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Scott Brooks Photo
OSWEGO, NY (May 26, 2024) – 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.
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.”
Stay connected with Oswego Speedway for more information. Visit OswegoSpeedway.com, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@OswegoSpeedway), and Instagram (@OfficialOswegoSpeedway).
About Oswego Speedway: Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile semi-banked pavement racing oval located off the shores of Lake Ontario in scenic Oswego, NY. The speedway has been a continuously run weekly racing venue since August 1951. The premier open-wheel pavement short track cars in the world, Supermodifieds, run weekly at the Oswego Speedway making it the only weekly Supermodified racing venue in the world. The Small Block Supermodifieds and 350 Supermodifieds accompany the full blown Supers on a weekly Saturday night schedule which runs from May through September. Oswego Speedway is mentioned in racing circles as the “Indy of the East,” as no fewer than a dozen past and present competitors have competed at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway including Mario Andretti, two-time Indy 500 champion Gordon Johncock, and former International Classic Champions Bentley Warren, Joe Gosek, and Davey Hamilton.
RESULTS
Barlow’s Concessions 73rd Season Kickoff
Novelis Supermodified Jim Shampine Memorial 75
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Jim Shampine Memorial (75-laps): 1. 98T TYLER THOMPSON, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 52 Dave Danzer, 4. 7 Otto Sitterly, 5. 68 Michael Barnes, 6. 61 Mike Ordway Jr, 7. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 8. 75 Brian Osetek, 9. 05 Jeff Abold, 10. 90 Jack Patrick DNF 11. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 12. 29 Mike McVetta, 13. 54 Camden Proud, 14. 11 Ben Seitz, 15. 22 Mike Bruce, 16. 41 ® Kyle Perry, 17. 72JR ® Junior Farrelly, 18. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 19. 20 ® Nick Snyder, 20. 94 Logan Rayvals, 21. 0 Tim Snyder, 22. 15 Michael Muldoon, 23. 83 Lou LeVea Jr.
Heat 1 (12-laps): 1. 94 Logan Rayvals, 2. 54 Camden Proud, 3. 52 Dave Danzer, 4. 68 Michael Barnes, 5. 29 Mike McVetta, 6. 72JR Junior Farrelly ®
Heat 2 (12-laps): 1. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 05 Jeff Abold, 4. 61 Mike Ordway Jr, 5. 75 Brian Osetek, 6. 90 Jack Patrick, 7. 20 Nick Snyder ®
Heat 3 (12-laps): 1. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 2. 98T Tyler Thompson, 3. 11 Ben Seitz, 4. 7 Otto Sitterly, 5. 22 Mike Bruce, 6. 41 ® Kyle Perry, 7. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 8. 0 Tim Snyder
Random Pill Draw Sponsor Bonus ($1,000): Orange Crate Brewing Company
Random Car 11th to 20th Bonus ($500): #20 Nick Snyder ®
Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Fast Timer ($200): #98T Tyler Thompson
Motivated Creations Move of the Race ($100): #98T Tyler Thompson
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer ($100 bonus to the highest finishing driver who has never won a feature at Oswego Speedway): #61 Mike Ordway Jr.
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger ($25 bonus to the driver advancing the most positions): #98T Tyler Thompson
