Cardile, Flannery, & Casagrande Score CARQUEST Extra Distance Night Feature Victories at Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Motor Speedway kicked off its Friday night NASCAR Whelen All-American Series with a special CARQUEST Extra Distance Night consisting of extra distance feature events for Stafford’s SK Light Modified, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions. Frank Cardile took the checkered flag in the 30-lap SK Light Modified feature, Dan Flannery won the 25-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Kyle Casagrande won the 20-lap DARE Stock feature. Stafford Motor Speedway returns to racing tomorrow afternoon with the rescheduled CARQUEST Tech-Net Spring Sizzler with the SK Modifieds®, Late Models, and Whelen Modified Tour taking to the track.
In the 30-lap SK Light Modified feature event, there was a spin to bring the yellow out before a lap could be completed. Harry Wheeler led the field to green, but Jay Goff had a strong run in the outside groove and powered past Wheeler for the race lead. Frank Cardile followed Goff past Wheeler to drop Wheeler back to third place. On lap-3, Wheeler got loose and spun in turn 2, but was able to continue and the race stayed under green. Debris brought the yellow back out with the completion of the third lap.
Goff held the lead on the restart, but the car on the move was John Hanafin, who moved from fourth to second behind Goff. Cardile settled into third, with Kyle Spencer and Tony Santangelo behind them. A spin by Harry Wheeler and Zach Aszklar with 9 laps complete slowed the action.
On the restart, Hanafin moved to the lead, overtaking Goff. Cardile settled into third place with Joey Cipriano moving into fourth and Spencer making up the top-5. Santangelo found the turn 3 wall to bring the yellow back out. The action was fast and furious at the front on the restart with Hanafin taking the lead. Cardile moved to the inside of Hanafin on the next lap and the two cars ran side by side for the race lead for three laps before Cardile was able to get clear into the lead on lap-14.
Hanafin’s good run came to an end on lap-18 as he took a trip through the infield grass and fell to the back of the field. Cardile continued to maintain the race lead with Cipriano glued to his back bumper. Matt Galko was now third, with Spencer and Goff behind him.
A caution with 24 laps complete for a spin by Eric Bacon erased the lead that Cardile and Cipriano had built up. On the restart, Spencer’s car didn’t come up to speed, which bottlenecked the entire outside line and sent Wheeler, Chad Trombley, and Shayne Prucker into the frontstretch wall and brought the caution back out. Cardile took the lead on the restart with Galko making a power move into second. Galko would get loose and spin in turn 2 on the next lap to bring the yellow back out.
Cardile and Cipriano took off on the restart and turned the race for the win into a two-car show. Several times Cipriano would make a run to the inside of Cardile, but couldn’t carry enough momentum to complete a pass. Cipriano made one last ditch effort but came up just short as Cardile nailed down his first career victory in the SK Light Modified division. Rounding out the top-5 behind Cardile and Cipriano was Goff, Spencer, and last week’s winner Ted Cain.
In the 25-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Jesse Hinze powered to the outside of Dan Flannery to take the lead on the first lap, but Flannery came back strong on lap-2 and went by Hinze to take control of the race lead. Shawn Thibeault followed Flannery by Hinze to drop Hinze back to third, with George Nocera, Jr. and Rob Dow making up the top-5.
Thibeault followed behind Flannery until lap-10 when he made a pass for the lead. Flannery’s car looked to be on the loose side as he was sideways in the corners and he would lose second to Nocera on lap-13. A caution with 15 laps complete slowed the field and set up a wild restart. Nocera went to the outside groove to take the lead away from Thibeault with Flannery staying glued to the top-2. Nocera held the lead until lap-19 when Thibeault moved back out front. The caution came back out one lap later and set up a sprint to the finish.
Thibeault and Nocara battled door to door on the restart and were side by side for an entire lap before Flannery moved by both cars on lap-22 to take the lead. The final caution came out with 23 laps complete for a spin by Carla Botticello in turn 2.
Flannery powered into the lead on the restart and he would not be headed over the final two laps as he took down his first feature victory of the 2010 season. Nocera finished second, with Thibeault, Dow, and Andrew Durand rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap DARE Stock feature event, Andrew Hayes led the field to green and he took the early race lead. Kyle Casagrande quickly worked his way up to second behind Hayes with Cory Casagrande, Albert Saunders, and Steven Daddio making up the top-5.
The caution came out with 9 laps complete for a spin by Stephanie Berardi. Kyle Casagrande moved past Hayes on the restart to take over the race lead. Saunders held down the third position, with Cory Casagrande and Daddio behind him.
Once into the lead, Kyle Casagrande slowly pulled away from the field and he took down his first feature victory of the 2010 season ahead of Hayes and Albert Saunders. Daddio and last week’s winner Tony Membrino, Jr. rounded 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.