White Claims 602 Crate Win at Georgetown Gobbler Finale & Pit Notes

The final northeast 602 crate race of the 2020 season was held at the Gobbler under unseasonably warm and comfortable conditions.

The 602 crate feature was led to green by Mike White and he lead all of the 25 lap feature from green to checkered flat.  The first 15 laps were all green flag but then four consecutive yellows came out giving James Hill some shots at the lead during the restarts but was never able to make any of the moves stick and White pulled away from Hill again.  On lap 24 Joe Toth got by Hill for 2^nd place but it was Mike White driving into victory lane for his first win of 2020 at Georgetown Speedway.

In victory lane White commented “The car was perfect on the bottom.  The car has been good since mid-August and we could have won 2 or 3 races but things just didn’t go our way.  Tonight everything went out way and it’s fabulous.  Troyer racecars are the best.  I had to race good and couldn’t make a mistake because James (Hill) is a hell of a race car driver and that’s what I did to win it.”

The top 10 was rounded out by Joe Toth, James Hill, Adam White, Ryan Simmons, Joey Bruning, Ryan Conrad, Brian Lilick, Wayne Weaver and John Stevenson.

Crate 602 Sportsman Feature Finish (25 laps) Georgetown Speedway 11-21-20:

1. MICHAEL WHITE ($2,000), 2. Joe Toth, 3. James Hill, 4. Adam White, 5. Ryan Simmons, 6. Joey Bruning, 7. Ryan Conrad, 8. Brian Lilick, 9. Wayne Weaver, 10. John Stevenson, 11. Richie Walls Jr., 12. Duane Rust, 13. Greg Taylor, 14. Isabella Van Orden, 15. Jeff Marker, 16. Nolan Openshaw, 17. Stacy Jackson, 18. David Jenkins, 19. Tim White.

602 Crate Pit Notes

Michael White held off strong challenges from James Hill on several restarts to take his first Georgetown win since 2007.  Michael in his #43 entry took the win with son Adam in his #15 not far behind in 4^th place.  The season finale win is Michael’s second win of the season with his first win right down the road at DIS in Delmar, DE.   Michael has also had his most consistent season of his career with three top 5 point finishes in three point championships.  Michael’s best finish was a 2^nd in points at Delaware International Speedway right behind his son Adam who won the points championship.  In addition he finished 4^th in both Short Track Super Series points and Georgetown Speedway points for his best and most consistent season to date.

Michael White (43) and son Adam White (15) both compete in the crate division race week in and out against one another.   Adam has managed to stay one step ahead of dad as the duo became a force to be reckoned with at in Delaware and frequently Bridgeport NJ.  Adam collected 3 wins at Delmar and his dad Michael collected 2 wins in the pandemic shorten season.  On the points side of things Adam was in front of dad in two out of the three point championships with a 1st in points at Delaware International Speedway; 2^ND at Georgetown and 5^th in the STSS points.  The father and son duo’s dedication and racing whenever and where ever possible is starting to pay off with consistent results and high hopes for an even better 2021 season.

Joe Toth has been mixing it up recently with a little modified racing at Bridgeport during the Danny Serrano Memorial.  Toth put Andy Belmont’s spec motor in his #9 entry and qualified for the Danny Serrano Memorial as an alternate and completed 93 of 100 laps.  At the Wildcard Weekend Toth just missed qualifying by one position with over 50 modifieds on the grounds at Bridgeport.

For the Gobbler finale Toth went back to his crate motor and the Georgetown point champion came home with a strong 2^nd place finish and closing on the leader in the final laps.

The finale always showcases early new cars for 2021 and this year was no exception.  James Hill debuted the Jeff Brown Chesapeake Paving House #1 which is an absolutely eye catching black and red entry.  Hill had a strong run in his first time out in the new Teo Pro Car and contended for the lead and had a strong 3^rd place finish.

New Egypt regular Ryan Simmons made an impromptu last minute trip to Georgetown to get some track time in preparation for the 2021 season.  Simmons is planning on running the STSS and the Georgetown point series in 2021 and saw the Gobbler as a great opportunity to get a baseline on their 2021 Georgetown setup.  Simmons secured a strong 5^th place finish in the feature from a 10^th place starting position.  Ryan noted “We found something that really worked well today, I think we have room to find more too so I’m already looking forward to getting back to Georgetown in March.”

15 year old Ryan Conrad made his first visit to Georgetown in his X5 entry.  Georgetown was the largest track Conrad has raced on this season and after a few big track driving adjustments he made his first Georgetown visit a good one with a 7^th place finish from a 9^th place starting position.  Conrad puts the wraps on a 602 crate rookie season that exceeded all his expectations and he is already looking forward to 2021 season.  He started the season in a 2005 Teo #21C entry and midway through the season updated to a 2014 Bicknell #X5 entry owned by Doug Williams.  Conrad raced weekly at Big Diamond and collected a 2^nd place finish in the season long point championship. 

Isabella Von Orden made the 5 hour trip from Port Jervis, NY to close out the 2020 season and start preparations for the 2021 season.  The 13 year old Van Orden drove her “Deerpark Diva” entry to a 14^th place finish in her first feature and only 3^rd outing of 2020.  Her prior outings were at Thunder Mountain and OCFS for the Eastern States were she finished 7^th in the last chance consolation from a 15^th starting position and just missed qualifying in her first Eastern States Weekend.  Isabella is looking forward to 2021 season which will be her rookie season and first full season of competition in the 602 crate division.

The 2021 season opens with the Short Track Super Series and the Melvin Joseph Memorial at Georgetown Speedway on Friday-Saturday March 12-13, 2021.