Champion Speedway
344 East River Drive
Owego, New York 13827
Speedway Joe Cup
Champion Speedway July 13, 2024
From Jason Bonsignore
Donholt Dominates Speedway Joe Cup
Caleb Stewart left, Casey Donholt Center, Len McBride
Photo by Kelly Klees
Division 2 sensation Chloe Schnurr has won 4 weeks in a row.
Photo by Kelly Klees
It was a tough evening emotionally for the East Coast Speedway Family on July 13th as just two days earlier news surfaced that former NY State Champion, Mikey Buman, had passed away unexpectedly just a couple weeks past his 33rd birthday.
It was also a difficult day for the track staff as there was a ton of work to do to save the racetrack in the blistering heat from the severe storms that blasted through a day earlier and had filled the infield and much of the track with water. After hours and hours of pumping water and working the surface, which caused a bit of a late start, the track actually came out as one of the nicer ones this season!
Current track champion, Casey "Dominator" Donholt, was close friends with Mikey Buman and was anxious to win for his friend. Donholt started off strongly winning his 3 heats with 9 points. Former track champ, Spencer Portararo, was back for his first event since Memorial Day weekend when he suffered a broken leg and quickly got back to form scoring 8 points in the heat rounds. Five-time Track Champion, Len McBride, who has been very solid lately, was 3rd in points, along with Jonny Oakden on 7.
Donholt won semifinal number 1 with another 5-time Track Champion, Adam "The Missile" Mittl, taking second and Caleb Stewart 3rd with Oakden 4th.
Portararo would win the other semi with McBride second, Mike Cortese 3rd and Levi "The Hornet" Harris 4th.
Stewart would have to go around the outside of Cortese in spectacular fashion to win the last chance and take the final position in the evening's big money race. The Speedway Joe Hodak Main Event! Joe was a great fan from Johnson City who missed only 3 or 4 events from 1975 until he passed nearly 40 years later and would go through great lengths and take whatever means necessary of travel to make it to the tracks!
In the final, McBride, on his Justice Brothers Car Care Products/ODI Grips/TANKS AUTO SALES/Joe V's Auto Repair powered GM and Donholt, on his MATRAFAILO RACING sponsored GM, would gate just about evenly and meet at the middle of the first corners with Donholt having the better dirt line mid track to power into first. Donholt would ride meticulously the remaining race to capture the checkered flag while McBride held second until the last corner when he was dive bombed hard and pinched into the wall by Stewart. McBride collided with the wall but stayed on the bike and crossed the line on his rear wheel to recover for 3rd place. Portararo and Mittl were 4th and 5th.
In the Division Two wars, female sensation, Chloe Schnurr, from Rochester, had won 3 weeks in a row and had become the rider to beat heading into the night. In the main event, colorful veteran Division 1 rider, Alex "The Hazard" Heath of Owego, who is riding Division 2 while coming back from a serious injury last season, made the gate from the inside and Schnurr had to come off an outside gate and what ensued was one of the best 4 lap side by side battles seen all season! The crowd was on their feet as the legendary pint size Heath tried so hard he got sideways a couple times in the middle of the straights! Schnurr won by inches at the line and took her fourth in a row on her WILD BILL/Brian Hollenbeck/Tom Robinson sponsored GM!
Riders will be gearing up for the JULY 27TH event at Champion, the Omar Lightner Cup Championship, which the Lightner Family has put extra money up for and is always a prestigious one to go for!
The Junior scene at Champion has been awesome racing as well with the program now boasting 12 youngsters in the Powersports X/Robinson Bros Junior divisions! Flat-track motorcycles have also been added to the back track schedule on speedway nights and nearly 30 bikes attended the first time.
Speedway Joe Cup
1. Casey Donholt
2. Caleb Stewart
3. Len McBride
4. Spencer Portararo
5. Adam Mittl
Last Chance
1. Caleb Stewart
2. Mike Cortese
3. Levi Harris
4. Jonny Oakden
Division 2
1. Chloe Schnurr
2. Alex Heath
3. Adam Mittl Jr
4. Austin Carlsson
5. Hunter Wagner
6. Brian McManamon
Division 3
1. Cody Pierce
2. Hugh Recktion
3. Chris Hulbert
4. Luke Helton
5. Kayden Vargo
Junior Division 1 Main
1. Joel Farwell
2. Lilly Cornell
3. Kabriel Howard
4. Cody Pierce
Junior Division 1 Consolation
1. Macoley Saunders
2. Jake Kilmer
3. Jenson Pierce
4. Jacob Tomchick
Junior Division 2
1. Dakota Pierce
2. Gracie Bailey
3. Jaden Slate
4. Mikki Card
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