Rocco, Pitkat, Cipriano, Sears & Wood Score June 3rd USG night Feature Victories at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway was back on track with a 5-division NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event as part of USG Event Night on Friday, June 3rd. Keith Rocco scored his second consecutive victory in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Woody Pitkat took his second consecutive victory in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Joey Cipriano came home the big winner in a thrilling duel for the win to pick up his second win of the season in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Norm Sears picked up his second feature win of the season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Josh Wood picked up his first feature victory of the 2011 season in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Chris Jones hit the turn 1 wall to bring the yellow out before the field could complete a lap. Chris Matthews took the race lead back under green with Nichole Morgillo and John Montesanto side by side for second place. Jeff Malave was fourth, with Michael Gervais and Rhyan Preece behind him.
Preece got around Gervais on lap-3 and Morgillo went into the race lead on lap-6. Behind Morgillo was Malave, Preece, Montesanto, and Matthews. Sean Foster spun and came to a stop on the backstretch grass to bring the yellow flag out with 9 laps complete. Foster needed a push to get back to pit road, where he parked his car for the remainder of the race.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
June 3rd SK Modified® Feature Results
Updated 2011 SK Modified® Points Standings
June 3rd Late Model Feature Results
Updated 2011 Late Model Points Standings
June 3rd SK Light Modified Feature Results
Updated 2011 SK Light Modified Points Standings
June 3rd Limited Late Model Feature Results
Updated 2011 Ltd. Late Model Points Standings
June 3rd DARE Stock Feature Results
Updated 2011 DARE Stock Points Standings
Preece took the lead on the restart with Morgillo in second. Malave was third, with Montesanto in fourth and Ted Christopher moved up into the fifth spot. Malave was able to get by Morgillo for second place on lap-12 while Preece continued to lead. Christopher was now in fourth with Glen Reen up to fifth as Montesanto was beginning to slide backwards.
Christopher moved by Morgillo for third place on lap-17. Dan Avery got loose and spun in turn 4 to bring the caution out with 19 laps complete.
Preece took the lead back under green with Christopher moving by Malave for second. Reen followed Christopher by Malave to drop him from second on the restart back to fourth. Morgillo was running fifth with Frank Ruocco, Todd Owen, and Keith Rocco behind her.
The order changed on lap-23 as both Ruocco and Rocco were able to move by Morgillo. The caution came back out with 23 laps complete as Morgillo spun in turn 2, which collected the car of Mark Bakaj.
Preece again was the leader on the restart while Reen and Christopher were locked in a side by side duel for second. Reen took the spot one lap after the restart and Christopher slid back to fifth place as both Ruocco and Rocco were able to get by. Ruocco spun coming off turn 4 on lap-29, and he was able to quickly get moving, but there was a spin in turn 1 involving the cars of Ron D’Alessandro and Heather DesRochers that brought the caution flag back out.
Preece was the leader back under green with Rocco moving into second. Reen was third with Christopher and Malave making up the top-5, but Montesanto spun in turn 2 to bring the caution back out. Preece again powered into the lead with Rocco slotting in right behind Preece. But Rocco didn’t stay behind Preece for long as he made a power move to the inside of Preece in turn 3 on lap-31. Rocco was able to take the lead at the line by a nose, but Rocco and Preece were locked in a wheel to wheel duel for the lead with neither driver giving the other an inch. Rocco was leading the laps by a nose at the start/finish line, but Preece was hanging right with Rocco. The caution came back out with 36 laps complete as Chris Matthews and Dan Avery spun in turn 2 to set up a four lap dash to the finish.
The restart was more of the same between Rocco and Preece with the two cars side by side. Rocco moved ahead of Preece on lap-37 and Christopher was now alongside Preece in a fight for second as Rocco was the race leader. Christopher took second form Preece at the white flag, but Rocco was able to hold him off at the checkered flag to pick up his second consecutive win and his third win of the 2011 season. Rounding out the top-5 behind Rocco and Christopher was Preece, Woody Pitkat, and Reen.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Tom Butler took the lead at the drop of the green with John Kasper, J.J. Hill, Mark St. Hilaire, and Corey Hutchings making up the top-5. Hutchings got around St. Hilaire on lap-3 and he brought Keith Rocco along with him by St. Hilaire.
Hutchings continued his charge on lap-7 as he moved past Hill to take over third. Hill would lose several more spots as Rocco, Woody Pitkat, and Dillon Moltz all went by, dropping Hill from third back to seventh. The order shuffled again on lap-12 as Rocco, Pitkat, and Moltz all got by Hutchings, who fell from third back to sixth. Butler continued to lead the race with Kasper in second.
At the halfway point, Butler had pulled out to a sizeable lead over Kasper in second. But that all changed on lap-18 as Rocco, Pitkat, Moltz, Hutchings, and Hill all moved by Kasper, who fell from second back to seventh. Hutchings went around in turn 2 with 22 laps complete to bring the caution out.
Tony Lafo and Hutchings spun on the restart in turn 1 on the restart to bring the yellow right back out. Butler and Rocco were door to door on the restart for the lead with Pitkat, Moltz, and Hill in single file behind them. Butler and Rocco drifted up the track in turn 3 on lap-25, which gave Pitkat just enough room to make a three-wide pass to take over the race lead. Moltz followed Pitkat through as Rocco settled into line in third and Butler fell back to fourth with Hill still in fifth.
Pitkat led the field around for the final four laps to pick up his second consecutive victory of the year. Moltz came home second, with Rocco, Butler, and Hill rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, both Jay Goff and Cody Gneiting took to the high groove to move around polesitter Rick Williams to move into the top-2 spots on the first lap of the race. Joey Cipriano moved into third, while Williams settled into line in fourth and Kyle Spencer and Shayne Prucker were nose to tail in fifth and sixth. Lap-5 was a busy lap as Gneiting moved by Goff to take over the lead and Spencer and Prucker moved by Williams.
Cipriano made a move around Gneiting to take over the race lead on lap-7 while Goff, Prucker, and Spencer continued to run in the top-5 spots. Matt Galko was now in sixth place behind Spencer at the halfway point of the race.
Spencer and Galko got together in turn 2 and fell back several spots, but they were able to keep going. The two cars made contact again with Galko coming to a stop on the front straighaway with a damaged right front to bring he caution out with 14 laps complete. Spencer was parked for the remainder of the race by NASCAR Officials for the contact.
On the restart, Gneiting’s car didn’t come up to speed and he then spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow flag back out. The next restart saw Cipriano and Prucker duel side by side for the lead witih Prucker taking the slight advantage at the line. Cipriano took the lead on the next lap, but Prucker came right back and moved to the front, but the caution came out for debris on the track, putting Cipriano back up front for the restart with four laps remaining in the race.
Cipriano and Prucker again stayed wheel to wheel with Prucker taking the lead by a nose at the line. The two cars were still side by side for a second lap with Frank Cardile closing in on the lead duo. Cardile made a three-wide bid coming to the white flag, but fell back into line before turn 1. Prucker got a little loose on the final lap while on the outside of Cipriano, which allowed Cipriano to get clear into the lead and take the victory. Cardile came home in second, with Prucker, Steve Greer, and Tommy Membrino, Jr. rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Norm Sears took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Duane Provost, Shawn Thibeault, George Nocera, Jr., and Kevin Gambacorta making up the top-5 behind Sears. Polesitter Cory Casagrande fell back at the start as his car didn’t come up to speed as quickly as the rest of the field. Sears began to open up a nice lead with both Thibeault and Nocera moving past Provost.
At the halfway point of the race it was still Sears in command of the race. Thibeault was still running in second with Nocera right behind him. The lead that Sears had built up in the first couple of laps of the feature was holding steady as he wasn’t pulling away from or being reeled in by Thibeault. Provost and Gambacorta continued to run in fourth and fifth.
On lap-13, Provost was able to move back by Nocera to take over third place. Nocera came back strong to the inside of provost on lap-16 to take the position back. Nocera’s move allowed Gambacorta to follow Nocera by Provost, dropping him from third back to fifth in the running order.
At the front of the field it was all Sears as he led the race from start to finish to pick up his second feature victory of the season. Thibeault came home in second, with Nocera, Gambacorta, and Provost rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Kris Fluckiger took the early lead, but before he could get back to the start/finish line to complete the first lap, Josh Wood had taken over the lead. Fluckiger continued to fall back as Vince Gambacorta, Kyle Casagrande, Don Wood, and Cliff Saunders all moved by. Gambacorta spun in turn 2 on lap-3, but he was able to keep going and the race stayed green. Johnny Walker spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 3 laps complete.
Josh Wood took the lead back under green with Don Wood right behind him. Casagrande was third, with Cliff Saunders in fourth and Nick Salva in fifth. With 5 laps to go, it was still Josh Wood ahead of Don Wood, with Casagrande keeping in close contact in third. Saunders was holding down the fourth spot while Andrew Hayes had taken over the fifth position from Salva, who was now in sixth place.
Josh Wood led the field around to the checkered flag to pick up his first feature victory of the 2011 season. Don Wood finished second, with Casagrande, Cliff Saunders, and Hayes 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.
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Keith Rocco, Meriden
2) Ted Christopher, Plainville
3) Ryan Preece, Berlin
4) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
5) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma
6) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
7) Jeff Malave, Manchester
8) Todd Owen, Somers
9) Brian Sullivan, South Windsor
10) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
11) Dan Avery, Somers
12) Kurt Lenahan, Roxbury
13) Joe Gada, Salem
14) Ronald D’Alessandro, East Hartford
15) Adam Skowyra, Brimfield, Ma
16) Heather DesRochers, Granby, Ma
17) Bob Parker, Jr., Southbury
18) John Montesanto, North Branford
19) Chris Matthews, Stafford
20) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
21) Nichole Morgillo, Wallingford
22) Mark Bakaj, Lebanon
23) Tom Bolles, Ellington
24) Curt Brainard, Canton
25) Sean Foster, Willington
26) Chris Jones, New Milford
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
2) Dillon Moltz, Waterford
3) Keith Rocco, Meriden
4) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
5) J.J. Hill, Stafford Springs
6) Mark St. Hilaire, Berlin
7) Jim Mavlouganes, Bethany
8) Ryan Posocco, Stafford Springs
9) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
10) Corey Hutchings, Salem
11) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
12) Ted Christopher, Plainville
13) John Kasper, Wilbraham, Ma
14) Patrick Townsend, Springifeld, Ma
15) Tony Lafo, Higganum
16) Walt Wosko, Jr., West Suffield
17) Peter Thickett, Watertown
18) Tim Fogg, Stafford Springs
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury
2) Frank Cardile, Bolton
3) Shayne Prucker, Stafford Springs
4) Steve Greer, Harwinton
5) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect
6) Dylan Kopec, Palmer, Ma
7) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
8) Harry Wheeler, Stafford Springs
9) Bob Charland, Stafford
10) Zach Aszklar, Wallingford
11) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
12) Tony Santangelo, Middlefield
13) Tony Massaro, Hamden
14) Paul Tommasino, Meriden
15) Cody Gneiting, Broad Brook
16) Kyle Spencer, Montgomery, Ma
17) Matt Galko, Meriden
18) Mike Parolo, Feeding Hills, Ma
19) Rick Williams, Haddam
LIMITED LATEL MODEL (20)
1) Norm Sears, Andover
2) Shawn Thibeault, Plainville
3) George Nocera, Jr., Plainville
4) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
5) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
6) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
7) D.J. Burnham, East Hartford
8) Chris Cook, Pepperell, Ma
9) Carla Botticello, Manchester
10) Joe Nogiec, Bristol
11) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
2) Don Wood, Palmer, Ma
3) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
4) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
5) Andrew Hayes, Charlton, Ma
6) Nick Salva, Prospect
7) David Arute, Tolland
8) Kris Fluckiger, Enfield
9) Vince Gambacorta, Ellington
10) Kaitlyn Brice, Manchester
11) Johnny Walker, Ludlow, Ma
12) Doug Phelps, Jr., New Salem, Ma
13) Brandon Michael, Cranville, Ma
14) James Carroll, West Hartford
15) Andrew Marchese, Tolland
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR