by Jay | Sep 8, 2009 | NASCAR, NASCAR K&N Pro Series
Posts Fourth Place Finish In West Series Race
Newton, IA (September 7, 2009): Brett Moffitt waged a battle in the closing laps of the Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades 125 at Iowa Speedway Friday night to post a fourth place finish in No. 4 Andy Santerre Motorsports Chevrolet. Moffitt, making a rare appearance in the NASCAR Camping World Series West, pressured Max Gresham throughout the closing laps in his bid for third place but just fell short at the checkers.
“It came down to the end of the race and Brett caught Max (Gresham),” said Santerre. “We really came on in the last 25 laps. I told Brett to give it everything he had. He got under Max, but couldn’t quite clear him. They raced side-by-side for the last ten laps. We would get beside him in the turn, but Max would beat us down the straightaway. It was good racing and they put on a good show.”
Moffitt was among the six fastest cars in both practice sessions, but had to start 11th after posting a qualifying time of 24.339 seconds.
“The track slowed down a lot. We took the same car we had there in the spring for the combination race, but qualifying speeds were almost a second slower than it was back in May,” said Santerre. “The set-up we had was really good. We were close, but we never got the car balanced perfectly.”
Moffitt moved up to ninth at the drop of the green and settled into seventh by the halfway mark. The second half of the race was the most productive for Moffitt, who moved up to fourth by the time the race reached lap 100.
With eventual winner David Mayhew setting a torrid pace, Moffitt had to shoot for a top-three. When the car came in, Moffitt took off and immediately started challenging Gresham for third. It was a 20-lap battle that highlighted the closing laps of the race.
“This was the car that we wrecked at New Hampshire, and it had a new front clip and a new body. It was the first time out with it. We were pretty happy with how it ran and the set up that we had,” said Moffitt. “Obviously, I would have liked to win, but a top-five finish is nothing to balk at especially considering we had to come up through from 11th.”
Moffitt returns to action in the NASCAR Camping World Series East at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday, September 18th. For more information on Brett Moffitt or Andy Santerre Motorsports, visit www.brettmoffitt.com or www.andysanterremotorsports.com.
by Jay | Sep 7, 2009 | NASCAR
HAMPTON, GA — Kasey Kahne saved his best for last Sunday night and won the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
A huge crowd, well over 100,000 and what most were calling the biggest crowd in many years at this track, was treated to great racing on a Labor Day Weekend.
In the last 50 laps alone, Juan Pablo Montoya led as did Kevin Harvick. A caution with less than 20 laps remaining set the stage for a final shootout.
Kahne, who figured he had a faster car on short runs, took the lead when the race was restarted with 11 laps to go and ran away from Harvick, who was second, and Montoya, who finished third. It was Kahne’s second win this season. He put the Petty Enterprises/Gillette Budweiser Dodge in Victory Lane this summer at Infineon Raceway.
Rounding out the top 15 spots were David Reutimann, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, David Stremme, Paul Menard and Robbie Gordon. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., was 17th.
This race started with some of the drivers a little more nervous than normal for the start of the race. Just two races stood between them and the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup,auto racing’s 10-race playoff for the championship.
The top 12 drivers qualify for The Chase after 26 races, and points are recalibrated amongst the qualifiers to separate them from the rest of the starting fields.
Martin, Vickers, Montoya, Kahne, Kenseth and Biffle were a few of the drivers who had to finish well to stay in the running for one of the 12 spots.
Pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr., streaked ahead throwing caution to the wind as he was not a contender for The Chase. Truex just wanted a win.
While Truex had a comfortable lead, others were racing hard, side-by-side and bumper-to-bumper back in the field. Waltrip slid against the third turn wall racing for position and Montoya was squeezing in and out of traffic like he was late for work.
At 20 laps, Truex held a one-and-a-half-second lead over Kahne. Gordon was third, Johnson fourth and Kyle Busch fifth.
They were followed by Hamlin, Vickers, Kurt Busch, Martin and Montoya in 10th, after starting back in 22nd spot.
Sam Hornish brought out the night’s first caution when he spun off turn four on the 37th lap. He did not make contact with anybody or anything and was able to continue.
On the double-file shootout-style restart at lap 41, Kahne was out front in lieu of his pit crew’s stellar work. Truex was second, followed by Gordon, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Vickers, Martin, Kurt Busch and Montoya in 10th. Truex quickly regained the lead, and Gordon moved into second. Kahne, however, dusted Gordon for second one lap later.
Hornish went two for two in the caution category when a tire flew off his car on lap 61 in the tri-oval bringing out another caution.
Gordon probably welcomed this caution as his Chevy had dropped from third to 22nd during this run.
Kyle Busch took the lead on the restart this time with Truex and Johnson in tow.
Max Pappis punched the wall on lap 105 bringing out the caution again. After the restart on lap
Kyle Busch still had the lead on the restart at lap 108. Another caution on lap 131 for debris slowed the field once again.
Gordon took the lead on the 135th lap restart, trailed by Hamlin, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Montoya, Stewart, Logano, Kurt Busch, Martin and Vickers.
At the halfway point, Gordon was leading. Hamlin was second, followed by Harvick, Vickers, Earnhardt, Johnson, Martin, Montoya, Kahne and Reutimann. Stremme was was 11th and Kyle Busch 12th.
by Jay | Sep 6, 2009 | NASCAR, New England
Needing a win to stay in the hunt for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national title hunt, Keith Rocco did just that Saturday night. After a fourth-place finish in the first 25-lap SK Modified feature at the Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl, Rocco capped the evening with a win in the second feature.
The Wallingford, Conn., driver entered the weekend 34 points behind Philip Morris of Ruckersville, Va. Rocco was tied with Omaha, Neb. driver Bill Leighton Jr. with 801 points.
Morris and Leighton were both in action Saturday night, as well. Morris wrecked while battling for the lead at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and did not finish the race, while Leighton finished sixth at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb.
Rocco failed to improve his points total with a third at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway Thursday and a 15th at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway Friday. Saturday’s performance, however, came with a full field of 23 cars at Waterford, allowing Rocco to unofficially jump to 816. Morris remains at 835 and Leighton at 801.
All points totals are unofficial until released by NASCAR Points & Membership Department on Tuesday.
The deadline for races to count toward NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state and national points is Sunday, Sept. 13. A driver’s best 18 results are counted toward their state and national points totals.
Rocco started 12th in the first feature at Waterford Saturday and got up as high as third before settling for a fourth-place run behind race winner Justin Gaydosh.
“We were good enough to win the first one, we just ran out of time,” Rocco said. “It was hard to get to the front.”
Rocco started eighth in the second feature and took the lead just past the halfway point. It was Rocco’s sixth win of the year at Waterford and his 13th overall.
He is scheduled to finish next weekend with asphalt Modified division races at Thompson (Thursday), Stafford (Friday) and Waterford (Saturday). Unofficially, he needs at least one win, and a minimum second and third in the other two features – contigent on each of the races having a full field of 23 cars – to tie Morris.
[b]Rocco Closes Ground On Morris Nets a win and a fourth at Waterford, while national points leader wrecks at South Boston[/b] Needing a win to stay in the hunt for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national title hunt, Keith Rocco did just that Saturday night. After a fourth-place finish in the first 25-lap SK Modified feature at the Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl, Rocco capped the evening with a win in the second feature. The Wallingford, Conn., driver entered the weekend 34 points behind Philip Morris of Ruckersville, Va. Rocco was tied with Omaha, Neb. driver Bill Leighton Jr. with 801 points. Morris and Leighton were both in action Saturday night, as well. Morris wrecked while battling for the lead at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and did not finish the race, while Leighton finished sixth at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. Rocco failed to improve his points total with a third at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway Thursday and a 15th at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway Friday. Saturday’s performance, however, came with a full field of 23 cars at Waterford, allowing Rocco to unofficially jump to 816. Morris remains at 835 and Leighton at 801. All points totals are unofficial until released by NASCAR Points & Membership Department on Tuesday. The deadline for races to count toward NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state and national points is Sunday, Sept. 13. A driver’s best 18 results are counted toward their state and national points totals. Rocco started 12th in the first feature at Waterford Saturday and got up as high as third before settling for a fourth-place run behind race winner Justin Gaydosh. “We were good enough to win the first one, we just ran out of time,” Rocco said. “It was hard to get to the front.” Rocco started eighth in the second feature and took the lead just past the halfway point. It was Rocco’s sixth win of the year at Waterford and his 13th overall. He is scheduled to finish next weekend with asphalt Modified division races at Thompson (Thursday), Stafford (Friday) and Waterford (Saturday). Unofficially, he needs at least one win, and a minimum second and third in the other two features – contigent on each of the races having a full field of 23 cars – to tie Morris.[b]Rocco Closes Ground On Morris Nets a win and a fourth at Waterford, while national points leader wrecks at South Boston[/b] Needing a win to stay in the hunt for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national title hunt, Keith Rocco did just that Saturday night. After a fourth-place finish in the first 25-lap SK Modified feature at the Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl, Rocco capped the evening with a win in the second feature. The Wallingford, Conn., driver entered the weekend 34 points behind Philip Morris of Ruckersville, Va. Rocco was tied with Omaha, Neb. driver Bill Leighton Jr. with 801 points. Morris and Leighton were both in action Saturday night, as well. Morris wrecked while battling for the lead at South Boston (Va.) Speedway and did not finish the race, while Leighton finished sixth at Junction Motor Speedway in McCool Junction, Neb. Rocco failed to improve his points total with a third at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway Thursday and a 15th at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway Friday. Saturday’s performance, however, came with a full field of 23 cars at Waterford, allowing Rocco to unofficially jump to 816. Morris remains at 835 and Leighton at 801. All points totals are unofficial until released by NASCAR Points & Membership Department on Tuesday. The deadline for races to count toward NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state and national points is Sunday, Sept. 13. A driver’s best 18 results are counted toward their state and national points totals. Rocco started 12th in the first feature at Waterford Saturday and got up as high as third before settling for a fourth-place run behind race winner Justin Gaydosh. “We were good enough to win the first one, we just ran out of time,” Rocco said. “It was hard to get to the front.” Rocco started eighth in the second feature and took the lead just past the halfway point. It was Rocco’s sixth win of the year at Waterford and his 13th overall. He is scheduled to finish next weekend with asphalt Modified division races at Thompson (Thursday), Stafford (Friday) and Waterford (Saturday). Unofficially, he needs at least one win, and a minimum second and third in the other two features – contigent on each of the races having a full field of 23 cars – to tie Morris.
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by Jay | Sep 6, 2009 | NASCAR
HAMPTON, Ga. (Sept. 5, 2009) — Kevin Harvick passed polesitter Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the next-to-last lap and pulled away to win Saturday night’s Degree V12 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch, who also passed Earnhardt on Lap 194 of 195, ran second and padded his NASCAR Nationwide Series points lead from 192 to 221 over second-place Carl Edwards, who completed the race despite fracturing two bones in his right foot playing Frisbee on Wednesday. Edwards finished seventh, one lap down.
After pitting for the last time on Lap 125, Earnhardt saved enough fuel to make it to the end of the race but couldn’t stay ahead of Busch and Harvick, who came to the pits for four tires and gas on Lap 181 and 182, respectively.
Brad Keselowski came home fourth, followed by Jeff Burton and Joey Logano.
“Kyle was a little better on the short runs there, but after about eight or 10 laps, this thing was just flat-out awesome,” Harvick said of his No. 33 Chevrolet. “We cut it a little bit closer than I would have liked to there at the end. …
“It was nice to race the 18 (Busch) head-to-head like that and have fun with him. I really thought everybody had to pit. Just a great night for the fans who came out to watch the race — Dale Jr. on strategy, Kyle good on short runs and us good after about 10 laps — so you had all kinds of that good Atlanta racing tonight.”
Earnhardt credited his crew, which included former crew chief Tony Eury Jr. in a consulting role, with a good call in the pits.
“We saved enough gas, and we finished closer to them two guys than we were on the racetrack,” Earnhardt said. “So I guess it was the right call. We just didn’t have enough at the end to hold them off. I tried to get going when they were coming. … Hopefully we put on a good show for the fans out there.”
Harvick held a lead of more than six seconds when NASCAR called the third caution of the race on Lap 124 because of debris in Turn 2, ending a green-flag run of 79 laps. At that point, there were five cars on the lead lap.
Busch, however, won the race off pit road after the lead-lap cars pitted for tires and fuel under yellow. After a restart on Lap 129, he and Harvick battled side-by-side for five laps, before Busch edged ahead and stayed out front until Lap 147.
Harvick’s car, however, was stronger on long runs, and the driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet passed Busch for the lead with 48 laps left and began to pull away. His lead had reached more than seven seconds when he pulled into the pits on Lap 182.
by Jay | Sep 4, 2009 | NASCAR, New England, Thompson
Lia Scores Two-Straight in WMT Action with Win at Thompson
Red-Hot Pennink Scores Career First Sunoco Mod
Ramstrom, O’Sullivan, Barnett, Tagg & Churchill Weekly Winners
Thompson, CT (September 3, 2009): The Whelen Modified Tour headed to Thompson International Speedway for the make-up of the event regularly scheduled for August 13, 2009. Donny Lia of Jericho, NY, in Bob Garbarino’s Mystic Missile was the show on Thursday night. Rowan Pennink of Huntingdon, PA, who has been enjoying strong seasons in both the Whelen Modified Tour and the True Value Modified Series, has now tasted victory in the Sunoco Modified Series with his victory at Thompson on Thursday.
Victories helped Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, and Larry Barnett of Moosup, CT, stretch their point leads in the Super Late Model and Limited Sportsman divisions respectively. After post race tech, Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA; was awarded his third Late Model victory of the season. Brian Tagg of Oxford, MA, streaked in TIS Modified competition with his second straight victory. Randy Churchill of Niantic, CT, took down his first Mini Stock feature event win at Thompson.
Donny Lia, the 2007 Series champion, earned the Coors Light Pole Award with a lap at 119.847 MPH for 18.774 seconds. He went on to lead a number of laps and he likely passed the most cars. After the redraw, Lia started ninth. He made his first appearance at the head of the pack early in the race dualing with the likes of fellow former champions Christopher and Todd Szegedy. During a heated battle with Christopher for the lead on lap 106, contact sent Lia spinning.
The Jericho, NY, driver did a masterful job of keeping his car off the wall. He restarted at the tail of the field. He had meticulously worked his way through traffic. By lap 120, he was inside of the top five. The benefit of a well-placed caution lined Lia up with the likes of Szegedy, Christopher and Rowan Pennink. At lap 140, Donny Lia was the new leader. At lap 150, he was the winner. Christopher settled for the second spot over Szegedy. Rowan Pennink and Keith Rocco rounded out the top five.
Pennink of Huntingdon, PA, had a stellar night; wiring the field earlier in the night to score his first-ever Thompson Speedway victory and career first Sunoco Modified feature event win. Pennink led the opening lap but immediately had his hands full with Kerry Malone and Ted Christopher. Pennink was able to maintain the lead as Malone settled back in line ahead of Christopher. The fiercest battle amid the pack was for the fourth position between Tim Sullivan, Keith Rocco and Woody Pitkat. Sullivan had the spot with Rocco and Pitkat within striking distance. The action cooled when the first caution flew for a spin by Harry Rheaume.
On the restart, Malone was able to get the edge but his advancement was for naught as the caution flew before the leaders could get out of turn two. The dreadful season for Sullivan continued as he made hard contact with the outside wall in turn one to bring out the second caution. Malone got slightly out of shape on the ensuing restart making contact with Ted Christopher. Christopher slid through the infield making contact with the inside wall on the front stretch. The damage forced Christopher to retire from the event.
Rocco looked like he was shot out of a cannon on the restart moving to the second spot. Pitkat was able to get by Malone as well. A quick restart allowed Pitkat to gain another spot into the second position. Ronnie Silk, the new driver of the TS Haulers #12, made his first appearance inside the top five. After a stop on pit road, Danny Cates had come back to ride in the sixth spot.
A bobble by leader Pennink exiting turn four one lap shy of halfway gave Pitkat a shot at the lead. Pennink recovered to maintain the position. A half-lap later, Pitkat tried the low side in turn three. The lane swap gave Rocco the edge to put him back in the runner-up position.
Pennink continued to show the way with Rocco bearing down. Pitkat had settled back into the third position before the fifth caution of the event flew for a spin by Carl Oberg. Cates was back on pit road during the caution at lap 17.
It was much of the same on the restart as Pennink had to fight off the advances of Rocco. Pitkat laid in wait in third followed by Malone and Silk. Rocco pushed Pennink on the straight-aways lap-after-lap. Rocco got alongside Pennink exiting turn four on lap 21. He had to settle back in line as Pitkat began to apply pressure to Rocco.
On a restart on lap 24, Rocco tried the crossover move looking for the lead. He got the car a bit out of shape as he dove too low and into the dirt giving Pitkat daylight. Pitkat was able to take the second spot away. Rocco pulled in behind Pitkat. The two continued to dog Pennink.
On the final two laps the cat and mouse for the second position between Pitkat and Rocco allowed Pennink to celebrate his birthday with a victory as he flashed under the checkers. Pitkat finished a strong second followed by Rocco. Malone and Silk completed the top-five.
Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, CT, turned in a dominating performance to score his fourth Super Late Model victory of the season. The first half of the 30-lap event was laden with cautions decimating the field. All but the top few cars had been involved in incidents in some way or another. A couple of grinding crashes eliminated the cars of Norm Wrenn, Henry Stampfl and Daryl Stampfl. Top guns Mike Stefanik and Rick Fuller also sustained damage.
Things settled down after halfway with Ramstrom solidly in control. Ramstrom had a 10-car length advantage with the crossed flags in the air. The leader gained additional distance as Larry Gelinas had to fight off Mike O’Sullivan. As the two did battle Bessette was able to join the fray.
O’Sullivan was able to make the pass for the runner-up spot on lap 22. O’Sullivan had eight laps to catch Ramstrom, who had nearly a half-straightaway advantage. Meanwhile, Bessette had caught Gelinas.
Gelinas spun with only two laps to go relinquishing the third position. The veteran was able to keep his momentum allowing the leaders to go green to the checkers. Ramstrom handily took down the win followed by O’Sullivan. Bessette recovered from his early race incident to score a podium finish in third. Mike Stefanik and Dennis Maxfield rounded out the top-five.
In Late Model action, Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, drove under the checkered flag in the second position; however, following post race technical inspection, O’Sullivan was awarded with the victory. It appeared as if Rick Gentes had scored his fourth Late Model victory of the season but a rules infraction found the Woonsocket, RI, driver penalized to the tail-end of the lead lap.
Right from the drop of the green flag the Late Model main event was intense. They were three-wide for the lead as they streaked under the initial green flag. Randy Waterman held the top spot but Mark Oliveira and Tommy O’Sullivan bore down.
O’Sullivan was able to use a lapped car to his advantage to finish off the pass for the lead coming out of turn two on lap eight. Gentes was on the move taking over the second spot. Oliveira continued to fade losing the third position to John Materas.
From second, Gentes set his sites on O’Sullivan. By halfway, Gentes had caught the back bumper of O’Sullivan. Gentes began looking for running room to the inside of O’Sullivan. Materas ran all alone in the third spot. Oliveira faltered exiting turn four to give up the fifth spot to Jeff Hartwell.
Gentes got along side O’Sullivan on lap 16. At the stripe, Gentes was the new leader by a few feet. Materas had caught the battle for the top spot. In the waning laps, Gentes was able to stretch his lead over O’Sullivan, who had stretched his advantage of Materas once again. At the checkers, it was Gentes but scoring the win was O’Sullivan. Materas was scored as the runner-up. Hartwell, Oliveira, and Wayne Coury, Sr. completed the top-five. For the first time in likely a decade, local favorite Jeff Zuidema was missing from the field after issues from last week.
Larry Barnett of Moosup, CT, used his years of experience to gain his sixth feature win of the season in Limited Sportsman competition over one of the division’s brightest young stars. Once again, the Limited Sportsman division treated the fans with a tremendous battle for the top spot. Jay Sundeen and Barnett went side-by-side lap after lap. A caution at halfway cooled the battled but only temporarily. On the restart, the lead duo picked up where they left off. On lap 12, Barnett was able to grab the lead away. Sundeen was not giving up as he remained glued to the back bumper of Barnett. Joe Arena ran alone in the third position.
Over the final few laps, Barnett was able to free himself from Sundeen to gain a 10-car advantage. There was a scary moment for Sundeen on the final lap of the event. The lapped car of Paul Palen bobbled nearly making contact with the young driver. Sundeen never missed a beat; however, and chased winner Barnett to the checkers. Paul Coutu, Jr. and last week’s winner Shawn Monahan rounded out the top five.
Brian Tagg of Oxford, MA, turned in a strong performance to score his fourth victory of the season. Glenn Boss led the opening laps; withstanding a pair of early restarts. A restart on lap six proved to be the undoing for Boss as Tagg was able to take over the lead exiting turn three.
After halfway, the top five ran nose to tail as Tagg extended his lead. With the laps winding down, early leader Boss began to fade. Cam McDermott was able to move into the second position on lap 12. A lap later, Boss fell to the challenge of Brian Sullivan. In the closing stages, Tagg continued to distance himself from the field. In the end, the second-generation driver ran to his second straight victory. McDermott cut slightly into Sullivan’s point lead to finish second. Sullivan settled for third over Boss and R.J. Marcotte.
He had been a winner in Outlaw Mini Stock competition but on Thursday night Randy Churchill of Niantic, CT, notched his first Thompson Mini Stock feature win. Churchill had to wrestle the lead away from early leader Chad Baxter more than once to gain the victory.
Slight contact between Baxter and Churchill on lap four gave Churchill the lead. A caution flew negating the pass for the lead. Once back to green, the battle for the lead resumed. After 15-laps Churchill would prevail as the Mini Stock winner. Steve Michalski passed Baxter to finish second. Point leader Scott Michalski finished fourth ahead of Tim Taylor, who was aboard a new car after last week’s wreck.
Whelen Modified Tour Feature Finish (Unofficial Top Ten): 1. Donny Lia, Jericho, NY; 2. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 3. Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, CT; 4. Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon, PA; 5. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 6. Eric Beers, Northampton, PA; 7. Eric Berndt, Cromwell, CT; 8. Bob Grigas, III, Marshfield, MA; 9. Glenn Reen, Wilbraham, MA; 10. Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, NY.
Sunoco Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon, PA; 2. Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 3. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 4. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 5. Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, CT; 6. Danny Cates, Chaplin, CT; 7. Harry Rheaume, Oakdale, CT; 8. Ricky Shawn, Bradford, CT; 9. David LaCroix, Fitchburg, MA; 10. Wayne Arute, Berlin, CT.
Super Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 2. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 3. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 4. Mike Stefanik, Coventry, RI; 5. Dennis Maxfield, Fitchburg, MA; 6. Les Rose, Jr., Southbridge, MA; 7. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 8. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 9. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 10. Henry Stampfl, Norwood, MA.
Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 2. John Materas, Voluntown, CT; 3. Jeff Hartwell, E. Putnam, CT; 4. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA; 5. Wayne Coury, Sr., Milford, CT; 6. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT; 7. Jeremy Sadowski, Voluntown, CT; 8. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA; 9. Mike Scorzelli, Malta, NY; 10. Rick Gentes, Woonsocket, RI.
Limited Sportsman Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Larry Barnett, Moosup, CT; 2. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 3. Joe Arena, Bristol, CT; 4. Paul Coutu, Jr. Thompson, CT; 5. Shawn Monahan, Waterford, CT; 6. Joe Campbell, Moosup, CT; 7. Jesse Gleason, Lisbon, CT; 8. Gerald Sevigny, Brooklyn, CT; 9. John Carpenter, Danielson, CT; 10. Tom Shea, New London, CT.
TIS Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Brian Tagg, Oxford, MA; 2. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 3. Brian Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 4. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT; 5. R.J. Marcotte, Millville, CT; 6. John Studley, Framingham, MA; 7. John Michael Shenette, Thompson, CT; 8. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, CT; 9. Bart Ramos, Putnam, CT; 10. Jeff Barrows, Worcester, MA.
Mini Stock Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Randy Churchill, Niantic, CT; 2. Steve Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 3. Chad Baxter, Pascoag, RI; 4. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 5. Tim Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 6. Brad Caddick, New London, CT; 7. Shane Michalski, Woodstock, CT; 8. Trevor Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 9. Mike Viens, Seekonk, MA; 10. Chuck Rogers, Quaker Hill, CT.
by Jay | Sep 1, 2009 | NASCAR, Thompson
Ted Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) may have come up just short of the victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, but he still finds himself in the driver’s seat in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points standings.
Barely.
After rain washed out a trip to Chemung, N.Y., this past weekend, the Tour will resume this Thursday at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway with a makeup date for the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers. The race was originally slated to run prior to the combination race at Bristol.
Instead, it will serve as the tour’s return to the track. Christopher, from Plainville, Conn., will return to the .625-mile banked oval where he opened the defense of his championship with a victory in April. He will carry a slight 29-point lead over Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) of Ridgefield, Conn.
A third Connecticut driver, Ryan Preece (No. 3 Mizzy Construction/Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet), from Berlin, has won two of the last three races and is just three points behind Christopher.
In fact, the top five are all within 134 points of the lead.
Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge), who passed Christopher late in the Bristol race for the win, has moved up to fourth. The Jericho, N.Y., driver is 82 points behind Christopher and finished third behind Christopher and Jimmy Blewett (No. 12 TS Haulers Chevrolet) at Thompson in April.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet) of Huntington Valley, Pa., is enjoying a breakout season and sits fifth.
Thursday’s visit is particularly significant to the points chase because the next time the tour returns to Thompson, it will be for the season finale in October.
Christopher and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors will get the action going on race day at Thompson with practice at 2 p.m. Time trials are set for 5:30 p.m. and the 150-lap race is scheduled to go green at approximately 8:45 p.m.
