May 29, 1999

BOB GOUTERMOUT TAKES EMPIRE SPORTS SUPERMODIFIED 50 PORTION OF SHAMPINE MEMORIAL

Oswego, NY - Fulton's Bob Goutermout combined a good starting spot, a quick race car, and patience into his first Oswego Speedway supermodified feature race victory on May 29. Goutermout started third, due to a wreck on opening night. He took the lead from Howard Page on lap 33, and drove away for the half straightaway win.

Doug Boisvert and Howard Page paced the field as they came down for the green flag for the 50 lap event. Page got a good jump, and put his red #18 to the lead as they reached the first turn. In the first few laps, Bob Goutermout, Greg Furlong and Mike Muldoon used the inside lane to get to the front early, while Randy Ritskes, Joe Gosek and Danny Soule used the high side of the speedway.

Page wasted no time in building up a comfortable lead, as he had the 18 car five lengths ahead of the field in the early laps. Doug Boisvert, Bob Goutermout, Greg Furlong, and Joe Gosek filled out the top five in the early laps , while Jeff West, Mike Muldoon, Timmy Snyder, Danny Soule and Doug Didero rounded out the top ten. The first slowdown in the race came on lap nine as Scott Eldred and Mike Bond looped their cars in the third turn. During this caution flag, the 77 of former track champion Doug Didero was stopped by officials and sent to the pits with an oil leak. Didero returned to the track after a pit stop.

Another yellow flag slowed the race one lap later, During this caution flag period it was discovered there was oil on the race track from the Didero 77, and the red flag came out for the clean up, and teams were allowed to refuel. When racing resumed, page picked up right where he left off as he again took control of the race driving out to a 10 car length lead in two laps.

Joe Gosek brought the 00 into contention as he moved to the inside of the Furlong 72 on the front stretch on lap 10 to move up to fourth. Gosek then set sail after Goutermout as the 93 bobbled in the third turn. fans attention then shifted to Timmy Gareau. Gareau started 21st after being relegated to the consolation race. On lap 12, he moved the Burger King #5 to the inside of the Muldoon 50 to move up to seventh place, and went to the low side of Furlong on the front straightaway to move top sixth.

Gosek kept working his way to the front as he picked off Boisvert for second place on lap 15, but as a full straightaway behind leader Howie Page. That advantage was wiped out on lap 18 as the yellow flag came out. the top ten on this restart saw Page, Gosek, Goutermout, Furlong, Gareau. West, Muldoon, Ritskes, Douglass and Ray Graham, in his initial outing in a supermodified.

Furlong looked to get to the inside of Goutermout on the take off, but Goutermout hung tough. Goutermout kept his foot into it, and not only kept Furlong behind, but found traction and wheeled to the outside of Gosek's 00 for second place, just three car lengths behind Page. Gareau was still on the charge as he moved into fourth by Furlong in the fourth turn. At the halfway point of the race, Page held a three car length lead over the bumper to bumper race between Goutermout, Gosek, Gareau, Furlong, West, and Muldoon. Seventh running Graham was having an eye opening run in seventh, with Ritskes, Douglass and Todd Stowell rounding out the top ten.

Goutermout closed right up to page in the next few laps, and now the top seven were running nose to tail. Lap 33 saw Goutermout pull his #93 to the inside of the Page 18 as they exited the fourth turn, and came out with the lead. The yellow lights flashed on lap 36 as there was a chain reaction wreck involving the lead pack. Joe Gosek dirt tracked the 00 in the fourth turn, and by the time the dust settled, Tim Gareau's fine run ended with a banged up race car, stopped on the front straightaway. Ray Graham's impressive run ended in the pits at this point of the race as he took the seventh running #90 to the pits. Back up front, Goutermout pulled away at the rate of a couple of car lengths per lap, as he built up a comfortable lead. He wasn't challenged the remainder of the race, and went away with his first win of the 1999 season by half a straightaway over Page, Gosek, West and Furlong.

"The longer the race went on, his car started to get tight on him(Page)., " Goutermout commented after the win. "He left the bottom open one too many times. he car was a little loose tonight, there was quite a bit of oil down on the track tonight. The car was working good tonight."

"I'd rather be first, but it was one of my cars in front of me tonight, so I guess it's ok, " were second place finishers Howie Page's thoughts after the race. "The longer we went, the worse we got. It was ok for about 10 laps after a restart, but it got worse and worse. It's ok, we're happy with it. I would have rather won, but it's better than third."

Heat 1: Mike Muldoon, Greg Furlong, Dan Soule, Tim Snyder, Mike Bond, Scott Eldred, Jerry Curran, Jack Carr, Bob Bond

Heat 2: Jeff West, Bob Goutermout, Doug Boisvert, Ray Graham, Dave Morton, Mike Douglas, Jamie Letcher, Todd Stowell, Tim Gareau, Dave Halstead

Heat 3: Howie Page, Randy Ritskes, Joe Gosek, Doug Didero, Hal LaTulip, Bobby Smith, Jennifer Chesbro, Tim Devendorf, Dan Connors, Charlie DiRosa