Cottone Wins 71st Birthday Race

By Robin Ervin
7/5/08

Cuddebackville, NY - The man the Modified Outlaw Microstock racers call ˜Uncle Nick" Cottone won Saturday's race at Oakland Valley Race Park in Cuddebackville NY in spectacular fashion. He lapped the field in his black #5 microstock. An emotional Cottone stated, "This is like a dream come true. When I saw we had a race scheduled on my birthday, I had hopes. I thought it would be great if I could do well that day. To win on my 71st birthday, this is great!"

By virtue of strong performances in the two heat races, Cottone started on the pole in the feature and proceeded to put on a driving exhibition. Cottone's years of racing experience led him to put on a different tire setup than everyone else and that proved to be the key to victory. As the rest of the competitors slid and slipped around the track trying to find bite, Cottone's microstock was hooked up. When asked why he was so dominant this time out Cottone modestly replied "I just guessed right on the tire selection. Sometimes you get lucky." Perhaps it was luck or perhaps it was the fact that after nearly fifty years behind the wheel of a race car, its less about luck and more about being able to eyeball a track's surface and knowing what kind of setup would be good for those conditions.

Cottone started racing in Freeport Speedway in 1959. Cottone was a regular at many of the local, now shuttered tracks such as Trenton Speedway, Middletown, Harmony, Islip, Westhampton, East Windsor and Wall Township Speedway (then Wall Stadium), and once raced along side such legendary drivers such as Al Tasnady, Gil Hearne and Buzie Ruetiman.

The M.O.M. hard charger award usually goes to the driver who makes the biggest gain in position, but this race the award goes to "Uncle" Nick Cottone who lapped the field on the way to his first win of the season.

Brian Braddock kept Cottone in sight during the heat races but was unable to match his pace in the feature, finishing a distant second place in the feature. Jim VanDine struggled with an ill handling car to finish third while Tom Ervin rebounded from a heat race crash to finish fourth in the feature. Dirt track specialist Walt Morrison rounded out the top five. Harry Ladlee Sr finished seventh overall but claimed the controlled stock division win as the highest finishing controlled stock entry.

Brian Braddock earned enough points in this race to pass Ervin for the M.O.M. points lead.

Finishing order: Nick Cottone, Brian Braddock, Jim VanDine, Tom Ervin, Walt Morrison, Bill Kriegner Jr, Harry Ladlee Sr.

The Modified Outlaw Micro Stocks will next compete at Mountain Speedway on July 20. There is no club fee to participate in M.O.M. events, and all Modified and Controlled Stock Micro Stock drivers are welcome to compete.

Race Report submitted by
Tom Ervin
M.O.M. Publicist
609-882-6172

Photo's by Becky Kosch
of BK Photo's
More are at
http://www.bkphotos.net/ovkarts070508/