6/15/2025
The Dirt Track at Genesee
Perfect Weather, Record Car Count Set the Stage for Mackenzie Kulesza Sweet 16 Memorial at Genesee
BATAVIA, NY — While heavy rain soaked much of Pennsylvania on Saturday, just 45 minutes north, the skies were clear and the weather perfect at The Dirt Track at Genesee. Over 100 cars filled the pits across just four divisions, including a record-setting 55 Mini Stocks on hand to support the highly anticipated Mackenzie Kulesza Sweet 16 Memorial Race, which featured a massive $2,500 payout to the winner — one of the richest in Mini Stock racing.
Robert Knapp II and Will Easling of Beaver Dams, NY led the Weis Performance Mini Stocks to green for the marquee event. Easling paced the first lap before an early caution flew for Kevin Bacon and CJ LaVair. On the restart, Knapp surged into the lead but couldn’t break away as he had in previous weeks. Rocco Conte moved into second by lap 7 and began applying pressure. Easling, shuffled back to third, remained composed and methodical, retaking second from Conte on lap 11.
A caution on lap 12 for Dylan Strade reset the field again, and Easling capitalized, taking the lead on lap 13. The following lap saw Knapp fight back to reclaim the top spot, setting up a thrilling, clean battle between two standout drivers. They exchanged the lead several times in impressive displays of respect for each other. On lap 18, Easling made the final pass for the lead, taking control with seven laps remaining.
A late caution bunched the field when Conte, running third, came to a stop on the front straightaway. That opened the door for Brian Johnson, who had transferred through the B-Main and started 20th, to move into third. The final restart featured a dramatic showdown between Easling and Knapp, both hungry for the career-defining win. Easling held off the challenge and crossed the line first, earning the emotional and lucrative Sweet 16 Memorial victory.
“There are some awesome cars here tonight,” Easling said in victory lane. “For us 4-cylinders, this is a huge payout. I’m just so glad I could be a part of this. To do this on DOT tires when these guys are on racing tires — we didn’t come up here expecting much, just to have fun on a Saturday night. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”
In the Conte’s Auto Street Stock feature, Anthony Muscato and Mike Kelly led the field to green. Kelly led his first lap of the season before Jesse Qutermous of Stafford, NY made quick work of the front row and took over the lead by lap 3. Despite several cautions — including one for Jeff Almenkinder on lap 4 and another on lap 7 for Carl Shetler and Donald Almenkinder — Qutermous remained untouchable on the restarts.
Byron DeWitt, last week’s winner, worked from 8th to 3rd but couldn’t match Qutermous' pace. A lengthy caution on lap 13 for Rich Conte and Dale Rissinger — who got tangled on the backstretch and came to a halt near turn 3 — resulted in the race being shortened to 15 laps. On the final restart, Qutermous again pulled away to take his first win of the 2025 season.
“It means everything for us,” Qutermous said in victory lane. “Without Byron & Gail — they open their shop to us. And with Jenna just having Tanner, giving me permission to go there a lot — it means a lot.”
In the Kolb Family Automotive Sportsman division, John Venuto of East Bethany and Austin Susice led the field. Venuto took off early while chaos unfolded behind him. Susice climbed the wall near the front stretch, nearly showing the belly of his car to the crowd, then spun in turns 1 and 2 on the following lap. Dan Kolb, who had just won his first career heat race earlier that night, was collected in the crash and retired early.
Venuto led comfortably until late-race contact between Ricky Newton and Phil Vigneri III shook up the order. Vigneri moved Newton out of the groove for third, but Newton retaliated on the final lap, spinning both cars. The incident brought out the yellow and checkered flag together, handing Venuto his first feature win since 2016.
“Really, it’s hard to explain,” Venuto said. “You go from winning all the time to not really realizing what that means — to 10 years without winning. You almost forget how to do it.”
The final feature of the night belonged to the Callahan Towing RUSH Late Models, with Jimmy Johnson of Newfane, NY and Doug Ricotta leading the field to green. Johnson wasted no time grabbing control early, while Dave DuBois charged from the second row to slip past Ricotta out of turn four and take over second. But just one lap later, in a highly uncharacteristic moment, DuBois looped it on his own exiting turn four — bringing out the caution. Fortunately, the rest of the field avoided contact.
That would turn out to be the final restart of the night, and Johnson nailed it again, pulling away from Ricotta. David Pangrazio, who started fourth, had one of the fastest cars on the track. With just six laps remaining, he powered past Ricotta into second and began reeling in Johnson, cutting a 3.191-second gap down to just 0.911 seconds by the finish. Despite Pangrazio’s furious charge, Johnson held on to claim his first feature win at Genesee Speedway since 2022.
In victory lane, Johnson was reflective and proud. “It means a lot, we haven’t been here since 2022. It feels real good to be back at home,” he said. “I just tried to do like my dad taught me — be smooth and the speed will come.” Johnson also revealed some late-race adversity: “The last five laps, something broke. In victory lane we could see the rear end had shifted.” Despite the mechanical issue, he was able to hang on for a memorable return to victory.
It's a quick turnaround this week as the Empire Street Stocks headline a special Thursday night show, presented by JG Autowerks. Joining them on the card will be the Rush Late Models, Sportsman, and Mini Stocks. For updates, visit The Dirt Track at Genesee on Facebook or online at TheDirtTrackatGenesee.com.
Photo Credit: Evie Fanton (Woah Nellie Productions)
Article Credit: Jeremy Perry
Submitted By: Jeremy Perry
