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September 6, 2010 - Oswego, NY- (Labor Day Weekend - ISMA Bud
Light Super Nationals 50
ISMA Bud
Light Super Nationals Winner Ben Seitz brings home his first ISMA
win at Oswego Speedway on Labor Day and a check for $5000. Seitz
shares the podium with second place Mike Lichty and third place
finisher Jeff Locke. - Photo By Jim Feeney
BEN SEITZ TAKES FIRST ISMA WIN
AT OSWEGO SUPER NATIONALS
Oswego, NY – After
a rain-filled weekend, the clouds finally broke enough at Oswego to
begin some racing on Labor Day Monday morning allowing Bourne, MA’s
Ben Seitz to claim his first ISMA win. Seitz took the ISMA Bud Light
Super Nationals 50 victory after a late race pass of leader Mike
Lichty. Seitz started third but lost that spot to Russ Wood in the
yellow-plagued first half of the race. With 20 to go, the Richard
Bien-owned 17 began moving forward and on lap 44, he and Lichty went
side by side as they approached a lap car with Seitz able to take
the right line around and the lead with five to go. Lichty and Jeff
Locke trailed Seitz to the checkereds. Seitz, having run at Oswego
on many occasions in a NEMA midget, was very proud of this win for
his new winged super team.
“This is awesome.
Halfway through the race I knew we were going to have a good car,
but I wasn’t really expecting to get the win. I saw Lichty getting
loose there toward the end. Then I said ‘we might have a shot at
this.’ We hit lapped traffic and that was probably the only way I
could have passed him. I kind of feel bad for him. The kid has been
in second place so many times ready to win. “
“The car didn’t
start off that great but it ended up awesome. I am so excited. I
lost my voice screaming in the car. We were tight the whole race
even at the end. The car was good off. It wasn’t hurting the right
rear. I knew the longer the race went, the better we would get. In
all the midget races and midget wins, I’ve never won at Oswego. I
really wanted to. I’m thrilled. I just want to thank my car owner
and sponsors Cape Cod Aggregates, S.M. LoRusso & Sons and LoRusso
Heavy Equipment for giving me this opportunity.”
Mike Lichty who
began visibly skating off the turns after the Seitz pass, ended up
second. “The car was perfect at the beginning but we hurt a tire. My
hats off to Ben Seitz. It’s pretty cool to put a new car together
for this year and come out and win a huge show like this. Jeff was
running great too. We were fortunate enough to get by him in lapped
traffic and then the caution came out. We had to keep trying. At
times he was much quicker than us and sometimes were at the same
speed. Traffic eventually hurt me and Ben got by. We got loose and
he didn’t. Hats off to my father and everybody who puts this deal
together.”
Second year ISMA
competitor Jeff Locke led up until Lichty was able to get by as the
duo approached a lap car. Lichty got by and then came Seitz. Locke
held the third spot at race end pretty much alone out there ahead of
a battling Russ Wood and Mark Sammut.
“ The last ten laps
I had to hold on there as the tires went away. I’m happy for Ben
Seitz. He’s an awesome guy and an awesome driver. They really have
put a good car together. I’d like to thank my father, Richard Witkum,
R&R Competition Engines, everybody who has helped put this together
for me. It’s unbelievable. We finished every race so far this year
and hopefully we can keep that going. This is an incredible crowd
considering the weather. Thanks for coming out and sorry for all the
cautions there.”
At 9:30 am 26 ISMA
supers took to the speedway after a long couple days of weather
woes. While Dave Duggan took the point from the start, the race was
spotted with yellows for much of the first half. First heat race
winner Rich Reid spun the Lehnert 92 with a broken power steering
line later found to be the culprit.
The second flag
flew for a spin by Bob Magner as multiple pit stops were being made
by Andy Noto, Bobby Haynes Jr., Jack Smith and Gene Gibson. Some
returned, some did not.
Duggan in his first
ever appearance at Oswego was able to fend off the advances of Russ
Wood, Jeff Locke, Lichty and Seitz until lap 10 when Locke and
Lichty got by. Wood followed suite, shortly thereafter.
Locke and Lichty
took off out front until Jamie Timmons provided the opportunity for
Lichty to take the lead but a yellow for Bob Dawson negated the
pass. Timmons was hooked in this one too.
A red was thrown on
lap 18 as the cleanup of the 27 and 28 ensued. Back under way,
yellow flew again for the second Craig Reed car, the 8 driven by
Shullick Jr. Then the 51 of Duggan brought out the yellow, just
before the third Reed car was into the water barrels in the back
straight. It was not a good day for that team.
The race finally
got moving just past the lap 20 mark, as Locke took off trailed by
Lichty, Seitz, Wood and Michael Barnes in the Morton 70. Another
yellow on lap 29 gave Lichty the lead as he passed by Locke who was
trying to get by the 51.
With 20 to go, 12
cars remained on the track. The order as the clocked ticked to 30
was Lichty, Seitz, Locke, Wood, Barnes and Charlie Shultz. Coming
alive behind was Mark Sammut whose 78 began picking off cars in the
top ten. By lap 35 Sammut was sixth behind the Lichty, Seitz, Locke
Wood and Barnes train.
With ten to go,
Lichty had a good lead but it was apparent that Seitz was catching
up. Locke ran solo in third with Wood fourth and Sammut now fifth.
Lap 43 saw some
traffic ahead of the leaders and by lap 44, Lichty and Seitz were
side by side behind Brandon Bellinger with Seitz taking the
advantage this time. Seitz took off as Lichty drifted a little
backwards with obvious tire loss. Locke, Sammut and Wood would
finish up the top five with Sammut taking fourth with four to go.
Mark Sammut said of
his late race charge to fourth. “The car was really good at the end.
Unfortunately I didn’t get her going in the heats and missed the
handicap. We probably had as good a car as anybody at the end. I’m a
little disappointed I didn’t get a little closer. We’re happy with
the car after rebuilding it after Delaware. It worked good all
weekend. We’ll be able to go to Lee next weekend and give it another
shot there.”
Russ Wood eked out
a fifth place despite a loose 29. “Our car was fast at the
beginning and then it started pushing about mid-race. With 20 to go
we were severely loose. The car really changed throughout the race.
I don’t know what happened. Those guys up front were really fast.
Congratulations to Mike, Ben and Jeff. They were really ran a good
race. It’s too bad this wasn’t the greatest race but thanks to the
fans for being here. Now we get to run the Classic.”
Summary Bud Light Super
Nationals 50
Time Trials
scratched due to weather and time constraints
Heat 1: Jeff Locke,
Dave Duggan, Michael Barnes, Charlie Schultz, Bob Dawson, Joey
Scanlon, Jack Smith and Gene Gibson
Heat 2: Rich Reid,
Danny Lane, Mike Lichty, Bob Bond, Mark Sammut, Bob Magner, Randy
Ritskes, Kyle Edwards, Andy Noto
Heat 3: Ben Seitz,
Dave Shullick Jr., Russ Wood, Jeff Holbrook, Jamie Timmons, Paul
White, Brandon Bellinger, Tim Ice, Bobby Haynes Jr.
Super Nationals 50:
1. Ben Seitz (17), 2. Mike Lichty (84), 3. Jeff Locke (37), 4. Mark
Sammut (78), 5. Russ Wood (29), 6. Charlie Schultz (7), 7. Jeff
Holbrook (77), 8. Danny Lane (97), 9. Randy Ritskes (88x), 10. Joey
Scanlon (88), 11. Brandon Bellinger (02), 12. Michael Barnes (70),
13. Paul White (16), 14. Dave Duggan (51), 15. Bob Magner (41), 16.
Kyle Edwards (08), 17. Dave Shullick Jr. (8), 18. Bob Dawson (28),
19. Jamie Timmons (27), 20. Andy Noto (3), 21. Bobby Bond (25), 22.
Tim Ice (77), 23. Rich Reid (92), 24. Jack Smith (09), 25. Gene Lee
Gibson (0), 26. Bobby Haynes Jr. (44).
Scroll Down For More Photos
from the ISMA Super Nationals at Oswego:
Early in the
feature, Mike Lichty 84 races by Ben Seitz 17 to head for the
leaders. In the wanning laps Seitz would be the one racing past
Lichty for his first ISMA feature win. - Photo By Jim Feeney
Russ Wood 29 tries
the high side to challenge Jeff Locke 37 for position. - Photo By
Jim Feeney
Lap 18 saw Mike
Lichty 84 use the lap car of Jamie Timmons 27 to pass Jeff Locke 37
for the feature lead. - Photo By Jim Feeney
Here the top two
in ISMA points, Mike Lichty 84 and Russ Wood 29 race for a podium
finish. Lichty would get second and Wood missed the podium with a
fifth place finish. - Photo By Jim Feeney
A little past the
half-way mark, Charlie Schultz 7, Dan Lane 97, Mark Sammut 78 and
Jeff Holbrook 35 race in a tight formation for a place in the top
ten. Sammut would move up to finish fourth, with Schultz sixth,
Holbrook seventh and Lane eighth. - Photo By Jim Feeney
Mark Sammut 78
moves in closer to make the pass on Charlie Schultz 7 to go on to a
fourth place finish. - Photo By Jim Feeney
Late in the
feature Dan Lane 97, Joey Scanlon 88 and Randy Ritskes 88x battle
for top ten spots. Lane got eighth, Ritskes ninth and Scanlon
finished tenth. - Photo By Jim Feeney
Ben Seitz in
Victory lane at Oswego Speedway with his first ISMA win in the #17 supermodified owned by Richard Bien. - Photo By Jim Feeney
Scroll Down for ISMA Oswego
Super Nationals Racing/Candid Photos 9/8/10 - By Jim
Feeney:
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More 2010 Race Results and
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