Sitterly Wins Third Straight Mr. Supermodified Race, Pullen, Hawksby, Bennett Also Victorious

Article by SWN Senior Editor Tom Baker. Photo: Rick Nelson 

OSWEGO, N.Y. -- Otto Sitterly won Saturday night's Mr.Supermodified 75-lap feature race at the Oswego Speedway for the seventh time, and for the third consecutive year. 

It was Sitterly's fourth win of the season at Oswego.  He took the lead early in the event and was never seriously challenged, except when slower traffic held him up long enough for second-place finisher Dave Shullick Jr. to close in. Tyler Thompson finished third in his first race out with his new Hawk Chassis No. 98.  

The most exciting race of the evening was the Mr.Small Block Supermodified feature, as Rob Pullen fought valiantly over the last 15 laps to hold off a charging Brian Sobus in the Flack No. 23.  Sobus threw everything including a small appliance at the Wirth No. 4 but Pullen was not to be denied, crossing the line first and giving Robbie Wirth Racing a much needed boost with the victory. 

Dawson Hawksby picked up his second win of the 2026 season in the Mr. 350 Supermodified feature, building a comfortable margin over second-place Robbie Wirth, who had to fend off Ryan Battle at the end of the race to hang on to the runner-up spot. 

Battle finished third, a sign that he's going to be one to contend with in 3 weeks when the Bud Light 350 Classic takes place at the Fast 5/8-mile.

Johnny Bennett went back to victory lane for the second time this season at Oswego with his XXX Super Stock to claim the win in the Mr. Super Stock event, the first of its kind since 2004.  Just over 20 cars were on hand in this division, and nearly double that are expected for the final Dave London Memorial race on Budweiser Classic Weekend.  

SUPERMODIFIED NEWS AND NOTES

25 Supermodifieds were in the pits Saturday night.  Tim Snyder subbed in for his son Nick and looked fast much of the day, but faded in the feature event.  

Jeff Abold finished inside the top ten with his new car in its maiden voyage. I'm sure they'll have it dialed in for Classic.  The "Burgundy Bullet II" is just gorgeous.

Dave McKnight and Gary Morton brought the No. 70 out for its first Oswego run of the season.  Dave pulled off in the feature.  I wouldn't be surprised to see them back again next week for further shakedown. 

Gene Lee Gibson brought his newest creation, the "Flintstone Flyer VII," to the track for the first time on Friday night for practice. The car had serious motor issues, so he loaded up and went back to Ohio to work on it and skipped Saturday night's events. I'm told there are some radical ideas on it. It looks beautiful. I hope he can get it running for the Classic.

Mike Barnes and the Syrell Racing team had both 68 cars there this week.  Mike didn't look like himself in the feature at all after being lightning quick early in the day.  I wouldn't bet on seeing both in the Classic field, however.  I would expect that Mike will choose his weapon and the other will sit as a backup. 

SBS NEWS AND NOTES

Andy Jodway has some sorting out to do with the Derrick Hylton No. 1 before Classic if he wants to contend. He'll have another shot at it next week, and I'm sure they'll have it faster by Classic time. 

Alex Hoag made the No. 41 as wide as an oil field in the feature, causing drivers like Noah Ratcliff, Bryan Haynes, and others all kinds of stress.  It was fun to watch them try to get by Alex, and I'm glad the FloRacing broadcast pulled off the lead battle long enough to show us that chess match. 

Ratcliff and teammate Drew Pascuzzi both look like they're getting stronger as Classic time nears.  I would rank both of them as contenders. 

I'm not sure if Greg O'Connor blew the engine in the No. 90 or not, but I sure hope he can make it back for Classic. Whether Shawn Gosselin or Russ Brown make it back for the big one is also a question mark, but I wouldn't be surprised to see either of them in the field next week if they do intend to run on Classic Weekend. 

I'm really impressed with the improvement this year of Tyler Cooper in his No. 11. I wouldn't yet say Tyler is a contender for the SBS Classic win, but I'd surely say he's a top-ten car if he can stay clean for the entire race. 

350 SUPERMODIFIED NEWS AND NOTES

This year's 350 Classic is a wide-open event, as I cannot see a dominant car going in, and I don't see Jeffrey Battle entering it this year. Talen and Dawson Hawksby have done their share of winning this year, and they both surely could get the job done. They have both improved a lot as racers.  It will be interesting to watch how they finish the season out. 

Kyle Perry started the year really strong, but since his accident, he hasn't gotten his No. 20 fully back to where it needs to be.  I wouldn't count him out come Classic time, though! I'd like to see him do double duty and stay in the Colloca No. 41 Supermodified for the 200 as well. 

Robbie Wirth needs just a tad more out of his No. 4, and he surely could be a Classic winner. Watching him race this year, it's clear that he's maturing as a driver, and he's got the right car to win the race with.  

Mike Bruce has struggled a bit with his 350 Super, but I don't doubt he'll have it dialed in for the Classic. Bruce had the "Lair Jet" No. 88 Supermodified at practice on Friday, but found some issues with the motor and the car, so he'll work on it this week and try again at Friday practice.  

It just seems like that car needs a lot of work to be competitive, which is why Brian Sobus left the ride. It seems very unpredictable, watching it on the track.  Unless Mike is given the all-clear by owner Dave Lair to make some pretty sweeping changes to it, I don't know if he's going to get much more out of it. 

I was really glad to see Ryan Battle in action tonight. The Battles are some of the nicest people, and Ryan has all he needs to win the Classic if he hits the setup right and stays out of trouble.  

Next week is Championship night at Oswego, and the titles in two of the three divisions are still hotly contested going into the final night.  

The championship in the Supermodified division is all but assured for Otto Sitterly, who is 73 points ahead of Dave Shullick, Jr. going into the final night. If Otto shows up and starts the feature and finishes anywhere in the top ten, he's the champ.

In the 350 Supermodified division, Mike Bruce is 22 points ahead of his nephew Talen Hawksby, with other nephew Dawson Hawksby 32 back of Uncle Mikey.  Robby Wirth is 34 back in fourth.  I think any of these four could realistically win the race on Saturday, but as long as Bruce finishes within two or three spots of Talen and Dawson, he's in pretty good shape to be the champion. 

The most exciting points battle of them all is in the SBS division.  What a story this is. Jeff Carson, whose family's involvement at the track goes back more than half a century, owns the No. 10 that Bryan Haynes, who still has never won a Saturday night feature at Oswego, but has a Classic win and a Sunday morning rainout win, is driving.  That team has a nine-point advantage over Alex Hoag. 

Hoag, the son of former Oswego feature winner in both Supers and Limited (SBS) Supers Dean Hoag, drives for Jim Paternoster, whose involvement at the track as driver, sponsor, and team owner also goes back more than 50 years, is trying to win the title for the second straight year.  

You can bet this on-track battle will be intense on Saturday, and don't count out third-place Noah Ratcliff, who is currently 15 points behind Haynes.  If Haynes and Hoag falter, Ratcliff could steal the title on the last night.  Noah is an ace on the track, and he and his brother know how to set up a car to go fast, so this is a three-way battle that will more than likely go the full 30-lap distance on Saturday to the wire.

My picks for the championships? Well, we know the only way Otto loses out is if someone locks him in a port-a-potty, so he'll win the race and the title.  I have to go with Mike Bruce in the 350 Super division and Bryan Haynes in the SBS division because I have confidence in both drivers to use situational awareness, knowing what's on the line, and make sure they put themselves in the right positions.  

Oswego Speedway has no race scheduled on the 29th,  so everyone can prepare for the upcoming 70th Budweiser Classic Weekend, which officially starts September 4th.  But weekday testing will take place throughout that week.  

We'll keep you updated through the Inside Groove LIVE show on Mondays at 9 pm Eastern on our SWN Facebook/YouTube channels, and all week long across our SWN network.