Alex Yankowski charged from 17th on the starting grid to win Friday night's 150-lap DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 at Oswego Speedway, taking the lead with 25 laps remaining and earning the $20,000 winner's prize.
The 22-year-old Pennsylvania driver passed Mike Mahaney on Lap 125 and held off a late push from Alex Payne, according to the Super DIRT Week race report. It was Yankowski's first victory in the event after finishes no better than 33rd in his two previous starts.
A climb through a changing race
Mat Williamson started from the pole and led the opening laps, looking to extend a run of three consecutive wins in the 150. Darren Smith took the lead from him on Lap 17 as Williamson encountered traffic. Billy Dunn moved into second 10 laps later, then used the outside lane on a restart after a Lap 35 caution to take the lead from Smith.
Yankowski was still 14th after the first 20 laps but steadily worked forward. Payne, who started ninth, also moved through the field and had reached second when the race paused for a scheduled competition pit stop on Lap 80. Most teams changed tires and added fuel.
Mahaney, Andrew Buff and Marc Johnson stayed on the track during the stop, putting Mahaney in front when racing resumed. Buff dropped back quickly, while Johnson remained near the front for a time. Yankowski restarted sixth and reached second with 28 laps left.
Traffic slowed Mahaney as Yankowski closed. On Lap 125, Mahaney drifted high off Turn 4, and Yankowski crossed underneath him before moving ahead into Turn 1. Mahaney said he had been managing fuel and that his tires had lost grip over the long run. He finished fifth.
Yankowski said a small shock adjustment during the pit stop helped his car. He called the win difficult to achieve, saying that to be competitive at Super DIRT Week, "Everything has got to be perfect."
Payne closes, Sheppard surges
Payne passed Mahaney for second on Lap 134 and cut Yankowski's lead from about two seconds to nearly half a second with seven laps left. Payne said he felt he was gaining in clean air, but traffic interrupted his run. Yankowski pulled clear again when he found open track.
Matt Sheppard made the sharpest late advance. Starting 23rd, he broke into the top 10 with 18 laps remaining and finished third. The race report credited him with the hard-charger award for gaining 20 positions. Williamson finished fourth, followed by Mahaney, Jimmy Phelps, Johnson, Dunn, Larry Wight and Peter Britten.
BILLS GAME WEEK: Buffalo heads to Los Angeles for Monday Night Football matchup with Rams (preview) The race was part of Super DIRT Week 54 at Oswego. Saturday's schedule includes the DIRTcar Sportsman Great Lakes 75 and the 200-lap Super DIRTcar Series Billy Whittaker Cars 200, which carries a $54,000 winner's prize. The event lists ticket information through SuperDIRTWeek.com and a live broadcast on DIRTVision.
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