Grant & Eldredge Best In Ontario County Fair Stock Championships At LOLR
Canandaigua regulars capture checkers in full-fender mid-week speedway special
Canandaigua, NY – July 24, 2024 – Tom Skibinski, Land of Legends Raceway PR
The Empire Street Stock Series presented by Butler Excavation & Concrete and powered by Cummings Trucking came to town on Wednesday and it was home track favorite Jimmy Grant continuing his domination as he claimed top honors in the 181st Annual Ontario County Fair headline event at Land Of Legends Raceway.
“Really needed this win to help me in the series points,” beamed Grant, now with six wins in eight starts at LOLR in 2024, after collecting the $1,000 first-place prize for his biggest win of the season in the 30-lap feature for Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling Street Stocks. “Got another (race) coming up, hopefully we can get another one.”
Justin Eldredge captured the companion 20-lap Lloyd's Contracting Hobby Stock feature in the full-fender portion of the Smith Bros. Drywall mid-week special while Loren Lincoln (Vintage Classics) from South Bristol, Tom Fletcher (Modified Classics) from Waterloo and James Loveland (Sportsman Classics) from Niagara Falls each won main events in their respective Vintage Stock Car class to close out oval track action during Fair Week ‘24.
With rain striking the area both north and south of the speedway earlier in the day, LOLR promoter Paul Cole stayed on course with the evening show attracting 18 entries in each of the Street Stock and Hobby Stock divisions. Both winners were the class of their field with Grant leading the entire distance while pole-sitter Eldredge rallied to regain the point with four laps left en route to victory.
Front row partners Pat Hobbs and C.J. Guererri took off early yet third-starting Grant found success even faster as he ducked low out of turn four in a daring three-wide maneuver to secure the opening lap lead. After just five times around the spacious half-miler, the popular Penn Yan pilot had built up a big advantage over Guererri, Marc Minutolo, inaugural ESSS points champion Shane Wolf Jr. from Pennsylvania and Willy Easling.
Weekly fairgrounds campaigner Chris Woodard stopped at the turn three pit entrance to require the lone yellow flag of the race and tighten the field. Although while top-5 positions were contested for the duration, that was the closest the nearest challengers would get to Grant in his no. 36 Fratto Curbing-Washburn Excavating Chevy Camaro as he sped on to author a commanding straightaway margin of victory in round #4 of the Empire Series now in the midst of its second season.
Falling in 11th on the starting grid, all-time LOLR stock car winner Mike Welch sped through the pack to make a stellar run and grab second under the checkers which earned him the Bud’s Apple Pie Hard Charger award while Minutolo settled for third ahead of Wolf and Guererri on the final scoresheet.
“This place is hard to get around, look at the top-3 here, all track regulars,” remarked Grant, pointing to weekly foes Welch and Minutolo on the podium, after matching his first tour triumph taken in last year’s ESSS debut at the Ontario County oval. “Tough to come to these (series) tracks and be good at them, gotta run some laps. These guys behind me they’re legends, just glad to be up here parked in front of them once in awhile.”
ESSS returns to competition on Tue. Aug. 6 at Woodhull Raceway with Wolf, winner of two races, holding a slim points lead, 220-212, over Grant. Welch (206) ranks third in the standings followed by Wednesday night’s Big Mike’s Auto Hard Luck driver Damian Long (138) with Trent Chamberlain (122) rounding out the top-five.
Land Of Legends Raceway hosts the 2024 ESSS season-finale on Sat. Sept. 28 with the Northeast’s best street stockers vying for a $2,000 top prize plus lap bonuses and contingency awards in the headline 40-lap Top Gun Shootout.
While the 13-minute Street Stock finale was slowed by just a single yellow, the caution-marred Hobby Stock feature suffered no less than eight setbacks throughout the 10-mile main that took 26 minutes off the clock. Yet that provided Eldredge more than enough time to move up the leaderboard after an early tangle with Daniel Kerrick dropped him from first to last with a brief pit stop mixed in between.
“We started on the pole but I hit the brake a little bit and (Kerrick) got into me,” recalled Eldredge, on the heels of his first win of the season registered the Saturday prior. “He probably could’ve used the brake a little more but it is what it is. We came back up through like a hot knife through butter.”
Mirroring the format followed for Street Stocks, the top-4 finishers in each heat race re-drew and while Eldredge and Grant each won the first of two qualifiers, Eldredge selected the #1 spot to begin the Hobby feature. And just like Grant, Eldredge assumed the early lead although his would last only six laps after a lap seven restart resulted in a tap from behind when the #25J Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling-Sunset Bowl-Big Mike’s Auto/Chevy Monte Carlo drifted up as the lead pair navigated through turns one and two.
“Actually after that incident over in turn two something got messed up in the front end, don’t know if it’s the toe, spindle, ball joint or what. But it was a handful the last 10 laps or so,” Eldredge pointed out.
With two more yellow flags unfurling in the ongoing attempt to complete lap seven, Eldredge was already pressing the front-five and by the halfway mark cracked the top-three with only leader Kerrick and Marc Minutolo in his way. No problem for the 2021 division points champ from Waterloo as Eldredge disposed of runner-up Minutolo on lap 14 then out-dragged Kerrick down the back chute for the lead on lap 17.
At the wire it was Eldredge by five car-lengths ahead of Kerrick while Minutolo added another third-place tally on the night. Weedsport traveler Eddie Stevens finished a track-best fourth chased by Brighton Grant, nephew of Street Stock victor Jimmy.
“We hit on a couple things a few weeks ago with the car and it’s been lights out ever since,” stated Eldredge, after pocketing $500 for the OCF title race victory. “Have to thank everybody right here. Takes a lot to get this (car) to where it is, just couldn’t do it without all these guys.”
A nostalgic array of 16 Vintage Cars entered the evening’s exhibition with six-lap heats and 15-lap feature races run in all three divisions.
Fletcher opened by dominating both Modified races entered steering his red #craZ8 Mike McLaughlin tribute car that sported a 1980 Gremlin body over a Troyer chassis, in the feature crossing the line 15 car-lengths ahead of Brad Litzenberger in the yellow Pepsi no. 20 Mud Buss-style car driven by Brett Hearn in the mid-1980s.
For the first-time ever buckled into a DIRTcar Modified copy, Loveland also led all 15 circuits in the Sportsman feature steering a black #56 car emblematic of the Big-Block ride once driven by Western New York standout Gary Iulg.
Himself a six-time amateur street stock winner in the 1980s at Canandaigua before scoring his third and final Sportsman feature race victory at the fairgrounds in 2007, Lincoln drove the former no. 91 Rich Taggart coupe owned by Tedd Scott to his first win in 17 years to close out the Vintage activity in decisive fashion.
LEGEND LEDGER
As racers have off from the fairgrounds on Sat. July 27, the final month of points at Land Of Legends Raceway begins Aug. 3 with Ryan Phelps Auto Sales, Disbatch Brewing Company and LSI Solutions backing a full show of Big-Block Modified, Sportsman, 305 Sprint, Street Stock, Hobby Stock and New Legends Sportsman action. Farmington Cemetery Foundation is the evening’s 50/50 beneficiary with pit gates opening at 3:30pm and spectators admitted at 5 o'clock. Hot laps start at 5:30 followed by heat race qualifiers at 6:30.
SKIDMARKS
Guided by award-winning executive producer Art Rorick, the talented LOLR TV broadcast team boasting production assistants Makenna Hansen & C.J. Miller, graphics coordinator Mark Rore, camera operators Mike Yawney, Jim & Michelle Mullen, and veteran voices Steve Ovens (PA announcer) and Doug Elkins (pit reporter) is once again on-site to provide LIVE video coverage of every event through Land of Legends TV, with LIVE streaming continuing to be offered FREE in 2024. On-line registration at https://landoflegendstv.com for a free account is the only step to take.
Also available for download is the LOLR mobile app found at Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goodbarber.landoflegends or
App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/land-of-legends/id1508128970?uo=4 to secure your raceday pass today.
In addition to LOLR's weekly racing being simulcast on Land of Legends Raceway TV, each show will also be broadcast live on DIRTVision and highlighted by the mighty DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds. To watch, sign up for an annual Platinum FAST PASS with DIRTVision and experience every event either online or through the DIRTVision App.
2024 TICKET BUNDLES & PIT PASS SPECIALS NEARING END OF SEASON
General Admission Ticket and Pit Pass bundles are available for purchase to LOLR fans and race teams while providing a great opportunity to save money in the process. G.A. packs of 20 ($220) or 50 ($475) and Pit bundles of 20 ($700) or 50 ($1,700) must be pre-ordered to be used during the remainder of the season.
Regular weekly G.A. ticket prices stay set at $15 Adults and $13 Seniors while Kids 16 yrs. and under (must be accompanied by an adult) remain FREE. Pit passes are $40. For those youngsters needing pit access, a Child Season Pit Pass is $50 for tykes under 2 yrs. and $150 each for kids 2-13. Camping is FREE at all race events.
To buy ticket and pit pass bundles or discuss marketing opportunities still available at the track in 2024, please contact LOLR Director of Marketing & Operations Tana Robinson via e-mail tana@landoflegendsraceway.com or cell 716-799-5669.
Check out www.landoflegendsraceway.com often as the latest news and season schedule information will be posted right up to raceday.
Land of Legends Raceway is located at the Ontario County Fairgrounds, east of the city on Town Line Road (County Road 10), with easy access off either Exit 43 (Manchester, Route 21 South) or Exit 44 (Farmington, Route 332 South) of the New York State Thruway, just ½-hour southeast of Rochester.
Land of Legends Raceway Event Summary – July 24, 2024
Smith Bros. Drywall presents 181st Ontario Co. Fair Championships
Butler Excavation & Concrete Empire Series Race #4
Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling Street Stock
*Feature (30 laps): 1. 36-Jimmy Grant ($1,000), 2. 00-Mike Welch, 3. 25b-Marc Minutolo, 4. 77-Shane Wolf Jr., 5. cj1-CJ Guererri, 6. 34-Byron DeWitt, 7. 28x-Willy Easling, 8. 5c-Rick Crego, 9. 3-Patrick Hobbs, 10. 717-Rich Conte, 11. 12-John Burritt, 12. 28-Trent Chamberlain, 13. 63-Mike Fellows, 14. 05-Jeff Almekinder, 15. 33-Justin Neff, 16. 57j-Chris Woodard, 17. 3d-Damian Long, 87-Brandon Sherwood(DNS).
Bud’s Apple Pie Hard Charger: Mike Welch.
Big Mike’s Auto Hard Luck: Damian Long.
Joe Wilcox Transmission Gift Certificate (7th-Place): Willy Easling.
Heats (8 laps / Top-4 redraw))
#1: Grant, Minutolo, Guererri, Wolf, DeWitt, Welch, Neff, Burritt, Sherwood(DNS).
#2: Crego, Conte, Easling, Hobbs, Woodard, Chamberlain, Fellows, Almekinder, Long.
Lloyd's Contracting Hobby Stock
*Feature (20 laps): 1. 25j-Justin Eldredge ($500), 2. 61-Daniel Kerrick, 3. 25b-Marc Minutolo, 4. 56-Eddie Stevens, 5. 36x-Brighton Grant, 6. 90-Nathan Peckham, 7. 55b-Blane Smith, 8. 22c-Craig Dingy, 9. 88-Justin Jacoby, 10. 67-James Werner, 11. 29i-Isaiah Murphy , 12. 8j-Jeff Rex, 13. 24k-Kevin Lloyd, 14. 69j-Heather Auble-Gray, 15. 11-Dan Korpanty, 16. 97-Kevin Schrader, 17. 22j-Jon Johnson, 18. 57jr.-Tyler Burnell.
Hard Charger: Nathan Peckham.
Hard Luck: Tyler Burnell.
Heats (6 laps / Top-4 redraw)
#1: Eldredge, Minutolo, Smith, Schrader, Lloyd, Auble-Gray,Johnson, Dingy(DSQ), Peckham(DNS).
#2: Kerrick, Burnell, Grant, Jacoby, Stevens, Korpanty, Werner, Murphy, Rex.
Vintage Stock Cars
*Modified Classics Feature (15 laps): 1. craZ8-Tom Fletcher, 2. 20-Brad Litzenberger, 3. 9j-Timmy Borden Jr., 4. 45-Tim Sebring.
Heat (6 laps)
#1: Fletcher, Litzenberger, Borden, Sebring.
*Sportsman Classics Feature (15 laps): 1. 56-James Loveland, 2. 66-Tom Church, 3. 76-Ray Preston, 4. 0-Casey Doll, 5. 36-Brent Williams, 7x-Craig Chisom(DNS), 72-Jeff Mitchell(DNS).
Heat (6 laps)
#1: Church, Loveland, Doll, Preston, Williams, Chisom(DNS), Mitchell(DNS).
*Vintage Classics Feature (15 laps): 1. 91-Loren Lincoln, 2. 7*-Bryon Lederhouse, 3. 7-Tedd Scott, 4. 52-Roger Williams, 5. 1-Ed Lawrence.
Heat (6 laps)
#1: Williams, Lincoln, Lederhouse, Scott, Lawrence.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday Spectacular, August 3 @ 6:30pm; Ryan Phelps Auto Sales, Disbatch Brewing Company and LSI Solutions present Big-Block Modified/Sportsman/305 Sprint/Street Stock/Hobby Stock plus New Legends Sportsman with Farmington Cemetery Foundation Benefit.
*No Racing Sat., July 27.
Track Instant Info
Website: www.LandOfLegendsRaceway.com
E-Mail: info@LandOfLegendsRaceway.com
Twitter: @LandofLegendsNY
Facebook: @LandofLegendsNY
Instagram: @LandofLegendsNY
Live Stream: https://landoflegendstv.com/
Along with recognizing its weekly 50/50 raffle fund beneficiaries, Land of Legends Raceway is proud to salute several sponsors and corporate partners that continue to help bring its fans the best Saturday night racing show in the Northeast. Listed alphabetically are 2024 division sponsors Eldredge & Sons Scrap Recycling, Lloyd's Contracting, Maguire Ford of Canandaigua, MighTea Boba, Pepsi Geneva Club Beverage, Stirling Lubricants; event sponsors Auto Value Parts Stores, AMS Enterprises, A-Verdi Storage Containers, Busch Light/Lake Beverage, Cargill, Disbatch Brewing Company, DC Rauscher Contractor, Empire Seneca, Ferris Mowers, Honeoye Auto Parts, Hoselton Auto Mall, Jack Howell Properties, iFreeze Storage & Distribution Center, Labatt/Wright Beverage, LSI Solutions, Maguire Ford of Canandaigua, Pepsi/Geneva Club Beverage, Phelps Cement Products, Prouty's Bar & Grill, Regional Truck & Trailer, Rushco Gas Company, Ryan Phelps Auto Sales, Seneca Meadows Landfill, Smith Drywall, Tradition Automotive Group, Wilbert's Premium Auto Parts; promotional partners Always Locked Self Storage, American Woman Designs, Auto Wash Car Wash, Baker's Exterminating, Champion Power Equipment, Close Racing Supply(CRS), Disbatch Brewing Company, Ed's Garage/Krown Undercoating of Ransomville, Elab Smokers Boutique, Elderlee, Emerson Oil Company/Castrol, Fox Pest Control, Hoosier Racing Tire, Legott's Club 86, Mac's Dairy Bar & Mini Golf, Meyer's Finger Lakes RV, Mike Emhof Motorsports, Ontario County Fairboard, On The Rocks Bar & Grill, The "Original" Red Osier Landmark Restaurant, Schultz Heating & Cooling, Speed Connection, Stop DWI NYS, Turn 5 Media, VP Racing Fuels, Weedsport Hall of Fame, Wicked Tees.