OSWEGO, NY (April 10, 2024) - 18-year-old Hannibal High School senior Robbie Wirth, or 'The Wrench,' is readying for his third season at the Oswego Speedway. Preparing to take on his busiest schedule yet, Wirth will compete full-time in both the Pathfinder Bank SBS and J&S Paving 350 Super divisions.
Having raced go-karts from age 12 to 15, Wirth began working on cars in 2019 when his father, Rich, acquired the No. 04 Small Block Super for driver Mike Bruce. His involvement escalated in 2021 when the J&S Paving team added a Hawk Chassis 350 Supermodified to their stable.
Under Dan Dennie's guidance, Wirth quickly learned the ropes and at just 15-years-old, during Fast Friday practice at Oswego Speedway, he showcased his talent finding the low 19-second bracket right away, before securing a pair of top 10 finishes in his two starts at the end of 2021.
For 2022, Robbie Wirth Racing made significant upgrades to their SBS program, acquiring the former Anthony Losurdo track championship car. Now at the age of 16, Wirth was poised for a full-scale assault on the SBS field. Competing full-time in the No. 04, he impressed with six top 10 finishes and one top 5 run in nine starts, and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year.
Wirth continued to build on his promising start in the SBS class by transitioning to the 350 Super division full-time for 2023. His team’s efforts were rewarded with Rookie of the Year honors, but all of this happened after the 16-year-old made a notable Supermodified debut at the Classic in 2022.
Piloting the former ACME Racing No. 4, Wirth captured everyone's attention with an impressive qualifying lap of 16.977, securing the 7th fastest time and after redrawing, would start third on the grid. During the 50-lap 350 Super Classic, Robbie proved he has what it takes to compete with the class of the field by leading several laps and contending for the win, ultimately finishing a commendable 6th place in only his third start in a 350 Supermodified.
Fast forward two years and originally, the Robbie Wirth Racing team only intended to race one car weekly for 2024, but plans have recently changed. As Wirth explained, “We felt like it was kind of silly to bring the 350 out only a couple of times a year, and the best way to learn a car is get it out on the track and race it, so there was no point in leaving it in the garage.”
After his rookie season saw nine top 10 finishes in nine starts and a pair of top 5 runs including a second to Dave Cliff in August when Wirth fell just four laps short of his first ever feature win, the team is now busy preparing the 350 Super for another full-time pursuit of victory.
“The car is pretty much ready to go in the shop now and the guys have put a ton of effort into a new top wing cage mount package for the car,” mentioned Wirth. “My rookie year didn’t go the way we had expected, but I was able to at least have fun with the car again towards the end of the year and by the Classic, we were competitive again, but we just didn’t have a lot of luck.”
Luck certainly did prove hard to come by for Robbie Wirth Racing throughout the 2023 season. In an early Fast Friday test, a broken hub sent him careening hard into the first turn foam. The following night, despite bringing out the backup car, a former Nick Kinney Belfab Chassis, Wirth ended up out for the night due to a blown engine in practice.
Reeling from a very difficult position, although they managed to fix their primary car for the next week, persistent issues lingered - including with the team’s second engine. However, their luck finally took a turn for the better in the season's final month when a new engine, crafted by Pat Morrison, was put in the car. This change allowed Wirth to rediscover his stride.
“We had some good speed in the car again by the middle of August,” Wirth recalled. “I was able to get my first heat win in the August 12 race and I had a lot of confidence before going out for the feature. Leading 26 of the 30 laps was a great experience for me and I felt like I was going to get my first win if it wasn’t for the little slip up in turns three and four with four laps left when Dave Cliff got me. But, you are racing against the best of the best in that class with drivers like Cliff, Mike Bruce, Josh Sokolic and Bobby Holmes so it’s a challenge, but we expect to be able to compete with them.”
Despite all of the early hardships, Wirth still feels comfortable saying that his debut season in the 350 class was a bit more successful than his first season with the SBS in 2022.
Continuing to reflect on 2023 he said, “Switching cars and engines and going through all of the mechanical failures was not what we wanted to do. I really didn’t have too high of expectations at all when I got to start up front in August. It is a really big confidence booster to hold off Dave Cliff and lead laps for a long time. I guess I would say we have been closer to a win in the 350 than we have in the SBS so far. My first year with the SBS car wasn’t bad, but we had a couple of accidents and mechanical issues there too. I feel like we were more competitive with the 350 at the end of last season than we were with the SBS in 2022.”
Although the re-numbered No. 4 Tony White tribute Small Block Super sat in the shop for most of the 2023 season, Wirth did get that car out for a pair of shows as well, doing double duty on August 12 and again for Classic Weekend.
Now with several 350 Super events under his belt, Robbie's confidence as a driver in the SBS class has grown substantially. As he looks forward to this season, Wirth has high hopes for his performance in the SBS division, fueled by the lessons learned and progress made during his time competing in the 350 Super.
“Driving a Super sort of raises your expectations for how you are going to do in the SBS,” Wirth offered. “We decided to get it out at the end of last year and it ended up being really fast. I was battling with Greg O’Connor for a heat win in August, but some more mechanical stuff took us out of the feature that night. Since it was running really well, we brought both cars back out for Classic and I qualified sixth at an 18.8 which we were really happy with, but the rear panhard bar broke in the race. A tire went down and we had to pit, and were never able to get back up that far. But, running the 350 makes you feel like you can compete a little better and start with more of a veteran’s attitude in the SBS class and my expectation is that we will compete for a track championship and feature wins with that car this year. I think my hopes are higher for the SBS than the 350. I enjoy driving the 350 more because you spend so much of your lap on the gas and bury the car into the corners. That is more fun to drive, but I think because you can be more aggressive and use the bumper in the SBS car, that better suits my driving style.”
As for the 350, Wirth also carried his late-season speed with that car into Labor Day Weekend of last year, qualifying top 10 with a 17.080 circuit. Starting the Classic in ninth position, he was optimistic about a good long-run setup leading to a strong finish. However, ironically enough, the rear panhard bar broke on the 350 Super as well.
“Once again, more mechanical problems kept us from a good finish in both the Classics,” Wirth noted. “We are hoping all that goes better this year. My Dad, Dan Dennie, and Eric Howell have put tons of work into going through both cars. Maybe I feel like we can go race for wins quicker in the SBS because I think it will probably take a little learning with the new wing mount on the top of the cage in the 350. That has been the big project over the winter and we also downsized our 350 operation to one car so we can put focus only on the two cars that we are taking to the track every week. The 04 is now out in Ohio with Al Miller and I believe will be returning for the Oswego Classic. Now we can put all our time and effort into making sure the 4 is running how it should be every week this year and I really look forward to getting it back on the track.”
Robbie Wirth Racing sponsors include his Dad’s business and the title sponsor of the 350 Super division; J&S Paving, as well as Ambitious Amber’s Cleaning Service, Raby’s Ace Home Center, Pullen’s Plumbing & Heating, and Atlas Blacktop and Equipment.
‘The Wrench’ has crew help from his Dad, Dan Dennie, Eric Howell, Jeff Kingsley, his girlfriend, sisters, Mom, Boomer Preeman, Larry Muroski, Chief, Cameron Rowe, and Cam Rowe Jr.
Oswego Speedway’s 73rd season of racing will take the green flag on Saturday, May 25th, with the 75-lap Jim Shampine Memorial for Novelis Supermodifieds, 35-lap Tony White Memorial for Pathfinder Bank SBS, and a 30-lap Memorial Day Weekend special for J&S Paving 350 Supers serving as the lid lifters.
The Speedway is very close to making 2024 ticket sales and driver registration available in a new portal on the track homepage.
For more information, stay connected with the Oswego Speedway online. Visit our website at OswegoSpeedway.com, FOLLOW us on Facebook or X / Twitter (@OswegoSpeedway), and also on 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.
- OSWEGO ADMIN on Apr 10, 2024
- Article Date: 4/10/2024