32 Supermodifieds and 29 Small Blocks Pre-Registered ahead of Oswego’s 68th Season

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32 Supermodifieds and 29 Small Blocks Pre-Registered ahead of Oswego’s 68th Season

Story By: Camden Proud/Oswego Speedway

Photos By: Chris Burgess/RacersGuide.com

OSWEGO, NY (April 19, 2018) – It seems the excitement level heading into Oswego Speedway’s 68th season of racing is much higher than in recent years and rightfully so as now 32 Novelis Supermodifieds and 29 Pathfinder Bank Small Block Supers have pre-registered for action ahead of the track’s season opener on Saturday, May 26.

Bitten by the car count bug in recent years and last season in particular as several of the track’s Supermodified frequent fliers such as Graham, Danzer and Muldoon Racing have all either moved on or took time away from Oswego, the term ‘ebb and flow’ seems to fit the bill perfectly ahead of 2018 as office phones have been ringing off the hook with new registrations since the month of January.

“When you factor in the financial commitment that comes with the present day, weekly car counts in short track racing’s premier divisions have begun to dwindle,” explained track owner John Torrese. “We see perfect examples of this across the region with the Fulton and Utica-Rome Speedways switching over to 358 Modifieds versus the traditional big block. That’s not something we want to do. Oswego is committed to the longstanding success of our one of a kind big block Super and of course the Small Block Supermodified class.”

Last season, 32 Supermodifieds took time for the track’s largest event of the season, the Budweiser International Classic 200, while 27 Pathfinder Bank Small Block Supers qualified for the Bud Light Classic 75.

Ahead of 2018, the current number of Supermodified registrants matches the number of cars attempting to qualify for last year’s Classic, while the number of Small Block registrants is already higher. An extended list of drivers still yet to officially sign up gives track management hope that they are on pace for the largest Classic Weekend in ten seasons.

“There has been a lot of exciting stuff going on over the offseason,” Torrese continued. “I’d like to thank all of the teams, both those that have been with us for many years as well as the new rookies for their commitment to Supermodified and SBS racing. In hopes of car counts increasing even further, we will continue to make the necessary adjustments as we see fit, such as the mandatory move to crate engines for the SBS class next year. The long term healthiness of these two divisions is what we are looking for and I believe we have a fantastic season ahead of us.”

In the Supermodified ranks, 46 cars took time for the 2008 International Classic, while the most since then was 38 in 2014. In Small Block Super competition, 36 cars took time for the ‘05 Bud Light Classic, but 31 cars in 2013 has been the highest number since that season. The speedway is on pace to either tie or pass both of those numbers this Labor Day Weekend.

Those set to compete in all ten of the speedway’s Novelis Supermodified and Pathfinder Bank SBS championship events this season have shaped up for what is arguably one of the most competitive commitment rosters Oswego has seen in recent years with 18 commitment Supers and 15 commitment Small Blocks already set to go. All Supermodified teams will receive a hefty bonus of $625 to start the feature in 2018.

Several previews featuring statistics on the commitment teams and drivers from each division will be posted leading up to Opening Day at OswegoSpeedway.com. Full rosters are available below.

Oswego Speedway’s 68th Annual Season Opener takes place on Saturday, May 26 and will feature the first ever edition of the Jim Shampine Memorial Twin 50’s for the Novelis Supermodifieds along with the Tony White Memorial 35 for the Pathfinder Bank SBS. To purchase tickets, please call the speedway box office at (315)-342-0646.

For more information on Oswego Speedway, be sure to visit online at OswegoSpeedway.com. You can also FOLLOW on Twitter @OswegoSpeedway or LIKE on Facebook at Facebook.com/OswegoSpeedway.

About Oswego Speedway: Oswego Speedway, a sports entertainment company, is a 5/8 mille semi-banked pavement racing oval located off the shores of Lake Ontario in scenic Oswego, NY. Oswego 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 Oswego Speedway making Oswego the only weekly Supermodified racing venue in the world. The Small Block 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, arguably the greatest driver of all time, two-time Indy 500 champion Gordon Johncock, along with former International Classic Champions Bentley Warren, Joe Gosek, and Davey Hamilton.

2018 Novelis Supermodified Registrants (as of April 19):

(00) Joe Gosek – Commitment

(01) Dan Connors Jr. – Commitment

(02) Brandon Bellinger – Commitment

(04) Camden Proud ®

(05) Jeff Abold – Commitment

(07) Dan Connors Jr.

(08) Michael Barnes

(09) Bob Bogwicz

(0) Snyder Racing – Commitment

(1) Jeff West

(2) Dave Shullick Jr. – Commitment