By Lou Modestino
Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with the 40th Annual Coors Light SK Modified® Xtra Mart Xtra D 80. Taking home the big win of the night was Ted Christopher in the extra distance classic. Christopher’s win was not only his second SK Modified® win of the 2013 season, but it was his 100th career SK Modified® win at Stafford. Christopher was one of five drivers to take home a $300 bonus from Xtra Mart Convenience Stores as Xtra Mart put up a total of $1,500 that was divided evenly among the top-5 finishers.
In other NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action, Adam Gray continued his hot 2013 season with his third win in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Jay Goff scored his first win of the season in the 20-lap SK Light feature, D.J. Burnham was victorious for the second time in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Kyle Casagrande took his first win of the year in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
Waterford Speedbowl beat an early rain shower before returning to NASCAR racing on Saturday evening after a scheduled week off. The track’s INEX racing divisions were vaulted into the spotlight, landing the Bandolero and Legend Cars race winners a guaranteed starting spot in a national event for each division. Defending Speedbowl Legend Cars champion Paul Kusheba of Monroe won a thrilling race in a photo finish while Anthony Marvin of Colchester won the Bandolero feature.
In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing, Todd Ceravolo of Gales Ferry continued his solid season by picking up his first victory of the year in the SK Modifieds®. Al Stone of Durham won his second race of the year in the Street Stocks while Lisbon’s Ken Cassidy Jr. picked up his fifth Mini Stock victory. Randy Churchill Jr. of Oakdale rounded out the night’s winners, scoring his fourth SK Light Modified race honors.
Rowan Pennink of Huntingdon Valley, PA, passed race leader Anthony Nocella, of Woburn, MA, on lap 76, and went on to score his second win of the season Saturday night, July 20, at Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, ME. The Valenti Modified Racing Series sanctioned race was part of the 40th annual TD Bank 250 weekend.
Pennink becomes the sixth different VMRS winner at Oxford and he joins Tommy Barrett, of Millis, MA, with two wins.
Pennink started 16th in a field of 21 cars, calculated his strategy with spotter Brian Crowley perfectly to position himself for a race-leading pass on the 76th circuit.
Two laps later Pennink had his hands full as Richard Savary, of Canton, MA, chased after the leader right to the finish. In lapped traffic, Savary twice pulled alongside Pennink.
Pennink post race felt his team put him in a good position for his first Oxford victory. “Richard Savary had a good car. I guess they came in and swapped tires and we stayed out there for the long haul. Brian (Crowley) and the guys did a great job keeping me composed. I was told get to the front these guys (drivers who changed tires) are coming. We made our charge and got it done.”
Savary, who has competed with the series in years past, has been a regular this year and has run well. Being in contention for his first VMRS win pleased the Canton, MA, veteran.
“Very happy with a solid finish,” explained Savary. “I think we had a car good enough to win the race. I was a little disappointed in myself for not getting the job done. I want to thank all my guys including Joey Kourafas who has won many races here (Oxford). He’s turning the bolts.”
Kourafas has been a welcomed addition to the Savary team. “I’ve only seen the track once in the eighties,” Savary offered “Of course it’s been paved since but he (Kourafas) walked me out onto the track and showed me some stuff. After each practice he had me try different things on the track. He’s been helping me all year and it’s shown. He’s calmed me down. He has me being consistent.”
Savary says he’s going race-to-race and not concerned about points. Racing at Oxford for the first time, having a watchful eye from a former Oxford 250 winner in Kourafas, bouncing back from a rough outing at Canaan, and a solid finish is more important to him and his team.
Third place finisher Barrett was running 18th where he started at the halfway mark. On a lap 58 yellow flag, Barrett amongst others pitted, swapped tires around, and went to work when the race resumed. Barrett made his way to the front settling into third where he finished.
“Very disappointing,” said Barrett. “The car was kind of out to lunch tonight. We rode around to save tires the first half of the race. We got the caution we wanted and pitted and then started going to the front. The car was a little tight after the pit stop and as I went along it got tighter and tighter. I had nothing for those guys. Congrats to Rowan,”
Max Zachem, of Preston, CT, finished fourth with Nocella, fifth.
Sixth through tenth were, Louie Mechalides, Chris Pasteryak, Joey Jarvis, Rob Goodenough, and Norm Wrenn.
Six different drivers led the race including Wrenn, Pasteryak, Jarvis, Mechalides, Nocella, and Pennink. Only four caution flags were displayed for minor spins leading to a 42-minute event. The margin of victory was 0.165. Nocella posted the best lap speed of 86.923.
22 teams entered the event. Etienne Cliché’ of Vallee Jonction, PQ, blew an engine in practice, the only driver to not compete.
It will be a short week for teams to get ready for the next stop on the 10th Anniversary Tour. The series visits Thompson (CT) Speedway, Thursday July 25, for a 75-lap shootout.
Race No. 7 of 17- Oxford Plains Speedway
Entrants: 22 (21 starters) Distance: 100 laps
Time of Race: 42:42:130
Best Lap Time: 15.531 (92-Nocella)
Lead Changes: 7 (among 6 drivers)
Lap Leaders: Wrenn 1, Pasteryak 2, Wrenn 3-13, J. Jarvis 14-52,
Mechalides 53-58, Nocella 59-75, Pennink 76-100
Cautions: 4 cautions, on laps- 1, 27, 32, 58
Heat Winners: Zachem, Holdridge, Pinkham
Unofficial Finish – 1. Pennink, 2. Savary, 3. Barrett, 4. Zachem, 5. Nocella, 6. Mechalides, 7. Pasteryak, 8. Jarvis, 9. Goodenough 10. Wrenn, 11. Kopec, 12. Meservey, 13, Charette, 14. Owen, 15. Mead, 16. Ricci, 17. Holdridge, 18. Doucette, 19. Pinkham, 20. Fifield, 21.
The Valenti Modified Racing Series will return to the Thompson Speedway this Thursday, July 25. This week’s race will mark their second appearance of the VMRS at Thompson in 2013. However, their first race on May 15, was cut short by rain after only one qualifying race had been completed.
Fans have been anxiously awaiting the return of the VMRS to Thompson. They are scheduled to run qualifying races and a 75-lap main event. This will be the 6th race of the season for the exciting touring Modifieds. Thus far, there has been only one repeat winner in this extremely competitive division. Tommy Barrett has collected two wins and, as a result, leads the VMRS point chase as they head to Thompson. Other Winners this year include Steve Massee, Rowan Pennink, Louie Michalides and Dwight Jarvis.
Joining the Valenti Modifieds will be Thompson’s own NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Sunoco Modifieds, Late Models, Lite Modifieds, Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman and Monster Mini Stocks. The Late Models will share in the Thursday night spotlight as they will compete in their longest race of the season. They are slated to run a 40-lap main.
Anyone still holding tickets for the rained-out May 15 race is urged to use them this week. The May 15 tickets are the official rain checks for this event. However, if those tickets are not used on July 25, they will be accepted for any Thompson race event of equal or lesser value.
Grandstands will open at 4 p.m. with racing at 6 p.m..
Jim Chambers, a Northeastern Midget Association rookie, is loving it. After six races, including back-to-back top fives, only one question remains for the Atkinson, NH resident : “What took us so long to join NEMA?”
Fifth at Seekonk Speedway on July 17, Chambers and the family MOPAR-powered Beast chassis head for Waterford Speedbowl’s Shane Hammond Memorial Saturday night. The NEMA Lites are on the schedule as well.
“It’s kind of surprising,” says Chambers, 25, a racer for almost 20 years. While “it’s been good and it’s been fun,” it’s also been a struggle figuring out set ups and battling mechanical woes. Prior to this year’s opener at Waterford, his only Midget experience was a fifth and second at last year’s season-ending Lites events at Lee.
Chambers, who has driven 350 Supermodifieds and Pro Stocks (a two-year PASS regular), was confident he would adapt. He was supposed to share driving duties with brother Alan. The latter, however, has trouble getting up from North Carolina, meaning Jim is doing all the driving for his car-owner dad Michael.
Alan had six Lites starts last year, winning at Beech Ridge. Lites Rookie Kevin Hutchens is currently driving the car.
Right now, Chambers, an auto auctioneer like his dad, reports both the car, which was purchased from the Martino family, and the team “are working good. We got the handles; hopefully the mechanical issues are cured.”
Pointing to help from Russ Stoehr – “he got us pointed in the direction we wanted to go” – Chambers was second to Bobby Santos (in the Cantor 7ny) at Lee. “Considering who won the race and who we beat, we kind of consider that a win,” he says.
It was a sixth at Monadnock, however, that got Chambers among the leaders as far as handicapping goes. “We got up to the top five, had some electrical problems and then came back from 15 to sixth,” Chambers says.
It is not lost on Chambers that 18 drivers have scored their first-ever NEMA win at Waterford. He broke in practice earlier this year at the ‘Bowl but he returns with well-founded optimism. “It was my first time in a full midget and my first time at Waterford and by the third time out I was comfortable. I was only half a second off the leaders.”
John Zych and Todd Bertrand, both among the current point leaders, are among the many who scored their first NEMA win at the Speedbowl.