Labor Day Weekend racing specials set for the Oswego, Spencer and Lebanon Valley Speedways

For area tracks, the Labor Day weekend traditionally signals the end of weekly point racing and the crowning of 2023 track champions.

It’s also the start of the high-dollar, end of year special events that dot the autumn racing schedules. This weekend, the Oswego, Spencer and Lebanon Valley Speedways all have a major special event and many other local tracks have added attractions to their final weekly shows.

Back in the 1950s, when the Oswego Speedway was running modifieds weekly, owner Harry Caruso wanted to end his season with a special event. He ran a 100-lap, $1,000-to-win feature race and called it the Oswego International Classic.

Irish Jack Murphy of Liverpool won that inaugural event and the Classic grew and prospered over the next few years. In 1961, supermodifieds from Michigan, Canada and New England began running this open competition modified special.

For the 1962 season, Oswego switched to weekly supermodified racing and with the increased purses, began attracting competitors from throughout the Northeast and Canada. The length of the Classic was increased to 200 laps and the present payoffs make it the longest and richest supermodified event in the country.

The victor of this Sunday’s 67th running of the Budweiser International Classic will pocket a $20,000 check and all starters are guaranteed at least $2,000.

Two weeks ago, Dave Shullick Jr. clinched his third Oswego track championship, but suffered a broken hand in a minor tangle that night and it’s questionable whether he will be able to run Sunday. If not, a replacement driver will run his potent Chris Osetek-owned machine.

With five Classic wins and nine Oswego track championships, Otto Sitterly is another top choice for a victory Sunday. Brandon Bellinger is a popular, third-generation racer with an Oswego track title to his name and he will be a threat Sunday. Michael Barnes, Alison Sload, Dave Danzer, Jeff Abold, Tyler Thompson, Mike Bruce and Joe Gosek have all reached Oswego’s victory lane in the past and they will be looking for that big check Sunday.

In addition to the $20,000 first-place money, lap and contingency awards will swell the $100,000 Classic payoff. John Nicotra’s five-race Supermod Challenge Series winds up at the Classic and carries a $25,000 point fund.

Currently Otto Sitterly, Ben Seitz and Mike Ordway Jr. are leading that chase and the victor of the Challenge Series pockets a $5,000 check.

Seven different divisions are racing

The Budweiser International Classic is more than just a 200-lap supermodified race. Seven different classes of racing machines will be in action over the three-day Classic weekend.

The 32nd Small-block super Classic and the 6th annual 350 super Classic will both precede Sunday’s 200-lap supermod finale.

The 7th annual Whelen Modified Tour 150 and the inaugural sportsman modified feature will highlight Saturday’s program. Friday night, the Dave London Memorial super stock feature and the NYS Compact 4-cylinder main event will be run off.

Schedule

Friday

2 p.m. Small-block super time trials, followed by supermodified time trials

5 p.m. Super stock and 4-cylinder heats and feature races.

Saturday

4:30 p.m. Time trials and heat races for Whelen mods and sportsman modifieds

7 p.m. 40-lap, $4,000-to-win feature for sportsman modifieds followed by the 150-lap main event for Whelen modifieds.

Sunday

10 a.m. Warmups for all three classes

12 p.m. 350 time trials and season-end awards

1 p.m. 50-lap, 350 super feature, followed by the 60-lap small-block super main event and the 200-lap 67th annual International Classic 200.

Bentley and the Deuce return

54 years after his 1969 Classic victory, Bentley Warren returns to the Oswego Classic Sunday in the restored Purdy Deuce. He will take some practice laps prior to the 67th Classic 200.

Muldoon makes repairs after practice crash

After Michael Muldoon crashed during a practice run last Sunday, his Dad, Mike, has been busy making repairs to the heavily damaged big-block supermodified.

“There was some frame damage and the rest of the front end was washed out, but we got right to work on it and I think we’ll be ready for time trials Friday night,” said Muldoon.

This Friday night, the Spencer Speedway will host the 4th annual Maynard Troyer Classic for Race of Champion modified stock cars.

The 60-lap main event is worth $10,000-to-win and $1,000 to start.

The event is dedicated to the memory of this Rochester modified racer who passed away in 2018. Troyer had a huge impact on modified racing, both as a driver and a chassis builder.

During his 24-year driving career, he amassed close to 250 wins and they included almost all of the major modified events in the country.

He then started a chassis building business that included both dirt and pavement modifieds. Even though he was a pavement modified driver, his Troyer dirt mods were dominant for many years. His company cranked out close to 2,000 modified chassis’ before he sold the business.

Maynard’s son, Kenny, and Tom Forgione of S/A Products are spearheading a drive for additional funding for Friday’s event. Close to $45,000 in total awards will be on the line for the Troyer program.

A $2,000-to-win sportsman modified show, along with the 602 mods and four- and six-cylinder stock cars are also running Friday. Spencer is a half-mile asphalt track located on Route 104, just west of Williamson.

Matt Hirschman out for Spencer and Oswego modified specials

Matt Hirschman is one of the dominant drivers on the Whelen and Race of Champions tours, but this Northampton, Pennsylvania racer suffered a broken arm at a recent Whelen tour event.

Matt did not get clearance from his doctor to resume racing this week and will not be competing at the Spencer and Oswego modified specials this weekend.

The Super DIRTcar Series Tour for big-block modifieds has a Saturday night date at the Lebanon Valley Speedway for the annual Mr DIRT Track USA program.

The 100-lap feature race is worth $15,500 to the victor and all feature starters are guaranteed $1,000.

Matt Sheppard has won the Super DIRT Series title a record nine times and is the current leader in points. Matt Williamson is 60 points back in second place, going into the LV event.

Jimmy Phelps, Mike Mahaney and Tim Sears Jr. are third through fifth in the standings but are separated by only ten markers. Andy Bachetti is the current LV track champion and he’s the top local threat to the SDS regulars. Lebanon Valley is a half-mile, dirt oval on Route 20, east of Albany.

Brett Deyo’s Short Track Super Series Modified Tour had a Tuesday night date at the Georgetown (Delaware) Speedway and Stewart Friesen picked up the $6,000 win in the 35-lap main event.

The victor now leads the all-time STSS win list with 39. Ryan Godown ended up second, with Matt Sheppard third.

On the cool-down lap after the checkered flag, Friesen had a flat right rear tire and Sheppard had rear-end issues and had to be towed to the scales.

After locking up the Fulton 358 modified track crown last Saturday, Tim Sears Jr. hopes to nail down the Brewerton DIRT big-block title this Friday on the final point night.

This Hastings driver has a 32-point lead over Larry Wight going into Friday’s 35-lap main event.

The Empire Super Sprint Tour will also be at this Route 11 oval Friday and their 25-lap main event is worth $2,000 to the victor.

The Utica-Rome Speedway celebrates the holiday weekend with a pair of shows on Friday and Sunday night. Friday’s program is the final point show of the season and Matt Sheppard has locked up the track title at this half-mile Vernon oval.

Sunday night, the New Yorker 50 for Short Track Super Series modifieds carries a lofty $12,000 payoff for first and $1,000 to start.

The Albany-Saratoga Speedway concludes is 2023 point season for DIRT mods with a $3,000-to-win feature race. The A-S pro stocks have a special $1,000-to-win main event.

The battle for the Outlaw Speedway track championship goes down to the final point show this Friday, with Cory Costa and Danny Johnson holding down the top two spots in the standings.

The Outlaw Speedway modified champion picks up a nice $10,000 check.

The Empire Super Sprints have a Saturday night date at the Fulton Speedway. Tim Sears Jr. clinched his third DIRT 358 modified track title last week and the five-division show starts at 7 p.m.

The DIRT big-block modifieds have $3,000-to-win main event this Saturday. Justin Haers clinched the 2023 modified track championship at this half-mile, Canandaigua oval last Saturday.

The Thunder Mountain Speedway has a 35-lap, $3,000-to-win feature test for DIRT modifieds this Saturday night.

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