5/23/10
Otto Sitterly And Andrew Schartner Grab Oswego Checkers
By Dan Johnson
Otto Sitterly And Andrew Schartner Grab Oswego Checkers
By Dan Johnson
Otto Sitterly made it two for two at Oswego Speedway in 2010, as he raced his way to the top
step of the podium in the supermodified 45 lap feature event Saturday night. Sitterly started
seventh, took the lead from Brampton, Ontario’s Dave McKnight on lap 36, and drove away for
the 3.73 second victory. Dating back to the 2009 International Classic, it was Sitterly’s third
consecutive win.
Bobby Magner and Tim Snyder led the 16 car parade to Donnie Forbes starter sticks, as the
pair raced side by side, wheel to wheel in the opening segments of the event. Snyder inched the
0 in front along the back stretch, as the field looked for racing room early.
Sitterly immediately went to his familiar inside groove, while McKnight and Jeff Holbrook tried
to clear traffic in the outer reaches of the speedway. Snyder raced his 0around the track at a clip
around the 17.48 mark, as he opened a five car gap ahead of Magner, Pat Lavery, Doug Didero,
McKnight, Ray Graham, Sitterly, Keith Shampine, Joey Payne and Holbrook as the race reached
lap 5.
The top six began to separate themselves as the race stayed green. Lap 10, the complexion of
the race took a major turn. Track record holder Doug Didero’s #3 bobbled as it exited turn four,
where the nose wing came off the car, onto the speedway surface, necessitating the first caution
flag of the race. Didero pitted, as the crew made repairs to the ailing car. During this slowdown,
sheet metal from the #3 became lodged on the nose of fifth running McKnight’s 08 car. Track
officials were able to remove the debris without the 08 being penalized.
On the restart, Snyder’s 0 bogged down in front of the field, as a chain reaction jam up
occurred. Lou Levea’s 61 was the victim of the chain reaction, as his 61 received right front
damage ending his race. Simultaneously, Didero’s 3 came to a stop on the back stretch, as the
chain reaction accident also claimed the Xtreme 3, ending it’s night on lap 10. It was later
discovered a loose mag wire was the culprit on the 0, causing the slowdown.
Magner inherited the point, with Lavery, McKnight, Sitterly and Graham in tow on the take off.
Graham’s 90 didn’t take off at full song, as Shampine, Holbrook and Payne freight trained the 90
on the restart. Also on the restart, Keith Shampine’s 88 was penalized for jumping the start.
McKnight went back to the high side, as he passed Lavery for second along the grandstand
straightaway for the runner up spot. Sitterly wanted to remain in contact, and he shot by Lavery
on lap 16 on the front straight also.
The Magner, McKnight, Sitterly train broke away from the pack, as an entertaining three car
race thrilled the fans. Lap 20 had fans on their feet, as the trio raced up to the slower car of Tim
Snyder. The lead trio all picked their favorite grooves as they came at full song out of turn four,
McKnight went high, Magner chose the middle, and Sitterly went low, as Snyder’s car came into
play. As they reached turn one, McKnight’s 08 was in the lead, with the 41 and 7 behind.
McKnight’s first lap at the point was clocked at 17.33m as he looked to open a gap on his foes.
Lap 23, Sitterly moved to second by Magner, and looked to close the 1.67 gap McKnight has
built. McKnight came into lapped traffic on lap 25, with Sitterly chopping the lead considerably.
Further back, Joey Payne had the older 99 car perking, as he wheeled by Holbrook t move into
the top five. Lap 30, he shot by Lavery for fourth, and kept the momentum going as one lap later
he moved by Magner for third 4.12 seconds behind the high flying leaders.
Backup front, a two car race developed between the 08 and 7, as it was evident this was going
to be decided between these two veterans. Lap after lap, Sitterly looked to the inside of the 08
coming out of the corner, but had to back out. Lap 36, Sitterly had the opening he was looking
for, s he got a good bite coming out of turn four, and the car stuck on the inside, and completed
the pass for the eventual win.
“I could turn under him, David was fast in the middle, and just seemed to come off the bottom,”
he said of the pass. “I’m not sure if he pushed off, or was a little loose chasing it. but he just
came off the bottom and I just took it.”
Sitterly instantly quickened the race pace, as he circled the speedway at a 17.02 lap, and within
three laps, built a 2.56 second lead. The field raced all around the speedway as lapped wound
down. The race went straight to the checkered flag, with the #7 ending the race with a 17.02 lap,
enroute to the 3.73 second victory.
McKnight brought the Syrell 08 home with it’s best run of the year with a second place finish.
“We got all the way to the front on the outside groove tonight. The car was solid, just Otto was a
little better. Congratulations to Otto.”
“We have a good, consistent car,” Joey Payne said of his third place run with the older 99. “I
don’t know what it is, but the new car doesn’t want me to drive it. Congratulations to Otto and
Dave, but we hope to knock them off the top spots soon.”
step of the podium in the supermodified 45 lap feature event Saturday night. Sitterly started
seventh, took the lead from Brampton, Ontario’s Dave McKnight on lap 36, and drove away for
the 3.73 second victory. Dating back to the 2009 International Classic, it was Sitterly’s third
consecutive win.
Bobby Magner and Tim Snyder led the 16 car parade to Donnie Forbes starter sticks, as the
pair raced side by side, wheel to wheel in the opening segments of the event. Snyder inched the
0 in front along the back stretch, as the field looked for racing room early.
Sitterly immediately went to his familiar inside groove, while McKnight and Jeff Holbrook tried
to clear traffic in the outer reaches of the speedway. Snyder raced his 0around the track at a clip
around the 17.48 mark, as he opened a five car gap ahead of Magner, Pat Lavery, Doug Didero,
McKnight, Ray Graham, Sitterly, Keith Shampine, Joey Payne and Holbrook as the race reached
lap 5.
The top six began to separate themselves as the race stayed green. Lap 10, the complexion of
the race took a major turn. Track record holder Doug Didero’s #3 bobbled as it exited turn four,
where the nose wing came off the car, onto the speedway surface, necessitating the first caution
flag of the race. Didero pitted, as the crew made repairs to the ailing car. During this slowdown,
sheet metal from the #3 became lodged on the nose of fifth running McKnight’s 08 car. Track
officials were able to remove the debris without the 08 being penalized.
On the restart, Snyder’s 0 bogged down in front of the field, as a chain reaction jam up
occurred. Lou Levea’s 61 was the victim of the chain reaction, as his 61 received right front
damage ending his race. Simultaneously, Didero’s 3 came to a stop on the back stretch, as the
chain reaction accident also claimed the Xtreme 3, ending it’s night on lap 10. It was later
discovered a loose mag wire was the culprit on the 0, causing the slowdown.
Magner inherited the point, with Lavery, McKnight, Sitterly and Graham in tow on the take off.
Graham’s 90 didn’t take off at full song, as Shampine, Holbrook and Payne freight trained the 90
on the restart. Also on the restart, Keith Shampine’s 88 was penalized for jumping the start.
McKnight went back to the high side, as he passed Lavery for second along the grandstand
straightaway for the runner up spot. Sitterly wanted to remain in contact, and he shot by Lavery
on lap 16 on the front straight also.
The Magner, McKnight, Sitterly train broke away from the pack, as an entertaining three car
race thrilled the fans. Lap 20 had fans on their feet, as the trio raced up to the slower car of Tim
Snyder. The lead trio all picked their favorite grooves as they came at full song out of turn four,
McKnight went high, Magner chose the middle, and Sitterly went low, as Snyder’s car came into
play. As they reached turn one, McKnight’s 08 was in the lead, with the 41 and 7 behind.
McKnight’s first lap at the point was clocked at 17.33m as he looked to open a gap on his foes.
Lap 23, Sitterly moved to second by Magner, and looked to close the 1.67 gap McKnight has
built. McKnight came into lapped traffic on lap 25, with Sitterly chopping the lead considerably.
Further back, Joey Payne had the older 99 car perking, as he wheeled by Holbrook t move into
the top five. Lap 30, he shot by Lavery for fourth, and kept the momentum going as one lap later
he moved by Magner for third 4.12 seconds behind the high flying leaders.
Backup front, a two car race developed between the 08 and 7, as it was evident this was going
to be decided between these two veterans. Lap after lap, Sitterly looked to the inside of the 08
coming out of the corner, but had to back out. Lap 36, Sitterly had the opening he was looking
for, s he got a good bite coming out of turn four, and the car stuck on the inside, and completed
the pass for the eventual win.
“I could turn under him, David was fast in the middle, and just seemed to come off the bottom,”
he said of the pass. “I’m not sure if he pushed off, or was a little loose chasing it. but he just
came off the bottom and I just took it.”
Sitterly instantly quickened the race pace, as he circled the speedway at a 17.02 lap, and within
three laps, built a 2.56 second lead. The field raced all around the speedway as lapped wound
down. The race went straight to the checkered flag, with the #7 ending the race with a 17.02 lap,
enroute to the 3.73 second victory.
McKnight brought the Syrell 08 home with it’s best run of the year with a second place finish.
“We got all the way to the front on the outside groove tonight. The car was solid, just Otto was a
little better. Congratulations to Otto.”
“We have a good, consistent car,” Joey Payne said of his third place run with the older 99. “I
don’t know what it is, but the new car doesn’t want me to drive it. Congratulations to Otto and
Dave, but we hope to knock them off the top spots soon.”
Mark Castiglia and Andrew Schartner paced the 22 car SBS field as they lined up two by two, ten
rows deep plus one, to start their 30 lap main event. Castiglia got a good start, and pulled his
#90 to the point as the field scattered behind. Lap 2, Schartner, got underneath the 90, and took
the lead from his front row mate.
Dave Cliff had the 06 working well early, as he found the inside groove to his liking. He
worked his way to fourth on lap 3, then wheeled by Billy Moore after a lap 4 restart. Lap 4 proved
tough for the field, as cautions slowed the event. First a precautionary yellow came out, then a
multi car accident on the back straightaway sidelined the Chris Proud, Tim Barbeau, and Jason
Simmons. Mike Bond’s 26 went pitside as smoke poured from the 26.
Lap 5, the caution fever continued as front runners Krieg Heroth and Steve Abt saw thoughts
of a win go off on hooks. Back racing again, Cliff continued his way to the front, as he worked
by Castiglia into second, bringing Stan Gates along with him to third. The 06 and 60 were eight
lengths behind Schartner as they began to chase down the 18.
Coming on strong from his fourth row starting spot was Brian Sobus, as the 79 wheeled its way
up to third on lap ten, as he disposed of Gates. Cliff and Sobus raced up to Schartner’s bumper
the next few laps with laps of 19.51, and the lead trio showed this one was going to be decided
between the 18, 06, and 79 machines.
A two car tango in turn one slowed the field on lap 13, and closed everyone up bumper to
bumper, as they charge for the finish was on.
As the top three pulled away, Mike Bond recovered from its earlier ailment, as he was now up
to 6th place, but needed a caution to catch the leaders. Schartner kept control, as Cliff looked
high and low to get by. Whichever lane Cliff chose, Sobus picked the other to fill the whole. Lap
after lap, Cliff would try the 18 on the low side in the straights, but couldn’t make it stick. Sobus
was stuck back behind, patiently waiting for something to happen in front of him. Schartner
remained perfectly in the groove he needed to stay on point, as he kept the 06 and 79 on his
bumper, all the way to the green flag finish.
“That was a lot of fun out there tonight,” the happy winner stated in Victory Lane after his first
win of the year. “Dave gave me all I could handle, and it was a great, clean race. That’s what it’s
about, racing that close, having so much fun out there. I know we got off to a slow start with the
cautions, but hope the fans enjoyed the finish, as it was a lot of fun out there for us.”
News and Notes….19 supermodifieds and 22 SBS cars were pitside. Chris Proud, Steve Abt and
Mike Bond won SBS heats, while Pat Lavery and Doug Didero won supermodified heat races.
Daniel Connors was not able to compete in the feature, as the 01 had lifter problems in the
engine during heat race pace laps. Joe Gosek was involved in a heat race accident in the 00,
ending his night early. Gosek picked up a ride in the Strong Team car, to keep Joe in the point
race. In a Friday track rental, Jason Spaulding was in an accident with the #23, and was not able
to make repairs in time for Saturday’s action. This week the Race of Champions modified tour
comes to Oswego for the Richie Evans Memorial, joining the supers and SBS cars for their Jim
Shampine and Tony White Memorial shows. Gates open at 1pm, with the first heat race at 4pm.
Supermodified 45
1) Otto Sitterly 7, 2) Dave McKnight 08, 3) Joey Payne 99, 4) Bob Magner 41, 5) Pat Lavery 22, 6)
Dave Gruel 50 7) Jeff Holbrook 35, 8) Ray Graham, Jr. 90, 9) Keith Shampine 88, 10). Larry
Muroski 38, 11). Craig Rayvals 94, 12). Shaun Gosselin 36, 13) Joe Gosek 98, 14). Tim Snyder 0,
15). Doug Didero 3, 16). Lou Levea 61,
SBS 30
1)Andrew Schartner 18, 2)Dave Cliff 06, 3)Brian Sobus 79, 4)Stan Gates 60, 5)Mark Castiglia 90, 6)
Mike Bond 26, 7)Barry Kingsley 23, 8)Mike Bruce 2, 9)Dave Danzer 52, 10)Guard Nearbin 78, 11)
Dennis Richmond 7, 12)Brian Osetek 00, 13)Krieg Heroth 44, 14)Chris Tedd 37, 15)Lou Levea Jr
95, 16)Bill Moore 05, 17)Steve Abt 85, 18)Jason Simmons 25, 19)Chris Proud 50, 20)Tim Barbeau
58, 21)Fred Kilian 02
rows deep plus one, to start their 30 lap main event. Castiglia got a good start, and pulled his
#90 to the point as the field scattered behind. Lap 2, Schartner, got underneath the 90, and took
the lead from his front row mate.
Dave Cliff had the 06 working well early, as he found the inside groove to his liking. He
worked his way to fourth on lap 3, then wheeled by Billy Moore after a lap 4 restart. Lap 4 proved
tough for the field, as cautions slowed the event. First a precautionary yellow came out, then a
multi car accident on the back straightaway sidelined the Chris Proud, Tim Barbeau, and Jason
Simmons. Mike Bond’s 26 went pitside as smoke poured from the 26.
Lap 5, the caution fever continued as front runners Krieg Heroth and Steve Abt saw thoughts
of a win go off on hooks. Back racing again, Cliff continued his way to the front, as he worked
by Castiglia into second, bringing Stan Gates along with him to third. The 06 and 60 were eight
lengths behind Schartner as they began to chase down the 18.
Coming on strong from his fourth row starting spot was Brian Sobus, as the 79 wheeled its way
up to third on lap ten, as he disposed of Gates. Cliff and Sobus raced up to Schartner’s bumper
the next few laps with laps of 19.51, and the lead trio showed this one was going to be decided
between the 18, 06, and 79 machines.
A two car tango in turn one slowed the field on lap 13, and closed everyone up bumper to
bumper, as they charge for the finish was on.
As the top three pulled away, Mike Bond recovered from its earlier ailment, as he was now up
to 6th place, but needed a caution to catch the leaders. Schartner kept control, as Cliff looked
high and low to get by. Whichever lane Cliff chose, Sobus picked the other to fill the whole. Lap
after lap, Cliff would try the 18 on the low side in the straights, but couldn’t make it stick. Sobus
was stuck back behind, patiently waiting for something to happen in front of him. Schartner
remained perfectly in the groove he needed to stay on point, as he kept the 06 and 79 on his
bumper, all the way to the green flag finish.
“That was a lot of fun out there tonight,” the happy winner stated in Victory Lane after his first
win of the year. “Dave gave me all I could handle, and it was a great, clean race. That’s what it’s
about, racing that close, having so much fun out there. I know we got off to a slow start with the
cautions, but hope the fans enjoyed the finish, as it was a lot of fun out there for us.”
News and Notes….19 supermodifieds and 22 SBS cars were pitside. Chris Proud, Steve Abt and
Mike Bond won SBS heats, while Pat Lavery and Doug Didero won supermodified heat races.
Daniel Connors was not able to compete in the feature, as the 01 had lifter problems in the
engine during heat race pace laps. Joe Gosek was involved in a heat race accident in the 00,
ending his night early. Gosek picked up a ride in the Strong Team car, to keep Joe in the point
race. In a Friday track rental, Jason Spaulding was in an accident with the #23, and was not able
to make repairs in time for Saturday’s action. This week the Race of Champions modified tour
comes to Oswego for the Richie Evans Memorial, joining the supers and SBS cars for their Jim
Shampine and Tony White Memorial shows. Gates open at 1pm, with the first heat race at 4pm.
Supermodified 45
1) Otto Sitterly 7, 2) Dave McKnight 08, 3) Joey Payne 99, 4) Bob Magner 41, 5) Pat Lavery 22, 6)
Dave Gruel 50 7) Jeff Holbrook 35, 8) Ray Graham, Jr. 90, 9) Keith Shampine 88, 10). Larry
Muroski 38, 11). Craig Rayvals 94, 12). Shaun Gosselin 36, 13) Joe Gosek 98, 14). Tim Snyder 0,
15). Doug Didero 3, 16). Lou Levea 61,
SBS 30
1)Andrew Schartner 18, 2)Dave Cliff 06, 3)Brian Sobus 79, 4)Stan Gates 60, 5)Mark Castiglia 90, 6)
Mike Bond 26, 7)Barry Kingsley 23, 8)Mike Bruce 2, 9)Dave Danzer 52, 10)Guard Nearbin 78, 11)
Dennis Richmond 7, 12)Brian Osetek 00, 13)Krieg Heroth 44, 14)Chris Tedd 37, 15)Lou Levea Jr
95, 16)Bill Moore 05, 17)Steve Abt 85, 18)Jason Simmons 25, 19)Chris Proud 50, 20)Tim Barbeau
58, 21)Fred Kilian 02
