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(WATERFORD, CT.) When Jon McKennedy recently received a call from legendary New England car owner Art Barry offering him the seat in his Valenti Modified Racing Series entry, he gladly accepted. <\/p>\n(WATERFORD, CT.) When Jon McKennedy recently received a call from legendary New England car owner Art Barry offering him the seat in his Valenti Modified Racing Series entry, he gladly accepted. <\/p>\n
On Sunday afternoon it proved a wise decision, with the Carlisle, MA driver scoring a convincing wire-to-wire victory in the season opening \u201cBudweiser Blastoff\u201d at the Waterford Speedbowl. <\/p>\n
Starting from the outside front-row, McKennedy immediately took the lead from pole- sitter Rob Goodenough. He then prevailed on several restarts during the century-distance grind. <\/p>\n
Fifth-place starter & defending series champion Chris Pasteryak dogged the leader during the latter-stages, mounting the most serious challenge. His chances evaporated when he was forced to pit for repairs with only 24-laps remaining. Winner of the 2011 \u201cBlastoff\u201d, Pasteryak returned to finish 10th.
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\nFrom-there, it was Rowan Pennink chasing the leader to the finish. Norm Wrenn, Mike Holdridge, and Dave Etheridge completed the top-5. <\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, I have to thank Art and his team for giving me such a good car, and the opportunity to drive for them,\u201d stated McKennedy. \u201cI knew when I got the call from Art that this was something I wanted to do. Waterford is traditionally a tough place, 100-laps here can feel like 200. Sometimes it\u2019s hard to pass, and starting from the outside-pole, I knew I had to get to the front and stay-there. We\u2019re just really-happy to start the season on such a positive note.\u201d <\/p>\n
The opportunity arose for McKennedy when Barry\u2019s son Ken opted not to drive this season due to medical issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really pleased to be working with Jon,\u201d Barry said. \u201cHe\u2019s incredibly good. My son Ken had planned to drive this season, but he\u2019s got a slight health problem with his ears and he gets dizzy driving. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s safe. He\u2019s very proud to have Jon in the car. If everything goes well, we may be interested in running for the championship.\u201d <\/p>\n
Twice a Valenti Modified Racing Series champion, McKennedy is also a full-time competitor on the ISMA Super Modified Series trail. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe started pretty-far back, and we were on our way to the front and got spun on lap-8 because of a really-stupid move made by somebody that early in the race,\u201d said second-place finisher Rowan Pennink. \u201cWe really had to work really-hard to get back up toward the front. Hey, the winner did his job today in keeping me from getting underneath him. He drove a smart race.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rounding-out the top-3, veteran Norm Wrenn seemed genuinely-surprised at his podium finish. \u201cWe started in the back, and it was a tough drive. Really, it was a matter of saving the tires so they\u2019d be good at the halfway-point. Honestly? I never thought that we\u2019d finish in third. I\u2019m very pleased all-things considered.\u201d <\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s qualifying heat winners were Chris Pasteryak, Joe Doucette, and Jim Boniface.<\/p>\n
The Valenti Modified Racing Series next sees action on April 21 at New Hampshire\u2019s Monadnock Speedway. For more information, visit www.modifiedracingseries.com <\/p>\n
(OFFICIAL FINISH, 100-LAPS): 1. Jon McKennedy, 2. Rowan Pennink, 3. Norm Wrenn, 4. Mike Holdridge, 5. Dave Etheridge, 6. Charlie Pasteryak, 7. Tom Barrett, 8. Doug Coby, 9. Les Hinckley. 10. Chris Pasteryak, 11. Jeff Malave, 12. Louie Mechalides, 13. Joe Doucette, 14. Dennis Charette, 15. Mark Bakaj, 16. Jim Boniface, 17. Mark McClay, 18. Tim Jordan, 19. Max Zachem, 20. Jack Bateman, 21. Todd Annarummo, 22. Anthony Nocella, 23. Steve Masse, 24. Rob Goodenough, 25. David Schneider, 26. Matt Mead.<\/p>\n