Video of May 6

I was going to fling something up today, in vlog form. Circumstances have popped up this week that have prohibited me from doing that. (Pretty sure if I do this tonight, I won't be in the mood to say anything other than a few obsenities.)

So enjoy the video put together by the track this week. I apologize for anything that might have come up.



What is neglected to be said here is that Zach Aszklar was disqualifed for not meeting the minimum ground clearance requirement. Your link to this penalty is here.

Spring Sizzler Saturday Vlog

This season, I will be doing vlogs instead of full on articles.

I'll be doing the Sunday edition when I get up. For now, however, enjoy the vlog on Saturday's action.



The penalty in question would be this one.

Pre-2011 News

Hope you guys had a very Merry Christmas. 2011 is coming up quick, and there's news to share.

+ RallyCross is coming to Stafford. The parking lot is going will be quite busy on January 15 and 16 as the Engraving Awards and Gifts RallyCross and the Eastern States RallyCross Challenge Championship takes place.

+ In the "drivers moving up" department, Cory Casagrande is moving up from DARE Stocks to Limited Late Models, while Dylan Kopec will be racing in the SK Lights after winning the Senior Outlaw championship in the Wild Thing Kart Series last year. Kopec is not the only driver from the division to jump up to Friday nights, as there are three other drivers from the Senior Outlaws who are also joining him.

+ The third page I linked to in the last story includes more about the Champions for Charities event. The names of those who are going to be racing Senior Outlaws at the CARQuest Extreme Tuesday event will be announced sometime during the first week of January.

Your Late Awards Post

A little more than a week ago, Stafford held its annual champions banquet at LaRenaissance in East Windsor. About 500 people showed for the event.

The champions were formally crowned, and other awards were given out. I apologize for not going into full detail on this one, but the story on the awards will tell you who won what - as far as anything not previously announced goes.

2011 Rules Time

Yes, it's time that we get the annual rules post out of the way. This week, Stafford released the rules for the 2011 season. All divisions. Here are the links if you haven't checked them out already.

SK Modified
LM OEM Metric - LM XYG Tube
SK Light
Limited Late Model
DARE Stock

All rulebooks are in PDF form.

Champion Stories and Champion Ceremonies

Don't have a lot to talk about, but it feels like a lot. Let's get to it. The other three champion stories are up on Stafford's site. All posted on Friday. Just as I thought they were going to be.

SK Lights - Limited Late Models - DARE Stocks

And information about the awards ceremony in November is also up. No real explaination needed.

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.

...In Which I Give Cliff Notes

Okay, so after some personal issues arose, I could not make it to the track for the final Friday night race of the season. They were issues out of my control. I should be good to go for the Fall Final.

What I will do, however, is give you some results - I need to catch up myself on what I missed.

And here's the video recap of the events. Pretty nice finish in the Limited Late Models; not the way you want to work a post-race interview in Victory Lane, however...

Cold Night, Hot Racing Action

After Earl came last week and (literally) rained on our collective parades, it was back to work as normal for the drivers of Stafford. They weren’t the only ones racing, however, as the September 10th event was to feature the debut of the Modified Racing Series - ex-sponsored by True Value. Their debut race was a part of the next to last program before the Fall Final. Let’s get this thing going.

A few things you need to know about the Modified Racing Series before we begin:

1. They qualify with heat races instead of time trials.
2. Their heat races are scheduled for 12 laps.
3. Their heat races are done without the help of the pace car. At least, it’s done here.

This tour race also had consolation events (for extra spots), and those would be done later in the night, in the middle of the program. Which meant that before we returned to MRS action, some of Stafford’s weekly divisions would take to the track, first.

The feature portion of the night started with the Limited Late Models. Jesse Hinze was the first leader as he pulled ahead of the rest of the field. Duane Provost was in second, with the rest of the drivers behind them like wolves. By the time they completed three laps, the pack of wolves spread out a bit, and beginning on the very next lap, a group of cars, led by Shawn Thibeault, passed Provost and dropped him back to the sixth spot. The first half of the race ran smoothly, but the second half of the race kicked off with a caution exactly halfway through. It was for Carla Botticello, who was backwards in turns one and two, bringing out the first caution of the program. She was able to drive off, and before too long, there was the restart. George Nocera, Jr took advantage and made the move around Hinze to take over as the leader. Andrew Durand was now applying pressure on Hinze for second, teasing a bit like he wanted to make a pass - he eventually did by the lap-15 mark. Three laps later, however, the caution came out for Botticello. Again, she was backwards. This time, the spin was in turns three and four. Just like the first caution, she was able to get back in line quick. The result? A late race restart, which had a fight for the lead between Nocera and Durand for what was about a half lap. Nocera pulled out into the lead. The last two laps ran smoothly, and Nocera picked up his second win of the season. Durand had to settle for the runner-up spot. Third was Dave Yardley, III, and fourth was Dan Flannery.

Next up, it was the Late Models. There was almost a three-wide fight for the lead (if there was, there was too much chaos) on the opening lap. The winner of the madness was Jim Peterson, who came from the second row in order to take the lead. He held a nice-sized lead over Keith Rocco, who was in second. Second would be taken from his grasp by Tom Fearn only a lap or two later. Both drivers pulled away from the rest of the field; mainly, seven cars running for the third position (the leader of that pack was Corey Hutchings). The race slowed down as there was a caution with 12 laps on the board. It happened when Tracy Brouillette spun in turn three, and Mark St. Hilaire seemed to just drive right into him. The distance between Peterson and Fearn was just about a full straightaway, but that huge lead was diminished into nothing. The eventual restart was less chaotic than what the start of the race was, but Peterson returned right to the front. Hutchings moved into second, while Woody Pitkat found himself in third. Those positions would change at the halfway mark, however, when Pitkat pulled a move, heading down to the outside. He passed Hutchings with near ease, bringing Michael Bennett with him. Around lap-18, however, Bennett seemed to have a problem and pulled off the pace. This gave third to Jim Mavlouganes. Meanwhile, Pitkat caught up to Peterson. It seemed as though it was going to happen - a pass for the lead. It did, with seven laps to go. Pitkat managed to pass Peterson for the lead, and began to take off. The yellow came out only three laps later, as Ryan Posocco and Scott Cook were involved in an accident on the backstretch. Posocco ended up down near the turn three area, while Cook was abandoned in turn one. The red flag came out because of this accident. The race was red flagged for about a half hour because medical personnel were attending to Cook. Red changed back to yellow, and on the restart, Pitkat picked up where he left off, which was leading the race. Both he and Peterson pulled away from the field, and the distance between first and second was enough for Pitkat to win his seventh race of the season. Peterson was second, followed by Mavlouganes in third and Hutchings in fourth.

After the MRS consolation events (15 laps; with pace car assistance), feature racing resumed.

And it was more modified action, as the SK Lights were next. It all started with Erica Santos being the first leader of the event. Behind her, the girls were trying to take command. Second was Victoria Bergenty, while third was Heather DesRochers. But a fight for third commenced between DesRochers and Joseph Cipriano, III, and an all-female top-three came to a halt as Cipriano picked up the position. Within the first five laps of the race, he had taken third and had taken second as well. Second wasn’t enough, however. As he attempted a pass for the lead, the caution came out with seven laps on the board. DesRochers and Bergenty made contact, with Bergenty spinning around in turns one and two. While that was going on, Jay Goff and another car were involved in a incident of their own. Goff wound up with the worst of the damage. He ended up on the backstretch, just coming out of turn two, with his car on fire. The red flag came out immediately and the flames were quickly extinguished. His car was towed off the track, while Bergenty drove away from her accident scene. When the green came back out, Ted Cain seemed to push Cipriano into the lead. It was clear that second belonged to Cain. Santos had to settle for third after she appeared to not come up to speed on the restart. The green flag run only lasted a lap, as the yellow came right back out with eight laps on the board. It was for Tony Santangelo and Kyle Spencer, who spun in turns three and four. Even though they spun, both cars were towed off the track, ending their nights. On the restart, it was Cipriano out in front once again. Cain was still in second. But the battle for third began again. It was between three cars - Santos, Thomas Barrett, Jr, and Matt Galko. Soon enough, the fight became a two-car race, and it was between two of the division’s youngsters in Barrett and Galko. It was definite to proclaim that Barrett was third with six laps to go. Also with six laps to go? The start of the next caution. Cain gave up his second place run in a bad way when he spun in turn four. The field ticked off the lap, making it five laps to go, and he was able to drive off. But he kicked dirt up onto the track and there was a scramble in the turn as well. The green came back out to signal a restart, and there was a fight for the lead. Cipriano and Barrett were side by side for the entire lap after the green came out. That fight ended on the next lap, as Barrett took over as the leader. The last four laps ran caution-free, and Barrett won his ninth race of the season. Cipriano finished second. Galko and Santos finished off the board.

The SK Modifieds were next. There was the possibility of a championship in this race. If Keith Rocco ended up finishing 12th or better, he would officially win his second track championship. 40 laps were between that, however. Sean Foster was the early leader, with Chris Jones running behind him. Dan Avery was third, with a pack of wolves running behind him. It was four laps before Zach Sylvester joined the party and tried to take over the spot from Avery. Other cars running in what was now the lead pack were Ryan Preece and Woody Pitkat. Over the course of the early laps, Jones took over as the leader of the race. That pack that was running at the front of the field thinned out over the course of the next few laps, as Z. Sylvester found himself in third… And ultimately, fighting for second. That didn’t work out well. He was almost three-wide with Pitkat and Pitkat, and with nine laps in the books, Pitkat won the fight and moved into third. Two laps later, he moved around Foster for second. Preece moved into third. But they still had to catch up to Jones. In the midst of all the madness, Mark Bakaj spun in the grass coming out of turn two. He eventually got going, but it was too late. The caution came out with 17 laps down. Before the restart, the inside row was already bumping each other. They were more well behaved once the restart actually happened. And there was a fight for the lead. Pitkat was about ready to take the lead from Jones, but he almost got loose and fell back into fourth. Jones was still in the lead. A full lap was completed before the next caution came out (18 laps on the board). The caution was for Nichole Morgillo, who spun in turns three and four. (Other cars may have been involved, but I didn’t catch if there were. Sorry.) On the restart, the winds changed and a new leader seemed to have emerged in Preece. But he was involved in an accident. Other cars were involved, and the caution came out within the same lap. Take two, anyone? Pitkat found himself as the leader, leaving Jeff Baral to fend off quite a few challengers. He did fend them off, as the challengers spread out into what was roughly translated to a single-file line. If you were looking for a real battle, you would have had to look further back in the field. For the cars in the top-10 or so? Not so much. Until 10 laps to go, as Preece was making his way back up through the field. He passed Ted Christopher for ninth and was looking for eighth when the caution came back out - still with 10 laps to go. A three-car incident (Josh Sylvester, Adam Skowyra, Todd Owen) was in turns one and two, and the yellow was right back out. When the green returned, it was business as usual for Pitkat, as he returned back out front. Baral was once again trying to make sure nobody happened to pass him. It was the group of cars behind him, however, that was going to make the most noise. Only two laps were completed before the next caution came out. After Curt Brainard almost stopped dead in his tracks, Frank Ruocco was sent up high in the process and was stuck in turns three and four. He drove off after the yellow came out. It set up another restart… And it was the same old song and dance. Pitkat was right back out in front. The battle for second was on between Baral and Jeff Malave, with Malave getting the spot. Baral was left with Preece for third. Unfortunately, another caution came out with six laps to go. It wasn’t known which incident brought out the caution, however - the one that had Lou Cicconi spinning in turns one and two, or the accident in turn three involving Raymond Grassetti and Ruocco. The cars from the turn three accident were either towed off or brought on pit road, and Cicconi drove away from the scene of the spin. Once again, it set up a restart - one that wasn’t going to be decided until… Well, it wasn’t actually decided yet. A multi-car accident in turn three set up another caution; this one with five laps to go. But fluid on the track brought out a red flag (the third one on the entire evening). The liquid was eventually cleaned up and the race would go right back to green flag action. Was there going to be a new leader? Yes - for a little bit. Malave had the lead going into the first turn, but Pitkat picked it right back up. Preece was going after Malave and the second spot, and he’d get it. He also wanted the lead. There were some attempts at trying the pass, but they weren’t enough. Pitkat picked up another win; his third win of the SK season (and second on the night). Preece finished second, with Malave in third. Avery rounded out the board in fourth. As for Rocco and his championship chances? A ninth-place finish secured them.

The SK Modified feature event was a qualifier for the North-South Shootout in November (being held in North Carolina). That wasn’t the only race that was a qualifier for the race that weekend - the MRS race was also a qualifier.

Speaking of the Modified Racing Series race, it was up next. Ron Silk took the lead at the drop of the green flag. Behind him, it was Rowan Pennink and Ted Christopher racing for second. Christopher took second (punting Pennink to third) and took the lead in the span of two laps. If there seemed like there was a lack of action over the early laps of the race, then there was a lack of it. The field ended up single-file with, for the most part, no battles for position. It was fast paced action for the first 24 laps of the race. And then, the caution came out. Steve Masse and Louie Mechalides spun in turns and two, bringing out what was a yellow flag and a pause to whatever momentum the race had in the early stages of the race. This led to a restart. Christopher and Silk fought for the lead for most of the lap until Christopher reclaimed it in turns three and four. With that, he began to pull away from the field. And again, the field ended up single-file. It didn’t last long, however, as Rob Janovic was high in turn four after a problem with the right front tire. That triggered the second caution. On the restart, was there going to be a new leader? Yes and no. Yes because it looked as though Silk was going to take over, and no because Christopher was keeping close to him. It wasn’t until the next lap that Christopher pulled right back out in front. And like every other restart the race had so far, Christopher pulled away from the field. The green flag run let the field play single-file once again. It wasn’t until the field hit lap-63 that the first car was lapped in the event. At that point, the tone of the race changed. It wasn’t a big change, but it was still a change. And it didn’t seem to faze Christopher at all. He still had a pretty-good sized lead, even as he was lapping cars. The rest of the race ran green, and Christopher picked up the win. Silk finished second, followed by Pennink and Jeff Malave.

The DARE Stocks would be the ones to complete the program. Stephanie Berardi took control and took the lead at the beginning. Vince Gambacorta was right behind her. This wouldn’t last long, as the caution came out within that original lap. Cory Casagrande, and Jim Brice were involved in a turn three accident (among others). After the caution came out, the leaders got into each other on the frontstretch, but as previously mentioned, the caution was already out. Therefore, both drivers got their spots back. After everything was squared away, the race went back to green. Berardi once again pushed herself into the lead, but Gambacorta was right there with her and took over as the leader as they crossed the line to complete the lap. Within the next four laps, Berardi would be sent backwards due to other drivers passing her. Those drivers included Jeff Jolly, Andrew Hayes, and Tommy Membrino, Jr. They’d have a shot at the lead, as the caution came out for the second time - this time, with six laps on the board. Kelsey Rottino was in the grass on the backstretch, smoking and in distress after taking damage to the front end. The car was towed and the restart would occur not too long after the fact. On the aforementioned restart, Gambacorta went right back out to the front. Hayes moved into second, bringing Barry Fluckiger with him. Hayes attempted to make a pass for the lead and did just that as nine laps ticked off the board. Josh Wood found himself succeeding after a move around Gambacorta for what was second on the very next lap. As the rest of the race went green, Hayes scored his third win of the season. J. Wood settled for second. Gambacorta finished third, while Jolly finished fourth.

Only one more Friday night of racing left on the calendar before the Fall Final. Next Friday night, there will be a five-division program on our hands. What championships, if any, will be decided? Weather permitting, we shall find out.

Quick Nights Mean Happy Thoughts

(Author's Note: No, this does not include the penalties that came out of the Late Model race. I'll put up another entry (that'll be three on the day) in regards to that. Until then, enjoy the article of the week.)

After the craziness that was part of July and most of August, it was finally time to get back to normal. Stafford hosted a five division, five-program feature for the first time in what seemed like forever. They hoped it didn’t seem like forever, however, which made things interesting as usual.

The DARE Stocks kicked things off. With a little help, Albert Saunders was the first leader of the race. He had help from Josh Wood, who was running second and right on his back. Over the course of the next two laps, the lead switched hands from Wood, to A. Saunders, and right back to Wood. Within the very next lap, he’d have a new challenger in Cory Casagrande, who found a way to get around A. Saunders and into second. C. Casagrande attempted to make a move around for the lead by the halfway point, and as they crossed the line, the lead officially changed hands. The top four cars remained fairly close to each other (all while putting distance between themselves and the rest of the field). Andrew Hayes got around A. Saunders for the third position. Meanwhile, C. Casagrande was putting distance on everyone else, lapping most of the cars in his path. The entire race ran green from start to finish, and by about a half straightaway, it was C. Casagrande picking up his third win of the season (100 pounds doesn't hurt again). Wood finished second, over Hayes in third and A. Saunders in fourth.

Up next? The Limited Late Models. Dan Flannery was a man on a mission when the race began, pulling out in front early. Dave Yardley, III moved into second, following close behind. It took three laps before Yardley caught up to Flannery. It took just about four laps for him to take the lead. Flannery kept close, but he was followed by a trio (and then four) of drivers, with Jesse Hinze leading the charge. The first caution of the event came out with nine laps on the board, when Robert Farrington, Jr spun in turns three and four. This bunched the field up for a restart; one that Yardley happened to win. The fight for second was between George Nocera, Jr and Flannery. In less than a turn, Nocera picked up the spot. Nocera attempted to catch up to him over the course of the next few laps, but he would be on the same row as Yardley when they went back to green - the next caution came out with seven laps to go. What was the reason? Chris Cook and Farrington spun in turns three and four. The dragrace occurred on the restart, as the leaders ran down the frontstretch single file. Yardley won the battle and returned right back out in front. Nocera kept close in second. Further back, Andrew Durand was running in what was originally thought was fifth. The track officials decided otherwise, and for the second time in the race, he was black flagged for overagression. This time, however, he was brought onto pit road. Back on the track, the action began in the battle for the lead. It seemed as though it was going to be a good last lap, but the caution came out before they crossed the line to take the white flag. Again, Farrington spun - this time, he spun in turns one and two. It set up a green white checkered finish. It started right back where it picked up; the leaders once again fighting for the lead. Yardley came across the stripe, taking the white flag as the leader. Nocera tried a few desperation moves on the final lap, attempting to make a pass for the lead. Every attempt ultimately failed, giving Yardley his second win of the season. Nocera finished second. Flannery retook the points lead after finishing third, with Rob Dow on the board in fourth.

The fendered part of the program would end with the Late Models. Dave Wray took the early lead, with the inside row going at the drop of the green flag. Scott Cook was in second, followed by Dillon Moltz in third… But the racing action would be cut short after a lap. The caution was for Corey Hutchings, who had a problem with the right front tire issue, sending him through the grass. Seconds after the caution came out, Ryan Posocco had problems with the right rear tire, sending him high up into turn three. The caution didn’t come out for him; however, he spent most of the caution on pit road to fix problems. On the restart, the lead changed. Cook made the move around Wray to take over possession. The rest of the field took shape as well - Moltz was now running in second, with most of the usual front-runners following behind. Moltz and Keith Rocco caught up to Cook, and it was almost halfway when Moltz began to try to find a way around Cook for the lead. After the field made it to the halfway point, the lead train was six cars big - including Woody Pitkat, Tom Fearn, and Michael Bennett. With eight laps to go, another move for the lead was made. The loser was Moltz, who got loose and was ultimately shuffled back to seventh after losing a three-wide fight for second (the winner of that was Pitkat, who took the inside row). It looked as though it was all over. But on the last lap, the caution came out. John Blake found the wall on the backstretch and scraped it as the leaders were coming. Debris was left behind, and it was why the field was bunched up for a green white checkered finish. Cook got loose on the restart (or at least it looked like he did), giving Pitkat the lead on the restart. Being loose didn’t hurt, and Cook found himself in second. The distance was more than enough, however, and in the end, Pitkat was the one who found victory lane for the fifth time. Cook had to settle for second, with Bennett in third. In fourth was Moltz.

The SK Lights were next. In the beginning, Harry Wheeler was the first leader of the race. It soon became a three-wide fight as Wheeler got up high. Zachary Aszklar was in the middle and found himself winning the battle, setting himself in the first position. He picked up the lead just in time, as after they crossed the line to complete the lap, the caution came out with only one lap on the board. Dylan Liseo and Stephen Greer were involved in an accident in turns three and four, putting the field under an early yellow. When the race went back to green, it was Aszklar right back out in front. Second was between Erica Santos and Earl Pelletier. Unfortunately, things went haywire as the top three cars battled for the lead. Santos and Aszklar got out of shape. As Aszklar found a way to keep the car under control and still going, Santos was heading straight for the safer barrier. She missed it. Unfortunately, something broke on the car, and she was stranded in turn one. The caution came right back out on the very next lap. Aszklar got his spot back as he technically wasn’t involved in the caution. Getting that spot back for the restart didn’t work, as a new leader emerged in Pelletier. But Aszklar wasn’t backing down yet, and was right back in the thick of things, challenging for the lead in a matter of about a lap. Thomas Barrett, Jr and Joey Cipriano joined the two, among other drivers. With eight laps on the board, Barrett took over second. Also on that lap was the third caution. Aszklar’s run ended abruptly as he spun in turn four, just out of the way enough so that other cars weren’t collected in the caution as well. Cipriano was sent to the back of the field during the caution. On the restart, Barrett worked his magic and made the move around Pelletier for the lead. Matt Galko managed to get second. He wanted first, though. As the two leaders passed the halfway point, the battle for the lead began. Galko tried to get around Barrett for the lead; it didn’t work. He’d have another crack at it on the restart. With 11 laps on the board, Heather DesRochers spun in turns three and four - with a little help from Jay Goff. He got black flagged and was sent to the back of the field. The all-youth front row led the field to the green on the restart, where Barrett once again took over as leader. Galko remained close at hand, however, and wasn’t willing to back down. His car had other plans, and with seven laps to go, Galko found the safer barrier in turn one. Other cars spun shortly afterward (Victoria Bergenty, Cipriano, Tony Santangelo), and the caution came out. This put Tommy Membrino, Jr on the front row with Barrett when the restart happened. Membrino seemed to have a problem on the restart, giving the inside row the advantage. In the process, Aszklar bounced up and passed Barrett with six laps to go. Barrett wanted the lead back and attempted to pass Aszklar for the lead. That would have to wait until the restart, as a caution came out (also with six laps to go) when Ted Cain spun in turn two. This time, Barrett didn’t get going on the restart, and Aszklar was the beneficiary, taking the lead once again. Pelletier attempted to take over, and did with five laps to go. Barrett moved into second, and ultimately, moved back into the lead - that pass was with three laps to go. Through the final laps of the race, the real action was for the second through fourth spots. In the end, the winner was Barrett, who won his eighth race of the season. Second was Membrino, with Aszklar in third, barely beating out Pelletier, who finished fourth.

The last race of the night was for the SK Modifieds. Sean Foster didn’t come up to speed when the race began, giving Jeff Malave the lead. Behind him, on his bumper, and recovering nicely after the problem, was Foster. Four laps into the race, the first caution came out for Christopher Jones, who appeared to have something break on the car. He wound up stuck in turn four, and that brought out the yellow. On the restart, Malave jumped right back into the lead. Foster was still sticking close to him, however. Behind them, it was a pack of cars battling for position. A nice third place run for Curt Brainard ended when he slid up high in turns one and two. It was a setback, and he found himself towards the back of the pack when he managed to regain things. The pack slowly evaporated, spreading out, with Ted Christopher and Ryan Preece being the two main drivers to break free. Christopher decided to join the party up front in a major way, passing Foster for second with 13 laps on the board. The lead was in his sights. He attempted a pass for the lead with 17 laps on the board, and barely succeeded as the leaders crossed the line. He finished the pass on the very next lap. Also making a charge was Preece, who was third by the halfway point. Considering when the pass for the lead was made, and compared to usual Christopher moves, it was almost shocking that the lead wasn’t bigger than what it was at the lap-29 point. It was a nice-sized lead. It was also growing. Reason why? Malave and Preece were fighting for second. Also added in the mix was Keith Rocco, who joined the party in fourth. The four drivers continued racing close over the course of the final laps of the race, but in the end, a winless streak was broken. Christopher picked up his first win of the season. Malave finished second. Preece ended up in third, with Rocco winding up fourth.

Note: Each race (on its own) was completed within a half hour. Longest race of the night belonged to the SK Lights (26:51).

Next week, it's the start of the September Series - the three races that make up the last weeks before the Fall Final. As an added bonus, there are fireworks. It’s the last time you’ll be seeing those up above the track this year. A five-feature program? It's all there. Weather permitting.

This is Your Night; and Everything's Gonna Be Alright

Things had changed since the last feature ended last week at Stafford. Keith Rocco’s chances at winning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship greatly improved the very next night at the Waterford Speedbowl. He happened to win the SK Modified race on August 14, and was officially called the 2010 national champion only days later. Six days later, it was more than just a celebration of Rocco’s achievement. It was also a busy night at the track.

Also on tap was the second of two Late Model 100s on the schedule. On top of that, there were two races for the Limited Late Models. It was the final week that make-up races were going to commence before a sense of normality sank in. What was deemed to be a long night was ahead. Might as well start this event in style.

First off, it was the make-up race for the Limited Late Models. They were making this one up from back on July 16th. It began with Carla Botticello getting the lead, followed by Andrew Durand moving into second. A pack of cars were behind them and were fighting for position. Duane Provost and Dave Yardley, III battled for third, but it was a brief battle for the spot and it was won by Yardley. Besides that, there wasn’t much action going on unless you were looking further through the field. A few battles were going on involving Dan Flannery and Rob Dow, among others; but those were for positions deeper in the top-10. As the laps ticked by, there was a challenge for the second through fourth spots. Yardley and Kevin Gambacorta were drawing closer towards Durand. The only question was, “would any spots change hands”? If there were going to be any, it wouldn’t deter anybody else… At least, it wouldn’t be them who were at fault for it. With only three laps to go, Jesse Hinze blew up in smoke coming down the backstretch and came to a stop in turn three. The caution was coming out and the field would be bunched up for a very important late race restart. On that restart, Durand took the lead with ease before they reached the line. Botticello fell in line into second. Third place didn’t change, with Yardley still in the spot. Meanwhile, Botticello attempted a few moves; none of which were stable enough to challenge, and it was Durand picking up the win. Botticello finished second. Yardley wound up in third, while Nocera finished fourth. They’d have their second race later in the night.

Up next, it was normality with the DARE Stock feature. Stephanie Berardi was the first leader of the event. She was followed by Vince Gambacorta, who was in second. Gambacorta wanted the last laugh, and with Cory Casagrande following him, he was able to take the lead after the first two laps. Eventually, C. Casagrande joined him in second. The rest of the top-four changed hands as well, with Albert Saunders in third and Kyle Casagrande in fourth. (As for Berardi? She fell to fifth.) Back up front, it only took four laps before C. Casagrande moved into the lead. Again, the field shook up as Gambacorta, who had a short stint up front, fell back into the deeper part of the field. But back up front, K. Casagrande moved past A. Saunders for second and was looking to catch up to his brother as they ran first and second with a gap separating them. Unfortunately, C. Casagrande had a bit of an issue as he came up to lapped traffic. Trevor Krzyzek and C. Casagrande both spun in turn two with five laps to go in the event, bringing out the caution and giving K. Casagrande the lead in the process. When the green came back out, it was a duel down the frontstretch. It lasted until they hit the turn, where K. Casagrande seemed to have the advantage. Berardi showed some life, fighting against A. Saunders for second. That life ended with 11 laps on the board, when she ended up spinning in turns three and four. Other cars further back in the field suffered damage when they were involved in the accident, and the yellow returned. Cleanup took a while, with a lot of speedy dry being used in the process. After the speedy dry was cleaned up, the race resumed. K. Casagrande reclaimed the lead, followed by a pack of three cars fighting for second. Josh Wood made a challenge for the lead, but spun in turns one and two with three laps to go. He was able to get going again and there was no caution. Jeff Jolly also had problems, but he managed to keep the car in third. The 100 pounds didn’t make a difference in K. Casagrande’s car, as he claimed his third win of the season. A. Saunders and Jolly would join him in victory lane, as they finished second and third respectively. Tony Membrino, Jr finished off the board in fourth.

(The DARE Stock pound rule was implemented in the middle of this season. The rule is that if you had won two races at any point in time in the season, you had to add 100 full pounds into the car… Then you could win a third race. After that, it’s an extra 50 pounds.)

Time for open wheels and SK Lights. Zachary Aszklar was the first leader of the race, but it wasn’t going to be an easy hold for him as Jay Goff was all over his side. It only took a full lap plus before Goff was able to make a pass for the lead. Also with one lap on the board? The first caution. Heather DesRochers spun in turn four, collecting both Victoria Bergenty and Earl Pelletier in the process. It was a quick caution as all three drivers pulled away. And the restart ensued… It was not a pretty sight. A multi-car accident happened on the frontstretch, with Dylan Liseo flipping on his roof at the stripe and sliding all the way down to turn one. The red flag came out immediately. Thankfully, Liseo was okay and after everything was tidied up, it was back to green. Aszklar took the lead back in turns one and two and was heavily followed by Goff in second. Also in the lead pack of cars was Thomas Barrett, Jr, who was challenging Goff for second. He made the move to second and then made the move to first in less than two turns. With six laps on the board, there was a new leader (Barrett) - and new second-place driver (David Webb). The two of them pulled away from the rest of the field and began their dominance over whoever was still racing. There was a half straightaway gap between first and second and another half straightaway lead between second and third. The true battle in the closing laps was the one for third, between Goff and Joseph Cipriano, III. It was clear that the winner was Barrett, getting his seventh win of the season. Webb would finish second. The battle for third ended with Cipriano over Goff, who would have to settle for fourth.

Modified action continued with the SK Modifieds. Tom Bolles and Jeff Baral were side by side through most of the first lap, but in the end, there was no clear cut winner. Another lap would have to be completed before it was known that Bolles was going to be the first leader of the race. Jeff Malave was now challenging Baral for second, and managed to pick up the spot. Second was apparently not enough for Malave, and was looking for first from Bolles. Behind them, it was a… How do I put it nicely? It was a gaggle of drivers looking for spots within the top-10. Nobody was going to back down there and it looked as though business was going to pick up there within the next few laps. Well, it was going to happen in a little bit as Nichole Morgillo and Michael Gervais, Jr were sidelined in turn four. Nine laps into the race, there was already a caution. Both cars rolled away from the incident scene and not before long, there was a restart. Malave pulled out to the lead position and was followed by the rest of the field, who decided on running double file. Baral squeezed out of the battle for second, followed by Keith Rocco, who sat in third. Any plans of taking second were KOed for the moment when Keith Carzello went through the grass in turn four and kicked dirt up onto the track. Another caution in the books, and twelve laps on the board. The inside row went on the restart, as Malave once again took the lead. Rocco claimed second in about a lap and was ready to take first from Malave. Also ready to join the first was Frank Ruocco, who was in third. Rocco managed to take first from Malave with fifteen laps on the board. He took the lead just in time - the caution came out after the lead was made and after the lap was completed. Morgillo spun in turns one and two, and somehow, Mark Bakaj was involved as well with right front issues. Either way, it all set up another restart. Rocco retook the lead on the restart, with Malave still on his tail. Ruocco was about to challenge Malave for second and was barely able to take the spot when they crossed the line to complete the 17th lap. A lap later, Woody Pitkat spun in turn four, collecting Josh Sylvester in the process. 18 laps in, and there was yet another caution. On the restart, chalk up another win for the inside row. Rocco and Malave took control - Rocco pulled away and took the lead, while Malave once again saw himself in second. Ruocco was all over Malave, looking for a way to get around him for that second spot. So far, no moves were made. They were close, but not yet. Although the battle began with 24 laps on the board. It would promptly end when Carzello spun in turn four and brought out the next caution - with 24 laps gone. The restart saw Rocco once again take advantage and head right back for the lead. Ruocco was now the guy to join him and was now running second. The green flag run lasted all of a lap; the next caution came when Matt Gallo spun coming out of turn two and a whole chain reaction happened not too far behind it. It resulted in Curt Brainard sitting idly in front of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series billboard next to the video monitor. On the ensuing restart, it was the same old, same old. Rocco was once again in the lead, followed by Ruocco in second. This time, however, Ryan Preece had been running in third and wanted to stake his claim into second. As Preece was about to take the second spot, the caution came out with 29 laps on the board. Bolles was up high in turn two, setting up the yellow once again. It was a quick caution and they were about to go green again. There was no difference with the leader - that was Rocco. Preece managed to pass Ruocco for second and was ready to pass Rocco for the lead when he went a bit too low and got loose in turn four. The lap was barely completed by the time the caution came out, when there was a multi-car incident in turns three and four. The restart happened with ten laps to go. A fight for the lead occurred between Preece and Rocco through the entire duration of the lap until Preece spun and wound up in the grass on the backstretch and set up a caution with nine laps to go. Another restart, anyone? Rocco became the leader once again. Baral took advantage and battled with Ruocco for second and succeeded. It was another one-lap green flag run with a multi-car incident in turn one slowed the field down again as the yellow cam out. (By this time, the track officials realized that the lights around the track didn’t work - the lights to help drivers see when there’s a caution on the track. They would be fixed in a matter of laps.) When things went back to green, Rocco was once again the leader. Ruocco was sandwiched in second, with Malave now finding himself in third and a battle with Baral. Malave would get the spot and things were less crowded up front. With five laps left to go, Gallo was in an accident in turn one, setting up yet another caution and yet another restart. Things were delayed with Malave had to be pushed off the track with a problem. But on the restart, Rocco once again saw the lead. Ruocco and Baral fought for second, with Dan Avery in the mix as well. This was all put on hiatus when Pitkat spun in turn two, bringing out the caution once again. A restart with three laps to go was about to begin. Rocco was once again in the lead. Ruocco found himself in second and wanted the lead. On the last lap, Ruocco tapped Rocco and nearly sent him spinning. The spin didn't happen, and for the ninth time, Rocco picked up the win. Ruocco settled for second, with Baral in third and Avery in fourth.

Main event time! It was the second of the bi-yearly Late Model 100s. It started with Mark St. Hilaire not getting up to speed. Tom Fearn was the leader after his misfortune, followed by Scott Cook and Jim Peterson, who were fighting for second. The caution came out only three laps into the race when Woody Pitkat went into turn one wall. It was found that St. Hilaire was at fault when it came to starting the spin, and was sent onto pit road for a penalty. Things were cleared out and the race went back to green. Fearn once again took the lead. Adam Gray found his way into second when he took second from Cook. The next guy to pass Cook was JJ Hill, followed by Peterson. But the news up front was Fearn, who had set up a nice half straightaway lead over the rest of the field. Peterson passed Gray and was now making a charge… But not quite - Peterson was found to be leaking something on the track and was black flagged in while running in second. The lead that Fearn had was now a full straightaway plus. The action was for second, where Michael Bennett picked up the spot. Ryan Posocco was now in third, with Dillon Moltz in fourth. Over the duration of the next 25 plus laps, Fearn’s lead began to shrink. Bennett was on his way. And with 33 laps down, Fearn’s lead abruptly ended with the second caution of the event. Moltz was stranded in turn two, in front of the website marking on the wall. It was due to a flat tire, but whatever the cause, it was a caution. He was towed off. On the restart, Fearn once again took the lead. Bennett nearly spun with help from Posocco; he regained control and managed to keep second. The bobble didn’t hurt - he remained close to Fearn for what seemed like a long time. That long happened to pause with 45 laps down, when the caution came out for Tom Butler, who spun in turn four, sent a cone halfway into the grass, and kicked some dirt up in the process. A new leader in Bennett emerged on the restart. Fearn retook the lead on the same lap - the lap that the restart occurred on hadn’t even ended yet. Keith Rocco and Jim Mavlouganes fought for the third spot; the winner of the battle was Mavlouganes. As for Rocco, well… He ended up getting shuffled through the field and ended up eighth. After that, it seemed as though there was nothing in terms of battles. By the lap-59 mark, Cook moved into third. Besides that, there was nothing. No other fights for position (unless you counted battles deeper in the field or the little tussle for first which only consisted in Bennett getting in close to Fearn but not getting anything out of it). Cook looked for second and managed to get it with 67 laps on the board. Hill passed Bennett as well; that pass was for third. It seemed as though Bennett was getting sent backwards. With 69 laps down, Cook tried to make the pass for the lead. He and Fearn got together, almost wrecking on the backstretch. The sparks didn’t faze anyone, and coming out of turn four, the new leader was now Cook. The loser was Fearn, who was now getting a turn at getting sent backwards through the field. Hill moved up to second after the chose. Corey Hutchings ran third, with Bennett now getting back onto the board after an earlier incident. The green flag run finally ended with 79 laps on the board when #87, who was running in third at the time, spun in turn two - the caution came out for only the fourth time. The restart was going to be interesting. Cook didn’t get up to speed on the restart, giving the lead to Hill. Second was long-time front runner in the race Fearn. And third was Rocco. Hill began to pull away from the rest of the field, having a lead just shy of a half straightaway. Fearn was being pressured by Rocco, who was being pressured by Bennett. The true battle for position was between those three drivers - plus Posocco, who was running fifth. Bennett passed Rocco for third; Posocco took note of that and passed Rocco for fourth. But unless there was a caution, they were still a ways away from catching Hill. The last lap was no contest, and Hill crossed the line, picking up his first career win. Fearn finished second (and had choice words with Bennett’s crew after the race was over), with Bennett finishing third. Rounding out the board was Posocco.

We were not done yet, as there was still a regularly-scheduled Limited Late Model feature to run. Rob Dow was the early leader, but it didn’t last a full lap as the caution came out for a three-car accident coming out of turn two. On the second attempt, it was Dow out in front again. Carla Botticello fought it out with Duane Provost for second and came out on top - at least, of that battle. George Nocera, Jr made his way into third… But with three laps down, he had a problem, dropped off the pace, and wound up on pit road. His chance of winning was all but over. This moved Andrew Durand into third. By the halfway point of the race, Dan Flannery found his way into fourth and was all over Durand’s bumper. Flannery took third from Durand. The rest of the race ran green, and it was Dow taking his third win of the season. Botticello finished second, with Flannery in third and Kevin Gambacorta in fourth.

Things get back to normal next Friday night. It’s a regular week. I promise. No added races. It happens weather permitting.

A Night of Bad Luck and Exciting Things

(Note: Sorry this is out on Wednesday. Yes, I had this sent out Sunday night/Monday morning. No, I had no idea I was getting this out now. Yes, I have something else to get out tonight as well. With that being said, let's get to the recap.)

Friday the 13th. A day that has always been unlucky. (Trust me, I know what happens on days like this. I’ve had a bunch of bad luck myself at one time or another.) On this day, however, there was racing to be held at Stafford. It was a five division, six-race night of action. The SK Modifieds were scheduled to race two races - one of them being a make-up race from way back on July 16. A few questions were also going to be answered. What happened? Let’s find out together.

In order to start everything for the night, the SK Modifieds were lined up on the mini mile. This was an interesting storyline. In this division, anyway. Keith Rocco started the day two wins away from winning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship outright. To win it outright, a driver has to win 18 races with fields of at least 20 cars. And it has to be done in the top division. At the three Connecticut tracks, the top division is a Modified. Rocco started the weekend with 16 wins with the stipulation in place. The scenario is this: If Rocco won the first race (22 cars started) and won the second race with at least 20 cars in it, he would be the 2010 national champion in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

The make-up race from July was the first race of the night. Eric Berndt was the first leader without question, driving himself straight into the lead early. Mark Bakaj and Sean Foster began the fight for second. Bakaj took the spot on the second lap. Behind them, a fight for third ensued between Foster and Chris Jones. Foster owned that spot. Jones was forced to settle for a fight with Woody Pitkat. Ted Christopher joined them and it was a trifecta for the fourth through sixth spots. Meanwhile, second was now owned by Foster, after passing Bakaj for the spot by the lap-10 mark. Bakaj was sent backwards through the field, as many drivers passed him. But so far, nobody had an answer for Berndt, who was leading by a half straightaway. His nice lead would be erased with 16 laps on the board as the first caution came out. It was for Jones, who spun in turns one and two. During this yellow, a good portion of the field came in to pit, including Keith Rocco, who was getting some new tires. Most of the cars left before the restart occurred. On the restart, it originally looked as though Foster had some sort of advantage. It wasn’t meant to be, however, and the lead was given back to Berndt. Second now belonged to Pitkat, while the madness was going on behind them. The caution came out again for a multi-car spin in turns one and two with 17 laps on the board. Christopher was black flagged and sent to the back of the field for overagression, while there was another visit onto pit road by Rocco. (I don’t usually chime in here with my two personal cents, but this was getting very interesting now.) It didn’t take long after the restart for another accident to happen. Another multi-car incident on the backstretch with 17 laps still on the board brought out the third caution of the event. It was time for take two with another restart. The battle for the lead became a three-car fight between Berndt, Pitkat, and Frank Ruocco, who moved into third on the restart. Of course, this fight wasn’t going to end easily. Ruocco became the new leader at the halfway point, but Pitkat followed him closely. Pitkat attempted to take the lead many times (via way of the outside groove), and with 24 laps on the board, Pitkat took over. Things were not over yet, and Ruocco was going to fight tooth and nail for the lead. (Does this remind you of a certain battle for the lead earlier in the season?) Ruocco reclaimed the lead not even two laps later. It didn’t look like Pitkat was willing to back down and over the course of the next few laps, he tried to retake the lead. Behind them, another battle was brewing - this was for third. It was between Todd Owen and Ryan Preece. With seven laps left to go, the spot was given to Preece... And he was coming to join the battle for first. With five laps to go, Preece wasn’t settling for second and the fight began for first with three cars once again. It was anyone’s race. With only two laps to go, however, things began to boil. Ruocco was sent high in the middle of the third turn, but he saved the car and settled into third. Behind that, a multi-car incident in turn three brought out the caution. The scoreboard read… Nothing in all four spots. It was determined that the caution came out before the leaders came across the line to start the final lap, so everyone returned to their original spots and it was now a two-lap race for the win. The restart was going to tell the story. The battle returned on the restart. Ruocco reclaimed the lead in over the course of the lap. On the final lap, it was still a battle for the win. And in the end, it was Ruocco taking his fourth win of the season. Pitkat finished second, with Preece in third and Jones in fourth.

As for Keith Rocco and the national championship? He'd have to wait to start the celebration. In the first race for the SKs, he finished 7th.

After the impressive action of the first SK feature, the normality began with the originally scheduled action of the night. The Limited Late Models were next. Duane Provost pulled out into the lead, with Carla Botticello following him. Behind them, the field ran single file. Jesse Hinze, who sat in third, was all over Botticello’s bumper. And behind that battle, Andrew Durand and George Nocera, Jr were well underway in a fight for fourth. For the first half of the race, everything was fine and dandy. Unfortunately, trouble occurred with eight laps on the board. Provost blew up in smoke coming down the frontstretch, losing not only the lead also what looked to be his engine. He spun in turns one and two, collecting a few cars in the process. This brought the first caution of the race out. Speedy dry was dumped on the track, cleaned up, and the race was able to resume. The restart didn’t start well. Michael Wray hit the first turn wall at a ton (no, not where the safer barrier is). Other cars were collected as well, and the caution turned to a red flag situation. During this, there was a driver versus driver altercation which ended up with someone belonging to the Wray camp giving Joe Nogiec a piece of his mind. Officials had to restrain him. The yellow returned, followed by the green, and the restart occurred. With nine laps on the board, there was a lead change. Botticello had to surrender the lead to Durand, who became the third leader of the event. This green flag run lasted all of three laps as Michael Chaves spun on the frontstretch and came to a stop close to victory lane (not how he wanted to get there). It was a quick caution, and there was another restart. Durand returned to the lead with Shawn Thibeault close to his side. Thibeault attempted a move on the inside to take the lead, and it was mission accomplished with four laps to go. The lead that he had obtained had begun to expand. It was a yellow-checkered finish as Thibeault picked up his second win. Behind him was Durand finishing second. Kevin Gambacorta would finish third, while Dave Yardley, III ended up in fourth. (The yellow was for Chaves, who wrecked in turns three and four.)

Next up would be the Late Models. In the beginning, Adam Gray was the first leader. Mark St. Hilaire was all over his bumper; looking to make sure that third-place Scott Cook didn’t take the spot away from him in the process. Three laps into the race, second now belonged to Cook, while Tom Fearn took over third. St. Hilaire was trying to make sure he didn’t freefall back through the rest of the field as Corey Hutchings and Keith Rocco were trying to get around him. They’d get a second crack at it with four laps down when a multi-car incident occurred in turn three. All cars were able to clear the accident scene. St. Hilaire pulled onto pit road during the caution period, surrendering his fourth-place run in the process. On the restart, Gray maintained his lead. Behind him, things went haywire. Fearn spun in turn four and nearly collected half of the field. The caution came out immediately. Dirt was kicked up onto the track and the cleanup process took place. When things were cleared, the green came back out and action picked up again. Gray still had the lead, but Hutchings wanted it as well. He officially took over halfway through the sixth lap of the race. Ryan Posocco moved into second, punting Gray into third. As they came down the backstretch on the very next lap, Tracy Brouillette got out of shape. He collected Duane Noll, sending him for a ride down to the CARQuest sign in turn three. Noll hit the wall hard, putting the field under yet another caution; only six laps into the event. After cleanup commenced, things were back to green. A three-wide fight for the lead occurred, with Hutchings still holding onto things. Gray followed in second, with third now a fight between Cook and Posocco - and you could give third to Cook. It only took two laps before the caution came out again; this time, it was a multi-car accident in turns one and two putting the field under yellow with eight laps over. On the restart, it was the same old, same old. Hutchings powered his way back into the top spot. Cook now joined the party in second. Gray and JJ Hill fought for the third spot… With Posocco also involved. Posocco moved around Gray for fourth. Deeper in the field, Fearn found his way into the safer barrier in turn one (cause: a tire down?), giving the field yet another caution. It was only ten laps into the race. The restart occurred with Hutchings once again finding the lead. Other than Gray passing Posocco for fourth, barely anything was going on. Gray and Posocco passed Hill for position; Hill was sent backwards and out of the top-five. The field finally made it to the halfway point, and it was the first time in a while that more than two laps were run before a caution came out. And that’s when the next caution came out - this time, it was for Jim Peterson, whose car seemed to catch fire without a known cause or reason. He stopped in turns three and four with no fire in sight. After it was determined that everything was okay, it was back to green. Again, the leader was Hutchings. Again, second place belonged to Gray. Now in third, however, was St. Hilaire; Posocco was pressuring him for the spot. St. Hilaire’s good run was halted with 19 laps on the board when he was shuffled back behind Rocco and in sixth. Meanwhile, both Cook and Rocco managed to get around Posocco for fourth and fifth respectively. They had six laps to get anywhere near Hutchings and Gray, however. It wasn’t going to happen barring a late-race caution. Back up front; Hutchings was giving the rest of the field a run for their money. He had a nice-sized lead over Gray for the lead. It was more than enough, and it was his second win of the year. Gray finished his nice run in second. Third belonged to Cook, while Posocco managed to squeak by a last-lap incident on the backstretch to finish fourth.

Out came the SK Lights for their feature. Zachary Aszklar was the first leader of the race, but it was less than a lap before Earl Pelletier took it from him. Jay Goff was behind both of them and in third. Four laps in, however, the battle began for the lead. The lead pack was about ten cars big. With five laps on the board, Aszklar reclaimed the lead. Erica Santos found herself in a battle for second with Pelletier, but Pelletier kept the spot. His second-place run ended with eight laps on the board when he spun in turn two. Dylan Liseo also spun, but he stopped on the backstretch. Both cars were able to get going, but the caution came out. When the restart happened, it was Matt Galko pulling into the lead. Joey Cipriano moved into second, sending Aszklar into third. That third place run didn’t last long as Thomas Barrett, Jr moved into the spot. He was almost thankful that he passed Aszklar before crossing the stripe, because Ted Cain spun coming out of turn four. The caution came out with the race close to halfway done, if not halfway already. When things calmed down, it was back to green. This was a prime opportunity for Cipriano to take the lead. Galko was right next to him, however, and there was a challenge for the lead - a quick one, though, and Cipriano maintained it. Galko attempted yet another pass, but that too failed. As a third attempt for a pass was being made, Aszklar spun in turns one and two. For the third time in the race, the caution came out… Thirteen laps in. Cipriano pulled right back into the lead on the restart, followed by… Nobody, yet. Steve Greer spun in turn one and the caution came out before the lap was completed. It was close to the same story on the restart. Cipriano originally took the lead. But a new leader emerged before the lap ended - Barrett. His tour as the leader only lasted a lap as the caution came out with six laps to go. As Galko took the lead, Cipriano went up and over Barrett. Other cars (pretty much a majority of the field) were involved in the accident in one way or another - everyone drove away. Galko’s lead continued on the restart, driving away from Tony Santangelo, who was now in second. Coming up through the field was Pelletier, who earlier in the race was somewhere in turn two. He was battling Goff for the third spot, now, all while trying to catch up to Santangelo for the runner-up spot. Santangelo pulled away from Pelletier, however, but didn’t have enough for Galko. It was Galko’s second win of the season. Santangelo was second, followed by Pelletier in third. Goff finished off the board in fourth.

Coming up next, it was the DARE Stocks. Stephanie Berardi pulled out in front and became the first leader of the race. Donald Cook and Albert Saunders raced for the second spot. Within the second lap, A. Saunders won the battle. In the very next lap, he raced Berardi for the lead. A. Saunders won the battle again; this time, he became the new leader. On the next lap, the caution came out for dirt that kicked up onto the racing surface in turn four. It was a quick caution and the restart happened in a couple of laps. The leaders fought for about a lap before A. Saunders returned to the front. Andrew Hayes found a way around Berardi for second… And so did Tony Membrino, Jr; that pass was for third. The three drivers pulled away from the rest of the field by the halfway point. With five laps to go, Hayes applied a bit of pressure on A. Saunders for the lead, and was successfully able to make the pass when they came to the line for four laps to go. Membrino had a chance to pass A. Saunders for second. As they went into turn three, that pass was good as well. Unfortunately, the caution came out with two laps go. Cory Casagrande was a bit too high in turn four and that brought out the caution as he remained stranded. It appeared as though something had broke on the car, and that was the reason why he was up high in the turn. On what was deemed to be a critical restart, Hayes went right back to the front. A. Saunders looked to take second from Membrino, and that was what happened. Kyle Casagrande joined the party, but he was in third after getting around Membrino. Back in front, it was Hayes getting his second win of the season. A. Saunders finished second. The rest of the top-four were K. Casagrande in third and Jeff Jolly in fourth.

The last race of the night was the regularly scheduled SK Modified race. If the race at the top of the program was exciting, then the race at the end of the program should have been just as great. A chain reaction started things off at the beginning of the race. Tom Bolles didn’t get started (he started on the pole) and everyone on the inside tried to find a way to maneuver around him. It failed. A multi-car incident occurred and the first caution came out with no laps on the board. Let’s try that again, shall we? Okay! It was a much better restart. Bolles came up to speed this time and was officially the first leader. Mark Bakaj was coming behind him and nearly had a chance to pass him. However, that failed and he dropped back a bit behind. Ted Christopher was coming as well and passed Bakaj for second by the fifth lap. He had a ways to go to catch up to Bolles, however, as the lead was a half straightaway‘s distance. As the laps ticked by, Christopher was catching up to Bolles. The lead that Bolles had began to shrink. By lap 15, Christopher caught up to Bolles - and a new leader emerged. Meanwhile, Sean Foster and Frank Ruocco were stranded in the grass on the frontstretch, setting up the second caution with 15 laps down. Both cars were able to drive off, but they both ended up going on pit road to check on the extent on any damage that trip through the grass may have caused. The race went back to green with Christopher still in the lead. Bolles tried to glue himself onto Christopher’s bumper, but to no avail. This gave Todd Owen motive to get around Bolles for second. He’d have to try again. Once the pass was made, the caution came out for Donny Travaglin and Chris Jones, who spun in turn one. With 19 laps down, there was another caution. They drove off and before you knew it, there was another restart… And another caution. Bolles seemed to have slowed down, with Keith Rocco getting in behind him. The whole thing started a chain reaction with half of the field involved. The caution came right back out. Things got crazy when the restart happened. The battle for the lead contained Christopher, Rocco, and Owen. Rocco moved into second, leaving Owen to do battle with Ryan Preece for third. The winner of that battle was Preece. Things seemed to calm down after that, giving people some breathing room (albeit a little, if any). A challenge for the lead ensued with ten laps to go. Rocco tried the inside groove with no success. He still kept himself close to Christopher, however, just in case he wanted to try anything else in the closing laps. Was there going to be anything else? Yes. Somewhat. But not close enough. On the final lap, Rocco tried one last move. That move worked. It was enough to give Rocco his eighth win of the season. (It was also his 17th win with at least 20 cars, putting him one win away from perfection.) Christopher finished second, with Preece getting his second straight third-place finish of the night. Owen finished in fourth.

Next week is going to be another good program. You have the second of two Late Model 100s of the season. Add in two races for the Limited Late Models, and we’ve got enough racing to make you excited. It happens weather permitting.

An Event Made for TV

As the month of August rolled around on the calendar, the weeks of busy Friday nights continued at Stafford. The first week of the eighth month brought yet another appearance for the Whelen Modified Tour. The event in question was the Town Fair Tire 150. Along with the Tour, there were Stafford’s usual five weekly divisions. Action? Madness? Both and more were going to be there.

First up on the docket was qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour. Ronnie Silk set fast time, putting up a time of 18.296 seconds (translating to 93.382 miles an hour). (Later on, it was determined that the top six cars would redraw for the race later on in the evening. Bobby Grigas, III and Erick Rudolph would be the two to bring the field to the green flag.)

After the presentation of awards and opening ceremonies, it was time for the features to roll off.

The night started with the DARE Stocks. It began with Stephanie Berardi leading the charge. Behind her were Cliff Saunders, who moved himself into second, and Vince Gambacorta, who he took the second spot from. C. Saunders closed the little gap between himself and Berardi, and it took him a little more than two laps before he took over the lead. As for Berardi? Well, she ended up as part of the first caution of the night with three laps down. In turns three and four, Berardi ended up spinning in front of most of the field. Only a few drivers ended up with some damage (none of it major), but it still prompted a caution. Over the course of the caution, however, track cleanup lasted a bit longer than the cleanup crew expected (fluid was dumped all over the track). A brief red flag came out. Once everything was cleaned up, it was back to green flag racing. C. Saunders retook the lead on the restart, followed by Albert Saunders - meaning it was a battle of the brothers. Behind them, it was Tony Membrino, Jr in third, being pressured from behind by Kyle Casagrande. Back in front, it was the brothers leading the way. As the laps ticked down, it seemed as though they were going to get the race done quickly. But a caution with four laps to go (a spin involving Paul Jensen) put the field under caution situation once again. It was a quick restart, and before one knew it, the green was right back out. This time, however, A. Saunders was pushed out to the front - thanks to K. Casagrande. Second was a fight between C. Saunders, K. Casagrande, and Membrino. C. Saunders had the momentum at the moment, and third belonged to Membrino after a quick tussle. In a battle for fourth, Jeff Jolly ended up spinning as the leader took the white flag. Would he be able to go? The field was coming. Membrino tried to take over second; he managed to do so, but the lap would not be completed and the caution came out for the third time. A. Saunders would be placed back in second, setting Membrino back into third. The restart happened without hesitation. C. Saunders and A. Saunders raced side by side for the duration of the lap. By the time they hit the stripe, A. Saunders had the lead. The two raced side by side once again for most of the last lap. A. Saunders got loose in turns three and four, giving C. Saunders the advantage. He’d come to pick up his first win of the season. Membrino finished in second, with K. Casagrande in third. Cory Casagrande finished off the board in fourth.

Next up, the Late Models. Adam Gray was the first leader when he took control on the first lap. Tom Fearn found his way into second. Third belonged to Corey Hutchings, while Michael Bennett was in fourth after a brief fight for the position. On the third lap, Hutchings was moving up towards the front. He passed Fearn for second. Bennett followed and fell into the third spot. Four laps into the race, the first caution came out for an incident in turn two. Tom Butler suffered some damage, and Tony Lafo also came down onto pit road. On the restart, Gray once again took the lead. This time, however, second belonged to Bennett, who took over the spot from Hutchings. Neither driver was ready to quit. By the time they crossed the line to complete the sixth lap, both Bennett and Hutchings passed Gray for the lead. Third now belonged to Woody Pitkat. Meanwhile, Bennett started to build on his lead. He was about half a straightway ahead of second place Hutchings. Beginning with nine laps to go, a fight for third took place between Pitkat and Keith Rocco. The spot was won over by Rocco on the same lap, but he had a ways to go before he could catch up to second. Back up to first, Bennett continued his joyride ahead of the rest of the field. It was more than enough, and it was the second win of the season for Bennett. Hutchings had to settle for second. Rocco finished third, while Pitkat ended in fourth.

The SK Lights took to the track next. It didn’t start out lovely. Within the first lap, there was already a caution. After Earl Pelletier ended up going through the grass, dirt was kicked up onto the track in turn one and it prompted the yellow to come out. After things were cleaned up, it was back to racing. Kyle Spencer was the first official leader of the race. His reign as the leader lasted a lap, as there was trouble in turn one. Frank Cardile ended up in the safer barrier. As his car was being towed off the track, it was decided that his night was over. When the green came back out, a fight broke out. A fight for the lead, that is. It was Spencer between Jay Goff in a race for the lead. The lead was given to Goff, and he began to pull away. The lead was short lived with four laps on the board, when Harry Wheeler spun on the frontstretch. He tried to fire the car up, but it was too late. The caution came out. Meanwhile, Ted Cain and Steve Greer also went around - their spin was in turn one. Both drivers joined Wheeler in the back of the field as the restart happened. Spencer reclaimed the lead, followed by a hard-charging Joey Cipriano. Cipriano made a charge for the lead and earned it as the leaders came across the stripe to finish off the sixth lap. Behind them, the battle for third was picking up between a few different cars. Unfortunately, the battle was about to come to a close on the ninth lap. Spencer hit the outside retaining wall on the frontstretch - hard - and settled high in the first and second turns. Goff was stranded in the turn two grass. It became the third caution of the event. The restart was between a pair of youngsters in the division. Cipriano and Thomas Barrett, Jr. It only took a lap before Barrett passed Cipriano to become the next leader of the race. The rest of the race ran green flag the whole way, giving Barrett his sixth win of the season. Cipriano came in to finish second, with Matt Galko in third and Dylan Liseo in fourth.

From one modified division to another, the SK Modifieds were next. Like the SK Lights, this race didn’t start well, either. The accident on the frontstretch contained many cars; others drove above and below the melee to try to clear it. The number of cars involved (minor or major) was too much to count. The caution came out immediately. Was the restart going to be any better than the original start? Yes… Somewhat. Another incident in turns one and two set Keith Rocco and Ted Christopher back a bit, but they managed to get going again and no caution came out. Meanwhile, the fight for first was well underway. It took two laps before Eric Berndt managed to pull ahead of Mark Bakaj. Battles for position were also in progress through the first thirteen positions (at least). Chris Jones moved into second, with Dan Avery on his bumper behind him in third. Also coming through the field during the green flag run was Frank Ruocco, who ended up fifth by the 11th lap. However, an accident with that many laps on the board slowed the field down. Tom Bolles and Kirk Zervas ended up high in the first and second turns, bringing out yet another caution. After semi-extensive cleanup by the safer barrier, the green came back out and the race was back on. And the battle for the lead was on. Berndt and Jones battled for the first spot, with the winner of the fight being Berndt. In second was now Woody Pitkat, who wanted the lead for himself. With 14 laps on the board, there was a new leader in Pitkat. Berndt wasn’t willing to just lie down and die, and he attempted to take back the lead with a fight of his own. He’d have a shot on the restart, when Chris Jensen wrecked on the frontstretch and ended up sitting idly in front of the starter’s stand. The caution was back out with 16 laps on the board. After more cleanup, there was a restart. Pitkat once again found himself fighting with Berndt for the lead. Pitkat picked up the lead again, leaving Berndt to try to pull a move of his own to get his former lead back. Deeper into the field, there were two familiar numbers coming back up to the front - Rocco and Christopher, who were in earlier incidents and on pit road quite a few times each. By the lap-24 point, they were in fifth and seventh respectively. While they were putting on moves, two more sets of drivers were trying to pull of magic of their own. Pitkat and Berndt were battling for the lead, while Avery was trying to do something against Ruocco for third. It seemed like nobody was willing to budge. Suddenly, things went haywire. Rocco had a problem - it seemed like a nerf bar was rubbing on the tire - and with three laps to go, he spun in turn two, bringing out the caution. The lead that Pitkat and Berndt jointly had shrunk and they were going to have to fight it out again on the incoming restart. The restart began with a dragrace down the frontstretch. It was even Steven down the backstretch as well. But in turns three and four, Pitkat reclaimed the lead. Berndt once again was forced to run in second. Sean Foster ended up spinning in turn four as the field took the white flag lap. There was no yellow as he managed to get going, but by then, the race was over. The checkered flag came out for Pitkat, giving him his second win of the season. Berndt finished second. Ruocco ended up in third, followed by Avery in fourth.

The schedule originally called for the Limited Late Models up next. But instead of them, it was time for the Whelen Modified Tour and the main event: The Town Fair Tire 150. (Which you can watch Wednesday night at 7pm on Versus.) The command to start engines was given at 9:35pm EST. They rolled off a minute later. And five minutes after the command, the race was on. Bobby Grigas, III and Erick Rudolph battled for the lead early on, but Rudolph was able to get around his linemate on the front row and assume the leadership position on the first lap. Mike Stefanik moved into second, putting the race’s pole sitter in third. But in front of them, it was all Rudolph, all the time as he had a half straightaway lead in the first ten laps of the event. By the lap fifteen mark, the field was running single file - save for a bit of action further into the field. By lap 25, the leaders began the task of going through what was going to be lapped traffic. But on lap 30, things shook up. Grigas had problems in turn one, moving drivers from seventh up to third, where he originally ran, up a position. This gave Todd Szegedy control of third and Ted Christopher possession of fourth. They had quite a distance, however, to get to Rudolph, who was in control of the early portion of the race so far. The next distraction came on lap 43, when Rowan Pennink was brought into pit road because of smoke. Five laps later (48 laps into the race), the first caution came out. It came out when Jamie Tomaino and Woody Pitkat found each other in turns one and two and collided. This gave the leaders a prime chance to head to pit road for some tires and any adjustments they might have needed. This gave the lead to Doug Coby. Ronnie Silk exited pit road first and was scored as second. Eric Beers and Stefanik were the next two off of pit road and were going to restart in third and fourth respectively. The restart took place with 56 laps down. Fresher tires paid off, and Silk took over as leader of the race. Stefanik moved into second easily. Unfortunately, the green flag run was short lived - it lasted all of two laps - as Michael Speeney showed sparks and ended up spinning in turn one. He’d rejoin the field at the tail end. On lap 63, there was a restart. It took a lap for Stefanik to get around Silk for the lead, and with 64 laps down, he’d become the new leader. Silk was still right behind him, though, with Szegedy joining the party as well (in third). The party was short lived as the third caution came out with 68 laps on the board. Speeney was involved in a minor incident with Wade Cole (Cole was the one who spun in turn four; Speeney ended up coming to a stop next to his driver’s side). The restart occurred with 72 laps in the book. It was Stefanik getting the jump on things and retaking the lead. Silk and Szegedy fought for the second spot. Szegedy’d take the spot with 73 laps down. The halfway point of the race came and went with no problems, and only five laps later, things started to happen once again. Coby spun coming down the backstretch and ended up stranded in turn three. He was able to go without the caution coming out. Unfortunately, the caution did come out with 81 laps on the board. A three-car incident in turns one and two (involving Ed Flemke, Jr, Coby, and Ken Heagy) brought out the yellow for the fourth time. (Coby was brought down to pit road for a one-lap penalty during the caution for rough riding.) Once the dust was settled, it was time for a restart with 88 laps down in the race. A duel took place on the restart between Stefanik and Szegedy. Stefanik had the advantage at the line. Fortunately for him, he’d still have the advantage as the yellow came out again for a multi-car combination spin/wreck in turn one. The fifth caution was on lap 89. The restart was going to come on lap 95, but Heagy wanted to come up to get a free pass and was accidentally bumped by Silk. The caution came out again so he could get around and get his free pass. The next restart was on lap 97 with the leaders - Stefanik and Szegedy - fighting for the lead. As they came to complete the lap (98), Szegedy became the new leader. The caution would come out again on lap 100 for fluid that had been dumped on the track from Bobby Santos. The track’s safety team was coming to dump speedy dry over the track, which prompted a red flag on lap 100. The red flag was lifted, and on lap 107, they were back to green. Again, it was a duel between Szegedy and Stefanik, with neither driver backing down. On lap 109, it was clear that Szegedy was the leader once again. Stefanik had to sit in second, with Silk breathing down his back. As the laps ticked by, it seemed as though there were no problems. But there was no change in position among the leaders. By the lap 138 mark, Szegedy had stretched his lead to just under a half straightaway. By the time there was officially ten laps to go, the lead was a half straightaway. The rest of the race ran caution free, and the race belonged to Szegedy. Stefanik finished in second, followed by Silk in third and Rudolph in fourth.

Wait, there’s more! There was still the Limited Late Model race to run. It started with Carla Botticello getting out in front early as the chaos happened behind her. Michael Wray and Kevin Gambacorta wrecked on the backstretch; only Gambacorta couldn’t get going. It prompted a caution with only a lap on the board. Under the caution, Gambacorta was able to get going and he pulled away. On the restart, it took two turns before Botticello could pull ahead again. Second, however, now belonged to Dan Flannery after he passed Jesse Hinze on the second lap. During the next few laps, Flannery closed the gap between him and first place Botticello. With only five laps to go in the event, Flannery started to run side by side with Botticello. It wasn’t until they got to turn three when Flannery had the advantage, and he crossed the line to complete the 16th lap as the leader. He started to pull away from Botticello at that point. His lead was erased with three laps to go when Andrew Durand erupted in smoke in turn four, prompting the caution to come out once again. Flannery commanded the lead once again on the restart, and again began to pull away from the field. The lead wasn’t what he had before the caution came out, but it was a lead. And it was enough to give him the win - his fifth of the season. Botticello finished in second, with Hinze close behind her in third. Shawn Thibeault finished off the board in fourth.

The next event on the schedule of events features the SK Modifieds once again. This time, they're to make up a feature that was supposed to be run on July 16. It's a twin billing with the fastest division Stafford has to offer. All six races for five divisions happens weather permitting.