Szegedy Modified Mania WMT Winner at Thompson
Hirschman Dominates RoC & Owen Surprise TVMRS Winner; Blewett, Wrenn, & Marcotte Also Score Mania Victories
Thompson, CT — With Tropical storm Hanna but a memory, Todd Szegedy of Ridgefield, CT, ended nearly a one-year drought with his win in the Whelen Modified Tour 150 under crystal clear blue skies as part of Modified Mania at Thompson International Speedway on Sunday. Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA turned in a dominating performance to win the 75-lap main event for the Race of Champions. Todd Owen of Somers, CT, was declared the winner in a wild 75-lapper for the True Value Modified Racing Series (TVMRS). In weekly series action, Jimmy Blewett of Howell, NJ, was the winner in the Sunoco Modifieds and R.J. Marcotte of Millville, MA, in the TIS Modifieds. Norm Wrenn of Nashua, NH, was the winner in the visiting Pro-Four Modifieds.
Szegedy took the lead on a late race restart to earn his first win of the 2008 season in Whelen Modified Tour action. After rain forced the cancellation of time trials on Saturday, point leader Ted Christopher started the Whelen Modified Tour event from the point on Sunday. He took full advantage of his starting spot leading the lion’s share of the event. Christopher led from the drop of the green flag through lap 124. The team opted to head to pit road for tires giving up the lead and ultimately the win.
Ronnie Silk inherited the lead but could not hold off the challenges of Szegedy over the stretch run on lap 132. Christopher, a bit too anxious to get back to the front, was involved in a pair of altercations before his hopes of winning went by the wayside.
Szegedy turned back all challenges to score a popular win over Silk. Doug Coby continues to be impressive; scoring his second podium finish in only his second start of the year on the Tour. Veterans Reggie Ruggiero and Rick Fuller completed the top five. It was a season-high finish for both. Christopher finished outside of the top ten.
Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA, proved to be the class of a star-studded Race of Champions Modified Tour event on Sunday at Thompson. Hirschman took the lead on lap five and would never be headed. The RoC competitors had trouble getting started with two cautions flying before a lap could be completed. The first involved the likes of Ted Christopher. The second flew when Alexander spun from the lead to bring out the second caution. Earl Paulus, Jimmy Kuhn, and Kenny White were also collected.
Darren Scherer was the leader of the first lap. He held the top spot before Hirschman asserted himself as the new leader on lap five. After a pair of quick cautions, Hirschman continued to lead Scherer, Billy Pauch, Jr., Pete Brittain, and Jimmy Blewett.
A single car incident involving Butch Perry brought out the caution once again. On the ensuing restart, Brittain faltered in the outside groove losing spots to Blewett, who had made his way by Pauch, Pasteryak and Preece. He continued to back slide losing positions to Christopher, Silk and Paulus.
Both Pasteryak and Ryan Preece were on the move running inside the top five by lap 20. Scherer fell outside of the top ten during the green flag run. Out front, Hirschman continued to extend his lead.
With Hirschman leading Blewett and Pauch, Pasteryak continued to look racy. He looked low to take over the third spot from Pauch. The outside groove appeared to be the fast way around the track and Pasteryak went from battling for third to fighting with Christopher to stay inside the top five. Pasteryak withstood the challenge to run in fifth.
At halfway, Blewett had begun to chase down Hirschman. The top six of Hirschman, Blewett, Pauch, Preece, Pasteryak and Christopher ran a distance ahead of seventh place runner Ronnie Silk.
On lap 47, Christopher was able to take the fifth position from Pasteryak. Pauch and Preece raced hard for the third spot. Blewett, little by little, continued to chip away at Hirschman’s lead. Preece moved into the third position on lap 52. Christopher got alongside Pauch in a bid for the fourth position on lap 55. The two played cat and mouse for several laps.
With 25 laps to go, Hirschman turned it on once again building up his lead over Blewett to a 10-car length advantage. Silk watched his solid finish go by the wayside when he headed to pit road with mechanical failure with only two laps remaining in the event.
Hirschman went unchallenged to the checkers to score his fourth RoC win of the season. Blewett came home second ahead of Ryan Preece. Ted Christopher and Bill Pauch, Jr., rounded out the top-five.
Todd Owen of Somers, CT scored his first True Value Modified Racing Series win in a controversial run to the checkers. Owen crossed the line in second but was awarded the victory on an official call.
Chris Pasteryak jumped out from his pole starting position to lead the opening laps of the True Value Modified Series main event. Over the early potion of the event, Pasteryak stretched his lead over Mike Holdridge and David Pinkham, Ed Dachenhausen and Les Hinckley inside the top-five.
The point leader Pasteryak watched his large lead evaporate when the first caution of the event flew on lap 24 when Dale Evonsion’s entry came to rest in turn one. Under the caution flag the like of Jimmy Blewett, Jimmy Kuhn, Kirk Alexander and Brian Schofield headed down pit road for service.
A melee on the restart brought out the caution immediately. Alexander, Blewett, David Roys, Kenny White, Jr., Joe Doucette, Brian Schofield, Bill Boudreau, and Kenny Vogel, Jr. were all involved. Kevin Iannarelli, who was not involved in the incident, retired from the event at the same time.
Pasteryak resumed his lead on the restart with Pinkham moving into second. Dachenhausen was working over Holdridge in search of the third position. Christopher, meanwhile, had moved into the fourth position. On lap 29, Masse spun but was able to continue without bringing out the caution. John McKennedy headed to pit road.
Dachenhausen took the second spot away from Holdridge on lap 30 and immediately went to work on Pinkham. Jack Bateman had moved into contention chasing Christopher for fifth.
Masse was not as lucky the second time as a spin on lap 34 brought out the event’s fourth caution. Alexander, with nowhere to go, made contact as well. Under the caution Les Hinckley headed to pit road as did Robert Drouin.
Pinkham got a good run on the restart going side-by-side with Pasteryak for a lap before Pasteryak edged ahead for the lead once again. Dachenhausen used the low groove to get by Pinkham and into the second spot. Christopher had moved into the third position. Blewett, meanwhile, had pulled his ride behind the wall.
Just after taking the crossed flags to signify halfway, contact between leader Pasteryak and Dachenhausen sent Pasteryak hard into the front stretch wall. The #15 climbed the wall and ran nearly the distance of turn one on top of the wall. Pasteryak walked away from the scary looking wreck. Dachenhausen was parked for his involvement in the wreck. Under the red flag, the #6 of Rob Goodenough erupted like a geyser in turn two.
Christopher had inherited the lead for the restart. Christopher and Pinkham pinballed off one another vying for the lead as they headed to the green flag. Christopher had gotten the advantage when the sixth caution flew for an incident involving Masse, Les Hinckley and others.
On the ensuing restart it was all Christopher. Pinkham took chase in second with Owen in tow. The car on the move was Shelly Perry. Perry took the third position with an outside move on Todd Owen. Owen fought back a few laps later to run in third once again.
The running order at lap 50 found Christopher leading Pinkham, Owen, Perry and Holdridge. Rowan Pennick, Jeff Malave, and Kirk Alexander duked it out for sixth. Christopher enjoyed a five car length advantage over Pinkham. Owen ran alone in third. Holdridge had made his way back up to fourth. Perry began to backslide also losing positions to Pennick and Malave.
With only ten laps remaining, Pinkham had chased down Christopher. With five laps to go, Pinkham was glued to the back bumper of Christopher. Exiting turn four to complete lap 72, Pinkham got underneath Christopher but he could not make the pass. He dove low in turn one mimicking the move.
A spin by Jack Bateman with two laps remaining necessitated the caution. The race was restarted in single-file formation with three laps remaining. Christopher led Pinkham to the green. Malave made his first appearance in the top-five after a great restart.
Coming down to take the checkered flag, contact between Christopher and Pinkham found Christopher spinning. Pinkham crossed the line first but he was called for over aggressive driving. The win was awarded to Owen. Holdridge and Malave joined Owen on the podium. Rowan Pennick and Jimmy Kuhn rounded out the top five.
Jimmy Blewett of Howell, NJ, was tops in the Sunoco Modified division for the second straight week. Both wins have come in extra-distance races with back-to-back wins in 50-lappers. Pole sitter Josh Sylvester led through the first caution of the Sunoco Modified race on lap five. Bobby Grigas spun exiting turn one after apparent contact. Contact from Shawn Monahan sent a slowing Shelly Perry into Grigas. Perry’s ride ended up atop of Grigas’ #00. Ricky Shawn was also involved in the incident. All drivers were able to walk away.
Shortly after the restart, Blewett was able to maneuver around Sylvester to take the lead. Sylvester ran in second for several laps before giving up a position to Cravenho. The second yellow of the event flew for a spin by Shawn Solomito. Under the caution, Todd Ceravolo and Bobby Santos headed to pit road for service.
Blewett was able to maintain the top spot on the restart ahead of Cravenho. Danny Cates failed to come up to speed on the restart giving up a host of positions. The best battle on the field was for the third position between Sylvester and Bert Marvin.
Caution number three flew for an incident involving Dave LaCroix and Dave Nordman.
Transmission troubles continued to plague Cates, who headed to pit road as did Keith Rocco. On the restart, both Erica Santos and Cates had trouble on the restart. The continuing problems for Cates necessitated the caution.
Back under green, Jimmy Blewett continued to show the way ahead of Cravenho and now Kerry Malone, Bert Marvin, and Pitkat. During the green flag run Malone gave up positions to both Marvin and Pitkat. A spin by the Rick D’Abate brought out the caution on lap 24.
Blewett stretched his lead to six car lengths when the green flag racing resumed. Cravenho, meanwhile, had a mirror full of Marvin. Green flag racing was short-lived as the sixth caution flew for an incident involving John Catania, Erica Santos, and Dennis Krupski.
Marvin got a great restart taking the second position away from Cravenho. Marvin immediately began to run down Blewett, who had rocketed back out into the lead. Malone ran fourth with Eric Goodale in tow. The back half of the top ten was a busy place as the likes of Sylvester, Pitkat, Ceravolo, Brad Van Houten, Geoff Gernhard and Rocco jockeyed for position.
Despite early gains by Marvin, Blewett was once again able to stretch his lead over Marvin, who had a sizeable lead over Cravenho. A distance back Malone, Sylvester, and Pitkat continued to do battle. Blewett entered heavy lapped traffic with 10 laps remaining in the 50-lapper. The caution of the event flew on lap 43 when Glenn Griswold came to rest on the backstretch.
Heavy contact with the outside wall by Todd Ceravolo brought out the eighth caution of the event on lap 44. After completing a single lap, an incident involving Van Houten and Brian McCarthy prompted the caution once again.
A single-file restart set up a five lap dash to the checkers. With things unchanged in the running order for the top five, a battle for the sixth spot was brewing between Sylvester and Rocco. Sylvester came out on the top-side of the competition before the yellow flew again.
With three laps to go, the third position was being hotly contested between Cravenho and Pitkat. After aggressive driving by both, Cravenho ended up in the outside wall.
On the green-white-checker restart Blewett cruised to the victory over Marvin and Woody Pitkat. Malone raced across the line in fourth followed by Josh Sylvester. After the event, Pitkat was penalized for his involvement in the incident with Cravenho. Malone was officially scored in third followed by Sylvester. Rocco rebounded from early race problems to complete the top five.
In the Pro-Four Modifieds, Norm Wrenn continued his domination of the Club with his sixth victory of the season. Rookie Brian Vincent jumped out to a sizeable advantage from the drop of the green flag. The early battle for second was fierce between Matt Sagar, Zuidema, and Frank Perry. Zuidema went from fourth to second in the span of lap three. Zuidema immediately began to cut into the lead of the Vincent.
A melee in turn two necessitated the yellow on lap six. On the restart, Zuidema rocketed into the lead relegating Vincent to second. Wrenn was on a mission moving into the third spot on lap 10 and into second on lap 12. He went in search of the leader Zuidema. Wrenn caught the leader on lap 14. He dove low into turn two to get alongside and drove around Zuidema in turn one of lap 15 to take the lead. Vincent continued to run in third. Wrenn went unchallenged to the checkers to score the win in front of his home track crowd. Fellow Thompson Speedway regular Zuidema settled for second. Vincent, Andy Major, and Kevin Iannarelli rounded out the top five.
R.J. Marcotte of Millville, MA led green to checker in a rough and tumble TIS Modified main event to cap off the Modified Mania activities on Sunday night. It was the second victory of the season for Marcotte. Brian Sullivan, Leo Oliveira, Shane Michalksi and Cam McDermott rounded out the top-five.
The action at Thompson resumes this Thursday night with a full slate of NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing. For information on the final nights of weekly racing and the World Series of Asphalt Racing, log on to www.thompsonspeedway.com or call the Speedway hotline at (860) 923-2280.
Whelen Modified Tour 150 Lap Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, CT; 2. Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, CT; 3. Doug Coby, Milford, CT; 4. Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, CT; 5. Ricky Fuller, Auburn, MA; 6. Bobby Santos, III, Franklin, MA; 7. Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, NJ; 8. Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA; 9. Rowan Pennick, Huntingdon Village, PA; 10. Eric Beers, Northampton, PA.
Race of Champion Modified Tour 75-Lap Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA; 2. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 3. Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT; 4. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 5. Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, NJ; 6. Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT; 7. Earl Paulus, Palmerton, PA; 8. Kirk Alexander, Fremont, NH; 9. Rick Kluth, Brockport, NY: 10. Pete Brittain, Oakhurst, NJ.
True Value Modified Racing Series 75-Lap Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Todd Owen, Somers, CT; 2. Mike Holdridge, Madison, CT; 3. Jeff Malave, S. Windsor, CT; 4. Rowan Pennick, Huntingdon Village, PA; 5. Jimmy Kuhn, W. Bridgewater, MA; 6. Pete Jarvis, Ascutney, VT; 7. Shelly Perry, Ashaway, RI; 8. Dwight Jarvis, Ascutney, VT; 9. Kenny White, Jr., Weare, NH; 10. Kirk Alexander, Fremont, NH.
Pro-Four Modified 25-Lap Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 2. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 3. Brian Vincent, Coventry, RI; 4. Andy Major, Brookfield, MA; 5. Kevin Iannarelli, Maynard, MA; 6. Dan Meservey, W. Chatham, MA; 7. Dave Berghman, E. Providence, RI; 8. Frank Perry, Holbrook, MA; 9. George Sherman, Framingham, MA; 10. Mark Giodano, West Haven, CT.
Sunoco Modified 50-Lap Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 2. Bert Marvin, New London, CT; 3. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 4. Josh Sylvester, Lebanon, CT; 5. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 6. Geoff Gernhard, Salem, CT; 7. Bobby Santos, III, Franklin, MA; 8. Eric Goodale, Riverhead, NY; 9. Dave Lacroix, Fitchburg, MA; 10. John Catania, Agawan, MA.
TIS Modified Feature 25-Lap Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. R.J. Marcotte, Millville, MA; 2. Brian Sullivan, S. Windsor, CT; 3. Leo Oliveira, Raynham, MA; 4. Shane Michalski, Woodstock, CT; 5. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 6. Brian Tagg, Oxford, MA; 7. Kurt Vigeant, Oxford, MA; 8. Richie Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 9. Roger Larson, Jr., Milford, MA; 10. Bart Ramos, Putnam, CT.
Sources: Dale Wolbrink/Thompson Int’l Speedway PR