Jimmy Shampine tied the all time consecutive win record of nine features in a row set by Todd Gibson in 1968 here at the Oswego Speedway last Saturday night in a thrilling Budweiser Beer 50 lap feature.
Action started early in the feature as Ron Gapski tangled with the inside hubrail on the start of the race. As the balance of the 24 car field held their two by two starting positions under caution, while the track was cleared, pole sitter Freddy Graves, who earlier won his heat and semi with a record breaking time, suddenly pulled into the pits with mechanical problems and was done for the night. Mike Hogan and Johnny Bush inherited the front row spots and it was Bush in the once-again rebuilt 45 jumping off to an early lead.
The moves back in the pack as the faster cars made their way to the front were absolutely daring and breathtaking. It looked like trouble when Chuck Ciprich dove into a pack of cars going into turn three and Bobby Stelter in the 21 got into the inside hub rail but fortunately kept it going straight but lost a lot of ground. He came back into the picture, however, as you'll see later.
Jerry Buskey took the lead from the 45 on lap 4 but Ciprich was now right there and on lap six took the lead. Meanwhile traffic was thicker than ever as Shampine tried working his way through. Steve Gioia broke through and was battling Buskey for second. Eddie Bellinger came all the way from 19th starting position, all the way to sixth, passed Shampine and Dates who was also charging. Now it was Shampine's turn to catch a break as he roared into 4th behind Buskey and Gioia and passed both of them for second on lap 12.
Ciprich had built up a healthy lead but on lap 20 the caution came out when Denny Wheeler made a simple spin coming off turn 4. At this time Kemp Dates, who was hooked up in a battle with Gioia, Coniam and Bellinger for third, pitted with overheating problems. When the race resumed, Ciprich still had the edge because of 4 lapped cars between his 36 and the Green Machine. You knew it was going to be a battle for the lead eventually but the attention midway through the race was focused on a torrid three car battle for third between Steve Gioia, Warren Coniam and Eddie Bellinger. On lap 28 as the three moved in on some lapped cars between turns three and four, everyone got a little too close causing the 02 to brush the inside wall. It looked as if Bellinger had it straightened away when suddenly he made a simple spin which put him broadside on the track. With the rest of the pack bearing down on the yellow machine MOST cars made it through but Tommy Leeson was forced out into the Bellinger machine and this set up Joe Paeno and Jerry Buskey to also get involved. All of the cars, except for the 60, were done for the evening.
On the restart Ciprich and Shampine started their battle for the lead but it wasn't much of a battle at all as Shampine pulled along side of Ciprich on the outside and out powered him down the backstretch.
It looked like another easy victory for Shampine as he quickly opened some ground between himself and the 36. But towards the end of the race Shampine came up on a big pack of slower cars running two abreast. Ciprich quickly closed in as Shampine decided which way to go. Ciprich, without hesitation, dove way low and came up with the lead on lap 46 but as the two came down the front straight with one more car to lap, Shampine pulled quickly to the outside to pin Ciprich behind the 21 of Stelter and regain the lead. Ciprich chased after Shampine but couldn't get close enough to take another crack at it and it was Shampine first, Ciprich second, followed by Steve Gioia and Warren Conian who battled all race long for third and fourth. Bobby Stelter came back for fifth and Jamie Moore recorded his best finish ever at Oswego when he brought his 44 in for sixth. Other feature finishers in order were: Den Wheeler 96, Russ Gray 27, John Bush 45, Lew Bannister 26, Jerry Buskey 60, Mike Rizzo 34, Brian Herb 11, Jim Thompson 18, Mike Hogan 50, Jim Gray 00, Ed Bellinger 02, Joe Paeno 06, Tom Leeson 97, Kemp Dates 28, Ken Wheelock 08, Don Haas 29, Fred Graves 38, Ron Gapski 51.
Heats were won by Shampine, Ciprich and Fred Graves while semi events went to Graves and Ciprich. Eddie Bellinger won the consi.