Oswego Supermod Regulars Ready To ‘Wing It’ At Lancaster

Story By: DAN KAPUSCINSKI / TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES – OSWEGO, NY – With the Shea Concrete Triple Crown Championship Series presented by ASI Racewear moving to Lancaster Speedway on Saturday for the first of five winged ISMA Supermodified events, several Oswego Speedway non-wing regulars are preparing to ‘wing it’ on the road.

Seven-time Oswego Speedway champion Otto Sitterly leads the way as he will be behind the wheel of the Shullick/Bodnar No. 96.

Sitterly finished behind teammate Shullick as the runner-up in the TCCS lid lifter at Oswego on May 13, putting him as the runner-up in the driver’s portion of the TCCS championship at this juncture.

Sitterly has one career ISMA win, coming at Oswego, and hopes to be able to utilize the experience of the two time and defending ISMA champion Shullick/Bodnar team to mount a serious charge at Lancaster.

Former Oswego Classic champion Tim Snyder will pilot his No. 0 machine after a top five result in the first TCCS event of the season.

Snyder participated in both the wing and non-wing portion of last weekend’s Oswego Speedway Port City ‘Super Spectacle’ in anticipation of taking on Lancaster this weekend for round two.

Currently Snyder is fifth in the driver’s championship and second in the car championship on the TCCS trail.

Joining Snyder on the road this weekend will be the Mike Muldoon No. 15.

Like Snyder, Muldoon ran laps at Oswego last weekend with the top wing, but Saturday’s event at Lancaster will be his first true start in ISMA competition as the former Oswego Classic pole sitter looks to improve on his current TCCS standing of sixth in the driver’s championship and fourth in the car championship.

Joe Gosek has more experience at Lancaster than any other current Supermodified pilot and he will return to the western New York oval on Saturday in the rebuilt No. 00 Super.

After destroying the front half of his machine while running fourth in the TCCS opener at Oswego, Gosek and team rebounded in a big way at Oswego’s Shampine Memorial by finishing third in the rundown after arriving at the Speedway late with no hot laps or heat race action on the car.

With two previous wins at Lancaster in his Hall of Fame career, Gosek hopes to continue his momentum of a week ago, this weekend.

The last of the Oswego regulars confirmed to be in action on Saturday is 2016 Oswego championship hopeful, Dave Gruel.

Gruel was the winner of ISMA’s King of Wings at Oswego in 2012 driving Steve Miller’s Sweet 16 Supermodified, proving he has what it takes to compete with the top wing.

In his first trip to Lancaster, Gruel will contend with his Hawk chassis No. 50 machine which was recently converted to independent front suspension.

Oswego regulars and TCCS contenders Jeff Abold and Keith Shampine will not be in action on Saturday.

Team Abold Racing is hoping to make their ISMA debut this season at Stafford Speedway on June 23, while the Osetek Racing Technologies team is aiming for both shows at Sandusky Speedway in July.

This Saturday’s TCCS/ISMA event at Lancaster will see pit gates open at 3 p.m. with grandstand gates opening and practice beginning at 4 p.m. The night’s first race will hit the Speedway at 6:30 p.m.

For more information on the event visit Lancaster Speedway online at www.lancasternationalspeedway.com or visit ISMA at www.ismasupers.com.