Story By: KENNY SHUPP / WOODHULL RACEWAY – WOODHULL, NY – With harsh weather threatening throughout the region and flash flooding as close as twenty miles away, officials of the Woodhull Raceway pushed hard to get their August 31, 2024, program into the record books.
After already loosing six shows thus far in 2024 to Mother Nature and the final point battles wrapping up in just one week it was pedal to the metal time for fifth year owner/promoter, Nikki Brewer as the entire program was run off in just a little over three hours including all qualifying and feature events.
Rent a Tent of Mansfield, Pa was onboard as the nightly event sponsor of the Super 7 Show which also included the second 2024 appearance of the Classics on Dirt Vintage Stock Car Club.
Brady Fultz of Dundee, NY has had a nice working relationship with his Woodhull Raceway car owner, Herbie Wright, for the past several seasons with the combination good for at least one or two A Main feature wins each season.
Fultz is part of a knock down drag out point battle fight with another veteran of the sport in Woodhull, NY’s Stacy Jackson driving for Brad and Kim Herrington also of Woodhull.
With Jackson’s win last week, it propelled him into the Modified point lead with just a couple regular season races remaining.
However, Fultz countered back this week with a win of his own and it could not have come at a more critical time as the victory now finds him back on top heading into the Season Point Championship Event on September 7.
By the luck of the re-draw, Fultz along with Donnie Lawson would lead the thirteen-car field to the opening green flag with Fultz getting the early jump and from there going on to win number two on the season and backing up a previous win on June 22.
June 1, 2024, Insinger Performance Modified feature winner, Jake Dgien would begin the twenty-five-lap grind inside row two and dispose of Lawson to take over second but that is where his forward movement would end as Fultz was too much to manage on this night.
As the double checkered flags waved on the field it was Fultz taking the “W” over Dgien with Lawson completing the podium in another solid drive for the Addison, NY speedster.
Stacy Jackson began the event lined up inside row five and methodically worked his way into fourth at the finish keeping his championship hopes alive as he trails Fultz by just four markers as the pair head into next week’s point finale.
Opening night winner, Josh Keesey dropped one spot from his outside row two starting position on the opening grid to complete the top five.
Keesey remains third in the Insinger Performance Modified points, however, is mathematically too far back to have a chance at the title.
Steve LeBarron of Troupsburg, NY has been silent since picking up the opening night win on April 20 in the Empire Crushing RUSH Crate Late Models.
However, LeBarron was not to be denied on this night as he led all twenty laps in route to the victory in a new ride.
Piloting the former, Charlie McGregor owned, Jason McGregor driven RUSH CLM, LeBarron along with Rickie Loucks of Campbell brought the field to green with LeBarron assuming command and never looking back.
Recently crowned Woodhull Raceway RUSH CLM 2024 Track Champion, Brett Marlatt lined up fourth on the opening grid and but was no match for the high flying LeBarron as the Canisteo, NY second generation pilot would have to settle for the runner-up spot with former track champion, Brian Knowles of Corning completing the podium.
Addison, NY High School student, Marshall O’Brian had one of his career best finishes nailing down fourth at the completion of the event as he was chased across the line by Boliver’s Joe Layfield.
Rickie Loucks would go on to complete the finishing order.
Glenn Whritenour has called the Woodhull Raceway his home venue for all of his illustrious career and when GW is on his game in the Southern Tier Customs Stret Stock Division everyone else is generally racing for second place and that was once again the case as the veteran Jasper, NY pilot rolled to win four on the campaign running a very limited Woodhull Raceway schedule in 2024.
Whritenour would begin the twenty-lap A Main inside the second starting row behind front row starters, Brian Butler and Bradly Morseman and waste no time getting to the lead and from there cruise to the victory.
Butler would go on to his best finish of the season placing second and for the Hornell, NY native 2024 marks Butler’s return to competition after a several year hiatus.
Third gen competitor, Bradly Morseman would hold on for third solidifying his strangle hold on the class Rookie of the Year title after graduating from the Hobby Stock Division at the completion of the 2023 season.
The two top point contenders, Teddy Morseman and Clayton Mclean would complete the top five as the two titans will duke it our next week to see which driver will pickup the 2024 Woodhull Raceway Southern Tier Customs Street Stock Track Title.
Should Morseman pull it off it will mean back-to-back championships, but he trails Mclean by a dozen markers heading into the point finale.
In the Sawyer’s RV and Trailer Service Center Hobby Stock twenty lap feature event Corning’s Greg Young along with Campbell native, Brian Austin would bring the eleven-car field to the opening green flag.
Current point leader, Brandon Conklin would begin the event outside the third starting row alongside the number two point man, Scott Brown and as the pair moved through traffic to the front of the field and that is how they would finish with Conklin taking home his fifth feature win of the season with Brown having to settle for the bridesmaid position.
Last week’s feature winner, Joe Birdsall began the event buried in the tenth spot, but using some nifty moves, the Canisteo competitor was able to move forward and complete the top three podium spots.
Mike Carapella advanced from seventh to finish fourth with Brian Austin completing the top five after racing within the lead pack the entire distance.
With just one event left to decide the 2024 Track Champion, Conklin still has some work to do as he has a twenty-point advantage over Brown with Dillon Philip trailing by just twenty-two markers heading into next week’s point finale.
Wes Houghtaling was able to add to his 2024 win list by picking up his tenth feature win of the year in the twenty-lap Big Jim’s Wicked Tee’s Quad C feature event.
Travis Southard along with Eric Weis would bring the field to green with Houghtaling lining up inside row two.
Like he has some many times over the past several seasons, Houghtaling would waste little time disposing of the competition as he moved quickly into the top spot and from there cruise to the victory.
Willy Easling of Beaver Dams, NY was making a rare Woodhull appearance and for the recently crowned Outlaw Speedway Mini Stock Track Champion he made the trip pay off as he would begin the event in the fifth starting spot and finish second as the double checkered flags waved on the field.
Danielle Thomas who continues to chase Houghtaling in the point battle had to settle for third after starting the event inside row four with Travis Southard and Seth Johnson rounding the top five.
With Houghtaling’s win he needs just to show up next week and even with a Danielle Morseman victory he could still clinch yet another Woodhull title.
Markus Kerr continued his dominance of the Big Jim’s Wicked Tee’s Youth Warrior Division by visiting victory lane for the ninth time in 2024, however with all the victories Kerr still only maintains a slim thirteen-point advantage over Kayleigh Morseman heading into the September 7, 2024, Season Point Championship event.
Chasing Kerr across the in the ten-lap feature was Kolston Decamp would finish in the runner-up spot with July 13 feature winner, Izzabella Morseman finishing third.
Kayleigh Morseman, Courtney Thomas and Cadin Thomas would go on to complete the running order.
In Hometown Excavation 602 Crate Sportsman twenty-five lap feature action, Branden Morseman and recently crowned 2024 Track Champion, Kenny Peoples Jr., would lead the fifteen-car field to green, but it was the fourth-place starting machine of Tim Guild taking control of the event and from there go onto win three on the campaign.
However, in post-race inspection, an abnormality was found under the hood of Guild’s machine freezing the entire finishing order and as of press time no decision has been made as to a disqualification.
When a final decision is made the Official Sportsman finishing order will be posted on Facebook.
For Peoples, his Unofficial runner-up finish coupled with seven feature wins thus far in 2024 propelled him to his second consecutive Woodhull Raceway Sportsman Track Title.
For the second time in “24” the Classics on Dirt Vintage Stock Car Club made an appearance at the Woodhull Raceway as eight of the vintage antique creations made their way to the Historic Steuben County Oval.
It was a huge night for the Williams Family of Woodhull as both father, Roger Williams along with his son Brent Williams came away as class winners with Tom Fletcher also gracing victory lane.
Congratulations to all competitors.
Coming up next at Woodhull on Saturday, September 7, 2024, will be the Season Point Championship Night where five more drivers will be crowned.
WOODHULL RACEWAY RESULTS. August 31, 2024. UNOFFICIAL.
Rent a Tent Night.
INSINGER PERFORMANCE MODIFIEDS. (13 cars) 25 lap feature.
BRADY FULTZ (2), Jake Dgien, Donnie Lawson, Stacy Jackson, Josh Keesey, Joe Dgien, Chris Ostrowski, Russ Morseman IV, Adam Coots, Russ Morseman, Aiden Grover, Dayton Brewer, Brian Doolittle.
HOMETOWN EXCAVATION CRATE SPORTSMAN. (15 cars) 25 lap feature.
TIM GUILD (3), Kenny Peoples Jr., Dale Welty, Izabel Barron, Branden Morseman, Adam Taft, Blake Lawson, Cayden Lawson, Kevin Decamp, Quintin Buchanan, Braylon Lawson, Glenn Trowbridge, Jacob Trowbridge, Mikenna Buchanan, Leslie Berg.
Guild’s engine is currently under review freezing the feature finishing order.
2024 SPORTSMAN TRACK CHAMPION. KENNY PEOPLES JR.
EMPIRE CRUSHING LLC. RUSH CRATE LATE MODELS. (6 cars) 20 lap feature.
STEVE LEBARRON (2), Brett Marlatt, Brian Knowles, Marshall O’Brian, Joe Layfield, Rickie Loucks.
2024 RUSH CLM TRACK CHAMPION. BRETT MARLATT.
SOUTHERN TIER CUSTOMS STREET STOCKS. (9 cars) 20 lap feature.
GLENN WHRITENOUR (4), Brian Butler, Bradly Morseman, Teddy Morseman Jr., Clayton McClean, Mick Seeley, Jim Buck, Mike Spencer, Mike Williams.
SAWYER RV AND CAMPER SERVICE CENTER HOBBY STOCKS. (11 cars) 20 lap feature.
BRANDON CONKLIN (5), Scott Brown, Joe Birdsall, Mike Carapella, Brian Austin, Greg Young, Jason Warner, Dillon Philip, Andrew Whritenour, Mike Palmer, Cannon Palmer.
BIG JIM’S WICKED TEE’S QUAD C. (12 cars) 20 lap feature.
WES HOUGHTALING (10), Willy Easling, Danielle Thomas, Travis Southard, Seth Johnson, Ryan Stone, Cody Wise, Eric Weis, Jacob Stone, Nate Freeland, Chris Hand. DQ, Andrew Thomas.
BIG JIM’S WICKED TEE’S YOUTH WARRIORS. (6 cars) 10 lap feature.
MARKUS KERR (9), Kolston Decamp, Izzabella Morseman, Kayleigh Morseman, Courtney Thomas, Cadin Thomas.
CLASSICS ON DIRT VINTAGE STOCK CARS. (8 cars) 20 lap feature.
Class winners. TOM FLETCHER, BRENT WILLIAMS, ROGER WILLIAMS.