Bobby Santos Looking to Return to Winning Ways at Stafford

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

(Stafford Springs, CT)---Bobby Santos comes to Stafford for Sunday October 1^st NAPA Fall Final on the heels of a big win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  With winning momentum on his side, Santos is looking to recreate the magic he enjoyed at Stafford from 2010-2014 when he won 6 times at Stafford, including 3 NAPA Spring Sizzlers and 2 NAPA Fall Finals.
Santo's has a clear advantage of having Larry Barnett as his spotter to guide him through the pack to victory lane again.

“Obviously a big win gets the whole team excited and I’m looking forward to the next race,” said Santos.  “I love Stafford and I love racing there.  I’ve had past success there but lately it’s been a little dry.  Hopefully we can make up for that this weekend.”

With Santos and the #44 Tinio Corp. team running a reduced schedule this season, they can afford to throw caution to the wind and do everything they can in order to get to victory lane, whereas other drivers might have to be a bit conservative with their race strategies.

“We’re coming to win the race,” said Santos.  “We’re definitely not one of the guys that has to be concerned with strategy and pit when everyone else pits.  We just have to make the best strategy to win the race and not the best strategy to get a top-5 finish.  It’s less stress on the team and less stress on me, all we have to worry about is trying to win the race.  The guys who are in the points race are really good and we’ll just have to approach it thinking to win.  I think we can take a gamble on the strategy that could either get us a win or it could be a 10^th place finish where other guys have to be a little more conservative because they need to finish in the top-5.  It’s always easy to sit here and talk about how we need to run the race and then once the green flag comes out things start to change by the second.  You just have to take the race as it comes and make the best decisions you can.  I’m confident we can do that.  I have a great team, a great owner, and a good crew chief so we have all the pieces in place to do that.”

Santos won the 2010 NWMT Championship and he has 6 wins to his credit at Stafford.  But he hasn’t won a race at Stafford since the NAPA Spring Sizzler in 2014, a situation he is hoping to remedy this weekend.

“I think we’ve struggled the last couple of years since they went to the spec motor and we’ve changed chassis,” said Santos.  “This year we’ve run well.  We kind of cut back what we’re doing and that has really helped us.  We ran well at Stafford last time we were there, we were in position for a good top-5 finish and we got taken out.  We’ve run well this season and I think we can show that this weekend.  To get another Fall Final win would be pretty cool.  The traditional Spring Sizzler and Fall Final races mean a lot.  There’s a lot of history with those races and to be in the record books again as winning one of those races and to have your name on either one of those trophies again is pretty cool.  In general I think doing less and being 100% every time has helped us get back to somewhere we belong.”

With 6 Stafford victories to his credit, Santos certainly knows what it takes to park in victory lane at the end of 150 laps.  The only drawback to that is that with the Whelen Modified Tour making multiple stops each season at Stafford, most of his competitors also know what it takes to get to victory lane.

“We’ll need to have a good car right off the trailer and practice and qualify well, that’s half the battle,” said Santos.  “Then we just have to make good decisions during the race and have a good enough car to keep us up front to be in position to go for the win.  Stafford is a track that I enjoy but pretty much everyone on the Tour knows Stafford well because we race there so often. It’s important to start up front to make your life easier for the race.  You can win from the back, Ryan [Preece] showed that earlier this year but it definitely makes things easier to start up front.”

The 2017 NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final Weekend gets underway on Saturday, September 30th with practice sessions for Stafford’s Whelen All-American Series divisions, Mr. Rooter Truck Series, and the Whelen Modified Tour.  Action continues with Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour cars, along with heat and consolation races for all divisions with feature events for the SK Light, Limited Late Model, DARE Stock, and Mr. Rooter Truck Series divisions wrapping up Saturday’s on track activities.  The NAPA Fall Final continues on Sunday, October 1st with the NAPA Auto Parts Pit Party from 11am-12noon followed by a number retirement ceremony for Ted Christopher and pre-race activities before Stafford’s SK Modifieds® and Late Models take to the track along with the Whelen Modified Tour in feature action starting at 1pm.

Discount tickets for the NAPA Fall Final Weekend are available at your local participating NAPA Auto Parts Store.  The NAPA tickets include general admission for both days along with a lunch buffet on Sunday, all for only $38 per person.  For a list of participating NAPA Stores, please click the PARTICIPATING NAPA STORES link found at the top of the www.staffordspeedway.com homepage.

Tickets for the NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final Weekend are available and on sale now at the Speedway Box Office.  Tickets are priced at $40.00 for adult general admission tickets, $5.00 for children ages 6-14, and children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult. Reserved seating will be priced at $42.00 for all ages.  All ticket prices include 10% CT Admission Tax. 

For more information on the 45th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Fall Final, or to order tickets, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com

Rocco regains points lead at Stafford Springs with one race to go ...

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photos by Wayne G. Barber

In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, the race started with the P1 position left vacant for Ted Christopher.  Tony Membrino, Jr. took the lead at the green with Josh Wood immediately applying heavy pressure.  As the field hit turn 3, several cars came together and set off a chain reaction that collected Rowan Pennink, Todd Owen, Dan Avery, and Chase Dowling that brought the caution out with 0 laps complete.

The field took the green with Joey Mucciacciaro, Jr. sliding into the turn 1 wall to bring the caution right back out.  Membrino took the lead back under green but he was under heavy pressure as Tyler Hines went to his outside and Wood was looking to his inside.  Hines went to the lead on lap-3 with Membrino and Ronnie Williams side by side for second.  Membrino took second with Williams now side by side with Matt Galko for third and behind then Glen Reen and Eric Berndt were side by side for fifth place.   Tom Bolles spun coming out of turn 4 to bring the caution out with 9 laps complete.

Hines and Membrino went side by side for the lead on the restart with Hines taking the lead and Membrino began to slide backwards.  Hines held the lead until lap-13 when Williams took the lead.  Keith Rocco was on the move after the restart and he quickly worked his way into second behind Williams.  Rocco took the lead from Williams on lap-18 while Reen moved up to third with Hines fourth and Wood fifth as the field completed lap-20.

Rocco started to pull away from Williams in second who was in turn pulling away from Reen, Stephen Kopcik, and Hines.  Rocco led Williams to the white flag with Kopcik third, Reen fourth, and Hines in fifth.  The entire field pulled down pit road after taking the white flag with Stafford Speedway announcers Ben Dodge and Matt Buckler calling Ted Christopher home as the winner.

SK MODIFIED® (40)

1) Keith Rocco, Berlin

2) Ronnie Williams, Tolland

3) Stephen Kopcik, Newtown

4) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma

5) Tyler Hines, North Haven

6) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma

7) Tony Membrino, Jr., Berlin

8) Todd Owen, Somers

9) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury

10) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa

11) Sean Foster, Willington

12) Eric Berndt, Cromwell

13) Matt Galko, Meriden

14) Tom Bolles, Ellington

15) Nick Salva, Cheshire

16) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect

17) Les Rose, Jr., Southbridge, Ma

18) Curt Brainard, Canton

19) Joey Mucciacciaro, Jr., Wolcott

20) Chase Dowling, Roxbury

21) Dan Avery, Somers

Stafford to Retire Ted Christopher’s #13 on October 1st

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photo by Wayne G. Barber

(Stafford Springs, CT)---Ted Christopher, a hero, a rival, a legend, and a once in a generation driver.  His first start at Stafford Speedway in May of 1983 marked the beginning of a journey, a journey that no one could have predicted.  35 years later the journey comes to an end with statistics that make you ask, was Ted the greatest modified driver of all-time; 131 career wins, 109 SK Modified® wins, and 9 SK Modified® Track Championships.  

At the request of both fans and race teams that have a prior commitment at New Hampshire this weekend, Stafford Speedway management has moved the ceremony to retire Ted Christopher’s number 13 to Sunday, October 1st as part of the pre-race for the NAPA Fall Final. This will allow all teams and fans to share in this tribute.

This Friday, September 22 we will honor Ted Christopher and his racing career with all those in attendance.

“Since Ted’s first win in 1986 to his last win on September 8, just 2 weeks ago, he has been a fixture at Stafford,” explained Stafford GM Mark Arute. “We will miss TC but we will never forget him.  We will retire his number from weekly Modified racing at Stafford Speedway on Sunday, October 1st as part of the NAPA Fall Final Weekend. The number 13 is and always will be Ted’s number.”

            For more information, contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at 860-684-2783 or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.

ACT Tour News....

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

LOUDON, NH – American Canadian Tour (ACT) regular Jimmy Hebert of Williamstown, Vt. is looking to improve upon his 2016 finish by one spot in the Ninth Annual ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Saturday.

Hebert was leading last year’s event when a caution with five laps remaining brought Eddie MacDonald into contention. MacDonald snatched the lead when the race went green and drove off to his third straight Invitational win.

“It took a couple of laps for me to get back up to speed and then time ran out,” Hebert said. “I think I could have won if it weren’t for the restart.”

Hebert is a regular on the ACT circuit. He has driven the Hebert Excavation/Lowery’s Auto No. 58VT to a pair of 3rd-place finishes and is tied for fourth place in the championship point standings.

Hebert finished 6th in the 2014 Invitational and was 5th in 2015.

“We’re headed in the right direction,” Hebert said. “There were seven timesheets posted during the practice sessions a few weeks ago and we were the fastest on every one of them.”

“There are lot of other cars capable of winning the race,” Hebert said. “The motors are the same and there’s a lot of drafting. You have to be careful about where you are in traffic. You can get bogged down. You have to pick your move at the right time.”

Forty Late Models from New England and Quebec are scheduled to take the ACT Invitational 50 green Saturday, September 23 at 5 p.m. following the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 175.

For additional information, visit www.nhms.com or www.acttour.com.

Modified driver Ted Christopher killed in plane crash

NBC Connecticut reported that both people on the plane were killed. NASCAR confirmed that Christopher was one of those killed in the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.

Christopher was selected as one of the top 25 drivers in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series history in 2006. Fans voted him as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s most popular driver three times.

Christopher captured 13 track championships and competed at every level of NASCAR. He made six Cup starts (the last in 2009), 21 Xfinity starts (the last in 2001) and two Camping World Truck Series starts (the last in 1999).

He won nine track championships (1987, ’96, 2000, ’01, 04, ’07, ’09, ’12 and ’14) at Stafford (Connecticut) Motor Speedway

Christopher’s death reverberated throughout NASCAR and the racing community.

 I am so honored to have known Ted Christopher with photos, interviews and radio appearance's Posted by Wayne G.Barber & Photo by Wayne G.

9-10-17 Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park 99th Career Victory

.Barber

Matt Galko nips points leader Chase Darling at the finish...

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

 Matt Galko scores his second victory in the highly competitive SK Mod division at Stafford Speedway on Friday Sept. 15, 2017. Galko duplicated his first win ever in the SK'S on June 2 again by out- racing Chase Dowling the current points leader. Dowling maintains his points lead 620 to Teddy Christopher's 594 with Keith Rocco holding third at 586 after 15 of 17 races.

In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Cam McDermott and Tyler Hines were side by side for the first lap dueling for the lead and on lap-2 Glen Reen nearly went 3-wide for the lead but backed out of the move.  With 4 laps complete it was still Hines and McDermott side by side for the lead with Reen in third.  Matt Galko and Keith Rocco were side by side for fourth behind them.

The order continued to shuffle as Hines got clear to the lead with Reen behind him in second.  Galko was by himself in third with Chase Dowling and McDermott side by side for fourth with Tom Bolles in sixth.  Reen moved to the front on lap-9 with a move in turns 1+2 and Galko came with him into second.  Dowling also followed the two leaders by Hines as he moved into third with Hines slotting into line in fourth with Bolles fifth and Eric Berndt in sixth. 

Dowling got by Galko on lap-12 to move into second and Ryan Preece moved into sixth after starting in the back of the pack.  With 15 laps complete the order was Dowling out front with Reen, Galko, and Hines behind him.  Preece got by Bolles for fifth just as the caution came out for a multi-car spin behind him that involved Joey Mucciacciaro, Jr., Payton Henry, Dan Avery, and D.J. Burnham.

Dowling took the lead back under green with Galko in second.  The field stacked up a bit in turn 4 but everyone was able to gather their cars up and it was Preece emerging in third with Bolles in fourth and Berndt fifth before the caution came out with 17 laps complete for a spin on the backstretch involving Tony Membrino, Jr. and Rocco.

Stephen Kopcik got loose on the restart and came to a stop in turn 2 to bring the caution right back out.  Dowling took the lead on the restart but only one lap could be completed before a melee broke out coming out of turn 4 with Nick Salva, Josh Wood, Mike Christopher, Jr., Todd Owen, and Tommy Membrino, Jr., all involved to bring the caution back out.

Galko got a good run in the outside lane and took the lead from Dowling on the restart.  Dowling and Reen were side by side for second with Preece and Berndt side by side for fourth.  With 20 laps complete, Berndt’s car got turned into the front stretch wall to bring the caution out. 

Galko and Dowling were side by side for the lead back under green with Reen and Preece side by side for third with Ted Christopher up to fifth.  The two lead duos were still side by side until lap-25 when Preece got clear of Reen and took third.  Christopher was now on the outside of Reen in a fight for fourth as Galko and Dowling were still side by side for the lead. 

With 28 laps complete, Galko and Dowling were still side by side for the lead but it was now single file behind the two leaders with Preece, Christopher, and Reen making up the top-5 with Bolles still hanging strong in sixth. 

With 5 laps to go, Galko and Dowling were still side by side for the race lead with Preece, Christopher, and Reen lined up behind them.  As they completed lap-36 it was now two by two as Galko and Dowling were out front with Preece and Christopher and lined up behind them. 

As they took the white flag, it was a 5-car train for the lead.  Galko was able to get a good run coming out of turn 4 to beat Dowling and Preece to the line by a car length.  Dowling took second by inches over Preece with Christopher beating Reen to the line by inches for fourth place.

SK MODIFIED® (40)

1) Matt Galko, Meriden

2) Chase Dowling, Roxbury

3) Ryan Preece, Broad Book

4) Ted Christopher, Plainville

5) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma

6) Tom Bolles, Ellington

7) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa

8) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury

9) Keith Rocco, Berlin

10) Mike Christopher, Jr., Wolcott

11) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury

12) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma

13) Ronnie Williams, Tolland

14) Cam McDermott, Canterbury

15) Dan Avery, Somers

16) Tyler Hines, North Haven

17) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect

18) Stephen Kopcik, Newtown

19) Eric Berndt, Cromwell

20) Nick Salva, Cheshire

21) Todd Owen, Somers

22) Tony Membrino, Jr., Berlin

23) D.J. Burnham, East Hartford

24) Joey Mucciacciaro, Jr., Wolcott

25) Payton Henry, Willington

26) John Catania, Agawam, Ma

Thompson Speedway Sunoco SK Mod. 20/20/10 Results from 9-10-17 Segment Two

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photos by Wayne G. Barber

The second segment of the fan friendly event had the top teams in electronic timing for the day inverting to form the 26 race team field for race number two of three on this beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Could Teddy Christopher repeat and obtain the elusive 100th career Sunoco SK Mod win at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in the same day ?
 If he did it would have to be from the rear of the fastest cars in race one.
The race started with a blistering pace and hot rod Stephen Masse and two other cars tangled up in turn two to bring out the first caution on lap 13. On lap 16 Troy Tolman went to the rear went to the rear after some contact. On that restart the Matt Gallo #77ran over Teddy Christopher who had hit the back stretch wall and saved the car but lost a lot of speed doing so and I think lack of sending a spotters message to Gallo created the wreck to end Teddy's day and Gallo bailed out quick with a fire from the hard hit.

44th Career Sunoco SK Mod victory at Thompson

. “It’s tough. It’s pretty much impossible to drive away unless you’ve got a car that’s about a half second faster,” Rocco said. “On old tires for these races it’s pretty exciting for the fans.” 

  Keith Rocco needing some points after the 9th place showing in the first segment and had his hands full with Todd Owen and Ryan Preece and very quiet John Studley in the #27 who also joined this division from Stafford Speedway in 2017. Pitkat was in the 5 hole to jump in the fray if the leaders tangled. Rocco slipped and slided his way to victory lane in segment two and Owen had a very nice day with 2nd and a third to be low points man entering the third segment. All he had to do was finish third or better to claim the big money prize and again no points. Troy Tolman redeemed his second race mishap and was not going to passed for the third segment and showed a lot of maturity in bring the Rocco prepared black Dale Earnhardt Sr. #3  home in first. One race to go at the October World Series and Rocco finds himself in first place in the point standings with 314. Last year 2016 he entered the last race with a 23 point lead and held on for the track championship.The sleeper Todd Owen with the great afternoon holds sole procession of second with 302 points. Ryan Preece who races for the third time in the XFINITY series at Kentucky speedway can come back and claim this championship sitting at 294 points and Woody Pitkat may just have another Stan Mertz horseshoe in his car to steal his second championship sitting at 290. Very good competition with the 5 regular new additions this year at Thompson.

SUNOCO MODIFIED 20/20 SPRINT SEGMENT TWO TOP-10: 1. Keith Rocco (Berlin, CT); 2. Ryan Preece (Berlin, CT); 3. Todd Owen (Somers, CT); 4. John Studley (Framingham, MA); 5. Woody Pitkat (Sturbridge, MA); 6. Joey Gada (Uncasville, CT); 7. Andrew Krause (East Brunswick, NJ); 8. Marcello Rufrano (North Haven, CT); 9. Stephan Masse (Bellingham, MA); 10. Troy Talman (Oxford, MA)

SUNOCO MODIFIED 20/20 SPRINT OVERALL FINISH TOP-10: 1. Todd Owen (Somers, CT); 2. Woody Pitkat (Sturbridge, MA); 3. John Studley (Framingham, MA); 4. Ryan Preece (Berlin, CT); 5. Keith Rocco (Berlin, CT); 6. Stephan Masse (Bellingham, MA); 7. Nick Salva (Prospect, CT); 8. Ted Christopher (Plainville, CT); 9. Troy Talman (Oxford, MA); 10. Joey Gada (Uncasville, CT)

Thompson Speedway 20/20/10 Sunoco Sk Results 9-10-17 Segment One

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photos by Wayne G. Barber

 This type of Sunoco SK mod. racing is really gaining in fan popularity in it's third year. With the short seven event schedule it surely decides who has a chance at a track championship. In 2017 it's been Keith Rocco or Ryan Preece in the points lead and dominating victory lane. Troy Talman and Todd Owen also have a victory in 2017. Teddy Christopher rejoined the competitive division full time in 2017 after cutting down his schedule in 2015 & 2016. The weather was perfect and the practice times and heat races provided some real good track times to go along with a nice 26 race teams making the rare Sunday event in Connecticut. A little extra moolah dos it every time and a chance for race teams to compete at the larger racing surface.
 Christopher has been the wheelman in a few different color schemes and car numbers in 2017 and today selected the black #79 for the second time. The two time national points champion and current all-time track win leader at 98 had to wonder at 59 years old will I get to the century mark ( 108 SK ) like I have accomplished at Stafford Speedway.
 Race fans were about to see two completely different races, then a 10 lap shoot out for cash and a overall champion of the event. The first segment had a few cautions on Lap 7 and again at lap 9. A third caution came out for a spin on the homestretch by Andrew Charron #7 The Talman prepared #3 and Todd Owen kept doing text book restarts with the Stan Mertz # 6 piloted by the former 2015 division champion Woody Pitkat and one of the most under rated modified drivers in New England ,Stephen Masse #87 who hails out of Bellingham, Mass. in the 3 and 4 holes lurking for a victory. On lap 16 with another caution flag for the  Marcello Rufrano #68 coming down from Stafford and trimming the infield grass after a few slightly bent nerf bars the race quickly developed between Christopher and Owen who never backed down to the certain first round Hall of Famer to the delight of the crowd. I was on the track for photos and a interview and the crowd has clearly divided in the win between loyal race fans and the " Anybody but Teddy again" minority. The twist for this event is that the race teams now go to the infield track pit area while a different division competes, then invert with a certain time under your clock to determine the next race starting field. Each 20 lapper earns a win and the 50 points for each segment and heat points but No win credit or points for the 10 lap shootout.
   Christopher said he was proud of the achievement, but admitted he forgot how competitive Thompson Speedway can be. “It’s like the WWF out there,” Christopher said in victory lane. “It was fun. It’s been a while since we’ve had a Sunoco Sk win here. We had a really good car today. It’s only the second time I’ve driven it.” This scribe and the race fans could not wait for the next twenty laps to deliver live racing drama.

SUNOCO MODIFIED 20/20 SPRINT SEGMENT ONE TOP-10: 1. Ted Christopher (Plainville, CT); 2. Todd Owen (Somers, CT); 3. Woody Pitkat (Sturbridge, MA); 4. Steve Masse (Bellingham, MA); 5. John Studley (Framingham, MA); 6. Troy Talman (Oxford, MA); 7. Ryan Preece (Berlin, CT); 8. Nick Salva ( Prospect, CT); 9. Keith Rocco (Berlin, CT); 10. Timmy Jordan (Brooklyn, CT)

Sportsman Results from Lebanon Valley 9-9-17

Posted by Wayne G. Barber  Photo by Wayne G. Barber

Race Chatter started following Nikki at Thompson, then Monadnock and now a solid 3rd place finish on Dirt at the Valley. Congratulations from the entire "Woman in Racing" segment of the Race Chatter Nation.

In Sportsman, Michael Sabia simply had to finish sixth or better to claim the championship.  For much of the race, that looked like it was going to happen.

Lem Atkins started on pole, but quickly lost the advantage to Cody Ochs, who had dominated his heat race earlier in the evening.

Pro Stock veteran Jon Routhier made a rare Sportsman start in a car normally campaigned by Chris Curtis.  However, Routhier’s appearance did not last long as he got wrapped up in a crash with Mike Gramolini, Carmon Carnibucci and Gerard LeClair.

On lap 12, the whole season got turned upside down.  Rob Maxon was able to run down Ochs and take the lead.  Ochs, trying to get the lead back, dove hard to Maxon’s inside in turn 3.  Contact was made and Maxon spun in front of the field.  Everyone scattered and one driver made contact with Maxon.  That driver was Sabia, who was running fifth and was on the move.  Sabia would finish a lap down in 14th.

Ochs was sent to the rear for causing the crash.  As a result, John Virgilio assumed the lead with Atkins back up to second and Whitey Slavin, who entered the night 16 points behind Sabia, in third.

From here, Virgilio was able to pull away from the pack to take the win on-track.  However, Virgilio’s No. 14 came up underweight at the scales.  As a result, he was disqualified and Atkins claimed his first win in quite a few years.

Slavin finished and unofficially claimed the Sportsman title.  However, his engine was protested.  The title will not be official until the engine is independently inspected, which has not happened as of press time.

Nikki Ouellette finished third, followed by Frank Hoard Jr.  Chris Lynch was fifth.

Whelen Modified News & Notes: Riverhead Solomito Heading Home Looking To Get Back On Track

Posted by Wayne G. Barber  Photo by Wayne G. Barber

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour enters the final four races of the season, Timmy Solomito needs to gain ground in the championship standings if he wants capture his first title. And he couldn't be heading to a better track as he looks to get that job done.
The Islip, New York, driver is heading for his home track of Riverhead Raceway for the Riverhead 200 on Saturday just 17 points from the lead, with three wins already under his belt in 2017. The driver of the No. 16 Starrett Tools Ford won the first race at Riverhead on June 24, starting from the pole and leading 151 laps en route to the victory. But he hasn't won a race on the Tour since. Three finishes outside the top 10 in the last six races, including two accidents, have put Solomito behind some of his closest challengers in the championship chase. He enters the race fourth, chasing Ryan Preece, Doug Coby and Rowan Pennink.
Solomito's success at Riverhead surely will give him confidence heading back to the quarter-mile bullring. In his last three races there, he has two wins and a runner-up finish.

Race:	Riverhead 200
Place:	Riverhead Raceway, Riverhead, New York
When:	8 p.m. ET
Track Layout:	.25-mile asphalt oval
2016 Polesitter:	Shawn Solomito
2016 Winner:	Justin Bonsignore
Event Schedule:	Garage Opens: 12:45 p.m., Practice: 3:30-4:30 p.m., Qualifying: 6 p.m., Miller Lite 200: 8 p.m.
Track Contact:	Bob Finan, 1-631-842-7723
Track Twitter:	@RiverheadRacewa
Event Hashtag:	#Riverhead200
NASCAR IMC Contact:	Jason Christley, (386)-547-2469, jchristley@nascar.com

RACE CENTRAL LIVE: EVENT SCHEDULE & ENTRY LIST
FAST FACTS:
The Race: The Riverhead 200 is the 13th of 16 championship events on the 2017 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship points schedule. This is the second and final appearance at Riverhead Raceway this season. Timmy Solomito won the race back on June 24.
The Procedure: The maximum starting field per the entry blank is 28 cars, including provisionals. The first 22 positions for the race will be determined through the qualifying process, while there will also be six provisionals available. The race is scheduled for 150 laps.
The Track: A quarter-mile slightly banked asphalt oval, Riverhead Raceway opened in 1949. The track has held a total of 59 races since the Whelen Modified Tour began in 1985, and is only one of two venues to play host to the Tour in each of its 31 seasons.
Race Winners: There have been 25 different drivers that have reached Victory Lane at Riverhead, led by Mike Ewanitsko's 11 wins. Timmy Solomito has won two of the last three races at the track. Justin Bonsignore is the defending race winner.
Pole Winners: Thirty-five different drivers have won a Coors Light Pole award at Riverhead, led by Ewanitsko's eight. Chuck Steuer set the one-lap qualifying record with a time of 11.546 seconds (77.949 mph) back in 2000. Timmy Solomito sat on the pole when the Whelen Modified Tour visited Riverhead earlier this season.
Riverhead 200 Notes:
Crucial Race For Preece: Over the last three months, it's been tough for anyone to beat Berlin, Connecticut, driver Ryan Preece. And that doesn't only include races on the Whelen Modified Tour. In two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts over that time, Preece finished second at New Hampshire and scored his first win at Iowa Speedway. On the Whelen Modified Tour, Preece has top five finishes in all of his last nine starts, dating all the way back to the end of April. In that time, Preece has visited Victory Lane five times behind the wheel of his No. 6 TS Hauler Chevrolet. Although he currently leads the championship standings by nine points, the Riverhead race will be a crucial one for the 26-year-old. He is slated to miss the next series event at New Hampshire on Sept. 23 to run the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Iowa, which means he needs to lead Riverhead with maximum points in order to still have a shot at the driver's championship.
Time For Bonsignore To Score: The start to the 2017 season has been solid for Justin Bonsignore, but he is craving more. The Holtsville, New York, driver hasn't been able to visit Victory Lane yet, but does have nine top 10 finishes in the first 12 races, including four top five runs. He has been consistent enough to keep himself in the championship fight heading for the stretch run. However, if he wants to make a move towards the top of the standings from his fifth-place position, he will need to use his home track to his advantage. Bonsignore finished fifth at Riverhead in June and has four of his 12 career wins at the quarter-mile oval. In his last five starts there, Bonsignore has three wins, a second and the fifth. A victory on Saturday would certainly help in his quest to capture his first career championship.
Riverhead Regulars: Each time the Whelen Modified Tour visits Riverhead, the weekly stars take their shot at battling some of NASCAR's best. And Saturday's Riverhead 200 will be no different. Riverhead Crate Modified regular CJ Lehmann will make his fourth start of the year behind the wheel of the No. 74. Lehmann has a best finish of 18th so far, which came in the June race at Riverhead. Other drivers planning to take the green include Dillon Steuer, who won the Islip 300 at Riverhead back in May. Steuer made his first career Whelen Modified Tour start at Riverhead in June and finished ninth. Kyle Soper, another New York driver, is always slated to take the green.
Winning: Through the first 12 races of the season, Preece and Solomito continue to be the only drivers to have more than one victory. Preece has five wins, while Solomito has three. Doug Coby, Patrick Emerling, Bobby Santos and Rowan Pennink have each visited Victory Lane once so far.
NASCAR Home Tracks: Whelen All American Series On Racing Card
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will not be the only division on track Saturday at the .25-mile oval in New York. The Late Models will return to the track with the Riverhead Crate Modifieds and Legends Cars also set for feature action. Source: PRESS RELEASE NASCAR HOME TRACKS KYLE SOUZA

Sundeen was on a mission.....

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photos by Wayne G. Barber.

The blue bird sky Sunday race day started with the four time limited sportsman champion Scott Sundeen looking for his first victory of the short seven race schedule. The division race had Shawn Monahan leading at 252 points to 216 for Sundeen with two events to go.
 The practice had Sundeen in the new car on top of the charts and then proved it by dominating his heat race.

Monahan has always been known for running for wins and not points but this chance was looking very good for a driver that can drive any type of race car to join the record books with a Limited Sportsman Track Championship at Thompson.
 The green flag came down and the former 2013 division champion Steve Kenneway #26 dive bombed from fourth to the early lead and set a torrid pace for the 20 lap sprint. Brent Gleason who has been the fastest in this division all year matched his surge for the claim for the lead and the old pro's who started from the 5th hole to the 8th hole which included 5 time champion Larry Barnett, Scott Sundeen and Shawn Monahan had to make a quick move or be out of the running.
 Sundeen burped on the start finish lane at the end of lap one and headed for the infield and then turned back onto the track with a few battle scars from the lack of horse power and lost 17 spots of the nice 27 car field. We all looked at each other in the press box and wondered if the Old Fox (Sundeen) could drive his way to the front another time in his Hall of Fame career.
 The march was on for him and for the other seasoned veterans to do what they do best in a race car.
 When Sundeen reached Barnett everyone grabbed their seats to witness another classic duel between these two stars and they did just that for two laps of side by side action and Barnetts car faded just a notch for Sundeen to take the spot. All along was Monahan staying in the top 5 to pounce if the sheet metal started to fly ahead. On lap 19 Sundeen made the down low pass of sticking his nose in making it stick for the impressive victory.  The veteran wheelman who spoke about the tough battle to the front in victory lane. “We had a really good car. They were being rough up front and I just stuck my nose in and got them with a couple to go,” Sundeen said.Brent Gleason claimed the silver metal today and Kenneway led the most laps and a well earned third place for his race team and Shawn Monahan is where he wants to be by entering the final points race of 2017 at the October World Series with a 29 point lead over Sundeen, 300 to 271  Next is Brent Gleason at 252 with a very costly win early in the season which resulted in a DQ and 50 points that would have changed this whole race re-cap. Maybe the track should increase the distance of this fan friendly full fendered race to 25 laps or even 30 and pitch in a extra few bucks into the purse.
The car count is there and the quality of the drivers could not be any higher in New England.
 Have to admit that I miss Al Stone, Phil Jacques and Josh Wood in the field today.
 My hard luck charger award go's to last years division champion Ryan Waterman who dented the cement wall with Michael Malbaurn and hit the pits and made it back out and again from the back of the field garnered a fifth place finish that had to feel as good as a win for this fast maturing Rock Star in his black Darth Vader #75   Thank You, to everyone who was in this race for the awesome performance to the largest roar from the grandstands in this scribes opinion today.

LIMITED SPORTSMAN FINISH TOP-10: 1. Scott Sundeen (Sutton, MA); 2. Brent Gleason (Griswold, CT); 3. Steve Kenneway (Lowell, MA); 4. Shawn Monahan (Waterford, CT); 5. Ryan Waterman (Danielson, CT); 6. Jesse Gleason (Lisbon, CT); 7. Michael Palin (Dudley, MA); 8. Larry Barnett (Moosup, CT); 9. Kevin Bowe (Smithfield, RI); 10. Corey Fanning

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park Sk Lite's Results 9-10-17

Posted by Wayne G Barber & Photos by Wayne G. Barber

In the press box Griswold said: “The kid is a good driver, but I don’t know why in the hell he gave me the top side of the race track,” Griswold said. “… He was getting looser and looser as the race went on, so I think he was trying to protect at that point. And we just had a stout racecar again.”

A seasoned veteran Glenn Griswold #60 who calls Vernon, Conn. home who competes weekly in the Sk Lite's at all three Connecticut short tracks nick named " The War Horse" applied his skill in four races at Thompson today.  First in the Sunoco Sk 20( 4th)/20 (5th)/10 (3rd) and in his number #27 Sunoco Sk mod and one race to victory lane in his Sk Lite #60 with a fantastic duel with Christopher Veins # 33 from Putnam, Conn. A short field of seven cars was fulfilling for the race fans because of the fantastic duel between Viens and Griswold for 6 laps. Just like Mohegan Sun when a poker player say's he' ( All In) Veins did the same thing diving low on the apron for the win on the last lap and he did not get the right turn and did a 360 spin while Griswold celebrated and the remainder of the field moved up a position. I asked Griswold in the press box about the car count and he thought some of his other regular competitors were going to make the trip but had damage from the two previous nights racing and short budgets at this time of the racing season. Bert Ouellette in the #151 came over after a very good career in the New England Truck Series and stood in victory lane at this track and is coming along just fine in the SK Lite and brings it home is one piece to the delight of his owners.

UU-Official Finish 20 laps  No Points for the Sk Lites in 2017

1 Glenn Griswold #60   $300
2 Glenn Korner     #27   $225
3 Albert Ouellette #151  $175
4 Rick Williams    #59   $150
5 Chris Correll      #7     $135
6 Christopher Veins #33 $120
7 Eddie Chicoski    #45  $115

Patnode Sweeps Daddy's Pizza Twin Features

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

 Todd Patnode (Swanzey,N.H.) driving the Rusty Ball owned modified raced to both victories of the Claremont double features Friday Sept. 8

   

   Sponsored by Daddy's Pizza, the start of feature number one had Brian Robie (Claremont N.H.) and Brandee Tree (Nottingham,N.H.) sharing the front row.

Robie sped out to the initial lead with Patnode coming from row two to follow in Robie's tire tracks, but a lap 12 restart had Patnode taking over the point and raced on to his first Claremont victory of the year.

   Up and coming young driver Dylan Rock (Enfield, N.H.) made his presents know starting mid pack and charging to third place until his adventure ended stuffed against the front stretch wall severely dam
aging his machine on lap 15.

   After experiencing rear suspension problems in his heat race Russ Hersey (Swanzey, N.H.) started in the last row and by the halfway mark he raced pass Robie putting himself on Patnode's rear bumper. Hersey's bid for victory ended on lap 24 when another suspension part failed and Hersey came to a halt on the back stretch. This handed the runner up spot back to Robie with 3 time winner Dana Smith (Sunapee, N.H.) and Nick Salva (Cheshire, CT.) closing quickly.

   Patnode ran out the last 6 laps in the lead while he watched Robie, Smith and Salva battle for the runner up position in his rear view mirror. At the checkers it was a freight train finish with Patnode leading Robie, Smith and Salva. Fifteen year old Sammy Rameau (Westminster,MA.) rounded out the top 5.

   Six yellow flags kept the competitors tightly packed throughout the event.

   When the second feature event took to the 1/3 mile oval the starting field was inverted from the first 30 lap finish.

   Brandee Tree and Chris Bolton (Weare,N.H.) charged off turn 4 to the green with Bolton leading the first 5 laps but the first of 4 yellow flags changed the complexion of the race as Patnode wasted no time and took command on the restart holding the rest at bay until 15 year old Sammy Rameau overpowered Patnode to become the new race leader on lap 16. A lap 18 spin by Salva slowed the action briefly and on the restart officials deemed Rameau jumped the start and was sent to the rear. Rameau's team disagreed with the officials call and decided to park their car instead of taking up the rear of the field. This handed the lead back to Patnode who ran out the remaining laps at the point with Dana Smith second. Salva recovered from his spin to finish 3rd.

   Chris Bolton turned in an impressive performance to finish 4th and Mark Cole was 5th.

   Patnode's two victories gave him the overall points lead for the event. Finishing 3rd in the first feature and 2nd in the last one gave Dana Smith second place overall. Nick Salva had a 4th and 3rd to pick up the 3rd podium spot.

The Racing Guys invited tour type Modifieds who have raced in the Tri-Track Open Modified Series in 2016/2017 to race at this event.

In addition to the Claremont racing purse, bonus money was awarded to the top 5 Tri Track Open Modified Series driver, who in this case was Dana Smith.

In addition to the bonus money a trophy was presented.

It was also the night to honor Dwight Jarvis. A crash in a previous race kept the champion from driving, but a nice plaque was presented to a humble Dwight.

Heat winners, Dylan Rock, Jeff Murray

Total results for the two features;

1----20-Todd Patnode

2----14-Dana Smith

3----44-Nick Salva

4----16-Mark Cole

5----25-Brian Robie

6----84-Brandee Tree

7----63-Chris Bolton

8----8-Chris Jenson

9----88-Russ Hersey

10--3-Jeff Murray

11--13-Cameron Sontag

12--47-Dylan Rock

13--6-Sammy Rameau  

Story by James Snape

photos by Simply the Best,  Crystal Snape 

Squeglia Wins his Second Star Classic!

Posted by Wayne G. Barber   GSPSS Results

Last years winner of the Star Classic Joe Squeglia of Derry, NH dominated at Star all weekend, taking the win for the second year in a row. Squeglia and 2016 winner Derek Griffith of Hudson, NH both had fast practice times and won their respective heats on Friday. 

John Peters of Westbrook, ME started on the pole with Griffith on the outside. Squeglia started third.  Points leader Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA started deep in the field in the 17^th position. Nipping at O’Sullivan’s heals in the points chase, Scott MacMichael of New London, NH started fifth and Barry Gray of Belchertown, MA who is third in points started fourth in the field.

Griffith took an early lead and held until lap 19 when Squeglia passed him to keep it the remainder of the race. Peters kept Squeglia on his toes much of the race trying to capture the lead.  MacMichael ran a good race consistently running in the top five and made several bids for the top three. Gray also raced hard throughout the race, until he was involved in a caution on lap 87 pushing him out of the top ten.

Newcomer, fourteen-year-old Jimmy Renfrew Jr. of Candia, NH also made a good show of his abilities starting 18^th and finishing 10^th earning himself the Hard Charger Award. Mike Mitchell of Cumberland, RI started 11^th in a car leant to him by Jeremy Davis and finished fourth for the night. In the final twenty laps of the race Squeglia and Peters pulled away from the rest of the pack, racing hard for the win. Griffith finished third, Todd Stone of Middlebury, VT finished fourth. MacMichael finished fifth rounding out the top five, closing in on O’Sullivan in the point standings.

Friday, October 13, The Granite State Pro Stock Series will be racing 60 laps, at Thompson Speedway, in Thompson, CT. for their World Series event, which boasts 18 divisions running over the weekend. For more information, follow The Granite State Pro Stock Series on Facebook or at www.gspss.net 

Unofficial Finish

1          03 Joe Squeglia

2          51 John Peters   

3          12 Derek Griffith 

4          1X Todd Stone

5          72 Scott MacMichael

6          09 M Mike Mitchell

7          39 Nick Lascuola  

8          00 Jimmy Renfrew Jr. 

9          21 Josh King 

10        7 Cory Casagrande

11       44 Rusty Poland

12        29 Barry Gray

13       08 Mike O'Sullivan

14       43 Devin O'Connell

15       46 Jake Venada

16       1 Jeff Jolly

17        18 Michael Scorzelli

18        32 Nick Jenkins

19        4 Tommy O'Sullivan

20        M32 Stephen Murphy

21        42 Brad Babb

Stafford Speedway Results from 9-8-17

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Glen Reen made a 3-wide move at the front of the field to take the lead but a crash on the backstretch involving Mike Christopher, Jr., Tyler Hines, and Todd Owen brought the caution out before a lap could be completed.

On the restart, Reen’s car didn’t come up to speed, which bottlenecked the entire outside line as Stephen Kopcik took the lead with Chase Dowling, Keith Rocco, Eric Berndt, and Ted Christopher lined up behind him.  The caution came back out with 3 laps complete for a spin on the backstretch by Tommy Membrino, Jr. and Payton Henry.

Kopcik took the lead on the restart with Dowling and Berndt right behind him.  Rocco was fourth in line with Josh Wood in fifth.  Christopher was sixth with Tony Membrino, Jr. in seventh and Rowan Pennink was up to eighth.  Dowling powered his way around Kopcik to take the lead on lap-8 and Berndt followed him through as Kopcik fell back to third in line.  Christopher was now fourth with Rocco in fifth.  Joey Cipriano spun in turn 4 to bring the caution out with 24 laps complete.  The order for the restart would be Dowling and Berndt on the front row, Christopher and Kopcik on the second row, and Pennink and Rocco in the third row.

Dowling took the lead on the restart with Christopher in second.  Pennink got by Berndt to move into third with Berndt fourth and Kopcik fifth.  Christopher got to the inside of Dowling in turn 4 on lap-30 and he took the lead at the line.  Dowling slotted into line in second with Pennink right behind him in third.  Dowling was able to get to Christopher’s bumper but couldn’t get close enough to make an attempt at a pass and with 5 laps to go, he was still right behind Christopher with Pennink right behind him in third.

Dowling looked to have a good run on lap-39 but Christopher blocked the move down the backstretch.  Christopher held Dowling off to the checkered flag to pick up his sixth win of the 2017 season.  Pennink finished third with Berndt and Kopcik rounding out the top-5.

Ted Christopher now has a track leading 109 SK victories and 131 overall at this facility.

SK MODIFIED® (40)

1) Ted Christopher, Plainville

2) Chase Dowling, Roxbury

3) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa

4) Eric Berndt, Cromwell

5) Stephen Kopcik, Newtown

6) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma

7) Keith Rocco, Berlin

8) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury

9) Cam McDermott, Canterbury

10) Ronnie Williams, Tolland

11) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury

12) Payton Henry, Willington

13) Tony Membrino, Jr., Berlin

14) Matt Galko, Meriden

15) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect

16) Todd Owen, Somers

17) Troy Talman, Oxford, Ma

18) D.J. Burnham, East Hartford

19) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma

20) Tyler Hines, North Haven

21) Michael Christopher, Jr., Wolcott

22) Tom Bolles, Ellington

Stafford Speedway issues stiff penalties in the SK division

Posted by Wayne G. Barber &  Photos by Wayne G. Barber

#99 SK Modified, driver Rowan Pennink 
Infraction- Over-aggressive driving.
Penalties- Removed from the SMS handicap system, must start last in heat and feature for the next 2 events attended.
Loss of one tire credit.
Loss of all practice time for next event attended. 
Placed on probation for the next 2 events attended.

#13 SK Modified, driver Ted Christopher 
Infraction- Actions detrimental to the Sport, off-track.
Penalties- Removed from the SMS handicap system, must start last in heat and feature for the next 2 events attended. 
Loss of one tire credit. 
Loss of all practice time for the next event attended. 
Placed on probation for the next 2 events attended.