{"id":16244,"date":"2014-07-03T12:58:06","date_gmt":"2014-07-03T16:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/?p=16244"},"modified":"2014-07-03T12:58:06","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T16:58:06","slug":"new-england-motorsports-south-july-2-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/new-england-motorsports-south-july-2-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW ENGLAND MOTORSPORTS SOUTH July 2, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Lou Modestino<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Over the last three seasons at Stafford Motor Speedway, Doug Coby has had a stranglehold on victory lane in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competition.\u00a0 Coby has won half of the 10 NWMT races run at Stafford since the start of the 2012 season, but he hasn\u2019t been able to win an SK Modified\u00ae feature at Stafford since reuniting with car owner Glenn Johnson.\u00a0 Coby recorded six podium finishes last season with 3 second and 3 third place efforts, but he came up short in the win column.\u00a0 Coby is again knocking on the door to NAPA Victory Lane this season and he feels like a win could be right around the corner for the #15 team.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
For Cromwell native Eric Berndt and the #66 Cos\u2019 Central Auto SK Modified\u00ae team, the 2014 season has been trending in the right direction for them just in time to carry a ton of positive momentum into the\u00a0July 4<\/span><\/span><\/span>th<\/sup>\u00a0NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k.\u00a0 Berndt encountered some issues in the season opening NAPA Spring Sizzler feature, but in the three races since then he has two fifth place finishes and he nearly won the June 6<\/span>th<\/sup>\u00a0feature, coming home second to Ryan Preece.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

When it comes to extra distance racing at Stafford Motor Speedway, Woody Pitkat has been a driver at the forefront of success.\u00a0 Pitkat has taken home the checkered flag and the winner\u2019s check twice before in the SK Modified\u00ae ranks, winning the SK 100 in 2007 and the SK 150 in 2008.\u00a0 Pitkat\u2019s long distance success hasn\u2019t been limited to just the SK Modified\u00ae division.\u00a0 He has also won a 100 and a 150 lap feature in the Late Model division.\u00a0 With such a history of success in extra distance events, he is looking forward to his prospects in the Inaugural NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k, which will be held on\u00a0Friday, July 4<\/span><\/span><\/span>th<\/sup>\u00a0at Stafford and carries with it a purse of over $27,000 and a guaranteed minimum payday of $5,000 to the winner.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
-In only his second season of modified competition at Stafford Motor Speedway, Roxbury native Chase Dowling has proven to be a quick study.\u00a0 Last season, with no modified racing experience at Stafford Speedway, Dowling found himself in victory lane in his very first SK Light Modified start, then went on to win 6 more races.\u00a0 Dowling narrowly missed out on winning the championship by a 4-point margin and in the off-season he made the move up the ladder to Stafford\u2019s premier SK Modified division.\u00a0 Dowling showed again how quickly he adapts to a new car with a third place finish in the season opening NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler.\u00a0 After two finishes of 16<\/span>th<\/sup>\u00a0and 11<\/span>th<\/sup>\u00a0following his Sizzler podium, Dowling became the youngest winner in Stafford\u2019s SK Modified\u00ae history at 16 years, 5 months, and 5 days when he took the checkered flag in the June 20 SK Modified Xtra Mart Xtra Distance feature.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

Local racing legend Eddie MacDonald from Rowley, Mass. will drive the #32 Go FAS Racing Ford Fusion owned by fellow New Englanders Archie St. Hilaire from Old Orchard Beach, Maine and long-time NASCAR crew chief Frank Stoddard from No. Haverhill, N.H. Completing the all-NE team is Michael Alden, President and CEO of Blue Vase Marketing based in Beverly, Mass, as the primary sponsor aboard the Go FAS Racing entry in the Camping World Sales 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on\u00a0July 13<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\n

Archie St. Hilaire is no stranger to New England racing as a long time participant in the old Busch North Series, currently the K&N Pro Series East, before moving on to the Nationwide Series while Stoddard cut his teeth watching and learning from one of the greats in New England, Stub Fadden from his hometown. The #32 on the Go FAS Racing Ford is in honor of Fadden and his car\u2019s number for nearly four decades. The duo joined forces this year to compete in the Sprint Cup Series and instantly chose Eddie Mac to drive for them at the \u201cMagic Mile.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI was talking with Mike (Alden) some time ago and he expressed interest in sponsoring a New England driver for the NHMS race and asked me if I knew of anyone, \u201c chuckled St Hilaire. \u201cI immediately said \u201cI sure do\u201d and gave him Eddie\u2019s name. Eddie is a great driver with a lot of successful experience at this track with six wins. I love Eddie, his family, and his entire race team. They are a great bunch of people and I couldn\u2019t be happier for Eddie and our team. It will be a lot of fun and with Eddie\u2019s experience we hope to have a strong run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis is my dream come true,\u201d said an elated MacDonald from his race shop in Newburyport, Mass. \u201cI can\u2019t thank Archie, Frank, and Mike enough for giving me this opportunity to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It has always been a goal to drive a Cup car and to do it at my home track with family, friends, and supporters from all over New England is something very special to me. I have been lucky enough to win a number of races here so hopefully my experience will provide me the opportunity to run well for Archie and the team. I have driven for Archie a couple of times in the Nationwide Series and I appreciate all he has done for me. Archie is truly one of the nice guys in racing and has always been supportive of me and is always trying to help me out. Archie, Frank, and Mike are providing a great experience to compete on the big stage and I just hope I can learn quick enough to be competitive. I love racing at Loudon and this is the icing on the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis is the third race Blue Vase Marketing will be our primary sponsor, \u201csaid St. Hilaire. \u201cThey were on the hood at Phoenix and Las Vegas and helped us out at Daytona. Mike (Alden) is a great guy and didn\u2019t know anything about racing but has become an enormous fan and supporter. Go FAS Racing is pleased to have him aboard. His company represents many products and Androzene (an herbal male enhancement) will be on the hood and Arthri D3 (an all natural joint health supplement) another of the products his company represents will display on the quarter panels. Mike loves this and has made plans to bring a lot of product sponsors to the track and make a great day of it. We are all happy to have Eddie MacDonald drive our car and look forward to having a good, fun day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

While Eddie Mac has raced and won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the K&N Pro Series East and other divisions, he is still in awe of competing at NASCAR\u2019 highest level saying, \u201cIt hasn\u2019t completely sunk in yet because we are so busy getting the K&N car ready for the\u00a0Friday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0race at NHMS but I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be speechless when it finally happens and I am in the seat of the #32. I hope all our New England fans come out to support us and enjoy the experience. This is my dream, my goal so I know I am going to love every minute. See you at the track!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

-The excitement continues to build for the inaugural running of the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K.\u00a0 It has been dubbed the biggest race in SK Modified\u00ae history and the drivers are ready.\u00a0 With a posted purse of over $27,000, paying $5,000 to the winner, it is certainly the biggest pay day the SK Modified\u00ae division has ever seen.<\/p>\n

\n

In addition to the posted purse and weekly contingency prizes, drivers will also have the opportunity to make some extra cash before the feature race even begins.\u00a0 To add a little excitement to what is already expected to be a very challenging race to qualify for, there will be additional purse money awarded to the top 3 finishers in each qualifying race.\u00a0 Each heat race winner will receive $250, 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0will receive $150, and 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0will receive $100.\u00a0 Total additional purse money to be allotted for qualifying races will be $2,000.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe drivers and fans wanted a big event and I think we are delivering,\u201d said Stafford General Manager Mark Arute.\u00a0 \u201cWe want our SK teams to know that we appreciate the show they put on each week.\u00a0 We know it\u2019s one of the best divisions in the country and we want to reward them for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A large field of SK Modifieds\u00ae are expected to attend the Inaugural July 4th<\/sup>\u00a0race.\u00a0 Only 26 cars are scheduled to take the green which will make qualifying for the NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k a challenge itself.\u00a0 Throw in a payout to the top 3 in each qualifying race and we have heat races the fans will not want to miss.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cGetting the fans involved is one of our top priorities here at Stafford,\u201d continued Arute.\u00a0 \u201cWe appreciate the support from all of our fans and wanted to give them a race to call their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The qualifying race bonus money is just another unique twist to a race that is already the first of its kind.<\/p>\n

\n

Get your tickets today for the July 4th<\/sup>\u00a0NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Richard Savary used a different approach\u00a0Friday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0night breaking away from the norm. He charged to the front from his 11th starting position, challenged early front runners Tom Carey Jr., and Todd Szegedy, to take the lead on lap 55 and go to win the Valenti Modified Racing Series sanctioned \u2018Port City 100\u2019 at Lee USA Speedway,\u00a0Friday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0night, June 27.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The win was the Canton, Massachusetts., drivers second this season and his third career VMRS victory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instead of doing what most drivers do when competing at Lee, hang back and save their tires for the second half of the race, Savary changed his strategy and ran hard early on to put himself in contention for the lead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time here for all of us with this new right rear tire so nobody knew what it was really going to do. I took a page out of the Steve Masse book. He seems to get to the front and try to hang there. I thought I\u2019d give that a try tonight. Late in the race we had good clean restarts. Hard racing. I think if the 21 (Bonsignore) was in front of me I would have had my hands full but I\u2019m glad it was someone like him driving the car behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Savary continued, \u201cWe weren\u2019t very good in practice so we made a lot of changes. We rode and then got to the front. I have to thank Justin (Bonsignore) for being a gentleman. I got a little aggressive with him for a couple of laps when we were racing for the lead. He gave it back to me going into three and four for the white (flag). That\u2019s racing. I tried to give him as much room as I could on the outside but I wasn\u2019t going to give up either.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Holtsville, NY., driver Bonsignore came on late in the race to pressure Savary for the win. Bonsignore showed frustration in victory lane.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201c I\u2019m tired of finishing second, that\u2019s four out of seven this year. We\u2019ll just continue with consistency to get ourselves back<\/p>\n

in it. That\u2019s the first time here with the MRS so I\u2019m pretty happy\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bonsignore also voiced frustration when talking about making a bid for the lead.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cGotta find where the rules are here. I mean I was up there against the wall down there in (turn) one and had him beat. Can\u2019t be upset with second but when your going for the lead you got to be a little more consistent. We\u2019ll go to Monadnock (July 5<\/span><\/span>) and try and get the W.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Steve Masse, of Bellingham, MA., finished third. Not the kind of night he hoped based on his game plan. \u201cUsually here people save tires and go slow so I thought I\u2019d switch it up a bit and pick the pace up..It really didn\u2019t work out. We didn\u2019t have the best car tonight. A third place finish is still good and we\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dwight Jarvis, of Ascutney, VT, made another of his late race charges to finish fourth, with Rowan Pennink, of Huntingdon Valley, PA, rounding out the top five. Sixth through tenth were, Chris Pasteryak, David Schneider, Carey, Donnie Lashua, and Max Zachem.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Qualifying heat winners were Lashua, and Szegedy. Lashua was substituting for Todd Owen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

18 cars entered the event. 15 finished on the lead lap.<\/p>\n

The race was completed in 32 minutes, 35 seconds with only two caution flags needed for minor spins.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The series moves to the Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH,\u00a0Saturday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0night,\u00a0July 5<\/span><\/span>, for the Firecracker 100.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lee USA Speedway<\/p>\n

June 27, 2014<\/p>\n

Entrants (18)<\/p>\n

Distance 100-laps<\/p>\n

Time of Race: 32:48:405<\/p>\n

Margin of Victory: 0.072<\/p>\n

Best Speed: 90.995<\/p>\n

Best Lap Time: 14.836<\/p>\n

Best Lap By: Tom Carey Jr<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders: Carey (1-54) Savary (55-83) Bonsignore (89)<\/p>\n

Savary 85-100<\/p>\n

Lead Changes (3)<\/p>\n

Cautions: Laps- (72, 83)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unofficial Finish: (1) Savary (2) Bonsignore (3) Masse (4) Jarvis (5) Pennink (6) Pasteryak (7) Schneider (8) Carey Jr (9) Lashua (10) Zachem (11) Mead (12) Szegedy (13) Willis (14) Wrenn (15) Smith (16) Medeiros (17) Nocella (18) Cyr<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was happy homecoming for Eric Goodale.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 28-year-old from Riverhead scored his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win\u00a0Saturday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0night in the Hoosier Tire 200 at Riverhead Raceway.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Goodale powered the No. 58 GAF Roofing\/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet past Ted Christopher shortly after a Lap 170 restart and led the final 25 laps en route to the victory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Goodale’s previous best finish in 77 starts was second at Riverhead last June. He also finished runner-up in the inaugural UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona International Speedway.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Christopher held off Matt Hirschman for second. Ryan Preece, who had won the previous three races at Riverhead, slipped by Timmy Solomito for fourth in the closing laps.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Doug Coby finished sixth, followed by Ron Silk, Tom Rogers Jr., Shawn Solomito and Bobby Santos.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

John Beatty Jr., who won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, finished 14th.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Justin Bonsginore lost the points lead after he was collected in a Lap 102 spin by Glen Reen and suffered right front suspension damage. Bonsignore finished 16th. Coby took the points lead by seven over Santos (204-197). Bonsignore is one point behind Santos and two ahead of fourth-place Christopher.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads next to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The tour’s top drivers will race\u00a0Friday, July 11<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in the non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout; the championship season will resume\u00a0Saturday, July 12<\/span><\/span>\u00a0with the New Hampshire 100.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Hoosier Tire 200 Results<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

At Riverhead Raceway<\/p>\n

Riverhead, N.Y.<\/p>\n

Lap length: 0.25 miles<\/p>\n

(Start position in parentheses)<\/p>\n

1. (5) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200 laps, 39.938 mph.<\/p>\n

2. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

3. (10) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

4. (21) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 200.<\/p>\n

5. (7) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

6. (8) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

7. (2) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

8. (6) Tom Rogers, Jr., Patchogue, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

9. (3) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

10. (23) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

11. (20) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

12. (1) John Beatty, Jr., Merrick, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

13. (16) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 200.<\/p>\n

14. (25) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 199.<\/p>\n

15. (9) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 196.<\/p>\n

16. (24) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 184.<\/p>\n

17. (30) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 167, accident.<\/p>\n

18. (22) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 156.<\/p>\n

19. (29) Dave Brigati, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151, electrical.<\/p>\n

20. (17) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 151.<\/p>\n

21. (15) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 143, accident.<\/p>\n

22. (19) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 130, suspension.<\/p>\n

23. (18) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 127, accident.<\/p>\n

24. (13) Frank Vigliarolo, Mt. Sinai, NY, Chevrolet, 121, parked.<\/p>\n

25. (27) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 61, handling.<\/p>\n

26. (11) Kyle Ellwood, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 57, brakes.<\/p>\n

27. (14) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 50, suspension.<\/p>\n

28. (12) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn, Chevrolet, 40, accident.<\/p>\n

29. (26) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 22, handling.<\/p>\n

30. (28) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 20, handling.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Race Statistics<\/p>\n

Time of Race: 1 hour 15 minutes 7 seconds<\/p>\n

Margin of Victory: 2.229 seconds<\/p>\n

Fastest Qualifier: J.Beatty, Jr. * (75.257 mph, 11.959 seconds)<\/p>\n

Caution Flags: 11 for 90 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders: J. Beatty,Jr. 1-58; R. Silk 59; J. Beatty,Jr. 60-86; T. Christopher 87; J. Beatty,Jr. 88-110; T. Christopher 111-175; E. Goodale 176-200.<\/p>\n

Standings: 1. D. Coby, 204; 2. B. Santos, 197; 3. J. Bonsignore, 196; 4. T. Christopher, 194; 5. W. Pitkat, 184; 6. R. Silk, 172; 7. T. Solomito, 169; 8. E. Goodale, 168; 9. R. Preece, 168; 10. P. Emerling, 164.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On a night honoring special guests Whelen Engineering, Todd Bertrand (#39) claimed his first win of the 2014 season in commanding fashion as he took the lead in the early stages of the caution free feature. Following in second was teammate Randy Cabral (#47) with Bethany Stoehr (#5b) home third.<\/p>\n

Under a perfect sky, the Twin State Speedway facility played host for an evening of food, souvenirs and racing action for the employees of Whelen Engineering, located in nearby Charlestown, NH. At intermission, the NEMA and NEMA Lites drivers passed out 350 NEMA fan appreciation tee shirts. That was followed by an on track Meet & Greet where fans were able to collect autographs, handshakes and photos.<\/p>\n

As the feature action began, Bethany Stoehr pulled out to an early lead from her outside pole starting spot, followed by Bertrand and Ryan Bigelow (#13).<\/p>\n

Bertrand was able to power past Stoehr and take the lead on lap four, followed by Bigelow in third, Jim Chambers (#21) in fourth and Paul Scally (#30) fifth.<\/p>\n

From the ninth starting spot, a fast moving John Zych (#9) took fifth on lap six, moved past Chambers for fourth by lap eight, and past Bigelow for third on lap ten. While the top five was sorting out, team Bertrand became the show as Todd Bertrand was extending his lead and Randy Cabral (#47) was weaving his way up through the field from his tenth starting spot and entering the top five on lap nine.<\/p>\n

By half way, the running order was Bertrand, Stoehr, Zych, and Cabral, who had just moved past Bigelow for fourth.<\/p>\n

A patient Seth Carlson (#71), after starting eighth, was managing his was through traffic and was able to get to the top five on lap fourteen.<\/p>\n

After a long chase, Cabral was able to catch and pass Bethany Stoehr for second on lap eighteen. Carlson was able to best Zych, who was fighting a loose race car, for fourth in the closing laps as Stoehr, Zych and Carlson were all wheel to wheel at the checkers.<\/p>\n

After the race, winner Bertrand stated, \u201cThe track was real slick in practice, we made a few minor adjustments, added a new scuff tire, and went from there\u201d.<\/p>\n

Second place Cabral said post race that he was happy for his teammate, and \u201cWe never adjusted the car today except for stagger, and it felt real good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Third place Bethany Stoehr battled a tight car after \u201cJust making stagger adjustments all day.\u201d She was happy with third.<\/p>\n

The next stop on the NEMA schedule is\u00a0July 19<\/span><\/span>, at the Oxford Plains Speedway, Oxford, ME for the Marvin Rifchin Trophy Race. Both the NEMA Midgets and NEMA Lites will be part of the Oxford 250 weekend, a premiere event in the Northeast.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/em>The Bobby Seymour owned, Ian Cumens driven, #29 had engine problem very early on and dropped out for the day.
\n\"\"Back from NC, Alan Chambers, a former Lite driver, wheeled the family #7 ex-Cantor NEMA midget for a shakedown run and everything performed well.
\n\"\"<\/em>Big thanks out to Melissa Tully and Kaylee Wallace for working long hot hours at the tee shirt trailer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the NEMA Lites,\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
In his home state of NH, P.J.Stergios (#11) takes his second win in a row, and three on the year in the family owned Beast chassis. Starting from the tenth spot, it wasn\u2019t until the late stages of the race when he was able to take the point. Andy Barrows (#46x) finished runner up with Scott Bigelow (#32) third.<\/p>\n

Under a clear sky and on a slick track from the day\u2019s heat, Richie Morrocco (#25) took the lead at the green, followed by Anthony Payne (#21) second, Barrows third, Kevin Hutchens (#27) fourth, and Ryan Krachun (#29) fifth.<\/p>\n

On lap four, Barrows and Paul Bigelow (#31) were able to power to the front where they would dominate until lap eight when a three wide fight for third through fifth occurred. As a result, Stergios was able to blast all the way into second and P. Bigelow slid back to fourth, while Hutchens went into third.<\/p>\n

What followed was a battle for the lead that had a very patient Stergios stalking the well handling #46x that kept Barrows in the lead. Barrows would say post race, \u201cMy brakes weren\u2019t the best, but we set up the car for late in the race, and it paid off.\u201d<\/p>\n

After getting through some traffic, Scott Bigelow (#32) got to the third spot on lap twenty one. A lap later, Stergio\u2019s patience netted results as he got past the #46x to take the lead for good.<\/p>\n

Hutchens, who owned the third spot for fifteen laps, brought out the only yellow with a spin after a close battle with Anthony Nocella (#9) on lap twenty three.<\/p>\n

The single file restart had a running order of Stergios, Barrows, S. Bigelow, Nocella and P. Bigelow. The fast group would finish in that order giving Stergios his third checkers of the year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/em>
\n\"\"<\/em>Scott Bigelow, after spinning twice in his heat race, made no less than five adjustments to the car for the feature, netting a third place finish.
\n\"\"<\/em>Dennis Potter (#03) who entered his third race of the year in his x- Bobby Seymour Lite midget, said \u201cThese cars are very sensitive to drive. But I love doing it.\u201d
\n\"\"<\/em>Also in his third Lite race of the year, RJ Tufano chased the set-up all night, finishing seventh. \u201cI\u2019m excited about being here, lots of fun.\u201d
\n\"\"<\/em>Hard work paid off for Andy Barrows and crew as the #46x came home second after a nagging brake issue in his heat. Unfortunately, car owner Jeff Johnson was not at the raceSaturday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to witness the great run.
\n\"\"<\/em>Matt Swanson, regular driver of the #9 Seymour Lite racer, was away racing at Star Speedway for the night. Anthony Nocella subbed in and finished fourth.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
\nNEMA LITES – TWIN STATE – 6\/28\/14<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pos.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/td>\n#<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/td>\nDriver<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/td>\n\u00a0Hometown<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/td>\nOwner<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/strong><\/td>\n11<\/td>\nPJ Stergios<\/td>\nCandia, NH<\/td>\nBill Stergios<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/strong><\/td>\n46x<\/strong><\/td>\nAndy Barrows<\/strong><\/td>\nNew Ipswitch, NH<\/strong><\/td>\nJeff Johnson<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/strong><\/td>\n32<\/strong><\/td>\nScott<\/b><\/i>\u00a0Bigelow<\/strong><\/td>\nE. Hampton, CT<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nScott<\/em><\/span>\u00a0Bigelow<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/strong><\/td>\n9<\/td>\nAnthony Nocella<\/td>\nWoburn, MA<\/td>\nMatt Seymour<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/strong><\/td>\n31<\/strong><\/td>\nPaul<\/b>\u00a0Bigelow<\/strong><\/td>\nKensington, CT<\/strong><\/td>\nPaul<\/em><\/span>\u00a0Bigelow<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/strong><\/td>\n29<\/td>\nRyan Krachun<\/td>\nNeschanic Station, NJ<\/td>\nMike Krachun<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/strong><\/td>\n39<\/td>\nRJ Tufano<\/td>\nWest Haven, CT<\/td>\nRJ Tufano<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/strong><\/td>\n51<\/strong><\/td>\nDanny Cugini<\/strong><\/td>\nMarshfield, MA<\/strong><\/td>\nD.\u00a0 Cugini<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/strong><\/td>\n94<\/td>\nLogan Ryvals<\/td>\nBrockville, ON<\/td>\nCraig Rayvals<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/strong><\/td>\n25<\/td>\nRichie Morrocco<\/td>\nPlainville, MA<\/td>\nRichard Morrocco<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/strong><\/td>\n27<\/td>\nKevin Hutchens<\/td>\nE. Waterborro, ME<\/td>\nDan Hutchens<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/strong><\/td>\n03<\/td>\nDennis Potter<\/td>\nNew Boston,NH<\/td>\nDennis Potter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/strong><\/td>\n16<\/em><\/td>\nDennis O’Brien<\/em><\/td>\nDeerfield, NH<\/em><\/td>\nChris O’Brien<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
14<\/strong><\/td>\n41<\/strong><\/td>\nMegan<\/b><\/i>\u00a0CuginI<\/strong><\/td>\nMarshfield, MA<\/strong><\/td>\nD.\u00a0 Cugini<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
15<\/strong><\/td>\n21<\/strong><\/td>\nAnthony Payne<\/td>\nFairlawn, NJ<\/strong><\/td>\nJennifer Scrivani<\/em><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
16
\nDNS<\/strong><\/em><\/td>\n		20<\/td>\nMyles DeVits<\/td>\nBarrington, NH<\/td>\nMyles DeVits<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n

The inaugural Vintage Motorsports Festival was held June 27th<\/sup>\u00a0to June 29th<\/sup>\u00a0on the newly re-opened 1.7 mile road course at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP) in Northeast Connecticut.\u00a0 Beautiful weather and over 220 vintage race cars participating made for a great turn-out through the weekend.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Vintage Motorsports Festival celebrated the history of the Thompson road course, which originally opened in 1952, and has now re-opened in its fourth configuration.\u00a0 Two of the top vintage racing groups in the country, VRG (Vintage Racer Group) and VSCCA (Vintage Sports Car Club of America) were invited to co-sanction this event and, between them, had cars spanning the decades from the 1930\u2019s through the 70\u2019s.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many drivers participating at the Vintage Motorsports Festival had completed their first driving school at Thompson, or brought cars that had once raced on the road course.\u00a0 Of the cars to note was a 1968 Chevy Camaro owned by Frank Grimaldi, first driven by Skip Barber, that had raced at Thompson between 1969 and 1973.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The weekend\u2019s events also included a \u201cBack in the Day\u201d Car Show display\u00a0on Sunday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0morning featuring cars that had raced on the first three configurations of the Thompson road course.\u00a0 At the show was a 1948 MG TC that had been originally owned and driven at Thompson by Karl Ludvigsen, renowned automotive journalist, author and historian.\u00a0 Bill Lightfoot also brought a 1959 Morgan +4 that he had competed with at Thompson from 1959 to 1968.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Saturday<\/span><\/span>, TSMP welcomed special guest, Mike Joy,\u00a0who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of\u00a0Fox Sports’\u00a0NASCAR Sprint Cup\u00a0coverage. \u00a0Joy got his start announcing at New England race tracks in the 1970\u2019s, including Thompson Speedway, and is\u00a0also an avid vintage racing enthusiast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lou Modestino \u00a0 Over the last three seasons at Stafford Motor Speedway, Doug Coby has had a stranglehold on victory lane in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competition.\u00a0 Coby has won half of the 10 NWMT races run at Stafford since the start of the 2012 season, but he hasn\u2019t been able to win an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16244\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}