First, the supermodifieds. This class was tough, because
there are more than ten guys that belong in the top ten.
(Actually, I just couldn’t get it down to 10.)
11th - Stephen Gioia III finished 6th last year in the
points. He showed a lot of promise and consistency, and will
certainly finish in or (near) the top ten again in ‘09.
Competition will be the toughest its been in years.
10th - Jason Spaulding will once again be in the top ten,
after finishing 4th last year. It’s tough to put him lower
than he was last year, because I think he’ll be faster, and
contend for wins more than he did in ‘08. There’s going to be
a LOT more competition in the division this year, so there
will be a few new guys that will push him down those couple of
positions.
9th - Bobby Magner was 5th last year, and won the most races
of anyone. He’ll have another great season in the Double
Deuce Racing #22. I see more checkers on the horizon.
8th - Ray Graham may live in Iowa, but he plans to run every
race in 2009. The car is kept and maintained near Oswego, and
he flies or drives in to wheel it. He’s got excellent
equipment, and it’s a surprise that he hasn’t won a feature
yet at Oswego. Will this be the year?
7th - Tim Snyder has a Hawk Chassis that has been modified by
Xtreme Chassis guru Paul Colloca. Will this combination knock
‘em dead, or will it take some time to get going? I think
it’ll be a fast car, but not right out of the box.
6th - Jerry Curran is ready to rock and roll, after a 2008
season that produced his first entry into the Thousand Dollar
club. (The Thousand Dollar Club is comprised of feature
winners in the supermodified division at Oswego Speedway.)
His Hawk Chassis looked fast on open practice day.
5th - Greg Furlong will always be a threat to win races or
championships. But he has struggled the last few seasons, by
his standards. He’ll win some races, but he’ll tell you that
his main goal is to win one specific race. “I’ll retire from
racing full-time if I win the Classic this year”, Furlong told
me.
4th - Pat Lavery finished second in points last year, and
didn’t seem that happy about it. But when he enters the
Thousand Dollar Club this year, you’ll see that grin. The
veteran will have a great season in ‘09, and finally chase
that stupid monkey away.
3rd - Otto Sitterly will be awesome again this year, and win
some races. He’s the defending, and two time track champion.
But I’m picking two guys ahead of him this year, who didn’t
race at the speedway last year.
2nd - One story that I read, on
www.superracingnews.com said that Doug Didero isn’t sure
if he was going to race the full season. But car builder Paul
Colloca told me that the plan IS to race weekly in ‘09.
Sounds like Paul wants to do it, but Doug isn’t so sure. So
here’s the deal - once he wins the first one or two races, and
takes a big lead in the points, he’ll get into it.
1st - Joey Payne is my pick to win the championship this year,
in the Strong Racing #99. Payne is one of the best drivers in
the division, and Pat Strong is putting him in some excellent
equipment. He’ll get his first un-winged super win this year,
and be very consistent every week. Congratulations in advance
to the “Jersey Jet” Joey Payne, Pat and Terry Strong, and the
rest of the Strong Racing Team.
A couple of drivers that I left out of my top 11 - and why…
Joe Gosek would have been a contender, but he apparently has
had, or is scheduled to have some surgery that will cause him
to miss some races. He would have surely been a contender for
the championship, and will certainly get a win when he does
get there. He drives an Xtreme Chassis that is owned by Al
Archer and Rob Gunther.
Dave McKnight drives on the ISMA circuit full time, and drives
the Syrell Racing #08 at Oswego when the schedule permits.
McKnight told me that he’s scheduled to run 9 races at Oswego,
so you can’t win a championship that way. I met McKnight at a
JP Shaggy rainout party last Saturday, and I see why everybody
likes him. As my kids would say, “he’s a pretty legit guy”.
And quite a singer…
Keith Gilliam never runs a full season, so I can’t pick him
for the top ten. Just let me say this: the rest of the field
is sure lucky about that!
Lou LeVea was 8th last year, and will be faster in 2009.
He’ll just miss the top 10-11 spots, because the field will be
so much larger and more competitive this year. Plus he’ll be
pretty busy getting his son, rookie Louie Jr. up to speed in
his team car #04.
The small block supermodified division will be pretty tight
this year. Here’s what I’ve got.
10th - Barry Kingsley will have his first top ten points
finish in 2009, as he’s worked very hard over the winter to be
prepared. And he’s made it very clear that like another
driver was quoted last year, “I plan to use the bumper a lot
more this year”. Okay, he didn’t really say that. That’s not
Barry’s style. But he’s going to have a consistent season,
and avoid the wrecks, engine problems, and out of town
weddings that have cost him good points finishes in the last
few seasons. 2009 will be the year that Barry finally proves
that “he’s what’s up”.
9th - Dave Danzer is looking forward to the 2009 season, as
his first feature win last year has made him very confident.
Actually, kind of cocky. He and his Dad Craig and the Danzer
Family Team have some great equipment, and did some repairs to
the Hedger Chassis machine over the winter. Should be a great
year for Davey.
8th - Jack Patrick is loaded for bear with his Hedger Chassis,
Chrysler powered machine. He’s made some changes and upgrades
to his #9, and should improve on his 10th place finish from
last year.
7th - Rob Pullen finished 7th in points last year in his own
car. This year, he drives the Terry Solazzo owned, FFB
Chassis #25, a team car to Mike Bond. Rob will be fast, win a
race or two, and have a great season. And if he would have
given me his bean recipe from his fundraiser a few weeks back,
I would have put him in the top five.
6th - Kevin Knopp is the defending champion, and had the
fastest car on the track most of the time last year. Two
questions: did the other cars catch up to Kevin in the
off-season? And did he use up all of his luck last year on
the way to his incredible record of great finishes? We won’t
know that for awhile. Like the supers, this division is going
to be very competitive in 2009. Knopp drives an FFB Chassis.
5th - Brian Sobus always does well in the points. He’s a
great driver, and he and his Dad have made some changes to his
family owned Hedger car. Brian has gone without a win the
last couple of years, and will be more focused on that than he
will on points.
4th - Dave Cliff Jr. was one of the fastest cars at the
speedway on the open practice day two weeks ago. For 2009,
he’ll have two very potent FFB cars at his disposal. Of
course he’s hoping that he doesn’t need the backup car this
year. Great driver, great team, great equipment - maybe I’m
crazy not taking him as my pick for the win. But I’ve got it
down to four very fast cars, and it could be a toss-up for any
of my “final four”.
3rd - Mike Bond barely lost the championship last year. He’s
a fast driver, with a fast FFB car, owned by Terry Solazzo.
Mike’s a long time friend of mine, and I really hope I’m
incorrect not taking him for the championship. But that’s how
tough this division will be this year. Mike’s the best
driver, but I still have two drivers ahead of him.
2nd - Dave Gruel drives Tim Barbeau’s #50 FFB Chassis. In one
of the craziest moves ever, Barbeau gave up the seat in one of
the fastest cars at the speedway. Gruel is a great driver,
who is really trying to make up for a horrible 2008 season,
where he failed to crack the top ten. He’ll be tough to beat,
for sure, and there’s only one guy that I can think of to do
it.
1st - Russ Brown and Ray Hedger left the division to run Ray
Hedger’s SST modified. They were fed up about several things,
and really had had enough of the small block supermodified
division. But apparently, they never said “never” about
coming back. But he’s not driving a car owned by Ray Hedger
this time. Yes, it’s built by Ray Hedger, but the owner is
Ray Pike. It’s a new car, but with a twist - a Ford engine.
At a recent track rental, the new car was VERY fast - 19.0 I’m
hearing. And not on new tires. This will be a solid team.
It should be a fun season! There are a few guys that I left
out of my top ten. Here they are.
Bill Moore would be up there somewhere, if he raced a whole
season. But I doubt that he will.
Stan Gates was 9th last year, and will be close again this
year with his Ford powered machine.
Jason Simmons is another guy that will just miss the top ten,
if he runs the whole season. But I know he doesn’t always do
that, so I didn’t put him in that club.
Tim Barbeau is driving the Steve Abt backup car, which is the
old Larry Muroski FFB ride from 2009. But he won’t make my
top ten because that ride could be called into service at any
time by Steve or Dave Gruel.
Rookies:
Steve Abt is very well prepared. He drove some a few years
ago, but apparently not enough to take away his rookie
status. He’s got a brand new FFB Chassis, plenty of spares,
excellent help, and the ambition to do it all right. Steve
will have a great season, and is my pick for rookie of the
year.
Andrew Schartner will drive the Tom Aaserud owned, Crow
Motorsports Hedger Chassis ride that has been campaigned for
the last several years by Dave Gruel. Schartner is a mod lite
driver, that will require a lot of seat time to get accustomed
to driving pavement. Aaserud sees a lot of promise in
Schartner, and will give him everything he needs to get the
job done. Schartner has unfortunately not been able to attend
the open practice or a track rental so far, so the learning
curve will still require a lot of seat time before any results
are seen. I’d put them behind the eight ball at this time.
Mark Castiglia was out for the first time during the open
practice two weeks ago. The rookie driver had purchased the
Lou LeVea car, and looked very smooth for the amount of
experience he had as a driver. (Zero). He had some great
times, and impressed me a lot for his first time on the track
- or in any race car. He’ll be very close to winning the
rookie of the year honors.
---- Now that racing season is here, fundraiser season is
starting to wind down. But there is still one more upcoming
event on the schedule on May 17th - It’s the Gates Racing #28
& #1 Fundraiser. Captain & Crew Golf Tournament @ Emerald
Crest Golf Club, Palermo; 8am. $260/team of 4, 18 holes and
one cart (2/team). Closest to pin/longest drive; pig roast
included. Door prizes and raffles. Pig Roast @ Driveway Inn,
11am. $10/ticket; pig roast, corn, salt potatoes, salad.
Contact Stan Gates @ 402-4254 or
mudbus28@yahoo.com or George Knight, Jr. @ 591-5022 for
more information.
---- Also coming up soon is a fundraiser for supermodified
drivers Lou LeVea Sr., Lou LeVea Jr., and the Coon-France
Racing. It will take place on June 7th at Lakeview Lanes in
Fulton, N.Y. I’ll have more information for you as it gets
closer. But save the date.
---- When is your team’s fundraiser? I’m more than happy to
promote your fundraiser here, as well as on my blog at
www.gaternews.com. Just give me your information, and I’ll
update immediately. Give me the word - and I’ll spread it!
---- This weekend will find me at Fulton Speedway’s
re-opener. I can’t wait to see the transformation of the
facility, under the management team of John and Laura Wight.
And depending on how things go, I may even make it a dirt
racing double-header with a trip to Brewerton Speedway on
Friday night. And oh - is there an open practice at Oswego
Speedway on Saturday? Those are boring if you’re not driving
something. I don’t like to be bored…..
Gater News Column - May 7, 2009
Finally - the Oswego Speedway opener is upon us! Yes, all of
us Oswego groupies have been waiting a long time for this, and
it’s here. Will the weather cooperate, or will it be cold /
rainy / iffy, as it usually is on opening day? I’m so excited
- I’ll probably cry if we have a rainout!
---- Last week’s open practice at the speedway brought out a
bunch of cars. 16 small block supermodifieds and 12
supermodifieds were ready to roll, and turned laps in
preparation for opening day. That was a great field for a
practice day, and is a sign of good things to come. On the
strength of those numbers, plus other cars that are expected
to be at the speedway on opening day, I expect fields of over
20 cars for each division. I know that’s not a huge field
compared to a few years ago, but 20 cars will be a great show.
---- Who will win opening day? I’ll make my predictions
about that now, and then after opening day, I’ll make my
predictions about who will win the championships.
---- My prediction for the supermodified winner will shock
nobody. Especially after his performance on open practice
day. Doug Didero laid down some 16.5 second laps on a green
track, scaring the heck out of many in the division. Didero
and Paul Colloca, who built the Xtreme Chassis #3 obviously
have the car very well prepared, and are my prediction for an
opening day win.
---- Dave McKnight, who was not at the open practice but is
enrolled in the commitment program, which indicates the team’s
intention to run every week, is my prediction for 2nd. Jerry
Curran will be 3rd, followed by the team cars of Pat Lavery
and Bobby Magner.
---- In the small block super division, Russ Brown wasn’t at
the open practice, but is participating in a track rental on
Wednesday, along with some other Hedger Chassis machines.
Brown is driving a brand new Hedger car, owned by Ray Pike.
Since Brown competed in the last three races of the season in
Pike’s car in ‘08, his handicap gives him an excellent
starting position, which should land him a great shot at the
win, barring any crashes or mechanical problems. Interesting
to note is that the rumor mill indicates that this car sports
a Ford power plant.
---- Dave Gruel would be my pick to win, based on his strong
performance at last week’s open practice, but since he’s
starting so far behind Brown, I think he’ll only be able to
get to 2nd. Brian Sobus (whose car wasn’t ready by open
practice day), Mike Bond and Dave Cliff will round out the top
five.
---- From what I saw, only one supermodified had an incident
during open practice day. Bobby Magner had a wheel nut come
off of the #22 car, doing some damage in the process. It was
a rough day for Magner, but you can be sure that they’ll be on
top of their game this Saturday. Bobby’s teammate Pat Lavery
had a good day, with no problems of any consequence.
---- As I said earlier, Doug Didero sent the supermodified
division into quite a tizzy with his mid-16 second lap. But
not everyone is in a panic. Most people didn’t put on new
tires for the practice, which Didero did. While some of the
guys that I talked to were intimidated, not all of them were.
---- Pat Strong was satisfied with their day of practice.
While they didn’t turn a time below 17 seconds, Pat and driver
Joey Payne were satisfied with their first day. No problems
with the car, and the way the car worked with last year’s
tires was what they had hoped for. “Plus, this guy’s good for
another half a second”, said Strong, pointing to his driver.
Payne wasn’t in the conversation - he was too busy drawing on
Jerry Curran’s car with a marker. It sure didn’t look like
they were intimidated.
---- Curran was doing some engine tuning on the Nuclear
Banana, and should be in good shape for the weekend. Keith
Gilliam had the 87 at the track, and turned a lot of laps on
Saturday. Bob Reis was behind the wheel of the Randy Daratt
owned #88, which will be shared in the 2009 season with Keith
Shampine.
---- Otto Sitterly was the only other driver that was said
to have cracked the 17 second barrier. The John Nicotra owned
Hawk Chassis looked fast and well prepared. He’ll be a threat
this week, I’m sure. Jason Spaulding and Stephen Gioia both
had their machines at the track. Greg Furlong’s car almost
sounded like it wasn’t running right, but I’m not sure what
the times indicated. (The speedway’s website usually shows
the times from the AMB scoring system, but that information
wasn’t released as of press time.)
---- Lou LeVea Sr. and Jr. were at the track, but only with
one of their two team cars. The not yet numbered #04, which
will this year be driven by Louie Jr., was at the track, but
his Dad’s #03 was not. Apparently the engine wasn’t yet ready
for the Coon-France ride, but they should be ready by this
weekend. Both Sr. and Jr. got laps in the #04 car, but Louie
Sr. was the one who spun it out - not the rookie. Did he get
it out of his system, so he’ll have no trouble when it gets
down to the nitty gritty this weekend? Or was he just
practicing the most fashionable way to spin out, trying to
impress the Russian judges?
---- In the small block supermodified division, Bill Moore
had a nasty wreck during practice, when the steering wheel
popped off of his #20 small block supermodified. Bill was
coming off of turn two at the time, and ended up bouncing off
the outside wall before backing into the water barrels at the
inside of turn three. Fortunately for Bill, he wasn’t
injured. But his pocketbook will be recovering for awhile.
---- Dave Cliff and Dave Gruel were the two fastest small
block supers there, both cracking off speeds of 19.3. The two
FFB cars looked real smooth, and ready to rock.
---- Jack Patrick chased clutch problems for the better part
of the day, but eventually got the flashy Chrysler rolling.
Dave Danzer had some wiring problems early in the day, having
a little flame-up in the pits. Repairs were made, and Dave
got it going and got some good laps later. That’s what
practice is for - to get that stuff taken care of.
---- Tim Barbeau got a lot of laps in the Steve Abt owned
#58, which he’ll be driving weekly this year. That’s the
former Larry Muroski car, which will be called into service as
a backup for Abt or Dave Gruel if they need it. Chip Wood was
wheeling the Rob Pullen #2, shaking it down as a “just in
case” ride. The Deuce will be activated for Mike Bond or Rob
Pullen, (who drives this year for Terry Solazzo), if they need
a spare car. However, if Chip wins more features than Bond or
Pullen, their cars will be used as a backup for Chip’s
championship run. As soon as I get a seal that barks my name…
---- Gregg Davis was rolling Shawn Walker’s car, shaking it
down for “Big Daddy” since he wasn’t available. And Barry
Kingsley lapped the entire field - seven times - during his
practice laps. His #23 looked and ran pretty smooth, and had
no problems at all during the day.
---- Steve Abt ran his laps with the rookies, which
surprised me because I remember him running a lot a few
seasons ago. Apparently he’s eligible for rookie of the year
in 2009, as he hadn’t run enough times to lose his possible
rookie status. Steve looked good, and got the new car down to
some decent times. Abt also has a 6 ½ person pit cart, that
was interesting to watch load into the trailer. (I call it a
6 ½ person pit cart, because that’s how many people it took to
load it.) It’s really the most amazing pit cart I’ve seen at
Oswego.
---- Mark Castiglia purchased the Lou LeVea car, and turned
some very impressive laps in his first ever time behind the
wheel of a racecar of any kind. Castiglia looks like he’s got
a pretty good start on his small block supermodified career.
And Dennis Rupert II looked good in Lou LeVea Jr.s #95 ride.
Rupert raced a few laps - with bad results - a couple of years
ago, but looks like those days are behind him. He’ll be there
this weekend, for sure.
---- The Mike Bond fundraiser was one of the most fun ones I
had been to this year. Millenium Music’s Ron Gray always does
a great job keeping these parties going, and getting everyone
to have a great time. The pulled pork and the rest of the
food, put out by the Lighthouse Lanes staff along with the TMS
Motorsports team, was great. But of course the best part for
me was my debut as a Rap singer, with Ron’s karaoke mic. I
believe that I may have launched a new career Saturday night,
as I was approached by an agent afterwards, who is willing to
represent me for just a small advance fee. His name is a Mr.
Dennie, and I’m told that he has a lot of connections in the
music industry, as well as auto racing. It is suspected that
Bobby Gangwer was also approached after his singing expertise
was revealed.
---- Week three at Brewerton Speedway found some
questionable weather, but they still were able to get the show
completed before the rains came. But barely! I’m talking
like two minutes after the final checkers fell, it started to
rain. Close call!
---- I know I say this every week. But I don’t care, I’ll
keep saying it as long as it’s true: the races at Brewerton
are incredible! Once again, a several lap duel for the win
ensued in the modified division, and a new winner was handed
the gold at the end. Ryan Phelps had a great battle with
Vinny Vitale for the lead, and eventually got the best of
Vitale. Not by a lot, buy he had the better hookup on the
bottom of the track, which was where it was faster this week.
It was fun watching his Dad Roger try to keep his cool at the
end, as I was sitting behind him during the feature.
---- Do you like to see “name” drivers get beat? Brewerton
is the place for you to go then. The best Billy Decker could
do was 3rd. Matt Sheppard couldn’t get any higher than 6th.
Pat Ward was 7th. And Alan Johnson? He couldn’t get any
further forward than 8th place. I think that’s what makes
Brewerton so entertaining: the big guys are there, but
nobody’s handing them anything.
---- So how does it work if you own the racetrack, and then
your car wins the race? So far, cars owned by track owner
John Wight have won all three races. So far Billy Decker, Pat
O’Brien, and Ryan Phelps have taken Wight’s cars to victory
lane. Do you pay yourself?
---- But once again, it’s not only about the modified
division at Brewerton Speedway. Somehow, the other divisions
always put on a great show, as well. It’s always close.
---- Sean Lias, who used to totally dominate the IMCA
modified division years ago, came back to Brewerton last
week. But he didn’t quite dominate, this time. Yes, he was
fast, and yes, he almost won, but Kevan Cook held him off for
his second win of the season. It was a great race, and should
be very interesting if Lias comes back to weekly competition
at the speedway.
---- J.J. Courcy wasn’t really himself, spinning out twice
during the feature. He still got back to 8th at the finish,
but that wasn’t enough to keep Cook or Lias honest. He’ll be
back this week, though, because he has the coolest two initial
first name ever.
---- The mod lite division looks as though it may be a
runaway this season. So far Tim Devendorf has finished 1st,
1st, and 2nd in his three races. Last week it appeared as
though the Jeff Hayes owned car is a hundred times faster than
everyone else’s, as Devendorf passed what looked like 10-12
cars in one move, before cruising to the win. On opening
night, it looked as though Doug Williams may have been the man
to beat, but I don’t know if I’d still say that after these
last two dominating performances. That car is perfect on the
high groove!
---- Mike Mullen had a nice run in his #06 ride, finishing,
coincidentally, in position #06. 6th is cool and all, but if
your going to finish in the same position as your car number,
wouldn’t you change your number?
---- Now that racing season is here, fundraiser season is
starting to wind down. But there is still one more upcoming
event on the schedule on May 17th - It’s the Gates Racing #28
& #1 Fundraiser. Captain & Crew Golf Tournament @ Emerald
Crest Golf Club, Palermo; 8am. $260/team of 4, 18 holes and
one cart (2/team). Closest to pin/longest drive; pig roast
included. Door prizes and raffles. Pig Roast @ Driveway Inn,
11am. $10/ticket; pig roast, corn, salt potatoes, salad.
Contact Stan Gates @ 402-4254 or
mudbus28@yahoo.com or George Knight, Jr. @ 591-5022 for
more information.
---- When is your team’s fundraiser? I’m more than happy to
promote your fundraiser here, as well as on my blog at
www.gaternews.com. Just give me your information, and I’ll
update immediately. Give me the word - and I’ll spread it!
JJcqracing@aol.com.
Gater News Column - April 30, 2009
Ooohhhh…I can feel it now -
the gates at Oswego Speedway open up this weekend! Don’t get
excited though - it’s just an open practice. But weather
permitting, I can’t wait to hear that rumble and smell that
smell!
---- Dave Gruel will be there. He’s got the #50 all ready for
the small block supermodified wars. Even though his car owner
Tim Barbeau has picked up a ride in another car, both racers -
as well as crew chief Steve Reynolds - insist that the #50 will
have the team’s whole focus, with the 2009 championship the main
goal. That is, as long as Dave and Shanna’s first baby, due in
July, doesn’t hit on a Saturday night….
---- Bill Moore and Steve Abt will be there. The two drivers
had their cars all gussied up and on display at a great racing
party last week. I’d never heard of
Meeshell’s Restaurant and Sports Bar before, but it sure is a
beautiful facility. Steve and Bill had some great bands there
in an excellent outdoor pavilion, and the weather was perfect.
A great crowd, great food, great weather, and fast racecars!
What more could we have asked for?
---- Barry Kingsley will be there. He’s been obsessing over
his car since the end of last season, meticulously going over
each and every piece with a fine tooth comb. It’s a thing of
beauty. The question is, will his crew chief Samantha Todd
really let him take the car out onto the speedway, and get those
horrible rubber stains all over it?
---- Rob Pullen will be there. And so will his TMS
Motorsports teammate Mike Bond. It’ll be quite a contest this
year to see who has the fastest team car of the two. Pullen’s
ride has been pretty much ready for awhile, since it was in the
Gater News Motorsports Expo, back when it was still cold out.
Bond hadn’t yet fired the car as of last weekend, but didn’t
seem too concerned about being ready for practice. The only
thing he was whining about was Pullen getting new lugnuts, while
the Hall of Famer was stuck with “yucky old used lugnuts”. It’s
going to be a long season, Rob…
---- Shawn Walker will NOT be there. But his car will.
Walker will attend to some family stuff on open practice day, so
Gregg Davis will be rockin’ the #68. That scenario will happen
a few more times in ‘09, but “Big Daddy” will be there on
opening day.
---- Dave Cliff Jr. will be there. The Gnomey Racing Team
also had a great fundraiser last weekend, at LaGraf’s Pub in
Oswego. Ron Gray’s Millenium Music cranked the tunes, and Bird’s
karaoke version of “Sing a Song” certainly stood up as the
highlight of the entertainment. This two-car family owned team
will be a strong contender for the championship, with a backup
car that is probably just as fast as the primary car.
---- Supermodified driver Lou LeVea will be there. But I
didn’t say which one. Will it be Louie Sr. or Louie Jr. who has
the first supermodified ready to compete? I swung by the LeVea
shop a week or so ago, and saw a lot of work left to do to both
cars. But father and son were hard at work, trying to get the
#03 and the #04 both ready for opening day. Louie Jr.’s car had
the motor on it, while Louie Sr.’s engine wasn’t even assembled
at the time. But a lot of work can be done in a short period
time if you focus - and if you have enough help. Unlike the
Tuesday night that I was there, I would predict that there will
be a lot more than two people in the shop for the next several
nights.
---- Pat Lavery will be there. The Double Deuce Team of
supers will be very well prepared for the season. Will Lavery,
or his teammate Bobby Magner be the fastest super on opening
day?
---- The Strong Racing Supermodified #99 will be there. Pat
Strong informed me last week that the car that came so close to
glory in 2008 is all ready to fly. A new car, built by Pat
Strong and Joey Hawksby will be done a little later, (the goal
is June, barring any problems with the current car that would
slow down progress) and the current #99 will turn into a wing
car. Driver Joey Payne is really itching for a win at Oswego in
a non-winged car for the Strongs - and himself. Itching enough
to drive up from New Jersey every week to do it.
---- Who else will be there? ME! Now don’t get all excited,
Jaymates. I won’t have my car there, and I’m not driving
someone else’s car. But I can’t wait to see all of the cars, and
all of my racing peeps. If I could, I’d speed up time so I
could be there NOW!
---- Week #2 of the new Brewerton Speedway ownership was
another success. The crowd was huge once again, the track
surface was great, and the competition was awesome. Not to
mention the weather, which was amazing for April.
---- Modified car counts were down a little from opening
night. Willy Decker, Gary Tomkins, Del Rougeux Jr., Wallace
Stacey, and Dan Vauter were not in attendance, after competing
at Brewerton on opening night. I thought that some of these
cars may have been lost to Can-Am Speedway’s opener on the same
night, but a quick check of Can-Am’s website showed none of
these names in their rundown. Where are these guys? My guess -
Monday morning, a representative from Brewerton Speedway was on
the phone asking each of those drivers some questions: How did
we lose your business? How do we get you back? And thanking
them for their support on opening night.
---- Sean Beardsley was in the field for event number two,
finishing in 17th in the final rundown.
---- The feature race for the mods once again came down to the
wire, leaving the fans on their feet at the finish. Only one
early race caution slowed the feature, which always makes for
some fun lapped traffic racing. And lapped traffic decided this
race. Matt Sheppard seems to be the guy to beat so far this
year, so nobody was shocked to see him flex into the lead on lap
27. He used lapped traffic to grab the top spot, and I expected
him to check out at that time. But Pat O’Brien wasn’t going out
like that. A couple of laps later, O’Brien snatched the lead
back the same way that he lost it, by utilizing a lapped car.
O’Brien was then able to hold off Sheppard, for his first
Brewerton win. Very exciting!
---- Here’s an example of how tough the modified field is at
Brewerton: Alan Johnson was 8th, Billy Decker was 9th, and Pat
Ward, who has been on a tear so far in 2009, could only get to
11th. It was great to see my old pure stock buddy Shawn Donath
finish 6th, and Tommy Sears finish 7th, even though he had the
wrong number on his car. (Sears has almost always driven #83,
and now drives #10.) “I can knock that number off of there if I
have to”, said Tommy.
---- The IMCA race was great, as well. Kevan Cook looked as
though he was going to win his second feature of the year, but
an amazing move near the end by JJ Courcy gave him the
well-earned win. Courcy made a great pass of Cook, I think
using the element of surprise to win the race. And earlier in
the race, Rob Keller had a big lead, before getting passed by
Cook when he drifted a little high.
---- This IMCA division is pretty exciting to watch, as the
competition is pretty close. For the last few seasons, Dale
Caswell has been pretty much dominant at Brewerton (and many
other places) in the IMCA division. But curiously, the Can-Am
Speedway’s website showed that Caswell headed north last
Saturday, where he promptly beat the field of seven IMCA
modifieds that were on hand there. Will Caswell be back this
week, to run against a bigger - and subsequently tougher - field
of IMCA modifieds?
---- It was another two race weekend for me. On Saturday
afternoon I crossed another race facility off of my list. This
is a new track, opened up last season, in Hastings, N.Y. (Which
is about ten miles north of Brewerton Speedway.)
---- Moose Mountain Speedway isn’t a big car track. (
www.moosemountainspeedway.com ). Moose Mountain is a sweet
lawn mower racing speedway, that also races go-carts. This
place is really cool, and there was a great crowd of people on
hand to check out the show on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Out behind a small engine shop is a beautiful little clay oval
cut into the side of a big hill. If you’re into small engine
races of all kinds, you need to get there.
---- My buddy Corey Norton, after spinning out a little here
and there, was able to pick up the victory in his division.
Corey’s got a sweet looking #22, lettered up by Luther’s Wayout
Grafix, and he’s still in position to win every race that he
enters this year.
---- Fundraiser season is still in full swing! I’ve been
notified of a couple of upcoming fundraisers that will be held
to benefit some of the local race teams….
---- May 2nd - Benefits the TMS Motorsports #26 small block
supermodified team, driven by Hall of Famer Mike Bond. The event
will be held on Saturday, May 2nd, right after the open practice
at Oswego Speedway. Friends and fans are invited to stop by
Lighthouse Lanes and enjoy pulled pork, raffles, 50/50’s, and
other great events. Music and entertainment are on the schedule,
and the highlight will be a special “Dancing with the Stars
Moment”, featuring Mike Bond and teammate Rob Pullen. The NASCAR
Richmond night race will also be on the huge screens. Starting
time for the fundraiser is 5:00, and a great time will be had by
all!
---- May 17th - Gates Racing #28 & #1 Fundraiser. Captain &
Crew Golf Tournament @ Emerald Crest Golf Club, Palermo; 8am.
$260/team of 4, 18 holes and one cart (2/team). Closest to
pin/longest drive; pig roast included. Door prizes and raffles.
Pig Roast @ Driveway Inn, 11am. $10/ticket; pig roast, corn,
salt potatoes, salad. Contact Stan Gates @ 402-4254 or
mudbus28@yahoo.com or George Knight, Jr. @ 591-5022 for more
information.
---- When is your team’s fundraiser? I’m more than happy to
promote your fundraiser here, as well as on my blog at
www.gaternews.com. Just give me your information, and I’ll
update immediately. Give me the word - and I’ll spread it!
Gater News - April 22, 2009
Yes! Racing season has finally arrived in central New York!
Nice weather doesn’t usually happen in mid-April, but curiously
enough, this year it worked out.
---- The most exciting part about Brewerton’s opener for me is
the “rebirth” of Brewerton Speedway under the new ownership of
John and Laura Wight. Just as the track (along with sister
speedway Fulton Speedway) was on the brink of possibly becoming
a nice site for a bunch of condos overlooking route 81, or some
other type of bogus development, the Wights stepped in and wrote
the check to save us all. First impression was dramatic, as the
most impressive new catch fence grabs your eye immediately when
you walk in. Along with a new flagman tower, dubbed the “Taj
Mahal” by starter Dave Farney during the driver’s meeting.
---- “It doesn’t have to turn a profit - I just need to break
even”, Wight told me in a conversation after the successful
opening night. A successful businessman, Wight has chosen auto
racing for his release, and we all get to reap the rewards. For
several years, the Wights have owned several racecars, and
sponsored or assisted drivers in many divisions. Do they make
money from their race teams? I doubt that. The love of the
sport is what obviously motivates John Wight, and that love led
to the purchase of these two fading race facilities, which may
not have even been open for business this year without his
help.
---- As you can tell, I’m pretty charged up about the new
situation at the speedway that has been such a part of my life
since I was a little kid. I can’t tell you exactly when I
started going there, but it had to be somewhere around 1973 or
1974 when my Dad began sponsoring Charlie Fletcher’s #91 street
stock. Also around that time my father and Rusty Vincent (who
many years later became my father-in-law) started building a car
themselves (that was never completed, incidentally.) My first
race as a driver at the speedway was probably 1980 (at the ripe
age of 15 years old), and if you go back through the archives at
www.brewertonspeedway.com you’ll see my name in some of the
results from then, up into the mid-90’s when I started driving
at Oswego Speedway. (If you go looking, pay special attention to
the pure stock results of 1989 - my career best four feature
season!) Brewerton will always be my favorite place to drive,
and I maintain that I will still turn more laps at Brewerton
before I hang up my helmet. There’s nothing like heading down
that D-shaped back straight off of turn two, looking at the
lights, in the middle of a four car wide pack. I have to do
that again.
---- Fulton Speedway was also a big part of my childhood. I
understand that Fulton was in even worse condition than
Brewerton, and will require a lot more work to get up and
running. That’s why Fulton’s opener is still a few weeks down
the road, slated for May 16th. But you can be sure that drastic
changes will be seen at Fulton before that opener. Fulton
Speedway is one of the finest facilities around, but it has
fallen into a little bit of disrepair in the last few years.
Crowds have gone down, and I doubt that the speedway has been
profitable. Wight admits that he has his work cut out for him
getting Fulton Speedway back to where it should be. But he and
his crew of some of the best in the business are certainly up to
the task. Harvey Fink, who brought both speedways to prominence
before selling out in the mid-2000’s has agreed to run the two
tracks for Wight, and will certainly do a great job now. Again,
I assume this is a labor of love for Fink, as well, who has come
out of retirement to get these tracks back up to speed. I
couldn’t be happier with the new crew, and we as race fans
couldn’t be luckier. It won’t happen overnight - but I think
this is a going to be a good year for local speedways. The
nation’s economy will keep race fans closer to home in 2009,
supporting the speedways in their areas instead of taking their
discretionary income to the Cup races all over the country. I’m
going to Brewerton Speedway a lot this summer. And judging by
the large crowd there for opening night, a lot of other people
will be, as well. Especially it the races are done by 10:00PM,
as they were on opening night.
---- John Wight - you’re our knight in shining armor!
---- The racing? Of course that was great! A great field of
big block modifieds were on hand for the kickoff, and a lot of
big names. The outcome was never obvious, as several drivers
had their chance during the feature. The most exciting move of
the night came on lap 22, as Gary Tompkins and Matt Sheppard
crashed while dicing for the lead! Both cars went spinning into
the first turn, also collecting the third place running Ryan
Phelps.
---- This activity handed the lead to Alan Johnson, who was in
the middle of his patented drive toward the front. As he always
seems to do. But nooooo….. that wasn’t the end. Not when
Billy Decker is in the race. You can’t count Decker out at any
time. After a great battle, Decker emerged victorious in the
final rundown, notching his one millionth win in the #91 Gypsum
Express ride. (Which is owned by John Wight.) A great race, as
always.
---- The top five was Decker, Johnson, Pat Ward, Jim Witko,
Jr., and Kevin Bates. “The other Phelps”, Chad Phelps made a
great run from his starting spot near the rear, to get to 7th
place at the finish. Chad had some issues getting out for his
heat race, starting scratch, and breaking a shock as well. But
a solid performance in the feature helped make up for the bad
luck, and showed that the Xmaster General will be a force before
the season ends.
---- Kevan Cook won the IMCA event, and made it look pretty
easy in the process. Ken Rogers and JJ Courcy rounded out the
top three. Of course Dale Caswell is still the car to beat in
this division, as he looks faster than anyone else out there. A
fire under the hood ended Caswell’s evening.
---- Doug Williams was “electrifying” in his win in the Mod
Lite division, and Claude Hutchings Jr. made the four cylinder
super stock division his own. Hutchings looks as though he
could win every event in this division, but won’t be running
weekly as he will concentrate more on the Dirt Sportsman team
that his family owns. It’s always good to see someone who is
willing to challenge himself.
---- I also was able to attend the opener at Utica Rome
Speedway, my first trip to that speedway in a few seasons. But
just as in the past, it was a great show. Sunday night is a
tough night to hold a race, but at Utica Rome, they pull it off
because the races were all completed by 9:00PM! Four great
divisions, and they run it off quick.
---- I’m always impressed with the way the drivers have to
drive Utica Rome to be successful. If you don’t toss it into
the turn sideways, then jump right back onto the throttle, then
you’re behind. I drove that speedway in Dan Brown’s car many
years ago, and I got dusted until I figured that out.
---- Thirty-one big block and small block modifieds were in
attendance for the season opener. And this race had all of the
drama and excitement to make the evening memorable.
---- Early in the race, Pat Ward and Mitch Gibbs battled for
the lead, with Bobby Varin in pursuit. On a restart, Ward made
his move to the outside of Gibbs for the lead, which is the
obvious hot groove at Utica Rome Speedway. Gibbs would have
none of it, and immediately crowded high to block Ward. Ward
stuck with it, and as Gibbs was preoccupied with his
track-hogging, Varin ducked low. As Varin took the lead, Ward
went around in turn one / two, bringing out the caution that
would send him to the rear.
---- The race then was to watch Ward come through the field.
He was on a mission, but with the lack of cautions, there just
was not time for Ward to get involved for the lead. He did work
his way back to 4th at the end, but I think he was the fastest
car, and would have been a challenger with a few more cautions
or a few more laps. It was fun to watch. Varin, Gibbs, Todd
Burley, Ward, and Ted Lamb filled the top five positions.
---- A horrible wreck at the checkers caused thousands of
dollars in damage, but amazingly and thankfully, nobody was
injured. It appeared as though Stewart Friesen slowed
dramatically when he had a flat tire, and then many of the cars
behind him started stacking up, flipping and crashing. It’s
really a surprise that nobody was injured. The Ray Bliss car
appeared to sustain the worst damage.
---- Jason Rood was pretty dominant in the sportsman division,
as he never really had any serious challengers for the lead.
Second through fifth spots were taken by Mike Button, Jeremy
Vunk, Jeff Leslie, and Steve Way. Button, Vunk, and Leslie had
a great race for second, which was fun to watch.
---- The Pro Stock division had some great action, as well as
one of those cheesy bush-league moments that you don’t get to
see very often. Rocky Warner was the winner, but his teammate
was the star.
---- Rick Stone (Warner thanked him as his “teammate” in
victory lane) was probably the fastest car on the speedway, but
got a little bit antsy working his way to the front. A blatant
takeout of Louie Jackson got him penalized, but he wouldn’t
stand for it. Stone protested on the speedway when he was sent
a few positions back during the next caution. Then he went back
to second place under the caution, disregarding what he had been
told by the flagman. The cars were then stopped, and Stone was
then black-flagged. I would love to know what his argument was
with the flagman, as he and everyone else certainly felt that he
had dumped Jackson. Stone eventually headed to the pits,
spinning his tires and revving his engine to express his
displeasure. But guess what - I predict that he’ll be back this
week - and be fast!
---- Switching gears now to Oswego Speedway, optimism is
really getting cranked up as opening day nears. May 9th is this
year’s opening date, with an open practice slated for May 2nd.
---- Recently released was the drivers who are signed up for
2009’s Commitment Program. So what is the Commitment Program?
Is it similar to the “promise ring program”, used by the Jonas
Brothers? Not exactly. The commitment program is an exclusive
group of supermodified team owners who have “committed” to
attend every race at the speedway, in exchange for a guarantee
of a minimum of $500 from the speedway each time they bring the
car. In addition, CP members are guaranteed a qualifying
position, whether they qualify, or not. Drivers in this
exclusive group who miss more than one event forfeit their
membership, but I would think that you’d have to be pretty
confident that you would attend every event before you take a
coveted spot in this 21 car maximum group.
---- Some of the drivers who have made the commitment have
only competed a few times at Oswego in the past, and a couple
are rookies. I’m proud of them for stepping up to the plate,
and look forward to seeing a minimum 21 car field every week.
Here are the 21 committed drivers:
1. Dan Connors has registered a car owned by Jeff Holbrook, #01,
for his teenaged son Daniel to drive. 2.Coon France Motorsports
have registered the #03 for Lou LeVea, Sr. and 3.#04 which will
be piloted by Lou LeVea, Jr. 4. Syrell Racing has registered the
#08 in hopes that they will be able to make all but one
non-winged feature in 2009. 5. Bob Bogwicz has registered the
#09. 6. Snyder Racing has registered the newly revamped #0 for
Tim Snyder. 7. Double Deuce Racing has registered the #2 for Pat
Lavery and 8. #22 for Bobby Magner. 9. John Nicotra Racing has
registered the #7 for defending Track Champion Otto Sitterly.
10. Gioia Racing has registered the #9 for Stephen Gioia III.
11.Jakes Automotive has registered the #23 for Jason Spaulding.
12. Jerry Curran has registered his #24. 13. Tim Timms, has
registered the #33. 14. Mike Casey has registered the #47. 15.
Hal LaTulip has registered his #56. 16. Pat Furlong, Jr. has
registered the #72 for Greg Furlong. 17. Keith Gilliam has
registered his #87. 18. Randy Darat from Cato, New York has
registered the #88 which will rotate drivers Keith Shampine and
Bob Reis during the season. 19. Stowell Racing has registered
the #89 for Todd Stowell. 20.Ray Graham has registered the #90.
21. Strong Racing has registered the #99 for the “Jersey Jet”
Joey Payne. “Although opening day approaches with over two
dozen drivers registered and more still expected, it is these
twenty one owners that have signed up for the Commitment Program
who will try to field a car weekly and not miss more than one
non-winged Novelis Supermodified feature event in the 2009
season at the Oswego Speedway”, according to the speedway
website.
---- This is quite an attractive offer for the teams. It
encourages them to be there every week, and rewards them for
doing so. Since the small block supermodified division may see
short fields in 2009, I wonder if speedway management has
considered putting together a commitment program for its popular
support division.
---- Fundraiser season is still in full swing! I’ve been
notified of a couple of upcoming fundraisers that will be held
to benefit some of the local race teams….
---- April 25th - The Balance Motorsports Team of #85 Steve
Abt and #20 Bill Moore Fundraiser will be on Saturday, 4/25.
It’s at Meeshell’s Restaurant, 609 Rte. 48, Fulton. Food
featured will be a picnic menu (hotdogs, burgers and chicken),
with beer included. Time is 1-5pm. $10.00/ticket includes music
from members of “Under the Gun” and “Brand New Sin“. For
information or tickets call Steve Abt @ 315-877-8825 or Bill
Moore @ 315-727-7491.
---- May 2nd - Benefits the TMS Motorsports #26 small block
supermodified team, driven by Hall of Famer Mike Bond. The event
will be held on Saturday, May 2nd, right after the open practice
at Oswego Speedway. Friends and fans are invited to stop by
Lighthouse Lanes and enjoy pulled pork, raffles, 50/50’s, and
other great events. Music and entertainment are on the schedule,
and the highlight will be a special “Dancing with the Stars
Moment”, featuring Mike Bond and teammate Rob Pullen. The NASCAR
Richmond night race will also be on the huge screens. Starting
time for the fundraiser is 5:00, and a great time will be had by
all!
---- May 17th - Gates Racing #28 & #1 Fundraiser. Captain &
Crew Golf Tournament @ Emerald Crest Golf Club, Palermo; 8am.
$260/team of 4, 18 holes and one cart (2/team). Closest to
pin/longest drive; pig roast included. Door prizes and raffles.
Pig Roast @ Driveway Inn, 11am. $10/ticket; pig roast, corn,
salt potatoes, salad. Contact Stan Gates @ 402-4254 or
mudbus28@yahoo.com or George Knight, Jr. @ 591-5022 for more
information.
---- When is your team’s fundraiser? I’m more than happy to
promote your fundraiser here, as well as on my blog at
www.gaternews.com. Just give me your information, and I’ll
update immediately. Give me the word - and I’ll spread it!
Gater News - April 2, 2009
Keepin’ it Real - by JJ Andrews
Hey readers - I’ve decided to change the title of my column,
after several years. The “Limited Access” title, that I
inherited from Linda Matteson was a great title when the
division of racecars that I mostly cover were called “limited
supermodifieds”. A very clever play on words, invented by
Linda. But now that our cars have been renamed “small block
supermodifieds” , it doesn’t make as much sense. So after
stewing on it for a year or so, I’ve come up with this new
title, “Keepin’ it Real”. Which is what I always try to do. To
me, keeping it real means always being truthful and objective,
which is my goal. Or “how I roll”, as we say in the ’hood.
(Hey - maybe that would be a better title - “How I Roll…) Let
me know what you think of the new title at
JJcqracing@aol.com.
---- The huge news here for Central New York race fans is the
impending sale of Brewerton and Fulton Speedways to local
businessman John Wight. According to news reports, Wight has
placed a purchase offer for both speedways, and it was accepted
by the current owners. I assume that like any property purchase
that I’ve ever been involved in, it will take awhile before
ownership actually changes hands, but I think it’s a very
positive thing for CNY race fans. John Wight has a very good
reputation in the area, and is the owner of several race teams.
He obviously loves the sport (I really don’t think that he owns
race teams to make money!), and I’m sure that a lot of his
reason for purchasing the tracks is his love of the sport. More
news will come out as the sale progresses, but I expect it all
to be good news for the future.
---- The Gater News Motorsports Expo, held recently at the New
York State Fairgrounds, was once again a great experience for
race fans. An excellent display of vendors, exhibits, and most
importantly, RACECARS! It sure is great to be around racecars,
and racecar people.
---- Once again, the Oswego Speedway and NORA small block
supermodified division was very well represented. Four shiny,
pretty small block supers were gussied up and on display at the
show. The Dave Gruel driven #50, owned by Tim Barbeau; the
Steve Abt #85, and the Rob Pullen driven, Terry Solazzo owned
#25, all FFB Chassis, were on display at the Oswego Speedway
booth. The Hedger Chassis #18, driven this year by rookie
Andrew Shartner and owned by Tom Aaserud, was staged in a
separate area of the show. (Apparently the red-headed stepchild
wasn’t allowed to sit at the big kids table.) Great job, you
guys! And don’t tell the other guys, but I thought the #25 was
the best looking of the four small block supers…
---- The Soule Racing #32 ISMA Super represented the
supermodified division. Soule’s car is always immaculately
prepared, and filled out the ISMA booth very nicely. Soule
Racing is a great representative for ISMA, and does a lot to
improve and promote the ISMA series. Oswego Speedway’s
non-winged supermodified division was not represented at the
show.
---- Speaking of ISMA, I spoke with an Oswego driver that will
make his switch to the traveling road show of ISMA for the 2009
season. Craig Rayvals will be hitting the road this year.
“Just wanted to try something different”, was Craig’s reason for
the change. He’ll run the winged supermodified shows at Oswego
this year, but doesn’t plan any other un-winged shows at this
point. We’ll miss Craig at Oswego, where he‘s been a long time
supporter, and I wish him the best!
---- I also had a few minutes to visit with Ray Hedger,
builder of many different types of racecars. At least one of
Ray’s new creations, the SST modified owned / driven by Kreig
Heroth was at the show. The 00 looked great! Hedger has also
built a new small block supermodified for Ray Pike, that will be
campaigned at Oswego Speedway in 2009. “We’re hoping to run
every week”, said Pike, who has enlisted Russ Brown to drive the
car. The former track champion left the speedway in a huff two
years ago, but will return after a year in the SST division
didn’t bring the success that he and owner Ray Hedger had hoped
for. Hedger still plans to campaign the SST with Brown in ‘09,
but not on a specific schedule.
---- Doug Reaume had his RoC Modified at the show, all ready
for the 2009 season. Reaume hopes to hit the entire Race of
Champions series this year, and will pick and choose other races
around that series.
---- Have you seen the movie X-men? Well I saw X-MAN at the
show. His name is Chad Phelps, and he drives the X-car (big
block dirt modified.) The car was X-tra sharp. In fact, I
would say that it looks X-cellent. I wonder if his X-wife likes
the car?
---- I also saw Mike Mullen’s Mod Lite at the show. The car
looks great, and I expect to see him in victory lane this year.
And hopefully no more of those ridiculous flips, like I saw him
do last year.
---- “Toddzilla”, Todd Rhoads had his sharp looking street
stock at the show. Todd’s hoping to win every race he enters in
2009, and will not be happy with second place. So does he plan
to knock everyone out of the way to reach his goal of being
unbeaten in 2009? Of course he does.
---- Supermodified racer Bob Reis had his gorgeous new
modified at the show. According to a story on
www.superracingnews.com, Reis will focus on his modified,
and share an occasional ride with Keith Shampine in a
supermodified owned by Randy Daratt. Shampine, who now lives in
North Carolina, will run the car four or five times, and Reis
will fill in the rest of the season. I think it’s great that
all of these parties were able to work this arrangement out, and
that the Daratt team will be a weekly supporter of the speedway.
---- I saw Barry Kingsley’s small block super recently, but
not at the show. He was hoping to have it ready for the show,
but he’s so meticulous and obsessive that it wasn’t ready in
time. Talk about attention to detail - Barry’s done a beautiful
job on this car. But I wonder - he’s so fussy about it, will he
ever actually get the car finished?
---- Supermodified driver Michael Barnes has picked up a super
ride for 2009. Barnes will be driving the Gary Morton super,
probably always in winged competition. It won’t be a full
season deal. “I’ll probably run seven or eight races”, said
Barnes, who will also drive his family owned NEMA midget in
selected races. The first midget race will probably be in June,
and they don’t have a specific schedule at this time.
---- Larry Muroski has sold his #38 small block supermodified.
Muroski won a couple of features in his short small block
supermodified career, but has apparently decided that he’s had
his fun. Larry was a one-of-a-kind guy, and certainly made his
mark in the division. He caught some ire from some of his
competitors for his aggressive driving style, and controversial
comments to the press. But we sure knew he was there! Steve
Abt has purchased the car, along with the spares - basically
cleaning Muroski out.
---- Abt already has a brand new FFB car which is ready to
roll, but apparently the deal was too good to pass up on
Muroski’s car. So what will he do with the Muroski car, which
was also complete? Sounds like a heckuva backup car. Or maybe
he can find an old broken-down racecar driver to wheel it a
couple of times this year. One with two initials for a name.
One who has five career small block super wins to his credit,
but not in a few years. One who finished top ten in all three of
the races that he competed in last year. One that has most
Saturday nights off, because he’s not campaigning his own #93
car much this season. One whose e-mail address is
JJcqracing@aol.com. Any ideas?
---- Shawn Walker threatens every year that he’s going to quit
driving. But he never does. This year though, he’s not talking
about quitting altogether. But he will be scaling back. The
plan for 2009 is to not compete in every event, because of the
time it takes. “Between wanting to spend more time with my
family, and all of the time I’m putting into being an Alderman
(Walker is an alderman in the City of Oswego), I can’t race
every week”, said Walker.
---- But the car will be there every week. For the ‘09 season,
Walker has a “co-driver” for the #68. This grizzled veteran has
many races - and wins - under his belt, usually in cars that he
had built. He stepped away from the sport a few years ago, and
sold a lot of his equipment. But this year, the dreaded Gregg
Davis will be back on the track, wheeling the FFB machine on
nights when Walker isn’t. What luck - we finally get rid of
Muroski, then we get Davis back. Where’s the justice?
---- Fundraiser season is in full swing, and I recently
attended two of them for teams that should be favorites for wins
and the championship in their divisions. Jerry Curran won his
first Oswego supermodified feature in 2008, and should be in a
very strong position for 2009. He’ll surely be on most people’s
lists of championship contenders. And Dave Gruel, who is
driving Tim Barbeau’s #50 this year is a multi-feature winner
who has all the talent - and equipment - to take a run at the
title. Glad to help these guys out!
---- I touched base with a couple of supermodified teams over
the weekend, who are on schedule for the season openers. Bob
Hoefer, co-owner of the Double Deuce Racing Team with drivers
Pat Lavery and Bob Magner says that they’re in pretty good
shape. Not a lot of changes to the cars over the off-season,
and they plan to concentrate once again on the non-winged races,
and the Oswego Speedway schedule. “We may run some winged
shows, but we really want to concentrate on Oswego”, said Hoefer.
---- Strong Racing has the first car ready for the Oswego
Speedway wars with driver Joey Payne, who will come up from New
Jersey every week to run for the championship. Yet another team
that has to be considered a strong favorite for the ’09
championship.
---- There was a big meeting last weekend in Auburn, N.Y., to
discuss a plan for a tire rule for the small block supermodified
division at Oswego Speedway. Reps Tom Aaserud and Tim Barbeau
presented a plan that would save many racers a lot of money
during the season by limiting purchases to only two tires per
week. Aaserud has spent a ton of time - and money - putting
this program together for the good of the division and its
owners.
---- But boy, was Tom on the hot seat at this meeting! A lot
of “what ifs” and “how abouts” came up at the meeting, which
reminds us that the proposed rule is still in the planning
stages. Unfortunately, the meeting became heated a few times as
defending track champion Kevin Knopp and wife Kathy made it very
clear that they were opposed to any rule that would limit the
purchase of new tires. Fortunately for the division though, it
appears as though all of the other teams are on board with a
rule that would save them two or three thousand dollars, IF all
of the logistics can be worked out.
---- Let’s face it - the division is struggling. Car counts
have gone down substantially in the last couple of seasons, and
you can’t help but think a $7,000 tire bill for teams that
bought tires every week are good for a division that pays $600
to win. I’m not making that up - that’s what it costs if you
buy tires every week. And in most cases, you’re at a
disadvantage if you don’t have new rubber, but the other guys
do. The Knopps shot a lot of holes in Tom and Tim’s plan, and
did have a lot of legitimate questions. But if these can be
worked out, we need it bad.
---- Long story short, after a lot of negotiating, discussion,
and ball-busting, I think this will benefit us all in the long
run. Nothing is cast in stone yet, but more work will be done
in the coming weeks, hopefully to have everything in place by
opening day. Thanks to Tom and Tim for the hard work you’ve
done to work this out, for the betterment of the series. I’m
going to stay open-minded, and do anything I can to help out the
division as a whole.
---- Fundraiser season is here! I’ve been notified of a
couple of upcoming fundraisers that will be held to benefit some
of the local race teams….
April 4th - “Big Daddy” / Shawn Walker Racing will be holding a
chicken BBQ on Saturday, 4/4. It will be held at the Front Door
Tavern, in Oswego, from noon until sold out. Runaway
Entertainment provides the music. Tickets are $8.00.
April 4th - Mike Bruce / Bruce Racing #28 Modlite team. From
1-5 at Scriba Town Inn. Featuring chicken BBQ dinners for $8.00,
along with raffles, door prizes, 50/50 raffles, and music by
Millenium Music. “Mike Bruce is a young racer breaking through
and could use some extra support. Come out and enjoy some good
chicken, cold beer, good music, and a lot of fun”, says PR
Director Dwight Cory.
April 11th - Chad Phelps / Big Block modified car #X. At
LaGraf's Pub, 187 East 10th St. in Oswego. $7.00 BBQ chicken
dinners with all the fixings, entertainment from Dave Domicolo
band and Bob Garafalo. Food goes from 1:00 until gone, and
includes 50/50’s, raffles, door prizes, etc. For more info,
call 315-207-0351.
April 19th - Jon Shumway will be having a benefit on April 19th
at Greene’s Ale House, to raise some capital for his dirt
sportsman. That benefit will feature the famous JP Shaggy, and
probably some of Shumway’s sweet dance moves.
April 25th - The Balance Motorsports Team of #85 Steve Abt and
#20 Bill Moore Fundraiser will be on Saturday, 4/25. It’s at
Meeshell’s Restaurant, 609 Rte. 48, Fulton. Food featured will
be a picnic menu (hotdogs, burgers and chicken), with beer
included. Time is 1-5pm. $10.00/ticket includes music from
members of “Under the Gun” and “Brand New Sin“. For information
or tickets call Steve Abt @ 315-877-8825 or Bill Moore @
315-727-7491.
May 2nd - Benefits the TMS Motorsports #26 small block
supermodified team, driven by Hall of Famer Mike Bond. The event
will be held on Saturday, May 2nd, right after the open practice
at Oswego Speedway. Friends and fans are invited to stop by
Lighthouse Lanes and enjoy pulled pork, raffles, 50/50’s, and
other great events. Music and entertainment are on the schedule,
and the highlight will be a special “Dancing with the Stars
Moment”, featuring Mike Bond and teammate Rob Pullen. The NASCAR
Richmond night race will also be on the huge screens. Starting
time for the fundraiser is 5:00, and a great time will be had by
all!
---- When is your team’s fundraiser? I’m more than happy to
promote your fundraiser here, as well as in my column in the
Gater News, a national trade paper. Just give me your
information, and I’ll update immediately. Give me the word - and
I’ll spread it!
Gater News - March 12, 2009
So will there be autograph signings at the Gater Motorsports
Expo this weekend, Saturday and Sunday the 14th and 15th? The
answer is yes - I WILL be signing autographs. But get there
early - the line will be long. My handlers say that I can only
spend 4.2 seconds with each fan, though, so don’t hold me up.
Sorry it’s like that - I have a schedule to keep. And where can
you find me? Uhhh…..I don’t really have a specific place. I’ll
be walking around.
---- Seriously, though, there are several people there signing
autographs - that you would actually want. Most importantly,
NASCAR driver Mike Wallace will be signing on Saturday from 2:00
- until 3:30pm, courtesy of Adirondack International Speedway.
He’ll also be in the A.I.S. booth from 6-7:00pm. Try not to ask
him what I’m sure he’s already been asked a million times: “Is
your brother Kenny always that crazy?”
---- Gary Tompkins, Jimmy Phelps, Dale Planck, and Ryan Phelps
will be signing on Saturday at 3:00. (Apparently the “other
Phelps”, Chad Phelps, wasn’t invited, and will be involved in
the beer tent autograph session, with yours truly.) At 2:00 on
Saturday, ESS Stars Steve Poirier, Lance Yonge, Chuck Hebing,
Mike Stelter, Cory Sparks, Mike Bush, and others will be
signing.
---- The Gater columnists autograph session has been
rescheduled for another time. Gater honcho Joe Patrick couldn’t
give me the exact time, but told me that it will happen “as soon
as I get a seal that barks my name.” As I’m not that schooled
on the ways of the aquatic world, I’m not sure when that happens
exactly. Stay tuned…
---- My favorite cars at the Expo are usually dirt cars. I
just love the dirt modifieds, as well as the street stocks. But
my preference is the cars with the actual bodies - not the
prefab ones that are supposed to look like exaggerated versions
of the real cars, but don’t. And I especially appreciate the
cars that have already been raced. Painted dents show
character.
---- Last week was John “Luther” Gray’s 9th annual Make-A-Wish
Fundraiser. It was a lot of fun for all of us who attended, but
more importantly, a TON of money was raised for the children.
Last I heard, on Sunday, the total amount raised was over
$27,000, as organizers continued to tally the donations. Just
an amazing job by Luther, Chrissy, and the many volunteers,
sponsors, and donators that help to put this huge deal together.
---- One of the most touching moments I’ve seen in a long time
happened when Luther brought “Heaven”, the adorable little girl
who would be a recipient of this year’s wish, onto the stage for
introduction. The shy little girl could not have been cuter,
and when Luther presented her with a special piece of engraved
jewelry, there was not a dry eye in the house. It was truly a
great moment, and showed the true heart of our friend Luther.
---- But Luther wasn’t just a granter of wishes this last
weekend. He was also a recipient. Keith Gilliam gifted Luther
with a night’s ride in his supermodified for one night in the
2009 season, an apparent dream of Luther’s for quite some time.
A very generous gesture on Gilliam’s part, and certainly
something that Luther has earned through his own kindness to
others. Karma is real.
---- Another great racing team exchange that took place was a
donation by the Cliff Racing Team. The Cliffs volunteered the
use of their small block supermodified for this summer’s
“Hoosier Mama” ladies race that will take place at Oswego
Speedway on July 18th. The very generous donation raised over
$800 for the cause, and landed a ride for Sara Wygant. Samantha
Todd is the defending champion of this event, after passing
Kathy Harrington on the last lap in 2008, winning the race in
Barry Kingsley’s #23. Samantha has had quite a chip on her
shoulder since the dazzling win, and will welcome all
competition in ‘09. “I will dust any man, woman, or child who
thinks they can go up against the likes of ME”, Todd was heard
proclaiming loudly. (Of course that’s made up - just a little
retribution for some of Sam’s comments about my fashion
choices.)
---- Other highlights from the party included Rich Hall,
Luther, and Bob “Big Bird” LaBoda getting their heads shaved for
donations. Three handsome looking bald men, that’s for sure.
I’m also the proud owner of some excellent treasures from the
auction, including a spot on a fishing charter with Luther and a
few others.
---- The NORA small block supermodified series has nailed down
their full schedule for the 2009 season. The series, which will
receive support from several local businesses (to be announced
in an upcoming release), will consist of four races: June 19th,
Spencer Speedway; June 27th, Shangri-La2 Speedway, July 17th,
Spencer Speedway (just added), and September 12th, Oswego
Speedway for the 59th Annual Race of Champions. Should be a
great series. For more information, see the NORA table set up
at this week’s Gater Motorsports Expo, near the Oswego Speedway
booth. Or check out the NORA website at
http://norasbs.blogspot.com/.
---- I got word of another supermodified team that will be in
competition weekly at Oswego Speedway in ‘09. Coon-France
Racing has had a lot of success in the past fielding cars that
win the rookie of the year award. In 2008, Lou LeVea ran very
well, and won the ROTY award. And I believe in 2006, the team
won the award with Mike Hooper. In 2009, the team will field
two cars on a weekly basis, with the intent of putting yet
another driver in the ROTY gold. While Lou LeVea has hopes for
a great sophomore season off of his successful rookie year, Lou
LeVea Jr. will drive the team’s other car, numbered with an 04.
The car was previously fielded as the Rocky Crucitti #11, and
driven by Bobby Smith around ten years ago. Should be a lot of
fun for “Little Lou”.
---- An upcoming fundraiser that I’ve been asked to promote
will benefit the TMS Motorsports #26 small block supermodified
team, driven by Hall of Famer Mike Bond. The event will be held
on Saturday, May 2nd, right after the open practice at Oswego
Speedway. Friends and fans are invited to stop by Lighthouse
Lanes and enjoy pulled pork, raffles, 50/50’s, and other great
events. Music and entertainment are on the schedule, and the
highlight will be a special “Dancing with the Stars Moment”,
featuring Mike Bond and teammate Rob Pullen. The NASCAR
Richmond night race will also be on the huge screens. Starting
time for the fundraiser is 5:00, and a great time will be had by
all!
---- If you have any fundraisers of your own coming up, I’ll
be happy to promote it for you. E-mail me with the info at
Jjcqracing@aol.com. I’ll probably attend, as well!
Gater News - Feb. 25, 2009
Limited Access by JJ Andrews
So we’re still legging out what seems to be the longest winter
ever here in central New York. I can see the light at the end
of the tunnel, though. Definitely getting closer to racing
season!
---- I’ll start right off with some exciting news that was
just announced Oswego Speedway. Here are some highlights from
the Speedway’s press release: “After twenty-two years of
hosting the premier short track, short race, the “Mr. Novelis
Supermodified” event, the Oswego Speedway doubles up with two
“$10,000 to Win” feature races in 2009. The annual “Mr. Novelis
Supermodified” scheduled for Saturday August 1st will be joined
by the first ever “King of Wings” event on Saturday July 11th. A
win in both events by the same driver will trigger a bonus that
will double his payday from $20,000 to a cool $40,000. The hot
July racing season will kick into full gear for the winged
supermodifieds when they make their annual Tuesday night visit
to Stafford Speedway in Connecticut on July 7th and end the week
with a new Sunday afternoon date at Cayuga Speedway in Canada on
July 12th. It is a newly scheduled race at the Oswego Speedway,
in between these two events, that will have the winged
supermodified fans and competitors talking right up until race
day. The July 11th date was tentatively set up as an MSA/Oswego
Wing 40 lap feature race. It will now be a 50 lap $10,000 to win
race. All MSA teams are expected to join the Oswego regulars as
this is part of the MSA/Oswego Wing Series. Many top ISMA teams
and fans on their way from Stafford to Cayuga are expected as
well to compete in and watch this giant payday for winged
supermodifieds. The $10,000 to win Burkes, Community Bank and
AT&T “King of Wings” race will start a maximum of twenty eight
cars and the $10,000 to win “Mr. Novelis Supermodified” race
will start a maximum of twenty four cars. These two races will
be the signature winged and non-wing supermodified races for the
2009 season offering up the largest single day winner’s purse in
supermodified history of $30,000 on August 1st. Mother Nature
will not spoil the fun for these two big 50 lap “$10,000 to Win”
events. The rain date for the July 11th “King of Wings” will be
Friday night of Classic Weekend. The rain date for the August
1st “Mr. Novelis Supermodified” will be Saturday August 8th.”
---- This is an exciting announcement for fans of
supermodified s, and represents a lot of hard work for all
involved. “It was something that we had wanted to do before,
but it took a lot to work it out politically”, said speedway
co-owner Steve Gioia. That $20,000 bonus will make quite an
impact on both races. I would think that everybody with a
decent shot at a win will be sure to go out of their way to go
after the winged show, to set themselves up for the huge bonus.
Obviously, winged drivers will have a huge advantage for the
July 11th $10K race, but he’ll have his hands full on the second
leg of the two part event. The bonus really changes everything,
and should add a heck of a lot of excitement - and talent to the
speedway this year.
---- There is no clear-cut favorite to win both races, and the
$40,000 total payout. The top winged car drivers, like Chris
Perley, Russ Wood, Charlie Schultz, and Dave Shullick Jr. have
few or no wins in a non-winged supermodified. And the top
non-winged drivers, like ’09 track champion Otto Sitterly, Tim
Snyder, Pat Lavery, and others all have very limited experience
in winged cars. But there are a few drivers that stick out as
guys who could sweep the bonus.
---- Dave McKnight: has won many ISMA races, and also scored a
victory in a non-winged car as recently as last year.
---- Timmy Jedrzejek: he doesn’t have a ton of non-wing
experience, but prior to the 2008 season, he purchased the very
fast Furlong car that won many features.
---- Greg Furlong: he ran a full season of ISMA a few years
ago, even winning a winged super race at Oswego. And of course,
he’s one of the all-time greats in non-winged action. He’ll
certainly be a favorite to sweep. And you can be sure he’ll be
gunning for it.
---- Bentley Warren: how do you not put Bentley on your
favorite list? He’s won every type of race, at every type of
track, in every type of car. If he wins the winged race in Vic
Miller’s car, he will certainly find a solid non-wing ride for a
shot at the big bonus.
---- Joey Payne: everyone’s aware of his winged talents. He’s
won several winged races, but no non-winged at Oswego. Well
this season, he’s driving full time for Strong Racing at Oswego,
without the “kite”. He’ll have a “strong” program for both
events, and will certainly be in a good position for both races.
---- Bobby Magner: Not only did Magner win more races at
Oswego (3) than anyone last year, but he also has a few seasons
of ISMA wing races under his belt. I’m not sure what Double
Deuce Racing has up their sleeves for winged equipment, but you
can be sure that they’ll go after the $40K total.
---- In summary, I’ll pick Joey Payne or Bobby Magner as the
two favorites to sweep the cool forty large. Hopefully Perley
doesn’t screw the whole thing up by winning the King of Wings,
then not bringing a potentially winning non-winged car.
---- My congratulations and thanks to the management of Oswego
Speedway, as well as AT&T, Burke’s Home Centers, Novelis, and
Community Bank, for putting this excellent promotion together.
I think supermodified racing will benefit greatly from this
exciting plan.
---- One other thing - if an MSA team wins the winged portion
of the event, he’ll have a very tough decision to make. MSA has
a race scheduled for August 1st, at Lorain County. Would you
stick with the MSA scheduled event if you had a shot at a
$20,000 bonus?
---- A couple of rules changes for the supermodified division
has given the fans something to talk about during the
off-season. There are always going to be changes in rules, as
the cars continually evolve, and owners and builders and
designers are always improving the cars. The most dramatic
change is the return of the “split axle” for the cars in 2009.
The split axle front end was banned recently to slow down the
evolution of the chassis, and hopefully simplify the cars, in
the interest of keeping the playing field as level as possible.
However, after the very fast Xtreme Chassis, built by Paul
Colloca, took the division by storm at last year’s Classic, it
was time for speedway management to rethink. Xtreme swept the
top three positions with a totally new front axle design, which
got everyone thinking. And nervous.
---- “There’s no way to really tell if the axle was flexing”,
said speedway owner Steve Gioia. If Colloca’s design was
actually flexing, the footprint of the tire could stay flatter,
giving the cars a distinct traction advantage. So the rules
makers were left with a decision to make about the future of the
division, yet again: do they outlaw the Xtreme, or its front
axle, causing another huge argument similar to a couple of years
ago when they squashed independent front suspension? Or do they
leave it alone, possibly putting everyone without that design at
a disadvantage? In this instance, some of the guys who had
split axles taken away felt like they were handicapped. The
decision was made to bring the split axles back for the Hawk and
other chassis, in the hope of once again evening the playing
field. Controversial for some, but again it will hopefully
benefit the division as a whole, in the long run. “I think it
(bringing back split axles) helps every competitor out there”,
stated Gioia. “We had to make the best possible compromise for
all of the competitors and the speedway.” Gioia added. “The
creativity of the racers ” certainly keeps everyone on their
toes in this division.
---- I also spoke with Strong Racing team owner Pat Strong
about this subject. Although many fans are up in arms about the
return of the split axle, Strong didn’t seem too fazed by it.
He’s not even convinced that he’ll opt for the split axle on the
new car that he’s putting together for Joey Payne to drive. The
always courteous Strong invited me to the racecar shop to better
explain to me how the whole thing works. They’ll have two cars
in the works this year for Payne.
---- Another exciting event coming to the speedway this year
is the USAC Silver Crown event that will be held on Thursday,
August 6th. The obvious intent of scheduling this event on this
date is to hopefully get some Nextel Cup fans - and maybe
drivers - to come to the event, since they will all be just two
hours away in Watkins Glen, N.Y. that weekend. Steve Gioia
confirms that there are such talks in the works, but no amount
of my asking would get a name out of him. “There may be an
announcement soon, but you’re correct that something is in the
works.”, admitted Gioia. “Is it a Cup driver?”, I pried. “It’s
more than one”, Gioia admitted. “Maybe more than three or
four…”,Gioia teased.
---- I can’t wait for that announcement. I even offered the
availability of my own small block supermodified if any of these
mystery drivers would be interested in double duty. Wednesday,
August 5th is a scheduled practice night for the Silver Crown
cars. A lot of exciting races happening at the Oswego Speedway
in 2009!
---- Expect an announcement soon that the ARDC Midgets will be
added to the Classic Weekend schedule. I believe that you’ll
see the cars added to Friday night of Classic Weekend, along
with the winged Supernationals. I’m also still very happy that
our complete small block supermodified show will all take place
in one day, on Saturday of Classic Weekend, along with the
modifieds. I love that!
---- A couple of scary dirt drivers are gearing up for the
season. Chad Phelps is prepping a ‘09 Troyer for his assault on
the big block modified ranks. You may get to see the new “X” car
at the Gater News Motorsports Expo in a couple of weeks. And Jon
Shumway will be having a benefit on April 19th at Greene’s Ale
House, to raise some capital for his dirt sportsman. That
benefit will feature the famous JP Shaggy, and probably some of
Shumway’s sweet dance moves. I’ll have more info on this, and a
benefit that Chad is still assembling, in coming issues.
---- The next great non-racing event that’s coming up is
Luther’s 9th (and reportedly last) Annual Make-A-Wish
Fundraiser. It takes place on March 7th, at the Oswego (N.Y.)
Moose Lodge. The all day party goes from 2:00 PM to 2:00 AM,
and features all kinds of fun and fundraising. John “Luther”
Gray works year-round for this benefit, and rounds up countless
auction items and door prizes. This year’s live entertainment
features performances by Dave Wolever, Bob Garafolo, and the
band Page 9. 2009 is expected to be the year that these
parties have raised a total over $100,000, quite a feat. Food
will be provided for just a $5.00 cover charge. Make plans
right now to attend, and for more info, as well as a preview of
the auction items, go to
www.luthermotorsports.net. If you have something of value,
and would like to help support Make-A-Wish, please call Luther
at 315-342-3792. Or e-mail
luther@luthermotorsports.net.
---- Then the week after that, March 14th and 15th is the 23rd
annual Gater News Motorsports Expo 2009. This excellent show is
held at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., and is
a gathering place for all of the cars and fans for all of the
CNY speedways. It’s a must see event, and I won’t miss it, for
sure.
---- So Facebook isn’t just for teenagers, I’m finding out.
It’s kind of interesting seeing who’s out there, and checking
out their sites. Check me out by searching “Jay Andrews”.
Gater News - Feb 4, 2009
Once again, the indoor racing events at Boardwalk Hall in
Atlantic City, New Jersey found a huge contingent of central New
York fans in attendance. Around fifty of us rode a bus charter,
organized by Larry Lee and John “Luther” Gray. The racing was
great, and the trip with 50 fun people was very memorable.
Plenty of stories to tell for years to come.
---- Ted Christopher won Saturday’s main event, adding his name
to a coveted list of indoor specialists who have captured the
gold at Atlantic City. As most know, Christopher is an
accomplished racer who has won hundreds of races, in many
divisions of cars. But this win will be enjoyed by the 50
year-old tough guy for a long time to come.
---- It almost appeared as though you had to take a turn on
your hat to win this year in AC. Billy Pauch flipped his
machine during a preliminary race on Friday night, but still
proceeded to win the night’s main event. Then on Saturday
night, Joey Payne took an early race tumble in the feature, only
to charge back to 2nd at the checkers. Could it be that
flipping gives you some extra motivation?
---- Other training that seems to help you win in AC is
supermodified experience. Winner Ted Christopher isn’t a
regular super driver, but he has driven supers, with I believe
at least one win under his belt. Joey Payne - multiple super
winner, and in 2009 a weekly runner at Oswego Speedway. Third
place Mike Lichty - a regular on the ISMA super circuit. Fast
timer Lou Cicconi is a long time supermodified driver and
winner, as was second fastest time trialer Bobby Santos III.
(Both were involved in feature race incidents, credited with
22nd and 11th in the final rundown.) Moral of the story: if you
run a super, you may have an advantage next January indoors at
Atlantic City. Or - if you really want that Boardwalk Hall
crown, maybe you should get a supermodified for practice.
---- Probably the most disappointed driver during Saturday
night’s main event was Matt Janisch. Janisch was the leader of
the race when he got turned around on lap 22 by 2nd place
running Mike Lichty. Lichty was sent to the rear of the field
along with Janisch, as apparently race officials felt that the
incident was not just an accident. Payback for an earlier
misdeed, Lichty admitted later.
---- Of course, there were several stories from this trip that
didn’t necessarily involve the race. The bus ride down is
always a highlight of the weekend, as every single rider gets
involved with games, jokes, and laughing. This was the best
group that I’ve traveled with, and I’d like to thank everyone
who went along and made the trip great. And of course Larry Lee
and Luther Gray for organizing the event.
---- Some off-track happenings included: a 3,000 quarter slot
machine win for Floyd. A reported dip in the ice cold ocean for
a certain supermodified driver. Bad movies on the ride home
supplied by Larry and a certain columnist. There was a very
scary popcorn incident on the boardwalk that found Lupa rolling
around with Gilliam in about 30 gallons of popcorn. I’m sure
that the seagulls are still enjoying snacks from the incident.
An early morning Hall of Fame / Disco / pizza party that was NOT
attended by any Hall of Famers. (Apparently our HoF member Mike
Bond was too tired - from ditching the bus ride. Boohoohoo.)
Bond was also a victim of a stuck elevator for nearly a half
hour - apparently advance karma for avoiding the party in his
honor the next day. All in all, I doubt you could find anyone
in our party who didn’t have a great time, and get a story of
their own to tell. Looking forward to AC ‘10!
---- On Sunday, January 25th, several small block super teams
met at Lighthouse Lanes in Oswego, N.Y. to discuss the 2009
season.
---- N.O.R.A. president Steve Reynolds kicked off the meeting
with discussion about the traveling events that are being put
together for the small block supers. Cast in stone as of this
date are a Friday, June 19th race at Spencer Speedway, and a
Saturday, September 12th race at Oswego Speedway, during Race of
Champions weekend. This Sept. 12th race was originally
scheduled to be the date of the NORA event at Shangri-La2
Speedway, but with the announcement of RoC being scheduled on
that date, NORA was forced to change. NORA board member Barry
Kingsley has been in contact with SL-2 rep Amy Stilson about a
new date, but that has not yet been confirmed. It is expected
that another date will be scheduled soon for NORA’s appearance
at the brand new facility.
---- That date may be on Saturday, June 27th, as Oswego
Speedway is scheduled to be closed on that night, because of the
local graduation weekend in the area. Currently that June date
is being considered by NORA brass for an event at either
Shangri-La2, OR a return to Adirondack International Speedway.
Stay tuned for more schedule announcements soon. Spencer
Speedway is interested in a second NORA event. Adirondack is
trying to work out one NORA event, as is Chemung Speedway. For
more information, watch the official NORA website at
www.norasbs.blogspot.com , or read this blog. Or contact
president Steve Reynolds at
steve@inkspotinfo.com.
---- A few sponsors have stepped up for the 2009 season to
contribute to the NORA purse structures. Look for a formal
announcement of season sponsors soon. Chris Porter’s
www.sbsracingnews.com and Andrews Auto are two of the
business contributors who are confirmed at this time. All races
should pay a minimum of $500 to win, and $100 to start every
NORA race in 2009. A point fund was also discussed, but
competitors seemed more interested to keep the money in the
weekly purse.
---- At least fifteen teams were represented at the meeting,
with optimism and enthusiasm looking great for the 2009 season.
Oswego Speedway announcer Roy Sova and tech team Mike Bozzuto
and Brenda Rice also attended the meeting.
---- Officers for the ‘09 edition of NORA were elected /
nominated at the meeting, as well. President Steve Reynolds, VP
Sue Delong, Secretary Casey Danzer, and Treasurer Jayne Danzer
will steer the ship in 2009. Board members include Barry
Kingsley, Dave Cliff Sr., Rob Pullen, Craig Danzer, and J.J.
Andrews. A membership drive and fundraisers will be organized
soon to contribute to the NORA bottom line. Points will be
kept, and top finishers will be awarded trophies at the end of
the season for their competition. Race lineups will be
determined by a draw at every race, with a draw for heat
starting position, then a redraw for the feature.
---- Tom Aaserud then took the reins for the second part of the
meeting, which was a discussion about small block super rules
and representatives at Oswego Speedway. Aaserud, along with
Eddie Horne and Wayne White were division reps in 2008. Ballots
were passed out to vote for two reps for 2009.
---- Aaserud also discussed a proposed program for a rule that
would allow the purchase of only two tires per week for the
small block supers. Through some research with Hoosier, Aaserud
has found a scanner that would read bar codes on the tires, and
allow strict supervision, effectively cutting the yearly tire
bill in half for the teams who purchase new tires every week.
More research and discussion will be held on this subject, but
the owners and drivers were very interested in pursuing this
matter. This excellent find by Aaserud may help teams
substantially in the future by helping to limit costs.
---- Head tech Mike Bozzuto spoke about some rule ideas and
concerns for the 2009 season. Bozzuto says that he is committed
to keeping a level playing field for 2009, and made it very
clear that tech will be much more thorough this year. Weight
rules will be strictly enforced, carburetors will be closely
checked, use of tire softener will earn a one year suspension,
and engines will be inspected for lightweight parts. So will he
really be ripping down motors, or is he just talking tough to
keep people from taking advantage of what appeared to be a free
for all in 2008? “Buy some gaskets!”, Bozzuto warned.
---- The next great non-racing event that’s coming up is
Luther’s 9th (and reportedly last) Annual Make-A-Wish
Fundraiser. It takes place on March 7th, at the Oswego (N.Y.)
Moose Lodge. The all day party goes from 2:00 PM to 2:00 AM,
and features all kinds of fun and fundraising. John “Luther”
Gray works year-round for this benefit, and rounds up countless
auction items and door prizes. This year’s live entertainment
features performances by Dave Wolever, Bob Garafolo, and the
band Page 9. 2009 is expected to be the year that these
parties have raised a total over $100,000, quite a feat. Food
will be provided for just a $5.00 cover charge. Make plans
right now to attend, and for more info, as well as a preview of
the auction items, go to
www.luthermotorsports.net. If you have something of value,
and would like to help support Make-A-Wish, please call Luther
at 315-342-3792. Or e-mail
luther@luthermotorsports.net.
---- And then here’s an e-mail that I just received from
Debbie Bond about the first race team fundraiser that I’ve heard
about. Here’s the skinny: It’s the “TMS Motorsports #26
Fundraiser. It will be held on Saturday, May 2nd after
practice, at Lighthouse Lanes. Food will include pulled pork
and the time will be 5:00 until sold out. Raffles, 50/50,
entertainment and watch the Richmond race on the big screen
televisions.” I’m sure I’ll get more detailed information as it
gets closer.
Gater News - January 14, 2008
Are you going to Atlantic City this weekend, January 16th-17th,
for the Indoor Races? Or are you already there, reading this at
the races? Well either way, I’ll see you there! Yes, this
weekend is the annual pilgrimage, where race fans from all over
the northeast converge in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the
Gambler’s Classic indoor midget races at Boardwalk Hall.
---- Fifty plus of us central New Yorkers partake in an annual
bus trip assembled by Larry Lee and John “Luther” Gray. We’ll
have a noisy, rowdy ride down there on Friday morning, where
we’ll play cards, movies, and “left, right, center”. (Four spots
are still left on the bus, if you’re interested.) Many of us
will stay at the Super 8, and head out from there. The races
take place on Friday and Saturday nights, at 7:30. Most go to
the races on both nights, but some only go on Saturday. A group
of us will head out to Hooters on Friday night, prior to the
races. Several of us are planning to find a place to watch the
SU - Notre Dame basketball game at noon on Saturday. Many will
also make their way to the 2009 Motorsports race car and trade
show, also taking place this weekend at the NJ convention
center, which is walking distance from the other destinations.
Several bars and clubs will help people pass the time. And of
course, there are plenty of casinos and clubs for the gamblers
in the group. There will be no shortage of entertainment for
everyone on the trip. See you there - or here, depending on
when and where you’re reading this.
---- Word on the street is that Larry and Luther have secured
the actual bus used for the reality show “Rock of Love Bus”. We
will all have to pledge our love to Bret Michaels for
admittance.
---- And the race. Almost 100 drivers are pre-registered as
of January 11th, which really amps up the pressure for the
drivers that are hoping to make their way into the 24 car
field. The five qualifying heats on Friday night will be
all-out wars, and the 24 car eliminator on Saturday, which
transfers the final four, is a treat to watch. Slingshots and
champ carts fill out the program, which are sometimes serious
crash fests. Especially the slingshots. Last year’s slingshot
events were a non-stop demolition derby, for sure.
---- While we’re still waiting for Oswego Speedway’s schedule
to be announced, there are a few interesting Oswego Speedway
tidbits that have leaked out. I’m not sure when the official
schedule comes out, but I expect it very soon.
---- Probably the leading story is the fact that the USAC
Silver Crown cars are going to be in competition at Oswego in
2009. The USAC website shows Thursday, August 6th as the night
that the cars will be in attendance. The key to this date is
the fact that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and all of its
stars, will be racing at nearby Watkins Glen Speedway. The hope
is that since a few of the Cup drivers own or are associated
with Silver Crown cars, perhaps a few of the Cup drivers could
be in attendance. Especially since it’s a Thursday night.
---- But is this race an Oswego Speedway managed event, or
will an outside entity lease the facility to run the USAC
event? I’m hearing that it’s choice B. - that an outside entity
has leased the facility from owners Steve Gioia and Pat
Furlong. The USAC website shows that the race’s “special event
organizer” is Don Kenyon, who is also involved in other USAC and
racing promotions through his company, DK Promotions. The
grapevine would indicate that Kenyon also has ties to Kasey
Kahne Racing, which is also involved in promoting this event.
Which makes it a natural for Kahne’s involvement possibly
bringing himself, and some of his NASCAR cronies to the speedway
for the night. Yes, I’m jumping to a lot of conclusions here,
but it all makes sense. Stay tuned - should be a great show!
---- And the other cool part of the deal? Of course they’ll
need a second division of cars for the night. My hope would be
that supermodifieds would be showcased that evening, in front of
a potentially huge crowd, of potential new customers. Plus, I’d
be willing to bet that a few super owners would offer up their
ride, or pull out a second car for a guest shot from a NASCAR
driver. This could be a big deal. Hopefully my theories all
pan out.
---- And one more thing - if the small block supermodifieds
end up being the second division with the Silver Crown cars, I
hereby offer up the use of my own small block supermodified to
any Cup driver who may be interested. I’ll supply, field, crew,
and set up my car to any Stewart, Kahne, Newman, Edwards, or
anyone like them who would like to try it out. That would be
fun!
---- Speaking of small block supers, the NORA small block
series has landed an outside event for our cars in 2009. While
there had not been an official announcement or press release as
of press time, I’ve confirmed that Shangri-LaII Speedway has
decided to add a NORA race to their schedule of events for the
season, tentatively on Saturday, September 12th. The date will
be the final night of points for the four regular divisions of
modifieds, late models, sport mods, and street stocks. The new
Tioga Center, N.Y. oval will be a brand new facility in 2009,
and a recent kick-off meeting was very well attended by many.
For more information on the speedway, go to
www.shangrila-2.com . More info in the upcoming months
about the NORA race there.
---- Here’s what I’m most excited about: as the winner of the
first ever small block super event at another track a few years
back, Adirondack Speedway, I think I could go there with a lot
of confidence. That was definitely a career highlight for me,
and I’m about due for another career highlight. Look out
Shangri-LaII!
---- Back to Oswego Speedway, I’ve got some more schedule
information. Again, not officially announced yet, but I’m
hearing that Classic Weekend is changing back to the format from
a few years ago. Friday night will be for winged supers.
Saturday will be for small block supers, RoC modifieds, and the
Ohio Buckeye Sprints. And Sunday will again focus on the
non-winged supermodified division exclusively, including time
trials in the morning. Just like the old days.
---- I applaud these changes, as I’ve always been a fan of NOT
racing our cars on Sunday. I’m very happy about that.
---- The part about this whole program change that should make
the competitors happiest is the pit pass implications. If you
run a winged super, you only have to purchase ONE pit pass, for
Friday night. Small block super teams only have to buy a
Saturday pit pass. Of course, many people will buy pit passes
for two or more days, but this year they won’t be forced to. A
tip of the hat to Oswego Speedway management for responding to
the requests of many!
---- It’s also a distinct possibility that the NEMA midgets
will be back in action at Oswego in 2009, at some point during
Classic Weekend. Again, not official yet, but the wheels are in
motion.
---- Also a possibility for 2009 - a $10,000 to win event for
the winged supermodified division. That had been discussed in
the past, and still may materialize for 2009.
---- Another great non-racing event that’s coming up is
Luther’s 9th (and reportedly last) Annual Make-A-Wish
Fundraiser. It takes place on March 7th, at the Oswego (N.Y.)
Moose Lodge. The all day party goes from 2:00 PM to 2:00 AM,
and features all kinds of fun and fundraising. John “Luther”
Gray works year-round for this benefit, and rounds up countless
auction items and door prizes. This year’s live entertainment
features performances by Dave Wolever, Bob Garafolo, and the
band Page 9. 2009 is expected to be the year that these
parties have raised a total over $100,000, quite a feat. Food
will be provided for just a $5.00 cover charge. Make plans
right now to attend, and for more info, as well as a preview of
the auction items, go to
www.luthermotorsports.net. If you have something of value,
and would like to help support Make-A-Wish, please call Luther
at 315-342-3792. Or e-mail
luther@luthermotorsports.net.
Gater News - December 18, 2008
Is it hard to think about
racecars when the ground is covered with snow? Not for me - I’m
always thinking about racecars! So what do racing people do
around Christmas time? They get together for Christmas parties
- with their racing friends. In the last couple weeks I’ve been
to several different parties and events, and all but one was
with my racing friends! And the one that wasn’t with my racing
buddies? That was with my wife April’s company. And I talked
about RACING with the boss, and several of her co-workers.
Perhaps I do have a problem…
---- But unlike you, (well, okay, not all of you…) I’ve seen a
race recently. Real cars. Real speed. Outside. A crew of us
race fans took a five hour ride south on November 29th to a very
cool race track. Many of you have heard of Wall Township
Speedway, and I was very glad that we made our first trip to
Wall for the 35th Turkey Derby. And it almost didn’t happen,
because Wall had not held any events in 2008. The track had
been closed down, and put up for sale by the owners. Like many
speedways across the country, the value of the land for
development will soon exceed the value of how much revenue could
be made there as a speedway.
---- But past Wall operations manager Jim Morton, along with
many volunteers to spruce the place up and get it ready, made
the commitment to get Wall fired back up for another Turkey
Derby. And it was a rousing the success. The place was PACKED,
the racing was excellent, and I’m now officially hooked on Wall
Township Speedway. If you’ve never been there, you’re missing
out on a unique place - small, high banked, and FAST. There of
course is a lot of question as to whether or not there will ever
be any more races at Wall, but an announcement by Morton on race
day would indicate that Wall has not seen it’s last event.
“Stay tuned - we ain’t done yet!”, was Morton’s announcement on
race day. Sounds good to me.
---- And I learned something else about Wall Township
Speedway. On the track, anything goes! If you want to win at
Wall, just double up on that front bumper, and get using it! I
saw the dirtiest, most aggressive, conscience-free, entertaining
display of driving that I had ever seen, by Jimmy Blewett. Most
people called it the “Turkey Derby”, but I’d call it “The Jimmy
Blewett Show”.
---- Of course Blewett won the tour mod feature, coming from
the rear more than once, flawlessly muscling every car in
between him and the checkers. Wrecks. Close calls. Dirty moves.
Precision driving. Slide jobs. He pushed Bill Weichert so hard
down the back straight that he climbed and rode the third turn
wall. At any other race, that would have earned him an instant
DQ, but I’m sure glad they didn’t. At another point, he blasted
a guy so hard that his car bounced forward and spun the car in
front of him. It was a contact dump - courtesy of Jimmy Blewett.
If somebody ever drove me like that, I would let him go, then
immediately take him out - if I could catch him.
---- It was like watching a train wreck - I was shocked, but I
couldn’t take my eyes off of him. And neither could anyone else
in the place. Oswego Speedway needs a guy like Jimmy Blewett
for excitement - but please not in the division where I have
money invested. Actually, his show would never fly at Oswego.
Race director Chuck Handley’s voice would be cracking and
creaking over the one-way radio after five laps of Blewett’s
demonstration, and he would be parked for the night. (“And don’t
bring it back next week!”, I heard Handley threaten once, to a
driver that raced the next week.) I’m just thankful that nobody
was hurt.
---- But through Blewett’s antics, you can also see talent.
It’s one thing to rough someone up, but you still have to be
faster than the guy in front of you to catch him so you CAN beat
him up. And Blewett was the fastest car on the track, no
question. I’m told that you have to use your bumper at Wall,
because it’s so tight. Blewett has certainly perfected that,
for sure.
---- As you may expect, Blewett wasn’t particularly apologetic
in victory lane. “I was just doing what I had to do to win the
race”, was one dagger. But the best comment was this, “for
every superhero like Matt Hirschman, (the last car that he
punted) there’s gotta be a villain like me. Sometimes the
villain wins… most of the time, Brotha!” As troubling as it
would be to race against him, Blewett’s brashness is very
entertaining to watch. All I know is that he’s got to be the
toughest guy around, because I bet at least four or five guys
were lined up to punch him in the nose after that race.
---- The announcer called him “Showtime”, but I’ve got my own
nickname: Jimmy Blewett - “The Man Without a Conscience”.
---- Pete Brittain almost stole the show, however. Brittain
hitched his wagon to Blewett’s spiteful star, and put himself in
place for the shocker just a couple of laps from the finish.
Every hole that Blewett smashed open was plenty big enough for
Brittain, (as well as a few school busses) to cruise right
through. The only car Brittain had to deal with was Blewett.
But he didn’t learn anything while he was glued to Blewett’s
bumper for all of those laps. Or maybe he did learn something,
and didn’t like what he saw. All he had to do to win the Turkey
Derby was feed Blewett a big steaming plate of “get outta my
road!”.
---- Instead, Brittain attempted to pass Blewett fair and
square. A last lap shot to pass on the outside failed, as
Brittain spun in the marbles. It was refreshing to see a clean
pass attempted, and it would have been great if it worked out.
But give Brittain all the credit in the world for keeping it
clean. What he lost in money, he sure made up in “solid
points”. I hope karma keeps that in mind for Brittain in the
future.
---- Matt Hirschman led the first 88 laps of the 100 lap
event, but his older tires certainly were a disadvantage at the
end of the race. He was one of a very few (maybe the only) that
never took a pit stop during the feature. It was impressive
that he held on for second. Hirschman was the only driver to
crack twelve seconds (11.996) during time trials on the 1/3 mile
speedway. He wasn’t happy in victory lane, as you may imagine,
accusing Blewett of “knocking everybody out of the way”.
---- Rowan Pennink won the SK modified portion of the Turkey
Derby. Pennink started 7th, but had to come from the back on
the tight oval. Pennink took the lead on lap 73, then had to
hold off the illustrious Blewett. Once again, the crowd went
wild when Blewett got into 2nd, and went to work on Pennink’s
bumper. But this time, Blewett was sent spinning into the
infield on lap 92. Pennink was very excited in victory lane,
and he deserved it. Another great race.
---- All in all it was a great race, and a great trip. Thanks
to Barry Kingsley for putting the trip together, and thanks to
Debi Kingsley, Joe Kingsley, and Samantha Todd for traveling
along, and also for allowing us to cross “Hooters of Princeton”
off of my list on the way home. The rest of the finishers and
full results and race story will be found elsewhere in this
paper.
---- Here are a few news stories that I’ve picked up in my
travels, related to Oswego Speedway and its competitors:
…. The USAC Series has listed a Silver Crown event for August
6th at Oswego. And since this is the same weekend as the
Watkins Glen Sprint Cup event, there may be some of the big boys
in town for this race.
…. The mid-September MSA / Oswego Super Challenge race at
Sandusky will be a non-winged event. This race should
definitely earn a lot more support from the Oswego guys, who
were at a disadvantage every time they went up against the
winged regulars.
…. Unconfirmed because the schedule isn’t out yet, but it’s
been floated that the season opener will go back to Saturday
night, May 9th. Mother’s Day openers in recent seasons have put
many racers in hot water to start the season.
…. Rob Pullen will take over the ride in the second Terry
Solazzo owned small block super that was vacated by Rick
Zeigler. Not sure what will happen to Pullen’s car, but it
sounds like another loss of a car for the shaky small block
super field.
…. And my favorite one: Pat Strong tells me that Joey Payne
will run a FULL season at Oswego in 2009, in the Strong Racing
#99. Many of us are quite excited about seeing the “Jersey Jet”
at Oswego weekly, as he will do everything in his power to get
the Strongs a win at Oswego. This would be a very popular win,
as Pat and Terry Strong are some of the longest running, and
most respected supermodified owners in the sport. And Joey
Payne is one of the most exciting and talented drivers to ever
strap into a super - yet he has never won a non-winged
supermodified event at Oswego. Could ’09 be the year? I’m
counting on it.
---- Next race for me is coming up soon, in Atlantic City.
The indoor races at Boardwalk Hall are always a great
experience, and I’m looking forward to it. The TQ Midgets and
Micro sprints run together, and currently over 70 drivers are
registered. Some of the pre-registered names include: Ryan
Bartlett, Johnny Payne, Ted Christopher, Lou Cicconi, Jeff
Hoetzler Sr. and Jr., Mike Lichty, Billy Pauch, Erick Rudolph,
and the previously mentioned Joey Payne. Highly recommended!
---- Larry Lee and John “Luther” Gray are once again planning
a bus trip for the Atlantic City indoor races on Friday, January
16th. The bus leaves Oswego on Friday morning, and comes home on
Sunday, January 18th. The races take place on Friday and
Saturday evening at Boardwalk Hall.
---- This trip has become an annual winter racing excursion
for many central New Yorkers, as well as several race fans who
drive from all around to ride the “AC Party Bus". Several non
race fans also ride the bus down, to take advantage of the AC
gambling and nightlife. Larry also arranges lodging at the local
Super 8, just off the Boardwalk, which is a great location. He
is always able to secure several rooms, at a great discount. Of
course you may stay wherever you like, but that resource is
available by contacting Larry Lee. The price for round trip
transportation this year is $70 each. Seats are still available
by contacting Larry Lee 315-343-9099, or
hammerlee99@verizon.net., or Luther at 315-342-3792 /
luther@luthermotorsports.net . Sign up now - a great time
is always had by all.
---- An organization known as USA Racing Inc. (United
Supermodified Association) met recently to discuss the promotion
of non-wing supermodified racing at Oswego Speedway. The most
recent general membership meeting, was held at Lighthouse Lanes
in Oswego, N.Y., and was very well attended. Thirty plus people
attended the private meeting, representing 22 supermodifieds and
over 17 teams. USA’s goals are to support and strengthen the
non-winged supermodified division at Oswego Speedway. Currently
ISMA and MSA winged supermodified teams have strong
representation, and the USA goal is to keep the non-winged
supers growing and healthy, as well. A USA board of seven has
been formed, and a two man tech team will work in conjunction
with Oswego’s head tech Mike Bozzuto to keep all supermodified s
legal. The USA board is as follows: President - Bob Hoefer. Vice
President - Pat Strong. Secretary / Treasurer - Kathy Hoefer -
Board of directors - Jake Ratcliff, Mike Foster, Chuck Handley,
and Bobby Gangwer. Engine builders Doug Holmes and Skip Onmacht
have been recruited to assist with technical inspections and
rule enforcement.
---- Several topics were discussed in the nearly two hour
meeting. One subject that commanded a lot of interaction was
rules infractions and disqualifications. The board has compiled
a list of five rules infractions that they felt should warrant a
DQ, and put that up for discussion. Those top five were:
1. The use of tire softener.
2. Left side weight rule.
3. Total weight rule.
4. Cubic inch rule.
5.Traction control.
Although the USA organization does not have the authority to
enforce rules or impose punishments, it would seem that a united
organization of the majority of supermodified teams would be
strongly considered as a viable voice by speedway management.
USA’s recommendations will certainly be strongly considered, as
speedway management has shown in the past willingness to make
decisions and rules based upon the majority of what the
competitors would prefer.
---- Other items discussed included:
- Should competitors be forced to purchase their tires on race
day, to eliminate use of tire softeners? It was discussed that
top five teams from the previous week, plus anyone who had not
raced the previous week would have to purchase their tires on
race day.
- The use of aero tubing in the construction of the chassis and
some bolt-on parts created a lot of conversation. The current
rule was read, but wasn’t clear cut enough to make a definite
determination. The subject was tabled. USA may find a better way
to clarify the rule, so it is less vague in the rulebook for
future construction.
- A “protest form” will be developed by the board, for suggested
use in 2009. This form will be submitted by a driver or owner,
to follow up on a rules infraction concern that someone may
have. The form will be kept confidential, but will be kept in a
USA file for future reference, in case another team has a
similar concern in the future.
- It was discussed that the speedway point fund may be included
into the weekly purse, as opposed to at the end of the season.
The speedway has agreed to contribute $2,000 a week toward this
purse addition. A competitor has also offered to match that
$2,000 / week offer, which could bring the purse up to the
$16,000 - $18,000 range weekly. This CONCEPT would get at least
$500 minimum into every car’s purse every week. This program is
still very early in the planning stages, and is a work in
progress. Most of the teams expressed great interest in this
concept, which will be discussed much more in the future.
- Some discussion was also held about how that extra purse money
should be distributed. In the top finishing positions, or
further back?
- Extra tow money was discussed for traveling teams from MSA or
ISMA to help cover expenses from a long tow to compete at Oswego
Speedway.
- There was some discussion about asking that the $10,000 to win
event be turned into a $5,000 to win event, with the other
$5,000 to be distributed throughout the balance of the field.
However, it is unlikely that the same “buzz” would be created
for a $5K race vs. a $10K race, and would probably bring less
fans. The vote was fairly even, so this idea will be discussed
more in the future.
---- USA teams will meet again on January 11th to discuss these
and other ideas for the betterment of non-winged supermodified s
at Oswego Speedway. More information on the purse / point fund
concept will be available at that time, and the 2009 schedule
should also be available at that time.
---- I recently attended a kick-off meeting for a new paved
racetrack that is opening up in 2009 in Tioga Center, N.Y., at
the site of the Skyview Drags dragstrip. “Shangri-La2
Speedway” will be a ½ mile concrete surface, and will open on
Saturday, May 23rd. They will run Saturday nights, into
mid-September. Testing will begin in mid-May, and Sunday will
always be a rain date. A lot of people acted surprised to hear
that, since the track is not completed yet, but owner George
Swansborough insists that they will be done by that time. “Get
your cars ready - because we’ll be ready”, Swansborough
announced. He wasn’t quite so confident that the lights and
bathrooms and everything else will be completed, but he’ll run
during the day if the lights are not done, and he’s already
purchased 50 portable toilets as a backup plan.
---- A lot of the meeting was about rules, and proposed
rules. The street stock drivers and owners had the most
questions, as the other divisions seemed for the most part
satisfied with what has been laid out. Track management and
head tech inspector Matt Jilson seem to have a pretty good
handle on what their ideas are, and what they think will work
the best. It was made very clear that tech will be very
strict. “It will be very costly for someone to cheat at my
track!”, proclaimed Swansborough. Hoosier will be the track
tire.
---- The most impressive part of the presentation was the
total announced purse of $33,000 weekly. The four weekly
divisions consist of modifieds, late models, sport mods, and
street stocks. Mods and late models will vie for $1,500 to win,
sport mods will pay $1,200, and street stocks will race for a
whopping $1,000 to win. Quite an ambitious purse commitment for
a new speedway.
---- ALL divisions will be allowed a spotter and a two way
radio, which will add quite an expense. Even the budget street
stock division will have a spotter. Most tracks and divisions
disallow radios except for only the most expensive series’.
Radios aren’t cheap, and many feel that radios hurt racing due
to blocking and “mirror driving”. I hope that this rule doesn’t
hurt the racing at Shangri-La2 Speedway.
---- Can Swansborough actually make it work? That’s a huge
nut to crack, especially when you’re only charging $15 for a pit
pass, and $10 for the grandstands. (Clarification: each car
must pay a $50 entry fee. This entry entitles the team to
purchase FOUR pit passes for $15 each. All other pit passes
will cost “$25 or $30”. A track license of $75 or $95 will also
be required, depending upon whether you purchase it before or
after the first of the year.) Do some quick math - he needs to
pack the place to make ends meet. How will he pay that?
Sponsorship dollars. While most tracks need the sponsorship
proceeds to help pay the bills and overhead, it would appear
that most of the funds raised through sales and promotions to
businesses will be needed to cover the purse. Can it work?
Swansborough certainly sounds committed, but you could sense a
little concern peeking through his swagger. I wish him the
best!
---- Barry Kingsley and I attended the meeting to learn more
about the speedway, and float the idea of a possible small block
super race there at some time during the season. We spoke with
both Swansborough and track manager Amy Stilson about the
possibility. There may be opportunity, but there are a lot of
things for the management team to pull together and sort out at
this point. Stay tuned. I know this - other than Classic, we
never even get to run for a purse as big as their promised
street stock purse of $5,380. I bet we’d put on a great show
for less than that. And with the price of gas going down, maybe
we could get a nice field of small block supers to make the two
hour tow on an off Oswego night. It’s an easy tow - route 81 to
route 17. I know I’d love to run there at least once. I can
feel the “buzz” from here!
---- In closing, I would like to wish everyone a very merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2008 has been a great year for
me and my family, and I’ve really enjoyed all of the time that I
spent this year with all of you - my racing friends! Please
enjoy these holidays, and focus on the good things. Take care
of those around you, and keep your perspective about what
matters the most - your family, friends and your health. See
you soon!
Gater News - October 23, 2008
The 2008 Oswego Speedway Hall of
Fame and Awards Banquet is happening this Saturday night, at the
Turning Stone Casino in Vernon, N.Y., and I wonder about a lot of
things. Welcome to my annual, totally farcical, completely
unfunny, pre-banquet B.S. column.
---- Is this the year that the government steps in to run the
Banquet? Although moderators Joe Marotta and Roy Sova do a great
job of steering the ship, I think that Vice Presidential candidate
Sarah Palin would do a great job. She knows a lot about “Joe
Sixpack”, so she should be very good at speaking to “Joe Thirty
Pack”.
---- Will track champions Otto Sitterly and Kevin Knopp make a
lot of cash charging for autographs this year? Both drivers are
offering autographed pictures of themselves - in slinky swimwear -
with the proceeds from the sale going to their favorite
charities. Knopp’s charity of choice is “The KK Foundation for
Wayward Women and Injured Overweight Pole Dancers”. Sitterly’s
proceeds will go to the “Bo-Sid Makeover Foundation”. This fund
supports broken-down racecar drivers who require implants (that’s
hair implants) and Botox injections to keep their boyish good
looks. It is rumored that later in the evening, both drivers will
be appearing on the dance floor and posing for pictures in their
same swimwear, for a fee, of course. The champions have already
chosen a special Goo-Goo Dolls song for their special dance.
Please give ‘til it hurts!
---- Although this is his second championship, Otto’s car owner
John Nicotra will accept his first championship as a car owner, in
his second season as an owner. Nicotra also fields a
supermodified for Davey Hamilton on occasion. It is rumored that
Nicotra will be one of the judges of Ron Gray’s Millenium Music
Driver Dance Contest after the awards ceremony, with the winner
receiving a one time ride in the #7 Nicotra supermodified. I’m
bringing my dancing shoes!
---- Dave Gruel, who will drive the Tim Barbeau owned small
block super in 2009, has been working on some special moves for
that dance contest. I’m told that he and his girlfriend Shanna
have been attending dancing lessons, and that Shanna was once a
participant on “Dancing With the SuperStars”. What the two
lovebirds don’t know, though, is that this isn’t hip-hop dancing.
All the time they have spent working on the “booty-back-and-forth”
dance will be wasted, as this is clearly a “Redneck Dance”
contest. Favorites to win are supermodified drivers Tim Snyder
and Craig Rayvals, and FFB Chassis builder Dan Dennie. Good thing
it’s not belly dancing.
---- I’m being told that Head Tech Mike Bozzuto has prepared a
special presentation to the “most legal car at the speedway” in
the small block supermodified division. This special award
recipient earned his honors by cheating the least amount of
anyone. “Hey - if he’s that slow, he must be legal”, stated an
un-named source when announcing the winner of the award to members
of the media in a double-secret pre-banquet ceremony. As I am not
considered a legitimate member of the working media, I wasn’t
allowed access to this meeting. But after 20 plus years as an
illegitimate member of the press, I do have spies. I have secured
the answer to the winner of this year’s “most legal car at the
speedway” award, for the small block supermodified division. The
envelope please? Jack Patrick is the winner of this prestigious
award. Congrats, Jack! We all owe Jack a congratulatory drink at
the banquet.
---- I’m excited about a new edition to the banquet this year.
There will be a celebrity dunking booth, where fans will have the
opportunity to make their least favorite driver, owner, announcer,
car builder or speedway promoter fall into a tank of
bacteria-filled water, possibly bruising their elbow or hitting
their head on the way down. Appearing in the tank will be such
stars as Chip “the water will be over my head” Wood, Shawn “wait
till you see me in a wet t-shirt” Walker, Pat “I don’t need you…
to dunk me” Furlong, and Keith “I wreck every other week”
Gilliam. It should be fun. But don’t get all excited, Chalupa.
I said DUNKing booth, not DRUNKing booth.
---- I’ve seen Chris Lupa’s new outfit for the banquet. He’s
spent a lot of time looking for just the right attire. (As if
anyone would ever want to take his picture.) He tried real hard
to duplicate Russ Brown’s purple leisure suit from a few years
back, but couldn’t find one. But Chalupa modeled his attire
recently at a fashion show, making his “special lady” Jamie very
proud. From the pictures I’ve seen, he looks great in pink and
orange, in my opinion. Kind of like the character “McLovin”, from
the movie SuperBad.
---- Ed Horne will not be in attendance, as the car owner of the
4th in owner points, small block super #10, will be out of town
for the event. But Eddie has secured me as the person responsible
for collecting his pay in his absence. So… good news, you guys.
Eddie’s buying the next round!
---- 2008 Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame inductee Mike Bond has
some special thank-yous in store for his speech. In addition to
the obvious family, sponsor, crew, and car owner acknowledgements,
I’m hearing that Mike will offer thanks to some others. For
example, his barber, for the “special haircut” that has become his
trademark. (A.K.A., his Mom, and the salad bowl.) Gianni Versace
for the special HoF outfit that was designed for the special
occasion. Henry Ford, for inventing the automobile. A. Cornelius
Light, inventor of the beverage known as “Bud Light”. And of
course, his parents, for making him. Should be a great speech!
---- There are some wagers going around about who will have the
longest Hall of Fame acceptance speech among the six inductees.
Doug Heveron, Jerry Rich, Mike Bond, Carol Haynes, Bob Goutermout,
and Jim Ferlito are this year’s inductees. Jerry Rich has already
warned me that his speech will discuss his childhood, when he rode
to school on a horse and buggy, in a one room schoolhouse.
---- A special retirement gold watch will be presented to Larry
Muroski, who has announced that he will be leaving the small block
supermodified division. The watch was purchased by his
appreciative ex-competitors, as a token of their gratitude for
“cutting them some slack by bailing out”, as the engraving on the
watch states.
---- Many people are excited about the Halloween costume contest
that will be taking place at the banquet again this year. I’ve
heard of a few of the costumes that people will be wearing. For
example, Lou LeVea, Jr. and Brian Sobus will be dressed as Lloyd
Christmas and Harry Dunne from the movie “Dumb and Dumber”.
Reality TV character costumes are also very popular this year.
Barry Kingsley and wife Debi will go as show contestants “Beauty
and the Geek”. Lou LeVea Sr. will be disguised as “Average Joe”,
and Pat Lavery will be the shirtless guy in the trailer park from
the show “Cops”. My wife April and I will be “Dog” and “Beth”
from the show “Dog the Bounty Hunter”. I haven’t heard yet who
will be attending as characters from the shows “Intervention”, and
“Biggest Loser”.
---- Okay - enough of the ball busting. In all seriousness, I’m
very much looking forward to this weekend’s banquet. The Oswego
Speedway banquet staff always do a great job of putting this party
together, from the dinner, to the awards, the HoF ceremony, to the
music (now that they’ve hired Millenium Music instead of bands),
right down to the hospitality room afterwards. I remember Pat
Furlong last year going to bat for us with Turning Stone security,
trying to get the hours extended for that room. A good time will
be had by all. We’ll be there early, and look forward to seeing
all of our racing friends, some for the last time this year. See
you there!
Super Dirt Week is in the books, along with all of the satellite
races that were held at area speedways. Race fans had a
rain-free, and somewhat warm (for October) weekend, which made it
very enjoyable for all teams, fans, and mostly, speedway owners.
Weather can make or break the track promoter, who has the most on
the line of anyone. So as tough as it has been to own a racetrack
in the last few years, I’m happy to see some of biggest the
risk-takers make some money last weekend. A good SDW can put a lot
of people in a solid position for the 2009 season.
---- Although I ended up attending four different races during
the weekend, I only attended one as a reporter. (Which means that
the others were last minute ideas, and I didn’t receive any free
admissions - a.k.a. credentials, since it is necessary as a media
member to request credentials in advance.) But I thoroughly
enjoyed that Thursday night small block race at Brewerton
Speedway.
---- Brett Hearn was clearly the class of field on this night.
But that doesn’t mean that he won the race. In heat #2, Hearn
stated his position right away by making an incredible last lap,
last turn pass of Todd Burley to take the checkers. It was an
awesome power move on the outside, just as the checkers fell. He
then charged from his 9th place starting position into the lead on
lap 17, and proceeded to lead the next 42 laps. Gary Tomkins kept
him in sight, but it’s hard to say if he could have passed him
back.
---- But lap 60 changed everything. That’s when Hearn stalled
out with a flat right front tire, ending his shot at the victory.
I expected Hearn to make a solid charge back through the field at
least into the top ten, but that was not meant to be. But he
still was able to play a part in the outcome of the race,
controlling who the winner was, even though he wasn’t around for
it. Read on.
---- Vic Coffey was the most exciting car to watch. Involved in
an early tangle, Coffey was forced to pass the entire field of
quality cars to have a shot at the victory. He passed cars high
and low to saw through the field, and finally wrestled the lead
from Gary Tomkins on lap 70. It appeared as though Coffey would
then cruise to the well deserved victory from there. He worked
for it and earned it. But it was still not quite in the bag, as a
lap 71 (of 75 scheduled) caution extended the pressure for
Coffey. Although he held off Tomkins on this restart, he still
wasn’t quite done. That’s when Hearn stepped back into the
picture, shutting down his machine on the speedway surface,
bringing out the caution, causing a second overtime restart.
---- That’s when Tomkins seized the day, taking advantage of a
slight cushion jump by Coffey to slide underneath and snatch the
gold from Coffey. Coffey wasn’t happy, as you may expect, as he
felt that Hearn should have been able to make it off the speedway
when his car faltered. That last momentum break was just enough
to put Tomkins back at an advantage, and that was it.
---- It’s a good thing that Chad Brachmann had earned a
guaranteed spot previous to the qualifiers. Brachmann was in two
nasty wrecks, one in his heat race, and one in the consolation.
But fortunately, Brachmann never gave up, and was rewarded with an
11th place finish in the final rundown, after starting 28th.
Tough night for Brachmann, but he had to feel satisfied in the
end, under the circumstances.
---- I enjoyed watching the #42 of Kevin Bates. I always like
watching the guys who run the hardest, and throw their cars around
the most. Bates sure cranks it around pretty hard, so I always
look forward to seeing him at Brewerton. After a bad finish in
his heat race, Bates had to fight to make it through the consi.
But he did work his way into the show, starting 21st, and finished
in 12th at the checkers.
---- Tim McCreadie, who has been winning some huge money races
on the Late Model circuit (three big wins in the last few weeks
put $85,000 in the bank for him and his team) showed up at
Brewerton in the Pierre Dagenais car for the small block event.
McCreadie looked solid finishing in 2nd place in heat #5, but his
day ended in an early crash that also ended the day for Alan
Johnson. But it wasn’t a total wasted trip home for the gypsy
superstar, who I heard recently on the “Bubba the Love Sponge”
radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio. I eavesdropped on quite a
hockey discussion between T-Mac and Bill Gill during the driver’s
meeting. I bet McCreadie enjoyed catching up with his old buddies
from the area when he came back to run Dagenais’ car.
---- Gill was even less lucky than McCreadie, going home as one
of 26 unqualified cars for the evening. I always root for Bill
Gill when I see him. He’s another one of those cool guys to talk
to.
---- Tim Fuller is another Late Model racer who spent the
weekend driving modifieds. But his Thursday night small block
race also didn’t even go as well as McCreadie’s. Fuller was
involved in a crash on the opening lap of his heat race, which
sent him pitside. A terrible starting spot for his consi made it
impossible for Fuller to get into the top two positions, and was
added to the huge list of DNQ drivers. Along with another
experienced driver by the name of Danny Johnson. And Ted Lamb,
who took a horrible shot into the fence in heat #3, in Mike
Prentice’s car. Lamb never made it back out for the consi.
---- Despite my past experiences of not really caring for Super
Dirt Week, I found myself strangely drawn to the fairgrounds this
last week. I didn’t go to the feature events on Saturday and
Sunday, but I did pop in for some of the events on Thursday and
Friday. Still maybe not my favorite type of racing (I think I
still prefer tracks where you can easily watch the cars all the
way around the track), I am starting in my old age to appreciate
the “happening” of the whole deal. A little. No, I’m not
planning an all-out assault on SDW in 2009, but maybe a trip
through the pits to watch the teams would be interesting for me.
---- And I’m also starting to develop a little taste for sprint
cars, which I’ve always hated. An early-season trip to Rolling
Wheels for the World of Outlaws should have killed it for me
(terrible show), but I still gave sprinters a few more chances in
support of my buddy Andy Noto, who now races with the ESS and
Patriots on an irregular basis.
---- That being said, I have to admit that the Patriot sprint
show at Weedsport Speedway last Friday night was awesome. Yes, a
bunch of tangles and cautions almost killed it for me, but
watching these guys pass and fly on a short track made it all
worthwhile. Thanks to Andy’s invites, I’ll see more sprint races
in the future. But it’ll only be on a short track.
---- But maybe I shouldn’t go to support Andy Noto. I seem to
bring him bad karma when I’m there. He DNQ’d last week, after a
fuel line leak ended his shot in the consi. So, according to my
calculations, I think that’s three times I’ve gone to watch Andy
flip his sprint car, and he’s let me down every time. Some
friend. Hope I’m there for the first time it happens. (Note:
don’t consider me a sadist. Sprint car drivers always flip. It
barely fazes them. I was there when Andy flipped his
supermodified, and he only soiled himself a little.)
---- Next week I’ll have a preview of the Oswego Speedway
banquet, and the havoc I’m planning to cause. We’ve got some
interesting people being inducted into the Hall of Fame this
year. I have heard that Mike Bond has purchased a purple leisure
suit for the occasion. And I’m also hoping to see Jerry Rich wear
his “dilligaf” hat during his speech, the same hat that he was
wearing last weekend at Syracuse selling programs. (If you don’t
know what “dilligaf” stands for, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll
enlighten you.) His speech should be interesting!
I love the Schneider Brothers (formerly known as the Victoria)
200, the 23rd annual $25,000 to win modified race, which is held
yearly at Fulton Speedway. This year’s edition was one of the
better ones in recent memory.
---- Yes, Danny Johnson won the race. But it wasn’t a typical
win for Danny, as he didn’t really become a factor until the end.
His fastest lap of the day didn’t even come until lap 168, which,
coincidentally, is the same lap that he took the lead. It was a
great win for Johnson, a win that I sure didn’t see coming.
---- I really thought that this was the year that Brett Hearn
would finally get his elusive first win. Hearn led many laps, and
appeared to be the man in charge. But several battles throughout
the day made it tough to assign a favorite.
---- But it wasn’t Danny Johnson who first wrestled the lead
from Hearn. Dave Camara was also at or near the front the whole
day, and looked for awhile as though he may have been in position
to steal his first Schneider Brothers 200 win. Camara led a lot
of laps earlier in the race before Hearn and then Johnson took
charge, and had a legitimate shot at the win all day. He showed a
lot of muscle, but at the end of the day he fell short. Camara
ended up 4th in the final rundown, as Pat Ward passed him in the
late going for the final podium shot.
---- Ryan Phelps also ran a great race to land his first top
five finish in the historical season-ending Fulton Speedway
event. Ryan’s father Roger Phelps currently sits in the top ten
in all-time points for the annual affair, so the kid’s got some
catching up to do before he takes over the family bragging
rights. I wonder if he ever got that chicken wing pizza that he
was asking for - with a megaphone - later that evening at the
campfire. I agree with his statement that he deserved the
delectable delicacy after his top five finish. A young man after
my own heart.
---- Prior to last weekend, I hadn’t heard much about Paul
Kinney. But last week’s performance at Fulton got my attention.
First, he won one of two coveted guaranteed starting spots by
turning in the second fastest time in hot laps on Friday. Then he
battled with Dave Camara early in the race, leading several laps.
Kinney was 8th in the final rundown.
---- I really thought Billy Pauch would be a contender. Pauch
is the only guy to win six of these races, although this year was
his first appearance in a few years. But he found out that what
used to work - running the extreme outside cushion - wasn’t the
answer in 2008. Yes, 11th place is a great finish for most, but
this is Billy Pauch. I give him a lot of points for sticking with
it, and he tried to develop a cushion lap after lap, but it never
really panned out for him.
---- “I had a 7th place car”, is what Roy Bresnahan calculated
after the event. I thought that he should be happy with a 12th
place finish, but he was not. The “Wild Man”, as he is known,
wanted better, and felt that if things went a little differently
that he would have been well into the top ten. The best racers
are never satisfied unless they win.
---- Billy Decker was all set to give the boys a run for their
money as the race wore on. Decker had methodically worked his way
into the top five in the lap 150’s, advancing as far as third on
lap 156. But his day ended on lap 161 with a trip to the pits.
---- Tim Fuller has been running in the Late Model division for
a few years now, and cherry picks the modified shows when time
permits around the late model schedule. Saturday looked for
awhile as though this may be a major $25K cherry pick, as he was
shot out of a cannon. Fuller was hooked up, and advancing to the
front. Then, just like that, his run was over with some
mechanical issues that ended his day.
---- Of course there’s gambling that goes on in the
grandstands. Big money gambling. For $5.00 each, a bunch of us
race fans were able to choose a driver (at random), with the
winner and another finisher paid back at the end of the race.
Since I was feeling lucky, I got in three times, and assembled my
team. Bob Henry, Jr.(30th), Chris Hile (32nd), and finally Dale
Planck (38th) were my three drivers. If you’re reading this Bob,
Chris, and Dale, you each owe me a “fin” for making me the
laughing stock of the whole grandstands. Or at least the part I
was sitting in.
---- The luck of the draw is everything at this race. Good cars
can have some pretty bad results if they don’t get the right
starting position for their qualifying race. For example, despite
all of my best efforts, (I wore my Chad Phelps Racing shirt under
six other layers of shirts and jackets) my man Chad Phelps wasn’t
able to qualify, after starting poorly in both his heat and his
consolation race. Chad was quite disappointed that he didn’t
make the show. He even sacrificed his Friday night festivities so
he would be at his best on Saturday, leaving Luther’s camp well
before 4:00AM to get some shut-eye.
---- The support divisions, as they are sometimes
condescendingly called, are also a great part of the Schneider
Brothers Weekend. Huge fields of racecars are on the premises for
the weekend’s events, and they always put on a great show. All of
the qualifiers, as well as most of the pro stock feature, were run
on Friday night before the rain settled in. The remaining
features were added to Saturday’s events, which made for a
fantastic day of racing.
---- My favorite race of the “other divisions” was the IMCA
modified race. I wasn’t always a fan of this division, which
replaced pure stocks at Brewerton Speedway years ago (which
explains why I copped an attitude for them for so long.) But last
week’s race was an excellent show. I was really glad they were
added to the field, after Thursday night’s IMCA series race was
rained out in Fulton.
---- Rich Keller raced his way to the lead in the IMCA race,
riding the cushion in the high groove. He had ‘em covered, until
he jumped that cushion, allowing a bottom-running J.J Courcy to
get by. After the next restart though, Keller jumped right back
into his groove, and wrestled the lead back from Courcy. It was a
great side by side race, and Keller likely would have held on for
the win if he had stuck to his guns. But he didn’t. Seeing
Courcy’s car underneath every lap caused Keller to change his
line, moving to the center of the track where there wasn’t much
bite left, allowing Courcy to gain the advantage, and ultimately
the win. It was a very nice piece of driving by Courcy, and I’m
proud to let him use my first name (J.J.- no relation). Keller’s
melt-down led to an accident on the last lap, landing him in 11th
place in the final results.
---- Gary Roberts, Bob Banks, Aaron Jacobs, and Les Hubbard
scratched to the rest of the top five positions in the final
rundown. Kevan Cook finished 10th, Rob Keller had a 16th place
DNF, while Dale Caswell also fell out early for an 18th place DNF.
Hottest car on the track was Brandon Carvey, whose race ended when
his #5 caught on fire in front of the grandstands as he started to
walk to the pits. (Get it? Fire? Hot car? That’s my little
joke.)
---- So why don’t all IMCA mods pick their left front tires off
the ground about three feet? It’s crazy to watch, but sometimes
it looks like they’re going to flip right over because they’re
leaned over so hard onto the right rear corner. I think it looks
pretty cool, and usually the fastest cars (at least the ones that
I watched this year at Brewerton) are set up that way. I bet it’s
rough on equipment though. Courcy, Caswell, Cook, and Rob Keller
all run like that at Brewerton - and win most of the races.
---- The sportsman division sure does mix it up. I can’t
believe how durable those cars are, because they are constantly
smashing into each other, and keep going. They put on a great
show though, and it’s fun to watch. I’d probably feel differently
if I had any money invested.
---- Jeremy Wilder was the winner, followed by Dave Marcuccili,
Jeremy Pitcher, Alan Fink, and Mark D’ilario.
---- Pete Stefanski has now won four in a row in the pro stock
division, this time coming from way in the rear in the
rain-shortened race. Stefanski started 17th after being penalized
for an incident that took place in his heat, which he had won
prior to the penalty. This is quite a record for Stefanski, who
proved once and for all that he has this race figured out better
than anyone. His 2001 victory puts him at FIVE total wins in this
event.
---- Dion Oakes, Don Carlson, Jocelyn Roy, and Allen Peters
rounded out the top five. Bret Belden finished in 10th place.
---- The street stock division was quite the opposite of what I
expected. For example, Dave Mannise, who has won this race at
least twice, struggled throughout before leaving the track with a
flat tire. Mannise started almost last, and was never a factor in
the race before calling it a day. Rusty Marsden is one of the
most dominant drivers in this division, but also started - and
stayed - in the rear of the field before pulling off of the track
surface. Bubba Burnell hasn’t finished worst than second in the
last three of these annual events, but also ran near the rear, for
a 17th place finish in the final rundown. I was disappointed to
not see any of these guys slice through the field. I guess it
just wasn’t their year.
---- Shawn Frost drove a great race to score the street stock
victory. Nathan Peckham, Kevin Smith, Andy Fisk, and Adam Depuy
rounded out the top five. Larry Bezner was 8th.
---- Let me just say that I had nothing to do with the mattress
surfing episode in the campgrounds at Fulton Speedway on Friday
night. I wasn’t the one who saw that on “Redneck Weddings”. I
don’t know whose truck was towing it. And I have no idea who the
man was on the mattress, who was wearing a helmet and Hans
device. It was a comical sight, for sure. We…I mean they… were
just having fun, and it was totally entertaining from the back of
the truck. Or so I’m told. The perpetrators were let off with a
warning after a brief conversation, which involved a lot of
laughing from both sides, where it was requested that the
offending mattress be put away. If I find out any information,
I’ll be sure to report it to the authorities. These television
shows sneak into the fabric of peoples daily lives, and are doing
their best to “dumb down” society. (Yes, I love the show “Redneck
Weddings” on CMT.)
---- You guys have a good time at Super Dirt Week this weekend.
I won’t be there, but I bet a lot of you are reading this from
there right now. I’ve never been that into SDW, so I’ll probably
be getting the house ready for snow while you’re reading this.
And no mattress surfing!
This week is the week that many dirt track fans have been waiting
for. It’s usually my favorite dirt race of the year, and often
one of the best dirt races of the year. It’s the 23rd annual
Schneider Brothers 200 at Fulton Speedway this Thursday -
Saturday.
---- Yes, I’m having a tough time calling this race anything
other than the Victoria 200, as it has always been called, but
some type of politics, which saw the name “Victoria 200” sold to
Utica Rome Speedway, forced that change. I don’t know what the
connection or relationship was between Utica-Rome’s owners, and
the late Victoria Benway (who the Victoria was named in honor of)
was, but I think it is real nice of them to honor Mrs. Benway’s
memory by using that name at their speedway. It’s too bad that
the name can’t be used at Fulton Speedway, which Mrs. Benway and
her husband Bub built and ran for decades, but these things
happen. But to me - it’ll always be the “Victoria 200”, no matter
what the lawyers say. No disrespect meant for the Schneider
Brothers, the sponsors of the season ending event at the
speedway. Fulton Speedway was Victoria and Bub Benway’s home, and
they should always be honored there.
---- But no matter what it’s called, this race is usually my
favorite dirt race of the year, for a long time now. I’ve seen a
lot of drama and crazy things happen in this race over the years,
and I always look forward to what will happen this year. In the
past, nearly 100 cars have entered this race to vie for the 40 or
so starting positions. For example, in 2007, 80 cars were entered
for the race. In 2006, 98 cars entered. That’s what you get when
you put up a $60,000 plus purse to be divvied up. The cars and
stars will be here. A check for twenty - Five grand greets the
winner.
---- Only TEN drivers in the world have ever won this race.
Those drivers are: Billy Pauch (6 times), Alan Johnson (4), Tim
Fuller (3), Tom Kinsella (2), Danny Johnson (2), and Frank Cozze,
Paul Jensen, Dale Planck, Kenny Brightbill, and Billy Decker.
---- One key factor that makes this race so entertaining is the
fact that there are no time trials. Nope, not at the 200. This
is a real race, with real qualifying. Want to make the show? You
better cinch up your seat belts, and finish in position one or two
in the heat. There will be 9-10 cars in that heat, by the way.
And the luck of the draw will predict where you start that heat,
because there’s a sealed envelope waiting for you in front of the
grandstand, which sets that lineup. And you won’t have the
benefit of your spotter telling you when or where to block if you
do get up there, because two-way radios are not allowed.
---- There will be some guaranteed starters in the field, and
you’ll get another shot in one of the 4-6 consolation races. But
you had better hit the right setup, because an awesome field of
great drivers will be going home without even qualifying for the
big show. Every year there are at least 10-15 excellent teams,
along with a flock of others, that are left on the outside looking
in, heading home with a DNQ attached to their resume.
---- Oh, and one other thing. It used to be that if you were
one of the big buck teams, you could line up a couple of different
cars, run them in different heats, and have a few chances to
qualify. A nice luxury for a well financed team. Not going to
happen this year. “Only one Schneider Brothers 200 entry per
driver” is rule number ten on the speedway’s website. You get one
chance - just like the po’ folk. You had better make it count.
---- Billy Decker has won almost every other modified race that
he’s run this year. He won the Vic last year (when it was still
called that.). He has to be a favorite.
---- Brett Hearn is one of the all time greatest drivers to ever
run a modified. He’s won Syracuse, and probably every other big
race, numerous times. But he’s never won this race.
---- Jimmy Phelps lives just down the street, and would love to
take the honors. He’s had his share of wins this year, so nobody
would be surprised to see him in victory lane.
---- Perhaps you’ve heard of a gentleman by the name of Billy
Pauch? He’s got six of these trophies, including the first five
in a row. Nobody could count him out.
---- Pat Ward has come close, but has never put it together yet
for all of the marbles. He wins a lot of races for owner John
Wight, and his consistent driving style is perfect for the 200
lap, break at half event.
---- Then there’s a couple of guys named Johnson. (No, not
Jimmie Johnson.) Alan and Danny Johnson have been racing in this
division almost since cars were invented. Both have won this race
more than once.
---- Local hero Chad Phelps, also known as “The Other Phelps”,
or “That Phelps Kid”, would be my sentimental favorite to win the
race. Chad drives the “X” car, which I believe ties him to the
roman numeral “ten”. When I inquired as to what the significance
of the “ten” was for Chad, all I got was a chuckle. Which may
explain why there are always good looking women around Chad….
---- Tommy Sears won the modified championship this year at
Fulton. I would love to see my old teammate grab the 200 and
sweep the season. That would be awesome - and wouldn’t surprise
me one bit. Tommy’s always been one of the best drivers around.
---- But the winner? I’m picking Dale Planck. Planck owned
this track back in the pre-DIRT sanctioned days, winning NASCAR
national titles. He’s a previous winner, and nobody has more
experience at this speedway than Planck. (Well, maybe Tommy Sears
has more laps here than anyone. But Planck still has run more in
a modified, because a lot of Tommy’s laps were in the street stock
division.) He’s had a solid season, won at Fulton this year, and
has a quality ride. Make that check out to “The Natural, Dale
Planck”.
---- Sportsman winner will be Sammy Reakes IV. In the pro stock
division, Pete Stefanski has won the last three in a row, so it’s
tough to bet against him. And I’ve got to take veteran Dave
Mannise, who has probably been in every street stock (formerly
called pure stock) Schneider Brothers 200 race, to win the show.
---- There was a whole bunch of winged supermodified racing
action last week. An ISMA double-header at Delaware Speedway and
Berlin Raceway found Dave McKnight and Chris Perley in victory
lane on Friday and Saturday. Also on Saturday, an MSA event
rescheduled by rain took place at Sandusky Speedway, which was won
by Tim Jedrzejek. It was too bad that the super field had to be
split on Saturday, but it says a lot about the strength of the
division when you realize that 40 super teams (25 at Sandusky, and
15 at Berlin) were in competition on Saturday, between the two
different locations. Awesome support for the division.
---- But did they HAVE to run against each other? Since the MSA
Sandusky race was the one moved to the date against the previously
scheduled ISMA Berlin race, couldn’t they have chosen another date
after the other date rained out? Possibly - but I’m sure that a
lot of extenuating circumstances played into the decision. But
what if the MSA race was run on Sunday, for example? Three
straight days of winged super races would have been quite a
weekend for the fans and teams of winged supermodified s. Wow! The
‘Dusky show would have been kind of on the way home for the racers
that competed in Berlin, which is in Michigan. Too bad that
didn’t work out - but I can also understand a track not wanting to
take a chance on a Sunday show for traveling cars.
---- Bobby Bond landed his first podium finish with a winged
supermodified, at Berlin Raceway. Bond switched to full-time
winged racer for the 2008 season after a disagreement with
speedway management caused him to lose interest in the speedway
that he grew up at, which sits just about 7 miles from his home.
I caught up with Bob on his way home from Berlin on Sunday
afternoon, to congratulate him on his third place finish, and ask
some nosy questions, thanks to the wonders of cell phone
technology.
---- But he’s enjoying traveling around with the ISMA series,
and has no intentions of having Xtreme Chassis builder Paul
Colloca retrofit his independent front suspension car to a solid
axle car, which is what you need to race at Oswego. Again,
relentless soldier that I am, I tried to let him know how easy it
would be to change his car over. “I don’t know…. It’s not just
the axle. I’d still have to buy spindles, do something different
with shocks, they’re talking about changing some stuff. I don’t
think I want to do that.”, said Bond.
---- Plans for the remainder of the season call for a trip to
Thompson for the final ISMA race, but probably not to the North
Carolina race in November. The rules for that shoot-out
apparently favor the other super factions, and puts the ISMA teams
at a disadvantage. Tire softener, and 300 pounds less weight are
a couple of examples of what ISMA cars are not allowed, but others
are.
---- Plans for next year call for more of the same. “I’m pretty
sure I’ll run ISMA next year”, said Bond. Like this year, he may
not attend all of the traveling races, but he’ll run for fun when
he can get there. He enjoys running ISMA, and chooses ISMA over
MSA because “it’s a lot better purse”.
---- Changes over the winter? “A few small changes. I want to
try a different wing, different design. And I need a better
motor. I bought some heads, but I didn’t have the money to finish
the motor this year. I’m down on horsepower.” Doug Holmes does
Bob’s engines, and will be the one putting together the new one.
---- Bond bent a front pushrod (suspension part) in his heat at
Delaware on Friday night, which caused the poor starting position
in the feature, which left him with a 12th place finish. He felt
that he may have been a top five car with a better start, but
passing was very difficult on the tight, rough track surface. He
was quite happy with his 3rd place finish at Berlin, but more for
his crew, than for himself. Ed Matteson and Larry VonHoltz made
the haul for the weekend, and he’s glad to get them results.
“These guys work awful hard on this car, so it was good for them,
too.”
---- So did you have anything for Perley on Saturday night?
“Probably not. I closed in on Woody a little bit. By the end of
the race, everyone was getting loose.”, said Bond.
The 58th annual Race of Champions, at Oswego Speedway is
officially in the record books.
---- I’ve never really had much time around the pavement modified
division, but I’m getting more and more familiar with the names
from seeing the Race of Champions Tour at Oswego Speedway a few
times a year. There were definitely a ton of cars and stars in
attendance, despite the fact that NASCAR had scheduled a Whelan
Modified tour race right exactly against the Oswego RoC show.
Yes, there were plenty of big names at the Whelan race in
Martinsville, but there was plenty of action and drama and names
at Oswego. 39 cars started the event, but there were plenty
others who did not make the show. Great field!
---- Tony Hirschman was the winner at the end of the day, his
third win in the event. But it was not easy. The 200 lap grind
brings out all of the drama and strategy and luck and talent - and
experience. Tony Hirschman put the whole combination together for
the historic win, a win that he will never forget.
---- It sure appeared as though Jan Leaty would be the driver to
beat for quite awhile. Leaty led several laps, and appeared to
have things in order for the victory. But in the blink of an eye,
all of that can change. As a wreck unfolded in front of him,
Leaty just barely touched the right rear tire of the car that was
in front of him, sending him into the outside wall. Done for the
day.
---- Erick Rudolph is always impressive when I see the mods
race. The young third generation driver drove another smart,
consistent race to finish in second place after 200 laps. We all
know that it’s only a matter of time before Rudolph wins all of
the big races in the division.
---- Tony Hanbury had a weekend that will bring back some
memories. Not only did he finish in third place in the modified
race, he was also a winner in the previous night’s SST modified
event.
---- Rusty Smith, Earl Paules, and Daren Scherer filled out the
top six positions. The rest of the top ten consisted of Terry
Cheetham, Tommy Farrell, Pete Brittain, and Lee Sherwood.
---- Doug Reaume, who we were all cheering for because he used
to compete in the small block supers, was 15th in the final
rundown. Nice to see one of “our guys” slugging it out.
---- J.R. Kent was another driver who had a solid shot, as he
was moving through the field. But Kent was involved in a hard
impact with the outside fence that ended his evening.
---- The SST modified division was packed with cars on Friday
night, as over 50 of them attempted to qualify for the 32 starting
positions. It was such a great field that a “b-main” was added
for the cars that did not qualify, which was run on Saturday.
---- The race appeared to be a win for driver Pete Brittain, as
he held a decent lead as the laps wound down. But pretty soon his
engine started to sound “different”, (as Barry put it), and he
eventually left the track in a cloud of smoke. Brittain was
credited with 18th at night’s end.
---- At the end of the day, Rick Kluth was credited with the
win. But things are not always what they appear. Kluth was later
disqualified for being illegal in tech inspection, bumped back to
32nd - and last - in the final rundown. Tony Hanbury was awarded
the win, and was allowed the pageantry and prestige of getting his
picture done in victory lane on Saturday.
---- Jeff Hammond, Tom McGrath, Kevin Timmerman, and Zane Zeiner
rounded out the top five.
---- Another one of “our guys”, supermodified competitor and
former small block super track champion Keith Gilliam made the
show, but was a DNF 30th in the final rundown. What originally
felt like a motor problem turned out to be a hung up brake caliper
for Gilliam, who was relieved.
---- In heat race action, Tommy Cloce looked like the man to
beat in the Late Model division. He looked like he was 50 MPH
faster than all of the other cars, and we all predicted cakewalk
for him come feature time. But it must be that the other cars all
caught up, or he made some incorrect adjustments. Cloce was
second in the feature.
---- Todd Hoddick was the “Cloce killer” in the Late Model
feature, keeping the #49 out front as the laps wore down. It was
a fun race to watch, despite the multi-cautions. David Regan, Lee
Gill, and Josh John rounded out the top five.
---- I always love the street stocks at Oswego Speedway. The
RoC street stock event was an excellent battle, that was won by
Mike Nichols. But I really thought that Frank Reakes would get
him. Reakes looked faster, and took several shots high and low,
but could never quite close the deal. 40 - yes, 40 street stocks
started the street stock feature, which lasted 75 laps.
---- Multiple time champion Joe Miller, who was the guy to beat
when the street stocks ran regularly at Oswego, was in
competition. Joe ran at Adirondack International Speedway during
the 2008 season, but couldn’t resist a return to his stomping
grounds for the Roc event. Unfortunately for Miller, things
didn’t go as planned, and he was the involved in one of the race’s
crashes.
---- Jason Brigham won the mini stock event, and Tom Casabrande
owned the factory / pure stock event. Congratulations to all Race
of Champions champions!
---- The Small Block Supermodified division ran under a NORA
sanction at RoC. NORA is an organization that has for many years
organized events for a mini-series of races for the small block
supers at other speedways, as well as Oswego Speedway. In 2008,
the weekend’s event at Oswego were the only NORA event of the
season, for several reasons. Times are tough right now for teams
and speedways, so the NORA series drivers ended up staying close
to home.
---- NORA prez Steve Reynolds is currently in the process of
determining what direction to head for the 2009 season. He will
of course welcome suggestions from anyone with ideas for the
future, and is planning a general membership meeting for that
purpose in the next month or two. Since I don’t plan on racing my
own car at Oswego Speedway more than two or three times in 2009, I
think a 4-5 race NORA series, all at different tracks, would be
fun. I’m aware that it’s not that easy to find speedways that are
looking for new cars, and all of the logistics that go along with
it. That’s the challenge, for sure. But as a guy who’s not
running a full season, I think I would enjoy a short series, at a
few new tracks.
---- The race was won by Dave Gruel , but not in his normal
ride. During a totally average season in the Tom Aaserud fronted
Crow Motorsports ride, Gruel and his friend Tim Barbeau started to
discuss the prospect of teaming up. Barbeau had been running well
at times, but had his struggles in 2008 as well. Although he won
a couple of features, there were some periods of terrible luck
mixed in. Since Aaserud was considering an escape or break from
campaigning a car in 2009; and Barbeau was considering stepping
out of the driver’s seat for 2009, the timing was perfect for
Gruel to jump right in behind the wheel. A tentative deal was
made for Gruel to pilot the #50 car, and was etched in stone after
he fell in love with the car during a Thursday night practice
session. “I’m ready to sign the contract!”, Gruel joked after
cranking off some times dangerously close to the untouchable 18
second bracket. Deal was done - Gruel would be the driver of the
Barbeau Racing #50 for the Race of Champions NORA race, as well as
the 2009 season.
---- And the rest is history! Gruel led every lap, by a
sizeable margin at times, for the runaway victory.
Congratulations to Dave, Tim, and the new #50 team. I don’t know
if they’ve chosen a name for their team yet, so I’ll make a couple
of suggestions down the road.
---- The small block super race ran green to checkers, with zero
accidents or caution laps. Quite an achievement for the excellent
drivers in our division. Everyone was clean and green. Nice job,
guys!
---- Mike Bond, soon to be named to the Oswego Speedway Hall of
Fame, finished in second, but was hoping for a caution at the end,
as he felt that he may have had something for Gruel as the race
wore on.
---- Dave Cliff also needed a caution, as he had to come from
8th position to get to the front. He worked his way to 3rd at the
finish, passing Kevin Knopp late in the race, who landed in 4th.
Brian Sobus rounded out the top five, after starting outside pole.
---- Apparently Rob Pullen can drive one-handed. But he still
uses his other hand though. It appeared as though Pullen is of
the opinion that Dave Cliff is indeed “number one”, as Pullen’s
center finger indicated during the early stages of the race.
Cliff got into Pullen’s bumper coming off of turn two, putting
Pullen sideways and prompting him to express his opinion. As good
as he is, imagine how good Rob could drive if he kept both hands
on the wheel!
---- Josh LaRochelle drove the Eddie Horne owned Outdoor Power
#13 once again, after bailing out of the seat two weeks before the
end of the season. “This is my last race”, indicated LaRochelle
prior to the event. Josh has been looking at boats and
motorcycles, and has taken up basket weaving and pottery as his
new hobbies. I am told however, that the ballroom dancing thing
didn’t really work out. Prior to the race, I asked Josh’s dad Tim
if they would consider a 2009 comeback if things went really well
in the RoC race, but it sounded like that wasn’t in the cards even
if that did happen. An 11th place finish is probably not going to
be the finish that pulls him back into the sport. Maybe the
weaving and pottery things will work out.
---- I will give Josh credit for the quote of the night.
Apparently there was quite a bit of contact from Josh’s front
bumper during the heat race to Shawn Walker’s rear bumper. An
enraged Walker stormed to LaRochelle’s pit after the race to
confront Josh about the contact. Josh’s reply? “My bad.”
Nothing more could be said to that, and Walker eventually returned
to his pit. I will certainly use that one.
---- In the feature, Walker lost several positions on the last
lap of the race, when his transmission suddenly either blew, or
jumped out of gear. Big Daddy faded to 13th place, after he
slammed it into second gear to finish out the lap.
---- “Patty Cakes”, also known as Pat Mullen dusted off his fire
suit after a long hiatus to drive the Guard Nearbin #78 for the
evening. Pat was credited with 15th place at the end of the day,
one lap down to the leaders.
---- Rick Curtis drives the #66 car that was originally built by
Doug Reaume, and most recently owned by Charlie Pike. Curtis’ son
was supposed to be driving the machine, but has been unable to
coordinate his military career with racing in Oswego, N.Y.. It
was nice to meet Curtis, who is hoping that his son can get things
squared away for the 2009 season to be able to compete. But I
could tell that he’s not too disappointed to be driving the
machine instead. “If my son does get to race it next year, maybe
we’ll have to find another car - for me”, Curtis confessed.
---- Terry Solazzo took a few laps in his #25 car that was
driven by Rick Zeigler this year. Solazzo owns that car, as well
as the Mike Bond #26 machine. Solazzo will not be competing in
the small block super division next year, so it’s still up in the
air as to who will be Solazzo’s other driver in ‘09. Or if he
will even field two cars. “What are you offering to bring to the
team?” was what Solazzo’s talent coordinator Dan Dennie replied to
a semi-retired writer who was inquiring as to who the next driver
would be.
---- A shout-out goes to the Race of Champions staff, as well as
Lighthouse Lanes owner Bob Hoefer for providing the second largest
purse that we’ll see all year, on RoC Weekend. Hoefer added some
cash to the purse as a gesture of support for the division.
Thanks again, to Andrew Harpell, and Bob Hoefer!
---- As for myself, I was content to finish off the season with
three damage-free runs, and three top ten finishes. My own car
started in 5th, and finished 8th after the 35 laps of green flag
racing. Nothing exciting, but I wasn’t too far off. I got passed
by three pretty fast cars, and kept them honest. I’ve really
enjoyed this part-time racing deal, and have seen a little
resurgence in my confidence level after at least running
respectably with limited tires, and an engine that hasn’t been
freshened for two seasons now. My plan for now is another season
just like this one - 3-4 races, and definitely Classic. I still
love the driving, but the 3-4 night a week of working on the car,
along with the expense of fielding a car will still keep me away
from competing full time in the future.
---- The secret to my success last weekend? For the first time
ever I was able to coordinate an exclusive new “hot chick” crew
that consisted of April Andrews and Amy Hall. Yes, we did have
“Bird” take over crew chief duties as Corey, Mark, and Scott were
all among the missing, but his dual-crew chief duties for me and
Barry Kingsley kept him quite busy doing the calculations for the
feature. (Barry was also crew challenged on this night.) But if
I hadn’t had my “hot chick” crew on the scene, we would have never
had our tires ready and on the car in time for the feature. It
was truly a “Hot Pit”, to say the least!
This weekend at Oswego Speedway
is the historic, 58th annual Sunoco Race of Champions weekend. 58
years of tradition - right here in my own backyard. Seven different
divisions of racecars will jam the pit area, and entertain race fans
from all around the Northeast. Which RoC modified driver will score
the $10,000 payday?
