2010 Bud Classic Winner: Bob Bond (Mike Pinner Johnson Photo)

Roury Williams / The Post-Standard

Bobby Bond, of Mexico, only raced three days this season at Oswego Speedway, but he managed to win two huge races, including Monday’s Budweiser Classic 200 — the Indy 500 for supermodifieds.

To win the race, he had to survive an accident on lap 129 that ruffled some feathers. Six-time Classic winner Greg Furlong, who started 11th, had climbed to fourth and was putting intense pressure on two-time winner Doug Didero.

In turn four, Furlong made contact with the back of Didero’s car. Didero spun into the inside wall and then came back across the track at the entrance to the front straightaway.

He may have tried to save the car by doing a 360-degree turn, but the result was a cloud of smoke and a hard crash into Dave McKnight. Joey Payne managed to drive around Didero, but his car was damaged when it grazed the outside wall.

Payne proceeded to make a lap around the track, came back to the accident scene and bumped his car into Didero’s. Both drivers gestured angrily at each other, tried their best to hurry out of their cars and briefly exchanged blows — with their helmets still on.

Bond, meanwhile, was more fortunate.

“I saw a lot of smoke,’’ he said of the accident. “I hit Didero pretty good there in that smoke. I bounced off him and I kept going. I couldn’t believe it.’’

Bond, who picked up $15,000 for the victory, also won this year’s King of Wings event at the track. Monday’s race had been postponed because of rain on Sunday. Ray Graham, who races in Oswego despite living in Iowa, finished second, and part-time Indy Racing League driver Davey Hamilton was third.

Bond said that at the beginning of the race “we really didn’t have the best car, not even close. It kept getting better and better at the end.’’

His strategy was to try to stay within a straightaway of the leaders and save his tires.

“About lap 140 I figured it’s time to go,’’ he said. “It looked like the leaders were picking up the pace, so I picked up the pace. They started getting really loose and I started picking those guys off. . . . Everything just fell our way.”

He was helped by contact between Furlong and defending Classic champion Otto Sitterly, who led for 163 laps after passing Didero on lap 23. Furlong was trying to get around Sitterly for the lead, but Sitterly got a little out of shape. Furlong hit one of his wheels, got up in the air and banged the outside wall. Both cars were damaged but continued racing.

Bond was able to pass Sitterly on lap 186.

“I just saw people slipping and sliding,’’ he said. “I saw Otto getting loose really bad and I think I slipped underneath him in turn one.’’

Sitterly spun on lap 196 and collected Joe Gosek. Sitterly ended up ninth, Gosek 12th and Furlong 14th.

Fuel became an issue late in the race as Todd Stowell and Bobby Santos ran dry, and cautions extended the race to 206 laps.

Bond said his car will sputter for about five laps before it runs out. “With one (lap) to go it sputtered. We probably could have gone another five or more.”

Only 11 cars were left at the end — eight on the lead lap — after 34 started the race.

Bond said he only raced three time this season at Oswego because his team decided to concentrate on the ISMA series.

“We’ve been trying to run ISMA. Haven’t really had a lot of success, but we didn’t want to quit ISMA until we ran a little better.’’

Notes

• Didero started second and immediately took the lead on the first lap, making contact with pole-sitter Pat Lavery in the process. The contact may have damaged the front of Lavery’s car. He later spun on lap 109 and finished 23rd.

• Lavery won the pole position with a time of 16.523 seconds (136 mph), barely beating out Didero, who ran a lap of 16.597 seconds. Didero holds the track record, set last year, at 16.212 seconds.

• Bentley Warren, 69, finished 28th in his 37th Classic. His car was not fast in time trials, and he had to qualify for the feature through the B-Main consolation race. Stowell won the B-Main, and all seven cars that finished the race qualified for the Classic.

• Steve Abt, of Syracuse, led all 100 laps to win his first Bud Light Classic 100 for small-block supermodifieds. Ben Seitz, a former NEMA midget champion from Bourne, Mass., won the ISMA Super Nationals 50 for winged supermodifieds. He passed Mike Lichty with five laps to go for the victory, his first in the ISMA series. Both races were run on Monday morning after being rained out on Saturday night and again on Sunday.

• Monday’s Classic marked a full year since Stephen Gioia III suffered serious leg injuries in a crash during last year’s event. He described himself as “75 to 80 percent right now.’’

“I’m definitely ahead of schedule, but I’m not where I want to be.’’

He said he was looking for some sponsorship for a brand-new car next season. “We have some pretty neat things going on for this winter that I think will help my own race team and the speedway and everybody in general.’’

The finish for the 54th Budweiser Classic at Oswego Speedway:

1-Bobby Bond, 2-Ray Graham, 3-Davey Hamilton, 4-Russ Wood, 5-Randy Ritskes, 6-Randy Burch, 7-Todd Stowell, 8-Brian Sobus (rookie of the race), 9-Otto Sitterly, 10-Bobby Santos.

11-David Gruel, 12-Joe Gosek, 13-Dave Cliff, 14-Greg Furlong, 15-Mike Lichty, 16-Dan Connors Jr., 17-Jerry Curran, 18-Jack Smith, 19-Joey Payne,

20-Doug Didero, 21-Dave McKnight, 22-Bobby Haynes Jr., 23-Pat Lavery, 24-Tim Snyder, 25-Dave Shullick Jr., 26-Jason Spaulding, 27-Craig Rayvals, 28-Bentley Warren, 29-Kody Graham, 30-Michael Barnes, 31-Andy Noto, 32-Gary Morton, 33-Gene Lee Gibson, 34-Dave Duggan.

Best lap time: Bobby Bond 17.391 129.377

The finish for the Bud Light Classic 100 for small-block supermodifieds:

1-Steve Abt, 2-Mike Bond, 3-Andrew Schartner, 4-Russ Brown, 5-Brian Sobus, 6-Tim Barbeau, 7-JJ Andrews, 8-Billy Moore, 9-Jack Patrick, 10-Guard Nearbin,

11-Brian Osetek, 12-Keith Gilliam, 13-AJ Bernys, 14-Brian Haynes, 15-Mike Bruce, 16-Doug Williams, 17-Cameron Rowe, 18-Brad Haynes, 19-Jason Simmons, 20-Kevin Jackson,

21-Danny Kapuscinski, 22-Mark Castiglia, 23-Dave Cliff, 24-Lou LeVea Jr., 25-Barry Kingsley, 26-Dave Danzer, 27-Kreig Heroth, 28-Dennis Ruppert, 29-Dennis Richmond.

Best lap time: Steve Abt, 19.407 seconds, 115.938 mph.

The finish for the ISMA Super Nationals 50:

1-Ben Seitz, 2-Mike Lichty, 3-Jeff Locke, 4-Mark Sammut, 5-Russ Wood, 6-Charlie Schultz, 7-Jeff Holbrook, 8-Danny Lane, 9-Randy Ritskes, 10-Joey Scanlon,

11-Brandon Bellinger, 12-Micheal Barnes, 13-Paul White, 14-Dave Duggan, 15-Bobby Magner, 16-Kyle Edwards, 17-Dave Shullick Jr., 18-Bobby Dawson, 19-Jamie Timmons, 20-Andy Noto,

21-Bobby Bond, 22-Tim Ice, 23-Rich Reid, 24-Jack Smith, 25-Gene Lee Gibson, 26-Bobby Haynes Jr.

Best lap time: Mike Lichty, 15.946 seconds (141.101 mph).

Top 3 (Jim Feeney Photo)

Oswego, NY – After a rain-filled weekend, the clouds finally broke enough at Oswego to begin some racing on Labor Day Monday morning allowing Bourne, MA’s Ben Seitz to claim his first ISMA win. Seitz took the ISMA Bud Light Super Nationals 50 victory after a late race pass of leader Mike Lichty. Seitz started third but lost that spot to Russ Wood in the yellow-plagued first half of the race. With 20 to go, the Richard Bien-owned 17 began moving forward and on lap 44, he and Lichty went side by side as they approached a lap car with Seitz able to take the right line around and the lead with five to go.  Lichty and Jeff Locke trailed Seitz to the checkereds. Seitz, having run at Oswego on many occasions in a NEMA midget, was very proud of this win for his new winged super team.

“This is awesome. Halfway through the race I knew we were going to have a good car, but I wasn’t really expecting to get the win. I saw Lichty getting loose there toward the end. Then I said ‘we might have a shot at this.’ We hit lapped traffic and that was probably the only way I could have passed him. I kind of feel bad for him. The kid has been in second place so many times ready to win. “

“The car didn’t start off that great but it ended up awesome. I am so excited. I lost my voice screaming in the car. We were tight the whole race even at the end. The car was good off. It wasn’t hurting the right rear. I knew the longer the race went, the better we would get. In all the midget races and midget wins, I’ve never won at Oswego. I really wanted to. I’m thrilled. I just want to thank my car owner and sponsors Cape Cod Aggregates, S.M. LoRusso & Sons and LoRusso Heavy Equipment for giving me this opportunity.”

Mike Lichty who began visibly skating off the turns after the Seitz pass, ended up second. “The car was perfect at the beginning but we hurt a tire. My hats off to Ben Seitz. It’s pretty cool to put a new car together for this year and come out and win a huge show like this. Jeff was running great too. We were fortunate enough to get by him in lapped traffic and then the caution came out. We had to keep trying. At times he was much quicker than us and sometimes were at the same speed. Traffic eventually hurt me and Ben got by. We got loose and he didn’t. Hats off to my father and everybody who puts this deal together.”

Second year ISMA competitor Jeff Locke led up until Lichty was able to get by as the duo approached a lap car. Lichty got by and then came Seitz. Locke held the third spot at race end pretty much alone out there ahead of a battling Russ Wood and Mark Sammut.

“ The last ten laps I had to hold on there as the tires went away. I’m happy for Ben Seitz. He’s an awesome guy and an awesome driver. They really have put a good car together. I’d like to thank my father, Richard Witkum, R&R Competition Engines, everybody who has helped put this together for me. It’s unbelievable. We finished every race so far this year and hopefully we can keep that going. This is an incredible crowd considering the weather. Thanks for coming out and sorry for all the cautions there.”

At 9:30 am 26 ISMA supers took to the speedway after a long couple days of weather woes. While Dave Duggan took the point from the start, the race was spotted with yellows for much of the first half. First heat race winner Rich Reid spun the Lehnert 92 with a broken power steering line later found to be the culprit.

The second flag flew for a spin by Bob Magner as multiple pit stops were being made by Andy Noto, Bobby Haynes Jr., Jack Smith and Gene Gibson. Some returned, some did not.

Duggan in his first ever appearance at Oswego was able to fend off the advances of Russ Wood, Jeff Locke, Lichty and Seitz until lap 10 when Locke and Lichty got by.  Wood followed suite, shortly thereafter.

Locke and Lichty took off out front until Jamie Timmons provided the opportunity for Lichty to take the lead but a yellow for Bob Dawson negated the pass. Timmons was hooked in this one too.

A red was thrown on lap 18 as the cleanup of the 27 and 28 ensued. Back under way, yellow flew again for the second Craig Reed car, the 8 driven by Shullick Jr.  Then the 51 of Duggan brought out the yellow, just before the third Reed car was into the water barrels in the back straight. It was not a good day for that team.

The race finally got moving just past the lap 20 mark, as Locke took off trailed by Lichty, Seitz, Wood and Michael Barnes in the Morton 70. Another yellow on lap 29 gave Lichty the lead as he passed by Locke who was trying to get by the 51.

With 20 to go, 12 cars remained on the track. The order as the clocked ticked to 30 was Lichty, Seitz, Locke, Wood, Barnes and Charlie Shultz. Coming alive behind was Mark Sammut whose 78 began picking off cars in the top ten. By lap 35 Sammut was sixth behind the Lichty, Seitz, Locke Wood and Barnes train.

With ten to go, Lichty had a good lead but it was apparent that Seitz was catching up. Locke ran solo in third with Wood fourth and Sammut now fifth.

Lap 43 saw some traffic ahead of the leaders and by lap 44, Lichty and Seitz were side by side behind Brandon Bellinger with Seitz taking the advantage this time. Seitz took off as Lichty drifted a little backwards with obvious tire loss. Locke, Sammut and Wood would finish up the top five with Sammut taking fourth with four to go.

Mark Sammut said of his late race charge to fourth. “The car was really good at the end. Unfortunately I didn’t get her going in the heats and missed the handicap. We probably had as good a car as anybody at the end. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get a little closer. We’re happy with the car after rebuilding it after Delaware. It worked good all weekend. We’ll be able to go to Lee next weekend and give it another shot there.”

Russ Wood eked out a fifth place despite a loose 29.  “Our car was fast at the beginning and then it started pushing about mid-race. With 20 to go we were severely loose. The car really changed throughout the race. I don’t know what happened. Those guys up front were really fast. Congratulations to Mike, Ben and Jeff. They were really ran a good race. It’s too bad this wasn’t the greatest race but thanks to the fans for being here. Now we get to run the Classic.”

Summary Bud Light Super Nationals 50

Time Trials scratched due to weather and time constraints

Heat 1: Jeff Locke, Dave Duggan, Michael Barnes, Charlie Schultz, Bob Dawson, Joey Scanlon, Jack Smith and Gene Gibson

Heat 2: Rich Reid, Danny Lane, Mike Lichty, Bob Bond, Mark Sammut, Bob Magner, Randy Ritskes, Kyle Edwards, Andy Noto

Heat 3: Ben Seitz, Dave Shullick Jr., Russ Wood, Jeff Holbrook, Jamie Timmons, Paul White, Brandon Bellinger, Tim Ice, Bobby Haynes Jr.

Super Nationals 50: 1. Ben Seitz (17), 2. Mike Lichty (84), 3. Jeff Locke (37), 4. Mark Sammut (78), 5. Russ Wood (29), 6. Charlie Schultz (7), 7. Jeff Holbrook (77), 8. Danny Lane (97), 9. Randy Ritskes (88x), 10. Joey Scanlon (88), 11. Brandon Bellinger (02), 12. Michael Barnes (70), 13. Paul White (16), 14. Dave Duggan (51), 15. Bob Magner (41), 16. Kyle Edwards (08), 17. Dave Shullick Jr. (8), 18. Bob Dawson (28), 19. Jamie Timmons (27), 20. Andy Noto (3), 21. Bobby Bond (25), 22. Tim Ice (77), 23. Rich Reid (92), 24. Jack Smith (09), 25. Gene Lee Gibson (0), 26. Bobby Haynes Jr. (44).

Otto Sitterly’s team faces the starting line for the playing of the U.S. and Canadian national anthems on Aug. 21 at Oswego Speedway.

(Lauren Long Photo)

Roury Williams / The Post-Standard

Otto Sitterly has gone back-to-back-to-back in supermodified track championships at Oswego Speedway. This Sunday, he’ll try to go back-to-back in the Budweiser Classic 200.

The race is the Indy 500 for supermodifieds, a division that has always revolved around Oswego Speedway and boasts the fastest cars in short-track asphalt racing.

“I will never top last year’s performance because it was my first Classic win,” said Sitterly, who is from Canajoharie. “That’s the unfortunate thing of it. In my eyes, you’ll never top that day. But I’m hoping that myself and Davey Hamilton, both, can have decent performances on Classic Weekend.”

John Nicotra, Sitterly’s car owner, will put Hamilton in the team’s backup car. Hamilton finished 18th in last weekend’s IndyCar race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Sitterly’s Classic win last year was also a first for Nicotra.

“When you get that first Classic trophy, it’s a monkey off your back,” Nicotra said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling to have that behind you, and it relieves the pressure. You can’t believe how much pressure it took off.”

Sitterly prepares the cars as well as being the main driver for the team. Nicotra described him as “the chief — period.”

”He’s the chief of everything. He’s the man. Everything I do goes through Otto. If Otto’s not happy, I’m not happy.”

Nicotra, who is friends with Tony Stewart, said Sitterly and Stewart have a lot in common.

“Otto Sitterly is very, very mental and very dedicated. And truthfully, he’s just like Tony Stewart. Same exact kind of people. … There’s no doubt in my mind that Otto could win the Indy 500 or the Daytona 500 or anything that he was doing. If he had enough time to put his 100 percent effort into it, I know he can be a success.”

Nicotra said Stewart was sporting an Otto Sitterly T-shirt after a sprint-car race at Utica-Rome in July.

The lights look good

Oswego Speedway has had trouble with its lighting twice this season.

“The generator and the lighting system wiring have both been worked on extensively since the first problem back on July 31st and we feel we are good to go,” said track spokesman Steve Pryor.

When the lights failed two weeks ago, the supermodifieds were at full speed heading into turn three. Joe Gosek, one of the track’s best-known drivers, said he was about to try to pass race leader Pat Lavery on the inside when the speedway “went pitch black.”

“I was like, ‘Holy smokes, where am I going to go here?’ I saw his tail was shiny. I knew he was up higher so I was hoping he had a little better vision. I followed him around turns three and four, and then along the front grandstand there was little bit of lighting that gave you kind of a glimpse of where the track was.

“That was fortunate that nobody crashed or got hurt. … There were a lot of possibilities there.”

When the lights came back on, Gosek took the lead before they failed again. The race was called at that point, and he was awarded the victory.

Gosek, by the way, will debut a new engine in his car this weekend.

“I don’t know if that’s good or bad until I get on the track with it,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s the right timing or not, but the one we’ve got in there is really tired.”

Payne: Be patient

Joey Payne, of Fair Lawn, N.J., drives 280 miles (4½ hours) every weekend to race at Oswego. He finished second in points this season behind Sitterly, and he’s had several top-five finishes in the Classic.

What’s it take to win the Classic?

“Patience. A good car. Some luck. Everything has to gel. The driver has to be on his game, the crew has to be on their game. The car has to last, and a little bit of luck, it goes a long way.”

What about strategy?

“The Classic is a strange race because it’s a 200-lap race. Usually I just ride around for 20 or 30 laps just to make sure the car’s OK and pick off a spot here and there. I try not to beat up the tires. The big goal is to have tires at the end of the race.”

Snyder: It’s survival

Oswego native Tim Snyder, who won the Classic in 2001, drives six hours from his home in New Hampshire to race at Oswego.

He described his approach to the Classic: “It’s survival. Get a good qualifying time. Make the race. Then be patient. Let things come to you. Keep an eye on the leaders. Run clean. Don’t run the competitors. Run the track. It’s 200 laps. You’ve got to be there at the end.”

He said his team invested a lot of money in a new car this year but has been fighting “gremlins” all season. “It seems like the old cars are working better than the new cars.”

Long-haul Graham

Ray Graham is the most extreme of the traveling supermodified guys. He’s from Fulton but has lived in Iowa for the last eight years. He drives 17 hours to race regularly at Oswego.

“I don’t know if it’s worth the effort or it’s more of a disease or an illness. Or addiction. Call it what you want,” he said. “I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid. I love racing, but supermodifieds are the only cars I have an interest in.”

Graham has two wins this season and finished third in last year’s Classic.

What would a Classic win mean?

“It would be huge. Winning a race here is big enough. But winning the Classic. That’s the granddaddy of supermodified. That’s the Indy 500 for the supermodifieds. It would be the biggest thing that’s happened to us in our racing career, for sure.”

John Kandt

Roury Williams / The Post-Standard

Former Budweiser Classic 200 champion and car builder Mike Muldoon will unveil a shiny new supermodified this weekend at Oswego Speedway.

The immediate goal is to contend for the season-culminating Classic on Sunday, with Massachusetts driver Bobby Santos III at the wheel.

But Muldoon, 49, has more in mind than just the Classic.

He and his 16-year-old son, Michael Jr., have spent almost a year building the car, with the idea that Michael will drive it in Oswego’s top division next season.

“Somebody’s got to teach him,” Muldoon said. “He’s the one who built most of the car. … I kind of walked him through it. That’s why it took so long. We started building the car last September-October. It took almost a year to build it. You can usually build a car in a couple of three months.”

Michael, who is a junior at Baldwinsville high school, would have been hard-pressed to find a better teacher. His father won the Classic as a driver in 1995 and as a car builder in 1994, with Joe Gosek driving, and in 1997, with Davey Hamilton.

Muldoon hasn’t been at the track since Gosek drove one of his cars in 2003, and he said he is only returning to racing because of his son, who has been racing in the Northeastern Midget Association (NEMA) Lites series.

”If my son didn’t want to race, I would probably never race again,” said Muldoon, who badly injured his hand in a racing accident at Oswego in 2001. The injury — along with multiple surgeries for a bad back — ended his driving career, which included 21 feature wins at Oswego. He is 10th all-time in supermodified points.

Muldoon, who lives in Baldwinsville, is confident the new supermodified will be fast this weekend, but the car has already served the purpose of being a training ground for Michael.

“He understands when you wreck them how long it takes to fix them,” Muldoon said. “Most guys don’t understand that. They just show up and put a helmet on, and go out and bang your car up and walk away.”

The car will be piloted this weekend by the 24-year-old Santos, a third-generation driver who first raced supermodifieds at the age of 16 at Star Speedway in New Hampshire.

Muldoon described Santos as a good friend and said, “There isn’t anything he can’t drive. He should be in NASCAR right now, but he hasn’t got the money.”

Santos has experience at Oswego, including a famous finish in the 2004 Classic in which he and Greg Furlong crashed in turn one after crossing the finish line. Furlong won the race.

It’s worth noting that a brand-new car has succeeded in the Classic. In 2008, Doug Didero drove a car that made its first track appearance on the morning of the race. He started 15th and won.

After Sunday’s Classic, which starts at sunset, the Muldoons will take what they’ve learned about the car and look to 2011.

“I’m basically just getting it ready for him next year,” Muldoon said. “We’ll find out what we’ve got (this weekend). I’m pretty sure we’ve got a decent car. I’ve never had a slow car.”

And what about Michael making the leap to the supermodified division at such a young age?

“We’ll find out if he wants to race,” Muldoon said.

Johnny Pickard was two-for-two in August ERA action

Photo courtesy of Joe Starr, www.bigwestracing.com

DACONO, Colo. – Johnny Pickard won his second Englewood Supermodified Ass’n feature in a row Saturday at Colorado Nat’l Speedway.  Pickard’s win made him the first repeat ERA winner of the season.

The Pueblo, Colo., shoe started on the pole and was never challenged in the 25-lap main, which went green to checkered and was completed in less than 10 minutes.  The race marked the second-consecutive ERA feature that went off without a caution.

Harold Evans started sixth and finished second for the second-consecutive race.  Richie Castor passed point leader Harry Stone late in the race to take third. Castor ran almost the entire race with a slightly damaged front end. On lap two, Kevin Day bobbled off turn two and Castor made contact with Day’s super.  The contact resulted in damage to Castor’s fiberglass nose and bent nose wings on the No. 2.  The defending ERA champion is still yet to win a feature this season.

Stone finished fourth and Brian Pacheco rounded out the top five.  Day was sixth; Matt Gilbert made his first appearance of the season in a newly purchased car and finished seventh.  Ira Castor was eighth.

Joe Prisalec and Joe Gallegos were in attendance, but both drivers had problems in warm-ups and did not start the feature.

The ERA is back at Colorado Nat’l in two weeks for a Sept. 11 show at the three-eighths-mile oval.  The season closes at CNS on Oct. 2.

—————-

For more information on the Englewood Racing Association, visit http://erasupermodifieds.tripod.com.

Press written by Keith Shampine.  Contact Keith at 315-657-2207 or e-mail keithrb5@aol.com for more information.

Jim Feeney Photo

OSWEGO, N.Y. – With his seventh-place finish in Saturday’s shortened 30-lap feature, Otto Sitterly joined Greg Furlong as the only supermodified drivers to win four track championships at Oswego Speedway. In an equally astounding accomplishment, Sitterly joined Doug Didero, Mike Muldoon and the late Jim Shampine as the only drivers to win the title three years in succession.  Didero and Muldoon did it during their dominant years in the 1990s, while Shampine accomplished the feat from 1972 to ’74.

Sitterly built a formidable point lead with four straight feature wins to start the season. With Oswego’s tight point system and Sitterly’s ability to finish races, and usually in the top three, a serious challenge to Otto’s title was doubtful as the season hit mid-June.

Although the G&I Homes-sponsored Hawk Jr. No. 7 has not visited victory lane since Otto’s fourth win June 5, no driver got much closer than 100 points down to the Canajoharie driver throughout the second half of the season. “The Jersey Jet” Joey Payne ended up second to Sitterly for the second straight year. Payne finished the season 91 points down. Pat Lavery, Ray Graham and Dave McKnight rounded out the top five, each over 100 markers back of the champion.

“It feels pretty good,” Otto said, speaking of his 2010 title. “I’ve got to thank John Nicotra, all the guys on the crew, and my wife and kids, of course. Now we’re looking ahead two weeks to the Classic. I know we have two good cars for that. I’m very much looking forward to time trialing, and starting up where we belong.”

Sitterly has been forced to start Oswego features in 10th to 12th position each week since late May. It was clear in his post-race interview Saturday night that some drivers are beginning to test Otto’s patience.

“We had a real good car tonight. You get into a nice groove, the car feels good and you just try to pick off one at a time.  But it was a rough night. (There was) caution after caution, and there are a few guys that are border-line out of control. I try not to drive off my bumper, and I had a few guys around me doing that tonight, almost racing in desperation. I hate to talk that way, but I’m very disappointed with some of what I see going on out there,” Sitterly admitted.

In the week leading up to Saturday’s race, the Nicotra Racing team was a focal part of the annual pre-Classic silly season.  About one week ago, Nicotra sold the Xtreme Chassis super that Davey Hamilton campaigned in last year’s Classic and in several Oswego races this season. Nicotra sold the mount to Ohio’s Craig Reed and its original driver, Dave Shullick Jr., after struggles with the car plagued the latter part of Hamilton’s Oswego season. 

Hamilton will move to the G&I Homes No. 6 Hawk Jr., a car that’s been used for Otto’s ISMA winged super ventures this season. Bobby Santos III, who drove the No. 6 Nicotra Hawk Jr. in last year’s Classic and had the seat lined up for this year, is now planned to drive a brand-new Mike Muldoon super, which has yet to see the track.

About Nicotra Racing

Nicotra Racing is sponsored by G&I Homes Inc., 5 Brothers Produce, S&L Beans, Florida Vegetable, Flavor First Produce, V.L. Walker Co, Georgia Crate & Basket, Rite-Pak Produce, Quality First Produce, Magnolia Packing, Beaver River Distribution, N&N Corporation, Burnac Produce Limited and Provincial Fruit Co.

For more information, visit www.NicotraRacing.com.  To contact Nicotra Racing, call John Nicotra at 305-345-2437 or e-mail John@NicotraRacing.com.

Press written by Keith Shampine.  Quotes courtesy of www.LakesideRacingNews.com.

For the second time in two weeks, the lights went out at Oswego Speedway on a Saturday night.

This time it happened without so much as a flicker of warning while the supermodified cars were racing on the backstretch, heading into the third turn at speeds of up to 140 mph.

The drivers were able to slow their cars and avoid accidents. When the lights went out at 10:35 p.m., Pat Lavery was leading on lap 23 and was under pressure from Joe Gosek.

The only lights at the track during the outage were from the race-car haulers and the concession stand in the infield. At 10:45 the lights began to slowly come back on, and racing resumed a few minutes before 11 p.m.

It took Gosek three laps to get by Lavery, and he was leading when the lights went out again at 11:05 p.m. during a caution on lap 26. Track officials blamed an overheating generator and said it was not the same problem that caused the previous outage.

The race was called off — in the dark — at 11:28 and Gosek was declared the winner.

“I don’t think anybody will forget this night,’’ Gosek said. “It’s unfortunate. I hope people have confidence in the speedway to come back … Sorry for everything that happened to everyone. … A win’s a win. I guess we were in the right place at the right time when the lights went out.’’

The finishing order was Gosek, Lavery, Ray Graham, Tim Snyder, Joey Payne, David Gruel, Otto Sitterly, Jeff Holbrook and Dan Connors Jr.

Sitterly’s finish was good enough to give him the track championship for the third year in a row and fourth time in five years.

Because the program was cut short, fans were offered a $10 discount on admission for Classic Weekend on Sept. 3-5. A second 30-lap supermodified feature had been scheduled for Saturday night, as well as a second small-block supermodified feature. Racing was delayed earlier in the evening by rain.

Tim Barbeau won the first small-block supermodified feature, and Dave Cliff won the season championship. The top 10 finishers: 1-Barbeau, 2-Mike Bond, 3-Kreig Heroth, 4-Cliff, 5-Steve Abt, 6-Dave Danzer, 7-Andrew Schartner, 8-Brian Sobus, 9-Keith Gilliam, 10-Guard Nearbin.

Notes:

– Greg Furlong has run a limited schedule this season and opted to sit out Saturday night’s event to allow more time to prepare his car for the International Classic on Sept. 5. Furlong has won the Classic six times.

– Former track and Classic champion Mike Muldoon will have a car in the Classic, and it will be driven by Bobby Santos III, a 24-year-old driver from Franklin, Mass., who currently races on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

– Randy Ritskes replaced Keith Shampine as the driver of the No. 88. He flipped the car in turn two on lap 22 and the car came to rest upside-down. Ritskes was not hurt.

Paul Murphy Photo

Roury Williams / The Post-Standard

Otto Sitterly has made a habit of winning supermodified championships at Oswego Speedway, and he’s likely to add another one on Saturday night.

The Canajoharie driver leads Joey Payne, of New Jersey, by 97 points heading into the last night of points racing. The supermodifieds will have twin 30-lap races to wrap up the regular season.

“We haven’t secured it by any means,” Sitterly said Thursday. “We’re in a good position. I understand what we’ve got to do, so hopefully we can have some fortune and snag it.”

After a week off, the teams will return to Oswego for International Classic Weekend on Sept. 3-5. Sitterly won last year’s Classic for the first time.

A good showing Saturday will give him his third consecutive title and fourth in the last five years. Only three other drivers have won three consecutive championships: Jim Shampine (1972-74), Doug Didero (1994-96) and Mike Muldoon (1997-99).

Nolan Swift holds the track record with eight titles.

Sitterly won the season’s first four races and hasn’t won since, although he has four runner-up finishes and has finished on the lead lap in every race.

“We’re running just as good as we did the first four weeks, but at the same time I believe that our first four races were probably just as much good fortune as anything,” he said. “Our consistency’s been right there. I think other guys have picked it up. We were at the right place at the right time in the first few weeks.”

In the small-block supermodified division, Dave Cliff is seeking his first championship. He has a 13-point lead over Brian Sobus and a 29-point lead over Mike Bond.

The small-block supers will have two 20-lap features Saturday to settle the championship.

Supermodified points
Supermodified point standings at Oswego Speedway (with wins in parentheses):
1-Otto Sitterly (4) —
2-Joey Payne -97
3-Dave McKnight -103
4-Pat Lavery -119
5-Ray Graham (2) -133
6-Jeff Holbrook (1) -154
7-Joe Gosek -155
8-Keith Shampine -160
9-David Gruel (1) -183
10-Tim Snyder -228

Small-block supermodifieds
Small-block supermodified standings at Oswego Speedway (with wins in parentheses):
1-Dave Cliff –
2-Brian Sobus -13
3-Mike Bond (2) -29
4-Kreig Heroth (1) -99
5-Tim Barbeau -142
6-Guard Nearbin -142
7-Mike Bruce -151
8-Barry Kingsley (1) -156
9-Steve Abt (2) -162
10-Jason Simmons -187

Steve Gioia’s take

Oswego Speedway co-owner Steve Gioia commented on several topics Thursday:

On Otto Sitterly: “He’s had an excellent year. I’m sure if you talk to him he’d feel that he’s had some downs, but they haven’t shown. He’s been really good. He’s driven well. His team’s performed very well. He is deserving.”

On Doug Didero: Gioia said Didero is not expected this weekend but has rented the track for testing and will be back for the Classic.

On his son, Stephen III (who suffered serious leg injuries in last year’s Classic: “He’s doing well. He’s not quite ready to race yet. He’s close. If we had tried to get the car ready this year we may have been pushing it a little. I think he’s better off healing up this year and coming back next year.”

On the future: “I am confident that we’ll have a good program next year. … I think racing may be on its way back — modestly. I don’t think it’s going to come with leaps and bounds. The mood seems to be good out there amongst the racers, which is a good thing.”

There was big news breaking for Supermodified fans during the Lee USA Speedway ISMA program last Friday, when longtime area promoters Russ Conway and Ken Smith took the trackside microphone and announced that “The Classic” would be run at Lee on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Billed as “New England’s Longest-Running Consecutive Traditional Race,” the race had been run at Star Speedway in Epping for most of the past 44 years, but with All-Star currently sitting idle, the change in venue was the only way to carry on the tradition.

Most modern-era ISMA Supermodified fans came to know the Classic as the toughest race on the circuit. It was 200 laps around the lightning-quick quarter-mile, which always made for an entertaining show, with a 24-car field knocking off five laps a minute under green.

Along with the new venue, however, comes a new format. This year, the race will be run in two segments of 50 green-flag laps each, with the best overall finish determining the Classic champion. The field will be inverted after the finish of the first feature.

Supermodified followers are used to having an ISMA race up this way the Saturday after Labor Day, and as long as the track gets the word out, they ought to be able to put a decent crowd in the place. That shouldn’t be a problem with Conway and Lee’s own Bob Watson beating the drum.

In addition to the ISMA Supers, there will be a 40-lapper for the Small Block Supers, and the Hobby Stocks, Roadrunners, and Ironmen will all see action as well. Pit gates swing open at noon, and the main box office opens at 4 p.m., just as the first ISMA practice hits the track.

Stock car heats are scheduled to be on the track at 6 p.m. sharp, with ISMA qualifying a half-hour later. The Classic is slated for a 7:30 p.m. green flag, so the whole show should be in the books at a reasonable hour. That ought to help entice some long-distance fans to make the trip.

If last Friday’s show was any indication, the joint will be jumping when ISMA returns. For the first time this season, there wasn’t a single seat to be had in the grandstands. Seeing that, you would think the second ISMA race is another promotional home run just waiting to be hit.

Chris Perley made another of his infrequent 2010 appearances in last week’s race, re-surfacing to score his third Ollie Silva Memorial Classic win since the event’s inception in 2004. Perley won the inaugural race in ’04, pulled off another victory in ’07 and now owns the trophy from the ’10 edition.

Local favorites Danny Lane and Jeff Locke, who both cut their racing teeth in the Small Block Supers at Lee, returned to their home track wheeling big-blocks for the night. Lane got out front for the first six laps of the 75-lap feature event, but he faded later in the race and ended up seventh.

Locke picked up the lead after Lane, and he steered his family-owned ride at the head of the field for the next 25 laps before Perley eventually caught him and moved past. Locke picked up a solid fourth-place finish for his efforts in front of the home crowd.

Joey Scanlon, who was Lee’s 2006 Small Block Super champ, was never a factor and struggled to a 10th-place finish, but when the ISMA series returned to action the next night at Waterford, Conn., he dug deep and put in his best run of the season.

There was no stopping Perley for the second straight night, as he picked up the lead with six to go after Mike Lichty and Lou Cicconi crashed out of the top two spots and took the win. Scanlon logged a career-best finish of second in that one, with 2008 Lee winner Dave Shullick Jr. picking up his second third-place result of the weekend.

Johnny Pickard (Joe Starr Photo)

DACONO, Colo. – Johnny Pickard became the fifth different winner in five Englewood Supermodified Association features this year with his win Saturday night at Colorado Nat’l Speedway.

The Pueblo, Colo., driver started on the pole for the 25-lap main and out-raced Craig Moore into turn one. Pickard proceeded to open up a sizeable advantage over the rest of the nine-car field, and by the halfway point of the race he had caught the tail of the field.

As the race continued green, Pickard relied on his 32 years of racing experience while negotiating lap traffic.  His ability proved worthy; the caution never came and Pickard raced to a comfortable green-to-checkered win over Harold Evans. The fast-paced race took only nine minutes to run off.

“The car ran good,” Pickard said. “I didn’t have to work too hard for it – starting on the front row and all. I’d rather start from the back and race my way through the field, but they lined us up by points and I haven’t run much this year so I got the pole. We were strong and I think with a little bit of time, we could have made our way to the front if we started toward the back.”

Pickard dedicated his win to Roger Nelson, a Colorado car builder and local motorsports hero who passed away last winter.

“It was special to get the win and dedicate it to Roger. He got me and my brother into racing and we view him as a southern Colorado racing legend. He did a lot of big things in his career and I owe him a lot. I also want to thank my brother Mike (Pickard), who owns the car, and Jeff Ercul for all his help on the crew,” Pickard said.

Opening night winner Harry Stone, who entered the race as the ERA point leader, had an eventful day.  Stone blew the engine in his No. 40 Masterman in warm ups. He then loaded his car and left the speedway to return to his shop, where he changed engines before heading back to the track.  

Stone’s hard work paid off. He started shotgun on the field and was in fifth place by the end of lap two. Stone picked up two more spots to finish third.  July 17 ERA winner Chris Sheil ran fourth, while Joe Prisalec rounded out the top five.

Defending ERA champion Richie Castor entered the night 20 points behind Stone in the standings, but he couldn’t get his No. 2 super to the front in Saturday’s main. Castor started eighth and finished sixth. Craig Moore, Ira Castor and Kevin Day completed the field.

The ERA will take this weekend off before returning to action at CNS on Saturday, Aug. 28.  Races at CNS on Sept. 11 and Oct. 2 will complete the nine-race season.

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For more information on the Englewood Racing Association, visit http://erasupermodifieds.tripod.com.

Press written by Keith Shampine.  Contact Keith at 315-657-2207 or e-mail keithrb5@aol.com for more information.