Worth the Wait at Stafford for Coby
Outlasts Whelen Modified Field For 10th Career Victory
STAFFORD, Conn. — It took a little longer, but Doug Coby finally took the checkered flag for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour action.
The race was postponed twice by rain and then Coby, piloting the No. 2 Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet, had to outlast Justin Bonsignore and Bobby Santos in a green-white-checkered finish that pushed the race to 130 laps.
It is Coby’s 10th career win and sixth at the historic Connecticut half-mile. He took the lead Friday on Lap 7. Santos edged Coby at the line on the final restart but Coby powered back into the lead en route to winning for the fifth time in the last 10 races at Stafford.
Bonsignore got past Santos for second on the final lap. Santos had won the Coors Light Pole Award when qualifying was originally held on May 23.
Rowan Pennink and Woody Pitkat were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Ron Silk finished sixth, followed by Patrick Emerling, Ted Christopher, Ryan Preece and Glen Reen.
It’s been quite the start to 2014 for Coby since he moved to MSIII Racing in the offseason. They won on the short track at Daytona International Speedway in their first outing together during Speedweeks, and since the points season started they’ve recorded finishes of third, second and now first.
“This car has been awesome every time we’ve taken it out, we’re really clicking” Coby said. “It was a move that was difficult for me to make, but I’m happy with this [No.] 2 car.”
With the win, Coby took over the points lead from Bonsignore, 132-128. Pitkat is third in the standings after three races at 123.
The win for Coby also broke a streak of 11-consecutive seasons in which a different driver has won the second Stafford race on the Whelen Modified Tour schedule. The Milford, Connecticut driver also won this event in 2012 during his championship campaign.
The race was slowed by caution just three times, and the first didn’t come out until Lap 104. In 112 all-time Whelen Modified Tour races at Stafford, there still has yet to be a caution-free contest.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be back in action Saturday, June 21 with the Mr. Rooter 161 at Connecticut’s Waterford Speedbowl.
RESULTS | RACE CENTRAL LIVE REPLAY | AUDIO: POST-RACE INTERVIEW WITH WINNER DOUG COBY |AUDIO: POST-RACE INTERVIEW WITH SECOND-PLACE JUSTIN BONSIGNORE | AUDIO: POST-RACE AUDIO WITH THIRD-PLACE BOBBY SANTOS
NWMT Stafford 6/6/14 Results
Whelen Modified Tours
Race: NWMT Stafford 6/6/14
PRINT VERSION (PDF)
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Status
1 2 2 Doug Coby Dunleavy’s Repair/HEX Performance Chevrolet 130 48 5 Running
2 9 51 Justin Bonsignore chem3.com Chevrolet 130 42 Running
3 1 44 Bobby Santos Tinio Racing/ImperialCars.com Chevrolet 130 42 1 Running
4 6 93 Rowan Pennink Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet 130 40 Running
5 10 88 Woody Pitkat Buzz Chew Chev./TSI Harley-Davidson Chevrolet 130 39 Running
6 4 6 Ron Silk TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm Chevrolet 130 38 Running
7 5 07 Patrick Emerling Emerling Chev./Buffalo Auto Auction Chevrolet 130 37 Running
8 17 13 Ted Christopher J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates Chevrolet 130 36 Running
9 13 16 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford 130 35 Running
10 15 8 Glen Reen Reflex Energy/Baja Construction Chevrolet 130 34 Running
11 3 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing/RBSCorp.com Chevrolet 130 33 Running
12 12 64 Ron Yuhas, Jr. Fast Track Electric/Scorpion Const Chevrolet 130 32 Running
13 11 75 Timmy Solomito * Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. Chevrolet 130 31 Running
14 16 52 Matt Hirschman Furnace & Duct/Seekonk Grand Prix Chevrolet 129 30 Running
15 8 4 Donny Lia Mystic Missile Racing Dodge 129 29 Running
16 21 89 Shawn Solomito * Cystic Fibrosis Fdn./Acme Sanitary Chevrolet 127 28 Running
17 18 38 Dave Salzarulo * Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet 126 27 Running
18 23 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electric Pontiac 124 26 Running
19 22 33 Wade Cole Performance Engines/Kendall Oil Chevrolet 123 25 Running
20 7 22 Tommy Barrett, Jr. * Canto Paving/Ferguson/Waterworks Chevrolet 112 24 Accident
21 19 99 Jamie Tomaino Dunleavy’s Repair/N.A. Contractors Chevrolet 112 23 Accident
22 24 01 Melissa Fifield * Allstate Insurance/Easter Boats Chevrolet 108 22 Running
23 20 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Ford 101 21 Steering
24 14 48 Keith Rocco Wheelers Auto/Mr. Rooter Chevrolet 81 20 Engine
RACE STATISTICS
Fastest Qualifier: Bobby Santos, Time: 18.327 Seconds, Speed: 98.216 mph
Failed to Qualify: (1) Richie Pallai, Jr. (#39).
Time of Race: 0 hrs., 53 mins, 6 secs Average Speed: 73.446 mph Margin of Victory: 0.394 Seconds
Caution Flags: [Beneficiary in brackets] Laps 104-111 (Cars #4, 18 accident (Turn 1) [8]); 113-117 (Cars #22, 99 accident (Turn 3) (Red Flag 3 mins.) [none]); 122-127 (Car #52 spinout (Turn 4) [75]). 3 for 19 laps.
Lap Leaders: Bobby Santos 1-6, Doug Coby 7-126, Bobby Santos 127-128, Doug Coby 129-130.
Total Laps Led: Doug Coby 122, Bobby Santos 8. 3 changes involving 2 drivers.
Sources: Jason Christley & Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR