Blewett Returns To Victory Lane
Led wire-to-wire at Stafford for 5th career win
Stafford Springs, CT – Jimmy Blewett was able to slow down Ted Christopher’s dominant start to the 2009 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season when he took home the checkered flag in the TSI Harley-Davidson Classic Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Christopher (No. 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet) had won the first two races of the season, and earned his third-consecutive Coors Light Pole Award earlier on Friday, but Blewett (No. 12 TS Haulers/Snake Pit Enterprises Chevrolet) started on the front row on the redraw and led flag-to-flag for his fifth career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory.
Blewett survived six restarts during the race, including a green-white-checker finish, but would not be denied his second career win at the Connecticut half-mile.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO JIMMY BLEWETT’S POST-RACE INTERVIEW
Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford) ran up front the majority of the race with Blewett, and tried once to go around on the outside late in the race, but Blewett never relinquished the lead. Szegedy settled for a third place finish when Christopher got past him on the white flag lap.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO TODD SZEGEDY’S POST-RACE INTERVIEW
Mike Stefanik and Reggie Ruggiero rounded out the top five finishers in the 100-lap event. Chris Pasteryak, Rowan Pennink, Woody Pitkat, Doug Coby and Ryan Preece brought home the top 10.
The fourth race on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule will take place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The New England 100 is set for Saturday, June 27 in Loudon, N.H.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR
NWMT Stafford 5/22/09 Unofficial Results
|
Fin |
Str |
Car |
Driver |
Team |
Laps |
Points |
Total Award |
Status |
| 1 | 1 | 12 | Jimmy Blewett | TS Haulers/Snake Pit Enterprises Chevrolet | 101 | 180 | $4,900 | Running |
| 2 | 4 | 36 | Ted Christopher | Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet | 101 | 170 | 3,700 | Running |
| 3 | 11 | 2 | Todd Szegedy | Wisk/Snuggle Ford | 101 | 165 | 2,050 | Running |
| 4 | 12 | 16 | Mike Stefanik | Diversified Metals/Sanderson-MacLeod Pontiac | 101 | 160 | 2,000 | Running |
| 5 | 18 | 14 | Reggie Ruggiero | Atlantic Sprinkler Ford | 101 | 155 | 2,400 | Running |
| 6 | 8 | 52 | Chris Pasteryak | Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet | 101 | 150 | 1,400 | Running |
| 7 | 7 | 93 | Rowan Pennink | Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet | 101 | 146 | 1,750 | Running |
| 8 | 22 | 28 | Woody Pitkat | TSI Harley-Davidson Chevrolet | 101 | 142 | 1,600 | Running |
| 9 | 9 | 19 | Doug Coby | Major Motion Trans./Family Auto Ctr. Chevrolet | 101 | 138 | 1,600 | Running |
| 10 | 3 | 3 | Ryan Preece | Davidson Co./Reynold’s Auto Wrecking | 101 | 134 | 1,500 | Running |
| 11 | 16 | 46 | Eric Beers | Cape Cod Aggregates/J&R Pre-Cast Chevrolet | 101 | 130 | 1,475 | Running |
| 12 | 10 | 10 | Ed Flemke, Jr. | Ron Bouchard Autos/Kleer Trimboards | 101 | 127 | 1,350 | Running |
| 13 | 15 | 17 | Glen Reen | Reen Orthodontics/Pep Boys Chevrolet | 101 | 124 | 1,525 | Running |
| 14 | 25 | 99 | Jamie Tomaino | Ideal Racing Chevrolet | 101 | 121 | 2,050 | Running |
| 15 | 5 | 4 | Donny Lia | Mystic Missile Dodge | 101 | 118 | 1,375 | Running |
| 16 | 24 | 70 | Andy Seuss | Stuart’s Auto/Rockingham Boats Chevrolet | 101 | 115 | 850 | Running |
| 17 | 19 | 1 | Rob Summers | Frasco Fuel/Hook & Ladder Chevrolet | 101 | 112 | 1,225 | Running |
| 18 | 27 | 8 | Glenn Tyler | Sypher Const./Financial Fed. Credit Chevrolet | 101 | 109 | 1,200 | Running |
| 19 | 30 | 32 | Tom Abele, Jr. | Crystal Auto Body/RH2 Radios Chevrolet | 101 | 106 | 1,175 | Running |
| 20 | 13 | 54 | Eric Berndt | North End Auto Parts Chevrolet | 100 | 103 | 1,150 | Running |
| 21 | 28 | 33 | Wade Cole | Perf. Engines/Kendall Oil/Ryan’s Oil Chevrolet | 100 | 100 | 1,125 | Running |
| 22 | 29 | 18 | Ken Heagy | Buoy One Seafood Chevrolet | 90 | 97 | 650 | Running |
| 23 | 17 | 50 | Kevin Goodale | Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet | 87 | 94 | 800 | Running |
| 24 | 14 | 79 | Ron Silk | Hill Enterprises/Coors Light/Sunoco Pontiac | 68 | 91 | 1,000 | Running |
| 25 | 23 | 09 | Bobby Grigas, III | Triple-G Scaffold Services Chevrolet | 56 | 88 | 900 | Running |
| 26 | 31 | 9 | Jake Marosz | Middlesex Auto Center Chevrolet | 55 | 85 | 500 | Running |
| 27 | 26 | 58 | Eric Goodale * | Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet | 41 | 82 | 900 | Running |
| 28 | 2 | 21 | Richard Savary | Pine Hill Service/Alloy Wheel Repair Chevrolet | 25 | 79 | 900 | Suspension |
| 29 | 6 | 59 | Erick Rudolph | Ed Bennett Properties Chevrolet | 25 | 76 | 1,000 | Suspension |
| 30 | 20 | 08 | Tommy Farrell, III * | TheraFizz Energy Chevrolet | 0 | 73 | 500 | Accident |
| 31 | 21 | 90 | Renee Dupuis | UIG/SFI Chevrolet | 0 | 70 | 900 | DNS |
RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: Ted Christopher, Time: 18.085 Seconds, Speed: 99.530 mph
Failed to Qualify: (5) Richie Pallai, Jr. (#39), Johnny Bush (#68), Danny Knoll, Jr. (#15), Gary McDonald (#26), Joe Hartmann (#05).
Time of Race: 48 mins, 33 secs Average Speed: 62.410 mph Margin of Victory: 1.123 Seconds
Caution Flags: Laps 6-9; 18-22; 27-31; 47-51; 82-85; 95-98. 6 for 27 laps.
Lap Leaders: Jimmy Blewett 1-101.
Total Laps Led: Jimmy Blewett 101. 0 changes involving 1 drivers.
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
COCA-COLA MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Jamie Tomaino, 99 Ideal Racing Chevrolet
COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Ted Christopher, 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Reggie Ruggiero, 14 Atlantic Sprinkler Ford
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD: Kevin Goodale, 50 Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet
WHELEN WINNER OF THE RACE AWARD: Jimmy Blewett, 12 TS Haulers/Snake Pit Enterprises Chevrolet