Spring Sizzler Sunday Vlog

I'm back with another vlog. This time, from Sunday's action.



The penalty in question is found this one.

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.

The "Return From Hiatus" Linkage Post

I have decided to end the hiatus from this blog, and with perfect timing - we are about one week away from kicking off the 2011 season at Stafford. Spring Sizzler weekend is almost here. I still have to take care of some last-minute things (which happens frequently), so let's get the week-before-Sizzler links from the track's site up. Shall we? Cliff Notes, version.

+ Ole Blue wll be leading the Whelen Modified Tour around the track during the pace laps.

+ Bob Potter will be giving the command to start engines for the WMT event.

+ Shark Cycle is coming back to sponsor the September race for the Modified Racing Series.

+ Call Before You Dig is returning as not only a track partner, but as a contingency sponsor for the SK Modifieds.

+ Another part of the Champions for Charities spotlght series: This time, focusing on Richie Pallai, Jr.

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.

More News

Another week, and another set of news stories for you. Let's get to them.

+ There are going to be a ton of Subarus at Stafford in June. After spending the last five years at Wachusett Mountain, the Wicked Big Meet is coming to Connecticut. This is America's largest Subaru enthusiast festival.

+ Ryan Preece's career in a SK Modified continues in 2011 as he'll be running the full season in the division.

+ Bobby Santos, III wants to improve on last year's Spring Sizzler finish. It was a second-place run in 2010 - this year, he wants the win.

+ Speaking of Santos, part four of twelve about the Champions for Charities drivers is about Santos. His charity is the USAC Benevolent Fund.

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.

Champions for Charities Drivers

The timeline was simple: Tuesday, a banner on the main page of Stafford's site said that the drivers who were going to participate in the Champions for Charities were going to be revealed the following day. And on Wednesday, the drivers were revealed.

To be eligible for consideration, there were only two stipulations you had to meet: You had to drive some type of open-wheel race car, and you had to have been a champion of an open-wheeled division.

The term "if you build it, they will come" applies here, as a dozen champions accepted invitations and will convene at the mini mile during CARQuest Extreme Tuesday. The list of twelve drivers includes both asphalt and dirt champions. Not all of them have selected their charities, but it should be determined in the coming days and weeks.

Your press release for this event is here, and your entry list is here.

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.

NASCAR Home Tracks Linkage Day

You might have seen the little story on the main page of Stafford's site for a good portion of the fall - former NASCAR champions were in photo shoots with some of the champions in 2010, mainly in touring divisions. The Twitter page for the NASCAR Home Tracks (@NASCARHomeTrack) teased the release of the story on 12/6. They cut it close. Today, it's out.

Looks pretty good, too. Click here. You have the photo taken at Stafford with Bobby Santos and Bobby Allison, and the photo of Keith Rocco and Richard Petty taken at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. I believe the latter (not the actual photo in the link, but another photo) was shown on Stafford's home page as well. I might be mistaken.

Speaking of Rocco, NASCAR's Home Tracks site also has a wrap-up of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, concluding the 2010 season. (No, the series isn't wrapping up. Just the season.) Just kind of goes over what we already know. There's also information up for the NWAMS banquet, taking place on 12/10 at 7pm EST. There's scheduled to be a webcast up on the NASCAR Home Tracks page.

The Schedule's Out!

As promised, I am here with my review of the schedule release. Here's what you need to know, with my opinions in italics. (For those of you who want a Word document or a PDF, I've added them as well.)

• The Whelen Modified Tour makes four trips to the track. Spring Sizzler weekend (April 29 - May 1), May 27 (125 laps), August 5, Fall Final weekend (September 30 - October 2). Really, no surprises here. Basically the same four weekends that they've been doing for the last few years.
• The Modified Racing Series makes two trips to the track. June 24 (80 laps) and September 9 (80 laps). In all fairness, even though the race last year was quick and not too dramatic, it was fun and I'm glad they've added another race in June.
• The CARQuest Extreme Tuesday is held on June 28. The card is... ISMA, NEMA, Pro-4s, and a Champions for Charities event. Not sure what that champions thing is about. When it gets closer to 6/28, that will all be revealed. Everything else is just as you'd expect.

Weekly events are as follows.

• SK 100 - June 10
• SK 150 - July 22
• LM 100 - August 19

Not surprised they cut out a Late Model 100 event. Two in one year? It almost sounds repetitive. SKs getting their usual two extra-distance races in a season is pretty much expected.

The other thing you need to know is that if you look at the schedule, you will see rain dates added. Every WMT event (minus the Fall Final), both MRS races, and the Extreme Tuesday events have rain dates of the very next day. In the case of the Spring Sizzler, the rain date would be the next weekend, meaning the opening Friday night wouldn't be until the 13th.

And they make the note under the schedule that the SK 150 is the only weekly divisional race on the schedule that does not follow the "green flag laps count only" rule.

So that's about it. Remember, the schedule is subject to change at any point in time.

The End of the Road

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More Fall Final News

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

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

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

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

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

Your Fall Final Megapost

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

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

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

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

Coming Down the Stretch

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

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

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

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

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

Modified Tours Galore!

Your Earl update? A dinky category 1 hurricane.

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

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

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

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

An Event Made for TV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Complete Guide to the Town Fair Tire 150

We are now one day away from the 20th annual Town Fair Tire 150, which is the third trip to Stafford for the Whelen Modified Tour. This is no ordinary Modified Tour race, as it will be specially taped for Versus. The race will be aired on Wednesday, August 11 at 7pm EST. (Yesterday I caught the race from Riverhead halfway through. It could have been properly edited.)

Here is what you need to know about the race and everything associated with it.

Schedule of Events
Entry List

And a few articles/press releases.

Versus crew to meet with fans after time trials
Blewett wants Stafford wins in three straight seasons
Santos leading Tour in points coming into race
Berndt looking for first WMT victory
Pallai looking forward to Stafford

And Now, for Something Completely Different.

I said I was going to get this out on Thursday, but an early Friday morning post must be a lot better. As most of you know, last Saturday was the first Whelen Modified Tour/K&N Pro Series race at Lime Rock Park. I was there and took a few photos and videos for you. First up, here's the video in three parts.







And for the pictures, here are a few of them for the time being. All of them can be found on my Webshots account.




The event will be seen on Speed channel on the 24th of July. (Of course, this will be edited if I forgot the date and it's wrong.)

The TSI Harley-Davidson 137

The standards of any regular, normal week were thrown out the window on Memorial Day weekend when Stafford became a bit busier and a bit louder. It was week six of the season, and it was also the second visit of the season for the Whelen Modified Tour. The race? The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 - a race that was deemed shorter than the normal race for the Tour. Even then, the whole night (besides the race) was going to be an exciting night. Condensed version or not.

As always, normal protocol was that the Whelen Modified Tour completed their time trials. With the exception of one car missing them for problems suffered during pre-time trial tire scrub, 33 drivers took time, hoping to get the pole for the race that was later to come. Setting fast time was Bobby Santos, with a time of 18.090 seconds. It translated to 99.502 miles per hour. It was enough to take his third pole of the season. After the redraw, taking place after the opening ceremonies, the top eight cars were shuffled around. Ron Silk was going to lead the field to the green flag in the main event, with Santos starting alongside of him on the front row.

Also after the opening ceremonies (guitar riff National Anthem included), the features officially got underway. The first feature belonged to the DARE Stocks. The race got underway with #51 pulling out early. The fight for second began between Nicholas Salva and Stephanie Berardi. Salva happened to get the spot with two laps down. The field unfortunately slowed down after a caution came out on lap 2, when a couple cars got together in turn one. Donovin Secore was one of the biggest losers in the caution, ending up getting a push onto pit road. The other loser was Don Wood, who had damage to the right front. He, too, ended up sitting the rest of the race out. When the green came back out, Josh Wood went right back out to the front. Andrew Hayes moved into second, with Salva getting pushed back to third. Tony Membrino, Jr joined the mix as well, sitting in fourth. He fought Salva for the third spot and managed to win. Stephen Daddio found a spot as well and made a pass for fourth. It was all for naught, though, as there was another caution. With four laps on the board, Kelsey Rottino spun coming out of turn two. As the passes were made before the lap was completed, the restart order was shuffled, putting Salva back up to second. J. Wood was back up front as the green presented itself again. Second was being contested between four different cars - Salva, Hayes, Daddio, and Membrino - but in the battle for that spot, trouble brewed. That trouble came in the form of Salva, who just blew up coming straight down the frontstretch. The caution was coming out with five laps down. Seeing no fluids on the track, the caution was quick and the green was coming out not too long after. J. Wood went right back to the lead. Hayes and Daddio battled for second, and Daddio gained the position. He closed the gap for the lead and almost hitched himself to J. Wood’s back bumper. The fight was postponed for a second when the next caution came out at the halfway point, for Kaitlyn Brice, who spun in turn four. The race resumed after a few laps of yellow, and J. Wood picked up right where he left off - in the lead. Daddio was right behind him, and Hayes came up to challenge him (Daddio) for second. Also there was Jeff Jolly. Jolly passed Hayes for third, and Kyle Casagrande also happened to pass Hayes - that pass was for fourth. But things were going to end for the leaders on a low note. J. Wood spun in turns one and two with two laps to go, and he took Daddio with him in the process. The new leader became Jolly, but his lead was short-lived when K. Casagrande made the pass for the lead. Positions changed behind him, but he picked up his second win of the season. Membrino ended up finishing second, with Hayes in third and Jolly in fourth.

Next up on the agenda, it was the SK Lights. The fight was on early, between Harry Wheeler and Kyle Spencer. Spencer got the lead, and on his bumper was Earl Pelletier. Coming up through the head of the field was Ted Cain, however, and the positions he gained were advantageous. Cain managed to pass Spencer for the lead by lap 5, but he wasn’t the only one looking to move around him. Second was now a fight between Spencer and Thomas Barrett, Jr. With seven laps down in the feature, Barrett moved into second. The green flag run only lasted two laps longer, as the first caution came out with nine laps on the board. The reason? Shayne Prucker spun in turns three and four. Everything was cleaned up and when the green returned, the restart became a dogfight for the lead between Cain and Barrett. Cain retook the lead as the lap was completed, and Barrett, although he remained in second, nearly started a chain reaction of events as he dive-bombed his way to the outside. The two of them pulled away from the field, with Cain pulling away further. Again, things slowed down as a dozen laps were completed for caution two, when Rick Williams and Prucker spun in turns three and four. When the green came back out, it was yet another fight for the lead. Cain managed to pull away from Barrett, but Barrett was not ready to back down. He attempted to go down to the low groove and managed to take the lead… Not so fast. Tony Santangelo was stranded in turns one and two with five laps to go. The upcoming restart was going to be crucial. And it was side-by-side. And it was premature via way of a caution, involving David Webb and Pelletier spinning in turn two. Anyone up for a redo of the restart? It wasn’t a dogfight between the leaders at the start, with Cain slightly pulling away, but it soon became one. The winner of the fight was Cain, but things weren’t at all easy for him. There was another challenge from Barrett, but it wasn’t enough. Cain claimed his second win of the season. Barrett finished second. Chad Trombley ended up in third, with Erica Santos in fourth.

The open-wheeled portion of the program continued with the SK Modified race. Brit Andersen powered into the lead, but he was already being challenged by Todd Owen, who was all over Andersen’s bumper. Eric Berndt ended up in the middle of things as well, and it was an early-race fight for the lead. Owen ended up winning the fight, with Berndt joining him in second. Suddenly, things happened so quickly. Zach Sylvester slowed down in the turn three end of the backstretch, and Ted Christopher ended up spinning straight through the frontstretch grass. Either way, it all signaled up the first caution of the event. On the restart, it was another fight for the lead. It was a three-car battle between Berndt, Owen, and Jeff Baral. Also getting in on things was Mark Bakaj. It looked as though things were going to be slightly interesting up front… But things behind them were starting to pick up. Chris Jones ended up in the turn three grass with only five laps down, and he couldn’t fire the car up, That set up the second caution. Andersen was to blamed for the caution and was ultimately black flagged. He moved towards the back of the field. Meanwhile, in the front of the pack, the green came back out. Again, the lead was Owen’s. Baral, Berndt, and Bakaj were all still in the mix for a top-three spot, but again, the battle was short-lived when an incident occurred with six laps down. Adam Skowyra and another car were involved in an accident in turn two, bringing the yellow right back out. The green was also right back out as well. Owen once again pulled out into first, with Baral and Berndt still fighting for second. Bakaj was right again in the mix. But with eight laps down, Berndt’s night turned ugly in an instant. He ended up spinning around in turn two, Dan Avery also received some damage and pulled onto pit road during the caution. As the green came out for the restart, Owen pulled out to the lead. Baral was willing to challenge him, and was able to claim the lead just shy of the 10-lap mark. Bakaj passed Owen for second. Also at that time, two cars were making moves towards the front. Frank Ruocco and Keith Rocco were now on the board. Rocco was over Ruocco’s bumper as that was the fight for second place. Meanwhile, Baral was joyriding around. As the second and third place guys were getting under each other’s skin for the second spot, Baral’s lead seemed to slowly grow. Rocco finally managed to pass Ruocco for second, and the field began to ride around in a single-file line. But that only closed the gap between Baral and Rocco. Rocco’s times were faster than Baral’s, and that gave Rocco the advantage. The large lead that Baral had suddenly shrunk to the point where Rocco had caught him. And with ten laps to go, Rocco passed Baral for the lead. He began to expand his lead over the course of the final ten laps, and it was a convincing third win of the season. Baral finished second, with Ruocco in third and Bakaj in fourth.

Fourth up? The Limited Late Models. It was Michael Wray and Duane Provost fighting for the lead early. A full lap was completed before a leader was actually determined - that being Provost. Wray fell comfortably in second, with a fight for third going on between Carla Botticello, Dave Yardley, III, and George Nocera, Jr. Yardley picked up third. Nocera managed to get fourth. Kevin Gambacorta joined the party, now sitting in fifth. Meanwhile, up in front, Wray began to apply pressure on Provost. He managed to retake the lead, now with Yardley in second and Nocera in third. Provost dropped back to fifth during this time. Throughout the race, the field ran single-file (for the most part, save for a few mid-pack changes in position), but things changed with Yardley, Gambacorta, and a lapped car. The two lead lap cars got together, sending Gambacorta backwards a bit. Yardley remained in second. With less than a lap to go, Gambacorta hit the turn three wall, coming back to come in contact with Botticello. The yellow came out, followed by the checkered, and Wray was declared the winner. The rest of the board read Yardley, Dan Flannery, and Shawn Thibeault.

The last race before the main event belonged to the Late Models. It started with Alan Provost being named leader and Scott Cook moving backwards in a hurry. Things escalated quick in the span of the first two laps. Dillon Moltz spun down the backstretch and Tony Lafo hit the safer barrier in turn one. The caution came out for both incidents. In the process, the black flag was the officials‘ best friend. Three black flags were given out over the first caution period: Cook for the Moltz spin, Michael Bennett for the Lafo incident, and Moltz for “unsportsmanlike conduct”. On the restart, John Kasper, who was running in second, did not come up to speed. Provost was the clear leader, with Woody Pitkat passing Adam Gray for what was now the second spot. Pitkat pressured Provost and became the new leader with six laps down. Provost was again being pressured; this time, by Jim Peterson. Both Peterson and Corey Hutchings passed Provost for second and third respectively. By the halfway point, Pitkat had a lead that was a full straightaway long. Also making noise was Hutchings, who passed Peterson for second. The two teammates were going to be enemies for a little bit, however, as the caution came out for Fernando Ilha, who spun in turn four. Ten laps to go, and a restart was about to begin. When the green did come back out, it was Pitkat taking the lead with Hutchings right behind him. The lead of Pitkat began to grow once again. Again, it was going to shrink when another caution occurred - this time, it was for Kasper, who spun in turn four. Another restart occurred with seven laps to go. However, Hutchings got the advantage as they came to the line. Pitkat was still glued to him, and he retook the lead on the exact same lap. Two laps later, there was another caution. Tom Fearn spun in turn four. Mark St. Hilaire and Provost were also included in the accident. This set up another restart that Pitkat won. Hutchings fell back into second. And by the looks of things, it was going to come down to the teammates. Things changed, however, with a yellow flag with three laps to go. JJ Hill spun in turn four, and the caution included St. Hilaire, who jumped over Hill’s car. The fourth black flag in the event was given to Keith Rocco for overagression. The restart was going to be wild and crazy. Pitkat jumped back out to the lead, but the second spot was being contested between Hutchings and Peterson. Peterson picked up the spot, and now behind him in third was Moltz. But even with the changes between second and third, Pitkat’s lead was just too much, and he picked up his second win of the season. Peterson finished second. Moltz was third, and Bennett was fourth.

The main event capped off the night of action - the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 for the Whelen Modified Tour. Complete with outside driver introductions. It was supposed to get started at nine o’clock, but it actually started an hour later, at ten. Either way, the race was finally underway. Bobby Santos picked up the lead with three other cars gathering around him. Eric Berndt, Chuck Hossfeld, and #6 were all surrounding him, as a four-car fight for the lead took place. The only contender to maintain any vibe with Santos was Berndt, and the four cars became two. Hossfeld and Ron Silk now fought for third place. The lead finally changed hands on lap-10, when Berndt pulled ahead of Santos. It was at that point when all was quiet throughout the field. The only noise made was the black flag given for a slower car who wasn't up to race-required speed. He made his way to pit road and lost a couple of laps in the process. Meanwhile, there was a battle for second spot between Santos and Hossfeld. And the battle was beginning with lapped traffic on their hands. The first caution of the event came with 35 laps on the board, when James Civali hit the wall in turn two. He happened to drive away. But this bunched the field back up for a restart. And this gave mid-pack drivers help by letting them come onto pit road for adjustments. But what really counted was the restart. It occurred with a total of 40 laps on the board. It was somewhat chaotic as they crossed the line to take the restart. Hossfeld had life, and it looked like someone wasn’t fully up to speed. But either way, Berndt maintained the lead. Santos was still in second. It was a short green flag run - it only lasted three laps. 43 laps down, and Eric Beers was in turns one and two. It would take eight laps before the green came back out with 48 laps reached. There was also a fight for the lead when the green came back out. It wasn’t much, though, and Berndt regained the lead. Santos had his hands full with Silk, and Silk took over second. Hossfeld passed Santos for third and then attempted to put pressure on Silk for second. With 59 laps down, another black flag was issued for another car who wasn't going fast enough. Meanwhile, Berndt began to pull away from the field. The lead was a half straightaway. Behind him, positions were changing. Hossfeld was now second, followed by Santos in third and Silk in fourth. Fourth changed hands with 82 laps down, as Jimmy Blewett was now making a move up by passing Silk for the spot. With 91 laps on the board, lapped traffic was once again going to factor in on the race. Hossfeld’s times were slightly faster than those of Berndt, and the distance between the two drivers began to shrink. At the 100-lap mark, the top two drivers were closer than they ever were. Things got even more interesting with 102 laps on the board, when Ed Flemke, Jr almost seemed to bounce off of another car and distracted traffic behind them. That set up a caution, and the ensuing restart was going to be of the critical kind. With 108 laps on the board, the restart occurred. Berndt didn’t get up to speed and was left to dry as both Hossfeld and Blewett passed him. He settled into third, but clinging to the spot while getting challenged by Santos. Santos passed him for third. All went to hell in a handbasket with 111 laps down, however, when the leaders seemed to come together, sending Hossfeld around through the frontstretch grass. Santos was the beneficiary of events and was awarded the lead, followed by Todd Szegedy, who came out of nowhere to get up to the second spot. Berndt was in third. There were 116 laps on the board when the green came back out. Santos powered back out front. Blewett made his way past Szegedy to get back into second and was looking to get the lead instantaneously. Things turned interesting when a multi-car accident in turns three and four set up a late-race restart. The caution was with 119 laps on the board. The restart was with 123 laps down. The dogfight was intense, but it was also short. 124 laps were on the board when the next caution came out for Ted Christopher and Glenn Tyler, who were stranded in the turn three area of the track. The restart was on lap 128, and again, the leaders were fighting for the lead. Things ended quick, however, when the caution came out on the same exact lap for another multi-car accident - this time, on the backstretch. Another restart was going to occur with 135 down. This seemed to benefit Santos, who retook the lead, but Blewett took it back. Santos was not done yet, and he (once again) got the lead coming into turn three. He pulled away just enough to take the win; his second of the season. Blewett settled for a second-place finish. Szegedy finished third, and Ryan Preece finished fourth.

Next up at Stafford, it’s a regular week. It’s also sponsored by USG. As always, the schedule involves the five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series features. It happens with the usual "weather permitting" disclaimer in place.