Column By: MIKE TRAVERSE / RPW – MIDDLETOWN, NY – As the 2022 season progresses into it’s 2nd half, it’s moving into focus who the contenders will be for at the Orange County Speedway’s division championships.
While the United Rental DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds have a playoff format to determine their champion, the other divisions have the season-long points format. And some contenders for the championships have emerged.
There’s only two races left for a Modified driver to clinch their spot into the Round of 12 as the playoff for the $30,000 championship begins.
Five spots in the Round of 12 have been reserved for the top 5 in Big Block points. Max McLaughlin currently leads the points by 5 over Danny Creeden. There’s a 28 point spread between Creeden and 3rd place Tyler Boniface. Mike Gular is in 4th, 4 points behind Boniface. Matt Janiak and Anthony Perrego are tied for 5th, 25 points behind Gular. Perrego has that all important win for the Round of 12 placement.
The other 7 spots will go to the 2022 Big Block points race winners. So far there have been six winners in 2022. Matt Sheppard paces the Big Block racers with 3 point wins, 4 total. Single wins have gone to Perrego, Chris Shultz, Dillon Steuer, Mat Williamson and Larry Wight. Two new 2022 winners would push the lowest in points of the race winners out of the Round of 12.
Tanner VanDoren is currently 7th in points, 21 behind Janiak and Perrego. VanDoren was very impressive on the new surface this past Saturday, finishing 3rd and he still has a chance to point his way into the top 5. Jimmy Horton stands 8th in points with Sheppard with 3 wins, is 9th and Billy VanInwegen 10th.
Twenty two points separates the top 5 in the H.O. Penn 358. Billy VanInwegen and Anthony Perrego are currently tied for the top spot. Mike Gular trails the top duo by 12 with Jimmy Horton 4th and Craig Mitchell 5th. The rest of the top 10 consists of Danny Creeden 6th, Jimmy Spellmon 7th, Bobby Flood 8th, Tyler Boniface 9th and Chris Stevens 10th.
Small Block wins this season have gone to Gular, Corey Cormier, Tommy Meier and Perrego.
There’s a close race at the top in the Arkel Motors Sportsman division. Mike Sabia is the leader by 3 over Cody Higbie, Greg Sleight is 3rd with Travis Green 4th. With the top 4 only separated by 18 points, these positions could be swapped around weekly.
The rest of the top 10 Sportsman points are Tighe Sherlock 5th, Drew Boniface 6th, Ryan Neiger 7th, Jared LaBagh 8th, Josh Allen 9th, and a tie for tenth between Bobby Waters and Jake Bedell.
Grant Hilfiger is the only repeat winner so far this year in the Sportsman. Single wins have been taken by LaBagh, RJ Carson, Tyler Banks, Boniface and Dominic Roselli Jr.
With some early season rain outs, it’s been a slow start to the North East Parts Group Street Stock Season. But so far in 2022, the car counts have been up over the past couple of seasons and they always present some great racing.
Bob Sleight Jr. is on top in the points with a 25 point separation over 2nd place, defending champion Mike Vigiletti. Tied for 3rd are Ryan Modiano and Wayne Taylor, only 1 point behind Vigiletti. Dillon Gannon is 5th with Billy Deak Jr. 6th, Walt henry 7th, Jack Beaumont 8th, Jim Hajkowski 9th and Tyler Romer 10th.
Sleight with two and Gannon have scored the 2022 Street Stock wins.
Three Precision Hydraulic and Oil Rookie Sportsman features have been held with the wins going to Fred Pavia, Mike Weslowski and Mark Connoly. Second generation racer Joey Conklin is the current point leader over Pavia, Matt Sydoryk, Randy Torres and Walt Henry.
The Saturday, June 25th race events include the Big Blocks, 358 Small Blocks, Sportsman and Street Stocks. The OCFS Kids Club will be active with Street Stock racers Charlie Donald and Izzy Lowden scheduled to be participating.
A reminder that the starting times have been changed. Pit gate opens at 3:30 with the grandstands and drive-in gates opening at 5:00. Hot laps will start at 6:15 with racing getting underway at 7:00.