Rich Hammann Wins Riley Generators Limited Late Model 30 at Stafford; Christopher, Gray, Pearl, & Hydar Also Score Feature Wins
(Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Speedway’s Limited Late Model division took center stage on Friday, July 12 with their lone extra distance feature event of the 2024 season, the Riley Generators 30. Rich Hammann was the big winner of the night, taking advantage of a late-race restart to win the Riley 30. Hammann becomes the first repeat Limited Late Model feature winner after there were 9 different winners in the first 9 races. Other feature winners included Michael Christopher, Jr. in the SK Modified® feature, Adam Gray in the Late Model feature, Alexander Pearl in the SK Light feature, and Travis Hydar in the Street Stock feature.
In the 30-lap Riley Generators Limited Late Model feature event, Jeremy Lavoie brought the field to the green flag and he took the lead on the opening lap. Gary Patnode took second behind Lavoie with Connor Jencik, RJ Surdell, and Matt Clement making up the top-5. Surdell took third from Jencik on lap-5 while Adrien Paradis, III was on the move and he took fourth place on lap-6 to drop Jencik back to fifth as Lavoie continued to hold the lead with Patnode giving chase from second place. Mike Hopkins backed into the turn 1 wall to bring the caution flag out with 9 laps complete.
Lavoie took the lead back under green with Patnode still holding second. Surdell was third in line with Kevin Cormier moving up to fourth. Rich Hammann took fifth on lap-13 to drop Paradis back to sixth. Surdell made a move on lap-19 to move into second and that move allowed Hammann to take third and drop Patnode back to fourth as Lavoie continued to lead. Ari Jencik spun in turn 1 to bring the caution flag back out with 22 laps complete.
Lavoie took the lead on the restart with Hammann moving into second. Surdell was third with Kevin Cormier up to fourth and Paradis in fifth. Hammann made a move in turn 3 to take the lead from Lavoie but Matt Winter, II spun in turn 2 to bring the caution flag out with 26 laps complete and negate that pass. Patnode was sent to the rear of the field by Stafford officials for making contact with Winter.
Hammann was able to stay even with Lavoie on the restart and Hammann led lap-27 by a nose. Hammann cleared Lavoie on lap-28 while Surdell was third and Devon Jencik took fourth place from Paradis. Hammann took the checkered flag to pick up his second win of the season and become the first repeat Limited Late Model winner in 2024. Lavoie held off Surdell for second with Kyle Theriault and Devon Jencik rounding out the top-5.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® event, Wesley Prucker took the early lead at the drop of the green flag while Keith Rocco quickly moved up to second. Marcello Rufrano and Anthony Flannery were wheel to wheel for third with Andrew Molleur in fifth place. Rocco made a move to the inside of Prucker on lap-3 and he took the lead from Prucker on lap-4. Prucker came right back to the inside of Rocco on lap-5 and he retook the lead. RJ Marcotte and Curt Brainard spun on the frontstretch with Ethan Durocher getting collected to bring the caution flag out with 6 laps complete.
Prucker and Rocco went wheel to wheel on the restart with Rocco holding the lead by a nose to complete lap-7. Prucker got clear into the lead on lap-8 with Rufrano taking second. Rufrano took the lead from Prucker on lap-10 with Flannery taking second. Michael Christopher, Jr. took third with Prucker falling from the lead back to fourth place with Rocco in fifth.
Michael Gervais, Jr. took fourth on lap-15 with Rocco taking fifth and Prucker falling back to sixth while Flannery took the lead from Rufrano on lap-16. Prucker’s great night came to an end against the backstretch wall to bring the caution flag out with 16 laps complete.
Flannery took the lead back under green with Rufrano slotting into second behind him. Rufrano didn’t stay behind Flannery for very long as he made a move going into turn 3 and came out of turn 4 with the lead. Christopher was now third behind Rufrano and Flannery with Rocco in fourth and Cory DiMatteo in fifth. Christopher started to apply heavy pressure to Flannery for second, but Flannery was able to keep Christopher behind him. Flannery then started looking high and low for a way to get around Rufrano for the lead but wasn’t able to make a pass. Flannery lost second to Christopher on lap-27 and Christopher immediately began to hound Rufrano for the race lead. Christopher made a bottom shot move going into turn 1 and he took the lead from Rufrano on lap-30.
With 5 laps to go it was still Christopher in the lead with Rufrano, Flannery, Rocco, and Gervais lined up behind him. Christopher led Rufrano and Flannery to the checkered flag to pick up his second win of the season. Rocco finished fourth and Gervais rounded out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, Alexandra Fearn streaked into the lead at the start of the race with P.J. Zarrella in second. Tom Fearn was third in the early going followed by Tom Butler in fourth and Andrew Durand in fifth place. Darrell Keane spun in turn 4 to bring the caution flag out with 5 laps complete.
Alexandra Fearn took the lead on the restart with Tom Fearn moving up to second. There was a scuffle midpack that saw cars scrambling but there was no contact or spins and everyone continued on under green. Durand moved up to third with Adam Gray up to fourth and Chris Buffone was now up to fifth on lap-8 with the two Fearns leading the field.
Gray took third place on lap-11 with Durand falling back to fourth. Paul Varricchio, Jr. was up to fifth while Buffone fell back to sixth, just in front of Kevin Gambacorta, who was on a charge through the field after starting 12th. Varricchio took fourth on lap-13 with Durand and Gambacorta following him through to move into fourth and fifth and drop Buffone back to sixth.
Tom Fearn caught Alexandra Fearn on lap-15 and began to look for a way to move into the lead. Tom made his move on lap-17 to the inside of Alexandra in turn 4 and he took over the race lead. While the Fearns were contesting the lead, Gray ran the two leaders down and on lap-19 it was now a 3-car fight for the lead with Varricchio just behind the lead trio in fourth. Gray worked his way around Alexandra on lap-20 to move into second with Varricchio now applying heavy pressure to Alexandra for third while Gray was all over the back bumper of Tom Fearn looking to take the lead.
Gray got to the inside of Tom Fearn on lap-25 and he took the lead on lap-26. Varricchio was now side by side with Alexandra Fearn for third with Varricchio taking the position on lap-27. Gambacorta was now in fifth with Durand back to sixth. Gambacorta took fourth on lap-29 to drop Alexandra Fearn back to fifth but it was Adam Gray taking down the feature win, his first of the season. Tom Fearn finished second with Varricchio, Gambacorta, and Alexandra Fearn rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap SK Light feature event, Robert Bloxsom, III took the early lead after a lap of wheel-to-wheel racing with Sami Anderson. Chris Viens was third with Jason Chapman and Nickolas Hovey side by side for fourth when the caution flew with 2 laps complete for Paul Arute, who spun in the middle of turns 3+4.
Bloxsom took the lead on the restart with Anderson in second. One lap after the restart, Anderson spun in turn 3 with about half of the field taking avoiding action and getting collected to bring the caution out. The majority of the cars involved were all able to continue.
Bloxsom again took the lead on the restart with Jason Chapman and Alexander Pearl going wheel to wheel for second. Tyler Chapman was fourth in line with Amanda West and Tyler Alkas wheel to wheel for fifth. Chapman took the lead on lap-7 just before the caution came out for Norm Sears, who spun in turn 2 and collected the car of Anthony Forino.
The restart saw contact between Bloxsom and Jason Chapman fighting for the lead in turn 3 with several cars getting collected and the caution flag came right back out. With Bloxsom and Chapman both out of the race, Pearl was the new leader for the restart with Tyler Chapman on his outside in second.
Pearl took the lead on the restart while Tyler Chapman didn’t come up to speed as he had a flat right rear tire. Meghan Fuller took second with Ron Midford, Jr. third, Alkas fourth, and Stephen Kalogiannis fifth. Nick Anglace spun in turn 4 on lap-10 but he was able to keep going and the race stayed green.
As the field hit the halfway point, the action behind Pearl was heating up as Midford nearly made a pass for second but Fuller was able to hold him off. Pearl led the field to the checkered flag to pick up his first win of the season. Fuller finished second with Midford, Kalogiannis, and Alkas rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Street Stock feature, Marvin Minkler and Bert Ouellette brought the field to the green flag with Ouellette taking the early led with Minkler in second. Chris Danielczuk was dueling door to door with Brandon Warren for third with Jason Lafayette taking fifth. Warren won the battle with Danielczuk and took second as Minkler began to slide backwards, falling back to tenth place on lap-8. Ouellette was still in command with Warren, Danielczuk, Lafayette, and Tyler Trott making up the top-5.
Travis Hydar worked his way past Trott to take over fifth place on lap-11 while Ouellette was still leading Warren, Danielczuk, and Lafayette. Hydar was applying heavy pressure to Lafayette for fourth place, but Lafayette was able to maintain fourth and keep Hydar in fifth. The caution flew with 15 laps complete for Bill Cote, who came to a stop in the middle of turns 1+2.
Warren took the lead on the outside of Ouellette on the restart with Danielczuk third, Hydar fourth, and Lafayette fifth. Hydar took third place on lap-17 with Lafayette taking fourth and Danielczuk falling back to fifth with Warren and Ouellette still at the front of the pack. Ouellette made a move in turn 4 to retake the lead from Warren as the field was coming to the white flag. Hydar followed him through to take second and drop Warren back to third. The caution flew just after the cars took the white flag for Travis Downey and Trott, who came together and ended up getting into the turn 3 wall. This caution set up a green-white-checkered finish with Ouellette and Hydar on the front row and Warren and Lafayette in the second row.
Hydar charged into the lead on the restart with Ouellette in second. Warren and Lafayette were door to door for third but it was all Hydar at the front as he nailed down his 7th win of the 2024 season, which was his fourth consecutive victory. Ouellette finished second with Jeff Asselin, Warren, and Sean Petlock rounding out the top-5 as positions shuffled in the final corner coming to the checkered flag.
For more information contact the Stafford Motor Speedway track office at (860) 684-2783, or visit us on the web at www.staffordspeedway.com.
RILEY GENERATORS LIMITED LATE MODEL 30 (30)
1) Rich Hammann, Tolland
2) Jeremy Lavoie, Windsor Locks
3) RJ Surdell, Willington
4) Kyle Theriault, Three Rivers, MA
5) Devon Jencik, Canton
6) Adrien Paradis, III, Plainville
7) Matt Clement, Wethersfield
8) Mike Hopkins, Stafford Springs
9) Connor Jencik, Canton
10) Kevin Cormier, Agawam, MA
11) Kevin Crosby, Coventry
12) Ari Jencik, Canton
13) Gary Patnode, Barkhamsted
14) Samantha Dell, Pascoag, RI
15) Darryl Vertefeuille, Willington
16) Scott Clement, Wethersfield
17) Trinity Provost, Holland, MA
18) Dana Wray, Northford
19) Shelby Swan, Durham
20) Matthew Winter, II, Springfield, VT
21) Cindy Stirk, Naugatuck
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Michael Christopher, Jr., Wolcott
2) Marcello Rufrano, North Haven
3) Anthony Flannery, East Hampton
4) Keith Rocco, Berlin
5) Michael Gervais, Jr., Wolcott
6) Andrew Molleur, Shelton
7) Cory DiMatteo, Farmington
8) Jon Puleo, Branford
9) Steven Chapman, Ellington
10) Jack Baldwin, Mooresville, NC
11) John Sandberg, South Windsor
12) Troy Talman, Oxford, MA
13) Austin Beers, Northampton, PA
14) RJ Marcotte, Millville, MA
15) Curt Brainard, Canton
16) Art Caruso, Windsor
17) Todd Owen, Somers
18) David Arute, Tolland
19) Wesley Prucker, Stafford Springs
20) Mikey Flynn, Hampden, MA
21) Ethan Durocher, Canterbury
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Adam Gray, Granby, MA
2) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, MA
3) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
4) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
5) Alexandra Fearn, Hampden, MA
6) Bobby Stirk, III, Naugatuck
7) Andrew Durand, Chicopee, MA
8) Chris Meyer, Franklin
9) Al Saunders, Stafford Springs
10) Chris Buffone, Belchertown, MA
11) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
12) Cliff Saunders, Stafford Springs
13) P.J. Zarrella, Morris
14) Duane Noll, Monroe
15) Scott Foster, Jr., Enfield
16) Wayne Coury, Jr., Fairfield
17) Darrell Keane, Enfield
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (20)
1) Alexander Pearl, Salem
2) Meghan Fuller, Auburn, MA
3) Ron Midford, Jr., Ellington
4) Stephen Kalogiannis, New Hartford
5) Tyler Alkas, Berlin
6) Paul Arute, Tolland
7) Sami Anderson, Wolcott
8) Jason Chapman, Ellington
9) Chris Viens, Putnam
10) Amanda West, Colchester
11) Frank L’Etoile, Jr., Wethersfield
12) Paul Arcari, Somers
13) Glenn Bartkowski, Manchester
14) Aiden D’Agata, Willington
15) Mark Massirio, Berlin
16) Austin Goff, Stafford Springs
17) Wade Gagner, East Longmeadow, MA
18) Nick Anglace, Seymour
19) Robert Bloxsom, III, Milford
20) Matt Brewer, Norwich
21) Tyler Chapman, Ellington
22) Bob Charland, Stafford Springs
23) Nickolas Hovey, Chaplin
24) Norm Sears, Andover
25) Anthony Forino, Waterbury
26) Peter Bennett, Windsor
27) Chris Matthews, Stafford
28) Carsten Cole, Westbrook
29) Casey Vogt, Windsor Locks
30) Josh Morrison, Ashford
31) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
32) Chris Bagnall, Winsted
33) Ed Chicoski, New Hartford
STREET STOCK (20)
1) Travis Hydar, Woodbury
2) Bert Ouellette, Ellington
3) Jeff Asselin, Granby, MA
4) Brandon Warren, Chicopee, MA
5) Sean Petlock, Ware, MA
6) Jason Raymond, Somers
7) Marvin Minkler, Stamford
8) Chris Danielczuk, Goshen
9) Jason Lafayette, Somers
10) Bill Cote, Belchertown, MA
11) Ashton Young, Griswold
12) Nick Ullrich, Cranston, RI
13) Travis Downey, Barkhamsted
14) Tyler Trott, East Hartford
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Speedway PR