5.12.18 Genesee Speedway Results

Rich Vleck, BATAVIA, NY, (May 12, 2018)- Ray Bliss has had a string of early season bad luck over the last few seasons at the Genesee Speedway, so to shake those gremlins he made a quick and decisive move to the front and then never looked back to travel to Victory Lane.
Bliss, from Warsaw, jumped for his 4th starting spot to second on the opening set of corners then a lap later moved by Josh Wilcox to gain the lead he would never relinquish to win the Sportsman Feature.
On Orleans Ford Night, the second regular season event of 2018, which once again featured 100 cars in the pits, the track was fast, making the competition tight and making Bliss’ charge to the front so critical.
“I saw TJ (Newton) tag the wall coming to the green and it kind of opened the hole for me so I just went there and it worked out,” stated Bliss after the 25-lap feature. “I didn’t have a mirror in the car but figured it was pretty good and I just drove away.”
The early portions of the Sportsman feature were mired by caution, but when the green flag was out each time it was clear Bliss was the dominant car on the field. Only in the final five laps when Andrew Smith got clear in second did anyone run quicker laps then the No. 27z.
As Bliss was cruising to victory, Smith would cross in second, while third would go to Austin Susice. Wilcox would end up fourth with Matt Steffenhagen completing the top five.
On opening night, David Pangrazio was unable to start the Crate Late Model Feature, on Saturday night he started out front and stayed there, driving away from the pack for his first win. Pangrazio, of Elba, never had a serious challenge from second-place and defending champion JJ Mazur despite having to weave through the lapped traffic. The race took on yellow fever in the late stages but Pangrazio never got rattled and was able to pick up the win, along with a $200 bonus from Cummings Trucking. Mazur, Jeremy Wonderling, Jason Genco and Bill Holmes completed the top five.
Dave DuBois stayed perfect for the season in the 360 Late Models as he led wire-to-wire to win the 20-lap feature. “The Outlaw” jumped to an early advantage over Zack Carley, but as the race ran along green flag conditions Carley ran him down as they reached the back of the pack. On lap 12, just as Carley was setting up a pass for the lead, the only caution of the race flew right in front of the leaders, allowing DuBois to regain clean track and run the rest of the way to his second win in as many starts this season. Carley would settle for second with Tom Baker, Tommy Kemp and John Zimmerman rounding out the top five.
Teddy Morseman made his invasion of Genesee count in the Street Stock Feature as he led all 20 laps and held off the late-race advances of defending champion Byron Dewitt to score a win that included a $200 bonus from Cummings Trucking. Morseman nearly lost the lead on a handful of occasions to Dewitt, but had the momentum to hold back the No. 34 off the corners. As Dewitt settled for second, Dennis Cummings held back fellow Southern Tier driver Kurt Stebbins for fourth while Mike Jackson rounded out the top five.
Eric Brumsted survived a major late-race challenge from defending champion Dante Mancuso to win the 15-lap Mini Stock Feature. Brumsted, of Batavia, took the lead on lap 7 from Don Whiteside while in lapped traffic but after a late-race restart restacked the field, Mancuso was able to challenge Brumsted for the top spot. Mancuso would lead lap 13 and 14 at the line but on the final circuit, Brumsted got the momentum off the final corner to capture the victory by a half second. Mancuso would settle for second while Whiteside, Eric Weis and Bill Weller Jr rounded out the top five.
Adam Jackson won the 12-lap Bandit Feature handily, as he equaled his 2017 win total on the second night of the year. Jackson, of LeRoy, had a steady advantage during the long green flag run in the middle of the race, as well as on the many restarts to keep defending track champion Jessica Traxler to a second place finish. Week one winner Bailey Logsdon would complete the podium.
Genesee Speedway Results: 5/12/2018-
Orleans Ford Night
MHL Performance Crate Late Model Feature (25 Laps)- DAVID PANGRAZIO, JJ Mazur, Jeremy Wonderling, Jason Genco, Bill Holmes, TJ Downs, Kyle Murray, Bruce Hordusky, Jimmy Johnson, Beamer Guzzardi, Kurt Stebbins, Alan Chapman, Billy DuBois, Jon Rivers, Greg Mrzywka, Carl Shetler.
Lap Leaders- Pangrazio 1-25.
Heat Winners- Pangrazio, Rivers.
Cornerstone Eye Associates Sportsman Feature (20 Laps)- RAY BLISS JR., Andrew Smith, Austin Susice, Josh Wilcox, Matt Steffenhagen, Kyle Inman, Cam Tuttle, Dalton Martin, Sarah Johnson, John Venuto, Shane O’Grady, Chase Matteson, TJ Newton, Anthony Muscato, Austyn Fugle, Rick Martin, Mike Denning, Zach George, AJ Custodi, Nate Koson, Adam Chaddock, Tim Schram, Chris Brown, Zach Sam, Jim Harbison.
Lap Leader- Wilcox 1, Bliss 2-20.
Heat Winners- Steffenhagen, Custodi, Susice.
Ken’s Charcoal Pits BBQ 360 Late Model Feature (20 Laps)- DAVE DUBOIS, Zack Carley, Tom Baker, Tommy Kemp, John Zimmerman, Rich Hale, Shawn Hazlitt.
Lap Leaders- DuBois 1-20.
Heat Winners- DuBois
Yasses Trucking & Construction Street Stock Feature (20 Laps)- TEDDY MORSEMAN JR., Byron Dewitt, Dennis Cummings, Kurt Stebbins, Mike Jackson, Joe Chamberlain, Bob Babbitt, Ryan Allen, Kenny Begnouche, Jesse Qutermous, Mike Kelly, Doug Jones, Deanna Jackson (DNS).
Lap Leaders- Morseman 1-20.
Heat Winners- Begnouche, Dewitt.
Dash Winner- Begnouche.
Pellegrino Auto Sales Mini Stock Feature (15 Laps)- ERIC BRUMSTED, Dante Mancuso, Don Whiteside, Eric Weis, Bill Weller Jr., Duane Powers, Kane Stebbins, Cole Susice, Cole Hicks, Chuck Cala, Rich Conte, Dylan Greene, Trinity Reynolds, Olivia Coniber, Lindsay McKenzie, Danielle Thomas, Tony Kulesza, Chris Horton, Austin Wonderling, John Mosher, James Gayton, Joe Kilby, Lee Hicks, Caleb Wolcott, Anthony Schoonover, Tyler Oakes.
Lap Leaders- Mosher 1, Whiteside 2-6, Brumsted 7-12, Mancuso 13-14, Brumsted 15.
Heat Winners- Brumsted, Powers, Weis.
DML Sealing Bandits (12 Laps)- ADAM JACKSON, Jessica Traxler, Bailey Logsdon, Drew Westmoreland, Allison Dewitt, Alexis Traxler, Hailey Weis, Brian Gregory, Randy Gregory, Greenley George, Brooke McClain, Justin Jackson (DNS).
Lap Leaders- A. Jackson 1-12.
Heat Winner- J. Traxler, Logsdon.