Lichty-PATCO Team Ready to Challenge For ISMA Top Spots
Oswego, NY – “We’re ready to make another kick at the can,” said PATCO Racing team owner Brad Lichty recently from his trucking business in Canada. And, after more than 30 years of can-kicking Lichty knows what it’s all about. Having started out in the supermodified class in 1970 helping his late brother Dennis, Brad has developed his 3-car ISMA race team into one to definitely be reckoned with. His drivers, Dave McKnight and son Mike, are joined when time permits by Craftsman truck star Johnny Benson, whose dad was a “super” star in his own right when the division was evolving in the decade of the 1960s. Benson Sr. won the prestigious Oswego International Classic in 1966, and held the distinction of being the first driver to break the 20-second time trial mark at the famed 5/8th’s mile Oswego oval.
“We plan on running a full ISMA schedule in 2008 with Dave (94) and Mike (84),” said Brad. “John (Benson) is planning on six ISMA shows if his schedule permits. As a matter of fact he’s in Oswego right now at Xtreme Chassis helping out Paul Colloca who is building him a new car, which will be numbered 21 – his dad’s old number. His first ISMA show will be at Toledo and he hopes to be piloting that new car but if it’s not quite ready, John will drive the 74 as he has in the past. The 21 will be part of a 4-car stable, but we will only be fielding three cars at a time. If the 21 isn’t ready, the 74 will be.”
Benson, who has driven a Lichty winged supermodified when his schedule allows, concentrates on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series where he finished third in the point standings in 2007 with four feature wins following a second place point finish in 2006 when he garnered five feature victories.
Dave McKnight and Mike Lichty have consistently been among the top runners in ISMA for the past several years in particular. Mike, at age 21, has yet to earn his career-first ISMA win while McKnight has 19 wins (2 of which are non-pointers) and an ISMA championship crown in 2001. Mike and Dave finished 4th and 5th in the 2007 ISMA points with Dave copping one feature victory fittingly at Delaware Speedway in Canada.
ISMA Champ Chris Perley has stated on more than one occasion that a couple of his 21 victories in the past two years could have easily been a “w” in the win columns of either Lichty or McKnight. Said Chris after last season’s record-breaking run, “The competition is here, but I believe everybody has been off a lot this year. You see McKnight and Lichty coming around again. I mean Dave McKnight won six races a few years ago. And, now he and Mike are both running strong again. There’s been more than once that they could have as easily been winners had not something happened.”
And, that’s exactly what Brad Lichty and the team are acknowledging as they approach the 2008 season.
“The cars are the same this year,” said Brad. “We were very happy with their performance at the end of last season. We plan on coming back this year just where we finished off last year with the cars. We’re looking for wins and maybe another title. The day Mike wins his first will be a very happy day. He’s been so close; he has won in MSA but just hasn’t had the luck in ISMA. For instance look at Thompson last year when he got a flat while leading the race. Hopefully this will be the year he gets the first one.”
Young Lichty will not be letting any grass grow under his feet on off-ISMA weekends either as he builds his racing portfolio. “We plan on running about three USAC Silver Crown shows,” continued dad Brad. “Richmond will be the first. And when time permits Mike will also be running a Can-Am midget for Larry Turnbull.”
McKnight, entering his 24th season of racing, is the supermodified veteran of the three PATCO drivers. Besides sitting sixth on the All-Time ISMA Win list, the Brampton, Ontario resident is an ISMA champ, a 4-time Can-Am midget champion, a Sandusky Hy-Miler winner, and a seven-time Oswego Speedway feature winner.
“Dave is definitely looking to repeat his 2001 title,” commented Brad Lichty. “We’re hoping for a great season for Dave. After his big wreck last year we found things on the car that we had missed for two years. I think we’ve got him back on track now. He had a strong run at Thompson in October, leading the race and eventually finishing second to Perley. Chris has had an unbelievable run the past couple years, while the rest of the field has been off at various times at the various shows. But the run has got to end sometime.
“I think we’ll have some awesome competition in ISMA this year but it will be tough for everyone as far as costs go. The fuel prices are high on both sides of the border while there are tough economic times for both sides as well,” concluded Brad.
The 2008 ISMA schedule starts at Waterford Speedbowl in Connecticut on May 24 and ends at Thompson in October. The 13-race ISMA slate lends itself to reflect the ever-increasing travel costs, hopefully easing some of the pressure from the teams, which compete fulltime on the circuit.
Sources: Carol Haynes/ISMA PR