US Open
We finally were able to wrap up our season this past weekend with the running of the US Open at Lancaster Raceway Park.  We had been rained out twice already but it was a beautiful afternoon for racing.  It was a good thing the weather was nice because it turned out being a long and eventful day for the entire Rochester Steel Treating team.

Qualifying for the race turned out to be the tough part.  Originally we finished the heat race in the 4^th position but our Troyer modified crossed the scales too light afterwards and we were disqualified.  We must not have gotten enough fuel in the car after practice because we had plenty of weight in the shop.  This is a mistake that keeps coming back to haunt us and is something we are going to change.  After being light we had to start last in the consolation race.  They were taking the top 3 cars from it and we had made it up to the 4^th position with two laps to go.  Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst again when we tried to get the final transfer spot.  We had a run under the 3^rd place car going into turn one but he didn’t know we were there and we made contact.  It sent both of us to the rear of the field and forced us to use a provisional to get into the race.  It had been a long day already and we still hadn’t started the 100 lap main event.

We started the race last on the field which was 31^st.  From the get go we knew we had to use pit strategy to get us the track position we needed.  When the caution flew on lap 19 we knew it was early to pit but it was a chance we had to take to try and maneuver our way to the front of the field.  Once we back to green flag racing we slowly picked off cars while trying to save tires whenever possible.  By the time the race hit lap 60 we had worked our way up to the 4^th position because of other cars pitting and a lot of outside passes.  This is when the race would get interesting for us though because we had to hold off the cars with fresher tires for the last 40 laps.  We continued to run 4^th until there was 20 laps to go and the tires took a turn for the worst.  We were just holding on but still managed a 7^th place finish at the end.  Not a bad run at all after the way things started in the beginning of the day.  Our season is now over and we start getting the cars and engines torn apart to freshen up and get ready for next season.  Once we know for sure what our plans are for 2007 I will be sure to update the site.  Thanks for checking in all year long, as it has been fun and we accomplished a lot this year!  You can also check out www.speedwayad.com/branichmod for more information on the Leaty Racing team.

The Race of Champions
     This past weekend was the Race of Champions in Oswego.  It was
the traditional 200 lap event at near the end of the season.  This
year we had beautiful weather for a change and the race was a fun
one.  For the first time ever the Race of Champions had time trials
which locked the top 12 into the race.  We were relegated to a heat
race after a tight car in time trials gave us a poor time.  In the
heat we got the car loosened up but our day didn't get any easier.  We
started the heat in the 6th position but on the start the leader
missed a shift and another car went up and over the rear of our
Rochester Steel Treating Troyer.  It caused significant damage to the
bodywork but we continued on and finished the heat in the 3rd
position.  The entire team did a wonderful job putting the car back
together with a bunch of parts a pieces from other competitors and
some of our spares.  In the feature it was fast.
     We started the race in the 22nd position based on our heat race
finish.  When the 40 car field took the green we were on cruise
control until lap 50.  This is when we made our mandatory pit stop for
two right side tires.  The guys managed to get us the first car out of
the pits and then the chess match was on.  We were the first car
running on the track that had pitted and if we could stay that way by
the time pit stops cycled through we would be leading the race.  Not
much changed through the halfway mark except we were getting closer to
the front.  I noticed we did develop a slight vibration in the rear of
the car but I figured it would survive until the end of the race.  By
lap 140 all the leaders had pitted and we were running 3rd.  There was
a long green flag run from this point until lap 195 that really took
its toll on the tires but we were still running 5th, one spot behind
my dad who was 4th.  There was a five lap shootout to finish up a
great day for Leaty racing.  Things were looking great on lap 199
until the caution came out and forced an overtime situation.  We had a
green white checkered finish on lap 213 that was going to determine
the finish.  We were running 5th still but when the green came out the
rear pinion broke and we were forced pitside.  I now figured out where
the vibration was coming from the second half of the race but I wish
it would have held on for two more laps.  We wound up with a very
disappointing 21st place finish, two laps down.  The entire Leaty
Racing team did a fantastic job all day long but for the first time
this year we dropped out of a race.  We will be back stronger than
ever this weekend at the US Open in Lancaster.

Mike Leaty Wins Spencer Speedway Track Championship
     In 1986, Jan Leaty won the track championship at Spencer Speedway.  On Friday, September 8^th it was the last race of the season at Spencer Speedway and it was a night for celebration.  Mike Leaty had already wrapped up the track championship 20 years after his father won the title.  This makes them only the third father and son tandem to win the track championship at Spencer.  

     We actually won the first race of the year and never gave up the points lead all season.  Add to that the fact that our Branich Motorsports car completed every lap of every race this season (for a total of 507 laps) makes our first championship even more impressive.  As for the nights racing, we started the Lyons National Bank car in the 3^rd position and dropped back at the start of the race.  It was a hard fought event that saw a lot of hard racing but we were able to fight back for a 2^nd place finish at the end.  It was our third straight 2^nd place finish which can get frustrating but the night was still a huge success.  We were there to celebrate with our family, crew, and fans.  MPL and Branich motorsports wants to thank everyone for all there support this season at Spencer and hopefully we can have a strong run in the seasons last two RoC races. 

     This weekend we run the famous Race of Champions 200 in Oswego.  It is always an interesting race that requires a lot of strategy and good luck.  For the first time ever we will time trial to see who starts in the top 12 positions and with a win at Oswego already this season we have high hopes.  Thanks again to everyone who has congratulated us on our season to date.

LEATYS HIT PAYDIRT SEPTEMBER 1! 

Leaty Closing in on Spencer Championship
This past Friday night was a big one for the entire Branich Motorsports/Mike Leaty team.  We started the night with a 38 point lead and needed another strong run to solidify our spot at the top.  The Lyons National Bank/Wayne Regional Ortho team struggled tremendously in the heat race and we were forced to start the feature race in the 12^th position.  This made finishing the race even more important.  When the green flag flew our car was on a rail and we were on the move.  When the caution flew on the second lap we were already in the 6^th position!  This time on the re-start the two leaders would get together and cause a chain reaction accident which was a good and bad situation for our team.  The good thing was we were now running 4^th.  The bad news was we had some front end damage that bound the sway bar up and made the car very tight entering the corners.  However when the green came back out, we took the outside groove and into 2^nd by only the 3^rd lap.  This is as far as we would get but it is all we really needed on the night as we now hold a huge 52 point lead with only two races left.  This weekend we will not be able to compete at Oswego Speedway for the final RoC North race due to the points race at Spencer Speedway the same night.  It is disappointing because we are in the top 5 in the RoC north points as well but maybe someday the promoters will figure out how to work together.    

Saturday we took my dads team car to Lancaster Raceway Park to run.  In the heat race a very scary accident happened in the second turn when the car of Karl Hehr hit the pit gate and actually got stuck underneath it.  Karl has some very serious injuries and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his entire racing family.  The rest of the nights action was cancelled due to the accident.

Another Spin and Another Top 5
We went into the races Friday night at Spencer Speedway with a 28 point lead in the championship standings.  Our goal for the night was to maintain that lead with but go after our third win of the season as well. 

We started the Wayne Regional Ortho/Lyons National Bank car in the 5^th position for the feature and quickly made our way to the front of the pack.  By about lap 5 we had made it up to 2^nd and began to work over the leader, who just happened to be the second place point man Patsy Catalano.  For ten laps I worked the outside with Bill Hebing waiting in third to pounce on any mistake.  Finally on lap 15 we had worked our way into the lead by a nose going down the backstretch.  Going into turn 3 Patsy got into the turn too hot and slide into our left rear corner and caused us to spin.  For the second week in a row we were now last halfway through the race.  We pitted to fix some cosmetic damage and went back out.  Again we came from the back of the pack to salvage a 5^th place finish. 

It was disappointing not to win the race but we did pick up 10 more points due to other peoples trouble and now hold a 38 point lead with three races remaining.  We had planned to go to Lancaster Saturday night but that wound up getting rained out.  This upcoming weekend is another 30 lap race at Spencer Speedway Friday night.  We had planned to race Saturday at Lancaster and Sunday at Wyoming County but due to the RoC re-scheduling a race at Mahoning Valley as a combination event, we will not be going to either and now focus our attention solely on winning the Spencer Championship.

Leaty Maintains Spencer Point Lead
Friday night was another 30 lap race at Spencer Speedway.  We brought the Lyons National Bank/Wayne Regional Orthopaedics car.  It was fast right out of the trailer with a very convincing heat race win.  This allowed the Branich Motorsports car to start 5^th for the 30 lap feature.

     The start of the race was very competitive with the first few rows side by side.  Once things settled down a little bit we made our way up to the 3^rd position by about lap ten.  Unfortunately for us this was as high as we would get as contact from behind sent us spinning around in turn one.  No damage was done to the car but we were now running last.  The next twenty laps were just about trying to get a consistent point finish which we were able to accomplish by bringing the car home right where we started; the 5^th finishing position.  It was not the run we were looking for but still lets us maintain our points lead with 4 races remaining in the season. 

      This weekend we are again running Spencer on Friday night and if everything goes as planned we will make a surprise appearance at Lancaster Raceway Park on Saturday night with the MPL Motorsports car.  This would be the second RoC bonus race of the three we need to attend.

Decent Weekend for Leaty Racing
It was yet another busy weekend for us with the second 100 lap race at Spencer Speedway Friday night and then the 5^th race of the RoC north tour Saturday at Oswego Speedway.  We were coming off of wins at both tracks recently and had very high hopes going into both races. 

     We drew for our heat race starting position at Spencer and the luck of the draw did not go our way this time.  I started last in the second heat and it proved to be a big hill to climb.  On the second lap we touched wheels with another competitor which sent the Wayne Regional Orthopaedics/Lyons National Bank car in air and off of the racing surface.  The crew did a good job of fixing up the car but we were unable to finish the heat.  This forced us to start the feature in the 16^th position.  Due to the length of the race we knew that patience was going to have to prevail to make it to the end.  Once the green dropped we started making moves and dodging wrecks.  Most of the regulars at Spencer only run 30 lap races and it showed as there were numerous wrecks in the beginning of the race.  We were just riding around saving our car and tires for the end.  On lap 32 we decided to pit with the leaders and grab a new right rear tire. It was early in the race to due so but the race was running long due to the amount of cautions and we were getting close to the 11:30 track curfew.  We decided to take the tire and save it for the end.  We worked our way into the top five by lap 75 when the caution flew again.  At this point the track said we had to run a green white checker finish because they couldn’t go over the curfew.  We were disappointed with this decision because we had saved our tires waiting for everyone else to pit and now the race was almost over.  Once the green flew I quickly moved into third and got to the outside of second place but couldn’t complete the pass on the last lap.  We wound up with a decent third place finish and a great night for the overall points race.  The Branich Motorsports team now has a 32 point lead with five races remaining.

     Saturday at Oswego was a struggle for some reason.  We had the same Rochester Steel Treating car that won the race the last time at the speedway but fought an ill handling car all day long.  We brought the car home second in the heat to get in the re draw for the feature.  We pulled the number 10 out of the hat and started the 75 lap feature there.  At the start, we settled into the ninth position and rode out the beginning of the race.  The car was way too tight and it was really killing the exit speed out of turns.  We started to drop back as the right front tire heated up.  On lap 35 the caution flag flew and we were struggling in the 12^th position.  We made the decision to come in and free up the car and put on a new right rear tire.  This helped the car a little bit but cost us all of our track position.  Oswego has been very difficult to pass on this year and we could only manage a 13^th place finish at the end.  It was not the finish we were looking for but the car was not wrecked and we will get it better for the next race.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend the next race at Oswego because it is a Friday night and we have a race at Spencer the same night.  We are sitting 5^th in RoC north points after this race but we will drop for sure because of not attending the next event.  It is sad for us that two tracks 45 minutes apart are running the same cars on the same night but I guess that is the way things work today.  This week we have Spencer Speedway on Friday night and then a well deserved weekend off.

Leaty Gets Back on Track With Another Win
July 14^th at Spencer Speedway saw the field of modifieds dwindle significantly from 23 the week before to 13 this week.  The racing action was still great however as we started the Branich Motorsports car in the 7^th position.  Once the race got underway and the field got single filed out we started making our way to the front.  The Lyons National Bank/Wayne Regional Orthopaedics car was up to third by the halfway point.  On the next restart we went under the second place car on lap 16 and then went by the leader on the outside on lap 17 to take command of the race.  There were no more cautions over the last 13 laps and we went on to win our second race of the year at Spencer by over a half straightaway.  It was another great effort by the entire team.

After the win at Spencer we decided to take the Rochester Steel Treating/MPL Motorsports #25 to Perry, NY on Sunday and run in the 40 lap Modified Mania race at Wyoming County Speedway.  We wound up winning the heat and starting the feature in the 2^nd position.  The handling on the car for the feature was not quite right and we wound up with a 4^th place finish.  It was a decent day because the car was in one piece but we certainly didn’t run as good as we had hoped.  It was a good learning experience for the whole team.  This weekend we will be running Spencer Speedway on Friday night and then take a well deserved weekend off.  It has been a while since we have had that!

Less Then Perfect Weekend for MPL
So far this year we have had a lot of racing luck go our way.  
This weekend however was a different story as not much went our way 
and we struggled through another busy weekend with a pair of finishes 
we were disappointed in.
     For the first time this year we brought the Rochester Steel 
Treating/MPL Motorsports car to Spencer Speedway for the first 100 lap 
race of the year.  In practice and the heat we fought a terrible 
vibration that we could not figure out the cause.  Thankfully, just 
before the feature we tried a new driveshaft that turned out to cure 
the problem.  We started the feature in the 13th position and just 
rode around and picked off positions slowly for the first 56 laps.  We 
had worked our way up to 5th and decided to pit for a new right rear 
tire.  We had big plans of coming back up through the pack and making 
a strong run for the win but it wasn't to be.  The tire we put on 
never came up to size and made for a very ill handling racecar.  We 
wound up bringing the car home in one piece but in the 6th position.  
After the race we found the stagger to be an inch too small in the 
rear.  Not much we could have done about that problem but we will get 
a better run in next time for sure.  We continue to lead the points at 
Spencer.  
     Next we made the haul Sunday to the Chemung Speedrome for the 
first time.  We had the Rochester Steel Treating car in second place 
in points going into the race.  We made our best guess at a chassis 
set-up and were not too far off right from the get go for the 75 lap 
main event.  I started the feature in the 16th position and had made 
my way up into the top 10 until a spin early on put us to the rear.  
Things were looking up though as the race progressed.  During a 
restart with four laps to go, we had made it all the way back up from 
the rear of the pack to 8th.  Once again though bad racing luck hit us 
as on the re-start a car get under us and pushed us up out of the 
racing groove and back to a 13th place finish.  Again a big 
disappointment as it was our worst finish of the year.  On the bright 
side though, the car is in one piece after a very busy weekend.  We 
are also still sitting 3rd in RoC North points with two races 
remaining.  This weekend we get a bit of a break with only a race at 
Spencer on Friday night to worry about.  Hopefully we will turn around 
our luck with a strong run.

Another Successful Weekend
   We had very busy racing weekend from 6/30-7/2.  We started off 
racing Spencer Speedway Friday night for their fourth race of the 
season.  We started the Branich Motorsports car in the 10th position 
and were able to work our way up to 4th at the finish.  It was a 
frustrating race that didn't see very many breaks go our way while we 
fought a loose racecar during the entire race.  We still came away 
with a fourth place finish and maintained the points lead but it was 
not the type of run we were looking for.  Fourth is our worst finish 
of the year and we will be looking to improve the chassis set-up over 
the next couple of weeks.  
   Saturday we loaded up the Rochester Steel Treating/MPL Motorsports 
car and went to Lancaster Raceway Park for the third leg of the RoC 
North Tour.  It was only my second ever time visiting Lancaster so I 
was more worried about logging all the laps and gaining experience 
than anything else.  We started the race in the 13th position and 
basically just maintained that position when we pitted on lap 21 for a 
new right rear tire.  We thought this was a little early in the 75 lap 
race to pit but we knew we could gain some track position and thought 
that would be very important later on.  The next part of the race was 
all about tire preservation and wait for the other guys to pit.  Once 
things cycled through we found ourselves running about tenth with 25 
laps to go and it was time to start making some moves.  One by one we 
were picking off cars and by the white flag our Troyer was running 
fourth.  Coming out of the second turn the two leaders got together 
and spun, we moved to the bottom and took the lead going down the 
backstretch only to see the yellow come out and move us back to second 
place.  Unfortunately, under yellow a lap car accidently ran us into 
the wall while cleaning off his tires and knocked the front end all 
out of alignment and left us with no chance to compete for the win.  I 
held on and got a great third place finish.  It was disappointing not 
to win but for the big picture a third was great.  This also moves us 
up to second in RoC North points and right in the hunt in that 
championship as well.  
    Sunday we went from Lancaster to Springwater, NY for the town's 
annual Fourth of July Gala.  We had the car on display and met a lot 
of nice racefans.  Thanks to everyone who stopped by.  Hope to see you 
all at the track sometime in the future.  This upcoming weekend will 
be very busy again as I take my MPL Motorsports car to Spencer on 
Friday night for the first 100 lap race of the year and then to 
Chemung on Sunday for the next RoC race.  Chemung will be interesting 
because we have never been to that track before.  It should be fun.  

Leaty Maintains Point Lead at Spencer
It was another beautiful Friday night in Williamson, NY.  We went 
into the night as the points leader but knew that because of our 
strong start to the year we would have to start way back in the field 
again this week.  21 cars showed up in the modified class making it 
one of the biggest fields of weekly modifieds anywhere.  We started 
our heat in the 6th position needing to get to the 4th spot to get 
qualified for the feature.  Right at the drop of the green flag 
something broke in the front end that cut out the power steering and 
caused for a terrible vibration in the steering wheel.  Luckily two 
cars in front of me crashed and I was able to nurse the car home to a 
3rd place finish and get qualified.  This is where the fun began 
though as it turns out the steering rack basically fell apart and we 
had to replace major components in it to get the car ready for the 
main.  There was major concern that we would not have enough time to 
get all the work completed.  The crew did a wonderful job of working 
together, thanks in large part to my father Jan, and got the car ready 
to race in time.
    We started the Wayne Regional Ortho/Lyons National Bank car in the 
12th position and quickly made our way to the front.  By lap 3 we were 
already into the 7th position when the caution regrouped the field.  
The inside lane didn't go right off the bat but once on the outside we 
were on the move again and up to 4th by halfway.  At this point it was 
a four car breakaway with the two Catalano's, Chuck Hossfeld, and us 
pulling away from the pack.  With about ten laps to go Patsy and 
Hossfeld made contact sending both to the rear of the pack and our Mr 
Auto/Parts Plus car into 2nd with ten laps to make a move.  
Unfortunately, we were not strong enough to go by but we still 
increased our point lead and had another top 3 run.  We have now run 
three races at Spencer with 3rd place as our worst finish of the 
year.  This weekend we run Spencer Speedway on Friday night with the 
Branich Motorsports entry and then Lancaster on Saturday night in my 
own MPL Motorsports/Rochester Steel Treating car.  That will be the 
third RoC North race of the year and we hope to keep our momentum 
going strong.

Leaty Continues Solid Start to 2006 Season
This past weekend we had a doubleheader with Spencer Speedway on 
Friday night and then the second RoC North tour race at Wyoming County 
International Speedway on Sunday afternoon.  

Friday night went very well.  We started the feature in 14th due to 
the handicap and winning the week before.  Right from the green flag we 
moved the Lyons National Bank/Wayne Regional Ortho car to the front.  
By lap 23 we were up to fourth and still moving forward when a caution 
grouped up the pack.  On the restart we were able to get to the 
outside and pass for the third position but that was as far forward as 
we would get.  Time ran out with a strong third place run.  We also 
continue to lead the points at Spencer.  

Sunday we unloaded the Rochester Steel treating car and started the 
heat race on the front row right next to my father on fathers day!  
Who writes these scripts anyway?  Of course dad won the heat and we 
finished second and were in the redraw for the feature.  We pulled the 
7th starting position after the redraw and settled in for the 75 lap 
main event.  Once we got going we settled in running 6th and at one 
point got as high as fourth.  The track actually started to tear up 
and made this race one of survival from my point of view.  Guys with 
new tires came through the pack and relegated us to a 7th place finish 
at the end of the day.  Not exactly what we were looking for but good 
enough to give us 3rd in the points at this point in the season.  We 
are off to a good start and we look to keep it going this weekend.  
Thanks to all the guys for all of there hard work.

2 Races, 2 Different Cars, 2 Wins
   After winning The Richie Evans Memorial in Oswego last weekend we were pumped up to debut the #25 Branich Motorsports Troyer at Spencer Speedway Friday night.  After two straight weeks of rain it was the season opener.  We started off strong by winning the heat race and starting on the outside pole for the feature.  It was the same starting position we won from at Oswego and knew we had a good chance at it.

At the drop of the green, we powered into the lead and would lead the first lap.  The yellow flags kept coming in the beginning of the race which made for numerous important re-starts.  At times during the race we opened up half straightaway leads on the rest of the field. The Wayne Regional Orthopaedics/Lyons National Bank car was up to every challenge and lead all 30 laps on its way to victory lane.  It was the perfect way to start the season and the Mike Leaty/Branich Motorsports combination.

I wanted to take a second and thank my crew:  Jan Leaty, Jerry Lancaster, Nick O'Neil, Harry Donovan, Don Abel, Jack Wasson, Pops Leaty, and Eric Morgan.  Also car owner, Fred Kaempffe, who is also a valuable crew member as well.  Everyone on the team put in a lot time over the winter and made these racecars my dad and I are driving fast and reliable.  All the hard work is paying off now.  Also without the sponsors on both teams (Rochester Steel Treating, Wayne Regional Orthopaedics, Lyons National Bank, and Parts/Plus Mr. Auto Parts) the cars would still be sitting in the shop.  It has been a great way to start the season and hopefully now we can find the consistency we need to win a championship or two.

The Leatys Shine in the Richie Evans Memorial 100

 

From the Oswego Speedway website:   The Race of Champions Parts Plus Richie Evans Memorial 100 was won by second generation and first time Oswego Speedway winner, Mike Leaty. Leaty led a strong contingent of drivers down to the finish. Matt Hirschmann was second. A charging Eric Beers came home in third. Bobby Holmes was fourth and the winner’s father, Jan Leaty, came across the line in fifth. The surprise of the night came from second time RoC competitor Ryan Peece who ran in third place for more than the first 75 laps of the 100 lap feature. The win for Leaty was a popular one for the youngster.

 

“I am a proud papa today. Mike did a Heluva Good job racing last night !!,”  said Jan the next day on raceny.com. “The kid works hard at his racing, but also owns his own car and pays his own bills. Maintains a nice home for his wife and kids works hard at his job. That is a lot for a 25 year old... I remember!  Thanks to all the guys that helped and special thanks to Branich Motorsports for all they do for Mike and I.”

 

Mike will be in action for Branich this coming Friday, piloting the Wayne Regional Ortho/Lyons National Bank sponsored #25 Troyer in the season opener at Spencer Speedway.  For more information about Jan and Mike Leaty and the team sponsors, visit the team website at www.speedwayad.com/Branichmod