The Eye of the Storm. Results of 8/1.

So, I liked this title so much, I decided to reuse it for my blog this week. (The week's almost over. What the...?) But enough of that. Let's get to the stuff that's coming up in this entry. We've got two first-time feature winners. There's a time limit that expired. And a preview of what's coming up tomorrow -- weather permitting. With that said, it's time to jump right into things before I'm writing this on race day.

SK Lights: A wild race started things off with a bang. Three leaders with more than enough cautions to shake a stick at. It was Kyle Spencer out in front early, leading through the start of the race up until a caution on lap-18. Tony Santangelo would take the lead from Spencer on the restart, but a caution on the very next lap would erase that quick lead. And there would be more cautions as well... On the next lap, and on the lap after that. By this point in time, they were already close to the twenty minute time limit and the end of the race. But the race was not over by a long shot. As the race officially hit the 20-lap mark, Spencer was involved in a four-car accident, putting him out of contention. On the restart, both Santangelo and Mark Bakaj got together in turn four, bringing out another caution. This put Earl Pelletier in the lead as time had expired. The yellow and checkered flags flew at the same time, declaring him the winner and giving him his first career victory at Stafford.

Late Models: Another crazy race, but without the extensive drama of the last few laps. Although there was drama towards the end, regardless. Scott Cook was the leader for the first lap of the race before he was tapped and spun out in the backstretch, collecting a few other cars. Tom Fearn would get black flagged for spinning him out. This gave the lead to Tom Butler, who would lead up to lap-5 when he was passed by Ryan Posocco. He was joined by Mike Quintiliano, who along with Posocco, pulled away from the field until lap-27 as the caution came out. Dillon Moltz would pass Quintiliano on the restart for second, but Quintiliano would not back down without a fight, and he eventually got around Moltz. But nobody was able to find a way to challenge Posocco for the win. It would be his fifth win of the season. Quintiliano and Moltz would be second and third respectively, with Michael Bennett in fourth.

DARE Stocks: Two cautions, two leaders, one lead change. That was all that came of this race. But in the end, and just like the SK Lights, a first-time winner emerged afterward. The first of the two leaders was Matt Chiarizio, and he would lead up to a lap-7 caution. That was when Kyle Casagrande passed on him the restart. Another caution would come out on lap-11, but it wouldn't seem to faze Casagrande as he led the rest of the way to pick up his first career feature win. Following him to the line was Dan Flannery, Norm Sears, and Robert Thompson.

SK Modifieds: A repeat performance of what had happened in the race prior to this one (two cautions, and two leaders). But not exactly the same ending. Jimmy Blewett took the lead from the pole on the drop of the green and commanded the field up to a caution on lap-19. This bunched the field back up, but Blewett reclaimed the lead on the restart. The man on the move during the green flag run was Ted Christopher, who worked his way up through the field to get to the top-3 as the second of two cautions came out on lap-30. On lap-31, Christopher made the pass for second, and with five laps to go, he passed Blewett for the lead. The last laps of the race belonged to Christopher as he scored his third win of the season. Blewett would finish second, followed by Keith Rocco and Jeff Malave.

Limited Late Models: The final race of the night, but one without the major drama. Michael Nadeau held the lead from the green to lap-12, as Rob Dow passed him for the lead. (Dow had passed Shawn Thibeault for second on lap-9.) He would have to endure four second-half cautions, however, to protect his lead; and protect he did, not looking back as he won his second race of the season. Sean Foster would finish second, with Corky Hinze third and Joey Ferrigno fourth.

And that shall be it for this. Tomorrow should be a doozy in terms of events. Take five parts weekly racing, mix in one part touring series and blend well before serving. Yes, it's time for the Whelen Modified Tour to return to the track for the third of four appearances in their season. According to the schedule, there will be no qualifying heats for the five weekly divisions. So that means when time trials are over, we're cutting straight to awards and opening ceremonies before the first feature (which will be the SK Lights if everyone's qualified). I have nothing more to say after this, so until tomorrow, stay safe and dry.