|
07/12/13
|
July 12, 2013 |
Sixty years ago in
1953, Joe McNulty was the Wednesday night Sportsman winner at the
New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Charlie Eccleston was the non-Ford winner.
Freddy Luchesi was the Saturday night Sportsman winner at the shoreline
oval. Bud Matter was victorious in the non-Fords.
Fifty five years ago in 1958,
Ray Moran won the Wednesday night Modified feature at the New
London-Waterford Speedbowl. Ted Stack was the non-Ford winner. The Saturday
night Modified feature winner saw Moran again in victory lane. The event was
actually run on Aug 2 because of rain. Dick Beauregard was the non-Ford
winner.
Fifty years ago in 1963
Charlie Webster was the winner of the 25 lap Modified feature at the New
London-Waterford Speedbowl. Kenny Shoemaker was the Friday night winner on
the dirt at the Stafford Springs Speedway.
Forty five years ago in 1968,
modified action started on Thursday night at Catamount Stadium where Bugsy
Stevens took the win. Stevens carried his winning ways over to Stafford on
Friday night where he beat out Fred Harbach for the win. Smokey Boutwell,
Fred DeSarro and Frank Faria rounded out the top five. At the
Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Lou Lazzaro out dueled Phil Spiak for the win.
Jerry Cook finished third with Ken Canestrary and Pete Corey rounding out
the top five. Lazzaro made it two for two on the weekend as he also won at
Fonda on Saturday night over Cook and Dave Lape. Roland LaPierre Sr. was the
Saturday night winner at Norwood Arena, Lee Osborne was the winner at the
Fulton Raceway and Johnny Cambino took the win at Riverside Park. Maynard
Troyer scored his first of 66 wins at the Lancaster Speedway in western New
York.Bill Scrivener was the 30 lap Modified feature winner at the Waterford
Speedbowl. K.Davis was the Late Model Daredevil winner. Don MacTavish took
the double point win at Thompson on Sunday night and at Utica-Rome, Rene
Charland hit pay dirt as he took the win over Lou Lazzaro, Sonny Seamon,
Richie Evans and Ray Sitterly.
Forty years ago in 1973, Richie
Evans went two for two as he won at Malta on Friday night and at Utica-Rome
on Sunday. All racing on Saturday night with the exception of the Waterford
Speedbowl was washed out. Dick Watson made it two in a row at the shoreline
oval. Marshal White was the Grand American Late Model winner. Jerry Cook
finished second at Malta and was followed by Fred DeSarro, and Ronnie
Bouchard. At Utica, Sonny Seamon finished second and was followed by Cook
and DeSarro.
Thirty five years ago in 1978,
Geoff Bodine made it three for three in Yankee All Star action as he won a
Wednesday night 100 lapper at Thompson. Fred DeSarro, Leo Cleary and Joe
Howard followed. At New Egypt, Jerry Cook took the win over John Blewett JR
and Fred Harbach. Stafford ran twin 35's on Friday night and to no ones
surprise, Geoff Bodine won them both. Riverhead Raceway saw Greg Sacks win
out over Charlie Jarzombek. Saturday night at Seekonk, Ronnie Bouchard gave
Geoff Bodine a traffic lesson as he took the top spot and broke the winning
streak of the big red machine. At Westboro, it was Leo Cleary over Roland
LaPierre JR and at Waterford, Glynn Shafer and Joe Trudeau finished one-two.
Jim Tyler won at Islip and Richie Evans beat out Reggie Ruggiero at
Riverside. Ronnie Bouchard beat the master, Eddie Flemke, at Thompson on
Sunday and at Utica-Rome, Geoff Bodine settled for third behind Richie Evans
and Jerry Cook. Also on Sunday, Maynard Troyer won his 25th and 26th
features of the year at Perry Speedway.
Thirty years ago in 1983,
Thompson ran on Wednesday with Richie Evans taking the win over George
Summers and Corky Cookman. Friday night at Stafford saw Brett Bodine in
victory lane with Mike Hornat, second. At New Egypt it was John Blewett JR
and at Riverhead, Don Howe took the top spot. Spencer Speedway action saw
Richie Evans in the winners circle with Jan Leaty and Mike McLaughlin
rounding out the top three. Lightning Larry Lanphear got a well deserved win
at Waterford on Saturday and at Wall Stadium it was Tony Hirschman. Islip
ran a 200 lapper and it was Tiger Tom Baldwin across the line ahead of Fred
Harbach, Bob Park, Richie Evans and Jim Spencer. Eddie StAngelo won at
Seekonk and Stan Greger took the win at Riverside Park. In Winston Cup
action at Nashville, Ronnie Bouchard was the pole sitter but was sidelined
with motor trouble. Dale Earnhardt took the win over Darrel Waltrip and Tim
Richmond.
Twenty five years ago in 1988,
Jerry Pearl was the Friday night SK modified winner at Stafford. At
Monadnock, Reggie Ruggiero won his fifth. At Waterford on Saturday, Moose
Hewitt won, at Riverside it was Stan Greger, Riverhead belonged to Wayne
Anderson and Tioga belonged to Randy Hedger. On Sunday, it rained at
Thompson.
Twenty years ago in 1993, Ted
Christopher won the Winston 100 SK Modified event at the Stafford Speedway
on Friday night. He was followed by Tom Tagg and John Anderson. At Waterford
on Saturday, Bob Potter got his 91st career win at the shoreline oval and at
Riverside it was Stan Greger over Bobby Gee. Riverhead ran the Richie Evans
Memorial with Bob Park taking the win over Don Howe and Tom Baldwin. In
Winston Cup action at Pocono Dale Earnhardt was the winner.
Fifteen Years ago in 1998,
Stafford had the No-Bull 100 scheduled. On the start, the speedway set off
fireworks, which apparently spooked the drivers as half the field piled up
in the first turn. While the wreck was being cleaned up, the rains came and
washed out the event. The Featherlite Modified Tour Series was at Lee
Raceway. Ed Flemke JR took the lead from Doug French on lap 81 of the 150
lap event and never looked back as he went on to take the win. Mike
Ewanitsko finished second and was followed by Tim Connolly, Mike Stefanik
and Jamie Tomaino. At Waterford on Saturday, Ted Christopher took the lead
from Todd Ceravolo on lap 49 of the scheduled 100 lap event and went on to
score a convincing victory. Ceravolo finished second and was followed by
Mike Gada. Twin 35's were on tap at Riverside with Jim Broderick and Bob
Polverari taking the wins. George Brunnhoelzl JR ended a long dry spell with
a win at Riverhead. The IRL and Busch North Series were at Dover Downs. A
very light crowd of 25,000 made the place look empty. As an insult to the
Busch North competitors, Jim Spencer was brought in as a crowd draw.
Ten years ago in 2003, the
Featherlite NASCAR Modified Tour Series converged on the New Hampshire
International Speedway for the New England 100, which was run in conjunction
with NASCAR’s Winston Cup, Busch Racing Series and Busch North Series.
Forty-one Modifieds were on hand for the event, which carried a purse of
$148,275, up $9,450 from 2002. Tony Hirschman took the Busch Pole with a
speed of 127.654 mph. John Blewett III, just a tic off at 127.628 mph, was
the outside pole sitter. Nevin George was third fastest and Ted Christopher,
now using Ford power was fourth. Rounding out the top five was a big
surprise in the form of Tom Cloce. Todd Szegedy, Chuck Hossfeld, Charlie
Pasteryak, Tom Baldwin and Ricky Fuller rounded out the top ten. Only 1.06
mph separated the top ten. A year previous, modified car owner Bob Garbarino,
owner and operator of the Mystic River Marina in Mystic, Connecticut, was
ready to end his long tenure as a car owner. Garbarino, who had built and
owned Modifieds since the mid 1970’s had lost his driver, Tim Connelly and
his sponsor, Tidy Cats. Plus the fact he was fed up with NASCAR and the way
they were treating the division. A few days before the 2002 Thompson
Speedway Icebreaker Chuck Hossfeld came on the scene and since then
Garbarino had had renewed interest in the sport he loved and supported for
so long. Hossfeld was not well known outside of his native New York State
and after a short stint in a Craftsman Truck owned by Jack Roush, resigned
himself to the fact that he would spend the rest of his racing life at the
Lancaster Speedway and other western New York ovals. Thanks in part to the
Colton family; Hossfeld was hooked up with Garbarino. At Loudon, Hossfeld
started seventh and never led a lap until the last one. Hossfeld, with the
precision of a surgeon, executed a last lap pass by John Blewett III and
Todd Szegedy to win the top spot in the event. Originally a 100-lap event,
the distance was extended to 103 laps after Ricky Fuller became involved in
a crash on lap 96. Szegedy had to settle for second at the finish. Blewett
finished third with Jerry Marquis and Mike Stefanik rounding out the top
five. For his efforts, Hossfeld collected $14,000. The announced crowd of
21,000 got to see what had to be the best race of the weekend which saw 11
official lead changes. Had it not been for the last caution, there were only
two for 13 laps; Hossfeld would have had to settle for fifth or sixth. John
Blewett III and Mike Stefanik were contending for the lead at that point.
Because of a long green flag period from the start to lap 87 only eight of
the original 41 starters were on the lead lap at the finish.
Rain played havoc at the Stafford Speedway for the second week in a
row. In Wednesday night Thunder action at Thompson, threatening weather
didn’t deter the overflow crowd of 9,500 that came out to see Winston Cup
stars Tony Stewart and Jimmie Spencer. After a match race, which Stewart won
the defending Winston Cup champion entered the regular Sunoco-SK type
modified event, started in the rear and won that. Stewart took the lead from
Bo Gunning on lap 23 of the 30-lap feature and never looked back. Gunning
finished second and was followed by Bert Marvin, Matty Adanti, Ted
Christopher, Eric Berndt, Todd Ceravolo and Kerry Malone. Other Wednesday
night winners were GeGe Gravel in the Pro Stocks, Woody Pitkat in the Late
Models, Shane Michalski in the Mini-Stocks and Keith DeSantis in the Limited
Sportsman. At the Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday night, Winston Cup drivers
Jim Spencer, Steve Park, Dave Blaney and Sterling Marlin made a special
appearance to mingle with the fans, sign autographs and compete in an
exhibition race. Crowd estimates of 4500 to 5000 spectators made it the most
successful event in 2003 at the shoreline oval. Ron Yuhas Jr. ended a long
dry spell as he won the regularly scheduled 35 lap SK-Modified feature as he
beat out defending track champion Dennis Gada for the win. Jeff Pearl
finished third and was followed by Rob Janovic and Ed Reed Jr. Among those
on hand to greet the Winston Cup drivers was former track champion and now
retired Bob Potter. Other Saturday night winners at the shoreline oval were
Diego Monahan in the Late Models, Sean Curtis in the Sportsman and Richard
Brooks in the Mini Stocks. Winston Cup and Busch Racing Series qualifying at
Loudon was rained out. Martin Truex made a big impression when he won the
Busch North Series event. It led to him getting a ride in a DEI car. David
Green won the Busch Racing Series event and Jimmie Johnson conserved his
fuel and took the win in the New England 300 over Kevin Harvick and Matt
Kenseth.
Five years ago in 2008, The
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour moved to the Spencer Speedway in Williamson, N.Y
for its sixth race of the 2008 season. Matt Hirschman reached Victory Lane
for the first time in his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career after he led 79
laps and won the Mason Farms 100. Hirschman, who won the second of two
25-lap heat races earlier in the evening, led four times throughout the
100-lap main and was the car to beat all night. After Mike Stefanik had
moved through the field and took the lead on lap 89, the veteran was caught
up in an accident coming out of Turn 3 and Hirschman took back a lead that
he would never relinquish. Hirschman’s first victory came in his 45th career
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start. Ronnie Silk was the runner-up to
Hirschman in the race which marked his third top 10 finish in a row. Chuck
Hossfeld, who won the first heat race, came home third, and has yet to
finish outside the top five in six races this year. Jimmy Blewett followed
Hossfeld across the finish line while Stefanik wound up fifth. They were
followed in the top 10 by Glen Reen, Todd Szegedy, Wade Cole, Danny Sammons
and Bobby Grigas III. The finish was the best of Reen’s rookie season.
Hirschman received a paltry $3,700 for his efforts.
Earlier in the evening Williamson native Jan Leaty captured the
Coors Light Pole Award following group qualifying, but suffered a crash on
the first lap of the main and could not continue. From many reports it
appeared that it was the scene of a lot of follow the leader racing. Nine
caution periods kept the competition to a minimum. With six races in the
books.
The True Value Modifieds were at the Lee USA Speedway last Friday
night. Ed Dachenhausen took the win over Les Hinkley, Mike Holdredge, David
Pinkham and Joe Doucette. A sparse field of 20 Modifieds were on hand.
The Thompson Speedway’s Thursday Night Thunder program took a night
off as the speedway prepared for The Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy, which
featured the NASCAR Camping World East series, the Pro All Star (PASS) Pro
Stocks, and Thompson’s Late Models, Limited Sportsman and Mini Stock
divisions. Trevor Bayne of Knoxville, TN, had never seen Thompson Speedway
before Saturday night when he left he was a winner at the country’s oldest
paved racetrack. Conversely, veteran Rick Martin of Westport, MA, a
long-time campaigner at the Speedway took top honors in the visit by the Pro
All Star Series. In regular weekly competition it was Pete Yetman of Peru,
MA, scoring a commanding victory in the Late Models; Joe Arena of Bristol,
CT, earning a career first in the Limited Sportsman division; and Danny
Fields of Deep River, CT taking his second Mini Stock feature win of the
season. Following a review of race procedures PASS officials announced that
they had stripped Rick Martin of his victory in Saturday's event at
Thompson. Martin took the checkered flag as the winner of the event but PASS
officials announced Monday that second place finisher Ben Rowe of Turner,
Me. has been declared the winner and Martin was dropped to second place in
the running order. Officials made the decision to penalize Martin for
jumping the final restart of the event.
The Stafford Motor Speedway hosted the 5th annual CARQUEST Extreme
Tuesday program plus their regular Friday night program last week. Chris
Perley scored his third ISMA Supermodified feature victory at Stafford in
five years by winning the 50-lap feature, Bobby Santos, III was the winner
of the 30-lap NEMA Midget feature, and Norm Wrenn was the winner of the
25-lap Pro-4 Modified feature event.
On Friday night, it was Whelen Event Night at Stafford. Kenny
Horton was victorious in the 40-lap SK Modified feature event, Ryan Posocco
drove to his second consecutive Late Model feature victory, Chris Bakaj
scored his first career victory in the SK Light Modified feature, Sean
Foster returned to victory lane in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature,
and Don Wood scored the victory in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event.
In the 40-lap SK Modified feature event, it was Kenny Horton
outdueling Doug Coby, Keith Rocco, and Zach Sylvester in a fast and furious
finish. Chris Jones led the first lap before Horton moved to the front on
lap-2. Rocco and Coby got by Horton at the half-way point of the race, which
set off a series of lead changes and jockeying for position at the front of
the field. Coby and Rocco contested the lead with Horton getting by Rocco
for second place on lap-26. Rocco would move back by Horton for second and
he took the lead from Coby on lap-32. Rocco's pass for the lead allowed
Horton to follow Rocco past Coby for second place. Horton moved to the
inside of Rocco in turn 2 and contact from Coby shot him into Rocco's car
with Rocco going around. The race stayed under green as Horton took the lead
with Coby and Sylvester behind him. Horton was able to hold Coby off to the
checkered flag to record his first win of the 2008 season. Coby finished
second with Sylvester, Pitkat, and Bolles rounding out the top-5. Rocco,
after being knocked off the pace, finished 20th and lost his Stafford point
lead. Ted Christopher finished sixth and now has taken an unofficial
four-point lead in the track’s SK Modified standings.
At the Waterford Speedbowl Keith Rocco won the 35-lap SK Modified
feature. Other Feature winners were Vin Esposito (Late Model), Al Stone III
(Sportsman), Ken Cassidy Jr. (Mini Stock), and Jason Palmer (Legends).
Pole-sitter Wendell Dailey led the charge in the 35-lap SK Modified
feature before nearly spinning and allowing Ed Reed Jr. and Keith Rocco to
pass. Chaos ensued with twenty-three laps remaining when after a restart
second-place Reed violently slammed the turn-4 wall in a multi-car crash
that involved several other frontrunners including Doug Coby, Tyler
Chadwick, and Ron Yuhas Jr. No injuries resulted from the red-flag incident,
though the Reed mount was severely damaged. Rocco again assumed the lead
after battling with Jeff Paul, later fighting-back the charges of both
defending champion Rob Janovic Jr. and Jeff Pearl to score his third victory
of 2008.
Kyle Busch added another Nationwide Series victory winning the
Dollar General 300 at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Busch took
the lead on the 95th lap, held it until a pit stop on the 149th and then
regained it five laps later for the remainder of the 200-lap race on the
1.5-mile track. Busch, the Sprint Cup points leader with six victories, won
his fifth Nationwide race of the season. Denny Hamlin, who started 41st, was
second. Brad Keselowski was third. The events that take place normally on
Thursday evenings at Thompson, Friday at Stafford and Saturday at Waterford
fall under the umbrella of the NASCAR Whelen All American Series.
When Jimmie Johnson passed Kyle Busch for the lead with 16 laps remaining,
Busch went on the team's radio and declared, "Race over." But that's not how
it turned out in the Lifelock.com 400 in Joliet, Ill. Not this year. Johnson
was pulling away and sailing toward his second Sprint Cup win of the season
until a late-race caution for David Gilliland's blown engine set up a
two-lap race to the checkered flag. That opened the door for Busch, and the
23-year-old plowed through it after the restart for his seventh win.
Last year, 2012, The NASCAR
Whelen Modified Tour Series ended a three week break as they headed to the
New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Town Fair Tire 100 on Saturday, July
14. With 34 cars on hand Ron Silk won his second consecutive pole at New
Hampshire and sixth of his career during qualifying for the Town Fair Tire
100 on Friday. The Norwalk, Conn., driver outdistanced the field with a lap
of 29.492 seconds (129.147 mph) around the 1.058-mile oval. Ryan Preece
qualified second at 29.842 (127.632), followed by points leader Doug Coby at
29.880 (127.470). Eric Berndt and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Ryan
Newman completed the top five.
Seven-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Mike Stefanik, at 54 years
of age, edged Ron Silk by .003 of a second to win the Town Fair Tire 100 in
a photo finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Saturday. Stefanik and Silk
swapped the lead 17 times over the final 48 laps of the 100-lap event on the
1.058-mile oval. Stefanik took the lead for the final time on Lap 97 and
held on for his 72nd career victory. It was also Stefanik's eighth win at
New Hampshire, where he is the winningest driver.
Stefanik was quick to credit his crew chief Brad Lafontaine. In
just their sixth race together on the Tour, they've now won one of the
biggest races on the schedule. Stefanik, having seen Lafontaine win Modified
races with drivers ranging from champions Jeff Fuller to Ted Christopher,
isn't surprised. “I've always admired Brad Lafontaine's ability to give his
previous drivers fantastic cars,” Stefanik said. “I'm still a student of the
game. I study everybody's car, how much wheel in it they have. You just know
who's driving the good cars and who's struggling and it just seemed like
more often than not, he's given his drivers what they need to win the race.
Points leader Doug Coby closed late to finish third after pitting
four times in the first half of the race to adjust the car. Coby leads Silk,
261-244. Eric Beers finished fourth and Todd Szegedy fifth. Rowan Pennink
finished sixth, followed by Andy Seuss, Donny Lia, Zane Zeiner and Woody
Pitkat.
There were seven caution periods for 26 laps. The first caution lap
was displayed on lap 7 when Eric Berndt spun on his own in the turn four
area. Undamaged, he was able to rejoin the field. The second caution came on
lap 11 when Ron Yuhas spun in the turn two area and hit the outside wall.
Also involved was Jon McKennedy in the Hillbilly Racing entry. Yuhas exited
car unhurt but car was towed. McKennedy drove away. Keith Rocco's day went
sour on lap 25 when he hit the outside wall on the frontstretch bringing out
caution number three. Rocco rejoined the field on lap 32. The fourth caution
was for Ryan Blaney who hit the outside wall at the entrance to turn two on
lap 37. Caution number five was for Ryan Newman who hit the outside wall at
the entrance to turn two on lap 46. Newman drove away with a flat right
front tire. This caution was considered as the half way break. Ted
Christopher's day came to an end on lap 52 when he tangled with Patrick
Emerling for the sixth caution. Emerling drove away but Christopher was not
as fortunate as a wrecker was required to remove his car to the pit area.
Rich Pallai and Justin Bonsignore brought out the seventh and final caution
on lap 62 when they wrecked.
In some real sad news, Wild Bill Slater passed away this past
weekend at the age of 83. A member of the first-class inducted into the New
England Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1998, Slater drove his first race at
Lonsdale R.I. in 1949 and for the next twenty years he won at tracks from
Oxford Plains Maine to Trenton New Jersey.
He was a four time champion at the Norwood Arena and a two-time
Sportsmen champion at Thompson. He won on the dirt at Stafford and on the
pavement everywhere. He was often a top-three finisher in the NASCAR
National Sportsman championship run, even though he raced against full time
drivers while he held down a weekly job.
Slater’s long list of accomplishments included winning 8 straight
features at Norwood, and 7 straight wins at Stafford. In 1959 he posted
twenty wins at Waterford. He also took down two championships at Waterford
and one at Stafford. He won the 100 mile race at Trenton New Jersey four
times, and was a two time winner of the Utica-Rome 400 in New York. His
biggest career victory was in his win at the Langhorne Penn. Race of
Champions the first year it was paved. He drove in The Daytona Permatex 300
four times from 1963 to 66. He is most known for his long time association
with the Vitari-Bombacci owned V8. He drove his last race at Stafford in
1969 and then became involved in the promotional side of racing at Stafford
and later Thompson.
One of Slater's biggest accomplishments was the fact that it was he
who convinced the Arute Brothers, Jack and Chuck, to lease and ultimately
buy the Stafford Motor Speedway.
In Valenti Modified Racing Series action at the Canaan Fair
Speedway in Canaan, NH. Les Hinckley took the win over Chris Pasteryak,
Rowan Pennink, Jon McKennedy and Dwight Jarvis. Hinckley started third in a
21-car field, took the lead on lap 38, and went on to win the 112-lap
‘Ricky’s Race For Kids’ event at the New Hampshire oval before a large
crowd. The win was Hinckley’s second this season, his third at Canaan, and
his 17th career victory with the Valenti Modified Racing Series.
The race is an annual event organized by retired racing legend
Donnie Miller and his family in honor of Ricky Miller who passed away in
2004 from race related injuries. The event also benefits David’s House, a
home away from home for families with sick children.
Hinckley chased pole-sitter Jon McKennedy at the drop of the green
flag staying right behind the leader until he passed the Chelmsford, MA.,
driver. The only pressure Hinckley received came late in the race following
a lap 102 caution flag. Chris Pasteryak challenged the race leader but
Hinckley was never headed.
Thursday night Thunder at Thompson saw a special PASS North 75-lap
event that featured hometown hero Derek Ramstrom in victory lane. Ramstrom
previously won two track championships in the Super Late Models (Pro Stocks)
at Thompson. Ryan Preece held off Keith Rocco for the Sunoco Modified win
while Tommy O’Sullivan, John Lowinski-Loh, Scott Sundeen, Troy Talman and
Dave Trudeau were all victorious in other NASCAR Whelen All American Series
action.
Ramstrom inherited the lead following a lap 61-accident that took
out Larry Gelinas, who dominated just prior to that. Ryan Preece reclaimed
the lead on a late-race restart with two laps to go and held off a
determined Keith Rocco to earn his fifth Sunoco Modified feature victory
this season. Kerry Malone took the early lead with Preece jumping into the
second position. Keith Rocco challenged immediately and took over second
before going in front of Malone for the lead on lap three in turn two.
Preece, however, was waiting in the wings and catapulted his No. 31 machine
from third to first on the backstretch. When things worked out, it was
Preece followed by Rocco, Malone, and Ted Christopher. The top-four ran
single file for the next several laps with Christopher keeping his front
bumper attached to Malone’s rear bumper. On lap 16, Christopher dove low to
make a challenge on Malone, but couldn’t get by and settled back into
fourth. Up front, Preece was extending his lead over Rocco. The field got
strung out as the leaders began to deal with lapped traffic when a car spun
out of turn two and brought the caution out at lap 25. On the restart, Rocco
got in front of Preece, who was looking to the outside groove to get by.
Rocco closed the door on his challenge as Preece continued to look for a way
around. Preece went high on lap 27 as they came across the start/finish
line, but Rocco closed the door again. He went low on lap 28 and got
side-by-side with Rocco who slowed in the high groove of turn two allowing
Preece to drive right back out front. Rocco attached his No. 4 to the bumper
of Preece, but there was no stopping the No. 31 machine that drove straight
to the checkers.
Rocco settled for second with Christopher, third. Malone and Dennis
Perry rounded out the top five. A slim field of nine Sunoco Modifieds were
on hand.
At the Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday night the SK Modifeds®,
Late Models, SK Lights, and Limited Late Models each raced an extra 2 laps,
while the DARE Stock feature was one lap longer as part of the 5 Star Series
Mid-Season Stretch. Ted Christopher picked up his third win of the season in
the 42-lap SK Modified® event, Woody Pitkat picked up win number 2 in the
32-lap Late Model feature, Dylan Kopec got his fifth win in the 22-lap SK
Light feature, Dennis Botticello got his first win of the season in the
22-lap Ltd. Late Model feature, and Albert Saunders picked up his third win
of the year in the 16-lap DARE Stock feature.
It was the perfect ending of a long day for Ted Christopher as he
out distanced Keith Rocco for the win. Both Christopher and Rocco had been
at Loudon all day. Todd Owen finished third behind Christopher and Rocco,
with Frank Ruocco and Danny Cates rouding out the top-5.
In Saturday night action at the Waterford Speedbowl Keith Rocco made a high
speed trip from Loudon and scored a one-two punch at the shoreline oval.
Rocco scored two wins on the night in NASCAR action, taking victories in
both the SK Modified® and Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model features. Josh
Galvin won the night’s Street Stock race and Mark Panaroni picked up the
victory in the Mini Stock feature. The Bandolero race was won by Ken Morin
Jr. The spotlight was on the track’s INEX Legend Cars division as it
competed in a special 50-lap feature presented by Big Y World Class Markets.
Matt Pappa of Nassau, NY was the big winner.
Rocco reached the front in a hurry in the night’s 35-lap NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series feature. Rookie competitor Al Stone led the
opening lap before giving way to Joe Perry. Rocco made moves early to place
himself in the top-three runners by lap-4. Rocco first went by the inside of
Joe Gada then Perry two laps later to race into the lead. Jeff Rocco
finished second with Rob Janovic Jr., third. Kyle James and Tyler Chadwick
rounded out the top five. Bruce Thomas finished second in the Late Model
finish.
In NASCAR Southern Modified action at the Bowman Gray Stadium in
Winston-Salem NC Dean Ward got his third win of the season as he held off
Junior Miller for a 100 lap win. Tim Brown, seeking a record ninth Bowman
Gray title, finished third and took over the lead in the season standings
from Jason Myers, who struggled much of the night and finished 10th.
In NASCAR Modified action at the Riverhead Raceway on Long Island
Ted Christopher, who finished 29th at Loudon, flew to Long Island where he
finished second to Tom Rogers Jr in the tracks NASCAR Modified feature.
Brad Keselowski took advantage of lapped traffic to win Saturday’s
F.W. Webb 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Kevin Harvick led Keselowski by nearly a full second when he ran up behind
lapped traffic with 21 laps remaining. Keselowski guided his No. 22 Penske
Racing Dodge around Harvick’s Chevrolet and went on to beat Harvick to the
checkered flag by .717 seconds for his second victory of the season.
A pit miscue by Denny Hamlin allowed Kasey Kahne to grab his second
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season Sunday during the Lenox
Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
That’s about it for this week from 11 Gardner Drive, Westerly, and
R.I.02891. Ring my chimes at 401-596-5467. E-mail:
smithpe_97_97@yahoo.com.
Phil Smith has been a
columnist for Speedway Scene and various
other publications for over 3 decades.
This week are several "Wild Bill" Slater photos who passed away a year ago
on July 15th.
Courtesy of
SpeedwayLineReport.com & Dave Dyke's
RacingThroughTime.com
Click on Photo for Full Sized
Looking Back Archive
|
|
Source: Phil
Smith / Looking Back A Bit
Posted: July
12, 2013 |
|
|
