Story By: CAMDEN PROUD / OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – A star studded field of 24 plus of the finest in ISMA, MSS, and Oswego Speedway Supermodified competition is expected to converge at the Steel Palace for the first of three Shea Concrete Winged Super Challenge events presented by Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux and NBT Bank this Saturday, June 4.
Among the cars expected, over 20 drivers are Supermodified feature winners including former Oswego Speedway track or Classic champions Joe Gosek, Tim Snyder, Otto Sitterly, and even Michael Barnes, who will pilot Vic Miller’s No. 11.
Hometown drivers Jerry Curran, Todd Stowell, and Aric Iosue; also former feature winners, as well as Speedway regulars Dan Connors Jr. and Jack Patrick, have plans to ‘wing it’ Saturday night, with Stowell making his first winged start in decades, and Patrick the first of his career.
Third generation driver Michael Muldoon, another competitor who has a pair of non-winged wins at Oswego, and finished runner-up in King of Wings X last season, will also be on hand with his new No. 15.
The New England contingent includes support from Dan Bowes with his family owned ride, Tour Modified star Anthony Nocella, who has been tabbed to pilot Howie Lane’s No. 9, and of course second generation driver Mike Ordway Jr, who is still searching for his first Oswego victory with car owner Clyde Booth’s famed ‘Silver Bullet’ No. 61.
Plans are also falling into place for NASCAR Whelen Modified regular Jon McKennedy, who has won a total of seven ISMA events over the last two seasons including a streak of five in a row in 2021, to hopefully make it west for an Oswego appearance this weekend.
Joining Bowes, Nocella, Ordway, and McKennedy is ISMA’s grand champion, Russ Wood, who sits second on the all-time win list with 52 career victories. Wood is making his second straight winged start at the Speedway piloting John Colloca’s No. 41, which he finished fifth with in the Classic last Fall.
Canadian fans heading back to the Speedway this weekend will be in for excitement from two of their own; Mike Lichty of Innerkip, Ontario and Mark Sammut of London, Ontario, former feature winners at the Steel Palace, who will return for the Winged Super Challenge.
Lichty Racing will also bring a second car; the re-worked No. 74, for Johnny Benson, a former NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series champion, and a winner on all three of the NASCAR national series.
Benson has raced Supermodifieds in the past, including for the Lichty team at Oswego, where he has a best finish of second place in the 2012 King of Wings.
Support from the Midwest region will be mighty strong again; with former MSS champions Kyle Edwards, Trent Stephens, Talon Stephens, and Mike McVetta all confirming their intentions to head eastbound.
Vickery, Ohio’s Moe Lilje once again has a local ride, as he will continue driving ISMA president Dan Soule’s blue No. 32 for his second season with the team beginning this weekend.
Edwards, Lilje, McVetta, and the Stephens brothers will have company from Rich Reid; an MSS feature winner, as well as brothers AJ and Jon Lesiecki, who will be bringing two cars from Ohio to support the first Winged Challenge.
SATURDAY, JUNE 4 DRIVER ROSTER (Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux and NBT Bank present Shea Concrete Oswego Winged Super Challenge #1):
00 – Joe Gosek
01 – Dan Connors Jr.
0 – Tim Snyder
7 – Otto Sitterly
8 – Jon Lesiecki
9 – Anthony Nocella
11 – Michael Barnes
11E – Kyle Edwards
15 – Michael Muldoon
19 – Trent Stephens
22 – Mike McVetta
25 – Dan Bowes
27 – Aric Iosue
30 – Talon Stephens
32 – Moe Lilje
41 – Russ Wood
55 – Rich Reid
61 – Mike Ordway Jr.
74 – Johnny Benson
78 – Mark Sammut
79 – Jon McKennedy
83 – Lou LeVea Jr.
84 – Mike Lichty
88 – AJ Lesiecki
89 – Todd Stowell
90 – Jack Patrick
99 – Jerry Curran