Pennink, Fearn, Salva, Hayes, Robinson, & O’Connell Score June 5 TSI Harley-Davidson 125 Feature Wins at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT — Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the house for the TSI Harley-Davidson 125. Taking down NASCAR Whelen All-American Series weekly feature wins on the night were Rowan Pennink, who picked up his third win of the 2015 season in the SK Modified® feature, Tom Fearn scored his second consecutive victory in the Late Model feature, Nick Salva was a first time winner in 2015 in the SK Light Modified feature, Andrew Hayes got his first win of 2015 in the Limited Late Model feature, Zack Robinson was a first time career winner in the DARE Stock feature, and Devin O’Connell picked up his second win of the 2015 season in the Legend Cars feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Ted Christopher took the lead on the outside of Jeremy Sorel with Michael Gervais, Jr. taking second and Dan Avery moving up to third. At the end of lap-2, Sorel was side by side with Glen Reen for fourth and the caution came out for Tyler Hines and Ronnie Williams, who both spun in turn 2.
Christopher and Gervais were side by side for the lead with Avery and Sorel side by side for third and Reen was in fifth with Joey Cipriano and Justin Bonsignore side by side behind him. Christopher finally got clear of Gervais on lap-7 and Avery moved into second with Gervais falling back to third. Reen made a power move to get into fourth with Cipriano and Sorel side by side for fifth place.
Gervais began to hound Christopher for the lead and Reen joined the fight to make it a 3-car fight for the lead. Both Gervais and Reen were taking looks to the inside of Christopher for the lead but Christopher was able keep him behind. Gervais bobbled on lap-17 and fell back several spots to fifth while Reen and Christopher touched wheels coming out of turn 4 on lap-19 dueling for the lead. Reen made his move for the lead on lap-20 and the next lap saw Christopher get into Reen’s bumper, which allowed Cipriano to shoot into the lead. Reen kept second place while Christopher was third.
Reen touched wheels with Cipriano on lap-23 but both cars kept going with Cipriano in the lead and Reen falling back one spot behind Christopher in third. The action was slowed by the caution for a spin by Hines in turn 2 with 24 laps complete.
The intensity at the front resumed on the restart with Cipriano taking the lead ahead of Christopher. Bonsignore moved up to third, with Rowan Pennink moving around Reen to take over fourth place on lap-28. Bonsignore’s great run ended on lap-29 when a flat tire brought his car to a stop in turn 2 as well as bringing the caution flag out.
Cipriano and Christopher spent a lap side by side for the lead before Cipriano got clear. Pennink was third with Ryan Preece and Reen side by side for fourth place. Christopher made a move around Cipriano on lap-31 to retake the lead and Pennink got by Cipriano on lap-33 and immediately began to apply heavy pressure to Christopher’s bumper. Pennink took the lead from Christopher with a move in turn 4 and Cipriano followed suit getting around Christopher to drop him back to third place. The caution came out with 36 laps complete as Christopher’s car got turned into the frontstretch wall.
Pennink powered into the lead on the restart with Preece locked in a side by side fight for second with Cipriano. Preece got clear to second on lap-37 while Cipriano was now trying to hold off Keith Rocco and Reen. Pennink led Preece back to the checkered flag to pick up his third win of the season. Cipriano held off Rocco in a photo finish for third, with Reen rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Ed Ricard took the lead at the drop of the green and he held the lead until lap-6 when Tom Butler took over the lead. Butler’s time at the front was short as Tom Fearn took over the lead from Butler on lap-9.
Butler was keeping pace with Fearn, not letting him get away as Michael Bennett was closing in on the top-2 cars as they approached the halfway point of the race. Ricard was still running in fourth and Josh Wood was just in front of Jim Mavlouganes for fifth. Mavlouganes went by Wood on lap-18 and Kevin Gambacorta followed him by Wood to drop Wood from fifth back to seventh as Fearn continued to lead Butler and Bennett.
Bennett got around Butler for second and once he made that pass, he began to reel Fearn in as Fearn had began to pull away from Butler. Bennett made one last ditch effort on the final lap but he slid up the track, which allowed Fearn to cruise the final turn to the checkered flag. Bennett’s slip meant that he had to fend off Butler for second in a photo finish at the line. Ricard finished fourth and Mavlouganes rounded out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light feature event, Kyle Trayner took the lead at the drop of the green with Todd Douillard behind him. The field completed two laps before the caution came out for a spin by Payton Henry in turn 2 that collected the cars of Matt Swanson and Paul French.
Trayner took the lead back under green with Jay Goff getting around Douillard for second. Daniel Wesson was fourth and Glenn Griswold was fifth. Griswold took a look to the inside of Wesson, but Wesson was able to hold onto the spot.
Trayner continued to lead with Goff in tow, but behind them, the order began to shuffle. Nick Salva was up to third, with Stephen Kopcik and Tony Membrino, Jr. making up the top-5 when the caution came out with 13 laps complete.
Back under green, Salva made a 3-wide move for the lead but he couldn’t make the pass and he fell back into line behind Trayner. Salva got around Goff for second on lap-15 and he then took the lead from Trayner on lap-16. Kopcik moved into second with Membrino taking third as Trayner slid back to sixth behind D.J. Burnham and Goff. Wesson spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 18 laps complete and set up a green white checkered finish.
On the restart, Salva streaked into the lead with Membrino getting by Kopcik for second, but Henry spun in turn 2 and collected Bob Charland to bring the caution out and move Membrino back to third behind Salva and Kopcik for the restart.
Salva again took the lead with both Membrino and Burnham getting by Kopcik to move into second and third. Goff pulled alongside Kopcik in a fight for fourth but it was all Salva as he took his first win of the 2015 season. Membrino finished second, with Burnham, Kopcik, and Goff rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, Paul Arute took the lead from Robert Bloxsom at the start and in turn 3, Kelsey Rottino spun as did Duane Provost and Glenn Bartkowski to bring the caution out.
Back under green, Andrew Hayes took the lead from Arute and Al Saunders with a strong 3-wide move coming out of turn 2. Saunders slotted into second with Arute dropping from the lead back to third. Justin Bren worked his way up to fourth and Cliff Saunders was fifth as the field hit the halfway point of the race.
Hayes and Al Saunders began to pull away from the quartet of Arute, Bren, Cliff Saunders, and Austin Bessette and that is how they took the checkered flag as Hayes nailed down his first feature win of the 2015 season.
In the 15-lap DARE Stock feature event, Zack Robinson took the early lead with Tyler Trott in hot pursuit. Marcello Rufrano was third, with Alexandra Fearn fourth and Frank L’Etoile fifth, just in front of Dan Dembek.
At the halfway point of the race, Robinson and Trott were still glued together at the front of the pack with Rufrano leading Fearn, Dembek, and L’Etoile and those four cars were about a half straightaway behind the two lead cars. Robinson led the field back to the checkered flag to pick up his first career victory. Trott finished second, with Rufrano, L’Etoile, and Fearn rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Legends Car feature event, Teddy Hodgdon streaked into the lead with Mikey Flynn, Dana DiMatteo, Cory DiMatteo, and Devin O’Connell lined up behind him. On lap-3, Dana and Cory DiMatteo both went by Flynn to move into second and third. The next lap saw O’Connell follow suit, passing Flynn to drop him back to fifth in the running order as Hodgdon continued to lead the race. The caution came out with 9 laps complete for a spin in turn 2 involving Michael Rutkowski and Art Marrero.
The field completed one lap before the caution came back out for a spin by Connor Holderbach. Hodgdon took the lead back under green with O’Connell getting by both of the DiMatteo brothers to move into second. Chris Fuller moved up to fifth before the caution came back out with 12 laps complete for a spin by Holderbach.
Hodgdon again took the lead with Cory DiMatteo taking second. O’Connell and Dana DiMatteo were side by side for third with DiMatteo taking the spot. Michael Hopkins got around Fuller to take over fifth place. The caution came back out with 18 laps complete for Noah Korner coming to a stop on the frontstretch after getting into the outside wall.
Hodgdon took the lead on the restart with Cory DiMatteo moving into second. O’Connell got around Dana DiMatteo for third and he was challenging Cory DiMatteo for second but as the leaders were coming to the checkered flag, the caution came out for a spin by Holderbach in the middle of turn 4 to set up another green white checkered restart attempt.
As the leaders came to take the green, Dana DiMatteo and Hodgdon came together and both cars spun at the front of the field and the caution came back out. This put O’Connell and Fuller up front for the restart. O’Connell took the lead with Flynn and Fuller giving chase. O’Connell took the checkered flag with Flynn second, but contact behind them shuffled the order and moved Rutkowski up to third, Cory DiMatteo fourth, and Dana DiMatteo fifth.
For more information contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at (860) 684-2783, or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa
2) Ryan Preece, Berlin
3) Joey Cipriano, III, Waterbury
4) Keith Rocco, Berlin
5) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma
6) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
7) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
8) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
9) Dan Avery, Somers
10) Jeremy Sorel, Westfield, Ma
11) Matt Galko, Meriden
12) Sean Foster, Willington
13) Mike Christopher, Jr., Wolcott
14) Tyler Hines, North Haven
15) Tommy Membrino, Jr., Prospect
16) Ted Christopher, Plainville
17) Justin Bonsignore, West Islip, Ny
18) Ronnie Williams, Tolland
19) Todd Owen, Somers
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
2) Michael Bennett, Willington
3) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
4) Ed Ricard, Stafford Springs
5) Jim Mavlouganes, Bethany
6) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
7) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
8) Rich Hammann, Tolland
9) Skip Breunig, Milford
10) Michael Scorzelli, Feura Bush, Ny
11) Chase Cook, Oakdale
12) Scott Cook, Oakdale
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Nick Salva, Prospect
2) Tony Membrino, Jr., Plantsville
3) D.J. Burnham, East Hartford
4) Stephen Kopcik, Newtown
5) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
6) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
7) Glenn Griswold, Vernon
8) Geoff Boisjolie, East Hampton, Ma
9) Kyle Trayner, Marlborough, Ma
10) Todd Douillard, Palmer, Ma
11) Bob Charland, Stafford
12) Wesley Prucker, Stafford
13) Rit Dulac, Plantsville
14) Paul French, Andover
15) Daniel Wesson, Monson, Ma
16) Mark Alkas, Berlin
17) Carlos Gray, Manchester
18) Payton Henry, Willington
19) Matt Swanson, Acton, Ma
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) Andrew Hayes, Charlton, Ma
2) Albert Saunders, Stafford
3) Paul Arute, Tolland
4) Justin Bren, Palmer, Ma
5) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
6) Austin Bessette, Stafford Springs
7) Kelsey Rottino, Willimantic
8) Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
9) David Arute, Tolland
10) Jeremy Lavoie, Windsor Locks
11) Robert Bloxsom, III, Stratford
12) David Comeau, Palmer, Ma
13) Matt Clement, Wethersfield
14) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, Ma
DARE STOCK (15)
1) Zack Robinson, Putnam
2) Tyler Trott, East Hartford
3) Marcello Rufrano, North Haven
4) Frank L’Etoile, Jr., Wethersfield
5) Alexandra Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
6) Dan Dembek, Hampden, Ma
7) Trace Beyer, West Dover, Vt
8) Doug Phelps, Jr., New Salem, Ma
9) Bob King, New Britain
10) David Macha, Sr., Columbia
11) Nicole Chambrello, Kensington
12) Paul Bourdon, Jr., Jewett City
13) Jake Higginson, Waterbury
LEGEND CARS (20)
1) Devin O’Connell, Madison
2) Mikey Flynn, Hampden, Ma
3) Michael Rutkoski, Mattituck, Ny
4) Cory DiMatteo, Farmington
5) Dana DiMatteo, Farmington
6) Michael Hopkins, Springfield, Ma
7) Andrew Molleur, Shelton
8) Teddy Hodgdon, Danbury
9) Brett Crowther, Belchertown, Ma
10) Art Marrero, Baltic
11) Jerry Macchia, Pawling, Ny
12) Christopher Fuller, Boylston, Ma
13) Connor Holderbach, Wolcott
14) Noah Korner, Canton