by Jay | Aug 30, 2009 | Canada, NASCAR
MONTREAL — Swear out a warrant.
On second thought, break out the champagne.
Carl Edwards’ grand larceny Sunday at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve ended with a back flip and a celebration, not a jail term.
With a pass for the lead on the final corner of the final lap of the Nationwide Series NAPA Auto Parts 200, Edwards capitalized on the only mistake Marcos Ambrose made all day to win his first road-course race in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions.
Running on rain tires after a mandatory change for the entire field on Lap 61, Edwards hounded Ambrose for both laps of a green-white-checkered-flag finish and made the winning pass after Ambrose’s car got airborne over the curbing and lost momentum in the final turn of Lap 76.
In collecting his third Nationwide Series victory of the season and the 23rd of his career, Edwards gave Roush Fenway Racing its first road-course win in the series.
“The two laps, Andrew Ranger (who finished third) and I went side by side into Turn 1 (on Lap 75),” said Edwards who trimmed the series points lead of 10th-place finisher Kyle Busch from 248 to 192. “He pinched me off into the grass—which I probably would have done if I was him, too—and I just drove into his door, and we came off of Turn 2 banging doors.
“It was wild, and I thought the whole time Marcos was going to get away with this thing. I broke away from Andrew, and I just gave it everything I had on that last lap, and Marcos just made that one mistake through the curves at the end and gave me the chance to get by.”
Former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve ran fourth to the delight of partisan Quebecers in the packed grandstands. Brad Keselowski came home fifth and tightened his hold on third place in the points standings.
Ambrose, who has finished seventh, third and second in the series’ three races at the 2.7-mile course was despondent at not closing out Edwards after leading 60 laps.
“I just made a mistake at the end there and lost the race,” Ambrose said. “Any other lap, any other corner, I would have got it straight back. It just happened to be the last corner of the race. We had a drag race coming off the hairpin. Carl got position on me, and I had to try to make sure I (outbraked) him.
“I feel pretty devastated, because I let my boys down. We came here to win, and anything less than that was a disappointment.”
Ambrose was in the lead and in control when NASCAR called the eighth caution of the afternoon after a shower hit the racetrack as the cars were working Lap 59. Two laps later, NASCAR ordered the cars to pit road and red-flagged the race while crews mounted rain tires and installed wipers and lights.
After refiring the engines, the field took the green flag double-file on Lap 64, with Ambrose in the lead and Ranger beside him on the front row. Ambrose held the top spot through three more cautions before Edwards, who led three times for three laps, made his move in the final corner.
by Jay | Aug 30, 2009 | Maine, Unity
Unity, Maine – Chris Thorne of Sidney drove to victory in the Late Model feature at Unity Raceway Friday night, scoring his first victory of the season at Maine’s Toughest Racing Oval. Mike Mason of Skowhegan and Bradley Bosworth of Cornville each won a pair of feature events on a busy, 12-feature racing program.
Other victors in feature race competition included Kris Watson of Hermon, Brent Chase of Burnham, Ben Clark of Clinton, Kyle Gallant of Veazie, Shelby Kimball of Cornville, Daymon Dodge of Troy and Max Zachem of Preston, Connecticut.
Chris Thorne, making just his second start in Unity’s top class this season, quickly worked his way past Louie Picard and point leader Frank Moulton to challenge early race leader Ajay Picard. Thorne took over the top position on the 16th circuit in the 30-lap race and built a healthy lead before surviving three late-race restarts to earn his trip to victory lane.
Ajay Picard of Palmyra crossed the line in second position, followed by Scott Modery of Hermon, making his first start this season at the Unity oval. Fred ‘Pee Wee’ Brown of Winterport finished fourth, with Kevin Douglass of Sidney rounding out the top five. Brown and Moulton, of Burnham, won the Late Model heat races.
Kris Watson added to his Super Street point lead with an impressive win in the Super Street division’s main event. Behind Watson an ultra-competitive, four-car battle took place throughout the 25-lap race, with Glenburn’s Steve Moulton bouncing back from a heat race crash to claim runner-up honors. Vassalboro’s Ed ‘Fubby’ Drake was third under the checkered flag in the caution-free race, followed by John Kalel II of Orrington and Donnie York of Thorndike. Drake and Kalel won the Super Street heat races.
Brent ‘Poochie’ Chase was declared the winner of the Wildcat feature race after apparent victor Andy Turbovsky of Winslow was penalized for rough driving on the final lap by the track’s racing director. Chase, who had run as high as second position during the closing laps, watched as Turbovsky dove low in turn four on the final lap as the drivers in first and second positions, Dustin Hubbard of Unity and Mo Young of Windsor, got together while trying to get to the checkered flag first.
‘Turbo’ got to the line in front of the pack, but the checkered flag was presented to Chase, who skillfully avoided the mayhem in front of him to earn his trip to victory lane. Luke Rickards of Anson and Benton’s Chet Hanscom claimed second and third-place hardware, with the top five rundown completed by Carl McAlpine of Burnham and Ed Sleeper of Vassalboro. The wild race also featured a flip off turn one that saw Nick Huff of Orrington gain several feet of altitude before landing in the sand atop the track’s first turn, following an incident also involving the race’s early leader, Chris King of Burnham. McAlpine won the Wildcat heat race.
Ben Clark of Clinton drove to victory in Late Model Pro Four main event action. Clark drove around former division champion Jimmy Dennis to claim his first victory in the class. Benton’s Dennis outran the balance of the field to take runner-up honors, ahead of Skowhegan’s Bryan Lancaster. Steve Rackliff of Starks and Corey Walker of Augusta rounded out the top five. Rackliff won the Late Model Pro Four heat race.
Kyle Gallant outgunned reigning track champion Mike Wilson Chelsea at the start of the Monsta Mini division main event and held off the Chelsea driver for the rest of the race. Dylan Lancaster of Skowhegan made up a lot of ground on the lead tandem late in the event, but had to settle for third-place honors after the checkered flag. Derrick Terrill of Plymouth and Scott Theriault of South China. Wilson won the Monsta Mini heat.
Mike Mason swept to victory twice, driving from the rear of the pack on both occasions, winning both a 30-lap, held-over feature and the regularly-scheduled main event for the Flyin’ 4 class.
In the first main event Jason Trundy of Old Town finished in second position, with Ryan Ripley of Waldoboro third. Tasha Dyer of Arowsic and Cody Sleeper of Augusta rounded out the top five.
Sleeper led several laps in the second main event before Mason went by for his second victory of the evening. Sleeper and Trundy finished in second and third positions, followed by Dylan Lancaster and Ripley. Trundy won the Flyin’ 4 heat race.
Shelby Kimball of Cornville helped her championship chances with a wire-to-wire victory over her chief rival in the Ladies point contest, Mika Wilson of Chelsea. Clinton’s Alica Goodwin picked up the third-place trophy, with top-five finishes also posted by Chelsea’s Carol Wilson and Danielle DeLuck of Hampden. Kimball also won the Ladies heat race.
Teen Thunder racer Bradley Bosworth won the battle three times Friday night, but a pair of top-five finishes wrapped up the 2009 division championship for Brooke Getchell of Pittsfield. The Teen Thunder class does not compete during the school year at Unity Raceway.
Bosworth’s first of two Teen Thunder feature race victories was in a held-over from a rain-shortened card from earlier in the season. Gage Landry finished in second position, followed by Matt Kimball. Getchell and Lucas Porter rounded out the top five.
Bosworth quickly got to the front of the regularly-scheduled Teen Thunder race and again outran Landry to the checkered flag. Daymon Dodge of Troy crossed the finish line in third position, followed by Kimball and Getchell. Bosworth won the Teen Thunder heat race.
The Enduro division was in the spotlight on this night, with a 50-lap race that saw Troy’s Daymon Dodge prevailing. Patrick Cook of Swanville and Ken Pelotte of Winslow grabbed second and third-place trophies, with the top five filled out by Chad Michaud of Fairfield and Jason Trundy of Old Town.
Preston, Connecticut teen Max Zachem drove from the rear of the starting lineup and got through traffic and into the lead just past the halfway point en route to victory in the 20-lap NELCAR Legends feature race. Topsham’s Bobby Weymouth chased Zachem from the back to the front and was the best of the rest in second position at the checkered flag. Tyler Jordan of Scarborough led the first ten laps before Zachem and Weymouth went by, then held on to post a third-place finish. Evan Beaulieu of Durham and Jim Manchester of Gorham rounded out the top five. Alan Smith of Lincoln and Zachem won the NELCAR Legends heat race.
Racing continues Friday night (September 4) with a ride with your favorite driver session kicking off the evening’s activities at 6:00 p.m. Coming up on Friday night, September 18 is another NWA On Fire Wrestling & Racing program, with post time set for 6:30 p.m. Unity Raceway is located on Route 139 In Unity, Maine. For more information visit unityraceway.info or call (207) 453-2021.
Late Model: 1. Chris Thorne, Sidney; 2. Ajay Picard, Palmyra; 3. Scott Modery, Hermon; 4. Fred Brown, Winterport; 5. Kevin Douglass, Sidney; 6. Dylan Turner, Freedom; 7. Frank Moulton, Burnham; 8. Louie Picard, Palmyra; 9. Willy Pelotte, Oakland; 10. Darren Doucette, Sidney; 11. Eddie Gilblair, Skowhegan.
Super Street: 1. Kris Watson, Hermon; 2. Steve Moulton, Glenburn; 3. Ed Drake, Vassalboro; 4. John Kalel II, Orrington; 5. Donnie York, Thorndike; 6. Brian Fortin, South China; 7. Derek Mingo, Ellsworth; 8. Hal Stratton, Belgrade; 9. Steve Rackliff, Starks; 10. Doug Sinclair, Hermon; 11. Michael Fortier, Winslow; 12. Al Libby, Brooks.
Wildcat: 1. Brent Chas, Burnham; 2. Luke rickards, Anson; 3. Chet Hanscom, Benton; 4. Carl McAlpine, Burnham; 5. Ed Sleeper, Vassalboro; 6. Maurice Young, Windsor; 7. Bo Ivey, Winslow; 8. Chris King, Burnham; 9. Nick Huff, Orrington; 10. Dustin Hubbard, Unity; DQ: Andy Turbovsky, Winslow.
Late Model Pro Four: 1. Ben Clark, Clinton; 2. Jimmy Dennis, Benton; 3. Bryan Lancaster, Skowhegan; 4. Steve Rackliff, Starks; 5. Corey Walker, Augusta; 6. Norm Cummings, Jr., Augusta; 7. Ben Nile, Anson; 8. Greg Cummings, China.
Monsta Mini: 1. Kyle Gallant, Veazie; 2. Mike Wilson, Chelsea; 3. Dylan Lancaster, Skowhegan; 4. Derrick Terrill, Plymouth; 5. Scott Theriault, South China; 6. Alica Goodwin, Clinton; 7. Dominic Bailey, Benton; 8. Chris Williams, Oakland.
Flyin 4 (make-up, 30-laps): 1. Mike Mason, Skowhegan; 2. Jason Trundy, Old Town; 3. Ryan Ripley, Waldoboro; 4. Tasha Dyer, Arrowsic; 5. Cody Sleeper, Augusta; 6. Nick Lizotte, Sidney; 7. Chris Williams, Oakland; 8.. Blair Doucette, Sidney; Merv Greene, Clinton.
Flyin 4: 1. Mike Mason, Skowhegan; 2. Cody Sleeper, Augusta; 3. Jason Trundy, Old Town; 4. Dylan Lancaster, Skowhegan; 5. Ryan Ripley, Waldoboro; 6. Tasha Dyer, Arrowsic; 7. Nick Lizotte, Sidney; 8. Ken Pelotte, Winslow; 9. Chris Williams, Oakland; 10. Tony DeJulio, Ellsworth; 11. Merv Greene, Clinton.
Ladies: 1. Shelby Kimball, Cornville; 2. Mika Wilson, Chelsea; 3. Alica Goodwin, Clinton; 4. Carol Wilson, Chelsea; 5. Danielle DeLuck, Hampden; 6. Kayla Allen, Bucksport.
Teen Thunder (make-up): 1. Bradley Bosworth, Cornville; 2. Gage Landry, Sidney; 3. Matt Kimball, Cornville; 4. Brooke Getchell, Pittsfield; 5. Lucas Porter, Norridgewock; 6. Kayla Chesley, Skowhegan; 7. Eddie Gliblair, Skowhegan; 8.. Westley Turner, Montville; 9. Kyle Robinson, Clinton, 10. Daymon Doddge, Troy.
Teen Thunder: 1. Bradley Bosworth, Cornville; 2. Gage Landry, Sidney; 3. Daymon Dodge, Troy; 4. Matt Kimball, Cornville; 5. Brooke Getchell, Pittsfield; 6. Kayla Chesley, Skowhegan; 7. Lucas Porter, Norridgewock; 8. Westley Turner, Montville; 9. Eddie Gilblair, Skowhegan; 10. Jayson Bosworth, Cornville; 11. Kyle robinson, Clinton.
NELCAR Legends: 1. Max Zachem, Preston CT; 2. Bob Weymouth, Topsham; 3. Tyler Jordan, Scarborough; 4. Evan Beaulieu, Durham; 5. Jim Manchester, Gorham; 6. Bobby Timmons, Windham; 7. Terry Kirk, Durham; 8. Alan Smith, Lincoln; 9. Kevin Hutchens, East Waterboro; 10. Ed Getty, Gray; 11. Forest Boucher, Buxton; 12. Brandon Ingalls, Windham; 13. Kendall Curit, Windham.
by Jay | Aug 30, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series
Harrisburg, N.C. (August 28, 2009): The Women’s Auxiliary of the NASCAR Camping World Series East has announced that it is now accepting applications for two $500 scholarships. The scholarships are awarded to any person interested in pursuing a higher education (above high school level) that has an affiliation with the East Series or Women’s Auxiliary. The deadline for completed applications is September 30, 2009. Winners will be announced November 14, 2009 at the NASCAR Camping World East Series banquet in North Carolina.
Eligible students must be furthering their education at one of the following institutions: an Accredited Technical, Trade or Vocational School; a Public/Community College; Private/Proprietary College; Public or Private University; or Higher Educational Facility such as Medical School or Law School.
Applications can be obtained by calling Sue Santerre at 704-455-6665 or emailing [email protected].
by Jay | Aug 28, 2009 | ACT, NASCAR, New England, New Hampshire
Waterbury, VT – The American Canadian Tour (ACT) has notified the first 22 teams that have officially been invited to participate in the inaugural ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) on Saturday, September 19th.
Twenty-two teams from all six New England states and the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario have been selected in the first round, following two very successful test and tune sessions at NHMS this past week.
“We still have to fill the field with fourteen more spots and there are a lot of worthy candidates who deserve to be at the inaugural race”, said Tom Curley, President of the American Canadian Tour on Friday. “We confirmed the fourteen qualified teams who earned their spots through wins so far this season, and added another eight teams who we feel will contribute in a positive way to the success of this event for both NHMS and ACT Late Model racing”, continued Curley.
ACT expects to add another six to eight Invitees after this weekend’s event at the Showdown of Champions in Chaudiere, Quebec. The 200-lap event pits the best eleven teams from the ACT US Tour and the best eleven teams from the Série ACT Castrol against each other, with over $35,000 in prize money. All but one selection to make up the 36-car starting field will be done following the Bond Auto Labor Day Classic 200 to be held at Thunder Road Speedbowl on September 6, 2009. The final event will be at the Plattsburgh, NY newly designed ½ mile where up to 50 teams from both the ACT US and Castrol Series are expected to participate in the Fall Foliage 300. The final Invitees will be announced following that event, just prior to the September 19th ACT Invitational at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The invited teams include:
* Multiple qualifier wins
Car# State Name Hometown Track/Series Notes
9 ON Brandon Watson Stayner, ON Kawartha Downs NHMS test & tune at large
10 NH Ben Rowe Turner, ME ACT Tour NHMS test & tune at large/PASS Champ
11 VT Jean Paul Cyr Milton, VT Thunder Road 09 TR Champion; 7x ACT Champion
11 RI Ryan Vanesse Warwick, RI Seekonk 09 Trk Champion
14 ON Sean Kennedy Dunrobin, ON Capital City Castrol Event Qualifier
14 VT Phil Scott Montpelier, VT Thunder Road ACT Champion; 3x TR Champion
17 MA Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA ACT Tour Event Qualifier
21 QC Jean-Francois Dery Quebec City, QC Castrol Serie Castrol Qualifier
26 VT John Donahue Graniteville, VT ACT Tour Event Qualifier
35 CT Bruce Thomas Groton, CT Waterford 09 Trk Champion
37* VT Brian Hoar Williston, VT ACT Tour 5x ACT Champion;TR/Airborne Champ
44 VT Dave Pembroke Montpelier, VT Thunder Road ACT Tour Event Qualifier..TR/Champ
48 QC Karl Allard Ste Felicien, QC Castrol Serie Former Castrol Series Champion
55 VT Brent Dragon Milton, VT ACT Tour Castrol Qualifier..Airborne Champ
55* NH Brad Leighton Ctr Harbor, NH ACT Tour ACT Tour Event Qualifier..ACT/Champ
71 ON Dan McHattie Cavan, ON Kawartha, Downs NHMS test & tune at large
80* QC Donald Theerge Quebec City, QC Castrol Serie Castrol Qualifier.. Castrol Champ
89 VT Scott Payea Milton, VT ACT Tour Event Qualifier
91* QC Patrick Laperle Montreal, QC Castrol Serie Castrol Qualifier..US & Castrol Champ
97* NH Joey Polewarczyk, Jr Hudson, NH ACT Tour Event Qualifier
02 NH Randy Potter Groveton, NH ACT Tour NHMS test & tune at large
04 ME TJ Watson Cundys Harbor, ME Wiscasset Event Qualifier
by Jay | Aug 28, 2009 | New England, Thompson
Thompson, CT (August 27, 2009): On Thursday night, the third time was certainly a charm for20Andy Seuss of Hampstead, NH, who scored the victory in the third attempt to get the True Value Modified Series event in the books at the Thompson International Speedway. The event was postponed on two different occasions earlier in the season. In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action, Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT, scored his second win of the season in the Sunoco Modifieds. Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, also took down his second win of the season in the Super Late Models.
John Materas of Voluntown, CT, swept the action in twin features for the Late Model division. Shawn Monahan of Waterford, CT, scored his first Limited Sportsman feature event of the year in dominating fashion. Brian Tagg of Oxford, MA, was tops in the TIS Modifieds while Steve Michalski of Brooklyn, CT, was the winner in the Mini Stocks.
Andy Seuss of Hampstead, NH, scored his first True Value Modified Series (TVMRS) victory of the season in a drama-filled 75-lapper. Seuss took the lead late in the event and held back serious challenges from Steve Massey and Rowan Pennink to score the victory. Richard Savary had a strong run to finish second. Todd Owen joined the duo on the podium. Ted Christopher, who started scratch on the field, finished fourth. Chris Pasteryak completed the top five.
Rowan Pennink looked like he was headed to his second straight TVMRS victory on Thursday night. However, the early leader was penalized to the tail end of the lead lap for jumping the start after dominating the first half of the event. He battled back to vie for the win only to run out of fuel on lap 68. Young Steve Massey, who was the show for much of the event battling first with Pennink and then Seuss, had a spin while battling for the lead with less than 15 laps to go. Mechanical woes sidelined his bid at a comeback.
Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT, took over the lead on lap five and withstood a number of late race cautions to score his second Sunoco Modified feature event of the 2009 season. The opening lap was marred by an incident involving Tim Sullivan and Shelly Perry. The caution led the way to some intense racing. Jimmy Blewett was the early leader followed by Rowan Pennink and Pitkat. The top four cars ran side-by-side and nose-to-tail.
As Rocco began to challenge Pennink for third, Blewett and Pitkat got away just slightly. They began a heated battle of their own to once again tighten up now the eight cars that made up the lead pack. Pitkat was able t o take the top spot from Blewett on lap five while Rocco moved into the third spot.
Pennink began to take back the ground he lost earlier to regain the second position. Blewett had his hands full with Rocco who in turn had pressure from Kerry Malone. Bert Marvin was on the move taking the sixth position from Ted Christopher.
Blewett began to falter falling back to the eighth position. Marvin took over positions from both Blewett and Malone and into the fourth spot. Pitkat continued to lead with Pennink and Rocco in close proximity.
At halfway, Pitkat led Pennink, Rocco, Marvin, Malone, Christopher, Blewett and Danny Cates. Harry Rheaume and Andy Gaspar ran a straight-away behind to round out the top ten. At lap 20, Rocco was getting racy; peeking to the inside of Pennink. All action mellowed when the second caution of the event flew for an incident involving Rheaume.
Coming out of turn four for the restart, Rocco ducked to the inside making it three-wide for the top spot. Pitkat came out of the mix with the lead once again. Rocco was able to steal second from Pennink. Marvin was fourth while Christopher was using the outside groove to make his way inside the top five.
Contact between Christopher and Cates necessitated the caution. Under the caution, Blewett headed to pit road for service. Both Blewett and Cates were able to continue while Christopher retired from the event.
On the single file restart, Pitkat had the advantage until turn one when Rocco got alongside. The two went wheel-to-wheel before Rocco had to settle back into second. Pennink got a run on the outside looking to take the second position away from Rocco. Contact between Rocco and Pennink found Pennink into the outside wall on the backstretch. Marvin and Malone were nearly collected. Rocco was put to the rear for his involvement.
With the green in the air once again, Pitkat led a hard-charging Marvin. Malone ran in the third position ahead of Ricky Shawn. After only two laps, Rocco was already up to the fifth spot.
At the checkers, Pitkat was able to hold off Marvin to score his second win of the season. With his win, Pitkat secured his car owners Bob Hitchcock and Kelly Iverson a guaranteed starting spot in the 7th Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout at Concord Speedway in Concord, NC, on November 7, 2009. Marvin came home second followed by Malone, Ricky Shawn, and Rocco.
Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, proved to be the man to beat on Thursday night with his second Super Late Model victory of the season. Les Rose led the field to green and was able to gain a favorable advantage as the battle for second heated up between Norm Wrenn, O’Sullivan, Derek Ramstrom, and Larry Gelinas. O’Sullivan took over the second spot from Wrenn and immediately began to cut into Rose’s advantage.
At the halfway marker, the man on the move was George Bessette. He broke into the top five and began to hunt down Gelinas. There were problems for Ramstrom who fell to the tenth position. With 10 laps to go, O’Sullivan had caught the back bumper of Rose. Wrenn was right in step with the lead duo as well.
On lap 22, O’Sullivan easily made his way into the lead. Wrenn followed through relegating Rose to third. He fell in jeopardy of losing another spot to Gelinas. Over the final laps, O’Sullivan was able to edge away from Wrenn for a two-car length advantage. The #48 of Gelinas dropped off the pace with only three laps to go.
O’Sullivan headed to the checkers uncontested for his second victory of the season. Wrenn was second at the line followed by Rose, Bessette and Mike Stefanik in the top five.
John Materas of Voluntown, CT, started in the eleventh position when the Late Model division set out to complete the final 40 laps of their 50 lapper that was rain-shorted back on June 11, 2009. He considered himself a long shot but in the end he was the big shot. Tom O’Sullivan assumed his lead when the racing resumed on lap 10. The top three of O’Sullivan, Jay Stuart, and Jeff Zuidema quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the pack. The battle for the second position heated up when Zuidema made a move on Stuart. Division top-gun Rick Gentes retired from the event in the early going.
Once free of Stuart, Zuidema began to run down O’Sullivan. At the halfway marker, Zuidema had caught O’Sullivan. The two ran nose to tail as Mark Oliveira and John Materas were trying to work their way into contention. The leaders, O’Sullivan and Zuidema, entered lapped traffic. Tom Fox ran alone in third followed by a brewing battle between Oliveira and Materas.
Materas found some steam in the late stages of the event passing both Oliveira and Fox to move into the fourth position with fifteen laps to go. Up front, Zuidema continued to tail O’Sullivan. Over the final laps, Zuidema began to apply serious pressure on the leader. With only 10 laps to go, Zuidema’s car faltered. A spin by Zuidema on lap 40 brought out the event’s first caution.
The restart pitted Stuart against O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan handily resumed his lead. O’Sullivan was able to get some breathing room as Stuart and Materas battled. A string of cautions slowed t he action and ultimately changed the complexion of the race.
Materas took advantage of a lap 43 restart motoring past both Stuart and O’Sullivan to be the new leader at lap 44. Zuidema had rebounded to battle for third over Stuart. Contact between the two ended up with the point-leader Zuidema hard into the outside wall. Stuart was put to the rear of the field for his involvement.
Materas had to withstand pressure from O’Sullivan in the closing laps. The Voluntown, CT, driver was up to the challenge to score his third win of the season. O’Sullivan had to settle for second. Oliveira, Fox and Randy Waterman rounded out the top five.
In the night capper for the division, Materas was both lucky and good en route to his second win of the evening and fourth of the season. From early in the event, Materas once again found himself in the heat of the battle. He took the lead early but immediately had pressure from Rick Gentes. It took only a handful of laps for Gentes, who had problems in the opening event, to take over the top spot. Gentes never got away from Materas. The duo had nearly a straightaway advantage over Corey Hutchings in third.
The best battle on the track was for the fourth position. Randy Waterman held the position but had his hands full with Dennis Perry, Oliveira and O’Sullivan. On lap 10, a billow of smoke came from behind the #70 of Gentes sending the leader to pit road. Materas inherited the lead over Hutchings. O’Sullivan got out of shape flying through the dirt on the same lap.
With Materas all alone up front; Hutchings could do nothing but chase. Again the battle with Waterman began to heat up once again; this time with different players. Fox took over the third position leaving Waterman to battle with Perry.
The caution flew with only two laps remaining with after an incident on the backstretch. Under the caution, Fox relinquished the third spot and headed to pit road. A green white checker restart proved to be of little consequence as it was uneventful up front as Materas went on to sweep the Late Model main events on the evening. Hutchings, Waterman, Perry, and O’Sullivan rounded out the top five.
Shawn Monahan of Waterford, CT, scored a commanding victory in the Limited Sportsman feature event on Thursday night. The event featured a great battle for the top spot between leader Tommy Shea and Monahan. Monahan moved around Shea and into the lead on lap four. The top three were spread out while the fourth position on back was hotly contested between Jay Sundeen, Larry Barnett, Gerald Sevigny, Scott Sundeen and Joe Arena.
J. Sundeen and Barnett had maneuvered into the top five. J. Sundeen caught Gleason. He motored into the third spot with Barnett and S. Sundeen in tow. Barnett got up alongside J. Gleason with three laps remaining. Sundeen was holding off Barnett as his father Scott looked on. Monahan enjoyed a sizeable advantage as he cruised to his first Limited Sportsman victory of the season. Shea had a season high runner-up finish. J. Sundeen was able to hold off Barnett for the third position. S. Sundeen completed the top five.
Brian Tagg of Oxford, MA, scored his third TIS Modified feature win of the season on Thursday night. Tagg was the new leader on a lap four restart; taking over the top spot from early leader Richie Ferreira. During the green flag run approaching halfway, Tagg, Ferreira, and RJ Marcotte had broken away from the remainder of the field.
Tagg was able to extend his lead as Marcotte began to pressure Richie Ferreira. Studley had begun to reel in the battle for the second position. With only three laps to go, Studley had caught Ferreira and Marcotte. The three jockeyed for position as Tagg got further ahead.
Tagg was able to cruise to the victory. Ferreira was able to hold off all challengers to finish second. Marcotte, Studley and Cam McDermott completed the top five at the stripe. After post race technical inspection, Studley was disqualified moving McDermott to fourth and Jay Sundeen to fifth. It was a tough night for the divisional point leader Tim Sullivan, who was eliminated from the competition in a grinding crash with Leo Oliveira on the opening lap. He was scored last.
In the Mini Stock main event, Steve Michalski set sail at the head of the pack in the early going of the feature event. He had plenty of company in Mike Gorgievski. Teammates Randy Churchill and Tim Taylor were locked in a battle for the third position. With less than five laps to go, Taylor watched his bid for his seventh feature victory disappear. The seven-time feature winner was collected when the car of Alicia Thatcher got out of shape exiting turn three. Taylor made hard contact with the outside wall in turn four.
On a lap 12 restart, Michalski had his hands full with a charging Gorgievski. On the final three laps Gorgievski hounded the leader. Coming out of turn three Gorgievski got alongside of Michalski. He edged ahead coming into turn four. Michalski battled back. The two went door-to-door as they approached the checker. Michalski was declared the winner in a photo-finish. Gorgievski settled for the second position over Churchill, Blanchard, and the winner’s brother Fred Michalski.
True Value Modified Racing Series 75-Lap Feature Event Finish (Top Ten): 1. Andy Seuss Hampstead, NH; 2. Richard Savary Canton, MA; 3. 29 Todd Owen Somers, CT; 4. Ted Christopher Plainville, CT; 5. Chris Pasteryak Jewett City, CT; 6. Jeff Malave, S. Windsor, CT; 7. Rob Goodenough Swanzey, NH; 8. Shelly Perry Westerly, RI; 9. Peter Jarvis Ascutney, VT; 10. Jack Bateman Canaan, NH
Sunoco Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 2. Bert Marvin, Waterford, CT; 3. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 4. Ricky Shawn, Bradford, RI; 5. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 6. Dave LaCroix, Fitchburg, MA; 7. Harry Rheaume, Oakdale, CT; 8. John Catania, Agawam, MA; 9. Andy Gaspar, Andover, CT; 10. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ.
Super Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 2. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 3. Les Rose, Jr. Southbridge, MA; 4. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 5. Mike Stefanik, Coventry, RI; 6. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 7. Dennis Maxfield, Fitchburg, MA; 8. Daryl Stampfl, Norwood, MA; 9. Kraig Coffin, Uxbridge, MA; 10. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA.
Late Model June 11, 2009 Make-Up Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. John Materas, Voluntown, CT; 2. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 3. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA; 4. Tom Fox, Plainfield, CT; 5. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT; 6. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 8. Jay Stuart, Preston, CT; 9. Mike Scorzelli, Malta, NY; 10. Frank Marabito, Willington, CT.
Late Model Feature Event Finish (Top Ten): 1. John Materas, Voluntown, CT; 2. Corey Hutchings, Salem, CT; 3. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT; 4. Dennis Perry, Pawcatuck, CT; 5. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 6. Jeff Hartwell, E. Putnam, CT; 7. Jeremy Sadowski, Voluntown, CT; 8. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA; 9. Tom Fox, Plainfield, CT; 10. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA.
Limited Sportsman Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Shawn Monahan, Waterford, CT; 2. Tommy Shea, New London, CT; 3. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Larry Barnett, Moosup, CT; 5. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 6. Joe Arena, Bristol, CT; 7. Gerald Sevigny, Brooklyn, CT; 8. Jesse Gleason, Lisbon, CT; 9. Joe Campbell, Moosup, CT; 10. Paul Palen, Pelham, NH.
Mini Stock Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Steve Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 2. Mike Gorgievski, Auburn, MA; 3. Randy Churchill, Niantic, CT; 4. Rick Blanchard, Pascoag, RI; 5. Fred Michalski, Dayville, CT; 6. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 7. Nate Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 8. Mike Viens, Seekonk, MA; 9. Scott Jassaume, Danielson, CT; 10. Brad Caddick, New London, CT.
TIS Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Brian Tagg, Oxford, CT; 2. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 3. R.J. Marcotte, Millville, MA; 4. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 5. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 6. John Michael Shenette, Thompson, CT; 7. Denis Leger, N. Reading, MA; 8. Bart Ramos, Putnam, MA; 9. Jeff Barrows, Worcester, MA; 10. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT.
