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NWMT
MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY - O'REILLY AUTO PARTS 200
Sweet Comeback For Coby
by
Polly Reid |
 Saturday
was a new day, a chance to steer back on track, an
opportunity to turn things around. Carrying that
mindset is one thing, achieving it is another.
Following a disappointing weekend all around at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway, the MSR III Team set to
task to do just that-focus forward. There could be
no sweeter rebound than what Doug Coby of Milford,
CT accomplished in the Mike Smeriglio III owned,
Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX performance sponsored
modified. Taking the lead on lap forty-five, Coby
indeed kept the focus forward surviving several
cautions, two red flags, heavy lap traffic and a
determined Woody Pitkat in check to score the win in
the NWMT O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Monadnock
Speedway in Winchester, NH.
Pitkat from Stafford, CT in the Buzz Chew/Elbow East
Chevrolet crossed for second, Justin Bonsignore from
Holtsville, NY in the M3 Technology Chevrolet was
third, Todd Szegedy from Ridgefield, CT in the
Garbarino Mystic Missile Racing Dodge was fourth and
Troy Talman from Oxford, MA brought the Cape Cod
Copper/DCU/NAPA modified home for fifth.
 “You
fans are awesome- you guys packed this place,” said
an elated Coby in victory lane. “I hope you guys
love it when the Tour comes here because we love
this speedway, we love meeting you at the autograph
session. It wasn’t green to checker show like last
year- I think you got your money’s worth. You got to
see my first quarter mile win ever. I’ve been racing
since I was six years old, that’s almost thirty
years now, what a great feeling it is for me, my
family and crew to bring this LFR Chassis into
victory lane. We’ve been close before, this is a
special feeling.”
“It’s a great night for our team,” said Coby. “We
bounced back from a rough day at Loudon- that’s what
you have to do if you are going to be a champion.
You have to take the bad and the good, make it all
work together. That’s what we’re going to do the
rest of the season, chip away.”
The 28 car field was led to green by pole winner
Ryan Preece from Berlin, CT in the TS Haulers/East
West Marine sponsored, Ed Partridge owned modified
with Coby on the outside. At the green, Preece
gained the edge with Coby tucking in for second, the
duo nose to tail breaking from the pack until the
first caution on lap 33. Preece remained the leader
through the next restart but coming into turn three,
Coby tucked low, side by side with Preece, Coby
emerged out of turn four to become the new leader on
lap 45.
Once Coby passed for the lead, Pitkat followed
putting Preece now in third place. A caution pulled
the action in again and on the lap 54 restart it was
Coby, Pitkat, Preece, Szegedy and Bonsignore the top
five.
 Anthony Nocella took a hard hit into the turn two
outside wall on lap 74, the yellow flag turned red
for the lengthy fluid clean up. Several cars pitted
including Preece who came back on the track to
restart from the end of line. Coby led the restart
with Pitkat, Szegedy, Donny Lia and Andy Seuss the
top five, Bonsignore sixth.
At the half, lap 100, it was Coby, Pitkat, Szegedy,
Seuss, Lia the top five. Bonsignore made his move
passing Lia for the fifth place spot three circuits
later.
A restart on lap 124 had closed the field again when
a jumble of cars nearly collected in turn four two
circuits later. They straightened out to continue
forward motion only to tangle going into turn one
bringing the action to a halt. The red flag unfurled
for the cleanup that involved Bobby Santos, Joe Ryan
Osborne, Jeff Goodale and Timmy Solomito.
The final sixty-six circuits was fast and continuous
green flag racing. Coby, Pitkat, Bonsignore, Szegedy
and Talman held their position as multi-tasking
between managing lap traffic, holding their spot and
trying to gain on the leader became the priority.
At the checkers, Coby dominated the top spot
crossing the stripe to claim his 13th career NWMT
win, his first ever at a quarter mile short track.
Pitkat, racing with the big picture in mind crossed
second, Bonsignore, winner of this event the last
two years followed for third, Szegedy off of his
NHMS win a week ago was fourth and NWMT rookie
contender Troy Talman in the Boehler machine
finished fifth.
“I got the lead from Ryan and I didn’t want to give
it up,” said Coby. “The car was good all night- I
think it could have even gone longer- that’s a huge
plus for us and great for our notebook on quarter
mile tracks. To come from Riverhead with a third and
here tonight, I think we proved we have a good
little quarter mile set up. This is the car we
wrecked in the All Star Race- it’s been our work
horse all year. Phil (Moran) obviously did a great
job repairing it and getting it back here in the
short last seven days.”
 Woody Pitkat was a threat all night but had to
settle for second. “We had a bracket break earlier
in the day and we didn’t get as much practice as we
wanted to,” explained Pitkat. With their practice
session cut short by nearly half the allowed time,
the team went back to what they knew would work. “We
had to throw a set up into it that we knew would
work because we were trying a different set up and
we just didn’t know enough about it. It timed really
well, fourth- you know, Spot (Ron Ste-Marie) and the
boys, they worked their butts off and they hit it
pretty close. I can’t thank them enough for giving
me a car as close as they did with the less practice
we got. Doug had a really good car, hats off to
those guys.”
Pitkat continued, “I’ve got to thank Buzz and Bryan
Chew for giving me this opportunity to run this car.
These guys have been together so long, they work so
hard and it’s fun. To go to the track and know that
you’re going to have a good car when you unload, it
makes life a lot easier, a lot less stressful- it
makes it a lot of fun. I just can’t thank these guys
enough. I try to focus, go to the gym, take care of
myself, eat right and be the best I can be every
time I go out on the track. If you think about it,
it was a good points night- we’re going to Stafford
and Thompson, some good tracks – we just need to
keep the ball rolling and keep making it better.”
Bonsignore started third and dropped back to sixth
making the climb back to third with fifty nine to
go. A strategy they used last year to win, the cards
didn’t quite fall totally their way this time. “It
worked last year and I was committed to do it again
this year. The car wasn’t perfect tonight, I can’t
even say it was a touch off, they were just a little
bit better than us. When everyone is so close, when
they are just that little bit better, it makes it
very tough. I was committed to run a pace I felt was
comfortable. I shouldn’t have lost as many positions
as I did, I should have tried to stay in that top
three or five a little bit better. I fell too far
back. We were coming to the front, I got to third
and I was like, ‘alright, this is like old times, we
can do this’. I got to them and that was it, I was
holding on for dear life. Ken Massa and Billy
Michael have done great all year with this SPAFCO
and hopefully this is a little bit of a turn for us.
I probably fell back a little further than I wanted
to and used it up too much getting back to third. We
were coming on them at the end and maybe with a
restart I could have done something with them but
we’ll work on it and come back next year. All and
all it was a good night.”
 “I didn’t realize this was Doug’s first win on a
quarter mile,” admitted winning crew chief Phil
Moran. “I’m glad we could get it for him. The 2 Team
has always had good cars here at Monadnock- when
Todd drove for us we won two of them here and now,
to get Doug his first win on a quarter mile – I feel
good about it.”
The week between Loudon and Monadnock was non-stop
for Moran and the MRS III Racing team. “It was a
busy week, both cars were wrecked. This car we won
tonight with was in the All Star Race that ran four
laps and took a wreck. It was a lot of work getting
everything back together. It was a hot week- but we
did it. We’ve got a really dedicated crew, they
really stick it out with us- I can’t thank those
guys enough.”
Looking ahead, Moran and the team are ready. “We’ve
had a fast car at Stafford- we just haven’t had the
results that we needed. I’m really looking forward
to going back there. Every time we race this LFR
car, we’re learning more and more about it. We’re
finding the little quirks that it likes. Every race
car likes different things- we’re starting to find
out what this thing really likes and its working
great for us.” Three wins out of eight races this
season, the 2 Team continues to be one to watch.
“We’re real happy. Let’s keep on going.”
“I’ve been doing this for ten years,” said winning
car owner Mike Smeriglio III. “Every win is special.
What the team went through at New Hampshire, as fast
as we were and to get bit- then to have to repair
two cars in a short period of time then to come out
and really dominate tonight, it’s pretty special. As
you know, I’m a numbers guy- three for eight is
pretty special. I’m thrilled and I couldn’t be
happier for Phil, for Alex, Bob and Hoppy- it’s all
about those guys. I’m fortunate to be a part of it.
I’m a little humbled right now.”
Rounding out the top ten was Eric Goodale sixth,
Shawn Solomito seventh, Andy Seuss, his car
renumbered 13 finished eighth, Chase Dowling ninth
and Ryan Preece tenth.
The NWMT point leader going into the race, Ryan
Preece was setting up for a blistering day earning
the Coors Light Pole Award but had to pit during the
first red flag on lap 74. While Preece came back to
finish tenth, the top runners were able to
capitalize on Preece’s set back. Pitkat left the
fast high banked quarter mile the new point leader,
3 tallies ahead of Preece. Seven races left on the
schedule, the title chase is far from over. The NWMT
heads to Stafford Motor Speedway August 7th for the
Call Before You Dig 8-1-1 150.
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Source:
Polly Reid / TheChromeHorn.com
Posted:
July 19, 2015 |
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