Keith Rocco Wins 8th Annual CARQUEST SK 150 at Stafford Speedway

Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway returned to racing with its biggest race of the season, the 8th Annual CARQUEST SK 150. Keith Rocco took the checkered flag and the $3,500 winner’s check in the CARQUEST SK 150 for his third consecutive and sixth overall victory of the 2011 season, Dillon Moltz picked up his third win of the 2011 season in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Tommy Barrett, Jr. scored his fourth win of 2011 in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Carla Botticello picked up her first win of 2011 in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Don Wood scored his third win of 2011 in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.

In the 8TH Annual CARQUEST SK 150 feature event, the action was wild at the front as Tom Bolles made a three-wide move on the first lap to take the lead ahead of Michael Gervais, Jr. and Dan Avery. Glen Reen was fourth with polesitter Sean Foster falling back to fifth place. The order continued to shuffle as both Ryan Preece and Woody Pitkat took to the outside groove to move by everyone and take over first and second place on lap-7. Reen was now third with Eric Berndt in fourth and Bolles had fallen back to fifth place.

The field began to stretch out a bit with Preece and Pitkat out front, while Reen and Berndt were nose to tail several car lengths behind the lead duo. Keith Rocco and Todd Owen were the next two cars in line and they were about a half straightaway behind Reen and Berndt. Reen and Berndt closed the gap to the lead cars of Pitkat and Preece and it was now a four-car train at the front of the pack with 20 laps complete.

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Rocco caught up to Preece and he moved past to take over fourth place on lap-34. Reen was hounding Pitkat for the lead at the front, but he was not able to make a pass. The caution came out for the first time on lap-38 for a spin by Vinny Anglace on the backstretch. Heather DesRochers was sent to the rear of the field for contact with Anglace.

DesRochers spun on the lap-42 restart to bring the caution right back out. Pitkat took the lead on the restart, but Reen moved by Pitkat for the race lead on lap-48. Berndt was third with Rocco in fourth and Owen in fifth. The caution came back out on lap-50 for a spin by Anglace in turn 4.

The race restarted on lap-54, but the caution came right back out as DesRochers’ car came to a stop in turn 4. Reen and Pitkat stayed side by side on the lap-58 restart for the lead with Reen able to get clear of Pitkat on lap-59. Rocco moved the inside of Pitkat for second and he made the pass on lap-61. Berndt was fourth with Owen and Gervais behind him. Rocco moved by Reen to take over the lead for the first time on lap-62.

Ryan Preece spun in turn 2 at the halfway point of the race to bring the caution back out. The order for the restart would be Rocco and Reen on the front row, Pitkat and Berndt in the second row, and Frank Ruocco and Gervais in the third row.

Rocco took the lead on the lap-80 restart, but Pitkat went by Rocco for the lead on lap-82. Pitkat stayed out front until lap-86 when Rocco moved back by Pitkat to retake the lead. Reen spun in turn 2 on lap-87, but he was able to keep moving and the race stayed under green flag conditions. Ruocco was now in third behind Rocco and Pitkat, with Berndt and Gervais making up the top-5. Preece, who had spun not that long ago, was back up to sixth place behind Gervais. Preece made a move to the outside of Gervais on lap-94 to move into fifth place as Rocco continued to hold the race lead. Anglace spun in turn 4 on lap-97 to bring the caution back out.

The race restarted on lap-101 with Anglace spinning in turn 1 to bring the yellow back out. Rocco took the lead on the lap-106 restart with Pitkat, Ruocco, Preece, and Berndt quickly falling into single file behind him. Ruocco bobbled on lap-118, which allowed Preece to take over third and Rocco and Pitkat stretched their advantage over the rest of the field.

Rocco pulled away from Pitkat over the final 32 laps to take a dominating victory in the CARQUEST SK 150, his first career win in the 150-lap event. Pitkat came home in second, with Preece, Berndt, and Ruocco rounding out the top-5.

In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Jim Peterson came to pit road before the start of the feature to change a right rear tire and he went several laps down before pulling his car behind the wall. Tom Butler led the first lap before Corey Hutchings moved to the front on lap-2. Hutchings’ move opened the door for Mark St. Hilaire and Dillon Moltz to also move by Butler, dropping him from the lead back to fourth place. Moltz made a move to the inside of St. Hilaire for second on lap-5 while Tony Lafo was rounding out the top-5. Just behind Lafo was Ryan Posocco, who went by J.J. Hill for sixth place on lap-6.

Posocco continued his charge as he went by Lafo for fifth on lap-8. Hutchings had a comfortable lead of several car lengths over Moltz, who had St. Hilaire and Butler lined up right behind him. The caution came out with 9 laps complete as Woody Pitkat spun in turn 3 after contact with Tony Lafo. Lafo was sent to the rear of the field by NASCAR officials for the contact with Pitkat.

On the restart, Butler went around in turn 2 and hit the wall to bring the caution back out. Ryan Posocco was sent to the rear of the field for contact with Butler. Hutchings took the lead back under green with Moltz and Tom Fearn behind him. Mark St. Hilaire was fourth, but he lost that position to Rocco on lap-12. But just as soon as Rocco moved by St. Hilaire, he dropped off the pace with an apparent mechanical problem and he coasted his way back to the pit road entrance, where the car came to a stop and brought the caution back out with 14 laps complete.

On the restart, Hutchings didn’t come up to speed as quick as Moltz as Moltz powered into the lead. Hutchings briefly fell back to third before he recovered and moved back into second ahead of Pitkat, John Kasper, and Adam Gray. St. Hilaire made contact with the frontstretch wall and was able to pull behind the wall, but the caution did come out for Scott Cook and Rocco, who spun in turn 2.

Moltz took the lead back under green with Pitkat moving into second. Hutchings was third, with Posocco and Kasper making up the top-5. The top-5 ran in line until the caution came out with 28 laps complete as John Pysher spun while Moltz was trying to put him a lap down, which set up a green white checkered finish.

Moltz took the lead with Posocco sliding into second. Hutchings moved into third while Pitkat fell back to fourth place. Posocco made one final attempt on Moltz in the final lap, but Moltz was too strong to be overtaken and he picked up his third win of the 2011 season. Rounding out the top-5 behind Moltz and Posocco was Hutchings, Pitkat, and Kasper.

In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Tony Santangelo took the lead and he led the first four laps of the race before giving way to Tony Membrino, Jr. on lap-5. Membrino led the field until the caution came out with 11 laps complete for a spin by Tommy Membrino, Jr. in turn 4.

Back under green, Kyle Spencer powered into the lead with Joey Cipriano moving into second as Membrino fell from the lead back to third. Cipriano made a pass for the lead, but just as he made the pass, the caution came out for a spin by Matt Galko in turn 4, which put Spencer back out front for the restart.

Spencer took the lead on the restart, but Cipriano moved to the lead one lap after the restart, dropping Spencer back to second. Zach Aszklar was now up to third, with Tommy Barrett, Jr. and Dylan Liseo behind him. Membrino was now back to sixth after leading earlier in the feature. Aszklar spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 18 laps complete and set up a green white checkered finish.

Cipriano took the lead on the restart with Barrett moving by Spencer to take over second. Liseo was foruth and Tony Membrino was fifth. Barrett made a power move to the inside of Cipriano in turns 3+4 on the final lap and he came out of turn 4 with the lead and he took the checkered flag ahead of Cipriano by a car length. Rounding out the top-5 behind Barrett and Cipriano was Spencer, Liseo, and Tony Membrino, Jr.

In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Carla Botticello took the lead from the pole and led the first lap before the caution came out for a spin on the backstretch that involved Jesse Hinze, D.J. Burnham, and Dan Flannery.

Botticello charged back into the lead on the restart with Chris Cook in second. Norm Sears was running third, with George Nocera, Jr. and Kevin Gambacorta behind him. The top-5 ran in line until lap-7 when Nocera, Gambacorta, and Shawn Thibeault all moved by Sears as Botticello continued to hold the lead ahead of Cook.

Gambacorta was all over the back of Nocera, but he was unable to make a pass until lap-16. Botticello was now comfortably out in front with Gambacorta in second. Nocera and Thibeault were side by side for third place when the caution came out with 19 laps complete for a spin by Cory Casagrande in turn 4. The caution erased Botticello’s lead and set up a green white checkered finish.

Botticello took the lead on the restart while Thibeault moved by Gambacorta to take over second. Botticello led the field around to the checkered flag to pick up her first feature victory of the 2011 season. Thibeault finished second, with Gambacorta, Nocera, and Sears rounding out the top-5.

In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, the caution came out before the field could complete the first lap as Kaitlyn Brice and Albert Saunders spun on the backstretch. Also caught up in the action was Josh Wood, who was finished for the race with a flat right front tire.

As the race resumed, James Carroll took the lead with David Arute right behind him in second. Don Wood was in third, with Vince Gambacorta in fourth and Cliff Saunders in fifth. Carroll held the lead until lap-4 when Arute moved past him in turn 1 to take over the lead. Wood followed Arute past Carroll to take over second before the caution came back out with 4 laps complete for a spin by David Macha in turn 1.

Arute and Wood were side by side for the lead back under green with Wood leading lap-5 by a nose over Arute. Gambacorta continued to hold down third, with Kyle Casagrande moving up to fourth. Cliff Saunders ran in fifth as Arute got clear of Wood back to the front of the pack on lap-6. Wood got loose in turn 1 and he fell from second place back to fifth as Casagrande, Gambacorta, and Cliff Saunders all moved past.

Casagrande was all over Arute’s bumper for the lead, but Arute was able to fend off Casagrande’s challenges. With 9 laps complete, Casagrande tried to make a pass to the inside of Arute, but he spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out.

Arute took the lead back under green with Cliff Saunders moving into second. Don Wood was third with Gambacorta and Andrew Hayes dueling side by side for fourth place. Arute held the lead until lap-12 when Cliff Saunders moved to the front. But Saunders’ stay out front was short lived as Wood went by both Arute and Saunders on lap-13 to move from third to the lead. Wood led the field around to the checkered flag to take down his third win of the 2011 season. Arute finished second, with Cliff Saunders, Hayes, and Gambacorta 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

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