Ron Silk Tops NASCAR Modified Tour Toyota Mod Classic 150 At Oswego

Ron Silk took the lead from Austin Beers on lap 123 and cruised the rest of the way to win the NASCAR Modified Tour Toyota Mod Classic 150 Saturday at Oswego Speedway. 

It was the third win in eight series starts this season for Silk, of Norwalk, and 29th career series victory overall. 

“Just a great car,” Silk said. “I was happy with what we did all day here. Everyone on my team did a fantastic job all day. The pit crew won us the race. They got us the track position. It’s pretty tough to pass here.”

Craig Lutz of Miller Place, N.Y. was second and Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y. third. 

Beers, of Northampton, Pa., ended up fourth and Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa. Was fifth. 

There were 17 cars in the starting field, which was a season low for the series and the smallest starting field in 18 NASCAR Modified Tour events at Oswego. 

Hirschman, who led in practice and won the pole, controlled at the drop of the green flag with Beers slotting into second and Lutz third. 

By lap 33 Hirschman had opened about a 1-second lead over Beers with Lutz still running third. 

At that halfway point Beers remained in second place, a little more than a half a second behind Hirschman. Lutz was third, Patrick Emerling fourth and Ron Silk fifth. 

By lap 95 Hirschman had opened up a 1.4 second lead over Beers at the front with Lutz in third, 3.9 seconds off the lead. 

The first caution flew on lap 103 for the spinning car of Tommy Catalano. 

Under caution all the leaders went to pit road for the initial pit stop. Austin Beers opted not to pit on the second trip to pit road for a third tire. 

After the pit stops it put Beers at the front, Silk in second, Lutz in third and Hirschman in fourth for the lap 111 restart. 

Caution was right back out on lap 112 when Stephen Kopcik put Catalano into the turn three wall. 

On the ensuing restart it was Beers controlling at the front. On lap 123 Silk got by Beers to take over the lead. On lap 126 Lutz got under Beers to take over second. 

On lap 130 contact from Hirschman sent fifth place running Justin Bonsignore sliding toward the wall. Bonsignore somehow saved a sliding car and settled back into the field at eighth place. 

With 14 laps left Bonsignore made hard contact from behind with Kopcik in a battle for seventh place.