Spring Sizzler Saturday Vlog

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

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



The penalty in question would be this one.

Late Model Penalties

As I mentioned not too long ago, I decided to not put the following in the weekly article. Half of it was already known, but the other half of it was not known until after I had sent it in late Sunday night. I decided that it was best if I kept what I knew out of the article until it was made official.

There were two penalties from the Late Model race last Friday.

As already mentioned, Scott Cook was disqualified after he was overweight on the left side. (The Stafford site says 9.9 pounds, which is not what was previously said.)

What was revealed on Tuesday was that Michael Bennett was dropped to eighth after a last-lap incident with Tom Fearn. Fearn finished in seventh, and the decision was made to drop Bennett down to the position behind him.

(Special stuff coming Friday. I should do it all in about an hour. News of Modified Tours galore.)

Late Model Disqualification

This is going in the article for this week (these things usually don't, because I send my stuff in before the offical results come in), but I wanted to get this up as a separate entry before.

When you check the official results on Monday, there will be a change in the Late Model order of finish. The reason for that is because officials found Scott Cook's car to be 2.67 pounds overweight on the left side. It took four trips through the scales for that to be found. It was announced late Friday night that the disqualification had happened.

An Action-Packed NASCAR Day

(Author's Note: Sorry this is late. Haven't been feeling too good this week. I've gotten better, though, and I'll be around for Friday.)

Happy NASCAR Day! May 21st, also known as Week 5 of the 2010 Stafford Speedway season, was a combination of NASCAR Day and Whelen event night. The schedule was pretty much basic - five divisions; regular feature events… Even though the pace car was replaced by the Whelen police-like pace car.

The first feature of the night was the DARE Stock race, which was a race against the clock in more ways than one. Josh Wood pulled out in front early, with Nick Salva and Stephanie Berardi (who was heading straight to a prom right after the race was over) behind him. Unfortunately for J. Wood, his lead was only a lap old and ended abruptly as he spun in the turn two grass. This put Salva in the lead, but again, it only took a lap before the lead changed hands again. Salva dropped off the pace with a problem, giving the lead to Berardi. That lead didn’t even last a lap. Don Wood became the fourth leader in three laps as he passed Berardi to complete the third lap. Second place belonged to Albert Saunders after a duel with Donald Cook. It was eight laps into the race before the first caution came out, when J. Wood’s rough night continued after he spun in turn four. On the restart, it was D. Wood getting the lead with A. Saunders all over the back bumper. Cory Casagrande and Cook were fighting for third. That fight ended when both cars got loose in turns one and two and dropped off the pace. Later that lap, Salva and Berardi spun coming out of turn four to bring out the second caution of the event, with only six laps left to go in the event. Key restart? No problem! The winner of the restart battle was D. Wood, who was almost fully around A. Saunders as they came to take the green flag. That lap (again) didn’t last very long, as another yellow came out for what appeared to be a piece of exhaust pipe on the frontstretch. It didn’t matter; it was debris, and it posed a hazard if it was on the track for much longer. After it was picked up, the green came back out. Again, D. Wood pulled ahead, and again, A. Saunders was second. But he had #1 ready to challenge for the second spot. Jeff Jolly was also willing to join the party. In turn two, Jolly gained the spot. C. Casagrande was sent backwards a few spots after being in the middle of a three-wide battle. The fight for the spot gave D. Wood an advantage - he was able to gain some distance on the rest of the field. Was there going to be a challenge for the win? No. D. Wood picked up the win, followed by Jolly in second, A. Saunders in third, and Tony Membrino, Jr in fourth.

Next up? Limited Late Models. Time constraints of any sorts? Not so much. Carla Botticello and Michael Wray fought for the lead early, with Botticello taking the position. She was challenged by George Nocera, Jr for the spot within the first lap. The fighting continued through the first two laps of the race until Nocera became the second leader of the race. Botticello followed intently, with Jesse Hinze in third. In all fairness, the real racing action was deeper into the field, where Dan Flannery, Shawn Thibeault, and Rob Dow all passed Duane Provost for seventh, then eighth, and finally ninth. At the nine-lap mark, Kevin Gambacorta, Andrew Durand, and Flannery were in passing moods; the car they passed was Hinze. Both Gambacorta and Durand hit the board, and Flannery was also in the top-five. Flannery eventually passed Durand for the spot. Thibeault was on Durand’s back bumper for fifth. Closer to the lead, there was also a fight for second between Botticello and Gambacorta. But nobody could get close to Nocera, as he cruised to the win after he lost it two weeks ago. Winning the race put him “right on top”, as he said. Botticello finished second, with Gambacorta in third. Flannery rounded out the board.

Who wants pit crews? Smack-dab in the middle of the feature lineup was that of the Late Models. With a little bit of help, Michael Bennett was the first leader of the event, but that was all for naught - five cars spun at once in the first turn during the first lap, setting up the first caution. All five cars managed to drive away. When the green came back out, things were vastly different. Alan Provost pulled out in front, with Jim Peterson and Bennett right behind. The field, for the first six cars, became a freight train; a single file line was what it was at. It all changed when positions were being swapped starting at about the fifth and sixth spots. The leader was also different as well. Second leader of the race? Peterson. He pulled out to just shy of a half straightaway of second place Corey Hutchings (second through fifth were beginning to shake up a bit). The fast-paced action slowed down with seven laps on the board when fluid was dumped on the track - bring on the speedy dry. After the fluid was cleaned up, things went back to normal. And the race went back to green. Provost had problems getting going as the green came out, keeping Peterson as the leader. A chain reaction of sorts occurred as well, when Dillon Moltz and Woody Pitkat seemed to get some part of the nose-to-tail action. Bennett was now second, although #87 passed him with eight laps down. The caution came out again with ten laps down for JJ Hill, after a spin in turn four. Provost went down onto pit road for what was called a flat tire. When the race went to green, the action started. Peterson and Hutchings were in a truly good fight for the lead. But again, it was halted for more possible fluid on the race track (this time, from Hill). Another fluid-based caution, and with a third of the race down. Once the liquid was removed, it was back to green. And a new leader came out on top, as Hutchings pulled ahead of Peterson for first. The two drivers separated themselves from third-place Bennett. It only took a lap before Ed Ricard spun in turn one, setting up yet another caution. All of that set up another restart that was a slugfest down the front straightaway before Hutchings picked up the lead. This time, it was Bennett and Moltz behind him. But again, the race was halted when Ryan Posocco was stuck at the bottom of turn two. By this time, half of the race was made up of cautions. Would anything after the restart change that? As Hutchings pulled out ahead of the field, Ricard and John Kasper were stuck in turn one after a spin not too long after the restart. The caution did not come out as both guys were able to get going. Back up front, Hutchings was beginning to be pressured by Moltz, who found himself in second. With ten laps to go, things were shaping up to be quite interesting. Hutchings had Moltz all over his bumper. Could a pass be made? Passes were surely attempted, but with no luck. Moltz was close, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. Hutchings took the win. Moltz had to settle with a second-place finish. Pitkat ended up third, with Peterson in fourth.

After all of the full-fendered cars had their fun, it was time for the open-wheeled cars to take center stage. The SK Lights were next. To start, it was Zachary Aszklar out front with Lauren Cooper not too far behind. Matt Galko was also in the mix, and all three had a shot at the lead. The two were side by side by the second lap, and by the third, Cooper was the new leader. Galko found himself in second, with Thomas Barrett, Jr now in third. And they were all bunched up. Things got messy quickly. Cooper spun in turn four, and it seemed like things were going to be okay. The caution flew, and all of a sudden… Things escalated from a one-car incident bringing out the caution to a multi-car accident bringing out the caution. Erica Santos, Earl Pelletier, Aszklar, and Joey Cipriano were also involved with half of the race done. The red flag was brought out because of accident cleanup. Red changed to yellow, and yellow changed to green. Galko moved into first, with Frank Cardile and Barrett now in a dogfight for second. Second now belonged to Barrett, sending Cardile into another fight - for third, and now with Chad Trombley. Third would go to Trombley. But the lead was a battle between two teenagers in Galko and Barrett… Until Barrett spun in turn one to bring out the caution with only three laps to go. The restart was going to be clutch. The winner of the restart battle was Galko, leaving Trombley and Cardile for second. Cardile picked up the spot. The race appeared to be over, but a caution came out with a lap left in the race after Ted Cain spun coming out of turn four, kicking up dirt in the process. The restart became chaos. Galko was still the leader, but Cardile was not letting go until he lost distance on the backstretch, ending up in another dogfight with Trombley. It was youth night in the SK Lights for a second straight week, however, as Galko scored his first career win. Cardile ended in second, barely squeaking in front of Trombley, who finished third. John Hanafin finished in fourth.

Concluding the night was the SK Modifieds. Brad Hietala pulled ahead early. Tom Bolles followed behind him. Everything was wiped clean with the first caution of the event before the a lap was finished. A few cars spun and partially wrecked in turn three, including Woody Pitkat, who went onto pit road… Repairs were needed. The restart was going to be a redo of the first green. When the green came back out, Hietala pulled back out front. Mark Bakaj was now in second. Someone ended up kicking dirt up going down the frontstretch, but everyone managed to start the restart unscaved. It only took three laps for the next caution to come out, when three cars spun in turn four. They all drove off, and soon, the green came out again. Things were semi-normal (save for a loose car), and a fight for the lead broke out between Hietala and Bakaj. You could give the lead to Bakaj, but things weren’t set in stone yet. On lap 6, Hietala ended up spinning coming out of turn two and almost collected other cars in the process. It pretty much was a caution. When the green came back out, the first two rows were side by side for position. Bakaj and Jeff Baral were battling for first. Of course, the caution came out again - this time, on lap 7 - for a few cars who were involved in a minor incident coming out of turn four. Everyone pulled away under their own power, but the yellow was there for precautionary measures. Less than a quarter of the race was done, and things were starting to be pretty chaotic. Speaking of chaotic, there was the restart. On that restart, things were different. Keith Rocco woke up, passing Baral for second. On the same lap, he passed Bakaj for first and slowly started to pull away. The lead he had gained was erased with nine laps on the board for, what else, another caution. Another multi-car caution. At the least, three; maybe four cars involved in a backstretch incident. All of which pulled away once again. Rocco pulled away on the restart, but Bakaj was keeping close to him. Baral also jumped in on the action. The first battle was for fourth, between Zach Sylvester and Bolles - fourth was now in possession of Z. Sylvester. Back up to the leader, Rocco, and he was starting to pull away once again. Second was starting to become a three-man horse race between Bakaj, Baral, and Z. Sylvester. Bakaj maintained second. The lead and battle were lasted a few laps as the next caution didn’t come out until the 19th lap, as Josh Sylvester spun in turn four and started a chain reaction of events. A few other cars were involved in the accident, including Hietala and Joe Allegro, Jr. After extensive cleanup, things got back underway with the restart. It was a short fight between Rocco and Bakaj, but Rocco reclaimed the lead. This time, however, he could not put distance on the rest of the field. Baral was running second and ready to strike at any minute. But any minute was going to have to wait, as there was yet another caution for another chain reaction incident - this time, it was in turn three. And there were six or seven cars involved. NASCAR determined that there was a little help in getting the caution underway, and they black flagged Ted Christopher for overagression. That wasn’t the only thing that needed to happen. Another red flag was needed on the night, for accident cleanup. The restart had one questioning “what else is new“ when two things happened: 1) Rocco pulled out in first, and 2) two cars spun in turns three and four. It wasn’t the only thing going on, as Bolles came to a stop at the bottom of turns one and two with 21 laps down. Another problem, another yellow. Thankfully, the yellow was short-lived and the green was coming back out to play. Rocco was going back out to the front, leaving Bakaj and Baral to duke it out for second. While Baral was able to get around Bakaj for second, Rocco was pulling away from the field. Again, the lead got wiped out when the caution came back out with 25 laps down, as Adam Skowyra was stranded on the backstretch grass. Rocco pushed back out to the lead on the restarting, with Baral still clinging onto him. Bakaj managed to moved back into third. While all of that was going on, another accident occurred with 29 laps on the board, after Eric Berndt spun in turn four. Other cars involved in that accident were Sean Foster, J. Sylvester, and Christopher. The restart was no different. Rocco in first, Baral in second. Z. Sylvester was in third. And the three cars were distanced from the fourth-place #5, who was being challenged by Ryan Preece. With the long green flag run, people thought that the race was going to end without anything else happening. They were wrong. Another caution came out with 37 laps on the board - Frank Ruocco spun in turn four. There was some damage to his car. Three laps to the finish. The restart was going to be something else. It was. Rocco pulled ahead once again, with a dogfight for spots behind him. Three drivers looking to get to the podium. Preece had been making moves, trying to get to second. He got to third, but couldn’t make a solid move for second. While Matt Gallo went through the frontstretch grass as the field took the white flag, He got going just in time - the leaders were coming for the checkered flag. Rocco crossed the line first; the rest of the board read as follows: Z. Sylvester, Preece, and Curt Brainard.

In the technical inspection, the car of Preece didn't meet the minimum frame height requirement. This forced a disqualification, dropping Preece to the tail end of the feature finish.

Next week? An interesting show. The Whelen Modified Tour is back in town with the TSI Harley-Davidson 125. It happens weather permitting. Should be a fun night.

SK Feature Change

Sorry for not getting the race recap up earlier this past weekend. My hands were tied with a couple of things. I'll make it up to you, I promise.

But I do have some pre-recap news for you. It concerns the SK Modified race from the event in question. It's a disqualification for Ryan Preece, in regards to the height of the frame. It didn't meet the minimum, and he was, as mentioned, disqualified.

Change in LLM Finish [or Why I Don't Do Writeups on the Weekends]

There's a reason why I try to put the writeup stuff off until after the weekend - it's because news like this pops up and I incorporate it into the story.

A change was made in the Limited Late Model finish from the 5/14 program. Rob Dow was disqualified from third because Tech found a problem with the rear tailing arm. It was a bit too big.

No other news to report on at the moment; track's back to racing action on Friday. Looks like a really nice night for NASCAR Day.

You’re Going to Need That Hood Trophy, There

For the first time in the early Stafford season, all five weekly divisions were racing on the same night. But unlike most weeks, this one was special. Another extra distance race was looming… This time, the special race belonged to the Late Models. On most nights, they race 30-laps. On the first Friday of May, they were to race 100 laps. With more than triple the number of laps they had to run, what kinds of strategies were going to be in play? And which drivers were going to take advantage of those strategies, use them to their advantage, and make a bid to win? Those questions would be answered later in the night.

Before the feature in question (and other regularly scheduled ones), there were two last chance qualifiers for the SK Modifieds. Once they were done, the feature races were underway.

First to get going on the night were the Limited Late Models. Jesse Hinze powered into the lead in the beginning, with Carla Botticello running in second. Michael Wray was right behind them in third. It took one lap for a battle for position to get started, with Botticello and Wray fighting for second; Botticello would keep it. Wray had his hands full with George Nocera, Jr for third, and with three laps on the board, third went to Nocera. Nocera was not done looking to move up, and decided to challenge Botticello for second - he’d ultimately win that battle. Botticello was now challenged by Wray for third. She ended up winning the battle and began to distance herself slightly from Wray. Meanwhile, Hinze was still leading the race, with Nocera right on his heels. There were about two car lengths between first and second. Back to third, Botticello was still getting pestered for position - this time, by Dan Flannery. Halfway through the race, the real battle for position was midpack. Botticello found herself in slight trouble and fell backward through the field. Her bad luck continued as 11 laps were completed when she brought out the first caution of the event as she spun in turn two. The race went back to green with Nocera squeaking out into the lead, now with Hinze and Flannery in battle for second. They were side by side coming to the line, with Flannery just barely in second as the two drivers crossed the start line to complete the lap. Kevin Gambacorta and Shawn Thibeault joined the party as well; both managing to get around Hinze for third and then fourth. Unfortunately, the caution came out again with five laps to go when Gambacorta and Brian Clement spun in turn four. Hinze was giving Flannery a bump when the green returned, but it was no use and Nocera was back out in front. Flannery fell back in second, with Thibeault still in third. The top three and Hinze - the fourth place car - raced single file for the remainder of the race. There were slight challenges by Flannery, but in the end, Nocera picked up his first win of the season. Flannery finished second, with Thibeault in third and Hinze finishing in fourth.

After the race, it was found that Nocera’s car was too light on the scales. He was disqualified because of that, and the new top four became Flannery, Thibeault, Hinze, and Dave Yardley, III.

Next up on the docket was the feature belonging to the SK Lights. It started with Harry Wheeler and Heather DesRochers fighting for the lead early. DesRochers was sent backwards through the field. Kyle Spencer was now challenging Wheeler for the lead, but Wheeler moved to the outside coming into turn three to try to pick the lead back up, which he did. But Spencer was persistent, and was able to claim the lead again - and this was all in the first lap of the race! The field settled down slightly in the next two laps, but three laps into the event, Wheeler found himself spinning down the backstretch, along with Ted Cain. The caution was coming out. After an interesting three laps to open the event, the green came back out, with Spencer still in front. David Webb moved into second, with a battle between Jay Goff and Erica Santos for third. Joey Cipriano was in the mix as well, finishing off the top five cars. Santos and Goff were still fighting for a podium spot, with neither driver letting off. Santos managed to get the spot. Goff was left to fight with Cipriano for fourth - the position was won by Cipriano. With about eight laps finished, Chad Trombley spun in turns one and two. He was able to fire the car up before a caution came out. Meanwhile, the top three cars were still fighting for position. Webb was able to get the lead at the halfway point, and the new second place car was Santos. Spencer’s night went from good to bad when he ended up on the road course portion of the backstretch, ending his chances for a good finish. No caution came out for it. During the final five laps in the race, lap traffic was going to be key. The top drivers managed to get around them, and while there was a fight for second between Santos and Cipriano, it was Webb picking up the win. Santos managed to beat Cipriano for second. Goff finished in fourth.

Up next, it was pit crews. Which only meant one thing - it was time for the longer features to get underway. The SK Modifieds were next. The front row was Ted Christopher and Frank Ruocco, and it was a short battle for the lead that Christopher happened to win. Mark Bakaj fell third and Dan Avery moved into fourth after a quick little fight for the spot. A little further back, Woody Pitkat powered into fifth (earlier in the night, he had problems with the transmission). While all that was going on, the first caution occurred when six or seven cars got together in turns three and four, ending with Josh Sylvester flying over another car. All of that set up a definite yellow with only three laps in the race. When the green came back out, it was Christopher getting back out to front, with Ruocco settling into second. That happened to be the gist of things when the caution was flown again - again, with three laps on the board. Nichole Morgillo was stopped on the backstretch, coming out of turn two. There was no doubt that the yellow was being presented again. This set up another restart, where there was a battle for the lead. Christopher once again picked up the lead, and yet again, it was short lived. Caution three came out for Matt Gallo, after spinning in turn two and not getting the car fired up again to go. Speaking of getting “fired up”, the field was getting fired up for yet another restart. The result was the same as the last three. Christopher in first, Ruocco in second. Battle for position was between Avery and Keith Rocco for fourth, which Rocco won. But soon, there was another battle for position. It was for the lead, and it took a bit of time to get the job done, but with six laps on the board, Ruocco managed to get around Christopher for the lead. Christopher was not about to back down, and there was another challenger ready to jump into the fray. That driver was Rocco. They were bumper to nose until it looked like sparks came from Christopher, giving Ruocco some distance to work with. It wasn’t a lot, but for the moment, it had to do. Christopher tried to get the lead back from Ruocco, but again, he couldn’t pull it off. Rocco tried to contend for position, but he remained sitting close to the top two while racing in third. Rocco was ready to move into second, and he did so as they made it to halfway. And while Rocco was about to challenge Ruocco for first, the caution flew for another spin - this time, it was for Brad Hietala. It set up a really important midrace restart. Ruocco and Rocco were side by side for about half a lap before Ruocco pulled ahead. Rocco and Christopher now fought for second and third, with Zach Sylvester in that fight for position. Christopher moved into second, but the caution came out with 23 laps on the board when he ended up around in turn four. The other loser of that caution was Rocco, who was black flagged for sending him around in the first place. Benefiting from that was Z. Sylvester, who took over second. Jeff Malave moved into third, with Avery returning to the board in fourth. Z. Sylvester couldn’t do much in terms of challenging Ruocco when the restart occurred. But it didn’t look like he was willing to give up, although there was a little bit of distance between the two drivers. That minimal but subtle distance was erased with 29 laps down. Hietala ended up spinning again in turn two, bringing out another caution. On the restart, it was Ruocco back out in front, with Malave and Z. Sylvester battling for spots. Malave took over second over Z. Sylvester. Meanwhile, Rocco was coming again, passing anyone he could get around. By lap 33, he made it back into fourth when he passed Ryan Preece for position. On the last lap, Rocco went around Jeff Baral for third, but to take the win, it was Ruocco. Malave ended second, with Rocco in third and Baral in fourth.

The proverbial main event was next - the Lincoln Tech Late Model 100. The action got underway when Michael Bennett took the lead, while Tim Fogg hit the frontstretch wall, taking out John Morgillo, Jr in the process. A full lap didn’t finish before the caution came out for the first time, meaning Bennett was going to restart the race on the outside of the front row. The restart was cleaner, and he was back out in front. Tracy Brouillette was busy with Ryan Posocco in a fight for second - and it was a fight that Posocco happened to win. Brouillette now had Tom Butler on his back bumper. But everything was erased when Fernando Ilha spun in turns three and four, bringing out another caution. The front row on the restart was Bennett and Posocco, and things looked fine. But in all honesty, they weren’t. The hood of Keith Rocco flew right off of the car and got a bit of air before landing semi-safely (one car may have gotten a piece of it) on the frontstretch. Obvious debris brought out an obvious caution with the lap not completed yet. The next restart was safer than that, with Bennett and Posocco fighting for the lead, and it took a full lap to determine that Bennett was getting the lead. Posocco and Butler were challenging each other for position, but it was realized that they weren’t alone. Woody Pitkat moved into third, past Posocco after the five lap mark. It looked like both Pitkat and Posocco were gaining position with seven laps down, but the caution once again came out for Ilha, spinning in the same spot he spun in earlier - turns three and four. It set up another restart with four Stafford residents in the first two rows. Bennett powered back to the lead, with Pitkat now in second. Jim Peterson saw himself in third, with Corey Hutchings in fourth (Posocco was on his bumper). Ten laps passed before Posocco returned to fourth, getting around Hutchings. Back up front, Pitkat made the pass for the lead, and the second leader of the race emerged on lap 17. The leaders approached the beginning of the lapped traffic starting around lap 25, and they managed to get around them easily. Everything else remained pretty quiet after that, but on lap 31, a change for fourth occurred as Dillon Moltz got past Posocco for the spot. Over the course of that position change, Bennett reeled in Pitkat for the lead. Peterson was caught by both Moltz and Posocco. Positions were swapped once again, as both Moltz and Posocco did in fact get by Peterson for third and fourth respectively. Peterson was dropped to fifth. The leaders encountered more drivers on the tail end of the lead lap on lap 42. As they were weaving their way through the traffic, the caution came out for Duane Noll, who spun in turn four. After a long green flag run, the field was bunched up for the first time in about forty laps. And when the green was back out, Pitkat was back out in front. Moltz fought Bennett for second, and managed to take the position easily. Posocco slipped into third, and Hutchings moved into fourth; Bennett fell back into fifth. Moltz was ready to challenge Pitkat for the lead - and so was Posocco, though the third place Posocco fell back slightly. A little further back, Bennett retook fourth from Hutchings. That was the running order on lap 54, when the caution came out for a sixth time as Doug Blowers, Jr, who spun in turn four. This set up a restart where Pitkat retook the lead and things were going on behind him. The next two or three cars in line were fighting for position, but it was all for naught as another caution occurred. It was for Dave Wray, who spun coming out of turn four and ended up trying to collect a few cars in the process. The concept of taking other cars out was accidental. A lap was not completed before the caution came out. The field was going to try the restart again. They did. Pitkat moved into the first spot again, with Moltz on his heels. Bennett was once again in the thick of things, now in third place over Posocco and Hutchings. It was sixty laps into the race when Bennett’s night ended in a rough way - broken and sitting under the video screen coming out of turn two. It all led to caution eight on the night. Under the caution, Butler made another one of his many stops onto pit road in the process. It looked like his night wasn’t going to end well, either, but he drove away. Bennett wasn’t so lucky. He remained on pit road as the field took the restart. Pitkat and Moltz once again fought for position, with Posocco also in the mix. Pitkat once again moved to the lead, with Posocco now in second, Hutchings took over third from Moltz, who was now sitting in fourth. That didn’t last long, and Moltz retook the third spot from Hutchings. Coming up through the field to sit in fifth was Rocco; hood intact from an early yellow. The rough night of Butler continued as he got loose in turn four, creating a bit of chaos and sending a traffic cone out into the path of the traffic. The next caution came out on lap 72 for John Chapin, who ended up high in turns three and four. The ninth caution set up yet another restart, and there was now less than a regular 30-lap feature left. Pitkat and Posocco fought for position again, and Pitkat won the battle for the lead. Posocco fell into second, with Moltz again close behind them. In all fairness, the top five cars hadn’t changed positions until lap 81, when Tom Fearn moved around Rocco for fifth. Within the next nine laps, the leaders encountered more lapped traffic. Times getting around the track with the traffic involved favored Pitkat over Moltz (who found himself back to second). Everything changed with three laps to go, however, when another caution wiped out the lead that Pitkat had gained. Hutchings had come to a stop up on the top of turn four. A crucial restart was in order. But that was going to be after a red flag to check the track for any hidden debris and hot laps when the yellow came back out. Let the drama and the restart begin. Pitkat once again got out front, and Posocco now took over second. Moltz was dropped to fourth. He wasn't down for the count just yet, and he gained spots and made his way back up to second. As Rocco sat idly in turns one and two, Pitkat picked up the win. Moltz finished second, with Posocco in third and Fearn in fourth.

Concluding the night? The DARE Stocks. Vince Gambacorta picked up the lead early, but that lasted about two turns as Cliff Saunders and Jeff Jolly flew by him. Jolly became the new leader, and he soon had the twins behind him - C. Saunders and Albert Saunders. A. Saunders fell back a bit, leaving C. Saunders to challenge Jolly. A. Saunders kept dropping further into the field (not too far, however), as Don Wood and Stephen Daddio both went by him. Nine laps into the event, C. Saunders and Wood fought for second, with Wood becoming the new second place driver. Wood ultimately closed the gap on Jolly, and it almost seemed like Jolly was going to hit the wall as he took the win in a caution-free feature. Wood was second, with C. Saunders and Daddio finishing the board.

On the fourth week of Stafford action, it is the first regular week of action on the schedule. No extra-distance features, no special divisions added to the program. Only the five divisions at the track. All of the racing action will be on, weather permitting.

Results of September 25

Friday night was the final Friday night event on Stafford's schedule. Five divisions equal one heck of a night, and there was a little bit of business that had to be taken care of before things really got going. Last week's controversy between Ted Christopher and Keith Rocco earned the two SK Modified drivers suspensions for the week. While they weren't there, the cars that they each drive at the half-mile were. Filling in for them were their twin brothers. It was Mike Christopher in Ted's #13 and Jeff Rocco in Keith's #88 for the evening. How'd they fare? I'll save that for the recap of September 25.

Action for the evening kicked off with the DARE Stocks. It started off in style, as Duane Provost claimed stake to the lead. Andrew Hayes and Victoria Bergenty were following behind him. Lap-3 featured two cars spinning in the turn two area of the race track, but when they managed to get going again, the green remained out. Meanwhile, Provost's lead started to shrink as Bergenty moved into second around Hayes and looked for the lead. It was a successful lead change on lap-6 when Bergenty managed to take the lead from Provost. On the very next lap, Nicholas Salva spun while going into turn two and didn't get back into motion before it was too late -- CAUTION. When the green came back out for the restart, it was Bergenty still with the lead. Don Wood was now on the move, making his way up to second from fourth not long after the restart and was now trying to find a way around Bergenty for the lead. Before Wood had an opportunity to pass, there was a one-car spin in turns three and four (lap-13) -- CAUTION. The restart was where business officially picked up. Bergenty got a bit loose when the green returned, and that gave Wood the opportunity to drop to the outside and take over the lead. Bill Dunn also passed Bergenty, and began to run down Wood, who was securely in the lead. It wasn't enough, however, as Wood picked up his second win of the year. Dunn unofficially finished second. Bergenty and Hayes rounded out the top-four. After the race, it was found that Dunn's issued AVM plate was missing and there was some sort of illegal modification to the AVM plate that was on the car. Because of this, he was disqualified from the feature and indefinitely suspended.

The modified portion the program began with the SK Lights. Shawn Brule started it off by having the lead in the course of the first few laps. Ted Cain and Harry Wheeler sat in second and third respectively. On lap-6, the running order at the front of the field started to change hands. David Webb, who was running fourth, passed Wheeler for third. Wheeler ended up falling backwards through the field. After about three cars passed Wheeler, the running order was seemingly frozen for a while. On lap-16, Tommy Membrino spun on the frontstretch; no harm, no damage, but he couldn't get the car going again in time -- CAUTION. This set up a restart that Brule won. Cain was still in second, but third was now in possession of Brit Andersen. It took Andersen three laps to manage to get around Cain for second. Only problem was that he had tapped Cain's back bumper and sent Cain into the turn three wall -- CAUTION. The black flag came out for Andersen, meaning he was to park it for the rest of the event. Brule was now coming up to take the restart with Webb next to him. As the greens came back out, it was Webb who moved out in front and claimed the lead. If Brule was going to go down, he was going to go down trying. And try he did. It wasn't quite enough, however, and it was Webb to win his second race of the season. Brule finished second, with Jay Goff in third and John Montesanto in fourth. With a fifth place finish, Michael Gervais, Jr not only won the Rookie of the Year title in the SK Lights, but also won his first championship in the division.

The SK Modifieds were the division that ended up running in the smack-dab middle of the program that night. It began with Wade Mattesen as the leader, but quickly slowed down after one lap as Nicole Morgillo hit the wall in turn two on lap-2 -- CAUTION. Upon resuming the race, Doug Coby managed to pass Mattesen for the lead, becoming the race's second leader. A multi-car spin (in turn two) one lap later slowed the field down again -- CAUTION. The restarts that followed didn't change much. Coby still maintained the lead with Mattesen in second. On lap-6, Mike Christopher harmlessly spun in turn three -- CAUTION. Again, nothing changed on the restart. It was still Coby out in front, and remained so until lap-12, when both Christopher and Jeff Rocco spun in turns three and four -- CAUTION. On the restart, it was back to Coby as the leader, but a new second-place driver emerged in Richie Pallai, Jr. Pallai was itching to take the lead, but the two of them plus the rest of the top-five ran single file until lap-20 when Frank Ruocco spun in turn two -- CAUTION. When the race went back to green, it was Coby out in front again, with Pallai still in second. Pallai's good run came to an end on lap-23, when Woody Pitkat got together with him and spun coming out of turn two (another car was also involved) -- CAUTION. Todd Owen had now moved up to second, and a duel for the lead with Coby erupted on the restart. The two battled for a little bit under the green, with Owen passing Coby for the lead on lap-25. Two laps later, on lap-27, Rob Summers and two other drivers spun in turns three and four -- CAUTION. The race resumed with Owen and Coby in yet another duel for the lead. The two drivers ran side by side for what seemed like the longest time. In all reality, they had been battling for the lead for ten solid laps. Lap-37 slowed the field down yet again when Pallai spun around exiting turn two -- CAUTION. Coby regained the lead on the restart and Owen was once again on his back bumper; not willing to back down without a fight. But it was Coby who had enough momentum to get him to the finish line first, picking up his first win of the season. Owen had to settle for second. Joe Allegro, Jr and Jeff Malave finished third and fourth. As for the points championship battle? Even though he didn't race in the night's events due to an aforementioned suspension, Ted Christopher still managed to win his seventh track championship in the division.

The "quickest feature of the night" award should go to the Limited Late Models. Bill Davis started out on the pole, and when the greens came out to start the race, he pulled out into the lead. Dave Yardley, III sat in second, right behind him. The two of them and the rest of the top-five drivers fell into a single line and paraded around the track. On lap-7, Carla Botticello, who was running fourth, passed Michael Wray (then third). The next lap saw Kevin Gambacorta move into the top-five as he passed George Nocera, Jr. Gambacorta quickly got by Wray for fourth. The top-four continued to run single file. This was how they ran for pretty much the entire race (yes, single file), and the race ran caution-free as Davis picked up his first win of the season. The rest of the board was Yardley, Botticello, and Gambacorta.

It was time for the final feature of the night. The Late Model feature was also the craziest race of the night, and in more ways than one. Where to begin? How about at the start of this one, where it was Doug Blowers with an early lead. It was a short lead; particularly one-lap long. On the very next lap, he seemed to spin around the exit of turn two, collecting others as the field seemingly started to stack up behind him -- CAUTION. Drivers involved in this accident included both Dillon Moltz and Ryan Posocco, who (may or may not have) ended up stuffed under the back bumper of the other. Both of them started in the back of the field when the restart came back out. The new leader of the race was Joe Rzeszutek, with Adam Gray following him in second. The two of them ran in order until lap-5 until Tom Butler and another driver spun going into turn three -- CAUTION. This set the field up for a restart, with Gray winning the battle when the green came back out. Rzeszutek was not going to back down so easily, and on lap-15, he powered past Gray to retake the lead. Gray's car started to head into the point of no return, and he fell back numerous spots. He'd eventually end his race by pulling behind the wall. Meanwhile, the battle at the front of the pack was just beginning. There was debris found in turn four on lap-20 -- CAUTION. The restart was the next time a lead change took place. This time, it was Jim Peterson getting by Rzeszutek on the restart, and he began to pull away. It wasn't until five laps later (lap-25) until the next yellow came out for Blowers, who spun again; this time, in the grass on the frontstretch -- CAUTION. Peterson got the lead again on the restart, but this lasted another full lap. On lap-26, things got scary quick. Rzeszutek, Ed Charette, and another car ended up on the frontstretch, with Charette riding the concrete barrier on the outside for a little bit on two tires -- CAUTION. The car managed to land on its tires, but the red flag was quickly brought out because the second ambulance came out onto the track and there was just a little too much debris to clear up. Thankfully, Charette got out of the car under his own power. The yellow replaced the red, and the green replaced the yellow not too long afterward. Peterson still had the lead, now followed by Moltz, Butler, and Posocco... Three drivers involved in early-race incidents. This was the running order for two laps, as debris was spotted on the frontstretch on lap-28 -- CAUTION. And on the next restart? Oh, the next lap ticked off smoothly. It was what happened after that that didn't. Dave Wray and John Kasper got tangled together and came to a rest in the grass in turn three -- CAUTION. They were literally tangled together. It took the track safety team a bit of time to untangle the mess. When they were untangled, it signaled the start of a green-white-checkered finish. It was a great finish. On the restart, Tom Fearn found a way through the traffic in front of him and managed to get around Peterson before they hit the backstretch. Posocco also managed to get by Peterson as well, but Posocco could not catch Fearn as he came to get his second win of the season. Posocco finished second, with Peterson in third and Butler in fourth.

And that's the way it was. Next up on the schedule is the last racing event on the schedule, and that's the Fall Final. You have a large crowd that's going to be in attendance for that: Stafford's five weekly divisions, the Whelen Modified Tour as they run a 150-lap feature, and the Mini Stock invitational event, which brings in cars and drivers from all over New England. It should be a wild weekend. On the schedule for the weekend: Open practice on Friday, qualifying for everyone and features for some on Saturday, and the weekend ends with more features. Should be fun. I hope you stick around and attend. This is all subject to pending weather.

Consequences Laid Down After SK Modified Race

It was a crazier than usual end to Friday night's SK Modified race at Stafford. And I mentioned that I wasn't going to be surprised to see penalties handed out after it. Monday afternoon, it was official -- penalties were in fact handed out.

And it will be a quieter night at SMS when the SKs take to the track.

As the Hartford Courant states, both Ted Christopher and Keith Rocco were suspended one event each. Both drivers were fined. Christopher lost ten points in the process. You should see this up on the track's site at some point in time Tuesday.

This doesn't mean that he can't win the championship, either. Stay tuned later this week as I explain just what can still happen even though Christopher's not racing.

Late Model Disqualification

Why Stafford didn't announce this earlier is anyone's guess. But there was a disqualification from the August 14 program (the last event that was run before the rainfest).

This was official for a little under three weeks.

Ryan Posocco was disqualified because the tires that were on the car that night were found to be "chemically altered".

Now, I don't know if track officials found out three weeks ago or recently, but either way, this is something I've never heard of before. In the nine and a half years I've been going to Stafford, I have never heard of anyone chemically altering their tires. I don't know how that benefits a driver.

But alas, this hurts Posocco in the points race. He dropped from first to third in the standings, now 28 points back on leader Jim Peterson. Posocco's also placed on probation until the end of the year and is suspended until he pays a $200 fine.

Results of July 24

Oh, what a night. Friday night was one of those nights where you had to be at Stafford at all costs. And the reason was... The sixth annual SK Modified 150. You may have taken a trip down memory lane before this event, looking back at past 150s. Like the events of the past, this one had all the makings of a memorable night. So what exactly happened? Here are the events of July 24, 2009.

This memorable night started off with the Limited Late Models. And that race started with Bill Davis with the lead for the first two laps. That was until Norm Sears decided to take over. Behind Sears was Kevin Gambacorta, but unfortunately, it wasn't for long. There were six laps completed when Gambacorta spun. Thankfully, he'd get the car going again. Michael Wray wouldn't get his car straight in time on lap-7, when he went around in turn two -- CAUTION. Back to green, and it was Sears still out in front. Dave Yardley, III and Andrew Durand were now sitting pretty behind him. They ran like that for a couple of laps until Durand had enough of riding in third and passed Yardley for second. Not only did Durand make a pass for second, he was also looking for the lead. He had caught up to Sears and was now within striking distance of Sears until lap-16, when a car went around in turns one and two -- CAUTION. This set up another restart, which belonged to either Sears or Durand. Take your pick. Yet it was Sears with the advantage. All of the pieces seemed to fit into place until Carla Botticello found her way into the picture, albeit not in the way she expected to step in it was she spun in turn four on the white flag lap -- CAUTION. You know what this set up? You guessed it. One of those lovely green white checker finishes. On the green flag, it was Sears putting himself back out in front. The last two laps proved to be the most memorable two laps of his life. He ended up picking up his first career Limited Late Model victory. Durand wound up in second with Shawn Thibeault and Dan Flannery following them into the top-four.

After those guys, what could happen next? Oh, the SK Lights and their feature. It all started with Kyle Spencer with the lead. On the move in the first seven laps of the race was Brit Andersen, but on lap-8, the only moving he did was to the back of the field after he spun on the backstretch -- CAUTION. A quick one, as he was able to get going and rejoin the field. Back up front, there was a restart, and it was Spencer back out front. Tommy Membrino, Jr and John Montesanto followed along for the ride in second and third respectively. This was how they ran up until lap-12, when Jay Goff and Harry Wheeler ended up in a frontstretch accident -- CAUTION. Cleanup was somewhat extensive, but the race went back to green with Spencer still out in front. This was only going to last for a lap, as on lap-13, Shawn Brule ended up spinning on the frontstretch -- CAUTION. Again, the race ended up getting back to green, and again, it was Spencer getting the lead. But again, they'd only get one lap in before multiple cars spun in turn one -- CAUTION. Could they have some inkling of luck when they went back to green? One word answer: Yes. It was Spencer back out front, but his reign out front was ending very shortly... It was lap-15 when the first lead change of the race took place, as Montesanto took over for Spencer. You know who else was coming? Andersen, recovering from his early-race spin. On lap-16, he passed Spencer for second, and was now all over Montesanto for the lead. He'd finally make the move on lap-19 and led the rest of the way to pick up his fourth win of the year. Montesanto had to settle for second. Spencer finished third, and Michael Gervais, Jr finished fourth.

The DARE Stocks were up next. After last week's caution-free feature, the least they could do is repeat. Did they get the job done? The race got underway with Andrew Hayes leading the way early, but all is and was not ultimately easy. Bill Dunn was coming, and fast. By lap-3, Dunn had caught up to Hayes and attempted a pass, but it wasn't meant to be. Hayes had control of the lead. As the laps ticked by, there wasn't much going with the top few cars, but business was about to pick up. Albert Saunders had been in third for much of the race, but he had passed Dunn for second and was looking for first. On lap-14, Saunders made the pass around Hayes for the lead. While Hayes started to move backwards through the field, the last two laps belonged to Saunders, as he became the first multi-race winner in the DARE Stock division this season. Dunn was second, with Tony Membrino, Jr and Don Wood finishing off the board. Back to back caution-free features for the DARE Stocks. I tell you, they get the job done without all of that messy stuff going on.

The "assistance of the pit crew" portion of the program kicked off with the Late Model feature. Again, it was a very interesting feature. Out front early was Adam Gray, but in second was Michael Bennett, and he wasn't going to back down without a fight. He challenged Gray for the lead and was successful in passing him on lap-6. He began to stretch himself out from the rest of the field. While that was happening, Gray was slipping backwards, as numerous drivers passed him (including JJ Hill, Ryan Posocco, and Dillon Moltz). Posocco and Hill would fight for position among the top-five cars until lap-16, when they touched and ended up spinning in turn one -- CAUTION. Bennett found himself on the front row with Moltz on the restart, which originally favored Bennett as he moved back into the lead. But only three laps later, on lap-19, Moltz made the pass for the lead. Bennett suddenly found himself in second. On lap-21, you had two cars getting in an accident in turn one. That didn't work out well -- CAUTION. This set up a restart, which belonged to Moltz. Second would now belong to Jim Peterson, who got around Bennett for the position. Everything seemed pretty normal. That was the case until lap-28, when Tony Lafo hit the wall in turn one and proceeded to stop somewhere along the backstretch -- CAUTION. This set up a two-lap fight for the victory. And those two laps belonged to Moltz. It wasn't one of those wins where a driver just pulls away from the rest of the field, but it was a win. And it was his fourth win of the season. The rest of the board was Peterson, Bennett, and Woody Pitkat.

Closing out the night was a race that, in past years, drivers would call exciting. It was time for the SK Modified 150. It was truly a "hold onto your seat" kind of race. Let's get right to it. Matt Gallo assumed the leader position early, but it was safe to say that there were other people coming. And fast. Who was coming? For starters, there was Frank Ruocco, who was coming from the tenth starting spot. At lap-20, he had put himself into second, and on the very next lap, found a way around Gallo for the lead. With the new leader came more quick cars making their way to the front of the field. Another car that was making a charge that of Eric Berndt. Berndt would find himself in third with a third of the race in the record books. Gallo's good night started to take a sharp decline on lap-57, when he spun in turn four -- CAUTION. It set up the first restart of the race three laps later. (If you don't know, caution laps in this race counted. So each restart was literally a crucial one.) And this was also where Berndt made the move for second. But it was still Ruocco out front. The two of them would begin to put on a pretty entertaining battle for the lead. Berndt tried both grooves, with little success. Also around this point in the race, a third driver had been coming towards the front of the field. Cue Todd Owen. On the first restart of the race, Owen had been sitting in fifth. He'd have to wait a little bit, however, because on lap-71, Willie Hardie was in a solo-car incident in turns three and four -- CAUTION. Another restart was on our hands, and Berndt provided another challenge for Ruocco, which Ruocco had won. In the next nine laps, the top-three cars were now Ruocco, Berndt, and Owen. This would be your running order until lap-93, as Mark Bakaj spun in turn two -- CAUTION. The caution ran for six solid laps. A restart presented itself just shy of the 100-lap mark. And on the restart, Owen would take over second, putting Berndt back to third. Now it was Owen who was starting to challenge Ruocco for the lead. Yet even with Owen now behind him, Ruocco was just too good. The next time the field saw the yellow, it was lap-108, and it was for Kenny Horton, who had spun in the grassy part of the frontstretch -- CAUTION. The green came back out on lap-111, with Ruocco still holding off the challenge of those behind him, but a single lap ticked off the board when Gallo spun again, this time in turn two -- CAUTION. Another three laps had passed for the caution period, and on lap-115, the race was back to green. Berndt had reclaimed second from Owen, and had resumed the fight to take the front spot from Ruocco. Again, Ruocco was proving to be too much and slightly pulled away. Not by much. Lap-125 saw Keith Rocco, who was in the top-10 at the time, seemingly blow up going into turn one -- CAUTION. Was there liquid? Would there have to be speedy dry thrown onto the track? No, there wasn't liquid, and that's the reason why the race went back to green three laps later. On the restart, Owen took second away from Berndt, yet Owen was not able to make any sort of move around Ruocco for the lead. This was the running order at the lap-132 mark, when three cars got together in turn one (including Ted Christopher and Doug Coby) -- CAUTION. It wasn't a long yellow; only lasted for three laps as all the cars involved were able to drive away. And the green came back out with Ruocco still out front, and still being challenged. Berndt's good run would end on lap-138 when he spun coming off of turn two -- CAUTION. The restart took place on lap-140, meaning it was going to be a dash for ten laps. And wouldn't you know it... Another challenge from Owen on the restart. And again, Ruocco held off Owen. The final ten laps ran down under green flag conditions, and when it was all said and done, it was Ruocco holding off Owen to pick up his first win of the season and second SK Modified 150. Owen finished second, with Tom Bolles unofficially finishing third and Woody Pitkat in fourth. (In technical inspection, Bolles was weighed and the car was found to exceed the maximum weight percentage on the left side. Therefore, he was disqualified.)

A pretty interesting evening that closed before all of the unpleasant weather rolled around. Just in time, too -- SKs were in the middle of tech by the time the rain arrived.

Next Friday night isn't just the last night of July. It'll also be another five-division show for you. No special additives. I promise. All of this is weather permitting.

Schedule for July 31 + DQ News

Two things you need to know. First, here's a schedule out for the July 31 program, but of course, nothing is finalized. The order of features is anyone's guess. No special stuff going on this week.

Something that was finalized, however, was the SK 150 order of finish. I was going to write about this over the weekend, but I decided against it because I wanted to wait for it to be official before I did. Now, you may have read up about the rules in an earlier post -- I had said that Tech was going to automatically disqualify anyone who was too light or too heavy in terms of weight and drop them to last in the finishing order.

Friday night, after the 150, I decided to hang around the track. And that's when I found out that Tom Bolles had been disqualified. He was weighed, and then the next thing you know, his car was never inspected. How come? Too much weight on the left side of the car. Instant last place finish; made official today.

All the news I have for you right now. Look for the weekly recap coming later this week.

Schedule for July 24 + DQ News

Two things to discuss on this Tuesday. One of which, obviously, is the schedule for the sixth annual SK Modified 150. As of right now (Tuesday afternoon), I don't know what the feature order will be. All I know is that this should be one heck of a night. Weather permitting.

Second off, the quickest Friday night of the season (more on that later) didn't go down without anybody getting disqualified. Two disqualifications from the event: Tony Santangelo in the SK Lights -- car didn't meet the minimum frame height requirement, and Norm Sears in the Limited Late Models -- car didn't meet the minimum weight requirement. Sears was only off by two pounds and was dropped two positions, which equals one pound per spot lost.

Aside from that, no other news to report on.

Results of June 19

Short night at Stafford this week. Few cautions, and five divisions. But plenty of drama. Results of what was June 19 have arrived.

SK Lights: What a way to kick things off. Heather DesRochers started up front and took the lead early. Although there was a caution for a spin four laps into the race, it didn't seem to hinder DesRochers, and she was back out front on the restart. John Hanafin would move into second, but by the halfway point, the caution had come out again (two cautions in two laps, for that matter), and Michael Gervais, Jr had managed to get by Hanafin. But it was still DesRochers in front. She would expand her lead over Gervais over the course of six laps until lap-17, when the caution came out for the fourth time. And yet again, it would be DesRochers taking the lead on the final restart. She would pull away from the field and would take down her first career win at Stafford. Gervais would finish second, Hanafin would unofficially finish third (and then get caught by Tech for not meeting the minimum frame height requirement), and Tony Santangelo would finish the top-four.

Limited Late Models: Dan Flannery would see time early in the race as the leader. He was followed by Bill Davis, but Andrew Durand would find a way around Davis for second, and on a restart with six laps down, would take over as the leader. Flannery would slide in second. Davis would have third taken away from him by Norm Sears. Back out front, Durand would begin to stretch out his lead over Flannery, and the race would go to the checkered flag without any hesitation. It would be Durand's third win of the season. Flannery, Sears, and Davis finished off the board.

SK Modifieds: A calmer feature unlike features of SK Modified season past. It started with Dave Salzarulo out in front early. Todd Owen was in second and pushing for the lead, but a caution on lap-15 bunched the field up for a restart. The restart brought us a new leader in Frank Ruocco. Keith Rocco was also making a move, going from fifth up to second. Rocco was able to make the move for the lead on lap-21, and away he went. The best battle on the track was for second, third, and fourth, with Ruocco, Owen, and Mark Bakaj all fighting for position. Meanwhile, Rocco was still in the lead, ticking down the laps while his lead grew and grew. Ultimately, he would pick up his third win of the season. Ruocco would finish second, with Bakaj in third and Owen in fourth.

Late Models: It all started with JJ Hill as the leader. But it would not last long, as Dillon Moltz was moving. By lap-5, Moltz had taken the lead from Hill. Three cautions in two laps kept the field close together, but on a lap-11 restart, things started to quiet down a bit. Michael Bennett would get around Hill for second, and he was followed by a few other drivers. Moltz, meanwhile, was still out in front, and as the laps ticked by, it looked as though it would be yet another dominating finish. But a caution with three laps to go halted any celebration and presented a green-white-checker finish. Once again, it would be Moltz out in front on the restart, but with Ryan Posocco now in second. Posocco was no match for Moltz, as Moltz scored his third win of the season. Posocco would finish second. Bennett and Tom Fearn would come in third and fourth, respectively.

DARE Stocks: Only race of the night that was caution free. But it did not come without dramatics. Melissa Blowers started on the pole and quickly took the lead at the drop of the first (and only) green flag. Barry Fluckiger fell in line behind her and the two of them ran single file for a little bit. Fluckiger would fall back behind four other drivers and out of the top-five. On lap-12, it was Albert Saunders passing Bill Dunn for second and focusing his sights on Blowers and the lead. With one lap to go, Saunders finally caught Blowers and passed her, sending her backwards. It would be a Saunders in victory lane for the second week in a row as Albert collected his first career win. Don Wood finished second, Cliff Saunders in third, and Blowers in fourth.

And that's the night where racing ended at ten o'clock. Friday night, we'll do it all over again. Five divisions for you, plus the New England Antique Racers on the midway. All of which, of course, is weather permitting.

Spring Sizzler '09, or Cue the Welcome Back Kotter Tune

(Apologies for just copying the stuff I used elsewhere. I'll think of new material next time.)

Months of waiting finally came down to the opening of the racing season at Stafford Motor Speedway. With temperatures reaching the mid-80s, the 2009 Spring Sizzler was just that. A sizzler. Two days of action, with the five weekly divisions and the Whelen Modified Tour to boot.

SATURDAY
The weekend started off with qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour. 36 cars attempted time trials for 33 spots. Setting fast time was Ted Christopher, who clocked in an 18.150 (or 99.174 mph). Upon the redraw, which took place later in the afternoon, Ryan Preece (third fastest time) and Mike Stefanik (second fastest time) would find themselves on the front row. Christopher would redraw fourth.

Heats for the weekly divisions rolled off next, with a few cautions interspersed inbetween the racing action. It seemed like there was a caution for every heat race that took place. But all was well with the world and feature racing started without a hitch.

SK Lights: The theme at the start of the season is usually "welcome back", and the first official race of the year was no exception to the theme. Brit Andersen returned to the track in SK Light competition in style. He took the lead from Earl Pelletier on the third lap of the race, and, other than a quick lead loss to Tony Santangelo which he quickly regained and a few cautions, held off all competitors to take down the win. Santangelo unofficially finished second, but in tech, it was found out that he had staggered brake calipers and was scored last. Ted Cain moved up to second, followed by Pelletier and Jay Goff.

Limited Late Models: Only two cars in the division switched over to a new body style with wing this season. One of them, Andrew Durand's, also sports the new spec engine that Stafford allowed the drivers to use. Both the new body style and engine were put to good use in the second feature of the afternoon. The first leader of the event was Michael Chaves, who lead for the first ten laps until Durand powered by him. Also coming was 2008 division champion Bill Davis, and a caution with three laps to go set the stage for a duel. It took a lap before Durand was finally clear of Davis, and it was Durand who won his first race of the season. Davis finished second, with Dennis Botticello unofficially finishing third. (Tech revealed that the car exceeded the maximum left side weight percentage, and he was scored last.) Carla Botticello moved to third, with Jesse Hinze finishing fourth.

DARE Stocks: It was the only feature of the weekend that saw only one leader. Don Wood led all fifteen laps as he claimed his first win of the season. It wasn't all easy for him, as he had Jeff Jolly on his back bumper over the course of the last five laps. But Jolly would finish second behind Wood, with Bill Dunn in third and Albert Saunders in fourth.

SUNDAY
With the hotter of the two days came the second day of racing action. There were still two weekly divisions to be run, along with the main event -- the Whelen Modified Tour race. And there was the pit party, which is always a crowd-pleaser.

SK Modifieds: A pair of multi-car accidents made the end of the first feature of day two look more like a heat race rather than an actual feature. The accidents, taking place on the first lap of the event and on the thirtieth, cut the field by more than half and took out some of the more familiar front-runners. They also set the stage up for a first-time winner in the SK Modified division. After the red flag on the lap-30 accident, Richie Pallai, Jr became the fourth different leader of the event. Brad Hietala was second, but during one battle for the lead, Hietala got loose, which gave Pallai a comfortable-sized lead with three laps to go. Pallai would record his first career SK Modified victory. Ted Christopher would finish second, followed by Jimmy Blewett and Todd Owen.

Whelen Tour: Luck was what set the tone for the ending of the main event. On lap-121, Ted Christopher ended up on pit road because of a cut tire. Seven laps later, he found himself going through the grass during a backstretch accident, and all hope of him winning back-to-back races had started to look unlikely. Yet he made his way through the field, and by lap-182, Christopher had passed Todd Szegedy for the lead. It would not only be the pass for the lead, but it would also be the pass for the win. It was the second straight win for Christopher on the Tour. Szegedy would finish second, with Ryan Preece third, and Mike Stefanik in fourth.

Late Models: It took the Late Models five attempts to get the race done on a green-white-checkered scenario, as the latter stages of the race became caution-filled. At one point in time, Corey Hutchings and Tom Fearn -- the leaders at the time -- made contact, sending Hutchings spinning in the turn-four grass and Fearn to the back of the field via way of penalty. The new front row consisted of Scott Cook, the new leader, and Dillon Moltz on the outside. Two more cautions kept the field bunched together, but when everybody was cool-minded, Moltz was able to power past Cook for the lead. The final two laps went by caution-free, and Moltz picked up the win. Cook was second, with Ryan Posocco in third and Jim Mavlouganes in fourth.

Friday, weather permitting, Stafford will be hosting the first Friday night event of the season. Five divisions in action. Should be a great time if Mother Nature cooperates with us.

Saw This Coming? Penalty in LLMs.

In the middle of all of the news that I've been printing, I forgot to mention this story. I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to discuss this one, because... Well, I'm not sure what words can describe it.

At some point in time after the Limited Late Model race on Saturday -- I'm assuming it was all done on that Saturday -- officials apparently found numerous things wrong with the car of David Capriati (which on the police blotter is marked down as "blatant disregard for SMS's technical rules").

So, what happened? A lot.

To start with, gone are all of the championship points he earned during the season. And with the points go the awards and monies won and earned as well. And the result of all of this? Indefinite suspension.

I'm not even sure what the "blatant disregard" was to begin with, so I'm staying away from finger pointing and the such.

EDIT: More on this story by Shawn Courchesne over on his blog.

Quick and Crazy. Results of 9/5.

Until I figure out what the heck time management is (next week?), here's a copy of my stuff from this past week:

Only two Friday nights remained on the season at Stafford before the Fall Final. September 5 contained a regular program with the five weekly divisions in action. And with the championships in sight, anything could and did happen.

The night started with the Limited Late Models and their 20-lap event. It started with David Capriati taking the lead from the drop of the green flag. Two cautions came out on lap-4 and lap-5, when spins brought out the yellows. Corky Hinze spun on the backstretch on lap-4, while Shawn Thibeault spun in turns three and four on the very next lap. Both cautions also sent people to the back of the field as a result, as both Sean Foster and Andrew Durand were black-flagged for overaggressive driving. On the restart, it was still Capriati out in front. The first and only lead change of the race occured on lap-9 when Joey Ferrigno closed the gap. By lap-10, Ferrigno had made the pass and began to extend his lead. This would be a lead that would not be overcome as Ferrigno crossed the line to pick up his second win of the season. Bill Davis ended up finishing second, with Corky Hinze in third and Sean Foster in fourth. After the race, Hinze was disqualified because his car didn't meet the minimum weight requirement.

Up next on the docket was the 20-lap SK Light feature. Ted Cain was the leader for the first four laps until a caution came out for a spinning car in turn two. Another car spun in turn one on the restart, so a second attempt at a restart was done. That was smoother than the first, and on lap-5, Jay Goff took over as the leader. Goff led until lap-10, when Chris Matthews passed him for the lead. A caution for a spinning car on lap-14 brought the field back together for a crucial restart; one that Matthews controlled as the green dropped. Goff attempted to give chase to Matthews over the final five laps, but was not able to get close enough to challenge. It would be the seventh win of the year for Matthews. Goff finished second, with Alan Provost and Mark Bakaj rounding out the top-four.

The crews of the Late Models came out with warwagons and tires in tow, preparing themselves for the 30-lap feature. To start things off in this one, it was Mark St. Hilaire leading the way for the first eight laps. Woody Pitkat was coming, however, and on lap-9, Pitkat was able to get around St. Hilaire for the lead. Two separate spin incidents would bring out the caution on lap-16. The first of which was for a one-car spin in turn two, while the restart saw a four-car spin in turn one. On lap-17, after the successful attempt at a restart, debris was spotted in turn two, and that brought out the third caution of the event. At the lap-19 mark, Brian Chapin made the move around Pitkat for the lead. But the two made contact on lap-20, sending both cars spinning. This gave the lead to Ryan Posocco. Michael Bennett was second, and although he made an early challenge for the lead, Posocco began to pull away from Bennett over the last few laps. Posocco claimed his sixth win of the season. Bennett finished second, while Corey Hutchings and Dillon Moltz finished third and fourth respectively.

More crew help came out for the SK Modified 40-lap event. And that truly was the most chaotic race of the night. Early lead changes were the next big thing as Wade Mattesen led the first lap, Corey Hutchings led the next two laps, and then Woody Pitkat became the third leader in the first five laps by taking over the lead on lap-4. The green flag session lasted up until lap-18 when the caution came out for a one-car spin in turn four. Pitkat was once again out in front, and a semi-long green flag session brought the field to lap-31 for a two car accident. A real Chitwood-esque one, in fact. Corey Hutchings would go up and over Richie Pallai in turn two. Both drivers were okay. The next restart was crazier than anything else that went on this season. Pitkat would have a bit of a problem getting up to speed on the restart, now putting Frank Ruocco out in front. That lead would be short-lived, as something happened (and I use that term loosely) in three and four, ending with a multi-car accident bringing out the caution on lap-32. Both Ruocco and Pitkat had to come down pit road for service, among others, and that gave the lead to Keith Rocco. Three minor spin cautions over the last eight laps followed, and other than that, Rocco was able to take down his second win of the season. The rest of the top-four were Donny Travaglin, Doug Coby, and Todd Owen.

Closing out the night were the DARE Stocks with their 15-lap feature. No cautions, one leader. That one leader was Duane Provost. He got the lead on the start and proceeded to lead every single lap of the race to win his first race of the season. Norm Sears, Scott Roy, and Don Wood rounded out the board.

Friday night is the final Friday night of racing action at Stafford before the Fall Final in two weeks. All five divisions will be in action, and all will be done if the weather holds off. Looks good for now, so until then, stay safe and dry.

More Penalty Talk. SK Style.

Reading through the police blotter for the week, I came across something that (in my mind) doesn't make sense.

When did Richie Pallai hit someone under the caution?

I don't remember anything like that happening during the feature. What I do remember is seeing Woody's back bumper crunched in, courtesy of Frank Ruocco. (Speaking of that, when did he make contact with Pallai? Unless I was busy with something else...)

But like I said before, I do not remember seeing Pallai doing anything that should have given him a week's worth of probation. Someone made a mistake at the keyboard or something?

If anyone wishes to clarify this for me, feel free to do so.

DQ in the LLMs

Only one disqualification came out of the September 5 program.

Corky Hinze, who originally finished third, was disqualified because his car was too light -- it didn't meet the minimum weight measurememt. So he was dropped from third to 20th.

I'll get the weekly entry up tomorrow.

Did I Really Miss That? Results of 7/18.

No, I didn't miss all of "that", but I did miss something that will be mentioned later in this entry. Speaking of this entry, here's what's coming up: Two drivers lose their spots on the board in two different divisions, and a red flag comes out in another. (Sounds like the perfect time to think about where my absence falls into place, doesn't it?) So I think this is the point where we just dive right into the action. It shall be like last week's entry: A quick little thing that includes enough about the event to make it worthwhile. Let's get to it, then. Here is what went down on the night of July 18.

DARE Stocks: It was a first time winner in victory lane after this race was all said and done. The other big story to come out of this race happened after a multi-car accident with a little less than two laps to go. This incident hindered the performances of a few of the top runners in the race, including Scott Roy and Norm Sears. The result of this was John Kasper and Tom Stirk on the front row for the final few laps. On the restart, Kasper moved out in front, and was able to stay out in front for his first career DARE Stock win. Stirk would finish second, followed by Todd LaPorta and Duane Provost.

SK Lights: All of the cautions in this race occured either near or after the halfway point. The yellow came out once for a spin and then twice for debris (coincidentially, both debris cautions were on the same lap). On the restart, it was Heather DesRochers pulling out in front. But on the next lap, she would get loose, go up high into the second turn, and collect three other drivers -- including Chris Bakaj. This gave the lead to Alan Provost, who would lead up to lap-16 when Chris Matthews would assume the first position. The battle was now for the second spot, which was between Provost and Mark Bakaj. Using this battle for the runner-up spot, Matthews pulled away and won his sixth feature of the season. Bakaj was able to beat Provost to the line for second, while Raymond Grassetti finished fourth. Tech would have something to say at the end of this one, however, as Grassetti's car was a bit too heavy on the left side. So he was penalized and was sent to last place.

Late Models: In the span of six weeks, two different drivers have seen victory lane. A caution before the halfway point of the race was also a factor in determining who was going to win. While Wayne Coury, Jr and Corey Hutchings were fighting for the lead, the two drivers made contact and ended up in turn four, giving the lead to Ryan Posocco. The rest of the race ran caution free, with Posocco leading every lap on the restart to the end of the race to pick up his third feature in a row and fourth of the season. At the time, the rest of the board looked like this: Woody Pitkat, Rick Charette, and Brian Chapin. But Pitkat's car was found to be illegal in the form of a failed compression test, and he was dropped to last place in the finishing order.

SK Modifieds: Two debris cautions (on the opening lap and on lap-15) weren't going to beat the one caution I ended up missing. Knowing that if I got up out of my seat, I was going to miss something, I got up after prior to one restart on lap-14. Bad timing on my part. While I stood down on the midway, the biggest accident of the night occured, bringing out the red flag in the process. It was a multi-car accident over in turn one, with about five or six (maybe even seven) different drivers named as accident cars. Up at the front of the field, however, two different drivers led the race -- Glenn Griswold for the first 14 laps, followed by Woody Pitkat after Griswold spun to kick dirt up into turn four. On the restart, Pitkat moved out in front and started to pull away from the rest of the field. The true battle for position was for second between Ted Christopher and Keith Rocco. Meanwhile, the laps ticked down and the lead for Pitkat was now at a full straightaway as he dominated the final 25 laps to win his second race of the season. It would be Christopher in second, followed by Rocco in third, and Frank Ruocco in fourth.

Limited Late Models: Let's start with the pre-race stuff. Stacey Botticello returned to the track for the first time in a few years. I got the word that she was back through a friend of mine, and when I made my way to the gate over in turn three, that was the first and last thing I basically saw. (Actually, I wasn't even behind the backstretch yet, and that's when I saw her car.) But she wasn't a factor in this race. Who was a factor? Bill Davis, though his time up in front wasn't until late in the race. For that, you'd have to go to lap-14 when Darrin Havanec took over the lead from Ed Charette... And then got loose in turn four, spun, and brought out the caution. This put Charette back into the lead, but it was only for a short time. Davis moved into the lead on the restart and then held off Andrew Durand over the last six laps (and two more cautions) to win his third race of the season. Durand finished in second, with Sean Foster in third and Kevin Gambacorta in fourth.

And that shall be it for that event. You'll love what's coming up on Friday (weather permitting): Probably the biggest race for the SK Modifieds this season. I'm talking about 150-laps of open-wheeled action and plenty of possible strategy. It's edition number five for this race. I hope you wouldn't want to miss it for the world. The schedule can be found in the usual place, if you click this link right here. In other news, next month (yes, already planning for that), we have another Whelen Modified Tour race to watch. On August 8, it'll be the 18th annual NE Dodge Dealers 150. For those of you who are looking for an entry list, you can find it right here. So until the end of the week, stay safe and dry. Hopefully we shall meet again.