DiMatteo Perfects SK Modified Comeback; Monahan Breaks Truck Record
WATERFORD – Troy Talman brought the SK Modified® to green but was immediately met with heavy pressure from Eric Bernd. Talman put up a fight, but Berndt was on a mission and rocketed off to a big lead. Cory DiMatteo who was making his first start in the Modified this season had to start deeper in the field but was working his way forward through the pack and settling into second by lap 7. A single-car spin with 5 to go really turned the race on its head. DiMatteo would get the jump on the restart relegating Berndt back into third, as Andrew Molleur picked a prime time to strike and worked into second. DiMatteo would go 1-for-1, scoring the win.
Several bad weeks in a row took the wind out of Ray Christian III’s sails in Late Model competition, but with an up-front starting position he headed for the hills putting a huge lead on the field. Andrew Molleur took advantage of the off week from the American Canadian Tour to take a crack at the field of weekly competitors. Molleur started in 8th place and by lap 10 he was already in 2nd. Heartbreak for Christian came with just 4 laps to go, when John Lowinski-Loh dropped a tire in the corner, re-stacking the field for one dramatic restart. Molleur was not about to give up the opportunity he was presented with, having a side-by-side duel with Christian that looked to be either competitor’s game until Brody Monahan threw his hat in the ring making it a 3-car battle for the win. Molleur crossed the stripe first, making his return worth it.
The Street Stocks once again went clean and green for all 25 laps. Ed Gertsch Jr got off to an early lead but Jaysin Beal who was back in the Norman-owned 12-car was hot on his tail. Beal completed the pass on Gertsch just 7 laps in, and that’s all she wrote. While the pair ran away from the field, Tony Macrino worked from his 5th starting position to 3rd where he would stay, not being close enough to make a bid for the win. Beal’s now has his second win of his career and season.
Controlled chaos in the Trucks gave Sean Caron the early lead while Bradley Strickland shuffled backwards at the drop of the green flag. Caron had a solid pace going until the yellow flag flew, putting Brody Monahan alongside him on the restart thanks to that chaos. Kyle Gero tried a three-wide maneuver immediately crossing up Caron and giving Monahan the lead early in the race and allowing two-time champion Ken Cassidy Jr a shot at second place. A yellow flag halfway gave Cassidy the chance to slow the very strong Monahan truck, but after a few short duels on restarts, Monahan wouldn’t be stopped. This would mark his sixth win in a row, breaking the consecutive win streak for the Trucks division.
Defending champion Charles Canfield and 70th Birthday boy Nick Pappacoda led the Mini Stocks to green and put on a fun side-by-side battle for a few laps until the yellow flew. Pappacoda would get forced into a three-wide situation and find himself shuffled backwards while Canfield led the way. Multiple 3 wide battles in the field kept shaking up the middle of the running order until a caution with 10 to go gave Chris Garside an opportunity to strike. Canfield was able to retain the lead while John Bavolacco gave Garside a run for his money in 2nd. Their skirmish gave Canfield the cushion he needed to not only land on the podium for the first time in 2023, but also land in the winner’s circle.
It was the National Qualifier for INEX Legend Cars this week, where they would be treated with a 30-lap main event. The night ended early for Zachary Martinez, Wade Oemcke, Riley Paul, and Patrick Smith when a lap 2 pile-up ripped suspensions from cars. After cleanup, Dylan Freeman took control of the race with Dylan Cote and Isaiah Newcomb hot on his tail. Newcomb made the pass for the lead look easy with 19 to go, and Nick Bulkeley would move into second at the halfway mark. With the race going from green to the finish, Bulkeley was reeling in Newcomb but ultimately ran out of time. Newcomb now has back-to-back National Qualifier wins and earned his third win on Saturdays.
Next up, Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday on July 19th featuring our four weekly divisions, and the next stop from the American Vintage Modifieds. Then on July 22nd, we crest the halfway point for Speedbowl Saturday Nights, headlined by a 60 Lap Street Stock event. For complete details, visit www.speedbowlct.com, keep up with us on Facebook at The New London-Waterford Speedbowl, or on Instagram and Twitter @SpeedbowlCT.
Unofficial Results
SK Modifieds® (35 Laps): 1. 6CT-Cory DiMatteo[5]; 2. 35-Andrew Molleur[6]; 3. 11CT-Eric Berndt[3]; 4. 81-Todd Owen[4]; 5. 25-Anthony Flannery[8]; 6. 2-Troy Talman[1]; 7. 09-Kyle James[7]; 8. 51-Rob Janovic Jr[2]; 9. 15-Jeff Fialkovich[10]; 10. 22RI-Carl Kivisto[9]
Late Models (30 Laps): 1. 35-Andrew Molleur[7]; 2. 93CT-Ray Christian III[4]; 3. 6-Brody Monahan[11]; 4. 17-Jason Palmer[5]; 5. 33-Jaret Curtis[6]; 6. 12CT-PJ Evans[2]; 7. 94CT-Charles Bailey III[1]; 8. 29MA-Joshua Hedges[9]; 9. 88-Chase Curtis[13]; 10. 9-Keith Scalia[3]; 11. 78-Emma Monahan[10]; 12. 42CT-Manny Dias[12]; 13. 17CT-Matthew Lowinski Loh[8]
Street Stocks (25 Laps): 1. 12-Jaysin Beal[5]; 2. 83-Ed Gertsch Jr[1]; 3. 13-Tony Macrino[7]; 4. 67-Aaron Plemons[4]; 5. 9-Shawn Gaedeke[6]; 6. 80-Norm Root III[8]; 7. 28-Austin Flanagan[3]; 8. 67X-Brandon Plemons[10]; 9. 22T-Timothy Poulin[12]; 10. 56-Ike Chima[9]; 11. 6-Scott Sousa[14]; 12. 13RI-Clay Petschke[2]; 13. 52-Al Stone III[13]; 14. (DNS) 14CT-Devin Tate
Trucks (25 Laps): 1. 31-Brody Monahan[7]; 2. 11-Ken Cassidy Jr[6]; 3. 47-Todd Taylor[10]; 4. 12-Ed Ryan Jr[8]; 5. 19CT-Kyle Gero[4]; 6. 84JR-Brad Strickland[2]; 7. 52CT-Sean Caron[1]; 8. 94-Anthony Naglieri[3]; 9. 30-Charles Beal[12]; 10. 33-Jake Coutu[14]; 11. 98-Shawn Passero[15]; 12. 78-Emma Monahan[11]; 13. 6X-Andrew Pellegrini[5]; 14. 90-Allen Coates Jr[13]; 15. 52-Mercedes Caron[9]; 16. (DNS) 16X-Zach Meade
Mini Stocks (25 Laps): 1. 25-Charles Canfield[1]; 2. 83-Christopher Garside[7]; 3. 42-John Bavolacco[8]; 4. 1CT-Jared Roy[6]; 5. 19-David Dorr[5]; 6. 88-Bill Sylvia[3]; 7. 22CT-Brad Caddick[4]; 8. 20-Joe Bavolacco[9]; 9. 6-Nicholas Pappacoda[2]; 10. 81-Stacey Zentek[11]; 11. 28-Erica Canfield[12]; 12. 73-Eric Julian[13]; 13. 12-Aiden Sullivan[14]; 14. 72-David Lee[10]
INEX Legend Cars (30 Laps): 1. 22-Isaiah Newcomb[6]; 2. 27N-Nicholaus Bulkeley[4]; 3. 05-Dylan Freeman[3]; 4. 89-Dylan Cote[5]; 5. 19MA-Jase Mongeon[8]; 6. 77-Dennis Pantani[1]; 7. 86-Scott Limkemann[9]; 8. 76-Edward Gomarlo[11]; 9. 15-Scott Kinsman[14]; 10. 26-Sydney Cook[13]; 11. 91-Riley Paul[2]; 12. 14Z-Zachary Martinez[7]; 13. 65-Wade Oemcke[10]; 14. 7X-Patrick Smith[12]
Sources: Mitch Bombard/New London-Waterford Speedbowl PR
(Images by TK Race Photo)
Legend Car Lap 2 accident
Cory DiMatteo in victory lane
Cory Dimatteo after the final restart leading Andrew Molleur and Eric Berndt
Andrew Molleur racing to the checkered flag with Ray Christian and Brody Monahan behind