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9/26/2010 |
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CLIFF, SHARPSTEEN, AND WEBER CLAIM
60TH SUNOCO RoC FEATURE WINS ON SATURDAY |
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 On
a cool and windy fall Saturday for the 60th running of the Sunoco
Race of Champions at the Oswego Speedway three drivers had a big
smile on their face after their respective feature wins.
Dave Cliff won his first feature of the year in the NORA Small Block
Super Modified feature event while Lee Sharpsteen won the Super
Stock feature and Bob Weber won the Late Model feature.
Dave Danzer and Dave Cliff brought the 14 car NORA Small Block Super
Modified 35 lap feature to green with Danzer jumping out to the lead
over Cliff, Tim Barbeau, Rob Pullen, and Dave Gruel.
Mike Bond was the driver on the move early as he moved into fifth on
lap two and into fourth four laps later.
The story of the race would change on a lap 13 restart as coming
down for the green the left rear tire of the Danzer machine went
flat. All drivers did a great job avoiding the slowing Danzer mount
as he pulled into the pit area.
The misfortune by Danzer put Cliff in the lead with Barbeau, Gruel,
Bond, and Pullen in tow. Bond got past Gruel for third on lap 16 and
just after that pass took place Gruel pulled into the pit area,
Kraig Heroth now moved into fifth.
The top five stayed pretty much in line with the exception of Heroth
who snuck under Pullen for fourth on lap 24.
Cliff in for the win over Barbeau, Bond, Heroth, and Pullen.
Qualifying races were won by Jack Patrick and Danzer.
Kyle Sharpe and Brian Sones brought the 38 car Super Stock field to
green to start their 75 lap feature. Yearly this feature has plenty
of excitement and it was no different this year as a multi car turn
one accident just after the green came out forced a stoppage of the
race.
When racing resumed after another yellow came out trying to complete
the first lap Sharpe had the lead over Sones, Terry Potrzebowski,
Steve Shultz, and Glenn Lippolis.
An excellent six car battle formed early for positions three through
eight between Potrzebowski, Shultz, Lippolis, James Yamelski, Lee
Sharpsteen, and 34th place starter Chris Daugherty kept the fans on
the edge of their seats between laps 10 and 30.
Yamelski became the driver on the move as he moved into fourth on
lap 31, third on lap 34, and second on lap 38. Yamelski then reeled
in the leader Sharpe and started applying heavy pressure on him for
the lead.
With less than 20 laps remaining two great races were forming with
Sharpe and Yamelski racing for the lead. Meanwhile Sharpsteen,
Daugherty, and Lippolis were exchanging positions three, four, and
five every few laps.
The complexion of the race changed dramatically with ten laps to go
as the right front tire on the Yamelski car went flat sending him
pit side. Daugherty meanwhile raced his way into second past
Sharpsteen with Lippolis in fourth and Jim Steffenhagan, Jr. now in
fifth.
A restart with five laps to go closed up the field and everyone knew
that a wild and crazy finish was on the horizon and with less than a
lap to go in the feature, it got wild and crazy.
Just after receiving the white flag and entering turn one Sharpe who
was leading got tapped by the second place car of Daugherty and spun
out. The yellow came out and Daugherty was placed at the rear of the
field for the contact.
Daugherty instead pulled into the pits by his own choice with Sharpe
right behind him. A meeting of the minds took place between both
racing teams that was quickly dismissed by officials, the race
resumed with Sharpe being disqualified for a rules infraction.
A green checker finish was called for and that was all that Lee
Sharpsteen wanted to see as he held off Lippolis for the checker.
Steffenhagan was third followed by Shultz and Jeff Goodwin.
Qualifying races were won by Mike Ramos, Mike Nichols, Yamelski, and
Chip Wanamaker.
Defending TJ Toyota Late Model 125 race winner Tommy Cloce and
George Skora, III brought the 31 car field to green. Just like with
the Super Stocks the Late Models only went a few feet past the start
/ finish line before a multi car wreck stopped the action.
When racing resumed after a delay Cloce raced into the lead over Bob
Weber, Dave Heitzhaus, Scott Wylie, and Zane Zeiner. Zeiner quickly
moved into fourth on lap 11 and into third on lap 14.
After another delay in the race due to an accident on the
backstretch Weber took advantage on the lap 27 restart by getting
his cold tires to hook up to the surface first and he slipped under
Cloce for the lead going into turn one.
Heitzhaus who raced Super Modifieds at Oswego for one season many
years ago started slipping back through the field. This allowed
Wylie to take fourth on lap 28 and Dave Macomber to move into fifth
on lap 38.
The top five stayed pretty much nose to tail with Weber and Cloce
the class of the field. While racing in heavy lap traffic on lap 81
the fifth place car of Macomber spun out bringing out the yellow and
moving Jeff Brown into fifth.
The race was stopped for the third time when a multi car turn four
wreck halted the action on lap 97. The race returned back to green
flag conditions but only for a few laps more as the fourth red flag
of the race came out on lap 105 for the flipped car of Francis
Gross, III.
The final 20 laps were anti – climatic as the top five remained the
same and a few more yellows were tossed in for good measure. Finally
on lap 123 of the scheduled 125 lap’s race officials threw the
checker due to the excessive wrecking and the race now nearing the
two and half hour mark.
Weber in for the $4,000 win over Cloce, Zeiner, Wylie, and Brown.
Qualifying time trials set the field with David Rigan setting fast
time with a lap of 18. 872.
60TH SUNOCO RACE OF CHAMPIONS NORA SMALL BLOCK SUPER MODIFIED
FINISH; Dave Cliff, Tim Barbeau, Mike Bond, Kraig Heroth, Rob
Pullen, Dennis Richmond, Scott Schafer, Pitt Watson, David LaTulip,
Chris Tedd, Jack Patrick, Dave Gruel, Stan Gates, Dave Danzer, AJ
Bernys, George Knight.
60TH SUNOCO RACE OF CHAMPIONS SUPER STOCK FINISH; Lee
Sharpsteen, Glenn Lippolis, Jim Steffenhagan, Jr., Steve Shultz,
Jeff Goodwin, Chad McDonald, Terry Potrzebowski, Brian Sones, Steve
Hoffman, Chris Daugherty, Dave Fetterly, Ron Babula, Jr., James
Yamelski, Dylan Terry, Todd Ahner, Mike Scott, Chip Wanamaker, Dave
Arbes, Robert Fink, Brian LaBar, Charlie Sharpsteen, Billy Coyle,
Jason Dinzler, Ken Evans, RJ Wyman, Dan Scott, Mike Nichols, Mike
Ramos, Tom O’Sullivan, Jim Potrzebowski. DQ; Kyle Sharpe.
DNS; Jay Mudra, Derrick Tarbox, Brittney Jack, Justin Moser,
Todd Stone, Willie Strusz.
60TH SUNOCO RACE OF CHAMPIONS TJ TOYOTA LATE MODEL FINISH;
Bob Weber, Tommy Cloce, Zane Zeiner, Scott Wylie, Jeff Brown, Rich
Skora, Jim Lameroux, Dave Macomber, Will Thomas, Donnie Hartzell,
Joe Beretta, Jason Zastko, Ray Bancroft, Ron Nurmi, Mike Sweeney,
Dave Heitzhaus, Patrick Hargan, Francis Gross, III, Jerry Dineen,
David Rigan, Sam Fullone, DJ King, Mike Fiebelkorn, Jr., Dave
Whittaker, Cooter Beyer, George Skora, III, Travis Fisher, David
Russell. DNS; Joe Burns, Austin Kochenash, Scott Nurmi.
GATER RACING NEWS BEST APPEARING LATE MODEL; Beretta. |
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Source: JR Kennerup / RoC Modified Tour
Posted: September
26, 2010 |
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