Delaware
Speedway
- Friday, August 7, 2009 |
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Top three from
Friday's Delaware ISMA 30 - From left, race sponsor Kelly Sloan,
of Sloan Insulation, second place Russ Wood, winner Jeff Locke,
for his first ISMA feature win and third place finisher Mike
Lichty. |
Jim Feeney
Photos |
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Friday, August 7th
- Delaware ISMA 30 |
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ROOKIE JEFF LOCKE
TAKES FIRST WIN
IN FRIDAY ISMA 30 AT DELAWARE |
Delaware, Ont. – Raymond,
New Hampshire’s Jeff Locke grew up watching some of New
England’s best supermodified drivers compete. At 16 he was
working on the #27 Shea super driven by Russ Wood. He never
dreamed then that he’d be racing against them someday. He
certainly never believed that he’d beat some of them in his
first full season of ISMA supermodified racing. On Friday night
at Canada’s Delaware Speedway he did just that. Starting on the
outside of the front row, Locke led every lap of the 30-lap
sprint holding back Russ Wood for half of the race. After a
stint with NASCAR as a tire changer and then crew chief for Greg
Biffle, Locke returned home to pursue his own racing career.
After several years in the small block supermodified ranks, Jeff
moved on to the ISMA big blocks. It took him only eight races
into 2009 to accomplish what some seasoned veterans never have.
He had garnered his first career ISMA victory. Locke didn’t
really know what to say after his dominant win.
“This is unbelievable. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. There are
such great competitors here like Russ Wood; to beat someone like
him, somebody I grew up watching, to win against him, I can’t
believe it. To just race against him and guys like Chris Perley
is something else again. Never mind the winning. It’s just
unbelievable. The car was great. The motor was great. Everything
ran perfect. It was a pleasure to drive tonight.
“My thanks go out to Richard Witkum. He works hard on this
thing. I don’t have much of a crew. It’s just him and me this
week. My father is back home manning the company – Locke Crane
Service. Eddie Witkum – he’s back home too. He had to race
tonight and I hope everything went well there. To everybody at
R&R Competition Engines, everybody at New England Racing Supply
and Shanks Oil Company- just to everybody who has put this
together. I still can’t believe it.”
Russ Wood moved from seventh spot into second by lap 14. But
despite several cautions, he was unable to catch the high-flying
37 of Locke. Said Wood of his runner-up finish, “Our car was
going really good. I was moving up but after 15 laps I was
getting tight. I knew I might be in trouble. It got tighter and
tighter. I could see Jeff but I just couldn’t reel him in. He
had an open track and no traffic. Our car is getting better and
better. This gives us something to work on for tomorrow. I’m
happy with it.”
Mike Lichty, who had just come off a devastating crash in the
Kasey Kahne Steel Palace 100 at Oswego in his USAC Silver Crown
car, put his supermodified into third past his teammate Dave
McKnight with ten laps to go in the 30-lapper but was never able
to catch Wood or Locke. Lichty, who was extremely sore after his
crash 24 hours previously, was more than happy to take third and
to bring his car home in one piece to race again Saturday.
Bobby Haynes and Locke led the way to green but only one circuit
was complete when yellow flew for a slowing Chris Perley, who
just made it into the pits. A broken brake line was the culprit.
Said the defending ISMA champion; “I broke a left rear brake
line again on the first lap. It’s too tight here to run without
brakes. We’ve been in the situation before but that was when I
was up front and running away. I didn’t want to nick up the car
so we called it a night.”
The race resumed without Perley and with Locke and Bobby Haynes
Jr. at the helm. Dave McKnight, Michael Barnes, Dave Trytek,
Lichty and Mark Sammut were among the early pursuers.
Yellow flew on lap 8 for the 5 of Vern Romanoski who was able to
restart but almost simultaneously, Dave Shullick Jr., stopped
the 61 on the outer pit road with a broken nose wing. The car
did not restart.
Locke was able to pull away on that restart a while near the
halfway fellow New Hampshire driver Wood took over second. Locke
put another rookie, Dave Duggan, down a lap on lap 19, adding a
little insurance to his lead.
Bobby Haynes, running a strong fourth, brought out the yellow on
lap 23 as his 44 got high in the marbles and he hit the wall.
On the restart, the hungry pack behind Locke bore down on the
rookie driver, but to no avail. Locke was running to perfection
and Wood was left to tend with Lichty and McKnight, who were
followed by fellow Canadian Mark Sammut.
At the checkered, it was Locke, Wood, Lichty, McKnight and
Sammut making up the top five.
McKnight, who had won the two previous Delaware features, was
pleased just to finish. “It was a solid run. It’s really the
first race we’ve finished since the season started. Hats off to
Jeff. He did a really good job tonight. The Patco team did a
really good job tonight. We came home third and fourth. We’re in
one piece and we’ll work on it for tomorrow.”
Mark Sammut, who sat second in points behind Perley going into
the event, gained a few markers on the Rowley driver by
finishing fifth.
“It wasn’t a top night but we’re glad to finish fifth,” said the
London, Ontario driver. “The car is more and less in one piece
and we’re all together for tomorrow. Hopefully we can make some
changes and try to get a little better. The car was bad after we
had some green flag laps but we were really hurting on the
restarts. The car slides all over on the restarts for three or
four laps. It was a short race and everybody in front of me was
a little bit better than I was on cold tires. It took me a
little longer to get wound up and every time I did, the yellow
would come out.”
Locke will now have a chance at an extra $4,000 Tammy Ten bonus
from John Brush of Corr/Pak should Jeff make it to winner’s
circle in Saturday night’s 50 lapper.
SUMMARY
ISMA Event #8
Heat 1: Russ Wood, Mike Lichty,
Jeff Locke, Mark Sammut, Vern Romanoski, Larry Lehnert, Dave
McCullough
Heat 2: Chris Perley, Dave
McKnight, Brandon Bellinger, Danny Lane, Jeff Holbrook, Dave
Duggan
Heat 3: Bobby Haynes Jr., Dave
Shullick Jr., Michael Barnes, Dave Trytek, Robbie Summers, Ben
Seitz
Tammy Ten 30:
1. Jeff Locke (37), 2. Russ Wood (29), 3. Mike Lichty (84),
4. Dave McKnight Jr., 5. Mark Sammut, 6. Rob Summers (97),
7. Dave Trytek (41), 8. Ben Seitz (88), 9. Michael Barnes (70),
10. Danny Lane (9), 11. Brandon Bellinger (02), 12. Jeff
Holbrook (35),
13. Vern Romanoski (5), 14. Dave Duggan (51), 15. Bobby Haynes
Jr. (44),
16. Larry Lehnert (92), 17. Dave McCullough (3), 18. Dave
Shullick Jr. (61),
19. Chris Perley (11). |
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Friday, August 7th
and Saturday, August 8th |
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"Tammy 10" - the legendary Super driven by Harvey Lennox at
Delaware Speedway |
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TWO-DAYS OF SUPER
MODIFIED ACTION COMING UP AT DELAWARE SPEEDWAY; CORR/PAK ADDS
"TAMMY-10" MONEY BONUS TO SUPER PURSE |
July 27, 2009
By John Houghton, Delaware Speedway PR
The arrival of the ISMA Supermodified at Delaware Speedway is
one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. This year
promises to be twice as exciting as the ISMA cars invade
Delaware Speedway for two days of speed, action, and great
racing memories presented by Sloan
Insulation of Windsor and Patco Transportation and an
added $4,000 on the line for the ISMA drivers put up by Corr / Pak Merchandising. 2009
marks the fourth year in a row the coveted series has graced the
Delaware half-mile after a previous twenty-year absence.
The cars in the American-based ISMA (International Supermodified
Association) are the most powerful cars to visit Delaware
Speedway each year. The majority of the vehicles are home built
by the race teams themselves. The light weight of the cars
combined with the over 850-horse power the cars generate create
a recipe for quick times around the speedways the series visits.
The cars also have large wings mounted on top of the car mounted
on air shocks, which change the aerodynamic characteristics of
the vehicle to create extra down force in the turns and reduce
drag on the straights. The cars are also directly driven off the
engine, which means the cars require a push start and have no
starter and no battery with the aim of further reducing the
weight of the cars.
The ISMA Supermodifieds will be racing on Friday, August 7 running their heat races
and a 30-lap feature sponsored by Sloan
Insulations of Windsor. On Saturday,
August 8 the action heats up with
heat races and a 50-lap feature for the ISMA cars sponsored by
Patco Transportation.
The ISMA Supermodified drivers will have an added incentive to
attend the two-day event. Corr / Pak
Merchandising is putting up a special prize bonus program
the “Tammy 10-Thousand Dollars”,
named after the legendary Supermodified race car piloted by
Harvey Lennox at Delaware Speedway. The company is making an
additional $4,000 available as a bonus to a driver who is able
to win both races. If a driver is able to win both events, the
$4,000 combined with the ISMA purse money they would earn them a
total of $10,000. If different drivers win each race, the $4,000
will be divided up among the top-5 drivers in each race over the
two days.
Along with the ISMA cars, Delaware Speedway’s NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series classes will be taking to the track. Friday
evening features the APC Late Models, Demar Aggregates Trucks
and the popular Throne King’s of the Hill Spectator’s race.
Saturday night highlights the Delaware Speedway Super Stocks and
POWERADE Modifieds. Spectator gates on both days open at 6:00 pm
with racing starting at 8:00 pm. Saturday night also features a
special autograph session for the ISMA Supermodifieds.
The early bird discount for ISMA Super
Modified tickets ends this upcoming Friday, July 31. Fans
who purchase their tickets early through the website will
receive a discounted admission. Tickets will continue to be
available through the website after the early bird pricing ends
and will also be available at the gate.
The weekend also features free un-serviced camping with
admission. The campground is located behind the back straight
and is accessible on a first come-first-served basis.
Go to
www.delawarespeedway.com for ongoing information updates and
ticket info. |
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