Gervais, Scorzelli, Kopcik, Bartkowski, L’Etoile, Jr., & LaMothe Score September 19th Final Friday Night Shoot-Out Feature Wins at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with the Final Friday Night Shoot-Out, the final Friday night event before the season ending NAPA Fall Final next weekend on Sept. 27-28. Taking down NASCAR Whelen All-American Series weekly feature wins on the night were Michael Gervais, Jr. in the SK Modified® feature, Michael Scorzelli was a first time career winner in the Late Model feature as was Stephen Kopcik in the SK Light feature, Glenn Bartkowski in the Limited Late Model feature, and Jordan LaMothe in the Legends Car feature, and Frank L’Etoile, Jr. won the DARE Stock feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Michael Gervais, Jr. took the early lead with Tom Bolles right behind him in second. Eric Berndt took third with Chase Dowling in fourth and Ryan Preece quickly moved into fifth. Last week’s winner Keith Rocco was sixth behind Preece, who made a move to the inside of Dowling on lap-3 to move into fourth. Rowan Pennink came to a stop on the backstretch to bring the caution out with 4 laps complete.
Gervais and Berndt were side by side for the lead with Berndt nearly making the pass in the outside groove. Preece was third behind the lead duo and when Gervais got clear of Berndt on lap-6, Preece took second. Preece then was on the inside of Gervais for the lead with 7 laps complete when the caution came out for David Webb, who spun on the backstretch.
Gervais and Preece ran 2 laps side by side before Gervais got clear into the lead. Preece now had Dowling to his outside in a fight for second with Berndt and Dan Avery side by side for fourth, Todd Owen and Joey Cipriano were side by side for sixth, and the field was 2 deep for 5 or 6 rows. Cipriano hit the turn 2 wall hard to bring the caution out with 11 laps complete. Under the caution, Preece brought his car to pit road to change the right front tire.
Gervais took the lead on the restart with Avery taking second. Dowling was third, with Berndt in fourth and Rocco was fifth. Todd Owen and Woody Pitkat were side by side for sixth with Ted Christopher right behind them in eighth. Avery was now on the outside of Gervais for the lead with Dowling and Rocco side by side for third behind the lead duo. Bolles spun coming out of turn 4 to bring the caution out with 19 laps complete.
Gervais and Avery continued their side by side duel for the lead with Dowling nearly making it three-wide for the lead. Gervais got clear of Avery to the lead and Dowling was now on the inside of Avery in a fight for second with Owen in fourth and Pitkat and Rocco side by side for fifth place. On lap-27, Dowling made a move to the inside of Gervais to take over the race lead after spending the previous 8 laps side by side with Avery. Owen also got by Gervais to drop him from the lead back to third. Berndt spun in turn 4 and collected the car of Preece to bring the caution out with 28 laps complete.
Dowling took the lead ahead of Gervais on the restart, but Frank Ruocco and Ted Christopher touched wheels with Christopher taking a spin through the frontstretch grass to bring the caution right back out.
Gervais took the lead on the restart with a mad scramble going on behind him with cars going three wide. After the scramble settled down behind Gervais, Pitkat was in second, Pennink was back up to third after his early race spin, Dowling was fourth, and Owen was fifth. Owen lost fifth to Ronnie Williams on lap-37 but Williams and Owen both spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 38 laps complete and set up a green white checkered finish.
Gervais and Pitkat were locked in a side by side duel for the lead for the final 2 laps and coming to the checkered flag, Gervais held off Dowling on his inside and Pitkat on his outside to take his first win of the 2014 season. Pitkat barely beat Dowling to the line for second with Pennink and Ruocco rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Michael Scorzelli took the lead at the green flag with Kevin Gambacorta, Michael Bennett, Tom Fearn, and Kyle Casagrande lined up behind him. Bennett got around Gambacorta for second on lap-6 and his move opened the door for Fearn to follow him past and take over third.
Scorzelli had pulled away from the pack but by lap-10, Bennett was beginning to reel Scorzelli back in. Adam Gray got around Kyle Casagrande to move into fifth as Bennett, Fearn, and Gambacorta continued to run in line ahead of him with Scorzelli still in the lead.
Gray continued his charge towards the front as he moved around Gambacorta to take over fourth place on lap-15. Bennett was slowly closing down the gap to Scorzelli and at the halfway point of the race the lead was down to several car lengths. But just as it looked like Bennett was getting primed to make a run at the lead, Scorzelli began to build up a gap again back to Bennett, Fearn, and Gray.
Fearn made a move to the inside of Bennett on lap-24 to take over second and Gray followed Fearn by Bennett to take over third and drop Bennett back to fourth. Gray was now beginning to pressure Fearn for second as Scorzelli continued to hold down the lead.
Scorzelli led the field back to the checkered flag to record his very first Late Model win at Stafford Speedway in a wire to wire performance. Fearn finished second, with Gray, Bennett, and Casagrande rounded out the top-5. With his third place finish, Adam Gray clinched his second consecutive Late Model track championship.
In the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature event, Bob Charland took the lead at the green while behind him several cars touched wheels and sent up a plume of smoke but everyone continued on and on lap-2, D.J. Burnham made a move to the inside of Charland to take over the lead. Stephen Kopcik was third, with Nick Salva fourth and Jay Goff got around Jeremy Sorel to take over fifth place. Kopcik got around Charland to move up to second and Salva made a move to the inside of Charland on lap-6 to move into third and drop Charland back to fourth place. Jay Goff spun through the infield grass to bring the caution out with 8 laps complete.
Burnham and Kopcik were side by side for the lead on the restart with Kopcik taking the lead by a nose at the line. Sorel got by Salva to move up to third but the next lap saw Salva make contact with Sorel and Sorel spun directly into the path of Joey Ferrigno to bring the caution out with 11 laps complete.
Kopcik took the lead back under green with Salva locked in a side by side duel with Burnham for second. Charland and Goff were side by side for fourth with Mike Christopher, Jr. in sixth. Todd Douillard spun on the backstretch to bring the caution out with 14 laps complete. The restart got called back and the next restart attempt saw Rit Dulac spin in turn 1 to bring the caution back out.
Kopcik took the lead back under green with Salva to his outside and Burnham taking a look to Kopcik’s inside. Kopcik was able to maintain the lead with Burnham behind him. Salva and Christopher came together and spun through the frontstretch grass to bring the caution back out with 16 laps complete.
Kopcik and Burnham were one again side by side for the lead while Goff took third ahead of Kyle Jette, Jay Goff, and Bob Charland. Goff spun in the middle of turns 1 and 2 to bring the caution out with 17 laps complete.
Kopcik and Burnham were again side by side for the lead with Charland, Jette, Branden Dion, and Douillard behind them. Kopcik and Burnham headed into turn 3 on the final lap still side by side with Kopcik getting the better run coming out of turn 4 to take the victory. Charland got loose in turn 4 and he and Douillard hit the turn 4 wall hard coming to the checkered flag with several other cars receiving damage with Burnham, Jette, Dion, and Salva rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Glenn Bartkowski took the lead with Paul Arute in second. David Arute was third with Cliff Saunders getting by Norm Sears for fourth and Austin Bessette followed Saunders by Sears to take over fifth.
The order shuffled on lap-6 as Bessette moved up to fourth with point leader Andrew Hayes taking fifth and Duane Provost taking sixth as Sears fell back to seventh. David Arute got by his brother Paul to move up to second on lap-9 as Bartkowski continued to lead the race. Hayes took third from Paul Arute on lap-10 and Bessette followed him by as Arute lost several positions.
David Arute was gaining ground on Bartkowski up front but the caution came out with 11 laps complete as Paul Arute and Norm Sears spun in turn 2 and Jesse Hinze came to a stop to avoid hitting both Arute and Sears. Sears was done for the race while Hinze and Arute rejoined the field at the rear.
Bartkowski took the lead but David Arute was looking to his inside for the lead. Bartkowski was able to hold him off and Arute was now locked in a side by side duel with Bessette for second with Hayes in fourth and Provost in fifth. Arute got clear of Bessette on lap-13 and both Hayes and Provost also got past Bessette, who fell from third back to fifth. Bessette did a half spin in turn 2 and behind him Joe Nogiec and R.J. Surdell spun to bring the caution back out with 15 laps complete.
David Arute didn’t get a good restart, which bottlenecked up the outside groove as Bartkowski took the lead, Hayes moved into second, and Cliff Saunders took third. Arute was able to settle into line in fourth, just ahead of Provost in fifth. Bartkowski held off a determined challenge from Hayes over the final 5 laps of the race to collect his very first Limited Late Model feature victory. Hayes finished second with Cliff Saunders, David Arute, and Provost rounding out the top-5.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Frank L’Etoile, Jr. powered into the lead at the green with Andy Marchese and Tyler Trott side by side for second. The two cars traded a little paint with Marchese taking the spot. Trace Beyer was fourth and Dave Comeau got around Dan Dembek on lap-4 to move into fifth.
Dembek was quickly back on the pace as Beyer moved up to third and Dembek moved up to fourth with Comeau in fifth. The caution came out with 9 laps complete as Tyler Trott spun in turn 3 and collected the car of Alexandra Fearn. The car of Ryan Fearn also had damage to his hood. Alexandra Fearn was finished for the race while Trott and Ryan Fearn were able to continue.
Marchese made a power move on the restart as he went to the outside of L’Etoile to take over the race lead. Beyer was third, with Comeau fourth and Johnny Walker was up to fifth. With 2 laps to go, L’Etoile came back to the inside of Marchese and he retook the lead. Marchese tried to make a move in turn 3 to go back to the front, but L’Etoile was able to hold him off as they took the white flag. L’Etoile stretched out his advantage on the final lap as he nailed down his second win of the 2014 season. Marchese finished second, with Beyer, Comeau, and Walker rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Legends Car feature event, Chris Fuller led the field to the green and he took the early lead ahead of Jordan LaMothe with Teddy Hodgdon in third and Cory DiMatteo in fourth. Last week’s winner Devin O’Connell spun in turn 1 to bring the caution out with 1 lap complete.
Fuller took the lead ahead of LaMothe on the restart but the car on the move was Brad Lowmaster, who went from fifth up to third. Lowmaster lost third to Cory DiMatteo on lap-5 and LaMothe went around Fuller to take over the lead of the race. Mikey Flynn spun in turn 4 of the mini-mile to bring the caution back out with 6 laps complete.
LaMothe streaked into the lead on the restart with O’Connell recovered from his earlier spin moving into second. Cory DiMatteo was third, with his brother Dana right behind him in fourth. Fuller was back to fifth as the field completed the halfway lap.
O’Connell was quickly eating into LaMothe’s lead and the lead was full erased by the caution, which flew with 11 laps complete for Cassandra Cole, who spun in turn 2. Fuller spun on the restart with Flynn coming to a stop to avoid plowing into Fuller to bring the caution right back out.
O’Connell spun from the lead on the restart but the race stayed green and LaMothe went into the lead with Dana DiMatteo in second, Cory DiMatteo third, Hodgdon fourth, and Flynn was back up to fifth place after his earlier spin. Flynn spun again in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 18 laps complete and set up a green white checkered finish.
LaMothe took the lead on the restart with Dana DiMatteo right behind him. Hodgdon moved up to third but LaMothe led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his first win of the 2014 season. Dana DiMatteo finished second, with Hodgdon, Graf, and Andrew Molleur 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 MODIFIED® (40)
1) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
2) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
3) Chase Dowling, Roxbury
4) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa
5) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
6) Keith Rocco, Berlin
7) Ryan Preece, Berlin
8) Matt Galko, Meriden
9) Ted Christopher, Plainville
10) Chris Jones, New Milford
11) Curt Brainard, Canton
12) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect
13) Todd Patnode, Richmond, NH
14) Brian Sullivan, South Windsor
15) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
16) David Webb, New Milford
17) Tom Bolles, Ellington
18) Dan Avery, Somers
19) Todd Owen, Somers
20) Ronnie Williams, Tolland
21) Jay Sundeen, Douglas, Ma
22) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Michael Scorzelli, Feura Bush, NY
2) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
3) Adam Gray, Belchertown, Ma
4) Michael Bennett, Willington
5) Kyle Casagrande, Stafford Springs
6) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs
7) J.J. Hill, Stafford Springs
8) Jim Peterson, Monson, Ma
9) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
10) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
11) Darrell Keane, East Longmeadow, Ma
12) George Nocera, Jr., Plainville
13) Rich Hammann, Tolland
14) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
15) Stu Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
SK LIGHT (20)
1) Stephen Kopcik, Newtown
2) D.J. Burnham, East Hartford
3) Kyle Jette, New Milford
4) Branden Dion, Taunton, Ma
5) Nick Salva, Prospect
6) Jodi Johnson, Medway, Ma
7) Carlos Gray, Manchester
8) Chris Gombos, Naugatuck
9) Rit Dulac, Plantsville
10) Wesley Prucker, Stafford
11) Paul French, Andover
12) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
13) Bob Charland, Stafford
14) Todd Douillard, Palmer, Ma
15) Michael Christopher, Jr., Wolcott
16) Jeremy Sorel, Westfield, Ma
17) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
18) Tyler Hines, North Haven
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
2) Andrew Hayes, Charlton, Ma
3) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
4) David Arute, Tolland
5) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
6) Albert Saunders, Stafford
7) Jesse Hinze, Farmington
8) Austin Bessette, Stafford Springs
9) Justin Bren, Palmer, Ma
10) Paul Arute, Tolland
11) Joe Nogiec, Bristol
12) R.J. Surdell, Manchester
13) Norm Sears, Andover
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Frank L’Etoile, Jr., Wethersfield
2) Andy Marchese, Tolland
3) Trace Beyer, Brewster, NY
4) David Comeau, Palmer, Ma
5) Johnny Walker, Ludlow, Ma
6) Brandon Michael, Granville, Ma
7) Ryan Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
8) Doug Phelps, Jr., New Salem, Ma
9) Josh Hall, Chicopee, Ma
10) Gus Coelho, Jr., Wilbraham, Ma
11) Dan Dembek, Hamden, Ma
12) Tyler Trott, East Hartford
13) Alexandra Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
14) Nick Bendiak, Hopkinton, Ma
LEGEND CARS (20)
1) Jordan LaMothe, Woodstock
2) Dana DiMatteo, Farmington
3) Teddy Hodgdon, IV, Danbury
4) Joe Graf, Jr., Mahwah, NJ
5) Andrew Molleur, Shelton
6) Mikey Flynn, Hampden, Ma
7) Alex McCollum, Phillipsburg, NJ
8) Cassandra Cole, Westbrook
9) Cory DiMatteo, Farmington
10) Chris Fuller, Boylston, Ma
11) Devin O’Connell, Madison
12) Brad Lowmaster, Califon, NJ
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford PR