Column Compiled By: PHIL SMITH / RPW – WESTERLY, RI – Seventy five years ago in 1948, Johnny Thomson was the Midget feature winner at Seekonk.
Seventy years ago in 1953, Red Foote was the Wednesday night Sportsman winner at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Ray Legary was the non-Ford winner. Saturday night winners at the Speedbowl were Ray Delisle in the Sportsman and Bud Matter in the non-Fords. At Seekonk, Gene Letourneau was the Stock car winner at Seekonk.
Sixty five years ago in 1958, Red Foote was the Wednesday night Modified winner at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Sam Mazzella was the non-Ford winner. Wild Bill Slater, who had recently taken over the driving chores of the Bombacci – Vitarri Connecticut Valley Rocket V-8 recorded his first win, a 50 lapper. Ted Stack was the non-Ford winner. Jim Hendrickson was the Modified winner at Old Bridge.
Sixty years ago in 1963 Area Auto Racing News reported that Eddie Flemke recorded another win at Old Bridge Speedway in New Jersey. Seekonk fell victim to rain while Dick Watson was the 25 lap Modified winner at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Jerry Dostie was the Bomber winner. Rene Charland won at Fort Dix on Friday night while Ernie Gahan won on the dirt at the Stafford Springs Speedway. Mario “Fats” Caruso was the top dog at the Norwood Arena. Ray Hendrick won twin 50 lap Modified events at South Boston.
Fifty five years ago in 1968, the Lee Raceway ran an open competition modified event. Leo Cleary, one of the top guns at the Norwood Arena took the win driving the Joe Brady No.41. Stafford cancelled because of rain, early on Friday, allowing competitors ample time to get to the Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Cleary made the trip worth while as he took the 30-lap win over Bugsy Stevens, Eddie Flemke, Jerry Cook and Dave Kotary. Cleary tried to carry his winning ways over to Norwood but his efforts fell short as Johnny Thompson in his Ford powered No.122 took the win. Fonda ran a 50 lapper with Lou Lazzaro taking the win over Jerry Cook and Eddie Pieniezek. Walt Dombrowski was the Modified feature winner at the Waterford Speedbowl. Ron Gilbert was the Daredevil winner. Tony Cortes made it two in a row at Seekonk. Don MacTavish, in the Wright-Zauntner No.24 that had been vacated by Kenny Shoemaker took the win at Thompson on Sunday night. At Utica-Rome, Richie Evans ruled the roost as he beat out Dave Lape for the win. Sonny Seamon, Robbie Kotary and Rene Charland rounded out the top five. Leo Cleary used his time at Malta to good advantage as he came back on the following Tuesday to win the All Star League 100. Fred DeSarro finished second and was followed by Jerry Cook, Don MacTavish and Bugsy Stevens. Eddie Royster and Ray Hendrick took twin Modified events at South Boston.
Fifty years ago in 1973, Albany-Saratoga started the weekend off with a 30 lapper. Jerry Cook took the win. Denis Giroux finished second with Bugsy Stevens, third. Double points were up for grabs at Stafford on Saturday and Bugsy Stevens was there to take the top spot. Ronnie Bouchard finished second and was followed by Fred DeSarro and Bobby Santos. Maynard Troyer went two for two as he won at Tioga on Saturday and Utica-Rome on Sunday. Charlie Jarzombek cleaned house at Islip as he beat out Jim Hendrickson, Richie Evans and Jerry Cook. Dick Dunn in the Al and Peg Gaudreau No.3 scored a one-two punch at the Waterford Speedbowl as he won a 100 lap Open Competition event on Wednesday and backed it up with a 30 lap Modified win on Saturday night. Big Mike Daignault was the Grand American Late Model winner on Saturday at the Connecticut shoreline oval. Henri “Red” Barbeau won a Late Model Sportsman event at Seekonk. Monadnock ran a 100 lapper on Sunday with Bobby Santos taking the win over Brian Ross and Ray Miller.
Forty five years ago in 1978, Geoff Bodine continued his domination of the Yankee All Star League as he won the Wednesday night 100 lapper at Seekonk. George Summers finished second with Fred DeSarro, third. Maynard Troyer had a grand slam as he went four for four as he won at Lancaster on Wednesday, Spencer on Friday, Lancaster again on Saturday and Utica-Rome on Sunday. A 100 lapper scheduled for Stafford on Friday was rained out but the skies stayed clear at Monadnock where Punky Caron took the win. Rain washed out Waterford and Riverhead on Saturday but at Seekonk, Traveling Man, Pete Fiandaca held off Geoff Bodine and Ron Bouchard for the win. At Riverside it was Stan Gregger and on Sunday at Thompson, it rained.
Forty years ago in 1983, Thompson ran a Thompson 300 qualifier on Wednesday. Greg Sacks blew away the competition. Richie Evans and Bugsy Stevens followed. Friday at Stafford, Brett Bodine beat out Greg Sacks and Jeff Fuller. Spencer ran a 100 lapper with Richie Evans taking the win over George Kent and Mike McLaughlin. Saturday at Oswego it was Evans again with Brian Ross, a close second. Stan Gregger got his sixth win of the season at Riverside and Eddie StAngelo won a 100 lapper at Seekonk. Jan Leaty won twin events at Tioga. At Thompson, on Sunday, it rained. Other weekend winners included Fred Harbach at Riverhead, John Blewett jr. at New Egypt and Roger Treichler at Lancaster. In Winston Cup action at Talledega, Cale Yarborough set a new pole qualifying record of 201.774mph but Dale Earnhardt took the win.
Thirty five years ago in 1988, Riverhead hosted the mod tour series on Wednesday for a 201-lap event. Bob Park took the win over Reggie Ruggiero and Wayne Anderson. Ruggiero got his sixth of the season at Monadnock on Friday and at Stafford, Ted Christopher and Jerry Pearl finished one-two. Waterford ran twin features on Saturday night with Ricky Young and John Anderson sharing victory lane. Jerry Marquis won at Riverside and Dan Jivenelli won at Riverhead. Oswego hosted the Modifieds and it was Mike McLaughlin taking the win.
Thirty years ago, in 1993, the Mod Tour Series visited Holland on Thursday. The event, with a lean $39,325 purse only drew 23 cars. Jeff Fuller took the win with his brother Rick, second. On Friday, Stafford canceled after 20 laps because of fog. At Waterford on Saturday, David Gada beat out Jim Broderick and Bob Potter for the win and at Riverhead; Dan Jivenelli scored a victory over Ed Brunnhoelzl. During the running of the tracks figure eight division feature, driver Bill Batsche lost control of his car and smashed into the fourth turn wall. Several officials who perhaps were standing where they shouldn’t have been were injured. Track co-promoter, Barbara Cromarty suffered eight broken ribs and two broken legs. At Riverside, Jerry Marquis held off Chris Kopec for the win.
Twenty five years ago, in 1998, the Modified Tour Series ran at Thompson on Wednesday night. Mike Stefanik scored his 9th win of the season after taking the lead from Ed Flemke Jr. on lap 67 of the 150-lap event. Tim Connolly finished second and was followed by Chris Kopec and Tony Ferrente Jr. Scott Quinn was the SK modified winner. Mike Christopher scored his third win of the season at Stafford on Friday night. At Waterford on Saturday, Dennis Gada scored his fourth win and in the late Models, Alan Coates got his eighth win of the season. At Riverside, Ed Spiers held off Bob Polverari for the win. The mods and Busch North divisions were at Loudon on Sunday. Stefanik made it ten for the season, taking the lead from Reggie Ruggiero on the final lap. Jan Leaty suffered a fractured skull in a crash during warm-ups when his left rear tire went down and he hit the wall, very hard. Dale Shaw was the BGNN winner. At the Winston Cup Brickyard 400, Jeff Gordon won the event plus the No-Bull $1million bonus. Dale Jarrett was by far the fastest before running out of gas and losing four laps. Jarrett made them up but ran out of time. Mark Martin finished second.
Twenty years ago in 2003 The NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Series was at the Riverhead raceway on Long Island on Saturday night. Donnie Lia, a native Long Islander and rookie contender on the tour scored his first tour series win on home turf. Lia started on the pole and with the exception of laps 43 through 46 led every lap of the 200-lap contest. Frank Vigliarolo caught Lia on a re-start but his position at the point didn’t last as Lia powered by in short order. Riverhead regular Chuck Steuer was the Busch Pole sitter and drew a seventh starting spot. Steuer ended his night in 19th spot as a result of a defective tire. Ted Christopher finished second, over two seconds behind the leader. Howie Brode, another Riverhead regular, finished third. Attrition was extremely high as only six finished on the lead lap. Vigliarolo finished fourth and was followed by Jamie Tomaino and Chuck Hossfeld. Rounding out the top ten were Jerry Marquis, John Blewett III and Jimmie Broderick, one lap down, and Wayne Anderson, three laps down. Eight caution periods for 61 laps kept the average speed of the race at 36.526 mph. Series point leader Todd Szegedy lost a little ground in his quest for the series title as he finished 15th, 20 laps down. Lia’s share of the $64,175 purse was $5,700. In Thursday night Thunder action at Thompson, Kerry Malone went pole to pole to record his first win in quite a while. Bert Marvin finished second and was followed by Bob Santos III, Bo Gunning, Ron Yuhas Jr., Eric Berndt, Jeff Malave and Todd Ceravolo. Jim Broderick relieved Malave mid-race Malave was recuperating from broken bones in his hand. David Berghman was the Pro Stock winner. Other winners included Charles Bailey in the Late Models, Shawn Monahan in the Limited Sportsman and Rod Rixham in the Mini-Stocks. Rain played havoc at the Stafford Speedway. Heavy showers in the Connecticut area forced speedway officials to pull the plug on the night’s activities. At the Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday night, Dennis Gada made up for lost ground as he out-ran Ed Reed Jr. to take the win in the 35 lap SK-Modified main event. Jeff Pearl finished third. The NEMA Midgets were on hand for the annual Boston Louie Memorial event. Joey Paine Jr. was awarded the win after apparent winner Randy Cabral was found to have been too wide, about an inch in wheelbase. This is the third time this has happened during the year in the NEMA ranks. Bruce Thomas Jr. was the Late Model winner. Charlie Pasteryak was the Legends Car winner and Jim Procaccini was the limited Sportsman winner. Kelly Moore took the win in the Busch North Series event at Seekonk In Winston Cup action in the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Kevin Harvick took the win over Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray. Brian Vickers was the winner of the Busch Racing Series event at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Fifteen years ago in 2008, The third event of the four race WaterSnoGo Modified Showdown took place on Saturday, July 26 at the All-Star Speedway in Epping, NH. With no other major Modified event scheduled for the weekend, a large number of entries were received for the prestigious event. The race was 125 green flag laps in length, paying $5,000 to the winner. Matt Hirschman won his fourth race in a row after he led the race from start to finish. Jon McKennedy finished second and was followed by Chris Pasteryak, Jimmy Kuhn, Jr and Ryan Preece. Sixth through tenth were Ken Barry, Mike Ordway Jr., Jimmy Blewett, Ronnie Silk and Mike Stefanik.
The Thompson Speedway’s Thursday Night Thunder program was cancelled as heavy rains and severe thunderstorms caused the management of the Thompson International Speedway to pull the plug as the speedway complex was all but flooded out.
The Whelen All-American Series NASCAR race event at Stafford Motor Speedway featured the 5th Annual CARQUEST SK 150. Woody Pitkat scored the $4,000 winner’s check by coming back from a flat tire, which put him two laps down at one point with a late race pass for the win. Joe Rzeszutek wired the field in the 30-lap Late Model feature for his first win of the 2008 season, Harry Wheeler became a first-time career winner in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Andrew Durand nailed down his second feature victory of the 2008 season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Jeff Jolly scored his first win of the 2008 season in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event.
In the 150-lap SK Modified feature event, Todd Owen took the lead from the pole and led the first 9 laps before giving way to Chris Jones on lap-16. Jones led to lap-27 when Frank Ruocco took over the lead. Ruocco then led to lap-54 when Keith Rocco took the lead on a restart, but Ruocco would retake the lead on lap-56. Ruocco remained out front until lap-93 when Ronnie Silk moved to the point. Silk then held the lead up to lap-102 when Ruocco went back out front. Ruocco held the race lead until Silk beat Ruocco back to the start/finish line on lap-124 with the caution coming out one lap later.
Silk held the point through lap-138. On a restart on lap-139, Rocco charged into the lead with a great move in turn 3, but a determined Silk moved back to the point several laps later on lap-141. Woody Pitkat, who had earlier spun with a flat tire and lost two laps, gained his two laps back with lucky dog awards and was now in the thick of the mix for the race lead and the battle for the win. Pitkat moved to second on lap-142 and he took the race lead for the first time on lap-143. Ruocco got back to second, but it was too late for him to catch Pitkat, who took down his third feature victory of the 2008 season. Ruocco came home second, with Rocco, Kenny Horton, and Jeff Malave rounding out the top-5. Pre-race favorite Ted Christopher, who was celebrating his fiftieth birthday, finished 23rd.
At the Waterford Speedbowl Doug Coby and Tyler Chadwick won the Town Fair Tire Night twin 35-lap SK Modified features. Other feature winners were Tim Jordan (Late Model), Al Stone III (Sportsman), Ben Bargnesi (Mini Stock), and Max Zachem (Legends).
In the first of two 35-lap SK Modified features, pole-sitter Doug Coby battled with Jeff Paul during the opening stages. Upon a restart with fifteen circuits remaining the leader faltered, causing a chain-reaction that damaged several top cars, most able to return after going pitside. Entering the midway point, it was again Coby and Paul, with Rob Janovic Jr. closing quickly. During the final laps, Coby took total command. Rounding-out the top-5 was Paul, Janovic, Jeff Pearl, and Shawn Monahan. Starting from the pole, young Tyler Chadwick led the entire measure of the caution-filled SK Modified nightcap to snare his first-ever victory. Not an easy feat, he held-off the advances of some of the Speedbowl’s best including Doug Coby, Jeff Paul, and defending champion Dennis Gada during several tense late-race restarts. Following the winner was Paul, Coby, Gada, and Jeff Pearl.
The foreclosure issues at the shoreline oval were once again in the news. Somewhere in the neighborhood of around $22,000 in property taxes had not been paid. Rocco Arbitell who holds the mortgage on the Speedbowl property said it’s the responsibility of Terry Eames. Eames claims it’s the responsibility of track operator Jerry Robinson The issue had become a war of words between the two. The outcome would be decided in court at a future date.
Kyle Busch led all but three laps Saturday night to win the Kroger 200, his sixth NASCAR Nationwide Series victory of the season. Busch’s win was Toyota’s 15th in 22 Nationwide races, but the first event since NASCAR’s mandate Wednesday to cut down the horsepower in Series engines knocked 15 horsepower out of Toyota’s engines. NASCAR changed the parameters after rival teams complained, even though Toyota was within the rules. Busch also won the event at O’Reilly Raceway Park in 2004. Polesitter Colin Braun finished second Saturday, and Mike Bliss moved up from 17th to finish third.
Jimmie Johnson celebrated his second Sprint Cup victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a burnout. Appropriately, one of his tires exploded. He was lucky he made it that long Sunday. Tire troubles derailed the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard when Goodyear’s product wasn’t durable enough to withstand more than 10 or so laps at a time. It created a chaotic and confusing caution-filled race that ended when Johnson outran Carl Edwards in a seven-lap sprint to the finish. Goodyear and NASCAR were left to explain why the 400-mile race became a debacle. The tire issue cropped up Saturday, when drivers learned during the first practice they could only last three to 10 laps before the rubber wore down to the cords. NASCAR and Goodyear hoped the conditions would improve as it has in years past, once enough rubber was laid on the track. But the first-time use of the Car of Tomorrow prevented any improvement. The lack of downforce on the car, combined with a higher center of gravity, created conditions that made it very hard on the right side tires. There were 11 yellow flags, and NASCAR had to throw six competition cautions to force teams to pit and change tires. It meant the longest green-flag run was an embarrassing 12 laps, causing teams to fear both tire failures and a possible supply shortage. Johnson fretted the final two stops, unsure what the right strategy would be. He took two tires on his final stop to emerge from pit road as the leader, then held off Edwards and Denny Hamlin over a final seven-lap green flag run to the finish line. Sprint Cup points leader Kyle Busch finished 15th. Busch was coming off a win Saturday night in the Nationwide Series Kroger 200 in Clermont, Ind. The win gave Toyota its 15th victory in 22 Nationwide races this season. It was Busch’s 15th win of the season spanning NASCAR’s three series, breaking the record of 14 set by Kevin Harvick in 2006.
Ten years ago in 2013, Thursday night Thunder at the Thompson Speedway was cancelled due to rain for the second week in a row. Thursday marked the third time this year weather has effected the Valenti Modified Racing Series at Thompson. The division was scheduled to run a feature at the track on May 19, but that was cancelled because of rain.
Sunoco Modified competitor Dennis Perry was at the speedway and gave this report. “Went to Thompson today to grab a couple trucks and wow have they torn it up. Will be interesting to see how they run the show next week as there is barely any tar or grass in the pit area. The only tar is in the line where they have the tours pit and the road out back is all dirt now. Guess we will all be going old school and pitting in the dirt again. Just hope the idiots who come off the track ticked off don’t tear up the dirt roads so the nose on the mods drag”.
At the Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday night the Whelen Modified Tour Series was in town. Doug Coby brought back fond memories of Geoff Bodine and Ray Hendrick who raced at Stafford back then and would lap the field on their way to victory. Coby did just that with a dominating run that put him in victory lane and back in contention to defend his series title. Ryan Preece, who continues to lead the point standings went from the penthouse to the outhouse on the next to last lap as he went from second spot to 16th after incurring a flat tire which resulted in a spin.
Donnie Lia, who has had a so-so season in the Mystic Missile reaped the benefits of Preece’s misfortune as he inherited the runner-up spot. Ted Christopher, pole sitter Bobby Santos and Ron Silk rounded out the top five. Coby’s performance was so strong he was able to lap all but the top seven. following Silk on the lead lap was Eric Goodale and Woody Pitkat. Rounding out the top ten and down a lap were Mike Stefanik, Cole Powel and Ron Yuhas Jr. There were 26 Modifieds on hand for the event that drew a standing room only crowd.
In other Friday night action at Stafford, Eric Berndt was a first time winner on the season in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Adam Gray extended his streak of consecutive podium finishes to 11 with his fourth win of the season in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Ronnie Williams took down his second win in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Albert Saunders claimed his second win in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Brandon Michael scored his first win of the season in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
Like Coby, Berndt reaped the benefits of Ryan Preece’s misfortune. Preece was the class of the SK Modified field but was the victim of contact and ultimately a spin by Dan Avery. It was a possible payback as Preece had moved Avery out of his way earlier in the event.
The Valenti Modified Racing Series returned to action Saturday at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Me. Steve Masse took the lead with seven laps to go and went on to win the 100 lapper. Anthony Nocella finished second with Chris Pasteryak, third. Richard Savory and Rowan Pennink rounded out the top five.
Masse started on the pole and led the first 63 laps before giving way to David Pinkham in a restart on lap 64. Pinkham led through lap 92 and then faded to finish 9th.
Action at the Waterford Speedbowl saw Diego Monahan go pole to pole, but had to survive nine caution flags before winning the 35-lap SK Modified feature. Other winners in the Speedbowl’s weekly NASCAR Whelen All-American Series were Keith Rocco in the Late Model feature, Bill Leonard in the Mini Stock race and Corey Barry in the SK Light Modified feature.
Monahan was lucky to be out front of a wild SK Modified race. In addition to the nine caution flags, Monahan had to endure 13 restart attempts. Point leaders Rocco and Todd Ceravolo of Gales Ferry found themselves among the lead pack only to meet misfortune over the event. Rocco spun off turn four on lap 11, restarted at the rear and worked back up to the front only to get caught up in another incident battling Tyler Chadwick for third on lap 21. After pitting for a flat left rear tire, Rocco got back into contention for the win and had the final shot at Monahan on the final restart with two laps remaining. He lined up outside of Monahan, but couldn’t find any traction in the top groove of the track and Monahan went on to record his first win since 2007. Rocco finished in second while Ceravolo rebounded from a spin on lap-17 to come back for third.
Down in the south land at the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC twin 50’s for the NASCAR Modifieds were run on Friday night and the NASCAR Southern Modified tuour visited on Saturday night.
Tim Brown, who registered his 69th career victory and is two away from matching Junior Miller’s record total, held off challenges by Dean Ward, who was the fastest qualifier for the first time this season, and then Burt Myers to win the first 50 lapper. In the second 50 lapper, Jason Myers survived a three-lap drag race with pole-sitter Tommy Neal and then fended off challenges from Danny Bohn through four more restarts on the way to his fourth victory of the season and 14th overall.
Ryan Preece usually competes at the Riverhead Raceway on Long Island on Saturday nights. This week he turned right instead of turning left at the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge exit as he headed to North Carolina. The 700 plus mile drive paid off as he won the pole starting position and after leading all 199 laps at the flat quarter mile speedway, recorded his first win in NASCAR’s Whelen Southern Modified Tour. Preece survived nine restarts and was able to outdistance Burt Myers who finished second.
Canadian driver Cole Powell finished third for the second straight year in the tour race at Bowman Gray. Danny Bohn was fourth, and Tim Brown fifth. Woody Pitkat, who also made the the 12 hour trip, fell on misfortune and finished 19th.
At the Riverhead Raceway on Long Island twin 30’s were run for the Modifieds. Timmy Solomito and Howie Brode took the wins.
Brad Keselowski overcame an early pit road penalty and overheating issues to win Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway.
Kasey Kahne beat out Jeff Gordon in the Pocono Sprint Cup event.
Tony Stewart’s championship chances were officially over for the season. The three-time NASCAR champion broke his right leg Monday night at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, where he flipped his 360 winged sprint car while leading with five laps remaining in the 30-lap feature. He had surgery Tuesday on the upper and lower parts of his leg, and Stewart-Haas Racing said he’ll need a second surgery.
He remained hospitalized and there was no timetable for his return to racing. Max Papis was tabbed to replace Stewart this weekend in the No. 14 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen, where Stewart is a five-time winner and his streak of 521 consecutive starts would end.
Five years ago in 2018, At the Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday night the Whelen Modified Tour Series was in the house along with the Regular weekly divisions. Doug Coby ended a long dry spell as he won the Starrett 150, Glen Reen won in the SK Modified® feature, Tom Fearn became Stafford’s winningest Late Model driver in history with his 46th career win in the Late Model feature, Mark Bakaj became a 2-time winner this season in the SK Light feature that saw a spectacular 3-wide photo finish at the finish, Jeremy Lavoie won for the 8th time this season in the Limited Late Model feature, and Tess Beyer won for the second time this year in the Street Stock feature.
The victory in the Starrett 150 was the first of the season for Coby, his 24th career in Whelen Modified Tour competition and the 11th of his career at the historic Stafford half-mile. Coby found himself racing Justin Bonsignore for the lead on lap 13 when the two made contact and Coby went sliding through the grass, narrowly avoiding disaster and entering the track back in the 15th position. Luckily for him, the wreck left him with no damage, but from there, it was an uphill battle for the veteran. After pitting numerous times, he slowly worked his way back up through the field, and stayed out during a caution on lap 118, taking the lead of the race and putting himself in position to control the finish.
A caution on lap 140 gave the field one more chance to pass Coby, but no one could make it happen. Woody Pitkat charged through the field after pitting for fresh Hoosier rubber during a caution late and crossed the line second. Eric Goodale made a charge through the field late and finished third, followed by Rowan Pennink, who led a race-high 50 laps. Timmy Solomito rounded out the top five. Craig Lutz was sixth, followed by Justin Bonsignore, Jimmy Blewett, Kyle Bonsignore and Chris Pasteryak.
Nearly 1/3 of the event was run under caution as the yellow flag flew on 11 occasions for 47 laps. Among those who failed to finish were Bobby Santos who crashed on lap 139, Jon McKennedy who had suspension problems on lap132, Ron Williams had suspension problems on lap121, Chase Dowling crashed on lap 83, Burt Myers lost his power steering on lap 42, Melissa Fifield dropped out on lap 23 because her crew forgot to remove her car cover and Dave Sapienza who’s car died on the start.
Among the missing from the WMT line-up was Ryan Preece. Preece was at Watkins Glen, NY practicing for last Saturday’s Xfinity Series event in which he finished third. It was recently announced that Joe Gibbs Racing had signed Craftsman Tools as a primary sponsor for Preece in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for multiple races for the remainder of 2018, which will add at least four more races to his venue. Modified car owner Eddie Partridge will continue to field a car for Preece when he is available.
In the 40 lap SK Modified feature, Reen took the lead on the restart following a caution on lap 32 with Matt Galko applying heavy pressure from second. Tom Bolles was third with Tyler Hines in fourth and Todd Owen in fifth. Mike Christopher Jr was just behind Owen in sixth after an earlier spin. Reen held Galko off to the checkered flag to pick up his first feature win of the season to go along with his victory in the July 13 TC 13 Shoot Out. Bolles finished third with Hines and Christopher rounding out the top-5.
On the Connecticut shoreline at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl, races were cancelled shortly after 2:00pm because of heavy rain. Sunday was designated as a rain date and boy, was it hot! Fans and competitors endured as the entire race program was run off in temperatures over 90 deg.
Rob Janovic was the winner of the left over SK Modified event. Kyle James finished second with Andrew Molleur, third. James won the regular SK Modified feature over Justin Albernaz and Janovic. Anthony Flannery won a spirited battle over Ryan Morgan in the Late Models and Peter Bennett was victorious in the Legends. Twin features were run for the Limited Sportsman with Al Stone III and Jason Chicolas taking the wins. Shawn Monahan was the Outlaw Street winner and Brett Meservy took the top spot in the Pro Fours.
Down in the southland at the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jason Myers dominated the last 40 laps of the 100-lap Modified race to win his third race of the season. It was also his 33rd career win at Bowman Gray, tying him with Robert Jeffreys on the careers wins list. John Smith was second, Bobby Measmer Jr. was third, Jonathan Brown was fourth and Tim Brown was fifth. Myers started 13th and weaved his way to first with about a third of the race remaining.
Racing at the Riverhead Raceway on Long Island went on in spite of a threat of rain. Timmy Solomito of Islip made a surprise visit to his old stomping grounds Saturday night at Riverhead Raceway and promptly went out and mastered a late race restart to win the night’s 50-lap NASCAR Modified feature event for his 20th career victory tying him with Howie Brode and Ronnie Herra for 18th on the all time win list. Making the win sweeter for the driver known as “The Natural” was his brother Shawn, a former two time champion at Riverhead called the shots as his crew chief.
As the race hit it’s final five laps it appeared as though Tom Rogers had things in control and would be headed for his 50th career win in a NASCAR Modified. Low and behold a late race yellow would wave on lap 46 setting up a four lap dash for the cash and double file restart pitting Rogers against Solomito. As the field hit the throttle off turn four Rogers car broke ever so slightly loose off the corner allowing Solomito to ride the outside lane to the race lead. Once gaining the lead on the start of the 47th lap Solomito steering the Anti 3 Protect Services hit his marks on the final three laps to drive off to a very much needed and popular win. Tom Rogers Jr. with his runner-up finish in the Stakey’s Pumpkin Farm Chevy moved into the championship lead as he seeks his fifth career title reflected after the race, “guess Jim Malone Sr. was smiling down tonight and we’ll have to wait to get that 50th win to tie him. Great run by Timmy on the final restart, we still had a great night and were able to take advantage of Kyle’s early misfortune” Jon McKennedy was third over the line in the Accell Construction, Inc. Chevy. Young guns Chris Young of Calverton and John Fortin Jr. of Holtsville completed the top five with solid performances.
Joey Logano passed Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski on a restart in the closing laps Saturday and held off his final challenge to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International in a race that was red-flagged for rain, forcing the drivers to briefly run on grooved rain tires. Logano beat AJ Allmendinger by 3.3 seconds. Justin Allgaier was third, followed Ryan Preece.
After eight runner-up finishes in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition, Chase Elliott finally kicked down the door to victory lane during Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen Int’l. His first trip to victory lane was far from a forgone conclusion as Elliott had to hold off defending Watkins Glen race winner and reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. in the run to the checkered flag.
NASCAR CEO and chairman Brian France was arrested on charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated and criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to a Sag Harbor Village (New York) Police Department news release.
According to the news release, France was arrested at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug 5, held overnight and arraigned Monday morning at the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court, where he was released on his own recognizance.
“Mr. France was observed operating a 2017 Lexus northbound on Main Street failing to stop at a duly posted stop sign,” the news release said. “Upon traffic stop, it was determined that Mr. France was operating said vehicle in an intoxicated condition.
No other information was immediately available. TMZ first reported the arrest of France in the Hamptons.
Under NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, Brian France could be suspended and required to go through a recovery program, or he could be subjected to drug testing.
Statement from NASCAR: “Brian France has taken an indefinite leave of absence from NASCAR as chairman and chief executive officer. Effective immediately, NASCAR Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Jim France has assumed the role of interim chairman and chief executive officer.”
On a sad note, Jimmy “The Junkman” Savage passed away on Saturday at the age of 85. A friend to just about everyone, the Junkman lived and breathed all his life for Modified Racing. For over 60 years Savage was the heart and soul of Bob Garbarino’s Mystic Missile and Art Barry’s Racing Team. He is survived by his wife Pat and son Jimmy.
Jimmy was a Korean War Veteran, serving in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1956. Shortly after his military service, he worked for Electric Boat for 34 years retiring in 1995 as a tank tester technician.
His greatest passion was building and maintaining NASCAR Whelen Modified race cars with the crews of Art Barry in Preston and Bob Garbarino in Mystic. Jim was also a 5 time NASCAR modified champion crew member.
Among the many testimonials was that of Donnie Lia. “RIP to Jim Savage. One of the best guys you could ever meet at the track and life in general. I had the honor and privilege to work with and become friends with him while driving for Bob. I can still hear him everyday “Do your best, and forget the rest” which he would tell me in my ear each and every time I got in the Race car. I’ll never forget that, and him. My heart goes out to Jim Savage and family on this sad day. RIP to a great man with an incredibly huge heart and personality.”
Dick Berggren, a highly respected member of the racing press pretty much summed it up, “He was very, very special.”
Savage was laid to rest on Tuesday, Aug 7 at 11am at the Riverbend Cemetary in Westerly, RI. Calling hours were from 5-8pm on Monday, Aug 6, at the Mystic Funeral Home in Mystic, Ct.
Last year, 2022, The Stafford Motor Speedway just beat the rain on Friday night as fans and competitors had to run for it shortly after the final checkered flag flew. Prior to that temps in the mid 90’s and high humidity enveloped the speedway. Anthony Bello became a first-time winner in the SK Modified® feature, Darrell Keane took down his first Late Model win in nearly 2 years, George Bessette, Jr. scored his second SK Light win of the season, Rich Hammann notched his fourth Limited Late Model win of the season, and Bert Ouellette was a first-time 2022 winner in the Street Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Jon Puleo and Andrew Molleur went wheel to wheel following a lap six restare. Puleo spun in front of the field which collected John Montesanto, Michael Christopher, Jr., Tyler Hines, and Keith Rocco. Puleo felt that Hines had done him wrong but officials didn’t. Rocco, who was hoping to build on the previous weeks win got collected and suffered front end damage.
On the restart, Todd Owen took the point with Marcello Rafuano in the second spot. Anthony Bello was third followed by Bryan Narducci and Andrew Molleur. Rufrano took the lead from Owen on lap-10 with Bello taking second as Owen fell back to third. Molleur and Narducci were side by side for fourth with Molleur taking the spot. Bello was applying heavy pressure to Rufrano on lap-19 looking to make a bid for the lead. With 10 laps to go, Rufrano was still in front followed by Bello, Owen, Molleur, and Kopcik. Bello took the lead from Rufrano with 5 laps to go with a pass on the backstretch that saw the two cars touch and Rufrano get sideways. Bello led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his very first SK Modified® win at Stafford. Rufrano finished second with Owen, Molleur, and David Arute rounding out the top-5.
The 9th Annual NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K is this coming Friday, August 5. Tickets for the NAPA SK 5K are available online at StaffordSpeedway.com/tickets and will also be available at the gates day of show. General Admission tickets are $30.00 for adults, $10.00 for kids 6-14, and free for kids 5 & under. Reserved seating is priced at $35.00 for all ages and pit passes are $45.00 with a valid 2022 Stafford Competition License and $50.00 without a Stafford license. If you are unable to attend in person, tune into the live stream on FloRacing, the official streaming partner of Stafford Speedway.
Despite the impending inflation scare plus covid and the threat of monkey pox the Stafford Motor Speedway is holding its own in these trying times. Car counts have been great as been the crowds. One of the big reasons for their success is their competitors point fund which has been supplemented by the infusion of money from FloRacing which live streams all events. The point fund which will reward competitors at season’s end now totals $73,000.
The SK Modified division point fund now totals $28,200 with $6,000 going to the champion. The Late Model division point fund totals $16,000 with $3,000 going to the champ. The SK Lights and the Limited Late Models each have an $11,050 point fund with each champion receiving $2,000 and the Street Stocks fund totals $6,700 with $1,000 to the champion.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series took a week off in order to prepare for last Fridays Clash at Claremont 150 at New Hampshire’s Claremont Motorsports Park. Jon McKennedy picked a perfect time to return to NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Victory Lane. For the first time since 2018, the Massachusetts racer parked in Victory Lane at Claremont Motorsports Park on Friday night in the Tour return to Claremont for the first time in 15 years.
The Clash at Claremont 150 was part of a full night at Claremont, which also included four house divisions as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series. Jon McKennedy passed Mayhew Tools polesitter Jake Johnson for the lead early and was in prime position to seal the deal over the final laps, driving away to his second career Whelen Modified Tour win. Behind McKennedy, points leader Ron Silk held onto his lead with a second-place finish, while Johnson settled for third spot driving the Boehler Racing No. 3. Matt Hirschman finished fourth and wrapped up the inaugural Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup crown. And a $5,000 bonus. Rounding out the top five was Kyle Bonsignore.
Three-time series champion Justin Bonsignore finished sixth, followed by Tommy Catalano, Brian Robie, six-time champion Doug Coby and Matt Kimball. There were 23 cars on hand along with an over-flow crowd.
A replay of the Clash at Claremont 150 will be aired on USA Network on Friday, August 5 at 1 p.m. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to racing on Wednesday, August 17, at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the Phoenix Communications 150. The 2022 schedule is now complete for JDV Productions.
Across the big pond at the Riverhead Raceway on Long Island it was a night of high emotion, nostalgia and some good old school NASCAR Modified and when the dust settled on the annual Baldwin, Evans & Jarzombek 77 for the second year in a row Kyle Soper in the Wayne Anderson #15 sat in the winner’s circle. Soper using a perfect balance of patience and aggression took the lead with just five laps left in the contest from Timmy Solomito to pocket his 4th win of 2022, 28th of his career.
During opening ceremonies John Cozza of Medford and Rusty Turbush of Manorville were enshrined on the Cromarty Wall of Champions during a track side ceremony prior to feature racing. Then fans were asked to turn their attention to the top of the pit grandstands between turns three and four where a gray tarp was pulled back unveiling the 2020 Islip 300 winning NASCAR Modified owned by the late Eddie Partridge. The car driven by Ryan Preeece sits atop a large pole and will serve as an everlasting tribute to Eddie Partridge, a bigger than life personality in short track racing. Jimmy Blewett, who readied the car in his race shop in New Jersey was on hand for the ceremony and told the fans how much it meant for him to be part of the process. Eddie’s widow Connie and nephew Tom Gatz were part of the unveiling and needless to say there was not a dry eye in the house.
Down in the southland at the Bowman Gray Stadium twin 25’s were the bill of fare. Lee Jeffreys took the opener over Tim Brown and Chris Fleming. Burt Myers and Jonathan Brown rounded out the top five. In the nightcap Brian Loftin Clemmons took the win over Daniel Beeson, Jeremy Gerstner, Brandon Ward and Jason Myers.
In NASCAR cup racing, Tyler Reddick closed the best month of his career with an overtime win Sunday on the road course at Indy to give him two victories in the last five Cup races.