By RICH VLECK
BATAVIA, NY – Believe it or not, the 2017 racing season at the Genesee Speedway is now halfway complete, which means that the point races begin to take focus as that thought of championships continue to conjure.
This Saturday, July 15, Beamer’s Sales & Service will present a Super 6 at 6:00 program, featuring the highly-popular autograph session. Last year’s autograph night saw the local racing community flood the front stretch to acquire signatures, candy and other goodies. This year expects to be no different.
In addition to the autograph fun, Saturday will be the third round of the Genesee/Outlaw Double Down Crate Late Model Challenge Series. Jimmy Johnson leads those standings, while JJ Mazur commands the top spot in the MHL Performance standings. It’s still a wide-open point race, just like the feature races have been with five different winners in seven races.
Kyle Inman has gotten on a hot streak in the Cornerstone Eye Associates Sportsman, winning four of the last five events. Andrew Smith is not letting Inman ride off to his second straight championship without a fight though, as is Ray Bliss who is still looking for his first Genesee win of the year.
The Ken’s Charcoal Pits 360 Late Models is ultra-competitive, with only one point separating leader Tommy Kemp and Dave DuBois, who won last Saturday’s event. John Zimmerman is also within shouting distance of the top spot.
The largest current point lead is held by Byron Dewitt, as he leads the Yasses Trucking and Construction Street Stocks by 27 points off the strength of his three wins. Butch Zimmerman is still looking for his first win, but still sits second in points just ahead of Mike Jackson.
James Gayton continues to lead the Pellegrino Auto Sales Mini Stocks, but his advantage is down to a single point after mechanical issues this past week slowed the No. 10 car. Dante Mancuso is now in striking position in second while defending champion Brad Shepard has reeled off two wins in the last three events.
Bailey Logsdon had a dominant week in the DML Driveway Sealing Bandits, sweeping the two events in three days. The youth division now has seen five of the nine regulars go to Victory Lane this season, with point leader Jessica Traxler scoring the most wins with four.
Racing action will roll off this Saturday at 6:00 P.M., with pit gates swinging open at 4:00 P.M. As a reminder, the next event following Saturday will be Thursday, July 20 for the annual Genesee County Fair race featuring the GRIT Sportsman Series and a $1,000-to-win Crate Late Model event. For more information, visit www.Genesee-Speedway.com.
