Christopher Scores Fifth Sunoco Modified Win at Thompson
Fuller Scores Popular Super Late Model Victory
O’Sullivan, Gleason, Sullivan, & Churchill Also Tops
Thompson, CT (September 10, 2009): A full-slate of NASCAR All-American Series racing was on tap at Thompson International Speedway on Thursday night. Six different drivers graced victory lane during Thursday Night Thompson Thunder. Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, made it look easy as he earned his fifth Sunoco Modified feature win of the season. Rick Fuller of Auburn, MA, scored a much-anticipated victory in the Super Late Model division. Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, made it two-in-a-row in Late Model action.
Jesse Gleason of Lisbon, CT, scored his first win of the season in the Limited Sportsman division. Brian Sullivan of S. Windsor, CT, scored his sixth TIS Modified feature event win of the season. In the Mini Stocks, Randy Churchill of Niantic, CT, scored consecutive victories.
In a race laden with national implications, Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, stole the show; cruising to the victory in the Sunoco Modified main event. The veteran sailed around Ronnie Silk on lap 10 in the caution-free main event. Silk bolted out to the early lead over Christopher and pole sitter Andy Gaspar.
While Kerry Malone was all over Gaspar, Rowan Pennink, Keith Rocco and Woody Pitkat jockeyed for position. Nearly a half straightaway ahead of an intense battle for third, Christopher was all over the back bumper of Silk. After laps of cat-and-mouse, Malone finally freed himself of Gaspar, who continued to fall out of the top-five.
Christopher was able to grab the lead away from Silk on lap 10 with a move in turn one. Rocco was able to gain a position from Pennink; bringing Pitkat along for the ride. Rocco immediately ran down Malone to take over third. Pitkat followed through sending Malone back to fifth.
Christopher continued to lead Silk by over 10 car-lengths. Rocco was doing little to cut into the advantage Silk enjoyed in second. With only five laps remaining, Rocco had his hands full with Pitkat, who he is also locked in a battle with for the lead in the Sunoco Modified point standings.
Pennink passed Malone to enter the top five in the closing laps. With the action behind him, Christopher handily cruised to the victory over Silk. Rocco settled for the third spot over Pitkat and Pennink. Rocco will head into the final two point races with a scant two point advantage over Pitkat.
Local favorite Rick Fuller of Auburn, MA, returned to his racing roots earlier this season making the Thompson Super Late Models his home for the 2009 season. After being close on several occasions, Fuller made his triumphant return to victory lane; his first as a driver since 2001.
Jim Banfield was having the run of his season leading the opening laps of the Super Late Model main event. He was able to gain an advantage over a heated battle for the second position between Dennis Maxfield and Rick Fuller. After several laps, Fuller was able to free himself from Maxfield. By the halfway marker, Fuller had all but caught Banfield. Larry Gelinas and Derek Ramstrom ran fender-to-fender for the fourth spot. Norm Wrenn lurked outside of the top five with Mike O’Sullivan.
Banfield maintained a two car-length advantage over Fuller. Ramstrom had gotten past Gelinas and O’Sullivan grabbed a spot away from Wrenn. With less than 10 laps to go, Fuller began to apply pressure. On lap 22, Fuller got up alongside Banfield. As they started lap 23, Fuller was the new leader. The field got strung out with Fuller in command over Banfield, Maxfield, Ramstrom and O’Sullivan. Over the final five laps, all Banfield could do was watch as Fuller motored away. On the last lap, Ramstrom caught Maxfield and applied heavy pressure.
Fuller handily headed to victory lane. Banfield had a season-high runner-up finish. Maxfield held off Ramstrom for third. Mike O’Sullivan completed the top five.
Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, proved to be the man to beat in the Late Model division for the second week in a row. O’Sullivan took the lead from Mark Oliveira early in the race event. John Materas, who had started mid-pack, looked like he was making headway toward the front. The point leader watched as promise turned to despair when mechanical failure sent the #73 pit side. The man on the move was Corey Hutchings, who had taken over the third position with the laps winding down.
An incident involving Damon Tinio brought out the caution setting up a green-white-checker restart. On the restart, Hutchings went spinning but was able to continue. The caution flew when Phil Rondeau came to rest on the front stretch. Hutchings was the beneficiary of the caution by getting his position on the last completed green flag lap.
O’Sullivan was able to gain some breathing room over Oliveira. Hutchings could not make any advances toward Oliveira. At the stripe, O’Sullivan was the winner followed by Oliveira and Hutchings. Jeff Hartwell and Tom Fox each brought home top-five finishes.
Jesse Gleason of Lisbon, CT, was an opportunist on Thursday night to top a 22-car field of Limited Sportsman; scoring his first victory of the 2009 season. The opening lap of the main event was marred by a melee involving a host of cars. Tommy Shea, running third, got out of shape in front of the pack collecting a host of cars including point leader Larry Barnett, Shawn Monahan, Paul Palen, and others. After a trip to the pits, Barnett was able to rejoin the field.
With racing finally underway it was Kevin Bowe leading the way. The second spot was being hotly contested between Jay Sundeen and Joe Coates. Barnett was quickly making his way toward the front; moving into the fifth position before the completion of lap six.
A caution at lap seven bunched up the field. Barnett jumped from the fifth spot to third on the restart. On lap eight, Barnett got along side Sundeen entering turn one. He gained the position and set his sites on Bowe. Joe Campbell had broken into the top five.
Barnett dove low on lap 10 pressuring Bowe for the lead. He made the pass look easy as he drove into the lead. Coates spun from inside of the top five on lap 11 to bring out the caution. Under the caution, Campbell watched his great run end; heading down pit road.
On the restart, Barnett faltered going from the lead to the tail-end of the field in a single lap. Bowe had inherited the lead but his day ended with mechanical woes as well; handing the lead over to Jesse Gleason. Chris “Moose” Douton found himself in the second position. In the closing laps, Douton had caught the bumper of the leader Gleason. Gleason was up for the challenge to score his first win of the season. Douton settled for second over Sundeen, Gerald Sevigny, and Coates.
Brian Sullivan of S. Windsor, CT, continued to set the bar in the TIS Modified division with another win on Thursday night. The TIS Modified main event, too, was marred by an opening lap incident. Outside pole-sitter Jay Sundeen lost the handle on his TIS Modified sending the field scattering in turn two. After a complete restart, point leader Sullivan rocketed into the lead. R.J. Marcotte was all over the back bumper of Sullivan. Boss ran alone in the third position.
Both Brian Tagg and Cam McDermott were mired in traffic back in the pack. At the halfway marker, John Studley made contact with the outside wall. This freed up the lane for Tagg to start making his way toward the front. Tagg took over the fourth spot from Bart Ramos and looked to hunt down Boss. In the waning laps Sullivan was able to open up a slight advantage over Marcotte. Boss was secure in the third place as Tagg could do little to cut down the margin.
In the end, Sullivan was able to extend his point lead with his sixth victory of the season. Marcotte came home the runner-up over Boss. Tagg and Ramos rounded out the top five.
Randy Churchill of Niantic, CT, scored his second straight Mini Stock feature victory over point leader Scott Michalski in a photo-finish. The duo went door-to-door over the final laps with Churchill taking the top spot by mere inches over Sc. Michalski.
With early leader Jeff Moffat at the head of the pack in the early going things were busy inside the top five. Churchill had already worked his way into the second spot before the completion of lap five. Brad Caddick spun from the fourth position to bring out the event’s first caution. Steve Michalski was penalized for his involvement in the incident. On the restart Moffat was able to maintain his advantage. But less than a lap later, Churchill catapulted into the lead bringing Sc. Michalski along for the ride. Tim Taylor had caught Moffat before the second caution flew for a single car incident involving Nick Anderson.
On the ensuing restart, Sc. Michalski was able to get the advantage; however, when they crossed the stripe to complete the lap Churchill edged ahead by inches. Over the final laps, the two ran door-to-door while Moffat had his hands full holding off Taylor. The duo headed out of turn four coming to the checkers in a dead-heat. Churchill motored toward the checkers; edging out Sc. Michalski for the win. Moffat held on for the third spot. Taylor and Scott Jassaume completed the top five.
Sunoco Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 2. Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, CT; 3. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 4. Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 5. Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon, PA; 6. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 7. Danny Cates, Chaplin, CT; 8. Tim Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 9. Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT; 10. Andy Gaspar, Andover, MA.
Super Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 2. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 3. Dennis Maxfield, Fitchburg, MA; 4. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 5. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 6. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 7. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 8. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 9. Mike Stefanik, Coventry, RI; 10. Daryl Stampfl, Norwood, MA.
Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 2. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA; 3. Corey Hutchings, Salem, CT; 4. Jeff Hartwell, E. Putnam, CT; 5. Tom Fox, Plainfield, CT; 6. Jeremy Sadowski, Voluntown, CT; 7. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT; 8. Dennis Stampfl, Norwood, MA; 9. Phil Rondeau, Baltic, CT; 10. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA.
Limited Sportsman Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Jesse Gleason, Lisbon, CT; 2. Chris Douton, Waterford, CT; 3. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Gerald Sevigny, Brooklyn, CT; 5. Joe Coates, Eastford, CT; 6. John Carpenter, Danielson, CT; 7. Mike Palin, Dudley, MA; 8. J.P. Lwoinski, Jr., Milford, MA; 9. Dana Young, Willimantic, CT; 10. Joe Plonski, Worcester, MA.
TIS Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Brian Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 2. R.J. Marcotte, Millville, MA; 3. Glen Boss, Danielson, CT; 4. Brian Tagg, Oxford, CT; 5. Bart Ramos, Putnam, CT; 6. Cam McDermott, Scituate, MA; 7. John Michael Shenette, Thompson, CT; 8. Jeff Barrows, Worcester, MA; 9. John Studley, Framingham, MA; 10. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA.
Mini Stock Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Randy Churchill, Niantic, CT; 2. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 3. Jeff Moffat, Warwick, RI; 4. Tim Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 5. Scott Jassaume, Danielson, CT; 6.Mike Gorgievski, Auburn, MA; 7. Brad Caddick, New London, CT; 8. Steve Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 9. Chuck Rogers, Quaker Hill, CT; 10. Mike Viens, Seekonk, MA.
Keith Rocco has been named the new driver for the T.S. Haulers # 12 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car owned by Ed Partridge. Rocco will replace Jimmy Blewett for the balance of the 2009 season beginning with this week’s running of the Bud 150. In addition, Ronnie Silk has been given the seat in Partridge’s Sunoco Modified in Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All American Series division. These changes were announced Monday by team owner Ed Partridge. Rocco will continue to drive the number 6 Interstate Diesel Sunoco Modified in Thompson’s weekly competition.
In announcing the change, Partridge told Thompson Speedway that “things have gotten to be too much for Jimmy. He has huge family and family business commitments and he just needed a break. All is good between Jimmy and me and he will still drive my car at Wall Stadium. He will probably drive one of our Sunoco Modifieds at Thompson’s World Series,” Partridge concluded.
Keith Rocco is thrilled at the chance to drive a top notch WMT race car. “I am definitely excited. This is a great opportunity, said Rocco. Jimmy Blewett and I are really close friends and he has been giving me tips and pointers on the car and the Tour. He’s given me some great advice and it means a lot.” Rocco has competed once before in a WMT car at Thompson. That outing came last October when he drove the Joe Brady car during the World Series of Speedway Racing.
Rocco is in a tough battle with Woody Pitkat for the Thompson Sunoco Modified championship and is also in the thick of points battle for the NASCAR national championship.
Ronnie Silk will join the ranks of the Sunoco Modified division in the Partridge owned #12 this week. Silk has had much success at the Thompson. He has three WMT wins to his credit. The first coming in September of ’07 and that was followed by back-to-back wins in June and August of ’08.
The New England Dodge Dealers presentation of the Bud 150 is scheduled for Thursday, September 3rd. Qualifying begins at 5:30 PM with the Bud 150 scheduled for a start time of approximately 8:45 PM.
Ted Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) may have come up just short of the victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, but he still finds himself in the driver’s seat in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour points standings.
Barely.
After rain washed out a trip to Chemung, N.Y., this past weekend, the Tour will resume this Thursday at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway with a makeup date for the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers. The race was originally slated to run prior to the combination race at Bristol.
Instead, it will serve as the tour’s return to the track. Christopher, from Plainville, Conn., will return to the .625-mile banked oval where he opened the defense of his championship with a victory in April. He will carry a slight 29-point lead over Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) of Ridgefield, Conn.
A third Connecticut driver, Ryan Preece (No. 3 Mizzy Construction/Reynold’s Auto Wrecking Chevrolet), from Berlin, has won two of the last three races and is just three points behind Christopher.
In fact, the top five are all within 134 points of the lead.
Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge), who passed Christopher late in the Bristol race for the win, has moved up to fourth. The Jericho, N.Y., driver is 82 points behind Christopher and finished third behind Christopher and Jimmy Blewett (No. 12 TS Haulers Chevrolet) at Thompson in April.
Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet) of Huntington Valley, Pa., is enjoying a breakout season and sits fifth.
Thursday’s visit is particularly significant to the points chase because the next time the tour returns to Thompson, it will be for the season finale in October.
Christopher and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors will get the action going on race day at Thompson with practice at 2 p.m. Time trials are set for 5:30 p.m. and the 150-lap race is scheduled to go green at approximately 8:45 p.m.
THOMPSON, CT. With only five races remaining on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 2009 schedule, the competition for that division’s championship is really heating up. Defending champion, Ted Christopher, will enter the Budweiser 150 presented by the New England Dodge Dealers at the Thompson Speedway this Thursday night with a slim 29 point advantage over Todd Szegedy. Ryan Preece finds himself only three points behind Szegedy.
The extremely competitive Whelen Modified Tour (WMT) finds itself in a very familiar position with regard to the race for the title. Virtually every year, the lucrative championship honors are not determined until very late in the season if not at the final event of the year at Thompson. This Thursday’s running of the Bud 150 at Thompson will play a vital role in determining the outcome of the title chase for 2009.
` Christopher has maintained the points lead for most of the season. He gave it up briefly to Szegedy but roared back to put himself at the top once again. Szegedy, however, is one tough customer and has the 2003 title to his credit and finished 2nd in 2007 and 3rd last year in the final standings.
The dark horse in what may appear to be a two-man race is Ryan Preece. The eighteen year old driver from Berlin, CT has won two of the last four WMT events and is a mere 32 points away from Christopher. Preece has positioned himself to be a real contender for the prestigious crown. Other drivers in the top five in points are the 2007 champ, Donny Lia and one of the busiest drivers in the northeast, Rowan Pennink. The title will not be settled this Thursday, but the Bud 150 at Thompson is sure to play a major role in determining the eventual winner.
The WMT will be joined by Thompson’s own NASCAR Whelen All American Race Series divisions in their features only presentation. Those races will be preceded by time trials for the WMT. It all gets underway at 5:30 PM. Grandstands will open at 2 PM.
For more information and the complete schedule for the day, fans are urged to visit the Thompson web site. www.thompsonspeedway.com Advance ticket sales are available by calling the track office at 860-923-2280.
Thompson, CT (August 27, 2009): On Thursday night, the third time was certainly a charm for20Andy Seuss of Hampstead, NH, who scored the victory in the third attempt to get the True Value Modified Series event in the books at the Thompson International Speedway. The event was postponed on two different occasions earlier in the season. In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action, Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT, scored his second win of the season in the Sunoco Modifieds. Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, also took down his second win of the season in the Super Late Models.
John Materas of Voluntown, CT, swept the action in twin features for the Late Model division. Shawn Monahan of Waterford, CT, scored his first Limited Sportsman feature event of the year in dominating fashion. Brian Tagg of Oxford, MA, was tops in the TIS Modifieds while Steve Michalski of Brooklyn, CT, was the winner in the Mini Stocks.
Andy Seuss of Hampstead, NH, scored his first True Value Modified Series (TVMRS) victory of the season in a drama-filled 75-lapper. Seuss took the lead late in the event and held back serious challenges from Steve Massey and Rowan Pennink to score the victory. Richard Savary had a strong run to finish second. Todd Owen joined the duo on the podium. Ted Christopher, who started scratch on the field, finished fourth. Chris Pasteryak completed the top five.
Rowan Pennink looked like he was headed to his second straight TVMRS victory on Thursday night. However, the early leader was penalized to the tail end of the lead lap for jumping the start after dominating the first half of the event. He battled back to vie for the win only to run out of fuel on lap 68. Young Steve Massey, who was the show for much of the event battling first with Pennink and then Seuss, had a spin while battling for the lead with less than 15 laps to go. Mechanical woes sidelined his bid at a comeback.
Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT, took over the lead on lap five and withstood a number of late race cautions to score his second Sunoco Modified feature event of the 2009 season. The opening lap was marred by an incident involving Tim Sullivan and Shelly Perry. The caution led the way to some intense racing. Jimmy Blewett was the early leader followed by Rowan Pennink and Pitkat. The top four cars ran side-by-side and nose-to-tail.
As Rocco began to challenge Pennink for third, Blewett and Pitkat got away just slightly. They began a heated battle of their own to once again tighten up now the eight cars that made up the lead pack. Pitkat was able t o take the top spot from Blewett on lap five while Rocco moved into the third spot.
Pennink began to take back the ground he lost earlier to regain the second position. Blewett had his hands full with Rocco who in turn had pressure from Kerry Malone. Bert Marvin was on the move taking the sixth position from Ted Christopher.
Blewett began to falter falling back to the eighth position. Marvin took over positions from both Blewett and Malone and into the fourth spot. Pitkat continued to lead with Pennink and Rocco in close proximity.
At halfway, Pitkat led Pennink, Rocco, Marvin, Malone, Christopher, Blewett and Danny Cates. Harry Rheaume and Andy Gaspar ran a straight-away behind to round out the top ten. At lap 20, Rocco was getting racy; peeking to the inside of Pennink. All action mellowed when the second caution of the event flew for an incident involving Rheaume.
Coming out of turn four for the restart, Rocco ducked to the inside making it three-wide for the top spot. Pitkat came out of the mix with the lead once again. Rocco was able to steal second from Pennink. Marvin was fourth while Christopher was using the outside groove to make his way inside the top five.
Contact between Christopher and Cates necessitated the caution. Under the caution, Blewett headed to pit road for service. Both Blewett and Cates were able to continue while Christopher retired from the event.
On the single file restart, Pitkat had the advantage until turn one when Rocco got alongside. The two went wheel-to-wheel before Rocco had to settle back into second. Pennink got a run on the outside looking to take the second position away from Rocco. Contact between Rocco and Pennink found Pennink into the outside wall on the backstretch. Marvin and Malone were nearly collected. Rocco was put to the rear for his involvement.
With the green in the air once again, Pitkat led a hard-charging Marvin. Malone ran in the third position ahead of Ricky Shawn. After only two laps, Rocco was already up to the fifth spot.
At the checkers, Pitkat was able to hold off Marvin to score his second win of the season. With his win, Pitkat secured his car owners Bob Hitchcock and Kelly Iverson a guaranteed starting spot in the 7th Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout at Concord Speedway in Concord, NC, on November 7, 2009. Marvin came home second followed by Malone, Ricky Shawn, and Rocco.
Mike O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, proved to be the man to beat on Thursday night with his second Super Late Model victory of the season. Les Rose led the field to green and was able to gain a favorable advantage as the battle for second heated up between Norm Wrenn, O’Sullivan, Derek Ramstrom, and Larry Gelinas. O’Sullivan took over the second spot from Wrenn and immediately began to cut into Rose’s advantage.
At the halfway marker, the man on the move was George Bessette. He broke into the top five and began to hunt down Gelinas. There were problems for Ramstrom who fell to the tenth position. With 10 laps to go, O’Sullivan had caught the back bumper of Rose. Wrenn was right in step with the lead duo as well.
On lap 22, O’Sullivan easily made his way into the lead. Wrenn followed through relegating Rose to third. He fell in jeopardy of losing another spot to Gelinas. Over the final laps, O’Sullivan was able to edge away from Wrenn for a two-car length advantage. The #48 of Gelinas dropped off the pace with only three laps to go.
O’Sullivan headed to the checkers uncontested for his second victory of the season. Wrenn was second at the line followed by Rose, Bessette and Mike Stefanik in the top five.
John Materas of Voluntown, CT, started in the eleventh position when the Late Model division set out to complete the final 40 laps of their 50 lapper that was rain-shorted back on June 11, 2009. He considered himself a long shot but in the end he was the big shot. Tom O’Sullivan assumed his lead when the racing resumed on lap 10. The top three of O’Sullivan, Jay Stuart, and Jeff Zuidema quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the pack. The battle for the second position heated up when Zuidema made a move on Stuart. Division top-gun Rick Gentes retired from the event in the early going.
Once free of Stuart, Zuidema began to run down O’Sullivan. At the halfway marker, Zuidema had caught O’Sullivan. The two ran nose to tail as Mark Oliveira and John Materas were trying to work their way into contention. The leaders, O’Sullivan and Zuidema, entered lapped traffic. Tom Fox ran alone in third followed by a brewing battle between Oliveira and Materas.
Materas found some steam in the late stages of the event passing both Oliveira and Fox to move into the fourth position with fifteen laps to go. Up front, Zuidema continued to tail O’Sullivan. Over the final laps, Zuidema began to apply serious pressure on the leader. With only 10 laps to go, Zuidema’s car faltered. A spin by Zuidema on lap 40 brought out the event’s first caution.
The restart pitted Stuart against O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan handily resumed his lead. O’Sullivan was able to get some breathing room as Stuart and Materas battled. A string of cautions slowed t he action and ultimately changed the complexion of the race.
Materas took advantage of a lap 43 restart motoring past both Stuart and O’Sullivan to be the new leader at lap 44. Zuidema had rebounded to battle for third over Stuart. Contact between the two ended up with the point-leader Zuidema hard into the outside wall. Stuart was put to the rear of the field for his involvement.
Materas had to withstand pressure from O’Sullivan in the closing laps. The Voluntown, CT, driver was up to the challenge to score his third win of the season. O’Sullivan had to settle for second. Oliveira, Fox and Randy Waterman rounded out the top five.
In the night capper for the division, Materas was both lucky and good en route to his second win of the evening and fourth of the season. From early in the event, Materas once again found himself in the heat of the battle. He took the lead early but immediately had pressure from Rick Gentes. It took only a handful of laps for Gentes, who had problems in the opening event, to take over the top spot. Gentes never got away from Materas. The duo had nearly a straightaway advantage over Corey Hutchings in third.
The best battle on the track was for the fourth position. Randy Waterman held the position but had his hands full with Dennis Perry, Oliveira and O’Sullivan. On lap 10, a billow of smoke came from behind the #70 of Gentes sending the leader to pit road. Materas inherited the lead over Hutchings. O’Sullivan got out of shape flying through the dirt on the same lap.
With Materas all alone up front; Hutchings could do nothing but chase. Again the battle with Waterman began to heat up once again; this time with different players. Fox took over the third position leaving Waterman to battle with Perry.
The caution flew with only two laps remaining with after an incident on the backstretch. Under the caution, Fox relinquished the third spot and headed to pit road. A green white checker restart proved to be of little consequence as it was uneventful up front as Materas went on to sweep the Late Model main events on the evening. Hutchings, Waterman, Perry, and O’Sullivan rounded out the top five.
Shawn Monahan of Waterford, CT, scored a commanding victory in the Limited Sportsman feature event on Thursday night. The event featured a great battle for the top spot between leader Tommy Shea and Monahan. Monahan moved around Shea and into the lead on lap four. The top three were spread out while the fourth position on back was hotly contested between Jay Sundeen, Larry Barnett, Gerald Sevigny, Scott Sundeen and Joe Arena.
J. Sundeen and Barnett had maneuvered into the top five. J. Sundeen caught Gleason. He motored into the third spot with Barnett and S. Sundeen in tow. Barnett got up alongside J. Gleason with three laps remaining. Sundeen was holding off Barnett as his father Scott looked on. Monahan enjoyed a sizeable advantage as he cruised to his first Limited Sportsman victory of the season. Shea had a season high runner-up finish. J. Sundeen was able to hold off Barnett for the third position. S. Sundeen completed the top five.
Brian Tagg of Oxford, MA, scored his third TIS Modified feature win of the season on Thursday night. Tagg was the new leader on a lap four restart; taking over the top spot from early leader Richie Ferreira. During the green flag run approaching halfway, Tagg, Ferreira, and RJ Marcotte had broken away from the remainder of the field.
Tagg was able to extend his lead as Marcotte began to pressure Richie Ferreira. Studley had begun to reel in the battle for the second position. With only three laps to go, Studley had caught Ferreira and Marcotte. The three jockeyed for position as Tagg got further ahead.
Tagg was able to cruise to the victory. Ferreira was able to hold off all challengers to finish second. Marcotte, Studley and Cam McDermott completed the top five at the stripe. After post race technical inspection, Studley was disqualified moving McDermott to fourth and Jay Sundeen to fifth. It was a tough night for the divisional point leader Tim Sullivan, who was eliminated from the competition in a grinding crash with Leo Oliveira on the opening lap. He was scored last.
In the Mini Stock main event, Steve Michalski set sail at the head of the pack in the early going of the feature event. He had plenty of company in Mike Gorgievski. Teammates Randy Churchill and Tim Taylor were locked in a battle for the third position. With less than five laps to go, Taylor watched his bid for his seventh feature victory disappear. The seven-time feature winner was collected when the car of Alicia Thatcher got out of shape exiting turn three. Taylor made hard contact with the outside wall in turn four.
On a lap 12 restart, Michalski had his hands full with a charging Gorgievski. On the final three laps Gorgievski hounded the leader. Coming out of turn three Gorgievski got alongside of Michalski. He edged ahead coming into turn four. Michalski battled back. The two went door-to-door as they approached the checker. Michalski was declared the winner in a photo-finish. Gorgievski settled for the second position over Churchill, Blanchard, and the winner’s brother Fred Michalski.
True Value Modified Racing Series 75-Lap Feature Event Finish (Top Ten): 1. Andy Seuss Hampstead, NH; 2. Richard Savary Canton, MA; 3. 29 Todd Owen Somers, CT; 4. Ted Christopher Plainville, CT; 5. Chris Pasteryak Jewett City, CT; 6. Jeff Malave, S. Windsor, CT; 7. Rob Goodenough Swanzey, NH; 8. Shelly Perry Westerly, RI; 9. Peter Jarvis Ascutney, VT; 10. Jack Bateman Canaan, NH
Sunoco Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 2. Bert Marvin, Waterford, CT; 3. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 4. Ricky Shawn, Bradford, RI; 5. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 6. Dave LaCroix, Fitchburg, MA; 7. Harry Rheaume, Oakdale, CT; 8. John Catania, Agawam, MA; 9. Andy Gaspar, Andover, CT; 10. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ.
Super Late Model Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 2. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 3. Les Rose, Jr. Southbridge, MA; 4. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 5. Mike Stefanik, Coventry, RI; 6. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 7. Dennis Maxfield, Fitchburg, MA; 8. Daryl Stampfl, Norwood, MA; 9. Kraig Coffin, Uxbridge, MA; 10. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA.
Late Model June 11, 2009 Make-Up Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. John Materas, Voluntown, CT; 2. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 3. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA; 4. Tom Fox, Plainfield, CT; 5. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT; 6. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 8. Jay Stuart, Preston, CT; 9. Mike Scorzelli, Malta, NY; 10. Frank Marabito, Willington, CT.
Late Model Feature Event Finish (Top Ten): 1. John Materas, Voluntown, CT; 2. Corey Hutchings, Salem, CT; 3. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT; 4. Dennis Perry, Pawcatuck, CT; 5. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 6. Jeff Hartwell, E. Putnam, CT; 7. Jeremy Sadowski, Voluntown, CT; 8. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA; 9. Tom Fox, Plainfield, CT; 10. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA.
Limited Sportsman Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Shawn Monahan, Waterford, CT; 2. Tommy Shea, New London, CT; 3. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Larry Barnett, Moosup, CT; 5. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 6. Joe Arena, Bristol, CT; 7. Gerald Sevigny, Brooklyn, CT; 8. Jesse Gleason, Lisbon, CT; 9. Joe Campbell, Moosup, CT; 10. Paul Palen, Pelham, NH.
Mini Stock Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Steve Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 2. Mike Gorgievski, Auburn, MA; 3. Randy Churchill, Niantic, CT; 4. Rick Blanchard, Pascoag, RI; 5. Fred Michalski, Dayville, CT; 6. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 7. Nate Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 8. Mike Viens, Seekonk, MA; 9. Scott Jassaume, Danielson, CT; 10. Brad Caddick, New London, CT.
TIS Modified Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Brian Tagg, Oxford, CT; 2. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 3. R.J. Marcotte, Millville, MA; 4. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 5. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 6. John Michael Shenette, Thompson, CT; 7. Denis Leger, N. Reading, MA; 8. Bart Ramos, Putnam, MA; 9. Jeff Barrows, Worcester, MA; 10. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT.
THOMPSON, CT. New England race fans, thanks to Mother Nature, will get to see two major racing events in two consecutive weeks at the Thompson International Speedway. The True Value Modified Racing Series will be in the spotlight on Thursday, August 27th while the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will top the bill a week later at the famed Connecticut oval.
The Town Fair Tire presentation of the True Value Modified Racing Series has been the victim of rain twice and the third attempt to run this event will be Thursday, August 27th. Rain also raised havoc with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on August 13th. As a result, the new date for the New England Dodge Dealers presentation of the Bud 150 is Thursday, September 3rd.
The True Value Modifieds have proven to be a big attraction everywhere they have run this year and their annual Thompson appearance always draws a big crowd. Thompson is the largest track on which these cars compete. Race teams and fans alike love the high speed action and the close competition that has made this annual race special. The True Value cars will be joined by Thompson’s very own NASCAR Whelen All American Series “Super6” divisions. An additional bonus comes with the addition of dual races for the Thompson Late Models. Not only will they compete in their regular 25-lap main event, but they will also complete the 40-laps remaining from their June 11th race that was halted by rain.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event on September 3rd will bring both old and new fans to watch these incredibly fast race cars. The new fans will want to see the NASCAR Modifieds in person after seeing them, possibly for the fist time ever, on national television when this touring series made its debut at the Bristol Motor Speedway this past week.
The 2007 champion, Donny Lia, captured the inaugural Bristol race by besting pre-race favorite Ted Christopher. Christopher, fighting an ill handling race car, held on for second and Ryan Preece claimed the third spot. Rounding out the top five at Bristol were George Brunnhoelzl, III and Woody Pitkat.
The grandstands at Thompson will open at 2 PM on both August 27th and September 3rd. Qualifying on both days will begin at 5:30 PM. Complete schedules for these major racing programs are available on the Thompson web site. www.thompsonspeedway.com. Tickets for these events are available in advance by calling the Thompson Int’l Speedway’s track office at 860-923-2280.
Ramstrom, Gentes, Barnett, Sullivan & Blanchard Winners
Thompson, CT (August 6, 2009): The hotly contest Sunoco Modified division at Thompson International Speedway did not disappoint on Thursday night. Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, used veteran moves to score his fourth win of the season. Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, won a wild one in the Super Late Models while Rick Gentes of Woonsocket, RI, scored the victory in the Late Models. Larry Barnett of Moosup, CT, padded his point lead with his fifth Limited Sportman victory of the season. Another point leader, Brian Sullivan of S. Windsor, was victorious in the TIS Modifieds. Rick Blanchard of Pascoag, RI, was declared the Mini Stock winner.
Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, showed his might in the Sunoco Modified main event taking his division leading fourth win of the season with a last lap pass. Tim Sullivan led the field to green but he would not lead the opening lap. Rowan Pennink took over the top spot and began to motor out to an advantage over Danny Cates. A bobble by Sullivan nearly collected Keith Rocco, who was forced out of the groove. Woody Pitkat had worked his way into the third position. The outside groove was the fast way around as Christopher had moved into the third spot with Rocco in tow.
On lap 9, Christopher was able to dive inside Cates for second. Rocco, once again, followed TC through and into third. Christopher caught Pennink while Rocco caught the bumper of Christopher. The top three ran nose-to-tail.
At halfway, Rocco was able to slide below Christopher when he bobbled exiting turn four on lap 15. The caution flew on lap 16 for an incident on the backstretch involving Andy Gaspar and Wayne Arute. Leader Pennink opted to use the outside groove on the restart but it was Rocco in the low groove gaining the advantage. Christopher was able to get around Pennink as well. The action was slowed for a spin by Harry Rheaume.
Rocco was up to the challenge on the restart but an incident further back in the pack brought out the caution once again. A spin by Bert Marvin collected Tim Sullivan and Todd Ceravolo. Sullivan’s car sustained significant damage.
On the restart, Rocco was up to the challenge once again. After a short battle with Pennink, Christopher remained in the second position. Christopher dove beneath Rocco in turn one. They went wheel to wheel through turn two. Christopher got the edge on the backstretch but Rocco did the slingshot move exiting four. They crossed the stripe even. In turn one, Rocco was the leader once again. Pennink ran in the third spot with heavy pressure from Pitkat. Cates ran alone in the fifth position.
With two to go, Christopher got along side Rocco. The duo streaked under the white flag with Rocco ahead by inches. Rocco maintained a slight advantage on the back stretch. Coming out of four Rocco tried holding Christopher low. Christopher retaliated riding high out of four. Rocco drifted up in the marbles making way for Christopher to take the checkers. Pennink came through for second. Pitkat was able to grab third spot at the checkers. Rocco had to settle for fourth ahead of Cates. At press time, the results of the Sunoco Modified main event were unofficial.
Derek Ramstrom of Worcester, MA, scored the victory in a wild Super Model main event. Jay Macedonio enjoyed a sizeable lead in the early going of the 30-lap main event. Heavy hitters Norm Wrenn, Ramstrom, and Rick Fuller were making tracks to the front. By lap 10, Mike O’Sullivan had reeled in leader Macedonio. Fuller found running room on the low side taking positions from Wrenn and Ramstrom. Alone in third, Fuller quickly caught the lead duo.
Up front, O’Sullivan was able to grab the lead from Macedonio on lap 11. A pair of laps later, Fuller propelled himself into the runner-up spot. Macedonio fell into the clutches of Ramstrom at halfway. A lap later, Macedonio spun on the backstretch to bring out the caution.
The lead duo made grazing contact on the restart. O’Sullivan was able to maintain his lead. Ramstrom rocketed into the third spot followed by Larry Gelinas. O’Sullivan gained the advantage but not any breathing room. Fuller dogged O’Sullivan lap after lap.
A stream of sparks followed Bessette as mechanical failure resulted in hard contact with the outside wall exiting turn two. Macedonio was collected in the incident. Steve DesMarias made severe contact with a still-spinning Macedonio. All drivers walked away.
A different kind of sparks flew after a lap 23 restart. Contact between the lead duo found Fuller in the outside wall in turn one. O’Sullivan was put to the tail of a decimated field for his involvement. He restarted from the sixth position.
Gelinas sat on the point for the restart. He stayed with Ramstrom only briefly before Ramstrom took over the top spot. Ramstrom was able to distance himself from the Gelinas. O’Sullivan moved into the third spot. That is the way they would cross the stripe. Wrenn and Jim Banfield completed the top five.
Rick Gentes of Woonsocket, RI, took down his third Late Model feature win of the season on Thursday night. A day that started dreadfully for Gentes ended with a trip to victory lane. After a practice crash, Gentes was forced to start the night’s event in his back-up car. The “Woonsocket Rocket” never missed a beat.
Mark Oliveira jumped out to the early lead in Late Model Main event. Oliveira was able to stretch his advantage as the battling for second on back was fierce. Dave Trudeau, making his first Late Model start in two years, was locked in a heated battle with Rick Gentes. John Materas, Jeff Hartwell, Tommy O’Sullivan, and Jeff Zuidema also jockeyed for position.
Gentes had worked his way past Trudeau and set his sites on the leader. During an extended green flag run, Gentes chopped into Oliveira’s lead. Materas and O’Sullivan meanwhile caught Trudeau. O’Sullivan made it three-wide in an effort to get by Materas and Trudeau for the third spot; but it was Materas getting the edge to move into the third position. O’Sullivan was able to get by Trudeau into fourth.
Up front, Gentes was glued to the back bumper of Oliveira. The first caution flew on lap 16 for a spin by Jeremy Sadowski. On the restart, Oliveira was able to maintain his lead for less than a lap. Gentes used the low groove to take over the top spot. Materas followed through and into second. Oliveira continued to falter.
Over the final five laps, Gentes was able to extend his lead over Materas. The field got strung out as Gentes sailed under the checkers to take the win. John Materas continued his stellar season with a runner-up finish. O’Sullivan, Jeff Hartwell, and point leader Jeff Zuidema rounded out the top-five.
Joe Arena set the pace for much of the first half of the event. After leading through halfway, Arena had his hands full with a charging Larry Barnett. The two went door-to-door before Barnett was able to gain the advantage. Once out front, Barnett was able to extend his lead. Scott Sundeen had caught Arena. The two waged a great battle. At the checkers, it was all Barnett. Arena nosed ahead of Sundeen at the start/finish line to claim second. Jay Sundeen and Paul Coutu, Jr. completed the top five.
Tim Sullivan of S. Windsor, CT, made it a handful of wins with his TIS Modified feature victory on Thursday night. Rookie Jay Sundeen led the field to green. It took only a pair of laps before Brian Tagg asserted himself into the lead. Point leader Sullivan was on the move early; taking over the second spot by lap five. Sullivan immediately caught the leader. He began to work over Tagg for the top spot.
It took several laps but on lap 10 Sullivan was able to take over the lead. Once out front, Sullivan rode out to a sizeable advantage over Tagg. In the closing laps, Sundeen was able to catch Tagg. The rookie driver ran out of time and had to settle for third behind winner Sullivan and Tagg. Glenn Boss, who turned 50, celebrated with a fourth-place finish. Cam McDermott rounded out the top five.
Rick Blanchard of Pascoag, RI, gave it everything he had in the pursuit of his first Mini Stock victory of the season. After post race technical inspection, it was mission accomplished. Apparent winner Leo Defevers was disqualified for an illegal exhaust.
Leo Defevers of Brooklyn, CT, appeared to have scored in his first career feature. Mike Gorgievski set the pace through an unusually rough early going for the Minis. He relinquished the top spot to Defevers, who took command of the main event. Once out front, Defevers would never be headed. Rick Blanchard made it interesting near the end. He caught Defevers and was making a series bid at the top spot.
With two to go, Blanchard was bearing down. Coming down to the white flag, Blanchard got out of shape losing ground and the race. Defevers streaked to the checkers ahead of Blanchard. Shortly after the event, Blanchard was declared the winner. Tim Taylor, who was involved in an early race incident, recovered to finish in the second position. Point leader Scott Michalski, Brad Caddick, and Chuck Rogers rounded out the top five.
Sunoco Modified 30-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) UNOFFICIAL Finish: 1. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 2. Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon, PA; 3. Woody Piktat, Stafford, CT; 4. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 5. Danny Cates, Chaplin, CT; 6. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 7. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 8. Harry Rheaume, Oakdale, CT; 9. Ricky Shawn, Bradford, CT; 10. Andy Gaspar, Andover, CT.
Super Late Model 30-lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 2. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 3. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 4. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 5. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 6. Matt Zenisky, W. Springfield, MA; 7. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 8. Les Rose, Jr., Southbridge, MA; 9. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 10. Jay Macedonio, Somerset, MA.
Late Model 25-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Rick Gentes, Woonsocket, RI; 2. John Materas,Voluntown, CT; 3. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 4. Jeff Hartwell, E. Putnam, CT; 5. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 6. Mark Oliveira, Blackstone, MA; 7. Wayne Coury, Sr., Milford, CT; 8. Dave Trudeau, Mansfield, MA; 9. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA; 10. Randy Waterman, Killingly, CT.
Limited Sportsman Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Larry Barnett, Moosup, CT; 2. Joe Arena, Bristol, CT; 3. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 5. Paul Coutu, Jr., Thompson, CT; 6. Shawn Monahan, Waterford, CT; 7. Joe Campbell, Moosup, CT; 8. Kevin Bowe, Pawtucket, RI; 9. Paul Palen, Pelham, NH; 10. Gerald Sevigny, Brooklyn, CT.
TIS Modified 20-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Brian Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 2. Brian Tagg, Oxford, MA; 3. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT; 5. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 6.John Studley, Framingham, MA; 7. Bart Ramos, Putnam, CT; 8. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 9. John Michael Shenette, Thompson, CT; 10. Gerry DeGasparre, Jr.
Mini Stock 20-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Rick Blanchard, Pascoag, RI; 2. Tim Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 3. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 4. Brad Caddick, New London, CT; 5. Chuck Rogers, Quaker Hill, CT; 6. Jeff Moffat, Warwick, RI; 7. Mike Gorgievski, Auburn, MA; 8. Steve Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 9. Scott Jassaume, Danielson, CT; 10. Nate Taylor, Wauregan, CT.
Preece On A Roll Heading To Thompson
The 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season has reached its halfway point, and as the Tour heads to Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway this week, Ryan Preece is perhaps the hottest driver on the circuit.
Preece, from Berlin, Conn., has won the last two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races and is now just 27 points out of the championship lead thanks to top-10 efforts in six of the season’s seven events.
The last two weeks have been a constant emotional high for Preece, who recorded his first career win last year at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, but never got to celebrate in Victory Lane as Burt Myers was there originally, before being disqualified. His triumph at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway on Aug. 1 was the first time he got to pull into Victory Lane, and symbolically, it felt like his first win.
Last Friday at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway, Preece then got the first win of his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career at his home track.
Preece had a stout car the last handful of races at Stafford, but the cards didn’t line up for a victory. The long wait ended in the Town Fair Tire 150 when he led the final 47 laps to take the checkered flag.
“I’ve always wanted to win here, and I finally got it,” said an elated Preece following the win.
Both wins have been hard-earned for Preece. In the previous week’s win, he had to fend off a host of Riverhead regulars to get to the finish line first, and Friday’s win at Stafford featured a similar storyline as he had to outlast the winningest driver in the track’s storied history: Ted Christopher.
Christopher had led the first two-thirds of the race after starting first on the redraw, but after a restart, Preece was able to get past the defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion on Lap 104 and hold off some hard charges from Christopher for the win.
As the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour now heads to Thompson for the Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers on Thursday, Aug. 13, Preece will have to turn the page quickly. The Tour is currently halfway through its busiest part of the 2009 schedule with four events in the span of 19 days. Fortunately for Preece and the No. 3 team, momentum is clearly on their side, for the time being.
“The month of August seems to be a real good month for me, and hopefully my luck will stay like this,” Preece said.
The 18-year-old driver knows that things can turn around quickly in auto racing, so he’s not going to get too caught up in the team’s current run.
“Who knows, I could be wrecking next week, so I’m living in the moment, and things are real great right now,” Preece said.
While he has traditionally been a front-runner at Stafford, Preece has yet to find much success at Connecticut’s biggest oval. In 10 career starts at Thompson, the third-year driver has an average finish of 15 with four top 10s. A fourth- place finish there in the season opener – the best of his career – should be encouraging.
While the season is only halfway over, it may be too early to hedge bets on the championship, but the consistency that Preece’s team has exhibited to this point indicates that they could be a legitimate title contender.
Preece and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors will get the action going on race day at Thompson with practice at 2 p.m. Time trials are set for 5:30 p.m. and the 150-lap race is scheduled to go green at approximately 8:45 p.m.
Fast Facts
The Race: Budweiser 150 presented by New England Dodge Dealers
The Place: Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway
The Date: Thursday, August 13
The Time: 8:45 p.m. ET
The Distance: 150 laps / 93.75 miles
Race Purse: $84,168
2008 Winner: Ron Silk
2008 Polesitter: None-rain
Event Schedule: Practice 2 – 3 p.m.; Tire Scuff 5:15 p.m.; Qualifying 5:30 p.m.
Thompson, CT (August 6, 2009): A strong crowd filed into the Thompson International Speedway for a Thursday night jam-packed with NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action. In a twin bill for the Sunoco Modifieds, Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, and Todd Ceravolo of Gales Ferry, CT, each scored victories in the 50-lappers. George Bessette of Danbury, CT, broke into victory lane for his first of the season in the Super Late Models.
Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, made it look easy with his victory in the Late Models. Scott Sundeen of Douglas, MA, earned his second of the season in the Limited Sportsman division while Brian Sullivan of S. Windsor, CT, took down his fourth TIS Modified win of the season. Tim Taylor of Wauregan, CT, continued his domination of the Mini Stock division with his sixth win of the 2009 season.
Ted Christopher of Plainville, CT, was the first to cross under the checkers to score the victory in the opener for the Sunoco Modifieds. The veteran took it all in stride and even with a little humor when he was greeted with a barrage of boos in victory lane.
After a failed attempt at a start, Rowan Pennink grabbed the lead on the opening lap but immediately felt the pressure from Jimmy Blewett. Point leader Woody Pitkat stalled on a restart on lap 6, after a caution for Andy Gaspar, to bring out the events second caution. Pitkat was able to rejoin the tail end of the field.
Blewett was the new leader to complete lap six. The second spot was being hotly contested by Pennink, Danny Cates, Ted Christopher, and Keith Rocco. The top ten ran nose to tail. Rocco had made his way into the second spot by lap 10. The best battle was for the third spot between Pennink, Malone, Christopher and Cates. Tim Sullivan had joined the mix as well. On lap 13, Rocco began to look low on Blewett. Things settled down with Pennink in third followed by Malone, Christopher, and Cates.
On lap 16 the caution flew when the #47 of Carl Oberg came to rest against the outside wall in turn three. The restart shuffled the running order slightly but not for Blewett and Rocco. A melee on the backstretch that involved Andrew Charron, Wayne Arute, Andrew Dzenkowski, Frank Hirt III, and Andy Gaspar slowed the action.
Pennink found some running room in the outside lane motoring back into the second spot on the restart. Malone followed through into third ahead of Rocco. A spin by Harry Rheaume slowed the action once again. Blewett was shuffled back after the restart. Pennink held the top spot momentarily before giving way to Malone. The top three positions were now occupied by Malone, Christopher, and Pennink. Cates was back on the charge; moving into the third spot at halfway.
Back up front, Christopher got up along side Malone. Christopher put his #00 in the top spot just after halfway. Pitkat entered the mix joining the battle for the fourth position with the likes of Pennink and Rocco. Rocco passed Pennink and into fourth. During a long green flag run, Christopher and Malone were able to edge away from Cates in third.
The caution flew on lap 35 when Eric Goodale lost a motor spinning in his own fluid. Under the caution Pitkat and Pennink both hit pit road for service. Christopher resumed his place at the head of the pack once back under green. Cates slipped back on the restart allowing the top three of Christopher, Malone and Rocco to break away. Rocco was looking racy in second. With ten laps remaining Pitkat had worked his way into the fifth spot. Blewett ran in sixth.
In the closing stages the top three ran nose to tail with a half straightaway advantage over Cates, who enjoyed a comfortable advantage over Pitkat. On the final two laps the top three began to jockey for position. Malone peaked low on Christopher, who had to settle for second. Rocco pushed Malone underneath the white flag. Christopher was able to take down the win narrowly over Malone, Rocco, Cates, and Pitkat.
Through the generosity of Independent Truck Service of Shrewsbury, MA, who put up an extra $2,000 up on Thursday night, five drivers, who were randomly selected by a drawing of finishing positions before the start of the race, received a $200 bonus after their performance in the opening event. Danny Cates, Glenn Griswold, Jodi Johnson, Todd Ceravolo and Andrew Dzenkowski were each beneficiaries of the bonus.
Todd Ceravolo completely turned his night around going from a DNF in the opener to the winner of the night capper for the Sunoco Modifieds. Pennink once again brought the field to the green flag. Right away he had his hands full with Malone and Ceravolo. Christopher was making his way toward the front from deeper in the pack as Rocco was motoring into the lead.
Rocco edged out to a three-car length advantage over a heated battle for second between Pennink and Ceravolo. Christopher had passed Malone for fourth and immediately reeled in the battle for second. It quickly became a three car battle for the position. Ceravolo got underneath Pennink on lap 16 to move into second. Christopher followed suit putting Pennink back to fourth. Rocco continued to lead but Ceravolo looked to be catching him as they entered lapped traffic.
With the crossed flags in the air at the flag stand, Ceravolo made a slingshot move entering turn three to take the lead away. At halfway, Ceravolo led Rocco, Christopher, Pennink, in a distant fourth, Malone, Danny Cates, Pitkat, Tim Sullivan, Jimmy Blewett, and Harry Rheaume inside the top ten.
Ceravolo began to build an advantage over an emerging battle between Rocco and Christopher. Christopher dove low on Rocco in turn two on lap 32 to gain the second position. Once free of Rocco, Christopher, little by little chopped into Ceravolo’s lead. The remainder of the top ten was strung out throughout the Speedway.
The final run to the checkers was smooth sailing for Ceravolo, who earned his first win of the season since Icebreaker Sunday back in April. Christopher capped off a great night with a runner-up finish. Rocco settled for a pair of third place finishes on the night. Pennink and Sullivan completed the top five.
Ceravolo once again received one of the Independent Truck Services bonuses for his efforts in the second feature. Woody Pitkat, Harry Rheaume, Carl Oberg, and Eric Goodale each also received a $200 bonus.
George Bessette made quick work of the early leader Jay Macedonio to take over the top spot. Bessette immediately began to stretch his lead. Rick Fuller had maneuvered his way into the second position but could not bite into Bessette’s lead.
Mike O’Sullivan picked his way through traffic and into the third position. It was not an easy ride to the front as the right read fender was flapping in the breeze. Officials deemed the car safe for competition. Jeff Connors ran alone in third. Mired deeper in the pack the likes of Norm Wrenn, Derek Ramstrom worked tirelessly to make tracks to the front. The duo of Wrenn and Ramstrom caught Connors making it a three-car battle for the fourth spot.
The first caution of the event flew with only five laps remaining when Dave Silvia lost the handle making hard contact with the inside retaining wall. The caution erased the large lead that Bessette had amassed. Bessette was up for the challenge and immediately put some distance between himself and Fuller. The run was for naught as contact between Connors and Wrenn for the fourth caused Connors to spin and the caution to wave. Wrenn was penalized for the contact. Unphased by the caution, Bessette cruised out to the lead once again and ultimately to the checkers. Fuller settled for second over O’Sullivan, Ramstrom, and Macedonio.
Tommy O’Sullivan of Springfield, MA, took the lead and would never be headed en route to his second win of the season. The early going featured a fierce battle between Mark Oliveira and O’Sullivan. After a side-by-side battle, O’Sullivan took over the top spot on lap five. A battle for the third position between John Materas and Corey Hutchings got too hot as Materas spun in turn four to bring out the caution. Hutchings was sent to the tail end of the field for his involvement in the incident.
The man on the move was on the restart was Rick Gentes, who made his way by Oliveira. Shortly after, Oliveira saw his strong run come to an end after brushing the wall in turn two on lap 12. After a stop on pit road under green, Oliveira was able to rejoin the field.
The best race on the track was for the third position between Jay Stuart and Jeff Zuidema. After a short battle, Zuidema moved by Stuart and into third. The final run to the checkers was uneventful with O’Sullivan cruising to the victory over his rival Rick Gentes. Zuidema, Stuart, and Wayne Coury, Jr. completed the top five.
Brian Sullivan of S. Windsor, CT, returned to victory lane in the TIS Modifieds. For the second week in a row John Studley looked like the man to beat but a late race pass denied him a victory yet again. Studley led from the drop of the green flag holding of the likes of Leo Oliveira and RJ Marcotte in the early going.
Oliveira and Marcotte, running second and third, tangled on lap eight to bring out one of several cautions in the event. Back under green, a handful of racers who had problems early, rebounded to become part of the action at the head of the pack. Glenn Boss, Sullivan and Cam McDermott had entered the top five. Studley got some breathing room when Richie Ferreira and Sullivan began to do battle.
Sullivan was able to take the away the runner-up spot on lap 15. He quickly reeled in Studley. A pass for the lead was negated by an incident that involved Oliveira. After two green flag laps, Sullivan was able to take the lead once again. Sullivan went on to claim the victory over Studley, McDermott, Boss and Bart Ramos.
Scott Sundeen of Douglas, MA, topped a strong field of Limited Sportsmen to score his second win of the season. Not since early in the season, has Sundeen visited victory lane in the Limited Sportsman division. The patriarch of the Douglas Racing family has been strong all year but has shut out of victory lane since May. The run was anything but easy as Sundeen had his hands full with a charging Larry Barnett. Barnett waited until late in the race but applied real pressure over the final laps of the race. Last week’s winner Chris “Moose” Douton crossed the line in third but was later disqualified in post race inspection. Paul Coutu, Jr., Jay Sundeen and Kevin Bowe completed the top five.
Tim Taylor of Wauregan, CT, ran to his sixth victory of the season in the Mini Stock main event. If anything could overshadow Taylor’s victory it may have been the run of his son Nate. The start of the event found point leader Brad Caddick in control. A restart early in the event proved to be his undoing as mechanical failure cost Caddick the top spot. The caution flew when Caddick came to rest in turn one. On the ensuing restart, Randy Churchill had inherited the lead. His teammate Taylor quickly asserted himself as the new leader. Churchill would not give up and dogged Taylor to the checkers. Scott Michalski finished third over Chuck Rogers and Jeff Moffat. Nate Taylor came home sixth after starting in the 23rd position. It was a proud night for the Taylor family.
The action returns to Thompson Speedway next Thursday night with the running of the Whelen Modified Tour. Complete details are available at thompsonspeedway.com or by calling the Speedway hotline at (860) 923-2280.
Sunoco Modified 50-Lap Feature Event #1 (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 2. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 3. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT, 4. Danny Cates, Chaplin, CT; 5. Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 6. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 7. Tim Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 8.Rown Pennink, Huntingdon, PA; 9. David LaCroix, Fitchburg, MA; 10. Frank Hirt III, Danbury, CT.
Sunoco Modified 50-Lap Feature Event #2 (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Todd Ceravolo, Gales Ferry, CT; 2. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 3. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 4. Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon, PA; 5. Tim Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 6. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 7. Danny Cates, Chaplin, CT; 8. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 9. Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 10. Frank Hirt III, Danbury, CT.
Super Late Model Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. George Bessette, Danbury, CT; 2. Rick Fuller, Auburn, MA; 3. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 4. Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA; 5. Jay Macedonio, Somerset, MA; 6. Larry Gelinas, Buxton, ME; 7. Mike Stefanik, Coventry, RI; 8. Les Rose, Jr., Southbridge, MA; 9. Jim Banfield, S. Glastonbury, CT; 10. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH.
Late Model Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Tommy O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 2. Rick Gentes, Woonsocket, RI; 3. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA, 4. Jay Stuart, Preston, CT; 5. Wayne Coury, Sr., Milford, CT; 6. John Materas, Voluntown, CT; 7. Corey Hutchings, Salem, CT; 8. Jeff Hesselton, Auburn, MA; 9. Jeremy Sadowski, Voluntown, CT; 10. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA.
Limited Sportsman Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 2. Larry Barnett, Moosup, CT; 3. Paul Coutu, Jr., Thompson, CT; 4 Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 5. Kevin Bowe, Pawtucket, RI; 6. Joe Campbell, Moosup, CT; 7. Jason Chicolas, Sutton, MA; 8. Joe Arena, Bristol, CT; 9. Gerald Sevigny, Brooklyn, CT, 10. Paul Palen, Pelham, NH.
TIS Modified Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Brian Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 2. John Studley, Framingham, MA; 3. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 4. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT; 5. Bart Ramos, Putnam, MA; 6. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 7. Leo Oliveira, Raynham, MA; 8. Jeff Barrow, Worcester, MA; 9. Denis Legere, N. Reading, MA; 10. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA.
Mini Stock 30-Lap Feature Event (Top Ten) Finish: 1. Tim Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 2. Randy Churchill, Niantic, CT; 3. Scott Michalski, S. Killingly, CT; 4. Chuck Rogers, Quaker Hill, CT; 5. Jeff Moffat, Warwick, RI; 6. Nate Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 7. Leo Defevers, Brooklyn, CT; 8. Steven Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 9. Billy Pomposelli, Chepachet, RI; 10. Chad Baxter, Pascoag, RI.
THOMPSON, CT The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will roll into the Thompson International Speedway on Thursday, August 13th for the New England Dodge Dealers presentation of the Bud 150. This will mark the second appearance of the WMT at Thompson this season and is one of the biggest events hosted by the track each year.
The season opened for the WMT back in April at Thompson’s Icebreaker and it will end with Thompson’s World Series in October. However, tucked in the middle is one of the very best races of the year, the Budweiser 150. Fans have been waiting for the return of NASCAR’s oldest and fastest division and that wait is just about over.
The Thompson appearance of the storied Modified Tour comes as just as the season gets busy for these race teams. The Whelen Modified Tour has one race date after another beginning in August and Thompson’s traditional mid summer event is one of the best.
Ted Christopher, the defending series champ, had been the season-long points leader. He began the defense of his 2008 title with a win at Thompson’s Icebreaker and maintained the top spots in the points chase until the August 1st event at Riverhead. At the conclusion of that event, Todd Szegedy took over the top spot in the points chase. Ryan Preece claimed the victory on Long Island. Christopher won the first two events of the 2009 campaign but has since been shut our of victory lane by Jimmy Blewett, Donny Lia, Eric Rudolph and Preece.
The Thompson grandstands will open at 2 PM on the 13th with qualifying slated for 5:30 PM. The WMT will run in conjunction with Thompson’s NASCAR Whelen All American Series “Super 6” weekly divisions. It will be a features only night for the race teams of the “Super 6.”
Tickets for the New England Dodge Dealers presentation of the Bud 150 are available at the Thompson Speedway track office. Fans may obtain tickets by calling 860-923-2280. All major credit cards are accepted.
Complete details to this major racing event are available on the Thompson web site. www.thompsonspeedway.com
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