From Camden Proud
WILLIAMSON, NY (June 29, 2018) – Dave Cliff, the defending Pathfinder Bank SBS track champion at Oswego Speedway, drove Tim Barbeau’s No. 50 to his second victory in three events with the Lighthouse Lanes Small Block Supermodified Series this past Friday night at Spencer Speedway.
In the division’s first appearance at Spencer since 2009, the main event lineup for the evening was based off of a redraw following the 10-lap qualifier won earlier in the program by Dalton Doyle.
The results of the redraw saw veteran Barry Kingsley pull the pole with Doyle lining up on the outside of the front row while Cliff and Cameron Black fired from row to for the 25-lap feature.
On the initial start, Doyle jumped to the lead from the outside part of the speedway with Cliff grabbing the runner up position almost right away.
Early on it appeared as if Doyle would lead for the duration, but the No. 01 machine got a little bit too tight approaching the halfway point, allowing Cliff to close in and eventually make a low side move for the lead going into the third corner on lap 14.
Five laps after passing Doyle for the lead, Cliff had caught lapped traffic, but that was only until the lone caution flag of the race was put in the air when Mike Bruce lost the handle on the No. 22 while working on Kingsley for the third spot.
Bruce had driven from last to fourth, but in a rather frightening incident, the president of the series instead found himself sliding through the grass and catching air time on one of the infield tire mounds. Bruce was unhurt and escaped with little damage.
Despite lining up double file for the restart with only six laps remaining, Cliff was able to hold off any challenges and walk away with the victory worth $500; his second with the series after dominating the ‘Fall Brawl’ at Evans Mills Speedway last September.
“This was a fun track, I think it’s good for these cars,” Cliff said in victory lane. “Oswego is a big momentum place, but this was a lot different for us. I really wish more guys would have chose to come out and support this show, but hopefully we put on a good race for everyone here.”
With Cliff taking the win, Doyle remained in second, Kingsley third, and rookie Joshua Sokolic capitalized on the caution flag to get up to the fourth spot with Greg O’Connor in fifth, Cameron Black in sixth, and Bruce rounding out the field in seventh.
The next event for the Lighthouse Lanes SBS Series will take place in just over two months when the Small Blocks return to the Evans Mills Speedway on Sunday, September 16 for the second annual ‘Fall Brawl 50’ in the North Country.
For more information on the Lighthouse Lanes SBS Series, be sure to visit online at LighthouseLanesSBSSeries.com. You can also FOLLOW on Twitter @LHLSBSupers or LIKE on Facebook at Facebook.com/LighthouseLanesSBS.
About the Lighthouse Lanes SBS Series: The Lighthouse Lanes SBS Series is a northeast Small Block Supermodified touring club showcasing the stars and cars of Oswego Speedway’s Pathfinder Bank SBS division. Formed in the spring of 2017 by drivers Mike Bruce and Camden Proud in conjunction with Bob Hoefer at Lighthouse Lanes in Oswego, NY, the series is set to be a three race venture in 2018 and is made possible by the support of Lighthouse Lanes, Cam’s NY Pizzeria, as well as the dedicated team owners, drivers, and fans of Small Block Supermodified racing.
Lighthouse Lanes SBS Series ‘Friday Night Lights’ 25 at Spencer Speedway – Friday, June 29, 2018:
Feature (25-laps): 1. 50 DAVE CLIFF, 2. 01 Dalton Doyle, 3. 91 Barry Kingsley, 4. 26 Joshua Sokolic ®, 5. 90 Greg O’Connor, 6. 23 Cameron Black, 7. 22 Michael Bruce
Qualifying Race (10-laps): 1. 01 Dalton Doyle, 2. 50 Dave Cliff, 3. 91 Barry Kingsley, 4. 23 Cameron Black, 5. 90 Greg O’Connor, 6. 26 Joshua Sokolic ®, 7. 22 Michael Bruce