Otto Sitterly Leads Early International Classic Weekend Testing At Oswego

Story By: CAMDEN PROUD / OSWEGO SPEEDWAY – OSWEGO, NY – With three days of testing in the books for the 61st running of Budweiser International Classic Weekend at Oswego Speedway, it’s not a surprise to anyone that the man on top of the charts so far is seven time track champion Otto Sitterly, who posted a 16.371 second lap in the John Nicotra owned No. 51 to be driven this weekend by Joey Moriarty on Wednesday evening.

Other cars that have taken time so far this week include Jason Spaulding with his ISMA Supermodified and rookie Addison Bowman in the No. 12 Small Block Super on Monday, Pat Lavery with the Nicotra Racing No. 6 Supermodified on Tuesday, along with Supermodified drivers Bill Sharkey and Aric Iosue, who were joined by Sitterly and once again the Bowman SBS, this time driven by former track public relations director Dan Kapuscinski on Wednesday.

Sitterly got faster each session as the evening went on with the Hawk Chassis IFS racer recently purchased by Nicotra, starting out in the 16.9 bracket, before eventually working his way down to a 16.5 and then a blistering 16.371 second lap with newer rubber.

Second on the speed charts for the Supers so far this week is his teammate Pat Lavery, who posted a 16.7 lap on Tuesday afternoon. Iosue got the Graham Racing No. 11 down to a 16.852, while Sharkey posted a 17.589 with the Shark Motorsports No. 71 early on Wednesday evening.

In his return to Small Block Super action for the first time since 2010, Kapuscinski put up a 19.355 lap, besting Bowman’s handful of 19.5s put together earlier in the week. ‘Danny K’ will attempt to qualify for the 26th annual Bud Light Classic 75 on Friday evening.

Spaulding was also on the track several times Monday afternoon, with his fast time being a 16.400 in the Jakes Automotive No. 23 winged Super.

Testing will really get busy Thursday morning, afternoon and evening with two sessions scheduled, one from 11:30am to 3:30pm, and then again from 4pm to 8pm.

Signed up for tomorrow’s morning session are the Supermodifeds of Joey Payne, Dan Connors Jr and Brian Sobus. They will be joined by the Small Block Supermodfieds of Ray Sand Jr and veteran Anthony Losurdo, who will be making his first appearance of the season driving the Mark Castiglia owned No. 69.

On Thursday afternoon, pavement star Bobby Santos will be on hand for testing with the Graham Racing No. 21 as Santos looks to compete in his fourth consecutive Bud Classic 200. Curran Racing teammates Jerry Curran and Jeff West will look for track time as well.

In the Small Block Supermodifieds, Tyler Thompson will be in attendance with his recently established ride for the Classic, as the dirt racing campaigner will wheel a former Kreig Heroth Racing No. 04 recently purchased by Jason Simmons. Scott Shafer and Jon Tesoriero, who will be driving the former Dennis Rupert No. 99, will also test from 4-8pm.

Official Classic Weekend action gets started on Friday, September 1 when Central New York Chevy Dealers ‘Pole Day’ qualifying will take place for the Supermodifieds and Small Block Supermodifieds ahead of the Bud Light SBS Classic 75 and Budweiser International Classic 200 to be held this Sunday, September 3. A ‘Party in the Pits’ featuring a performance by Dirtorad Ruckus will take place at the infield stage to conclude Friday’s events. Saturday’s program will feature the return of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour plus the ISMA Supernationals 60 for the winged Supermodifieds.

For a full Classic Weekend schedule and ticketing information, be sure to visit online at OswegoSpeedway.com or phone a box office representative at (315)-342-0646.

 

Oswego To Back #CheckIt4Andretti Campaign On International Classic Weekend

Oswego Speedway competitors in the Novelis Supermodified, Pathfinder Bank Small Block Super, International Supermodified Association and NASCAR Whelen Modified divisions will spend the 61st Annual Budweiser International Classic Weekend supporting one of the most legendary names in motorsports history to raise awareness for colorectal cancer.

Beginning Friday, September 1, all drivers in competition at Classic Weekend will bear a #checkit4Andretti decal on their race cars, with all four divisions backing the campaign founded by John Andretti in early 2017, with a goal of spreading the message to schedule a colonoscopy in effort to raise awareness of colorectal cancer.

Andretti is a 54 year-old veteran racer and the nephew of racing icon and Mario Andretti. A former Daytona 500 campaigner from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Andretti saw his racing career span from Indy Cars, NASCAR, Sprints, Midgets, and more in over 25 years of competition. The 12-time Indy 500 starter and former Verizon Indy Car Series winner, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer earlier this year, has a simple message; schedule and get a colonoscopy. It will help save lives.

“This is something that has really taken off since we started talking about this message,

Andretti commented. “So many people all over the motorsports community have joined in to help spread the message to schedule and get a colonoscopy. The Torrese family, the Oswego Speedway staff and competitors, and all the fans are wonderful people who are passionate about racing and important causes. I’m humbled and thankful that they will help too and continue to spread our message this weekend. It will help save lives. I wish everyone luck this weekend.”

John’s son Jarrett Andretti, who is currently a Sprint Car driver and the 2012 Oswego Speedway Novelis Supermodified Rookie of The Year, was thrilled to hear that Oswego competitors will be racing with the #checkit4Andretti decal on Classic Weekend. Andretti noted that competing at ‘The Steel Palace’ once again is at the very top of his bucket list.

“It’s really cool to see all the competitors this weekend race with the #checkit4Andretti decal. That means a lot to me and my family,” Andretti said. “Classic Weekend is a premier open wheel event and it’s is on the top of my bucket list to come back to and race. My dad and I really enjoyed our time at the Oswego Speedway. The Torrese family, competitors, staff and fans are some of the best in the country. This is an important cause and campaign and we are thankful to everyone supporting it and spreading the message.”

Official Classic Weekend action gets started on Friday, September 1 when Central New York Chevy Dealers ‘Pole Day’ Qualifying will take place for the Supermodifieds and Small Block Supers ahead of the Bud Light Classic 75 and Budweiser International Classic 200 to be held this Sunday, September 3. A ‘Party in the Pits’ featuring a performance by Dirtroad Ruckus will take place at the infield stage to conclude Friday’s events. Saturday’s program will feature the return of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour plus the ISMA Supernationals 60 for the winged Supermodifieds.