Pitkat, Gray, Williams, Bessette, & L’Etoile, Jr. Score Aug. 30th Shark Cycle 80 Feature Wins at Stafford Speedway
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with the Valenti Modified Racing Series in the house for the 4th Annual Shark Cycle 80. Woody Pitkat picked up his first win of the season with a thrilling last lap pass in the 40-lap SK Modified® feature, Adam Gray picked up his sixth win of the season in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Ronnie Williams scored his third win of the season in the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Austin Bessette took down his third win of the season in the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, and Frank L’Etoile, Jr. scored his first career victory in the 15-lap DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Joey Cipriano took the lead at the green with Matt Galko side by side with Todd Owen for second. Rowan Pennink and Curt Brainard were side by side for fourth and Tom Bolles was side by side with Keith Rocco for sixth. Owen took second and Pennink moved into third with Galko falling back to fourth. The caution came out with 5 laps complete for a spin by Tommy Membrino, Jr. in turn 4.
Cipriano took the lead back under green with Pennink and Owen locked in a side by side duel for second. Brainard was fourth with Galko behind him in fifth. Bolles and Rocco were side by side for sixth with Ted Christopher and Danny Cates side by side for eighth.
Pennink took over the lead from Cipriano on lap-8 and Brainard and Owen were now side by side for second. The action was slowed with 10 laps complete as Christopher got sideways going into turn 1 which collected the car of Cates to bring the caution out.
Pennink took the lead back under green with Brainard moving up to second. Cipriano was third with Owen fourth and Pitkat was side by side with Galko for fifth place. Pennink was beginning to stretch out his lead while Owen took over second from Brainard on lap-17. Brainard began to backslide as Pitkat, Doug Coby, Ryan Preece, Cipriano, Galko, and Tom Bolles all moved by Brainard.
Pitkat got by Owen for second on lap-24 with a move to the low side in turn 1 while Coby and Preece made up the top-5. The top-5 cars were running line but the caution came out with 31 laps complete for a spin by David Webb in turn 2.
Pitkat was able to stay with Pennink for a lap on the restart before he settled back into line in second. Pitkat was all over the back of Pennink’s car but Pennink was able to keep Pitkat behind him. Coby was third with Preece behind him in fourth and Owen was fifth, but the caution came back out with 35 laps complete as Webb spun in turn 4 and Brian Sullivan spun down in turn 1.
On the restart Coby nearly made a three wide move to the inside of Pennink and Pitkat but he fell back into linen in third behind Pennink and Pitkat. Preece was fourth and Owen was fifth. Pitkat was still all over the back bumper of Pennink but he couldn’t get close enough to make a pass. Pennink held the lead as they took the white flag. Pennink still had the lead going into turn 3 but Pitkat made a power move to the inside of Pennink to take over the lead and he led Pennink back to the checkered flag to pick up his first win of the season and the first win for his car owner Steve Greer. Coby finished third behind Pitkat and Pennink with Preece and Owen rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Art Caruso took the lead at the green with J.J. Hill in second but the field could only complete one lap before the caution came out for Tom Fearn and Rick Charette, who both spun into the turn 1 wall.
After the first restart got called back the field took the green with Hill and Caruso side by side for a lap before Hill got clear of Caruso to move to the front. Jim Peterson was third but he got around Caruso for second on lap-3 and Caruso continued to slide backwards through the field. Peter Portante was third with Adam Gray up to fourth and Woody Pitkat was fifth.
Gray got around Portante to move into third on lap-6 while Hill continued to lead the race with Peterson behind him in second. Gray closed the gap to Peterson and he made the move around Peterson to take over second place on lap-15. Pitkat followed Gray past Portante to drop Portante back to fifth place as Hill continued to lead the race.
Pitkat made a move to get by Peterson and move into third on lap-18 and Gray was now caught up to Hill’s bumper in a fight for the race lead. Gray made the move by Hill on lap-22 to take over the race lead while Pitkat, Peterson, and Portante made up the rest of the top-5.
Gray led the final 8 laps to take down his sixth win of the 2013 season. Pitkat got around Hill for second on the final lap with Peterson and Portante rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Joey Ferrigno and Geoff Boisjolie were side by side for the first lap in a duel for the lead but the caution came out with 1 lap complete for a spin by Wesley Prucker.
Ferrigno took the lead on the restart with Boisjolie in second. Rich Hammann and was third with Bob Charland in fourth and Dylan Menditto and in fifth. Charland got by Hammann for third on lap-4 and he moved into second by passing Boisjolie on lap-5. Ferrigno had built up a nearly full straightaway lead over Charland, but that lead was erased by the caution flag with 6 laps complete for spins by Jay Goff and Menditto in turn 2.
Ferrigno took the lead back under green with Troy Talman pulling alongside Charland in a fight for second. Charland was able to keep Talman behind him but Ronnie Williams was now up to fourth and hounding both Charland and Talman’s back bumpers. Tyler Hines moved into fifth behind Williams but the caution came out with 11 laps complete for a spin by Boisjolie in the middle of turns 1+2.
Fred Nees spun through the frontstretch grass on the restart, but he was able to get going and the race stayed green. As the field completed the first lap back under green, several cars, including Goff, Rit Dulac, Dylan Campbell and Victoria Bergenty spun on the frontstretch to bring the caution back out.
Ferrigno and Williams were side by side for the lead on the restart with Charland getting a good run in the outside groove to move up to third place. Chase Dowling was now up to fourth and Talman was fifth, but the caution came back out with 14 laps complete for a spin by Prucker in the middle of turns 1+2.
Ferrigno took the lead back under green, but by the time the field came back to complete the first lap Williams had overtaken Ferrigno for the lead. Dowling was third with Charland in fourth and Talman in fifth.
Ferrigno was hounding the back bumper of Williams but Williams was able to keep Ferrigno behind him. Ferrigno made one last ditch effort coming out of turn 4 to the checkered flag but he came up just short as Williams took down his third win of the 2013 season. Rounding out the top-5 behind Williams and Ferrigno was Dowling, Talman, and Charland.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Joe Nogiec took the lead at the green flag while Brian Clement got out of shape and fell back to the rear of the field. Jesse Hinze quickly took second behind Nogiec with D.J. Burnham, Josh Wood, Austin Bessette, and David Arute making up the top-6 in the early laps.
Hinze closed in on Nogiec and nearly had a pass made for the lead on lap-5, but Nogiec was able to stay out front. While Nogiec and Hinze were dicing for the lead, the train of Burnham, Wood, Bessette, and Arute caught up to the lead duo, making a 6-car nose to tail train of cars fighting for the race lead.
Hinze went to the lead on lap-7 and as the cars headed into turn 3 on lap-8, Nogiec, Wood and Burnham spun with Arute coming to a stop to avoid hitting the cars of Wood and Burnham. The spins also collected the car of Justin Bren to bring the caution out with 7 laps complete.
Back under green Hinze took the lead with Bessette taking second. Duane Provost was third with David Arute and Albert Saunders side by side for fifth place. Wood was right behind Arute and Saunders and just behind Wood was last week’s winner Andrew Hayes.
Hinze held the lead until lap-13 when Bessette made a pass coming out of turn 4. Provost was still third with Arute now clear of Saunders in fourth. Wood and Hayes also got by Saunders and the top-7 cars were now running single file with 5 laps to go.
Bessette slowly pulled away from Hinze over the final five laps to take down his third win of the 2013 season. Hinze finished second, with Provost, Arute, and Hayes rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Gus Coelho took the lead at the green flag and he led the first two laps before Frank L’Etoile, Jr. went to the lead on lap-3. Kelsey Rottino followed L’Etoile by Coelho to move into second with Coelho holding down the third position in front of Alexandra Fearn and Johnny Walker.
Alexandra Fearn went around Coelho on lpa-7 to move up to third and Walker followed suit one lap later getting by Coelho. Jeremy Lavoie and Coelho made contact with Coelho doing a half spin in turn 4 and falling to the back of the pack on lap-9.
L’Etoile and Rottino were pulling away from Alexandra Fearn in third place while Walker was fourth and Kyle Casagrande got around Lavoie to take over fifth place on lap-11. L’Etoile led Rottino back to the checkered flag to pick up his very first career victory. Rounding out the top-5 behind L’Etoile and Rottino was Alexandra Fearn, Walker, 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.
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
2) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa
3) Doug Coby, Middletown
4) Ryan Preece, Berlin
5) Todd Owen, Somers
6) Matt Galko, Meriden
7) Tom Bolles, Ellington
8) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury
9) Curt Brainard, Canton
10) Kurt Lenahan, Roxbury
11) Dan Avery, Somers
12) David Salzarulo, Monson, Ma
13) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
14) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect
15) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
16) David Webb, New Milford
17) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
18) Keith Rocco, Berlin
19) Brian Sullivan, South Windsor
20) Raymond Grassetti, Monson, Ma
21) Zach Aszklar, Wallingford
22) Danny Cates, Chaplin
23) Ted Christopher, Plainville
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
3) J.J. Hill, Jr., Stafford Springs
4) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
5) Peter Portante, Plainville
6) Michael Scorzelli, Feura Bush, Ny
7) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
8) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
9) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
10) Art Caruso, Windsor
11) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
12) Dennis Botticello, Suffield
13) Peter Thickett, Watertown
14) Rick Charette, Vernon
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Ronnie Williams, Tolland
2) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
3) Chase Dowling, Roxbury
4) Troy Talman, Oxford, Ma
5) Bob Charland, Stafford
6) Tyler Hines, North Haven
7) Glenn Griswold, Vernon
8) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
9) Payton Henry, Willington
10) Dylan Menditto, Brooklyn
11) Nick Salva, Prospect
12) Robert Palmer, Lisbon
13) Geoff Boisjolie, East Hampton, Ma
14) Victoria Bergenty, Plainville
15) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
16) Rich Hammann, Tolland
17) Rick Williams, Haddam
18) Fred Nees, Jr., New Milford
19) Todd Douillard, Palmer, Ma
20) Dylan Campbell, Southborough, Ma
21) Wesley Prucker, Stafford
22) Rit Dulac, Plantsville
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) Austin Bessette, Stafford Springs
2) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
3) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
4) David Arute, Tolland
5) Andrew Hayes, Charlton, Ma
6) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
7) Albert Saunders, Stafford
8) Paul Arute, Tolland
9) Joe Nogiec, Bristol
10) D.J. Burnham, East Hartford
11) Justin Bren, Monson, Ma
12) Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
13) Brian Clement, Wethersfield
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Frank L’Etoile, Jr., Wethersfield
2) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
3) Alexandra Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
4) Johnny Walker, Ludlow, Ma
5) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
6) Brandon Michael, Granville, Ma
7) Jeremy Lavoie, Windsor Locks
8) Kris Fluckiger, Enfield
9) David Comeau, Palmer, Ma
10) Dave Secore, Jr., Union
11) Ryan Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
12) Fran Siana, Springfield, Ma
13) Bryan Iwaniuk, Middletown
14) Doug Phelps, New Salem, Ma
15) Stacey Botticello, Manchester
16) Gus Coelho, Jr., Wilberham, Ma
17) Paul Bourdon Jr., Jewett City
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR