RPW Column: Austin & Cole Susice Make Hangover History At Land Of Legends Raceway

Column By: MARTY CZEKALA / RPW -CANANDAIGUA, NY – Austin and Cole Susice made history Friday at Land of Legends Raceway as they won both races of the 2021 “Hangover Gets a Double Shot” to become the first pair of brothers to sweep a Hangover.

The 6-Cylinder event, which saw nearly 70 cars take the green flag, got right off to its slow, enduro pace, with cars trying to find any line they can while avoiding the slower-stopped backmarkers. Within three laps, the first car blew up, that of Quinton Clark. But in the Hangover, whether a driver has spun or blown up, the race will remain green unless a red flag comes out for safety precautions.

Early on, seven laps in, Ricky Washburn had the lead but faced a strong challenge from Raymond Jones. The gap was about half a straightaway, until lap 12 when Washburn stopped in turn one and Jones got caught up in it. Jones recovered and challenged Kyle Wilkins for the lead in a deadlocked battle, but on lap 16, Wilkins blew up, and Jones spun in turn four, with both getting stuck in the deep clay mud.

Austin Susice was able to take advantage of both drivers’ mishaps and take the lead on lap 19 and was cruising until a red flag on lap 23 for a fire on the back straightaway. During the stoppage, Street Stock runner-up Jimmy Grant was able to pit for a new tire. He then un-lapped himself to move up to second on lap 29, with a lot more RPM than what Susice had, even threading the needle with 14 laps to go. Still, a lap later, his car started smoking. A second red flag came out for fire from David Mills’ car, but during the red, Grant jumped out of the vehicle after determining his car could not continue.

The race was left in the hands of Susice, who looked like at first would not have been able to finish the race, as he was getting no grip in the rear, plus his right rear sneaker was starting to run low. His car, though, was the last car standing with five laps to go and the checkers waved for him.

“The track started out really good, it was a little slick in turns 3 and 4, but one and two got real heavy. I felt [the rear tires] lock up, and keep the momentum and keep spinning,” Austin Susice said.

Jimmy Grant would finish second, and Dalton Martin rounded out the podium.

And that was the preliminary to the stacked 4-Cylinder event, as about 120 drivers took the green. Immediately on the start, there was carnage that led to an early red flag consisting of a lot of smoke, fire, and a bumper cover coming off. Once the race got going, Taylor Partee had a wicked fast car early on and looked like the car to beat. Immediately within eight laps, the track was very tight, as many junked up race cars were on the racing surface, just waiting for a red to come out to clean up some of the mess. Partee had over a lap lead over second-place Cole Susice. Then the car surged on him, stalling at one point, then getting back going, and stopping on lap 16, handing the lead off to Susice.

During the race, numerous drivers were trying to use the grassy runoff part of the track on the outside of the turns to avoid that heavy clay. That lead to a warning by race director Greg Hixson came out informing drivers through a pit sign to stay on the track, and boy was it tough. Drivers kept getting stuck in the mud, just trying to hang on.

One of the more impressive drives came on lap 24 by Cody Coston. Not having any forward movement, he decided to put his car in reverse and get it out of the mud. Coston even pulled a move out of Ricky Bobby’s book by driving the vehicle in reverse for nearly two full laps until it blew up and caught fire, bringing the red flag out.

Once the race got back to green, Cole Susice had an enormous lead over the next car still on track. Though, at the halfway mark, Cole’s car got stuck in turn three due to an overheating issue. Some of his fellow Ransomville Speedway teammates, including Austin, who was pulling double duty, came out of the pits after being done for the race to try and push him out. It was a move never seen in Hangover competition before.

One car was then left in the race, the 94 of Soapy Madia, 14 laps behind Cole. If the vehicle could keep going for that long, the race would end, and the 94 would win. But one lap into the near-impossible comeback, it got stuck in the mud. Madia did not have enough time to get the car back in gear, knocking the driver out of competition, and giving the win to Cole Susice. Cole was only able to get to victory lane thanks to a push from his brother.

“It was a blast running the high side. They [officials] said to stay off of it, but you couldn’t, you’d get stuck, had to make a choice,” the 4-Cylinder winner said. “I was hoping he [the 94] would break. I thought he was the car three laps down. I was counting the laps, and I didn’t see him come by three, so I thought I was good, and then I broke free and saw the checkered.”

On getting pushed by brother Austin to victory lane, Cole said, “That’s pretty cool.”

As for Austin pushing Cole? “I probably should’ve dumped him.”

Partee finished second while 2020 CRSA Sprints champion Darryl Ruggles took third.

Other contingency awards for tonight included fan favorites. Those went to the 41 of Dave Licata, driving a fictional US Post Office station wagon in the 4-Cylinders, as well as the 11 of Kale Wilkins, driving a Pepsi van in the 6-Cylinder class. Long tow awards went to the 10 of Zachery Eckert in the 4-Cylinders, and the 67 of Frank Connelly in the 6-Cylinders.

The racing season officially begins in 2021 for Land of Legends on April 24th with a 358-Modified special, alongside a DIRTcar 40-lap Sportsman race, 305 Sprints, Street Stocks, and Hobby Stocks.