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09/18/2011 |
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NASCAR WHELEN
MODIFIED TOUR
'66/99' PRESENTED BY TOWN FAIR TIRE
by
Polly Reid |
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 The
expectation was there, the guarantee was not. After
earning the Coors Light Pole Award, then dominating
two thirds of the race, Todd Szegedy found himself
fourth on a restart after pitting. On the final
restart with seven to go, Szegedy now in third,
headed to turn one, first getting by Justin
Bonsignore then side my side Mike Stefanik past the
start finish line heading into Big Bend emerging the
leader for the final time and never looked back to
score the win in the NASCAR Whelen Modified 66/99
presented by Town Fair Tire at Lime Rock Park in
Lakeville, CT.
Stefanik crossed for a solid second on the 1.5 mile,
eight turn road course with Bonsignore third, Richie
Pallai fourth and Ted Christopher fifth.
Ron Silk the point leader going into Lime Rock was
caught up in a caution on a restart and suffering
right front damage, was forced to make an
unscheduled pit stop. The TS Haulers crew was able
to get Silk back out but the Norwalk, CT driver who
threatened for the lead in the early going finished
his day 15th. Szegedy’s win combined with Silk’s
finish launched the Wisk Detergent/A&J Romano
Construction Ford into the points lead by 12 over
Silk.
“I never once thought we had this in the bag,”
stated Szegedy. “I know we had a superior car but I
had to start fourth then start third, I knew we had
to get a good restart and get past these guys
because I didn’t know how good the guys were behind
me. You never know what you’re going to do in that
kind of a situation because you’re not used to
sailing into a corner and have to downshift twice
and be in control while you’re braking because that
just doesn’t happen in ovals. Mike gave me plenty of
room, I had my downshifting down and then just drove
away. The car was awesome. We made it, it was pretty
amazing.”
Szegedy was challenged early on by Silk and Erick
Rudolph - the trio pulling away from the pack but as
the laps ticked on, Szegedy built a comfortable lead
until the competition yellow waved on lap 20. A
tangle mid-pack on the restart reined in the field
as the three cars involved were able to drive away.
By the half, lap 33, Szegedy in command led Rudolph,
Silk, Stefanik, Bonsignore and Pallai in sixth. Ted
Christopher who was running fourth, had spun coming
down hill just before the half, but recovered to get
back into the top ten shortly after the half way
point.
The game changer came when the a full course caution
flew on lap 41. With 25 to go, it was wholesale pit
stops. Ed Flemke and Doug Coby stayed out and led
the field while Stefanik coming in third gained
valuable positions coming out of the pits first
after a four tire change, Szegedy and Bonsignore
followed. On the restart, what started in Big Bend
concluded in the Left Hander, as at least eight cars
were involved in the yellow that flew including Silk
who pulled away with right front damage.
The restart repeated, Coby took over the front spot
on lap 52, but two circuits later, the day would end
for Coby after getting into the dirt heading to the
Downhill.
As Stefanik got by, Bonsignore had the front row
seat to the conclusion of Coby’s day. “He crossed in
front of me, it didn’t look like he hit all that
hard but coming back around, he hit a lot. I guess
he tried to bring it back out of the dirt too quick
he probably should have rode it down the hill as
much as he could - sometimes in road racing, I know
I haven’t done it much, but you have to ride the
dirt out until you can get the car back straight. He
just didn’t have the right angle like Mike said and
he didn’t have a prayer of saving it, I don’t think
the best could have.”
The red flag was brought out for the clean up and
when the green waved it was a seven lap dash that
did not disappoint the fans. Stefanik led to the
green with Bonsignore, Szegedy, Pallai and Flemke
the top five. Christopher recovered from his earlier
off track excursion and restarted 12th. Szegedy made
his move to become the new leader on lap 61 getting
by first Bonsignore then Stefanik, the Ridgefield,
CT driver finishing what he started a year ago- a
trip to victory lane at Lime Rock Park.
“I almost blew it today,” admitted Szegedy. “The
combination of the car wouldn’t turn, driving it in
hard, just as hard with the other set of tires and
it just didn’t stick, it did it twice - it got dicey
and at that point I said I really have to use my
head here, I got a good car, I got to take it easy
and just pass them when I can and that’s what I did.
Trust me, even when I was leading for once I never
thought I had this one in the bag- I know how it
works.”
Referring to the results one year ago when Szegedy
literally dominated the entire event only to be
bested by Dale Quarterly with new tires in the
closing circuits, Szegedy never counted out his
competitors.
“I knew Silk was going to be tough- he came out of
road racing go karts like I did so I knew that he
was going to be good and those guys know how to set
up a race car. I was also worried about Teddy of
course, Stefanik and Justin- Justin came out of go
karts too so I knew those were the guys I had to
beat. But today, I didn’t points race, I came here
to win- I came here to get the pole and win. I was
going to do everything I could to get this win.”
Stefanik in the Diversified Metals/R.B. Enterprises
machine simply could not hold off Szegedy as the
Coventry, RI driver put it, we’re all in ‘Todd’s
sandbox’. “He was just too strong on the front
stretch for us - we were decent through out. Our car
took a while to get going, it seemed like 8 or 10
laps the we would run our best lap - I think lap 14
was our best lap of the race today, I don’t know why
and talking to Justin he said his car was sliding
around, it just wouldn’t hook up, it’s not that it
was ill handling it just slid a lot. I had a lot of
fun today - I almost messed up down there and down
shifted too early in second and almost spun the
thing out that was the only real bad, bad error -I
probably made another 2000 errors I could
hide….somewhat. It’s just a game of mistakes here.”
Stefanik continued, “The guys did a great job on the
pit stop, I have to thank our team again for the
outstanding pit work that they do - it’s a little
tougher on the guys here because of the wheel spaces
we have to run to get our cars prepared for the road
course so it makes it a little more tricky but they
did an outstanding job.”
In the hunt all weekend from opening practice to the
checkers, Bonsignore from Holtsville, NY in the M3
Technology modified summed up his day. “After
pitting, we kind of got jammed up in the short chute
after Big Ben and I already have a broken thumb and
I jammed it again, I got into Mike a little bit and
re-injured that - once the adrenaline kicked back in
it didn’t hurt and we got the restart, got a couple
of free spots, Teddy drove off, Doug wrecked- Todd,
I don’t know where Todd was going into one he messed
up off of the last corner, we went down the front
stretch and he drove it probably three markers
deeper than I would of and I said I’m not going to
make I don’t know how he’s going to make the corner,
then we got to second and I’m feeling good ready to
go thought we had a good chance at Mike and the red
flag killed it. Just like Mike’s car we just took
too long to get going, we needed 10 to 12 laps
-right there at the end we were clicking off some
low 54’s - I thought we had a chance. All in all, it
was just a great day.”
“When I was younger, this was all I raced was road
courses,” said Bonsignore about his kart days.
“Never in anything I had to shift or anything with
this much horse power but driving these kind of
tracks, staying smooth you have to have a lot of
finesse - the more you can minimize the mistakes -
that’s all it is, just stay on the track. I mean
Teddy probably had one of the better cars but if you
don’t stay on the track it’s tough. That’s the name
of the game like Mike said you can hide a lot of
your mistakes but sometimes you mess up bad. It’s
all abut minimizing your mistakes as much as you can
and just staying on the course.”
Three wins for Szegedy this season, car owner Mike
Smeriglio has witnessed his team grow and gel as the
season continues. “I’m happy for the guys, Szegedy
earned this one the hard way. He kept his cool, he
had a better car, the team did an awesome pit stop -
you know we have a bunch of guys that are newbie’s
going over the wall - I couldn‘t be more proud of
them.”
The new points leader, Smeriglio did not hesitate to
explain their strategy, “It’s pretty simple, just
keep digging, run well, go for wins and the points
will come around. We’re disappointed the 6 car
couldn’t race us in the end today but there’s three
races to go, I know they’re going to be right there
with us all the way to the end.”
A road course it particularly stressful on a team,
squeezing in the extra preparation needed in the
midst of a diverse schedule that is also the busiest
part of the season- Lime Rock marking the fourth of
six consecutive events. Crew chief Phil Moran
reunited with Szegedy this year knew what was at
stake.
“Todd’s so good here as a road racer and after last
year, loosing the race, he got beat by strategy and
tires, we weren’t going to let that happen to us
this year. I wanted to give him a good car. I know
he had one last year so we worked out butt off to
get it that way this time.”
From his perspective, Moran continued. “When we did
the fuel stop, I talked to Todd about how the car
felt and he said the car was awesome. That was about
15 to 20 laps away from our pitting for tires. It
did enter my mind about not pitting but it would
have ticked him off so much if I didn’t pit because
that’s all we talked about in the shop all week, we
had to do it, we had no choice. I knew everybody
else was on the same page, in the same strategy zone
that we were in because they saw what it did for
Quarterly last year, we had to do it.”
But it didn’t make for an easy watch in the final
going. “The biggest thing that I did with the car
this week” explained Moran, “was to make sure
nothing broke on it because road courses are 80
percent driver and the rest is car preparation as
far as anything breaking, nothing falling off the
car so that’s what we had to do. Todd’s so good
here- he knows where to pass and how to pass, that’s
what did it for us.”
“The team that we have is incredible, the guys come
to the shop all the time, I’ve got a great group of
guys and I couldn’t ask for a better car owner. Mike
gives me everything that I need and then some-
including moral support which is a big thing at this
level of racing- you don’t see that much anymore.”
Informed he was the new points leader in the post
race interview, Szegedy was surprised. “That’s a big
deal but they’re hot on our heals- we have three to
go and I said two races to ago, we’re right there,
but we have four left, I can get into the points
lead in one race but I can loose it back in one race
too. We can’t change anything we’re doing, I just
have to continue to keep going. The way I look at it
is if we win the championship that’s a pretty
awesome thing especially coming from the back the
way we did, starting off real bad getting wrecked in
the first two races like we did. If we finish second
it’s still a great year because we put a new team
together, reunited with my crew chief, we did a lot,
built two race cars, we have a third one we’re
building, we have a group of dedicated guys - almost
all new guys on the team so it’s pretty amazing for
us to be running the way we are.”
Szegedy at 2,004 points, Silk with 1,992 and Rowan
Pennink still in it with 1,911- the season maybe
winding down but it is far from over. The NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour heads to New Hampshire Motor
Speedway for the third and final visit of the year
for the New Hampshire 100 on Saturday September
24th. |
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Source: Polly Reid / TheChromeHorn.com
Posted: September
18, 2011 |
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