Chasin’ Racin’
On Wednesday night of Super DIRT Week I ventured out to the Weedsport Speedway for their Super DIRT Week “KICKOFF PARTY,” and that is what it was.
Weedsport Speedway
As you entered the beautifully upgraded facility, race fans were enjoying themselves under the big pavilion, talking racing, eating some of that great Weedsport Speedway food, and plain and simple having a good time before the races.
As I walked down behind the grandstand there were more people listening to the band that was playing and again enjoying the day, which started off very wet, canceling the practice at Oswego Speedway.
The novelty store that has something for everyone sure was a busy place. The sweatshirts were the hot item as it was at that point a tad chilly and going to be a very cold and damp night.
As you looked around the facility it was amazing what they have done to make it such a first-class place. They truly thought about the fans. The Weedsport staff is very friendly, from Jo Ann at the check-in to the young lady serving the nice hot cup of coffee at intermission; and by the way, they had propane heaters to keep everyone as comfortable as possible on the cold night in the pavilion.
For those who had never been to Weedsport they were amazed, as I was when I made my first trip back after the renovations. On a night I thought we would never see a lap turned due to weather, a determined track staff worked their tails off so the fans could be treated to a great night of racing.
The fans are not the only ones that were thought about — the pit area is a race team’s dream. The track has great lighting all around the speedway and there is not a bad seat in the stands, and an easy-to-read lap counter also adds to a great night of racing as well.
If you have not been to Weedsport Speedway, make sure to check out their 2019 schedule when it comes out and plan on making the trip up. I am sure you will be amazed, as others are, in the facility that has become the showplace of Central New York racing and racing in the Northeast. If you remember the days when weekly the pits were filled with the very best dirt racing had to offer each Sunday night, the same still holds true today. Sure, some of the names have changed, but the racing at Weedsport Speedway is as good as it ever was. The rich tradition lives on, and don’t forget to get there plenty early to take in the DIRT Hall of Fame and Museum on the premises of the Speedway at 1 Speedway Drive, Weedsport, NY.
DIRTcar Sportsman and Modifieds
With all the rain the track was super heavy and made for some very fast racing. A fine field of 602 DIRTcar Sportsman and some of the very best DIRTcar 358 Modifieds from the Northeast, as well as many of our friends and race teams from Canada, filled the pits for an action-packed night of racing.
Early in the night Chad Brachmann set fast time in the Modified time trials. In heat race action Pat Ward would pick up the win in heat No. 1, with local champion Bobby Varin finishing third and going directly into the feature.
In heat No. 2 it was Todd Root defeating local rookie Rocky Warner, and another rookie, Ronnie Davis Jr., proving that the future is bright in New York racing in the future.
Heat No. 3 found Tim Sears Jr. putting on a great show for the fans, driving hard from the sixth starting spot to pick up the win and was one of the quickest cars the entire evening as Capital District racer Jessey Mueller worked his way into the big event by virtue of his lap in the third group of time trials.
Heat No. 4 found Larry Wight picking up the win, with Marc Johnson having a great run and finishing third.
In heat action No. 5, Erick Rudolph showed his power, picking up the win as local champion Brett Hearn struggled and failed to qualify and had to go to the Last Chance Showdown No. 2. The Last Chance Showdowns were won by Danny Creeden and Matt Sheppard.
DIRTcar Series
At the drop of the green on the 100-lap 358 DIRTcar Series event Pat Ward and Todd Root led the way with the popular Ward getting the lead. Once out front, Ward was fast and was catching the back of the field and by lap 10 was into lap traffic, with Root and Erick Rudolph in tow.
It did not take long for Rudolph to show his strength aboard his new car they had put together over the past week, first putting Root back to third and then diving to the bottom out of turn 4 to gain the lead and become the new leader.
The racing behind the leaders was tight and action packed as the track had a huge berm built up on the high side of the speedway, making the track narrow, but that did not stop the great racing.
Once out front Rudolph continued to be dominant. The race for second heated up, with Root getting past Ward. The caution flew for the first time for Mike Mareska, who has spent most of the 2018 racing season in a Late Model. Once back to green Rudolph continued to lead and started to leave the rest of the field to battle it out as Root, Ward, Sears Jr. and Lance Willix rounded out the top 5, with Capital District drivers Jessey Mueller, Rocky Warner and Bobby Varin in the top 10 as Sears worked his way to third, starting to show his speed as he started to get stronger and he set his sights on Root.
When Root slipped up after catching the berm going to the high side of Rudolph, Sears quickly pounced and took over second and now had the Rudolph machine to chase down. Just before the halfway point of the 100-lap event the caution was out, tightening up the field and putting Sears on Rudolph’s back deck as Root and Ward were in the top 4, as they had been since the green flag flew.
Once back to green Rudolph again held the lead and quickly again started to put the field behind him as Larry Wight was starting to make his move into the top 5 as the battle behind the leader heated up.
With the racing action starting to heat up, Larry Wight and Jessey Muller were now in the top 5 as Rudolph continued to roll along out front and started to once again find his way into lap traffic. Now on the move was Ronnie Davis Jr. as the 358 Rookie was racing hard against the veterans. The fine ride for Muller ended as he brought out the yellow at the three-quarter mark of the race and returned to the track after repairs.
Once back to green, Rudolph again was able to power away as Sears worked his way around Ward for second, with Davis now in the top 5. Out front Rudolph again opened the lead and again Mueller brought out the yellow and headed to the pits, with Rudolph still leading, putting Sears, Ward, Davis and Wight inside the top five as Bobby Varin sat seventh when the field went green with 10 to go.
After one last caution late in the event, Erick Rudolph, who might be one of the hottest drivers in the Northeast and who has really come into his own in 2018, pulled off the dominating win over Tim Sears Jr., Pat Ward, Ronnie Davis III in for a fine top 5, with Larry Wight rounding out the top 5. For Capital District racers, Bobby Varin finished seventh, Marc Johnson 14th, Jessey Mueller after running in the top 5 was 21st after two flats, Rocky Warner was 22nd and Brett Hearn was 25th.
DIRTcar Sportsman
In the companion 602 DIRTcar Sportsman it was Dave Marcuccilli picking off yet another win, something that has been very common for the veteran of the division.
At the drop of the green it was young gun Tyler Thompson jumping to the lead and holding the point for the first four laps before Marcuccilli took over the lead. Once out front the race was on for second as Marcuccilli would never give up the lead. Following Marcuccilli to the checker was Kevin Root, Andrew Smith, Will Shields and Zach Sobotka rounding out the top 5.
Capital District driver Connor Cleveland finished 10th. Other local racers found Fred Proctor 13th, Kevin Chaffee 17th, David Schilling 21st, Adam Pierson 29th and Jeremy Pitts 32nd.
It’s hard to believe racing season is coming to an end. We experienced some great racing this year and I am already looking forward to the 2019 race season! Check out the speedway schedules and make sure you come out and enjoy some of the greatest racing you will ever experience.
