10/23/10
With the fragile state of the beautiful fall foliage being only a windswept rain storm away from
being dirty, dead leaves on the ground, the first forecast of snow yesterday, and with chatter on
the local racing boards slowing down to a crawl, it’s pretty obvious that here in the northeast,
we’re unfortunately in the early stages of the 2010 super modified off season. It seems like just
days ago we couldn’t wait to get a glimpse of the sharp new cars we heard about all winter long,
and here we are, back at it again, just wishing it was early spring time again. I know that many
are thinking, “We MUST be in the off season if he’s trying to write again! Oh boy it’s gonna be a
LONG winter!” Yeah, I usually leave this writing stuff to the people who do it best and know how
to do it the right way, but once or twice a year, I give it a shot and figured I may as well get it out
of the way early.
Yes, again this race season seemed even shorter than ever now that it’s in the history books,
but if you stop and look back, it really was a good summer of 2010! Lots of great supermodified
action in every division with some relatively normal results while some welcomed surprises were
added along the way!
The Midwest Supermodified Association season started off with a lot of questions… Liquid Lou
Cicconi running full time for Stout Racing? Now that’s something different! No one really saw
the split of multi-MSA champ Tim Jedrzejek and the Reed Salvage team coming, as it seemed to
be a huge surprise when they parted ways. Add on top that, after years of being shut out of a
feature win, Jon Henes not only finally makes it back to Victory Lane at the Sandusky Speedway.
Jon backed that up with another win later in the season at KilKare Speedway.
With the fragile state of the beautiful fall foliage being only a windswept rain storm away from
being dirty, dead leaves on the ground, the first forecast of snow yesterday, and with chatter on
the local racing boards slowing down to a crawl, it’s pretty obvious that here in the northeast,
we’re unfortunately in the early stages of the 2010 super modified off season. It seems like just
days ago we couldn’t wait to get a glimpse of the sharp new cars we heard about all winter long,
and here we are, back at it again, just wishing it was early spring time again. I know that many
are thinking, “We MUST be in the off season if he’s trying to write again! Oh boy it’s gonna be a
LONG winter!” Yeah, I usually leave this writing stuff to the people who do it best and know how
to do it the right way, but once or twice a year, I give it a shot and figured I may as well get it out
of the way early.
Yes, again this race season seemed even shorter than ever now that it’s in the history books,
but if you stop and look back, it really was a good summer of 2010! Lots of great supermodified
action in every division with some relatively normal results while some welcomed surprises were
added along the way!
The Midwest Supermodified Association season started off with a lot of questions… Liquid Lou
Cicconi running full time for Stout Racing? Now that’s something different! No one really saw
the split of multi-MSA champ Tim Jedrzejek and the Reed Salvage team coming, as it seemed to
be a huge surprise when they parted ways. Add on top that, after years of being shut out of a
feature win, Jon Henes not only finally makes it back to Victory Lane at the Sandusky Speedway.
Jon backed that up with another win later in the season at KilKare Speedway.
Tim Ice also added his own “first” this season with getting his first MSA win at the Toledo
Speedway and then topped the season off with grabbing the checkers in the non winged 50
lapper at Sandusky.
Bob Bond also had the first of his 2010 magical moments, grabbing his first ever win super
modified win when he raced to the checkers in the MSA King of Wings race at the Oswego
Speedway!
Speedway and then topped the season off with grabbing the checkers in the non winged 50
lapper at Sandusky.
Bob Bond also had the first of his 2010 magical moments, grabbing his first ever win super
modified win when he raced to the checkers in the MSA King of Wings race at the Oswego
Speedway!
It sure was a year of “firsts’ in the MSA, but none bigger than Charlie Schultz grabbing his first
MSA points championship with the May Racing #7. Yes, Dave and Lori May have been MSA
champions in the past, but after competing in every MSA race but one in the ten years the series
has been alive, it’s got to be a special feeling for Charlie Schultz to earn the title “ 2010 MSA
Champion”.
MSA points championship with the May Racing #7. Yes, Dave and Lori May have been MSA
champions in the past, but after competing in every MSA race but one in the ten years the series
has been alive, it’s got to be a special feeling for Charlie Schultz to earn the title “ 2010 MSA
Champion”.
After years of running up front only to be denied many times, it was great to see Mike Lichty
finally break into the ISMA win column with a great run at the Waterford Speedbowl. Vic Miller’s
#1 driver Mike Ordway returned back to Victory Lane at Stafford after a few years off. Russ Wood
simply “wowed the crowd” as he put a masterful last lap pass on Justin Belfiore at another first
time track for the Winged Warriors…the Airborne Speedway in way upstate New York.
Another well deserved and hard earned first ISMA win came at the historic Hy-Miler Nationals at
the Sandusky Speedway when long time runner Mark Samutt finally nailed down his first ISMA
checkered flag. Mark and the #78 team have been some of the most dedicated to the sport of
supermodified racing and it was a great sight seeing them land in ISMA’s Victory lane at the
famed Sandusky Hy-Miler.
Ben Seitz started the year off with an all new Lindbladt Chassis in hopes of improving on his
2009 ISMA Rookie of the Year season, and while being consistent all season long, he also
collected his first super modified feature win by racing to the checkers in the Oswego
Supernationals on Labor Day Weekend.
finally break into the ISMA win column with a great run at the Waterford Speedbowl. Vic Miller’s
#1 driver Mike Ordway returned back to Victory Lane at Stafford after a few years off. Russ Wood
simply “wowed the crowd” as he put a masterful last lap pass on Justin Belfiore at another first
time track for the Winged Warriors…the Airborne Speedway in way upstate New York.
Another well deserved and hard earned first ISMA win came at the historic Hy-Miler Nationals at
the Sandusky Speedway when long time runner Mark Samutt finally nailed down his first ISMA
checkered flag. Mark and the #78 team have been some of the most dedicated to the sport of
supermodified racing and it was a great sight seeing them land in ISMA’s Victory lane at the
famed Sandusky Hy-Miler.
Ben Seitz started the year off with an all new Lindbladt Chassis in hopes of improving on his
2009 ISMA Rookie of the Year season, and while being consistent all season long, he also
collected his first super modified feature win by racing to the checkers in the Oswego
Supernationals on Labor Day Weekend.
Johnny Benson jr. also went on to collect his first ISMA feature win a few weeks later at the
Seekonk Speedway.
As was mentioned earlier, Chris Perley stepped his racing back a bit in 2010 with running
selected shows, but that didn’t hold the “Rowley Rocket” back from collecting up his share of
checkered flags. Chris showed that even though he wasn’t a full time runner this season, that he
still has what it takes as he grabbed wins at both ISMA races at the Lee USA Speedway, the
Waterford Speedbowl and finished up snagging the last win of the season at the Thompson
Speedway.
When the finale at Thompson rolled around, all eyes were focused on the points title chase with
Mike Lichty having a slim lead over Russ Wood in the Holbrook racing #29. Mike ran into
problems during his qualifying heat race and things tightened right up with Russ grabbing the
win in his qualifier. This set up a shoot out for the championship come Sunday. The drama didn’t
unfold as planned though when the green flag fell on the 50 lapper. Mike Lichty had to pit with a
broken wing with just three laps in. Unfortunately for the #84 team, they went a couple laps down
and had to hope for a little bit of luck….or bad luck for the #29 team. Russ Wood proved once
again what a seasoned veteran he’s become as he ran a smart race and was crowned the ISMA
Champion for the seventh time when the checkered flags flew.
Seekonk Speedway.
As was mentioned earlier, Chris Perley stepped his racing back a bit in 2010 with running
selected shows, but that didn’t hold the “Rowley Rocket” back from collecting up his share of
checkered flags. Chris showed that even though he wasn’t a full time runner this season, that he
still has what it takes as he grabbed wins at both ISMA races at the Lee USA Speedway, the
Waterford Speedbowl and finished up snagging the last win of the season at the Thompson
Speedway.
When the finale at Thompson rolled around, all eyes were focused on the points title chase with
Mike Lichty having a slim lead over Russ Wood in the Holbrook racing #29. Mike ran into
problems during his qualifying heat race and things tightened right up with Russ grabbing the
win in his qualifier. This set up a shoot out for the championship come Sunday. The drama didn’t
unfold as planned though when the green flag fell on the 50 lapper. Mike Lichty had to pit with a
broken wing with just three laps in. Unfortunately for the #84 team, they went a couple laps down
and had to hope for a little bit of luck….or bad luck for the #29 team. Russ Wood proved once
again what a seasoned veteran he’s become as he ran a smart race and was crowned the ISMA
Champion for the seventh time when the checkered flags flew.
Get Another Round
A big congrats go out not only to Charlie Schultz, Dave and Lori May and the whole team on a
great season, but also to the hard work put in by Randy and Rhonda Burch and all the MSA
officials and teams for the hard work and season long efforts!
The International Supermodified Association’s season also started off with a lot of energy as
they headed into 2010 with some new faces on board, some new tracks they’ve never traveled
to, and a season that would be see defending champion and long time dominator Chris Perley,
draw back on his racing schedule to only run selected local shows instead of long hauling all
over the northeast in search of the ISMA championship. Just as the MSA season went, the
ISMA tour, over the course of 2010 kind of followed suit with a bunch of well deserved and hard
earned “firsts” and an exciting run to the points championship going all season long down to
the last laps at the Thompson World Series of Racing.
The 2010 season season started right off with a track that was new to everyone with no one
having any advantage over the other as the ISMA supers kicked things off at the Albany-
Saratoga Speedway. With the change over from dirt to asphalt, the track experienced some
growing pains with cones in the corners being kicked up on the track. It still was an exciting
start to the season with Lou Cicconi grabbing the first checkers of the season in the Rick
Wentworth #10.
great season, but also to the hard work put in by Randy and Rhonda Burch and all the MSA
officials and teams for the hard work and season long efforts!
The International Supermodified Association’s season also started off with a lot of energy as
they headed into 2010 with some new faces on board, some new tracks they’ve never traveled
to, and a season that would be see defending champion and long time dominator Chris Perley,
draw back on his racing schedule to only run selected local shows instead of long hauling all
over the northeast in search of the ISMA championship. Just as the MSA season went, the
ISMA tour, over the course of 2010 kind of followed suit with a bunch of well deserved and hard
earned “firsts” and an exciting run to the points championship going all season long down to
the last laps at the Thompson World Series of Racing.
The 2010 season season started right off with a track that was new to everyone with no one
having any advantage over the other as the ISMA supers kicked things off at the Albany-
Saratoga Speedway. With the change over from dirt to asphalt, the track experienced some
growing pains with cones in the corners being kicked up on the track. It still was an exciting
start to the season with Lou Cicconi grabbing the first checkers of the season in the Rick
Wentworth #10.
The 2010 ISMA season was one filled with many firsts along with some memorable finishes
along the way. Congrats go out to Russ Wood, Jeff Holbrook and the whole #29 on grabbing the
season long title and also to the Patco racing #84 team and Mike Lichty on the hard fought battle
to the championship. With the long hours of attention the supermodifieds warrant, and the long,
long hours on the road traveling all over the north east, a big “job well done” goes out to all the
teams and competitors as well as the ISMA officials that make it all happen! Great job all season
long to all!
When the Oswego Speedway opened it’s doors for their 60th season this past year, it looked like
we were on the verge of a record setting season with Otto Sitterly literally setting things on fire
with racing to the checkers in the first four races of the season!
along the way. Congrats go out to Russ Wood, Jeff Holbrook and the whole #29 on grabbing the
season long title and also to the Patco racing #84 team and Mike Lichty on the hard fought battle
to the championship. With the long hours of attention the supermodifieds warrant, and the long,
long hours on the road traveling all over the north east, a big “job well done” goes out to all the
teams and competitors as well as the ISMA officials that make it all happen! Great job all season
long to all!
When the Oswego Speedway opened it’s doors for their 60th season this past year, it looked like
we were on the verge of a record setting season with Otto Sitterly literally setting things on fire
with racing to the checkers in the first four races of the season!
It looked like Otto was unstoppable, as week after week the Nicotra Racing #7 sat in Victory Lane
with a combination of patience, a wicked fast supermodified and some luck with yellows falling
just when needed. Dan Connors Jr. had the crowd on their feet as he just about pulled off a win
early in the season, only to have Otto make some late race moves to steal away the win on June
6th. Even though he’s just about the nicest guy at the track on a Saturday night, the boo birds
still were out as it looked as if Otto was going to stink up the whole season. Little did they
know…this win would be Otto’s last of 2010.
After the scary ride Jerry Curran took last season down the front stretch, it was a popular night
when Jerry returned to the winners circle on the 60th anniversary night 60 lapper. It was an
emotional win for Jerry and it sure showed that it’s still something very special to win at Oswego
during his post race interview.
with a combination of patience, a wicked fast supermodified and some luck with yellows falling
just when needed. Dan Connors Jr. had the crowd on their feet as he just about pulled off a win
early in the season, only to have Otto make some late race moves to steal away the win on June
6th. Even though he’s just about the nicest guy at the track on a Saturday night, the boo birds
still were out as it looked as if Otto was going to stink up the whole season. Little did they
know…this win would be Otto’s last of 2010.
After the scary ride Jerry Curran took last season down the front stretch, it was a popular night
when Jerry returned to the winners circle on the 60th anniversary night 60 lapper. It was an
emotional win for Jerry and it sure showed that it’s still something very special to win at Oswego
during his post race interview.
Jeff Holbrook was another past winner, but hasn’t returned to Victory Lane…until 2010 that is!
While fielding three full time rides on the ISMA tour during the year, Jeff, himself also committed
his season to running full time at Oswego in a beautiful brand new Brian Allegresso #35. The car
sure looked wild as it took a week or so to feel things out, but once Jeff got hooked up, he flew to
the win on Independence Day Weekend.
Ray Graham also showed he was one to deal with all season long as he picked up two feature
wins on the season which included the huge payday on the $10,000 to win Mr. Supermodified
night. Every week the #90 hit the track, Ray sure was in the hunt and one to deal with as the
season rolled on.
While fielding three full time rides on the ISMA tour during the year, Jeff, himself also committed
his season to running full time at Oswego in a beautiful brand new Brian Allegresso #35. The car
sure looked wild as it took a week or so to feel things out, but once Jeff got hooked up, he flew to
the win on Independence Day Weekend.
Ray Graham also showed he was one to deal with all season long as he picked up two feature
wins on the season which included the huge payday on the $10,000 to win Mr. Supermodified
night. Every week the #90 hit the track, Ray sure was in the hunt and one to deal with as the
season rolled on.
Just as their winged brothers of MSA and ISMA, the Oswego Supers also had a couple of “firsts”
themselves. David Gruel graduated from the SBS ranks in 2010 to join the potent Double deuce
Race team with the #50 super modified. From the first time David hit the track, it was easy to see
that he’s a natural talent behind the wheel and proved just that as he picked up his first Oswego
super modified feature win on July 17th.
themselves. David Gruel graduated from the SBS ranks in 2010 to join the potent Double deuce
Race team with the #50 super modified. From the first time David hit the track, it was easy to see
that he’s a natural talent behind the wheel and proved just that as he picked up his first Oswego
super modified feature win on July 17th.
What was probably the biggest “first” of the season though came on the last race of the Oswego
Speedway schedule. Actually there were a couple of firsts on Labor Day weekend.
Unfortunately, it was the first time during race season that the words “Lake Effect” were
mentioned in the forecast for Classic weekend, as everyone in attendance got a dose of what
Oswegonians endure during the winter months. The group from Ohio that were in our camp site
had not a clue what lake effect meant, but they sure do now! And to think they thought we were
joking when we said in the past that it’s sunny on the west side of the city, and a white out on the
east side! It sure wasn’t a pretty Classic Weekend at all, but when all was said and done, you
couldn’t tell Bobby Bond that!
After picking up his first winged super modified checkered flag earlier in the season at the King
of Wings, Bobby Bond looked like a seasoned veteran in Victory Lane after racing to the
checkers and grabbing the win in the 2010 Budweiser International Classic 200! It was a race that
was filled with excitement….a little too much at times! Bobby kept his cool all race long, kept the
leaders in check as the laps wound down, and when it was time to go…Bobby sure went!
Bobby and the #25 broke into the winners circle in 2010, and in no better way! First officially
crowned the King of Wings, then following that win up with the unofficial title of King of the Non
Wings with the win in the grueling 200 lap grind they call “The Classic”
Speedway schedule. Actually there were a couple of firsts on Labor Day weekend.
Unfortunately, it was the first time during race season that the words “Lake Effect” were
mentioned in the forecast for Classic weekend, as everyone in attendance got a dose of what
Oswegonians endure during the winter months. The group from Ohio that were in our camp site
had not a clue what lake effect meant, but they sure do now! And to think they thought we were
joking when we said in the past that it’s sunny on the west side of the city, and a white out on the
east side! It sure wasn’t a pretty Classic Weekend at all, but when all was said and done, you
couldn’t tell Bobby Bond that!
After picking up his first winged super modified checkered flag earlier in the season at the King
of Wings, Bobby Bond looked like a seasoned veteran in Victory Lane after racing to the
checkers and grabbing the win in the 2010 Budweiser International Classic 200! It was a race that
was filled with excitement….a little too much at times! Bobby kept his cool all race long, kept the
leaders in check as the laps wound down, and when it was time to go…Bobby sure went!
Bobby and the #25 broke into the winners circle in 2010, and in no better way! First officially
crowned the King of Wings, then following that win up with the unofficial title of King of the Non
Wings with the win in the grueling 200 lap grind they call “The Classic”
Even though it seemed to fly by way too fast, there sure was a lot of excitement here in the east
over the course of the 2010 super modified season. And now…the off season blues set in as the
season now is just a memory. It’s way too early to even think how many days until we get that
first fix of methanol next season. Hopefully Mother Nature will take it easy on us with the white
stuff this winter, but after seeing how Classic Weekend unfolded, I’m not holding my breath on
that one.
As we settle into the off season mode, there is something to look forward to though. In the past,
we used to put on a B & G holiday get together. Something to break up the off season and get
everyone together when the holidays roll around. Over the past five years though, this tradition
has gone by the way side. During the long days of rain on Classic Weekend as you can imagine,
a lot of topics get talked about and this may be the only positive to come out of the Labor Day
downpours! This year, we’re going back to an old tradition and getting the B & G Holiday get
together back in action! We’ve tossed around a few dates , places and details and seemed like
nothing was going to fall into place for all. We all know that time goes quickly this time of year,
and we’ve got things firmed up and hope it works well for all. Even though details are still being
worked out, the rebirth of the B & G Holiday get together will take place on Friday, December
10th at Lighthouse Lanes in Oswego. We’ll be posting times and all the particulars soon , but
one thing that’s is in the books this year. We’re bringing things back in style with live
entertainment. Drummer John Bletch of Frostbit Blue fame has agreed to play some great tunes
with his own band, Vitamin X!
over the course of the 2010 super modified season. And now…the off season blues set in as the
season now is just a memory. It’s way too early to even think how many days until we get that
first fix of methanol next season. Hopefully Mother Nature will take it easy on us with the white
stuff this winter, but after seeing how Classic Weekend unfolded, I’m not holding my breath on
that one.
As we settle into the off season mode, there is something to look forward to though. In the past,
we used to put on a B & G holiday get together. Something to break up the off season and get
everyone together when the holidays roll around. Over the past five years though, this tradition
has gone by the way side. During the long days of rain on Classic Weekend as you can imagine,
a lot of topics get talked about and this may be the only positive to come out of the Labor Day
downpours! This year, we’re going back to an old tradition and getting the B & G Holiday get
together back in action! We’ve tossed around a few dates , places and details and seemed like
nothing was going to fall into place for all. We all know that time goes quickly this time of year,
and we’ve got things firmed up and hope it works well for all. Even though details are still being
worked out, the rebirth of the B & G Holiday get together will take place on Friday, December
10th at Lighthouse Lanes in Oswego. We’ll be posting times and all the particulars soon , but
one thing that’s is in the books this year. We’re bringing things back in style with live
entertainment. Drummer John Bletch of Frostbit Blue fame has agreed to play some great tunes
with his own band, Vitamin X!
It’s sure to be a fun night at Lighthouse Lanes with “The Valcher”and Vitamin X, getting together
with race fans before the holidays set in and even the return of the always fun blind gift exchange
as we used to do at out holiday gatherings. Pencil December 10th into your calendar now as this
will be a lot of fun I’m sure!
Hopefully there’ll be no early snow falls to deal with the seasons starting to change, as dealing
with the start of off season is enough in itself! There’s still a lot of leaves to fall and no doubt with
some gully washing rain. Just be careful when fall starts to "fall" while driving! Cause when you’
re rounding the corner and stepping on the gas, those wet leaves under your tires will surely make
you get sideways,and when that happens it'll feel like you're 'Up in the marbles"....and when you
get there, there's no turning back!
with race fans before the holidays set in and even the return of the always fun blind gift exchange
as we used to do at out holiday gatherings. Pencil December 10th into your calendar now as this
will be a lot of fun I’m sure!
Hopefully there’ll be no early snow falls to deal with the seasons starting to change, as dealing
with the start of off season is enough in itself! There’s still a lot of leaves to fall and no doubt with
some gully washing rain. Just be careful when fall starts to "fall" while driving! Cause when you’
re rounding the corner and stepping on the gas, those wet leaves under your tires will surely make
you get sideways,and when that happens it'll feel like you're 'Up in the marbles"....and when you
get there, there's no turning back!