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Branich
Motorsports is pleased to announce the return of Mike Leaty to the team
for the 2012 season. Mike will join father Jan, and Branich will again
feature the father/son driver combination that has achieved some of the
most prestigious trophies in asphalt modified racing. Rounding out the
roster will be Erich Kaempffe, who will return to 600 microsprint racing
in 2012.
Jan started racing
in 1979 and won the 1986 Spencer Speedway track championship. In 1989,
Jan not only won the Tioga Speedway Modified Championship, but was also
crowned the NASCAR Winston Racing Series Northeast Regional Champion.
From 1989 to 1998 he competed on the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series
tour and won numerous races at such venues as New Hampshire
International Speedway, Pennsylvania International Speedway, Stafford
Speedway, Thompson Speedway, New Smyrna Speedway, Flemington Speedway,
Jennerstown Speedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Oswego Speedway.
Jan joined Branich in 2001, and
since the team has racked up 17 feature wins while competing at the
local track level, as well as on what is now the NASCAR Whelen Modified
Series tour, and on the Sunoco Race of Champions Asphalt Modified (ROC)
Tour. Prestigious wins include the 2002 New Hampshire 100, the 2005
Southern Tier 200 (Tioga). the 57th Race of Champions (Oswego) and
Druar/Jankowiak Memorial in 2007, and the 2008 U.S. Open at Dunn Tire
Raceway Park. He is a multi-race ROC Tour winner at Oswego and at
Spencer Speedway.
In recognition of his
accomplishments, Jan was voted one of the 50 greatest modified drivers
of all time in 1998.
Mike joined Branich Motorsports in
2006 and promptly won the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series championship
at Spencer Speedway, twenty years after his dad achieved the same
title. His dad was named the 2006 Craftsman Mechanic of the Year while
serving as Mike’s crew chief.
Mike won the 2006 version of the
Richie Evans Memorial 100 at Oswego Speedway, and later in the year, Jan
won a 125 lap ROC race at Oswego. The wins made Jan and Mike the first
father and son duo to ever win in the same season at the Oswego Speedway
in its 56 year history.
In 2007, Mike again led the team
to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Championship in the Modified
Division at Spencer Speedway.
After Spencer Speedway dropped the
modifieds as its premiere division, Mike fielded his own team,
participating successfully on the ROC tour, adding feature wins to his
long list of accomplishments. In 2010, he was back at Spencer Speedway
in the Sunoco Modified division, capturing five feature wins and missing
out on the track championship by a mere eleven points.
Jan will pilot the one of the team
Troyer modifieds on the 2012 Sunoco Race of Champions Tour, with
expected stops at Oswego and Spencer Speedways, and at Dunn Tire Raceway
Park. Mike will take the other car on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series
tour, with races at Stafford and Thompson, as well as at New Hampshire
International Speedway. Bob Bruneau Engine Research (Bristol, CT) will
provide the powerplant for the Tour mod.
Erich Kaempffe will
return to 600 cc microsprint racing after a season off in 2011. His
racing resume includes 12 feature karting wins and two track
championships at Paradise Speedway (Geneva, NY). He has raced 600 cc
microsprints for 3 seasons, and has a feature win to his credit. In
2010, he advanced into the Pro division at Paradise Speedway, capturing
some top 10 finishes in his FTZ powered Bailey microsprinter.
Pace Lighting (Sodus, NY) has
committed to primary sponsorship of the Branich effort again in 2012,
continuing the association that has spanned more than a decade. Also
returning for next season will be Davie Kaplan, CPA (Rochester, NY),
Lyons National Bank (Lyons, NY), and Williamson (NY) and Wolcott (NY)
Building Supply.
To date, product support will come
from Mr. Auto/Parts Plus (Ontario, NY), Troyer Race Cars (Rochester,
NY),Wilwood (Camarillo, CA), Pro Shocks (Lawrenceville, GA), ATL Fuel
Cells (Ramsey, NJ), Kirkey Racing Seats (Rooseveltown, NY), and Sweet
Manufacturing (Kalamazoo, MI).
For more information about Branich
Motorsports, our team and our sponsors, visit the our website
www.BranichMotorsports.com.
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