OSWEGO, NY (July 8, 2019) – Following weeks of hard luck, Syrell Racing and driver Michael Barnes avoided another near heartbreak on Saturday night at Oswego Speedway to win the Speedway’s Grand Prix 75-lap special, presented by Holiday Inn Express & Suites of Oswego.
After starting from the 18th position in the night’s 24-car main event, Barnes inherited the top spot after leaders Dave Shullick Jr., Alison Sload and Joe Gosek all tangled with three laps remaining.
Following a refueling period under red flag conditions, the Syrell No. 68 Supermodified appeared to vapor lock and would not re-fire. Fortunately, after several moments, the Syrell Racing big block Chevrolet came to life, allowing Barnes to restart in the race lead on lap 72.
When the green lights came back on, Barnes had no issue keeping Doug Didero and David Danzer at bay to win his 13th career Supermodified event at Oswego, putting him in a tie with speedway Hall of Famers Art Bennett, Tim Gareau and Bob Goutermout.
The win is Barnes’ 8th career triumph as the lead driver for Syrell Racing’s Supermodified program.
“We made some gains on it tonight,” said Barnes. “We got up to the top five which is pretty good for the way we have been running. At the end, DJ (Shullick), must have run out of fuel and Alison (Sload) hit the wall. Joe (Gosek) I think then touched with Alison, and it kind of took off from there. I just want to say that this is for my cousin Mikayla Guile who passed away. She was a big fan here and always supported the team. I also want to thank all my guys for not giving up even when I’ve wanted to. They just keep working hard and I had a real good car tonight. We got to the front and were able to do what we could do.”
With the victory, Barnes climbs all the way to 6th in the Supermodified driver’s championship trailing Otto Sitterly, Jeff Abold, Sload, Brandon Bellinger and Gosek.
In 350-Supermodified action, Syrell Racing’s Dalton Doyle claimed the runner-up position in the night’s main event behind the wheel of the No. 08.
The Syrell Racing team returns to Oswego on Saturday, July 13 for the ‘Summer Championship’.
Hot laps begin on July 13 at 4:15 p.m. with time trials at 6:20 p.m. and racing at 6:45 p.m.
The Supermodifieds will contend in a 50-lap main event with the 350-Supermodifieds going 25-laps.
More information on the night’s activities can be found online through www.oswegospeedway.com.
Follow Syrell Racing online at www.facebook.com/SyrellRacing.
Syrell Racing Partners: Champion Power Equipment, Dan Kapuscinski Motorsports Promotions, Furdi’s, Gaffney’s Lawn Care, GJP Italian Eatery Oswego, Good Times of Oswego, Hawk Jr. Fabrication, Holiday Inn Express & Suites of Oswego, Joe’s Jerky, Mike Babcock Racing, Mohawk Northeast, Oswego Valley Millwork, Performance Manufacturing, Scott Lyons, Six Scoops, Skip’s Fish Fry, Slack Karts, Speedway Safety Solutions, Steve’s Body Shop, SuperGen Products
Syrell Inc. is a professional automotive racing team, which competes in the elite class of Supermodified race cars at the legendary Oswego Speedway.