QUALIFYING: Barrett Captures First Pole
Rookie On Point For Sunday’s NAPA Spring Sizzler 200
STAFFORD, Conn. – Two races and two first-time pole winners for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2014.
Rookie Tommy Barrett Jr. topped the field in Saturday qualifying at Stafford Motor Speedway in advance of Sunday’s prestigious NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200. It was the first 21 Means 21 Pole Award by Coors Brewing for the 18-year-old rookie from Millis, Mass.
Barrett posted a fast lap of 18.221 seconds (98.787 mph) to earn the pole position in his fourth career Whelen Modified Tour event, and just his second in the No. 22 Canto Paving/Ferguson Water Works Chevrolet. He became the 88th different driver in 30 years of Whelen Modified Tour competition to earn a pole.
Joining Barrett on the front row for Sunday’s 200-lap event will be Woody Pitkat, who earned his first career pole on April 5 in the season-opening event at Thompson (Conn.) Speedway Motorsports Park. Pitkat’s fast lap Saturday at Stafford was 18.267 (98.538).
Thompson opener winner Justin Bonsignore qualified third while two-time Spring Sizzler winner Doug Coby will start fourth and reigning Whelen Modified Tour titlist Ryan Preece fifth. The rest of the top 10 qualifiers included: Rowan Pennink, Ron Silk, defending race winner Bobby Santos, Jimmy Zacharias and Ron Yuhas Jr.
Ted Christopher, who holds the record for the most Whelen Modified Tour wins in the Spring Sizzler with five, qualified 13th for the 43rd overall edition of Stafford’s traditional season-opening weekend.
Sunday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler 200 is slated to go green at approximately 3:15 p.m.
QUALIFYING RESULTS
NWMT Stafford 4/27/14 Qualifying
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed
1 22 Thomas Barrett Jr.* Canto Paving/Ferguson Water Works 18.221 98.787
2 88 Woody Pitkat Buzz Chew Chevrolet/Elbow East 18.267 98.538
3 51 Justin Bonsignore chem3.com 18.272 98.511
4 2 Doug Coby Dunleavy’s Repair/A&J Romano Const. 18.304 98.339
5 16 Ryan Preece East West Marine/Diversified Metals 18.317 98.269
6 93 Rowan Pennink Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner 18.325 98.226
7 6 Ron Silk TS Haulers/Calverton Tree Farm 18.338 98.157
8 44 Bobby Santos Tinio Racing/Imperialcars.com 18.389 97.885
9 3 Jimmy Zacharias* Cape Cod Copper/Central States 18.393 97.863
10 64 Ron Yuhas Jr. Fast Track Electric/Hughes Motors 18.422 97.709
11 52 Matt Hirschman Furnace & Duct/Seekonk Grand Prix 18.434 97.646
12 4 Donny Lia Mystic Missile Racing 18.448 97.572
13 13 Ted Christopher J&R Pre-Cast/Cape Cod Aggregates 18.473 97.440
14 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing/RBSCorp. 18.552 97.025
15 75 Timmy Solomito* Eastport Feeds/Axel Anderson Inc. 18.581 96.873
16 48 Keith Rocco Wheelers Auto/Mr. Rooter 18.601 96.769
17 39 Richie Pallai Mahle Performance/Lucas Oil 18.610 96.722
18 07 Patrick Emerling Emerling Chevrolet Inc 18.619 96.675
19 8 Glen Reen Sypher Construction 18.627 96.634
20 99 Jamie Tomaino Dunleavy’s Repair/Atlantic Sprinkler 18.691 96.303
21 77 Gary Putnam Curb Records/R House Family Restaurant 18.839 95.546
22 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood 18.929 95.092
23 33 Wade Cole Perf Engines/Kendall Oil 19.081 94.335
24 38 David Salzarulo* Perf Eng/Kendall Oil/Ryan’s Oil 19.168 93.907
25 71 T.J. Zacharias* Central States Used Clothing 19.464 92.478
26 26 Gary McDonald Lakeland Landscape/TRC Electric 19.890 90.498
27 01 Melissa Fifield* Allstate Ins./Bob’s Auto Body 20.610 87.336
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR PR