By Lou Modestino
The reigning champion from Milford, Conn., edged Ted Christopher by .153-seconds to capture Saturday’s Town Fair Tire 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It was the eighth career win for Coby but the first since last September, also at New Hampshire.
The race was aired live on SPEED, the first of three tour races that will air live this season.
The win comes two weeks after Coby missed the race at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway due to a wreck in qualifying and dropped to fifth in points entering the New Hampshire race. Saturday, though, Coby started 15th and worked his way to the front. He drove the No. 52 Furnace & Duct Supply/Seekonk Grand Prix Chevrolet past Preece for the final time with four laps to go en route to the win.
The bad news for Coby and the rest of the title contenders is that points leader Ryan Preece finished third. While Preece had his three-race win streak snapped, he still added to his lead as his three nearest challengers all had issues and finished outside the top 10. Rowan Pennink (15th), Mike Stefanik (22nd) and Justin Bonsignore (32nd).
Preece leads Pennink by 44 points and Coby by 48 after six races.
NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour regular Andy Seuss finished fourth and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman was fifth.
Woody Pitkat finished sixth, followed by Eric Berndt, Chuck Hossfeld, Richie Pallai Jr. and Jamie Tomaino.
Officially, there were 27 lead changes – the most since 2006; although, as often is the case, there were multiple swaps for the lead within a single lap, especially between Christopher and Pennink in the first half of the race. Christopher led a race-high 49 laps.
Jimmy Blewett won the Coors Light Pole Award in Friday’s qualifying, however he had to start from the back after he wrecked on his second qualifying lap. At one point Saturday he had worked his way inside the top 10, but finished 21st.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to the track Saturday, July 27 with the Town Fair Tire Whitcomb 200 at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. The race is a makeup date for a rain out on May 11.
NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR-Town Fair Tire 100
Unofficial Results
Saturday
At New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 1.058 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (15) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 100 laps, 85.018 mph.
2. (2) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 100.
3. (12) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 100.
4. (6) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 100.
5. (20) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind., Chevrolet, 100.
6. (7) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Pontiac, 100.
7. (16) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 100.
8. (14) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100.
9. (21) Richie Pallai,, Jr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100.
10. (22) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 100.
11. (17) Cole Powell, Mt. Brydges, Ont., Canada, Chevrolet, 100.
12. (29) Jacob Dore, Sanford, Maine, Chevrolet, 100.
13. (23) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 99.
14. (11) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 99.
15. (8) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 98.
16. (30) Brian Schofield, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 97.
17. (26) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 97.
18. (13) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 97.
19. (9) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 94.
20. (25) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 93.
21. (1) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 88.
22. (10) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 82.
23. (18) Rob Fuller, Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 79, oil leak.
24. (4) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 78, accident.
25. (5) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 78, accident.
26. (3) Bryon Chew, Mattituck, N.Y., Chevrolet, 78, accident.
27. (27) Bryan Dauzat, Alexandria, La., Chevrolet, 76, brakes.
28. (24) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 70, accident.
29. (32) Kyle Ebersole, Hummelstown, Pa., Ford, 70, accident.
30. (31) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 59, engine.
31. (28) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 8, rear end.
32. (19) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 7, engine.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 14 minutes 40 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.153 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: J.Blewett (128.281 mph, 29.691 seconds)
Caution Flags: 4 for 17 laps.
Lead Changes: 27 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T. Christopher 1-12; R. Pennink 13-14; T. Christopher 15; R. Pennink 16-17; T. Christopher 18-19; R. Pennink 20-21; T. Christopher 22-23; R. Pennink 24; T. Christopher 25-27; R. Pennink 28; T. Christopher 29-35; R. Pennink 36; T. Christopher 37; R. Pennink 38; T. Christopher 39-40; R. Pennink 41; T. Christopher 42-57; D. Coby 58-59; R. Preece 60-61; D. Coby 62-63; R. Preece 64-85; T. Christopher 86-88; R. Preece 89; D. Coby 90; R. Preece 91-92; D. Coby 93-94; R. Preece 95-96; D. Coby 97-100.
Standings: 1. R. Preece, 267; 2. R. Pennink, 223; 3. D. Coby, 219; 4. M. Stefanik, 212; 5. T. Christopher, 202; 6. D. Lia, 190; 7. J. Bonsignore, 187; 8. R. Silk, 185; 9. W. Pitkat, 183; 10. T. Szegedy, 180.
At Seekonk Speedway defending Pure Stock Champion Jesse Melberg picked up his first win of the season since kicking off his title defense on May 5. Amy Arsenault jumped out to the lead on the opening lap, and set the pace over John Robidoux and Ed Flanagan Jr. Robidoux hounded Arsenault for the first five laps until Ed Gould spun, bringing out the races only caution.
Once back under way, Bill Doyle snuck under John for second on the following lap, but slid back, allowing Flanagan back into third. By the half-way point, Melberg, using the outside lane, moved into third, then slid past Robidoux for second. Little by little, Melberg evened up with Arsenault, and the pair raced side by side for the lead until Amy spun in turn three, taking her out of contention. From there, Melberg held off Robidoux for his second win of the season. Chris Lima crossed in third, but fell to post race tech, moving Flanagan and Earl Curtin III into third and fourth, with Bill Doyle fifth.
1) Jesse Melberg 2) John Robidoux 3) Ed Flanagan III 4) Earl Curtin III 5) Bill Doyle 6) Jamie Salley 7) Ed Gould 8) Ian Savard 9) Dan Johnson 10) Melissa Charette 11) Keri-Lynn Manfredo 12) Amy Arsenault DQ Chris Lima
In the Legends Nick Lascoula made it back to back wins, edging out points leader Nick Ladyga for the victory. Branden Martinez led the first lap of the 25 lap feature, but Lady took over on the second lap, with Lascoula in tow. Ladyga set the pace with a slight lead over Lascoula through a couple of restart. Ladyga continued to hand on with heavy pressure. Behind the leaders, Al Wisialko, Joey Parker and Brandon Martinez swapped positions three through five.
With only three laps remaining, Lascoula got some room under the leader, and made a bid for the lead. The pair raced wheel to wheel, sparks flying for the next couple of laps. As they came off the fourth corner, Ladyga spun the tires, and crossed the line backwards behind Lascoula. Wisialko, Parker and Martinez rounded out the top five.
1) Nick Lascoula 2) Nick Ladyga 3) Al Wisialko 4) Joey Parker 5) Brandon Martinez 6) Curt Snow 7) Joe Putnam 8) Jesse Jakubajtys
Shawn DeMello picked up his first Sport4 victory in his rookie season. Rookie Dave Gargado Jr jumped out front and led his first laps of the season, and held on until DeMello moved past on the fourth lap. From there, DeMello had the race in hand, bringing the field down for his first checkered.
Lenny Sousa moved into second prior the halfway point, and held on through heavy pressure from point’s leader Devin Miranda. The pair raced back and forth for second, with contact on the final lap putting Sousa around. Miranda was penalized for the contact, giving Michael Glad his best finish in second. Tyler Boudreau, Henry Lavallee and Tylar Nailor rounded out the top five.
1) Shawn DeMello 2) Michael Glad 3) Tyler Boudreau 4) Henry Lavallee 5) Tylar Nailor 6) Dave Westgate 7) Chris Bissell 8) Nick Mattera 9) Chris Testa 10) Leduc 11) Bob Henry 12) Davie Gargado Jr 13) Lenny Sousa 14) Devin Miranda
In the SYRA Mini Cups Kaitlyn Donovan picked up her second win of the season in the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown Series 20 lap main event. Shelby Donovan jumped out from her pole position start, and held on for the first six laps before Kaitlyn moved past into the lead on lap six. Point leader Curtis Rolando followed through, and set on the back bumper of the Waterford, CT driver.
The leaders raced nose to tail for the final twelve laps, with Rolando making one final move on the final circuit, trying to move under Donovan, but could not complete the pass. Roland held on for second, with Christine Cavallaro picking up a season best third, Shelby Donovan fourth and Taylor Bowser fifth.
1) Kaitlyn Donovan 2) Curtis Rolando 3) Christine Cavallaro 4) Shelby Donovan 5) Taylor Bowser 6) David Lougee 7) Ashley Kuhn
In only his second race, Oakdale CT’s Derek Debbis picked up his first career win in the SYRA 600 portion of the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown 20 lap feature. Debbis jumped out front on the opening lap from his pole position, and held off an early challenge from Branden Lille, who spun into the infield on the third lap. With Lillie by the wayside, Debbis never looked back over the non-stop race. David White chased the rookie down, but could not mount a challenge, and had to settle for second. Eric LeBrun finished third, with Brett Meservey and Matt Barboza fourth and fifth.
1) Derek Debbis 2) David White 3) Eric LeBrun 4) Brett Meservey 5) Matt Barboza 6) Jessica O’Leary 7) TJ Morsehead 8) Cassie Meservey 9) Joey Lembo 10) Sarah DeMello 11) Madison Birchall 12) Doug Meservey 13) Kendra Levesque 14) Scott Serydynski Jr 15) Brandon Lillie.
Eddie MacDonald of Rowley posted a sixth place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway Saturday night in the NAPA 150. It was the sixth top ten run in the eight scheduled events for the Grimm Racing Team driver this season, tying him for the lead. Both driver and team owner, Rob Grimm, are currently sixth in the point’s race.
After running ninth in the new car at Langley Speedway, Eddie Mac finds the new car to his liking saying, “The car is every bit as good as expected. The chassis was built by Hess in North Carolina specifically for this series and we put a composite body on it and it is performing very well. Both Rollie and I are learning more about it with each race and have high hopes for it in the upcoming races it is scheduled to run.”
The Grimm Construction/MS Society Chevy ran tenth and eleventh in the two practices before qualifying twelfth on the third of a mile track saying, “The car handled well in practice and I thought we would have a better qualifying run but this track is so small we were only separated by a little over a tenth (.120) from the pole. We knew it would be tough passing on this short track but it is wide and we hoped the second groove would come in and it did. I was able to pass a number of cars out there later in the race.”
With only three caution flags for 17 laps, there were a lot of green flag laps that spread out the field with Eddie Mac saying, You would expect a lot of yellow flags but it seemed that everyone ran pretty clean and used the width of the track to stay out of trouble. Eventually I was able to run in the second groove and start passing cars. Last year if I tried to that here it would be like throwing out an anchor. This car really makes a difference.”
By lap 40, the #71 ran comfortably in ninth, then into seventh by lap 112 with the rest of the field jockeying for position. Eddie Mac raced the #46 (Gdovic) hard over much of the final 40 laps for the fifth position before losing the spot with 13 laps to go. The third and final caution was thrown on lap 143 for a three car wreck leading to a green/white/checker finish. MacDonald restarted sixth on the outside for the G/W/C finish holding on to the spot for the checkered flag on lap 152.
“There was not a chance to pick up a spot over the final two laps with everyone bunched together,” said Eddie Mac. “ We had a very good run today. Of course, a top five would have been nice but we are happy with sixth. The crew did a great job today and I want to thank the UNOH guys who have been with us for a couple of seasons. They do a great job for us and we really appreciate their hard work and professionalism. Every student that UNOH has sent us has been fantastic. We look forward to our next race in Iowa and hope to finish the second half of the season strong.”
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will return for the second combination race with its West counterparts at Iowa Speedway on Friday, August 2nd. Speed will televise the NAPA 150 on Thursday, July 25th, at 3p.m.
Tommy Barrett Jr, of Millis started on the pole, swapped the lead twice with Richard Savary of Canton then Chris Pasteryak, of Lisbon, CT., on lap 82,and went on to win the Valenti Modified Racing Series ‘Canaan 100’ Saturday night, July 13, at the Canaan (NH) Fair Speedway.
The win was Barrett’s second of the season and his fifth VMRS victory. Barrett also becomes the first repeat winner this season.
Barrett is more accustomed to coming from the back of the field in most races, but not this one. He brought the field to green and dealt with Savary, Chris Pasteryak, and Charlie Pasteryak early on. The 18-year-old driver, who will enter Eastern Connecticut State University in September, just re-strategized.
“It was hot out there. A lot of cautions. I was trying to push it but not wear the tires out too much. I was swapping with the 99 and the 5. With 20 to go after that last restart (lap 82) it was time to go,” said Barrett.
For the second consecutive race, Chris Pasteryak finished runner-up. He led laps 64 through 82 and again ran strong.
“Happy with the finish,” Pasteryak explained. “Had a good car all day. Dad finished fifth. The 9 car was just awesome. I thought maybe I had something for him. I wasn’t even close.”
Second year series driver Anthony Nocella, of Woburn, MA., drove a steady race, was fast, and finished a solid third. Nocella was happy with his finish and more importantly that he ran with the front-runners for a long period.
“It was a real good run for us. Everyone worked real hard. Definitely want to run with those guys up front and we did. Had something there at the end. It was a good run.”
Rob Goodenough, of Swanzey, NH., and Charlie Pasteryak rounded out the top five.
Savary, who led 42 of the first 50 laps, finished sixth, Louie Mechalides was seventh, Todd Patnode, eighth, Todd Owen, ninth and Mike Willis, Jr. in tenth.
The race was marred by several crashes including a late race re-start incident when Savary and Dana Smith, of Sunapee, NH, collided with Smith’s wheel catching Savary, sending Smith airborne and along the safety wall coming to a stop in the first turn. Steven Masse, of Bellingham, MA, was also involved suffering heavy damage to his racer.
The race was clocked at 1 hour and 18 minutes to complete.
A total of 10 yellow flags were needed throughout the 100-laps
27 race teams entered the event
Next up, the VMRS returns to Oxford (ME) Plains Speedway, Saturday night, July 20. Qualifying heats begin at 7:00 PM.
Race No. 6 of 17- Canaan Fair Speedway
Entrants: 27 (24 starters)
Distance: 100 laps
Time of Race: 1:18:49.968 (21 minute Red Flag for track services)
Best Lap Time: 13.849 (99-Savary)
Lead Changes: 7 (among 3 drivers)
Lap Leaders: Barrett 1-2, Savary 3-19, Barrett 20-23, Savary 24-50, Barrett 51- 63, Chris Pasteryak 64-82 Barrett 83-100
Cautions: 10 cautions, on laps
1,46,53,54,54,56,56,57,82,82
Heat Winners: Nocella, Barrett, Wrenn
Consi Winner: Patnode
In what amounted to a runaway, Bobby Santos III of Millis returned to Northeastern Midget Association action Friday night, driving the IGA-sponsored, Cantor-family 7ny to a dominating victory at Lee USA Speedway. Only a brief caution on lap eight interrupted Santos’ ride that finished five and half seconds ahead of the field.
Santos, who arrived from New Hampshire International Speedway just as the heats began, started fifth. Taking the lead from pole sitter Jim Chambers with an outside move through one and two four laps in, he had a straightaway lead when the only yellow showed.
Chambers (Chambers 21), the only other leader, survived a last lap challenge from Ian Cumens (Seymour 29s) to claim second. Lou Cicconi (Bertrand 74) was fourth and Todd Bertrand (Bertrand 39 fifth). It was the best finish yet for Chambers and the second straight podium for Cumens.
The point leader going in, Randy Cabral brought out the caution, coming to a stop in turn four, the victim of a broken shock bolt.
“I had the easy job,” insisted Santos, who spent the afternoon qualifying a Modified at NHIS. “The credit goes to Allan and Adam [Cantor]. After a struggle on “old tires” in his heat, Santos “knew right off the bat I had a really good car” although it “was a little loose” over the last five laps.
It was Santos’ first winged Midget ride in almost two years. His best lap, a sizzling 13.018 (103.703 mph), was almost half a second better than a 13.516 effort by Chambers.
It ended a tough streak for the Cantor team – “we blew up three motors and we wrecked,” said Allan Cantor.
The “deal” was been made during the winter. Adam Cantor, who wanted out of the seat, checked on the availability of a number of drivers for specific dates. No stranger to Monadnock’s victory lane, Adam shook the car down. “It felt like it did last year and I figured it would be even better with a real driver in it,” he said.
Cumins chasing down Chambers was the only action over the second half of the race. “I just flat footed it out of four and got lucky” he said of the final result. Cumins was a wheel back in third.
NEMA NUGGETS – Lou Cicconi will drive for the Cantors Wednesday at Seekonk’s midweek open wheel event while modified star Doug Coby returns to the Bertrand No. 47. Coby was a winner at Seekonk’s Boston Louie earlier this season…On Thursday at Waterford Speedbowl weekly practice session, Joey Payne’s son Anthony, 14, begins a training regimen that will see him make his NEMA Lites debut on July 27. Anthony will drive the Scravani #21…The Bertrand 47 was using a motor on loan from Paul Scally at Monadnock. Bertrand’s regular Esslinger is being repaired.
RESULTS – 1. Bobby Santos III, 2. Jim Chambers, 3. Ian Cumens 4. Lou Cicconi, 5. Todd Bertrand, 6. John Zych Jr., 7, Greg Stoehr, 8. Joey Payne, 9. James Santa Mari, 10. Bethany Stoehr, 11. Russ Stoehr, 12. Paul Scally, 13. Doug Cleveland, 14. Randy Cabral. DNS-Seth Carlson.