At the Races

For the second week in a row, a Novelis supermodified driver tasted victory lane for the very first time at the Oswego Speedway. Second-year driver, Aric Iosue, captured the checkered flag on Saturday night, winning the 75-lap Independence Grand Prix, presented by D. Bus Walker Enterprises.

He would guide his Ray Graham-owned No. 11 the final 15 laps en route to winning the caution-free event. The victory was the third to come out of the Graham Racing stable in 2016.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be able to outrun all of these quality cars,” Iosue said. “All I did is drive my own race. I wasn’t trying to win the race. I just tried to do what I could and my best. I wasn’t worried about beating David (Gruel) or Joe (Gosek) or anyone else. I just had to race myself really and it worked out.”

Having led the first seven laps of the race from the pole position, Iosue would watch third-row starter, Dave Gruel, zip past him on the eighth circuit and command the race for the next 52 laps. However, Gruel’s No. 50 would begin to lose its might and a patient, steady Iosue would retake the lead on the 61st lap.

“David went by me really fast, early on,” the 2015 Novelis supermodified ROY said. “He was driving off into the sunset. I said ‘Just stay low and run your own race.” He got into traffic and that kind of slowed him up and then he just started coming back to me. He looked like he was getting a little free and finally, coming out of (turn) four, he got a little sideways and I just stood in it and said ‘it’s now or never.’ I ran it in there and it worked out.”

Iosue and Joe Gosek led the field to the green to start the evening’s main event, with Iosue edging out Gosek’s No. 00 to lead the maiden lap. Michael Muldoon, Brandon Bellinger and Gruel filled out the top five behind the lead duo.

Gruel was aggressive early, after taking fourth away from Bellinger on the second lap he would then chase Muldoon four trips before taking over third. Not letting up, Gruel would use the outside lane to muscle his way around Gosek and Iosue, vaulting from third to first on the eighth lap.

Gruel and his No. 50 were quick to put distance between themselves and their nearest chasers. By the 17th lap, Gruel’s lead had grown to nearly a full straightaway.

However, the race leader’s pace would slow after catching the tail-end of the field on the 26th lap. Iosue would close the gap by the 30th lap, but as soon as Gruel found a path his lead began to grow again.

At the lap No. 35 mark, Gosek and Muldoon continued to hold the third and fourth positions. Having started ninth, Michael Barnes had just moved around Bellinger to break into the top five. Pat Lavery, Keith Shampine, Bob Bond and Kody Graham filled out remainder of the top 10.

By the 50th lap, Iosue had again closed up on the race leader. Gosek had been racing 20 lengths off the pace, but had begun reeling in the two leaders. Gruel’s No. 50 was beginning to run out of steam.

Having yet to have taken a shot at the front-runner, Iosue would see a golden opportunity on the 61st lap after Gruel bobbled in the fourth turn. Iosue would take aim at the opening left by the race leader and reclaim the top spot. His No. 11 would continue to move forward, building itself a solid lead as laps began to near their end.

Iosue would carefully navigate his final few trips around the lakeside oval’s five-eighth’s mile. His lead would grow to 10 lengths and then 20 before the checkered flag finally fell on the sophomore racer.

Gruel would stay ahead of Gosek, salvaging a second-place run and unofficially taking over the lead in the championship points chase.

“The car was really great, right up until lap 45, 50,” Gruel said. “For a 50-lapper, we’ve got a really good setup. But we’ve got to do something different for 75-lappers ... I’ve really got to say hats off to Aric Iosue on his first win. He drove a hell of a race. He didn’t have it given to him. I was able to get around him and I led a good part of it. He was able to get it back from me and congrats to him.”

Gruel continued.

“I’ll tell you what, he’s a very smart guy. He’s smart at working on the cars and he’s getting to be a really smart driver. At the start of the race I never would’ve thought I would’ve ever seen him again. Probably about lap 50 with the way my car was starting to go away a little bit, all of a sudden I started hearing a motor noise behind me. I kind of assumed it was him. I knew it wasn’t a lapped car and I looked up on the scoreboard and saw it was the 11 behind me. Then, all of a sudden, boom, he passed me. I couldn’t believe it.”

Landing his first top-five of the season, Gosek was finally able to avoid exiting the speedway via the hook, earning himself a third-place finish.

“It‘s encouraging, now we can roll it home,” Gosek said. “It’s only the second race we’ve finished. We finished one twin-35 and then we got crashed right after that. So, we never get to make the car better. We’re always repairing the car. This will be a good two weeks now, because we’ve got a week off next week, to go home and really see what we have and make sure we go through everything ... It’ll give us some time to regroup and come back with a little better car and we can run up a couple more spots forward.”

Muldoon and Barnes rounded out the top five.

The Lighthouse Lanes Hard Charger Award went to Otto Sitterly. Iosue pocketed the Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer Award. Gruel earned himself the Radical RaceGear Lap Leader Award, while Timmy Jedrzejek won the Xtreme Short Track Sim Racing ‘Last Car on Lead Lap’ Award.

Shell Shock Custom Helmet Paint Heat Race Challenge winners were Ray Graham, Muldoon and Bellinger.

Novelis Grand Prix 75: 1. Aric Iosue (11), 2. David Gruel (50), 3. Joe Gosek (00), 4. Michael Muldoon (15), 5. Michael Barnes (68), 6. Bob Bond (47), 7. Brandon Bellinger (02), 8. Otto Sitterly (7), 9. Pat Lavery (12), 10. Kody Graham (21), 11. Jeff Abold (05), 12. Timmy Jedrzejek (91), 13. Dave Danzer (52), 14. Tim Snyder (0), 15. Davey Hamilton, Jr. (14), 16. Keith Shampine (55), 17. Dave Cliff (99), 18. Jerry Curran (24), 19. Ray Graham (90), 20. Dan Connors (01), 21. Hal LaTulip (56), 22. DNS - Lou LeVea, Jr. (83)

Heat Race #1: 1. Ray Graham (90), 2. Bob Bond (47), 3. Joe Gosek (00), 4. Aric Iosue (11), 5. Jerry Curran (24), 6. Davey Hamilton, Jr. (14), 7. Hal LaTulip (56), 8. Lou LeVea, Jr. (83)

Heat Race #2: 1. Michal Muldoon (15), 2. Jeff Abold (05), 3. Dave Gruel (50), 4. Michael Barnes (68), 5. Dave Danzer (52), 6. Timmy Jedrzejek (91), 7. Dan Connors (01)

Heat Race #3: 1. Brandon Bellinger (02), 2. Keith Shampine (55), 3. Pat Lavery (12), 4. Kody Graham (21), 5. Otto Sitterly (7), 6. Tim Snyder (0), 7. Dave Cliff (99)