OSWEGO, NY (July 9, 2023) - Hometown favorite Mike Bruce bagged the second Novelis Supermodified victory of his career and the first as a car owner for Bruce Racing in the first Compass Federal Credit Union Twin 40 this past Saturday, July 8 at Oswego Speedway.
Bruce started on the outside pole and outdueled veteran Tim Snyder into the first corner, before holding off Brandon Bellinger, who was breathing down his tail pipes in the later stages, to grab his 10th overall feature win at the Steel Palace.
Notably, Bruce is the only driver to find victory lane in all three of the track’s weekly divisions; Pathfinder Bank SBS (6), J&S Paving 350 Winged Supers (2), and Novelis Supermodifieds (2) in Oswego’s history.
“I’ve had so many laps around this track and I just said don’t make mistakes,” Bruce said. ”Bellinger was a rocketship in his heat race. I saw he was up there battling with Shullick and I knew he was going to be quick, but our car was just about perfect. Bobby (Magner) hit the stagger and setup perfect for me. I have to thank all my sponsors Bruce Electric, Lighthouse Lanes, Millennium Music, East Coast Sealcoat, Bruce Construction, and all these guys that help me out to get it here every week, and also my father and my crew. I quit six times this morning and I’m not kidding. I was throwing tools just ticked right off with everything and had a rough morning, but now I think I’m pretty glad we came here and were able to get it in victory lane tonight.”
Bellinger, the defending Speedway champion, started in third, and ducked underneath Alison Sload on lap 3 before holding steady behind Snyder until the halfway point when the Zero went sideways and Brandon stole second, eventually riding it out the rest of the way to make it a pair of runner up finishes on the season. The 02 stayed hot on Bruce’s heels, but was never able to make a bid for the race lead.
“Tim (Snyder) was running good,” mentioned Bellinger. “I followed him around for a while. I was a bit on the loose side myself and it looked like Tim was starting to slide around. Eventually there was enough space that I was able to get by him. I started to close in on Mike (Bruce). He was going fast. I don’t know if the caution helped us or hurt us, but I was just a little too loose to really give him a run before we went green after the last caution so he was fast and congrats to them. I have to thank Darratt Farms for letting me drive the race car, Orange Crate Brewing, Sheff Daddy Motorsports, Vashaw’s Collision, Bellinger Auto, and all the Oswego Speedway race fans that came out.”
Making a hard charge from 10th was none other than points leader Dave Shullick Jr, who would squeak past Snyder for the final podium spot as the field came to 2 laps to go. Shullick patiently came up through the stout field, cracking the top five by lap 29, passing for fourth on lap 33, and again for third with 2 to go.
“It was hard racing,” commented Shullick. “A lot of guys back in the pack were really driving hard. I tried to go to the outside of somebody and lost a spot to Michael (Barnes) and when that happens getting some of these guys back is really tough. It is not easy. The car actually came in a little bit at the end so we've got something to work with for the second one. Thanks to TJ Toyota, Chris and Brian Osetek for their hard work, Riverwalk Oswego, Cam's Pizzeria, and Holiday Inn Express - we couldn't do it without them."
Snyder and Bruce brought the field to green for the first of two $1,400 to win, 40-lap Twins presented by Compass Federal Credit Union of Oswego and Fulton.
With Bruce inching out in front on the original start, the top five very early on was Bruce, Snyder, fourth starting Sload, Bellinger, and sixth starting Tyler Thompson.
The caution flag came out with only two complete for a spin and trip into the foam by Lou LeVea Jr. in turn 2.
On the restart, third starting Bellinger worked back by fourth starting Sload to steal third.
An exciting battle quickly ensued at the back of the field, with Shullick and Michael Barnes, who had started 10th and 11th, making quick work of Joe Gosek, Dan Connors Jr, and Jeff Abold, to ride seventh and eighth.
On lap 5, Shullick tried to look to the outside of Danzer, but got just a bit too high, opening up the door for Barnes to take 7th.
By lap 10, it was Bruce out in front, Snyder second, Bellinger third, Sload fourth, Thompson fifth, Danzer sixth, Barnes seventh, Shullick eighth, Abold ninth, and Gosek in tenth.
On the following circuit, Thompson took a peak to the inside of Sload off the exit of turn 2, and the pair brushed wheels, but the 98 of Thompson got by cleanly to take over fourth.
Meanwhile, Barnes and Danzer would close in on the back bumper of Sload to challenge for sixth.
By halfway, Bruce, Snyder, and Bellinger had a solid lead out in front over Thompson, Sload, and Barnes who were all nose to tail giving chase, but when Sload slipped up on lap 21, Barnes found his way into fifth.
Also getting free in the middle stages was Snyder, who got sideways off of turn two just a couple of laps later as Bellinger went underneath for second.
Finally, Shullick, who was mired back in the pack for a while, began his march to the front on lap 23 as he got by Danzer for seventh, quickly reeling in Sload and Barnes to challenge for a top five position.
With Shullick on the move, Thompson had been pressuring Snyder for a podium spot for several laps, and slipped under the Zero Hero for third on lap 25.
At 10 to go, it was still Bruce, Bellinger, Thompson, Snyder, and Barnes the front five with Sload sixth, Shullick seventh, and Danzer in eighth, but the yellow flag came out on lap 31 as Lou LeVea Sr. lost the handle on the No. 66 and made contact with the inside wall.
Under the yellow, Thompson’s season filled of bad luck continued with another issue as he took the Jason Simmons Racing machine to the pits and dropped out of a podium position, handing third back to Snyder.
Reverting back to 10 laps remaining, the new running order was Bruce, Bellinger, Snyder, Barnes, Sload, and Shullick, who were now all bunched right together for the restart.
Bruce was able to get a great jump on Bellinger when the green lights came back on, but Shullick was starting to make quick work of the top five, sliding into fifth under Sload immediately, and next diving underneath Barnes to take over fourth with 7 laps to go.
The next car to fall victim to Shullick was Snyder, who fell short of a podium finish by only 2 laps as the 95 went by for third.
Back out in front, Bruce kept Bellinger at bay for the victory followed by Shullick, Snyder, and Barnes in the top five. Sload, Danzer, Abold, Gosek, and Connors completed the top 10.
The Oswego Speedway is off this Saturday night, July 15, to support the ISMA / MSS Great Lakes Classic at Berlin Raceway in Michigan, but returns to action in a big way on July 22 for the 36th running of the 75-lap, $10,000 to win Mr. Novelis Supermodified presented by the C’s Beverage Center.
For more information, please visit the track website online at OswegoSpeedway.com or LIKE on Facebook at Facebook.com/OswegoSpeedway or FOLLOW on Twitter @OswegoSpeedway or Instagram @OfficialOswegoSpeedway.
RESULTS
Compass Federal Credit Union Twin 40’s
Novelis Supermodified Twin 40 #1
Saturday, July 8, 2023
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Twin #1 (40-laps): 1. 22 MIKE BRUCE, 2. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 3. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 4. 0 Tim Snyder, 5. 68 Michael Barnes, 6. 39 Alison Sload, 7. 52 Dave Danzer, 8. 05 Jeff Abold, 9. 00 Joe Gosek, 10. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 11. 90 Jack Patrick, DNF 12. 54 Camden Proud, 13. 98T Tyler Thompson, 14. 66 Lou LeVea Sr, 15. 75 Brian Osetek, 16. 83 Lou LeVea Jr.
Twin #2 (40-laps): 1. 54 CAMDEN PROUD, 2, 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 3. 00 Joe Gosek, 4. 05 Jeff Abold, 5. 52 Dave Danzer, 6. 68 Michael Barnes, 7. 39 Alison Sload, 8. 0 Tim Snyder, 9. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 10. 22 Mike Bruce, 11. 75 Brian Osetek, 12. 90 Jack Patrick DNF 13. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 14. 66 Lou LeVea Sr DNS 98T Tyler Thompson, 83 Lou LeVea Jr.
Heat 1 (12-laps): 1. 95 Dave Shullick Jr, 2. 02 Brandon Bellinger, 3. 01 Dan Connors Jr, 4. 52 Dave Danzer, 5. 0 Tim Snyder, 6. 00 Joe Gosek, 7. 83 Lou LeVea Jr, 8. 90 Jack Patrick
Heat 2 (12-laps): 1. 68 Michael Barnes, 2. 98T Tyler Thompson, 3. 22 Mike Bruce, 4. 54 Camden Proud, 5. 05 Jeff Abold, 6. 39 Alison Sload, 7. 75 Brian Osetek, 8. 66 Lou LeVea Sr.
Group Time Trials: 1. 68 Michael Barnes - 15.688, 2. 95 Dave Shullick Jr. - 15.840, 3. 98T Tyler Thompson - 15.906, 4. 02 Brandon Bellinger - 15.911, 5. 52 Dave Danzer - 15.979, 6. 54 Camden Proud - 15.992, 7. 01 Dan Connors Jr. - 16.100, 8. 22 Mike Bruce - 16.107, 9. 00 Joe Gosek - 16.164, 10. 39 Alison Sload - 16.192, 11. 0 Tim Snyder - 16.195, 12. 05 Jeff Abold - 16.237, 13. 83 Lou LeVea Jr. - 16.304, 14. 75 Brian Osetek - 16.319, 15. 90 Jack Patrick - 16.594, 16. 66 Lou LeVea Sr. - 16.654
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger Twin 40 #1 ($25): #95 Dave Shullick Jr.
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer Twin 40 #1 (Pizza & Wings): #90 Jack Patrick
D&S Landscaping Hard Charger Twin 40 #2 ($25): #68 Michael Barnes
Lighthouse Lanes Up & Comer Twin 40 #2 (Pizza & Wings): #54 Camden Proud
- CAMDEN PROUD on Jul 10, 2023
- Article Date: 7/9/2023