NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS SOUTH For July 23, 2014
By Lou Modestino
Waterford Speedbowl returned to racing after the week’s early rain and got another Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday racing program into the record books. Dan Moon of Exeter, RI was a first-time
winner on the year in Super X-Car action to lead the way. Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott continued his hot streak in the INEX Legend Cars, Ken Morin Jr. of Old Saybrook won an INEX Bandolero feature that went down to the wire, and Rich Nye of Stonington was impressive in
winning the evening’s X-Car feature. Charlie Wilcox outdueled Art Chartier in the Vintage Outlaw Modified exhibition race and Peter Pollard mof Old Lyme won the night’s Wacky Race.
Waterford Speedbowl has announced further details for its Charlie Mitchell Memorial event as part of the track’s Nostalgia Night program July 26. Hall of Famer Don LaJoie will serve as
Grand Marshall for that night’s memorial race, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified® feature. In addition, Mitchell’s three sons, Chuck, Jimmy, and Dennis, will serve as honorary starters. A commemorative trophy will be presented to the night’s race winner in honor
of Mitchell.
We are very excited about the 4th annual Shane Hammond Memorial Race at the Waterford Speedbowl, Saturday, July 26. The Hammond 37 will be on display and our trailer full of SHBF merchandise for sale. Author Bob Englehart will be autographing the latest and greatest racing books, called Track rat, memoir of a Fan which begins that cold day in April 2008 at Thompson Speedway when Shane was taken from us. We are excited to announce this year will be a 37 Lap Feature event for both divisions. Our 2014 shirts will be available and we are still looking for sponsors to share in this event. We also have the following awards that need sponsors: Heat Winners, Feature Winners, Hard Charger, Hard Luck, Sportsmanship, Underdog, and Final Checkered Car.
There will be raffles and give aways in this years event and we are so excited to share all the news but we still have another week and we don’t want to let everything out of the bag quite yet! So stay tuned. Till the next time, don’t drive faster than your angel can fly!
With four races into the books on the 2014 season, it’s time for the resident stat-geek to take a look at the numbers for the Granite State Pro Stock Series.
The series has already raced at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Monadnock Speedway, Hudson International Speedway, and Star Speedway all before July. The schedule continues July 25th, as the series heads to Lee for the first time ever, and continues at Monadnock, Star, Hudson, White Mountain Motorsports Park, and concludes at the World Series at Thompson once more. With Lee and WMMP being the wildcards in the chase for the championship, as the series has never visited either facility, each race left is more important than ever.
There have been four different winners in four races to begin 2014. Mike O’Sullivan tied Matt Frahm’s career win total by picking up the win at the Icebreaker at TSMP, but Frahm upped the ante once more by winning the very next race at Monadnock. Larry Gelinas continued his torrid run by picking up the victory at Hudson, while Jeremy Davis returned to the GSPSS in style by grabbing the checkers at Star. This trend is actually the norm with the GSPSS, as there has only been one driver that has picked up more than one victory in a season. That driver? Matt Frahm in 2013.
Speaking of Gelinas’ season; the Buxton, ME driver has not finished outside the top 4 to begin the 2014 campaign. Dating back to last year, the 2013 championship runner-up has finished outside the top 5 only once in his last 7 races, giving him an average feature finish of 3.29 in that stretch. Surprisingly enough, that isn’t even the best stretch of top finishes in the short GSPSS history. Mike O’Sullivan’s first seven races netted him only one finish outside the top five as well, sporting a 2.71 average feature finish during that span, propelling O’Sullivan to the 2013 championship. Jeremy Davis’ 4.71 average feature finish in his first 7 races in 2013 places the Tamworth, NH resident 3rd in that category.
Frahm is the all-time wins leader, but things get a bit tricky in the records column after that. Of drivers competing in at least ¼ of the 22 events held with the GSPSS, Larry Gelinas boasts the best all-time average feature finish, with a 5.56. Mike O’Sullivan sits second with a 5.75 average feature finish, and Bobby Baillargeon sits third with an average finishing spot of 7th. Mike O’Sullivan is the leader in top 3’s with 8 all-time, with Gelinas second with 7, and Frahm third with 6 top 3 finishes. Veteran driver Barry Gray has the most all-time top 10’s however, with 14 to his name. A tie between O’Sullivan and Gelinas with 13 top 10’s place them in second, with recent winner Jeremy Davis close behind with 11.
There have been only two drivers to finish all four races in the early 2014 season in the top 10. One, of course, is Gelinas, the current point leader as of the first Star Speedway event. The second? Youngster Derek Griffith, who sits fourth in points, just 8 points shy of Dillon Moltz for third, 11 points shy of Frahm for second, and 44 points behind Gelinas for first.
Gelinas, as previously mentioned, is the current point leader after Star’s June 28th event, but he hasn’t improved his position the most in the feature overall this year. In fact, the leader of that category isn’t even in the top 10 in points. Scott “Zig” Geno has competed in only two events, but has improved 21 spots in the features from his starting position, the most on the GSPSS this year. Derek Griffith has been second-best in that category, with a +20, and Gelinas third with a +17. Of the 36 cars to compete in a feature event so far this year, 16 have improved their positions in their features, 17 have fallen back, while three are dead even.
The GSPSS will add to these numbers on July 25th, as the series heads to Lee Speedway for the first time in their existence.
Stafford Speedway’s Late Model division will take center stage on Friday, August 1st as they partake in their 60-lap Xtra Mart Xtra D feature event. There will be plenty of money on the line for Late Model drivers and teams as the race will not only feature a purse of over $6,000, but there will be $1,000 in bonus money up for grabs from Xtra Mart Convenience Stores. Each of the top-5 finishers will each receive a $200 bonus from Xtra Mart and the race will pay $1,125 to the race winner.
-Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with Girls Night Out / Mid-Season Stretch program with all 6 divisions of racing going an extra two laps in feature distance. Taking down feature victories were on the night were Ronnie Williams in the SK Modified® feature, Jay Stuart in the Late Model feature, Joey Ferrigno in the RH2Way Going the Extra Mile SK Light Modified feature, Jesse Hinze in the Limited Late Model feature, and Trace Beyer in the DARE Stock feature.
Stafford Motor Speedway will host the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for the third of four visits during the 2014 season on August 8 for the Call Before You Dig 811 150. When the NWMT teams take to the track, two of the favorites have to be Bobby Santos, III and Doug Coby.
Santos and Coby have combined to win 11 of the last 18 NWMT races at Stafford dating back to the 2010 NAPA Spring Sizzler. Santos has won the Sizzler 3 times, the NAPA Fall Final twice, and the May race once, leaving him winless in the August event. Coby has won the Sizzler once, the May race twice, and the August race twice. Coby is also the defending champion of the Call Before You Dig 811 150, taking the checkered flag ahead of Donny Lia last year.
In addition to his 6 race victories at Stafford since 2010, Santos has also been the man to beat in qualifying. Santos has 6 pole positions at Stafford since 2010 and he was a former track record holder at Stafford, becoming the first driver to break the 100 mph barrier at Stafford for an average lap speed. Santos’ track record time has since been bested by Ryan Preece in 2012 but Santos has established himself as a Stafford master in the previous 4 and a half seasons worth of NWMT races at the Connecticut half-mile facility.
Other NWMT race winners at Stafford since the 2010 NAPA Spring Sizzler have been Ted Christopher with 3 wins, and Ryan Preece, Donny Lia, Ronnie Silk, and Todd Szegedy with one win each.
The on-track excitement for the Call Before You Dig 811 150 at Stafford won’t be limited to just the Whelen Modified Tour cars. The August 8 event will also be the final chance for drivers in Stafford’s five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions to accumulate points towards the Call Before You Dig 811 Challenge, which is in excess of $4000.
The CBYD 811 Challenge awards 100 points to each weekly feature winner and each subsequent position gets 5 points less. The 5 drivers who come the closest to 811 points without going over will each receive a $811 bonus from CBYD. Last year’s CBYD 811 Challenge winners were Eric Berndt, Ted Christopher, and Todd Owen from the SK Modified® division, Justin Bren from the Limited Late Model division, and Cliff Saunders from the DARE Stock division.
Justin Bonsignore made the late pass pay off as he drove to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in the O’Reilly 200 at Monadnock Speedway Saturday night.
Bonsignore powered underneath Ryan Preece on Lap 175 en route to the win. Preece had started second and led all but one lap to that point.
It was the fifth career win for the Holtsville, New York, driver and second straight at Monadnock. It was also his second of 2014, as he opened the season with a win at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in April.
The race went caution-free, leaving just six cars on the lead lap at the checkered flag. Preece settled for second, followed by Eric Goodale, rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. and points leader Doug Coby.
Bonsignore won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, but Preece jumped to the lead on Lap 2 and held it until Bonsignore made his move.
Matt Hirschman finished sixth, followed by Patrick Emerling, Ted Christopher, Ron Silk and Ron Yuhas Jr.
With the win, Bonsignore moved to within four points of Coby in the championship points standings. Bobby Santos, who finished 11th, dropped to third in points — eight behind Coby. Christopher is fourth, another five points back, while Preece moved up a spot to fifth.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races next in the Call Before You Dig 8-1-1 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday, Aug. 8.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 Results
Saturday
At Monadnock Speedway
Winchester, N.H.
Lap length: 0.25 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 200 laps, 66.323 mph.
2. (2) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 200.
3. (3) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
4. (5) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 200.
5. (10) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
6. (7) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 200.
7. (15) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 199.
8. (11) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 199.
9. (8) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 199.
10. (6) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 198.
11. (14) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 198.
12. (16) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 197.
13. (4) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 196.
14. (19) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 195.
15. (22) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 187.
16. (21) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 186.
17. (12) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, NH, Chevrolet, 181, power steering.
18. (13) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 114, handling.
19. (17) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 110, engine.
20. (9) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 73, rear end.
21. (18) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 73, leaking fluid.
22. (20) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 68, electrical.
23. (23) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 11, handling.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 45 minutes 14 seconds
Margin of Victory: 3.939 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: J.Bonsignore (71.468 mph, 12.593 seconds)
Caution Flags: 0 for 0 laps.
Lead Changes: 2 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Bonsignore 1; R. Preece 2-174; J. Bonsignore 175-200.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 285; 2. J. Bonsignore, 281; 3. B. Santos, 277; 4. T. Christopher,272; 5. R. Preece, 252; 6. R. Silk, 244; 7. E. Goodale, 234; 8. T. Solomito, 233; 9. M. Hirschman, 229; 10. W. Pitkat, 227.
Waterford Speedbowl hosted Whelen Engineering Night Saturday, featuring a six division racing program. Whelen sponsors NASCAR’s weekly racing series at tracks across the country. Picking up wins in Whelen All-American Series action included Kyle James of Ashaway, RI who dominated the SK Modified® feature, Keith Rocco of Berlin won for the seventh time of the year in the Valenti Auto Mall Late Models and Josh Galvin of Franklin picked up his eighth Street Stock victory. Other NASCAR wins went to Ken Cassidy Jr. of Lisbon, who returned to the winner’s circle in the Mini Stocks and Paul French of Andover checkered the SK Light Modified race. Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott won another INEX Legend Cars race rounding out the night’s
victors.
The young talent of the Northeastern Midget Association were fast and in charge Saturday night at Oxford Plains Speedway. The NEMA midgets returned to the Maine oval for the first time in several years as part of the track’s historic “250 Weekend.” Eighteen year old Avery Stoehr of Lakeville, MA won the NEMA main and 22 year old Jake Smith of Stroudsburg, PA took the checkers in the Lites feature. Both drivers had a straightaway lead at one point during their romp to victory. Both received the Marvin Rifkin Trophy for winning the race named for the late owner and operator of M & H Tire, honored for his endless support of NEMA and its competitors throughout the club’s long history.
Stoehr came from his third starting spot to get around early leader Paul Scally within the first five laps. Scally was left to battle Avery’s cousin Bethany Stoehr for the second spot. It wasn’t long before Randy Cabral had sliced his way through the field from his eighth starting position and began to reel in the leaders. Cabral had been the fastest in practice turning the track at 13.4 and was again setting a blistering pace with a feature fast lap of 13.7. The caution waved at lap 11 when Scally slowed on the track with brake problems ending his promising run. This set up a side by side restart between Stoehr and Cabral, with Stoehr getting the jump at the green. Cabral gave chase, but a misfiring engine a few laps later allowed Stoehr to get away and cruise to his second victory of the season. Cabral held on for second, followed by Bethany Stoehr,
Jim Chambers and Todd Bertrand rounding out the top five. Paul Scally and Jim Chambers were qualifying heat winners. Avery Stoehr’s feature win keeps the top of the point battle tight between he and Cabral heading into the next event at Seekonk on Wednesday.
Jake Smith notched his first ever NEMA Lite victory by dominating their portion of night’s action. Smith came from his third starting spot to battle double-duty driver Randy Cabral in the early stages. He was able to clear Cabral within a lap and set sail on a torrid pace, leading better than a straightaway over Cabral. Danny Cugini caught and passed Cabral for second in the late stages of the 25 lap main. Cabral held on for third, followed by Kevin Hutchins and Matt Swanson. Smith and Ryan Krachun were heat winners. In victory lane, Smith thanked his parents who make the long tow from Pennsylvania and crew for him at the NEMA Lite events.
The Oxford race was the first of three in one week for NEMA. Both divisions of midgets race in the prestigious Boston Louie Memorial Classic on Wednesday night at Seekonk and the annual Shane Hammond Memorial race at the Waterford, CT Speedbowl on Saturday night.