Story By: CAMDEN PROUD / OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – Dave Shullick Jr. dominated this past Saturday night at Oswego Speedway to grab his third victory of the season and eighth of his non-wing Supermodified career in the Independence Weekend 75 presented by Galloway Century 21 and Oswego D Bus.
Shullick, the defending Novelis Supermodified track champion, was back in championship caliber form following an incident that took the North Ridgeville, O.H. driver out of both Twin 35’s just two weeks earlier.
“This is a really good way to come back after a couple weeks ago,” Shullick said in victory lane. “Emotions ran high and it really was a hard battle between everyone tonight. All three of us were going for the lead and that’s the way I like racing. I want to race hard and nobody touched anybody so that’s the way to be.”
Brandon Bellinger and rookie Tyler Thompson lead the 75-lap ‘Grand Prix’ to green after joining Shaun Gosselin as heat race winners earlier in the program.
Bellinger outfoxed the impressive 16 year old rookie on the front row to lead lap 1 with third starting Aric Iosue quickly jumping up to the runner up spot and giving chase to the Bellinger No. 02.
For the first ten laps, Bellinger ran away out front before things began to get a little tricky on lap 13 as Brandon caught the first round of lapped traffic while leading.
On lap 14, Bellinger looked to the inside of the No. 56 of Hal LaTulip with Iosue using the extreme outside to make a daring three wide move for the lead going into turn three. All three cars made it through the corner cleanly and Iosue came away with the top spot.
Meanwhile, Sitterly and Shullick were on the charge, as Otto had worked from ninth to fourth while DJ drove from tenth to sixth after each got by Joe Gosek, Keith Shampine, Logan Rayvals, and Gosselin who started fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth, respectively.
One lap later, however, the red flag was put in the air for a scary incident in turn three involving race leader Iosue.
Iosue was attempting to work to the outside of lapped car Lou LeVea Sr, but the two touched going into turn three, sending the No. 11 machine into the foam with tremendous force, causing an oil fire to erupt on the car. Aric emerged from the wreckage right away and was unharmed in the incident, but the car was significantly damaged.
The terrible misfortune for Iosue handed the lead over to Bellinger with Thompson the rookie now in second, Sitterly third, Danzer fourth, and Shullick fifth.
On the lap 17 restart, Shullick immediately moved up to the fourth spot around the outside of Danzer with Sitterly going to the outside of Thompson to take second.
One lap later, Shullick shot to the inside of Thompson and then began chasing down Sitterly for second setting up another exciting battle between the two Nicotra Racing cars.
For four laps, the 2 and the 7 stalked the No. 02 of Bellinger for the lead, but on lap 23, Sitterly got a little too high on the outside off of turn four, handing over the second position to Shullick.
Shullick worked on the back deck of Bellinger for three laps before lapped traffic came into play once again as the leaders split LaTulip on a second occasion, this time with Bellinger on the outside, but it still did not work out in Brandon’s favor as Shullick dove low into turn three to take the lead on lap 26.
For the next eight laps, Shullick was off to the races as Bellinger and Sitterly continued to do battle for the second spot with Thompson in fourth and Danzer in fifth.
On lap 34, the red flag was thrown again for a scary crash in turn 1 as Gosek got into the wall very hard after something broke on the Burke’s Do It Best Homecenters No. 00.
Gosek was quite shaken up after the impact and was taken to the Oswego Hospital for a checkup, but is otherwise OK this afternoon.
It was a lengthy cleanup, but on the restart, not much changed as Shullick lead from green to checkered for the remainder of the main event to pick up the win which was the 37th career Oswego victory for car owner John Nicotra.
Bellinger crossed the line in second, Sitterly finished third while Thompson was beyond impressive in fourth, and Danzer rounded out the top five.
After heading to the pits early on, Davey Hamilton recovered for a sixth place finish in the No. 6 machine while Gosselin finished seventh, Shampine eighth, and Rayvals ninth all a lap down.
Dan Connors Jr. was back at the speedway Saturday night with his backup car and struggled getting up to speed, however he was able to hang on for a tenth place finish in the main event following a hard accident on June 16.
Rookie Brent Murray put together another top twelve finish with an eleventh place run in the Snyder Racing No. 0.
Michael Barnes, who swept the Twin 35’s on June 16, struggled all race long in the Syrell Racing No. 68 and was only able to finish twelfth with a DNF after pulling in on lap 62.
LeVea Sr, LaTulip, Lou LeVea Jr, Gosek, Iosue, Bill Sharkey, Brian Sobus in the Schultzkie Racing No. 26, and Dave Gruel, who only took a lap of the main event after his heavy heat race crash earlier in the evening, were all DNF’s.
Shullick was awarded the D&S Landscaping ‘Hard Charger’ for his drive from tenth to the win while Thompson was by far the Lighthouse Lanes Up and Comer picking up his first career top five effort at Oswego.
Roger Clark was back at the track for his first start in nearly two decades and was able to take the green flag in his heat race with the No. 4, but immediately took the car pitside and did not start the 75-lap main event.
Dave McKnight’s misfortune continues as he spun out and hit the turn three wall after blowing yet another engine in his heat race. McKnight was out for the evening after the crash as well.
Shullick Shines in Independence Weekend ‘Grand Prix’ For First Career Pathfinder Bank SBS Victory
It was a ‘Shullick Sweep’ this past weekend as Tyler Shullick from Vermillion, OH collected his first career Oswego checkered flag in the Pathfinder Bank SBS Independence Weekend ‘Grand Prix’ 35 presented by Galloway Century 21 and Oswego D Bus.
Shullick, who is the cousin of defending Supermodified track champion Dave Shullick Jr. and the son of former competitor Pat Shullick, has spent the past several seasons traveling to New York in search of a win at the ‘Steel Palace’ behind the wheel of the potent Four Sevens Motorsports No. 67.
Last night the full time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series crewman for Grant Enfinger finally pulled it off as he held off the division’s all-time wins leader Mike Bond for an exciting trip to victory lane in the Four Sevens FFB Chassis owned by Denise Bond and sponsored by Royal Purple.
“I don’t have any words,” commented Shullick. “Mike Bond is the best. Obviously Denise (Bond) owns his car too and he helped me out tremendously over the winter. He got bottled up behind the 22 and I knew my shot was present to take the lead and I went for it. He showed me a wheel on the outside a few times late in the race and I wasn’t really expecting it, so it took my breath away a little. I have no idea how we held him off. It’s unbelievable to win here.”
At the drop of the green, Mike Bruce and Greg O’Connor made up the front row for the 35-lap extra distance main event on Independence Weekend with Bruce leading the way 1 lap in.
On the initial start, Greg O’Connor, third starting Barry Kingsley, and fourth starting Cameron Rowe all dropped back several positions with the Four Sevens teammates Bond and Shullick quickly taking over positions two and three using the outside lanes of the speedway.
With three laps complete, Bond immediately began challenging Bruce for the race lead with Shullick in tow for third, Kingsley riding fourth, while sixth starting Dan Kapuscinski had worked back by a hard charging Andrew Schartner, who came from ninth to crack the top five.
At the completion of lap three, Bond took a peek to the inside of Bruce heading into turn 1 and that’s when the No. 74 got a bit out of shape, opening the high road for the No. 67 of Shullick.
Shullick worked the highside of the speedway for a full lap before finally inheriting the runner up position from Bond with the ‘Spring Champion’ from June 9 falling back to the third spot.
One lap later, Shullick found the low lane on Bruce to take the lead going into turn three and began to open up some distance in front of the field.
Further back in the top five, Kapuscinski had worked his way under Kingsley to grab the fourth position with Kingsley fifth and Schartner, Russ Brown, Anthony Losurdo, Camden Proud, Dave Cliff, and Dalton Doyle all doing battle inside the top ten.
Four laps later, Bond finally got under Bruce to take second with 8 laps complete, but by that time, Shullick had opened up a rather large gap ahead of the field.
Ten laps after Bond had passed Bruce for second, Kapuscinski had since closed in on the third place car and later made his move on the No. 22 heading into turn three as well.
At this point, Shullick and Bond had checked way out in front.
The lone Canale Insurance & Accounting yellow flag was thrown on lap 23 when Bruce slowed with brake issues on the No. 22 machine.
The caution flag for Bruce moved Kingsley into fourth, Schartner into fifth, Brown into sixth, Losurdo into seventh, Proud into eighth, Cliff into ninth, and Doyle into tenth with twelve laps to go.
When the green flag was thrown back in the air, the restart gave Bond the opportunity he needed and the veteran made the most of it, breathing down Shullick’s neck on the outside lane for the remaining ten circuits in search of victory.
Bond gave his teammate everything he had, nearly touching the wall with two laps to go, but it was Shullick’s night at Oswego Speedway as he picked up the win over Bond and Kapuscinski on the podium.
Finally working under Kingsley for fourth was Schartner, while Brown followed him through for fifth, Losurdo for sixth, Proud for seventh, and Cliff for eighth. Doyle and Kingsley completed the top ten.
Completing the on track running order was AJ Bernys in eleventh, Jack Patrick in twelfth, Cameron Rowe in thirteenth and James Babcock in fourteenth.
Bryan Haynes, Cameron Black, O’Connor, Bruce, Josh Kerr, and Joshua Sokolic completed the field with DNF’s while Mark Castiglia and Ray Sand Jr. each did not start the main event.
Heat race wins on Galloway Century 21 and Oswego D Bus night were awarded to Kerr, Brown, and Losurdo.
Schartner was the White’s Car Care 4th Place Finisher, Kapuscinski was the Lighthouse Lanes Up and Comer, and Bernys was the D&S Landscaping Hard Charger for his charge from nineteenth to eleventh
Shullick received Sherwood Racing Wheels Lap Leader honors for leading 31 of 35 laps.
Oswego Speedway’s ‘Road to the Championship’ continues next Saturday, July 7 when Helena Agri-Enterprises presents a 50-lap Novelis Supermodified main event and a 30-lap feature for the Pathfinder Bank SBS. GA seating is just $15 with kids 16 and under FREE. To purchase tickets, please call the track box office at (315)-342-0646.
BOX SCORE
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Galloway Century 21 Reality and Oswego D Bus Independence Weekend ‘Grand Prix’
Feature (75-laps): 1. 2 Dave Shullick Jr, 2. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 3. 7 Otto Sitterly, 4. 98T Tyler Thompson ®, 5. 52 Dave Danzer, 6. 6 Davey Hamilton, 7. 77 Shaun Gosselin, 8. 55 Keith Shampine, 9. 94 Logan Rayvals, 10. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 11. 0 Brent Murray ®, 12. 68 Michael Barnes, 13. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 14. 56 Hal LaTulip, 15. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 16. 00 Joe Gosek, 17. 11 Aric Iosue, 18. 71 Bill Sharkey, 19. 26 Brian Sobus, 20. 50 Dave Gruel, DNS – 4 Roger Clark, 70 Dave McKnight Jr.
Heat 1 (12-laps): 1. 98T Tyler Thompson ®, 2. 7 Otto Sitterly, 3. 52 Dave Danzer, 4. 00 Joe Gosek, 5. 68 Michael Barnes, 6. 71 Bill Sharkey, 7. 0 Brent Murray ®, 8. 56 Hal LaTulip
Heat 2 (12-laps): 1. 77 Shaun Gosselin, 2. 55 Keith Shampine, 3. 94 Logan Rayvals, 4. 6 Davey Hamilton, 5. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 6. 70 Dave McKnight Jr.
Heat 3 (12-laps): 1. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 2. 2 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 11 Aric Iosue, 4. 26 Brian Sobus, 5. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 6. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 7. 50 Dave Gruel, 8. 4 Roger Clark
Group Time Trials: 1. 7 Otto Sitterly – 16.040, 2. 2 Dave Shullick Jr. – 16.066, 3. 6 Davey Hamilton – 16.069, 4. 68 Michael Barnes – 16.185, 5. 11 Aric Iosue – 16.262, 6. 55 Keith Shampine – 16.315, 7. 52 Dave Danzer – 16.414, 8. 02 Brandon Bellinger – 16.487, 9. 77 Shaun Gosselin – 16.613, 10. 00 Joe Gosek – 16.669, 11. 50 Dave Gruel – 16.749, 12. 94 Logan Rayvals – 16.765, 13. 98T Tyler Thompson ® – 16.803, 14. 70 Dave McKnight Jr – 17.077, 15. 83 Lou LeVea Jr. – 17.475, 16. 0 Brent Murray ® – 17.608, 17. 66 Lou LeVea Sr. – 17.701, 18. 26 Brian Sobus – 19.568
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger – #2 Dave Shullick Jr.
Lighthouse Lanes Up and Comer – #98T Tyler Thompson ®
Feature (35-laps): 1. 67 Tyler Shullick, 2. 74 Mike Bond, 3. 00M Dan Kapuscinski, 4. 18 Andrew Schartner, 5. 13 Russ Brown, 6. 1 Anthony Losurdo, 7. 54 Camden Proud, 8. 50 Dave Cliff, 9. 01 Dalton Doyle, 10. 91 Barry Kingsley, 11. 12 AJ Bernys, 12. 9 Jack Patrick, 13. 77 Cameron Rowe, 14. 15 James Babcock, 15. 88 Bryan Haynes, 16. 23 Cameron Black, 17. 90 Greg O’Connor, 18. 22 Mike Bruce, 19. 9 Josh Kerr, 20. 26 Joshua Sokolic ®, DNS – 27 Mark Castiglia, 71 Ray Sand Jr.
Heat 1 (10-laps): 1. 8 Josh Kerr, 2. 91 Barry Kingsley, 3. 18 Andrew Schartner, 4. 50 Dave Cliff, 5. 54 Camden Proud, 6. 15 James Babcock, 7. 12 AJ Bernys
Heat 2 (10-laps): 1. 13 Russ Brown, 2. 67 Tyler Shullick, 3. 22 Mike Bruce, 4. 00 Dan Kapuscinski, 5. 9 Jack Patrick, 6. 23 Cameron Black, 7. 26 Joshua Sokolic ®
Heat 3 (10-laps): 1. 1 Anthony Losurdo, 2. 74 Mike Bond, 3. 90 Greg O’Connor, 4. 77 Cameron Rowe, 5. 01 Dalton Doyle, 6. 88 Bryan Haynes, 7. 27 Mark Castiglia
Group Time Trials: 1. 74 Mike Bond – 18.777, 2. 67 Tyler Shullick – 18.831, 3. 50 Dave Cliff – 18.856, 4. 01 Dalton Doyle – 18.864, 5. 13 Russ Brown – 18.897, 6. 54 Camden Proud – 18.939, 7. 1 Anthony Losurdo – 18.998, 8. 00M Dan Kapuscinski – 19.075, 9. 18 Andrew Schartner – 19.089, 10. 77 Cameron Rowe – 19.107, 11. 9 Jack Patrick – 19.157, 12. 12 AJ Bernys – 19.162, 13. 90 Greg O’Connor – 19.173, 14. 26 Joshua Sokolic ® – 19.199, 15. 91 Barry Kingsley – 19.205, 16. 88 Bryan Haynes – 19.254, 17. 22 Mike Bruce – 19.255, 18. 15 James Babcock – 19.333, 19. 27 Mark Castiglia – 19.393, 20. 23 Cameron Black – 19.552, 21. 8 Josh Kerr – 19.587
Sherwood Racing Wheels Lap Leader: #67 Tyler Shullick
White’s Car Care 4th Place Award – In Memory of Tony White: #18 Andrew Schartner
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger: #12 AJ Bernys
Lighthouse Lanes Up and Comer: #00M Dan Kapuscinski
