OSWEGO, NY (August 26) - For the second year in a row, a Cumens is a main event winner at Oswego Speedway. Last Classic Weekend Alison Cumens took the checkered flag in the ATQMRA TQ Main event, but on Saturday night it was brother Ian pulling into Chris Nelson Insurance Victory Lane at Oswego Speedway as the NEMA Lites feature winner.
Ian Cumens passed Paul Bigelow with only two laps remaining to earn the win in the 25-lap Lites main event, the first to be held in the 62-year history of Oswego Speedway. Avery Stoehr, James Santa Maria, and Randy Cabral completed the Top 5 finishing order in the feature go.
“These Honda engines are real fast coming off so I had to get him (Bigelow) going in,” said Cumens. “I got the opportunity I needed and I capitalized on it, and it was a good choice. Thanks to the Seymour Team and everyone else helping us out, this is awesome.”
Bigelow and Danny Cugini brought the 14-car NEMA Lites field to the green, with Bigelow jumping out front early on in the No. 31. As Bigelow jumped to the lead Stoehr, who started all the way back in the tenth position, used the high side of the Speedway to pick off four cars in the first lap to move to sixth on the grid in the No. 15a.
Cumens began to make his presence known on lap five as he moved under Andy Barrows in the No. 81 to third and began to set his sights on a pair of Bigelow’s out front; Paul and Ryan.
Paul began to mount a serious lead on Ryan Bigelow for the lead besting the No. 13 by nearly a half track leading to lap nine. It was on the 9th circuit that Cumens struck again, this time driving around Ryan Bigelow to move to second. In just six laps Cumens would then knock a half straight lead behind Paul Bigelow down to just eight car lengths.
One lap later the race’s first caution hit the Speedway for the No. 50 of Carl Medeiros Jr. who spun in turn three collecting Cugini and Bethany Stoehr. The yellow lights would bunch the field with Paul Bigelow leading Cumens, Ryan Bigelow, Barrows, Avery Stoehr, James Santa Maria, Cabral, Alan Chambers, Scott Bigelow, and Brandon Igo.
On the restart Cumens would leap into the lead, but coming out of turn two the Barrows No. 81 hit the outside wall with tremendous force. Barrows was ok, but the same could not be said for his racecar.
The field would realign for another restart with Bigelow retaking the lead in the No. 31. When the race went back to green Stoehr managed to slip passed Cumens for second temporarily, only to see the No. 9 of Cumens work his way back by and begin work on Bigelow for the lead.
With an above average size track for the NEMA Lites and several caution laps, fuel began to arise as a possible issue for teams.
Bigelow appeared to be losing come momentum in the corners which allowed Cumens to fly around the No. 31 high into turn three with just two laps remaining. Cumens would fly on to the win from there with Bigelow holding onto second on an empty fuel cell.
Avery Stoehr, Santa Maria, Cabral, Chambers, Medeiros, Bethany Stoehr, Ryan Bigelow, and Igo finished the Top 10 lineup.
“When that last caution came out, all I could think about was the fuel,” said Bigelow. “We had run so many laps under caution and with about four to go, every time coming off of turn four and two, I was bobbling and I had nothing. I knew it was going to be really tight. It was on fumes coming across the line.”
Young Avery Stoehr was pleased with his third place effort.
“I was just trying to get up on the outside and carry some momentum,” said Stoehr. “We really seemed to have a great racecar; it was handling great for me tonight. This is definitely way faster than I have gone at any other track; I had a ton of fun tonight.”
Saturday, August 25th, 2012
Oswego Speedway
Oswego, NY
Oswego Speedway Midget Madness
UPCOMING SHOWS:
Budweiser International Classic Weekend – see www.oswegospeedway.com for more information
NEMA LITES
Feature (25-laps): 1. 9 – Ian Cumens, 2. 31 – Paul Bigelow, 3. 15a – Avery Stoehr, 4. 99 – James Santa Maria, 5. 35 – Randy Cabral, 6. 11b – Alan Chambers, 7. 50 – Carl Medeiros Jr., 8. 26 – Bethany Stoehr, 9. 13 – Ryan Bigelow, 10. 45 – Brandon Igo, 11. 33 – Scott Bigelow, 12. 81 – Andy Barrows, 13. 51 – Danny Cugini, 14. 57 – Dylan Duhaime
1st Heat (8laps): 1. 31 – Paul Bigelow, 2. 13 – Ryan Bigelow, 3. 9 – Ian Cumens, 4. 26 – Bethany Stoehr, 5. 50 – Carl Medeiros Jr., 6. 33 – Scott Bigelow, 7. 45 – Brandon Igo
2nd Heat (8laps): 1. 81 – Andy Barrows, 2. 51 – Danny Cugini, 3. 35 – Randy Cabral, 4. 99 – James Santa Maria, 5. 15a – Avery Stoehr, 6. 57 – Dylan Duhaime