SUPRS Thanksgiving Break13 Race Non-Wing Supermodified Sim Racing Season Begins June 1
May 19, 2021 – Goshen, IN…The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), summer supermodified sim racing season schedule has been released and thes 17th Gold Crest Non-Wing Supermodified schedule shows 13 race events using the NASCAR Heat and rFactor sim racing platforms and begins at Oswego Speedway on June 1 with the 17th Annual Port City Kick-Off.
The majority of the 13 race non-wing summer supermodified sim racing schedule will, in fact, be held at the virtual version of “The Home of the Supermodifieds” – Oswego Speedway. There are however two new exciting additions to the schedule that won’t be held at Oswego. Thanks to Hairbag Studios in Baldwinsville, NY, all events are going to be available via the SUPRS Broadcasting Network on SUPRS LIVE! for fans to enjoy.
Now Grid Finder Approved
In an exciting off-season development, the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series is now Grid Finder Approved. Grid Finder is the home of sim racing communities and a place to find your sim racing league quick and easily.
Becoming a Grid Finder approved sim racing league meant that SUPRS had to pass a rigorous vetting process that proved SUPRS met the organization’s high standards of having a well organized, high performing, and friendly sim racing community. This is something of an accomplishment for a niche’ league of American paved oval short track racing that uses older gaming platforms, especially considering there are many other larger leagues and other more popular PC and console motorsports sims throughout the world. SUPRS co-founder Bob Gangwer is proud of the accomplishment.
“We’re pretty small compared to a lot of the other sim racing leagues that have a larger base to work from,” admitted Gangwer. “There are a whole lot of other forms of motorsports that have a larger following than supermodifieds and paved short track oval racing, so I had little hope of SUPRS being taken seriously when up against leagues running the likes of Assetto Corsa, iRacing, Automobilista, Forza, F1, IndyCar, or even NASCAR stuff.”
“But when when Grid Finder rolled out the Approved status for leagues, I jumped right on it, not only because it looked like another way to promote supermodified racing and SUPRS, but also because I’m proud of what John, (Davidson-SUPRS co-founder), and I started 17 years ago. There’s not a lot of other groups out there that can say they’ve lasted as long as what we have. Imagine my surprise after about a month, to get the notification that the application had been accepted, and we were now a Grid Finder Approved sim racing sanction.”
Tom Bunten the founder of Grid Finder stated, “SUPRS is full of heart. When going through SUPRS’s application to be Grid Finder Approved, I made sure to watch back through several old race streams. It was immediately clear when watching the races that this league is run by people who care. No wonder SUPRS has such a devoted, loyal base of committed racers. I’m very proud to see our Grid Finder Approved badge on such a fantastic community”
Grid Finder is changing the ways that sim racers can find a community to race no matter what sim racing platform or type of race car they prefer and Bunten has seen a spike in users since it was founded in September of 2020. “I set a goal of growing my “list of leagues to 20 by Christmas,” he said. “We grew to 500 in less than eight weeks, and now have over 1000 sim racing leagues that racers can search through and join.”
The likable founder of Grid-Finder sees nothing but continued growth for Grid Finder, especially now that he has some help with his new developer Chris. “We’ve just launched a completely new, re-built version of the website in order to future-proof the concept and improve the user experience for our users. We are going to focus on improving what we already have for now. But everyone should keep an eye on our social media channels for announcements about some entirely new features coming in the near future.”
Rookies Add Interest
will be hotly contested in 2021.
For the second year in a row, and really, the third SUPRS season, there’s a good amount of rookie drivers set to begin their SUPRS career.
When the cars hit the track on June 1 for the Port City Kick-Off, five new supermodified sim racers could become the Icings on Top Rookie of the Year. The rookie crop includes real supermodified race winner Michael Scott, supermodified sim race winner, and amateur weather forecaster, Anthony Corsoniti, Oswego resident Ethan Proud, Rob Higgins of New York, and Greg Breen, who is the uncle of SUPRS 2020-21 Icings on Top Wing Supermodified Rookie of the Year, Ryan Cloonan.
Also on the rookie roster is real supermodified racer and 2007 East vs West Supermodified Shootout winner, AJ Russell. The former Californianhas recently relocated to Tennessee and has indicated that once he gets his race rig put back together, being in a new time zone should make it more conducive to making the SUPRS shows.
The rookie crop will certainly have their work cut out for them though as they battle Dave “Speedyman” Ohh, the two-time and reigning SUPRS Gold Crest Non-Wing Supermodified Champion, and SUPRS veterans like 4-Time Gold Crest Non-Wing Supermodified Champion “Rocket” Rob Warren, 2016 non-wing champ Keith “Put One on Ya” Powell, Wyoming, Michigan’s Gary Waldron, and the ageless Carl “Bonzai” Becker who is returning after heart surgery and turns 78 years old in May.
Former Rookies of the Year Nelson “Hot Rod” Rodrigues, “Captain Cool” Brad Keysor, Zach Sears, Erich Becker, and the aforementioned “Rapid” Ryan Cloonan, as well as returning competitors Kyle Perry, Danny Ray, Bobby Hayduk, Steven Vincent, Dick Schuler and Canadian John Held will also make the competition stiff for the new racers.
Jam Packed June
The 17th season of SUPRS non-wing supermodified sim racing kicks off on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 with the running of the Port City Kick-Off at Oswego Speedway. This rFactor event has varied in length over the years, and this season has a 50 lap feature.
The next week, on June 8, SUPRS runs the first “Regular 45” show of the season. This quick 45 lap feature format leaves no room for waiting around and has produced some of the best supermodified sim racing seen and will be one of only three NASCAR Heat events during the summer.
On June 15, SUPRS honors the memory of the “father of the modern supermodified,” Jim Shampine with the running of the 16th Annual Jim Shampine Memorial 80. Shampine tops the list of All-Time Winners at Oswego Speedway with 87 feature victories. He was a 7-time track champion, and won the prestigious International Classic 200 three times. This race is the first of two ‘guaranteed starter” races for the season ending Topless! 200. Dave Ohh is the defending winner of this prestigious supermodified sim race.
Drivers are excited about a week away from “The O” and are anticipating a stellar race at Music City Speedway on June 22. This fictional track is based on the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and was built by Brian Ring with help of The Pits. Pre-season testing has seen the drivers running two and sometimes three-wide on the high-banked oval and all indication point to an action packed night of close and intense supermodified sim racing at the beautiful facility. A 45 lap event using the ‘regular” format of handicapped heat races and feature inversion should prove very entertaining on the famous southern track.
Racing in June concludes with the popular Independence Day Twin 35s at Oswego Speedway on June 29. The SUPRS racers will celebrate freedom and speed using the rFactor racing simulation in the action packed double-header that is also the anniversary of SUPRS first non-wing supermodified sim race.
Hot and Heavy July Racing
The month of July is loaded with big supermodified sim racing shows and it gets started with the 100 lap Mid-Season Championship at July 6 at Oswego Speedway. Drivers gain points throughout the night from the Heat Races all the way to the end of the 100 lap feature as they race to become the 2021 SUPRS Gold Crest Non-Wing Supermodified Mid-Season Champion. The driver that does so gains 15 bonus points.
The 1st to Finish Race Servers “Irregular 45” in the second week of July, reminds racers and fans what supermodified racing was like at the real Oswego Speedway during the heyday of supermodified racing. This race will have heats, consolation races, a semi-feature and a 45 lap feature. The drivers will have to work hard to transfer through each event if they want to make the A-main on July 13.
SUPRS annual break from online supermodified sim racing happens the week of July 19-25. This allows fans and members the chance to enjoy the popular International Supermodified Association Hy-Miler Supermodified Nationals at Sandusky Speedway. This race is part of the real supermodified “Triple Crown” and many SUPRS members will be in attendance on July 23-25.
When the racers come back from their short summer vacation, they’ll vie for the 14th Annual Mr. Online Supermodified title on Tuesday July 26 and Wednesday July 27. This wing and non-wing supermodified two-day event will use the rFactor sim racing platform in a format that awards points to the drivers every time they hit the track. The driver that accumulates the most points over the two-day event is then crowned Mr. Online Supermodified and gets some valuable bonus points.
Moving to August and the Moody Mile
On August 3, the supermodified sim racers of SUPRS will make a rare appearance on dirt for one of the most anticipated races of the season at the famed “Moody Mile” of the New York State Fairgrounds. While not the first time that SUPRS has sanctioned races on a dirt-track, this event is extra special because it’s a nod to the sporadic appearances of the real supermodifieds at the NYS Fairgrounds as part of Super Dirt Week in the 1970s and 80s, and it will be the first time that the drivers have competed on a one-mile dirt oval.
While details are still being finalized on this exciting race date, the race name of “Down n Dirty 30” gives an indication of the amount of feature laps the drivers will run. Time trials will also come into play, as well as a Fast Car Dash and heat races.
The week after getting their supermodifieds dirty in Syracuse, the stars and cars of SUPRS head back to the “Home of the Supermodifieds,” for the 17th running of “The Whistler” Pete Trenca Memorial 60. The event that honors the memory of Peter “Program” Trenca. Trenca was an Oswego Speedway icon and one of the founding members of the Eagles Fan Club. His smiling face and iconic whistle left a lasting memory on all those that were lucky enough to meet him as they passed through the main gate of Oswego.
The driver that wins this race also wins a Guaranteed Starting Spot for the 17th Annual Topless! 200.
Topless! 200 Week Closes Season
To close out the 17th consecutive year of SUPRS non-wing supermodified sim racing, Topless! 200 week begins on Sunday August 15 with SUPRS Sunday Night Test-N-Tune.
Then on Monday, August 16 the NASCAR Heat winged supermodifieds hit the track for the 50 lap SUPRSNationals race that will bring an end to the 2020-21 Empire State Supermodified Series regional tour.
The thrills continue on Tuesday, August 17, with another NASCAR Heat event and the Rising Star 50. This invitation only event is for drivers that have never won a SUPRS feature. The winner of this race earns the final guaranteed starting place for the 17th Annual Topless! 200, allowing him to breath a little easier before he sets his focus on Time Trials for the 17th Annual Topless! 200 which follow the 50 lapper on the same night.
Only the top two drivers with the top two times are locked into the big season ending show, but guaranteed starters, if they are fast enough, can avoid having to run the ‘wacky races’ that are also part of the 17th Annual Topless! 200 Pole Night on the seventeenth of August. After qualifying heat races and a b-main, the 20 car starting field will be set.
The previous three nights of action lead up to Wednesday, August 18, when it’s time to go Topless! Anticipation will build right to the drop of the green flag for the 17th Annual Topless! 200 at Oswego Speedway, with pre-race interviews, awards ceremonies, and a preview of what to expect during this special race.
When the checkered flag falls after 200 grueling non-wing supermodified sim racing laps at Oswego Speedway, a new champion will be crowned and the curtain will fall on the 2021 season. Last year Brad Keysor was in the right place at the right time when race leader, Dave Ohh, lost connection and dropped out after leading the first 122 laps. This year Keysor will be going for a ‘perfect’ Triple Crown of Supermodified Sim Racing presented by Icings on Top after winning the first two legs of the 2021 Triple Crown at Star Speedway and Madera Speedway.
Enjoy the Season with SUPRS LIVE!
SUPRS is no stranger to streaming live sim racing. In fact, SUPRS was the first to bring live supermodified sim racing to the fans via live broadcasting in 2016 with the broadcast of Pole Night for the 12th Annual Topless! 200. SUPRS history of pushing this envelope dates back to 2008 when the very first SUPRS broadcast took place on a tape delayed based from Jennerstown Speedway for the Randy Witkum Memorial thanks to a partnership with High Speed Radio.
Thanks to Hairbag Studios in Baldwinsville, NY, SUPRS fans can follow along again in 2021 as they watch their favorite SUPRS racers via SUPRS LIVE! Live streaming video, timing, scoring and stats shows multiple cameras, instantaneous position changes, lap times, penalties, race status, and commentating.
If fans can’t make it to SUPRS.net for the live action, they can always catch up with the SUPRS LiveRacers Results page showing every race of the season in complete detail at night’s end. SUPRS YouTube page also has all the replays within 72 hours of the original broadcast.
Fans of supermodified racing and online sim racers alike can learn more about the original online supermodified sim racing sanction when they visit www.SUPRS.net, The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series is very active on social media where fans can “Like” SUPRS on Facebook, Follow @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and View over 650 real supermodified racing videos, and archived SUPRS races on SUPRS YouTube. Fans can also enjoy chatting with each other and win prizes on SUPRS Twitch page.
SUPRS Gold Crest Non-Wing Supermodified Champions
- 2005 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Jim Crannell
- 2006 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: John Davidson
- 2007 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Kris Heveron
- 2008 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Kris Heveron
- 2009 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Devin Gee
- 2010 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: John Davidson
- 2011 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2012 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2013 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2014 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Myles Maxon
- 2015 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Rob Warren
- 2016 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Keith Powell
- 2017 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Rob Warren
- 2018 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Rob Warren
- 2019 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Rob Warren
- 2021 Non-Wing Supermodified Champion: Dave Ohh
Learn more about SUPRS History HERE
