by Jay | Jul 12, 2009 | New
Zuidema, Barnett, Tagg & Taylor Whelen All-American Series Winners
Thompson, CT (July 11, 2009): Ryan Truex of Mayetta, NJ, used tire conservation to win the annual visit of the Camping World East Series event at Thompson International Speedway. Thompson regular Derek Ramstrom of W. Boylston, MA, led wire-to-wire to score a popular victory in the Pro All-Star Series (PASS) feature event.
Jeff Zuidema of N. Brookfield, MA, was back in top form in the Late Models as part of the Pepsi Full-Fendered Frenzy. “Leadfoot” Larry Barnett of Moosup, CT, extended his point lead in the Limited Sportsman division. Second-generation driver Brian Tagg of Oxford, MA, scored his first career win in the TIS Modifieds. Tim Taylor of Wauregan, CT, scored his fourth Mini Stock win of the season.
Ryan Truex of Mayetta, NJ, scored the second win of the season and of his career; joining his famous brother as a winner at Thompson Speedway. After setting fast time during qualifying, Steve Park of E. Northport, NY, who cut his teeth at Thompson early in his career in a Modified, started from the pole position. To the delight of the crowd, Park enjoyed a comfortable lead for the opening portion of the event.
The first glimpse of serious competition came on lap 37, when Eddie MacDonald was able to get by Park in turn two after a restart. A bobble by MacDonald on the same lap opened the door for Park to retain his lead. Under green, Park was able to stretch his lead over MacDonald. Once Truex had worked his way around MacDonald, Park watched as his lead dissipated a bit more with each passing lap. Truex tried on a number of occasions but finally made the pass for the lead on lap 75. Once out front, Truex was able to move out to a sizeable advantage.
The final caution of the event flew on lap 91 for a spin by Jody Lavender. A great restart, gave Park the advantage. A single lap later; however, Truex was able to reassert himself as the leader again. Matt DiBenedetto got around MacDonald for third. In the closing laps, Truex was again able to stretch his lead. Truex went unchallenged to the checkers. Park finished a solid second followed by DiBenedetto. MacDonald and Alan Tardiff completed the top five.
Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, led from the drop of the green flag and held back a host of veterans to score a popular victory in front of his home track crowd. Ramstrom took the lead early and had checked out a sizeable advantage over Kelly Moore and DJ Shaw during a long green flag run. The first caution of the event flew on lap 55 for an incident involving Shaw, who was running strong in third.
Another serious threat, Ben Rowe, came to rest in turn two on the restart with a flat tire. Back under green, things got racy from third on back with Richie Dearborn, Kelly Moore, and Johnny Clark. Point leader Adam Bates made hard contact with the outside wall to bring out the caution once again. The final run to the checkers allowed Ramstrom to run unchallenged. Richie Dearborn held back all advances of Johnny Clark to finish second. Travis Benjamin and Kelly Moore rounded out the top five.
After a sweep on Icebreaker weekend, Jeff Zuidema of N. Brookfield, MA, had been shut out of Late Model victory lane. That all changed on Saturday night when Zuidema scored the win in a heated main event. Rick Gentes took the early lead but quickly felt the pressure from Tommy O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan, who was in search of back-to-back wins after scoring a victory on Thursday night, was in the hunt for the repeat for much of the race.
A restart on lap five set up the battle that would be the highlight of the event. O’Sullivan used the outside groove to get a slight advantage over Gentes. The two swapped the lead back and forth lap-after-lap with neither gaining much of an advantage. Zuidema looked on from third.
On lap 12, O’Sullivan and Gentes made contact exiting turn two. The contact continued down the backstretch. Zuidema saw his opportunity; making it three wide with O’Sullivan and Gentes. Zuidema came out of turn three as the leader. Contact between O’Sullivan and Gentes coming out of turn four sent Gentes spinning and the caution flying; negating the change of the lead. On the restart, O’Sullivan resumed the lead followed by Zuidema and John Materas.
Zuidema asserted himself a lap after the restart as the new leader. The pass stuck as he immediately gained some daylight at the head of the pack. The top three got strung out while there was a great battle for the fifth spot between Oliveira, Yetman, and Gentes.
At the checkers, it was Zuidema scoring the win over O’Sullivan and Materas. After the event, O’Sullivan was penalized and relegated to a last place finish. Materas was credited with the second-place finish. Mark Oliveira, Pete Yetman and Gentes rounded out the top five. Stafford Speedway hotshoe Ryan Posocco of Stafford, CT, made his first appearance of the season at Thompson to finish sixth.
Larry Barnett took his third Limited Sportsman win of the season after a spirited battle for the lead with Joe Arena. Arena took over the top spot from Scott Sundeen to set the pace early. Barnett was on the charge early quickly; making tracks to the head of the pack. Barnett was second by lap five and pressuring Arena for the lead. They were in a virtual dead-heat at the stripe to complete lap five. The two went door to door lap-after-lap while the Sundeen family looked on from third and fourth positions.
Barnett was able to get the edge by a small margin a single lap after halfway. In lapped traffic, Barnett was able to free himself from Arena. Once out front, Barnett was able to stretch his advantage by several car lengths over Arena. The running order remained unchanged over the final two laps. Barnett took down the victory over Arena. Scott Sundeen edged his run on Jay for the third position. Joe Coates completed the top-five.
Each week second-generation driver, Brian Tagg of Oxford, MA, has shown great progress and maturity. The experience paid off when Tagg earned his first career win.
Continuing a tradition started by his father Tom, who was a fan favorite in the Sunoco Mods for many years.
Tagg capitalized on his pole starting position to lead Brian Sullivan early. For the first half of the event, Tagg was able to maintain a five car length advantage over Sullivan. Behind the leaders, there was plenty of action for the third position as Richie Ferreira, Glenn Boss, RJ Marcotte and Cam McDermott jockeyed for position. The battled got too intense with contact between Marcotte and Boss. Boss went spinning while Marcotte was penalized for his involvement. Tagg watched his lead disappear.
On the restart, Tagg was able to grab the advantage but had pressure from Sullivan. McDermott ran along in third followed by Ferreira and John Studley. Over the final laps, Sullivan could get alongside Tagg but could not grab the lead away from the determined young driver. Tagg took down the popular win followed by Sullivan, McDermott, Ferriera and Studley.
An action-packed Mini Stock main event found Tim Taylor of Wauregan, CT, in victory lane. Taylor was locked in a heated battle for the lead with his young son Nate before taking the lead and ultimately the win. Taylor took the lead from Nate on lap four. Once out front, it was anything but smooth sailing for Tim, who had his hands full with both Nate and Scott Michalski. The father son duo went door-to-door for several laps with Sc. Michalski lurking within striking distance. During the long green flag run, T. Taylor was able to distance himself from the battle between N. Taylor and Sc. Michalski.
Thursday night winner Brad Caddick went up in smoke to bring out the caution on lap 13. On the ensuing restart, Michalski got a great run on Taylor but had to settle back in line in second. Randy Churchill had moved into the third spot after the restart. Taylor sailed under the checkers for his fourth feature win of the season. Sc. Michalski continued to have a consistent season finishing second. Churchill, N. Taylor and Eric Bourgeois completed the top five.
Camping World East Series Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Ryan Truex, Mayetta, NJ; 2. Steve Park, E. Northport, NY; 3. Matt DiBenedetto, Grass Valley, CA; 4. Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, MA; 5. Alan Tardiff, Lyman, ME; 6. Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, CA; 7. Jesus Hernandez, Fresno, CA; 8. Ryan Duff, Hazard, KY; 9. Jonathan Smith, Beacon Falls, CT; 10. Brett Moffitt, Grimes, IA.
Pro All Star Series Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Derek Ramstrom, W. Boylston, MA; 2. Richie Dearborn, Hollis, ME; 3. Johnny Clark, Hallowell, ME; 4. Travis Benjamin, Morrill, ME; 5. Kelly Moore, Scarborough, ME; 6. Steve Legendre, Danville, VT; 7. Steve Desmarais, Westport, MA; 8. Scott Alexander, Orrington, ME; 9. Ben Rowe, Turner, ME; 10. Nick Ribbe, Kington, MA.
Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 2. John Materas Voluntown, MA; 3. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA; 4. Pete Yetman, Peru, MA; 5. Rick Gentes, Woonsocket, RI; 6. Ryan Posocco, Stafford Springs, CT; 7. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT; 8. Mike Scorzelli, Malta, NY; 9. Ken Bamford, Coventry, RI; 10. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA.
Limited Sportsman Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Larry Barnett, Moosup, CT; 2. Joe Arena, Bristol, CT; 3. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 5. Joe Coates, Eastford, CT; 6. Jesse Gleason, Lisbon, CT; 7. Paul Coutu, Jr., Thompson, CT; 8. Kevin Bowe, Pawtucket, RI; 9. Gerald Sevigny, Brooklyn, CT; 10. Joe Plonski, Worcester, MA.
TIS Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Brian Tagg, Oxford, MA; 2. Brian Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 3. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 4. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 5. John Studley, Framingham, MA; 6. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 7. Leo Oliveira, Raynham, MA; 8. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT; 9. R.J. Marcotte, Millville, MA; 10. Denis Legere, N. Reading, MA.
Mini Stock Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Tim Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 2. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 3. Randy Churchill, Niantic, CT; 4. Nate Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 5. Eric Bourgeois, E. Haddam, CT; 6. Steven Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 7. Chad Baxter, Pascoag, RI; 8. Steve Romjue, Coventry, RI; 9. Fred Michalski, Dayville, CT; 10. Brent Gleason, Lisbon, CT.
by Jay | Jul 11, 2009 | New
Unity, Maine – Joey Doyon of Winterport won in his first appearance in
the top weekly class at Unity Raceway Friday night, while top support
division wins went to Steve Moulton of Glenburn in the Super Street
division, and Shelby Kimball of Cornville in a special 25-lapper for
the Ladies class as the Raceway celebrated Independence Day a bit late
due to wet conditions on the Holiday’s Eve.
A healthy sum was also raised for the night’s honorary chief starter
for the Late Model race, Eddie Gilblair, who will be meeting NASCAR
Superstar Jeff Gordon later this month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
during Brickyard 400 weekend, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation..
The youngster waved the green flag with flair while sporting a
neat-looking Gordon tie-die shirt.
Late Model winner Doyon scored a feature race win in his first
appearance this season at Unity Raceway. Doyon inherited the lead in
the main event when Mike Hopkins and Glenn Curtis got together while
racing for the lead following a restart with eleven laps remaining in
the night’s headline event. Doyon just managed to hang on to the lead
on the final lap, edging a fast-closing Hopkins, of Levant, by inches
under the checkered flag. Rookie Dylan Turner of Freedom picked up the
third-place trophy, with David Folsom of Skowhegan and Curtis, of
Hudson, rounding out the top five. Hopkins won the Late Model heat
race.
In a wild, crash-filled Super Street division 25-lapper, Moulton ended
up in victory lane. Moulton led much of the caution-filled race,
surviving several restarts and many bids by point leader Kris Watson
of Hermon to take the frontrunning position away. Watson claimed
runner-up honors, with Chelsea’s Dan Trask coming back from a hard
crash early in the event to finish in an impressive third position at
the finish line. Shawn Austin of Norridgewock finished fourth in his
first Unity Rcaeway appearance of the year, with John Kalel II of
Orrington finishing fifth. Jeremy Glasier of Appleton, who led the
early laps in the main event, won the Super Street heat race.
Shelby Kimball got by early leader Carol Wilson of Chelsea and drove
to victory in the special Ladies division 25-lapper. Mika Wilson of
Chelsea finished second, with Alicia Goodwin of Clinton third. Sandy
Greene of Clinton and Kayla Allen of Bucksport rounded out the top
five. Carol Wilson won the heat race.
Steve Rackliff of Starks won the Late Model Pro Four feature event
following a racelong battle with the race’s early pacesetter, Bryan
Lancaster of Cornville. The top two finishers were the class of the
field on this night, easily outdistancing third-place finisher Jimmy
Dennis of Benton. Ben Clark of Clinton crossed the finish line in
fourth position. Anson’s Ben Nile, who earlier in the night claimed
his first heat race finish in the class, was the fifth-place finisher.
Andy Turbovsky won a thriller in the Wildcat division’s 20-lap feature
race. Turbovsky got to the front early in the race after a great
battle with Unity’s Dustin Hubbard and then survived a restart with
three laps to go against reigning, multi-time Wildcat champion Carl
McAlpine of Burnham. McAlpine’s car quit in the final turn on the
final lap, allowing Chris King to move into second spot in a sideways,
slam-bang finish next to third-place finisher Shawn Racila of
Dover-Foxcroft. McAlpine coasted across the finish line in fourth
position, with Mike Shaw of Troy fifth. Hubbard, while running third,
detonated an engine to set up the three-lap shootout to the checkered
flag. Ed Sleeper also got caught up in that wreck, depriving him of a
likely podium finishing position.. McAlpine won the Wildcat heat race.
Max Zachem of Preston, Connecticut drove from the back of the pack to
victory lane in the NELCAR Legends 20-lap feature event. Second-place
finisher Bobby Weymouth of Topsham led several laps before Zachem went
by. Third-generation racer Bobby Timmons of Windham finished in third
position, followed by Evan Beaulieu of Durham and Tyler Jordan of
Scarborough. Timmons won the heat race.
Defending Monsta Mini champion Mike Wilson of Chelsea got to the lead
quickly and dominated the feature event to extend his point lead in
that class. Bangor’s David Green made a spirited last-lap charge pay
off with a runner-up finish, just beating out Brent Fletcher of Old
Town under the checkered flag. Both Green and Fletcher were making
their first start of the season at Unity. Ralph Allen of Hermon
finished in fourth position, followed by Markus Lowe of Brooks. Brad
Norris of Ellsworth was denied a top-five finish by a last-lap
retaliatory move by a disgruntled, fellow competitor. Green and Wilson
won the Monsta Mini heat races.
Cody Sleeper of Chelsea got to the front of the field early on and
drove to a convincing victory in the Flyin’ 4 division’s 20-lap main
event. Skowhegan’s Mike Mason charged from the back of the pack
following an early-race spin to finish second, taking that spot away
from Unity’s Jeremy Ludden in the closing stages of the race. Ludden
claimed the final trophy, with Tim Robinson of Clinton and Markus Lowe
of Brooks completing the top five rundown. Flyin’ 4 heat race
victories were earned by Sleeper and Mason.
Lucas Porter of Norridgewock drove to victory lane following the
15-lap Teen Thunder division feature race. Porter took command just
past the halfway point, outgunning Brooke Getchell of Pittsfield on a
restart after Getchell had led the first half of the race. Getchell
held on for a fine second-place finish, with Gage Landry of Sdiney
grabbing the final trophy position. Wesley Turner of Montville and
Cole Robinson of Clinton rounded out the top five. Bradley Bosworth
won the Teen Thunder heat race.
Mickey Landry of Anson won his fourth Enduro race of the season to
wrap up the racing program. Landry lapped all of his rivals except for
the second and third-place finishers in a dominant performance. Robert
Paddack of Clinton and Alex Fernald of Benton were second and third in
the finishing order, followed by Henry Boudreau of Bristol and Robert
Dyer.
Unity Raceway is back in action Friday night beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Monsta Mini competitors will race 50 laps in a qualifier for the
Four-Cylinder Nationals next month at Scarborough’s Beech Ridge Motor
Speedway, with all other weekly racing divisions in competition.
Coming up on Friday, July 24 is NWA On Fire Wrestling &Racing, with
feature races in all weekly classes plus wrestling, which will be
recoreded for a future national telecast. For more information call
(207) 453-2021 or visit unityraceway.info
Late Model: 1. Joey Doyon, Winterport; 2. Mike Hopkins, Levant; 3.
Dylan Turner, Freedom; 4. David Folsom, Skowhegan; 5. Glenn Curtis,
Hudson; 6. Frank Moulton, Burnham; 7. Joe Allard, Glenburn.
Super Street: 1. Steve Moulton, Glenburn; 2. Kris Watson, Hermon; 3.
Dan Trask, Chelsea; 4. Shawn Austin, Norridgewock; 5. John Kalel II,
Orrington; 6. Steve Rackliff, Starks; 7. Cory Poulin, Augusta; 8. Hal
Stratton, Belgrade; 9. Jeremy Glasier, Appleton; 10. Donnie York,
Thorndike; 11. Jason Gaboury, Augusta.
Late Model Pro Four: Steve Rackliff, Starks; 2. Bryan Lancaster,
Cornville; 3. Jimmy Dennis, Benton; 4. Ben Clark, Clinton; 5. Ben
Nile, Anson; 6. Shane Smith, Augusta; 7. Corey Walker, New Vineyard.
Wildcat: 1. Andy Turbovsky, Winslow; 2. Chris King, Burnham; 3. Shawn
Racila, Dover-Foxcroft; 4. Carl McAlpine, Burnham; 5. Mike Shaw, Troy;
6. Dustin Hubbard, Unity; 7. Ed Sleeper, Vassalboro; 8. Chet Hanscom,
Benton; 9. Ricky Palmer, Winterport; 10. Tim Hopkins, Camden.
Monsta Mini: 1. Mike Wilson, Chelsea; 2. David Green, Bangor; 3. Brent
Fletcher, Old Town; 4. Ralph Allen, Hermon; 5. Markus Lowe, Brooks; 6.
Brad Norris, Ellsworth; 7. Derick Terrill, Plymouth; 8. Scott
Theriault, South China; 9. Alicia Goodwin, Clinton; 10. Bob Grady,
Pittston; 11. Gary Richards, Stetson.
Flyin’ 4: 1. Cody Sleeper, Chelsea; 2. Mike Mason, Skowhegan; 3.
Jeremy Ludden, Unity; 4. Tim Robinson, Clinton; 5. Markus Lowe,
Brooks; 6. Merv Greene, Clinton; 7. Jordan Hawes, Skowhegan; 8. Chris
Williams, Oakland; 9. Tony DeJuio, Ellsworth; 10. Nick Lizotte,
Sidney; 11. Chad Badger, Milo; 12. Dominic Bailey, Sidney.
Ladies: 1. Shelby Kimball, Cornville; 2. Mika Wilson, Chelsea; 3.
Alicia Goodwin, Clinton; 4. Becky Elston, Carmel; 5. Kayla Allen,
Bucksport; 6. Sandy Green, Clinton; 7. Carol Wilson, Chelsea.
Teen Thunder: 1. Lucas Porter, Norridgewock; 2. Brooke Getchell,
Pittsfield; 3. Gage Landry, Sidney, 4. Wesley Turner, Montville; 5.
Cole Robinson, Clinton; 6. Bradley Bosworth; 7. Matt Kimball,
Cornville.
Enduro: 1. Mickey Landry, Anson; 2. Robert Paddack, Clinton; 3. Alex
Fernald, Benton; 4. Henry Boudreau, Bristol; 5. Robery Dyar; 6. James
Corson, Benton; 7. James Sunn III, Clinton; 8. George Fernald III,
Benton.
NELCAR Legends: 1. Max Zachem, Preston, Connecticut; 2. Bobby
Weymouth, Topsham; 3. Bobby Timmons, Windham; 4. Evan Beaulieu,
Durham; 5. Tyler Jordan, Scarborough; 6. Terry ‘TW’ Kirk, Durham; 7.
Alan Smith, Lincoln; 8. Forest Boucher, Buxton; 9. Ed Getty, Gray; 10.
Kendall Curit, Windham.
by Jay | Jul 11, 2009 | New
Waterbury, VT – Thunder Road International Speedbowl has recently announced a Thursday, Friday doubleheader due to a make-up of the previously rained out Pepsi event. Friday, August 14 has been added to the 50th Anniversary Season schedule at the “Nation’s Site of Excitement” as Pepsi Night. The Pepsi event was scheduled for Thursday, July 2 but was postponed due to rain.
Thursday, August 13 will be the regularly scheduled Vermont ACE Hardware Dealers event with all four divisions in action including the Tiger Sportsman Tri-State Series third and final 100 lap event. Ticket prices for the Vermont ACE Hardware event will be $10 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6 to 12 and $20 for a family of four (two adults and two kids). Post time will be 6:30pm.
Fans that attend the Thursday Night event will be able to bring their ticket stubs back to Pepsi Night on Friday, August 14 and receive a discount ($5 for adults, and $10 for a family ticket). Those who only attend the Friday event will have regular prices of $9.50 for adults, kids 12 and under will still be free. An earlier post time of 6:00pm is scheduled with a sock hop in the pits after the races. The sock hop will include a 50’s dance contest, 50’s/60’s costume contest and a hoola hoop contest as part of the 50th Anniversary Season celebration.
Coming up next Thursday, July 16 is Times Argus Midseason Championship Night with double points up for grabs in all four divisions and a driver autograph session. Post time is 6:30pm and normal ticket prices ($9.50 for adults, $3 for kids ages 6 to 12, and $20 for a family of four, two adults and two kids) will be in effect.
by Jay | Jul 11, 2009 | Video
A recap of the races that occurred at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT on the night of Friday, (more…)
by Jay | Jul 9, 2009 | New
O’Sullivan, Coutu, Boss, & Caddick Score Victories
Thompson, CT (July 9, 2009): On a night when Thompson Speedway was to have been silent, there was plenty of activity on the 5/8th mile oval on Thursday night with Keith Rocco and Les Rose among those taking down victories. After experiencing three rain outs thus far this season, Thompson Speedway management added a full slate of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series competition that included a 50 lapper for the Sunoco Modifieds.
Keith Rocco of Wallingford, CT, showed perseverance as he came home the victor in the 50-lapper for the Sunoco Modifieds. Les Rose, Jr. of Southbridge, MA, took home the Super Late Model victory. Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, broke into victory lane with his first feature win of the 2009 season in the Late Models. Hometown racer Paul Coutu, Jr. of Thompson, CT, scored an exciting win in the Limited Sportsman division while Glenn Boss of Danielson, CT, turned his luck around with a victory in the TIS Modifieds on Thursday night. Brad Caddick of New London, CT, was declared the winner of the Mini Stock main event after post race technical inspection.
The Speedway will be in action again this week on Saturday night with the presentation of Full Fendered Frenzy featuring the Camping World East Series and the Pro All Star Series. For complete details visit thompsonspeedway.com.
Keith Rocco of Wallingford, CT, came on strong in the late stages of the extra-distance event to take down the victory over his nemesis Ted Christopher. Kerry Malone jumped out to the early lead; taking the top spot from Rowan Pennink. Pitkat quickly moved into the second position while Pennink fell into the grasp of Ted Christopher. Danny Cates and Todd Ceravolo joined the battle for the third position was well.
Contact between Pennink and Christopher found Christopher out of the groove. Ceravolo, Pennink and Cates were all able to advance their positions. Rocco ran quietly in the eighth position. Up front, Pitkat was glued to the back bumper of his teammate Malone. The caution flew on lap 18 when Henry Stamfl went up in smoke. During the caution period, Christopher, Pennink, Rocco, Jimmy Blewett and others headed down pit road to the attention of their pit crews.
Pitkat gave Malone a run on the restart but had to settle back in line in the second spot. Ceravolo took chase in third followed by Cates and Josh Sylvester. Harry Rheaume was having a good run in the sixth position. Debris in turn four necessitated the caution at halfway. Rocco came down pit road for service again under the caution. Rocco was joined on pit road by Sylvester.
Back under green it was much of the same for the lead pack of Malone, Pitkat, Ceravolo, and Cates. Rheaume had moved into the fifth position but had his hands full with Christopher. After another quick caution, Ceravolo tried the low side on Pitkat but had to settle back in line. Cates and Christopher racing for the fourth position made contact. Both were able to continue; however, Christopher lost several spots.
The caution flew again on lap 32 when early leader Pennink made contact with the outside wall exiting turn four. Rheaume relinquished the fifth spot to come down pit road for service. After a false start, Ceravolo gave up the third position to visit pit road.
When the race went back to green Malone continued to lead Pitkat, Cates, Christopher and Rocco in the top five. The complexion of the race changed dramatically on the lap 33, a half a lap after the restart. Contact between Pitkat and Malone sent Malone spinning from the lead. Rocco shot through the narrowest of holes to miss the incident. Without completing a lap the lead would have gone to Pitkat; however, he was given the consolation flag for spinning the leader. On the restart, Rocco was pitted against new leader Christopher. Cates, Tim Sullivan, and Blewett made up the top five.
On the restart, a cross over move by Rocco on Christopher gave the youngster the lead. A spin by Blewett brought out the caution, requiring Rocco to make the move once again. Rocco made it look easy on the ensuing restart taking over the top spot with ease. Rocco immediately jumped out to a sizeable advantage. Tim Sullivan was having the race of his young SK Modified career running in the third position.
Cates got along side Sullivan on lap 38 but could not make the pass. Ceravolo was running behind the duo in fifth. The pack ran out of running room coming out of turn four. The cars of Sullivan, Cates, Ceravolo, and Sylvester came to rest in a heap at the start-finish line.
When the dust cleared, Rocco led Christopher and Pitkat to the green flag for the restart. The duo of Rocco and Christopher immediately distanced themselves from third running Pitkat. Blewett was already back up to the fourth position followed by Rheaume in a distant fifth.
The field stretched out over the final laps of the event making for an uneventful run for the checkers. Rocco scored his third win of the season to extend his point lead over Pitkat and Pennink. Christopher settled for second ahead of Pitkat, Blewett, and Rheaume.
Les Rose, Jr. of Southbridge, MA, scored his first win of the season in the Super Late Model division. Rose took over the top spot early and held back some stiff competition to score the win. Jay Macedonio jumped out to the early lead but relinquished the top spot to Rose on lap four.
During a long green flag run, Rose was enjoying a sizeable lead over Jeff Connors, who had taken over the second spot. The battle for the fourth position behind Macedonio was heating up between Jim Banfield, Rick Fuller, and Derek Ramstrom. The action was slowed when a number of front runners tangled on lap 13 including Larry Gelinas, George Bessette, and Norm Wrenn.
At the halfway marker, Rose again had developed a comfortable margin over Connors, Macedonio, and now Fuller. Mike O’Sullivan had moved into the top five. Both Fuller and O’Sullivan made their way by a faltering Macedonio.
In the late stages of the event, Connors had caught Rose while Fuller and O’Sullivan were closing the distance. On the backstretch with three laps remaining, Connors made a bid for the lead; moving to the inside of Rose. Rose took evasive action with the two making significant contact. Connors barely missed a beat holding on to the second spot. O’Sullivan meanwhile was able to get by Fuller.
A spin by Macedonio gave Connors another shot at the leader. Rose rocketed out on the single file restart to maintain his lead. The #51 of Connors was not as strong as it had been earlier relinquishing the second spot to Sullivan. Four cars battled door-to-door and nose-to-nose for the third spot. At the checkers, it was Rose scoring the win over O’Sullivan. Fuller came out of the three-wide dash to the checkers with the third position followed by Connors and Ramstrom.
Tom O’Sullivan jumped out to the early lead. He distanced himself from the rest of the pack as Jay Stuart was holding off the charges of John Materas, Jeff Zuidema, and Rick Gentes. Materas was able to get around Stuart for the second spot on lap 13. By this time, O’Sullivan had worked out to a straightaway advantage. Materas had opened the flood gates as Zuidema and Gentes were also able to get by for position.
On lap 16, the first caution of the event flew after contact between Mark Oliveira and Stuart. O’Sullivan lost his large lead but not the momentum. He was able to retain his lead on successive restarts. Materas continued to take chase followed by Zuidema. Gentes had dropped off the pace with less than five laps to go; leaving Stuart and Oliveira inside the top five.
During the stretch run, O’Sullivan was not able to gain as big of an advantage as he had previously but it was enough to gain the victory. It was the first victory of the season for O’Sullivan. Materas’ stellar season continued with a runner-up finish. Zuidema, Stuart, and Oliveira completed the top five.
An event that started out with problems during the heat race for Paul Coutu, Jr. of Thompson, CT, ended in celebration. Coutu freed himself of pole sitter Chris Bisson to set the pace early. Both Scott Sundeen and Larry Barnett did a masterful job of working their way through the heavy traffic to make their way to the front of the pack. Sundeen quickly moved into the runner up spot. Barnett entered the third spot by lap five.
At halfway, Coutu continued to lead S. Sundeen and Barnett. Kevin Bowe ran alone in third followed by Sean Monahan. The action slowed for the first caution of the event on lap 13 for a spin by Bowe. On the restart, Coutu continued to lead while Barnett and S. Sundeen were locked in a heated battle for second. An equally intense battle for third featured Joe Arena and Monahan. With a handful of laps remaining a scary looking wreck involving Nick Sundeen necessitated the caution. The youngest of the three racing Sundeens was not injured.
A spin by Monahan with two laps remaining made it a three-car battle for the win over the last few laps. The three cars waged quite a battle as they ran the final laps in a tight pack. As they headed to the checkers, Coutu edged out Barnett for the win. S. Sundeen, who had been pushing Coutu, finished third. After taking the checkered flag, Coutu lost his brakes making hard contact with the outside wall. He brought his heavily damaged car to celebrate in victory lane. Joe Arena and Joe Coates rounded out the top five.
Glenn Boss of Danielson, CT, got the monkey off his back to win his first TIS Modified feature of the 2009 season. Boss had his hands full with a charging Leo Oliveira in the early stages of the event. Boss was able to get some breathing room when R.J. Marcotte entered the fray working on Oliveira for the second position. A spin by Jeff Barrows bunched up the filed just after halfway. Marcotte was the big loser on the restart slipping back to the fifth position behind Boss, Oliveira, Brian Tagg and Cam McDermott.
Out front, Boss was beginning to get some distance over Oliveira. Brian Sullivan had made his way past Marcotte and into the fifth position but was stuck behind the side-by-side battle between Tagg and McDermott. A hole opened up allowing Sullivan to take over the fourth spot. McDermott had caught Oliveira while Boss continued to stretch his lead. Boss took down the victory ahead of Oliveira, McDermott, Sullivan and Tagg.
Brad Caddick of New London, CT crossed under the checkers in the second position in the Mini Stock feature event but he went home with the trophy. Caddick finished second to Tim Taylor, who was disqualified after post race technical inspection for a weight infraction. Fred Michalski took the lead just before a melee on the backstretch slowed the action on lap five. Billy Pomposelli spun from the third position shuffling the pack once again. On the restart Tim Taylor catapulted from fourth position into second exiting turn three, by turn one of lap six, he was the new leader.
Once out front, Taylor immediately ran out to a sizeable advantage. It was a three car family battle for the third position between Michalski Brothers-Fred, Scott and Steve. Scott was able to move into the third spot. The trio was broken up by Mike Romano who moved into fourth. Taylor had smooth sailing as he raced to what appeared to be his third win in four races. Caddick and St. Michalski also crossed the line second and third respectively. Caddick was officially scored as the winner of the race with St. Michalski, Romano and F. Michalski and Nick Anderson completed the top five.
Sunoco Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 2. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 3. Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 4. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 5. Harry Rheaume, Oakdale, CT; 6. Eric Goodale, Riverhead, NY; 7. Andy Gaspar, Andover, CT; 8. Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, PA; 9. Dave LaCroix, Fitchburg, MA; 10. John Catania, Agawam, MA. (Unofficial results as of press time)
Super Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Les Rose, Jr., Southbridge, MA; 2. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 3. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 4. Jeff Connors, Ellington, CT; 5. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 6. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 7. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 8. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 9. Dennis Maxfield, Fitchburg, MA; 10. Dave Silvia, Warwick, RI.
Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 2. John Materas, Voluntown, CT; 3. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 4. Jay Stuart, Preston, CT; 5. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA; 6. Mike Scorzelli, Malta, NY; 7. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT; 8. Jeremy Sadowski, Voluntown, CT; 9. Rick Gentes, Woonsocket, RI; 10. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA.
Limited Sportsman Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Paul Coutu, Jr., Thompson, CT; 2. Larry Barnett, Moosup, CT; 3. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Joe Arena, Bristol, CT; 5. Joe Coates, Eastford, CT, 6. Chris Douton, Waterford, CT; 7. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 8. Tom Shea, New London, CT; 9. Chris Bisson, Putnam, CT; 10. Joe Plonski, Worcester, MA.
TIS Modifieds Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT, 2. Leo Oliveira, Raynham, MA; 3. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI, 4. Brian Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 5. Brian Tagg, Oxford, MA; 6. R.J. Marcotte, Millville, MA; 7. John Studley, Framingham, MA; 8. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 9. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 10. Jeff Barrows, Worcester, MA.
Mini Stock Feature Finish Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Brad Caddick, New London, CT; 2. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 3. Mike Romano, Chepachet, RI; 4. Fred Michalski, Dayville, CT; 5. Nick Anderson, Oxford, MA; 6. Chad Baxter, Pascoag, RI; 7. Alicia Thatcher, Pascoag, RI; 8. Mike Gorgievski, Auburn, MA; 9. Lloyd Anderson, Jr., Wauregan, CT; 10. Trevor Michalski, S. Killingly, CT.
