Results of 6/25 [or Why I Can't Think of a Proper Title]

The schedule for the weekend of June 25th, in terms of racing action, was nearly full… Especially in the New England region. The calm before the storm occurred on Friday night at Stafford, where a regularly-scheduled five-division program was scheduled to take place. Nobody knew what to expect, but if past weeks were a signal, things were about to heat up in a major way.

The DARE Stocks were first. It started with Vince Gambacorta pulling out in front early, with Andrew Hayes finding his way into second. Stephen Daddio managed to get into third. There was a hearty battle for fourth involving three cars, but that along with any other battles for position were put on hold after Kaitlyn Brice came to a stop up against the backstretch wall with only one lap on the board to bring out the first caution. When the green came back out, Gambacorta reclaimed the top spot. Hayes, once again, found himself in second. But Daddio was ready to challenge him for that spot. He was also challenged by Tony Membrino, Jr and a couple of other drivers, but the challenge was moot and Daddio slightly pulled away. Meanwhile, the lead belonging to Gambacorta came to an end when Hayes took over the lead. Daddio made a pass into second, and other cars joined in, sending Gambacorta back through the field. It was a while before the next caution came out with five laps to go in the event as debris sat in turn four. It was going to be a critical restart… One that Hayes took advantage of. Daddio and Kyle Casagrande fought for the second spot. K. Casagrande won the battle. Membrino passed Daddio for third. But the action slowed down once again with only two laps to go in the race as yet another caution occurred. This time, it was for Kristen Bonaiuto, who spun in turns one and two. It was a quick caution as the car quickly drove away from the caution scene and the race was ready to go back to action. It did with a new leader, however, in K. Casagrande. Hayes was dropped to second, with Membrino still in third. As the field was coming to take the white flag, Hayes tried to make a move around K. Casagrande for the lead. He became the new leader, but he wasn’t fully around K. Casagrande and the battle was still on. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but Hayes managed to hold off K. Casagrande for his first win of the season. K. Casagrande settled for second. Membrino was third, while Albert Saunders was fourth.

After that? The feature of the Limited Late Models. Duane Provost powered into the lead, but he had a challenge in Jesse Hinze, who in turn took the lead only two turns later in three and four. Rob Dow moved into second, while George Nocera, Jr managed to pull into third. After getting loose in turn four, Nocera lost the spot to Andrew Durand, who had Shawn Thibeault coming with him. Durand wasn’t done, and with eight laps down in the race, he passed Dow for second. Thibeault then passed Dow for third. Durand and Thibeault were ready for a fight themselves, and the battle for the second spot began. That ended with 11 laps on the board when Durand ended up spinning in the grass on the backstretch, bringing out the caution. Thibeault received a penalty for overagression on the track, mainly for helping bring out the caution. When the green flag returned, the fight for the lead was on between Hinze and Dow. Hinze regained the lead, with Dan Flannery now running in second and Kevin Gambacorta making a move around Dow for third. Flannery managed to take the lead away from Hinze - that pass happened just in time. The caution was coming out again with 13 laps on the board when an accident on the frontstretch (including Joe Nogiec and Dave Yardley, III) occurred. The fight for the lead began all over again on the restart, when Flannery, Hinze, and Gambacorta engaged in a dogfight. As they came to the line, Gambacorta became the new leader. The time frame in which he lead was short, as Flannery regained the lead not too long after the fact. And then, chaos ensued. Three different drivers fought for the lead, with Nocera ending up on the positive end of the spectrum, gaining the lead. The amazing action (which ended up being three and almost four-wide at times) was cut short with another caution for debris in turn four with four laps to go. If the action pre-caution was amazing, the action post-caution was predicted to be just as crazy. On the restart, Nocera didn’t get up to speed, giving the lead to Flannery. The back of Nocera’s car ended up on top of Gambacorta’s car, and it was like a game of bumper cars as cars were banging into each other. Good things were slowed down again; this time, with two laps to go as the yellow came right back out for a three-car accident on the backstretch. The cars involved were Paul Varricchio, Jr, Michael Wray, and Chris Cook. All of this set up a green-white-checker finish (other cautions pending). The action picked up on the restart as Flannery reclaimed the lead. Nocera moved into second, with Hinze and Dow fighting for third. Dow picked up the spot, but in front of him, Flannery claimed his fourth win of the season. Nocera finished second, with Dow in third and Hinze in fourth.

Up next, the Late Models. Corey Hutchings was the first leader of the event. Through the first five laps of the race, he had two different drivers sitting behind him in second - Keith Rocco was first, followed by Woody Pitkat. There was a point when Rocco was second when it looked like Hutchings almost lost the car, but he was able to control it before trouble ensued. Within the next five laps of the race, Pitkat managed to take over the lead from his teammate and build himself up a lead. A bit further back in the field, a battle for third took place between Scott Cook and Michael Bennett. With 12 laps on the board, Bennett took over the spot. It took three laps for Bennett to get to Hutchings and pass him for second. He still had a ways to go before he could catch up to Pitkat, however, who was still distancing himself from everyone else. The rest of the feature went caution-free, and Pitkat scored his fourth win of the season. Bennett, after almost getting loose dealing with lapped traffic, finished second. Hutchings ended in third, with Ryan Posocco finishing fourth.

The SK Lights took to the track next. It started with a dragrace down the frontstretch, leading to Earl Pelletier claiming the lead. Kyle Spencer, who was in second, had Zachary Aszklar on his bumper. Unfortunately for Spencer, his good run ended with a spin through the frontstretch grass with seven laps on the board, bringing the caution out for the first time. Because Aszklar sent Spencer into the grass, he received the black flag and was put to the back of the field. This put John Hanafin on the front row along with Pelletier. On the restart, Hanafin moved out into the lead, leaving Pelletier to fend off Matt Galko for second. Galko won the fight for the spot, and he was looking for the lead… Which he got with nine laps down. Joe Cipriano had found his way into second. Thomas Barrett, Jr moved into second, and the SK Light youth movement was on. While the three of them extended their lead on the rest of the field, the caution came out with 12 laps on the board. It was for an accident in the turn four area involving Shayne Prucker, Neil Provost, Jr, and Rick Williams. Meanwhile, another accident occurred in turns one and two after the fact - cars from that accident also had to be towed off the track. (Those who were able to drive away from the second accident were able to get their spots back.) When the race went back to green, the fight between the three young drivers was on. It was also halted after one lap of action when a caution with seven laps to go. The caution was for Tony Santangelo, who was slowed down in turn three. That set up a restart where Galko and Cipriano fought for the lead. Galko won the battle, but the war was put on hiatus after… Yes, a caution. This time, it was with six laps to go. It involved Victoria Bergenty and Todd Clark, who were involved in an accident in turn four. On the restart, it was Galko reclaiming the lead. Again, Cipriano and Barrett were clinging onto him. It took Galko about a lap to distance himself slightly from the rest of the top-three drivers. And it took a little longer for all three drivers to separate themselves from the rest of the field. No battles occurred over the last laps, and it was Galko winning his second race of the season. The rest of the podium belonged to the youngsters; Cipriano finishing second and Barrett in third. Pelletier ended up fourth.

Concluding the night was the SK Modified division. It began with Mark Bakaj and Tom Bolles fighting for the lead. Bolles managed to get the lead and left Bakaj to battle for the second spot with Zach Sylvester. With three laps on the board, Z. Sylvester became the new second-place driver. A bit further back, the fight for fourth through sixth took place. Jeff Malave ended up getting fourth; Frank Ruocco took over fifth. Back to front, and a challenge for the lead was underway between Bolles and Z. Sylvester. Z. Sylvester couldn’t find a way around Bolles, who kept his lead pat. Meanwhile, the battle for fourth ended with Ruocco picking up the spot. Action would be slowed down with 12 laps on the board, as Woody Pitkat had a problem with the car and was left stranded on the access road on the backstretch. The caution came out and he (along with others) found themselves on pit road looking for repairs. When the green came back out, the fight for the lead was on. Z. Sylvester emerged as the new leader, but Bolles was coming again. The lead swapped hands again, back to Bolles, on the exact same lap. Two laps later, with 14 on the board, a two-car incident occurred coming out of turn two. Again, it signaled a caution, and again, the restart came out not too long after. It featured another caution as the field went into turn one. Matt Gallo spun around and the caution came right back out. After cleanup to take care of fluid dumped on the track, the race went back to green. Bolles maintained the lead. Ruocco and Z. Sylvester fought for second; Ruocco picked up the spot. Then the fight was on for first between Bolles and Ruocco. It was back and forth for the two drivers. Ruocco had the lead, but it the fight for it between anyone was put on hold as the caution came out with 17 laps on the board. What was it for? The cone in turn four that was actually out on the track instead of in its shelter zone in the grass. When it was put in its place, the restart happened. And the fight continued between Ruocco and Bolles. Ted Christopher, Z. Sylvester, and Keith Rocco joined in, and it was a five-car fight for the top spots. Halfway through the way, the fight for the actual lead was over as Ruocco pulled away from Bolles. The rest of the top-five cars ran single file, with some sparks flying. Everything seemed calm. Almost. Christoper passed Bolles for second, and with 26 laps on the board, Bolles ended up going through the backstretch grass. The caution came out for the incident. And there was the ensuing restart. Christopher applied pressure on Ruocco, but it was still Ruocco with the lead. The racing action lasted a lap, as Bolles spun in turns three and four with 27 laps down. Once again, there was a caution. It was a quick caution, however, and they were back to green within laps. It was also a dragrace down the straightaway. Again, Ruocco held his ground and kept the lead from Christopher. Just as Ruocco was building the lead, the caution came out again (with 29 laps down) when Adam Skowyra hit the backstretch wall heavily. The caution had come back out. Once everything had been cleaned up in regards to the accident, the race resumed under green-flag conditions. The way the restart happened was the same as the past few restarts - Ruocco in the lead, Christopher pressuring him. Would there be more of it? It would wait after the restart if it did. With nine laps to go in the race, Bolles and Josh Sylvester spun in the grass, on the backstretch. Bolles went, J. Sylvester didn’t; the caution came right back out. It was the exact same plotline. Ruocco was still leading. Christopher was still second, and Rocco was still third. And after two laps of racing, the yellow came back out for Bolles, who spun in turn four with seven laps to go. There was another fight for the lead on the restart, but Ruocco still had control. Christopher still held onto second. All of a sudden, Christopher ducked down to the inside groove. With a patented move to the inside groove, Christopher became the new leader. But it was short-lived, and in a hurry. As the field came down to take the two-to-go mark, Rocco made a daring move that proved to be money. He emerged as the new leader, and the move was enough to give him his third straight win and sixth of the season. Christopher finished second. Z. Sylvester ended up third, while Ruocco finished fourth.

It's the 4th of July weekend coming up, and that means that there'll be another round of fireworks abound for the track. Friday night, five divisions will be on hand and the fireworks are coming after dark. This is weather permitting.

Late Stories

I've been slacking a little bit, and I'm sorry (I blame a few things right now that I'll regret to admit if I say them). I'll give you a few links from last week and then the weekly recap.

From the Stafford site - a story about Kyle Casagrande looking for the DARE Stock track championship and a story about the ISMAs coming for the July 6 special program.

Fireworks!

Another week of action occurred on June 18, which in Stafford’s book was the official “out of school special”. The five regular divisions were on hand for their features, but besides that, there were scheduled fireworks up in the sky. With every week, there were bound to be fireworks on the race track as well. This week, as always, was no exception.

Starting out feature action were the Limited Late Models. It started with double greens and a battle for the lead between Duane Provost and Jesse Hinze. Provost pushed to the front, and he was followed by Dave Yardley, III. But the lead was short lived, and Yardley moved ahead with two laps on the board. Rob Dow followed close behind. In third was Andrew Durand. A bit further back in the field, the fourth, fifth, and sixth positions were being contested between George Nocera, Jr, Dan Flannery, and Kevin Gambacorta. Flannery eventually took over fourth, putting Nocera back to fifth. Meanwhile, back up front, a challenge was made for the lead. There was nothing much to the challenge, and it was still Yardley sitting as the leader. Durand was also being challenged, but it was for third and it was with Flannery. Over the course of the race, the lead that Yardley maintained grew and shrunk on many occasions. But it was going to shrink again - with 19 laps on the board - when there was an accident on the frontstretch involving Provost and Dennis Botticello. The caution promptly came out, signaling a green-white-checker situation. When the green did come back out, it was Yardley bolting back to the lead. Dow was second, but he had Flannery on his bumper with a few other cars directly behind him. Dow passed Flannery for second, but in front, it was the first win of Yardley’s career. Dow would finish second with Flannery in third, and Michael Wray ended up fourth.

The DARE Stocks were next. A drag race down the frontstretch took place between Donald Cook and Stephanie Berardi, but the end to that race occurred when Berardi pulled out into the lead by the turn three area of the track. Andrew Hayes took over second. The battle for third was between Jeff Jolly and Don Wood. D. Wood ended up getting around Jolly for second. Jolly wasn’t done heading backwards, and other cars passed him in the process. With four laps on the board, the battle for the lead started between Berardi and Hayes. D. Wood jumped into the fray, and it was a three-car fight for the front spot. With five laps on the board, the leaders were three-wide. And with six laps down, D. Wood took over the top spot - and things fell apart from there. J. Wood ended up hitting the frontstretch wall, sliding down the track with Berardi along for the ride with him. That was more than enough to throw out the first yellow of the event. On the restart, D. Wood and Cory Casagrande were side by side until the field came out of turn four as D. Wood put himself back into the lead. Tony Membrino, Jr moved into second, with C. Casagrande sitting in third. A challenge for that second spot occurred with nine laps to go; there was nothing that came from it. C. Casagrande tried again on the next lap, but still, there was nothing. This went on for a little bit longer until C. Casagrande managed to get around Membrino for the spot with four laps to go. More battles occurred for the second spot and beyond, but back up in front, there was some pressure as well. It wasn’t enough, and it was D. Wood picking up the win. C. Casagrande finished second, followed by Hayes in third and Kyle Casagrande in fourth.

In the middle of the program were the SK Lights. Harry Wheeler got an early jump on Earl Pelletier when the green flew, but it wasn’t enough and Pelletier jumped back out to the front. Wheeler fit into the second spot. On his bumper was Heather DesRochers, who was sitting in third. With five laps on the board, the third and fourth place drivers changed with passes on the frontstretch. Erica Santos now sat in third, with Thomas Barrett, Jr right behind her in fourth. A battle for the lead took place with seven laps on the board, and the new leader emerged at that time - DesRochers. Pelletier was now engaged in a fight for second with Barrett; a fight that Barrett won slightly before the halfway point of the race. With eleven laps on the board, the first caution came out for a multi-car spin coming out of turn four and on the backstretch. The fight was on when the restart happened; the winner of that fight wasn’t well known until a full lap was ticked off of the board after the restart. Barrett became the new leader of the event. Santos was still in third, and all three drivers were comfortably separated from the fight for fourth by a few feet. With on lap to go in the event, the caution came out once again for a spin with wall hitting involving Frank Cardile in turn four. It set up a very crucial restart that was not decided when they hit the stripe to restart the race. Barrett picked up the lead down the backstretch, however. Positions changed behind him, such as Joey Cipriano taking the third spot and Matt Galko getting fourth. But in the end, it was Barrett taking his second win of the season. DesRochers ended in second. Cipriano and Galko, with their late-race passes, ended in third and fourth respectively.

The Late Models took over the program next. Scott Cook took advantage and pulled out ahead of the rest of the field; mainly Adam Gray and Keith Rocco, who were fighting for second. The spot was won by Rocco, and he too pulled out from the field. Jim Peterson also managed to separate himself from the madness and declared himself the leader. Fourth was a fight between Dillon Moltz and Michael Bennett. The fight was short lived after a caution came out with three laps on the board. It was for debris in turn one (dirt kicked up onto the track). On the restart, Rocco found a way to get around Cook, but it was a short-lived accomplishment. It was also a three-way fight for the lead on the backstretch. With four laps on the board, Peterson became the new leader of the event. Bennett found himself in second, and was now challenging Peterson for the lead. Six laps into the race, he became the third leader. Woody Pitkat made his way into second spot. The action was slowed down when Gray ended up spinning in the grass on the frontstretch, sending the caution out. A very interesting restart was about to occur. It did. Peterson didn’t get up to speed. Bennett pulled back out in front. The restart didn’t last a lap, as Joe Rzeszutek spun in turn two to bring out the second caution. In take two, things ran a bit more smoothly. Bennett (once again) claimed the lead, but now behind him was Ryan Posocco. It didn’t take long for Posocco to make a move, and with nine laps down, he became the new leader. From there, things seemed to calm down a bit. The first three drivers - Posocco, Bennett, and Peterson - were fairly separated from the rest of the field. Things slowed down some with 18 laps on the board when Alan Provost ended up by the wall coming out of turn four. The caution was coming out. Posocco (partially) regained the lead on the restart, but Bennett wasn’t ready to back down and he regained the lead. In second was now Moltz, who had Posocco on his back bumper. 20 laps were completed when Doug Blowers, Jr spun in turn three and could barely get going when the caution came back out. The restart had a fight for the lead and a near accident from Bennett. Luckily for him, he kept the car straight and maintained his spot as the leader. Just as Posocco managed to pass Bennett for the lead, the yellow came out with 21 laps down for two cars who spun in turns one and two - Cook and another car that needed wrecker assistance. Another restart was about to take place. This one had Bennett and Posocco fighting for the lead (with Moltz in the mix making it nearly three-wide). Bennett regained the lead, now with Moltz in second. Posocco had his hands full with Rocco for third; in the end, it was #48 getting the position. The last laps in the race belonged to Bennett, and they were well deserved. He won his first race of the season. Moltz had to settle for second, with Posocco in third and Rocco in fourth.

There was a brief intermission for the fireworks show (the sun wasn’t even down!), followed by the final division of the night.

That last race belonged to the SK Modifieds. It all began with Brit Andersen taking the lead early. A dogfight ensued in the first lap as well, as Chris Jones tried to take action by making a move. The bid for the lead was short-lived, when Dan Avery and Sean Foster spun in turns three and four, bringing out the first caution with no laps under their belt. With no laps down, the field reset. On the restart, Andersen and Zach Sylvester fought for the lead (with Jones trying to join in as well). Even so, Andersen maintained the lead. It wasn't going to last very long, as pretty soon, a new leader emerged in Jones. The rest of the top-four drivers also changed. Todd Owen sat in second, with Eric Berndt in third and Mark Bakaj in fourth. A bit further back in the field, Keith Rocco was starting to make some noise, passing Jeff Baral for the fifth spot. At the 10-lap mark, the top-five drivers had begun to run single file. With 11 laps down, Rocco took over fourth from Bakaj. Second was now a fight, and the fight was eventually won by Berndt. Rocco found his way into third. Suddenly, things went awry. Ryan Preece and Andersen were involved in a hard accident coming out of turn two, resting under the big screen. Fire erupted from the accident. Yellow wasn’t even an option; the caution went straight to red. Sixteen laps were on the board at the time of the caution. After the cleanup, the yellow finally came out, and the restart was on after a few yellow-flag laps. Jones and Berndt put on a show on the restart, fighting side-by-side for the lead. The battle lasted a lap; Jones remained the leader. Berndt was in danger of losing second to Rocco, which happened shortly before the halfway point. Rocco put pressure on Jones at exactly the 20-lap mark, which worked as he became the new leader. It wasn’t a surprise to see him build on the newly-minted lead of his. He started to distance himself from the rest of the field as the rest of the field battled for position. Second now belonged to Berndt, and while his times were quicker than those of Rocco, Rocco still had the lead. The laps ticked by, and the challenges were invisible. In the end, it was the fifth win of the season for Rocco. Berndt settled for second. Jones and Owen rounded out the board.

June 25 will be just the basics, as it’s another five-division program at Stafford. Weather permitting.

Thursday News and Links

Here is my attempt at getting something out before Friday afternoon, when this is the first weekend of the school summer vacation in some towns.

+ More on Ryan Posocco's milestone victory from last Friday night - his 40th career Late Model win.

+ Jim Peterson's season started off on the wrong foot, but after the last few races, the bad luck has been pushed right out the window.

+ There will be a show car from the Nationwide Series on hand tomorrow afternoon from 5-10pm. Click here for a picture advertisement.

SK 100 Pictorial

Nothing much to say here. I've got a couple of photos from the SK Modified 100 from Friday night.

“It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again…”

June 11 signaled yet another big night at Stafford. This week, however, it belonged to one of the five weekly divisions that grace the half-mile - the division was the SK Modifieds, and the event was the first of two extra-distance events for them on the season. The event in question? The 37th annual Coors Light SK Modified 100. Not only was it more than double the usual distance that the division usually runs (40 laps), but on this day, it was a milestone event as well. It was the 500th SK race in the history of the track.

But there were some features before the main event began.

First up, the DARE Stocks. It started with a dragrace down the frontstretch between James Carroll and Stephanie Berardi. Carroll gained the lead, with Berardi now involved in a three-wide fight for second along with Nicholas Salva and another car. Salva won the fight for second. Cliff Saunders found himself in third, while Cory Casagrande moved into fourth. Meanwhile, Carroll and Salva were fighting for the lead. It wasn’t until Salva managed to get around Carroll that the fun started. Both C. Saunders and C. Casagrande went around Carroll, but that wasn’t the end of it. C. Saunders passed C. Casagrande for second, and it was his turn to fight for the lead. Both C. Saunders and Salva almost were directly side-by-side until they made contact and ended up high into turn four. They both remained up to speed, but the lead was given to C. Casagrande in the process. The battle for position now involved three different drivers, including Tony Membrino, Jr, who was now in second, Kyle Casagrande, who ended up in third, and Albert Saunders; now in fourth. K. Casagrande was looking for second when the first caution came out for Carroll, who hit the wall in turn two with only four laps to go. On the restart, another fight was on between C. Casagrande and Membrino. C. Casagrande managed to pull out to retain the lead. K. Casagrande was also in the mix and was now in second. Don Wood moved into third. The top three began to pull away from the battling pack. But even with Josh Wood spinning in turn two on the last lap, nothing was going to slow C. Casagrande down. He’d take his second win of the season. K. Casagrande finished second, with D. Wood in third and Membrino in fourth.

The Limited Late Models were the next division to go out. Duane Provost and Jesse Hinze were side-by-side for the first part of the first lap until Hinze pulled away as the leader. Rob Dow sat in second, with Andrew Durand moving into third. As for Provost? He was moving backwards through the field. The battle for third began and ended with six laps on the board when Dan Flannery passed Durand for the spot. Dave Yardley, III also passed Durand; but that was for fourth. The first came out with seven laps on the board, when Joe Nogiec spun in turn two. When the green came back out, it was Hinze moving out front once again. Flannery paraded into second (along with Durand in third), and for the first five cars, the field ran single file. Flannery made the move for the lead with nine laps down. Hinze started to fall backwards as Durand, Yardley, and others passed him for positions. Unfortunately, the field slowed down once again. Nogiec was involved in a second caution with twelve laps down, when he found himself against the wall in turns one and two. The race got back underway with Flannery and Durand fighting for the lead. Flannery managed to take it back. Second was now Yardley’s, followed by Carla Botticello, who was now shown in third, and Kevin Gambacorta. A battle for third with four laps to go sent Botticello, Durand, and Gambacorta around. Botticello was able to get going, but the other two drivers weren’t able to do the same and the caution came out once again. (They were able to drive away from the caution scene, however.) During the caution, Botticello needed to be towed off of the track. But back to green, and it was a fight for first between Flannery and Yardley. Flannery pulled out in front again, and he slightly pulled away from Yardley. The lead was enough, and he won his third race of the season. In second, it was Yardley. Michael Wray finished third, with Dow ending up in fourth.

The Late Models were next. Keith Rocco plowed his way into the lead, with John Kasper sitting cozy in second. Jim Mavlouganes found himself in third, and beyond that, save for a few spots midpack, the field was one straight line. Back to front, Rocco began to create a lead between himself and second place Mavlouganes and third place Scott Cook. The battle for fourth was hot with five laps on the board, between three different cars. Ryan Posocco moved into that spot. The yellow came out with six laps completed as Joe Rzeszutek was crawling at a snail’s pace coming out of turn four. He eventually ended up stranded on the frontstretch, and on top of that, he had left a trail of liquid starting in the turn three area. After extensive cleanup, the green was back out and Rocco was back out in front. Unfortunately for him, he had Posocco behind him in second after passing Mavlouganes for the spot. And instead of one car slightly pulling away, it was two cars slightly pulling away - the top two cars. Battles for positions were deeper into the field, starting around the fifth spot. By the time the field completed 10 laps, the field became silent. Noise erupted with 13 laps down when Jim Peterson moved into third, passing Mavlouganes, followed by Michael Bennett, who also passed Mavlouganes (though that was for fourth). Bennett was not done; with ten laps to go, he managed to pass Peterson for third. But back up to front, the fight for the lead was on. Posocco made the charge and passed Rocco with only five laps to go. Over the course of the last five laps, he pulled way from the rest of the field, and he would come to the line to take his first win of the season. Rocco finished second. Bennett finished third, while Peterson ended in fourth.

The SK Lights would be next. Although four cars ended up bunched with each other going into turn one, Earl Pelletier was the winner of the fight and managed to get the lead. Kyle Spencer was on his bumper. And coming up on Spencer’s bumper? Frank Cardile. Things appeared to be all quiet through the field, but suddenly, trouble ensued. Heather DesRochers's car broke and careened up into the wall in turn three, where it came to a stop meters from where it originally hit the wall. With only seven laps down, the caution came out. After the cleanup, it was back to racing. Pelletier and Spencer fought for the top spot. By the time they got to the line to complete the lap, the lead was Pelletier’s. In second was now Cardile. Third was contested between Spencer and Thomas Barrett, Jr - and Barrett picked up the spot. With 11 laps down, a new leader emerged after a lead change. Cardile. As he began to pull away, the caution came out once again. This time, it was for debris in turns one and two. Anthony Flannery was also in trouble on the backstretch, and he was towed off the track. As the green came back out, it looked like Barrett had the lead. But it was for naught and Cardile gained the lead back. Barrett had his hands full with Joey Cipriano, who made his way to third. But second still belonged to Barrett. The heat was on. Almost. Tommy Membrino, Jr had problems and ended up in the wall by turns three and four (along with another car), prompting another caution with only four laps to go. And as the green returned, Barrett didn’t get up to speed, giving Cardile a free pass back to the lead. Cipriano was now sitting in second. The lead, however, was a bit too much. Cardile picked up his second win of the season, followed by Cipriano, Jay Goff, and John Hanafin respectively.

Finally, it was time for the SK Modified 100. It started with Brit Andersen moving into the front spot from the outside row, with Josh Sylvester following right behind. Before J. Sylvester was able to make a bid for the lead, the action was halted with only a lap on the board. Three cars were piled up in the turn three area - Jeff Baral, Matt Gallo, and Frank Ruocco. Yellow changed to red because of excessive cleanup; a bit more than originally thought of. After everything was cleaned and the yellow returned, the green came out Andersen returned to the top spot. But it wasn’t an easy task. J. Sylvester was right next to him and Chris Jones was behind them. By the lap three mark, J. Sylvester picked up the lead. Only one lap later (four on the board), a multi-car spin occurred, including Woody Pitkat and many others. A very obvious caution came out for it. On the restart, J. Sylvester pulled back out to front. Jones joined him and passed him for the lead. With nine laps on the board, second changed hands from J. Sylvester to Dan Avery. Ted Christopher moved into third along the way, but wasn’t done yet as he took second from Avery. Keith Rocco joined the fray in fourth. The strong run of Christopher wasn’t over yet, and by the time 16 laps were completed, he found himself going around Jones and into the lead. But things were abruptly put to a halt when Raymond Grassetti was stranded at the top of turn two, setting up a caution with only 17 laps down. A dogfight ensued on the restart between the two leaders. Christopher regained the lead by turn three. Rocco found himself in second, but the caution came right back out with 18 laps out of the way for debris in the turn one area. The green ultimately came back and Christopher moved back out to front. Rocco was right on his bumper and was looking to take the lead from Christopher. At the lap 20 mark, Rocco powered back in front. Lead change two occurred with 22 laps down on the board, when Christopher took the lead right back from Rocco. Rocco was not done and reclaimed the lead with a quarter of the race out of the way. (The third lead change between the two drivers alone.) The fun was put on temporary hiatus when Adam Skowyra spun in turn four with 26 laps down. The restart was going to be interesting. The leaders battled for the lead until Rocco stuck it. Again, Christopher wasn’t going to back down, and the fourth change between the two happened with 27 laps down. Was there going to be more drama? Yes. Another caution with 29 laps on the board, when Vincent Anglace and Jones spun in turn four. Drama resumed on the restart, when Christopher powered back into the lead and people behind him checked up. Eric Berndt was joining the lead group party as he challenged Rocco for second. It wasn’t enough; Rocco claimed second. And with 31 laps on the board, lead change five occurred when Rocco took over the lead. The lead was short-lived. Another lap, and another lead change by Christopher (six between the drivers) - he was back out in front. 35 laps were completed when the seventh lead change between Christopher and Rocco occurred when Rocco retook the lead. Also on that lap? Another caution. It was for fluid on the track, starting in the turn one and two area and going all around the track. Once everything was cleaned up, it was the return of the green flag. It was lead change eight for a slight moment, but Rocco denied him to retake the lead. The eighth lead change eventually did happen - with 39 laps on the board, when Christopher took back over. The next caution to fly came out with an exact SK Modified feature in the record books, when Sean Foster spun in turn four. The green came back out and it was a three-car fight for first. Christopher claimed the lead, but guess who was right behind him? Rocco, who was looking to retake the lead again. Deeper into the field, Zach Sylvester was coming, battling Avery for fifth. He eventually got the position (45 laps on the board when the position change was official). Everything slowed one only one lap later, when Foster was seen in turn two backwards - the caution was coming out again. The green was also coming out again. It was another fight for first, and the ninth lead change occurred between the two frontrunners when Rocco went back out into front. Behind them, Pitkat found himself in third after passing Berndt for the spot. Meanwhile, Christopher wasn’t done chasing #88, and with 52 laps on the board, the tenth lead change happened. Eleven wasn’t too far behind, and that change happened on the very next lap when Rocco passed Christopher. And again, it was only a lap before the next change happened. It was a quick fight, but Christopher regained the lead almost that quickly. That was the track record (twelve). Could they take the record (thirteen)? Yes. Rocco regained the lead coming to the line to finish 57 laps. It officially became a track record, because the caution came out again (after the fact) for Jones and Andersen, who spun on the backstretch with the same amount of laps on the board. It was already a chaotic first half of the race - could it be even more chaotic? It appeared as though the answer was yes, but the answer was no when Rocco kept the lead tight. They weren’t alone in this fight, however, as Pitkat was also involved in the battle. But he wasn’t as close. Meanwhile, Christopher was looking to take the lead again. Was he going to do it? Yes. Lead change fourteen occurred as they crossed the line for lap 66. 68 laps clicked off the board when Rocco decided that fourteen lead changes between the leaders wasn’t enough, and he made it fifteen. It would be a while before the next caution (72 laps down) when Jones blew up in a puff of smoke. Also having problems was Jeff Malave, who ended up stalled in turn four after having something go wrong coming down the backstretch. The liquid was cleaned up and the green was back out. Rocco had the advantage, leaving Christopher to fend off both Pitkat and Berndt. Fortunately for Christopher, he was able to do just that, and he was drawing closer to Rocco, looking for the lead. The hoping was put on hold because of the next caution, with 77 laps on the board, as Z. Sylvester was stranded up at the top of turn four. On the restart, Rocco pulled back out into first. Christopher was still in second. Pitkat and Berndt were still fighting for third; Pitkat won the spot with 79 laps on the board. Once that was achieved, things quieted down once again. Barely a battle for position anywhere. As the laps ticked by, positions among the top ten changed hands (fifth and seventh). It seemed like the race was about over; Rocco was pulling away from Christopher, but it wasn’t over yet. The caution came out with three laps to go in the event when Grassetti ended up stranded in turn two after coming into contact with the wall in turn one. The upcoming restart was going to tell the story. Rocco regained the lead. Second was between Christopher and Pitkat... And the winner of second was Pitkat. But he wasn’t able to catch up to Rocco, who pulled away from the rest of the field to win his fourth race of the season (and back-to-back SK Modified 100s). Pitkat ended up in second, with Christopher in third and Berndt in fourth.

June 18 is the out-of-school edition of the season, where there will be five Whelen All-American series divisional races on the track, and a fireworks display set to music above it. All of it goes down weather permitting.

Pre-Race Storytime

Welcome to Friday, the night of the SK 100. Today's story of the race day is non-SK 100 related however.

From yesterday, read the story of Kevin Gambacorta's trip to victory lane after wrecking a few weeks back and a near flirtation with quitting the season.

SK 100 Purse

Kind of a light week right now, getting ready for the SK 100 taking place Friday night. There is something I want to show you, however, and that comes courtesy of the track's site. It's the purse for the event.

Click here to check out the money distribution (a picture will come up).

USG Night at Stafford

The scenario for the June 4 program was simple - people trying to get to Martinsville for a race later in the weekend plus a non-working scoreboard equals one USG Night at Stafford. (So please excuse me if this winds up like chicken scratch in any way, shape, and/or form.) Five regularly-featured divisions racing? That part was normal. The action that was to come? Anything but.

The SK Lights opened up the feature racing part of the program. The whole night started with Zachary Aszklar and Kyle Spencer leading the way. Aszklar pulled out in front. John Hanafin found a way into second, with Spencer and David Webb fighting for third. Webb picked up the spot. Spencer had his hands full with Erica Santos, along with Heather DesRochers. As the three drivers were fighting for the spots, the first caution came out for Shayne Prucker, who had hit the frontstretch wall and damaging the front of his car. The caution occurred with three laps down. After some speedy dry and extensive cleanup, the race went back to green. The new leader was Hanafin, with DesRochers now making the move into second. She ended up faltering not too long after that, however, and the result was her going backwards. Webb became the beneficiary, finding himself in second. Aszklar was in a battle with Thomas Barrett, Jr for third. The battle ended halfway through the race when Aszklar spun in turn two. It set up another restart, which Hanafin ended up winning. Barrett dropped to the outside to see if he could make a move around Hanafin, but Hanafin also went down low. Meanwhile, a third car was joining the fight for the lead. Ted Cain was also in contention. The three-car battle was cut short with about a dozen laps completed, as Stephen Greer was stuck in turn three, where the entrance to pit road was. When the race went back to green, a new leader came to life in Barrett. Hanafin was in second, with Cain on his bumper and in third. Things went awry with Hanafin and Cain; and in the mix, Hanafin went around in turns one and two. Anthony Flannery was also in involved in the spin/minor accident, as was a couple other cars, and the caution came out with only six laps left to go in the race. A black flag was given to Cain for overagression. On the restart, Barrett returned to first place. Spencer and Jay Goff were now fighting for second. Goff took the spot, but ultimately gave up the spot to Matt Galko. In a fight for third, between Spencer and Goff, Goff nearly starting an accident. Spencer was given the black flag for tapping him. A late-race caution with the white flag coming out (Todd Clark spinning in turns three and four) set up a green-white-checkered finish. At the sight of the green, Barrett pulled back out into front. Galko seemed to falter, slowing down while on the outside groove of the backstretch, and various moves were made for position, with Joey Cipriano leading the charge and moving into second. As the field was shown the white flag (again), multiple cars spun in turns three and four. No caution came out for the incident, as they all drove off. But meanwhile, back up front, Barrett was dominant, picking up the win. Cipriano was second, with Galko and Santos rounding out the board.

The SK Modifieds were next. The race kicked off with Eric Berndt taking the lead. Matt Gallo and Josh Sylvester were already fighting for second. They were in a pack of five cars looking for spots up front early. A new leader came out in the name of Gallo, and he started to pull away from the field. Also at the head of the field was Brit Andersen and Frank Ruocco, who were in second and third. But things at the front were not all gold, as Andersen experienced with six laps completed. It seemed as he locked up the tires, causing his car to drift up to the top of turn three. Other cars joined the commotion, ending up with a multi-car incident, and the caution came out. On the restart, the third and fourth leaders (and fifth) emerged. It went back and forth between Ruocco and Berndt. The lead was swapped three different times over the course of the lap. In the end, it was Ruocco as the leader, with Gallo in second and Berndt now in third. And the fight between the top two cars was officially on. Over the course of the next few laps, the top two fight became a fight for the top three. Ted Christopher had been coming and eventually came. And as he applied pressure to the lead cars, it was more pressure to Ruocco, which gave the lead back to Gallo with sixteen laps done. Ruocco did try to get around Gallo via way of the inside groove, but it was to no avail. A bit deeper into the field, there was a fight for fourth between Berndt and Sean Foster. Berndt got the spot. Keith Rocco was also in the mix and managed to get around Foster for fifth and wanted fourth from Berndt... Which he ultimately did. As positions were being flipped and flopped deeper into the field, things were getting interesting up front. Gallo and Ruocco were battling for the lead. The distance was closed and it seemed like it hope was lost, but in the end, it was Gallo taking the win - his first of his SK Modified career. Ruocco finished second. Christopher ended up in third and Rocco finished fourth.

With the completion of the open-wheeled portion of the program, it was full-fendered fun with the Limited Late Models. It was Duane Provost out in front at the start, followed by Jesse Hinze, but it soon turned into a fight with a lap in the books. On the very next lap, it was Hinze picking up the lead with Carla Botticello’s help. It quickly escalated into a fight for the lead between the two drivers and Kevin Gambacorta, who was following them until both drivers assumed the top two spots after minor happenings involving Hinze. The lead changed hands again; this time, from Botticello to Gambacorta. Second and third was between George Nocera, Jr and Dan Flannery, and the two of them were fighting for the second spot. But the battle was to be put on hold when Hinze spun in turns three and four, causing the caution to come out. The race was halfway completed and a restart was to take place. And on that restart, Gambacorta was getting challenged by Nocera for the lead. Also joining in was Flannery, and even Andrew Durand wanted a piece of the action - he was in fourth. With a minor incident between Flannery and Nocera, the lead that Gambacorta had had been strengthened. Back to the action with the rest of the top three, and now in third was Durand, who was coming out of nowhere to get the spot. He still had a ways to go to catch up to the top two, who were now in striking distance of each other. Flannery closed in on Gambacorta and nearly caught up to him, but it wasn’t enough. Gambacorta claimed the win, with Flannery in second. Durand was in third, and Dave Yardley, III finished fourth.

Up next, it was the DARE Stocks. And it was Josh Wood just pulling away from the field. Stephanie Berardi was in second, and behind them, it was a fight for third on. Stephen Daddio took third, leaving the rest of the field to fend for themselves. While J. Wood was dominating the field, Kaitlyn Brice ended up stranded in turn three after blowing up. Only three laps were done before the yellow flew for the first time in the race, and the lead that J. Wood had before the caution was wiped straight clean. He would regain the lead on the restart, after fighting with Berardi for the spot. Berardi was busy with Daddio for second, and the spot was eventually handed off to Daddio. First and second began to pull away from the field, but it seemed as though neither was going to let go. It would be a few laps before the caution came back out for possible debris on the track, which brought the yellow out with nine laps down. When the green returned, it was J. Wood still in front. Nicholas Salva moved into second, and Don Wood was now in third. The yellow came out again when Jeff Jolly and Kyle Casagrande wrecked in the grass of the frontstretch with nine laps (still) out of the way. It was a quick caution, giving way to the green once again. J. Wood once again broke away from the pack, with Salva and D. Wood still in second and third respectively. Moving into fourth was Tony Membrino, Jr. But up front, it was all J. Wood, who cruised to his first win of the season. Salva ended up in second, with D. Wood behind him in third. Membrino ended the board in fourth.

Finally, it was the Late Model feature. Tom Fearn started out by leading the event, with Jim Mavlouganes and Scott Cook battling for the second spot. Michael Bennett joined them, and it was a short-lived but exciting three-wide fight for the position. Bennett ended up winning via way out of the inside groove. It took a few laps to get up to the front, but Bennett did and managed to pass Fearn for the lead. Woody Pitkat was finding his way around Fearn for second, and Ryan Posocco was willing to join him - he did, right before the 14-lap mark. And then, things got interesting. It became a three-car battle for the lead between Bennett, Pitkat, and Posocco. And with that, a lead change. The lead now belonged to Pitkat. #48 moved into second, shuffling Bennett to third. As the laps ticked by, it became a two-car show. In the end, however, it was Pitkat picking up the win. Posocco had to settle for second. Bennett finished third, with Fearn ending up in fourth.

9:30 arrived, and the night was over. With all of the hindrances in front of us, we survived and persevered. Next Friday night is going to be one heck of a show - the 37th annual Coors Light SK Modified 100, the second-longest feature for the SK Modifieds over the course of the 2010 season. Weather permitting? Yes.

Pre-Event Modified News

There's a threat of rain tonight in the forecast. I am not ashamed to admit it. But whether rain or shine, I come with news.

+ Jay Goff has himself in a good position coming into tonight's event - in championship contention early on. He's also looking for his first win.

+ The July 11 program is the 37th annual Coors Light SK 100. The defending champion of that particular event is Keith Rocco, and he wants to defend the title successfully. If last year's event was any indication, then it should be a great race.

SK Motor Change in the Works

The news broke Saturday night, while Waterford was getting ready to hold their weekly event. It was mentioned that the top-three finishers in Friday night's SK race at Stafford were oh, so close to being disqualified. They kept their spots, but the controversy was already in place.

According to Courant's racing blog, changes are in the plans when it comes to SK Modified motors. It's about offset dowel pins. Teams will be able to use them for one more week - the upcoming June 4 race - but come the SK 100 on June 11, they'll be kicked out. The dowel pins, that is.