2008 GENESEE SPEEDWAY ARTICLES............
RACING CANCELED FOR SATURDAY NIGHT MAY 3RD
Rich Vleck, BATAVIA, NY (May 3, 2008)- The Genesee Speedway has already equaled their rain out total of 2007.
For the second straight week, cold temperatures and intense storms have cancelled racing at the Genesee County Fairgrounds Oval. This time, the rainout was called well in advance to save everyone the bother of the inevitable.
“There is no way that we could get racing in today,” said speedway Promoter Mike Lauterborn. “It is better to call it early and let everyone relax.”
Batavia Sign Company was scheduled to cover the May 3 racing program, their sponsored night will now be moved to a night which is still to be determined.
The season opener will now be next Saturday, May 10, as Gates Electric Supply presents the Super 6 Racing Card, which will include the first ever All-Pro Challenge featuring the Regional Truck Pro Trucks and the Original Pizza Logs Pro Stocks. Racing will begin at 6:00 p.m.
For more information, please visit
www.GeneseeSpeedway.com.
Rich Vleck, BATAVIA, NY (April 26, 2008)- A heavy cold front that would ultimately wipe out most of the Saturday Night Action across New York State began its assault in Batavia to push the 2008 season back to May.
For the second straight year, a chamber of commerce day for practice was followed up with a disappointing rain out the next week. If the trend of a year ago does happen to continue though, half of the rainouts are already out of the way.
The decision to cancel came at 3:30, with the heavy front that started an hour earlier refuse to let up and at times only intensified. Despite an open window a few hours later, extremely wet grounds forced the postponement.
The season opener will now take place next Saturday, May 3, with Batavia Sign Company serving as night sponsor. Racing action will now move to the standard start time of 6:00 p.m. Gates Electric Supply will now sponsor the May 10 racing program.
For more information, please visit www.GeneseeSpeedway.com.
Racers and Fans Collect Data and Sunrays at Genesee Speedway Practice Session
Rich Vleck, BATAVIA, NY (April 19, 2008)- On a day when the culmination of an afternoon practice session was dubbed the “Ice Breaker 100”, any winter ice had melted and evaporated so fast from the Genesee Speedway it was almost considered sublimation.
With
nearly 60 cars on hand for the first laps on the Genesee Speedway 1/3-mile oval in 2008, for the second straight year the final practice session at the Fairgrounds saw temperatures sore over 80 and saw everyone work in their summer tans before their taxes have even been processed.
Nine divisions were represented in the afternoon practice session, including each of the weekly classes in 2008: Castle Powered Late Models, Troyer Chassis Sportsman, Original Pizza Logs Pro Stocks, Power Trip Energy Drink Street Stocks, Professional Drivers Institute Mini Stocks and the all-new DML Driveway Sealing Bandits. Tom Kemp was on hand with his Crate Late Model, a pair of micro sprints were in attendance, along with the ASCS Patriot Sprints of Derek Jonathan and Batavia’s T.J. Newton, who made his first laps in the Eric and Eileen Smith No. 57 in preparation for his first season in a sprint car. Newton also wheeled his familiar No. 45 Late Model in a pair of sessions.
The Sportsman led in car count with a full 20 competitors on hand, more than any regular race at the track in the last two years. Justin Wright, in his first laps in the Sweeting No. 11J, was at the top of the charts in both sessions he competed in, with defending champion Rob Pratt second in both.
Defending Late Model Champion Jim Johnson passed all of the sessions he was in, with Dave DuBois and Justin Chaddock near the top of the list in each session.
After the practice sessions came to a conclusion, the track was cleared for the “Ice Breaker 100”, which turned out to be an entertaining fan for all parties involved.
Mark Gillette of Spencerport scored the win, leading the final 36 laps and never falling out of the top three at any point in the race.
Rick Crego took the early lead before handing it over to Gillette, who turned it over to Andy Jankowiak just as fast. Jankowiak would suffer a flat tire allowing Gillette to scoot back by for a half-dozen laps before again relinquishing the lead, this time to sprint car and mini stock competitor Jeremy Barnard.
Barnard became tangled with a lapped car, causing the No. 11 of Geddy Hook to flip, and stopping the race for the second time on lap 29. On the ensuing restart, the hood would fly up on Barnard’s No. 86, ending his day.
While Gillette paced the field, Rob Doran began to slice his way through taking the lead on lap 44 and hanging on to it for 20 laps, before a flat tire ended his day prematurely.
With Doran out of the way, it was all Gillette for the final 1/3 of the race, as he grew his lead to four laps over the nearest competitor.
With only six cars finishing of the 25 that were in competition, it was a fight to the finish to see who would place in the money. Along with Gillette, Chris Wolcott and Rick Crego would be those lucky recipients. Rounding out the top-five were Liz Steele and Sean Kelly.
Genesee Speedway will kick off their first Saturday of Super 6 Racing for 2008 next weekend, with a special 5:00 p.m. starting time. The night’s program will be presented by Gates Electric Supply. For more information, please visit
www.GeneseeSpeeedway.com.
ICE BREAKER 100 ENDURO RESULTS (FINISHERS ONLY)
Rich Vleck, BATAVIA, NY (March 13, 2008)- Original Pizza Logs, one of the long-time supporters of Western NY Auto Racing, will align themselves with the Genesee Speedway in 2008 to help strengthen the Pro Stock division.
Fresh off the announcements of Troyer and Castle sponsoring the Sportsman and Late Model Divisions, respectively, Original Pizza Logs will become title sponsor of the Pro Stocks, adding to the 2008 point fund.
“It’s great to have Original Pizza Logs on board for this year,” said Genesee Speedway Promoter Mike Lauterborn. “It’s exciting that we have three terrific sponsors for our top three divisions.”
Along with sponsorship of the division, Genesee Speedway and Original Pizza Logs will also team up in the concession booths this year. The tasty delicacy that has been come a tradition at area race tracks will now be available weekly in both the grandstand and pit concession stands.
While the partnership of Original Pizza Logs and Genesee Speedway is new, their presence is not. Among the wealth of competitors that have ran in Batavia with the popular “Pizza Logger” adorning their cars, Don Barnes was a Pro Stock division regular in 2007, placing third in the final point standings.
Finger Food Products Inc., the parent company for Original Pizza Logs, is based out of Niagara Falls, NY. Along with their Pizza Logs, they also offer calzones. They are available at restaurants, schools and stores all around Western New York. For more information, visit www.PizzaLogs.com.
Original Pizza Logs Pro Stock races will get underway April 26 and run through August 30. In between, there will be Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock event on August 2 and two All-Pro Challenges with the Regional Truck Pro Trucks. For more information, please visit www.GeneseeSpeedway.com.
ML NOTE: THANKS TO JOHN VEACH AND RICH VLECK.
PLANT / HEADQUARTERS
424 Saint Paul
Street
Rochester, NY 14605
Phone: (800) 876-0222
Fax: (585) 325-4514
info@castlepackspower.com
By Rich Vleck, BATAVIA, NY (March 12, 2008)- The Late Model division at Genesee Speedway has long been considered a premier division with its substantial car counts and tight racing action. Castle has long been viewed as a leader in a number of markets for their wide variety of necessary products. In 2008, these two leaders come together to only improve on a storied past.
Castle Products, based out of the heart of Rochester, NY will serve as the title sponsor of the Late Model division this season, starting with the first race on Saturday, April 26.
“This is a great fit for us because the track is close enough to our base but still hits other key markets at the same time,” noted Castle Representative Steve Mills. “We’re excited for the upcoming season.”
Included in the positives coming from this announcement will be the nightly “Castle Fireball Fuel Cleaner Great Move of the Night”, given to the late model driver that makes that defining pass of the race that brings the fans to their feet and has a major impact on the event. The great move will serve as a reminder that you can make a great move for the environment by using Castle Fireball Fuel Cleaner in your car.
The addition of Castle will also help to boost the year-end point fund for this division, which saw a record-high 18 competitors receive awards in appreciation for their participation in the majority of the events last season.
“This is a great addition to the speedway and the late model division,” noted Genesee Speedway Promoter Mike Lauterborn. “This is a great company located right in our back yard that has a great line of products.”
Castle has long been associated with motorsports, dating back to the early 1970’s. They currently sponsor Andy Santerre’s NASCAR Camping World (Former Busch East/North) Series, which will be on display at Genesee on a Saturday Night in August that has yet to be finalized.
Castle has a wide range of products, from car performance products to cleaning chemicals and bee spray. For more information, please visit www.CastlePacksPower.com.
The Genesee Speedway begins racing action on April 19 with the Ice Breaker 100. For more information, please visit www.GeneseeSpeedway.com.
www.troyerracecars.com/index.html
Rich Vleck, BATAVIA, NY (March 4, 2008)- After a record year at the Genesee Speedway, the Sportsman Division will have familiar faces both behind the wheel, and behind the entire division.
Troyer Race Cars, of Rochester, NY, will once again be the title sponsor of one of Genesee’s Premier Divisions. Included in the benefits of having the support Troyer again will be the popular “Chassis Give-a-Way” at the year-end banquet.
At the 2007 Banquet, Don Spatarico of Ransomville took home the Troyer Chassis, despite finishing 10th in points. This year, a number of teams will be eligible to win the 2008 (or 2009) Chassis, with the specifics for eligibility to be announced before the start of the season.
“We definitely like helping out Mike Lauterborn and the guys at Genesee,” said Troyer Owner Billy Colton. “We want to see the track succeed and we feel this will entice more guys to become regulars.”
Genesee Speedway Promoter Mike Lauterborn agrees, “Billy has been a huge supporter since day one. It’s just fantastic to be able to give away another chassis at the end of this year.”
More exciting news from the Genesee Speedway will be forthcoming in the next few weeks as the 2008 season draws ever closer. Race 1 will be a combined practice and enduro event, held on April 19 for the Icebreaker 100.
For more information, please visit the daily-updated www.GeneseeSpeedway.com.
The 2008 Lucas Oil Shootouts will feature 5 Sportsmen Events -
one each at each of the following facilities – Friday Night’s Ransomville and Ohsweken Speedways, Saturday Night host tracks Merrittville and Genesee Speedways and the lone Sunday Night track – Humberstone Speedway.
For further rules and information on the 3rd Annual Lucas Oil Shoot Out by DirtTrackDigest.com – race teams can contact Merrittville’s Erica Bicknell at 905-685-7223 leading up to the season or at 905-892-8266. Ransomville’s Jeff Anstett can be reached via e mail at jeffo61@hotmail.com or visit www.DirtTrackDigest.com or any of the 5 track’s individual web sites.
Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry featuring a premium line of oils, greases and problem-solving additives .Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top selling additive in the industry.
Lucas Oil Products was established by Forrest Lucas in 1989 in the United States and wasn’t introduced in Canada until 1997.
Race fans can look for Lucas Oil Products in Canada at all PartSource locations and in Western New York at Advance Auto Parts or on line at either www.lucasoil.ca or www.lucasoil.com.
Since 1999, DirtTrackDigest.com has been one of the few racing news web sites to have a professional feel, easy navigation, fast loading and high content – DTD presents a unique experience for users.
DirtTrackDigest.com features all the news on DIRTcar Northeast including sanctioned tracks – Ohsweken, Ransomville, Merrittville, Genesee and Humberstone. In addition to breaking news and features by some of the top internet columnists, Dirt TrackDigest.com also features Photos, Classifieds, Links, Contests and more.
Genesee Speedway to freeze current Pro Stock rules for 2008 season.
Batavia, NY—August 22, 2007--By: Chris Rhynold, Media/Racer Relations Director
Genesee Speedway has decided that for the 2008 season they will be freezing the current rules package for the pro stock division in hopes to revive a dwindling field. Week by week the class has been having its ups and downs and the uncertainty of whether or not that the crate engine will be mandatory in 2008 for the pro stocks, it has been decided by the speedway that if the crate engine becomes mandatory for them that the class will more than likely burn out at Genesee.
In talking with many of the drivers, they are all happy that management has addressed the issues with the pro stocks and have decided to step up and try and save the class at Genesee Speedway. By doing this, the speedway is saving many of the Genesee Speedway regulars from having to throw away the engines packages they have now to buy others. In a class that is already hurting that just doesn’t make sense when all but one racer in Genesee field have open engines.
One driver went on to say he was very pleased that the speedway has finally stepped up to the plate to give the class some kind of direction and hope. He felt that over the past few years that the weekly racer was being chased out of the speedways by changing the rules all the time and that by making this decision it assures the teams that they will not have to retool there whole program and spend more money to accommodate the crate engine just quite yet.
The Staff at Genesee Speedway will be meeting with the pro stock racers at a later date to go over the rules package and try to fill in the grey areas and try to find a way to get more involved in the class. The class has put on some of the best racing this year at Genesee Speedway and would hate to see them leave, but if the car counts in the class become any lower the class would have to be dropped, so it was decided to go this route.
More information will follow regarding the class when the 2007 season is complete.
Pit Gates open at 4pm, Grandstand opens at 5pm, Green Flag drops at 6pm. For race day information call the speedway at 585-343-1076.
For Up to Date results and information visit our website at www.geneseespeedway.com .
For race day information call the speedway at 585-343-1076.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Sportsman and Pro Stocks to return to Genesee Speedway in 2008!
Batavia, NY—November 17, 2007--By: Jeff Anstett
Genesee Officials returned from the annual DIRTcar meetings with a better picture on how the 2008 season is going to look with the schedule as well as the rules. After a one year hiatus, DIRTcar Series Trail races for Sportsman and Pro Stocks will be back on the schedule.
For the 2008 regular season, Genesee will allow the crate option as well as the open motor option for Sportsman. The crate motors will be allowed in 2008 to use the Holley 4777 HP carburetor, In addition to the standard Holley 4777 that was utilized in 2007. After considerable debate, DIRTcar officials decided to add the 4777 HP carburetor to the 2008 rulebook. The 4777 HP is a racing carburetor that is used in most sanctioning bodies across North America. The standard 4777 carburetor was actually a street designed carburetor. By using the new 4777 HP model, a lot of technical grey areas will now be closed off, allowing the tech process to be much smoother.
The 2008 Sportsman Trail Race is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 13th. As with all DIRTcar Trail Races, the race at Genesee will be FULL CRATE ONLY. DIRTcar reinforced their commitment to the crate motor by mandating that all Trail Races are full crate in 2008. “We appreciate the compromise that DIRTcar gave us to allow the open motor option for one more year during the season, and we feel that we will have a full field of crates at our Trail Race” Commented Genesee Promoter Mike Lauterborn. “Hopefully, this will push more of our competitors towards the crate motor option for the 2008 season”.
The Pro Stocks will also see the return of the ever popular Super DIRTcar Series Trail event. In a yet to be announced date, Genesee Hot Shoes Pete Stefanski and Don Barnes will do battle with North Country Invaders Louie Jackson and Allen Peters. Genesee officials are working on a mid summer date that should be coming out soon.
In a popular move, DIRTcar officials decided to freeze the Pro Stock rules for 2008. The only change will be with the Holley 4777 HP carburetor, to remain consistent with all of the other DIRTcar classes. “With car counts a concern at all tracks, freezing the rules in the Pro Stocks seemed to be the best option available for DIRTcar” commented Genesee Promoter Mike Lauterborn. “Our Pro Stock car counts were going up at the end of 2007, and we now have some momentum for the 2008 season”.
Genesee Officials attended the Lucas Oil meetings to solidify the 2008 Lucas Oil Series. For the 2008 season, each division will be receiving special events. Among the events being planned are the Russ Prentice Memorial for Late Models, and the Michael Holford/Rich Conte Memorial for Street Stocks. A Mini Stock special is also in the works. For more information, frequent updates will be posted on
www.geneseespeedway.com.
Five Champions Highlighted at 2007 Genesee Speedway Awards Banquet
Rich Vleck, Batavia, NY (November 7, 2007)- All five division champions at Genesee Speedway in 2007 were normally on the “loud pedal” at the 1/3 mile; but at the Awards Banquet, most of them were quiet on the microphone.
Sixty-six competitors were honored on the night for competing in a minimum of 2/3 of the events in 2007. With that man competitors bringing in their friends, family and sponsors, along with a number in attendance with a general interest for Genesee Speedway, 400 people were on hand at Batavia Downs in downtown Batavia.
First year track promoter Mike Lauterborn spoke highly of all the competitors early in the night and vowed to continue moving things forward in 2008. He talked about keeping the same five divisions, with the possibility at new divisions and the plan to redesign the track to make racing as strong as possible.
Among those that Lauterborn praised was Rob Pratt, the Champion in the Troyer Chassis DIRT Sportsman Division. Pratt won his first Championship at Genesee since he held the same title in 1990. With seven wins in 13 starts, the Brockport, NY driver stretched his lead all season, capping it off with victories in the final two events to seal up the Championship over John Venuto, Steve Schumacher, Justin Wright and Ricky Newton.
“I have the best owners a guy could ask for, these guys like to spend money and eat food,” said Pratt of his owners Steve Avery and Kevin Gavin, who was one of two drivers to speak after receiving his Champions Cup from Mike Lauterborn. “I want to thank Mike (Lauterborn) and everyone at the track for everything they did this year, it was great being back.”
As part of the division sponsorship, Billy Colton of Troyer Chassis announced before the year that one regular competitor would walk away with a Troyer. After Pratt accepted his Championship, Mike Lauterborn pulled out Don Spatorico’s name. Spatorico placed 10th in points and was happy that he would be able to put a new car in the rotation next year.
Justin Wright was named the Rookie of the Year, with Pratt picking up the Most Popular Driver of the Division. Don Ogden was a run away winner for the division’s Sportsmanship Award. Stubby Pangrazio was named the track’s Hard Luck Driver of 2007 Recipient.
Jim Johnson won his second-straight BDK Construction 360 Late Model Championship at his hometown track, his fifth all time. Johnson and his team were on hand to reflect on a season where he won seven events and scored another 12 top-5 finishes. Johnson spoke of his love for the division and ability to carry the Blue Oval on his No. 93J while up in front of the massive audience.
Dave DuBois finished second to Johnson in points, the same position he was in the first three races of the year to his buddy. Bob Babbitt, John Rivers and JJ Mazur rounded out the top-five.
Rich Magavero was named the division’s Rookie of the Year, with Johnson the Most Popular Driver and Tim Kaufmann receiving the Sportsmanship Award.
Pete Stefanski only ran a 360 Late Model once this year, but the plans are for him to run on a more regular basis next year. For 2007 though, the Wheatfield, NY driver was the dominant force of the Greenlief’s Restaurant Pro Stocks, as he won 11 races en route to his first Genesee Speedway Track Championship.
Stefanski did not say anything when on the stage, opting instead to let his racing do the talking, along with his future car owner Brian Kostarski.
Steve Lewis climbed up to second in points, picking up the Sportsmanship Award along the way. Don Barnes was the Most Popular Driver in the division, placing third in points. Mike Martin and Butch Zimmerman completed the top-five in points.
Bill Weller won his first Bobcat of Buffalo Street Stock Championship in convincing fashion, scoring five wins along the way. Weller brought “The Wise Guys”, his popular cheering section, to their feet at the banquet as he won the title, along with easily taking the Most Popular Driver in the Division, as well as the Sportsmanship Award.
Joey Spicola placed second in points after a year with 13 top-10s. Jeb Walworth’s 3rd Place finish in points secured his position as the division’s Rookie of the Year. David Downs and Kenny Begnouche rounded out the top-five.
Ken Hixenbaugh, of Bergen, NY, won his first Track Championship in the Dickinson’s Auto Service Mini Stock Division. Hixenbaugh, the division’s Sportsmanship Award Winner, failed to finished outside of the top-10 all year, and down the stretch was solid enough to hold off Russ Wassner, who placed second in points.
Dan Norton was third in points, which helped him to pick up the Speedway’s Most Improved Driver Award. Jason Hull and Bobby Dickinson completed the top-five. Randy Barclay was the Rookie of the Year and Ed Neal the Most Popular Driver.
In all, more than $9,000 was distributed in the point’s fund, with much of that being raised by the 50/50 Staff.
A somber moment on the night came early on as a moment of silence was held in remembrance of 2007 Race Director Bill Alhart, who unexpectedly lost his life in a car accident earlier in the month. A donation bin was set up for Bill’s Family, which a number of those in attendance added to, including sportsman competitor Tim Downs, who took his sealed point fund envelope and deposited it in the box.
Track Preperation Manager Don Marsciell was named the first recipient of the Jack Veach Memorial Award for Excellence. Marsciell won the first two track championships in the limited modified division in 1983 and 1984, and made the 1/3 mile smooth and racy over the course of 2007 with his endless hours of work.
Series sponsors Pepsi-Cola of Batavia, C.H. Wright Distributing, Sanzo Beveraging and Pro-Syn Oil Technology were recognized as major speedway sponsors in 2007.
Over 200 door prizes were donated by teams and fans, including Pro Speed, Brockport Auto Insurance, Castle Products, Clarkson Auto Electric, Fairport Ford, Gary Smith Racing Products, Martin Motorsports, Gas-On Motorsports, MadSkin Bodies, Hy-Bank Racing, Troyer Race Cars, DirtTrackDigest.com, Superior Lubricants, Area Auto Racing News, Wal-Mart, Lauterborn Electric, Gates Electric Supply and Genesee Speedway.
For more information, be sure to visit www.GeneseeSpeedway.com.
|
1 |
p38 |
Rob Pratt |
716 |
|
2 |
44v |
John Venuto |
682 |
|
3 |
56 |
Steve Schumacher |
662 |
|
4 |
19w |
Justin Wright |
630 |
|
5 |
11n |
Ricky Newton |
596 |
|
6 |
67 |
John Panattoni |
582 |
|
7 |
18j |
John Baker |
566 |
|
8 |
0 |
Stubby Pangrazio |
558 |
|
9 |
93jr |
Robbie Richmond |
550 |
|
10 |
11J |
Don Spatorico |
508 |