By Lou Modestino
Waterford Speedbowl announced it confirmed its 2013 Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday series track champions. Three first-time champions were named and another achieved a
place in track history with their third title overall. In total, six champions were declared.
Middletown’s Joey Ternullo became the youngest Legend Cars champion in track history while Bill Reiman of Southington and Anthony Marvin of Colchester each won their first championships in the respective Super X-Car and Bandolero divisions. Brad Voglesong, also from Middletown, took a third X-Car title to become the only driver to accomplish the feat.
Chuck McDonald of Groton and Peter Pollard of Old Lyme were announced as champions of the wacky race series, a popular Wednesday night attraction. Track officials awaited final technical inspection procedures and a review of the point standings following the final event, held last Wednesday evening, prior to confirming the champions.
Skip Empy, who covered a lot of races for many years for various media outlets, passed away recently. He lived in Hanover, MA and other locations. Skip also had an interest in lighthouses after he left motorsports.
The Brockton based Wheels of Time car club had a very successful turnout of both fans and vehicles for their bi-weekly Thursday cruise nights at the Raynham-Taunton Park on Rt. 138 in Raynham. “One night in late August we ended up with over 600 vehicles. We were very happy with that, ” said club president Mike Vinsky. The club made the move to the Raynham, MA site after the nearby Southeastern Technical High School on Rt. 106 in Easton had to have a massive renovation of the building facade and the parking lot during this summer.
The former location had a capacity of only 350 vehicles. Raynham-Taunton Park has a massive parking lot and there’s a capablity of 2,500 vehicles which is on a par with the Bass Pro event, held on alternate Thursdays, at Patriot Place on US Rt. 1 in Foxborough, MA. It also appears that Raynham-Taunton Park will be the site of a slot machine venue within two years. A bi-weekly cruise night would draw potential customers to the slot machines. The site is a former dog track venue and it still offers simulcast horse and dog racing events from locations world wide. The Wheels of Time feel that their new location is a good fit.
Thompson Speedway is a busy place these days as preparations are in full swing for the October 18th, 19th and 20th running of the annual Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing presented by Xtra Mart. This three-day racing spectacular is unlike anything else in the country. It attracts hundreds of race cars spread over fifteen different racing divisions.
Fans and competitors alike look forward to this annual fall tradition of three days of non-stop racing featuring an amazing variety of race cars. The incredible winged Super Modifieds of ISMA and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour top the list. However, when you add the Midgets of NEMA, the Valenti Modified Racing Series, all five of Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions, Granite State Pro Stocks, Pro 4 Modifieds, New England Race Trucks and outlaw Limited Sportsman, outlaw Street Stocks and outlaw Mini Stocks, fans have the most incredible lineup of racing action found anywhere.
Fans travel from far and wide to be part of this annual racing weekend. In spite of the construction of the brand new road course, camping for the World Series will go on as it always has. Hundreds of campers converge on the Thompson facility for a weekend of great racing, great food and drink and some truly great parties all of which have become as much of the World Series tradition as the racing itself. The Raceway Restaurant and Lounge will be the center of social activities including breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday, a full Lounge menu all weekend, a D J on both Friday and Saturday nights and the traditional dinner and party on Saturday night as well.
While the World Series is the final opportunity for race fans to socialize before the long New England winter, racing is still the main attraction. Division championships are determined in many of the touring series including the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and ISMA titles. Traditionally, the points battles in these divisions are extremely close going into the World Series and it is not until the final flag falls before champions are determined. In all, there will be some 560 laps of exciting feature event racing.
Eddie MacDonald of Rowley, Massachusetts claimed his 3rd Invitational win in the 5th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 21. MacDonald pocketed $8,300 for his efforts as he fended off ACT Champions Wayne Helliwell, Jr. and Brian Hoar. MacDonald has previously won the ACT Invitational in 2009 and 2011.
The “Outlaw” MacDonald worked his way through the field from his 26th starting position and seemed to settle in to the top five through the halfway mark. Polesitter Travis Stearns and Quinten Welch swapped the lead over the first dozen laps and two of the three total cautions. Following the second restart, eight-time ACT Champion took the point and battled with Welch until the third and final caution at the halfway point.
On the final restart of the 50-lap event, Helliwell and Hoar broke out to the point with MacDonald in tow. MacDonald took over the lead on lap 35 and held off Helliwell over the final 15 laps. Helliwell could get to his rear bumper, but couldn’t find the momentum to make the pass. MacDonald and Helliwell were followed to the line by Hoar, Aaron Fellows and 2010 ACT Invitational winner Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. Tom Carey, Jr., Quinten Welch, Quebec’s Jean-Francois Dery, Nick Sweet and Glen Luce completed the top ten.
The 50-lap event saw a fiery crash on lap four as Matt White took a hard hit on the frontstretch that took four cars out of the event and brought out a red flag. All drivers were alright. The second caution period was brought out on lap 8 as Ontario’s Bryan Mercer was slowed with a flat tire. The third and final yellow flag flew for 70-year-old Joey Laquerre as he spun coming out of turn four and made hard contact with the inside wall, ending his day.
The event was completed in 58 minutes and 28 seconds. It saw 8 lead changes among 5 drivers. Eddie MacDonald won by a margin of .758 seconds.
The American Canadian Tour will decide its champion in the Fall Foliage 200 next Saturday, September 28 at Airborne Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY. Wayne Helliwell, Jr. leads the standings over Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. and Jimmy Hebert.
5th Annual Bond Auto ACT Invitational Unofficial Results
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, NH
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Pos. (Start) Driver, Hometown, Laps Completed
1. (26) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, MA, 50 laps
2. (16) Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Dover, NH, 50 laps
3. (15) Brian Hoar, Williston, VT, 50 laps
4. (9) Aaron Fellows, Croyden, NH, 50 laps
5. (22) Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH, 50 laps
6. (19) Tom Carey, Jr., New Salem, MA, 50 laps
7. (4) Quinten Welch, Lancaster, NH, 50 laps
8. (28) Jean-Francois Dery, Quebec, QC, 50 laps
9. (17) Nick Sweet, Barre, VT, 50 laps
10. (13) Glen Luce, Turner, ME, 50 laps
11. (27) Alex Labbe, St-Albert, QC, 50 laps
12. (7) Ben Lynch, Huntersville, NC, 50 laps
13. (1) Travis Stearns, Auburn, ME, 50 laps
14. (2) Jamie Aube, N. Ferrisburg, VT, 50 laps
15. (20) Jimmy Hebert, Williamstown, VT, 50 laps
16. (11) Guy Caron, Lempster, NH, 50 laps
17. (14) Luke Hinkley, Claremont, NH, 50 laps
18. (21) Ray Parent, Tiverton, RI, 50 laps
19. (39) Brandon Atkins, Ausable Forks, NY, 50 laps
20. (24) Jonathan Bouvrette, Blainville, QC, 50 laps
21. (8) Bryan Mercer, Port Hope, ON, 50 laps
22. (35) Josh Masterson, Bristol, VT, 50 laps
23. (33) Bobby Therrien, Hinesburg, VT, 50 laps
24. (5) Todd Davis, Claremont, NH, 50 laps
25. (25) Shawn Martin, Turner, ME, 50 laps
26. (30) Taylor Martin, Windham, NH, 50 laps
27. (3) Dave Farrington, Jr., Jay, ME, 50 laps
28. (41) Jerry Dawson, Lynnfield, MA, 50 laps
29. (23) Dany Trepanier, St-Edouard, QC, 50 laps
30. (29) John Falconi, Oakham, MA, 50 laps
31. (36) Jimmy Linardy, Somerville, MA, 50 laps
32. (37) Cody Blake, Barre, VT, 50 laps
33. (42) Matt Anderson, Franklin, NH, 50 laps
34. (6) Jamie Fisher, Shelburne, VT, 50 laps
35. (10) Rowland Robinson, Jr., Steuben, ME, 44 laps
36. (18) Joey Laquerre, East Montpelier, VT, 24 laps
37. (12) Sean Kennedy, Dunrobin, ON, 23 laps
38. (40) Ricky Roberts, Washington, VT, 16 laps
39. (34) John Lowinski-Loh, Milford, MA, 12 laps
40. (31) Matt White, Northfield, VT, 4 laps
41. (38) Joey M. Laquerre, East Montpelier, VT, 4 laps
42. (32) Emily Packard, East Montpelier, VT, 4 laps
43. (43) Kyle Welch, Newport, NH, 4 laps
Lap Leaders: Travis Stearns, 1-2; Quinten Welch, 3-4; Stearns, 5; Q. Welch, 6-12; Brian Hoar, 13-17; Q. Welch, 18-25; Wayne Helliwell, Jr., 26; Hoar, 27-34; Eddie MacDonald, 35-50. (8 lead changes among 5 leaders)
Cautions: 3 (Laps 4 (red), 12, 25)
Time of Race:?58 minutes, 28 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.758 seconds
A month after becoming the youngest winner in NASCAR K&N Pro Series history, the 15-year-old from Ladera Ranch, Calif., returned to Victory Lane Saturday in the North American Power 150 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Custer, the son of Stewart-Haas Racing executive Joe Custer, was making just his 12th career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start and had a dominating weekend. He was fastest in Friday practice, won the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Brewing, and led a race-high 60 laps.
He also won from the pole Aug. 2 at Iowa Speedway.
Daniel Suarez finished second for his fifth top three finish in his last six races, while Cale Conley was third.
Rookie Ben Rhodes and Dylan Presnell finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Rookie Jesse Little took home sixth.
Brett Moffitt finished seventh and cut Dylan Kwasniewski’s points lead to 23 with two races remaining. Kwasniewski was involved in a Lap 34 wreck after a spin battling Custer for the lead and finished a season-worst 24th.
Rookies Gray Gaulding, Mackena Bell and Ronnie Bassett Jr. rounded out the top 10.
The race featured a season-high six lead changes among five drivers.
The North American Power 100 will air on Fox Sports 1 on Friday, Oct. 4.
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will next race in the Drive Sober 150 at Dover International Speedway on Friday, Sept. 27.
NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES EAST-North American Power 100
Unofficial Results
Saturday
At New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 1.058 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Cole Custer, Ladera Ranch, Calif., Chevrolet, 105 laps, 64.944 mph.
2. (3) Daniel Suarez, Monterrey, Mexico, Toyota, 105.
3. (4) Cale Conley, Vienna, W. Va., Toyota, 105.
4. (13) Ben Rhodes, Louisville, Ky., Chevrolet, 105.
5. (10) Dylan Presnell, Sevierville, Tenn., Chevrolet, 105.
6. (6) Jesse Little, Sherrills Ford, N.C., Chevrolet, 105.
7. (8) Brett Moffitt, Grimes, Iowa, Toyota, 105.
8. (9) Gray Gaulding, Colonial Heights, N.C., Toyota, 105.
9. (5) Mackena Bell, Carson City, Nev., Toyota, 105.
10. (14) Ronnie Bassett, Jr., Winston Salem, N.C., Toyota, 105.
11. (19) Scott Heckert, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
12. (18) Brandon Jones, Atlanta, Ga., Chevrolet, 105.
13. (11) Matt Tifft, Hinckley, Ohio, Chevrolet, 105.
14. (12) Brandon Watson, Stayner, Ontario, Canada, Chevrolet, 105.
15. (27) Trey Hutchens, Lexington, N.C., Chevrolet, 105.
16. (30) Akinori Ogata, Kanagawa, Japan, Toyota, 105.
17. (25) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Toyota, 105.
18. (28) Clay Campbell, Martinsville, Va., Chevrolet, 105.
19. (16) Austin Self, Austin, Texas, Dodge, 98, accident.
20. (21) Kenzie Ruston, El Reno, Okla., Chevrolet, 76, accident.
21. (29) Cory Joyce, Gilford, N.H., Chevrolet, 76, accident.
22. (24) Brandon Gdovic, Yorktown, Va., Toyota, 61, engine.
23. (7) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Toyota, 44, accident.
24. (2) Dylan Kwasniewski, Las Vegas, Nev., Chevrolet, 34, accident.
25. (23) Ryan Gifford, Winchester, Tenn., Toyota, 34, accident.
26. (15) Ben Kennedy, Daytona Beach, Fla., Chevrolet, 34, accident.
27. (26) Rafael Vallina, Chihuahua, Mexico, Toyota, 34, accident.
28. (22) Bryan Ortiz, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Toyota, 34, accident.
29. (17) Austin Dyne, Malibu, Calif., Chevrolet, 27, engine.
30. (20) Johnny VanDoorn, Coopersville, Mich., Chevrolet, 10, engine.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 42 minutes 38 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.743 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: C.Custer * (128.420 mph, 29.659 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 33 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Custer 1-40; E. MacDonald 41-44; C. Conley 45-46; D. Suarez 47-55; C. Custer 56; D. Suarez 57-86; C. Custer 87-105.
Standings: 1. D. Kwasniewski, 473; 2. B. Moffitt, 450; 3. B. Kennedy, 418; 4. E. MacDonald, 418; 5. D. Suarez, 414; 6. G. Gaulding, 404; 7. K. Ruston, 395; 8. R. Gifford, 391; 9. B. Gdovic, 385; 10. C. Custer, 383.
The Ridgefield, Conn., driver dove underneath Donny Lia for the lead heading into Turn 3 of the white-flag lap and emerged with the victory Saturday afternoon in the F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. In the process, he ended a career-long 28-race winless streak on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman made a late bid for the lead coming out of Turn 4 on the final lap but settled for second. Lia, Bobby Santos and Patrick Emerling rounded out the top five.
Mike Stefanik finished sixth, followed by Eric Goodale, Ron Silk, Woody Pitkat and Ed Flemke Jr.
Ryan Preece finished 12th but was able to extend his points lead over Doug Coby to 41 (480-439) with two races remaining. Coby, the defending tour champion, finished 13th.
It was a frantic pace at the front in the first half of the race as the lead changed hands 15 times in the first 48 laps between the polesitter Newman, Preece and Santos. After the midway break Szegedy and Lia emerged as the frontrunners. The duo swapped the lead six times down the stretch, including Szegedy’s decisive pass between Turns 3 & 4 coming to the checkers.
The F.W. Webb 100 triumph was the 18th of Szegedy’s career and his third at the “Magic Mile.”
“It’s been tough. It’s been a struggle with racing on and off the track for me, so there’s a lot of emotion,” Szegedy said of ending the drought. “When you have a couple bad years it wears on you.
“It’s just nice to win. It’s why we do it. I don’t come here to run second or third, I come here to win, and when you don’t win it puts a lot of wear on you.”
Following the race Szegedy acknowledged the contact he made with Lia to make the last-lap pass, but the desire to end that winless drought provided the motivation to do whatever it took.
“I sent it in and drove it in as hard as I could,” Szegedy said. “I tried not to hit him, but I knew that we were going to hit.
“I don’t knock guys out of the way to get victories, but I needed this one really bad.”
Often the leader on the white flag lap at New Hampshire is in a precarious position. Lia found himself there on Saturday, knowing that he’d have to endure a hard charge from Szegedy on Lap 100.
“I stayed out front knowing that if I stayed out front, that was pretty much going to be the deal on the last lap,” Lia said. “I thought we’d just race that last corner out rather than doing what he [Szegedy] did, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
“You live and learn. I just won’t give that benefit of the doubt again, no matter who it is.”
The race, which aired live on Fox Sports 2, featured 23 lead changes among five drivers and was slowed by just three cautions.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to the track Sunday, Sept. 29 for the CARQUEST Fall Final at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR-F.W. Webb 100
Unofficial Results
Saturday
At New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 1.058 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (4) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 100 laps, 93.905 mph.
2. (1) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind., Chevrolet, 100.
3. (2) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 100.
4. (5) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 100.
5. (17) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100.
6. (7) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 100.
7. (11) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100.
8. (10) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 100.
9. (13) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Pontiac, 100.
10. (20) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 100.
11. (12) Bryon Chew, Mattituck, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100.
12. (3) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 100.
13. (6) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 100.
14. (14) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100.
15. (18) Cole Powell, Mt. Brydges, Ont., Canada, Chevrolet, 100.
16. (19) Richie Pallai, Jr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100.
17. (15) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 100.
18. (23) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 100.
19. (22) Jacob Dore, Sanford, Maine, Chevrolet, 100.
20. (24) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 99.
21. (21) Rob Fuller, Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 99.
22. (25) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 99.
23. (26) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 99.
24. (8) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 67.
25. (9) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 60, accident.
26. (16) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 23, electrical.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 7 minutes 36 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.084 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: R.Newman (129.221 mph, 29.475 seconds)
Caution Flags: 3 for 11 laps.
Lead Changes: 23 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: R. Newman 1-3; R. Preece 4; R. Newman 5-6; R. Preece 7; R. Newman 8-9; R. Preece 10; R. Newman 11-12; R. Preece 13; R. Newman 14-17; B. Santos 18; R. Newman 19; B. Santos 20; R. Newman 21-41; B. Santos 42-43; R. Newman 44-45; B. Santos 46-47; R. Newman 48-57; T. Szegedy 58-67; D. Lia 68-69; T. Szegedy 70-71; D. Lia 72-78; T. Szegedy 79-86; D. Lia 87-99; T. Szegedy 100.
Standings: 1. R. Preece, 480; 2. D. Coby, 439; 3. M. Stefanik, 414; 4. W. Pitkat, 407; 5. D. Lia, 405; 6. T. Szegedy, 402; 7. R. Pennink, 399; 8. J. Bonsignore, 397; 9. R. Silk, 392; 10. E. Goodale, 391.
A record setting night took place Saturday at Waterford Speedbowl as it hosted a six division NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race program. Leading the way was a win by Wallingford’s Nichole Morgillo in the SK Modified® feature, becoming the first woman to win a race in the track’s premier division in the 63-year history of the race track.
Earlier in the night, Victoria Bergenty of Plainville captured a victory in the SK Light Modified feature to join Morgillo as winning women in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action, a first at the oval. Keith Rocco of Meriden unofficially captured the Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Model track championship following his tenth win of the season to become just the second driver to win titles in three different divisions at the track.
Ken Cassidy Jr. of Lisbon took one step further in his quest for a fifth championship in one division as he won the night’s Mini Stock feature and Corey Hutchings of Salem won his seventh Street Stock race of the year. In INEX racing, Dylan Izzo of Westport won his fourth Saturday night Legend Cars feature of 2013.
For Ryan Preece, the 2013 season has been one for the ages behind the wheel of a Modified. Preece has also been the dominant car in Stafford’s SK Modified® ranks with eight wins this season, and he has also enjoyed an outstanding year with his #16 Diversified Metals / East West Marine car on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Preece has recorded a division leading four wins this year and he is the points leader by 41 points over fellow SK Modified® regular Doug Coby. Preece is feeling comfortable about his position as the points leader coming off a victory in the Tour’s last stop at Riverhead.
“Winning at Riverhead was a good thing, it’s obviously a good thing anytime you can win,” said Preece. “It definitely helps us to have an advantage at Stafford, and Thompson. We’re hoping to have a good day and that way we won’t have to worry about points heading into the last race at Thompson.”
In the first seven NWMT races this season, Preece recorded three wins and didn’t finish lower than fifth. But a flat tire in the final laps in the Carquest 150 at Stafford and an accident in the late stages of the Thompson race relegated him to finishes of 16th and 13th and allowed Coby to tighten up the race at the top of the standings. But another top-5 at Bristol and a victory at Riverhead have Preece and his team back on track as they prepare for the final two races of the season.
“Last year it seemed like everyone was saying we qualified up front but we couldn’t win races,” said Preece. “This year, we haven’t won a pole yet but we’ve won four races. Any time you can win one race on the Whelen Modified Tour it’s a big deal so to win four is almost a dream season. Winning the championship is something that I want really bad and I’m trying to reach that goal. We feel pretty comfortable right now and we’re going to try to keep on doing what we’ve been doing and that’s winning races. We have a 39-point lead and that’s better than having a 10-point lead.”
The race between Preece and Coby is sure to be tight when the Tour arrives at Stafford. In the first three Stafford races this season, Preece and Coby each have a victory. Coby has an average finish of 4.3 at Stafford this year while Preece’s average finish is 7.0 but that number is skewed due to his 16th place finish in the Carquest 150.”I would say neither Doug or I has an advantage at Stafford,” said Preece. “We’ve been pretty good at Stafford and so has Doug. Anything can happen in racing but I think we’ll be all right.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour takes to the track for practice at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 28th for the 41st Annual Carquest Fall Final Weekend with the field getting set through Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 2:30 p.m.. The 41st Annual Carquest Fall Final Weekend continues on Sunday, Sept. 29th with the Carquest Belts & Hose Pit Party from 11 a.m.-12 noon with the Whelen Modified Tour taking the green flag for the Carquest Fall Final 150 at approximately 3:15 p.m.
The stage has been set for the 41st Annual CARQUEST Fall Final with 4 of the 5 NASCAR Whelen All American Series divisions still battling for top honors at Stafford Motor Speedway. While Adam Gray has locked up Stafford’s Late Model crown already.
For Belchertown, MA native Adam Gray, the 2013 Late Model season at Stafford Motor Speedway was a season that most racers only dream about. Gray’s year got off to a somewhat rocky start with a flat tire leaving him with an 18th place finish in the season opening CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler race. But in the 16 races that followed, Gray finished on the podium every Friday night with 6 victories among his podium finishes to clinch the championship one week before the CARQUEST Fall Final.
The race for the 2013 SK Modified® championship at Stafford Motor Speedway has seen Ryan Preece as the dominant force for much of the season. The Berlin native has driven his #40 Sullivan and Sons / JG Poulin Drywall machine to CARQUEST Victory Lane a division leading 8 times and he has been the front runner in the championship standings for the majority of the season. But heading into the CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend, the final race of the season, Preece finds himself 4 points, or two positions on the track, behind Woody Pitkat.
At Seekonk Speedway on Satuday night, Kevin Folan started on the pole, and led the first 30 laps of the 40 lap Pro Stock feature. Mike Mitchell, Dave Silvia and then Ken Spencer all took turns trying to hunt down the Pro Stock sophomore. At the halfway point, Folan had a 4 car length lead over Spencer, Mike Brightman, Tom Scully Jr and Ryan Vanasse.
The first caution came out on lap 30, when Bob Hussey and Daryl Stampfl got together. From there, the lead was about the place that no one wanted to be. On the restart, contact between Brightman and Folan sent the 17 around, and Brightman to the pits. Dave Darling and Tom Scully Jr were involved as well.
Spencer and Vanasse battled for the lead on the restart, and Spencer lost the back end and spun, bringing out the caution.
Vanasse set the pace through a handful of additional cautions, but under a lap 38 caution, a leaking tire sent Vanasse to the pits, handing the lead over to Dick Houlihan. The former 2 time champion held on to win with Dave Silvia second, Kevin Folan, Dave Darling and Rick Martin third, fourth and fifth.
1) Dick Houlihan 2) Dave Silvia 3) Kevin Folan 4) Dave Darling 5) Rick Martin 6) Ken Spencer 7) Daryl Stampfl 8) Mike Mitchell 9) Ryan Vanasse 10) Bob Hussey 11) Dave Hutchins Sr 12) Bill Antonellis 13) Bobby Tripp 14) Tom Scully Jr 15) Frank Duquette 16) Fred Astle 17) Mike Brightman 18) Tom Scully Sr19) Craig Weinstein 20) Bobby Pelland III 21) 22) 23) 24)
Jeramee Lille survived a wild 30 lap Late Model main event to pick up his third win of the season. Mark Hudson set the early pace, including through the first two cautions of the feature, one involving 2013 LM Champion Gerry DeGasparre Jr. After the lap four restart, Brandon Dion, using the outside lane, moved past to take over the top spot.
Dion held the lead until Dillon Moltz moved past on a lap 12 restart, but his lead would only last a handful of laps, as he fell victim to a throttle issue on lap 21. This handed the lead over to Bill Bernard, who had made his way through the pack. Bernard seemed poised to pick up the victory until fuel issues forced him from the lead on the 27th circuit.
On the Green-white-checkered finish, Lillie was able to move past Dion, who inherited the lead when Bobby Pelland and DeGasparre tangled for the second time of the night. Lille held on for the win with Dion second. Ryan Lineham, Charlie Rose and Mark Hudson were third through fifth.
With his sixth place finish, Gerry DeGasparre made history, becoming the first driver to win 7 championships in the 68 year history of the speedway, all with his family team.
1) Jeramee Lillie 2) Brandon Dion 3) Ryan Lineham 4) Charlie Rose 5) Mark Hudson 6) Gerry DeGasparre Jr 7) Vinny Arrenegado 8) Scott Dion 9) Bob O’Connell 10) Bill Bernard 11) Bobby Pelland III 12) Dave Hutchins Jr 13) Dillon Moltz 14) Dillon Estrella 15) Roland Wheeler 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23) 24)
Crystal Serydynski picked up her third win of the season in the 25 lap Street Stock feature, but it wasn’t enough to overtake Scott Bruneau for the 2013 crown. Randy Moretti set the pace early over Craig Pianka, then Manny Dias before the first caution came out on lap 8 for Steve Potter. On the restart, Crystal moved past Dias for second, and followed Moretti until the second caution came out on lap 12.
Crystal out-dueled Moretti for the lead on the restart, with Gannon moving to second before the final caution came out on lap 14. Gannon put pressure on the contender, but didn’t have enough to overtake her for the win. Moretti held on for a career best 3rd, with Ray Lovelace and Scott Serydynski rounding out the top five.
Scott Bruneau was caught up in traffic for the 25 lap feature, and just missed getting caught up in the lap 14 caution. In the end, he came home 11th, hanging on by 6 points for the championship.
1) Crystal Serydynski 2) Ed Gannon III 3) Randy Moretti 4) Ray Lovelace 5) Scott Serydynski 6) John Hanafin 7) Manny Dias 8) Bob Bettencourt Jr 9) Ryan Lineham 10) Paul Lallier 11) Scott Bruneau 12) Craig Pianka 13) Chris DeMoura 14) Vinny Pangelinan 15) Steve Potter 16) Tim Eaton 17) Ray Negley 18) Joe Melberg 19) Daryl Perry 20) Ian Savard 21) A J Solomon 22) Dave Smith 23) Glen Tavares 24) John Carpenter 25) Austin Blais 26) Gerard Berthelette 27) Corey Fanning 28) Bob Henry
Mike Cavallaro and Rick Martin slid into the first corner just after the checkered flag dropped in a thrilling finish to the 25 lap Sport Truck feature. Lenny Guy set the pace for a handful of laps before Darryl Church took over at the top and led until he fell out with electronic issues on the 14th lap. This handed the lead back over the Guy, who led the field down to a lap 15 restart after Nick Uhrig spun while running second.
Rick Martin took over the lead on the 16th circuit with Mike Cavallaro moving to second just as Guy spun. Lenny was able to keep going. Martin led Cavallaro over the final several laps, with the 5 time truck champion pressuring Martin high and low. On the final lap, Cavallaro got up next to Martin and the pair raced off of turn 4, trading paint and see sawing on the steering wheels. Cavallaro edged Martin by .006 at the checkered, with the pair sliding sideways into the first corner.
John Paiva came home fifth, clinching his first championship in the Sport Trucks.
1) Mike Cavallaro 2) Rick Martin 3) Scott Dion 4) Rob Murphy 5) John Paiva 6) Mike Duarte 7) Chase Belcher 8) Taylor Therrien 9) Lenny Guy 10) Chris Lima 11) Dan Leach 12) Nick Uhrig 13) Russ Borges 14) Anna Gregoire 15) Joey Wakefield 16) Bob Rainville 17) Jim Hawkins 18) Darryl Church 19) Billy Clarke 20) Bill Schoeler
Ed Flanagan Jr picked up his first win in over 2 years in the 25 lap Pure Stock feature. Dan Johnson of Rehoboth jumped out at the green and set the pace for the first half of the event. Flanagan ran second for a bit before Jamie
Salley got by and tried to chase down the rookie. With the leaders racing, the point championship contenders, John Robidoux and Earl Curtin III, were battling each other for position. The pair raced together, swapping positions in the top five as they tried to work through the field.
While they were racing for the fourth position, at the lap 12 mark, the pair made contact, and Curtin could not hold on, hitting the wall and ending his night.
On the restart, Flanagan moved his NY Systems #5 past Johnson, and rolled to his first win of the season. Over the final several laps, Robidoux moved into second, and held on to win his first Pure Stock Championship. Bill Doyle was third, with Johnson and Joe Fortin rounding out the top five.
1) Ed Flanagan Jr 2) John Robidoux 3) Bill Doyle 4) Dan Johnson 5) Joe Fortin 6) Jamie Salley 7) Mark Murphy 8) Amy Arsenault 9) Melissa Charette 10) Earl Curtin III 11) Jeremy Lambert 12) Shawn Gaedek DNS) Ed Gould DNS) Lou Robinson
Nick Lascoula picked up another win on his way to the 2013 Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Championship. Chris Robbins jumped out front early and led the first five laps before Lascoula moved up and past for the final time of the season.
The only caution came out on lap 21, when Joey Parker and John O’Sullivan got together. On the restart, Stephen Kopcik was lined up on the outside of Lascoula, but couldn’t get past the champion. Kopcik finished second, with Robbins, Al Wisialko and Dennis Pantani third, fourth and fifth.
1) Nick Lascoula 2) Stephen Kopcik 3) Chris Robbins 4) Al Wisialko 5) Dennis Pantani 6) Matt Carpenter 7) Joey Parker 8) Jesse Melberg 9) Jesse Jakubajtys 10) Curt Snow 11) Joe Wisialko 12) John O’Sullivan 13) Joe Putnam
Devin Miranda came into the 20 lap Sport4 feature with a two point cushion over eight on Shawn DeMello. When it was all said and done, DeMello won the race, trying to overtake the Dighton, MA native, but fell short as Miranda finished second in the race and first in the championship standings.
Glen Leduc led the first 13 laps of the non-stop 20 lap feature and looked to be on the way to his first career win, but was overtaken by DeMello with seven laps remaining. Miranda was right behind, following the rookie through the field. Tyler struggled a little getting through the field, and settled for a fourth place finish, behind Eric Pelletier. Mitchell Bombard rounded out the top five.
1) Shawn DeMello 2) Devin Miranda 3) Eric Pelletier 4) Tyler Boudreau 5) Mitchell Bombard 6) Glen Leduc 7) Henry Lavallee 8) Michael Glad 9) Kim Bickford 10) Chuck McDonald 11) Lenny Sousa 12) Bob Henry 13) Dave Gargaro Jr 14) Gil Bradstreet 15) Christopher Lee 16) Chris Testa 17) Nick Mattera 18) Chris Bissell19) Dave Westgate
Curtis Rolando rolled to his second championship in three years, this time in the SYRA 750 class. Curtis struggled in qualifying with mechanical issues, but got the car straightened out for the 20 lap feature. It just wasn’t enough to pick up his sixth win of the season.
Taylor Bowser led the 20 lap feature from green to checker with some mid race pressure from Dave Lougee. Lougee got past Rolando on the sixth lap for second, but had nothing for his fellow rookie competitor on this night. Rolando got back by Lougee with three laps remaining and finished second. Lougee crossed third with Ashley Kuhn and Christine Cavallaro fourth and fifth.
1) Taylor Bowser 2) Curtis Rolando 3) Dave Lougee 4) Ashley Kuhn 5) Christine Cavallaro
Kendra Levesque closed out her rookie season in the SYRA 600 in winning style, picking up her first career win in the 20 lap feature. Kendra beat Eric LeBrun to the start and never looked back. Madison Birchall moved into second on the opening lap and picked up her best finish of the season as well.
TJ Morsehead came into the night with a handful of points between he and David White for the title. Throughout the feature, while he struggled in traffic, White was able to put some distance between he and the leader. White moved several cars ahead, but Morsehead kept him within sight. In the end, the Seekonk native picked up his first title to top off a 4 win season.
1) Kendra Levesque 2) Madison Birchall 3) Eric Lebrun 4) Shea Kulpa 5) Matt Barboza 6) Joey Lembo 7) David White 8) Bob Borthwick Jr 9) Derek Debbis 10) TJ Morsehead 11) Brett Meservey 12) Doug Meservey 13) Jessica O’Leary 14) Cassie Meservey 15) Scott Serydynski 16) Brandon Lillie 17) Matt Norton.