Rocco, Moltz, Membrino, Sears, & Berardi Score Sept. 18 Feature Victories at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway returned to racing action on Friday, September 18th with a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series card of five racing divisions. Keith Rocco took his fifth victory of the season in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Dillon Moltz took his fifth win of the season in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Tommy Membrino, Jr. took down his second win of the season in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Norm Sears took down win number two of 2009 in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, and Stephanie Berardi scored her first career win in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
The 40-lap SK Modified® feature took the green with two caution periods in the first two laps of the event. On the lap-3 restart, Keith Rocco moved by Matt Gallo to take the race lead. Richie Pallai, Jr. was third, Ted Christopher was fourth, and Todd Owen was in fifth.
Christopher quickly moved into second behind Rocco, with Gallo, Pallai, and Woody Pitkat making up the top-5. Rocco held the lead until lap-10 when Christopher moved by. The next lap saw the caution come out for a spin by Sean Foster that collected several cars including Gallo, Joe Allegro, Jr., Kirk Zervas, and Wade Mattesen.
Christopher continued to lead back under green with Rocco, Curt Brainard, Pallai, and Chris Matthews making up the top-5. The top-5 ran in line for three laps before Pallai moved into third and Pitkat moved into fifth on lap-15. Christopher would continue to hold the lead until lap-20 when Rocco went back by to retake the lead.
Rocco’s lead was short lived as Christopher was able to move back by Rocco on lap-23 to take the lead back. The caution came out with 24 laps complete for a spin by Christopher Jones and slowed the action at the front of the pack. Christopher took the lead on the restart, but Rocco would move back out front several laps later on lap-30.
Rocco’s move for the lead opened the door for Pitkat to also get by Christopher, dropping him back to third place. But Christopher took the spot back from Pitkat on the next lap and set his sights on getting the lead back from Rocco. Christopher got the lead on lap-35 and looked like he had a car to hold off Rocco for the win. On the final lap, contact between Rocco and Christopher moved Christopher up the hill in turn 3, which gave Rocco enough room to take the lead and the race victory coming off turn 4. After the checkered flag, Christopher made contact with Rocco in turn 1, sending Rocco around and himself into the turn 1 wall. Pitkat finished third behind Rocco and Christopher, with Pallai and Owen rounding out the top-5.
The 30-lap Late Model feature took the green with Joe Rzeszutek setting the pace ahead of Dave Wray, Michael Bennett, J.J. Hill, Tom Fearn, and Dillon Moltz. This was the order when the caution came out with 8 laps complete for a spin by Duane Noll. Under the caution, Fearn was given a driver through penalty for blocking and over aggressive driving.
Wray took the lead from Rzeszutek on the restart, with Bennett, Hill, and Moltz following behind. Moltz moved into fourth on lap-10 and was in third on lap-13. Ryan Posocco was also on the move from the restart, and he was following Moltz as they both moved towards the front of the field.
At the half-way point, Wray continued to hold the lead with Rzeszutek, Moltz, Posocco, and Jim Peterson making up the top-5. The top-5 cars ran in line until lap-23 when Moltz moved by Wray for second place. Moltz then rode behind Wray for several laps before making his move for the lead on lap-26. With Wray caught on the outside, both Posocco and Peterson were able to get by Wray, dropping him from the lead back to fourth place.
Once Moltz was out front, he drove away from the field to take down his fifth victory of the 2009 season. Posocco came home second, with Peterson, Hill, and Tom Butler rounding out the top-5.
The 20-lap SK Light Modified feature took the green with Ted Cain going three-wide on the backstretch to take the early race lead. The caution came out with 2 laps complete as Steve Greer spun in turn 4 and collected the car of Lauren Cooper.
Back under green, Cain continued to set the pace with Adam Skowyra, Tony Santangelo, and Tommy Membrino, Jr. behind him. Skowyra and Santangelo made contact and spun to bring the caution back out with 4 laps completed.
Cain powered back into the lead on the restart, with Santangelo, Membrino, Jay Goff, and Heather DesRochers in tow. SK Light points leader Michael Gervais, Jr. was working his way up through traffic, and he popped into the top-5 on lap-9 as Cain continued to lead the race. Membrino got by Santangelo for second on lap-8 as Goff continued to run fourth.
The caution came back out for a spin on the frontstretch involving Brit Andersen, Shawn Brule, and John Hanafin. Cain continued to lead the race under green, with Membrino right behind him. Membrino made a move for the race lead on lap-17 and Brit Andersen, who had spun several laps earlier, had worked his way back through the field to follow Membrino by Cain.
The final laps saw a great duel between Membrino and Andersen for the lead and the win. Several times, Andersen moved to the inside of Membrino and looked to have a pass for the win, but Membrino was able to hold off Andersen’s charges. Andersen made one final run on the last lap, but he came up a half car length short at the checkered flag as Membrino took his second feature win of the 2009 season. Rounding out the top-5 behind Membrino and Andersen was Gervais, DesRochers, and Kyle Spencer.
The 20-lap Limited Late Model feature took the green with George Nocera, Jr. taking the early lead ahead of Dave Yardley, III, Norm Sears, Bill Davis, and Andrew Durand. Nocera held the lead for the first nine laps of the race before Yardley moved to the front of the field on lap-10.
The caution came out with 10 laps complete for a spin by Brian Clement. On the restart, Yardley went around and collected several cars, which put Sears up front for the next restart. Durand was keeping pace with Sears back under green, giving Sears all he could handle at the front of the field, but Sears was able to keep the lead. Dan Flannery was on the charge and moved into third late in the race, but he didn’t have anything for either Sears or Durand as Sears took the checkered flag for his second win of the year. Durand finished second with Flannery, Nocera, and Carla Botticello rounding out the top-5.
The 15-lap DARE Stock feature took the green with Stephanie Berardi taking the lead from the outside pole. Andrew Hayes settled into second with Duane Provost, Jeff Jolly, and Tony Membrino, Jr. making up the top-5. Berardi, Hayes, and Jolly ran in line until lap-9 when Jolly was able to move by Hayes for second.
The caution came out with 12 laps complete for a spin by Paul Jensen. Berardi continued to hold the lead back under green with Jolly right behind. Hayes was third, with Membrino and Todd LaPorta making up the top-5. Berardi was too strong to be overtaken and she wired the field to take her first career DARE Stock victory. Jolly finished second, with Hayes, Membrino, and LaPorta 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