Archive for August, 2009

by Oswego Speedway

Friday night of the 53rd Budweiser International Classic will feature a first in the sixteen year history of the Winged Super Nationals at the Oswego Speedway. It will be a co-sanctioned event for the Midwestern Supermodified Association and for the International Supermodified Association. As a regular points race for MSA and ISMA there should be a full field of competitors from both series on hand for the event.

In the MSA series, Tim Jedrzejek, Charlie Schultz, Tim Ice, Trent Stephens and Bobby Dawson are the top runners and are all expected to make the trip to the Oswego Speedway for the 50 lapper. Jedzrejek was a winner at the Oswego Speedway in 2008 and Stephens and Schultz have visited victory lane at Oswego in 2009.

In the ISMA series, perennial front runner Chris Perley is again at the top of the points list ahead of Mark Sammut, Mike Lichty, Mike Ordway Jr. and Jeff Holbrook. Perley came to Oswego last year for the MSA-sanctioned Super National event and walked away with the win from all of the MSA regulars. Sammut finally broke into the winners circle for ISMA during the 2009 season.

The historic 2009 Super National event will be a full field of the best stars from both the MSA and ISMA ranks. The full schedule on Friday September 4th at the Oswego Speedway will include an appearance by the American TQ Midgets and PathFinder Bank Time Trials for the SBS Bud Light Classic. Pit gates open at 12:30. Grandstands open at 2:00. Racing action begins at 6:30.

by Oswego Speedway

The regular 2009 season at Oswego Speedway came to a close with “Twin Features” on August 22nd with the Chris Nelson Insurance and Oswego Quality Carpet “Hoosier Track Championship Night”. Dave Gruel and Otto Sitterly entered the night with slim point leads and both went on to claim the track titles in their divisions. Gruel won both PathFinder Bank SBS features and was named Track Champion for the first time in his career. Joe Gosek and Tim Snyder picked up Novelis Supermodified wins as Sitterly was again crowned Track Champion for the third time in four years. 

The Novelis Supermodified features were stared in the same fashion as the SBS features were with heat winners up front in the first 30 lap feature and the regular handicapping system for the second one. Joe Gosek was able to put the #00 out front and keep it there in the first feature ahead of Otto Sitterly. Todd Stowell ran a solid feature and came home in third place. Joey Payne finished fourth and Pat Lavery was fifth. In the second feature Stowell appeared to be headed to his first feature win in 2009 but a late race spin while leading ended his chance at the win. Tim Snyder took over the lead with the Stowell spin and stayed out front over the final three laps to pick up his first win of the season. Stephen Gioia III finished in second. Keith Shampine picked up his second consecutive third place finish. Keith Gilliam continued his strong season with a fine fourth place finish and Joey Payne rounded out the top five.

The Novelis Supermodified heat race challenge winners were Keith Shampine, Todd Stowell and Joe Gosek. The Super Racing News feature “Up ‘n Comers” were Keith Gilliam and Stephen Gioia III. The Jakes Automotive feature “Hard Chargers” were Bentley Warren and Joey Payne. The 2 Xtreme 24 Hr. Towing feature “Hard Luck” drivers were Danial Connors and Bobby Magner. The final top five in points are Track Champion Otto Sitterly (1,062), Joey Payne (1,033), Pat Lavery (971), Tim Snyder (919) and Stephen Gioia III (910).

by Carol Haynes

Waterford, CT – When the ISMA Waterford 50 took the track around 11:30 Saturday night, the competitors had to think about beating each other – and the clock. A midnight curfew indicated that any yellow past midnight would checker the race. It did just that. With the battle out front between Mike Ordway Jr. and Lou Cicconi raging for most of the race, it could still have a different outcome had the last 3 laps be run. Cicconi had gotten by Ordway Jr., running the Holbrook 41, on lap 45. A yellow just into lap 48 brought the race to an end with Cicconi taking his third ISMA event at the 3/8th’s mile Connecticut oval since the inaugural event in 2005.

Said the animated Aston, PA driver in victory lane, “Seriously I don’t think I’ve ever run 50 laps here as fast as I could. I know little Ordway did the same. I don’t know what the track looked like behind us but we had to be checking out. It was a really fast pace. I thought the only shot I had was through traffic. We got lucky in terms of the way the traffic fell. Both of us hit it just right. One time we passed the 55 or 56 and his wing blew apart. It came right into my face. It was tough. I was tight. If Mike didn’t blister the right front I wouldn’t have passed him.  My man Mikey drove a heck of a race. Awesome job.”

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by Gerald Laurie

Madera Speedway hosted the fifth Super Saturday Event of 2009 on August 15th. The SMRA Supermodifieds and Madera’s 360 Supermodifiedswere the featured divisions. By the time the shouting was done, Troy Regier and Willie Northammer had collected winner’s trophies in the respective classes.

During the afternoon practice session, Kenny White suffered a mechanical failure which put the number 26 Supermodified into the turn one wall with sufficient damage to end his evening of racing.

The first order of business was 360 Supermodified Time Trials. Dan Vanderpool came out of retirement and jumped in the Hayes Bros. Super to set fast time at 13.336 seconds. Second through fifth were David Tuey at 13.357, Lance Tatro at 13.376, Kyle Vanderpool (Dan’s son) at 13.387, and Kenny Kinchen at 13.437.

When the Supermodified Racing Association Supermodifieds hit the track, Jeff Russell cracked off a lap at 12.216 seconds to lead the field. Troy Regier was next at 12.287 followed by Bryan Warf at 12.290, A.J. Russell at 12.436, and Jim Birges at 12.523.

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by CNS

The Supermodified of #02 Johnny Pickard sprang into a quarter lap lead over the rest of the field right off the get go. Caution at lap 10 lined him back up with #40 Harry Stone and #51 Joe Priselac who had advanced to the front of the field prior to a yellow.

Harry Stone gave Pickard a fleeting run for his money before Pickard took off to regain his massive lead. Only a few laps later, Stone took a black for leaking fluid.

Shortly thereafter, #26 Brian Pacheco spun around coming through lap 27 and the yellow flag brought Pickard back in touch with the rest of the field. The restart made no difference as Pickard sped away for the win. Joe Priselac, coming from the inside of row 5 to take 2nd place.

1 #02 JOHNNY PICKARD, 2 #2 RICH CASTOR J.R., 3 #51 JOE PRISELAC, 4 #3 AJ EVANS, 5 #11 NICK HAYGOOD, 6 #29 MOORE CRAIG, 7 #33 CHRIS SCHEIL, 8 #26 BRIAN PACHECO, 9 #14 JOE GALLEGOS, 10 #52 SCOTT DECENICK, 11 #15 JOSHUA LEWIS, 12 #40 HARRY STONE, 13 #88 KEVIN DAY, 14 #54 MATT GILBERT, 15 #22 IRA CASTOR

by Oswego Speedway

In the Novelis Supermodified division, “The Jersey Jet” Joey Payne picked up his first ever non-winged supermodified feature at the Oswego Speedway.

The Novelis Supermodified feature was run as if there was a full moon. The remaining field on the track on lap seven had to refuel during a red flag situation. By lap seven, Doug Didero, Greg Furlong, Stephen Gioia III, Otto Sitterly, Bobby Magner and Joe Gosek were all in the pits and all but Gosek and Sitterly were done for the night. Once the race got back to green flag action, Joey Payne put the Strong racing out in front and opened up large leads twice over the balance of the feature. The race came under red again when Otto Sitterly made hard contact with the fourth turn wall. Sitterly finished in eleventh position but retained a twenty six point lead in the point standings. Once the race restarted, Payne again opened up a large lead over the field. The race for second on back was competitive the entire feature with Jerry Curran, Keith Shampine, Tim Snyder, Joe Gosek and Pat Lavery all running together. Payne, who had recently severed his left Achilles tendon, didn’t really need to use the brake pedal much at all on this night. At the finish, running in a seventeen year old chassis, nobody had anything for Joey Payne as he picked up that elusive non-winged win at Oswego Speedway. Jerry Curran picked up a solid second place and Keith Shampine put the #88 in third at the end of the night. Joe Gosek was fourth and Pat Lavery finished fifth. Tim Snyder, Jason Spaulding, Keith Gilliam, Todd Stowell and John Torrese rounded out the top ten. 

The Novelis Supermodified heat race challenge winners were Joe Gosek, Doug Didero and Keith Shampine. The Super Racing News feature “Up ‘n Comer” was Joey Payne. The Jakes Automotive feature “Hard Charger” went to Keith Gilliam. The 2 Xtreme 24 Hr. Towing feature “Hard Luck” driver was Bobby Magner. The unofficial top five in points show Otto Sitterly (878), Joey Payne (852), Doug Didero (850), Pat Lavery (798) and Jerry Curran (743).

by Carol Haynes

 
Lee, NH – Canadian Mark Sammut surprised the large Lee USA crowd Friday night when he came by both Chris Perley and Russ Wood in the late stages of the Ollie Silva 75 to take the win. It was Sammut’s career-second win of his 11-year supermodified career, the first coming just over a month ago. The victory surprised Sammut as much as anybody. He started 16th in the 26-car field and had to pick his way through a competitive field to a top three spot. With less than 10 laps to go, he got by Chris Perley and headed for leader Russ Wood. With five to go he had maneuvered around some lap cars and closed in on Wood. In a spectacular move on lap 73, he dove under the Pelham driver to take the lead. One lap later he took the win. Mark also received a hard charger bonus from the Witkum family on what was the 10th year since the loss of Randy Witkum at Jennerstown.

Said the London, Ontario driver after the feat, “I never thought I’d get a win here. I remember the first time we came here. I pulled into the infield about lap 20 because I figured I’d have a wrecked racecar if I stayed out. I didn’t think I’d ever win a race and especially so close to our first one. It was great tonight. It was probably the best car we’ve ever had.”

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Lee, NH — The fastest short track race cars in America make their way to Lee USA Speedway Friday night. August 14, when the International Supermodified Association (ISMA) makes its annual trek to New Hampshire for the running of the “9th annual Ollie Silva Memorial Classic 75″ for the winged, methanol burning, 900 horse powered race cars.

The race is run annually at Lee in honor of legendary racer Ollie Silva, the first inductee into the New England Racing Hall of Fame. Silva, considered by many to be one of the greatest short track drivers in American motorsports history, was best known for his success in supermodifieds. Silva captured over 500 feature races in 12 states throughout his legendary career.

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by Carol Haynes

Delaware, On. – Sunday, for the second day in a row, the ISMA supers had to fight with Mother Nature. She won on Saturday, washing out the entire scheduled show. Sunday, a hot, humid day produced a slight rain delay, but in the end the racing and Dave Shullick Jr. won out. What looked to be a career-first for Vern Romanoski gave way to Shullick’s second win of the season with just two to go. Shullick stole the lead from Vern in the second turn when Romanoski slipped high. Vern’s second then slipped away when he slid around the next lap to bring out the caution. Shoe II was able to withstand a quick surge from now second place runner Mark Sammut to take the checkered.

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by Chris Meyers

Toledo, Ohio- After winning his first feature in a supermodified at the Oswego Speedway, one could tell that Trent Stephens was going to be a great supermodified driver. The rookie continued his up and down season with an impressive performance holding off veteran hot shoes Timmy Jedrzejek and Charlie Schultz at Toledo Speedway on Friday night. Lagrange , Ohio ’s Jon Henes and Sandusky , Ohio ’s Gene Lee Gibson paced the PPG Vibrance Collection Super Series to the green flag with Henes out to the early lead. His lead was short lived as Bobby Dawson would take over the lead on the second lap from his fourth place starting position. Charlie Schultz and Timmy Jedrzejek immediately went to work and wasted no time moving up from the fourth row. At the end of lap four, Jedrzejek was up to the third spot. Schultz would crack the top five on lap four by motoring around Gibson. Stephens would flex his muscle and take over the point on lap seven with a daring low move on Dawson on the rumble strip in turn one.  Jedrzejek would pass his teammate Dawson for second on lap ten. A lap later, Schultz would pass Dawson for third. Tim Ice would work into the fourth spot getting around Dawson on lap sixteen.

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