Ruocco, Peterson, Webb, Flannery & Bergenty Score 19th Annual Town Fair Tire 150 Feature Wins at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway returned to action with a the 19th Annual Town Fair Tire 150 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour program with five NASCAR Whelen All-American Series divisions on Friday night, August 7th. Frank Ruocco took down his second consecutive SK Modified® feature win, Jim Peterson took his second Late Model feature win of the 2009 season, David Webb was a first time career winner in the SK Light Modified feature, Dan Flannery came up a first time career winner in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Victoria Bergenty was also a first time career winner in the DARE Stock feature.
The 40-lap SK Modified® feature took the green with Matt Gallo taking the early lead with Tom Bolles behind him. Bolles stalked Gallo for three laps before moving to the lead on a lap-4 restart. Bolles held the race lead until lap-9 when Zack Sylvester moved to the front of the field.
[Photo Gallery] by Adam Fohlin
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Sylvester stayed out front until lap-15 when Jeff Malave made a move for the lead. Following Malave up through the field was Frank Ruocco, and Ruocco slotted right behind Malave when he made the pass for the lead.
Ruocco and Malave put on a whale of a battle for the race lead, with Malave holding Ruocco at bay. Ruocco was finally able to complete a pass on Ruocco on lap-28 after trying to make the pass for 11 laps.
Malave was able to keep pace with Ruocco, but couldn’t muster up enough momentum to carry him past Ruocco. Several times, Malave nearly had a pass made, but Ruocco would always manage to stretch his lead back out to several car lengths. Malave made one final run at Ruocco over the final lap, but he came up just short at the checkered flag as Ruocco took his second consecutive victory. Malave finished second with Sylvester, Richie Pallai, Jr., and Ted Christopher rounding out the top-5.
The 30-lap Late Model took the green with Mark St. Hilaire setting the pace. St. Hilaire led the first four laps of the race before giving way to J.J. Hill, who powered into the lead on lap-5. Joe Rzeszutek followed Hill by St. Hilaire and settled into second when the caution came out with 7-laps complete.
On the restart, Rzeszutek moved by Hill to take over the race lead. Hill was then locked in a battle with Brian Chapin for second. Hill won that battle and Chapin began to fall back as Michael Bennett and several other cars moved by Chapin.
The caution came back out with 14 laps complete for a spin by Ed Gertsch, Jr. On the restart, Hill moved to the outside of Rzeszutek to retake the lead. Hill led lap-15 to take home a $100 bonus from Town Fair Tire. Jim Peterson was on the move and he was slicing his way through traffic to move up to third behind Hill and Tom Butler.
On lap-23, Peterson made a three-wide move to the inside of Butler and Hill in turn 3, and as the cars came off the fourth corner, Butler spun to bring the caution out. Peterson charged into the lead on the restart, with Hill slotting into second. Bennett was third, with Ryan Posocco and Dillon Moltz behind him. Only one lap was completed before the caution came back out.
Peterson again took the lead on the restart, with Bennett taking second. Moltz moved into third, with Woody Pitkat taking fourth and Hill falling back to fifth place. Moltz made a move to the inside of Bennett to take over second, which allowed Pitkat and Hill to follow him by Bennett.
Several more cautions set up a green white checkered restart with Peterson holding off Pitkat and Hill to take his second feature victory of the 2009 season. Moltz finished fourth, with Dave Wray rounding out the top-5.
The 20-lap SK Light Modified went green with David Webb taking the lead ahead of Shawn Brule, Jay Goff, Heather DesRochers, and Ted Cain. The action was slowed with 4 laps on the board for a spin by Tommy Membrino, Jr. and Kyle Spencer on the frontstretch.
Webb took the lead back under green with Brule hot on his trail. DesRochers moved into third, with Earl Pelletier and Michael Gervais, Jr. making up the top-5. Brit Andersen was on the move after the restart, moving from 10th to fifth by lap-9. The top-5 remained Webb, Brule, DesRochers, Pelletier, and Andersen until lap-17 when Andersen moved into fourth. The next lap he moved to third, and the next lap, he got by Brule for second. He closed the distance to Webb over the final two laps of the race, but wasn’t close enough to make a pass for the win as Webb took down his first career victory. Andersen finished second, with Pelletier, Brule, and DesRochers rounding out the top-5.
The 20-lap Limited Late Model took the green flag with the caution coming out for Norm Sears, who took a hard hit into the turn 1 wall. Bill Davis led the first four laps from the drop of the green before giving way to Kevin Gambacorta. With Gambacorta in the lead, Dan Flannery made his way into second with Shawn Thibeault behind him in third place.
By the midway point of the race, Gambacorta continued to hold the lead with Thibeault moving into second. Andrew Durand had moved into third, with Dave Yardley, III in fourth and Flannery back to fifth.
After a caution with 14 laps slowed the action, Gambacorta was leading with Thibeault looking to take over the race lead. Thibeault got the lead from Gambacorta on lap-17, but contact in turn 1 sent Thibeault around and brought the caution out. Gambacorta was sent to the rear of the field for rough riding, which put Flannery and Bill Davis on the front row for the restart.
Flannery took the lead on the restart ahead of Davis, and he was able to drive away from Davis over the final two laps to take his first career Limited Late Model feature victory. Davis finished second, with Jesse Hinze, Yardley, and Carla Botticello rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature took the green with the action fast and furious at the front of the field. Melissa Blowers and Kyle Nosal dueled side by side for the race lead with Nosal leading the first lap before Blowers moved the front on lap-2. Blowers’ stay out front was short as Victoria Bergenty moved to the head of the field on lap-3.
Nosal also got by Blowers to retake second place and he stayed glued to Bergenty’s back bumper, but couldn’t muster up enough steam to make a pass. Blowers would fall back several more spots as Todd LaPorta, Don Wood, and Kyle Casagrande all went by.
Bergenty and Nosal were pulling away from third place and looked to settle the race between themselves. But coming to the white flag, Nosal went to the inside of a lapped car as Bergenty went to the outside. As the cars went into turn 1 on the final lap, Nosal shot up the track, which allowed LaPorta and Wood to get by and gave Bergenty a huge lead and she cruised to the checkered flag to take her first career victory. LaPorta finished second, with Wood, Nosal, and Casagrande rounding out the top-5.
For more information contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at (860) 684-2783, or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
2) Jeff Malave, Manchester
3) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon
4) Richie Pallai, Jr., Yorktown Heights, Ny
5) Ted Christopher, Plainville
6) Todd Owen, Somers
7) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
8) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, Nj
9) Curt Brainard, Canton
10) Wade Mattesen, Tolland
11) Kurt Lenahan, Roxbury
12) Keith Rocco, Wallingford
13) Tom Bolles, Ellington
14) Nichole Morgillo, Yalesville
15) Mark Bakaj, Lebanon
16) Glenn Griswold, Vernon
17) Michael Speeney, Newtown, Pa
18) Fran Siana, Enfield
19) Joe Allegro, Jr., Vernon
20) Matt Gallo, Kensington
21) Sean Foster, Ellington
22) Brad Hietala, Ellington
23) Chris Matthews, Stafford
24) Doug Coby, Milford
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
3) J.J. Hill, Stafford Springs
4) Michael Bennett, Stafford Springs
5) Dillon Moltz, Waterford
6) Dave Wray, Meriden
7) Ryan Posocco, Stafford Springs
8) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
9) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
10) Brian Chapin, Three Rivers, Ma
11) Joe Rzeszutek, South Hadley, Ma
12) Mark St. Hilaire, Berlin
13) John Kasper, Wilbraham, Ma
14) Doug Blowers, Jr., Newton Highlands, Ma
15) Walt Wosko, Jr., West Suffield
16) Ed Gertsch, Jr., East Haven
17) Scott Cook, Uncasville
18) Mike Mordino, Southington
19) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
20) Jim Mavlouganes, Bethany
21) Alan Provost, Monson, Ma
SK LIGHT (20)
1) David Webb, New Milford
2) Brit Andersen, Mooresville, Nc
3) Earl Pelletier, Wolcott
4) Shawn Brule, West Thompson
5) Heather DesRochers, Granby, Ma
6) John Montesanto, North Branford
7) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
8) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
9) Erica Santos, Franklin, Ma
10) Ted Cain, Plymouth
11) Fred Nees, Jr., New Milford
12) Steven Greer, Harwinton
13) Raymond Grassetti, Monson, Ma
14) Lauren Cooper, Southbury
15) Todd Clark, Bristol
16) Adam Skowyra, Brimfield, Ma
17) Rick Williams, Haddam
18) Kyle Spencer, Montgomery, Ma
19) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect
20) Frank Cardile, Bolton
21) Tony Santangelo, Middlefield
LTD. LATE MODEL (20)
1) Dan Flannery, Ellington
2) Bill Davis, Monson, Ma
3) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
4) Dave Yardley, III, Meriden
5) Carla Botticello, Manchester
6) Andrew Durand, Chicopee, Ma
7) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
8) Brian Clement, Wethersfield
9) Chris Cook, Pepperell, Ma
10) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
11) Robert Farrington, Jr, Belchertown, Ma
12) Shawn Thibeault, Plainville
13) George Nocera, Jr., Plainville
14) Joe Nogiec, Bristol
15) Michael Wray, Northford
16) Keith Minchella, Springfield, Ma
17) John Morgillo, Jr., Yalesville
18) Norm Sears, Andover
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Victoria Bergenty, Plainville
2) Todd Laporta, Waterbury
3) Don Wood, Palmer, Ma
4) Kyle Nosal, Higganum
5) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
6) Melissa Blowers, Cromwell
7) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
8) Barry Fluckiger, Vernon
9) Bill Dunn, Prospect
10) Stephanie Berardi, Broad Brook
11) Andrew Hayes, Enfield
12) Tom Stirk, West Haven
13) Stephen Daddio, Seymour
14) Donovin Secore, Vernon
15) Jeff Jolly, Wallingford
16) Albert Saunders, Stafford
17) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
18) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
19) Dylan Hinze, Farmington
20) Robert Thompson, Springfield, Ma
21) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma