2017 Season at Galletta’s Greenhouse Karting Speedway – Year 22
Welcome to the Galletta’s Greenhouse Karting Club & Backyard Speedway’s website!
Over 23 arrive-and-drive Karts are available. All time trialed less than 1 second apart on a large track. Drivers needed to fill them in 45-60 lap point races every weekend between June through all Summer, culminating with our season finale in late-September – the 200-Lap Galletta’s Karting Klassic!
Founded in the early 1990s, Galletta’s Karting Club & Backyard Speedway was created to race go-karts as competitively as we can for as purposefully affordable as we can (via rules), using karts that are hybrid – something between a prefabricated racing kart and a yard kart that can race fast and safe on both pay tracks and backyard tracks alike, all the while having drivers that are highly talented and experienced racers. You may think you are good on pay tracks, but in reality, you didn’t prove much unless you raced and competed for wins at Galletta’s! The original, longest-running, and largest karting class in the area, we are also the easiest to join – we often have several unused, fast, feature-winning, arrive-and-drive karts to join into the races immediately, and if you like it, build or buy your own for a few hundred dollars to join and compete instead of a few thousand like most classes take to join and compete. And, the experience and talent levels of the more experienced drivers at Galletta’s equal or better than can be found on any pay track – they’ve been racing more than a decade before ANY of the local pay tracks were built and have hundreds of more races under their belts. Read on to see our twenty year history of weekly points racing (with videos and complete rundowns of each season since 1995 – and race from 2005) every June through October in Oswego, NY! Enjoy!
THE 22ND ANNUAL GALLETTA’S GO-KART 200-LAP KLASSIC!
Saturday, September 23rd, 2017: 22nd Annual Klassic 200 Race Postponed Due to Lack of Driver Availability.Saturday, September 30th, 2017: 22nd Annual Klassic 200 Race Postponed Due to Lack of Driver Availability.Saturday, October 7th, 2017: 22nd Annual KLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP 200-LAPPER Race Postponed Due to Lack of Driver Availability.- Friday, October 13th, 2017: 22nd Annual KLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIP 200-LAPPER . . . . .
WE DID IT! WE GOT ENOUGH DRIVERS! IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!!
10/13/2017 – The 22nd Annual Galletta’s Greenhouse Karting Klassic 200!
Friday, October 13th, 2017 – Our 22nd Annual Galletta’s Go-Karts 200-Lap Klassic Championship FINALLY went down after a near month of delays due to lousy driver attendence, occasional bad weather, colds, and other strange anomolies. We actually had to schedule it on an unusual Friday evening due to all the delays, otherwise risk weather not cooperating and losing more drivers than we already had a difficult time mustering. And it wound up being one of the best and most climatic races in Klassic history, which is what we hope for all of them. Race page is currently under construction done, so enjoy this unedited video playlist, updating points and victory lane photo!
The top 3 in points this year were the top 3 in the Klassic as well! And with half of the club quitting for about half the season (and even DURING the races AND not paying Matt?), 4th place wasn’t even close in the points standings. But, impressively, a 1st timer rookie scored 4th on track in his 1st race ever, finishing all 200 laps. Due to work and a general disappointment of a lack of drivers outside of a handful of events, the final 2017 points, 2017 Klassic 200 video and All-Time points are yet to be finalized and updated. But keep checking in. I’ll get to it, I swear! Not that it seems anybody even cares. [UPDATE: Done!]
2017 World 1-WD Gas Flathead Backyard Karting Championship FINAL Point Standings
After the 6/17/2017 through 10/13/2017 Races, concluding with the 200 Lap Klassic:
|
Position
|
Prior Race
|
Driver (Go-Karts Piloted)
®=Rookie; *=Makeup Feature Used; T =Timeout used; k=Kart Change |
Total Points (Place)
|
Average Points Per Feature
|
Features
|
Feature Wins
|
Win %
|
Heats Won/
Entered |
Years Pro at Galletta’s
|
All-Time Feature Wins
|
Last Race
Entered |
| 1st | 1st | Chris Stevens – 2017 Points & Klassic Champion (Galletta’s #4, 8, 43) ttt |
2295.5
|
135.03
|
17
|
4
|
24%
|
0/1
|
22nd
|
84
|
13-Oct
|
| 2nd | 2nd | Matt Stevens (Galletta’s #3, 33, 74, 9, 6, 1) ttt |
2202.0
|
129.53
|
17
|
4
|
24%
|
0/1
|
22nd
|
137
|
13-Oct
|
| 3rd | 3rd | Josh Arnold – 2017 Visitors Champion (Arnold #93, Galletta’s #5, 2, 29) tttkk |
2038.0
|
119.88
|
17
|
3
|
18%
|
0/1
|
3rd
|
4
|
13-Oct
|
| 4th | 4th | Melissa Stevens (Scissors ‘n Fur #19) |
1390.0
|
81.76
|
17
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
10th
|
8
|
13-Oct
|
| 5th | 7th | Lee Gleason (Gleason #29) |
1011.0
|
144.43
|
7
|
0
|
0%
|
1/2
|
1st
|
0
|
13-Oct
|
| 6th | 5th | Kevin Galletta (Galletta Bros. #28) |
758.0
|
94.75
|
8
|
2
|
25%
|
0/0
|
4th
|
7
|
5-Aug
|
| 7th | 11th | ® Rob Vanderhaden – 2017 Rookie of the Year – DID NOT PAY KLASSIC + (Galletta’s #78, 43, #2, #1, #29) t ® |
753.5
|
150.70
|
5
|
0
|
0%
|
0/2
|
®
|
0
|
13-Oct
|
| 8th | 6th | Adam Lytle (Lytle #33c) |
692.5
|
76.94
|
9
|
1
|
11%
|
0/0
|
6th
|
8
|
23-Jul
|
| 9th | 12th | ® Robert Swan – DID NOT PAY KLASSIC (Galletta’s #6, #1, #0) |
688.5
|
229.50
|
3
|
0
|
0%
|
1/3
|
®
|
0
|
13-Oct
|
| 10th | 18th | Kelly Miller (Galletta’s #9, #7) m |
657.0
|
219.00
|
3
|
0
|
0%
|
1/1
|
10th
|
7
|
13-Oct
|
| 11th | 8th | ® Nicholas Cassano (Galletta’s #1, 2, 6, 7) mttt |
512.0
|
73.14
|
7
|
0
|
0%
|
0/0
|
®
|
0
|
23-Jul
|
| 12th | 19th | ® Stephen Perez (Galletta’s #7, #9) m |
508.0
|
169.33
|
3
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
13-Oct
|
| 13th | 9th | Keith Raymond (Galletta’s #0) |
452.5
|
90.50
|
5
|
2
|
40%
|
0/0
|
4th
|
6
|
23-Jul
|
| 14th | 10th | Tim Galletta (Galletta’s #9, 7) tm |
444.5
|
74.08
|
6
|
1
|
17%
|
0/0
|
4th
|
8
|
12-Aug
|
| 15th | N/A | ® John Parkhurst (Galletta’s #5) |
425.5
|
425.50
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
13-Sep
|
| 16th | 13th | ® Todd Halstead (Galletta’s #5) m |
215.5
|
53.88
|
4
|
0
|
0%
|
0/0
|
1st
|
0
|
12-Aug
|
| 17th | 14th | ® Jared Halstead (Galletta’s #43) m |
205.5
|
51.38
|
4
|
0
|
0%
|
0/0
|
1st
|
1
|
12-Aug
|
| 18th | 15th | ® Marty Halstead (Galletta’s #7) m |
197.0
|
49.25
|
4
|
0
|
0%
|
0/0
|
®
|
0
|
12-Aug
|
| 19th | 16th | Randy Platt (Galletta’s #5) |
189.0
|
94.50
|
2
|
0
|
0%
|
0/0
|
7th
|
7
|
17-Jun
|
| 20th | 17th | ® Mike Patak (Galletta’s #43) |
182.0
|
91.00
|
2
|
0
|
0%
|
0/0
|
1st
|
0
|
17-Jun
|
| 21st | 20th | ® Anthony Losurdo (Gallettas’s #43) |
117.5
|
117.50
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
16-Sep
|
| 22nd | 21st | ® Thomas Montgomery (Galletta’s #5) |
116.5
|
116.50
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
16-Sep
|
| 23rd | 22nd | ® Griffin Miller (Galletta’s #2) m |
114.0
|
57.00
|
2
|
0
|
0%
|
0/0
|
®
|
0
|
3-Jul
|
| 24th | 23rd | ® Zach Miller (Galletta’s #7) |
111.0
|
111.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
16-Sep
|
| 25th | 24th | ® Mike West (Galletta’s #1) |
108.0
|
108.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
26-Aug
|
| 26th | 25th | ® Dave Hartpence Sr. (Galletta’s #5) |
107.0
|
107.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
26-Aug
|
| 27th | 26th | ® Steve Sixberry (Galletta’s #9) |
99.0
|
99.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
1/1
|
®
|
0
|
27-Aug
|
| 28th | 27th | ® Justin Thurston (Galletta’s #43, #7, #6) |
93.0
|
93.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
26-Aug
|
| 29th | 28th | ® Casey Cowen (Galletta’s #78) |
89.0
|
89.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
27-Aug
|
| 30th | 29th | ® Dave Hartpence Jr. (Galletta’s #78) |
87.0
|
87.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
26-Aug
|
| 31st | 30th | ® Andy Rayder (Galletta’s #5, #2) |
82.5
|
82.50
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
27-Aug
|
| 32nd | 31st | ® Jason Sixberry (Galletta’s #1) |
82.0
|
82.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
®
|
0
|
27-Aug
|
| 33rd | 32nd | Dick Dann (Galletta’s #43, 33c) |
73.0
|
73.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
4th
|
4
|
27-Aug
|
| 34th | 33rd | Nick Dann (Galletta’s #7) |
71.0
|
71.00
|
1
|
0
|
0%
|
0/1
|
3rd
|
2
|
27-Aug
|
Key:
® = Newbie / Rookie to our races (less than a season of races on our track)
* = Makeup Feature Used (heat race for bonus points to earn towards a feature missed earlier in the season)
T = Mid-Race Timeout Used (One allowed per newbie, three allowed per regular driver per season, additional ones earned via 100% attendance and/or regular feature wins)
k = Mid-Race Kart Change Used (includes a point penalty per change)
Fun (or sad?) facts about the 2017 Season:
– Only 5 of 34 drivers attended at least HALF of the season’s races (a 14-year low).
– Only 4 of 34 drivers raced in every event (a 14-year low).
– 21 of 34 drivers were rookies (Either 1st-time drivers or drivers with less than one season of races [on the Galletta’s track], another a 14 year record).
– Half of the regular season events were canceled due to not enough drivers in attendance on race day (A 22-year high).
– Klassic was postponed three weeks due to not enough drivers committing (a 15-year record).
– A handful of drivers did not pay, but a few of them negotiated deals with Matt. Paying entry/kart rental doesn’t always mean money for gas + part-wear. Sometimes it includes chipping in with track/kart work, donating karts or kart parts and/or gas for the karts or track work, and/or bringing paying drivers to race and fill seats when we are low on drivers. The track and karts run on nominal BARE BONES donations and if drivers don’t pay their fair share, Matt will try and cover it, but property owner Mary Stevens covers it if he cannot (which happens every year because the donations NEVER cover costs, especially when nobody shows and/or some show and don’t pay). Maybe some people think it’s fun and games to break karts and burn gas and Matt doesn’t deserve the money, and if you feel that way then try running a track and 15-20 karts for friends/family on your own dime and get back to us, thanks.
9/23, 9/30, 10/7/2017 – Races Cancelled Due to Lack of Driver Availability for 3 Weeks in a row (and 9th week of the 18-week season?!)
Seriously? Perfect weather, over 20 karts and no drivers for half the race season? What gives, people?
Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 – Saturday, October 7th, 2017 – Matt had originally loosely scheduled the Klassic 200 for Saturday, September 23rd, then firmly for 30th, then sternly for October 7th and then….. WELL, WELL, WELL… FOR THE 9TH TIME IN 18 WEEKENDS SINCE OUR JUNE OPENER… WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH DRIVERS YET AGAIN! WOW! SURPRISE. HALF OF THE RACE SEASON HAS BEEN CANCELLED?! Why? Not weather! Nope. Not karts! No, plenty of those. Nope,… NO DRIVERS! And people got mad when I said everybody quit? Sure looks like it. Well, here we go, we gonna’ try again and see! The 22nd Annual Galletta’s Klassic 200 is now scheduled for Friday, October 13th, 2017 and if people no-show for that, then we’ll try again on Saturday, October 7th, 2017! If people no-show for that, then eventually it will just be Matt, Chris and Josh for 200 laps in a rainstorm or snowstorm and that’s it, as they have been the only 3 showing any skill and determination at racing at all every single race all season.
9/16/2017 – Chris Stevens Survives Exciting Rookie-filled 10-kart/45-Lapper [+YouTube]
Click for the race page.
SATURDAY, September 16th, 2017 – We finally had enough drivers on board to get a show in (THANKFULLY!!), and again it was thanks to a small group of new guys joining the action and doing a very impressive job with only a little experience in our karts and track! And it wound up being a very good and entertaining race! (Now if only we could get some more veteran drivers back from self-imposed and excuse-filled hiatuses, to make the racing even greater!) Chris Stevens emerged victorious in his GallettasGreenhouse.com/Chrusher.com/OswegoSushi.com #4 after inheriting both 2nd place from Josh Arnold (who trapped Chris in traffic to take 2nd before he broke down) and taking the lead from Lee Gleason (after he got extremely loose in turn 1). But rookie Robert Swan challenged Chris on the last lap (somewhat surprising him), showing great progress in limited track time! More…
NOTES: Of 33 drivers, only 3 raced in every race (and a 4th took around 1 lap and exited and still got 4th in points), and all but 8 raced more than once or twice. Sadly, Matt spends many hour weekly keeping 20+ karts prepared and Chris does a complete website dating back 22 years with 12 years of complete race videos (both to ZERO pay for their efforts)… and nobody can come up to have fun racing?
9/2 – 9/9/2017 – Two Weekends of Races were Cancelled Due to Lack of Driver Availability
Saturday, September 9th, 2017 – Due to a lack of available drivers (only 4-5, far short of our 7-driver minimum field), our races are again canceled for the week. Once again, we are only open to Friday or Saturday races from Labor Day on, so if you want to race, contact us. (Due to work, family, school, and football, we will not be able to race any more Sundays.). However, if more racers don’t start coming soon, we will be forced to schedule our 200-Lapper with only a few drivers and be done with the season.
Sunday, September 3rd, 2017 – Due to a lack of available drivers (only 5-6, and just short of our 7 driver minimum field), Labor Day week festivities, two races last weekend, Oswego Speedway’s Classic 200 delayed due to rain and work (we’ve raced after the 200 many times), our annual Labor Day Saturday to be held on September 2nd, 2017’s race was postponed. Go figure… as last weekend we had SEVENTEEN DRIVERS racing on TWO NIGHTS thanks to two batches of newbie drivers last Saturday and Sunday… and this weekend, we could only get a hold of 5 or 6. Next weekend, we project a bigger driver count, as long as some of last weekend’s new drivers come back. (Reading this guys? Let’s make another big field! Out track and club history is littered with dozens of examples where hundreds of drivers quit just as it’s getting good. If they didn’t quit when they did, we would be having 23-kart fields instead of 5-10 kart fields. Simply because 4-5 drivers quit as soon as another 4-5 other drivers joined). See you next weekend!
8/26 – 8/27/2017 – WILD crash during 17-Kart Doubleheader: Saturday Night 40-Lapper AND Sunday Night 35-Lapper for a Double Show Weekend; Josh Arnold and Matt Stevens Victorious!
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26th, 2017 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 27th, 2017: Several drivers (a few that raced with us before a couple of years ago) enabled us to get a show in and it wound up a good one. There was also a nasty wreck late in the feature with bodies flying. Then, the next day, several MORE drivers (this time a handful of rookie 1st-time racers at Galletta’s and a surprising return of Team Dann) joined us for a surprise Sunday evening showdown. As you can see from the video, the racing was actually extremely good both Saturday AND Sunday considering the number of new drivers in both! Read more & view YouTube video here!
Wacky Driver Attendance Note: Now while we have 30 different drivers who have raced this season from June through August, NINETEEN have only raced in ***ONE*** event, ONLY NINE have raced more than twice, and ONLY FOUR have raced in every race this season, and one of those four just races one lap for points and pull off. Seriously? Does nobody want to race anymore? What is going on? Are people that dirt poor or that empty-sacked?! C’mon people. Let’s race!
8/20/2017 – Cancelled due to insufficient Driver Attendance
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20th, 2017: A Galletta’s Greenhouse Backyard Speedway Points race requires at least seven drivers to count for points, and due to only four veteran drivers available, it is not enough and the races for this weekend have been canceled. R&C Sushi Bar LLC’s surprise 50/50 prize for the winner & points fund has also been canceled due to low driver turnout and the fact that everyone who shows up apparently is too poor to enter a 50/50 contest.
8/12/2017 – 3rd Annual Faith Birthday 50’s Twin-25s won by Tim Galletta & Chris Stevens [+YouTube Race Videos]
Click for race page, points, video, and larger version of the victory picture.
Saturday, August 12th, 2017 – Tim Galletta and Chris Stevens pretty much controlled almost the entire evening, each getting 1-2 and vice versa respectively. Tim shook off the rust accumulated due to a move down south and then held off everyone for his 1st feature win in a handful of years during the 1st feature. Then Chris Stevens evaded an accident that took out the top three to coast to the win in the 2nd. Plus, during the 1st feature, Tim’s bro-in-law (and past feature winner) Jared Halstead took a nasty spill after coming together with Josh Arnold, flipped, and then got run over by Matt Stevens. Thankfully, he was fine and continued in the 2nd feature. Good racing all around, but there’s an attendance problem when we have to depend on people who live in North Carolina to have enough people to race. Um… what the heck is going on with karters around Oswego? Hello?? If the kart doesn’t cost a few grand, you ain’t racin’? Wow. Complete YouTube race video and points are done so read on for more…
8/5/2017 – Twin-30s won by Kevin Galletta & Matt Stevens!
Full-sized Victory Photo
Tim Galletta’s Return!
Saturday, August 5th, 2017 – In Tim Galletta’s 2-weekend return for the 1st time in 4 years, Kevin Galletta led every lap of the 1st 30-Lapper to take his 2nd feature win of 2017. Matt Stevens then led zero laps and just stole Lee Gleason’s 1st victory away from him by sneaking the front bumper past the stripe on the final lap of the night. The funny thing was Lee’s kart has had terrible motor sputtering issues and lack of power for a while now, and Matt put around a week of work testing and fixing the motor until it got up to par. And if not for Matt’s craftiness on the final lap, Lee would have put the #29 (the former Thunder Island/Larry Phillips/Kenny Lindsley III/Eric Woolworth/Billy Ruggio/Eric Woolworth/Keith Raymond/David Hall/Lee Gleason ride) in victory lane for the 1st time in a long time. Full race YouTube Video, results and points are here.
7/30/2017 – 22nd Annual Harborfest Championship… Canceled due to insufficient Drivers.
Sunday, July 30th, 2017 – Due to a lack of available drivers, we were forced to cancel our 22nd Annual Harborfest weekend race. Every week we request more drivers — old veteran racers, newbie rookies, and everything in between. Around 20 arrive-and-drive karts with most of them sitting idle without drivers and only $25 to race them for 50-70 laps a week. Come on up!
7/23/2017 – Matt Stevens & Josh Arnold Repeat as Winners of Twin 33’s! [+YouTube]
Sunday, July 23rd, 2017 – Deja-vu to opening night ’17, as Matt Stevens win a feature in the Galletta’s Greenhouse/Chrusher.com/OswegoSushi.com #74, and Josh Arnold in his Arnie Racing #93 won the other! Lots of cautions and kart breakdowns this evening, but nonetheless — as the video shows — the racing was entertaining!
Full Points, Pics & Video Race Page | YouTube Video | Higher-resolution picture
7/16/2017 – Keith Raymond wins 1st Feature, 2nd Rains out [+YouTube]
Sunday, July 16th, 2017 – Keith Raymond became the 1st 2-feature winner this season as he passed a loose-but-fast rookie Nicholas Cassano and held off a few other competitors for his 2nd win in 3 features this season (last week he was delayed and showed up after the races were done and everyone had gone home! Yikes!). Good, clean racing on a nice track, as the track workhorse “OgreMobile” is back in action and the track can be graded and rolled for the 1st time since the opener! The racing has been VERY close this year — very few passes along with very few walk-away wins and with 6 winners in 7 features this season thus far. Race Page & Complete YouTube Race Videos Here.
7/8/2017 – Adam “AJ” Lytle & Chris Stevens make it 6-Winners-for-6-Races this season! [+YouTube]
Saturday, July 8th, 2017 – Although we usually run Summer Sundays at Galletta’s, this season Saturday has been working better for a majority of our drivers. And a rather competitive trend has been happening this season: The 1st SIX feature races have had SIX different winners! In the 1st 30-lapper, Adam Lytle FINALLY broke his streak of breaking down to win DOMINATE the 1st one, pulling away from Chris Stevens and the rest of the pack to lead all 30 laps without even a challenge. In the 2nd 30-lapper, Chris Stevens also led all 30 laps but was challenged by Kevin Galletta, Lytle, Matt Stevens and Josh Arnold. And Josh has been fast all year, scoring excellent finishes on top of his feature win earlier this season! Chris got a big choking hug from his daughter Faith for the win (and some victory laps on daddy’s lap). More details and FULL race video (including BOTH Tower camera AND Matt helmet camera in full HD) below:
Race Page & Complete YouTube Race Videos Here | Higher Resolution Victory Lane picture here.
7/3/2017 – Independence Day Makeup Points Race!
Monday, July 3rd, 2017 – Due to regular drivers missing out on both Sunday (postponed) and Monday evening races, and Kelly Miller bringing two drivers (son Stephen and nephew Griffin), while a 1st timer rookie racer also joined, we had a makeup points race. A 35 lap “retcon points” makeup race! You can read more about it and watch the YouTube video here.
6/24/2017 – Kevin Galletta & Keith Raymond make it 4-Winners-for-4-Races this season! [+YouTube]
Saturday, June 24th, 2017 – We took another preemptive Saturday race (to avoid forecasted rain on Sunday) and held another twin-feature night to get caught up for missing the 1st two weekends of our usual season (1st weekend in June through at least September). And lo-and-behold, the polar opposite of last year’s start has occurred–where Kelly Miller, Matt Stevens, and Chris Stevens hogged all the wins in the 1st EIGHT features–we have four features and FOUR different winners! Kevin Galletta outlasted early leader Adam Lytle (who broke down while leading) to win the 1st one, and Keith Raymond outlasted Chris Stevens and Matt Stevens (each of whom ALSO broke down while leading) for the win, although Josh Arnold gave him a great run. (And Kevin had to take his kids home before the start of the 2nd feature, so he is represented here by his Force Ghost.) More details and FULL race video (including BOTH Tower camera AND Matt helmet camera in full HD) below:
Race Page & Complete YouTube Race Videos Here | Higher Resolution Victory Lane picture here.
6/17/2017 – FINALLY… The 22nd Annual Galletta’s Go-Kart Points Season Opener Has Come Back… To OSWEGO! 70 Laps via Twin 35s! Josh Arnold & Matt Stevens win! [+YouTube]
Saturday, June 17th, 2017 – Due to several setbacks (including no track vehicle), we missed the first two weekends of our usual race season. However, thanks to Brian Galletta and his Jeep, we can FINALLY get the season started. Saturday evening was the goal instead of our usual Sunday (for Father’s Day & avoiding possible showers), and TWO features were in store to make up for the two-week delay. The Arnie #93 driven by owner Josh Arnold passed Mike Patak (who later went on for a WILD flip) to win the 1st Feature, while in the 2nd feature, Matt Stevens stormed into the front and never looked back in the Galletta’s Greenhouse/Chrusher.com Frankenfreak #74! Video is up:
Race Page & Complete YouTube Race Videos Here | Higher Resolution Victory Lane picture here.
ALL-TIME GALLETTA’S KARTING CLUB & SPEEDWAY ALL-TIME POINT STANDINGS:
Drivers all-time stats at two of Oswego, New York’s Dirt Karting Tracks: Our own Galletta’s Greenhouse Backyard Karting Speedway (est. 1995; counted from 2000-2017), and Oswego Kartway’s 1-WD Gas Division (formerly known as Oswego Speedway Dirt Track, also calls itself “The BULLring”, est. 2006; counted from 2006-2008). You can scroll the chart left, right, up, and down to see all 337 different drivers on record. Of note, the Oswego Kartway deleted all references to our division after the 2008 season, so this website is the only way to know our points and videos on the track. Kartway’s stats are not tallied into the Galletta’s stats on the below chart.
Key:
Bold = Active in last season; ® = Rookie (less than 10 races on track).
COMPLETE SEASON APPENDIX:
Enjoy each of over two decades’ worth of our competitive point-racing seasons with these over 200 race pages by clicking on the picture to each season. Each season will have its own list of pictured race descriptions, point standings, driver profiles and complete races on embedded YouTube videos to each race (as early as the 2002 Klassic and complete season videos dating back to mid-2005):
2016 Season Index
21st Season – 2016: From Sunday, June 12th, 2016 through Saturday, September 24th, 2016, 30 drivers racing in 14 feature events won by 7 competitors (Chris Stevens, Matt Stevens, Kelly Miller, Josh Arnold, Keith Raymond, Kevin Galletta and Adam Lytle) for our 21st Points Season at Galletta’s Greenhouse Backyard Karting Speedway. And for the 1st time in history, a driver challenged Chris and Matt Stevens’ vice-grip stranglehold on 1st and 2nd the point standings! Kelly Miller was lap for lap, pass for pass, point for point, win for win dead even with the brothers all season long, and the three leap-frogged each other every week leading up to our 21st Klassic to decide it all. Would Kelly become the 1st visiting driver to ever sweep the Points and Klassic titles? Or would the class-founding brothers retain 1st and 2nd for the 21st straight year? Well, why not see what went with our 200-Lap Klassic! Here are all the season pages, complete with all of our uploaded YouTube videos!
2015 Season Index
20th Season – 2015: Our 20th Season was a relief from 2014’s barren finish. Due to a few groups of rookies joining, we had 42 different drivers racing in 20 feature events won by 8 different feature winners (Chris Stevens, Matt Stevens, Adam Lytle, Keith Raymond, Melissa Stevens, Kyle Reuter, Eric Woolworth and Tony Cimilluca). The season was extremely competitive from start to finish, and it came down to a tremendous battle in the Klassic 200 between Chris Stevens, Matt Stevens and Kyle Reuter — arguably the best three lifetime karters in Oswego (anybody who has a beef with this? Show us what you got. Show up, put up, or shut up, thanks!). Chris and Kyle were the only two leaders in this year’s event, with them trading the lead due to lapped traffic and empty fuel tanks. But late in the race, when Reuter passed the fuel-starved Chris Stevens, and Matt Stevens broke in a crash, Chris refueled and shocked all with a slingshot pass past Reuter on the final green-white-checker for the the most climatic win in the Galletta’s Klassic history, and clinched his clean sweep of both the 2015 200-Lap Klassic and the 2015 Points Championship! One of our most exciting seasons in our history, capped by a fantastic Klassic finish, and probably the most exciting in our history! All of our complete race videos are available for viewing on our complete season index found here.
2014 Season Index
19th Season – 2014: Our 19th Season had 26 drivers compete in 15 feature events won by a staggering 8 different competitors (Matt Stevens, Chris Stevens, Adam Lytle, Kevin Galletta, Brian Galletta, Kelly Miller, Eric Woolworth, Kyle Reuter), but it did not end well. The season was tragically cut shorter than others due to low driver attendance by midsummer, a problem that caused self-inflicted wounds by making even gung-ho veteran drivers quit. Matt Stevens swept the driver-starved Klassic 200 (where he and Chris battled for over 80 straight green flag laps) and sadly short Season Points Championship, but it was perhaps our least-fulfilling season in well over a decade due to inconsistent and sparsely populated driver competition, despite the empirical fact that we had 20 karts on site all with near identical time trial speeds. The fact that it was the least-populated Klassic in THIRTEEN years, founders Matt and Chris Stevens worried all winter that without a new crop of drivers in 2015, we were left seriously doubting the future of the Galletta’s Greenhouse Backyard Karting Club . More on the complete YouTube Videos & Race Index.
2013 Season Index
18th Season – 2013: The 2013 season was eventful, as 38 competitors raced in 24 features won by a staggering 12 different drivers (Chris Stevens, Matt Stevens, Eric Woolworth, Brian Galletta, Adam Lytle, Brandon “Tumor” Matott, Dave Spanfelner, Kevin Galletta, Joe Sereno, Ryan Palmer and Justin Galletta!)! And the most shocking surprise was the Klassic 200, where Kelly Miller became only the 2nd visiting driver (Kyle Reuter being the 1st) and 5th overall (counting Matt, Chris and Wes Stevens) to win a Galletta’s Klassic 200, having a duel for the ages with the ’13 track champion Chris Stevens and Oswego’s All-time winner/points earner Matt Stevens, where lapped traffic and kart wear took it’s toll and changed the outcome and made the finale an extremely exciting one. In fact, possibly the best 3-kart Klassic duel to date. The complete season is on YouTube video playlist and race pages, so go here for more.
2012 Season Index
17th Season – 2012: Had 39 drivers racing in 27 feature events that were won by 9 different savvy competitors (Matt Stevens, Chris Stevens, David Spanfelner, Brian Galletta, Melissa Stevens, Joe Sereno, Randy Platt, Tim Galletta and Justin Galletta). Matt Stevens was the performer of the year as he took the 2013 Points Title, but the Klassic would have a controversial finale. The founding brothers of Matt and Chris Stevens battled back and forth in the late stages of the Klassic, passing each other via lapped traffic. The controversy came when Chris got passed by Matt when a lapped kart got in his way, Chris backed off rather than hit the traffic and Matt passed them both. Chris dogged his bro down until the same lapped driver came up, and Matt bumped the lapped traffic out of the way, knocking him into Chris which then brought out the caution and prevented Chris from getting his brother back. Chris was furious, and Matt, exhausted, put himself in the back, leaving Chris was able to pull away for the uncontested win. Several people protested that Chris won, and Chris himself vacated the win, which their “uncle” (and Galletta’s Mascot) Ogie Stevens took credit for it all. The complete race videos, race results and points info are found here.
2011 Season Index
16th Season – 2011: 25 competitors entered 21 feature events that were won by 8 different drivers (Matt Stevens, Chris Stevens, Tim Galletta, Melissa Stevens, Justin Galletta, Joe Sereno, Randy Platt and Jeff Tetro). Now while Matt Stevens won the track title and garnered the most wins (6), it was his big brother Chris Stevens that broke a decade-long dry spell to win his 1st Galletta’s Klassic since 2001 (and the 1st since it became 200 laps). And what more, he proved what many thought was impossible! Chris managed to run all 200 laps on one tank of gas while holding off his brother Matt (who had to refuel late after leading a fast-paced race battling with 2010 winner Kyle Reuter early on). It was one of the most strategic gambles in Klassic history to date, as if there were a few more laps, Chris would’ve been down to fumes with Matt ready to pounce on the lead. This is one of many reasons why the racers at Galletta’s feel you get more PURE RACING experience in our karts than any pay track’s 5-10 minute/20-50 lap races. 200 laps on a single 5hp Briggs stock gas tank… and WIN. Try that in any other karting division and get back to us, son. Complete YouTube Race Videos, results, driver profiles, points and pictures of every race found here…
2010 Season Index
15th Season: 2010: So it finally happened! Actually, TWO things! First, while we had a usual great season consisting of 29 drivers in 21 feature races, they were won won by a SHOCKING 15 different drivers (Chris Stevens, Matt Stevens, Melissa Stevens, Tim Galletta, George Russell, Shadoe Russell, Randy Platt, Arnold “AJ” Nason, Jeff Tetro, Mike “MC” Howell, Russ Bartlett, Gary Miller Sr., Kyle Reuter, Kelly Miller and Jared Halstead), with Chris Stevens surviving it all to achieve his 2nd track championship in a row. That shows parity amongst the karts! But the Klassic was the story of the season, as secondly, a visiting driver won a Galletta’s 200-Lap Klassic! Kyle Reuter became both the 1st non-founding/visiting driver to win a Galletta’s Klassic, and the 1st to win a one after climbing into a backup kart (The Galletta’s #0) after his starter kart the (Galletta’s #1) broke down around mid-race. While Kyle has countless Quarter-Midget and methanol flat-kart wins and championships under his belt, he said this was, “the most fun I’ve ever had in a go-kart.” We agree, which is why we do this instead of dropping a few grand for stressful, expensive pay track racing. Kyle and the 14 other winners this season also proved an important point — Matt does not rig the karts for his (or his brother’s) advantage. In fact, if anything, he gives anybody the chance to race in a kart with equal or better power than his own. You just have to be a good enough driver to win it. This season, Kyle and the many other winners proved it can be done, and shut the critics up in more ways than one. More, including points, profiles, and complete race videos via YouTube here…
2009 Season Index
Our History at Oswego Kartway
14th Season – 2009: Our ’09 season was the 1st in 3 years without Oswego Speedway’s dirt track as our second “away” track escape, as our karting class were barred from the Oswego Kartway in the off-season due to differences with the track operator, further punctuated by several members from the track mocking our family business, names, careers, and even threatening us with physical violence. But that does not mean that we didn’t have a fun and action-packed season at our “home” track (as we did for 10 years before Kartway existed anyway). These numbers speak for themselves: A startling 48 drivers raced in 22 feature events, with 12 of them winning features (Chris Stevens, Matt Stevens, Russ Hockey, Melissa Stevens, Buddy Cottom, Gary Miller Sr., Larry Phillips, Fred Collins, Jason Mills, Nick Dann, Brian Galletta, and Dick Dann). This is a single class, not a dozen classes of 3-10 drivers with only a one or two people dominating it. This large number in different winners shows how equal our racing division is, which some naysayers complained that the brothers rigged it for themselves (patently false… if you are a good driver, you can win and compete for championships in our class, period. Chris Stevens finally broke his brother Matt’s Points Title domination, winning his 1st Track Championship in nearly a decade, but Matt Stevens again showed that he is the toughest man to beat in a go-kart in Oswego, NY, as he took the Galletta’s 200-Lap Klassic once again. Full race videos (via YouTube), race results, points and driver profiles are all available here…
2008 Season Index
13th Season at Galletta’s – 2008: Between Galletta’s and Oswego Kartway, we race a combined 27 drivers racing in a combined 27 events won by 10 different drivers (Matt Stevens, Chris Stevens, Russ Hockey, Melissa Gabel, Buddy Cottom, Dick Dann, Nick Dann, and Gary Miller Jr.), but it agai was Matt Stevens winning the Track Championships on both, and technically, he won both Oswego Classic 50 and Galletta’s Klassic 200, but there was a mystifying controversy to the Oswego one at least.
3rd Season at Oswego Kartway – 2008: For the 3rd straight full season, the Galletta’s Greenhouse 1-WD Gas Flathead Racing Club raced two tracks. We started in May at Kartway where Matt Stevens again proved he is capable of taking a kart with less horsepower and beat larger karts that used stock Animal engines (forced in our group by decree of the track operator), and he won the Mixed Motor Gas Stocker Point standings at Kartway (which they erased from their website, so you’ll only see it and full race videos to every division here).
2008 Oswego Kartway Index
Oswego Kartway Classic Champs
While we had 14 feature events won by 7 drivers (Matt Stevens, Chris Stevens, Wes Stevens, Dick Dann, Joe Hayden, Dave Melfi, and Nick Dann), after many arguments, late in the season we split the two gas kart motors into separate divisions, which ended the conflict for the drivers but yet seemed to increased it for the track operator. Matt Stevens dominated the ’08 Kartway Classic (Gas Flathead 1-WDs), but last lap controversy had Wes Stevens take it (under a presumed yellow) and Chris Stevens take 3rd to sweep the pedestal spots for the 2nd year in a row. The track operator then saw that it to be the last race at the track that we were a part of since (even before) it started. Season rundown, final points TONS of FULL race videos from ALL karting divisions at the Kartway AND Galletta’s, and the confusing ending to the ’08 Classic video found here…
Oswego Speedway Classic Kart Track Champs!
2007 Season Index
2nd Season at Oswego Speedway Kartway: 2007 & 12th Season at Galletta’s: 2007: Was by far one of our busiest, most competitive and talent-stacked. Between the Oswego Kartway (back then simply known as the Oswego Speedway Dirt Track) and our Galletta’s track, 57 different drivers ran a combined 28 features, but the dominant factor all season on both tracks was Matt Stevens, as he won 14 of the 28 Mixed Motor gas stocker features on the two tracks while 8 other drivers (Chris Stevens, Kyle Reuter, Dick Dann, Melissa Gabel, Ryan Coleman, Eric Raponi, Gary Miller Sr., and Joe Hayden) divided up the rest of the HARD fought victories. Again there was controversy between OHV and FH motors racing in the same class, and while Matt was the man to beat in a flathead, the OHVs were proving to be too powerful for anyone else to touch. That was until the Kartway’s 1st Classic, a 15-kart/50-Lap event for the mixed-motor 1-WD ‘Gas Stocker’ class, where a few drivers battled it out in an exciting race, but Chris Stevens emerged on top on lap 50 to avenge himself for getting wiped out several times earlier in the season by one of the OHV Outlaw karts in the race. It also contained one of the scariest wrecks in our history (and one that has garnered by FAR the most hits on YouTube of our hundreds of videos). However, Matt Stevens defeated a VERY talented cast of characters (including his brother Chris, Kyle Reuter, Ryan Coleman, Buddy Cottom and Mike “MC” Howell amongst others) to win both track Championships and the 12th Annual showing of the Galletta’s Klassic 200! The only true downer to the season was Wes ‘Ogre’ Stevens’ bone-busting crash in the ’07 Klassic, which forced him out of weekly competition. More (including detailed race descriptions and hundreds of race videos) can be found here.
2006 Season Index
Inaugural Oswego Speedway Dirt Season!
1st Season at Oswego Speedway’s Dirt Track: 2006: In our 1st season at Oswego Speedway’s Dirt Track (before it was renamed Oswego Kartway the following year), we went with the understanding that our class would not be forced to race methanol karts and turn clockwise (as most race divisions turn counter-clockwise. While we got that, oddly enough, the track operators would not let us have our own Galletta’s-style division with 1-WD gas flatheads and forced us to run with the 1-WD gas OHVs (remaining themselves “Outlaws”), and we somewhat had a repeat of the same problem that we had last season at Galletta’s: “You have too much power!” vs. “You are too light!”– and sadly, a fight nearly broke out over it as well. We ran 7 events, and with 2 wins, Matt Stevens won the 1st Track Championship at the Oswego Kartway, as the other divisions didn’t keep track of wins or points. Other winners were Wes Stevens, Chris Stevens, Brian Bortel, Mike Billion (OHV), and Mark Miller (OHV), with Wes Stevens winning a 40-Lap “Bumpy Track Classic” where every methanol division refused to run due to the track being less than ideal. “Yard Karts” – 1, “Methanol Karts” – 0.
11th Season at Galletta’s: 2006: 35 different drivers raced in 18 feature events in ’06 and while 9 drivers won (including Chris Stevens, Wes Stevens, Rob Jimenez, Ed Maynes, Gary Miller Sr., Billy Kuykendell, Kyle Reuter and Brian Bortel and a tie between Chris and Bill), it was Matt Stevens took 8 of those himself en route to another Track Championship and Galletta’s Klassic Victory! More here, including points, driver profiles, and FULL race vids to the whole season!
2005 Season Index
10th Season – 2005: With a staggering 50 drivers running in 28 feature events won by 10 different drivers (Matt, Chris and Wes Stevens, Gary Miller Sr., Mark Miller, Mike Billion, Ed Maynes, Jason Mills, Neil Gosch, and Barrelin’ Brian Bortel). This year became the very 1st one where we covered every single race on this website, and around mid-season we video recorded every single race and made DVD-R copies available to anybody who asks (years later, we also uploaded EVERY SINGLE RACE to YouTube for anybody around the world with internet to view). Impressive ’04 rookies such as Ed Maynes and Mark Miller returned, although Miller brought a group of drivers with stock 6.5hp OHV motors into weekly races, and while we loved racing them, the very clear motor power discrepancy led to hard feelings between them and every driver that used smaller, stock 5.0hp flathead motors. Unfortunately, the 6.5hp OHV vs. 5.0hp Flathead engine controversy took away from what was an extremely competitive and intense racing season. Matt Stevens, however, beat everybody no matter what motor they had, and won 12 feature events and the Klassic 125 en route to yet another clean sweep of the track points title and Klassic Championships. Full Race Index Page & YouTube Race Videos here…
2004 Season Index
9th Season – 2004: Another excellent season, one of our biggest with a STAGGERING 47 drivers entering an impressive 33 events, with FINALLY a breakthrough in multiple fashions with 9 different competitors (Ed Maynes, Dan Murdock, Jason Mills, Mark Miller, Brian Galletta and Matt Frey joining Matt, Chris and Wes Stevens) in Victory Lane! Another step into the future of our division was realized when a handful of drivers (such as Ed Maynes and Mark Miller) started building and bringing their own karts (although Mark Miller used a 5.5hp OHV motor, which everyone else in a stock 5hp flathead had an issue with when the power was apparent as soon as it hit the track, and he quit before the Klassic 125 over the controversy). While Ed Maynes far and away become the very closest to ever usurp Matt or Chris from Klassic dominance (he almost lapped the field before suffering multiple mechanical problems), it was Matt Stevens who again emerged winner of both the Klassic and Seasonal Points Titles. Once again, the entire Klassic video is available (along with all driver and points info) on this page…
2003 Season Index
8th Season – 2003: Only 14 events were held in our disappointingly sparsely populated 2003 season, because even though we had 28 different drivers, most of them only races in a few races each after last year’s crop of very promising rookies just flat out quit early in the season, wrecking karts before they did. In the end we only had three different winners (Matt, Chris and Wes). Brian Galletta helped us out by bringing several friends to join in as late-season rookies, including Antione “Choch” Thomas, Randy Platt, Matt Frey, and Mike Donoghue. Without them, we may not even have had a Klassic! In the 8 kart/100 lapper, Matt was able to get a late-race pass on his brother when Chris’ foot fell off the gas pedal, which secured Matt a sweep the Klassic and Track Championship Points Title yet again. Klassic video, full driver points and pics are available here!
2002 Season Index
7th Season – 2002: Had 14 drivers racing in 18 feature events, with a batch of rookies giving us some good competition. Rookies Tom Culeton, DJ Barnes, Dan Lupa, Dan Allnut, and Bryan Hayes were a few of the drivers that joined during the ’02 Galletta’s Season and Klassic! Tom Culeton proved to be the best visiting driver at Galletta’s SuperYard Karting Speedway to that date, as he won two events and led the Klassic early in 2002. In fact, he was the 1st visiting driver to outright win a feature at Galletta’s Go-Kart event in years! But it was Matt Stevens who took the 20012 Track Championship and Klassic 80, holding off his brother in both points and the Klassic. Season review, driver points and full Klassic YouTube video available here.
2000 Season Index
6th Season – 2001: In 2001, we raced 22 regular season point events and amongst the 15 drivers trying out the racing were big track guest-stars! We raced with brother Oswego Speedway Limited Supermodified drivers Fran Rowe, Cameron Rowe and Gordon Smallidge, Supermodified driver Randy Ritskes, Super Stock driver Joe Miller, in addition to Syrell Supermodified team members Eric Syrell, Sean Stevens, and Brian Galletta. Cam helped Matt create stagger on the karts, which in past seasons, we had absolutely none. This increased the speeds about one second on our box stock 5hp karts. Cam also won a feature (becoming the 1st visitor to ever do so in our 1990-2001 history). More driver points and info here…
2000 Season Index
5th Season – 2000: After 33 feature races, Chris Stevens again emerged from the 2000 season as the track champ and Klassic champ with 15.5 feature wins (including 7 straight), this time in the newly built Galletta’s Greenhouse Racing #5 kart. Matt Stevens tried a new kart in the Klassic, the Galletta’s Greenhouse #6, and while winning 9.5 features, he was unable to repeat the success of the #3 for beat Chris in the new #5. Wes “Ogre” Stevens also garnered wins, but to date, no “visiting” driver has won a feature at Galletta’s yet, as Chris. Matt and Wes all live and work on the same property. More info here…
1999 Season Index
4th Season – 1999: Chris Stevens finally broke his little brother Matt’s three-year unbeaten streak in 1999 with the Galletta’s #2 kart when he was able to win both the Track Points Title and the Galletta’s Go-Kart Klassic, although he battled all year with his bro Matt and dad Wes, who also acquired wins. Kart count improved to 4 karts (when the Galletta’s #1 became the 1st “built 100% from scratch” kart). Jesse Vivlemore, Ray Castaldo, and Brian Galletta joined us for a few races as well. Not a lot of pictures, but we do have videos (although most are yet to be uploaded). More info here…
1996 Season Index!
A young whippersnapper named Matt Stevens dominated 1996-98.
1st Three Seasons – 1996-98: The early years had No videos, but some grainy pictures and fuzzy memories listed here. Two brothers in their early 20s Matt and Chris started racing two yard karts (a converted Manco kart numbered #3, and a converted Thunder Island kart numbered #1), which later became three (a converted Manco yard kart numbered #4) leading to their dad Wes Stevens, the occasional friend (Jesse Vivlemore, Ray Castaldo, Dan Boyce) and/or some of their cousins (Brian and Kevin Galletta) occasionally joining in. Matt and his trusty #3 kart swept the 1st THREE Points Titles and 80-Lap Galletta’s Go-Kart Klassics in 1996, 1997 and 1998.
The Origins!
The Early Years: 1980’s! Our karting club is named not just because it is hosted and sponsored by Galletta’s Greenhouse, but because founder John Galletta wanted to make a karting track in the late 1970s and never got around to finishing it. Until his grandsons Matt and Chris Stevens — fans of Oswego Speedway Supermodified racing and veterans of vicious sledding and peddle cart wars in their childhoods — built one in the early 1990s, which amazed Mr. Galletta shortly before his passing in 1996. This is the tale, truncated for your digestion with some hyperbole and humor (to throw off the lesser IQ’ed bashers of our racing division) thrown in.
Love the NASCAR Reddit mention!
Photobucket “Image Ransom” Petition
Since 2007, we have used PhotoBucket to host at least 98% of our race photos on this website for no charge. That is now a decade and hundreds of images from our races dating over twenty years. Late June 2017 they unexpectedly and forcefully began to hold the images ransom for $399 a year (one can still use their site, but not embed images to display onto a website, web-forum or blog, like this site for example). Now while we can afford to host our own pictures (and I am doing so now; in the process of moving everything over to my own server… for an additional expense), it does add an added expense on to our “free” and “not-for-profit” racing club (that I — the webmaster/statistician/video editor/reporter/track promoter/racer Chris Stevens — usually pays for out of his own pocket EVERY year, and the Google Ads USED to pay for the actual site hosting, but not anymore. Hint, hint, click click?). The least one can do is sign this petition. Not that we’d probably ever go back, as that was just low-down and dirty for a company to do, but at least send a message. One could see if they asked for a donation or an annual fee (more in the $10-15 range), but $400 is beyond excessive (and may be an intentional suicide ploy to me? Nobody with a lick of common sense would pay that). Sign here.
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