Berndt, Fearn, Ferrigno, Arute, Dembek, & Korner Score August 19 CBYD Night Feature Wins at Stafford
Stafford Springs, CT)—Stafford Speedway returned to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series racing action with Xtra Mart Convenience Stores Xtra D feature events for the SK Lights and DARE Stocks as part of CBYD 811 Night. Taking down Xtra D wins were Joey Ferrigno in the SK Light feature and Dan Dembek in the DARE Stock feature while Eric Berndt won the SK Modified® feature, Tom Fearn won the Late Model feature, Paul Arute won the Limited Late Model feature, and Noah Korner won the Legend Cars feature.
In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Matt Galko streaked into the lead at the drop of the green as he went to the outside of Tyler Hines. Mike Christopher, Jr. quickly moved into third with Eric Berndt fourth and Ted Christopher fifth. Christopher went by Berndt for fourth on lap-4 and he was now right on his nephew’s bumper as Galko continued to lead with Hines right behind him. Frank Ruocco spun in turn 3 and backed into the wall to bring the caution out with 8 laps complete.
A huge melee broke out on the restart with the majority of the field coming together and bottling up to bring the caution and red flags out.
Berndt took the lead from Christopher, Jr. with an outside pass with Jeff Gallup in third, Tom Bolles in fourth, and Dan Avery in fifth. Berndt began to pull away from Christopher, Jr., Gallup, and Avery as Ronnie Williams got around Bolles to move into fifth on lap-14. Gallup began to slide backwards as Williams, Hines, Rowan Pennink and Woody Pitkat all got by him to drop him back to ninth at lap-25 as Berndt was still in command with Christopher, Jr. giving chase.
With 10 laps to go, Christopher, Jr. was still giving chase to Berndt for the lead while Williams, Avery, and Todd Owen were in the top-5. The caution came out with 35 laps complete for spins in turn 3 by Cam McDermott and Bob Charland to set up a 5-lap dash to the finish.
Berndt took the lead with Williams pulling alongside Christopher, Jr. for second. Williams took second with Avery now challenging Christopher, Jr. for third with 3 laps to go. Berndt led Williams to the checkered flag to pick up his second win of the 2016 season with Avery, Christopher, Jr., and Owen rounding out the top-5.
In the 30-lap Late Model feature event, the outside line got bottled up as Joel Monahan was slow to come up to speed on the front row. Tyler Leary took the lead while Michael Wray moved into second, Tom Butler third, Michael Bennett fourth, and Kevin Gambacorta fifth after the bottleneck shuffled things in a hurry. Gambacorta spun through the infield on the frontstretch to bring the caution out with 3 laps complete.
Wray and Butler were locked in a side by side duel for the lead back under green with Bennett third, Wayne Coury, Jr. fourth and Tom Fearn fifth. Wray got clear to the lead on lap-6 with Bennett, Coury, and Fearn all moving up a spot as Butler fell back to fifth in line.
Fearn got around Coury to move into third on lap10 as Wray continued to lead Bennett at the front of the field. Fearn got around Bennett to move into second and he began to set sail after Wray, who had pulled out to a lead of several car lengths. The top-2 cars were pulling away from Bennett and Coury in third and fourth. Glen Reen did a 360 spin in turn 2 on lap-21 and quickly rejoined the action so the race stayed under green flag conditions. Fearn had caught Wray and he made his move for the lead on lap-23 with a pass in turn 2.
Fearn led Wray to the checkered flag for his sixth win of the season and his third consecutive win. Coury finished third, with Butler and Gambacorta rounding out the top-5.
In the 25-lap SK Light feature event, Vinny Anglace took the lead at the drop of the green flag with Joe Graf, Jr. and Al Wisialko side by side for second. David Arute was fourth with Tony Membrino, Jr. and Joey Ferrigno in fifth and sixth. Arute nearly made a 3-wide bid for second but he backed off and settled back into line in fourth on lap-4.
Membrino and Arute were dueling side by side for several laps for the fourth position until lap-11 when they both drifted up the track and they fell back to sixth and seventh as Ferrigno moved into fourth and Wesson moved into fifth. Wesson spun in turn 4 directly in front of Membrino and Arute on lap-17 and then Mark Alkas spun in turn 3 to bring the caution out with 17 laps complete.
Anglace took the lead on the restart with Ferrigno moving into second as Graf didn’t come up to speed as quickly as everyone else. Wisialko was up to third with Arute fourth and Graf settled into line in fifth. Membrino’s car was starting to drop off the pace and he was sliding backwards when the caution came out with 21 laps complete for a spin in turn 4 by Andrew Les.
Ferrigno took the lead from Anglace on the restart with Wisialko in third. Arute was right behind him in fourth with Wesson up to fifth. Anglace made a last lap bid for the lead but he was unable to get close to Ferrigno as Ferrigno took down his second win of the 2016 season. Wisialko finished third with Arute and Wesson rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Limited Late Model feature event, R.J. Surdell took the lead at the green with Frank L’Etoile, Jr. quickly moving into second. Cliff and Al Saunders worked their way past Jeremy Lavoie to move into third and fourth with Paul Arute challenging Lavoie for fifth. Arute took fifth from Lavoie as L’Etoile was beginning to apply heavy pressure to Surdell for the race lead.
L’Etoile made his move for the lead on lap-6 but before the lap could be completed the caution came out for Doug Phelps, who came to a stop in turn 2. This put Surdell back in the lead for the restart with L’Etoile on his outside.
L’Etoile took the lead on the restart with Cliff Saunders in second. Arute moved up tho third with Duane Provost and Bryan Narducci making up the top-5 as Surdell slid back to seventh. Arute took second from Cliff Saunders on lap-12 and his move opened the door for Provost to get alongside Saunders. Provost took the spot on lap-13 and now Narducci was alongside Saunders. Narducci took fourth on lap-14 just as Arute got by L’EToile to move into the race lead. Provost followed Arute by L’Etoile to drop L’Etoile back to third in the running order.
Arute led Provost to the checkered flag for his fourth win of the 2016 season. L’Etoile finished third with Narducci and Al Saunders rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap DARE Stock feature event, Vince Gambacorta spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out before a lap could be completed. Dan Dembek took the lead with Michael Hopkins right behind him in second. Brandon Michael and Johnny Walker quickly worked their way up to third and fourth with Tyler Trott in fifth.
Zack Robinson and Nicole Chambrello spun in turn 2 on lap-7 but they were both able to get moving and the race stayed green with Dembek still leading Hopkins, Michael, Trott, and Walker. Chambrello spun on the backstretch to bring the caution out with 10 laps complete.
Dembek took the lead but Hopkins didn’t quite come up to speed and Walker shot the gap to move into second. Hopkins fell back into a fight with Trace Beyer for sixth as Michael took third, Trott fourth, and Alexandra Fearn was fifth. Robinson spun in turn 2 to bring the caution out with 12 laps complete.
Dembek took the lead with Walker hot on his trail in second. Michael and Trott were side by side for third with Fearn in fifth. Trott took the spot with Michael falling back to fourth as Beyer got by Fearn and Hopkins to move into fifth place. Dembek led Walker to the checkered flag to pick up his first win of the 2016 season. Trott finished third with Beyer and Hopkins rounding out the top-5.
In the 20-lap Legend Cars feature event, Noah Korner went outside his brother Glenn to take the early race lead. Teddy Hodgdon used a 3-wide move to take second behind Korner with Glenn Korner third, Steven Chapman fourth, and Andrew Quealy was fifth.
At the halfway point of the race, Noah Korner and Hodgdon were lined up nose to tail and they had pulled away from Chapman and Glenn Korner while Quealy had retired with mechanical issues. Glenn Korner pulled off the track on lap-13 with mechanical issues which left Chapman all alone to try to chase down the lead duo of Noah Korner and Hodgdon.
Korner held Hodgdon off to the checkered flag to pick up his fourth win of the 2016 season. Chapman finished third with Glenn Korner and Quealy 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 atwww.staffordspeedway.com.
SK MODIFIED® (40)
1) Eric Berndt, Cromwell
2) Ronnie Williams, Tolland
3) Dan Avery, Somers
4) Michael Christopher, Jr., Wolcott
5) Todd Owen, Somers
6) Tyler Hines, North Haven
7) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa
8) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs
9) Nick Salva, Prospect
10) Jeff Gallup, Agawam, Ma
11) Tom Bolles, Ellington
12) Bob Charland, Stafford
13) Cam McDermott, Canterbury
14) Keith Rocco, Berlin
15) Matt Galko, Meriden
16) Ted Christopher, Plainville
17) Michael Gervais, Jr., Southbury
18) Payton Henry, Willington
19) Stephen Kopcik, Newtown
20) Ed Spiers, Beacon Falls
21) Danny Cates, Chaplin
22) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire
LATE MODEL (30)
1) Tom Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
2) Michael Wray, Northford
3) Wayne Coury, Jr., Shelton
4) Tom Butler, Stafford Springs
5) Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington
6) Josh Wood, Palmer, Ma
7) Tyler Leary, Hatfield, Ma
8) Rich Hammann, Tolland
9) P.J. Zarrella, Goshen
10) Paul Varricchio, Jr., Berlin
11) Joel Monahan, Whately, Ma
12) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Ma
13) Michael Bennett, Willington
14) Michael Mordino, Southington
SK LIGHT MODIFIED (25)
1) Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford
2) Vinny Anglace, Ansonia
3) Al Wisialko, Westwood, Ma
4) David Arute, Tolland
5) Daniel Wesson, Monson, Ma
6) Joe Graf, Jr., Mahwah, Nj
7) Norm Sears, Andover
8) Keith Caruso, Millbury, Ma
9) Jay Goff, Stafford Springs
10) Fred Nees, Jr., New Milford
11) Andrew Les, Boston, Ma
12) Ryan Charland, Stafford Springs
13) Mark Alkas, Berlin
14) Wesley Prucker, Stafford
15) Carlos Gray, East Hartford
16) Sean Mandel, Marlborough
17) Tony Membrino, Jr., Berlin
18) Ted Cain, Plymouth
19) Marc Burke, Tolland
LIMITED LATE MODEL (20)
1) Paul Arute, Tolland
2) Duane Provost, Palmer, Ma
3) Frank L’Etoile, Jr., Wethersfield
4) Bryan Narducci, Colchester
5) Al Saunders, Stafford
6) Cliff Saunders, Stafford
7) R.J. Surdell, Manchester
8) David Tefft, Southampton, Ma
9) Matt Clement, Wethersfield
10) Jeremy Lavoie, Windsor Locks
11) Doug Phelps, Jr., New Salem, Ma
DARE STOCK (20)
1) Dan Dembek, Hampden, Ma
2) Johnny Walker, Ludlow, Ma
3) Tyler Trott, East Hartford
4) Brandon Michael, Granville, Ma
5) Trace Beyer, West Dover, Vt
6) Michael Hopkins, Springfield, Ma
7) Zack Robinson, Putnam
8) Alexandra Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
9) Vince Gambacorta, Ellington
10) Bill Staves, Windsor Locks
11) Chris Bagnall, Norfolk
12) Chris Sanford, Hamden
13) Chuck Harrison, Woodstock Valley
14) Nicole Chambrello, Kensington
15) Ryan Fearn, East Longmeadow, Ma
LEGEND CARS (20)
1) Noah Korner, Canton
2) Teddy Hodgdon, Danbury
3) Steve Chapman, Ellington
4) Glenn Korner, Canton
5) Andrew Quealy, Plainville
Sources: Scott Running/Stafford Motor Speedway PR