Media Contact: Steven Ovens - woodhullracewaypr@gmail.com or (315) 729-3825 For Immediate Release – December 10th, 2016 – SWL Awards photo -
(WOODHULL, NY) – The SWL Awards and Photos 360 Late Model championship ran through Bruce Miller’s No. 80, as Miller made quick work of showing he would be the main contender for the title. Miller won six races in 2016, followed by multi-time champion Glenn Whritenour with four wins and Kurt Stebbins with three victories on the Steuben County clay.
Miller stepped up his game this season to not only be good on the fast, tacky surface but to also be great on the dry, slick surface. The team completely replaced the front end on their car in the offeseason, prior to the start of the 2016 season. And step up they did- Miller was a factor for the win on a weekly basis in a division that averaged ten to twelve cars a night, with more and more Late Model enthusiasts gravitating toward the Crate Late Model program which in recent years has hurt the 360 ranks.
Of the six victories for Miller this season, none was more important than the Scott Dennison Memorial. The Scott Dennison Memorial is named after a former driver and Woodhull Raceway enthusiast who was killed in an ATV accident at the speedway. Scott’s widow and two daughters were on hand for their dad’s Memorial Night to hand off the hardware to Miller, who spoke in Victory Lane about the important of winning Scott’s race.
As was announced on Friday, the 360 Late Models will no longer be a part of the Woodhull weekly program, but the final race was run in late September with Gary Montgomery and his family in attendance. With his body being taken over by cancer, Montgomery stayed to see his beloved 360’s go one more time with his granddaughter from North Carolina there to wave the green flag. A race that Miller would win…again.
Other highlights of the season saw Kurt Stebbins take a giant leap forward in his progression with the 360 Late Model. He went from someone trying to learn the Late Model, to someone winning three races with the Late Model.
Glenn Whritenour was a contender in 2016, but struggles throughout the season saw another track championship slip away as the dog days of Summer set in. Jason McGregor started off the year with a bang, winning on opening night in a non-point event. He would also win on Championship Night to book-end the year.
Other winners in 2016 were Carl Hughes and Dave DuBois. Hughes picked up a win midseason in a hard fought battle. DuBois would win the first points race of the year, but would eventually return to his home track at Genesee Speedway when they opened up for the year.
All of Woodhull Raceway’s track champions will be crowned on Saturday night at the Watson Homestead & Conference Center in Painted Post, New York. Cocktail Hour kicks off at 5:30PM, with dinner and awards taking place immediately afterwards. Turn 5 Live on the Performance Motorsports Network will be recording a LIVE episode of their weekly dirt track racing program throughout the event and will interview all of the champions and many other drivers and special guests.
For more information visit www.woodhullraceway.com or visit Woodhull Raceway on their Facebook and Twitter pages.