Preece, Posocco, Galko, Thibeault & Saunders Score Lincoln Tech 80 Feature Victories at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway was back racing on August 12th with the Lincoln Tech 80 event. In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series feature racing, Ryan Preece scored his third win of the 2011 season in the SK Modified® feature, Ryan Posocco scored his second win of the 2011 season in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Matt Galko nailed down his fourth win of 2011 in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Shawn Thibeault picked up his fourth win of the 2011 season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Albert Saunders picked up his first win of the 2011 season in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Chris Matthews took the lead at the green flag with Michael Gervais, Jr. moving into second. Gervais moved by Matthews to take over the race lead on lap-2. Nichole Morgillo moved by Matthews for second, with Dan Avery moving into third, Frank Ruocco moved into fourth, and Glen Reen moved into fifth as Matthews fell back to seventh place behind Sean Foster. The caution came out with 3 laps complete as Curt Brainard developed a flat left front tire and Michael Bennett spun to avoid the slowing car of Brainard.
Back under green, Dan Avery made a move to the inside of Gervais to take over the lead as Ruocco moved into second. Reen was third, with Ryan Preece and Gervais side by side for fourth, but the caution came back out with 4 laps complete for spins by Matthews and Bennett.
On the restart, Morgillo dropped off the pace and Tom Bolles scraped the backstretch wall, but the race stayed green with Avery in the lead ahead of Reen, Preece, Ruocco, and Gervais. The caution came back out with 6 laps complete as Morgillo came to a stop on the pit road entrance.
Avery took the lead back under green with Preece moving into second. Reen was third, with Ruocco and Eric Berndt making up the top-5. Preece continued his march forward as he took the lead from Avery on lap-9. On lap-10, Ted Christopher pulled his car behind the pit wall. Preece was beginning to stretch out his lead over Avery and Reen. Keith Rocco was now fourth behind Reen with Ruocco right behind him in fifth. John Montesanto came to a stop in turn 4 to bring the caution back out with 14 laps complete.
Preece took the lead ahead of Reen, Ruocco, Avery, and Rocco, but the caution came right back out with 16 laps complete as Mark Bakaj came to a stop in turn 3 with a flat tire.
On the restart, Ruocco had transmission issues and he didn’t come up to speed and as a result of the bottleneck behind him, Matthews spun into the frontstretch wall to bring the yellow back out.
Preece was the leader back under green with Reen behind him. Avery and Rocco were side by side for third with Berndt behind them in fifth. After several laps of side by side racing, Rocco was able to take the spot from Avery. Rocco continued his charge to the front by taking second from Reen on lap-23 and Avery followed him by Reen to take over third and drop Reen back to fourth. Preece had nearly a full straightaway lead over Rocco in second with 12 laps to go.
Preece was now turning the fastest laps of the race and he cruised to his third win of the 2011 season. Rocco came home in second, with Avery, Reen, and Berndt rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, a pileup in turn 3 involving J.J. Hill, Jim Peterson, Tim Fogg, Mark St. Hilaire, Duane Noll, and Tom Butler brought the yellow out before a lap could be completed.
Tony Lafo took the lead ahead of Patrick Townsend, John Kasper, Walt Wosko, Jr., and Corey Hutchings. Kasper drifted up the track in turn 4 on lap-3 which gave Hutchings and Ryan Posocco an opening to move by Kasper to drop him from third back to sixth. Kasper got loose again on lap-4 and he fell further back in the field.
Townsend made a pass for the lead on lap-7 and he brought Posocco with him. Lafo would continue to slide backwards as he was stuck in the outside groove and he fell back to 11th place. Townsend would hold the lead until lap-13 when Posocco made a pass for the lead. Rocco was now side by side with Hutchings for third place and Rocco took the spot as Hutchings spun in turn 2 to bring the yellow out with 14 laps compelte.
On the restart, Pitkat spun in turn 3 and then Butler and Wosko spun on the frontstretch to bring the caution back out with 15 laps complete. Posocco took the lead back under green with Rocco behind him. St. Hilaire was third, with Adam Gray and Lafo making up the top-5. The top-5 ran in line until the caution came out with 28 laps complete for Tony Lafo, who hit the wall in turn 1 and came to a stop, setting up a green white checkered sprint to the finish.
Posocco took the lead ahead of Rocco on the restart for the lead. Posocco led Rocco around for the final 2 laps to take his second win of the 2011 season. Rounding out the top-5 behind Posocco and Rocco was St. Hilaire, Pitkat, and Hill.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Tommy Membrino, Jr. brought out the caution before a lap could be completed with a spin at the start. Jay Goff took the early lead back under green with Steve Greer, Jesse Ruocco, Bob Charland behind him. Kyle Spencer and Frank Cardile were side by side for fifth place when the caution came back out with 4 laps complete for a spin by Tyler Lee Jackson.
Greer went around Goff one lap after the restart to take over the lead on the restart while behind them, Joey Cipriano and Tommy Barrett, Jr. went three wide to split Spencer and move up in the field. Barrett charged into second behind Greer while Cipriano settled into fourth behind Goff. The caution came back out with 9 laps complete for spins by Mike Parolo and Paul Tommasino.
Barrett took the lead back under green while Cipriano moved into second right behind Barrett. Greer fell back to third, just ahead of Spencer and Zach Aszklar. Cipriano made a move to the inside of Barrett in turn 4 to take over the race lead on lap-12. Barrett tried to take the lead back on lap-13, but was not able to complete the pass and he fell back into line behind Cipriano. Greer spun in turn 4 on lap-14 but he was able to get moving and the race stayed green. The caution came back out with 18 laps complete for spins by Aszklar, Tony Membrino, Jr., and Charland in turn 2 to set up a green white checkered finish.
On the restart, Cipriano charged back into the lead, but going into turn 3, Barrett got into the back of Cipriano, which sent Cipriano around and brought the caution flag out. Barrett was parked for the remainder of the race for the contact with Cipriano by NASCAR Officials, which put Spencer and Ruocco on the front row for the restart with Dylan Liseo and Matt Galko making up the second row.
Spencer and Galko were side by side for the lead on the restart, but Frank Cardile and Ruocco took a ride through the backstretch grass to bring the caution back out and set up a third attempt at a green white checkered finish.
Spencer and Galko were again side by side for the lead, but there was a pileup in turn 4 involving Tony Massaro, Dylan Kopec, Aszklar, and Todd Clark. Spencer and Galko went wheel to wheel on the restart with Spencer taking the lead. But Galko made a move to the inside of Spencer in turns 1+2 on the final lap to take over the lead. Spencer fought back hard on the outside, but Galko led him back around to the checkered flag to take his fourth win of the 2011 season. Spencer finished second, with Tony Santangelo, Cipriano, and Cody Gneiting rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Jesse Hinze went around Chris Cook at the green flag to take the early race lead. Cook settled into second behind Hinze with D.J. Burnham, Dan Flannery, and Cory Casagrande behind them. Cook began to backslide through the field as Hinze was pulling away from Burnham, who was now the second place car with 4 laps on the scoreboard. Cook drifted up the track and got into the turn 1 wall on lap-5, but he was able to continue and the race stayed under green conditions.
George Nocera, Jr. and Shawn Thibeault were now up to fifth and sixth as they dropped Sears from fifth back to seventh place. Hinze had a comfortable lead of a half straightaway, but that lead was erased with 8 laps complete as Nocera spun coming off turn 4 to bring the caution flag out.
On the restart, Burnham didn’t get up to speed right away, which bottlenecked the entire outside line and allowed Flannery, Thibeault, and Kevin Gambacorta to move into second, third, and fourth behind Hinze while Sears was holding the fifth position. Flannery pulled alongside Hinze for the lead as the field completed lap-11 and he went into the lead on lap-12 in turn 1. Flannery’s move opened the door for Thibeault, Gambacorta, and Sears to all get by Hinze, dropping him from the lead back to fifth place.
Thibeault quickly made a bid for the lead and he went by Flannery on lap-14 in turn 4 to take over the lead. On lap-15 Sears dropped off the pace and crawled his way back to pit road, finished for the evening. Thibeault led the final seven laps to take down his fourth win of the 2011 season. Flannery finished second, with Gambacorta, Hinze, and Casagrande rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, James Carroll took the early lead ahead of Kaitlyn Brice, but the caution came out with 1 lap complete for spins by David Arute and Kris Fluckiger.
Carroll took the lead back under green with Albert Saunders taking second ahead of Andy Marchese. Austin Bessette moved into fourth and Kyle Casagrande moved into fifth as Brice was falling back in the field stuck in the outside groove. The caution came back out with 2 laps complete for a spin by Nick Salva in turn 3.
On the restart, Joe McAllister spun in turn 3 and Kyle Casagrande spun in turn 4 to bring the caution back out. Saunders took the lead back under green with Carroll falling back to second. Don Wood was up to third, with Andrew Hayes fourth, and Bessette was fifth.
Saunders was pulling away from Carroll in second, while Wood made a pass on Carroll to take over second on lap-9. Hayes followed Wood past Hayes to move into third, but both Wood and Hayes had some distance to close to catch up to Albert Saunders.
Saunders went unchallenged as he took his first win of the 2011 season. Wood finished second, with Hayes, Carroll, and Bessette 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