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RYAN PREECE
CARVES OUT THE MR. ROOTER "161" WIN
TS
Haulers/East West Marine Race Team Captures First 2015 NWMT
Victory at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl
by
Denise DuPont |
 Ryan
Preece in the TS Haulers/East West Marine modified
held off a determined field including 2014 NWMT
champion Doug Coby and Ted Christopher for a
green-white-checker finale to score his first win of
the season in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Mr.
Rooter “161” at New London-Waterford Speedbowl.
Preece of Berlin, CT, started the Mr. Rooter “161”
sixth behind 2015 Icebreaker winner Doug Coby. The
thirty-three car field quickly settled into a green
flag run with only one quick yellow on lap 15 for a
spin in turn two (Wade Cole and Chase Dowling). Then
on lap 33 when Woody Pitkat spun with a flat tire
after making a move on Derek Ranstrom for position.
The field was under yellow then turned red for two
additional incident cars that spun to avoid Pitkat –
Chase Dowling and Anthony Nocella. Nocella was
wedged in the turn three wall and it took time to
dislodge the car to continue racing. NASCAR
Officials held the field under red for a lengthy
cleanup of fluid on the track. Several cars pitted
when we went back to yellow including Pitkat. Racing
resumed on lap 42 followed with another caution on
lap 43. From this point on, there were several
cautions that occurred until we established a new
track record of twelve cautions in 73 laps.
 Preece
took the lead on lap 47 and went forward to dominate
the rest of the race, including leading the most
important lap, the last one, Preece earned his first
win with the Ed Partridge team on the NWMT tour. “I
think that we are having some fun here,” Said Preece
from victory lane. “To be honest, I have not raced
Waterford very much and it really suits me because I
like running on the outside and this place seems
like that becomes the preferred groove. When Doug
got me on that one restart I just said “Screw them I
am just going to take the bottom and I am going to
make him go where I want to go”. Ever since lap 120
it was like a green-white-checker race of 2012 or
2013 over and over for every single restart. To be
able to do that, that many times is nerve racking
but to finally get that one first win out of the way
for the year. Hopefully I carry the momentum to
Stafford and Thompson and have some good races. It
really sets you up for hopefully a good summer and
hopefully I will win a lot of races.”
Pole sitter Donny Lia remained in third until he was
a victim of an incident on lap 96 after driver of
#37 modified, Dave Salzarulo, spun in turn four
infield grass and pulled out in front of the lead
pack. Cars backed up to avoid Salzarulo and Lia
along with Timmy Solomito had nowhere to go. Both
cars were crunched in the accident and pitted. Lia
came back several laps later to finish the race 21
laps down in twenty-first.
A scarier incident occurred when rookie Troy Talman
pulled the #3 ‘Ole Blue’ modified out of the paddock
onto the track entrance during a lap 154 restart.
Leaders were just entering turn four at full speed
when they all of a sudden found the #3 among their
ranks. Cars scurried to get around, make room and
out of the way of the car. All were able to make it
by. That was some real good driving and great saves
but it definitely was a bad judgment call for the
young driver. “I saw him real quick,” said Preece
about Talman in turn four. “I was on the inside – so
it was good that I did not chose the outside. But
you know what, I won the race so I have nothing to
complain about!”
Doug Coby who was running the outside of Preece
barely missed Talman as he entered the track. “That
just should have never happened.” Coby expressed.
“They said they had the paddle at “Stop” but that is
not going to stop a modified. There has to be a
better way to do that. I was very close. I saw him
coming and I was close to clipping Ryan in the right
rear but Ryan got going. It was just ridiculous to
do stuff like that. OI do not know whose idea was to
send him to go.”
Coby of Milford, CT ran with the lead pack just
waiting for the opportunity to take the top spot. He
had a short window where he led for two laps with
about thirty to go but cautions and the strong
Partridge modified kept him at bay. “I thought that
tit was a pretty good night,” confessed Coby. “We
did not have a good car all day long. Even though we
were fast in practice and time trials, we were
concerned about what we had. We finally showed that
we had something, but we did not have what Ryan had.
We knew we had a nice shot at beat him if he made a
mistake. And he did make a huge mistake off of turn
two and then recovered. My thought was we just
rattle him and see if he makes a mistake and push
him up the track or something but he did a good job.
He had the best car all day. And he pulled away from
us on most of the restarts. We gained a little more
but we did OK considering a new chassis and all that
stuff.”
Coby summarized his thoughts on the Mr. Rooter “161”
race after reflecting on his night. “First and
foremost we come here to put a show on for the fans.
The place was packed tonight and I hope everyone
enjoyed the last few laps. I gave it my best. I
really, really tried, but kudos to him (Ryan Preece)
he did a really great job. They (#6 Partridge team)
always have a good car here and they had the best
car tonight. We were just a little snug and this is
our first impound race with our new LFR chassis. We
really did not know what to do for the setup and we
were pretty close. So we are on our way. We have a
win and a second in three races so we are on our
way. A save is only as good enough as the car will
allow you to save so we had a good car tonight and
saved it when we needed to. “
Mr. Rooter sponsored both the race and the #13
modified of Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT. “It
was a good run. And when Ryan opened the door I was
“Come on Doug Fill it Doug Fill it please.”
 Christopher
started the race well into the field and leveraged
the incidents/cautions to make his way up to finish
third. Even though the cautions may have helped in
in the long run, as the race wound down Christopher
wanted a run at the end. “I wish that they did not
have that many cautions at the end. Yes it is hard
to get any rhythm going. At one point I had Doug
beat they and then the stupid caution comes out and
you go back and you spin the tires. So in one
restart you are good and the other you are not. It
sort of stinks with an end like that when you waste
a lot of laps. It is a hard game sometime I think
that we had a little bit better car and stuff than
Doug. Congratulations to both those guys. From
twentieth to third that was a good run for us.
Rookie Max Zachem held on for a strong fourth place
finish while Woody Pitkat rebound to round off the
top five.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be at Stafford
Motor Speedway next Friday June 5th for the TSI
Harley-Davidson 125. Woody Pitkat picked up the win
the last time the tour visited Stafford for the
Spring Sizzler on April 26. Will we see a new winner
or can Pitkat pull off two wins in a row at his home
track?
Notes from Mr.
Rooter “161” at New London-Waterford Speedbowl:
With the 12 cautions was it
tough to develop any rhythm?
Ryan Preece
“These are guys that race with us all the time and I
do not know why some guys are tearing up their
equipment. These cars take thousands and thousands
of dollars to fix. And I watch guys that are driving
the way that they should not be doing – carelessly.
It is does not make much sense. I could not believe
what happened in turn four where the guy was sitting
in the infield and comes out. I knew where I was I
was not going to touch him but I knew when I heard
the caution, I knew a couple of guys were taken out.
That is honestly ridiculous. I think that a fifteen
year old kid racing a quarter midget would know
better than to do that. It is unfortunate but we had
a great day and a really fast car that showed a ton
of forward drive. Usually when I get a perfect race
car like that I do not end up winning. So to finally
actually pull that off, it is awesome.”
Is starting a field of
thirty-three modified too many for a small bullring
track?
Ryan Preece
“I think that is why we had too many cautions. But
it is a catch-22 because if you did not start them
there are going to be guys that are thinking “Why
should I show up if I am not going to qualify?” But
for the same time for tracks like this it makes it
really hard to get a rhythm going and to put some
laps on. I do not know what the longest green flag
run was. It had to be longer with Donny Lia and then
is was followed by just cautions. It has not been
how this race has been for the past few years
though. It is usually a lot of green flag runs. It
just seems like we could not get going tonight.
Which is unfortunate.”
Doug Coby
“I do not like all those cautions a d restarts
because those chances are where one little mistake
from Ted or us and it just ruins the great race that
you had. I am the type of racer where I would have
rather see it go green for 40 or 50 laps at the end.
I think I had a better car in the long run. I saw
that when I was behind Lia and Rocco for a while
that my car would come on about after 15 laps, but
we just did not have too many 15 lap runs. That is
the price that you pay for starting thirty-three
cars when you post twenty-eight on the entry blank.
You have a lot of extra caution and I do not think
that fans deserve to see that. They deserve to see
the best cars on the track and hopefully that would
have cut down on some cautions. But that is expected
because they are trying to keep guys coming back
week to week.”
“First it was Sazarulo and that is what we have to
deal with early in the season. Then on the other
hand you need cars to support he series so you just
have to have a better rein on how you are going to
manage it. I do not think that any of us wanted the
restarts at the end because you are just going just
get at your best ad then there is a restart. Just
when you think you gain on somebody there is a
restart and you think you are going to beat him and
then your car is all messed up. Battle one is not to
spin yourself out on the restart and battle two is
not to get put up in the fence when you are on the
outside of Ryan or Ted.”
Ted Christopher
“It is OK with the little bit bigger tracks.
They do not start that many at Riverhead.”
Your thoughts on three
races in 12 days after a long layoff?
Ryan Preece
“We just had a good race. And we are racers. This is
what we want to do. I see a lot of social media from
people who do not have a lot to do with these races
just talking down about things. But realistically it
is not their money. These owners want to be here and
want to race. So I really think that we go to road
course racing again and we have two races that is
going to be fantastic. And I would applaud NASCAR
and everybody involved if we could do that. Because
e14 to 15 races a year is great but I hear of days
when they were racing 20 to 25 races and obviously
that can be done because they were doing that back
in the day. I am hoping that we get back to that at
one point and I know Eddie is ready to do it. We are
actually looking for races to run which is awesome.
I am just having a lot of fun and it is great to win
this Mr. Rooter 16 again. Grasso and I were talking
about Thompson road course today and he said if we
won today He thought we would go. We will see if he
is still thinking that when I get back into the
pits.”
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Source:
Denise DuPont / TheChromeHorn.com
Posted:
May 31, 2015 |
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