Former ISMA Supermodified feature winner at Oswego Speedway, Ben Seitz, will be ready for action on Saturday at the Steel Palace in the Bien Racing No. 17. (Mike Johnson)
OSWEGO, NY (April 28, 2014) – For the 64th consecutive season, Oswego Speedway will fill the ‘Port City’ of Oswego with sights, sounds, and smells unlike any other; waving the green flag on another exciting season of motorsport at the ‘Steel Palace.’
Gater Racing News will present the 64th annual opening day celebration featuring the first round of the Shea Concrete ‘Steel Palace’ ISMA Super Series, and the Road to the Championship lid lifter for the Pathfinder Bank Small Block Super Series on Saturday, May 3.
The ultra-fast winged ISMA Supermodifieds will take on the Oswego speed plant for 56-laps in the 2nd annual ‘Irish’ Jack Murphy Memorial, while the SBS will contend in their first 35-lap main of the year.
Grandstand gates will open at 3 p.m. on May 3 with time trials set to start at 5 p.m. followed by racing at 6:30 p.m.
To purchase tickets for Oswego Speedway’s 64th annual opening night call the Speedway box office at (315) 342-0646. General admission seating is available for $25, with reserved seating on sale at $30, and VIP tower seating with all you can eat food and beverage for $90.
Once again in 2014, kids 16 & under will be admitted free of charge with a paid adult with active military also admitted free with I.D.
A rain date for Saturday’s event has been posted for Sunday, May 4.
Saturday’s ISMA Supermodified event at Oswego Speedway will mark the first of four Shea Concrete ‘Steel Palace’ ISMA Super Series events at the Speedway.
A year-long Oswego Super Series champion will be determined with events running on May 3, June 7, July 12, and August 30.
Last year’s Shea Concrete ‘Steel Palace’ ISMA Super Series Champion, Canadian Mike Lichty, will be back in 2014 with the No. 84, looking to defend his title and attempt to steal the Oswego Speedway track record of 14.972 seconds held by Ohio runner Dave Shullick Jr.
Shullick will be in the Port City on Friday and Saturday of this week, taking part in the Speedway’s open test session on Fridayevening from 6-10pm, to get in shape to try and return to Oswego’s Turning Stone Resort Casino Victory Lane for the first time in several years.
While Shullick holds the track record at Oswego, Lichty beat the No. 94 twice last season in race trim, making for a healthy and exciting rivalry to be reignited this Saturday in Oswego.
Joining Lichty and Shullick as a part of the high flying ISMA Super Series will be defending series champion Lou Cicconi Jr., the winningest winged Supermodified driver in Oswego’s history Chris Perley, Ben Seitz, Mark Sammut, Jon McKennedy, Alison Cumens, Moe Lilje, Tim Ice, Jeff Locke, Eddie Witkum Jr., Rob Summers and more.
All ISMA Supermodified drivers will be focused on running up front through the first portion of their yearly schedule, with the top two drivers in ISMA points as of July 1 guaranteed to start the Budweiser International Classic 200 for Novelis Supermodifieds on Sunday, August 31.
Joining the cars and starts of the ISMA Supermodified series on Saturday will be the local heroes in the Pathfinder Bank Small Block Super Series.
A competitive and strong field of Small Block Supers is expected to pull through the gate on Saturday, eyeing the first round of the division’s Road to the Championship.
Competitors will also be keying on leading the series title early in the year, as the leading SBS driver in the standings as of July 1will also earn a guaranteed starting position in the 58th running of the Budweiser International Classic 200.
A total of 13 SBS racers took advantage of open testing last Saturday with JJ Andrews leading the way on the speed charts in the Team Tapout No. 93.
Top contenders Mike Bond, Jason Simmons, Kreig Heroth, Jon Tesoriero, Andrew Schartner and more will all be on hand.
Joining the cast of regular contenders will be newcomers Alex Hoag, Camden Proud, and Jesse Bearup, along with returning veterans Steve Abt and Barry Kingsley.
For more information on Oswego Speedway visit online at www.oswegospeedway.com, 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 mile 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.
Oswego Speedway Partners (Oswego Speedway would like to thank the following partners): Advance Auto Parts, All Seasons Inn, Beacon Hotel, Blue Bowl Sanitation, Bracy’s Auto Repair, Butler Disposal Services, Bosco’s Famous Italian Sausage, Bacc-Off, Canale Insurance, Burritt Motors, CNY CPR, Designs of Elegance, Dufore’s Jewelers, Ellsworth Heating and Cooling, Environmental Remediation Services, Gater Racing News, Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce, J&K Plumbing and Heating, Kathy’s Cakes, McCaffrey Chiropractic, Cam’s NY Pizzeria, Oswego Health, Dahl’s Diner, Pizza Villa, Precision Balancing, Press Box, Gioia Signs, RJ Caruso Tax & Accounting, Leon Shapiro Motor Sales, Munski’s Auto & Marine, Ontario Orchards, Oswego County Federal Credit Union, Hudson Dairy, Burke’s Home Centers, Knights Inn East, Knights Inn West, H. Lee White Marine Museum, Hofmann’s, Century 21 Galloway Realty, Dunkin Donuts, Rudy’s Lakeside, POMCO Group, Price Chopper Supermarkets, Eagle Beverage, Budweiser, Bud Light, Coca-Cola, Novelis, Pathfinder Bank, C’s Beverage Center, G&I Homes, Johnston’s Propane, Performance Harley Davidson, Scriba Lane Redemption, Entergy Northeast, Longley Dodge, Best Western PLUS, Quality Inn and Suites Riverfront, Pullen’s Plumbing, Vashaw’s Collision Service, Scriba Meats, S&S Tractor, Stop DWI Oswego County, Oswego Sub Shop, Sunset RV Park, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, White’s Car Care, Turning Stone Resort Casino, Fleet Pride, The Evergreen Motel, Elbert & Crate Box, Crop Production Services, Davis Bros. Inc., Hoosier Racing Tire, Helena Chemical Company, U-Pull U-Save Auto Parts, Planet Fitness Oswego, A&P Auto Parts Cicero, Zink Shirts, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Seminis, D&S Landscaping, Nice Price Auto Sales, Shell Shock Custom Helmet Paint, Lighthouse Lanes, JP Jewlers, Sherwood Racing Wheels, NBT Bank, Radical RaceGear, Trucks R Us, Chestnut Security, Wayne Drugs, Locke Crane Services, Brad Penn Oil, Firefreeze World Wide, Safety Kleen, Oswego County Today, Shea Concrete, Mitchell’s Speedway Press, North Country Home Builders, Corr/Pak Merchandising, B104.7FM, TK99/TK105, Ferris Mowers, Terrell’s Potato Chips, Eagles Fan Club, Top Stitch, Top Quality Construction, Outdoor Power, John Costello & Associates, Oswego Quality Carpet, Enders Racing Engines, Thomas Video Productions, The CNY Family Sports Centre, ARISE, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Great Strides for Cystic Fibrosis, Rusty Wallace Racing Experience