{"id":9587,"date":"2012-05-02T21:28:07","date_gmt":"2012-05-03T01:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/?p=9587"},"modified":"2012-05-02T21:28:07","modified_gmt":"2012-05-03T01:28:07","slug":"ted-christopher-and-rocco-score-spring-sizzler-feature-victories-at-stafford-speedway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/2012\/05\/ted-christopher-and-rocco-score-spring-sizzler-feature-victories-at-stafford-speedway\/","title":{"rendered":"TED CHRISTOPHER AND ROCCO SCORE SPRING SIZZLER FEATURE VICTORIES AT STAFFORD SPEEDWAY"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Stafford\"<\/a>(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Motor Speedway\u2019s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring
\nSizzler Weekend continued on Sunday with feature events for the SK Modified\u00ae
\nand Late Model divisions. Ted Christopher held off Eric Berndt in a green
\nwhite checkered finish to capture his 95th career SK Modified\u00ae victory and
\nhis 115th overall feature victory at Stafford Motor Speedway. Keith Rocco
\nheld off Woody Pitkat to capture the checkered flag in the 30-lap Late Model
\nfeature event.
\n
\nIn the 40-lap SK Modified feature, Eric Berndt led the first lap, but he was
\nquickly overtaken by both Ryan Preece and Frank Ruocco, who were side by
\nside for the race lead at the conclusion of lap-2. Ted Christopher followed
\nPreece and Ruocco by Berndt into third, while Berndt settled into fourth,
\njust ahead of the side by side duo of Keith Rocco and Dan Avery.<\/p>\n

Matt Gallo spun with 6 laps complete to bring out the first caution of the
\nrace with Preece leading Ruocco, Christopher, Berndt, and Rocco.<\/p>\n

On the restart, Preece took the lead with Christopher getting to the inside
\nof Rucoco for second. Rocco didn\u2019t come up to speed and fell to the rear of
\nthe field as did Michael Bennett. Christopher continued his charge, pulling
\nalongside Preece on lap-8 but Rocco\u2019s car came to a stop on track to bring
\nthe caution back out, which put Preece back in front of Christopher for the
\nrestart.<\/p>\n

Preece powered into the lead on the restart while Christopher was able to
\nslot into line behind Preece. Berndt was third, with Rucoco and Todd Owen
\nmaking up the top-5. Woody Pitkat was sixth behind Owen, with Mike King,
\nChris Jones, Nichole Morgillo, and Kirk Zervas making up the top-10.
\nPreece held the lead until lap-12 when Christopher was able to get by.
\nBerndt, Ruocco, and Owen were still the remainder of the top-5. A multicar
\nincident in turn 3 involving the cars of Jesse Ruocco, John Jensen, Chris
\nMatthews, John Montesanto, Matt Gallo, and Sean Foster brought the caution
\nback out with 12 laps complete and this time Christopher was able to stay
\nout front for the restart.<\/p>\n

On the restart, Preece initially got a good run through turns 1+2 to pull
\nslightly ahead of Christopher, but Christopher came back strong on the
\ninside and the two cars remained side by side for the race lead for a lap
\nand a half before Christopher got cleared into the lead. Behind Preece was
\nBerndt, Chris Jones, and Morgillo. Danny Cates took sixth from Michael
\nGervais, Jr. on lap-18 after starting shotgun on the field in 30th place,
\nand Doug Coby, Curt Brainard, and Zervas rounded out the top-10.<\/p>\n

At lap 25, Christopher and Preece were still at the front of the field, with
\nBerndt several car lengths behind Preece in third place. Jones was several
\ncar lengths behind Berndt, and Morgillo and Cates were right behind Jones in
\nfifth and sixth place.<\/p>\n

As the field clicked off lap-30 on the scoreboard, Preece was beginning to
\nsearch for a way to get around Christopher and take over the race lead.
\nMorgillo got loose in turns 3+4, but was able to keep going after falling
\nback to 10th place. The leaders began to encounter lapped traffic, which
\nallowed Berndt to close right in on Christopher and Preece with 4 laps to
\ngo. Adam Skowyra spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow out with 37 laps
\ncomplete and set up a 3-lap dash to the finish.<\/p>\n

The order for the restart was Christopher and Preece on the front row,
\nBerndt and Cates in row 2, and Jones and Gervais in row 3. At the drop of
\nthe green flag, Christopher got clear into the lead while Berndt pulled
\nalongside Preece. Berndt got by Preece on lap-39, but as the field
\ncompleted lap-39, the caution came back out for a spin by Zervas, Brainard,
\nand Chris Matthews, setting up a green white checkered finish.<\/p>\n

Christopher and Berndt were side by side for the lead with Preece right on
\nChristopher\u2019s bumper as they took the white flag. Matthews and Bennett spun
\nin turn 3 to bring the caution back out and set up another green white
\ncheckered finish.<\/p>\n

Christopher again took the lead at eth green, but Berndt came back strong on
\nthe outside as they hit the white flag side by side. Christohper was able
\nto clear Berndt going into turn 3 on the final lap and he was able to hold
\noff Berndt at the checkered flag to capture his 95th career SK Modified\u00ae
\nvictory and his 115th overall feature victory at Stafford. Berndt finished
\nsecond, with Preece, Cates, and Jones rounding out the top-5.<\/p>\n

In the 30-lap Late Model feature, Jim Mavlouganes and Keith Rocco were side
\nby side for nearly the entire first lap before Mavlouganes cleared Rocco
\ninto the race lead. Jim Peterson was third, with Mike Quintiliano, and
\nCorey Hutchings making up the top-5 in the early stages.<\/p>\n

Tom Butler spun in turn 1, but was able to keep going and the race stayed
\ngreen. Mavlouganes was still out front at lap-10 with Rocco, Hutchings,
\nWoody Pitkat, and Peterson behind him. On lap-15, Mavlouganes\u2019 car suddenly
\ndropped off the pace and he headed to pit road, giving the race lead to
\nRocco. Pitkat was now in second, with Hutchings, Peterson, and Adam Gray
\nmaking up the top-5. Without the benefit of a caution flag, Pitkat was
\nslowly closing the gap that Rocco had built up and with 10 laps to go,
\nPitakt was within a car length of Rocco\u2019s bumper while Hutchings was only
\nseveral car lengths behind Pitkat in third.<\/p>\n

With 5 laps to go, Rocco was still in front of Pitkat with Hutchings and
\nPeterson not able to keep pace with the two leading cars. Once Pitkat got
\nto Rocco\u2019s bumper, he was unable to close in any further and Rocco led
\nPitkat home to the checkered flag to take the victory. Hutchings finished
\nthird, with Peterson and Gray rounding out the top-5.<\/p>\n

SK MODIFIED\u00ae (40)
\n1) Ted Christopher, Plainville
\n2) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
\n3) Ryan Preece, Berlin
\n4) Danny Cates, Chaplin
\n5) Chris Jones, New Milford
\n6) Curt Brainard, Canton
\n7) Mike Gervais, Jr., Southbury
\n8) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma
\n9) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
\n10) Matt Galko, Meriden
\n11) John Jensen, Wolcott
\n12) Joe Gada, Salem
\n13) Doug Coby, Middletown
\n14) Matt Gallo, Kensington
\n15) Nichole Morgillo, Wallingford
\n16) Kirk Zervas, Winthrop, Ma
\n17) Chris Matthews, Stafford
\n18) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
\n19) Tom Bolles, Ellington
\n20) Adam Skowyra, Palmer, Ma
\n21) Kurt Lenahan, Roxbury
\n22) Michael Bennett, Stafford Springs
\n23) Sean Foster, Willington
\n24) Brian Sullivan, South Windsor
\n25) Todd Owen, Somers
\n26) Mike King, Agawam, Ma
\n27) Jesse Ruocco, Cheshire
\n28) John Montesanto, North Branford
\n29) Dan Avery, Somers
\n30) Keith Rocco, Meriden<\/p>\n

LATE MODEL (30)
\n1) Keith Rocco, Meriden
\n2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
\n3) Corey Hutchings, Salem
\n4) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
\n5) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
\n6) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
\n7) Mike Quintiliano, Shelton
\n8) Mark St. Hilaire, Berlin
\n9) J.J. Hill, Stafford Springs
\n10) Cliff Stakey, Southington
\n11) Joe Rzeszutek, South Hadley, Ma
\n12) Scott Cook, Uncasville
\n13) Ed Ricard, Stafford Springs
\n14) Tony Lafo, Higganum
\n15) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
\n16) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
\n17) Adam Norton, Brookfield, Ma
\n18) Jim Mavlouganes, Bethany
\n19) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington<\/p>\n

Visit NERacingForum.Com<\/a> for latest New England Racing community News and updates.<\/p>\n

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(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Motor Speedway\u2019s CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler Weekend continued on Sunday with feature events for the SK Modified\u00ae and Late Model divisions. Ted Christopher held off Eric Berndt in a green white checkered finish to capture his 95th career SK Modified\u00ae victory and his 115th overall feature victory at Stafford Motor Speedway. Keith […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[196,4163,126,197],"tags":[7966],"class_list":["post-9587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connecticut","category-modified","category-new-england","category-stafford-connecticut","tag-stafford-speedway"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9587","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9587\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newenglandracingnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}