Flannery wins race and Wednesday Legends Cars Championship; Sowa, Potter and Williams others in Victory Lane
Waterford, CT — Waterford Speedbowl crowned another champion of its Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday program and saw two championship battles tighten up headed into the final week of competition next Wednesday. Anthony Flannery of East Hampton merely had to start the Legends Cars race to cinch up the division championship but won it in style by executing a thrilling final corner pass to win the event. Hometown driver Al Potter scored a popular win in the Super X-Cars, his first of the year. Patrick Williams of Middletown took the X-Car race. The championship battle tightened in the Super X-Car and X-Car divisions after the night’s racing was complete. Nicholas Sowa of Middletown won his fourth Bandolero race of the year and third in four weeks. Taylor-Marie Moran of Preston and Kim Parker of Niantic split the two Women on Wheels races.
An exciting 20-lap Legends Car race started out rough, as multiple cautions and a red flag slowed the action over the opening circuits. Through that exchange the top five cars changed hands when multiple leaders were involved in the early turmoil.
Jason Palmer took over the lead when racing went green on lap 2, using the outside lane to get around Dennis Pantani. Nick Ladyga also got around Pantani for second, with Flannery riding in fourth. The order remained that way through lap 9 when yellow was back out for Johnnie Gloor who spun in three.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
Palmer raced out to a sizeable lead over the remainder of the race which stayed green. Flannery got around both Pantani and Ladyga with his sights set on Palmer out front. Flannery dug in, tracking down Palmer to reach him by lap 15.
The final five laps saw the two put on an exciting duel for the win. Palmer was doing all he could to hold back Flannery, and Flannery was exhausting every option in an effort to get around Palmer. The two raced the other hard and weren’t afraid to play a little bumper tag as the race wound down to the final two laps. On the final lap with Palmer trying to hold the low groove, Flannery was able to execute a bump and run maneuver through turns three and four to race underneath Palmer. The two drag raced off turn four to the checkered flag with Flannery winning by inches in one of the most exciting races of the Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday season. Ladyga, Chris Young Jr. and Pantani completed the top five behind Flannery and Palmer.
Nicholas Sowa and teammate Kenneth Morin Jr. ended up first and second in the 20-lap Bandolero race, holding off newly crowned division champion Taylor Martin. During the first half of the race it was a battle between the two teammates, with Sowa eventually passing Morin for the lead. Martin was making her way from the back of the field looking poised to become a factor. Martin and Corey Dimatteo came together on the front stretch spinning off course to bring out the caution flag.
With the restart Sowa was able to keep the lead over Morin and go on to the win, his fourth of the season. Martin charged back from the tail of the field in the remaining laps, to beat out Andy Carpenter and Dimatteo for third out of the final corner.
Williams won his third X-Car race of the year, assuming command of the race after pole sitter Pete Zaikarite retired to the infield after lap 2 with mechanical failure. Williams opened up a large lead over the first half of the race but caution on lap 12 slowed the pace when a four-car accident exited turn four.
After the cleanup, Williams continued to lead over Mike Marvin, Glen Thomas Jr., Dan D’addario and Devin Widger who battled for the next six circuits. Lapped traffic came into play on lap 18 off turn four causing Thomas and D’addario to get together and spin, dropping them from the top-five. Caution waved, setting up a green-white-checkered finish to the race and jumble the lineup. Williams held on for the win over Marvin.
The final caution tightened the points race headed to the final week of competition. D’addario gained six points on Thomas after tangling late in the race. Thomas leads D’addario by six in the unofficial standings.
Mark Boisvert led the opening laps of the 20-lap Super X-Car race but Ken Downing III moved in to challenge the outside of Boisvert by lap 5. Downing continued to inch his way alongside as Al Potter moved to Boisvert’s bumper to make it a three-car race up front.
Downing finally pulled ahead to lead lap 9, as Boisvert came up the track allowing Potter to pick up the second position behind Downing. Heavy traffic behind Boisvert saw Charles Beal, Shawn Perkins, Mike Maskell and others battling two and three-wide for the back half of the top-five.
Up front Potter began looking for a way around Downing. Potter peeked under the leader in turn two of lap 15, pulling alongside to lead by a nose on lap 16. Potter was ahead by two car lengths when major trouble broke out behind him racing into turn one of the final lap. Contact battling for second saw Downing spin in front of a tight back behind creating a several car pileup in turn two. Robert Norman, John Porter and Downing’s car made heavy contact with several others scattering for cover. Red flag was issued when Norman’s car caught fire. All drivers were ok following the incident.
Potter and Perkins were on the front row for the restart in a two-lap dash for the win. Those two stayed glued together over the final two laps before Potter edged ahead out of the final corner to take his first win of the year. Perkins was second ahead of John Yagmin, Maskell and Rob Corey completing the top five finishers.
The Super X championship race also tightened at the conclusion of the race as Beal, the point leader, was caught up in the final caution and restarted from the rear. He rallied to a 10th place finish over the final two laps. Beal now holds a 17-point lead over Maskell headed into the final race.
For more information about Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday and the calendar of events, please visit www.speedbowl.com or contact track offices at 860.442.1585.
Waterford Speedbowl 8/25 Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Results:
Legends Cars (20-laps): 1. Anthony Flannery, East Hampton; 2. Jason Palmer, Berlin; 3. Nick Ladyga, Voluntown; 4. Chris Young, Calverton; 5. Dennis Pantani, Branford; 6. David Garbo Jr., Stonington; 7. Brian Spencer, Edison, NJ; 8. Troy Talman, Oxford, MA; 9. Dan Butler, Waterford; 10. George Dorothy Jr., Deep River; 11. Richard White III, North Stonington; 12. Johnnie Gloor IV, Flanders, NJ; 13. Mike Beebe Sr., Old Saybrook; 14. Peter Cirilli, Farmington; 15. Edward Field, Deep River; 16. Dana Dimatteo, Farmington; 17. George Whitney, Westbrook; 18. Jeff Goodale, Riverhead, NY; 19. Matthew Carpenter, Auburn, MA; 20. Carlo Blandina, Milford; 21. Joey Mucciacciaro, Wolcott
Unofficial Standings after fourteen events: 1. Flannery, 656; 2. E. Field, 520; 3. Dimatteo, 510; 4. Blandina, 494; 5. Pantani, 471; 6. Garbo Jr., 435; 7. Mucciacciaro, 388; 8. White III, 382; 9. Ladyga, 382; 10. Talman, 368
Bandolero’s (20-laps): 1. Nicholas Sowa, Middletown; 2. Kenneth Morin Jr., Old Saybrook; 3. Taylor Martin, Windham, NH; 4. Andrew Carpenter, Auburn, MA; 5. Corey Dimatteo, Farmington; Branford; 6. Jordan Lamothe, Woodstock; 7. Daniel Stolte, Northbridge, MA; 8. Tyler Chalue, Dudley, MA; 9. Nicholas Matera, Warwick, RI; 10. Jordan Churchill, Lisbon
Unofficial Standings after fourteen events: 1. Martin, 689; 2. Chalue, 565; 3. Morin Jr., 563; 4. Sowa, 487; 5. Carpenter, 482; 6. C. Dimatteo, 433; 7. Ternullo, 419; 8. Churchill, 386; 9. Matera, 388; 10. Forte, 378
Super X-Cars (20-laps): 1. Al Potter IV, Waterford; 2. Shawn Perkins, Groton; 3. John Yagmin, Tolland; 4. Mike Maskell II, Quaker Hill; 5. Rob Corey, South Windsor; 6. Mark Boisvert, Uxbridge, MA; 7. Peter Pollard, Old Lyme; 8. Taylor Marie-Moran, Preston; 9. Frank Alessio; 10. Charles Beal, Ledyard; 11. Jim Boyle, East Windsor; 12. Ed Ryan, Preston; 13. Richard Avino, North Haven; 14. Dan Moon, Exeter, RI; 15. Bill Reiman, Southington; 16. Michael Caprio, New Haven; 17. Paul Sheldon, Guildford; 18. Shawn Butler, Jewett City; 19. Ken Downing III, Branford; 20. Jon Porter, Canterbury; 21. Robert Norman, Clinton; 22. James Consalvo, East Hartford
Unofficial Standings after fourteen events: 1. Beal, 571; 2. Maskell II, 554; 3. Caprio, 513; 4. Perkins, 510; 5. Yagmin, 509; 6. Corey, 502; 7. Pollard, 458; 8. Consalvo, 444; 9. Downing, 441; 10. Boisvert, 446
X-Cars (20-laps) – unofficial: 1. Patrick Williams, Middletown; 2. Michael Marvin, Colchester; 3. Chris Garside, Waterford; 4. Jeremy Bourbeau, Taftville; 5. Wayne Shifflett, Preston; 6. Randy Johnston, Westerly, RI; 7. Brad Voglesong, Middletown; 8. Dan D’addario, Columbia; 9. Onie Pierce, Norwich; 10. John Bowes, Willington; 11. Glen Thomas Jr., Groton; 12. Shawn Stula, Colchester; 13. Bill Giles, Stratford; 14. Bruce Hall, Ledyard; 15. Scott Limkemann, East Lyme; 16. Arthur Phillips, Norwich; 17. David Lloyd, Mystic; 18. Michele Cicio, Baltic; 19. Rick Mollo, Seymour; 20. Kim Bickford, Jewett City; 21. Christopher Ivory, Oakdale; 22. Mike Trask, Plainfield; 23. Daniel Madore, Sterling; 24. C.P. Burdick, Deep River; 25. Peter Zaikarite, Niantic; DQ – Devin Widger, Plainville;
Unofficial Standings after fourteen events: 1. Thomas Jr., 618; 2. D’addario, 602; 3. Voglesong, 553; 4. Widger, 548; 5. Trask, 454; 6. Johnston, 458; 7. Shifflett, 454; 8. Williams, 445; 9. Marvin, 435; 10. Madore, 362
Sources: Waterford Speedbowl PR