Coby, Fearn, Webb, Davis & Wood Score Final Friday Night Shoot-Out Feature Victories at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway returned to racing its Final Friday Night Shoot-Out on September 25th with a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series card of five racing divisions. Doug Coby took his first victory of the season in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Tom Ffearn took his second win of the season in the 30-lap Late Model feature, David Webb took down his second win of the season in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Bill Davis took down his first victory of 2009 in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, and Don Wood scored his second win of 2009 in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
The 40-lap SK Modified® feature took the green with Wade Mattesen holding the lead, but the action was stopped after the first lap for a spin by Nichole Morgillo.
As the field took the green, Doug Coby moved by Mattesen to take over the race lead. Several more cautions for spins by Jeff Rocco, Mike Christopher, and then both Rocco and Christopher, kept the action at a slow pace through the first 11 laps of the race. Coby was continuing to hold the race lead, but Richie Pallai, Jr. was hounding Coby for the top spot. Jeff Malave was third behind Pallai, with Woody Pitkat and Todd Owen making up the top-5.
The top-5 ran in line until the caution came back out for a spin by Frank Ruocco with 19 laps complete. Coby held the lead back under green, but the caution came back out two laps later as Pitkat and Pallai came together and spun in turn 2.
This put Owen next to Coby for the restart and he immediately began to apply heavy pressure to Coby as they battled for the lead back under green. Owen was able to make a pass for the lead on lap-25, but the caution came out on lap-26 for a spin by Rob Summers. As the field went back to green, Owen and Coby were locked in a fabulous duel for the lead, racing side by side with neither driver giving an inch. As the laps continued to click off the scoreboard, Coby and Owen remained side by side for the lead. Their duel was slowed on lap-36 as the yellow came out for a spin by Pallai in turn 2.
Coby took the advantage on the restart, but Owen was not going away quietly. He tried several times to make a run at Coby, but each time he came up just short of making the pass. Owen made one final attempt at taking the lead coming to the checkered flag, but Coby had enough speed to carry him to the checkered flag. Owen finished second with Joe Allegro, Jr., Malave, and Pitkat rounding out the top-5.
Ted Christopher clinched the 2009 SK Modified® track championship, his record seventh championship at Stafford Motor Speedway.
The 30-lap Late Model feature took the green with Doug Blowers at the front of the field, but with 1 lap on the board, Blowers spun in turn 2 in front of the field, resulting in a large pileup of cars that brought the caution out.
Joe Rzeszutek was the new leader back under green with Adam Gray right behind him. Rzeszutek led until lap-5 when Gray moved to the front of the pack after a restart. Gray held the lead until lap-15 when Rzeszutek went back to the head of the field. Gray’s car appeared to sour as he lost a multitude of spots and ended up pulling off the track and behind the wall.
Rzeszutek continued to lead until Michael Bennett lost his front bumper, which brought the yellow out. Jim Peterson moved by Rzesztuek on the restart to take over the lead. Rzeszutek’s great run would end several laps later as his car shot into the wall coming off turn 4 and collected the car of Rick Charette in spectacular fashion. Both drivers were ok and the race resumed with Peterson in the lead, followed by Dillon Moltz, Tom Butler, Ryan Posocco, and Tom Fearn.
After a debris caution on lap-27, John Kasper and Dave Wray got together to bring the yellow back out on lap-28 and set up a green-white-checkered finish. Fearn powered by Peterson on the restart to take over the lead, with Posocco and Butler in tow. Fearn was too strong to be overtaken in the final two laps and he nailed down his second feature victory of the 2009 season. Posocco got by Peterson for second in the final corner of the race for second, with Butler and Scott Cook rounding out the top-5.
The 20-lap SK Light Modified feature took the green with Shawn Brule taking the early lead ahead of Ted Cain, Harry Wheeler, David Webb, and Jay Goff. The running order remained the same until lap-6 when Webb went by Wheeler for third. Wheeler continued to backslide through the field as Goff, Heather DesRochers, and Brit Andersen all moved by Wheeler.
The top-5 continued to run in line until the action was slowed by a caution with 15 laps complete for a spin by Tommy Membrino, Jr. Brule continued to hold the lead back under green with Cain holding second. Andersen moved past Webb for third and was closing in on Cain when the two cars touched bumpers and sent Cain into the turn 3 wall to bring out the caution. Andersen was parked for the remainder of the race for rough riding and set up a green-white-checkered sprint to the finish.
Webb powered past Brule at the green flag to take over the race lead. Brule tried to get back by, but Webb led the final two laps to pick up his second feature victory of the 2009 season. Brule finished second, with Jay Goff, John Montesanto, and Michael Gervais, Jr. rounding out the top-5.
Gervais’ top-5 finish allowed him to clinch the 2009 Stafford Motor Speedway SK Light Modified track championship in his rookie season.
The 20-lap Limited Late Model feature took the green with Bill Davis holding the lead ahead of Dave Yardley, III, Michael Wray, Carla Botticello, and George Nocera, Jr. The top-5 cars quickly settled into single file and ran in line until lap-7 when Botticello moved by Wray for third place. The next lap saw Kevin Gambacorta crack into the top-5 as he displaced Nocera.
Gambacorta moved by Wray for fourth place and Yardley, Botticello, and Gambacorta were running in a nose to tail pack along with Davis as they tried to jockey for position. Andrew Durand and Norm Sears were also running nose to tail as they moved through the pack together to move into fifth and sixth place. But the 4-car train ran nose to tail to the finish as Davis took his first victory of the 2009 season. Yardley, Botticello, Gambacorta, and Durand rounded out the top-5.
The 15-lap DARE Stock feature took the green with Duane Provost taking the early race lead ahead of Andrew Hayes, Victoria Bergenty, Donovin Secore, and Kyle Casagrande. Casagrande and Secore spun on lap-3 but managed to get going again and the race stayed under green flag conditions.
Provost held the lead until lap-6 when Bergenty made a move for the lead in turn 4. After a spin slowed the action, Bergenty continued to hold the lead after the restart. Don Wood was making a move from fourth to second and he was beginning to close in on Bergenty when the caution came back out with 12 laps complete.
On the restart, Bergenty got loose in the middle of turns 1+2 which allowed Wood to move to the inside and take over the race lead. Bill Dunn also was able to move by Bergenty and he gave Wood a run to the checkered flag, but it was Wood taking his second win of the 2009 season. Dunn finished second, with Bergenty, Hayes, and Cliff Saunders 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