Oswego To Adapt New Timed Warmup System In 2017

Story By: CAMDEN PROUD / OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – The 2017 season is nearly upon us and with that comes a bit of a change of course for Oswego Speedway’s Novelis Supermodified and Pathfinder Bank SBS divisions. For the first time, officials will adapt a new timed warmup system on regular race nights for both of the track’s weekly divisions.

These ‘timed warmups’ will now set heat lineups each week for Supermodified and SBS competitors as well as play a big role in the outcome of the Road to the Championship point standings at the end of the season.

The process, although new, is quite simple.

At the conclusion of regular hot laps each week, the SBS and Supermodified drivers will then again take to the track for their timed warmup sessions.

Timed warmup sessions will be 15-minutes in length and in ‘open pit’ format. 5-6 cars will take to the track at a time and the fastest lap within that 15 minute session will be used to determine a driver’s starting spot in his or her heat race.

Tires will also come into play as you must use your heat and feature tires for the timed warmup. No other tires will be allowed and these tires will be stenciled prior to any driver entering the racing surface. A driver may go out during this 15 minute sessions on as many occasions as he or she wishes, but may not change tires.

Heat lineups will also have an inversion which will be announced by the race director before both of the timed warmup sessions. The inversion will be based on an 18-24 car count.

Perhaps the most crucial part of this new system is the role it plays in the championship standings. Every driver that takes part in the timed warmup session on any given week will earn at least 1 point in the standings. The fastest driver will receive 15 points, 2nd fast will receive 12 points, 3rd fast will receive 10 points, and so on.

Much like in year’s past, the top 4 in each of the heat races for the Supermodified and SBS divisions will be handicapped into their feature event for the evening based on the past three weeks of racing action.

Unlike prior seasons, drivers will no longer be penalized for missing an event. If a driver that did not participate in the previous week’s event handicaps in the top 4 positions, they can start as high as fifth in the feature lineup. The top 4 positions are reserved for drivers that competed the previous three weeks while the previous week’s winner must start no better than 12th.

Heat points will be decreased this year, behind awarded as follows: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Any car starting a heat will earn at least one point.

The week by week time schedule will also be affected by this new timed warmup system, as on regular race nights, standard hot laps will hit the track at 4:30pm, with SBS timed warmups to follow at 6:15pm and Supermodified timed warmups taking place at 6:30pm. The first heat of the night will get the green at 6:45pm. On autograph nights, this schedule will be pushed back 15 minutes. For time schedules for Opening Day, the Super Spectacle, and the July 8th show which will include the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series, check the schedule tab on Oswego Speedway.com.

Feature event point systems will remain the same for both divisions this season.

2017 Timed Warmup Points System for Novelis Supermodifieds and Pathfinder Bank SBS:

1st – 15
2nd – 12
3rd – 10
4th – 8
5th – 7
6th – 6
5th – 5
4th – 4
3rd – 3
2nd – 2
1st – 1
All Others – 1

The first on track activity of the year at the speedway is the track’s annual Open Practice session set for Saturday, May 6th.

A week later on Saturday, May 13th, the Big O will open for it’s 67th Annual Opening Day featuring the Novelis Supermodifieds, Pathfinder Bank SBS, and the Richie Evans Memorial 61 for the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series.