Story By: ISMA – SOPHIA, NC – Jon McKennedy drove the John Nicotra Racing No. 79 to a $10,000 victory in supermodified racing’s return to the North-South Shootout Saturday, Nov. 9 at Caraway Speedway in North Carolina.
The Massachusetts driver scored the win in the 60-lap feature Saturday afternoon by a 0.730-second margin over Oswego, New York’s Josh Sokolic in the Jason Simmons Racing No. 98.
McKennedy, who qualified fastest Friday afternoon for the non-sanctioned event running under ISMA-MSS rules, passed Dave Shullick Jr. for the lead on lap 13 and never looked back. Shullick, who started on the pole in the Chris Osetek No. 95, would hold P2 until Sokolic overtook him for the runner-up position during the second half of the race. Shullick would complete the podium in P3.
Former NASCAR Truck Series champion Johnny Benson Jr. of Cornelius, N.C., had his best run of the ISMA-MSS season to finish P4. Oswego’s Dave Danzer rounded out the top five.
The win marked McKennedy’s second of the year in ISMA-MSS racing, following up his score in August at New Hampshire’s Claremont Motorsports Park. The win will go down as an ISMA-MSS non-points victory and the 19th of McKennedy’s career in the series, which is eighth on the all-time list.
McKennedy’s win caps an incredible late-season stretch for Nicotra Racing. Since July, Nicotra drivers Otto Sitterly and McKennedy have won the Sandusky Hy-Miler, Oswego’s Mr. Supermodified feature, the Oswego International Classic pole award, the Star Classic, both features at the Evans Mills John Burr Classic, the ISMA-MSS championship, and now the North-South Shootout.
Twenty-two winged big-block supers took the green flag with Shullick jumping out to an early lead over Kyle Edwards. A quick caution for Mike Ordway Jr. with engine problems on the Clyde Booth Racing No. 61 brought out the first caution only two laps into the contest.
A second caution waved on the restart for a spinning Rich Reid on the backstretch. The incident collected 2024 ISMA-MSS points champion Otto Sitterly and the No. 53 of Dave Duggan.
Once back green McKennedy would go to work on Shullick for P1 and make the pass for the lead when Shullick bobbled on the exit of Turn 2 on the 13th circuit. McKennedy would shoot to the inside and clear the 95 midway down the backstretch in what would turn out to be the race-winning pass.
The New Englander would go on to lead the remainder of the 60-lapper that was slowed only one more time on lap 49 for a spinning Sawyer Stout in the Steve Stout No. 49. Stout’s teammate Trent Stephens was running P4 when he’d pull pit side just a few laps later to make for a forgettable handful of laps for the Ohio-based ACME Racing team.
By now, Sokolic had passed Shullick for P2 while the 2024 Oswego Speedway track champion held on to P3. Benson was a driver on the move, breaking into the top five from his 12th-place starting position and eventually settling for a solid P4 finish, just shy of the podium. Danzer, who started ninth, drove a strong race to finish P5.
Canadian Mark Sammut put in another solid drive for sixth. Fellow Canadian Mike Lichty was seventh, Oswego drivers Mike Bruce and Dan Connors Jr. were eighth and ninth with New Englander Vern Romanoski completing the top 10.
Fifteen cars were running at the finish with Bruce the last car on the lead lap in P8.
The non-points North-South Shootout marked the end of a successful 2024 ISMA-MSS Supermodified Series that saw increased car counts at most events throughout the year.
ISMA-MSS wishes to thank Randy Myers of Caraway Speedway for inviting supermodified racing back to North Carolina for the first time since MSS raced at Ace Speedway in 2011.
The 2025 ISMA-MSS schedule of events will be announced in the coming weeks.
North-South Shootout 60 — 1. JONATHAN MCKENNEDY (79), 2. Josh Sokolic (98), 3. Dave Shullick Jr. (95), 4. Johnny Benson Jr. (74), 5. Dave Danzer (52), 6. Mark Sammut (78), 7. Mike Lichty (84), 8. Mike Bruce (22B), 9. Dan Connors Jr. (41), 10. Vern Romanoski (51), 11. Brandon Bellinger (02), 12. Sawyer Stout (49), 13. Joe Gosek (24), 14. Trent Stephens (19), 15. Ben Seitz (11S), 16. Moe Lilje (32), 17. Mike McVetta (22M), 18. Rich Reid (55), 19. Kyle Edwards (11E), 20. Dave Duggan (53), 21. Otto Sitterly (7), 22. Mike Ordway Jr. (61), DNS – AJ Lesiecki (blown engine).
Hollywood-sponsored Fast Qualifier ($300): Jonathan McKennedy (14.187)
Hollywood-sponsored Heat Races Top 3 ($100 each) —
Heat 1: 1. Josh Sokolic, 2. Kyle Edwards, 3. Otto Sitterly
Heat 2: 1. Dave Shullick Jr., 2. Mike McVetta, 3. Rich Reid.
Heat 3: 1. Johnny Benson Jr., 2. Dave Danzer, 3. Trent Stephens.
Special Awards —
NY Racing Mom-sponsored Hard Charger ($100): Dan Connors Jr.
NY Racing Mom-sponsored Last Car Running ($100): Ben Seitz
