Winston-Salem, NC-- “You couldn’t write a script better than this,” said John Smith of Mount Airy about his Friday night performance in the Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Smith, who is sponsored by G-OIL, drew the pole for the G-OIL 100 and led every lap to claim the checkered – winning an additional $1,000 bonus from G-OIL. “We’re going to have to enjoy this one. This doesn’t happen very often,” said Smith.

Danny Bohn of Huntersville drew the outside front row for his starting spot and gave Smith several strong challenges for the top spot. In addition to the initial start, Bohn took to the outside for each of the four caution restarts. “They aren’t going to give you the bottom so you just give it all you can on the outside,” said Bohn.

The restarts provided an interesting dynamic as Smith performed better during the long runs while Bohn was stronger immediately during the restarts.

“You’re always worried about the restarts,” said Smith. “He was doing what he could to rattle me up. Once he got me sideways - but I knew once I settled in and settled down I could get away from him.”

“I wish I could’ve gotten him, but there’s plenty more racing this year,” said Bohn. “There were probably a couple of things I could’ve done to make the car a little better. It was really good early - and in these long races if you’re real good early in the race, you’ll tend to loosen up towards the end of the race. We were real fast until about halfway, and then I just couldn’t get up off the corner like I wanted to.”

Michael Clifton of Walkertown finished in third, with Jason Myers of Walnut Cove climbing up from a 19th place start to finish fourth.

In the Classic Muscle Sportsman Series, Noah Triplett of Tyro grabbed the checkered in the first 20-lapper – it was his third win in a row. Zack Clifton of Walkertown brought home the win in the second race.

Billy Gregg of Lexington won a wild 20-lapper for the Q104.1 New Country Street Stock Series after nudging John Holleman of Winston-Salem out of the way to grab the lead.

And in the Summer Shootout Stadium Stock Series, Chuck Wall of Lexington and Tyler Burke of Winston-Salem each won a 15-lap race.

The racing action continues Saturday night with the NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 for the K&N Pro Series East. Plus the Modifieds will race in another white-knuckled 100-lapper.

Gates open at 6:00 for practice and the first race is at 8:00 – on both Friday and Saturday nights. Ticket prices, directions, and more information can be found online at www.bowmangrayracing.com or by calling (336) 723-1819.

Race Results
Brad’s Golf Cars Modified Series
G-OIL 100: 100 laps

FINISH  CAR     DRIVER  HOMETOWN
1       25      John Smith      Mount Airy, NC
2       53      Danny Bohn      Huntersville, NC
3       50      Michael Clifton Walkertown, NC
4       4       Jason Myers     Walnut Cove, NC
5       83      Tim Brown       Rural Hall, NC
6       77      Lee Jeffreys    Wallburg, NC
7       1       Burt Myers      Walnut Cove, NC
8       13      Chris Fleming   Mount Airy, NC
9       5       Randy Butner    Pfafftown, NC
10      22      Jonathan Brown  Winston-Salem, NC
11      75      Robert Jeffreys Wallburg, NC
12      05      Tony Black      Lexington, NC
13      21      Tommy Neal      Walkertown, NC
14      3       Danny Propst    Monroe, NC
15      64      Steven Truell   Winston-Salem, NC
16      27      Zach Brewer     Winston-Salem, NC
17      07      Kevin Neal      Walkertown, NC
18      80      Jeff Fultz      Mooresville, NC
19      68      Robbie Brewer   Winston-Salem, NC
20      2       Joseph Brown    Winston-Salem, NC
21      66      Ronnie Clifton  Walkertown, NC
22      9       Bobby Sheffield Mooresville, NC
23      81      Austin Pack     Walkertown, NC


Classic Muscle Sportsman Series:
1st Sportsman race: 20 laps

FINISH  CAR     DRIVER  HOMETOWN
1       70      Noah Triplett   Tyro, NC
2       50      Barry Edwards   Pinnacle, NC
3       86      Taylor Branch   Lewisville, NC
4       3       Jeff Garrison   Arcadia, NC
5       76      Mack Little     Mocksville, NC
6       26      Michael Tilley  Winston-Salem, NC
7       72      Bryant Robertson        Lexington, NC
8       21      Ryan Robertson  Winston-Salem, NC
9       81      Zack Clifton    Walkertown, NC
10      09      David Adams     Yadkinville, NC
11      38      Mitch Gales     Thomasville,NC
12      19      Michael Adams   Yadkinville, NC
13      83      Bubba Gale      Mocksville, NC
14      02      Derek Stoltz    Walkertown, NC
15      18      Kenny Bost      Lexington, NC
16      55      Zack Ore        Winston-Salem, NC
17      22      Stacey Miller   Kernersville, NC
18      92      Kyle Southern   King, NC
19      03      Kenny Mitchell  Winston-Salem, NC
20      28      Todd Tilley     Winston-Salem, NC
21      11      Wayne Hill      Winston-Salem, NC
22      20      Jacob Creed     Ararat, NC
23      32      Zack Staley     Lexington, NC
24      16      Kirk Sheets     Winston-Salem, NC
25      01      Jimmy Absher    Rural Hall, NC

2nd Sportsman race: 20 laps

FINISH  CAR     DRIVER  HOMETOWN
1       81      Zack Clifton    Walkertown, NC
2       19      Michael Adams   Yadkinville, NC
3       38      Mitch Gales     Thomasville,NC
4       21      Ryan Robertson  Winston-Salem, NC
5       02      Derek Stoltz    Walkertown, NC
6       86      Taylor Branch   Lewisville, NC
7       76      Mack Little     Mocksville, NC
8       3       Jeff Garrison   Arcadia, NC
9       50      Barry Edwards   Pinnacle, NC
10      09      David Adams     Yadkinville, NC
11      32      Zack Staley     Lexington, NC
12      18      Kenny Bost      Lexington, NC
13      83      Bubba Gale      Mocksville, NC
14      72      Bryant Robertson        Lexington, NC
15      55      Zack Ore        Winston-Salem, NC
16      03      Kenny Mitchell  Winston-Salem, NC
17      70      Noah Triplett   Tyro, NC
18      22      Stacey Miller   Kernersville, NC
19      26      Michael Tilley  Winston-Salem, NC
20      28      Todd Tilley     Winston-Salem, NC
21      92      Kyle Southern   King, NC
22      01      Jimmy Absher    Rural Hall, NC

-end-

(Stafford Springs, CT)---Stafford Speedway was back to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with a nod to the United States Armed Forces with Town Fair Tire Military Appreciation Night. 

Taking down feature wins on the night were Danny Cates in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Woody Pitkat in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Chase Dowling in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Austin Bessette in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Johnny Walker in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.

In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Zach Aszklar took the lead at the green.  Danny Cates and Michael Gervais, Jr. dueled side by side for second before Cates took the spot. Cates then moved by Aszklar on lap-4 to take over the race lead.  Ted Christopher was quickly charging his way through the field, as he cracked into the top-5 in fourth place and Woody Pitkat was following him towards the front of the pack.

On lap-7 Christopher was making a move to take over second place, but a multicar incident in turn 2 involving Sean Foster, Michael Bennett, Glen Reen, and several other cars brought the caution out.

Cates took the lead on the restart with Christopher moving into second.  Todd Owen was third, with Ryan Preece and Aszklar behind him.  Pitkat was about to move by Aszklar for fifth place, but Michael Bennett stalled coming off pit road and the caution came out.

Cates again took the lead on the restart, but the field could only complete one lap before Foster spun through the frontstretch grass to bring the yellow flag back out.

Cates took the lead on the restart, while Preece and Christopher were locked in a side by side fight for second.  Christopher got the better run on the outside of Preece and took the spot on lap-11.  Pitakt was fourth behind Preece, with Owen right on his bumper in fifth place.

Cates was continuing to lead, but positions were shuffling behind him as Preece moved by Christopher to take second, and Pitkat followed him by to move into third.  Owen was fifth behind Christopher, with Frank Ruocco right on his bumper in sixth place.  Shawn Thibeault came to a stop on the backstretch with 16 laps complete to bring out the caution.

The restart saw Cates side by side with Preece for the lead and Pitkat and Christopher side by side for third for two full laps before Cates got clear into the lead.  Pitkat and Preece were now side by side for second, with Owen fourth, Ruocco fifth, and Christopher back to sixth.  Pitkat got the better of the fight with Preece and took second on lap-22.

Preece nearly had a move completed on Pitkat for second place on lap-26, but Pitkat was able to keep Preece behind him as Cates continued to lead the race.  Owen was fourth behind Cates, Pitkat, and Preece, while Ruocco and Christopher were still behind Owen in fifth and sixth with 10 laps to go.

The running order remained the same when the caution came out with 36 laps complete for a spin by Tommy Membrino, Jr. in turns 3+4.  The order for the restart was Cates and Pitkat on the front row, Preece and Owen in the second row, Ruocco and Christopher in the third row, Rowan Pennink and Doug Coby in the fourth row, and Eric Berndt and Keith Rocco in the fifth row.

Cates took the lead back under green with Preece moving into second. Pitkat was third, with Ruocco fourth and Christopher fifth.  Preece closed in on Cates' bumper for the white flag lap with Pitkat right on his bumper in third.  Cates was able to keep the lead to the checkered flag to pick up his first SK Modified® victory at Stafford.  Preece, Pitkat, Ruocco, and Christopher rounded out the top-5.

In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Rick Charette took the lead and began to set the pace  Jay Stuart quickly worked his way into second and he was making a move for the race lead when Andrew Durand spun coming off turn 4, which collected several cars behind him and brought the caution out with 3 laps complete to put Charette back in front for the restart.

Charette took the lead on the restart with Stuart slotting quickly into second place.  Cory Casagrande was third in line, with Woody Pitkat and Adam Gray behind him.  Stuart made a move for the lead on lap-5 and Casagrande followed him by Charette to drop Charette back to third, just in front of Pitkat and Gray.  Pitkat wasted little time in making the move by Charette and his pass opened the door for a train of cars to all move by Charette.  Charette fell back to 11th place before he was able to get his car back in line.

Stuart and Casagrande had several car lengths on Pitkat in third, who had a half straightaway over Gray, Fearn, and Jim Mavlouganes, who were nose to tail for fourth through sixth place.  J.J. Hill was beginning to make some moves for position as he took seventh place away from Mark St. Hilaire on lap-11.

At the halfway point of the feature, Casagrande had closed up to Stuart's bumper for the lead with Pitkat slowly closing down the distance to Casagrande.  The top-3 were a half straightaway in front of Gray in fourth, with Fearn, Mavlouganes, and Hill behind them.

Casagrande made a move for the lead on lap-19, but he got loose in turns 3+4 and Pitkat used that opportunity to take over second.  Pitkat then got to the inside of Stuart on lap-21 and he moved to the front with Casagrande following him by Stuart.  Gray was now closing in on Stuart for third place while Fearn was still several car lengths behind Gray in fifth place.

Casagrande stayed right with Pitkat over the final laps, but he wasn't able to make a move as Pitkat picked up his first win of the 2013 season.  Gray finished third, with Fearn and Hill rounding out the top-5.

In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Glenn Griswold took the lead at the green with Joey Ferrigno behind him in second, but the caution came out with 1 lap complete as Ronnie Williams got into the backstretch wall and spun to the grass.

Joey Ferrigno and Griswold were side by side for the lead back under green with Tony Santangelo moving into third place.  Jason Lafayette was fourth, but he and Santangelo touched wheels on lap-4, which got both cars slightly out of shape and dropped them back in the field.  Ferrigno got loose on lap-5 coming out of turn 2, which allowed Griswold to pull out to a sizable lead over Ferrigno in second.  Rich Hammann was now third, with Troy Talman, Jay Goff, Bob Charland and the side by side duo of Chase Dowling and Dylan Menditto behind them.

At the halfway point of the race, Griswold had a nearly half straightaway lead over Hammann in second.  Dowling was making good time in the outside groove and he was up to third, with Talman and Ferrigno behind him.  Dowling was putting heavy pressure on Hammann for second while Griswold continued to set the pace.  Dowling made a crossover move on Hammann to take second place on lap-15 and Talman followed him by Hammann to move into third.

Griswold's lead was beginning to shrink as Dowling was closing in fast and at the completion of lap-17 he was right on Griswold's bumper and he made a move going into turn 1 on lap-18 to take over the race lead.

Dowling led the field back to thoe checkered flag for his second win of the 2013 season.  Griswold finished second, with Talman, Hammann, and Goff rounding out the top-5.

In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Albert Saunders took the lead at the green flag with Jesse Hinze moving into a side by side battle with Austin Bessette for second place.  Hinze took the spot while Bessette fell back into a side by side battle with DJ Burnham for third.  Duane Provost spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 1 lap complete.

On the restart, Saunders took the lead with Hinze falling into line in second.  Joe Nogiec spun in turn 3, but he was able to get moving and the race stayed green.  Hinze was beginning to pressure Saunders for the lead on lap-4 and he took the lead going down the backstretch.  Hinze's move opened the door for Bessette to follow Hinze by Saunders and take over second.  Burnham, Josh Wood, and Don Wood all followed the train by Saunders to drop him back to sixth place in line.

Bessette made a move to the inside of Hinze to take over the lead on lap-7 and Burnham, Josh Wood, Don Wood, Saunders, and Davie Arute all got by Hinze on lap-8 to drop him back to seventh place.  The top-3 of Bessette, Burnham, and Josh Wood were beginning to break away as Don Wood and Saunders were putting on a great fight for fourth place.  Just behind Wood and Saunders was Arute with Andrew Hayes and Hinze side by side behind Arute.

With 5 laps to go, Bessette was beginning to stretch out his lead over Burnham and Josh Wood, with Don Wood and Arute making up the top-5.  Bessette cruised to the checkered flag to pick up his first win in the Limited Late Model division.  Burnham finished second, with Josh wood, Don Wood, and Arute rounding out the top-5.

For more information contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at (860) 684-2783, or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
                ###
 
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Danny Cates, Chaplin
2) Ryan Preece, Berlin
3) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
4) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
5) Ted Christopher, Plainville
6) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa
7) Todd Owen, Somers
8) Doug Coby, Middletown
9) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
10) Dan Avery, Somers
11) Keith Rocco, Meriden
12) Tom Bolles, Ellington
13) Sean Foster, Willington
14) Michael Bennett, Stafford Springs
15) Brian Sullivan, South Windsor
16) Curt Brainard, Canton
17) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
18) Zach Aszklar, Wallingford
19) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect
20) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma
21) Shawn Thibeault, Plainville
 
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
2) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
3) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
4) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
5) J.J. Hill, Stafford Springs
6) Jim Mavlouganes, Bethany
7) Jay Stuart, Preston
8) Ryan Posocco, Stafford Springs
9) Mark St. Hilaire, Berlin
10) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
11) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
12) Rick Charette, Vernon
13) Dennis Botticello, Suffield
14) Michael Scorzelli, Feura Bush, Ny
15) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
16) Tony Lafo, Higganum
17) Peter Portante, Plainville
18) George Nocera, Jr., Plainville
19) Andrew Durand, Chicopee, Ma
20) Peter Thickett, Watertown
21) Art Caruso, Windsor
 
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Chase Dowling, Roxbury
2) Glenn Griswold, Vernon
3) Troy Talman, Oxford, Ma
4) Rich Hammann, Tolland
5) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
6) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
7) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
8) Bob Charland, Stafford
9) Dylan Menditto, Brooklyn
10) Jason Lafayette, Somers
11) Payton Henry, Willington
12) Tony Santangelo, Middlefield
13) Dylan Campbell, Southborough, Ma
14) Todd Douillard, Palmer, Ma
15) Wes Prucker, Stafford
16) Geoff Boisjolie, East Hampton, Ma
17) Shayne Prucker, Stafford Springs
18) Ronnie Williams, Tolland
 
-end-

Thompson, CT: Ryan Preece, John Studley, Rick Gentes, Scott Sundeen and Eric Bourgeois earned NASCAR Whelen All-American Series victories in the kick-off of the Thursday Night Thompson Thunder (TNTT) program at Thompson Speedway.

Preece used a restart to take the lead on lap eight of the 30-lap Sunoco Modified feature Thursday night and held off a determined Todd Ceravolo through a series of restarts for the victory.

Jay Sundeen took the early lead in the feature event, but Paul Newcomb quickly took it away coming out of turn two on the first circuit. Ceravolo challenged for second as Sundeen held him off before spinning in turn two and bringing out the first caution of the night. On the restart, Newcomb chose the high line to hold off Ceravolo and drive back out to the front. Ryan Preece and Woody Pitkat got into the mix before the lap was over. The four cars ran nose-to-tail until lap six when the caution flew for a spin on the backstretch.

On the restart, Ceravolo found his opportunity and drove by for the lead. Preece used the bottom groove to get by Newcomb for second as Keith Rocco looked to do the same. On lap eight, Newcomb got loose on the backstretch and collected Pitkat to bring out the third caution of the night.

Preece took the lead on the restart with Ceravolo on his bumper and Rocco underneath him. Rocco settled back into third, but continued to ride Ceravolo’s bumper until caution slowed the pace at lap 12. Preece maintained the lead when green flag racing resumed. Ceravolo and Rocco stayed close behind as the race reached the halfway mark, but Preece was able to put two car lengths over them for a little bit of breathing room. Preece proved his mastery of restarts by holding off Ceravolo on lap 18 and 19 restarts. Pitkat took over third and Rocco held on for fourth. The top four ran single file for the next several laps until the final three laps when Pitkat drove underneath Ceravolo for the second position. The battle for second allowed Preece to pull away to a comfortable lead at the checkers.

John Studley held off Cam McDermott for the Lite Modified win. Glenn Griswold took the early lead with a lot of pressure from Studley on the high side. Coming out of turn four, Studley dropped to the bottom to get by and officially lead the first lap. Cam McDermott challenged Griswold on the third circuit using the same bottom groove Studley did, but Griswold fought back and the duo battled for the next several laps. Meanwhile, Studley opened up a comfortable one-second lead over McDermott, who got by for second on the lap six. McDermott reeled in Studley lap after lap and was within two car lengths by lap 14. On lap 15, McDermott was on Studley’s back bumper, but Studley held him off to take the checkers on the 20-lap feature.

Rick Gentes took the lead from Chad LaBastie coming out of turn four following a late-race restart and held on for the Late Model victory after a back and forth battle with LaBastie that lasted most of the caution-filled race. LaBastie scraped the wall in turn four just four laps before the race conclusion and fell out of contention.

Wayne Coury, Sr. and LaBastie brought the field to green, but it was all LaBastie coming out of turn two. Coury dropped back in the field as John Falconi maneuvered his way into the second spot and Rick Gentes took over third. The top-three pulled away from the rest of the field and the battle for second heated up. Gentes dropped to the bottom groove and challenged Falconi at lap five, but Falconi held him off. The trio continued a torrid pace around the 5/8th’s mile until lap eight when Gentes dropped to the bottom again and got alongside Falconi for a tight door-to-door battle. Gentes had a slight advantage coming out of turn two on lap nine, but Falconi once again held him off. Gentes contested on the following circuit and took over the position before caution flew.

On the restart, LaBastie and Gentes went side-by-side into the first turn and remained that way until LaBastie got an advantage coming out of turn two. Gentes kept his foot in the throttle, however, and stayed alongside LaBastie for a tight race that saw the duo swap the lead back and forth. Gentes held the top spot when caution flew at lap 13 for a car in the wall on the backstretch. On the restart, Gentes drove straight to the point with LaBastie right on his bumper, but he would have to do it all over again as a spun car brought the caution out once again. A multi-car wreck on the following lap lined the field up once again for a third attempt at green flag racing.

LaBastie reclaimed the lead on lap 14 with Gentes in second. Falconi and Marc Curtis, Jr. battled for third with Curtis taking the spot. The caution reemerged at lap 17 when Damon Tinio made contact with Falconi in turn two, and put LaBastie and Gentes side-by-side once again. LaBastie took the high line to the front while Curtis used the bottom to drive by Gentes and take over second. On lap 20, Gentes used the high groove to reclaim second and challenge LaBastie for the lead. LaBastie scraped the outside retaining wall coming out of turn four on lap 21 paving the way for Gentes to drive out front and pull away by a commanding lead over Curtis. LaBastie was relegated back in the field before settling into sixth. Gentes continued to extend his lead before taking the checkered flag unchallenged.

SUNOCO MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Ryan Preece, N. Falmouth, MA; 2. Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, CT; 3. Todd Ceravolo, Gales Ferry, CT; 4. Keith Rocco, Meriden, CT; 5. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 6. Dennis Perry, Pawcatuck, CT; 7. Paul Newcomb, Plymouth, MA; 8. Joe Gada, Salem, CT; 9. Stan Mertz, Whitinsville, MA; 10. Shelly Perry, Westerly, RI.

LITE MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. John Studley, Framingham, MA; 2. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 3. Glenn Griswold, Vernon, CT; 4. Dylan Menditto, Brooklyn, CT; 5. Robert Palmer, Lisbon, CT; 6. Joseph Boivin, Belchertown, MA; 7. Danny Gamache, Jr., Woonsocket, RI; 8. Eric LeClair, East Hampton, MA; 9. Bob Vojtila, Southington, CT; 10. Nikki Ouellette, East Granby, CT.     

LATE MODEL FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Rick Gentes, Burriville, RI; 2. Marc Curtis, Jr., Spencer, MA; 3. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT; 4. John Lowinski-Loh, Jr., Milford, MA; 5. Bobby Polland, Cranston, RI; 6. Derryck Anderson, Jr., Coventry, RI; 7. Chad LaBastie, Uxbridge, MA; 8. Bob O’Connell, Jr., Wrentham, MA; 9. Louis Romiza, E. Falmouth, MA; 10. Randy Tucker, Millis, MA.

-end-

TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Presented By G-Oil Rescheduled For June 7

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 23, 2013) – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race scheduled to run on Friday, May 24 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway has been postponed due to a forecast for inclement weather.

The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 presented by G-Oil has been pushed back two weeks and is now slated to be contested at the historic half mile on Friday, June 7. The raceday schedule for June 7 will remain the same as it would have been for May 24.

It will still be the next event on the 2013 Whelen Modified Tour calendar.

This is the second Whelen Modified Tour race in a row that has been postponed. The tour was to run at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H., on May 11, but that event was rescheduled for July 27 due to rain.

-end-

Analyzing The TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Pres. By G-Oil At Stafford Motor Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 21, 2013) – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race under the lights for the first time in 2013 with the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 presented by G-Oil on Friday, May 24 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. Below is a statistical look at the performance of series and selected drivers at the track:

Stafford Race Setup:

· Bobby Santos has won the last two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races at Stafford Motor Speedway, and five of his last 11 starts there overall.
· Reigning NWMT champion Doug Coby won three of the four races at Stafford last year, including the TSI Harley-Davidson 125.
· Following a rainout at Monadnock Speedway, this will be the first race since the NWMT last visited Stafford on April 28, for a span of 26 days between events.

AT STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY:

History

· The Stafford Springs Agricultural Park opened in 1870. The current race track was originally used for horse racing, which gave way to automobiles after World War II.
· Stafford Motor Speedway became a NASCAR track in 1959 and was paved in 1967.
· Stafford is one of nine tracks that have been a part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program in each of its now 32 years of competition.

Notebook
· The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has held 107 races at Stafford since 1985. The NWMT has run there every year of its existence, except for 1988.
· The 107 all-time NWMT races at Stafford rank second only to the 121 held at Thompson International Speedway.
· There have been 31 different race winners at Stafford, led by Mike Stefanik’s 20 victories. Doug Coby is the defending winner of the TSI Harley-Davidson 125.
· There have been 40 different pole winners at Stafford, led by Stefanik’s 17. Ryan Preece set the track qualifying in the 2012  Spring Sizzler while Bobby Santos earned the pole for the this event last year.
· The CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler entry list features 11 drivers that have previously won at the track, including: Stefanik (20), Ted Christopher (12), Santos (5), Coby (4), Todd Szegedy (4), Ed Flemke Jr. (3), Donny Lia (3), Jimmy Blewett (2), Ryan Preece (1), Ron Silk (1) and Jamie Tomaino (1).

Stafford Motor Speedway Data

Race: #3 of 14 overall, #2 of 4 at SMS

Track Layout: .5-mile asphalt oval
·   Race Length: 125 laps (62.5 miles)
·   Banking/Turns 1 & 2: Nine degrees
·   Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 7.5 degrees

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 Pole Winner: Bobby Santos, 98.874 mph, 18.205 secs.

2012 Race Winner: Doug Coby, 98.874 mph, 51:46

Qualifying Record: Ryan Preece, 100.424 mph, 17.924 secs., 4/29/12

ACTIVE CATEGORY LEADERS AT STAFFORD:

Wins
1. Mike Stefanik … 20
2. Ted Christopher … 12
3. Bobby Santos … 5
4. Todd Szegedy … 4
    Doug Coby … 4

Poles
1. Mike Stefanik … 17
2. Donny Lia … 7
3. Ted Christopher … 4
    Bobby Santos … 3
5. Ryan Preece … 3

Laps Led
1. Mike Stefanik … 2,165
2. Ted Christopher … 2,083
3. Todd Szegedy … 801
4. Bobby Santos … 567
5. Doug Coby … 518

Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 106
2. Mike Stefanik … 92
3. Ed Flemke Jr. … 89
4. Ted Christopher … 81
5. Wade Cole … 47

SELECTED DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS:
Jimmy Blewett (No. 76 John Blewett Inc./TS Haulers Chevrolet)
·         Has five wins, two poles and 34 top 10s in 102 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
·         Has two wins, a pole, 14 top 10s and an average finish of 14th in 29 career starts at Stafford Motor Speedway.
·         Has a current streak of six-straight top-10s at Stafford, including finishes of second and third in the final two events there last year.

Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
·         Has two wins, three poles and 26 top 10s in 48 career NWMT starts.
·         Has a pole and six top 10s in 13 career starts at Stafford.
·         Recorded his best career Stafford finish – second – in this year’s Spring Sizzler.


Ted Christopher (No. 3 Silver Dollar Construction/Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet)
·         The 2008 NWMT champion, he has 42 wins, 24 poles and 177 top 10s in 323 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 24 poles are eighth.
·         Has 12 wins, four poles and 44 top 10s in 81 career NWMT starts at Stafford.
·         Has finished in the top five in 14 of the last 25 events at Stafford, highlighted by six wins.
·         Is an eight-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion at Stafford out of the SK Modified division and has a record 118 overall career feature wins at Stafford entering this week’s events.

Doug Coby (No. 52 Reynolds Auto Wrecking/Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet)
·         The 2012 NWMT champion has seven wins, four poles and 57 top 10s in 132 career starts.
·         Has six wins and 24 top 10s in 33 overall starts with the No. 52 team since the end of the 2010 season.
·         Has four wins, two poles and 15 top 10s in 33 NWMT starts at Stafford. His first career NWMT win came in the 2006 Spring Sizzler and he won the first three events there in 2012.
·         Has 18 career feature wins and two division titles at Stafford in NWAAS action.

Donny Lia (No. 4 Circle Track Magazine Dodge)
·         The 2007 and 2009 NWMT champion. He has 16 wins, 16 poles and 65 top 10s in 129 career starts.
·         In 32 career starts at Stafford he has recorded three wins, seven poles and 19 top 10s.
·         Won the May Stafford race in 2007.

Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet)
·         Has a win and 43 top 10s in 90 career starts.
·         Has 12 top 10s, an average finish of 11th and a best result of second (twice) in 23 career starts at Stafford.
·         Is tied with Ryan Preece for the season points lead following a fifth-place finish in the Stafford Spring Sizzler.
·         Earned his first career NWAAS SK Modified win at Stafford last week.

Woody Pitkat (No. 79 Hill Enterprises/Coors Light Pontiac)
·         Has 25 top 10s in 66 career starts with a best finish of second (twice).
·         One of those runner-ups came in last year’s Stafford Fall Final, when he led a career-high 128 laps.
·         Has nine top 10s, an average finish of 16th in 19 career starts at Stafford.
·         Has 64 career feature wins at Stafford, where he has two Late Model division titles in NWAAS action.

Ryan Preece (No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford)
·         Has five wins, 12 poles and 46 top 10s in 83 career starts.
·         In 17 races with Flamingo Motorsports he has two wins, seven poles, 12 top 10s and 11 races led.
·         Is the current season points co-leader along with Rowan Pennink after two races.
·         Has a win, three poles, 12 top 10s and an average finish of 13th in 23 career NWMT starts at Stafford. His win came in the August 2009 event.
·         Was the 2011 NWAAS SK Modified division champion at Stafford, where he has eight career wins.

Bobby Santos (No. 44 Tinio Racing/Brendan Kelley Music Chevrolet)
·         The 2010 NWMT champion has nine wins, nine poles and 36 top 10s in 70 career starts.
·         Has five wins, four poles and 10 top 10s in 17 career starts at Stafford. He’s won the last two NWMT races there.
·         Has finished on the podium in nine of his last 12 Stafford races, a run that includes all five of those wins.

Ron Silk (No. 6 TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet)
·         The 2011 NWMT champion has nine wins, seven poles and 63 top 10s in 113 career starts.
·         Has a win, two poles and 12 top 10s in 30 career starts at Stafford. His win came in this event in 2011.
·         Has that win and seven top fives in 13 Stafford starts since joining forces with the No. 6 team.

Mike Stefanik (No. 22 Robert B. Our Co./Canto & Sons Paving Ford)
·         The 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006 NWMT champion.
·         Holds NWMT records for most titles (seven), wins (73), poles (48), top fives (221) and top 10s (294).
·         Leads all drivers with 20 wins, 50 top fives, 71 top 10s and 2,165 laps led at Stafford. Also has a tour-best average finish of eighth across 92 career starts there.
·         His last win at Stafford was the 2008 Fall Final, a span of 18 races, which is the longest drought of his career.

Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Dunleavy Truck & Trailer Repair/A&J Romano Construction Chevrolet)
· The 2003 NWMT champion has 17 wins, nine poles and 106 top 10s in 169 career starts.
· Has four wins, two poles, 20 top fives and an average finish of 10th in 45 career starts at Stafford. Last win there came in August 2010. The average finish is second-best among active drivers behind Mike Stefanik.
· Has an average finish of 5.5 in his last eight mid-season races at Stafford, but his last eight results in the Spring Sizzler and Fall Final events have averaged 17th.

UP TO SPEED:

· The 2013 season is the 29th for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

· The 2013 schedule features 14 races at seven different tracks across four states.

· The competition season began with the non-points UNOH Battle At The Beach on the short track at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Feb. 19. The Modified feature was won by Steve Park.

· Mike Stefanik won from the pole in the season-opening Icebreaker at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway on April 14.

· Bobby Santos matched Stefanik’s feat from the opener when he won from the pole in the second race of the season on April 28 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.

· The third race of the season was to take place at Monadnock Speedway on May 11 but the event was postponed to July 27 due to rain.

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First of Three Ground Pounding Modified Visits in 2013

OSWEGO, NY (May 16, 2013) – Oswego Speedway will play host to the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series on Saturday, May 25 as a part of the Helena Chemical Company Memorial Day Weekend ‘Triple-Header.’

The ground pounding stars of the RoC Modified Series will hit the ‘Steel Palace’ for 75-laps in the prestigious Richie Evans Memorial, won in 2012 by Hummelstown, PA driver Kyle Ebersole.

Despite arriving to the Speedway late last season with hauler issues, Ebersole managed to work his way passed JR Kent to grab the race lead holding off the charges of both Kent and Matt Hirschman to take the memorable win at Oswego.

Hirschman, the defending Race of Champions 200 winner at the Speedway, kicked off his 2013 RoC campaign with a win at the Chemung Speedrome on Sunday, May 5.  Starting from the 13th position, Hirschman worked his way to the top five by lap 22 and eventually took the lead from Austin Kochenash on lap 32 to cruise on to the victory.

The Race of Champions opener saw an impressive field of 29 Modifieds in action.

The May 5 field at the Chemung Speedrome saw several top Modified aces, which will also be expected at Oswego on May 25 in the first of three visits for the series to the ‘Steel Palace’ in 2013.

Billy Putney, Daren Scherer, Patrick Emerling, Erick Rudolph, Chuck Hossfeld, Zane Zeiner, Mike Leaty, Tony Hanbury, Rusty Smith, Tommy Cloce, TJ Potrzebowski, and Pete Brittain were all among the strong field of racers on hand.

Next Saturday’s event will be the lone trip to the Speedway for the RoC series before the big Sunoco Race of Champions Weekend on July 18-20.  With track time at a premium, the Richie Evans Memorial will be a pivotal event for the full cast of Modified racers as they look to put themselves in prime position for the 200-lap, hefty pay day on Saturday, July 20.

The RoC Modified series will return in 2013 to the Budweiser International Classic Weekend line-up.

A 100-lap affair on Friday, August 30 of Classic Weekend, presented by Corr-Pak Merchandising, will conclude their three race schedule at the Speedway this season.

Joining the RoC Asphalt Modified Series on May 25 will be Oswego’s highly competitive weekly race line-up featuring the Novelis Supermodifieds and the Pathfinder Bank SBS series.

The Supermodifieds will also compete in a 75-lap main event, with the running of the Jim Shampine Memorial, won last season by defending series champion Otto Sitterly.

The Pathfinder Bank SBS series will see a 35-lap feature go as they will take the green in the Tony White Memorial.  Cameron Rowe took the White Memorial win in 2012.

Grandstand gates will open on May 25 with the beginning of hot laps at 2pm.  The night’s first green flag is scheduled to wave at 5pm.

Be sure to visit www.oswegospeedway.com to get more information on the Novelis Fan Can Chase for 2013.  The first round of can collections for the Novelis Fan Can Chase will take place on Saturday, May 25 with several top prizes on the line, including Budweiser International Classic Weekend tickets, for those who bring in the most recycled cans at the Speedway.  Collections will take place outside the main gate to the Speedway from 1:30-4:30pm.

To purchase tickets for Oswego Speedway’s Memorial Day Weekend ‘Triple-Header’, call the Speedway box office at (315) 342-0646.  Once again in 2013, kids 16 & under will be admitted free of charge with a paid adult.

For more information on Oswego Speedway visit online at www.oswegospeedway.com, follow on Twitter @OswegoSpeedway, or like on Facebook at facebook.com/OswegoSpeedway.

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THOMPSON,CT.  The Valenti Modified Racing Series heads to Thompson Speedway this Sunday for the first of three appearances this year at the storied oval. A star-studded field of drivers is expected including defending champion, Jon McKennedy.

McKennedy will make his first start of the season in a Valenti Modified. His car owner, Art Barry, has been sidelined due to illness but he has improved enough to where he not only plans to field a car but fully intends to be at the track. “I’ve got enough guys to put a team together and I’m really looking forward to it,” said the long-time car owner.

The last time the Valenti Modified Racing Series was at Thompson was during the Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing last October.  Rowan Pennink claimed the 75-lap victory and the current VMRS point leader will be looking for a repeat win. That, however, will be a tall order for the Pennsylvania driver who will face stiff competition from a host of extremely competitive VRMS race teams.

Steve Masse won the VRMS season opener and will be joined by such racing stars as Ted Christopher, Louie Mechalides, Tommy Barrett, Chris Pasteryak, Mike Holdridge, Todd Owen, Richard Savary and many more.

An autograph session with VMRS drivers has been scheduled for 3:45 Sunday afternoon. Fans are urged to bring an item to be autographed or they can select and ideal item  at the track’s Race Day Apparel trailer or the photo booth. Cameras are also encouraged.

Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions will also be in competition. After his  Icebreaker victory, Keith Rocco is the Sunoco Modified point leader. Veteran Kerry Malone sits second in the standings and he is followed by Woody Pitkat, Ryan Preece and Todd Ceravolo. The Sunoco Modifieds will be featured in a 30-lap main event.

Glenn Boss will lead the Late Model division and Cam McDermott heads the field of Lite Modifieds. The Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman point leader is four time champion Larry Barnett with the Monster Mini Stock division topped by Scott Michalski.

All of these drivers will be faced with tough competition from the many talented race teams and drivers in each of Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions

Grandstands open at 11 AM, practice at Noon and the first qualifying race of the day is set for shortly after 2 PM. The entire day’s schedule of events is posted on the Thompson web page. www.thompsonspeedway.com

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