Christopher Wins Sunoco Mod Thriller at Thompson

Ramstrom, Gentes, Barnett, Sullivan & Blanchard Winners

Thompson, CT (August 6, 2009): The hotly contest Sunoco Modified division at Thompson International Speedway did not disappoint on Thursday night. Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, used veteran moves to score his fourth win of the season. Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, won a wild one in the Super Late Models while Rick Gentes of Woonsocket, RI, scored the victory in the Late Models. Larry Barnett of Moosup, CT, padded his point lead with his fifth Limited Sportman victory of the season. Another point leader, Brian Sullivan of S. Windsor, was victorious in the TIS Modifieds. Rick Blanchard of Pascoag, RI, was declared the Mini Stock winner.

Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, showed his might in the Sunoco Modified main event taking his division leading fourth win of the season with a last lap pass. Tim Sullivan led the field to green but he would not lead the opening lap. Rowan Pennink took over the top spot and began to motor out to an advantage over Danny Cates. A bobble by Sullivan nearly collected Keith Rocco, who was forced out of the groove. Woody Pitkat had worked his way into the third position. The outside groove was the fast way around as Christopher had moved into the third spot with Rocco in tow.

On lap 9, Christopher was able to dive inside Cates for second. Rocco, once again, followed TC through and into third. Christopher caught Pennink while Rocco caught the bumper of Christopher. The top three ran nose-to-tail.

At halfway, Rocco was able to slide below Christopher when he bobbled exiting turn four on lap 15. The caution flew on lap 16 for an incident on the backstretch involving Andy Gaspar and Wayne Arute. Leader Pennink opted to use the outside groove on the restart but it was Rocco in the low groove gaining the advantage. Christopher was able to get around Pennink as well. The action was slowed for a spin by Harry Rheaume.

Rocco was up to the challenge on the restart but an incident further back in the pack brought out the caution once again. A spin by Bert Marvin collected Tim Sullivan and Todd Ceravolo. Sullivan’s car sustained significant damage.

On the restart, Rocco was up to the challenge once again. After a short battle with Pennink, Christopher remained in the second position. Christopher dove beneath Rocco in turn one. They went wheel to wheel through turn two. Christopher got the edge on the backstretch but Rocco did the slingshot move exiting four. They crossed the stripe even. In turn one, Rocco was the leader once again. Pennink ran in the third spot with heavy pressure from Pitkat. Cates ran alone in the fifth position.

With two to go, Christopher got along side Rocco. The duo streaked under the white flag with Rocco ahead by inches. Rocco maintained a slight advantage on the back stretch. Coming out of four Rocco tried holding Christopher low. Christopher retaliated riding high out of four. Rocco drifted up in the marbles making way for Christopher to take the checkers. Pennink came through for second. Pitkat was able to grab third spot at the checkers. Rocco had to settle for fourth ahead of Cates. At press time, the results of the Sunoco Modified main event were unofficial.

Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, scored the victory in a wild Super Model main event. Jay Macedonio enjoyed a sizeable lead in the early going of the 30-lap main event. Heavy hitters Norm Wrenn, Ramstrom, and Rick Fuller were making tracks to the front. By lap 10, Mike O’Sullivan had reeled in leader Macedonio. Fuller found running room on the low side taking positions from Wrenn and Ramstrom. Alone in third, Fuller quickly caught the lead duo.

Up front, O’Sullivan was able to grab the lead from Macedonio on lap 11. A pair of laps later, Fuller propelled himself into the runner-up spot. Macedonio fell into the clutches of Ramstrom at halfway. A lap later, Macedonio spun on the backstretch to bring out the caution.

The lead duo made grazing contact on the restart. O’Sullivan was able to maintain his lead. Ramstrom rocketed into the third spot followed by Larry Gelinas. O’Sullivan gained the advantage but not any breathing room. Fuller dogged O’Sullivan lap after lap.

A stream of sparks followed Bessette as mechanical failure resulted in hard contact with the outside wall exiting turn two. Macedonio was collected in the incident. Steve DesMarias made severe contact with a still-spinning Macedonio. All drivers walked away.

A different kind of sparks flew after a lap 23 restart. Contact between the lead duo found Fuller in the outside wall in turn one. O’Sullivan was put to the tail of a decimated field for his involvement. He restarted from the sixth position.

Gelinas sat on the point for the restart. He stayed with Ramstrom only briefly before Ramstrom took over the top spot. Ramstrom was able to distance himself from the Gelinas. O’Sullivan moved into the third spot. That is the way they would cross the stripe. Wrenn and Jim Banfield completed the top five.

Rick Gentes of Woonsocket, RI, took down his third Late Model feature win of the season on Thursday night. A day that started dreadfully for Gentes ended with a trip to victory lane. After a practice crash, Gentes was forced to start the night’s event in his back-up car. The “Woonsocket Rocket” never missed a beat.

Mark Oliveira jumped out to the early lead in Late Model Main event. Oliveira was able to stretch his advantage as the battling for second on back was fierce. Dave Trudeau, making his first Late Model start in two years, was locked in a heated battle with Rick Gentes. John Materas, Jeff Hartwell, Tommy O’Sullivan, and Jeff Zuidema also jockeyed for position.

Gentes had worked his way past Trudeau and set his sites on the leader. During an extended green flag run, Gentes chopped into Oliveira’s lead. Materas and O’Sullivan meanwhile caught Trudeau. O’Sullivan made it three-wide in an effort to get by Materas and Trudeau for the third spot; but it was Materas getting the edge to move into the third position. O’Sullivan was able to get by Trudeau into fourth.

Up front, Gentes was glued to the back bumper of Oliveira. The first caution flew on lap 16 for a spin by Jeremy Sadowski. On the restart, Oliveira was able to maintain his lead for less than a lap. Gentes used the low groove to take over the top spot. Materas followed through and into second. Oliveira continued to falter.

Over the final five laps, Gentes was able to extend his lead over Materas. The field got strung out as Gentes sailed under the checkers to take the win. John Materas continued his stellar season with a runner-up finish. O’Sullivan, Jeff Hartwell, and point leader Jeff Zuidema rounded out the top-five.

Joe Arena set the pace for much of the first half of the event. After leading through halfway, Arena had his hands full with a charging Larry Barnett. The two went door-to-door before Barnett was able to gain the advantage. Once out front, Barnett was able to extend his lead. Scott Sundeen had caught Arena. The two waged a great battle. At the checkers, it was all Barnett. Arena nosed ahead of Sundeen at the start/finish line to claim second. Jay Sundeen and Paul Coutu, Jr. completed the top five.

Tim Sullivan of S. Windsor, CT, made it a handful of wins with his TIS Modified feature victory on Thursday night. Rookie Jay Sundeen led the field to green. It took only a pair of laps before Brian Tagg asserted himself into the lead. Point leader Sullivan was on the move early; taking over the second spot by lap five. Sullivan immediately caught the leader. He began to work over Tagg for the top spot.

It took several laps but on lap 10 Sullivan was able to take over the lead. Once out front, Sullivan rode out to a sizeable advantage over Tagg. In the closing laps, Sundeen was able to catch Tagg. The rookie driver ran out of time and had to settle for third behind winner Sullivan and Tagg. Glenn Boss, who turned 50, celebrated with a fourth-place finish. Cam McDermott rounded out the top five.

Rick Blanchard of Pascoag, RI, gave it everything he had in the pursuit of his first Mini Stock victory of the season. After post race technical inspection, it was mission accomplished. Apparent winner Leo Defevers was disqualified for an illegal exhaust.

Leo Defevers of Brooklyn, CT, appeared to have scored in his first career feature. Mike Gorgievski set the pace through an unusually rough early going for the Minis. He relinquished the top spot to Defevers, who took command of the main event. Once out front, Defevers would never be headed. Rick Blanchard made it interesting near the end. He caught Defevers and was making a series bid at the top spot.

With two to go, Blanchard was bearing down. Coming down to the white flag, Blanchard got out of shape losing ground and the race. Defevers streaked to the checkers ahead of  Blanchard. Shortly after the event, Blanchard was declared the winner. Tim Taylor, who was involved in an early race incident, recovered to finish in the second position. Point leader Scott Michalski, Brad Caddick, and Chuck Rogers rounded out the top five.

Sunoco Modified 30-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) UNOFFICIAL Finish: 1. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 2. Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon, PA; 3. Woody Piktat, Stafford, CT; 4. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 5. Danny Cates, Chaplin, CT; 6. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 7. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 8. Harry Rheaume, Oakdale, CT; 9. Ricky Shawn, Bradford, CT; 10. Andy Gaspar, Andover, CT.

Super Late Model 30-lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 2. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 3. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 4. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 5. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 6. Matt Zenisky, W. Springfield, MA; 7. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 8. Les Rose, Jr., Southbridge, MA; 9. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 10. Jay Macedonio, Somerset, MA.

Late Model 25-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Rick Gentes, Woonsocket, RI; 2. John Materas,Voluntown, CT; 3. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 4. Jeff Hartwell, E. Putnam, CT; 5. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 6. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA; 7. Wayne Coury, Sr., Milford, CT; 8. Dave Trudeau, Mansfield, MA; 9. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA; 10. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT.

Limited Sportsman Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Larry Barnett, Moosup, CT; 2. Joe Arena, Bristol, CT; 3. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 5. Paul Coutu, Jr., Thompson, CT; 6. Shawn Monahan, Waterford, CT; 7. Joe Campbell, Moosup, CT; 8. Kevin Bowe, Pawtucket, RI; 9. Paul Palen, Pelham, NH; 10. Gerald Sevigny, Brooklyn, CT.

TIS Modified 20-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Brian Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 2. Brian Tagg, Oxford, MA; 3. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT; 5. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 6.John Studley, Framingham, MA; 7. Bart Ramos, Putnam, CT; 8. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 9. John Michael Shenette, Thompson, CT; 10. Gerry DeGasparre, Jr.

Mini Stock 20-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Rick Blanchard, Pascoag, RI; 2. Tim Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 3. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 4. Brad Caddick, New London, CT; 5. Chuck Rogers, Quaker Hill, CT; 6. Jeff Moffat, Warwick, RI; 7. Mike Gorgievski, Auburn, MA; 8. Steve Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 9. Scott Jassaume, Danielson, CT; 10. Nate Taylor, Wauregan, CT.

Oxford Plains Speedway results Thursday, August 20

Agren Appliance Summer Slam
Triple Crown, Round #3.

OXFORD NETWORKS LATE MODEL (75 laps): 1. Travis Adams, Canton; 2. Shawn Knight, South Paris; 3. Don Wentworth, Otisfield; 4. Tommy Ricker, Poland; 5. Ricky Rolfe, Albany Township; 6. Tim Brackett, Buckfield; 7. Scott Luce, Strong; 8. Jason Larrabee, Raymond; 9. Tommy Ricker, Poland; 10. Ben Ashline, Pittston; 11. Gerald Parlin, South Paris; 12. Jeff White, Winthrop; 13. Glen Luce, Turner; 14. Shawn Martin, Turner; 15. Ricky Morse, St. Albans; 16. Jimmy Childs, Leeds.

ALLEN’S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY STRICTLY STOCK (75 laps): 1. Skip Tripp, Poland; 2. Larry Emerson, Durham; 3. Matt Williams, Brownfield; 4. Mike Short, Auburn; 5. Mike St. Germain, Auburn; 6. Nick Hoyt, Mechanic Falls; 7. Zach Emerson, Sabattus; 8. B.J. Chapman, Bridgton; 9. Rick Spaulding, Lisbon; 10. Derek Farrington, Freeport.

ALLEN’S COFFEE FLAVORED BRANDY MINI STOCK (75 laps): 1. Justin Karkos, Jay; 2. Jimmy Childs, Leeds; 3. Calvin Rose Jr., Turner; 4. Adam Polvinen, Oxford; 5. Kevin Bishop, South Paris; 6. Jeff  Beaule, Lewiston; 7. Darrell Moore, Mechanic Falls; 8, Dan Morris, Auburn; 9. Matt Moore, South Paris; 10. Jake Burns, Gray; 11. Nik Coates, Lisbon; 12. Ashley Marshall, Jay; 13. Nathan Guptill, North Turner; 14. Butch Keene, Turner; 15. Larry Melcher, Livermore Falls.

Lia Storms To Win Wins Inaugural Modified Visit To Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Donny Lia overcame a late-race miscue to capture the inaugural UNOH Perfect Storm 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday night.

Lia led 40 of the final 43 laps en route to his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win of the season. He jumped a restart on lap 138 and briefly lost the lead to Ted Christopher when race officials ordered him to give his advantage back. However, Lia drove back by Christopher three laps later to take the lead for good.

Lia, who won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June, beat Christopher to the line by 3.126 seconds in the first event for the NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.”

Ryan Preece finished third while George Brunnhoelzl III was the top finishing NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver in the combination race. Woody Pitkat rounded out the top five.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour proved once again to be strong in the combination race format, which sees both Tours compete for one purse, but receive points based on their finish against other drivers on their tour. Including Lia and Christopher, eight of the top 10 cars across the line were from the Whelen Modified Tour.

Brunnhoelzl will be credited with first-place points and a win for the Whelen Southern Modified Tour standings.

The rest of the top 10 consisted of Todd Szegedy, Rowan Pennink, Ed Flemke Jr., Burt Myers and Erick Rudolph.

It appeared to be Christopher’s race to win the majority of the race. Fastest in the first two practice sessions, the defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion led the first 107 circuits.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman finished 28th and 37th, respectively. Newman was caught in an accident on the second lap of the race and Kahne retired on Lap 100 with engine failure.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will next race Saturday, Aug, 29 at Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome. The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified will also return to the track Saturday, Aug. 29 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C.

Kyle Busch Wins Bristol Truck Series Race; Ron Hornaday Jr. Finishes Third

BRISTOL, Tenn.—Kyle Busch ended Ron Hornaday Jr.’s five-race winning streak, capturing Wednesday night’s O’Reilly 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Busch took the lead on Lap 124 after a lengthy side-by-side battle with Jason White and was a comfortable 2.721 seconds ahead of runner-up Matt Crafton by the time the checkered flag appeared.

“It’s a fun place to race,” Busch said after collecting his third truck win of the season. “I knew we would come here with a fast truck; we’ve been fast every time we’ve come here. … It’s good to be back, finally.”

Hornaday, polesitter Ryan Newman and Brian Scott rounded out the top five.

“Anytime Kyle and I get together, we know we can win races,” crew chief Richie Wauters said. “We thought about (pitting a second time), but the tires are so hard here, they’re not falling off. … We decided to stay out, and it was the right call.”

Wauters replaced Doug George atop the pit box heading into this week’s race.

Busch led twice for 82 laps en route to his 12th career win in the series. White led one time for 86.

Hornaday, running in the top 10, restarted in 17th after pitting during the night’s first caution. He worked his way back into the top 10 and was safely inside the top five at the finish. After winning five consecutive races, Hornaday said he was “just glad (the streak) is over so you guys will stop asking me about it.”

“Bristol is the toughest one. (I) just left a lot out there,” Hornaday said. “Top five is what we needed for points. It’s been pretty cool.”

Hornaday remains atop the standings and leads Crafton by 211 points. Mike Skinner, who had to pit late under green, finished 20th and remained third in the standings.

DANIELLE DELUCK WINS SPEEDWAY 95 LADIES FEATURE

SHELBY KIMBALL TAKES SERIES TROPHY

Danielle DeLuck of Hampden won her second feature of the season Wednesday night at Speedway 95 after leading from the start in the third race of the Ladies three race series, and holding off Winterport’s Rhonda Lyford in a green, white checker dash to the finish. Although Lyford finished second on the track, her car failed post-race inspection and she was disqualified from the event. Becky Elston of Carmel was awarded the second place finish, followed by Cornville’s Shelby Kimball in third. Kimball’s third place finish wasn’t an easy one, as she had to start at the rear of the field twice due to pit stops during caution periods. Nicole Smith of Clifton caused three cautions, which kept the field bunched up on the restarts. The third place finish gave Kimball the overall win in the three race series points chase. Pole sitter Kayla Allen of  Bucksport finished fourth with Amy Houde of Howland in fifth. Kayla Allen won the qualifier, which sat her on the pole for the feature.

Darren Durrell returned from his tough loss last week to lead the caution free Little Enduro feature from pole to checkers. Although it took three tries to get the race started, once it got going it didn’t stop again until it was over. Durrell easily threaded through traffic enroute to his victory, but had to watch Milo’s Mike Witham, who chased him for the entire race. Andrew Crosby of Hermon ended up finishing second following Witham’s disqualification in post race inspection. Witham was found to have “gutted” his hood, which is an infraction of the rules. Chris Carroll of Greenbush then took home the third place trophy, his first top three for the season. Fourth went to Newport’s Mark Lane, and Paul Higgins of Newburgh finished in fifth. Higgins won one of the qualifiers and Orrington’s Donnie Blanchard won the other. With just one week to go, Higgins leads Blanchard in the point chase in the division by about 30 points.

Roger Smith Jr. picked up where he left off last week and led the Big Enduro feature from green to checkers to post his second win in a row. Ricky Palmer of Winterport, who had won three in a row earlier in the season, finished second, blaming himself for being lazy and not touching his car all week. In his first appearance of the season, Alvin McNevin of Holden brought his Ford LTD home in third. McNevini explained he had been sidelined this season with a leg injury, but was ready to go now, and proved it with his top three effort. Shawn McNevin of Hudson finished fourth with Robert Caruso of Kenduskeag finishing fifth in his first attempt in the Big Enduros.

In the last appearance of the season for the Stars of Tomorrow, Cole Robinson of Clinton made it three in a row by passing early leader Brett McCullouogh of Kenduskeag on the fourth lap of the 10 lap feature for the 11-14 year olds. Hermon’s Ryan Modery finished in second, and McCullough finished third following a last lap altercation with Cornville’s Matt Kimball. Kimball went into turn one on the last lap and made a charge up the inside of turn one, forcing Modery into McCullough and spinning both cars out. Modery and McCullough recovered, and Kimball was relegated to a last place finish for rough driving. Robinson also won the qualifier earlier in the evening.

Jim Carr of Clifton made it 10 in a row in the pick up truck division as he took the lead from Winterport’s Mike Lynch on the 8th lap of the 20 lap caution free event by running the inside groove as he does so successfully each week. Dana Harlow of Bucksport again finished in second after passing Lynch late in the race. Lynch held on to finish third, driving a truck owned by Harlow. Hermon’s Brett Crosby took fourth followed by his son, Andrew, also of Hermon, who posted a fifth place finish for the night. Carr made it a sweep by also winning the 10 lap heat race for the division.