1/1/2020
Oswego Speedway
Oswego Speedway Sets 70th Anniversary Schedule; 12-Race Slate Features Return of Novelis Supermodified Grand Prix 100
OSWEGO, NY (January 1, 2020) - Oswego Speedway is proud to release an ambitious 70th anniversary schedule for the 2020 season beginning with its Memorial Weekend special on Saturday, May 23 and capped by Budweiser Classic Week 64 from September 4 to 6.
The track’s weekly Novelis Supermodified and Pathfinder Bank SBS divisions will compete on all but one date a piece while special events are planned for the 350 Supermodifieds and the Sunoco New York Super Stock Series.
For the third year in a row, the 13-race title fight for the Novelis Supermodifieds will open with the Jim Shampine Memorial Twin 50’s on May 23 alongside a full card of racing for Pathfinder Bank SBS and 350 Supers, both of which will begin their points season that evening as well.
Following over 200 laps of competitive racing on Opening Day, the Speedway will bounce right back into action one week later as the winged warriors of the ISMA Supermodified tour will be back in the Port City for the 50-lap Jack Murphy Memorial. The return of this Spring spectacular with Pathfinder Bank SBS will be fans’ only chance to see winged Supers at Oswego in 2020.
While the SBS division will support the ISMA Supermodifieds on May 30, Small Block Super teams will receive the night off on Saturday, June 6 as the Speedway will welcome back the Sunoco New York Super Stock Series for their first of three planned appearances in 2020.
Additionally, Novelis Supers will be back on the calendar for their third full-point feature of the season set at 50 laps in distance. Supermods will be joined by the 350 Super class, which will also receive one week off following the Opener. The winged 350’s will go 25-laps while the full fendered stock cars are set for 30-laps of door slamming action to open the month of June.
The following Saturday, June 13, marks the return of a familiar Oswego Speedway tradition over forty years in the making; Novelis Supermodified Twin 35’s. The twin 35-lap features debuted at the Steel Palace in June of ‘76 and returned in 2014 following a long absence. A 30-lapper for Pathfinder Bank SBS will support the second double feature event of the season for Supers.
The third and final June event; Saturday, June 20th’s ‘Spring Championship’ program will catch the eye of drivers and fans alike as it marks the first occurrence since the Speedway’s 60th Anniversary Season that Novelis Supermodifieds will square off in a 60-lap main event.
Oswego’s 2020 Spring Championship will be headlined by the extra-distance feature for the big blocks alongside a 35-lapper for Pathfinder Bank SBS. The Spring finale is one of three 60-lap mains scheduled for the Supermodifieds in 2020.
Spring will go out with a bang on June 20, and following the track’s traditional ‘off’ week for high school graduation on June 27, the summer will officially begin with an even bigger one as the Speedway has tabbed Saturday, July 4 for a four-division Independence Day Championship.
Racing action on Saturday, July 4 will be headlined by a 100-lap main event for the Supers; the first race at this distance since RoC Weekend of ‘13. As it turns out, the very first 100-lap ‘Grand Prix’ for the division was held on July 4, 1962, exactly 58 years to the day.
Following a six year absence from the Speedway’s schedule, the 100-lap Grand Prix returned in 1969 and was run continuously on Independence Day Weekend thru 1977. The extra distance special was back on the calendar again in 1979, but this time had been shortened to 75-laps.
Despite the Grand Prix going away temporarily, it wasn’t long before 100-lap events were back on the Oswego schedule with the introduction of the first Port City 100 in ‘85. The Port City race remained before it was eventually replaced by the Shampine Memorial 100 in ‘92.
In 1991, the Speedway decided it was time to bring back the Independence Weekend Grand Prix 100 for the first time since ‘77, meaning there were now two events set at 100-laps in distance in 1992.
The 100-lap Shampine Memorial / Grand Prix combo returned in 1993, and continued until 1995 when the Independence Weekend race was cut back to 75-laps for a third time. The Shampine race remained a 100-lap affair until 1999, when it was shortened to its current 50-lap distance.
For the final time in history, the Grand Prix 100 was phased back in for a ‘one and done’ in 2005 in a show that saw Doug Didero return to victory lane driving for Syrell Racing. There has not been a 100-lap Supermodified event sanctioned by the Oswego Speedway since.
Now, fans will have the opportunity to see the ultimate July 4 extravaganza; featuring only the third 100-lap Supermodified event of the century at Oswego Speedway with an additional 100 laps of feature action to boot including the inaugural Sportsman Modified ‘Xtra Money Race’ plus regular programs for the Pathfinder Bank SBS and 350 Supers.
After two gigantic shows in a row, Novelis Supermodified teams will receive the night off on July 11 as ISMA Supermodifieds will be in action at Jukasa Motor Speedway in Ontario. While Super teams shift gears to compete north of the border, Oswego Speedway will still be in competition with ‘Double Feature Night’ on tap for the Pathfinder Bank SBS and 350 Supermodifieds.
Those at the Oswego Speedway on July 11 will be treated to 80-laps of feature racing between these two divisions as both the Small Block Supers and winged 350 Supers are set to contest in a pair of Twin 20-lap main events in this co-headliner.
The ‘hits’ will keep on coming in Summer ‘20 as one week later, the 34th running of the 75-lap, $10,000 to win Mr. Novelis Supermodified takes center stage on July 18 alongside the 35-lap, $1,500 to win Mr. Pathfinder Bank SBS show.
Oswego Speedway will be off on Saturday, July 25 for Harborfest as well as the International Supermodified Association’s annual ‘Hy-Miler Nationals’ scheduled for that Friday and Saturday at Ohio’s Sandusky Speedway.
An extra Saturday in August will allow for four big shows to bring the Speedway down the home stretch of the championship schedule and things will get kicked back into high gear on August 1 with the second of three 60-lap Super shows on ‘Summer Championship’ Night for all three Supermod divisions.
Saturday, August 8 brings the second of three Sunoco New York Super Stock Series events on ‘Retro Night’ at Oswego Speedway which will coincide with the Oswego Speedway Old Timer’s Reunion at Lighthouse Lanes. This date will also serve as a ‘regular program’ for the Novelis Supermodified and Pathfinder Bank SBS series.
Novelis Supermodified and Pathfinder Bank SBS teams will then participate in another 50 and 30-lap show; their final of the season, one week later on Saturday, August 15. 350 Supers will also be on the schedule for the second to last point race of the year.
The battle to determine Oswego Speedway’s 70th Anniversary track champions will come to a close on Saturday, August 22 with the return of $5 Admission ‘Teal Palace’ Track Championship Night. The Supermodifieds will compete in a 60-lap championship to close the regular season, while the Pathfinder Bank SBS and 350 Supermodifieds will run 35 and 30-lap mains respectively.
Finally, the most anticipated weekend of the year will get underway on Friday, September 4 as Bud Classic Week 64 begins with ‘Pole Day’ qualifying. Serving as the night cap, the Sunoco New York Super Stock Series will complete their 2020 slate at Oswego with the Dave London Memorial XII. Super Stocks will race 75-laps on Classic Friday.
Classic Saturday will have just a little bit different of a feel in 2020. For a fifth year in a row, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is back on the schedule with the running of the 150-lap, Toyota Mod Classic 150 presented by McDonald’s. While the ISMA Supermodifieds have served as the co-headliner in the past, the 350 Super Busch Classic 35 will now move to September 5 under the lights.
As always, the pavement season will come to a close on Sunday, September 6 with the richest Supermodified race in the world; the 64th running of the Budweiser International Classic 200 for Novelis Supermodifieds. The Pathfinder Bank SBS division will also compete in the 29th Bud Light Classic 75 Sunday afternoon.
Of course, the conclusion of Classic Weekend does not mean the conclusion of racing at Oswego Speedway in 2020 as clay will cover the surface for the fifth consecutive year as NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLVIII comes to town October 7 thru 11.
The Speedway has also booked two dates for the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience in 2020 set for Sunday, June 14 and Sunday, August 30.
Oswego Speedway’s Hall of Fame Awards Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, October 17 at the Lake Ontario Event & Conference Center in the City of Oswego.
The track’s 70th Anniversary season will officially get underway with its annual Open Practice session tabbed for Saturday, May 16. Several ‘Fast Friday’ testing slots will be available prior to the Season Opener and throughout the season as well.
Those hoping to find grandstand or camping pricing including both weekend and seasonal rates are asked to check back to OswegoSpeedway.com in the coming days. Pricing is nearly finalized for the 2020 season.
Competitor registration for the Novelis Supermodifieds, Pathfinder Bank SBS, and 350 Supermodifieds opens today; January 1. Teams are asked to check their emails for the necessary forms or contact Paul at oswegospeedway@gmail.com with any questions.
Minor rule updates for all three divisions have already been sent to teams. Those with questions may contact Steve Gioia Jr. The rule book is in the process of being updated in two versions. One will be available in print copy at the track office and another digitally online at OswegoSpeedway.com.
For more information on Oswego Speedway, you can visit online at OswegoSpeedway.com. Fans can also FOLLOW on Twitter @OswegoSpeedway or LIKE on Facebook at Facebook.com/OswegoSpeedway.
About Oswego Speedway: Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile semi-banked pavement racing oval located off the shores of Lake Ontario in scenic Oswego, NY. The speedway has been a continuously run weekly racing venue since August 1951. The premier open-wheel pavement short track cars in the world, Supermodifieds, run weekly at the Oswego Speedway making it the only weekly Supermodified racing venue in the world. The Small Block Supermodifieds and 350 Supermodifieds accompany the full blown Supers on a weekly Saturday night schedule which runs from May through September. Oswego Speedway is mentioned in racing circles as the “Indy of the East,” as no fewer than a dozen past and present competitors have competed at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway including Mario Andretti, two-time Indy 500 champion Gordon Johncock, and former International Classic Champions Bentley Warren, Joe Gosek, and Davey Hamilton.
Oswego Speedway’s 2020 Schedule of Events:
Saturday, May 16 - Open Practice (ALL 2020 Divisions)
Saturday, May 23 - Memorial Weekend Special - Novelis Supermodified Jim Shampine Memorial (Twin 50’s), Pathfinder Bank SBS Tony White Memorial (35), 350 Supermodifieds (30)
Saturday, May 30 - Jack Murphy Memorial - ISMA Supermodifieds (50), Pathfinder Bank SBS (30)
Saturday, June 6 - Novelis Supermodifieds (50), 350 Supermodifieds (25), Sunoco New York Super Stocks (30)
Saturday, June 13 - Twin 35’s - Novelis Supermodified Twin Features (35), Pathfinder Bank SBS (30)
Sunday, June 14 - Rusty Wallace Racing Experience
Saturday, June 20 - 2020 ‘Spring Championship’ - Novelis Supermodifieds (60), Pathfinder Bank SBS (35)
Saturday, June 27 - OFF / High School Graduation - ISMA Supermodifieds at Monadnock Speedway (Winchester, NH)
Saturday, July 4 - Independence Day ‘Grand Prix’ Championship - Novelis Supermodifieds (100), Pathfinder Bank SBS (35), 350 Supermodifieds (30), Sportsman Modified XMR (40)
Saturday, July 11 - Pathfinder Bank SBS Twins (20), 350 Supermodified Twins (20) - SUPERS OFF / ISMA at Jukasa Motor Speedway (Hagersville, ONT)
Saturday, July 18 - 34th Annual $10,000 to Win Mr. Novelis Supermodified (75), 29th Annual $1,500 to Win Mr. Pathfinder Bank SBS (35)
Saturday, July 25 - OFF / Harborfest - ISMA Supermodifieds at Sandusky Speedway (Sandusky, OH)
Saturday, August 1 - 2020 ‘Summer Championship’ - Novelis Supermodifieds (60), Pathfinder Bank SBS (35), 350 Supermodifieds (30)
Saturday, August 8 - ‘Retro Night’ and Old Timer’s Reunion - Novelis Supermodifieds (45), Pathfinder Bank SBS (30), Sunoco New York Super Stocks (30)
Saturday, August 15 - Novelis Supermodifieds (50), Pathfinder Bank SBS (30), 350 Supermodifieds (25)
Saturday, August 22 - ‘Teal Palace’ $5 Track Championship Night - Novelis Supermodified Championship (60), Pathfinder Bank SBS Championship (35), 350 Supermodified Championship (30)
Sunday, August 30 - Rusty Wallace Racing Experience
CLASSIC WEEKEND
Thursday, September 3 - Oswego Kartway Classic
Friday, September 4 - Classic Friday - ‘Pole Day’ Time Trials, Sunoco New York Super Stock Series Dave London Memorial (75)
Saturday, September 5 - Classic Saturday - 5th Annual NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Toyota Mod Classic presented by McDonald’s (150), 350 Supermodified Busch Classic (35)
Sunday, September 6 - Classic Sunday - 64th Annual Budweiser International Classic for Novelis Supermodifieds (200), 29th Annual Bud Light Classic for Pathfinder Bank SBS (75)
Wednesday, October 7 thru Sunday, October 11 - NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLVIII
Saturday, October 17 - Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame & Awards Banquet
Submitted By: CAMDEN PROUD