Oswego results 2003-07-05

Oswego, NY - Rain just won't stop playing a role in the area racing in 2003. What started as a nice July 5th day, ended in rain showers at Oswego Speedway Saturday shortening the program to just one almost-complete feature. The supermodified main was six laps from completion when yellow fell on the field. Ironically, the outcome of the race was decided as much by the yellow as by the rain which began to fall at almost the same time. Race leader Otto Sitterly was trying to come under a lap car, which had been black-flagged off the track as Joe Gosek was chasing Sitterly in second. Sitterly and the Magner 40 brushed, with the 40 needing a hook. Otto had to come into the pits with a tire going down leaving Gosek out in front as the rain began to fall. The race was called complete soon thereafter. The feature finish was according to the Oswego rulebook, based on exactly how the race would have lined up had the Supermodifieds been able to restart. Because Sitterly had pitted, he would have started at the rear had the race resumed. Joe Gosek would have been the leader hence he was awarded the win as the rain began to fall harder. It was somewhat of a consolation to the Oswego driver who lost the previous week's feature near race end in similar fashion.

Said Joe in a soggy victory lane, "It was tough tonight. A lot of cars were really fast. I was just trying to pick away. A few guys spun out. It was a lot tougher this week and it's going to get a lot tougher yet. This was Otto's race. He was really fast. I would have rather finished the race. Last week I think we restarted the race at lap 39 and I lost it. This week I was out there and just put the hammer down. It worked out tonight. I want to thank Mike and the whole crew. They worked really hard. A lot of people don't give him a lot of credit. Mike puts a lot of hard work and dedication into his cars. He gives me a great car. I feel I really want to do my best for him. I want to thank Burke's Home Centers and all our sponsors. We'll be back again next week to try it again."

Second place finisher Ray Graham, who hauls in weekly from Des Moines, Iowa, was more than pleased with second. "It was a crazy race," said Graham as the rain fell in the pits. The car's not wrecked. It's in one piece. We'll go home and work on it to get it a little bit fast. Once we ran few laps, it became really fast. It was just slow on the restarts, that it where we lost the positions. So we'll work on that and come back and try it again.

Third place runner Dave Trytek was more succinct. "What can I say? I'm hot. I'm wet and we're done. I'm happy for that. And, I'm in third. And I think we moved up in points too. This is good for the whole Holbrook team."

After the qualifying was done, twenty-five supers scurried to the line as dark clouds began to form out over Lake Ontario. The race, however, didn't even make a lap before red fell for a rollover by Bill Peri which had been set up at the front of the pack but rippled back to send Peri up and over Keith Gilliam's tire and onto his top. Peri was okay. Both cars were hooked, but Gilliam was able to restart. The previous week's winner, Jeff Holbrook, also was affected and had to pit.

On the complete restart, Todd Stowell, in a brand new 89, took off in the lead trailed by Ray Graham and Jerry Curran as others began to sort through the order. Stow ell's great run ended by lap 14, however, when telltale smoke began to emanate from the rear. He was pulled over for a check when the yellow flew for the 25 of Bob Bond. Stowell was sent pitside to repair a leaking shock. The crew was working frantically to make the repairs but the white was shown, leaving the former race leader behind. Luck prevailed for Stowell, however, when yellow fell again before a lap was complete when Jerry Curran spun. This time Stowell joined the field at the rear but not for long as he repitted moments later.

In the meantime, Otto Sitterly put the hammer down and was past Ray Graham for the lead on lap 17. Yellow flew a second time for Curran one lap later and the 24 was parked for the night.

Sitterly took off like a shot on the restart, but was dogged by Graham as Joe Gosek, Dave Trytek and Tim Gareau chased. Weather was on everyone's mind as the sky darkened at each circuit.

At the halfway mark, Sitterly had a commanding lead with Graham, Gosek, Trytek and Gareau in a tight line behind. Bob Goutermout, Tim Snyder, Greg Furlong and Howie Page formed another quintet behind them.

The race flew by quickly for Sitterly, as he appeared headed for his first of the season, but just as Gosek looked like a winner the week before, it was not to be. Gosek had moved into second by lap 26 and the front two began to find a tough road ahead with traffic beginning to play a role. The 79 and 50 were threading their way in and out of slower cars when Sitterly came up on an already black-flagged 40 of Bob Magner whose crew had asked the starter to bring that car in. Sitterly and Magner brushed causing Otto's tire to go down and in the pit he went. Unfortunately, while Magner was being hooked, spits of rain had begun. White came over the radio. Gosek hit the pedal and took off but it was to no avail. Yellow was called almost as quickly, as the rain fell harder and safety was now the main concern as track conditions worsened. The cars were brought into the pits, but the end was near. The race was declared final soon thereafter, with the giant fireworks display sent up despite the wet conditions.

The top five was established as Gosek, Graham, Dave Trytek, Tim Gareau and Bob Goutermout. Tim Snyder, Greg Furlong, Howie Page, Bobby Santos and Craig Rayvals rounded out the top ten.

Earlier in the evening, super stock heats went to Chris Lupa and Doug Reaume with limited heats taken by Jack Patrick, Steve Austin and Rob Pullen. The limited consi was won by Kris Meyn for his first-ever checkered while Graham, Stowell and Goutermout won the supermodified heats. Keith Gilliam came home the victor in the consi. Heat one for the supers saw an extremely hard hit to the front wall by rookie Jim Turner who upended a slew of foam blocks before ending in the first turn. Turner was shaken and transported to Oswego Hospital for a check over.

The July 5 scheduled super stock and limited super mains will be run first on July 12 with the regularly scheduled slate, which includes Cup Lites, to follow. Pit gates open at 2 pm, grandstands at 3 pm and the rained out limited feature will go on the line at 5 pm. There will be no rain checks honored, as the July 5 show was considered complete as per the rules.

FINAL RACE RESULTS 7/5/03 Updated 9:30 pm (Rain Shortened)
CAR COUNT: Supermodifieds (29) / Limiteds (34) / Super Stocks (15)

SUPER STOCKS

SUPER STOCK HEAT #1
1. Chris Lupa (46) 2. Joe Skilinski (4) 3. Bruce Stanton (93) 4. Dwayne LeMay (12) 5. Chris Smiedy (71) 6. Kelly Miller (8) 7. Jason Spaulding (34) DNS

SUPER STOCK HEAT #2
1. Doug Reaume (99) 2. Bobby Newman (77) 3.David Bock (85) 4. Joe Miller (9) 5. JJ Courcy (20) 6. David Fetterly (21) 7. George Knight (38)

LIMITEDS

LIMITED HEAT #1
1. Jack Patrick (9) 2. Bill Moore (7) 3. Tony White (4) 4. Mike Bond (90) 5. Shawn Walker (68) 6. Andy Noto (19) 7. Chip Wood (5) 8. Star Matteson (82) 9. Jeff Jones (02) 10. Kris Meyn (86) 11. Pat Mullen (32) 12. Tim Barbeau (50) DNS

LIMITED HEAT #2
1. Steve Austin (66) 2. Lou LeVea (96) 3. Dave Gruel (18) 4. Doug Cliff (61) 5. Dave Cliff (06) 6. Chris Proud (3) 7. Guard Nearbin (78) 8. Kevin Knopp (94) 9. Stanley Gates (12) 10. Jamie Timmons (0) 11. Mike Bozzuto (8)

LIMITED HEAT #3
1. Rob Pullen (2) 2. Brian Nappa (36) 3. Mark Regan (69) 4. Gregg Davis (89) 5. Jim Guyle (20) 6. Doug Reaume (95) 7. Bob Bogwicz (99) 8. Michael Barnes (43) 9. Dan Kapuscinski (00) 10. JJ Andrews (93) 11. Jason Cliff (60)

LIMITED CONSI
1. Kris Meyn (86) 2. Kevin Knopp (94) 3. Star Matteson (82) 4. Stanley Gates (12) 5. JJ Andrews (93) 6. Dan Kapuscinski (00) 7. Tim Barbeau (50) 8. Jamie Timmons (0) 9. Jeff Jones (02) 10. Mike Bozzuto (8) 11. Michael Barnes (43) 12. Jason Cliff (60) 13. Pat Mullen (32) DNS

SUPERMODIFIEDS

SUPERMODIFIED HEAT #1
1. Ray Graham Jr (90) 2. Jerry Curran (24) 3. Tim Gareau Jr (5) 4. Otto Sitterly (79) 5. Bob Magner (40) 6. Bob Bond (25) 7. Dennis Wilson (20) 8. Shannon Groves (07) 9. Jim Turner (98) 10. Joe Chillemi (41) DNS

SUPERMODIFIED HEAT #2
1. Todd Stowell (89) 2. Tim Snyder (0) 3. Greg Furlong (72) 4. Craig Rayvals (94) 5. Bobby Santos III (44) 6. Jeff Holbrook (35) 7. Keith Gilliam (87) 8. Pat Lavery (99) 9. Brian Sweeney (3) 10. Dave Halstead Jr (34) DNS

SUPERMODIFIED HEAT #3
1. Bob Goutermout (77) 2. Joe Gosek (50) 3. Howard Page (18) 4. Dave Trytek (70) 5. Doug Didero (08) 6. Hal LaTulip (56) 7. Bill Peri (14) 8. Doug Kells (39) 9. Robert Parrow (21)

SUPERMODIFIED CONSI
1. Keith Gilliam (87) 2. Dennis Wilson (20) 3. Shannon Groves (07) 4. Bill Peri (14) 5. Pat Lavery (99) 6. Doug Kells (39) 7. Brian Sweeney (3) 8. Robert Parrow (21) 9. Joe Chillemi (41) DNS

SUPERMODIFIED FEATURE (39) Rain Shortened
1. Joe Gosek (50) 2. Ray Graham Jr (90) 3. Dave Trytek (70) 4. Tim Gareau Jr (5) 5. Bob Goutermout (77) 6. Tim Snyder (0) 7. Greg Furlong (72) 8. Howard Page (18) 9. Bobby Santos III (44) 10. Craig Rayvals (94) 11. Doug Didero (08) 12. Jeff Holbrook (35) 13. Bob Bond (25) 14. Dennis Wilson (20) 15. Otto Sitterly (79) 16. Bob Magner (40) 17. Pat Lavery (99) 18. Hal LaTulip (56) 19. Brian Sweeney (3) 20. Shannon Groves (07) 21. Keith Gilliam (87) 22. Doug Kells (39) 23. Jerry Curran (24) 24. Todd Stowell (89) 25. Bill Peri (14)