Rocco, Bennett, Barrett, Yardley, Wood Score June 18th Summer Blast-Off Feature Victories at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway returned to racing action with a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Summer Blast-Off Fireworks program on Friday, June 18th. Keith Rocco picked up his second conseutive and fifth overall win of the 2010 season in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Michael Bennett got his first win of 2010 in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Tommy Barrett, Jr. scored his second victory of 2010 in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Dave Yardley, III scored his first career victory in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Don Wood took his second win of 2010 in 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Sean Foster found the turn 3 wall and Dan Avery spun to bring out the yellow before a lap could be completed. Brit Andersen led the first two laps back under green, but he surrendered the lead to Chris Jones on lap-3. Todd Owen moved into second behind Jones, with Eric Berndt, Mark Bakaj, and Jeff Baral all moving by Andersen, who was stuck in the high groove.
Keith Rocco was quickly slicing his way through traffic and he cracked into the top-5 for the first time on lap-7. At the front of the field, it was Jones, Owen, Berndt, Bakaj, and Rocco running in a nose to tail 5-car breakaway pack. The order remained the same until lap-12 when Rocco moved by Bakaj for fourth. Berndt moved by Owen on lap-15, which kicked Owen to the high side and allowed Rocco to also get by as Bakaj continued in fifth.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Andersen and Ryan Preece got his out of shape and hit the turn 2 wall with 16 laps complete to bring out a brief red flag. Jones held off Berndt for the lead back under green and Rocco moved by Berndt on lap-19 to take over second. Rocco then took two more laps before moving to the lead on lap-21. Bakaj’s great night came to an end as he dropped off the pace an limped to pit road on lap-25.
Rocco was slowly stretching out his lead at the front and Berndt was chasing after Jones in second. Berndt made the move for second on lap-27, but that would be as close to the front of the pack as he would get as Rocco dominated his way to his second consecutive and fifth overall victory of the 2010 season. Rounding out the top-5 behind Rocco, Berndt, and Jones was Owen and Jeff Baral.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Scott Cook took the early lead and led the first three laps before the caution slowed the action with 3 laps complete. Jim Peterson powered by Cook on the restart to take over the lead. Michael Bennett moved into second, Woody Pitkat took third, and Ryan Posocco moved into fourth.
Peterson held the lead until lap-7 when Bennett moved to the front. As the field completed lap-7, the caution came back out for a spin by Adam Gray. Bennett took the lead on the restart with Posocco moving into second behind him. Posocco went by Bennett on lap-10 to take over the lead. Peterson was in third with Dillon Moltz and Corey Hutchings making up the top-5.
The top-5 ran in line with Posocco enjoying a comfortable margin over Bennett at the front until the caution came back out for a spin by Alan Provost in turn 3. Bennett powered by Posocco on the restart to take the lead back and Moltz went from fourth to second as Posocco fell back to third place. Keith Rocco was fourth and Cook was back up to fifth place after having to pit earlier for damage to his right front fender.
Posocco moved right back by Moltz to retake second and he hounded Bennett for the lead and he made a pass for the lead on lap-21, but just as he made the pass for the lead, the caution came out for a spin by Cook and J.J. Hill in turn 1, which gave the lead back to Bennett for the restart.
Bennett took the lead on the restart and Moltz again took second with Posocco third. Bennett ran strong over the final 9 laps to score his first win of the 2010 season ahead of Moltz and Posocco. Keith Rocco finished fourth with Tom Fearn rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Earl Pelletier took the early lead with Harry Wheeler, Heather DesRochers, John Hanafin, and Erica Santos behind him. Wheeler quickly faded backwards as DesRochers moved into second and Santos moved into third.
Tommy Barrett, Jr. started the race in 12th and by lap-5 he was up to fourth place behind Santos while Hanafin rounded out the top-5.
Pelletier held the lead until lap-8 when DesRochers moved to the front. Barrett continued to pick off spots and he moved from fourth up to second behind DesRochers by the halfway point of the feature. The caution came out one lap later with 11 laps on the board for a multicar spin involving Kyle Spencer, Dylan Liseo, and Wheeler.
Barrett completed his charge to the front as he took the race lead from DesRochers on the restart. Once Barrett was into the lead he began to pull away from DesRochers until the caution slowed the field with 18 laps complete to set up a green white checkered finish.
Barrett took the lead back under green and he went unchallenged to the checkered flag to take his second win in three races. DesRochers finished second with Joey Cipriano, Matt Galko, and Santos rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, the race went green with Duane Provost leading the first two laps before giving way to Dave Yardley, III on lap-3. Provost began to slide back through the field as Rob Dow, Andrew Durand, George Nocera, Jr., and Dan Flannery all moved by Provost.
The top-5 ran in line until lap-11 when Flannery moved past Nocera. Kevin Gambacorta followed Flannery by Nocera while Yardley continued to lead over Dow and Durand. Flannery then ran Durand down and took the third position on lap-16, but Yardley was comfortably in front of Dow at the front of the field. But that lead was erased with 19 laps complete as Dennis Botticello took a hard ride into the frontstretch wall to bring the caution out and set up a green white checkered finish.
Yardley took the lead on the restart and led the final two laps to score his first career victory. Dow finished second, with Flannery, Michael Wray, and Nocera rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Stephanie Berardi moved by Donald Cook on the first lap and took the race lead. Cook fell back quickly as Andrew Hayes moved into second and Jeff Jolly into third. Don Wood was fourth with Josh Wood and Cory Casagrande dueling for fifth.
Jolly got kicked to the high side and he fell back several spots. Berardi held the lead until lap-6 when Hayes moved to the front of the pack. But his lead was short-lived as Don Wood took the lead on the very next lap. The cars of Berardi and Josh Wood made contact and spun into the wall coming off turn 4 to bring the caution out with 7 laps complete.
Don Wood charged into the lead on the restart with Tommy Membrino, Jr. getting by Cory Casagrande for second. Jolly was now fourth with Hayes back in fifth place. Cory Casagrande quickly moved back by Membrino to take over second.
The car on the move was Kyle Casagrande, who restarted in 12th on lap-8 and he was right behind Hayes in sixth place on lap-12. Hayes and Casagrande would both get by Membrino and Jolly, but it was all Don Wood at the front and he nailed down his second win of the 2010 season. Cory Casagrande finished second, with Hayes, Kyle Casagrande, and Membrino 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