Preece, Pitkat, Cipriano, Flannery & Wood Score September 9th Shark Cycle 80 Feature Victories at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway was back in action on September 9th with the Shark Cycle 80 program. In the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series portion of the race card, Ryan Preece scored his fifth win of the 2011 season in a thrilling finish with Keith Rocco in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Woody Pitkat scored his fourth win of the 2011 season in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Joey Cipriano scored his sixth win of 2011 in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Dan Flannery picked up his first win of the 2011 season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Josh Wood scored his fifth win of 2011 with a last lap pass in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Dan Avery took the early lead with Glen Reen, Curt Brainard, and Tom Bolles making up the top-4. Behind Bolles was Keith Rocco and Ryan Preece, with Eric Berndt just behind Preece. Rocco and Preece would both move by Bolles and Rocco continued his charge to the front as he moved by Brainard on lap-7 to take over third place. Preece followed Rocco by Brainard to take over fourth place as Avery had pulled away from Reen in second by several car lengths.
Rocco and Preece moved by Reen for second and third on lap-13 and they immediately began to shrink the lead that Avery had built up. Adam Skowyra spun in turn 4 to bring the caution out for the first time with 15 laps complete.
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On the restart, Avery and Rocco rode side by side for a lap before Avery was able to get clear of Rocco. With Avery clear to the lead, Rocco was now side by side with Preece for second place. After a lap on the outside, Preece was able to make a crossover move to the low groove and he pulled alongside Rocco. The two cars switched positions again on the next lap, with Rocco back to the inside of Preece while Avery was right in front of them in a three-car train for the lead. Rocco got clear of Preece and he made the pass for the lead to the inside of Avery in turns 3+4 on lap-24. Preece followed Rocco by Avery to move into second, but the caution came out with 25 laps complete as Woody Pitkat spun in turn 2.
There would be no side by side action on this restart as Rocco powered to the lead and Preece fell into line right behind Rocco. Avery was third, with Reen and Eric Berndt side by side for the fourth position. Preece took a look to the inside of Rocco on lap-27, but fell back into line behind Rocco. Reen got clear of Berndt into fourth with Tom Bolles and Ted Christopher lined up right behind Berndt. With 29 laps complete, Berndt spun in turn 2 which collected the car of Bolles as Bolles drove over Berndt’s left side tires to bring the caution out.
Preece stayed even with Rocco on the restart for the lead with Avery and Reen side by side for third behind them. Christopher was now into fifth with Michael Gervais, Jr. and Kurt Lenahan in line behind Christopher. Preece fell back into line behind Rocco and he rode behind Rocco until lap-34 when he made a move to the inside of Rocco in turn 4 to take over the lead. Just as the remainder of the field completed the 34th lap, Chris Matthews spun into the turn 3 wall to bring the caution back out.
Preece took the lead back under green with Rocco able to fend off a challenge from Avery to remain in second. Avery was third with Christopher moving into fourth and Reen was in fifth. Rocco was all over the back of Preece for the lead, but the action was interrupted by the caution flag with 39 laps complete for a spin by Mike King in turns 3+4, which set up a green-white-checkered finish.
On the restart, Nichole Morgillo spun in turn 1 to bring the yellow flag back out. The next restart saw Pitkat, Sean Foster, and Matt Gallo get together in turn 1 to bring the caution back out and set up a third green-white-checkered finish. Preece and Rocco were side by side for the lead with Preece holding th lead by a nose at he white flag. Rocco made one last ditch effort on the final turn for the lead and the win, but he came up just short as Preece won his fifth feature of the season. Rounding out the top-5 behind Preece and Rocco was Avery, Christopher, and Lenahan.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, the action at the front of the pack was frenzied as Tom Butler led the field to the green and he held the lead for the first lap. On lap-2, Walt Wosko, Jr. moved to the front of the pack, but he too had a short stay out front as J.J. Hill moved to the lead on lap-3. With Hill able to hold the lead for more than one lap, Jim Peterson moved into second, with Dillon Moltz, Mark St. Hilaire, and Woody Pitkat making up the top-5. Patrick Townsend appeared to lose an engine in turn 1, which brought out the caution out with 9 laps complete.
Hill took the lead on the restart, but Moltz was able to make a run to the inside of Hill, but Hill was still the leader at the line. Hill led the next lap by a nose over Moltz, but Moltz was able to get clear into the lead on lap-12. Pitkat followed Moltz by Hill and so did St. Hilaire and Peterson, dropping Hill from the lead back to fifth in a 2-lap span.
Pitkat was hounding Moltz for the race lead and he took the lead from Moltz on lap-17, making the pass in turn 2. St. Hilaire was still in third, with Peterson and Hill behind him. John Kasper was sixth, with Corey Hutchings, Tom Fearn, Jim Mavlouganes, and Ryan Posocco making up the remainder of the top-10 with 11 laps to go. With 20 laps complete, the cars of Mavlouganes and Fearn got together with Mavlouganes spinning into the turn 1 wall to bring the caution out.
On the restart, Pitkat took the lead ahead of Moltz, who had to contend with the car of St. Hilaire, who was able to get to the inside of Moltz and take the spot one lap after the restart. Moltz would also drop a spot to Peterson, who followed St. Hilaire by Moltz. But Moltz came back strong on the next lap and retook the spot from Peterson. With 23 laps complete, there was a multicar crash on the backstretch involving Corey Hutchings, Tim Fogg, Ed Ricard, Tom Butler, Duane Nnoll, and Doug Blowers, Jr., which brought the caution out.
Pitkat again took the lead back under green with Moltz moving to the inside of St. Hilaire to move back into second. Posocco and Peterson were able to follow Moltz by St. Hilaire with Hill running in sixth place as Pitkat had already opened up a lead of several car lengths over Moltz. Hill got by St. Hilaire on lap-26 to move into fifth, while Pitkat continued to lead.
It was all Pitkat at the front as he took the checkered flag for the fourth time this season. Moltz finished second, with Posocco, Hill, and St. Hilaire rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Cody Gneiting took the lead at the drop of the green but Tyler Lee Jackson spun to bring the caution out with one lap complete. Back under green, Gneiting again took the lead with Tony Santangelo all over his back bumper in second. Zach Aszklar settled into third, with Tony Membrino, Jr. and Jay Goff making up the top-5 in the early going.
On lap-7, both Membrino and Goff slid up the track in turn 2, which opened the bottom groove up for Joey Cipriano to move by them both and take over fourth place. Membrino fell back into line in fifth with Kyle Spencer moving up to sixth. With 8 laps complete, there was contact between Santangelo and Gneiting while fighting for the lead with Gneiting spinning to the infield grass and collecting the car of Spencer to bring the caution back out.
Aszklar took the lead back under green, but his lead only lasted until lap-11 when Cipriano made a pass to take over the top spot. Goff continued to run in third, with Membrino and Cardile behind him. Jackson spun again to bring the caution out with 12 laps complete.
Cipriano powered into the lead on the restart and immediately began to pull away from Aszklar in second. Goff settled into third, with Matt Galko and Tommy Barrett, Jr. both getting past Cardile to move into fourth and fifth place. With 2 laps to go, Galko and Barrett were locked in a side by side duel for fourth with Barrett taking the spot. It was all Cipriano at the front as he took the checkered flag for his 6th feature win of the 2011 season. Asklar finished second, with Goff, Barrett, and Galko rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Dan Flannery took the early lead ahead of Jesse Hinze, Kevin Gambacorta, Cory Casagrande, and Duane Provost. Norm Sears worked his way by Provost as Flannery continued to hold the race lead ahead of Hinze. Gambacorta made a move by Hinze on lap-8 and Casagrande and Sears followed Gambacorta to drop Hinze from second back to fifth. Hinze continued to slide backwards as George Nocera, Jr. and Shawn Thibeault also got by Hinze.
Flannery was still in the lead ahead of Gambacorta, while Casagrande, Sears, Nocera, and Thibeault were nose to tail just several car lengths behind the lead duo. Gambcorta closed in on Flannery’s bumper as they navigated a lapped car on lap-17, but Flannery was able to keep the lead.
Flannery led the field around to the checkered flag to pick up his first victory of the 2011 season. Gambacorta finished second with Casagrande, Thibeault, and Nocera rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, James Carroll took the lead from the pole and set the early pace at the front of the field. Austin Bessette was second, with Kris Fluckiger right behind him in third. Cliff Saunders was on the charge in the outside groove, working his way up to fourth in the first several laps and Josh Wood was fifth behind Saunders.
With 5 laps complete, the top-5 cars were now running nose to tail in line, but that changed on lap-7 as Saunders moved by Fluckiger for third. The positions continued to swap as Bessette moved into the lead, but his lead was short lived as Saunders took the lead from Bessette on lap-8. Behind Saunders, Josh Wood was able to get by Fluckiger, Carroll, and Bessette to move into second place.
Wood closed the gap to Saunders and with 2 laps to go, he was right on Saunders’ bumper. Saunders got loose in turn 1 on the final lap, which allowed Wood to pull alongside Saunders. Wood then made a pass on Saunders for the lead and the win in turns 3+4. Rounding out the top-5 behind Wood and Saunders was Bessette, Carroll, and Fluckiger.
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