By – Chris Porter
Photos – Jim Feeney
2015 Oswego Buccaneer grad, Anthony Losurdo, swept the twin 20-lap small block supermodified features Saturday night at the Oswego Speedway. Losurdo would slip under JJ Andrews on the fourth lap of the first main and hold off teammate, Mike Bond, to secure the win. In the second race, Losurdo would move under both front row starters on the opening lap to take the lead. He would sprint out to a comfortable advantage, using the lead he’d built as a buffer to hold off a surging Kreig Heroth to capture his second checkered flag of the night.
The victories were Losurdo’s second and third of the season and couldn’t have come at a better time with Classic Weekend next on the small block supermodified schedule.
Listen to – Anthony Losurdo
Andrews and Mike Bruce led the field to the start of the first main event. Andrews would get the early jump with Losurdo following the No. 93 into second. Bruce, Bond and Jason Simmons would round out the top five.
Losurdo would chase Andrews a few more laps before besting the race leader between turns three and four on the fourth lap. Bruce and Bond would follow Losurdo‘s No. 1, bumping Andrews back to fourth place. The front three would begin to ease away from the No. 93. A few lengths back, Dave Cliff and Matt Magner would press Simmons for fifth.
At the halfway mark, Losurdo raced unchallenged, ahead of Bruce and Bond. On the 12th lap, Simmons would work his way under Andrews for fourth place, bringing Cliff and Magner with him.
The race’s lone caution would fly on the 14th lap after a mechanical woe brought second-place running Bruce to a stop in turn No. 1. With seven trips to go, Losurdo led Bond, Simmons, Cliff and Magner. Andrews, Heroth, Dennis Rupert, Barry Kingsley and Jack Patrick completed the top 10.
Bond would look to Losurdo’s low side as the field went back to racing, but the race leader would hold his own. The duo would pull away from the field as the laps wore down. Bond would take a few more shots to Losurdo’s inside, but nothing was to be found. Losurdo would hit all of his marks in the final few rounds, delivering his team and car owner, Denise Merrill, the feature win.
In feature No. 2, Jeremy Pitcher would grab the early lead, but as the field raced its way out of the second turn, Bruce’s No. 22 was tagged from behind, sending the tightly knit field scrambling for room. Andrews, Simmons, Camden Proud, Jack Patrick, Matt Magner and Alex McCrae were all forced to head pit-side after making contact. The red flag would be flown to clear the scene and a complete restart was in order.
Starting on the inside of the second row again, Losurdo would mirror his move from race No. 1, following the pole-sitter into second place. However, this time he would better himself one after finding room underneath initial race leader, Pitcher. Losurdo would move under Pitcher’s No. 97 between turns three and four, leading the way as the field completed it’s maiden lap.
Rupert and Heroth would scoot under Pitcher as well, moving into second and third place on lap No. 2. On the next lap, Kingsley and Bond would bounce the No. 97 out of the top five.
By the fifth lap, Losurdo commanded 15 lengths over Rupert, Heroth, Kingsley and Bond. Heroth would nudge his way under Rupert on the seventh lap, bringing Kingsley with him. Just behind them, Russ Brown would best Bond and Rupert to move into fourth.
Heroth would begin to cut into Losurdo’s lead significantly, but simply run out of time. The shorter 20-lap distance coupled with the advantage Losurdo had built early on, would prove to be too much to overcome. The No. 1 would complete the sweep, earning the fourth win of his young career.
Heroth would settle for his second runner-up finish in as many weeks.
Listen to – Kreig Heroth
Kingsley would hold off Brown to finish in third. Earning his No. 74 its second top-five finish on the night, Bond’s fifth-place finish also delivered him the championship points lead with just one points race remaining.
Listen to – Mike Bond
After surviving a month-long stretch of bad luck, Dalton Doyle limped into the night with a five point lead in the division’s title chase. That luck would continue as his No. 01 SBS racer would clock the first-turn wall after suffering a suspension failure in his heat race. Doyle would fall out of the points lead, but find himself falling into a ride for Labor Day Weekend’s International Classic 200.
Doyle will be piloting Tim Devendorf’s backup ride – his first venture in a big block super. Devendorf says the car will be fitted for Doyle, so even if things go amiss for Devendorf that weekend, the ride will remain with Doyle.
Pathfinder Bank SBS Feature #1: 1. Anthony Losurdo (1), 2. Mike Bond (74), 3. Jason Simmons (98), 4. Dave Cliff (50), 5. Matt Magner (87), 6. JJ Andrews (93), 7. Kreig Heroth (04), 8. Barry Kingsley (91), 9. Jack Patrick (9), 10. Andrew Schartner (18), 11. Camden Proud (54), 12. Dennis Rupert (99), 13. Rob Pullen (76), 14. Russ Brown (13), 15. AJ Bernys (24), 16. Alex McRae (14), 17. Greg O’Connor (90), 18. Mike Bruce (22), 19. Jeremy Pitcher (97), 20. Mark Castiglia (69), 21. Dalton Doyle (15)
Pathfinder Bank SBS Feature #2: 1. Anthony Losurdo (1), 2. Kreig Heroth (04), 3. Barry Kingsley (91), 4. Russ Brown (13), 5. Mike Bond (74), 6. Andrew Schartner (18), 7. Camden Proud (54), 8. Rob Pullen (76), 9. AJ Bernys (24), 10. Jason Simmons (98), 11. Dave Cliff (50), 12. Alex McRae (14), 13. Greg O’Connor (90), 14. Jack Patrick (9), 15. Dennis Rupert (99), 16. Jeremy Pitcher (97), 17. Dalton Doyle (15), 18. Mike Bruce (22), 19. JJ Andrews (93), 20. Matt Magner (87)
Qualifying heats were pocketed by Pitcher, Bond and Losurdo.
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