Taylor Martin Clinches Bandolero Championship; Garbo takes first career Legends Car win
Waterford, CT — Waterford Speedbowl completed Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday’s program with a record-setting night, crowning its first division champion of the season. Taylor Martin of Windham, New Hampshire didn’t win the Bandolero race but finished third, which was good to secure the division Points Championship and make her the first female champion in the track’s 60-year history. David Garbo Jr. of Stonington won his first ever Legends Cars race by executing a late race pass. John Yagmin of Tolland won another Super X-Car feature, this time by inches after some last lap drama. Columbia driver Dan D’addario returned to the winner’s circle in the X-Cars, while the X-Modifieds rounded out the program with Waterford native Bubby Brouwer as the victor.
Troy Talman and Dana Dimatteo swapped the lead over the opening laps in the 20-lap Legends Cars race as two caution flags kept racing action to a minimum. After the early cautions, racing settled in with Garbo moving to second behind Dimatteo. Alessandro Vitelli advanced to third when the race reached halfway on lap 10. Ed Field and Talman battled for fourth with Field using the inside lane to take over that position on lap 11.
Dimatteo led through two more caution periods but Garbo applied heavy pressure over the final two laps to set up an exciting finish. Garbo looked for racing room underneath the inside of Dimatteo, ultimately finding the space needed down the backstretch on lap 18. He edged ahead over the final lap to take his first career win in the division. Dimatteo finished second ahead of Vitelli, Talman and George Whitney. Field fell back to sixth.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Martin battled with Nicholas Matera in the opening circuits of the 20-lap Bandolero race for the lead. She held it by the slimmest of margins when a red flag came out on lap 5 for a multi-car incident exiting turn four thatsaw Joey Ternullo land on the roof of his #9. All drivers were ok following the accident.
Martin held the lead when racing resumed, but teammates Ken Morin Jr. and Nick Sowa lined up behind Martin in second and third as the race reached halfway. Morin pulled out of line entering turn one on lap 11, powering past Martin and bringing Sowa into second. Sowa shadowed Morin over the second half of the race looking for his third consecutive win but could not gain the momentum to pull alongside.
Morin went on to the win, his first at the Speedbowl, over his teammate. Martin finished in third, which was enough to clinch the division championship with two events remaining.
Al Potter led the Super X-Car race until he pulled his car out of line on lap 8, dropping to the infield when his machine began leaking fluid onto the race surface. Caution waved for the fluid on the racetrack as Potter retired to the infield, handing the lead over to Jim Boyle.
Boyle led when the green flag came back out over a host of hungry Super X-Car competitors including Charles Beal, Shawn Perkins, Yagmin and others. Boyle bobbled exiting turn two on lap 10, giving Beal opportunity to take the outside lane to take over when the race hit halfway. Perkins followed by into second while Yagmin ultimately came out on top in the battle for third.
Perkins and Yagmin closed in on Beal making for an exciting final two-lap race for the win. Yagmin steered around the outside of Perkins for second, chasing Beal with the white flag in the air. Yagmin had the momentum coming off turn two of the final lap, racing to the outside of the leader. The two made contact on the backchute sending both into the wall. Beal was somehow able to retain the lead through the chain of events and dove back to the low side entering turn three. Yagmin went back to the outside and pulled even through turns three and four in a drag race to the checkered flag. Yagmin rallied to nip Beal by inches at the finish line as smoke came from both machines. Perkins, Rob Corey and Mike Maskell rounded out the top five finishers.
Pete Zaikarite led the first 8 laps in the X-Car 20-lap race before the first caution came out for Devin Widger and Randy Johnston who got together in turn one. Before yellow slowed the pace the action was fierce behind Zaikarite, with several battles throughout the field.
Patrick Williams challenged the outside of Zaikarite following the restart, first looking outside the leader before caution on lap 11 settled the field and cooled the battle for the top spot. Williams took to the bottom of the track after that caution flag to continue pestering Zaikarite. He held on to his lead, with D’addario and Glen Thomas Jr. pressuring Williams for his second position.
D’addario first went around Williams on the outside before moving to the outside of Zaikarite for the lead with under five laps remaining. D’addario made the top lane work, distancing himself over the final three laps to win by three car lengths at the checkered flag. Thomas won second over Zaikarite by only a few feet out of the final corner. Williams finished fourth and Widger rebounded from his early spin for fifth.
Brouwer survived an opening lap skirmish among three cars, then beat out Paul French in the early laps to cruise to another X-Modified win. Rick Ceravolo also passed French to finish in second, with French ending up third in the 15-lap race.
For more information about Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday and the calendar of events, please visit www.speedbowl.com or contact track offices at 860.442.1585.
Waterford Speedbowl 8/18 Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Results:
Legends Cars (20-laps): 1.David Garbo Jr., Stonington; 2. Dana Dimatteo, Farmington; 3. Alessandro Vitelli, Woodbridge; 4. Troy Talman, Oxford, Ma; 5. George Whitney, Westbrook; 6. Edward Field, Deep River; 7. Chris Young, Calverton, NY; 8. George Dorothy Jr., Deep River; 9. Angelo Belsito, Auburn, MA; 10. Richard White III, North Stonington; 11. Joey Mucciacciaro, Wolcott; 12. Nick Ladyga, Voluntown; 13. Matthew Carpenter, Auburn, MA; 14. Michael Blaskey, Bethany; 15. Arthur Marrero, Baltic; 16. Scott McNickle, Ledyard; 17. Dan Butler, Waterford; 18. Scott Haag, Chester; 19. Brian Spencer, Edison, NJ; 20. Peter Cirilli, Farmington; 21. Dennis Pantani, Branford; 22. Carlo Blandina, Milford; 23. Jason Palmer, Berlin; 24. Joshua Parker, 25. Mike Beebe Sr., Old Saybrook
Point Standings after thirteen events: 1. Flannery, 601; 2. E. Field, 498; 3. Dimatteo, 490; 4. Blandina, 482; 5. Pantani, 429; 6. Garbo Jr., 395; 7. Mucciacciaro, 378; 8. White III, 352; 9. Ladyga, 336; 10. Talman, 332.
Bandolero’s (20-laps): 1. Kenneth Morin Jr., Old Saybrook; 2. Nicholas Sowa, Middletown; 3. Taylor Martin, Windham, NH; 4. Andrew Carpenter, Auburn, MA; 5. Jordan Lamothe, Woodstock; 6. Tyler Chalue, Dudley, MA; 7. Nicholas Matera, Warwick, RI; 8. Daniel Stolte, Northbridge, MA; 9. Chace Wood, Danielson; 10. Jordan Churchill, Lisbon; 11. Joey Ternullo, Middletown; 12. Corey Dimatteo, Farmington; 13. Rachel Forte, Douglas, Ma; 14. Garrett Denton, Hope Valley, RI
Point Standings after thirteen events: 1. Martin, 643; 2. Chalue, 529; 3. Morin JR, 505; 4. Carpenter, 438; 5. Sowa, 432; 6. Ternullo, 419; 7. C. Dimatteo, 391; 8. Forte, 378; T-9. Chuchill, 354; T-9. Matera, 354; 10. Wood, 342
Super X-Cars (20-laps): 1.John Yagmin, Tolland; 2. Charles Beal, Ledyard; 3. Shawn Perkins, Groton; 4. Rob Corey, South Windsor; 5. Mike Maskell, Quaker Hill; 6. Jim Boyle, East Windsor; 7. Peter Pollard, Old Lyme; 8. James Consalvo, East Hartford; 9. Dan Moon, Exeter, RI; 10. Mark Boisvert, Uxbridge, MA; 11. Taylor Marie-Moran, Preston; 12. Ken Downing III, Branford; 13. Richard Avino, North Haven; 14. Ed Ryan, Preston; 15. John Robidoux, Fall River, Ma; 16. Michael Caprio, New Haven; 17. Al Potter IV, Waterford; 15. Bill Reiman, Southington
Point Standings after thirteen events: 1. Beal, 539; 2. Maskell II, 510; 3. Caprio, 493; 4. Yagmin, 463; 5. Perkins, 462; 6. Corey, 460; 7. Consalvo, 436; 8. Downing III, 427; 9. Pollard, 420; 10. Boisvert, 406
X-Cars (20-laps): 1. Dan D’Addario, Columbia; 2. Glen Thomas Jr., Groton; 3. Pete Zaikarite, Niantic; 4. Patrick Williams, Middletown; 5. Devin Widger, Plainville; 6. Jeremy Bourbeau, Taftville; 7. Cutis D’addario Sr., Columbia; 8. Brad Voglesong, Middletown; 9. Christopher Garside, Waterford; 10. Christopher Ivory, Oakdale; 11. Mike Trask, Plainfield; 12. Wayne Shifflett, Preston; 13. Michael Marvin, Colchester; 14. Bruce Hall, Ledyard; 15. John Bowes, Willington; 16. Ken Holbrook, Shannock, RI; 17. Shawn Stula, Colchester; 18. Scott Limkemann, East Lyme; 19. Geoffrey Burdick, East Lyme; 20. Arthur Phillips, Norwich; 21. Rick Mollo, Seymour; 22. David Lloyd, Mystic; 23. Daniel Madore, Sterling; 24. Robert Butler, Plainfield; 25. Christopher Lee, Montville; 26. Kim Bickford, Jewett City; 27. Onie Pierce, Norwich; 28. Randy Johnston, Westerly, RI; 29. Michele Cicio, Baltic
Point Standings after thirteen events: 1. Thomas Jr., 588; D’addario, 566; 3. Widger, 548; 4. Voglesong, 515; 5. Trask, 446; 6. Johnston, 418; 7. Shifflett, 412; 8. Williams, 390; 9. Marvin, 387; 10. Madore, 356
X-Modifieds (20-laps): 1. Richard Brouwer, Waterford; 2. Rick Ceravolo, Groton; 3. Paul French, Andover; 4. Rob Gallaer, Sherman; 5. Corey Larson, Bolton; 6. Dylan Cote, Lisbon; 7. George Wilkinson, Pawcatuck
Point Standings after nine events: 1. Brouwer, 459; 2. Ceravolo, 424; 3. French, 423; 4. Gallaer, 371; 5. Shea, 254; 6. Larson, 248; 7. Schlegel, 236; 8. Skenyon, 126; 9. Dimartino, 72; 10. Bassett, 44
Sources: Waterford Speedbowl PR