By Camden Proud
OSWEGO, NY (May 26, 2024) – The much-anticipated season opener for the J&S Paving 350 Supermodifieds kicked off with an action-packed 30-lap, $2,050 to win ‘Clash for Cliff’ this past Saturday night at Oswego Speedway.
As the green flag waved, pole-sitter Mike Bruce edged out in front with defending track champion Josh Sokolic quickly slotting into second from the outside of row 2.
The race saw its first yellow flag on lap 4 as last year’s Classic champion, Jeffrey Battle, suffered a hard hit down the backstretch after a parts failure on the No. 14.
This incident led to a dramatic choose restart where leaders Bruce and Sokolic collided in turn 1. The crash sent Bruce hard into the outside wall and also collected Eddie Witkum Jr. and Barry Kingsley.
Following a lengthy cleanup, the field was reordered with Nick Barzee assuming the lead, followed by Kyle Perry in second, Jim Storace in third from his eighth starting position, and Ryan Battle now in fourth from ninth.
As the race resumed, Barzee initially pulled away on the long run, but Battle was on a mission. On lap 8, Battle made a decisive move to take third from fellow New England driver Storace.
With 10 laps remaining, Battle set his sights on Perry, executing a bold pass around the outside to secure second place on lap 20. Despite Battle’s charge, Barzee maintained a substantial lead.
Time was running out and it was still Barzee comfortably ahead, followed by Battle, Perry, Storace, and rookie Griffin Miller rounding out the top five.
As the laps wound down, Battle did close the gap to just a couple of car lengths with five laps remaining. However, Barzee’s lead proved to be a bit too much, and he crossed the finish line first to claim his second career J&S Paving 350 Supermodified victory.
“I just pulled away at the beginning and tried to hold onto the lead,” mentioned Barzee. “The car tightened up real bad at the end, but it was good enough to get the win so I’m pretty happy. I’d like to thank JP Jewelers, JK Tobin, Salt Springs Paving, MARDON, Barzee Autobody, and A&P Auto Parts.”
Battle finished a strong second, with Perry in third. Storace held on for fourth, and Miller filled in the top five. The rest of the top ten included Brendan Young, Noah Ratcliff, Talen Hawksby, and despite their earlier incident, Bruce and Sokolic.
Reflecting on his second-place finish, the defending Star Classic Champion Battle commented, “I wanted to get to the front right from the beginning. The car was going pretty good. I am happy with the second, but I wish I was able to make a move when I caught Nick (Barzee) and didn’t sort of get stuck the last couple laps, but I have to thank all my sponsors; Scherbon Consolidated, Westford Glass, Eastside Nutrition, Tom Siembor, Brian West, Uncle Bob, my Grandfather, Roland, Zach and Dylan, all you guys make this possible and I wish I had one more spot for you.”
Perry, who finished third, commented on the challenges he faced: “We weren’t very good all night, especially in the feature. I was just kind of sliding all over the place and we were lucky to hang on for third. We’ll go back next week, work on it a little bit and see if we can get a couple spots better. Thanks to Bellinger Auto, Gibby’s Irish Pub, Orange Crate Brewing Company, JGR Motorsports, and 21 Tequila.”
On Saturday, June 1, action resumes at Oswego Speedway with the 50-lap, $6,000 to win ISMA/MSS/Oswego Novelis Supers Winged Challenge Opener. The points season continues for the J&S Paving 350 Supers with a 30-lap feature, and the Pathfinder Bank SBS with a 35-lap event. Tickets are available at OswegoSpeedway.com – just click on “Buy Tickets.”
Stay connected with Oswego Speedway for more information. Visit OswegoSpeedway.com, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@OswegoSpeedway), and Instagram (@OfficialOswegoSpeedway).
About Oswego Speedway: Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile semi-banked pavement racing oval located off the shores of Lake Ontario in scenic Oswego, NY. The speedway has been a continuously run weekly racing venue since August 1951. The premier open-wheel pavement short track cars in the world, Supermodifieds, run weekly at the Oswego Speedway making it the only weekly Supermodified racing venue in the world. The Small Block Supermodifieds and 350 Supermodifieds accompany the full blown Supers on a weekly Saturday night schedule which runs from May through September. Oswego Speedway is mentioned in racing circles as the “Indy of the East,” as no fewer than a dozen past and present competitors have competed at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway including Mario Andretti, two-time Indy 500 champion Gordon Johncock, and former International Classic Champions Bentley Warren, Joe Gosek, and Davey Hamilton.
RESULTS
Barlow’s Concessions 73rd Season Kickoff
J&S Paving 350 Super ‘Clash for Cliff’
Saturday, May 25, 2024
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
‘Clash for Cliff’ Feature (30-laps): 1. 31 NICK BARZEE, 2. 21 Ryan Battle, 3. 20 Kyle Perry, 4. 47 Jim Storace, 5. 9 ® Griffin Miller, 6. 75 ® Brendan Young, 7. 73 ® Noah Ratcliff, DNF 8. 79 Talen Hawksby, 9. 22 Mike Bruce, 10. 6 Josh Sokolic, 11. 39 Eddie Witkum Jr, 12. 91 Barry Kingsley, 13. 14 Jeffrey Battle
Heat 1 (10-laps): 1. 47 Jim Storace, 2. 14 Jeffrey Battle, 3. 22 Mike Bruce, 4. 39 Eddie Witkum Jr, 5. 79 Talen Hawksby, 6. 75 Brendan Young ®
Heat 2 (10-laps): 1. 31 Nick Barzee, 2. 6 Josh Sokolic, 3. 21 Ryan Battle, 4. 20 Kyle Perry, 5. 9 ® Griffin Miller, 6. 73 ® Noah Ratcliff, 7. 91 Barry Kingsley
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer ($100 bonus to the highest finishing driver who has never won a feature at Oswego Speedway): #21 Ryan Battle