Bouncing back in style, Liverpool’s Kody Graham and Oswego’s Michael Bruce recovered from dismal performances in last weekend’s season-opener to capture checkered flags at the Oswego Speedway on Saturday night. In the Novelis supermodified division, Graham would take the lead away from Joe Gosek on the 14th lap and never look back, leading the final 36 trips around Oswego’s fast five-eighths mile. In the Pathfinder Bank small block division, Bruce would out-duel Greg O’Connor from the front row and lead all 30 laps.
After an opening night he’d rather forget, Graham impressed in his return. Last week, he would lose the engine on his primary car during his heat race, before getting ousted in the feature as a result of a multi-car wreck.
Listen to – Kody Graham
Like Graham, Bruce and his No. 22 small block supermodified would ran into motor woes on opening night. He would end up borrowing James Babcock’s No. 15 small block for the feature and finish 11th. However, Bruce would recover during the week and bring back his own racer to claim career win No. 4 on Saturday night.
Listen to – Michael Bruce
Gosek and Graham would lead the field to the green flag to start the 50-lap Novelis super main. The duo would brush wheels in turn No. 1, with Gosek gaining the advantage heading out of turn No. 2. Dave Danzer, Brandon Bellinger and Jeff Abold would fill out the top five as the field completed its maiden lap.
Gosek and Graham would ease away from Danzer, building a 10-car advantage. However, As the lead duo came upon its first lapped car, Gosek would end up choosing the wrong lane, pinning himself on the high side. Graham would dip his No. 21 underneath the race leader and take over the top spot on the 14th lap.
Soon after losing the lead, the power plant on Gosek’s No. 00 expired on the front straightaway. Sliding on its own oil, the No. 00 would spin to a stop just shy of the first-turn wall. Running on the heels of Gosek, Danzer’s No. 52 would first strike oil before clocking the outside wall.
With the second and third-place running cars exiting the race via the hook, Graham would lead Bellinger, Tim Devendorf, Dave McKnight and Otto Sitterly back to green flag racing. Just a lap into the run, the caution lights would flash again, after Jerry Curran’s No. 24 spun and pancaked the first-turn wall. With extensive left-side damage being done to his car, Curran’s night ended in the pits.
Just four laps into the ensuing green flag run, Graham had built himself a lead of a full straightaway over Bellinger’s No. 02. He would close in on a four-car pack near the rear of the field with nearly a half-lap advantage.
Sitterly would better himself one spot on the 31st lap, taking fourth away from McKnight. Five laps later, last week’s feature winner – Michael Barnes, would bounce McKnight out of the top five. Second through fifth would slowly find themselves eating away at Graham’s advantage as the race leader struggled to navigate his way through the back of the field.
Bellinger would lead Graham’s chasers to within a half-dozen car lengths of Graham, but the yellow flags would end up flying after Graham’s teammate – Pat Lavery, spun his No, 12 while doing battle with Michael Muldoon for sixth place. The caution would reset the field, erasing the rest of Graham’s lead. However, the challenge of having to navigate the lapped traffic had now vanished.
At the drop of the green flag, Sitterly would sail around the outside of Devendorf for third, but Lavery would end up stalling on the backstretch, negating the pass. He would end up bringing out the caution flag again before parking his No. 12 for the night.
Graham would take flight on the lap No. 43 restart, as Sitterly would again sail around Devendorf for third. With Graham pulling away up front, Sitterly feverishly tried to make his way past Bellinger’s No. 02. However, the third-generation driver would hold strong.
Barnes would take fourth away from Devendorf with five trips to go. That would be the final change of order at the front of the field. Graham’s No. 21 continued to pull away, leading by 15 lengths with just three laps remaining.
Sitterly would find Barnes pressing him hard for third, but to no avail. Graham would earn his fifth career win, with Bellinger, Sitterly, Barnes and Devendorf crossing the checkered stripe some 20 lengths behind.
Improving on his 13th-place finish on opening night, Bellinger and his Daratt Farms No. 02 finished runner-up.
Listen to – Brandon Bellinger
With his second podium finish in as many races, Sitterly raced the John Nicotra-owned No. 7 to a third-place finish.
Listen to – Otto Sitterly
Following up last weekend’s feature win, Barnes piloted the Syrell Racing No. 68 to a fourth-place finish.
Listen to – Michael Barnes
Landing his No. 5 in the top five for the second consecutive week, Devendorf earned fifth.
Listen to – Tim Devendorf
Greg O’Connor and Bruce led the small block super field to the drop of the green flag to begin their 30-lap feature event. Bruce darted to the point, leading Camden Proud, O’Connor, Dalton Doyle and David Cliff across the checkered stripe to complete lap No. 1.
The first caution of the race came on the fifth lap after O’Connor, Rob Pullen and Andrew Schartner headed into the third turn three abreast. None of the three would make it to turn No. 4. All three machines were able to coninue. Track officials deemed O’Connor to be the only one sent to the tail-end of the field – placing Schartner back in seventh and Pullen in ninth.
On the restart, Bruce took the green flag unchallenged. Two laps later Jack Patrick and Schartner would move around Schott Schafer to advance into fifth and sixth place. Defending track champ and last week’s feature winner, Mike Bond, would best Schafer six laps later for seventh. He would join Schartner and Patrick in their quest to run down the race leaders.
Near the halfway point, Bruce continued to set the pace with a two to three-car margin over Proud, Doyle and Cliff. Schartner would clear Patrick on lap No. 15, with Bond following his tracks on the following lap. With the field strung out, the caution lights would flash on the 18th lap for O’Connor’s spun No. 90.
With 13 trips remaining, Bruce led Proud, Doyle, Cliff and Schartner. Bond, Patrick, Anthony Losurdo, Schafer and Kreig Heroth completed the top 10.
Again, Bruce would feel no pressure from his chasers on the ensuing restart. All was well until Heroth and Schafer tangled on the backstretch to bring out what would be the race’s final caution.
On the restart, Proud’s No. 54 was able to take a few peeks to the low-side of Bruce’s No. 22. He would keep the race leader close as Doyle’s No. 01 stayed glued to the runner-up’s bumper.
However, Bruce would not give way. He would guide his tiring small blocker super the final few laps to seize the win.
Proud would come one position shy of earning his first win which would’ve made his evening even more exciting. As soon as he finished the race, the third-year driver and high school student dashed across the track en route to Oswego Junior Prom.
Doing his best to erase last weekend’s outing, Fulton’s Doyle landed his No. 01 in third.
Listen to – Dalton Doyle
Finishing behind Cliff’s No. 50, Charlotte, N.C.‘s Schartner raced his No .18 across the line to claim fifth.
Listen to – Andrew Schartner
Novelis Super 50: 1. Kody Graham (21), 2. Brandon Bellinger (02), 3. Otto Sitterly (7), 4. Michael Barnes (68), 5. Tim Devendorf (5), 6. Michael Muldoon (51), 7. Dan Connors, Jr. (01), 8. David Gruel (50), 9. Aric Iosue (11), 10. Keith Shampine (55), 11. Pat Lavery (12), 12. Dave McKnight (70), 13. Hal LaTulip (56), 14. Lou LeVea, Jr. (83), 15. Jerry Curran (24), 16. Joe Gosek (00), 17. Dave Danzer (52), 18. Jeff Abold (05), 19. Kreig Heroth (14)
Pathfinder Bank 30: 1. Michael Bruce (22), 2. Camden Proud (54), 3. Dalton Doyle (01), 4. David Cliff (50), 5. Andrew Schartner (18), 6. Mike Bond (74), 7. Anthony Losurdo (1), 8. Jack Patrick (9), 9. Rob Pullen (2), 10. Barry Kingsley (91), 11. Brad Haynes (88), 12. Dennis Rupert (99). 13. Kreig Heroth (04), 14. James Babcock (15), 15. Scott Schafer (76), 16. Cameron Rowe (77), 17. Greg O’Connor (90), 18. Alex McRae (14), 19. Cameron Black (23), 20. Jesse Bearup (37)
Supermodified qualifying heats were won by Muldoon, Sitterly and Danzer. Small block heats were won by Bruce, Heroth and Schartner.
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