Membrino, Arute, Lavoie, Sylvester, & Comeau Score CARQUEST Fall Final Saturday Feature Victories at Stafford Speedway; Membrino, Wood, & Secore Clinch Track Championships
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Motor Speedway kicked off its final race event of the 2013 season with feature events for its SK Light, Limited Late Model, and DARE Stock divisions, as well as a feature event for the N.E. Truck Series as part of the Saturday CARQUEST Fall Final Weekend festivities. In the SK Light Modifieds, Tony Membrino, Jr. won both the race and the track championship, David Arute won the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature but lost out on the track championship to Josh Wood, and Jeremy Lavoie won the 15-lap DARE Stock feature while Dave Secore survived an early race crash to clinch the championship. David Comeau won the 8-lap Paradiso-Muska DARE Stock Shoot-Out and Zach Sylvester won the 20-lap N.E. Truck Series feature.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature, Rich Hammann took the lead at the green flag but as the field was coming out of turn 4 to complete the first lap Jay Goff spun in the middle of the pack and Jason Lafayette ended up spun in the middle of turns 3+4 to bring the caution out.
Membrino was strong on the restart and he moved from fourth to the lead. Tyler Hines was second with Hammann falling from the lead back to third place. Payton Henry was fourth and Glenn Griswold was fifth as the caution slowed the action with 4 laps complete as Todd Douillard, Robert Palmer, and Rick Dyer came to a stop in the middle of turns 1+2.
On the restart there was a large puff of smoke mid-pack and the cars of Wesley Prucker and Pete Lopuch were stopped in turn 1 to bring the caution out.
Membrino took the lead back under green with Hines in second. Hammann and Henry were side by side for third but the caution came back out as Palmer had damage to the right front of his car and Lafayette was stopped against the turn 4 wall with 5 laps complete.
Membrino took the lead on the restart with Hines, Hammann, Bob Charland, and Ronnie Williams lined up behind him. Henry’s car did not come up to speed and he limped his way back to pit road.
At the halfway point of the race, Membrino was still the race leader with Hines, Hammann, Charland, and Williams lined up behind him. Chase Dowling, who was one of two championship contenders along with Membrino, was sixth behind Williams. The caution came back out with 13 laps complete as Nick Salva, Troy Talman, Dylan Menditto, and Tony Santangelo all slid into the turn 3 wall.
Back under green Membrino took the lead with Hines behind him. Charland was third with Dowling moving up to fourth and Griswold was fifth. Griswold went back by Dowling on lap-17 to move into fourth and he was working the outside groove on Charland looking for third. Membrino held off a final challenge from Hines to take his third win of the season. Membrino’s feature win also secured him the 2013 SK Light championship. Rounding out the top-5 behind Membrino and Hines was Griswold, Charland, and Dowling.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature, Glenn Bartkowski took the early lead with Don Wood in second. David Arute charged his way up to third with D.J. Burnham and Justin Bren behind him. Arute made a move to the inside of Don Wood for second on lap-3. Josh Wood got by Don Wood to move into fourth on lap-5 while Bartkowski continued to lead the race.
The top-5 ran in line until the action was slowed with 11 laps complete for a spin by Joe Nogiec in turn 2.
Bartkowski maintained the lead on the restart but after one lap Nogiec, Brian Clement, and Paul Arute spun and hit the wall in turn 1 to bring the caution back out.
Bartkowski again took the lead on the restart but Burnham quickly got around Bartkowski and moved to the front. Arute went by Burnham to take over the race lead on lap-15 and Josh Wood followed him by Burnham to move into second. Bartkowski was now back to fourth with Andrew Hayes getting around Jesse Hinze to move into fifth with 3 laps to go.
Arute led Wood back to the checkered flag to pick up his fourth win of the 2013 season but with Josh Wood finishing second he claimed the championship by 2 points over Arute. Burnham finished third with Bartkowski and Hayes rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature, Alexandra Fearn and Gus Coelho led the field to the green but they came together and spun as they raced down the backstretch. As the field completed the first lap, Dave Comeau spun coming out of turn 4 and then in turn 1 championship contender Dave Secore and Kris Fluckiger came together and hit the turn 1 wall to bring the caution out. Fluckiger was finished for the race while Fearn, Coleho, and Secore were all able to continue on although Secore had a heavy damage to the right side of his car.
Kelsey Rottino took the lead on the restart with Johnny Walker moving into second. Albert Saunders was on the outside of Walker in a fight for second with Jeremy Lavoie in fourth and Kyle Casagrande was side by side with Trevor Berry for fifth. Lavoie moved by both Saunders and Walker to move up to second and Saunders spun coming out of turn 4 on lap-5. Doug Phelps spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 6 laps complete.
Lavoie powered his way past Rottino to take over the lead on the restart with Michael moving into third behind Rottino and Lavoie. Walker settled into line in fourth place and Casagrande was up to fifth. Berry was sixth, with Secore and Comeau side by side for seventh place.
Secore made a move to the inside of Berry to move into sixth on lap-11 while Lavoie continued to hold the lead ahead of Rottino, Casagrande, Michael, and Walker. Comeau got around Secore to move into sixth on lap-14 but Secore was still in the position he needed to be in in order to clinch the championship.
Lavoie led the field back to the checkered flag to pick up his fourth win of the 2013 season. Rottino finished second with Casagrande, Michael, and Walker rounding out the top-5. Secore finished seventh, which was enough to clinch the 2013 championship by a 6-point margin over Walker.
In the 8-lap Paradiso-Muska DARE Stock Shoot-Out, Dave Comeau took the lead ahead of Kelsey Rottino but behind them it was three-wide with Brandon Michael moving into third. Michael got by Rottino to move into second on lap-2 with Dave Secore moving into a side-by-side battle with Jeremy Lavoie for fourth place.
Lavoie took the spot from Secore and he made a move on Rottino to move into third on lap-4 and he brought Kyle Casagrande with him as Rottino fell from third back to fifth. Comeau led the field back to the checkered flag to pick up the victory. Michael finished second, with Lavoie, Casagrande, and Rottino rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap N.E. Truck Series feature, Glen Noll and Chris Correll spent the first lap side by side for the lead with Correll taking the lead at the line. Duane Noll quickly got by Glen Noll to move into second and on lap-3 Brad Caddick moved by Glen Noll to take over third place. Zach Sylvester was on the charge in the early laps after having issues in his qualifying heat and he moved into fourth place on lap-4, dropping Glen Noll back to fifth place.
The battle for the lead was beginning to heat up as Duane Noll was closing in on the back of Correll and Sylvester was now third as he got around Caddick. Sylvester was quickly closing down the gap to Correll and Duane Noll and at the halfway point of the race, there was a three-truck train for the lead.
Sylvester moved around Duane Noll to take over second on lap-14 and on the next lap he pulled alongside and then passed Correll to move into the lead. Noll was also able to get by Correll, dropping him from the lead back to third. Noll made one last run but Sylvester was able to stay out front and he took the checkered flag. Correll finished third, with Andy Lindeman and Caddick 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.
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
2) Tyler Hines, North Haven
3) Glenn Griswold, Vernon
4) Bob Charland, Stafford
5) Chase Dowling, Roxbury
6) Ronnie Williams, Tolland
7) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
8) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
9) Rich Hammann, Tolland
10) Dave Nordman, Woodstock
11) Dylan Campbell, Southborough, Ma
12) Wesley Prucker, Stafford
13) Pete Lopuch, West Redding
14) Fred Nees, Jr., New Milford
15) Nick Salva, Prospect
16) Dylan Menditto, Brooklyn
17) Tony Santangelo, Middlefield
18) Payton Henry, Willington
19) Robert Palmer, Lisbon
20) Jason Lafayette, Somers
21) Rick Dyer, Shelton
22) Todd Douillard, Palmer, Ma
23) Geoffrey Boisjolie, East Hampton, Ma
24) Troy Talman, Oxford, Ma
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) David Arute, Tolland
2) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
3) D.J. Burnham, East Hartford
4) Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
5) Andrew Hayes, Charlton, Ma
6) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
7) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
8) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
9) Justin Bren, Monson, Ma
10) Chris Cook, Pepperell, Ma
11) Brian Clement, Wallingford
12) Joe Nogiec, Bristol
13) Paul Arute, Tolland
14) Don Wood, Palmer, Ma
15) Austin Bessette, Stafford Springs
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Jeremy Lavoie, Windsor Locks
2) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
3) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
4) Brandon Michael, Granville, Ma
5) Johnny Walker, Ludlow, Ma
6) David Comeau, Palmer, Ma
7) Dave Secore, Jr., Union
8) Trevor Berry, New Preston
9) Albert Saunders, Stafford
10) Gus Coelho, Jr., Wilberham, Ma
11) Alexandra Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
12) Doug Phelps, New Salem, Ma
13) Vince Gambacorta, Ellington
14) James Carroll, West Hartford
15) Ron Mayette, Vernon
16) Stacey Botticello, Manchester
17) Kris Fluckiger, Enfield
PARADISO-MUSKA DARE STOCK SHOOT-OUT (8)
1) David Comeau, Palmer, Ma
2) Brandon Michael, Granville, Ma
3) Jeremy Lavoie, Windsor Locks
4) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
5) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
6) Cliff Saunders, Stafford Springs
7) Dave Secore, Jr., Union
8) Johnny Walker, Ludlow, Ma
9) Gus Coelho, Jr., Wilberham, Ma
10) Doug Phelps, New Salem, Ma
N.E. TRUCK SERIES (20)
1) Zach Sylvester, Waterford
2) Duane Noll, Monroe
3) Chris Correll, Montville
4) Andy Lindeman, Poestenkill, NY
5) Brad Caddick, Hope Valley, RI
6) Pete Cayer, Bristol
7) Glen Noll, Naugatuck
8) Tony Lafo, Higganum
9) D.J. McGouran, Westerly, RI
10) Paul Varricchio, Meriden
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR