Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting [for Position]

Okay, here's the scoop: This is a short break inbetween events. Stafford did indeed run Saturday night, and boy, was it strange to see the boys and girls of both the Whelen All-American Series and the Whelen Modified Tour at the track on a Saturday inbetween the Spring Sizzler and the Fall Final. Fortunately, a second rain date was not necessary, and all of the on-track events were completed before midnight. But as long as it did feel like a Friday night, I think a little recap of the night's events are in order. Shall we start? I thought you'd never ask.

Things got underway with Whelen Modified Tour time trials. 32 cars were on hand, looking to score one of 31 spots in the field. The fastest time of all during this qualifying session belonged to Tony Hirschman, getting around the track in 18.188 seconds (averaging out to 98.966 seconds). Of course, one car was supposed to go home upset that they didn't make the field, but because there was one extra car, officials thought it would be polite for that car to be inserted into the field. So later on in the night, 32 cars would be taking the green flag. More on this after the weekly portion of the night, folks!

On the docket first for the Whelen All-American Series weekly program were the SK Lights. The race started with Heather DesRochers taking the lead at the drop of the green flag. The lead would be cut after four laps when Harry Wheeler spun in turn two, bringing out the caution. DesRochers would retake the lead on the restart, but on lap-6, Glen Reen would steal first away and begin to pull away. At one point, Reen's lead was about a full straightaway in front of DesRochers. The race would be slowed on lap-17, however, taking away any of the momentum Reen might have had. Kyler Cafro and Tony Santangelo had crashed in turn two, bringing out the caution and setting up a four-lap dash for the cash. Reen had the advantage as the green flew over the field, and it looked as though he was setting up a repeat performance from earlier in the race. However, Aaron Goff and Michael Lane would crash in turn four, now setting up a green-white-checkered finish. This would be the end of the race as Reen dominated the restart one more time, and he could not be caught as he sailed through the rest of the feature to take down his fifth win of the season. DesRochers would come back to score a career-best second, followed by Josh Sylvester and Brit Andersen.

After the entry-level, open-wheeled Modifieds gave the fans a show, out come the SK Modifieds for their 40-lap show. The first half of the race was caution free, with a couple of lead changes here and there. The first leader of the race was Todd Owen, but after four laps clicked by, Jeff Malave took over as the leader, and he would lead until lap-28 as a spin in turns three and four from Willie Hardie erased a full straightaway lead via Malave. On the restart, Malave gained the lead back and would assume leadership status until a lap-31 accident involving Hardie, Shelly Perry, and Zach Sylvester. A new second place would emerge on the green flag... That being one Woody Pitkat, who would eventually battle with Malave until Pitkat finally took the lead on lap-34. Unfortunately for Pitkat, he would have to survive two more cautions before he could possibly take a fourth straight win. The first of the two cautions occured on lap-37, when Wade Mattesen spun in turn two. The second was when Keith Rocco spun on the frontstretch on the following lap. Fortunately, Pitkat was able to make it back out front on both restarts and would indeed win his fourth straight SK feature and sixth of the season. Coming in to round out the top-four were Brad Hietala, Malave, and Ted Christopher.

Straying away from anything with their wheels exposed in a way that you can pronounce it "open-wheeled", we go directly to the fendered divisions for the time being, starting with the DARE Stocks. It was a caution free race from the green to the checkered, which is expected these days with that division, and there was only one leader for the duration of all fifteen laps... Megan Bienkowski. Of course, all of the action happened to come from behind her, with Norm Sears taking over third place on lap-7. Other than that, all was quiet on the front as Bienkowski claimed her first career victory at Stafford. Bill Dunn would finish second, Sears third, and Dan Flannery fourth.

Next up on the schedule, it was the Late Models, who last week turned a pretty impressive feature for only one caution session. Could they get any better? Well, not in terms of cautions, but in action. It started with a caution in turns three and four, including a handful of cars that had removed themselves from the scene before I could figure out who was in that accident. Once everyone was gone from the scene, the race was back on. (Or was it the race could start?) Steve McQuillan took the lead and held it for the first two completed laps of the event before the second caution of the race occured. Tom Butler, Billy Snow, Jr, Bobby Leone, Jim Mavlouganes, and Mike Quintiliano were involved in a turn two accident on lap-3. McQuillan would go back in front as the leader, assuming this spot through a lap-13 spin of Tom Fearn, courtesy of Woody Pitkat. Pitkat wouldn't be able to make up the ground after he was black flagged. Back up to the front, and we still have McQuillan leading the way. The lead would change hands on lap-17 when Ryan Posocco eventually overpowered McQuillan, but the two would battle for a few laps until Posocco would start to slowly pull away. Posocco would be your winner, followed by McQuillan, Jim Peterson, and Scott Foster, Jr. In technical inspection, McQuillan's car was found to have an illegal carburetor and intake manifold, and he was disqualified from second place.

Four down, one to go. The final race of the weekly portion belonged to the Limited Late Models. Two laps into the feature, the one and only caution occured when Charlie Newman and Darrin Havanec spun in turn two. Joey Ferrigno became the leader on the restart, and he started to pull away from the field. But Rick Lanagan started to catch up to him, and halfway through the race, Lanagan was in second place and had taken the lead on lap-13. Sean Foster stole second away from Ferrigno, but he couldn't make the charge towards Lanagan. Lanagan would pick up his fifth win of the season. Foster, Ferrigno, and Bill Davis rounded out the rest of the board.

With the final race of the weekly portion of the night done and over with, the stage was now cleared for the Whelen Modified Tour. After the redraw, it would be Bobby Grigas starting on the front row, alongside of Ted Christopher. Throughout the race, fans were treated to eleven lead changes from five different drivers, thirteen cautions (with two red flags), and a great battle for the win by Christopher and Todd Szegedy. For Christopher, the battle would be his, and he would pick up the win. It was his first Tour win since last year's August race at Thompson. Ironically, tonight the Tour is in Thompson. Anyway, rounding out the top-five would be Szegedy, Mike Stefanik, Doug Coby driving the Chase #77, and Donny Lia, whose streak of victories would be snapped.

Breathe easy, fellow race fans, because this week will be your typical five-feature program. The night starts at around 7:30pm with the National Anthem, followed by the features (in this order, and hopefully, the schedule won't change on me as I'm heading out the door like last time):

• SK Modified 21 Means 21 LCQ (if necessary)
• Late Model 16 LCQ (if necessary)
• Limited Late Models (20 minute time limit)
• SK Lights (20 minute time limit)
• SK Modifieds
• Late Models
• DARE Stocks

I'll be at the track tomorrow, with a new ride in tow (my usual guardian is not going to be able to make the trip due to other commitments, so I have someone to bring me to the track). So stay with us and I'll give you all the news from tomorrow night. Until then, gas pedal's on the right.

[Singing] in the Rain

Well, I'm sitting here in colder than usual temperatures here today, knowing that earlier this morning, the future of the New England Dodge Dealers 150 for the Whelen Modified Tour was in jeopardy of being moved to Saturday. And what do you know... Track management decided that this rain was just too much. So in honor of the raindrops, the Tour Modifieds and just about every other person who was planning on making it to the track today will be there tomorrow. The rain date is the official running date.

Your schedule for the event will be exactly the same as what it was supposed to be today. A night show will be run, causing more people to hit the half mile rather than the shoreline oval of Waterford. (I told you someone was going to have a bad night. I still say it's the Bowl.) But don't worry. For those of you who are still going to come, you'll have a wonderful, dry night. So until later next week, I will see you later.

NE Dodge Dealers Schedule [And Possible Gripes]

Hey! I'm back and with the information you've been waiting for since earlier today. I'm sure you'd like to know what the schedule is for tomorrow's (Saturday's) Whelen Modified Tour's New England Dodge Dealers 150. Here's the catch, however: In the event of a rainout tomorrow, the schedule is the exact same for the following day. I have a feeling that Waterford's not going to draw a good crowd if that's the case. Anyway, this is where we begin:

• 11am: Paddock gates open
• 2:15pm: Whelen Modified Tour practice begins
• 3:45pm: Whelen Modified Tour practice ends
• 4pm: Whelen All-American Series practice begins
• 4:45pm: Main grandstand gates open
• 4:50pm: Whelen All-American Series practice ends
• 5pm: Whelen Modified Tour tire scrub
• 5:30pm: Whelen Modified Tour time trials
• 6pm: Handicapper's both closes/Stafford drivers meeting

At around 7pm, the National Anthem is performed, precursored by awards from Riverhead and the Bud Pole Award. Then we get to features! Stafford had this done once before changing it a couple of days ago, but this is the order they've got:

• Late Model 16 LCQ (if necessary)
• SK Modified 21 Means 21 LCQ (if necessary)
• SK Light feature (20 minute time limit)
• SK Modified feature
• Late Model feature
• Limited Late Model feature (20 minute time limit)
• New England Dodge Dealers 150
• DARE Stock feature

Call me crazy, but most of the people in attendance are going to leave after the checkered flag of the NE Dodge Dealers 150. The DARE Stocks are last again, meaning not a lot of people will be there to see them run. If you want people to watch them, I suggest someone puts a division like the Late Models or SK Modifieds (hint, hint to those who are reading this and have now recieved an idea from their inner lightbulb) at the end of the program, only because the place is near barren. Perhaps it's a matter of traffic. Well, it's still a zoo to get out of the parking lot afterwards, but I think most people don't understand that the DARE Stocks have been one of the better divisions at the track this year. Or is it because a couple of their races have gone through without a caution? Hmmm... The questions arise.

Anyway, tune in this weekend to see if Donny Lia wins his sixth race this season and third straight at Stafford. See if there's a four-peat in the SK Modifieds with Woody Pitkat trying to cut into Ted Christopher's lead even more. See what else happens, because I'm running out of "see ifs". I promise, it'll be action no matter what day of the week this thing's held. Though it's been a little over a year since the last time Stafford had to move a Whelen Modified Tour race due to weather issues. (Last year, they ran on the Fourth of July. I remember coming in from the beach to see where everyone was in the SK feature.) So stick around, and you will not miss a single bit of action. Until I find out what day they're racing, you take good care now, you hear?

*Add Yet Another Clever Title*

Hello, all of you faithful readers out there in Internetland! Did that sound too cheesy for you? Would you like me to go a little more normal for the next entry? No problem; next time I'll tone things down a notch for you. Well, amidst the fact that I can't control my own body temperature -- stupid self is either too hot or too cold these days -- there was action at Jack Arute's Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday. It was the first weekend of August, and just like this week, it was just so hot on the track. You had the five weekly divisions squaring off in their respective features. Because this upcoming weekend will be so busy (more on that later on), I think we should just jump right into the action.

We started the night off with a little fullbodied action featuring the Limited Late Models. Although it was Corky Hinze starting on the pole, he would lead no laps in the race. Joey Ferrigno claimed the lead on the very first lap. On lap-3, the first and only caution of the event occured. This was a huge crash on the backstretch, and it included the following drivers: David Capriati, Peter Martin, Paul Conte, Charlie Newman, Rick Lanagan, Greg Butler, Jr, Jeff Hubbell, and Lori-Jo Rzeszutek (again, breathe). Quite a few of them were not in good condition to continue the race. Back up to the front of the field, and Ferrigno claims the lead again on the restart. This lead would last until lap-18, as a hard charging Sean Foster was starting to catch up to him. Foster would take the lead from Ferrigno on lap-19, and there would be no comeback from Ferrigno as Foster crossed the line to score his third win of the season. Ferrigno would finish second, followed by Bill Davis and Darrin Havanec.

We go from the Limiteds to the actual Late Models for the second feature of the night. At the start of the race, it was a battle between Tom Butler and Michael Bennett, as Butler got the lead on the pole and Bennett would take the lead back on lap-4. The fight between the two leaders would come to a short hiatus on lap-5, as for the second race in a row there is a multi-car accident. This time, it's in turns one and two and it includes Billy Snow, Jr, JJ Hill, Tony Lafo, Doug Blowers, Jr, and Jim Mavlouganes. On the restart, Butler would re-take the lead and would start to pull away from the field. Meanwhile, Ryan Posocco was starting to make his way through the field and would take over the runner-up spot. During the second half of the list, Posocco would start to slowly shrink Butler's lead. Among the final two laps, Posocco and Butler would battle between each other until Posocco finally pulled away for the win. It was Posocco's second win in a row and third of the season. Rounding out the top-four were Butler, Corey Hutchings, and Jim Peterson.

And then, it went from fenders to open-wheeled machines. There we see the SK Lights with their 20-lap feature. It started out just like any of the features so far in the evening. Heather DesRochers started out with the lead, but she only led the first two laps of the race. The first caution would occur on lap-2 as there was debris in turns three and four. I don't know how the debris got on the track, but it was spotted and therefore the caution had to fly. After the quick caution, the field went back to green. However, this green flag session would be short lived as Josh Sylvester, David Webb, and Ray Griffen, Jr were involved in a three car accident in turn three. Brit Andersen would assume the lead on the restart, and he'd lead until the gold flew again on lap-6. Aaron Goff and Keith Franklin got together and ended up becoming a two-car accident scene in turn two. On the restart, Andersen had problems coming up to speed, giving the lead back to DesRochers. Unfortunately, that lead would be short lived, as Joe Allegro, Jr took over the lead on the very next lap. Recovering nicely from his restart issue was Andersen, and by lap-10, he had passed Allegro for the lead. The command he had on the rest of the field would grow until lap-18, when Franklin spun on the frontstretch, bringing out the caution. This would not affect Andersen, however, as he would get up to speed on the final restart, beating out everyone for the win. Chris Matthews, Allegro, and Raymond Grassetti would round out the top-four.

When you see the pit crews for the SK Modifieds, you know that something's going to go down. And there was plenty of action to go hand-in-hand with what had already happened in the course of the night.The race started with quite a few lead changes within the first ten laps. Originally, it was Todd Owen who led the way. He would only lead three laps before Jeff Malave stepped in. However, his lead would be short lived after Zach Sylvester claimed the top spot on lap-6. The first caution of the SK's race would come all the way on lap-21 as Eric Berndt spun on the frontstretch. (It seemed as though a good majority of the cautions were on the frontstretch during this feature. That's because that was the case.) As the restart was brought upon the field, Sylvester still had the advantage. Yet that would only be for a lap. On lap-22, a group of cars ended up stranded in turn one, sending the gold back out onto the track. I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you who was in that incident. Anyway, Sylvester retook the lead on the restart, but the beginning of the end was looming as Woody Pitkat moved up and into the lead on lap-26. The caution would come out one lap later as Shelly Perry spun on the frontstretch. Only one more lap would be run under green (with Pitkat leading the way) before yet another caution occured. This time, it happened on the frontstretch, about where the end of turn four is. It was a five-car incident, including Ted Christopher, Jeff Malave, Sylvester, Ronnie Silk, and Kerry Malone. Christopher got the worst of this, as his car had to be taken off the track hammock-style. This also set up a green-white-checkered finish between Pitkat and Frank Ruocco., though it really wasn't much of a challenge. Pitkat would take the lead on the restart and claimed his third straight win and fifth of the season. Ruocco finished second, followed by Keith Rocco and Kenny Horton.

Finally, the DARE Stocks closed the night off with their 15-lap feature. Starting on the pole was Tom Stirk, and he would take the lead for the first two laps. Duane Provost spun in turn two, setting up the first caution of the race. On the restart, Stirk went back in control, but his lead would only last for three more laps as Steve Berardi took over and assumed the lead. He would lead the event unti lap-11, when Vince Gambacorta became the third leader in the event. A caution on lap-12 slowed the field down, with Kyle Casagrande spinning in turns one and two. When the restart occured, Gambacorta would lose the lead to Dan Flannery. Gambacorta tried to stage a comeback, but it was no use. Flannery would become the newest first-time winner in Victory Lane, beating out Gambacorta, Jeff Jolly, and Norm Sears. In technical inspection, however, Gambacorta's car was found to have an illegal steering arm. Hence, he was disqualified.

Well, look where we are now: EARLY Thursday morning. Doesn't this remind you of deja vu? It sure does. So I'm just going to tell you about what's coming up in a day or two. Literally. The Whelen Modified Tour is back for their third appearance of the season, starring in the New England Dodge Dealers 150. Instead of me taking up more of my Thursday morning than I should, I'll give you more information regarding this when I'm not so tired. So until later today...

Double Duty Means Double the Trouble

Okay, take your pick with this one: Early or late? It's not totally early, as I was waiting for the penalty notice to make its way onto the site, nor was I late, taking it upon myself to write this entry up on Thursday. Honestly, I don't know what I am. Should I say "on time"? Well, maybe not. But I am here, and boy... Do I have some news to share! Last Friday night, which just so happened to be July 27, was Stafford's Craftsman Night at the Races. There were five divisions of weekly racing at the half mile, and to kick things off, we had the conclusion of the July 13 Late Model race, starting on the second completed lap.

Tom Butler and Ed Ricard had the front row occupied, but that engagement with the lead didn't last for long. Just like last week, Woody Pitkat was moving through the field until eventually he couldn't move up anymore. He assumed the lead early, letting everyone else battle for position behind him. His lead would grow to the point where he was going to start lapping traffic. But his lead would be put on hold when a couple of late race cautions occured. The first of which occured on the 23rd lap, when Steve McQuillan spun in turn one, bringing the gold out and onto Pitkat's parade. On the restart, Pitkat assumed the lead once again, yet that would once again be short lived. Lap-25 was the lap of the second caution, when Billy Snow, Jr and Dillon Moltz got together in turn two. (Actually, it started in turn one, and then Snow ended up on the backstretch. Either way, it was a caution.) Again, Pitkat stormed into the lead, with some more tussling going on behind him. It didn't matter, however, that Ryan Posocco would eventually start to pull away from the rest of the crowd as well, because Pitkat crossed the line to take his second Late Model win of the season. Posocco would finish second, followed by Butler and Corey Hutchings.

Four sets of qualifying heats later (yes, because putting too much on the Late Models was enough), there happened to be a last chance qualifier. It was for the Late Models, and it was a quick 16-lapper. Michael Bennett took the early lead, and it wouldn't leave his grip over the entire duration of this race. He would cruise to the win. Finishing up the top-four were John Warren, Dillon Moltz, and Mike O'Sullivan.

Next, we jumped into the features for the regularly scheduled program. First up, we had the SK Lights. For the first week in a while, I didn't take time to determine how long the feature was. This, by what I remember, was probably bordering the twenty minute time limit. I'm hoping I'm right by saying that it was quicker. We'll start at the top of the race as usual, where Chris Bakaj took the lead. Of course, he'd have a couple of incidents that would almost hinder his chances of winning the race. The real action would start on lap-9 as Jason Moore and Tony Santangelo got together in the third and fourth turns, causing a caution situation. As the green came back out, Bakaj (and until I refer to his brother, I will not be trying to confuse you by adding first initals) reclaimed the lead. This lead would be put on hold on lap-10, when Ray Griffen, Jr's apparently started leaking something onto the track, causing unsafe conditions and becoming the caution car in the process. In an instant, the fine folks of the Super Clean Safety Team were on the scene, making sure that it was safe to continue racing. I might be wrong on this, but I believe I saw speedy dry being placed around the track. After the cars ran through it a couple of times, the race went back to green. Bakaj assumed the lead, but this time, it was only a lead that lasted for three laps. On lap-13, Aaron Goff and Joe Allegro, Jr got into each other and were the two cars to bring the gold out for the third caution of the event, making things happen on the frontstretch. The restart on lap-13 saw a new leader, as Glen Reen passed Bakaj. Chris Matthews would follow. It looked as though it was going to be a repeat of the July 13 feature. A caution on lap-15 would bunch the cars up together for a five-lap fight to the finish. The car of Josh Sylvester spun on the frontstretch, bringing out the final caution of the race. Restart time, and Reen would take control of the event. Matthews couldn't do a thing to stop Reen, and Reen would score his fourth win of the season. Matthews would finish second, Mark Bakaj third, and Raymond Grassetti fourth.

The next race would be the Limited Late Models, and they would definitely put on a show. Joey Ferrigno would be the first leader of the event, pulling away from Rick Lanagan by a good distance at one point in time. It seemed as though nothing and nobody would be able to stop him... Until lap-9. While still in the pilot's seat, Ferrigno's motor would go boom on the frontstretch, bringing the caution out for the first time. His car would come to rest in turn two, and believe it or not, he tried to get it started (but to no avail). Now with Lanagan as the leader, the cautions really started to fly... Four cautions within a span of four laps! Charlie Newman would bring out the caution on lap-13 after he spun in turn one (and I believe he just clipped the safer barrier in the process). This was followed by a lap-14 scene in which Shawn Thibeault spun in turn one as well. Green was shown to the field, one lap was completed, and there was much rejoicing... And then, the caution came back out. David Capriati would find himself in an accident on the backstretch, bringing the cars back down to a safer speed limit. But the green would fly one more time. Though on lap-18, there was a bit of a scenario. Newman would spin on the frontstretch, but he never tried to get it off of the infield grass. This set up chaos coming out of turn two, when Lanagan was spun around himself. The caution would come for Newman, and Lanagan would get his spot back. This would set the ball in Lanagan's court, as nobody dared to challenge him for the lead after that. He'd come to the line to pick up his fourth win of the season. The rest of the board would read as follows: Andrew Durand, Bill Davis, and Sean Foster.

Following them would be Stafford's full-bodied entry level division: The DARE Stocks. Now, they've been racing pretty clean this season. Five of their races have gone without a caution, regardless of what happened on the track. On this night, however, there happened to be one incident that was deemed "caution appropriate". But first, let's get to the basics. It was Duane Provost taking the early lead, but Kyle Nosal would become the second leader of the race around lap-2. While Nosal was in the lead, however, the first and only caution of the event occured. This was on lap-8, when Carla Botticello and Robert Thompson were involved in a two-car accident coming out of turn two (and winding up on the backstretch). Nosal would regain the lead on the restart, and he wasn't challenged by anyone as he scored his first career win. Following him to the line were Barry Fluckiger, Jim Brice, and Dan Flannery.

Once the DARE Stocks were done, we were back to the fast and -- as of last week -- the furious. Before the start of the make-up Late Model feature, at about 6pm, the SK Modifieds were called into their own exclusive driver's meeting. I was told that they were there by themselves for a reason. That reason had to do with what happened last week. You know, the suspensions and whatnot? Okay, I'll let that slide for now. But I do have some highlights for you. The feature started with Willie Hardie taking the lead in the early stages of the race. Lap-6 saw Kerry Malone spin in turns three and four, with a little help from Frank Ruocco. He would be black flagged for overaggression on the race track, yet his night would just sink lower from there. Meanwhile, the restart on la;p-6 was a false one; yet the third attempt was perfect and the race resumed. Around lap-11, Woody Pitkat would take over as the race leader. Now coming through the field was Ted Christopher, who would be a key factor in this race. All was nice, calm, and serene until lap-24 when quite a few cars ended up in an accident in turn one. On the restart, it was still Pitkat leading with Christopher now assuming second. Two laps would pass until the next caution, as the spinning car of Ruocco in turn three would slow the cars down once again. Either during the caution or soon after the green came back out, a piece of debris was spotted in turn two, but it wasn't revealed until the lap-26 restart occured. Again, the yellow was back out. It wasn't a long caution. Pitkat maintained control on the restart, still with Christopher on his tail. This chase didn't last long, however, and on lap-32, the yellow came out once again. This time, it was for the cars of Shelly Perry, Todd Owen, Wade Mattesen, and Scott Bennett, who were all involved in a backstretch incident. The restart was picture perfect, and Pitkat and Christopher once again duked it out. But there would be a minor problem as the leaders were in three and four and were about to get the white flag: They ran into a lapped car... That of Ruocco. Both of the leaders were able to get by, but Christopher seemed to lose some momentum, letting Pitkat cruise to the win. Christopher would finish second, followed soon after by Eric Berndt and Malone.

The last race of the night was that of the Late Models, who were now running their regularly-scheduled feature. And to tell you the truth, this was more like a game of cat-and-mouse with too many cats and twice as many mice. The first leader of the race was Rick Charette, and he'd lead until lap-8ish or so until Scott Foster, Jr took over. Foster would only lead for three laps before Ryan Posocco became the third different leader of the race. The first caution of the race would occur on lap-12 as JJ Hill and Bobby Leone were involved in a turn two and backstretch accident. Posocco would continue to lead on the restart, but Woody Pitkat (who had already won the two races he was a part of already) was coming up and eventually took second. The two of them would pull away from the rest of the field until lap-18 when Doug Blowers spun in turn two. On the restart, it was the Posocco and Pitkat show once again, but the show would only last for a single lap as on lap-19, Mark St. Hilaire brought out the caution for a solo-car accident. The show would revive itself as the green came back out, but Pitkat would lose ground to Posocco as the laps ticked down. Posocco's lead would be erased on lap-29 when John Warren and Tony Lafo collided with each other on the frontstretch. Of course, this set the stage for a green-white-checkered situation. They got the green down... They got the white down... Yet for some reason, the checkered was not in their reach the first time around. As Posocco and Pitkat were still battling for the lead, Dillon Moltz spun in three and four on the white flag lap, causing the field to try the last three laps over again. Pitkat tried as hard as he could to get the lead away from the clutches of Posocco, but it was no use. Posocco would break the winning streak of Pitkat at Stafford and take down his second win of the season. The win would also break the tie he had with Jim Peterson for the all-time career Late Model lead. Finishing off the top-four were Pitkat, Corey Hutchings, and Peterson.

Now that I've just killed my chances at getting this out on Wednesday (it's early Thursday morning as I'm finishing this up and I had something to do Wednesday evening), I have some news for you. No, it's not the entry list for next week's Whelen Modified Tour appearance. I'm surprised that it's not up for public viewing yet. What I do have for you is the order of features for Friday night. It's a regular week, so no double dipping and absolutely no special rules. Ladies and gentlemen, the order is as follows:

• Late Model 16 LCQ (if needed)
• Limited Late Models (20 minute time limit)
• SK Modified 21 Means 21 (if needed)
• Late Models
• SK Lights (20 minute time limit)
• SK Modifieds
• DARE Stocks

So as you can tell, it's going to be greatness all around. So I'll see you sometime over the course of next week with news, highlights, and results from this upcoming program. Until then, keep safe, and enjoy all of your Thursday. (Because as far as I know, I'll be sleeping during the entire duration of the morning.)

Two For the Price of One

Good afternoon! It's time for a peek at the schedule for Friday night's "Two For the Price of One" Late Model night, along with four other divisions as part of the Whelen All American Series. It's not going to cost fans anything extra to come in around 6:15pm when the first Late Model race is run from lap-3. So when the makeup race has completed, you'll be treated to the regular qualifying heats and whatnot from four divisions -- Late Models are not doing heats -- followed by features. Do you wish to see a feature order? Very well then; I'll show it to you!

• SK Lights
• SK Modifieds
• Limited Late Models
• Late Models
• DARE Stocks

But from what the weather report says (two days in advance), it's going to be one of those days where it's just straight up nasty and wet. So stick around for the next couple of days, and I'll be back when I find out if the program's going to be run or not.

Friday Night Fights [7/20 Police Blotter]

Okay, here's what you've been waiting for now since I posted my other entry: The police blotter! I know, it doesn't like much, but it's really going to be something because it's the last thing you expect to hear. And with the night that went on Friday, trust me... There might be people reading this that have a different opinion. I don't know if you want to turn this into a huge conflict, but as long as I get this out of the way, I'm not the one who's going to be sticking my nose further into the situation. But here we go:

Lloyd Agor has been suspended for Friday night's event for unsportsmanlike conduct and due to the fact that he hit another car under the caution. (Here is a fan's take on the situation.) But on the other side of the spectrum, there is a familiar face to all of this. You should all know this name, boys and girls. Remember a man by the name of Chris Jones? Yes, he was the one who was escorted across the track during last season's Fall Final after a heated infield discussion. He returned, but he had someone else piloting the black #39. (The driver -- Todd Szegedy -- was just an innocent bystander.) But back to Jones... Just like last season, he had to be escorted across the track by a member of the security team. His slap on the wrist? He is indefinitely suspended from the paddock area and infield.

If you need to see the full detail, don't hesitate to see the rest of the police blotter.

Until the schedule for the July 27 event is posted, have a nice day.

A Rollercoaster Ride Worth Fifty Miles

Okay! Welcome to the fabulous world of a Tuesday afternoon at downtown "Small Town" Connecticut! I've been pretty lazy and/or willing to put off my entry until Thursday, but I wanted to give myself some ample time so that I wasn't on my butt trying to get the latest entry done on the last possible day. So with that said, I'm doing it three days before the next event. Unfortunately, I'll have to do a second entry right after this one so I can tell you all about what happened on the penalty notice sheet. There were a couple of bad boys during this heated night. For now, sit down, relax, sip some soda or whatever it is you drink at whatever time you're here, and listen as I tell the tale of the SK Modifieds going 100 laps... Plus four other features in the Whelen All American Series.

We started the night out with some full fendered action; more specifically, the cars of the Limited Late Models. Last time, their 20-lap feature ended up having four cautions in the middle of the action. We'll fast forward through the first fifteen laps of the race, telling you in the process that the race began with Sean Foster taking the lead and dominating up until the first caution on lap-16. That was when Barry Thompson spun in turns three and four. On the restart, Foster had the lead and didn't look like he was going to lose it. It appeared as though he would cruise to the win on the final lap, but as the white flag came out, the yellow was put into its place as Darrin Havanec spun in turn four, bringing out the caution to set up what looked like to be a green-white-checkered finish. Unfortunately for the field, their first attempt at the situation came up about one-and-a-half laps short. On the backstretch, Rick Lanagan ended up with the worst damage of a three car mess, with the end result being his car up against the wall going the other way. I'm looking at pictures of the night right now, and the press release on the track's site also agrees with the pictorial evidence: Paul Conte wanted to go airborne. (Let me be happy to say that it wasn't too bad and he was able to not destroy the car.) So now, there was a second attempt at a restart which proved to be the key to winning the race. Foster once again took control, and Charlie Newman followed him around the now third-place Andrew Durand. Newman tried to make a comeback, but it would be too late. Foster crossed the line first, scoring his second win of the '07 season. Newman, Durand, and Michael Nadeau finished off the scoreboard for this event.

The Limiteds exited the track via turn one, and in their place walked crew members, bringing out tools and other necessary equipment for 30-laps featuring the Late Models. Would you believe me if I told you that the Late Models and Limiteds finished their races in seventeen minutes each? I cannot tell a lie. That's exactly how it went. Here's extensive proof of what took place. Ed Ricard led the first two laps of the race, but whatever lead he had was short lived when Doug Blowers spun in turn four, bringing out the first caution of the event. When the green came back out, Ricard led until lap-3. And then, there was a lead change. Woody Pitkat became the new leader. And things were going on behind him. On lap-12, the cars of JJ Hill, Bobby Leone, and Rick Charette end up giving the field the second caution of the event. Charette looked like he backed up into the turn one wall, and Hill and Leone got together. Again, the green came back out. And again, Pitkat took control. The lead would only last for a couple more laps, however, because it was caution time once again. Turn one would be the scene of a two-car accident, and the two cars involved in this one belonged to Ryan Posocco and Jim Peterson, who are still tied for the all-time win lead as of the 20th. On the restart, Pitkat gave himself the lead again, and this time, nobody seemed as though they could have anything for him. He put on a show for the fans on the frontstretch as he crossed the finish line, claiming his first win of the (Late Model) season. Yes, I honestly thought he won more races in a fendered car. Finished in the top-3 a couple of times, but never had a win. Okay, the rest of the top-four: Jim Mavlouganes, Tom Fearn, and Corey Hutchings.

And now, things shift around. The full fendered automobiles take a little rest, and we drop the help on the infield for a race. This is open-wheeled competition with the sophomore season of the SK Lights. You might have heard what happened two weeks ago... They get five laps back, but they also have a time limit of twenty solid minutes to finish their race. Last week, things didn't fare too well. They went fifteen minutes over. Could the Lights rebound from the bad luck night of the 13th? I think the first lap told the entire story. A false start on the opening green flag bunched everyone up so that about a dozen of them could wreck in turns three and four as the second attempt almost became a possibility. You had the top-three drivers in the point standings involved in that (Chris Matthews, Glen Reen, and Brit Andersen), and just about everyone who was starting in the back. Needless to say, the race was red flagged with no laps on the board. Some of the cars involved got their cars moving so they could continue on with the race, while others -- like Glenn Griswold -- weren't so fortunate and had to be towed off and into the infield. Restart time comes, and Josh Sylvester assumes the top spot. The lead would have to be pulled back to the Earth's surface on lap-2, when Fred Nees, Jr winds up on the frontstretch in a solo-car accident. Sylvester would re-take the lead on the restart, but he would have a contender on his heels: Alan Provost. On lap-16, the lead changed hands when Provost snatched the lead away from Sylvester, and that would become the move of the race. Provost notched his first win of the season and of his career. Sylvester would come in second, followed to the line by Aaron Goff and Mark Bakaj. Length of race: Twenty-two minutes. They came close, I tell you.

Then it was time. The time of times! It was finally time to have the main attraction of the night. It was the 34th annual Coors Light SK Modified 100. A grand total of 28 cars started the feature, but only one could claim immortality... And a guaranteed spot in the SK-type portion of this year's North South Shootout at the Concord Motorsports Park. Who would win? The questions in the last entry would be answered in a total time of one hour, twenty-one minutes from the start of the race. The race would be Willie Hardie's from the opening green, even in the midst of three cautions between the first and 28th lap. The cautions would start coming like the plague on lap-14, when Shelly Perry brought out the first yellow flag with a spin in turn four. It was a minor incident; she drove off and it was a short caution. On the restart, Hardie took control again, but that lead only lasted three more laps as a second caution occured. Last year's winner of the event, Todd Owen, would be the next car to have problems on the night, almost as if he lost a tire and just sailed straight into the outside barrier. It would be assumed that the defending winner would not be able to defend the race successfully, handing over the title to another driver. But before we go too far ahead of ourselves, let's go back to the lap-17 restart. Again, you had Hardie taking the lead, and that would last for only four laps. Mark Anderson was the one who brought the caution out this time because he spun on the backstretch. This was a quickie caution, and the green would come back out probably less than a minute later with Hardie still in control. On lap-29, the car of Brad Hietala would experience heartbreak when he ended up in a solo-car accident in turn four. After cleanup commenced, the green came back out and it was Hardie leading the way. But now, however, Keith Rocco was coming up behind him and on lap-35, Rocco would help Hardie spin coming out of turn two. It was a four-car incident, including Jeff Malave, Richie Pallai, Jr, and Kenny Horton. Rocco would get black flagged for helping out with the caution, giving the lead to the all-time win leader period, Ted Christopher. But Christopher's lead was short lived. On the restart, Woody Pitkat stormed in front of Christopher and assumed the position of leader, even when there happened to be debris in turn four (this happening on lap-48). Pitkat went back into the lead, but it was only a lap until the next caution occured; this one being for Jim Larsen who spun in turn two. The next caution wouldn't come for a while, but there was still action. Christopher gained the lead back on lap-52, and Pitkat started to just slip back spot after spot until he really wasn't in contention anymore. Hope would seem lost for Pitkat until lap-79. Keith Rocco, who was black flagged earlier in the race, was now out of the race because his motor let loose in turns three and four, bringing out the caution. This allowed Pitkat to come to pit road and let his crew change tires. This would prove to be a very smart move for both him and his team. But at the moment, it was still Christopher out in front. The lead was erased once again when Larsen spun on lap-92 in turns three and four, setting up a crucial restart with Christopher still out in front. Pitkat was making a charge, however, and he would be back in contention on lap-95 when a series of problems occured. You had Hardie and Pallai spinning on the frontstrech, followed by Zach Sylvester in an accident in turns three and four, then Pete Pavone, Jr had his motor die on him on the frontstretch as the second restart bowed upon the field. The third test at the lap-95 restart would be a test of who would be able to get the better jump. The inside row had the advantage, but instead of Christopher pulling away, it was Pitkat going around TC. Another caution came out on lap-97 when Larsen was in a third caution along with Scott Bennett. So now, it came down to the final restart. Pitkat versus Christopher. Pitkat got the jump on Christopher, and while Christopher was falling back a couple of car lengths, it was Pitkat doing the daily double, winning both the Late Model feature and now the SK Modified 100. Christopher came in second, keeping Frank Ruocco in third and Kerry Malone in fourth.

Last, but certainly not least, there was a DARE Stock 15-lap feature to be run. Unlike the rest of the races on the program, this one actually went caution free. And there was only one leader in the entire event. Not bad for at least ten minutes of work. (Honestly, I don't think it was ten minutes. It might have been less than that. I didn't write a finish time to that.) What I can tell you was that the one and only leader to the event was Matt Chiarizio, who took down the win, his first of the '07 season and his career, on his birthday. Coming in behind him were Dan Flannery, Jim Brice, and Vince Gambacorta.

So, those are all the notes I have for you this week. I will do a special secondary entry so you can see who's not going to be at the track on Friday. Here's a little preview: The result is the last thing you'll ever think of. (Or it will leave you questioning why. Don't know yet.) But before I get started on that next entry, here's a treat I know you'll enjoy: How about double Late Model features? That's right! You know that event on July 13th that ended up being a four-feature night? Breathe easy, Late Model fans! You'll get the end of the July 13 feature, starting from lap-3 when the rains started to come in... And you'll get a regularly scheduled 30-lap feature as well. Just think -- it's like you get two features for the price of one! (Or one-and-a-half. I'm not quite sure about that as well.) So just keep this page up and I will be right back with the extra special police blotter from the SK 100.

Controversy? Rain? Cautions? I Highly [Doubt] It

No time to sit and think of things. I'm late, I'm late... I'm late! (You can clearly tell that I haven't seen Alice in Wonderland in a long time.) But for the record, this is the third week now that I've brought you results on the absolute last day I can possibly get them to you by. So feel lucky that on last Friday night -- Friday the 13th -- you had your standard one after the other, four divisions of Stafford racing. Why I say "four divisions" will be explained in detail towards the end of this whole thing. So shall we pick things up at around 7:32ish with the double green flags to signify the start of the DARE Stock race? I thought you'd never ask.

So like I said previously: At around 7:32pm, the man on top of the starter's stand opened up the feature portion of the evening with dual green flags for the 15-lap DARE Stock event. Things looked to be perfect for the first twelve laps of the race, with Dan Flannery leading the first eleven of them before Carla Botticello took over. Unfortunately for her, that's when the cautions started to come out. There weren't that many of them. The first of them occured on lap-13 (whoa, how ironic) as Barry Fluckiger, Frank Thompson, and Jim Brice found each other up in turn four. Back to green, and Botticello seemed to pull away from the field. On the white flag lap, she almost had things wrapped up... Until the cars of Cliff Saunders, John Hurley (who I haven't seen in a DARE Stock since at least two years ago?) and Matt Chiarizio were collected in a turn three caution, setting up a green-white-checkered situation. On the restart, Dean Casagrande tried to overpower Botticello, but it was Botticello who overpowered the field, scoring her second win of the season. Casagrande was second, followed by Flannery and Bill Dunn.

For the next two races, the action went from full fender to open wheel, starting with the 20-lap SK Light feature. Now note that since they've gone switched back to 20-lappers, they still have a time limit of 20 minutes. And since the July 6th event, I've been keeping tabs on when a feature starts (green waves) and finishes (first car crosses the finish line). Let me tell you right now that this did not come out to anything less than or equal to their time limit. The action started on the very first lap of the race, courtesy of Ted Cain, who saw the Armco barrier in turn one up close and personal. Green comes back out, and Alan Provost gets out to the top spot early. But the lead would be short lived, in a sense, as on lap-2, there was a four car accident on the frontstretch. The drivers involved in that time-consuming accident were Brit Andersen, Glenn Griswold, Michael Lane, and Scott Nordman. It was a lengthy caution, as the fine folks of the Super Clean Safety Team were on the scene, removing cars and dumping speedy-dry all over the frontstretch where Lane hit the wall. Once the accident scene turned into clear race track, the race resumed. Provost takes over the lead again, but Glen Reen was coming up strong, and Reen became the second leader of the race on lap-6. On lap-7, Jason Moore spun on the backstretch, bringing out a quick caution. Thank goodness for quick cautions, because at least one of the next two wouldn't be quick by any one of the definitions of the word. Reen would take advantage on the restart, and now trying to move to the front of the field was Chris Matthews. Matthews would make the jump up to second before a lap-17accident in turns three and four sent the field back under the yellow, involving Moore, Kyle Spencer, Fred Nees, Jr, and Rich Hammann. You'd think by now, someone in race control would remind the starter that it had been over twenty mnutes since the first wave of the green, right? Well, not really. As the green came back out, the car of Heather DesRochers ended up in the frontstretch wall, right about where I had been sitting. This was the second long yellow flag of the event. Once again, the Super Clean Safety Team was on the scene, placing lots of speedy-dry around the car and where her Light had ended up. This also set up a four-lap dash between Reen and Matthews, which ended up being Reen's race. He won his third race of the 2007 season. Matthews, Provost, and Mark Bakaj rounded out the top four. In the wonderful world known as technical inspection, however, Provost's car did not meet the minimum weight requirement of 2600 pounds, so he had to give up third place.

Attention was now shifted from how Modifieds did on their own to how they'd fare if they had help via the infield pits, because it just so happened to be time for the 40-lap SK Modified feature. You can clearly tell that by now, there had to be something in the sky, because during this race, there was a lot of jumping from whomever was in the front row later on in the event. But we'll begin from the top as we usually do, starting on the opening lap. That provided the first caution, when Zach Sylvester, Willie Hardie, and Shelly Perry were involved in a turn three accident. After this, the field played their own version of Musical Chairs. On the restart, Kerry Malone took control of the race, but he'd only lead a lap as Brad Hietala would lead the second lap. Hietala's lead wouldn't last for long either, as a new leader emerged on lap-3: That being Frank Ruocco. The action in the front would start to die down for a little bit as some action in the back picked up from last time. On lap-7, there were at least four drivers who weren't really up to speed, sending the field into caution mode for the second time in the race. The drivers were Ronnie Silk (taking over the #15 ride for the remainder of the '07 season), Richie Pallai, Jr, Jeff Baral, and Kirk Zervas. There might have been another one or two cars in that, but I couldn't tell you. (Sorry.) All right, the race went back to green, keeping the lead in Ruocco's hands until lap-9. That's when Pallai was in his second accident along with Lloyd Agor, this time in turns three and four. And then, there was a long green flag session with a new leader that would have his own problems. Keith Rocco had suddenly become the fastest driver on the track, and he passed quite a few contenders before finally passing Ruocco on lap-31. I'm about to tell you that when I mentioned something about jumping restarts, you'd find plenty of that after the original attempt at getting lap-33 completed. The first time the caution was brought out, it was for Pallai, who couldn't keep his car going in one straight direction. His car was in a one car accident in turn four. Needless to say, he wouldn't be a factor in the decision. Meanwhile, up front, the field was about to do a little shuffling in the first two rows. The initial front row for the first two attempts at a redo were Rocco and Woody Pitkat, who had moved up to second in the two laps after the lead change. Attempt two: Rocco jumped the start. On the third and fourth attempts at a redo, the SK field brought to me: Pitkat jumping and having to get put back a row thanks to race control. This now had Rocco and Ruocco on the front row for the fifth try. As the green came back out, it seemed as though Rocco's #78 may have had a problem, and a multi-car caution ensued just behind him. Hate to admit it, but Ben Dodge and Matt Buckler said he had problems, I said he had problems... Heck, I think everyone knew that his car had a couple of problems. What does race control do? Changes things up yet again. Now you had the top-four as follows: Rocco, Ted Christopher, and a second row of Ruocco and Pitkat (which I couldn't remember who was where, thank you). All I remember was that the four of them were just battling it out for the spots, and it ended up being Keith Rocco scoring his second win of the season. The rest of the board was Christopher, Pitkat (who had no air filter), and Ruocco. Now usually, it's just the top-three winding up in technical inspection. But for some reason, all four of them were inspected. No positions were lost in this chaos, and strange enough, it only took 35 minutes to finish the race.

Okay, it was time to go back to some full fenders now, because the Limited Late Models were ready to chomp at the track. Kevin Gambacorta took the early lead, even when David Capriati and Paul Conte spun in turns three and four on the second lap of the race, bringing out the first caution. On the restart, it was Gambacorta again, and it seemed as though nothing could stop him... Until lap-8, when Michael Nadeau and Sean Foster were involved in a two-car accident on the backstretch. It was on the restart when Gambacorta lost the lead to Charlie Newman, who now dominated the race until a lap-15 caution: Conte spinning in turn two. Under the caution, trouble occured with Newman's car, and he had to end his race on pit road. This now gave the lead to Andrew Durand. Durand would take control when the green came back out, but the lead shrank on lap-16. Gambacorta and Jeff Hubbell were the next two to bring out the yellow as they were involved in an accident in turns one and two. It was Durand's show for the final five laps of the race, and he would just sail to his fourth win of the season. Bill Davis, Rick Lanagan, and Michael Chaves rounded out the top-four.

As for the Late Models, well... They did take the green flag. Mark Lewis and Steve McQuillan did end up wrecking on lap-3 (in turn three). And on the restart, there just so happened to be a false start. But it began to slowly rain on their parade for the second week in a row. This was about at 10:00pm, but could the track be saved once the rain started to fall heavily? Not a chance. The race had to be called. The other 27-laps of this race will be made up, starting where the race was left off, on July 27th. I cannot tell you who was in the lead at the time the race was halted, so you'll have to stay tuned to find out who wins this one.

But let's shift our attention back towards tomorrow night. You know how wild that Late Model 100 was two weeks ago? If you liked that, you'll definitely like what is planned for this week. Think open-wheeled excitement, mixed in with cash bonuses and possible pit road strategy. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the 34th annual Coors Light SK Modified 100. Last year, it was Todd Owen winning it all. Can he repeat the feat and go back to back? Will another driver do it if he can't? In a little more than a day, those questions should be answered... Weather permitting. I've checked a couple of news stations last night, and they claim that it's going to be morning rain. One station has some rain coming in later that night, but nobody's got it added on their "seven day forecast" or whatever. In the event of rain, I will report right here. So until tomorrow, stay safe and dry, and I will see you around.

Late Model 100 and the Extreme Tuesday That Was

Well, gee. Again I decide to put this off until Thursday. I must be having the worst luck this season. Oh, well. I brush off my keyboard and I shall bring you action from the Late Model 100 and other features that took place on July 6. Let me tell you now that the only ones who had qualifying heats were the Late Models, only because the weather was sort of stinky earlier in the day. It rained for a good hour, starting at around 3:00pm, and then went on and off until about 5:30pm. There were no other major problems that happened during the three heats and practice, so let's get right to the action.

We started with the SK Lights, who before their feature had been told that they were going back to racing 20-lap features due to good behavior. For the most part (and I don't know if I should really be using that term lightly), it was a pretty good race. The first five laps of the race were clean, but as the cars were coming around to finish the sixth lap, there was an incident. I don't remember who or what caused this to occur, but in the end, five cars were involved in a turn four and frontstretch accident. Those involved were Matt Gallo, Heather DesRochers, Josh Sylvester, Michael Lane, and Mark Bakaj. The cleanup, courtesy of the Super Clean Safety Team (which irks me just typing that), took a couple of laps to get everything off the track. Once all of the accident was safely behind pit wall, the race resumed. Lap after lap ticked off until lap-17, when Tony Santangelo spun in turn one, bringing out the caution again. After the caution was when things really started to pick up. It was almost assumed that Chris Matthews was going to drive off into the sunset, but coming up through the field like a spitball was Brit Andersen. When Andersen caught up to Matthews, the two of them had an intense battle that lasted until the final lap of the race. The finishing order was decided in the last turn, down the frontstretch, and across the finish line as Andersen beat out Matthews by near centimeters. Glen Reen and Joe Allegro, Jr rounded out the top-four finishers.

The next feature to roll off was the Limited Late Models, who also ran a 20-lap feature. Luckily for them, they managed to get all of their cautions out of the way before the first half of the race expired. The first two cautions of the race took place on the opening green flag. The first of which was for Darrin Havanec, Sean Foster, and Shawn Thibeault, who were involved in a first turn accident. When the tried to start the race again, Foster and Havanec spun in about the same location as the accident. When the track was cleared, the race resumed. And wouldn't you know it... The third time was the charm. Unfortunately for them, they only got a full lap in before the next incident. That time, it was for Ed Charette, Jr who spun in turn two. (At this time, in the kitchen, there is a bunch of screaming that'll soon get put to a stop. Excuse me if I suddenly have an attitude for the rest of this entry.) Now where was I? Oh, yes: Only four more laps were completed until Thibeault spins in turn one. So now that the cautions for this event were out of the way, there was some actual racing for about fourteen laps. And unlike the race before this one, the lead never changed hands. Bill Davis lead every lap imaginable to score his first feature win of the season. Andrew Durand came in second, followed by Charie Newman and Kevin Gambacorta.

I'm sorry, but before you can breathe easy, we had the SK Modifieds on the track next. Forty laps of action with a couple of cautions sprinkled in, mixed with some intense battles for the lead equals a good preview for the main event, in my honest opinion. We'll start five laps into the race, when Willie Hardie, Wade Mattesen, and Jeff Baral get tangled up in turn three, bringing out the first caution of the event. Hardie's problems would continue on the restart, as he spun in the infield as the green was barely put away. Needless to say, the yellow was brought back out. Up front, there was a good battle for the lead on the third try to restart the race, with Kerry Malone up front and Bo Gunning trying to take the spot away from him. On lap-7, however, both of them would end up in a turn four and frontstretch accident. Lloyd Agor and Eric Berndt were the other cars involved. This put Keith Rocco in the lead. He would dominate the race until lap-30, as Woody Pitkat and Jeff Johnson were involved in an accident in turn two. A false start proved to be the case on the original restart, and when the green flag proved to be successful on the second attempt, Ted Christopher made a charge. Lap-31 gave us our third leader of the race, when Christopher finally made the move around Rocco to take the lead. Rocco would soon end up in some hot water when on the next lap, him and Brad Hietala came together and went up into the turn three wall, collecting John Cleary and Todd Owen as well. Christopher would dominate on the restart, and the laps ticked down until there wasn't any time left. He claimed his first win of the season and first since the 2006 Spring Sizzler. Rounding out the top-four were Pitkat, Gunning, and Zach Sylvester.

Then it was time for the main event... The 13th annual DiGiorgi Roofing and Siding Late Model 100. For the first three laps of the race, the field was under green flag conditions. This was until on lap-4, when Mark Lewis, Tom Fearn, and Tom Butler were involved in an accident in turn three. Butler was on and off pit road for most of the caution so that his crew could duct tape his car together because the caution was that bad. On the restart, the caution came back out again. This time, it was for a reason I couldn't spot in time (or it wasn't mentioned -- I don't know). In this race, the third time showed a spin, courtesy of Billy Snow, Jr, on the frontstretch. Around this time, Mother Nature was starting to play tricks on us. She would become the suspect on lap-6 when a number of cars were collected as part of a backstretch accident. There were nine cars involved, all of which had some form of damage to their cars or another. Woody Pitkat, who had finished second in the SK Modified race, had to get the right side of his car welded... Well, in two shifts. The rain started to come down heavier, and the drivers were instructed to bring their cars down to pit road. The race was red flagged. Crew members were allowed to head back into the paddock area to retrieve car covers and tarps, and a good majority of them had covered the cars before the rain got slower and slower until it had went away without hassle. The track was dried, thanks for the safety team and tire brigade, and the red turned to yellow. The yellow would not be seen again until lap-14, when David St. Amant spun in turns three and four. Then there happened to be a long green flag session, lasting from the restart to lap-33. Again, St. Amant brought out the caution after he spun in about the same place in three and four. There happened to be another long green session, coming to a little over halfway. Picking up a $100 bonus for leading at the halfway mark was Jim Mavlouganes, and he led until lap-55 as Jim Peterson took over the leading duties. Also at that point, Michael Bennett had a meet and greet session with the frontstretch wall, causing the yellow to come back out to visit the field. The next caution would not come until the 77th lap of the race when -- how appropriate was this -- Ed Ricard (driving #77) spun in turn four. Take two of the lap-77 restart gave us the first and only false start of the entire event. Only two laps of green were run before Ryan Posocco and Tony Lafo brought out the caution on lap-79 via a fronstretch accident. A quartet's worth of laps ticked by before Butler and Scott Cook were invoved in a turn one incident. Two laps before this one, Mike O'Sullivan secured the lead over Peterson after Peterson apparently had problems. The final caution occured on the 89th lap of the race when Scott Foster, Jr and Doug Blowers, Jr got caught up in a two-car accident on the backstretch. With that in the books, O'Sullivan just took control of the race and claimed it as his own, winning the longest race of the season for the Late Models. Completing the board were Peterson, Mavlouganes, and Corey Hutchings.

Although it was now 11:26pm, the DARE Stocks closed the night with plenty of time to spare. There was only one caution in the entire race, and that belonged to Steve Berardi spinning on the frontstretch on lap-10. Other than that, it was nice and quick: The quickest race of the night (12 minutes). Bill Dunn really didn't have to worry about the caution too much, as with less than a lap to go, he passed Rob Lawrence for the lead and the win. Lawrence would finish in second, followed by Megan Bienkowski and Barry Fluckiger. Post race inspection would put a damper onto someone's parade. That someone was Lawrence. His car had more than 23 percent of the weight on the left side of the car, so he was disqualified from second place.

I shouldn't forget what happened Tuesday night -- the CARQuest Extreme Tuesday program took place. Winning there was Rob Summers in the ISMA Supermodifieds, Erica Santos with the NEMA Midgets (becoming the first girl to win in the division), and Jeff Zuidema in the Pro-4 Modifieds.

Now then, to this week's story: It's a regular night of racing, boys and girls. It's also known as "Town Fair Tire Summer Heat", whatever that means. I'm thinking it's just a fancy way of saying that it's a regular night. The feature order starts with any last chance qualifers, if any; followed by the five divisions in the following order: DARE Stock, SK Lights, SK Modifieds, Limited Late Models, and Late Models. And for those of you who have a youngster in the Kids Club, be sure to remind them that there's a meeting tomorrow. I would wish that the track had a list of drivers who would show up to visit, but I'd probably be following them if I found out along with you. So... Yeah. Okay, that's it for now. It's 5:30pm here, and I'm done. So until tomorrow, I bid you good evening.

Dual Batch of Fireworks

Today, there's no time for unnecessary chit-chat. I've been a part of a fairly good hot streak recently, getting my entries in before Thursdays. (I'm trying not to do these things on the absolute last day I possibly can.) Will the hot streak continue? Nope. I'm posting this on a Thursday. It looks like the streak has been broken. Anyway, there were five features and one LCQ that went on Friday night, so without further ado... I bring you the events of June 29: The second attempt of the Summer Blast-Off night.

We started the night off on the right foot when the non-qualified Late Models were brought out onto the track for their final chance to make the show. Sixteen laps of action, and no cautions to boot. When I said we were starting the night off on a good note, I really mean that. Anyway, taking down the win was Scott Cook, and he was followed by Jim Mavlouganes, division newcomer Dillon Moltz, and Mike Quintiliano. They would be racing right after the Limited Late Models ran their feature...

...And that was the first feature event of the night. Unfortunately, unlike the one and only last chance qualifier that ran previous to this race, the Limited Late Models began the night filled with cautions on just the second lap out of twenty. Now please excuse me for my poor taste in judgment regarding this caution, but the incident occured in turns three and four and for some reason, I just couldn't pinpoint about half of the cars in this. I know for a fact that two of the cars involved belonged to Andrew Durand and Pete Cayer, but there was a white car that was also a part of this and also a car that drove off and joined the group before I could tell what the number was. (So again, I dearly apologize.) Getting back to the action, however -- a grand total of only two more laps were run under green before the next caution came out. This time, it was for Jeff Hubbell who spun/wrecked in turn three. On lap six, Ed Charette, Jr spun on the backstretch, bringing out the third caution of the first feature. For some reason, cautions coming on every two laps were getting to be the next best thing, as two laps later, Paul Conte and Charette spin in turn four. After a quick caution, the green was back out. And this time, more than two laps were run under the green... They got five laps in before Darrin Havanec and Kevin Gambacorta get together in turns three and four. Luckily, this was the final caution of the feature, and the remaining seven laps were all run cleanly. Up front, Rick Lanagan was bound to make it two in a row by any means, and after holding off the challenge of Sean Foster, he would make it so. It was his third win of the season. Rounding out the top-four were Foster, Bill Davis, and Corky Hinze.

The warwagons and crews of the Late Models came out for their feature next, and they seemed to have a pretty decent race. The only two mishaps that occured came on lap-25. The first time, it was for a multi-car accident on the backstretch. The restart on the same lap bunched the cars back up because it was a false start. Other than that, it was pretty much caution-free. Tom Fearn didn't mind the two caution flags, it seemed, because his car seemed to have it all. He beat Corey Hutchings, Woody Pitkat, and Jim Peterson to the line to score his first win of the season.

Then, there was the traditional "beginning of summer" fireworks display. The people who were sitting around me at the time (and I don't think I could have counted all of the people before the lights were turned off) were really getting into the music; singing along and everything. It was just one of those laid back moments where I could remove myself from the book and focus on other things. Joyous occasion. Of course, the lights regained their power afterwards, and during the course of the brief intermission, drivers were starting to make their way from all places just to line up behind the backstretch. We still had three features to run.

Cue up the other bunch of crews and equipment for the SK Modifieds. Forty laps of racing pretty much saw a couple of false starts within a ton of cautions mixed in. (Or was it the other way around?) The action in this race started on the absolute first lap of the race, as the flagman didn't even have the green flag out of the way before the first yellow came out. It was for a multi-car accident that took place in the first and second turns. Pretty much everyone who was involved in that was able to drive off. The next three attempts to start the race gave us false start after false start. The fifth time was the one that sealed the deal, and the race was finally counting down laps. There were only three laps counted before the first caution. On lap-4, Jimmy Smith spun on the backstretch, giving the field their second (accident/spin related) caution. It was a quick yellow flag session, and about two to three pace laps later, the green was back out. Lap-7 was the next moment of gold when Richie Pallai, Jr spun in turns one and two. Again, minimal pace laps were run before the green was once again shown to the field. When lap-16 rolled around, the yellow was back out. This time, it was for a two-car accident coming out of turn two. (The numbers of the cars involved are unknown.) Debris remained, and clean-up commenced. After the clean-up session ended, it was time to get the show rolling once more. Unfortunately for the field, the caution came out one lap later, when Shelly Perry hit the outside retaining wall in turns three and four. The retry lap wasn't successful, as there was yet another false start to hinder the field. Four more laps were completed under green before Pallai and John Cleary were involved in a frontstretch incident. On the very next lap, the caution string continued to unravel when Curt Brainard spun/was in a solo-car incident on the backstretch. The field got seven laps in before the next caution period occured, starting on lap-28 when Bo Gunning -- who was driving a backup car provided to him by Frank Ruocco -- gave us yet another caution by hitting the wall in turn four. Speaking of Ruoccco, the next caution came out a lap later after he spun in the frontstretch grass. The next time there was a back-to-back caution session was on laps 36 and 37. The former was for Scott Bennett, who spun in turns three and four. The latter was for a multi-car accident coming out of two and ending up on the backstretch. The lap-37 accident happened to be the last caution of the event, meaning it was a race to the finish line. Zach Sylvester and Woody Pitkat battled each other for the win, and it looked like Pitkat had Sylvester a couple of times. But in the end, Sylvester won his first feature in seven years. Pitkat came in second, followed by Keith Rocco and Ted Christopher.

The life and times of the extra support from the inside-the-track pits soon faded, and the DARE Stocks took to the track for the first of the two 15-lap features of the night. The first caution flew on lap-6 when Melissa Blowers spun in turn four. On the restart, Steve Berardi and John Kasper were involved in a turn-two accident, bringing the caution out yet again. Once that was cleaned up, a couple of pace laps were run and the green was brought back to the field. Fortunately, a dozen laps were run under normal, fast-paced conditions. Of course, there was always a catch to the matter. That was that after those six laps were run, Rob Lawrence spun in the middle of turns one and two, making the flagman wave the yellow for a third time. Only two laps after the spin, a five-car accident on the backstretch had the cars parade around the track for more pace laps. The cars involved were Lawrence, Robert Thompson, Jim Sullivan, Tom Stirk, and Duane Provost. The final caution of the event occured on the original white flag lap, when a multi-car caution occured on the frontstretch. Now with the cautions out of the way, the race belonged to Dean Casagrande. He scored his first win of the season, and he was followed by Norm Sears, Vince Gambacorta, and Bill Dunn.

The final race of the night belonged to the SK Lights. And unlike previous episodes, they managed to have a fairly clean race. All in all, there were three cautions: The first of which was on the opening lap of the race when Scott Nordman, Kyler Cafro, and Mike Sweeney, Jr collected each other on the frontstretch. I believe it was Nordman and Sweeney's cars that needed to be pulled apart. The good part about it was that both cars were finally unhooked from each other, yet both would be done for the night. On lap-9, Alan Provost spun in turn three, bringing out the second caution of the race. And finally, Aaron Goff was involved in a solo-car accident on the backstretch on lap-11, ending the night filled with cautions. Glen Reen, who had been out in front since around the time the second caution occured, never lost the lead to anyone and took down the win. This was his second win of the season. Rounding out the top-four were Brit Andersen, Chris Matthews, and Matt Gallo.

And now, before I cut you loose for the remainder of the night, some highlights from Loudon and the Saturday filled with open wheels and the stars and cars of the Busch Series. Donny Lia won his third race in a row and fourth out of the six races run so far after taking down a shortened feature event. After a lap-36 caution had to be red flagged, the fine folks from NASCAR realized that if the Tour continued into the planned start of the Camping World 200, those who came for the second race wouldn't be too happy. So the race was cut from 100 laps to only 85. In the Camping World 200, it came down to a showdown between Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards... Which ended with Harvick just squeaking out the win. When I get the photos developed, I will share them with you.

That's it. We are done. I would like to remind all of you that the next event at Stafford will be the 13th Annual DiGiorgi Roofing and Siding Late Model 100. You heard me -- 100 laps for the Late Models and regular distanced features for the other men and women (weather permitting). It looks okay for now, with a 30 to 40 percent chance of rain throughout the late afternoon and evening. So until tomorrow, stay dry and safe; and I hope to see you then.

Early, But Came Prepared

Okay, I lied when saying that I would be back Wednesday with a schedule of events. It's actually Tuesday, and amidst the scorching temperatures that are plaguing the state of Connecticut, I have found the schedule for the postponed/cancelled (take your pick) program on Friday. Your feature order will be as follows:

• Last Chance Qualifiers (if any)
• Late Models
• SK Modifieds
• DARE Stocks
• Limited Late Models
• SK Lights

And like last week, there's supposed to be some fireworks above the sky as well as on the track. But I hope there's not going to be something that'll get in the way. You know -- that lovely stuff that caused those who were already at the track to mosey on out of there early? Yes, that stuff. I'll see you over the course of next week with highlights from this week's program and bonus coverage of the Whelen Modified Tour/NASCAR Busch Series races at Loudon. Until then, have a safe rest of the week.

Raindrops Keep Falling

...And for the time I was at the track, it was an on again, off again love affair with the wet stuff.

At about 6:15pm this evening, as the DARE Stocks were lined up in back for their qualfiying heats, the announcement was made for a cancellation. I never had a radar in front of me, but from what I've read, there was supposed to be more rain coming as the night progressed. So what happens now is that all tickets bought for the event tonight are good for next week's program. Those who did not come before the event was called will have to pay $14.00 and $5.00 for adults and kids respectively, but if the rain holds off next weekend, it'll be worth it. In regards to the schedule, I'll come back Wednesday with more.

Until next time, stay safe and dry.

Summer Blast-off Schedule

Hello, there! I told you in my previous entry that if I find out the tentative order of features for Friday's event, I would come here early and post it here in a separate entry. Well, that's what I'm doing at this very point in time. Today's business at the track included getting a more updated schedule up for the upcoming program. And the race order is as follows:

• SK Lights
• Late Models
• SK Modifieds
• DARE Stocks
• Limited Late Models

And of course, there are fireworks during the evening.

So because this was the only order of business I had to conduct after the posting of my original blog entry, I bid you a good rest of tonight and Thursday. And for those of you who are making your way to the Travelers Championship this weekend, have a fun time! It should be easier getting in and out with a new access road leading towards parking, and other than that, things look mildly okay.

Until Friday, take care.

Accidents Come in Mainly Twos (and Threes)

I admit, I've been slightly bored this past weekend. Sunday didn't do any justice (I had my mother in my bedroom, flipping back and forth between the NASCAR Nextel Cup race in Michigan and some Lifetime made for television movie or something like that). I think to make up for this emotion I'm having, maybe we should get this entry done and out of the way before I put it off until Thursday like I always do. That sounds like a good idea. I've got the highlights (and low points) of the June 15th "Allstate Night at the Races" program.

We started the night out with the DARE Stocks' 15-lap feature. This night looked to be shaky from the start, and on lap three, we get our first caution of the event when the cars of Duane Provost, Steve Berardi, and Dean Casagrande spin on the backstretch. They all drive away and it is a quick caution period. When the green flag comes out again, they're able to get in five more laps before the next incident occurs on lap-8: Melissa Blowers spins on the frontstretch. Again, a few laps are run under yellow. They try to restart the race, but it's a false start. Therefore, they must try again. The third time's a charm, and there's another three lap session before Albert Saunders spins while in turns one and two. A second false start later, and it's a four-lap race to the finish. Jeff Jolly and Norm Sears were engaged in a battle for the lead since the first restart of the race, and that lead went back and forth until around lap-12, when Jolly took the lead for good. The win was his second of the season. Sears, Casagrande, and Bill Dunn rounded out the top-4.

Then we brought out some of the open-wheel flavor with the SK Lights. All seemed nice and peachy until lap-10, when all chaos erupted. It took them four times to get the lap into the record books, with three accidents in the process. On the first time around, a six-car accident took place in the middle of turns one and two. Take two? Nope; didn't work out as well as most may have thought. As the green flag was still over the starter's stand, Mike Sweeney, Jr and Ray Griffen, Jr make contact and wind up in the grass over in turn one afterward. I honestly though that the third time would solidify this race, but the only thing it proved was that there was going to be another caution. This time, it was a multi-car incident in turn four. When the final caution of the race was cleaned up, driven off, and whatnot, Glenn Griswold obtained the lead and did not come across a challenge while picking up his first feature win of the season. Brit Andersen, Josh Sylvester, and Glen Reen finished out the board. (A side note here before I continue: The top five finishers in this race ended up in Tech for unknown reasons.)

The third race of the night had the warwagons and teams of the Late Models parade across the track for 30 laps of action. Six laps into the race, Doug Blowers, Jr spun in turn three, giving us the first caution of this feature. A half dozen laps later, on lap-12, there's caution number two: David St. Amant spins in turn four. And then four laps later, Tom Butler, JJ Hill, and possible other drivers are involved in a backstretch accident. The action on lap-16 would continue as Jonathan Smith's car meets the frontstretch wall and two wreckers afterward. Only three more laps were completed after the next restart, because on lap-21, Billy Snow, Jr spun in turn three, bringing out the sixth caution of the event. Again they went back to green, but on lap-24, the final caution of the event occured when Tony Lafo and Jim Mavlouganes wrecked on the backstretch. Meanwhile, Ryan Posocco took over the show and made it to the front with plenty of laps to spare. He would take down his first win of the season, followed by Jim Peterson, Woody Pitkat, and Corey Hutchings. Posocco's win in the feature tied him with Peterson for the all-time Late Model win record. (As a second side note: The top five cars were brought into Tech.)

After switching up warwagons and teams, the SK Modifieds were now the dominant division on the track. Luckily, they weren't trying to conduct a repeat of last week's one hour marathon session. I think because their first caution was a good 14-laps into the race, courtesy of John Cleary and Kerry Malone, who were involved in an incident in turns one and two, this race was going to be a pretty smooth one. Just try telling that to the drivers. Lap-24 was a pretty chaotic lap, starting when Malone seemed to stall in turn three. As the Mods attempted to try the lap again, Curt Brainard and Jeff Johnson wrecked in turn two. Thankfully, the third time was indeed successful. Yet it was only a lap before Ted Christopher spun in the first and second turns. It was a quick caution, and the green came back out. On lap-34, Eric Berndt spun in turn four, sending the cars under the yellow once again. After yet another quick caution, the green was released upon the field, three more laps were completed, and then... Bo Gunning wrecked in turn two, which set up another restart. Actually, there were two false starts in a row, bunching the field up for the final restart of the race. A battle between Woody Pitkat and Willie Hardie came down to the absolute final lap, where Pitkat bumping Hardie just enough to get by. This was Pitkat's second win of the season. Christopher, Hardie, and Jeff Malave finished in the top-four.

The final race of the night was focused on the Limited Late Models. The only major problems occured on lap-13. First off, Bill Davis spun on the original attempt of the lap. And on the restart, Lori-Jo Rzeszutek spun in turn one. At the front, it appeared as though it was Andrew Durand leading the parade. He crossed the line in first, but Tech had news for him: The left side of his car was too heavy, and he was disqualified from the finishing order. This gave Rick Lanagan his second win of the season. Rounding out the board were Joey Ferrigno, Kevin Gambacorta, and Corky Hinze.

Okay, so now that we've gotten that squared away, I'd like to tell you what's coming up next on the docket. It's a regular week, with all five of Stafford's weekly divisions running normal-length features. Let me also say that it's the Summer Blast-Off/CARQuest Dealer night. All general admission and reserved seating prices are lowered for this event. Anyone under the age of 14 will get into the track for no charge at all with a parent or guardian alongside. This is a great night, as there are fireworks at some point after dark. At this point in time, the schedule for the event says that "feature events begin" around 7:30pm with "fireworks after dark". If this is not changed before Friday, I will mention what the order is in the next entry. So until then, I would like to remind all of you to stay safe throughout the week, and congratulations to the class of 2007. May you have a bright and healthy future.

A Night to (Semi)-Remember

Okay, so again I've put this off until the absolute last day. (Though this time, with the amount of material I'm covering, it could have been worse. I could be writing this before the time I usually seclude myself and get ready for our next event.) But breathe easy, readers, as I uncover the mysteries, secrets, and scandals that was the June 8 event at the Stafford Motor Speedway... Which in turn included the first and only appearance for the Busch East Series, and that in turn gave fans their only opportunity to see some of the top developmental drivers racing for the major NASCAR Nextel Cup teams. Stars and cars all around, and not a second's worth of time to waste. So let's get to the action!

We started the night with thirty cars taking two laps of time each. Because sitting in the stands and trying to listen to all of the times was going to be quite difficult, I gave myself ample time and grabbed some pavement over by the time trial board towards the end of their session. There, I got a good look on how they do things: More organized than any other touring series I've seen in my life. (And I haven't seen too many.) Due to this prim and proper style of getting things done, I found that finding the fast time was going to be easy. And it was... Your fast time was 19.573 seconds (translating to 91.963 miles an hour), and it belonged to Sean Caisse. Regardless of where anyone qualified, there was no redraw. So where they qualified was where they would start in the feature later on in the night.

And now, we jump to our local part of the program. Since all weekly drivers in the top-18 in points were qualified into their respective features, there happened to be no last chance qualifiers. At about 7:30, we went from awards and the opening ceremonies to the SK Lights and their 15-lap feature. Their race started slow as on the opening lap, Aaron Goff spins in turn one. When officials wanted to try again, the cars of Harry Wheeler, Rich Hammann, Scott Nordman, and Ray Griffen, Jr were all involved in an accident that happened at the end of the frontstretch and into turn one. The third time was a charm, and they went a whole five laps before the caution flew again. This time, the wreck took place in the middle of the first and second turns. Involved in this melee were Brit Andersen, Chris Matthews, and Josh Sylvester. After that, it was smooth sailing to the finish. Matt Gallo held off a charge from Raymond Grassetti to score his first victory of the season. Grassetti came in second, followed by Kyler Cafro, Glenn Griswold, and Mark Bakaj.

For the second feature, it was time to bring out the warwagons. We were going racing with fenders, because the Late Models took to the track. Everything was fine from the drop of the original green flag to around lap-13, when Doug Blowers spun on the backstretch. After he drove off, we were back to good, clean racing for the most part. But this all changed on lap-24 when it looked like someone's engine expired on them. The Super Clean Safety Team was on the case, applying speedy dry onto the track, starting in the vicinity of turn two. Of course, this race just wouldn't be complete without one more caution, and on the final lap, we got it. Blowers spun again -- this time, on the final lap -- in turn four, sending the boys into a mode of green-white-checkered. At the front of the pack, it was an intense two-lap battle, with Scott Foster, Jr and Jim Mavlouganes battling for the win. But Foster held Mavlouganes off and scored his second win of the season. Ryan Posocco and Jim Peterson rounded out the top-4.

Our third race of the night belonged to the Limited Late Models. They couldn't get one lap in before the first caution of the event flew. It was for Joey Ferrigno and David Capriati, who got into an accident over in turn four. When they were able to get the race "underway", they only got three laps in. On lap-4, Charlie Newman spun in turn four, which brought out yet another yellow. The second chance to get that lap into the record books didn't fare so well, as Peter Martin and Rick Lanagan were involved in an accident on the backstretch. Up front, however, it was all Andrew Durand. It was like a celebration lap as he claimed his third win of the '07 season. Darrin Havanec, Sean Foster, and Kevin Gambacorta finished off the board.

You've seen all of the good, clean races that occured so far, right? Who would have thought that the race of the night, however, belonged to the next set of cars to run: The SK Modifieds. From what I've read, nearly every car in the field of 27 either dropped out of the race early due to some problem, or was a part of one of the thirteen cautions that they brought out. The action got started on the second lap of the event, as Richie Pallai, Jr spun in the second turn. Six laps later, we had caution number two when Scott Bennett spun in turn four. Three laps later, a black car (I believed it to be Bennett) spun again; this time on the backstretch. After he drove his car off, we had our longest green flag session of the entire race: A whole 16 laps were run under the green before Curt Brainard spun in turn four on lap-27. A false start proved to be the case the second time around, and the third time was not a charm this time as there was a multi-car accident in turn three. The Mods could only get two laps in during the next green flag period, as Keith Rocco, Ted Christopher, Eric Berndt, John Cleary, Scott Bennett, Rowan Pennink, and Curt Brainard were involved in an accident in turn four. (Thankfully, Ben Dodge provided us with a list of who was involved in that accident. I wouldn't be so lucky again.) When they tried to do the lap again, there was controversy afoot. Coming out of two, Willie Hardie appeared to be knocked from both the side and the back and nailed the backstretch wall, collecting Lloyd Agor and Wade Mattesen in the process. Fingers were being pointed at the two possible suspects who might have ended Hardie's night: Zach Sylvester, who was the leader at the time of the caution, and Frank Ruocco, who was behind Hardie. For both of them, they ended up on the safe end of the deal. No black flags were given during the duration of that caution period. All might have been safe for now, but only one lap was turned under green as Cleary and Pennink were involved in an incident on the backstretch. On the possible restart, there was another multi-car accident on the backstretch. It could have been worse, as nearly everyone who wasn't a part of the accident tried to steer clear of a spinning Frank Ruocco. There appeared to be no contact. After the cleanup commenced, we got three laps into the record books before Keith Rocco brought out another caution. This time, it was a cingle-car accident in turn three. Two more laps would be run under green before Todd Ownn and Agor would bring out the twelfth caution... An incident on the backstretch. More fingers were pointed at people after this was said and done, but it turned out that Owen had a problem with the car. Therefore, nobody was to blame for knocking out another two cars. But the restart? Well, that didn't bode so well for both Sylvester and Christopher. The pace car wasn't even safely off the track yet, and there was a multi-car caution on the frontstretch. I couldn't tell who or what caused this to occur, but it knocked a few contenders out of this event. It set up a six-lap dash to the finish, however, for those who were still able to get their cars around the track at a safe speed. Only two cars had a shot of winning the feature, from what I could tell... Ruocco and Berndt. Berndt tried his best to make a move, but it wasn't enough. After about one hour, thirteen minutes of dramatics, we finally had a winner in this collected pile of chaos. It would be Ruocco's second win of the season. Berndt would finish second, followed by Bo Gunning and Brad Hietala.

And now we shift our attention from something that took nearly forever to complete to something that took about three minutes out of my time. The last weekly division to go was the DARE Stocks. And after what had happened in the previous features, they ran yet another caution free event. Norm Sears would be your winner, taking his second win of the season. (For some reason, the track's site says that this win was his first. Last time I checked, he was declared the winner of the May 4th event. I do not have the information about the reasoning at my fingertips at this point in time.) The rest of the board had Vince Gambacorta second, Duane Provost third, and Matt Chiarizio fourth.

Now it leads us to the main point of the evening (though I've already mentioned which race was the race of the night). It was finally time for the TSI Harley Davidson 150. Unfortunately, I would leave the track a bit early. I don't think this race was up my alley, and perhaps it was because I wasn't willing to sit down to watch this. Though I can tell you that the winner of the event was Eddie MacDonald, who isn't running every race on the schedule this year due to sponsorship issues. Following him to the line were Mike Olsen, Matt Kobyluck, Marc Davis, and Bryon Chew.

Now that I've spent the time going over what was a wild night, I would like to tell all of you that we are racing tomorrow evening. We are going back to having qualifiying heats for the Stafford divisions because we have no major touring series here until July 10, which by my page is a Tuesday night. Sit back, relax, and have a nice, safe, rest of the day. I'll see you tomorrow night. Until next time, the gas pedal's on the right...

Since I've Been Gone... [6/1 Winners]

This is going to be quick, as I have no notes. Remember, I couldn't make it due to commitments that my brother had made two weeks before June 1st.

Here are the winners from the June 1 program:

• SK Modifieds: Woody Pitkat
• Late Models: Scott Cook
• SK Lights: Brit Andersen
• Limited Late Models: Sean Foster
• DARE Stocks: Carla Botticello

And before I forget, we have some Busch East cars arriving tomorrow at around 8:30am EST (yes, that early) for the 17th annual TSI Harley Davidson 150. In case I didn't do this before, I would like to present to you an entry list for your perusing pleasure. Luckily for the track divisions, there will be no qualifing heats. Features are supposed to start around 6:15pm EST, beginning with any last chance qualifiers. If we don't need LCQ's, we'll begin with the SK Lights.

Stay safe, and I'll give you all of the information regarding what happens in the next entry. Until next time... See ya...