The Oswego Speedway officially put the 2009 season into the history books with its annual Hall of Fame (HOF) Induction & Awards Banquet. Along with the various yearly honors bestowed upon the lakeside oval’s notables, five new members were inducted into the speedway’s Hall of Fame.

First and foremost, the evening kicked off with the 2009 Ed Clark Spirit Award & Oswego Speedway Recognition Award being presented to Oswego’s safety crew. Along with their countless weekly duties the top-notch crew received special recognition for their efforts in saving the life of heart-attack victim, Don Flack this past Classic Weekend.

Former Oswego Speedway Track Manager, Dick O’Brien, became the first HOF inductee of the night. O’Brien’s management and promotional efforts for over a quarter of a century propelled him into the Hall. The award was accepted by Jon Coe.

Also inducted via the “Officials” category was former official and media member, John Hill. Hill, who passed away after losing a battle with cancer this past summer, promoted supermodified racing via his pen for over forty years. His daughter, Bobbi Hill-O’Day accepted the award on his behalf.

Small block supermodified driver, Mark Regan, became the third SBS driver to enter the HOF. 10 feature wins and a track title highlight this true division vet. Calling his own induction a “surprise,” it’s no surprise that the “grandfather” of the division is the current all-time points leader, having raced with nearly every driver to have ever taken a green flag in the series.

When Dave McKnight, Sr. first saw supermodifieds he thought their pilots were “crazy.” However, just a decade later, he owned one and led his team with fellow Canadian Warren Coniam to both a track title and International Classic win.

Pat Abold was the final inductee of the evening. Abold purchased a supermodified from Jeff West and the rest was history.

Abold not only thanked his own wife, but the wives of all of his crewmembers over the years. He insisted that if it were not for their patience and understanding, he would’ve never been able to field such competitive rides.

The character-rich Tony White and Jim Shampine Memorial Awards were bestowed upon SBS driver Rob Pullen and supermodified car owner Pat Strong.

Andrew Schartner and Dan Connors, Jr. earned Rookie of the Year awards for their respective divisions, while Steve Abt and Keith Gilliam each earned Car Owners of the Year.

The evening concluded with Crew of the Year awards being presented to the 2009 SBS track championship team - Barbeau Racing. Stephen Gioia, III’s No. 9 team collected the honors in the supermodified division.

Turning Stone Resort & Casino Events Center

5:30pm - Cocktails

6:30pm - Buffet

7:30pm - Door Prizes

7:45pm - Ceremony

*Tickets -$40

*Call (315) 342-0646

Newly crowned 2009 Small Block Supermodified Classic Champion, Mike Bond, scored his second straight win in the Terry Solazzo-owned No. 26 Saturday night, winning the NORA-sanctioned portion of the Race of Champions event at the Oswego Speedway. With the circumstances surrounding last weekend’s win, this was a victory that he and his crew can truly celebrate this time around.

The Mexico, N.Y. native used a familiar third-turn dive move to take the lead away from Steve Abt on the 17th lap. The same move had proved successful for the division veteran on more than one occasion this season. It was the fourth feature win of the year for Bond, who finished third in the 2009 SBS points chase.

Abt and 2007 SBS Rookie of the Year, Kreig Heroth, led the 16-car starting field to the green to begin the 35-lap feature event. Abt nabbed the early lead away from Heroth, who saw his Crow Motorsports No. 18 lose a half-dozen positions in the opening lap before finally settling in.

At the close of lap No. 1, Abt led Dave Danzer, Dave Gruel, Bond and Stan Gates. Right from the start, Bond was eager to get to the front. On lap No. 2, Bond moved along side the Gruel No. 50, but couldn’t make the pass. On the flipside, Gruel made the outside groove work on the fourth lap, bettering Danzer’s No 52 car for the second position.

Hoping to beat Bond to the point, Gruel took a look on the outside of Abt’s No. 85 on the seventh lap, but to no avail. Gruel soon found Bond on his tail again, after Bond moved past Danzer down low for third on lap No. 8.

Gruel was relentless with his outside pressure on the Abt No. 85. Again, as the two raced off of the fourth turn, Gruel looked to have a solid look on Abt’s right side, only to have to back out as the No. 85 drifted towards the wall.

Gruel’s outside looks eventually opened the inside door for Bond. On the 13th lap, Bond had worked his way underneath Gruel. However, before Gruel gave way, the caution flag flew for Dennis Richmond’s broken No. 4 car.

With 12 laps in the books, Abt led Gruel, Bond, Danzer and Gates. Jason Simmons, Shawn Walker, Heroth, Tim Barbeau and Guard Nearbin completed the top 10.

On the restart, Gruel had another solid look on the high side of Abt. As the duo raced into the first turn, Gruel ran out of room up top, allowing Bond to slip underneath him to take over second place. Gruel immediately fought back on the outside, but came up empty.

A few trips later, Gruel would again find himself aside Bond as the two race behind Abt’s No. 85. Gruel was hoping to pin the No. 26 machine behind the leader, but instead, Bond found room under the No. 85. Bond shot under Abt as the trio raced into the third turn on lap No. 17. It was a familiar move that Bond had often used during the 2009 season and it paid its dividends once again, Saturday night.

Once up front, the No. 26 car started to pull away. Behind him, Abt continued to hold Gruel, Danzer and Gates at bay.

Suddenly, Gruel raised his hand to alert his closest chasers that he was slowing down. For the second time in as many races, the Tim Barbeau-owned No. 50 pulled pit-side with motor woes, falling out near the halfway mark.

By lap No. 25, Bond held an advantage of a full straightaway over Abt and Danzer. Gates raced alone in fourth and Barbeau owned fifth.

The second and final caution flag of the race occurred on lap No. 27. Simmons had spun this No 91 in turn No. 1.

Bond led the field back to racing with just nine laps remaining. Abt had nothing for the 2009 Classic champ, as the No. 26 simply sailed away. Bond coasted the rest of the way to collect win.

Abt, Danzer, Gates and Barbeau filled out the top five. Rob Pullen, Heroth, Walker, Nearbin and Simmons completed the top 10.

News & Notes: Bond and Heroth won their respective heat races. Only 16 cars took the green in the 35-lap feature - the smallest number to do so all season. 18 cars were on hand, but two could not start the race. Bob Andrews drove his brother’s (JJ Andrews) No. 93 SBS racer to an 11th-place finish. Jason Simmons scored a second-place finish in his first SST modified race Saturday afternoon. Simmons recently took possession of the car and a deal to sell his small blocker to Dennis Rupert is currently in the works.

Heat Race #1:
1. Kreig Heroth (18), 2. Steve Abt (85), 3. Tim Barbeau (58), 4. Shawn Walker (68), 5. Stan Gates (28), 6. Chris Natoli (33), 7. Bob Andrews (93), 8. Dennis Richmond (4), 9. Rob Pullen (25)

Heat Race #2:
1. Mike Bond (26), 2. Dave Gruel (50), 3. Dave Danzer (52), 4. Jason Simmons (91), 5. Guard Nearbin (78), 6. Barry Kingsley (23), 7. Bill Moore (20), 8. Cameron Rowe (59), 9. Mike Mullen (32)

Mexico’s Mike Bond earned his third Small Block Supermodified Classic Saturday night at the Oswego Speedway. The 2003 and 2004 event winner passed race leader Brian Sobus on the 86th lap and sped away the final 14 circuits to secure the win. Bond seemed to only be getting faster as the event progressed, posting his quickest lap time on his 92nd trip around Oswego’s fast 5/8 mile, 19.458 seconds.

Unavailable for comment after the race due to his father-in-law falling ill, car owner Terry Solazzo expressed his appreciation for all of the work that went into putting his No. 26 car into victory lane.

“Everybody is really happy with the win,” Solazzo said. “These guys all worked their hearts out today, Mike DeCare, Larry VonHoltz, Jr., Larry Sr., his brother Bobby. We went through everything on this racecar trying to make sure we didn’t miss anything. Mike DeCare did an excellent job with the tires. We’ve got the best driver at the track. I think we proved that tonight, the best driver won. He just sat back, bided his time and did what Mike does. I mean, he’s just a great racecar driver.”

Listen to - Terry Solazzo

Bond took the lead away from Sobus, who had inherited the top spot after Russ Brown fell victim to poor judgment by lapped traffic. After dominating the first half of the event, contact with the lapped Ken Pierce No. 67 sent both cars spinning in the fourth turn. Brown would remain on the lead lap and make his way back up into the sixth position before a similar incident with another lapped competitor would cut his night short.

Sobus and Brown led the 25-car field to the green to start the 100-lap season-ending event. With Bond and newly crowned 2009 SBS Track Champion Dave Gruel starting behind them, the front two rows raced side-by-side for nearly two laps before Brown nosed out in front. Sobus, Gruel, Bond and Stan Gates filled out the top five behind the race leader.

Having started sixth, two-time defending SBS Classic champ David Cliff faded quickly, eventually pulling in pit-side on the ninth lap - there would be no three-peat for the No. 06 team.

By the 10th lap, Brown had the field covered by a dozen lengths. Sobus, Gruel, Bond, Gates and Rob Pullen had broken away from the main pack. Having just moved to the front of that second group, JJ Andrews set out to run down the leaders.

With a 25-car length advantaged, Brown entered lapped traffic on the 17th lap. Lap No. 22 saw Sobus and Gruel go high-low around Mark Castiglia’s lapped No. 90 car. Sobus was able to hold on to second, but knew Gruel wasn’t willing to settle for third.

At the lap No. 25 mark, Brown was venturing into very heavy lapped traffic. Sobus, Gruel and Bond began to eat away at Brown’s lead as the race leader weaved his way through the tail-end of the field.

Suddenly, Gruel raised his hand to signal that he was slowing. Half of a lap later, his No. 50 retired into the pits with mechanical woes.

The long green flag run had greatly spread the field. With 35 laps in the books, Brown led Sobus, Bond, Gates and Pullen. Andrews Tim Barbeau, Kevin Knopp, Andrew Schartner and Shawn Walker completed the top 10.

Brown’s lead quickly evaporated once he came upon Steve Abt’s No. 85. Lap after lap, Brown would try the outside, only to run out of room and need to back out. Sobus managed to put a wheel under Brown’s No. 60 on the 43rd lap, but Brown fought back around the outside.

Coming off of the fourth turn, the No. 85 slide sideways, allowing the lead trio to race by. Just as they were about to start lapping the top 10, the lapped Pierce machine made contact with the leader. The two slid high, nearly taking Sobus and Bond with them.

The incredible stretch of green came to an end on the 47th lap. After 6 laps run under caution, the field faced another 47 laps to reach the checkered flag. Sobus now commanded the field. Bond, Gates, Andrews, Pullen, Barbeau, Schartner, Knopp, Walker and Mark Regan filled out the top 10. Running 11th, Brown rounded out those remaining on the lead lap.

On the restart, Bond was all over the back end of the No. 79. The top two began to pull away when the caution lights began to flash for an accident between turns one and two. A mid-pack game of bumper tag left Jack Patrick and Pullen sitting backwards.

The field went back to green with 32 laps remaining. However, Regan’s No. 4 was forced to pull into the pits after breaking the front-left.

Again, the top two pulled away only to have another caution put the field on their heels, once again. Pullen and Guard Nearbin had tangled in turn No. 1. Having just passed Barbeau and Schartner, Brown found himself up to the sixth position.

As the lead duo danced away on the restart, Brown put his No. 60 around Knopp’s No. 04. Knopp fought back on the inside and once again, Brown found himself behind Abt’s No. 85. Again, Brown went to the outside of the lapped driver and once again, was forced into the wall. There was no caution flown as Brown was able to limp his No. 60 into the pits.

Up front, Bond’s time for running second was running short. With 14 trips to go, he dove underneath the Sobus No. 79 in turn No. 1. Taking the lead away, the laps couldn’t tick away fast enough for the pilot of the No. 26.

With five to go, he’d built a 20-car advantage on the No. 79. Bond took the checkered flag with a three and a half second cushion.

Sobus crossed the line in second place, while Gates earned himself a podium finish, landing his No. 28 in third.

“We started towards the front, which always helps,” Gates said. “We started on the inside. I had a good car. It was pretty fast. We weren’t going to touch Brown and we probably weren’t going to touch Sobus and all of them. The car was consistent. It’s fun to drive now. It’s not the fastest car, but it’s not the slowest either. We’re really good at time-trialing. I’ve driven a lot of dirt cars, so I know how to use the brake and the gas at the same time. My car pushed really bad in time-trials, but I learned how to use the brake to go fast sometimes.”

Listen to - Stan Gates

Making his annual Labor Day Weekend appearance, Andrews drove a spirited race, earning himself and his No. 93 small block super a fourth-place finish.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Andrews said. “I have know idea how all of that just happened. But, we’re very excited about it. It was good. That car, right from the start, right from the green, it was right on the money. It never pushed, it was never loose. It was perfect all night. I don’t know how that happened. We were looking at the times and we were third fastest of anybody today, which I’ve never been able to say. From the time we brought it here, we never made a turn on wedge until Cory put two turns … well, I’m not going to say where. I don’t want to give away our secrets. But, we made a little move before the feature, guessing what the track would do and it was perfect. The car was great.”

Listen to - JJ Andrews

After announcing his retirement come Classic Weekend 2009, Kevin Knopp was able to add another top-five finish to his decorated resume.

“The car was good,” Knopp said. “We were good in warm-ups yesterday. We were fifth quickest. I’m disappointed with the qualifying effort, but that was me. I’m terrible at time-trials. The car was good. The brakes were a little glowy, a little sticky. I had some brake issues. All in all, I can’t complain. Apparently, I finished fourth. I thought I’d finished fifth. We’ll take it for our last race and close out a good career.”

Listen to - Kevin Knopp

Having made leaps and bounds since the beginning of the season, Schartner added a fine Classic run to his SBS Rookie of the Year title.

“I was happy,” Schartner said. “Obviously, I’d like to improve. But, finishing sixth when I crossed the line, whatever happened in tech, happened in tech. But, we had a good run. We qualified bad for my standards. I definitely think we should’ve been a top-five qualifier. It was my fault. I made a bad call. I was trying to get the car good for two laps and it was just way too loose. We were alright though.”

“We battled our way up and tried to be patient, as much as I could. Then, I realized I had to go. I picked off a couple of cars. I don’t know what they were doing. I think it was a horrible call leaving all of the lapped cars in front of us. Everyone else says it too. I just don’t understand why they left them there. It just cost a few spots. They all started sliding going into turn one. Knopp got back under us, and Barbeau. I guess I’ll be Russ Brown and say it is what it is. I’m happy with where we ended up. I’m very pleased.”

Listen to - Andrew Schartner

Having banged the front of his No. 68 up in practice, Walker was able to bounce back and drive his damaged car to a solid top-10 finish.

“I feel like Popeye, because my forearms are pretty big,” Walker said. “I was pushing like a dump truck. In the warm-ups, I had a little jingle with the 10 car … he spun out, I t-boned him. I bent the frame. I kind of cob-jobbed it back together and we made it home in eighth on the lead lap. I was going to do the Race of Champions if the car was there, but it’s not there now. So, we’re done.”

Listen to - Shawn Walker

After the race, Brown congratulated Bond on his win, but talked more about his difficulties with the lapped traffic, two cars in particular.

Listen to - Russ Brown

Pierce declined comment, but Abt denied any intent.

Listen to - Steve Abt

2009 SBS Classic 100:
1. Mike Bond (26), 2. Brian Sobus (79), 3.Stan Gates (28), 4. JJ Andrews (93), 5. Kevin Knopp (04), 6. Andrew Schartner (18), 7. Tim Barbeau (58), 8. Shawn Walker (68), 9. Dave Danzer (52), 10. Danny Kapuscinski (36), 11. Kreig Heroth (44), 12. Steve Abt (85), 13. Bill Moore (20), 14. Guard Nearbin (78), 15. Jack Patrick (9), 16. Russ Brown (60), 17. Rob Pullen (25), 18. Mark Regan (4), 19. Barry Kingsley (23), 20. Ken Pierce (67), 21. Dave Gruel (50), 22. Mark Castiglia (90), 23. Jason Simmons (91), 24. Chip Wood (2), 25. David Cliff (06).

Taking the lead at the drop of the green, 2008 SBS Rookie of the Year Kreig Heroth easily won the 12-lap SBS B-Main event. Heroth, Regan and Kapuscinski pulled away from the field, leaving their chasers to fight for the three remaining qualifying positions. Chris Natoli, Bryan Haynes, Brian Osetek and Mike Mullin would end up coming up short.

SBS B-Main 12:
1. Kreig Heroth (44), 2. Mark Regan (4), 3. Danny Kapuscinski (36), 4. Mark Castiglia (90), 5. Bill Moore (20), 6. Guard Nearbin (78), 7. Chris Natoli (33), 8. Bryan Haynes (86), 9. Brian Osetek (95), 10. Mike Mullin (32), 11. Chip Wood (2)

Coming in to the 2009 SBS season, some of the pre-season discussion revolved around who and when the 18-second barrier would be broken into. Along the way, three different drivers were able to nail down times in the 19.1 range, but no one was able to pull off an 18.9.

Like their bigger brothers, perhaps a set-up for a 2-lap time trial would offer up some blistering times? Nope, at least they didn’t last season. Russ Brown topped the chart in 2008 with a Classic pole time of 19.255 seconds. Brian Sobus was the only other driver to throw down a lap in the 19.2’s, circling Oswego’s fast 5/8 mile with a time of 19.271. The rest of the field was a full 10th of a second behind.

With a straight, heads-up start, time-trialing is absolutely an essential element to putting together a winning run in the SBS Classic. Throw in the fact that caution laps count, the ever-so increasing competitiveness of the class and week-to-week difficulties in passing, earning a good starting position is that much more crucial.

A perfect example of how a heads-up start puts passing at a premium, was the first of two 20-lappers two weeks ago. The top six finishers all started in the first six positions. The initial double-file start and all ensuing restarts will play critical roles Saturday afternoon. Once again, the time trials will ultimately tell the story of how the Classic will be won.

So, who does the importance of time-trialing bode well for? Two-time defending SBS Classic winner, David Cliff has recorded the two fastest laps in 2009. Cliff’s laps of 19.102 and 19.151 put him atop the season-long speed charts.

However, since their feature win on July 18th, Gnomey Racing has run into a brick wall. In the six features they’ve run since their win, they’ve earned finishes of 7th, 21st, 19th, 18th, 17th and 10th - not the kind of momentum a team likes taking into the biggest weekend of the year.

In the last few seasons, Cliff’s luck has seen extreme high’s and extreme low’s. The team is fighting to dig itself out of quite a deep pit right now. Will the extra week off put them back on the right track again? They’ve proven they have the speed and have proven in the past they can go the distance as well. Seemingly stuck in their current rut, the odds are certainly against them earning a three-peat. However, if they can nail down one of their 19.1’s, put themselves in the front of the field and avoid their recent engine woes, you can all but throw that ring of roses around Dave’s neck come Saturday night.

No one can deny that this has been the season of Dave Gruel and the Tim Barbeau-owned No. 50. Gruel’s five feature wins, including two on the night of the regular season-finale, were three more than any other driver. Gruel led the division with eight heat race wins and he spent more time atop the field in feature competition than another other driver. In fact, Gruel led roughly half of all feature laps run in 2009.

With finishes of 8th, 15th and 17th, Gruel may have stumbled into the final points night. However, his two wins to seal the track title proved the team was back and ready to finish what they started back in May. Like Cliff, a solid time-trial run that puts them atop the field will make it nearly impossible for anyone else to reach victory lane. A few mid-season bumps in the road showed that the team is not invincible. But, if their run this weekend resembles anything like it did two weeks ago, Gruel will have a Classic crown to go along with his track title belt.

Driving the Steve Abt-owned No. 58, Barbeau is the only other driver to have scored himself a lap in the 19.1-second range this season. Consistency has been the issue with the No. 58 this season. Having stopped the clocks faster than any other car on more than one occasion, Barbeau has certainly shown he can wheel his SBS racer around the lakeside oval. He hasn’t scored a top-five finish since July 18th and will need an excellent starting spot if he wants to contend for his first Classic win.

Mike Bond, Brian Sobus and Brown are the other major threats to the Classic pole. Brown earned it last year, but has yet to lead a lap this season. His experience, consistency and near-top speed put him in contention once again in 2009. His 11 top-five finishes are tops among all SBS drivers this season, finishing out of the top five only once. Never short on confidence, Brown will do everything he can to start ahead of his closest competition.

Just as consistent, Sobus finished in the top 10 in every feature, minus the final 20-lapper two weeks ago. Winner of the 2008 SBS Racing News/Outdoor Power Small Block Super Survival Challenge, Sobus proved once again in 2009 that speed and patience offer up good results. The No. 79 reached Oswego Speedway’s victory lane twice this season and has laid down many 19.2’s.

Right now, Bond is looking at retirement after 2009. He’s won this race before - 2003 and 2004. He took the lead away from Sobus in last year’s Classic, but later lost it to Cliff in a game of bumper tag near the halfway mark. Bond hasn’t topped the speed charts much this season, but has always been near the front. His moves on the track have often made up that difference, earning him a feature win earlier in the year. If the No. 26 car is capable, rest assure, Bond will put it in victory lane.

No driver has shown more improvement over the last month than Andrew Schartner. Picking up two feature wins and a fourth and fifth-place finish to close out the season, a solid time-trial by the young UNC-Charlotte student instantly makes him a solid contender. Like Bond, Schartner gets the most out of his car. With his confidence at a season high and well-earned Rookie of the Year title under his belt, do not underestimate the Crow Motorsports No. 18 car this weekend.

These are the drivers SBS Racing News sees as those with the best shot at reaching the winner’s circle this weekend. We don’t think the victor will come from outside the top six qualifiers - the competition is just too close. Seeing an underdog steal the checkered flag always makes for a great story and welcomed site. Stan Gates and Dave Danzer could fill that glass slipper. A win for Kevin Knopp would be a great way for the 2008 track champ and division vet to bow out of his SBS career as well.

With that, we’ll go with Brown earning his fourth Classic win. Bond and Sobus will run second and third. Schartner’s phenomenal rookie season should see him land in fourth. Saving it all up for this weekend, JJ Andrews should make things exciting in the main pack, driving his No. 93 to a hard-earned fifth-place finish.

As for Gruel? Honestly, if he can put the No. 50 in front early and not run into trouble (or have trouble run into him), he’s the man to beat. Simply put, if he finishes, he’ll win.

The SBS Classic is fickle event. Only three drivers have won the race more than once - all three will be gunning for another this weekend. Greg Furlong, Tim Gareau, Otto Sitterly and Ray Graham, Jr. never won the SBS Classic. Even multi-time SBS track champs Keith Gilliam and Mark Regan were unable to capture an SBS Classic win.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Jack Patrick has not had the season that he expected in the small block supermodified division.  Yes, he’s had five top tens, but he hasn’t had a good shot at a win all year.  His best finish is a 7th.

Jack spends as much money as anyone.  He has all of the best equipment.  It’s a fairly new Hedger Chassis, with all of the best pieces.  His Chrysler engine is built by Doug Holmes, one of the best engine builders in the area.  He works hard to buy the tires that he needs, and all of the other necessary equipment.  You should check out Jack’s trailer.  Jack has meticulously prepared every aspect of his hauler, his almost new ¾ ton Dodge truck, and his tools and racecar.  The car looks great every time he’s on the track.

I’m hoping that if I choose Jack as this week’s SuperStar of the Week, maybe it’ll cheer him up.  Jack’s a great guy, if you talk to him.  You would enjoy his company.  I would love to see Jack win this weekend’s Classic, or at least have a good finish.

Lately, Jack’s been pretty annoyed.  Not only has he been borrowing racecars and engines, but he was also enraged by a scoring call made by the race director recently, putting him to the rear in a case that arguably could have been called a “precautionary caution”.  He’s been lamenting his frustration on internet message boards.  He’s definitely experiencing late-season frustration, and has poured his heart out about it.

So of all places, you’ll never guess where I ran into Jack last week at the New York State Fair.  Just a few hours after I was reading Jack’s feelings online, I met Jack at, you guessed it - the WHINE Court.  You can’t make this stuff up.

Just kidding, Buddy!  You are this week’s SuperStar!  And you will be again next week, when you WIN the Classic!

If Fulton’s David Gruel could’ve had it any way he wanted it, Saturday night would’ve been the night to have it his way. Gruel stumbled into Oswego Speedway’s regular season finale fresh off 15th and 17th-place feature finishes and a dwindled 1-point lead in the small block supermodified title hunt.

With no more room to spare, Gruel did everything he needed to do and more, sweeping both 20-lap features and earning his first track championship. Oh, and for proper credit, he won his qualifying heat race as well.

Leading the points chase the entire season, Gruel had knocked off three consecutive feature wins to begin the year. It had appeared to be a year of domination for the No. 50 team, but the well of checkered flags suddenly went dry, with no more visits to victory lane - until Saturday night.

Multi-time Track Champion Russ Brown nipped at Gruel’s heels all year, week-by-week, hacking away at the No. 50 team’s generous points lead. Between the third week of the season and Saturday night, Brown never finished outside the top three and never finished behind Gruel’s No. 50. But, the Mannsville native was never able to put the Pike Bros. No. 60 into victory lane, either.

Saturday night, Brown’s consistency had finally pushed Gruel into a corner. When push came to shove, Gruel responded with two feature wins and a track title to spare.

Listen to - Dave Gruel

It was also the first track championship for car owner, Barbeau. Barbeau didn’t fare too well himself on the track Saturday night, but that really didn’t matter. His mind was on the getting his driver the much coveted SBS crown.

Listen to - Tim Barbeau

A heads-up start saw heat race winner’s Andrew Schartner and Gruel on the front row. Brown and Mike Bond (a third points chase contender), lined up in row No.2.

An even start saw Schartner  inching around the outside of Gruel in search of his third straight SBS feature win. However, a mid-pack jingle negated the green. On the complete restart, Gruel’s early jump put him solidly out in front.

Brown, Schartner, Bond and Brian Sobus followed Gruel across the stripe to complete lap No. 1.

Gruel and Brown began to ease away from the field as Schartner, Bond and Sobus fought for third.

Bond snuck under Schartner’s No. 18 on the fourth lap and Sobus mirrored the move one lap later to take over fourth.

Up front, Gruel and Brown continued to pace the field. Rob Pullen, Steve Abt, Shawn Walker, Barry Kingsley and Dave Danzer held positions six through 10 at the half-way mark.

While Gruel held his line, Brown feverishly tried to find a way around the No. 50. A strong outside bid on the 17th lap saw Brown draw even, but his No. 60 encountered the “marbles” and skated back behind the leader. With little time to spare, Brown reeled the leader back in. He saw hope with heavy lapped traffic on the horizon, but simply ran out of time. Gruel successfully led every lap en route to earning his fourth feature win of the year.

Bond, Sobus and Schartner completed the top five. After the first of two 20-lappers, Gruel headed into the second feature with a seven-point lead. Bond would trail Gruel by 46 points.

Walker and Kingsley led the field to the green to begin 20-lap main No. 2. Kingsley faded quickly as Walker put his No. 68 out in front, bringing Pullen, Ken Pierce, Gruel and Bond with him.

Starting fifth, Gruel moved under Pierce on lap No. 2. One lap later, the No. 50 powered around Pullen for second. However, when taking on Walker, his car slid high, allowing Pullen to retake the position. In turn, Pullen then took a shot at the leader. But, instead of moving ahead of the No. 68, he saw Gruel’s No. 50 drive back around the outside of him to take back second place.

At the lap No. 5 mark, Walker led Gruel, Pullen, Bond and Brown. However, Gruel ended Walker’s run atop the field one lap later, taking the lead away down the front stretch. Bond followed into the runner-up position the next time around.

10 lengths out ahead of the field, Gruel and Bond paced the field. Fighting behind Walker, the 11th lap saw Brown dispose of the No. 25 to take away fourth. Five laps later, Brown was finally able to move around Walker. By then, the lead duo were 15 lengths away.

Up front, Bond continued to press the race leader. Similar to the first race, Gruel was quickly moving in on lapped traffic in the closing trips of the race. This time, he hit it with two laps to spare. Gruel and Bond ventured into the rear of the pack, side-by-side.

The drama was the last thing Gruel wanted to see, but his chosen lanes proved to be the correct path to victory. Making his way through traffic, he took the checkered flag, earning the win and securing the track championship.

Bond, Brown, Schartner and Walker completed the top five. Pullen, Abt, Danzer, Barbeau and David Cliff rounded out the top 10.

For Brown, two more podium finishes weren’t enough to earn him another title. Though statistically impressive, Brown says he races to win, not to finish second.

Listen to - Russ Brown

Bond racked up two more top fives, landing the Terry Solazzo-owned No. 26 third in the points chase.

Listen to - Mike Bond

Having been taken out in the opening lap jingle of race No. 2, Sobus says he would like to see more heads-up starts. He was pleased with fourth-place finish in the fist race and fairly content with his fourth-place finish in the final points standings.

Listen to - Brian Sobus

Having come on very strong in the final month of the season, Schartner racked up two more solid top-five finishes. The newly crowned SBS Rookie of the Year vaulted his way into fifth place in the final points standings.

Listen to - Andrew Schartner

Earning finishes of eighth and fifth, Shawn Walker seemed pretty pleased with his twin-30 runs.

Listen to - Shawn Walker

Ending his reign of “Defending” SBS Track Champion, Kevin Knopp kept a low profile Saturday night. He’s looking forward to Classic Weekend and a whole lot of time away from racing come 2010.

Listen to - Kevin Knopp

Brown, Schartner and Gruel collected heat race wins.

20-Lap Oswego Quality Carpet/Chris Nelson Insurance Feature No. 1:
1. Dave Gruel (50), 2. Russ Brown (60), 3. Mike Bond (26), 4. Brian Sobus (79), 5. Andrew Schartner (18), 6. Rob Pullen (25), 7. Steve Abt (85), 8. Shawn Walker (68), 9. Tim Barbeau (58), 10. Barry Kingsley (23), 11. Dave Danzer (52), 12. Jack Patrick (9), 13. Ken Pierce (67), 14. Bryan Haynes (86), 15. Chip Wood (2), 16. Mark Regan (4), 17. David Cliff (06), 18. Nick Demling (36), 19. Stan Gates (28), 20. Sammy Reakes, IV (10), 21. Kevin Knopp (04), 22. Jason Simmons (91)

20-Lap Oswego Quality Carpet/Chris Nelson Insurance Feature No. 2:
1. Dave Gruel (50), 2. Mike Bond (26), 3. Russ Brown (60), 4. Andrew Schartner (18), 5. Shawn Walker (68), 6. Rob Pullen (25), 7. Steve Abt (85), 8. Dave Danzer (52), 9. Tim Barbeau (58), 10. David Cliff (36), 11. Stan Gates (28), 12. Barry Kingsley (23), 13. Mark Regan (4), 14. Nick Demling (06), 15. Bryan Haynes (86), 16. Chip Wood (2), 17. Sammy Reakes, IV (10), 18. Ken Pierce (67), 19. Kevin Knopp (04), 20. Brian Sobus (79), 21. Jack Patrick (9)

TOP 20 Hoosier/PowerAde/Pathfinder Bank SBS FINAL Points Standings:
1. Dave Gruel (1,195), 2. Russ Brown (1,178), 3. Mike Bond (1,143), 4. Brian Sobus (1,070), 5. Andrew Schartner (1,022), 6. Tim Barbeau (1,019), 7. David Cliff (1,015), 8. Kevin Knopp (1,013), 9. Rob Pullen (993), 10. Steve Abt (958), 11. Dave Danzer (942), 12. Jack Patrick (929), 13. Jason Simmons (895), 14. Barry Kingsley (894), 15. Stan Gates (831), 16. Chip Wood (815), 17. Shawn Walker (803), 18. Guard Nearbin (737), 19. Bryan Haynes (585), 20. Mark Castiglia (90)

I put a lot of thought into this SuperStar of the Week business. Usually, it’s not about the racing - it’s more about whose chops I want to bust, or what I want to crack wise about. This week … more of the same.

Let’s see…  I could go with Andrew Schartner. He’s won back-to-back features in the division. But wasn’t he SuperStar just a week or so ago? You can win back-to-back features, but you can’t be a back-to-back SuperStar. Not on my watch.

I probably could go with Kevin Knopp, who was 2nd last week. Kevin’s wrecked, blown motors, and had many problems this year. He’ll lose his defending champion status this week, and insists that he’s selling everything, and getting out of racing - just like everybody says at the end of a frustrating year. But he’s been pretty grouchy this year, so it might be true. So… if I do a “Grouch of the Week” column, I’ll keep Kevin in mind.

Jason Simmons wants it bad. He was 5th again last week, and hasn’t been rushing right home to cry after the races like he used to. He’s been sociable, and even bought me some crazy adult beverage called a “Captain Shelly” at the bowling alley last week. It almost worked, but he’s not getting another SuperStar award. He’s too desperate. Plus, the last time I gave him a SuperStar award, he immediately started mouthing off to me on this website’s message board. Not happening. It’s going to take a lot more than ONE Captain Shelly.

I don’t know if he’s just whining, like that guy in the band “Kings of Leon,” or if it’s true. But there’s a driver that claims that in my two seasons of SuperStar columns, he’s NEVER been a SuperStar of the Week. Could it be possible that Brian Sobus has never been the honoree?

During a three-day trip to Bristol for the modified / truck race with Brian and Barry Kingsley, that subject came up. But there’s a good reason he‘s never been chosen by me. Usually. SuperStar of the Week is reserved for people that I like. (Calm down everyone - I’m just kidding!)

As a two time winner this season, Brian is hoping to double that total this weekend. And to prepare, he’s been doing a lot of Ford research, to become better acquainted with what his competition is doing. (Russ Brown, who is one of his main competitors, has a Ford engine in his car.) So to prepare, Brian has been flying Barry’s Ford Five Hundred up route 81, just to see how it reacts.

Sure, he’s won races. He’s going really fast this 2nd half of the season. He should have been SuperStar when he won in front of the huge Thursday night crowd for the USAC / NORA race. But that’s not how you win SuperStar of the Week. Brian has been bestowed that honor by doing the little things. Like discovering a bikini car wash. Or wheeling us through a traffic jam in Mechanicsburg, PA … on two wheels.

His prowess is well established now in my mind. Definitely this week’s “SuperStar of the Week!”

NEWS FLASH! Dave Gruel did NOT win his heat race. Why? My best guess is that it was because he was running in heat race No. 2. Gruel had yet to even start in the second heat race this season. He probably didn’t know what to do. His second-place finish to Steve Abt (Abt’s first win, by the way) broke a five-race winning streak.

Having held the points lead all season, Gruel finds himself stumbling into the final weekend. Are the nerves of him closing in on his first track championship beginning to take their toll? Probably not. Having a little more patience to make the pass could’ve helped avoid the backstretch accident two weeks ago, but having the motor go while leading last week’s feature had nothing to do with being nervous. It’s just been an unfortunate streak of bad luck … at the wrong time.

Having posted his worst finishes of the year these last two weeks (15th & 17th), Gruel holds a slim 1 point advantage over “Mr. Third Place,” Russ Brown.

Gruel may have won the first three races of the season, but since then, Brown has finished better than him in every single feature event. Brown has scored a podium finish in nine of the 10 races this season. Why then has Brown not overtaken Gruel in the points chase? It’s simple - while Brown scored his first heat race win last weekend, Gruel has racked up five since week No. 4, for a season-total of seven. I said it earlier in the season - heat races are extremely important when running for a track championship.

Brown’s finishes - 3rd, 3rd, 21st, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd and 3rd. Gruel’s finishes - 1st, 1st, 1st, 7th, 3rd, 4th, 3rd, 8th, 15th & 17th.

If Brown wants the title, he’s going to have to pass Gruel. Gruel will have the better of the two handicaps for the first feature and passing the No. 50 car has been a rarity this season. Though, it would be interesting to see both drivers racing in the same qualifier, the chances of it happening are pretty slim. Brown will need to push the limits in his heat race because chances are, Gruel will win his.

Don’t forget about Mike Bond this weekend. Bond sits just 33 points in back of the leader and has captured two checkered flags this season. Bond’s biggest challenge isn’t gaining points on Gruel, but gaining points on Gruel AND Brown. A best-case scenario for him would be for the two points leaders to let their desire to beat one another overtake their abilities if dueling for position. The best things Bond has going for him is that he should be the most relaxed of all three drivers. He’s been in this situation before, but sits just far enough back in points to where he shouldn’t feel as pressured. Bond can just do his thing and see where it takes him.

If there would be one good thing about either Gruel or Brown running into problems this weekend, it’s that both drivers have highly skilled crews that know what they’re doing as much as they know what’s at stake. Both have prepped outstanding cars for their drivers all season.

How will the other drivers react when seeing the bumpers of the title-contending cars this weekend? Will they see them as any other driver and race them just as hard? Or, will they drive a little differently, either taking the route of being more aggressive or the route of avoidance. Nobody wants to be “the guy” that cost someone the track championship.

Regardless of who earns the title this weekend, let it be known and well respected that the small block supermodified division is very fortunate to have two absolutely phenomenal chassis building operations. Both have only made the other better by their weekly quests to be the very best. They’ve built race cars that their drivers have been proud to compete with. Their pilots are some of the most loyal shoes in any division. Congratulations to both Ray Hedger and the entire FFB Racing Chassis gang. You’ve both done the series a great service.

Saturday night, Weedsport’s Andrew Schartner proved that last week’s feature win was no fluke for the rising rookie star. Starting in the sixth position, Schartner dropped back as far as eighth before then methodically surging towards the front and passing 2008 SBS Track Champion Kevin Knopp with 11 laps to go to earn his second feature win.

After putting the Crow Motorsports No. 18 underneath Dave Danzer’s No 52 on the 12th lap, Schartner began cutting into a 12-car length gap that separated him from the front runners. Just as he caught the lead duo, the motor on race and series points leader Dave Gruel’s No. 50 went sour.

Two laps later, Schartner dove to the inside of Knopp down the front stretch on a restart to take away the lead. Schartner tip-toed away the final few trips around  Oswego’s fast 5/8 mile en route to earning the win.

Listen to - Andrew Schartner on his second feature win in as many weeks

On the flip side, Gruel’s early demise proved costly points-wise. While Gruel was credited with a 17th-place finish, Russ Brown coupled a heat race win with another third-place feature finish to cut Gruel’s points lead to just 1 point  - 980 to 979.

With just one weekend left on the regular season schedule, Gruel and Brown head into a double-point affair next Saturday night, with twin 20-lap features on tap.

Car owner, Tim Barbeau says that there are contingency plans if Gruel and the No. 50 crew find terminal issues with their motor.

“Once again, the 50 car was the fastest car tonight,” Barbeau said. “It’s been the fastest car all year. Dave maneuvered his way through the field very quickly. He had a huge lead and something let go on the motor. We’re hoping it was a head gasket, but we’re not sure yet. We’ll find out tomorrow. If we have to, we’ll take the motor out of the 58 and put it in the 50. We’ll be here next week to win the championship.”

Oswego’s Knopp and Syracuse native Steve Abt led the field to the start of the 30-lap small block supermodified feature. Knopp jumped out in front, pulling the inside row with him in the early go.

Danzer, Jason Simmons, Abt and David Cliff chased Knopp across the line to complete lap No. 1. Having started ninth, Gruel had already made it up to the sixth position.

Before the field could complete its second lap, Sammy Reakes, IV and Brian Osetek came together off of turn No. 2.

With one down, Knopp led Danzer, Simmons, Abt and Cliff. Gruel, Rob Pullen, Schartner, Mike Bond and Brian Sobus rounded out the top 10. Chris Proud, Barbeau, Bill Moore, Shawn Walker and Jack Patrick filled out the top 15.

On the restart, Gruel worked his way around Cliff’s No. 06 off the fourth turn for the fifth position. All was well until teammates Pullen and Bond came together as they raced off of turn No. 4. As Bond ricocheted back across the track, Proud was left with nowhere to go. The recently acquired Crow Motorsports No. 44 slammed the inside wall and skidded back across the track.

Bond was able to limp his No. 26 back to his pit while Pullen and Proud exited the racing surface via the hook, with badly damaged machines.

Beginning on the ensuing restart, Gruel’s nearly weekly highlight show began. He bested Abt down low before powering around the Simmons No. 91 to take away the third position.

Following a quick caution for Guard Nearbin’s No. 78, Gruel then dusted Danzer on the inside, before racing by Knopp on the outside to take away the lead. He’d managed to go from fifth to first in just two green flag laps.

By lap No. 10, Gruel held a three-car length lead over Knopp. In turn, Knopp’s No. 04 was racing a dozen lengths ahead of the third-place battle between Danzer, Schartner, Simmons Abt and Brown.

With an inside move off of the fourth turn, Schartner cleared Danzer on the 12th lap. Facing a dozen-length deficit, he began his quest to run down the leaders.

As the No. 18 slowly raced away from Danzer, Simmons, Brown, Sobus and Abt battled wheel-to-wheel for the fifth position. On the 17th lap, Brown finally won the battle royal, breaking into the top five.

Just as Schartner had closed in, Gruel shut down the motor on his No. 50 car as he raced down the front stretched. He raised his hand to let his chasers know he and his ill racer were dropping out. On the 19th lap, Knopp and Schartner shot by the former leader, claiming the first and second-place positions.

The caution lights flashed on the 21st lap, after Reakes, Osetek and Bryan Haynes “rookied” themselves into the third turn foam.

With just 10 to go, Knopp led Schartner, Danzer, Brown and Sobus. Simmons, Abt, Barbeau, Walker and Bond completed the top 10.

On the restart, Schartner put his No. 18 to the inside of Knopp’s No. 04 as they raced towards the green flag. By the time the duo reached the second turn, Schartner had full possession of the lead.

Behind the leaders, Danzer was bounced back to fifth, as Brown and Sobus moved into third and fourth place respectively.

The top four remained the same to the end. However, on the 27th lap, Simmons was able to pin Danzer behind a lapped car to take away fifth.

Schartner took the white flag with an eight-car length advantage, earning the checkered flag one lap later to pocket his second career SBS feature win.

Knopp held off Brown to score a runner-up finish.

Listen to - Kevin Knopp on driving his No. 04 to a runner-up finish

Brown finished in third for what seemed to be the 100th time this season.

Listen to - Russ Brown on his third-place finish and the points race

Sobus continued his streak of top-10 finishes, racing his No. 79 to a solid fourth.

Listen to - Brian Sobus on his fourth-place run

Simmons drove his No. 91 to an impressive fifth-place run.

Listen to - Jason Simmons on his fifth-place feature finish

Post-Standard/Econo Lodge & Best Western 30:
1. Andrew Schartner (18), 2. Kevin Knopp (04), 3. Russ Brown (60), 4. Brian Sobus (79), 5. Jason Simmons (91), 6. Tim Barbeau (58), 7. Steve Abt (85), 8. Dave Danzer (52), 9. Mike Bond (26), 10. Shawn Walker (68), 11. Jack Patrick (9), 12. Bill Moore (20), 13. Barry Kingsley (23), 14. Bryan Haynes (86), 15. Sammy Reakes, IV (10), 16. Brian Osetek (95), 17. Dave Gruel (50), 18. David Cliff (06), 19. Guard Nearbin (78), 20. Rob Pullen (25), 21. Chris Proud (44), 22. Chip Wood (2)

In heat race action, Knopp had the field covered in the first qualifier, while Abt held off Gruel to capture his first career SBS win in the second preliminary. Helping himself out in the title chase, Brown pocketed his first checkered flag of the season in heat race No. 3.