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STAFFORD’S XTREME
TUESDAY BEGINS BUSY MONTH OF JULY FOR ISMA COMPETITORS |
Oswego, NY - After a little
over three weeks off, the ISMA winged supermodifieds are ready
hit the road for a big week beginning with the
Xtreme Tuesday Stafford
Motor Speedway event July 7
and ending in Canada at Cayuga
Speedway on July 12. In between, at least six of the ISMA cars
as pre-entered for the King of Wings $10,000 to win event at
Oswego Speedway on July 11. There is a lot of racing and a lot
of money on the line for sure. And, 2009 has started with 3
different winners in the 3 ISMA races run to date. It should be
a very interesting week.
The Xtreme event at Stafford has been a mainstay on the ISMA
schedule since 2004 with Chris Perley the dominant winner,
taking home three of the five events to date. ISMA had one more
Stafford event on its schedule back in 1980, which was won by
Bentley Warren. Notably, Warren, still going strong, finished
third at the 2008 running, some 28 years later! Warren also won
two-pre-ISMA races held at the Connecticut oval in 1968 and
1969. Bentley will once again running the Vic Miller 71 as a
teammate to Chris Perley, which always creates a potent duo.
Russ Wood, who has notched his first win already this season in
the Jeff Holbrook 29 picked up the 2005 Stafford feature while
hometown favorite Robbie Summers got his ISMA career first in
2007 in a spirited battle with Perley for the win.
Pit gates open at noon; grandstands at 4:15, warm-ups are at
3:30; qualifying begins at 5:45 and features start at 7:30 at
Stafford. Go to
www.staffordmotorspeedway.com for all the information.
On July 11,
Oswego Speedway is
hosting an MSA-Oswego Series race, which has been dubbed King of
the Wings and will pay out $10,000 to the winner, probably the
highest winged race payday in history. This race is coupled with
the August 1, $10,000 to win, non-winged Mr. Supermodified
event. Should the same driver win both the July 11 and the
August 1, would pay that driver (the car owner gets the first
place prize) an extra $20,000 AT&T Rollover bonus. And that
driver does not have to drive the same car! To date six ISMA
drivers have pre-entered the King of Wings 50. That day is also
the annual Old Timers Reunion and Friday night is a free Cruise
night with live music. See
www.oswegospeedway.com
for more information.
On July 12, it’s
back to Cayuga Speedway
for ISMA’s first visit to that
Nelles Corners, Ontario oval since 2005. ISMA has a storied
history at Cayuga, which dates back to 1976 when two events were
held with Bentley Warren (who else?) and Gary Allbritain taking
home the wins. The winged supers hit the famed Canadian half
mile three times in the 1977 season and once in 1978 with Jimmy
Winks, Warren Coniam and Eddie Bellinger Jr. taking the
checkereds in 77 and Warren again the victor, in 78.
In the decade of the 1980s, Cayuga hosted solo races in ’80, ’81
and ’85 with Steve Gioia Jr. winning two (one a non-winged show)
and “the young one” Doug Heveron taking the other.
Ten years passed before Cayuga was on the ISMA schedule again.
June and August shows were slated from 1995 through 1998.
Winners in succession include Scott Martel, Mike Ordway Sr.,
Dave McKnight, Joey Payne (2), Ordway Sr., Russ Wood and Payne
again for the second show in 1998.
2000 started another round of multi-race appearances for ISMA at
Cayuga with two events that season and again in 2001. Joe Gosek
claimed both 2000 shows and split the doubleheader with Dave
McKnight in 2001.
In 2002, three events took place, one that saw Tony Stewart in
his first ISMA super ride. Mike Ordway and Russ Wood took the
first two events while rain claimed the September event. 2003
saw only one show with Chris Perley winning his first Cayuga
flag. As the economies of both countries began to decline, the
trips across the border began also to become less frequent. 2005
was the last Cayuga show which extended into two days because of
rain. Nokie Fornoro won that show in the Soule 32.
New things are happening again at Cayuga and they’ve got some
extras for the fans during the weekend with a Carnival and
entertainment by three different bands Friday and Saturday.
Racing is on Sunday, July 12, starting at 1:30 pm. Pit gates
open at 8 am with warm-ups at 11 am. For info
www.cayugamotorspeedway.ca.
Finally, rounding out the month is the
32nd annual Hy-Miler
Nationals weekend at Sandusky Speedway in Ohio.
Friday night’s 40 lapper is the prelude to the first longer
distance race of the ISMA season on Saturday. Charlie Schultz
etched his name into the ISMA winners list by winning the Friday
night event last year but it was Chris Perley standing in
victory lane after the Hy-Miler 100. Perley became only the
third driver to win three-straight Hy-Milers since the event
began in 1978. Bentley Warren managed the feat in 1984, 85 and
86 with Russ Wood claiming three straight in 1995, 96 and 97.
Dave Shullick Sr. still holds the record of Hy-Miler wins with
six.
Warmups on Friday start at 4:00 pm with racing at 7:30. On
Saturday, gates open at 10 am, warm-ups begin at 1 pm and time
trials hit the track at 4:00. Heat racing begins at 6:30pm. Got
to
www.sanduskyspeedway.com for further information. |
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2009
Victory
Circles
2008
Victory
Circles
2007
Victory
Circles
2007
Victory
Circles |
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Saturday -
June 13th |
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Top three
at Berlin Raceway on 6/13:
2nd place Mark Sammut, Winner Chris Perley,
and 3rd place Mike Lichty. |
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Jim Feeney
Photos |
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PERLEY CLAIMS
FIFTH STRAIGHT
BERLIN ISMA WIN |
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Marne, MI : Chris Perley drove
to his fifth straight ISMA win at the Berlin Raceway Saturday
night but it wasn’t a walk in the park for the Rowley Rocket.
Mark Sammut jumped into the lead after a lengthy race stoppage
which saw Johnny Benson Jr. pretty much destroy his new 21 super
after a hard hit into the wall bringing out a red flag
situation. John’s car erupted into flames and Benson was taken
to an area hospital for treatment. When the race resumed with
one lap down, Mark Sammut moved quickly into the lead. It took
Perley until lap 37 to get by the Canadian driver who is looking
for his ISMA first. The win was Perley’s first of the young
season making him the third different winner in three outings.
BERLIN 6-13 PHOTO
PAGE WITH CANDIDS HERE
Perley replayed his night. “We guessed tonight that the track
was going to chew up tires so we were going to have to be
really, really tight or really lucky. Sammut looked like he was
perfect. As the race went on he was getting a little too snug
and he couldn’t turn it. He left me the bottom. I was having
trouble clearing lap cars because I was really loose and then my
brakes fell off or something. I couldn’t really crowd a lap car
because I had no brakes and I’d run into him. I finally cleared
lap cars and went after Mark. But every time I got close to him,
I’d get really loose. I didn’t know if I was going to make it.
Then he slowed up just a little and gave me the bottom and I got
lucky. This one probably should have been Mark’s. Thanks to my
crew who never give up and to all the fans who came out to
watch.”
Sammut was content with his second top five finish in two days.
“Finishing second to the number 11 is just like winning in ISMA.
I guess it’s the same. The car was really good at the start and
we were out there. I didn’t even expect it to be that good. The
farther I went, the tighter the car went. We got into the
traffic and it held me up. It wasn’t anything intentional. The
car was just going away. The restarts were actually helping me
because for two or three laps we had a good car again. It just
wasn’t our night to beat the 11. I’m happy with the run.”
The third place finisher was another Canadian seeking that
elusive first timer. Mike Lichty was able to close in on Sammut
in the waning laps but did not have enough to pass.
Mike said at the podium, “We just didn’t make the correct
adjustments for the feature. The track loosened up pretty good.
It was unfortunate to see Johnny go to the hospital after that
crash.”
During the track cleanup, the Lichty team made a decision. “We
just said we’re one lap in, we might just as well come in and
make our adjustment. The car was decent afterward, but still a
little loose. I would have liked to have made that adjustment
earlier and run the whole 50 laps that way. Starting sixth, I
think we would have been pretty good. This is a tricky race
track. You’re always hard on the right rear. As I said we just
didn’t adjust properly. My hats off to the crew. Can’t say
enough about them. Thanks to everyone for coming out tonight.”
The shorter than normal ISMA field due to attrition from the
previous night’s Toledo event, was led to the green by Bobby
Haynes and Larry Lehnert with Haynes leading the first circuit.
But a devastating crash stopped the race for almost an hour when
Johnny Benson Jr. climbed the wheel of the Lehnert 92 while
attempting a pass and ended up smacking the wall on the motor
side so hard that the fuel line was cut on the 21. The fuel cell
performed perfectly. A huge ball of
fire erupted from the car, which was quickly extinguished by the
Berlin safety crew. The ambulance personnel on the scene
attended to Benson who was taken to an area care center for
medical attention.
Excerpt from the Berlin Raceway
website. "Benson Sr. said. “The car’s driver side hit the wall
hard, and it’s a testament to the Hans (head and neck safety)
device and the safety seat in the supermodified car that held
him in place so well. I have to commend the safety crew and
ambulance crew at Berlin Raceway for their quick response - they
did their job well, putting the fire out quickly and taking care
of Johnny.”
Benson Sr. said the fuel line was cut in two when it was pinched
between the rear axle and the frame. The alcohol-based fuel that
these supermodified cars use burns blue and very hot, and Benson
managed to come out of it with barely any burns due to the quick
response by the safety crew. The frame of the car was not bent
badly, and all of the safety aspects of the car held up well,
which allowed Benson to escape without major injuries."
Mark Sammut grabbed the point when the race resumed and
immediately tried to put some distance on the pack, which he did
by the fifth circuit. Jeff Holbrook, Bobby Haynes Jr., Danny
Lane and Mike Ordway Jr. trailed closely.
A long green stretch was advantageous to the London, Ontario
driver out front but movement throughout the field saw Chris
Perley coming up past a number of cars to move into third behind
Jeff Holbrook. Lane, Ordway Jr., Russ Wood, Haynes and Lichty
headed up the line racing behind.
As Perley and Holbrook dueled for second, Sammut added a couple
lap cars for insurance between his 78 and the challengers.
Perley took second on lap 16 and now hunted for Sammut, but by
the midway point, Sammut had a three-lap car cushion. Holbrook
fended off Russ Wood, Ordway Jr., Lichty, Lane, and more as he
tried to keep third.
A quick spin by Danny Lane brought out the yellow to slow things
down on lap 32, something Sammut did not need. Only two cars
separated Sammut and Perley on the green.
Methodically, Perley crept up on the leader Sammut, getting by
the lap cars. On lap 36 he was within shooting distance but
because of lack of brakes he wanted to make the pass without
incident. “I had to creep up on him. He slowed just a little,
and I went by. I was lucky. I should have spun out going by
Mark.”
Now the Rowley driver moved to a comfortable lead, and did what
he’d done the previous four visits at Berlin, head for victory
lane. Back in the pack, Sammut was safe in second when the
counter ticked to 40 as Mike Lichty, Jeff Holbrook, Russ Wood,
Ordway Jr. and Haynes still battled behind.
Ordway Jr.’s battle ended shortly thereafter when the 41 slowed
and stopped on the front straight. The car was pushed in and the
crew splashed in fuel, but that was not the cure. Lack of fuel
was not the problem. The car would not fire and it was parked.
Straight green now finished up the race with Perley well out
front of Sammut who was challenged by Mike Lichty to the end.
Russ Wood was fourth and Haynes Jr. scored his first-ever ISMA
top five at the checkered.
Russ Wood, the previous night’s winner, was content with his
fourth place finish to complete a good weekend. “We had an
awesome car in the heat race. In the feature we were a little
too free. We didn’t get the car tight enough. We were kind of
hanging on for fourth. We had a good weekend. All the cars are
in one piece. We didn’t do too bad.”
Bobby Haynes Jr. ran the race of his short career to gain his
first top five. “It was awesome. I think we had a better car
than that. I spent half my time looking at my gauges. The car
was having low oil pressure and I just wasn’t real consistent
with my marks. On the extended green the car was great. The car
was under me at the end when everybody else was slowing down.
That’s what was important. I told my dad he gave me a top
three-race car and with a little more experience on my part, it
could have been there. This is great.”
Jeff Holbrook, Danny Lane, Jeff Abold, Rob Summers and Vern
Romanoski finished up the top ten.
SUMMARY
- ISMA Event #3 - JUNE 13, 2009 - BERLIN
Heat 1: Johnny Benson Jr., Jeff
Holbrook, Jeff Abold, Bobby Haynes, Rich Reid, Jim Paller,
Brandon Bellinger
Heat 2: Chris Perley, Mike Ordway
Jr., Larry Lehnert, Rob Summers, Ben Seitz, Vern Romanoski, Dave
Duggan
Heat 3: Russ Wood, Mike Lichty,
Mark Sammut, Danny Lane, Michael Barnes, Craig Rayvals
ISMA 50:
1. Chris Perley (11), 2. Mark Sammut (78), 3. Mike Lichty (84),
4. Russ Wood (29), 5. Bobby Haynes Jr. (44), 6. Jeff Holbrook
(35),
7. Danny Lane (9), 8. Jeff Abold (05), 9. Rob Summers (97),
10. Vern Romanoski (5), 11. Craig Rayvals (95), 12. Ben Seitz
(88),
13. Rich Reid (55), 14. Dave Duggan (51), 15. Mike Ordway Jr.
(41),
16. Michael Barnes (70), 17. Jim Paller (64), 18. Brandon
Bellinger (02),
19. Larry Lehnert (92), 20, Johnny Benson Jr. (21). |
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Friday -
June 12th |
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Top three
at Toledo Speedway on 6/12:
2nd place Mike Ordway Jr., Winner Russ Wood,
and 3rd place Chris Perley. |
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RUSS WOOD BACK IN
VICTORY LANE AFTER SHULLICK BREAKS NEAR RACE END |
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Toledo, OH – Russ Wood became
the first ISMA driver to win three features in the 10-year
history of competition at Toledo Speedway. Wood, in the Holbrook
29, was running fourth with two laps to go when the yellow flew
a Bob Bond crash into the wall. In the ensuing cleanup, Chris
Perley, running third, fled to the pits for a new tire. Wood was
now third. Dave Shullick Jr. sent the field into mayhem on the
restart when the motor blew on his high flying 61. Cars
scattered and spun every which way. Mike Lichty, who would have
been the leader now, was sent to the rear for being involved in
the caution. Russ Wood now sat in the lead spot and stayed there
for two laps to win his first ISMA race since July 2005.
TOLEDO 6-12 PHOTO
PAGE WITH CANDIDS HERE
Wood was a little surprised to be in victory lane, but as the
old phrase goes, you have to be there to be there. He said after
the chaotic finish, “I think we had a third or fourth place car.
But that’s racing. We were hanging in there to be in a place to
be here. A couple guys broke or had problems and we were able to
take advantage of it. We were pretty good, but not up to snuff
to run with Chris or the 61 but we did all right. It was good in
traffic. We were a little loose. We had struggled with it today.
We’re lucky to even be here after the ride out. We’ll take the
win. It’s been a long time since our last one here.”
Finishing second was Mike Ordway Jr. who had been running near
the front for most of the race. He commented, “We were fortunate
not to be in the wrecks. We were there at the end. That’s what
happens. We started off good. We had a yellow pretty quick there
and then we had a long green flag run. The car wasn’t that good
at the beginning and then it got better on the long run. We
lacked side bite all night. I had to wait on it Russell got by
us and then we caught him. We got into so much traffic, I
couldn’t do anything with him. With two to go we had that big
deal when the 61 broke. Cars were going everywhere. I just
steered through it. Russell went low and I went high. We both
came out in the front. We’ll take it. “
Finishing in third was Chris Perley, who earlier in the day had
set a new track record (breaking his old one) with a torrid
12.89 lap only to lose the title to an AVSS driver Jason Blonde
who clocked a 12.744 on the half mile banked oval. Perley, too,
might have had a chance at the win when Shullick exited, but the
flat had cost him that.
Said the Rowley Rocket,” I had a good car. It took a while to
come in and when it came in I thought it was going to be a
little too late. But we had fun. We came up through. We got
mired in a lot of lap traffic. Then we started getting a flat
tire with probably ten or twelve to go. We were lucky that
caution came out with two to go because that’s when it was
really flat on the rim. It was going soft, going soft and then
it got really bad. We almost spun out a few times. Somehow we
changed the tire and then those last two laps we got into third.
We probably shouldn’t have done that either. So we’ll take it. I
feel bad for Lichty. I mean to be second and have the leader
break and then you get put back it’s like “holy crap.”
Mike Lichty had been the early leader and was establishing
himself in position to get that elusive first win as the laps
ticked quickly away.
Lap 12 saw the first slowdown when Jeff Holbrook brushed the
wall. On the ensuing restart red fell when Vern Romanoski and
Jeff Abold came together as the pack entered turn one. Several
cars including Gene Gibson and Jack Smith were hooked along with
Vern and Jeff. Pitting here were Johnny Benson, Bobby Haynes Jr.
and Brandon Bellinger, and able to return. The cleanup was
advantageous for the Holbrook 35, which was able to get back
into the fray.
Lichty took off on the green and looked, as in some many times
in the past, to be a possible first-time ISMA winner. The battle
for second, between Dave Shullick Jr. and Trent Stephens,
however would change that. By lap 25, Shullick was perched to
pounce on the leader, but still had some distance to make up.
The pounce came by Shullick as heavy traffic had cut into
Lichty’s lead. Shoe II was by for the lead in turn two as now
Lichty had Perley right there to challenge.
Yellow slowed the race on lap 33 when Larry Lehnert slowed and
pulled pit side. The field was now bunched with a lot of lap
cars intermingling with the lead cars.
Shullick had the cushion and the car and off he went. Facing
several lap cars ahead was Lichty and then Perley. Also facing
some traffic, Stephens, Wood and Ordway Jr.
With ten to go, Shullick was in command and on his way to a
possible second ISMA win in a row. Jeff Locke slowed the
progress on lap 41.
On this restart, Perley moved the 11 into second but a couple
lap cars were still ahead of him before Shullick could be seen
in his sites. Lichty, Wood, Ordway Jr. Stephens, Reid and Bob
Bond were next in line behind when the yellow flew on lap 48.
Bond and Reid came together coming off of turn 4 and Bond ended
up in the wall in a devastating crash. While the 25 was
flatbedded, Perley came in for the tire.
It was on this restart that Shullick’s 61 failed, creating a
ripple effect behind him as everyone had their foot down.
Shullick was able to slide into the inner track area while cars
scattered all over.
When the green waved again, Russ Wood was the lead car with
Ordway Jr., Stephens, Perley, and Mark Sammut next up, with at
least three laps cars in between. Wood crossed under the checked
for the win followed by Ordway Jr. Perley got the jump on
Stephens to take third while Trent and Sammut crossed in fourth
and fifth.
Stephens, in his Stout ride, was pleased with his first ISMA top
five. “The first ten laps I was kind of taking it easy. I didn’t
want to burn up the tires about half way through it started
getting loose. It kept getting looser and I was just holding on
there for a while. The last two laps I figured I could do
something but those guys must have saved their tires. I didn’t
have anything for them. But hey, we’re in one piece and avoided
all the wrecks. This isn’t too bad for my first ISMA race.”
Sammut came in fifth after a little confusion. I figured we
should have been fifth. We had a terrible car all day. We
couldn’t get going. We had oil pressure problem so we were
working on that instead of the car. By the heat we had it going
a little better. In the feature we weren’t too bad but we pretty
much wore the tires off coming up through. At the end I was
hanging on. At one point in the middle of the race, when I
cleared traffic, the car was actually the best it had been all
day. A few laps later the tires went away and I was just riding
around at the end. I was lucky to avoid the accidents.”
Lichty, Burch, Reid, Shullick Jr. and Seitz completed the top
ten.
SUMMARY
- ISMA Event #2 - JUNE 12, 2009 - TOLEDO
Time Trials: Perley fast time:
12.893. Followed by Lichty, Benson, Wood, Shullick, Locke,
Burch, Stephens, Holbrook, Ordway Jr., Bond, Summers (top 12)
Heat 1: Jeff Holbrook, Johnny
Benson, Jeff Locke, Robbie Summers, Vern Romanoski, Craig
Rayvals, Gene Gibson, Dave Duggan, Bobby Haynes Jr.
Heat 2: Trent Stephens, Mike Lichty,
Dave Shullick Jr., Bob Bond, Rich Reid, Danny Lane, Brandon
Bellinger, Michael Barnes, Larry Lehnert
Heat 3: Mike Ordway Jr., Chris
Perley, Randy Burch, Russ Wood, Jeff Abold, Jack Smith, Mark
Sammut, Jim Paller, Ben Seitz
Toledo 50:
1. Russ Wood (29), 2. Mike Ordway Jr (41), 3. Chris Perley (11),
4. Trent Stephens (19), 5. Mark Sammut (78), 6. Mike Lichty
(84),
7. Randy Burch (49), 8. Rich Reid (55), 9. Dave Shullick Jr.
(61),
10. Ben Seitz (88), 11. Craig Rayvals (950, 12. Bobby Bond (25),
13. Danny Lane (9), 14. Dave Duggan (51), 15. Johnny Benson
(21),
16. Jeff Locke (37), 17. Robbie Summers (97), 18. Larry Lehnert
(92),
19. Jeff Holbrook (35), 20. Bobby Haynes Jr. (44), 21. Brandon
Bellinger (02),
22. Jim Paller (64), 23. Vern Romanoski (5), 24. Jeff Abold
(05),
25. Jack Smith (09), 26. Gene Lee Gibson (0), 27. Michael Barnes
(70). |
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NEW OSWEGO
SPEEDWAY RULES
in regard to ENGINE KILL SYSTEMS |
Oswego, NY - Oswego
Speedway has responded to a series of serious stuck throttle
incidents in the supermodified division, the most recent being
that of Shawn Muldoon’s on May 30, by instituting some new
mandatory rules.
The following notice was issued to each supermodified team on
June 6th by head tech man Mike Bozzuto at the driver’s meeting:
Supermodified Competitors:
Due to the number of stuck
throttles recently, it will be mandatory that every
supermodified have a system in place to kill the engine in the
event of a stuck throttle. This system will be other than the
steering wheel kill switch.
Two systems are available, a momentary switch (which has
continuity when closed or depressed) mounted on the toe strap,
wired into the ignition, or a brake pressure switch plumbed into
the brake system and also wired into the ignition. The momentary
switches are available at any electrical supply store and the
brake pressure switches can be ordered from Hawk Jr. Race Parts.
These are relatively easy installations which may help in
slowing a car in the event of a stuck throttle. If your car does
not already have a system in place, one or both, must be
installed by Saturday, July 4, 2009.
Please pay attention to your throttle linkage, making sure no
arms go over center, the throttle stops are properly adjusted
and there are no binds in the linkages. These are all common
sense things that need our constant attention. These actions may
help to prevent a stuck throttle situation from happening again.
NOTE: The July
11th King of the Wings event
is an MSA sanctioned event and their rules apply. If anyone has
any questions in this regard, you can contact MSA Tech Director
Steve Ochs at
msatech@midwestsupers.com or view or download the current
MSA Rulebook at
www.midwestsupers.com. |
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ISMA OPENER -
Saturday -
May 23rd
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Lou Cicconi
#10 - 3rd; Winner Dave Shullick Jr. #61, & Chris Perley #11 -
2nd.
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DAVE SHULLICK JR.
STARTS ISMA SEASON WITH WIN AT WATERFORD |
By Carol D
Haynes, ISMA PR
Waterford, CT –Dave Shullick Jr. took the Clyde Booth 61 out
front at the initial green Saturday at the ISMA season opener at
Waterford. When the checkered dropped 50 laps later, Shullick
was still in that spot for the win. The Amherst, OH driver had
to survive an unusual number of yellows and reds along the way
to his first win of the season and his career fourth in ISMA.
Standing with him on the podium were his two nearest
challengers, defending champion Chris Perley and Lou Cicconi,
the August 2008 winner at the “Bowl.”
Waterford 5-23
Photo Page HERE
Said Shullick in victory lane, “The car was excellent. Clyde and
I talked before the race and tried to come up with the right
package. Earlier in the day we weren’t really good. We hit it
right before the heat race. The car was even better than the
last time we were here. That means we are gaining on it. To come
back after a big crash at Concord last fall and be this strong
is even better. It’s really encouraging.”
The many restarts did not really faze Shullick.
“I didn’t know how far away the guys were on those restarts. I
just tried to be consistent; to not make a mistake. I figured
that I was on the bottom and if they were going to go around me,
it was going to be on the top. I think we were running good
enough to prevent that. I just went as hard as I could really.
It was the longest 50-lap race I’ve ever been a part of. These
cars are made to be comfortable when we’re going fast, not when
we’re going slow. I’d like to thank Clyde and Susan Booth and
our sponsors. Now it’s on to Toledo and one of my favorite
tracks!”
Chris Perley was not surprised with his fight for second. “This
is what I figured was our main competition was going to be and
it worked out that way. We had a great race with Woody - with
everybody actually coming through. Then with Cicconi. The car
was too tight. We were worried it would be too tight and it
still was. It’s the first race of the season and we have a
second out of the box. I’m really happy.”
In third was Aston, PA’s Lou Cicconi who is back full-time on
the ISMA trail in the Wentworth 10. It was also a long race for
Liquid Lou. “I just raced my butt off for 50 laps. That was it
and I got third. It was fun. I really believe if Dave had
started in the back he wouldn’t have won. His car was real good
when he was by himself, but he couldn’t run through traffic. His
car was unstable. If Perley and I had started up front, they
wouldn’t have caught us either. That’s cool.”
Twenty-six supers lined up for the ISMA main with Jamie Timmons
and Shullick Jr. on the front row. A heat crash left the Budnick
crew scrambling to get new driver Ben Seitz into his first main,
but he would be the first to exit as Shullick pulled away in the
lead.
Just as the race began to sort out, a red dropped on lap 8 which
occurred when Chris Perley, Johnny Benson and Dave McKnight were
moving up through the field. As the battle ensued, McKnight
caught a wheel from the Perley car and was hard into the wall
sending a careening tire into Rob Summers 97. McKnight described
the accident later, “It was just racing – me and Chris and JB.
We went down into one. I knew Chris was on the inside and JB
behind. Chris and I came together. I climbed his wheel and that
was the end of it. I got turned and went into the fence. It
happens. I’m a little sore but otherwise all right.”
Attrition at this early juncture also claimed Vern Romanoski,
Eric Lewis and Larry Lehnert.
Shullick shot off on the green ahead of Mike Lichty, Jeff
Holbrook, Cicconi, Russ Wood, Ordway Jr. and Perley
Lap 12 saw a quick yellow for Danny Lane who resumed at the
tail.
Restarts allowed challengers like Lichty and Cicconi to close up
on the Shoe II but not for long as he opened up a slight lead in
the clean air head.
Unfortunately laps 15-17 caused several delays and losses. First
Lehnert slid into the fourth turn tires and wall as the 51 of
Duggan spun and both were done. The Jeff Locke 37 suffered a
hole in the valve cover, Jamie Timmons spun and third place
runner Mike Lichty experienced a rear end problem, which caused
his demise.
It was Shullick, Cicconi, Perley, Holbrook, Ordway Jr. and
Johnny Benson the top five as the race got some green flag laps.
Unfortunately Benson’s 21 shut down on him just prior to lap 30
to bring out another later. The cause was undetermined.
Cicconi and Perley had a shot at Shullick once again, but the 61
glided away on the green. One lap later Brandon Bellinger and
Craig Rayvals had an altercation and both left the field.
Finally, with all the opening day bugs worked out, the race went
green and it went quickly as it was evident that Shullick had
command but he’d been there before and had seen his 61 fail.
This was not the case this race as he pulled away from the
battling Perley, who had taken second after the last caution and
Cicconi. Jeff Holbrook, Mike Ordway Jr., Mark Sammut, Russ Wood
and Bob Bond remained on the lead lap as the field charged under
the checkered.
Holbrook, with three cars finishing in the top seven, laughed
later as he said of his fourth place finish, “It’s nice to be
able to run and look at the smiley face on Chris’s fuel cell.
You know you’re running good when you can run with Chris. I’m
happy. The car was a little bit tight. I thought I might have
had something for those guys if we could have been freed up a
little. We all finished in the top ten. Everybody’s happy. It’s
a good start to the season.”
Young Ordway, who had new Holbrook owned mount under him, was
all smiles. “This is pretty good considering we just finished
putting the car together this morning. Right out of the box it
was pretty quick. We battled a tight condition all day. We were
real tight in the feature. We’ll take a fifth for the first run
in the car. I told the crew after the first practice that this
car is already way better than the old one. So we have a good
car to work with.”
Sammut, Wood, Bond, Timmons, and Lane finished up the top ten.
SUMMARY
- ISMA Event #1 - May 23, 2009 - WATERFORD
Heat 1: Lou Cicconi, Jamie Timmons,
Jeff Holbrook, Brandon Bellinger, Danny Lane, Mark Sammut, Eric
Lewis, Jeff Locke, Ben Seitz
Heat 2: Mike Lichty, Johnny Benson,
Chris Perley, Russ Wood, Rob Summers, Dave Sanborn, Art
Rousseau, Jeff Abold, Eric Emhoff
Heat 3: Dave Shullick Jr., Vern Romanoski, Dave
McKnight, Mike Ordway Jr., Bobby Bond, Craig Rayvals, Larry
Lehnert, Dave Duggan
Waterford ISMA 50
1. Dave Shullick Jr. (61), 2. Chris Perley (11),
3. Lou Cicconi (10), 4. Jeff Holbrook (35), 5. Mike Ordway Jr.
(41),
6. Mark Sammut (78), 7. Russ Wood (29), 8. Bobby Bond (25),
9. Jamie Timmons (27), 10. Dan Lane (9), 11. Dave Sanborn (24),
12. Artie Rousseau (616), 13. Dave Duggan (51), 14. Craig
Rayvals (95),
15. Brandon Bellinger (02), 16. Johnny Benson (21), 17. Jeff
Abold (05),
18. Mike Lichty (84), 19. Larry Lehnert (92), 20. Eric Lewis
(28),
21.Jeff Locke (37), 22. Dave McKnight (94), 23. Rob Summers
(97),
24. Vern Romanoski (5), 25. Eric Emhoff (2), 26. Ben Seitz (88). |
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HOLBROOK TEAM
BRINGS THREE-WAY THREAT TO ISMA TRAIL IN 2009 |
Oswego, NY… When the huge
red hauler pulls into the Waterford pits on May 23 for the
season opener, a trio of good ISMA cars and good ISMA drivers
plan on giving the Chris Perley-Vic Miller team a run for the
money, and the plan on winning a few races too. After putting
three cars in the top ten in ISMA points (2nd, 5th, and 9th),
the Jeff Holbrook team is more than ready to do even better in
2009.
In 2004, Oswego supermodified driver Jeff Holbrook, dabbled a
little in ISMA competition after the non-wing supermodified
season was done. In 2005, as a car owner, he brought one car to
the winged ISMA circuit with Bob Magner as his driver. One year
later, the car owner-driver, brought three potent supermodifieds
into contention and found almost immediate success. The next two
years saw more top ten placings, with sometimes four cars in
competition.
There will be three main drivers in 2009 - Jeff, Russ Wood and
young Mikey Ordway. A fourth driver, Dave Trytek, will run on a
part time basis right as plans go right now. Dave’s Drinan car
was sold to newcomer Mike Duggan earlier this year leaving
Trytek to fill in when needed.
Jeff Holbrook spoke of his stable of cars recently. “Russell has
the car that was new last year. Johnny Colloca is building a new
41 for Mike Ordway Jr. I have the same car that I’ve driven for
the past two years. And Brian Allegresso is working on an Oswego
car that we’re hoping will be ready by July 18th but it doesn’t
look like it will. It definitely will be ready for Classic.
“We have one more at Oswego which young Danny Connors will
drive. That was the 50, which we bought from Muldoon - the car I
drove in Classic last year. They brought in a motor and we
worked out a deal for them to use the car with the stipulation
that Dave would drive that car at the Classic this year. So, at
the very least, Dave will drive my wing car at the Super
Nationals and the car that the Connors have, in the Classic. I
won’t do a wing show that weekend, but will drive the new car
that Brian is building. I have high hopes for the Oswego car.
Brian’s been very successful there over the years.
Jeff attributes the team’s quick rise to success to the
equipment they have. “I think racing is 75 percent car and 25
percent driver in most cases. Russell and Chris Perley are
pretty much the exception to that rule. Those guys can take a
bad car and do well in it. With most guys, if they have a good
new car, they can do good.
Maintaining these cars takes a
lot of work, but Jeff isn’t in the garage much during the week
as he has his own business to run. The chores are shared between
his local shop and one in New England.
Said Jeff. “John Colloca is retired now from the boilermakers so
I pretty much don’t do anything in the shop in New Haven except
for Saturdays and Sundays. Throughout the season Brian has one
or two cars at Butch Valley’s New England Motor Racing Supply (NEMRS).
For instance we had the 29 at our shop a little earlier this
year and we went through and painted everything, did the frame
and all that, while Brian was working on the new car. Then two
months ago, I took the 29 up there and brought my car home. So,
the cars go back and forth all year long.”
Jeff explained that he feels the consistency of the team comes
from the experience they draw from. “In my car for example, most
of the setups are from what Pat Abold ran in 1995 and ‘96. Brian
has years and years of notes. As a crew chief he’s got hundreds
of wins, with Bentley, Abold, Gosek and the like. And, Johnny is
now accumulating notes too as we run more and more. The old
paperwork with the setups from previous years really helps. It’s
a huge advantage. Doc Hathaway put pretty much everything on
disk. He’s our statistician and has all the setups on the
computer.”
Jeff has a reasonable view of what the team could possibly do
this season. “Brian’s cars are built so that anyone can take one
of them and do well. They are just that good. We’re really
hoping Russell will win a few races this year. I thought Russ
would win a few races last year, but there was just a few things
that weren’t there on the cars and we hope we’ve got them fixed
this year. Russell is very consistent. He could get the
championship. He had a couple bad finishes and still ended up
second.
“We’ve made a few changes on my car again and I’d like to win a
couple myself. Even I had more than a few bad finishes and was
still able to finish in the top five. Mikey is starting out with
a new car. That’s hard. He’s kind of behind the eight ball.
Hopefully the car will be good out of the box. If the car is
good, he’s more than capable of doing well. Winning is nice but
you have to finish races to get a championship. I’m just as
happy when the other guys do well as if it were me. I’m as happy
being an owner as being a driver really. It gives me great
pleasure to see any of my guys doing well.
“Yes, we all would have won a few last year if it wasn’t for
Chris. Chris is always in your way. He’s the guy to beat! But,
you know he’s never lost his humility. You don’t mind getting
beat by him. He’s a true champion. There are a lot of winners
out there, you might not like, but Chris is a great winner.
We’re all hoping that his luck will run out sometime.”
Holbrook
Team Facts:
Motors: R&R did the 29 car and 35
car. Finger Lakes Machine did the one in the 41 and the one in
the Oswego car (35).
Holbrook Team Sponsors: JWJ,
Seabird Environmental, Sweet Manufacturing, Red Devil Brakes,
Woody’s Auto Repair, New England Motor Racing Supply.
The
Crew: John Colloca, Brian Allegresso, Dave Trytek, Jeff
Holbrook, Butch Ferguson, Jimmy Colloca, Eric Kingsley, Fletcher
Petrie, Bob Bouchard, Jerry Martel, Doc Hathaway, Rodney,
Russell Wood Jr. and Mike Caswell. |
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SOULE CREWMAN
BILLY DAY NEEDS OUR PRAYERS AND GET WELL WISHES |
By Carol D Haynes
I just found out that Soule crewman Billy Day has had a stroke
which occurred last week. Billy is certainly no stranger to
anyone who has been associated with a supermodified race car
over the past 25 years or more. He’s always been congenial, good
humored and an instant friend to anyone who has met him.
Evidently Billy did not show up for his usual Monday night
dinner at the Euclid Hotel so his friend Rene tried to contact
him but he did not respond. That was uncharacteristic, so she
called Danny Soule and while Soule was out of town, Todd Stowell
and Steve Burns, who were working in the garage were alerted and
they went to Billy’s house and found him unconscious. Billy, who
just recently turned 42, had suffered a bleeding stroke. He was
taken immediately to University Hospital where, as of Sunday,
May 3, he remains in the Intensive Care Unit in critical
condition. Bill has been a friend of the Soule family since the
early 1980s when they met the Day family at a race at Cayuga
Speedway. Dan, Barb and his family have been close friends and
family to Bill since that time.
Dan provided this information. “Billy remains heavily sedated.
He is on a respirator, which may be able to be removed in 2 to 3
days when the conditions are right. Then he may gain
consciousness. Bill’s mom arrived from Florida and his sister
from Oakville drove down immediately. Right now Todd, Steve,
Barb and I are alternating visits just to check on him. We’re
not sure he’s hearing us, but we think he is. While Billy can
receive visitors, right now it’s probably not a good idea. He
and his family need our prayers more.”
Dan has set up a post office box to receive mail. Anyone wishing
to send a note or card may do so to: Billy Day, PO Box 327,
Clay, NY 13041. Dan says he will pick up the mail and bring it
to the hospital each day. Get well soon Bill. We all miss you! |
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FAST TRACK
OFFERS MEMBERSHIP
for ISMA Members – Sign Up Now* |
Race season is fast
approaching for ISMA! We would like to make you aware that
your 2008 Fast Track Medical Response membership has
expired. Your black or red bracelets are no longer active.
With the tremendous growth of Fast Track and its members, we
are encouraging everyone to renew your memberships for 2009
as soon as possible! This will make things easier for you
and your supporting tracks.
This is a friendly announcement for any ISMA Members who may
be having problems renewing their Fast Track Membership.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance. We want
to assure you that your transaction will go smoothly. If you
are having issues with your renewal, you can either call us
at (860) 818-1957 or email us at –
sales@fasttrackmrs.com.
*note FREE membership for ISMA members
below.
Just to review the renewal process:
1. Got to www.fasttrackmrs.com, click on Sign Up tab and then click
on your group’s tab.
2. Your User Name and Password will be same as what you have
been using.
3. If you are a member but forgot your password, click on
the Forgot Password tab.
4. If you are signing up for the first time or changing
groups click on the Register here tab.
5. When on the Fast Track Medical Response Systems web
site’s payment screen enter the following in the promotional
code section: vip-isma (your last name). Example:
vipismabartley.
6. If you still need help, click on the Need help? tab.
Otherwise review and make any changes if needed to your
profiles. After you complete the sign-up procedure you will
be ready to purchase your 2009 membership. Again, if you are
still having a problem please contact us.
Thank you – Fast Track Medical Response Systems and ISMA |
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PRESEASON ISMA
NEWS & NOTES FOR 2009 |
(Info contributed by Carol
D Haynes, Kathy Harrington and Delores Murphy)
ISMA ROLLS BACK NOVELTY TRAILER PRICES FOR 2009
Oswego, NY – While the ISMA competitors are preparing to roll
out their winged supermodifieds for the 2009 racing season, the
ISMA management has decided to do some rolling of its own. This
season, to help battle the tough economic situation, ISMA has
been determined that all pricing at the Novelty Trailer will be
rolled back to the same pricing as in 2000.
During the entire 35th racing season, ISMA fans will be able to
pick up their favorite t-shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, hat, decal
and more at a reduced rate. While ISMA has no control over
pricing at the tracks they visit throughout the year, they can
help the fans out with that special souvenir sold at the Novelty
Trailer. The new pricing begins with the 2009 opener at
Waterford Speedbowl on May 23 and continues through the Thompson
Int’l Speedway World in October.
BEING AN ISMA MEMBER HAS BENEFITS AT THE RACES.
Just reminders that becoming a member of ISMA can help you
receive a pit admission discount at most of the races. If your
dues for 2009 have been paid you will receive a membership card
by the beginning of May. If you have not joined, anyone may do
so by contacting Delores Murphy as soon as possible at (315)
668-0068 to ensure you receive a membership card prior to
Waterford. There will be a decent discount there for ISMA
members.
CORR/PAK, ISMA’s new Canadian-based sponsor
has announced recently that in addition to their series
sponsorship contribution, they will also contribute $1,000 to be
distributed to the ISMA teams in attendance to compete at
Delaware Speedway’s doubleheader weekend in August. It is hoped
this extra money will be used to defray some of the travel costs
for those teams making the haul.
AND WHILE ON THE SUBJECT OF CANADA,
please make sure that everyone who plans to cross the border
between the U.S. and Canada has their proper paperwork to make
their trip back and for the easier.
Beginning January 31, 2008, the United States has ended the
practice of accepting oral declarations of citizenship at the
border.
U.S. citizens, ages 19 and older must present documentation that
proves both identity and citizenship. Identification documents
must include a photo, name and date of birth. View the complete
list of acceptable documents at CBP.gov for land travel and sea
travel.
Children ages 18 and under will only be required to present
proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.
U.S. citizens can also apply for a U.S. Passport Card, which
facilitates entry and expedites document processing at U.S. land
and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the
Caribbean and Bermuda. The card may not be used to travel by
air. Otherwise, it carries the rights and privileges of the U.S.
passport book and is adjudicated to the exact same standards.
Passport cards issued by the State Department cost $45 for
adults. Because the card is only useful for US borders and NOT
valid for air travel, it's wiser to spend the money on a regular
passport.
As
of June 1, 2009 crossing
the Canada/US border will require a passport or other form of
secure ID. All travelers coming from Canada and Mexico, the
Caribbean Bermuda will have to show a passport or suitable
alternative that have been limited under the new rules to
passport cards, new enhanced driver's licenses and Trusted
Traveler Programs cards, such as NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST to enter
the U.S.A. The new rules are part of the Western Hemisphere
Travel Initiative.
So check these new measures apply now to Canadians and Americans
as well. There are several sites online which explain the new
rules. Don’t get left at the border when you travel to Delaware
and Cayuga from the American side or to the U.S. from the
Canadian side!
2008-2009 ISMA YEARBOOK PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY.
It’s that time to begin the assembling of the 2008-09 ISMA
yearbook which is always a collector’s item. The yearbook recaps
the 2008 race season with race stories and photos, and also
contains up to date profiles of the ISMA drivers and owners. The
book, which is sold at all ISMA venues during the season,
provides extra revenue for the drivers’ and owners’ point fund.
Ads are currently being sold to help pay for the cost of the
book’s printing and every little bit helps. Anyone who would
like to place an ad – which are quite reasonable in cost should
contact Delores Murphy at (315) 668-0068 or Carol D Haynes at
315-342-1363. Anyone can advertise so call today.
Yearbook Profile Sheet and Ad Information
Sheet are available as PDF downloads below. The goal this year is to also reduce the
yearbook cost to the fans and bring that back to a $5.00 charge.
The more ads we get, the better the chance to meet that goal.
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ISMA FRANCHISE CAR
OWNERS
NAMED FOR 2009 SEASON |
Oswego, NY – The final ISMA
franchise car owners were announced recently for the 2009
season. Twenty-one cars are now committed to the full 16-race
season. Being a franchise car owner definitely has its
advantages as almost always among the top 20-point getters at
season’s end. In addition to receiving a little extra money in
their purse check, franchise owners receive an added bonus.
A franchise car owner receives $1000 to start a feature event
plus extra tow money depending on where they are from based on
what race track they are at. The also get the use of a
provisional and an ISMA option to gain entry into a feature
should for some reason they have not qualified. Each is for a
one-time use during a race season, but it an extremely important
perk to have.
This year’s franchise car owners and their drivers are Eddie and
Brandon Bellinger, Craig Rayvals – two cars, one drive by Craig
himself and one by Jeff Abold; Vern Romanoski (owner and
driver), Howie Lane – two cars one drive by nephew Dan Lane and
one by Robbie Summers; Rick Wentworth (Lou Cicconi), Vic Miller
(Chris Perley), Ed Matteson (Bob Bond), Jeff Holbrook – three
cars, one driven by Jeff, one by Russ Wood and one by Mike
Ordway Jr.; Dan Soule, who as of this writing has not announced
a driver; newcomers Ken Locke of Lyman, Maine and driver Jeff
Locke, of Raymond, NH, Bob Haynes Sr. (Bob Haynes Jr.), Clyde
Booth (Dave Shullick Jr.), Mark Sammut (self), Brad Lichty – two
cars, one driven by son Mike and one by Dave McKnight; Bruce
Budnick (Ben Seitz), and Ohioan Gary Lehnert (driver is his
brother Larry).
Each of these 21 car owners and drivers will be in the field
when ISMA opens its season at Waterford Speedbowl on May 23rd,
and certainly a good number more. And, each one of them will be
trying to chase down that first win of the 2009 season. |
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ISMA POINT SYSTEM
REVISED FOR 2009 |
Oswego, NY –
Last season ISMA officials experimented with a change in the
point system and found the experiment didn’t really work out.
So, for 2009, an addendum sheet was added to the official
rulebook. It is hoped this new system will be a little more
competitive for all the contestants.
In 2009 participants at an ISMA event will earn points via the
heat and feature point system (see below). All participants at
an event who attempts to qualify will receive 50 show-up points.
To classify as an attempt a car must go out for a minimum of one
practice session and make one lap under its own power. If a car
has a mechanical failure and/or accident in warm-ups, it is also
available for the non-qualifier points. In the event of a
rainout all participants in attendance will receive the 50
show-up points.
Heat race points are earned as follows: 1st -10 pts, 2nd – 8
pts, 3rd – 7 pts, 4th – 6 pts, 5th – 5, 6th – 4, 7th – 3, 8th –
2, 9th and 10th-plus 1.
The feature points earned by car owners include the 50 show up
points for the qualified cars. |
1st - 200
2nd - 188
3rd - 181
4th - 174
5th - 167
6th - 162
7th - 157
8th - 152
9th - 147
10th - 142 |
11th - 139
12th -136
13th - 133
14th - 130
15th - 127
16th - 124
17th - 121
18th - 118
19th - 115
20th - 112 |
21st - 109
22nd - 106
23rd - 103
24th-30th - 100 |
| Additional
points may be earned by leading a lap (5 pts) and leading the
most laps (5 pts). Points for ISMA are kept by statistician
Bobby Rodier and are updated after each race event. But, if
you’d like to keep the points of your favorite driver (s) for
fun, make a copy of this information for further reference.
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CORR/PAK HELPS PUT
ISMA
ON “DISPLAY” IN 2009 |
Oswego, NY – Corr/Pak
Merchandising Inc., founded in 1997, is a designer and producer
of Point of Purchase (POP) displays for retail. The company has
also been a sponsor of sprint car racing at Ohsweken Speedway in
Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada, and now has joined forces with the
winged asphalt supermods of the International Supermodified
Association. Coming on board late last year, Corr/Pak owner John
Brush has liked what he’s seen and has now committed to
financial backing in 2009.
“ISMA is looking forward to working with Corr/Pak this season
and hopefully in the future,” said ISMA president Howie Lane.
“We’re pleased they have chosen to support our supermodified
racing and we plan on spreading their name to the fans and
racing community on a professional level.”
Corr/Pak’s strong emphasis on creative design and speed of
response has seen them achieve great success in a very
competitive industry. Their in-house capabilities and broad
range of trusted suppliers enable them to develop any sort of
effective solution for any retail display needs, no matter the
materials used, whether corrugated, wood, boxboard, plastic,
wire or steel, or any combination of those.
Their one-stop POP shop includes: Display conceptualization and
rendering, Structural design and prototyping (display and
packaging), Graphic design (packaging, display, print media),
Display transit testing (actual shipping as well as official
ISTA testing), Full production capabilities for both display and
packaging needs, Assembly and co-packing, Secure warehousing for
fulfillment requirements, and Logistics and shipping.
Located in Richmond Hill, Ontario, the company can proved floor
displays, counter displays, sidekicks, dump bins, pallet
displays and permanent displays.
Corr/Pak may be reached by calling 905-709-0536 or fax
905-709-2051. Check out their many products at
www.corrpak.ca. |
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Fast Track
MEDICAL RESPONSE
SYSTEMS, LLC
The
long awaited answer to the unpredictable environment of a race
track
Computer chip with vital
medical information in a lightweight bracelet
www.fasttrackmrs.com |
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Previous
2009 and Prior Year News Stories |
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