The Chrome Horn - Champ Trail with Phil Smith

Champ Trail - July 19, 2016


  The New Hampshire Motor Speedway took center stage last weekend for the All Star Shootout and the New England 100 for the Whelen Modifieds. Bobby Santos took the lead on the last turn of the last lap to record the win. In Santos' own words Woody Pitkat and Todd Szegedy got together while fighting for the lead and Eric Goodale drifted high which allowed the third generation racer to make his move and solidify the victory. Goodale recovered to finish second with Ron Silk, third. Ryan Preece and Doug Coby rounded out the top five.
  Doug Coby led the final six laps and crossed the finish line .037 seconds ahead of Donny Lia to win the New Hampshire 100. Coby led eight times for 55 laps in a race that featured 22 lead changes among four drivers. Lia led 25 laps. Patrick Emerling finished third. Ron Silk, who won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, was fourth and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman came home fifth. Ryan Preece, Woody Pitkat, Justin Bonsignore, Eric Goodale and Todd Szegedy completed the top 10.
  The race was slowed by caution only once, for the halfway break. There were 33 cars on hand for the event. The New England 100 will air on NBCSN this coming Thursday, July 21 at 7 p.m.

  At the Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday night Ron Williams had what he thought to be a big night
as he was the first across the finish line in the SK Modified feature. Joy turned to frustration during a post race inspection when Williams' car did not meet the minimum frame height requirement and he was disqualified, making Todd Owen the winner. Following Owen after the Williams disqualification was Mike Christopher Jr. Tom Bolles finished third with Eric Berndt, and Matt Galko rounding out the top-5. Other feature winners at Stafford on Friday night were Josh Wood in the Late Model feature, Tony Membrino, Jr. in the SK Light feature, Bryan Narducci in the Ltd. Late Model feature, Zack Robinson in the DARE Stock feature, and Teddy Hodgdon in the Legend Cars feature.
  Special congratulations to Bryan Narducci on his first ever win. Narducci's paternal grandfather, Ron Narducci was a two-time Sportsman track champion, 1960 and 1966 with nine wins on the dirt surface. Narducci's maternal grandfather Jerry Pearl is a two-time SK Modified champion with 12 wins to his credit.

  The temperature was in the low 90s and the humidity so thick you could cut it with a knife but it didn't phase Keith Rocco as he blistered his way into the lead with 11 laps remaining on his way to his fourth win of the season in the 35-lap SK Modified feature Saturday at New London Waterford Speedbowl.
  Jacob Perry, a 14-year-old from Pawcatuck, Ct won his first 25-lap Ministock feature while Chris Meyer and Monte Gibbs each captured 25-lap Sportsman features. Chris Correll won his first SK Light feature, while Cameron Morga, a visitor from New Mexico, was a winner in the 25-lap U.S. Legends feature.
  The SK Modified race was slowed by seven caution flags. Tom Abele Jr. led for the first 20 laps, but spun out into the infield once Ted Christopher passed him. He rallied to finish fourth, one sport behind Diego Monahan. Dennis Perry rounded out the top five. Rocco also captured the mid-season championship, making him a double winner.
  Rocco continues to build on his record setting feature win total. Rocco's win in the SK Modifieds brought his track total to 127 wins. The win also took Rocco over the top to a career overall total of 223 wins which also include victories at Thompson and Stafford Speedways.
  Special congratulations to third generation racer Jacob Perry who recorded his first ever win at the shoreline oval. Perry is the son of SK Modified competitor Dennis Perry and retired Modified driver Roger Perry.

  At the Riverhead Raceway on Long Island it was another night of racing between the rain drops Saturday night and when the checker flag waved on the 40-lap NASCAR Modified main event Jason Agugliaro would go wire to wire in the non-stop race to claim victory. Once again the staff of Riverhead NASCAR Whelen All American Series officials did a stupendous job of getting all 140 laps of NASCAR feature event racing completed in just a tick over two hours under threatening conditions as a near capacity crowd looked on.
  In the NASCAR Modified 40 lapper, 14-year old NASCAR Modified rookie Dillon Steuer and Jason Agugliaro made up the front row for the feature event and when the green dropped the duo ran side by side for the first lap before Agugliaro rode the outside lane to the race lead. Another impressive NASCAR Modified rookie Cory Midgett made his way by Steuer on lap two to come to second with Dillon settling in for third. With no yellow flags in sight the top three strung out a couple of car lengths apart which was just fine with leader Jason Agugliaro. The driver on the march during the caution free affair would be Shawn Solomito who without the aid of any double file restarts was methodically making his way to the front from a 8th place starting berth. After disposing of Steuer for third Solomito the championship leader made his way to second place Cory Midgett and with just two laps remaining in the race made his way by the freshman driver for second on lap 38. When the checker flag waved on the caution free race Jason Agugliaro steering his Northeastern Bus Rebuilders Chevy who lay claim to his third career NASCAR Modified victory. Shawn Solomito of Center Moriches was runner-up

  In Modified competition below the Mason-Dixon line rain washed out all action at the Bowman Gray Stadium.

  On the speedway stock market scene last week, two of the three speedway stocks had positive endings. Speedway Motorsports went up 0.57 to 18.76 and the International Speedway Corporation went up 0.95 to 35.70. Dover Entertainment remained stagnant at 2.10. NASCAR cup sponsor Sprint went up 0.32 to 5.00 while NASCAR fuel supplier Sunoco (Energy Transfer) dropped 0.51 to 37.87 and NASCAR tire supplier Goodyear dropped 0.01 to 26.52. The car manufacturers had a banner week. Ford went up 0.48 to 13.57 while General Motors jumped 1.11 to 30.77 and Toyota jumped 6.75 to 1.8.82. In the home improvement sector Home Depot went up 0.44 to 134.78 while Lowes dropped 0.67 to 81.67. In big team sponsors stocks, Coca-Cola dropped 1.20 to 144.11 while McDonalds went up 2.30 to 123.61, Target went up 1.73 to 73.04, Aarons Rentals went up 0.12 to 23.42 and Fedex went up 4.37 to 160.59.

  On the tube this week:

  Wednesday, July 20

3:00 PM, NASCAR Masters of the Clock: The Legend of Martinsville, FOX Sports 1
5:00 PM, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Eldora qualifying, FS1
5:30 PM, NASCAR The List - Texas Motor Speedway, NBC Sports Net
6:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBCSN
7:00 PM, NCWTS Eldora qualifying races, FS1
9:00 PM, NCWTS Eldora race, FS1

  Thursday, July 21
7:30 AM, NCWTS Eldora race re-air, FS1
8:30 AM, NCWTS Eldora qualifying re-air, FS1
10:00 AM, NCWTS Eldora race re-air, FS1
3:30 PM, NCWTS Eldora race re-air, FS1
5:00 PM, NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBCSN
7:00 PM, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour New England 100 Loudon NBCSN

  Friday, July 22
6:30 AM, How It's Made - Impact Wrenches, Marble Sinks, Plantain Chips, NASCAR Cars, SCI
12:00 PM, NASCAR Xfinity Series Indianapolis practice, NBCSN
1:30 PM, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Indianapolis practice, NBCSN
3:00 PM, NXS Indianapolis practice, NBCSN
4:00 PM, NSCS Indianapolis practice, NBCSN
5:30 PM, NASCAR America, NBCSN

  Saturday, July 23
11:40 AM, NSCS Indianapolis qualifying, NBCSN
1:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBCSN
1:30 PM, NSCS Indianapolis qualifying, NBCSN
3:30 PM, NXS Indianapolis race, NBCSN
6:00 PM, NXS Post Show, NBCSN

  Sunday, July 24
1:00 PM, NASCAR RaceDay, FS1
2:00 PM, NASCAR America Sunday, NBCSN
3:00 PM, NSCS Indianapolis race, NBCSN
6:30 PM, NSCS Post Show, NBCSN
7:00 PM, NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
10:30 PM, NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1

   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.
 

Source: Phil Smith / Champ Trail
Posted: July 19, 2016

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