Story By: CAMDEN PROUD / OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – Although official action for the 62nd edition of Budweiser Classic Week does not get underway until Friday evening, Oswego Speedway will not have one ‘quiet day’ all week long as a busy lineup of track testing will take place from 4 to 8pm daily, Monday, August 27 through Thursday, August 30.
Set to practice on Monday afternoon is Sprint Car vet and non-wing Supermodified rookie Joe Trenca, who will be aiming to start his first ever 200 behind the wheel of the Jason Simmons Racing No. 99.
Joining Trenca for testing on Monday will be Oswego Kartway regular Ricky Pritchard, who has been tabbed as the pilot of the LaTulip Racing No. 21 ahead of his first ever attempt at qualifying for the Bud Light Classic 75.
The G.O. Premiere Motorsports Small Block Supers of Greg O’Connor and Tony Pisa will also be on hand for the Monday evening session as the team searches for more speed ahead of pole day on Friday.
For the Tuesday afternoon session, Pritchard will return with the No. 21 SBS and will be joined by fellow Small Block Super campaigners Ray Sand Jr. as well as three time Bud Light Classic champion Russ Brown driving the Ray Hedger No. 13.
Two Supermodifieds are also scheduled for Tuesday’s practice, one being that of three-time International Classic winner Bob Bond in the Four Sevens Motorsports No. 47 and the other of rookie Brian Osetek, who will be attempting his second Classic driving the Osetek Racing No. 69.
Another three-time Classic winner, Joe Gosek, will practice the No. 00 Supermodified on Wednesday evening along with the Bill Sharkey No. 71 and No. 52 of Dave Danzer, before two more sessions will conclude pre-race testing on Thursday.
For the 11am to 3pm session on August 30, Sand is set to return with the No. 71 Small Block Super and will share track time with last year’s Novelis Supermodified rookie of the year Logan Rayvals in the No. 94. Also on hand will be current Super rookie of the year Tyler Thompson driving the Jason Simmons Racing No. 98T.
Later in the day from 4 to 8pm, four more cars are scheduled to practice including the No. 3 of Doug Didero. The Canadian driver will continue tweaking the No. 3 as part of his team’s search for victory number three in the 200. Didero fell just 0.010 seconds short of a win to Otto Sitterly earlier this month.
Along with Didero, Shaun Gosselin will have his No. 77 Supermodified back trackside following a practice crash on August 11 while Pathfinder Bank SBS rookie Steve Flack will be on hand with the No. 32 machine as he prepares for more seat time ahead of his first Classic start.
The final car in Thursday’s lineup is that of ISMA regular Mike McVetta. McVetta will be looking for track time with his new ‘Rocket Chassis,’ which the Ohio driver will be bring to Oswego for just his second attempt at qualifying for the International Classic. The car will be scored as No. 21 for the weekend.
This week’s testing lineup is subject to change without notice. Some teams may elect to practice in a different session and several more drivers are expected to be added to the list.
Classic Weekend 2018 includes ‘Pole Day’ qualifying for the Budweiser International Classic 200 on Friday, the 25th Bud Light ISMA Supernationals and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s Toyota Mod Classic 150 presented by McDonald’s on Saturday before the weekend concludes with the 62nd annual Budweiser International Classic 200, the 27th annual Bud Light Classic 75, and the first ever 350 SMAC Supermodified Classic 35 on Sunday.
Three day GA seating for the weekend is available at just $90 with 3 day pit passes also on sale for $125. For more information on ticket pricing or to purchase tickets, call the track box office at (315)-342-0646, email oswegospeedway@gmail.com, or visit online at OswegoSpeedway.com
Bud Classic Week 2018 Testing Lineup (Subject to Change):
Monday, August 27 (4 to 8pm) –
#21 Ricky Pritchard
#89 Tony Pisa
#90 Greg O’Connor
#99 Joe Trenca
Tuesday, August 28 (4 to 8pm) –
#13 Russ Brown
#21 Ricky Pritchard
#47 Bob Bond
#69 Brian Osetek
#71 Ray Sand Jr.
Wednesday, August 29 (4 to 8pm) –
#00 Joe Gosek
#52 Dave Danzer
#71 Bill Sharkey
#88 Bryan Haynes
Thursday, August 30 (11am to 3pm) –
#71 Ray Sand Jr.
#94 Logan Rayvals
#98T Tyler Thompson
Thursday, August 30 (4 to 8pm) –
#3 Doug Didero
#21 Mike McVetta
#32 Steve Flack
#77 Shaun Gosselin
