News Director 
Story By: KENNY SHUPP / WOODHULL RACEWAY – WOODHULL, NY – Under perfect weather conditions the Annual Jim Williams Memorial Fireworks and Great 8 Show was staged at the Woodhull Raceway as a trio of marketing partners were onboard to help celebrate the night of action.
Schweigart’s Sugar Shack of Woodhull along with Louie’s Gun Shop in Bath and Outback Liquor and Wines of Canisteo all joined forces to sponsor the event where five different drivers made it repeat feature wins with three fresh faces visiting victory lane for the first time in 2022.
The Insinger Performance Modifieds had a solid field of eighteen machines take the opening green flag in their regular twenty-five lap feature event. A pair of young guns in Cole Youse and Brayden Bills brought the field to the opening green with Youse immediately taking command of the event. With a standing room only crowd of thousands in attendance Youse was able to open a sizable advantage over the field in the early going with May 28 Modified feature winner, Bob Silvernail hot on his heels. With a wide and fast racing surface it did not take long for the leaders to click laps off and with no caution flags to slow the pace. By the halfway mark, Youse was still comfortably out front as plenty of two and three wide action was going on throughout the field. Billy VanPelt, who has won countless Jim Williams Memorial’s began the event in row four along side of current high point man, Joe Dgien and the pair were mounting a charge to the front of the field. By lap fifteen, VanPelt who was running the high side of the speedway was up to second and closing fast on the race leader with Dgien in tow. On lap nineteen BVP made his move on Youse who had led every lap to this point and would take over the top spot and from there lengthen his advantage and cruise to his fourth win of the 2022 season. Dgien was able to get by Youse on the last lap to claim second while a disappointed Cole Youse had to settle for third after a brilliant effort. Chasing the lead trio across the line was Brayden Bills who ran with the lead group throughout the event while sixth place starter, Donnie Lawson would advance one position to round out the top five finishers.
Brett Marlatt has been successful in Motorsports throughout his entire career having started like so many in go-karts at several local venues before getting into the youth Warrior Division at Woodhull. When he was eligible to compete in adult divisions his father, Rich who had a successful career at Woodhull sought the help of other Canisteo racers, Cliff Moss and Buck Payne in getting son, Brett into a competitive Street Stock and from there the rest is history. Having won countless Street Stock feature events, a Woodhull Track Championship along with the prestigious Woodhull 100 Street Stock event, along with wins at other Upstate New York dirt tracks, the decision was made at the completion of the 2021 season to move into the Armstrong Rush Crate Late Model Division that runs weekly at the track. Purchasing a battle tested chassis, Marlatt immediately began to make a positive impression right out of gate when the 2022 season began and from there has shown steady improvement in a class littered with veterans. Joe Layfield and Jim Buck would lead the field to the opening green flag of the twenty- lap feature with Marlatt lining up outside row two along with another rookie contender in Jacob Tubbs. It did not take long for Marlatt to flex his muscle in taking command of the event as he would go onto his first ever feature win at Woodhull since joining the RUSH Late Model ranks. Four- time 2022 class feature winner and defending class track champ, Brian Knowles had to settle for second at the finish and with that extend his point advantage heading into the second half of the season. Clayton Tarabori, who runs a limited schedule at Woodhull had yet another impressive run as he would complete the top three podium finishing positions. Damien Bidwell made his first start of the year a memorable one as he began the feature one spot behind Tarabori in row four and would finish fourth while Tony Kelly began the event in the last starting row and complete the top five finishers. Marlatt was welcomed by a chorus of cheers when entering victory lane as he has a huge following of supporters at the track with many insiders claiming this win would be the first of many to come for the second-generation pilot from Canisteo.
At the completion of the 2021 season at Woodhull, NAPA Crate Sportsman Division veteran driver, Kenny Peoples Jr. was a world beater winning everything in sight to close out the year. He along with everyone else expected the former class champion to pick up where he left off, but nothing could be further from the truth as he has struggled mightily throughout the first half of the campaign. Flat tires, mechanical issues, wrecks and other gremlins have kept his potent team out of the equation, but on this night Peoples Jr. was able to put all the bad luck behind him and go onto the popular victory which did not come easy as he had to start the twenty-five-lap grind in the fourteenth position. Caution flags would help his cause in moving thru traffic and when the double checkered flags waved, Kenny Peoples Jr. had finally removed any doubts that he still has the equipment and talent to get the job done. May 28 class winner, AJ Costley began the event in row three and would chase Peoples across the line to finish in the runner-up spot while Stacy Jackson, who began the event in row two continues his solid 2022 season with a third-place finish after racing in the lead pack the entire distance. Fourth place went to Connor Brown, his best run of the season while Tim Guild would line up seventh and advance two spots to nail fifth at the completion in another consistent effort.
Luke Boom has only been competing in the tough Joe Willcox Performance Street Stock Division for a few seasons but has shown steady progression during that time. Boom was able to take full advantage of his pole position starting spot to lead every lap in claiming his first ever Street Stock win at the popular Steuben County high banked oval. A pair of class veterans in Dan Gardner who had one win thus far in 2022 along with four- time feature winner and current point leader, Brett Crawford were no match for Boom as they had to settle for second and third respectively at the completion of the twenty-lap feature. Fourth place went to Travis Webster who has a pair of feature wins thus far as first night competitor, Ted Morseman would complete the top five.
Kaiden Dgien lined up inside the second starting row in the Hobby Stock twenty lap A Main, got to the lead and never looked back in taking win two on the season after his May 15 victory. In a division that has no less than three Dgien family members in competition it will be Kaiden having the bragging rights for the week as he was chased across the line by Brandon Birdsall who had his best finish of the season in finishing second. Birdsall only took purchase of his machine a few weeks ago and has shown steady improvement thus far was able to hold off last weeks feature winner, Brandon Conklin who finished third while three- time 2022 feature winner and current high point man, Joe Birdsall would nail fourth with two- time feature winner, Mike Spencer completing the top five in the highly competitive division.
Wes Houghtaling was able to hold off seven- time Front Wheel Drive feature winner, Ryan Austin and go on to his second victory of the season in the fifteen-lap feature only event. Houghtaling ran a flawless race in keeping Austin at bay as he tried every trick to overtake the race leader but would come up one car length shy at the finish. Finishing third behind the top two was Kayley Bacon with Kevin Bacon along with first night competitor, Dalton Mathews completing the field.
The Morseman Family had another huge night in both Wicked Tee’s sponsored Mini Stock and Warrior classes as father, Ted would pick-up his fourth feature win in the Mini’s while son Bradly would make a late race pass of two- time Warrior feature winner, Marshall O’Brian to claim his seventh win of the season. For Ted in Mini Stock feature action was another dominating performance as he would go onto the victory outpacing his daughter Danielle Thomas as she would take home second place money. The first -time appearance of former Woodhull Raceway Super Stock standout, Brett Flint would find him finishing third in the Russ and Izabella Morseman owned machine while Brian Grant and April 30 feature winner, Rick Amidon would complete the top five. For Ted Morseman it was the completion of an extraordinarily successful night winning the Mini feature after a solid top five run earlier in the evening in Street Stock action.
Bradly Morseman, who uses father, Ted’s potent number 44 Mini Stock in youth Warrior competition dogged O’Brian throughout the entire fifteen lap feature before making his move late to claim the victory. O’Brian would continue to fight back but would come up a half second shy at the double checkered flags as the top two finishers continue their domination of the class. O’Brian had to hold off an onslaught of Morseman family members as third place went to Izabella Morseman, fourth was Kayleigh Morseman while Courtney Thomas would give chase. Desaray Miles and Jordan Costley would go on to compete the field as the Warrior Division continues to show great car counts and popularity with the fans.
Congratulations to all competitors.
Earlier in the evening disaster struck during the running of the third NAPA 602 Crate Sportsman qualifying heat race as veteran competitor and two -time 2022 class feature winner, Art Goodier of Osceola, Pa. experienced an apparent medical condition while entering turn three. His machine went into the infield striking corner flagger, Neil Stoddard and after spinning wildly out of control his car then exited the track off the back straight away. As the packed house stood silent, track medical personnel sprang into action tending to both Stoddard and Goodier. Ambulances along with a Medivac Helicopter and NYS Police were on scene and as of the wiring of this story any details are incomplete and as more information on both Goodier and Stoddard becomes available it will be posted in a separate press release and placed on the tracks Facebook and web site along with exposure to the working media. The ownership of the Woodhull Raceway along with all staff members, fans and drivers ask that everyone please keep Goodier, Stoddard and all their family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
Special thanks to all rescue, medical and EMT personnel that played a huge part in the unfortunate situation.
Up next at Woodhull on July 2 it will be a Great 8 Show along with NAPA 602 Crate Sportsman King of the Ring one on one action.
WOODHULL RACEWAY RESULTS. JUNE 25, 2022. UNOFFICIAL.
INSINGER PERFORMANCE MODIFIEDS. (18 cars)
25 lap feature. BILLY VANPELT (4), Joe Dgien, Cole Youse, Bob Silvernail, Brayden Bills, Donnie Lawson, Jake Dgien, Cory Costa, Brian Doolittle, Dayton Brewer, Mike Bills, Steve Coots, Gregg Turner, Ryan Tracy, Ken Wade, Tommy Collins, Eric Grice, Russ Morseman.
ARMSTRONG RUSH CRATE LATE MODELS. (10 cars)
20 lap feature. BRETT MARLATT, Brian Knowles, Clayton Tarabori, Damien Bidwell, Tony Kelley, Jacob Tubbs, Joe Layfield, Rickie Loucks, Jim Buck. DQ, Jason McGregor.
NAPA CRATE SPORTSMAN. (20 cars)
25 lap feature. KENNY PEOPLES JR., AJ Costley, Stacy Jackson, Connor Brown, Tim Guild, Isabel Barron, Blake Lawson, Josh Nobriga, Levi Riley, Josh Makatura, Brett Buono, Kevin Decamp, Cayden Lawson, Matt Strauss, Adam Taft, David Mayo, Greg Crooker, Quintin Buchanan, Reese Hackett.
JOE WILLCOX PERFORMANCE STREET STOCKS. (13 cars)
20 lap feature. LUKE BOOM, Dan Gardner, Brett Crawford, Travis Webster, Ted Morseman, Mick Seeley, Jared Hill, Branden Morseman, Ray Hyer, Mike Williams, Jesse Tuthill, Dennis Loucks.
HOBBY STOCKS. (16 cars)
20 lap feature. KAIDEN DGIEN (2), Brandon Birdsall, Brandon Conklin, Joe Birdsall, Mike Spencer, Brian Austin, Jeredd Dennis, Scott Brown, Greg Young, Dillon Phillip, Jason Ketrow, Glenn VanCise, Paul Dgien, Mike Carapella, Meadow Dgien, Scotty Brown
WICKED TEE’S MINI STOCKS. (10 cars)
20 lap feature. TED MORSEMAN (4), Danielle Thomas, Brett Flint, Brian Grant, Rick Amidon, Jason Warner, Travis Southard, Ryan Stone, Mike Dinehart, Jordan Costley.
FRONT WHEEL DRIVES. (5 cars)
15 lap feature. WES HOUGHTALING (2), Ryan Austin, Kayley Bacon, Kevin Doud, Dalton Mathews
WICKED TEE’S WARRIORS. (7 cars)
15 lap feature. BRADLY MORSEMAN (7), Marshall O’Brian, Izzabella Morseman, Kayleigh Morseman, Courtney Thomas, Desaray Miles, Jordan Costley
