Thursday night featured night number two of the DIRTcar OktoberFAST as the SuperDIRTcar Series, 358 Modifieds and the Sportsman Modifieds returned to Fulton Speedway.

 After Wednesday night was rained out at Utica-Rome Speedway, drivers and race teams were eager to get back to the track. 

Two hundred and thirty-five race cars took to the 3/8-mile oval over the course of six hours, but one driver shined under the lights on the banks of the Oswego River. 

Jimmy Phelps, driver of the 98H for HBR Motorsports, competed in both the SuperDIRTcar Series and 358 Modifieds Thursday evening, putting himself in Victory Lane for both feature events. 

“We did not travel as much as some others did [to] try and find races,” Phelps said. “To be able to come in and get two big wins tonight hopefully gets the ball rolling for the rest of the week.”

The Baldwinsville native grew up around Fulton Speedway. Phelps started his career in the area at Brewerton Speedway in Central Square, then won his first Modified Championship at Fulton in 1999. The two wins meant a lot to his family and race team after this unusual summer.

“I’ve been coming here since I was six months old most every Saturday night, give or take a few years,” Phelps said. “Our family has been active in the modified series here since I was a kid. Lots of friends and family have been able to support us here over the years.”

Phelps was able to get it done at the Route 57 clay oval in both series he participated in that evening. His brother Mike Phelps, driver of the 99M, also competed in the Sportsman Modifieds. Another reassurance that racing runs deep in the Phelps family.

358 Modifieds

The 358 Modifieds were first to take the track that afternoon. A group of teams that featured drivers that would later race in the Super DIRTcar series was sprinkled all over the seven heat races.

Seventy-seven drivers would be whittled down to 30 by the start of the 40-lap feature race. The 98H started in the pole position due to the redraw with a strong 91 car driven by Billy Decker starting on the outside. Phelps and Decker would battle through the first two laps before the 91 car pulled in front of the HBR Motorsports machine. It was not long before Phelps drove back to the inside of the red and black Gypsum Racing driver, taking away the race lead. 

Phelps began to ease away from Decker as the 98H hit lap traffic just before halfway to go in the race. Jessey Mueller spun in the second turn right in front of the race leader to bring out the only caution of the feature. Although this gave Decker and the field the opportunity to take command of the race lead, Phelps’ restart propelled the driver to victory to capture his first 358 Modified wins of the season. Decker settled for second as the 62X of Tim Sears would round out the podium after starting in the fourth row. Phelps collected the $4,000 payout and set his sights on the Super DIRTcar feature coming down the pipe.

Sportsman Modifieds

The Sportsman Modifieds had its very own battle taking place at the circuit. One hundred and five teams established themselves in the pits alongside the other series, the biggest Sportsman field so far this week. Heading into the evening, the field was shortened down after many heat races and last chance qualifiers to just 32 cars. Long time Oswego Speedway driver Joe Gosek was one of the many drivers trying to make the main event for the class. Gosek added there were some challenges he faced on Thursday on the track.

“I’ve struggled to drive the car, [it’s] totally different than an asphalt car,” Gosek said. “[We’ve] been practicing at competitive speeds.”

Gosek and his team did not reach their goal of racing in the feature race, like many other drivers who came to the facility. The race winner, Oneida native Matt Janczuk, drove the number 33X car to victory lane in stunning fashion. Janczuk was quickest in group qualifying and redrew the Penske Shocks Pole, setting him up for a solid evening on the dirt. 

The 30 laps featured three timely cautions, which allowed Janczuk to lead flag-to-flag. The 92 car of Andrew Bluff started fifth but chased down Janczuk as the night grew on.The cautions helped Janczuk stay out of lap traffic, a key factor among all races at Fulton Speedway. The driver of the 33X walked away with the $1,000 check and an extra $250 for the Penske Shocks Pole Award. Bluff finishedin Janczuk’s tire tracks to take his second runner-up finish this week. AJ Miller headed home with a podium finish taking the third spot, his second Top-10 in two nights.

Super DIRTcar Series

The last feature at Fulton Speedway until the 2021 season was the highlight of the evening. A 60-lap test of skill for 27 drivers who worked their way through the original 58-car field. Phelps won his heat race and redrew to the pole position alongside Chris Hile, driver of the 5S for Hile Motorsports. The start of the feature was a mirror image of the 358 Modifieds as Phelps wheeledl the 98H to a commanding lead in front of the field. 

However, Brett Hearn would bring out the caution just four laps in and retire from the event. This stacked up the field once again but did not make a difference as Phelps got right back into the groove of things. Mike Mahaney made a charge to the front in the 35 as he pulled up directly behind the Baldwinsville Bandit. Phelps pulled a three-wide move past lap traffic to create a cushion between him and his chaser. 

Stewart Friesen followed in Mahaney’s dirt trail as the 44 car was able to move from his starting position in row four up to the back bumper of the 35. Phelps won the Big Block Modifieds and collected the $7,500 payout to go along with it. Mahaney held off a charging Friesen for his second runner-up finish of the week in the Super DIRTcar Series.

Photo by Nicole Hube | The Oswegonian