Column Compiled By: PHIL SMITH / RPW – WESTERLY, RI – The NASCAR Whelen Modified tour series traveled south to the Langley Speedway on Saturday night.
On a hot and sticky night with temps near 90 deg Kyle Bonsignore scored his first series win since 2018. Starting fourth in the 15 car field, Bonsignore was running second by lap 45 and played his cards in a smooth fashion until the opportunity presented itself on lap 145 when he made the winning move to pass Austin Beers for the lead and eventual win.
Beers, who recorded the best lap in practice and earned the Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award in qualifying, led the first 145 circuits of the 150-lap race. But Bonsignore’s speed was evident, too, as he spent most of the event lurking behind Beers in second.
Justin Bonsignore finished third ahead of Ron Silk in fourth and Kyle Ebersole in fifth. Tyler Rypkema, Jake Johnson, Max McLaughlin, Craig Lutz and Anthony Nocella finished sixth through 10th
Although it was announced that 15 modifieds were on hand only ten of them were competitive. Tim Connolly, competitive years ago is just out there riding around and was two laps down at the finish. John Michael Shenette was driving his first modified type race. He may turn into a more competitive driver in the future. Ken Heagy is sponsored by a seafood market is a fish out of water as is Gary McDonald.
Last Friday night at Stafford was a quiet one as the heavy rains blanketed the entire Connecticut area just about all day. Five events remain to complete the season on Friday night, Sept. 29. Two-time defending SK Modified® champion Todd Owen has placed his #81 Cooker Construction machine in a perfect position to make some Stafford history.
Since the inception of the SK Modified® division in 1982, no driver has ever managed to win three consecutive track championships. Owen has already joined Jerry Pearl, Mike Christopher, Bob Potter, Ted Christopher, Rowan Pennink, and Ronnie Williams as back-to-back champions and he sits in a prime position to become the first to win three in a row. While he hasn’t been the most dominant car this season, Owen has been by far the most consistent car, finishing all 13 races thus far in the top-10 and he leads all drivers with 8 top-5 finishes to go along with his victory in the August 4 NAPA SK 5k.
Owen heads into the final 5 races of the season with a 36 point lead over Cory DiMatteo and the #11 Hummel Brothers Hot Dogs team, who won their second race of the season on August 18 and a 38 point lead over Jimmy Blewett. Blewett kicked off the 2023 season by winning the NAPA Spring Sizzler® feature event and he parlayed that season opening win into leading the points standings for the majority of the season.
Several on-track issues over the last several weeks has seen Blewett fall from the lead back to third in the standings but the #85 Primary Services Group / John Blewett, Inc. crew will be looking to regain their early season advantage over the final weeks.
The SK Light division has seen 2020 track champion Brian Sullivan in control of the standings since the beginning of the year thanks to 3 wins over the first 4 races of the season. As good as Sullivan and the #46 Monaco Ford team have been with a division leading 4 wins, 8 top-5, and 11 top-10 finishes this season, George Bessette, Jr. and the #39 Lasco Roofing and Sheet Metal team have been just as good with 3 wins, 9 top-10, and 10 top-10 finishes. A win by Bessette combined with a 21st place finish for Sullivan, his first finish outside the top-10 this season, on August 18, has tightened the championship race down to 8 points, or 4 positions on the track between Sullivan and Bessette. Tyler Chapman, who dueled with Tyler Barry for the SK Light crown last season, sits third in the standings, 48 points behind Sullivan with Alexander Pearl fourth, 62 points behind.
Just as Todd Owen is looking to make Stafford history in the SK Modified® division, current Late Model points leader Kevin Gambacorta and the #23 Lavigne Law team are looking to etch their names into a special place in the Stafford record books. Gambacorta has won championships in the Street Stock and Limited Late Model divisions to join Ron Narducci, George Janoski, Tom Rosai, Mike Stefanik, Chuck Docherty, Doug Coby, Woody Pitkat, Michael Bennett, and Tom Fearn as drivers who have won track titles in two different divisions and he is seeking to become the first driver to win a title in three different divisions. The 2023 season has been good to Gambacorta, who is tied for the division lead with 3 wins while leading all drivers with 9 top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes in the first 12 races. The race for the 2023 championship has seen Gambacorta and the #92 King Gray Coach Lines team of Tom Fearn swap the lead in the standings between themselves with Gambacorta holding a 32 point lead over Fearn with 5 races to go. Michael Wray sits third in the standings, 62 points behind Gambacorta with Adam Gray 64 points behind in fourth and Wayne Coury, Jr. fifth, 68 points behind.
The Limited Late Model division has been a back and forth affair between trio of the #6 Rosati’s / Riley Generators team of 2-time champion Jeremy Lavoie, the #14 Gendon Auto Parts / Garrett’s Carpentry team of Kevin Cormier, and the #59 Utility Services New England team of Matt Clement at the top of the standings. Clement and Cormier both opened the season with strong efforts that saw Clement win twice and post 5 podium finishes in the first 6 races while Cormier 3 wins in the first 6 races. Lavoie’s consistency of finishing every race in the top-6 this season has seen him overtake both Clement and Cormier as the season hit the summer months and he heads into the final 5 races with a 16 point advantage over Cormier and an 18 point lead over Clement. Also in the mix is the defending champion #28 NAPA Tolland team of Rich Hammann, who has won the last 2 feature events to close within 36 points of Lavoie going into the final races of the season.
The Street Stock division in 2023 has been a story of two teams exerting domination over the rest of the field. Travis Hydar and the #11 Hydar Construction and Ryan Waterman and the #31 Fairway Mortgage team have won 10 of the 12 Street Stock races held this season with Waterman leading Hydar in wins by a 6 to 4 margin. Waterman also holds the point lead over Hydar by 14 point margin. The next closest car in the standings is the #67 Faith Construction team of Aaron Plemons, 132 points behind Waterman. Waterman opened the season with 4 wins in the first 5 races and he has led the standings from the start of the year to now with Hydar slowly chipping away at the margin to Waterman.
Down in the southland at the Ace Speedway in North Carolina the SMART tour was back in action with a 99 lapper. Ace Speedway is a 4/10 mile oval, similar to the Albany-Saratoga Speedway when it was paved. Burt Myers took the win over Ryan Newman and Bobby Measmer.
In action at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl Anthony Flannery made it two in a row in the 35-lap SK Modified feature Saturday at the Connecticut shoreline oval. Flannery started ninth. Todd Owen finished second with Ryan Morgan, third. Cory DiMatteo and Eric Berndt rounded out the top five.
In action at the Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine, Richard Savary dominated the MRS feature race on the eve of the Oxford 250, leading 72 of the race’s 75 laps to take the checkered flag ahead of Joey Jarvis and Jacob Perry.
In NASCAR cup action at the Daytona International Speedway as the race went into NASCAR Overtime, Chris Buescher received a substantial push from teammate and RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski, which saw the two cars remain hooked up for the majority of the two-lap run. That level of commitment to each other made the duo unstoppable coming to the checkered flag, allowing both the No. 17 and No. 6 to cross the start-finish line while occupying the top-two positions.
Following a nasty crash in the closing laps of Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Daytona International Speedway, Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 RaceChoice.com Ford Mustang was transported to a local area hospital. The crash, which happened with five laps to go, saw the Stewart-Haas Racing driver get tipped out of the pack before brutally barrel-rolling down the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway.
As of Sunday at 2:20 AM, SHR says that Preece is awake, alert, and mobile, but will remain overnight at Halifax Health Medical Center for continued observation. He will undergo further observation by medical personnel. Preece was released from the hospital on Sunday morning and headed to his home in North Carolina.
The all new book, The Modified Years At Stafford, by the Grace of God and 600 hp, is gaining interest and has become a must have in race fans and competitors library. Race by Race, Year by Year, it’s all there. Read all about it! Books are now available on Amazon.com and Coastal 181 (877-907-8181 toll free) and are available thru Stafford’s web site in their store. Order yours now. Makes a great gift!
With the cooperation of the Arute family another 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).