Story By: OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – A strong field of winged ISMA/MSS Supermodifieds gathered Saturday night for the second Oswego Challenge series, and first ISMA/MSS winged race of the series. And, it wasn’t a big surprise that a past champion at the Oswego track would be in victory lane when the 50-lap, $6,000 to win event was over. The Sitterly 7 had been in victory lane in the past and the 2022 ISMA champion still knew his way around the lakeside oval as he showed Saturday night.
The night began with qualifying by the 23 Supers on hand. Mike Ordway Jr. was fast timer followed by Mike Lichty, Mike McVetta, Rich Reid, Otto Sitterly, Michael Barnes, Michael Muldoon, Dave Danzer, Kyle Edwards, Ben Seitz, Dave Shullick Jr., Mark Sammut, Aric Iosue, Trent Stephens, Johnny Benson, Russ Wood, Dan Connors, Jr., Lou LeVea Jr., Moe Lilje, AJ Leseicki, Tim Snyder, Jerry Curran and Jon Leseicki.
An incident occurred prior to feature time with Ohioan Talon Stephens taking a hard ride into the foam between 3 and 4 with Talon not injured but his super 30 unable to continue.
Starting spots for the feature were determined by a Pill Draw of the top four in each heat race – see sponsors below.
The 50-lap feature got underway with 22 Supers ready to go. Leading the way to the green flag was Michael Muldoon but his top spot quickly evaporated as Otto Sitterly was about to take command one lap later a spot he never gave up much to the chagrin of his many challengers.
The quick main event saw no stoppages with Sitterly out front main challengers, Mike Lichty, Ben Seitz, Muldoon, Mike Ordway, Mark Sammut and Mike McVetta still trying to dethrone leader Sitterly when the checkered dropped.
Otto said after the race when asked Does it ever get old? “ No, not really. It was a good run. Just clean air helped us tonight. And getting up front and getting a good starting spot. The car seemed to be good. So I tried to be as aggressive as I could without wearing it out.”
Mike Lichty .. “Starting position. It would have been nice to get a caution. The car was decent to be at speed all day. It was a little snug in the feature. I couldn’t roll one and two as tight as I needed to be. I ended up losing a wing pin. I don’t know when that happened. All in all we wanted to win, but we’ll take second. I’d like to thank everybody at PATCO Transportation and Reeds Salvage. Also Level Performance, JD, my father, and a big thanks to Shea Concrete and all the sponsors, Corr/Pak and the deal that John Nicotra set up with the Torrese’s and thanks to all the fans for coming out.”
Ben Seitz: “The car was really good all day. Got to thank the crew, they worked hard on it. All day. We had kind of a shot there towards the middle until there was contact with the 15. and we hit the wall and lost a couple spots and had to get them back. The car was really good. I need to thank the crew, Eddie Shea and the fans for coming out. I always enjoy coming to Oswego and I hope to come back for the rest of the summer.”
O’Connor Outduels Teammate Parker for Fourth Career SBS Victory
Speedway veteran Greg O’Connor grabbed the race lead from teenaged teammate Jude Parker shortly after a restart with 12 to go and parked his No. 90 in Pathfinder Bank SBS victory lane on Holiday Inn Express & Suites and Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Night this past Saturday, June 3.
O’Connor, who has now earned four SBS wins in four different seasons; 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023, started in seventh, and found himself reeling in the back bumper of the Parker No. 00 by lap 20, with a lap 25 restart setting up the Oswego, NY driver perfectly to capitalize for his first win in four years, and the first ever one-two finish for G.O. Racing.
“Jude (Parker) was running a good race tonight,” said O’Connor. “He messed up just a little bit coming out of two and I got a run. I wasn’t quite in there, but he hung onto her and we got a 1-2 finish for the team. I can’t thank all my guys enough and all of the sponsors; Munski Auto, CME Electrical, Ultimate QM, and Bodified. Without those guys I couldn’t do this.”
18 year old Parker, who with five top 10 finishes, finished a close third in the rookie standings last season behind DJ Shuman and Robbie Wirth, has come out of the gate strong in 2023, showing speed in his updated Hedger Chassis owned by O’Connor.
After an inside move to take the top spot from early leader Shuman on lap 15, Jude led the way for 10 laps until surrendering to his car owner amidst an exciting side by side battle for the lead. Parker did not go down without a fight, keeping pace with O’Connor until the checkers flew and proving he has what it takes to compete at the front after his first-ever podium finish.
“I was getting wicked free towards the end,” mentioned Parker. “I think that it actually knocked the toe out when I got together with DJ on the restart and Greg (O’Connor) ended up getting by, but after a while it actually started to come back in. I’d like to thank Joe Conzone Excavation, SNAX, AO Auto Supply, Munski Automotive, Racing Wraps, and Larry VonHoltz.”
Polesitter Shuman also secured the best finish and first podium of his career, shooting out to the lead ahead of Parker and outside polesitter AJ Larkin on the initial start. DJ would lead the field for the first 14 laps in his No. 62, eventually surrendering the lead to Parker on lap 15, and later fell to third behind O’Connor, where he held strong for the remaining 15 circuits.
“I had a good battle with Jude (Parker),” Shuman commented. “He raced me clean. On one of the restarts, I got into him a little. I didn’t know he was there and I think I put him into the wall a little bit, but no harm no foul. It was a good run for us. We rebounded after a pretty poor outing last week. The guys worked real hard on the car all week. I cannot thank my father, Mark, my wife, my daughter, and everybody for supporting us enough. This is like a win for us.”
Shuman and Larkin led the field to the green flag for the 35-lap fight, the second event of the 2023 season for the Pathfinder Bank SBS division.
It was Shuman who quickly set the pace, taking over the lead from the Larkin No. 35 with Parker in tow from the third starting spot.
Fifth starting Tony DeStevens and seventh starting O’Connor worked underneath the likes of Larkin, Ryan Gunther, and Drew Pascuzzi in the opening laps to position themselves in third and fourth, with Shuman and Parker not far ahead.
Through heavy lapped traffic, Parker took several looks to Shuman’s inside, before the first caution flag flew on lap 15 for a tangle between Pascuzzi and fifth running Griffin Miller.
On the restart, Parker finally managed enough momentum to get a run on Shuman going into the tricky number three corner, taking the lead away with 20 laps complete.
The front three remained nose to tail, with O’Connor having just found the inside of DeStevens and Shuman at halfway, to begin his pursuit of Parker out in front.
With 12 laps to go, the yellow flag waved once more for a hard hit by rookie Jake Brown, whose No. 26 was hooked into the outside steel. Jake then took a second shot into the third turn wall in a shower of styrofoam.
Brown, who currently leads the Rookie of the Year standings over Mike Fowler, did jump out of the car right away, but his machine was heavily damaged, with El Diablo Racing forced to bring out their backup car for this weekend’s program.
The ensuing choose-style restart gave veteran O’Connor the opportunity he needed to take over the race lead, but it did not come easily.
Firing from the inside, Parker put up a solid fight for two laps, at one point clearing O’Connor to assume the lead. However, the No. 00 went sideways in between turns one and two, which was all O’Connor needed to take the lead heading down the back stretch.
The No. 90 machine led the rest of the way with Parker a close second and Shuman hanging on for third. DeStevens and Miller rounded out the top five.
Completing the top ten were Pascuzzi, Jordan Sullivan, Greg Richardson, Darrick Hilton, and Brown.
The Small Block Supers get right back to it on ‘Family Night’ at the Speedway this Saturday, June 8, with a full program also on tap for the Novelis Supermodifieds and J&S Paving 350 Supers, plus an appearance by the New York Super Stocks.
Sokolic Smokes the Field for First Career J&S Paving 350 Super Win
J&S Paving 350 Super sophomore Josh Sokolic turned in a dominant performance this past Saturday on Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oswego and Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Night at the Speedway, securing the first 350 Super victory of his career with the family owned No. 26.
After timing in with a career best 16.623 in qualifying, Sokolic started on the pole and stormed to a dominant 9 second victory ahead of Jason Spaulding and Kyle Perry. The 21 year old already gathered four top five finishes, including a second, in just a handful of 350 starts last year, with the Pathfinder Bank SBS graduate and former feature winner now reaching 350 Supermodified victory lane early in his second season.
“I thought I got a really good start on the bottom at first, and just sort of kept it low to make sure I cleared him, but (Spaulding) came out of nowhere and drove back around me, so I knew that I’d have to dig to get by him,” mentioned Sokolic, referring to the original start. “I took my time and used a little patience. I hoped he would drift up a groove or two and then just slid under him to take the lead. I’ve got to thank some sponsors; All Weather Power Equipment, Logo’s Custom Embroidery, Lamptiques, and a big thank you to my Mom, Dad, sister, and Grandpa. We had issues with the car last week and had to really chase them this week, but Brian Dana, Greg O’Connor, David Hackett, and Cole Smith all helped me get this car back here. I was at Greg’s house at 11 o’clock last night to pick up this carburetor we ran. It’s a great piece and I couldn’t do it without all of these guys.”
Settling for second was Spaulding, who had mustered the lead away from Sokolic using the outside on the initial start. However, the No. 23 could only hold the top spot for 4 laps before Sokolic slipped underneath off of the exit of turn 4, with Jason instead forced to fend off Perry for a runner-up finish. It was the second 350 Supermodified podium of his career.
“It was a short-lived battle with Josh the first couple of laps,” said Spaulding.”I got him on the start, but once he got by me I never saw him again. He was definitely the class of the field, so we will go back to the shop and keep working on it. I think we’re getting a little closer and we’ll see what happens next week.”
Perry, who is still knocking on the door for his first feature win, looked to the inside of Sokolic for second on the first lap, but was never able to challenge the top 2 the rest of the way. It was the second third place finish in as many weeks for the No. 20, with Kyle having collected a total of six podium finishes over the course of the past three seasons.
“We had a pretty good start, but just got tight as the run went on,” Perry explained. “Hats off to Josh (Sokolic), he was the class of the field tonight and has been the last few weeks. He was gone and I just kind of settled into third. We had a third place car tonight.”
Bobby Holmes, who debuted in the Chris Emmons owned No. 45 for Top Quality Motorsports, made work of fifth starting Nick Kinney and third starting Dave Cliff to finish in fourth, with Cliff settling for fifth place in the Barbeau Racing No. 50.
New England invader Brad Babb completed the on-track running order ahead of Robbie Wirth, Nick Kinney, and Dan Kapuscinski, whose debut with the Flack Racing 350 Supermodified was cut short due to damages sustained from a heat race jingle.
Getting the worst of the heat race melee was Nick Barzee, who was unable to start the feature for the second straight week after the No. 31 was again heavily damaged, this time after being hooked into the outside steel early in the qualifier.
The 350 Supers get right back to it on ‘Family Night’ at the Speedway this Saturday, June 8, with a full program also on tap for the Novelis Supermodifieds and Pathfinder Bank SBS, plus an appearance by the New York Super Stocks.
RESULTS
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oswego and Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux
Oswego Winged Super Challenge #1
ISMA / MSS 50
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Feature (50-laps, $6,000 to win): 1. 7 OTTO SITTERLY, 2. 84 Mike Lichty, 3. 11 Ben Seitz, 4. 15 Michael Muldoon, 5. 61 Mike Ordway Jr, 6. 78 Mark Sammut, 7. 22 Mike McVetta, 8. 11E Kyle Edwards, 9. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 10. 52 Dave Danzer, 11. 55 Rich Reid, 12. 74 Johnny Benson, 13. 41 Russ Wood, 14. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 15. 32 Moe Lilje, 16. 27 Aric Iosue, 17. 14 AJ Lesiecki, 18. 68 Michael Barnes, 19, 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 20. 0 Tim Snyder, 21. 19 Trent Stephens, 22. 88 Dan Kapuscinski DNS 99 Jerry Curran, 97 Kyle Hutchinson
Heat 1 (10-laps): 1. 78 Mark Sammut, 2. 11E Kyle Edwards, 3. 68 Michael Barnes, 4. 22 Mike McVetta, 5. 41 Russ Wood, 6. 32 Moe Lilje, 7. 27 Aric Iosue, 8. 99 Jerry Curran
Heat 2 (10-laps): 1. 52 Dave Danzer, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 84 Mike Lichty, 4. 7 Otto Sitterly, 5. 19 Trent Stephens, 6. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 7 14 AJ Lesiecki DNS 88 Jon Lesiecki
Heat 3 (10-laps): 1. 11 Ben Seitz, 2. 15 Michael Muldoon, 3. 55 Rich Reid, 4. 61 Mike Ordway Jr, 5. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 6. 74 Johnny Benson, 7. 0 Tim Snyder DNS 97 Kyle Hutchinson
Time Trials ($200 Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Fast Time): 1. 61 Mike Ordway Jr. – 14.663, 2. 84 Mike Lichty – 14.696, 3. 22 Mike McVetta – 14.891, 4. 55 Rich Reid – 14.900, 5. 7 Otto Sitterly – 14.923, 6. 68 Michael Barnes – 14.934, 7. 15 Michael Muldoon – 14.988, 8. 52 Dave Danzer – 15.023, 9. 11E Kyle Edwards – 15.046, 10. 11 Ben Seitz – 15.241, 11. 95 Dave Shullick Jr. – 15.282, 12. 78 Mark Sammut – 15.367, 13. 27 Aric Iosue – 15.400, 14. 19 Trent Stephens – 15.555, 15. 74 Johnny Benson – 15.582, 16. 41 Russ Wood – 15.657, 17. 01 Dan Connors Jr. – 15.698, 18. 83 Lou LeVea Jr. – 15.778, 19. 32 Moe Lilje – 15.788, 20. 14 AJ Lesiecki – 15.830, 21. 0 Tim Snyder – 15.889, 22. 99 Jerry Curran – 16.651, 23. 88 Jon Lesiecki – 17.433, NT 97 Kyle Hutchinson
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oswego and Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux
Oswego Winged Super Challenge #1
Pathfinder Bank SBS 30
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Feature (30-laps): 1. 90 GREG O’CONNOR, 2. 00 Jude Parker, 3. 62 DJ Shuman, 4. 24 Tony DeStevens, 5. 9 Griffin Miller, 6. 72 Drew Pascuzzi, 7. 2 Jordan Sullivan, 8. 01 Greg Richardson, 9. 66 Darrick Hilton, 10. 26 ® Jake Brown, 11. 27 ® Steven Bradshaw, 12. 22 Ryan Gunther, 13. 35 AJ Larkin, 14. 55 ® Carter Gates, 15. 77 Cameron Rowe, 16. 73 Noah Ratcliff DNS 10 ® Mike Fowler
Heat 1 (10-laps): 1. 90 Greg O’Connor, 2. 73 Noah Ratcliff, 3. 00 Jude Parker, 4. 72 Drew Pascuzzi, 5. 22 Ryan Gunther, 6. 2 Jordan Sullivan, 7. 66 Darrick Hilton, 8. 55 ® Carter Gates DNS 10 ® Mike Fowler
Heat 2 (10-laps): 1. 24 Tony DeStevens, 2. 9 Griffin Miller, 3. 62 DJ Shuman, 4. 35 AJ Larkin, 5. 26 ® Jake Brown, 6. 01 Greg Richardson, 7. 77 Cameron Rowe, 8. 27 ® Steven Bradshaw
Group Time Trials: 1. 73 Noah Ratcliff – 18.712, 2. 9 Griffin Miller – 18.877, 3. 90 Greg O’Connor – 18.939, 4. 24 Tony DeStevens – 19.026, 5. 00 Jude Parker – 19.152, 6. 62 DJ Shuman – 19.286, 7. 22 Ryan Gunther – 19.400, 8. 35 AJ Larkin – 19.482, 9. 72 Drew Pascuzzi – 19.576, 10. 26 ® Jake Brown – 19.600, 11. 2 Jordan Sullivan – 19.629, 12. 01 Greg Richardson – 19.763, 13. 66 Darrick Hilton – 19.767, 14. 27 ® Steven Bradshaw – 21.409, 15. 55 ® Carter Gates – 22.676, DNS 10 ® Mike Fowler, 77 Cameron Rowe
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger ($25): #90 Greg O’Connor
White’s Car Care 4th Place Finisher ($25): #24 Tony DeStevens
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer (Pizza & Wings): #00 Jude Parker
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oswego and Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux
Oswego Winged Super Challenge #1
J&S Paving 350 Super 25
Saturday, June 3, 2023
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Feature (25-laps): 1. 26 JOSH SOKOLIC, 2. 23 Jason Spaulding, 3. 20 Kyle Perry, 4. 45 Bobby Holmes, 5. 50 Dave Cliff, 6. 41 Brad Babb, 7. 04 Robbie Wirth, 8. 7 Nick Kinney, 9. 32 Dan Kapuscinski DNS 31 Nick Barzee
Heat (10-laps): 1. 20 Kyle Perry, 2. 50 Dave Cliff, 3. 45 Bobby Holmes, 4. 26 Josh Sokolic, 5. 23 Kali Spaulding, 6. 7 Nick Kinney, DNF 31 Nick Barzee, 32 Dan Kapuscinski, 41 Brad Babb, 04 Robbie Wirth
Group Time Trials: 1. 45 Bobby Holmes – 16.591, 2. 26 Josh Sokolic – 16.623, 3. 20 Kyle Perry – 16.806, 4. 50 Dave Cliff – 16.846, 5. 31 Nick Barzee – 17.009, 6. 41 Brad Babb – 17.141, 7. 32 Dan Kapuscinski – 17.256, 8. 23 Jason Spaulding – 17.264, 9. 7 Nick Kinney – 17.388, 10. 04 Rob Wirth – 17.436
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger ($25): #45 Bobby Holmes
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer (Pizza & Wings): #26 Josh Sokolic
