Christopher, McKegg, Miller, Muller, & Noll Score PASS 125 Feature Victories at Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway was back in action with a special event on Sunday, August 26, the Inaugural running of the Pro All-Star Series Super Late Models. Ted Christopher was the winner of the PASS Super Late Model feature, Dan McKegg won the PASS Sportsman feature in a thrilling finish, Mitch Miller won the PASS Modified feature, Jesse Muller won the DIRT 602 Sportsman Modified feature, and Duane Noll was the N.E. Truck Series feature winner.
In the 125-PASS Super Late Model feature event, Ted Christopher got around Jay Fogleman to take the lead at the drop of the green flag. Zane Zeiner was third, with Lonnie Sommerville in fourth and Ben Rowe in fifth. The caution came out with 3 laps complete as Dave Macomber lost an engine and put fluid down on the racetrack.
Christopher took the lead back under green with Fogleman, Sommerville, and Rowe single file in the top-4. Mike O’Sullivan and Woody Pitkat were side by side for fifth with O’Sullivan taking the position. Joey Doiron followed O’Sullivan by Pitkat to move into sixth. Sommerville moved by Fogleman to take over second on lap-8 as Christopher continued to lead the race.
With 20 laps complete, the running order was Christopher in the lead, with Sommerville, Fogleman, Doiron, and Johnny Clark making up the top-5. D.J. Shaw was sixth with Rowe, Travis Benjamin, Derek Ramstrom, and Cassius Clark rounding out the top-10.
Doiron made a move to the inside of Fogleman to move into third place on lap-28. Johnny Clark followed Doiron by Fogleman one lap later and Shaw got by Fogleman two laps later to drop Fogleman from third back to sixth place.
The order shifted again on lap-35 when Johnny Clark got around Doiron to move into third place as Christopher and Sommerville continued to hold down the top two spots.
At lap-50, the order was Christopher, Summerville, Johnny Clark, D.J. Shaw, Doiron, Rowe, Fogleman, Benjamin, Ramstrom, and Cassius Clark. The caution came out with 58 laps complete as Woody Pitkat spun in turns 3+4. The field came to pit road for a competition yellow period where teams could change two left side tires. Under the competition caution, the decision was made by PASS Officials to shorten the race to 110 laps in the interest of tire safety.
Sommerville got a good jump on the restart, but Christopher came back strong down the backstretch to retake the lead. Johnny Clark also got by Sommerville to move into second. Sommerville settled into line in third with D.J. Shaw in fourth and Fogleman in fifth.
The order remained the same until lap-76 when Shaw made a move around Sommerville to move into third place behind Christopher and Johnny Clark. Fogleman was fifth, with Benjamin, Doiron, Ramstrom, Cassius Clark, and Rowe making up the top-10. The caution came out with 84 laps complete for debris on the track.
On the restart, Johnny Clark was hanging right with Christopher for the lead as D.J. Shaw was right on both cars’ bumper. Christopher and Johnny Clark ran for three laps side by side before Christopher was able to get clear ingot hoe lead. Johnny Clark bounced against the turn 1+2 fence and lost a tire to bring the caution back out with 89 laps complete. The order for the restart was now Christopher and Shaw on the front row, Benjamin and Ramstrom in the second row, and Fogleman and Sommerville in the third row.
Christopher took the lead back under green with Benjamin moving into second. Shaw was third, with Fogleman and Ramstrom behind him. Cassius Clark broke into the top-5 for the first time all race long by getting around Ramstrom on lap-93 as Christopher was beginning to pull away from Benjamin.
Shaw made a move around Benjamin to take over second on lap-98 while Christopher was a half straightaway ahead of Shaw. Ramstrom got back around Cassius Clark on lap-103 to move back into fifth with Christopher, Shaw, Benjamin, and Fogleman in front of him.
Christopher led the field around to the checkered flag to pick up his 119th victory at Stafford. Shaw finished second, with Benjamin, Fogleman, and Ramstrom rounding out the top-5.
In the 60-lap PASS Sportsman feature event, Josh Wood took the lead at the green, but Joe Pastore was applying heavy pressure in second right from the start. Tom O’Sullivan was in third, with Dan McKegg fourth and Corey Martin in fifth. This was the running order when the caution came out with 11 laps complete for David Arute, who got into the turn 1 wall with the nose of his racecar.
Back under green, Pastore got a good run on the outside of Wood to move into the lead. Wood settled into line in second, with O’Sullivan, McKegg, and Cory Casagrande making up the top-5. Dennis Botticello got out of line on the frontstretch and he came to a stop in turn 1 with a flat right front tire to bring the caution out with 12 laps complete.
Pastore took the lead on the restart as he and Wood traded paint, which allowed O’Sullivan to pull alongside and then move ahead of Wood for second. Wood settled into line in third, with McKegg and Casagrande making up the top-5.
The top-5 ran in line until lap-23 when Wood was able to make a move the inside of O’Sullivan to move back into second. Wood’s move opened the door for McKegg, Casagrande, and Corey Martin to all move by O’Sullivan as O’Sullivan fell from second back to sixth place.
At the midway point of the race, Pastore was still the race leader with Wood, McKegg, Casagrande, and Martin making up the top-5. Craig Smith was sixth, with O’Sullivan, Scott Dorr, Rusty Poland, and Jesse Hinze making up the top-10. Bill McNeil spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 32 laps complete.
Pastore again took the lead on the restart, with McKegg moving up to second. Wood was third, with Martin and Casagrande right behind him. Martin was able to get around Wood for third on lap-37 while Pastore and McKegg were still the two front-runners.
With 20 laps to go, Martin had closed in on Pastore and McKegg to make it a three-car race for the lead. McKegg made a move by Pastore to move into the lead on lap-44 and Martin followed McKegg by Pastore, who fell from the lead back to third place. Wood was fourth with O’Sullivan behind him in fifth. The caution came out with 46 laps complete as Casagrande and Poland spun against the turn 2 wall and Dorr came to a stop in the backstretch grass.
McKegg took the lead ahead of martin back under green while O’Sullivan made a three wide move to move into third ahead of Wood and Dennis Botticello. Clyde Hennesey spun on the backstretch to bring the caution back out two laps after the restart.
On the restart, Botticello spun after contact from Pastore to bring the yellow right back out. McKegg took the lead back under green with Martin in second. O’Sullivan got by Wood to take over third, with Casagrande right behind Wood in fifth place.
Casagrande got by Wood to move into fourth with 8 laps to go as Martin glanced off the wall giving chase to McKegg for the lead. Martin was able to continue in second while Casagrande moved into third on lap-53.
Dorr lost an engine with 6 laps to go and put fluid on the track, which Duane Provost found and spun into the turn 1 wall to bring the caution out.
McKegg took the lead on the restart with Casagrande moving into second. Martin was third, with Wood fourth and O’Sullivan in fifth. Casagrande made a move to the inside of McKegg on the final lap in turn 2 and as they headed down the backstretch, they touched and Casagrande got out of shape and had Martin get into his back bumper. Casagrande spun and Martin had heavy front-end damage, as McKegg was able to gather his car up and take the checkered flag. O’Sullivan finished second, with Martin, Smith, and Hennesey rounding out the top-5.
In the 40-lap PASS Modified feature, Mark Lundblad took the lead at the green but Mitch Miller made a strong run to Lundblad’s outside to move into the lead on lap-2. Rusty Bryan moved into second as Lundblad fell back to third. The red flag was brought out with 3 laps complete as Scott Alexander and Sumner Sessions went head on into the turn 1 SAFER Barrier.
Back under green, Miller and Bryan were side by side for the lead before Miller got clear of Bryan. Scott Door was third, with Dale Shaw and Lundblad making up the top-5. Miller was pulling away at the front as Bryan and Dana Reed were side by side for second. On lap-7, Bryan brushed up against the wall and he fall back to fifth as Shaw, Reed, and Ryan Morgan were now the new top-5 behind Miller.
Positions behind Miller and Shaw were shuffling almost lap by lap as Travis Buzzell was now in third, with Reed and Andy Shaw behind him at lap-15. Dale Shaw was beginning to slowly reel in Miller for the race lead, while Buzzell, Reed, and Andy Shaw were holding down the top-5 spots.
As the leaders began to encounter lapped traffic, Miller was able to maintain his gap back to Dale Shaw, with Buzzell, Andy Shaw, and Andy Shaw continued to make up the top-5 runners. Miller led the final 39 laps to take the checkered flag ahead of Dale Shaw. Buzzell, Andy Shaw, and Reed rounded out the top-5.
In the 40-lap DIRT 602 Sportsman Modified feature event, Jesse Muller took the lead at the green while Mike Sabien got the best of a three wide move with Hunter Bates and Jamie LaFountain to take second. Joe Williams settled into line in fifth as Mueller was pulling away at the front of the field.
By lap-10, Muller had a straightaway lead over Bates, who got around Sabien for second. LaFountain was fourth, with Williams making up the top-5. Alex Bell was all over Williams for the fifth spot and he nearly had the spot from Williams on lap-21, but he couldn’t make the pass stick.
The order remained the same until lap-27 when LaFountain made a bid for third on Sabien and Bell was finally able to get by Williams for fourth place. Sabien came back with a crossover move and retook the third spot from LaFountain with Bell able to pull away from Williams.
Muller was in a class by himself and he led all 40-laps in dominating fashion to take the win. Bates finished second, with Sabien, LaFountain, and Bell rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap N.E. Truck Series feature presented by Aqua Pump, Nate Bubello went outside of Bert Ouellette to take the lead at the drop of the green. Duane Noll quickly got by Ouellette as well and he went by Bubello for the lead on lap-2. Andy Lindeman was third, with Ouellette in fourth and Gee Perry in fifth at the conclusion of lap-3.
Lindeman was able to get under Bubello to take over second place on lap-6 while Noll continued to hold down the race lead. Perry was fourth with Ouellette falling back to fifth place.
At the halfway point of the race, Noll was still out front, but Lindeman had closed the gap to Noll down to two truck lengths. Bubello was still third, with Perry and Tom Metcalf making up the top-5. The caution came out for the first time with 19 laps complete for a spin by Daniel McGouran in turn 2.
On the restart, Noll took the lead and pulled away from a three wide battle that resulted in Lindeman taking second, Perry third, and Chris Correll fourth. Bubello was fifth and was working on Perry for fourth place when the caution came back out with 20 laps complete as Metcalf hit the wall and spun on the backstretch.
Noll took the lead back under green with Perry and Lindeman racing side by side for second. Perry took the spot from Lindeman with Bubello in fourth and Correll in fifth. Lindeman came back to the inside of Perry for second and he was able to retake the spot on lap-23.
Lindeman began to reel Noll in and as they took the white flag, they were nose to tail. Lindman made contact with the left rear of Noll’s truck in turn 4 and got Noll sideways, but Noll was able to keep his truck pointed forward and he beat Lindeman back to the checkered flag. Perry finished third, with Bubello and Correll 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
PASS SUPER LATE MODELS (110)
1) Ted Christopher, Plainville
2) D.J. Shaw, Center Conway, NH
3) Travis Benjamin, Morrill, ME
4) Jay Fogleman, Durham, NC
5) Derek Ramstrom, Worcester, MA
6) Cassius Clark, Famington, ME
7) Ben Rowe, Turner, ME
8) Joey Doiron, Berwick, ME
9) Lonnie Sommerville, N. Brunswick, Canada
10) Zane Zeiner, Bath, PA
11) Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA
12) Gary Smith, Bangor, ME
13) Matt Matheson, Geary, New Brunswick, Canada
14) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
15) Billy Brady, Marstenville, MA
16) Johnny Clark, Hallowell, ME
17) Austin Brehio, Hopkinton, NH
18) Lorin Arthofer, Bethlehem, PA
19) Bryan Kruczek, Newmarket, NH
20) Dave Macomber, Manorville, NY
PASS SPORTSMAN (60)
1) Dan McKegg, Gorham, ME
2) Tom O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA
3) Corey Martin, Denmark, ME
4) Craig Smith, Berwick, ME
5) Clyde Hennesey, Windam, ME
6) Rusty Poland, Windam, ME
7) Dennis Botticello, Suffield
8) Rob Drew, Lowell, ME
9) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
10) Josh Wood, Palmer, MA
11) Bill McNeil, Putnam
12) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
13) Scott Dorr, Portland, ME
14) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, MA
15) Joe Pastore, Gorham, ME
16) Mike Clarke, Littleton, NH
17) David Arute, Tolland
PASS MODIFIEDS (40)
1) Mitch Miller, Boylston, MA
2) Dale Shaw, Center Conway, NH
3) Travis Buzzell, Hollis, ME
4) Andy Shaw, Center Conway, NH
5) Dana Reed, Shapleigh, NC
6) Mike Carignan, Somersworth, NH
7) Billy Dixon, Colbrook, NH
8) Allen Wilson, Hebron, ME
9) Rusty Bryan, Weymouth, MA
10) Ryan Morgan, Ledyard, CT
11) Chad LaBastie, Oxford, MA
12) Mark Lundblad, Conway, NH
13) Brian Tagg, Oxford, MA
14) David Sprague, Limington, ME
15) Jay Sundeen, Sunderland, MA
16) Sumner Sessions, Norway, ME
17) Scott Alexander, Orrington, ME
DIRT 602 SPORTSMAN MODIFIEDS (40)
1) Jesse Muller, Olmstead, NY
2) Hunter Bates, Pitsford, VT
3) Mike Sabien, Easton, CT
4) Jamie LaFountain, Keysville, NY
5) Alex Bell, Cambridge, NY
6) Joe Williams, Scotia, NY
7) Lonnie Rivers, Beekmantown, NY
8) A.J. Russell, Clovis
9) Cody Sargen, Greenfield Center, NY
10) Chris George, Seekonk, MA
N.E. TRUCK SERIES (30)
1) Duane Noll, Monroe
2) Andy Lindeman, Poestenkill, NY
3) Gee Perry, Granby
4) Nate Bubello, Holliston, MA
5) Chris Correll, Montville
6) Bert Ouellette, Dayville
7) Shane Michalski, Woodstock
8) D.J. McGouran, Westerly, RI
9) John Brand, Long Beach, NY
10) Glen Noll, Naugatuck
11) Tom Metcalf, North Stonington
12) Jason Lafayette, Somers