Well, the first full week of 2011 is nearly over. With a new calendar year comes a new bunch of headlines.
+ The final power rating list is out. Power ratings, for those who don't follow it, is a system to determine just who is the best driver during any given season. The ratings are determined in the final manner: Only top ten finishes count. For each win a driver earns, they get 100 points. (If a driver finishes seventh in a feature, they will earn 70 points.) Those points that they accumulated over the course of the season are divided by the total number of features in a division, giving them their power rating. If a driver raced in two divisions, they will be on the list twice (example: Woody Pitkat raced in both the Late Models and SK Modifieds; he gets on the list for his SK power rating and his Late Model power rating). The best driver this season was Keith Rocco, with a 78 rating.
+ Tony Membrino, Jr wants to race in the SK Light division, but he needs sponsors to help move the plan forward. If he gets sponsors, expect a #44 in the division this upcoming season.
+ There are big plans in the work for Steve Greer. Not only is he going with CD Chassis equipment, but he is also going to be teaming up with Earl Pelletier and Joey Cipriano.
+ Next month, there is an indoor midget race happening in Providence next month. They call it the Coffee Cup - which is appropriate, considering the event is in the Dunkin Donuts Center. A few Stafford drivers will make the trip to Rhode Island to race in the event. Ted Christopher and Woody Pitkat are expected to be part of the field.
After my hiatus since May, I've decided on a new lease on life. I've re-emerged from the dark layers of hell with a new location for all things VFT1.
Showing posts with label Out of State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Out of State. Show all posts
Friday, January 07, 2011
Thursday, December 09, 2010
SMS Linkage Day
So... Yeah. Those banquets for the touring series/NWAMS coming this week? Stafford's got a press release on them. Won't link to that, because it's the same thing I linked to a few days ago when I did the blog entry dedicated to NASCAR Home Tracks. (There's also a press release up for the NWAMS, which I also have linked.)
Although there are more press releases on the site as well. So let's get into those, shall we?
+ One last tidbit of information in regards to the banquet and all events in the week leading up to it: There was a karting challenge between the drivers attending and some of the media. The event took place in North Carolina on Wednesday. There's video and a picture of the action in the article. Bobby Santos won the event. Ryan Truex (K&N Pro Series East) was second. Keith Rocco was third. The picture in the link was courtesy of Getty Images. Wherever that album is, I can't find it.
+ Don't think that the banquet is the only newsworthy thing going on this week. There's also a story about Victoria Bergenty.
Although there are more press releases on the site as well. So let's get into those, shall we?
+ One last tidbit of information in regards to the banquet and all events in the week leading up to it: There was a karting challenge between the drivers attending and some of the media. The event took place in North Carolina on Wednesday. There's video and a picture of the action in the article. Bobby Santos won the event. Ryan Truex (K&N Pro Series East) was second. Keith Rocco was third. The picture in the link was courtesy of Getty Images. Wherever that album is, I can't find it.
+ Don't think that the banquet is the only newsworthy thing going on this week. There's also a story about Victoria Bergenty.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
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.
+ 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.
Friday, April 30, 2010
And the Winner Is...
You know that driver search that was supposed to take place in North Carolina this week? I touched on it a bit back last month and mentioned something about how Dillon Moltz was going to get a shot to run in an ARCA race later this season. Well, it ended. And the results are in.
According to the Courant, Moltz will be headed to Pennsylvania.
On the weekend of June 5, 2010, he'll attempt to qualify for and race in the ARCA event in Pocono. (According to the ARCA site, it's one lap of time trials per driver. It's also an 80 lap race.)
Congratulations. Best of luck.
According to the Courant, Moltz will be headed to Pennsylvania.
On the weekend of June 5, 2010, he'll attempt to qualify for and race in the ARCA event in Pocono. (According to the ARCA site, it's one lap of time trials per driver. It's also an 80 lap race.)
Congratulations. Best of luck.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday News
This is what we call "the calm before the storm". When you wake up in the morning, you will be prepared for two days of racing action. There is some pre-weekend news for you before things get a bit crazy at SMS.
+ There's a very interesting trophy waiting for the winner of the May 7th Late Model 100. What is it? It's a hood from a passenger car that will be airbrushed by students from Lincoln Tech Institute. If you'd like to take a look at it, it will be on display at their booth on the midway before the evening's event gets going.
+ On the second week of racing action, welcome Darrell Yarborough Nationwide Insurance to the contingency list. They've hooked up with the SK Light division, giving $50 to the third place finisher in each race on the schedule.
+ Spend $59 on events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and/or zMAX Dragway, and get a $10 voucher to get into your favorite local short track. NASCAR affiliated.
+ And for those of you who are going to vote on the Craftsman Mechanic of the Year, please look at the following image (courtesy of the Stafford website):
+ There's a very interesting trophy waiting for the winner of the May 7th Late Model 100. What is it? It's a hood from a passenger car that will be airbrushed by students from Lincoln Tech Institute. If you'd like to take a look at it, it will be on display at their booth on the midway before the evening's event gets going.
+ On the second week of racing action, welcome Darrell Yarborough Nationwide Insurance to the contingency list. They've hooked up with the SK Light division, giving $50 to the third place finisher in each race on the schedule.
+ Spend $59 on events at Charlotte Motor Speedway and/or zMAX Dragway, and get a $10 voucher to get into your favorite local short track. NASCAR affiliated.
+ And for those of you who are going to vote on the Craftsman Mechanic of the Year, please look at the following image (courtesy of the Stafford website):
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
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.
+ 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.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
NSS Qualifiers Coming Up
One more piece of news for you in regards to Friday's Whelen Modified Tour race at Stafford for you before I stop writing stuff for the week.
The Whelen Modified Tour race will be a qualifying race for the North-South Shootout, which is to be held in November at Concord Motorsports Park in North Carolina. The winner of the Town Fair Tire 150 will get an automatic spot in the Tour-type Modified race (125 laps). The link says that the car owner will get the spot.
But the qualifying races at Stafford will not end there. August 28 will also be a qualifying race for the NSS, but this time, the winner of the SK Modified feature will get an spot in the SK-type Modified race (50 laps).
This month'll be crazy. Business will begin to pick up.
The Whelen Modified Tour race will be a qualifying race for the North-South Shootout, which is to be held in November at Concord Motorsports Park in North Carolina. The winner of the Town Fair Tire 150 will get an automatic spot in the Tour-type Modified race (125 laps). The link says that the car owner will get the spot.
But the qualifying races at Stafford will not end there. August 28 will also be a qualifying race for the NSS, but this time, the winner of the SK Modified feature will get an spot in the SK-type Modified race (50 laps).
This month'll be crazy. Business will begin to pick up.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Trip to Loudon
I'll get to the usual bits of information later this week (read: before Thursday gets here!), but I'm here today because I come with my own coverage of the Saturday portion of Loudon weekend.
When I went in 2007, I went in sunshine and warm weather. Hate to tell you, but this time around, it was the complete opposite. Foggy on the trip up, and cloudy all day. Cooler than usual. Oh, and did I mention that on the way home, there was rain? Yeah, I guess you can't always have a Kodak moment.
When I find time this week, I'll put some videos up on YouTube. Two of them are videos I took of the Sprint Cup and their final practice -- if you don't know what it's like to stand on down near the frontstretch as anything speeds by you at 100+ miles an hour, the first of the clips will be for you. It's almost like an adrenaline rush. The other footage of final practice was from my seat 25 rows up in turn one (surprise!).
The first of the two races was the Whelen Modified Tour, and it came with the closest race I have ever seen in the history of me seeing these guys race. Ted Christopher had a really good car, and a good number of his passes came while going into turn three, but it was overshadowed by the very end of the race.
Another YouTube clip shall follow, hopefully, but this one is the last lap of the event followed by my commentary after the fact. And it was Chuck Hossfeld coming out on top over Christopher. The difference was a very close .002 seconds. Other than that, the video's speaking for itself.
The other race was the Nationwide Series event, and there was also something along the lines of last lap dramatics. Unlike the Modifieds, however, it was more like a last lap yellow. The winner of the second race, after leading a good portion of the race, was Tony Stewart.
The report from home on Sunday was another story. The rains came and ended the Sprint Cup race prematurely. Stewart was the front runner and ended up leading the most laps, but Kurt Busch ended up winning the race.
Hate to cut this short, but that's all I'm able to tell you. Like I said before, I'll get to the weekly blog as soon as possible -- Monday I'm starting. So until then, stay safe and dry.
When I went in 2007, I went in sunshine and warm weather. Hate to tell you, but this time around, it was the complete opposite. Foggy on the trip up, and cloudy all day. Cooler than usual. Oh, and did I mention that on the way home, there was rain? Yeah, I guess you can't always have a Kodak moment.
When I find time this week, I'll put some videos up on YouTube. Two of them are videos I took of the Sprint Cup and their final practice -- if you don't know what it's like to stand on down near the frontstretch as anything speeds by you at 100+ miles an hour, the first of the clips will be for you. It's almost like an adrenaline rush. The other footage of final practice was from my seat 25 rows up in turn one (surprise!).
The first of the two races was the Whelen Modified Tour, and it came with the closest race I have ever seen in the history of me seeing these guys race. Ted Christopher had a really good car, and a good number of his passes came while going into turn three, but it was overshadowed by the very end of the race.
Another YouTube clip shall follow, hopefully, but this one is the last lap of the event followed by my commentary after the fact. And it was Chuck Hossfeld coming out on top over Christopher. The difference was a very close .002 seconds. Other than that, the video's speaking for itself.
The other race was the Nationwide Series event, and there was also something along the lines of last lap dramatics. Unlike the Modifieds, however, it was more like a last lap yellow. The winner of the second race, after leading a good portion of the race, was Tony Stewart.
The report from home on Sunday was another story. The rains came and ended the Sprint Cup race prematurely. Stewart was the front runner and ended up leading the most laps, but Kurt Busch ended up winning the race.
Hate to cut this short, but that's all I'm able to tell you. Like I said before, I'll get to the weekly blog as soon as possible -- Monday I'm starting. So until then, stay safe and dry.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
NHRA News
Your weekly entry is going to come this week; don't worry about that. This special Saturday night entry is coming to you with some saddening news from the NHRA front. Yes, they're still having their races this weekend in New Jersey. And yes, this weekend will be dedicated to a fallen racer. A fallen comrade. Regardless of what one may drive on a weekly basis; regardless of what one may root for on a daily basis; the racing community has always come together to praise the life of another racer. This is no different.
Tomorrow, the show will go on. On in memory of Scott Kalitta.
If you've seen the video of the crash that aired at 7pm EST, I hope you never have to see the crash video ever again. If you're one of the ones who hasn't gotten a chance to see the tape, I hope you don't have to watch it. I viewed it, and I nearly felt like crying. That feeling of sadness came to me quick, almost to the moment I saw what had exactly happened. To be quite honest with you, I will not go into detail about what has happened or had happened.
It all happened, however, while one person was doing what he loved to do. He died doing something that was in his blood.
He made it into the show through the qualifying run that took his life. In the tree that came out, as qualifying is now stopped, he was seeded 13th. At this moment, that's not the most important thing. My thoughts are with his family and the entire NHRA side of the racing spectrum.
Tomorrow, the show will go on. On in memory of Scott Kalitta.
If you've seen the video of the crash that aired at 7pm EST, I hope you never have to see the crash video ever again. If you're one of the ones who hasn't gotten a chance to see the tape, I hope you don't have to watch it. I viewed it, and I nearly felt like crying. That feeling of sadness came to me quick, almost to the moment I saw what had exactly happened. To be quite honest with you, I will not go into detail about what has happened or had happened.
It all happened, however, while one person was doing what he loved to do. He died doing something that was in his blood.
He made it into the show through the qualifying run that took his life. In the tree that came out, as qualifying is now stopped, he was seeded 13th. At this moment, that's not the most important thing. My thoughts are with his family and the entire NHRA side of the racing spectrum.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Dual Batch of Fireworks
Today, there's no time for unnecessary chit-chat. I've been a part of a fairly good hot streak recently, getting my entries in before Thursdays. (I'm trying not to do these things on the absolute last day I possibly can.) Will the hot streak continue? Nope. I'm posting this on a Thursday. It looks like the streak has been broken. Anyway, there were five features and one LCQ that went on Friday night, so without further ado... I bring you the events of June 29: The second attempt of the Summer Blast-Off night.
We started the night off on the right foot when the non-qualified Late Models were brought out onto the track for their final chance to make the show. Sixteen laps of action, and no cautions to boot. When I said we were starting the night off on a good note, I really mean that. Anyway, taking down the win was Scott Cook, and he was followed by Jim Mavlouganes, division newcomer Dillon Moltz, and Mike Quintiliano. They would be racing right after the Limited Late Models ran their feature...
...And that was the first feature event of the night. Unfortunately, unlike the one and only last chance qualifier that ran previous to this race, the Limited Late Models began the night filled with cautions on just the second lap out of twenty. Now please excuse me for my poor taste in judgment regarding this caution, but the incident occured in turns three and four and for some reason, I just couldn't pinpoint about half of the cars in this. I know for a fact that two of the cars involved belonged to Andrew Durand and Pete Cayer, but there was a white car that was also a part of this and also a car that drove off and joined the group before I could tell what the number was. (So again, I dearly apologize.) Getting back to the action, however -- a grand total of only two more laps were run under green before the next caution came out. This time, it was for Jeff Hubbell who spun/wrecked in turn three. On lap six, Ed Charette, Jr spun on the backstretch, bringing out the third caution of the first feature. For some reason, cautions coming on every two laps were getting to be the next best thing, as two laps later, Paul Conte and Charette spin in turn four. After a quick caution, the green was back out. And this time, more than two laps were run under the green... They got five laps in before Darrin Havanec and Kevin Gambacorta get together in turns three and four. Luckily, this was the final caution of the feature, and the remaining seven laps were all run cleanly. Up front, Rick Lanagan was bound to make it two in a row by any means, and after holding off the challenge of Sean Foster, he would make it so. It was his third win of the season. Rounding out the top-four were Foster, Bill Davis, and Corky Hinze.
The warwagons and crews of the Late Models came out for their feature next, and they seemed to have a pretty decent race. The only two mishaps that occured came on lap-25. The first time, it was for a multi-car accident on the backstretch. The restart on the same lap bunched the cars back up because it was a false start. Other than that, it was pretty much caution-free. Tom Fearn didn't mind the two caution flags, it seemed, because his car seemed to have it all. He beat Corey Hutchings, Woody Pitkat, and Jim Peterson to the line to score his first win of the season.
Then, there was the traditional "beginning of summer" fireworks display. The people who were sitting around me at the time (and I don't think I could have counted all of the people before the lights were turned off) were really getting into the music; singing along and everything. It was just one of those laid back moments where I could remove myself from the book and focus on other things. Joyous occasion. Of course, the lights regained their power afterwards, and during the course of the brief intermission, drivers were starting to make their way from all places just to line up behind the backstretch. We still had three features to run.
Cue up the other bunch of crews and equipment for the SK Modifieds. Forty laps of racing pretty much saw a couple of false starts within a ton of cautions mixed in. (Or was it the other way around?) The action in this race started on the absolute first lap of the race, as the flagman didn't even have the green flag out of the way before the first yellow came out. It was for a multi-car accident that took place in the first and second turns. Pretty much everyone who was involved in that was able to drive off. The next three attempts to start the race gave us false start after false start. The fifth time was the one that sealed the deal, and the race was finally counting down laps. There were only three laps counted before the first caution. On lap-4, Jimmy Smith spun on the backstretch, giving the field their second (accident/spin related) caution. It was a quick yellow flag session, and about two to three pace laps later, the green was back out. Lap-7 was the next moment of gold when Richie Pallai, Jr spun in turns one and two. Again, minimal pace laps were run before the green was once again shown to the field. When lap-16 rolled around, the yellow was back out. This time, it was for a two-car accident coming out of turn two. (The numbers of the cars involved are unknown.) Debris remained, and clean-up commenced. After the clean-up session ended, it was time to get the show rolling once more. Unfortunately for the field, the caution came out one lap later, when Shelly Perry hit the outside retaining wall in turns three and four. The retry lap wasn't successful, as there was yet another false start to hinder the field. Four more laps were completed under green before Pallai and John Cleary were involved in a frontstretch incident. On the very next lap, the caution string continued to unravel when Curt Brainard spun/was in a solo-car incident on the backstretch. The field got seven laps in before the next caution period occured, starting on lap-28 when Bo Gunning -- who was driving a backup car provided to him by Frank Ruocco -- gave us yet another caution by hitting the wall in turn four. Speaking of Ruoccco, the next caution came out a lap later after he spun in the frontstretch grass. The next time there was a back-to-back caution session was on laps 36 and 37. The former was for Scott Bennett, who spun in turns three and four. The latter was for a multi-car accident coming out of two and ending up on the backstretch. The lap-37 accident happened to be the last caution of the event, meaning it was a race to the finish line. Zach Sylvester and Woody Pitkat battled each other for the win, and it looked like Pitkat had Sylvester a couple of times. But in the end, Sylvester won his first feature in seven years. Pitkat came in second, followed by Keith Rocco and Ted Christopher.
The life and times of the extra support from the inside-the-track pits soon faded, and the DARE Stocks took to the track for the first of the two 15-lap features of the night. The first caution flew on lap-6 when Melissa Blowers spun in turn four. On the restart, Steve Berardi and John Kasper were involved in a turn-two accident, bringing the caution out yet again. Once that was cleaned up, a couple of pace laps were run and the green was brought back to the field. Fortunately, a dozen laps were run under normal, fast-paced conditions. Of course, there was always a catch to the matter. That was that after those six laps were run, Rob Lawrence spun in the middle of turns one and two, making the flagman wave the yellow for a third time. Only two laps after the spin, a five-car accident on the backstretch had the cars parade around the track for more pace laps. The cars involved were Lawrence, Robert Thompson, Jim Sullivan, Tom Stirk, and Duane Provost. The final caution of the event occured on the original white flag lap, when a multi-car caution occured on the frontstretch. Now with the cautions out of the way, the race belonged to Dean Casagrande. He scored his first win of the season, and he was followed by Norm Sears, Vince Gambacorta, and Bill Dunn.
The final race of the night belonged to the SK Lights. And unlike previous episodes, they managed to have a fairly clean race. All in all, there were three cautions: The first of which was on the opening lap of the race when Scott Nordman, Kyler Cafro, and Mike Sweeney, Jr collected each other on the frontstretch. I believe it was Nordman and Sweeney's cars that needed to be pulled apart. The good part about it was that both cars were finally unhooked from each other, yet both would be done for the night. On lap-9, Alan Provost spun in turn three, bringing out the second caution of the race. And finally, Aaron Goff was involved in a solo-car accident on the backstretch on lap-11, ending the night filled with cautions. Glen Reen, who had been out in front since around the time the second caution occured, never lost the lead to anyone and took down the win. This was his second win of the season. Rounding out the top-four were Brit Andersen, Chris Matthews, and Matt Gallo.
And now, before I cut you loose for the remainder of the night, some highlights from Loudon and the Saturday filled with open wheels and the stars and cars of the Busch Series. Donny Lia won his third race in a row and fourth out of the six races run so far after taking down a shortened feature event. After a lap-36 caution had to be red flagged, the fine folks from NASCAR realized that if the Tour continued into the planned start of the Camping World 200, those who came for the second race wouldn't be too happy. So the race was cut from 100 laps to only 85. In the Camping World 200, it came down to a showdown between Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards... Which ended with Harvick just squeaking out the win. When I get the photos developed, I will share them with you.
That's it. We are done. I would like to remind all of you that the next event at Stafford will be the 13th Annual DiGiorgi Roofing and Siding Late Model 100. You heard me -- 100 laps for the Late Models and regular distanced features for the other men and women (weather permitting). It looks okay for now, with a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain throughout the late afternoon and evening. So until tomorrow, stay dry and safe; and I hope to see you then.
We started the night off on the right foot when the non-qualified Late Models were brought out onto the track for their final chance to make the show. Sixteen laps of action, and no cautions to boot. When I said we were starting the night off on a good note, I really mean that. Anyway, taking down the win was Scott Cook, and he was followed by Jim Mavlouganes, division newcomer Dillon Moltz, and Mike Quintiliano. They would be racing right after the Limited Late Models ran their feature...
...And that was the first feature event of the night. Unfortunately, unlike the one and only last chance qualifier that ran previous to this race, the Limited Late Models began the night filled with cautions on just the second lap out of twenty. Now please excuse me for my poor taste in judgment regarding this caution, but the incident occured in turns three and four and for some reason, I just couldn't pinpoint about half of the cars in this. I know for a fact that two of the cars involved belonged to Andrew Durand and Pete Cayer, but there was a white car that was also a part of this and also a car that drove off and joined the group before I could tell what the number was. (So again, I dearly apologize.) Getting back to the action, however -- a grand total of only two more laps were run under green before the next caution came out. This time, it was for Jeff Hubbell who spun/wrecked in turn three. On lap six, Ed Charette, Jr spun on the backstretch, bringing out the third caution of the first feature. For some reason, cautions coming on every two laps were getting to be the next best thing, as two laps later, Paul Conte and Charette spin in turn four. After a quick caution, the green was back out. And this time, more than two laps were run under the green... They got five laps in before Darrin Havanec and Kevin Gambacorta get together in turns three and four. Luckily, this was the final caution of the feature, and the remaining seven laps were all run cleanly. Up front, Rick Lanagan was bound to make it two in a row by any means, and after holding off the challenge of Sean Foster, he would make it so. It was his third win of the season. Rounding out the top-four were Foster, Bill Davis, and Corky Hinze.
The warwagons and crews of the Late Models came out for their feature next, and they seemed to have a pretty decent race. The only two mishaps that occured came on lap-25. The first time, it was for a multi-car accident on the backstretch. The restart on the same lap bunched the cars back up because it was a false start. Other than that, it was pretty much caution-free. Tom Fearn didn't mind the two caution flags, it seemed, because his car seemed to have it all. He beat Corey Hutchings, Woody Pitkat, and Jim Peterson to the line to score his first win of the season.
Then, there was the traditional "beginning of summer" fireworks display. The people who were sitting around me at the time (and I don't think I could have counted all of the people before the lights were turned off) were really getting into the music; singing along and everything. It was just one of those laid back moments where I could remove myself from the book and focus on other things. Joyous occasion. Of course, the lights regained their power afterwards, and during the course of the brief intermission, drivers were starting to make their way from all places just to line up behind the backstretch. We still had three features to run.
Cue up the other bunch of crews and equipment for the SK Modifieds. Forty laps of racing pretty much saw a couple of false starts within a ton of cautions mixed in. (Or was it the other way around?) The action in this race started on the absolute first lap of the race, as the flagman didn't even have the green flag out of the way before the first yellow came out. It was for a multi-car accident that took place in the first and second turns. Pretty much everyone who was involved in that was able to drive off. The next three attempts to start the race gave us false start after false start. The fifth time was the one that sealed the deal, and the race was finally counting down laps. There were only three laps counted before the first caution. On lap-4, Jimmy Smith spun on the backstretch, giving the field their second (accident/spin related) caution. It was a quick yellow flag session, and about two to three pace laps later, the green was back out. Lap-7 was the next moment of gold when Richie Pallai, Jr spun in turns one and two. Again, minimal pace laps were run before the green was once again shown to the field. When lap-16 rolled around, the yellow was back out. This time, it was for a two-car accident coming out of turn two. (The numbers of the cars involved are unknown.) Debris remained, and clean-up commenced. After the clean-up session ended, it was time to get the show rolling once more. Unfortunately for the field, the caution came out one lap later, when Shelly Perry hit the outside retaining wall in turns three and four. The retry lap wasn't successful, as there was yet another false start to hinder the field. Four more laps were completed under green before Pallai and John Cleary were involved in a frontstretch incident. On the very next lap, the caution string continued to unravel when Curt Brainard spun/was in a solo-car incident on the backstretch. The field got seven laps in before the next caution period occured, starting on lap-28 when Bo Gunning -- who was driving a backup car provided to him by Frank Ruocco -- gave us yet another caution by hitting the wall in turn four. Speaking of Ruoccco, the next caution came out a lap later after he spun in the frontstretch grass. The next time there was a back-to-back caution session was on laps 36 and 37. The former was for Scott Bennett, who spun in turns three and four. The latter was for a multi-car accident coming out of two and ending up on the backstretch. The lap-37 accident happened to be the last caution of the event, meaning it was a race to the finish line. Zach Sylvester and Woody Pitkat battled each other for the win, and it looked like Pitkat had Sylvester a couple of times. But in the end, Sylvester won his first feature in seven years. Pitkat came in second, followed by Keith Rocco and Ted Christopher.
The life and times of the extra support from the inside-the-track pits soon faded, and the DARE Stocks took to the track for the first of the two 15-lap features of the night. The first caution flew on lap-6 when Melissa Blowers spun in turn four. On the restart, Steve Berardi and John Kasper were involved in a turn-two accident, bringing the caution out yet again. Once that was cleaned up, a couple of pace laps were run and the green was brought back to the field. Fortunately, a dozen laps were run under normal, fast-paced conditions. Of course, there was always a catch to the matter. That was that after those six laps were run, Rob Lawrence spun in the middle of turns one and two, making the flagman wave the yellow for a third time. Only two laps after the spin, a five-car accident on the backstretch had the cars parade around the track for more pace laps. The cars involved were Lawrence, Robert Thompson, Jim Sullivan, Tom Stirk, and Duane Provost. The final caution of the event occured on the original white flag lap, when a multi-car caution occured on the frontstretch. Now with the cautions out of the way, the race belonged to Dean Casagrande. He scored his first win of the season, and he was followed by Norm Sears, Vince Gambacorta, and Bill Dunn.
The final race of the night belonged to the SK Lights. And unlike previous episodes, they managed to have a fairly clean race. All in all, there were three cautions: The first of which was on the opening lap of the race when Scott Nordman, Kyler Cafro, and Mike Sweeney, Jr collected each other on the frontstretch. I believe it was Nordman and Sweeney's cars that needed to be pulled apart. The good part about it was that both cars were finally unhooked from each other, yet both would be done for the night. On lap-9, Alan Provost spun in turn three, bringing out the second caution of the race. And finally, Aaron Goff was involved in a solo-car accident on the backstretch on lap-11, ending the night filled with cautions. Glen Reen, who had been out in front since around the time the second caution occured, never lost the lead to anyone and took down the win. This was his second win of the season. Rounding out the top-four were Brit Andersen, Chris Matthews, and Matt Gallo.
And now, before I cut you loose for the remainder of the night, some highlights from Loudon and the Saturday filled with open wheels and the stars and cars of the Busch Series. Donny Lia won his third race in a row and fourth out of the six races run so far after taking down a shortened feature event. After a lap-36 caution had to be red flagged, the fine folks from NASCAR realized that if the Tour continued into the planned start of the Camping World 200, those who came for the second race wouldn't be too happy. So the race was cut from 100 laps to only 85. In the Camping World 200, it came down to a showdown between Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards... Which ended with Harvick just squeaking out the win. When I get the photos developed, I will share them with you.
That's it. We are done. I would like to remind all of you that the next event at Stafford will be the 13th Annual DiGiorgi Roofing and Siding Late Model 100. You heard me -- 100 laps for the Late Models and regular distanced features for the other men and women (weather permitting). It looks okay for now, with a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain throughout the late afternoon and evening. So until tomorrow, stay dry and safe; and I hope to see you then.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Boy, What a Week
If you're a die hard race fan, you'd probably enjoy going to four events in four days. And at four tracks, too. But not all was scheduled on the appropriate day when threats of wet stuff came crashing down on Friday. This cancelled any plans of going to Stafford and therefore no regular entry for you this week. But no fear. Read on, faithful followers.
We'll start with Wednesday night and the second annual Seekonk (MA) Speedway Open Wheel Wednesday program. It was $10,000 to win and a grand total of 40 Modifieds tried their luck on the track. Of course, there happened to be a hint of controversy as I read that the Whelen Tour drivers got stuck racing in a heat together. Now what's up with that I don't know, but that really cheesed off a few people including last year's winner Donny Lia. He was in that eventful second heat along with a pack of Tour drivers including Chuck Hossfeld, Ted Christopher, Matt Hirschman, and even our Stafford representitive Frank Ruocco.
Before you say anything, let me tell you that I've read numerous opinions on this subject and I can't deny any and all words spoken. What I can tell you is this: When Hossfeld spun in the heat, Lia attempted to check up to avoid being a part of what was destined to be a wreck. When I say "destined to be", however, is when things really get going. Once Lia tried to check up, he got "run over" (using terminology from an article from Speed 51) by Ruocco. This was literally all that she wrote for Lia as he wasn't going to be around to defend his title from the previous year.
Of course, this is after running a consi with a field that was also packed with Whelen Tour drivers. How can you blame the luck of the draw? When you think it's fixed, of course. And people were really pointing fingers when True Value Modified Series driver Kirk Alexander won the race and the ten grand at the end of the night. Two more of the TVMS gang finished second and third, shaking the rattles of the WMS boys some more. Yet they calmed down some when Hossfeld became the only member of the crew to finish in the top-five, finishing fourth in a night deemed as controversial.
Another night that was in my mind was Friday and what little was run at Stafford. That night got rained out and was called off for good when a nice line of thunderstorms came across the state at around the four o'clock hour (Eastern Standard Time) and didn't wear off until about six o'clock. I was positive that the management was going to call the race earlier on in the day, but why push your luck when you've already got guys signed in and practicing? God only knows, and he won't tell answers. So we'll push this aside. We know now that another night has been called due to rain.
But things cleared up for Saturday when it was a Waterford night. And because of the previous night's rainout, Mom and I decided to go. Once again, prepare for a quick entry of "The View From Turn Four", the companion to "The View From Turn One". Now, this'll be a bit different than what I usually do for Stafford because I've used up all of my brain energy with going over Seekonk. But I can give you some winners. Sound good to you? Good! Here they are--the winners of the Bowl event of July 29th.
We'll start with Wednesday night and the second annual Seekonk (MA) Speedway Open Wheel Wednesday program. It was $10,000 to win and a grand total of 40 Modifieds tried their luck on the track. Of course, there happened to be a hint of controversy as I read that the Whelen Tour drivers got stuck racing in a heat together. Now what's up with that I don't know, but that really cheesed off a few people including last year's winner Donny Lia. He was in that eventful second heat along with a pack of Tour drivers including Chuck Hossfeld, Ted Christopher, Matt Hirschman, and even our Stafford representitive Frank Ruocco.
Before you say anything, let me tell you that I've read numerous opinions on this subject and I can't deny any and all words spoken. What I can tell you is this: When Hossfeld spun in the heat, Lia attempted to check up to avoid being a part of what was destined to be a wreck. When I say "destined to be", however, is when things really get going. Once Lia tried to check up, he got "run over" (using terminology from an article from Speed 51) by Ruocco. This was literally all that she wrote for Lia as he wasn't going to be around to defend his title from the previous year.
Of course, this is after running a consi with a field that was also packed with Whelen Tour drivers. How can you blame the luck of the draw? When you think it's fixed, of course. And people were really pointing fingers when True Value Modified Series driver Kirk Alexander won the race and the ten grand at the end of the night. Two more of the TVMS gang finished second and third, shaking the rattles of the WMS boys some more. Yet they calmed down some when Hossfeld became the only member of the crew to finish in the top-five, finishing fourth in a night deemed as controversial.
Another night that was in my mind was Friday and what little was run at Stafford. That night got rained out and was called off for good when a nice line of thunderstorms came across the state at around the four o'clock hour (Eastern Standard Time) and didn't wear off until about six o'clock. I was positive that the management was going to call the race earlier on in the day, but why push your luck when you've already got guys signed in and practicing? God only knows, and he won't tell answers. So we'll push this aside. We know now that another night has been called due to rain.
But things cleared up for Saturday when it was a Waterford night. And because of the previous night's rainout, Mom and I decided to go. Once again, prepare for a quick entry of "The View From Turn Four", the companion to "The View From Turn One". Now, this'll be a bit different than what I usually do for Stafford because I've used up all of my brain energy with going over Seekonk. But I can give you some winners. Sound good to you? Good! Here they are--the winners of the Bowl event of July 29th.
- SK Modifieds: Jeff Pearl
- Late Model: Tim Jordan
- Sportsman: Ron Oldham, Jr
- Mini Stock: Ken Cassidy
- Legends: Mark Bakaj (National Qualifier)
And who could forget all of the information regarding the night in question?
Other than that, I have nothing else to report on. Until Friday, can we all keep dry for a change? Thank you, and have a sweet rest of the weekend.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Wild 100, Other Features, and Seekonk News
(Dang. Exited the page before I could save and finish. But I've recovered nicely.)
Before we begin take two for the night, let me tell you some breaking news that occured pre-qualifying. Ted Christopher is back. Yes, you read this right. For the rest of the season, he'll be driving the #81 SK, previously driven by Chuck Docherty. I've read that Chuck would like to spend time with his family and put racing on the backburner, so good luck with any future endeavors you'll have in the future.
Now with that said, let's get to the features. Friday night was a crazy one, due to it being the SK Modified 100 and all. First on the schedule was the SK Light feature. For a change, they actually ran a clean, cautionless race. All 20 laps were completed before the cars started to slow down. And in the end, Brit Andersen took his first win of the 2006 season. At the time of the event, he finished ahead of Mike Lane, Chris Matthews, and Richie Pallai, Jr. In technical inspection, the finishing result became a mixed-up insane asylum. Mike Lane was disqualified for not having the minimum frame height requirement. I'm pretty positive that the team'll have that fixed before Friday night.
But let's put that aside, shall we? We do have the Limited Late Models to cover next. And for this race...my, oh my! I don't know what to say. On the second lap of the race, a car spun out in turn one. I can't give you a car number because I wrote down the wrong number. (Sorry.) Five laps later, Michael Chaves and Charlie Newman got together in turns one and two. Newman would be done for the night while Chaves would have a bit more to worry about. Then with four laps to go, Kevin Gambacorta spun in turn two. (He'd finish sixth, by the way.) Now here's where all of the craziness begins. It's the final lap and Chaves gets into Glenn Bartkowski in turn three. The caution comes out and the field is doubled up. On the restart, Sean Foster false starts yet benefits from a melee between then-leader George Nocera and Robert Dow. With both drivers out of the race, the night belonged to Foster. Even with a piece of sheetmetal dangling from the right side of the car (more importantly, a nice dragging piece), he still took home his second win of the year. Behind him was Paul Conte, Andrew Durand, and Corky Hinze.
Now you thought that was insane? You haven't read anything yet, considering the SK Modifieds had taken the track for their longest race of the season. On the very first green flag of the race, a false start occured thanks to Zach Sylvester. But breathe easy, because the next caution ould occur on lap-58 when Jeff Johnson spun on the backstretch. And then...what was probably the most dramatic caution of the event was on lap-61 when a battle for the lead between Bo Gunning, Lloyd Agor, and Frank Ruocco turned into a few parade laps under the banana. (The good news? It was a good night for one, a semi-good night for another, and...well, a not-so-good night for the third. And no, the results are not in the same order as the names I listed.) The not-so-good night was for Bo Gunning when he nailed the safer barrier on lap-77 along with Brad Hietala. As for the rest of the race, it went in a heartbeat. And at the finish, it was all Todd Owen. His second win of the year and it was in the longest race of the year. Following him was Willie Hardie, Jeff Malave, and Ruocco, who ended up having the best night out of those in the lap-61 incident.
Oh, but the insanity was not done yet. We still had the Late Models and their feature. Things were fine until lap-6 when Tony Lafo and Michael Bennett got together in turns three and four, bringing out the first caution. (Bennett would be involved in a later caution, which will be discussed in as much detail as I can later on in this race recap.) On the very next lap, we had the first of three multi-car scrimmages, this first one occuring in the turn one area. The next multi-car accident took place in the same area, just on lap-19. Then with only five laps to go, Wayne Coury Jr, Todd Owen, and Ryan Posocco ended up with beat cars--you guessed it, in the turn one corner of the track. You think that was it for the beat up rides? I think not, especially with a flip on the very next lap. Coming towards turn three on the backstretch, Bennett and Steve McQuillan get together with McQuillan's car ending up on its roof. The race was immediately red flagged for about five minutes as it took about that long for McQuillan to get out of his car and for the track safety team to get the car off the track. But once that was done, it was back to the same old, same old regarding the multi-car accidents. The final one was on lap-28 and was in turn four. With that said and done, it was all Woody Pitkat at the end. It was his sixth win of the season, followed to the line by Jim Peterson, Tom Butler, and Tom Fearn.
And finally, the night closed with the DARE Stocks. It wasn't too bad, considering us fans in the stands had to look at the two races previous to this one. On lap-2 and in turn two, there was a multi-car spin. Note I said spin, because it didn't look like anyone was beat up. On the ninth lap of the race, Robert Merril spun on the backstretch. Once again, no visible damage. But the non-viewable dents and bumps would come into play. On the restart, there was a multi-car accident on the backstretch. None of those cautions would faze Carla Botticello, because she took down her first win of the season. Norm Sears, Jeff Hubbell, and Tom Stirk followed her to the line.
And that's your night in a nutshell. But that's not all for this entry...there's some bonus news I must report to you about. You know Wednesday night's open wheeled Modified show at the Seekonk (MA) Speedway? Well, as of last night, I've found an updated entry list for the show with a few of our Stafford SK delegates, so to speak. I won't spoil any stories, but it's worth a look.
Now that's it. No more news until Thursday night. That's when I'll report back about what happened in Seekonk and tell you how the representatives from the half mile did. And then it's back to the computer over the weekend with the results from another regular night at Stafford. Until then, have fun.
Before we begin take two for the night, let me tell you some breaking news that occured pre-qualifying. Ted Christopher is back. Yes, you read this right. For the rest of the season, he'll be driving the #81 SK, previously driven by Chuck Docherty. I've read that Chuck would like to spend time with his family and put racing on the backburner, so good luck with any future endeavors you'll have in the future.
Now with that said, let's get to the features. Friday night was a crazy one, due to it being the SK Modified 100 and all. First on the schedule was the SK Light feature. For a change, they actually ran a clean, cautionless race. All 20 laps were completed before the cars started to slow down. And in the end, Brit Andersen took his first win of the 2006 season. At the time of the event, he finished ahead of Mike Lane, Chris Matthews, and Richie Pallai, Jr. In technical inspection, the finishing result became a mixed-up insane asylum. Mike Lane was disqualified for not having the minimum frame height requirement. I'm pretty positive that the team'll have that fixed before Friday night.
But let's put that aside, shall we? We do have the Limited Late Models to cover next. And for this race...my, oh my! I don't know what to say. On the second lap of the race, a car spun out in turn one. I can't give you a car number because I wrote down the wrong number. (Sorry.) Five laps later, Michael Chaves and Charlie Newman got together in turns one and two. Newman would be done for the night while Chaves would have a bit more to worry about. Then with four laps to go, Kevin Gambacorta spun in turn two. (He'd finish sixth, by the way.) Now here's where all of the craziness begins. It's the final lap and Chaves gets into Glenn Bartkowski in turn three. The caution comes out and the field is doubled up. On the restart, Sean Foster false starts yet benefits from a melee between then-leader George Nocera and Robert Dow. With both drivers out of the race, the night belonged to Foster. Even with a piece of sheetmetal dangling from the right side of the car (more importantly, a nice dragging piece), he still took home his second win of the year. Behind him was Paul Conte, Andrew Durand, and Corky Hinze.
Now you thought that was insane? You haven't read anything yet, considering the SK Modifieds had taken the track for their longest race of the season. On the very first green flag of the race, a false start occured thanks to Zach Sylvester. But breathe easy, because the next caution ould occur on lap-58 when Jeff Johnson spun on the backstretch. And then...what was probably the most dramatic caution of the event was on lap-61 when a battle for the lead between Bo Gunning, Lloyd Agor, and Frank Ruocco turned into a few parade laps under the banana. (The good news? It was a good night for one, a semi-good night for another, and...well, a not-so-good night for the third. And no, the results are not in the same order as the names I listed.) The not-so-good night was for Bo Gunning when he nailed the safer barrier on lap-77 along with Brad Hietala. As for the rest of the race, it went in a heartbeat. And at the finish, it was all Todd Owen. His second win of the year and it was in the longest race of the year. Following him was Willie Hardie, Jeff Malave, and Ruocco, who ended up having the best night out of those in the lap-61 incident.
Oh, but the insanity was not done yet. We still had the Late Models and their feature. Things were fine until lap-6 when Tony Lafo and Michael Bennett got together in turns three and four, bringing out the first caution. (Bennett would be involved in a later caution, which will be discussed in as much detail as I can later on in this race recap.) On the very next lap, we had the first of three multi-car scrimmages, this first one occuring in the turn one area. The next multi-car accident took place in the same area, just on lap-19. Then with only five laps to go, Wayne Coury Jr, Todd Owen, and Ryan Posocco ended up with beat cars--you guessed it, in the turn one corner of the track. You think that was it for the beat up rides? I think not, especially with a flip on the very next lap. Coming towards turn three on the backstretch, Bennett and Steve McQuillan get together with McQuillan's car ending up on its roof. The race was immediately red flagged for about five minutes as it took about that long for McQuillan to get out of his car and for the track safety team to get the car off the track. But once that was done, it was back to the same old, same old regarding the multi-car accidents. The final one was on lap-28 and was in turn four. With that said and done, it was all Woody Pitkat at the end. It was his sixth win of the season, followed to the line by Jim Peterson, Tom Butler, and Tom Fearn.
And finally, the night closed with the DARE Stocks. It wasn't too bad, considering us fans in the stands had to look at the two races previous to this one. On lap-2 and in turn two, there was a multi-car spin. Note I said spin, because it didn't look like anyone was beat up. On the ninth lap of the race, Robert Merril spun on the backstretch. Once again, no visible damage. But the non-viewable dents and bumps would come into play. On the restart, there was a multi-car accident on the backstretch. None of those cautions would faze Carla Botticello, because she took down her first win of the season. Norm Sears, Jeff Hubbell, and Tom Stirk followed her to the line.
And that's your night in a nutshell. But that's not all for this entry...there's some bonus news I must report to you about. You know Wednesday night's open wheeled Modified show at the Seekonk (MA) Speedway? Well, as of last night, I've found an updated entry list for the show with a few of our Stafford SK delegates, so to speak. I won't spoil any stories, but it's worth a look.
Now that's it. No more news until Thursday night. That's when I'll report back about what happened in Seekonk and tell you how the representatives from the half mile did. And then it's back to the computer over the weekend with the results from another regular night at Stafford. Until then, have fun.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Stafford/Seekonk News
(Note: I don't want anyone nitpicking over the contents of this entry. I heard that the first part was a rumor and a rumor ONLY. And I figured that both parts of the entry couldn't wait, so...yeah.)
If Friday does end up being a washout--and I can't complain if it is because I'm older and more mature than my last entry--I'd like to explain to you about what might happen at the Waterford Speedbowl the following day. Can you say "Stafford invasion"? Well, fasten those seatbelts, Bowl Mod drivers. Because it could be the case. It's a rumor that Stafford Mod drivers Lloyd Agor, Jeff Malave, Kenny Horton and Frank Ruocco could climb in their rides for the Saturday (6/10) night event. Now, I said this was only a rumor. Hell, I can even get down on my knees and beg to you that I only heard about this through the grapevine. You can thank Making Laps' message board for getting me more than excited than ever. (And for almost making me get down on my knees. You know I won't do that until it's more than needed...) Now what do I do? Do I pray to Mother Nature and ask her to stop the rain for a change? Or do I end up asking Mom if we can take a mini-vacation back to the shoreline? I can tell you right now I'll be happy if this accusation is truer than reality shows and their spoiler sites.
Before I get comments from the peanut gallery, let me also introduce valuable information about Seekonk (MA) Speedway's second-annual Modified Madness event. This takes place July 26th--that's a Wednesday for you diehard Modified fans--so plan accordingly. If anyone who races an open wheeler's reading this and is considering going, I encourage you to go. The first installment drew a good number of entries (including a few local guys from Stafford), so it wouldn't hurt to get something going. Get it in before July 21st, though.
Okay, must go as it's late. I'll post more information about the invasion either Friday or Saturday (depending on what happens).
If Friday does end up being a washout--and I can't complain if it is because I'm older and more mature than my last entry--I'd like to explain to you about what might happen at the Waterford Speedbowl the following day. Can you say "Stafford invasion"? Well, fasten those seatbelts, Bowl Mod drivers. Because it could be the case. It's a rumor that Stafford Mod drivers Lloyd Agor, Jeff Malave, Kenny Horton and Frank Ruocco could climb in their rides for the Saturday (6/10) night event. Now, I said this was only a rumor. Hell, I can even get down on my knees and beg to you that I only heard about this through the grapevine. You can thank Making Laps' message board for getting me more than excited than ever. (And for almost making me get down on my knees. You know I won't do that until it's more than needed...) Now what do I do? Do I pray to Mother Nature and ask her to stop the rain for a change? Or do I end up asking Mom if we can take a mini-vacation back to the shoreline? I can tell you right now I'll be happy if this accusation is truer than reality shows and their spoiler sites.
Before I get comments from the peanut gallery, let me also introduce valuable information about Seekonk (MA) Speedway's second-annual Modified Madness event. This takes place July 26th--that's a Wednesday for you diehard Modified fans--so plan accordingly. If anyone who races an open wheeler's reading this and is considering going, I encourage you to go. The first installment drew a good number of entries (including a few local guys from Stafford), so it wouldn't hurt to get something going. Get it in before July 21st, though.
Okay, must go as it's late. I'll post more information about the invasion either Friday or Saturday (depending on what happens).
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