Burnell & Darling go back-to-back as Ridley, Paddock and Minutolo take first checkers of ‘25
LOLR BB-Mod Top-3 Alex Payne (L), Mat Williamson, Justin Haers (R) victory lane photo attachment by Nick Meka
Canandaigua, NY – May 17, 2025 – Steven Ovens, Land of Legends Raceway PR
Weather has been a Northeast storyline all season long but on the same night as a thriller in the Preakness, the Land of Legends track crew was a true dark horse for racers and fans. Forecasted afternoon rain fell across the Empire State seeing many tracks lose their planned nights of racing. Management and track surface supervisor Rich Yahn were not ready to throw in the towel and were rewarded for their persistence with a fast track and entertaining show on the Ontario County clay.
Mat Williamson, Frank “Bubba” Burnell and “The Wildman” Chris Darling continued their early 2025 season success, going back-to-back on Pace Electronics and Busch Light Night at the Land of Legends.
Full-fender veteran Marc Minutolo secured his first Street Stock triumph, second all-time track Sportsman winner Kevin Ridley made the tow from Vermont to win in the Sportsman Modified main while “The Showstopper” Dillon Paddock scored his first 305 Sprint Car win of the season in Canandaigua, following a CRSA victory at Woodhull last weekend.
For the second-straight week 94 teams signed in for the track’s ‘Saturday Spectacular.’ On this night Rochester, NY Big-Block Modified pilot Gil Tegg Jr., who was injured in a violent crash the weekend before, was the Beneficiary of the customary 50/50 drawing, with monetary donations collected throughout the evening topping $1,000.
In memory of Mike Scoppo, three generations of the Scoppo family and numerous friends were on hand for the Scoppo Special. Hard Luck Awards were posted for the five points-paying divisions with Matt Sheppard in Modifieds ($100), Kennedy Payne in Sportsman ($100), Cameron Moss in 305 Sprints ($100), Hannah Guererri-Searle ($50) and Justin Eldredge in Hobby Stocks ($50) all taking home additional earnings in their pay envelope at night’s end after tough breaks.
In the Pepsi Big-Block Modified Scoppo Special, 20 cars entered and took the green seeking the $2,000 spoils. Son of LOLR Wall of Famer Steve Paine, Tommy Paine and Penn Yan’s Derrick Podsiadlo would lead the field to green for 30 long laps around Paul Cole’s Land of Legends fast half-miler.
Paine would lead the brigade around Canandaigua’s historic facility for the opening lap but the cream quickly rose up through the field littered with stars of the Super DIRTcar Series. Kyle Coffey and family member “T-Bone” Justin Haers quickly advanced to podium positions, with “Super Matt” Sheppard joining the party on lap 4 to take over third from Coffey.
A ton of action took place on lap 5, with Haers sweeping around Paine to assume the race lead, Sheppard moving into the runner-up position and Williamson advancing from tenth to the Top-5. Nine-time LOLR champion Sheppard showed a ton of speed right off the trailer Saturday night but could not initially find his way alongside the Phelps Cement Products No. 3 of Haers who both got their racing starts in go-karts all over Central New York.
With twenty laps to go, “The Slidejob Express” Alex Payne had worked his way into the front-5 from his twelfth starting spot after not qualifying into the handicap. Just six laps later, the race’s first Wicked Tees caution flag was displayed for Sheppard, who was slowed with a shredded right-rear Hoosier tire.
On the restart, Haers leaned a little too hard on the lip in turns one and two, allowing Williamson to sneak by along the guardrail and claim the lead officially on lap 17. It took five laps for Payne to work his way by Haers for second with seven laps remaining. The gap for Williamson at the time was 1.8 seconds.
Payne took to the whip to trim Williamson’s lead down in a late-race charge. The lead was down to one second with two laps to go but Williamson’s mastery of working around lapped traffic in the last mile of competition secured his second-straight win in Canandaigua and sixth-straight win between Ransomville, Lernerville and LOLR this season.
“I’ll be the first one to say when I’m wrong so when I saw the packer cars working in the surface this afternoon I did not think we were racing on a good racetrack like this,” noted Williamson in DAV Department of New York Victory Lane.
“We’re still thinking of Gil Tegg and hoping he gets back soon. This is six in a row, first time I’ve ever done this in my career. Normally we don’t roll like this in the beginning of the year. We chased the rain all the way here and thankfully got to race in front of these great fans.”
Local dirt track rainouts and planned off nights led to a healthy field of Stirling Lubricants Sportsman with 27 cars slated to take the green flag. Nick Ventura and Ridley started the 25-lap affair with Ridley running away and hiding with the lead for most of the event. The race was slowed on lap 9 for Kennedy Payne who came to a stop on the backstretch, ending her night in the Speed Connection No. 31K.
While Ridley maintained a good lead, an incredible battle broke out for spots inside the Top-5 as drivers like Frank Guererri Jr., Chase Spoor, Tyler Corcoran and a rare 2025 appearance in Sportsman by Zach Sobotka sliced and diced while shuffling the order up front.
One of the only cars that would keep pace with Ridley was Richard Murtaugh who elevated himself to second-place before halfway but couldn’t find a way by the G. Stone Motors, Fred’s Fab & Fold, Tony Stewart Racing No. 20x.
A last caution would fly with six laps to go, putting Ridley and Murtaugh side-by-side for a restart. Land of Legends Raceway operating procedures for 2025 in both Sportsman and Big-Blocks mirror DIRTcar rules, calling for double-file restarts up until 5 laps to go. Ridley would drive away over the final six laps with a margin of victory of 1.458 seconds en route to his thirty-fourth career Sportsman win at LOLR.
“We don’t get to run here much any more but I love coming here and running around this racetrack, it is so much fun,” Ridley said with a smile.
“I wouldn’t be here tonight without the guys from G. Stone Motors as we broke a transmission last weekend. They gave me a new one to put back in the car and said let’s go back and here we are.”
Seventeen cars filled the pit area for the MighTea Boba 305 A-Main, nearly doubling the opening night field with CRSA off this weekend. Scott Hixson’s initial green flag quickly changed hands as the feature was slowed by three cautions in as many laps.
Manchester, NY hotshoe Ethan Gray started a disastrous feature for his DisBatch Brewing Company No. 17E with a spin to avoid contact on the opening lap in turn two. Cameron Moss then got sideways in the corner causing Bobby Parrow to check up in front of Gray who spun to the outside and slid off the racing surface drawing the yellow.
The ensuing restart would again see Moss and Parrow in a jam up, this time in turn four as Moss suffered a half-spin that collected Parrow’s Young Agency, Seneca Meadows No. 80 in heavy contact. The contact didn’t impede Parrow but sheared the left front tire away from Moss’ DTD TV No. 25. On the third attempt at getting the race underway, Gray looped his mount at the apex of turns three and four.
Once the sprinters were able to log laps, Paddock capitalized on his outside front row starting position to assume the lead and not look back for his third career MighTea Boba 305 Sprints division win. Paddock did get some challenges from second-year chauffeur and former motocross competitor Spencer Burley as well as CRSA standout Tyler Graves from Bolivar, NY.
Hopewell, NY pilot Matt Rotz was strong as well on this night but Rotz’ night would end in a plume of smoke in the fourth turn. Just past the halfway point of the event. Rotz’ apparent engine issue nearly collected fellow top-5 runner Nathan Pierce from Troy, PA, who started tenth, was up as high as fourth and finished seventh.
Burley was lightning quick on the extreme inside lane while Paddock rode the lightning on the cushion, taking the long way around the LOLR half-mile. Paddock kept Graves, a late charging Lance Dusett and Burley at arm’s reach over the closing laps to secure the victory.
“Spencer and Tyler were really good tonight,” noted Paddock while interviewed by Land of Legends TV reporter Marty Czekala.
“As long as I kept it on the wing and in clean air, I was really good and was able to park it here (in Victory Lane). This is probably the best start to any year that we have had since we’ve been racing. It’s a lot of fun, I hope we can keep winning.”
Minutolo started on the outside of the front row for the Auto Value Street Stock 20-lap feature but just beginning up front didn’t tell the tale of Minutolo’s feature. The Newark, NY driver of the Honeoye Auto Parts, Big Mike’s Auto Repair, Real Estate by Jenn No. 25b had early challenges from veteran Rick Crego’s No. 5c. “Mr. Smooth” led the opening circuit but would see Crego drive by in drag races to the start/finish line on laps two and three.
Early on in the race it seemed the Minutolo ride was having trouble keeping his car pinned on the bottom lane. Crego’s Corby’s Collision, Bear’s Playgrounds mount was showing great handling and speed for the second-straight week, giving Minutolo fits with CJ Guererri in two from his fifth starting position. Minutolo finally cleared Crego to lead on the fourth lap, a position he wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the race.
Crego was left to contend with opening-night winner Guererri in the Heart of Gold Veterinary Care No. CJ1. These two battled side-by-side from lap four to the halfway point on lap 10 when Guererri finally cleared Crego. Over the second half of the feature, Minutolo maintained a four to five car-length lead and didn’t allow Guererri to close the gap en route to his 12th career street stock win and seventy-fourth of his full-fender career in Canandaigua.
“I seen him (Crego) down there, he’s going to be a tough competitor all year, so I said I better stop hot dogging it up here and adjust my line,” said a joyful Minutolo in DAV Department of New York Victory Lane.
“Once I figured out how to run low into three along the guardrail, I felt like I am getting better with that and it was fast.”
Fourteen cars made the tow for the second week of Lloyd’s Contracting Hobby Stock competition, with the handicap placing William Bradley Jr. and heat race winner Blane Smith on the front row for the start.
Smith took command of the 15-lap feature and led the event through lap six when Bradley had issues and slowed on the backstretch. The restart put opening night winner Burnell on the front row for the restart alongside Smith. Burnell wasted no time, utilizing the outside lane to carry momentum all the way to the lead on lap 7.
Justin Eldredge dodged traffic and rode a fast No. 25J to the runner-up position with three laps remaining. On Lap 12, the dirt racing monster reached up and bit Eldredge causing him to solo spin in turn four and draw the yellow flag. A single-file restart put Smith and Minutolo in line, bumper-to- bumper for the final dash to the finish. Minutolo got to second but could not catch the Burnell 57B who scored two-in-a-row, activating the Prouty’s Bounty for next weekend.
“Blane was so good early on and on that restart this thing really came alive and the track was amazing tonight,” said a baffled and thankful Burnell.
Nine cars were on the docket to take the green in the Hutchinson Property Preservation New Legends Sportsman feature to cap off the night. After AJ Mitchell’s hard luck in the heat race, eight cars made the final call for the 12-lap finale.
A wild set of circumstances in the first two turns saw Evan Gray go off the top of the racetrack in turn two to open up the bottom lane for “The Wildman” Darling to go from sixth to the race lead by the time lap one went on the Elab Smoker’s Boutique scoreboard.
A lover’s quarrel broke out for the runner-up position as girlfriend and boyfriend Belle Hogan and Kyle Ridley battled for bragging rights. While Darling drove off to his second straight win in as many weeks, Hogan won bragging rights to take home second over Ridley. Jacob Gurecki made it a Top-4 sweep for the Sodus Microd Club graduates with Mitchell Hyde filling out the front-5.
“That was crazy, I can’t believe we went from sixth to first on that first lap,” said a surprised Darling. “I saw an opening and just took it. I want to thank Eldon Payne for the opportunity to drive this car.”
AFTERNOON SHOWERS BRING EVENING EXCITEMENT
Land of Legends Raceway management and the stellar track crew dodged rain all afternoon to work in a phenomenal racing surface Saturday night. New guardrail installed over the last two seasons in turns 1 and 2 (2024) and turn 3 (2025) have improved drainage of water from the racing surface and aided in getting the track ready for race time just 30 minutes behind schedule. The final checkered flag flew at 10:23pm before rain moved back into the area as teams made their way home.
LEGEND LEDGER
The third ‘Saturday Spectacular’ of spring at Land Of Legends Raceway arrives over Memorial Day weekend with Seneca Meadows Landfill presenting the May 24 speedfest featuring the mighty Pepsi Big-Block Modifieds. Stirling Lubricants Sportsman, MighTea Boba 305 Sprint Car, Auto Value Parts Stores Street Stock, Lloyd’s Contracting Hobby Stock and Hutchinson Property Preservation New Legends Sportsman classes join the holiday happening with the first qualifier going green at 6:30pm. Pit gates open at 3:30pm, spectators gain entrance at 5 o’clock and hot laps start at 5:30 on the fast fairgrounds half-miler.
SKIDMARKS
Once more commanded by award-winning executive producer Art Rorick, the talent-laden LOLR TV broadcast team boasting production assistants Makenna Hansen & C.J. Miller, graphics coordinator Mark Rore, camera operators Mike Yawney, Jim & Michelle Mullen, and veteran voices Steve Ovens (PA announcer) and Doug Elkins (pit reporter) maintains its presence on-site to provide LIVE video coverage of every event through Land of Legends TV, with LIVE streaming continuing to be offered FREE in 2025. On-line registration at https://landoflegendstv.com for a free account is the only step to take.
Also available for download is the LOLR mobile app found at Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goodbarber.landoflegends or
App Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/land-of-legends/id1508128970?uo=4 to secure your raceday pass today.
In addition to LOLR’s weekly racing being simulcast on Land of Legends Raceway TV, each show will also be broadcast live on DIRTVision and highlighted by the mighty DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds. To watch, sign up for an annual Platinum FAST PASS with DIRTVision and experience every event either online or through the DIRTVision App.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 2025 TICKET BUNDLES & PIT PASS SPECIALS
General Admission Ticket and Pit Pass bundles continue to be offered to LOLR fans and race teams while providing a great opportunity to save money in the process. G.A. packs of 20 ($220) or 50 ($475) and Pit bundles of 20 ($700) or 50 ($1,700) must be pre-ordered to be used during the upcoming season.
Regular weekly G.A. ticket prices continue at $15 Adults and $13 Seniors (65 yrs. and older) while Kids 16 yrs. and under (must be accompanied by an adult) remain FREE. Pit passes are $40. For those youngsters needing pit access, a Child Season Pit Pass is $50 for tykes under 2 yrs. and $150 each for kids 2-13. All children must be accompanied by a legal guardian while competitors are not eligible for kids season passes.
Camping is FREE in outer parking areas and for inside parking, modest charges of $15 for cars and $25 for motorhomes/campers are standard fairground fares.
*Individual tickets carry a $15 value and are valid for any regular Saturday Spectacular event. For special events, ticket holders may use one bundle ticket (worth $15) towards the price of admission and pay the difference at the gate
To purchase ticket and pit pass bundles or discuss marketing opportunities available at the track in 2025, please contact LOLR Director of Marketing & Operations Tana Robinson via e-mail tana@landoflegendsraceway.com or cell 716-799-5669.
Check out www.landoflegendsraceway.com often as the latest news and season schedule information will be posted right up to raceday.
Land of Legends Raceway is located at the Ontario County Fairgrounds, east of the city on Town Line Road (County Road 10), with easy access off either Exit 43 (Manchester, Route 21 South) or Exit 44 (Farmington, Route 332 South) of the New York State Thruway, just ½-hour southeast of Rochester.
Land of Legends Raceway Event Summary – May 17, 2025
Pace Electronics & Busch Light/Lake Beverage present ‘Scoppo Special’
Pepsi Big-Block Modified
*Feature (30 laps): 1. 6-Mat Williamson ($2,000), 2. 70a-Alex Payne, 3. 3-Justin Haers, 4. 21a-Peter Britten, 5. 23c-Kyle Coffey, 6. 98-Jimmy Phelps, 7. 7z-Zach Payne, 8. 3rs-Dalton Slack, 9. 11-Matt Caprara, 10. 9s-Matt Sheppard, 11. 11j-James Sweeting, 12. 21-Derrick Podsiadlo , 13. 27z-Dylan Zacharias, 14. 19w-Justin Wright, 15. 15x-Justin Stone, 16. 30-Nick Root, 17. 27jr-Daniel Johnson Jr., 18. 6x-Tommy Paine, 19. 63-Adam Roberts, 20. 17-Marcus Dinkins.
Scoppo Hard Luck Award ($100): Matt Sheppard.
Heats (8 laps)
#1: Podsiadlo, Haers, Slack, Coffey, Williamson, Z.Payne, Johnson, Caprara, Zacharias, Dinkins.
#2: Sheppard, Wright, Britten, Root, Paine, A.Payne, Phelps, Stone, Sweeting, Roberts.
Stirling Lubricants Sportsman Modified
*Feature (25 laps): 1. 20x-Kevin Ridley ($750), 2. 33-Richard Murtaugh III, 3. 64-Tyler Corcoran, 4. 113jr.-Frank Guererri Jr., 5. 4-Emmett Waldron, 6. 7g-Tyler Guzzardi, 7. 1f-AJ Lloyd, 8. 38-Zach Sobotka, 9. 10-Karl Comfort, 10. 711-Nick Ventura, 11. 25n-Evan Nugent, 12. 10g-Austin Germinio, 13. 9-Tim Baker, 14. 41s-Chase Spoor, 15. 51-Tim Lafler, 16. 00-Sam Hoxie, 17. 72-Hunter Hollenbeck, 18. 63-Dylan Woodworth, 19. 23b-Timmy Borden Jr., 20. 20-Nick Galusha, 21. 21j-Justin Liechti, 22. 21b-Jim Rushman, 23. 12g-Matt Guererri, 24. 69v-Tony Velez, 25. 31k-Kennedy Payne, 21d-Dillon Paddock(DNS) , 28-Mark Potter(DNS).
Scoppo Hard Luck Award ($100): Kennedy Payne.
Heats (8 laps)
#1: F.Guererri, Corcoran, Baker, Hollenbeck, M.Guererri, Borden, Galusha, Rushman, Velez.
#2: Ventura, Spoor, Murtaugh, Germinio, Guzzardi, Woodworth, Waldron, Potter, Lafler.
#3: Ridley, Nugent, Lloyd, Liechti, Sobotka, Payne, Comfort, Hoxie, Paddock(DNS).
MighTea Boba 305 Sprint
*Feature (20 laps): 1. 8-Dillon Paddock ($500), 2. 25g-Tyler Graves, 3. 14x-Lance Dusett, 4. 15b-Spencer Burley, 5. 80-Bobby Parrow, 6. 21b-Blake Warner, 7. 10p-Nathan Pierce, 8. 23-John Smith, 9. 121-Steve Glover, 10. 18c-Dan Craun, 11. 99-Adam DePuy, 12. 99d-Nick Dandino, 13. 81k-Dalton Martin, 14. 17e-Ethan Gray, 15. 77-Matt Rotz, 16. 2-Randy Years, 17. 25-Cameron Moss.
Scoppo Hard Luck Award ($100): Cameron Moss.
Heats (8 laps)
#1: Burley, Rotz, Graves, Craun, Dusett, Smith, Martin, Dandino, Warner(DSQ).
#2: Paddock, Parrow, Moss, Gray, Pierce, DePuy, Years, Glover.
Auto Value Parts Stores Street Stock
*Feature (20 laps): 1. 25b-Marc Minutolo, 2. cj1-CJ Guererri, 3. 5c-Rick Crego, 4. 00-Mike Welch, 5. 3-Patrick Hobbs, 6. 63-Mike Fellows, 7. 1rx-Hannah Guererri-Searle.
Scoppo Hard Luck Award ($50): Hannah Guererri-Searle.
Heat (6 laps)
#1: CJ Guererri, Crego, Minutolo, Hobbs, Fellows, Welch, H.Guererri(DNS).
Lloyd’s Contracting Hobby Stock
*Feature (15 laps): 1. 57b-Frank ‘Bubba’ Burnell Jr., 2. 25b-Marc Minutolo, 3. 55b-Blane Smith, 4. 90-Nathan Peckham, 5. 57jr.-Tyler Burnell, 6. 56-Eddie Stevens, 7. 67-James Werner, 8. 25j-Justin Eldredge, 9. 88-Justin Jacoby, 10. 22j-Randy Johnson, 11. 24k-Kevin Lloyd, 12. 21b-William Bradley, 22c-Craig Dingy(DNS) , 8j-Jeff Rex(DNS).
Scoppo Hard Luck Award ($50): Justin Eldredge.
Heats (6 laps)
#1: Minutolo, F.Burnell, Stevens, Jacoby, Bradley, Rex, Dingy(DNS).
#2: Smith, Peckham, Eldredge, T.Burnell, Werner, Johnson, Lloyd.
Hutchinson Property Preservation New Legends Sportsman
*Feature (12 laps): 1. 714-Chris Darling, 2. 89-Belle Hogan, 3. 20k-Kyle Ridley, 4. 10-Jacob Gurecki, 5. 21j-Mitchell Hyde, 6. 51j-Jaxon Judd, 7. 29g-Evan Gray, 8. 56a-Angel Sperring, 28-AJ Mitchell(DNS).
Scoppo Hard Luck Award: Angel Sperring.
Heat (6 laps)
#1: Darling, Ridley, Hogan, Gurecki, Gray, Sperring, Hyde, Judd, Mitchell.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday Spectacular, May 24 @ 6:30pm; Seneca Meadows Landfill presents Big-Block Modified/Sportsman/305 Sprint/Street Stock/Hobby Stock plus New Legends Sportsman with Child Advocacy Center of the Finger Lakes Benefit and Kids Day.
Track Instant Info
Website: www.LandOfLegendsRaceway.com
E-Mail: info@LandOfLegendsRaceway.com
Twitter: @LandofLegendsNY
Facebook: @LandofLegendsNY
Instagram: @LandofLegendsNY
Live Stream: https://landoflegendstv.com/
Along with recognizing its weekly 50/50 raffle fund beneficiaries, Land of Legends Raceway is proud to salute several sponsors and corporate partners that continue to help bring its fans the best Saturday night racing show in the Northeast. Listed alphabetically are 2025 division sponsors Auto Value Parts Stores, Hutchinson Property Preservation, Lloyd’s Contracting, MighTea Boba, Pepsi Geneva Club Beverage, Stirling Lubricants; event sponsors AMS Enterprises, Auto Value Parts Stores, A-Verdi Storage Containers, Busch Light/Lake Beverage, Disabled American Veterans, Disbatch Brewing Company, Ferris Mowers, Honeoye Auto Parts, Hoselton Auto Mall, iFreeze Storage & Distribution Center, LSI Solutions, Pace Electronics, Pepsi/Geneva Club Beverage, Phelps Cement Products, Prouty’s Bar & Grill, Regional Truck & Trailer, Ryan Phelps Auto Sales, Seneca Meadows Landfill, Smith Bros. Drywall, Tradition Automotive Group, VP Racing Fuels, Wilbert’s U-Pull It; promotional partners Always Locked Self Storage, American Woman Designs, Auto Wash Car Wash, Baker’s Exterminating, Casella Waste Systems, Champion Power Equipment, Close Racing Supply(CRS), Comfort Windows, Elab Smokers Boutique, Emerson Oil Company,, Hoosier Racing Tire, Legott’s Club 86, Mac’s Dairy Bar & Mini Golf, Meyer’s Finger Lakes RV, Mike Emhof Motorsports, Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame, Ontario County Fairboard, On The Rocks Bar & Grill, The “Original” Red Osier Landmark Restaurant, Rose City Drive-In, Ruggles World of Auto Body, Schultz Heating & Cooling, Stop DWI NYS, Superior Plumbing, Turn 5 Media, United Rentals, Voodoo Ranger Hard Tea, Wicked Tees.