News Director 
Story By: KENNY SHUPP / WOODHULL RACEWAY – WOODHULL, NY – A brief shower part way into the busy night of action at the Woodhull Raceway was not about to stop the program and after a ninety minute wait the track was dried and racing continued at the historic Steuben County New York facility.
The Patriot Sprint Tour was back at Woodhull after an earlier season rainout back on May7 with seventeen of the regions top 360 drivers checking in for the night. Shawn Donath was able to hold off a trio of the northeast’s top pilots including former Woodhull Raceway winners and series champions in Bryan Howland, Chuck Hebing and Davey Franek to win his first ever 360 A Main event.
It has been an odd season for twenty-three-time Woodhull Raceway Track Champion, Billy VanPelt. He stated very clearly at the beginning of the 2022 campaign he would not be competing full time at the track taking time for vacations and perhaps some travel to other venues which he has done. And when he has been in attendance, he has had a few nights when things did not go as well as planned. However, when BVP is on his game he is still the man to beat on the high banked one-third of a mile clay oval and that was exactly the case on this night. With the shower making the racing surface wide and fast it played right into VanPelt’s aggressive style of driving as he blasted thru the field from his fourth row starting position to take the lead and go onto his fifth win of the year. A pair of veteran drivers in Russ Morseman and former Track Champion, Steve Coots would lead the Insinger Performance Modified field to the opening green flag for the twenty-five-lap affair, but it was the BVP show as he mowed the field down and went on to the win. April 30 feature winner, Donnie Lawson would start one spot ahead of VanPelt, but was no match and when the checkered flag waved had to settle for another well deserved runner-up finish as Morseman would race within the lead pack the entire distance and go on to claim the final podium spot. Brady Fultz, who came into the night with one feature win to his credit lined up along side VanPelt in eighth spot and advanced four positions to claim fourth while current high point getter, Joe Dgien would come from ninth to round out the top five finishers.
Jason Knowles has played second fiddle to his five-time 2022 feature winning brother, Brian Knowles, in the Armstrong RUSH Crate Late Model Division. But on this night, it was all “The Jet” as he would power by front row starters, Joe Layfield and Clayton Tarabori and go onto win three on the season. Lining up inside row two, Jason Knowles would take command early and hold off Rookie of the Year contender, Aaron Miller who would march to second from his third row starting spot, but Miller was no match for Knowles and had to settle for the runner-up spot at the end of the twenty- lap affair. In impressive third place went to part time competitor, Clayton Tarabori who would race within the top three throughout the event with the current top two-point men in Brian Knowles and Rookie Brett Marlatt rounding the top five.
The 2022 NAPA Crate Sportsman season has not been up to the expectations of Kenny Peoples Jr. as the veteran Addison, NY wheelman has had more than his share of obstacles to work thru. However, Peoples was not going to be denied his second win of the year as he took full advantage of his third row starting position to take command and go on for the victory. Lady competitor, Isabel Barron who already has one win on the season started the feature one spot ahead of Peoples but was not able to hold him off as she had to settle for another well deserved second place finish at the end of the twenty-five lapper as current high point getter and opening night winner, Josh Nobriga would go on to claim third. Rookie driver and July 9 winner, Levi Riley would start the feature one spot behind Peoples and go on for fourth while Tim Guild continues his consistent 2022 season with another solid run in claiming fifth.
In the Joe Willcox Performance Street Stocks, it was Brett Crawford finding his way into victory lane for the fifth time this season and with the victory will extend his point advantage heading into the last point paying month of the year. June 25 feature winner, Luke Boom would lead the field to the opening green, but it was Crawford taking control early and never looking back. April 30 feature winner, Dan Gardner would start the twenty-lap event one spot behind Crawford and dog him throughout the entire distance but came up short and had to settle for second with Josh Webster taking home third place money. Last week’s winner, Ted Morseman and three-time 2022 feature winner, Travis Webster completing the top five.
Two weeks ago, Kaiden Dgien found himself upside down in the Hobby Stock feature event, however Dgien has been able to recover nicely from that incident and go on to his fourth trip to victory lane thus far. Although being shut out of victory lane since his second win of the year on May 21, Mike Spencer has been nothing short of a picture of consistency in claiming the runner up spot. Like Spencer, Jeredd Dennis has also been rock solid this year and although third in points is still in great position to back-up last season’s track title as he would go on to finish third in the twenty-lap feature. Dennis was chased across the line by Brandon Conklin and current high point man and four-time 2022 feature winner, Joe Birdsall. With just one month left in point events at Woodhull, The Hobby Stock Division boasts one of the tightest point battles since its inception at Woodhull several years ago with less than fifty points separating the current top five.
Wesley Houghtaling continues his second half of the season domination in the Front Wheel Drive Division as he would go onto claim his sixth feature of the year and fifth in a row, one less that current high point man, Ryan Austin who has seven wins as the pair have totally controlled the feature wins in the class. Preston Cobb would go onto the finish second in the fifteen-lap event with Kevin Doud, Kayley Bacon and Nate Freeland competing the top five.
Bradly Morseman would start the Wicked Tee’s Warrior feature event in the last starting row, but that would not stop the current point leader form blasting thru traffic and go onto his eleventh feature win of the season. Desaray Miles and two-time feature winner, Marshall O’Brian would lead the seven-car youth feature to the opening green, but it was Morseman wrestling away to top spot and going onto his sixth straight victory. O’Brian would settle for second as the pair have won every feature run thus far in 2022. Jaden Stone continues to have an impressive season in finishing third at the finish as does Kayleigh Morseman, Izzabella Morseman, Courtney Thomas and Desaray Miles who would complete the field.
Travis Southard has had his share of ups and downs during the “22” campaign, however he was able to put all the pieces together and go on to claim his first feature win of the season in the Wicked Tee’s Mini Stock Division. Southard and Jordan Costley would lead the field to the opening green with Southard taking command and never looking back as he was chased across the line by current point leader and three-time feature winner, Jason Warner with Southard’s girlfriend, Danielle Thomas competing the top three podium positions. Dillon Morseman would begin the event in the seventh spot and drive home to fourth while John Hand Jr. would start last in the ten-car field and round the top five.
Congratulations to all competitors.
Up next at Woodhull it will be Dgien Trucking presenting the Insinger Performance Modified King of the Ring one-on-one elimination event. In addition, it will be a Regular Great 8 Show with all the weekly classes.
WOODHULL RACEWAY RESULTS. JULY 23, 2022. UNOFFICIAL.
INSINGER PERFORMANCE MODIFIEDS. (18 cars)
25 lap feature. BILLY VANPELT (5), Donnie Lawson, Russ Morseman, Brady Fultz, Joe Dgien, Cory Costa, Shannon Whaley, Steve Coots, Eric Grice, Jake Dgien, Gregg Turner, Brayden Bills, Aiden Grover, Brian Doolittle, Cole Youse, Alex Hoag, Dayton Brewer.
PATRIOT SPRINT TOUR 360 SPRINTS. (17 cars)
25 lap A-Main. SHAWN DONATH, Bryan Howland, Chuck Hebing, Davie Franek, Kyle Drum, Paulie Colagiovanni, Dalton Rombough, Jonathan Preston, Jared Zimbardi, Denny Peebles, Jordan Thomas, Steve Glover, Dave Axton, Mike Koehler, Mike Stelter, Jordan Hutton, Blake Warner.
NAPA CRATE SPORTSMAN. (13 cars)
25 lap feature. KENNY PEOPLES JR. (2), Isabel Barron, Josh Nobriga, Levi Riley, Tim Guild, Blake Lawson, Matt Strauss, Stacy Jackson, Cayden Lawson, Adam Taft, AJ Costley, Bob Butcher, David Mayo.
ARMSTRONG RUSH CRATE LATE MODELS. (11 cars)
20 lap feature. JASON KNOWLES (3), Aaron Miller, Clayton Tarabori, Brian Knowles, Brett Marlatt, Jacob Tubbs, Rickie Loucks, Tony Kelley, Joe Layfield, Kurt Stebbins, Austin Allen.
JOE WILLCOX PERFORMANCE STREET STOCKS. (12 cars)
20 lap feature. BRETT CRAWFORD (5), Dan Gardner, Josh Webster, Ted Morseman, Travis Webster, Luke Boom, Mike Williams, Jim Buck, Mick Seeley, Jesse Tuthill, Branden Morseman, Kurt Stebbins.
HOBBY STOCKS. (16 cars)
20 lap feature. KAIDEN DGIEN (4), Mike Spencer, Jeredd Dennis, Brandon Conklin, Joe Birdsall, Paul Dgien, Brian Austin, Scott Brown, Jason Ketrow, Brandon Birdsall, Greg Young, Brent Williams, Meadow Dgien, Dillon Philip. DNS. Scotty Brown
WICKED TEE’S MINI STOCKS. (11 cars)
20 lap feature. TRAVIS SOUTHARD, Jason Warner, Danielle Thomas, Dillon Morseman, John Hand Jr., Ryan Stone, Caleb Heintzenrater, Jordan Costley, Jake Clancey, Kurt Babcock, 32.
FRONT WHEEL DRIVES. (5 cars)
15 lap feature. WESLEY HOUGHTALING (6), Preston Cobb, Kevin Doud, Kayley Bacon, Nate Freeland.
WICKED TEE’S WARRIORS. (7 cars)
15 lap feature. BRADLY MORSEMAN (11), Marshall O’Brian, Jaden Stone, Kayleigh Morseman, Izzabella Morseman, Courtney Thomas, Desaray Miles.
