Media Contact: Steven Ovens - woodhullracewaypr@gmail.com or (315) 729-3825 For Immediate Release – June 4th, 2016 –
(WOODHULL, NY) – Donnie Lawson has had a terrible start to 2016. If it could go wrong, it has gone wrong for the Woodhull, NY resident.
Lawson and his father Don never gave up on their race team, and it paid off on Saturday night on the High Banks of the Woodhull Raceway with a win in the Insinger Performance 370 Modified division. It would be a classic battle between Lawson and Josh Nobriga, with Lawson taking the checkered flag after claiming the lead as the white flag was displayed.
Dillon Groover and Nobriga led the field to Scott Lyon’s green flag and it was Groover taking the early lead in his BMS Manufacturing No. 12x. The caution flag would fly after one lap was completed for Billy Van Pelt and Cory Costa who got tangled up with one another, with Costa’s rear end coming to rest on the front end of Van Pelt’s ride. Both drivers would continue on.
Groover, racing in his sophomore season in the Modified ranks, led up until lap number ten when Nobriga charged by using the outside lane. Nobriga would continue to pace the field out front, but Lawson was starting to make moves on the bottom lane.
Lawson had to be patient on the bottom, drawing up alongside Nobriga on several occasions but not being able to edge the nose out front. On lap twenty-three, Lawson got his best run of the race underneath Nobriga for the lead.
As the pair exited turn four, Lawson finally cleared the No. 22 and was scored as the leader as the white flag was displayed. Lawson would hold on during the final lap to score his first victory of 2016. Nobriga was fast and impressive on the top lane for second, Van Pelt recovered for third, while Groover and Ransomville, NY shoe Boyd McTavish rounded out the top five.
“We trashed a car last night (at Outlaw) so we needed this more than you know,” said Lawson with a look of relief on his face. “Josh is a good friend and I love racing with him. He wanted the top and he knew I wanted the bottom so we gave each other room. I knew I had to hit three and four right, but luckily I was good in one and two and that’s what helped me.”
With the laps winding down and a win practically in sight, Lawson was careful not to overdrive the Woodhull Auto Supply, RLB Trucking No. 11.
“It takes a good set of brakes. But I love the bottom and everybody knows I love the bottom. The track is starting to get slick to where we can run well here again.”
It was also an exciting race in the NAPA Crate Sportsman division as youngster Jake Dgien passed veteran Mike Jackson for the lead with just five laps remaining to claim his first of the season at Woodhull.
Opening night winner Tim Guild and Jackson led the field to the green for twenty-five laps around ‘New York’s Toughest Bullring’ and it was Guild who would take the early advantage. Jackson was strong and showed his experience well as he continually worked on Guild and worked on Guild for the lead. Guild would eventually open the door, allowing Jackson to power to the top spot on lap fifteen with ten to go.
But not far behind Jackson was a hungry driver behind the wheel of the No. 3. Dgien had a fantastic run the night before at nearby Outlaw Speedway, just simply running out of laps to contend for the victory. That momentum carried over to Saturday night, as Dgien reeled in one of Woodhull veterans and making the pass for the lead with just five laps remaining.
It wouldn’t be a walk away however, as another young gun in Dayton Brewer was charging hard the last half of the event. Brewer drove by cars on the bottom like they were nailed to the ground and got to Dgien’s back bumper on the final lap. Once there, Brewer didn’t have enough time to set anything up, allowing Dgien to drive off to his first Woodhull win of 2016. Brewer earned a hard-fought second place finish, Jackson brought the No. 19J home third, while Guild and Stacey Jackson completed the top five.
“We ran side by side for probably two laps there,” said Dgien about the battle with Jackson. “He let me have my room, I let him have his and it was a clean race all the way.”
When the SWL Awards 360 Late Models took to the track for their thirty-five lap Scott Dennison Memorial, it was an electric atmosphere. Every driver knew the importance of this twelfth annual Memorial race, honoring former Woodhull Raceway competitor Scott Dennison who lost his life on the front stretch back in 2004. With Dennison’s widow, two daughters and family watching on- the Late Models put on an instant classic.
Bruce Miller was the top performer in the Dennison Memorial though, as he would work his way up to the second spot on lap thirteen. Carl Hughes and Kurt Stebbins led early, but by lap sixteen had a proverbial rearview mirror full of Bruce Miller’s black No. 80.
Miller stalked and set Hughes up for four consecutive laps, before making the race-winning move with fifteen laps to go on lap twenty. As Miller pulled away, Mikey Wonderling (driving for Jim Schuyler in the No. 57J), Glenn Whritenour and Carl Hughes battled back and forth for nearly twenty laps for positions two through four.
Miller checked out late in the event to claim his second victory in the Scott Dennison Memorial over Wonderling, Whritenour, Hughes and Stebbins the top five.
“That’s definitely the race to win here in the Late Models,” said Miller in Instant Heat Wood Pellets Victory Lane. “I’ve won it before, but I haven’t won it here in a few years as it’s been such a challenge. We’ve been working on our setup here, where we can still run the cushion and still be decent in the slick. Typically I’m not good in the shorter races, but the longer races our car seems to come in nice.”
The Joe Willcox Performance Automatics Street Stocks saw a photo finish take place as Kurt Stebbins edged out Glenn Whritenour at the line for his first Street Stock win on the High Banks in 2016.
Stebbins started the race in the eleventh position and used several caution flags and dodged accidents to work his way though the fourteen car field.
“We started out junk today in the heats, but did the right things in the pits I guess,” said Stebbins about his car that suffered severe damage several Saturdays ago while competing locally.
The bottom lane was supreme on Saturday night, as Dylan Cecce lost his battle trying to make the top lane work to get around Stebbins for the lead. The Modified and Sportsman division had pushed the cushion so high, it was difficult to run the top and still pull up alongside your competitor. The ‘long way around’ was all of that on this night.
“Yeah that was awesome,” said Stebbins about the drag race with Whritenour to the line. “I wasn’t sure who was back there, Glenn or the seven, but I wasn’t giving up the bottom to nobody.”
Whritenour, Cecce, Brett Marlatt and Teddy Morseman, who rebounded from several on-track incidents not of his own doing, filled out the top five.
Chris Woodard already had a victory in the Daugherty Auto Sales Mini Stock division- passing Karl Born in the final corner to victory earlier in the season. Woodard set out to lead a lot more than the last corner and did just that by winning the twenty-lap feature on Saturday night.
He would have to battle Rich Sharpsteen though, who has struggled all season long at both of his weekly tracks. While Woodard thought victory was in sight, the caution came out with one lap remaining. Giving Sharpsteen one more crack at trying to sneak one away from the driver of the Harris Logging No. 97.
Sharpsteen had snookered Woodard on the previous restart, but could not do the same on the final and most pivotal restart. Woodard drove away to victory over Sharpsteen, NAPA Auto Parts Driver of the Week Jeffery Daugherty, Ron Dailey Jr. and Rick Amidon.
“I miscalculated where I wanted to start (on the second-to-last restart) and I knew he was fast,” said Woodard. “I can tell you, I did not want to see that last caution.”
Everybody loves seeing a first-time winner and that is exactly what Dave Richmond provided the Woodhull fans in the Woodhull Auto Supply Front Wheel Drive division.
Richmond led wire-to-wire in an amazing drive to capture his first career feature win. Richmond beat out weekly favorites Nate Freeland, Adam DelGrosso, Joe Birdsall and point leader Shawn Gleason to the line. The No. 93D would have a half straightaway lead at Scott Lyon’s checkered flag.
In Victory Lane, Richmond was overcome with emotion.
“I had a heat win a couple weeks ago, but this is my first feature win here ever,” said an emotional Richmond. “I put together a brand new car and tonight it showed what it can do. I can’t even think right now.”
Next week at Woodhull Raceway, Colonial Hotel, Outman Equipment and Kim’s Old Country Store present the return of the Patriot Sprint Tour from their rained out date in May. The Daugherty Auto Sales Mini Stocks will go thirty-five laps in distance for a $350 top prize as well as $1,000 added throughout the entire purse. The 360 Sprints and Mini Stock contingent will be joined by the Insinger Performance 370 Modifieds, NAPA Crate Sportsman, Joe Willcox Performance Automatics Street Stocks, Woodhull Auto Supply Front Wheel Drives and Woodhull Warriors.
Pit gates will open at 3:30PM with general admission gates opening at 4:30PM with Scott Lyon’s first green flag of the night waving promptly at 6:30PM. General admission is just $18 for adults 13 and up, $10 for Seniors and ages 8-12 with children 7 and under always free at Woodhull Raceway.
Race fans are encouraged to sign up for the fastest alerts from Woodhull Raceway’s Rained Out Alert system by sending the text message “WoodhullAlert” to 84483, message and data rates may apply.
For more information race over to www.woodhullraceway.com, Like Woodhull Raceway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WoodhullRaceway or Follow Woodhull on Twitter @WoodhullPR.
Woodhull Raceway is located in Woodhull, NY, just 30 minutes West of Corning, NY and competes weekly on Saturday nights from mid-April through Labor Day Weekend. The track offers several special events including the Patriot Sprint Tour 360 Sprints and the Short Track Super Series Modifieds in mid-August.
RLB Trucking/Riverfront Collision & Auto
Woodhull Raceway Quick Results June 4th, 2016
INSINGER PERFORMANCE 370 MODIFIEDS, 14 Cars (25 Laps): DONNIE LAWSON (1), Josh Nobriga, Billy Van Pelt, Dillon Groover, Boyd McTavish, Eric Fisher, Steve Hartman Sr., Mike Bills, Cory Costa, Russell Morseman, Dave DuBois, Brian Doolittle, Kenny Peoples Jr., Art Goodier
H1: Donnie Lawson, Billy Van Pelt, Mike Bills
H2: Dave DuBois, Josh Nobriga, Steve Hartman Sr.
NAPA CRATE SPORTSMAN, 21 cars (25 Laps): JAKE DGIEN (1), Dayton Brewer, Mike Jackson, Tim Guild, Stacey Jackson, Stevie Hartman III, Chris Daugherty, Josh Keesey, Brandon Martin, David Mayo, AJ Costley, Collin Brown, Mike Williams, Eric Williams, Jerry Aldrich, Brandon Butler, Mickey Wilbur, Zach Cary, Tracey Stanford, Dave Youse, Scott Tubbs
H1: Jake Dgien, David Mayo, Josh Keesey
H2: Chris Daugherty, Zach Cary, Stacey Jackson
H3: Stevie Hartman III, Dayton Brewer, Tim Guild
SWL AWARDS 360 LATE MODELS, 12 cars (20 Laps): BRUCE MILLER (2), Mikey Wonderling, Glenn Whritenour, Carl Hughes, Kurt Stebbins, Mick Seeley, Wally Wade, Bobby Lubberts, Rick Loucks, Steve LaBarron, Jacob McConnell DNS: Jason McGregor
H1: Carl Hughes, Rick Loucks, Kurt Stebbins
H2: Bruce Miller, Glenn Whritenour, Mikey Wonderling
JOE WILLCOX PERFORMANCE AUTOMATICS STREET STOCKS, 14 cars (20 Laps): KURT STEBBINS (1), Glenn Whritenour, Dylan Cecce, Brett Marlatt, Teddy Morseman, Tracy Dunn, Jeredd Dennis, Dan Gardener, Zane King Jr., Allison Pierce, Trevor Tomkins, Branden Morseman, Matt Hamilton, Jason Gleason
H1- Teddy Morseman, Glenn Whritenour, Tracy Dunn
H2- Dylan Cecce, Jason Gleason, Brett Marlatt
DAUGHERTY AUTO SALES MINI STOCKS, 17 cars (20 Laps): CHRIS WOODARD (2), Rich Sharpsteen, Jeffery Daugherty, Ron Dailey Jr., Rick Amidon, Karl Born, John Hand Jr., David Mayo, Chris Hand, Brian Grant Jr., Derrick Puryear, Mike Navone, Mike Stone, Chip Warner, Ray Hyer, Dave Whetham DNS: Corky Grant
H1- Ron Dailey Jr., John Hand Jr., Mike Stone
H2- Rick Amidon, Chip Warner, Karl Born
WOODHULL AUTO SUPPLY FRONT WHEEL DRIVES, 11 cars (20 Laps): DAVE RICHMOND (1), Nate Freeland, Adam DelGrosso, Joe Birdsall, Shawn Gleason, Carl LaBarron, Billy Joe Birdsall, Matt Prescott, Jay McConnell, Nick Brown, Codie Baker
H1- Shawn Gleason, Nate Freeland, Dave Richmond
H2- Codie Baker, Carl LaBarron, Jay McConnell