Story By: TOM SKIBINSKI / LAND OF LEGENDS RACEWAY – CANANDAIGUA, NY – A bothersome blend of light rain and fine mist that fell intermittently throughout the afternoon with a lingering threat of more precipitation during the evening forced track promoter Paul Cole to scrap the final scheduled ‘Saturday Spectacular’ of the season at Land Of Legends Raceway.
Before P.A. Announcer Steve Ovens made it official, relaying the message of cancellation to those in attendance at 5:45pm, 35 Sprint, 21 Sportsman, 19 Hobby Stock, 18 Street Stock plus a pair of Big-Block Modified teams had signed in pitside.
Cole plans to convene during the days ahead in hopes of closing out the 61st year of motorsports at the Ontario Co. Fairgrounds with a final checkered flag unfurled before the month of October comes to end.
Despite the intended four-star card of open-wheel and full-fender action falling to rain, the A-Verdi Storage Containers CRSA Sprint Car Series powered by SuperGen Products points chase was officially called complete with Kyle Pierce from Spencer NY declared the 2024 champion in the touring group’s 19th season of competition. Including two wins along the 14-race CRSA trail, Pierce claimed his first tour title by a mere four points, 2204-2200, over Sherbrooke, Que. speedster Tomy Moreau.
CRSA concludes its ‘24 campaign with a non-points event at Cornwall Motor Speedway in the Canadian CRSA/Crate Challenge, the first venture into Ontario for organization owner Mike Emhof, now finishing up his 9th year at the helm.
The MighTea Boba 305 Sprint Car clash also brought down the curtain on Canandaigua’s own DisBatch Brewing Company Challenge with recently crowned LOLR points champ Bobby Parrow from Waterloo besting Moreau by five markers, 339-334, in the abbreviated two-race mini-series. Parrow recorded a pair of wins this season in weekly Saturday shows at the fairgrounds and finished second and fourth in both DisBatch events when CRSA came to town.
Along with a complete listing of the final 2024 CRSA Series & DisBatch Challenge point standings and 305 race results, check out the most updated tour information posted online by visiting www.crsa.myracepass.com.
The final show presented by iFreeze Storage & Distribution Center and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of New York also included the $2,000-to-win 40-lap Les Whyte Top Gun Shootout for Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling Street Stocks which was the ninth and final event of the Butler Excavation & Concrete Empire Street Stock Series presented by Neff Landscaping and powered by Cummings Trucking.
Inaugural ESSS champion Shane Wolf Jr. led 2024 LOLR points champ Jimmy Grant, 406-389, coming into Canandaigua’s showdown with Grant the defending TGS race winner. All-time LOLR stock car winner Mike Welch stood third at 308 pts.
A 25-lap $750-to-win Lloyd’s Contracting Hobby Stock ‘Hoedown’ and 25-lap Stirling Lubricants Sportsman event filled the bill on this night while the Childhood Cancer Awareness was the beneficiary penciled in for the customary 50/50 drawing.
Staged between raindrops, the last planned show of ‘24 was also highlighted by the fourth and final LOLR Wall of Fame induction ceremony with former Street Stock standout recently turned wingman Adam DePuy honored during a special pre-race tribute behind the main grandstand. DePuy joined fellow full-fender drivers Jipp Ortiz and Mike Minutolo Sr. along with the Haers Family in the speedway’s Class of ’24 on this special occasion.
Serving as Operations Manager for Saturday’s headline sponsor iFreeze Storage & Distribution Center in Fulton NY, DePuy’s company contributed $2,500 to the final CRSA purse and the $500 addition to the Top Gun Shootout winner’s prize turned it into the most lucrative Street Stock event in track history. Among the many on hand to witness his WoF recognition were Adam’s mother Linda as well as daughters Shaylin and Brin, who each provided lap leader awards in the Street Stock main.
Most familiar to Canandaigua fans aboard the sleek #99 Street Stock, DePuy racked up 48 stock car wins at LOLR en route to three successive season point titles at the history-laden Ontario County oval. In 2023 he entered the 305 Sprints and this past summer scored his first career victory to become the 80th different winner on tour.
While DePuy was among many youngsters growing up attending motorsports events around the area asphalt circuit, a much smaller number eventually found their way into the pits and eventually behind the wheel of a race car. Yet after watching action unfold on the fairgrounds dirt oval, Adam did just that as he and teammate Gary Teeter “thought we were better’ and bought a stock car to compete in 2001.
Splitting driving duties with Teeter that first season, DePuy went solo in ‘02 after purchasing the car —renumbered 99 marking the year daughter Shaylin was born— of defending track points champion Richard ‘Bugsy’ Briggs. Learning everything on his own as the summer rolled on, DePuy proved a quick study as he scored his first Street Stock feature win on the Canandaigua clay Aug. 24, 2002 and placed fourth in the final point standings.
DePuy piled on 17 more victories over the next six seasons, placing third on the points chart in both 2003 and ‘04. Adam also cracked the winner’s circle at Weedsport Speedway and the now defunct Rolling Wheels Raceway, locking up both track championships to close out his 2005 campaign. A three-year (2009-11) stint on the 360 Late Model tour netted him a win at Woodhull Raceway, with two more LM triumphs logged in Dundee and Batavia at Genesee Speedway.
A return to Canandaigua paid big dividends for DePuy as he dominated like few others before him in the full-fender ranks. Back-to-back-to-back track titles from 2017-19 were by far his most prized accomplishments, winning 6 times in ‘17 and earning eight more trophies in ‘18 before collecting a career-best 9 checkered flags en route to the ‘19 track crown. Giving up ownership responsibilities, Adam mustered a pair of top-10s in the 2021 and ‘22 season point chases. By 2023 he was again on his own and ready for the biggest jump of his career as he buckled into a 305 Sprint Car for the first time stating “I’ve always admired those (sprint) guys, gotta be pretty brave to drive those cars.”
Hitting 50 in April, DePuy saved the best birthday celebration for July 6, 2024 when he proved to be among the most fearless in winning his first CRSA Sprint Car A-Main at Genesee. On Saturday, Adam (8th in CRSA final points) was slated to contend in both the sprint event aboard his #99 freeze Storage & Distribution Ctr-Todd’s Towing-Quigley Flooring/Mach1 entry and Hobby Stock event steering Justin Eldredge’s back-up no. 25 Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling-Sunset Bowl-Big Mike’s Auto Repair & Sales Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
SWAP & SHOP: 3rd EDITION
The Racer’s Swap & Shop returns to Land Of Legends Raceway on the Ontario Co. Fairgrounds for a third consecutive season, with this year’s event scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26. Rain or shine, the show runs from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Whether you’re buying, selling or trading, it’s never too early to start stocking up for another race season. With a vendor fee of just $25, contact Ricky Newton (585) 813-3468 to reserve your space today.
FINAL CURTAIN
The final event to officially close out the 61st season takes place after the new year arrives when Club 86 at 86 Avenue E in Geneva hosts the annual Land Of Legends Raceway Awards Banquet. Circle Fri. Jan. 11, 2025 on the calendar as Promoter Paul Cole will hand out plenty of cash and contingency awards to ’24 point champions Mat Williamson (BB Mod), Zach Sobotka (Spt), Bobby Parrow (305), Jimmy Grant (Sts) and Marc Minutolo (Hob) as well as a number of supporting race team members. Club 86 opens for cocktails at 5:30pm and dinner is served at 6:30pm followed by award presentations. With tickets available for purchase up until Jan. 6 and not sold at the door, please contact LOLR Director of Marketing & Operations Tana Robinson at 716-799-5669 to order yours today.