2015 TSSSSA Season Review

[Mike Carr]

2015 TSSSSA Season Review

As stated in a previous Newsletter, this past season was the largest and best ever of the nineteen seasons of The TSSSSA. Car counts and payouts were up, weather was great except for one weekend.

Season wrap-up:

Races 1-2, Quaker City May 23-24. The season got started with a great weekend. There were forty-one (41) cars Saturday and thirty-three on Sunday. Saturday had the start delayed by over an hour or so, as someone had tampered and messed with several of the beams/sensors, which took some time to properly allign and repair. The final six cars elected to split the money, but still finish the race to completion. The final six cars each earned $630. The final three elected to just call it a night the next round, as all the points members had been eliminated, it was near 1 am. The final three were Jerry Coblentz C/PS '71 Demon, Jack Battafrano SS/PGA-1 '69 Nova and George Jobe N/SS '66 Barracuda.
Sunday saw Michael Wood take the win in his Iron Soldier N/SS '67 Dodge, beating Tom Russell's C/S '99 Camaro. They split to $675 and 600.

Race 3, Pittsburgh June 6. Twenty-one cars arrived to do battle. Nice, but long day. Matt Butter won in his H/SA '69 Camaro, defeating Terry Knott F/SA '74 Dart Sport. The purse was to be $1,200/600, but they ran for $1,000/800.

Race 4, Quaker City Sept 13. There were to be two races on Sept 5-6, but we had to reschedule due to the track being closed, as many of the local bracket racers elected to go to Norwalk, or just not race. So we moved the races a week. It was to be a two-day, two-race weekend, but Saturday was rained out. Sunday dawned as a gloomy, ugly day that did not look good when the gates opened at 10 am. Slowly, it cleared up with some sunshine and racing started at 12:30 pm. Nineteen cars were on the property. Eric Campolito won, in his J/SA '96 Caprice, beating Norm Sabine Jr's SS/CM Achieva. Eric won $1,000 and Norm won $550.

Races 5-6, Pittsburgh Sept 26-27. Another very good weekend. Great weather also, sunny and mid-70's all weekend. Thirty-nine cars on Saturday and twenty-seven on Sunday. Saturday was the 5th ANnual Carl Schoode-Bob Butter Memorial Race. Ray Darroch won, in his brother's D/PS '94 Camaro, beating Michael Beard's FGT/H '78 Volare. The race was to be $1,750 and 900; they ran for 1,650 and 1,000.
Sunday saw an all-Nostalgia/SS final, as Michael Wood took his second win of the season, beating Jim Jones' '65 Dodge. They split to 600 and 550.

Races 7-8, Hagerstown MD Oct 31-Nov 1. Our annual season finale is sort of a combination of Indy and the World Finals. Another great turnout for this weekend, and great weather. Sunny and mid-50's Saturday, and sun/clouds and mid 60's Sunday. A brief shower Sunday morning was done by 7:30 or so in the morning, and the track was ready by the noon start time. We had our two largest car counts of the season. Forty-two made first round Saturday. Michael Wood took the win, his third of the season, in his N/SS Dodge, and clinched the '15 TSSSSA Championship. He defeated Dan Fahey's F/PS '95 Impala SS. No splits, they ran for the $1,000 win/500 runner-up. Sunday had fifty-eight cars make first round. It came down to Keith Bowman in his N/SS '67 Dodge and defending event winner, 3rd-generation racer Kyle Huntzberry's SS/JA '69 Camaro. Kyle lit the redlight and Keith took hom the win. Race was to pay $2,350 win/$1,200 R/U, but they elected to race for $100, so it paid $1,825 and $1,725.

Had a racer competed in, and won, every race we had, with no money splits, it would have cost $650 in entry fes and paid $10,425 in winners purses.

Top 10 in points; top 5 received year-end money.
1. Michael Wood 416 (8)
2. Steve Klacik 320 (8)
3. Eric Campolito 298 (8)
4. Brent Darroch 288 (6)
5. Terry Knott 268 (7)
6. Keith Bowman 267 (5)
7. Jim Jones 245 (7)
8. Dino Allison 233 (7)
9. Michael Beard 227 (4)
10. Matt Butter 208 (3)

We would like to thank everyone who came out and competed with us this season. Also we want to thank our season sponsors Jim Lydon, John Kunsak Truck Sales, Wexford PA, Jan Cavacini Landscaping Inc, Pittsburgh PA and Dennis Roberts of www.robertsfamilymotorsports.com. It's all of you; the racers and sponsors that make this possible. I've said before, I'm just the monkey with the clipboards, ladders and stuff. YOU all make this what it is, and I want to thank all of you so much.

We hope to see you for our twentieth year (1997-2016) of our TSSSSA races next season!