Published at September 11, 2014
in Waterford.
Waterford, CT (September 10, 2014) – Waterford Speedbowl put the finishing touches on the 14th season of Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday, its popular mid-week motorsports program. A pair of drivers used the final week of racing to claim their first wins of the year, as Ed Ryan of Preston took the Super X-Car win and Nickolas Hovey of Chaplin won the INEX Bandolero feature. Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott had a record setting win in the INEX Legend Cars and Wayne Shifflett of Preston took the X-Car race win. The night’s two Mechanic Races were won by Charles Beal of Ledyard and Eric Finkbein Sr. of Manchester, while John Kelly of New London took the victory in the Officials Race to round out the night’s winners.
Christopher won again in the INEX Legend Cars, taking the final Wednesday night race of the year to cement a record setting season in the division. He made his way to the front in the early going of the 25-lap feature, trailing Joey Ternullo. He found room to Ternullo’s inside on lap-15, spending three laps side-by-side before a caution flag on lap-18. Ternullo held the advantage, putting Christopher in the outside lane for the restart. Christopher used the top of the track to power ahead for good on lap-20, going on to the win. Ternullo was second and David Johnson was third. Christopher’s victory marked his 23rd overall on the year between the division’s Wednesday and Saturday events, giving him the division single season record for wins. Christopher swept both series titles for the division, becoming the fourth driver to accomplish the feat.
Shifflett won his third X-Car race of the season after coming on to weekly competition midway through the year. He took the lead early but had to hold off two hard chargers over the second half of the 25-lap event. Eric Finkbein caught Shifflett and ran to his outside for several laps trying to overtake the lead, but was unable to make the pass. As the two battled, Jordan Hadley moved in to make it a three-car race for the win over the final eight laps. Hadley was able to get past Finkbein’s inside on lap-19 and tried to pry Shifflett’s car from the bottom of the track as the laps counted down. The top three cars ran nose to tail on the final lap and Hadley’s final corner rally came up short when Finkbein made contact with him, allowing Shifflett to get to the checkered flag first. Hadley held on for second and Finkbein was third. Zac Thomas finished sixth and won the division title.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Continue reading ‘Waterford Speedbowl Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday 9/10 Results’
Waterford, CT (August 30, 2014) – Waterford Speedbowl hosted Thunder on the Sound Saturday, a seven division motorsports program highlighted by the 18th annual Budweiser Modified Nationals SK Modified® 150. The biggest race of the year for the track’s headline NASCAR Whelen All-American Series division was won by Tyler Chadwick of Ledyard. Other winners on the night included Keith Rocco of Berlin in the Valenti Auto Mall Late Models, while a pair of drivers picked up their third victories of the year, Ryan Waterman of Danielson in the Street Stocks Ray Christian III of Groton in the Mini Stocks. Paul Buzel of Trumbull was a first time winner in SK Light Modified action, Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott won in the INEX Legend Cars and Paul LaPlante won the Vintage Outlaw Modified race.
Chadwick’s biggest ally in the 18th annual Budweiser Modified Nationals may have been his patience. The 2012 division champion started the race tenth and slowly moved into contention just before the halfway point of the 150-lap grind. Ted Christopher was out front, showing the way after he passed early leader Ed Puleo on lap-11. Minor incidents for single car spins dotted the opening half of the race. Chadwick was in second by lap-70 as Christopher comfortably led until a caution flag came on lap-96.
Following the restart, Chadwick tried to unseat Christopher using the outside lane on multiple occasions, finally tucking in behind Christopher in second position. The intensity was definitely on the rise among the lead pack as the race moved to its final stages. Keith Rocco, who spent the first one hundred laps pacing himself outside the top-five, asserted himself in the final fifty circuits. Rocco got to third and then pressed Chadwick until he gave up the outside lane, allowing Rocco to move to second on lap-117. Rocco then stalked Christopher for the lead until he made a diving maneuver to the inside on lap-130 down the back chute. The two cars came together between turns three and four, spinning both and bringing out a caution.
Continue reading ‘Waterford Speedbowl 8/30 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Results’
Waterford, CT (August 28, 2014) – Thursday afternoon Waterford Speedbowl announced a disqualification following its 8/27 Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday race program.
Joey Ternullo of Middletown was awarded the 25-lap INEX Legend Cars victory following technical inspection. Ternullo finished second on the track to Wolcott’s Mike Christopher Jr. Christopher’s car was cited for having its brake system reservoir in an unapproved location, per INEX
specifications. INEX, the sanctioning body for the division, issues a common rulebook for the division, which races at tracks across the country.
After the disqualification, Christopher still retains the points lead in the division. Ternullo is second in the standings and now unofficially trails Christopher by 58 points with two scheduled events remaining for the season. Ternullo was last year’s Wednesday series champion.
Continue reading ‘Speedbowl Announces Change to 8/27 Wild ‘N Wacky Wednesday Results’
Waterford, CT (August 27, 2014) – Waterford Speedbowl returned to motorsports action on Wednesday evening with another Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday racing program. Scoring wins included Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott in the INEX Legend Cars, Jim Boyle of East Windsor in the Super X-Cars, Wayne Shifflett of Preston in the X-Car division and Ken Morin Jr. of Old Saybrook in the INEX Bandoleros.
Christopher’s win in the 25-lap INEX Legend Cars feature was key for more than one reason. His twenty-first victory of the year moved him within one victory of the division’s single-season record for wins, and it also unofficially wrapped up the division title in the track’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Series. The win was not official immediately following the race, pending review by the technical inspection staff and INEX officials. The record number of wins for the Legend Cars division is twenty two, held by Jason Palmer, who accomplished the feat in 2009. Christopher is in his second season in the division.
In Wednesday’s race, Christopher had to track down last year’s titlist, Joey Ternullo, doing so under a long green flag run. Ternullo held the top spot but appeared to be handling a tight handling car, enabling Christopher to dive underneath him on lap-11. Ternullo fought for two laps outside of Christopher before succumbing, tucking in behind. A final opportunity to unseat Christopher came with three laps remaining when a yellow flag came out. Christopher got a good restart to pull ahead but Ternullo stayed with him to the checkered flag, however was unable to stay alongside. Ternullo finished second and T.J. Thompson was third.
Continue reading ‘Waterford Speedbowl Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday 8/27 Results’
18th annual $5,000 to win SK-150 part of seven division program Saturday
Waterford, CT (August 25, 2014) – Waterford Speedbowl roars into Labor Day weekend with the biggest pay day of the year for its NASCAR All-American Series SK Modified® division on Saturday, August 30. The 18th annual Budweiser Modified Nationals SK-150 takes center stage with a $5,000 winner’s prize and a total posted race purse of greater than $20,000. A
banner field of competition is expected to turn out once again for the event.
The original big money SK Modified® race, the Modified Nationals debuted at the Speedbowl in 1997 and was the brainchild of track owner and promoter Terry Eames and his staff. According to Eames, “It’s a celebration of our weekly competitors. They deserve the attention. They deserve the pay day. They are the back bone of what we do and it’s only fitting we honor them with a big event”.
Over the nearly two decade history of the event, there’s been no shortage of drama and memorable finishes. Steve Chowansky won the inaugural edition and quickly set a tone that has prevailed for the better part of two decades – the home track stars taking on outside competition looking to swoon in for a big check. It’s created a dynamic unique to the Modified Nationals event and helped stage much of the drama.
Continue reading ‘Budweiser Modified Nationals Highlights Thunder on the Sound at Speedbowl’
Gino Difilippo, Jr. of Riverside, NJ has taken an active role in the SK Light Modifieds this season. The RH2Way President is spearheading the effort to get an SK Light Modified race at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, NC.
Josh Nichols won the 50-lap Modified Lite race last year, but the division was not included in this year’s schedule.
“It was my idea,” Difilippo said. “I’m a first year SK Light car owner and long time fan of the shootout. I wanted a showcase event for our division, a super bowl.”
Without any extensive promotion, six teams have expressed interest. Caraway Speedway has requested at least 12 cars.
Continue reading ‘Difilippo Campains for SK Lights at North South Shootout’
Published at August 15, 2014
in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR CWTS, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR WA-AS, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, NASCAR WMT, NASCAR WSMT, NASCAR XFINITY Series, Stafford, Thompson and Waterford.
Rule Enhances Sport’s Ongoing Safety Efforts
Daytona Beach, Fla. (Aug. 15, 2014) — In its continued efforts to evolve the safety of its sport, NASCAR announced Friday that it will add a rule that addresses on-track incidents as part of its race procedures. The rule, listed as Section 9-16, will be an addendum to the NASCAR rule book and will apply to all of its racing series, effective immediately.
Section 9-16 On-Track Incident Procedure
During an Event, if a racecar is involved in an on-track incident and/or is stopped on or near the racing surface and unable to continue to make forward progress, unless extenuating emergency conditions exist with the racecar (i.e. fire, smoke in cockpit, etc.) the driver should take the following steps:
- Shut off electrical power and, if driver is uninjured, lower window net
- Do not loosen , disconnect or remove any driver personal safety equipment until directed to do so by safety personnel or a NASCAR/Track Official
- After being directed to exit the racecar, the driver should proceed to either the ambulance, other vehicle, or as otherwise directed by safety personnel or a NASCAR/Track Official
- At no time should a driver or crew member(s) approach any portion of the racing surface or apron
- At no time should a driver or crew member(s) approach another moving vehicle
All vehicles not involved in the incident or that are able to continue afterwards should slow down to a cautious speed as outlined in Section 10-4 (Yellow Flag), use extreme care as they approach an incident scene, and follow any directions given by safety personnel or NASCAR/Track Officials. Cars in line behind the safety car should not weave or otherwise stray from the line in the vicinity of the incident.
Continue reading ‘NASCAR Formalizes On-Track Incident Procedure for Competitors’
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Team BCR Racing announced today that new driver John Lowinski-Loh will join the team this year with plans on competing for the 2015 Rookie of the Year and championship in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.
Lowinski-Loh was the Rookie of the Year in the 2013 ACT Late Model Series. He was also named the 2012 Rookie of the Year and track champion in the NASCAR Whelen Series at Thompson International Speedway, holding 10 victories.
“We’re really excited to welcome John to the team,” said team manager Howard Bixman. “He has an incredible background and a tremendous amount of experience in a variety of series. That diverse experience will help John develop his skills in the ARCA Racing Series and his future into NASCAR. We look forward to working with him.”
Continue reading ‘Team BCR Racing Signs John Lowinski-Loh for Later this Year, 2015′
Paul Kusheba, IV of Monroe, CT is one of 18 candidates for the second annual Peak® Stock Car Dream Challenge 2, held June 9-11 in Charlotte, NC. The competition has a grand prize of racing a NASCAR K&N Series car with PEAK sponsorship. The modules at Charlotte Motor Speedway included the quarter mile track, iRacing, the dirt track, pit stops, and the 1.5 mile quad oval.
The 18-year-old SK Modified rookie at Waterford Speedbowl qualified for the event through a series of races on iRacing.com. Kusheba won the 2014 PEAK Stock Car Dreams National Series championship with 21 wins in 28 starts. He and Tyler Hudson were added as finalists.
“It can really potentially bring your name out there a lot,” Kusheba said. “You could be a standout and definitely not win the competition. So being in the final 18 in this competition is already a huge step in potentially a much bigger future for my racing career already, which is really a true blessing.”
Continue reading ‘Kusheba Aims at Peak Stock Car Challenge’
Late Model driver John Lowinski-Loh, Jr. of Milford, MA will be holding a fundraiser on September 21 to support his ARCA Racing Series efforts. Lowinski-Loh has signed with Team BCR for 2015. He will make his series debut October 3 at Kansas Speedway.
“I’m signed for the full season of next year and we are currently working on sponsors,” Lowinski-Loh said Monday night.
The fundraiser will be September 21, 1PM at the Green Room (535 Quaker Hwy, Uxbridge, MA 01569). Tickets are $20.
Continue reading ‘Sept. 21 Fundraiser for Lowinski-Loh, Signs with Team BCR’
Published at July 29, 2014
in ACT, Airborne, Autodrome Chaudiere, Autodrome Montmagny, Autodrome Saguenay, Autodrome St-Félicien, Autodrome Val-Bélair, Beech Ridge, Canaan Fair, Catamount, Cayuga, Circuit Riverside, Claremont, Concord, Dover, Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville, Flemington, Florence, Greenville-Pickens, Hickory, Holland, ISMA, Jennerstown, Lanier, Lee USA, Lime Rock Park, Martinsville, Milwaukee, Monadnock, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR WA-AS, NASCAR WMT, Nazareth, NEAR, NESMRA, NHMS, NHRA, North Wilkesboro, Norwood, Nostalgia, Orange County, Oswego, Oxford Plains, PASS, PASS National, PASS North, PASS South, Pines, Plainville, Riverside, Riverside Park, Sanair, Scotia, South Boston, Southern National, Speedway 660, Speedway 95, Spud, Stafford, Star, Thompson, Thunder Road, Unity, Waterford, Watkins Glen, Westboro, White Mountain and Wiscasset.
Drivers Deke Astle, Jim Martel, Mike Rowe, Fred Schulz, Ron Wyckoff, drag racing icon Bob Tasca, historian R.A. Silvia and car builder/mechanic Dave Tourigny make up the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame’s class of 2014.
They, along with the still to be announced pioneer class, will be inducted at NEAR’s 16th Hall of Fame banquet Sunday, Nov. 16th, at The Lodge at Maneeley’s in South Windsor, CT.
Banquet ticket information will be announced shortly and will be posted on the New England’s Antique Racers’ website (NEAR1.org) in the near future.
Continue reading ‘NEAR Announces 2014 Hall of Fame Class’
Abington Teen Seeks LM Success, ACT Tour
Defending champion Nick Lascuola, of Abington, MA, has set a torrid pace in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars at Seekonk Speedway this season. He has won all seven Friday night races, and the last two races in 2013. That’s not enough for Lascuola. He wants to go undefeated this season and win the championship.
“It takes a lot of hard work each week,” Lascuola said. “We prepare the car all week long and make sure it’s perfect. Come race day you have to go through the field smooth, but also have to be fast without getting into trouble.
“So sometimes it can be difficult, especially when you have Robins get out front first cause each week I need to chase him down from about a half a straight to a full straight. So you need to (be) perfect every lap and consistent even with all the lapped traffic. But also you have to have a little luck fall your way and a couple times we’ve had cautions that have fell our way and helped us out. Then other haven’t helped us out but we work and push the through it each week.”
Continue reading ‘Lascuola Sets Record in Seekonk Romp’
Kansas City here he comes.
John Lowinski-Loh, Jr. will make his ARCA Racing Series debut on Saturday, October 3 at Kansas Speedway for Team BCR. The Kansas ARCA 150 will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2.
The Milford, MA driver will be signing with the team and intends for the full 2015 season if sponsorship can be found. Fundraiser information will be released on Wednesday.
Continue reading ‘Lowinski-Loh to Make ARCA Debut at Kansas’
Tom ‘Sid’ DiMaggio and the Vault Productions crew will film their first Sid’s View webisode since taking a hiatus from Waterford Speedbowl on July 5. “(I) never thought I’d be leaving the bowl, but we’re excited to visit new places,” DiMaggio said.
Sid’s View Executive Producer Sid DiMaggio and Co-Producer Jesse Gleason were in attendance at Seekonk Speedway on Saturday night, preparing for the Open Wheel Wednesday $10,000 to win Modified race. DiMaggio said, “We wanna come back with a bang.” Vault Productions filmed the $5,000 to win SK Modified race at Seekonk that Matt Hirschman won in 2013.
“When you have an event with names like (Doug) Coby, (Bobby) Santos, (Ryan) Preece and (Matt) Hirschman on it, I mean, that’s the best of the best in modified country,” DiMaggio said. “The opportunity to capture an event with such well-known names participating has the potential for large view counts, and view counts for us is like currency, so we’d be foolish not to jump at the opportunity to film it as part of our series.”
Continue reading ‘Vault Productions Returns to Seekonk’
Waterford, CT (July 19, 2014) – Waterford Speedbowl hosted Whelen Engineering Night Saturday, featuring a six division racing program. Whelen sponsors NASCAR’s weekly racing series at tracks across the country. Picking up wins in Whelen All-American Series action included Kyle James of Ashaway, RI who dominated the SK Modified® feature, Keith Rocco of Berlin won for the seventh time of the year in the Valenti Auto Mall Late Models and Josh Galvin of Franklin picked up his eighth Street Stock victory. Other NASCAR wins went to Ken Cassidy Jr. of Lisbon, who returned to the winner’s circle in the Mini Stocks and Paul French of Andover checkered the SK Light Modified race. Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott won another INEX Legend Cars race rounding out the night’s victors.
James turned in a flawless performance to romp to victory in the 35-lap SK Modified® feature, his second of the season. The win was by nearly a five second margin, almost half the track, ahead of the competition. James took the lead on the outside of Jeff Gallup following the only caution flag of the race, which came on lap-8.
Gallup used his pole starting position to lead rookie competitor Paul Kusheba from the start. Diego Monahan moved past Kusheba into second and James followed to third in the opening green flag run. That ended when Monahan lost control of his car in turn three, spinning from second position to bring out the lone yellow flag for the single car spin. James lined up outside Gallup for the restart, timed the green flag nearly perfectly, and powered into the lead out of turn two.
Continue reading ‘Waterford Speedbowl 7/19 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Results’
John Lowinski-Loh Jr. will be moving to North Carolina in November to further his racing career. Lowinski-Loh will be holding a fundraiser in August for a test with Team BCR Racing. Team BCR fields ARCA Racing Series cars for Grant Enfinger and Justin Allison. Enfinger is the points leader with victories at Daytona, Mobile, Salem and Elko.
“My crew and I were just talking,” Lowinski-Loh said. “One of my crew members was saying let’s make the leap, so I spent days researching what the next best move would be. I applied for a ARCA license and contacted BCR, who were looking for a driver in 2015.”
“That depends on how the test day goes and sponsor money,” Lowinski-Loh said. “If the test day goes well, they will help me find a sponsor and go from there. Depending on sponsors, would depend on either 10 races, more or less.”
Continue reading ‘August Fundraiser Set for Lowinski-Loh’
First-Year Program Will Crown National & Track Champions
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Daytona for its annual July date, everywhere you look in the garage is another fresh face looking to make an impact at NASCAR’s top level.
This youth movement isn’t restricted to the top series – it is a tidal wave moving through the NASCAR system, starting at its foundation: The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
Not only are younger drivers racing, but they’re winning. And chasing championships.
This year, they have a new prize to pursue: The UNOH Youth Achievement Award.
Continue reading ‘UNOH Youth Achievement Award Spotlights Rising Stars Across Whelen All-American’
Wins at Motor Mile & Hickory; Pulliam Closes Gap On Anders
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Dillon Bassett’s season had already exceeded his own expectations.
And that was before this past weekend. Two wins and one totaled race car later, Bassett is still buzzing.
The 17-year-old from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has placed himself squarely in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship conversation with five wins through his first 17 starts running his Late Model stock car on pavement tracks in the southeast.
Continue reading ‘NWAAS Div. I Pts: Bassett Hits a Double’
Waterford, CT (June 28, 2014) – Seven racing events were on Saturday night’s card at Waterford Speedbowl, settting the stage for an action packed night of motorsports. Picking up NASCAR Whelen All-American Series wins included Keith Rocco of Berlin in the SK Modifieds®, Bruce Thomas Jr. of Groton in the Valenti Auto Mall Late Models and Corey Barry of Plainfield in the SK Light Modifieds. Garrett Denton of Hope Valley, RI checkered the Mini Stocks and Ryan Waterman of Danielson picked up an exciting victory in the Street Stock race. Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott won another INEX Legend Cars feature and Ledyard’s Corey Coates won the visiting New England Truck Series race.
Rocco checkered his sixth SK Modified® race of the year in 12 events for the division after an impressive crossover move landed him the lead in the second half of the race. Rob Janovic Jr. of Waterford led the opening laps until Tim Jordan took command after a lap-8 restart. Jordan, from Plainfield, bolted out to a quick lead while Rocco moved through the top cars into second position on lap-10. Rocco closed in and trailed Jordan until caution on lap-22 slowed the field. Rocco’s crossover came following the restart, when Jordan fended off Rocco’s brief outside bid. Rocco traded the outside lane, dropping to the bottom of the track exiting turn four to make a run underneath Jordan as they completed lap-23. Rocco finished off the move out of turn two to get away from Jordan and survived four late restarts to close out the victory. Jordan wound up second and Tyler Chadwick of Ledyard ended up with a podium finish, in third.
Continue reading ‘Saturday 6/28 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Results’
Early Leader At Airborne; Rocco Moves To Second Overall
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Winning at Airborne Speedway is a Catch-22. The driver obviously gets the maximum number of points. But under track rules, it means they start the next feature in the last position.
For Travis Bruno and his fellow competitors at the track in Plattsburgh, New York, there is no debate: Go for the win and don’t worry about the next race.
“Even if you’re only racing for a dollar, you’re still going to push for the win,” said the 25-year-old Bruno.
Continue reading ‘NWAAS Div. I Pts: Bruno Chasing Wins’
Passes Lia To Claim Whelen Modified Tour Win At Waterford
WATERFORD, Conn. – Bobby Santos followed Donny Lia for much of the first half of Saturday night’s race. But Santos wasn’t content to finish second.
So Santos, from Franklin, Massachusetts, wrestled the lead away and went on to claim the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory in the Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl.
It was Santos’ second win of the season and 12th of his career. It was his first tour win at Waterford, the fourth different track he’s registered a victory at during his Whelen Modified Tour tenure.
[Photo Gallery] by Ed Martin
Continue reading ‘Santos Drives to the Victory’
Nineteenth Career Coors Light Pole Is First At Waterford
WATERFORD, Conn. – A two-time champion with double-digit wins and poles in his NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour career, Donny Lia has accomplished most things out there. He knocked one missing item off of the list Saturday with his first Coors Light Pole Award at Waterford Speedbowl.
Lia is a veteran of nine previous Whelen Modified Tour races at Waterford, where he’s captured two checkered flags, but he had yet to grab a pole at the .375-mile oval. That ended Saturday when the Jericho, New York, native posted a fast lap of 13.869 seconds (97.339 mph) during Mr. Rooter 161 qualifying for his 19th career pole.
Lia will be joined on the front row for tonight’s Mr. Rooter 161 by Bobby Santos. Santos’ lap of 14.003 (96.408) stood until the very end when Lia, the last car to take time, knocked him off the provisional pole.
[Photo Gallery] by Ed Martin
Continue reading ‘QUALIFYING: Lia Adds to Pole Collection’
Fastest In Mr. Rooter 161 Prep Session
WATERFORD, Conn. – Bobby Santos remains the class of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour field when it comes to practices as he led his fourth session in a row in preparation for tonight’s Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl.
Santos, from Franklin, Massachusetts, posted a fast lap of 13.950 seconds (96.744 mph) in the 75-minute practice Saturday afternoon at the .375-mile oval. Santos also led all three practice sessions in the twice-delayed previous race for the Whelen Modified Tour at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Second on the speed chart Saturday was Woody Pitkat at 13.971 (96.629) followed by Donny Lia in third at 13.991 (96.491).
[Photo Gallery] by Ed Martin
Continue reading ‘PRACTICE: Santos Tops Waterford Charts’
Waterford, CT (June 21, 2014) – Waterford Speedbowl hosted a jam packed crowd for its Mr. Rooter 161 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event under ideal summer weather. The track’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions supported the regional touring race with four action packed races. Ed Puleo of Branford picked up his second SK Modified® win of the season and Bruce Thomas Jr. of Groton landed his second Valenti Auto Mall Late Model feature win of 2014. Bill McNeil of Preston took his first Street Stock victory and Groton’s Ray Christian III won the Mini Stocks.
Puleo was in a hurry in the night’s 35-lap SK Modified® feature. He started the race in second position, outside Jeff Gallup. Gallup fought Puleo hard as the race began, with the pair trading the lead over the opening two circuits. Gallup spun off the inside of Puleo in turn four trying to remain in the battle for the lead as they raced to complete lap-3, collecting Joe Gada. Somehow those were the only two cars seriously involved and both returned to the race after a visit to the pit area.
Puleo inherited the lead for the ensuing restart, bringing Tim Jordan with him to second when back under the green flag. Kyle James moved into third and Ted Christopher to fourth as the race reached lap-10. James was all over Jordan as Puleo stretched his lead. James got around Jordan on lap-10, but when Christopher tried to duplicate the move he had to make a nice save out of turn two, dropping back to fifth. The chain reaction collected Paul Kusheba, whose car was in distress on the front stretch with 12 laps scored complete for the next yellow flag.
Continue reading ‘Waterford Speedbowl 6/21 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Results’
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division II-V Update
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Keith Rocco is no stranger to Victory Lane. Nor competing for NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championships.
The Meriden, Conn., driver, however, is chasing a rare double. Currently third in the Division I national standings driving his SK Modified Division car at three Connecticut short tracks, Rocco is also second in the Division II national standings thanks to success in his Late Model.
Rocco has picked up eight wins, 12 top fives and 12 top 10s in 14 starts in his Late Model at Thompson Speedway Motorsport Park and Waterford Speedbowl. That is in addition to his six wins in 16 starts in his SK Modified.
Continue reading ‘Rocco Doubling Up on Wins’
Waterford, CT (June 18, 2014) – A beautiful summer night greeted race fans in attendance for Waterford Speedbowl’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday racing program. An action packed motorsports card landed the first victory of the year for Middletown’s Joey Ternullo in the INEX Legend Cars. Anthony Marvin of Colchester won another INEX Bandolero feature and Zac Thomas of New London was back in the winner’s circle following the X-Car race. Dan Moon of Exeter, RI was awarded his first Super X-Car victory of the year and Art Chartier of Douglas, MA checkered the Vintage Outlaw Modified feature.
Ternullo and Christopher put on a memorable duel in the night’s 25-lap INEX Legend Cars race. Ternullo, last year’s division champion, got to the front first which was a big key in his success. Following a lap-7 restart, Christopher challenged Ternullo’s outside but finally tucked back in line behind him on lap-10. Christopher stayed in Ternullo’s tire tracks and the two pulled ahead to a big lead until the final caution flag of the race came on lap-19.
Christopher lined up to Ternullo’s outside, however it was Ternullo jumping back out in front on the restart. Christopher nearly made a run to the inside entering turn one on lap-22 but thought better of the move. Ternullo continued to lead through the white flag and survived a shot to his rear bumper in turn three on the final lap from Christopher before powering to the victory. Ternullo’s win was his first of the year. Christopher settled for second position and Josh Zentek ran a strong race to land a career best finish of third, besting Jordan Churchill.
Continue reading ‘Waterford Speedbowl Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday 6/18 Results’
Analyzing The Mr. Rooter 161 At Waterford Speedbowl
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will head to Connecticut shoreline oval Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday for the Mr. Rooter 161. Below is a statistical look at the performance of the tour and selected drivers at the track:
Mr. Rooter 161 Setup:
• Ryan Preece is the defending winner of the Mr. Rooter 161. Preece went on to capture the season title following his 2013 Waterford Speedbowl victory, as did Doug Coby in 2012.
• Preece and Donny Lia lead all active drivers in bullring victories with six apiece. Lia has two triumphs at Waterford.
• Coby is the season points leader after three events with podium finishes in each outing. Justin Bonsignore is just four points back with an average finish on the podium.
• Three drivers are slated to attempt their NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour debut in this event: Spencer Davis, Craig Lutz and Derek Ramstrom.
Continue reading ‘Whelen Mod Tour Stat Advance: Waterford’
Published at June 16, 2014
in Gateway, Lee USA, NASCAR WA-AS, NASCAR WMT, NEMA, Seekonk, Stafford, Star, Thompson, Tri-Track Open Modified Series, USAC, VMRS and Waterford.
Bobby Santos, III of Franklin, MA is excited for the Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl on June 21. Santos won his first NEMA Midget race, the 2002 Boston Louie Memorial, at Waterford. He would reel off three of the next six races there through 2004. “I’ve had a lot of success there with the Midgets and I’d like to go down there and try to get a win if we can,” Santos said.
The multi-groove 3/8 mile oval opened as a dirt oval in 1951 and was paved after three races. The track has been a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series member since 2000.
“It’s a fun race track,” Santos said. “You can run on the outside. You can run the bottom. You get side-by-side in a race. That’s the big thing. Right now at a lot of race tracks the cars are so close in speed you kind of just gotta slam it in there and make the passes that way, where a place like Waterford you can get side-by-side and race each other hard without too much bumping and banging, just have a good clean race. It was definitely a well-designed race track. Hopefully things work out where it’s around for a long time because a lot of guys enjoy going there.”
Points leader Doug Coby opened the season with three podiums and won the most recent race at Stafford Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Icebreaker winner Justin Bonsignore and Woody Pitkat also have opened the season with top five finishes. Pitkat is only nine points away from the lead. Santos, the Spring Sizzler winner, is fourth with one win, two top fives and two top 10s.
Continue reading ‘Gateway Winner Returns to Waterford, Santos in Darling’s Ride at Seekonk’
Coby v. Preece, Part III
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Since the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returned to Waterford Speedbowl in 2012, both editions of the Mr. Rooter 161 at the Connecticut shoreline oval have come down to Doug Coby versus Ryan Preece in green-white-checkered flag finishes. Odds are the storyline will persist this Saturday.
Two years ago Coby was the class of the field, but he had to fend off Preece in the final restart to secure his first Waterford tour win.
“Knock the 16 [Preece] in the door, and hang on for a few laps,” Coby said immediately after his winning move in the 2012 event. “The outside was the place to be on the restarts, he was getting great runs. I knew I had to take away the entry for him and kind of stay on the bottom up off and change his entry for him and kind of change his line a little bit.”
Continue reading ‘Whelen Mod Tour News & Notes: Waterford’
Waterford, CT (June 14, 2014) – An action packed and entertaining six division NASCAR Whelen All-American Series race program hit the track Saturday at Waterford Speedbowl. Repeat winners were commonplace during the event, including Keith Rocco of Berlin, who doubled up on the night with wins in the SK Modified® and Valenti Auto Mall Late Model division races. Josh Galvin of Franklin won another Street Stock race and Randy Churchill was back in Victory Lane following the SK Light Modified feature. Jeff Lee of Uncasville was the only new winner, a career first victor in the Mini Stock ranks. Allen Coates added another Speedbowl win to his career in the visiting New England Truck Series race.
An extra-distance 40-lap SK Modified® highlighted Saturday’s racing card, checkered by Rocco. He made the move of the race early and once in the lead, closed the race with a long green flag run to the checkered flag.
The opening green flag saw the third place car Paul Kusheba come up to speed slowly, giving the outside lane behind the front row an advantage. Rocco was mid-pack and able to slide by multiple cars on the opening lap, led by Tim Jordan. Ted Christopher moved to second on lap-3 and tailed Jordan until the first caution of the race came out before the field could complete lap-5. Contact between the cars of Kusheba and Ed Puleo saw Puleo spin off the track down the back chute, collecting Frank Mucciacciaro.
Continue reading ‘Waterford Speedbowl 6/14 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Results’
