Darren Smith passed Mat Williamson in the final 100 feet of Saturday night's Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Oswego Speedway, winning $54,000 and his first Super DIRTcar Series race after a late tire change sent him from 16th to first in five laps.
The Binghamton driver swung outside Williamson in the last two turns, then crossed underneath him off Turn 4 for the winning pass, according to the Super DIRTcar Series race report. The 200-lap event was the main race of Super DIRT Week 54 at the Oswego County track.
Fresh tires reshape the finish
Larry Wight led the early laps before a competition caution on Lap 93 gave teams a chance to refuel and change tires. Williamson moved into second on Lap 105 and passed Wight for the lead two laps later. He stayed in front for roughly 70 laps as Matt Sheppard worked through the field.
Sheppard's right-rear tire went flat with 10 laps left. He pitted for a replacement, restarted 13th and charged to fourth before a Lap 195 caution. Smith was among the drivers who then stopped for a new right-rear tire.
On the restart, Sheppard passed Alex Payne and Alex Yankowski, then overtook Williamson for the lead. Another caution followed, and Sheppard ran out of fuel on the frontstretch. He did not return to the race, giving Williamson the lead back for the final three laps.
Smith was still behind Williamson, Yankowski and Jimmy Phelps. He split a three-wide fight with Yankowski and Phelps to take second, then closed on Williamson down the backstretch of the final lap. Williamson moved high as they exited Turn 4, and Smith cut inside to reach the checkered flag first.
"We didn't have the best car here tonight, but we didn't give up. It's a whole team effort," Smith said in the race report.
Williamson finished second, just short of a fifth victory in the 200. He said he was nearly out of fuel, running dry on the cool-down lap. Yankowski placed third for his 17th consecutive top-10 finish, followed by Phelps and Felix Roy.
Yankowski left Oswego with a 96-point Super DIRTcar Series lead and five races remaining. The series' next event is Friday, Oct. 16, at Brockville Ontario Speedway in Canada.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
