Story By: CAMDEN PROUD / OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – David LaTulip, Oswego Speedway’s 2011 Pathfinder Bank SBS Rookie of the Year, is planning a full-time return to the division ahead of the track’s 68th annual season of racing set to begin Saturday, May 26.
LaTulip and family have purchased the former Dennis Rupert No. 99, which most recently was a part of the Missile Motorsports fleet. SBS veteran Jon Tesoriero last drove the car as No. 47 in the 2017 Bud Light Classic 75 and David’s main goal is getting back to victory lane with his new piece in 2018.
“We want to get back into victory lane this year,” stated LaTulip, a kart racing graduate. “We had a pretty solid first year in the SBS division several years ago picking up a win our fourth race out along with a top ten in points, but the last couple seasons we have struggled and want to turn that around.”
An Oswego native and avid speedway fan, LaTulip last competed with the SBS division back in 2014 when he drove to five top ten finishes and a fifteenth place result overall in the ‘Road to the Championship’ point standings. With a mandatory switch to GM Performance 602 Crate Engines imminent for the SBS class ahead of 2019, LaTulip will be one of the first to test one of the new powerplants out.
“It is going to be very interesting to see how the crates perform against the 350s, but it’s a great opportunity to get a head start on figuring these motors out,” LaTulip commented. “Knowing I have Dan Dennie, Jim Losurdo, and my father behind me gives me a ton of confidence that we will have a very successful season.”
Since the purchase was made, Dan Dennie of FFB Chassis was able to put several updates into the car including what LaTulip called a few “big changes.” The renumbered 27 will also boast a fresh new look put together by Mark and Ian Van Luven. The team is still in search of major sponsors for this coming season.
“We did put together some big changes and updates on the car after making our purchase from Mark Castiglia,” LaTulip noted. “After we were able to work a deal with Castiglia to get the car, we ended up getting a great deal on the crate engine so it all worked out. I have to thank Castiglia’s Lawn and Snow Care, Radical Race Gear, FFB Chassis, the Van Luven’s for giving us a great looking piece as well as #TeamSafety33 for hopping onboard with us this year. We haven’t been able to pick up a major sponsor yet and still have plenty of room on the right side of the car.”
The No. 27 is currently being housed at the Losurdo Racing shop in Scriba where it sits ready to go in preparation of a full season in the Pathfinder Bank SBS division. LaTulip said, “I also want to thank Jim Losurdo for making this deal happen, none of this would be possible without him sticking with me through the years.”
David’s brother Aaron, a former Oswego Kartway competitor, is currently serving our country overseas in Japan. LaTulip is a proud older brother, who stated, “Most importantly, I have to thank my little brother Aaron. He is currently in the Marine Corps and is overseas in Japan. We will miss him in the pits this summer, but none of this would be possible if it weren’t for him and the rest of the troops that fight for our freedom.”
LaTulip Racing kicks off their new beginnings at Oswego Speedway’s 68th Annual Opener set to take place on Saturday, May 26. The program will feature Jim Shampine Memorial Twin 50’s for the Novelis Supermodifieds along with a 35-lap Tony White Memorial main event for the Pathfinder Bank SBS division.