It’s amazing how far things can change in a year. About a month into the season last year, Otto Sitterly was without a ride. He sold the Muldoon chassis #79 which he had wheeled to victory lane on a couple of occasions in his career to Limited Supermodified driver Andy Noto. For a while last year, Sitterly was rideless. Today, he is currently the man to beat on a weekly basis in the Supermodified division.
He went on the biggest winning streak in his racing career this year, making Victory Lane a regular stop in 2006. He has led the points from the outset of the year, and has been the King of the Hill in 2006. This weekend, he looks to add to that win total, looking for the biggest prize in Supermodified racing, the Oswego International Classic. He has competed in every Classic since 2000, taking home a sixth in his rookie Classic in 2000, and a 4th in 2003.
“It’s been a really good year,” Otto said recently. “Honestly, it’s really been something else. We’re really happy with it. I‘ve always been a driver that has tried to bring the car home in one piece. Until that night where we ended up on our roof, the car wasn’t even dinged all year. I try to keep it in one piece and bring it back the next week. If you don’t wreck it, you can work on getting it faster instead of fixing it.” He took a second and thought back a bit on his racing career a little. “Until this year, I have never won 2 races in a season. This year we had three in a row, and had five of six at one point. We just keep going for more, and enjoy it along the way.” Sitterly knows it takes a total team effort to not only put a car in victory lane each time, but just to bring it to the track each week. “I don’t do this alone by any stretch of the imagination,” he emphasized. This is a total team effort. My guys have been together for a while now, and we’re all in this together. When we win, we win as a team. I can’t thank everyone on the crew enough for everything they have done, not only this year but since we’ve been at this.”
Thoughts this time of year turn ahead to the prestigious International Classic. It’s the race every supermodified driver has dreamed of winning. “It’s been an all or nothing race for me,” Otto Sitterly said of his six previous International Classic runs. “Each race, we’ve had potential. We’ve been a contender in each one, but in one way or another, they never really have materialized.” This year looks to be Otto Sitterly’s best Classic run in his seven year Supermodified history. He took a quick trip down memory lane in the Classic. “The first year, we had our best finish, but it was our worst race as far as being competitive. We finished 6th our first year. The next one, nothing seemed to go right. We had the Muldoon car, and had a couple of flats. The third one, we were running top 5, and overheated. 2003, we finished 4th. That was our best finish. That was our best overall race. We timed in third quick, and never fell back. At worst, we were like 6th or 7th, and that’s what you need to do. It all starts in time trials, and a good time trial lap means the world. You can hang out and stay up front, stay out of trouble, and just make laps and stay in contention. A couple of years ago, we were running 4th, just hanging out with 18 to go, and we got in that mess in the third turn with Joey Payne, Perley and Magner. It was a big mess over there and a good run finished pretty bad. Last year we ran the Peri 14 car, and it just didn’t have it. We made the show and ran it, but the car just didn’t have it.”
He hopes everything comes together in 2006 for himself and the 79 race team. “This year, I really think we should start in the first few rows,” he realistically added. “Unless we miss the set up, we should have a pretty good starting spot. I don’t see any lightning fast times, like we have in the heat races. You really wont get in a rhythm is just a few laps. Just a few laps, you get going and see what times you turn. If we time in well, then we can put in our race plan.” Otto has been a pretty decent time-trialer in the past. In his six time trial attempts, he has timed in 11th fastest twice, qualified 5th fast once, and his best was a third a few years back.” He gave a hint away at what the race could have in store for the 79. “It’s no secret you have to be there in the end,” Otto said. “If you time in well, you can sit back and ride it out for a while. A good time trial lap means you can sit, ride it out, save the equipment and ride off the other good cars there. The idea is to race off other cars you know that have had success in the race,” he continued. You can’t run the car at a 45 lap feature pace in the 200. More or less, you can turn 18.0 laps, and run nice and easy. Get in a groove and ride would be ideal. Don’t slide too far back, and just make laps for a while. If you are on the track at the end of the race, you’ll be ok,” he added. “Last year there were only a few cars on the lead lap, so if you finish the race, you’ll be fine. These are delicate race cars, you have to take care of them. One thing though, when these things break, they break,” Otto summarized.
He’s had his share of fixing the broken Hawk Chassis recently as well. “The night of the flip over, that was a $4500 night,” he reflected. “The night we wrecked in the fourth turn, that was another good amount. The night in the first turn, that was at least a grand. We’ve had our best year, and it’s still costing us money. Hopefully, we can earn enough to help the bills a bit.” He was hoping for some momentum going into the 50th anniversary race. “We need a good run the week going into the Classic,” he hoped. “We want to get a good, solid run in, and grab a little momentum leading in. We had a good start to the year, and stumbled a little in the middle. It would be nice going into the weekend on and up swing. It’s so much of a luck race, and anyone can win it,” Otto said as he gave a quick preview. “We just need to stay away from trouble, and have a good, clean race car. We do that, and keep all four corners on the car, and we’ll be fine. This is the best chance I have ever had in this race, hopefully it will all come together.” The prestige of the weekend is something special as well. “It would be neat to have a feather in our cap from this year,” Otto said. “It would be nice to get something, anything. The Track Championship or Classic win. I haven’t done either, and would be great if we could. Just to get one of them, would be quite a feather on your cap.”
Otto Sitterly set the Supermodified scene on its ear at Oswego Speedway this year, as he dominated competition in 2006 like he never had before. He had his best year ever in racing, and hopes it continues on through Labor Day Weekend. He is looking for his finest hour in Classic competition. He had his best run a few years ago, when he finished fourth. If he stays away from trouble, and has Lady Luck shine in his corner, he very well may be the top dog at the end of the 200 laps. It surely would be quite a feather in his racing cap.