OSWEGO, NY (July 22, 2023) - 21 year old Tyler Thompson ticked another big box this past Saturday night as the youngest International Classic champion in Oswego Speedway history scored his first win of the 2023 season by dominating the 75-lap $10,000 to win Supermodified feature for his first ever Mr. Novelis Supermodified title.
Thompson started in third, shot underneath outside pole sitter Tim Snyder on the initial start, and patiently worked over early race leader Mike Bruce for the first 13-laps before making his move for the lead down the front stretch and never looking back
“I wanted to get by Mike (Bruce) early,” said Thompson after his fifth career win. “I knew I had to get out there and go. There are a lot of fast cars here that want to win too and I was just trying to put some distance on them. I was really free the whole race, like on the verge of spinning out so my goal was to just keep the car straight. I have to thank my Dad, my Mom, my girlfriend Lauren, everybody that helps out, and all the sponsors on the car. These guys put their whole week in on it and its nice to get one for them.”
Brandon Bellinger settled for another second, after starting in sixth, and working around Jeff Abold, Alison Sload, Tim Snyder, and Mike Bruce in the early stages to move into the runner-up position with 14 complete. Bellinger was able to close right in on Thompson at certain points throughout the race; especially when in lapped traffic, but never had enough to make the pass.
“The car seemed like it did just a little bit of everything throughout the race,” Bellinger mentioned. “It started out really good. We were able to get up to second place behind Tyler and I started to run him down a little bit, but on the long green flag run we got loose. It looked like he was sliding around too and I think if the caution didn’t come out in traffic it would have been more exciting. We were pretty similar speeds but I didn’t have anything podium”
Alison Sload completed the podium with a fine third, her first podium finish of the season with the Nicotra Racing No. 39. She worked Bellinger over several times throughout the race, especially in the later stages, but wasn’t able to put enough wheel to it to get underneath the No. 02.
“I was pretty snug towards the end of the race so I didn’t have quite enough to get underneath Brandon,” Sload commented. “I’ll take a third though. I had Planet Fitness come on last minute so I’d like to give a shoutout to them for jumping onboard and Lighthouse Lanes, Five Brothers, Flip Electronics, and everyone who sponsors me. We had a good night.”
Championship points leader Dave Shullick Jr, who started in tenth, moved up six spots early on to get to fourth ahead of Abold, who completed the top five.
Dan Connors, Michael Barnes, Dave Danzer, Russ Wood, and Joe Gosek filled in the top 10.
The 75-lap event only saw three caution flags for simple spins by Jerry Curran and Jack Patrick.
Oswego Speedway is off next Saturday night, July 29 for Harborfest and the ISMA / MSS Hy-Miler Nationals at Sandusky Speedway in Ohio.
The next scheduled event at the Steel Palace is Retro Night on Saturday, August 5, featuring Twin 40-lap features for the Novelis Supermodifieds.
For more information, please visit the track website online at OswegoSpeedway.com or LIKE on Facebook at Facebook.com/OswegoSpeedway or FOLLOW on Twitter @OswegoSpeedway or Instagram @OfficialOswegoSpeedway.
RESULTS
C’s Beverage Center 36th Annual $10,000 to Win Mr. Supermodified
Novelis Supermodified 75
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Feature (75-laps): 1. 98T TYLER THOMPSON, 2. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 3. 39 Alison Sload, 4. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 5. 05 Jeff Abold, 6. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 7. 68 Michael Barnes, 8. 52 Dave Danzer, 9. 41 Russ Wood, 10. 00 Joe Gosek, 11. 94 Logan Rayvals, 12. 75 Brian Osetek, 13. 90 Jack Patrick DNF 14. 54 Camden Proud, 15. 37 Ryan Locke, 16. 0 Tim Snyder, 17. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 18. 99 Jerry Curran, 19. 22 Mike Bruce, 20. 66 Lou LeVea Sr.
Heat 1 (12-laps): 1. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 68 Michael Barnes, 4. 37 Ryan Locke, 5. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 6. 90 Jack Patrick, 7. 41 Russ Wood
Heat 2 (12-laps): 1. 39 Alison Sload, 2. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 3. 52 Dave Danzer, 4. 54 Camden Proud, 5. 94 Logan Rayvals, 6. 99 Jerry Curran, 7. 75 Brian Osetek
Heat 3 (12-laps): 1. 05 Jeff Abold, 2. 98T Tyler Thompson, 3. 22 Mike Bruce, 4. 0 Tim Snyder, 5. 00 Joe Gosek, 6. 66 Lou LeVea Sr.
Group Time Trials: 1. 68 Michael Barnes - 15.655, 2. 98T Tyler Thompson - 15.796, 3. 39 Alison Sload - 15.819, 4. 95 Dave Shullick Jr. - 15.856, 5. 05 Jeff Abold - 15.874, 6. 01 Dan Connors Jr. - 15.889, 7. 02 Brandon Bellinger - 15.899, 8. 52 Dave Danzer - 15.936, 9. 22 Mike Bruce - 15.986, 10. 37 Ryan Locke - 16.073, 11. 54 Camden Proud - 16.095, 12. 00 Joe Gosek - 16.103, 13. 90 Jack Patrick - 16.165, 14. 94 Logan Rayvals - 16.199, 15. 0 Tim Snyder - 16.245, 16. 83 Lou LeVea Jr. - 16.523, 17. 99 Jerry Curran - 16.554, 18. 66 Lou LeVea Sr. - 16.605, 19. 41 Russ Wood - 16.774, 20. 75 Brian Osetek - 16.967
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger: ($25): #41 Russ Wood
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer (Pizza and Wings): #94 Logan Rayvals
- OSWEGO ADMIN on Jul 24, 2023
- Article Date: 7/24/2023