Story By: KENNY SHUPP / WOODHULL RACEWAY – WOODHULL, NY – With nightly sponsorship from the Nikk L Brew Restaurant, the Woodhull Raceway pulled the curtain on the 2023 season with a pair of special high paying events in the Insinger Modifieds as well as the NAPA 602 Crate Sportsman Divisions.
In the Mighty Modified $2,500 to win, 30 lap feature, Russ Morseman ended his season at Woodhull on a high note claiming the win.
Morseman of nearby Rathbone has been a rock-solid performer throughout the entire 2023 season winding up third in the final point tally and was a consistent threat to pick-up feature wins every night, but he just could not seem to put all the pieces together to find his way to the Siemen’s Energy/Pepsi Victory Lane.
However, the third- generation pilot was not to be denied as he would draw the pole position for the thirty- lap extra distance affair, beat outside front row starter, Dayton Brewer to the first turn and never look back from there in claiming the popular victory.
For second place finisher, Brady Fultz it was a bit more of a challenge as the Dundee, NY speedster drew the sixth starting position and methodically worked his way to second, but that as far as his march would go as the two-time 2023 feature winner would have to settle for the runner-up spot with Stacy Jackson lining up third on the start and completing the podium finishers.
Morseman’s margin of victory over Fultz was a scant three tenths of a second.
May 27 feature winner, Dayton Brewer would drift to finish fourth with Donnie Lawson advancing from tenth to complete the top five finishers.
The Addison, Corning, Hornell and Wellsville, New York sponsored Crate Sportsman Division would see third generation driver, Blake Lawson lead from start to finish in pocketing the $1,500 winners share for his first trip to victory lane in 2023. In a class that was primarily dominated by the likes of Kenny Peoples Jr., Tim Guild and Stacy Jackson, Lawson was able to beat the big three’s stranglehold on the division and cap off the year with a popular victory.
2022 Sportsman Track Champion, Isabel Barron has had more than her share of bad luck throughout the entire season, but the Corning, NY lady speedster was finally able to overcome all the setbacks and drive from seventh to finish second by less than a car length behind race winner, Lawson.
Rookie contender, George Schweigart Jr. put on steady drive to claim third to wrap up his 2023 season with outside front row starter, Tim Guild fading to fourth at the finish as he was chased across the line by veteran Elmira, NY competitor, Chris Daugherty in his first outing in many seasons.
Steve LeBarron made short work of the Doug Gross Construction RUSH Crate Late Model field as he capped off a great season by taking home the feature win in the twenty-lap feature go around. For LeBarron it was trip number four to victory lane and if it was not for plenty of bad luck along the way he could have easily doubled that number.
After crossing the finish line by over a half a track advantage, LeBarron was followed by 2021/2022 Track Champion, Brian Knowles with five- time 2023 feature winner and last season’s Rookie of the Year, Brett Marlatt claiming third. Veteran competitor, Joe Layfield completed the field.
A solid field of regular weekly competitors took to the high banks of the Woodhull Raceway for the Southern Tier Customs Street Stock feature event with Bradly Morseman and Mike Williams bringing the field to green for the twenty- lap season finale.
Morseman, piloting his father, Teddy’s 2023 Championship winning machine asserted himself into the top spot in the early going and never looked back in claiming his first ever feature event in the division after taking last year’s Woodhull Warrior Track Title.
Three- time 2023 feature winner, Mick Seeley began the twenty-lap feature inside row two and wound up second at the finish as he was followed by another veteran competitor in Bob Buono who advanced four positions to complete the podium.
Journeyman competitor and former IMCA Modified standout driver, Mark Griffin would come home fourth while Street Stock Rookie of the Year competitor, Willy Easling would complete the top five.
Perhaps the most well attended weekly division at Woodhull throughout the entire 2023 season, the KMD Excavation Hobby Stocks found a new face in victory lane as one of the northeast regions top Street Stock drivers, CJ Guererri picked up a ride for the night and brought home the bacon after starting the twenty-lap feature inside row four.
Scott Brown and Mike Carapella would bring the field to green, but it did not take long for Guererri and the tenth place starting machine of Mike Bills who was subbing for the ailing Jeredd Dennis to move through traffic and crack into the top two positions and that is where they would finish with Guererri picking up his first ever Woodhull victory by less than a second over Bills who came home in the runner-up spot. Second generation Campbell, NY native Brian Austin would put on a steady drive to finish third with pole sitter, Scott Brown drifting to fourth at the finish followed by Brandon Birdsall who completed the top five.
In the combined Big Jim’s Wicked Tee’s Mini Stock and Front Wheel Divisions, Craig DeCamp would end his season on a winning note by claiming the twenty- lap finale in the MS feature with Wes Houghtaling taking home the winner’s plaque and check in claiming the victory in the FWD Division.
For Houghtaling his victory made it an even dozen wins on the season as he was followed by Andrew Thomas and September 16 winner Joseph Gillespie.
DeCamp’s victory marked his first of the year as he was chased across the line by Tony Dickerson, two- time 2023 feature winner, Danielle Thomas with Michael Dickerson completing the four car Mini Stock field.
Congratulations to all competitors.
WOODHULL RACEWAY RESULTS. SEASON FINALE. 9/30/2023. UNOFFICIAL.
Nikk L Brew Restaurant Night.
QUICK RESULTS.
INSINGER PERFORMANCE MODIFIEDS. (13 cars)
30 lap $2,500 to win feature. RUSS MORSEMAN, Brady Fultz, Stacy Jackson, Dayton Brewer, Donnie Lawson, Brian Doolittle, Shannon Whaley, Mike Ward, Joe Dgien, Ajay Potrzebowski Jr., Brandon Martin, Walt Chyrywaty. DNS, Ryan Tracy.
NAPA CRATE SPORTSMAN. (12 cars)
25 lap $1,500 to win feature. BLAKE LAWSON, Isabel Barron, Georgeg Schweigart Jr., Tim Guild, Chris Daugherty, Kenny Peoples Jr., Chris Fisher, Doug Kline, Reese Hackett, Glenn Trowbridge. DNS, Greg Crooker, Kyle Leach
DOUG GROSS CONSTRUCTION RUSH CRATE LATE MODELS. (4 cars)
20 lap feature. STEVE LEBARRON (4), Brian Knowles, Brett Marlatt, Joe Layfield.
SOUTHERN TIER CUSTOMS STREET STOCKS. (8 cars)
20 lap feature. BRADLY MORSEMAN, Mick Seeley, Bob Buono, Mark Griffin, Willy Easling, Joseph Giardina, Steve Williams, Brandon Morseman.
KING OF THE BULL RING. BOB BUONO.
KMD EXCAVATION HOBBY STOCKS. (11 cars)
20 lap feature. CJ GUERERRI, Mike Bills, Brian Austin, Scott Brown, Brandon Birdsall, Mike Carapella, Greg Young, Stephen Knapp, Collin Brown, Bradly Morseman, Mile Palmer.
BIG JIM’S WICKED TEE’S MINI STOCKS. (4 cars)
20 lap feature. CRAIG DECAMP, Tony Dickerson, Danielle Thomas, Michael Dickerson.
BIG JIM’S WICKED TEE’S FWD. (3 cars)
20 lap feature. WESLEY HOUGHTALING (12), Andrew Thomas, Joseph Gillespie.