The End of the Road

After nearly twenty weeks of racing, it was time for the final installment of racing at Stafford. At least, for 2010. There were still four championships to be decided - at least, it seemed as though it would be the case. Every weekly championship except for the SK Modifieds would be determined throughout the course of the weekend. Most of them were close, but all of them would be closed by the time Sunday night rolled around. And there was a possibility of the Whelen Modified Tour championship in someone’s hands as well. Who won races and who won championships? Let’s find out.

Before anything was to be determined with points races, there was a matter of time trials for the Whelen Modified Tour. They were on hand, too, for a 150-lap race on Sunday afternoon, and time trials the day before was a tradition. The times, for the most part, were bunched together. The last couple of drivers, however, were the ones who set the faster of the times. The last driver to take time was Justin Bonsignore, who set the fastest time of the afternoon. His time was 18.355 seconds. (Later on, the redraw would take place. The top eight drivers redrew for the Sunday feature.)

Heat races for the weekly divisions were next, and they set the tone for the events that were to come later that day and on Sunday as well. There were extra heat races for some divisions, because the number of cars that were in attendance this weekend was larger than usual. Case in point: There were a grand total of four heats for the SK Modifieds.

The DARE Stock feature kicked things off. Stephanie Berardi originally led things off, but Albert Saunders took over as the leader within the first lap. He pulled out to an extended lead. Behind him, drivers battled for position, with Cory Casagrande eventually taking second. Over the course of the next few laps, the lead that A. Saunders had was being closed up a bit. Unfortunately, the first caution came out with eight laps on the board, when Cassandra Secore spun in turns three and four. He drove away and the race went back to green. On the restart, A. Saunders once again pulled out to the lead. Second was now Nicholas Salva, with C. Casagrande finding himself in third but not out of striking distance. It didn’t take long for C. Casagrande to move right back into second, as he passed Salva for the spot. Salva fought for the spot, and reclaimed it only laps later. With two laps left in the event, however, C. Secore spun once again; in turns one and two this time. On the restart, a multi-car situation on the backstretch brought the caution right back out again. The safety team had their work cut out for them, but after cleanup, it was restart time again. It was a dogfight for the lead between A. Saunders and Salva, but in turns three and four, Salva went up high, giving A. Saunders the lead coming to the white flag. C. Casagrande attempted to take the lead from A. Saunders, but in the end, A. Saunders ended up with the win. C. Casagrande finished second, with Stephen Daddio in third and Salva in fourth. With a seventh place finish, Tony Membrino, Jr picked up the DARE Stock championship. (Excuse me for any lack of information in this one. I was having computer issues for the duration of the feature. Let’s just say that my keys were not very happy about working.)

After two SK Modified consolation events (and a quick computer restart), it was back to feature action.

The SK Light feature was next. Unlike the DARE Stock championship situation, this one was more contested. (Not against the DARE Stocks, but the points battle wasn’t as heated in the last feature as compared to this one.) This one started off with Tony Santangelo taking off as the leader. Victoria Bergenty found herself in second. Matt Galko, who was second in points coming into this event, moved past Bergenty for third… But Bergenty tried to take over the position once again. It didn’t work. Bergenty stayed close to Galko, however. They’d remain close - on the second row, that is, when the caution came out with only two laps on the board. David Webb had spun in turns three and four. He drove away before the yellow came out, but dirt was found in the turns and it was a caution situation. It was a quick caution situation, and the restart was only a few laps later. Santangelo retook the lead with what seemed to be ease. Galko wanted the lead, and he got it. Jay Goff wanted the lead from Galko, but it wasn’t meant to be as the caution came out again. Dylan Liseo went up and over Erica Santos in turn one, and the yellow was back out only three laps into the race. Points situation chaos occurred when Tommy Barrett, Jr, the leader coming into the event, went onto pit road with a flat tire. Because the rules state that SK Light crews cannot be on pit road, it effectively ended his afternoon. Once the accident scene was cleared, the green was back out. Galko found himself as the leader, with Goff following him in second. Kyle Spencer, who was running in third, joined the two drivers. The three drivers ran close to each other, and for the most part, single file. Unfortunately for Spencer, he was being black flagged by the officials just after the midway point for possible leakage and fluid dumping. The caution had come out with five laps to go for the liquid that was being dumped by Spencer. (The “not being scored” flag came out for him while all of this was going on. Just shy of the yellow coming out.) This put Brit Andersen in second, in a return to the division since the week previous to the Fall Final last season. Seeing no liquid, it was restart time. Galko pulled right back out in front, with Goff sitting in second. Andersen was a few positions behind from the second spot that he restarted in. He’d get the second spot back as the lap wasn’t completed before the caution came out. This was for Earl Pelletier, as he spun in the middle of turn four. He was able to avoid a multi-car accident and drove off without harm or foul. This was going to be a quick caution. Let’s try that restart again, shall we? It was the same story on this restart, too. Galko in first, with Goff in second. Goff’s bad luck on restarts continued as the car went up the race track and ended up in distress. He was able to pull the car onto pit road. Meanwhile, the battle for the lead was on. Goff tried to pick up the lead as the cars came to the line for two laps to go. It seemed as though Goff had it, but the caution came out not long after they had crossed the line. It was determined that no, Galko would have the lead back. (I’m sorry, but I have no idea what the caution was for. There seemed to be smoke in turn one, but as far as anyone saw, there was no car in trouble in the corner.) On the restart, it was business as usual for Galko, as he picked the lead up once again. Joey Cipriano, III was ready to take second from Goff. He did, and he was the one who was chasing Galko around the track. While all of that was going on, Webb was stuck sitting just shy of the starter’s stand, with what seemed to be problems with the right front tire. The caution had come right back out with two laps to go. Under the caution, Webb expressed his displeasure with Pelletier - who apparently was the one who put him into the wall to begin with. Either way, people were calmed down and the race was back underway with the green. Galko once again claimed his position out front. Cipriano still found himself in second, with Goff not too far behind him. The last lap was a celebratory lap, as Galko’s win gave him the SK Light championship. Cipriano finished in second. Goff ended up in third, while Tommy Membrino, Jr finished off the board in fourth.

Topping off the “it matters” action on Saturday was the Limited Late Model feature. This feature was billed as a three-way fight for the championship here. It was interesting to see how this one was going to unfold. Duane Provost was seen as the early leader when the green came out. Unfortunately, this lead wasn’t going to last long. Keith Minchella and Robert Farrington, Jr were literally stuck together on the backstretch, coming out of turn two. This is how they stopped, and that was how the caution came out. It took a while for people to get them unstuck. They were able to get them apart, and the race was back on. Provost went right back out into the lead, with Shawn Thibeault following him. Third was being contested between Andrew Durand and Rob Dow - it lasted for about a lap, and the spot was given to Dow. Meanwhile, the lead had shifted hands, as Thibeault now had control of the position. Provost, who had been leading for the early laps of the race, was being shuffled backwards and ended up midpack. There was distance between Thibeault and Dow, as Thibeault held a half-straightaway lead by the midway point, and it kept increasing (albeit somewhat slowly) as the laps ticked off the board. It seemed as though it would be a victory lap for Thibeault, but there was also a caution. Carla Botticello and Chris Cook spun in turns one and two, bringing out the yellow with only two laps to go. At some point before the caution, Dow went onto pit road with problems (I admit that I didn’t see this), which ended his race prematurely. It all set up a crucial restart that saw a new leader in points-leader Dan Flannery, who moved from third to first in a matter of a half a lap. On the last lap, Thibeault spun in turns one and two but was able to keep his car from being beaten up by other cars in the process. The car survived, but he was out of contention to win the race. This gave the win to Flannery, who picked up the division’s championship in the process. Second belonged to Joseph Nogiec, followed by Jesse Hinze in third and Dave Yardley, III in fourth.

The DARE Stocks came back out onto the track to finish up their season with the eight-lap fun race known only as the Paradiso-Muska DARE Stock shootout. It’s a race for the division’s All-Stars - mainly winners and other notable drivers from the season. Really… There is nothing on the line but a driver’s pride (and bragging rights for an entire winter). Cliff Saunders and Albert Saunders started the race on the front row, but after the first lap, C. Saunders won the battle of the brothers. A. Saunders was left to fight for second against Josh Wood. The winner of that fight was J. Wood. The two of them and Cory Casagrande (who was in third) pulled away slightly from the rest of the field. Halfway through the race, however, the caution came out for a spin in turns three and four - involving Jeff Jolly and Kyle Casagrande. They were able to join the tail end of the field, and the race resumed. C. Saunders and J. Wood fought for the lead once the green came back out, and after the lap was completed, C. Saunders had the lead… But only slightly. He’d clear J. Wood for the lead, and with C. Casagrande on his tail, the two of them pulled away from the field. On the last lap, three cars were in distress in turns one and two. Jolly and Nicholas Salva were against the safer barrier in turn one, while A. Saunders spun just off to the left of them (he’d pull away from the scene). Just after the white flag came out, the yellow was quickly coming out as well. Once everything was cleaned up, it was back to racing. C. Saunders maintained the lead, but there was a new second place driver behind him - Don Wood. The pressure wasn’t enough, however, and C. Saunders would win the event. D. Wood would finish in second, followed by Stephen Daddio in third and C. Casagrande in fourth.

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Everyone was back at the track less Sunday afternoon for the second half of the Fall Final, and the final day of racing action of the 2010 Stafford season. Saturday, people had to worry about sunburn. Sunday, the problem was windburn. Either way, the sun was still shining. Meaning racing was good to go.

The Late Models kicked off the afternoon. The points situation in the division was six points between Ryan Posocco and Woody Pitkat, the two drivers who were still in the running for the championship at this point in time. This was, in a points view, the best race of the afternoon. The fight began with Patrick Townsend leading the charge in the beginning, with Adam Gray finding his way into second. Tom Fearn got into third. The three of them moved single file, but they would be bunched together quickly as the caution came out with one lap on the board. A three-car incident in turn one (involving JJ Hill, Ryan Preece, and an unidentified car) ending with Hill spinning brought the yellow out early. On the restart, Gray took the charge and pulled ahead of Townsend to take the lead. Townsend had to settle for second. Once again, Fearn was in third. With four laps on the board, Townsend decided that second wasn’t good enough, and passed Gray for the lead. While all of this was going on, where were the two drivers still in contention to win the Late Model championship? With a third of the race in the books, they were fourth (Pitkat) and sixth (Posocco). This was because Corey Hutchings had spun through the frontstretch grass only feet in front of them. The black flag was given to Michael Bennett because of this, moving Posocco to fifth. So they were still close together. And neither of them were done moving through the field. They moved into second and third respectively after passing Gray with ease. With 19 laps on the board, Dillon Moltz went through the grass in turn two. Luckily, he kept the car in one piece. Unfortunately, he kicked dirt onto the racing surface after his safe, and that brought the second caution out. The restart that occurred later? Not good. There was a flat tire on Townsend by the time they hit the stripe to take the restart, and he found himself in the wall in turns one and two. The lap didn’t count and the caution was right back out. It also put first and second in points on the front row for the upcoming restart. The battle began when the green flew. Pitkat took advantage and moved into the lead. Second was now Keith Rocco after passing Posocco in style. But the action slowed down with nine laps to go as Mark St. Hilaire and Bennett were involved in an accident in turn three, bringing out the caution once again. It set up another crucial restart… Where Pitkat once again pulled into the lead. Rocco and Posocco resumed playing follow the leader in second and third respectively. Posocco stuck close to Rocco at one point in time, but couldn’t get around him for the spot. Two laps later, the caution returned for Tracy Brouillette, who hit the wall on the frontstretch (but was able to drive off). In short, it was a quick caution, and it was back to green in no time at all. Pitkat once again picked up the lead. Second was a fight between Rocco and Posocco. Finally, Posocco passed Rocco for the spot. Further in the pack, Moltz’s afternoon was continuing to drive him mad. After almost going around in turns one and two, dirt was kicked up onto the racing surface and the caution came right back out with only six laps left in the race. On the restart, it was back to the lead for Pitkat. It was a short green flag run, because the caution came out before the lap was completed. Tony Lafo spun in turn two, and Joe Rzeszutek wound up high in the corner in distress. It seemed as though they wouldn’t be able to go a lap without seeing the caution back in the air. Was this one going to break the streak? Pitkat once again claimed the lead. Posocco tried to battle Rocco for second. The two-car race became a three-car race as Jim Peterson joined the party. Rocco moved into second, while Posocco barely held onto third. The action was getting better… But the caution came out for the third time in the race for Moltz, who spun in turn four. Yes, it was another restart that was coming. It was the same old, same old. Pitkat leading. Followed by Rocco. Posocco kept his championship hopes alive by running in third. Behind them, fourth was between Hutchings and Peterson. Hutchings picked up that spot. Peterson had problems after that and stopped at the entrance onto pit road. And that was another caution - one that was with two laps to go. He drove away from the scene of the caution after the yellow was flying. A green-white-checker situation was now in play. What was going to happen? Pitkat once again took the lead. Rocco was still in second. The fight was for third between Posocco and Hutchings. Posocco held his ground and was in the third spot. The last lap ran green. And with double checkers, Pitkat took his eighth win of the season. Rocco settled for second, and the war for the Late Model championship was won via a third-place finish for Posocco. Fearn finished off the board in fourth.

Up next was the SK Modified feature. Unlike every other weekly feature this weekend, the SKs were the only division to crown their champion before the Fall Final. In Layman’s terms, this race was for bragging rights. The race didn’t start well. Right after the green flag came out to signal the start of the race, the caution flag came right out for an opening-lap spin with multiple cars. Some of them went onto pit road for repairs (Keith Rocco, Frank Ruocco among others) while Tom Bolles ended up being towed off the track. So far, so not good. Let’s try that again and make it better. Curt Brainard and Todd Owen fought for the lead through most of that first lap until Brainard had a minor issue, giving Owen the lead. (Brainard was shuffled back to fourth in the process.) It took five laps until another battle for the lead took shape, between Owen and Sean Foster. Unfortunately, Owen spun in the process, while a chain reaction took place behind them. Cars ended up everywhere, and another caution came out with… Five laps in the books as Woody Pitkat and Nichole Morgillo had to be brought to the infield via way of tow trucks. Other cars were brought onto pit road as well. Foster was black-flagged for overagression (for spinning Owen), giving Jeff Baral the lead when they took the green flag on the restart. That was good news for Baral, as he took the lead with ease. Unfortunately, he’d have to hold off the guy next to him all over again, as the caution came right back out before the lap was completed. Brainard and Brian Sullivan were involved in a minor incident in turn three, setting up the third caution. Other cars were also involved (including Rocco), and the top four were shuffled up once again. (Not surprising given their track record during day races.) After a sense of false security (restart pushed back a lap), the restart took place… With Mark Bakaj, Brad Hietala, and Rich Hammann in an accident on the frontstretch right as the green flag came out. These guys were not getting off of the fifth lap easily. Maybe on the restart? Baral took the lead, with a fight between Michael Gervais, Jr and Chris Matthews for second behind him. Matthews took the spot and followed Baral’s back bumper as they separated themselves from the field. The battle continued for the lead until there were 11 laps on the board, when Pitkat found himself sideways on the backstretch, in front of the Budweiser billboard. It set up yet another caution. Another restart was about to happen. The result was Baral taking the lead once again. Owen became the new car in second. That was always subject to change - and by the 16-lap mark, indeed it was. Rocco and Ruocco, who were involved in early race incidents, soon found themselves in second and third and all over Baral’s bumper. Rocco wanted the lead at the halfway point and succeeded in getting it. Ruocco was having a bit of trouble, however, making his move around Baral for second. The next caution came out with 22 laps on the board, when Joe Allegro, Jr had spun in turn two. Foster once again received an overagression penalty and was forced to move to the tail end of the field. It was a quick caution, and the restart came not too long after. Rocco regained the lead, with Ruocco now getting second place. Matthews moved around Baral as well, finding himself into the third spot. But ahead of them, Rocco began to show that sign of dominance that gave him the SK Modified and national championships. The lead he had over Ruocco was about a full straightaway’s distance. It was a cakewalk for the rest of the race, and Rocco picked up his tenth win of the year. Ruocco finished second, with Matthews in third and Baral in fourth. (Rocco also gained an automatic spot in the Turkey Derby.)

The main event - and the final race of the season - belonged to the Whelen Modified Tour. There was a chance that the championship here could be clinched as well. Would it? We’ll find out. Eric Beers was the first leader of the event, but the green flag run was short lived. Like, less than a lap. George Brunnhoelzl spun in turn one to bring out the first caution. It was going to trigger a complete restart - meaning that the lap they thought they had completed was erased, and they were going to try the start all over again. Take two was the exact same song and dance. Beers once again pulled ahead of Ron Silk, who was closely following the leader in second. Eric Berndt was all over Silk while running in third. Silk, however, wanted nothing about Berndt and pressured Beers for the lead. He got it by the time they completed the third lap. Berndt promptly followed, and together, they separated themselves from a freight train of competition (led by Mike Stefanik). It only took about 17 laps for lapped traffic to start forming up in front of the leaders - in the form of one car. Over the course of the next few laps, the “freight train” that was previously mentioned broke up, with Stefanik and Rowan Pennink catching up to the two leaders. And while another car was just being lapped, the caution came out for Gary McDonald, who spun going into turn one. The caution came out with 28 laps on the board. During this caution, cars that were further back in the field decided to pit. The restart took place with 34 laps on the board… And the leaders decided to fight for the lead. It took a little over a lap, but Silk regained the lead. It was a one-lap green flag run, as the caution came right back out with 35 laps completed. The reason for the yellow was because of a multi-car incident in turn two, involving seven cars. With 42 laps on the board, the restart took place. Silk pulled in front once again to take the lead, with Pennink and Berndt behind him, fighting for the second spot. All three cars were close together. Pennink took over as the runner-up with 44 laps down and continued to pressure Silk as the laps clicked off the board. Beers moved into third, but was closing in on Pennink. The field, over the course of the next few laps, became a single file snake. Aside from the occasional lapping of slower cars and challenges for position deeper in the field, everyone was pretty much running in one single file line. Soon enough, they crossed the halfway point of the race with minor chaos. Second place changed hands with 85 laps on the board as Beers went around Pennink, and he closed in on Silk in a matter of no time. Only ten laps after he made the pass for second, Beers made the pass for the lead, getting around Silk. Once the pass was made, it was off to the races… Until the caution came out with 101 laps on the board, for Dale Quarterley when he spun in turns one and two. Once pit road opened, the leaders and basically everybody else came down to pit. Because of the number of cars that came down to take service, Ryan Preece became the new leader. The rest of the top four did not pit under the caution. Would not pitting be an advantage? The restart was with 107 laps completed. Erick Rudolph pushed himself right into the lead. Of course, the caution came right back out on the very next lap after Justin Bonsignore, Jamie Tomaino, and Woody Pitkat were involved in a turn one accident. After differences were put aside, there was a restart with 118 laps on the board. Rudolph apparently spun the tires on the restart, giving Preece total control and the lead. Only four laps were completed before the next caution came out on lap 121. Eric Goodale was stranded against the wall on the frontstretch, but he was able to drive away from the caution scene. It set up a restart with 125 laps completed. It was a cleaner restart than before, but it ended with the same result as the last one - Preece picking up the lead. Bobby Santos had moved up onto the board, making it into fourth during the green flag run (passing Quarterley). With 127 laps gone, Joe Hartmann was on the outside of turn four, coming out of the turn, and needed to be towed off the track. That gave the field its seventh caution of the event. The next restart took place with 131 laps on the board. This time, Rudolph had the advantage. It worked, but there was a caution on the same lap. Tom Rogers, Jr spun in turns one and two, making it eight yellows on the night. It wasn’t a completed lap before the caution; meaning Preece got his lead back. How about a restart with 138 laps completed? Okay. Preece continued his trek as the leader, with Santos now following him in second. Santos wanted the lead, and he tried to get it, but he didn’t. Behind that, major chaos occurred in turns three and four. A multi-car accident with ten laps to go brought out the yellow and then red flags. It was a while before the yellow retuned; the track safety crew had to fix the wall in turn three. It didn’t take long for the field to cross up for the impending restart - it was almost instantaneously and the restart was done with seven laps to go. It was Santos’s move of the race on the restart, taking over the lead in turn two. Silk moved into second, but there was a bit of a gap between the two drivers. With two laps to go, Todd Szegedy spun in turns one and two. Was there going to be a caution? No. He got the car going again just in time… The field took the white flag, not the yellow, so the race was green the rest of the way. In the end, Santos picked up his fourth win of the season (second at Stafford). Silk wound up in second. Rudolph finished third, with Pennink in fourth. The Whelen Modified Tour championship will be decided at Thompson.

Usually, I use this part of the story to explain what the next event at Stafford is. But instead, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the drivers for putting on a fantastic season. It was a season of definite ups and downs. Fun times and bad. But in the end, what needed to be done was done. And it was great being on the ride. Have a great end of 2010. Stay safe and dry, and let’s do it all over again - starting April 2011.