Preece, Mavlouganes, Charland, Casagrande & Wood Score Aug. 26 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Feature Victories at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway was back on track with a 5-division NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event on Friday, August 26. Ryan Preece picked up his fourth win of the 2011 season in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Jim Mavlouganes picked up his first Late Model feature victory in 6 years in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Bob Charland picked up his first career victory in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Cory Casagrande picked up his second win of 2011 in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Josh Wood picked up his fourth win of the 2011 season in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Curt Brainard took the lead at the green, but Woody Pitkat streaked into the lead on lap-2. With 2 laps complete, the caution came out for Michael Bennett, who was slow on the track.
Back under green, Pitkat took the lead and immediately began to pull away from the field. The caution came back out with 4 laps complete as Eric Berndt and Nichole Morgillo spun in turn 3, which also involved the cars of Kirk Zervas, Donny Travaglin, Dan Avery, Heather DesRochers, Mike King, Chris Matthews, and Brian Sullivan.
Pitkat powered into the lead back under green with Keith Rocco quickly moving into second. Ryan Preece was glued to Rocco’s bumper and slotted into the third position with Todd Owen fourth and Ted Christopher in fifth.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Rocco made a move to the inside of Pitakt in turn 1 on lap-9 to take over the lead, but going into turn 3, contact from Pitakt sent Rocco around in turn 3 and brought the caution out. Pitkat was sent to the rear of the field for the contact with Rocco, which put Preece and Owen on the front row for the restart with Christopher and Berndt on the second row.
Preece took the lead on the restart with Christopher moving into second ahead of Owen. Berndt was fourth with Brainard and Dan Avery side by side for fifth. Brainard got clear of Avery for the spot and Michael Gervais, Jr. was also able to move by Avery for sixth place.
Preece was beginning to pull away from Christopher, who lost second place to Owen on lap-16 in turn 1. Christopher came right back in turn 3 and pulled a crossover move to retake second from Owen. Christopher’s move opened the door for Berndt to pull back alongside Owen and then take the spot. With all the position swapping going on behind him, Preece was steadily stretching out his lead.
Berndt made a move by Christopher for second on lap-18 and Owen pulled alongside Christopher for third place with Gervais right behind the side-by-side duo. By lap-25, Christopher had caught back up to Owen to fight for second, but the caution came out with 26 laps complete for spins by Brainard and Glen Reen in turns 1+2 and erased the large margin that Preece had built up over the field. Under the caution period, Christopher brought his car to pit road, and he restarted at the rear of the field after challenging for second place.
On the restart, Berndt made a strong run on the outside of Preece, but Preece took the lead on the backstretch and Berndt fell back into line behind Preece. Owen made a move to the inside of Berndt on lap-29 to take over second and he brought Pitakt with him. Pitkat went by Berndt to move into second, but just as he made the move, the caution came out for a spin by Mike King, which put Pitkat back to third for the lap-30 restart.
Preece again took the lead with Pitkat moving into second. Berndt and Owen were fighting side by side for third, with Gervais just ahead of Rocco in fifth. The field settled into single file with Preece leading Pitkat, Berndt, Owen, Rocco, Gervais, and Christopher.
Christopher got by Gervais for fifth and Rocco moved by Owen for fourth place on lap-36 while Preece continued to lead Pitkat by several car lengths. Preece led the field to the checkered flag for his fourth win of the 2011 season, but behind Preece, Rocco made a move to the inside of Berndt in turn 3 they touched wheels with both cars going hard into the turn 3 wall. Pitkat finished second behind Preece with Christopher, Owen, and Gervais rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Keith Rocco spun in turn 1 on the start to bring the caution out. On the next start, John Kasper powered into the lead with Tom Fearn pulling alongside Patrick Townsend for second in the outside groove. Corey Hutchings and Dillon Moltz were side by side for fourth before Townsend moved into second and Hutchings moved into third. Jim Peterson spun backwards into the turn 3 wall and collected the car of Moltz to bring the caution out with 2 laps complete. Rocco and Adam Gray were also involved and both cars came to pit road with damage to their cars.
Back under green, Hutchings made a strong move to get past both Kasper and Townsend to take the lead. Walt Wosko, Jr. moved into second and Jim Mavlouganes moved into third with Townsend and Kasper falling back to fourth and fifth. Woody Pitkat was able to overtake Kasper and move into fifth place as Hutchings continued to lead Wosko.
At the halfway point of the race, Hutchings still was in the lead, with Wosko, Mavlouganes, and Townsend lined up in a four car train with Pitkat, Mark St. Hilaire, and Ryan Posocco behind them. Wosko made a move to take over the lead on lap-17 and both Mavlouganes and Townsend were also able to get by Hutchings. As the lead was swapping places, Posocco made a pass on both Pitkat and St. Hilaire to take over fifth.
Wosko slid up the track in turn 3 on lap-21, which allowed Mavlouganes to move into the lead and Townsend to move into second. Posocco moved by Wosko on lap-22 and he brought Pitkat and St. Hilaire with him as Wosko fell from the lead back to sixth place.
Mavlouganes was beginning to pull away from Townsend with 5 laps to go in the race. Posocco was working Townesend over for second place, but he was unable to complete a pass. Pitkat was right behind Posocco with St. Hilaire just ahead of Wosko.
Mavlouganes led the field around to the checkered flag to pick up his first victory of the season. Townsend held off Posocco for second, with Pitkat and St. Hilaire rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Tony Membrino, Jr. and Jay Goff were side by side dueling for the lead and they stayed side by side for several laps before Membrino got clear to the lead on lap-3. Bob Charland was in third behind Goff, with Frank Cardile making a strong run on the outside groove to move by Harry Wheeler for fourth place. Joey Cipriano followed Cardile by Wheeler to move into fifth place. Shayne Prucker slid through the infield grass to bring the caution out with 5 laps complete.
Membrino and Goff were side by side again for the lead on the restart and with 6 laps complete, Membrino got sideways in turn 2 and Dylan Kopec spun, which collected the cars of Zach Aszklar and Joey Cipriano.
Back under green, Goff and Membrino were again side by side dueling for the lead with Charland, Cardile, and Steve Greer making up the top-5. The caution came back out with 7 laps complete as Wheeler spun in turn 4, which collected the car of Cody Gneiting.
On the restart, Cardile spun in turn 1 and Tommy Barrett, Jr. went into the turn 1 wall with Mike Parolo and Paul Tommasino coming to a stop to keep from running into Barrett, which brought the caution back out.
Goff took the lead back under green with Charland getting by Membrino to take over second. Charland then pulled to the inside of Goff to take over the lead. Membrino pulled alongside Goff and they resumed their side by side fight with Dylan Liseo and Greer side by side for fourth place behind them. Goff and Membrino continued to run side by side behind Charland while Greer was able to take fourth ahead of Liseo. Tyler Lee Jackson spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 12 laps complete.
On the restart, Charland took the lead with Membrino and Goff again side by side for second. Liseo was right on Membrino’s bumper in the low groove with Matt Galko right behind Liseo. Membrino made a move to the inside of Charland for the lead on lap-15, but Charland powered back into the lead with Membrino and Goff continuing to duel for second side by side. Goff was able to clear Membrino and now Liseo was on the outside of Membrino in a fight for third place. Liseo would take that spot on lap-18 with Galko continuing to run fifth.
Charland led the field around to the checkered flag to pick up his first career victory with Goff taking second ahead of Liseo, Membrino, and Galko.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, D.J. Burnham and Jesse Hinze were side by side for the lead with Burham taking the lead at the stripe as they completed the first lap. Burnham cleared Hinze on lap-3 with Cory Casagrande right behind Hinze. Casagrande made the pass on Hinze for second on lap-4 as Carla Botticello moved to the inside of Dan Flannery to take over fourth place. George Nocera, Jr. followed Botticello by Flannery to move into fifth place as Burnham continued to hold the race lead.
Casagrande made a pass for the lead on lap-7, moving to the inside of Burnham in turns 1+2. Hinze was still third, with Nocera now in fourth and Shawn Thibeault in fifth place. Once Casagrande was in the lead, he began to stretch out the lead over Burnham in second.
Nocera and Thibeault would work their way by Hinze to drop him from third back to fifth, but Casagrande was still the leader ahead of Burnham. Casagrande’s lead was erased by the caution flag, which came out with 15 laps complete for Joe Nogiec, who stalled on the backstretch. Nogiec was able to get his car fired back up and he rejoined the race at the rear of the field.
Casagrande took the lead ahead of Nocera on the restart while Thibeault made a strong move to take over third place. Burnham settled into line in fourth, just ahead of Flannery and Hinze. Casagrande led the final 5 laps to take his second feature victory of the season. Nocera came home second, with Thibeault in third. Burnham held off Flannery by a nose at the line for fourth place.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Monty Gibbs spun in turn 1 to bring the caution out before the first lap could be completed, resulting in a restart. On the next start, Vince Gambacorta was slow to come up to speed and there was a bottleneck, which resulted in Cliff Saunders spinning. Saunders was able to continue on and the race stayed green with Kelsey Rottino leading Kris Fluckiger, Joe McAllister, and David Arute. The caution came back out with one lap complete for a spin by Andy Marchese in turn 1.
On the restart, Fluckiger took the lead with Arute charging by Josh Wood and Rottino on the outside to move into second. Arute drifted up the track in turn 3, which allowed Rottino to take the spot back. The next lap in turn 1 saw Josh Wood move by both Rottino and Wood to take second. Albert Saunders moved into third, with Don Wood fourth. Arute was falling back and he spun in turn 1 with 4 laps complete to bring the caution out. Kyle Casagrande was given the black flag for making contact with Arute.
Josh Wood took the lead from Fluckiger on the restart with Cliff Saunders, Andrew Hayes, Don Wood, and Vince Gambacorta lined up side by side behind Fluckiger. At the half-way point, Josh Wood was the race leader with Fluckiger right behind him. Hayes was now in third, with Cliff Saunders and Don Wood making up the top-5.
On lap-11, Hayes got very loose in turn 1 and he fell from third back to seventh place as Cliff Saunders, Don Wood, Gambacorta, and Casagrande all got by. At the front of the field, Josh Wood was pulling away from Fluckiger and Cliff Saunders and he took the checkered flag for his fourth win of the 2011 season. Fluckiger finished a career best second, with Cliff Saunders, Don Wood, 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.
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Ryan Preece, Berlin
2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
3) Ted Christopher, Plainville
4) Todd Owen, Somers
5) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
6) Nichole Morgillo, Wallingford
7) Sean Foster, Willington
8) Donny Travaglin, Winsted
9) Curt Brainard, Canton
10) Dan Avery, Somers
11) Chris Matthews, Stafford
12) Mike King, Agawam, Ma
13) John Montesanto, North Branford
14) Earl Pelletier, Wolcott
15) Heather DesRochers, Granby, Ma
16) Kirk Zervas, Winthrop, Ma
17) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
18) Keith Rocco, Meriden
19) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma
20) Brian Sullivan, South Windsor
21) Tom Bolles, Ellington
22) Michael Bennett, Stafford Springs
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Jim Mavlouganes, Bethany
2) Patrick Townsend, Springifeld, Ma
3) Ryan Posocco, Stafford Springs
4) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
5) Mark St. Hilaire, Berlin
6) Walt Wosko, Jr., West Suffield
7) J.J. Hill, Stafford Springs
8) Keith Rocco, Meriden
9) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
10) John Kasper, Wilbraham, Ma
11) Corey Hutchings, Salem
12) Duane Noll, Monroe
13) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
14) Peter Thickett, Watertown
15) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
16) Ed Ricard, Stafford Springs
17) Dillon Moltz, Waterford
18) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
19) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Bob Charland, Stafford
2) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
3) Dylan Liseo, East Hartford
4) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
5) Matt Galko, Meriden
6) Kyle Spencer, Montgomery, Ma
7) Shayne Prucker, Stafford Springs
8) Steve Greer, Harwinton
9) Frank Cardile, Bolton
10) Tony Santangelo, Middlefield
11) Harry Wheeler, Stafford Springs
12) Rick Williams, Haddam
13) Mike Parolo, Feeding Hills, Ma
14) Nick Hadden, Vernon
15) Paul Tommasino, Meriden
16) Tyler Lee Jackson, Milford
17) Tommy Barrett, Jr., Millis, Ma
18) Cody Gneiting, Broad Brook
19) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury
20) Dylan Kopec, Palmer, Ma
21) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect
22) Zach Aszklar, Wallingford
LIMITED LATEL MODEL (20)
1) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
2) George Nocera, Jr., Plainville
3) Shawn Thibeault, Plainville
4) D.J. Burnham, East Hartford
5) Dan Flannery, Ellington
6) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
7) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
8) Carla Botticello, Manchester
9) Norm Sears, Andover
10) Andrew Durand, Chicopee, Ma
11) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
12) Joe Nogiec, Bristol
13) Jim Brice, Manchester
14) Brian Clement, Wethersfield
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
2) Kris Fluckiger, Enfield
3) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
4) Vince Gambacorta, Ellington
5) Andrew Hayes, Charlton, Ma
6) Don Wood, Palmer, Ma
7) David Arute, Tolland
8) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
9) Joe Mcallister, New Britian
10) James Carroll, West Hartford
11) Andrew Marchese, Tolland
12) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
13) Doug Phelps, Jr., New Salem, Ma
14) Gary Spinnato, Jr., Wallingford
15) David Macha, Columbia
16) Albert Saunders, Stafford
17) Monte Gibbs, Killingworth
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR