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PASTERYAK WINS "BOND AUTO PARTS SPRING DASH 100"
AT MONADNOCK SPEEDWAY
Chris Pasteryak
is Living Life to the Fullest with First VMRS Victory at the
“Dog” |
 Thirteen
years ago a new breed of modified racing series was
formed and it kicked off its inaugural race season
at Monadnock Speedway, a high banked ¼ mile track in
Winchester, NH. Kirk Alexander a local track
favorite won the series opener and helped set the
foundations for the Valenti Modified Racing Series
(VMRS).
Year number thirteen was just as exciting as the
first year for the series. There were twenty-two
cars competing in close quarters just as it was back
on night one. And just like the beginning, drivers
gave it their all as fans stood on their feet to
absorb every exciting moment.
At race end Chris Pasteryak from Jewitt City, CT
captured his first ever Monadnock VMRS win after
holding off some of the best local talent with more
laps on the track then Pasteryak could ever imagine.
Pasteryak came to Monadnock with a new car and his
original number (15CT) to conquer the “Dog” and the
first 2016 VMRS victory. He start the race sixth
after finishing his heat race second behind David
Schneider. Pasteryak wasted no time breaking into
the top five and letting the field know he was a
force to be reckoned with for the win.
 “I
finally got an MRS race at Monadnock! Jon McKennedy
probably had the car to beat here tonight. When we
were racing for the lead I did not give him any
extra room because I knew he would pass me easily.
Because of that he probably spun out trying to be
nice to me. There was only 18 laps to go and I was
trying to hold onto the lead. So that is racing I
guess. But when it was all said and done, he
probably had a better car than I did tonight.”
On lap 50 when the cars came to the line, Pasteryak
wasted no time passing Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT.
for the lead. Pitkat had been dominant for
twenty-five circuits and Pasteryak knew if he was
going to sneak past him now was the time. Pasteryak
went forward to lead the field every laps until the
checkered flags flew holding off hard charges from
the field.
Pasteryak has now captured eleven wins with the
series which will move him into the elite top four
of VMRS winners. “It does not get much better. We
had fast time at Hickory and then came here and got
the win. We ran strong all night and that is really
the important thing. I think that we have a piece
for 200 laps coming up next month.” Modifieds will
return to Monadnock Speedway on Saturday, May 21st
for the inaugural “Winchester 200” for the Modified
Touring Series (MTS). With a purse of $15,000 to win
the new 2016 event will certainly draw modified
competitors for their chance to take home the cash.
The event is being advertised as the highest paying
purse in Modified Racing to date with the total
purse being $72,825.00.
 Kirk
Alexander of West Swanzey, NH, came into the season
opener hoping to add to his record wins on the
series. He gave it a valiant effort but was one spot
shot at the end of the race finishing second. He
started the race ninth and was satisfied racing
there with the field until he knew it was time to
turn his race up a notch. Alexander admitted that he
held back a little waiting for the right moment to
take action. “I just wanted to feel the car out. We
changed some things. I believe we could have passed
those cars at any time but we wanted to work our way
up and tried to be easy on the tires. And the
strategy paid off, we had a chance to win tonight”.
Midway, Alexander knew the time was right and he
started picking off cars in front of him until he
was contending with the top three. He remained there
until the end waiting for the right slot and move
for victory. But Pasteryak save his one last surge
for the end and Alexander just could not catch him.
“We came up one short. When we got in front of Chris
and I got into Woody and Chris gave me a little
shot. “ Alexander knew it was just hard racing in
close quarters so he slowed a little and let the
action play out. “I slowed up because I did not want
to drive into Woody. It was awesome racing with
Chris. I tried to give him as much room as I could
but at the end before the last restart I had a piece
for him. You could see his car was tight in and
loose off so I tried to get by him but he was one
notch stronger. It was great night of racing”
 Russ Hersey, a local racer from Swansey, NH, crossed
the finish line third after racing conservatively
through the first half of the race. After the
half-way mark he began dicing it up with the leaders
to challenge for the number one position. “At the
end racing with Chris (Pasteryak) and Kirk
(Alexander) I had a great piece down the bottom but
I could not step on the throttle,” confessed Hersey.
“So I was having to baby it a little bit. I got up
aside Kirk and I tried to make a good shot down the
back stretch and it twisted up. Kirk had a good run
which is good because his team has been searching
for something to run with and Chris is always great
to run with. I am thrilled and the car is in one
piece so we have something to work with. Next time
we come we will try a little bit better.”
Donnie Lashua crossed the finish line fourth
followed by Jon McKennedy in fifth. Lashua hung out
in the top five all night after starting the race in
that slot. McKennedy in the meanwhile came from the
rear of the field after a last race caution spun him
like a top on the front stretch.
 On lap 81, the hard charger of the race, Jon
McKennedy of Chelmsford, MA, decided he had the car
to beat Pasteryak and tried a move under him coming
out of turn four. McKennedy had the car to beat the
field but something happened after the turn four
braking that forced him to take evasive action
rather than to wreck the leader. He spun off on the
bottom of the front stretch and the field was able
to get by without incident. It was a professional
race move on McKennedy’s part, but was a tough one
to do when the win is within your reach. “There was
a little bit too much rear brake inside the wheel
hub,” explained McKennedy after the race. “I had to
spin or the only other option at the time was to
drive right over Chris (Pasteryak).”
“Chris had a good three to four car length on me and
I was able to get up to his rear bumper. I saw an
opening underneath him and when I saw the wheel
hopping around in the corner, I knew I lost it. I
should have just waited a few more laps where I just
could have pulled up next to him and I would have
been fine. We restarted in the back and came up to
fifth so the end was disappointed. I feel like I
gave a series race away.”
So with the first race of the season in the books,
the VMRS teams will head back to the shop and
prepare their strategies and equipment for Friday
night racing under the lights at Stafford Motor
Speedway on May 20th. See you there!
Notes from Monadnock Speedway:
Why is Chris Pasteryak
now behind the wheel of a VMRS modified numbered the
#15CT?
Chris Pasteryak
Years ago Chris Pasteryak made the decision to run a
more local series versus the NASCAR Whelen Modified
Tour. He started his racing career running in the
#15CT and when the time was right moved behind the
wheel of his dad, Charlie Pasteryak, famous blue #5.
This year with a new race season and car to wheel,
Pasteryak has decided to return to his roots and
sports the #15CT on his modified. “Because that is
what I started with in the MRS. For some reason it
was the #52 when I raced for Wayne (Darling) and I
did not want to switch numbers around on him all
year.” The team just covered up the two on the #52
and made it work. “Then I could not us the #15
because Bobby Drown had it running the series. Then
he gave it up so we had it back. But I already had
been the #5 for a year or two so I kept the #5 on my
car.”
“This I just decided, sometimes it is easier when I
drive the blue car cover one with duct tape then it
is to take it off. Then someone would have to come
and re-put a decal on or tape over it. Plus it is
where I started. So we are back to where we started.
My dad is the #5 and I am the #15 again. So
everything is kind of back to where we began.”
Are you still having fun
competing in the series?
Chris Pasteryak
“We are definitely having fun running the series. It
will be a little bit of a stuttered start though
because the next race here is the 200 lap race. So
my dad is going to run the race at Stafford and I
will help him out. Then we will come here the night
after for the 200 lapper. And after that we will
pretty much hit them all as the session goes on.
Then we get to September to the “Race of Champions”
at Oswego, which means we will not go to Beech Ridge
but we will be racing pretty much every weekend.”
What was going through
Pasteryak’s mind as the closing laps came nearer?
Chris Pasteryak
“Here we are with ten to go at Monadnock. I have
spun out here and was beat by Dwight Jarvis on the
restart and now I had Kirk Alexander racing behind
me. We were just a tick better than Kirk. If he got
in front of me I do not think that I could have
passed him. But that is not the way that it worked
out.”
Having fun back
competing in the series, what is new?
Kirk Alexander
“I changed some things this winter along with
changing my attitude. Coming back this season I have
a good bunch of guys especially the guys in the past
that have helped me the last couple of years. I want
to thank them and my great sponsors because they
make this all happen. It is really exciting to be
competitive again!”
“This is all new to me again. I thought that it was
an awesome race. It was great having a competitive
car being upfront running competitively and having a
shot to win the race. We started ninth and work our
way up passing some decent cars. And the car did not
fall off as it always has. I knew we did some
different things and I am really happy with it. We
still have to tweak it a little bit, but all and all
it was a great night.”
“It is a short life and live it while you can
because you never know when it will be over.” We the
wise words that Alexander expressed reflecting the
loss in his life and his new attitude to go forward
with racing and family. Alexander wed his longtime
girlfriend over the off season as he prepared his
life’s journey forward.
Does home field
advantage play a large role in racing at Monadnock
Speedway?
Russ Hersey
“It sure does, you know where you can get aggressive
and where you can’t.”
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Source:
Denise DuPont /
TheChromeHorn.com
Posted:
May 1, 2016 |
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