The TSI Harley-Davidson 137

The standards of any regular, normal week were thrown out the window on Memorial Day weekend when Stafford became a bit busier and a bit louder. It was week six of the season, and it was also the second visit of the season for the Whelen Modified Tour. The race? The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 - a race that was deemed shorter than the normal race for the Tour. Even then, the whole night (besides the race) was going to be an exciting night. Condensed version or not.

As always, normal protocol was that the Whelen Modified Tour completed their time trials. With the exception of one car missing them for problems suffered during pre-time trial tire scrub, 33 drivers took time, hoping to get the pole for the race that was later to come. Setting fast time was Bobby Santos, with a time of 18.090 seconds. It translated to 99.502 miles per hour. It was enough to take his third pole of the season. After the redraw, taking place after the opening ceremonies, the top eight cars were shuffled around. Ron Silk was going to lead the field to the green flag in the main event, with Santos starting alongside of him on the front row.

Also after the opening ceremonies (guitar riff National Anthem included), the features officially got underway. The first feature belonged to the DARE Stocks. The race got underway with #51 pulling out early. The fight for second began between Nicholas Salva and Stephanie Berardi. Salva happened to get the spot with two laps down. The field unfortunately slowed down after a caution came out on lap 2, when a couple cars got together in turn one. Donovin Secore was one of the biggest losers in the caution, ending up getting a push onto pit road. The other loser was Don Wood, who had damage to the right front. He, too, ended up sitting the rest of the race out. When the green came back out, Josh Wood went right back out to the front. Andrew Hayes moved into second, with Salva getting pushed back to third. Tony Membrino, Jr joined the mix as well, sitting in fourth. He fought Salva for the third spot and managed to win. Stephen Daddio found a spot as well and made a pass for fourth. It was all for naught, though, as there was another caution. With four laps on the board, Kelsey Rottino spun coming out of turn two. As the passes were made before the lap was completed, the restart order was shuffled, putting Salva back up to second. J. Wood was back up front as the green presented itself again. Second was being contested between four different cars - Salva, Hayes, Daddio, and Membrino - but in the battle for that spot, trouble brewed. That trouble came in the form of Salva, who just blew up coming straight down the frontstretch. The caution was coming out with five laps down. Seeing no fluids on the track, the caution was quick and the green was coming out not too long after. J. Wood went right back to the lead. Hayes and Daddio battled for second, and Daddio gained the position. He closed the gap for the lead and almost hitched himself to J. Wood’s back bumper. The fight was postponed for a second when the next caution came out at the halfway point, for Kaitlyn Brice, who spun in turn four. The race resumed after a few laps of yellow, and J. Wood picked up right where he left off - in the lead. Daddio was right behind him, and Hayes came up to challenge him (Daddio) for second. Also there was Jeff Jolly. Jolly passed Hayes for third, and Kyle Casagrande also happened to pass Hayes - that pass was for fourth. But things were going to end for the leaders on a low note. J. Wood spun in turns one and two with two laps to go, and he took Daddio with him in the process. The new leader became Jolly, but his lead was short-lived when K. Casagrande made the pass for the lead. Positions changed behind him, but he picked up his second win of the season. Membrino ended up finishing second, with Hayes in third and Jolly in fourth.

Next up on the agenda, it was the SK Lights. The fight was on early, between Harry Wheeler and Kyle Spencer. Spencer got the lead, and on his bumper was Earl Pelletier. Coming up through the head of the field was Ted Cain, however, and the positions he gained were advantageous. Cain managed to pass Spencer for the lead by lap 5, but he wasn’t the only one looking to move around him. Second was now a fight between Spencer and Thomas Barrett, Jr. With seven laps down in the feature, Barrett moved into second. The green flag run only lasted two laps longer, as the first caution came out with nine laps on the board. The reason? Shayne Prucker spun in turns three and four. Everything was cleaned up and when the green returned, the restart became a dogfight for the lead between Cain and Barrett. Cain retook the lead as the lap was completed, and Barrett, although he remained in second, nearly started a chain reaction of events as he dive-bombed his way to the outside. The two of them pulled away from the field, with Cain pulling away further. Again, things slowed down as a dozen laps were completed for caution two, when Rick Williams and Prucker spun in turns three and four. When the green came back out, it was yet another fight for the lead. Cain managed to pull away from Barrett, but Barrett was not ready to back down. He attempted to go down to the low groove and managed to take the lead… Not so fast. Tony Santangelo was stranded in turns one and two with five laps to go. The upcoming restart was going to be crucial. And it was side-by-side. And it was premature via way of a caution, involving David Webb and Pelletier spinning in turn two. Anyone up for a redo of the restart? It wasn’t a dogfight between the leaders at the start, with Cain slightly pulling away, but it soon became one. The winner of the fight was Cain, but things weren’t at all easy for him. There was another challenge from Barrett, but it wasn’t enough. Cain claimed his second win of the season. Barrett finished second. Chad Trombley ended up in third, with Erica Santos in fourth.

The open-wheeled portion of the program continued with the SK Modified race. Brit Andersen powered into the lead, but he was already being challenged by Todd Owen, who was all over Andersen’s bumper. Eric Berndt ended up in the middle of things as well, and it was an early-race fight for the lead. Owen ended up winning the fight, with Berndt joining him in second. Suddenly, things happened so quickly. Zach Sylvester slowed down in the turn three end of the backstretch, and Ted Christopher ended up spinning straight through the frontstretch grass. Either way, it all signaled up the first caution of the event. On the restart, it was another fight for the lead. It was a three-car battle between Berndt, Owen, and Jeff Baral. Also getting in on things was Mark Bakaj. It looked as though things were going to be slightly interesting up front… But things behind them were starting to pick up. Chris Jones ended up in the turn three grass with only five laps down, and he couldn’t fire the car up, That set up the second caution. Andersen was to blamed for the caution and was ultimately black flagged. He moved towards the back of the field. Meanwhile, in the front of the pack, the green came back out. Again, the lead was Owen’s. Baral, Berndt, and Bakaj were all still in the mix for a top-three spot, but again, the battle was short-lived when an incident occurred with six laps down. Adam Skowyra and another car were involved in an accident in turn two, bringing the yellow right back out. The green was also right back out as well. Owen once again pulled out into first, with Baral and Berndt still fighting for second. Bakaj was right again in the mix. But with eight laps down, Berndt’s night turned ugly in an instant. He ended up spinning around in turn two, Dan Avery also received some damage and pulled onto pit road during the caution. As the green came out for the restart, Owen pulled out to the lead. Baral was willing to challenge him, and was able to claim the lead just shy of the 10-lap mark. Bakaj passed Owen for second. Also at that time, two cars were making moves towards the front. Frank Ruocco and Keith Rocco were now on the board. Rocco was over Ruocco’s bumper as that was the fight for second place. Meanwhile, Baral was joyriding around. As the second and third place guys were getting under each other’s skin for the second spot, Baral’s lead seemed to slowly grow. Rocco finally managed to pass Ruocco for second, and the field began to ride around in a single-file line. But that only closed the gap between Baral and Rocco. Rocco’s times were faster than Baral’s, and that gave Rocco the advantage. The large lead that Baral had suddenly shrunk to the point where Rocco had caught him. And with ten laps to go, Rocco passed Baral for the lead. He began to expand his lead over the course of the final ten laps, and it was a convincing third win of the season. Baral finished second, with Ruocco in third and Bakaj in fourth.

Fourth up? The Limited Late Models. It was Michael Wray and Duane Provost fighting for the lead early. A full lap was completed before a leader was actually determined - that being Provost. Wray fell comfortably in second, with a fight for third going on between Carla Botticello, Dave Yardley, III, and George Nocera, Jr. Yardley picked up third. Nocera managed to get fourth. Kevin Gambacorta joined the party, now sitting in fifth. Meanwhile, up in front, Wray began to apply pressure on Provost. He managed to retake the lead, now with Yardley in second and Nocera in third. Provost dropped back to fifth during this time. Throughout the race, the field ran single-file (for the most part, save for a few mid-pack changes in position), but things changed with Yardley, Gambacorta, and a lapped car. The two lead lap cars got together, sending Gambacorta backwards a bit. Yardley remained in second. With less than a lap to go, Gambacorta hit the turn three wall, coming back to come in contact with Botticello. The yellow came out, followed by the checkered, and Wray was declared the winner. The rest of the board read Yardley, Dan Flannery, and Shawn Thibeault.

The last race before the main event belonged to the Late Models. It started with Alan Provost being named leader and Scott Cook moving backwards in a hurry. Things escalated quick in the span of the first two laps. Dillon Moltz spun down the backstretch and Tony Lafo hit the safer barrier in turn one. The caution came out for both incidents. In the process, the black flag was the officials‘ best friend. Three black flags were given out over the first caution period: Cook for the Moltz spin, Michael Bennett for the Lafo incident, and Moltz for “unsportsmanlike conduct”. On the restart, John Kasper, who was running in second, did not come up to speed. Provost was the clear leader, with Woody Pitkat passing Adam Gray for what was now the second spot. Pitkat pressured Provost and became the new leader with six laps down. Provost was again being pressured; this time, by Jim Peterson. Both Peterson and Corey Hutchings passed Provost for second and third respectively. By the halfway point, Pitkat had a lead that was a full straightaway long. Also making noise was Hutchings, who passed Peterson for second. The two teammates were going to be enemies for a little bit, however, as the caution came out for Fernando Ilha, who spun in turn four. Ten laps to go, and a restart was about to begin. When the green did come back out, it was Pitkat taking the lead with Hutchings right behind him. The lead of Pitkat began to grow once again. Again, it was going to shrink when another caution occurred - this time, it was for Kasper, who spun in turn four. Another restart occurred with seven laps to go. However, Hutchings got the advantage as they came to the line. Pitkat was still glued to him, and he retook the lead on the exact same lap. Two laps later, there was another caution. Tom Fearn spun in turn four. Mark St. Hilaire and Provost were also included in the accident. This set up another restart that Pitkat won. Hutchings fell back into second. And by the looks of things, it was going to come down to the teammates. Things changed, however, with a yellow flag with three laps to go. JJ Hill spun in turn four, and the caution included St. Hilaire, who jumped over Hill’s car. The fourth black flag in the event was given to Keith Rocco for overagression. The restart was going to be wild and crazy. Pitkat jumped back out to the lead, but the second spot was being contested between Hutchings and Peterson. Peterson picked up the spot, and now behind him in third was Moltz. But even with the changes between second and third, Pitkat’s lead was just too much, and he picked up his second win of the season. Peterson finished second. Moltz was third, and Bennett was fourth.

The main event capped off the night of action - the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 for the Whelen Modified Tour. Complete with outside driver introductions. It was supposed to get started at nine o’clock, but it actually started an hour later, at ten. Either way, the race was finally underway. Bobby Santos picked up the lead with three other cars gathering around him. Eric Berndt, Chuck Hossfeld, and #6 were all surrounding him, as a four-car fight for the lead took place. The only contender to maintain any vibe with Santos was Berndt, and the four cars became two. Hossfeld and Ron Silk now fought for third place. The lead finally changed hands on lap-10, when Berndt pulled ahead of Santos. It was at that point when all was quiet throughout the field. The only noise made was the black flag given for a slower car who wasn't up to race-required speed. He made his way to pit road and lost a couple of laps in the process. Meanwhile, there was a battle for second spot between Santos and Hossfeld. And the battle was beginning with lapped traffic on their hands. The first caution of the event came with 35 laps on the board, when James Civali hit the wall in turn two. He happened to drive away. But this bunched the field back up for a restart. And this gave mid-pack drivers help by letting them come onto pit road for adjustments. But what really counted was the restart. It occurred with a total of 40 laps on the board. It was somewhat chaotic as they crossed the line to take the restart. Hossfeld had life, and it looked like someone wasn’t fully up to speed. But either way, Berndt maintained the lead. Santos was still in second. It was a short green flag run - it only lasted three laps. 43 laps down, and Eric Beers was in turns one and two. It would take eight laps before the green came back out with 48 laps reached. There was also a fight for the lead when the green came back out. It wasn’t much, though, and Berndt regained the lead. Santos had his hands full with Silk, and Silk took over second. Hossfeld passed Santos for third and then attempted to put pressure on Silk for second. With 59 laps down, another black flag was issued for another car who wasn't going fast enough. Meanwhile, Berndt began to pull away from the field. The lead was a half straightaway. Behind him, positions were changing. Hossfeld was now second, followed by Santos in third and Silk in fourth. Fourth changed hands with 82 laps down, as Jimmy Blewett was now making a move up by passing Silk for the spot. With 91 laps on the board, lapped traffic was once again going to factor in on the race. Hossfeld’s times were slightly faster than those of Berndt, and the distance between the two drivers began to shrink. At the 100-lap mark, the top two drivers were closer than they ever were. Things got even more interesting with 102 laps on the board, when Ed Flemke, Jr almost seemed to bounce off of another car and distracted traffic behind them. That set up a caution, and the ensuing restart was going to be of the critical kind. With 108 laps on the board, the restart occurred. Berndt didn’t get up to speed and was left to dry as both Hossfeld and Blewett passed him. He settled into third, but clinging to the spot while getting challenged by Santos. Santos passed him for third. All went to hell in a handbasket with 111 laps down, however, when the leaders seemed to come together, sending Hossfeld around through the frontstretch grass. Santos was the beneficiary of events and was awarded the lead, followed by Todd Szegedy, who came out of nowhere to get up to the second spot. Berndt was in third. There were 116 laps on the board when the green came back out. Santos powered back out front. Blewett made his way past Szegedy to get back into second and was looking to get the lead instantaneously. Things turned interesting when a multi-car accident in turns three and four set up a late-race restart. The caution was with 119 laps on the board. The restart was with 123 laps down. The dogfight was intense, but it was also short. 124 laps were on the board when the next caution came out for Ted Christopher and Glenn Tyler, who were stranded in the turn three area of the track. The restart was on lap 128, and again, the leaders were fighting for the lead. Things ended quick, however, when the caution came out on the same exact lap for another multi-car accident - this time, on the backstretch. Another restart was going to occur with 135 down. This seemed to benefit Santos, who retook the lead, but Blewett took it back. Santos was not done yet, and he (once again) got the lead coming into turn three. He pulled away just enough to take the win; his second of the season. Blewett settled for a second-place finish. Szegedy finished third, and Ryan Preece finished fourth.

Next up at Stafford, it’s a regular week. It’s also sponsored by USG. As always, the schedule involves the five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series features. It happens with the usual "weather permitting" disclaimer in place.