Story By: CAMDEN PROUD / OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – Six-time Pathfinder Bank SBS series feature winner Dalton Doyle will take another step in his racing career as part of Bud Classic Weekend on September 2 when the speedway veteran will pilot a Syrell Racing Graves Chassis in the 35-lap 350 SMAC event to take place Classic Sunday.
“Syrell Racing is very proud to announce that they will be in a join effort with Dalton Doyle come Classic Weekend,” said Eric Syrell. “We will be fielding a 350 Supermodified for the first ever 350 SMAC event at Oswego Speedway on Classic Sunday. We’re excited to see the car back out there again as No. 08.”
The car that Doyle will pilot is what once was a very successful Oswego big block Supermodified. A 1994 Graves Chassis, the teal-colored racer was last driven by Dave McKnight in 2007 and nearly won the Budweiser International Classic 200 in ‘06 before McKnight was crashed while leading with around twenty laps to go. It was also piloted by Gary Syrel from 1995 to to 2001 as well as by Doug Didero in 2002 and 2003 before only running its last two Classics with McKnight at the controls. The car has remained in the Syrell’s Oswego shop since just waiting to hit the track and in 2018, the ‘Iron Mistress’ as she is called will ride once again.
“I’ve always liked this class, they are just a really cool car and I’ve always loved the winged Supers so I tried to come across a car I could fit in and I ended up partnering with the Syrells on this deal,” Doyle said. “It’s kind of funny because we joked about it for awhile because I wanted to buy it off of them, but they weren’t ready to sell it so it turned into a if you want to take it then you can run it type thing. But it started as a joke during a rain delay last Classic Weekend, then one thing lead to another and now I have a good car to go out and run with.”
Doyle is the driver of the only ‘Hawk Chassis’ Small Block Supermodified ever built, and he’s rather successful too, racing to a fourth place effort in points and ten top ten finishes during his 2017 campaign. The 25 year-old spends his time in the fabrication shop at Hawk Jr. Chassis assisting Joey Hawksby in building and updating some of the track’s fastest Novelis Supermodifieds. Syrell Racing’s beautiful No. 68 driven by Michael Barnes is a regular part of Doyle’s workload.
“I fell into a lucky deal with the Syrells because I work on their stuff at Hawksby’s shop,” noted Doyle. “They are basically letting me borrow the car to go out and run and we are just supplying the engine which is really pretty cool. That car has a lot of history and I’m really excited just to get to drive it. If the plan goes well I’d like to go out and hit Star and Lee with it for some of their big shows too not to mention the 350 traveling series they’ve got going. I want to hit as many races with it as I can.”
Don’t anticipate the black and orange No. 01 SBS going anywhere either, as Doyle will again go for the track championship with the Pathfinder Bank SBS Series which will in turn set up double duty on Classic Sunday as the former quarter midget racer will drive in the 350 SMAC main event as well as the Bud Light SBS Classic 75.
“We’re going to hold onto the small block for sure,” mentioned Doyle. “This year we are getting the SBS ready and planning on running the full season, running the Classic and then getting the 350 ready. We’ll see what happens and hopefully go chase as many races as we can with the new deal.”
Having the opportunity in front of him to run other races on the 350 SMAC schedule is rather appealing, along with the the chance to compete in some of the bigger events in 350 Supermodified racing in New England which include the Randy Witkum Memorial at Star Speedway and the Ollie Silva Memorial event at Lee USA. There’s no question as to what the seven year Oswego vet is most excited about though; and that’s to run at the ‘Steel Palace’ with a wing on the car.
“I’m most excited about the Oswego race,” commented Doyle. “We are doing this for one reason and that is to run up front. Between my experience, Hawksby, Syrell and all the people we have involved in the situation I am really looking forward to hopefully having a good run on Classic Weekend. I’m looking forward to getting to work on the 08.”
The 62nd running of Budweiser International Classic Weekend will take place Friday, August 31 through Sunday, September 2 of 2018. To purchase tickets for this Labor Day Weekend extravaganza, call the speedway box office at (315)-342-0646.
Oswego Speedway’s 68th season of racing kicks off with the first ever running of the Jim Shampine Memorial Twin 50’s for the Novelis Supermodifieds on Saturday, May 26. A 35-lap Tony White Memorial main for the Pathfinder Bank SBS will be run alongside this can’t miss, never before seen event.
Season tickets, Classic Weekend tickets, camping packages, and more are all on sale as part of Oswego Speedway’s 2018 schedule. Tickets and camping passes can be picked up in the speedway office during winter hours from 11am to 4pm on Saturdays. The box office will return to normal hours this April.
