Leaty Notches Fourth Place Finish In Druar & Jankowiak Memorial
Williamson, New York – Mike Leaty and the #25 US Army/Rochester Steel Treating Works team headed west to Dunn Tire Raceway Park this past Saturday and notched an impressive top five finish.  It was a special night at the speedway as the Modifieds ran the annual Tommy Druar and Tony Jankowiak Memorial 50 lap event, held each year in memory of the two legendary drivers.  The best of the best Modified drivers were on hand and the #25 Team proved once again that they are amongst the elite teams in the Modified ranks. 

The day’s events for the Modifieds began with two ten lap qualifying heats.  The #25 was slotted into the second heat and rolled off last in eighth place.  At the drop of the green Leaty began his march to the front of the pack.  A quick yellow flag on lap two slowed the action for a bit but when racing resumed the #25 was up to sixth.  By the halfway point the US Army Modified was in fourth place and not showing a sign of slowing down.  Using the difficult outside line, Leaty was soon up to challenge the leader for the top spot.  Racing side by side, Leaty held his ground on the outside, trying to gain enough momentum to complete the pass.  However, the laps expired before the chance arrived, resulting in a second place heat finish. 

During the heat the #25 car damaged a right rear tire which resulted in a leak.  The team was forced to change tires and Leaty was required to run a solo ten lap scuff session to equalize his tires with the rest of the field.  With teams required to start the feature on the same tires they qualified on in the heat, a fresh right rear tire would have been an unfair advantage to the #25. 

Eight seemed to be the number for the day as Leaty redrew the eighth starting position for the 50 lap main event.  The leaders began the race by drag racing around the historic 5/8^th mile oval, allowing the rest of the field to keep pace and make some initial moves.  Leaty, using the outside groove once again, catapulted into the fourth place position and soon was racing hard with three other competitors.  Slicing and dicing, the #25 fell back a few positions into sixth and then back into fifth.  By lap 15 the field had started to settle in and was running single file.  The drivers maintained the running order, using a conservative approach in the early goings of the race. 

The race was clean and green for the first half, but just two laps after the halfway point the first of a series of cautions were displayed.  Four yellow flags were shown between laps 27 and 31.  In the midst of single file restarts, Leaty lost one position and was scored in sixth on lap 32.  However, the action was just beginning as the drivers started to show their hands.  With just under ten laps to go, Leaty began his charge to the front, passing two cars in two laps, putting him in the fourth running position on the track.  The race seemed destined to stay green for the final laps, but a late race caution for a spun car on lap 47 bunched the field right back up again.  With the drivers lined up single file, each was looking over the other for a way around.  The laps clicked off faster than any driver could make a move and Leaty crossed the finish line with a solid fourth place finish. 

“It was a fun night for the entire MPL Motorsports team here at Dunn Tire Raceway Park” said Mike Leaty.  “We came here to have fun and try to gain some momentum for the big races upcoming on the schedule.  We had a strong car but having to start in the back in both the heat and feature really took its toll on the tires.  I would say 4^th was a good night and we will be looking for even more good finishes over the next few races.  We have a chance at the regular season RoC championship this Saturday at Oswego so we will see what happens.  I can’t wait to get started”. 

The next few weeks are busy ones for the #25 US Army/Rochester Steel Treating Works team.  September 5^th will see the team travel to Oswego Speedway for Classic Weekend as the Race of Champions Tour races a 100 lap feature event.  The following week – September 12^th and 13^th – is one of the biggest races of the season – the Race of Champions 200 at Oswego Speedway.  In addition to racing in the 200 lap main event, Leaty also will be competing in the Saturday night “All Star Challenge”, a race that will pit all of those drivers who have won a RoC tour race this season against each other. Following Oswego, the #25 heads back to Dunn Tire Raceway Park for the 21^st Annual US Open on Saturday and Sunday, September 19^th and 20^th.  Keep up to date on the busy month of September by visiting www.mikeleaty.com.

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