WOODHULL, NY – Brady Fultz had found a Saturday night home at the Woodhull Raceway prior to Covid 19 which would bring everything to its knees in 2020. Fultz piloted the Herbie Wright machine during that time with a mixed bag of success, mechanical gremlins and just plain old fashion bad luck. Each year the Wright/Fultz combination seems to find victory lane on at least one occasion, but this season things have rolled along better as Fultz parked the famous Wright #88 in victory lane for the second time in 2023.
By the luck of the redraw, Fultz pulled pill number one and from the drop of the opening green flag he led every lap in route to the victory as the event went was zipped off in just a little over seven minutes.
It was a clean and green to checkered flag run for the Insinger Performance Modifieds as inside row three starter, Jake Dgien was able to clear traffic quicker than any other driver and was up to second and closing on Fultz who was in heavy lap traffic near the halfway mark.
Dgien was able to close within a car length, but that is as close as he would get as once in clean air, Fultz was again able to stretch the advantage to nearly a full second and would go on to his second trip to the Pepsi/Siemen’s Energy Victory Lane in 2023.
Following Fultz and Dgien across the line was Ajay Potrzebowski who began the event in third and that is where he would finish as he would be chased across the line by his number one nemesis, Joe Dgien as the pair continue to lead the point battle heading into the stretch run.
Former Woodhull Raceway Track Champion in the late 1990’s, Steve Coots continues to impress by rounding the top five. Earlier in the evening, Coots was awarded the Driver of the Week Award.
Following the Modified feature event, the CRSA 305 Sprints took to the High Banked One-Third of a Mile clay oval making their first appearance at the track since 2018 when former Modified standout driver, Jeff Trombley took home the win.
An overflow field of twenty-seven machines from all across the northeast congregated at Woodhull with eighteen- year- old, Hannibal, NY driver, Jordan Hutton holding off veterans, Scott Landers of Kirkwood and Darrly Ruggles from Hopewell to take the A-Main feature win.
For a more comprehensive look at the entire CRSA night of action at Woodhull simply log on at crsa.myracepass.com.
It appeared like the Doug Gross RUSH Crate Late Models would follow the lead of the Insinger Modifieds running their twenty-five- lap, $2,000 to win special.
However, a lap sixteen caution involving the leading machine of Steve LeBarron and lap cars would send LeBarron pit side ending any chance of taking home the hardware and winner’s check. He would not return to the action.
That would then put the second place running machine of Jason Knowles into the top spot as he had Mr. Excitement, Jeremy Wonderling glued to his rear trunk lid with Bryce Davis in third.
On the reset, Wonderling was a little too hot entering turn one and clipped the rear quarter panel of the leading machine sending Knowles into a snap spin and Wonderling to the rear along with Knowles,
With that, part time Woodhull Raceway RUSH CLM competitor, Bryce Davis from Canisteo, NY would inherit the lead and cruise to win number one of the year, followed across the line by point leader, Austin Allen who continues to have a career season. 2022 Rookie of the year and four-time 2023 feature winner, Brett Marlatt would complete the podium finishers.
Jason Knowles would recover to take home fourth place with Rickie Loucks completing the top five.
Opening night NAPA Crate Sportsman feature winner, Connor Brown would lead the field to green for the twenty-five- lap affair and take charge in the early going with brothers Blake and Cayden Lawson in tow. A rash of caution flags would keep the event slowed and the field bunched as Brown would continue to set the early pace. However, on lap ten, row four starter, Kenny Peoples Jr. would power by and from there check out on the rest of the field with all eyes now on the battle for second place between life companions Brown and Isabel Barron. Lap after lap the duo would race side by side and in some cases swap paint with Barron eventually able to make the pass and go on to take second place at the checkered flag over Brown. Dale Welty, making a very rare appearance, would begin the event alongside Peoples and come home in fourth with Blake Lawson finishing the event exactly where he started rounding the top five.
Mick Seeley led all twenty laps in claiming his third feature win of 2023 backing up his previous wins on May 13 and June 17, 2023. After a spirited battle with Mike Williams in the early going, Seeley was able to extend his advantage to almost a full straight away while Williams was under fire from Travis Webster during the closing laps and Webster was able to make the pass on the last lap to take home the runner-up position with Williams having one of his better runs of the season finishing third. Fourth place would go to Luke Boom who put on a steady drive as he was able to hold off last year’s class Track Champion, Brett Crawford would complete the top five finishers.
Jeredd Dennis would hold off current high point man, Kaiden Dgien to claim his sixth feature win in the highly competitive KMD Excavation Hobby Stock Division.
A solid field of nineteen machines would take the opening green with Dennis and Dgien separating themselves from the rest of the field. By the midway mark, opening night winner, Brandon Conklin had moved into third as he was being chased by Tracy Dunn who has a pair of feature victories heading into the night.
With the laps winding down, Dennis was able to put the “W” into the record books albeit it a win by less than two tenths of a second as Dgien would have to settle for second place with Conklin and Dunn giving chase. Brian Austin put on a steady drive to round the top five. Only a little over one full second separated the first five across the line.
In the combined Wicked Tee’s Mini Stock and FWD feature Andrew Thomas was able to claim his first win of the season after an odd turn of events. With current high point man and nine-time 2023 feature winner, Wes Houghtaling out after a lap one encounter with the turn one concrete wall, it opened the field to perhaps a new face in victory lane and that is exactly what happened after both Nate Freeland and Aaron Robinson were both DQ’s for not entering post-race tech handing the victory to Thomas.
In the companion Wicked Tee’s Mini Stock Division, Willie Easling was able to make his way into victory lane for the first time this season in class. Piloting the Cody Morehouse Racing machine, Easling was able to hold off two-time 2023 feature winner and current high point competitor, Danielle Thomas to take the win. Following the lead duo across the line it was John Hand Jr. who trails Thomas in the point standings with Jaden Stone bettering Ryan Stone as they would finish fourth and fifth respectively.
After being recognized earlier in the evening as the youngest member of the famed Morseman Family that has competed at the Woodhull Raceway for the past half a century Russ Morseman IV, piloting a replica of the original car his great grandfather ran in the early 1970’s claimed win eleven on the 2023 campaign.
A field of eight drivers in the Youth Wicked Tee’s Warrior Division took the opening green and before the first lap was completed Russ Morseman IV had the top spot and was putting distance between his car and that of his sister, Izzabella. A pair of quick caution flags slowed the pace but, on every re-start, Russ IV was able to hold his sister at bay and went on to the victory. Trailing the brother/sister act across the line was Kayleigh Morseman finishing third as Marcus Kerr and Alivia Sullivan would complete the top five. Des-A-Rae Miles, Courtney Thomas and Jacob Stone rounded the field.
Congratulations to all competitors.
Up next at Woodhull on August 26 it will be the Race of Champions in addition for a Regular Great 8 Show plus a make-up event for the NYPENN IMCA Modified’s after an earlier season rainout.
Also, it will be Back to School Backpack Night at the track with some fifty backpacks going out to lucky youngsters who register at the Junior Fan Booth.
For more information heading into the event go to www.Facebook.com/WoodhullRaceway/.
WOODHULL RACEWAY STORY AND RESULTS. 8/19/2023. UNOFFICIAL
INSINGER PERFORMANCE MODIFIEDS. (17 cars)
25 lap feature. BRADY FULTZ (2), Jake Dgien, Ajay Potrzebowski Jr., Joe Dgien, Steve Coots, Ajay Potrzebowski Sr., Donnie Lawson, Brian Doolittle, Dayton Brewer, Stacy Jackson, Josh Keesey, Brandon Martin, Adam Coots, Russ Morseman, Ryan Tracy. DNS, Brayden Bills, Wally Wade.
NAPA Crate Sportsman. (12 cars)
25 lap feature. KENNY PEOPLES JR. (7), Isabel Barron, Connor Brown, Dale Welty, Blake Lawson, Chris Clemens, Glenn Trowbridge, Cayden Lawson, Kyle Leach, Quintin Buchanan, Tim Guild, Ethan Decker.
DOUG GROSS CONSTRUCTION CRATE LATE MODELS. (16 cars)
20 lap feature. BRYCE DAVIS, Austin Allen, Brett Marlatt, Jason Knowles, Rickie Loucks, Jeremy Wonderling, Noah Talada, Joe Layfield, Tony Kelley, Dennis Loucks, Steve LeBarron, Marhsall O’Brian, Brian Knowles, Rich McNeal, Pat Parker. DNS, Garrett Heffner.
SOUTHERN TIER CUSTOMS STREET STOCKS. (12 cars)
20 lap feature. MICK SEELEY (3), Travis Webster, Mike Williams, Luke Boom, Brett Crawford, Jim Buck, Joe Giardina, Willy Easling, Jesse Tuthill, Teddy Morseman, Mike Spencer, Branden Morseman.
KMD EXCAVATION HOBBY STOCKS. (19 cars)
20 lap feature. JEREDD DENNIS (6), Kaiden Dgien, Brandon Conklin, Tracy Dunn, Brian Austin, Brandon Birdsall, Scott Brown, Joe Birdsall, Dale Houghtaling, Meadow Dgien, Paul Dgien, Bradly Morseman, Collin Brown, Hunter Willians, Mike Carapella, Jason Ketrow, Scotty Brown, Glen VanCise, Dillon Philip
WICKED TEE’S MINI STOCKS. (8 cars)
20 lap feature. WILLIE EASLING, Danielle Thomas, John Hand Jr., Jaden Stone, Ryan Stone, Jim Buck, Josh Stone, Dylon Morseman.
WICKED TEE’S FWD. (4 cars)
20 lap feature. ANDREW THONMAS, Wes Houghtaling, Nate Freeland, Aaron Robinson
WICKED TEE’S WARRIORS. (8 cars)
10 lap feature. RUSS MORSEMAN IV (11), Izzabella Morseman, Kayleigh Morseman, Marcus Kerr, Alivia Sullivan, Des-A-Rae Miles, Courtney Thomas, Jacob Stone.
CRSA 305 SPRINTS (27 cars)
25 lap feature. JORDAN HUTTON, Scott Landers, Darryl Ruggles, Tyler Graves, Dalton Herrick, Cliff Pierce, John Cunningham, Dan Bennett, Fred Proctor, Peter Dance, Jerry Sehn Jr., Nathan Pierce, Blake Warner, Dillon Paddock, Thomas Radivoy, Tomy Moreau, Dustin Sehn, Dan Curan, Kristen Dombroski, Ed Kelly, Tyler Chartrand, Kyle Pierce, Ray Preston, John Smith. DNQ. Aaron Shelton, Sydney Weatherbee, Ron Greek
