Video of May 6

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

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



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

Spring Sizzler Saturday Vlog

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

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



The penalty in question would be this one.

It's... Storylines!

After a week without anything, we're doing these stories in Cliff Notes form.

+ The next season ticket deadline? March 15. After that, the prices are going to rise again.

+ The swap meets are coming on April 3 and 10. They're the first events on the 2011 schedule.

+ Here are driver stories on Shayne Prucker and Richie Pallai, Jr. The story on Pallai is an external link from the American College Hockey Association.

The Abridged Weekly Linkage

Okay, I'm on a tight schedule. Here's the week that was (last Friday's links) from Stafford.

+ Next part to the Champions for Charities series, about Todd Szegedy.
+ 6/19: Racing Against Cancer track walk.
+ Lincoln Technical Institute is now a sponsor of the June Modified Racing Series event.
+ Your "before the Sizzler" coverage begins as well.
+ Gunsmoke Stables is a new contingency sponsor for the SK Lights.
+ Stafford's online totals almost hit 700,000.

Late Week Newslines

Let's get these news stories from the Stafford site out of the way before Friday gets here.

+ Starting with the sponsorship news, the Town Fair Tire 150 in August will remain the Town Fair Tire 150. The company renewed their sponsorship for the August race involving the Whelen Modified Tour.

+ Part three of twelve in the Champions for Charities spotlights came on Friday. This week's driver spotlight was about Donny Lia.

+ Welcome the newest SK Light rookie: Sara Locascio.

+ After four years in the SK Light division, Heather DesRochers is moving up to the SK Modifieds. Steve Greer has provided the engine.

Wednesday Night Linkage

Okay, family issues have kept me from doing this batch of linkage. So let's get that done now, okay?

+ First order of business - sponsorship news. TSI Harley-Davidson has renewed their sponsorship for the Memorial Day race (this year on 5/27). For the 21st time, the Whelen Modifieds will be racing in the TSI Harley-Davidson 125.

+ Eric Berndt will be racing on the Whelen Modified Tour on a full-time basis in 2011, teaming up with Bob Katon, Jr.

+ Earl Pelletier is going to team up with Steve Greer this upcoming season. He hopes having support will help him win a few races.

+ And finally, part two of twelve is up in regards to the Champions for Charities drivers. Driver number two being profiled is Ted Christopher. His charity is the Connecticut Brest Health Initiative.

Another News Link Post

After a week of minor chaos, I'm back with the news stories from last Friday. Yes. Things were that crazy. I apologize.

+ I'll start with the sponsorship news for you. CARQuest Auto Parts is coming back for year 26. They will once again be the elite corporate sponsor of all things Stafford. The 26 straight years between the two gives them one of the longest partnerships in motorsports.

+ Brett Gonyaw took a one year break from racing at Stafford, working as a crew member for a pair of SK Modified teams. In 2011, he will be back behind the wheel of an SK Modified, as he drives the #21 that was driven by Josh Sylvester in 2010.

+ Back last month, I had mentioned how multiple drivers from the Senior Outlaw division of the Wild Thing Kart Series were making the jump to the SK Light division. One of those drivers is Jesse Ruocco, son of SK Modified driver Frank Ruocco.

A Few Friday Notes...

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.

Pre-2011 News

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

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

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

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

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.

Your Late Awards Post

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

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

Rookies of the Year

In five days, the awards ceremony will be held at LaRenaissance in East Windsor. Believe it - it's the 41st installment.

Two days ago, the Rookies of the Year in each division were announced.

Josh Sylvester in the SK Modifieds
Tim Fogg in the Late Models
Matt Galko in the SK Lights
Duane Provost in the Limited Late Models

2011 Rules Time

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

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

All rulebooks are in PDF form.

Champion Stories and Champion Ceremonies

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

SK Lights - Limited Late Models - DARE Stocks

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

SK Lights Do Thompson - Round II

Last year, it was determined that the SK Lights would be allowed to compete at the World Series of Speedway Racing at Thompson. After that race, they were invited back to race again. Not going to run down the whole finishing order, but Thompson does have a finishing order here if you wish to look at it.

The End of the Road

After nearly twenty weeks of racing, it was time for the final installment of racing at Stafford. At least, for 2010. There were still four championships to be decided - at least, it seemed as though it would be the case. Every weekly championship except for the SK Modifieds would be determined throughout the course of the weekend. Most of them were close, but all of them would be closed by the time Sunday night rolled around. And there was a possibility of the Whelen Modified Tour championship in someone’s hands as well. Who won races and who won championships? Let’s find out.

Before anything was to be determined with points races, there was a matter of time trials for the Whelen Modified Tour. They were on hand, too, for a 150-lap race on Sunday afternoon, and time trials the day before was a tradition. The times, for the most part, were bunched together. The last couple of drivers, however, were the ones who set the faster of the times. The last driver to take time was Justin Bonsignore, who set the fastest time of the afternoon. His time was 18.355 seconds. (Later on, the redraw would take place. The top eight drivers redrew for the Sunday feature.)

Heat races for the weekly divisions were next, and they set the tone for the events that were to come later that day and on Sunday as well. There were extra heat races for some divisions, because the number of cars that were in attendance this weekend was larger than usual. Case in point: There were a grand total of four heats for the SK Modifieds.

The DARE Stock feature kicked things off. Stephanie Berardi originally led things off, but Albert Saunders took over as the leader within the first lap. He pulled out to an extended lead. Behind him, drivers battled for position, with Cory Casagrande eventually taking second. Over the course of the next few laps, the lead that A. Saunders had was being closed up a bit. Unfortunately, the first caution came out with eight laps on the board, when Cassandra Secore spun in turns three and four. He drove away and the race went back to green. On the restart, A. Saunders once again pulled out to the lead. Second was now Nicholas Salva, with C. Casagrande finding himself in third but not out of striking distance. It didn’t take long for C. Casagrande to move right back into second, as he passed Salva for the spot. Salva fought for the spot, and reclaimed it only laps later. With two laps left in the event, however, C. Secore spun once again; in turns one and two this time. On the restart, a multi-car situation on the backstretch brought the caution right back out again. The safety team had their work cut out for them, but after cleanup, it was restart time again. It was a dogfight for the lead between A. Saunders and Salva, but in turns three and four, Salva went up high, giving A. Saunders the lead coming to the white flag. C. Casagrande attempted to take the lead from A. Saunders, but in the end, A. Saunders ended up with the win. C. Casagrande finished second, with Stephen Daddio in third and Salva in fourth. With a seventh place finish, Tony Membrino, Jr picked up the DARE Stock championship. (Excuse me for any lack of information in this one. I was having computer issues for the duration of the feature. Let’s just say that my keys were not very happy about working.)

After two SK Modified consolation events (and a quick computer restart), it was back to feature action.

The SK Light feature was next. Unlike the DARE Stock championship situation, this one was more contested. (Not against the DARE Stocks, but the points battle wasn’t as heated in the last feature as compared to this one.) This one started off with Tony Santangelo taking off as the leader. Victoria Bergenty found herself in second. Matt Galko, who was second in points coming into this event, moved past Bergenty for third… But Bergenty tried to take over the position once again. It didn’t work. Bergenty stayed close to Galko, however. They’d remain close - on the second row, that is, when the caution came out with only two laps on the board. David Webb had spun in turns three and four. He drove away before the yellow came out, but dirt was found in the turns and it was a caution situation. It was a quick caution situation, and the restart was only a few laps later. Santangelo retook the lead with what seemed to be ease. Galko wanted the lead, and he got it. Jay Goff wanted the lead from Galko, but it wasn’t meant to be as the caution came out again. Dylan Liseo went up and over Erica Santos in turn one, and the yellow was back out only three laps into the race. Points situation chaos occurred when Tommy Barrett, Jr, the leader coming into the event, went onto pit road with a flat tire. Because the rules state that SK Light crews cannot be on pit road, it effectively ended his afternoon. Once the accident scene was cleared, the green was back out. Galko found himself as the leader, with Goff following him in second. Kyle Spencer, who was running in third, joined the two drivers. The three drivers ran close to each other, and for the most part, single file. Unfortunately for Spencer, he was being black flagged by the officials just after the midway point for possible leakage and fluid dumping. The caution had come out with five laps to go for the liquid that was being dumped by Spencer. (The “not being scored” flag came out for him while all of this was going on. Just shy of the yellow coming out.) This put Brit Andersen in second, in a return to the division since the week previous to the Fall Final last season. Seeing no liquid, it was restart time. Galko pulled right back out in front, with Goff sitting in second. Andersen was a few positions behind from the second spot that he restarted in. He’d get the second spot back as the lap wasn’t completed before the caution came out. This was for Earl Pelletier, as he spun in the middle of turn four. He was able to avoid a multi-car accident and drove off without harm or foul. This was going to be a quick caution. Let’s try that restart again, shall we? It was the same story on this restart, too. Galko in first, with Goff in second. Goff’s bad luck on restarts continued as the car went up the race track and ended up in distress. He was able to pull the car onto pit road. Meanwhile, the battle for the lead was on. Goff tried to pick up the lead as the cars came to the line for two laps to go. It seemed as though Goff had it, but the caution came out not long after they had crossed the line. It was determined that no, Galko would have the lead back. (I’m sorry, but I have no idea what the caution was for. There seemed to be smoke in turn one, but as far as anyone saw, there was no car in trouble in the corner.) On the restart, it was business as usual for Galko, as he picked the lead up once again. Joey Cipriano, III was ready to take second from Goff. He did, and he was the one who was chasing Galko around the track. While all of that was going on, Webb was stuck sitting just shy of the starter’s stand, with what seemed to be problems with the right front tire. The caution had come right back out with two laps to go. Under the caution, Webb expressed his displeasure with Pelletier - who apparently was the one who put him into the wall to begin with. Either way, people were calmed down and the race was back underway with the green. Galko once again claimed his position out front. Cipriano still found himself in second, with Goff not too far behind him. The last lap was a celebratory lap, as Galko’s win gave him the SK Light championship. Cipriano finished in second. Goff ended up in third, while Tommy Membrino, Jr finished off the board in fourth.

Topping off the “it matters” action on Saturday was the Limited Late Model feature. This feature was billed as a three-way fight for the championship here. It was interesting to see how this one was going to unfold. Duane Provost was seen as the early leader when the green came out. Unfortunately, this lead wasn’t going to last long. Keith Minchella and Robert Farrington, Jr were literally stuck together on the backstretch, coming out of turn two. This is how they stopped, and that was how the caution came out. It took a while for people to get them unstuck. They were able to get them apart, and the race was back on. Provost went right back out into the lead, with Shawn Thibeault following him. Third was being contested between Andrew Durand and Rob Dow - it lasted for about a lap, and the spot was given to Dow. Meanwhile, the lead had shifted hands, as Thibeault now had control of the position. Provost, who had been leading for the early laps of the race, was being shuffled backwards and ended up midpack. There was distance between Thibeault and Dow, as Thibeault held a half-straightaway lead by the midway point, and it kept increasing (albeit somewhat slowly) as the laps ticked off the board. It seemed as though it would be a victory lap for Thibeault, but there was also a caution. Carla Botticello and Chris Cook spun in turns one and two, bringing out the yellow with only two laps to go. At some point before the caution, Dow went onto pit road with problems (I admit that I didn’t see this), which ended his race prematurely. It all set up a crucial restart that saw a new leader in points-leader Dan Flannery, who moved from third to first in a matter of a half a lap. On the last lap, Thibeault spun in turns one and two but was able to keep his car from being beaten up by other cars in the process. The car survived, but he was out of contention to win the race. This gave the win to Flannery, who picked up the division’s championship in the process. Second belonged to Joseph Nogiec, followed by Jesse Hinze in third and Dave Yardley, III in fourth.

The DARE Stocks came back out onto the track to finish up their season with the eight-lap fun race known only as the Paradiso-Muska DARE Stock shootout. It’s a race for the division’s All-Stars - mainly winners and other notable drivers from the season. Really… There is nothing on the line but a driver’s pride (and bragging rights for an entire winter). Cliff Saunders and Albert Saunders started the race on the front row, but after the first lap, C. Saunders won the battle of the brothers. A. Saunders was left to fight for second against Josh Wood. The winner of that fight was J. Wood. The two of them and Cory Casagrande (who was in third) pulled away slightly from the rest of the field. Halfway through the race, however, the caution came out for a spin in turns three and four - involving Jeff Jolly and Kyle Casagrande. They were able to join the tail end of the field, and the race resumed. C. Saunders and J. Wood fought for the lead once the green came back out, and after the lap was completed, C. Saunders had the lead… But only slightly. He’d clear J. Wood for the lead, and with C. Casagrande on his tail, the two of them pulled away from the field. On the last lap, three cars were in distress in turns one and two. Jolly and Nicholas Salva were against the safer barrier in turn one, while A. Saunders spun just off to the left of them (he’d pull away from the scene). Just after the white flag came out, the yellow was quickly coming out as well. Once everything was cleaned up, it was back to racing. C. Saunders maintained the lead, but there was a new second place driver behind him - Don Wood. The pressure wasn’t enough, however, and C. Saunders would win the event. D. Wood would finish in second, followed by Stephen Daddio in third and C. Casagrande in fourth.

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Everyone was back at the track less Sunday afternoon for the second half of the Fall Final, and the final day of racing action of the 2010 Stafford season. Saturday, people had to worry about sunburn. Sunday, the problem was windburn. Either way, the sun was still shining. Meaning racing was good to go.

The Late Models kicked off the afternoon. The points situation in the division was six points between Ryan Posocco and Woody Pitkat, the two drivers who were still in the running for the championship at this point in time. This was, in a points view, the best race of the afternoon. The fight began with Patrick Townsend leading the charge in the beginning, with Adam Gray finding his way into second. Tom Fearn got into third. The three of them moved single file, but they would be bunched together quickly as the caution came out with one lap on the board. A three-car incident in turn one (involving JJ Hill, Ryan Preece, and an unidentified car) ending with Hill spinning brought the yellow out early. On the restart, Gray took the charge and pulled ahead of Townsend to take the lead. Townsend had to settle for second. Once again, Fearn was in third. With four laps on the board, Townsend decided that second wasn’t good enough, and passed Gray for the lead. While all of this was going on, where were the two drivers still in contention to win the Late Model championship? With a third of the race in the books, they were fourth (Pitkat) and sixth (Posocco). This was because Corey Hutchings had spun through the frontstretch grass only feet in front of them. The black flag was given to Michael Bennett because of this, moving Posocco to fifth. So they were still close together. And neither of them were done moving through the field. They moved into second and third respectively after passing Gray with ease. With 19 laps on the board, Dillon Moltz went through the grass in turn two. Luckily, he kept the car in one piece. Unfortunately, he kicked dirt onto the racing surface after his safe, and that brought the second caution out. The restart that occurred later? Not good. There was a flat tire on Townsend by the time they hit the stripe to take the restart, and he found himself in the wall in turns one and two. The lap didn’t count and the caution was right back out. It also put first and second in points on the front row for the upcoming restart. The battle began when the green flew. Pitkat took advantage and moved into the lead. Second was now Keith Rocco after passing Posocco in style. But the action slowed down with nine laps to go as Mark St. Hilaire and Bennett were involved in an accident in turn three, bringing out the caution once again. It set up another crucial restart… Where Pitkat once again pulled into the lead. Rocco and Posocco resumed playing follow the leader in second and third respectively. Posocco stuck close to Rocco at one point in time, but couldn’t get around him for the spot. Two laps later, the caution returned for Tracy Brouillette, who hit the wall on the frontstretch (but was able to drive off). In short, it was a quick caution, and it was back to green in no time at all. Pitkat once again picked up the lead. Second was a fight between Rocco and Posocco. Finally, Posocco passed Rocco for the spot. Further in the pack, Moltz’s afternoon was continuing to drive him mad. After almost going around in turns one and two, dirt was kicked up onto the racing surface and the caution came right back out with only six laps left in the race. On the restart, it was back to the lead for Pitkat. It was a short green flag run, because the caution came out before the lap was completed. Tony Lafo spun in turn two, and Joe Rzeszutek wound up high in the corner in distress. It seemed as though they wouldn’t be able to go a lap without seeing the caution back in the air. Was this one going to break the streak? Pitkat once again claimed the lead. Posocco tried to battle Rocco for second. The two-car race became a three-car race as Jim Peterson joined the party. Rocco moved into second, while Posocco barely held onto third. The action was getting better… But the caution came out for the third time in the race for Moltz, who spun in turn four. Yes, it was another restart that was coming. It was the same old, same old. Pitkat leading. Followed by Rocco. Posocco kept his championship hopes alive by running in third. Behind them, fourth was between Hutchings and Peterson. Hutchings picked up that spot. Peterson had problems after that and stopped at the entrance onto pit road. And that was another caution - one that was with two laps to go. He drove away from the scene of the caution after the yellow was flying. A green-white-checker situation was now in play. What was going to happen? Pitkat once again took the lead. Rocco was still in second. The fight was for third between Posocco and Hutchings. Posocco held his ground and was in the third spot. The last lap ran green. And with double checkers, Pitkat took his eighth win of the season. Rocco settled for second, and the war for the Late Model championship was won via a third-place finish for Posocco. Fearn finished off the board in fourth.

Up next was the SK Modified feature. Unlike every other weekly feature this weekend, the SKs were the only division to crown their champion before the Fall Final. In Layman’s terms, this race was for bragging rights. The race didn’t start well. Right after the green flag came out to signal the start of the race, the caution flag came right out for an opening-lap spin with multiple cars. Some of them went onto pit road for repairs (Keith Rocco, Frank Ruocco among others) while Tom Bolles ended up being towed off the track. So far, so not good. Let’s try that again and make it better. Curt Brainard and Todd Owen fought for the lead through most of that first lap until Brainard had a minor issue, giving Owen the lead. (Brainard was shuffled back to fourth in the process.) It took five laps until another battle for the lead took shape, between Owen and Sean Foster. Unfortunately, Owen spun in the process, while a chain reaction took place behind them. Cars ended up everywhere, and another caution came out with… Five laps in the books as Woody Pitkat and Nichole Morgillo had to be brought to the infield via way of tow trucks. Other cars were brought onto pit road as well. Foster was black-flagged for overagression (for spinning Owen), giving Jeff Baral the lead when they took the green flag on the restart. That was good news for Baral, as he took the lead with ease. Unfortunately, he’d have to hold off the guy next to him all over again, as the caution came right back out before the lap was completed. Brainard and Brian Sullivan were involved in a minor incident in turn three, setting up the third caution. Other cars were also involved (including Rocco), and the top four were shuffled up once again. (Not surprising given their track record during day races.) After a sense of false security (restart pushed back a lap), the restart took place… With Mark Bakaj, Brad Hietala, and Rich Hammann in an accident on the frontstretch right as the green flag came out. These guys were not getting off of the fifth lap easily. Maybe on the restart? Baral took the lead, with a fight between Michael Gervais, Jr and Chris Matthews for second behind him. Matthews took the spot and followed Baral’s back bumper as they separated themselves from the field. The battle continued for the lead until there were 11 laps on the board, when Pitkat found himself sideways on the backstretch, in front of the Budweiser billboard. It set up yet another caution. Another restart was about to happen. The result was Baral taking the lead once again. Owen became the new car in second. That was always subject to change - and by the 16-lap mark, indeed it was. Rocco and Ruocco, who were involved in early race incidents, soon found themselves in second and third and all over Baral’s bumper. Rocco wanted the lead at the halfway point and succeeded in getting it. Ruocco was having a bit of trouble, however, making his move around Baral for second. The next caution came out with 22 laps on the board, when Joe Allegro, Jr had spun in turn two. Foster once again received an overagression penalty and was forced to move to the tail end of the field. It was a quick caution, and the restart came not too long after. Rocco regained the lead, with Ruocco now getting second place. Matthews moved around Baral as well, finding himself into the third spot. But ahead of them, Rocco began to show that sign of dominance that gave him the SK Modified and national championships. The lead he had over Ruocco was about a full straightaway’s distance. It was a cakewalk for the rest of the race, and Rocco picked up his tenth win of the year. Ruocco finished second, with Matthews in third and Baral in fourth. (Rocco also gained an automatic spot in the Turkey Derby.)

The main event - and the final race of the season - belonged to the Whelen Modified Tour. There was a chance that the championship here could be clinched as well. Would it? We’ll find out. Eric Beers was the first leader of the event, but the green flag run was short lived. Like, less than a lap. George Brunnhoelzl spun in turn one to bring out the first caution. It was going to trigger a complete restart - meaning that the lap they thought they had completed was erased, and they were going to try the start all over again. Take two was the exact same song and dance. Beers once again pulled ahead of Ron Silk, who was closely following the leader in second. Eric Berndt was all over Silk while running in third. Silk, however, wanted nothing about Berndt and pressured Beers for the lead. He got it by the time they completed the third lap. Berndt promptly followed, and together, they separated themselves from a freight train of competition (led by Mike Stefanik). It only took about 17 laps for lapped traffic to start forming up in front of the leaders - in the form of one car. Over the course of the next few laps, the “freight train” that was previously mentioned broke up, with Stefanik and Rowan Pennink catching up to the two leaders. And while another car was just being lapped, the caution came out for Gary McDonald, who spun going into turn one. The caution came out with 28 laps on the board. During this caution, cars that were further back in the field decided to pit. The restart took place with 34 laps on the board… And the leaders decided to fight for the lead. It took a little over a lap, but Silk regained the lead. It was a one-lap green flag run, as the caution came right back out with 35 laps completed. The reason for the yellow was because of a multi-car incident in turn two, involving seven cars. With 42 laps on the board, the restart took place. Silk pulled in front once again to take the lead, with Pennink and Berndt behind him, fighting for the second spot. All three cars were close together. Pennink took over as the runner-up with 44 laps down and continued to pressure Silk as the laps clicked off the board. Beers moved into third, but was closing in on Pennink. The field, over the course of the next few laps, became a single file snake. Aside from the occasional lapping of slower cars and challenges for position deeper in the field, everyone was pretty much running in one single file line. Soon enough, they crossed the halfway point of the race with minor chaos. Second place changed hands with 85 laps on the board as Beers went around Pennink, and he closed in on Silk in a matter of no time. Only ten laps after he made the pass for second, Beers made the pass for the lead, getting around Silk. Once the pass was made, it was off to the races… Until the caution came out with 101 laps on the board, for Dale Quarterley when he spun in turns one and two. Once pit road opened, the leaders and basically everybody else came down to pit. Because of the number of cars that came down to take service, Ryan Preece became the new leader. The rest of the top four did not pit under the caution. Would not pitting be an advantage? The restart was with 107 laps completed. Erick Rudolph pushed himself right into the lead. Of course, the caution came right back out on the very next lap after Justin Bonsignore, Jamie Tomaino, and Woody Pitkat were involved in a turn one accident. After differences were put aside, there was a restart with 118 laps on the board. Rudolph apparently spun the tires on the restart, giving Preece total control and the lead. Only four laps were completed before the next caution came out on lap 121. Eric Goodale was stranded against the wall on the frontstretch, but he was able to drive away from the caution scene. It set up a restart with 125 laps completed. It was a cleaner restart than before, but it ended with the same result as the last one - Preece picking up the lead. Bobby Santos had moved up onto the board, making it into fourth during the green flag run (passing Quarterley). With 127 laps gone, Joe Hartmann was on the outside of turn four, coming out of the turn, and needed to be towed off the track. That gave the field its seventh caution of the event. The next restart took place with 131 laps on the board. This time, Rudolph had the advantage. It worked, but there was a caution on the same lap. Tom Rogers, Jr spun in turns one and two, making it eight yellows on the night. It wasn’t a completed lap before the caution; meaning Preece got his lead back. How about a restart with 138 laps completed? Okay. Preece continued his trek as the leader, with Santos now following him in second. Santos wanted the lead, and he tried to get it, but he didn’t. Behind that, major chaos occurred in turns three and four. A multi-car accident with ten laps to go brought out the yellow and then red flags. It was a while before the yellow retuned; the track safety crew had to fix the wall in turn three. It didn’t take long for the field to cross up for the impending restart - it was almost instantaneously and the restart was done with seven laps to go. It was Santos’s move of the race on the restart, taking over the lead in turn two. Silk moved into second, but there was a bit of a gap between the two drivers. With two laps to go, Todd Szegedy spun in turns one and two. Was there going to be a caution? No. He got the car going again just in time… The field took the white flag, not the yellow, so the race was green the rest of the way. In the end, Santos picked up his fourth win of the season (second at Stafford). Silk wound up in second. Rudolph finished third, with Pennink in fourth. The Whelen Modified Tour championship will be decided at Thompson.

Usually, I use this part of the story to explain what the next event at Stafford is. But instead, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the drivers for putting on a fantastic season. It was a season of definite ups and downs. Fun times and bad. But in the end, what needed to be done was done. And it was great being on the ride. Have a great end of 2010. Stay safe and dry, and let’s do it all over again - starting April 2011.

Your Fall Final Megapost

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

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

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

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

...In Which I Give Cliff Notes

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

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

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

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.

Cold Night, Hot Racing Action

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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