Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – NEW EGYPT, NJ – If there was a perfect way to ring in the new Rick Grosso era at New Egypt Speedway, a 30-lap caution-free Modified feature with a last lap, last corner pass for the win was it.
Add in the return of four-time Modified track champion Ryan Godown to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for a great night, and that’s just what the Ringoes, NJ driver delivered on Saturday evening.
After starting ninth in the main event, Godown worked his way to the runner-up spot with only a handful of laps left, chasing down leader Matt Stangle.
Ultimately, on the final lap, Godown put his #26 on the top side through turns three and four and powered around Stangle for the lead, and the victory, taking the checkered flag by a single car length.
“It’s just in our DNA,” Godown said. “We just never give up.”
Was Godown surprised that Stangle left the top wide open for him to make his move?
“Matt did nothing wrong,” he said. “He was leading the race. I would have never thought if I was in his position that someone was going to be on the top either.”
Godown was very happy to return to a place he’s had a great amount of success at over the years.
“This is like home to me,” he said. “Actually, this place is home and I’ve missed it being away.”
After a long off-season and a lot of changes, making the move back to New Egypt for 2023, Godown was quick to give credit to his entire team.
“This is for all of my crew guys right here,” he said. “We had one heck of an off-season but my crew guys stepped up and put these cars together. They did everything possible to get us racing. It didn’t look too good. This win goes to them.”
With all the work that New Egypt did on the track during the off-season, it sure put on an amazing show for the fans in the stands, but the racers were excited for how many grooves there were.
“We ran the bottom in the first part of the race and I didn’t know if the top was there yet,” he said. “Once we got spread out and I saw Brandon (Grosso) and Matt (Stangle) out there, I said we have to try something to get some chunks off the lead.”
That’s what he did, and it all came down to the last lap.
“I just went for it,” he said. “You know me and the track is wide from the guardrail all the way to the fence. Nobody puts in the time you see Rick Grosso does with this track.”
The raciness of the track shined brightly with 30 laps of non-stop action, high low and through the middle. It was a great race for everyone in attendance.
“I tip my hat to the track crew here,” he said. “It had to be on heck of a show for all the fans…probably the best in about 10 years. I just can’t believe it.”
Stangle had to settle for a hard-fought but disappointing second place finish with Grosso in third, Wade Hendrickson in fourth and Billy Pauch Jr. completing the top five.
Joe Toth was victorious in the 602 Sportsman feature with Buddy Schweibinz taking the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series 305 A-Main. Ryan Maher captured the Rookie Sportsman feature and Rob Ormsbee took checkers in the Street Stocks.
Modified Heat Race Quick Results (10 Laps):
Heat #1: 1.) Matt Stangle 2.) Louden Reimert 3.) DJ Hunt 4.) Kevin Vaclavicek 5.) Kevin Borden 6.) Clay Butler 7.) Chris Grbac 8.) Bryan Kuhl
Heat #2: 1.) Ryan Godown 2.) John McClelland 3.) Billy Pauch Jr 4.) Wade Hendrickson 5.) Ryan Godown Jr. 6.) Anthony Tramontana 7.) Frank Venezia 8.) Ryan Simmons
Heat #3: 1.) Justin Grosso 2.) Brandon Grosso 3.) Jim Housworth 4.) Paul Mancini 5.) Jack Butler 6.) Will Dupree 7.) Kory Fleming
Modified Feature Quick Results (30 Laps):
1.) RYAN GODOWN 2.) Matt Stangle 3.) Brandon Grosso 4.) Wade Hendrickson 5.) Billy Pauch Jr 6.) Justin Grosso 7.) DJ Hunt 8.) John McClelland 9.) Kevin Vaclavicek 10.) Louden Reimert 11.) Jim Housworth 12.) Chris Grbac 13.) Paul Mancini 14.) Ryan Godown Jr. 15.) Jack Butler 16.) Clay Butler 17.) Anthony Tramontana 18.) Kevin Borden 19.) Frank Venezia 20.) Will Dupree 21.) Kory Fleming 22.) Ryan Simmons 23.) Bryan Kuhl
Heat Race Winners: Matt Stangle, Ryan Godown & Justin Grosso
602 Crate Sportsman Consi Quick Results (8 Laps):
1.) Ryan Krushinski 2.) Glenn McIntyre 3.) Duncan Molesworth 4.) Tommy Klimkowski 5.) Therese Aumick 6.) Mike Baldwin 7.) Dylan Morris 8.) Tim Franks 9.) Isaac Elsner 10.) Mike Toth
DNS: Steve Davis, Will Protinick
602 Crate Sportsman Feature Quick Results (20 Laps):
1.) JOE TOTH 2.) David Burns 3.) Joe Brown 4.) Matt Ellery 5.) Stephen Kemery 6.) Amanda Buchel 7.) Pat Wall 8.) Nick Van Wickle 9.) George Gareis Jr 10.) Dan Fleming 11.) Aaron Weaver 12.) Johnny Bangs 13.) Joe Nappi 14.) Wayne Weaver 15.) Ryan Heim 16.) Sarah Napora 17.) Tommy Klimkowski 18.) Ryan Krushinski 19.) Ryan Maher 20.) Mike Baldwin 21.) Ryan Simmons 22.) David Miloszar Jr. 23.) Duncan Molesworth 24.) Glenn McIntyre 25.) Therese Aumick
Heat Race Winners: David Miloszar Jr, David Burns & Joe Toth
MASS 305 Heat Race Quick Results (8 Laps):
Heat #1: 1.) Phil Meisner 2.) Tim Iulg 3.) Bob Devault 4.) Mark Bitner 5.) DJ Tanner 6.) Eddie Wagner 7.) Larry McVay 8.) Aidan Borden 9.) Dale Eggert 10.) Kenny Laureno
Heat #2: 1.) Dave Brown 2.) Brian Carberry 3.) Jon Brennfleck 4.) Buddy Schweibinz 5.) Cory Cornell 6.) Logan Diehl 7.) Shelby Kelly 8.) Darren Cox 9.) Jacob Kreider 10.) Jeff Paulson
MASS 305 Feature Quick Results (25 Laps):
1.) BUDDY SCHWEIBINZ 2.) Tim Iulg 3.) Phil Meisner 4.) Dave Brown 5.) Jeff Paulson 6.) Eddie Wagner 7.) Jacob Kreider 8.) DJ Tanner 9.) Dale Eggert 10.) Larry McVay 11.) Darren Cox 12.) Brian Carberry 13.) Logan Diehl 14.) Kenny Laureno 15.) Jon Brennfleck 16.) Bob Devault 17.) Aidan Borden 18.) Mark Bitner 19.) Cory Cornell 20.) Shelby Kelly
Heat Race Winners: Phil Meisner & Dave Brown
Rookie Feature Quick Results (8 Laps):
1.) RYAN MAHER 2.) Duncan Molesworth 3.) Tim Franks 4.) Isaac Elsner
Street Stock Heat Race Quick Results (6 Laps):
Heat #1: 1.) Vern McLaughlin 2.) Gary Klimeczak 3.) Bill Liedtka 4.) Chris Felber 5.) Scott Freed 6.) Joe Biederman 7.) Whitey Miller
Heat #2: 1.) Rob Ormsbee 2.) TJ Hewitt 3.) Spider Ensinger III 4.) Ron Pavia 5.) Dennis Seeley
DNS: Nick Keefe
Street Stock Feature Quick Results (15 Laps):
1.) ROB ORMSBEE 2.) Vern McLaughlin 3.) Bill Liedtka 4.) TJ Hewitt 5.) Gary Klimeczak 6.) Spider Ensinger III 7.) Chris Felber 8.) Whitey Miller 9.) Joe Biederman 10.) Dennis Seeley 11.) Scott Freed
DNS: Ron Pavia, Nick Keefe
Heat Race Winners: Vern McLaughlin & Rob Ormsbee