Race tracks gear up for late-season specials with big money (weekend schedule)

With weekly racing in the rearview mirror, local race teams are gearing up for a series of late-season specials with big money and bragging rights on the line. This Friday, the big-block modified and sportsman teams each have big races at Brewerton Speedway as it hosts the Duel at the Demon.

Race 19 of the Super DIRTcar Series headlines Friday's show and four of the top 10 in the series point standings are Brewerton Speedway regulars. Brewerton Speedway modified champion Billy Decker leads the Super DIRTcar Series by 73 points over former teammate and four-time Brewerton winner Larry Wight, who was victorious last weekend in the tour race at Autodrome Granby in Canada.

Brewerton regular Pat Ward sits fifth in the series point standings but was winless this past year at his Friday home. Don't count him out though as he has been fast late in the season and recently won his first feature race of the season at Utica-Rome Speedway.

Jimmy Phelps has also been running well of late, coming from the back of the pack to finish second in the Fulton Speedway finale before his third-place finish in a Super DIRTCar Series race in Weedsport. Phelps has a new chassis and has had good results with it these last few weeks. Look for him to be a factor at the track he won the championship at in 2016.

Second-year modified racer Max McLaughlin, son of NASCAR's Mike "Magic Shoes" McLaughlin, really ran well at the end of the regular season and picked up his first wins of his career at both Brewerton and Fulton Speedways. McLaughlin currently sits eighth in the series point standings and hot top-10 finishes in both series races last weekend.

The local racers who do not follow the series will also be tough this weekend and will surely be hoping to defend their home track against the traveling stars. Matt Hulsizer, Chris Hile, Gary Tomkins, Jim Witko and Ryan Bartlett were all victorious this season in Brewerton and all could be a factor in Friday's big 100 lap Super DIRTcar Series race.

The crate engine powered DIRTcar Sportsman will run in a 50-lap series race as Dave Marcuccilli holds a commanding 85-point lead over teenager Tyler Trump, who last week announced that he was moving up to the 358-modified division for 2018. If Marcuccilli hopes to win at Brewerton he'll need to beat out some strong competition from the track regulars.

Ron Davis III won championships this past season at both Brewerton and Fulton Speedways, winning eight feature races along the way. Alan Fink also won eight times between Brewerton and Fulton and each has won after starting outside the top 12. Todd Root won six races locally and former four-cylinder champion Stephen Denton won his first ever sportsman races at Brewerton and was the only other multi-time winner at the track.

Saturday, the Super DIRTCar Series travels north for a pair of races at tracks that run small blocks in weekly competition. Mohawk International Raceway hosts the series on Saturday after a small-block series race on Friday and Tim Fuller, who sits seventh in SDS points, won the track championship at MIR over fellow North Country racer Billy Dunn.

Sunday, the series visits one of the more unique tracks on the circuit as they go north of the border to Cornwall Motor Speedway in Ontario. The tiny quarter-mile track is more like a circle than an oval and drivers have compared running laps on this track to running on the lip of a cereal bowl. Former touring regular Danny Johnson raced Cornwall this past season, finishing fourth in the points. In the past, small-block modifieds have had the advantage over the big blocks in Cornwall so don't count out one of the local stars.

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The day after Oswego Speedway ran its final race of the season on Classic Weekend, work began to transform the asphalt track into a clay-covered, 5/8-mile track for Super DIRT Week. On Labor Day barriers went up on the inside of the corners and this past Saturday morning crews started putting clay down and grooming it.

On Tuesday, members of the media came out to see the track and it looked good. Crews were digging up the clay and packing it so any rain that happens over the next few weeks will roll down the surface rather than get down inside of it. DIRTcar's Director of Events Jeff Hachmann has been overseeing the activities and showed off what has been done so far.

"We've got a great crew and have all the resources in the world with the support of John Wight and Gypsum Express," Hachmann said. "Obviously we have the track gurus Larry Fink and Eric Kingsley out there figuring out what we need to do to make this thing smooth, fast and with great racing."

Fink, grandson of former Fulton and Brewerton Speedway owner Harvey Fink, has been grooming tracks all up and down the east coast after learning the craft from his father. Kingsley once owned Fulton and Utica-Rome Speedways and has long been known as one of the best when it comes to putting down a racy clay surface.

It's no secret that last year's surface at Super DIRT Week was not what officials were hoping for, but Hachmann says they are working hard to improve it for 2017.

"We're going to learn from everything that happened last year," Hachmann said. "We had some drainage issues last year that we hope we corrected. You get moisture under this stuff it doesn't dry out unless you get down to the moisture. We're taking those learnings and applying them to this year. We'll be good to go."

Super DIRT Week runs Oct. 3-8 with races not only at Oswego Speedway but also taking place at Utica-Rome Speedway, Weedsport Speedway, Brewerton Speedway and Fulton Speedway. For more information go to www.superdirtweekonline.com. Camping is sold out but tickets for the events are still available.

FRIDAY

Brewerton Speedway

Events: Duel at the Demon 100 Lap Modified Super DIRTcar Series plus DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series.

Schedule: Pit gates open at 4 p.m. Grandstands open at 5:30 p.m. Racing at 7:30 p.m.

Skyline Raceway Park (Virgil)

Events: 30th Annual Turbo Blue with open sportsman, 602 crate sportsman, street stocks, 4 cylinders, srp modifieds and pure/factory stocks.

Schedule: Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Racing at 7:15 p.m.

SATURDAY

Fulton Speedway

Off until Sept. 29-30th

SUNDAY

Utica-Rome Speedway (Vernon)

Events: AMA Motocross

Schedule: Sign up at 7 a.m. Practice at 8:30 a.m. Racing at 10:30 a.m.