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Season Finale at Genesee Kartway Delivers Close Finishes and First-Time Appearances

BATAVIA, NY – The 2025 season at Genesee Kartway came to a close on Friday night in front of the largest crowd of the year as champions were crowned and fans were treated to an action packed program. The highlight of the night included the debut of the MJR Karts, making their first-ever appearance at the Kartway and putting on a show to cap off an unforgettable season finale.

The Xtreme Budget Predators were first to roll out, with Easton Degroot and Michael Pfendler leading the 20-lap feature to green. An opening lap tangle between track champion Jack Freeman and David Pangrazio of Elba, NY brought out the yellow, sending both drivers to the rear. Degroot led the restart until Bill Kapelke took over on lap two. A multi-kart pileup in turn two involving Triton Drock, Gregory Speck, Larry Richmond, and Pangrazio shuffled the field, but from there it was green all the way. Pangrazio began working his way through the pack, and on lap 11 he slipped by Kapelke and a lap car at the same time. Pangrazio went on to lead the final nine circuits and captured his third feature win of the season.

In the Senior Lites, Paige Gayton of East Pembroke, NY dominated from start to finish, leading all 15 laps over Mason Moyer to score her second win of 2025 in the Lite division.

The Novice Division featured Xavier Cook, who wrapped up a strong season of improvement. From his debut in June through August, Cook steadily dropped his lap times, and Saturday’s race was another example of just how far he has come in only a few months.

The Junior 1 division saw Brantley Smith and Tucker Hazlett of Corfu, NY on the front row. Smith controlled the early laps, but a caution on lap 8 for Grace Musall bunched the field. On the restart, Hazlett kept the pressure on and with just a few laps left made contact with Smith in turns three and four, taking the lead. Hazlett held on to score his fifth win of the 2025 season.

The Junior 2 division brought fans a head-to-head showdown between Ryan Maher of Amherst, NY and Branson Smith. Maher jumped out front early and never looked back, leading all 15 laps en route to his eighth victory of the year in the class.

Maher wasn’t done there, as he also started on the pole in Junior 3 alongside Chase Powers. Powers never let Maher pull away, keeping the margin within half a second for most of the race. The closest finish of the night came down to the wire as Maher held off Powers by just 0.230 seconds to complete the sweep.

In Senior Heavy, Paige Gayton looked to follow up her earlier victory and did so in dominant fashion. A week after Zach Walsh subbed in and swept the night, Gayton answered the call by leading every lap of the finale, scoring her first Heavy division win of the season and sweeping both classes on the final night.

The final feature of the year brought something brand new to Genesee Kartway: the MJR Karts. Built by Mike Jackson and normally raced in the backyard, 11 of these machines hit the track in front of the crowd. Vic Beherns and Dick Park of Pavilion, NY started up front, with Beherns leading lap one before Park went ahead on lap two. A caution on lap 13 for Jackson’s mechanical failure set up a late restart. In the closing laps, John Park pressured his father Dick Park, trying the outside line but refusing to move him out of the way. In a true family finish, Dick Park held on to claim the win. The Kartway is already working to bring the MJR Karts back in 2026 for monthly appearances if scheduling allows.

With the 2025 season officially in the books, Genesee Kartway would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our drivers, teams, staff, and fans for their continued support. From the first green flag in June to the finale in August, every week was made special by the passion and dedication of our racing family. We can’t wait to see everyone back in 2026 for another exciting season of grassroots racing under the lights in Batavia.

Keep an eye out for another story later in the week as we will honor our 7 champions.

Photo Credit: EM Nearhood Photography

11 entries
XTreme Budget Predator
A Feature 1: 1. 136-David Pangrazio[4]; 2. 62K-Bill Kapelke[3]; 3. 80-Easton Degroot[1]; 4. 14-Jack Freeman[5]; 5. 87-David covert[7]; 6. 126-Gregory Speck[6]; 7. 21-Johnae Naylor[9]; 8. 3-Michael Pfendler[2]; 9. 2-Triton Drock[10]; 10. C4-Ken Cook[11]; 11. 5R-Larry Richmond[8]

2 entries
Senior Lites
A Feature 1: 1. 10JR-Paige Gayton[1]; 2. 115-Mason Moyer[2]

1 entries
Kids Novice (5-8 years old)
A Feature 1: 1. 25-Xavier Cook[1]

5 entries
Junior 1 (8-10 years old)
A Feature 1: 1. 13-Tucker Hazlett[2]; 2. 96X-Brantley Smith[1]; 3. 24-Grace Musall[3]; 4. 24X-Kenny Cook[4]; 5. 25-Bennett Chappell[5]

2 entries
Junior 2 (10-12 years old)
A Feature 1: 1. 33R-Ryan Maher[1]; 2. 26-Branson Smith[2]

5 entries
Junior 3 (12-15 years old)
A Feature 1: 1. 33R-Ryan Maher[1]; 2. 5C-Chase Powers[2]; 3. 12-Olivia Barry[4]; 4. 3-Jace Bliss[3]; 5. 11-Colt Bliss[5]

4 entries
Senior Heavy
A Feature 1: 1. 10JR-Paige Gayton[1]; 2. 115-matthew barry[2]; 3. 25-Josh Nearhood[3]; 4. 44-Jeremiah Salami[4]

11 entries
MJR Karts
A Feature 1: 1. 3D-Dick Park[2]; 2. 3DD-John Park[3]; 3. 18JR-Vic Beherns[1]; 4. 1817-Ryan Allen[10]; 5. 31X-Jerry Harding[6]; 6. 3-Josh Beherns[5]; 7. 31-Matt Keenan[9]; 8. 13X-Jerry Green[4]; 9. 17D-John Jelfo[8]; 10. 9-Mike Jackson[11]; 11. 1/3-Alyssa Park[7]

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