Modified Champion To Be Crowned This Friday At Ransomville Speedway
Story By: DAVE BUCHANAN / RANSOMVILLE SPEEDWAY – RANSOMVILLE, NY – Ransomville Speedway is set to crown its open-wheeled track champions this Friday night as Hy-Tech Concrete, Lawns Unlimited, National Maintenance Contracting Company, WNY Heroes and Busch Beer present the final night of points for the Krown Undercoating 358 Modifieds, Investor’s Service Sportsman and Stevenson’s Hardware Novice Sportsman plus a 4/6-Cylinder demolition derby.
Triple T Auto Parts and Ransomville have put up $1,000 for the driver that can get their car to survive the demolition derby on the front straightaway following the conclusion of the racing program. Second place will take home $300 with $100 for the third place finisher.
The 358 Modified season has had a number of memorable moments and thrilling races thanks to a season-long battle between Erick Rudolph and Mat Williamson. Rudolph and Williamson have been going head-to-head all season at the “Big R” and at dirt tracks across the northeast. Add into the mix some impressive runs by Mike Bowman, Chad Brachmann, Ryan Susice, Gary Lindbeg and Pete Bicknell and the “Big R” has one of the most impressive weekly 358 classes in DIRTCar.
They will close out their regular season this Friday with a 40-lap, $2,000-to-win season finale. Rudolph has a 27 point lead over Williamson going into this final race as he looks to win his second-straight 358 Modified crown. He increased that lead last Friday thanks to his fifth win of the season with Williamson finishing second.
Both drivers racked up additional accolades this past weekend as Rudolph clinched the Modified championship at Utica-Rome Speedway on Sunday while Williamson was busy winning the 75-lap, $4,000-to-win Pete Coso Memorial at Humberstone.
The race for the Investor’s Service Sportsman title is even closer as defending champion Brett Senek leads Derek Wagner by 13 points going into their final weekly points race. Just like Rudolph and Williamson, Senek and Wagner have seen plenty side-by-side action against each other this season, and have combined to win six out of the 11 races run this year.
The closest championship battle at Ransomville is in the Stevenson’s Hardware Novice Sportsman with Butch Zimmerman leading Mike Martin by just two points. Martin took a chunk out of Zimmerman’s lead last Friday when he recorded his first win of the season. Bubby Pawlak still has a shot at the title as well, but trails Zimmerman by 34 points.
The Ki-Po Chevrolet Street Stocks and Gippster’s Collision Mini Stocks will also be in action on Friday night.
The reschedule foot races for kids and adults will take place during intermission. Prizes will be awarded for the fast runners.
Pit gates will open at 5 p.m. with grandstands opening at 6 p.m. Racing starts at 7:15 p.m. Grandstand admission is $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students (ages 13-17 with valid school ID), $8 for children ages 9-12 and kids 8 and under are free. Pit admission is $27 for member, $32 for non-member.
