Another Short Night (with Penalties)

Sorry for not getting this done when I had a chance to. I was waiting until the temperatures died down to something more comfortable for my tastes. (In other words: Tonight.) And now, for your reading enjoyment: The event from July 14th, 2006.

First up, we had the DARE Stocks. All was good and clean until lap-10 when Joseph Scata and a Rent-a-Racecar driver (who shall remain unidentified) got together on the frontstretch and spun out. This was the only caution of the race and it would be a quick final five laps. It seemed that nobody could catch David Gambacorta, and it was the truth as he took his second win of the season. Following him to the line was Jeff Hubbell, Vince Gambacorta, and Norm Sears. What's ironic about the first and third place finishers is that they're nephew (David) and uncle (Vince), and this was the first time the two of them have finished on the podium together.

After what seemed like a family reunion occured, it was time for some open wheeled action with the SK Lights. And it was more or less a dominant feature for Anthony Burr...with the exception of a few cautions, that is. Lap-17 proved to be a bad omen for some people. The first time the yellow came out, it was for Richie Pallai, Jr as he spun on the frontstretch. Of course, the restart on the same lap didn't help either. Shelly Perry and Michael Lane get together in turn two, causing a caution to occur. Restart number two provided a false start from Brit Andersen. But the third time's the charm and it was all Burr at the finish. Chris Matthews, Wade Mattesen, and Duke Place came across in second, third, and fourth respectively.

Then it was the Late Model feature which had more real cautions than any other division on the night. On the very first lap, JJ Hill spins in turn two. Then Bobby Leone goes around on the frontstretch on lap-9. And two laps later, a multi-car incident was put together on the backstretch. (I would have loved to give you some names, but it wasn't very possible. Too much dust, you know.) Yet the winner was someone who's been known to avoid all of the yellows at the right time. You may have heard of him...Woody Pitkat. His fifth win of the season was celebrated in front of Scott Foster, Tom Butler, and Todd Owen.

What could have been the quickest race of the night was next, courtesy of the Limited Late Models. The only caution in the event was on lap-3 when Pete Cayer experienced some "technical difficulties" when he spun in turn four. (NOTE: His car is sponsored by NBC 30. Hence the irony behind what's written in quotations.) This didn't faze Andrew Durand, though, as he had a reasonable margin of victory. Bill Davis, Sean Foster, and Kevin Gambacorta finished in a tail behind Durand. (You know what else is ironic? All three Gambacortas finished in the top-3 in their divisions. How impressive.)

To cap off the night, the SK Modifieds put a show on for the fans. What seemed to be a butt whooping from Bo Gunning almost wasn't going to happen. A multi-car accident on the frontstretch on lap-3 brings out the first yellow Gunning didn't want, and then things got nearly worse on lap-37 when Rowan Pennink spun on the backstretch. On the final restart of the race, Gunning almost lost the lead he had since the very start of the race thanks to a short yet hard fought move from Frank Ruocco. Yet it was all Gunning at the line. Ruocco beat out Willie Hardie for second, and Zach Sylvester rounded out the top four cars. This was Gunning's first win in nearly three years. To celebrate, he did a quick burnout before coming to Victory Lane. (Your penalties are included in that link.)

Your next event at Stafford is the 33rd annual SK Modified 100...something that I'll really enjoy as a fan of the SKs. As usual, I'll be reporting back with as much knowledge as my little notes can take me, and everything will be up before the week is over. So until tomorrow (as it's almost two in the morning on the East Coast), take care.