Column Compiled By: PHIL SMITH / RPW – WESTERLY, RI – The NASCAR Whelen Modified tour series traveled to the Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH on Saturday night with 19 cars on hand.
Among those in the field was Jacob Perry who was making his debut in the top Modified division. Justin Bonsignore, still smarting from his wreck at Oswego took the pole position as he toured the .25mile oval in 12.72 seconds. Second fastest was Austin Beers. Sam Rameau was third. Anthony Noscella and Doug Coby rounded out the top five.
Interesting to note that Jacob Perry qualified ninth while Melissa Fifield was 19th. Perry was 0.9sec faster on the .25 mile oval.
Justin Bonsignore more than made up for his misjudgement at Oswego when he crashed out of the event and received a broken thumb in the process and lost the point lead. Starting from the pole, he led the entire 150 lap distance. On the other hand, Ron Silk, who had the point lead going into the event, was the victim of an early tangle with Jacob Perry.
Shortly after the field completed lap one at the quarter-mile bullring, Perry clipped the left-rear of Silk’s No. 16. The contact spun Silk around in front of the field and Perry’s No. 21 Modified climbed over the left-front tire of Silk’s car as several other drivers piled into the crash. Silk continued on and quickly went to the pits, somehow emerging just in time to stay on the lead lap.
However, moments after the green flag waved for the restart, more trouble found Silk as a left-rear tire went flat, causing him to spin and bring out another caution. His crew was able to bolt on a new tire, but Silk’s car was never the same and he finished two laps down in 12th. Perry ended up 13th.
Following Bonsignore at the finish was Austin Beers. Sam Rameau, who earned a career-best finish in third. Kyle Bonsignore was fourth with Doug Coby who rounded out the top five. Sixth thru tenth included Anthony Nocella, Jake Johnson, Brian Robie, Craig Lutz and Matt Kimball.
While Bonsignore was able to celebrate a win after 150 hard fought laps at Monadnock, Doug Coby and team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. also had plenty of reasons to be happy after claiming the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup championship.
The accomplishment for Coby and Baldwin comes just weeks after Baldwin announced that his Tommy Baldwin Racing team would be parked while he undergoes cancer treatments.
For Baldwin and Coby, the opportunity to race for the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup and the $5,000 bonus that comes with it was too good to pass up. A fifth-place finish by Coby was just enough for Baldwin’s team to claim the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup ahead of Bonsignore and Austin Beers, who finished second.
Two big stories came out of Monadnock Speedway last weekend. First off, the speedway will be paved this fall before the snow flies and second of all the speedway will be leased and promoted by JDV Productions (Josh Venada} in 2023.
Last Friday night at Stafford it wasn’t in the cards that races were to be held. After a two-hour rain delay, Stafford Speedway officials made the decision to call off Friday night’s racing card.
The Kid’s Night Big Wheel event scheduled for Friday has been rescheduled to Sept. 22. The TC 13 Shootout event for the SK Modified division will be run on Sept. 29. Tickets from tonight’s event will be honored on either Sept. 22 or Sept. 29.
Among the missing at Staffford last week was Jimmy Blewett. Internet news site RaceDayCt reported that Blewett had some herniated discs and has one disc that’s a little out of place. It’s nothing that isn’t treatable.
Blewett said that he has to get the inflammation down in his neck and get the physical therapy and get everything put back in place where it needs to be. He hopes to return to racing at the upcoming Fall Final at Stafford. Woody Pitkat accepted the offer to fill the vacant seat.
Down in the southland the scheduled SMART Modified event slated for the Old Dominion Speedway in Virginia was cancelled due to rain.
In action at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl Eric Berndt was the winner of the SK Modified main event. After making contact with the wall the week prior, Berndt kicked off the 35 lap SK Modified® feature event looking like he was shot from a cannon. He would get off to a large lead while Todd Owen and Anthony Flannery moved their way up through the field in Berndt’s tire tracks.
A caution shortly into the event gave fans a spirited battle that showed short run speed for Flannery, but as the laps clicked on Berndt would once again pull away. In a race contested without much conflict, lapped traffic would play a part in bunching up the field again giving Flannery another chance to strike, however a brief battle with Owen would allow Berndt to run for cover. Berndt went on to win his third race of the season, closing the point gap with Todd Owen to only 11 points with only three events left.
Jason Palmer’s quest for his fourth Late Model title has gotten a bit easier after this past 30-Lap event. Corey Fanning jumped out to the early lead but Palmer made quick work of the outside groove, taking over the lead on lap 3 and never looking back. It was the 46th career Late Model win at Waterford for Palmer and his 99th victory overall at the track. Palmer also has 53 wins in the Legends division.
Palmer is now two victories away from tying Don Collins for third on the track’s all-time win list at 101 victories. Keith Rocco leads the track’s all-time win list with 154 victories and Phil Rondeau is second with 107 wins.
Across the big pond at the Riverhead Raceway on Long Island the pairing of NASCAR Modified talent Kyle Ellwood and car owner Ken Matlach came about first week of July when Dillon Steuer could not run the Matlach Motorsports car due to dirt racing commitments. Saturday the new pairing dominated the Celebrating Chris Young Twin 49’s setting fast time and then winning both feature events for Ellwood’s second and third victories of 2023. By sweeping the two races, Ellwood earned $1,000 from the Highmark Building Efficiency Clean Sweep bonus.
This Sunday at Star Speedway the stars or the MiltonCat Modified Racing Series compete in SBM100 for a $25 k purse with an additional $11013 k in bonus monies making it the highest payout in the 2023 season for the series! Paying the winner a minimum of 5k to win!
On a sad note, Bones Bourcier sends word that Bob Vivari,has passed away. Vivari, who in the late 1960s and much of the ’70s was so typical of the Saturday-night local heroes who brought thousands and thousands of fans to short tracks across this country. If you weren’t from Connecticut, you probably never saw Bob race, and even if you were in that area you had to catch him at Plainville Stadium, because he didn’t travel much. “He was a local racer who brought local fans to his local track, and that, after all, is the foundation of motorsports in America. By the way, Vivari was good enough to be a two-time (1968 and ’72, I believe) track champion at Plainville.”
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).
