August 21, 2004

GAREAU TAKES FIRST WIN OF 2004
GOSEK ALSO VICTORIOUS

Oswego, NY - Oswego Speedway Supermodified Point Standings leader Tim Gareau has been concentrating on winning his first ever Supermodified Track Championship this season. Gareau has been leading the standings for a majority of the season, but had yet to win a feature until Saturday, August 21. Gareau restarted the make-up Supermodified feature that was postponed on August 7 in the lead, and held off Tim Snyder and Greg Furlong for his first victory since August 16, 2002.

With the event restarting from lap 11, Gareau led the field with Jeff Holbrook, Dave Trytek, Shawn Muldoon, and Pat Lavery rounding out the top five. Holbrook tried to put the pressure on immediately, but Gareau pulled away several laps after the green flag fell. Holbrook's 35 began to handle poorly, allowing teammate Trytek to pass him for the runner-up spot. Trytek began running down Gareau for the race lead before Craig Rayvals brought out the caution on lap 18.

Trytek pulled to the outside of Gareau on the restart, but Gareau was able to maintain the point. Holbrook continued to have difficulty, falling out of the top five allowing Muldoon and Bob Goutermout to pass him for third and fourth. Snyder pulled into fifth just before halfway.

Greg Furlong ran eighth on a lap 26 restart as Gareau once again started to pull away. Dave Trytek fell out of the second place spot after getting out of shape, resulting with Muldoon, Goutermout, and Snyder to pass him for second through fourth respectively. This set up a great battle for second between those three, while Trytek and Furlong dueled for fifth.

Goutermout, Snyder, and Furlong went to the outside of Muldoon to take over second, third, and fourth on lap 39. Snyder and Furlong were able to pass Goutermout on lap 40, and the two slowly ran down Gareau in the closing laps. Gareau was hoping for the rest of the race to go green, but Danny Kapuscinski stalled on lap 46 setting up a four lap shootout between the top three in points.

Gareau, Snyder ,and Furlong ran nose-to-tail in the remaining laps. On the last lap out of turn four, Snyder slingshot to the inside but came up one-half car length short at the line. Furlong finished third, with Goutermout and Otto Sitterly rounding out the top five.

Brandon Bellinger and Craig Rayvals led the field to the green flag for the regularly scheduled 45-lap feature event. Bellinger took the lead on lap one, but Joe Gosek quickly came through the top five and took the lead on lap two. Ray Graham claimed the runner-up spot in the early going, and slowly began chasing down Gosek for the lead. On lap 15, Gosek got caught behind a lapped car allowing Graham to blast by him for the point.

Bellinger backed into the turn three wall lightly on lap 18, setting up another lead change. Gosek took the lead right away as the green came out. At halfway, Gosek led the field with Graham, Rayvals, Goutermout, and Trytek in the top five.

Keith Gilliam spun down the front stretch bringing out the caution on lap 24, which was bad news for several drivers. Bob Goutermout had to give up his top five position as he was leaking rear-end grease heavily. Danny Kapuscinski had the same problem, and track officials sent him to the pits as well during the yellow flag.

Tim Gareau invaded the top five just after halfway. He gained third place on lap 30, just as Bob Magner passed his teammate Dave Trytek for fifth. Magner didn't stop there, as he was also able to pass Rayvals on lap 34 for fourth.

Gosek was unstoppable throughout the rest of the distance. He continued to pull away from Graham, and won the 45-lapper easily. Gareau, Magner, and Sitterly rounded out the top five.

Greg Furlong was unable to start the feature, as a broken torch-arm brought him into the pits before the race began. Gareau opened up a 45 point lead over Snyder going into the final point night, with Furlong a distant 102 points behind Gareau going into the final point night on August 28.

Make-up Feature (50):
1. Tim Gareau (5) 2. Tim Snyder (0) 3. Greg Furlong (72) 4. Bob Goutermout (77) 5. Otto Sitterly (79) 6. Shawn Muldoon (1) 7. Doug Kells (39) 8. Dave Trytek (70) 9. Pat Lavery (99) 10. Bob Magner (40) 11. Ray Graham, Jr. (90) 12. Jeff Holbrook (35) 13. Vern LaFave (97) 14. Brandon Bellinger (02) 15. Danny Kapuscinski (85) 16. Jennifer Chesbro (33) 17. Jerry Curran (24) 18. Bob Bond (25) 19. Dave Allen (98) 20. Craig Rayvals (94) 21. Mike Hooper (17) 22. Todd Stowell (89) 23. Joe Hawksby, Jr. (2) 24. Gary Morton (96)

Heat 1:
1. Joe Gosek (27) 2. Dave Trytek (70) 3. Bob Goutermout (77) 4. Tim Gareau (5) 5. Otto Sitterly (79) 6. Vern LaFave (97) 7. Hal LaTulip (56) 8. Bill Peri (14) 9. Gene Lee Gibson (16) 10. Mike Hooper (17)

Heat 2:
1. Shawn Muldoon (1) 2. Jeff Holbrook (35) 3. Doug Kells (39) 4. Keith Gilliam (87) 5. Todd Stowell (89) 6. Jamie Moore (88) 7. Pat Lavery (99) 8. Kelly Miller (81) 9. Rob Parrow (21) 10. Greg Furlong (72) 11. Joe Hawksby, Jr. (2)

Heat 3:
1. Craig Rayvals (94) 2. Ray Graham, Jr. (90) 3. Brandon Bellinger (02) 4. Bob Magner (40) 5. Tim Snyder (0) 6. Jerry Curran (24) 7. Bob Bond (25) 8. Danny Kapuscinski (85) 9. Mark Sammut (78) 10. Jennifer Chesbro (33) 11. Larry Lee (96)

Consi:
1. Bob Bond (25) 2. Danny Kapuscinski (85) 3. Greg Furlong (72) 4. Hal LaTulip (56) 5. Pat Lavery (99) 6. Mark Sammut (78) 7. Bill Peri (14) 8. Mike Hooper (17) 9. Kelly Miller (81) 10. Jennifer Chesbro (33) 11. Gene Lee Gibson (16) 12. Rob Parrow (21) 13. Larry Lee (96) 14. Joe Hawksby, Jr. (2 - DNS)

Feature (45):
1. Joe Gosek (27) 2. Ray Graham, Jr. (90) 3. Tim Gareau (5) 4. Bob Magner (40) 5. Otto Sitterly (79) 6. Craig Rayvals (94) 7. Jerry Curran (24) 8. Tim Snyder (0) 9. Bob Bond (25) 10. Dave Trytek (70) 11. Doug Kells (39) 12. Pat Lavery (99) 13. Todd Stowell (89) 14. Jamie Moore (88) 15. Mark Sammut (78) 16. Keith Gilliam (87) 17. Brandon Bellinger (02) 18. Jeff Holbrook (35) 19. Hal LaTulip (56) 20. Shawn Muldoon (1) 21. Mike Hooper (17) 22. Bob Goutermout (77) 23. Danny Kapuscinski (85) 24. Vern LaFave (97)