Column Compiled By: PHIL SMITH / RPW – WESTERLY, RI – The regular Friday night racing series at Stafford fell victim to rain. Kids Night will now be held Friday, June 9th as part of the Riley Generators Limited Late Model 30 event. All tickets for June 2nd will be good for Friday, June 9th. Big wheel races will also be held next Friday.
Three events have been held at Stafford so far. In the SK Modified division Jimmy Blewett, Michael Gervais and Stephen Lopcik have won features. Blewett is the current point leader with an 18 point edge over Cory Dimatteo and a 20 point edge over Kopcik. In the SK Lights, Brian Sullivan has two victories and George Bessette Jr has one. Bessette holds a six point edge over Sullivan and a 12 point edge over Nick Anglace. In the Street Stocks Travis Hydar with one win leads Bert Ouellette by 10 points. Ryan Newman with three wins is third. In the Late Models Tom Fearn with one win leads Adam Gray by four points. Matt Clement leads Kevin Comier by two points.
The speedway has announced that all seats for the SRX Superstar Thursday night Thunder event have been sold out.
It was extremely cool once the sun went down on the east end of Long Island at the Riverhead Raceway. Second generation driver Chris Young snapped a two plus year winless spell Saturday night when he powered his way to victory in the Riverhead Raceway 50-lap NASCAR Modified feature event. It was the third career win for Young who last won on October 31st of 2020.
When the initial green was displayed Matt Brode jumped to the early lead with Owen Grennan and Dave Brigati it tow for the first lap, one lap later Grennan and Brigati swapped positions. With the race embarking on a long green flag run, Matt Brode was able to get away from Brigati in second while Chris Young moved by Grennan for third on lap 14. While Brode was clicking off laps up front and hoping for a caution free race, Young was busy reeling in Brigati for second. On lap 35 Young rolling to the outside was able to work his way around Brigati for second. Just two laps later the scenario Brode did not want to see unfold did when the caution waved on lap 37 for a rare Dylan Slepian spin. The first attempt at restarting the race after the Slepian spin quickly went south as Chris Turbush pounded the wall in the first turn after contact.
Once the track was clear the double file restart with Brode to the inside and Young to the outside unfolded. Brode held serve for the first lap but on lap 39 Young rolled the top of the track to race his way into the lead. Once back to second Brode had a quick side by side battle with Tom Rogers Jr. for second. That duel ended quickly on lap 41 when Tom Rogers car suddenly dropped fluid in turns three and four with the entire field behind Tom piling in. Luckily all those caught up remained in the race, some after pit stops during an extensive clean up. The final restart of the race would again pit Young and Brode side by side, when the green flag reappeared for the final nine circuits Chris Young was able to remain out front to secure the long awaited return to victory lane. Matt Brode finished second while Dylan Slepian of Dix Hills rebounded nicely from his lap 37 spin for third in the Eastport Feeds Chevy. Michael Rutkoski of Mattituck and Jack Handley Jr. of Medford were fourth and fifth.
Down on the Connecticut shoreline at the New London-Waterford Speedbow lEric Berndt made it two in a row in the SK Modifieds. Timmy Jordan finished second and Stephen Kopcik was third. Todd Owen and Jon Puleo rounded out the top five. Ray Christian III won the 30-lap Late Model feature.
The Winchester Open 100 at Monadnock drew 24 cars but because of the cool night the grandstands were extremely light. Matt Kimball took the eventual win over Carl Medeiros, Ryan Doucette, Richard Savory and Chris Pasteryak. Rain delayed the start of Saturday’s main event, but did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of Kimball, who raced Mini Stocks at “Mad Dog” before making a career shift to Tour-type Modifieds. The Bennington, N.H. racer started from the pole, yielding to Monadnock veteran Todd Patnode on lap eight of the 100-circuit feature. Chris Pasteryak settled into third with Kirk Alexander fourth when a turn-three spin brought out the night’s first caution.
Patnode immediately ducked down pit road, handing the lead back to Kimball. Alexander and Sam Rameau charged into third on the restart, while Pasteryak’s hopes for a solid finish turned bleak when contact left the Connecticut racer sideways in turn two with 60 laps to go. Rameau, who started 22nd, pounced on Kimball two restarts later to take the lead. Rameau set a fast pace, but Kimball was able to keep up, turning up the heat as slower traffic came into play. Early contender Alexander went for a backstretch spin with 17 laps left, though, eliminating the lapped-traffic wildcard and pitting Rameau against Kimball for the restart.
On the green flag, Rameau cleared Kimball for the lead, but Kimball loomed large in his mirror, tracing the curbs and keeping Rameau from building an advantage. With 11 laps left, Kimball dove inside on the backstretch, getting alongside Rameau in the turns and taking the lead back. Ryan Doucette threw his car to Rameau’s inside to steal second, upsetting Rameau and letting Kimball escape. Another bobble from Rameau slowed the field, with Medeiros charging from the high line to take second as the top five shuffled.
Kimball was hardly home free, as another spin with six laps left forced a late-race restart. But the youngster got the jump on Medeiros coming to the green, and as Doucette made a bid for second, Kimball was able to get away once again, coasting home to one of his biggest Modified wins yet and pocketing $5,000 for his efforts.
The Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina fell victim to rain for the second time this year.
The Whelen Modified Tour Series heads to the Seekonk Speedway on Saturday, June 10. Justin Bonsignore leads the current standings with a one point edge over Ron Silk. Austin Beers sits third, 19 points back.
With the cooperation of the Arute family a book has been published with pictures and biographies of the 50 Greatest Drivers at Stafford.
The Stafford Motor Speedway had become the epicenter of NASCAR Modified racing in the northeast by the late 1980’s. From its dirt beginnings to its lightning-fast asphalt, Stafford had become the toughest and most gratifying track to score a victory. The Arute family which has owned and guided the destiny of the facility commissioned their thousands of loyal fans to name their favorite drivers. In alphabetical order so as not to offend anyone:
Tom Baldwin, Gene Bergin, Brett Bodine, Geoff Bodine, Ken Bouchard, Ron Bouchard, Mario “Fats” Caruso, Rene Charland, Ted Christopher, Leo Cleary, Tim Connolly, Jerry Cook, Corky Cookman, Pete Corey, Fred DeSarro, Richie Evans, Mike Ewanitsko, Ed Flemke, Sr., Jeff Fuller, Rick Fuller, Ernie Gahan, Bill Greco, Bo Gunning, Ray Hendrick, George “Moose” Hewitt, Tony Hirschman, George Janoski, Charlie Jarzombek, George Kent, Buddy Krebs, Randy LaJoie, Jan Leaty, Jerry Marquis, Mike McLaughlin, Ray Miller, Steve Park, Bob Polverari, Bob Potter, Brian Ross, John “Reggie” Ruggiero, Greg Sacks, Ollie Silva, “Wild” Bill Slater, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Stefanik, Carl “Bugsy” Stevens, George Summers, Jamie “The Jet” Tomaino, Maynard Troyer and Satch Worley.
Books are priced at $17.95 each and be purchased at the track at the Novelty Booth or at the Stafford Motor Speedway on line store. Books are also available at Amazon.com and at Coastal181 (877-907-8181).
