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April 27 2024

Barney Continues Fulton Dominance; Wins ESS Opener

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By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | The start of a new season brought a familiar face to victory lane Friday night at the Fulton Speedway for the Empire Super Sprints. Jason Barney picked up his first win of 2024 and fourth in his last five visits to the Oswego County oval after coming from his seventh starting position.

Pinnacle pole winner Davie Franek and Chad Phelps led the field to the initial start, though the field quickly slowed for a caution for the #68 of Aaron Turkey, a victim of circumstance from hard racing deep in the pack. On the ensuing restart, Davie Franek quickly jumped out to a sizeable lead over Matt Tanner and Phelps.

The field again slowed for a caution on lap 4, this time for Mike Bowman who found himself stopped facing the wrong way on the back stretch.

By lap 7, defending tour champion Jordan Poirier had entered the mix and was able to take the lead. For the next handful of laps, Poirier continued to grow the distance between himself and second place.

Jason Barney, who had moved into second on lap 8, began to close the gap between himself and Poirier on lap 11 when Poirier reached lap traffic. He was ultimately able to use lap traffic to take the lead as the field came to complete lap 19, and never looked back on his way to victory lane.

“I was running out of time and running out of chances as the race went on,” said Barney in victory lane. “Before that last restart I kind of found the middle, and I rolled by Jordan (Poirier) there. I knew he wasn’t going to let that happen again. He went right to the middle and I just had to keep searching around.”

“He made it interesting, I wasn’t sure what to do there, I could tell he wasn’t sure to do either and I just stuck it down on the bottom and hoped that we didn’t touch.”

Defending champion Jordan Poirier led a handful of laps early on, and was able to hold on for a second place finish.

“My car was really, really good. I just took a safe lap around a lap car, and Jason slid under me there,” said Poirier. “We struggle with these kind of conditions, so it feels good to have something to build on for the next few races for sure.

Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was hometown favorite Larry Wight.

“We were a little bit tight on the bottom, we just had to move around to find out what the car liked,” said Wight. “I don’t know, even if we had a caution, these guys were in clean air and setting a really good pace. We just needed the lap cars to fall my way a little better.”

36 cars signed in to the pits for the 2024 season opener. Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards went to Danny Varin, Jordan Thomas, Jonathan Preston and Jason Barney. E&V Energy heat race wins went to Matt Tanner, Davey Franek, Dylan Swiernik, and Kelly Hebing. The Lacaillade Masonry B-Main was won by Mark Smith, and the Cobra Coaches Dash presented by Dirt Track Digest was won by Mike Bowman.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is Friday May 24^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 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, May 24 – Brewerton Speedway – Brewerton, NY ($2,000 to Win Don Gillette Memorial)

Saturday, May 25 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, June 7 – Ransomville Speedway – Ransomville, NY ($2,000 to Win Ron Lux Memorial)

Full Results:

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. 87-Jason Barney[7]; 2. 28-Jordan Poirier[5]; 3. #99L-Larry Wight[9]; 4. 7C-Dylan Swiernik[11]; 5. 28F-Davie Franek[1]; 6. 90-Matt Tanner[4]; 7. #01-Danny Varin[12]; 8. #4-Billy VanInwegen Jr[3]; 9. 79-Jordan Thomas[6]; 10. 45-Nick Sheridan[20]; 11. 10-Kelly Hebing[8]; 12. 53-Shawn Donath[24]; 13. 0-Glenn Styres[15]; 14. #5H-Chris Hile[17]; 15. 10C-Mark Smith[21]; 16. 96X-Chad Phelps[2]; 17. #41-Dalton Rombough[22]; 18. 2-Dave Axton[14]; 19. 36-Logan Crisafulli[16]; 20. 68-Aaron Turkey[18]; 21. 13T-Trevor Years[23]; 22. 88C-Chad Miller[10]; 23. X-Dan Bennett[19]; 24. 71-Mike Bowman[13]; 25. 33-Lacey Hanson[25]

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main (10 Laps): 1. 10C-Mark Smith[2]; 2. #41-Dalton Rombough[1]; 3. 13T-Trevor Years[4]; 4. 53-Shawn Donath[14]; 5. 33-Lacey Hanson[3]; 6. 21P-Jonathan Preston[10]; 7. 77T-Tyeller Powless[8]; 8. 13E-Evan Reynolds[5]; 9. 21B-Blake Warner[6]; 10. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[9]; 11. 11J-Chris Jones[12]; 12. 29D-Dylan Menditto[11]; 13. 14B-Brett Wright[7]; 14. (DNS) 66-Jordan Hutton; 15. (DNS) 4P-Chase Moran; 16. (DNS) #17J-Kyle Smith

Dirt Track Digest Dash (4 Laps): 1. 71-Mike Bowman[2]; 2. 2-Dave Axton[4]; 3. #5H-Chris Hile[1]; 4. 68-Aaron Turkey[3]

E&V Energy Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 90-Matt Tanner[2]; 2. #99L-Larry Wight[1]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[5]; 4. #5H-Chris Hile[4]; 5. 0-Glenn Styres[3]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[8]; 7. 13E-Evan Reynolds[6]; 8. (DNS) 4P-Chase Moran; 9. (DNS) 66-Jordan Hutton

E&V Energy Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. 28F-Davie Franek[4]; 2. 79-Jordan Thomas[6]; 3. #4-Billy VanInwegen Jr[9]; 4. 71-Mike Bowman[5]; 5. 36-Logan Crisafulli[2]; 6. 10C-Mark Smith[3]; 7. 21B-Blake Warner[7]; 8. (DNF) 11J-Chris Jones[1]; 9. (DNF) #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[8]

E&V Energy Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 7C-Dylan Swiernik[5]; 2. 96X-Chad Phelps[1]; 3. 68-Aaron Turkey[4]; 4. 88C-Chad Miller[2]; 5. X-Dan Bennett[8]; 6. 33-Lacey Hanson[7]; 7. 14B-Brett Wright[9]; 8. 21P-Jonathan Preston[6]; 9. #17J-Kyle Smith[3]

E&V Energy Heat 4 (10 Laps): 1. 10-Kelly Hebing[2]; 2. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 3. 87-Jason Barney[6]; 4. 2-Dave Axton[1]; 5. 45-Nick Sheridan[7]; 6. 13T-Trevor Years[3]; 7. 77T-Tyeller Powless[8]; 8. 29D-Dylan Menditto[9]; 9. (DNF) 53-Shawn Donath[5]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): 01-Danny Varin; 79-Jordan Thomas; 21P-Jonathan Preston; 87-Jason Barney

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): 90-Matt Tanner; 28F-Davey Franek; 7C-Dylan Swiernik; 10-Kelly Hebing

Cobra Coaches / Dirt Track Digest Dash Winner ($100): 71-Mike Bowman

Lacaillade Masonry B Main Winner ($50): 10C-Mark Smith

PJC Spray Foam First Non-Qualifier ($50): 21P-Jonathan Preston

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): 28F-Davey Franek

A-Verdi Storage Containers Hard Charger Award ($50): 45-Nick Sheridan

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($30 + Pit Pass): X-Dan Bennett

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel + Pit Pass): 10-Kelly Hebing

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): 87-Jason Barney; 28-Jordan Poirier; 99L-Larry Wight

April 24 2024

ESS Heads to Fulton for 2024 Season Opener

ESS SprintsMedia-2024

By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | The Empire Super Sprints are hoping the second time is the charm this weekend with their second attempt at getting the 2024 season under way this Friday at the Fulton
Speedway.

With the originally scheduled lid-lifter at Outlaw Speedway cancelled two weeks ago due to wet weather and cold temperatures, all focus is now on Fulton Friday night for the annual ‘High Bank Holdup’ weekend. The full points opener will once again be the headliner of the Friday night portion of the two-day show, paying $2,000 to the winner.

Last year, Jason Barney picked up his first of three Fulton Speedway wins in the ‘High Bank Holdup’ main event. Sammy Reakes IV was the winner in May at Fulton, Mother Nature was victorious in July for the CNY Speedweek event, and then Barney went on to round out the season with two more Fulton wins in September.

As is usual at Fulton, a strong contingent of drivers is expected this Friday night. Last weeks open
practice at the Oswego County oval saw no less than 11 sprint cars make laps in preparation for this
Fridays event.

DirtTrackDigest.com will present the Cobra Coaches dash on Friday night. For years, Dirt Track Digest
has been a leader in local and national dirt racing coverage, with written, photo, and video content of
modifieds, sprint cars and late models from around the country.

A full schedule of events for this weekend’s action, along with admission pricing can be found on the
Fulton Speedway website, www.FultonSpeedway.com, along with on both the tracks and series 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 ESS Road Ahead:
Friday, April 26 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, May 24 – Brewerton Speedway – Brewerton, NY ($2,000 to Win Don Gillette Memorial)

Saturday, May 25 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

April 10 2024

ESS Set to Kick off 41st Season at Outlaw Speedway

ESS SprintsMedia-2024

By Curtis Berleue (Dundee, NY) | After a long off season, the stars and cars of the Empire Super Sprints are ready to kick off another season of action this weekend at the Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, NY. The tour’s 41^st gets underway this Saturday, April 13, with one of the schedule’s highest paying events – the $4,220 to win Cal Lane Memorial.

Over the course of 40 years, 82 Empire Super Sprints events have been contested at the Dundee oval, producing 50 different winners. Most recently, Jared Zimbardi and Jordan Thomas visited victory lane in 2023, while mother nature intervened and cancelled the other two ESS events scheduled last season.

As always, a strong field is expected for this special non-points event to kick off the 2024 season. The evenings Cobra Coaches Dash will be presented by Lanes Yamaha of nearby Watkins Glen.

Friday night has been set aside as a practice night, and all teams are invited to shake down their rides ahead of Saturdays racing action.

For Friday’s practice session, pit gates are set to open at 5pm, with grandstands at 5:30pm and hot laps scheduled for 6:45pm. Pit admission is set at $30, and grandstand admission $15.

Saturday’s schedule sees pit gates opening at noon, grandstands at 1pm, hot laps at 2pm and racing at 3pm. Pit admission will be $45, and grandstand admission is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors 63+, and kids 12 & under admitted free of charge.

For weekend schedule updates, and a full order of events for each day, be sure to check both the tracks website (www.outlawspeedwayllc.com) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/OutlawSpeedwayLLC) along with the official Empire Super Sprints Facebook page (www.facebook.com/EmpireSuperSprints).

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, April 13 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($4,220 to Win Cal Lane Memorial Spring Nationals)

Friday, April 26 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, May 24 – Brewerton Speedway – Brewerton, NY ($2,000 to Win Don Gillette Memorial)

March 8 2024

Syracuse Motorsports Expo kicks off 41st racing season for ESS

ESS SprintsMedia-2024

To start their 41st season, the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) will have an exhibit at the Syracuse Motorsports Expo, in the Micron Center of Progress building at the NYS Fairgrounds, on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10. Stop by the ESS booth to pick up the 2024 schedule which consists of 28 point and 6 non point races at 17 different tracks throughout New York, Ontario and Quebec Canada.

ESS will have on display the #87 of two time ESS Champion Jason Barney, the sharp looking #98 of Joe Trenca, and the #10 of “Lil Cobra” Kelly Hebing. It’s an opportunity for fans to view a 360 sprint car up close, peek in the cockpit, and check out the stagger on the rear tires.

ESS will continue the tradition of having a special autograph session of your favorite ESS drivers. It will be held on Saturday at 2:00 pm in the ESS exhibit area. It’s a great opportunity to get an autograph and photo with your favorite 360 sprint car drivers.

The show is the perfect time to register your car and sign up for an ESS membership whether you are a driver, owner or crew member. Come by the merchandise trailer to check out the 2024 ESS apparel design and purchase a new t-shirt for your racing wardrobe.

October 18 2023

Empire Super Sprints Honor Award Winners in Their 40^th Season

ESS SprintsMedia-2023

By Barbara Patterson

Photos courtesy of Dylan Terry

The Empire Super Sprints celebrated their 40^th season at the Vernon Downs Casino. Over 170 people attended the awards banquet which was emceed by ESS announcer Adam Buchanan. The tour and dash sponsors were recognized first, and the Board of Directors, officials, officers, and volunteers were thanked for helping make 2023 a great season. Drivers with perfect attendance and feature wins were then acknowledged. Out of the 24 races, there was a record 16 different winners with three drivers earning their first win.

Sixteen drivers were recognized and the top ten took home over $21,000 in point fund money. Finishing 10^thwas Chuck Hebing (who ran a partial season), 9^th Jordan Thomas (1^st ESS win), 8^th Paulie Colagiovanni (most wins at 4), 7^th Danny Varin (3 wins), 6^th Jeff Cook (1 win in his last year racing), 5^th Matt Tanner (2 wins), 4^th Dylan Swiernik (1^st win in Canada), 3^rd Jason Barney (3 wins at Fulton Speedway), 2^nd Shawn Donath (1 win in his best season), and 1^st Jordan Poirier (2 wins). The 2023 champion, Jordan Poirier, was honored with his second championship in two years. Jordan had the best stats with 21 tops 10s and 14 tops 5s and placed 2^nd in the Coffrage 4 Saisons Canadian Tour, 2^nd CNY Speedweek, 3^rd Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time Series, and 2^nd in the PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Series. In his championship speech, Jordan thanked his crew, especially Mathieu, family, and sponsors. He credited his consistency to the belief that 95% of your success on the racetrack comes from the work in the shop.

Numerous specialty awards were also handed out. ESS had two rookies that ran neck and neck throughout the season. With his 11^th place finish on the tour, Logan Crisafulli earned the Lane’s Yamaha Rookie of the Year in the Mike Stelter owned #36. Trevor Years was honored with the John Zentner Memorial Award because he demonstrates the same qualities as the late John Zentner. Throughout his first year with ESS and in a 360, he displayed passion, humility, dedication, and perseverance. This year’s Cobra Coaches Dash Champion was Dylan Swiernik. As a dash tradition, Chuck Hebing awarded Dylan with snakeskin cowboy boots. With his top five finishes and win at Autodrome Drummond, Matt Tanner won the Coffrage 4 Saisons Canadian Tour award by just one point. Paulie Colagiovanni, with his win at the last Speedweek race at Brewerton Speedway, earned the CNY Speedweek Champion award. Shawn Donath accomplished an interesting feat by earning both the Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time Award and the PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award. The Mechanic of the Year award, which is voted on by the teams, was given to Briahna Donath, Chase Guptill, and Matt Pitre from the Shawn Donath race team. They were recognized for their efforts in keeping the #53 in the championship hunt all season.

Eight-time ESS Champion Steve “Fireball” Poirier was inducted into the ESS Hall of Fame. His outstanding career consisted of 77 ESS wins (tied for the most), 7 Canadian Series Championships, 5 Quebec Series Championships, 6 Dash Series Championships, 6 Interstate Series Championships, 4 US Series Championships, the Mal Lane Award of Excellence, Outstanding Newcomer Award, and the National 360 Rookie of the Year from the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. In an emotional speech, Steve thanked his family, crew, and sponsors. He remarked on his success, the competition in ESS, and the friendships he formed over his 14 years in racing sprint cars.

ESS President Chuck Miller, who is retiring after 38 years, was honored with the Malcolm Lane Award of Excellence. Past President, Dick Carberry, presented the award and walked us through Chuck’s ESS career. A montage of videos was shown, from past and present drivers and officials, as a tribute and thank you to Chuck for his commitment and dedication to ESS.

Thank you to the tracks, drivers, teams, officials, and officers for a terrific race season! We will see you in 2024 at a track near you to watch “America’s Race Cars” in action.

October 8 2023

Wight Victorious Again at Weedsport in Cavalcade Cup Make-Up

ESS SprintsResults-2023

History > Tour Archive > 2023 > 2023 Tour Schedule > Results > Weedsport 10/3/23

Wight Victorious Again at Weedsport in Cavalcade Cup Make-Up

By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | For the second time in two years, Larry Wight sat atop the podium Tuesday night at Weedsport Speedway with the Empire Super Sprints.

As it was the continuation of the rain-shortened ‘Cavalcade Cup’ program from September 9, only hot laps and the A-Main were on the card for the 360 sprints in this Tuesday spectacular.

Before the rains came back in September, Trevor Years had drawn the Pinnacle Pole Award and as such brought the field to the green flag alongside Larry Wight. Working the high side for the majority of the event, Wight was able to pick up his first ESS victory of 2023 over Jason Barney and Chuck Hebing.

“The car felt good on the top,” said Wight. “It was kind of one of those deals where if it feels good and you’re not seeing a nose, you just stay up there.”

“A guy like Jason Barney, he can roll that bottom so good, so when I saw him coming up through, I knew it was definitely there, but I just had to stick to my guns and keep rolling the cushion.”

Jordan Poirier came home fourth and locked up his second consecutive championship by a final margin of 95 points over runner-up Shawn Donath. Rounding out the top five was Danny Varin.

The final on track event for the Empire Super Sprints in their 40^th Anniversary season is Friday, October 20^th at the Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, NY. The Hoag Memorial, named in honor of the late Dutch and Dean Hoag, will pay $3,500 to win to cap off the 2023 campaign.

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, October 20 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to win Hoag Memorial)

Saturday, November 11 – ESS Rules Meeting & Awards Banquet – Vernon Downs Hotel & Casino

Full Results (Qualifying Completed 9/9, A-Main on 10/3):

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. #99L-Larry Wight[2]; 2. #87-Jason Barney[6]; 3. #45-Chuck Hebing[5]; 4. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 5. #01-Danny Varin[8]; 6. #5H-Chris Hile[10]; 7. #36-Logan Crisafulli[9]; 8. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[3]; 9. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[16]; 10. #4P-Chase Moran[12]; 11. #98-Joe Trenca[11]; 12. #90-Matt Tanner[13]; 13. #10-Jeff Cook[14]; 14. #53-Shawn Donath[7]; 15. #13T-Trevor Years[1]; 16. #23-Tyler Cartier[20]; 17. 96X-Chad Phelps[17]; 18. #67-Steve Glover[15]; 19. #33-Lacey Hanson[19]; 20. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[21]; 21. 80-Bobby Parrow[18]; 22. #13-Keith Granholm[22]

Monroe Mechanical Services Dash (4 Laps): 1. #4P-Chase Moran; 2. #90-Matt Tanner; 3. #10-Jeff Cook; 4. #67-Steve Glover; 5. #41-Dalton Rombough; 6. #24-Bobby Hackel

E&V Energy Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 28-Jordan Poirier[1]; 2. #98-Joe Trenca[2]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[4]; 4. #79-Jordan Thomas[3]; 5. #90-Matt Tanner[5]; 6. #67-Steve Glover[6]; 7. 96X-Chad Phelps[7]; 8. #23-Tyler Cartier[9]; 9. #66-Jordan Hutton[8]

E&V Energy Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #5H-Chris Hile[2]; 2. #87-Jason Barney[1]; 3. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[5]; 4. #13T-Trevor Years[3]; 5. #4P-Chase Moran[6]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[9]; 7. 80-Bobby Parrow[8]; 8. #13-Keith Granholm[7]; 9. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[4]

E&V Energy Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #53-Shawn Donath[3]; 2. #36-Logan Crisafulli[1]; 3. #45-Chuck Hebing[2]; 4. #99L-Larry Wight[5]; 5. #10-Jeff Cook[4]; 6. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[6]; 7. #33-Lacey Hanson[8]; 8. #21B-Blake Warner[7]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #98-Joe Trenca; #5H-Chris Hile; #45-Chuck Hebing

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #28-Jordan Poirier; #5H-Chris Hile; #53-Shawn Donath

Cobra Coaches / Monroe Mechanical Services, Inc. Dash Winner ($100): #4P-Chase Moran

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #13T-Trevor Years

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #24-Bobby Hackel IV (+7)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #13T-Trevor Years (-14)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #33-Lacey Hanson

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #98-Joe Trenca

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #99L-Larry Wight; #87-Jason Barney; #45-Chuck Hebing

October 6 2023

Barney Perfect for Third Time in 2023 at Fulton

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | For the third time this season, Jason Barney found himself in Empire Super Sprints victory lane at the Fulton Speedway on Friday night. From the first time he hit the track with timed hot laps, through his heat race and culminating in the A-Main, Barney could not be beat.

His performance through the night, capped off with the $2,000 winners check in the kickoff of the annual Outlaw 200 weekend further solidified his stronghold on Fulton, as it was Barney’s 10^th ESS win at the track. He now trails just Gordy Button, who has 12 victories, on the all-time ESS win list at Fulton.

Pinnacle Pole Award winner Chuck Hebing and Jonathan Preston led the field to the initial green flag, with Hebing jumping out to an early advantage. Preston would assume second, and 7^th starting Barney made quick work of 4 cars in front of him crossing the line on the end of lap 1 in third.

Barney’s march forward didn’t stop there, as one lap later he got by Preston for second, and immediately set his sights on the leader Hebing. As the lap counter hit ‘6’, Barney moved by Hebing and set sail from there, never looking back.

Hebing would ultimately hold on to cross the line second, and Danny Varin rounded out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium in third.

“We had a really good car again tonight,” said Barney of his victory. “We’ve had sort of an up and down season, but every time we have come home to Fulton we have been fast.”

“I wouldn’t be able to do this without my crew, I can’t thank everyone involved with our program enough to keep us running up front.”

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main winner Larry Wight arguably stole the show, making his own charge through the field. Starting 19^th, he quickly made his way into the top 10 by lap 8. By lap 20, he was up to 6^th, and on the last lap got by Joe Trenca for a top 5 finish, one spot behind current point leader Jordan Poirier.

28 cars signed into the pits on Friday night. In the 3 timed hot lap groups, Joe Trenca, Jason Barney and Shawn Donath each earned the Rifenburg Contracting fast time award. E&V Energy heat wins went to Logan Crisafulli, Jason Barney, and Jonathan Preston, while Jacob Dykstra won the Cobra Coaches Dash presented by The Hayloft Restaurant.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is tomorrow, Tuesday October 3^rd at the Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, NY. The event is the continuation of the rain-shortened show from September 9^th, with just the A-Main left to be run. Gate times and pricing information can be found on the Weedsport Speedway website and 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 ESS Road Ahead:

Tuesday, October 3 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY ($2,000 to Win A-Main from 9/9)

Friday, October 20 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to win Hoag Memorial)

Saturday, November 11 – ESS Rules Meeting & Awards Banquet – Vernon Downs Hotel & Casino

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #87-Jason Barney[7]; 2. #45-Chuck Hebing[1]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[10]; 4. 28-Jordan Poirier[6]; 5. #99L-Larry Wight[19]; 6. #98-Joe Trenca[8]; 7. #5H-Chris Hile[3]; 8. #36-Logan Crisafulli[12]; 9. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[5]; 10. #90-Matt Tanner[4]; 11. #79-Jordan Thomas[11]; 12. #53-Shawn Donath[18]; 13. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[25]; 14. 10BH-Bryan Howland[9]; 15. #22-Jonathan Preston[2]; 16. #23-Tyler Cartier[15]; 17. 96X-Chad Phelps[14]; 18. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[13]; 19. #10-Jeff Cook[20]; 20. #33-Lacey Hanson[24]; 21. #13-Keith Granholm[23]; 22. #X-Dan Bennett[17]; 23. (DNF) #67-Steve Glover[22]; 24. (DNF) #13T-Trevor Years[21]; 25. (DQ) #4P-Chase Moran[16]

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main: 1. #99L-Larry Wight[8]; 2. #10-Jeff Cook[6]; 3. #13T-Trevor Years[3]; 4. #67-Steve Glover[5]; 5. #13-Keith Granholm[10]; 6. #33-Lacey Hanson[4]; 7. #25G-Tyler Graves[9]; 8. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[7]; 9. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[1]; 10. #66-Jordan Hutton[2]

The Hayloft Dash: 1. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[1]; 2. 96X-Chad Phelps[2]; 3. #23-Tyler Cartier[5]; 4. #4P-Chase Moran[6]; 5. #X-Dan Bennett[4]; 6. #53-Shawn Donath[3]

E & V Energy Heat 1: 1. #36-Logan Crisafulli[1]; 2. 10BH-Bryan Howland[4]; 3. #79-Jordan Thomas[3]; 4. #98-Joe Trenca[6]; 5. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[5]; 6. #X-Dan Bennett[2]; 7. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[7]; 8. #33-Lacey Hanson[8]; 9. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[9]

E & V Energy Heat 2: 1. #87-Jason Barney[6]; 2. #45-Chuck Hebing[2]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 4. #90-Matt Tanner[1]; 5. 96X-Chad Phelps[8]; 6. #23-Tyler Cartier[9]; 7. #66-Jordan Hutton[7]; 8. #67-Steve Glover[3]; 9. (DNF) #99L-Larry Wight[5]

E & V Energy Heat 3: 1. #22-Jonathan Preston[1]; 2. #5H-Chris Hile[4]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[5]; 4. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[2]; 5. #53-Shawn Donath[6]; 6. #4P-Chase Moran[3]; 7. #13T-Trevor Years[7]; 8. #10-Jeff Cook[8]; 9. #25G-Tyler Graves[10]; 10. #13-Keith Granholm[9]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #98-Joe Trenca; #87-Jason Barney; #53-Shawn Donath

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #36-Logan Crisafulli; #87-Jason Barney; #22-Jonathan Preston

Cobra Coaches / The Hayloft Restaurant Dash Winner ($100): #5D-Jacob Dykstra

Lacaillade Masonry B Main Winner ($50): #99L-Larry Wight

PJC Spray Foam First Non-Qualifier ($50): #25G-Tyler Graves

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

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #99L-Larry Wight (+14)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #22-Jonathan Preston (-13)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #67-Steve Glover

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #79-Jordan Thomas

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #87-Jason Barney; #45-Chuck Hebing; #01-Danny Varin

September 26 2023

Jordan Thomas Leads Wire to Wire for First ESS Win at Outlaw

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Dundee, NY) | For the first time in his career, Jordan Thomas is an Empire Super Sprints winner. Starting on the pole, Thomas led every lap en-route to the $4,220.20 payday in the Cal Lane Memorial Fall Nationals at Outlaw Speedway.

It was Thomas and outside pole sitter Jeff Cook who brought the field to the green flag, with Thomas taking the lead as the field exited turn two. After just two trips around the speedway, however, the only caution of the night flew for Kyle Drum who slowed coming off turn four.

On the ensuing restart, it was again Thomas who jumped out to the lead. By lap 5, Thomas had built up nearly a straightaway advantage over Dylan Swiernik, Cook and fourth-starting Jared Zimbardi.

Thomas caught the rear of the field on lap 8 and began working lap traffic on the high side. Luckily for him, the lap traffic would not slow his pace.

As the laps wound down, the running order would remain largely unchanged at the front of the field, and Thomas soared to a near 3 second victory.

“You have to be quick every time you’re on the track, and have a little bit of luck with the redraw too,” said Thomas. “We’ve been struggling pretty bad this year, and now we’ve picked it up at the end of the year here.”

“I was actually worried there for a little bit. I got behind (Matt) Tanner and (Logan) Crisafulli and had to go to the bottom a couple of times. I was worried that someone was going to go by me on the top, but I guess we were good enough to hold on.”

Dylan Swiernik advanced one spot from his third starting position to come home in second place on the night.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think we made the changes we needed to on the shocks, and it kinda bit us a little bit coming off of the corners,” said Swiernik. “We were still pretty good, and after the month we have had, to come away with a second-place finish – I’ll be happy with that.”

Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was Jared Zimbardi.

“The track was in good shape, the top was dominant so you had to get up there,” said Zimbardi. “It was pretty good early on, a little bit tackier through the night. I thought the bottom would stay, but you had to get right up against the wall, that’s what makes it fun.”

20 cars entered the nights action at Outlaw Speedway. The field was divided into three timed hot lap groups, with Robbie Stillwaggon, Jordan Poirier and Jordan Thomas earning Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards. E&V Energy heat wins went to Stillwaggon, Matt Farnham, and Shawn Donath, while the Cobra Coaches Dash presented by Fratto Curbing was won by Matt Tanner.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is this coming Friday September 29^th 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:

Friday, September 29 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win Outlaw 200 Weekend)

Tuesday, October 3 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY (Continuation of 9/9 event)

Friday, October 20 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to Win Dutch Hoag Memorial)

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #79-Jordan Thomas[1]; 2. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 3. #35-Jared Zimbardi[4]; 4. #53-Shawn Donath[5]; 5. #22-Jonathan Preston[10]; 6. #98-Joe Trenca[7]; 7. 28-Jordan Poirier[12]; 8. #10-Jeff Cook[2]; 9. #7NY-Matt Farnham[9]; 10. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[6]; 11. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[11]; 12. #36-Logan Crisafulli[14]; 13. #90-Matt Tanner[13]; 14. #4P-Chase Moran[15]; 15. 11J-Chris Jones[16]; 16. #41-Dalton Rombough[17]; 17. #25G-Tyler Graves[18]; 18. #13T-Trevor Years[19]; 19. (DNF) #24-Bobby Hackel IV[20]; 20. (DNF) #47-Kyle Drum[8]

Fratto Curbing Dash: 1. #90-Matt Tanner[2]; 2. #36-Logan Crisafulli[5]; 3. #4P-Chase Moran[1]; 4. 11J-Chris Jones[3]; 5. #41-Dalton Rombough[6]; 6. #25G-Tyler Graves[4]

E&V Energy Heat 1: 1. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[2]; 2. #98-Joe Trenca[1]; 3. #35-Jared Zimbardi[3]; 4. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[4]; 5. #4P-Chase Moran[6]; 6. (DNF) #25G-Tyler Graves[7]; 7. (DNS) #24-Bobby Hackel IV

E&V Energy Heat 2: 1. #7NY-Matt Farnham[1]; 2. #22-Jonathan Preston[3]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[2]; 4. #10-Jeff Cook[4]; 5. #90-Matt Tanner[5]; 6. #36-Logan Crisafulli[6]; 7. #13T-Trevor Years[7]

E&V Energy #53-Shawn Donath[1]; 2. #79-Jordan Thomas[2]; 3. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 4. #47-Kyle Drum[5]; 5. 11J-Chris Jones[4]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[6]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #89-Robbie Stillwaggon; #28-Jordan Poirier; #79-Jordan Thomas

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #89-Robbie Stillwaggon; #7NY-Matt Farnham; #53-Shawn Donath

Cobra Coaches / Fratto Curbing Dash Winner ($100): #90-Matt Tanner

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #79-Jordan Thomas

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #22-Jonathan Preston; #28-Jordan Poirier (+5)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #10-Jeff Cook (-6)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #13T-Trevor Years

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #5D-Jacob Dykstra

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #79-Jordan Thomas; #7C-Dylan Swiernik; #35-Jared Zimbardi

September 25 2023

Outlaw 200 Weekend Up Next for Empire Super Sprints

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By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | With just three events remaining on the 2023 Empire Super Sprints 40^th Anniversary schedule, the tour will head to the Fulton Speedway in Fulton, NY this weekend. The $2,000 to win main event will help to kick off the Outlaw 200 weekend on Fridy night, Fulton’s largest event of the season.

With five originally scheduled dates at Fulton in 2023, three events have been completed thus far. Jason Barney has been victorious twice, Sammy Reakes IV once, and Mother Nature claimed the July CNY Speedweek event.

After last weekend’s Outlaw Fall Nationals, Shawn Donath has closed the gap between himself and Jordan Poirier in the championship standings. Going into the night, Poirier had a 39-point advantage. After a strong top five performance by Donath, Poirier’s advantage now sits at just 21 points headed into the final 3 nights of competition.

While the championship will likely be awarded to either Poirier or Donath, the battle for third is even closer between Jason Barney and Dylan Swiernik, as Swiernik is just 8 points behind Barney. Jeff Cook rounds out the top five.

Information regarding start times, admission prices and a schedule of events for Friday evening at Fulton can be found on both the tracks and the Empire Super Sprints 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 ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, September 29 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win Outlaw 200 Weekend)

Tuesday, October 3 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY ($2,000 to Win – Continuation of 9/9)

Friday, October 20 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to Win Hoag Memorial)

September 20 2023

$4,220.20 to Win Outlaw Fall Nationals Next for Empire Super Sprints

ESS SprintsMedia-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Dundee, NY) | For the second of three times this season, the Empire Super Sprints 40^th anniversary tour will make a stop at the Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, NY this Friday night, September 22. The night will pay tribute to Cal Lane, a name synonymous with racing both in Dundee and with the Empire Super Sprints.

As one of the most visited tracks in tour history, the Outlaw Speedway has hosted 81 events with 49 different winners since the first visit on August 3, 1984. The most recent driver to find victory lane is ‘The Juice’ Jared Zimbardi, who picked up the Outlaw Summer Nationals worth $3,565 back in July.

With just a handful of events remaining headed into Outlaw on Friday, the points battle remains tight between defending champion Jordan Poirier and Shawn Donath. Poirier holds a slim 39-point lead over Donath with just four points-paying features left in the 2023 season. Jason Barney currently sits third, with Dylan Swiernik in 4^th and Jeff Cook rounding out the top five.

Fridays Cal Lane Memorial Fall Nationals at the Outlaw Speedway will be one of the highest paying 360 events of the season in the northeast, paying $4,220.20 to win. Additional support from Fratto Curbing will boost the payout by sponsoring the nights Cobra Coaches Dash Series dash, paying $100 to win for just four laps of action. A full listing of start times, gate prices and schedule of events for the evening can be found on both the Outlaw Speedways and Empire Super Sprints 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 ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, September 22 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($4,000 to Win Outlaw Fall Nationals)

Friday, September 29 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win Outlaw 200 Weekend)

Tuesday, October 3 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY (Continuation of 9/9 event)