OSWEGO, NY (August 7, 2023) - Thanks to the support of the Circle T Ready Mix Division and four generous sponsors; Corr / Pak Merchandising, IPC Indy, Shea Concrete and Seals-It, the 67th running of the Budweiser International Classic 200 will pay $20,000 to win and $2,000 to start for the Novelis Supermodifieds on Sunday, September 3.
With this joint effort between track owners John and Eric Torrese and Oswego Super Challenge promoter, John Nicotra, 2023 will mark the first time in 14 years that the Classic will revert back to $20,000 to win.
“I want to thank all the sponsors who got onboard for the International Classic bonus as well as to all of the sponsors for the entire Challenge this year,” said Nicotra. “This was all about making everything more lucrative for the teams and to help give them the best support possible. We are proud to have the Classic back at $20,000 to win and $2,000 to start.”
Buzz around the Classic Sponsor Bonus is already building and Supers from far and wide are expected to head for Oswego on Labor Day Weekend, including a healthy mix of track regulars plus a New England, Midwest, and Canadian contingent of drivers and teams.
An exciting surge of interest amongst Supermodified teams has been drawn from the likes of Clyde Booth and Mike Ordway Jr, Vic Miller and Ben Seitz, last season’s Supermodified Rookie of the Year Ryan Locke, Russ Wood in the John Colloca 41, and Rob Summers in a former Bob Bond Xtreme Chassis, all of which would be traveling from New England.
Planning to head eastbound from Ohio are two homebuilt creations; Mike McVetta will again be back with his ‘Rocket Chassis’ No. 22 after contending for a top five finish and qualifying inside the top 10 last year, along with the brand new AJD Racing No. 14 driven by AJ Lesiecki, which will debut in Oswego configuration.
Canadians Dave McKnight and Mark Sammmut will once again make the trip from North of the Border, with McKnight hoping to build off of a fifth place finish a year ago, and Sammut returning after a respectable 11th place effort in 2022.
Locally, New Yorkers Aric Iosue and Kenyon Zitzka have expressed their intentions to enter the Classic with Iosue, a former feature winner, making his first start in the 200-lap crown jewel in a couple of seasons and his first with a Bodnar Chassis, while it will be the first ever Classic start for Western New Yorker Zitzka in a former McVetta ride.
Classic Weekend is also expected to bring three more former Oswego feature winners; Michael Muldoon in his homebuilt No. 15 and Todd Stowell in the X-Chassis No. 89 out of the woodwork, as well as the Nuclear Banana No. 99 of Jerry Curran.
Soule Racing, based in Baldwinsville, with Ohio’s Moe Lilje at the controls of the blue 32, are an anticipated entrant in the coming month as well.
The ‘Jersey Jet’ Joey Payne, who just picked up his completely re-worked Hawk Chassis, is also expected to make a much anticipated Oswego return, chasing after the coveted Classic bonus with the Penix / Payne Racing No. 14.
And last but certainly not least, 9-time Speedway champion Otto Sitterly confirmed that he will indeed enter this year’s International Classic. Sitterly sat outside pole in his first ever start with the Nicotra team’s re-worked Hawk Chassis in the 66th running a year ago, but took a hard shot into the first turn foam after a parts failure while in the lead just past halfway.
Sitterly, who has swept the Winged Challenge through two events thus far, is currently tied with Eddie Bellinger Jr. for the second most Classic crowns of all-time at five, which sits behind only Nolan Swift, Bentley Warren, and Greg Furlong, who all share six Classic wins.
Tickets for the 67th running of the Budweiser International Classic 200, fueled by the Circle T Ready Mix, Corr / Pak Merchandising, IPC Indy, Shea Concrete, and Seals-It Classic Sponsor Bonus at the ‘Steel Palace’ on Sunday, September 3 are available for purchase online now by visiting OswegoSpeedway.com and clicking on ‘Buy Tickets.’ You can also stop by the track’s box office at 300 East Albany Street in Oswego.
For more information on Classic Weekend, 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.
About Oswego Speedway: Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile semi-banked pavement racing oval located off the shores of Lake Ontario in scenic Oswego, NY. The 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 the Oswego Speedway making it the only weekly Supermodified racing venue in the world. The Small Block Supermodifieds and 350 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, two-time Indy 500 champion Gordon Johncock, and former International Classic Champions Bentley Warren, Joe Gosek, and Davey Hamilton.
- CAMDEN PROUD on Aug 07, 2023
- Article Date: 8/7/2023