By Camden Proud
OSWEGO, NY (July 20, 2024) – The 50-lap Novelis Supermodified feature this past Saturday night at Oswego Speedway, presented by Compass Federal Credit Union and Rock Stream Retreat, delivered a thrilling finish that had fans on the edge of their seats. Tyler Thompson secured his second feature win of the 2024 season and the ninth of his career at Oswego Speedway with a dramatic last-lap pass in lapped traffic.
The field was led to the green flag by the ‘Zero Hero’ Tim Snyder and Jack Patrick. The pair battled side by side, with the 90 of Patrick leading lap 1, but he went high in turn 1, allowing Snyder to retake the lead. Fourth starting Logan Rayvals quickly took third from Lou LeVea Jr., while early movers from deep in the field included Tyler Thompson, who climbed to sixth, Dave Shullick Jr. up to seventh from his 10th starting spot, Otto Sitterly in eighth, Michael Barnes in ninth, and Jeff Abold in 10th by the end of lap 1.
By lap 3, Shullick made a daring three-wide move under Sitterly and Camden Proud, and then passed Thompson for sixth and Dave Danzer for fifth. Shullick continued his march through the field, overtaking LeVea Jr. for fourth on lap 3, then Rayvals for third on lap 4, and finally Patrick for second on lap 7, completing an incredible charge from 10th to 2nd in less than 10 laps. On lap 10, Shullick then took the race lead from Snyder.
Patrick would continue his impressive run as well, finding the low lane underneath Snyder and into second on lap 12, while Thompson worked his way under Danzer and LeVea Jr. to get into fourth by lap 15. A lap 18 yellow for Lou LeVea Sr. restacked the field. On the restart, Thompson dove under Snyder for third, and a few laps later, he cleared Patrick for second on lap 21.
At halfway, the running order was Shullick, Thompson, Patrick, LeVea Jr., Barnes from ninth to fifth, Abold from 11th to sixth, then Snyder, Danzer, Proud, Ben Seitz, Sitterly, Joe Gosek, and Rayvals, who had fought handling issues and fell outside the top 10.
On lap 27, Danzer, Proud, Gosek, Seitz, and Sitterly were locked in a tight nose-to-tail battle for positions inside the top 10. After pitting with issues, Sitterly mounted a charge back through the field, clearing Snyder, Gosek, and Seitz all in one lap to get from 12th to ninth and back inside the top 10.
Shullick caught heavy traffic on lap 33, building a nearly straightaway lead over Thompson and a half-track lead over the rest of the field. However, when Shullick struggled to navigate through slower cars in the closing laps, Thompson reeled him in.
After clearing the first set of lappers, it appeared Shullick was in the clear with five laps to go, but he caught another slower car and struggled to get by. Coming to the white flag, Shullick went sideways making a bid under the lapped car out of turn 4, opening the door for Thompson to get underneath in turn 1 with less than a lap remaining. The two raced down the backstretch, with Thompson clearing Shullick into turn 3 and securing the win in dramatic fashion.
Shullick finished second, Barnes charged from ninth to third, and Abold from 11th to fourth, as both cars got by Patrick in the later stages. Patrick settled for a season-best fifth-place run. Completing the top 10 were Sitterly, who recovered for sixth, dropping LeVea Jr. to seventh, Danzer eighth, Proud ninth, and Seitz 10th. Gosek, Dan Connors, Rayvals, and Nick Snyder completed the on-track running order.
In victory lane, Thompson said, “We started off pretty good tonight, but right there at the end, DJ actually had a bit of a lead on me because I got really free at the end, so I honestly did not think I had anything for him. Then I saw the lapped car and figured it was my last shot, so I just started driving it in harder. I have to thank Ashley Lynn Winery, Hammond Auto, my whole crew, and my mom and dad—without any of them, this would not be possible.”
Oswego Speedway will be off this Saturday, July 27, for the Sandusky Speedway Hy-Miler, but racing action returns on August 3rd for JP Jewelers Retro Night. The event will feature Novelis Supermodifieds, Pathfinder Bank SBS, and J&S Paving 350 Supers. Tickets are available for purchase on the Speedway website by clicking the ‘Buy Tickets’ button.
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
Compass Federal Credit Union and Rock Stream Retreat
Autograph Night
Novelis Supermodifieds
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Feature (50-laps): 1. 98T TYLER THOMPSON, 2. 95 Dave Shullick, 3. 68 Michael Barnes, 4. 05 Jeff Abold, 5. 90 Jack Patrick, 6. 7 Otto Sitterly, 7. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 8. 52 Dave Danzer, 9. 54 Camden Proud, 10. 11 Ben Seitz, 11. 00 Joe Gosek, 12. 41 Dan Connors Jr, 13. 94 Logan Rayvals, 14. 20 ® Nick Snyder, 15. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 16. 0 Tim Snyder, 17. 75 Brian Osetek, 18. 02 Brandon Bellinger
Heat 1 (12-laps): 1. 52 Dave Danzer, 2. 05 Jeff Abold, 3. 98T Tyler Thompson, 4. 0 Tim Snyder, 5. 41 Dan Connors Jr, 6. 66 Lou LeVea Sr.
Heat 2 (12-laps): 1. 7 Otto Sitterly, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 90 Jack Patrick, 4. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 5. 02 Brandon Bellinger DNS 75 Brian Osetek
Heat 3 (12-laps): 1. 94 Logan Rayvals, 2. 68 Michael Barnes, 3. 54 Camden Proud, 4. 11 Ben Seitz, 5. 00 Joe Gosek, 6. 20 ® Nick Snyder
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer ($100 bonus to the highest finishing driver who has never won a feature at Oswego Speedway): #90 Jack Patrick
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger ($25 bonus to the driver advancing the most positions): #95 Dave Shullick Jr.