Story By: CAMDEN PROUD / OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – The 73rd season of racing at Oswego Speedway kicked off in spectacular fashion last Saturday with the 75-lap Jim Shampine Memorial, also serving as the first round of the 2024 Oswego Super Challenge Series.
The highly anticipated Opener certainly lived up to expectations, with a full field of Supermodifieds battling in an intense feature event that would culminate in a commanding victory by Tyler Thompson.
As the green flag dropped, the front row was led by Dave Danzer and Dan Connors. However, Connors’ hopes were dashed early as he went way wide in turn 1, dropping out of the top 10.
Danzer assumed the lead, with third-starting Brandon Bellinger and fourth-starting Dave Shullick Jr. slotting into second and third, respectively. Shullick quickly made his next move, getting by Bellinger for second on lap 2.
Logan Rayvals, who started sixth fresh off a heat race win, struggled to maintain pace due to an engine issue in the 94 and Mike Ordway Jr, Otto Sitterly, and Camden Proud all passed him as the field settled in early on.
By lap 15, the running order saw Danzer in the lead, followed by Shullick, Bellinger, and an impressive charge by Thompson, who had already surged from his 11th starting position into the top 5.
Thompson’s charge continued as he took fourth from Ordway on lap 16. Sitterly and Proud soon followed suit, pushing Ordway back to seventh.
Meanwhile, Danzer and Shullick navigated heavy lapped traffic, allowing Bellinger, Thompson, Sitterly, and Proud to close in. By lap 25, Thompson had advanced from 11th to third and was bearing down on the leaders.
A pivotal moment came with 38 laps remaining. Danzer, feeling the pressure from Shullick and Thompson, made a daring three-wide maneuver to thread the needle through lapped traffic in turn three, but Shullick got stuck behind the lapped cars, allowing Thompson to capitalize and take second.
However, the race’s first yellow flag flew on lap 41 when Proud spun out of sixth after issues with the 54, barely collecting the 11 of Ben Seitz in the process. This incident would now move Michael Barnes into sixth.
On the restart, Thompson wasted no time, stealing the lead from Danzer down the front stretch as the green flag waved. Shullick followed closely behind, relegating Danzer to third as leaders, Thompson and Shullick, now built a substantial gap over the field.
Reflecting on his move to take the lead, Thompson said, “I just had to keep all of the tires hot on the restart to get by Danzer because right now everybody is free. If you had cold tires you were like on an ice skating rink tonight. I just had to stay on the bottom and keep the car under me to hold off DJ Shullick once I got into the lead. I need to thank my Dad, my Mom, and my whole crew, and just everybody that helps out on the car and all my sponsors.”
Behind the top three of Thompson, Shullick, and Danzer, Sitterly stayed solidly in fourth, while Barnes had moved into the top five by lap 46, dropping Bellinger to sixth.
The closing stages saw one more incident as the 01 of Connors, who had recovered to attempt a pass on Bellinger for sixth, tangled with the 02 and collected eighth-running McVetta in the 29, ending both of their nights.
The final restart with eight laps to go set the stage for an exciting finish. Shullick proved no match for Thompson on this night, though, as the Jason Simmons Racing No. 98 team and Thompson walked away with the win, comfortably maintaining the lead to the checkered flag.
“The car was pretty good actually,” said defending track champion Shullick after falling just short of another Opening Night win. “When Dave (Danzer) was out front and I was running behind him, I was kind of cruising because Dave was getting loose and I was pretty good at that point. Then I noticed on the board that Tyler was coming up. I just wasn’t in a position to capitalize on Dave at that point, so Tyler got me. Honestly, I think we were about the same as Tyler; I don’t know if I could have done anything if I got there. Everybody is just a little bit freer, kind of hanging the back end out all of the time, and if you got two guys that are really going the same speed, it can be challenging. Hats off to Tyler and the crew – they did a great job coming from so far back. Thanks to Chris, Brian, Shawn, Matt, Jim, Ashton, and everyone that pitches in to get us here, as well as the sponsors TJ Toyota, Riverwalk Oswego, Holiday Inn Express, MARDON PC, all of the sponsors that make this possible. This is a good start to the season – not what we wanted, but we will come back in a couple weeks and go for number one.”
Danzer, who led the early laps but finished third, remarked, “We were good early. Clean air really helps, and lapped traffic sort of took our night away a little bit, but we finished in one piece, and I’ve got something to work with here. I’ve got to thank MARDON PC, Chris Burgess, Port City Collision, Russ Marsden. Thanks everyone for staying out tonight, and hopefully next week goes a little better.”
Thompson’s stellar drive from 11th to first secured him the $4,000 victory, with Dave Shullick Jr. finishing second. Dave Danzer, Otto Sitterly, and ‘The Hustler’ Michael Barnes rounded out the top five. Mike Ordway Jr. recovered to finish sixth, followed by Brandon Bellinger, Brian Osetek, Jeff Abold, and Jack Patrick completing the top ten.
Dan Kapuscinski Climbs from 8th to Claim Third Tony White Memorial Victory
OSWEGO, NY (May 26, 2024) – After a lengthy rain delay, the 35-lap Tony White Memorial for Pathfinder Bank Small Block Supers (SBS) served as the night cap for Oswego Speedway’s 73rd Season Kickoff this past Saturday, May 25.
In the early hours of the morning, around 1:15AM, Dan Kapuscinski drove to the front and claimed his third career Tony White Memorial victory for car owner Stephen Flack.
The field was led to the green flag by Brad Haynes and DJ Shuman, with Haynes grabbing the lead from the low lane as things got underway. Tony DeStevens followed closely in third, with Noah Ratcliff and Drew Pascuzzi rounding out the top five.
Right from the drop of the green, competition was intense as eighth starting Kapuscinski and tenth starting Jesse Bearup wasted no time making their presence felt, quickly maneuvering through the pack to close in on the top five.
Haynes initially pulled away in the lead, but behind him, Ratcliff made a move to claim third from DeStevens on lap 6, while Kapuscinski capitalized on the open gap to advance to fourth. Bearup then followed suit, getting under DeStevens for fifth on lap 9.
With the halfway mark approaching, Haynes found himself under pressure as Shuman, Ratcliff, and Kapuscinski had closed in rapidly.
On lap 14, Ratcliff and Kapuscinski managed to slip past the second-place runner, Shuman, relegating him to fourth, just ahead of Bearup.
At the halfway mark, Haynes continued to lead the pack, followed by Ratcliff, Kapuscinski, Shuman, Bearup, and the 41 of Alex Hoag, who made a notable return to Oswego Speedway after many years. Hoag showcased a nearly brand-new car built by Jim Paternoster, a tribute to his late father, Dean Hoag.
With 16 laps remaining, tension mounted at the front of the field as Kapuscinski and Ratcliff closed the gap on Haynes even further. Haynes found himself maneuvering past a slower car on the nineteenth circuit and Kapuscinski took advantage, darting to the outside and clearing Ratcliff to secure the second position while the top two were pinned behind lapped traffic.
Danny K waited no more than a corner to next make his move for the lead on Haynes, at lap 20. With just 15 to go, the Flack Racing 23 surged ahead of Haynes’ 88 and claimed the top spot.
Next, Ratcliff would use a similar move on the 20th circuit to get under Haynes for second with 15 to go, and then with 10 to go, Bearup was able to move up to third using a low side turn 3 pass under Haynes, dropping Brad to fourth.
At lap 29, the first caution flag flew with DeStevens spinning off turn 2 when running 7th. The field then came to a choose restart with 6 to go as Danny K chose the inside with Ratcliff to his outside, Bearup in third, and Hoag taking his chances up high in fourth. That paid off for Hoag as he got by Haynes on the restart.
Kapuscinski was able to keep the lead over the 73 when the green came back out. Meanwhile, the Hoag car then attempted an outside run on Bearup but the two touched, nearly crashing down the backstretch. Hoag had to settle for fourth with Bearup holding onto the last podium spot.
Danny K was able to walk away from Ratcliff and Bearup for the win, followed by Hoag and Haynes in the top five, for his third Tony White Memorial win. The top 10 filled in with DJ Shuman, Drew Pascuzzi, Robbie Wirth, Tony DeStevens, and AJ Larkin.
Reflecting on his victory, Kapuscinski said, “Lapped traffic at the end of the day is what led us to get out front. The last few years I’ve been racing here, that’s probably the most fun one I’ve run. Everybody ran really clean, we were all over the race track, and it was a blast. This kind of feels like a first one for me. A lot of stuff happened in the offseason last year and I think a couple people in the pits thought we’d never be able to win at Oswego again, but I’ve got a really good group of guys behind me that have helped me out and we’re back. We won’t be here every week because I’m going kart racing with my son the next two Saturdays. We’ll be back at the end of June with the wing car and then I think we’ll bring this one back in July so thanks to the folks that stuck around, thanks to all our sponsors, and it was a lot of fun.”
Second place finisher Noah Ratcliff expressed his enthusiasm for the race and the SBS class by stating, “This is why I like the SBS class so much. You are always wheel to wheel and it’s just such a blast. I’m excited to get out with it a few more times this year, but we’re going to focus on the 350. The car was great all night, it tightened up a lot towards the end though so I was pushing up to the second groove in the corner. I can’t thank everyone enough that helps me out: my Mom, my brother, sister, Travis, John, Mike, my girlfriend Kenzie, her Mom, Drew. I know I’m forgetting a couple, Jake’s Automotive, Total Fire Protection, Universal Metal Works. We’ll try again next time and have some more fun.”
Finally, third place Jesse Bearup added, “It wasn’t a bad night. I’m glad the two veterans ended up in front of me. That’s the way it always should be, but it was a fun race, I can’t complain. I got to thank Route 37 Building Supply, Fabco, HB Builders, Mercer Contracting.”
Nick Barzee Bags Victory in J&S Paving 350 Super ‘Clash for Cliff’ Season Opener
The much-anticipated season opener for the J&S Paving 350 Supermodifieds kicked off with an action-packed 30-lap, $2,050 to win ‘Clash for Cliff’ this past Saturday night at Oswego Speedway.
As the green flag waved, pole-sitter Mike Bruce edged out in front with defending track champion Josh Sokolic quickly slotting into second from the outside of row 2.
The race saw its first yellow flag on lap 4 as last year’s Classic champion, Jeffrey Battle, suffered a hard hit down the backstretch after a parts failure on the No. 14.
This incident led to a dramatic choose restart where leaders Bruce and Sokolic collided in turn 1. The crash sent Bruce hard into the outside wall and also collected Eddie Witkum Jr. and Barry Kingsley.
Following a lengthy cleanup, the field was reordered with Nick Barzee assuming the lead, followed by Kyle Perry in second, Jim Storace in third from his eighth starting position, and Ryan Battle now in fourth from ninth.
As the race resumed, Barzee initially pulled away on the long run, but Battle was on a mission. On lap 8, Battle made a decisive move to take third from fellow New England driver Storace.
With 10 laps remaining, Battle set his sights on Perry, executing a bold pass around the outside to secure second place on lap 20. Despite Battle’s charge, Barzee maintained a substantial lead.
Time was running out and it was still Barzee comfortably ahead, followed by Battle, Perry, Storace, and rookie Griffin Miller rounding out the top five.
As the laps wound down, Battle did close the gap to just a couple of car lengths with five laps remaining. However, Barzee’s lead proved to be a bit too much, and he crossed the finish line first to claim his second career J&S Paving 350 Supermodified victory.
“I just pulled away at the beginning and tried to hold onto the lead,” mentioned Barzee. “The car tightened up real bad at the end, but it was good enough to get the win so I’m pretty happy. I’d like to thank JP Jewelers, JK Tobin, Salt Springs Paving, MARDON, Barzee Autobody, and A&P Auto Parts.”
Battle finished a strong second, with Perry in third. Storace held on for fourth, and Miller filled in the top five. The rest of the top ten included Brendan Young, Noah Ratcliff, Talen Hawksby, and despite their earlier incident, Bruce and Sokolic.
Reflecting on his second-place finish, the defending Star Classic Champion Battle commented, “I wanted to get to the front right from the beginning. The car was going pretty good. I am happy with the second, but I wish I was able to make a move when I caught Nick (Barzee) and didn’t sort of get stuck the last couple laps, but I have to thank all my sponsors; Scherbon Consolidated, Westford Glass, Eastside Nutrition, Tom Siembor, Brian West, Uncle Bob, my Grandfather, Roland, Zach and Dylan, all you guys make this possible and I wish I had one more spot for you.”
Perry, who finished third, commented on the challenges he faced: “We weren’t very good all night, especially in the feature. I was just kind of sliding all over the place and we were lucky to hang on for third. We’ll go back next week, work on it a little bit and see if we can get a couple spots better. Thanks to Bellinger Auto, Gibby’s Irish Pub, Orange Crate Brewing Company, JGR Motorsports, and 21 Tequila.”
On Saturday, June 1, action resumes at Oswego Speedway with the 50-lap, $6,000 to win ISMA/MSS/Oswego Novelis Supers Winged Challenge Opener. The points season continues for the J&S Paving 350 Supers with a 30-lap feature, and the Pathfinder Bank SBS with a 35-lap event. Tickets are available at OswegoSpeedway.com – just click on “Buy Tickets.”
A Feature 1 (75 Laps): 1. 98T-Tyler Thompson[11]; 2. 95-Dave Shullick Jr[4]; 3. 52-Dave Danzer[1]; 4. 7-Otto Sitterly[6]; 5. 68-Michael Barnes[10]; 6. O2-Brandon Bellinger[3]; 7. 61-Mike Ordway Jr[5]; 8. 75-Brian Osetek[14]; 9. O5-Jeff Abold[12]; 10. 90-Jack Patrick[16]; 11. O1-Dan Connors Jr[2]; 12. 29-Mike McVetta[13]; 13. 54-Camden Proud[8]; 14. 11-Ben Seitz[9]; 15. 22-Mike Bruce[15]; 16. 41-Kyle Perry[19]; 17. 72JR-Junior Farrelly[21]; 18. 66-Lou LeVea Sr[17]; 19. 20-Nick Snyder[22]; 20. 94-Logan Rayvals[7]; 21. 0-Tim Snyder[20]; 22. 15-Michael Muldoon Jr[18]; 23. 83-Lou LeVea Jr[23]
Heat 1 (12 Laps): 1. 94-Logan Rayvals[2]; 2. 54-Camden Proud[1]; 3. 52-Dave Danzer[3]; 4. 68-Michael Barnes[4]; 5. 29-Mike McVetta[5]; 6. 72JR-Junior Farrelly[8]; 7. (DNS) 15-Michael Muldoon Jr; 8. (DNS) 41-Kyle Perry
Heat 2 (12 Laps): 1. O1-Dan Connors Jr[1]; 2. 95-Dave Shullick Jr[3]; 3. O5-Jeff Abold[2]; 4. 61-Mike Ordway Jr[4]; 5. 75-Brian Osetek[5]; 6. 90-Jack Patrick[6]; 7. 20-Nick Snyder[7]
Heat 3 (12 Laps): 1. O2-Brandon Bellinger[2]; 2. 98T-Tyler Thompson[4]; 3. 11-Ben Seitz[1]; 4. 7-Otto Sitterly[3]; 5. 22-Mike Bruce[5]; 6. 41-Kyle Perry; 7. 66-Lou LeVea Sr[6]; 8. 0-Tim Snyder[7]
Hot Laps 1: 1. 98T-Tyler Thompson, 00:16.306[21]; 2. 61-Mike Ordway Jr, 00:16.391[12]; 3. 7-Otto Sitterly, 00:16.427[20]; 4. 68-Michael Barnes, 00:16.431[2]; 5. 95-Dave Shullick Jr, 00:16.581[19]; 6. O5-Jeff Abold, 00:16.709[1]; 7. O2-Brandon Bellinger, 00:16.753[3]; 8. 52-Dave Danzer, 00:16.773[6]; 9. O1-Dan Connors Jr, 00:16.839[5]; 10. 11-Ben Seitz, 00:17.004[18]; 11. 29-Mike McVetta, 00:17.031[10]; 12. 54-Camden Proud, 00:17.067[16]; 13. 22-Mike Bruce, 00:17.102[4]; 14. 94-Logan Rayvals, 00:17.124[17]; 15. 15-Michael Muldoon Jr, 00:17.233[11]; 16. 75-Brian Osetek, 00:17.473[13]; 17. 83-Lou LeVea Jr, 00:17.484[8]; 18. 90-Jack Patrick, 00:17.697[14]; 19. 66-Lou LeVea Sr, 00:18.131[9]; 20. 41-Kyle Perry, 00:18.271[15]; 21. 20-Nick Snyder, 00:21.036[22]; 22. (DNS) 72JR-Junior Farrelly; 23. (DNS) 0-Tim Snyder
Hot Laps 2: 1. 68-Michael Barnes, 00:16.418[2]; 2. 95-Dave Shullick Jr, 00:16.457[19]; 3. 52-Dave Danzer, 00:16.545[6]; 4. 98T-Tyler Thompson, 00:16.557[21]; 5. O2-Brandon Bellinger, 00:16.559[3]; 6. O5-Jeff Abold, 00:16.605[1]; 7. 7-Otto Sitterly, 00:16.630[20]; 8. 94-Logan Rayvals, 00:16.654[17]; 9. 11-Ben Seitz, 00:16.693[18]; 10. O1-Dan Connors Jr, 00:16.707[5]; 11. 54-Camden Proud, 00:16.753[16]; 12. 29-Mike McVetta, 00:16.846[10]; 13. 83-Lou LeVea Jr, 00:16.907[8]; 14. 75-Brian Osetek, 00:16.919[13]; 15. 15-Michael Muldoon Jr, 00:17.110[11]; 16. 72JR-Junior Farrelly, 00:17.147[7]; 17. 22-Mike Bruce, 00:17.197[4]; 18. 90-Jack Patrick, 00:17.317[14]; 19. 41-Kyle Perry, 00:17.504[15]; 20. 66-Lou LeVea Sr, 00:17.986[9]; 21. 20-Nick Snyder, 00:19.492[22]; 22. 0-Tim Snyder, 00:21.567[23]; 23. (DNS) 61-Mike Ordway Jr
Pathfinder Bank SBS
A Feature 1 (35 Laps): 1. 77-Cameron Rowe[7]; 2. 88-Brad Haynes[1]; 3. 37-Jesse Bearup[10]; 4. 41-Alex Hoag[9]; 5. 73-Noah Ratcliff[4]; 6. O4-Rob Wirth[12]; 7. 55-Carter Gates[14]; 8. 87-Cameron Rowe Jr[16]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 72-Drew Pascuzzi[2]; 2. 23-Dan Kapuscinski[5]; 3. 35-Anthony Larkin[1]; 4. 24-Tony DeStevens[3]; 5. 62-DJ Shuman[4]; 6. 66-Darrick Hilton[6]; 7. 90-Greg O’Connor[7]; 8. 20-Tessa Crawford[8]; 9. 47-Matt Matteson[9]
Hot Laps 1: 1. 23-Dan Kapuscinski, 00:18.933[8]; 2. 37-Jesse Bearup, 00:19.031[1]; 3. 24-Tony DeStevens, 00:19.131[3]; 4. 41-Alex Hoag, 00:19.230[7]; 5. 62-DJ Shuman, 00:19.413[14]; 6. 88-Brad Haynes, 00:19.416[5]; 7. 35-Anthony Larkin, 00:19.539[9]; 8. 77-Cameron Rowe, 00:19.570[12]; 9. 66-Darrick Hilton, 00:19.667[6]; 10. 90-Greg O’Connor, 00:20.059[11]; 11. 55-Carter Gates, 00:21.424[4]; 12. 47-Matt Matteson, 00:21.485[10]; 13. 20-Tessa Crawford, 00:21.814[2]; 14. 87-Cameron Rowe Jr, 00:21.816[13]; 15. (DNS) O4-Rob Wirth
Hot Laps 2: 1. 37-Jesse Bearup, 00:18.752[1]; 2. 23-Dan Kapuscinski, 00:18.974[8]; 3. 62-DJ Shuman, 00:19.065[14]; 4. 88-Brad Haynes, 00:19.083[5]; 5. 24-Tony DeStevens, 00:19.336[3]; 6. 72-Drew Pascuzzi, 00:19.359; 7. 77-Cameron Rowe, 00:19.522[12]; 8. 66-Darrick Hilton, 00:19.923[6]; 9. O4-Rob Wirth, 00:20.026[15]; 10. 90-Greg O’Connor, 00:20.051[11]; 11. 20-Tessa Crawford, 00:20.579[2]; 12. 87-Cameron Rowe Jr, 00:20.798[13]; 13. 55-Carter Gates, 00:21.275[4]; 14. 47-Matt Matteson, 00:21.416[10]; 15. (DNS) 41-Alex Hoag; 16. (DNS) 35-Anthony Larkin
J&S Paving 350 Supermodifieds
A Feature 1 (30 Laps): 1. 31-Nick Barzee[2]; 2. 21-Ryan Battle[9]; 3. 20-Kyle Perry[3]; 4. 47-Jim Storace[8]; 5. 9-Griffin Miller[10]; 6. 75-Brendan Young[11]; 7. 73-Noah Ratcliff[12]; 8. 79-Talen Hawksby[7]; 9. 22-Mike Bruce[1]; 10. 6-Josh Sokolic[4]; 11. 39-Eddie Witkum Jr[6]; 12. 91-Barry Kingsley[13]; 13. 14-Jeffrey Battle[5]
Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 47-Jim Storace; 2. 14-Jeffrey Battle; 3. 22-Mike Bruce; 4. 39-Eddie Witkum Jr; 5. 79-Talen Hawksby; 6. 75-Brendan Young
Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 31-Nick Barzee; 2. 6-Josh Sokolic; 3. 21-Ryan Battle; 4. 20-Kyle Perry; 5. 9-Griffin Miller; 6. 73-Noah Ratcliff[7]; 7. 91-Barry Kingsley
Hot Laps 1: 1. 14-Jeffrey Battle, 00:17.041[2]; 2. 79-Talen Hawksby, 00:17.167[5]; 3. 6-Josh Sokolic, 00:17.319[10]; 4. 9-Griffin Miller, 00:17.503[7]; 5. 39-Eddie Witkum Jr, 00:17.521[12]; 6. 47-Jim Storace, 00:17.572[11]; 7. 20-Kyle Perry, 00:17.686[8]; 8. 31-Nick Barzee, 00:17.697[1]; 9. 21-Ryan Battle, 00:17.843[3]; 10. 73-Noah Ratcliff, 00:18.332[9]; 11. 91-Barry Kingsley, 00:18.490[6]; 12. (DNS) 22-Mike Bruce; 13. (DNS) 75-Brendan Young
Hot Laps 2: 1. 14-Jeffrey Battle, 00:16.958[2]; 2. 6-Josh Sokolic, 00:16.962[10]; 3. 79-Talen Hawksby, 00:17.115[5]; 4. 21-Ryan Battle, 00:17.233[3]; 5. 39-Eddie Witkum Jr, 00:17.261[12]; 6. 31-Nick Barzee, 00:17.288[1]; 7. 20-Kyle Perry, 00:17.295[8]; 8. 22-Mike Bruce, 00:17.339[4]; 9. 47-Jim Storace, 00:17.346[11]; 10. 9-Griffin Miller, 00:17.469[7]; 11. 75-Brendan Young, 00:17.518[13]; 12. 91-Barry Kingsley, 00:18.124[6]; 13. (DNS) 73-Noah Ratcliff