We Got Some Stuff In...

Hey! I hope you guys (and girls) had a semi-good Friday evening, because we didn't get much done. More on that after the quickest recap session of the season so far. A consolation race and a feature were all that had been noted during what was supposed to be the night of the SK Modified 100. So with that under our belts, I'm going to give you those recaps now.

We started the night off with the Late Model 16 event, and it was Scott Cook who led things off with the lead at the start of the race. The lead would be his for three laps before the first caution came out for the trio of David St. Amant, Tom Butler, and JJ Hill, who were involved in an accident on the backstretch. All three of them would be done for that race, but they would be qualified for the feature. Meanwhile, Cook regained possession of the lead on the restart, but coming up behind him was Ryan Posocco. On lap-16, the two would touch and Cook would be sent for a spin in the grass on the frontstretch, and that would bring out the second caution of the event. Posocco would be black flagged for that, and that would give the lead to Don Acker, Jr. The final laps would run without interruption, meaning Acker would take down the win. He was followed by Patrick Townsend, Brian Chapin, and Mark St. Hilaire.

After that, it was time for the first (and only) feature of the night: That of the SK Lights. Your leader at the drop of the green was Heather DesRochers, but it wasn't long before she would give way to Tony Santangelo. (I forget what lap the lead change took place on. I was getting out of the paddock area right at the drop of the green and made the trek to my usual seat while the early green session was going on. I was paying attention to the race, I swear.) Anyway, Santangelo would be in the lead on lap-11 as a pair of spins brought out the yellow -- okay, at least one of them did. Steve Zukowski spun on the frontstretch while Tony Membrino, Jr spun in turn four. (They would both wind up going to the back of the field.) The green came back out with Santangelo still in the lead, but the lead would only last for three laps as Shawn Brule spun in turn two, sending the field into the second caution of the event. On the restart, it was Neil Provost, Jr getting the lead from Santangelo, yet this would be a three-lap excursion at the front as a third caution came out. This time, it was for a multi-car accident in turns three and four. The green came back out, and one lap later, Neil (first name basis here because of possible confusion factor) would get loose or something. This put Santangelo back out in front, but he wouldn't have the lead for long. As the very next lap came along, Chris Matthews passed Santangelo for the read. Santangelo would make one more move to try to get around Matthews, but it wasn't going to work. Matthews would win his third feature of the season, followed by Santangelo, Ted Cain, and George Nocera. (Now what's going on with the finishing order on the track's site? They have Santangelo finishing 17th...)

At this time, the Late Model crews came out onto the track and into the infield, getting all set up for their feature. But fog was starting to roll in and there was a mist in the air. Stafford decided to pull the plug on the night's activities. But the rest of the event (plus a bonus race) will be run next week. The SK 100 and the other three races that were still on the schedule at the time of the postponement will be run along with the Late Model race that was supposed to be run all the way back on May 23. Oh, and as far as I know, they don't need to qualify for anything, and it should be features only.

Regardless of what the schedule is supposed to look like (and I'll make sure to write something in regards to that and any possible clarifications in regards to the stuff I wrote this week), we'll try the big race all over again... Weather permitting. I know, it's hot now. But until then, stay safe, dry if it rains, and cool since it's going to be muggy and steamy.

And the Thunder Rolls. [Still Racing as of 9:25]

Did you hear them? I'm sure those near where I live could. That was the sound of thunder over my head. It was pretty loud, to tell you the truth. But it's gone, and according to my sources (Weather Channel, since it was the only station actually giving me a weather report at about 9:30 in the morning), it'll be isolated if they do come back. It's a shot in the dark with the thunderstorms, but hell... It should be a nice night. It won't be raining later tonight. Should be all good there.

Meanwhile, the track's site carries a last update time of 9:25, with "56 degrees under overcast skies". They say we're going racing; I'd like to see the report in a few minutes if they decide to update it. They'd have to dry the track somehow, because it's not going to be warm enough to dry the track using nothing but mother nature. When I get a better update from the site, I'll post it. If I don't wind up posting, take it as "we're still racing tonight" and "I'll see you later tonight".

On the other hand... If we're not, I'll post and tell you otherwise. But this is not otherwise.

[Cliff] Notes From 5/30

I've got so much to write about and not enough time to cover it all! We have to get moving here, or else I'm going to have to work on this during the morning hours on Friday, and I'm not going to want to do that. (I've only worked on it during the early morning hours (ie: midnight), so I know how it feels. Get it delayed past that, and it's a problem.) But anyway, let's discuss the preview for this week's entry: The Limited Late Models run two features, a disqualification spawns from the DARE Stock feature, and possible controversy in the SK Modifieds. Let's not waste any time with this. The green flag is flying over this week's blog.

For the record: It shall be a tad bit different from weeks previous. No, it's not because I don't feel like writing a blog entry this week. I've been in rough shape this week with a lot of things going on. This week's entry will still have everything you'd like to know -- plus a little bit more, in a way -- but in a more condensed format. You want it? Here we go.

Limited Late Model [5/23 make up]
Cautions: Five
Leaders: One
Lead Changes: None
Winner: Rob Dow

DARE Stocks
Cautions: Three
Leaders: Five
Lead Changes: Four
Winner: Dan Flannery

SK Lights
Cautions: Four
Leaders: Three
Lead Changes: Two
Winner: Mark Bakaj

Late Models
Cautions: Six
Leaders: Four
Lead Changes: Three
Winner: Ryan Posocco

SK Modifieds
Cautions: Five
Leaders: Four
Lead Changes: Three
Winner: Bo Gunning

Limited Late Models [5/30]
Cautions: Three
Leaders: Two
Lead Changes: One
Winner: Andrew Durand

Now, here are a few comments from my point of view.

First off, in the DARE Stocks: Though Norm Sears originally finished second in the feature, at some point in the race, he rough rode or overagressed on the track, and therefore, the second place finish was taken away.

Second, in the SK Modifieds (a possible early nomination for "Gripe of the Season"): Did my ears get the better of me, or did I hear that Chris Jones was in a caution with three other cars when the board read "14"? I thought I heard it. The people around me thought they heard it. It just didn't look like it happened if it did, because when the board read "15", guess who was in another accident? Yes, it was Jones. If he was in that accident... If I swear that I heard his name announced as a caution car in the caution previous, would you care to clarify why he got his spot back or at least why he started fifth on the restart before the backstretch wreck? I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but if he wasn't in that caution, please clarify that before the green drops. I stood there in utter amazement (or confusion, or you could add another emotion here) as the green came out because if he was a caution car in the yellow previous, he shouldn't have been up that far. If anybody wants to explain why the ending was what it was, shoot me an e-mail or catch me at the track tomorrow. I shall listen to you, but still, I find this crazy.

Speaking of tomorrow, we've got racing (weather permitting)! If you think that my possible nominee for "Gripe of the Week" was a gripe, you may not have heard it all until this next week passes. I find that 40 laps for the SK Modifieds is cool and all, but I'm getting excited for an extra distance race for them. Tomorrow night is the SK Modified 100. Last season, Woody Pitkat won this race (and the four immediately following it) after pitting with 21 laps to go for tires. Coming back through the field, he overpowered Ted Christopher on a night where he also won the Late Model race in top form. Will this night be any different? Will bad luck reign supreme over those who have suffered through it for long enough, or will it move on to possible and definite top runners? You and I shall find out in a little over a full day. The schedule is here; check it out and I will see you then. I hope.

The TSI 150 That Was Run After Midnight.

In the last "extended" episode of the View From Turn One, it had rained for three straight weeks. Would the track be forced to postpone/cancel a fourth straight program? Well, there was action at the track on Friday as the Whelen Modified Tour continued its tour and the five weekly divisions revived the season. Week two was in progress. Coming up in this entry... Two races on the program are shortened, and the program is in jeopardy because of a minor issue. We start, however, with qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour's TSI Harley Davidson 150. A grand total of 37 cars were on hand to take time, with only 31 of them actually going into the show later on in the night. Unlike the Spring Sizzler, when all of the cars in attendance were inserted into the lineup, some of these drivers were not going to return. Out of the drivers in attendance, the fastest qualifier happened to be Chuck Hossfeld, who got around the track in 18.132 seconds (equals out to 99.272 miles an hour). 30 other drivers would also be sent into the field through either their fastest time or a provisional, and the stage was officially set for the main event.

But of course, first thing's first.

Pardon my limited knowledge of the first "feature" to roll off for the evening: The Late Model 16. I thought that the article on the track's site would have something about the race, but I've read and reread it. Nothing. So here's what I know happened. There was one caution in the entire event, occuring on lap-5 as Kyle Nosal and Joe Rzeszutek spun/got into an accident coming out of turn four. Other than that, it was pretty much a clean race. Wayne Coury, Jr took down the win, followed by Mike Mordino, James Civali (yeah, you read that right), and Rick Charette. (Again, I'm sorry that I can't tell you more about that race.)

And then, we got into the feature event portion of the program. The fireworks kicked off with the SK Lights and their 20-lap event. Aaron Goff was the leader of the race from the drop of the green flag to lap-6 when he spun in turns three and four to bring out the first caution. That incident gave the lead to John Walmsley, who lead for two laps before giving way to Chris Matthews. Matthews would assume that position for two laps as the second caution of the race came out for Goff and another driver that I cannot remember at the moment. (I know it was a white car.) Back to green, and it was Matthews once again out in front. This lead was only good for three laps, because the cautions just kept right on coming. On lap-13, the chaos began as Ted Cain, Chris Bakaj, and Michael Lane spun in turn one. That was cleaned up (and driven off), and the race resumed... For three turns. The yellow came back out on the restart as a multi-car accident occured in turn three. Again, the caution was out and the field was bunched up. And for the third time on the same lap, the field recieved the green only to see the yellow come out once again. This time, it was for Lane, Joe Allegro, Jr, and a car that I couldn't get in a three-car accident. By this time, however, the field had passed its time limit of twenty minutes, so they got a yellow/checker combination. Matthews was still at the head of the group at the time the race was halted, so he picked up his second straight SK Light race of the season. Walmsley finished second, followed by Mark Bakaj and Harry Wheeler.

As the pit crews and drivers of the SK Modifieds came out onto the track, the safety team was busy trying to fix a piece of fence in the turn two area that was harmed during the SK Light feature. The fence work took some time, but it eventually was fixed and the 40-lap feature for the SKs was underway. It was originally Glenn Griswold on the pole for this feature, but Wade Mattesen made sure that the lead was his when the race started. He'd have the head for the first six laps and the first three cautions. On lap-2, Todd Owen spun in (what I think was) turn three to bring out the first caution of the event; lap-4 had him and Kenny Horton in another turn two incident, and on lap-6, it was a third straight turn three melee site as it was a multi-car accident. Numerous cars spent time on pit road for repairs. But back out on the track, Mattesen would lose the lead and second place to both Brad Hietala and Ted Christopher, and they'd have it for about a lap as Richie Pallai, Jr and Horton spun on the backstretch to bring out yet another caution. Both were able to drive away, and the race resumed with Hietala still in front. He'd only have the lead for a lap and three turns, however, as he and Christopher got together and spun in turn four to bring out the caution on lap-12. Woody Pitkat would be the new leader of the race, and the speed of the race would pick up dramatically from this point until less than ten laps to go. The next caution would fall on lap-32 as Vincent Anglace and Curt Brainard spun on the backstretch. Three laps later, the cars of Hietala, Billy Pauch, Jr, and a white car (I'm now telling myself I've got the wrong number, so now I'm confused) were in an accident coming out of four. On the restart, it was still Pitkat out front, but Christopher had fought his way from out of nowhere, and by lap-37, he had retaken the lead. On what was going to be the final lap, Horton spun in turn four to bring out the caution. You'd think that all of this was going to lead to a two-lap shootout for the win, right? Wrong. The rain had come, and the race had to end under a red/checker. Christopher had taken down the win; Pitkat was second, Jeff Malave third, and Bo Gunning fourth. (Sidenote: Malave had been accused of violating the tire rule that had been in place this season, but a press release out Tuesday denied that accusation.

It was an hour or so later, and the rain stopped. The DARE Stocks helped out in getting the track dry; so while they were already out there, why not race? The 15-lap feature was the next race on the agenda. The race started with Barry Fluckiger getting the advantage as leader, but a multi-car accident going into turn three on lap-2 set the field up to do it once again. Fluckiger would take the lead again, and the race would be caution free until lap-13 when Matt Chiarizio spun on the frontstretch and stalled in the infield grass. Another caution would come out on the the last lap when Jesse Hinze spun in turns three and four. With only a few laps to make a move, Norm Sears would pass Fluckiger and hold on to win his second DARE Stock race of the season. Don Wood and Jeff Jolly would also pass Fluckiger, and those would be the top-four drivers.

By this time, it was getting too close to midnight for my mother, as she had been sick for about a week, so I let her off of the hook by going home. I missed all of the Whelen Modified Tour race, but I can tell you that Chuck Hossfeld wound up winning that race. Other noteworthy news out of it: Jimmy Blewett, who originally finished fifth in the race, was disqualified in regards to his carburetor and dropped to a last-place finish.

So where does that leave us? Well, the Limited Late Models and Late Models practically showed up at the track for no reason at all, as it was about one o'clock in the morning by the time things died down at the track. So their races had to be moved to future dates. The Limited Late Models will be running two features in tomorrow's program, as the race originally scheduled for last week will be the first thing in the books. The rest of the schedule can be found here. It's late, and I'm done. So it'll be less than 24 hours when we do this all over again. Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Let the Sunshine In

It's half past noon here in "Small Town" Connecticut, and the sun's shining. I'm still not ready for the night, but I'm going to get ready in about an hour and a half. This has the makings for a great night of racing. We're actually going to have some racing this month. And it's the Modified Tour.

You have one busy weekend, followed by three weeks off, and now you have another busy night. It'll be worth the wait. I'll see you guys at the track, and a longer entry will be up before the 30th. I'm still not sure if I'm going to be there because of other commitments (and I really don't need to have these limited engagements), so stay tuned.

Schedule of Events

First off, let me start by saying that I am surprised that there is no rain date for this week's event. I'd think that just in case it does rain on Friday, the track would be prepared to move the date to Saturday. But I guess that's why I'm not part of the track's management.

Anyway, I've got the schedule of events for Friday night's TSI Harley Davidson 150 event for the Whelen Modified Tour. Note that there are going to be no heats for all divisions. Consolation races will be run if necessary.

Three days from now. Here's to hoping it's going to be a dry one.

Three Strikes

Eh, I kind of figured something wasn't going to go down tonight. Anyone got any good ideas for indoor plans? I'm not a huge NBA fan, and there's nothing on television...

Seriously, though, the event's not going on. Track cancelled the program (with an update time of 11:27am). I could take it like a man for a third straight week, or I can start thinking about how it's giving me withdrawls. I hate to sound like a little kid, but my God. You can only take a 20-year-old to so many places these days!

Okay, calm down. I know how upset I'm going to make myself now because I'm going to start putting myself down. Let's hope that next week won't be a washout. I told you yesterday that the Tour'll be here. (Is there someone who's now planning a Saturday night rain date just in case? It worked the last time.)

Stay safe and dry, and If I feel like writing up anything inbetween now and next Friday, I'll do so.

NASCAR Day?

Tomorrow (May 16) is supposed to be the fifth annual celebration entitled NASCAR Day. Per the official NASCAR Day site, the premise of the day is very simple: NASCAR Day is a one-day celebration of the NASCAR spirit and its fans.

To put it lightly, there won't be any sort of celebration if tomorrow's program is rained out. From what I've read and seen so far, it looks like it's going to be a morning of sitting around, waiting for some sort of news to pop up on the track's site.

If we're not rained out (big if there!), there is no word on what the schedule of events is. I'd find something on the site by now, but nothing has come up. (They trying to tell us something a while in advance here?) Either way, cancellation of the program or not, I'll be back to write something up before next week.

Hey... As long as that weekend doesn't get rained out, it might be all good. We've got plenty of reminders since it's a Whelen Modified Tour race and all...

LM 100 Postponed

I told you I couldn't guarantee a long entry this week. There's nothing but rain (but when I woke up this morning, there was a short lull in the action), which forced the fine folks in management to postpone the first of two Late Model 100 events to June 27. So that's two wins this season for Mother Nature. Okay, we'll just try again next week. I knew it wasn't going to happen today about two days ago, anyway. Stay safe and dry, and hopefully we can get an event completed next week.

A Guarantee

I can guarantee you that an entry will be written at some point this weekend. I can't guarantee that it will be a long entry, however. There is a strong chance that there will be a second straight washout, so if it comes down to it, I'll be writing an entry stating so. It'll be early on Friday, the entry will. Keep it here for that.

I can guarantee something else. I'll give you the entry list for the upcoming TSI Harley Davidson 150 happening on May 23. It's the second appearance of the season for the Whelen Modified Tour. The last update was done at some point today. Two weeks from now, it's going to be a long night.

Other than that, kids, stay safe and dry. I know you'll be looking for drier pastures. (Like the mall tomorrow? I'll be there, as long as I'm not outside getting soaked.)

Too Wet for Week Two

The program for tonight, based on the site, has been "cancelled". Stafford's next event will be the Late Model 100 next week -- weather permitting.

I guess this is it for the day, although I may dish out a few more entries throughout the course of the week. But for now, stay safe and dry. (And I'll have to make some new plans.)

Friday Weather Update

It's 10:49 here at VFT1 "headquarters", and as of 10:35am this morning, we have no idea if we're going racing or not. Currently, there's a little graphic on the front page of the site with the words "foggy and misty skies" along with how tonight's racing program is in question. So I have no clue what's going on. I'm holding off on my usual Friday plans until I get a definite answer. Lord knows I'm not the kind of person who spends all of this time to get ready and whatnot, only to find out plans have been put on hold or cancelled. But yeah. Just stay seated, and another update will come later today.

Day Two.

In the last entry, I talked about all of Saturday's news and finishes from the first half of the Spring Sizzler. In this installment, we shall look at what happened on Day Two. There wasn't much on the schedule, but a claim of a "threat of weather" made sure that everything was out of the way before 6pm. (There wasn't a threat of anything, mind you, because the sun came out in the middle of the Modified Tour race.) But because I've put this half of the blog until Thursday -- *slaps self upside the head* -- let's just get this done and out of the way before I put it off any longer. With that, let's begin.

And as tradition like the past God-knows-how-many years (I've lost track, honestly, so I'm not looking to pick fights over it), Sunday's action started with the SK Modifieds. The action in that race started with Eric Berndt out in front until a lap-4 incident with Corey Hutchings and Zach Sylvester spinning in turn one brought out the first yellow in the event. On the restart, Berndt lost the lead to Woody Pitkat, and he would have the lead for a solid one lap as Bo Gunning spun in turns three and four on lap-5... Which was the second caution. When the green came back out, it was Pitkat once again out in front, but once again, a caution would tighten the field back up. This time, the caution came out on lap-8 when Kenny Horton and Curt Brainard wrecked coming out of turn four. Pitkat resumed command of the field on the restart for only two laps as... You guessed it. The caution flew on lap-10 for dirt that had kicked up onto the track surface in turn four. That was all cleaned up and racing resumed with Pitkat right back out front. Five laps later, however, the caution flew after Brad Hietala, Willie Hardie, and Kurt Lenahan were involved in a three-car accident on the backstretch. Pitkat would hold onto the lead on the restart, but at the 18-lap mark, he seemed to fumble, which allowed Rob Summers to gain possession of first. Summers would be in the lead on lap-19 when the caution would fly again for a two-car accident on the backstretch involving Sylvester and Frank Ruocco. After the cleanup commenced, the green came back out and it would be Summers at the head of the field with Pitkat still behind him. The lead would belong to Summers until lap-24 when Wade Mattesen spun in turn two to bring out the final caution of the feature. Summers went back into full control on the restart, but even with Pitkat inching closer on every lap, it wouldn't faze him and he took down his first win of the season. Pitkat would finish second, followed by Chris Jones and Keith Rocco.

We take a break from the full recap (and I took a break from full-fledged notes) because the next race was the Whelen Modified Tour's 200-lap main event. Cliff Notes version of this, kids: Thirteen cautions equaling out to a whole 71 laps of caution laps. Seven lead changes between five different drivers. And after one hour, 47 minutes, and two seconds, Ted Christopher won career feature number 98 after he finished first in the race. The next three to finish were Eric Beers, Chuck Hossfeld, and Mike Stefanik.

I took the notes back out for the final feature of the weekend, which happened to be the Late Model feature. We start with the opening lap of the event here. Wayne Coury, Jr took the lead from the outside of the front row and held it for three laps as the caution came out for Scott Foster, Jr who spun in turn three. It was a quick caution, and the green came right back out to the tune of Coury still in the lead. The race would be green for quite a few laps, and the next yellow would not be seen until lap-12 when Doug Blowers, Corey Hutchings, and Michael Bennett got together in turns one and two. It would be green and then yellow on lap-13 for a two-car "spin" of sorts as Foster and Brian Chapin spun in turns three and four. On the restart, Coury would still be in command, but his tenure as the leader would be cut short on lap-18 as things got a little chaotic. The yellow would come out for a spin on the frontstretch, courtesy of Dillon Moltz. Then on the second attempt, Bennett would spin in turn three (and I think some damage was done there, but it couldn't have been much since he finished in 12th). In the (final) restart, Coury eventually lost the lead to Tom Butler, who would hold the lead until lap-22 when Woody Pitkat took over, bringing Mike Quintiliano along with him. Pitkat would prove to be too much, and he would come across the stripe to pick up his first (Late Model) win of the season. Quintiliano would finish second, Ryan Posocco would be third, followed by Butler in fourth.

So that's two race days and two blog days. So now that the Sizzler is officially behind us, we divert our attention to the first Friday night of the season. The place won't be as chaotic Friday as it was this past weekend, I can tell you that much. The schedule of events is here, weather permitting (there is a "threat of weather", but it doesn't look like it could be much unless it hits the pavement). With all of that being said, it's time for me to close this edition. The blog doesn't officially turn three years old until later this month, but it is the three month anniversary of this thing. (May 16, 2006 was the date of the first entry. Short, because of rain.) But until tomorrow, stay safe and dry and I hope to see you at the track.

2008 Spring Sizzler...

Day One. Yes, I'm deciding to play the "two entries in three days" card here as I do all of Saturday's stuff in one entry and then Sunday's stuff in another. At least I've got my priorities in one bunch here. But at least I know I'm not going to be sitting here for five hours, plugging away at a large entry. So we'll take it one step at a time.

And speaking of taking it a step at a time, let's start with the first step of Saturday afternoon: Time trials for the Whelen Modified Tour's 200-lapper on Sunday. A solid group of 35 cars lined up to present two laps each... Well, almost all of them, and some not so fortunate than others. There was the spin before Jimmy Blewett took the green flag for his two, and when he turned around, went to the start of the backstretch and tried to get as much momentum to (supposedly) take his two laps, NASCAR didn't like that and didn't accept either time. He was allowed to redo his trial, but he was only allowed to do one lap. That lap was the fourth fastest out of all drivers.

But the driver at the head of the board was 17-year-old Ryan Preece, with a time of 18.057 (or 99.684 miles an hour). That time earned him the Coors Light pole award for the Spring Sizzler. He was also the youngest driver in the history of the Modified Tour to set fast time.

Also to make note: All 35 cars were able to start in Sunday's event because track management was just so darn nice.

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Okay, so now that we got that out of the way, it was time for the Stafford weekly divisions to get their qualifying on. The order of qualifying was something like this: SK Lights, SK Modifieds, Limited Late Models, DARE Stocks, and Late Models. (I might have screwed it up somewhere down the line. Apologies.) But for the record, with the occasional close encounter of the caution kind, things went pretty smoothly.

And then we get to features. There were only three full-length features and one last chance qualifier that was actually considered a last chance qualifier (the Late Model 16 and no SK 21?), and the reasoning behind that was anyone's guess. So that allowed me to stay in the paddock area for a little while longer as the SKs were finishing up their 10-lap consolation event. After that ended, I paraded to the usual seat in the general grandstands to watch the features.

Saturday's opening feature happened to be the SK Lights. And what do you know? On the first lap, in turn one, there was a caution. It was for the cars of Michael Lane and Harry Wheeler. Lane's car needed the wrecker, so his afternoon was done before the first lap was officially counted. By this time of day, I felt extremely thirsty and needed a cool beverage. On my way to a booth, I caught myself in numerous places for the next three yellows. I wound up with different angles of CJ Lacativa's spin in the frontstretch grass on lap-2; Chris Bakaj spinning in turn two on lap-7 (and I believe it was a two-car incident but am not fully sure); and finally Wheeler's second incident on lap-10 as he spun once again in turn four. I finally got back to my usual seat to check out a wild finish, but not before a caution on lap-15 involving Neil Provost, Jr spinning in turns three and four. This is where the action heats up. Chris Matthews held onto the lead until the green came out and George Nocera powered past him (taking Mark Bakaj along with him). Unfortunately, this lead would only last a whole two laps as the caution came back out on lap-17 when Aaron Goff spun in turns three and four, setting up the field for the final laps. With two laps to go, Matthews retook the lead and that would practically be the end of it as he took down his first win of the season. Alan Provost would finish second, soon followed by Nocera and Raymond Grassetti.

Next up on the itinerary was some full-bodied action with the Limited Late Models. And I'm sorry for any early spoilerage, but this was a start-to-finish win in progress. Bill Davis gained early possession of the lead at the start of the race, and it seemed as though nothing could stop him -- including when the field was frozen on lap-11 after Darrin Havanec spun on the frontstretch to bring out the first caution of the event. Davis regained the lead on the restart, but only for four laps as the second yellow of the feature came out for a four-car accident in turns three and four (drivers involved: Jeff Hubbell, Lauren Cooper, Kevin Gambacorta, and Robert Dow). Again, Davis took the lead when the green came back out, and he would still have it on lap-17 when the caution once again revealed itself after Carla Botticello spun in turn four. Davis regained the lead, but it would start to get harder to keep as Sean Foster was breathing down his neck. The pressure would build up as a lap-19 caution would tighten the field back up one last time (the caution was for Botticello, Gambacorta, and Ed Charette, Jr who were involved in an accident/spin in turns one and two). Foster would challenge Davis for the lead by racing side-by-side with him, but it was too late. Davis would come to the finish first, picking up his first win of the season. After him was Foster, Joey Ferrigno, and Andrew Durand.

The cleanest "feature" of the afternoon happened to be the DARE Stock feature. Jeff Jolly was the first leader of the event and held onto the lead up until a lap-7 caution involving John Kasper, Todd LaPorta, and a third car that I might have misidentified in my notes. Either way, all three of them were involved in a spin/accident in turns three and four, and that obviously brought out the yellow. On the restart, it looked like Jolly had the advantage, but Norm Sears was coming up fast. At lap-8, he managed to get around Jolly, and it would ultimately be the pass for the win. Sears cruised to his first win of the season, followed by Jolly, Scott Roy, and Tom Stirk. After the race, the technical inspection experts revealed the car of Scott Roy to exceed the maximum compression ratio of 11:1, which meant that he was disqualified from the finishing order.

Saturday's final action on the race track occured when the Late Models had their 16-lap last chance qualifier. No cars were harmed in the making of this race (torn apart, I mean), and only one car lead laps. That car would be driven by Scott Foster, who would score one of the final spots in the feature on Sunday. The rest of the board looked as follows: Don Acker, Jr, Jim Mavlouganes, and Tom Fearn.

And that would be it for Saturday. Tomorrow, I finish up the action of the Sizzler by giving you reviews of the SK Modifieds and Late Models, along with a little thing about the Whelen Modified Tour race. Until tomorrow, you know what to do. Stay safe. (And dry.)

The Last of the...

Mohecans? No. Unless I was reading that book right now, of course.

I'm talking about the last of the season previews. As you may have already read up on, I kind of figured that the DARE Stocks were getting one of those preview things. And what do you know? I come to the track's site to see that it was done. The DARE Stock season preview is up, meaning we should be all set to roll off and take the proverbial green flag.

The countdown stands at 12 days (and lots of change) and counting. The wait is almost over.

Season Preview for the Limiteds; Other Pre-Sizzler News

Three previews down; two to go. This week, the Limited Late Models get their turn in the limelight as their season preview is released. Go check that out.

And in other news, the first of two swap meets will be held at the track this Sunday. The Sizzler is definitely not that far behind. Only two more weeks as of this upcoming Sunday. The waiting period is almost over. And so is the season of shorter entries.

I'll be back next week with the preview for the DARE Stocks as it gets down to crunch time.

SK Light Season Preview

I kind of figured that someone was getting a season preview in the near future. This week, it's the SK Lights who are in the limelight. When you have a free minute, check it out.

Only a little less than a month left before the Sizzler's here...

Sizzler '08 News

With a little less than 28 days to go until the Spring Sizzler, Stafford Speedway announced a few things in regards to the greatest race in the history of spring. First off, there's an open practice scheduled for the 19th of April. All divisions racing at Stafford this year are eligible to attend the practice except for the Whelen Modified Tour. (It's the week before the Sizzler, and the Tour doesn't allow drivers to practice at the upcoming track in the week leading up to the event.)

Secondly, the first two of many entries have been filed for the Whelen Modified Tour event as part of Sizzler weekend. You can expect to see this list updated multiple times in the next month. But yes... As of yesterday, two entries have been recieved.

So that's it for now. More news to come when I find it. Until then... *waves and exits*

Late Model Season Preview

I know, I know. This isn't "today" as I put it in the last entry. But I might as well come back to at least acknowledge the fact that I have tried not to slack off this offseason like I did last offseason.

Anyway, to the news. The title bascially says it all. About a week removed from the release of the SK Modified season preview, Stafford released the Late Model season preview today. Not a whole heck of a lot has to be said here. Straightforward and to the point (which is basically the same thing said twice).

I'm sure the track'll release previews for the other three divisions. Stay tuned for those if they do wind up coming out. If not, more news to come within the next 31 days. (One month removed from the Spring Sizzler. Can't wait.)

To Get You in the Mood...

I'm getting ready to head out the door, but before I go, I wanted to get you the link to the SK Modified season preview. If last season was any indication for what's coming up this season, I know I wouldn't want to miss anything.

Just think... Only 33 days and change before the Spring Sizzler gets here! (And only a week until the start of April. Where has the winter gone?)

More past news to come when I return home tonight.