Column Compiled By: PHIL SMITH / RPW – WESTERLY, RI – Thursday Night Thunder returned to Thompson Speedway for the first of three dates in 2024 on Thursday, June 13 with the Nutmeg State 50 presented by Twisted Tea!
Along with continued track championship action for the Sunoco 604 Modifieds, Late Models, AZ Roofing SK Light Modifieds, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks, Thursday night was headlined by the $5,000-to-win Nutmeg State 50 for the Outlaw Open Modifieds presented by Twisted Tea!
One must feel sorry for the ACT Group as they are making an honest attempt at Thompson. The Hoenig third generation made it clear a few years ago that all they care about is their Sports Cars and the oval track competitors who wont forget that for a long time.
A clear message was sent last Thursday night when fans showed up and saw an almost empty pit area. There were only six Modifieds, seven Mini Stocks, eight 604 Crate Modifieds, twelve SK Lights and sixteen Street Stocks.
Ron Williams jumped out to take the lead on lap 2 and never looked back as he collected $5,000 for the win. Matt Swanson finished second with Jacob Perry, third. Rounding out the field was RJ Marcotte, Kevin Folan and Josh Carey. In the Late Model feature Nick Johnson inherited the lead when race leader Ryan Lineham and second place Matt Lowinski-Loh took each other out in turn two. Ryan Morgan finished second and Brian Tagg, third.. Tyler Chapman won the 25-lap SK Light Modified feature. Ryan Waterman took the 20-lap Street Stock feature and Jared Roy took the 15-lap Mini Stock feature.
Keith Rocco was the 604 Modified winner. Danny Cates was second and Jon Puleo third. Rocco’s career overall total of 304 wins include 154 victories at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl, 74 at Thompson and 81 at Stafford Speedway.
The next stop for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the series’ most prestigious venue, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, for the running of the Mohegan Sun 100 on June 22 at 6:40 p.m. ET. FloRacing will provide live flag-to-flag coverage. Rising Modified competitor Luke Baldwin will make his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 22. Driving the Pace-O-Matic No. 7VA for Sadler-Stanley (SS) Racing, Baldwin will compete with NASCAR’s best during the only NASCAR National Series weekend of the New England racing season. It was 34 years ago that Loudon opened it’s doors thanks to the efforts of Bob Bahre.
Stafford Speedway had all good intentions of running the Casella Open 80 on June 7 until heavy rain stepped in postponing the event after lap 5. The event was rescheduled to be completed on Friday, June 15 until a forecast of severe weather forced cancellation again. This coming Friday, June 21. Friday is also qualifying day for the Whelen Modifieds at Loudon which means the drivers who wish to compete at Stafford will have to hustle to do the double.
The Casella Waste Open 80 took the green flag with Woody Pitkat taking the lead with Anthony Bello right behind him in second. Teddy Hodgdon and Michael Christopher, Jr. were wheel to wheel for third place with Chris Pasteryak in fifth. Hodgdon moved into second on lap-4 and lap-5 Christopher took third with Bello fourth and Pasteryak fifth. The caution flew with 5 laps complete as Pasteryak went around coming out of turn 2, which collected the cars of Keith Rocco, Anthony Flannery, Nick Salva, George Bessette, Jr., and Eric Goodale. Under the caution flag, rain again started to fall and postponed the completion of the event.
At the New London-Waterford Speedbowl Todd Owen returned to victory lane as he beat outAnthony Flannery for the SK Modified win. Nick Hovey was the SK Lite winner and Douglas Curry was the Late Model winner,
Down in North Carolina at the Bowman Gray Stadium twin 50’s were on tap with Tim Brown and John Holeman taking the wins.
In NASCAR Modified action at the Riverhead Raceway JR Bertuccio was the Modified winner. CJ Lehman was second with Justin Brown, third.
On a sad note, Area Auto Racing News announced last week that the Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY has been sold and will go out of existence. The plan for the 50 acres that the track sits on will include housing, restaurants and other businesses. The proposed project is being heralded as a way of lowering rising housing prices in the area for the growing computer chip industry. Global Industries built a plant a few miles away from the speedway and employs 2500 people who travel a lot of miles to get to work.
The Albany-Saratoga Speedway was built and run by Joe Lesick. It opened in 1965 with a United Stock Car sanction. The track, asphalt at the time, went with NASCAR and became a place for the New York Modified competitors. When the Stafford Speedway shifted to Saturday nights in 1970 the Malta track became a mecca where the best from New York and New England would race each other on Friday nights. One og the greatest competitors who races at Malta was Lou Lazzaro. Lazzaro was so good he raced the same car that he ran on Friday, then took it to the dirt at Fonda on Saturday and then to the then paved Utica-Rome Speedway on Sunday night. The only thing he changed on the car each night were the tires. One of his biggest fans was Richie Evans.
The up coming Tri-Track Series event that will honor Vinnie Annarummo is slated for Wednesday, June 26 at the Seekonk Speedway. Management of the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series will double the winner’s share for the event – making the race $20,000 to win. Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series management announced that their Open Wheel Wednesday event at Seekonk Speedway would feature a $20,000 to win purse as part of an additional $28,000 increase in the overall purse for the race.
Since then the purse has only continued to grow, with an additional $5,500 added. The additional money added brought the total purse for the event to $80,150, which will make it the highest paying Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series event in the division’s 11-year history. On Tuesday, June 11, an additional $4,000 was added to the purse, increasing the payout for second, third, fourth and fifth place by $1,000 for each position. On Wednesday the series added another $1,500 to the purse, with increases of $300 for each position sixth through tenth.
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).