Oswego Speedway banquet set

The final event of Oswego Speedway's 51st season - the Awards Banquet and Hall of Fame Inductions - will be held at the Liverpool Holiday Inn Convention Center on Saturday, November 3rd. Among the highlights of the banquet will be the awards to the top Supermodified and Limited Supermodified owners by the Eagles Fan Club. The year-long effort by the club has yielded over $20,000 in cash for the two divisions.

Also that night, six new members will be inducted into Oswego Speedway's prestigious Hall of Fame. The 2001 Class is again talent-laden and diverse, reflecting the rich history of racing at Oswego over the past fifty-plus years.

Kenny Andrews, from Burlington, Ontario was a hard-charging driver and builder who competed at Oswego Speedway from the mid-60's through 1974. He became the first Canadian track champion in 1969 and the first Budweiser International Classic winner in 1973 from North of the border. Andrews amassed 20 career supermodified wins in a little over 10 years. He was successful at many other track around the Northeast and Canada during his career as well.

Art Bennett, from Battle Creek, MI had never raced at Oswego Speedway when he shocked the local racing scene by winning the 1961 International Classic..

That year, track owners decided to make the Classic an "open competition" event. Invaders Bennett, Gordon Johncock and dozens of other competitors from the midwest and Canada brought their homebuilt creations called "supermodifieds" to Oswego - and the rest is history. With the supers competing weekly since 1962, Bennett became a weekly fixture at the track, capturing the '62 Classic with six wins and 13 top five finishes.

Fulton, NY driver Ronnie Wallace's Oswego Speedway career spanned four decades - from 1957 through the early 80's. He competed in both the Modified "A" division and the Flathead "B" division and then successfully made the conversion to supermodifieds in 1962, driving the Dick Dumigan #90 for several seasons. Wallace teamed up with owners Roscoe Towne and Dick Rayner in the mid -70's as they captured the 1975 Track Championship. Never an owner, Ronnie was one of the most sought-after drivers because of his steady and consistent driving style and his ability to raise the level of performance of a racing team.

Ron Buckner, from Webster, NY was a Xerox engineer who wanted to try his hand at driving supermodifieds during the 1970's. He soon discovered that his talent was in designing and building supers and when he hired Bobby Stelter in 1974, he began to experience the success he had sought. His greatest achievements would come a couple of years later when he hired Hall of Fame driver Chuck Ciprich to drive the #36 mid-way through the 1976 season. Together they won back to back Classics in 1978 and 1979, only the second team at the time to accomplish that feat. In 1982, Ron and Chuck attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 in their own entry, but lack of financing restricted their USAC career to several Indy car events at Michigan and several other venues.

The voice of Oswego Speedway for over thirty years, Baldwinsville, NY's Jack Burgess set the standard for racing announcers throughout the Northeastern United States. A consummate professional, Burgess announced at many different racing events including Brewerton, the State Fair and, up until his passing, weekly DIRT events and Super DIRT Week. The mere sound of Jack's distinctive voice could make the most uninteresting race seem like the most exciting event ever! Burgess was had a knack of creating nicknames for drivers, including "The Flyin' Fisherman Bentley Warren," "The Little Tiger Sammy Sessions," and "The Wild Irishman Jack Murphy."

Maynard Troyer, from Rochester, NY is the 2001 Special Achievement Award recipient. Troyer was a fixture at the modified events staged at Oswego Speedway from 1968 through the early 1980's with his immaculate #6. Troyer won 8 times at Oswego Speedway and had 18 top five finishes during that span. He also competed in the 1977 International Classic in Jimmy Shampine's backup 8-ball. A successful builder as well, Troyer cars remain the standard for both dirt and asphalt modifieds throughout the Northeast. He built several supermodifieds also, for Dean Hoag and car owner Skip Matczak, during his career as a builder. Troyer competed and won all over the United States and Canada. He also raced in the 1970 Daytona 500.

The Holiday Inn Convention Center is located off exit 37 of the NYS Thruway.. The evening begins at 6:00pm with cash bar, full buffet dinner at 7:00pm, award ceremonies beginning at 8:00pm and live entertainment from 9:30PM-1:00am. Tickets are $30 each, tables of 8 for $240, tables of 10 for $300 and a limited number of tables for 12 for $360 can be reserved by calling Oswego Speedway offices at (315) 342-1363, fax (315) 343-3829 or writing Oswego Speedway, Inc., P.O. 3043, 300 E. Albany St., Oswego, NY 13126. Tickets can also be purchased at the office which is open from 8AM-4PM Mon.-Fri. Visa, M/C, AMEX, Discover cards are accepted.

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