Results of July 17

Another Friday night in the books. Stafford rolled out the usual five-division program, and it was good in so many ways. Quick features set the stage for what proved to be a quick night. What happened? Here comes the recap of July 17.

Opening up the program Friday night would be the Limited Late Models. They had themselves an interesting feature. We start at the beginning, where it was Jesse Hinze out front early. That lead was short lived in a hurry. On lap-2, Carla Botticello (who had a little bit of trouble during her qualfying heat) and Michael Wray spin in turn three -- CAUTION. No harm, no foul, they get going, and the race goes to back to green in a hurry. Hinze gets back out front, and another lap is barely ticked off the board when the car of Bill Davis blows up coming out of turn four -- CAUTION. Needless to say, the speedy dry was used all down the frontstretch. Things would be cleaned up, and they'd go back to green in interesting fashion. Hinze had a bit of an issue on the restart (one of his three bobbles in the race), which allowed Dave Yardley, III to take over the top spot. As for Hinze, he'd lose many positions, as Dan Flannery took over the second spot, Shawn Thibeault moved to third, and Norm Sears went to fourth. On the other hand, a driver that was moving up through the field was Andrew Durand. By lap-8, he found himself in third, and easily took second from Flannery not too long afterward. This would be the running order on lap-12, when Wray ended up spinning solo in turn four -- CAUTION. He was able to drive off and the caution period was minimal. This set up a restart that saw Durand get the better of Yardley. It would be an easy pass for the lead for Durand, giving him the lead and putting Yardley back into second. Flannery would still be in third, but it would be Sears in fourth. Back out in front, it was Durand with a good-sized lead. He was free from the threat of any challenges, and the race was caution-free the rest of the way. Durand ended up taking down his fourth win of the season. Yardley would finish second, with Flannery in third and Sears fourth. (In technical inspection, the car of Sears did not meet the minimum weight requirement by two pounds. Two pounds equals two spots lost, dropping him to sixth.)

It would be the open-wheeled portion of the show coming up, as the SK Lights took to the track. Describing this feature in one word, that word would have to be nuts. It starts out with Erica Santos in the lead, but only for the first lap. The second lap would see the second leader, with Earl Pelletier taking over. He'd bring Ted Cain along with him, and all of that punted Santos back to third. Those three cars would run in that order through the first ten laps, until lap-11, as an incident behind them sent Heather DesRochers and Tommy Membrino, Jr for a spin in turns three and four -- CAUTION. Jay Goff was put out of commission in this accident as well, but he didn't make contact until after the caution had already come out. On the lap-12 restart, things would start to become chaotic. Pelletier would lose control of the car and go straight through the infield grass. He managed to get back on track in the turn two vicinity, but he would come in contact with Cain and the two of them would go around in turn two -- CAUTION. They were thankful that it was only the two of them and nothing more than the two of them spinning out. Santos would be placed back out front as the leader, but she had Tony Santangelo on the outside, and the restart would have the two of them making a run for it... If only for a lap. Lap-13 would see Brit Andersen, Shawn Brule, Kyle Spencer, and Michael Gervais, Jr spin and get in an accident in turn three -- CAUTION. The restart still had Santos over Santangelo, and again, it would be the two of them taking charge. Deeper through the field, Pelletier was coming back from nearly getting heavily wrecked in a mid-race caution. He would be in the top-five by lap-16, when Brule and Lauren Cooper spun in turn four -- CAUTION. Santangelo would have the advantage on the restart, passing Santos on the outside to take over the lead. Santos would be passed by Pelletier and was now challenging Santangelo for the lead. On lap-18, the two made contact coming off of turn four; Pelletier got the better of the battle and reclaimed the lead. The last two laps belonged to Pelletier, and he would pick up his first victory of the year. Santangelo would finish second, with Santos and Andersen (coming back from an earlier incident) rounding out the top-four. (Technical inspection found that Santangelo's car did not meet the minimum frame height requirement. He was dropped to last place in the finishing order.)

Next was the always-entertaining SK Modified division. And they didn't disappoint. With so much going on at once, there was sure to be something mindblowing. But to start, it was pretty much all calm. Wade Mattesen and Joe Allegro, Jr occupied the front row; Mattesen grabbed the early lead from it. Allegro would fall in line in second. Zach Sylvester would find a way around Matt Gallo for third. But Mattesen still had the lead, and the laps ticked away. On lap-17, Willie Hardie, making a return appearance to the track, ended up spinning in the grass on the frontstretch -- CAUTION. A quick caution, at that, as he was able to drive away. A restart, and Mattesen was still out in front. Another lap was completed when Ted Christopher and Brad Hietala happened to spin in turns one and two -- CAUTION. A restart on lap-19 saw the first lead change take place, as it was Keith Rocco easily getting around Mattesen for the lead. With Rocco in front, the field was lucky they completed yet another lap. Christopher was involved in yet another incident; this time, with Allegro in turn two -- CAUTION. The next restart showed much of the same, with Rocco still in the lead. But now, he had a whole new cast of characters behind him, including Mark Bakaj (second) and Doug Coby (fourth) among them. It wasn't until lap-27 when things started to get a little chippy. Don't know how this one started, but it ended with numerous cars in all various directions in the entrance to turn one -- CAUTION. They got another lap done under green flag conditions (with Rocco still as the leader) when another multi-car incident occured in the turn four area (coming up onto the frontstretch) -- CAUTION. It would be the same thing all over again: Restart with Rocco as the leader, get one lap in, and then, another accident incident. This time, involving Kenny Horton and Dave Salzarulo in turn three -- CAUTION. Rocco would still be out in front, again, with another cast of drivers (now including Christopher, he of two cautions, in fifth). Rocco still took command on the restart, and this time, they completed more than just one lap before the caution came out again. Instead, there would be an incident on lap-34, when Nichole Morgillo and Hietala (of a previous incident) ended up in a two-car accident in turn four -- CAUTION. The restart would happen with six laps to go in the event. And as it was throughout most of the race, Rocco took the lead again. The battle for position was behind him, with Donny Travaglin getting around Jeff Malave (and taking Christopher with him). Malave and Christopher would find a way around Travaglin, which gave leader Rocco all the room in the world. He crossed the line at the finish, collecting his fourth win of the season. Christopher would wind up finishing second, as Malave finished third and Travaglin finished in fourth.

Things would start to settle down with the fourth feature of the night, which was the DARE Stock feature. Well, it would settle down towards the end of the event, but it started out with some action. Stephanie Berardi was in control of the race in the early stages, but it was the stuff that was going on behind her that told the story of the race. You had a three-wide fight for the second position, with Victoria Bergenty, Jeff Jolly, and Duane Provost all trying to take second from each other. The winner of that battle would be Jolly, who wasn't going to sit back on that second spot. He was coming for the lead. It took him until lap-4 to finally catch up to Berardi, and that was when the lead change took place. Jolly would become the second leader of the event. Also on the move was Bill Dunn, and he would make a move around Berardi for second, sending Berardi back to third. While Jolly had stretched his lead out, Dunn was on the move and trying to catch up to the leader. Dunn had closed the gap on Jolly over the course of time, but Dunn couldn't close it quick enough as Jolly took down the win. It was his first win of the season, and a caution-free race to boot. Dunn would have to settle for the runner-up spot. Berardi finished third, while Matt Chiarizio would pass both Bergenty and Provost during the feature to finish fourth.

The last feature of the night belonged to the Late Models. And after the caution-marred feature on the 10th, things went pretty smooth only a week after. It all started with Joe Rzeszutek taking the early lead. The top-five drivers switched positions fairly quickly within the first few laps, with Tom Butler taking second from Dave Wray, and Scott Cook moving around Mark St. Hilaire for fourth. They would run like that for a while. Meanwhile, a little deeper in the field, Ryan Posocco found himself in a little trouble. Something wasn't right with the car, and he started to go backwards through the field. His night wouldn't be over, but it was evident that he would not be winning as he lost a couple of laps in the later stages of the event. Back up front, the two frontrunners in Rzeszutek and Butler had begun to pull away from the rest of the field. Wray was still in third at this point in the race, and he too had given himself a bit of a cushion over Cook in fourth. But Butler, who was still in second, was cutting into Rzeszutek's lead. The distance between first and second was noticeably smaller as the laps ticked by, and by lap-18, not only was Butler able to substantially squash the lead, he passed Rzeszutek for the lead. There were no changes within the top-four over the course of the final twelve laps. It was a caution-free feature (the second one of the night), and it was Butler claiming his first win of the season. Rzeszutek would finish second, followed by Wray in third and Cook in fourth.

And that's how it all went down. And it went ended pretty quick. People were out of there at 9:30. The quickest Friday night of the season.

Friday night should be a very interesting night, weather permitting. On the schedule is the sixth annual SK Modified 150. It's the longest race on the schedule for the division this season, and if the last five installments told the story, the sixth installment will be just as exciting. I can't wait. Should be a nail biter.

Schedule for July 24 + DQ News

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

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

Aside from that, no other news to report on.

Weather Report

I think we're going to get this in tonight. There is a chance of rain tonight, but it's not a huge chance for the afternoon, and the nasty stuff should be in after midnight. So it should be a good night, right? I hope so.

Results of July 10

I'm trying out a new style this week. It could possibly be permanent.

Stafford with another five-division program on Friday? That's what happened. All of the track's divisions were in full force this weekend. While the last two weeks were quick and to the point, this one really wasn't. So many yellows to come out of this night. It wasn't even funny. Who wants to see what happened?

SK Lights were the first to go out for the evening, and, well, this one didn't start out too good. Seconds after the green flag -- CAUTION. Multiple cars ended up stopped along the frontstretch and in all sorts of distress. No less than five cars involved in this one. Cleanup commenced for the longest time. (Though maybe three to five minutes just seems long...) Anyway, cue up take two. Yes, it was better this time. Ted Cain got the better of that restart and ended up with the lead. All seemed well, yes, until a couple of the cars started dropping out of the race like flies. Mechanical problems and that kind of thing, I assume. John Hanafin was one of the ones who had to pull onto pit road (lap-8), and Brit Andersen was another. Not fun times there, I'm afraid. On lap-12, we had a lead change. John Montesanto made a move around Cain. And that was how they ran until Michael Gervais and Tommy Membrino, Jr got together in turns three and four; lap-16. Membrino seemed to have something break or go flat on the car going into turn one, and then -- CAUTION. Gervais was black-flagged and got sent to back of the field for overaggression or rough riding, one of those two. The race went back to green with Montesanto not exactly getting up to speed, giving the lead back to Cain. Montesanto dropped to fourth on the restart. Steve Greer found himself up against the turn two wall on lap-18, setting up, you guessed it -- CAUTION number three. This set up another restart, and this time, it was Cain who didn't get going. Jay Goff moved into the lead, and Montesanto pushed into second. By the time they came to the line for the last lap, they were side by side and a good finish was about to unfold. Maybe using the word "good" is an understatement here. The two drivers raced side by side for a good majority of the final lap, but as they came to turn four, that was Montesanto's cue to jump into the lead. It would be enough. Montesanto would pick up his first career win at Stafford. Goff would finish second, followed by Cain and Earl Pelletier.

DARE Stock feature happened next. Compared to the rest of the races, this one didn't appear to be too bad. But it had its share of mess. Starting at the top of things, there was Stephanie Berardi with an early lead and Melissa Blowers jumping into second. Kyle Casagrande was also running strong; by lap-8, he had found his way into the top-5. And he wasn't done, making a move for fourth not too long after. (More on him as the feature goes on.) Back to the front of the field: While Berardi was still out in front, Blowers was now trying to hold off third-place Barry Fluckiger. That didn't turn out to be such a good thing. Turn two, lap-12, the two make contact, sending Blowers around and collecting other cars in the process -- CAUTION. As for the restart? Wasn't pretty. The first half of the lap as the green came back out was fine, until Berardi and Fluckiger move up to the high lane while in turn three and Bill Dunn, who was now in third, proceeded to head for the low lane. Unfortunately, Casagrande was there to meet Dunn, and the two made contact, resulting in Casagrande spinning in turn four -- CAUTION. This set up yet another restart, where this time, Fluckiger managed to get the upper hand and Berardi began moving backwards through the field, falling back a number of spots. Fluckiger, meanwhile, drove the final three laps of the race scot-free, and managed to pick up his first win of the season. Dunn finished second, as the rest of the top-four included Cliff Saunders and Matt Chiarizio.

The night would get more chaotic with the Late Model feature. And when the term "chaotic" is used here, I mean it. It starts out nice and smooth, however. Adam Gray found himself with the lead early on in the race. It would only last for six laps, however. On the seventh lap, Tom Butler and another driver spun in turn four -- CAUTION. No harm, no foul, and a restart happens sooner rather than later. That's where the fun begins. For some reason, Rick Charette ended up taking a ride through the frontstretch grass. You think he'd keep the car under control, right? Mark St. Hilaire can tell you otherwise. Charette ends up coming up the banking of turn one, St. Hilaire gets collected -- CAUTION. They go back to green minutes later, with Gray still out in front. One completed lap later, and multiple cars end up spinning in turn one -- CAUTION. Another quickie yellow. No huge damage done to anybody involved in that one. Again, they'd go back to racing, and again, they'd get to complete a lap. But on lap-9, Gray and second place Brian Chapin made contact in turn four -- CAUTION. The right sides of numerous cars were torn up after that yellow came out. The right side of Scott Cook's car was torn up, but he managed to lead the field to the next restart. He was also black flagged because of the sheet metal flapping in the wind. He would have to come to pit road to get that fixed. Lap-11 would see three cars spinning in turn three -- CAUTION. One of the drivers involved in that caution was Jim Peterson, who had been involved in that accident back on lap-9 and needed to repair the right side of his car. He ended up having the outside door panel stuffed into the inside of the car; bungee cords holding the panel in place. Dave Wray and Tom Fearn would get possession of the front row. On the restart, however, Rayn Posocco, from the second row, would get down to the low groove of the track and make a pass for the lead. Again, there would only be a lap inbetween yellow flags, as on lap-12, Jim Mavlouganes spun in turn three -- CAUTION. A quick yellow, this time, and another restart with Posocco now in front. As Posocco controlled the front of the field, the driver moving up through it was Peterson, racecar just about intact. The race would run under green flag conditions until lap-21, when Victor Pomerleau spun in turn three -- CAUTION. Nine laps to go, Posocco on the front row. Once again, he took the lead. Fearn would run in second, and Peterson would continue to move through the field until he settled into third. But Peterson couldn't catch up to Fearn, and Fearn couldn't catch up to Posocco, and Posocco would make it three wins on the season. Fearn and Peterson would finish second and third respectively, with Woody Pitkat finishing in fourth.

Then it was time for the SK Modifieds. And another race with interesting events. The first couple of laps featured musical leaders, with Joe Allegro, Jr leading the first lap before being overtaken by Curt Brainard on the second lap. Also making a charge to the front in the early stages of the race was Frank Ruocco, who by lap-4 had put himself into fourth from where he originally started (tenth). And that's how they ran until lap-9, when Nicole Morgillo spun in turn one -- CAUTION. Quick one at that, she got going and the green was back out in no time at all. The second lead change came not too long after the green came back out. Woody Pitkat moved to the outside to pass Brainard for the lead. Ruocco followed Pitkat, along with Ted Christopher, Jeff Malave, and Keith Rocco. That was your running order at lap-15 as the pace was slowed again -- CAUTION. Kirk Zervas was the one who brought out the yellow, this time, for a spin in turn four. It was quick, and they moved on. It was going to be Pitkat and Christopher on the front row, and it was going to be a good restart. And it lived up potential. Pitkat powered back into the lead, but Christopher ended up winning the battle and took over as leader. The race would be slowed again for a couple of cars that had spun around the track -- CAUTION, setting up yet another fantastic restart that once again was a battle for the ages. They ran close to each other for a good chunk of the lap until Pitkat managed to fully pass Christopher before they had gotten to the line; a good move because of what came next -- CAUTION. This time, the yellow came out for Richie Pallai, Jr, who spun in turn four. The quick caution was out of the way, and they were back to green in an orderly fashion. Another great battle for the lead on the restart? It happened, and Christopher and Pitkat made that restart happen. For a good two laps, they were side by side, and finally, Christopher managed to pull ahead of Pitkat for the lead. Lap-21 saw Brainard and Kenny Horton spin in turns one and two -- CAUTION. Another good restart, and still, Christopher managed to keep the lead. Pitkat would have to settle for second, but he had Rocco behind him. By the time they hit turns three and four, Pitkat and Rocco had both spun, giving second to Ruocco. On lap-23, Todd Owen and Pallai would spin in turns one and two, and yet again -- CAUTION. This set up a restart in which Christopher had won, and would keep until lap-25 -- CAUTION. This would be for Brad Hietala spinning in turn two. That meant another restart. And that meant that Christopher would keep the lead. This green flag run would last three laps, because on lap-28 -- CAUTION. Zervas would spin again; this time, in turns three and four. At that point, Ruocco ducked down onto pit road. Something was definitely wrong with the car. The culprit? Distributor problems. His night would be over. That now put Doug Coby next to Christopher on the restart. Malave and Rocco made up the second row. On the restart, Christopher powered back into the lead. Rocco made his way into third behind Coby. And that would be how they finished. Christopher would take down his third win of the season. The rest of the top-four would be Coby, Rocco, and Malave.

The Limited Late Models, who had no qualifying races to begin with, ended the night. And to start, there was Keith Minchella out in front. But the green was replaced early with a yellow on lap-2 -- CAUTION. An accident involving Joe Nogiec and Shawn Thibeault put the field under an early yellow. Thibeault managed to continue; Nogiec was not able to do so. An attempt to restart on lap-2 looked good early... That was, of course, until chaos occured -- CAUTION. Well, that one didn't look pretty. It resulted with quite a few cars ending up in turn three, in all sorts of trouble. A few of them were done for the night. When they did go back to green, it was still Minchella with the lead, who was followed by Bill Davis, running in second, and Dennis Botticello in third. That would be how the running order at lap-9, when Michael Wray spun in turns three and four -- CAUTION. That one wasn't long, and they were back to green quickly... But not with a problem. The restart wasn't pretty, as some of the front-runners had a bit of an issue, but Norm Sears, running in fifth at the time, took advantage of misfortunes and moved his way into second. All was fine until lap-12 -- CAUTION. John Morgillo, Jr spun in turn two and brought the yellow back out. The restart occured with Minchella still out front. Sears had now dropped a couple of positions since the restart, and on lap-15, spun in turn three and collected Jesse Hinze -- CAUTION. Davis had now assumed second and had restarted next to Minchella. But things would not be so good for the frontrunners when on the restart, Davis and Minchella came together and left a mark on the backstretch -- CAUTION. That left both of them in turn three and out of contention. A black flag for rough riding was given out to Thibeault, sending him to the back of the field again. The front row now became the family feud, with Dennis Botticello as the leader, and daughter Carla in second. The restart showed Dennis getting an early advantage, but Carla found a way around her father and jumped into the lead. The remaining five laps went unscathed and Carla picked up her first victory of the season. Dad Dennis finished in second, followed by Kevin Gambacorta in third and Dan Flannery in fourth.

A long night was in the books. Total number of cautions on the night: 26. Ouch. Not really a pleasant night. After every race, you could have said that half of the field was left standing. I wouldn't disagree with you there. So, we'll try again this upcoming Friday night. Another five divisions. The usual disclaimer is in place -- weather permitting.

Schedule for July 17

While I'm in the middle of the weekly recap, you can feast your eyes on the schedule for this Friday night. Five divisions? You got 'em. Weather permitting? Most definitely.

Zero Chance of Rain

I love it. No rain in sight for tonight's program. I would have been happier with warmer temperatures, but this is New England; I mean, it can be hot one day and then chilly the next.

Definitely getting the full program in tonight.

A Few Stories

One's courtesy of the Hartford Courant racing blog, the other one has been advertised on the track's site for quite a while now.

+ First, there's going to be a familar face returning to the Late Models tomorrow night (and a few more times throughout the remainder of the season). Charles Lewandoski is scheduled to drive a car owned by Chris DuPont and Peter Thickett.

+ This weekend, Stafford will also host the 24 Hours of LeMons. No, not the LeMans, which is for all of those fancy cars. We're talking cars that will be destroyed before the weekend's over. That'll be Saturday and Sunday.

Results of July 3

After the rain came and drenched out the last program for June, the first weekend of July was next on the schedule. And Stafford planned on having a good night of racing. Five divisions, per usual, and fireworks after dusk.

DARE Stocks: Opening the program on the evening were the DARE Stocks. Started out with Victoria Bergenty leading from the pole. Over the first two laps of the race, Kyle Casagrande was able to catch Bergenty and take over as the leader on lap-3. The first caution came out three laps later for a multi-car accident, and then the caution came out again a lap later for a car that hit the frontstretch wall at a ton. But it was still Casagrande out in front. On the lap-7 restart, Casagrande was able to pull away from the field, and it seemed to be the end... That was, until, the caution came out again on lap-13, which set the stage for a two-lap finish. It was Casagrande who dominated the restart and cruised to his first win of the season. Barry Fluckiger was second, followed by Jeff Jolly and Cliff Saunders.

Late Models: Also known as the quickest event of the night. Adam Gray was the first leader of the race, starting on the pole and taking the lead on the drop of the green flag. He would have the lead for only eight laps, however, until Jim Peterson took over on lap-9. Lap after lap ticked by under green flag conditions, going past the halfway point, where Gray would begin to drop back through the field as numerous guys ran past him. Gray would fall to sixth. The race would still be under green until lap-27, when a spin in turn four brought out the caution and set up a race to the finish. And on the restart, it was Peterson out in front again. Ryan Posocco would move into second, but Peterson had collected a lead that would prove to be unbeatable. It would be Peterson's first win of the season, followed by Posocco, Dillon Moltz, and Tom Fearn.

Limited Late Models: First lap, and... Caution in turn three. What a way to kick things off in this event. But it did calm down in a hurry. On the restart, it was Shawn Thibeault taking the lead. Dan Flannery and Norm Sears fell in line behind him. The caution came out again on lap-4 for a car that spun in turns one and two. And again, it was Thibeault in the lead. Sears got around Flannery for second and Andrew Durand moved around Flannery for third. Sears closed the lead that Thibeault had earned himself with the long green flag run, but Thibeault was able to pull away from Sears and pick up his first career win at Stafford. Sears finished second, as Durand and Flannery finished off the board.

SK Modifieds: An exciting race this was. And I mean that in the most honest way I could possibly say it. It started off with Woody Pitkat leading. And after an early two car accident, Pitkat had taken the lead on the restart and began to stretch out a lead. Ted Christopher would find his way into second by the halfway point of the race, but the gap between he and Pitkat was about a half-straightaway. On lap-23, the caution came out for a car that had spun on the frontstretch, erasing the large lead of Pitkat. Though Pitkat reclaimed the lead on that restart, Christopher managed to get around him on lap-25. The caution came out two different times in a span of two laps as two different spins occured, and each time the yellow flew, Christopher was still in the lead. When the race went back to green, Christopher remained out in front as Pitkat tried to chase him down. But Pitkat couldn't get close to Christopher, and he scored his second win of the season. Pitkat would finish second, with Frank Ruocco and Todd Owen finishing third and fourth.

After the fireworks in the skies, the final division of the night rolled out.

SK Lights: Although it was Jay Goff out in front early, the one to watch would be Brit Andersen. Originally starting in 16th, he was up to sixth by the second lap and into second by lap-8. And while Goff was able to hold Andersen off for a few laps, Andersen was able to find the track space to pass Goff down low to take the lead on lap-12. A caution on the very next lap bunched the field together, where Andersen would have trouble getting up to speed on the restart. It would put Ted Cain in the lead, but only for a good four laps as Andersen quickly came back to life and managed to take the lead back. Once Andersen was back out in front, it was pretty much a no-contest. Andersen would stretch the lead out and would not be caught as he picked up his third win of the season. Goff would finish second, with David Webb in third and Shawn Brule in fourth.

And another quick night of racing ended on a high note. Friday night, it's more of the same. Five divisions of racing, all of which will take place if the rain holds off. Until next time...

Schedule for July 10

Another Friday night, and another regular program scheduled for Stafford. You can find the schedule over at the regular link -- here.

Remember, this is all weather permitting.

CARQuest Extreme Tuesday Results

I didn't show up last night (those kinds of events just aren't my style), but I'm here to give you the feature finishes and YouTube.

ISMA SUPERMODIFIED (50)
1) Chris Perley, Rowley, MA
2) Bentley Warren, Kennebunkport, ME
3) Russ Wood, Pelham, NH
4) Mark Sammut, London, Ontario
5) Mike Ordway, Jr., Fremont, NH
6) Eric Lewis, Solvay, NY
7) Otto Sitterly, St. Johnsville, NY
8) Craig Rayvals, Brockville, Ontario
9) Jamie Timmons, N. Andover, MA
10) Dave Trytek, Oswego, NY
11) Ben Seitz, Bourne, MA
12) Jeff Abold, Pennellville, NY
13) Jerry Dinnen, Danbury
14) Dave McKnight, Brampton, Ontario
15) Vern Romanoski, Strong, ME
16) Dave Duggan, Milford, NH
17) Dan Lane, Essex, MA
18) Jeff Locke, Raymond, NH
19) Dave Sanborn, Tilton, NH
20) Gene Lee Gibson, Sandusky, OH
21) Mike Lichty, Innerkip, Ontario
22) Mike Keeler, Danbury, CT
23) Rob Summers, Vernon
24) Robert Timmons, Jr.
25) Bobby Haynes, Jr., Riverton, CT
26) Lou Cicconi, Aston, PA
27) Eric Emhoff, Union
28) Larry Lenhert, New London, OH

NEMA MIDGET (30)
1) Nokie Fornoro, Stoundsburg, PA
2) Randy Cabral, Plymouth, MA
3) Adam Cantor, Dix Hills, NY
4) Greg Stoehr, Lakeville, MA
5) Jeff Horn, Ashland, MA
6) Russ Stoehr, Bridgewater, MA
7) Michael Barnes
8) Paul Scally, Raynham, MA
9) Chris Leonard, Pelham, NH
10) Erica Santos, Franklin, MA
11) Chris DeRitis, PA
12) Abby Martino, Norfolk, MA
13) Andy Schlatz, Enfield
14) Lee Bundy, Kennebunkport, ME
15) Paul Luggelle, Holbrook, MA
16) Mike Roselli

PRO-4 MODIFIED (25)
1) Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH
2) Brian Vincent, Coventry, RI
3) Matt Sagar, Seekonk, MA
4) Rob Richardi, Jr., N. Easton, MA
5) Phil Lausier, Hudson, NH
6) Frank Perry, Holbrook, MA
7) Robin Berghman, E. Providence, RI
8) Mark Giordano, West Haven
9) Tim D’Amico, West Haven
10) Stan Mertz, Whitinsville, MA
11) Bill Joerres, Somerset, MA
12) Cory Cleary, Plymouth, MA
13) George Sherman, Framingham, MA
14) Dave Richardi, N. Easton, MA

Schedule for July 7

Here's an impromptu-ish schedule posting for you: Enjoy the events that fall for tonight. July 7. Date of the CARQuest Extreme Tuesday.

In the event of rain, the event will be run tomorrow night.

On the Radio

From the newsletter that Stafford releases:

If it doesn't rain, there's going to be a radio interview conducted. Whoever wins this Friday's SK Modified race will be interviewed by Sirius and their program The Front Stretch (channel 128) Saturday morning. It'll be conducted at 9:40am. So if you have Sirius or you plan on getting it before Saturday morning, I encourage you to tune in.

Schedule for July 3

Let's try this again. Here's the schedule for July 3.

If the weather cooperates with us, there's fireworks.

Yeah, They're Off.

As you already saw, they didn't race tonight. Rain.

We'll try again on July 3 with another program. With fireworks. The usual disclaimer's in place. All of that happens -- weather permitting.

Weather Update

I have a feeling we'll be at the track tonight if they do decide to cancel racing. Storms are coming. It'll be better after midnight, but alas, it'll be too late. But as of now, they're still going.

Results of June 19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schedule for June 26 and More...

First up, let me give you the schedule for Friday night. It's NEAR Night at Stafford -- New England Antique Racers. Those cars will be up on the midway. Also, be aware that the SK Lights are not scheduled to have heats.

Second... Remember that NASCAR: New England starts Saturday on NESN. It all goes down at a new time. 5-6. I don't know what channel NESN is where you are, but please be encouraged to check it out.

Green Flag

Last update? 1:40. They say we're racing. I agree. Sun's out and everything.

Should be a good night to go racing. With the fireworks after dusk, it's going to be a good night. Remember, all kids 14 and under are getting in for no charge (with parental accompaniment).

Results of June 12

Last Friday night, June 12, Stafford finally got a break in the weather pattern and went racing for the first time in what seemed like forever. Granted, it was only three weeks, but for some people, it felt like forever. On the agenda? The SK Modifieds plus 100 laps? I'll take it. What happened? Read on.

DARE Stocks: The night began with the DARE Stock feature event. It also began with Bill Dunn with the lead. Kyle Casagrande was in second and was just about to take the lead when the caution came out with a lap-6 caution. On the restart, it would be Cliff Saunders passing both Dunn and Casagrande. Casagrande would spin on lap-12, and a third caution would come out a lap later, setting up a three lap mad dash. It would still be Saunders out in front. Dunn would be in second with Jeff Jolly behind him. But Saunders would just be too much and would take down his first career victory. Dunn and Jolly would finish second and third respectively, with Kyle Nosal fourth.

Late Models: Quick race; just one caution. Number of leaders? Three. It started with Walt Wosko, Jr out in front early, but Tom Butler was coming with company on his bumper, in the form of Scott Cook, Jim Peterson, and Ryan Posocco. The four drivers all passed Wosko easily. Posocco wasn't done passing people, and went around Peterson and Cook and sat in second behind Butler. The two drivers pulled away from the field, and on lap-17, Posocco made the move around Butler. He picked up a few car lengths and cruised to his second win of the season. Butler would finish second, with Peterson in third and Jim Mavlouganes in fourth.

SK Lights: We start with Fred Nees, Jr taking the lead in the early stages. A few early cautions kept the field bunched together, but eventually, it would be Tommy Membrino, Jr taking the lead. Michael Gervais, Jr and Brit Anderson would come right with him. A caution with 17 laps complete would set the stage for Andersen taking the lead away from Membrino on the restart. Membrino would not back down without a fight, and came close to making a pass around Andersen in the final three laps. But Andersen was just too much, and would pick up win number two on the season. Membrino finished second, followed by Gervais and John Montesanto.

SK Modifieds: It was finally time for the big race of the night. I just want to jump right into the good stuff. I could talk about the nine cautions (and one red flag), but I won't go through all of that... Even though that is sort of important. What was truly remarkable was the duel at the front between Keith Rocco and Ted Christopher beginning around lap-65. Now that's what I call entertaining. The two of them put on a great show for the better part of nineteen laps, with lots of passing the lead back and forth with mastery. It was like a hot potato -- the two swapped the lead eight different times until lap-85, when Rocco ended up passing Christopher one final time. Rocco pulled away from Christopher over the course of the final fifteen laps and picked up his second win of the season. Christopher would finish second, with Doug Coby and Jeff Malave finishing off the board.

Limited Late Models: The final race of the evening started with Dan Flannery in front. Six laps into the race, Kevin Gambacorta passed Flannery for the lead. Two cautions slowed the pace of the event down just a tad bit, but after the second caution on lap-13, it went from green to checker with Gambacorta still out in front. Andrew Durand managed to move up to second, but he couldn't catch Gambacorta for the win. It was his second straight win of the season. Durand finished second, with Jesse Hinze in third and Carla Botticello in fourth.

This Friday night, we have five divisions and fireworks bursting in the nighttime sky. All of which, of course, is weather permitting. Should be fun times.

Schedule for June 19

Might as well get this out of the way right now. Here's the schedule for June 19. Weather permitting. (Which doesn't look all too pleasing at the moment.)

They're... RACING. For Now.

Can you believe I haven't touched this blog in a week? I feel so bad not doing so. Apologies. At least I have an attempt to write something soon, may it be in the next few hours or the next few days.

The site was updated at 1:05 saying that racing was still on for tonight.

There's a chance there could be a shower or two between now and a few hours from now, but I have a feeling that we're going. Which is good, because I don't know what would have happened if this race was rained out for a second straight week. (Saturday, perhaps? Or something more convienient? Who knows.)

Holding off on really getting ready until around the top of the next hour or so. You know, just in case plans have to be rearranged and all that jazz. If we're not racing tonight, I'll make quick note of it.

June 12

Save the date. That's when the SK Modified 100 will be run.

Weather pending. Never know what's going to happen.

Event Postponed

Just got the word. Not racing tonight. It wasn't hard to see that it was going to be the case.

Since word just got out, I'll be back with news on when the SK 100 will now run.

It's 12:30pm.

There's a light rain in the area. Slow and not really going anywhere. And according to Stafford's site, they're still on.

I would assume this'll change in the next few hours. I'm still not optimistic about the weather. It's supposed to rain big time later on tonight.

If they do decide to postpone the event, I'll get on here and tell you.

SK Modified 100 News

The forecast for tomorrow doesn't look too pretty. Granted, they're not going to get the show in. I have a strong feeling about it, and I think I'll be doing other things. Yes, this blogger's feeling pretty pessimistic. Ah, well. There's plenty of things to do this weekend.

Even though there's a strong cloud of doubt over our heads, I still feel obligated to post a few stories about what is (was going to be?) Friday's SK Modified 100.

+ The rookie class in the SKs is a lively bunch this season. In the SK point standings, two of the rookies are in the top-five. You have Matt Gallo in third and Mark Bakaj in fourth. I have a feeling that the Rookie of the Year race will be a close one this season... All season long.

+ If they get the program in tomorrow, it will be Rob Summers's first event in the SKs this season.

Schedule for June 5

My, how time flies. June's here already, and soon enough, another Friday night. And what a Friday night it'll be -- weather pending.

(It looks nice now. I'll wait another day or two and check the radar again).

The SK Modifieds will get the first of their two big events this season as they have their 100-lap event. And if you wanted to know what the schedule was going to look like... All you have to do is click here.

View From Turn Four: '09 Bud Mod Nats

With the rainout on Friday (which I shouldn't even call a rainout), the plan for Saturday was to go to the Waterford Speedbowl for the second night of the Budweiser Modified Nationals. Now, keep in mind that qualifying for this event took place around the end of March. Yet the Sunday of the event was a rainout, and Waterford eventually rescheduled the event to May 30.

The trip was a plan with a purpose: I was there to track the progress of a group of drivers that I shall call the SMS Eight. Seven SK Modified drivers and one in the Street Stocks. Even if I had to stay there for the entire night, it was well worth it.

In pre-SMS attendees news, the action before the main event -- the SK Modified 150 -- was highly interesting. Pro-4 Modifieds had some guy blow his motor with about two laps to go and he actually finished the race... In third. I thought someone should have thrown the caution as soon as they saw the smoke, but two laps around Waterford in a Modified doesn't take long at all. And in the Late Model race, there was a red flag with 11 laps left in the race.

We finally get to the SK Modified 150. There were seven SMS reps in this event, including three track champions of the half-mile's SK class. The drivers who made the trip to the shore were, in order of finish:

• Doug Coby, finishing 2nd
• Keith Rocco, finishing 3rd
• Mark Bakaj, finishing 6th
• Frank Ruocco, finishing 10th
• Corey Hutchings, finishing 16th
• Ted Christopher, finishing 20th
• Kenny Horton, finishing 21st

Semi-related in regards to the results of the race -- Ron Yuhas, Jr became the first driver to win all three extra-distance races that the Speedbowl has over the course of the season.

Last up was the Street Stock feature. Kevin Gambacorta was the SMS rep in this race, finishing 16th.

All in all, a good night for racing. Five good features, and no rain in sight.

Was it the Right Choice?

As you may already know, Stafford pulled the plug on Friday's show early yesterday morning. The question is, was it a good idea?

By 11 in the morning, the rain was just about out of Connecticut. And by 5:30 or so, the sun was out. I hate to say that the idea was a bad one, but... I think it wasn't the best plan of action.

The Weather Channel's website had minimal chance of rain throughout the day. WeatherBug started out with a crappy forecast, but gradually had it clearing up.

Whatever the reason, the sun came out Friday and there wasn't a raindrop in sight.

I don't know. They could have raced this week. Ah, well. There's always next week.

Nope, Not Running Tonight

Here's the scoop for those of you uninformed of my potential weekend plans...

Stafford decided to not run tonight. I'll be doing something else to pass the time. But all is not lost.

I'm going to try to make it to Waterford for the SK 150 event that was supposed to be run back in April.

It should be pretty crazy next week, weather permitting. I'll tell you more over the course of the week.

Results of May 22

Another week in the books at Stafford. May 22 was a crazy kind of night of racing, since the Whelen Modified Tour guys were back in the spotlight of the half-mile. They were scheduled to run a 100-lap event since it was announced back in late April (and then again in early May). Along with them, there were the five weekly divisions, also in their usual-sized distances. Let the games begin.

The first order of business was time trials for the Whelen Modified Tour. And your winner, with a time of 18.085 (99.530 mph) was Ted Christopher. It was his third straight pole of the season. He'd redraw fourth for the feature later on in the evening. Jimmy Blewett and Richard Savary would bring the field to green. More on this race later in the recap. Up next, the weekly divisions would take center stage. Time for the first race of the night.

SK Lights: First to go on the program would be the SK Lights. It would start out with David Webb out in front, but six laps into the race, a new leader would emerge in Tommy Membrino, Jr. Membrino would start to pull away from the field, but a caution a little bit after halfway would erase the lead and set the field up for a restart. Michael Gervais, Jr would take the lead on the restart, but Membrino would reclaim the lead on the next lap. Again, he would take control of the race by pulling away from the rest of the field, and he would claim his first career victory. Second belonged to John Montesanto, followed by Gervais and Heather DesRochers.

SK Modifieds: We had to pace ourselves for some extra time to get this one into the record books. We start, however, at the beginning, with Curt Brainard as the leader early on. The first lead change would take place on lap-6 when Matt Gallo took over, and three laps later, Gallo would be passed by Frank Ruocco. Also coming would be Ted Christopher, who would spend lap after lap trying to find a way around Ruocco. On lap-28, Christopher would finally make the move for the lead. On lap-30, the caution would come out not once, but twice. The second time around, Ruocco and Chris Jones spun in turns one and two while dueling for second. Jones would be penalized for overaggression. Brainard would be awarded second as a result. Through the course of the final three laps, numerous cautions kept the field close together. Three green-white-checker scenarios occured, with the race going into overtime because of it. Each time, Christopher was able to hold off Brainard as he picked up his first win of the season. Brainard finished second, followed by Gallo and Wade Mattesen.

Limited Late Models: Norm Sears would be the first leader of the race, and he would be out in front for about four laps until Kevin Gambacorta took over. The two of them and Dave Yardley, III would run in line until a lap-13 caution came out, signaling a restart. Gambacorta would be back out front, with a quad of cars getting past Sears as he faded back in the pack. Meanwhile, Gambacorta was not challenged and led the final 16 laps of the race to take his first win of the season. Carla Botticello would finish second, Yardley took third, and Davis picked up fourth.

Late Models: So much to say for this one. Starting at the beginning, it was Billy Snow, Jr out in front early. He would lead up to a lap-7 restart, when he would be penalized for jumping the gun on that restart. He was sent to the back, while Tom Fearn took control of the lead. Fearn would have a bit of a problem on a not-too-distant restart, giving Ryan Posocco the lead. Michael Bennett was following Posocco closely, and in two laps, Bennett would make his way around for the lead. Posocco would retake the lead from Bennett on a lap-18 restart. On another restart on lap-20, Posocco didn't get up to speed. The inside line was hung out to dry as Bennett would once again pull out in front. Fearn followed Bennett and the two of them would begin to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, but it would be Bennett scoring the win; his first of the season. Fearn would finish second. Rick Charette and Doug Blowers, Jr would round out the board.

By this time, it was time for the main event to roll off.

Whelen Modified Tour: This race, much like the SK Modified feature, had to go into extra laps. But this race was a one-man show. Jimmy Blewett, from the inside of the front row after the redraw, had to endure six cautions and a green-white-checker to pick up his first win of the season. He led all 101 laps of the event. In the late stages of the race, Todd Szegedy attempted a pass but was unsuccessful. He was passed by Ted Christopher for second. Mike Stefanik finished fourth.

DARE Stocks: The evening concluded with the quickest race of the evening. And while it was quick to finish, it came with its own dramatics. It was caution-free, though there were times when the caution could have come out for someone spinning and just barely getting going before the field got to them. There was only one leader in the event; he being Tony Membrino, Jr. By taking the lead at the start from being on the pole to having a good straightaway's lead coming to the checkered flag, his first career race at Stafford was well-deserved. Albert Saunders would finish second, followed by Duane Provost in third and Jeff Jolly in fourth.

Friday night, weather permitting, we'll be back with a five-division program with no major events going on. Less action doesn't always mean less excitement. Hope the rain holds off, and see you there.

Schedule for May 29

Before I forget, I should just go right ahead and post the schedule for next Friday, which is May 29.

It's Saturday. I'm posting the schedule. Watch me forget I've already done it.

SK Mod News

Last weekend, I said that there was a chance Ted Christopher wasn't going to return to SK Modified racing at Stafford. He'll be at the track this Friday and will run double duty.

But apparently, someone will be missing from the division tomorrow.

Doug Coby will be the one taking some time off. No, he's not in trouble. He'll race in the Tour race. It's motor related. The motor in the SK at Stafford is the one that he uses in the SK at Waterford. Considering that the 150-lap event rain date is next Saturday (5/30), getting the car prepped for that doesn't sound like a bad idea.

Results of May 15

Another week, and another great night of racing. Stafford had the five weekly divisions in action per usual, with the DARE Stocks in two features. So what happened? Read on!

DARE Stocks (from 5/8): The first race of the night was the conclusion of the DARE Stock race from 5/8. It restarted with Robert Thompson taking the lead, but three cautions bunched the field back up. On each restart, it was Thompson right back out in front. He would pick up his first win of '09. The battle for second came down to Albert Saunders and Don Wood, with Saunders taking second over Wood, who finished third. Cliff Saunders came in to finish fourth.

SK Lights: Where to start with this one? There was the accident with one lap already completed involving four cars, including Brit Andersen, who had to be taken to the hospital (which red flagged the race). After the red flag period ended, the race resumed. Tony Santangelo had been making his way up towards the front of the pack, and by the halfway point, he was up to second. On lap-12, a caution came out and tightened the field back up. On the next lap, there was a multi-car accident, which would provide another restart. And that is when Santangelo took the lead. He brought Ted Cain along with him, and Cain attempted to make a move for the lead in the closing laps of the race. But Santangelo would be too much, and he would score his second win of the season. Cain would finish second, with John Montesanto in third and Michael Gervais, Jr in fourth.

Late Models: What really impressed me about this feature was the way the winner made the move for the lead. With five laps to go, a caution came out for a one-car spin. This set up a restart with Jim Peterson and Dillon Moltz. The two of them made contact, giving the momentum to third-place Ryan Posocco, who passed the two of them going into the first turn. It was the pass for not only the lead, taking down his first feature win of the season. Peterson and Moltz would finish second and third respectively, with Scott Cook finishing fourth.

Limited Late Models: The quickest feature of the night, but not with the ending some expect there to be. Only one caution and three leaders. Shawn Thibeault became the third leader of the event on the lap-9 restart, yet there was another driver charging up to the front. Dennis Botticello came through the field and made an attempt to challenge Thibeault for the win. But it would be Thibeault who would take down the win. Unfortunately, it came with a price. Upon further review in postrace technical inspection, Thibeault's car exceeded the torque limit for rear tires and he was dropped from first to fifth (which kind of doesn't make sense here). That gave Botticello the win, with Andrew Durand now in second, Carla Botticello in third, and Dave Yardley, III in fourth.

SK Modifieds: So much drama in this one, and I'm only talking about the stuff that takes place towards the end of the event. Makes enough sense that the last three laps would be more dramatic than the rest of the race combined. Inbetween all of the spins and accidents (and debris cautions), we cut to a restart -- the second of which -- with 37 laps on the board. And let the controversy begin. Ted Christopher, starting outside of race leader Keith Rocco, seemed to jump the restart. The caution comes right back out, and Christopher is penalized. Instead of going to the back of the field, he passes the pace car (one lap penalty). He parked the car for the rest of the race. All of that put Woody Pitkat on Rocco's outside. After two more cautions, Pitkat could not find a way around Rocco, and Rocco claimed his first win of the season. Pitkat would finish second, followed by Frank Ruocco and Jeff Malave.

DARE Stocks: The DARE Stocks were back out for their scheduled feature. And while the caution on the opening lap of the race was a quick one, the one with three laps to go brought the red flag out for the second time in the evening. The red flag was for Jim Brice, who hit the safer barrier in turn one at a ton. The roof was cut, and he was taken to the hospital. The last three laps were green flag, and all of the laps were led by Todd LaPorta, who picked up his first win. The rest of the top-four belonged to Jeff Jolly, Tom Stirk, and Robert Thompson.

The Whelen Modified Tour will be back in action Friday night as they make their second appearance of the season at Stafford. 100 laps of action is scheduled, along with features for the five SMS divisions. No qualifying except for time trials. Should be a good night for racing.

A Lot of WMT News

First, let's get you quick little details about the last race for the Tour (also held at Stafford; Spring Sizzler weekend). And now, stories that you may or may not have already read...

+ Ted Christopher has already won the first two races of the '09 season. Will Friday night make it a threepeat?

+ SMS is the home track of Ryan Preece. He won a pole last season in '08, and finished third in this year's Sizzler. Can he find the way to victory lane?

+ Richie Pallai, Jr hopes to make his WMT debut Friday.

NASCAR New England Returns to NESN

Starting June 27, NESN will air the fourth season of NASCAR New England. It will run for ten weeks, with the final episode airing August 29.

As was the case last year, the SK Modifieds and Late Models will be featured. SK Lights, Limited Late Models, and DARE Stocks will be highlighted in the program as well.

CT Classic 100 Schedule

No heat races; top-18 in divisional points pre-qualified.

That's what the schedule says. It's only Tuesday, so it'll be updated with a list of what the night should look like later on (tomorrow or Thursday, I'd expect).

And it should be warm -- and no rain in the forecast! Should be a great evening of racing.

The week's recap should be up tomorrow.

TC Says Adios to SMS SK Mods?

Well, this is interesting. After Friday night's SK Modified feature, it appears as though someone wants out.

After getting penalized for jumping a late restart, Ted Christopher pulled onto pit road and parked the car for the evening. So what's going on? He says he's done racing at the track on a weekly basis. Which, in my opinion, sucks. If I can say something like that.

The reason why Christopher's done weekly racing at SMS is because he says that Keith Rocco was hitting the breaks on the restart in question.

And for the record, I must not have been paying attention to the restart rules as well, because I hadn't heard of them changing anything about it in 2008. But apparently, that's the rule now. Really don't know where that one came from. Last I knew, they had a warning system and then you went to the back.

Results of May 8

This would have been done sooner, but I was just swamped with other things. Sorry about that; onto the recap!

After rain cancelled Stafford's May 1 program, sunny skies prevailed for the very next week -- which was a good thing, considering that on the schedule was the 15th annual Late Model 100. The other four divisions were also on hand (somewhat, which will be described as we go further along in the review here), so let's get right down to it.

Limited Late Models: What a way to kick off the program. All that has to be said, really, is the stuff about the ending. It came down to a three car race for the win. Andrew Durand versus Shawn Thibeault versus Bill Davis. Just by the sounds of things, something was going to go down. And it did. On the final lap, Thibeault tried to get around leader Durand via the inside, but found a lapped car blocking his path. Durand would win, but it would be Davis in second, nearly picking up the win. Thibeault was third, and Dennis Botticello finished fourth.

SK Lights: This week, it was proven fact that third place can be the recipient of good fortune. A mid-race altercation between then race leaders Brit Andersen and Tommy Membrino, Jr, who ended up going through the infield grass, opened the door for Tony Santangelo, then in third place, to take the lead. Santangelo's fortunes would pay off as he'd claim his first feature win of the season. Jay Goff would finish second, followed by Heather Desrochers and Erica Santos.

SK Modifieds: Probably the biggest race of the night that wasn't the Late Model 100, for two reasons: 1) when the lead change for the win took place, and 2) what happened in between that point in the race and the end of the race. When Jeff Malave took the lead from Keith Rocco on lap-10, things started to get a little chippy behind him to the tune of six cautions and one red flag. Over the course of the late yellows, Malave managed to keep Ted Christopher and Woody Pitkat at bay as the two of them fought against each other for second, but Dave Salzarulo managed to get by the two of them for the spot. All three had no answer for Malave, who would win his first SK Modified feature since 2004. Salzarulo, Pitkat, and Christopher rounded out the board.

Late Models: Only two cautions in this one. Not surprised; it's happened before. And only three leaders. Again, I'm not surprised. In the later stages of the race, the three-car train of Jim Peterson, Ryan Posocco, and Dillon Moltz had just about separated themselves from the field. Around lap-76, they hit lapped traffic, in which Posocco and Moltz had trouble and got hung up. But the second caution on lap-85 bunched the field back up. This time, however, it would be Moltz with the momentum. He passed Posocco, and then on lap-88, managed to get around Peterson for the lead. It would the change for the win, as Moltz picked up his second win of the season and third extra distance win of his career at Stafford. Peterson and Posocco would finish second and third respectively, while Corey Hutchings finished fourth.

DARE Stocks: By the time they ended up starting their feature, the rain arrived and slowly started to drop from the skies. They got two laps in with the DARE Stocks before the showers became heavier, and it was in Stafford's best interest to postpone the feature until a later date. As of the time this was written, I don't know when that later date will be.

Friday night, weather permitting, is another five-division night at Stafford. If the events of May 8 were any indication, the next program will be just as exciting.

Schedule for May 15

I'm going to try to get a recap of Friday's action up tomorrow, but for now, I can give you the schedule for Friday night's program. It'll be updated over the course of the week, guaranteed.

Late Model 100 News

A few pieces of news in regards to the next race:

+ Woody Pitkat has found a ride for the Late Model 100 tomorrow. He'll join Billy Snow in a team car.

+ Dillon Moltz, winner of both 100-lap races last season, hopes to return to victory lane in yet another extra-distance event.

Anyone Up for Shortened Distances?

In this space (hopefully soon) will be the entry list for the Whelen Modified Tour race in a little over two weeks on May 22. As previously mentioned, the race will be cut down to 100 laps.

I would have put the entry list up here with this entry, but SMS didn't exactly link to it.

EDIT: Went back on the site in the 4:00pm EST hour, and there is an entry list up.

Red Flag for Rain

See that? Stop the presses!

Okay, maybe keep the presses rolling. Just stop planning for any outdoor activities tonight. Stafford cancelled their program for Friday night and will try again next week.

That program -- weather permitting -- should be interesting. 100 laps for the Late Models? Anything short of interesting will be upsetting.

If you're looking for a schedule for that event, all you have to do is click here, and it'll be updated as the week progresses.

Until next Friday night, stay safe and dry (might be a snowball's chance in Hades with the hit or miss showers today), and hopefully, we'll get a program in next week.

Contingency for Spec Engine Users

From before the Spring Sizzler weekend, a bit of contingency news for you.

New England Racing Fuel will hop on the contingency bandwagon by awarding $25 (via fuel certificate) to any SK Modified and Late Model drivers who not only finish in the top three in their respective features, but who also use the spec engine.

Is this motivation for teams to start using said spec engine?

100 Lap WMT Race in May?

That's apparently what the plan will be. Because instead of a normal 150-lap event on May 22, the Whelen Modified Tour will be running a 100-lap event. There will also be a reduced prize money purse to go along with the lap cut.

What would you have taken -- a shortened race? Or three races at Stafford?

The decision was made to shorten the race and purse for the Tour's next event because of the obvious economy problems, and a want to try out a shorter race.

I'm not okay with the idea, because this may mean that the field will be smaller, but if it works, why not go ahead and plan the event in '10? Only time will tell. We still have a month before the Tour returns to Stafford. I'm not truly counting chickens until I have to.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disqualifications [4/25 + 4/26]

Ah, yes. Not a good list to be posting two days after the Spring Sizzler. But it has to be done. The official press release of disqualifications was released yesterday, and it involves a Limited Late Model and a SK Light. I won't spoil the details for you. The link has everything you want to know.

I'll be back later tonight with a recap of the weekend in one huge entry.

Even More Sizzler News

+ Ted Christopher has run 15 races so far in 2009, winning nine of the events. He's looking to win his tenth race of the season is grand fashion in a possible fifth career Spring Sizzler victory -- Whelen Modified Tour style.

+ Brush up on your Sizzler history with the notebook of the opening weekend.

Sizzler Grand Marshal Named

I would have done this earlier, but I've been swamped as of late. Hope you don't mind.

Anyway, Stafford has announced that they've named Steve Nichols as their grand marshal for the Spring Sizzler. Nichols is the VP of the CARQuest division of Gates Corporation.

Erica Santos Joins the SK Light Field

It will be double duty for Erica Santos this year. While she'll race in the NEMA Midgets, she'll also take on the SK Light field as she'll be racing in all but two races in the '09 season.

She'll drive Vern Porter's #21 machine; the same car that John Walmsley drove last year.

Because she won't be racing in the SK Lights twice throughout the course of the season, her goals for the aforementioned season are to be consistent and to not wreck the car.

Even though this is her first time in an SK Light at Stafford (previous three trips have been in the NEMA Midgets), she's got some knowledge of the track going for her.

SMS in the HoF

On April 3, 2009, Stafford Speedway was inducted into the Connecticut Business Hall of Fame. Along with four other inductees, they join the class of '08. There were over 80 nominations handed in over the last three months before the decision was made to induct the track.

Congratulations, SMS.

(Post) Good Friday Headlines

This is only a quick kind of update. When I said that news would either come in bundles or sporadically, I wasn't kidding.

+ Dillon Moltz hopes that he can bring the success of last year into this year.

+ GH Berlin Oil is renewing their sponsorship as a Late Model contingency partner. They'll offer $100 to the second place finisher in each Late Model race this season.

Foster Coming to SK Modifieds

Sean Foster found that ride he was looking for. It's in a SK Modified, but I don't think he minds that at all.

He's the second choice for the ride after an Earnhardt, but again, can't say he doesn't mind that.

For the 2009 season, Foster will be part of a three-car team, driving for Glen Johnson. He'll team up with Doug Coby and Zach Sylvester. The experience his teammates have works out -- Foster has yet to get behind the wheel of a Modified.

As for Earnhardt, well... Johnson said that he may make some starts around his schedule. Nohing is fully set in stone yet.

Sizzler Schedule

We're a little more than two weeks away from kicking off racing at Stafford this season. News these days is either fast paced or slow out of the gate.

Right now, it's a bit fast paced. There's been news, yes... And now, there's also a schedule. The schedule for the Spring Sizzler has been released for a few days now (how did I miss this?), and it's as tentative as you can get. Everything's (almost) all planned out to a T.

Fifth Championship in the Works?

The "five championship" club at Stafford is an exclusive club. In fact, it's so exclusive, there are only two members in it -- Bob Potter and Ted Christopher.

But 2009 could be a year of change (as if it wasn't supposed to be already). The club could induct a new member in Ryan Posocco.

Would anyone have anything to say that would prove otherwise? Things are looking up for Posocco this season. He'll have a part-time teammate in Christopher. But even so, it may not be easy for him to repeat and win championship number five.

It's the same car, the same engine, and the same team backing Posocco up this season. If all of that adds up, he'll be in some elite company.

A Weekend of WMT News

Welcome to April -- where we're literally counting down the days until the start of Stafford's season.

While news stories may continue to pour in, there's also word that the first entries for the Spring Sizzler have been filed. It's confirmed word and only nine entries, but it's a sign that we're indeed getting closer to this season kicking off. It's enough to get me hyped up.

Speaking of Whelen Modified Tour drivers, Richie Pallai, Jr is planning to make his WMT debut when the Tour comes to the track in May. He bought equipment from former Tour driver Mike Molleur and was planning on debuting last season, but the work on the SK pushed plans back a year. If all works well, his goal for the season is to run three of the four WMT races at Stafford, a race at Chemung and Thompson (latter up in the air), and the open show at Seekonk.

Matthews Moves Up to SKs

The 2009 SK Modified rookie class at Stafford just got a little bit bigger... And a bit more decorated.

Chris Matthews becomes the fifth former SK Light competitor to make the jump to the SKs this offseason, and the second past champion to move up (Joe Allegro, Jr being the other SK Light champion to graduate).

The car that Matthews will be driving will be a car that was previously run by Todd Owen.

The Welcoming of the LLM Spec Engine

From earlier this week (read as: Tuesday), there's news from the Limited Late Model division.

Andrew Durand's going to make the switch this season to the new spec engine package available for the Limiteds. He'll also be changing the body style to the new Mid-American NGB style with a New Era win.

Business Expo in May

Throughout the month of May, Stafford has decided to host their own business expo.

Sponsors of any Stafford competitor, track sponsor, and/or track advertising partner are allowed to come on down to the track during any Friday night in the month of May (excluding the 22nd for some reason) to promote their business.

Out of all of the sponsors that set up shop on the midway that evening, one business will get to ride in the pace car, start the race, and award the winner their trophy at the end.

There are some catches.

• Sponsors can only have up to three attendees set up and work the display.
• Displays must be up no later than 4:30pm.
• In the event of rain, the event will be held during the next week's event. Again, this is sans the May 22nd event.
• RSVP by April 29 by reading the link found at the top of the post.

More on Rocco's Meet With the Governor

In regards to a past entry I wrote this month...

Stafford has a piece up on their site about Keith Rocco going to the state capital to meet with Jodi Rell. The story, if you don't remember, has Rocco being honored for his achievements last season (SMS SK champion, Connecticut champion in the Whelen All-American Series, and fourth overall in the national standings) by the Governor.

I know, not much to discuss about this. Sorry about that. I promise I'll have more stuff coming. Lack of patience, I guess.

Sizzler Open Practice

You know the start of the racing season at Stafford's coming when there's an open practice for the Spring Sizzler coming up.

The open practice this year will take place on Appril 18 -- that's a Saturday. In the event of rain, the date will be the very next day; April 19.

Entrance for the practice is $25, and if you have a season pit pass, it's already covered. General admission stands will not be open.

The track opens at 10:00am, and practice runs from 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

Ticket Prices Increasing SOON

Read as "after Monday". So you really only have about two or three days to save money for season tickets.

Monday is also the last day you have an opportunity to follow Stafford's convienient Buy Now, Save Later plan (pay half of the ticket price by Monday and the other half on or before April 9).

16 Days and Counting...

Until the first event on Stafford's calendar occurs. I know. The days get longer, and so does the feeling of waiting.

At the end of the month -- March 29 -- the first of two spring swap meets will take place with the spring motorcycle swap meet.

Really, though, at least this means that the racing season's closer than it was when I first posted the countdown.

Just a Few More Tidbits

A few more stories from the short track presswire while we're all waiting for that stubborn cold weather to shuffle right on out of here...

+ There will be another two-car team in the SK Modifieds this season. Brett Gonyaw will be in one Bob Parker machine (#84), while Willie Hardie will be in the other (#48).

+ Keith Rocco's accomplishments this past season turned quite a few heads, including Governor Jodi Rell's. Today, Rocco earned a distinction from Rell. A statement from Rell can be found at the Hartford Courant's racing blog.

+ Sean Foster's looking for a ride. Sponsorship is not a problem. He's just looking for any team that needs a driver for the season. His race plans are open: Race anywhere and anything.

A Few More Headlines

Two pieces of news to help keep this month of March moving (because you know what they say -- in like a lion...)

+ In these tough economic times, Stafford is going to help lighten the load a slight bit when it comes to paying for the season ticket package. Before March 16, pay half of the price of whatever package you want to buy, and then before April 9, pay the other half. Once both halves are sent to Stafford, the pass will be processed and in the mail for you to use.

+ According to Stafford's site, the SK Modified 100 is the third "longest continuously running event" at the track, only behind the obvious Spring Sizzler and Fall Final. The 2009 edition of the SK 100 will be the 36th annual event, and since 2004, it has been sponsored by Coors Light. I say that because they'll be the sponsor of this year's race as well. Their partnership with SMS started in 2000 when they sponsored the inaugural SK Modified 150 and awarded $150 in contingency money. In 2004, the company moved affiliation to the SK 100, where it has been a staple ever since.

Yeah, I've Been Slipping...

But it's been a crazy last few days here. I've been incased in other things. I'm taking a break from NHL trade deadline silliness to post the following stories from the weekend and yesterday.

Let's start with the big news from yesterday. Jim Peterson's coming back. But instead of owning his own car like he's done in the past, he'll be teaming up with Joe Hamm to drive the #13 Late Model this season. The crew will be a mixture of Hamm's guys and Peterson's guys.

Meanwhile, in last month's news (that's always still important), the spec engine package for the Limited Late Models has been finalized. Base price is set at $3200, with upgrades at $1600. The final cost is $4800. And because I'm just in chaos mode and I don't do this kind of thing often, here are the upgrades for the spec engine, straight from Stafford's site.

Click on the image for a larger size.

I'll be back with more news when it unfolds. 53 days and counting until the Sizzler gets here...

Speedway EXPO Pictorial

Here are some of the pictures I took while I was at Speedway EXPO today. Yes, they're more Stafford-centric, with a looksee into the future.

Keith Rocco's SK Modified.

Ted Christopher's SK Modified.

Norm Sears's Limited Late Model.


Jay Goff's SK Light.

The #92 Late Model. Currently on Stafford's site, the driver is TBA.

The Late Model that Ted Christopher will be driving for a few races this season.

Okay, so this was from the Lime Rock Park display. But this was cool looking.

SMS Display Info for Speedway EXPO

With Speedway EXPO set for this weekend at the Big E fairgrounds (West Springfield), Stafford announced which cars were going to be on display for the three-day event.

A total of six cars will bet set up for show spectators.

SK Modifieds: Ted Christopher, Keith Rocco
Late Models: Dillon Moltz
SK Lights: Jay Goff
Limited Late Models: Bill Davis, Norm Sears

They'll also have all of the necessary schedules and forms available, and officials will be there to answer questions regarding rules for the '09 season.

Times for the show are as follows.

Friday: 5pm -- 9pm
Saturday: 10am -- 9pm
Sunday: 10am -- 5pm

Pit Parties, Belts, and Hoses

When April and the Spring Sizzler roll around, the Sunday afternoon pit party will be in good hands. CARQuest and Stafford announced Tuesday that CARQuest Belts and Hoses will continue to sponsor the pit parties at the beginning and end of the season.

CARQuest and Stafford first joined forces in 1985 when CARQuest signed on as a track sponsor. In the last 23 years, the company has sponsored numerous races and events throughout the seasons.

A Do-It-Yourself LLM Entrant

The era of "do-it-yourselfers" in NASCAR is like a dying breed. These days, you have engine builders and chassis builders suppling the parts needed to race teams. This season, one driver won't need the help of a builder. Keith Minchella will be competing in the Limited Late Models, though with friend Vincent Balboni, they'll have everything built themselves.

Advantage? Building everything yourself saves money. And they'll have more knowledge about what's going on with the car.

Minchella had been registered to race in the 2008 season, but work obligations and his daughter racing in the kart series on Mondays changed those plans.

He's also raced all over New England, including Riverside, Thompson, Waterford, and Monadnock. But this season will be his first at Stafford.

Hey, Look... A Lot of News!

Yes, kids. Instead of a bunch of posts this weekend, here's one huge weekend post to get you through the Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend.

+ Contingencies are being renewed everywhere. There's the Davidson Company (1st place in the SKs in memory of Dave Rowe), Valvoline (1st place in SKs), and Bosch (top-3 in SK Lights).

+ Spec engine rules for the Limited Late Models have been released. To go along with this, Stafford will be allowing a new body type for Limiteds to go along with the new engine package. They'll also be adding T/A Engines to help out.

+ Well wishes go out to Scott Foster, Jr, after a snowmobile accident earlier this month. Internal injuries and six hours of surgery over last weekend is the report. Get well soon.

RoTY Program + Reliable Welding and Speed = 8 Years' Sponsorship

In 2002, Reliable Welding and Speed (owned by SK Modified driver Brad Hietala and wife Linda) joined forces with Stafford and started sponsoring the track's Rookie of the Year program. $700 and $500 in prize money was awarded to Tucker Reynolds, Jr (SKs) and Mark Lewis (Late Models).

2009 will mark year number eight in the Rookie of the Year program, with the Hietalas and Reliable Welding and Speed yet again on board.

The names that have won Rookie of the Year at Stafford since the sponsorship came into play have been familiar yet famous, especially in the SK Modified division. Both Woody Pitkat (2004) and Keith Rocco (2005) are past winners; both of which have been in contention to win the national championship for the Whelen All-American Series. Rowan Pennink (2006) found his way onto the Whelen Modified Tour, finishing 8th overall in the standings last season.

Nearly $11,000 has been awarded to nineteen different drivers since 2002. Four new winners will be added to the list when the season comes to a close this year, with another $2,200 going to the winners of each rookie class.

20 Years Removed and Still Eager to Race

To say that one of the newest entrants into the SK Light division is rookie is stretching the truth a bit. While John Montesanto hasn't raced a modified before, he has, however, had experience racing at Stafford before. Even though Late Models aren't exactly modifieds, this former competitor is ready to jump into the waters known as open-wheeled racing after a hiatus of near 20 years.

The decision to return to racing at Stafford came last year. Montesanto and team visited the track frequently, scoping out the competition and to hopefully get a car in the process. They ended up getting a car through Gary Bienkowski, who owned the #38 for the past two seasons. (That car finished sixth in the standings back in '07, and three finishes on the podium before a crash put the car out of commission last year.)

Post-Groundhog Day News

Some form of sickness kicked my arse last week. Feeling a bit better this week (and month), I'm giving myself a clean bill of health. On that note, two pieces of news to sink your teeth into as we're subjected to six more weeks of winter -- shadow or not...

+ The Memorial Day weekend event with the Whelen Modified Tour will not be losing its sponsor this year. TSI Harley Davidson has renewed its sponsorship with Stafford. For three years between 2005 and 2007, they sponsored a Camping World East Series race; last year, they tagged their name to the May WMT race (which, if you can remember, was run after hours because of a little rain squall).

+ In Rookie of the Year news, the Late Model division gains another open wheeled graduate. From the SK Light fields of '07 and '08, Alan Provost is moving on up to the land of the fendered machines. He will be joining a bright cast of characters as a contestant for the Late Model Rookie of the Year crown in '09. This will be Provost's first season of racing something that does not have open wheels. His racing resume includes Mod Lights at Whip City and go-karts.

Not really a piece of news, but something of interest for racing show fans: Frank Maratta's Auto & Cycle Show is this weekend. If you're looking for a preview of what you might expect to see at some of the short tracks around here, head over to the CT Expo Center in Hartford. Don't know if I'm going to this one. It's still hockey season, and I'm juggling around a schedule this weekend that doesn't look all that busy this. Who knows? This blogger could show up.

Only 81 days and change until the Spring Sizzler rolls around, and I'm positive that there'll be more news rolling around in the future. Stay tuned.