by Jay | Jul 24, 2010 | Connecticut, NASCAR, New England, Stafford
ERIC BERNDT SEEKS FIRST CAREER WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR VICTORY IN TOWN FAIR TIRE 150 AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY
(Stafford Springs, CT)—With the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returning to
Stafford Motor Speedway on August 6 for the 20th Annual Town Fair Tire 150,
the race presents another opportunity for Eric Berndt and the #54 North End
Auto Parts team to collect their first Whelen Modified Tour victory.
Berndt nearly won the Whelen Modified Tour’s previous visit to Stafford, the
TSI Harley-Davidson 125 in May. Berndt started the race in fourth and he
took the lead from Bobby Santos on lap-11. Berndt had built up a large lead
over the rest of the field, but a caution with 22 laps to go erased Berndt’s
large lead and he lost the lead to Santos one lap after the restart and
faded back to 6th place at the checkered flag. Berndt led 101 of the race’s
137 laps and he is looking forward to returning to Stafford and taking
another shot at capturing his first career Whelen Modified Tour victory.
“We were real happy with how we ran the last time out at Stafford, but
disappointed at how we finished the race,” said Berndt. “I think I beat the
car up a little too much early on and I didn’t have anything left. We weren
’t happy to see that caution flag for sure. I feel like we’re right on the
doorstep to that first win and hopefully we can knock that door down when we
come back to Stafford.”
While racing in selected Whelen Modified Tour events since the 2004 season,
Stafford would seem to be the best bet for Berndt to record his first
victory on Tour. In 38 career Whelen Modified Tour starts, two of Berndt’s
4 career top-10 finishes have come at Stafford and Berndt recorded his first
career Coors Light Pole Position in last year’s Town Fair Tire 150 at
Stafford. Berndt comes to Stafford fresh off of his first career Whelen
Modified Tour top-5 finish, giving him and his team a big shot of momentum.
“Our program has gotten better every year and we’re coming off a fourth
place finish at Monadnock, which gives us some big momentum going forward to
Stafford,” said Berndt. “Last week was the first time I had ever raced at
Monadnock and we qualified well and we ran in the top-5 all race long, so we
’re looking forward to coming back to race at Stafford. With my crew chief
Ricky Rotundo and Bob Horn, who helps me with the SK car as well as the Tour
car, we have a lot of knowledge for Stafford. It would mean a lot to be
able to get our first win at Stafford with running there weekly and to join
the list of winners at Stafford.”
Berndt also says that the race strategy for the Town Fair Tire 150 will be
different from the Whelen Modified Tour’s previous visit to the Connecticut
half-mile.
“I think we’ll probably have to pit, where we didn’t pit the last race at
Stafford,” said Berndt. “The pit stop can be a big factor for us in the
race. Teddy and Santos are going to be good, you can never count out Mike
Stefanik at Stafford, Ryan Preece has been fast at Stafford for three years,
and Szegedy is good at Stafford. You just never know who is going to hit it
just right, there’s probably about 8 cars that you have to look at as
potential winners.”
With a crew familiar with Stafford on his side, and his great run the last
time out at Stafford, you can count Eric Berndt as a contender for the Town
Fair Tire 150 checkered flag.
Tickets for the 20th Annual Town Fair Tire 150 are on sale now at the
Speedway Box Office and are price at $30.00 for adult general admission
tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are
admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating is
priced at $32.00 for all ages. As always, Stafford Motor Speedway offers
free parking with overnight parking available.
For more information, or to order tickets, contact the Stafford Motor
Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at
www.staffordspeedway.com .
by Jay | Jul 11, 2010 | Connecticut, Stafford
RUOCCO, ROCCO, BARRETT, DOW, & SALVA SCORE JULY 9th NASCAR WHELEN
ALL-AMERICAN SERIES VICTORIES AT STAFFORD
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Speedway was back in action with a NASCAR
Whelen All-American Series program on Friday night, July 9th. Frank Ruocco
took his second victory of the 2010 season in the 40-lap SK Modified®
feature event, Keith Rocco picked up his first career Late Model feature
victory in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Tommy Barrett scored his third win
of the 2010 season in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Rob Dow won his
first race of the season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Nick
Salva was a first time career winner in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Josh Sylvester was the early
leader with Sean Foster behind him. Frank Ruocco moved from fifth to third,
but with 2 laps complete several cars spun in turn 3 including Curt Brainard
and Michael Gervais, Jr., and then Mark Bakaj got hard into the wall coming
off turn 4, which helped send John Montesanto and Eric Berndt through the
frontstretch infield.
Back under green it was Sylvester out front with Foster, Frank Ruocco, Todd
Owen, and Zach Sylvester making up the top-5, but the field was only able to
complete one lap before Woody Pitkat took a spin though the frontstretch
infield to bring the yellow back out.
Sylvester again took the lead back under green, but Ruocco was able to get
by Sylvester on lap-5 to take over the race lead. Debris on the track in
turn 3 brought out the yellow flag with 5 laps complete. Under the caution,
Jeff Malave’s car shut off at the entrance to turn 3 and he had to be pushed
back to pit road.
Ruocco again took the lead ahead of Josh Sylvester, Zach Sylvester, Foster
and Ted Christopher, but Joe Allegro, Jr. spun in turn 3 to bring the
caution back out with 6 laps complete.
Ruocco kept the lead back under green while Josh and Zach Sylvester raced
side by side for second. The battle lasted for 5 laps before Zach took the
position. With Zach in second, Owen moved into third, dropping Josh back to
fourth as Keith Rocco touched wheels with Ted Christopher to take over fifth
place. Owen would get by Zach Sylvester to take over second before Chris
Jones went around in turn 1 with 19 laps complete to bring the yellow flag
out.
Ruocco again took the lead with Owen, Zach Sylvester, Rocco, and Pitakt
making up the top-5. With 10 laps to go it was still Ruocco ahead of Owen,
Zach Sylvester, Rocco, and Pitkat. Nichole Morgillo spun in turn 4 to bring
the caution out with 33 laps complete.
Ruocco powered to the lead back under green with Zach Sylvester taking
second. Dan Avery was on the charge, briefly taking third from Owen before
falling back into line behind Owen with Rocco in fifth place. Morgillo spun
again in turn 1 to bring the yellow back out with 36 laps complete, setting
up a sprint to the finish.
Ruocco powered into the lead on the restart with Owen in second. Rocco
moved from fifth up to third with Zach Sylvester and Pitkat behind him.
Owen took a run to the outside of Ruocco coming to the checkered flag, but
Ruocco got a good run and was able to take the checkered flag for his second
win of the 2010 season. Owen finished second, with Rocco, Zach Sylvester,
and Pitkat rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Tony Lafo and Scott Cook spent the
first two laps side by side for the lead, but with 2 laps complete the car
of Woody Pitkat spun in turn 1 and collected the cars of Ryan Posocco, Corey
Hutchings and Doug Blowers, Jr. in turn 1 to bring the caution out.
Back under green it was Cook in the lead with Keith Rocco taking second and
Jim Peterson taking third. Lafo settled into line in fourth with Dillon
Moltz making up the top-5. Moltz went around Lafo on lap-4 to take over
fourth and Michael Bennett also moved by Lafo several laps later to move
into fifth place. Cook was still the race leader until lap-10 when Rocco
moved to the front of the field. Peterson and Moltz followed Rocco by Cook
to drop Cook back to fourth place while Bennett continued to hold down the
fifth position.
At the halfway point, it was still Rocco out front with Peterson, Moltz,
Bennett, and Cook making up the top-5 spots. The top-5 continued to run in
line until lap-25 when Bennett was able to move to the inside of Moltz to
take over third place. Rocco has been the dominant car in the SK Modified®
division at Stafford this season and he was the dominant car tonight as he
led the final 20 laps to record his first career Late Model feature victory
at Stafford Motor Speedway. Rounding out the top-5 behind Rocco was
Peterson, Bennett, Moltz, and Cook.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Jay Goff took the early race
lead with Zach Aszklar, Ted Cain, Erica Santos, and Harry Wheeler making up
the top-5. Cain was able to move under Aszklar to take over second before
Tommy Barrett spun in turn 1 with 5 laps complete to bring the caution out
and slow the field.
On the restart, Aszklar got a good run to the inside of Goff and took over
the race lead. Second place points man Joey Cipriano got into the wall
coming out of turn 4 and his car climbed up the wall and ended up on its
roof on the frontstretch to bring the caution and red flags out with 5 laps
complete. Cipriano was able to hop out of his car and he was ok after
sliding to a stop on his roof.
Back under green it was Aszklar in command out front with Goff behind him.
Barrett was recovered from his early race spin and he was mowing his way
back towards the front of the field, moving into third place behind Aszklar
and Goff. The caution came out with 11 laps complete for a spin by Ted Cain
and Heather DesRochers.
Back under green it was a side by side slugfest between Aszklar and Barrett
for the race lead with Aszklar having the advantage at the stripe. The
caution came back out one lap later for Shayne Prucker, who spun in turn 1.
Back under green it was Barrett getting a great run to the outside of
Aszklar to take over the race lead. Goff continued to run third behind
Barrett and Aszklar, with Dylan Liseo in fourth and Matt Galko up to fifth.
On lap-16, Galko was able to move by both Liseo and Goff to move from fifth
to third in one turn of racing. The caution came back out for the Mark
Trombetta, who spun in turns 3+4.
Barrett maintained the lead back under green with Aszklar in second and
Galko looking to make a run for second, but Cain went around in turn 1 one
lap after the restart to bring the caution back out. Barrett again took the
lead on the restart with Aszklar, Galko, Goff, and Liseo making up the
top-5. Galko got by Aszklar for second on lap-19, which gave Barrett all
the margin he needed as he knocked off his third win of the 2010 season.
Goff spun in turn 1 on the last lap of the race, but it was Galko, Aszklar,
Earl Pelletier, and Liseo rounding out the top-5 behind Barrett.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Duane Provost surged past
Jesse Hinze on the opening lap to take the lead. Carla Botticello’s run of
bad luck continued as she spun to the infield in turn 4 to bring the caution
out with one lap complete.
Provost took the lead back under green with Rob Dow moving into second.
George Nocera, Jr. moved to the inside of Hinze for third with Andrew Durand
and Dave Yardley, III behind Hinze. Dow then took the lead from Provost on
lap-3 and immediately began to build up a lead. Nocera was able to get by
Provost for second on lap-5 and his pass brought Hinze, Durand, and Yardley
by Provost, dropping him from second back to sixth.
The order continued to shuffle on lap-7 as Durand moved into third, getting
by Hinze. At the halfway point of the race, Yardley moved by Hinze to take
over fourth place and he brought Shawn Thibeault with him, dropping Hinze
from fourth to sixth place. Dow was still in command of the race with
Nocera and Durand trailing, but the caution came back out with 12 laps
complete as Carla Botticello spun and hit the turn 1 wall.
On the restart, Nocera got the initial jump on Dow, but Dow was able to race
back to the inside of Nocera and maintain the race lead. Durand settled
into line in third, with Thibeault fourth and Michael Wray fifth. Thibeault
made a move around Durand on lap-18 to take over third, but it was still Dow
ahead of Nocera at the front. Nocera was never able to mount a challenge as
Dow scored his first victory of the 2010 season. Nocera came home in second
with Thibeault, Durand, and Wray rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Donald Cook took the lead at the
drop of the green, but it was a short lived lead as Stephanie Berardi moved
herself to the front of the pack on lap-2. Berardi’s move brought Nick
Salva by Cook and on lap-4 Josh Wood and Cory Casagrande both got by Cook.
Vince Gambacorta spun in turn 1 with 4 laps complete to bring the yellow
flag out.
Berardi charged into the lead on the restart with Salva and Cory Casagrande
behind her. Wood made a run to the inside of Casagrande on lap-6 to move
into third while Salva was able to maneuver to the inside of Berardi to take
over the race lead. Wood moved into second with Tony Membrino, Jr., Kyle
Casagrand, and Cory Casagrande making up the top-5 as Berardi fell back to
eighth place as she was stuck in the outside groove. The caution came out
with 11 laps complete for a spin by Kelsey Rottino.
On the restart, Wood jumped the start and he was sent to the rear of the
field. Salva took the lead on the restart with Cory Casagrande taking
second. Jeff Jolly was up to third, with Albert Saunders in fourth and
Membrino falling back to fifth. Salva was able to hold Casagrande off over
the final corner to take his first career victory. Casagrande finished
second, with Saunders, Membrino, and Jolly rounding out the top-5.
For more information contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at
(860) 684-2783, or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
###
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Keith Rocco, Meriden
2) Ted Christopher, Plainville
3) Jeff Malave, Manchester
4) Jeff Baral, Enfield
5) Bo Gunning, Bethlehem
6) Chris Jones, New Milford
7) Todd Owen, Somers
8) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
9) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
10) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
11) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon
12) John Montesanto, North Branford
13) Curt Brainard, Canton
14) Sean Foster, Ellington
15) Kirk Zervas, Winthrop, Ma
16) Mark Bakaj, Lebanon
17) Joe Allegro, Jr., Vernon
18) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
19) Josh Sylvester, Lebanon
20) Chris Matthews, Stafford
21) Raymond Grassetti, Monson, Ma
22) Tom Bolles, Ellington
23) Dan Avery, Somers
24) Nichole Morgillo, Wallingford
25) Matt Gallo, Kensington
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Ryan Posocco, Stafford Springs
2) Corey Hutchings, Salem
3) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
4) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
5) Dillon Moltz, Waterford
6) Mark St. Hilaire, Berlin
7) Ed Ricard, Stafford Springs
8) Duane Noll, Monroe
9) Doug Blowers, Jr., Newton Highlands, Ma
10) Patrick Townsend, Springifeld, Ma
11) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
12) Tony Lafo, Higganum
13) Michael Bennett, Stafford Springs
14) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
15) J.J. Hill, Stafford Springs
16) Scott Cook, Uncasville
17) Keith Rocco, Meriden
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Ma
2) Matt Galko, Meriden
3) Zach Aszklar, Wallingford
4) Earl Pelletier, Wolcott
5) Dylan Liseo, East Hartford
6) David Webb, New Milford
7) Erica Santos, Franklin, Ma
8) Tony Santangelo, Middlefield
9) Stephen Greer, Harwinton
10) Ted Cain, Plymouth
11) Frank Cardile, Bolton
12) Harry Wheeler, Stafford Springs
13) Shayne Prucker, Stafford Springs
14) Victoria Bergenty, Plainville
15) Rick Burwood, Enfield
16) Mark Trombetta, Naugatuck
17) Neil Maxted, Bethel
18) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
19) Kyle Spencer, Montgomery, Ma
20) Heather DesRochers, Granby, Ma
21) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) Rob Dow, Stafford Springs
2) George Nocera, Jr., Plainville
3) Shawn Thibeault, Plainville
4) Andrew Durand, Chicopee, Ma
5) Michael Wray, Northford
6) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
7) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
8) Dave Yardley, III, Meriden
9) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
10) Robert Farrington, Jr., Belchertown, Ma
11) Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
12) Dan Flannery, Ellington
13) Brian Clement, Wethersfield
14) Greg Butler, Jr., East Hampton
15) Carla Botticello, Manchester
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Nick Salva, Prospect
2) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
3) Albert Saunders, Stafford
4) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
5) Jeff Jolly, Wallingford
6) Donald Cook, Agawam, Ma
7) Stephen Daddio, Seymour
8) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
9) Vince Gambacorta, Ellington
10) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
11) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
12) David Arute, Tolland
13) James Carroll, West Hartford
14) Stephanie Berardi, Broad Brook
15) Kaitlyn Brice, Manchester
16) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
17) Joe McAllister, New Britian
18) Andrew Hayes, Enfield
