Galletta's Karting Club

Double-Header Weekend: 8/22 – 8/23/2015: NOW ON YOUTUBE!

8/22/2015 – Kevin Galletta wins the Kristina McCann Invitational & Kart Swap Meet 25!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22nd, 2015, OSWEGO, NY –  This weekend will be a double-header at Galletta’s! A special make-up/rookie/powderpuff makeup race was held on Saturday, which went to Kevin Galletta (in the Galletta Bros. #28). This race was originally scheduled a few weeks in advance for Kristina McCann and friends but wound up also evolving into a race for any racers who needed a makeup race (including a few rookies learning the quickest line and the karts), which we usually hold BEFORE the regular races, but we got them out of the way a day early. Also, a rarely-used for-sale kart was sold to a new rookie race team (their 2nd now), which makes two karts back on track for regular racing again. The racing continues Sunday for the regular points race will be held Sunday, August 23rd, 2015 at roughly 6pm. It went down as follows…

8/23/2015 – Melissa Stevens & Keith Raymond win Twin Features!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23rd, 2015, OSWEGO, NY –  Melissa Stevens (w/ daughter Lilybeth) dusted off her racing clothes (as she usually gets a lap or two in for points and pulls off) and led all 35 laps of the 1st feature for her first feature win since 2012! This means that she not only is the 1st and only female feature winner in track history, but the 1st and only mom to win one as well. In the 2nd 30-lap feature, it looked like Kevin Galletta was going to score his 1st win since 2014 when his kill switch shorted out and he stalled while leading. Keith Raymond inherited the lead and took his 3rd career feature win (all this year thus far). Kevin knighted him in some sort of ceremony that we have still not yet fully deciphered. Fields have been larger, with three rookies joining the fun, now and with (two and possibly a third) purchasing seldom-used karts, the stretch run to the Klassic 200 looks like it will be a doozy! Pictures, points, and race video will follow!

FEATURE #1 – 35 LAPS:

Melissa Stevens has been handicapping the pole for a few weeks now and every week gave it up to just go for a lap or two for points and then exit the track. Well, she finally decided to put on some gear and try to win one for the first time since before we she was pregnant with her and her husband Matt’s daughter Lilybeth. Here she is being challenged by rookie Tyler Buskey, who probably thought, “Great! So she decides to keep the pole NOW that I’d be handicapped in the lead!”

35-LAP FEATURE START:
1. Melissa Stevens (Scissors n’ Fur #19)
2. Tyler Buskey (Galletta’s Greenhouse #9)
3. Rodney Buskey (Buskey Racing #87)
4. Kevin Galletta (Galletta Bros. #28)
5. Keith Raymond (Good Guys Barbershop #88)
6. Adam Lytle (Lytle Racing #33c)
7. Matt Stevens (Galletta’s Greenhouse/Chrusher.com #78)
8. Chris Stevens (Galletta’s Greenhouse/Chrusher.com #4)
9. Steve Hodges (Ruggio Racing #02) – DID NOT START

Said rookie driver Tyler Buskey went a little too high between turns 3 and 4 trying to track down Melissa and took a flip in 4. He was fine, just a little shaken and sore. He has been showing potential for a young man in only his 3rd race in 2 weeks!

Another man flipped off the same spot, 2nd year driver Keith Raymond did so shortly after the #88 blasted into the rear bumper of the #4 piloted by Chris Stevens (who did a 360 and kept going). He too was a little shaken and sore, but otherwise fine.

Melissa Stevens leading the field around the mid-way p0int, with Kevin Galletta, and Chris and Matt not far behind.

Melissa picked up her first feature win since 2012. Kevin Galletta barely held off Chris Stevens (who had to come back from last after that 360) at the stripe. Matt Stevens got an unusual 4th place, and some speculated that he may have been trying to block the track space for his wife, as he uncharacteristically dropped from 2nd to 4th late, but she didn’t appear to need much blocking, as she led from start to finish. Look how close our racing is… 8 karts THAT close on the last lap!

35-LAP FEATURE FINISH:
1. Melissa Stevens (Scissors n’ Fur #19)
2. Kevin Galletta (Galletta Bros. #28)
3. Chris Stevens (Galletta’s Greenhouse/Chrusher.com #4)
4. Matt Stevens (Galletta’s Greenhouse/Chrusher.com #78)
5. Keith Raymond (Good Guys Barbershop #88)
6. Tyler Buskey (Galletta’s Greenhouse #9)
7. Adam Lytle (Lytle Racing #33c)
8. Rodney Buskey (Buskey Racing #87)
9. Steve Hodges (Ruggio Racing #02) – DID NOT START

2ND FEATURE – 30 LAPS:

2nd feature begins! Due to dusk coming fast, we shortened the 2nd from 35 to to 30 laps.

30-LAP FEATURE START:
1. Rodney Buskey (Buskey Racing #87)
2. Kevin Galletta (Galletta Bros. #28)
3. Adam Lytle (Lytle Racing #33c)
4. Keith Raymond (Good Guys Barbershop #88)
5. Matt Stevens (Galletta’s Greenhouse #3)
6. Chris Stevens (Galletta’s Greenhouse/Chrusher.com #5)
7. Steve Hodges (Ruggio Racing #02)
8. Tyler Buskey (Galletta’s Greenhouse #9) – DID NOT START
9. Melissa Stevens (Scissors n’ Fur #19)  – DID NOT START

2nd feature saw the father of the father-son rookie team, Rodney Buskey lead impressively in the former Tumor #87 kart that he purchased a day earlier, but mechanical problems took him out of the lead. Still, like we mentioned above with his son, not bad for his 2nd race on the track!

After 1st-time bugs took Rod Buskey out of the lead, Kevin Galletta looked to be the favorite to win the 2nd feature, which is what many predicted what happen after head mechanic Matt Stevens worked over the #28 (which seemed to slow a bit before he did so) and Kev looked fast in Saturday’s make-up 25-lapper! But Kevin too ran into mechanical issues, as his kill switch wire shrted and needed a repair, which meant he lost his spot.

This put Keith Raymond – the man who couldn’t buy any good luck for his entire first year of racing with all of the lost leads due to mostly mechanical failures – in position to win his 3rd out of the last 7 features! And he did so, holding off Matt and Chris who battled behind him, and Adam Lytle and Kevin Galletta not far behind the trio! In fact, Chris held 2nd until the very last corner, where he slipped on the loose patch too high trying to prepare a slingshot pass on Keith, and Matt was able to sneak under him for 2nd! Damn that tricky Matt! Chris punched his steering wheel in frustration over losing a spot trying an offensive maneuver late instead of playing defense and hold on to 2nd. Again… look at how close this race was late!

30-LAP FEATURE FINALE:
1. Keith Raymond (Good Guys Barbershop #88)
2. Matt Stevens (Galletta’s Greenhouse #3)
3. Chris Stevens (Galletta’s Greenhouse/Chrusher.com #5)
4. Adam Lytle (Lytle Racing #33c)
5. Kevin Galletta (Galletta Bros. #28)
6. Steve Hodges (Ruggio Racing #02)
7. Rodney Buskey (Buskey Racing #87) – DID NOT FINISH
8. Tyler Buskey (Galletta’s Greenhouse #9) – DID NOT START
9. Melissa Stevens (Scissors n’ Fur #19)  – DID NOT START

2015 Gas Flathead National Championship / 2015 Galletta’s Greenhouse Karting Speedway Point Standings

As of completion of 6/7/2015 – 8/23/2015’s race events in the 20th Annual World Championship of Clockwise Gas Stock Flathead Karting

Position (Prior)	Name (Go-Karts Piloted) ®=Rookie *=Makeup Features T =Timeout k=Mid-race Kart Change (-5pt) D = Delay Penalty	Total Points (Place)	Average Points Per Feature	Features	Feature Wins	Win %	Heats Won/ Enter	Years Pro at Galletta’s	All-Time Track Feature Wins
1st	Chris Stevens (Galletta’s #8, 4, 0, 5) k	1,802.00	112.63	16	5	31%	0/2	20th	76
2nd	Matt Stevens (Galletta’s #33, 3, 9, 74, 1, 2, 78) t	1,717.50	107.34	16	4	25%	0/2	20th	129
3rd	Adam Lytle (Lytle #33c)	1,626.50	101.66	16	2	13%	0/2	4th	4
4th	Keith Raymond (Good Guys Barbershop #88, Galletta’s #6)	1,539.00	102.60	15	3	20%	1/2	2nd	3
5th	Kevin Galletta (Galletta Bros. #28, 54) * t	1,499.00	93.69	16	0	0%	1/2	3rd	2
6th	Melissa Stevens (Scissors ‘n Fur #19)	1,229.00	76.81	16	1	6%	0/2	8th	8
7th	George Sweeting (Galletta’s #7, Sweeting #81) ® k * D	613.50	87.64	7	0	0%	1/2	®	0
8th	Eric Woolworth (Woolworth #78) D	477.50	95.50	5	1	20%	0/0	4th	5
9th	Nick Cameron (Galletta Bros. #54, Galletta’s #7) ®**	438.00	73.00	6	0	0%	0/1	®	0
10th	Ray Castaldo (Galletta’s #7, 5, 1)	372.00	74.40	5	0	0%	0/0	®	0
11th	Tyler Buskey (Galletta’s #7, Buskey #87) ® **	363.50	72.70	5	0	0%	0/0	®	0
12th	Kevin Finn (Galletta’s #6, 9) ®*k	329.00	82.25	4	0	0%	0/1	®	0
13th	Brian Galletta (Galletta Bros. #42, 28)	297.00	99.00	3	0	0%	0/1	8th	8
14th	Ray Lewis (Galletta’s Greenhouse #9) ®	294.00	147.00	2	0	0%	0/1	®	0
15th	Rodney Buskey (Galletta’s Greenhouse #9, Buskey #87) ® *	240.00	80.00	3	0	0%	0/0	®	0
16th	Brielle Wilkins (Galletta’s #1) ® *	177.50	177.50	1	0	0%	0/1	®	0
17th	Kristina McCann (Galletta’s #2) ® *	172.50	86.25	2	0	0%	0/0	®	0
18th	Branden ‘Tumor’ Matott (Matott #187²)	164.00	82.00	2	0	0%	0/0	2nd	0
19th	Steve Hodges (Ruggio Racing #02) ®	131.00	65.50	2	0	0%	0/0	®	0
20th	David Demling (Galletta’s #6) ®	122.00	122.00	1	0	0%	0/1	®	0
21st	William “Billy” Ruggio (Ruggio Racing #02) D	-10.00	-10.00	1	0	0%	0/0	®	1