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Rick Nelson Photo
OSWEGO, NY (July 6, 2024) – The first Novelis Supermodified Twin 40, presented by Burke’s Do It Best Home Centers of Oswego & Fulton, was filled with side by side action throughout the field at Oswego Speedway last weekend, culminating in Dave Shullick Jr.’s 22nd career victory in Novelis Supermodified competition and second this season.
Tim Snyder and Camden Proud brought the field to the green flag, and started things off with an intense wheel-to-wheel battle. Proud managed to inch ahead down the backchute with a lap and a half complete as Brandon Bellinger, starting from fourth, quickly got around Logan Rayvals for third, with sixth-starting Mike Bruce following suit on the outside for fourth.
A scary moment occurred on lap 4 when Jerry Curran spun, collecting rookie Nick Snyder and Jack Patrick. Snyder caught a wheel, went several feet up in the air over Patrick, hit the foam hard, and tipped over on his side. Fortunately, Snyder was unharmed, and the Snyder Racing team worked diligently to repair the No. 20 for the second feature.
Despite the early chaos, Proud had built a significant lead and continued to extend it after the restart. Meanwhile, Tyler Thompson, starting 10th, was on the move, climbing up to 5th in only five laps. Bellinger then made a low move under Snyder for second, opening the door for Bruce and Thompson, as the pair split Snyder three wide going into turn three, resulting in Thompson taking over third.
The new running order early on was Proud, Bellinger, Thompson, Bruce, Snyder, and Rayvals – and Rayvals soon got around Snyder for fifth as well. Dave Shullick Jr, who started in 11th, also quickly moved through the field, breaking into the top five by Rayvals on lap 7.
As Rayvals pitted out of sixth place on lap 8 with handling issues, Shullick continued his charge, passing Bruce for 4th on lap 11. Thompson next dove underneath Bellinger to take over 2nd on lap 12, with Bellinger spinning the tires trying to get back underneath him and then losing 3rd to Shullick on lap 13.
Meanwhile, Proud encountered the first of the lapped traffic just before the halfway mark on lap 18, allowing Thompson and Shullick to close in slightly on the race leader.
A near-miss occured on lap 24 as a pack of lapped cars collided on the backstretch just in front of the top three. While Proud managed to clear two of the cars quickly, he had issues getting by the third car for several laps, as Thompson and Shullick drew even closer.
Looking for second, Shullick then made a move to the inside of Thompson going into turn one, and the pair brushed wheels, causing Thompson to spin with 12 laps to go, bringing an end to his entertaining drive. The restart order was now Proud, Shullick, and Sitterly, who had moved into 3rd, and Michael Barnes, who had gone from 9th to 4th, as both drivers cleared Bellinger for position before the caution.
On the restart, Shullick made a bold move to the outside of Proud, propelling himself to the lead going into turn 1 with 10 laps remaining. Proud then had to fend off challenges from Sitterly and fourth-running Barnes. In the end, Shullick opened a gap on the field, as Proud secured second place, holding off Sitterly. Sitterly finished in third, Barnes fourth, and Bellinger rounded out the top five.
Completing the top 10 were Dave Danzer, twelfth starting Jeff Abold, Bruce, Brian Osetek, and Lou LeVea Sr.
In victory lane, Shullick credited his successful restart to getting a good run on the outside and thanked his team and sponsors.
“I just got a good restart on the outside. I got up in the syrup out there and was able to get a run down the front stretch on Camden and he raced me clean. We were wheel to wheel going down the front stretch and I was actually kind of watching him to see if he went in too deep to let him be able to turn his car and when he let off I was able to roll him on the outside of him in turn 1. I have to thank TJ Toyota for all they do, Riverwalk Oswego, Holiday Inn Express, and the whole crew.”
Oswego Speedway is off this week for the Great Lakes Classic at Berlin Raceway in Michigan, but will be back for a huge 2-day spectacle next Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20. The event will feature the ISMA/MSS Supermodifieds Winged Challenge on Friday and Autograph Night for the Oswego Novelis Supermodifieds, Pathfinder Bank SBS, and J&S Supers on Saturday, all presented by Holiday Inn Express & Suites Oswego, NBT Bank, Compass Federal Credit Union, and Rock Stream Retreat. A 2-day GA ticket is available for $45.
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
Burke’s Do It Best Home Centers of Oswego & Fulton
Novelis Supermodified Twin 40 #1
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Feature (40-laps): 1. 95 DAVE SHULLICK JR, 2. 54 Camden Proud, 3. 7 Otto Sitterly, 4. 68 Michael Barnes, 5. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 6. 52 Dave Danzer, 7. 05 Jeff Abold, 8. 22 Mike Bruce, 9. 75 Brian Osetek, 10. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 11. 98T Tyler Thompson, 12. 0 Tim Snyder, 13. 94 Logan Rayvals, 14. 55 ® Mike Netishen, 15. 99 Jerry Curran, 16. 90 Jack Patrick, 17. 20 ® Nick Snyder, 18. 83 Lou LeVea Jr. DNS 72JR ® Junior Farrelly, 01 Dan Connors Jr.
Heat 1 (12-laps): 1. 98T Tyler Thompson, 2. 22 Mike Bruce, 3. 0 Tim Snyder, 4. 75 Brian Osetek, 5. 72JR ® Junior Farrelly, 6. 01 Dan Connors Jr.
Heat 2 (12-laps): 1. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 2. 54 Camden Proud, 3. 7 Otto Sitterly, 4. 05 Jeff Abold, 5. 90 Jack Patrick, 6. 20 ® Nick Snyder
Heat 3 (12-laps): 1. 52 Dave Danzer, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 94 Logan Rayvals, 4. 68 Michael Barnes, 5. 99 Jerry Curran, 6. 55 ® Mike Netishen, 7. 66 Lou LeVea Sr.
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer ($100 bonus to the highest finishing driver who has never won a feature at Oswego Speedway): #75 Brian Osetek
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger ($25 bonus to the driver advancing the most positions): #95 Dave Shullick Jr.
