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Bob Clark Photo
OSWEGO, NY (August 10, 2024) – In a thrilling 75-lap, $10,000-to-win Mr. Novelis Supermodified feature presented by C’s Beverage Center, nine-time Oswego Speedway champion Otto Sitterly showcased why he’s one of the all-time greats, securing his fifth career Mr. Supermodified title and his 45th Oswego Supermodified feature win. This victory marks his first in his only full-time season at the Speedway since 2021 and adds to his impressive career in the Mr. Supermodiied race, which includes titles in 2006 with his own No. 79, and then in 2013, 2015, 2018, and now 2024 with John Nicotra. Only Mike Ordway Sr. has more Mr. Supermodified titles, with six.
The race began with Mike Bruce and Logan Rayvals on the front row, with Bruce leading the first lap. Sitterly, starting fourth, quickly moved into second by passing both Rayvals and Dave Danzer on the opening lap. The field settled in with Bruce leading over Sitterly, Rayvals, Danzer, and Dan Connors. However, Connors spun on lap 15, bringing out the first caution of the night.
On the restart, Bruce maintained the lead, but as the race progressed, the leaders began to encounter lapped traffic by lap 30 and Michael Barnes, up to fourth from his seventh starting spot, passed Rayvals for third on lap 30. Four laps later, Bruce went wide in traffic between turns 1 and 2, allowing Sitterly to seize the lead on lap 34. Barnes wasn’t far behind, slipping under Bruce for second on lap 35 and attempting a three-wide maneuver for the lead coming to lap 36, but he got sideways out of turn 4, giving Bruce an opportunity to reclaim second on the outside.
At the halfway point, Sitterly led Bruce, Barnes, Rayvals, and Danzer, but Bruce’s luck again ran out on lap 40 when he brushed wheels with a lapped car and spun, making contact with the turn 3 foam and ending his run for $10K. The restart now saw Sitterly leading Barnes, Rayvals, Danzer, and 12th starting Dave Shullick Jr., who had climbed to fifth. Shullick would make a quick move on the restart to pass Danzer for fourth on lap 41. A few laps later, Rayvals, who had shown strong speed all night, unfortunately had to pit from third place on lap 43 with mechanical issues, ending his promising run and moving Snullick into third.
With 30 laps remaining, Sitterly continued to lead with Barnes in second, Shullick in third, Danzer in fourth, and Tyler Thompson now up to fifth after starting ninth. Thompson passed Danzer for fourth on lap 50, setting his sights on the leaders. By lap 55, the intensity had really ramped up as Sitterly and Barnes were back in heavy lapped traffic. Barnes capitalized on a slip-up by Sitterly who was stuck behind a slower car, making an impressive outside pass to take the lead with 20 laps to go.
As Barnes took control, the new running order saw Sitterly second, Shullick third, Thompson fourth, and Danzer fifth. On lap 65, the race saw one more caution as Russ Wood found the wall off turn 4, ending a strong 18th to 9th run for the Pelham, NH driver.
Reverting back to 11 laps to go, the restart had Barnes leading Sitterly, Shullick, Thompson, and Danzer, but Barnes’ bid for his first Mr. Supermodified win came to an unfortunate end when his engine started smoking with eight laps to go. The engine eventually let go, causing Barnes to spin into the pits, handing the lead back to Sitterly with seven laps remaining.
Tyler Thompson, who had climbed from ninth to second, also faced heartbreak as he ran out of fuel with just two laps to go, surrendering his position to Shullick who he had previously passed for second. Meanwhile, Jeff Abold, who started 11th, charged up to third, with Danzer and Ordway rounding out the top five.
In the end, it was Sitterly who crossed the finish line first, collecting the $10,000 payday and bringing his career Mr. Supermodified winnings to $50,000. Connors, Brandon Bellinger, Thompson, Camden Proud, and Mike McVetta completed the top 10 finishers.
In victory lane, a humble Sitterly reflected on the race, saying, “Unfortunate for Barnesy. He gave me a ride from the campground to the track today and said, ‘Maybe I’ll win tonight for giving you a ride,’ and I just told him, ‘One of us will.’ I feel really bad for him. He had a better car, but we made a lot of changes coming into tonight because we’ve been struggling all year, and that is the best the car has been all season. We just didn’t have the drive off the turn that we needed to run with Barnesy, but we’ll take it. I turned up the wick as much as I could once he pulled into the pits. I’m very happy for the crew and for Johnny Nicotra; all of our sponsors—a couple of big ones here with us tonight—Onyx Hose & Tube and Flip Electronics. It’s wonderful to have all of those people here with us tonight that we could give the big win.”
The 2024 Oswego Speedway championship season wraps up thus Saturday night, August 17, with TEAL Palace Championship Night, presented by Best Western PLUS, Clarion Hotel & Suites Riverfront, and Splash Indoor Waterpark Resort of Oswego. Track titles will be crowned in the Novelis Supermodifieds, Pathfinder Bank SBS, and J&S Paving 350 Supers, with fireworks capping off the night. General admission is $20, with kids 16 and under admitted free for the big show.
Stay connected with Oswego Speedway for more information. Visit OswegoSpeedway.com, follow on Facebook or X (@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
C’s Beverage Center 37th Annual $10,000 to Win Mr. Supermodified
Novelis Supermodified 75
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Mr. Supermodified Feature (75-laps): 1. 7 OTTO SITTERLY, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 05 Jeff Abold, 4. 52 Dave Danzer, 5. 61 Mike Ordway Jr, 6. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 7. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 8. 98T Tyler Thompson, 9. 54 Camden Proud, 10. 29 Mike McVetta, 11. 55 ® Mike Netishen, 12. 90 Jack Patrick, 13. 19 ® Bobby Holmes, 14. 20 ® Nick Snyder, 15. 68 Michael Barnes, 16. 14 Joey Payne, 17. 0 Tim Snyder, 18. 41 Russ Wood, 19. 75 Brian Osetek, 20. 94 Logan Rayvals, 21. 22 Mike Bruce, 22. 00 Joe Gosek, 23. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 24. 99 Jerry Curran, 25. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 26. 27 Aric Iosue DNS 11 Ben Seitz
Heat 1 (12-laps): 1 52 Dave Danzer, 2. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 3. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 4. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 5. 54 Camden Proud, 6. 19 ® Bobby Holmes, 7. 75 Brian Osetek, 8. 55 ® Mike Netishen, 9. 20 ® Nick Snyder
Heat 2 (12-laps): 1. 00 Joe Gosek, 2. 7 Otto Sitterly, 3. 05 Jeff Abold, 4. 94 Logan Rayvals, 5. 29 Mike McVetta, 6. 90 Jack Patrick, 7. 14 Joey Payne, 8. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 9. 99 Jerry Curran
Heat 3 (12-laps): 1. 98T Tyler Thompson, 2. 22 Mike Bruce, 3. 68 Michael Barnes, 4. 61 Mike Ordway Jr, 5. 0 Tim Snyder, 6. 41 Russ Wood, 7. 27 Aric Iosue, 8. 83 Lou LeVea Jr.
Time Trials: 1. 68 Michael Barnes – 16.039, 2. 7 Otto Sitterly – 16.149, 3. 95 Dave Shullick Jr. – 16.206, 4. 61 Mike Ordway Jr. – 16.317, 5. 94 Logan Rayvals – 16.347, 6. 22 Mike Bruce – 16.450, 7. 02 Brandon Bellinger – 16.450, 8. 00 Joe Gosek – 16.537, 9. 01 Dan Connors Jr. – 16.585, 10. 98T Tyler Thompson – 16.586, 11. 05 Jeff Abold – 16.623, 12. 52 Dave Danzer – 16.723, 13. 54 Camden Proud – 16.809, 14. 90 Jack Patrick – 16.901, 15. 27 Aric Iosue – 16.908, 16. 75 Brian Osetek – 16.970, 17. 29 Mike McVetta – 16.993, 18. 0 Tim Snyder – 17.010, 19. 19 ® Bobby Holmes – 17.011, 20. 14 Joey Payne – 17.071, 21. 83 Lou LeVea Jr. – 17.163, 22. 55 ® Mike Netishen – 17.221, 23. 66 Lou LeVea Sr. – 17.291, 24. 41 Russ Wood – 17.323, 25. 20 ® Nick Snyder – 17.419
Random Pill Draw Sponsor Bonus ($1,000): Looking Good Produce
Random Car 11th to 20th Bonus ($500): #14 Joey Payne
Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux Fast Timer ($200): #68 Michael Barnes
Motivated Creations Move of the Race ($100): #68 Michael Barnes
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): #20 ® Nick Snyder
