5/16/2025
The Dirt Track at Genesee
Back-to-Back Brilliant Track Prep Leads to Another Action-Packed Night
Batavia, NY - Despite rain falling across many surrounding towns, The Dirt Track at Genesee remained untouched by the weather, allowing Jim Johnson and the track crew to deliver back-to-back weeks of fantastic racing conditions. Drivers were once again thrilled with the surface and fans were treated to an action-packed night of dirt racing.
The Street Stock feature saw early excitement as Jesse Qutermous and Damian Long led the field to green. By lap 4, the trio of Long, Qutermous, and Josh Pangrazio of Oakfield, NY went three-wide exiting turn 4, miraculously avoiding a spin.
The first caution came on lap 6 when Rich Conte made hard contact with the turn 4 wall. Byron DeWitt, who started ninth, found himself in fourth on the restart and wasted no time charging forward.
Drama peaked on lap 8 when DeWitt performed a slide job on Long in turn 4. Long lost control and made heavy contact with Trent Chamberlain, sending Chamberlain’s car flipping onto its roof. Qutermous was also caught up in the wreck. Fortunately, all drivers walked away unharmed, though Long and Chamberlain were done for the night.
Josh Pangrazio capitalized on the chaos and went on to win his second feature in as many weeks at the track. In Victory Lane, he credited his team and particularly his friend Josh:
"This wouldn’t be possible without my buddy Josh—he puts in all the hours. Ryan too. I’ve got a good piece under me right now. Honestly, I’ll probably beat myself more than anything."
The Mini Stock feature began with Robert Knapp II and Eric Weis on the front row. Knapp held the early lead before a caution for Mike Dinehart. On the restart, Cole Susice of Ransomville, NY went to the front, passing Knapp and never looking back.
As Susice, Knapp, Brian Johnson, and Rocco Conte battled through lap traffic, a lap 11 caution for Cody Wise bunched up the field. On the lap 12 restart, Susice held strong to take the win—his first, the first time in this car.
In Victory Lane, Susice admitted: “I can’t believe we got here. This is a brand new car—I didn’t expect a top ten, let alone a win.”
The Kolb Family Automotive Sportsman were next to take the spotlight at The Dirt Track at Genesee, and the feature event got off to a fast start with Tyler Guzzardi and Ricky Newton bringing the field to the green flag. As the green waved, Newton wasted no time establishing himself at the front of the pack, jumping out to lead the opening lap.
The first caution of the race came early, on lap 3, when Greg Mrzywka brought out the yellow flag. Meanwhile, Phil Vigneri III of Elba, NY, who had started in the fourth position, had already begun making his move toward the front.
That opportunity came immediately on the restart, and Vigneri didn’t waste it. With a strong launch off the bottom, he made his move on Newton and took over the top spot—one he wouldn’t relinquish for the rest of the race.
From that point on, Vigneri was locked in. Faced with two additional restarts before the race concluded, he handled each with confidence and composure, keeping Newton and the rest of the field behind him. With each green flag, Vigneri found just a little more grip and a little more speed, gradually pulling away and securing his second consecutive feature win at Genesee.
In Victory Lane, a smiling Vigneri shared some insight into his early-race struggles and mid-race adjustments:
“I got stuck out high on the first lap and I was like, ‘I don’t think there’s anything out here,’” he said. “When I got to the bottom I said to myself, ‘I better take advantage of this now before he figures it out."
The final feature of the night belonged to the Callahan Towing RUSH Late Models, with Paul Grigsby and Bill Holmes III of East Concord, NY leading the field to the green flag. Holmes grabbed the early lead, with last week’s winner and defending track champion Dave DuBois close behind.
A caution flew on lap 6, this time for Zack Carley. Then, on the very next restart, trouble struck coming out of turn 2 as Chad Homan, Bill Taylor, and Carley got tangled up in a wreck. While all three cars were involved, it was Taylor who sustained the most damage and was unable to continue, ending his night early.
The rest of the 25-lap feature settled into a rhythm, with most drivers committed to the bottom of the track. One exception was Jimmy Johnson, who went to the high side and turned the fastest laps in the closing stages. However, he simply ran out of time to mount a serious charge.
In the end, it was Bill Holmes who held strong for the win.
In Victory Lane, Holmes shared:
“I just tried to run my line and keep it as smooth as I could. This means a lot—last year was tough on us. We tried so many different things to keep up, and this year we’ve got a brand new car.”
Don’t miss our next race night on Saturday, May 24th, featuring a full six-division show and a visit from the Rush Late Model Tour, paying $4,000 to win.
Hot Laps: 5:30 PM | Heats: 6:00 PM
Join us for another great night of dirt track racing!
Conte's Auto Street Stocks feature (20 laps) - JOSH PANGRAZIO, Byron DeWitt, Jesse Qutermous, Mike Kelly, Bobby Lippa Jr, Mike Fellows, Rich Conte, Damian Long, Trent Chamberlain
Heat race winners - Damian Long & Josh Pangrazio
Weis Performance Mini Stocks feature (15 laps) - COLE SUSICE, Robert Knapp II, Rocco Conte, Brian Johnson, Seth Johnson, Eric Brumstead, Racelyn Lippa, Eric Weis, Ryan Hessler, Paige Gayton, Kevin Napier, Cody Wise, Chris Skobjak, Zachery Virgilio, Mike Dinehart, Kevin Bacon, Antonio Gregg - DNS
Heat race winners - Rocco Conte, Cole Susice, & Robert Knapp II
Kolb Family Automotive Sportsman feature (25 laps) - PHIL VIGNERI III, Ricky Newton, Sam Hoxie, Ray Bliss, Tony Pangrazio, John Venuto, Tyler Guzzardi, Noah Pangrazio, Gordy Hermanson Jr, Joe Mickey, Evan Nugent, Lucas Newton, Chris Hawkins
Heat race winners - Phil Vigneri III & Ray Bliss
Callahan Towing Rush Late Models feature (25 laps) - BILL HOLMES, Dave Dubois, Jimmy Johnson, Paul Grigsby, Zack Carley, Doug Ricotta, Chad Homan, Jon Rivers, Billy Dubois, Bill Taylor
Heat race winners - Zack Carley & Dave Dubois
Photo Credit: Evie Fenton (Woah Nellie Productions)
Submitted By: Jeremy Perry
