Savary Uses Late-Race Caution To Win VMRS Action; Rocco, Tinio, McDermott Among Whelen All-American Series Winners
Thompson, CT — Good things come to those who wait. After four previous attempts, the Valenti Modified Racing Series got their 75-lap feature in at Thompson Speedway with Richard Savary taking down the win. Thursday Night Thompson Thunder (TNTT) winners in NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action included Keith Rocco of Meriden, Conn. in the Sunoco Modified division, Damon Tinio of Mendon, Mass. in the Late Models, Cam McDermott of Scituate, RI in the Lite Modifieds, Jesse Gleason of Lisbon, Conn. in the Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman, and Chad Baxter of Pascoag, RI in the Monster Mini Stocks. Zackery Sylvester won the New England Truck Series feature and Brian Jenink victored in the Outlaw Modified division.
Richard Savary has raced a lot at Thompson Speedway. But, he has never won until now. Using a late-race restart, Savary used a take-no-prisoners approach to take the lead and eventual win in the 75-lap Valenti Modified Racing Series feature.
Chris Pasteryak led the field to green as Rowan Pennink quickly moved his way up to second with Louie Mechalides settling into third. The field strung out single file and approached the tail end of the field by lap 15. At the same time, Pasteryak and Pennink started to pull away from the rest of the field. At lap 20, Ted Christopher, who was fourth, decided it was time to go. He passed Mechalides for third and set his sights on closing up the distance on Pennink. Up front, Christopher could not reel in the torrid pace of the leaders as Pasteryak and Pennink remained a half-a-straightaway ahead. On lap 42, Christopher lost the third position to Savary as he, too, would try to close up the gap. Savary didn’t have to work too hard, however, as caution flew and tightened the field up for a restart. Pasteryak and Pennink were dead even into turn one and made slight contact in turn two before Pasteryak settled in out front. On lap 48, Pennink took the lead out of turn two, but a caution would put Pasteryak back out front for the restart. Pasteryak didn’t waste time getting to the front when the green dropped, but Pennink wasn’t about to settle. Coming out of turn four, Pennink dropped to the bottom and got a run on Pasteryak on the front stretch before taking the lead in turn one of lap 49. Caution set up another double-file restart at lap 51. Pennink got the front as Keith Rocco and Savary took over second and third respectively. Rocco settled in on Pennink’s bumper with Savary close behind him. On lap 60, Rocco dropped to the bottom to look for a way around Pennink, but settled back in line. Pennink, Rocco and Savary pulled away from the rest of the field and showed no signs of slowing. On lap 67, Savary made his move and dropped to the bottom groove to take over second. On lap 69, Savary made his move again and this time, took over the lead before caution came out. The green flew with only six laps to go and Pennink was the first one to turn one, but it was Savary out front in turn two. The duo would have to do it all over again after a car hit the wall in turn two and brought out the caution before the lap was complete. Pennink again led the field into one, but this time, stayed out there through turn two. Savary closed in on Pennink and dropped to the bottom for a challenge on lap 72. Coming out of turn two, Savary took the lead and pulled ahead to a three-car length advantage. Savary was on fire and continued to pull away from Pennink as he drove to the victory.
[Photo Gallery] by Paul Fohlin
Keith Rocco added win number five to his season record after taking the lead from Todd Ceravolo in turn two on lap 17 of the Sunoco Modified feature. John Catania took the early lead in turns one and two, but Ceravolo got alongside him going into turn three and four to take the lead on lap two. Kerry Malone and Rocco followed his line and took over second and third respectively before the trio pulled away to a comfortable lead. By lap five, Ceravolo, Malone and Rocco were bumper to bumper. Going into turn one on lap seven, Malone dropped to the bottom to challenge, but couldn’t complete the pass and fell back into line before caution slowed their pace. On the restart, Malone rocketed to the lead from the bottom groove with Ceravolo holding onto second ahead of Rocco. Woody Pitkat was making his presence known in Rocco’s rear view mirror before caution flew again. When the green dropped, Ceravolo fought back and went side-by-side with Malone for a full circuit before reclaiming the lead. Rocco also got by Malone and attached himself to Ceravolo’s bumper. The top four cars were running nose-to-tail by lap 12, and Rocco wanted a way around. On lap 17, Rocco looked high and then he looked low as they went into turn one. Ceravolo suddenly went high in turn two allowing Rocco to drive by for the lead. Malone and Preece took over second and third. Rocco was solid, however, and Malone, though less than a car length behind, could not muster a bid strong enough to knock Rocco from the point.
Patience was key for Damon Tinio in the Late Model feature that saw a drastic change in the outcome just two laps before its conclusion. Tinio held off John Lowinski-Loh for the victory – his first of the season. Tinio led the field into turn one with Rick Gentes and John Lowinski-Loh battling side-by-side for second. On the second lap, Lowinski-Loh went high off of turn two paving the way for Gentes to make a bid for the lead. On the third lap, Gentes drove by Tinio with Glenn Boss in tow relegating Tinio back to the third position. On lap five, Boss made his move and got his nose up to Gentes’ fender, but couldn’t quite make the pass. Boss stayed with his challenge and the two continued to race side-by-side with Gentes holding on to the lead. Boss continued to keep the pressure on, but settled back in line. Boss worked the bottom groove once again when he dropped down there on lap 13 for yet another challenge on the lead. Boss got side-by-side with Gentes, but had to back out of the bid for a spun car in turn four. Boss had the advantage heading into turn one with Gentes door-to-door with him heading into turn two. Boss emerged with a five-car length lead – the most significant lead of the night – as Gentes lost second to Lowinski-Loh on the high side. Gentes retaliated and reclaimed the second position, but Boss had pulled away to a commanding half-a-straightaway lead by the time he did it. Caution would reel in Boss at lap 22. Boss and Gentes went side-by-side into turn one dead even when caution flew for a spun car on the frontstretch. The duo would have to restart the race all over again. Boss chose the inside lane and held on to the lead by a nose-length. As they began the 23rd circuit, Boss and Gentes made contact at the entrance to turn one ending both their nights. Tinio inherited the lead and led the field back to green on a single-file restart. Tinio was about to take the white flag, but was greeted by a yellow flag instead. He would have to hold off Lowinski-Loh on one more restart. Tinio led them into turn one again, but Chad LaBastie was coming on the bottom groove. He got alongside Lowinski-Loh, but couldn’t complete the pass. Tinio held strong out front and took the checkered flag.
Cam McDermott earned the victory in the Lite Modified feature after taking the lead from John Studley with only two laps remaining in the race. Joseph Boivin took the early lead with Studley making a charge on the bottom groove. Studley got alongside Boivin on the second circuit and had a nose-length advantage at the line to take the lead. Once he had the momentum, Studley pulled ahead to a commanding five-car length advantage over the rest of the field. Behind him, McDermott was coming quick and took over the second spot from Boivin on lap five. McDermott was working on closing up Studley’s lead while Troy Talman pressured Boivin for the third spot. Talman used the bottom groove to try and get a run, but Boivin closed the door. Talman was persistence and tried again and again before finally taking the position at lap12. Up front, McDermott had closed in to three carlengths on Studley with only ten laps remaining in the race. Studley kept his foot in the throttle and remained in the lead as the duo pulled away from the rest of the field by half-a-straightaway. Caution flew and tightened the field with only five laps to go. McDermott joined Studley on the front row with Talman in third. Studley got to the front first, but McDermott dropped to the bottom heading into turn three and took the lead away from Studley on the 23rd lap. Talman used the high groove to get by for second and immediately set his sights on McDermott, who was too strong to prevent from taking the checkered flag.
Jesse Gleason held off a determined Scott Sundeen to take the win in the Xtra Mart Limited Sportsman feature event. Tommy Shea, Jr. led the first lap, but it was Matt Lowinski-Loh up front by lap two. Lowinski-Loh pulled away to a ten-car length advantage before caution slowed the pace on lap three. On the restart, Lowinski-Loh drove right back out front, but this time with Steve Kenneway giving him a run for his money. On lap four, Kenneway dropped to the bottom coming out of turn four and got alongside him with a nose-length advantage. Kenneway officially took over the lead at lap five. Meanwhile, Gleason made his way into the mix by muscling his way by for the second spot and Corey Fanning took over third. Gleason reeled in Kenneway, but didn’t make a run for the lead. Caution for a spin on the backstretch would give Gleason the opportunity. When the green dropped, Kenneway led the field down into turn one from the bottom groove, but Gleason used the high groove to drive by Kenneway into turn three and take over the lead before caution tightened them back up again. Gleason drove to the front on the restart with Kenneway glued to his bumper into turn one. Scott Sundeen, however, got by him for second before mayhem unfolded further back in the field with a couple of cars doing some 360’s in the middle of turn four. Gleason repeated his earlier performance and drove right back out front at the drop of the green. Sundeen remained attached to Gleason’s bumper over the remaining laps, but it was all Gleason when the checkers fell.
Chad Baxter was declared the winner of the Monster Mini Stock feature after Scott Michalski, who convincingly took the checkered flag in the 15-lap affair, refused technical inspection after the race. Officials disqualified Michalski’s finish before awarding it to Baxter. Dave Trudeau was the early leader, but at lap five Michalski took the top spot using a crossover move. Nathan Taylor, who was in third, dropped to the bottom groove at lap seven and made a challenge on Trudeau. The two went door-to-door for two circuits before Taylor settled back in line behind Trudeau. Up front, Michalski was stretching out his lead when caution promised to tighten the up the field. On the restart, Michalski wasted no time in claiming the front spot. Trudeau and, a lap later, Baxter, rounded out the top-three. Baxter took over second on lap 14 and set his sights on Michalski. It was too late, however, and Michalski sailed to the checkered flag.
Zack Sylvester used patience to take the lead five laps before the race conclusion and drive on to the checkered flag in the New England Truck Series 20-lap feature. It’s his first win in the division. Chris Correll took the early lead from Glen Noll with Duane Noll taking over second. Duane Noll closed in on Correll’s bumper and dropped down to the inside lane to make a challenge on lap six. The two were side-by-side as they came to the line with Noll having an advantage by a nose to officially take over the lead. On lap eight, the race went under caution when the engine expired on the Allen Coates machine. On the restart, Correll and Duane Noll were side-by-side heading into turn one, but it was Correll out front at the completion of the circuit. Sylvester muscled his way down to the inside on lap 12 to challenge Noll for the second spot. The two were door-to-door through turns three and four with Sylvester taking the spot at the line. Sylvester set his sights on Correll and on the back straightaway got a run on him to take the lead on lap 14. Correll still had his hands full as Noll challenged for second. Sylvester pulled away to a commanding lead and never looked back on his way to the checkered flag.
Brian Jenik led every lap of the Outlaw Modified feature to score the victory in the third outing at Thompson for the tour this season. Tom Cerroni led at the drop of the flag but it was Jenik at the line to officially lead the first lap. Scott Quinn quickly made his way into contention when he passed Cerroni for the second spot on lap three. Quinn closed in on Jenik but could not get a run on him for the lead. Jenik and Quinn pulled away to a commanding ten car length lead but Paul LaPlante was coming quickly. On lap 11, LaPlante was running on Quinn’s bumper, but both Jenik and Quinn pulled away. On lap 14, Quinn fell out of the race with mechanical issues paving the way for Jenik to take the checkered flag unchallenged.
VALENTI MODIFIED RACING SERIES FINISH: 1. Richard Savary, Canton, MA; 2. Rowan Pennink, New Egypt, NJ; 3. Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, MA; 4. Tommy Barrett, Millis, MA; 5. Keith Rocco, Meriden, CT; 6. Dan Meservey, Jr., Brewster, MA; 7. Chris Pasteryak, Jewett City, CT; 8. Max Zachem, Preston, CT; 9. Jeff Malave, Manchester, CT; 10. Louie Mechalides, Tyngesboro, MA; 11. Todd Owen, Somers, CT; 12. Brad VanHouten, Riverhead, NY; 13. Matt Mead, Richmond, NH; 14. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 15. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT; 16. Mike Holdridge, Madison, CT; 17. Ryan Preece, Berlin, CT; 18. Dave Bitondo, Ashby, MA; 19. Melissa Fifield, Sanbornville, NH; 20. Steve Masse, Bellingham, MA; 21. Anthony Nocella, Woburn, MA.
NEW ENGLAND TRUCK SERIES FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Zackery Sylvester, Lebenon, CT; 2. Chris Correll, Montville, CT; 3. Duane Noll, Monroe, CT; 4. Frank Dumicich, Jr., East Quoque, NY; 5. Kendal Metcalf, N. Stonington, CT; 6. Brad Caddick, Hope Valley, RI; 7. Glen Noll, Naugatuck, CT; 8. Daniel McGouran, Westerly, RI; 9. Allen Coates, Ledyard, CT; 10. Pete Cayer, Bristol, NY.
OUTLAW MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH: 1. Brian Jenik, Norwich, CT; 2. Paul LaPlante, Cumberland, RI; 3. Ben Lavangie, No. Easton, MA; 4. Tom Cerroni, Smithfield, RI; 5. Mark Alden, Westboro, MA; 6. Ed Mulligan, Pascoag, RI; 7. Scott Quinn, Slatersville, RI; 8. Bill Cummings, Clinton, MA; 9. Darryl Dutch, Greenville, RI.
SUNOCO MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Keith Rocco, Meriden, CT; 2. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 3. Ryan Preece, Berlin, CT; 4. Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, CT; 5. Matt Gallo, Berlin, CT; 6. Todd Ceravolo, Gales Ferry, CT; 7. Nick Boivin, Belchertown, MA; 8. Dennis Perry, Pawcatuck, CT; 9. Jay Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 10. Eddie LeClerc, Jr., Taunton, MA.
LATE MODEL FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Damon Tinio, Mendon, MA; 2. John Lowinski-Loh, Milford, MA; 3. Chad LaBastie, Uxbridge, MA; 4. Jared Materas, Palmer, MA; 5. Derryck Anderson, Jr.,Coventry, RI; 6. Bob O’Connell, Jr., Wrentham, MA; 7. Jariah Roderick, East Taunton, MA; 8. Louis Romiza, E. Falmouth, MA; 9. Rick Gentes, Burriville, RI; 10. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT.
LITE MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Cam McDermott, Scituate, RI; 2. Troy Talman, Oxford, MA; 3. John Studley, Framingham, MA; 4. Joseph Boivin, Belchertown, MA; 5. Robert Palmer, Lisbon, CT; 6. Corey Barry, Plainfield, CT; 7. Dylan Menditto, Brooklyn, CT; 8. Nikki Ouellette, East Granby, CT; 9. Ryan Pellerin, Dayville, CT; 10. Paul Tommasino, Meriden, CT.
XTRA MART LIMITED SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Jesse Gleason, Lisbon, CT; 2. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 3. Corey Fanning, Mapleville, RI; 4. Steve Kenneway, Lowell, MA; 5. Kevin Mason, West Warwick, RI; 6. Jason Chicolas, Sutton, MA; 7. Ryan Waterman, Danielson, CT; 8. Travis Jurcik, Chaplin, CT; 9. Scott Fanning, Mapleville, RI; 10. Matthew Lowinski-Loh, Milford, MA.
MONSTER MINI STOCK FEATURE FINISH (TOP-10): 1. Chad Baxter, Pascoag, RI; 2. Mike Viens, Seekonk, MA; 3. Dave Trudeau, Mansfield, CT; 4. Eric Bourgeois, East Haddam, CT; 5. Nathan Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 6. Roger Ducharme, Foster, RI; 7. Joe Baxter, Pascoag, RI; 8. Alicia Thatcher, Pascoag, RI; 9. Steve Michalski, Brooklyn, CT; 10. Anthony Comforti, Douglas, MA.
Sources: Penny Aicardi/Thompson International Speedway PR