Steve Paine & Son, Billy, Both Among Champions In Outlaw Speedway’s 2020 Fall Series

Story By: KENNY SHUPP / OUTLAW SPEEDWAY – DUNDEE, NY – Fifth-year Outlaw Speedway owner/promoter, Tyler Siri had high hopes for a massive 2020 season at the historic Yates County, NY speedway.

Events like the World of Outlaw Late Models, The All-Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series, The Short Track Super Series for Modifieds along with numerous other special events for the weekly regular competitors. The 360 Sprints were scheduled numerous times throughout the season which was set to open in April and run thru late October.

However, Siri’s aggressive 2020 schedule of events all went out the window with the arrival of the COVID 19 Pandemic which basically shut everything down in New York State for several months.

“The way things looked in March when the virus really started taking off, I figured we would be luck to open in August if at all, stated Siri. But once we got into the early summer months the state gradually started opening things back up including racetracks, but with no fans allowed in the grandstand seating area. With that we had to readjust our schedule and cut out all special events as with no fans there was no way we could pay any high dollar purses associated outside touring groups. Thus, we stuck with just a regular weekly show when we opened on June 5 and stayed that way thru the duration.”

Siri did however extend the season into October after the Regular Season ended on August 28 as for the first time he announced a Fall Series which would feature most of his regular classes with a regular weekly purse structure and champions would be crowned at the end of the tentatively scheduled 9 race Fall Series.

The first week was scrubbed immediately after Siri decided to take time and do an overhauling of the racing surface including widening all the way around as well as several loads of clay being placed in the corners. In addition, the scales were moved from the infield into the pit area to help speed up the show. Also, the entire pit area was graveled, regraded and compacted. With that the First Annual Outlaw Speedway Fall Series officially got underway on Friday, September 11, 2020 with six classes making up the card. The October 2 show was a total washout and Siri opted to give everyone a night off on October 16 after numerous drivers and crews expressed their interest in traveling to the event at the Port Royal Speedway scheduled for the same weekend. The Fall Series continued October 23 which would be the last event of the series as poor weather in the forecast forced Siri to pull the plug early for the October 30 finale. When it was all said and done five events made up the Fall Series with huge car counts each event including over one-hundred fifty checking in for the October 23 final event.

In the Friendly Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Modified Division the Hurricane Steve Paine set the pace early on by winning night one on September 11, his third win of 2020 at Outlaw and from there his consistency in the other Fall Series events was evident as he went on the claim the Fall Series Modified Championship. The Doctor, Danny Johnson finally was able to reclaim some of the magic that has him enshrined in the Dirt Motorsports Hall of Fame by winning two features in a row on September 18 and 25 in route to a third place finish in the point tally as his car owner, Bossman Tyler Siri did everything but win in the Fall Series in claiming the runner-up spot to Paine. For Siri he saw a couple second place finishes that could very well have been wins which found him coming up a bit short in the final point standings. DPod, Derrick Podsiadlo was able to shake off a poor Regular Season and recover to finish fourth in the Fall Series as Jim LaRock would round the top five in Fall Series Points. Cory Costa on October 9 and Erick Rudolph on October 23 were also feature winners during the Fall Series. Both well-deserved and long overdue.

Second generation driver Billy Paine is chip off the old block. Trying to follow in father Hurricane Steve’s Hall of Fame footsteps, Billy did double duty in 2019 racing both a Sportsman as well as his dad’s back-up Modified and was crowned the 2019 Friendly Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram Rookie of the Year. However, 2020 found Billy competing fulltime in the Sunrise Insulation American Racer Tire Division and with the focus on competing in just one class payed huge dividends as he visited victory lane on two occasions with one win in both the Regular Season and Fall Series. Winding up eighth in the Regular Season AR Sportsman Division, Paine went to work and found the added speed and consistency in claiming the American Racer Tire Fall Series Championship by just four points over former Outlaw Speedway Track Champion, Chris Fisher and sixteen points over 2020 Regular Season Champ, Karl Comfort who wound up second and third respectively. Comfort won two events during the Fall Series with both Donnie Lawson and Kenny Peoples Jr. each finding victory lane on one occasion. Peoples would claim fourth in the Fall Series point tally with Rookie Justice Mayo showing great promise in finishing fifth at the age of fourteen. Billy Paine’s driving style is like his personality, pretty laid back. He doesn’t take many chances and is smart about picking and choosing his fights rather than just poking his nose in where it might not belong, A reminder of his famous father.

Unlike Billy Paine whose primary focus was on the American Racer Tire Sportsman Division, Alex Payne will drive anything with wheels. During 2020 he ran in both Sportsman Classes during the Regular Season finishing third on Hoosiers and seventh on Racers. During the Fall Series the third-generation pilot did not cut his crew any slack. Even though he competed just on Hoosier Tires the team also fielded a Modified for the young phenom where he finished thirteenth in the Fall Series Point Standings. Pretty impressive stuff. But the real high light was capturing the Outlaw Speedway Fall Series Championship. With two wins during post season play and five overall on the 2020 campaign, Payne is clearly one of the up and coming young drivers that is turning heads. His balls to the wall driving style has gotten him in trouble on a few occasions, however this kid can wheel a race car and his 2020 Fall Series Hoosier Tire Championship will be the first of many. Take that to the bank! Brett Buono kept Payne honest throughout the five event Fall Series and although going winless through the entire season, Buono did have a respectable seventh place finish in the Regular Season Hoosier Tire Points and backed it up with the runner up spot in the Fall Series with his focus strictly on Hoosier Tires throughout the entire year. Karl Comfort capped off an incredible 2020 Sportsman Season by finishing third in the Fall Series as he competed in both Hoosier and Racer Divisions after claiming the Regular Season Sunrise Insulation American Racer Tire Track Title. No matter what tire brand, KC can just flat get it done! Stacy Jackson was able to recover from a dismal Regular Season where he finished thirteenth in the points to Track Champion, Zach Sobotka, but the veteran competitor bounced right back in Fall Series play to claim fourth in the points as AJ Lloyd continued his consistent season nailing down fifth after finishing sixth in the Regular Season points. Like Jackson, Lloyd was strictly a Hoosier Tire specialist during 2020.

Glen Whritenour decided to take a respite from competing in Outlaw Speedway’s 1st Annual Fall Series after claiming the Regular Season Track Championship in the Stan’s No Tubes Street Stock Division. With GW staying home it opened the flood gates for a host of drivers waiting to pounce on the opportunity to claim the Fall Series Title. Odds on favorites CJ Guererri, Jared Hill, Jake Karlnoski and Aksel Jensen all laid claim to the Fall Series Championship, but it was Adam Depuy with two wins that snookered them all in claiming the title. Depuy had only made a few starts during the Regular Season, however with wins on September 18 and October 23 and several other top finishes, Adam Depuy was able to claim the Stan’s No Tubes Street Stock Fall Series Championship. Jimmy Grant was a picture of consistency in finishing second in the final point tally. Jared Hill came up just a few markers short of the top two in claiming third in the points while CJ Guererri and Aksel Jensen would go on to finish fourth and fifth, respectively. Besides Depuy’s two victories, Guererri and Dylan Cecce also found victory lane during the Fall Series.

The IMCA Hobby Stocks were included in the Fall Series and with their customary side by side racing continued to put on a great show. 2018 and 2019 Regular Season Track Champ, Mark Minutolo came out of the gate swinging on September 11 and after claiming wins on the first three nights of the Fall Series was able to coast to the 2020 Fall Series Hobby Stock Title. Shawn Lloyd was a distant second to Minutolo in the final point tally as Jamie Eldredge Jr. would go on to claim third. By virtue of one win on October 23, Tyler Burnell wound up fourth in the points with Casey Wagner rounding out the top five. Besides Minutolo and Burnell, Justin Eldredge was also a feature winner visiting victory lane on October 9. With Outlaw Speedway being the only track racing deep into the fall in New York State, some thirty-seven different drivers competed in the IMCA Hobby Stock Fall Series events showing that this is definitely the up and coming race division.

Last but certainly not the least the Mighty 4 Cylinder Mini Stocks rounded out the Fall Series Super 6 Show. With 2020 Regular Season Champion, Jeremy Bunn opting out of post season play along with Bob Doolittle who like Bunn won four feature events during the Regular Season it made life a lot easier for the rest of the competition. Ray Hyer has a long and successful career driving a four banger. Going back to when the class began over twenty-five years ago, Hyer has been a mainstay and although taking a turn of the wheel in other forms of competition, Hyer has always come back to his bread and butter. In the Regular Season Hyer had two wins and a very respectable runner up in the points to Track Champ Bunn. Ironically, he had zero wins in the Fall Series and won the title. Go figure! It was a show of consistency that won Hyer the Fall Series Championship as he was right in the thick of things every night as he claimed the title over Jack Ormsby, Chris Force, Matt Irwin and Scott Lehman with Irwin the only top five driver claiming a Fall Series feature victory. Other Fall Series winners included Travis Webster, 2017 4 Cylinder Track Champion, Mike Stone, Kenneth Evans and Scott Lehman Jr. who would wind up with three total wins on the 2020 season.

At the completion of the show on Friday, October 23, Tyler Siri made sure the top five Fall Series point finishers in each of the six classes received trophies and contingency product certificates. Many thinks to all these great sponsors for their dedication to Motorsports.

Fall Series Champions Contingency Awards;

Friendly Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Modified Champion;
• $500 Hig Fab Chassis Gift Certificate
• 2 Wheels from Speed Connection – $500 value
• American Racer Tire Certificate
2nd place in points – $500 towards lettering from PDGGFX (Jim Reyer Jr)
3rd place in points – $75 Gift Certificate from Insinger Performance & Sunoco Race Fuels
4th place in points – DVD’s from Thomas Video/RaceFlix
5th place in points – 20 week subscription to Area Auto Racing News

Sunrise Insulation American Racer Sportsman Champion;
• $300 Hig Fab Chassis Gift Certificate
• American Racer Tire Certificate
2nd place in points – $250 gift certificate towards lettering from PDGGFX (Jim Reyer Jr)
3rd place in points – $75 Gift Certificate from Insinger Performance & Sunoco Race Fuels
4th place in points – DVD’s from Thomas Video/RaceFlix
5th place in points – 20 week subscription to Area Auto Racing News

Hoosier Tire Sportsman Champion;
• $300 Hig Fab Chassis Gift Certificate
• Hoosier Tire Certificate
2nd place in points – $250 gift certificate towards lettering from PDGGFX (Jim Reyer Jr)
3rd place in points – $75 Gift Certificate from Insinger Performance & Sunoco Race Fuels
4th place in points – DVD’s from Thomas Video/RaceFlix
5th place in points – 20 week subscription to Area Auto Racing News

Stan’s No Tube Street Stock Champion;
• Gift Certificate, Tshirt and Hat from Close Racing Supply
• American Racer Tire Certificate
• Case of Oil Compliments of Finn’s Auto in Canandaigua
2nd place in points – $75 Gift Certificate from Insinger Performance & Sunoco Race Fuels
3rd place in points – 1 month subscription to Video on Demand on dirttrackdigest.tv
4th place in points – DVD’s from Thomas Video/RaceFlix
5th place in points – 20 week subscription to Area Auto Racing News

Hobby Stock Champion;
• Gift Certificate, Tshirt, and Hat from Close Racing Supply
• Case of Oil Compliments of Finn’s Auto in Canandaigua
• $75 Gift Certificate from Insinger Performance & Sunoco Race Fuel
2nd place in points – 1 month subscription to Video on Demand on dirttrackdigest.tv
3rd place in points – DVD’s from Thomas Video/RaceFlix
4th place in points – DVD’s from Thomas Video/RaceFlix
5th place in points – 20 week subscription to Area Auto Racing News

4 Cylinder Champion;
• $75 Gift Certificate from Insinger Performance & Sunoco Race Fuels
• Case of Oil compliments of Finn’s Auto in Canandaigua
2nd place in points – 1 month subscription to Video on Demand on dirttrackdigest.tv
3rd place in points – Auto Wash Kit Bucket valued at $55 from Finn’s Auto in Canandaigua
4th place in points – DVD’s from Thomas Video/RaceFlix
5th place in points – 20 week subscription to Area Auto Racing News

“This was the first time we tried the Fall Series, stated Siri and it was overwhelmingly successful. Car counts were awesome every night of the five-race series and we had some guys come and try out the track that normally might not have come otherwise. The Pandemic put me in a position of running later into the fall than we would have otherwise, but the guys wanted to race after such a late start, so it was a good deal for everyone.”

As things progress over the next several months and should the NYS Health Department protocol change allowing mass gatherings then Siri will investigate hosting the 5th Annual Outlaw Speedway Awards Banquet which historically is staged in late January.

“The Regular Season Banquet is a wait and see deal. If the state loosens up its grip on things, then we will try and get something in place prior to the 2021 car show and race season. But right now, it’s almost impossible to predict what is going to happen over the next three to four months.” That once again according to Tyler Siri.

In the meantime, Siri has already gone to work putting another aggressive schedule of events together for the upcoming 2021 season.