Thibeault, Kelly, Lindemann headline winners; Alessio, Voglesong, Dimatteo and Packard also in Victory Lane
Waterford, CT –Waterford Speedbowl saw over 200 cars jam its paddock area for Finale Weekend on Saturday, completing qualifying and seven feature races. The remaining six feature races will highlight Sunday’s racing, which follows the Belltown Motors Pit Party at 10:00am. Race winners on Saturday included Shawn Thibeault of Plainville who recorded his first career Speedbowl victory in the Outlaw Stock feature, John Kelly of New London who scored his first career win in the Northeast Mini Stock Tour race and Andy Lindemann of Poestenkill, NY who nailed the win in the New England Truck Series feature. Rounding out the winners were Emily Packard of East Montpelier, VT in the Allison Legacy North Racing Series, Frank Alessio of Colchester in the Super X-Cars, Brad Voglesong of Middletown in X-Car action and Cory Dimatteo of Farmington in the Bandoleros race.
Alessio secured the track’s Saturday Showdown Series title, joining his Super X-Car championship from the Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Series. In the X-Cars Patrick Williams of Middletown earned the Saturday crown with a second place finish in the race.
Qualifying rounds took place Saturday to set the stage for six feature races on Sunday, including 50-lap races for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds®, Bob Valenti Auto Mall Late Models, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks. The SK Light Modifieds and Legends Cars will compete in 25-lap races. Frank Mucciacciaro and Glenn Pressel will lead a 26-car field to the green flag in the SK Modifieds®.
Sunday’s activities begin at 10:00am for the Belltown Motors Pit Party, where race fans can see the cars and meet the stars on the track prior to racing. Racing begins just after noon. More information is available at Speedbowl.com
In the 25-lap Outlaw Stock race, Thibeault used his pole starting position to bolt into the lead. Dillon Moltz made a thrilling three-wide move to streak into the top-five on the opening lap. The field was unable to complete lap-2 before Cory Casagrande spun in turn four to bring out the first caution.
On the restart it was again Thibeault who raced to turn one in the lead. Moltz came to second position, Ed Gertsch Jr. raced to third while Kevin Gambacorta and Dan Flannery were locked in a battle for fourth. Moltz and Gertsch got out of shape in turns one and two on lap-6, aiding in Thibeault’s advantage out front. Gertsch rebounded and was inside Moltz on lap-9, taking second. That was short-lived as Moltz was back inside Gertsch a lap later, taking the position back. Gambacorta settled in fourth ahead of Flannery, while behind them Duane Noll was steadily progressing through the field as the laps clicked off, reaching sixth position by halfway at lap-13.
On lap-14 Noll was inside Flannery for fifth position, taking the spot. Out front Thibeault was encountering heavy lapped traffic. While he was navigating the back of the field, Moltz was charging back into the picture along with Gertsch. Caution finally waved again to slow the torrid pace on lap-16 when Jack Aquilina spun in turn four.
On the restart Thibeault was again in command. While he powered back to the lead, Gertsch made an inside bid on Moltz with the two coming together through turns three and four. They unhooked fenders and stayed pointed in the right direction, but not before they dropped back giving Noll the lane to move up to second place. Gambacorta, Flannery and Casagrande also scooted past Gertsch during the exchange.
The final laps were run through the checkered flag with Thibeault taking a convincing win. Noll was able to take second and Gambacorta was awarded third in the rundown.
A 50-lap Northeast Mini Stock Tour event saw Cristofer King take the early lead before he gave way to Speedbowl regular Chris Williams on lap-5. Kelly was on Williams’ tail from the drop of the green flag, following him through the top-five into second position. Behind them Ken Cassidy Jr. and Emerson Cayer also found their way into the top-five.
Kelly took over the race lead from Williams with an inside move on lap-11. Mark Panaroni was on the move after a starting position deep in the large field, advancing into the top-ten. Caution waved on lap-12 when Dale Sherman made hard contact with the turn three wall to draw the caution and red flags.
After the cleanup, Cayer moved to second around Williams. Cassidy also was able to get past Williams’ inside to move up to third. Panaroni continued his rise to the front by slowly picking off cars, emerging in the top-five on lap-19. On lap-22 Panaroni moved to fourth inside Phil Evans. Caution slowed the field again on lap-23 when D.J. McGouran spun in turn four.
Panaroni got to third on lap-25 then disposed of Cayer to take second position with an inside move on lap-27. Once in second Panaroni tracked down Kelly, who continued to lead in pursuit of his first career win. Panaroni raced to Kelly’s inside to take the lead on lap-37. On lap-38 Kelly tried to counter the move by getting back inside Panaroni, getting out of shape before gathering his car back in to settle in second. Caution on lap-39 saw Mike Parker and Joey DeGregorio get together in turn three to bring out the final yellow flag.
During the caution period, heartbreak set in on Panaroni as he was sent to the pits when his car showed signs of smoke and leaking fluid, giving the lead back to Kelly. Kelly was able to come out on top over the final run to the checkered flag, beating back Cayer and Cassidy, who completed the podium finishers.
The New England Truck Series feature was slowed by three caution periods. At the front of the field Lindemann and Duane Noll waged a great battle for the victory. They stayed within a truck length of eachother over much of the race, swapping the lead over a series of restarts. The pivotal one proved to be on lap-16, when Lindemann raced to Nolls’ outside to reclaim the top spot. Noll stayed with Lindemann and as the two raced through turns three and four for the final time in the 25-lapper, Lindemann pushed high allowing Noll one final opportunity. He looked to Lindemann’s inside but came up a half-truck length short, giving the win to Lindemann. Noll and Jonathon Avery completed the podium.
The 20-lap X-Car feature went down to the wire between teammates Patrick Williams and Voglesong. They were among the top three, trailing early race leader Mike Marvin who looked comfortable leading the field through the first 14 laps which ran without delay. The caution waved for Marvin when mechanical trouble set in on his car, putting fluid on the speedway, sending him to the infield.
When racing picked back up after the brief interruption, the field ran through to the checkered flag. Voglesong ran to the outside of Williams, and the two swapped the lead over the final laps. Williams led lap-19 but as the pair worked the final lap, it was Voglesong who prevailed in the outside lane to win by a nose at the finish line. Curt D’addario finished a close third.
The Super X-Car race belonged to Alessio from the start. He led through a series of caution periods during the 20-lapper, including a red flag situation on lap-1 for a hard wreck that involved Dan Moon, Shawn Butler and Richard Avino. Moon was shaken up after the incident but was not transported to the hospital for treatment.
After the race returned to green flag conditions, Alessio moved out to the lead and held the advantage over John Yagmin, who was closing in slightly but ran out of time to contend. Dan Butler rebounded from an early spin to finish third.
The 20-lap feature for the Bandoleros was another that came down to the final lap. Taylor Martin emerged as the race leader in the second half of the race after early leader Joey Ternullo fell victim to mechanical failure. With Martin out front, the field behind stayed tight and was able to make an exciting run to the checkered flag.
Dimatteo moved to Martin’s inside with four laps remaining and the pair stayed glued together right through the checkered flag. Dimatteo edged ahead off turn two on the final lap, however Martin rallied one final time out of turn four to the checkered flag. Derek Debbis was in third and made a move to Dimatteo’s inside off the final turn and the three drag raced to the finish line. Dimatteo won by three feet over Martin, with Debbis third.
Packard was unflappable in the 25-lap Allison Legacy North Racing Series event. She led early and often in the feature race, going on to the victory over James Logan and Devin O’Connell in a race slowed by just one yellow flag.
Waterford Speedbowl Finale Weekend Saturday 10/8 Results:
Outlaw Stocks (25-laps): 1. Shawn Thibeault, Plainville; 2. Duane Noll, Monroe; 3. Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington; 4. Jesse Hinze, Farmington; 5. Brandon Plemons, Uncasville; 6. Michael Caprio, New Haven; 7. Bobby Stirk, Naugatuck; 8. Norm Root Jr., Old Saybrook; 9. Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs; 10. Dan Flannery, Ellington; 11. Jack Aquilina, Oakdale; 12. Charles Beal, Ledyard; 13. Kevin Moon, Exeter, RI; 14. Robert Norman, Clinton; 15. Eric Bourgeois, Moodus; 16. Jim Brice, Manchester; 17. Mat Doyon, Preston; 18. Greg Moran Jr., Preston; DQ � Dillon Moltz, Waterford; DQ � Ed Gertsch Jr., East Haven
New England Truck Series top-four (25-laps): 1. Andy Lindemann, Poestenkill, NY; 2. Duane Noll, Monroe; 3. Jonathon Avery, Quaker Hill; 4. Bert Ouelette, Dayville; 5. Corey Coates, Ledyard; 6. Nate Bubello, Holliston, MA; DQ � Derek Chriss, Averill Park, NY; DQ � Jason Lafayette, Somers
Northeast Mini Stock Tour (50-laps): 1. John Kelly, New London; 2. Emerson Cayer, Contoocook, NH; 3. Ken Cassidy Jr., Lisbon; 4. Ray Christian III, Groton; 5. Charles Canfield, New Haven; 6. Calvin Rose, Turner, ME; 7. Chad Baxter, Pascoag, RI; 8. Jeff Mehlenbacher, Plainfield; 9. Rob Greenleaf, West Bath, ME; 10. Chris Williams, Waterford; 11. Sean Caron, East Hampton; 12. Louis Maher, Worcester, MA; 13. Phil Evans, Uncasville; 14. Mark Panaroni, Ivoryton; 15. Roger Ducharme; 16. D.J. McGouran, Westerly; 17. Cristofer King, Derry, NH; 18. Joey DeGregorio, East Haven; 19. Thomas Smith, Hope Valley, RI; 20. Mike Parker; 21. Glen Thomas Jr., Groton; 22. Jeffrey Lee, Uncasville; 23. Trevor Michalski, Plainfield; 24. Loren Smith, Allenstown, NH; 25. Dale Sherman, Charlestown, RI; 26. Scott Michalski, Plainfield; 27. Matt Sonnhalter
Allison Legacy North Racing Series (25-laps): 1. Emily Packard, East Montpelier, VT; 2. James Logan, Dighton, MA; 3. Devin O’Connell, Madison; 4. Peter Portante, Plainville; 5. Brad Zahensky, Bow, NH; 6. Melissa Fifield, Wakefield, NH; 7. Troy McNeil, Fitchburg, MA; 8. T.J. Jeski, Dracut, MA; 9. Anthony Ryan
Super X-Cars (20-laps): 1. Frank Alessio, Colchester; 2. John Yagmin, Tolland; 3. Dan Butler, Waterford; 4. Ed Ryan, Preston; 5. Peter Pollard, Old Lyme; 6. Jim Boyle, East Windsor; 7. Kevin Moon, Exeter, RI; 8. Robert Norman, Clinton; 9. Taylor-Marie Moran, Preston; 10. Eric Finkbein, Colchester; 11. Matt Carlson, Griswold; 12. Ricky Moore, Clinton; 13. Jonathon Avery, Quaker Hill; 14. Rob Corey, South Windsor; 15. Ray Phillips, Canterbury; 16. Richard Avino, North Haven; 17. Jon Porter, Canterbury; 18. Dan Moon, Exeter, RI; 19. Shawn Butler, Jewett City
X-Cars (20-laps): 1. Brad Voglesong, Middletown; 2. Patrick Williams, Middletown; 3. Curt D’addario Sr., Columbia; 4. Jeremy Bourbeau, Taftville; 5. Scott Limkemann, East Lyme; 6. Chris Garside, Waterford; 7. Mike Trask, Plainfield; 8. Larry Loomis, Plainfield; 9. Shawn Stula, Colchester; 10. Wayne Shifflett, Preston; 11. Melissa Clavette, Bozrah; 12. Rick Mollo, Seymour; 13. Bill Giles, Stratford; 14. Josh Barrie, Voluntown; 15. Arthur Phillips, Norwich; 16. Michele Cicio, Baltic; 17. Kristie Hamel, Jewett City; 18. Zach Ezzell, Plainfield; 19. Michael Marvin, Colchester; 20. Christopher Lee, Uncasville; 21. Christopher Ivory, Oakdale; 22. Onie Pierce, Norwich; DNS – Pete Zaikarite, Niantic; DNS – Kim Bickford, Griswold
Bandoleros (20-laps): 1. Cory Dimatteo, Farmington; 2. Taylor Martin, Windham, NH; 3. Derek Debbis, Oakdale; 4. Jacob Urch, West Suffield; 5. Jacob Perry, Pawcatuck; 6. Rene Morgillo, Niantic; 7. Alan Eastman, Fishers Island, NY; 8. Joey Ternullo, Middletown; 9. Ken Morin Jr., Old Saybrook; 10. Jordan Churchill, Lisbon