Woody Pitkat Doubles Up; Preece Clinches SK Modified® Track Championship in Sept. 16th Final Friday Night Shoot-Out at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway took to the track for the Final Friday Night Shoot-Out on September 16th. In NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action, Woody Pitkat picked up his second win of the 2011 season in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event and Ryan Preece clinched the 2011 SK Modified® track champion with a 4th place finish, Woody Pitakt picked up his second consecutive and fifth overall win of the 2011 season in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Kyle Spencer picked up his second win of the 2011 season with a green white checkered pass for the lead in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, George Nocera, Jr. picked up his fifth win of the 2011 season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Cliff Saunders picked up his second win of the 2011 season in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Glen Reen took the lead from the pole ahead of Tom Bolles, Brian Sullivan, and the side by side duo of Nichole Morgillo and Sean Foster. Morgillo was able to get clear of Foster and the top-5 were now single file. Woody Pitkat got around Curt Brainard for sixth place and he moved by Foster for fifth on lap-6. The caution came out with 7 laps complete for a spin by Matt Gallo in turn 3.
Reen took the lead back under green, but he was under heavy pressure from Bolles for the top spot. Morgillo was third, with Pitkat and Sullivan making up the top-5. Pitkat was a man on a mission as he quickly moved his way by Morgillo and then Bolles. Pitkat continued his charge to the front by taking the lead from Reen on lap-13. Reen was now second with Bolles, Morgillo, and Dan Avery making up the top-5 at lap-16.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
The top-5 ran in line until the caution came out with 23 laps complete for a spin by Keith Rocco in turn 4. Todd Owen was sent to the rear of the field for contact with Rocco. On the restart, Pitkat took the lead with Bolles moving by Reen to take over second. Avery slotted into line in fourth place with Ryan Preece moving into fifth. Avery made a move by Bolles for third on lap-27 and Preece and Eric Berndt followed Avery past Bolles. The caution came back out with 30 laps complete for spins by Adam Skowyra and Earl Pelletier.
Back under green, Pitkat again took the lead with Reen holding off a challenge from Avery to remain in second. Avery and Preece were side by side for third, with Berndt, Rocco, and Bolles lined up behind them. With 5 laps to go, Avery and Preece were side by side while Rocco and Berndt were side by side right behind them as Pitkat and Reen were the still the front two cars.
Rocco got by Avery and moved into third with Avery in fourth and Preece and Berndt behind them. Pitkat led Reen to the checkered flag to pick up his second SK Modified® feature win of the 2011 season. Reen came home in second, with Rocco, Preece, and Berndt rounding out the top-5. Preece’s fourth place finish was good enough to make him the 2011 Stafford Motor Speedway SK Modified® champion.
#40 – Ryan Preece
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Tom Butler and Walt Wosko, Jr. spun in turn 2 before the field could complete a lap and brought the caution out. John Kasper was sent to the rear of the field for making contact with Butler. With the race back under green, Adam Gray took the early lead with Jim Peterson and J.J. Hill side by side for second. Dillon Moltz was fourth and Woody Pitkat was fifth, but the caution came back out with 1 lap complete for a spin by Corey Hutchings in turn 2. Moltz was sent to the rear of the field for making contact with Hutchings.
On the restart, Gray took the lead, but Pitkat had a strong run and he took the lead from Gray on lap-3. Peterson moved into second, Ryan Posocco moved into third, and Mike Quintiliano moved into fourth as Gray fell from the lead back to fifth place. J.J. Hill spun in turn 3 to bring the caution out with 3 laps complete.
The field quickly settled into single file on the restart with Pitkat holding the lead ahead of Peterson, Posocco, Gray, and Quintiliano. Posocco went by Peterson in turn 3 on lap-6 to take over the second spot behind Pitkat and Mark St. Hilaire got by Gray to move into fifth place.
At the halfway point of the race, Pitkat was continuing to hold the lead with Posocco in second. Peterson continued to run in third, with St. Hilaire in fourth and Hutchings in fifth. The order remained the same until lap-27 when Peterson drifted up the track in turn 1 and allowed St. Hilaire and Hutchings to get past. Peterson’s car began to shower sparks from the rear of the car and he continued to slide backwards through the field. Peterson had a flat tire and brought the caution out with 28 laps complete and set up a green white checkered finish.
Pitkat took the lead with Posocco slotting into second right behind him. St Hilaire was third with Moltz and Hutchings side by side for fourth place. Pitkat led the field around to the checkered flag to pick up his second consecutive and fifth overall win of the 2011 season. Posocco was second, with St. Hilaire, Moltz, and Hutchings rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Cody Gneiting took the lead at the green, but before the field could complete a lap, Zach Aszklar spun in turn 4 and Jay Goff hit the turn 4 wall and lost a tire to bring the caution out. Tommy Barrett, Jr. was sent to the rear of the field for making contact with Aszklar. Tommy Membrino, Jr. was also involved.
On the restart, Gneiting didn’t come up to speed right away and Tony Santangelo streaked into the lead ahead of Frank Cardile, Matt Galko, Kyle Spencer, and Dylan Liseo. Cardile took the lead from Santangelo on lap-2, but Galko made a three-wide move for the lead on lap-3 to take over the lead. There was a multicar crash in turn 2 that brought the caution out with 3 laps complete that involved Dylan Liseo, Santangelo, Steve Greer, Tony Membrino, Jr., and Gneiting.
Galko took the lead back under green with Kyle Spencer in second. Cardile was third, but Joey Cipriano was on the charge and he moved by Cardile for third place on lap-7. Bob Charland was fifth in line, just behind Cardile while Barrett was in sixth. Barrett moved by Cardile to take over fourth place on lap-11 while Galko continued to lead the race with Spencer and Cipriano right behind him. Paul Tommasino spun to bring the caution out with 18 laps complete and set up a green white checkered finish.
On the restart, Spencer powered into the lead on the outside of Galko. Barrett tried to pull alongside Galko, but Galko was able to hold him off. Galko made one final run for the checkered flag, but Spencer was able to hold him off for his second SK Light Modified feature win of the 2011 season. Galko finished second, with Barrett, Cipriano, and Aszklar rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Andrew Durand took the lead at the green and he began to set the pace with Jesse Hinze behind him. There was a three-wide scuffle on lap-4 that saw George Nocera, Jr. move into third place ahead of Kevin Gambacorta and D.J. Burnham.
At the halfway point of the race, Durand still held the lead over Nocera, but Nocea made a pass for the lead on lap-12. Gambacorta was third, with Burnham in fourth and Cory Casagrande was now in fifth as he got by Hinze. The caution came out with 16 laps complete for a spin by Casagrande in turn 4.
On the restart, there was a multicar spin in turn 4 involving the cars of Chris Cook, Dan Flannery, Carla Botticello, Hinze, Casasgrande, and Durand. Nocera took the lad on the restart with Burnham moving to the inside of Gambacorta for second. Shawn Thibeault was up to fourth and Durand was now back to fifth after leading early in the race. Nocera led the field around to the checkered flag to pick up his fifth win of the 2011 season. Burnham finished second, with Gambacorta, Thibeault, and Durand rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, there was a multicar spin with one lap complete to bring the caution out with Autsin Bessette in the lead over Kelsey Rottino, Andy Marchese, David Arute, and Albert Saunders. As the race went back to green, Bessette took the lead ahead of Rottino. Rottino spun in turn 4, but he was able to get moving and the race stayed green. Arute moved into second with Rottino’s misfortune and he had Cliff and Albert Saunders right behind him. Cliff Saunders went by Arute for second on lap-4 and Albert Saunders followed him by Arute as well. The next lap saw Don Wood pull alongside Arute and he took the position from Arute as did Kyle Casagrande, dropping Arute from second back to sixth in a matter of two laps.
With 5 laps to go, Cliff Saunders had closed the gap to Bessette at the front of the field and he made a move to the inside of Bessette to take over the lead on lap-13. Albert Saunders followed Cliff by Bessette and Don Wood also followed suit, taking a position from Bessette to drop Bessette from the race lead back to fourth place in 2 laps.
Cliff Saunders led his twin brother Albert to the checkered flag to pick up his second feature win of the 2011 season. Rounding out the top-5 behind the Saunders twins was Don Wood, Bessette, and Casagrande.
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