Upcoming Events:
SEASON OVER - STAY TUNED FOR 2015 SCHEDULE
NEWS & RESULTS:
11-28 Sat Wall Stadium Turkey Derby
SK/Wall Modified 100 Unofficial Results
Fin. Str. No. Driver
1 3 18 Jimmy Blewett
2 16 85 Jonathan Mandato
3 5 41 Shannon Mongeau
4 1 41 Matt Hirschman
5 15 22 Michael Gervais
6 20 33 Jason Treat
7 9 99 Chas Okerson
8 2 14 Eric Mauriello
9 7 27 Andrew Krause
10 24 45 Chris Reynolds
11 25 21ct Dennis Perry
12 21 76 Zane Zeiner
13 4 55 Steven Reed
14 18 34 Kenny Matlach
15 6 66 Shawna Ingraham
16 26 2 Jeremy Mayfield
17 12 17 Derek Hopkinson
18 11 67 Zack Alspach
19 23 8 Earl Paules
20 13 27 Adam LaCicero
21 19 32 Chad Churilla
22 22 12 Jason Hearne
23 14 43 Ron Frees
24 17 4 Richie Cooper
25 10 86 Trevor Alspach
26 8 16 Anthony Sesely
Tour Modified 150 Unofficial Results:
Fin. Str. No. Driver Laps
1 2 14 Eric Mauriello 150
2 6 06 Les Hinckley 150
3 4 7ny Jimmy Blewett 150
4 16 1 Anthony Sesely 150
5 17 20 Doug Coby 150
6 23 54 Shaun Carrig 150
7 13 0 Andrew Krause 150
8 9 98 Ryan Preece 150
9 8 14 John Beatty 150
10 3 65 Danny Bohn 150
11 19 15 Timmy Solomito 150
12 15 66 Shawna Ingraham 150
13 24 51 Justin Gumley 149
14 10 63 Ron Silk 149
15 21 99 Jamie Tomaino 149
16 26 95M John Markovic 143
17 25 42 Woody Pitkat 130
18 18 33 Jason Treat 128
19 22 17 Kyle Ellwood 109
20 7 44 Tim Arre 105
21 1 36 Dave Sapienza 95
22 5 60 Matt Hirschman 90
23 20 92 Anthony Nocella 46
24 12 73 Andy Jankowiak 7
25 11 0 Zane Zeiner 7
26 14 19 Billy Pauch Jr. 7
11-1 Sat Caraway 125 N/S Shootout 60 - 2nd
Ryan Preece scored a second John Blewett III North-South Shootout Modified victory Sunday at Caraway Speedway, putting a strong start to the driver’s partnership with his Ed Partridge-owned race team.Preece, who also won the 2012 edition of the North-South Shootout, made his debut in the No. 6 Modified that he will pilot in 2015 on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in strong fashion, pulling away from five-time Shootout winner Matt Hirschman for the 125-lap victory in Sophia, North Carolina.“This means we are going to be strong right out of the gate for sure,” said Preece in victory lane. “I’m just really happy. It’s great to be a part of this.”Preece started on the outside pole, only being bested in Friday’s qualifying by Hirschman. Preece, of Berlin, Connecticut, got a little bit loose out of turn four on his second qualifying lap, which cost him some time.But that didn’t affect Preece too much as he quickly made his way by Hirschman to take the lead before the 125-lap race was even five laps old.Preece led until lap 65 when Andy Seuss got underneath him entering turn three. Seuss set up Preece off turn two and completed the pass by diving to the bottom of the Caraway banking in the following corner.Seuss remained the leader until Hirschman got by on a restart on lap 83, and then “Big Money” Matt started to show his strength.Preece took the lead back from Hirschman on a restart with 27 laps to go. He started to pull away from Hirschman, but with seven laps to go Hirschman started to close back in. Hirschman gave the bumper to Preece on a couple of occasions, but Preece was able to hold him off to score the win.Hirschman was strong on restarts all day long, but just not when it mattered most.“This one is on me,” said Hirschman. “I cost us a win. I was the leader of the race and I cost us a win on the restart. I had all great restarts the rest of the race until then. I just tried for too much there and didn’t get it into gear at the point I needed to and cost us the chance to win.”Preece said he was aware that Hirschman might be trying to make one last run on him, but he knew what he had to do to hold him off.“I knew all I had to do was keep my line and keep going straight and just keep digging,” said Preece. “Now I just want to stay strong and I want to be ready when we go up (north) for the first three races and to New Smyrna Speedway and everything.”Preece and Hirschman have combined to win every North-South Shootout dating back to 2010.Ron Silk, Jason Myers and Derek Ramstrom were the top five.Ryan Moore took down the win in the 150-lap feature for the PASS Super Late Models South in a thrilling late-race duel with Christopher Bell on North-South Shootout Sunday. Bell was working his way through lapped traffic when he made contact with his Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate, Karl Weber, going into turn one with five laps to go. Moore was about 10 car lengths behind of Bell at the time of the contact, but quickly made his way to the back of Bell’s black No. 52 machine.Moore and Bell battled side by side for three laps before they made hard contact in turn three on the final lap. Bell started to spin as Moore drove away to take the checkered flag. Bell held on to finish second with Jody Measamer taking third.Chris Lamb took the win in the 35-lap feature for the USAC Southeast Midgets and Bradley McCaskill dominated the 100-lap Southeast Limited Late Model feature to put a cap on the 12th Annual North-South Shootout.
1. 6 Ryan Preece
2. 60 Matt Hirschman
3. 15 Ron Silk
4. 4 Jason Myers
5. 35 Derek Ramstrom
6. 22 Chuck Hossfeld
7. 5ct Chris Pasteryak
8. 09 Andy Seuss
9. 79 Spencer Davis
10. 77 Gary Putnam
11. 21 Tony Hanbury
12. 3 Daren Scherer
13. 1 Burt Myers
14. 21 Tommy Neal
15. 9 Tommy Barrett, Jr.
10-25 Sat Mahoning 130 Special 59 - Win
It was a result that had been witnessed before, but as usual at the Mahoning Valley Speedway (PA) bullring the win did not come easy for Matt Hirschman. Two-time Modified track champion Eric Beers drew the pole after winning his heat race for Octoberfast 2014, and easily looked to be the car to beat pulling ahead from the competition on each restart for the first 99 laps. Coming around to 30 laps to go things would drastically change.After making a pit stop about 50 laps earlier, the first two Octoberfast winners Zane Zeiner and Matt Hirschman began marching through the field and closed on the back of Beers, an April 100-lap race winner at the track. Wall Stadium Speedway (NJ) regular Shawna Ingraham ran up front for the early portion of the night after winning her heat race, but the car began to fade and began to slow immediately before lap 100. Although track officials had motioned the field to slow for a yellow, the reaction time needed between the leaders turned out to be too quick upon approaching Ingraham, setting off a chain reaction. Beers would drift high to avoid her and slow for the caution, and contact ensued from Zeiner sending around the race’s only leader up until that point. In the process, Hirschman received damage due to running into the back of Zeiner as well as contact that occurred behind him. Since the caution was displayed prior to the incident the leaders were allowed to keep their positions; however, Beers was forced to pit with a flat tire. Despite climbing back to a third place finish, the 2013 track champion was not pleased about what happened. “We were just riding and saving the tires, because I knew at the end Matt would be getting there,” Beers told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. “(Ingraham) was on the bottom there. I moved up like four feet and Zane must have thought my car got tight, because he rolled over my left rear tire going into the corner. He just drove right into me and knocked my tire right off the rim.”It was the end to a hard luck season that started off promising, but was filled with ups and downs.“Every week your luck changes,” said Beers. “Last year we got through every wreck, we had no issues with anything, and it’s just one of those deals. It happens, but tonight it sucked because the race track didn’t beat us, none of the racers beat us. We just got taken out by a racer—if you can call him that.”The good news is that unlike the end of last year when he was uncertain of his 2014 plans, the outlook for 2015 is almost set. “It looks like we’re going to be back (at Mahoning) next year,” said Beers. “I have a good time racing here; David and Laura (DeLange) are the greatest car owners I’ve ever had. Great people, nice team here, plus both of my kids are going to be racing here next year.”2013 Octoberfast winner Zeiner acknowledged the unfortunate contact, but claimed there was nothing else he could have done.“I just see it as a racing incident,” explained Zeiner. “I was trying to make the move on Eric for the lead and everything happens so fast, especially here. I didn’t quite see (Ingraham) when we came off the turn. All I heard was (Race Director) Timmy (Santee) yelling ‘yellow, 66’ and by that time I was too late trying to jam on the brakes. Matt (Hirschman) didn’t know what was happening either and we all sort of went in and collided with Eric. Didn’t want to see that, but it happened.”With still another 30 laps remaining to settle who would be hoisting the $5,000 big check, it became a duel between Zeiner and Hirschman. Zeiner would hold the lead until one minor error with 17 laps remaining when Hirschman would dive low and by the next circuit around would have sole possession of the lead on his way to another big win. Runner-up Zeiner still believed he had a better car at the end, but one wrong move ultimately was the difference between first and second.“Believe it or not, I talked to Matt after the race and asked if he was playing with me but that’s all he had,” said Zeiner. “I screwed up and got free off of two and he saw that and took advantage of it and made a nice move. The longer we went it felt like our car got better and he just backed up. I was hoping for another chance to at least take a shot at him but it didn’t happen.”For Hirschman it was another case of being in the right place at the right time and taking full advantage of it, and agreed that Zeiner had a slightly better car on the long run.“I guess you could say Eric got the worst of it, but that could have went any way,” said Hirschman. “All three of us could have been done. That could have been a fourth or fifth place car at that time that could have won because of that. It’s just fortunate the way it worked out the way it did.“It was one of them nights that I really didn’t feel too confident about winning until we took the lead, and even at that point I wasn’t sure if we were going to finish the deal.”This may have also been the swan song for the J&J Motorsports No. 59 that has an exceptional track record in Mahoning events as well as the Tri Track Open Modified Series and more for nearly a decade.“That’s what they say, and if it is I appreciate all the years and wins we had together,” said Hirschman. “I think we’ve been racing together since 06 or 07. I’ll believe it when next year comes around, but either way it was a great way to finish for them for the season and we’ll just see what the off-season brings.”New Jersey drivers Anthony Sesely and Don Wagner rounded out the top five, and Zeiner rebounded from coming up short in the Modified race to win the 60-lap Late Model feature in convincing fashion over Mike Sweeney. It was another night where the best car may not have won in a longer distance race, but the one that made the best out of what they had to work with did.
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"MONEY MAN MATT" WINS MAHONING OCTOBERFAST 130
Matt Hirschman Collects $5000 In Season Ending Race
It comes as no surprise that whenever there is an extra distance high paying race at Mahoning Valley Speedway, you can expect Matt Hirschman to be vying for the win. And, when the checkered flag waved on the Gary Lee’s Brown-Daub KIA Octoberfast Modified 130, sure enough there was Hirschman gracing Victory Lane, something that the Northampton driving star has turned into an art form at the paved 1Ž4-mile Lehighton oval.Fresh off a 100 lap win three weeks earlier, Hirschman drove his J & J Motorsports No. 59 to a rousing $5000 triumph, giving him $9000 in that same span. He has become the career wins leader in 100-plus features at the track with 11 total. In July he won a 100 lapper and another $4000.Hirschman, who started ninth, drove by defending Octoberfast winner Zane Zeiner with 17 laps to go and after several side-by-side laps, went to the front uncontested over the final 10 circuits and then onward to score his second win in the season ending racing.“What a way to finish the season here. I wasn’t here much this year but we sure made it count the last three or four times. It was a great run and a great way to finish the season,” said 31-year old Hirschman, who won the inaugural Octoberfast 130 in 2012.“I don’t know if I had the best strategy or even the best car today but it worked out that we won.”For the first 99 laps Eric Beers was far and away the car to beat. From the drop of Bobby Stull’s race commencing green he quickly put everyone in his dust as the Dave and Laura DeLange owned No. 45 had loads of power and Beers wasn’t shy in showing it.There were several who tried to make a challenge such as John Bennett, Nevin George and Earl Paules but none could come close enough to attempt a pass.Then after a restart on lap 44, Austin Kochenash showed his face after putting on a fine run through the pack. He was in second and stuck right with Beers in a stretch of 46 nonstop laps. Although they ran very close, the leader still demonstrated he wasn’t ready to relinquish his stop spot.On lap 90 the action slowed when Kyle Strohl spun in turn two. That yellow would also trigger the start of several more over slowdown periods over the next nine laps that produced drastic changes to the running order.On the restart Kochenash’s hopes of winning where dashed when he got tagged by then third place running Todd Baer and spun.Anthony Sesely had come from 17th and took over second after the demise of Kochenash. Hot on his tail was Zeiner and Hirschman.A few more yellows would wave for minor incidents but then came the game changer on lap 99. Shawna Ingraham had come to a halt on the back straight. As the leaders where coming full steam off turn two the caution was then displayed. With Ingraham sitting idle on the inside lane, Beers had to quickly move up in order to avoid hitting her. In second at that point was Zeiner with Hirschman third.For Zeiner there was little time to react and he made contact with Beers who then spun. Hirschman got caught in as well. Unfortunately for Beers he had to relinquish the lead due to a flat tire.When the action resumed Zeiner was the new pace setter with Hirschman second. They would then go into a torrid dogfight for a number of laps in side-by-side formation. With laps running out Hirschman knew the time to make his move was at hand and after the race winning pass on lap 114, there would be no looking back.“We survived a close call on the back straight with that stack-up. My front bumper is all smashed in and that could have easily been a radiator and we would have been done. I was fortunate that it all worked out,” said Hirschman.“I had to be patient and slowly work our way to the front. I got to about fifth and there was still about 40 laps to go and that’s plenty of time here. We had swapped it back and forth before that and it was good racing against Zane (Zeiner).”Beers drove back to a solid third with Sesely and Don Wagner completing out the top five. Baer, Strohl, Dave Sapienza, Kochenash and George rounded out the top 10.“I slipped up and Matt (Hirschman) got a run underneath us,” said Zeiner. Reflecting on the back straight incident that took out Beers he added, “I really do feel bad for Eric (Beers). That wasn’t supposed to happen. You have a spit-second decision to make and I made a decision and it probably was the wrong decision at the time and hey, I have to live with it.”For the third time in the Octoberfast race Beers had to settle for third. He led last year but was passed by Zeiner with a dozen laps to go.“We had the car to beat tonight,” bottom lined Beers. “I gave him (Zeiner) enough room to see that lapped car and he drove into my left rear and that’s basically what happened. I think I had the field covered tonight but it was just one of those unfortunate things.”
Heat wins went to Chip Santee, Beers, Ingraham and Paules. Sesely annexed the consi.
Modified Feature Finish (130 Laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Zane Zeiner, 3. Eric Beers, 4. Anthony Sesely,
5. Don Wagner 6. Todd Baer, 7. Kyle Strohl, 8. Dave Sapienza, 9. Austin Kochenash, 10. Nevin George, 11. John Markovic,
12. Bobby Jones, 13. Jimmy Zacharias, 14. John Bennett, 15. Roger Coss, 16. Shawna Ingraham, 17. Rusty Smith,
18. Earl Paules, 19. Andrew Krause, 20. Terry Markovic, 21. Brandon Oltra, 21. Chip Santee, 22. TJ Zacharias
DNQ: Wilton Nickerson, Barry Callavini, Pat Verwys, Brent Wentz, Chip Wanamaker
10-19 Sun Thompson 150 WMT 52 - 6th
COBY DRIVES WAY BACK TO THE TOP
Second Whelen Modified Title In Three Years; Preece Wins Finale
It was the worst finish of the season for Doug Coby. But in the end, it didn't matter, as the Milford, Connecticut driver lifted the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour trophy for the second time in three seasons Sunday. The 35-year-old finished 17th and two laps down in the season finale Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. The race was won by defending tour champion Ryan Preece. It was Coby and the No. 2 Dunleavy's Repair/HEX Performance/Fox Shocks Chevrolet team, though, who earned the big trophy on the strength of an outstanding season that included a win and nine top fives in 13 races. Coby, who finished second in points to Preece last year, kicked off 2014 with a win in the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona International Speedway. Donny Lia finished as the runner-up behind Preece Sunday, followed by Rowan Pennink, Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore. Matt Hirschman, Spencer Davis, Eric Goodale, Max Zachem and 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Timmy Solomito rounded out the top 10. Preece led twice for a race-high 137 laps, including the final 73. A late caution pushed the race to 151 laps. It was Preece's first win at Thompson after four runner-up finishes at the .625-mile banked oval. Earlier in the day, Preece wrapped up the track's NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Sunoco Modified Division championship. Ted Christopher, the 2008 tour champion, entered the event as the closest challenger to Coby. Christopher, however, was involved in a wreck and finished 10 laps down in 20th. With his win, Preece jumped up to finish second in points - 22 behind Coby. Bonsignore finished third, five points back of Preece, while Silk and Christopher completed the top five. Second through fifth were separated by nine points. The Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart will air on FOX Sports 1 on Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. Coby will be honored for his championship season along with NASCAR's other touring series champions on Saturday, Dec. 12 at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards in the Grand Ballroom of the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Sunoco World Series 150 pres. by Xtra Mart - Unofficial Results
Sunday At Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Thompson, Conn.
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 151 laps, 76.075 mph.
2. (5) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 151.
3. (16) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 151.
4. (12) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 151.
5. (10) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
6. (24) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 151.
7. (15) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 151.
8. (17) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
9. (19) Max Zachem, Preston, Conn., Chevrolet, 151.
10. (11) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
11. (9) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
12. (3) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 151.
13. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 151.
14. (34) David Calabrese, Toms River, N.J., Chevrolet, 151.
15. (25) John Beatty, Jr., Merrick, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
16. (28) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 149.
17. (4) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 149.
18. (13) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 146, accident.
19. (22) Kyle Ellwood, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 141.
20. (8) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 140, accident.
21. (23) Troy Talman, Oxford, Mass., Chevrolet, 137, accident.
22. (32) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 133.
23. (36) Danny Watts, Jr., Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 131, mechanical.
24. (14) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 130.
25. (30) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 120, accident.
26. (26) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Pontiac, 116, accident.
27. (18) Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 115, accident.
28. (6) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 98, mechanical.
29. (27) Dave Sapienza, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 98, accident.
30. (31) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 91, rear end.
31. (29) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 91, mechanical.
32. (35) Jason Agugliaro, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 80, mechanical.
33. (7) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 45, carburetor.
34. (33) Frank Vigliarolo, Jr., Mt. Sinai, N.Y., Chevrolet, 26, accident.
35. (1) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 17, accident.
36. (21) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 2, mechanical.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 14 minutes 26 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.689 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: W. Pitkat (119.579 mph, 18.816 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 41 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: W. Pitkat 1-8; R. Preece 9 -72; T. Barrett Jr. 73 -77; R. Pennink 78; R. Preece 79 -151.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 511; 2. R. Preece, 489; 3. J. Bonsignore, 484; 4. R. Silk, 483; 5. T. Christopher, 480;
6. B. Santos, 458; 7. E. Goodale, 440; 8. T. Solomito, 433; 9. W. Pitkat, 429; 10. P. Emerling, 419.
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RYAN PREECE FINALLY TAMES THOMPSON SPEEDWAY FOR NWMT WIN Preece Closes 2014
Race Season Strong
.
by Denise DuPont .
With a car on rails Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT passed for the lead before lap 10 and went forward to dominate and win the Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP).
Previously at Thompson, Preece, had four second place and four third place finishes, but not one career win. So the final 2014 event was an opportunity for Preece to not only make it back it back to back wins at the end of the season, but also to conquer the 5/8ths mile oval.
Leading 137 of the 151 laps in the tour’s World Series event for a win, Preece can now add TSMP to his long resume of wins. “If you go to my name on NASCAR Home Tracks and look at all the tracks that I have won at Riverhead, Monadnock, Stafford, Martinsville, and I am sure there is another track. I have gotten track records, I have gotten poles but this just seemed to be the place that I could not be a winner at. Now I can say it and especially to pick up two milestones like this – We got the Fall Final and the World Series – those are two real prestigious races. And I was just the lucky guy behind the wheel to do it.”
In victory lane, Preece first acknowledged the Flamingo Motorsports Team that prepared him the car that brought him to victory lane. “The real people that should be getting the credits right now is this Flamingo team. They got me off pit road right where I came in. They did a phenomenal job on that pit stop. Sly (Szaban) did a great job setting this race car up and I was just the lucky guy to drive the inside line here.”
This has been a frustrating season for Preece and the #16 NWMT team. Before their at Stafford Motor Speedway “Fall Final” victory, they were winless. Leveraging the momentum that the team gained at the Stafford win, they came to Thompson ready for a grand slam. “I think that we drove in a dominate fashion driving the bottom - I was hooked up. I know that Ronnie (Silk) moved down there because I was watching him but I do not know if he was as good as I was on the bottom. This was the first time that I had to worry about hitting the bottom coming off of two and maneuvering around it. This car was just on rails. The whole Flamingo Team worked their tails off including car owner Eric Sanderson. It is great to win here. I said to my spotter (and crew chief Sly) ‘You know how many times that I finished second here? I‘m not finishing second again. ’This seemed to be the place that I couldn’t say I was a winner at and now I can say it.”
Donny Lia was definitely a man on a mission going into the last race of the NWMT season. He was third fastest in practice, started third and hung with the lead pack all day to capture the runner up spot when the checkered flag flew. “It is a good way to finish the season I would have like to have won the race of course, but we had a pretty tough year so a second is good right now.” Expressed Lia.
Drivers drove hard and were all looking for the one break that would give them the World Series win. There were eight cautions that cut short some runs and made restarts challenging.
“It was a tough day with restart after restart. It was at the point that I was set to get towards the front and I am not sure what was up with the #75, but he drove up underneath me and just about wrecked us.” A caution occurred on lap 122 when lead cars were racing three wide for position going into turn four and made contact while passing lapped traffic. “I almost lost it and we did lose a bunch of spots then. So then we had to make them back up. A couple of restarts lined up in our favor and I was able to get back into second. I did not have a second place car at the end - we got tight, tight, tight. But there were definitely times during the race that we were a top two car but then again towards the end we were too tight. So we will settle for second.”
Lia did not score a 2014 win and the #4 Mystic Missile definitely had their share of bad luck. So getting to the finish line second was a relief. “A top two is like a win for us especially the way things are right now with the rules and the motor and stuff. It is almost impossible to really compete against these other spec motor packages. I looks like that is the future. So if you want to compete and win races, if the rules stay the same -- you have to be able to get it done.”
Rowan Pennink was off during qualifying and started almost half-way back in the field - fifteenth. Pennink was involved in the same incident as Lia riding three wide to get to the lead. He recovered for a podium finish “We struggled a little bit through practice and qualifying. I figured that we would have a good car for the race and we definitely did. We were able to stay out and pit late and come back through the field. The car was really good the last fifty. But we came up just a little bit short. We were at a little bit of a disadvantage on the bottom the last couple of laps on the restarts. We just needed to get going green for more than a couple of laps at the end to have a shot at it.’”
With about twenty to go Pennink passed for second and the plan was to go for the lead next. In position he was ready to give it his all but then the challenges, cautions and restarts began. Lap after lap and restart after restart he gave it his all but in the end he spun his tires and Lia passed him. "I knew that I had a faster car than them so I just wanted to get by him (Ron Silk) as fast as I could and not let Ryan take off like that. But he wanted to battle me for it instead of just letting me go. I felt a little bit aggressive there a couple of times but it showed once I got by him I pulled right away from him. He really should have let me go and then we could have run down Ryan together.” Pennink never had the opportunity to directly run with Preece but the
#93 Monk Hand Cleaner car was prepared for the action. “I thought that we had a car that could have battled Ryan. Dozens of restarts are tough particularly once the tires get worn. The way that Ryan was going just so-so on the restarts there was just no way that you could just not spin the tires. That was just all that I had to hang on during those restarts.”
Doug Coby from Milford, CT. finished the race seventeenth and it was enough to earn the #2 Dunleavy's Repair/HEX Performance./Fox Shocks team their first ever NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship. This is Coby’s second NWMT Championship in three race seasons.
Timmy Solomito of Islip, NY captured the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Title and will be honored as the 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year for the Whelen Modified Tour at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards on Dec. 13 in the Charlotte (North Carolina) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame..
Have a great off season and see you back at the track next year!
Notes from Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park:
What are Your Thoughts on your 2014 Race Season?
Ryan Preece
“It was mixed emotions here today. We did not win the SK race so when you win the Championship you just wish you could have won it (Sunoco Modified race) and the Championship at the same time. I won this race and I won that Championship so it was a flip flop in a way. But I am a guy that does not point race and today I kind of was because I knew what are cards were. I kind of decided to ride and out myself in a position where I was not going to get wrecked or anything. Then when it came to the tour race from the top of the green I knew that my car was good. So I just bit my time behind Woody and just got by him and then just road from there.”
After Pitting what was your strategy?
Ryan Preece
“Everything worked out our way. I did not realize that I was going to get to the front as quick as I did. That really shocked me. It took me probably five laps - three laps and I was not even trying. So that was why when I got out into the track lead I was really saving it until about the last thirty or so laps. I really did go hard that green flag lap when Rowan and Ronnie were going at it. And I was able to get away quite enough to where he was not going to be able to catch me in ten laps. I put myself in the right positions as I could and won the race.”
Thoughts on being part of the #16 Flamingo Race Team
Ryan Preece
“I am really happy for these guys and the team. They deserve nothing but the best. Eric Sanderson, I cannot thank you enough you have been phenomenal and to win here today is awesome, it is great. I am so happy for everybody for the team to finish off the year with a win”.
What are your thoughts on your 2014 season?
Donny Lia
“For us to finish second with the package that we have. I am really happy. With today’s finish as well as the season that we had, we had a really rough year. It has been a great experience driving this car. I do not know if that will be the same next year.”
Your thoughts on the restarts
Rowan Pennink
“Definitely if you have a restart and you are rolling on the restarts like you are supposed to go. That is one thing that isn’t really fair. The rules say that you are supposed to go pace car speed on the restarts and when you bog it down to ten miles an hour and then all at once launch of course the guy that starts the race is going to all at once run a couple car lengths ahead like he did. It was the same thing that Barrett really did and they penalized him for it. They need to do more stuff like that because it is horrible when they bog down the restarts like that.”
Who made the decision to pit late?
Rowan Pennink
‘We were going to pit with everybody and then Doug Chenard asked me if I could hold on for another 30 laps and I kept out there and I was able to stay up in the top five until we pitted with fifty to go. It was definitely the right call for our strategy and helped us through the race.”
10-18 Sat Lancaster 100 RoC 60 - Did not Race
Sat 4-Oct Modified 100L $4000 Points Finale - 1
What a day it was Saturday for Matt Hirschman. He was up bright an early and headed to upstate New York with the intention of competing in the U.S. Open at Lancaster Raceway Park, however, when that show, an R.O.C. Asphalt Modified Tour Series race was canceled due to rain, Hirschman did an about-face back to Pennsylvania and proceeded to Mahoning Valley Speedway.With a 100-lap, $4000 paying Modified feature on tap it was a decision well worth the nearly 600 mile round trip journey. A true master when it comes to extra distance, big money races at Mahoning Valley, Hirschman capped off his arduous trek by taking the checkered flag in a spectacular 20th to first place run.“I just needed a chance. Mother Nature helped us and we had a lot of miles to come from near Buffalo and back to here. But I was confident the whole time as long as I got in the show I could start last and win. It’s been a long day but I’m glad everyone put the effort in,” said Hirschman, who won his second straight Mahoning 100-lapper and 10th overall.Hirschman may not have started last but it was close to it. Once he learned that the Lancaster race was canceled, he immediately called down to Mahoning to say he would be heading their way. Hirschman, who lives just 25 miles from the track, had his Mahoning car already loaded and thanks to a few extra hands, the car was hauled to the speedway waiting his arrival.He made it just as the heats where getting underway and although there was time to run in his qualifier, he opted out and did not get on track until the consi. Starting last, he advanced to fifth and was safely in the show.For the 100-lap feature he would line up in row 10. Once the race began he carefully strategized his every move. Going against a solid field of contenders, making his way to the front would be no easy task. His first big break came on a lap 20 caution as several cars in front of him went pit-side and Hirschman methodically moved up a few spots. Another yellow on lap 33 and another break as several more cars pitted, allowing advances with the J & J Motorsports No. 59, this time reaching into the top 10.All the while Hirschman was working his way to the front, Nevin George was turning in a superb performance as the race leader, building a comfortable lead over such challengers as Earl Paules and Zane Zeiner.On lap 49 George’s commanding lead was wiped out when Don Wagner spun and prompted a caution. At that point Hirschman was running sixth and on the restart he would begin to take action on chasing down the leaders.One by one he picked off cars, taking Roger Coss, Kyle Strohl and Zeiner in succession and was now third by lap 57 and racing closely behind Paules. Meanwhile George continued to cruise out-front and looked invincible.Noticeably, though, Hirschman was on a mission. After a 10 lap duel with Paules he secured second spot and set his sights on George who by that time had a half track lead.Hirschman would get some help from Eric Beers who came to a halt on lap 72 and brought out a caution. When the race got back underway it was a matter of a few laps before he would make his race winning move, taking the lead on the 77th circuit. Once in the lead he effortlessly pulled away and went on to a convincing 3.170-second margin of victory over George. Zeiner, Paules and Strohl completed the top five.“We’ve been fortunate enough to win some of these 100 lap races but this one will be special just because of the day we had and how it worked out. It’s amazing and I love being close to home. We probably put on about 600 miles today but it’s going to be a nice 10 miles to home tonight,” said Hirschman.George did a great job holding off a number of heavy hitters and running one of his best races of the season. However, he admitted that his downfall in the end was tire wear which cost him his shot at winning. “We were really good and we got to the front first soon enough where we had to set the pace and maybe I should have slowed it down a bit. He (Hirschman) clearly had better tires than me in the end. I really think that him being stuck in the back for the first 20 or 30 laps, he was able to capitalize on that with his tires and that was the difference,” said George.With a sixth place finish, Kris Graver becomes the 2014 track champion and at 21 years of age he is the youngest driver to win a Modified title at Mahoning Valley.
Modified Feature Finish (100 Laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Nevin George, 3. Zane Zeiner, 4. Earl Paules, 5. Kyle Strohl, 6. Kris Graver, 7. Don Wagner, 8. John Markovic, 9. Todd Baer, 10. Chip Santee, 11. Eric Beers, 12. Mike Quinn, 13. Bobby Jones, 14. Brain Romig, 15. Rick Reichenbach, 16. Paul Hartwig Jr., 17. Rusty Smith, 18. Brian DeFebo 19. Joe Mooney, 20. Roger Coss, 21. John Bennett, 22. Francis Gross III DNQ: Anthony Sesely, Pat Verwys, Alan Creveling, Terry Markovic, Matt Higgins
9-28 Sun Shangri La 100 RoC 60 - 2
RoC Modifieds
Unofficial Finishing Order
1 1 71 Jimmy Zacharias
2 7 60 Matt Hirschman
3 8 22 Chuck Hossfeld
4 3 66 Austin Kochenash
5 4 73x Andy Jankowiak
6 13 42 Nick Pecko
7 9 65 George Skora III
8 12 51r T.J. Potrzebowski
9 14 27 Rick Kluth
10 18 95 Bryan Sherwood
11 11 3 Daren Scherer
12 16 24 Tyler Rypkema
13 2 53 Brian Defebo
14 6 31 Nick Barzee
15 17 48 Sam Fullone
16 20 17 Ken Canestrari
17 19 51b Lee Sharpsteen
18 5 25 Mike Leaty
19 22 99 Mikael Labreche
20 21 10 Daryl Lewis Jr.
21 10 21 Tony Hanbury
22 15 14 Doug Reaume
Sat Sept 27: Bob “Heavy” Scherer Memorial 50 Lap Modified feature/$2000 to win - 8
When Roger Heffelfinger Jr., won the Bob “Heavy” Scherer Memorial race Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway, there was so much meaning that went with it.First of all it had been over 27 years since Heffelfinger won a feature at Mahoning Valley. If that wasn’t emotional enough there was the fact of winning the 50 lap event named in honor of Scherer.He was a former racer who drove for the late Dale Beers Sr., his father-in-law. At the start of the 1990s Scherer turned his attention to wrenching for his brother-in-law, Eric Beers, which led to countless wins and track championships. In May of this year Scherer passed away after a brief bout with cancer.There is also the close family connection between the Beers’ and Heffelfinger’s. Roger Heffelfinger Sr., had at one time drove for the elder Beers and even won a memorial race at Dorney Park Speedway in his car, which was the Dale Beers Jr. Memorial. Now some four decades later and Heffelfinger Jr., was gracing Victory Lane in a race that was again affiliated with the Beers clan.“First of all I’m glad the Beers and Scherer family got together along with Floyd Santee and Dave and Laura DeLange to run this race. You never heard a bad word about Heavy Scherer. Everyone liked him, they respected him and he was a true class act,” said Heffelfinger,” who won $2000 in the process.At the outset it was Joe Mooney, driving Geary Rhinehimer’s No. 39m, who led the opening circuits. He was closely followed by Lou Strohl. Strohl was actually running alongside Mooney and that would set the tone for some intense action.After a lap six restart Strohl moved into the lead but just slightly. Keeping pace from the inside groove Mooney was able to grab back the top spot within two laps. Close at hand was Chip Santee while several other top contenders where prowling about near the leaders. Don Wagner, Nevin George, Eric Beers and Kyle Strohl started to come into play.As Mooney continued to fend off L. Strohl, Santee was showing his strength as well as he went even for second spot. Santee’s fight came to a halt when he spun while trying to maintain third over George.On the ensuing restart Mooney still held his ground but for L. Strohl he had a handful to deal with. George, K. Strohl, Beers and Heffelfinger all ran under a blanket with him.Running in such tight quarters, Heffelfinger’s defining moment would come on lap 32. George and L. Strohl touched in turn two sending both of them spinning. K Strohl and Beers would also be collected in the melee sending all four to the tail of the field.Heffelfinger managed to squeeze by and when the action got back underway he was lined up next to Mooney. “Actually what I saw was Kyle Strohl had moved up. When he did Nevin (George) and Lou (Strohl) got sucked in and they tangled,” said Heffelfinger. “When he (K. Strohl) moved up I went to go underneath him. Had he not moved up I probably would have been a half a lane higher and I would have been involved in the accident.”;For the next several laps Heffelfinger gave Mooney everything he had. With his car working perfectly from the outside he finally made the race winning pass with 10 laps remaining.“I give Joe Mooney a lot of credit. We ran side-by-side for so many laps. He gave me a lane to race and he didn’t get into me or rub me. He showed that he’s a racer to me,” said Heffelfinger.That wasn’t the end of his drive, however. In the final four laps Mooney began to back pedal and coming on strong were Bobby Jones and Zane Zeiner. Being away from victory for so long, Heffelfinger wasn’t about to give in as he drove his Performance Driveline No. 31 across the stripe ahead of all others in what was one of the most gratifying wins to ever take place at the paved quarter mile oval.“You can say this was the monkey off our back but to tell the truth 10 gorillas doesn’t equal what’s been on my back. It was a long time coming to say the least,” said Heffelfinger, who last won a race in 1997 at Evergreen Raceway.“Honestly this meant a lot to me. This is the biggest race I ever won just because of what it stood for. I won my share at Evergreen but this was the ONE in my book.”
Modified Feature Finish (50 Laps): 1. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., 2. Bobby Jones, 3. Zane Zeiner, 4. Roger Coss, 5. Kris Graver, 6. Joe Mooney, 7. Mike Quinn, 8. Matt Hirschman, 9. Rick Reichenbach, 10. Nevin George, 11. Earl Paules, 12. Eric Beers, 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Don Wagner, 15. Todd Baer, 16. Brian Romig Sr., 17. John Markovic, 18. Chip Santee, 19. Lou Strohl, 20. Kyle Strohl DNQ: Kevin Rex Jr., Brian Romig Jr.
Due to motor issues and a wrecked race car following the WMT event in NH last week the Darling 52 team will not field a car at Stafford this week. Instead Matt will compete at the Fall Brawl at SL2 Sunday.
9-20 Fri/Sat NHMS 100 WMT 52 - 26th
TWICE IS NICE IN 2014 FOR PITKAT
Survives Green-White Checkered Finish To Secure Second Victory
Woody Pitkat held off Todd Szegedy on a green-white-checkered finish to earn his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in Saturday’s F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.Two late cautions set up the dramatic finish. Contact between Doug Coby and Ryan Newman set the scene for the first green-white-checkered attempt, and on the restart lap, a six-car accident at the exit of Turn 2 resulted in a 20-minute red flag.The down time had race leader Pitkat contemplating how things might play out in his No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet.“It was really gut-wrenching sitting there like that trying to think about what was going to happen,” Pitkat said. “You’ve got people in the stands yelling your name, yelling for Bobby [Santos] to get the sweep, yelling for Todd [Szegedy] – you just had a million things going through your head – and I was trying to weed it out.”The strategy that Pitkat formulated ultimately worked to perfection. On the second and final green-white-checkered attempt the Stafford, Connecticut, native shut the door on any opportunities for Szegedy to make a move and drove to his first win in 16 starts at Loudon.“I knew I was really good on the bottom, so I just figured if I could get out in front and try to maybe break the draft and drive the thing down on the bottom and protect – and don’t get in too hot and drift up in the middle and give them the bottom on exit – that I would be ok,” Pitkat said.It’s been a breakthrough season for the veteran Pitkat, whose first career win came in August at Stafford Motor Speedway, his home track.Szegedy – last year’s F.W. Webb 100 victor – crossed the line second and championship points leader Coby rallied for a third place finish despite involvement in two incidents. Ted Christopher and Rowan Pennink completed the top five.Patrick Emerling, Donny Lia, Santos, Tommy Barrett Jr. and Mike Stefanik brought home the top 10.Santos won the Sunoco 100 at New Hampshire in July and was attempting to become the first driver to sweep the season events at the 1.058-mile track since Newman in 2010. Newman finished 20th on Saturday as a result of the damage suffered from the Lap 96 contact with Coby.Coby’s podium finish, combined with a mid-race engine failure for Justin Bonsignore, resulted in a big points swing. Coby entered New Hampshire four tallies up on Bonsignore, but left with a 448-422 advantage.“I just tried to pick the right lines and put ourselves in position to get a solid finish,” Coby said of coming back through the field after his separate incidents. “I was very aware of the points situation – the second place car [Bonsignore] broke at the halfway break – and my crew chief told me to play it smart.“I’m really happy for our team, it could have been much worse. Two races to go, so now it’s officially time to start thinking about points.”The F.W. Webb 100, which will be telecast on FOX Sports 1 on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. EDT, featured 15 lead changes among four drivers and was slowed by caution eight times. Pitkat led a race-high 79 laps.The Whelen Modified Tour has just two races remaining on the 2014 schedule starting with the NAPA Fall Final 150 on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Stafford.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - F.W. Webb 100 Results
Saturday At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 0.4 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (6) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 105 laps, 79.539 mph.
2. (5) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
3. (7) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
4. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
5. (9) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 105.
6. (16) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 105.
7. (8) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 105.
8. (3) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 105.
9. (14) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 105.
10. (11) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 105.
11. (2) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
12. (13) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 105.
13. (15) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 105.
14. (27) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 105.
15. (24) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 104.
16. (19) Danny Watts, Jr., Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 99, accident.
17. (12) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 99, accident.
18. (17) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 99, accident.
19. (26) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 98, accident.
20. (1) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind., Chevrolet, 97, steering.
21. (21) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 79, accident.
22. (22) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 77, engine.
23. (20) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 71, overheating.
24. (18) Cole Powell, Mt. Brydges, Ont., Chevrolet, 70, rear end.
25. (10) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 52, engine.
26. (23) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 24, accident.
27. (25) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 8, handling.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 23 minutes 48 secondsMargin of Victory: 0.298 secondsFastest Qualifier: R. Newman (131.035 mph, 29.067 seconds)Caution Flags: 8 for 30 laps.Lead Changes: 15 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: R. Silk 1-8; W. Pitkat 9-11; R. Silk 12-14; W. Pitkat 15-31; R. Silk 32-33; T. Solomito 34; R. Silk 35-37; W. Pitkat 38-47; T. Szegedy 48-52; W. Pitkat 53-61; T. Szegedy 62-63; W. Pitkat 64-67; T. Szegedy 68; W. Pitkat 69-72; T. Szegedy 73; W. Pitkat 74-105.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 448; 2. J. Bonsignore, 422; 3. T. Christopher, 414; 4. B. Santos, 409; 5. R. Silk, 402; 6. R. Preece, 393; 7. W. Pitkat, 381; 8. T. Solomito, 368; 9. E. Goodale, 367; 10. M. Hirschman, 350.
WOODY PITKAT IS LIVING THE "MAGIC MILE" DREAM Pitkat Wins Second Career
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race
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by Denise DuPont
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When drivers of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) come to events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) they consider it their Super Bowl. Woody Pitkat, from Stafford, CT., scored his second career NWMT victory there on Saturday to celebrate a dream come true -- a win at Loudon.
Ryan Newman earned his fifth series Coors Light Pole on Friday and led the field of cars to the green flag for Saturday’s featured event. On the race start though, Ron Silk of Milford, CT. leveraged his front row outside spot to lead the first circuit. From behind him Pitkat came from sixth to second early in the race showing he was to be a car to recon with. Pitkat passed for the lead by lap 9 and then exchanged the top position several times with Silk until he finally dominated the position.Todd Szegedy of Ridgefield, CT., sat back waiting in the wings for his turn. He saw the opportunity just before mid-race break and took the #15, 15-40 Connection Chevrolet to the front using the outside groove. Pitkat did not skip a beat to come back under Szegedy to recapture the lead before mid-race pitting.Teams made adjustments and rallied their way back to the track for the final 50 laps. During the stop in race action, Justin Bonsignore’s #51, chem3.com team discovered an engine issue. Reluctantly, the team parked the car. This was a tough blow for the team since coming into this race they were second in points for the 2014 NWMT championship.Soon after resuming the race point leader Doug Coby of Milford, CT and Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY. made contact The two continued racing but on the next lap Coby kissed the turn one wall and then spun to make contact with the turn two outside wall. The incident bent his left front wheel. Coby was able to make it in the pits to fix the car. But then he had the challenge of coming from the rear of the field.When the race resumed Pitkat, and Szegedy continued to exchange the lead spot for several laps. Two more spins brought out cautions in the race. First one on lap 79 when Glen Reen hit the front stretch wall with the #8, Reflex Energy/Baja Construction car. Then on lap 95 when Ryan Newman spun the #7, Menard/Wix Filters modified in turn four.With three race laps to go it was to be a Green-White-Checkered finish. The race drama ramped up a notch to include a horrific crash that took four teams out of the race and sent two drivers to the hospital for further evaluation.On the restart, Szegedy slowed in the high lane coming off of turn two. This bunched up the field behind him. Ron Yuhas Jr. running seventeenth at the time, drove over the #75 modified of Timmy Solomito. Yuhas then went head-on into the outside fence. The back of Yuhas’ car went up upon impact with the wall, with the nose of his car doing a pirouette on the track before flipping onto its roof. Track workers then went to work to flip the #64 car upright. Yuhas was able to exit the car under his own power but later was transported to a local hospital to be checked out.The huge wreck brought out a red flag, leaving the field sitting idle on the front stretch for twenty minutes. Climaxing the action filled race with a red flag was not what the drivers wanted to see. Last minute strategies went through their heads as what-if scenarios played through.“It was really gut wrenching sitting there like that,” confessed Pitkat. “I was just contemplating on what was going to happen. I knew Bobby was going to be back behind me to push me and I had a million things going through my head and I was just trying to weed through it all.”“I knew that I was really good on the bottom. So I figured if I could just get out front and maybe try to break the draft. Then I could drive the thing down the bottom and try not to drift up too high in the middle to give them the bottom I would be OK. So that was what I tried to do – protect the bottom.”“I figured that Todd would maybe go to the outside on the last lap in turn three and four. But my car was just so dominate and good on the bottom. I figured just keep doing that and pray that I was going to get to victory lane. And here we are.On the final restart, Santos pushed Pitkat forward as planned and Szegedy was unable to get by him. Pitkat crossed the finish line for a dramatic green-white-checkered finish capturing the series F.W. Webb 100 win at NHMS.
Todd Szegedy was second, series points’ leader Doug Coby finish third followed by Ted Christopher for fourth and Rowan Pennink to round off the top five.Szegedy won this race in 2013, so he was looking for a repeat victory. He has a good car but it tightened up during the race so he could not beat Pitkat’s at the end. “I thought that it went pretty good,” expressed Szegedy. “We had a good car in the spring and we got a finish that I felt that we deserved. I feel that every time that we go to the track that we have at least a top five car. But you never know. You could be the best car out there and a lot of things happen on that last lap. There is no question about it. Woody played it very, very smart. He knew that I was not rolling the outside as good as I was in the beginning. So he pulled down and blocked. “Unable to get deep into the corners, Szegedy held on to second and prevented Coby from getting past him. “So there was nothing that I could do unless I just go bomb down into the grass. Some guys might have done that, but I am not going to do that. I tried crossing him up and I gave it my best. Doug was right there too and he helped push me on that last start which was a big help. We had a good finish. I am very happy with the finish and I feel that Woody had what he had – a car that was strong and he definitely deserved that win.”Going into the F.W.Webb 100, Coby led the field in the chase for point by a mere margin of four points over Bonsignore in second. Before the race Coby stated his position on the point’s race: “I do not want to say that I am going to race for points, but I am racing to have a good day here at Loudon. The points are going to do what the points are going to do.”But after Bonsignore was sidelined with an engine failure and then he himself was involved in the accident hitting the second turn wall, Coby could not help think about a solid finish and points at Loudon. “I was very aware of the point situation. The second place car broke at the half-way break and my crew chief told me to play it smart. Which is kind of hard to do when you are here at Loudon and you want to win and you are going to the front. Then you are closer to the front in fourth on a green- white-checkered.”“I definitely had the toughest go of the top three” Coby said describing his race day. “We were spun out about lap 58 right after the restart. I hit the wall and flattened the left front tire. And you really do not know what that is going to do to you. I just felt that the car was still pretty good. My guys had made a small adjustment during the break and aside from Todd and Woody I think that we had one of the best cars out there. Coming back up through the field, we just tried to pick the right lines and position ourselves to get a solid finish.”On the last restart Coby helped Szegedy get to the front the best that he could and carved out a third place spot for himself. His plan was to be there waiting for the leaders to make one wrong move and then the race would be his. “I tried to push Todd so that he could play his game with Woody. I had seen Todd make some great moves here on the last lap to win races. And I have sometimes seen guys end up on the outside near the fence. So I figured if Todd and Woody are out near the fence then I would have a shot at winning.”“Woody won himself the race but driving the lowest that I have ever seen anybody drive on the last lap. He did a great job and really gave Todd no options. My only option was to bring it home in one piece in third place. I am really happy for our team. It could have been much worst. Two races to go so now it officially time to think about points.” So after crashing just mid-race Coby came back for a podium finish and maintained his point lead.The F.W. Webb 100, will be telecast on FOX Sports 1 on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. EDT.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has just two races remaining on the 2014 schedule starting with the NAPA Fall Final 150 on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Stafford.
If you cannot join us at the track, please join us follow the action on http://www.thechromehorn.com
Notes from New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
If someone had told you that you were going to get you win at your home track of Stafford Motor Speedway and then the second at NHMS what would you have told them?
Woody Pitkat
“I probably would say they were crazy. I figured we would be pretty good at Thompson and Stafford. But because of the Arute’s support I am really happy that I got my first win there.”
“To tell me that I would come here and win it is unbelievable. To win at Stafford and then come here for a win is a huge accomplishment. Knowing that we run good here, I really felt that we would have a really good car to win here. It is just a dream come true. So we will just ride this train and hopefully keep winning.”
Thoughts going through mind during 20 minute red flag period:
Todd Szegedy
“You always think about what you want to do. This is racing and it changes every inch of the race track and every lap. You do not know what to expect. You do not know what your opponents are going to do. I knew that I was going to have Coby behind me pushing me. And I did not know how hard Woody was going to be pushed. You just do not know what is going to happen. Everything worked out the way I would have liked. We were tight. We were great in the beginning on the race on the outside and we ran there very well. But as the laps wore on we got tighter and I could not roll the outside. Normally that outside groove is the best groove. And I usually am in the best position to win the race. I can drive it in the corner deep but I just could not do it, it just would not turn. So I knew I was kind of a sitting duck. I knew Woody would have had to make a mistake for me to get by him. He did an awesome job.”
What kind of day defines what championships are made of?
Doug Coby
“You look back at every championship season since the dawn of time and there is always those days where it could go really bad and it ends up working out for you. This is certainly a place where if you end up in the fence and your car is bent, you have a terrible finish and it is a bad day. Of course anytime that you are spun out and into the fence at Loudon and you come back and finish third with a car that could have won if we stayed up front”
“Yes this is a championship defining race. In fact if we do win the championship this year we will look back at today and say that that was the day that won the championship for the team. If we don’t win the championship this year we will look at the next two races and those two will be the ones that loose it for the team. So I am happy that we have a good car every time we race. And that is all that a driver could ask of any team that we have – put a car under us that coming out of the trailer that is fast at every single track that we go to. That is what the #2 car does for me and I am really happy to be in the position that hopefully closes this out in the last two races.
9-14 Sun Oswego 200 64th RoC 60 - 15th
The 64th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions got off to a wet start as rain swept in from the Midwest and washed out all of the Saturday events. The foul weather pushed everything back to Sunday, meaning a full seven division race card would be completed in one day.A decision was made to keep the Saturday portion of the weekend seperate and run it later Sunday following the planned Sunday schedule, so the RoC Modifieds, RoC Super Stocks and Supermodifieds pulled into the track first for their racing events.After qualifying for the 3 divisions was complete, the 75-lap Supermodified Championship was won by Dave Danzer.It was now time for the 64th Annual Race of Champions Modified 200 to start! 30 cars would take the green flag, with Tony Hanbury in the No. 21 and Bobby Holmes in the No. 22H starting in the front row.It was Hanbury who took the lead on the start but “Big Money” Matt Hirschman, looking to “three-peat” this race for the first time ever, quickly took second and started applying pressure. Three laps in, the No. 22H of Bobby Holmes ran third with Brandon Oltra in the No. 9 fourth and the No. 3 of Daren Scherer rounding out the top five.Hirschman powered by Hanbury on lap 5 and started opening up ground right away. Stewart Friesen, a multi-time winner in Northeast Dirt Modifieds and Sprint Cars, was starting in his first ever asphalt Modified race. He had picked up five spots in the first nine laps to move from 22nd to 17th. Hanbury closed back to within two car lengths of Hirschman by lap 11 as the pair closed in on slower traffic. Holmes and Scherer were third and fourth but now Chuck Hossfeld in the No. 22H, who had won the Budweiser Modified Classic at Oswego just two weeks earlier, was up to fifth and charging.NASCAR Nationwide Series and Modified hotshoe Ryan Preece was moving forward through the field as well, now in sixth and in hot pursuit of the third through fifth place runners.Matt Hirschman moved into lapped traffic on lap 22 and quickly put three slower cars between himself and second place Hanbury. Holmes held onto third but his back bumper was feeling the wrath of fourth place runner Scherer, who was trying to fend off the challenges of Hossfeld and Preece behind him in a torrid early battle!Scherer’s pressure worked on lap 29 as he took third spot, and both Hossfeld and Preece followed him through, sending Holmes back to sixth.The first yellow flag of the race flew on lap 33 when the No. 24 of Tyler Rypkema, a 17-year-old RoC Modified Rookie who had a fifth place in a race earlier in the year at Oswego, broke loose and stopped just short of hitting the second turn wall. Rypkema restarted on his own and rejoined the field at the rear, having already lost a lap to the leaders.Hirschman, Hanbury, Scherer, Hossfeld and Preece rounded out the top five at this time, with Holmes, Oltra, Nick Pecko, Mike Leaty and Jimmy Zacharias running sixth through tenth. Zacharias elected to pit at this time as did Friesen, Patrick Emerling and Rypkema.The race did require a mandatory pit stop, but it had to occur after lap 50, so these stops did not count in that capacity for those racers. All of them made it back out before the green except for Emerling, whose crew was still working on that car.No sooner had the race gone back to green then a multi-car pileup happened in turn two. Nick Pecko broke loose setting off a chain reaction. Doug Reaume, Rusty Smith, Sam Fullone, Terry Cheetham, Lee Sharpsteen, Daryl Lewis, Jr., Rypkema, Austin Kochenash and Tommy Ferrell were among those involved.Lewis would be out for the day as would Rypkema, who went off on the rollback. Reaume pitted as did Ferrell, Sharpsteen, Leaty, Fullone and Kochenash. All would return to action before the drop of the green.The top five, now with 41 laps down as they came to the green, was Hirschman, Hanbury, Hossfeld, Scherer and Preece.Hirschman took off on the restart with Hanbury following, Scherer stayed third while Preece saw an opportunity and stole fourth from Hossfeld.One lap later we were yellow again as a couple of cars in the middle of the pack got out of shape. They both kept going but officials, fearing another repeat of the multi-car tangle, were quick to trigger the caution flag. Stewart Friesen popped back into the pit area with the Kluth No. 44, wanting new tires. Sam Fullone also pitted for fuel and adjustments.Friesen made it back out before the green.Scherer bumped into Hanbury on the restart going into turn one but everyone kept going as Hirschman tried unsuccessfully to get away.With 50 laps in, Hirschman, Hanbury, Scherer, Hossfeld and Preece were the top five. Holmes still ran sixth, with DeFebo, Oltra, Pecko and Leaty rounded out the top ten.Andy Jankowiak slowed to a stop on lap 54 to bring out another yellow.Now we were past the 50 lap mark for mandatory pit stops. Who would take advantage of this yellow to be the first to make theirs? Mike Leaty, Jimmy Zacharias, Kurt Totten, T.J. Potrzebowski, Friesen, George Skora III and Rusty Smith all ducked in to fulfill their rules requirment, as did Jankowiak to address his mechanical issue.The top five remained Hirschman, Hanbury, Hossfeld, Scherer and now Holmes. Hirschman led the field down to the restart as Preece went right to work on Hossfeld for fourth. Driving the No. 41 for all it was worth, Preece worked over the No. 22 of Hossfeld but couldn’t get by.One driver on the charge at this point was the No. 66 of Austin Kochenash, a high school student who is making a name for himself on the RoC Modified Tour. Kochenash was up to ninth after being involved in the earlier multi-car tangle, and he was one of the fastest cars on the track at this point.Hirschman and Hanbury settled into a race pace around lap 71, staying within two car lengths as they pulled away slightly from the battle for third between Scherer and Hossfeld, who was using his front bumper to keep Daren honest. Preece watched the action from a safe distance back in fifth, unchallenged.Kochenash continued his drive to the front as he passed eighth place Nick Pecko just after lap 75 and set sale after DeFebo.Just when you thought things were settling down to a nice race pace, on lap 85 everything changed…Hirschman was winging his way through traffic when Stewart Friesen bumped into the back of the Terry Cheetham car right in front of him. Hirschman made contact with Cheetham and ended up catching the turn four wall.The leader now had damage and stopped on the track! Under the yellow, Scherer, Kochenash, Hossfeld, Hirschman, Friesen, DeFebo and Nick Barzee all pitted. Hossfeld was first back out from that group.Now Hirschman had his second bout with bad luck as he left the pits after making his stop with the fuel can still in the tank! This is a pit road violation resulting in a stop and go penalty.Hanbury pitted after all of the above racers returned to the track. The crew went to work on the No. 21.Bobby Holmes was now the leader, not yet having made his mandatory pit stop. Brandon Oltra also hadn’t pitted and he was now second. Jimmy Zacharias was third, and the first of those who had satisfied their pit stop requirements. Mike Leaty ran fourth and Rusty Smith fifth when the race restarted on lap 98.Sixth through tenth were Kirk Totten, George Skora III, Bryan Sherwood, Chuck Hossfeld and Preece.Bryan Sherwood got hit from behind and turned around in turn four coming to the restart, resulting in the green being waved off. Fortunately, everyone moved safely by and order was quickly restored with Sherwood moving to the back of the field. Zacharias moved quickly to second on the restart just past halfway. Leaty, Smith and Ultra were third through fifth followed by Hosfeld, Preece, Kochenasch and Scherer. Friesen was again the trigger for a yellow flag on lap 108 as he got inside of Oltra and the pair made contact. Hirschman returned to the pits at this point as did Oltra, who was making his first pit stop. Brian DeFebo had a flat right front tire just after the restart, so the field slowed as quickly as it got back to the green. Holmes, Zacharias, Leaty, Hossfeld and Smith were the top five on lap 115 with Preece, Kochenash, Scherer, Totten and Hanbury completing the top ten.When we finally got back to green, Hossfeld started working over the No. 25 of Lety for third place as Hanbury snuck by for ninth. Holmes had not pitted yet as he continued to lead by a few car lengths, collecting leader lap money as he went.Second through tenth were right together with a lot of “bumper tag” being applied throughout but no positions changing as we moved to less than 75 laps to go in the second longest consecutively run race in the sport’s history (behind only the Indy 500).Hirschman was the an everyone was watching, as he ran 11th behind Friesen and was initiating Stewart into the world of “chrome horn” honking, possibly sending a signal to the driver whose bumper shot into Terry Cheetham earlier resulted in Hirschman’s contact with the wall.Scherer turned around his No.3 car to bring out the yellow on lap 132, possibly after contact with Hanbury. It was Holmes still leading (not having yet made his mandatory stop), Zacharias second and Leaty, Hossfeld and Preece sitting third through fifth.Smith, Kochenash, Hanbury, Friesen and Hirschman rounded out the top ten.That is, until the next restart attempt when the leaders played bumper cars and Smith’s front end wound up with damage as did Hossfeld’s rear end. Both would have been able to keep their spots as the officials waved off the start, but Smith had to pit to fix the damage.Holmes finally gave up the lead to pit under this yellow flag , officially on lap 143. Zacharias now took over command out front with Leaty, Hossfeld, Preece and Kochenash rounding out the top five, followed by Hanbury, Friesen, Hirschman, Reaume and Pecko.Hossfeld was the man on the charge when the green flag finally got the race back underway with just 50 to go. Hanbury was also flying, taking over fifth from Kochenash. Zacharias still led Leaty, Hossfeld, Preece and Hanbury as Hirschman moved to seventh by Friesen. the top nine were all in a pack as the battles began in earnest!hossfeld got to second and then shot to the top of the track off turn four and blasted by him to take the lead on lap 156! Hanbury dove under Preece at the same time and took fourth. Hanbury started throwing everything including a small kitchen sink at Leaty and got by for third on lap 159…then powered by Zacharias for second one lap later!With 40 to go, Hossfeld, Hanbury, Preece, Hirschman and Kochenash now made up the top five and they were hooked up and driving away! Kochenash began to lose some ground to the “Fab Four” who were ahead of him with about 35 left to go. Yellow returned to the speedway on lap 167 as Brandon Oltra hit the fourth turn wall just as Jimmy Zacharias slowed with smoke billowing from his No. 71 machine. Holmes took his No. 22H back to the pits at this time to the attention of his crew. He returned to the tail of the field before the restart.With 29 laps left, the green flag flew once again as Hossfeld, Hanbury, Preece and Hirschman now the top four. Who was going to win the 64th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions Modified Tour 200?Hossfeld opened a couple of car lengths in the first few laps after the restart but that didn’t last as Hanbury closed right back in. Hirschman went to the outside to get by Preece for third on lap 175, giving him 25 laps to pass two of the best in the business if he wanted to “three-peat”!Hirschman got to Hanbury’s back bumper and began saying hello to it with his front bumper as Hossfeld tried to hold both of them back. Reaume passed Friesen for seventh with 20 laps left while the top four were driving away from fifth place Kochenash, who was having a career run on perhaps the biggest stage of his young racing career.Preece fell off the top three’s pace just a bit as 185 went up on the board, staying within proximity but not in the battle. The chess match between the top three reached fever pitch now as Hossfeld seemed to have enough while Hanbury had to balance between keeping the bottom protected from Hirschman and being aggressive with Hossfeld, whose car was starting to lose its’ handling just a bit.With ten to go the top five remained the same. Doug Reaume was enjoying an outstanding sixth place run with his No. 14 followed by Leaty, Friesen, Pecko and Schere Hossfeld found a bit more in his Jerry Gradl Motors No. 22, opening up five car lengths as they closed in on two slower cars.And then Hirschman’s third bout with bad luck happened. Those two slower cars I just mentioned? They tangled on lap 196 just as Hossfeld went by them, causing one of them (Kirk Totten) to bounce off the inside hubrail and spin back up the track. Hanbury manged to avoid him. Hirschman didn’t.Yellow was now out once again as the final laps in “regulation” ticked off, and Hirschman was in the pits for repairs to the left side of his No. 60. Hossfeld, Hanbury, Preece, Kochenash and Reaume were now the top five. Leaty, Friesen, Pecko, Scherer and DeFebo ran sixth through tenth as the fans anticipated the upcoming green-white-checkered.Would the yellow change anything in terms of the leaders and the outcome?The green flag got the race going again in “overtime”, on lap 208 with Hossfeld showing the way. Then Stewart Friesen spun out after contact by Nick Pecko and the race was slowed again.Enter overtime number two!As the lap counter turned to 212, the green flag flew for what Hossfeld hoped would be the final time. It was.Hossfeld zoomed across under the white flag, and then the checkered, to finally get his third career win in the Race of Champions! Hossfeld, Hanbury, Preece, Kochenash and Reaume were the top five across the line. Leaty, Pecko, Scherer, Holmes and DeFebo rouded out the top ten as the teams quickly worked to begin loading up and clearing the pits so that the classes that were rained out on Saturday night could be brought in to run “part two” of the 64th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions program.
OFFICIAL FINISH – 6 4th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions Modified 200 – Chuck Hossfeld, Tony Hanbury, Ryan Preece, Austin Kochenash, Doug Reaume, Mike Leaty, Daren Scherer, Bobby Holmes, Brian DeFebo, Nick Pecko, Stewart Friesen, George Skora III, Bryan Sherwood, Nick Barzee, Matt Hirschman, Kirk Totten, Jimmy Zacharias, Brandon Oltra, Rusty Smith, Sam Fullone, T.J. Potrzebowski, Terry Cheetham, Darryl Lewis, Jr., Andy Jankowiak, Tommy Ferrell, Lee Sharpsteen, Tyler Rypkema, Patrick Emerling, Bobby Jones and Karl Hehr.
9-13 Sat Riverhead 200 WMT 52 - RAIN
Due to inclement weather Saturday at Riverhead Raceway, the Riverhead 200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race has been cancelled.
Rain moved over the track during afternoon practice and persisted into the evening, forcing the cancellation of the event by NASCAR and track officials. Due to local regulations that prohibit Riverhead Raceway from running events after the month of September, no make-up date is available to reschedule the Riverhead 200. The Whelen Modified Tour has scheduled events the next two weekends to close out the month.
8-29 Fri Oswego 100 RoC 60 - 4th
Oswego, NY... He has been saying it from day one this year on the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour that he made huge strides during the off season that made his racecar much faster. On Friday night to kick off the Budweiser international Classic Weekend at the Oswego Speedway current RoC point leader Chuck Hossfeld of Ransomville, NY proved once Hossfeld who started second, survived an opening lap spinning of the tires that dropped him back to fourth place. After moving into second on lap 20 Hossfeld and leader Andy Jankowiak thrilled the large gathering of racing fans with some thrilling side by side racing. Jankowiak made one mistake in heavy lap traffic on lap 63 while exiting turn two as he slipped high exiting the corner. Hossfeld pounced on the mistake and made a three wide up the middle move to get the lead entering the third turn. Hossfeld who led the final 36 laps survived three restarts during the final 12 laps to claim the $3,500 win. Patrick Emerling wheeled the Jan Leaty prepared car to a second place finish after starting eighth while seventh place starter Daren Scherer ended up in third. Fourth place and passing honors of the race went to Matt Hirschman who had to restart at the rear on three seperate occassions. Lee Sharpsteen in his second race driving a Ed McGuire Motorsports owned car started fifth and ran as high as second before slipping back to fifth at the checkers. "Good thing I don't have a heart condition because every time the caution came out there at the end that would have been the time to have a heart attack,” said Hossfeld in victory lane. "I have to thank my team, I keep doing this year after year because of the people involved as there is a lot of hard work and dedication. My team had this car just about perfect as the chassis was strong, the motor was strong, the car looked strong, and I think we can go home and put a cover over it and bring it back in two weeks for the RoC 200 and not change a thing because the car was that good." The toughness setting of the 100 lap feature started even before the field received the green flag." The two front cars which were myself and Tony Hanbury (driving for Kurzejewski Motorsports) both spun our tires coming out of turn four for the start,” recalled Chuck. "Being on the outside I slipped up and not being in the preferred line the next thing I knew I was running fourth by the time we got to the backstretch. Luckily I had a good enough of a car that I could race my way right back up to second.” Hossfeld also had a little luck while getting back to second, as on a lap 14 double file restart that saw Hanbury and Matt Hirschman on the front row. The front row had a difficult time in re - starting the race fairly with Hanbury doing a brake check to back up the field. While Hirschman not wanting to get run up the track fired early before the third turn start line. This jammed up restart saw the end result of Tyler Rypkema, who was driving his dad’s car ending up against the outside turn one foam barriers with front end damage. In the pre - race drivers meeting heavy emphasis was placed on fair restarts by RoC Officials and all drivers were told of the consequences. As the field came around to see the wrecked car of Rypkema in turn one, RoC Officials ordered the front row of Hanbury and Hirschman to the rear for the ragged restart and this put Andy Jankowiak and Hossfeld on the front row. On the next restart Jankowiak and Hossfeld took off in tandem however Lee Sharpsteen got past Hossfeld for second. Hossfeld sized up the competition of Sharpsteen before making a perfect outside turns three and four pass to move into second on lap 20. Once in second Hossfeld was able to pull alongside Jankowiak several times in an attempt to make a pass for the lead. But each time Jankowiak was able to withstand the challenge of Hossfeld in a crowd pleasing performance. “Andy J. is a good young racer and he had a pretty fast racecar tonight but we were able to overcome tonight and you remember those types of wins, because they are special,” said Hossfeld. Hossfeld kept applying pressure on Jankowiak for the lead and when the front running duo entered heavy lap traffic on lap 63, Andy made his only mistake of the race. As Jankowiak was attempting to pass the slower car of Sam Fullone who was hugging the inside barrier on the inside of turns one and two. The car of Jankowiak just slipped out of the outside groove exiting turn two and that was the opening that Hossfeld needed. Hossfeld acting like he was shot out of a cannon got in between Fullone and Jankowiak going down the backstraight. Entering turn three, three wide Hossfeld was able to motor past Fullone while holding Jankowiak at bay to grab the lead.
"It was the timing of the lap cars as he (Jankowiak) had everything under control,” said Chuck. "Andy was getting some really good drive coming off of turn two in the bottom groove. On that lap with the lap car down low Andy had to move up just a little bit to get around him. By doing that he lost his drive off the corner and I was able to get the drive coming off the corner and I filled the hole. Luckily we all came through it unscathed because it could have gotten pretty ugly at that point going three wide into turn three at Oswego."Once in second Jankowiak didn't give up as he started to pressure Hossfeld for the lead and it stayed that way until lap 88. That is when Jankowiak rolled to a stop on the homestretch with a faulty fuel pump. With the feature seeing only green flag laps counting fuel started to become an issue with so many yellow flag laps taking place during the feature. The first car to run out of fuel was fifth place runner Doug Reaume who pulled into the pits with a dry fuel cell on lap 94. Reaume had a tremendous run going to that point as we was sitting strongly in fifth before running dry. During one final caution flag period on lap 98 many cars still on the track were seen wiggling in an attempt to complete the race without running out of Sunoco fuel. Hossfeld was asked about how much fuel he had left? "I have four guys named Dave on my crew and that Dave who does the fuel said we had enough," answered Chuck. “ think I asked him every half a lap there at the end, it will be interesting to see just how much fuel we do have left when we get back to the garage.” The confidence of just how fast his race car was all day long was shown by Hossfeld as he only participated in the opening hot lap session and then came from sixth to win his heat by passing everyone on the outside. "Our plan was to run both hot lap sessions but i knew after the first one that our car felt great and I didn't need to go out and run that second one,” said Chuck. "I knew we had a good car as we only made two small changes before the feature. Also we had a good handling race car and historically if I think too much about it or run an extra set of hot laps I can screw up the setup by playing with it, so we just left it alone.” Hossfeld did expand his explanation of what changes they made. "We went down a path here that I would have never went down before with my Modified car set up wise. We've changed the front end of the car over the past couple of races and we have changed some geometry in the back and those changes have brought the car alive. You have to keep trying stuff to keep up and keep ahead of everybody else and we did learn some things tonight that will help us in two weeks. I'm pretty happy where we're at. "Chuck closed his night by saying, "Matty ( Hirschman ) has been on a roll here at Oswego the past two years. But tonight I think we had a car that we could have run with him, no matter how his night went. I'm proud of my team and how we have come back this year and this win definitely gives us momentum for when we come back in two weeks."Orchard Park, NY driver Patrick Emerling hung around the top eight all race long before moving into third on lap 67. He inherited second when Jankowiak suffered problems and ended up a happy second, his best career Oswego finish. "It was a different Oswego race with all of the bumping and banging taking place all race long,” said Patrick. "Usually here at Oswego we have races with long green flag periods and tonight with all of those cautions. They actully helped us as we had some good restarts and we were able to gain some positions. Jan Leaty, I have to thank him as he prepared an awesome car for me tonight.”
Qualifying heat races for the 25 car field saw victories claimed by Scherer, Hossfeld, and Jimmy Zacharias.
The RoC Modifieds return to Oswego on Sunday afternoon September 14th for the 64th running of the Sunoco Race of Champions 200 that pays a minimum of $10,000 to win.
ROC MODIFIED CLASSIC 100 FINISH: Chuck Hossfeld, Patrick Emerling, Daren Scherer, Matt Hirschman, Lee Sharpsteen, Austin Kochenash, TJ Potrzebowski, Tony Hanbury, Bryan Sherwood, Brian DeFebo, Rick Kluth, Andy Jankowiak, Donnie Hartzell, Sam Fullone, Chris Risdale, Doug Reaume, Tyler Rypkema, George Skora, III, Craig Dolphin, Kirk Totten, Jimmy Zacharias, Nick Pecko, Ken Canestrari, Nick Barzee. DNS; Daryl Lewis, Jr.
8-20 Wed Bristol 150 WMT 23rd
BARRETT POWERS TO BRISTOL VICTORY
Rookie Takes Whelen Modified Checkers In Bush’s Beans 150
Rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. out-muscled veterans Bobby Santos and Justin Bonsignore with a dozen laps to go and drove on to his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in Wednesday’s Bush’s Beans 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway.Barrett, from Millis, Massachusetts, was running third in the late stages of the hotly-contested race when he drove through and by Bonsignore and Santos – who had been the dominant cars of the night – on Lap 139. The 19-year-old held on to the lead in his No. 22 Canto Paving/Ferguson Waterworks Chevrolet through one final restart on Lap 146 for the milestone first victory.“The car was real good on the bottom, so I just drove it in and it stuck,” Barrett said. “I got by Justin and drove under Bobby. We were driving away and didn’t want to see that last caution, but I got a good restart and just drove away again.”It was just his 10th career start, and first time competing at Bristol in the sixth annual combination race between the Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours.“To get my first win here is amazing, it’s so exciting,” Barrett said. “I hadn’t even seen the track before today. My first time out [in practice] I didn’t even know what to think, it was crazy. This place is just so fast, so banked, the g-forces in the turns, there’s nothing like it.”Santos held on for a runner-up finish and Ron Silk joined him on the podium in third. Whelen Modified points leader Doug Coby crossed the line fourth and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran Ryan Newman was fifth.Bonsignore, the event’s Coors Light Pole Award winner, slipped to sixth in the final running order followed by Eric Goodale, Timmy Solomito, Patrick Emerling and Ryan Preece.It was a missed opportunity or Santos, who came 12 laps shy of at what would have been a fourth victory this year. He led a race-high 70 circuits.“Those last 15 laps we just got really tight, and a couple other drivers said they did too,” Santos said. “The track – I felt it getting tighter as the race went along – and we were just a little bit off.”JR Bertuccio ended up as the highest-finishing Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver in the event, 13th overall, and was credited with a victory for that tour. Southern tour points leader Andy Seuss was scored 28th in the final rundown after a last-lap accident.With Barrett’s effort Wednesday, his Our Racing team has won at Bristol two years in a row after Mike Stefanik drove the No. 22 to Victory Lane in 2013.Barrett became the first Whelen Modified Tour driver to win in his rookie season since James Civali in 2006. He also became the first teenager to garner a victory on the tour since Preece and Erick Rudolph won at ages 18 and 17, respectively, in 2009.
Wednesday saw an event record established for lead changes with nine, as well as for the most caution periods with 12. Thirty cars finished on the lead lap, also an event record.With four events remaining on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule, Coby leads Bonsignore 407-403 in the championship standings with Ted Christopher in third at 374. The Whelen Southern Modified Tour has seven events remaining and Seuss now leads George Brunnhoelzl III 301-286 with Bertuccio ranked third at 274.The Bush’s Beans 150 will air on Fox Sports 1 on Aug. 31 at 12 p.m. EDT.
The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will return to action with the Bayport Credit Union 150 on Aug. 30 at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia, while the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be idle until the Riverhead 200 on Sept. 13 at Riverhead Raceway on New York’s Long Island.
NASCAR Whelen Modified - Whelen Southern Modified Tours-Bush's Beans 150
Unofficial Results
Wednesday At Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
Lap length: 0.533 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (18) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 58.441 mph.
2. (3) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
3. (24) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
4. (7) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Ford, 150.
5. (8) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind., Chevrolet, 150.
6. (1) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (9) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (12) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
9. (23) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
10. (4) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 150.
11. (19) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (11) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
13. (28) JR Bertuccio, Centereach, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
14. (16) George Brunnhoelzl III, West Babylon, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
15. (2) Burt Myers, Walnut Grove, N.C., Ford, 150.
16. (22) Luke Fleming, Mount Airy, N.C., Ford, 150.
17. (29) Cole Powell, Mount Brydges, Ont., Chevrolet, 150.
18. (33) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 150.
19. (10) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
20. (27) Danny Bohn, Freehold, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
21. (32) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
22. (15) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
23. (6) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
24. (35) David Calabrese, Toms River, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
25. (20) Joe Ryan Osborne, Holland, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
26. (34) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
27. (17) Bryan Dauzat, Alexandria, La., Chevrolet, 149.
28. (14) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 149.
29. (21) Gary Putnam, Concord, N.C., Chevrolet, 148.
30. (39) Jeff Fultz, Blue Ash, Ohio, Chevrolet, 128, handling.
31. (25) Bobby Measmer, Jr., Concord, N.C., Chevrolet, 107, electrical.
32. (38) Cale Gale, Mobile, Ala., Chevrolet, 95, mechanical.
33. (37) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Chevrolet, 94, accident.
34. (13) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 79, rear end.
35. (5) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 62, engine.
36. (26) Kyle Ebersole, Hummelstown, Pa., Ford, 54, engine.
37. (36) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 38, overheating.
38. (30) Jeremy Gerstner, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Chevrolet, 28, accident.
39. (31) Jason Myers, Walnut Grove, N.C., Chevrolet, 3, mechanical.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 22 minutes 5 secondsMargin of Victory: 1.189 secondsFastest Qualifier: J. Bonsignore (128.563 mph, 14.925 seconds)
Caution Flags: 12 for 61 laps.Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.Lap Leaders: J. Bonsignore 1-35; R. Preece 36-55; D. Lia 56-57; R. Preece 58-60; B. Santos 61-63; R. Preece 64-70; B. Santos 71-135; J. Bonsignore 136; B. Santos 137-138; T. Barrett Jr. 139-150.
NWMT Standings: D. Coby 407, J. Bonsignore 403, T. Christopher 374, B. Santos 373, R. Silk 368, R. Preece 362, T. Solomito * 340, E. Goodale 336, W. Pitkat 333, M. Hirschman 332
8-14 Thu Thompson 150 WMT 2nd
THREE TIMES AS NICE FOR BONSIGNORE
Survives Late Cautions For Third Win Of Season
Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good and sometimes a driver can be both.Justin Bonsignore was just that as he was able to miss the late accidents that collected some of the lead pack cars and hold off a strong challenge by Matt Hirschman on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Budweiser King of Beers 150 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.“They got aggressive on the last few restarts, but I’ve lost a few races here the same way, so sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to win the race,” Bonsignore said of the rough-and-tumble conclusion to the event.It was the second consecutive Whelen Modified Tour win for the Holtsville, New York native at Thompson and his third of the season. Bonsignore became the first driver to win back-to-back races at Thompson since Ted Christopher scored four consecutive wins at the track from 2010-11.Doug Coby followed Hirschman in third with Ryan Preece and Ron Silk completing the top five.Timmy Solomito finished sixth with Christopher seventh and Todd Szegedy eighth. Glen Reen and Spencer Davis completed the top 10.The runner-up finish was the best for Hirschman in Whelen Modified Tour action since the 2008 Stafford Fall Final, a span of 32 starts, when he also finished second.“It’s a good finish,” Hirschman said. “We didn’t have a winning car, the 51 [Bonsignore] was definitely a little bit better. The goal is now, that we have a car that can win the World Series (Thompson season finale).”The race was relatively calm through the first half mark with only three cautions. However, business picked up in the field over the final 75 laps of the contest with the yellow flag displayed for several multi-car accidents. The most significant of those incidents came on Lap 124.Silk was leading the race with Donny Lia, who led the first half of the race before pitting under caution, second and Tommy Barrett Jr. third. Patrick Emerling spun in Turn 1 collecting both Lia and Barrett ending their night.Coby took the lead past Silk on the ensuing restart on Lap 134 and remained out front for just two laps until Bonsignore made his move past the points leader on Lap 136 where he remained the rest of the night.“[I’m] happy with a third, we keep plugging away,” Coby said. “Not too happy that the 51 [Bonsignore] gained a couple points on us, but it’s still early. We’ve got five races left. Just keep ticking them [top finishes] off, that’s all we can do.”With the win, Bonsignore was able to slice five points off of Coby's lead entering the night and will head to Bristol Motor Speedway for next Wednesday's Bush’s Beans 150 just three points (367-364) out of the top spot.“It’s still too early to talk about points,” Bonsignore said. “The best way to look the points is to win the race and we got max points tonight.”
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - Budweiser King of Beers 150 - Unofficial Results
Thursday At Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Thompson, Conn.
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (9) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 150 laps, 78.763 mph.
2. (16) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 150.
3. (4) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
4. (8) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 150.
5. (11) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 150.
6. (5) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (19) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (13) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
9. (17) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
10. (18) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 150.
11. (12) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (24) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 150.
13. (21) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 149.
14. (22) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 149.
15. (23) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 148.
16. (15) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 147.
17. (20) John Beatty, Jr., Merrick, N.Y., Chevrolet, 142.
18. (6) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 137, accident.
19. (2) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 137, accident.
20. (7) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 133.
21. (14) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 129, accident.
22. (1) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 124, accident.
23. (3) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 123, accident.
24. (25) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 105, brakes.
25. (10) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 13, accident.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 11 minutes 25 secondsMargin of Victory: 0.316 secondsFastest Qualifier: D. Lia (119.706 mph, 18.796 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 37 laps.Lead Changes: 4 among 5 drivers.Lap Leaders: D. Lia 1-75; G. Reen 76-82; R. Silk 83-133; D. Coby 134-135; J. Bonsignore 136-150.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 367; 2. J. Bonsignore, 364; 3. T. Christopher, 346; 4. B. Santos, 329; 5. R. Preece, 327; 6. R. Silk, 327; 7. M. Hirschman, 305; 8. T. Solomito, 304; 9. W. Pitkat, 303; 10. E. Goodale, 299.
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BONSIGNORE WINS BUDWEISER KING OF BEERS 150
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
by Polly Reid
Returning to the track where he won the season opener, the day was not unfolding to likely repeat that scenario. But it is never over until the checkered flag waves and at the line it was Justin Bonsignore in the Ken Massa, chem3.com modified who held off the field in a dramatic green white checker finish to indeed repeat - the Holtsville, NY driver earning the victory in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Budweiser King of Beers 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.“My guys don’t give up. We didn’t have the best of cars to start the race, we pitted early for an adjustment and that was probably the winning move for us. We got the car back to a good enough spot for the pit stop,” said Bonsignore. “A lot of changes this off season, I can’t believe we’re standing here again tonight.” Winner of the Icebreaker at Thompson in April, the Budweiser 150 marks Bonsignore’s sixth career win, his third of the season.Matt Hirschman finished second, point leader Doug Coby third, Ryan Preece fourth and Ron Silk fifth.Donny Lia who had set fast time earlier in the evening led the 25 car field to green with Ron Yuhas, Jr, Tommy Barrett Jr, Doug Coby and Timmy Solomito the top five, Bonsignore qualified ninth. It was easy to see that Lia in the Garbarino Mystic Missile was the car to beat as the Jericho, NY driver set a solid pace pulling from the pack taking Barrett with him.Bobby Santos, the defending winner of this race, had a tire go down, his night ending after contact with the turn one outside wall bringing out the first caution on lap 13.On the restart, Lia, Barrett, Yuhas, Preece and Coby the top five came around for the restart and from there, green flag racing ruled until a yellow for debris on lap 39. This caution was timely for Bonsignore who came down pit row for an adjustment, a call crew chief Bill Michael made on the fly.The yellow did not deter Lia who once again nailed a solid restart with Preece, Barrett, Coby and Patrick Emerling the top five. Bonsignore was back out but deep in the field at 15th. Running hard, Preece caught a piece of the front stretch wall bringing out the next yellow on lap 50. Three trips down pit row kept Preece on the lead lap but to be a factor, Preece was going to have to work his way through the field.Meanwhile, a yellow just before half way mark for Emerling with a right front flat brought the leaders down pit row for a needed tire change.Enter Ron Silk whose TS Haulers team got the Eddie Partridge machine out second just behind Solomito with Lia, Barrett, Coby, Hirschman and Bonsignore lining up behind the cars that did not pit including Glen Reen who led the way to green. Silk on fresh tires, passed Reen to become the third leader of the night on lap 83.Silk was being chased down by Barrett in second and Lia third. Coby, fourth, Hirschman fifth and Bonsignore sixth- the field settled into another green flag stretch, passing the 50 to go mark under green. The 30 to go mark, still under green then with 27 to go, a lap car went around in turns one and two- the incident unfortunately collected up Barrett in second and Lia third - their night over.The game changer incident put Coby in second behind Silk for the restart, Bonsignore third, Hirschman and Preece now the top five. A caution on the restart kept the field close but once the green waved, Coby moved low under Silk to become the third leader of the night on lap 134.Two circuits later, it was Bonsignore passing Coby low into turn three and four for the lead. Bonsignore did not get a chance to pull away as the red flag came out for Yuhas and Eric Goodale who tangled racing for a top five. Both OK, however their night ended like several others, behind the wall.One more caution with seven to go involving Keith Rocco and Todd Szegedy set the stage for a green, white, checker. Bonsignore did not miss a mark as he came around for the restart with Coby, Silk, Hirschman, Solomito and Preece behind.Bonsignore brought the chem3.com modified across for the win with Hirschman, Coby, Preece, Silk, Solomito, Ted Christopher, Szegedy, Reen and Spencer Davis the top ten.“It’s unfortunate the leaders got caught up in lap cars- wrecked like that,” said Bonsignore about Barrett and Lia’s night ending. “Sometimes, you’re on the other side, sometimes it goes your way.”“We didn’t have the winning car,” said Hirschman on the podium. “The 51 was definitely better. The goal is now that we have a car that can win at the World Series. I thought we had that last year- hopefully we can take what we learned there and what we learned tonight and contend. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year, the World Series- I definitely want to have a car that we can win with.” Hirschman’s first year back on the NWMT, he has combined forces with car owner Wayne Darling splitting the season with his own car and that of Darling’s. “It has its advantages where right now, they’re preparing for Bristol where I’m here racing tonight. It has its disadvantages because we’ve run a half season together where as everyone else a full one. It would be nice to step up and move forward on the chart.”“I’m happy we survived, it didn’t look like we were going to for a while there,” said Coby. “Happy with a third, we keep plugging away.”“This one is unbelievable,” said car owner Ken Massa. “We have this saying in the shop, this really big poster on the wall and it says, ‘Refuse to Lose’. Through the course of this whole race, that’s all I was thinking, refuse to lose, refuse to lose. Everyone one of these guys on this team has the same attitude. I think that’s what made it happen. There was no doubt the car was crap at the beginning of the race. It was an awesome call by Bill (Michael) to bring the car down pit row early and make adjustments to see what we had before we changed tires. Obviously it improved the car and Justin raced it back to a top ten, pitted, came out ninth or tenth and he raced the car.” Points talk is not the focus of the 51 team, at least not until after Bristol. “The main goal going into Bristol is to win.”Yes, Massa has changed his motor program, that gets them through the race, however, Massa credits his crew chief and his attitude around the shop and with Justin as a key to their success. “Bill Michael is amazing- first time crew chief on the Tour, three wins, it’s absolutely amazing.”“Strategy was to wing it,” said winning crew chief Bill Michael. “We didn’t plan to pit that early, but we were too free, we needed some drive up off. We figured under the pit stop we wouldn’t have time to do what we needed so we called him in early, made some adjustments- tried to make the car better.” it seemed to get a little better then under the pit stop when everyone came in, we made a few more little adjustments, then it was off in Justin’s hands. We have a good group of guys here, they do real well.” The same car they’ve used all year, the Spafco chassis, it is referred to as the Green Machine. “Ever since the beginning of the year, Justin fell in love with this car and with my background working with Spafco, I know the car pretty well myself and we just stick with it.” The Green Machine will go to Bristol. “Luckily the driver kept it in one piece and that always helps when all you’re doing is cleaning off the water from the celebration,” smiled Michael who added yes, there are changes they will be making before the next race. “We have a great driver, he did what he had to do - it was a great race.”Bonsignore’s win narrowed the point gap, Coby now leading by two points with five events left on the schedule.“It’s still early,” said Coby. “We have five races left. We’ll just keep ticking them off, that’s all we can do. We’ll take it and go to Bristol.”“Points, it’s too early to talk about points,” said Bonsignore. “The best way to look at the points is to win the race. We got max points tonight so we’ll go to Bristol. The 2 has not missed a beat all year and we don’t plan on it either.”Teams lost a day with the Budweiser 150 delayed one day due to weather creating a sense of urgency in the pit area as the NWMT packs up and heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Busch’s Beans 150 next Wednesday August 27th.Coby mentioned to the fans while on the podium to keep the Blewett family and Baldwin family in their thoughts tonight. “It’s been seven years since we lost John, ten since we lost Tom, obviously it’s been a tough week in racing across the country and in our own circle, that’s still tough here.” There is not one of us in our racing community who does not think of them and their families, especially this time of year- we will never forget.
Read the latest Speed51.com article on Matty Ice
8-9 Sat Chemung 100 RoC 60 - Win
HIRSCHMAN PERFECT IN RoC SHOWS AT CHEMUNG THIS YEAR
HIRSCHMAN CAPITALIZES ON JIMMY Z.'S MISFORTUNE TO WIN CHEMUNG RoC 100.
BY JR KENNERUP
Chemung, NY ... The finish of the 100 lap Race of Champions Modified feature was setting up to be a classic duel on Saturday night between race leader and Chemung Speedrome track kingpin Jimmy Zacharias and defending and six time RoC Modified Tour titlist Matt Hirschman. As the potent Zacharias machine exited turn four to restart the race on lap 89, the left rear axle broke sending the car into a spin which saw the car end up facing the homestretch wall.Hirschman who went from fourth to second with a daring three wide move just four laps earlier inherited the lead at this point. Matt then led the final 11 laps with ease to capture the highly entertaining feature, his fourth consecutive Chemung RoC Modified win. Daren Scherer was second with Andy Jankowiak in third, current RoC point leader Chuck Hossfeld in fourth and Patrick Emerling in fifth."It was good to get some breaks go my way tonight but we didn't get any breaks at the start as we were forced into a three wide and got pushed out of the groove and lost three spots,” said Matt. "I wasn't sure how the race was going to play out, I just waited to see what my competition was going to do during the race. Whether they were going to pit for a tire I would have followed them in or they were going to stay out. Most of them who were going to compete for the win stayed out while a few of them pitted. I broke through there at the right time ( lap 85 ) and who knows if I would of had enough time ( to get the lead ) as the laps were running out and the 71 ( Zacharias ) had a pretty good lead as he did most of the night."Zacharias who started on the pole was setting a blistering pace in the lead. Meanwhile Hirschman who started sixth and was back to ninth position by the end of lap one was already starting to pace himself and save his equipment, which is his motto."If I would have picked better and not got forced out of the groove on lap one and lost those spots maybe I would have tried to pick up the pace to stay with the 71," said Matt. "With what happened on the first lap I decided to step back a little bit, not push the issue, and pick my spots to make a pass. Plus during that time I could see who was going to be the cars to beat on this night. Because I had a good car on this night and with the lack of cautions I knew what we were going to do and race to the finish."Hirschman worked the outside groove to race his way back into fifth by lap 12. With the first 41 laps of the 100 lap feature going caution free the top four of Zacharias, Mike Leaty, Daren Scherer, and Chuck Hossfeld were all pulling away from Hirschman who comfortably rode around in fifth saving his tires and racecar.The racing up front started to get a little more dicey following the lap 41 restart as the front row of Zacharias and Leaty made contact on the start exiting turn four. Hossfeld reacted quickly to it and swiftly moved into second with an inside turn one three wide move from fourth. During the next yellow flag period on lap 56 Leaty pitted for a new tire and also have his crew check over the front end for any damage from the contact. Hossfeld glued himself to the back bumper of Zacharias when the race returned to green on lap 57. But after only a handful of laps the Zacharias car just kept getting stronger and he quickly opened up a ten car length lead. Hossfeld meanwhile was left to battle with Scherer and Hirschman for second.The turning point of the race for Hirschman took place exiting turn four to complete lap 85. Hossfeld who was second drifted high exiting turn four and Scherer who was third got under him but bobbled slightly. Hirschman immediately jumped to the inside of both cars and the trio raced three wide going into turn one. Hirschman exited turns one and two in second with Scherer remaining in third and Hossfeld being the biggest loser in the position exchange now back to fourth."That was a pretty exciting pass wasn't it,” asked Hirschman afterwards. "To get into second was important as the laps were winding down and I didn't have any laps to waste if I was going to have an opportunity to win the race. At that point I didn't know how good the 71 was because he was so far out in front all race long. So at that point of the race I had to make that move and it worked out. I had full position and I was going to go as low as I could entering turn one without hitting the inside concrete wall. Sometimes in that situation you see guys charge in late and stick their nose in there and that doesn't work. However in this situation tonight I had the inside lane by a full car length and I earned that spot and held it."Once in second the Hirschman Motorsports entry looked liked a space shuttle as he quickly closed in on the lead of Zacharias. The near capcity crowd was now getting on the edge of their seats as they knew there was going to be one heck of a finish forthcoming. With the Zacharias lead now down to two car lengths the yellow lights would flash on for the third and final time for the spun car of TJ Potrzebowski on lap 89.On the restart with the crowd now standing in anticipation of a great finish. The bubble of anticipation got popped almost immediately as the green lights came on as the Zacharias car suffered a broken left rear axle. Zacharias swerved and spun almost making contact with Hirschman at the start finish line and finally ended up face first into the homestretch concrete retaining wall.Matt spoke about the restart and what he saw from his perspective. "I didn't want to be on his ( Zacharias ) back bumper at the start especially if he spins the tires then you jack everyone up behind you. I've always been very fair on restarts because at times that is how guys get into trouble because they want to push and shove you before the green comes out. I want everybody to get a good start and then we'll race. He ( Zacharias ) did spin the tires but in my mind I knew it was a broken axle because he was too far out of the corner for wheel spin. I am glad I missed him as I almost clipped him ( when he was spinning ), we did make side to side contact. But I didn't want to see either of our days get ruined by a bad restart. It was unfortunate that he broke because it robbed the fans of a great last 11 laps because I don't know if I had enough to get around him."With the crowd now in shock after witnessing what just happened Hirschman led the final 11 laps to claim his first RoC Modified win since late May. "When you got to work a little harder for a win you get to appricate it more," said Matt. "I'll be the first to admit that the feature wins were coming pretty easy the last two years, especially last year. We started out this year with some wins, but we had to work for them. Tonight we had everything 100 % and I'll be the first to admit that there have been some races where we didn't close the deal because we were at 85 or 90 % and that doesn't get the job done."Matt finished up his night by wanting to say a few words about the show at the Chemung Speedrome on this night. "It was a great night with Watkins Glen going on, probably the best crowd I ever seen here when we've raced here. With RoC leasing the track for this show they were rewarded with a great day. I'm glad Andy ( RoC Administrative Director Harpell ) took the chance and ran this show. He's proven that this RoC asphalt Modified product is a good one and more tracks should look at the success here tonight and step up run a RoC show. We have a great product here that produces good exciting racing and if it wasn't for a mechanical failure on the 71's part tonight there would have been another great finish."Runner-up Daren Scherer ran another solid race to secure the second place finish at the end. In victory lane Scherer commented on his day, “We tried something totally different with our setup here tonight that most said would never work. The car was awesome, I wish we could do this again tomorrow because we can’t wait to bring this setup back to Chemung.”Qualifying heat wins went to Hirschman, Brian DeFebo, and Hossfeld. Each driver secured five bonus points for their preliminary race wins.NOTES; a beautiful late summer evening brought out a very large gathering of racing fans who witnessed a highly entertaining evening of racing entertainment. Former Chemung, NY resident and NASCAR driver Todd Bodine was on hand taking in the action along with Bob Dillner of FOX Sports and Speed 51.com. Lee Sharpsteen made his asphalt Modified debut aboard the second Ed McGuire owned Modified as a teammate to TJ Potrzebowski. Sharpsteen looked very good in his maiden voyage as he qualified easily in his heat race and was slated to start 11th in the feature until terminal engine woes sidelined his effort. Donnie Hartzell made his first start of the season in a very sharp looking machine. The Kids Box Car Races at intermission were very well received as six entrants raced for trophies sponsored by Zacharias Racing and Kochenash Racing. The RoC Modified feature was checkered at a very fan friendly 9:25 pm Saturday evening.Next up for the RoC Mods is the Tommy and Tony Memorial 110 at Elegant Builders Raceway Park this Saturday night.The full Sunoco Race of Champions Weekend Schedule will be released this week. It was announced that RoC owner Andrew Harpell has cut the cost of camping for this year’s Oswego weekend in half this year to $20 to help the loyal RoC fans that have supported the race for years.
RoC Chemung Modified 100 Official Feature Finish: Matt Hirschman, Daren Scherer, Andy Jnakowiak, Chuck Hossfeld, Patrick Emerling, Austin Kochenash, Brian DeFebo, Mike Leaty, Nick Pecko, Brandon Oltra, Doug Reaume, TJ Potrzebowski, Daryl Lewis, Jr., Bryan Sherwood, Terry Cheetham, Donnie Hartzell, Jimmy Zacharias, Tommy Cloce. DNS; Lee Sharpsteen.
8-8 Fri Stafford 150 WMT 52 - 10th
PITKAT POWERS TO FIRST WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR WIN
Veteran Scores First Victory At Hometown Track
After winning 71 times at Stafford Motor Speedway in weekly competition, there was never any doubt that Woody Pitkat knew his way around his home track. Now Pitkat can add a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win to his résumé.
The veteran driver dominated the Call Before You Dig 811 150 and beat Ron Silk to the line by over four seconds to pick up his first career win in his 86th tour start.Donny Lia followed Silk in third with points leader Doug Coby and Eric Goodale completing the top five. Rowan Pennink finished sixth and Ted Christopher seventh. Justin Bonsignore, Ryan Preece and Matt Hirschman rounded out the top 10.Pitkat started second to pole sitter Bobby Santos and quickly drove his No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet to the lead on Lap 3 stayed out front for the bulk of the first half of the race until a caution on Lap 76 for Patrick Emerling stalling on the track brought the leaders to the pits.Pitkat came out of the pit stop in eighth place with Donny Lia in the lead, Ryan Preece second and Ron Silk third. Pikat quickly moved up through the field and was up to fourth by Lap 92 and was second to then leader Ron Silk by Lap 102. Pitkat closed in and passed Silk on Lap 115 for the lead where he remained the rest of the night.
Pitkat's previous best finish on the tour was second - three times.The race was slowed just two times by caution with the first yellow flag given to the field on Lap 7 after Tommy Barrett Jr. stopped on the track with a flat tire.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will remain in Connecticut for the Budweiser King of Beers 150 next Wednesday at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Call Before You Dig 811 150 - Unofficial Results
Friday At Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. 2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 83.773 mph.
2. (6) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 150.
3. 3) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 150.
4. (5) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
5. (11) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
6. (9) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (10) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 150.
9. (7) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 150.
10. (18) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 150.
11. (14) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (1) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
13.(17) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 149.
14. (12) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 149.
15. (13) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 149.
16. (15) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 148.
17. (19) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 148.
18. (16) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 148.
19. (8) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 147.
20. (22) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 144.
21. (20) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 115.
22. (23) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 102, suspension.
23. (21) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 38, suspension.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 53 minutes 43 seconds
Margin of Victory: 3.268 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: B. Santos (97.651 mph, 18.433 seconds)
Caution Flags: 2 for 9 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B. Santos 1-2; W. Pitkat 3-10; R. Silk 11; W. Pitkat 12-78; D. Lia 79-94; R. Silk 95-114; W. Pitkat 115-150.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 325; 2. J. Bonsignore, 317; 3. B. Santos, 310; 4. T. Christopher, 309; 5. R. Preece, 287; 6. R. Silk, 287; 7. W. Pitkat, 275; 8. E. Goodale, 273; 9. T. Solomito, 266; 10. M. Hirschman, 263.
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Woody Pitkat Celebrates First NWMT Victory on Home Territory
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Call Before You Dig 811 150
by Polly Reid
He had been to victory lane seventy-one times in his storied weekly racing career at Stafford Motor Speedway but tonight was a milestone for the driver who calls the Connecticut half mile oval his home track. For the first time, Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT pulled into victory lane as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner. Pitkat wheeled the Buzz Chew owned, Elbow East sponsored modified from an eighth place restart on lap 82 to the front of the field by lap 115 and never looked back taking the win in dominating style with a 3.268 second margin of victory over Ron Silk in second, Donny Lia third, point leader Doug Coby fourth and Eric Goodale fifth.“It can’t get any more special than winning at your home track. It’s a huge honor, something I never thought of in a million years, running Dare Stocks and Late Models, you never think about how many wins you’ll accumulate- we’ve had fast cars everywhere, we’ve just needed a little bit of luck.” Pitkat continued, “a win here with the Arutes, it’s great to be able to do it here. It’s just awesome to be able to win. This is the hardest division no doubt anywhere you go.”Bobby Santos led the 23 car field to green for the NWMT Call Before You Dig 811 150 with Pitkat on the outside. A quick caution on lap 7 for a flat tire on the Tommy Barrett, Jr. modified kept the action close. Pitkat at the point on the restart with Ron Silk now in second came around for the green with Santos, Lia and Ted Christopher the top five. And green was the color of the night as the field settled into predominately single file, Pitkat leading the front pack.At the half way mark, the caution waved for Patrick Emerling who had slowed on the backstretch. The leaders including Pitkat came down pit row but it was Donny Lia who was out first followed by Ryan Preece, Silk, Coby and Santos the top five.Pitkat lined up eighth for the lap 82 restart.“We had an awesome pit stop,” said Lia. “Tonight was incredible, I’ve just got to hand it to the guys, they just ripped off an awesome stop. It definitely helped out for our finish.”Lia and Preece battled for the top spot with Lia gaining the edge until Silk got into the mix and at lap 100, it was Silk leading Lia, Pitkat, Coby and Goodale the top five with that order switching up as Pitkat got by Lia for second, his sights set on the Silk leading. The lead change came shortly after - a brief side by side run was all it took and Pitkat took over the top spot on lap 115.With the green flag the order of business to the end, Pitkat ran his line taking to task working lap traffic and without any serious threats to his growing lead, cruised to the stripe for his career first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory followed by Silk, Lia, Coby and Goodale.“Spot came over the radio and told me we were the class of the field,” said Pitkat about the restart following their trip to pit row. “We got back out there and I told him over the radio, this is going to be like a scene from Days of Thunder- come in the pits first and come out third, except we were eighth. It was 60 to go - I knew there was plenty of time and just keep your cool. Then I just started picking them off, there were a couple of good lanes, I followed Doug through a couple of people, then I started working on setting up a couple of people- then I got there. I was just praying for no cautions.”“We had a good car tonight, not nearly as good as the 88 though,” said Silk of Norwalk, CT who wheels the Eddie Partridge, TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm modified. “We got a good start, from fourth to sixth, was able to get by Santos and Ted when they got together in the beginning so I kind of ran second the whole first half. I was just too loose the whole race. The first run I was loose. We tightened it up at the stop, made a minor improvement but I was just still really loose the second run. I didn’t have anything for Woody, he was spot on tonight. Woody is a really good friend of mine, I’ve spent a lot of time with him when I was younger racing up here every week I would go stay at his house- I’m happy to see him win- all the guys on his team are really good guys.”Donny Lia of Jericho, NY in the Bob Garbarino Mystic Missile Racing modified had a challenging weekend at Loudon and was pleased with the podium finish. “We went from being too loose the first run to being too tight the second run - we just missed our target a little bit. We needed this good run pretty badly - we’ve had some bad luck lately and this really helps out- I’ve got to thank the guys for working their tails off, countless hours trying to fix the car. They put a tremendous amount of effort into it and I’m proud of them. I can’t thank all of them, Bob and Joan enough – they just never give up.”“We have a lot of faith in him,” said car owner Buzz Chew about Pitkat. “We’ve had a fast car all year we’ve just had bad luck and tonight our luck was good. That car was on a rail - it’s been fast for two years - we just haven’t had the breaks.” Chew has fielded a NWMT entry since 2010 - tonight marks his first time as a winning NWMT car owner. “My crew chief, Ron who been with me for 20 years does an awesome job. He is so dedicated. We had a tough time getting into this modified tour, we thought after running pretty decent with a Busch car, this, this is a whole different thing. This is the toughest division in the whole United States, I believe that, these guys are tough- they start racing on the pace lap. In a Busch car, you ride for 100 laps- with a modified, you start on the first lap racing - we had a hard time getting used to that. This win, it’s big for us- a long time coming. I’m happy for Woody.”In his 20th season with car owner Buzz Chew, crew chief Ron Ste-Marie has been to K&N Series victory lane with Bryon Chew and collected dirt wins including Syracuse with Stewart Friesen. The switch to the NWMT has not been an easy one. “These things are lighter, lower to the ground - I guess we came into it after running Busch cars thinking this would be a piece of cake and that is the farthest thing from the truth. The guys that have been running the modified tour, you look down through those names, they have a notebook ten years thick. Anyone new coming into it, you’re behind the eight ball. This was big, we needed this. Everyone works really hard - I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to have any luck. This was awesome.” Ron gave a shout out to his daughter Bryce who turned seven today.“Ron, Ernie back at the shop, they are there every day working on the car, I don’t think they ever even sleep, they are just working as hard as they can,” said Pitkat. “The way that car is prepped is like no other and it shows. The whole crew, they’ve just been together for so long with Bryon, it’s just unbelievable. Billy the Kid power, they’ve had Billy the Kid forever, the relationship is there. They’re just awesome people.”The win for Pitkat should shake any doubt in his mind what a lot of people in the racing community already knew, that it really was only a matter of time before he would be in the winner’s circle. Sandra Hill knew it, Don King knew it, David Hill as well- the former car owners Pitkat was quick to thank in victory lane along with a host of other individuals who have supported Pitkat in his career. “If it wasn’t for all of them, I wouldn’t be here. Being able to get out there, get seat time and showcase what I could do with the equipment I had- they saw, they knew I could get the job done.” Buzz and Bryon Chew were convinced enough as well- Spot making the call asking Pitkat what he was doing this year. “I just can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to be out here. This is obviously my dream come true.”The win comes on Pitkat’s 86th NWMT career start on a date Pitkat will always remember- 8/8 in the number 88. “How cool is that?”Following Pitkat, Silk, Lia, Coby and Goodale the top five, Rowan Pennink crossed the line for sixth with Ted Christopher, Justin Bonsignore, Ryan Preece and Matt Hirschman the top ten.Doug Coby of Milford, CT in the Mike Smeriglio modified carries an eight point lead over Justin Bonsignore heading into the next NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event this Wednesday August 13th at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the Budweiser 150.
7-27 Sun Shangri-la 2 75 RoC 600 WMT- 2nd
The Race of Champions Pavement Modified Tour made their second stop of the 2014 season at Shangri-La II Motorspeedway on Sunday afternoon. The forecast was for thunderstorms, but the skies were sunny and the temperatures were hot as Chuck Hossfeld led from the pole position and held off Andy Jankowiak for the majority of the race. Matt Hirschman got past Jankowiak on a late race restart to challenge Hossfeld. A final caution bunched up the field and Hossfeld held off Hirschman the final five laps to collect his second RoC Tour win of the season
The day was dedicated to the memory of the late engine builder, Gail Clark. Shangri-La II along with Gail's son, Brian unveiled the permanent sign dedicating a section of the track's frontstretch grandstand in memory of the popular engine builder whose passing has affected many who knew him. There were three special awards presented to the modified teams. The Gail Clark pole award was presented to the driver with the fastest lap turned during the heat races. Matt Hirschman won the award with his fourth lap the fastest in qualifying at 17.784 sec, 101.215 mph around the half mile concrete oval. The Gail Clark Hard Charger award was presented to Brian DeFebo who started 22nd and finished sixth. Rod Spalding was on hand and presented a Rod Spalding Sportsmanship award to Erick Rudolph for his performance on Sunday.
Matt Hirschman may have had the fastest lap during qualifying, but he finished third in his heat race, dropping him to eighth in the re-draw. Chuck Hossfeld redrew second, drawing the pole for the seventy five lap feature. Bobby Holmes, driving for Rick Kluth racing, started outside the front row. Drivers with a lot of modified experience at Shangri-La II( Jimmy Zacharias, Daren Scherer, Dean Rypkema and Brian DeFebo) started deep in the twenty two car field and would each take their time marching to the front. For DeFebo, he started twenty second and was the caution on the opening lap of the event, spinning in turn two. The field had just gotten back under the green flag with Hossfeld, Holmes, Nick Pecko, Andy Jankowiak and Sam Fullone occupying the first five positions. The second caution came out when Nick Pecko had a three wide run coming off turn four. The Vandling, Pa driver ran out of racetrack, and had his left side tires on the blacktop apron of the track, sending him on a long slow slide into turn two. Austin Kochenash suffered a left front flat and came to the pits for a new tire. The race ran nineteen laps under the green flag with Jankowiak and Mike Leaty challenging Hossfeld for the lead. The duo locked up in a nose to tail draft and still could not get along side of Hossfeld for him to give up his line. Pecko brought out caution number three with a spin in turn four. Several teams took advantage of this caution to use their one tire change allowed by RoC rules. Hossfeld fended off the challenge from Jankowiak on the restart, but now had to deal with Leaty hanging on to his rear bumper. This challenge was short lived as another caution flew on lap twenty four as contact was made in turn three between Jim Storace and Patrick Emerling. Both drivers would continue, and ultimately have a good day. The next thirty six laps went green with Hossfeld distancing himself from his challengers by nearly 1 second. Jankowiak and Jimmy Zacharias were in pursuit of Hossfeld, but Zacharias had to find a way around Jankowiak. Two cautions flew on lap sixty one. The first for Erick Rudolph as his car came to a stop down low coming off turn four. The race restarted, but caution flew before the lap was completed for the Zacharias ride after he came to a stop in turn three. Zacharias and Rudolph would retire from the race. The restart saw Hirschman move up from sixth to third due to the attrition. He immediately went to work on Jankowiak, wrestling the spot away, and then went on the hunt for Hossfeld. Hossfeld was a bit better getting off turn four and would hold on for his second RoC win of the year. The win was Hossfeld's second career win at Shangri-La II. Hirschman finished second, Jankowiak was third, Emerling and Leaty completed the top five.
RoC Modifieds (75 Laps) 1) Chuck Hossfeld, 2) Matt Hirschman, 3) Andy Jankowiak, 4) Patrick Emerling, 5) Mike Leaty, 6) Brian DeFebo, 7) Daren Scherer, 8) Jim Storace, 9) Austin Kochenash, 10) Bryan Sherwood, 11) Bobby Holmes, 12) Nick Pecko, 13) Brandon Oltra, 14) Jimmy Zacharias, 15) Erick Rudolph, 16) Michael LaBresche, 17) Tommy Cloce, 18) George Skora, III, 19) Sam Fullone, 20) Dean Rypkema, 21) Ken Canestrari, 22) Tyler Rypkema
Heat Winners: George Skora, III, Matt Hirschman, Nick Pecko
Gail Clark Pole Award ( to Fastest Qualifier) Matt Hirschman 17.784 sec 101.215 mph
Gail Clark Hard Charger Award : Brian DeFebo
Rod Spalding Sportsmanship Award : Erick Rudolph
7-26 Sat Mahoning Speedway 100 laps 59 - Win
When it comes to 100 lap Modified features at Mahoning Valley Speedway, Matt Hirschman knows a thing or two about winning them and he showed his prowess yet again in the popular extra distance runs when he drove his J & J Motorsports No. 59 to a 10th career 100 lap victory Saturday night worth $3500.Coming from 15th, Hirschman used a restart with 11 laps to go to get by impressive Roger Coss and then went on to his 12th Mahoning win. Talk about biding you time, Hirschman never entered the top 10 until just prior to halfway but once he did there was no stopping his charge to the front. In a fast paced race that had minimum cautions, Hirschman took advantage of long green flag runs to pick off cars.Just ten laps after motoring into the top 10, he only needed another 10 to crack the top 5. After that there was a holdup as he was gripped in a close battle with Don Wagner, Lou Strohl and Earl Paules.While that was taking place, Coss, who had been out front since lap 22, was cruising way ahead of the pack. For all intent and purposes, this was his race. After he took the lead from Todd Baer, Coss established himself as the car to beat. He built a lead of over three seconds and only saw challenges when the field would regroup under a caution, which wasn’t often.Meanwhile Hirschman stayed focused to racing hard to get by cars. Strohl was taken care of on lap 62 and then Wagner in another two afterwards. That left just Paules to handle before pursuing the leader but this would take a little time. Once again with a stretch of green flag laps Hirschman finally raced by Paules with 15 to go. Coss was still cruising comfortably but it was evident that Hirschman had the afterburners on.Right after Hirschman drove to second spot, a billow of smoke released from Coss’s front end. A power steering hose had come loose. However, there still seemed enough time for him to hold on as 11 laps remained. Unfortunately, the caution was out as Kris Graver slammed hard into the back straight wall. It would be on that restart that Hirschman would make the determining pass for the win.“Actually the deciding factor was just breaking through the pack. It was real close with five or six of us right together. We were able to break through and reel in the top three,” said Hirschman.“The 17 (Coss) was smoking and I’m not sure what it was. I had almost caught him when the caution came out. I don’t know what would have happened had that yellow not waved. 15th to first is nothing to shake your head at. There was a lot of good battling in the pack.”;It also marked the end of a two month dry spell for the Northampton Modified star who last won in May when he won five straight races.“Man, I’ve been in a slump and there’s nothing better than coming home and winning one here. Hopefully this gets our season turned back round. It’s always such a great crowd and I miss racing at Mahoning Valley,” said Hirschman.John Markovic got second while Paules, L. Strohl and Kyle Strohl rounded out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (100 Laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. John Markovic, 3. Earl Paules, 4. Lou Strohl, 5. Kyle Strohl, 6. Nevin George, 7. Todd Baer, 8. Brian DeFebo, 9. Eric Beers, 10. Roger Coss, 11. Brian Romig, 12. Scott Meckes, 13. Kris Graver, 14. Don Wagner, 15. Bobby Jones, 16. Chip Santee, 17. Terry Markovic, 18. Joe Stamm, 19. Matt Wentz, 20. Brain Sones DNQ: Kevin Rex Jr., Pat Verwys
7-23 Wed Seekonk 100 Tri-Track Open Series 50 - 3rd
Tommy Barrett, Jr. of Millis, Massachusetts had a lot to race for when he pulled into Seekonk Speedway (MA) Wednesday afternoon. In addition to the $10,000 on the line for the winner of the 100-lap Open Wheel Wednesday Modified event, Barrett was also racing for his grandfather, who passed away last weekend.The 19-year-old, who has earned the nickname “The Real Deal,” used a crossover move on early leader Todd Annarummo to take the lead for the final time on lap 86. Barrett then held off a strong charge from “Big Money” Matt Hirschman over the final 10 laps to claim a $10,000 pay day in front of a huge crowd at Seekonk on Wednesday.“It’s huge,” Barrett said of the win. “I’m happy for my dad. My grandfather passed away this weekend and this makes things look a little bit better for him. I’m sure he doesn’t feel as bad for sure, so this win was for him and my grandfather. It’s the biggest pay day for us by far, it’s not even close.”Barrett took the lead from Annarummo for the first time on lap 24, but Annarummo battled back to retake the lead shortly after. The two drivers would battle each other on a number of restarts throughout the event, but Annarummo was able to set the tone as the leader each time.It wasn’t until the final restart on lap 81 that Barrett was able to get a good enough restart to hang with Annarummo and eventually use an exciting crossover move to take the lead on lap 86.“That was crazy,” Barrett said of the last 19 laps of the event. “I think it was 19 to go on that final restart and I was trying to stay with Todd on the outside. I could stick with him, but I just couldn’t complete the pass. He was running me up the hill a little bit. We were side-by-side going into turn three and I crossed him up and I got into the back of him a little bit when he slowed up. I drove into (turn) one on the inside of him. It stuck and I was able to take the lead.”Once he was able to squeeze by Annarummo to take the lead, Barrett established an eight car-length advantage over Hirschman, who was charging towards the front for the “big money.” Hirschman closed the gap on Barrett throughout the final 10 laps and closed to his back bumper with five laps to go.Hirschman would try a crossover move of his own on lap 96 as the top-two exited turn four. Barrett slammed the door as Hirschman tried to move to his inside and the two cars made contact. “Big Money Matt” would regroup and battle back to challenge Barrett once again on lap 98. This time, Hirschman tried the outside in turn three but got loose in the middle of the turn, allowing Barrett to drive away and claim the victory.“My spotter, Shawn Waddell, just kept telling me, ‘protect the bottom, protect the bottom’ and that’s what I was trying to do,” Barrett said of the battle with Hirschman. “My car was a little bit better on the top I think. Matt (Hirschman) almost got me a couple times, but Waddell did a good job keeping me on the bottom to seal the victory.”Jon McKennedy, who entered Wednesday’s event leading the Tri Track Open Modified Series points standings, snuck by Hirschman during the closing laps to finish second. His second-place finish on Wednesday, coupled with his win in the SBM 125 at Star Speedway (NH) and sixth-place finish in the Bullring Bash at Lee USA Speedway (NH), earned him the overall series championship.In addition to his winnings for his performance in each of the events, McKennedy claimed an additional $1,500 for winning the championship.“It’s great to be able to win another championship,” said the three-time Valenti Modified Racing Series champion. “We ran second tonight and had a good run coming from the 22nd starting spot. This is a brand new car and it’s a good deal to be able to perform this well.”Hirchman would end up finishing third on Wednesday night after being in contention to win late in the event. Early leader Todd Annarummo and three-time Valenti Modified Racing Series winner in 2014, Richard Savary, completed the top-five.
Open Wheel Wednesday 100-Lap Modified Feature Unofficial Results
1 9 Tommy Barrett, Jr.
2 73 Jon McKennedy
3 50 Matt Hirschman
4 12 Todd Annarummo
5 99 Richard Savary
6 3 Ryan Preece
7 76 Vinnie Annarummo
8 25 Rowan Pennink
9 71 Paul Newcomb
10 92 Anthony Nocella
11 35 Derek Ramstrom
12 52 Bobby Santos
13 20 Doug Coby
14 23 Michael Douglas, Jr.
15 21ri Kyle James
16 13 Steve Masse
17 25ct Matt Galko
18 41 Karl Fredrickson
19 15 Chris Pasteryak
20 21x Justin Bonsignore
21 16 Todd Cerovalo
22 6ma Woody Pitkat
23 0 Tom Rogers, Jr.
24 79 Branden Dion
25 73x Andy Jankowiak
-By Brandon Paul, Speed51.com Northeast Editor – Twitter: Brandon_Paul51
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TOMMY BARRETT WINS TRI-TRACK OPEN MODIFIED SERIES LAST RACE
Running For The Cash,It Is A ‘Wreckers to Checkers Race’
by Denise DuPont
The Open Wheel Tri-Track Open Modified Series rounded off their 2014 season with ‘Open Wheel Wednesday’ at Seekonk Speedway on Wednesday July 23rd. With over $50,000 in total prize money, top drivers from the northeast headed to Seekonk for their chance to take home a piece of the bootie. In total, forty five teams headed to the ‘Cement Place’ for their chance to take home the $10,000 winner’s purse.The race format defined twenty-five starting positions. There were twenty to qualifying through heat races, two drivers from each of the two consi races and then the winner of the B-Main race had their choice to race or take home $1,000 in cash. Matt Galko of Meriden, CT was the B-Main feature winner and selected to start the race.Home track favorite, Todd Annarummo of Swansea, MA., started the race on the pole with Tommy Barett, Jr., of Willis, MA. on his outside. Annarummo held onto the lead for most of the race but did not lead the most important lap, the last one.The two drivers were evenly matched and ran door-to-door most of the race. About lap 85 Barrett decided it was time to make a move. Running on the outside he dropped under Annarummo and there was some contact but both car made it through. Now in second Annarummo surged back on the outside but a caution on lap 87 stopped his momentum. The incident was brought out by a spin involving Steve Masse, Anthony Nocella and Kyle James.For the first time in the race, Barrett had the pole on a restart. When the last green was thrown he charged forward with Annarummo going to the outside. Waiting silently in third Matt Hirschman saw an opening and pulled by Annarummo for second. Barrett and Hirschman raced hard until lap 97 when Hirschman running on the outside suddenly slowed and took Annarummo backwards with him. Jon McKennedy saw an opportunity and jumped from fifth to second running there for the final three laps. McKennedy making that one last dash for the cash chased Barrett across the finish line while Hirschman and Annarummo pursued them. The two finished third and fourth respectively. Richard Savary rounded up the top five.
Capturing the large purse added another notch in the young Barrett’s race portfolio. Excitedly reflecting on the win, Barrett expressed his thoughts on the race: “It was one of the biggest paying races of the year and winning was huge Top guys from the series (Valenti Modified Racing Series) and the tour (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) competed so we knew we had to beat some of the top drivers. There was a lot of quality there in the forty-five cars that showed up to compete. Just coming home on top really means a lot. Also my grandfather passed away this past weekend and I wanted to get the win for him and that meant a lot.”“We have had actually had a really good year with the #9 car,” confessed Barrett about his 2014 season in the family owned #9 modified. “Our first race we won at Thompson with the MRS. We got a second at Stafford race and we won at Seekonk Open Modified race. And earlier this year we had a good car at Lee and at Star at the other Open Wheel Tri-Track Series races. So we have had a strong year with the #9 car especially after last night. We are now going to run Waterford with the MRS. So everything is good with the team right now and hopefully we can just continue what we are doing and keep the wins coming.”Rounding out the top ten on the event were: Ryan Preece, Vinnie Annarummo, Rowan Pennink, Paul Newcomb, Jr. and Anthony Nocella.
We now all have to look forward to 2015 to see what the Open Wheel Tri-Track Open Modified Series promoters will plan for their spin on modified racing in the future.
Some Extra Race Notes From Seekonk Speedway:
From your driver’s seat can you walk us through some of the race action?
Tommy Barrett
Todd (Annarummo) started on the pole and I started second. For the first two laps I tried to make a move and it was not working so I thought I would ride behind him for a little bit. I took the lead from him early on and he came back and got past me. We had a few restarts where I was on the outside. When the race was finally getting down to the wire about lap 81, I said it is time to go. I tried to get by him on the outside on the restart and we actually ran side-by-side for about 5 laps. He bought me up the track a little bit but nothing bad. I drove into turn three and finally I got the break. He got loose a little bit and I crossed him up and came down. I think he got on the brakes a little bit to stop me and I got into his left rear a little bit but I still got under him. I completed the pass in turn one and I took off from there.
With the race being a run for the money what were your thoughts on the race?
Tommy Barrett
“This race being a one-time race for the big purse you are not really worried as much about wrecking the car. It is pretty much a ‘Wreckers to Checkers race’. That was what is in your mind going into the race. With all the best guys competing from series and tours that just makes it that much better to be able to take home the $10,000.”
7-19 Sat Monadnock 200 WMT 60 - 6th
BONSIGNORE MAKES HIS MOVE PAY OFF
Late Pass Produces NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Win At Monadnock
Justin Bonsignore made the late pass pay off as he drove to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in the O'Reilly 200 at Monadnock Speedway Saturday night.
Bonsignore powered underneath Ryan Preece on Lap 175 en route to the win. Preece had started second and led all but one lap to that point.It was the fifth career win for the Holtsville, New York, driver and second straight at Monadnock. It was also his second of 2014, as he opened the season with a win at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in April.The race went caution-free, leaving just six cars on the lead lap at the checkered flag. Preece settled for second, followed by Eric Goodale, rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. and points leader Doug Coby.Bonsignore won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, but Preece jumped to the lead on Lap 2 and held it until Bonsignore made his move.Matt Hirschman finished sixth, followed by Patrick Emerling, Ted Christopher, Ron Silk and Ron Yuhas Jr.With the win, Bonsignore moved to within four points of Coby in the championship points standings. Bobby Santos, who finished 11th, dropped to third in points -- eight behind Coby. Christopher is fourth, another five points back, while Preece moved up a spot to fifth.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races next in the Call Before You Dig 8-1-1 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday, Aug. 8.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - O'Reilly Auto Parts 200 Results
Saturday At Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H.
Lap length: 0.25 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 200 laps, 66.323 mph.
2. (2) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 200.
3. (3) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
4. (5) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 200.
5. (10) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
6. (7) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 200.
7. (15) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 199.
8. (11) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 199.
9. (8) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 199.
10. (6) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 198.
11. (14) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 198.
12. (16) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 197.
13. (4) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 196.
14. (19) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 195.
15. (22) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 187.
16. (21) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 186.
17. (12) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, NH, Chevrolet, 181, power steering.
18. (13) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 114, handling.
19. (17) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 110, engine.
20. (9) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 73, rear end.
21. (18) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 73, leaking fluid.
22. (20) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 68, electrical.
23. (23) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 11, handling.
Race StatisticsTime of Race: 0 hours 45 minutes 14 secondsMargin of Victory: 3.939 secondsFastest Qualifier: J. Bonsignore (71.468 mph, 12.593 seconds)
Caution Flags: 0 for 0 laps.Lead Changes: 2 among 2 drivers.Lap Leaders: J. Bonsignore 1; R. Preece 2-174; J. Bonsignore 175-200.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 285; 2. J. Bonsignore, 281; 3. B. Santos, 277; 4. T. Christopher,272; 5. R. Preece, 252; 6. R. Silk, 244; 7. E. Goodale, 234; 8. T. Solomito, 233; 9. M. Hirschman, 229; 10. W. Pitkat, 227.
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Who needed a caution? Most likely everyone but Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, NY who made his winning move with twenty-five to go in the chem3.com sponsored, Ken Massa owned modified passing Ryan Preece for the lead and never looking back scoring a convincing victory in a record setting caution free NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Monadnock Speedway.Bonsignore crossed the stripe with a 3.939 second margin of victory over Ryan Preece, Eric Goodale third, rookie Tommy Barrett, Jr. fourth, point leader Doug Coby fifth and Matt Hirschman sixth, the only cars on the lead lap.“I really didn’t think we had a car to win it by half way,” said Bonsignore in victory lane “Then it stayed green I asked is everyone as bad as we are and they said they were worse. Next thing you know, Ryan just kept getting bigger and bigger, I could see he was really holding on. Then I was trying to be patient with all the lap cars and not mess this one up, Billy Michael (crew chief) he nailed it again tonight.”This is Bonsignore’s fifth career NWMT victory and his second of the 2014 season. Bonsignore is also the defending winner of this event where he led the most laps one year ago on the fast, quarter mile high banked oval.“Ryan started to fade quicker than I expected,” continued Bonsignore. “I thought it would come down to the last ten laps- we just tried to set a pace and not deviate from it- I’ve learned from the MRS car up here you have to save the tire and who would have thought it would go green to checker tonight. I love coming here- I wish we could come here a few more times with the Tour.”Bonsignore backed up his top of the chart practice speed by setting fast time earlier in the day winning the Coors Light Pole Award. Bonsignore led the first lap but it was Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT in the East West Marine sponsored, Eric Sanderson owned modified that set the pace taking the lead on the second circuit and went to task on the continuous green flag run putting car after car a lap down.“I knew around lap 50 or 60 that my car was good so I took it easy but at the same time tried to lap every car that I could,” said Preece. “ I wasn’t trying to catch them but if I caught them I was going to go around them and basically make it that if at the end of race, there was a caution, there would be enough cars a lap down, that if I wore the car out, I wouldn’t fall too many spots back. Fortunately we went 200 green. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”By lap twenty-five, the leaders, Preece, Bonsignore, Goodale, Timmy Solomito and Barrett were well into working lap traffic.At the halfway mark, Preece had cruised his way to a full straight-away lead over Bonsignore, the distance between first and second remaining consistent through the next sixty circuits. It was around thirty-five to go that it became clear that Bonsignore was closing that gap. Suddenly, by lap 171, Bonsignore was within a car length and a few quick circuits later made his winning move passing Preece low into turn three exiting turn four the new and final leader on lap 175.“He was just really running the top looking for grip,” said Bonsignore about closing in on Preece for the winning pass. “We started really getting into lap traffic, then Ryan washed up in the middle of one and two and I said ‘you know what, I can back out if it didn’t work out’. I think he didn’t put up too much of a fight.”
The field continued under green and this time, it was Bonsignore who upped the pace and continued the business of working lap traffic bringing the chem3.com modified across the line for the win.This is the first time Bonsignore has collected multiple wins in one season his first coming at the season opener at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. “It’s cool to come back to victory lane. Mike Stefanik actually said it to me years ago, ‘especially at my age, you win one, you’re good for five or six races then people start to ask, when are you going to win again?’ It happens to everyone, not just legends like Mike. It feels good to get back to victory lane.”“If it was a 175 I think I could have held him off,” said Preece referring to the original O’Reilly Auto Parts 175 in 2012. “I knew he was coming, I just tried not to burn myself up and hold on for second.”Eric Goodale from Riverhead, NY started third and held the position bringing the GAF Roofing/Riverhead Building Supply sponsored, Edgar Goodale owned modified to the line for a podium finish.“We started off real well, taking it easy for the first 100 laps then about lap 140 I started losing some drive up off the corner and it was getting tough to get around some of the lap cars.” Goodale credits his team for all the hard work getting ready for O’Reilly 200 after a disappointing previous week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I can’t say enough about this team. We wrecked some cars last week up in New Hampshire, we worked hard all week- Jason Shephard and all the guys putting this thing back together, I can’t thank them enough. It’s pretty cool to destroy it one week then come back and have a top three car the next week.”“This is probably the first time in my career I’ve run 200 green flag laps and I have to say, I feel pretty good after 200 like that,” said Goodale. “I wish I had a little bit more there at the end, we started to catch Ryan, but we just ran out of laps.”“Justin loves this track,” said winning car owner Ken Massa. “This one makes me a little nervous but he loves it and I think that’s what does it all. I wasn’t 100 percent worried when Ryan took the lead in the beginning. I thought it would come around because obviously, you would think you’d have three or four cautions. Then about 50 to go, I took out my watch and started timing what was going on and I saw that Justin was making a little bit of ground so I came over the radio and said ‘you know you can catch him. Justin asked, ‘what’s he doing,’ and I said ‘he’s as loose as everyone else out there. If you have a little bit more, give it to us and I think it can happen and that’s what happened.”“I think it shows that we’re trying,” said Massa about now having two Tour wins so far this year. “We’ve always been a contender, we’re just able to hold it together this year- a lot has to go out to Bill (Michael) and the team- the team – everyone works good together, their happy and the motors staying together is definitely a big help.”
“To be honest, this year is my first year here as a crew chief,” said winning crew chief Bill Michael. “I’d have to say this was Justin. The benefit we had is that Justin does run Art and Ken Barry’s MRS car and they’ve been here twice. I’ve been able to bounce things off of them – I give them a lot of credit for helping me out and see what they had been making for changes and it seemed to work.”“I was nervous when Ryan took off but then again, running the MRS, especially since it was green, it was very good for Justin because he had to save his tires. He came on the radio and told us he was just riding and wanted to know if everyone else was riding then he just turned it up on his own and went forward.”“It was a quick turnaround,” said Michael about going from Loudon to Monadnock. “I’m at the shop full time and all the guys come every single night and give me a hand. We actually had a lot of damage after Loudon, it was almost like the week before at Riverhead. We strip it down every week, get it all ready and try to make sure every piece is as perfect as it can be- I have to thank those guys, they help me do every part of it.”At this moment, not able to answer the question ‘when was the last time a NWMT event went green to checker caution free,’ Jake Marosz did recall in ’79 or ’80 (pre ‘Tour’ days), that a 100 lap event went caution free at Stafford Motor Speedway. This will be a new and most likely long standing statistic to add to the NWMT Trackside Report.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday August 8th for the Call Before Dig 811 150.
Notes from Monadnock Speedway:
Top Three – Overtime Comments
Justin Bonsignore
Strategy: “We knew what times we needed to run, we knew how we needed to pace ourselves and we just stuck to it. And we actually didn’t have to pick up the pace with 50 to go, we maintained and Ryan kept falling off. Once I got by him I made sure to save again in case there was a late restart- we stuck to the plan and it worked.”
Defending his win: “It’s awesome, two in a row. We run so good here and I get around this place so good. I really didn’t think it would ever go green to checker – it probably wasn’t the best race for the fans but it worked out in our favor.”
The pass: “I never thought we’d be able to run Ryan down from half a lap at that point but his car just really fell off and we were able to keep probably the most forward drive in the car. Unbelievable.”
Ryan Preece
Season turning around for the defending NWMT Champion: “We started with a clean slate,” said Preece referring to the team’s recent forward progress in consistent finishes. “We’ve been unloading good, a lot of good communication – we’re getting there, we just missed it that little bit tonight. Justin was able to move to the bottom and I just kind of lost my drive.”
Eric Goodale
Pre-race: “Me and Bobby Santos were joking in the pits earlier betting on when the first caution would come out- he was in single digits and I was at 10. We blew both expectations out of the water there.”
Recovering from last weekend: “This was the car we raced on Saturday (at Loudon). It was tough because I had to spend a lot of hours at work and it’s tough for me to get in the shop. Sunday morning, we all met at the shop, striped both cars down to the chassis- nothing but the seat left in both of them- then we got one back Monday morning and thrashed on it all week to get it back together. It just goes to show how much my team cares about it and how good they are. We had a car capable of winning last week at Loudon and unfortunately it didn’t pan out for us there but we came here, a small track and we were able to run up front again. They do a damn good job.”
7-12 Fri/Sat NHMS 100 WMT 52 - 12th
Bobby Santos entered the Sunoco 100 looking for a little extra magic to change his fortunes at the “Magic Mile.” He waited until the final lap, but he got it.In a race that featured multiple lead changes on nearly every lap – a record 35 official lead changes – the Franklin, Mass., driver made just one pass for the lead and led just one lap Saturday. Santos drove his No. 44 Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet by Ted Christopher in Turn 4 of the last lap en route to winning the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway..It was Santos’ 13th career win but first in 16 career starts at the 1.058-mile oval."Definitely my biggest Modified win of my career, for sure," said Santos. "This is our Super Bowl, and these guys work hard to get this win. Whatever happens the rest of the season -- we won at Loudon."Doug Coby also got by Christopher in the final turn and finished second by just .065 seconds."It's a blur right now," Coby said. "The way the restarts shook out, I wound up getting a couple good runs."
Said Santos: "The last lap, I knew if I was in second going down the backstretch, I'd have a shot at it."NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman was fourth and NASCAR Next driver Ryan Preece came home fifth. The top five cars finished within three-tenths of a second of the leader.
Justin Bonsignore finished sixth, followed by Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Tommy Barrett Jr., NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour points leader Andy Seuss, Ron Silk and Chuck Hossfeld.Silk, who won the Coors Light Pole Award in qualifying Saturday morning, led a race-high 36 laps. Preece led 30 laps and Christopher 28.The 36 lead changes broke the Whelen Modified Tour all-time race record of 30, also at Loudon on July 7, 2000.
The race went into overtime – to a total of 110 laps – with two green-white-checkered finishes following late-race cautions. The race had seven caution periods for 30 total laps."Our race didn't start out spectacular," said Santos, who started seventh and was as far back as 14th at halfway. "The guys gave me what I needed for the second half of the race. They made a couple of adjustments. It couldn't have been better.
"We drove ourselves to the front. We put ourselves in position."During the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, Christopher and Newman swapped the front spot three times within the lap on the restart but a wreck by Donny Lia brought out the caution flag before the white flag was show. On the ensuing restart, Christopher initially got away before Santos and Co. chased him down on the final lap.It was a tough end for Christopher, who led 66 laps last week at Riverhead (New York) Raceway before giving up the lead late to Eric Goodale and settling for second.
"Unfortunately on a green-white-checkered, you can think of all the scenarios you want to do, but obviously I picked the wrong one on that one," said Christopher, who has five Whelen Modified wins at Loudon. "It was a good run. That's one of the cars we put together out of our stable ... and first time we ever ran with a SPEC motor. I was pretty happy with it. It's definitely something to build on.""I didn't know what the hell was going on the last lap," said Coby, who overcame early issues with a shock. "I saw Ted down on the grass and Bobby was taking the outside. I figured Ted was going to door-slam Bobby and I tried to push Bobby out there as far as I could so that he couldn't do what he did. And ended up doing that cross-over."It was close coming off of Turn 4. We were about an inch apart. ... I'm happy with second, I'm happy the cars in one piece, and happy the fans got a good show."Santos closed within two points of Coby for the championship lead with his third win in six races. Christopher is eight points behind Santos and Bonsignore is two points further back. Silk completes the top five, one point of defending tour champion Preece.
Th Sunoco 100 will air on FOX Sports 1 on Friday, July 18 at noon.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s next race, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200, is scheduled for Saturday, July 19 at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Sunoco 100 Results Saturday At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. Lap length: 1.058 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (7) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 110 laps, 76.384 mph. 2. (14) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 110. 3. (13) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 110. 4. (6) Ryan Newman, South Bend, IN, Chevrolet, 110. 5. (2) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 110. 6. (8) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 110. 7. (4) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 110. 8. (18) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, NH, Chevrolet, 110. 9. (1) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 110. 10. (10) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 110. 11. (5) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 110. 12. (25) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 110. 13. (24) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 110. 14. (23) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 110. 15. (26) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 110. 16. (28) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 107. 17. (22) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 102, accident. 18. (19) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 101, accident. 19. (12) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 97, accident. 20. (16) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 94, accident. 21. (29) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 93. 22. (3) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn, Chevrolet, 89, engine. 23. (20) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 88, accident. 24. (17) JR Bertuccio, Centereach, N.Y., Chevrolet, 81, accident. 25. (15) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 69, engine. 26. (27) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 67, engine. 27. (21) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 56, transmission. 28. (11) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 53. 29. (30) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 24, handling. 30. (9) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 22, mechanical. Race Statistics Time of Race: 1 hour 31 minutes 25 seconds Margin of Victory: .065 seconds Fastest Qualifier: R. Silk (128.941 mph, 29.539 seconds) Caution Flags: 7 for 30 laps. Lead Changes: 35 among 5 drivers. Lap Leaders: R. Preece 1; R. Silk 2-11; R. Preece 12; T. Szegedy 13; R. Preece 14; T. Szegedy 15; R. Preece 16-17; T. Szegedy 18; R. Preece 19-21; R. Silk 22-38; T. Szegedy 39; R. Silk 40-46; T. Christopher 47; R. Silk 48; T. Christopher 49; R. Silk 50; R. Preece 51-52; T. Szegedy 53; R. Preece 54; T. Szegedy 55-61; T. Christopher 62-63; T. Szegedy 64-65; T. Christopher 66-67; T. Szegedy 68; T. Christopher 69-70; R. Preece 71; T. Christopher 72-73; R. Preece 74; T. Christopher 75; R. Preece 76; T. Christopher 77; R. Preece 78; T. Christopher 79; R. Preece 80-94; T. Christopher 95-109; B. Santos 110. Standings: 1. D. Coby, 246; 2. B. Santos, 244; 3. T. Christopher, 236; 4. J. Bonsignore, 234; 5. R. Silk, 209; 6. R. Preece, 208; 7. W. Pitkat, 203; 8. T. Solomito, 202; 9. E. Goodale, 193; 10. M. Hirschman, 191.
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In a second attempt at a green white checker finish, Bobby Santos of Franklin, MA in the Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com modified restarted third – with the white flag in the air, passed Ryan Newman for second and as the checkers unfurled, made his winning move through turns three and four getting by Ted Christopher to win the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Sunoco 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Fans on their feet watched Santos go for the victory in the extra distance race that ended on lap 110 witnessing a record breaking 36 official lead changes. Santos led one, the final to the checkers with Doug Coby narrowly edging out Christopher for second, Christopher in third followed by Newman fourth and Ryan Preece fifth. "It was just awesome,” said Santos in victory lane. “Everyone says that you have to be in position on the last lap to win one of these things. So I have known a lot about it and I have watched it a lot of times. I knew that Teddy was going to send it in and protect the bottom. I just knew that on the last restart and I wanted to be in second and I made it work. I am glad to be racing here in New Hampshire this weekend. It does not get much cooler than racing for those NASCAR guys in these cars. Everyone will agree that the modifieds put on quite a show here."Ted Christopher from Plainville, CT in the Robert Katon owned, J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates sponsored modified rolled off the grid thirteenth eventually leading a total of 28 laps, all in the second half including the first three turns of the last lap, his day ending with a podium finish in third. “Unfortunately for a green, white, checker you think of all the scenarios. Obviously I picked the wrong one. But it was a good run. I was happy with the run. That was one of our cars that we put together out of our stable, actually it is probably one of the cars that we had here years and years ago - an old car that we redid. That is the first time I have ever run a spec motor and I was pretty happy with it. It is definitely something to build on."
The Mike Smeriglio owned Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance modified with Doug Coby behind the wheel took the green fourteenth ending his day with a legitimate shot at the win. "I really do not know it is a blur right now,” said Coby about the closing laps. “I think I was ninth and seventh with ten to go, something like that. The way the restart shook out I ended up getting a couple of good runs and then I see myself fourth on a green, white, checker. I was kind of hoping that Ted would take the top and I could have pushed him into the lead and have a nice setup for the last lap, kind of like what Bobby had. When Ted took the bottom I knew Bobby was content to let him slid up alongside of him so he could be second on the last lap. It definitely broke my momentum up a bit and I had to race with the #7ny. I am happy with second. The car is in one piece and I am happy that the fans got a good show.”The NWMT Sunoco 100 was brought to green by pole sitter Ron Silk of Norwalk, CT with defending NWMT champion Ryan Preece powering by Silk to officially lead lap one. A caution on lap five kept the field close and the top spot was swapped between Silk, Preece and Todd Szegedy throughout the first half. The mandatory half way break was called when the caution waved on lap 45 bringing the field down pit row on circuit later. Silk lined up first on the restart with Szegedy, Woody Pitkat, Preece and Eric Goodale the top five. Christopher in sixth was poised to become a factor in the second half while Santos, deep in the pack at fifteenth, appeared to not be a threat at all. Appearances can be deceiving. While Silk, Szegedy, Christopher then Preece diced it up for the lead, Santos was able to capitalize on one restart cracking the top ten by lap sixty and at twenty-five to go, was firmly in seventh. Silk suddenly pitted during a caution with nineteen to go as the TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm crew focused their attention on the left rear. After leading the most laps of the race, 36, Silk continued but would not again be a front running factor. Szegedy returning for only his second NWMT start of the season, led eight different times in the Fuller 15-40 Connection modified was suddenly forced to retire on this same restart after not coming up to speed – engine listed as the official reason out. Attention returned to the front on the lap 95 restart- Preece selecting the outside row led Christopher, Santos, Goodale and Newman. One circuit later, Preece was jilted back to sixth, Christopher leading now had his mirror full with Santos, Newman, Coby and Andy Seuss the top five. Two to go, the yellow waved for Goodale whose trip to NH ended with damage after contact with the turn two wall setting up what would be the first of two attempts at a green white checker finish.Christopher diced up the top spot with Newman as Santos slipped to third and Coby held onto fourth only to be reined in for another caution- Donny Lia’s day was over after contact with the turn four wall. The second green white checker attempt, on the white flag lap, Christopher led Santos, Coby, Newman fourth and Preece. The final corners, Christopher drove hard into three and couldn’t make the J&R Pre-Cast stick, the slight drift up the track was opportunity and Santos filled the spot taking a hard charging Coby with him. Christopher gathered up and at the line it was Santos with a .065 second margin of victory over Coby who had a wheel over Christopher in third at the line. Newman and Preece followed for fourth and fifth. Justin Bonsignore crossed sixth, Tommy Barrett, Jr seventh, Andy Seuss, Ron Silk and Chuck Hossfeld completed the top ten. “Our race didn’t start spectacular,” admitted Santos. “We qualified seventh and fell back to fourteenth at the half way mark but the guys gave me what I needed for the second half of the race, made a couple of adjustments- it could not have been better. We drove to the front, put ourselves in position – the last restart, I think I learned a lesson that I needed to get to Teddy’s bumper for second until the last lap. I knew if I was in second on the last lap going down the backstretch, I knew I’d have a shot at it. I put it in my mind what Teddy was going to do, he did what I expected and it worked out.” “It’s an honor and I’m proud to win here. This is definitely probably my biggest modified win in my career. When I first started driving for Sully (Tinio), he was talking about coming to Loudon, winning at Loudon. We’ve won for him at Stafford, Thompson and he still talked about winning at Loudon. He built a car for this place last year. It got killed on the first time out- it was discouraging but he gave us everything we needed to get it back together and for this team, this is our Superbowl. They work so hard. From whatever happens here on out for the rest of the season, we won at Loudon, that’s pretty awesome.” “You can’t plan to win at Loudon,” stated Coby. “It’s always a surprise when you do. You can dominate on a short track, lead most of the laps. At Loudon, it’s always a surprise. I was the leader here last July for the last three laps, I’m hanging on for dear life and somehow I ended up winning – that was a surprise for me. Todd Szegedy winning in September, dive bomb on the last lap, that’s a surprise for him. And Bobby today- Bobby’s move was dictated by Ted – I think Ted had the right thoughts but he should have made Bobby get to the outside of him and maybe used him up. There’s a million and one ways to win and Loudon and that just proved it. You never know what’s going to work, it all depends on who gets the run, what the last couple of laps are- it’s fun no matter what.” “We’re excited,” said Lawney Tinio speaking on behalf of car owner and dad Sully. “The first half of the race was rough but Bobby told us what was wrong with the car. Stevie said what we were going to do to make the changes, the team went out there and nailed it and we just saw the car come back up through the field, it was outstanding. Bobby was just picking them off- Larry was on the radio walking him through, ‘clear, go get the next one. Clear, go get the next one’, it was fun to listen to him. It’s hard to see on pit row, we rely on the audio. I heard him call it through (the last lap), ‘door, wheel, bumper, clear, you got it, go get it buddy’ and I saw him coming out of turn four, it was great. I can’t thank my dad enough for giving us the opportunity to do this. All the hard work that Stevie Lemay does, the motors from Billy, everybody on our team, they just really get it together – we’re super happy with everything.”“We qualified seventh, fourteenth at the half way mark. The adjuster for the sway bar started backing off and the car was getting real free off on him. Bobby kind of rode it out until the halfway break. When we came in- we checked that, there was a lot of play in it. I didn’t want to over adjust the car because we found the problem. We did our tire change, fuel, adjusted on the car a little bit and then reset the sway bar- it didn’t back off the second half, the car stayed good and Bobby was able to drive it in really good. He was giving up a little getting off, but driving in really good. We learned a bunch more. It’s unbelievable we ended up there- this is what you dream about, this is what’s it all about, winning these big races. You come here, do the best you can- sometimes you leave with your head hung down- today, it just all worked out. A solid driver, crew chief chemistry, Lemay enjoys working with Bobby and is glad to get this win checked off Bobby’s list. It’s also Lemay’s first Magic Mile victory. A special shout out to Lemay’s wife Sandy who is at every race but unexpectedly could not see this one.
The NWMT Sunoco 100 will air on television this Friday July 18th at 12noon on FOX Sports 1.
The NWMT heads to the fast, high-banked quarter mile of Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH Saturday July 19th.
More Quotes:
Two cars finishing in the top ten, car owner Chris Our added a team car with Chuck Hossfeld to the Our Motorsports stable. Tommy Barrett, Jr. crossed seventh, Hossfeld tenth at the conclusion of the Sunoco 100. “I wanted to run the shootout, that was the main reason,” said Our about having a second car. “I asked Chuck to run that then I said why don’t you stay and run the 100 lapper the next day.” Another double team effort is not on the schedule at this time but Our has not taken it off the books either. “You never know - maybe another big race. Tommy did good, we’re happy- this is new for him. He qualified fourth, ran in the top five, top ten and finished seventh, that’s good.” Rookie of the Year contender Barrett who ran as high as third and fourth gained a lot of Magic Mile experience.“This is a brand new car and a brand new engine,” said Coby. “We’ve run that other car since Daytona. We were happy with it, when we were drafting early on there were some changes we wanted to make- a right front shock that was leaking just before the start of the race, we were almost going to pull down pit row to change it- they told us it was going to be a two lap penalty to change it so the first fifty laps we ran with a shock that wasn’t performing how we thought it would. We made our changes at the break based on that and I think we over adjusted and ended up a little tight for the second part of the race. I’ll tell you what, the green white checkers helped me out because it was a quick little sprint there. If it was a longer run it would have been trouble.”A marathon weekend for NASCAR Next driver Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT in the East West Marine, Eric Sanderson owned modified- a threat for the win in the Sunoco 100 from the drop of the green, Preece finished fifth. On Friday, Preece crossed for sixth in the NWMT Whelen All-Star Shootout, won the SK Modified feature at Stafford Motor Speedway later that evening, returned to the Magic Mile putting in a strong effort including leading 30 laps in the Sunoco 100 then competed in the NASCAR Nationwide race right after finishing 14th in the Tommy Baldwin Racing entry.
7-11 Sat NHMS 100 WMT 52 - Blown Engine 15th - non points race
NEWMAN POSTS ALL-STAR PERFORMANCE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
NASCAR Sprint Cup Veteran Claims Whelen All-Star Shootout
Twice before, Ryan Newman drove the venerable 7NY Modified to Victory Lane in a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver did it again Friday. This time, the win came in the non-points inaugural Whelen All-Star Shootout. The latest victory came with the familiar frantic swapping of the lead synonymous with the open-wheeled cars on the 1.058-mile.Newman lost the lead to Justin Bonsignore into Turn 1 of the white-flag lap, but got it back in Turn 3 and won the drag-race to the checkered flag.
"I didn't know if he was going to have somebody follow him; I didn't know if he was getting pushed or what," said Newman. "I really can't see that. I could see someone showing their nose and my spotter's talking to me, but it's kind of hard to process all that at once. So once he slid by, I knew I was going to get some kind of tow off him. I didn't know if I was going to have somebody pushing me or if he was going to shove me into Turn 3 way faster than I wanted to go, or what it was going to turn out to be. And it turned out good."Bonsignore held on for second, followed by Mike Stefanik, Ron Silk and Bobby Santos."We really haven't been in position to win up here," said Bonsignore. "I tried to throw the block, but he had a good head of steam and we do have to run these cars (Saturday)."Newman has run 14 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races for the 7NY Modified team put together by Gary Putnam and NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion. He also has a pair of wins at Bristol Motor Speedway."Just a good effort by everybody at Gary Putnam Racing," said Newman, "and Bono and Slugger (Labbe) and all the guys that volunteer their time to do what they do in North Carolina so we can come up here and play."It's awesome what Whelen does for this series. I've always been a big fan of the Modifieds and getting to come up here and race them is still a big honor for me. So to win the all-star race is pretty cool."For Bonsignore, it was the second time he's finished second to Newman. But he welcomed the Sprint Cup driver's presence in the tour races."He's in the exact same equipment as everybody else out here," Bonsignore said. "He's at that level for a reason. He knew what move to make at the end. And he was in position."Stefanik, the nine-time NASCAR champion, was making his second appearance of the season after cutting back his racing schedule."I had a lot of fun," Stefanik said. "I've been missing out on this. It was a good time, I enjoyed it."Ryan Preece, Chuck Hossfeld, Todd Szegedy, Ted Christopher and JR Bertuccio rounded out the top 10.Silk held the lead over Patrick Emerling and Ryan Preece into the halfway break at Lap 20. A random draw determined a 10-car invert and put Doug Coby and Bonsignore on the front row, with Newman restarting fifth. The race featured six official lead changes and Newman was credited with leading the final 16 laps."We were way off when we unloaded. And we weren't great during the race, but we were good enough," Newman said.The event was called after 37 laps when it reached its 30-minute time limit.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was be back on track Saturday with its championship points race at New Hampshire.The Whelen All-Star Shootout will air on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, July 20 at 2 p.m. The Sunoco 100 will air on FOX Sports 1 on Friday, July 18 at noon.
NASCAR Whelen Modified - Whelen All-Star Shootout Results
Friday At New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 1.058 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (14) Ryan Newman, South Bend, In., Chevrolet, 37 laps, 74.712 mph.
2. (12) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 37.
3. (17) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Ford, 37.
4. (8) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 37.
5. (2) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 37.
6. (6) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 37.
7. (7) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 37.
8. (18) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 37.
9. (19) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 37.
10. (1) JR Bertuccio, Centereach, N.Y., Chevrolet, 37.
11. (13) Cole Powell, Mount Brydges, Ont., Chevrolet, 37.
12. (20) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 36.
13. (10) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 36.
14. (9) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 36.
15. (11) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 29, engine.
16. (15) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 27, accident.
17. (4) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 26, accident.
18. (3) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 11, handling.
19. (5) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 8, handling.
20. (16) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 6, electrical.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 31 minutes 12 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.151 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: . ( mph, seconds)
Caution Flags: 1 for 8 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Bertuccio 1; R. Preece 2-3; R. Silk 4-16; R. Preece 17; R. Silk 18-20; M. Stefanik 21; R. Newman 22-37.
7-5 Sat Holland 100 RoC 60 2nd
By Larry Ott
Special to The News
Andy Jankowiak found himself facing the challenge of holding off multi ROC champion/race winner Matt Hirschman in the finishing laps of the Sunoco Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour Holland 100 Saturday night.Jankowiak already had overcome a pair of obstacles having suffered through a small cockpit fire as well as a near collision with the pace car just laps earlier. Utilizing steady and great driving over the remaining distance, Jankowiak was able to beat Hirschman by two car-lengths to secure the first ROC victory of his career.The ensuing victory lane celebration was a special moment in Holland history with cheers, smiles, tears, handshakes and hugs from numerous well wishers.The victory also completed a great comeback story. Jankowiak’s cars was heavily damaged in a violent accident in the last ROC event on June 7 at Elegant Builders Raceway Park in Lancaster.Since then, Jankowiak and his team, who operate on a lower budget them most, put forth a spectacular effort to get their car ready for Saturday’s race.“It hasn’t sunken in yet,” said Jankowiak. “It was just a matter of putting the whole deal together. We’ve been bad luck stricken. We almost got wrecked tonight by the pace car. It came flying out of the infield. The dashboard started on fire with 50 laps to go. I had a fire in the car with molten rubber falling onto my fire suit. I had to pat it out. I had to pull all the wires out and it kept running. So we tried to screw ourselves over but not today. It was ours.“I’ve got so many good guys behind me that keep me going. I’m just so blessed.”Jankowiak is the son of the late Tony Jankowiak, who was killed in a Modified race at Stafford, Conn., in 1990. All these years since the elder Jankowiak’s death, Andy’s uncle Jake Jankowiak has taken his young nephew under his wing and guided his racing career. Much love and devotion has also been given by Andy’s mother Debbie.“This is awesome,” said an emotional Jake Jankowiak “I can remember when his dad (Tony) held off Jimmy Spencer to win a race here years ago. I’ll never forget it. I’ll take all the bad luck that we’ve had this past month to win this race.”“This is unbelievable,” said Debbie. “This is great. I’m so proud.”One can’t get a better endorsement then from Hirschman who is a talented and experienced Modified racing champion.“I’m happy for Andy,” said Hirschman. “It’s a big deal to get a first win. I’ve been fortunate enough to win plenty, but I remember my first win. He did a great job tonight.”Other locally based drivers who competed in the Holland 100 were:Chuck Hossfeld, third, Patrick Emerling, fourth; George Skora III, eighth; Sam Fullone, 11th; Karl Hehr, 16th; Kirk Totten, 18th. A field of 23 cars came to Holland.
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Holland, NY … The old saying is that you will always remember your first feature win. That held true on Saturday night at the Holland Speedway in the RoC Modified 100 as Andy Jankowiak of Tonawanda, NY will always remember this night with his first ever RoC Modified victory. Jankowiak took the lead with 35 laps remaining and with many of his supporters standing the final ten laps he held off the last ditch attempts of Matt Hirschman to claim his first career RoC Modified win. Early race leader Chuck Hossfeld finished third with Patrick Emerling in fourth and Mike Leaty in fifth. “This unbelievable to be standing here and it hasn’t even sunk in yet,” said race winner Jankowiak among hundreds of his supporters surrounding him. “We worked really hard on this race, we came here and tested with our Sportsman car. That test session worked out perfectly for us as the car was just about perfect all race long. We gave up a little bit for the final ten laps as our tires were worn out pretty good as that loosened us up the last ten laps.” He added, “Matty had the fresher tires but we had the preferred line and he ran me clean, we had the perfect, perfect night.” Jimmy Zacharias and Brian DeFebo brought the 21 car starting field to green with Zacharias leading DeFebo, Mike Leaty, Sam Fullone, and Matt Hirschman. With this race being the third year in a row that the RoC Modifieds invaded the Holland high banks the drivers are getting use to racing here. This familiarity breeds plenty of passing and that is exactly took place during the early portions with many drivers making big advances towards the front. Two short track specialists in Zacharias and DeFebo thrilled the crowd with some excellent side by side racing for the lead. This battle for the lead which included some nerf bar rubbing between the two stayed like this until a lap 36 caution flag period. That is when Zacharias pitted for fresh right side tires along with Leaty, Chuck Hossfeld, and Andy Jankowiak. DeFebo and Hirschman who both stayed on the track led the field back to green with DeFebo in his first ever Holland appearance taking the lead. Hirschman moved into the lead two laps later and behind him a three wide battle took place for second between DeFebo, Daren Scherer, and Austin Kochenash. Holland Pro Four Modified track champion George Skora, III soon joined the crowd pleasing battle for second. At the crossed flags Hirschman found himself in the lead over Scherer, Kochenash, Skora, and DeFebo. But the entire top five were now under pressure as the cars who pitted on lap 36 for fresh tires were now breathing down their necks. Hossfeld was the first of the lap 36 cars to pit to reach the top five and he made quick work of them by quickly moving into the lead on lap 60. But right on the back bumper of Hossfeld was second generation racer Andy Jankowiak who moved past Hirschman for second on lap 62. Jankowiak wasn’t done with passing as he took the lead from Hossfeld in turn four with an inside pass on lap 65. Just after Jankowiak moved into the lead the yellow lights flashed on which was good news for Hirschman, Kochenash, Scherer, and DeFebo who all pitted for much needed right side tires. Jankowiak spoke about his pit strategy versus these teams. “We worked on plenty of stuff to rotate the center of the turns and able to drive off the turns which is a key here. We were just about perfect as we were able to drive off the turns better than anyone tonight. I thought we pitted a little bit early but as a driver sometimes you need to pit when certain drivers pit. When I saw Chuck pit I knew that he was one of the guys I had to beat so I had to pit at that time. Sometimes that strategy works and sometimes it doesn’t work and tonight it worked. ” After the pit stops all eyes were on Hirschman and he didn’t disappoint. Hirschman quickly moved into fifth on lap 71 and three laps later he moved into fourth. With 25 laps to go Hirschman got past Emerling for third but the problem was that he was a full straightaway behind the leading duo of Jankowiak and Hossfeld. Jankowiak then turned up the wick and started to pull away from Hosssfeld and just as he reached lap traffic on lap 90 Hirschman got past Hossfeld for second. The lap traffic slowed Jankowiak and this allowed Hirschman to close right on in Jankowiak for the lead. Now with the crowd on their feet Hirschman made one final attempt for the win with an outside turn two pass on lap 98. But Hirschman ran out of room to make the pass and Jankowiak led the final two laps to claim the popular win. “I got a little loose when they said 60 was in second,” said Andy. “We ran about 80 % when we were following Chuck up through the field and trying to save the car a little bit. When I got the lead I ran the car at about 90 % and then the final ten laps I was at 100 %.” Andy thinking back to last year said, “It is a lot better finishing the race like this instead of how we finished it last year.” “They pitted a little earlier and we were getting better the longer we raced but just ran out of laps and chances to make a pass,” said second place finisher Matt Hirschman. “I thought that pitting at 36 was a little too early and after 60 was a little too late, but I liked it that we were going forward at the end.” “He was very deserving of the win and I’m happy to see him get his first victory,” said Matt when referring to the first win for Jankowiak. “He’s always been good to me and I think he always looked up to me too. Anytime he asked me for advice I have always steered him in the right direction because he is a good kid.” Hirschman spoke about his love of racing Modifieds at Holland. “The Modifieds are awesome here, somehow someway I hope to see this event continue here. The car count continues to increase, the crowd looked to me to be better this year, and the racing was really good once again. I hope we can continue to come back here each year and maybe make multiple appearances here.”Qualifying heat races for the 23 car field saw wins captured by Hossfeld, Hirschman, and Kochenash.
RACE OF CHAMPIONS MODIFIED TOUR 100 OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH; Andy Jankowiak, Matt Hirschman, Chuck Hossfeld, Patrick Emerling, Mike Leaty, Austin Kochenash, Jimmy Zacharias, George Skora, III, Daren Scherer, TJ Potrzebowski, Sam Fullone, Brian DeFebo, Tommy Cloce, Bryan Sherwood, Tyler Rypkema, Karl Hehr, Doug Reaume, Kirk Totten, Nick Pecko, Michael LeBreche, Daryl Lewis, Jr.
DNS; Randall Richard, Ed Weber.
6-28 Sat Riverhead 200 WMT 60 - 3rd
GOODALE GETS FIRST WIN AT HOME
Long Island Driver Scores Whelen Modified Victory At Riverhead
It was happy homecoming for Eric Goodale.
The 28-year-old from Riverhead scored his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win Saturday night in the Hoosier Tire 200 at Riverhead Raceway.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.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.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.Doug Coby finished sixth, followed by Ron Silk, Tom Rogers Jr., Shawn Solomito and Bobby Santos.John Beatty Jr., who won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, finished 14th.
Justin Bonsignore 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.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads next to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The tour's top drivers will race Friday, July 11 in the non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout; the championship season will resume Saturday, July 12 with the New Hampshire 100.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - Hoosier Tire 200 Results
Saturday At Riverhead Raceway, Riverhead, N.Y.
Lap length: 0.25 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (5) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200 laps, 39.938 mph.
2. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
3. (10) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 200.
4. (21) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 200.
5. (7) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
6. (8) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
7. (2) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 200.
8. (6) Tom Rogers, Jr., Patchogue, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
9. (3) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
10. (23) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 200.
11. (20) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
12. (1) John Beatty, Jr., Merrick, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
13. (16) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 200.
14. (25) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 199.
15. (9) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 196.
16. (24) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 184.
17. (30) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 167, accident.
18. (22) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 156.
19. (29) Dave Brigati, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151, electrical.
20. (17) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 151.
21. (15) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 143, accident.
22. (19) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 130, suspension.
23. (18) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 127, accident.
24. (13) Frank Vigliarolo, Mt. Sinai, NY, Chevrolet, 121, parked.
25. (27) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 61, handling.
26. (11) Kyle Ellwood, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 57, brakes.
27. (14) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 50, suspension.
28. (12) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn, Chevrolet, 40, accident.
29. (26) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 22, handling.
30. (28) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 20, handling.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 15 minutes 7 seconds
Margin of Victory: 2.229 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: J. Beatty, Jr. * (75.257 mph, 11.959 seconds)
Caution Flags: 11 for 90 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers.
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.
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.
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6-21 Sat Waterford 161 WMT 52 TT-11th 24th (11)
Bobby Santos followed Donny Lia for much of the first half of Saturday night's race. But Santos wasn't content to finish second.
So Santos, from Franklin, Massachusetts, wrestled the lead away and went on to claim the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in the Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl.It was Santos' second win of the season and 12th of his career. It was his first tour win at Waterford, the fourth different track he’s registered a victory at during his Whelen Modified Tour tenure.A green-white-checkered finish pushed the race to 165 laps. Lia, who earlier in the night won the Coors Light Pole Award, finished second.Ted Christopher rallied back to finish third. Justin Bonsignore and Patrick Emerling were fourth and fifth, respectively.Defending race winner and tour champion Ryan Preece finished sixth, followed by Woody Pitkat, Keith Rocco, Ron Yuhas Jr. and Doug Coby.What proved to be the eventual winning move for Santos in his No. 44 Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet came on Lap 133. Santos dove under Lia through Turn 3, and with some contact, came out of Turn 4 will the lead thanks to his “bottom shot.”“We had a great car,” Santos said. “I followed Donny [Lia] the whole first half of the race and I tried multiple times to pass him as clean as could be. He roughed me up a little bit I felt like, and I just saved it until the end of the race when it counted.”The runner-up effort for Lia was his best finish through four races this year. He seemed to take some exception to Santos’ winning move, however.“We just got a little free and Bobby’s [Santos] car was just better than ours there at the end,” Lia said. “There were a couple things there – I’m not quite sure what was going on the way he raced us a little bit – but we’ll see what happens going forward.”The podium for Christopher was his first in nine starts. He’s finished in the top 10 each race this year with his new No. 13 team.
“We had to pit and come from last, so I’m pretty happy with it,” Christopher said of his third place finish. “The car ran good. It’s still a work in progress, but each week we get better and better.”Bonsignore took over the points lead from Coby by two tallies. Santos is third, three more points back of the leader. Coby, who had finished on the podium in each of the first three races in 2014, was slowed by two different incidents Saturday night.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race at Riverhead (New York) Raceway on Saturday, June 28.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Mr. Rooter 161 Results - Unofficial
Saturday At Waterford Speedbowl, Waterford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.375 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 165 laps, 54.542 mph.
2. (1) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 165.
3. (12) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
4. (5) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 165.
5. (16) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 165.
6. (13) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 165.
7. (10) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
8. (15) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
9. (9) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
10. (8) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
11. (24) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 165.
12. (25) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 165.
13. (11) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 154.
14. (26) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 165.
15. (20) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 165.
16. (21) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
17. (22) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 164.
18. (19) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 163.
19. (28) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 163.
20. (4) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 162.
21. (6) Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 161.
22. (23) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 156, steering.
23. (18) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 155, accident.
24. (14) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 154, accident.
25. (3) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 72, bell housing.
26. (17) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 70, steering.
27. (27) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 66, brakes.
28. (7) Craig Lutz, Miller Place, N.Y., Chevrolet, 33, steering.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 8 minutes 4 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.389 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: D. Lia (97.339 mph, 13.869 seconds)
Caution Flags: 6 for 45 laps.
Lead Changes: 3 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D. Lia 1-115; B. Santos 116; D. Lia 117-132; B. Santos 133-165.
Standings: 1. J. Bonsignore, 168; 2. D. Coby, 166; 3. B. Santos, 163; 4. W. Pitkat, 160; 5. T. Christopher, 151; 6. P. Emerling, 135; 7. D. Lia, 134; 8. R. Pennink, 133; 9. R. Silk, 133; 10. R. Yuhas, Jr., 133.
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Bobby Santos of Franklin, MA in the Tinio Racing/Imperialcars.com modified held off a determined field including Coors Light pole winner Donny Lia and Ted Christopher in a green white checker finale to score his second win of the season in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl.
“We just had a great car,” said Santos in victory lane. “Stevie Lemay, this whole team, they gave me an awesome race car. I have to thank everyone who put this show on, Mr. Rooter, everybody involved- it was a lot of fun tonight.”Santos started the Mr. Rooter “161” on the outside of pole winner Donny Lia followed by Eric Goodale, Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore the top five. The 28 car field quickly settled into a green flag run with only one quick yellow until lap 65 for a single car caution- it was under this yellow that the red flag came out for an incident in the pits- two cars got together and a crew member from another team was reported to have a minor injury. However, NASCAR Officials held the field under red for a lengthy cleanup for fluid on the track. Ted Christopher pitted along with several other cars including Keith Rocco and Ron Yuhas, Jr.The field came back to green at the half way point, Lia leading Santos, Ron Silk, Woody Pitkat, Justin Bonsignore, Tommy Barrett, Doug Coby and Matt Hirschman the top runners. Yellow then waved on lap 88 for Hirschman who suffered a right front flat, closing up the field once again. Doug Coby saw his night change when caught up in a turn one incident forcing the Dunleavy Repair machine to restart on lap 116 from the back.With 31 to go, eyes were glued to Lia and Santos as the duo raced bumper to bumper. Santos continued to challenge for the lead and making a determined move, drove low going into to turn three and emerged out of turn four the new leader of the night on lap 133. “I was working the outside of him, showing him the outside - showing him the outside,” repeated Santos describing the pass. “Just saving it for the right time when I had the right run, to give him a run on the bottom.” Meanwhile Barrett took over second place, Lia slipped to third and Christopher was now a solid fifth.Another caution on lap 145 for an incident in turn three involving Ron Silk and Timmy Solomito turned to a quick red flag as track officials worked to free Silk’s bumper from the Armco barrier.The restart with 8 to go set up a dash for the checkers Santos leading Barrett, Lia, Pitkat and Christopher was suddenly short lived when Barrett suffered a right front flat on the restart and contact with the turn one outside wall ending the night for the rookie contender.The track cleared, the Mr. Rooter “161” was now going into overtime setting up for a green, white, checker finish - Santos, Lia, Christopher, Bonsignore, Emerling, Preece and Pitkat leading the way.The packed house at Waterford Speedbowl watched Santos remain solid on the restart capturing the checkers with Lia second, Christopher, Bonsignore and Emerling the top five. Ryan Preece crossed for sixth with Woody Pitkat, Keith Rocco, Ron Yuhas, Jr and Doug Coby rounding out the top ten.It is the 12th career win for Santos, his first NWMT victory at Waterford. “It’s awesome,” said Bobby about his first NWMT Waterford win. “Stevie Lemay, Sully, all these guys, they work so hard to give me a great race car. I’m pumped- it’s exciting – I’ve got to thank them a lot.”
“The long runs, we had the best car. The short runs, I think Donnie was better. I felt like I got to him many times trying to race him clean, tried multiple times to pass him without any contact - I mean, he was leading the race and he didn’t want me to pass him. I mean I wouldn’t want anyone to pass me if I was leading the race. In my opinion, it was hard racing.”“We’re excited about tonight’s win,” said Lawny Tinio speaking for car owner Sully Tinio. “It’s a tough race, tough to pass. We had a really fast car and a lot of times, it might look like it’s a rough race but we just had a fast car. Once we got around the leader we were able to check out and get it done.”
“The car was good in practice,” said winning crew chief Steve Lemay. “We went out on old tires then we went for a quick practice on new tires and the car never changed. For time trials, we were good, Bobby thinks he just over drove turn 3 a little bit, he thinks it cost us the pole but I don’t think it did, Donny was a little quicker than us in time trials. I told him if we have to give up the pole for the win, that’s what we’ll do- it just happened to have worked that way.”
“The car was good right from the start- I asked him a couple of times during the caution, he was real happy with the car.” Lemay continued, “We think we can have a real good season. The luck keeps coming and if we can give him a good car, he’ll drive this thing to the winners circle every time. It all worked out today and we’re all happy. Anytime you have to come to tech - first, fifth, it’s a good day. It’s always better when you win.”“It’s not easy,” said Lawny Tinio about the efforts collecting a second win of 2014. “Off track, there are so many hours put in at the shop to make sure the car is right. Steve Lemay, our crew chief, spends countless nights working on the car making sure we’re 100 percent perfect so that when we come to the track, it’s an easier day at the track. Bobby makes it look easy but he’s so comfortable behind the wheel – there is just not much you can say, the kid is just unbelievable. Then with Billy the Kid giving us the motors that he gives us- he spends countless hours in his shop making sure that we have a perfect motor to get us around the track and make sure we have enough power to get the job done.”
Santos is looking forward to next Saturday’s NWMT event at Riverhead Raceway. “It’s the second time I’ll be back at Riverhead with this team and we always seem to do better the second time around, I can’t wait.”Jericho, NY., modified driver Donny Lia captured his first 2014 pole at Waterford Speedbowl with an impressive time of 13.869. Lia was the only driver to break into the thirteen second range even though it did not meet the track record currently held by Jerry Marquis of 13.618. Continuing his fast pace Lia lead 130 laps of the 165 lap race. He did not lead the most important lap though - the final one.On lap 133 Bobby Santos passed Lia for the top spot. Santos had conserved just enough for the end to pass and hold off Lia. “.I was going to make a run at Bobby there but he was real good at the end. We will see what happens going forward in the future.”“I had fun. This is what I do for fun and this is my hobby and that is all that matters.” Lia confessed after the race had completed. “It was a good race. He was just a little better than us at the end and they did not get loose. But it was fun and that is all that matters.” And having fun with a pole and solid second place finish, the Mystic Missile Racing Team of Bob Garbarino can be proud of their efforts.Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT. piloted the #13 J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates modified of Robert Katon, Jr. from the rear of the pack after pitting to end the race in third. “We pitted, adjusted it, made it better and came from last while everybody kept going backwards.” Christopher stated. “The car ran good and like I said it is still a work in progress and each week we keep getting better and better.”Christopher is happy with his team, the car and the progress that they have made so far this year. “I was happy enough to finish third. Considering what we have gone through. But it gets better every week. And you do not know until you keep trying. We will see what happens at Riverhead next week.”
Justin Bonsignore will return to his home turf the current NWMT point leader - his fourth place finish edging him by two over Doug Coby. “It’s cool and all but we’re only four races in. Obviously we want to be up there in the points, that’s the name of the game, but we’re not looking at that yet. We’d like to get through Riverhead and Loudon – let it play out, the summer months are going to be tough. The 2 is going to be the team to beat it looks like every race, we’re happy we’re up there but we’re not looking at it at all right now.”“This has been a great start. We’ve made a lot of changes during the off season as everybody knows and it’s paying off.”
“At Stafford, we didn’t have restart that went our way tonight we did which got us back in contention – the last restart worked in our favor,” said Bonsignore. “That’s the game of racing, some days are going to go your way- some days they aren’t. We salvaged another top five – that’s four in a row – we didn’t have the best of cars, we were close, we’ll keep working at it – it’s all part of the gelling process. Ten more.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be at Riverhead Raceway next Saturday June 28th for the first of two visits this year to the fast New York speedway.
6-14 Sat Waterford 35 Regular SK 41 H-7th (7) 17th (19) DNF
Waterford Speedbowl hosted a jam packed crowd for its Mr. Rooter 161 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event under ideal summer weather. The track’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions supported the regional touring race with four action packed races. Ed Puleo of Branford picked up his second SK Modified® win of the season and Bruce Thomas Jr. of Groton landed his second Valenti Auto Mall Late Model feature win of 2014. Bill McNeil of Preston took his first Street Stock victory and Groton’s Ray Christian III of Groton won the Mini Stocks.Puleo was in a hurry in the night’s 35-lap SK Modified® feature. He started the race in second position, outside Jeff Gallup. Gallup fought Puleo hard as the race began, trading the lead with one another over the opening two circuits. Gallup spun off the inside of Puleo in turn four trying to remain in the battle for the lead as they raced to complete lap-3, collecting Joe Gada. Somehow those were the only two cars seriously involved and both returned to the race after a visit to the pit area.Puleo inherited the lead for the ensuing restart, bringing Tim Jordan with him to second. Kyle James followed into third and Ted Christopher to fourth as the race reached lap-10. James was all over Jordan as Puleo stretched his lead. James got around Jordan on lap-10, but when Christopher tried to duplicate the move he had to make a nice save out of turn two, dropping back to fifth. The chain reaction collected Paul Kusheba, who’s car was in distress on the front stretch with 12 laps scored complete.Puleo resumed his lead and pulled away again as Jordan and Christopher both got by James by lap-15. Keith Rocco was up to fifth position looking to carry that momentum even further into the lead cars. Some great racing by the top-five was slowed on lap-26 when Matt Hirschman, making his first start of the year, got into the turn two wall.Puleo had Christopher and Rocco each hot on his tail over the next two restarts, which brought the race to lap-31. There was no shortage of contact among the top three cars the rest of the way in a fight for the win. Puleo had to fend off Rocco’s outside on the outside over the final four laps to garner his second checkered flag of the year. Rocco was able to hold back the advances of Christopher, who stayed in tight formation over the final sprint to the finish. Behind Christopher, Craig Lutz and Rob Janovic Jr. completed the top-five finishers.
6-14 Sat Star SBM 125 Tri-Track - 13
TRI-TRACK OPEN MODIFIED SERIES PLACES RACE TWO IN THE BOOKS
Jon McKennedy Wins SBM 125 at Star Speedway
by Denise DuPont / Polly Reid
The Tri-Track Open Modified Series completed the second of its three race at Star Speedway with so much excitement that fans were on their feet as laps wound down. The big payday came down to a six lap shootout. The three lead cars that had separated themselves from the pack but saw their advantage disappear when a caution came out on lap119. Les Hinckley knew the hard fought lead he had just earned was threatened, Rowan Pennink, dropping to third had another shot at the checkers while Jon McKennedy lining up second knew he was going to get one more opportunity to show how strong his car was. On the final restart, McKennedy of Chelmsford, MA wasted no time powering on the outside of Hinckley to become the final leader of the night crossing the finish line for the checkers and the big cash payout. “It feels great,” said McKennedy in victory lane. “The guys worked really hard today. I was complaining a lot, I wasn’t happy with the car- we changed springs, everything we could to make the car better. I told my spotter, Russ Hersey, about 20 laps in, we got a race car here and everything worked out.” McKennedy started the 125 green flag event ninth, moving up one spot by lap 25. With fifty circuits on the board, McKennedy had cracked the top five and at the half was still a solid fifth. The majority of the field pitted on lap 69 including McKennedy who lined up deep in the field at fifteenth. “I thought I had a good enough car to do the whole race with the same tires and keep the balance but I just knew it would be really tough to hold off some of the cars that were putting on a new tire. So, I elected to pit, I restarted somewhere around the fifteenth position and within a few laps was running in the top five. The car was great and I knew if I stayed out of trouble, we were going to win.” Two more cautions before the century mark, McKennedy kept his car out of trouble and lined up fifth on lap 98. This restart was the game changer for McKennedy who worked his way to third and as the laps ticked off, the top three, Pennink, Hinckley and McKennedy, broke from the field. Hinckley made his move low for the lead on Pennink taking the top spot on lap 118 and McKennedy followed in Hinckley’s tracks for second. The break McKennedy needed was the final caution with six to go. At the drop of the green, McKennedy’s car was solid as he passed Hinckley and never looked back. “I had a nice launch off the corner when I shifted the gear and was able to clear the leader by the time we got to the flag stand.” “I want to thank all the fans for coming out, it’s a great night. I love racing here. To win this race is pretty special- to say I beat thirty of the best modifieds in the northeast is pretty cool. It wasn’t easy, those last 30 laps was probably some of the hardest I drove in a long time.” “It’s a great group of guys involved,” said McKennedy about the Tri Track Series. “Jim Schafer, Long Island Maniac, Kevin Rice and The Racing Guys- I want to thank all of them, this wouldn’t be possible without them. It’s a great series- I’m looking forward to Seekonk.” After sitting out race one of the Tri-Track Open Modified Series to tend to his son Allen’s needs, Les Hinckley of Windsor Locks, CT., decided at the last minute to compete in Saturday’s SBM 125 IV Modified Open feature race at Star Speedway. Hinckley was nineteenth in time trials, started his heat race fifth and wound up starting the 125 lap feature event nineteenth out of a field of twenty-four. “We did good in practice but did not qualify well. Then we just did not pick up any speed with the new tires. It kind of put us in a box because we had to do something new with our pit strategy. We pitted a little bit earlier than some other guys and strained the right rear at the end. If we had continued green for those last six laps we would have been pretty good but with every caution that we had, we wore the right rear more on the restarts. I knew that Jon had a new right rear and that he always runs good here, so congratulations to him.”
The #06 team has always run well at Star and they did not give up tweaking the car until it was dialed in enough to bring them to the front. Using the high groove to his advantage, Hinckley picked off the field one car at a time to the lead position. “Once we got the car straightened out, we passed a lot of cars on the outside and then we also passed quite a few on the inside. If you have a good car a lot of times you can gain positions quicker on the outside because guys are more willing to give the outside up and they protect the bottom more. On a lot of occasions I do not waste a lot of time trying to get underneath a guy. I just go to the outside and if it works there I get some cars. So the outside worked good for me. I passed a lot of cars thee. But the bottom of the race track is the preferred place so it is had to pass car there because drivers protect it. If you have a good handling race car, this is a two lane racetrack that is for sure.” Counting off the laps Hinckley knew the race was his as long as he did not have to defend the lead in a race end restart. Then it happened, one last caution with six laps to go and with a worn right rear he could not hold off his competition. Hinckley had to settle for second. “The last caution killed us. I told them on the radio: “I will do my best but the right rear has had enough.” We pitted early to get some track position and it just I was getting good on the restarts. I could see on the way around. The longer it was green the better it was? If we did not get that last caution I think we could have held Jon (McKennedy) off. But the caution came out and we pitted for fresh rubber and he got by me. It was a good night.” Richard Savary of Canton, Ma has competed weekly at Star Speedway in a modified and he considers the track his home track. He started one position ahead of Hinckley in eighteenth and used his knowledge of the track to secure a solid third place finish. “We had a great pit stop and got out in front of some of the faster cars like we want to,” said Savary. “Then I got myself boxed in on my own on the bottom and all the fast cars went right by me. I had to wait until late in the race until it singled out before I made my move. On the outside the car was handling well as was Chris Pasteryak’s car. So we were both just chewing on the outside and it was fun. At the end a couple of guys rubbed wheels. And we capitalized on their rubbing wheels. And here we are. From starting eighteenth I am pretty happy.” The race was 125 laps and teams knew they were going to have to pit and change at a minimum the right rear. The #99 team made a plan and stuck to it. “Our pitting strategy worked for us today. I am sure that all the guys were not happy with it. It was do you pit early or do you pit late. And it hurt some of the guys that waited too long. Like the leaders that stayed out and pitted late. They waited too long. Both Hirschman and Barrett pitted too late. We pitted with a whole group of cars, but we beat them out of the pits. My guys did a great job we were just in and out. I like the way they did the lineup this year it was much safer. Faster guys started up front in heat race. As I stated I put myself in a bad position and all those guys got by me.” The SBM 125 was one of the best modified races that we have seen in a while. Drivers were out on the track competing, strategizing and running for the win. Savary summarized the night up from a driver’s eyes best: “I thought for the fans it was a pretty good race because it was a lot of side by side racing. I know from where I was it was very busy there was no riding. A lot of races lately have been nothing but riding until a certain point in the race. Tonight I do not think I had my guard down from lap 1 to lap 125. Outside of the yellows these guys were two by two lap after lap. You were racing the whole time and that was fun racing. And it always seemed like there was someone outside, someone on the inside or someone in front of you. Hats off to the guys because there was a lot of bumping and banging but you did not see a lot of wrecks.” The Tri-Track Open Modified Series will complete round third with Seekonk Speedway’s Modified Madness on Wednesday, July 23, 2014. With a $10,000 winning purse on the line, be ready for more side by side hard core modified racing.
Race Notes From Star Speedway SBM 125 IV:
How would you say your race day was?
Les Hinckley
“I am worn out to be honest with you. It has been a long couple of months here with my son. It was good to come back to the race track and have some fun. It would have been nice to win. We came here last year after some trying times and we have not forgotten about that. This year we come back here with some weight on our shoulders again from all we have been dealing with my son. The past couple of weeks he has done much better and we feel that we have had a little bit of a load lifted from us. It is just fun to be back. I love this place (Star Speedway). It is a good little track. We race side by side with guys tucked up tight and it is a lot of fun. “
SBM 125 IV PAYOFF June 14, 2014 $46,301 (record purse)
1. Jon McKennedy $6,175 2. Les Hinckley $3,725 3. Richard Savary $2,375 4. Steve Masse $2,650 5. Anthony Nocella $1,575 6. Rowan Pennink $2,500 7. Woody Pitkat $1,510 8. Max Zachem $1,300 9. Chris Pasteryak $1,750 10. Derek Ramstrom $1,400 11. Tommy Barrett $1,475 12. Mike Douglas Jr. $1,500 13. Matt Hirschman $4,141 14. Andy Seuss $1,500 15. TJ Potrzebowski $1,300 16. Kirk Alexander $1,000 17. Matt Galko $1,100 18. Jim Storace $1,000 19. Ryan Preece $1,000 20. Carl Medeiros Jr. $1,000 21. Todd Ceravolo $1,125 22. Todd Szegedy $1,150 23. Matt Swanson $1,100 24. Andy Jankowiak $1,650 DNS: Todd Annarummo ($200), Dennis Perry ($300), Chris Bolton ($200), Jamy Beegor ($100), Colbey Fournier ($100), Rick Labrecques ($100), Josh Cantara ($$100), Mark McClay ($100), Rob Richardi ($100).
6-7 Sat Lancaster 75 RoC- 4th
A SPECIAL WIN FOR HOSSFELD IN MAC MYERS MEMORIAL RoC 75 AT ELEGANT BUILDERS RACEWAY PARK A SPECIAL WIN FOR HOSSFELD IN MAC MYERS MEMORIAL RoC 75 AT ELEGANT BUILDERS RACEWAY PARK
Racing two days in a row for the asphalt Modified gang is rare but that is what took place on the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour. After blowing an engine the evening before the Chuck Hossfeld racing team had to burn the midnight oil. Two crew members stayed up all night to pull out the blown engine and replace it with a fresh Hutter engine. Hossfeld then won a special race for him as he knew longtime Lancaster Speedway tow truck operator Mac Myers who passed away one month ago. Hossfeld started on the pole, set the pace early for the lead until getting bumped out of the lead. Hossfeld then pitted for a new right rear tire on lap 41. Hossfeld then charged back through the field and dogged leader Erick Rudolph for the lead from lap 50 until taking the lead with an inside turn three pass as the field was coming down to compete lap 71. Hossfeld then pulled away from Rudolph who was experiencing a misfiring engine to claim his first RoC win of the year. Rudolph ended up a disappointed second with Patrick Emerling finishing third, Matt Hirschman a quiet fourth, and Nick Pecko in fifth. " This race was a memorial race for Mac Myers and this past winter was a hard one as we lost a lot of good people, I lost an aunt, I'm glad to win this memorial for Mac. My dad grew up with him and I got to know him and he was a good man. “ " I had two guys, Dave and Mike stayed up around the clock, they never went to bed last night " said Chuck. " When I woke up this morning after about three or four hours of sleep and looked out the shades and I saw them still working on the car. Plus the other guys on this team they all only got three to four hours of sleep too and this was a very gratifying win, a team win for the All Metal Works, A Superior, Jerry Gradl Motors sponsored team. “ Chuck Hossfeld and Patrick Emerling brought the 23 car field to the green of Johnny Nelson with Hossfeld using a fresh Hutter powerplant motoring into the lead over Emerling, Austin Kochenash, Mike Leaty, and Andy Jankowiak.Passing behind Hossfeld was plentiful early with Leaty moving into third on lap two while Matt Hirschman and Jankowiak had their own private battle for fifth. The running order would shuffle following a lap ten restart as Leaty would move into second while Erick Rudolph moved into fourth from sixth. Rudolph would continue his charge to the front by moving into third on lap 13 and three laps later moving past Leaty for second. Hirschman glued to the back bumper of Rudolph's Ed McGuire owned Troyer took fourth on lap 14 and third two laps later. Hirschman became pretty racy following a lap 22 restart as he moved past Rudolph and set his sights on leader Hossfeld. Elegant Builders Raceway Park is known for some pretty good Modified racing due to the worn out racing surface and just after the one third point of the feature, it became very racy. First driver to show his hand was teenager Austin Kochenash who skipped his High School graduation on Saturday back in Pennsylvania to be here racing. Austin moved into fifth on lap 26 and into fourth on lap 29 and one lap later he took third. His charge to the front continued as he moved into second on lap 32. Kochenash shocked everyone as he passed Hossfeld for the lead on a lap 35 restart. Hossfeld afterwards offered his disappointment of Kochenash and the style of racing he was using on this night. " He's ( Kochenash ) has been racing this series for a couple of years and I have never had a problem with him. Tonight he's running me down in the dirt in turn three on that restart and that is how he got the lead. I don't know what got into him tonight but he acted like a compete idiot all night long. I'm not going to take that crap from him as he's messing with the wrong guy in me. "
Behind Kochenash two other drivers were drawing attention with their passing performances. Daren Scherer was involved in the lap ten accident, pitted to make repairs and he charged back through field to move into second on lap 36. Andy Jankowiak also involved in the lap ten accident was right on the heels of Scherer as he moved into third on lap 37. Jankowiak looking to win his first RoC Modified feature moved into second on lap 39 and immediately jumped to the outside groove to challenge for the lead. Behind the top two the drivers who pitted for a fresh right rear tire were starting their charge to front and this group was led by Rudolph who moved into fifth on lap 41 after pitting on lap 34. Back up front Kochenash and Jankowiak were battling for the lead while exchanging some contact and this would come into play in a few laps. After a bump Jankowiak slipped up in turn two on lap 44 and this allowed Rudolph to move into second. Rudolph with fresher tires than Kochenash took the lead two laps later. The complexion of the race would be altered significantly on lap 48 as contact once again between Kochenash and Jankowiak found Jankowiak into the backstretch wall and Kochenash being parked for the remainder of the race by RoC officials due to the contact. Rudolph was still leading with Brian DeFebo who was involved in the lap ten accident now in second with Emerling, Hossfeld, and Hirschman rounding out the top five. Hossfeld quickly disposed of Emerling and DeFebo to move into second with 25 laps to go and just as Hossfeld moved into second the leading car of Rudolph developed a problem. Just as he crossed the line to complete lap 51 the Hutter engine in the Rudolph car started to back fire with a blue flame shooting out the right side exhaust pipe. Hossfeld seeing this condition immediately applied pressure on Rudolph for the lead. Rudolph, a third generation racer has been taught well by his grandfather Jim and father Charlie on how to protect a lead. " I saw the flame coming out of the exhaust pipe when I got up along side of him " said Chuck. " His motor still ran pretty strong, I thought it would lay down but it didn't. Henry my spotter did a great job by telling me that his motor was laying down once in a while. I was joking with Erick afterwards and asked John ( RoC Official ) to measure that back bumper on that 51 car because it seemed liked it was three feet wider than it was suppose to be. Not that Erick did anything wrong but he was running right in the middle of the track, there was a half a lane on the bottom and a half a lane on the top. “ Hossfeld complimented Rudolph on how he raced him late in the race while going for the lead. " When you come out of turn four here, you are staring at the wall and you are side by side. The guy on the inside of you if he messes up it could be really, really bad for you. I'm glad to be racing with a driver like Erick who is a clean racer and someone who you can trust racing side by side with. Because it takes balls to be racing like that within inches of each other and not touching and if he makes a mistake, it could be really bad. " After trying for many laps in a row Hossfeld finally made the winning pass as he ducked inside of Rudolph entering turn three as the field came around to complete lap 71. Hossfeld then pulled away over the final four laps to the very popular feature win. Rudolph, Emerling, Hirschman, and Nick Pecko rounded out the top five.Chuck spoke about the fresh Hutter engine in his Troyer chassised car. " The motor we broke last night was so strong, sometimes you get a motor that is special and that motor was special. This one we put in performed really well and if this one breaks you won’t see me at the tracks for a while. " I've been saying all year so far that we have made some strides over the off season as our seconds have been close seconds. I know this is not our last win of the year, we are here to compete now as we are as strong as the 60 car “ said Hossfeld. Second place finisher Erick Rudolph explained that the Ed McGuire team is still chasing this motor back firing problem that started at Oswego two weeks ago. " We had this same problem going on at Oswego two weeks ago. We battled this problem all day long today and thought we found what was causing it and obviously we didn't. But it wasn't for the lack of effort and it is just one of those things we'll keep working at finding what is causing that to happen. We're not about to give up, we will find what the problem is. "Patrick Emerling used the gameplan designed by crew chief Jan Leaty to end up third. " We stuck with the strategy, stuck with our game plan, tried my best to save the car until the end. I was pretty close but not close enough to those guys ( Hossfeld & Rudolph ), Jan did an awesome job on the car. “ Qualifying heat races for the 23 car field had heat wins being captured by Rudolph, Jankowiak, and Hossfeld.
MAC MYERS MEMORIAL (6/7/14) FINISH; Chuck Hossfeld, Erick Rudolph, Patrick Emerling, Matt Hirschman, Nick Pecko, Brian DeFebo, Terry Cheetham, Bryan Sherwood, Sam Fullone, Karl Hehr, Daren Scherer, Andy Lewis, Michael LeBreche, Andy Jankowiak, Austin Kochenash, Jimmy Zacharias, Mike Leaty, Doug Reaume, Craig Dolphin, Tommy Cloce, Kirk Totten, George Skora, III, Ed Weber.
6-6 Fri Spencer 75 RoC - did not attend
6-6 Fri Stafford 125 WMT -14th
WORTH THE WAIT AT STAFFORD FOR COBY
Outlasts Whelen Modified Tour Field For 10th Career Win
It took a little longer, but Doug Coby finally took the checkered flag for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action.The race was postponed twice by rain and then Coby, piloting the No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet, had to outlast Justin Bonsignore and Bobby Santos in a green-white-checkered finish that pushed the race to 130 laps.It is Coby's 10th career win and sixth at the historic Connecticut half-mile. He took the lead Friday on Lap 7. Santos edged Coby at the line on the final restart but Coby powered back into the lead en route to winning for the fifth time in the last 10 races at Stafford.Bonsignore got past Santos for second on the final lap. Santos had won the Coors Light Pole Award when qualifying was originally held on May 23.Rowan Pennink and Woody Pitkat were fourth and fifth, respectively. Ron Silk finished sixth, followed by Patrick Emerling, Ted Christopher, Ryan Preece and Glen Reen.It’s been quite the start to 2014 for Coby since he moved to MSIII Racing in the offseason. They won on the short track at Daytona International Speedway in their first outing together during Speedweeks, and since the points season started they’ve recorded finishes of third, second and now first.“This car has been awesome every time we’ve taken it out, we’re really clicking” Coby said. “It was a move that was difficult for me to make, but I’m happy with this [No.] 2 car.”
With the win, Coby took over the points lead from Bonsignore, 132-128. Pitkat is third in the standings after three races at 123.The win for Coby also broke a streak of 11-consecutive seasons in which a different driver has won the second Stafford race on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule. The Milford, Connecticut driver also won this event in 2012 during his championship campaign.The race was slowed by caution just three times, and the first didn’t come out until Lap 104. In 112 all-time Whelen Modified Tour races at Stafford, there still has yet to be a caution-free contest.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be back in action Saturday, June 21 with the Mr. Rooter 161 at Connecticut's Waterford Speedbowl.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-TSI Harley-Davidson 125 - Unofficial Results
Friday At Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 130 laps, 73.446 mph.
2. (9) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 130.
3. (1) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 130.
4. (6) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 130.
5. (10) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 130.
6. (4) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 130.
7. (5) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 130.
8. (17) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 130.
9. (13) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 130.
10. (15) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 130.
11. (3) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 130.
12. (12) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 130.
13. (11) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 130.
14. (16) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 129.
15. (8) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 129.
16. (21) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 127.
17. (18) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 126.
18. (23) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 124.
19. (22) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 123.
20. (7) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 112, accident.
21. (19) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 112, accident.
22. (24) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 108.
23. (20) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 101, steering.
24. (14) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 81, engine.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 53 minutes 6 secondsMargin of Victory: 0.394 secondsFastest Qualifier: B. Santos (98.216 mph, 18.327 seconds)
Caution Flags: 3 for 19 laps.Lead Changes: 3 among 2 drivers.Lap Leaders: B. Santos 1-6; D. Coby 7-126; B. Santos 127-128; D. Coby 129-130.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 132; 2. J. Bonsignore, 128; 3. W. Pitkat, 123; 4. B. Santos, 116; 5. T. Christopher, 110; 6. R. Silk, 109; 7. T. Solomito, 107; 8. R. Pennink, 106; 9. E. Goodale, 102; 10. R. Yuhas, Jr., 98.
DOUG COBY DOMINATES THE TSI HARLEY-DAVIDSON 125 RACE FOR WIN
Mike Smeriglio Owned Team Gets First 2014 NWMT Point Victory
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by Denise DuPont
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The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 race was postponed twice due to rain, but finally blue skies prevailed and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) finally got the race in the books at Stafford Motor Speedway. There were a lot of green flag racing, but in the end the race came down to late race cautions, pit strategies and a chase for the checkers with a green-white-checker finish. So once again it is not over until it is over.Doug Coby of Milford, CT, took over the lead from Bobby Santos on lap 7 and charged forward for the win in the Dunleavy's Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet. “I know all the people in the stands thought I used all my stuff up early,” Coby said. “I’m sure they heard me lifting (off the gas) at the start-finish line for as long as I could because I knew it was going to happen, I knew a caution was going to come out. I just tried to save what I could. I knew that Bobby and a couple of guys behind us also did not pit, but then I saw the #51 there and he pitted with tires. So I’m just really happy (for the win). This car has been awesome every time we’ve taken it out. We are really clicking. It is a new team and it is awesome to be with these guys.”There were a lot of green laps from lap 8, to the first caution on lap 103. Coby had to pace himself while making his way around lapped traffic. “I like that, I knew that I was killing them off of turn two. My spotter by himself is awesome. He kept telling me that Bobby (Santos) is rolling me to the bottom on turn three and four and that I was killing him off of two. So I figured it out and kept doing what I was doing and drove him kike he would drive me. I know how Bobby races and I know how I race. I would have gotten aggressive there at the end if I had to.”“I think that if Justin (Bonsignore) had lined up third on that restart that it would have been an interesting deal,” said Coby reflecting on the race end. “I would have had to fend Bobby (Santos) off on the outside and Justin off with the forward drive with the new tires. We just got lucky with the scoring loop. I had a good car and it is what it is.”Justine Bonsignore of Holtsville, NY, pitted for two rear tires after the first caution came out. On the final restart Bonsignore thought he was supposed to start third, but NASCAR tour official’s decision was that he would start fourth behind Ron Silk. He thought it was just enough to throw him off on the last restart. In the end, Bonsignore still felt his team was robbed by this decision: “We were in position (for the win). But we got robbed.”Running about tenth or eleventh with 20 laps to go the #51, chem3.com Chevrolet team, needed a caution if they were going to be a contender for the first spot. “To come out here and finish second, you can’t be upset.” Bonsignore commented on his second place finish. “On the other hand, when you think you’re going to line up third and you’ve got better tires than the other two guys and you think you could drive by them with ease. I think we definitely had a good shot at it. It is what it is.”Even though Bonsignore thought the team was robbed of their restart position, they did go forward and pull out from under Santos second place. “I pretty much did steal a second here tonight,” confessed Bonsignore. “It was a one-hundred percent deal here tonight. My crew chief called the pit and that was almost a winning move. So my hat off to him and my guys on the crew. We had a real good pit stop and they got us out in a good spot. We stole one tonight but that is how you are going to be in the title fight when it gets to the end of the year. We took a so-so car tonight and we stole a second. I am really impressed and very happy with that. But on the other hand I kind of felt that we could have won the race when it got down to the end of it.”Bobby Santos of Franklin, MA started on the pole, dominated the beginning laps and then settled in to save what he had for the end. But Coby was thirsty for his first 2014 win and he held Santos in second coming out of the last caution. Then at race end Santos did not have enough to hold off Bonsignore’s charges and he had a podium finish. “I wish that that last yellow did not come out because I think that I had a shot at Doug there just needed a couple of laps to get my tires in to make a charge on him (Doug Coby),” said Santos. “I am kind of mad at myself for giving up second. I just should have settled in and finished second. I tried too hard down here and gave the spot up. Still though I have to that the guys on the team, they gave me another great race car. Since I have started with the team they have given me really great race cars. It is just working together more and more. We are just working together and getting the experience working as a team and getting better and better.”Rounding out the top five was Rowan Pennink in fourth and Woody Pitkat for fifth.
With this victory, Doug Coby took over the tour points lead from Justin Bonsignore by a margin of four points.
The NWMT returns to racing at Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday, June 21st for the Mr. Rooter 161.
Notes from Stafford Motor Speedway:
Did you know the caution was going to come out?
Doug Coby
“It was inevitable. I started to see cars that were lapping. The track gets small when the leaders are coming and there is a line of cars from about eighth to about fifteenth that do not want to go a lap down. I figured that one of them would dump where the lapped cars are or get tangled.”
You won exhibition race at Daytona but getting a points race with a new team what does that mean?
Doug Coby
“It is huge,” Coby said. “Not just that, but it’s the second and third in the other two races to start the season. It’s really clicking. It could all go away in one race, we could be awful from here on out. But the first three look pretty good. With this 14-race schedule you’ve got to win when you can and if you finish sixth one week, you finish tenth and you’ve got to take what you can get.”
Ron Silk made a move for the lead around lap 112 and almost stole the lead. What actions did you take?
Doug Coby
” I just kept my line in turn or three and just used the width of the car to keep him behind me in turn three and four.”
The next two races are short track. Your thoughts:
Justin Bonsignore
“I grew up on the bullring at Riverhead so it is definitely more of my driving style. Stafford, I love coming here but statistically it seems to be one of my worst tracks. I just do not have a great feel on it and it is tough to gain on them when these guys race here every week. And it does show. Look how good the #2 and #44 cars perform every time that we come here.”
Did two tires made a difference in your race?
Justin Bonsignore
“We needed one or two cautions at the en but there might have been one too many to get where we needed to. I am going to have to get clarification on the rule of why we were put back to fourth. I think it is because everybody completed the lap. It is what it is. Like I said, we stole one. On one hand you are going to be upset that you lost the race when you are so close. But on the other hand to get a second after the night we ran, it was a huge accomplishment.”
If you had to do it again, would you have pitted for ties?
Bobby Santos
“No, Doug run the race without tires. I think that Justin just was in the right place at the right time at the end. Like I said I screwed up and gave him the spot for second. If there was another 50 laps it would have been a different strategy but for this race the deal with no tires was the right decision.”
5-25 Sun Evergreen 75 Poker WIN
It’s no secret that when Northampton’s Matt Hirschman comes through the pit gate at any given asphalt racetrack, he’s a favorite to take the win in the Modified division. It’s also a fact that Hirschman enjoys running the “big” shows with hopes of winning the “big money”. There was no exception on Sunday at Evergreen Raceway Park and Hirschman came out with hopes of winning the $3,000 prize in round no. one of the “Poker Series” event. With nine laps complete, he took the lead from Shawna Ingraham and then took the checkers and victory in the 75-main event. After winning one of the three heat races and then redrawing the pole, Ingraham led the Modified field to the drop of the green flag. She led the opening lap over Jonathon Mandato, Chris Young, Hirschman and Todd Baer. Following a quick yellow flag in the early going, Hirschman climbed into the second spot. Shortly after, he moved into the number one slot with nine laps complete.With a four-tire rule in effect for the show, many drivers just rode for the first half of the show, including Hirschman, who always seemed to have a one-car advantage over the driver that trailed him. When the flags were crossed to signal halfway, Hirschman continued to show the way over Young, Baer, Eric Mauriello and Ingraham.The event heated up in the second half and several drivers began to flex muscle, including Brian DeFebo, who cracked the top five and then took third from Baer on lap 63. However, his great run to the front was short-lived and he was forced to pit for leaking fluid under a lap 65 caution period.With the green flag back out, Hirschman remained on point and closed out the event with his twentieth overall win at the speedway. Mauriello, Baer, Ingraham and Young completed the top five.
Heat race victories went to Shawna Ingraham and Jonathon Mandato.
Modified (75-laps) 1. MATT HIRSCHMAN 2. ERIC MAURIELLO 3. TODD BAER 4. SHAWNA INGRAHAM 5. KEN VOGEL JR 6. PAUL FRANTZ 7. JONATHAN MANDATO 8. PAT VERWYS 9. RANDALL RICHARD 10. BRIAN DEFEBO 11. WAYNE SCZERENSCITS 12. BRIAN SONES 13. DOM FATTARUSO 14. JIM BOJONNY 15. DONNY HARTZEL DNS:JASON HEARNE DQ: CHRIS YOUNG
5-24 Sat Oswego 75 RoC WIN
1. – 60 – Matt Hirschman(7)
2. – 22 – Chuck Hossfeld(11)
3. – 07 – Patrick Emerling(2)
4. – 73x – Andy Jankowiak(3)
5. – 32 – Tyler Rypkema(4)
6. – 3 – Daren Scherer(6)
7. – 66 – Austin Kochenash(16)
8. – 25 – Mike Leaty (9)
9. – 71 – Jimmy Zacharias (13)
10. - 53 – Brian DeFebo (12)
11. – 99 – Bobby Holmes (19)
12. – 14 Doug Reaume (20)
13. – 47 – Jim Storace (18)
14. – 42 – Nick Pecko (10)
15. – 24 – Dean Rypekma (5)
16. – 9 – Brandon Oltra (15)
17. – 95 – Bryan Sherwood (17)
18. – 59 – Karl Hehr (22)
19. – 50 – Terry Cheetham (8)
20. – 51 – Erick Rudolph (1)
21. – 44 –Tommy Cloce (21)
22. – 10 – Daryl Lewis, Jr. (14)
5-23 Fri Stafford 125 WMT RAIN
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) teams traveled to Stafford Motor Speedway for Friday night’s TSI Harley-Davidson 125 race. The sun was shining and teams were ready for racing even with the forecast threatening rain or worst yet lightening, hail and flooding.Bobby Santos, III of Franklin, MA., took the Tinio Racing/ImperialCars Chevrolet to the top of the charts in practice. Later on Santos earned the #44 race team their first 2014 Coors Light Pole Award with a time of 18.327 (98.216 mph) Santos now has fourteen NWMT career poles with seven of them scored at Stafford Motor Speedway. Santos also has managed to capture four out of the last six NWMT poles. “It is exciting to get our first 2014 pole. We were disappointed with our qualifying run at Thompson and the initial race here at Stafford. To come back and show that we can still get the pole was a good morale booster for everybody. Hopefully if it does rain it is quick so we can get all 125 laps in.” Santos is ready to make it two for two at Stafford. In the spring, Santos led the field to checkered flag for the NWMT NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler on April 27th win. “Starting on the pole means a lot for this race because it is possibly not a pit stop race. So track position is important.” Santos stated stressing a lead spot is key in this 125 lap race. Doug Coby of Milford, the 2012 series champion, was second fastest in qualifying at 18.403 seconds (97.810 mph). Eric Goodale of Riverhead, N.Y. was third fastest in qualifying (18.416 seconds, 97.741 mph). Ron Silk of Norwalk, CT. was four fastest in qualifying (18.420 seconds, 97.720 mph). And rounding off the top five qualifiers was Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y. (18.480 seconds, 97.403 mph). Santos will head to Indiana from Stafford. He will be racing at Anderson Speedway 500 laps in a USAC Sprint car. “Anderson Speedway is a quarter-mile track in Indiana. It is a high bank quarter mile. Drivers will be required to make a minimum of two pit stops. I have never run the race before so I am real excited to do it.”
Matt Hirschman Looks Ahead to Holiday Tripleheader Weekend
Winner of Modified Shows in Last Three Weekends Looks for Opportunity to Win Three More in As Many Days
By Aaron Creed, Speed51.com Correspondent - Twitter: @aaron_creed
In the headlines recently has been Kurt Busch, who is preparing to become the first driver in 10 years to attempt the Indy 500/Coca-Cola 600 double. While Busch’s task is by no means an easy one, on any given weekend there are short track drivers across the United States who race multiple times in a short window, often at different locations or in varying types of cars. Fitingly on Memorial Day weekend, “Big Money” Matt Hirschman looks to collect the winning check on three occasions in three states for three different teams within a less than 48-hour span.“I don't know if I've ever done three days in a row before,” recalled Hirschman. “I'd really have to think about it, but I know I've run twice in one day and I know I've run plenty of back-to-back.”;With his vast amount of seat time at each track as well as logistics, the Northampton, Pennsylvania driver sees it as an opportunity to race as much as possible.“I think it's going to work out fine,” Hirschman told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. "I think in terms of travel it kind of makes sense. We're going to Connecticut over to New York and then down towards home to go to Evergreen. I don't think it should be too much of an issue.”;First up this weekend will be Stafford Motor Speedway (CT) on Friday where he and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion owner Wayne Darling look to build on their result from the Spring Sizzler held at Stafford last month.“We just communicated some on what we had there the last time and hopefully we improve on that,” said Hirschman. “There's room for improvement. We ended up with a ninth place finish. I think we can definitely bump that up. Hopefully we bump it way up.”;Th next day it will be off to Oswego Speedway (NY) where Hirschman not only hopes to win his third straight Race of Champions event of the season, but also rides a streak of four straight wins at “The Steel Palace." However, Hirschman remarked that wins do not come easy at the unique .625-mile track that has four corners but is not technically an oval. The shorter 75-lap distance the competitors will face on Saturday evening could make things a little difficult.
“Last year we won all three and I won three there in 2008, but I went from 09, 10, 11 into 12 without winning a race there,” said Hirschman. “It wasn't that I didn't have a car that could win. It's a tough place. That race, a lot of times track position is important starting right in the heat races. Good draws can really help there.”;
On Sunday afternoon it will be the first trip of the year to a track Hirschman has enjoyed a good amount of success at, Evergreen Raceway Park (PA) about an hour from his hometown. It will also be the first time in 2014 driving Bob Horn’s No. 50 Modified, in which they won the King of the Mountain event late last year when the facility was still known as Mountain Speedway. The 75-lap show will be the first for a five race “Poker Series” in which the winning poker hand based on finishing positions will be awarded a $1,000 bonus in addition to each race’s winnings, Sunday’s top prize being $3,000 to the race winner.This is the new track management’s first big event and Hirschman is optimistic that things are going in the right direction.“I think it's more inviting than it was looking and hopefully they get a good turnout too,” Hirschman said. “They deserve it and we've got to support these tracks to keep them going.”;Through his knowledge of the bigger events and familiarity with what will attract his opponents, Hirschman shared advice with those running the show as well.“They seemed to have listened and I gave them some feedback as well about not having such a high entry fee and also a four-tre limit,” said Hirschman. “We don't need to be buying more than four tires to run 75 laps there.”;It has been a cooler and precipitation-filled start to the year throughout New England and the Northeast, and the chance to run at a more regular pace should prove to be an advantage.
Hirschman’s season got off to a slow start before his first win of the year in the opening Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour race at Chemung Speedrome (NY) in early May. He then continued that momentum into Lee USA Speedway (NH) climbing to a win from the back of the field in the Tri Track Modified open show the following weekend. After a second Race of Champions victory at Shangri-La II Motor Speedway (NY) on Sunday, he now finds himself with three straight wins in 2014.
Looking forward altogether, Hirschman takes it one race at a time.“I've won races by dominating and leading every single lap, and I've won races by a last lap pass from behind. Every race is a new challenge. I always use that saying ‘you play the hand you're dealt’ and you just come into each day with an open mind each race and go from there.”;Weather permitting, the holiday weekend will set itself up for Matt Hirschman to potentially do something he has never done before, which is saying a lot for a driver that has already accomplished many achievements in his still young career.
5-18 Sun Shangri-la2 75 RoC WIN
On Sunday afternoon in the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour 75 at the Shangri - La 2 Speedway a new chapter in the rivarly of Matt Hirschman and Chuck Hossfeld was entered into the books. This time there was just good hard racing that left the race fans asking for more of the same at the completion of the race.Hirschman who started eighth took the lead from outside pole sitter Hossfeld on lap 21. Over the exciting final 54 laps Hossfeld tried every move he knew in an attempt to get by Hirschman. Hossfeld was actually underneath Hirschman entering turn one with 14 laps to go to grab the lead only to have the yellow flag come out to nullify the winning pass.Hirschman then led the final 14 laps still holding off the relentless pressure by Hossfeld to grab his second consecutive RoC Modified win of the year by .12 seconds. Austin Kochenash drove his brand new car from 16th to end up a fast closing third with 14th place starter Patrick Emerling finishing fourth, and fourth place starter Jimmy Zacharias recovering from a lap 22 flat tire to end up in fifth."They made me work for this one today and I'm glad I got the lead when I did,” said Matt Hirschman in the post race tech area. "He ( Hossfeld ) was real strong as he had his strong corner down here in three and four and my strong corner was up there in one and two. I couldn't make any slipups today as he was real strong, he gave me some shots on the straights as it gave me a boost going down the straights.”
Tommy Cloce and Chuck Hossfeld brought the 22 car field to the green flag of starter Steve Kellogg. Hossfeld led the opening lap over Jimmy Zacharias, Cloce, Andy Lewis, and Jim Storace. During a yellow flag period on lap three Cloce pitted with right front damage ending his day.On the lap four restart Hossfeld jumped out to the lead over Zacharias, Storace, Mike Leaty, and Lewis. One lap later Zacharias drove around Hossfeld for the lead with Andy Seuss moving past Lewis for fifth at the same time." My spotter and I had some miscommunication on when I was clear of him ( Zacharias ). We talked it over during the next caution and we had no trouble after that ,” said Hossfeld.Hossfeld powered back into the lead on a lap eight restart but behind him the sudden charge of Matt Hirschman started.Hirschman who was sixth on the restart passed Seuss for fifth on the outside. One lap later he ducked under Leaty for fourth and on the next lap drove around Storace for third. Then three laps later he drove under Zacharias in turn four to take second. Following a lap 20 restart where Hossfeld got the jump on the start to remain in the lead Hirschman got past Hossfeld for the lead."No sand bagging for sure,” said Matt. "It was go time at that point and I'm glad we got through with some quick moves and it appeared at that point of the race was our strongest part of the race and definitely not as much later in the race as he ( Hossfeld ) had.”Once in the lead Hirschman and Hossfeld pulled away from the remainder of the field as they were determined to decide between each other who was going to win the feature. In addition to offering exciting racing the duo were also setting record fast laps at the half mile concrete oval.Meanwhile behind them there was great racing taking place with some impressive passing displays being produced by Patrick Emerling and Austin Kochenash, who started 14th and 16th respectively. Emerling entered third on lap 23 while Kochenash entered the top five on lap 42. Then add into the passing fancy were Daren Scherer, Seuss, Andy Jankowiak, and Leaty which made it interesting on which racing battle to watch between laps 23 and 50.With 25 laps to go it appeared that the Hirschman car lost some speed as now Hossfeld was chewing all over the back bumper of Hirschman. Hossfeld for the next 15 consecutive laps got underneath Hirschman entering turn one but just didn't have enough to get past him. Then with 14 laps to go the key point of the race took place as Hossfeld after 15 laps of trying had enough power to get under Hirschman exiting turn four and going into turn one had the inside groove to grab the lead. The joy of making the pass by Hossfled was shortlived as the yellow lights flashed on for a multi car turn four wreck and with this taking place the lineup reverted back to the last green flag completed lap, which placed Hirschman back in the lead.Matt who would like his car to be the fastest at the end of the race and in the last two races at Shangri - La 2 that hasn't been the case and that concerns him. "I got to think about it a little bit because we have been good early. Rudolph got me near the end of that race back here in the fall and he ( Hossfeld ) was basically strong in the same area today. I'm just glad that it worked out for me, it could have easily just have gone the other way. “ Hirschman then withstood the pressure packed final 14 laps to record the win, his third consecutive Sunday feature win."I really feel good,” said Matt after winning his third in a row. "Even if we came away with a second today I just feel that everyone is starting to click and things are starting to go the way they should.”He stated that he was positive after a second two weeks ago at Chemung and Chuck Hossfeld is even more positive after another second place effort on this day."I've been racing a long time and I know the steps that we have made to improve this team since last year,” said Chuck. "I started this business Jerry Gradl Motors all over again with my partner Jerry and that took alot of effort over the past few years. Now I'm comfortable with how much I've got going on, Mike Parks takes care of the car and he is more comfortable with me and I can concentrate better on just driving. I think today we showed that we can run with Matty and if it wasn't for that caution coming out we had him, we had a really good car today.”"Creeping up like this I know we're going to get our share of wins and that is what is exciting ,” said Chuck. "Today we ran wheel to wheel with Matty, we had great restarts, we have everything in place and Matty has had a hell of a run but i think we're showing that we're bringing our game to his level.”Teenager Austin Kochenash brought a completely brand new car home in third. "First time out we struggled with everything being new and once we got everything figured out this car is a lot better than our old one,” said Austin. "At this place track position means a lot and starting 16th it takes a lot to get to the front clean as you need to know when to charge and when to ride.”
Qualifying for the 23 car field had American Racer Tires heat race wins go to Hossfeld, Jim Storace, and Bryan Sherwood.Race Notes…A cold and rainy morning had teams scrambling to cover their equipment as hail fell at one point prior to the practice sessions for the RoC Modifieds…A very talented field was once again assembled for race number 2 of the 2014 tour…Modified lap times got faster as the feature event got past lap 50 for teams that had not taken any new tires…The American Racer Tire seems to get even quicker as the races go deeper into the grind…The ageless Ken Canestrari completed the entire event on Sunday after battling power steering issues earlier in the day…On the flipside Andy Lewis made his first ever start in a RoC Modified and had a strong day making his way in to the top 12 qualifiers after heat racing…The next RoC Asphalt Modified Tour event is this Saturday at the Oswego Speedway…
OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH FINISH (60): Matt Hirschman, Chuck Hossfeld, Austin Kochenash, Patrick Emerling, Jimmy Zacharias, Andy Seuss, Daren Scherer, Andy Jankowiak, Brandon Oltra, Doug Reaume, Bryan Sherwood, Jim Storace, Tony Hanbury, Ken Canestrari, Sam Fullone, Tyler Rypkema, Nick Pecko, Dean Rypkema, Mike Leaty, Andy Lewis, Brian DeFebo, Tommy Cloce. DNS; Michael Lebreche.
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Matt Hirschman had to work for this one. But a little hard work never hurt anyone, especially a young man who’s on top of his game. The second generation driver from Northampton, PA prevailed in the 75-lap Race of Champions Modified Tour event, the 2nd of 3 this season at Shangri-la II Motor Speedway.The top 4 finishers from the 3 heat races (Brian Defebo, Daren Scherer and Bobby Holmes) drew for starting positions 1-12. Hirschman wasn’t among them. Tommy Cloce drew the pole and Defebo started beside him. Based on his finishing position in qualifying, Hirschman started 15th.Defebo got a good run off turn 2 and led the field into turn 3. Cloce had his hands full with Holmes, who took over 2nd early on. On the 19th lap Hirschman made an inside pass on Jim Storace and an outside pass on Austin Kochenash and he was up to 7th. The first caution came out for a tangle involving Matt Kurzejewski, Dean Rypkema and TJ Potrzebowski in turn 3. Top 4 on the restart were Defebo, Holmes, Scherer and Cloce, but 2 laps later the caution came out again when Storace slid into the infield on the back stretch.On the lap 22 restart Defebo led the way while Holmes lost 2nd to Scherer. Three laps later Hirschman, who was running 6th, got to the inside of Patrick Emerling’s #07 and the #69 of Cloce and he was up to 4th. While Defebo pulled away from those behind him, Hirschman wasn’t done. On lap 34 he took over 3rd with an inside move on Holmes; 3 laps later he passed Scherer on the outside for 2nd.For the next 8 laps Defebo’s lead was shrinking until Hirschman had it down to less than a car length. On lap 46 Hirschman got inside the #53 and took over the top spot. Once in front it was never a runaway, as the Berwick, PA hotshoe stayed right with him.
The best battle on the track for was 4th, among Holmes, Mike Leaty and Kochenash. Kochenash got around Leaty and set his sights on Holmes. On lap 73 Kochenash had a run on Holmes and they made contact. Holmes spun into the pit wall, and the #22 sustained heavy damage to the front end. For his part in the incident, Kochenash restarted at the rear.Troubles continued for Storace, who tagged the turn 2 wall on the restart. When the final green/white/checkered took place Defebo had one more shot at Hirschman. It wasn’t to be, as the #60 pulled into a familiar place – victory lane in an ROC event. Defebo finished 2nd, ahead of Scherer, Leaty and Nick Pecko.“We came up short in qualifying and thought that might prevent a win today,” Hirschman told the crowd. Despite a tough start to the day Hirschman remains focused on the big picture, which includes defending his ROC title. “It’s very impressive to be doing what we’re doing. I’m riding a wave right now but I know it won’t last forever,” he added. The competition, however, hopes it’s a tidal wave he encounters one of these days. He and the others running the ROC Tour will return to Shangri-la II in late September as part of the Fall Brawl, the 3rd ROC event on Shangri-la II’s 2013 schedule. Drivers should consider themselves warned: “I’ll be back for the Brawl to see if we can sweep the season here.”;
Sandbagging For Wins Brings Unfortunate Bad Look To Short Track Competition May 14, 2014 By Shawn Courchesne
The first race of the much ballyhooed Tri-Track Series has come and gone, and by most accounts Sunday’s Bullring Bash 100 proved a rousing success at Lee USA Speedway.There was a quality car count, a stout group of big name competitors and a major event feel to the festivities at Lee.The most unfortunate part though was that in the end, the actual race lacked something important: Dramatic racing.It’s no knock on race winner Matt Hirschman Not even close. He played the game to win by the rules set before him and he accomplished just that.And it’s no knock on the organizers of the event. They put forth a set of rules that unfortunately based on the elements at play wth the facility and the factors in play these days with some of these events, played right into the hands of drama sapping the event.Let’s be straight up honest: Hirschman sandbagged to a win. There’s no sugar-coating that. He laid back, way back, and saved saved saved his tires on the rough tire-eating surface at Lee until he could wait no longer. Then he went to the front of the pack with ease. And unfortunately while he saved, many in front of him were in saving mode too, pedaling around Lee well below 100 percent.It’s a type of event that has become a scourge on short track racing. The one where everybody plays the waiting game, everybody tries to save, and in the end the guy that ultimately was able to go the slowest for the longest time ends up winning. Doesn’t that sound totally contradictory to what the sport of auto racing is about? The guys that was able to go the slowest for the longest time wins?That’s essentially what happened with Hirschman, who at times during the event far lost touch with even the second-to-last car in the field as he half-pedaled slowly around the .375-mile oval. Hirschman even remarked after the event that while he was trying to slow to a minimum, the leaders were slowing right along with him and running the same lap times as he was trying to go slow.Is that any kind of event to keep fans clamoring to come back for more? Ultimately, the object is to win? But at what cost for the fans?There’s few other sports where a competitor or team can essentially not even make an attempt to be competitive for the first three-quarters of an event or game and still have a chance to win at the end.Some might say that the banzai run to the front that a driver must make after using the no effort for the bulk of the race strategy makes up for the lost drama.Unfortunately, in short track racing today, with lowered car counts across most all events – including many big dollar open shows – that factor is often eliminated by a number of factors. By the time the one playing the slow game makes the charge there often ends being little or no drama left to the run passing cars because there’s few left to pass and many of the one’s being passed can’t even put up anything worth a fight.Yes, cars were sent home on Sunday, but there likely should have been more cars on the track. It would not have been outlandish to possibly start 30 cars, or even 32 instead of the 26 that did start. Face it, decades ago when there were open shows, the bulk of the field was close. That wasn’t the case Sunday with a field stretched from quality Touring teams used to competition on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Valenti Modified Racing Series, to weekly SK Modified teams.It’s no knock on those low dollar operations that were in the field, but the fact is, it changes how the whole scenario plays out in a show like that, and played perfectly into the hands of a driver like Hirschman, who knows going into the event that three-quarters of the way through the show, most of those guys won’t even be left on the track to pass or won’t have anything to even put up a minimal fight.That seemed to be the case Sunday. When Hirschman turned it on and decided to go he went from the back to the front in the blink of an eye. There was no wow factor to it. Even the pass for the lead was made to be a forgone conclusion by numerous rehashed restarts where Hirschman kept easily being Steve Masse for the top spot before another caution would come out before the lap was completed.What are the answers? Right now the solutions actually, and unfortunately, probably don’t exist in racing. More competitive cars are needed for a show like that at Lee to stop a team or multiple drivers from laying back.But until the fix is made, fans in the grandstands are the one’s that will suffer watching events where those that are the best at going slow for the most of the event have the biggest advantage at the end
Response from Matt on Facebook: It has been an interesting week following the win in the Bullring Bash 100 at Lee USA Speedway. The race that still seems to have everyone talking. We should be thankful to The Racing Guys & James Schaefer for giving us such a great event. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I take no offense to anything that was written. I feel the race had side by side racing throughout and suspense as different strategies played out. Any number of drivers could have sat in VL based on the timing of cautions. I would expect the same at Star on June 14th and Seekonk on July 23rd. Support short track racing! Thanks for all the positive comments and messages! MH
Modified Supporters Waste a Golden Opportunity at Bullring Bash Race Teams
and Fans Fail to Support Big Open Modified Event
EDITOR’S NOTE: Brandon Paul is the Northeast Editor of Speed51.com. The views which are expressed in the following column are his own and not necessarily the views of Speed51.com and/or its partners)
Jim Schaefer, better known in the short track racing community as “The Long Island Mod Maniac," is a race fan. He is a race fan that whole-heartedly supports the ground-pounding Modifieds of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Valenti Modified Racing Series and beyond. Since becoming a fan of the Modifieds, Schaefer has become very involved with teams and events at his home track of Riverhead Raceway in New York. Since the 2009 racing season Schaefer has spent countless amounts of time and money to help the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events held at Riverhead. He has sponsored teams, put his own money into the events and worked hard to obtain lap sponsors. Schaefer did all of this not as a race promoter, but simply a fan. He never profited, nor had the goal in mind to profit a penny. This New York race fan did all of this because he was a “Mod Maniac.” Over the course of the past few months, for the first time in his life, Schaefer took a break from being a fan in order to co-promote the inaugural Bullring Bash at New Hampshire's Lee USA Speedway with his friend Dick Williams. Schaefer spent countless hours online promoting the event, talking to race teams, talking to lap sponsors and working hard to make the Bullring Bash one of the biggest open Modified events in recent history as the first-ever race of the Tri-Track Modified Series. During this process of promoting and planning the event, the Long Island Mod Maniac did all the right things. His partner in the venture Dick Williams and “The Racing Guys” did all the right things. The track that opened its doors for the inaugural Bullring Bash, Lee USA Speedway, did all the right things. Now the question is this - if everyone involved did all the right things than why, in Schaefer’s words, is the likelihood of a second Bullring Bash slim? The answer is simple - those that continuously make the claim that Modified racing doesn’t receive enough support didn’t take their own advice and support an event that had the opportunity to be something special. Where else would race teams be able to find the type of money that was on the line at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday afternoon? Where else would the die-hard fans of Modified racing be able to see champions and winners from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Valenti Modified Racing Series, Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour and SK Modifieds all on one stage? The answer to both of those questions is nowhere. Walking through the pit area you often hear of Modified teams complaining about the lack of big money races for their type of cars. Well folks, you had a big money race right here in the Northeast and failed to support it. After seeing the support on Sunday, what would make any promoter want to work hard and put up a large amount of money for one of these races? Over $60,000 in purse money was made available for race teams attending Sunday’s event. Nobody leaving the track left with less than $600. Matt Hirschman, the winner of Sunday’s race brought home a paycheck of $5,800. Sunday’s 15th place finisher, Jeff Rocco, took home $3,700 thanks to the hard work Schaefer and “The Racing Guys” put in to attract lap sponsors. Karl Fredrickson of Speedway Illustrated magazine, who finished second in the B-Main feature, took home a check for $900 and claimed in victory lane that it was the largest payday he’s ever had in racing. The race that took place at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday afternoon was an opportunity for Modified racing teams to support an event and a group of people that work hard for this specific brand of short track racing. Not only that, it was an opportunity to battle the best of the best in Modified racing while having the chance to bring home some very good money doing so. Don’t get me wrong, 34 race teams at an event is nothing to laugh at. The show that those 34 teams put on out on the race track was spectacular, but this was an event that people knew needed a lot of support from fans and race teams. Unfortunately, the event received support but not a lot of support like it needed. On Tuesday afternoon, Schaefer told Speed51.com that he was very disappointed in the lack of support displayed by race teams and Modified fans, but repeatedly thanked those who did support the event on Sunday, both race teams and fans. The Long Island Mod Maniac specifically thanked the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team Boehler Racing Enterprises (the only NWMT supporting the event), as well as the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Hillbilly Racing Team for traveling from North Carolina to support the event. Speaking of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams, besides “Ole Blue," where were all the teams that Schaefer has supported for years now at Riverhead and beyond? Don’t tell me it was the costs associated with travel, as many of the teams are located within a few hours' drive of the southeastern New Hampshire track. Don’t tell me it was the cost of tires (it was a five-tire race). Don’t tell me it was Mother’s Day. For whatever reason they can come up with, these teams failed to support someone that supports them. The famous saying, “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” didn’t apply on Sunday. Although the numbers are still just preliminary, Schaefer estimated that 1300 tickets were sold on Sunday. That number is a combination of tickets sold at the pit gate, as well as in the grandstands. In order to come close to breaking even on the event after paying the purse money and the money to rent the facility, Schaefer estimated that 1700-2000 people would have had to come through the gate. 41,407 fans attended Sunday’s Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington, Texas, but you’re telling me 2,000 fans couldn’t support a group of guys trying to do something good in Lee, New Hampshire? Are you telling me that moms like baseball, but don’t like racing? We all love our mothers, but the whole Mother’s Day thing is not an excuse. It's an understanding among race promoters that any time the pit gates swing open, there is a possibility of not breaking even on the financial investment to put on the race. But, this event was for the fan base and race teams that most vocally denounce NASCAR and others for lack of support of Modified racing. Social media and Modified-related web and print outlets often fill up with fans and racers complaining of a lack of support. They had nothing to complain about with this race and still didn't support it. Now, due to the lack of support, a fan-turned-race promoter that would do anything to support Modified racing is now questioning his future involvement supporting these types of races financially. Schaefer still has plans to add $6,400 to the purse at Star Speedway’s (NH) SBM 125 event, $7,030 into the Open Wheel Wednesday purse at Seekonk Speedway (MA) and continue his support of the June NWMT event at Riverhead by adding $300 to the payout for each position. After the completion of those three races, Schaefer isn’t sure about whether or not his finances, and now his desires, will allow him to continue supporting events in the same capacity that he has in the past. Due to the number of additional sponsorships required (20-25) at $300 each, as well as his disappointment with the lack of NWMT teams at Sunday’s Bullring Bash, Schaefer told Speed51.com on Tuesday that he will not be working to put together sponsors for the September NWMT event at Riverhead Raceway. Although Schaefer was clearly hurt and frustrated by Sunday’s results, he didn’t completely rule out the chances of a Second Annual Bullring Bash. When asked what it would take for the event to happen again next year, Schaefer responded with one word, “Money." It would take a sponsor that could cover most, if not all, of the purse and the only way to attract a sponsor like that is to show that there’s a large amount of support for the event. The on-track product displayed during Sunday’s event at Lee USA Speedway was too good to be a one-time thing. People that were at the track on Sunday left happy, while those that didn’t go were left wishing they were there. What’s done is done. It’s now time for Modified fans and race teams to step up and support those who support their type of racing. If you’re a race team, show your support of these types of open modified events by filing an entry for the two remaining Tri-Track Open Modified Series events at Star and Seekonk. If you’re a race fan, pack the grandstands at the two remaining events and show your support of big money Modified races. Supporting these events is the only thing that will keep them around. Without more support these big money events filled with talented drivers could be non-existent very soon
5-11 Sun Lee 100 Tri-Track Open Series 59 - WIN
There’s a reason Matt Hirschman’s nickname is “Big Money.” Because when there is a race paying out the big bucks you can usually count on Hirschman taking home the check.But Hirschman struggled with his car throughout much of the day at Lee USA Speedway. He failed to advance straight to the inaugural Bullring Bash feature straight from his heat race and had to go to the consolation race. Hirschman said afterwards that his car was definitely a car that deserved to be in the consi. After taking the win in the consi, he started 23rd out of the 26-car field. He immediately dropped right to the back and stayed there for a large majority of the race. Even when a caution came out and others pitted, he’d drop behind them and just stayed in last place.But that was a strategy play for Hirschman. Since he started in the back he decided to stay there instead of risking damage to his car early on. “Play the hand you’re dealt,” said Hirschman. “I was riding. It’s just part of it. You just have to wait it out.”While Hirschman was riding, Steve Masse was going to the front. Masse started dead last after crashing his car twice earlier in the day. He made his way to the lead with less than 35 to go when Rowan Pennink decided to pit under a caution when Tommy Barrett spun ,in turn four.Masse was able to hold off numerous attempts from Todd Szegedy and Todd Annarumo, but when Hirschman decided it was go-time, he made pretty quick work of Masse.Hirschman took the lead from Masse twice, but both times the caution quickly came out and negated the lap. But finally with ten to go, Hirschman was able to take the lead from Masse and keep it.He had to deal with Masse and Ryan Preece on multiple restarts with less than ten to go, but Hirschman was able to hold on and take another win in a big money open show.“Sometimes strategy like this is not always gonna work out,” said Hirschman. “I’ve made it work in a lot of these shows and we’ve won a lot of these races. I want to lead lap 100. Not lap one.”Preece and Masse battled hard for the last five laps before they made contact in the final corner resulting in a hard crash in turn four. Masse spun underneath Preece and Annarumo had nowhere to go but into Masse’s 13 machine. Annarumo went up and over the top of Masse, ripping the roof right off of Masse’s car. Both drivers were unharmed in the crash.Dennis Perry, a regular in the Sunoco Modified division at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, finished third with a beat up front end. He said he was thrilled to be third because it was his first time ever racing against many of the touring drivers and he’d never run a race distance this long before.“I was worried about making the show, never mind the top three,” said Perry. “Even if Todd (Annarumo) and I forget who else hadn’t wrecked, I’d still have had a top five. I’ll take it either way. I’m as proud as can be.”For Preece, a second-place finish in his reunion with the Boehler Racing Enterprises team has him pretty happy. He started 18th and “drove my butt off” to take second on the final corner.“I’m real happy. I’m back in the 3 car and I finished second,” said Preece. “We’ve got two more races and hopefully I can come out on top in one of them.”Even if he cleared Masse earlier, Preece said he doesn’t think he would have had anything for Hirschman.“I was good in and good off. I just didn’t roll the center and he was good everywhere.”
Bullring Bash 100 Unofficial Finish
1 59 Matt Hirschman
2 3 Ryan Preece
3 21 Dennis Perry
4 25 Rowan Pennink
5 20 Max Zachem
6 73 Jon McKennedy
7 16 Todd Ceravolo
8 99 Richard Savary
9 21x Justin Bonsignore
10 79 Spencer Davis
11 25ct Matt Galko
12 92 Anthony Nocella
13 15 Chris Pasteryak
14 71me Josh Cantara
15 85 Todd Szegedy
16 57 Jeff Rocco
17 23 Michael Douglas, Jr.
18 13 Steve Masse
19 12 Todd Annarummo
20 6ma Woody Pitkat
21 46 Johnny Kay
22 9 Tommy Barrett, Jr.
23 47 Jim Storace
24 69 Jim Dolan
25 73x Andrew Jankowiak
26 40 Matt Swanson
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by Denise DuPont / Polly Reid
A picture perfect day for racing at Lee Speedway set the stage for the first 2014 Tri Track Series event with 34 cars signing in for the $5000 to win purse. Starting 21st after qualifying for the main event through the consi race, at the end of the day, it was Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA making a pass with less than ten to go, surviving three more cautions to cross the stripe claiming the checkers and the hefty Bullring Bash Modified 100 payday.
Ryan Preece who caught a piece of the final lap, final turn incident that finished the event under a yellow checker crossed second with Dennis Perry third. “This is me at my best running these short track, bullring shows,” said Hirschman about winning another open competition show. “The Racing Guys, Long Island Mod Maniac, these are the best shows you’re going to see all year, I guarantee it- here, Star in June and Seekonk in July- I appreciate those guys doing this and everyone supporting it.”“I’m going to ride the wave with these shows,” said Hirschman who wished all the mom’s especially his own a Happy Mother’s Day in victory lane. “My season got off to a slow start, no excuses, that’s behind me now. We won an ROC race last week and now here, we’re warming up.”Starting deep in the field at 21st in the 26 car field, Hirschman advanced a couple of positions by lap 30. When the second caution of the day waved on lap 47, Hirschman came down pit row with a host of other teams for tires and proceeded to linger deep in the lineup. “I made some drastic changes before the race and that’s not like me,” admitted Hirschman. “I really don’t have the experience here. You know, I was a car that belonged in the consi. After the consi, yeah, we won the consi but I was like we’re going to try something here or we’re not going to have a chance at winning today. I took some chances, made some changes and glad it worked.”A caution with 25 to go brought several more cars down pit row creating what was the beginning of a break for Hirschman who advanced to 15th on the restart. Four circuits later, Hirschman had cracked the top ten. Two more cautions, Hirschman held his position now in 8th but by lap 86 was inside the top five running 4th and by lap 90, just ten to go was suddenly in third, a podium finish in sight. The field reigned in for a caution, Hirschman lined up second and made a power move on the outside of Steve Masse for the lead only to be brought back to the line for yet another yellow. Hirschman repeated the outside muscle move three more times as trouble plagued the field behind the leaders keeping the action close. But with five to go, the green laps came and Hirschman dominated taking down a decisive win.“At one point, I’m dead last on the track but the leaders are doing the same speed as me, it’s just part of it,” said Hirschman. “To me, I feel more comfortable if I’m going to ride, I’ll take the safest place which is clear of any other cars because obviously my goal is to not battle with 18th spot at that time, it’s a moot point, you just have to wait it out. Strategy like this, it’s not always going to work, I’ve made it work in a lot of these shows and we’ve won a lot of these races, I just hope my guys remember that when it backfires sometime because it’s not always going to work. These open shows are my favorite, I love the effort that goes into them- it got exciting at the end- they usually get interesting. I wanted to lead lap 100 not lap 1 and today we had no chance of leading lap 1 so we’ll take 100.” Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT came to Lee USA Speedway for the first time ever and brought Ole Blue (#3 of Jan Boehler) from twentieth to a second place finish. Following a strategy similar to Hirschman, Preece used tire management to his advantage to save his car for the race end and ran when it was time for the hard charge. “I got a second and that was nice. We came on at the end. I was sitting back there and I knew that he (Matt Hirschman) was sitting back there too. I do not know if people thought we were out to lunch or what but I think that we all showed at the end that we had a better hand at the end. I had fun. This was my first time here and it is definitely a different strategy. I liked it. I had fun. It was nice to be back in the #3 and to give back a good finish for them.’On the last lap there were several cars making their move for second. Steve Masse had it and was protecting his territory. Todd Annarummo and Ryan Preece were hanging out in third but both wanted one more position. All three were racing hard and with such close quarters, one wrong move or slip and things happen. Masse got sideways and from there Preece was able to slide into second. “Steve Masse and I were racing hard coming out of turn three. He was basically at my door at that point and I went in hard and he went in hard and then his right front went into my nerf bar. Whether he got loose or we just both drove it in really hard. Obviously I am racing my buddy so I would not turn down into him and knock him into the corner so it was just racing. The first thing that I saw in my mirror was he was sideways. I hated that for him just because he has been working on that thing all day and he was going to have a good run. But it was hard racing. He probably wanted to finish second and I know how bad that I wanted to finish second but it is what it is.” Masse and Annarummo lost their spots and finished the race respectively in eighteenth and nineteenth.Dennis Perry of Hopkinton, RI made it into the Bullring Bash 100 through the consi race. He started twenty-second, one spot behind Matt Hirschman. Perry made the decision from the beginning to follow Hirschman’s moves and hopefully finish the race in the top ten. “At the beginning of the race we started in the back right next to Matty Hirschman and I said to myself “Ok whatever he does, I am doing.” And for 50 laps that is exactly what I did. Then he pitted but we decided to hold on a little longer and he got away from me because I got some real bad track position. I mean with 19 laps to go I was still in twenty-second. Then we got that tire and I said “We got a strong piece here guys, we just need some holes to open.” And the seas finally started parting and we went to the front.”“It is the first time I have ever been here in a modified,” said Perry in post-race inspection. “I love this track. I love a loose car and I love driving on the right rear, so this track fits me very well. Just pulling out at top ten was what we were hoping when we came here. We knew we were coming up here with a knife at a gun fight but we brought a much better piece than we expected and I adapted to this track very quickly. And we had such a ball. Unfortunately those two guys got together on the last turn. It was kind of a scary wreck and hopefully everybody is OK. It was an unbelievable race. I cannot thank the Racing Guys Jim Schaefer and the Lee USA Speedway enough. Doing what they are doing in racing for all the little guys like myself, it is the best thing that could happen for us.” This was the first of the three races that make up the Tri-Track Series. The next race will be Saturday, June 14th at Star Speedway. Then series will culminate with the final race being at Seekonk Speedway, Wednesday, July 23. The series will be paying a point fund of $10,000 sponsored by Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists of Quincy, Mass.Notes from Lee USA Speedway:
Do you think that Tire management played an important part in the “Bullring Bash 100”?
Ryan Preece
“I have heard so many different things about this place and it is true that the track is hard on the tires. There were little things that we could have done to make it better but we were about as good as you can get, for what we had today. And tire management played a big part today”.
Dennis Perry
“Lee Speedway does actually eat tires.”
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In some cosmic sense of the world of Modified racing of late, it seemed the only conclusion possible. Over the past few years Matt Hirschman has become the dominating factor in big money Open Modified shows across New England.Sunday marked the inaugural event for a special three event series known as the Tri-Track Open Modified Series, and not shockingly, when the big check was handed out, it was Hirschman walking away with it.After laying back most of the event, Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., went to the front easily late and scored victory in the Bullring Bash 100 Sunday at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H.“This is me at my best in these short track bullring open shows,” Hirschman said. “… Lately these open shows, they’re my favorites. I love the effort that goes into them. It got exciting at the end. A little crazy probably, some guys got torn up. They usually get interesting. I want to lead lap 100 not lap one and today we had no chance of leading lap one, so we’ll take 100.”Ryan Preece of Berlin was second and Dennis Perry of Pawcatuck was third.“I don’t have much experience here but I pay attention to what goes on and I pay attention to all racing, all the different series’, who’s winning, who does what,” Hirschman said. “I may not have a lot of on-track experience here, but I know what it takes to win these shows.”It was the first event for the Tri-Track Open Modified Series, which will pay a points purse to competitors competing in the event at Lee, the Open Modified show at Star Speedway in Epping, N.H. on June 14 and the Open Modified show at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway on July 23.Hirschman started 21st in the 26-car field and rode at or near the rear of the field for most of the event. He quietly started making his move to the front over the last third of the event. He was in 10th by lap 79 and up to fifth by lap 85.Hirschman went by Jon McKennedy for third on lap 88 and then by Richard Savary for second two laps later. After Hirschman made the move for second, Savary spun to bring out the caution.After three attempts to restart the event, Hirschman easily went by Steve Masse for the lead and never trailed again.“I was riding, but at one point I was dead last on the track but the leaders were going the same speed as me,” Hirshman said. “It’s just part of it. To me, I feel more comfortable, if I’m going to ride, I’ll take the safest place, which is clear of any other cars. Obviously my goal is not to battle for 18th spot, it’s a moot point. You’ve just got to wait it out. Sometimes strategy like this, it’s not always going to work. I’ve made it work in a lot of these shows and we’ve won a lot of these races.”Preece also used a late run to get on the podium, going from fourth to second over the final five laps.“We had a pretty good car right off the get go,” Preece said. “I talked to [Masse] before the race and asked him what we should do and that was ride so I pretty much rode around 20th up until about lap 50. We were just one adjustment away from being as good as [Hirschman]. That seems to be a normal thing in these open shows where I finish second to him. But we’ve got two more open shows we can try and see if we can beat him.”Perry proved the biggest surprise on the podium. The Thompson Speedway SK Modified division regular came home with a mangled ride, which included getting through a bad wreck in the final corner of the event.Coming to the checkered, with Masse and Todd Annarummo battling for third, Perry got involved and Annarrummo ended up flying over Masse’s car. Perry took the blame for the incident.“I couldn’t avoid it,” Perry said. “I gave Todd a pretty good punt. It happened. I was right on him. I tried to dig underneath for last turn and I gave him that shot. … It was nothing intentional, it was a racing deal, but I feel terrible about it.”
Sun. May 4 Chemung Speedrome Chemung, NY 75 - Win
John White, owner of Chemung Speedrome, earned a new nickname on Sunday – Gamblin’ Man. He took on a bunch of meteorologists, whose forecasts had a likelihood of rain ranging from 40 to 70%, and made the call at 7:30 AM to the RoC’s Andrew Harpell that he was going for it. Except for a cold wind, it was a beautiful rain-free day for the season opener and first stop on Race of Champions Modified Tour. Matt Hirschman (RoC Modifieds), Tim Gullo (Super Stocks), Jeremy Haudricourt (INEX Legends) and Nick Morich (4 Cylinders) won the 4 features in front of a nice crowd at the NASCAR-sanctioned facility. Matt Hirschman’s command of his car, a number of race tracks, and the overall RoC series is astounding. From the moment car #60 unloads, everyone is on notice. The Northampton, PA competitor won his heat race and drew starting position #5 for the 75-lap event. Mike Leaty, who won a heat race, drew the pole but was denied leading when Bobby Holmes made a beautiful inside move in turn 4 to overtake both him and heat winner Rusty Smith. When Leaty spun working lap 7 it brought Hirschman up to the front row and he took over the top spot, something he never surrendered. Over the course of the event, which was slowed by 12 cautions, Hirschman had little trouble holding off Holmes while Smith was in 3rd. Cars among the leaders included Erick Rudolph, Chuck Hossfeld and Andy Jankowiak. TJ Potrzebowski, who started 23rd, and Austin Kochenash (18th) were closing but some events with 25 laps to go changed the outcome for 3 drivers. Jankowiak had trouble lapping Sam Fullone’s #48 and contact from Kochenash bumped Potrzebowski out of the fast lane where he lost several positions. During the caution RoC officials assessed a 2-position penalty on Kochenash for that contact. The final 25 laps were classic Hirschman/Hossfeld, while Smith tried to hold off a hard-charging Brian Defebo and Kochenash. A late caution left the drivers with a 10-lap shootout, and Hirschman was not to be denied this one. He won, followed across the finish line by Hossfeld, Kochenash, Defebo and Jimmy Zacharias. Hossfeld was satisfied with the result, saying that they are getting closer to Hirschman. He then joked in his interview that maybe if the single ladies out there would start befriending some of the single members of Hirschman's crew then the 60 team wouldn't have as much time to work on the car.
Results:
RoC Modifieds (75 Laps) MATT HIRSCHMAN, Chuck Hossfeld, Austin Kochenash, Brian Defebo, Jimmy Zacharias, Daren Scherer, Erick Rudolph, Andy Jankowiak, Brandon Oltra, Patrick Emerling, Mike Leaty, Daryl Lewis, Jr., TJ Potrzebowski, Jim Storace, Nick Pecko, Kirk Totten, Bryan Sherwood, Sam Fullone, Rusty Smith, Bobby Holmes, Dean Rypkema, Tommy Cloce, Doug Reaume, Tyler Rypkema
Sun, April 27 Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford, CT- NASCAR - 9th
SANTOS WINS THIRD STAFFORD SPRING SIZZLER
Past NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champ Scores 11th Career Win
No one needed to show Bobby Santos the way to Victory Lane at Stafford Motor Speedway; he’s a frequent visitor. The Franklin, Mass., driver won the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200 on Sunday for his 11th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory, with six of those coming at Stafford, including three of the last four Spring Sizzlers. Santos, who started in the eighth position, took the lead from rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. on Lap 115 and battled with Doug Coby, who won the 2006 and 2012 Spring Sizzlers, down the stretch to record the win. Coby looked left, right, over and under for a way around Santos in the closing laps, but had to settle for the runner-up finish.“I knew he was a little better than us, so I was very nervous,” Santos said of the pressure he faced from Coby down the stretch. “The yellows (cautions) definitely helped. I think the race definitely went our way at the end.”On the last lap of the event, Santos used a lap car through the final turns to essentially set a pick on Coby and get just the space he needed to secure the victory.“I know that if he [Coby] was within a bumper of me that he probably could have tried something into Turn 3, but the lap car there prevented that from happening,” Santos said. “When I saw the lap car on the bottom, I knew we were pretty safe from there.”“Bobby did what he was supposed to do, he pulled up to the lap car and used it as a pick,” Coby said. “I’m disappointed, but I’m also happy. It’s two straight top-threes to start the season, and we’ll keep marching on.”Rowan Pennink crossed the line third followed by Woody Pitkat in the fourth spot while Justin Bonsignore rounded out the top five. The remainder of the top 10 was five-time Spring Sizzler winner Ted Christopher, Donny Lia, Timmy Solomito, Matt Hirschman and Ron Silk.Santos, the 2010 Whelen Modified Tour champion, led a group of five drivers with top-10 finishes to own at least one tour title. The others were Coby, Christopher, Lia and Silk.Barrett claimed his first Whelen Modified Tour pole win on Saturday and finished 11th.NASCAR Next driver and defending tour champion Ryan Preece was looking for his first Spring Sizzler victory, but engine problems spoiled his day and he settled for a 24th-place finish.The event had seven lead changes among five drivers which is the most in a Stafford race since there were 10 on May 1, 2010.Sunday’s race was the 29th time the Whelen Modified Tour has headlined NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler weekend. A third win for Santos now has him tied with Rick Fuller for the third-most wins in Stafford’s prestigious opening weekend event. Santos’ trio of triumphs has come in his last three Sizzler appearances. He did not participate in the 2012 race.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Stafford for its next event in just under four weeks. The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 is set for Friday, May 23.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200
Unofficial Results
Sunday At Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (8) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 200 laps, 66.977 mph.
2. (4) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
3. (6) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 200.
4. (2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
5. (3) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
6. (13) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
7. (12) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 200.
8. (15) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
9. (11) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 200.
10. (7) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
11. (1) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 200.
12. (18) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
13. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 200.
14. (14) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 198.
15. (23) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 198.
16. (10) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 194.
17. (26) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 194.
18. (24) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 194.
19. (25) T.J. Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 191.
20. (27) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 182.
21. (22) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 180, accident.
22. (9) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 174, accident.
23. (21) Gary Putnam, Vernon, Conn., Chevrolet, 174, accident.
24. (5) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 170, engine.
25. (19) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 152, suspension.
26. (16) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 41, oil leak.
27. (17) Richie Pallai, Jr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Chevrolet, 17, suspension.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 29 minutes 35 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.122 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: T. Barrett, Jr. * (98.787 mph, 18.221 seconds)
Caution Flags: 9 for 45 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: W. Pitkat 1-6; D. Coby 7-9; W. Pitkat 10-25; D. Coby 26-42; T. Barrett Jr. 43-49; R. Pennink 50-113; T. Barrett Jr. 114; B. Santos 115-200.
Standings: 1. J. Bonsignore, 86; 2. D. Coby, 84; 3. W. Pitkat, 84; 4. T. Solomito, 76; 5. B. Santos, 74; 6. T. Christopher, 74; 7. R. Silk, 71; 8. E. Goodale, 69; 9. M. Hirschman, 68; 10. R. Pennink, 66.
NWMT NAPA AUTO PARTS SPRING SIZZLER
Santos Surges to Sizzler Victory
by Polly Reid
Holding off a hard charging Doug Coby, Bobby Santos in the Tinio Racing, Imperialcars.com modified strategically used a lap car in the final turns of the final lap to win the prestigious NASCAR Whelen Modified Series NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford Motor Speedway.Coby crossed for second with Rowan Pennink third, Woody Pitkat fourth and Justin Bonsignore fifth.The coveted Sizzler win is the third in the last four years for the Franklin, MA driver. Notching his eleventh career NWMT victory, it is the sixth trip to victory lane at Stafford for Santos.“This is cool,” said Santos. “It’s actually three in a row for me because we missed 2012. I was with Kyle Rickey on the radio this week and listening to the intros about all the past Sizzler winners, you really realize the history of this. Winning here in general is awesome- but the Sizzler? It’s the greatest race in the history of spring.”The final circuits came down to a two car show between Santos and Coby, the duo had broken from the pack – Santos remaining solid while Coby patiently calculated when he would execute his move. But at the white flag, Santos came up to the lap car and used it to keep Coby behind him heading to the checkers.“Doug is a very intelligent racer and with someone like him behind you, the only way he was going to pass was through the grass and Doug’s not going to do that,” said Santos. “When I saw the lap car, it definitely helped. If he was within a bumper he could have tried something in turn three but the lap car prevented that from happening. When I saw the lap car on the bottom I knew we were pretty safe from there.”
“Bobby was really smart,” admitted Coby. “He did exactly what I would have done – that’s one of those deals- that’s racing, that’s how it goes.”The Sizzler was not an easy weekend for Santos and the Tinio team. Problems in the practice session on Saturday made the tight turn around to the qualifying session a scramble. “This was a hard fought weekend,” said crew chief Steve Lemay. “The car was OK in practice then we went out to do our mock time trial run and we blew off a freeze plug out of the motor. That’s a first for me in 38 years of racing.
We band aid that up to get through time trials yesterday, we got through that then the freeze plug was leaking this morning, we finally got another freeze plug in it – it was just a hard fought week.”Santos qualified 8th but was not a decisive factor in the first half of the race. Tommy Barrett, Jr. of Millis, MA who had won the pole award brought the field to green. However it was hometown standout Woody Pitkat in the Buzz Chew machine that led the opening circuits. Coby was credited with leading two laps taking over the spot with six on the board before Pitkat took it back then Coby the leader again on lap 26. Barrett nailed a restart on lap 43 to become the third leader of the day losing the spot to Pennink on lap 50.
A caution on lap 99 brought the field to the pits for fresh rubber. Pitkat had been in at lap 31 for fuel and came down again for tires. Pennink, Barrett, Ron Silk and Santos were the big winners getting off of pit row first. “We were too tight the first half of the race, after the pit stop they worked on it- the team, giving us an awesome pit stop was a big thing,” said Santos.Barrett, a rookie of the year contender, mixed it up with veteran NWMT drivers getting the lead back but his lap didn’t even register on the board as Santos made a huge effort on the outside passing for the lead and never looking back on lap 115.“I got going right away after that restart and made it happen right away,” said Santos about his winning pass. “The guys practice hard doing pit stops at the shop,” added Lemay. “And not just changing tires- we throw different scenarios at them to make adjustments on the car, they performed just flawless. I told them before they went over the wall, the car was coming down pit row, I said guys, all I want you to do is go out there and remember, if you slow down, you’ll go faster- hit your marks and you’ll do what you’re supposed to do. We adjusted the car, Bobby went out and drove it right to the front.”Four cautions littered the final fifty circuits but the possible game changer came on a restart with 20 to go. Santos led Coby, Barrett, Eric Goodale, Pennink, Ron Silk, Pitkat and Bonsignore to the line for the double file restart. Santos and Coby side by side, coming into turns three and four, the lead pair drifted up the track causing the outside row to suddenly checkup. Goodale’s strong effort was done, the GAF Roofing sponsored machine up against the outside wall. Barrett in third and Silk both taking evasive action to avoid the melee lost several spots, NASCAR officials making the call to line them up 10th and 11th for the final restart. Santos and Coby had another shot for a restart with Pennink now in third, Bonsignore and Pitkat the top five - the final laps of 2014 Sizzler was coming quickly to a conclusion.All eyes on Santos and Coby, one, two, the white flag in the air, Coby knew he had a good car, Santos knew that too. A lap car tucked down in the low groove was opportunity for Santos who timed his pass effectively shutting the door on Coby, the checkers waving for Santos crossing with a .122 second margin of victory.“I know he was a little better than us so I was very nervous,” said Santos. “The yellows definitely helped, we needed those handful of yellows- the race went our way which is really good- great job by the team and little bit of luck did it for us. Doug was better than us at the end but like I said, I’ve looked up to him since I was like five years old. And he stole I think it was a TSI race from me a couple of years ago right at the very end so I obviously had that in the back of my mind- I didn’t want that to happen again.”“I treat every race as a jewel and you have to do what you can do,” said Coby. “I think we were both a little crazy at the end trying to win the prestigious Sizzler.” Coby in the Mike Smeriglio owned, Dunleavy’s/A&J Romano Construction sponsored modified has already established this is a team to watch, winners of the Battle on the Beach in Daytona and opening the point season with a podium finish at the Icebreaker. “As soon as we put tires on I was going for broke – I know how important track position is here. I think on a longer run I would have gone by him, we would have more time to figure it out. For our team, we needed a long run to settle in and with the way the race track was, the rubber build up, the way our cars were handling, the short runs were not really good for any of us really.”Pennink from Huntingdon Valley, PA posted a strong third place finish in his Monk’s Hand Cleaner modified besting Icebreaker winner Justin Bonsignore and runner up Pitkat who crossed fourth and fifth. “We weren’t quite strong enough today,” said Pennink. “We had a pretty good car and I thought it was going to free up towards the end of the race but it didn’t, it stayed the same. I was a little too tight the first half and I thought it was going to free up and the car would come to me- it stayed the same the whole day- we ended up a little tight.” Pennink acknowledges what the finish means to the team. “It always boosts you’re confidence when you’re running in the top five, leading laps, I think our cars are stronger than ever this year and we’re looking forward to running in the top five the whole year.”Lawney Tinio, speaking on behalf of car owner Sully could not have been happier about positive turn of events. “We had a tough run at Thompson where we lost an oil line, went down some laps, we couldn’t get back on the lead lap and just had to cruise around. We came here this weekend and blew a freeze plug in practice- we were still able to pull off a decent position in qualifying, then Bobby, he just did a great job, saving his stuff and the crew, I can’t say enough, they pulled off an excellent pit stop, nice and smooth, they got Bobby out quick- we picked up a spot then after that, it was up to Bobby and he did his thing and got it done.”“The people we race with here are second to none and are just as hungry to get a win as we are. It’s very difficult to win,” continued Tinio. “Bobby is very good at Stafford and again, a big part is the team- having the team we have really helps. Everybody gives 110% and that’s what really gets wins.”Rounding out the top ten was Ted Christopher in sixth, Donny Lia, Timmy Solomito, Matt Hirschman and Ron Silk tenth. Pole winner Tommy Barrett crossed eleventh. Defending champion Ryan Preece suffered a motor issue 30 laps shy of the checkers finishing the day 24th.
Sat, April 19 Mahoning Speedway- 35 laps- 7th
A week ago during the season opener, John Markovic was qualified but missed the feature. The reason – he was rushed to Lehigh Valley Medical Center in Allentown because of an irregular heartbeat. He spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital and thankfully was released and back at work by Monday. Returning to race this past Saturday night, Markovic’s clean bill of health was put to the test. Despite having the luxury of starting from the pole, once the race got underway he competed in 35 heart pounding laps and eked out a win over Chip Santee and prior to that went head-to-head with 14-year old rookie Kyle Strohl. “Last week at this time I was in the hospital with a 250-beat per minute heartbeat and my blood pressure was way high so this is a big turnaround from then to know,” said the well-respected veteran Markovic. With Strohl flanked to his outside for the start, the pair quickly went into an outstanding duel for the lead with Markovic maintaining the advantage but just slightly. Markovic is over 40 years older than the upstart but the young lion, driving a Modified for just the second time, was wheeling alongside the master craftsman with precision and accuracy that only comes from years of experience. “Kyle Strohl is a fantastic driver and one day maybe he can drive for me,” remarked Markovic.
And as they put on their crowd pleasing race for the lead, Santee was closely trailing while clashing with Kris Graver for third. Under a lap 28 caution any chance of winning suddenly vanished for Strohl when his car lost power and he had to be pushed behind the wall. His demise allowed Santee the runner-up spot for the restart and once the action resumed he was fast enough to surge past Markovic and take the lead. Markovic was quick to return the favor on the ensuing lap and retook his position. From there to the finish he held off Santee to laim the hard earned victory. “I was just trying to take it easy. I didn’t want to use up the 44 (Strohl) and I know I did with Chip (Santee). He had a little better start on that last restart,” said Markovic, who garnered his 33rd track win. Graver, Nevin George and Eric Beers completed the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. John Markovic, 2. Chip Santee, 3. Kris Graver, 4. Nevin George, 5. Eric Beers, 6. Roger Coss, 7. Matt Hirschman, 8. Brandon Oltra, 9. Earl Paules, 10. Brain DeFebo, 11. Glenn Slocum, 12. Bobby Jones, 13. Brian Romig, 14. Terry Markovic, 15. Jim Bojonny, 16. Don Wagner, 17. Kyle Strohl, 18. Troy Bollinger DNS: Rick Kirkendall
April 12- Mahoning Speedway - 100 laps - 4
When Eric Beers climbed from his race car after winning the Opening Night 100-lap feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway, the defending track champion explained how out of shape he felt from the grind of the century run. His performance, however, showed otherwise.Without missing a beat from his record setting season of a year ago, Beers took the lead from Austin Kochenash on lap 36 then set sail in claiming his 10th win in a Mahoning extra distance event. The victory was worth a cool $4000, the largest amount ever awarded for a 100-lapper.“I am really spent after that one,” said Beers while in Victory Lane. “I realize now how out of shape I am but wow what a way to start off the season. My hat’s off to Floyd Santee (promoter) who did an awesome job putting this night together. We have a full house of fans and a super field of cars.”;After a straight-up start from the heat finishes Beers started sixth and needed just three laps to make his way into the top five.Pole sitter Rick Kirkendall jumped into the early lead with Matt Hirschman and Kochenash running a close second and third respectively. Next in line came Roger Coss.Through the beginning laps Kirkendall was holding off repeated attempts by Hirschman and Kochenash. But, a game changer took place while under a lap 14 caution. Scott Meckes brought out the yellow when he dumped liquid in turn three. During the extended cleanup Hirschman had to pit for a right front flat. A few moments later Kirkendall when off after overheating.That allowed Kochenash to advance to first place with Beers second. When the race resumed Kochenash was firm and looking to repeat his Opening Night win from a year ago. Beers, though, had other thoughts as by lap 20 he went to the high side and began a torrid side-by-side battle for the lead.Kochenash was holding his line and made Beers work hard on every lap they raced together. Beers even backed off a time or two in order to refocus his route of attack but it was soon evident that if he was going to complete the pass it had to come from the outside lane. He again took to the high road and this time used a surge of momentum to leap by and take the lead as 36 laps went into the books.“Austin (Kochenash) is always tough to pass especially at this place. We ran clean and I’m sure the fans got a thrill from how close we were. It was just good hard racing which is what you get here. This is why we don’t run the (NASCAR) Whelen Modified Tour anymore, we love being back here at Mahoning,” said Beers, who won for the 37th time at Mahoning.Once in the lead there would be no stopping him. That included a late caution with eight laps to go. Kochenash knew that would be perhaps his last chance at Beers on the restart but it was to no avail as the champ showed no signs off backing off and went on to score the win.“Second was good tonight especially when you look at all the cars here and the competition,” said Kochenash. “We just didn’t have the car to run with Eric (Beers). He drove a great race. That last restart was a chance to get him but I had used up a lot on the previous restart.”;
Modified Feature Finish (100 Laps): 1. Eric Beers, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Nevin George, 4. Matt Hirschman, 5. Roger Coss, 6. Don Wagner, 7. Brian DeFebo, 8. Kris Graver, 9. Earl Paules, 10. Shawna Ingram, 11. Brian Romig, 12. Chip Santee, 13. Glenn Slocum, 14. Rick Kirkendall, 14. Todd Baer, 15. Jason Zatsko, 17. Scott Meckes, 18. Terry Markovic, 19. Troy Bollinger, 20. Kyle Strohl
DNS: John Markovic DNQ: Tony Zatsko, Eric Mauriello
Sun, April 6 Thompson Speedway Thompson, CT- NASCAR - 11
Wins at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park don’t come easy and Justin Bonsignore earned a hard-fought one on Sunday. The 26-year-old from Holtsville, N.Y., outdueled pole sitter Woody Pitkat for the win in the Icebreaker 150 presented by Town Fair Tire. Pitkat was poised for his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory, but Bonsignore made the decisive pass through Turn 4 with just nine laps to go en route to the season-opening triumph. “We had a great car, I was just hoping I wasn’t going to be the guy to mess it up in the last 25 laps,” Bonsignore said. “I knew I had a little bit better car and I kind of had to be aggressive, but everybody knows how it goes here at Thompson – the bottom shot is the only way you’re going to get by.” Pitkat, who won his first Coors Light Pole Award in Saturday’s qualifying, came up just short in his bid for a first Whelen Modified Tour win and finished second for the third time in his career. Doug Coby, last season’s runner-up in the championship standings, crossed the line in third followed by rookie Timmy Solomito in fourth. Eric Goodale rounded out the top-five finishers in the kick-off event for the tour’s 30th season. Ron Yuhas Jr., Ron Silk, 13-time Thompson winner Ted Christopher, defending tour champion Ryan Preece and rookie Jimmy Zacharias completed the top 10. Sunday marked Bonsignore’s first Icebreaker 150 victory, and the fourth of his Whelen Modified Tour career overall. Bonsignore’s second tour victory also came at Thompson in September 2012. His previous best Icebreaker finish was a fifth-place effort in 2011. Despite once again coming up one spot shy of that elusive first Whelen Modified Tour victory, Pitkat kept a positive attitude following the race. “I think there was a little more added pressure maybe because we came out and led practice and won time trials, and now you want to go out there and win the race,” Pitkat said. “We tightened it up just a little bit too much. We’re here to learn – we’re a new team – and that’s what we learned.” The cars of Bonsignore and Pitkat were both powered by the NASCAR-approved spec engine. Sunday marked the third time in the last three seasons a Whelen Modified Tour victory was earned with the engine package, including the last two Thompson races.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to action on Sunday, April 27 for the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
1. (2) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 73.481 mph.
2. (1) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
3. (14) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
4. (12) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
5. (10) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
6. (13) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (17) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (11) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
9. (4) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 150.
10. (15) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
11. (7) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (21) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 150.
13. (16) Rob Fuller, Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
14. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
15. (19) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
16. (22) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
17. (6) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 148.
18. (9) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 142.
19. (24) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 136.
20. (8) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 135, steering.
21. (3) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 123, accident.
22. (5) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 116.
23. (25) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, ignition.
24. (18) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 95, engine.
25. (23) T.J. Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 19, oil pressure.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 16 minutes 33 seconds Margin of Victory: 0.589 seconds Fastest Qualifier: W. Pitkat (120.167 mph, 18.724 seconds)
Caution Flags: 7 for 36 laps. Lead Changes: 7 among 4 drivers. B W. Pitkat 1-16; J. Bonsignore 17-20; R. Pennink 21-78; W. Pitkat 79-99; J. Bonsignore 100; D. Lia 101-123; W. Pitkat 124-141; J. Bonsignore 142-150. Standings: 1. J. Bonsignore, 47; 2. W. Pitkat, 43; 3. D. Coby, 41; 4. T. Solomito, 40; 5. E. Goodale, 39; 6. R. Yuhas, Jr., 38; 7. R. Silk, 37; 8. T. Christopher, 36; 9. R. Preece, 35; 10. J. Zacharias, 34.
Polly Reid with contributions by Denise DuPont
Making a run for the checkers, Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, NY dove low into turns three and four passing Woody Pitkat with eight circuits remaining on the board emerging the new and final leader to win the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Icebreaker 150 presented by Town Fair Tire at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
Woody Pitkat who set fast time starting on the pole crossed for second with Doug Coby third, Timmy Solomito fourth and Eric Goodale fifth. “Great car, I was just hoping I wasn’t the guy to mess it up the last 25 laps,” said Bonsignore after parking his Ken Massa owned, Chem3.com sponsored modified in victory lane, his second win at the historic CT speedway, his fourth career NWMT win overall. “I kind of knew I had a little bit better car and kind of had to be a little aggressive but everyone knows how it goes here at Thompson, the bottom shot is the way you’re going to get by. I can’t say enough about the M3 guys, SPAFCO, Robert Yates spec engine- this is going to be the year.” Woody Pitkat in the Buzz Chew owned modified had already had a head turning weekend being at the top of the charts during practice then setting fast time collecting his first career Coors Light Pole award behind the wheel of his new ride. The Stafford, CT driver led the field to green with Bonsignore second, Donny Lia, Ryan Preece and Rowan Pennink the top five. The first caution waving on lap seven brought Preece down pit row, the defending champion in early for adjustments. Pitkat picked up where he started leading the way with Bonsignore making a his move for the lead completing the pass on lap 17 only to have Pitkat battle back meanwhile Pennink made his move low in turn three to become the third leader of the afternoon just a tick over 20 laps into the Icebreaker. Pennink in the Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner sponsored modified remained dominant through the next caution and at the half Pennink led Pitkat, Solomito, Bonsignore and Ron Yuhas, Jr the top five. Pitkat was not to be denied and made his move for the top spot taking it over on lap 79. Pitkat put distance between himself and Pennink until suddenly four laps shy of the century mark, the caution waved for Pennink hard into the turn thee outside wall the car slowing before snapping around. Pennink ok, the red flag came out for the cleanup. Pit row became a hub of activity as teams pitted under yellow with Glen Reen the first car back out. Lia who had pitted on lap 57 under yellow, inherited the lead with Matt Hirschman, Keith Rocco and Rob Fuller the top five. Lia in the Mystic Missile became the new car to beat, Hirschman in second kept the pace with Lia meanwhile Pitkat who restarted 8th after the pit stop was on the move- forward. The field closed up for a yellow on lap 113, the restart keeping the action close. Pitkat took over second on lap 118 and with his eyes on the top spot, made his move passing Lia low going into turn one. But the momentum Pitkat was carrying into the turn, there was contact and Lia was sent up the track hitting the turn one outside wall, Lia’s afternoon done. The restart key, 21 to go, Pitkat lined up with Bonsignore, Hirschman, Yuhas, Jr, Solomito and Coby the top six. Pitkat and Bonsignore side by side, Pitkat edged out for the lead only to have Bonsignore battle back side by side again. The action was pulled back to yellow for a spin in turns one and two for Wade Cole and Patrick Emerling. The stage was set for a 12 lap dash to the finish. Pitkat, Bonsignore, Yuhas, Jr, Coby and Hirschman the top five came around for the green. Coby battled for third taking the spot with ten to go and one lap later, Bonsignore made his winning move under Pitkat in turn three completing the pass coming out of four.
Once out front Bonsignore remained solid and at the checkers it was Bonsignore, Pitkat coming up a little short in second with Coby who started 14th crossing for third followed by Solomito, Goodale, Yuhas, Jr, Ron Silk, Ted Christopher, Ryan Preece and Jimmy Zacharias the top ten. “We had a lot of confidence coming out of Florida,” said Bonsignore. “Some people say it’s not that important down there, not a lot of cars but a win is a win- it gets the morale up on the team, gets my morale up and shows that I can still do this. This is the same car we had in Florida. We knew what we had down there and we wanted to prove it wasn’t a fluke, it was all legit. Florida was a big boost in itself, just getting comfortable in a new car and I’ll be the first to tell you, I wasn’t sure how it would go this year. We didn’t know if there would be a learning curve with me and Bill (Michael) learning each other as crew chief and driver, we didn’t know how the spec motor would come out and didn’t know how the SPAFCO would come out but everything is clicking right now. It’s a start of hopefully a great year for us. I can’t wait to go to Stafford.”
“I think there was some added pressure because we came out and we were fastest in practice, won time trials now you want to go out and win the race, do the best you can,” said Pitkat. “We tightened it up just a little bit too much when we pitted– that’s what we’re here to do is to learn, we’re a new team. I can’t thank these guys enough, they had a phenomenal pit stop, we came out and gained some positions and I drove my butt off, we were just a little bit too snug. Obviously it was a little frustrating when you come here and you win practice, win time trials and you get a little added extra pressure on you to try and win. I was a little antsy after the pit stop to get back up there and run with those guys. It is what it is, it’s a great start. The car is in one piece we can work on it and make it faster. We led some laps, we did prove I could run up front and qualify which everyone says I don’t do well at. I shouldn’t be down because it was a great start to the season and a great finish. I can’t thank Buzz and Bryan Chew enough for giving me the opportunity. We’ll go to Stafford and see what we can do there. Congrats to Justin and those guys, they had a stout piece.” “I’m really happy with this car,” said Coby about his new ride in the Mike Smeriglio owned, Dunleavy’s Repair/A&J Romano Construction sponsored modified. “These guys worked hard all weekend I mean we didn’t have the best car in practice, we kept working at it, we kept communicating, of course this is new for us. I’m really proud of my guys. This is my best finish ever in the Icebreaker. This was a huge deal for us. Obviously it is a huge deal for Woody as well the two of us being with new teams. We’re going to Stafford with a lot of confidence.” “I think it feels good to back up what we did in Florida,” said Bonsignore’s car owner Ken Massa referring to their two wins at New Smyrna Speedway in February including the Richie Evans Memorial 100. “Not to take away anything from those guys but this is Tour, it’s the big league, so for us, it makes us feel good. We made three big changes for this year- number one, crew chief, Bill Michael. Two, the SPAFCO Chassis and three, the Yates Motors. Two out of the three were easy to change- the engine and the crew chief. With the crew chief change, Bill suggested SPAFCO and I said, why not?” Ken Barry who is helping the team confirmed the last time a SPAFCO chassis won a NWMT race was ‘somewhere around 2003 or 2004 with Mike Stefanik.’ Taking over as crew chief this year, Bill Michael could not be happier for his team. “It’s great getting our first Tour win. I was out in the infield pacing back and forth for a while there, I figured after Florida it wouldn’t be so bad. It’s a great feeling, it really is.” “Woody had a great car all day, the 4 car and Rowan were great too, they just had some bad luck,” said Michael. “Then it was between us and Woody. We just had to tell Justin to be patient over the radio and pick a spot for him to make his pass and make sure when we did it that it was clean. Fortunately the car was right and he was able to do that.” Michael is not new to the team, he started working for Massa last year full time just not as the crew chief. “This year he gave me the opportunity to be the crew chief and so far, so good. We had a lot of guys step up this year, we’ve been practicing pit stops in the shop and they’ve been non-stop working on the car. We can’t do this without those guys.”
Michael used to work for SPAFCO thus the chassis connection. “This is actually my car. I started to build it - I got to the frame and a little past the frame point of it and I just couldn’t do it on my own so it actually sat on jack stands the last year and a half then finally I talked to Ken. He was thankful to give it a try -I would build it during the nights and Kenny (Barry) would give me a hand. So far, I think Ken is happy about it, hopefully we’ll do the same thing at Stafford.” “We’ve got a great team,” said Massa. “It’s our fifth year on the Tour. If we want to win the championship, we have to put it all on the line.” The NWMT action will continue on Sunday April 27th for the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Thank you to The Chrome Horn’s Denise DuPont for her reporting additions here of the Icebreaker.
Timmy Solomito
Solomito of Islip, NY started 12th and finished fourth, the top finishing rookie.
“We had a good day and really everything went as planned. You do not have many days like that. Our deal was to get out there and get the best track position that we could. We came in and did just a two tire stop to keep our track position or to maintain it. We tightened the car up a little bit too much for the second run. The stagger did not open up. It was a great car all day. There are awesome guys on the crew and I could not do it without them. It was a pretty smooth race. You do not realize how rough that it does get up front until you are up there. When those guys start going in harder you start going in harder, and if you don’t you get run over. It is definitely a big learning curve for someone like me. I think this is only my fifth start on the Tour here at Thompson. It was pretty wild and I am happy to come out of here with a fourth. That way we can build on it and we will be at Stafford for the Sizzler now.” “I would love to run the full season, but we are really focused on running Riverhead which is our home track. As of now we are going to do the full season there. But whatever does not conflict with Riverhead we will be at as long as sponsorship prevails. It is tough though. Right now I am running my family car and I also drive for Wayne Anderson. And we can always use sponsors. Hopefully someone out there sees that and gives us a hand.”
Where some of the incidents starting happening up front what went through your mind?
“You just hope that does not happen to you. They do not know you. They do not know how you drive. And they are not afraid to push you around. I think that I gained some respect today and that is a big part of racing, I think that they have seen that we can run with them. Hopefully this carries some momentum for us to Stafford and I have only been there twice. So that is another learning curve. But I gained respect from these guys today and that is the main part so I am really happy about that. You learn so much racing up front with the experienced Tour drivers. It was just cool to be up there with them.”
Eric Goodale
Goodale of Riverhead, NY crossed the line fifth after taking the green tenth.
“We had a really good car but we just could not get in the right lane all day. We had probably a third place car today. And I am really happy that we came out of here, the first race of the year in a fifth place finish. It was our best finish ever for the first race in the year. So we will keep our heads high and we will get ready to go to Stafford in a couple of weeks.” “There were multiple chances for today’s accidents to be right around where I was so I was real happy that they were not right in front of me.”
Ron Yuhas. Jr.
Yuhas, Jr of Groton, CT held his own qualifying thirteenth and strong at the end of the Icebreaker running in the top three was held up in the final two restarts, finishing sixth.
“We really needed this. It is a great pick me up for the whole crew. They worked hard to get this car ready. Two weeks ago it was a bare chassis sitting there. We actually were not going to bring this car. We were going to bring the car that we ran last year. And then the decision was made to get this car together after practice was rained out. The guys worked really hard to get it swapped over and ready for today. I am just excited on how the car handled and just reacted to everything we did to it.” “Racing today was typical Thompson racing. You get the guys run down in the corner and drive it in or to break the guys momentum on the outside. It is normal for here so you kind of know that it is going to happen. So you just hope that they do not get too bad and you get caught up in somebody else’s mess.”
Final New Smyrna Championship Standings
1. Silk
2. Preece -3
3. Goodale -9
4. Hossfeld -17
5. Hirschman -25
Friday, February 21-9th
The final event for the Tour-Type Modified division during the New Smyrna World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing came down to the wire on Friday night. While it appeared that Ron Silk had command of the field for much of the 100 lap race, his peers reeled him in and made the pass for the lead in the closing laps.
The driver who ended up on top was Thursday night winner Justin Bonsignore, who had to climb from toward the rear of the field after qualifying was rained out and the lineup was set by current points.Bonsignore passed fellow Long Islander and 2012 Richie Evans Memorial 100 winner Eric Goodale for the win coming to two laps to go. The thrilled Bonsignore talked about the final pass after the race."I got a hell of a run off of two the time I did get him and we went down and he kind of squeezed me a little bit onto the apron," Bonsignore recapped. "We touched a little bit, but god short track racing and luckily neither of us wrecked and we were able to hold on and drive away a little bit so he couldn't put the bumper on back to us."Goodale started from the pole after a three car invert, but lost the lead to Silk on the start. Goodale steadily followed the 2013 Richie Evans Memorial 100 winner's line for several laps, and decided to start making his move with around 20 laps to go. By lap 85 Goodale was the new leader, but the No. 51 of Bonsignore was catching him. The contact between the two late was attributed to hard racing among well respected drivers."I passed Ronnie and I tried to get as far away from him as I could, but (Bosnignore) seemed like he made easy work of the (Silk) car and there was about ten to go and he really started to pressure me," Goodale said. "He just had a ton of top end speed in that car, and I went for the block going down the backstretch and into three and he was already underneath me. We made a little contact there, and we were both racing for the win. He drove a hell of a race. I'll give him credit for that."Silk looked like the car to beat early on as the field strung out during long green flag runs. However, the car would begin to fall off in the closing laps. Lucky for him, the points leader coming into the race, 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece, fought his Modified to an eighth place finish leaving Silk to being awarded the week-long championship."We just didn't have enough tonight, but it's definitely a great way to start off the season with a Speedweeks championship and hopefully we can build off that and have a good year," Silk said.
Hirschman finished 9th.
1. Justin Bonsignore
2. Eric Goodale
3. Ron Silk
4. Chuck Hossfeld
5. Doug Coby
6. Rob Fuller
7. Spencer Davis
8. Ryan Preece
9. Matt Hirschman
10. Al Ermmarino
11. J.R. Bertuccio
12. Jimmy Zacharias
13. Patrick Emerling
14. Brendon Bock
15. Cole Powell
16. Tommy Barrett Jr.
17. Dylan Kopec
18. T.J. Zacharias
Thursday, February 20-19th
Justin Bonsignore nailed a restart in the early going to edge out Matt Hirschman for the lead and never looked back. While Bonsignore in the Ken Massa owned, chem3.com sponsored modified had to survive one more restart, the Holtsville, NY driver was not going to relinquish the position and cruised to a convincing victory at the 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.“This is awesome,” said Bonsignore. “We’re down here just learning with the new car, new engine and when you have a run like we did last night, it gets everybody down. It’s awesome to bounce back tonight.”Matt Hirschman followed for second, Ron Silk third, Ryan Preece fourth and Tommy Barrett fifth.Hirschman was later disqualified for a left side weight infraction bumping Patrick Emerling up to a top five finish for the night. Chuck Hossfeld, Eric Goodale, Cole Powell, Spencer Davis and JR Bertuccio completed the top ten.Hirschman led the 18 car field to green in the 35 lap Tour type modified main event. Bonsignore on the outside was immediately challenged by Ryan Preece on the inside but Bonsignore held his own.The first yellow flag waved on lap five for an incident in turn two involving Al Emmarino.On the restart it was Hirschman at the point, Bonsignore, Hossfeld who had just taken third from Preece now in fourth and Goodale the top five.Coming off of turn four, the leaders side by side going to green, it was Bonsignore at the line with the edge, Hirschman, Bonsignore the becoming the new leader of the night.The field was quickly reined in for another caution involving Jeremy Gerstner in the turn one outside wall.Bonsignore, Hirschman, Hossfeld, Barrett, Preece, Jimmy Zacharias, Goodale, Emerling, Ron Silk and Powell the top ten on the restart came around for the green on lap 7.At the half way point of the 35 lap feature, Bonsignore was beginning to stretch his lead over Barrett in second, Hirschman third, Hossfeld fourth and Silk who had just cracked the top five.At lap 20, Hirschman passed Barrett for second and three circuits later it was Silk taking the third place spot from Barrett.
With five to go Bonsignore had a significant lead over the field with Hirschman unchallenged in second, Silk, Barrett and Preece the top five.At the checkers Bonsignore captured the win with Hirschman, Silk, Preece who passed for fourth on the white flag lap and Barrett fifth.“I’m not sure if Matt missed a shift or not, we launched pretty even,” said Bonsignore about the early restart that gave him the edge for the lead. “I grabbed high gear and he wasn’t there anymore. We had a good car, we were a little tight to start with which is what we wanted. The car came around at the end and we were able to build a nice comfortable lead and just kind of take it easy at the end. Luckily there were no late restarts.”“We had a problem in qualifying,” said Silk referring to his ninth place starting position. “We had a valve stem leaking on a right rear tire so we timed with no stagger- that put us in the back. The car was pretty good, not as good as it has been, we missed a little tonight but to start ninth and get to third is good. There were a couple of cautions in the beginning but I never made up any ground- I actually lost ground in all those- on that last restart I was still ninth. Once we got strung out I could maneuver through the field and get to third. We’ll see what happens tomorrow, hopefully it doesn’t rain.”
“I was trying to get everything I could,” said Preece. “It seemed like some guys had good cars early and some had good cars late. Ronnie and I, our cars were really good late in the race - I think we’ll be good in the 100 lapper. We’re still learning some things- we’re definitely making gains and having fun, it’s been a good speedweeks.”
1 Justin Bonsignore 51
2 Ronnie Silk 6
3 Ryan Preece 40
4 Thomas Barrett Jr 22
5 K.P.L. Racing 07
6 Charles Hossfeld 22H
7 Eric Goodale 58
8 Cole Powell 73
9 Spencer Davis 79
10 JR Bertuccio 2
11 Jimmy Zacharias 71
12 David Sapienza 36
13 Jony Kay 46
14 Al Ermmarino 3
15 Dylan Kopec 79X
16 GMR Motorsports 70
17 Mike Bologna 21
18 TJ Zacharias 11
19 Matt Hirschman
Wednesday, February 19- 5th
Ron Silk of Norwalk, CT continued his dominating performance in the Tour type modified division at the 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Racing at New Smyrna Speedway leading nearly the entire John Blewett III Memorial 76 lap event taking down his third victory of the week.Ryan Preece crossed the line second, Tommy Barrett third, Eric Goodale fourth and Matt Hirschman the top five.“Our car was great right from the beginning,” said Silk about the Ed Partridge owned, TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm sponsored modified. “We really haven’t done a whole lot to it- it’s been a fun week so far.”Silk set fast time earlier in the afternoon but Tommy Barrett led the field to green after the top two positions were inverted. Barrett in the Robert B. Our/Cape Cod Aggregates/Canto Paving/Northeast Race Cars led the 17 car field to green with Silk on the outside, Preece, Chuck Hossfeld and Matt Hirschman the top five.Barrett and Silk ran side by side for the first circuit before Silk dropped in line with Preece, Hossfeld and Justin Bonsignore the top five. Silk made his successful bid for the lead going low under Barrett heading into turn three emerging the new leader by lap 3.As the green run continued, the field stretched out around the track in single file and at the half it was Silk at the point with Preece making gains in second, Barrett, Bonsignore, Goodale, Hossfeld, Hirschman, Jimmy Zacharias, Spencer Davis and Patrick Emerling the top ten.As Silk, Preece, Barrett and Goodale remained consistent up front, a heated battle for fifth between Bonsignore, Hossfeld and Hirschman with 15 to go was settled five circuits later with Hossfeld passing for the spot taking Hirschman with him. Hirschman kept the momentum going taking fifth from Hossfeld one lap later.At the checkers it was Silk winning the 76 lap JB III Memorial with series point leader Ryan Preece second, Barrett with his first podium finish third, Goodale and Hirschman the top five.
“Barrett looked like he was getting snug in the center, waiting to get back to the gas,” said Silk about setting up for the pass for the lead. “He got me on the start and I got up in the marbles on the right side a little bit so instead of trying to fight back I got in line. He was struggling getting through the center so I was able to turn under him and get by him. From there, I just rode for a long time, Ryan was second, I’m sure he was just riding too, keeping the same distance, I’m sure he was waiting for a caution at the end so he could try and race- it never came- it worked out for us.”“It means a lot to win this race,” said Silk about taking the checkers in the JB III Memorial. “I won this race with the Hill’s in 2009, so it’s cool to win it again. I’m good friends with Jimmy – I was just starting to come around in racing when we lost John but I did get to know him a little. I always had a lot of respect for John and it’s pretty cool to win a race in his honor.”“Ronnie and I just had really dominate cars tonight,” said Preece. “It was early in the race and I was just being patient, taking my time, I knew I had such a good car early on. Ronnie had me beat a little bit on the long run, I think we were both just riding there the longest time, being consistent and when it came time to go, he had a little bit more in him than I did. That’s something we can work on and that’s something we can look forward to in the 100 lapper. This is the first night we ran this set up- it was nice to get a good showing out of it. I’m looking forward to the 100 laps. We’ll make some good changes and keep moving forward.”“Feels great,” said Barrett about collecting his first podium finish of the week. “We’re a new team, we’re down here to get the bugs out of car, out of me, hopefully the team will get a chance to gel a little better so hopefully we won’t have to do that from the Icebreaker on. Brad Lafontaine said you have to walk before you run, we’re headed in the right direction.”Jimmy Zacharias crossed the stripe for sixth with Chuck Hossfeld, Spencer Davis, Justin Bonsignore, Rob Fuller and Patrick Emerling the top ten.
1 6 Ron Silk 75
2 40 Ryan Preece 75
3 22b Tommy Barrett Jr 75
4 58 Eric Goodale 75
5 59 Matt Hirshman 75
6 71 Jimmy Zacharias 75
7 22 Chuck Hossfeld 75
8 79 Spencer Davis 75
9 51 Justin Bonsignore 75
10 15f Rob Fuller 75
11 07 Patrick Emerling 75
12 2 JR Bertuccio 75
13 88 John Beatty 75
14 70 Jeremy gerstner 74
15 79k Dylan Kopec 12
16 21 Mike Bologna 5
17 11 TJ Zacharias 4
Sunday, February 16- 3rd
Earlier in the afternoon when speaking with Eric Goodale from Riverhead, NY there was a quiet determination about what they wanted for the end result that evening- a win. And when the checker flag waved at the end of 35 laps, it was Goodale in the Heritage Wide Plank, Riverhead Building Supply Penske Shocks sponsored modified crossing the stripe for the victory in the 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.“We had such a bad night last night- my crew really needed a pick me up,” said Goodale who survived the caution filled event.Following Goodale across the line was Ron Silk, Matt Hirscman, Andy Seuss, Ryan Preece and Spencer Davis.Silk who dominated the first two nights of racing was leading the event when with 15 to go, under caution, had to suddenly pit for a left front flat. Silk came through the field to finish a solid second but was later disqualified for an unapproved tire change.Goodale qualified fourth in time trials but started on the pole when the top four were inverted. Lining up next to Goodale was Ryan Preece, Tommy Barrett, Ron Silk, Chuck Hossfeld and Matt Hirschman the top six.
Preece jumped out into the lead at the green - Goodale tucked in behind Preece - it took six circuits but Goodale made his move to become the new leader. By lap ten, Goodale led Silk, Barrett, Preece and Hirschman.Two circuits later, Silk got a run out of turn two, went low into turn three and out of turn four completed the pass on Goodale to become the new leader of the night.At the half way mark the first caution waved closing up the field. Silk led the restart with Goodale, Barrett, Hirschman and Zacharias the top five.Two circuits later, it appeared the field had settled into single file - Silk leading, Goodale, Hirschman, Barrett and Zacharias - when contact from behind sent Barrett hard into the turn two outside wall. Barrett ok, however his night was done. Meanwhile, Preece, Patrick Emerling and the 99 of AJ Winsted pitted.At the restart, Silk, Goodale, Hirschman, Davis and Andy Seuss led the field back around only to be reined in by another caution on lap 20. Zacharias had spun around in turn three and four and as his car slid back up the track hitting the outside wall, JR Bertuccio was collected up, both rides done for the night.Another restart, suspected fluid on the track, brought out the next caution, this time it was AJ Winsted with extensive damage as well as Al Emmarino - both done for the night.It was under this yellow that Silk’s left front tire went flat - forcing a pit stop. “I had a flat tire, I must have ran over something from one of the wrecks,” said Silk.Goodale inherited the lead and never looked back. “It was a shock when Silk pulled down into the pits,” said Goodale. “I was running scenarios through my head during the caution about what I wanted to do - I was better on entry and through the center but Silk was pulling me coming off - I was going through all sorts of game plans back and forth - that all went out the window when he pulled down pit row.”15 to go - Goodale led the way with Hirschman, Spencer Davis and Seuss - Silk lined up sixth on the restart and quickly moved into third then passed for second with 11 laps remaining.The final 10 laps clicked off quickly the top four breaking from the pack and at the checkers, Goodale held his line for his first World Series win of 2014.“Our car started to get real tight in the middle of the center,” said Goodale. “I was having my own trouble on the restarts there. Matt got a real good run on me and I squeezed him down into turn one definitely a little bit.” Meanwhile, Goodale was aware Silk had moved in behind him in the closing circuits. “Ronnie, he’s been stout since the minute they unloaded off the track here.” Goodale thanked his crew and especially thanked his wife Amanda.“It was a rough night for the modifieds,” said Hirschman. “We were doing alright. I got up to second but I didn’t have the preferred line and got pinned on the bottom and lost a couple of spots. We’re OK, hopefully the second half of this week goes good for us.”It turned out to be a very eventful day for Andy Seuss. “In practice, the last run we were going to make, we made those extra laps and broke a rocker arm. It was a little bit of a struggle finding a rocker arm since we’re the only Dodge motor here. Luckily Bertuccio’s had one from when they ran Dodge in the past, I’ve got to thank them for loaning it to us. It was the right offset but the wrong ratio so the valve wasn’t open enough and it showed up on the race track, we were a little down on power but we missed qualifying and had to start last. We were up to second at one point, we had a fast car. We had a good run on Eric Goodale- I didn’t really time it right – I just had a really good run down the straight away and sent it in there and got into him, I’ve got to apologize for that but it worked out he went on to win. I got shuffled back to fourth- I guess now I’m third, that’s great after the day we’ve had. I’ve got to thank Dan Kurzejewski for letting me drive, Tommy for all his hard work, his right hand man Bob, spotter Charli Brown and my dad Steve for coming down and working his butt off – he has to go back to the snow now- I wish he could stay. To come out with a top three is pretty cool.”
There was a high damage toll for the evening- leaving the speedway for the night there were still crews working on their cars including the Chris Our 22. “It’s hurt,” said Brad Lafontaine about the car, “but we can race it again. We’ll get a better look at it tomorrow in the light. Chris will make the call about the last three nights here. We’ll put these races behind us and concentrate on Daytona.”Chuck Hossfeld also registered a DNF, pulling off early in the main - a broken ground electrode - the team will assess today how extensive the damage is, specifically, if there are any engine issues.The official finish posted, Goodale, Hirschman, Seuss, Preece and Davis take the top five. Patrick Emerling, Dan Watts, AJ Winsted, Al Emmarino, and Tommy Barrett the top ten. Jimmy Zacharias, JR Bertuccio, Hossfeld, TJ Zacharias and Silk finish out the order for the night.
1 6 Ron Silk 35
2 40 Ryan Preece 35
3 59 Matt Hirschman 35
4 22 Chuck Hossfeld 35
5 71 Jimmy Zacharias 35
6 21 Andy Seuss 35
7 22 Tommy Barrett Jr 35
8 2 JR Bertuccio 35
9 79 Spencer Davis 35
10 07 Patrick Emerling 35
11 58 Eric Goodale 34
12 82 Daniel Watts 34
13 99 AJ Winstead 34
14 11 TJ Zacharias 8
15 3 Al Ermmarino 3
Saturday, February 15 - 5th
The 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Racing is smiling on Ron Silk as the Norwalk, CT driver led the field green to checkers to take down the victory in the modified Tour type 35 lap feature at New Smyrna Speedway. Ryan Preece chased Silk across the stripe for second with Matt Hirschman third, Chuck Hossfeld and Jimmy Zacharias the top five.It is Silk’s second trip to victory lane in as many nights at the fast, banked, half mile speedway.“We started on the pole so really, I didn’t have to pass anyone obviously- we just had a good car the whole time. The car started to free up a little at the end but the car has been pretty solid since we’ve been here.”Silk and Preece led the field to green with Tommy Barrett, Hirschman and Andy Seuss the top five. Silk wasted no time putting real estate between the TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Service sponsored, Ed Partridge owned machine and the rest of the field.The yellow waved three circuits in for a car around in turn two. Al Emmarino who took the green from the back of the pack after making repairs following trouble in practice and could not make time trials, was done for the night.
On the restart it was Silk on the outside front row with Preece inside, Barrett, Hirschman, Seuss, Hossfeld, Spencer Davis and Jimmy Zacharias the top eight.
Silk kept on point while the action heated up behind – Hirschman who had taken over second was being shadowed by Preece with Hossfeld, Zacharias, Seuss and Barrett running nose to tail.By lap 13, Preece was threatening for second and completed his move to take the spot from Hirschman.The green flag continued and by lap 15, Silk had a six car length lead over the field.At the half, it was Silk, Preece, Hirschman, Hossfeld, Zacharias and Seuss. Preece was closing the gap cutting into Silk’s lead and with 10 to go, it was a three car breakaway with Silk leading Preece and Hirschman.As the final circuits clicked off, a green flag run to the end, Silk cruised across the stripe for the win – Preece followed with Hirschman third.“I was keeping an eye on Preece,” said Silk who was aware Preece was closing in. “I tried to save my right rear a little in case we would get a yellow and had to lineup next to Preece. The car is really good, we just can’t mess it up.”“It’s always nice to have the car in once piece,” said Preece. “We’re so equal, I felt like Silk was beating me a little bit to the throttle but I could beat him in- it’s like where I was beating him, he’d come back and beat me at other places on the track. It was a good race. We’ve come a long way since we unloaded as it is, we’re getting there. Hopefully by the end of the week we’ll be in victory lane.”“Yesterday just wasn’t a good day for us,” said Matt Hirschman. “We were shorthanded and got a little behind. Two crew guys didn’t make it here when they were supposed to because of the snowstorm- that got us a little behind but I feel that after tonight we’re caught up and we’re ready to compete now. We’re very close, I’m happy with the car.”“It’s pretty good,” said Silk about the two wins in two nights. “Well, you know, a lot can change tomorrow. We tried some stuff on the car this week. Keith Rocco actually helped us out a bunch with some of the stuff he runs – it’s working out for sure, so far, I’m liking it.”
Andy Seuss recovered from the incident on opening night to cross for sixth, Tommy Barrett seventh, J.R. Bertuccio eighth with Patrick Emerling, Eric Goodale, Dan Watts, AJ Winsted, TJ Zacharias and Al Emmarino the remainder of the field.
1 6 Ron Silk 35
2 40 Ryan Preece 35
3 59 Matt Hirschman 35
4 22 Chuck Hossfeld 35
5 71 Jimmy Zacharias 35
6 21 Andy Seuss 35
7 22 Tommy Barrett Jr 35
8 2 JR Bertuccio 35
9 79 Spencer Davis 35
10 07 Patrick Emerling 35
11 58 Eric Goodale 34
12 82 Daniel Watts 34
13 99 AJ Winstead 34
14 11 TJ Zacharias 8
15 3 Al Ermmarino 3
Friday, February 14 - 7th
Opening night victory for the 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing went to Ron Silk of Norwalk, CT in the TS Haulers, Calverton Tree Service sponsored/Ed Partridge owned modified making a solid pass with 12 to go and never looked back scoring a convincing win in the 35 lap feature.“I think this is the first time I’ve ever won on night one. This is definitely a good start to the week,” said Silk.Following Silk across the line was Jimmy Zacharias second, Chuck Hossfeld third, Ryan Preece and Eric Goodale the top five.Tommy Barrett set fast time earlier in the day and after the top four re-drew for starting position, it was Jimmy Zacharias and Eric Goodale leading the 14 car field to green. Silk lined up third but at the drop of the flag, fell back several positions. Zacharias at the point led the field with Barrett, Andy Seuss, Goodale and Hossfeld the top five.The lone caution of the night came when battling for second place, there was contact between Barrett and Seuss. Seuss ended up in the outside wall of turn 2 and while Barrett was able to continue he was eventually black flagged and forced to pit for a side bar that was dragging. “It’s all bolt on, cosmetic stuff,” said Seuss about the damage on the Lexington Hotel, Shark Lounge sponsored ride. “We’ll get her back and hopefully have a better finish than tonight.” Despite the disappointment of the finish, Seuss was truly optimistic about the rest of the week. “We found some things right after qualifying and it really woke it up. I think if we had that stuff in for qualifying we would have had an even better starting spot. The car was really good, I hate it for these guys, this is a small team and a bunch of hard working guys. I’ve got to thank Dan and Tommy for all of their hard work as well as my dad, Charlie Brown and my girlfriend Jen for coming down here. It felt good to be racing against those big teams. Tonight is just a minor setback.”The caution closed up the field with Zacharias and Barrett on the front row - Goodale, Hossfeld, Silk and Preece coming to the restart with 29 to go. As the field stayed green, Zacharias led the way as Barrett pulled into the pits, the Millis, MA driver acknowledging the black flag. Silk made his way to fourth by lap 15 and one circuit later passed two cars to take over second. Carrying the momentum, Silk made his move on the inside of Zacharias going into turn three and coming out of four, completed the pass to be the second and final leader of the night on lap 23.“Zacharias, you could see he was pretty tight through the center,” said Silk about the winning pass. “He had to slow it down to get it through the center. I drove in a little easier, making it so I could get a run off of 2 and get by him in 3 and 4.”While Silk stretched his lead, the rest of the field was sorting it out with Zacharias being closely shadowed by Hossfeld, Preece and Goodale. Zacharias ended the night with a solid run joining Silk for a podium finish.
“We’ve been coming here for several years this is a good way to start the week,” said a smiling Zacharias. “Kevin Crowley is the crew chief this year, his brother Brian is doing tires, I think it’s going to be a really good week.”Hossfeld will take what they learned from night one and go forward. “The car, it was just a little too tight in the center. We have a little work to do on the car, not much. We qualified 9th which was embarrassing, but I was comfortable, probably too comfortable,” confessed Hossfeld. “I made a mistake, I was probably a little too over confident. For the first night, we kept it clean, it was a good run.”JR Bertuccio finished the night sixth with Matt Hirschman, Patrick Emerling, Spencer Davis and Danny Watts the top ten. Al Emmarino, Barrett, Seuss and TJ Zacharias completed the rundown.
1 6 Ron Silk 35
2 71 Jimmy Zacharias 35
3 22 Chuck Hossfeld 35
4 40 Ryan Preece 35
5 58 Eric Goodale 35
6 2 JR Bertuccio 35
7 59 Matt Hirschman 35
8 07 Patrick Emerling 35
9 79 Spencer Davis 35
10 82 Daniel Watts 34
11 13 Al Emmarino 34
12 22b Tommy Barrett Jr 12
13 21s Andy Seuss 6
14 11 TJ Zacharias 4
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It will be reunion time in 2014 on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for Matt Hirschman and team owner Wayne Darling.
December 30, 2013 By Shawn Courchesne
Darling confirmed to RaceDayCT Monday that he will field a car for Hirschman on the Modified Tour in 2014. Darling will field his car for Hirschman for an unspecified portion of the 14- event schedule in 2014 with Hirschman fielding his own car for the remainder of the events.
Hirschman previously ran for Darling on the Modified Tour from 2006 to 2009. During that span Darling fielded a car for Hirschman for half of each season with Ed Bennett fielding a car for Hirschman for the other half of the season.
“I think the transition coming back together with them, it’s not going to be like starting with a new team,” Hirschman said. “I think things are going to click pretty quickly with them again. Their reputation and their results speak for themselves and the same can be said for my program. I go into this with 100 percent confidence in both sides.” Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., replaces Doug Coby in Darling’s No. 52 ride. Coby, after winning a series title in 2012 with Darling and finishing as the series runner-up with the team in 2013, will move to Mike Smeriglio Racing in 2014, replacing Todd Szegedy in the No. 2 ride. Hirschman finished third in the standings in 2007 and second in 2008 but a falling out with Bennett at the end of the 2008 season dissolved the tandem team effort. “We are teaming up to make things easier on both ends, and we’ll probably spread the races out and kind of go about it that way,” Hirschman said of the reunion with Darling. “ Obviously I’ve raced with them before and we always maintained a good relationship. I just, at that time when that split up happened, I wasn’t in the position that I’m in now to join up with [Darling] and field a car myself. But I can’t complain with the way things have gone for me. It’s a good chance for me to get back together with him again.” The 31-year old Hirschman has two career Whelen Modified Tour victories, both coming during the 2008 season when he finished second in the series standings to Ted Christopher. Over 77 career starts dating back to 2005, Hirschman has 15 top-five’s and 40 top-10’s. After running two events in 2009 and none in 2010, Hirschman returned to the series full-time with Boehler Racing Enterprises in 2011 and finished sixth in the standings. He has made two Whelen Modified Tour starts each of the last two seasons. The last two years have seen Hirschman establish himself as the driver to beat in the Northeast when it comes to Open Modified shows, earning him the moniker Big Money Matt for his knack for grabbing victories in high paying events. The 2013 season saw him win both the North-South Shootout at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, N.C. and the Turkey Derby at Wall (N.J.) Stadium among events on his schedule.
“I think it’s an opportunity to accomplish some things that I’d accomplish that I haven’t yet,” Hirschman said of going into the 2014 season running full-time on the Whelen Modified Tour once again. “The last few years have been incredible in terms of accomplishments in what we’ve been doing, but this presents a new challenge and an opportunity to accomplish some things that are there for me to get.”
11-28 Sat Wall Stadium Turkey Derby
SK/Wall Modified 100 Unofficial Results
Fin. Str. No. Driver
1 3 18 Jimmy Blewett
2 16 85 Jonathan Mandato
3 5 41 Shannon Mongeau
4 1 41 Matt Hirschman
5 15 22 Michael Gervais
6 20 33 Jason Treat
7 9 99 Chas Okerson
8 2 14 Eric Mauriello
9 7 27 Andrew Krause
10 24 45 Chris Reynolds
11 25 21ct Dennis Perry
12 21 76 Zane Zeiner
13 4 55 Steven Reed
14 18 34 Kenny Matlach
15 6 66 Shawna Ingraham
16 26 2 Jeremy Mayfield
17 12 17 Derek Hopkinson
18 11 67 Zack Alspach
19 23 8 Earl Paules
20 13 27 Adam LaCicero
21 19 32 Chad Churilla
22 22 12 Jason Hearne
23 14 43 Ron Frees
24 17 4 Richie Cooper
25 10 86 Trevor Alspach
26 8 16 Anthony Sesely
Tour Modified 150 Unofficial Results:
Fin. Str. No. Driver Laps
1 2 14 Eric Mauriello 150
2 6 06 Les Hinckley 150
3 4 7ny Jimmy Blewett 150
4 16 1 Anthony Sesely 150
5 17 20 Doug Coby 150
6 23 54 Shaun Carrig 150
7 13 0 Andrew Krause 150
8 9 98 Ryan Preece 150
9 8 14 John Beatty 150
10 3 65 Danny Bohn 150
11 19 15 Timmy Solomito 150
12 15 66 Shawna Ingraham 150
13 24 51 Justin Gumley 149
14 10 63 Ron Silk 149
15 21 99 Jamie Tomaino 149
16 26 95M John Markovic 143
17 25 42 Woody Pitkat 130
18 18 33 Jason Treat 128
19 22 17 Kyle Ellwood 109
20 7 44 Tim Arre 105
21 1 36 Dave Sapienza 95
22 5 60 Matt Hirschman 90
23 20 92 Anthony Nocella 46
24 12 73 Andy Jankowiak 7
25 11 0 Zane Zeiner 7
26 14 19 Billy Pauch Jr. 7
11-1 Sat Caraway 125 N/S Shootout 60 - 2nd
Ryan Preece scored a second John Blewett III North-South Shootout Modified victory Sunday at Caraway Speedway, putting a strong start to the driver’s partnership with his Ed Partridge-owned race team.Preece, who also won the 2012 edition of the North-South Shootout, made his debut in the No. 6 Modified that he will pilot in 2015 on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in strong fashion, pulling away from five-time Shootout winner Matt Hirschman for the 125-lap victory in Sophia, North Carolina.“This means we are going to be strong right out of the gate for sure,” said Preece in victory lane. “I’m just really happy. It’s great to be a part of this.”Preece started on the outside pole, only being bested in Friday’s qualifying by Hirschman. Preece, of Berlin, Connecticut, got a little bit loose out of turn four on his second qualifying lap, which cost him some time.But that didn’t affect Preece too much as he quickly made his way by Hirschman to take the lead before the 125-lap race was even five laps old.Preece led until lap 65 when Andy Seuss got underneath him entering turn three. Seuss set up Preece off turn two and completed the pass by diving to the bottom of the Caraway banking in the following corner.Seuss remained the leader until Hirschman got by on a restart on lap 83, and then “Big Money” Matt started to show his strength.Preece took the lead back from Hirschman on a restart with 27 laps to go. He started to pull away from Hirschman, but with seven laps to go Hirschman started to close back in. Hirschman gave the bumper to Preece on a couple of occasions, but Preece was able to hold him off to score the win.Hirschman was strong on restarts all day long, but just not when it mattered most.“This one is on me,” said Hirschman. “I cost us a win. I was the leader of the race and I cost us a win on the restart. I had all great restarts the rest of the race until then. I just tried for too much there and didn’t get it into gear at the point I needed to and cost us the chance to win.”Preece said he was aware that Hirschman might be trying to make one last run on him, but he knew what he had to do to hold him off.“I knew all I had to do was keep my line and keep going straight and just keep digging,” said Preece. “Now I just want to stay strong and I want to be ready when we go up (north) for the first three races and to New Smyrna Speedway and everything.”Preece and Hirschman have combined to win every North-South Shootout dating back to 2010.Ron Silk, Jason Myers and Derek Ramstrom were the top five.Ryan Moore took down the win in the 150-lap feature for the PASS Super Late Models South in a thrilling late-race duel with Christopher Bell on North-South Shootout Sunday. Bell was working his way through lapped traffic when he made contact with his Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate, Karl Weber, going into turn one with five laps to go. Moore was about 10 car lengths behind of Bell at the time of the contact, but quickly made his way to the back of Bell’s black No. 52 machine.Moore and Bell battled side by side for three laps before they made hard contact in turn three on the final lap. Bell started to spin as Moore drove away to take the checkered flag. Bell held on to finish second with Jody Measamer taking third.Chris Lamb took the win in the 35-lap feature for the USAC Southeast Midgets and Bradley McCaskill dominated the 100-lap Southeast Limited Late Model feature to put a cap on the 12th Annual North-South Shootout.
1. 6 Ryan Preece
2. 60 Matt Hirschman
3. 15 Ron Silk
4. 4 Jason Myers
5. 35 Derek Ramstrom
6. 22 Chuck Hossfeld
7. 5ct Chris Pasteryak
8. 09 Andy Seuss
9. 79 Spencer Davis
10. 77 Gary Putnam
11. 21 Tony Hanbury
12. 3 Daren Scherer
13. 1 Burt Myers
14. 21 Tommy Neal
15. 9 Tommy Barrett, Jr.
10-25 Sat Mahoning 130 Special 59 - Win
It was a result that had been witnessed before, but as usual at the Mahoning Valley Speedway (PA) bullring the win did not come easy for Matt Hirschman. Two-time Modified track champion Eric Beers drew the pole after winning his heat race for Octoberfast 2014, and easily looked to be the car to beat pulling ahead from the competition on each restart for the first 99 laps. Coming around to 30 laps to go things would drastically change.After making a pit stop about 50 laps earlier, the first two Octoberfast winners Zane Zeiner and Matt Hirschman began marching through the field and closed on the back of Beers, an April 100-lap race winner at the track. Wall Stadium Speedway (NJ) regular Shawna Ingraham ran up front for the early portion of the night after winning her heat race, but the car began to fade and began to slow immediately before lap 100. Although track officials had motioned the field to slow for a yellow, the reaction time needed between the leaders turned out to be too quick upon approaching Ingraham, setting off a chain reaction. Beers would drift high to avoid her and slow for the caution, and contact ensued from Zeiner sending around the race’s only leader up until that point. In the process, Hirschman received damage due to running into the back of Zeiner as well as contact that occurred behind him. Since the caution was displayed prior to the incident the leaders were allowed to keep their positions; however, Beers was forced to pit with a flat tire. Despite climbing back to a third place finish, the 2013 track champion was not pleased about what happened. “We were just riding and saving the tires, because I knew at the end Matt would be getting there,” Beers told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. “(Ingraham) was on the bottom there. I moved up like four feet and Zane must have thought my car got tight, because he rolled over my left rear tire going into the corner. He just drove right into me and knocked my tire right off the rim.”It was the end to a hard luck season that started off promising, but was filled with ups and downs.“Every week your luck changes,” said Beers. “Last year we got through every wreck, we had no issues with anything, and it’s just one of those deals. It happens, but tonight it sucked because the race track didn’t beat us, none of the racers beat us. We just got taken out by a racer—if you can call him that.”The good news is that unlike the end of last year when he was uncertain of his 2014 plans, the outlook for 2015 is almost set. “It looks like we’re going to be back (at Mahoning) next year,” said Beers. “I have a good time racing here; David and Laura (DeLange) are the greatest car owners I’ve ever had. Great people, nice team here, plus both of my kids are going to be racing here next year.”2013 Octoberfast winner Zeiner acknowledged the unfortunate contact, but claimed there was nothing else he could have done.“I just see it as a racing incident,” explained Zeiner. “I was trying to make the move on Eric for the lead and everything happens so fast, especially here. I didn’t quite see (Ingraham) when we came off the turn. All I heard was (Race Director) Timmy (Santee) yelling ‘yellow, 66’ and by that time I was too late trying to jam on the brakes. Matt (Hirschman) didn’t know what was happening either and we all sort of went in and collided with Eric. Didn’t want to see that, but it happened.”With still another 30 laps remaining to settle who would be hoisting the $5,000 big check, it became a duel between Zeiner and Hirschman. Zeiner would hold the lead until one minor error with 17 laps remaining when Hirschman would dive low and by the next circuit around would have sole possession of the lead on his way to another big win. Runner-up Zeiner still believed he had a better car at the end, but one wrong move ultimately was the difference between first and second.“Believe it or not, I talked to Matt after the race and asked if he was playing with me but that’s all he had,” said Zeiner. “I screwed up and got free off of two and he saw that and took advantage of it and made a nice move. The longer we went it felt like our car got better and he just backed up. I was hoping for another chance to at least take a shot at him but it didn’t happen.”For Hirschman it was another case of being in the right place at the right time and taking full advantage of it, and agreed that Zeiner had a slightly better car on the long run.“I guess you could say Eric got the worst of it, but that could have went any way,” said Hirschman. “All three of us could have been done. That could have been a fourth or fifth place car at that time that could have won because of that. It’s just fortunate the way it worked out the way it did.“It was one of them nights that I really didn’t feel too confident about winning until we took the lead, and even at that point I wasn’t sure if we were going to finish the deal.”This may have also been the swan song for the J&J Motorsports No. 59 that has an exceptional track record in Mahoning events as well as the Tri Track Open Modified Series and more for nearly a decade.“That’s what they say, and if it is I appreciate all the years and wins we had together,” said Hirschman. “I think we’ve been racing together since 06 or 07. I’ll believe it when next year comes around, but either way it was a great way to finish for them for the season and we’ll just see what the off-season brings.”New Jersey drivers Anthony Sesely and Don Wagner rounded out the top five, and Zeiner rebounded from coming up short in the Modified race to win the 60-lap Late Model feature in convincing fashion over Mike Sweeney. It was another night where the best car may not have won in a longer distance race, but the one that made the best out of what they had to work with did.
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"MONEY MAN MATT" WINS MAHONING OCTOBERFAST 130
Matt Hirschman Collects $5000 In Season Ending Race
It comes as no surprise that whenever there is an extra distance high paying race at Mahoning Valley Speedway, you can expect Matt Hirschman to be vying for the win. And, when the checkered flag waved on the Gary Lee’s Brown-Daub KIA Octoberfast Modified 130, sure enough there was Hirschman gracing Victory Lane, something that the Northampton driving star has turned into an art form at the paved 1Ž4-mile Lehighton oval.Fresh off a 100 lap win three weeks earlier, Hirschman drove his J & J Motorsports No. 59 to a rousing $5000 triumph, giving him $9000 in that same span. He has become the career wins leader in 100-plus features at the track with 11 total. In July he won a 100 lapper and another $4000.Hirschman, who started ninth, drove by defending Octoberfast winner Zane Zeiner with 17 laps to go and after several side-by-side laps, went to the front uncontested over the final 10 circuits and then onward to score his second win in the season ending racing.“What a way to finish the season here. I wasn’t here much this year but we sure made it count the last three or four times. It was a great run and a great way to finish the season,” said 31-year old Hirschman, who won the inaugural Octoberfast 130 in 2012.“I don’t know if I had the best strategy or even the best car today but it worked out that we won.”For the first 99 laps Eric Beers was far and away the car to beat. From the drop of Bobby Stull’s race commencing green he quickly put everyone in his dust as the Dave and Laura DeLange owned No. 45 had loads of power and Beers wasn’t shy in showing it.There were several who tried to make a challenge such as John Bennett, Nevin George and Earl Paules but none could come close enough to attempt a pass.Then after a restart on lap 44, Austin Kochenash showed his face after putting on a fine run through the pack. He was in second and stuck right with Beers in a stretch of 46 nonstop laps. Although they ran very close, the leader still demonstrated he wasn’t ready to relinquish his stop spot.On lap 90 the action slowed when Kyle Strohl spun in turn two. That yellow would also trigger the start of several more over slowdown periods over the next nine laps that produced drastic changes to the running order.On the restart Kochenash’s hopes of winning where dashed when he got tagged by then third place running Todd Baer and spun.Anthony Sesely had come from 17th and took over second after the demise of Kochenash. Hot on his tail was Zeiner and Hirschman.A few more yellows would wave for minor incidents but then came the game changer on lap 99. Shawna Ingraham had come to a halt on the back straight. As the leaders where coming full steam off turn two the caution was then displayed. With Ingraham sitting idle on the inside lane, Beers had to quickly move up in order to avoid hitting her. In second at that point was Zeiner with Hirschman third.For Zeiner there was little time to react and he made contact with Beers who then spun. Hirschman got caught in as well. Unfortunately for Beers he had to relinquish the lead due to a flat tire.When the action resumed Zeiner was the new pace setter with Hirschman second. They would then go into a torrid dogfight for a number of laps in side-by-side formation. With laps running out Hirschman knew the time to make his move was at hand and after the race winning pass on lap 114, there would be no looking back.“We survived a close call on the back straight with that stack-up. My front bumper is all smashed in and that could have easily been a radiator and we would have been done. I was fortunate that it all worked out,” said Hirschman.“I had to be patient and slowly work our way to the front. I got to about fifth and there was still about 40 laps to go and that’s plenty of time here. We had swapped it back and forth before that and it was good racing against Zane (Zeiner).”Beers drove back to a solid third with Sesely and Don Wagner completing out the top five. Baer, Strohl, Dave Sapienza, Kochenash and George rounded out the top 10.“I slipped up and Matt (Hirschman) got a run underneath us,” said Zeiner. Reflecting on the back straight incident that took out Beers he added, “I really do feel bad for Eric (Beers). That wasn’t supposed to happen. You have a spit-second decision to make and I made a decision and it probably was the wrong decision at the time and hey, I have to live with it.”For the third time in the Octoberfast race Beers had to settle for third. He led last year but was passed by Zeiner with a dozen laps to go.“We had the car to beat tonight,” bottom lined Beers. “I gave him (Zeiner) enough room to see that lapped car and he drove into my left rear and that’s basically what happened. I think I had the field covered tonight but it was just one of those unfortunate things.”
Heat wins went to Chip Santee, Beers, Ingraham and Paules. Sesely annexed the consi.
Modified Feature Finish (130 Laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Zane Zeiner, 3. Eric Beers, 4. Anthony Sesely,
5. Don Wagner 6. Todd Baer, 7. Kyle Strohl, 8. Dave Sapienza, 9. Austin Kochenash, 10. Nevin George, 11. John Markovic,
12. Bobby Jones, 13. Jimmy Zacharias, 14. John Bennett, 15. Roger Coss, 16. Shawna Ingraham, 17. Rusty Smith,
18. Earl Paules, 19. Andrew Krause, 20. Terry Markovic, 21. Brandon Oltra, 21. Chip Santee, 22. TJ Zacharias
DNQ: Wilton Nickerson, Barry Callavini, Pat Verwys, Brent Wentz, Chip Wanamaker
10-19 Sun Thompson 150 WMT 52 - 6th
COBY DRIVES WAY BACK TO THE TOP
Second Whelen Modified Title In Three Years; Preece Wins Finale
It was the worst finish of the season for Doug Coby. But in the end, it didn't matter, as the Milford, Connecticut driver lifted the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour trophy for the second time in three seasons Sunday. The 35-year-old finished 17th and two laps down in the season finale Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. The race was won by defending tour champion Ryan Preece. It was Coby and the No. 2 Dunleavy's Repair/HEX Performance/Fox Shocks Chevrolet team, though, who earned the big trophy on the strength of an outstanding season that included a win and nine top fives in 13 races. Coby, who finished second in points to Preece last year, kicked off 2014 with a win in the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach at Daytona International Speedway. Donny Lia finished as the runner-up behind Preece Sunday, followed by Rowan Pennink, Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore. Matt Hirschman, Spencer Davis, Eric Goodale, Max Zachem and 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Timmy Solomito rounded out the top 10. Preece led twice for a race-high 137 laps, including the final 73. A late caution pushed the race to 151 laps. It was Preece's first win at Thompson after four runner-up finishes at the .625-mile banked oval. Earlier in the day, Preece wrapped up the track's NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Sunoco Modified Division championship. Ted Christopher, the 2008 tour champion, entered the event as the closest challenger to Coby. Christopher, however, was involved in a wreck and finished 10 laps down in 20th. With his win, Preece jumped up to finish second in points - 22 behind Coby. Bonsignore finished third, five points back of Preece, while Silk and Christopher completed the top five. Second through fifth were separated by nine points. The Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart will air on FOX Sports 1 on Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. Coby will be honored for his championship season along with NASCAR's other touring series champions on Saturday, Dec. 12 at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards in the Grand Ballroom of the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Sunoco World Series 150 pres. by Xtra Mart - Unofficial Results
Sunday At Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Thompson, Conn.
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 151 laps, 76.075 mph.
2. (5) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 151.
3. (16) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 151.
4. (12) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 151.
5. (10) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
6. (24) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 151.
7. (15) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 151.
8. (17) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
9. (19) Max Zachem, Preston, Conn., Chevrolet, 151.
10. (11) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
11. (9) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
12. (3) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 151.
13. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 151.
14. (34) David Calabrese, Toms River, N.J., Chevrolet, 151.
15. (25) John Beatty, Jr., Merrick, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151.
16. (28) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 149.
17. (4) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 149.
18. (13) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 146, accident.
19. (22) Kyle Ellwood, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 141.
20. (8) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 140, accident.
21. (23) Troy Talman, Oxford, Mass., Chevrolet, 137, accident.
22. (32) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 133.
23. (36) Danny Watts, Jr., Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 131, mechanical.
24. (14) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 130.
25. (30) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 120, accident.
26. (26) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Pontiac, 116, accident.
27. (18) Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 115, accident.
28. (6) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 98, mechanical.
29. (27) Dave Sapienza, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 98, accident.
30. (31) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 91, rear end.
31. (29) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 91, mechanical.
32. (35) Jason Agugliaro, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 80, mechanical.
33. (7) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 45, carburetor.
34. (33) Frank Vigliarolo, Jr., Mt. Sinai, N.Y., Chevrolet, 26, accident.
35. (1) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 17, accident.
36. (21) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 2, mechanical.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 14 minutes 26 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.689 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: W. Pitkat (119.579 mph, 18.816 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 41 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: W. Pitkat 1-8; R. Preece 9 -72; T. Barrett Jr. 73 -77; R. Pennink 78; R. Preece 79 -151.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 511; 2. R. Preece, 489; 3. J. Bonsignore, 484; 4. R. Silk, 483; 5. T. Christopher, 480;
6. B. Santos, 458; 7. E. Goodale, 440; 8. T. Solomito, 433; 9. W. Pitkat, 429; 10. P. Emerling, 419.
___________________________________________________________________________________
RYAN PREECE FINALLY TAMES THOMPSON SPEEDWAY FOR NWMT WIN Preece Closes 2014
Race Season Strong
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by Denise DuPont .
With a car on rails Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT passed for the lead before lap 10 and went forward to dominate and win the Sunoco World Series 150 presented by Xtra Mart in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (TSMP).
Previously at Thompson, Preece, had four second place and four third place finishes, but not one career win. So the final 2014 event was an opportunity for Preece to not only make it back it back to back wins at the end of the season, but also to conquer the 5/8ths mile oval.
Leading 137 of the 151 laps in the tour’s World Series event for a win, Preece can now add TSMP to his long resume of wins. “If you go to my name on NASCAR Home Tracks and look at all the tracks that I have won at Riverhead, Monadnock, Stafford, Martinsville, and I am sure there is another track. I have gotten track records, I have gotten poles but this just seemed to be the place that I could not be a winner at. Now I can say it and especially to pick up two milestones like this – We got the Fall Final and the World Series – those are two real prestigious races. And I was just the lucky guy behind the wheel to do it.”
In victory lane, Preece first acknowledged the Flamingo Motorsports Team that prepared him the car that brought him to victory lane. “The real people that should be getting the credits right now is this Flamingo team. They got me off pit road right where I came in. They did a phenomenal job on that pit stop. Sly (Szaban) did a great job setting this race car up and I was just the lucky guy to drive the inside line here.”
This has been a frustrating season for Preece and the #16 NWMT team. Before their at Stafford Motor Speedway “Fall Final” victory, they were winless. Leveraging the momentum that the team gained at the Stafford win, they came to Thompson ready for a grand slam. “I think that we drove in a dominate fashion driving the bottom - I was hooked up. I know that Ronnie (Silk) moved down there because I was watching him but I do not know if he was as good as I was on the bottom. This was the first time that I had to worry about hitting the bottom coming off of two and maneuvering around it. This car was just on rails. The whole Flamingo Team worked their tails off including car owner Eric Sanderson. It is great to win here. I said to my spotter (and crew chief Sly) ‘You know how many times that I finished second here? I‘m not finishing second again. ’This seemed to be the place that I couldn’t say I was a winner at and now I can say it.”
Donny Lia was definitely a man on a mission going into the last race of the NWMT season. He was third fastest in practice, started third and hung with the lead pack all day to capture the runner up spot when the checkered flag flew. “It is a good way to finish the season I would have like to have won the race of course, but we had a pretty tough year so a second is good right now.” Expressed Lia.
Drivers drove hard and were all looking for the one break that would give them the World Series win. There were eight cautions that cut short some runs and made restarts challenging.
“It was a tough day with restart after restart. It was at the point that I was set to get towards the front and I am not sure what was up with the #75, but he drove up underneath me and just about wrecked us.” A caution occurred on lap 122 when lead cars were racing three wide for position going into turn four and made contact while passing lapped traffic. “I almost lost it and we did lose a bunch of spots then. So then we had to make them back up. A couple of restarts lined up in our favor and I was able to get back into second. I did not have a second place car at the end - we got tight, tight, tight. But there were definitely times during the race that we were a top two car but then again towards the end we were too tight. So we will settle for second.”
Lia did not score a 2014 win and the #4 Mystic Missile definitely had their share of bad luck. So getting to the finish line second was a relief. “A top two is like a win for us especially the way things are right now with the rules and the motor and stuff. It is almost impossible to really compete against these other spec motor packages. I looks like that is the future. So if you want to compete and win races, if the rules stay the same -- you have to be able to get it done.”
Rowan Pennink was off during qualifying and started almost half-way back in the field - fifteenth. Pennink was involved in the same incident as Lia riding three wide to get to the lead. He recovered for a podium finish “We struggled a little bit through practice and qualifying. I figured that we would have a good car for the race and we definitely did. We were able to stay out and pit late and come back through the field. The car was really good the last fifty. But we came up just a little bit short. We were at a little bit of a disadvantage on the bottom the last couple of laps on the restarts. We just needed to get going green for more than a couple of laps at the end to have a shot at it.’”
With about twenty to go Pennink passed for second and the plan was to go for the lead next. In position he was ready to give it his all but then the challenges, cautions and restarts began. Lap after lap and restart after restart he gave it his all but in the end he spun his tires and Lia passed him. "I knew that I had a faster car than them so I just wanted to get by him (Ron Silk) as fast as I could and not let Ryan take off like that. But he wanted to battle me for it instead of just letting me go. I felt a little bit aggressive there a couple of times but it showed once I got by him I pulled right away from him. He really should have let me go and then we could have run down Ryan together.” Pennink never had the opportunity to directly run with Preece but the
#93 Monk Hand Cleaner car was prepared for the action. “I thought that we had a car that could have battled Ryan. Dozens of restarts are tough particularly once the tires get worn. The way that Ryan was going just so-so on the restarts there was just no way that you could just not spin the tires. That was just all that I had to hang on during those restarts.”
Doug Coby from Milford, CT. finished the race seventeenth and it was enough to earn the #2 Dunleavy's Repair/HEX Performance./Fox Shocks team their first ever NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship. This is Coby’s second NWMT Championship in three race seasons.
Timmy Solomito of Islip, NY captured the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Title and will be honored as the 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year for the Whelen Modified Tour at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards on Dec. 13 in the Charlotte (North Carolina) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame..
Have a great off season and see you back at the track next year!
Notes from Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park:
What are Your Thoughts on your 2014 Race Season?
Ryan Preece
“It was mixed emotions here today. We did not win the SK race so when you win the Championship you just wish you could have won it (Sunoco Modified race) and the Championship at the same time. I won this race and I won that Championship so it was a flip flop in a way. But I am a guy that does not point race and today I kind of was because I knew what are cards were. I kind of decided to ride and out myself in a position where I was not going to get wrecked or anything. Then when it came to the tour race from the top of the green I knew that my car was good. So I just bit my time behind Woody and just got by him and then just road from there.”
After Pitting what was your strategy?
Ryan Preece
“Everything worked out our way. I did not realize that I was going to get to the front as quick as I did. That really shocked me. It took me probably five laps - three laps and I was not even trying. So that was why when I got out into the track lead I was really saving it until about the last thirty or so laps. I really did go hard that green flag lap when Rowan and Ronnie were going at it. And I was able to get away quite enough to where he was not going to be able to catch me in ten laps. I put myself in the right positions as I could and won the race.”
Thoughts on being part of the #16 Flamingo Race Team
Ryan Preece
“I am really happy for these guys and the team. They deserve nothing but the best. Eric Sanderson, I cannot thank you enough you have been phenomenal and to win here today is awesome, it is great. I am so happy for everybody for the team to finish off the year with a win”.
What are your thoughts on your 2014 season?
Donny Lia
“For us to finish second with the package that we have. I am really happy. With today’s finish as well as the season that we had, we had a really rough year. It has been a great experience driving this car. I do not know if that will be the same next year.”
Your thoughts on the restarts
Rowan Pennink
“Definitely if you have a restart and you are rolling on the restarts like you are supposed to go. That is one thing that isn’t really fair. The rules say that you are supposed to go pace car speed on the restarts and when you bog it down to ten miles an hour and then all at once launch of course the guy that starts the race is going to all at once run a couple car lengths ahead like he did. It was the same thing that Barrett really did and they penalized him for it. They need to do more stuff like that because it is horrible when they bog down the restarts like that.”
Who made the decision to pit late?
Rowan Pennink
‘We were going to pit with everybody and then Doug Chenard asked me if I could hold on for another 30 laps and I kept out there and I was able to stay up in the top five until we pitted with fifty to go. It was definitely the right call for our strategy and helped us through the race.”
10-18 Sat Lancaster 100 RoC 60 - Did not Race
Sat 4-Oct Modified 100L $4000 Points Finale - 1
What a day it was Saturday for Matt Hirschman. He was up bright an early and headed to upstate New York with the intention of competing in the U.S. Open at Lancaster Raceway Park, however, when that show, an R.O.C. Asphalt Modified Tour Series race was canceled due to rain, Hirschman did an about-face back to Pennsylvania and proceeded to Mahoning Valley Speedway.With a 100-lap, $4000 paying Modified feature on tap it was a decision well worth the nearly 600 mile round trip journey. A true master when it comes to extra distance, big money races at Mahoning Valley, Hirschman capped off his arduous trek by taking the checkered flag in a spectacular 20th to first place run.“I just needed a chance. Mother Nature helped us and we had a lot of miles to come from near Buffalo and back to here. But I was confident the whole time as long as I got in the show I could start last and win. It’s been a long day but I’m glad everyone put the effort in,” said Hirschman, who won his second straight Mahoning 100-lapper and 10th overall.Hirschman may not have started last but it was close to it. Once he learned that the Lancaster race was canceled, he immediately called down to Mahoning to say he would be heading their way. Hirschman, who lives just 25 miles from the track, had his Mahoning car already loaded and thanks to a few extra hands, the car was hauled to the speedway waiting his arrival.He made it just as the heats where getting underway and although there was time to run in his qualifier, he opted out and did not get on track until the consi. Starting last, he advanced to fifth and was safely in the show.For the 100-lap feature he would line up in row 10. Once the race began he carefully strategized his every move. Going against a solid field of contenders, making his way to the front would be no easy task. His first big break came on a lap 20 caution as several cars in front of him went pit-side and Hirschman methodically moved up a few spots. Another yellow on lap 33 and another break as several more cars pitted, allowing advances with the J & J Motorsports No. 59, this time reaching into the top 10.All the while Hirschman was working his way to the front, Nevin George was turning in a superb performance as the race leader, building a comfortable lead over such challengers as Earl Paules and Zane Zeiner.On lap 49 George’s commanding lead was wiped out when Don Wagner spun and prompted a caution. At that point Hirschman was running sixth and on the restart he would begin to take action on chasing down the leaders.One by one he picked off cars, taking Roger Coss, Kyle Strohl and Zeiner in succession and was now third by lap 57 and racing closely behind Paules. Meanwhile George continued to cruise out-front and looked invincible.Noticeably, though, Hirschman was on a mission. After a 10 lap duel with Paules he secured second spot and set his sights on George who by that time had a half track lead.Hirschman would get some help from Eric Beers who came to a halt on lap 72 and brought out a caution. When the race got back underway it was a matter of a few laps before he would make his race winning move, taking the lead on the 77th circuit. Once in the lead he effortlessly pulled away and went on to a convincing 3.170-second margin of victory over George. Zeiner, Paules and Strohl completed the top five.“We’ve been fortunate enough to win some of these 100 lap races but this one will be special just because of the day we had and how it worked out. It’s amazing and I love being close to home. We probably put on about 600 miles today but it’s going to be a nice 10 miles to home tonight,” said Hirschman.George did a great job holding off a number of heavy hitters and running one of his best races of the season. However, he admitted that his downfall in the end was tire wear which cost him his shot at winning. “We were really good and we got to the front first soon enough where we had to set the pace and maybe I should have slowed it down a bit. He (Hirschman) clearly had better tires than me in the end. I really think that him being stuck in the back for the first 20 or 30 laps, he was able to capitalize on that with his tires and that was the difference,” said George.With a sixth place finish, Kris Graver becomes the 2014 track champion and at 21 years of age he is the youngest driver to win a Modified title at Mahoning Valley.
Modified Feature Finish (100 Laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Nevin George, 3. Zane Zeiner, 4. Earl Paules, 5. Kyle Strohl, 6. Kris Graver, 7. Don Wagner, 8. John Markovic, 9. Todd Baer, 10. Chip Santee, 11. Eric Beers, 12. Mike Quinn, 13. Bobby Jones, 14. Brain Romig, 15. Rick Reichenbach, 16. Paul Hartwig Jr., 17. Rusty Smith, 18. Brian DeFebo 19. Joe Mooney, 20. Roger Coss, 21. John Bennett, 22. Francis Gross III DNQ: Anthony Sesely, Pat Verwys, Alan Creveling, Terry Markovic, Matt Higgins
9-28 Sun Shangri La 100 RoC 60 - 2
RoC Modifieds
Unofficial Finishing Order
1 1 71 Jimmy Zacharias
2 7 60 Matt Hirschman
3 8 22 Chuck Hossfeld
4 3 66 Austin Kochenash
5 4 73x Andy Jankowiak
6 13 42 Nick Pecko
7 9 65 George Skora III
8 12 51r T.J. Potrzebowski
9 14 27 Rick Kluth
10 18 95 Bryan Sherwood
11 11 3 Daren Scherer
12 16 24 Tyler Rypkema
13 2 53 Brian Defebo
14 6 31 Nick Barzee
15 17 48 Sam Fullone
16 20 17 Ken Canestrari
17 19 51b Lee Sharpsteen
18 5 25 Mike Leaty
19 22 99 Mikael Labreche
20 21 10 Daryl Lewis Jr.
21 10 21 Tony Hanbury
22 15 14 Doug Reaume
Sat Sept 27: Bob “Heavy” Scherer Memorial 50 Lap Modified feature/$2000 to win - 8
When Roger Heffelfinger Jr., won the Bob “Heavy” Scherer Memorial race Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway, there was so much meaning that went with it.First of all it had been over 27 years since Heffelfinger won a feature at Mahoning Valley. If that wasn’t emotional enough there was the fact of winning the 50 lap event named in honor of Scherer.He was a former racer who drove for the late Dale Beers Sr., his father-in-law. At the start of the 1990s Scherer turned his attention to wrenching for his brother-in-law, Eric Beers, which led to countless wins and track championships. In May of this year Scherer passed away after a brief bout with cancer.There is also the close family connection between the Beers’ and Heffelfinger’s. Roger Heffelfinger Sr., had at one time drove for the elder Beers and even won a memorial race at Dorney Park Speedway in his car, which was the Dale Beers Jr. Memorial. Now some four decades later and Heffelfinger Jr., was gracing Victory Lane in a race that was again affiliated with the Beers clan.“First of all I’m glad the Beers and Scherer family got together along with Floyd Santee and Dave and Laura DeLange to run this race. You never heard a bad word about Heavy Scherer. Everyone liked him, they respected him and he was a true class act,” said Heffelfinger,” who won $2000 in the process.At the outset it was Joe Mooney, driving Geary Rhinehimer’s No. 39m, who led the opening circuits. He was closely followed by Lou Strohl. Strohl was actually running alongside Mooney and that would set the tone for some intense action.After a lap six restart Strohl moved into the lead but just slightly. Keeping pace from the inside groove Mooney was able to grab back the top spot within two laps. Close at hand was Chip Santee while several other top contenders where prowling about near the leaders. Don Wagner, Nevin George, Eric Beers and Kyle Strohl started to come into play.As Mooney continued to fend off L. Strohl, Santee was showing his strength as well as he went even for second spot. Santee’s fight came to a halt when he spun while trying to maintain third over George.On the ensuing restart Mooney still held his ground but for L. Strohl he had a handful to deal with. George, K. Strohl, Beers and Heffelfinger all ran under a blanket with him.Running in such tight quarters, Heffelfinger’s defining moment would come on lap 32. George and L. Strohl touched in turn two sending both of them spinning. K Strohl and Beers would also be collected in the melee sending all four to the tail of the field.Heffelfinger managed to squeeze by and when the action got back underway he was lined up next to Mooney. “Actually what I saw was Kyle Strohl had moved up. When he did Nevin (George) and Lou (Strohl) got sucked in and they tangled,” said Heffelfinger. “When he (K. Strohl) moved up I went to go underneath him. Had he not moved up I probably would have been a half a lane higher and I would have been involved in the accident.”;For the next several laps Heffelfinger gave Mooney everything he had. With his car working perfectly from the outside he finally made the race winning pass with 10 laps remaining.“I give Joe Mooney a lot of credit. We ran side-by-side for so many laps. He gave me a lane to race and he didn’t get into me or rub me. He showed that he’s a racer to me,” said Heffelfinger.That wasn’t the end of his drive, however. In the final four laps Mooney began to back pedal and coming on strong were Bobby Jones and Zane Zeiner. Being away from victory for so long, Heffelfinger wasn’t about to give in as he drove his Performance Driveline No. 31 across the stripe ahead of all others in what was one of the most gratifying wins to ever take place at the paved quarter mile oval.“You can say this was the monkey off our back but to tell the truth 10 gorillas doesn’t equal what’s been on my back. It was a long time coming to say the least,” said Heffelfinger, who last won a race in 1997 at Evergreen Raceway.“Honestly this meant a lot to me. This is the biggest race I ever won just because of what it stood for. I won my share at Evergreen but this was the ONE in my book.”
Modified Feature Finish (50 Laps): 1. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., 2. Bobby Jones, 3. Zane Zeiner, 4. Roger Coss, 5. Kris Graver, 6. Joe Mooney, 7. Mike Quinn, 8. Matt Hirschman, 9. Rick Reichenbach, 10. Nevin George, 11. Earl Paules, 12. Eric Beers, 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Don Wagner, 15. Todd Baer, 16. Brian Romig Sr., 17. John Markovic, 18. Chip Santee, 19. Lou Strohl, 20. Kyle Strohl DNQ: Kevin Rex Jr., Brian Romig Jr.
Due to motor issues and a wrecked race car following the WMT event in NH last week the Darling 52 team will not field a car at Stafford this week. Instead Matt will compete at the Fall Brawl at SL2 Sunday.
9-20 Fri/Sat NHMS 100 WMT 52 - 26th
TWICE IS NICE IN 2014 FOR PITKAT
Survives Green-White Checkered Finish To Secure Second Victory
Woody Pitkat held off Todd Szegedy on a green-white-checkered finish to earn his second NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in Saturday’s F.W. Webb 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.Two late cautions set up the dramatic finish. Contact between Doug Coby and Ryan Newman set the scene for the first green-white-checkered attempt, and on the restart lap, a six-car accident at the exit of Turn 2 resulted in a 20-minute red flag.The down time had race leader Pitkat contemplating how things might play out in his No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet.“It was really gut-wrenching sitting there like that trying to think about what was going to happen,” Pitkat said. “You’ve got people in the stands yelling your name, yelling for Bobby [Santos] to get the sweep, yelling for Todd [Szegedy] – you just had a million things going through your head – and I was trying to weed it out.”The strategy that Pitkat formulated ultimately worked to perfection. On the second and final green-white-checkered attempt the Stafford, Connecticut, native shut the door on any opportunities for Szegedy to make a move and drove to his first win in 16 starts at Loudon.“I knew I was really good on the bottom, so I just figured if I could get out in front and try to maybe break the draft and drive the thing down on the bottom and protect – and don’t get in too hot and drift up in the middle and give them the bottom on exit – that I would be ok,” Pitkat said.It’s been a breakthrough season for the veteran Pitkat, whose first career win came in August at Stafford Motor Speedway, his home track.Szegedy – last year’s F.W. Webb 100 victor – crossed the line second and championship points leader Coby rallied for a third place finish despite involvement in two incidents. Ted Christopher and Rowan Pennink completed the top five.Patrick Emerling, Donny Lia, Santos, Tommy Barrett Jr. and Mike Stefanik brought home the top 10.Santos won the Sunoco 100 at New Hampshire in July and was attempting to become the first driver to sweep the season events at the 1.058-mile track since Newman in 2010. Newman finished 20th on Saturday as a result of the damage suffered from the Lap 96 contact with Coby.Coby’s podium finish, combined with a mid-race engine failure for Justin Bonsignore, resulted in a big points swing. Coby entered New Hampshire four tallies up on Bonsignore, but left with a 448-422 advantage.“I just tried to pick the right lines and put ourselves in position to get a solid finish,” Coby said of coming back through the field after his separate incidents. “I was very aware of the points situation – the second place car [Bonsignore] broke at the halfway break – and my crew chief told me to play it smart.“I’m really happy for our team, it could have been much worse. Two races to go, so now it’s officially time to start thinking about points.”The F.W. Webb 100, which will be telecast on FOX Sports 1 on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. EDT, featured 15 lead changes among four drivers and was slowed by caution eight times. Pitkat led a race-high 79 laps.The Whelen Modified Tour has just two races remaining on the 2014 schedule starting with the NAPA Fall Final 150 on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Stafford.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - F.W. Webb 100 Results
Saturday At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 0.4 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (6) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 105 laps, 79.539 mph.
2. (5) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
3. (7) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
4. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
5. (9) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 105.
6. (16) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 105.
7. (8) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 105.
8. (3) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 105.
9. (14) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 105.
10. (11) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 105.
11. (2) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 105.
12. (13) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 105.
13. (15) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 105.
14. (27) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 105.
15. (24) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 104.
16. (19) Danny Watts, Jr., Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 99, accident.
17. (12) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 99, accident.
18. (17) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 99, accident.
19. (26) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 98, accident.
20. (1) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind., Chevrolet, 97, steering.
21. (21) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 79, accident.
22. (22) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 77, engine.
23. (20) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 71, overheating.
24. (18) Cole Powell, Mt. Brydges, Ont., Chevrolet, 70, rear end.
25. (10) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 52, engine.
26. (23) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 24, accident.
27. (25) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 8, handling.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 23 minutes 48 secondsMargin of Victory: 0.298 secondsFastest Qualifier: R. Newman (131.035 mph, 29.067 seconds)Caution Flags: 8 for 30 laps.Lead Changes: 15 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: R. Silk 1-8; W. Pitkat 9-11; R. Silk 12-14; W. Pitkat 15-31; R. Silk 32-33; T. Solomito 34; R. Silk 35-37; W. Pitkat 38-47; T. Szegedy 48-52; W. Pitkat 53-61; T. Szegedy 62-63; W. Pitkat 64-67; T. Szegedy 68; W. Pitkat 69-72; T. Szegedy 73; W. Pitkat 74-105.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 448; 2. J. Bonsignore, 422; 3. T. Christopher, 414; 4. B. Santos, 409; 5. R. Silk, 402; 6. R. Preece, 393; 7. W. Pitkat, 381; 8. T. Solomito, 368; 9. E. Goodale, 367; 10. M. Hirschman, 350.
WOODY PITKAT IS LIVING THE "MAGIC MILE" DREAM Pitkat Wins Second Career
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Race
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by Denise DuPont
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When drivers of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) come to events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) they consider it their Super Bowl. Woody Pitkat, from Stafford, CT., scored his second career NWMT victory there on Saturday to celebrate a dream come true -- a win at Loudon.
Ryan Newman earned his fifth series Coors Light Pole on Friday and led the field of cars to the green flag for Saturday’s featured event. On the race start though, Ron Silk of Milford, CT. leveraged his front row outside spot to lead the first circuit. From behind him Pitkat came from sixth to second early in the race showing he was to be a car to recon with. Pitkat passed for the lead by lap 9 and then exchanged the top position several times with Silk until he finally dominated the position.Todd Szegedy of Ridgefield, CT., sat back waiting in the wings for his turn. He saw the opportunity just before mid-race break and took the #15, 15-40 Connection Chevrolet to the front using the outside groove. Pitkat did not skip a beat to come back under Szegedy to recapture the lead before mid-race pitting.Teams made adjustments and rallied their way back to the track for the final 50 laps. During the stop in race action, Justin Bonsignore’s #51, chem3.com team discovered an engine issue. Reluctantly, the team parked the car. This was a tough blow for the team since coming into this race they were second in points for the 2014 NWMT championship.Soon after resuming the race point leader Doug Coby of Milford, CT and Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY. made contact The two continued racing but on the next lap Coby kissed the turn one wall and then spun to make contact with the turn two outside wall. The incident bent his left front wheel. Coby was able to make it in the pits to fix the car. But then he had the challenge of coming from the rear of the field.When the race resumed Pitkat, and Szegedy continued to exchange the lead spot for several laps. Two more spins brought out cautions in the race. First one on lap 79 when Glen Reen hit the front stretch wall with the #8, Reflex Energy/Baja Construction car. Then on lap 95 when Ryan Newman spun the #7, Menard/Wix Filters modified in turn four.With three race laps to go it was to be a Green-White-Checkered finish. The race drama ramped up a notch to include a horrific crash that took four teams out of the race and sent two drivers to the hospital for further evaluation.On the restart, Szegedy slowed in the high lane coming off of turn two. This bunched up the field behind him. Ron Yuhas Jr. running seventeenth at the time, drove over the #75 modified of Timmy Solomito. Yuhas then went head-on into the outside fence. The back of Yuhas’ car went up upon impact with the wall, with the nose of his car doing a pirouette on the track before flipping onto its roof. Track workers then went to work to flip the #64 car upright. Yuhas was able to exit the car under his own power but later was transported to a local hospital to be checked out.The huge wreck brought out a red flag, leaving the field sitting idle on the front stretch for twenty minutes. Climaxing the action filled race with a red flag was not what the drivers wanted to see. Last minute strategies went through their heads as what-if scenarios played through.“It was really gut wrenching sitting there like that,” confessed Pitkat. “I was just contemplating on what was going to happen. I knew Bobby was going to be back behind me to push me and I had a million things going through my head and I was just trying to weed through it all.”“I knew that I was really good on the bottom. So I figured if I could just get out front and maybe try to break the draft. Then I could drive the thing down the bottom and try not to drift up too high in the middle to give them the bottom I would be OK. So that was what I tried to do – protect the bottom.”“I figured that Todd would maybe go to the outside on the last lap in turn three and four. But my car was just so dominate and good on the bottom. I figured just keep doing that and pray that I was going to get to victory lane. And here we are.On the final restart, Santos pushed Pitkat forward as planned and Szegedy was unable to get by him. Pitkat crossed the finish line for a dramatic green-white-checkered finish capturing the series F.W. Webb 100 win at NHMS.
Todd Szegedy was second, series points’ leader Doug Coby finish third followed by Ted Christopher for fourth and Rowan Pennink to round off the top five.Szegedy won this race in 2013, so he was looking for a repeat victory. He has a good car but it tightened up during the race so he could not beat Pitkat’s at the end. “I thought that it went pretty good,” expressed Szegedy. “We had a good car in the spring and we got a finish that I felt that we deserved. I feel that every time that we go to the track that we have at least a top five car. But you never know. You could be the best car out there and a lot of things happen on that last lap. There is no question about it. Woody played it very, very smart. He knew that I was not rolling the outside as good as I was in the beginning. So he pulled down and blocked. “Unable to get deep into the corners, Szegedy held on to second and prevented Coby from getting past him. “So there was nothing that I could do unless I just go bomb down into the grass. Some guys might have done that, but I am not going to do that. I tried crossing him up and I gave it my best. Doug was right there too and he helped push me on that last start which was a big help. We had a good finish. I am very happy with the finish and I feel that Woody had what he had – a car that was strong and he definitely deserved that win.”Going into the F.W.Webb 100, Coby led the field in the chase for point by a mere margin of four points over Bonsignore in second. Before the race Coby stated his position on the point’s race: “I do not want to say that I am going to race for points, but I am racing to have a good day here at Loudon. The points are going to do what the points are going to do.”But after Bonsignore was sidelined with an engine failure and then he himself was involved in the accident hitting the second turn wall, Coby could not help think about a solid finish and points at Loudon. “I was very aware of the point situation. The second place car broke at the half-way break and my crew chief told me to play it smart. Which is kind of hard to do when you are here at Loudon and you want to win and you are going to the front. Then you are closer to the front in fourth on a green- white-checkered.”“I definitely had the toughest go of the top three” Coby said describing his race day. “We were spun out about lap 58 right after the restart. I hit the wall and flattened the left front tire. And you really do not know what that is going to do to you. I just felt that the car was still pretty good. My guys had made a small adjustment during the break and aside from Todd and Woody I think that we had one of the best cars out there. Coming back up through the field, we just tried to pick the right lines and position ourselves to get a solid finish.”On the last restart Coby helped Szegedy get to the front the best that he could and carved out a third place spot for himself. His plan was to be there waiting for the leaders to make one wrong move and then the race would be his. “I tried to push Todd so that he could play his game with Woody. I had seen Todd make some great moves here on the last lap to win races. And I have sometimes seen guys end up on the outside near the fence. So I figured if Todd and Woody are out near the fence then I would have a shot at winning.”“Woody won himself the race but driving the lowest that I have ever seen anybody drive on the last lap. He did a great job and really gave Todd no options. My only option was to bring it home in one piece in third place. I am really happy for our team. It could have been much worst. Two races to go so now it officially time to think about points.” So after crashing just mid-race Coby came back for a podium finish and maintained his point lead.The F.W. Webb 100, will be telecast on FOX Sports 1 on Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. EDT.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has just two races remaining on the 2014 schedule starting with the NAPA Fall Final 150 on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Stafford.
If you cannot join us at the track, please join us follow the action on http://www.thechromehorn.com
Notes from New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
If someone had told you that you were going to get you win at your home track of Stafford Motor Speedway and then the second at NHMS what would you have told them?
Woody Pitkat
“I probably would say they were crazy. I figured we would be pretty good at Thompson and Stafford. But because of the Arute’s support I am really happy that I got my first win there.”
“To tell me that I would come here and win it is unbelievable. To win at Stafford and then come here for a win is a huge accomplishment. Knowing that we run good here, I really felt that we would have a really good car to win here. It is just a dream come true. So we will just ride this train and hopefully keep winning.”
Thoughts going through mind during 20 minute red flag period:
Todd Szegedy
“You always think about what you want to do. This is racing and it changes every inch of the race track and every lap. You do not know what to expect. You do not know what your opponents are going to do. I knew that I was going to have Coby behind me pushing me. And I did not know how hard Woody was going to be pushed. You just do not know what is going to happen. Everything worked out the way I would have liked. We were tight. We were great in the beginning on the race on the outside and we ran there very well. But as the laps wore on we got tighter and I could not roll the outside. Normally that outside groove is the best groove. And I usually am in the best position to win the race. I can drive it in the corner deep but I just could not do it, it just would not turn. So I knew I was kind of a sitting duck. I knew Woody would have had to make a mistake for me to get by him. He did an awesome job.”
What kind of day defines what championships are made of?
Doug Coby
“You look back at every championship season since the dawn of time and there is always those days where it could go really bad and it ends up working out for you. This is certainly a place where if you end up in the fence and your car is bent, you have a terrible finish and it is a bad day. Of course anytime that you are spun out and into the fence at Loudon and you come back and finish third with a car that could have won if we stayed up front”
“Yes this is a championship defining race. In fact if we do win the championship this year we will look back at today and say that that was the day that won the championship for the team. If we don’t win the championship this year we will look at the next two races and those two will be the ones that loose it for the team. So I am happy that we have a good car every time we race. And that is all that a driver could ask of any team that we have – put a car under us that coming out of the trailer that is fast at every single track that we go to. That is what the #2 car does for me and I am really happy to be in the position that hopefully closes this out in the last two races.
9-14 Sun Oswego 200 64th RoC 60 - 15th
The 64th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions got off to a wet start as rain swept in from the Midwest and washed out all of the Saturday events. The foul weather pushed everything back to Sunday, meaning a full seven division race card would be completed in one day.A decision was made to keep the Saturday portion of the weekend seperate and run it later Sunday following the planned Sunday schedule, so the RoC Modifieds, RoC Super Stocks and Supermodifieds pulled into the track first for their racing events.After qualifying for the 3 divisions was complete, the 75-lap Supermodified Championship was won by Dave Danzer.It was now time for the 64th Annual Race of Champions Modified 200 to start! 30 cars would take the green flag, with Tony Hanbury in the No. 21 and Bobby Holmes in the No. 22H starting in the front row.It was Hanbury who took the lead on the start but “Big Money” Matt Hirschman, looking to “three-peat” this race for the first time ever, quickly took second and started applying pressure. Three laps in, the No. 22H of Bobby Holmes ran third with Brandon Oltra in the No. 9 fourth and the No. 3 of Daren Scherer rounding out the top five.Hirschman powered by Hanbury on lap 5 and started opening up ground right away. Stewart Friesen, a multi-time winner in Northeast Dirt Modifieds and Sprint Cars, was starting in his first ever asphalt Modified race. He had picked up five spots in the first nine laps to move from 22nd to 17th. Hanbury closed back to within two car lengths of Hirschman by lap 11 as the pair closed in on slower traffic. Holmes and Scherer were third and fourth but now Chuck Hossfeld in the No. 22H, who had won the Budweiser Modified Classic at Oswego just two weeks earlier, was up to fifth and charging.NASCAR Nationwide Series and Modified hotshoe Ryan Preece was moving forward through the field as well, now in sixth and in hot pursuit of the third through fifth place runners.Matt Hirschman moved into lapped traffic on lap 22 and quickly put three slower cars between himself and second place Hanbury. Holmes held onto third but his back bumper was feeling the wrath of fourth place runner Scherer, who was trying to fend off the challenges of Hossfeld and Preece behind him in a torrid early battle!Scherer’s pressure worked on lap 29 as he took third spot, and both Hossfeld and Preece followed him through, sending Holmes back to sixth.The first yellow flag of the race flew on lap 33 when the No. 24 of Tyler Rypkema, a 17-year-old RoC Modified Rookie who had a fifth place in a race earlier in the year at Oswego, broke loose and stopped just short of hitting the second turn wall. Rypkema restarted on his own and rejoined the field at the rear, having already lost a lap to the leaders.Hirschman, Hanbury, Scherer, Hossfeld and Preece rounded out the top five at this time, with Holmes, Oltra, Nick Pecko, Mike Leaty and Jimmy Zacharias running sixth through tenth. Zacharias elected to pit at this time as did Friesen, Patrick Emerling and Rypkema.The race did require a mandatory pit stop, but it had to occur after lap 50, so these stops did not count in that capacity for those racers. All of them made it back out before the green except for Emerling, whose crew was still working on that car.No sooner had the race gone back to green then a multi-car pileup happened in turn two. Nick Pecko broke loose setting off a chain reaction. Doug Reaume, Rusty Smith, Sam Fullone, Terry Cheetham, Lee Sharpsteen, Daryl Lewis, Jr., Rypkema, Austin Kochenash and Tommy Ferrell were among those involved.Lewis would be out for the day as would Rypkema, who went off on the rollback. Reaume pitted as did Ferrell, Sharpsteen, Leaty, Fullone and Kochenash. All would return to action before the drop of the green.The top five, now with 41 laps down as they came to the green, was Hirschman, Hanbury, Hossfeld, Scherer and Preece.Hirschman took off on the restart with Hanbury following, Scherer stayed third while Preece saw an opportunity and stole fourth from Hossfeld.One lap later we were yellow again as a couple of cars in the middle of the pack got out of shape. They both kept going but officials, fearing another repeat of the multi-car tangle, were quick to trigger the caution flag. Stewart Friesen popped back into the pit area with the Kluth No. 44, wanting new tires. Sam Fullone also pitted for fuel and adjustments.Friesen made it back out before the green.Scherer bumped into Hanbury on the restart going into turn one but everyone kept going as Hirschman tried unsuccessfully to get away.With 50 laps in, Hirschman, Hanbury, Scherer, Hossfeld and Preece were the top five. Holmes still ran sixth, with DeFebo, Oltra, Pecko and Leaty rounded out the top ten.Andy Jankowiak slowed to a stop on lap 54 to bring out another yellow.Now we were past the 50 lap mark for mandatory pit stops. Who would take advantage of this yellow to be the first to make theirs? Mike Leaty, Jimmy Zacharias, Kurt Totten, T.J. Potrzebowski, Friesen, George Skora III and Rusty Smith all ducked in to fulfill their rules requirment, as did Jankowiak to address his mechanical issue.The top five remained Hirschman, Hanbury, Hossfeld, Scherer and now Holmes. Hirschman led the field down to the restart as Preece went right to work on Hossfeld for fourth. Driving the No. 41 for all it was worth, Preece worked over the No. 22 of Hossfeld but couldn’t get by.One driver on the charge at this point was the No. 66 of Austin Kochenash, a high school student who is making a name for himself on the RoC Modified Tour. Kochenash was up to ninth after being involved in the earlier multi-car tangle, and he was one of the fastest cars on the track at this point.Hirschman and Hanbury settled into a race pace around lap 71, staying within two car lengths as they pulled away slightly from the battle for third between Scherer and Hossfeld, who was using his front bumper to keep Daren honest. Preece watched the action from a safe distance back in fifth, unchallenged.Kochenash continued his drive to the front as he passed eighth place Nick Pecko just after lap 75 and set sale after DeFebo.Just when you thought things were settling down to a nice race pace, on lap 85 everything changed…Hirschman was winging his way through traffic when Stewart Friesen bumped into the back of the Terry Cheetham car right in front of him. Hirschman made contact with Cheetham and ended up catching the turn four wall.The leader now had damage and stopped on the track! Under the yellow, Scherer, Kochenash, Hossfeld, Hirschman, Friesen, DeFebo and Nick Barzee all pitted. Hossfeld was first back out from that group.Now Hirschman had his second bout with bad luck as he left the pits after making his stop with the fuel can still in the tank! This is a pit road violation resulting in a stop and go penalty.Hanbury pitted after all of the above racers returned to the track. The crew went to work on the No. 21.Bobby Holmes was now the leader, not yet having made his mandatory pit stop. Brandon Oltra also hadn’t pitted and he was now second. Jimmy Zacharias was third, and the first of those who had satisfied their pit stop requirements. Mike Leaty ran fourth and Rusty Smith fifth when the race restarted on lap 98.Sixth through tenth were Kirk Totten, George Skora III, Bryan Sherwood, Chuck Hossfeld and Preece.Bryan Sherwood got hit from behind and turned around in turn four coming to the restart, resulting in the green being waved off. Fortunately, everyone moved safely by and order was quickly restored with Sherwood moving to the back of the field. Zacharias moved quickly to second on the restart just past halfway. Leaty, Smith and Ultra were third through fifth followed by Hosfeld, Preece, Kochenasch and Scherer. Friesen was again the trigger for a yellow flag on lap 108 as he got inside of Oltra and the pair made contact. Hirschman returned to the pits at this point as did Oltra, who was making his first pit stop. Brian DeFebo had a flat right front tire just after the restart, so the field slowed as quickly as it got back to the green. Holmes, Zacharias, Leaty, Hossfeld and Smith were the top five on lap 115 with Preece, Kochenash, Scherer, Totten and Hanbury completing the top ten.When we finally got back to green, Hossfeld started working over the No. 25 of Lety for third place as Hanbury snuck by for ninth. Holmes had not pitted yet as he continued to lead by a few car lengths, collecting leader lap money as he went.Second through tenth were right together with a lot of “bumper tag” being applied throughout but no positions changing as we moved to less than 75 laps to go in the second longest consecutively run race in the sport’s history (behind only the Indy 500).Hirschman was the an everyone was watching, as he ran 11th behind Friesen and was initiating Stewart into the world of “chrome horn” honking, possibly sending a signal to the driver whose bumper shot into Terry Cheetham earlier resulted in Hirschman’s contact with the wall.Scherer turned around his No.3 car to bring out the yellow on lap 132, possibly after contact with Hanbury. It was Holmes still leading (not having yet made his mandatory stop), Zacharias second and Leaty, Hossfeld and Preece sitting third through fifth.Smith, Kochenash, Hanbury, Friesen and Hirschman rounded out the top ten.That is, until the next restart attempt when the leaders played bumper cars and Smith’s front end wound up with damage as did Hossfeld’s rear end. Both would have been able to keep their spots as the officials waved off the start, but Smith had to pit to fix the damage.Holmes finally gave up the lead to pit under this yellow flag , officially on lap 143. Zacharias now took over command out front with Leaty, Hossfeld, Preece and Kochenash rounding out the top five, followed by Hanbury, Friesen, Hirschman, Reaume and Pecko.Hossfeld was the man on the charge when the green flag finally got the race back underway with just 50 to go. Hanbury was also flying, taking over fifth from Kochenash. Zacharias still led Leaty, Hossfeld, Preece and Hanbury as Hirschman moved to seventh by Friesen. the top nine were all in a pack as the battles began in earnest!hossfeld got to second and then shot to the top of the track off turn four and blasted by him to take the lead on lap 156! Hanbury dove under Preece at the same time and took fourth. Hanbury started throwing everything including a small kitchen sink at Leaty and got by for third on lap 159…then powered by Zacharias for second one lap later!With 40 to go, Hossfeld, Hanbury, Preece, Hirschman and Kochenash now made up the top five and they were hooked up and driving away! Kochenash began to lose some ground to the “Fab Four” who were ahead of him with about 35 left to go. Yellow returned to the speedway on lap 167 as Brandon Oltra hit the fourth turn wall just as Jimmy Zacharias slowed with smoke billowing from his No. 71 machine. Holmes took his No. 22H back to the pits at this time to the attention of his crew. He returned to the tail of the field before the restart.With 29 laps left, the green flag flew once again as Hossfeld, Hanbury, Preece and Hirschman now the top four. Who was going to win the 64th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions Modified Tour 200?Hossfeld opened a couple of car lengths in the first few laps after the restart but that didn’t last as Hanbury closed right back in. Hirschman went to the outside to get by Preece for third on lap 175, giving him 25 laps to pass two of the best in the business if he wanted to “three-peat”!Hirschman got to Hanbury’s back bumper and began saying hello to it with his front bumper as Hossfeld tried to hold both of them back. Reaume passed Friesen for seventh with 20 laps left while the top four were driving away from fifth place Kochenash, who was having a career run on perhaps the biggest stage of his young racing career.Preece fell off the top three’s pace just a bit as 185 went up on the board, staying within proximity but not in the battle. The chess match between the top three reached fever pitch now as Hossfeld seemed to have enough while Hanbury had to balance between keeping the bottom protected from Hirschman and being aggressive with Hossfeld, whose car was starting to lose its’ handling just a bit.With ten to go the top five remained the same. Doug Reaume was enjoying an outstanding sixth place run with his No. 14 followed by Leaty, Friesen, Pecko and Schere Hossfeld found a bit more in his Jerry Gradl Motors No. 22, opening up five car lengths as they closed in on two slower cars.And then Hirschman’s third bout with bad luck happened. Those two slower cars I just mentioned? They tangled on lap 196 just as Hossfeld went by them, causing one of them (Kirk Totten) to bounce off the inside hubrail and spin back up the track. Hanbury manged to avoid him. Hirschman didn’t.Yellow was now out once again as the final laps in “regulation” ticked off, and Hirschman was in the pits for repairs to the left side of his No. 60. Hossfeld, Hanbury, Preece, Kochenash and Reaume were now the top five. Leaty, Friesen, Pecko, Scherer and DeFebo ran sixth through tenth as the fans anticipated the upcoming green-white-checkered.Would the yellow change anything in terms of the leaders and the outcome?The green flag got the race going again in “overtime”, on lap 208 with Hossfeld showing the way. Then Stewart Friesen spun out after contact by Nick Pecko and the race was slowed again.Enter overtime number two!As the lap counter turned to 212, the green flag flew for what Hossfeld hoped would be the final time. It was.Hossfeld zoomed across under the white flag, and then the checkered, to finally get his third career win in the Race of Champions! Hossfeld, Hanbury, Preece, Kochenash and Reaume were the top five across the line. Leaty, Pecko, Scherer, Holmes and DeFebo rouded out the top ten as the teams quickly worked to begin loading up and clearing the pits so that the classes that were rained out on Saturday night could be brought in to run “part two” of the 64th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions program.
OFFICIAL FINISH – 6 4th Annual Sunoco Race of Champions Modified 200 – Chuck Hossfeld, Tony Hanbury, Ryan Preece, Austin Kochenash, Doug Reaume, Mike Leaty, Daren Scherer, Bobby Holmes, Brian DeFebo, Nick Pecko, Stewart Friesen, George Skora III, Bryan Sherwood, Nick Barzee, Matt Hirschman, Kirk Totten, Jimmy Zacharias, Brandon Oltra, Rusty Smith, Sam Fullone, T.J. Potrzebowski, Terry Cheetham, Darryl Lewis, Jr., Andy Jankowiak, Tommy Ferrell, Lee Sharpsteen, Tyler Rypkema, Patrick Emerling, Bobby Jones and Karl Hehr.
9-13 Sat Riverhead 200 WMT 52 - RAIN
Due to inclement weather Saturday at Riverhead Raceway, the Riverhead 200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race has been cancelled.
Rain moved over the track during afternoon practice and persisted into the evening, forcing the cancellation of the event by NASCAR and track officials. Due to local regulations that prohibit Riverhead Raceway from running events after the month of September, no make-up date is available to reschedule the Riverhead 200. The Whelen Modified Tour has scheduled events the next two weekends to close out the month.
8-29 Fri Oswego 100 RoC 60 - 4th
Oswego, NY... He has been saying it from day one this year on the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour that he made huge strides during the off season that made his racecar much faster. On Friday night to kick off the Budweiser international Classic Weekend at the Oswego Speedway current RoC point leader Chuck Hossfeld of Ransomville, NY proved once Hossfeld who started second, survived an opening lap spinning of the tires that dropped him back to fourth place. After moving into second on lap 20 Hossfeld and leader Andy Jankowiak thrilled the large gathering of racing fans with some thrilling side by side racing. Jankowiak made one mistake in heavy lap traffic on lap 63 while exiting turn two as he slipped high exiting the corner. Hossfeld pounced on the mistake and made a three wide up the middle move to get the lead entering the third turn. Hossfeld who led the final 36 laps survived three restarts during the final 12 laps to claim the $3,500 win. Patrick Emerling wheeled the Jan Leaty prepared car to a second place finish after starting eighth while seventh place starter Daren Scherer ended up in third. Fourth place and passing honors of the race went to Matt Hirschman who had to restart at the rear on three seperate occassions. Lee Sharpsteen in his second race driving a Ed McGuire Motorsports owned car started fifth and ran as high as second before slipping back to fifth at the checkers. "Good thing I don't have a heart condition because every time the caution came out there at the end that would have been the time to have a heart attack,” said Hossfeld in victory lane. "I have to thank my team, I keep doing this year after year because of the people involved as there is a lot of hard work and dedication. My team had this car just about perfect as the chassis was strong, the motor was strong, the car looked strong, and I think we can go home and put a cover over it and bring it back in two weeks for the RoC 200 and not change a thing because the car was that good." The toughness setting of the 100 lap feature started even before the field received the green flag." The two front cars which were myself and Tony Hanbury (driving for Kurzejewski Motorsports) both spun our tires coming out of turn four for the start,” recalled Chuck. "Being on the outside I slipped up and not being in the preferred line the next thing I knew I was running fourth by the time we got to the backstretch. Luckily I had a good enough of a car that I could race my way right back up to second.” Hossfeld also had a little luck while getting back to second, as on a lap 14 double file restart that saw Hanbury and Matt Hirschman on the front row. The front row had a difficult time in re - starting the race fairly with Hanbury doing a brake check to back up the field. While Hirschman not wanting to get run up the track fired early before the third turn start line. This jammed up restart saw the end result of Tyler Rypkema, who was driving his dad’s car ending up against the outside turn one foam barriers with front end damage. In the pre - race drivers meeting heavy emphasis was placed on fair restarts by RoC Officials and all drivers were told of the consequences. As the field came around to see the wrecked car of Rypkema in turn one, RoC Officials ordered the front row of Hanbury and Hirschman to the rear for the ragged restart and this put Andy Jankowiak and Hossfeld on the front row. On the next restart Jankowiak and Hossfeld took off in tandem however Lee Sharpsteen got past Hossfeld for second. Hossfeld sized up the competition of Sharpsteen before making a perfect outside turns three and four pass to move into second on lap 20. Once in second Hossfeld was able to pull alongside Jankowiak several times in an attempt to make a pass for the lead. But each time Jankowiak was able to withstand the challenge of Hossfeld in a crowd pleasing performance. “Andy J. is a good young racer and he had a pretty fast racecar tonight but we were able to overcome tonight and you remember those types of wins, because they are special,” said Hossfeld. Hossfeld kept applying pressure on Jankowiak for the lead and when the front running duo entered heavy lap traffic on lap 63, Andy made his only mistake of the race. As Jankowiak was attempting to pass the slower car of Sam Fullone who was hugging the inside barrier on the inside of turns one and two. The car of Jankowiak just slipped out of the outside groove exiting turn two and that was the opening that Hossfeld needed. Hossfeld acting like he was shot out of a cannon got in between Fullone and Jankowiak going down the backstraight. Entering turn three, three wide Hossfeld was able to motor past Fullone while holding Jankowiak at bay to grab the lead.
"It was the timing of the lap cars as he (Jankowiak) had everything under control,” said Chuck. "Andy was getting some really good drive coming off of turn two in the bottom groove. On that lap with the lap car down low Andy had to move up just a little bit to get around him. By doing that he lost his drive off the corner and I was able to get the drive coming off the corner and I filled the hole. Luckily we all came through it unscathed because it could have gotten pretty ugly at that point going three wide into turn three at Oswego."Once in second Jankowiak didn't give up as he started to pressure Hossfeld for the lead and it stayed that way until lap 88. That is when Jankowiak rolled to a stop on the homestretch with a faulty fuel pump. With the feature seeing only green flag laps counting fuel started to become an issue with so many yellow flag laps taking place during the feature. The first car to run out of fuel was fifth place runner Doug Reaume who pulled into the pits with a dry fuel cell on lap 94. Reaume had a tremendous run going to that point as we was sitting strongly in fifth before running dry. During one final caution flag period on lap 98 many cars still on the track were seen wiggling in an attempt to complete the race without running out of Sunoco fuel. Hossfeld was asked about how much fuel he had left? "I have four guys named Dave on my crew and that Dave who does the fuel said we had enough," answered Chuck. “ think I asked him every half a lap there at the end, it will be interesting to see just how much fuel we do have left when we get back to the garage.” The confidence of just how fast his race car was all day long was shown by Hossfeld as he only participated in the opening hot lap session and then came from sixth to win his heat by passing everyone on the outside. "Our plan was to run both hot lap sessions but i knew after the first one that our car felt great and I didn't need to go out and run that second one,” said Chuck. "I knew we had a good car as we only made two small changes before the feature. Also we had a good handling race car and historically if I think too much about it or run an extra set of hot laps I can screw up the setup by playing with it, so we just left it alone.” Hossfeld did expand his explanation of what changes they made. "We went down a path here that I would have never went down before with my Modified car set up wise. We've changed the front end of the car over the past couple of races and we have changed some geometry in the back and those changes have brought the car alive. You have to keep trying stuff to keep up and keep ahead of everybody else and we did learn some things tonight that will help us in two weeks. I'm pretty happy where we're at. "Chuck closed his night by saying, "Matty ( Hirschman ) has been on a roll here at Oswego the past two years. But tonight I think we had a car that we could have run with him, no matter how his night went. I'm proud of my team and how we have come back this year and this win definitely gives us momentum for when we come back in two weeks."Orchard Park, NY driver Patrick Emerling hung around the top eight all race long before moving into third on lap 67. He inherited second when Jankowiak suffered problems and ended up a happy second, his best career Oswego finish. "It was a different Oswego race with all of the bumping and banging taking place all race long,” said Patrick. "Usually here at Oswego we have races with long green flag periods and tonight with all of those cautions. They actully helped us as we had some good restarts and we were able to gain some positions. Jan Leaty, I have to thank him as he prepared an awesome car for me tonight.”
Qualifying heat races for the 25 car field saw victories claimed by Scherer, Hossfeld, and Jimmy Zacharias.
The RoC Modifieds return to Oswego on Sunday afternoon September 14th for the 64th running of the Sunoco Race of Champions 200 that pays a minimum of $10,000 to win.
ROC MODIFIED CLASSIC 100 FINISH: Chuck Hossfeld, Patrick Emerling, Daren Scherer, Matt Hirschman, Lee Sharpsteen, Austin Kochenash, TJ Potrzebowski, Tony Hanbury, Bryan Sherwood, Brian DeFebo, Rick Kluth, Andy Jankowiak, Donnie Hartzell, Sam Fullone, Chris Risdale, Doug Reaume, Tyler Rypkema, George Skora, III, Craig Dolphin, Kirk Totten, Jimmy Zacharias, Nick Pecko, Ken Canestrari, Nick Barzee. DNS; Daryl Lewis, Jr.
8-20 Wed Bristol 150 WMT 23rd
BARRETT POWERS TO BRISTOL VICTORY
Rookie Takes Whelen Modified Checkers In Bush’s Beans 150
Rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. out-muscled veterans Bobby Santos and Justin Bonsignore with a dozen laps to go and drove on to his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in Wednesday’s Bush’s Beans 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway.Barrett, from Millis, Massachusetts, was running third in the late stages of the hotly-contested race when he drove through and by Bonsignore and Santos – who had been the dominant cars of the night – on Lap 139. The 19-year-old held on to the lead in his No. 22 Canto Paving/Ferguson Waterworks Chevrolet through one final restart on Lap 146 for the milestone first victory.“The car was real good on the bottom, so I just drove it in and it stuck,” Barrett said. “I got by Justin and drove under Bobby. We were driving away and didn’t want to see that last caution, but I got a good restart and just drove away again.”It was just his 10th career start, and first time competing at Bristol in the sixth annual combination race between the Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern Modified Tours.“To get my first win here is amazing, it’s so exciting,” Barrett said. “I hadn’t even seen the track before today. My first time out [in practice] I didn’t even know what to think, it was crazy. This place is just so fast, so banked, the g-forces in the turns, there’s nothing like it.”Santos held on for a runner-up finish and Ron Silk joined him on the podium in third. Whelen Modified points leader Doug Coby crossed the line fourth and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran Ryan Newman was fifth.Bonsignore, the event’s Coors Light Pole Award winner, slipped to sixth in the final running order followed by Eric Goodale, Timmy Solomito, Patrick Emerling and Ryan Preece.It was a missed opportunity or Santos, who came 12 laps shy of at what would have been a fourth victory this year. He led a race-high 70 circuits.“Those last 15 laps we just got really tight, and a couple other drivers said they did too,” Santos said. “The track – I felt it getting tighter as the race went along – and we were just a little bit off.”JR Bertuccio ended up as the highest-finishing Whelen Southern Modified Tour driver in the event, 13th overall, and was credited with a victory for that tour. Southern tour points leader Andy Seuss was scored 28th in the final rundown after a last-lap accident.With Barrett’s effort Wednesday, his Our Racing team has won at Bristol two years in a row after Mike Stefanik drove the No. 22 to Victory Lane in 2013.Barrett became the first Whelen Modified Tour driver to win in his rookie season since James Civali in 2006. He also became the first teenager to garner a victory on the tour since Preece and Erick Rudolph won at ages 18 and 17, respectively, in 2009.
Wednesday saw an event record established for lead changes with nine, as well as for the most caution periods with 12. Thirty cars finished on the lead lap, also an event record.With four events remaining on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule, Coby leads Bonsignore 407-403 in the championship standings with Ted Christopher in third at 374. The Whelen Southern Modified Tour has seven events remaining and Seuss now leads George Brunnhoelzl III 301-286 with Bertuccio ranked third at 274.The Bush’s Beans 150 will air on Fox Sports 1 on Aug. 31 at 12 p.m. EDT.
The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will return to action with the Bayport Credit Union 150 on Aug. 30 at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia, while the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be idle until the Riverhead 200 on Sept. 13 at Riverhead Raceway on New York’s Long Island.
NASCAR Whelen Modified - Whelen Southern Modified Tours-Bush's Beans 150
Unofficial Results
Wednesday At Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn.
Lap length: 0.533 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (18) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 58.441 mph.
2. (3) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
3. (24) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
4. (7) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Ford, 150.
5. (8) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind., Chevrolet, 150.
6. (1) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (9) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (12) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
9. (23) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
10. (4) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 150.
11. (19) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (11) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
13. (28) JR Bertuccio, Centereach, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
14. (16) George Brunnhoelzl III, West Babylon, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
15. (2) Burt Myers, Walnut Grove, N.C., Ford, 150.
16. (22) Luke Fleming, Mount Airy, N.C., Ford, 150.
17. (29) Cole Powell, Mount Brydges, Ont., Chevrolet, 150.
18. (33) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 150.
19. (10) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
20. (27) Danny Bohn, Freehold, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
21. (32) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
22. (15) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
23. (6) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
24. (35) David Calabrese, Toms River, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
25. (20) Joe Ryan Osborne, Holland, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
26. (34) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
27. (17) Bryan Dauzat, Alexandria, La., Chevrolet, 149.
28. (14) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 149.
29. (21) Gary Putnam, Concord, N.C., Chevrolet, 148.
30. (39) Jeff Fultz, Blue Ash, Ohio, Chevrolet, 128, handling.
31. (25) Bobby Measmer, Jr., Concord, N.C., Chevrolet, 107, electrical.
32. (38) Cale Gale, Mobile, Ala., Chevrolet, 95, mechanical.
33. (37) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Chevrolet, 94, accident.
34. (13) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 79, rear end.
35. (5) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 62, engine.
36. (26) Kyle Ebersole, Hummelstown, Pa., Ford, 54, engine.
37. (36) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 38, overheating.
38. (30) Jeremy Gerstner, Wesley Chapel, Fla., Chevrolet, 28, accident.
39. (31) Jason Myers, Walnut Grove, N.C., Chevrolet, 3, mechanical.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 22 minutes 5 secondsMargin of Victory: 1.189 secondsFastest Qualifier: J. Bonsignore (128.563 mph, 14.925 seconds)
Caution Flags: 12 for 61 laps.Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.Lap Leaders: J. Bonsignore 1-35; R. Preece 36-55; D. Lia 56-57; R. Preece 58-60; B. Santos 61-63; R. Preece 64-70; B. Santos 71-135; J. Bonsignore 136; B. Santos 137-138; T. Barrett Jr. 139-150.
NWMT Standings: D. Coby 407, J. Bonsignore 403, T. Christopher 374, B. Santos 373, R. Silk 368, R. Preece 362, T. Solomito * 340, E. Goodale 336, W. Pitkat 333, M. Hirschman 332
8-14 Thu Thompson 150 WMT 2nd
THREE TIMES AS NICE FOR BONSIGNORE
Survives Late Cautions For Third Win Of Season
Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good and sometimes a driver can be both.Justin Bonsignore was just that as he was able to miss the late accidents that collected some of the lead pack cars and hold off a strong challenge by Matt Hirschman on a green-white-checkered finish to win the Budweiser King of Beers 150 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.“They got aggressive on the last few restarts, but I’ve lost a few races here the same way, so sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to win the race,” Bonsignore said of the rough-and-tumble conclusion to the event.It was the second consecutive Whelen Modified Tour win for the Holtsville, New York native at Thompson and his third of the season. Bonsignore became the first driver to win back-to-back races at Thompson since Ted Christopher scored four consecutive wins at the track from 2010-11.Doug Coby followed Hirschman in third with Ryan Preece and Ron Silk completing the top five.Timmy Solomito finished sixth with Christopher seventh and Todd Szegedy eighth. Glen Reen and Spencer Davis completed the top 10.The runner-up finish was the best for Hirschman in Whelen Modified Tour action since the 2008 Stafford Fall Final, a span of 32 starts, when he also finished second.“It’s a good finish,” Hirschman said. “We didn’t have a winning car, the 51 [Bonsignore] was definitely a little bit better. The goal is now, that we have a car that can win the World Series (Thompson season finale).”The race was relatively calm through the first half mark with only three cautions. However, business picked up in the field over the final 75 laps of the contest with the yellow flag displayed for several multi-car accidents. The most significant of those incidents came on Lap 124.Silk was leading the race with Donny Lia, who led the first half of the race before pitting under caution, second and Tommy Barrett Jr. third. Patrick Emerling spun in Turn 1 collecting both Lia and Barrett ending their night.Coby took the lead past Silk on the ensuing restart on Lap 134 and remained out front for just two laps until Bonsignore made his move past the points leader on Lap 136 where he remained the rest of the night.“[I’m] happy with a third, we keep plugging away,” Coby said. “Not too happy that the 51 [Bonsignore] gained a couple points on us, but it’s still early. We’ve got five races left. Just keep ticking them [top finishes] off, that’s all we can do.”With the win, Bonsignore was able to slice five points off of Coby's lead entering the night and will head to Bristol Motor Speedway for next Wednesday's Bush’s Beans 150 just three points (367-364) out of the top spot.“It’s still too early to talk about points,” Bonsignore said. “The best way to look the points is to win the race and we got max points tonight.”
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - Budweiser King of Beers 150 - Unofficial Results
Thursday At Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Thompson, Conn.
Lap length: 0.625 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (9) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 150 laps, 78.763 mph.
2. (16) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 150.
3. (4) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
4. (8) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 150.
5. (11) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 150.
6. (5) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (19) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (13) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
9. (17) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
10. (18) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 150.
11. (12) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (24) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 150.
13. (21) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 149.
14. (22) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 149.
15. (23) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 148.
16. (15) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 147.
17. (20) John Beatty, Jr., Merrick, N.Y., Chevrolet, 142.
18. (6) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 137, accident.
19. (2) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 137, accident.
20. (7) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 133.
21. (14) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 129, accident.
22. (1) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 124, accident.
23. (3) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 123, accident.
24. (25) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 105, brakes.
25. (10) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 13, accident.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 11 minutes 25 secondsMargin of Victory: 0.316 secondsFastest Qualifier: D. Lia (119.706 mph, 18.796 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 37 laps.Lead Changes: 4 among 5 drivers.Lap Leaders: D. Lia 1-75; G. Reen 76-82; R. Silk 83-133; D. Coby 134-135; J. Bonsignore 136-150.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 367; 2. J. Bonsignore, 364; 3. T. Christopher, 346; 4. B. Santos, 329; 5. R. Preece, 327; 6. R. Silk, 327; 7. M. Hirschman, 305; 8. T. Solomito, 304; 9. W. Pitkat, 303; 10. E. Goodale, 299.
________________________________________________________
BONSIGNORE WINS BUDWEISER KING OF BEERS 150
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park
by Polly Reid
Returning to the track where he won the season opener, the day was not unfolding to likely repeat that scenario. But it is never over until the checkered flag waves and at the line it was Justin Bonsignore in the Ken Massa, chem3.com modified who held off the field in a dramatic green white checker finish to indeed repeat - the Holtsville, NY driver earning the victory in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Budweiser King of Beers 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.“My guys don’t give up. We didn’t have the best of cars to start the race, we pitted early for an adjustment and that was probably the winning move for us. We got the car back to a good enough spot for the pit stop,” said Bonsignore. “A lot of changes this off season, I can’t believe we’re standing here again tonight.” Winner of the Icebreaker at Thompson in April, the Budweiser 150 marks Bonsignore’s sixth career win, his third of the season.Matt Hirschman finished second, point leader Doug Coby third, Ryan Preece fourth and Ron Silk fifth.Donny Lia who had set fast time earlier in the evening led the 25 car field to green with Ron Yuhas, Jr, Tommy Barrett Jr, Doug Coby and Timmy Solomito the top five, Bonsignore qualified ninth. It was easy to see that Lia in the Garbarino Mystic Missile was the car to beat as the Jericho, NY driver set a solid pace pulling from the pack taking Barrett with him.Bobby Santos, the defending winner of this race, had a tire go down, his night ending after contact with the turn one outside wall bringing out the first caution on lap 13.On the restart, Lia, Barrett, Yuhas, Preece and Coby the top five came around for the restart and from there, green flag racing ruled until a yellow for debris on lap 39. This caution was timely for Bonsignore who came down pit row for an adjustment, a call crew chief Bill Michael made on the fly.The yellow did not deter Lia who once again nailed a solid restart with Preece, Barrett, Coby and Patrick Emerling the top five. Bonsignore was back out but deep in the field at 15th. Running hard, Preece caught a piece of the front stretch wall bringing out the next yellow on lap 50. Three trips down pit row kept Preece on the lead lap but to be a factor, Preece was going to have to work his way through the field.Meanwhile, a yellow just before half way mark for Emerling with a right front flat brought the leaders down pit row for a needed tire change.Enter Ron Silk whose TS Haulers team got the Eddie Partridge machine out second just behind Solomito with Lia, Barrett, Coby, Hirschman and Bonsignore lining up behind the cars that did not pit including Glen Reen who led the way to green. Silk on fresh tires, passed Reen to become the third leader of the night on lap 83.Silk was being chased down by Barrett in second and Lia third. Coby, fourth, Hirschman fifth and Bonsignore sixth- the field settled into another green flag stretch, passing the 50 to go mark under green. The 30 to go mark, still under green then with 27 to go, a lap car went around in turns one and two- the incident unfortunately collected up Barrett in second and Lia third - their night over.The game changer incident put Coby in second behind Silk for the restart, Bonsignore third, Hirschman and Preece now the top five. A caution on the restart kept the field close but once the green waved, Coby moved low under Silk to become the third leader of the night on lap 134.Two circuits later, it was Bonsignore passing Coby low into turn three and four for the lead. Bonsignore did not get a chance to pull away as the red flag came out for Yuhas and Eric Goodale who tangled racing for a top five. Both OK, however their night ended like several others, behind the wall.One more caution with seven to go involving Keith Rocco and Todd Szegedy set the stage for a green, white, checker. Bonsignore did not miss a mark as he came around for the restart with Coby, Silk, Hirschman, Solomito and Preece behind.Bonsignore brought the chem3.com modified across for the win with Hirschman, Coby, Preece, Silk, Solomito, Ted Christopher, Szegedy, Reen and Spencer Davis the top ten.“It’s unfortunate the leaders got caught up in lap cars- wrecked like that,” said Bonsignore about Barrett and Lia’s night ending. “Sometimes, you’re on the other side, sometimes it goes your way.”“We didn’t have the winning car,” said Hirschman on the podium. “The 51 was definitely better. The goal is now that we have a car that can win at the World Series. I thought we had that last year- hopefully we can take what we learned there and what we learned tonight and contend. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year, the World Series- I definitely want to have a car that we can win with.” Hirschman’s first year back on the NWMT, he has combined forces with car owner Wayne Darling splitting the season with his own car and that of Darling’s. “It has its advantages where right now, they’re preparing for Bristol where I’m here racing tonight. It has its disadvantages because we’ve run a half season together where as everyone else a full one. It would be nice to step up and move forward on the chart.”“I’m happy we survived, it didn’t look like we were going to for a while there,” said Coby. “Happy with a third, we keep plugging away.”“This one is unbelievable,” said car owner Ken Massa. “We have this saying in the shop, this really big poster on the wall and it says, ‘Refuse to Lose’. Through the course of this whole race, that’s all I was thinking, refuse to lose, refuse to lose. Everyone one of these guys on this team has the same attitude. I think that’s what made it happen. There was no doubt the car was crap at the beginning of the race. It was an awesome call by Bill (Michael) to bring the car down pit row early and make adjustments to see what we had before we changed tires. Obviously it improved the car and Justin raced it back to a top ten, pitted, came out ninth or tenth and he raced the car.” Points talk is not the focus of the 51 team, at least not until after Bristol. “The main goal going into Bristol is to win.”Yes, Massa has changed his motor program, that gets them through the race, however, Massa credits his crew chief and his attitude around the shop and with Justin as a key to their success. “Bill Michael is amazing- first time crew chief on the Tour, three wins, it’s absolutely amazing.”“Strategy was to wing it,” said winning crew chief Bill Michael. “We didn’t plan to pit that early, but we were too free, we needed some drive up off. We figured under the pit stop we wouldn’t have time to do what we needed so we called him in early, made some adjustments- tried to make the car better.” it seemed to get a little better then under the pit stop when everyone came in, we made a few more little adjustments, then it was off in Justin’s hands. We have a good group of guys here, they do real well.” The same car they’ve used all year, the Spafco chassis, it is referred to as the Green Machine. “Ever since the beginning of the year, Justin fell in love with this car and with my background working with Spafco, I know the car pretty well myself and we just stick with it.” The Green Machine will go to Bristol. “Luckily the driver kept it in one piece and that always helps when all you’re doing is cleaning off the water from the celebration,” smiled Michael who added yes, there are changes they will be making before the next race. “We have a great driver, he did what he had to do - it was a great race.”Bonsignore’s win narrowed the point gap, Coby now leading by two points with five events left on the schedule.“It’s still early,” said Coby. “We have five races left. We’ll just keep ticking them off, that’s all we can do. We’ll take it and go to Bristol.”“Points, it’s too early to talk about points,” said Bonsignore. “The best way to look at the points is to win the race. We got max points tonight so we’ll go to Bristol. The 2 has not missed a beat all year and we don’t plan on it either.”Teams lost a day with the Budweiser 150 delayed one day due to weather creating a sense of urgency in the pit area as the NWMT packs up and heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Busch’s Beans 150 next Wednesday August 27th.Coby mentioned to the fans while on the podium to keep the Blewett family and Baldwin family in their thoughts tonight. “It’s been seven years since we lost John, ten since we lost Tom, obviously it’s been a tough week in racing across the country and in our own circle, that’s still tough here.” There is not one of us in our racing community who does not think of them and their families, especially this time of year- we will never forget.
Read the latest Speed51.com article on Matty Ice
8-9 Sat Chemung 100 RoC 60 - Win
HIRSCHMAN PERFECT IN RoC SHOWS AT CHEMUNG THIS YEAR
HIRSCHMAN CAPITALIZES ON JIMMY Z.'S MISFORTUNE TO WIN CHEMUNG RoC 100.
BY JR KENNERUP
Chemung, NY ... The finish of the 100 lap Race of Champions Modified feature was setting up to be a classic duel on Saturday night between race leader and Chemung Speedrome track kingpin Jimmy Zacharias and defending and six time RoC Modified Tour titlist Matt Hirschman. As the potent Zacharias machine exited turn four to restart the race on lap 89, the left rear axle broke sending the car into a spin which saw the car end up facing the homestretch wall.Hirschman who went from fourth to second with a daring three wide move just four laps earlier inherited the lead at this point. Matt then led the final 11 laps with ease to capture the highly entertaining feature, his fourth consecutive Chemung RoC Modified win. Daren Scherer was second with Andy Jankowiak in third, current RoC point leader Chuck Hossfeld in fourth and Patrick Emerling in fifth."It was good to get some breaks go my way tonight but we didn't get any breaks at the start as we were forced into a three wide and got pushed out of the groove and lost three spots,” said Matt. "I wasn't sure how the race was going to play out, I just waited to see what my competition was going to do during the race. Whether they were going to pit for a tire I would have followed them in or they were going to stay out. Most of them who were going to compete for the win stayed out while a few of them pitted. I broke through there at the right time ( lap 85 ) and who knows if I would of had enough time ( to get the lead ) as the laps were running out and the 71 ( Zacharias ) had a pretty good lead as he did most of the night."Zacharias who started on the pole was setting a blistering pace in the lead. Meanwhile Hirschman who started sixth and was back to ninth position by the end of lap one was already starting to pace himself and save his equipment, which is his motto."If I would have picked better and not got forced out of the groove on lap one and lost those spots maybe I would have tried to pick up the pace to stay with the 71," said Matt. "With what happened on the first lap I decided to step back a little bit, not push the issue, and pick my spots to make a pass. Plus during that time I could see who was going to be the cars to beat on this night. Because I had a good car on this night and with the lack of cautions I knew what we were going to do and race to the finish."Hirschman worked the outside groove to race his way back into fifth by lap 12. With the first 41 laps of the 100 lap feature going caution free the top four of Zacharias, Mike Leaty, Daren Scherer, and Chuck Hossfeld were all pulling away from Hirschman who comfortably rode around in fifth saving his tires and racecar.The racing up front started to get a little more dicey following the lap 41 restart as the front row of Zacharias and Leaty made contact on the start exiting turn four. Hossfeld reacted quickly to it and swiftly moved into second with an inside turn one three wide move from fourth. During the next yellow flag period on lap 56 Leaty pitted for a new tire and also have his crew check over the front end for any damage from the contact. Hossfeld glued himself to the back bumper of Zacharias when the race returned to green on lap 57. But after only a handful of laps the Zacharias car just kept getting stronger and he quickly opened up a ten car length lead. Hossfeld meanwhile was left to battle with Scherer and Hirschman for second.The turning point of the race for Hirschman took place exiting turn four to complete lap 85. Hossfeld who was second drifted high exiting turn four and Scherer who was third got under him but bobbled slightly. Hirschman immediately jumped to the inside of both cars and the trio raced three wide going into turn one. Hirschman exited turns one and two in second with Scherer remaining in third and Hossfeld being the biggest loser in the position exchange now back to fourth."That was a pretty exciting pass wasn't it,” asked Hirschman afterwards. "To get into second was important as the laps were winding down and I didn't have any laps to waste if I was going to have an opportunity to win the race. At that point I didn't know how good the 71 was because he was so far out in front all race long. So at that point of the race I had to make that move and it worked out. I had full position and I was going to go as low as I could entering turn one without hitting the inside concrete wall. Sometimes in that situation you see guys charge in late and stick their nose in there and that doesn't work. However in this situation tonight I had the inside lane by a full car length and I earned that spot and held it."Once in second the Hirschman Motorsports entry looked liked a space shuttle as he quickly closed in on the lead of Zacharias. The near capcity crowd was now getting on the edge of their seats as they knew there was going to be one heck of a finish forthcoming. With the Zacharias lead now down to two car lengths the yellow lights would flash on for the third and final time for the spun car of TJ Potrzebowski on lap 89.On the restart with the crowd now standing in anticipation of a great finish. The bubble of anticipation got popped almost immediately as the green lights came on as the Zacharias car suffered a broken left rear axle. Zacharias swerved and spun almost making contact with Hirschman at the start finish line and finally ended up face first into the homestretch concrete retaining wall.Matt spoke about the restart and what he saw from his perspective. "I didn't want to be on his ( Zacharias ) back bumper at the start especially if he spins the tires then you jack everyone up behind you. I've always been very fair on restarts because at times that is how guys get into trouble because they want to push and shove you before the green comes out. I want everybody to get a good start and then we'll race. He ( Zacharias ) did spin the tires but in my mind I knew it was a broken axle because he was too far out of the corner for wheel spin. I am glad I missed him as I almost clipped him ( when he was spinning ), we did make side to side contact. But I didn't want to see either of our days get ruined by a bad restart. It was unfortunate that he broke because it robbed the fans of a great last 11 laps because I don't know if I had enough to get around him."With the crowd now in shock after witnessing what just happened Hirschman led the final 11 laps to claim his first RoC Modified win since late May. "When you got to work a little harder for a win you get to appricate it more," said Matt. "I'll be the first to admit that the feature wins were coming pretty easy the last two years, especially last year. We started out this year with some wins, but we had to work for them. Tonight we had everything 100 % and I'll be the first to admit that there have been some races where we didn't close the deal because we were at 85 or 90 % and that doesn't get the job done."Matt finished up his night by wanting to say a few words about the show at the Chemung Speedrome on this night. "It was a great night with Watkins Glen going on, probably the best crowd I ever seen here when we've raced here. With RoC leasing the track for this show they were rewarded with a great day. I'm glad Andy ( RoC Administrative Director Harpell ) took the chance and ran this show. He's proven that this RoC asphalt Modified product is a good one and more tracks should look at the success here tonight and step up run a RoC show. We have a great product here that produces good exciting racing and if it wasn't for a mechanical failure on the 71's part tonight there would have been another great finish."Runner-up Daren Scherer ran another solid race to secure the second place finish at the end. In victory lane Scherer commented on his day, “We tried something totally different with our setup here tonight that most said would never work. The car was awesome, I wish we could do this again tomorrow because we can’t wait to bring this setup back to Chemung.”Qualifying heat wins went to Hirschman, Brian DeFebo, and Hossfeld. Each driver secured five bonus points for their preliminary race wins.NOTES; a beautiful late summer evening brought out a very large gathering of racing fans who witnessed a highly entertaining evening of racing entertainment. Former Chemung, NY resident and NASCAR driver Todd Bodine was on hand taking in the action along with Bob Dillner of FOX Sports and Speed 51.com. Lee Sharpsteen made his asphalt Modified debut aboard the second Ed McGuire owned Modified as a teammate to TJ Potrzebowski. Sharpsteen looked very good in his maiden voyage as he qualified easily in his heat race and was slated to start 11th in the feature until terminal engine woes sidelined his effort. Donnie Hartzell made his first start of the season in a very sharp looking machine. The Kids Box Car Races at intermission were very well received as six entrants raced for trophies sponsored by Zacharias Racing and Kochenash Racing. The RoC Modified feature was checkered at a very fan friendly 9:25 pm Saturday evening.Next up for the RoC Mods is the Tommy and Tony Memorial 110 at Elegant Builders Raceway Park this Saturday night.The full Sunoco Race of Champions Weekend Schedule will be released this week. It was announced that RoC owner Andrew Harpell has cut the cost of camping for this year’s Oswego weekend in half this year to $20 to help the loyal RoC fans that have supported the race for years.
RoC Chemung Modified 100 Official Feature Finish: Matt Hirschman, Daren Scherer, Andy Jnakowiak, Chuck Hossfeld, Patrick Emerling, Austin Kochenash, Brian DeFebo, Mike Leaty, Nick Pecko, Brandon Oltra, Doug Reaume, TJ Potrzebowski, Daryl Lewis, Jr., Bryan Sherwood, Terry Cheetham, Donnie Hartzell, Jimmy Zacharias, Tommy Cloce. DNS; Lee Sharpsteen.
8-8 Fri Stafford 150 WMT 52 - 10th
PITKAT POWERS TO FIRST WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR WIN
Veteran Scores First Victory At Hometown Track
After winning 71 times at Stafford Motor Speedway in weekly competition, there was never any doubt that Woody Pitkat knew his way around his home track. Now Pitkat can add a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win to his résumé.
The veteran driver dominated the Call Before You Dig 811 150 and beat Ron Silk to the line by over four seconds to pick up his first career win in his 86th tour start.Donny Lia followed Silk in third with points leader Doug Coby and Eric Goodale completing the top five. Rowan Pennink finished sixth and Ted Christopher seventh. Justin Bonsignore, Ryan Preece and Matt Hirschman rounded out the top 10.Pitkat started second to pole sitter Bobby Santos and quickly drove his No. 88 Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East Chevrolet to the lead on Lap 3 stayed out front for the bulk of the first half of the race until a caution on Lap 76 for Patrick Emerling stalling on the track brought the leaders to the pits.Pitkat came out of the pit stop in eighth place with Donny Lia in the lead, Ryan Preece second and Ron Silk third. Pikat quickly moved up through the field and was up to fourth by Lap 92 and was second to then leader Ron Silk by Lap 102. Pitkat closed in and passed Silk on Lap 115 for the lead where he remained the rest of the night.
Pitkat's previous best finish on the tour was second - three times.The race was slowed just two times by caution with the first yellow flag given to the field on Lap 7 after Tommy Barrett Jr. stopped on the track with a flat tire.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will remain in Connecticut for the Budweiser King of Beers 150 next Wednesday at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Call Before You Dig 811 150 - Unofficial Results
Friday At Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. 2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 83.773 mph.
2. (6) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 150.
3. 3) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 150.
4. (5) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
5. (11) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
6. (9) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (10) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 150.
9. (7) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 150.
10. (18) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 150.
11. (14) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (1) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
13.(17) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 149.
14. (12) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 149.
15. (13) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 149.
16. (15) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 148.
17. (19) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 148.
18. (16) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 148.
19. (8) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 147.
20. (22) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 144.
21. (20) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 115.
22. (23) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 102, suspension.
23. (21) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 38, suspension.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 53 minutes 43 seconds
Margin of Victory: 3.268 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: B. Santos (97.651 mph, 18.433 seconds)
Caution Flags: 2 for 9 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B. Santos 1-2; W. Pitkat 3-10; R. Silk 11; W. Pitkat 12-78; D. Lia 79-94; R. Silk 95-114; W. Pitkat 115-150.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 325; 2. J. Bonsignore, 317; 3. B. Santos, 310; 4. T. Christopher, 309; 5. R. Preece, 287; 6. R. Silk, 287; 7. W. Pitkat, 275; 8. E. Goodale, 273; 9. T. Solomito, 266; 10. M. Hirschman, 263.
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Woody Pitkat Celebrates First NWMT Victory on Home Territory
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Call Before You Dig 811 150
by Polly Reid
He had been to victory lane seventy-one times in his storied weekly racing career at Stafford Motor Speedway but tonight was a milestone for the driver who calls the Connecticut half mile oval his home track. For the first time, Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT pulled into victory lane as a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour winner. Pitkat wheeled the Buzz Chew owned, Elbow East sponsored modified from an eighth place restart on lap 82 to the front of the field by lap 115 and never looked back taking the win in dominating style with a 3.268 second margin of victory over Ron Silk in second, Donny Lia third, point leader Doug Coby fourth and Eric Goodale fifth.“It can’t get any more special than winning at your home track. It’s a huge honor, something I never thought of in a million years, running Dare Stocks and Late Models, you never think about how many wins you’ll accumulate- we’ve had fast cars everywhere, we’ve just needed a little bit of luck.” Pitkat continued, “a win here with the Arutes, it’s great to be able to do it here. It’s just awesome to be able to win. This is the hardest division no doubt anywhere you go.”Bobby Santos led the 23 car field to green for the NWMT Call Before You Dig 811 150 with Pitkat on the outside. A quick caution on lap 7 for a flat tire on the Tommy Barrett, Jr. modified kept the action close. Pitkat at the point on the restart with Ron Silk now in second came around for the green with Santos, Lia and Ted Christopher the top five. And green was the color of the night as the field settled into predominately single file, Pitkat leading the front pack.At the half way mark, the caution waved for Patrick Emerling who had slowed on the backstretch. The leaders including Pitkat came down pit row but it was Donny Lia who was out first followed by Ryan Preece, Silk, Coby and Santos the top five.Pitkat lined up eighth for the lap 82 restart.“We had an awesome pit stop,” said Lia. “Tonight was incredible, I’ve just got to hand it to the guys, they just ripped off an awesome stop. It definitely helped out for our finish.”Lia and Preece battled for the top spot with Lia gaining the edge until Silk got into the mix and at lap 100, it was Silk leading Lia, Pitkat, Coby and Goodale the top five with that order switching up as Pitkat got by Lia for second, his sights set on the Silk leading. The lead change came shortly after - a brief side by side run was all it took and Pitkat took over the top spot on lap 115.With the green flag the order of business to the end, Pitkat ran his line taking to task working lap traffic and without any serious threats to his growing lead, cruised to the stripe for his career first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory followed by Silk, Lia, Coby and Goodale.“Spot came over the radio and told me we were the class of the field,” said Pitkat about the restart following their trip to pit row. “We got back out there and I told him over the radio, this is going to be like a scene from Days of Thunder- come in the pits first and come out third, except we were eighth. It was 60 to go - I knew there was plenty of time and just keep your cool. Then I just started picking them off, there were a couple of good lanes, I followed Doug through a couple of people, then I started working on setting up a couple of people- then I got there. I was just praying for no cautions.”“We had a good car tonight, not nearly as good as the 88 though,” said Silk of Norwalk, CT who wheels the Eddie Partridge, TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm modified. “We got a good start, from fourth to sixth, was able to get by Santos and Ted when they got together in the beginning so I kind of ran second the whole first half. I was just too loose the whole race. The first run I was loose. We tightened it up at the stop, made a minor improvement but I was just still really loose the second run. I didn’t have anything for Woody, he was spot on tonight. Woody is a really good friend of mine, I’ve spent a lot of time with him when I was younger racing up here every week I would go stay at his house- I’m happy to see him win- all the guys on his team are really good guys.”Donny Lia of Jericho, NY in the Bob Garbarino Mystic Missile Racing modified had a challenging weekend at Loudon and was pleased with the podium finish. “We went from being too loose the first run to being too tight the second run - we just missed our target a little bit. We needed this good run pretty badly - we’ve had some bad luck lately and this really helps out- I’ve got to thank the guys for working their tails off, countless hours trying to fix the car. They put a tremendous amount of effort into it and I’m proud of them. I can’t thank all of them, Bob and Joan enough – they just never give up.”“We have a lot of faith in him,” said car owner Buzz Chew about Pitkat. “We’ve had a fast car all year we’ve just had bad luck and tonight our luck was good. That car was on a rail - it’s been fast for two years - we just haven’t had the breaks.” Chew has fielded a NWMT entry since 2010 - tonight marks his first time as a winning NWMT car owner. “My crew chief, Ron who been with me for 20 years does an awesome job. He is so dedicated. We had a tough time getting into this modified tour, we thought after running pretty decent with a Busch car, this, this is a whole different thing. This is the toughest division in the whole United States, I believe that, these guys are tough- they start racing on the pace lap. In a Busch car, you ride for 100 laps- with a modified, you start on the first lap racing - we had a hard time getting used to that. This win, it’s big for us- a long time coming. I’m happy for Woody.”In his 20th season with car owner Buzz Chew, crew chief Ron Ste-Marie has been to K&N Series victory lane with Bryon Chew and collected dirt wins including Syracuse with Stewart Friesen. The switch to the NWMT has not been an easy one. “These things are lighter, lower to the ground - I guess we came into it after running Busch cars thinking this would be a piece of cake and that is the farthest thing from the truth. The guys that have been running the modified tour, you look down through those names, they have a notebook ten years thick. Anyone new coming into it, you’re behind the eight ball. This was big, we needed this. Everyone works really hard - I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to have any luck. This was awesome.” Ron gave a shout out to his daughter Bryce who turned seven today.“Ron, Ernie back at the shop, they are there every day working on the car, I don’t think they ever even sleep, they are just working as hard as they can,” said Pitkat. “The way that car is prepped is like no other and it shows. The whole crew, they’ve just been together for so long with Bryon, it’s just unbelievable. Billy the Kid power, they’ve had Billy the Kid forever, the relationship is there. They’re just awesome people.”The win for Pitkat should shake any doubt in his mind what a lot of people in the racing community already knew, that it really was only a matter of time before he would be in the winner’s circle. Sandra Hill knew it, Don King knew it, David Hill as well- the former car owners Pitkat was quick to thank in victory lane along with a host of other individuals who have supported Pitkat in his career. “If it wasn’t for all of them, I wouldn’t be here. Being able to get out there, get seat time and showcase what I could do with the equipment I had- they saw, they knew I could get the job done.” Buzz and Bryon Chew were convinced enough as well- Spot making the call asking Pitkat what he was doing this year. “I just can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to be out here. This is obviously my dream come true.”The win comes on Pitkat’s 86th NWMT career start on a date Pitkat will always remember- 8/8 in the number 88. “How cool is that?”Following Pitkat, Silk, Lia, Coby and Goodale the top five, Rowan Pennink crossed the line for sixth with Ted Christopher, Justin Bonsignore, Ryan Preece and Matt Hirschman the top ten.Doug Coby of Milford, CT in the Mike Smeriglio modified carries an eight point lead over Justin Bonsignore heading into the next NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event this Wednesday August 13th at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the Budweiser 150.
7-27 Sun Shangri-la 2 75 RoC 600 WMT- 2nd
The Race of Champions Pavement Modified Tour made their second stop of the 2014 season at Shangri-La II Motorspeedway on Sunday afternoon. The forecast was for thunderstorms, but the skies were sunny and the temperatures were hot as Chuck Hossfeld led from the pole position and held off Andy Jankowiak for the majority of the race. Matt Hirschman got past Jankowiak on a late race restart to challenge Hossfeld. A final caution bunched up the field and Hossfeld held off Hirschman the final five laps to collect his second RoC Tour win of the season
The day was dedicated to the memory of the late engine builder, Gail Clark. Shangri-La II along with Gail's son, Brian unveiled the permanent sign dedicating a section of the track's frontstretch grandstand in memory of the popular engine builder whose passing has affected many who knew him. There were three special awards presented to the modified teams. The Gail Clark pole award was presented to the driver with the fastest lap turned during the heat races. Matt Hirschman won the award with his fourth lap the fastest in qualifying at 17.784 sec, 101.215 mph around the half mile concrete oval. The Gail Clark Hard Charger award was presented to Brian DeFebo who started 22nd and finished sixth. Rod Spalding was on hand and presented a Rod Spalding Sportsmanship award to Erick Rudolph for his performance on Sunday.
Matt Hirschman may have had the fastest lap during qualifying, but he finished third in his heat race, dropping him to eighth in the re-draw. Chuck Hossfeld redrew second, drawing the pole for the seventy five lap feature. Bobby Holmes, driving for Rick Kluth racing, started outside the front row. Drivers with a lot of modified experience at Shangri-La II( Jimmy Zacharias, Daren Scherer, Dean Rypkema and Brian DeFebo) started deep in the twenty two car field and would each take their time marching to the front. For DeFebo, he started twenty second and was the caution on the opening lap of the event, spinning in turn two. The field had just gotten back under the green flag with Hossfeld, Holmes, Nick Pecko, Andy Jankowiak and Sam Fullone occupying the first five positions. The second caution came out when Nick Pecko had a three wide run coming off turn four. The Vandling, Pa driver ran out of racetrack, and had his left side tires on the blacktop apron of the track, sending him on a long slow slide into turn two. Austin Kochenash suffered a left front flat and came to the pits for a new tire. The race ran nineteen laps under the green flag with Jankowiak and Mike Leaty challenging Hossfeld for the lead. The duo locked up in a nose to tail draft and still could not get along side of Hossfeld for him to give up his line. Pecko brought out caution number three with a spin in turn four. Several teams took advantage of this caution to use their one tire change allowed by RoC rules. Hossfeld fended off the challenge from Jankowiak on the restart, but now had to deal with Leaty hanging on to his rear bumper. This challenge was short lived as another caution flew on lap twenty four as contact was made in turn three between Jim Storace and Patrick Emerling. Both drivers would continue, and ultimately have a good day. The next thirty six laps went green with Hossfeld distancing himself from his challengers by nearly 1 second. Jankowiak and Jimmy Zacharias were in pursuit of Hossfeld, but Zacharias had to find a way around Jankowiak. Two cautions flew on lap sixty one. The first for Erick Rudolph as his car came to a stop down low coming off turn four. The race restarted, but caution flew before the lap was completed for the Zacharias ride after he came to a stop in turn three. Zacharias and Rudolph would retire from the race. The restart saw Hirschman move up from sixth to third due to the attrition. He immediately went to work on Jankowiak, wrestling the spot away, and then went on the hunt for Hossfeld. Hossfeld was a bit better getting off turn four and would hold on for his second RoC win of the year. The win was Hossfeld's second career win at Shangri-La II. Hirschman finished second, Jankowiak was third, Emerling and Leaty completed the top five.
RoC Modifieds (75 Laps) 1) Chuck Hossfeld, 2) Matt Hirschman, 3) Andy Jankowiak, 4) Patrick Emerling, 5) Mike Leaty, 6) Brian DeFebo, 7) Daren Scherer, 8) Jim Storace, 9) Austin Kochenash, 10) Bryan Sherwood, 11) Bobby Holmes, 12) Nick Pecko, 13) Brandon Oltra, 14) Jimmy Zacharias, 15) Erick Rudolph, 16) Michael LaBresche, 17) Tommy Cloce, 18) George Skora, III, 19) Sam Fullone, 20) Dean Rypkema, 21) Ken Canestrari, 22) Tyler Rypkema
Heat Winners: George Skora, III, Matt Hirschman, Nick Pecko
Gail Clark Pole Award ( to Fastest Qualifier) Matt Hirschman 17.784 sec 101.215 mph
Gail Clark Hard Charger Award : Brian DeFebo
Rod Spalding Sportsmanship Award : Erick Rudolph
7-26 Sat Mahoning Speedway 100 laps 59 - Win
When it comes to 100 lap Modified features at Mahoning Valley Speedway, Matt Hirschman knows a thing or two about winning them and he showed his prowess yet again in the popular extra distance runs when he drove his J & J Motorsports No. 59 to a 10th career 100 lap victory Saturday night worth $3500.Coming from 15th, Hirschman used a restart with 11 laps to go to get by impressive Roger Coss and then went on to his 12th Mahoning win. Talk about biding you time, Hirschman never entered the top 10 until just prior to halfway but once he did there was no stopping his charge to the front. In a fast paced race that had minimum cautions, Hirschman took advantage of long green flag runs to pick off cars.Just ten laps after motoring into the top 10, he only needed another 10 to crack the top 5. After that there was a holdup as he was gripped in a close battle with Don Wagner, Lou Strohl and Earl Paules.While that was taking place, Coss, who had been out front since lap 22, was cruising way ahead of the pack. For all intent and purposes, this was his race. After he took the lead from Todd Baer, Coss established himself as the car to beat. He built a lead of over three seconds and only saw challenges when the field would regroup under a caution, which wasn’t often.Meanwhile Hirschman stayed focused to racing hard to get by cars. Strohl was taken care of on lap 62 and then Wagner in another two afterwards. That left just Paules to handle before pursuing the leader but this would take a little time. Once again with a stretch of green flag laps Hirschman finally raced by Paules with 15 to go. Coss was still cruising comfortably but it was evident that Hirschman had the afterburners on.Right after Hirschman drove to second spot, a billow of smoke released from Coss’s front end. A power steering hose had come loose. However, there still seemed enough time for him to hold on as 11 laps remained. Unfortunately, the caution was out as Kris Graver slammed hard into the back straight wall. It would be on that restart that Hirschman would make the determining pass for the win.“Actually the deciding factor was just breaking through the pack. It was real close with five or six of us right together. We were able to break through and reel in the top three,” said Hirschman.“The 17 (Coss) was smoking and I’m not sure what it was. I had almost caught him when the caution came out. I don’t know what would have happened had that yellow not waved. 15th to first is nothing to shake your head at. There was a lot of good battling in the pack.”;It also marked the end of a two month dry spell for the Northampton Modified star who last won in May when he won five straight races.“Man, I’ve been in a slump and there’s nothing better than coming home and winning one here. Hopefully this gets our season turned back round. It’s always such a great crowd and I miss racing at Mahoning Valley,” said Hirschman.John Markovic got second while Paules, L. Strohl and Kyle Strohl rounded out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (100 Laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. John Markovic, 3. Earl Paules, 4. Lou Strohl, 5. Kyle Strohl, 6. Nevin George, 7. Todd Baer, 8. Brian DeFebo, 9. Eric Beers, 10. Roger Coss, 11. Brian Romig, 12. Scott Meckes, 13. Kris Graver, 14. Don Wagner, 15. Bobby Jones, 16. Chip Santee, 17. Terry Markovic, 18. Joe Stamm, 19. Matt Wentz, 20. Brain Sones DNQ: Kevin Rex Jr., Pat Verwys
7-23 Wed Seekonk 100 Tri-Track Open Series 50 - 3rd
Tommy Barrett, Jr. of Millis, Massachusetts had a lot to race for when he pulled into Seekonk Speedway (MA) Wednesday afternoon. In addition to the $10,000 on the line for the winner of the 100-lap Open Wheel Wednesday Modified event, Barrett was also racing for his grandfather, who passed away last weekend.The 19-year-old, who has earned the nickname “The Real Deal,” used a crossover move on early leader Todd Annarummo to take the lead for the final time on lap 86. Barrett then held off a strong charge from “Big Money” Matt Hirschman over the final 10 laps to claim a $10,000 pay day in front of a huge crowd at Seekonk on Wednesday.“It’s huge,” Barrett said of the win. “I’m happy for my dad. My grandfather passed away this weekend and this makes things look a little bit better for him. I’m sure he doesn’t feel as bad for sure, so this win was for him and my grandfather. It’s the biggest pay day for us by far, it’s not even close.”Barrett took the lead from Annarummo for the first time on lap 24, but Annarummo battled back to retake the lead shortly after. The two drivers would battle each other on a number of restarts throughout the event, but Annarummo was able to set the tone as the leader each time.It wasn’t until the final restart on lap 81 that Barrett was able to get a good enough restart to hang with Annarummo and eventually use an exciting crossover move to take the lead on lap 86.“That was crazy,” Barrett said of the last 19 laps of the event. “I think it was 19 to go on that final restart and I was trying to stay with Todd on the outside. I could stick with him, but I just couldn’t complete the pass. He was running me up the hill a little bit. We were side-by-side going into turn three and I crossed him up and I got into the back of him a little bit when he slowed up. I drove into (turn) one on the inside of him. It stuck and I was able to take the lead.”Once he was able to squeeze by Annarummo to take the lead, Barrett established an eight car-length advantage over Hirschman, who was charging towards the front for the “big money.” Hirschman closed the gap on Barrett throughout the final 10 laps and closed to his back bumper with five laps to go.Hirschman would try a crossover move of his own on lap 96 as the top-two exited turn four. Barrett slammed the door as Hirschman tried to move to his inside and the two cars made contact. “Big Money Matt” would regroup and battle back to challenge Barrett once again on lap 98. This time, Hirschman tried the outside in turn three but got loose in the middle of the turn, allowing Barrett to drive away and claim the victory.“My spotter, Shawn Waddell, just kept telling me, ‘protect the bottom, protect the bottom’ and that’s what I was trying to do,” Barrett said of the battle with Hirschman. “My car was a little bit better on the top I think. Matt (Hirschman) almost got me a couple times, but Waddell did a good job keeping me on the bottom to seal the victory.”Jon McKennedy, who entered Wednesday’s event leading the Tri Track Open Modified Series points standings, snuck by Hirschman during the closing laps to finish second. His second-place finish on Wednesday, coupled with his win in the SBM 125 at Star Speedway (NH) and sixth-place finish in the Bullring Bash at Lee USA Speedway (NH), earned him the overall series championship.In addition to his winnings for his performance in each of the events, McKennedy claimed an additional $1,500 for winning the championship.“It’s great to be able to win another championship,” said the three-time Valenti Modified Racing Series champion. “We ran second tonight and had a good run coming from the 22nd starting spot. This is a brand new car and it’s a good deal to be able to perform this well.”Hirchman would end up finishing third on Wednesday night after being in contention to win late in the event. Early leader Todd Annarummo and three-time Valenti Modified Racing Series winner in 2014, Richard Savary, completed the top-five.
Open Wheel Wednesday 100-Lap Modified Feature Unofficial Results
1 9 Tommy Barrett, Jr.
2 73 Jon McKennedy
3 50 Matt Hirschman
4 12 Todd Annarummo
5 99 Richard Savary
6 3 Ryan Preece
7 76 Vinnie Annarummo
8 25 Rowan Pennink
9 71 Paul Newcomb
10 92 Anthony Nocella
11 35 Derek Ramstrom
12 52 Bobby Santos
13 20 Doug Coby
14 23 Michael Douglas, Jr.
15 21ri Kyle James
16 13 Steve Masse
17 25ct Matt Galko
18 41 Karl Fredrickson
19 15 Chris Pasteryak
20 21x Justin Bonsignore
21 16 Todd Cerovalo
22 6ma Woody Pitkat
23 0 Tom Rogers, Jr.
24 79 Branden Dion
25 73x Andy Jankowiak
-By Brandon Paul, Speed51.com Northeast Editor – Twitter: Brandon_Paul51
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TOMMY BARRETT WINS TRI-TRACK OPEN MODIFIED SERIES LAST RACE
Running For The Cash,It Is A ‘Wreckers to Checkers Race’
by Denise DuPont
The Open Wheel Tri-Track Open Modified Series rounded off their 2014 season with ‘Open Wheel Wednesday’ at Seekonk Speedway on Wednesday July 23rd. With over $50,000 in total prize money, top drivers from the northeast headed to Seekonk for their chance to take home a piece of the bootie. In total, forty five teams headed to the ‘Cement Place’ for their chance to take home the $10,000 winner’s purse.The race format defined twenty-five starting positions. There were twenty to qualifying through heat races, two drivers from each of the two consi races and then the winner of the B-Main race had their choice to race or take home $1,000 in cash. Matt Galko of Meriden, CT was the B-Main feature winner and selected to start the race.Home track favorite, Todd Annarummo of Swansea, MA., started the race on the pole with Tommy Barett, Jr., of Willis, MA. on his outside. Annarummo held onto the lead for most of the race but did not lead the most important lap, the last one.The two drivers were evenly matched and ran door-to-door most of the race. About lap 85 Barrett decided it was time to make a move. Running on the outside he dropped under Annarummo and there was some contact but both car made it through. Now in second Annarummo surged back on the outside but a caution on lap 87 stopped his momentum. The incident was brought out by a spin involving Steve Masse, Anthony Nocella and Kyle James.For the first time in the race, Barrett had the pole on a restart. When the last green was thrown he charged forward with Annarummo going to the outside. Waiting silently in third Matt Hirschman saw an opening and pulled by Annarummo for second. Barrett and Hirschman raced hard until lap 97 when Hirschman running on the outside suddenly slowed and took Annarummo backwards with him. Jon McKennedy saw an opportunity and jumped from fifth to second running there for the final three laps. McKennedy making that one last dash for the cash chased Barrett across the finish line while Hirschman and Annarummo pursued them. The two finished third and fourth respectively. Richard Savary rounded up the top five.
Capturing the large purse added another notch in the young Barrett’s race portfolio. Excitedly reflecting on the win, Barrett expressed his thoughts on the race: “It was one of the biggest paying races of the year and winning was huge Top guys from the series (Valenti Modified Racing Series) and the tour (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) competed so we knew we had to beat some of the top drivers. There was a lot of quality there in the forty-five cars that showed up to compete. Just coming home on top really means a lot. Also my grandfather passed away this past weekend and I wanted to get the win for him and that meant a lot.”“We have had actually had a really good year with the #9 car,” confessed Barrett about his 2014 season in the family owned #9 modified. “Our first race we won at Thompson with the MRS. We got a second at Stafford race and we won at Seekonk Open Modified race. And earlier this year we had a good car at Lee and at Star at the other Open Wheel Tri-Track Series races. So we have had a strong year with the #9 car especially after last night. We are now going to run Waterford with the MRS. So everything is good with the team right now and hopefully we can just continue what we are doing and keep the wins coming.”Rounding out the top ten on the event were: Ryan Preece, Vinnie Annarummo, Rowan Pennink, Paul Newcomb, Jr. and Anthony Nocella.
We now all have to look forward to 2015 to see what the Open Wheel Tri-Track Open Modified Series promoters will plan for their spin on modified racing in the future.
Some Extra Race Notes From Seekonk Speedway:
From your driver’s seat can you walk us through some of the race action?
Tommy Barrett
Todd (Annarummo) started on the pole and I started second. For the first two laps I tried to make a move and it was not working so I thought I would ride behind him for a little bit. I took the lead from him early on and he came back and got past me. We had a few restarts where I was on the outside. When the race was finally getting down to the wire about lap 81, I said it is time to go. I tried to get by him on the outside on the restart and we actually ran side-by-side for about 5 laps. He bought me up the track a little bit but nothing bad. I drove into turn three and finally I got the break. He got loose a little bit and I crossed him up and came down. I think he got on the brakes a little bit to stop me and I got into his left rear a little bit but I still got under him. I completed the pass in turn one and I took off from there.
With the race being a run for the money what were your thoughts on the race?
Tommy Barrett
“This race being a one-time race for the big purse you are not really worried as much about wrecking the car. It is pretty much a ‘Wreckers to Checkers race’. That was what is in your mind going into the race. With all the best guys competing from series and tours that just makes it that much better to be able to take home the $10,000.”
7-19 Sat Monadnock 200 WMT 60 - 6th
BONSIGNORE MAKES HIS MOVE PAY OFF
Late Pass Produces NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Win At Monadnock
Justin Bonsignore made the late pass pay off as he drove to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in the O'Reilly 200 at Monadnock Speedway Saturday night.
Bonsignore powered underneath Ryan Preece on Lap 175 en route to the win. Preece had started second and led all but one lap to that point.It was the fifth career win for the Holtsville, New York, driver and second straight at Monadnock. It was also his second of 2014, as he opened the season with a win at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in April.The race went caution-free, leaving just six cars on the lead lap at the checkered flag. Preece settled for second, followed by Eric Goodale, rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. and points leader Doug Coby.Bonsignore won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, but Preece jumped to the lead on Lap 2 and held it until Bonsignore made his move.Matt Hirschman finished sixth, followed by Patrick Emerling, Ted Christopher, Ron Silk and Ron Yuhas Jr.With the win, Bonsignore moved to within four points of Coby in the championship points standings. Bobby Santos, who finished 11th, dropped to third in points -- eight behind Coby. Christopher is fourth, another five points back, while Preece moved up a spot to fifth.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races next in the Call Before You Dig 8-1-1 150 at Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday, Aug. 8.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - O'Reilly Auto Parts 200 Results
Saturday At Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H.
Lap length: 0.25 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 200 laps, 66.323 mph.
2. (2) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 200.
3. (3) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
4. (5) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 200.
5. (10) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
6. (7) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 200.
7. (15) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 199.
8. (11) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 199.
9. (8) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 199.
10. (6) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 198.
11. (14) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 198.
12. (16) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 197.
13. (4) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 196.
14. (19) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 195.
15. (22) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 187.
16. (21) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 186.
17. (12) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, NH, Chevrolet, 181, power steering.
18. (13) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 114, handling.
19. (17) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 110, engine.
20. (9) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 73, rear end.
21. (18) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 73, leaking fluid.
22. (20) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 68, electrical.
23. (23) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 11, handling.
Race StatisticsTime of Race: 0 hours 45 minutes 14 secondsMargin of Victory: 3.939 secondsFastest Qualifier: J. Bonsignore (71.468 mph, 12.593 seconds)
Caution Flags: 0 for 0 laps.Lead Changes: 2 among 2 drivers.Lap Leaders: J. Bonsignore 1; R. Preece 2-174; J. Bonsignore 175-200.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 285; 2. J. Bonsignore, 281; 3. B. Santos, 277; 4. T. Christopher,272; 5. R. Preece, 252; 6. R. Silk, 244; 7. E. Goodale, 234; 8. T. Solomito, 233; 9. M. Hirschman, 229; 10. W. Pitkat, 227.
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Who needed a caution? Most likely everyone but Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, NY who made his winning move with twenty-five to go in the chem3.com sponsored, Ken Massa owned modified passing Ryan Preece for the lead and never looking back scoring a convincing victory in a record setting caution free NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 at Monadnock Speedway.Bonsignore crossed the stripe with a 3.939 second margin of victory over Ryan Preece, Eric Goodale third, rookie Tommy Barrett, Jr. fourth, point leader Doug Coby fifth and Matt Hirschman sixth, the only cars on the lead lap.“I really didn’t think we had a car to win it by half way,” said Bonsignore in victory lane “Then it stayed green I asked is everyone as bad as we are and they said they were worse. Next thing you know, Ryan just kept getting bigger and bigger, I could see he was really holding on. Then I was trying to be patient with all the lap cars and not mess this one up, Billy Michael (crew chief) he nailed it again tonight.”This is Bonsignore’s fifth career NWMT victory and his second of the 2014 season. Bonsignore is also the defending winner of this event where he led the most laps one year ago on the fast, quarter mile high banked oval.“Ryan started to fade quicker than I expected,” continued Bonsignore. “I thought it would come down to the last ten laps- we just tried to set a pace and not deviate from it- I’ve learned from the MRS car up here you have to save the tire and who would have thought it would go green to checker tonight. I love coming here- I wish we could come here a few more times with the Tour.”Bonsignore backed up his top of the chart practice speed by setting fast time earlier in the day winning the Coors Light Pole Award. Bonsignore led the first lap but it was Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT in the East West Marine sponsored, Eric Sanderson owned modified that set the pace taking the lead on the second circuit and went to task on the continuous green flag run putting car after car a lap down.“I knew around lap 50 or 60 that my car was good so I took it easy but at the same time tried to lap every car that I could,” said Preece. “ I wasn’t trying to catch them but if I caught them I was going to go around them and basically make it that if at the end of race, there was a caution, there would be enough cars a lap down, that if I wore the car out, I wouldn’t fall too many spots back. Fortunately we went 200 green. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”By lap twenty-five, the leaders, Preece, Bonsignore, Goodale, Timmy Solomito and Barrett were well into working lap traffic.At the halfway mark, Preece had cruised his way to a full straight-away lead over Bonsignore, the distance between first and second remaining consistent through the next sixty circuits. It was around thirty-five to go that it became clear that Bonsignore was closing that gap. Suddenly, by lap 171, Bonsignore was within a car length and a few quick circuits later made his winning move passing Preece low into turn three exiting turn four the new and final leader on lap 175.“He was just really running the top looking for grip,” said Bonsignore about closing in on Preece for the winning pass. “We started really getting into lap traffic, then Ryan washed up in the middle of one and two and I said ‘you know what, I can back out if it didn’t work out’. I think he didn’t put up too much of a fight.”
The field continued under green and this time, it was Bonsignore who upped the pace and continued the business of working lap traffic bringing the chem3.com modified across the line for the win.This is the first time Bonsignore has collected multiple wins in one season his first coming at the season opener at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. “It’s cool to come back to victory lane. Mike Stefanik actually said it to me years ago, ‘especially at my age, you win one, you’re good for five or six races then people start to ask, when are you going to win again?’ It happens to everyone, not just legends like Mike. It feels good to get back to victory lane.”“If it was a 175 I think I could have held him off,” said Preece referring to the original O’Reilly Auto Parts 175 in 2012. “I knew he was coming, I just tried not to burn myself up and hold on for second.”Eric Goodale from Riverhead, NY started third and held the position bringing the GAF Roofing/Riverhead Building Supply sponsored, Edgar Goodale owned modified to the line for a podium finish.“We started off real well, taking it easy for the first 100 laps then about lap 140 I started losing some drive up off the corner and it was getting tough to get around some of the lap cars.” Goodale credits his team for all the hard work getting ready for O’Reilly 200 after a disappointing previous week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I can’t say enough about this team. We wrecked some cars last week up in New Hampshire, we worked hard all week- Jason Shephard and all the guys putting this thing back together, I can’t thank them enough. It’s pretty cool to destroy it one week then come back and have a top three car the next week.”“This is probably the first time in my career I’ve run 200 green flag laps and I have to say, I feel pretty good after 200 like that,” said Goodale. “I wish I had a little bit more there at the end, we started to catch Ryan, but we just ran out of laps.”“Justin loves this track,” said winning car owner Ken Massa. “This one makes me a little nervous but he loves it and I think that’s what does it all. I wasn’t 100 percent worried when Ryan took the lead in the beginning. I thought it would come around because obviously, you would think you’d have three or four cautions. Then about 50 to go, I took out my watch and started timing what was going on and I saw that Justin was making a little bit of ground so I came over the radio and said ‘you know you can catch him. Justin asked, ‘what’s he doing,’ and I said ‘he’s as loose as everyone else out there. If you have a little bit more, give it to us and I think it can happen and that’s what happened.”“I think it shows that we’re trying,” said Massa about now having two Tour wins so far this year. “We’ve always been a contender, we’re just able to hold it together this year- a lot has to go out to Bill (Michael) and the team- the team – everyone works good together, their happy and the motors staying together is definitely a big help.”
“To be honest, this year is my first year here as a crew chief,” said winning crew chief Bill Michael. “I’d have to say this was Justin. The benefit we had is that Justin does run Art and Ken Barry’s MRS car and they’ve been here twice. I’ve been able to bounce things off of them – I give them a lot of credit for helping me out and see what they had been making for changes and it seemed to work.”“I was nervous when Ryan took off but then again, running the MRS, especially since it was green, it was very good for Justin because he had to save his tires. He came on the radio and told us he was just riding and wanted to know if everyone else was riding then he just turned it up on his own and went forward.”“It was a quick turnaround,” said Michael about going from Loudon to Monadnock. “I’m at the shop full time and all the guys come every single night and give me a hand. We actually had a lot of damage after Loudon, it was almost like the week before at Riverhead. We strip it down every week, get it all ready and try to make sure every piece is as perfect as it can be- I have to thank those guys, they help me do every part of it.”At this moment, not able to answer the question ‘when was the last time a NWMT event went green to checker caution free,’ Jake Marosz did recall in ’79 or ’80 (pre ‘Tour’ days), that a 100 lap event went caution free at Stafford Motor Speedway. This will be a new and most likely long standing statistic to add to the NWMT Trackside Report.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads to Stafford Motor Speedway on Friday August 8th for the Call Before Dig 811 150.
Notes from Monadnock Speedway:
Top Three – Overtime Comments
Justin Bonsignore
Strategy: “We knew what times we needed to run, we knew how we needed to pace ourselves and we just stuck to it. And we actually didn’t have to pick up the pace with 50 to go, we maintained and Ryan kept falling off. Once I got by him I made sure to save again in case there was a late restart- we stuck to the plan and it worked.”
Defending his win: “It’s awesome, two in a row. We run so good here and I get around this place so good. I really didn’t think it would ever go green to checker – it probably wasn’t the best race for the fans but it worked out in our favor.”
The pass: “I never thought we’d be able to run Ryan down from half a lap at that point but his car just really fell off and we were able to keep probably the most forward drive in the car. Unbelievable.”
Ryan Preece
Season turning around for the defending NWMT Champion: “We started with a clean slate,” said Preece referring to the team’s recent forward progress in consistent finishes. “We’ve been unloading good, a lot of good communication – we’re getting there, we just missed it that little bit tonight. Justin was able to move to the bottom and I just kind of lost my drive.”
Eric Goodale
Pre-race: “Me and Bobby Santos were joking in the pits earlier betting on when the first caution would come out- he was in single digits and I was at 10. We blew both expectations out of the water there.”
Recovering from last weekend: “This was the car we raced on Saturday (at Loudon). It was tough because I had to spend a lot of hours at work and it’s tough for me to get in the shop. Sunday morning, we all met at the shop, striped both cars down to the chassis- nothing but the seat left in both of them- then we got one back Monday morning and thrashed on it all week to get it back together. It just goes to show how much my team cares about it and how good they are. We had a car capable of winning last week at Loudon and unfortunately it didn’t pan out for us there but we came here, a small track and we were able to run up front again. They do a damn good job.”
7-12 Fri/Sat NHMS 100 WMT 52 - 12th
Bobby Santos entered the Sunoco 100 looking for a little extra magic to change his fortunes at the “Magic Mile.” He waited until the final lap, but he got it.In a race that featured multiple lead changes on nearly every lap – a record 35 official lead changes – the Franklin, Mass., driver made just one pass for the lead and led just one lap Saturday. Santos drove his No. 44 Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet by Ted Christopher in Turn 4 of the last lap en route to winning the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway..It was Santos’ 13th career win but first in 16 career starts at the 1.058-mile oval."Definitely my biggest Modified win of my career, for sure," said Santos. "This is our Super Bowl, and these guys work hard to get this win. Whatever happens the rest of the season -- we won at Loudon."Doug Coby also got by Christopher in the final turn and finished second by just .065 seconds."It's a blur right now," Coby said. "The way the restarts shook out, I wound up getting a couple good runs."
Said Santos: "The last lap, I knew if I was in second going down the backstretch, I'd have a shot at it."NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman was fourth and NASCAR Next driver Ryan Preece came home fifth. The top five cars finished within three-tenths of a second of the leader.
Justin Bonsignore finished sixth, followed by Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Tommy Barrett Jr., NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour points leader Andy Seuss, Ron Silk and Chuck Hossfeld.Silk, who won the Coors Light Pole Award in qualifying Saturday morning, led a race-high 36 laps. Preece led 30 laps and Christopher 28.The 36 lead changes broke the Whelen Modified Tour all-time race record of 30, also at Loudon on July 7, 2000.
The race went into overtime – to a total of 110 laps – with two green-white-checkered finishes following late-race cautions. The race had seven caution periods for 30 total laps."Our race didn't start out spectacular," said Santos, who started seventh and was as far back as 14th at halfway. "The guys gave me what I needed for the second half of the race. They made a couple of adjustments. It couldn't have been better.
"We drove ourselves to the front. We put ourselves in position."During the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, Christopher and Newman swapped the front spot three times within the lap on the restart but a wreck by Donny Lia brought out the caution flag before the white flag was show. On the ensuing restart, Christopher initially got away before Santos and Co. chased him down on the final lap.It was a tough end for Christopher, who led 66 laps last week at Riverhead (New York) Raceway before giving up the lead late to Eric Goodale and settling for second.
"Unfortunately on a green-white-checkered, you can think of all the scenarios you want to do, but obviously I picked the wrong one on that one," said Christopher, who has five Whelen Modified wins at Loudon. "It was a good run. That's one of the cars we put together out of our stable ... and first time we ever ran with a SPEC motor. I was pretty happy with it. It's definitely something to build on.""I didn't know what the hell was going on the last lap," said Coby, who overcame early issues with a shock. "I saw Ted down on the grass and Bobby was taking the outside. I figured Ted was going to door-slam Bobby and I tried to push Bobby out there as far as I could so that he couldn't do what he did. And ended up doing that cross-over."It was close coming off of Turn 4. We were about an inch apart. ... I'm happy with second, I'm happy the cars in one piece, and happy the fans got a good show."Santos closed within two points of Coby for the championship lead with his third win in six races. Christopher is eight points behind Santos and Bonsignore is two points further back. Silk completes the top five, one point of defending tour champion Preece.
Th Sunoco 100 will air on FOX Sports 1 on Friday, July 18 at noon.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s next race, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200, is scheduled for Saturday, July 19 at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, New Hampshire.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Sunoco 100 Results Saturday At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. Lap length: 1.058 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (7) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 110 laps, 76.384 mph. 2. (14) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 110. 3. (13) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 110. 4. (6) Ryan Newman, South Bend, IN, Chevrolet, 110. 5. (2) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 110. 6. (8) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 110. 7. (4) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 110. 8. (18) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, NH, Chevrolet, 110. 9. (1) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 110. 10. (10) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 110. 11. (5) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 110. 12. (25) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 110. 13. (24) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 110. 14. (23) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 110. 15. (26) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 110. 16. (28) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 107. 17. (22) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 102, accident. 18. (19) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 101, accident. 19. (12) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 97, accident. 20. (16) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 94, accident. 21. (29) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 93. 22. (3) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn, Chevrolet, 89, engine. 23. (20) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 88, accident. 24. (17) JR Bertuccio, Centereach, N.Y., Chevrolet, 81, accident. 25. (15) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 69, engine. 26. (27) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 67, engine. 27. (21) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 56, transmission. 28. (11) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 53. 29. (30) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 24, handling. 30. (9) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 22, mechanical. Race Statistics Time of Race: 1 hour 31 minutes 25 seconds Margin of Victory: .065 seconds Fastest Qualifier: R. Silk (128.941 mph, 29.539 seconds) Caution Flags: 7 for 30 laps. Lead Changes: 35 among 5 drivers. Lap Leaders: R. Preece 1; R. Silk 2-11; R. Preece 12; T. Szegedy 13; R. Preece 14; T. Szegedy 15; R. Preece 16-17; T. Szegedy 18; R. Preece 19-21; R. Silk 22-38; T. Szegedy 39; R. Silk 40-46; T. Christopher 47; R. Silk 48; T. Christopher 49; R. Silk 50; R. Preece 51-52; T. Szegedy 53; R. Preece 54; T. Szegedy 55-61; T. Christopher 62-63; T. Szegedy 64-65; T. Christopher 66-67; T. Szegedy 68; T. Christopher 69-70; R. Preece 71; T. Christopher 72-73; R. Preece 74; T. Christopher 75; R. Preece 76; T. Christopher 77; R. Preece 78; T. Christopher 79; R. Preece 80-94; T. Christopher 95-109; B. Santos 110. Standings: 1. D. Coby, 246; 2. B. Santos, 244; 3. T. Christopher, 236; 4. J. Bonsignore, 234; 5. R. Silk, 209; 6. R. Preece, 208; 7. W. Pitkat, 203; 8. T. Solomito, 202; 9. E. Goodale, 193; 10. M. Hirschman, 191.
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In a second attempt at a green white checker finish, Bobby Santos of Franklin, MA in the Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com modified restarted third – with the white flag in the air, passed Ryan Newman for second and as the checkers unfurled, made his winning move through turns three and four getting by Ted Christopher to win the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Sunoco 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Fans on their feet watched Santos go for the victory in the extra distance race that ended on lap 110 witnessing a record breaking 36 official lead changes. Santos led one, the final to the checkers with Doug Coby narrowly edging out Christopher for second, Christopher in third followed by Newman fourth and Ryan Preece fifth. "It was just awesome,” said Santos in victory lane. “Everyone says that you have to be in position on the last lap to win one of these things. So I have known a lot about it and I have watched it a lot of times. I knew that Teddy was going to send it in and protect the bottom. I just knew that on the last restart and I wanted to be in second and I made it work. I am glad to be racing here in New Hampshire this weekend. It does not get much cooler than racing for those NASCAR guys in these cars. Everyone will agree that the modifieds put on quite a show here."Ted Christopher from Plainville, CT in the Robert Katon owned, J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates sponsored modified rolled off the grid thirteenth eventually leading a total of 28 laps, all in the second half including the first three turns of the last lap, his day ending with a podium finish in third. “Unfortunately for a green, white, checker you think of all the scenarios. Obviously I picked the wrong one. But it was a good run. I was happy with the run. That was one of our cars that we put together out of our stable, actually it is probably one of the cars that we had here years and years ago - an old car that we redid. That is the first time I have ever run a spec motor and I was pretty happy with it. It is definitely something to build on."
The Mike Smeriglio owned Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance modified with Doug Coby behind the wheel took the green fourteenth ending his day with a legitimate shot at the win. "I really do not know it is a blur right now,” said Coby about the closing laps. “I think I was ninth and seventh with ten to go, something like that. The way the restart shook out I ended up getting a couple of good runs and then I see myself fourth on a green, white, checker. I was kind of hoping that Ted would take the top and I could have pushed him into the lead and have a nice setup for the last lap, kind of like what Bobby had. When Ted took the bottom I knew Bobby was content to let him slid up alongside of him so he could be second on the last lap. It definitely broke my momentum up a bit and I had to race with the #7ny. I am happy with second. The car is in one piece and I am happy that the fans got a good show.”The NWMT Sunoco 100 was brought to green by pole sitter Ron Silk of Norwalk, CT with defending NWMT champion Ryan Preece powering by Silk to officially lead lap one. A caution on lap five kept the field close and the top spot was swapped between Silk, Preece and Todd Szegedy throughout the first half. The mandatory half way break was called when the caution waved on lap 45 bringing the field down pit row on circuit later. Silk lined up first on the restart with Szegedy, Woody Pitkat, Preece and Eric Goodale the top five. Christopher in sixth was poised to become a factor in the second half while Santos, deep in the pack at fifteenth, appeared to not be a threat at all. Appearances can be deceiving. While Silk, Szegedy, Christopher then Preece diced it up for the lead, Santos was able to capitalize on one restart cracking the top ten by lap sixty and at twenty-five to go, was firmly in seventh. Silk suddenly pitted during a caution with nineteen to go as the TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm crew focused their attention on the left rear. After leading the most laps of the race, 36, Silk continued but would not again be a front running factor. Szegedy returning for only his second NWMT start of the season, led eight different times in the Fuller 15-40 Connection modified was suddenly forced to retire on this same restart after not coming up to speed – engine listed as the official reason out. Attention returned to the front on the lap 95 restart- Preece selecting the outside row led Christopher, Santos, Goodale and Newman. One circuit later, Preece was jilted back to sixth, Christopher leading now had his mirror full with Santos, Newman, Coby and Andy Seuss the top five. Two to go, the yellow waved for Goodale whose trip to NH ended with damage after contact with the turn two wall setting up what would be the first of two attempts at a green white checker finish.Christopher diced up the top spot with Newman as Santos slipped to third and Coby held onto fourth only to be reined in for another caution- Donny Lia’s day was over after contact with the turn four wall. The second green white checker attempt, on the white flag lap, Christopher led Santos, Coby, Newman fourth and Preece. The final corners, Christopher drove hard into three and couldn’t make the J&R Pre-Cast stick, the slight drift up the track was opportunity and Santos filled the spot taking a hard charging Coby with him. Christopher gathered up and at the line it was Santos with a .065 second margin of victory over Coby who had a wheel over Christopher in third at the line. Newman and Preece followed for fourth and fifth. Justin Bonsignore crossed sixth, Tommy Barrett, Jr seventh, Andy Seuss, Ron Silk and Chuck Hossfeld completed the top ten. “Our race didn’t start spectacular,” admitted Santos. “We qualified seventh and fell back to fourteenth at the half way mark but the guys gave me what I needed for the second half of the race, made a couple of adjustments- it could not have been better. We drove to the front, put ourselves in position – the last restart, I think I learned a lesson that I needed to get to Teddy’s bumper for second until the last lap. I knew if I was in second on the last lap going down the backstretch, I knew I’d have a shot at it. I put it in my mind what Teddy was going to do, he did what I expected and it worked out.” “It’s an honor and I’m proud to win here. This is definitely probably my biggest modified win in my career. When I first started driving for Sully (Tinio), he was talking about coming to Loudon, winning at Loudon. We’ve won for him at Stafford, Thompson and he still talked about winning at Loudon. He built a car for this place last year. It got killed on the first time out- it was discouraging but he gave us everything we needed to get it back together and for this team, this is our Superbowl. They work so hard. From whatever happens here on out for the rest of the season, we won at Loudon, that’s pretty awesome.” “You can’t plan to win at Loudon,” stated Coby. “It’s always a surprise when you do. You can dominate on a short track, lead most of the laps. At Loudon, it’s always a surprise. I was the leader here last July for the last three laps, I’m hanging on for dear life and somehow I ended up winning – that was a surprise for me. Todd Szegedy winning in September, dive bomb on the last lap, that’s a surprise for him. And Bobby today- Bobby’s move was dictated by Ted – I think Ted had the right thoughts but he should have made Bobby get to the outside of him and maybe used him up. There’s a million and one ways to win and Loudon and that just proved it. You never know what’s going to work, it all depends on who gets the run, what the last couple of laps are- it’s fun no matter what.” “We’re excited,” said Lawney Tinio speaking on behalf of car owner and dad Sully. “The first half of the race was rough but Bobby told us what was wrong with the car. Stevie said what we were going to do to make the changes, the team went out there and nailed it and we just saw the car come back up through the field, it was outstanding. Bobby was just picking them off- Larry was on the radio walking him through, ‘clear, go get the next one. Clear, go get the next one’, it was fun to listen to him. It’s hard to see on pit row, we rely on the audio. I heard him call it through (the last lap), ‘door, wheel, bumper, clear, you got it, go get it buddy’ and I saw him coming out of turn four, it was great. I can’t thank my dad enough for giving us the opportunity to do this. All the hard work that Stevie Lemay does, the motors from Billy, everybody on our team, they just really get it together – we’re super happy with everything.”“We qualified seventh, fourteenth at the half way mark. The adjuster for the sway bar started backing off and the car was getting real free off on him. Bobby kind of rode it out until the halfway break. When we came in- we checked that, there was a lot of play in it. I didn’t want to over adjust the car because we found the problem. We did our tire change, fuel, adjusted on the car a little bit and then reset the sway bar- it didn’t back off the second half, the car stayed good and Bobby was able to drive it in really good. He was giving up a little getting off, but driving in really good. We learned a bunch more. It’s unbelievable we ended up there- this is what you dream about, this is what’s it all about, winning these big races. You come here, do the best you can- sometimes you leave with your head hung down- today, it just all worked out. A solid driver, crew chief chemistry, Lemay enjoys working with Bobby and is glad to get this win checked off Bobby’s list. It’s also Lemay’s first Magic Mile victory. A special shout out to Lemay’s wife Sandy who is at every race but unexpectedly could not see this one.
The NWMT Sunoco 100 will air on television this Friday July 18th at 12noon on FOX Sports 1.
The NWMT heads to the fast, high-banked quarter mile of Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH Saturday July 19th.
More Quotes:
Two cars finishing in the top ten, car owner Chris Our added a team car with Chuck Hossfeld to the Our Motorsports stable. Tommy Barrett, Jr. crossed seventh, Hossfeld tenth at the conclusion of the Sunoco 100. “I wanted to run the shootout, that was the main reason,” said Our about having a second car. “I asked Chuck to run that then I said why don’t you stay and run the 100 lapper the next day.” Another double team effort is not on the schedule at this time but Our has not taken it off the books either. “You never know - maybe another big race. Tommy did good, we’re happy- this is new for him. He qualified fourth, ran in the top five, top ten and finished seventh, that’s good.” Rookie of the Year contender Barrett who ran as high as third and fourth gained a lot of Magic Mile experience.“This is a brand new car and a brand new engine,” said Coby. “We’ve run that other car since Daytona. We were happy with it, when we were drafting early on there were some changes we wanted to make- a right front shock that was leaking just before the start of the race, we were almost going to pull down pit row to change it- they told us it was going to be a two lap penalty to change it so the first fifty laps we ran with a shock that wasn’t performing how we thought it would. We made our changes at the break based on that and I think we over adjusted and ended up a little tight for the second part of the race. I’ll tell you what, the green white checkers helped me out because it was a quick little sprint there. If it was a longer run it would have been trouble.”A marathon weekend for NASCAR Next driver Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT in the East West Marine, Eric Sanderson owned modified- a threat for the win in the Sunoco 100 from the drop of the green, Preece finished fifth. On Friday, Preece crossed for sixth in the NWMT Whelen All-Star Shootout, won the SK Modified feature at Stafford Motor Speedway later that evening, returned to the Magic Mile putting in a strong effort including leading 30 laps in the Sunoco 100 then competed in the NASCAR Nationwide race right after finishing 14th in the Tommy Baldwin Racing entry.
7-11 Sat NHMS 100 WMT 52 - Blown Engine 15th - non points race
NEWMAN POSTS ALL-STAR PERFORMANCE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
NASCAR Sprint Cup Veteran Claims Whelen All-Star Shootout
Twice before, Ryan Newman drove the venerable 7NY Modified to Victory Lane in a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver did it again Friday. This time, the win came in the non-points inaugural Whelen All-Star Shootout. The latest victory came with the familiar frantic swapping of the lead synonymous with the open-wheeled cars on the 1.058-mile.Newman lost the lead to Justin Bonsignore into Turn 1 of the white-flag lap, but got it back in Turn 3 and won the drag-race to the checkered flag.
"I didn't know if he was going to have somebody follow him; I didn't know if he was getting pushed or what," said Newman. "I really can't see that. I could see someone showing their nose and my spotter's talking to me, but it's kind of hard to process all that at once. So once he slid by, I knew I was going to get some kind of tow off him. I didn't know if I was going to have somebody pushing me or if he was going to shove me into Turn 3 way faster than I wanted to go, or what it was going to turn out to be. And it turned out good."Bonsignore held on for second, followed by Mike Stefanik, Ron Silk and Bobby Santos."We really haven't been in position to win up here," said Bonsignore. "I tried to throw the block, but he had a good head of steam and we do have to run these cars (Saturday)."Newman has run 14 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races for the 7NY Modified team put together by Gary Putnam and NASCAR Sprint Cup crew chief Kevin "Bono" Manion. He also has a pair of wins at Bristol Motor Speedway."Just a good effort by everybody at Gary Putnam Racing," said Newman, "and Bono and Slugger (Labbe) and all the guys that volunteer their time to do what they do in North Carolina so we can come up here and play."It's awesome what Whelen does for this series. I've always been a big fan of the Modifieds and getting to come up here and race them is still a big honor for me. So to win the all-star race is pretty cool."For Bonsignore, it was the second time he's finished second to Newman. But he welcomed the Sprint Cup driver's presence in the tour races."He's in the exact same equipment as everybody else out here," Bonsignore said. "He's at that level for a reason. He knew what move to make at the end. And he was in position."Stefanik, the nine-time NASCAR champion, was making his second appearance of the season after cutting back his racing schedule."I had a lot of fun," Stefanik said. "I've been missing out on this. It was a good time, I enjoyed it."Ryan Preece, Chuck Hossfeld, Todd Szegedy, Ted Christopher and JR Bertuccio rounded out the top 10.Silk held the lead over Patrick Emerling and Ryan Preece into the halfway break at Lap 20. A random draw determined a 10-car invert and put Doug Coby and Bonsignore on the front row, with Newman restarting fifth. The race featured six official lead changes and Newman was credited with leading the final 16 laps."We were way off when we unloaded. And we weren't great during the race, but we were good enough," Newman said.The event was called after 37 laps when it reached its 30-minute time limit.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was be back on track Saturday with its championship points race at New Hampshire.The Whelen All-Star Shootout will air on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, July 20 at 2 p.m. The Sunoco 100 will air on FOX Sports 1 on Friday, July 18 at noon.
NASCAR Whelen Modified - Whelen All-Star Shootout Results
Friday At New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 1.058 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (14) Ryan Newman, South Bend, In., Chevrolet, 37 laps, 74.712 mph.
2. (12) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 37.
3. (17) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Ford, 37.
4. (8) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 37.
5. (2) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 37.
6. (6) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 37.
7. (7) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 37.
8. (18) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Chevrolet, 37.
9. (19) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 37.
10. (1) JR Bertuccio, Centereach, N.Y., Chevrolet, 37.
11. (13) Cole Powell, Mount Brydges, Ont., Chevrolet, 37.
12. (20) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 36.
13. (10) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 36.
14. (9) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 36.
15. (11) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 29, engine.
16. (15) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 27, accident.
17. (4) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 26, accident.
18. (3) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 11, handling.
19. (5) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 8, handling.
20. (16) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 6, electrical.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 31 minutes 12 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.151 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: . ( mph, seconds)
Caution Flags: 1 for 8 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Bertuccio 1; R. Preece 2-3; R. Silk 4-16; R. Preece 17; R. Silk 18-20; M. Stefanik 21; R. Newman 22-37.
7-5 Sat Holland 100 RoC 60 2nd
By Larry Ott
Special to The News
Andy Jankowiak found himself facing the challenge of holding off multi ROC champion/race winner Matt Hirschman in the finishing laps of the Sunoco Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour Holland 100 Saturday night.Jankowiak already had overcome a pair of obstacles having suffered through a small cockpit fire as well as a near collision with the pace car just laps earlier. Utilizing steady and great driving over the remaining distance, Jankowiak was able to beat Hirschman by two car-lengths to secure the first ROC victory of his career.The ensuing victory lane celebration was a special moment in Holland history with cheers, smiles, tears, handshakes and hugs from numerous well wishers.The victory also completed a great comeback story. Jankowiak’s cars was heavily damaged in a violent accident in the last ROC event on June 7 at Elegant Builders Raceway Park in Lancaster.Since then, Jankowiak and his team, who operate on a lower budget them most, put forth a spectacular effort to get their car ready for Saturday’s race.“It hasn’t sunken in yet,” said Jankowiak. “It was just a matter of putting the whole deal together. We’ve been bad luck stricken. We almost got wrecked tonight by the pace car. It came flying out of the infield. The dashboard started on fire with 50 laps to go. I had a fire in the car with molten rubber falling onto my fire suit. I had to pat it out. I had to pull all the wires out and it kept running. So we tried to screw ourselves over but not today. It was ours.“I’ve got so many good guys behind me that keep me going. I’m just so blessed.”Jankowiak is the son of the late Tony Jankowiak, who was killed in a Modified race at Stafford, Conn., in 1990. All these years since the elder Jankowiak’s death, Andy’s uncle Jake Jankowiak has taken his young nephew under his wing and guided his racing career. Much love and devotion has also been given by Andy’s mother Debbie.“This is awesome,” said an emotional Jake Jankowiak “I can remember when his dad (Tony) held off Jimmy Spencer to win a race here years ago. I’ll never forget it. I’ll take all the bad luck that we’ve had this past month to win this race.”“This is unbelievable,” said Debbie. “This is great. I’m so proud.”One can’t get a better endorsement then from Hirschman who is a talented and experienced Modified racing champion.“I’m happy for Andy,” said Hirschman. “It’s a big deal to get a first win. I’ve been fortunate enough to win plenty, but I remember my first win. He did a great job tonight.”Other locally based drivers who competed in the Holland 100 were:Chuck Hossfeld, third, Patrick Emerling, fourth; George Skora III, eighth; Sam Fullone, 11th; Karl Hehr, 16th; Kirk Totten, 18th. A field of 23 cars came to Holland.
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Holland, NY … The old saying is that you will always remember your first feature win. That held true on Saturday night at the Holland Speedway in the RoC Modified 100 as Andy Jankowiak of Tonawanda, NY will always remember this night with his first ever RoC Modified victory. Jankowiak took the lead with 35 laps remaining and with many of his supporters standing the final ten laps he held off the last ditch attempts of Matt Hirschman to claim his first career RoC Modified win. Early race leader Chuck Hossfeld finished third with Patrick Emerling in fourth and Mike Leaty in fifth. “This unbelievable to be standing here and it hasn’t even sunk in yet,” said race winner Jankowiak among hundreds of his supporters surrounding him. “We worked really hard on this race, we came here and tested with our Sportsman car. That test session worked out perfectly for us as the car was just about perfect all race long. We gave up a little bit for the final ten laps as our tires were worn out pretty good as that loosened us up the last ten laps.” He added, “Matty had the fresher tires but we had the preferred line and he ran me clean, we had the perfect, perfect night.” Jimmy Zacharias and Brian DeFebo brought the 21 car starting field to green with Zacharias leading DeFebo, Mike Leaty, Sam Fullone, and Matt Hirschman. With this race being the third year in a row that the RoC Modifieds invaded the Holland high banks the drivers are getting use to racing here. This familiarity breeds plenty of passing and that is exactly took place during the early portions with many drivers making big advances towards the front. Two short track specialists in Zacharias and DeFebo thrilled the crowd with some excellent side by side racing for the lead. This battle for the lead which included some nerf bar rubbing between the two stayed like this until a lap 36 caution flag period. That is when Zacharias pitted for fresh right side tires along with Leaty, Chuck Hossfeld, and Andy Jankowiak. DeFebo and Hirschman who both stayed on the track led the field back to green with DeFebo in his first ever Holland appearance taking the lead. Hirschman moved into the lead two laps later and behind him a three wide battle took place for second between DeFebo, Daren Scherer, and Austin Kochenash. Holland Pro Four Modified track champion George Skora, III soon joined the crowd pleasing battle for second. At the crossed flags Hirschman found himself in the lead over Scherer, Kochenash, Skora, and DeFebo. But the entire top five were now under pressure as the cars who pitted on lap 36 for fresh tires were now breathing down their necks. Hossfeld was the first of the lap 36 cars to pit to reach the top five and he made quick work of them by quickly moving into the lead on lap 60. But right on the back bumper of Hossfeld was second generation racer Andy Jankowiak who moved past Hirschman for second on lap 62. Jankowiak wasn’t done with passing as he took the lead from Hossfeld in turn four with an inside pass on lap 65. Just after Jankowiak moved into the lead the yellow lights flashed on which was good news for Hirschman, Kochenash, Scherer, and DeFebo who all pitted for much needed right side tires. Jankowiak spoke about his pit strategy versus these teams. “We worked on plenty of stuff to rotate the center of the turns and able to drive off the turns which is a key here. We were just about perfect as we were able to drive off the turns better than anyone tonight. I thought we pitted a little bit early but as a driver sometimes you need to pit when certain drivers pit. When I saw Chuck pit I knew that he was one of the guys I had to beat so I had to pit at that time. Sometimes that strategy works and sometimes it doesn’t work and tonight it worked. ” After the pit stops all eyes were on Hirschman and he didn’t disappoint. Hirschman quickly moved into fifth on lap 71 and three laps later he moved into fourth. With 25 laps to go Hirschman got past Emerling for third but the problem was that he was a full straightaway behind the leading duo of Jankowiak and Hossfeld. Jankowiak then turned up the wick and started to pull away from Hosssfeld and just as he reached lap traffic on lap 90 Hirschman got past Hossfeld for second. The lap traffic slowed Jankowiak and this allowed Hirschman to close right on in Jankowiak for the lead. Now with the crowd on their feet Hirschman made one final attempt for the win with an outside turn two pass on lap 98. But Hirschman ran out of room to make the pass and Jankowiak led the final two laps to claim the popular win. “I got a little loose when they said 60 was in second,” said Andy. “We ran about 80 % when we were following Chuck up through the field and trying to save the car a little bit. When I got the lead I ran the car at about 90 % and then the final ten laps I was at 100 %.” Andy thinking back to last year said, “It is a lot better finishing the race like this instead of how we finished it last year.” “They pitted a little earlier and we were getting better the longer we raced but just ran out of laps and chances to make a pass,” said second place finisher Matt Hirschman. “I thought that pitting at 36 was a little too early and after 60 was a little too late, but I liked it that we were going forward at the end.” “He was very deserving of the win and I’m happy to see him get his first victory,” said Matt when referring to the first win for Jankowiak. “He’s always been good to me and I think he always looked up to me too. Anytime he asked me for advice I have always steered him in the right direction because he is a good kid.” Hirschman spoke about his love of racing Modifieds at Holland. “The Modifieds are awesome here, somehow someway I hope to see this event continue here. The car count continues to increase, the crowd looked to me to be better this year, and the racing was really good once again. I hope we can continue to come back here each year and maybe make multiple appearances here.”Qualifying heat races for the 23 car field saw wins captured by Hossfeld, Hirschman, and Kochenash.
RACE OF CHAMPIONS MODIFIED TOUR 100 OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH; Andy Jankowiak, Matt Hirschman, Chuck Hossfeld, Patrick Emerling, Mike Leaty, Austin Kochenash, Jimmy Zacharias, George Skora, III, Daren Scherer, TJ Potrzebowski, Sam Fullone, Brian DeFebo, Tommy Cloce, Bryan Sherwood, Tyler Rypkema, Karl Hehr, Doug Reaume, Kirk Totten, Nick Pecko, Michael LeBreche, Daryl Lewis, Jr.
DNS; Randall Richard, Ed Weber.
6-28 Sat Riverhead 200 WMT 60 - 3rd
GOODALE GETS FIRST WIN AT HOME
Long Island Driver Scores Whelen Modified Victory At Riverhead
It was happy homecoming for Eric Goodale.
The 28-year-old from Riverhead scored his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win Saturday night in the Hoosier Tire 200 at Riverhead Raceway.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.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.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.Doug Coby finished sixth, followed by Ron Silk, Tom Rogers Jr., Shawn Solomito and Bobby Santos.John Beatty Jr., who won the Coors Light Pole Award earlier in the day, finished 14th.
Justin Bonsignore 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.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heads next to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The tour's top drivers will race Friday, July 11 in the non-points Whelen All-Star Shootout; the championship season will resume Saturday, July 12 with the New Hampshire 100.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - Hoosier Tire 200 Results
Saturday At Riverhead Raceway, Riverhead, N.Y.
Lap length: 0.25 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (5) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200 laps, 39.938 mph.
2. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
3. (10) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 200.
4. (21) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 200.
5. (7) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
6. (8) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
7. (2) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 200.
8. (6) Tom Rogers, Jr., Patchogue, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
9. (3) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
10. (23) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 200.
11. (20) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
12. (1) John Beatty, Jr., Merrick, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
13. (16) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 200.
14. (25) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 199.
15. (9) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 196.
16. (24) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 184.
17. (30) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 167, accident.
18. (22) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 156.
19. (29) Dave Brigati, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 151, electrical.
20. (17) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 151.
21. (15) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 143, accident.
22. (19) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 130, suspension.
23. (18) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 127, accident.
24. (13) Frank Vigliarolo, Mt. Sinai, NY, Chevrolet, 121, parked.
25. (27) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 61, handling.
26. (11) Kyle Ellwood, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 57, brakes.
27. (14) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 50, suspension.
28. (12) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn, Chevrolet, 40, accident.
29. (26) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 22, handling.
30. (28) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 20, handling.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 15 minutes 7 seconds
Margin of Victory: 2.229 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: J. Beatty, Jr. * (75.257 mph, 11.959 seconds)
Caution Flags: 11 for 90 laps.
Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers.
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.
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.
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6-21 Sat Waterford 161 WMT 52 TT-11th 24th (11)
Bobby Santos followed Donny Lia for much of the first half of Saturday night's race. But Santos wasn't content to finish second.
So Santos, from Franklin, Massachusetts, wrestled the lead away and went on to claim the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in the Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl.It was Santos' second win of the season and 12th of his career. It was his first tour win at Waterford, the fourth different track he’s registered a victory at during his Whelen Modified Tour tenure.A green-white-checkered finish pushed the race to 165 laps. Lia, who earlier in the night won the Coors Light Pole Award, finished second.Ted Christopher rallied back to finish third. Justin Bonsignore and Patrick Emerling were fourth and fifth, respectively.Defending race winner and tour champion Ryan Preece finished sixth, followed by Woody Pitkat, Keith Rocco, Ron Yuhas Jr. and Doug Coby.What proved to be the eventual winning move for Santos in his No. 44 Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet came on Lap 133. Santos dove under Lia through Turn 3, and with some contact, came out of Turn 4 will the lead thanks to his “bottom shot.”“We had a great car,” Santos said. “I followed Donny [Lia] the whole first half of the race and I tried multiple times to pass him as clean as could be. He roughed me up a little bit I felt like, and I just saved it until the end of the race when it counted.”The runner-up effort for Lia was his best finish through four races this year. He seemed to take some exception to Santos’ winning move, however.“We just got a little free and Bobby’s [Santos] car was just better than ours there at the end,” Lia said. “There were a couple things there – I’m not quite sure what was going on the way he raced us a little bit – but we’ll see what happens going forward.”The podium for Christopher was his first in nine starts. He’s finished in the top 10 each race this year with his new No. 13 team.
“We had to pit and come from last, so I’m pretty happy with it,” Christopher said of his third place finish. “The car ran good. It’s still a work in progress, but each week we get better and better.”Bonsignore took over the points lead from Coby by two tallies. Santos is third, three more points back of the leader. Coby, who had finished on the podium in each of the first three races in 2014, was slowed by two different incidents Saturday night.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race at Riverhead (New York) Raceway on Saturday, June 28.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-Mr. Rooter 161 Results - Unofficial
Saturday At Waterford Speedbowl, Waterford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.375 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 165 laps, 54.542 mph.
2. (1) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 165.
3. (12) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
4. (5) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 165.
5. (16) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 165.
6. (13) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 165.
7. (10) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
8. (15) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
9. (9) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
10. (8) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
11. (24) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 165.
12. (25) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 165.
13. (11) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 154.
14. (26) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 165.
15. (20) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 165.
16. (21) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 165.
17. (22) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 164.
18. (19) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 163.
19. (28) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 163.
20. (4) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 162.
21. (6) Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 161.
22. (23) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 156, steering.
23. (18) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 155, accident.
24. (14) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 154, accident.
25. (3) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 72, bell housing.
26. (17) Spencer Davis, Dawsonville, Ga., Pontiac, 70, steering.
27. (27) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 66, brakes.
28. (7) Craig Lutz, Miller Place, N.Y., Chevrolet, 33, steering.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 8 minutes 4 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.389 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: D. Lia (97.339 mph, 13.869 seconds)
Caution Flags: 6 for 45 laps.
Lead Changes: 3 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D. Lia 1-115; B. Santos 116; D. Lia 117-132; B. Santos 133-165.
Standings: 1. J. Bonsignore, 168; 2. D. Coby, 166; 3. B. Santos, 163; 4. W. Pitkat, 160; 5. T. Christopher, 151; 6. P. Emerling, 135; 7. D. Lia, 134; 8. R. Pennink, 133; 9. R. Silk, 133; 10. R. Yuhas, Jr., 133.
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Bobby Santos of Franklin, MA in the Tinio Racing/Imperialcars.com modified held off a determined field including Coors Light pole winner Donny Lia and Ted Christopher in a green white checker finale to score his second win of the season in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl.
“We just had a great car,” said Santos in victory lane. “Stevie Lemay, this whole team, they gave me an awesome race car. I have to thank everyone who put this show on, Mr. Rooter, everybody involved- it was a lot of fun tonight.”Santos started the Mr. Rooter “161” on the outside of pole winner Donny Lia followed by Eric Goodale, Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore the top five. The 28 car field quickly settled into a green flag run with only one quick yellow until lap 65 for a single car caution- it was under this yellow that the red flag came out for an incident in the pits- two cars got together and a crew member from another team was reported to have a minor injury. However, NASCAR Officials held the field under red for a lengthy cleanup for fluid on the track. Ted Christopher pitted along with several other cars including Keith Rocco and Ron Yuhas, Jr.The field came back to green at the half way point, Lia leading Santos, Ron Silk, Woody Pitkat, Justin Bonsignore, Tommy Barrett, Doug Coby and Matt Hirschman the top runners. Yellow then waved on lap 88 for Hirschman who suffered a right front flat, closing up the field once again. Doug Coby saw his night change when caught up in a turn one incident forcing the Dunleavy Repair machine to restart on lap 116 from the back.With 31 to go, eyes were glued to Lia and Santos as the duo raced bumper to bumper. Santos continued to challenge for the lead and making a determined move, drove low going into to turn three and emerged out of turn four the new leader of the night on lap 133. “I was working the outside of him, showing him the outside - showing him the outside,” repeated Santos describing the pass. “Just saving it for the right time when I had the right run, to give him a run on the bottom.” Meanwhile Barrett took over second place, Lia slipped to third and Christopher was now a solid fifth.Another caution on lap 145 for an incident in turn three involving Ron Silk and Timmy Solomito turned to a quick red flag as track officials worked to free Silk’s bumper from the Armco barrier.The restart with 8 to go set up a dash for the checkers Santos leading Barrett, Lia, Pitkat and Christopher was suddenly short lived when Barrett suffered a right front flat on the restart and contact with the turn one outside wall ending the night for the rookie contender.The track cleared, the Mr. Rooter “161” was now going into overtime setting up for a green, white, checker finish - Santos, Lia, Christopher, Bonsignore, Emerling, Preece and Pitkat leading the way.The packed house at Waterford Speedbowl watched Santos remain solid on the restart capturing the checkers with Lia second, Christopher, Bonsignore and Emerling the top five. Ryan Preece crossed for sixth with Woody Pitkat, Keith Rocco, Ron Yuhas, Jr and Doug Coby rounding out the top ten.It is the 12th career win for Santos, his first NWMT victory at Waterford. “It’s awesome,” said Bobby about his first NWMT Waterford win. “Stevie Lemay, Sully, all these guys, they work so hard to give me a great race car. I’m pumped- it’s exciting – I’ve got to thank them a lot.”
“The long runs, we had the best car. The short runs, I think Donnie was better. I felt like I got to him many times trying to race him clean, tried multiple times to pass him without any contact - I mean, he was leading the race and he didn’t want me to pass him. I mean I wouldn’t want anyone to pass me if I was leading the race. In my opinion, it was hard racing.”“We’re excited about tonight’s win,” said Lawny Tinio speaking for car owner Sully Tinio. “It’s a tough race, tough to pass. We had a really fast car and a lot of times, it might look like it’s a rough race but we just had a fast car. Once we got around the leader we were able to check out and get it done.”
“The car was good in practice,” said winning crew chief Steve Lemay. “We went out on old tires then we went for a quick practice on new tires and the car never changed. For time trials, we were good, Bobby thinks he just over drove turn 3 a little bit, he thinks it cost us the pole but I don’t think it did, Donny was a little quicker than us in time trials. I told him if we have to give up the pole for the win, that’s what we’ll do- it just happened to have worked that way.”
“The car was good right from the start- I asked him a couple of times during the caution, he was real happy with the car.” Lemay continued, “We think we can have a real good season. The luck keeps coming and if we can give him a good car, he’ll drive this thing to the winners circle every time. It all worked out today and we’re all happy. Anytime you have to come to tech - first, fifth, it’s a good day. It’s always better when you win.”“It’s not easy,” said Lawny Tinio about the efforts collecting a second win of 2014. “Off track, there are so many hours put in at the shop to make sure the car is right. Steve Lemay, our crew chief, spends countless nights working on the car making sure we’re 100 percent perfect so that when we come to the track, it’s an easier day at the track. Bobby makes it look easy but he’s so comfortable behind the wheel – there is just not much you can say, the kid is just unbelievable. Then with Billy the Kid giving us the motors that he gives us- he spends countless hours in his shop making sure that we have a perfect motor to get us around the track and make sure we have enough power to get the job done.”
Santos is looking forward to next Saturday’s NWMT event at Riverhead Raceway. “It’s the second time I’ll be back at Riverhead with this team and we always seem to do better the second time around, I can’t wait.”Jericho, NY., modified driver Donny Lia captured his first 2014 pole at Waterford Speedbowl with an impressive time of 13.869. Lia was the only driver to break into the thirteen second range even though it did not meet the track record currently held by Jerry Marquis of 13.618. Continuing his fast pace Lia lead 130 laps of the 165 lap race. He did not lead the most important lap though - the final one.On lap 133 Bobby Santos passed Lia for the top spot. Santos had conserved just enough for the end to pass and hold off Lia. “.I was going to make a run at Bobby there but he was real good at the end. We will see what happens going forward in the future.”“I had fun. This is what I do for fun and this is my hobby and that is all that matters.” Lia confessed after the race had completed. “It was a good race. He was just a little better than us at the end and they did not get loose. But it was fun and that is all that matters.” And having fun with a pole and solid second place finish, the Mystic Missile Racing Team of Bob Garbarino can be proud of their efforts.Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT. piloted the #13 J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates modified of Robert Katon, Jr. from the rear of the pack after pitting to end the race in third. “We pitted, adjusted it, made it better and came from last while everybody kept going backwards.” Christopher stated. “The car ran good and like I said it is still a work in progress and each week we keep getting better and better.”Christopher is happy with his team, the car and the progress that they have made so far this year. “I was happy enough to finish third. Considering what we have gone through. But it gets better every week. And you do not know until you keep trying. We will see what happens at Riverhead next week.”
Justin Bonsignore will return to his home turf the current NWMT point leader - his fourth place finish edging him by two over Doug Coby. “It’s cool and all but we’re only four races in. Obviously we want to be up there in the points, that’s the name of the game, but we’re not looking at that yet. We’d like to get through Riverhead and Loudon – let it play out, the summer months are going to be tough. The 2 is going to be the team to beat it looks like every race, we’re happy we’re up there but we’re not looking at it at all right now.”“This has been a great start. We’ve made a lot of changes during the off season as everybody knows and it’s paying off.”
“At Stafford, we didn’t have restart that went our way tonight we did which got us back in contention – the last restart worked in our favor,” said Bonsignore. “That’s the game of racing, some days are going to go your way- some days they aren’t. We salvaged another top five – that’s four in a row – we didn’t have the best of cars, we were close, we’ll keep working at it – it’s all part of the gelling process. Ten more.”
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be at Riverhead Raceway next Saturday June 28th for the first of two visits this year to the fast New York speedway.
6-14 Sat Waterford 35 Regular SK 41 H-7th (7) 17th (19) DNF
Waterford Speedbowl hosted a jam packed crowd for its Mr. Rooter 161 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event under ideal summer weather. The track’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions supported the regional touring race with four action packed races. Ed Puleo of Branford picked up his second SK Modified® win of the season and Bruce Thomas Jr. of Groton landed his second Valenti Auto Mall Late Model feature win of 2014. Bill McNeil of Preston took his first Street Stock victory and Groton’s Ray Christian III of Groton won the Mini Stocks.Puleo was in a hurry in the night’s 35-lap SK Modified® feature. He started the race in second position, outside Jeff Gallup. Gallup fought Puleo hard as the race began, trading the lead with one another over the opening two circuits. Gallup spun off the inside of Puleo in turn four trying to remain in the battle for the lead as they raced to complete lap-3, collecting Joe Gada. Somehow those were the only two cars seriously involved and both returned to the race after a visit to the pit area.Puleo inherited the lead for the ensuing restart, bringing Tim Jordan with him to second. Kyle James followed into third and Ted Christopher to fourth as the race reached lap-10. James was all over Jordan as Puleo stretched his lead. James got around Jordan on lap-10, but when Christopher tried to duplicate the move he had to make a nice save out of turn two, dropping back to fifth. The chain reaction collected Paul Kusheba, who’s car was in distress on the front stretch with 12 laps scored complete.Puleo resumed his lead and pulled away again as Jordan and Christopher both got by James by lap-15. Keith Rocco was up to fifth position looking to carry that momentum even further into the lead cars. Some great racing by the top-five was slowed on lap-26 when Matt Hirschman, making his first start of the year, got into the turn two wall.Puleo had Christopher and Rocco each hot on his tail over the next two restarts, which brought the race to lap-31. There was no shortage of contact among the top three cars the rest of the way in a fight for the win. Puleo had to fend off Rocco’s outside on the outside over the final four laps to garner his second checkered flag of the year. Rocco was able to hold back the advances of Christopher, who stayed in tight formation over the final sprint to the finish. Behind Christopher, Craig Lutz and Rob Janovic Jr. completed the top-five finishers.
6-14 Sat Star SBM 125 Tri-Track - 13
TRI-TRACK OPEN MODIFIED SERIES PLACES RACE TWO IN THE BOOKS
Jon McKennedy Wins SBM 125 at Star Speedway
by Denise DuPont / Polly Reid
The Tri-Track Open Modified Series completed the second of its three race at Star Speedway with so much excitement that fans were on their feet as laps wound down. The big payday came down to a six lap shootout. The three lead cars that had separated themselves from the pack but saw their advantage disappear when a caution came out on lap119. Les Hinckley knew the hard fought lead he had just earned was threatened, Rowan Pennink, dropping to third had another shot at the checkers while Jon McKennedy lining up second knew he was going to get one more opportunity to show how strong his car was. On the final restart, McKennedy of Chelmsford, MA wasted no time powering on the outside of Hinckley to become the final leader of the night crossing the finish line for the checkers and the big cash payout. “It feels great,” said McKennedy in victory lane. “The guys worked really hard today. I was complaining a lot, I wasn’t happy with the car- we changed springs, everything we could to make the car better. I told my spotter, Russ Hersey, about 20 laps in, we got a race car here and everything worked out.” McKennedy started the 125 green flag event ninth, moving up one spot by lap 25. With fifty circuits on the board, McKennedy had cracked the top five and at the half was still a solid fifth. The majority of the field pitted on lap 69 including McKennedy who lined up deep in the field at fifteenth. “I thought I had a good enough car to do the whole race with the same tires and keep the balance but I just knew it would be really tough to hold off some of the cars that were putting on a new tire. So, I elected to pit, I restarted somewhere around the fifteenth position and within a few laps was running in the top five. The car was great and I knew if I stayed out of trouble, we were going to win.” Two more cautions before the century mark, McKennedy kept his car out of trouble and lined up fifth on lap 98. This restart was the game changer for McKennedy who worked his way to third and as the laps ticked off, the top three, Pennink, Hinckley and McKennedy, broke from the field. Hinckley made his move low for the lead on Pennink taking the top spot on lap 118 and McKennedy followed in Hinckley’s tracks for second. The break McKennedy needed was the final caution with six to go. At the drop of the green, McKennedy’s car was solid as he passed Hinckley and never looked back. “I had a nice launch off the corner when I shifted the gear and was able to clear the leader by the time we got to the flag stand.” “I want to thank all the fans for coming out, it’s a great night. I love racing here. To win this race is pretty special- to say I beat thirty of the best modifieds in the northeast is pretty cool. It wasn’t easy, those last 30 laps was probably some of the hardest I drove in a long time.” “It’s a great group of guys involved,” said McKennedy about the Tri Track Series. “Jim Schafer, Long Island Maniac, Kevin Rice and The Racing Guys- I want to thank all of them, this wouldn’t be possible without them. It’s a great series- I’m looking forward to Seekonk.” After sitting out race one of the Tri-Track Open Modified Series to tend to his son Allen’s needs, Les Hinckley of Windsor Locks, CT., decided at the last minute to compete in Saturday’s SBM 125 IV Modified Open feature race at Star Speedway. Hinckley was nineteenth in time trials, started his heat race fifth and wound up starting the 125 lap feature event nineteenth out of a field of twenty-four. “We did good in practice but did not qualify well. Then we just did not pick up any speed with the new tires. It kind of put us in a box because we had to do something new with our pit strategy. We pitted a little bit earlier than some other guys and strained the right rear at the end. If we had continued green for those last six laps we would have been pretty good but with every caution that we had, we wore the right rear more on the restarts. I knew that Jon had a new right rear and that he always runs good here, so congratulations to him.”
The #06 team has always run well at Star and they did not give up tweaking the car until it was dialed in enough to bring them to the front. Using the high groove to his advantage, Hinckley picked off the field one car at a time to the lead position. “Once we got the car straightened out, we passed a lot of cars on the outside and then we also passed quite a few on the inside. If you have a good car a lot of times you can gain positions quicker on the outside because guys are more willing to give the outside up and they protect the bottom more. On a lot of occasions I do not waste a lot of time trying to get underneath a guy. I just go to the outside and if it works there I get some cars. So the outside worked good for me. I passed a lot of cars thee. But the bottom of the race track is the preferred place so it is had to pass car there because drivers protect it. If you have a good handling race car, this is a two lane racetrack that is for sure.” Counting off the laps Hinckley knew the race was his as long as he did not have to defend the lead in a race end restart. Then it happened, one last caution with six laps to go and with a worn right rear he could not hold off his competition. Hinckley had to settle for second. “The last caution killed us. I told them on the radio: “I will do my best but the right rear has had enough.” We pitted early to get some track position and it just I was getting good on the restarts. I could see on the way around. The longer it was green the better it was? If we did not get that last caution I think we could have held Jon (McKennedy) off. But the caution came out and we pitted for fresh rubber and he got by me. It was a good night.” Richard Savary of Canton, Ma has competed weekly at Star Speedway in a modified and he considers the track his home track. He started one position ahead of Hinckley in eighteenth and used his knowledge of the track to secure a solid third place finish. “We had a great pit stop and got out in front of some of the faster cars like we want to,” said Savary. “Then I got myself boxed in on my own on the bottom and all the fast cars went right by me. I had to wait until late in the race until it singled out before I made my move. On the outside the car was handling well as was Chris Pasteryak’s car. So we were both just chewing on the outside and it was fun. At the end a couple of guys rubbed wheels. And we capitalized on their rubbing wheels. And here we are. From starting eighteenth I am pretty happy.” The race was 125 laps and teams knew they were going to have to pit and change at a minimum the right rear. The #99 team made a plan and stuck to it. “Our pitting strategy worked for us today. I am sure that all the guys were not happy with it. It was do you pit early or do you pit late. And it hurt some of the guys that waited too long. Like the leaders that stayed out and pitted late. They waited too long. Both Hirschman and Barrett pitted too late. We pitted with a whole group of cars, but we beat them out of the pits. My guys did a great job we were just in and out. I like the way they did the lineup this year it was much safer. Faster guys started up front in heat race. As I stated I put myself in a bad position and all those guys got by me.” The SBM 125 was one of the best modified races that we have seen in a while. Drivers were out on the track competing, strategizing and running for the win. Savary summarized the night up from a driver’s eyes best: “I thought for the fans it was a pretty good race because it was a lot of side by side racing. I know from where I was it was very busy there was no riding. A lot of races lately have been nothing but riding until a certain point in the race. Tonight I do not think I had my guard down from lap 1 to lap 125. Outside of the yellows these guys were two by two lap after lap. You were racing the whole time and that was fun racing. And it always seemed like there was someone outside, someone on the inside or someone in front of you. Hats off to the guys because there was a lot of bumping and banging but you did not see a lot of wrecks.” The Tri-Track Open Modified Series will complete round third with Seekonk Speedway’s Modified Madness on Wednesday, July 23, 2014. With a $10,000 winning purse on the line, be ready for more side by side hard core modified racing.
Race Notes From Star Speedway SBM 125 IV:
How would you say your race day was?
Les Hinckley
“I am worn out to be honest with you. It has been a long couple of months here with my son. It was good to come back to the race track and have some fun. It would have been nice to win. We came here last year after some trying times and we have not forgotten about that. This year we come back here with some weight on our shoulders again from all we have been dealing with my son. The past couple of weeks he has done much better and we feel that we have had a little bit of a load lifted from us. It is just fun to be back. I love this place (Star Speedway). It is a good little track. We race side by side with guys tucked up tight and it is a lot of fun. “
SBM 125 IV PAYOFF June 14, 2014 $46,301 (record purse)
1. Jon McKennedy $6,175 2. Les Hinckley $3,725 3. Richard Savary $2,375 4. Steve Masse $2,650 5. Anthony Nocella $1,575 6. Rowan Pennink $2,500 7. Woody Pitkat $1,510 8. Max Zachem $1,300 9. Chris Pasteryak $1,750 10. Derek Ramstrom $1,400 11. Tommy Barrett $1,475 12. Mike Douglas Jr. $1,500 13. Matt Hirschman $4,141 14. Andy Seuss $1,500 15. TJ Potrzebowski $1,300 16. Kirk Alexander $1,000 17. Matt Galko $1,100 18. Jim Storace $1,000 19. Ryan Preece $1,000 20. Carl Medeiros Jr. $1,000 21. Todd Ceravolo $1,125 22. Todd Szegedy $1,150 23. Matt Swanson $1,100 24. Andy Jankowiak $1,650 DNS: Todd Annarummo ($200), Dennis Perry ($300), Chris Bolton ($200), Jamy Beegor ($100), Colbey Fournier ($100), Rick Labrecques ($100), Josh Cantara ($$100), Mark McClay ($100), Rob Richardi ($100).
6-7 Sat Lancaster 75 RoC- 4th
A SPECIAL WIN FOR HOSSFELD IN MAC MYERS MEMORIAL RoC 75 AT ELEGANT BUILDERS RACEWAY PARK A SPECIAL WIN FOR HOSSFELD IN MAC MYERS MEMORIAL RoC 75 AT ELEGANT BUILDERS RACEWAY PARK
Racing two days in a row for the asphalt Modified gang is rare but that is what took place on the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour. After blowing an engine the evening before the Chuck Hossfeld racing team had to burn the midnight oil. Two crew members stayed up all night to pull out the blown engine and replace it with a fresh Hutter engine. Hossfeld then won a special race for him as he knew longtime Lancaster Speedway tow truck operator Mac Myers who passed away one month ago. Hossfeld started on the pole, set the pace early for the lead until getting bumped out of the lead. Hossfeld then pitted for a new right rear tire on lap 41. Hossfeld then charged back through the field and dogged leader Erick Rudolph for the lead from lap 50 until taking the lead with an inside turn three pass as the field was coming down to compete lap 71. Hossfeld then pulled away from Rudolph who was experiencing a misfiring engine to claim his first RoC win of the year. Rudolph ended up a disappointed second with Patrick Emerling finishing third, Matt Hirschman a quiet fourth, and Nick Pecko in fifth. " This race was a memorial race for Mac Myers and this past winter was a hard one as we lost a lot of good people, I lost an aunt, I'm glad to win this memorial for Mac. My dad grew up with him and I got to know him and he was a good man. “ " I had two guys, Dave and Mike stayed up around the clock, they never went to bed last night " said Chuck. " When I woke up this morning after about three or four hours of sleep and looked out the shades and I saw them still working on the car. Plus the other guys on this team they all only got three to four hours of sleep too and this was a very gratifying win, a team win for the All Metal Works, A Superior, Jerry Gradl Motors sponsored team. “ Chuck Hossfeld and Patrick Emerling brought the 23 car field to the green of Johnny Nelson with Hossfeld using a fresh Hutter powerplant motoring into the lead over Emerling, Austin Kochenash, Mike Leaty, and Andy Jankowiak.Passing behind Hossfeld was plentiful early with Leaty moving into third on lap two while Matt Hirschman and Jankowiak had their own private battle for fifth. The running order would shuffle following a lap ten restart as Leaty would move into second while Erick Rudolph moved into fourth from sixth. Rudolph would continue his charge to the front by moving into third on lap 13 and three laps later moving past Leaty for second. Hirschman glued to the back bumper of Rudolph's Ed McGuire owned Troyer took fourth on lap 14 and third two laps later. Hirschman became pretty racy following a lap 22 restart as he moved past Rudolph and set his sights on leader Hossfeld. Elegant Builders Raceway Park is known for some pretty good Modified racing due to the worn out racing surface and just after the one third point of the feature, it became very racy. First driver to show his hand was teenager Austin Kochenash who skipped his High School graduation on Saturday back in Pennsylvania to be here racing. Austin moved into fifth on lap 26 and into fourth on lap 29 and one lap later he took third. His charge to the front continued as he moved into second on lap 32. Kochenash shocked everyone as he passed Hossfeld for the lead on a lap 35 restart. Hossfeld afterwards offered his disappointment of Kochenash and the style of racing he was using on this night. " He's ( Kochenash ) has been racing this series for a couple of years and I have never had a problem with him. Tonight he's running me down in the dirt in turn three on that restart and that is how he got the lead. I don't know what got into him tonight but he acted like a compete idiot all night long. I'm not going to take that crap from him as he's messing with the wrong guy in me. "
Behind Kochenash two other drivers were drawing attention with their passing performances. Daren Scherer was involved in the lap ten accident, pitted to make repairs and he charged back through field to move into second on lap 36. Andy Jankowiak also involved in the lap ten accident was right on the heels of Scherer as he moved into third on lap 37. Jankowiak looking to win his first RoC Modified feature moved into second on lap 39 and immediately jumped to the outside groove to challenge for the lead. Behind the top two the drivers who pitted for a fresh right rear tire were starting their charge to front and this group was led by Rudolph who moved into fifth on lap 41 after pitting on lap 34. Back up front Kochenash and Jankowiak were battling for the lead while exchanging some contact and this would come into play in a few laps. After a bump Jankowiak slipped up in turn two on lap 44 and this allowed Rudolph to move into second. Rudolph with fresher tires than Kochenash took the lead two laps later. The complexion of the race would be altered significantly on lap 48 as contact once again between Kochenash and Jankowiak found Jankowiak into the backstretch wall and Kochenash being parked for the remainder of the race by RoC officials due to the contact. Rudolph was still leading with Brian DeFebo who was involved in the lap ten accident now in second with Emerling, Hossfeld, and Hirschman rounding out the top five. Hossfeld quickly disposed of Emerling and DeFebo to move into second with 25 laps to go and just as Hossfeld moved into second the leading car of Rudolph developed a problem. Just as he crossed the line to complete lap 51 the Hutter engine in the Rudolph car started to back fire with a blue flame shooting out the right side exhaust pipe. Hossfeld seeing this condition immediately applied pressure on Rudolph for the lead. Rudolph, a third generation racer has been taught well by his grandfather Jim and father Charlie on how to protect a lead. " I saw the flame coming out of the exhaust pipe when I got up along side of him " said Chuck. " His motor still ran pretty strong, I thought it would lay down but it didn't. Henry my spotter did a great job by telling me that his motor was laying down once in a while. I was joking with Erick afterwards and asked John ( RoC Official ) to measure that back bumper on that 51 car because it seemed liked it was three feet wider than it was suppose to be. Not that Erick did anything wrong but he was running right in the middle of the track, there was a half a lane on the bottom and a half a lane on the top. “ Hossfeld complimented Rudolph on how he raced him late in the race while going for the lead. " When you come out of turn four here, you are staring at the wall and you are side by side. The guy on the inside of you if he messes up it could be really, really bad for you. I'm glad to be racing with a driver like Erick who is a clean racer and someone who you can trust racing side by side with. Because it takes balls to be racing like that within inches of each other and not touching and if he makes a mistake, it could be really bad. " After trying for many laps in a row Hossfeld finally made the winning pass as he ducked inside of Rudolph entering turn three as the field came around to complete lap 71. Hossfeld then pulled away over the final four laps to the very popular feature win. Rudolph, Emerling, Hirschman, and Nick Pecko rounded out the top five.Chuck spoke about the fresh Hutter engine in his Troyer chassised car. " The motor we broke last night was so strong, sometimes you get a motor that is special and that motor was special. This one we put in performed really well and if this one breaks you won’t see me at the tracks for a while. " I've been saying all year so far that we have made some strides over the off season as our seconds have been close seconds. I know this is not our last win of the year, we are here to compete now as we are as strong as the 60 car “ said Hossfeld. Second place finisher Erick Rudolph explained that the Ed McGuire team is still chasing this motor back firing problem that started at Oswego two weeks ago. " We had this same problem going on at Oswego two weeks ago. We battled this problem all day long today and thought we found what was causing it and obviously we didn't. But it wasn't for the lack of effort and it is just one of those things we'll keep working at finding what is causing that to happen. We're not about to give up, we will find what the problem is. "Patrick Emerling used the gameplan designed by crew chief Jan Leaty to end up third. " We stuck with the strategy, stuck with our game plan, tried my best to save the car until the end. I was pretty close but not close enough to those guys ( Hossfeld & Rudolph ), Jan did an awesome job on the car. “ Qualifying heat races for the 23 car field had heat wins being captured by Rudolph, Jankowiak, and Hossfeld.
MAC MYERS MEMORIAL (6/7/14) FINISH; Chuck Hossfeld, Erick Rudolph, Patrick Emerling, Matt Hirschman, Nick Pecko, Brian DeFebo, Terry Cheetham, Bryan Sherwood, Sam Fullone, Karl Hehr, Daren Scherer, Andy Lewis, Michael LeBreche, Andy Jankowiak, Austin Kochenash, Jimmy Zacharias, Mike Leaty, Doug Reaume, Craig Dolphin, Tommy Cloce, Kirk Totten, George Skora, III, Ed Weber.
6-6 Fri Spencer 75 RoC - did not attend
6-6 Fri Stafford 125 WMT -14th
WORTH THE WAIT AT STAFFORD FOR COBY
Outlasts Whelen Modified Tour Field For 10th Career Win
It took a little longer, but Doug Coby finally took the checkered flag for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action.The race was postponed twice by rain and then Coby, piloting the No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet, had to outlast Justin Bonsignore and Bobby Santos in a green-white-checkered finish that pushed the race to 130 laps.It is Coby's 10th career win and sixth at the historic Connecticut half-mile. He took the lead Friday on Lap 7. Santos edged Coby at the line on the final restart but Coby powered back into the lead en route to winning for the fifth time in the last 10 races at Stafford.Bonsignore got past Santos for second on the final lap. Santos had won the Coors Light Pole Award when qualifying was originally held on May 23.Rowan Pennink and Woody Pitkat were fourth and fifth, respectively. Ron Silk finished sixth, followed by Patrick Emerling, Ted Christopher, Ryan Preece and Glen Reen.It’s been quite the start to 2014 for Coby since he moved to MSIII Racing in the offseason. They won on the short track at Daytona International Speedway in their first outing together during Speedweeks, and since the points season started they’ve recorded finishes of third, second and now first.“This car has been awesome every time we’ve taken it out, we’re really clicking” Coby said. “It was a move that was difficult for me to make, but I’m happy with this [No.] 2 car.”
With the win, Coby took over the points lead from Bonsignore, 132-128. Pitkat is third in the standings after three races at 123.The win for Coby also broke a streak of 11-consecutive seasons in which a different driver has won the second Stafford race on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule. The Milford, Connecticut driver also won this event in 2012 during his championship campaign.The race was slowed by caution just three times, and the first didn’t come out until Lap 104. In 112 all-time Whelen Modified Tour races at Stafford, there still has yet to be a caution-free contest.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be back in action Saturday, June 21 with the Mr. Rooter 161 at Connecticut's Waterford Speedbowl.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour-TSI Harley-Davidson 125 - Unofficial Results
Friday At Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (2) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 130 laps, 73.446 mph.
2. (9) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, NY, Chevrolet, 130.
3. (1) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 130.
4. (6) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 130.
5. (10) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 130.
6. (4) Ron Silk, Norwalk, CT, Chevrolet, 130.
7. (5) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, NY, Chevrolet, 130.
8. (17) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 130.
9. (13) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 130.
10. (15) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 130.
11. (3) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 130.
12. (12) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 130.
13. (11) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 130.
14. (16) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA, Chevrolet, 129.
15. (8) Donny Lia, Jericho, NY, Dodge, 129.
16. (21) Shawn Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 127.
17. (18) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 126.
18. (23) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 124.
19. (22) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 123.
20. (7) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 112, accident.
21. (19) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 112, accident.
22. (24) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 108.
23. (20) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 101, steering.
24. (14) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 81, engine.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 53 minutes 6 secondsMargin of Victory: 0.394 secondsFastest Qualifier: B. Santos (98.216 mph, 18.327 seconds)
Caution Flags: 3 for 19 laps.Lead Changes: 3 among 2 drivers.Lap Leaders: B. Santos 1-6; D. Coby 7-126; B. Santos 127-128; D. Coby 129-130.
Standings: 1. D. Coby, 132; 2. J. Bonsignore, 128; 3. W. Pitkat, 123; 4. B. Santos, 116; 5. T. Christopher, 110; 6. R. Silk, 109; 7. T. Solomito, 107; 8. R. Pennink, 106; 9. E. Goodale, 102; 10. R. Yuhas, Jr., 98.
DOUG COBY DOMINATES THE TSI HARLEY-DAVIDSON 125 RACE FOR WIN
Mike Smeriglio Owned Team Gets First 2014 NWMT Point Victory
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by Denise DuPont
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The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 race was postponed twice due to rain, but finally blue skies prevailed and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) finally got the race in the books at Stafford Motor Speedway. There were a lot of green flag racing, but in the end the race came down to late race cautions, pit strategies and a chase for the checkers with a green-white-checker finish. So once again it is not over until it is over.Doug Coby of Milford, CT, took over the lead from Bobby Santos on lap 7 and charged forward for the win in the Dunleavy's Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet. “I know all the people in the stands thought I used all my stuff up early,” Coby said. “I’m sure they heard me lifting (off the gas) at the start-finish line for as long as I could because I knew it was going to happen, I knew a caution was going to come out. I just tried to save what I could. I knew that Bobby and a couple of guys behind us also did not pit, but then I saw the #51 there and he pitted with tires. So I’m just really happy (for the win). This car has been awesome every time we’ve taken it out. We are really clicking. It is a new team and it is awesome to be with these guys.”There were a lot of green laps from lap 8, to the first caution on lap 103. Coby had to pace himself while making his way around lapped traffic. “I like that, I knew that I was killing them off of turn two. My spotter by himself is awesome. He kept telling me that Bobby (Santos) is rolling me to the bottom on turn three and four and that I was killing him off of two. So I figured it out and kept doing what I was doing and drove him kike he would drive me. I know how Bobby races and I know how I race. I would have gotten aggressive there at the end if I had to.”“I think that if Justin (Bonsignore) had lined up third on that restart that it would have been an interesting deal,” said Coby reflecting on the race end. “I would have had to fend Bobby (Santos) off on the outside and Justin off with the forward drive with the new tires. We just got lucky with the scoring loop. I had a good car and it is what it is.”Justine Bonsignore of Holtsville, NY, pitted for two rear tires after the first caution came out. On the final restart Bonsignore thought he was supposed to start third, but NASCAR tour official’s decision was that he would start fourth behind Ron Silk. He thought it was just enough to throw him off on the last restart. In the end, Bonsignore still felt his team was robbed by this decision: “We were in position (for the win). But we got robbed.”Running about tenth or eleventh with 20 laps to go the #51, chem3.com Chevrolet team, needed a caution if they were going to be a contender for the first spot. “To come out here and finish second, you can’t be upset.” Bonsignore commented on his second place finish. “On the other hand, when you think you’re going to line up third and you’ve got better tires than the other two guys and you think you could drive by them with ease. I think we definitely had a good shot at it. It is what it is.”Even though Bonsignore thought the team was robbed of their restart position, they did go forward and pull out from under Santos second place. “I pretty much did steal a second here tonight,” confessed Bonsignore. “It was a one-hundred percent deal here tonight. My crew chief called the pit and that was almost a winning move. So my hat off to him and my guys on the crew. We had a real good pit stop and they got us out in a good spot. We stole one tonight but that is how you are going to be in the title fight when it gets to the end of the year. We took a so-so car tonight and we stole a second. I am really impressed and very happy with that. But on the other hand I kind of felt that we could have won the race when it got down to the end of it.”Bobby Santos of Franklin, MA started on the pole, dominated the beginning laps and then settled in to save what he had for the end. But Coby was thirsty for his first 2014 win and he held Santos in second coming out of the last caution. Then at race end Santos did not have enough to hold off Bonsignore’s charges and he had a podium finish. “I wish that that last yellow did not come out because I think that I had a shot at Doug there just needed a couple of laps to get my tires in to make a charge on him (Doug Coby),” said Santos. “I am kind of mad at myself for giving up second. I just should have settled in and finished second. I tried too hard down here and gave the spot up. Still though I have to that the guys on the team, they gave me another great race car. Since I have started with the team they have given me really great race cars. It is just working together more and more. We are just working together and getting the experience working as a team and getting better and better.”Rounding out the top five was Rowan Pennink in fourth and Woody Pitkat for fifth.
With this victory, Doug Coby took over the tour points lead from Justin Bonsignore by a margin of four points.
The NWMT returns to racing at Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday, June 21st for the Mr. Rooter 161.
Notes from Stafford Motor Speedway:
Did you know the caution was going to come out?
Doug Coby
“It was inevitable. I started to see cars that were lapping. The track gets small when the leaders are coming and there is a line of cars from about eighth to about fifteenth that do not want to go a lap down. I figured that one of them would dump where the lapped cars are or get tangled.”
You won exhibition race at Daytona but getting a points race with a new team what does that mean?
Doug Coby
“It is huge,” Coby said. “Not just that, but it’s the second and third in the other two races to start the season. It’s really clicking. It could all go away in one race, we could be awful from here on out. But the first three look pretty good. With this 14-race schedule you’ve got to win when you can and if you finish sixth one week, you finish tenth and you’ve got to take what you can get.”
Ron Silk made a move for the lead around lap 112 and almost stole the lead. What actions did you take?
Doug Coby
” I just kept my line in turn or three and just used the width of the car to keep him behind me in turn three and four.”
The next two races are short track. Your thoughts:
Justin Bonsignore
“I grew up on the bullring at Riverhead so it is definitely more of my driving style. Stafford, I love coming here but statistically it seems to be one of my worst tracks. I just do not have a great feel on it and it is tough to gain on them when these guys race here every week. And it does show. Look how good the #2 and #44 cars perform every time that we come here.”
Did two tires made a difference in your race?
Justin Bonsignore
“We needed one or two cautions at the en but there might have been one too many to get where we needed to. I am going to have to get clarification on the rule of why we were put back to fourth. I think it is because everybody completed the lap. It is what it is. Like I said, we stole one. On one hand you are going to be upset that you lost the race when you are so close. But on the other hand to get a second after the night we ran, it was a huge accomplishment.”
If you had to do it again, would you have pitted for ties?
Bobby Santos
“No, Doug run the race without tires. I think that Justin just was in the right place at the right time at the end. Like I said I screwed up and gave him the spot for second. If there was another 50 laps it would have been a different strategy but for this race the deal with no tires was the right decision.”
5-25 Sun Evergreen 75 Poker WIN
It’s no secret that when Northampton’s Matt Hirschman comes through the pit gate at any given asphalt racetrack, he’s a favorite to take the win in the Modified division. It’s also a fact that Hirschman enjoys running the “big” shows with hopes of winning the “big money”. There was no exception on Sunday at Evergreen Raceway Park and Hirschman came out with hopes of winning the $3,000 prize in round no. one of the “Poker Series” event. With nine laps complete, he took the lead from Shawna Ingraham and then took the checkers and victory in the 75-main event. After winning one of the three heat races and then redrawing the pole, Ingraham led the Modified field to the drop of the green flag. She led the opening lap over Jonathon Mandato, Chris Young, Hirschman and Todd Baer. Following a quick yellow flag in the early going, Hirschman climbed into the second spot. Shortly after, he moved into the number one slot with nine laps complete.With a four-tire rule in effect for the show, many drivers just rode for the first half of the show, including Hirschman, who always seemed to have a one-car advantage over the driver that trailed him. When the flags were crossed to signal halfway, Hirschman continued to show the way over Young, Baer, Eric Mauriello and Ingraham.The event heated up in the second half and several drivers began to flex muscle, including Brian DeFebo, who cracked the top five and then took third from Baer on lap 63. However, his great run to the front was short-lived and he was forced to pit for leaking fluid under a lap 65 caution period.With the green flag back out, Hirschman remained on point and closed out the event with his twentieth overall win at the speedway. Mauriello, Baer, Ingraham and Young completed the top five.
Heat race victories went to Shawna Ingraham and Jonathon Mandato.
Modified (75-laps) 1. MATT HIRSCHMAN 2. ERIC MAURIELLO 3. TODD BAER 4. SHAWNA INGRAHAM 5. KEN VOGEL JR 6. PAUL FRANTZ 7. JONATHAN MANDATO 8. PAT VERWYS 9. RANDALL RICHARD 10. BRIAN DEFEBO 11. WAYNE SCZERENSCITS 12. BRIAN SONES 13. DOM FATTARUSO 14. JIM BOJONNY 15. DONNY HARTZEL DNS:JASON HEARNE DQ: CHRIS YOUNG
5-24 Sat Oswego 75 RoC WIN
1. – 60 – Matt Hirschman(7)
2. – 22 – Chuck Hossfeld(11)
3. – 07 – Patrick Emerling(2)
4. – 73x – Andy Jankowiak(3)
5. – 32 – Tyler Rypkema(4)
6. – 3 – Daren Scherer(6)
7. – 66 – Austin Kochenash(16)
8. – 25 – Mike Leaty (9)
9. – 71 – Jimmy Zacharias (13)
10. - 53 – Brian DeFebo (12)
11. – 99 – Bobby Holmes (19)
12. – 14 Doug Reaume (20)
13. – 47 – Jim Storace (18)
14. – 42 – Nick Pecko (10)
15. – 24 – Dean Rypekma (5)
16. – 9 – Brandon Oltra (15)
17. – 95 – Bryan Sherwood (17)
18. – 59 – Karl Hehr (22)
19. – 50 – Terry Cheetham (8)
20. – 51 – Erick Rudolph (1)
21. – 44 –Tommy Cloce (21)
22. – 10 – Daryl Lewis, Jr. (14)
5-23 Fri Stafford 125 WMT RAIN
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) teams traveled to Stafford Motor Speedway for Friday night’s TSI Harley-Davidson 125 race. The sun was shining and teams were ready for racing even with the forecast threatening rain or worst yet lightening, hail and flooding.Bobby Santos, III of Franklin, MA., took the Tinio Racing/ImperialCars Chevrolet to the top of the charts in practice. Later on Santos earned the #44 race team their first 2014 Coors Light Pole Award with a time of 18.327 (98.216 mph) Santos now has fourteen NWMT career poles with seven of them scored at Stafford Motor Speedway. Santos also has managed to capture four out of the last six NWMT poles. “It is exciting to get our first 2014 pole. We were disappointed with our qualifying run at Thompson and the initial race here at Stafford. To come back and show that we can still get the pole was a good morale booster for everybody. Hopefully if it does rain it is quick so we can get all 125 laps in.” Santos is ready to make it two for two at Stafford. In the spring, Santos led the field to checkered flag for the NWMT NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler on April 27th win. “Starting on the pole means a lot for this race because it is possibly not a pit stop race. So track position is important.” Santos stated stressing a lead spot is key in this 125 lap race. Doug Coby of Milford, the 2012 series champion, was second fastest in qualifying at 18.403 seconds (97.810 mph). Eric Goodale of Riverhead, N.Y. was third fastest in qualifying (18.416 seconds, 97.741 mph). Ron Silk of Norwalk, CT. was four fastest in qualifying (18.420 seconds, 97.720 mph). And rounding off the top five qualifiers was Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y. (18.480 seconds, 97.403 mph). Santos will head to Indiana from Stafford. He will be racing at Anderson Speedway 500 laps in a USAC Sprint car. “Anderson Speedway is a quarter-mile track in Indiana. It is a high bank quarter mile. Drivers will be required to make a minimum of two pit stops. I have never run the race before so I am real excited to do it.”
Matt Hirschman Looks Ahead to Holiday Tripleheader Weekend
Winner of Modified Shows in Last Three Weekends Looks for Opportunity to Win Three More in As Many Days
By Aaron Creed, Speed51.com Correspondent - Twitter: @aaron_creed
In the headlines recently has been Kurt Busch, who is preparing to become the first driver in 10 years to attempt the Indy 500/Coca-Cola 600 double. While Busch’s task is by no means an easy one, on any given weekend there are short track drivers across the United States who race multiple times in a short window, often at different locations or in varying types of cars. Fitingly on Memorial Day weekend, “Big Money” Matt Hirschman looks to collect the winning check on three occasions in three states for three different teams within a less than 48-hour span.“I don't know if I've ever done three days in a row before,” recalled Hirschman. “I'd really have to think about it, but I know I've run twice in one day and I know I've run plenty of back-to-back.”;With his vast amount of seat time at each track as well as logistics, the Northampton, Pennsylvania driver sees it as an opportunity to race as much as possible.“I think it's going to work out fine,” Hirschman told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. "I think in terms of travel it kind of makes sense. We're going to Connecticut over to New York and then down towards home to go to Evergreen. I don't think it should be too much of an issue.”;First up this weekend will be Stafford Motor Speedway (CT) on Friday where he and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion owner Wayne Darling look to build on their result from the Spring Sizzler held at Stafford last month.“We just communicated some on what we had there the last time and hopefully we improve on that,” said Hirschman. “There's room for improvement. We ended up with a ninth place finish. I think we can definitely bump that up. Hopefully we bump it way up.”;Th next day it will be off to Oswego Speedway (NY) where Hirschman not only hopes to win his third straight Race of Champions event of the season, but also rides a streak of four straight wins at “The Steel Palace." However, Hirschman remarked that wins do not come easy at the unique .625-mile track that has four corners but is not technically an oval. The shorter 75-lap distance the competitors will face on Saturday evening could make things a little difficult.
“Last year we won all three and I won three there in 2008, but I went from 09, 10, 11 into 12 without winning a race there,” said Hirschman. “It wasn't that I didn't have a car that could win. It's a tough place. That race, a lot of times track position is important starting right in the heat races. Good draws can really help there.”;
On Sunday afternoon it will be the first trip of the year to a track Hirschman has enjoyed a good amount of success at, Evergreen Raceway Park (PA) about an hour from his hometown. It will also be the first time in 2014 driving Bob Horn’s No. 50 Modified, in which they won the King of the Mountain event late last year when the facility was still known as Mountain Speedway. The 75-lap show will be the first for a five race “Poker Series” in which the winning poker hand based on finishing positions will be awarded a $1,000 bonus in addition to each race’s winnings, Sunday’s top prize being $3,000 to the race winner.This is the new track management’s first big event and Hirschman is optimistic that things are going in the right direction.“I think it's more inviting than it was looking and hopefully they get a good turnout too,” Hirschman said. “They deserve it and we've got to support these tracks to keep them going.”;Through his knowledge of the bigger events and familiarity with what will attract his opponents, Hirschman shared advice with those running the show as well.“They seemed to have listened and I gave them some feedback as well about not having such a high entry fee and also a four-tre limit,” said Hirschman. “We don't need to be buying more than four tires to run 75 laps there.”;It has been a cooler and precipitation-filled start to the year throughout New England and the Northeast, and the chance to run at a more regular pace should prove to be an advantage.
Hirschman’s season got off to a slow start before his first win of the year in the opening Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour race at Chemung Speedrome (NY) in early May. He then continued that momentum into Lee USA Speedway (NH) climbing to a win from the back of the field in the Tri Track Modified open show the following weekend. After a second Race of Champions victory at Shangri-La II Motor Speedway (NY) on Sunday, he now finds himself with three straight wins in 2014.
Looking forward altogether, Hirschman takes it one race at a time.“I've won races by dominating and leading every single lap, and I've won races by a last lap pass from behind. Every race is a new challenge. I always use that saying ‘you play the hand you're dealt’ and you just come into each day with an open mind each race and go from there.”;Weather permitting, the holiday weekend will set itself up for Matt Hirschman to potentially do something he has never done before, which is saying a lot for a driver that has already accomplished many achievements in his still young career.
5-18 Sun Shangri-la2 75 RoC WIN
On Sunday afternoon in the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour 75 at the Shangri - La 2 Speedway a new chapter in the rivarly of Matt Hirschman and Chuck Hossfeld was entered into the books. This time there was just good hard racing that left the race fans asking for more of the same at the completion of the race.Hirschman who started eighth took the lead from outside pole sitter Hossfeld on lap 21. Over the exciting final 54 laps Hossfeld tried every move he knew in an attempt to get by Hirschman. Hossfeld was actually underneath Hirschman entering turn one with 14 laps to go to grab the lead only to have the yellow flag come out to nullify the winning pass.Hirschman then led the final 14 laps still holding off the relentless pressure by Hossfeld to grab his second consecutive RoC Modified win of the year by .12 seconds. Austin Kochenash drove his brand new car from 16th to end up a fast closing third with 14th place starter Patrick Emerling finishing fourth, and fourth place starter Jimmy Zacharias recovering from a lap 22 flat tire to end up in fifth."They made me work for this one today and I'm glad I got the lead when I did,” said Matt Hirschman in the post race tech area. "He ( Hossfeld ) was real strong as he had his strong corner down here in three and four and my strong corner was up there in one and two. I couldn't make any slipups today as he was real strong, he gave me some shots on the straights as it gave me a boost going down the straights.”
Tommy Cloce and Chuck Hossfeld brought the 22 car field to the green flag of starter Steve Kellogg. Hossfeld led the opening lap over Jimmy Zacharias, Cloce, Andy Lewis, and Jim Storace. During a yellow flag period on lap three Cloce pitted with right front damage ending his day.On the lap four restart Hossfeld jumped out to the lead over Zacharias, Storace, Mike Leaty, and Lewis. One lap later Zacharias drove around Hossfeld for the lead with Andy Seuss moving past Lewis for fifth at the same time." My spotter and I had some miscommunication on when I was clear of him ( Zacharias ). We talked it over during the next caution and we had no trouble after that ,” said Hossfeld.Hossfeld powered back into the lead on a lap eight restart but behind him the sudden charge of Matt Hirschman started.Hirschman who was sixth on the restart passed Seuss for fifth on the outside. One lap later he ducked under Leaty for fourth and on the next lap drove around Storace for third. Then three laps later he drove under Zacharias in turn four to take second. Following a lap 20 restart where Hossfeld got the jump on the start to remain in the lead Hirschman got past Hossfeld for the lead."No sand bagging for sure,” said Matt. "It was go time at that point and I'm glad we got through with some quick moves and it appeared at that point of the race was our strongest part of the race and definitely not as much later in the race as he ( Hossfeld ) had.”Once in the lead Hirschman and Hossfeld pulled away from the remainder of the field as they were determined to decide between each other who was going to win the feature. In addition to offering exciting racing the duo were also setting record fast laps at the half mile concrete oval.Meanwhile behind them there was great racing taking place with some impressive passing displays being produced by Patrick Emerling and Austin Kochenash, who started 14th and 16th respectively. Emerling entered third on lap 23 while Kochenash entered the top five on lap 42. Then add into the passing fancy were Daren Scherer, Seuss, Andy Jankowiak, and Leaty which made it interesting on which racing battle to watch between laps 23 and 50.With 25 laps to go it appeared that the Hirschman car lost some speed as now Hossfeld was chewing all over the back bumper of Hirschman. Hossfeld for the next 15 consecutive laps got underneath Hirschman entering turn one but just didn't have enough to get past him. Then with 14 laps to go the key point of the race took place as Hossfeld after 15 laps of trying had enough power to get under Hirschman exiting turn four and going into turn one had the inside groove to grab the lead. The joy of making the pass by Hossfled was shortlived as the yellow lights flashed on for a multi car turn four wreck and with this taking place the lineup reverted back to the last green flag completed lap, which placed Hirschman back in the lead.Matt who would like his car to be the fastest at the end of the race and in the last two races at Shangri - La 2 that hasn't been the case and that concerns him. "I got to think about it a little bit because we have been good early. Rudolph got me near the end of that race back here in the fall and he ( Hossfeld ) was basically strong in the same area today. I'm just glad that it worked out for me, it could have easily just have gone the other way. “ Hirschman then withstood the pressure packed final 14 laps to record the win, his third consecutive Sunday feature win."I really feel good,” said Matt after winning his third in a row. "Even if we came away with a second today I just feel that everyone is starting to click and things are starting to go the way they should.”He stated that he was positive after a second two weeks ago at Chemung and Chuck Hossfeld is even more positive after another second place effort on this day."I've been racing a long time and I know the steps that we have made to improve this team since last year,” said Chuck. "I started this business Jerry Gradl Motors all over again with my partner Jerry and that took alot of effort over the past few years. Now I'm comfortable with how much I've got going on, Mike Parks takes care of the car and he is more comfortable with me and I can concentrate better on just driving. I think today we showed that we can run with Matty and if it wasn't for that caution coming out we had him, we had a really good car today.”"Creeping up like this I know we're going to get our share of wins and that is what is exciting ,” said Chuck. "Today we ran wheel to wheel with Matty, we had great restarts, we have everything in place and Matty has had a hell of a run but i think we're showing that we're bringing our game to his level.”Teenager Austin Kochenash brought a completely brand new car home in third. "First time out we struggled with everything being new and once we got everything figured out this car is a lot better than our old one,” said Austin. "At this place track position means a lot and starting 16th it takes a lot to get to the front clean as you need to know when to charge and when to ride.”
Qualifying for the 23 car field had American Racer Tires heat race wins go to Hossfeld, Jim Storace, and Bryan Sherwood.Race Notes…A cold and rainy morning had teams scrambling to cover their equipment as hail fell at one point prior to the practice sessions for the RoC Modifieds…A very talented field was once again assembled for race number 2 of the 2014 tour…Modified lap times got faster as the feature event got past lap 50 for teams that had not taken any new tires…The American Racer Tire seems to get even quicker as the races go deeper into the grind…The ageless Ken Canestrari completed the entire event on Sunday after battling power steering issues earlier in the day…On the flipside Andy Lewis made his first ever start in a RoC Modified and had a strong day making his way in to the top 12 qualifiers after heat racing…The next RoC Asphalt Modified Tour event is this Saturday at the Oswego Speedway…
OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH FINISH (60): Matt Hirschman, Chuck Hossfeld, Austin Kochenash, Patrick Emerling, Jimmy Zacharias, Andy Seuss, Daren Scherer, Andy Jankowiak, Brandon Oltra, Doug Reaume, Bryan Sherwood, Jim Storace, Tony Hanbury, Ken Canestrari, Sam Fullone, Tyler Rypkema, Nick Pecko, Dean Rypkema, Mike Leaty, Andy Lewis, Brian DeFebo, Tommy Cloce. DNS; Michael Lebreche.
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Matt Hirschman had to work for this one. But a little hard work never hurt anyone, especially a young man who’s on top of his game. The second generation driver from Northampton, PA prevailed in the 75-lap Race of Champions Modified Tour event, the 2nd of 3 this season at Shangri-la II Motor Speedway.The top 4 finishers from the 3 heat races (Brian Defebo, Daren Scherer and Bobby Holmes) drew for starting positions 1-12. Hirschman wasn’t among them. Tommy Cloce drew the pole and Defebo started beside him. Based on his finishing position in qualifying, Hirschman started 15th.Defebo got a good run off turn 2 and led the field into turn 3. Cloce had his hands full with Holmes, who took over 2nd early on. On the 19th lap Hirschman made an inside pass on Jim Storace and an outside pass on Austin Kochenash and he was up to 7th. The first caution came out for a tangle involving Matt Kurzejewski, Dean Rypkema and TJ Potrzebowski in turn 3. Top 4 on the restart were Defebo, Holmes, Scherer and Cloce, but 2 laps later the caution came out again when Storace slid into the infield on the back stretch.On the lap 22 restart Defebo led the way while Holmes lost 2nd to Scherer. Three laps later Hirschman, who was running 6th, got to the inside of Patrick Emerling’s #07 and the #69 of Cloce and he was up to 4th. While Defebo pulled away from those behind him, Hirschman wasn’t done. On lap 34 he took over 3rd with an inside move on Holmes; 3 laps later he passed Scherer on the outside for 2nd.For the next 8 laps Defebo’s lead was shrinking until Hirschman had it down to less than a car length. On lap 46 Hirschman got inside the #53 and took over the top spot. Once in front it was never a runaway, as the Berwick, PA hotshoe stayed right with him.
The best battle on the track for was 4th, among Holmes, Mike Leaty and Kochenash. Kochenash got around Leaty and set his sights on Holmes. On lap 73 Kochenash had a run on Holmes and they made contact. Holmes spun into the pit wall, and the #22 sustained heavy damage to the front end. For his part in the incident, Kochenash restarted at the rear.Troubles continued for Storace, who tagged the turn 2 wall on the restart. When the final green/white/checkered took place Defebo had one more shot at Hirschman. It wasn’t to be, as the #60 pulled into a familiar place – victory lane in an ROC event. Defebo finished 2nd, ahead of Scherer, Leaty and Nick Pecko.“We came up short in qualifying and thought that might prevent a win today,” Hirschman told the crowd. Despite a tough start to the day Hirschman remains focused on the big picture, which includes defending his ROC title. “It’s very impressive to be doing what we’re doing. I’m riding a wave right now but I know it won’t last forever,” he added. The competition, however, hopes it’s a tidal wave he encounters one of these days. He and the others running the ROC Tour will return to Shangri-la II in late September as part of the Fall Brawl, the 3rd ROC event on Shangri-la II’s 2013 schedule. Drivers should consider themselves warned: “I’ll be back for the Brawl to see if we can sweep the season here.”;
Sandbagging For Wins Brings Unfortunate Bad Look To Short Track Competition May 14, 2014 By Shawn Courchesne
The first race of the much ballyhooed Tri-Track Series has come and gone, and by most accounts Sunday’s Bullring Bash 100 proved a rousing success at Lee USA Speedway.There was a quality car count, a stout group of big name competitors and a major event feel to the festivities at Lee.The most unfortunate part though was that in the end, the actual race lacked something important: Dramatic racing.It’s no knock on race winner Matt Hirschman Not even close. He played the game to win by the rules set before him and he accomplished just that.And it’s no knock on the organizers of the event. They put forth a set of rules that unfortunately based on the elements at play wth the facility and the factors in play these days with some of these events, played right into the hands of drama sapping the event.Let’s be straight up honest: Hirschman sandbagged to a win. There’s no sugar-coating that. He laid back, way back, and saved saved saved his tires on the rough tire-eating surface at Lee until he could wait no longer. Then he went to the front of the pack with ease. And unfortunately while he saved, many in front of him were in saving mode too, pedaling around Lee well below 100 percent.It’s a type of event that has become a scourge on short track racing. The one where everybody plays the waiting game, everybody tries to save, and in the end the guy that ultimately was able to go the slowest for the longest time ends up winning. Doesn’t that sound totally contradictory to what the sport of auto racing is about? The guys that was able to go the slowest for the longest time wins?That’s essentially what happened with Hirschman, who at times during the event far lost touch with even the second-to-last car in the field as he half-pedaled slowly around the .375-mile oval. Hirschman even remarked after the event that while he was trying to slow to a minimum, the leaders were slowing right along with him and running the same lap times as he was trying to go slow.Is that any kind of event to keep fans clamoring to come back for more? Ultimately, the object is to win? But at what cost for the fans?There’s few other sports where a competitor or team can essentially not even make an attempt to be competitive for the first three-quarters of an event or game and still have a chance to win at the end.Some might say that the banzai run to the front that a driver must make after using the no effort for the bulk of the race strategy makes up for the lost drama.Unfortunately, in short track racing today, with lowered car counts across most all events – including many big dollar open shows – that factor is often eliminated by a number of factors. By the time the one playing the slow game makes the charge there often ends being little or no drama left to the run passing cars because there’s few left to pass and many of the one’s being passed can’t even put up anything worth a fight.Yes, cars were sent home on Sunday, but there likely should have been more cars on the track. It would not have been outlandish to possibly start 30 cars, or even 32 instead of the 26 that did start. Face it, decades ago when there were open shows, the bulk of the field was close. That wasn’t the case Sunday with a field stretched from quality Touring teams used to competition on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and Valenti Modified Racing Series, to weekly SK Modified teams.It’s no knock on those low dollar operations that were in the field, but the fact is, it changes how the whole scenario plays out in a show like that, and played perfectly into the hands of a driver like Hirschman, who knows going into the event that three-quarters of the way through the show, most of those guys won’t even be left on the track to pass or won’t have anything to even put up a minimal fight.That seemed to be the case Sunday. When Hirschman turned it on and decided to go he went from the back to the front in the blink of an eye. There was no wow factor to it. Even the pass for the lead was made to be a forgone conclusion by numerous rehashed restarts where Hirschman kept easily being Steve Masse for the top spot before another caution would come out before the lap was completed.What are the answers? Right now the solutions actually, and unfortunately, probably don’t exist in racing. More competitive cars are needed for a show like that at Lee to stop a team or multiple drivers from laying back.But until the fix is made, fans in the grandstands are the one’s that will suffer watching events where those that are the best at going slow for the most of the event have the biggest advantage at the end
Response from Matt on Facebook: It has been an interesting week following the win in the Bullring Bash 100 at Lee USA Speedway. The race that still seems to have everyone talking. We should be thankful to The Racing Guys & James Schaefer for giving us such a great event. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I take no offense to anything that was written. I feel the race had side by side racing throughout and suspense as different strategies played out. Any number of drivers could have sat in VL based on the timing of cautions. I would expect the same at Star on June 14th and Seekonk on July 23rd. Support short track racing! Thanks for all the positive comments and messages! MH
Modified Supporters Waste a Golden Opportunity at Bullring Bash Race Teams
and Fans Fail to Support Big Open Modified Event
EDITOR’S NOTE: Brandon Paul is the Northeast Editor of Speed51.com. The views which are expressed in the following column are his own and not necessarily the views of Speed51.com and/or its partners)
Jim Schaefer, better known in the short track racing community as “The Long Island Mod Maniac," is a race fan. He is a race fan that whole-heartedly supports the ground-pounding Modifieds of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Valenti Modified Racing Series and beyond. Since becoming a fan of the Modifieds, Schaefer has become very involved with teams and events at his home track of Riverhead Raceway in New York. Since the 2009 racing season Schaefer has spent countless amounts of time and money to help the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events held at Riverhead. He has sponsored teams, put his own money into the events and worked hard to obtain lap sponsors. Schaefer did all of this not as a race promoter, but simply a fan. He never profited, nor had the goal in mind to profit a penny. This New York race fan did all of this because he was a “Mod Maniac.” Over the course of the past few months, for the first time in his life, Schaefer took a break from being a fan in order to co-promote the inaugural Bullring Bash at New Hampshire's Lee USA Speedway with his friend Dick Williams. Schaefer spent countless hours online promoting the event, talking to race teams, talking to lap sponsors and working hard to make the Bullring Bash one of the biggest open Modified events in recent history as the first-ever race of the Tri-Track Modified Series. During this process of promoting and planning the event, the Long Island Mod Maniac did all the right things. His partner in the venture Dick Williams and “The Racing Guys” did all the right things. The track that opened its doors for the inaugural Bullring Bash, Lee USA Speedway, did all the right things. Now the question is this - if everyone involved did all the right things than why, in Schaefer’s words, is the likelihood of a second Bullring Bash slim? The answer is simple - those that continuously make the claim that Modified racing doesn’t receive enough support didn’t take their own advice and support an event that had the opportunity to be something special. Where else would race teams be able to find the type of money that was on the line at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday afternoon? Where else would the die-hard fans of Modified racing be able to see champions and winners from the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Valenti Modified Racing Series, Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour and SK Modifieds all on one stage? The answer to both of those questions is nowhere. Walking through the pit area you often hear of Modified teams complaining about the lack of big money races for their type of cars. Well folks, you had a big money race right here in the Northeast and failed to support it. After seeing the support on Sunday, what would make any promoter want to work hard and put up a large amount of money for one of these races? Over $60,000 in purse money was made available for race teams attending Sunday’s event. Nobody leaving the track left with less than $600. Matt Hirschman, the winner of Sunday’s race brought home a paycheck of $5,800. Sunday’s 15th place finisher, Jeff Rocco, took home $3,700 thanks to the hard work Schaefer and “The Racing Guys” put in to attract lap sponsors. Karl Fredrickson of Speedway Illustrated magazine, who finished second in the B-Main feature, took home a check for $900 and claimed in victory lane that it was the largest payday he’s ever had in racing. The race that took place at Lee USA Speedway on Sunday afternoon was an opportunity for Modified racing teams to support an event and a group of people that work hard for this specific brand of short track racing. Not only that, it was an opportunity to battle the best of the best in Modified racing while having the chance to bring home some very good money doing so. Don’t get me wrong, 34 race teams at an event is nothing to laugh at. The show that those 34 teams put on out on the race track was spectacular, but this was an event that people knew needed a lot of support from fans and race teams. Unfortunately, the event received support but not a lot of support like it needed. On Tuesday afternoon, Schaefer told Speed51.com that he was very disappointed in the lack of support displayed by race teams and Modified fans, but repeatedly thanked those who did support the event on Sunday, both race teams and fans. The Long Island Mod Maniac specifically thanked the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team Boehler Racing Enterprises (the only NWMT supporting the event), as well as the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Hillbilly Racing Team for traveling from North Carolina to support the event. Speaking of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour teams, besides “Ole Blue," where were all the teams that Schaefer has supported for years now at Riverhead and beyond? Don’t tell me it was the costs associated with travel, as many of the teams are located within a few hours' drive of the southeastern New Hampshire track. Don’t tell me it was the cost of tires (it was a five-tire race). Don’t tell me it was Mother’s Day. For whatever reason they can come up with, these teams failed to support someone that supports them. The famous saying, “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” didn’t apply on Sunday. Although the numbers are still just preliminary, Schaefer estimated that 1300 tickets were sold on Sunday. That number is a combination of tickets sold at the pit gate, as well as in the grandstands. In order to come close to breaking even on the event after paying the purse money and the money to rent the facility, Schaefer estimated that 1700-2000 people would have had to come through the gate. 41,407 fans attended Sunday’s Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington, Texas, but you’re telling me 2,000 fans couldn’t support a group of guys trying to do something good in Lee, New Hampshire? Are you telling me that moms like baseball, but don’t like racing? We all love our mothers, but the whole Mother’s Day thing is not an excuse. It's an understanding among race promoters that any time the pit gates swing open, there is a possibility of not breaking even on the financial investment to put on the race. But, this event was for the fan base and race teams that most vocally denounce NASCAR and others for lack of support of Modified racing. Social media and Modified-related web and print outlets often fill up with fans and racers complaining of a lack of support. They had nothing to complain about with this race and still didn't support it. Now, due to the lack of support, a fan-turned-race promoter that would do anything to support Modified racing is now questioning his future involvement supporting these types of races financially. Schaefer still has plans to add $6,400 to the purse at Star Speedway’s (NH) SBM 125 event, $7,030 into the Open Wheel Wednesday purse at Seekonk Speedway (MA) and continue his support of the June NWMT event at Riverhead by adding $300 to the payout for each position. After the completion of those three races, Schaefer isn’t sure about whether or not his finances, and now his desires, will allow him to continue supporting events in the same capacity that he has in the past. Due to the number of additional sponsorships required (20-25) at $300 each, as well as his disappointment with the lack of NWMT teams at Sunday’s Bullring Bash, Schaefer told Speed51.com on Tuesday that he will not be working to put together sponsors for the September NWMT event at Riverhead Raceway. Although Schaefer was clearly hurt and frustrated by Sunday’s results, he didn’t completely rule out the chances of a Second Annual Bullring Bash. When asked what it would take for the event to happen again next year, Schaefer responded with one word, “Money." It would take a sponsor that could cover most, if not all, of the purse and the only way to attract a sponsor like that is to show that there’s a large amount of support for the event. The on-track product displayed during Sunday’s event at Lee USA Speedway was too good to be a one-time thing. People that were at the track on Sunday left happy, while those that didn’t go were left wishing they were there. What’s done is done. It’s now time for Modified fans and race teams to step up and support those who support their type of racing. If you’re a race team, show your support of these types of open modified events by filing an entry for the two remaining Tri-Track Open Modified Series events at Star and Seekonk. If you’re a race fan, pack the grandstands at the two remaining events and show your support of big money Modified races. Supporting these events is the only thing that will keep them around. Without more support these big money events filled with talented drivers could be non-existent very soon
5-11 Sun Lee 100 Tri-Track Open Series 59 - WIN
There’s a reason Matt Hirschman’s nickname is “Big Money.” Because when there is a race paying out the big bucks you can usually count on Hirschman taking home the check.But Hirschman struggled with his car throughout much of the day at Lee USA Speedway. He failed to advance straight to the inaugural Bullring Bash feature straight from his heat race and had to go to the consolation race. Hirschman said afterwards that his car was definitely a car that deserved to be in the consi. After taking the win in the consi, he started 23rd out of the 26-car field. He immediately dropped right to the back and stayed there for a large majority of the race. Even when a caution came out and others pitted, he’d drop behind them and just stayed in last place.But that was a strategy play for Hirschman. Since he started in the back he decided to stay there instead of risking damage to his car early on. “Play the hand you’re dealt,” said Hirschman. “I was riding. It’s just part of it. You just have to wait it out.”While Hirschman was riding, Steve Masse was going to the front. Masse started dead last after crashing his car twice earlier in the day. He made his way to the lead with less than 35 to go when Rowan Pennink decided to pit under a caution when Tommy Barrett spun ,in turn four.Masse was able to hold off numerous attempts from Todd Szegedy and Todd Annarumo, but when Hirschman decided it was go-time, he made pretty quick work of Masse.Hirschman took the lead from Masse twice, but both times the caution quickly came out and negated the lap. But finally with ten to go, Hirschman was able to take the lead from Masse and keep it.He had to deal with Masse and Ryan Preece on multiple restarts with less than ten to go, but Hirschman was able to hold on and take another win in a big money open show.“Sometimes strategy like this is not always gonna work out,” said Hirschman. “I’ve made it work in a lot of these shows and we’ve won a lot of these races. I want to lead lap 100. Not lap one.”Preece and Masse battled hard for the last five laps before they made contact in the final corner resulting in a hard crash in turn four. Masse spun underneath Preece and Annarumo had nowhere to go but into Masse’s 13 machine. Annarumo went up and over the top of Masse, ripping the roof right off of Masse’s car. Both drivers were unharmed in the crash.Dennis Perry, a regular in the Sunoco Modified division at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, finished third with a beat up front end. He said he was thrilled to be third because it was his first time ever racing against many of the touring drivers and he’d never run a race distance this long before.“I was worried about making the show, never mind the top three,” said Perry. “Even if Todd (Annarumo) and I forget who else hadn’t wrecked, I’d still have had a top five. I’ll take it either way. I’m as proud as can be.”For Preece, a second-place finish in his reunion with the Boehler Racing Enterprises team has him pretty happy. He started 18th and “drove my butt off” to take second on the final corner.“I’m real happy. I’m back in the 3 car and I finished second,” said Preece. “We’ve got two more races and hopefully I can come out on top in one of them.”Even if he cleared Masse earlier, Preece said he doesn’t think he would have had anything for Hirschman.“I was good in and good off. I just didn’t roll the center and he was good everywhere.”
Bullring Bash 100 Unofficial Finish
1 59 Matt Hirschman
2 3 Ryan Preece
3 21 Dennis Perry
4 25 Rowan Pennink
5 20 Max Zachem
6 73 Jon McKennedy
7 16 Todd Ceravolo
8 99 Richard Savary
9 21x Justin Bonsignore
10 79 Spencer Davis
11 25ct Matt Galko
12 92 Anthony Nocella
13 15 Chris Pasteryak
14 71me Josh Cantara
15 85 Todd Szegedy
16 57 Jeff Rocco
17 23 Michael Douglas, Jr.
18 13 Steve Masse
19 12 Todd Annarummo
20 6ma Woody Pitkat
21 46 Johnny Kay
22 9 Tommy Barrett, Jr.
23 47 Jim Storace
24 69 Jim Dolan
25 73x Andrew Jankowiak
26 40 Matt Swanson
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by Denise DuPont / Polly Reid
A picture perfect day for racing at Lee Speedway set the stage for the first 2014 Tri Track Series event with 34 cars signing in for the $5000 to win purse. Starting 21st after qualifying for the main event through the consi race, at the end of the day, it was Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA making a pass with less than ten to go, surviving three more cautions to cross the stripe claiming the checkers and the hefty Bullring Bash Modified 100 payday.
Ryan Preece who caught a piece of the final lap, final turn incident that finished the event under a yellow checker crossed second with Dennis Perry third. “This is me at my best running these short track, bullring shows,” said Hirschman about winning another open competition show. “The Racing Guys, Long Island Mod Maniac, these are the best shows you’re going to see all year, I guarantee it- here, Star in June and Seekonk in July- I appreciate those guys doing this and everyone supporting it.”“I’m going to ride the wave with these shows,” said Hirschman who wished all the mom’s especially his own a Happy Mother’s Day in victory lane. “My season got off to a slow start, no excuses, that’s behind me now. We won an ROC race last week and now here, we’re warming up.”Starting deep in the field at 21st in the 26 car field, Hirschman advanced a couple of positions by lap 30. When the second caution of the day waved on lap 47, Hirschman came down pit row with a host of other teams for tires and proceeded to linger deep in the lineup. “I made some drastic changes before the race and that’s not like me,” admitted Hirschman. “I really don’t have the experience here. You know, I was a car that belonged in the consi. After the consi, yeah, we won the consi but I was like we’re going to try something here or we’re not going to have a chance at winning today. I took some chances, made some changes and glad it worked.”A caution with 25 to go brought several more cars down pit row creating what was the beginning of a break for Hirschman who advanced to 15th on the restart. Four circuits later, Hirschman had cracked the top ten. Two more cautions, Hirschman held his position now in 8th but by lap 86 was inside the top five running 4th and by lap 90, just ten to go was suddenly in third, a podium finish in sight. The field reigned in for a caution, Hirschman lined up second and made a power move on the outside of Steve Masse for the lead only to be brought back to the line for yet another yellow. Hirschman repeated the outside muscle move three more times as trouble plagued the field behind the leaders keeping the action close. But with five to go, the green laps came and Hirschman dominated taking down a decisive win.“At one point, I’m dead last on the track but the leaders are doing the same speed as me, it’s just part of it,” said Hirschman. “To me, I feel more comfortable if I’m going to ride, I’ll take the safest place which is clear of any other cars because obviously my goal is to not battle with 18th spot at that time, it’s a moot point, you just have to wait it out. Strategy like this, it’s not always going to work, I’ve made it work in a lot of these shows and we’ve won a lot of these races, I just hope my guys remember that when it backfires sometime because it’s not always going to work. These open shows are my favorite, I love the effort that goes into them- it got exciting at the end- they usually get interesting. I wanted to lead lap 100 not lap 1 and today we had no chance of leading lap 1 so we’ll take 100.” Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT came to Lee USA Speedway for the first time ever and brought Ole Blue (#3 of Jan Boehler) from twentieth to a second place finish. Following a strategy similar to Hirschman, Preece used tire management to his advantage to save his car for the race end and ran when it was time for the hard charge. “I got a second and that was nice. We came on at the end. I was sitting back there and I knew that he (Matt Hirschman) was sitting back there too. I do not know if people thought we were out to lunch or what but I think that we all showed at the end that we had a better hand at the end. I had fun. This was my first time here and it is definitely a different strategy. I liked it. I had fun. It was nice to be back in the #3 and to give back a good finish for them.’On the last lap there were several cars making their move for second. Steve Masse had it and was protecting his territory. Todd Annarummo and Ryan Preece were hanging out in third but both wanted one more position. All three were racing hard and with such close quarters, one wrong move or slip and things happen. Masse got sideways and from there Preece was able to slide into second. “Steve Masse and I were racing hard coming out of turn three. He was basically at my door at that point and I went in hard and he went in hard and then his right front went into my nerf bar. Whether he got loose or we just both drove it in really hard. Obviously I am racing my buddy so I would not turn down into him and knock him into the corner so it was just racing. The first thing that I saw in my mirror was he was sideways. I hated that for him just because he has been working on that thing all day and he was going to have a good run. But it was hard racing. He probably wanted to finish second and I know how bad that I wanted to finish second but it is what it is.” Masse and Annarummo lost their spots and finished the race respectively in eighteenth and nineteenth.Dennis Perry of Hopkinton, RI made it into the Bullring Bash 100 through the consi race. He started twenty-second, one spot behind Matt Hirschman. Perry made the decision from the beginning to follow Hirschman’s moves and hopefully finish the race in the top ten. “At the beginning of the race we started in the back right next to Matty Hirschman and I said to myself “Ok whatever he does, I am doing.” And for 50 laps that is exactly what I did. Then he pitted but we decided to hold on a little longer and he got away from me because I got some real bad track position. I mean with 19 laps to go I was still in twenty-second. Then we got that tire and I said “We got a strong piece here guys, we just need some holes to open.” And the seas finally started parting and we went to the front.”“It is the first time I have ever been here in a modified,” said Perry in post-race inspection. “I love this track. I love a loose car and I love driving on the right rear, so this track fits me very well. Just pulling out at top ten was what we were hoping when we came here. We knew we were coming up here with a knife at a gun fight but we brought a much better piece than we expected and I adapted to this track very quickly. And we had such a ball. Unfortunately those two guys got together on the last turn. It was kind of a scary wreck and hopefully everybody is OK. It was an unbelievable race. I cannot thank the Racing Guys Jim Schaefer and the Lee USA Speedway enough. Doing what they are doing in racing for all the little guys like myself, it is the best thing that could happen for us.” This was the first of the three races that make up the Tri-Track Series. The next race will be Saturday, June 14th at Star Speedway. Then series will culminate with the final race being at Seekonk Speedway, Wednesday, July 23. The series will be paying a point fund of $10,000 sponsored by Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists of Quincy, Mass.Notes from Lee USA Speedway:
Do you think that Tire management played an important part in the “Bullring Bash 100”?
Ryan Preece
“I have heard so many different things about this place and it is true that the track is hard on the tires. There were little things that we could have done to make it better but we were about as good as you can get, for what we had today. And tire management played a big part today”.
Dennis Perry
“Lee Speedway does actually eat tires.”
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In some cosmic sense of the world of Modified racing of late, it seemed the only conclusion possible. Over the past few years Matt Hirschman has become the dominating factor in big money Open Modified shows across New England.Sunday marked the inaugural event for a special three event series known as the Tri-Track Open Modified Series, and not shockingly, when the big check was handed out, it was Hirschman walking away with it.After laying back most of the event, Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., went to the front easily late and scored victory in the Bullring Bash 100 Sunday at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, N.H.“This is me at my best in these short track bullring open shows,” Hirschman said. “… Lately these open shows, they’re my favorites. I love the effort that goes into them. It got exciting at the end. A little crazy probably, some guys got torn up. They usually get interesting. I want to lead lap 100 not lap one and today we had no chance of leading lap one, so we’ll take 100.”Ryan Preece of Berlin was second and Dennis Perry of Pawcatuck was third.“I don’t have much experience here but I pay attention to what goes on and I pay attention to all racing, all the different series’, who’s winning, who does what,” Hirschman said. “I may not have a lot of on-track experience here, but I know what it takes to win these shows.”It was the first event for the Tri-Track Open Modified Series, which will pay a points purse to competitors competing in the event at Lee, the Open Modified show at Star Speedway in Epping, N.H. on June 14 and the Open Modified show at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway on July 23.Hirschman started 21st in the 26-car field and rode at or near the rear of the field for most of the event. He quietly started making his move to the front over the last third of the event. He was in 10th by lap 79 and up to fifth by lap 85.Hirschman went by Jon McKennedy for third on lap 88 and then by Richard Savary for second two laps later. After Hirschman made the move for second, Savary spun to bring out the caution.After three attempts to restart the event, Hirschman easily went by Steve Masse for the lead and never trailed again.“I was riding, but at one point I was dead last on the track but the leaders were going the same speed as me,” Hirshman said. “It’s just part of it. To me, I feel more comfortable, if I’m going to ride, I’ll take the safest place, which is clear of any other cars. Obviously my goal is not to battle for 18th spot, it’s a moot point. You’ve just got to wait it out. Sometimes strategy like this, it’s not always going to work. I’ve made it work in a lot of these shows and we’ve won a lot of these races.”Preece also used a late run to get on the podium, going from fourth to second over the final five laps.“We had a pretty good car right off the get go,” Preece said. “I talked to [Masse] before the race and asked him what we should do and that was ride so I pretty much rode around 20th up until about lap 50. We were just one adjustment away from being as good as [Hirschman]. That seems to be a normal thing in these open shows where I finish second to him. But we’ve got two more open shows we can try and see if we can beat him.”Perry proved the biggest surprise on the podium. The Thompson Speedway SK Modified division regular came home with a mangled ride, which included getting through a bad wreck in the final corner of the event.Coming to the checkered, with Masse and Todd Annarummo battling for third, Perry got involved and Annarrummo ended up flying over Masse’s car. Perry took the blame for the incident.“I couldn’t avoid it,” Perry said. “I gave Todd a pretty good punt. It happened. I was right on him. I tried to dig underneath for last turn and I gave him that shot. … It was nothing intentional, it was a racing deal, but I feel terrible about it.”
Sun. May 4 Chemung Speedrome Chemung, NY 75 - Win
John White, owner of Chemung Speedrome, earned a new nickname on Sunday – Gamblin’ Man. He took on a bunch of meteorologists, whose forecasts had a likelihood of rain ranging from 40 to 70%, and made the call at 7:30 AM to the RoC’s Andrew Harpell that he was going for it. Except for a cold wind, it was a beautiful rain-free day for the season opener and first stop on Race of Champions Modified Tour. Matt Hirschman (RoC Modifieds), Tim Gullo (Super Stocks), Jeremy Haudricourt (INEX Legends) and Nick Morich (4 Cylinders) won the 4 features in front of a nice crowd at the NASCAR-sanctioned facility. Matt Hirschman’s command of his car, a number of race tracks, and the overall RoC series is astounding. From the moment car #60 unloads, everyone is on notice. The Northampton, PA competitor won his heat race and drew starting position #5 for the 75-lap event. Mike Leaty, who won a heat race, drew the pole but was denied leading when Bobby Holmes made a beautiful inside move in turn 4 to overtake both him and heat winner Rusty Smith. When Leaty spun working lap 7 it brought Hirschman up to the front row and he took over the top spot, something he never surrendered. Over the course of the event, which was slowed by 12 cautions, Hirschman had little trouble holding off Holmes while Smith was in 3rd. Cars among the leaders included Erick Rudolph, Chuck Hossfeld and Andy Jankowiak. TJ Potrzebowski, who started 23rd, and Austin Kochenash (18th) were closing but some events with 25 laps to go changed the outcome for 3 drivers. Jankowiak had trouble lapping Sam Fullone’s #48 and contact from Kochenash bumped Potrzebowski out of the fast lane where he lost several positions. During the caution RoC officials assessed a 2-position penalty on Kochenash for that contact. The final 25 laps were classic Hirschman/Hossfeld, while Smith tried to hold off a hard-charging Brian Defebo and Kochenash. A late caution left the drivers with a 10-lap shootout, and Hirschman was not to be denied this one. He won, followed across the finish line by Hossfeld, Kochenash, Defebo and Jimmy Zacharias. Hossfeld was satisfied with the result, saying that they are getting closer to Hirschman. He then joked in his interview that maybe if the single ladies out there would start befriending some of the single members of Hirschman's crew then the 60 team wouldn't have as much time to work on the car.
Results:
RoC Modifieds (75 Laps) MATT HIRSCHMAN, Chuck Hossfeld, Austin Kochenash, Brian Defebo, Jimmy Zacharias, Daren Scherer, Erick Rudolph, Andy Jankowiak, Brandon Oltra, Patrick Emerling, Mike Leaty, Daryl Lewis, Jr., TJ Potrzebowski, Jim Storace, Nick Pecko, Kirk Totten, Bryan Sherwood, Sam Fullone, Rusty Smith, Bobby Holmes, Dean Rypkema, Tommy Cloce, Doug Reaume, Tyler Rypkema
Sun, April 27 Stafford Motor Speedway Stafford, CT- NASCAR - 9th
SANTOS WINS THIRD STAFFORD SPRING SIZZLER
Past NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champ Scores 11th Career Win
No one needed to show Bobby Santos the way to Victory Lane at Stafford Motor Speedway; he’s a frequent visitor. The Franklin, Mass., driver won the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200 on Sunday for his 11th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory, with six of those coming at Stafford, including three of the last four Spring Sizzlers. Santos, who started in the eighth position, took the lead from rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. on Lap 115 and battled with Doug Coby, who won the 2006 and 2012 Spring Sizzlers, down the stretch to record the win. Coby looked left, right, over and under for a way around Santos in the closing laps, but had to settle for the runner-up finish.“I knew he was a little better than us, so I was very nervous,” Santos said of the pressure he faced from Coby down the stretch. “The yellows (cautions) definitely helped. I think the race definitely went our way at the end.”On the last lap of the event, Santos used a lap car through the final turns to essentially set a pick on Coby and get just the space he needed to secure the victory.“I know that if he [Coby] was within a bumper of me that he probably could have tried something into Turn 3, but the lap car there prevented that from happening,” Santos said. “When I saw the lap car on the bottom, I knew we were pretty safe from there.”“Bobby did what he was supposed to do, he pulled up to the lap car and used it as a pick,” Coby said. “I’m disappointed, but I’m also happy. It’s two straight top-threes to start the season, and we’ll keep marching on.”Rowan Pennink crossed the line third followed by Woody Pitkat in the fourth spot while Justin Bonsignore rounded out the top five. The remainder of the top 10 was five-time Spring Sizzler winner Ted Christopher, Donny Lia, Timmy Solomito, Matt Hirschman and Ron Silk.Santos, the 2010 Whelen Modified Tour champion, led a group of five drivers with top-10 finishes to own at least one tour title. The others were Coby, Christopher, Lia and Silk.Barrett claimed his first Whelen Modified Tour pole win on Saturday and finished 11th.NASCAR Next driver and defending tour champion Ryan Preece was looking for his first Spring Sizzler victory, but engine problems spoiled his day and he settled for a 24th-place finish.The event had seven lead changes among five drivers which is the most in a Stafford race since there were 10 on May 1, 2010.Sunday’s race was the 29th time the Whelen Modified Tour has headlined NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler weekend. A third win for Santos now has him tied with Rick Fuller for the third-most wins in Stafford’s prestigious opening weekend event. Santos’ trio of triumphs has come in his last three Sizzler appearances. He did not participate in the 2012 race.The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to Stafford for its next event in just under four weeks. The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 is set for Friday, May 23.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour - NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200
Unofficial Results
Sunday At Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, Conn.
Lap length: 0.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (8) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 200 laps, 66.977 mph.
2. (4) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
3. (6) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 200.
4. (2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
5. (3) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
6. (13) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
7. (12) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 200.
8. (15) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
9. (11) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 200.
10. (7) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 200.
11. (1) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 200.
12. (18) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 200.
13. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 200.
14. (14) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 198.
15. (23) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 198.
16. (10) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 194.
17. (26) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 194.
18. (24) Dave Salzarulo, Monson, Mass., Chevrolet, 194.
19. (25) T.J. Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 191.
20. (27) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 182.
21. (22) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 180, accident.
22. (9) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 174, accident.
23. (21) Gary Putnam, Vernon, Conn., Chevrolet, 174, accident.
24. (5) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 170, engine.
25. (19) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 152, suspension.
26. (16) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 41, oil leak.
27. (17) Richie Pallai, Jr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Chevrolet, 17, suspension.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 29 minutes 35 seconds
Margin of Victory: 0.122 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: T. Barrett, Jr. * (98.787 mph, 18.221 seconds)
Caution Flags: 9 for 45 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: W. Pitkat 1-6; D. Coby 7-9; W. Pitkat 10-25; D. Coby 26-42; T. Barrett Jr. 43-49; R. Pennink 50-113; T. Barrett Jr. 114; B. Santos 115-200.
Standings: 1. J. Bonsignore, 86; 2. D. Coby, 84; 3. W. Pitkat, 84; 4. T. Solomito, 76; 5. B. Santos, 74; 6. T. Christopher, 74; 7. R. Silk, 71; 8. E. Goodale, 69; 9. M. Hirschman, 68; 10. R. Pennink, 66.
NWMT NAPA AUTO PARTS SPRING SIZZLER
Santos Surges to Sizzler Victory
by Polly Reid
Holding off a hard charging Doug Coby, Bobby Santos in the Tinio Racing, Imperialcars.com modified strategically used a lap car in the final turns of the final lap to win the prestigious NASCAR Whelen Modified Series NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford Motor Speedway.Coby crossed for second with Rowan Pennink third, Woody Pitkat fourth and Justin Bonsignore fifth.The coveted Sizzler win is the third in the last four years for the Franklin, MA driver. Notching his eleventh career NWMT victory, it is the sixth trip to victory lane at Stafford for Santos.“This is cool,” said Santos. “It’s actually three in a row for me because we missed 2012. I was with Kyle Rickey on the radio this week and listening to the intros about all the past Sizzler winners, you really realize the history of this. Winning here in general is awesome- but the Sizzler? It’s the greatest race in the history of spring.”The final circuits came down to a two car show between Santos and Coby, the duo had broken from the pack – Santos remaining solid while Coby patiently calculated when he would execute his move. But at the white flag, Santos came up to the lap car and used it to keep Coby behind him heading to the checkers.“Doug is a very intelligent racer and with someone like him behind you, the only way he was going to pass was through the grass and Doug’s not going to do that,” said Santos. “When I saw the lap car, it definitely helped. If he was within a bumper he could have tried something in turn three but the lap car prevented that from happening. When I saw the lap car on the bottom I knew we were pretty safe from there.”
“Bobby was really smart,” admitted Coby. “He did exactly what I would have done – that’s one of those deals- that’s racing, that’s how it goes.”The Sizzler was not an easy weekend for Santos and the Tinio team. Problems in the practice session on Saturday made the tight turn around to the qualifying session a scramble. “This was a hard fought weekend,” said crew chief Steve Lemay. “The car was OK in practice then we went out to do our mock time trial run and we blew off a freeze plug out of the motor. That’s a first for me in 38 years of racing.
We band aid that up to get through time trials yesterday, we got through that then the freeze plug was leaking this morning, we finally got another freeze plug in it – it was just a hard fought week.”Santos qualified 8th but was not a decisive factor in the first half of the race. Tommy Barrett, Jr. of Millis, MA who had won the pole award brought the field to green. However it was hometown standout Woody Pitkat in the Buzz Chew machine that led the opening circuits. Coby was credited with leading two laps taking over the spot with six on the board before Pitkat took it back then Coby the leader again on lap 26. Barrett nailed a restart on lap 43 to become the third leader of the day losing the spot to Pennink on lap 50.
A caution on lap 99 brought the field to the pits for fresh rubber. Pitkat had been in at lap 31 for fuel and came down again for tires. Pennink, Barrett, Ron Silk and Santos were the big winners getting off of pit row first. “We were too tight the first half of the race, after the pit stop they worked on it- the team, giving us an awesome pit stop was a big thing,” said Santos.Barrett, a rookie of the year contender, mixed it up with veteran NWMT drivers getting the lead back but his lap didn’t even register on the board as Santos made a huge effort on the outside passing for the lead and never looking back on lap 115.“I got going right away after that restart and made it happen right away,” said Santos about his winning pass. “The guys practice hard doing pit stops at the shop,” added Lemay. “And not just changing tires- we throw different scenarios at them to make adjustments on the car, they performed just flawless. I told them before they went over the wall, the car was coming down pit row, I said guys, all I want you to do is go out there and remember, if you slow down, you’ll go faster- hit your marks and you’ll do what you’re supposed to do. We adjusted the car, Bobby went out and drove it right to the front.”Four cautions littered the final fifty circuits but the possible game changer came on a restart with 20 to go. Santos led Coby, Barrett, Eric Goodale, Pennink, Ron Silk, Pitkat and Bonsignore to the line for the double file restart. Santos and Coby side by side, coming into turns three and four, the lead pair drifted up the track causing the outside row to suddenly checkup. Goodale’s strong effort was done, the GAF Roofing sponsored machine up against the outside wall. Barrett in third and Silk both taking evasive action to avoid the melee lost several spots, NASCAR officials making the call to line them up 10th and 11th for the final restart. Santos and Coby had another shot for a restart with Pennink now in third, Bonsignore and Pitkat the top five - the final laps of 2014 Sizzler was coming quickly to a conclusion.All eyes on Santos and Coby, one, two, the white flag in the air, Coby knew he had a good car, Santos knew that too. A lap car tucked down in the low groove was opportunity for Santos who timed his pass effectively shutting the door on Coby, the checkers waving for Santos crossing with a .122 second margin of victory.“I know he was a little better than us so I was very nervous,” said Santos. “The yellows definitely helped, we needed those handful of yellows- the race went our way which is really good- great job by the team and little bit of luck did it for us. Doug was better than us at the end but like I said, I’ve looked up to him since I was like five years old. And he stole I think it was a TSI race from me a couple of years ago right at the very end so I obviously had that in the back of my mind- I didn’t want that to happen again.”“I treat every race as a jewel and you have to do what you can do,” said Coby. “I think we were both a little crazy at the end trying to win the prestigious Sizzler.” Coby in the Mike Smeriglio owned, Dunleavy’s/A&J Romano Construction sponsored modified has already established this is a team to watch, winners of the Battle on the Beach in Daytona and opening the point season with a podium finish at the Icebreaker. “As soon as we put tires on I was going for broke – I know how important track position is here. I think on a longer run I would have gone by him, we would have more time to figure it out. For our team, we needed a long run to settle in and with the way the race track was, the rubber build up, the way our cars were handling, the short runs were not really good for any of us really.”Pennink from Huntingdon Valley, PA posted a strong third place finish in his Monk’s Hand Cleaner modified besting Icebreaker winner Justin Bonsignore and runner up Pitkat who crossed fourth and fifth. “We weren’t quite strong enough today,” said Pennink. “We had a pretty good car and I thought it was going to free up towards the end of the race but it didn’t, it stayed the same. I was a little too tight the first half and I thought it was going to free up and the car would come to me- it stayed the same the whole day- we ended up a little tight.” Pennink acknowledges what the finish means to the team. “It always boosts you’re confidence when you’re running in the top five, leading laps, I think our cars are stronger than ever this year and we’re looking forward to running in the top five the whole year.”Lawney Tinio, speaking on behalf of car owner Sully could not have been happier about positive turn of events. “We had a tough run at Thompson where we lost an oil line, went down some laps, we couldn’t get back on the lead lap and just had to cruise around. We came here this weekend and blew a freeze plug in practice- we were still able to pull off a decent position in qualifying, then Bobby, he just did a great job, saving his stuff and the crew, I can’t say enough, they pulled off an excellent pit stop, nice and smooth, they got Bobby out quick- we picked up a spot then after that, it was up to Bobby and he did his thing and got it done.”“The people we race with here are second to none and are just as hungry to get a win as we are. It’s very difficult to win,” continued Tinio. “Bobby is very good at Stafford and again, a big part is the team- having the team we have really helps. Everybody gives 110% and that’s what really gets wins.”Rounding out the top ten was Ted Christopher in sixth, Donny Lia, Timmy Solomito, Matt Hirschman and Ron Silk tenth. Pole winner Tommy Barrett crossed eleventh. Defending champion Ryan Preece suffered a motor issue 30 laps shy of the checkers finishing the day 24th.
Sat, April 19 Mahoning Speedway- 35 laps- 7th
A week ago during the season opener, John Markovic was qualified but missed the feature. The reason – he was rushed to Lehigh Valley Medical Center in Allentown because of an irregular heartbeat. He spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital and thankfully was released and back at work by Monday. Returning to race this past Saturday night, Markovic’s clean bill of health was put to the test. Despite having the luxury of starting from the pole, once the race got underway he competed in 35 heart pounding laps and eked out a win over Chip Santee and prior to that went head-to-head with 14-year old rookie Kyle Strohl. “Last week at this time I was in the hospital with a 250-beat per minute heartbeat and my blood pressure was way high so this is a big turnaround from then to know,” said the well-respected veteran Markovic. With Strohl flanked to his outside for the start, the pair quickly went into an outstanding duel for the lead with Markovic maintaining the advantage but just slightly. Markovic is over 40 years older than the upstart but the young lion, driving a Modified for just the second time, was wheeling alongside the master craftsman with precision and accuracy that only comes from years of experience. “Kyle Strohl is a fantastic driver and one day maybe he can drive for me,” remarked Markovic.
And as they put on their crowd pleasing race for the lead, Santee was closely trailing while clashing with Kris Graver for third. Under a lap 28 caution any chance of winning suddenly vanished for Strohl when his car lost power and he had to be pushed behind the wall. His demise allowed Santee the runner-up spot for the restart and once the action resumed he was fast enough to surge past Markovic and take the lead. Markovic was quick to return the favor on the ensuing lap and retook his position. From there to the finish he held off Santee to laim the hard earned victory. “I was just trying to take it easy. I didn’t want to use up the 44 (Strohl) and I know I did with Chip (Santee). He had a little better start on that last restart,” said Markovic, who garnered his 33rd track win. Graver, Nevin George and Eric Beers completed the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. John Markovic, 2. Chip Santee, 3. Kris Graver, 4. Nevin George, 5. Eric Beers, 6. Roger Coss, 7. Matt Hirschman, 8. Brandon Oltra, 9. Earl Paules, 10. Brain DeFebo, 11. Glenn Slocum, 12. Bobby Jones, 13. Brian Romig, 14. Terry Markovic, 15. Jim Bojonny, 16. Don Wagner, 17. Kyle Strohl, 18. Troy Bollinger DNS: Rick Kirkendall
April 12- Mahoning Speedway - 100 laps - 4
When Eric Beers climbed from his race car after winning the Opening Night 100-lap feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway, the defending track champion explained how out of shape he felt from the grind of the century run. His performance, however, showed otherwise.Without missing a beat from his record setting season of a year ago, Beers took the lead from Austin Kochenash on lap 36 then set sail in claiming his 10th win in a Mahoning extra distance event. The victory was worth a cool $4000, the largest amount ever awarded for a 100-lapper.“I am really spent after that one,” said Beers while in Victory Lane. “I realize now how out of shape I am but wow what a way to start off the season. My hat’s off to Floyd Santee (promoter) who did an awesome job putting this night together. We have a full house of fans and a super field of cars.”;After a straight-up start from the heat finishes Beers started sixth and needed just three laps to make his way into the top five.Pole sitter Rick Kirkendall jumped into the early lead with Matt Hirschman and Kochenash running a close second and third respectively. Next in line came Roger Coss.Through the beginning laps Kirkendall was holding off repeated attempts by Hirschman and Kochenash. But, a game changer took place while under a lap 14 caution. Scott Meckes brought out the yellow when he dumped liquid in turn three. During the extended cleanup Hirschman had to pit for a right front flat. A few moments later Kirkendall when off after overheating.That allowed Kochenash to advance to first place with Beers second. When the race resumed Kochenash was firm and looking to repeat his Opening Night win from a year ago. Beers, though, had other thoughts as by lap 20 he went to the high side and began a torrid side-by-side battle for the lead.Kochenash was holding his line and made Beers work hard on every lap they raced together. Beers even backed off a time or two in order to refocus his route of attack but it was soon evident that if he was going to complete the pass it had to come from the outside lane. He again took to the high road and this time used a surge of momentum to leap by and take the lead as 36 laps went into the books.“Austin (Kochenash) is always tough to pass especially at this place. We ran clean and I’m sure the fans got a thrill from how close we were. It was just good hard racing which is what you get here. This is why we don’t run the (NASCAR) Whelen Modified Tour anymore, we love being back here at Mahoning,” said Beers, who won for the 37th time at Mahoning.Once in the lead there would be no stopping him. That included a late caution with eight laps to go. Kochenash knew that would be perhaps his last chance at Beers on the restart but it was to no avail as the champ showed no signs off backing off and went on to score the win.“Second was good tonight especially when you look at all the cars here and the competition,” said Kochenash. “We just didn’t have the car to run with Eric (Beers). He drove a great race. That last restart was a chance to get him but I had used up a lot on the previous restart.”;
Modified Feature Finish (100 Laps): 1. Eric Beers, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Nevin George, 4. Matt Hirschman, 5. Roger Coss, 6. Don Wagner, 7. Brian DeFebo, 8. Kris Graver, 9. Earl Paules, 10. Shawna Ingram, 11. Brian Romig, 12. Chip Santee, 13. Glenn Slocum, 14. Rick Kirkendall, 14. Todd Baer, 15. Jason Zatsko, 17. Scott Meckes, 18. Terry Markovic, 19. Troy Bollinger, 20. Kyle Strohl
DNS: John Markovic DNQ: Tony Zatsko, Eric Mauriello
Sun, April 6 Thompson Speedway Thompson, CT- NASCAR - 11
Wins at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park don’t come easy and Justin Bonsignore earned a hard-fought one on Sunday. The 26-year-old from Holtsville, N.Y., outdueled pole sitter Woody Pitkat for the win in the Icebreaker 150 presented by Town Fair Tire. Pitkat was poised for his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory, but Bonsignore made the decisive pass through Turn 4 with just nine laps to go en route to the season-opening triumph. “We had a great car, I was just hoping I wasn’t going to be the guy to mess it up in the last 25 laps,” Bonsignore said. “I knew I had a little bit better car and I kind of had to be aggressive, but everybody knows how it goes here at Thompson – the bottom shot is the only way you’re going to get by.” Pitkat, who won his first Coors Light Pole Award in Saturday’s qualifying, came up just short in his bid for a first Whelen Modified Tour win and finished second for the third time in his career. Doug Coby, last season’s runner-up in the championship standings, crossed the line in third followed by rookie Timmy Solomito in fourth. Eric Goodale rounded out the top-five finishers in the kick-off event for the tour’s 30th season. Ron Yuhas Jr., Ron Silk, 13-time Thompson winner Ted Christopher, defending tour champion Ryan Preece and rookie Jimmy Zacharias completed the top 10. Sunday marked Bonsignore’s first Icebreaker 150 victory, and the fourth of his Whelen Modified Tour career overall. Bonsignore’s second tour victory also came at Thompson in September 2012. His previous best Icebreaker finish was a fifth-place effort in 2011. Despite once again coming up one spot shy of that elusive first Whelen Modified Tour victory, Pitkat kept a positive attitude following the race. “I think there was a little more added pressure maybe because we came out and led practice and won time trials, and now you want to go out there and win the race,” Pitkat said. “We tightened it up just a little bit too much. We’re here to learn – we’re a new team – and that’s what we learned.” The cars of Bonsignore and Pitkat were both powered by the NASCAR-approved spec engine. Sunday marked the third time in the last three seasons a Whelen Modified Tour victory was earned with the engine package, including the last two Thompson races.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will return to action on Sunday, April 27 for the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
1. (2) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 73.481 mph.
2. (1) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
3. (14) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
4. (12) Timmy Solomito, Islip, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
5. (10) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
6. (13) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (17) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
8. (11) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
9. (4) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Ford, 150.
10. (15) Jimmy Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
11. (7) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (21) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 150.
13. (16) Rob Fuller, Boylston, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
14. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
15. (19) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
16. (22) Wade Cole, Hartland, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
17. (6) Patrick Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 148.
18. (9) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 142.
19. (24) Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, N.H., Chevrolet, 136.
20. (8) Keith Rocco, Wallingford, Conn., Chevrolet, 135, steering.
21. (3) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 123, accident.
22. (5) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 116.
23. (25) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, ignition.
24. (18) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 95, engine.
25. (23) T.J. Zacharias, Candor, N.Y., Chevrolet, 19, oil pressure.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 16 minutes 33 seconds Margin of Victory: 0.589 seconds Fastest Qualifier: W. Pitkat (120.167 mph, 18.724 seconds)
Caution Flags: 7 for 36 laps. Lead Changes: 7 among 4 drivers. B W. Pitkat 1-16; J. Bonsignore 17-20; R. Pennink 21-78; W. Pitkat 79-99; J. Bonsignore 100; D. Lia 101-123; W. Pitkat 124-141; J. Bonsignore 142-150. Standings: 1. J. Bonsignore, 47; 2. W. Pitkat, 43; 3. D. Coby, 41; 4. T. Solomito, 40; 5. E. Goodale, 39; 6. R. Yuhas, Jr., 38; 7. R. Silk, 37; 8. T. Christopher, 36; 9. R. Preece, 35; 10. J. Zacharias, 34.
Polly Reid with contributions by Denise DuPont
Making a run for the checkers, Justin Bonsignore of Holtsville, NY dove low into turns three and four passing Woody Pitkat with eight circuits remaining on the board emerging the new and final leader to win the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Icebreaker 150 presented by Town Fair Tire at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
Woody Pitkat who set fast time starting on the pole crossed for second with Doug Coby third, Timmy Solomito fourth and Eric Goodale fifth. “Great car, I was just hoping I wasn’t the guy to mess it up the last 25 laps,” said Bonsignore after parking his Ken Massa owned, Chem3.com sponsored modified in victory lane, his second win at the historic CT speedway, his fourth career NWMT win overall. “I kind of knew I had a little bit better car and kind of had to be a little aggressive but everyone knows how it goes here at Thompson, the bottom shot is the way you’re going to get by. I can’t say enough about the M3 guys, SPAFCO, Robert Yates spec engine- this is going to be the year.” Woody Pitkat in the Buzz Chew owned modified had already had a head turning weekend being at the top of the charts during practice then setting fast time collecting his first career Coors Light Pole award behind the wheel of his new ride. The Stafford, CT driver led the field to green with Bonsignore second, Donny Lia, Ryan Preece and Rowan Pennink the top five. The first caution waving on lap seven brought Preece down pit row, the defending champion in early for adjustments. Pitkat picked up where he started leading the way with Bonsignore making a his move for the lead completing the pass on lap 17 only to have Pitkat battle back meanwhile Pennink made his move low in turn three to become the third leader of the afternoon just a tick over 20 laps into the Icebreaker. Pennink in the Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner sponsored modified remained dominant through the next caution and at the half Pennink led Pitkat, Solomito, Bonsignore and Ron Yuhas, Jr the top five. Pitkat was not to be denied and made his move for the top spot taking it over on lap 79. Pitkat put distance between himself and Pennink until suddenly four laps shy of the century mark, the caution waved for Pennink hard into the turn thee outside wall the car slowing before snapping around. Pennink ok, the red flag came out for the cleanup. Pit row became a hub of activity as teams pitted under yellow with Glen Reen the first car back out. Lia who had pitted on lap 57 under yellow, inherited the lead with Matt Hirschman, Keith Rocco and Rob Fuller the top five. Lia in the Mystic Missile became the new car to beat, Hirschman in second kept the pace with Lia meanwhile Pitkat who restarted 8th after the pit stop was on the move- forward. The field closed up for a yellow on lap 113, the restart keeping the action close. Pitkat took over second on lap 118 and with his eyes on the top spot, made his move passing Lia low going into turn one. But the momentum Pitkat was carrying into the turn, there was contact and Lia was sent up the track hitting the turn one outside wall, Lia’s afternoon done. The restart key, 21 to go, Pitkat lined up with Bonsignore, Hirschman, Yuhas, Jr, Solomito and Coby the top six. Pitkat and Bonsignore side by side, Pitkat edged out for the lead only to have Bonsignore battle back side by side again. The action was pulled back to yellow for a spin in turns one and two for Wade Cole and Patrick Emerling. The stage was set for a 12 lap dash to the finish. Pitkat, Bonsignore, Yuhas, Jr, Coby and Hirschman the top five came around for the green. Coby battled for third taking the spot with ten to go and one lap later, Bonsignore made his winning move under Pitkat in turn three completing the pass coming out of four.
Once out front Bonsignore remained solid and at the checkers it was Bonsignore, Pitkat coming up a little short in second with Coby who started 14th crossing for third followed by Solomito, Goodale, Yuhas, Jr, Ron Silk, Ted Christopher, Ryan Preece and Jimmy Zacharias the top ten. “We had a lot of confidence coming out of Florida,” said Bonsignore. “Some people say it’s not that important down there, not a lot of cars but a win is a win- it gets the morale up on the team, gets my morale up and shows that I can still do this. This is the same car we had in Florida. We knew what we had down there and we wanted to prove it wasn’t a fluke, it was all legit. Florida was a big boost in itself, just getting comfortable in a new car and I’ll be the first to tell you, I wasn’t sure how it would go this year. We didn’t know if there would be a learning curve with me and Bill (Michael) learning each other as crew chief and driver, we didn’t know how the spec motor would come out and didn’t know how the SPAFCO would come out but everything is clicking right now. It’s a start of hopefully a great year for us. I can’t wait to go to Stafford.”
“I think there was some added pressure because we came out and we were fastest in practice, won time trials now you want to go out and win the race, do the best you can,” said Pitkat. “We tightened it up just a little bit too much when we pitted– that’s what we’re here to do is to learn, we’re a new team. I can’t thank these guys enough, they had a phenomenal pit stop, we came out and gained some positions and I drove my butt off, we were just a little bit too snug. Obviously it was a little frustrating when you come here and you win practice, win time trials and you get a little added extra pressure on you to try and win. I was a little antsy after the pit stop to get back up there and run with those guys. It is what it is, it’s a great start. The car is in one piece we can work on it and make it faster. We led some laps, we did prove I could run up front and qualify which everyone says I don’t do well at. I shouldn’t be down because it was a great start to the season and a great finish. I can’t thank Buzz and Bryan Chew enough for giving me the opportunity. We’ll go to Stafford and see what we can do there. Congrats to Justin and those guys, they had a stout piece.” “I’m really happy with this car,” said Coby about his new ride in the Mike Smeriglio owned, Dunleavy’s Repair/A&J Romano Construction sponsored modified. “These guys worked hard all weekend I mean we didn’t have the best car in practice, we kept working at it, we kept communicating, of course this is new for us. I’m really proud of my guys. This is my best finish ever in the Icebreaker. This was a huge deal for us. Obviously it is a huge deal for Woody as well the two of us being with new teams. We’re going to Stafford with a lot of confidence.” “I think it feels good to back up what we did in Florida,” said Bonsignore’s car owner Ken Massa referring to their two wins at New Smyrna Speedway in February including the Richie Evans Memorial 100. “Not to take away anything from those guys but this is Tour, it’s the big league, so for us, it makes us feel good. We made three big changes for this year- number one, crew chief, Bill Michael. Two, the SPAFCO Chassis and three, the Yates Motors. Two out of the three were easy to change- the engine and the crew chief. With the crew chief change, Bill suggested SPAFCO and I said, why not?” Ken Barry who is helping the team confirmed the last time a SPAFCO chassis won a NWMT race was ‘somewhere around 2003 or 2004 with Mike Stefanik.’ Taking over as crew chief this year, Bill Michael could not be happier for his team. “It’s great getting our first Tour win. I was out in the infield pacing back and forth for a while there, I figured after Florida it wouldn’t be so bad. It’s a great feeling, it really is.” “Woody had a great car all day, the 4 car and Rowan were great too, they just had some bad luck,” said Michael. “Then it was between us and Woody. We just had to tell Justin to be patient over the radio and pick a spot for him to make his pass and make sure when we did it that it was clean. Fortunately the car was right and he was able to do that.” Michael is not new to the team, he started working for Massa last year full time just not as the crew chief. “This year he gave me the opportunity to be the crew chief and so far, so good. We had a lot of guys step up this year, we’ve been practicing pit stops in the shop and they’ve been non-stop working on the car. We can’t do this without those guys.”
Michael used to work for SPAFCO thus the chassis connection. “This is actually my car. I started to build it - I got to the frame and a little past the frame point of it and I just couldn’t do it on my own so it actually sat on jack stands the last year and a half then finally I talked to Ken. He was thankful to give it a try -I would build it during the nights and Kenny (Barry) would give me a hand. So far, I think Ken is happy about it, hopefully we’ll do the same thing at Stafford.” “We’ve got a great team,” said Massa. “It’s our fifth year on the Tour. If we want to win the championship, we have to put it all on the line.” The NWMT action will continue on Sunday April 27th for the NAPA Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Thank you to The Chrome Horn’s Denise DuPont for her reporting additions here of the Icebreaker.
Timmy Solomito
Solomito of Islip, NY started 12th and finished fourth, the top finishing rookie.
“We had a good day and really everything went as planned. You do not have many days like that. Our deal was to get out there and get the best track position that we could. We came in and did just a two tire stop to keep our track position or to maintain it. We tightened the car up a little bit too much for the second run. The stagger did not open up. It was a great car all day. There are awesome guys on the crew and I could not do it without them. It was a pretty smooth race. You do not realize how rough that it does get up front until you are up there. When those guys start going in harder you start going in harder, and if you don’t you get run over. It is definitely a big learning curve for someone like me. I think this is only my fifth start on the Tour here at Thompson. It was pretty wild and I am happy to come out of here with a fourth. That way we can build on it and we will be at Stafford for the Sizzler now.” “I would love to run the full season, but we are really focused on running Riverhead which is our home track. As of now we are going to do the full season there. But whatever does not conflict with Riverhead we will be at as long as sponsorship prevails. It is tough though. Right now I am running my family car and I also drive for Wayne Anderson. And we can always use sponsors. Hopefully someone out there sees that and gives us a hand.”
Where some of the incidents starting happening up front what went through your mind?
“You just hope that does not happen to you. They do not know you. They do not know how you drive. And they are not afraid to push you around. I think that I gained some respect today and that is a big part of racing, I think that they have seen that we can run with them. Hopefully this carries some momentum for us to Stafford and I have only been there twice. So that is another learning curve. But I gained respect from these guys today and that is the main part so I am really happy about that. You learn so much racing up front with the experienced Tour drivers. It was just cool to be up there with them.”
Eric Goodale
Goodale of Riverhead, NY crossed the line fifth after taking the green tenth.
“We had a really good car but we just could not get in the right lane all day. We had probably a third place car today. And I am really happy that we came out of here, the first race of the year in a fifth place finish. It was our best finish ever for the first race in the year. So we will keep our heads high and we will get ready to go to Stafford in a couple of weeks.” “There were multiple chances for today’s accidents to be right around where I was so I was real happy that they were not right in front of me.”
Ron Yuhas. Jr.
Yuhas, Jr of Groton, CT held his own qualifying thirteenth and strong at the end of the Icebreaker running in the top three was held up in the final two restarts, finishing sixth.
“We really needed this. It is a great pick me up for the whole crew. They worked hard to get this car ready. Two weeks ago it was a bare chassis sitting there. We actually were not going to bring this car. We were going to bring the car that we ran last year. And then the decision was made to get this car together after practice was rained out. The guys worked really hard to get it swapped over and ready for today. I am just excited on how the car handled and just reacted to everything we did to it.” “Racing today was typical Thompson racing. You get the guys run down in the corner and drive it in or to break the guys momentum on the outside. It is normal for here so you kind of know that it is going to happen. So you just hope that they do not get too bad and you get caught up in somebody else’s mess.”
Final New Smyrna Championship Standings
1. Silk
2. Preece -3
3. Goodale -9
4. Hossfeld -17
5. Hirschman -25
Friday, February 21-9th
The final event for the Tour-Type Modified division during the New Smyrna World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing came down to the wire on Friday night. While it appeared that Ron Silk had command of the field for much of the 100 lap race, his peers reeled him in and made the pass for the lead in the closing laps.
The driver who ended up on top was Thursday night winner Justin Bonsignore, who had to climb from toward the rear of the field after qualifying was rained out and the lineup was set by current points.Bonsignore passed fellow Long Islander and 2012 Richie Evans Memorial 100 winner Eric Goodale for the win coming to two laps to go. The thrilled Bonsignore talked about the final pass after the race."I got a hell of a run off of two the time I did get him and we went down and he kind of squeezed me a little bit onto the apron," Bonsignore recapped. "We touched a little bit, but god short track racing and luckily neither of us wrecked and we were able to hold on and drive away a little bit so he couldn't put the bumper on back to us."Goodale started from the pole after a three car invert, but lost the lead to Silk on the start. Goodale steadily followed the 2013 Richie Evans Memorial 100 winner's line for several laps, and decided to start making his move with around 20 laps to go. By lap 85 Goodale was the new leader, but the No. 51 of Bonsignore was catching him. The contact between the two late was attributed to hard racing among well respected drivers."I passed Ronnie and I tried to get as far away from him as I could, but (Bosnignore) seemed like he made easy work of the (Silk) car and there was about ten to go and he really started to pressure me," Goodale said. "He just had a ton of top end speed in that car, and I went for the block going down the backstretch and into three and he was already underneath me. We made a little contact there, and we were both racing for the win. He drove a hell of a race. I'll give him credit for that."Silk looked like the car to beat early on as the field strung out during long green flag runs. However, the car would begin to fall off in the closing laps. Lucky for him, the points leader coming into the race, 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece, fought his Modified to an eighth place finish leaving Silk to being awarded the week-long championship."We just didn't have enough tonight, but it's definitely a great way to start off the season with a Speedweeks championship and hopefully we can build off that and have a good year," Silk said.
Hirschman finished 9th.
1. Justin Bonsignore
2. Eric Goodale
3. Ron Silk
4. Chuck Hossfeld
5. Doug Coby
6. Rob Fuller
7. Spencer Davis
8. Ryan Preece
9. Matt Hirschman
10. Al Ermmarino
11. J.R. Bertuccio
12. Jimmy Zacharias
13. Patrick Emerling
14. Brendon Bock
15. Cole Powell
16. Tommy Barrett Jr.
17. Dylan Kopec
18. T.J. Zacharias
Thursday, February 20-19th
Justin Bonsignore nailed a restart in the early going to edge out Matt Hirschman for the lead and never looked back. While Bonsignore in the Ken Massa owned, chem3.com sponsored modified had to survive one more restart, the Holtsville, NY driver was not going to relinquish the position and cruised to a convincing victory at the 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.“This is awesome,” said Bonsignore. “We’re down here just learning with the new car, new engine and when you have a run like we did last night, it gets everybody down. It’s awesome to bounce back tonight.”Matt Hirschman followed for second, Ron Silk third, Ryan Preece fourth and Tommy Barrett fifth.Hirschman was later disqualified for a left side weight infraction bumping Patrick Emerling up to a top five finish for the night. Chuck Hossfeld, Eric Goodale, Cole Powell, Spencer Davis and JR Bertuccio completed the top ten.Hirschman led the 18 car field to green in the 35 lap Tour type modified main event. Bonsignore on the outside was immediately challenged by Ryan Preece on the inside but Bonsignore held his own.The first yellow flag waved on lap five for an incident in turn two involving Al Emmarino.On the restart it was Hirschman at the point, Bonsignore, Hossfeld who had just taken third from Preece now in fourth and Goodale the top five.Coming off of turn four, the leaders side by side going to green, it was Bonsignore at the line with the edge, Hirschman, Bonsignore the becoming the new leader of the night.The field was quickly reined in for another caution involving Jeremy Gerstner in the turn one outside wall.Bonsignore, Hirschman, Hossfeld, Barrett, Preece, Jimmy Zacharias, Goodale, Emerling, Ron Silk and Powell the top ten on the restart came around for the green on lap 7.At the half way point of the 35 lap feature, Bonsignore was beginning to stretch his lead over Barrett in second, Hirschman third, Hossfeld fourth and Silk who had just cracked the top five.At lap 20, Hirschman passed Barrett for second and three circuits later it was Silk taking the third place spot from Barrett.
With five to go Bonsignore had a significant lead over the field with Hirschman unchallenged in second, Silk, Barrett and Preece the top five.At the checkers Bonsignore captured the win with Hirschman, Silk, Preece who passed for fourth on the white flag lap and Barrett fifth.“I’m not sure if Matt missed a shift or not, we launched pretty even,” said Bonsignore about the early restart that gave him the edge for the lead. “I grabbed high gear and he wasn’t there anymore. We had a good car, we were a little tight to start with which is what we wanted. The car came around at the end and we were able to build a nice comfortable lead and just kind of take it easy at the end. Luckily there were no late restarts.”“We had a problem in qualifying,” said Silk referring to his ninth place starting position. “We had a valve stem leaking on a right rear tire so we timed with no stagger- that put us in the back. The car was pretty good, not as good as it has been, we missed a little tonight but to start ninth and get to third is good. There were a couple of cautions in the beginning but I never made up any ground- I actually lost ground in all those- on that last restart I was still ninth. Once we got strung out I could maneuver through the field and get to third. We’ll see what happens tomorrow, hopefully it doesn’t rain.”
“I was trying to get everything I could,” said Preece. “It seemed like some guys had good cars early and some had good cars late. Ronnie and I, our cars were really good late in the race - I think we’ll be good in the 100 lapper. We’re still learning some things- we’re definitely making gains and having fun, it’s been a good speedweeks.”
1 Justin Bonsignore 51
2 Ronnie Silk 6
3 Ryan Preece 40
4 Thomas Barrett Jr 22
5 K.P.L. Racing 07
6 Charles Hossfeld 22H
7 Eric Goodale 58
8 Cole Powell 73
9 Spencer Davis 79
10 JR Bertuccio 2
11 Jimmy Zacharias 71
12 David Sapienza 36
13 Jony Kay 46
14 Al Ermmarino 3
15 Dylan Kopec 79X
16 GMR Motorsports 70
17 Mike Bologna 21
18 TJ Zacharias 11
19 Matt Hirschman
Wednesday, February 19- 5th
Ron Silk of Norwalk, CT continued his dominating performance in the Tour type modified division at the 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Racing at New Smyrna Speedway leading nearly the entire John Blewett III Memorial 76 lap event taking down his third victory of the week.Ryan Preece crossed the line second, Tommy Barrett third, Eric Goodale fourth and Matt Hirschman the top five.“Our car was great right from the beginning,” said Silk about the Ed Partridge owned, TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm sponsored modified. “We really haven’t done a whole lot to it- it’s been a fun week so far.”Silk set fast time earlier in the afternoon but Tommy Barrett led the field to green after the top two positions were inverted. Barrett in the Robert B. Our/Cape Cod Aggregates/Canto Paving/Northeast Race Cars led the 17 car field to green with Silk on the outside, Preece, Chuck Hossfeld and Matt Hirschman the top five.Barrett and Silk ran side by side for the first circuit before Silk dropped in line with Preece, Hossfeld and Justin Bonsignore the top five. Silk made his successful bid for the lead going low under Barrett heading into turn three emerging the new leader by lap 3.As the green run continued, the field stretched out around the track in single file and at the half it was Silk at the point with Preece making gains in second, Barrett, Bonsignore, Goodale, Hossfeld, Hirschman, Jimmy Zacharias, Spencer Davis and Patrick Emerling the top ten.As Silk, Preece, Barrett and Goodale remained consistent up front, a heated battle for fifth between Bonsignore, Hossfeld and Hirschman with 15 to go was settled five circuits later with Hossfeld passing for the spot taking Hirschman with him. Hirschman kept the momentum going taking fifth from Hossfeld one lap later.At the checkers it was Silk winning the 76 lap JB III Memorial with series point leader Ryan Preece second, Barrett with his first podium finish third, Goodale and Hirschman the top five.
“Barrett looked like he was getting snug in the center, waiting to get back to the gas,” said Silk about setting up for the pass for the lead. “He got me on the start and I got up in the marbles on the right side a little bit so instead of trying to fight back I got in line. He was struggling getting through the center so I was able to turn under him and get by him. From there, I just rode for a long time, Ryan was second, I’m sure he was just riding too, keeping the same distance, I’m sure he was waiting for a caution at the end so he could try and race- it never came- it worked out for us.”“It means a lot to win this race,” said Silk about taking the checkers in the JB III Memorial. “I won this race with the Hill’s in 2009, so it’s cool to win it again. I’m good friends with Jimmy – I was just starting to come around in racing when we lost John but I did get to know him a little. I always had a lot of respect for John and it’s pretty cool to win a race in his honor.”“Ronnie and I just had really dominate cars tonight,” said Preece. “It was early in the race and I was just being patient, taking my time, I knew I had such a good car early on. Ronnie had me beat a little bit on the long run, I think we were both just riding there the longest time, being consistent and when it came time to go, he had a little bit more in him than I did. That’s something we can work on and that’s something we can look forward to in the 100 lapper. This is the first night we ran this set up- it was nice to get a good showing out of it. I’m looking forward to the 100 laps. We’ll make some good changes and keep moving forward.”“Feels great,” said Barrett about collecting his first podium finish of the week. “We’re a new team, we’re down here to get the bugs out of car, out of me, hopefully the team will get a chance to gel a little better so hopefully we won’t have to do that from the Icebreaker on. Brad Lafontaine said you have to walk before you run, we’re headed in the right direction.”Jimmy Zacharias crossed the stripe for sixth with Chuck Hossfeld, Spencer Davis, Justin Bonsignore, Rob Fuller and Patrick Emerling the top ten.
1 6 Ron Silk 75
2 40 Ryan Preece 75
3 22b Tommy Barrett Jr 75
4 58 Eric Goodale 75
5 59 Matt Hirshman 75
6 71 Jimmy Zacharias 75
7 22 Chuck Hossfeld 75
8 79 Spencer Davis 75
9 51 Justin Bonsignore 75
10 15f Rob Fuller 75
11 07 Patrick Emerling 75
12 2 JR Bertuccio 75
13 88 John Beatty 75
14 70 Jeremy gerstner 74
15 79k Dylan Kopec 12
16 21 Mike Bologna 5
17 11 TJ Zacharias 4
Sunday, February 16- 3rd
Earlier in the afternoon when speaking with Eric Goodale from Riverhead, NY there was a quiet determination about what they wanted for the end result that evening- a win. And when the checker flag waved at the end of 35 laps, it was Goodale in the Heritage Wide Plank, Riverhead Building Supply Penske Shocks sponsored modified crossing the stripe for the victory in the 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Racing at New Smyrna Speedway.“We had such a bad night last night- my crew really needed a pick me up,” said Goodale who survived the caution filled event.Following Goodale across the line was Ron Silk, Matt Hirscman, Andy Seuss, Ryan Preece and Spencer Davis.Silk who dominated the first two nights of racing was leading the event when with 15 to go, under caution, had to suddenly pit for a left front flat. Silk came through the field to finish a solid second but was later disqualified for an unapproved tire change.Goodale qualified fourth in time trials but started on the pole when the top four were inverted. Lining up next to Goodale was Ryan Preece, Tommy Barrett, Ron Silk, Chuck Hossfeld and Matt Hirschman the top six.
Preece jumped out into the lead at the green - Goodale tucked in behind Preece - it took six circuits but Goodale made his move to become the new leader. By lap ten, Goodale led Silk, Barrett, Preece and Hirschman.Two circuits later, Silk got a run out of turn two, went low into turn three and out of turn four completed the pass on Goodale to become the new leader of the night.At the half way mark the first caution waved closing up the field. Silk led the restart with Goodale, Barrett, Hirschman and Zacharias the top five.Two circuits later, it appeared the field had settled into single file - Silk leading, Goodale, Hirschman, Barrett and Zacharias - when contact from behind sent Barrett hard into the turn two outside wall. Barrett ok, however his night was done. Meanwhile, Preece, Patrick Emerling and the 99 of AJ Winsted pitted.At the restart, Silk, Goodale, Hirschman, Davis and Andy Seuss led the field back around only to be reined in by another caution on lap 20. Zacharias had spun around in turn three and four and as his car slid back up the track hitting the outside wall, JR Bertuccio was collected up, both rides done for the night.Another restart, suspected fluid on the track, brought out the next caution, this time it was AJ Winsted with extensive damage as well as Al Emmarino - both done for the night.It was under this yellow that Silk’s left front tire went flat - forcing a pit stop. “I had a flat tire, I must have ran over something from one of the wrecks,” said Silk.Goodale inherited the lead and never looked back. “It was a shock when Silk pulled down into the pits,” said Goodale. “I was running scenarios through my head during the caution about what I wanted to do - I was better on entry and through the center but Silk was pulling me coming off - I was going through all sorts of game plans back and forth - that all went out the window when he pulled down pit row.”15 to go - Goodale led the way with Hirschman, Spencer Davis and Seuss - Silk lined up sixth on the restart and quickly moved into third then passed for second with 11 laps remaining.The final 10 laps clicked off quickly the top four breaking from the pack and at the checkers, Goodale held his line for his first World Series win of 2014.“Our car started to get real tight in the middle of the center,” said Goodale. “I was having my own trouble on the restarts there. Matt got a real good run on me and I squeezed him down into turn one definitely a little bit.” Meanwhile, Goodale was aware Silk had moved in behind him in the closing circuits. “Ronnie, he’s been stout since the minute they unloaded off the track here.” Goodale thanked his crew and especially thanked his wife Amanda.“It was a rough night for the modifieds,” said Hirschman. “We were doing alright. I got up to second but I didn’t have the preferred line and got pinned on the bottom and lost a couple of spots. We’re OK, hopefully the second half of this week goes good for us.”It turned out to be a very eventful day for Andy Seuss. “In practice, the last run we were going to make, we made those extra laps and broke a rocker arm. It was a little bit of a struggle finding a rocker arm since we’re the only Dodge motor here. Luckily Bertuccio’s had one from when they ran Dodge in the past, I’ve got to thank them for loaning it to us. It was the right offset but the wrong ratio so the valve wasn’t open enough and it showed up on the race track, we were a little down on power but we missed qualifying and had to start last. We were up to second at one point, we had a fast car. We had a good run on Eric Goodale- I didn’t really time it right – I just had a really good run down the straight away and sent it in there and got into him, I’ve got to apologize for that but it worked out he went on to win. I got shuffled back to fourth- I guess now I’m third, that’s great after the day we’ve had. I’ve got to thank Dan Kurzejewski for letting me drive, Tommy for all his hard work, his right hand man Bob, spotter Charli Brown and my dad Steve for coming down and working his butt off – he has to go back to the snow now- I wish he could stay. To come out with a top three is pretty cool.”
There was a high damage toll for the evening- leaving the speedway for the night there were still crews working on their cars including the Chris Our 22. “It’s hurt,” said Brad Lafontaine about the car, “but we can race it again. We’ll get a better look at it tomorrow in the light. Chris will make the call about the last three nights here. We’ll put these races behind us and concentrate on Daytona.”Chuck Hossfeld also registered a DNF, pulling off early in the main - a broken ground electrode - the team will assess today how extensive the damage is, specifically, if there are any engine issues.The official finish posted, Goodale, Hirschman, Seuss, Preece and Davis take the top five. Patrick Emerling, Dan Watts, AJ Winsted, Al Emmarino, and Tommy Barrett the top ten. Jimmy Zacharias, JR Bertuccio, Hossfeld, TJ Zacharias and Silk finish out the order for the night.
1 6 Ron Silk 35
2 40 Ryan Preece 35
3 59 Matt Hirschman 35
4 22 Chuck Hossfeld 35
5 71 Jimmy Zacharias 35
6 21 Andy Seuss 35
7 22 Tommy Barrett Jr 35
8 2 JR Bertuccio 35
9 79 Spencer Davis 35
10 07 Patrick Emerling 35
11 58 Eric Goodale 34
12 82 Daniel Watts 34
13 99 AJ Winstead 34
14 11 TJ Zacharias 8
15 3 Al Ermmarino 3
Saturday, February 15 - 5th
The 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Racing is smiling on Ron Silk as the Norwalk, CT driver led the field green to checkers to take down the victory in the modified Tour type 35 lap feature at New Smyrna Speedway. Ryan Preece chased Silk across the stripe for second with Matt Hirschman third, Chuck Hossfeld and Jimmy Zacharias the top five.It is Silk’s second trip to victory lane in as many nights at the fast, banked, half mile speedway.“We started on the pole so really, I didn’t have to pass anyone obviously- we just had a good car the whole time. The car started to free up a little at the end but the car has been pretty solid since we’ve been here.”Silk and Preece led the field to green with Tommy Barrett, Hirschman and Andy Seuss the top five. Silk wasted no time putting real estate between the TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Service sponsored, Ed Partridge owned machine and the rest of the field.The yellow waved three circuits in for a car around in turn two. Al Emmarino who took the green from the back of the pack after making repairs following trouble in practice and could not make time trials, was done for the night.
On the restart it was Silk on the outside front row with Preece inside, Barrett, Hirschman, Seuss, Hossfeld, Spencer Davis and Jimmy Zacharias the top eight.
Silk kept on point while the action heated up behind – Hirschman who had taken over second was being shadowed by Preece with Hossfeld, Zacharias, Seuss and Barrett running nose to tail.By lap 13, Preece was threatening for second and completed his move to take the spot from Hirschman.The green flag continued and by lap 15, Silk had a six car length lead over the field.At the half, it was Silk, Preece, Hirschman, Hossfeld, Zacharias and Seuss. Preece was closing the gap cutting into Silk’s lead and with 10 to go, it was a three car breakaway with Silk leading Preece and Hirschman.As the final circuits clicked off, a green flag run to the end, Silk cruised across the stripe for the win – Preece followed with Hirschman third.“I was keeping an eye on Preece,” said Silk who was aware Preece was closing in. “I tried to save my right rear a little in case we would get a yellow and had to lineup next to Preece. The car is really good, we just can’t mess it up.”“It’s always nice to have the car in once piece,” said Preece. “We’re so equal, I felt like Silk was beating me a little bit to the throttle but I could beat him in- it’s like where I was beating him, he’d come back and beat me at other places on the track. It was a good race. We’ve come a long way since we unloaded as it is, we’re getting there. Hopefully by the end of the week we’ll be in victory lane.”“Yesterday just wasn’t a good day for us,” said Matt Hirschman. “We were shorthanded and got a little behind. Two crew guys didn’t make it here when they were supposed to because of the snowstorm- that got us a little behind but I feel that after tonight we’re caught up and we’re ready to compete now. We’re very close, I’m happy with the car.”“It’s pretty good,” said Silk about the two wins in two nights. “Well, you know, a lot can change tomorrow. We tried some stuff on the car this week. Keith Rocco actually helped us out a bunch with some of the stuff he runs – it’s working out for sure, so far, I’m liking it.”
Andy Seuss recovered from the incident on opening night to cross for sixth, Tommy Barrett seventh, J.R. Bertuccio eighth with Patrick Emerling, Eric Goodale, Dan Watts, AJ Winsted, TJ Zacharias and Al Emmarino the remainder of the field.
1 6 Ron Silk 35
2 40 Ryan Preece 35
3 59 Matt Hirschman 35
4 22 Chuck Hossfeld 35
5 71 Jimmy Zacharias 35
6 21 Andy Seuss 35
7 22 Tommy Barrett Jr 35
8 2 JR Bertuccio 35
9 79 Spencer Davis 35
10 07 Patrick Emerling 35
11 58 Eric Goodale 34
12 82 Daniel Watts 34
13 99 AJ Winstead 34
14 11 TJ Zacharias 8
15 3 Al Ermmarino 3
Friday, February 14 - 7th
Opening night victory for the 48th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing went to Ron Silk of Norwalk, CT in the TS Haulers, Calverton Tree Service sponsored/Ed Partridge owned modified making a solid pass with 12 to go and never looked back scoring a convincing win in the 35 lap feature.“I think this is the first time I’ve ever won on night one. This is definitely a good start to the week,” said Silk.Following Silk across the line was Jimmy Zacharias second, Chuck Hossfeld third, Ryan Preece and Eric Goodale the top five.Tommy Barrett set fast time earlier in the day and after the top four re-drew for starting position, it was Jimmy Zacharias and Eric Goodale leading the 14 car field to green. Silk lined up third but at the drop of the flag, fell back several positions. Zacharias at the point led the field with Barrett, Andy Seuss, Goodale and Hossfeld the top five.The lone caution of the night came when battling for second place, there was contact between Barrett and Seuss. Seuss ended up in the outside wall of turn 2 and while Barrett was able to continue he was eventually black flagged and forced to pit for a side bar that was dragging. “It’s all bolt on, cosmetic stuff,” said Seuss about the damage on the Lexington Hotel, Shark Lounge sponsored ride. “We’ll get her back and hopefully have a better finish than tonight.” Despite the disappointment of the finish, Seuss was truly optimistic about the rest of the week. “We found some things right after qualifying and it really woke it up. I think if we had that stuff in for qualifying we would have had an even better starting spot. The car was really good, I hate it for these guys, this is a small team and a bunch of hard working guys. I’ve got to thank Dan and Tommy for all of their hard work as well as my dad, Charlie Brown and my girlfriend Jen for coming down here. It felt good to be racing against those big teams. Tonight is just a minor setback.”The caution closed up the field with Zacharias and Barrett on the front row - Goodale, Hossfeld, Silk and Preece coming to the restart with 29 to go. As the field stayed green, Zacharias led the way as Barrett pulled into the pits, the Millis, MA driver acknowledging the black flag. Silk made his way to fourth by lap 15 and one circuit later passed two cars to take over second. Carrying the momentum, Silk made his move on the inside of Zacharias going into turn three and coming out of four, completed the pass to be the second and final leader of the night on lap 23.“Zacharias, you could see he was pretty tight through the center,” said Silk about the winning pass. “He had to slow it down to get it through the center. I drove in a little easier, making it so I could get a run off of 2 and get by him in 3 and 4.”While Silk stretched his lead, the rest of the field was sorting it out with Zacharias being closely shadowed by Hossfeld, Preece and Goodale. Zacharias ended the night with a solid run joining Silk for a podium finish.
“We’ve been coming here for several years this is a good way to start the week,” said a smiling Zacharias. “Kevin Crowley is the crew chief this year, his brother Brian is doing tires, I think it’s going to be a really good week.”Hossfeld will take what they learned from night one and go forward. “The car, it was just a little too tight in the center. We have a little work to do on the car, not much. We qualified 9th which was embarrassing, but I was comfortable, probably too comfortable,” confessed Hossfeld. “I made a mistake, I was probably a little too over confident. For the first night, we kept it clean, it was a good run.”JR Bertuccio finished the night sixth with Matt Hirschman, Patrick Emerling, Spencer Davis and Danny Watts the top ten. Al Emmarino, Barrett, Seuss and TJ Zacharias completed the rundown.
1 6 Ron Silk 35
2 71 Jimmy Zacharias 35
3 22 Chuck Hossfeld 35
4 40 Ryan Preece 35
5 58 Eric Goodale 35
6 2 JR Bertuccio 35
7 59 Matt Hirschman 35
8 07 Patrick Emerling 35
9 79 Spencer Davis 35
10 82 Daniel Watts 34
11 13 Al Emmarino 34
12 22b Tommy Barrett Jr 12
13 21s Andy Seuss 6
14 11 TJ Zacharias 4
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It will be reunion time in 2014 on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for Matt Hirschman and team owner Wayne Darling.
December 30, 2013 By Shawn Courchesne
Darling confirmed to RaceDayCT Monday that he will field a car for Hirschman on the Modified Tour in 2014. Darling will field his car for Hirschman for an unspecified portion of the 14- event schedule in 2014 with Hirschman fielding his own car for the remainder of the events.
Hirschman previously ran for Darling on the Modified Tour from 2006 to 2009. During that span Darling fielded a car for Hirschman for half of each season with Ed Bennett fielding a car for Hirschman for the other half of the season.
“I think the transition coming back together with them, it’s not going to be like starting with a new team,” Hirschman said. “I think things are going to click pretty quickly with them again. Their reputation and their results speak for themselves and the same can be said for my program. I go into this with 100 percent confidence in both sides.” Hirschman, of Northampton, Pa., replaces Doug Coby in Darling’s No. 52 ride. Coby, after winning a series title in 2012 with Darling and finishing as the series runner-up with the team in 2013, will move to Mike Smeriglio Racing in 2014, replacing Todd Szegedy in the No. 2 ride. Hirschman finished third in the standings in 2007 and second in 2008 but a falling out with Bennett at the end of the 2008 season dissolved the tandem team effort. “We are teaming up to make things easier on both ends, and we’ll probably spread the races out and kind of go about it that way,” Hirschman said of the reunion with Darling. “ Obviously I’ve raced with them before and we always maintained a good relationship. I just, at that time when that split up happened, I wasn’t in the position that I’m in now to join up with [Darling] and field a car myself. But I can’t complain with the way things have gone for me. It’s a good chance for me to get back together with him again.” The 31-year old Hirschman has two career Whelen Modified Tour victories, both coming during the 2008 season when he finished second in the series standings to Ted Christopher. Over 77 career starts dating back to 2005, Hirschman has 15 top-five’s and 40 top-10’s. After running two events in 2009 and none in 2010, Hirschman returned to the series full-time with Boehler Racing Enterprises in 2011 and finished sixth in the standings. He has made two Whelen Modified Tour starts each of the last two seasons. The last two years have seen Hirschman establish himself as the driver to beat in the Northeast when it comes to Open Modified shows, earning him the moniker Big Money Matt for his knack for grabbing victories in high paying events. The 2013 season saw him win both the North-South Shootout at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, N.C. and the Turkey Derby at Wall (N.J.) Stadium among events on his schedule.
“I think it’s an opportunity to accomplish some things that I’d accomplish that I haven’t yet,” Hirschman said of going into the 2014 season running full-time on the Whelen Modified Tour once again. “The last few years have been incredible in terms of accomplishments in what we’ve been doing, but this presents a new challenge and an opportunity to accomplish some things that are there for me to get.”