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.

More Fall Final News

It's a wet and rainy Friday afternoon. The practice that was scheduled for today has been cancelled because... Yeah, you guessed it. That doesn't stop me from delivering three more pieces of news for you.

+ The grand marshal will be Bob Alderton, a Regional Manager for CARQuest Belts and Hoses. Not only will he be giving the command to start engines, but he'll be doing a few laps on a Harley before the Whelen Modified Tour race begins.

And these other two don't have links, but they're on the front page of the Stafford site.

+ The honorary starter is Kyle McGowan, a fourth generation starter from Wall Stadium. He has also flagged for the North-South Shootout and events at Atlantic City.

+ And the trophy girl for the weekend is second grader Madison Kretschman. She was the state's finalist at the All American Girl Pageant back in August (Little Miss division, national finals).

Your Fall Final Megapost

Yes, it's midweek. It's usually the day I check the weather reports and try to figure out if it's going to rain or not. I can't do that this week, however, because... Oh, let's see... They don't race on Friday. It's the weekend of the Fall Final, and that means that I'm going to hold off weather checks until Thursday and/or Friday.

I can and will, however, give you a megapost of newsworthy preportions.

Whelen Modified Tour
+ You have stories on the first and second place drivers in points going into the Fall Final - Mike Stefanik and Bobby Santos, III. They're separated by seven points.
+ The Rookie of the Year championship is also up for grabs. Justin Bonsignore leads Richie Pallai, Jr by four points (116-112).

NWAMS Divisions
+ From the "most of this you'll know" department: The Late Model championship will be decided between two guys. Woody Pitkat and Ryan Posocco. Cut back to two weeks ago, when I said that there was four points separating the two. It's six with a race to go. Still anyone's championship to lose.
+ The SK Light championship is also a six-point separation. And it comes down to two teenagers. This season, I said there was a youth movement in the SK Lights. What I said lived up to its name. Matt Galko had been the points leader since June, until he wrecked out of the last Friday night race. Barrett's tenth win of the season gave him the six-point lead going into the last race on Saturday. (And the NASCAR Division III Asphalt championship.)

Coming Down the Stretch

It's the final Friday night of racing tomorrow. Whatever we get tonight (and it's still coming) probably won't hinder what happens in less than 24 hours. On top of all that, it's time for the weekly articles, straight from the Stafford site. Enjoy, and I'll be back with the weekly article from what happened in the final regular night of racing.

+ The national championship that was decided a few weeks ago is not the only national championship that is awarded on a yearly basis. I didn't know that there are five divisions. (I knew there were at least two a few years back.) In the Division III championship race, Tommy Barrett is currently the leader of said division going into this weekend's racing, ahead of two guys from All American Speedway. He has 553 points against Christopher Lambert's 499. Other SK Light drivers who are in the top-10 of the Division III points: Matt Galko (4th; 493), Joey Cipriano (6th; 469), and Erica Santos (10th; 434). The division points page (which is found here) has the standings from the other divisions still up for grabs as well - Stafford is represented quite nicely.

+ In Fall Final news, the CARQuest Belts and Hoses Pit Party will be giving out bags to the first 700 people to walk onto the track via the turn one entrance.

+ Speaking of the Fall Final, it seems as though the Whelen Modified Tour will have a good points race coming into the race. This week, they're at New Hampshire. But at the moment, the top three are separated by a mere 61 points.

+ Another close point race? The Late Model points race. Ryan Posocco once had a 48 point lead over Woody Pitkat. But two weeks can change everything. The current lead? Four points. This one will be going to the Fall Final to decide.

Modified Tours Galore!

Your Earl update? A dinky category 1 hurricane.

Get ready for this one. Next week? Very interesting. The next few weeks? Just as interesting. The visualization of having more than one modified tour coming to Stafford in the span of about a month has become a reality. Not only will the Whelen Modifieds be coming back for the Fall Final at the start of October, but next Friday night will mark the debut appearance for the Modified Racing Series.

All of the news, information, and whatnot is here in this semi-megapost.

Modified Racing Series
+ You want an entry list? Here you go. Tentatively put at 40 drivers.
+ On that entry list are a few Stafford SK drivers. One of which is Todd Owen. He's started two races so far in this season, and hasn't posted anything in the top-20. If good luck's going to come, he's hoping it comes at Stafford.
+ Ryan Preece is also on the MRS entry list as well - with the 2x. The number may be familiar as famous drivers of the past have been behind the wheel. It'll be the first time that Preece drives it up north. His last race in this car? New Smyrna.

Whelen Modified Tour
+ The schedule is over on the sidebar.
+ You'll also be getting the entry list for this race as well.

Blast From Last Year

In my attempts to get stuff done over the course of the winter, I desperately tried to upload a particular three videos to YouTube. I had failed at getting them up in a grand total of three attempts until a couple of weeks ago.

I was also planning on sharing this video with you at some point in time before the season actually began - I figure now's a perfect time to do just that.

Here is a trip down memory lane for you. On the rainy Saturday of the Fall Final last season, I had recorded three separate videos of the Whelen Modified Tour in a few practice sessions. Enjoy the following YouTube clip, courtesy of my own page.

Versus Announces Modified Tour TV Schedule

Stafford is getting a little air time this season, and it's more than you'd expect.

Two of the four Whelen Modified Tour races are confirmed to be a part of the package of races seen on Versus this upcoming season. In a press release from NASCAR (and reported the day before by the Courant), the Town Fair Tire 150 and the Fall Final will be seen on Versus in 2010.

Both races, along with seven others from both the Whelen Modified Tour and the Whelen Southern Modified Tour, will be shown twice after the event has concluded; the exception is the Bowman Gray Southern Tour race on the 7th of August.

The schedule is as follows (Stafford dates in italics):

July 31: WMT at Riverhead (August 4 @ 7pm and August 8 @ 11pm)
August 6: WMT at Stafford (August 11 @ 7pm and August 15 @ 11pm)
August 7: WSMT at Bowman Gray (August 18 @ 7pm and August 22 @ 11 pm)
August 12: WMT at Thompson (August 25 @ 7pm and August 29 @ 12am)
August 28: WSMT at Caraway (September 1 @ 7pm and September 5 @ 11 pm)
September 4: WSMT at Langley (September 8 @ 7pm and September 12 @ 11 pm)
September 15: WSMT at Tri-County (September 29 @ 7pm and October 3 @ 11 pm)
October 3: WMT at Stafford (October 6 @ 7pm and October 10 @ 11 pm)
October 17: WMT at Thompson (October 20 @ 7pm and October 24 @ 11 pm)

The good news is that Versus and DirecTV have indeed made nice, so you will be able to watch these events if you are a DirecTV customer.

Can You Pencil Me In? Schedule's Out!

This is the second of three parts, and no, I don't think I'm going to finish this within the night. Consider these late ones Thanksgiving day treats.

So... What happened yesterday (Wednesday)? Was something finally released? Well, maybe it wasn't technically Wednesday, but it was this week that the 2010 Stafford schedule of events was released. And you're getting all of it (at least the special events) in a fine list form. Enjoy.

NOTE: This is always subject to change -- may it be rain or just something else.

April 23-25: 39th annual Tech-Net Spring Sizzler
May 7: Bi-annual Late Model 100
May 28: 20th annual Connecticut Classic 125 (WMT date)
June 11: 37th annual Coors Light SK 100
July 6: CARQuest Extreme Tuesday (ISMA, NEMA, Pro-4)
July 23: 7th annual CARQuest SK 150
August 6: 20th annual Stafford 150 (WMT date)
August 20: Bi-annual Late Model 100
October 1-3: 38th annual CARQuest Fall Final

Fireworks nights will be June 18, July 2, and September 3. All kids (14 and under) will be admitted free to the June 18 show if they're with an adult.

Other important dates to remember:

March 28: Connecticut Motorcycle Swap Meet
April 11: Ty-Rods Automotive Swap Meet
June 27: Connecticut Motorcycle Swap Meet
July 24-25: 3rd annual 24 Hours of LeMons
July 31-August 1: USHRA Monster Jam
August 15: Connecticut Motorcycle Swap Meet
October 17: Ty-Rods Automotive Swap Meet
October 31: Connecticut Motorcycle Swap Meet

The Schedule Takes Shape

With the calendar still on 2009, the 2010 Stafford schedule is taking shape. Only four definite events are on the schedule so far, and all of them have to do with the Whelen Modified Tour.

The four dates to circle on your calendar for next year (if you have one) are...

+ April 25 (Spring Sizzler weekend)
+ May 28 (a Friday)
+ August 6 (a Friday)
+ October 3 (Fall Final weekend)

That also tells you that the season will run once again from the last weekend in April to the first weekend in October. No word yet on when the rest of the 2010 SMS schedule will be released. When it does come out, I'll give you the important dates.

Results of October 4 [The Better Late Than Never Edition]

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Doing more things that I shouldn't have been doing lately. Tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to give you the written results from Fall Final weekend -- it's been two weeks since things wrapped up at Stafford and I fail with time management. And then I'll do what I promised and give you the rest of those championship stories as soon as I post this. Cool? Awesome. Apologies to those of you who were waiting and waiting but never saw the post.)

Well, we've done it. I don't know where the summer months have gone, but this past weekend was the final time this year that Stafford held racing. And it was amazing as usual. It was supposed to be a three-day event, but the rains came on Saturday and completely crammed all of the Fall Final activities into Sunday. That meant that besides the five weekly divisions, you had the Whelen Modified Tour there for their 150-lapper and the debut of the Mini Stocks all at the same time. Mass chaos all over the place, and that means only one thing... The end of the road. Here is the recap of October 4, 2009.

The event that started it all on Sunday was the DARE Stock feature event. What a way to kick things off. The afternoon/evening of racing began with Duane Provost getting the lead early. Drivers running in the top-five included Andrew Hayes in fourth and the Saunders twins (Albert in third and Cliff in fifth). They ran single file until lap-5, when Kyle Casagrande hit the wall in turn two -- CAUTION. The restart was fine, if only for a short bit. Both Provost and Jim Brice ended up in a spin/accident in turns one and two on lap-6 -- CAUTION. Apparently, Provost leaked fluid or blew the motor in his car. Either way, his day was done. This gave Albert Saunders and Hayes the front row for the next restart. It was a restart that Hayes got the jump on. He became the new leader on lap-7. Coming up to second from fifth was Don Wood, who sat back comfortably behind Hayes for a couple of laps. The next yellow came out on lap-12, as Lori-Jo Rzeszutek spun in turn four and didn't get going until way past too late -- CAUTION. A restart with four laps ensued between Hayes and Wood that proved to be all kinds of awesome. Wood claimed the lead on the restart, with Hayes now in second. It seemed as though Wood was going to make it to victory lane as the winner, but Hayes was coming. In the final turns, Hayes went down to the inside and managed to pass Wood, then cleared him just enough to get to the finish line first, giving him his first career win at Stafford. Wood ended up finishing second. Tony Membrino, Jr finished third, with Albert Saunders in fourth.

Second up was the Stafford debut of the Mini Stocks. Cars from four different tracks came for this event. Pretty interesting turn of events in this one. It began with Randy Curchill, Jr with an early lead. His lead lasted a lap, as on lap-2, multiple cars behind him spun in turns three and four -- CAUTION. Most of them did pull away pre-yellow, while others drove away after the fact. It was a quick caution. When the green came back out, there was a new leader in Chris Williams. Williams had the lead in tact for the next four laps. On lap-6, Chad Baxter claimed the lead from Williams. Two laps later, Alan Hall, Jr ended up spinning in turn four -- CAUTION. It was after that when things got a bit crazy. Williams retook the lead on the restart, and Joe Kendall moved up into third. The lead that Williams had brought the race to lap-12, as Baxter took over for the second time in the race. Baxter also brought Kendall with him, putting Williams back into third. Kendall attempted a move around Baxter coming to take the white flag, but ended up spinning into the grass as the two made contact. Kendall did in fact keep moving. But back out front, it was nobody but Baxter. He cruised to the win, with Williams in second, Mark Panaroni in third, and Steve Michalski in fourth.

Closing out the first act (feature-wise) was the SK Light feature. It didn't start off too well. Two laps into the race, Lauren Cooper and Earl Pelletier found the concrete wall in turn one and smacked it hard -- CAUTION. When the green came back out, John Hanafin took the lead from Kyle Spencer. The race was green for a while, giving people like Tommy Membrino, Jr a chance to move through the field. Membrino was up to second by lap-19, when Harry Wheeler spun in turn three -- CAUTION. The restart was nice while it lasted. Shawn Brule spun in turn four and the yellow didn't come out until lap-20 -- CAUTION. So what did this mean? A third attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. Yeah, not so good. On the restart, Hanafin and Membrino got together a slight bit, with the loser of the battle being Hanafin. He went around and collected three other cars. Adam Skowyra ended up slightly on top of Hanafin's car -- CAUTION. The new front row was Membrino and Heather DesRochers. And on the restart, DesRochers got the jump she needed. She took control and went by Membrino. Membrino kept close to her bumper through the final two laps, and nearly got close to passing her for the lead, but it was DesRochers who claimed her second win of the season. Membrino had to settle for second, with John Montesanto and Tony Santangelo finishing the board.

The break from all of the features took place with the Whelen Modified Tour time trials. It was supposed to be 32 cars taking time, but one of the cars had trouble during practice, leading into time trials, and couldn't get two laps in. So 31 cars ended up going out for two laps each. Fast time was set by Donny Lia, who posted a time of 18.579 -- equaling out to 96.884 miles per hour. Results of the redraw and the race itself later.

After time trials, it was time to get down to business once again. SK Modified feature time. Anyone for a little chaos in your Fall Final event? This race had some of that. To start, there was Wade Mattesen getting the early lead. And by early, I mean about a lap's worth of lead. On lap-2, the first lead change of the race occurred as Curt Brainard passed Mattesen for the lead. Following Brainard around Mattesen was Richie Pallai, Jr. But Pallai wanted the lead and was pressuring Brainard for it as soon as the two of them were clear of Mattesen. Jeff Malave and Chris Matthews spun/got into an accident in turn three on lap-5 -- CAUTION. This set up a restart with Brainard and Pallai on the front row, a restart in which Pallai won. Joining Pallai were the three heavy hitters in Keith Rocco, Woody Pitkat, and Ted Christopher. Rocco wasn't going to settle for second, and on lap-10, he became the third leader as he passed Pallai. As for Pallai, his day ended on the very next lap after he met the turn four wall -- CAUTION. Christopher helped Pallai get there and was sent to the back of the field courtesy of a black flag. Back up front, however, it was Rocco who kept the lead on the restart. Now running behind him were Matt Gallo and Doug Coby. Coby wasted little time getting around Gallo for second (neither did Pitkat, sending Gallo back to fourth). And that was how they ran... Until lap-21, when someone dropped fluid down onto the racetrack coming off of pit road. The fluid was all down the backstretch and into turn three -- CAUTION. As soon as all of the fluid was removed from the track surface, it was back to green. And it was Rocco still out in front. Pitkat had found his way into second, and Todd Owen had moved past Coby for third. Josh Sylvester moved up into the top-five. This was how the top-five shaped out at lap-27, when Kirk Zervas spun in turn four -- CAUTION. (Now, apologies for confusing myself after this point.) At some point in time between the previous caution and any later cautions, there was one that occurred in turn four between Josh Sylvester and Christopher. Christopher had been working his way through the field since he was put to the back of the field earlier, and the two of them ended up in the turn four wall -- CAUTION. (Okay, confusion over.) When it was back to green, something happened. For some reason, Rocco didn't get up to speed and he was punted back to third. Pitkat became the new leader of the event, with Coby coming back up into second. Rocco's falter didn't hurt him, and he passed Coby for second on lap-32. On the very next lap, Nicole Morgillo hit the backstretch wall hard -- CAUTION. The red had replaced the yellow and an extra ambulance was needed. After the accident scene was cleared, it was back to green. Pitkat continued to hold the lead, while Coby's luck ran out on lap-35 after he went through the grass on the backstretch and came to a rest in turn three -- CAUTION. Pitkat's good run ended shortly after the restart. Although he took the lead, he began to slow down considerably, giving Rocco the lead while going to pit road at the same time on lap-36. Brit Andersen now found himself in second and Owen moved up to third. While Andersen and Owen fought for position, Rocco pulled away and collected his sixth win of the season. Owen managed to get by Andersen for second, while Gallo finished fourth.

One of two divisions still champion-less going into the final weekend was the Limited Late Model division. The battle was a good one. Andrew Durand only led Dan Flannery by twenty points; ten positions on the track was the difference between Durand winning and losing the championship. That magic number came into play during the race. How? Well, starting at the beginning, you had Joe Nogiec leading the way. He had the lead for a lap before Shawn Thibeault took over as the leader. Behind him followed George Nocera, Jr and Kevin Gambacorta, dropping Nogiec into fourth. With the green still out at the halfway mark, Thibeault was still leading, but with a different look behind him. Second was now Gambacorta. Flannery was sitting in third, with Nocera making up the top-four. This was how they ran when Christopher Harris spun in turn two; lap-14 -- CAUTION. And it was the same order as Jesse Hinze spun while going down the backstretch on the very next lap -- CAUTION. On the restart, the lead changed hands as Flannery moved past Thibeault to claim first, but the lead was short lived as lap-16 had Marc Russell and Michael Chaves wrecked in turns one and two -- CAUTION. The restart had to be done again, and again, it was Flannery to take the lead. Thibeault fell in the second spot. But it was two-laps worth of action before Corky Hinze, Bill Goldrick, and another car ended up in distress coming out of the turn four area -- CAUTION. Durand was assessed a penalty for rough riding and was sent to the back of the pack. The magic number was still ten (or eleven, but that would have meant the points leaders would be tied), and that was how many cars Durand had to pass in order to win the championship. He had a little help on the restart, as Gambacorta, Norm Sears, and Carla Botticello were involved in an accident in turn one -- CAUTION. Other cars were involved in the accident; meaning Durand had picked up a few spots to help out in the championship cause. Meanwhile, back up front, Thibeault retook the lead from Flannery on the ensuing restart. Rob Dow moved into second. Flannery encountered a bit of bad luck as a tire was going down (right rear). He spun in turn four, yet continued to go. The race remained under green-flag conditions. The remaining laps belonged to Thibeault, and he crossed the line to pick up his second win of the season. Dave Yardley, III passed Dow for second, with Nocera finishing the top-four. And the winner of the Limited Late Model track championship was Durand, who finished eighth to Flannery's fourteenth.

It was now time for the main event. The Whelen Modified Tour took to the track for their 150-lap feature. Earlier in the afternoon, at some point in time during either the SK Modified or Limited Late Model feature, the results of the redraw were as follows: The front row was Eric Berndt and Richie Pallai, Jr. Fast time setter Donny Lia was starting fourth. It was not going to be a bad starting position for him. All in all, there were seven different lead changes in the race, between five different drivers. Those drivers were Berndt, Lia, James Civali, Joe Hartmann, back to Civali, back to Lia, Ryan Preece, and then finally, back to Lia. It was a caution-filled race, as there were ten cautions that took up 42-laps of racing time. Oh... And the race went into extra laps. 153 of them, to be exact. As already stated, Lia was the final leader of the race, and held off Doug Coby to claim the win. Preece and Civali finished third and fourth respectively. Between Ted Christopher's bad day (involved in two separate incidents early in the race; lap-17 and lap-25) and Lia's win, Lia is the new points leader going into the final race at Thompson. Preece is second, only 26 points back. Christopher is 109 back, and is a longshot to win the title.

After what was an amazing Tour race, it was time for the Late Model race. It was also the last division to crown a champion. With three drivers still in contention to win the championship, it was anyone's race to win. And lose. So who would come out on top? We begin with Adam Gray taking the lead from Brian Chapin when the race began. This lead lasted all of two laps before Michael Bennett and another driver spun up in turns one and two -- CAUTION. Gray kept the lead on the restart, still with Chapin running in second. The rest of the top-five began to change dramatically, with a championship contender in Jim Peterson now running in fifth. While Gray started to drive away from the rest of the field, Peterson continued to climb up through what little of the field there was in front of him, moving up into third. The lead that Gray had established was erased come lap-14, as Dillon Moltz, another championship contender, spun on the backstretch -- CAUTION. Back to green, and it was still Gray out in front. Peterson was now in second. The third championship contender, Ryan Posocco, had managed to crack the top-five. The next yellow-flag incident came at lap-18, which included Dave Wray, John Kasper, and another car -- CAUTION. After the green came back out again, Gray powered back into the lead. In second was now Posocco, who was looking for the lead. He'd manage to get the lead from Gray on lap-23. Upon taking the lead away, Posocco immediately began to pull away from the field. It was a no contest: Posocco was not going to be caught. It was his fourth win of the year. Tom Butler ended up finishing second, with Tom Fearn in third and JJ Hill in fourth. With a fifth place finish, Peterson became the 2009 Late Model track champion; the third championship of his career.

The absolute last thing on the agenda (and I mean that literally) was the 8-lap Paradiso-Muska DARE Stock Shootout. There aren't a whole lot of requirements that go into a race like this. All one has to do is win a DARE Stock race in the season, from Spring Sizzler weekend to Fall Final weekend, and they're in. The one true question before this race was: Which driver was going to get bragging rights? Well, things kicked off with Victoria Bergenty taking the lead as the greens came out to start the race. She took off and things seemed fine at first sight with the dozen drivers in the race. But things started to get pretty shaky on lap-2, when Stephanie Berardi and Kyle Casagrande (in a backup car) wrecked coming out of turn two. Berardi spun and Casagrande just seemed to drive right into the side -- CAUTION. When the cleanup finished and the race continued, it was Bergenty back out in the lead. Tony Membrino, Jr moved into second, and the two of them started to pull away from the field. Although it looked like it was going to be a two-car show for the win, in all actuality, it was Bergenty who pulled away (slightly) from Membrino to pick up the win. Membrino finished second, with Robert Thompson and Andrew Hayes finishing off the board.

This is where I usually tell you about what's coming up on Friday and that you must go because it's going to be another great night of racing. But you know something? I can't. The season's over. What a ride. Nothing could cap off the season than the nine things I covered in this. Fun times. Until next year, I wish you well. Stay safe, and enjoy your winter.

Called It

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I left the track a bit early today. My exit took place about an hour ago, and I've been home long enough to finally get confirmation.

According to The Chrome Horn (and confirmed all over the racing blogosphere), Stafford was not going to get their Saturday stuff in today.

So a few things are going to happen. First, there will be pre-noon practice Sunday, just like I predicted in another thread about the Fall Final. Second, there will be no pit party. Only the Whelen Modified Tour will be qualifying (how do you line up Mini Stocks that are from all corners of Connecticut?).

See you Sunday. Hopefully with more shine than rain.

Pre-Fall Final Observations

Went to see a little bit of the open practice on Friday. Here's what I learned:

• This is usually the weekend where an influx of non-SMS regulars show up. There were a few, especially in the SK Modifieds. Jeff Pearl (Waterford) was there, as well as Josh Sylvester (related to Zach) among others.
• As far as I know -- and going with MyLaps as guidance -- Brit Andersen was practicing in the SK Modifieds. If you were there, and you saw the #66 SK, then it was Brit. Sponsors on that car are the same as the SK Light. GoToMyPC and Citrix.
• The Mini Stocks may look like they're going exceptionally slow at first, but I promise that once you get 25-30 of them on the track at once, they'll put on a show.

Just a few quick things that you should know about what's coming up this weekend. Or Sunday. Weather doesn't look too good for Saturday. Rain is coming (or here) and it's not going away until late. At least Sunday doesn't look too bad.

Quite a Few Things; All Fall Final Related [FF MEGAPOST]

Whoops. Where has the year gone! I can remember coming on here to post news about the start of the season, and we're already at the end of September. I can't imagine what has happened. Looks like time does fly fast when you're having fun.

I've got a few stories to post for you, so let's do that before I procrastinate any longer than I already have been.

SCHEDULE RELATED
One race to go. One last link to post here (I hope). The schedule for the CARQuest Fall Final (part the 37th) can be found if you either click here or if you go off to the sidebar and look for all of the helpful links in regards to this weekend. There have been rumors of a rain date -- the weekend afterward, October 9-11, with maybe Columbus Day just in case -- but there may or may not be a need for that now since Sunday looks like it's going to clear up. Who knows? We'll find out when Saturday and Sunday get here.

DRIVER ROSTER RELATED
I've posted these with the schedule as well, over on the side in the sidebar. There are two driver rosters you have to be concerned about. They belong to the Whelen Modified Tour, which makes the final of four appearances this year, and the Mini Stocks, which are coming from just about all over the New England region. 41 Mini Stocks are expected to show up, including three guaranteed entries through qualifiers over the summer.

NEWS ARTICLES
A few stories you should brush up on between now and this weekend:

+ Ryan Preece is in third place in points coming into this weekend's event. He's 12 points behind Ted Christopher. A win in this could certainly shake up the championship battle as Thompson still looms over the horizon.
+ The winner of the last two Fall Final events at Stafford (WMT-wise)? Mike Stefanik. He's looking to win his third Fall Final event in a row. Eight of Stefanik's 20 career WMT wins at Stafford have come via way of the Fall Final.
+ Richie Pallai, Jr is hoping two things happen: First, that he wins the SK Modified race (he won the race during Spring Sizzler weekend). Second, he'd really like to start the WMT race. He missed the field last time by .004 seconds.

LATE MODEL NEWS
And to finish things up in a megapost of epic proportions, a quick sidenote that CoCo Key Water Resort will be sponsoring the #51 Late Model, owned by Guy Beaudoin.

Entries for Fall Final WMT Race In

You know that the Fall Final is coming when the entry list for the Whelen Modified Tour race is up with a few entries. And with nine entries already in, the entry list for the aforementioned race is taking shape.

Keep checking the link in the sidebar as it's updated, or you can click the link above.

Thursday News and Rumors

A few things on the docket on this beautiful Thursday afternoon.

+ We're trying to run the second of two Late Model 100s on Friday. The schedule's been up for a while now. The Late Models will close out the program. If you have a rain check from either the August 21 or August 28 program, feel free to use it.

+ According to the NASCAR Home Track's Twitter page, the new age limit for support and entry-level divisions at Whelen All-American Series tracks is 14. Will 2010 be the Year of the Youth Movement at Stafford? Only time will tell before we know for sure.

+ Finally, from the "rumor mill" files: Heard that Stafford is in the process of adding more races to the schedule. They'll be pushing back the Fall Final to Halloween weekend if that happens. If that happens, I've got two words for you. Bundle up.

Invasion of the Mini Stocks

In the eight full years I have been going to Stafford on a regular basis (I'm not counting 2000, when I started to go in the middle of the season, nor this season because it's not over as of yet), I have never seen a Mini Stock division race at the track. The closest I've gotten to seeing them is at Thompson and Waterford, as they have a regular division.

At the Fall Final this year, Stafford is allowing Mini Stocks from the other two Connecticut tracks, plus out of state tracks, to race in a 15-lap feature. It'll be an invitational-like process, where there will be qualifying races in the weeks leading up to the event (the winner of the August 8 race at Monadnock will get an automatic invite to the show), and other drivers can register through August and September. After September 28, there's an inspection fee of $20. Anyone who registers before that time pays no fee.

Since Stafford doesn't have their own Mini Stock division, teams will have to follow their home track's rules.

Registration forms are found on the home page of Stafford's site.

EDIT: As of August 6, there is now an entry list up on the track's site with a short but available list of drivers entered for this race.

Pit Parties, Belts, and Hoses

When April and the Spring Sizzler roll around, the Sunday afternoon pit party will be in good hands. CARQuest and Stafford announced Tuesday that CARQuest Belts and Hoses will continue to sponsor the pit parties at the beginning and end of the season.

CARQuest and Stafford first joined forces in 1985 when CARQuest signed on as a track sponsor. In the last 23 years, the company has sponsored numerous races and events throughout the seasons.

The End of the Road. Results of Fall Final Weekend.

Two weeks ultimately separated the final Friday night of racing and the Fall Final because of rain and other scheduling conflicts, meaning that racing season was going to end later than usual. (The last time rain pushed the Fall Final back into the matter of mid or late October? 2006.) In store for two days of action were: Two sets of time trials, five weekly divisions going out for qualifying heats, five final features for the five weekly divisions, two main events, and one All-Star race to close out what was truly a memorable season at Stafford.

Saturday afternoon was strictly qualifying (and some features). The cars of the Camping World East Series time trialed first, and it was Brian Ickler who set the fast time there. Not only did Ickler set the fastest time, but he also set the track record at Stafford with a lap time of 19.376 seconds. Then it was time for Whelen Modified Tour time trials, and the fastest driver there was Mike Stefanik, who clocked in a lap time of 18.158 seconds.

And after the qualfiying heats for the five weekly divisions, it was time to run some features. Winners from the features run on Saturday were Kyle Casagrande in the DARE Stocks, Chris Bakaj in the SK Lights, and Sean Foster in the Limited Late Models. The championships went to Norm Sears in the DARE Stocks, while Joe Allegro, Jr in the SK Lights, and Bill Davis in the Limited Late Models. The last race was the Paradiso-Muska DARE Stock shootout, where Sears came back from the tail end of the field to win.

Then it was Sunday, and racing started at around high noon with the Camping World East Series event. Eight cautions set up something that was nothing like what has been seen all season at Stafford, but it was something that could be talked about for quite some time. The final restart took place on lap-143, and one of the most dramatic finishes took place. Brian Ickler spun while coming to take the green flag, giving the lead to Ted Christopher before the field came to the start/finish line. Coming off of turn four to take the white flag, Peyton Sellers appeared to give a tap to the back bumper of Christopher's car and sent him spinning and facing the other way coming out of the turn. The yellow/checker came out, and Sellers thought he had won the race. It took a few minutes for CWES officials to determine that Sellers had indeed won the race. DEI teammates Trevor Bayne and Jesus Hernandez finished second and third respectively, while Austin Dillon finished fourth.

After the confusion and chaos with the CWES race, it was time for the SK Modified race. And it seemed as though the tradition of what was usually a bashfest would continue into the final weekend of play. And with two guys officially in contention to win the championship in Keith Rocco and Ted Christopher, would either driver fall into unlucky hands? If so, when? Those questions would be answered before the race was over, and in suprising fashion. It would all begin with Curt Brainard taking the lead when the race began, but it would be Richie Pallai, Jr taking the lead from Brainard on the second lap. A few cautions passed before Pallai would eventually lose the lead to Rocco on a restart. On the next lap, it would be Christopher who would pass Rocco for the lead. Again, more cautions, and still Christopher out front. But with only three laps to go, something would go wrong with Christopher's car, and he would slow down on the backstretch and ultimately spin before making it to pit road with three laps to go. This gave the lead to Woody Pitkat and, because of the fact that the car of Christopher was indeed broken, the opportunity to clinch the championship to Rocco. Although Pitkat was able to hold off Rocco over the final few laps, it would be Rocco taking the 2008 SK Modified championship. On the board, the top-four spots belonged to Pitkat, Rocco, Jeff Baral, and Brainard.

The next-to-last event on the schedule of the Whelen Modified Tour rolled off the grid next, with the championship still up for grabs there as of the start of the race. After the redraw on Saturday, it was Mike Stefanik and Ted Christopher sharing the front row. And for most of the race, it was Stefanik out in front (sans a pit stop under yellow in which two people on the lead lap didn't pit on, giving Rob Summers the lead; and one lap where Ryan Preece was trying to battle for the lead as well). Over the final few laps, it was a challenge from Matt Hirschman, but Stefanik held off the challenge to take down his first win of the season and the 20th all time at the half-mile. Rounding out the rest of the top-four were Hirschman, Chuck Hossfeld, and Todd Szegedy.

2008 at Stafford ended with the Late Model race which saw two leaders and only one caution; the caution being early in the race. Scott Cook pulled out in front when the green first came out, but he would give up the lead to Ryan Posocco on lap-10. It would feel like Posocco was in another time zone when he started to increase his lead over the final 20 laps of the event. His seventh win of the season came when he crossed the start/finish line over seven seconds in front of Jim Mavlouganes. Tom Butler finished third, while Joe Rzeszutek came in fourth. Posocco was able to officially celebrate the championship he had won during the final Friday night event of the season, as he clinched the championship back in September.

It starts up again in late April when the Spring Sizzler rolls into town. It's been one rollercoaster ride. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Next month, I'll make an entry about the banquet that'll take place in the middle of November (I think I read the 14th or something), and then a whole bunch of winter entries will also come. So for the final time, stay safe and I'll see you again in April of 2009.

Yet Another CWES Entry

We've got another name for the Camping World East Series entry list for this weekend's Fall Final.

The third name to jump in on the action in the month is Kevin Swindell, the 19-year-old son of Sammy Swindell, who is a three-time World of Outlaws champion.

This will be the second CWES race of Swindell's season. He raced in the event at Mansfield, Ohio back in August, starting seventh and finishing 13th. The car he will be racing in is a Gillette/Evernham Motorsports entry.

The press release this came from also talks about the other two drivers who had filed entries earlier this month (TC and Pitkat).

Who Wants to Race on a Monday?

Really, does this feel a little bit like the Sprint Cup or something? Took a glance at the homepage of the Stafford Speedway site to find this welcoming me there on a Monday evening:

No lie. That part in red there just looks weird. Doubly so if it actually happens. I've been to the track once on a Monday for the kart series thing in the '07 season, and to go to the track on a Monday to see this whole thing wrapped up might top that feeling.

Columbus Day may be one of the busiest days of the month for me... As a runner-up to the Monday that follows it.