Ordway Jr. Delivers Hometown Triumph in Lee USA Ollie Silva Classic

Column By: ISMA-MSS MEDIA  – LEE, N.H –  Mike Ordway Jr. became the first repeat winner of the 2025 ISMA-MSS Supermodified Series on Friday night in front of jam-packed grandstands at New Hampshire’s Lee USA Speedway, powering the Booth Racing No. 61 to victory in the Ollie Silva Mid-Summer Classic 75.

For Ordway, now living in Maine, the win carried added significance. Lee USA sits just a short drive from his original hometown of Fremont, N.H., turning the night into a homecoming not only for the veteran racer, but also for his family and car owner Clyde Booth, a fellow New Hampshire native. As the ISMA-MSS tour’s lone New England stop of the season, Friday’s triumph added another milestone to Ordway’s growing résumé as he continues to follow in his father Mike Ordway Sr.’s footsteps as a top-level supermodified racer.

The victory was Ordway’s second of the season, following his June 7 win at Lancaster (N.Y.) Motorplex. It also marked his second career score at Lee USA, with his first coming on August 10, 2018 — also behind the wheel of Booth’s No. 61.

Trent Stephens and Matt Swanson brought the 17-car field to the green flag with Ordway starting third. Stephens moved into the early lead with Swanson, making his first ISMA-MSS start of the season in the Howie Lane No. 97, setting into second.

Ordway fended off challenges from fourth-place starter Kyle Edwards and quickly went to work on Swanson, passing the fellow New Englander for second just a couple laps into the contest. Edwards would overtake Swanson a few laps later to move into third, while defending race winner Tyler Shullick was advancing early from his eighth-place starting position with passes on series points rival Mike McVetta for seventh and Dave Duggan for sixth.

The winning pass would come on lap 15 with Ordway making an outside move on Stephens at the exit of Turn 2. After racing side-by-side down the backstretch, Ordway would clear his brother-in-law in Turn 4 to take the lead with Stephens now second, Edwards third, Canadian Mark Sammut fourth and Shullick now fifth.

The race’s first caution flag waved on lap 17 for debris on the frontstretch as Ordway began opening up his lead.

The double-file restart saw Ordway choose the inside lane with Stephens lining up to the outside. The New Hampshire native retained his lead over Stephens while several changes in position occurred in the top five, including Sammut charging past Edwards for third and McVetta overtaking Shullick for fifth. McVetta, chasing his second career series championship, would pass Edwards for fourth a couple laps later.

Edwards would bring out the race’s second caution on lap 20 when his No. 11E slowed on the backstretch. He’d duck into the pits and rejoin the race at the tail of the field.

Ordway remained in control on the restart, leading Stephens and McVetta in the top three while Massachusetts’ Jeffrey Battle charged into fourth from his 11th-place start.

Nearing the halfway mark of the 75-lapper, the fight for second heated up as McVetta closed in on Stephens. A couple laps after brushing the outside wall with his right-rear tire, McVetta would shoot past his fellow Northeast Ohio native for the runner-up position as Battle and Sammut rounded out the top five.

A third yellow waved on lap 33 for Swanson, whose car went up in smoke on the backstretch. He’d drive to the pits and not return.

McVetta would now try his hand at Ordway on the restart as the Booth No. 61 driver again opted for the inside lane. Ordway would easily retain his lead as McVetta settled into second.

A fourth caution waved a lap later as Jim Storace slid through the grass on the backstretch and continue.

This time a single-file restart saw Ordway maintain control over McVetta, Stephens and Battle as Shullick went to work on Sammut for fifth.

A long green-flag run would ensue as McVetta would keep pace with Ordway while the lead duo opened up a huge gap on Stephens in third. Battle would make it past Stephens for third as the leaders worked through lap traffic. Shullick was next to move up the running order, overtaking Sammut for fifth after working on the No. 78 for a number of laps.

A fifth caution would wave on lap 57 for Duggan, whose No. 53 went nose first into the outside wall before sliding down the backstretch and eventually coming to rest in Turn 3.

Ordway would again outgun McVetta for the lead on the restart as Shullick did the same to Battle for third.

Heartbreak would come for early leader Stephens two laps later as he’d drive to the pits with a mechanical issue on the ACME Racing No. 19. The race mirrored his season, which has turned into a disappointing one after winning the season opener at Delaware Speedway in June.

Meanwhile, the race for the win was not over as McVetta began to apply pressure on Ordway with 15 laps to go. As the late-race laps clicked away, McVetta continued to look to the high side on Ordway as the pair approached the lap car and fast qualifier of Mike Netishen.

McVetta would actually gain the lead for a moment on lap 68 at the exit of Turn 2 until Ordway’s inside lane opened up and he was able to shoot past Netishen into Turn 3 to regain the top position.

Heartbreak would then come for McVetta, whose No. 22 would suffer an electrical issue in Turn 3 just seconds after he momentarily claimed the lead. He’d come to a stop just past the start-finish line to bring out the main event’s sixth yellow flag. This time, a red flag would wave for a refuel with seven laps to go.

Shullick would then get his shot at Ordway for the lead, albeit he’d have to do it from a single-file restart with less than 10 laps remaining. But the defending race winner would have nothing for Clyde Booth machine as Ordway would open up a gap and race uncontested to the checkered flag, crossing the finish stripe 2.087 seconds in front of Shullick for the win. Battle would complete the podium in third with Sammut fourth and Edwards making it back to fifth to round out the top five.

Anthony Nocella would finish sixth in the Vic Miller No. 11 with Keith Morrill finishing seventh as the last car on the lead lap. Jim Storace was a lap down in eighth, Netishen ninth and McVetta 10th.

Ordway would win a cool $6,000 for the score plus a $3,000 bonus from Greg Kishbaugh of Serenity Ridge Machining.

A special thanks goes to John Esburnett for including the ISMA-MSS supermodifieds on Lee USA’s 2025 schedule.

Next up is the final points race of the 2025 season with the John Burr Classic set for Saturday, September 13 at Evans Mills Speedway in Evans Mills, N.Y.