Write a commentFans who were able to come back to Oswego Speedway on Sunday afternoon for the rained out portion of the Jim Shampine Memorial Twin 50’s were treated to one of the greatest moments in the 58 year history of the Supermodified division.
Alison Cumens-Sload, in only her second race piloting the John Nicotra owned, Otto Sitterly prepared No. 39, held off Joe Gosek and Keith Shampine to park herself in victory lane, becoming the first ever female to win an Oswego Supermodified feature.
“I definitely didn’t think this would come in my second race,” Sload said in victory lane. “I thought we’d be here at some point this season, but here I am. I just told myself I was going to send it.”
Send it she did. Sload started on the outside pole alongside Michael Barnes, and initially fell back to second, but inherited the race lead on lap 15 when Barnes hit the inside hub rail with a broken tie rod on the Syrell Racing No. 68.
With Barnes out of the way, it was Alison’s race to lose. Fortunately, she executed perfectly, navigating through lapped traffic without missing a beat to keep one of the all-time greats in Gosek behind her.
“I could feel Gosek behind me and kept thinking I need to concentrate on hitting my marks every lap,” Sload mentioned. “I was looking at the leader board a little built to gage where everyone was, but I couldn’t too much in lapped traffic. Fortunately traffic was cooperative today.”
With 35 laps remaining, Sload set out on a mission. She pulled away from Gosek, Shampine and Doug Didero as the front four built a distance between themselves and fifth running Dave Shullick Jr.
At halfway, Sload lead Gosek, Shampine, Didero, and Shullick, along with Otto Sitterly and Jeff Abold, who had come from eleventh and twelfth to search for positions in the top five.
With about 15 laps to go, Sload caught lapped traffic for the first time and went to the outside of a trio of cars with no problem, keeping Gosek at bay at least for the time being.
At about the exact same moment that Sload hit traffic, Shullick ran into trouble with the No. 95, losing power steering on the car. This allowed Sitterly, Abold, and the remaining top ten cars of Bowes, Bellinger, Tim Snyder and Dan Connors all by.
Back up front, it was smooth sailing for the No. 39, at least until the lap counter showed five to go. That is when Sload had a brief scare in traffic, having to go by Logan Rayvals, Camden Proud, and Shullick, who was now getting lapped as well.
Upon catching this pack of three cars, Sload had go to high and then back low, first getting around Proud and then under Rayvals. She went wide in turn 1, but was able to wrestle the car back down to the inside of the track, keeping Gosek behind her.
By this time, Sload and Gosek were gone as Shampine, Didero, and Sitterly battled for third, fourth, and fifth, but when the checkered flag waved, the crowd roared for Alison Sload who earned the first ever Supermodified checkered flag of her career, making Oswego history.
Gosek, Shampine, Didero, and Sitterly finished second through fifth in that order with Abold, Bowes, Bellinger, Connors, and Snyder rounding out the top ten.
Sload, who also has an ATQMRA victory and a pair of ISMA top fives at Oswego, was the obvious winner of the Lighthouse Lanes ‘Up and Comer’ Award while Sitterly earned D&S Landscaping ‘Hard Charger’ honors for another great drive from twelfth to fifth.
After a thrilling Opening Weekend, Oswego Speedway is off on Saturday, June 1, but reopens with another three division show on Saturday, June 8 featuring the Novelis Supermodifieds, Pathfinder Bank SBS, and Sunoco New York Super Stock Series.
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.
BOX SCORE
- Century 21 Galloway Realty 69th Annual Opening Day
- Oswego Speedway
- Oswego, NY
- Sunday, May 26, 2019
Novelis Supermodifieds
Feature 2 (50-laps): 1. ® 39 ALISON SLOAD, 2. 00 Joe Gosek, 3. 55 Keith Shampine, 4. 3 Doug Didero, 5. 7 Otto Sitterly, 6. 05 Jeff Abold, 7. ® 25 Dan Bowes, 8. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 9. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 10. 0 Tim Snyder, 11. 50 Dave Gruel, 12. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 13. 94 Logan Rayvals, 14. ® 90 Jack Patrick, 15. ® 54 Camden Proud, 16. 56 Hal LaTulip, 17. 97 Tim Jedrzejek, 18. 70 Dave McKnight, 19. 68 Michael Barnes, 20. 44 Chris Perley. DNS - Jon McKennedy, Tyler Thompson, Dave Danzer, Lou LeVea Jr, Aric Iosue.
Heat 1 (12-laps): 1. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 2. 98T Tyler Thompson, 3. 25 ® Dan Bowes, 4. 05 Jeff Abold, 5. 44 Chris Perley, 6. 55 Keith Shampine, 7. 02 Brandon Bellinger
Heat 2 (12-laps): 1. 7 Otto Sitterly, 2. 39 ® Alison Sload, 3. 50 Dave Gruel, 4. 00 Joe Gosek, DNF - 11 Aric Iosue, 70 Dave McKnight
Heat 3 (12-laps): 1. 21 ® Jon McKennedy, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 3 Doug Didero, 4. 52 Dave Danzer, 5. 68 Michael Barnes, 6. 97 Tim Jedrzejek, 7. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 8. 56 Hal LaTulip, 9. 90 ® Jack Patrick, 10. 54 ® Camden Proud, 11. 0 Tim Snyder, 12. 94 Logan Rayvals
Group Time Trials: 1. 55 Keith Shampine - 16.150, 2. 3 Doug Didero - 16.223, 3. 7 Otto Sitterly - 16.349, 4. 02 Brandon Bellinger - 16.359, 5. 68 Michael Barnes - 16.386, 6. 00 Joe Gosek - 16.388, 7. 05 Jeff Abold - 16.395, 8. 95 Dave Shullick Jr. - 16.444, 9. 11 Aric Iosue - 16.461, 10. 25 ® Dan Bowes - 16.484, 11. 97 Tim Jedrzejek - 16.529, 12. 39 ® Alison Sload - 16.541, 13. 44 Chris Perley - 16.562, 14. 21 ® Jon McKennedy - 16.634, 15. 70 Dave McKnight - 16.645, 16. 01 Dan Connors Jr - 16.668, 17. 52 Dave Danzer - 16.748, 18. 50 Dave Gruel - 16.804, 19. 98T Tyler Thompson - 16.834, 20. 54 ® Camden Proud - 17.517, 21. 90 ® Jack Patrick - 17.852
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger Feature 2: #7 Otto Sitterly
Lighthouse Lanes Up and Comer Feature 2: #39 ® Alison Sload
