Defending Champion Janovic Scores At Speedbowl
Waterford, CT — Defending champion Rob Janovic Jr. returned to victory lane at the Waterford Speedbowl Saturday evening with a convincing win in the 35-lap SK Modified feature. The victory came after what could only be deemed a disappointing performance during the season-opening Budweiser Modified Nationals of the week before. It was, according to Janovic, “a night of redemption”.
Other feature winners were Bruce Thomas Jr. (Late Model), Jack Aquilina (Sportsman), and, Randy Churchill Jr. (Mini Stocks).
Pole-sitter Frank Mucciacciaro Jr. set the pace at the drop of the green, only to spin within a handful of laps. Dennis Charette took the lead on the restart pursued by Janovic, the latter taking the position with 24-circuits remaining. On lap-eighteen, a grinding crash on the front stretch saw Charette get airborne after contact with Dennis Gada. Also among the drivers involved were Mucciacciaro, Jeff Pearl, and, Jeff Malave. Racing resumed after a lengthy cleanup with Janovic scoring the win by a comfortable margin over Jeff Paul, Tyler Chadwick, Justin Gaydosh, and, Diego Monahan.
“This was a relief after what happened during our weekend in the Budweiser Modified Nationals,” said Janovic during a post-race interview. “We had a problem with of all things, a faulty tire-pressure gauge. Because we weren’t getting accurate readings, it upset the handling of the car all weekend. It was only after we borrowed Don Fowler’s gauge that we found the problem. It’s amazing how such a seemingly small detail can affect your program. Tonight we were able to redeem ourselves”.
Present to see his victory were Janovic’s sister Melissa and her fiancé Thomas.
“It seems as though every time I have a family member visiting at the track, I have a great night. I told my little sister Melissa and her fiancé that they’re going to have to come to the races more often, or I’m going to tape a photo of her on my dashboard to bring me luck.”
The event was slowed by two red-flag periods, one for the Charette crash, and another for a medical emergency in the grandstand. Janovic was candid in how he deals with the down-time during an event.
“When the race is stopped for a red-flag, it’s easy to daydream sometimes,” he states. I try to stay focused by thinking of three things; getting a good start, shifting correctly, and lastly, getting into turn-one without incident. When you’re in first spot you start the race, so those are the things you have to do right if you’re going to hold the lead.
Scoring his second-straight Late Model victory was defending Late Model champion Bruce Thomas Jr. After an early tangle eliminated several cars including teammates Larry Goss and Ed Reed Jr., it was Tim Jordan in the lead as racing resumed. Within a few circuits, Marc Curtis Jr. moved into the top spot closely followed by Ron Yuhas Jr., and Thomas. At the halfway point Thomas slipped by Curtis, going on to win by a comfortable margin. Yuhas, Rich Staskowski, and, Vin Esposito rounded-out the top-5.
Thomas insists that speed-alone is not the determining factor in his success within the division.
“If you look at our past performances, I’m rarely, if ever, the fastest guy out there,” he says. “We have the car set-up for consistency, rather than all-out speed. The thing in this class is being able to roll the car through the turns, putting it where you want to. The Speedbowl is a handling track. Our set-up allows me to go low, or go high. It’s really a credit to my crew; they’re the ones that make it so easy to drive. Tonight wasn’t a cakewalk by any means though, as both Curtis and Yuhas are getting faster each week. It’s only going to get tougher as the season goes on”.
The Sportsman division went right down to the wire with Jack Aquilina taking a close victory over Jim Procaccini. The latter stages of the event featured a side-by-side battle between the two. Aquilina was able to pull ahead in the caution-free event when the “handles” went away on the Procaccini machine in the final laps. Completing the top-5 was Chris “Moose” Douton, Al Stone III, and, Nate Appell.
Randy Churchill Jr. notched his second-straight Mini Stock victory. Jeff “Soup” Civardi lead the early stages before being passed by Phil Evans. With only two laps remaining, the Evans machine slowed with mechanical failure, with Churchill going on for the win. Rounding out the top-5 was Ken Cassidy Jr., Lou Bellisle, Kyle James, and, Jeff “Soup” Civardi.
Also making an appearance were the New England Antique Racers, presenting exhibition events featuring the cars of a past era. With over twenty restored racers taking to the track, fans were treated to a view of the true “racing roots” of New England short track history.
Action resumes at the Speedbowl this weekend with a full slate of racing for the SK Modifieds, Late Models, Sportsman, Mini Stocks, and Legends. Visit www.speedbowl.com for more information.
SK MODIFIED (35); 1. Rob Janovic Jr. 2. Jeff Paul, 3. Tyler Chadwick, 4. Justin Gaydosh, 5. Diego Monahan, 6. Michael Sabia Jr,. 7. Wendell Dailey, 8. Glenn Griswold, 9. John Agor, 10. Rich Hammann, 11. Mike Sweeney, 12. Jay Miller, 13. Ron Yuhas Jr., 14. Dennis Charette, 15. Jeff Pearl, 16. Dennis Gada, 17. Jeff Malave, 18. Frank Mucciacciaro Jr., 19. Matt Gallo, 20. Keith Rocco, 21. Don Fowler, 22. Frank Ruocco, 23. Glenn Pressel III.
LATE MODEL (30); 1. Bruce Thomas Jr., 2. Marc Curtis Jr., 3. Ron Yuhas Jr., 4. Rich Staskowski, 5. Vin Esposito, 6. Tim Jordan, 7. Robert LeBlanc Jr., 8. Steve Potter, 9. Chris Bottge, 10. Larry Maskell Jr., 11. Larry Goss, 12. Ed Reed Jr., 13. Joseph Curioso III, 14. Rob Andreozzi, 15. Allen Coates.
SPORTSMAN (20); 1, Jack Aquilina, 2. Jim Procaccini, 3. Chris “Moose” Douton, 4. Al Stone III, 5. Nate Appell, 6. Walt Hovey Jr., 7. Josh Galvin, 8. Ronnie Oldham Jr., 9. Mark Cooper, 10. Jonathon Avery, 11. Joe Bavolocco, 12. Brandon Plemons, 13. Chucky Rogers, 14. Kevin Burr, 15. Ed Lamb Jr., 16. Jesse Smith.
MINI STOCK (20); 1. Randy Churchill Jr., 2. Ken Cassidy Jr., 3. Lou Bellisle, 4. Kyle James, 5. Jeff “Soup” Civardi, 6. Raymond Christian III, 7. Ian Brew, 8. Ben Bargnesi, 9. Chris Williams, 10. David Sylvia, 11. Jeff Mehlenbacher, 12. Jeff Miller, 13. Mark Panaroni, 14. Jack Aqulina, 15. Sean Caron, 16. Christina Cunliffe, 17. Nick Pappacoda, 18. Mark Caise, 19. Jackie Wolfram, 20. Phil Evans, 21. Bill Leonard.
Sources: David Dykes/Waterford Speedbowl PR