Ruocco, Rocco, Barrett, Dow & Salva Score July 9th NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Victories at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway was back in action with a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series program on Friday night, July 9th. Frank Ruocco took his second victory of the 2010 season in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Keith Rocco picked up his first career Late Model feature victory in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Tommy Barrett scored his third win of the 2010 season in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Rob Dow won his first race of the season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Nick Salva was a first time career winner in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Josh Sylvester was the early leader with Sean Foster behind him. Frank Ruocco moved from fifth to third, but with 2 laps complete several cars spun in turn 3 including Curt Brainard and Michael Gervais, Jr., and then Mark Bakaj got hard into the wall coming off turn 4, which helped send John Montesanto and Eric Berndt through the frontstretch infield.
Back under green it was Sylvester out front with Foster, Frank Ruocco, Todd Owen, and Zach Sylvester making up the top-5, but the field was only able to complete one lap before Woody Pitkat took a spin though the frontstretch infield to bring the yellow back out.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Sylvester again took the lead back under green, but Ruocco was able to get by Sylvester on lap-5 to take over the race lead. Debris on the track in turn 3 brought out the yellow flag with 5 laps complete. Under the caution, Jeff Malave’s car shut off at the entrance to turn 3 and he had to be pushed back to pit road.
Ruocco again took the lead ahead of Josh Sylvester, Zach Sylvester, Foster and Ted Christopher, but Joe Allegro, Jr. spun in turn 3 to bring the caution back out with 6 laps complete.
Ruocco kept the lead back under green while Josh and Zach Sylvester raced side by side for second. The battle lasted for 5 laps before Zach took the position. With Zach in second, Owen moved into third, dropping Josh back to fourth as Keith Rocco touched wheels with Ted Christopher to take over fifth place. Owen would get by Zach Sylvester to take over second before Chris Jones went around in turn 1 with 19 laps complete to bring the yellow flag out.
Ruocco again took the lead with Owen, Zach Sylvester, Rocco, and Pitakt making up the top-5. With 10 laps to go it was still Ruocco ahead of Owen, Zach Sylvester, Rocco, and Pitkat. Nichole Morgillo spun in turn 4 to bring the caution out with 33 laps complete.
Ruocco powered to the lead back under green with Zach Sylvester taking second. Dan Avery was on the charge, briefly taking third from Owen before falling back into line behind Owen with Rocco in fifth place. Morgillo spun again in turn 1 to bring the yellow back out with 36 laps complete, setting up a sprint to the finish.
Ruocco powered into the lead on the restart with Owen in second. Rocco moved from fifth up to third with Zach Sylvester and Pitkat behind him. Owen took a run to the outside of Ruocco coming to the checkered flag, but Ruocco got a good run and was able to take the checkered flag for his second win of the 2010 season. Owen finished second, with Rocco, Zach Sylvester, and Pitkat rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Tony Lafo and Scott Cook spent the first two laps side by side for the lead, but with 2 laps complete the car of Woody Pitkat spun in turn 1 and collected the cars of Ryan Posocco, Corey Hutchings and Doug Blowers, Jr. in turn 1 to bring the caution out.
Back under green it was Cook in the lead with Keith Rocco taking second and Jim Peterson taking third. Lafo settled into line in fourth with Dillon Moltz making up the top-5. Moltz went around Lafo on lap-4 to take over fourth and Michael Bennett also moved by Lafo several laps later to move into fifth place. Cook was still the race leader until lap-10 when Rocco moved to the front of the field. Peterson and Moltz followed Rocco by Cook to drop Cook back to fourth place while Bennett continued to hold down the fifth position.
At the halfway point, it was still Rocco out front with Peterson, Moltz, Bennett, and Cook making up the top-5 spots. The top-5 continued to run in line until lap-25 when Bennett was able to move to the inside of Moltz to take over third place. Rocco has been the dominant car in the SK Modified® division at Stafford this season and he was the dominant car tonight as he led the final 20 laps to record his first career Late Model feature victory at Stafford Motor Speedway. Rounding out the top-5 behind Rocco was Peterson, Bennett, Moltz, and Cook.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Jay Goff took the early race lead with Zach Aszklar, Ted Cain, Erica Santos, and Harry Wheeler making up the top-5. Cain was able to move under Aszklar to take over second before Tommy Barrett spun in turn 1 with 5 laps complete to bring the caution out and slow the field.
On the restart, Aszklar got a good run to the inside of Goff and took over the race lead. Second place points man Joey Cipriano got into the wall coming out of turn 4 and his car climbed up the wall and ended up on its roof on the frontstretch to bring the caution and red flags out with 5 laps complete. Cipriano was able to hop out of his car and he was ok after sliding to a stop on his roof.
Back under green it was Aszklar in command out front with Goff behind him. Barrett was recovered from his early race spin and he was mowing his way back towards the front of the field, moving into third place behind Aszklar and Goff. The caution came out with 11 laps complete for a spin by Ted Cain and Heather DesRochers.
Back under green it was a side-by-side slugfest between Aszklar and Barrett for the race lead with Aszklar having the advantage at the stripe. The caution came back out one lap later for Shayne Prucker, who spun in turn 1. Back under green it was Barrett getting a great run to the outside of Aszklar to take over the race lead. Goff continued to run third behind Barrett and Aszklar, with Dylan Liseo in fourth and Matt Galko up to fifth. On lap-16, Galko was able to move by both Liseo and Goff to move from fifth to third in one turn of racing. The caution came back out for the Mark Trombetta, who spun in turns 3+4.
Barrett maintained the lead back under green with Aszklar in second and Galko looking to make a run for second, but Cain went around in turn 1 one lap after the restart to bring the caution back out. Barrett again took the lead on the restart with Aszklar, Galko, Goff, and Liseo making up the top-5. Galko got by Aszklar for second on lap-19, which gave Barrett all the margin he needed as he knocked off his third win of the 2010 season. Goff spun in turn 1 on the last lap of the race, but it was Galko, Aszklar, Earl Pelletier, and Liseo rounding out the top-5 behind Barrett.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Duane Provost surged past Jesse Hinze on the opening lap to take the lead. Carla Botticello’s run of bad luck continued as she spun to the infield in turn 4 to bring the caution out with one lap complete.
Provost took the lead back under green with Rob Dow moving into second. George Nocera, Jr. moved to the inside of Hinze for third with Andrew Durand and Dave Yardley, III behind Hinze. Dow then took the lead from Provost on lap-3 and immediately began to build up a lead. Nocera was able to get by Provost for second on lap-5 and his pass brought Hinze, Durand, and Yardley by Provost, dropping him from second back to sixth.
The order continued to shuffle on lap-7 as Durand moved into third, getting by Hinze. At the halfway point of the race, Yardley moved by Hinze to take over fourth place and he brought Shawn Thibeault with him, dropping Hinze from fourth to sixth place. Dow was still in command of the race with Nocera and Durand trailing, but the caution came back out with 12 laps complete as Carla Botticello spun and hit the turn 1 wall.
On the restart, Nocera got the initial jump on Dow, but Dow was able to race back to the inside of Nocera and maintain the race lead. Durand settled into line in third, with Thibeault fourth and Michael Wray fifth. Thibeault made a move around Durand on lap-18 to take over third, but it was still Dow ahead of Nocera at the front. Nocera was never able to mount a challenge as Dow scored his first victory of the 2010 season. Nocera came home in second with Thibeault, Durand, and Wray rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Donald Cook took the lead at the drop of the green, but it was a short lived lead as Stephanie Berardi moved herself to the front of the pack on lap-2. Berardi’s move brought Nick Salva by Cook and on lap-4 Josh Wood and Cory Casagrande both got by Cook. Vince Gambacorta spun in turn 1 with 4 laps complete to bring the yellow flag out.
Berardi charged into the lead on the restart with Salva and Cory Casagrande behind her. Wood made a run to the inside of Casagrande on lap-6 to move into third while Salva was able to maneuver to the inside of Berardi to take over the race lead. Wood moved into second with Tony Membrino, Jr., Kyle Casagrand, and Cory Casagrande making up the top-5 as Berardi fell back to eighth place as she was stuck in the outside groove. The caution came out with 11 laps complete for a spin by Kelsey Rottino.
On the restart, Wood jumped the start and he was sent to the rear of the field. Salva took the lead on the restart with Cory Casagrande taking second. Jeff Jolly was up to third, with Albert Saunders in fourth and Membrino falling back to fifth. Salva was able to hold Casagrande off over the final corner to take his first career victory. Casagrande finished second, with Saunders, Membrino, and Jolly 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) Todd Owen, Somers
3) Keith Rocco, Meriden
4) Zachary Sylvester, Lebanon
5) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
6) Dan Avery, Somers
7) Joshua Sylvester, Lebanon
8) Curt Brainard, Canton
9) Ted Christopher, Plainville
10) Donald Travaglin, Winsted
11) Jeff Baral, Enfield
12) Raymond Grassetti, Monson, Ma
13) Sean Foster, Ellington
14) Thomas Bolles, Ellington
15) Nichole Morgillo, Wallingford
16) Chris Matthews, Stafford
17) John Montesanto, North Branford
18) Chris Jones, New Milford
19) Joseph Allegro, Jr., Vernon
20) Jeff Malave, Manchester
21) Mark Bakaj, Lebanon
22) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
23) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Keith Rocco, Meriden
2) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
3) Michael Bennett, Stafford Springs
4) Dillon Moltz, Waterford
5) Scott Cook, Uncasville
6) Ryan Posocco, Stafford Springs
7) John Kasper, Wilbraham, Ma
8) James Mavlouganes, Bethany
9) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
10) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
11) Thomas Butler, Stafford Springs
12) John Hill, Jr., Stafford Springs
13) Walt Wosko, Jr., West Suffield
14) Patrick Townsend, Springifeld, Ma
15) Mark St. Hilaire, Berlin
16) Doug Blowers, Jr., Newton Highlands, Ma
17) David Wray, Meriden
18) Corey Hutchings, Salem
19) Tony Lafo, Higganum
20) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Ma
2) Matt Galko, Meriden
3) Zach Aszklar, Wallingford
4) Earl Pelletier, Wolcott
5) Dylan Liseo, East Hartford
6) David Webb, New Milford
7) Erica Santos, Franklin, Ma
8) Tony Santangelo, Middlefield
9) Stephen Greer, Harwinton
10) Ted Cain, Plymouth
11) Frank Cardile, Bolton
12) Harry Wheeler, Stafford Springs
13) Shayne Prucker, Stafford Springs
14) Victoria Bergenty, Plainville
15) Rick Burwood, Enfield
16) Mark Trombetta, Naugatuck
17) Neil Maxted, Bethel
18) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
19) Kyle Spencer, Montgomery, Ma
20) Heather DesRochers, Granby, Ma
21) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) Rob Dow, Stafford Springs
2) George Nocera, Jr., Plainville
3) Shawn Thibeault, Plainville
4) Andrew Durand, Chicopee, Ma
5) Michael Wray, Northford
6) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
7) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
8) Dave Yardley, III, Meriden
9) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
10) Robert Farrington, Jr., Belchertown, Ma
11) Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
12) Dan Flannery, Ellington
13) Brian Clement, Wethersfield
14) Greg Butler, Jr., East Hampton
15) Carla Botticello, Manchester
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Nick Salva, Prospect
2) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
3) Albert Saunders, Stafford
4) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
5) Jeff Jolly, Wallingford
6) Donald Cook, Agawam, Ma
7) Stephen Daddio, Seymour
8) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
9) Vince Gambacorta, Ellington
10) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
11) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
12) David Arute, Tolland
13) James Carroll, West Hartford
14) Stephanie Berardi, Broad Brook
15) Kaitlyn Brice, Manchester
16) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
17) Joe McAllister, New Britian
18) Andrew Hayes, Enfield