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August 3 2023

Empire Super Sprints Set for Return to Utica Rome and Fonda

ESS SprintsMedia-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Vernon, NY) | As the calendar on the 40^th Anniversary season for the Empire Super Sprints turns to August, the tour is right back in action with another doubleheader weekend, this time at the Utica Rome and Fonda Speedways.

First up on Friday, the tour heads back to the Utica Rome Speedway for the third time in 2023. Back in May, it was Paulie Colagiovanni who found victory lane at the Vernon, NY ½ mile oval. Then, as part of CNY Speedweek, it was Danny Varin who came out on top in June. With both drivers continuing to show speed late into the season, a repeat performance is not out of the question though a strong contingent of drivers is expected to be on hand looking to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The following night, the tour heads just east down the thru-way to Fonda Speedway for its second visit of 2023. In one previous visit this year, it was Shawn Donath who found victory lane. Donath has not finished outside of the top 10 on any given night since June and currently sits second in the points standings just 3 points back of leader and defending champion Jordan Poirier.

Saturdays visit to the Fonda Speedway will also be the annual Earl Halaquist Memorial. Each year, the Earl Halaquist Memorial is held in honor of one of the most accomplished sprint car drivers in the Northeast, Earl Halaquist. Competing across NY, NJ, PA, VA, NC, MD VT, Canada and more, Halaquist amassed 53 URC wins and six championships.

Halaquist, a World War II veteran, was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, IA in 2000 before his passing in 2001.

Former Executive Director of the National Sprint Car HoF and fellow inductee Thomas Schmeh is once again spearheading a lap sponsorship program. Laps are available to purchase through Thomas via Facebook message or email to iowabasedtraveler@yahoo.com and 100% of the money collected goes directly to each lap leader.

A special thank you goes out to Kinney’s Kar Kare for presenting Friday night’s dash at Utica Rome, and Herrington Farms for Saturdays dash at Fonda. Information for start times, admission prices and nightly order of events for this weekend’s races can be found on both tracks social media pages and webpages, along with the ESS social media pages.

For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The Empire Super Sprints would like to thank the following series sponsors for their continued support: Rifenburg Contracting Corp, PJC Spray Foam, Hoosier Racing Tire, Cobra Coaches, E&V Energy, Fondations 4 Saisons, Pinnacle Investments, LLC, Lacaillade Masonry, Inc., FX Caprara, ASI Racewear, Lanes Yamaha, Ashley Lynn Winery, Bicknell Racing Products, DirtTrackDigest.com and LC Design.

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, August 4 – Utica-Rome Speedway – Vernon, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, August 5 – Fonda Speedway – Fonda, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, August 25 – Autodrome Granby – Granby, QC ($3,000 to Win)

July 29 2023

Zimbardi Pockets $3,565 in Outlaw Summer Nationals Win

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Dundee, NY) | For the fourth time in his career, Jared Zimbardi found himself in Empire Super Sprints victory lane on Friday night at the Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, NY. As part of the 8^th annual Outlaw Summer Nationals, Zimbardi’s triumph was worth a cool $3,565.

By virtue of draw, Pinnacle Pole Award winner Jonathan Preston and Jared Zimbardi led the field to the green flag, with Preston jumping out to the early advantage. For the first 17 laps, the top 3 would remain unchanged, with Preston pacing Zimbardi and third starting Jordan Thomas.

Meanwhile, 13^th starting Shawn Donath was busy working his way through the field, en-route to earning the PJC Spray Foam hard charger award by advancing all the way to the 5^th position.

As the leaders hit lap 18, Zimbardi, Thomas, and Preston put on a clinic trading slide jobs and positions. When the dust settled, it was Zimbardi who came out on top, with Preston close on his heels and Thomas rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium.

“This car is a 10-year-old J&J Chassis,” said Zimbardi. “We have had a lot of success in it over the years. I haven’t bought a lot of new equipment recently, we have just gone back to what we know, put the same setup in it that has been fast for us and it didn’t disappoint.”

“We weren’t really convinced we were on the right track after the heat race, but we made a few changes and hit it just right.”

“When I started to see Preston struggle with lap traffic, I knew we would have a shot. I actually didn’t see him get over the cushion because I was watching the lap cars and next thing I knew I slipped by him.”

“It feels good to be in victory lane again, my six-year-old son Vinny has been giving me grief wanting to get on the wing in victory lane and he’s finally able to do it – he was pretty ecstatic when he pulled the 2 in the redraw too. Being my 50^th career win, this one is a little more special.”

On one of the hottest nights of the season thus far, 22 cars lined the pit area at Outlaw. The field was split into three timed hot lap groups, with Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards going to Joe Trenca, Jonathan Preston, and Jordan Thomas. Trenca, Preston and Thomas would all go 2-for2, picking up E&V Energy heat race wins as well. The Cobra Coaches Dash presented by Fratto Curbing was won by Shawn Donath.

Next on the schedule for the Empire Super Sprints is a two-race weekend this coming Friday and Saturday August 4^th and 5^th at the Utica Rome and Fonda Speedways. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, August 4 – Utica-Rome Speedway – Vernon, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, August 5 – Fonda Speedway – Fonda, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, August 25 – Autodrome Granby – Granby, QC ($3,000 to Win)

Full Results:

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. #35-Jared Zimbardi[2]; 2. #22-Jonathan Preston[1]; 3. #79-Jordan Thomas[3]; 4. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[5]; 5. #53-Shawn Donath[13]; 6. #87-Jason Barney[7]; 7. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[12]; 8. #98-Joe Trenca[10]; 9. #90-Matt Tanner[11]; 10. 28-Jordan Poirier[9]; 11. #10H-Kelly Hebing[4]; 12. #10-Jeff Cook[6]; 13. #41-Dalton Rombough[14]; 14. #36-Logan Crisafulli[8]; 15. 11J-Chris Jones[17]; 16. 11T-Mike Thompson[15]; 17. #3-Parker Evans[18]; 18. #8-Nick Fratto[21]; 19. #13T-Trevor Years[19]; 20. #X-Dan Bennett[20]; 21. 29D-Dylan Menditto[22]; 22. (DNF) #13-Keith Granholm[16]

Fratto Curbing Dash (4 Laps): 1. #53-Shawn Donath[1]; 2. #41-Dalton Rombough[4]; 3. 11T-Mike Thompson[5]; 4. #13-Keith Granholm[2]; 5. 11J-Chris Jones[6]; 6. (DNS) #3-Parker Evans

E&V Energy Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #98-Joe Trenca[1]; 2. #10-Jeff Cook[2]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[3]; 4. #35-Jared Zimbardi[5]; 5. #53-Shawn Donath[8]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[4]; 7. #13T-Trevor Years[6]; 8. #8-Nick Fratto[7]

E&V Energy Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #22-Jonathan Preston[1]; 2. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[2]; 3. #90-Matt Tanner[4]; 4. #87-Jason Barney[3]; 5. #13-Keith Granholm[6]; 6. 11T-Mike Thompson[5]; 7. 29D-Dylan Menditto[7]

E&V Energy Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #79-Jordan Thomas[1]; 2. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[2]; 3. #10H-Kelly Hebing[3]; 4. #36-Logan Crisafulli[4]; 5. #3-Parker Evans[6]; 6. 11J-Chris Jones[5]; 7. #X-Dan Bennett[7]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #98-Joe Trenca; #22-Jonathan Preston; #79-Jordan Thomas

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #98-Joe Trenca; #22-Jonathan Preston; #79-Jordan Thomas

Cobra Coaches / Fratto Curbing Dash Winner ($100): #53-Shawn Donath

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #22-Jonathan Preston

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #53-Shawn Donath (+8)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #10H-Kelly Hebing (-7)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #29D-Dylan Menditto

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #10H-Kelly Hebing

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #35-Jared Zimbardi; #22 Jonathan Preston, #79-Jordan Thomas

July 26 2023

$3,500 to Win Outlaw Summer Nationals Up Next for ESS

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By Curtis Berleue (Dundee, NY) | With inclement weather causing the cancellation of last weekends scheduled trip to the Albany-Saratoga Speedway, the Empire Super Sprints now turn their attention to the Outlaw Speedway this coming Friday night for the annual running of the Outlaw Summer Nationals.

The 40^th anniversary tour for the Empire Super Sprints was originally set to kick off at Outlaw Speedway earlier this season, but a spring with challenging weather ultimately led to the cancellation of that event. The tour will now get another opportunity at the 4/10-mile oval in Dundee, NY, this time for a $3,500 to win main event in a program that will be co-headlined by the ULMS super late models.

Friday’s trip will be the first of 3 visits to the Outlaw Speedway that remain on the schedule in 2023. Though the tour has not made a visit to the Yates County oval since 2019, it has a robust history at the track. 80 feature events have taken place in Dundee, with the first dating back to August 3, 1984. The most recent ESS winner at the track is former World of Outlaws competitor Lucas Wolfe in October of 2019.

Leading the charge into Outlaw is defending champion Jordan Poirier, who has been in command of the points lead since early June. Hot on his heals is Shawn Donath, who has been consistently fast since the beginning of the season, followed by Jason Barney, Dylan Swiernik and Jeff Cook.

Fratto Curbing has come on board to sponsor the Cobra Coaches Dash Series dash for cash, paying $100 to the winner. A full listing of admission prices, gate times and the nightly schedule can be found on both the Outlaw Speedway website and social media pages, along with the Empire Super Sprints Facebook page.

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, July 28 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to Win Outlaw Summer Nationals)

Friday, August 4 – Utica-Rome Speedway – Vernon, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, August 5 – Fonda Speedway – Fonda, NY ($2,000 to Win)

July 18 2023

Empire Super Sprints Return to Albany-Saratoga for Second Visit of 2023

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By Curtis Berleue (Malta, NY) | With another two-day weekend in the books for the Empire Super Sprints 40^th anniversary tour, the series will now head back east to the Albany-Saratoga Speedway for the second of two visits in 2023 this coming Friday, July 21.

When the tour visited in June, it was Matt Tanner picking up the victory over Chad Miller and Shawn Donath. Fresh off his first win as a car owner last weekend with current NASCAR star Chase Briscoe at the helm, Tanner is looking to repeat his performance from earlier in the year and sweep the seasons visits to the Malta, NY oval.

With just 12 events left on the 2023 schedule, the battle for the year-end championship is starting to heat up. Defending champion Jordan Poirier has been in command of the standings since early June, but a rough night at Freedom this past Friday coupled with two solid runs on the weekend by second place Shawn Donath allowed Donath to close the gap slightly, as he is now only 26 points back.

The battle for third in the championship standings is also starting to heat up. Early season winner Jason Barney currently sits in the third position, though Dylan Swiernik is now just 40 points behind him in 4^th. After this past weekend, Jeff Cook has moved into the top 5, and is ready to pounce should a competitor ahead of him strike misfortune.

This weekend’s event at Albany Saratoga will see Herrington Farms, a 5^th generation dairy farm in Troy, NY, as the presenting sponsor of the Cobra Coaches Dash. Information regarding gate times, prices and the order of events can be found on both the Albany-Saratoga Facebook page and website along with on the Empire Super Sprints social media platforms.

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, July 21 – Albany-Saratoga Speedway – Malta, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, July 28 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to Win Outlaw Summer Nationals)

Friday, August 4 – Utica-Rome Speedway – Vernon, NY ($2,000 to Win)

July 16 2023

Stillwaggon Captures First ESS Win at Woodhull

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By Curtis Berleue (Woodhull, NY) | Burlington, New Jersey driver Robbie Stillwaggon made the long haul to ‘New Yorks Toughest Bullring’, the Woodhull Raceway well worth the drive as he landed in Empire Super Sprints victory lane for the first time in his career on Saturday night.

Pinnacle Pole Award winner Jordan Poirier led the field to green alongside Stillwaggon, and although it looked like Stillwaggon would jump out to an early lead, Poirier fought back and was scored as the leader on lap 1 as the field crossed the line.

A lap 6 yellow for a spinning Kyle Drum off turn 4 slowed the field, and as a result Poirier’s lead over Stillwaggon was erased for the ensuing restart. When the green flag dropped, Stillwaggon was able to get by Poirier and hold his position this time, setting sail away from the rest of the field.

Meanwhile, 5^th starting Chuck Hebing had been slowly making up ground on the leaders and worked his way into the top 2 on lap 10. Just four laps later, however, Hebing would jump the cushion and surrender second to the #53 of Shawn Donath.

Early season winner Jason Barney looked to be having a solid top 5 night until a flat tire sidelined his efforts with two laps remaining. On what would be the final restart of the night, Donath made a valiant attempt to get by Stillwaggon, but ultimately came up one spot short with Stillwaggon collecting the win and the $2,000 winners share.

“I’ve had two seconds here before, I think I lost it on the last lap to Barney once, but it’s great to finally get it done,” said Stillwaggon in victory lane. “I knew he (Donath) was going to be tough to beat, we got into each other and I hate it.”

“All of these guys with ESS are good cars; there’s no bad cars here. To come out and win with these guys, this is my first win with ESS and I have been racing forever.”

Consistency has been the name of the game so far in 2023 for Shawn Donath, and Saturday was no exception as he finished second for the second time in as many nights on the weekend.

“I have the best crew chief, I can tell you that,” said Donath. “We made a couple adjustments before we came out and we could go anywhere we wanted.”

Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was Jordan Poirier, rebounding after a hard crash Friday at Freedom.

“The car was really good, I think clean air was important so on that restart we stalled out a bit,” said Poirier. “We’ll take a third-place finish after last night and the weekend we had.”

There were 16 cars pit side for the return of the Empire Super Sprints to the Woodhull Raceway, splitting the field into two timed hot lap groups. Rifenburg Construction fast time awards went to Jordan Poirier and Chuck Hebing. E&V Energy heat races were won by Jordan Poirier and Chuck Hebing, with the Cobra Coaches Dash presented by Walker Metalsmiths Inc. going to Shawn Donath.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is Friday, July 21^st at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, July 21 – Albany-Saratoga Speedway – Malta, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, July 28 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to Win Outlaw Summer Nationals)

Friday, August 4 – Utica-Rome Speedway – Vernon, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[2]; 2. #53-Shawn Donath[7]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[1]; 4. #45-Chuck Hebing[5]; 5. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[8]; 6. #47-Kyle Drum[10]; 7. #35-Jared Zimbardi[6]; 8. #4P-Chase Moran[13]; 9. #13T-Trevor Years[11]; 10. #10-Jeff Cook[14]; 11. #22-Jonathan Preston[4]; 12. #36-Logan Crisafulli[16]; 13. (DNF) #87-Jason Barney[9]; 14. (DNF) #11-Ryan Stillwaggon[12]; 15. (DNF) #7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 16. (DNF) #41-Dalton Rombough[15]

Walker Metalsmiths Inc. Dash: 1. #53-Shawn Donath[2]; 2. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[1]; 3. #87-Jason Barney[4]; 4. #47-Kyle Drum[6]; 5. #13T-Trevor Years[3]; 6. #11-Ryan Stillwaggon[5]

Heat 1: 1. 28-Jordan Poirier[2]; 2. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[5]; 3. #35-Jared Zimbardi[1]; 4. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[4]; 5. #13T-Trevor Years[3]; 6. #11-Ryan Stillwaggon[7]; 7. #4P-Chase Moran[6]; 8. (DNF) #41-Dalton Rombough[8]

Heat 2: 1. #45-Chuck Hebing[2]; 2. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[4]; 3. #22-Jonathan Preston[1]; 4. #53-Shawn Donath[3]; 5. #87-Jason Barney[6]; 6. #47-Kyle Drum[5]; 7. #10-Jeff Cook[8]; 8. #36-Logan Crisafulli[7]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #28-Jordan Poirier; #45-Chuck Hebing

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #28-Jordan Poirier; #45-Chuck Hebing

Cobra Coaches / Walker Metalsmiths Inc. Dash Winner ($100): #53-Shawn Donath

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #28-Jordan Poirier

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #53-Shawn Donath (+5)

Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #22-Jonathan Preston (-7)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #36-Logan Crisafulli

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #22-Jonathan Preston

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #89-Robbie Stillwaggon; #53-Shawn Donath, #28-Jordan Poirier

July 15 2023

Preston Leads Flag to Flag for Win at Freedom

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By Curtis Berleue (Delevan, NY) | After a handful of top 5’s and overcoming some bad luck earlier in the season, Jonathan Preston finally was able to find the missing puzzle piece and pick up the Empire Super Sprints win on Friday night at Freedom Motorsports Park.

Drawing the Pinnacle Investments pole award, Preston would start on the front row alongside Kyle Drum for the 25-lap main event. Before a lap could be completed, however, the first red flag of the night was thrown for Dan Bennett after he took a tumble down the backstretch.

On the ensuing restart, Preston jumped out to an advantage over the field, with 3^rd starting Jeff Cook getting by Drum for second. Another red, this time for Sammy Reakes IV flipping wildly out of the park in turns 1&2, set the field up for another early restart.

As the green flag waved again, it was Preston with the lead headed into turn 1, though this time Drum was able to get back by Cook for second. By the mid-point of the race, the top 2 remained unchanged, but 6^th place starting Shawn Donath had quietly worked his way into the top 3.

A lap 18 restart would then allow Donath to slip by Drum for second. As the field came around for the two-to-go signal, Jeff Cook was able to get back by Drum for third. In the closing laps, it became apparent that nobody was going to have anything for Preston, and he sailed to his first victory of 2023.

Shawn Donath held on for a second place finish, and coming to the checkered Drum fought back on the outside and passed Cook for third, securing his first Ashley Lynn Winery podium finish of the season.

“As soon as I heard the 53 behind me, I knew it was go time,” said Preston in victory lane. “I was taking it easy on tires early, but as soon as I knew he was there I couldn’t hold anything back.

19 cars signed into the pits at Freedom, splitting the field into 3 timed hot lap groups. Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time awards went to Jason Barney, Shawn Donath, and Jacob Dykstra. The E&V Energy heat race wins went to Jason Barney, Shawn Donath, and Dylan Swiernik. Picking up the Mary Ennis sponsored Cobra Coaches Dash was Ryan Stillwaggon.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is tonight, Saturday July 15 at the Woodhull Raceway in Woodhull, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Saturday, July 15 – Woodhull Raceway – Woodhull, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, July 21 – Albany-Saratoga Speedway – Malta, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, July 28 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to Win Summer Nationals)

Full Results:

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. #22-Jonathan Preston[1]; 2. #53-Shawn Donath[6]; 3. #47-Kyle Drum[2]; 4. #10-Jeff Cook[3]; 5. #87-Jason Barney[9]; 6. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[12]; 7. #35-Jared Zimbardi[7]; 8. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[11]; 9. #36-Logan Crisafulli[10]; 10. #11-Ryan Stillwaggon[13]; 11. #13T-Trevor Years[4]; 12. #13-Keith Granholm[15]; 13. #18C-Dan Craun[18]; 14. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[5]; 15. 28-Jordan Poirier[8]; 16. #41-Dalton Rombough[16]; 17. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[14]; 18. #X-Dan Bennett[17]; 19. #25G-Tyler Graves[19]

Mary Ennis Dash (4 Laps): 1. #11-Ryan Stillwaggon[2]; 2. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[3]; 3. #13-Keith Granholm[1]; 4. #41-Dalton Rombough[4]; 5. #X-Dan Bennett[5]; 6. #18C-Dan Craun[6]

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #87-Jason Barney[2]; 2. #35-Jared Zimbardi[4]; 3. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[1]; 4. #47-Kyle Drum[3]; 5. #13-Keith Granholm[7]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[5]; 7. #25G-Tyler Graves[6]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #53-Shawn Donath[2]; 2. #36-Logan Crisafulli[1]; 3. #10-Jeff Cook[3]; 4. #13T-Trevor Years[4]; 5. #11-Ryan Stillwaggon[6]; 6. #X-Dan Bennett[5]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[1]; 2. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[2]; 3. #22-Jonathan Preston[4]; 4. 28-Jordan Poirier[3]; 5. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[5]; 6. #18C-Dan Craun[6]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #87-Jason Barney; #53-Shawn Donath; #5D-Jacob Dykstra

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #87-Jason Barney; #53-Shawn Donath; #7C-Dylan Swiernik

Cobra Coaches / Mary Ennis Dash Winner ($100): #11-Ryan Stillwaggon

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #22-Jonathan Preston

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #7C-Dylan Swiernik (+6)

Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #13T-Trevor Years (-7)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #18C-Dan Craun

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #13T-Trevor Years

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #22-Jonathan Preston; #53-Shawn Donath; #47-Kyle Drum

July 10 2023

Empire Super Sprints Head West to Freedom & Woodhull

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By Curtis Berleue (Delevan, NY) | After a week off following a successful 2023 CNY Speedweek, the Empire Super Sprints are set to continue their 40^th anniversary season this weekend with a pair of events at the Freedom Motorsports Park and Woodhull Raceway on Friday July 14 and Saturday July 15.

Leading the charge into Freedom on Friday is current point leader and defending champion Jordan Poirier. Poirier comes off a strong second place points finish in Speedweek, and already having notched two wins on the season he is looking to add another victory to that total. If he is to do so, however, he will have to beat defending Freedom winner Shawn Donath who currently sits 2^nd in the standings. Donath has been a model of consistency thus far in 2023, with a win, 7 top 5’s and 10 top 10 finishes through 13 races contested.

The following night, the tour will head slightly east to the Woodhull Raceway in Woodhull, NY. This will be the first appearance at the Woodhull Raceway for the Empire Super Sprints since 2008 when Cory Sparks sat in victory lane. Dating back to 1984, there have only been 10 ESS features held at Woodhull, and Sparks happens to be the only former winner currently active in 360 sprint car competition.

The Cobra Coaches Dash Series presenting sponsors for the weekend will be Mary Ennis on Friday at Freedom, and Walker Metalsmith Inc. will present the dash Saturday at Woodhull. Information regarding start times, admission prices and nightly schedules can be found on both tracks’ Facebook and web pages, along with the Empire Super Sprints Facebook page.

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, July 14 – Freedom Motorsports Park – Delevan, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, July 15 – Woodhull Raceway – Woodhull, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, July 21 – Albany-Saratoga Speedway – Malta, NY ($2,000 to Win)

July 5 2023

Rain Washes Out Fulton; Colagiovanni Crowned CNY Speedweek Champion

ESS SprintsMedia-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | Due to early evening rain showers and more forecasted as the night went on, Fulton Speedway officials made the difficult decision to cancel the racing action on Saturday July 1, which was scheduled to include the finale of the 2023 Empire Super Sprints CNY Speedweek.

As a result of the cancelation, Paulie Colagiovanni was crowned the 2023 CNY Speedweek champion for the second time since the event’s inception. Consistency was key throughout the week for the Cicero, NY driver, as he didn’t finish outside of the top 5 once en-route to his championship.

His week started off strong with a second place showing at Can-Am on Wednesday, and then stayed within striking distance of point leader Jordan Poirier Thursday at Utica-Rome with a 5^th place finish. Friday night at Brewerton, the stars aligned just right and Colagiovanni was able to win his first event at the track and take the week-long points lead in the process.

Going into Saturdays scheduled finale at Fulton, Colagiovanni had a 35-point lead over Poirier. Mother Nature had other plans, however, and the week-long championship was awarded to Colagiovanni as a result.

“It feels really good to win another Speedweek Championship,” said Colagiovanni. “Part of me wishes we would have been able to race tonight to battle it out with Jordan (Poirier) on the track, but I’m certainly not complaining about the result. We had speed all week, and this is a great way to cap it all off.”

“None of this and the success we have had this year would be possible without my family, crew, and some great sponsors in Stirling Lubricants, Randy’s Racing Filters and Paul Wehnau’s Snap-On Tools. Racing this many nights in a row isn’t easy, and to have the success we have had on top of it is a testament to all of the great people we have in our corner.”

A total of 38 drivers competed in at least one night of the 2023 Empire Super Sprints CNY Speedweek, with Jordan Poirier finishing second in the week-long standings followed by Jason Barney, Shawn Donath, and Matt Tanner.

After a well-deserved off weekend next week, the Empire Super Sprints will roar back into action with a doubleheader weekend on July 14^th and 15^th at the Freedom Motorsports Park in Delevan, NY and the Woodhull Raceway in Woodhull, NY.

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, July 14 – Freedom Motorsports Park – Delevan, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, July 15 – Woodhull Raceway – Woodhull, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, July 21 – Albany-Saratoga Speedway – Malta, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Final CNY Speedweek Points:

1 10C Paulie Colagiovanni 343

2 28 Jordan Poirier 308

3 87 Jason Barney 303

4 53 Shawn Donath 273

5 90 Matt Tanner 272

6 01 Danny Varin 267

7 10 Jeff Cook 249

8 7C Dylan Swiernik 240

9 45 Chuck Hebing 229

10 79 Jordan Thomas 202

11 28F Davie Franek 181

12 3 Parker Evans 143

13 17 Sammy Reakes IV 141

14 4P Chase Moran 136

15 10H Kelly Hebing 131

16 36 Logan Crisafulli 130

17 41 Dalton Rombough 129

18 33 Lacey Hanson 118

19 13T Trevor Years 118

20 99L Larry Wight 111

21 22 Jonathan Preston 104

22 23 Tyler Cartier 100

23 13 Keith Granholm 98

24 98 Joe Trenca 88

25 5H Chris Hile 87

26 88C Chad Miller 78

27 56 Billy VanInwegen 77

28 99K Mike Kiser 74

29 5D Jacob Dykstra 74

30 5Z Zack Burd 59

31 9B Bobby Breen 46

32 35 Jared Zimbardi 43

33 11J Chris Jones 39

34 7NY Matt Farnham 37

35 9 Josh Pieniazek 28

36 29 Dalton Herrick 18

37 96X Chad Phelps 18

38 98R Evan Reynolds 0

July 1 2023

Paulie Colagiovanni Picks Up 3^rd Win of 2023 at Brewerton

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Brewerton, NY) | After a podium finish earlier in the week at Can-Am, Paulie Colagiovanni found himself in victory lane Friday night at the Brewerton Speedway, and at the same time took the lead in the week-long Empire Super Sprints CNY Speedweek point standings with just one race remaining.

Jason Barney and Jacob Dykstra would make up the front row and bring the field to green for the 25-lap A-Main event. Barney jumped out to the initial lead, but before a lap could be completed the caution was thrown for Chase Moran with a flat right rear tire.

When the green flag waved again, it was Dykstra who got to turn one first this time and proceeded to lead the next three laps until a red flag was thrown for the #33c of Lacey Hanson, as she got upside down in turn 3.

Taking advantage of the ensuing restart, Paulie Colagiovanni was able to grab the lead from Dykstra and immediately began to pull away. As the laps ticked away, 6^th-starting Chuck Hebing made his way up to 3^rd and began hounding Jason Barney for second.

By lap 16, Colagiovanni reached lap traffic, allowing Barney and Hebing to make up some ground on the leader. A close call on lap 20 saw Dalton Rombough spin right in front of the leaders, but he was able to keep it going, avoiding another caution flag.

With one lap remaining, Chuck Hebing was able to slip past Barney for second, bringing Larry Wight along with him. Ultimately, neither driver had anything for Colagiovanni, and he was able to park his #10c on the front stretch for the $2,500 victory.

“We usually don’t run well here, we threw a curve ball at the car tonight though and did some pretty drastic stuff to this racecar and it showed,” said Colagiovanni in victory lane. “I was just trying to get through lap traffic as quick as I could and use those cars as a pick.”

For the second night in a row, Chuck Hebing finished just one spot short in second.

“I actually thought I had a chance tonight,” said Hebing. “We were close, just one lap car made a move that got me. We got lucky to not get crashed out. Our car has a good balance right now, and when your confidence it better that always helps too.”

Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was the #99L of Larry Wight.

“I think we made a mistake and put a new tire on the right rear,” said Wight. “It took about 15 laps to come in. When it started working the last 10 laps it felt good, we just needed about 5 more laps to get up to Paulie.”

31 cars lined the pit area at the Brewerton Speedway Friday night, which meant the field was divided into three timed hot lap groups. Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards were presented to Shawn Donath, Larry Wight, and Jacob Dykstra. E&V Energy heat wins went to Shawn Donath, Jason Barney and Chris Hile. The Design Shop Signs & Graphics B-Main was won by Jordan Poirier, while the Lacaillade Masonry B-Main was won by Logan Crisafulli.

After 3 of 4 nights complete in the ESS CNY Speedweek, Paulie Colagiovanni currently holds the lead in the week-long points tally with 343 over Jordan Poirier (308), Jason Barney (303), Shawn Donath (273) and Matt Tanner (272).

The final CNY Speedweek event for the Empire Super Sprints is tonight, July 1 at the Fulton Speedway in Fulton, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Saturday, July 1 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,500 to Win CNY Speedweek)

Friday, July 14 – Freedom Motorsports Park – Delevan, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, July 15 – Woodhull Raceway – Woodhull, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Full Results:

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[3]; 2. #45-Chuck Hebing[6]; 3. #99L-Larry Wight[4]; 4. #87-Jason Barney[1]; 5. #01-Danny Varin[11]; 6. #90-Matt Tanner[5]; 7. #53-Shawn Donath[8]; 8. #5H-Chris Hile[10]; 9. 28-Jordan Poirier[13]; 10. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[2]; 11. #22-Jonathan Preston[7]; 12. #98-Joe Trenca[12]; 13. #79-Jordan Thomas[18]; 14. #10-Jeff Cook[20]; 15. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[14]; 16. #36-Logan Crisafulli[19]; 17. #35-Jared Zimbardi[24]; 18. #23-Tyler Cartier[17]; 19. #10H-Kelly Hebing[9]; 20. #41-Dalton Rombough[23]; 21. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[15]; 22. #28F-Davie Franek[22]; 23. #33-Lacey Hanson[21]; 24. #4P-Chase Moran[16]

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main (10 Laps): 1. #36-Logan Crisafulli[2]; 2. #10-Jeff Cook[4]; 3. #33-Lacey Hanson[1]; 4. #28F-Davie Franek[3]; 5. #41-Dalton Rombough[9]; 6. #35-Jared Zimbardi[8]; 7. #3-Parker Evans[5]; 8. #13T-Trevor Years[6]; 9. 9B-Bobby Breen[10]; 10. #88C-Chad Miller[7]; 11. 96X-Chad Phelps[11]; 12. #13-Keith Granholm[12]; 13. 5Z-Zack Burd[13]

Design Shop Signs & Designs Dash (4 Laps): 1. 28-Jordan Poirier[1]; 2. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[4]; 3. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[2]; 4. #4P-Chase Moran[6]; 5. #23-Tyler Cartier[3]; 6. #79-Jordan Thomas[5]

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #53-Shawn Donath[1]; 2. #22-Jonathan Preston[4]; 3. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[6]; 4. #90-Matt Tanner[2]; 5. 28-Jordan Poirier[7]; 6. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[5]; 7. #33-Lacey Hanson[3]; 8. #10-Jeff Cook[8]; 9. #88C-Chad Miller[9]; 10. 9B-Bobby Breen[10]; 11. 5Z-Zack Burd[11]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #87-Jason Barney[2]; 2. #99L-Larry Wight[1]; 3. #10H-Kelly Hebing[4]; 4. #45-Chuck Hebing[8]; 5. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[3]; 6. #79-Jordan Thomas[5]; 7. #36-Logan Crisafulli[7]; 8. #3-Parker Evans[6]; 9. #35-Jared Zimbardi[9]; 10. 96X-Chad Phelps[10]

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #5H-Chris Hile[4]; 2. #98-Joe Trenca[2]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[5]; 4. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[1]; 5. #23-Tyler Cartier[9]; 6. #4P-Chase Moran[3]; 7. #28F-Davie Franek[6]; 8. #13T-Trevor Years[7]; 9. #41-Dalton Rombough[8]; 10. #13-Keith Granholm[10]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #53-Shawn Donath; #99L-Larry Wight, #5D-Jacob Dykstra

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #53-Shawn Donath; #87 Jason Barney; #5H-Chris Hile

Cobra Coaches / Design Shop Signs & Graphics Dash Winner ($100): #28-Jordan Poirier

Lacaillade Masonry B Main Winner ($50): #36-Logan Crisafulli

PJC Spray Foam First Non-Qualifier ($50): #3-Parker Evans

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #87-Jason Barney

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #35-Jared Zimbardi (+7)

Reverse Hard Charger Award: #10H (-10)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #41-Dalton Rombough

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #53-Shawn Donath

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni; #45-Chuck Hebing; #99L-Larry Wight

June 30 2023

Danny Varin Wins Night 2 of ESS CNY Speedweek at Utica-Rome

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Vernon, NY) | For the second time in 2023, Danny Varin found himself in Empire Super Sprints Victory Lane, this time at the Utica-Rome Speedway for the Bill Shea Memorial night as part of the 2023 ESS CNY Speedweek.

Leading the field to the green flag in the 25-lap main event were Pinnacle Pole Award winner Chuck Hebing and Jeff Cook. As the field made their way through turns one and two, Hebing would jump out to an early lead over Cook and the #01 of Danny Varin.

The first caution of the event flew on lap 3 for the #22 of Jonathan Preston, who got over the bank in turn 2 while running in 12^th.

On the ensuing restart, Danny Vain was able to slip by the #10 of Cook, and the following lap continued right by Hebing to take the lead. As Varin pulled away, Cook fought his way back into the second spot past Hebing.

While Cook began to track down Varin for the lead, last nights winner Jordan Poirier was busy passing cars and had made his way into the top 3 from his 7^th starting position by lap 15.

As the lead duo reached lap traffic, Varin was able to use the slower cars to his advantage and put some distance between himself and Cook.

A caution for Lacey Hanson bunched the field up and gave the field one more shot at improving their finish. As the green flag waved again, Hebing was able to get back by both Poirier and Cook and make a last-ditch effort to get by Varin, but ultimately he had nothing for the #01 and Varin would pick up his second ESS victory of 2023.

“The track was tricky tonight, it was almost like you had something to lean on with your right rear, but the left rear was slick,” said Varin in victory lane. “When I got past Cobra, I moved down a lane and felt better there.”

“Towards the end, I kept seeing Cook poke his nose under me, and I said, ‘I think the bottom is where we have to be’ and at the end it felt good down there.

Starting on the pole, Chuck Hebing led the first handful of laps before falling back as far as 4^th before rebounding for a second-place finish.

“We had a good car all night,” said Hebing. “That restart helped me, nobody wanted the top so I gave it one more shot and it worked out.”

Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was Jeff Cook.

“I was doggin’ him (Varin) pretty hard on the bottom there for a while,” said Cook. “Once he saw me keep coming to his inside, a good racer – which he is – will take care of that pretty quick.”

“We’ve been working at our program really hard, hopefully it will come around our way soon.”

With 30 cars signed into the pit area, the field was split into three timed hot lap groups to start the night. Earning Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time Awards were Shawn Donath, Jordan Thomas and Chuck Hebing. E&V Energy heat race wins went to Dylan Swiernik, Danny Varin and Paulie Colagiovanni, while the Cobra Coaches/Kinney’s Car Care dash was won by Shawn Donath.

In B-Main action, Logan Crisafulli picked up the win and punched his ticket into the A-Main along with Josh Pieniazek, Jordan Thomas, Tyler Cartier, Bobby Breen and Lacey Hanson.

The 2023 ESS CNY Speedweek continues tonight, June 30^th at the Brewerton Speedway in Brewerton, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, June 30 – Brewerton Speedway – Brewerton, NY ($2,500 to Win CNY Speedweek)

Saturday, July 1 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,500 to Win CNY Speedweek)

Friday, July 14 – Freedom Motorsports Park – Delevan, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Full Results:

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. #01-Danny Varin[4]; 2. #45-Chuck Hebing[1]; 3. #10-Jeff Cook[2]; 4. 28-Jordan Poirier[7]; 5. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[9]; 6. #87-Jason Barney[24]; 7. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[8]; 8. #90-Matt Tanner[5]; 9. 56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[16]; 10. #99K-Mike Kiser[6]; 11. #53-Shawn Donath[13]; 12. #28F-Davie Franek[11]; 13. #3-Parker Evans[15]; 14. #79-Jordan Thomas[20]; 15. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[10]; 16. #41-Dalton Rombough[17]; 17. #36-Logan Crisafulli[18]; 18. #13T-Trevor Years[3]; 19. #4P-Chase Moran[25]; 20. 9B-Bobby Breen[22]; 21. #33-Lacey Hanson[23]; 22. #7NY-Matt Farnham[12]; 23. #22-Jonathan Preston[14]; 24. #9-Josh Pieniazek[19]; 25. #23-Tyler Cartier[21]

B-Main (10 Laps): 1. #36-Logan Crisafulli[1]; 2. #9-Josh Pieniazek[3]; 3. #79-Jordan Thomas[8]; 4. #23-Tyler Cartier[2]; 5. 9B-Bobby Breen[6]; 6. #33-Lacey Hanson[7]; 7. #4P-Chase Moran[4]; 8. #13-Keith Granholm[5]; 9. 29-Dalton Herrick[10]; 10. (DNS) #87-Jason Barney; 11. (DNS) 5Z-Zack Burd; 12. (DNS) #10H-Kelly Hebing

Kinney’s Car Care Dash (4 Laps): 1. #53-Shawn Donath[1]; 2. #22-Jonathan Preston[3]; 3. #3-Parker Evans[4]; 4. 56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[6]; 5. #41-Dalton Rombough[5]; 6. (DNS) #88C-Chad Miller

Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[1]; 2. #7NY-Matt Farnham[3]; 3. #28F-Davie Franek[2]; 4. 28-Jordan Poirier[5]; 5. #53-Shawn Donath[6]; 6. #3-Parker Evans[4]; 7. #36-Logan Crisafulli[7]; 8. #4P-Chase Moran[8]; 9. #33-Lacey Hanson[10]; 10. 29-Dalton Herrick[9]

Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #01-Danny Varin[4]; 2. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[2]; 3. #13T-Trevor Years[1]; 4. #99K-Mike Kiser[5]; 5. #88C-Chad Miller[7]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[3]; 7. #23-Tyler Cartier[8]; 8. #13-Keith Granholm[9]; 9. #79-Jordan Thomas[6]; 10. (DNS) 5Z-Zack Burd

Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[4]; 2. #10-Jeff Cook[1]; 3. #45-Chuck Hebing[6]; 4. #90-Matt Tanner[2]; 5. #22-Jonathan Preston[5]; 6. 56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[8]; 7. #9-Josh Pieniazek[7]; 8. 9B-Bobby Breen[9]; 9. #87-Jason Barney[3]; 10. (DNS) #10H-Kelly Hebing

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #53-Shawn Donath, #79-Jordan Thomas, #45-Chuck Hebing

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #7C-Dylan Swiernik, #01-Danny Varin, #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni

Cobra Coaches / Kinney’s Car Care Dash Winner ($100): #53-Shawn Donath

Lacaillade Masonry B Main Winner ($50): #36-Logan Crisafulli

PJC Spray Foam First Non-Qualifier ($50): #13-Keith Granholm

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #45-Chuck Hebing

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #87-Jason Barney (+18)

Reverse Hard Charger Award: #13T-Trevor Years (-15)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #9B-Bobby Breen

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #53-Shawn Donath

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #01-Danny Varin, #45-Chuck Hebing, #10-Jeff Cook