RGeeProductions
10-06-2013, 09:42 PM
Over 200 race cars turned out for
Waterford Speedbowl’s Finale Weekend, the annual close to the racing
season. Thirteen divisions took the track for practice and qualifying
with seven racing their final events of the year. The remaining six will
compete Sunday. Taking feature wins Saturday evening included Glenn
Griswold of Vernon in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Light
Modified, Kenney Johnson of Bethany in the NEMA Lites and Duane Noll of
Monroe in the New England Truck Series. Joining them were Waterford’s Dan
Butler in the Super X-Cars, Dave Gargaro Jr. of Cranston, RI in the X-Cars
and Derek Debbis of Oakdale in the INEX Bandoleros. Salem’s Corey
Hutchings came out on top of a wild finish in the Outlaw Stocks.
Griswold checkered his fourth SK Light Modified feature of the year, the
third time in the division’s last four races of the year. He took the
lead outside of Corey Barry off turn two on lap-4, driving to a solid
lead. With Griswold in command, Barry was able to hold second ahead of
the best action on the track as several cars battled for a place among the
top-five.
Victoria Bergenty, Chris Correll, Joey Ferrigno and Paul French were in
the mix trying to move forward and challenge the top two. Correll slipped
past Bergenty for third as French spun out in turn four on lap-8 trying to
mix it up with Ferrigno. French was able to resume, leaving Ferrigno to
chase down Bergenty. He moved past her into fourth and was closing on
Correll in third as the race reached halfway. Contact between the two off
turn four down the front chute ended with Correll spinning in turn one to
bring out the first caution flag of the race on lap-13.
Griswold quickly got away from Barry on the restart but trouble off turn
two saw several cars make contact with Ferrigno getting the worst of it,
coming to rest against the back stretch wall with right front damage that
ended his race. The field singled out following the next restart as
Griswold rolled back out to a comfortable lead. Two more cautions over
slowed Griswold until the final eight laps were able to be completed
without incident. Griswold staved off Barry each time and drove away to
the win. Barry ended the race second and Correll wound up third.
Randy Churchill clinched the division track championship with a fifth
place finish. Churchill overcame trouble in his qualifying race that sent
him to the pit area for repairs to the right front of his car to make the
feature race. Churchill was in his second season competing in the
division.
The 25-lap Outlaw Stock race was rough and tumble. The division, which
welcomes cars from outside speedways to compete with more relaxed rules,
saw several competitors with a chance at victory during the feature. The
race began with Paul Newcomb jumping ahead to the early lead with Jay
Stuart hounding him. The field had settled in nicely until the first
caution waved as Keith Rocco’s ride went up in a plume of smoke and flame
through turns one and two. Rocco pulled off and was able to exit the car.
Over the final 10 laps the top cars engaged in a fierce war to come away
with the checkered flag. Stuart and Newcomb duked it out at the front,
including contact on lap-16 that saw Stuart out of shape exiting turn four
and Newcomb in the grass somehow able to steal away the lead. Stuart
retaliated in turn three, diving under Newcomb with both cars sideways.
Cory Casagrande joined the action from third place and off turn four
Newcomb went spinning to the infield to bring the race to caution.
Hutchings moved to second past Casagrande on the restart and challenged
Stuart. The two came together off turn two battling for the lead, robbing
their momentum and allowing Casagrande to scoot past the outside of both
into the lead on lap-19. A restart on lap-20 saw Casagrande and Stuart
get hooked coming to the green flag as Hutchings tried to slip past the
inside of both, ending with Casagrande against the turn one wall. Stuart
also resumed from the rear.
Two more cautions over the final five laps enabled both Newcomb and Stuart
to furiously rally through the remaining competition to make a run at
Hutchings. The final yellow flag of the race set up a one-lap shootout to
settle the race. Hutchings led but was unable to shake both Newcomb and
Stuart, who ran side-by-side in second and third as they entered the final
corner. Contact sent Hutchings up the track with Newcomb and Stuart
making it three-wide to the checkered flag. All three cars spun coming to
the finish in a wild conclusion. Hutchings was declared the winner as his
car cross the line spinning backwards. Stuart finished second and Newcomb
third in one of the crazier finishes in track history.
The 25-lap X-Car feature was a memorable one for Gargaro as he scored a
popular first-ever Speedbowl win. Gargaro ran down Larry Loomis, the
early race leader during a green flag run that closed the race after a
caution on the initial start. Loomis bolted into the lead leaving Gargaro
to come through the field before chasing down Loomis. Gargaro used the
inside of the track to take command on lap-10, rolling to an impressive
victory. Loomis finished second while Jordan Hadley took third. Brad
Voglesong finished fifth, enough for him to sew up the division’s Saturday
Showdown Series championship. Voglesong also won the division’s Wild ‘n
Wacky Wednesday title in what he has announced to be his final season
competing.
Butler topped the field in the 25-lap Super X-Cars, taking the lead from
Robert Goulet as the race reached its halfway point. He pulled ahead of
Goulet after the only caution flag of the race on lap-13 and went
unchallenged to the victory. Goulet ran a strong second place while Dave
Yardley came out on top in a spirited battle for third place that lasted
over the final 10 laps. Jon Porter captured the division’s Saturday
Showdown Series title by virtue of a fourth place finish. He edged Ed
Ryan in the standings by a single point.
Debbis led every lap in the 15-lap INEX Bandolero feature, a flawless run
from green flag to checkered flags in the caution-free event. He bested
Anthony Marvin, the division’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Series champion.
With the runner-up finish Marvin clinched the division’s Saturday series
title, sweeping the division during the season.
Noll took the victory in the visiting New England Truck Series race,
holding back a furious charge by Zach Sylvester during the middle of the
race to do so. Noll raced into the lead past Chris Correll on lap-5.
Sylvester kept things interesting following a yellow flag on lap-9,
staying outside Noll to battle for the lead for several laps. Sylvester
was able to wrestle the lead away for two laps before Noll rallied,
reclaiming the top spot for good on lap-15. He cruised to the win from
there, beating Correll and Sylvester at the finish.
Johnson was impressive in his run to the checkered flag during the night’s
25-lap NEMA Light race. He rose through the pack into the lead on the
outside of the track, overtaking early leader Ryan Bigelow on the ninth
lap. Johnson distanced himself from the pack in the race, which ran
without a caution flag. Jake Stergios took second and tried to close the
gap on Johnson but ran out of time. Stergios settled for second and
Bigelow finished third.
(continued)
Waterford Speedbowl’s Finale Weekend, the annual close to the racing
season. Thirteen divisions took the track for practice and qualifying
with seven racing their final events of the year. The remaining six will
compete Sunday. Taking feature wins Saturday evening included Glenn
Griswold of Vernon in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Light
Modified, Kenney Johnson of Bethany in the NEMA Lites and Duane Noll of
Monroe in the New England Truck Series. Joining them were Waterford’s Dan
Butler in the Super X-Cars, Dave Gargaro Jr. of Cranston, RI in the X-Cars
and Derek Debbis of Oakdale in the INEX Bandoleros. Salem’s Corey
Hutchings came out on top of a wild finish in the Outlaw Stocks.
Griswold checkered his fourth SK Light Modified feature of the year, the
third time in the division’s last four races of the year. He took the
lead outside of Corey Barry off turn two on lap-4, driving to a solid
lead. With Griswold in command, Barry was able to hold second ahead of
the best action on the track as several cars battled for a place among the
top-five.
Victoria Bergenty, Chris Correll, Joey Ferrigno and Paul French were in
the mix trying to move forward and challenge the top two. Correll slipped
past Bergenty for third as French spun out in turn four on lap-8 trying to
mix it up with Ferrigno. French was able to resume, leaving Ferrigno to
chase down Bergenty. He moved past her into fourth and was closing on
Correll in third as the race reached halfway. Contact between the two off
turn four down the front chute ended with Correll spinning in turn one to
bring out the first caution flag of the race on lap-13.
Griswold quickly got away from Barry on the restart but trouble off turn
two saw several cars make contact with Ferrigno getting the worst of it,
coming to rest against the back stretch wall with right front damage that
ended his race. The field singled out following the next restart as
Griswold rolled back out to a comfortable lead. Two more cautions over
slowed Griswold until the final eight laps were able to be completed
without incident. Griswold staved off Barry each time and drove away to
the win. Barry ended the race second and Correll wound up third.
Randy Churchill clinched the division track championship with a fifth
place finish. Churchill overcame trouble in his qualifying race that sent
him to the pit area for repairs to the right front of his car to make the
feature race. Churchill was in his second season competing in the
division.
The 25-lap Outlaw Stock race was rough and tumble. The division, which
welcomes cars from outside speedways to compete with more relaxed rules,
saw several competitors with a chance at victory during the feature. The
race began with Paul Newcomb jumping ahead to the early lead with Jay
Stuart hounding him. The field had settled in nicely until the first
caution waved as Keith Rocco’s ride went up in a plume of smoke and flame
through turns one and two. Rocco pulled off and was able to exit the car.
Over the final 10 laps the top cars engaged in a fierce war to come away
with the checkered flag. Stuart and Newcomb duked it out at the front,
including contact on lap-16 that saw Stuart out of shape exiting turn four
and Newcomb in the grass somehow able to steal away the lead. Stuart
retaliated in turn three, diving under Newcomb with both cars sideways.
Cory Casagrande joined the action from third place and off turn four
Newcomb went spinning to the infield to bring the race to caution.
Hutchings moved to second past Casagrande on the restart and challenged
Stuart. The two came together off turn two battling for the lead, robbing
their momentum and allowing Casagrande to scoot past the outside of both
into the lead on lap-19. A restart on lap-20 saw Casagrande and Stuart
get hooked coming to the green flag as Hutchings tried to slip past the
inside of both, ending with Casagrande against the turn one wall. Stuart
also resumed from the rear.
Two more cautions over the final five laps enabled both Newcomb and Stuart
to furiously rally through the remaining competition to make a run at
Hutchings. The final yellow flag of the race set up a one-lap shootout to
settle the race. Hutchings led but was unable to shake both Newcomb and
Stuart, who ran side-by-side in second and third as they entered the final
corner. Contact sent Hutchings up the track with Newcomb and Stuart
making it three-wide to the checkered flag. All three cars spun coming to
the finish in a wild conclusion. Hutchings was declared the winner as his
car cross the line spinning backwards. Stuart finished second and Newcomb
third in one of the crazier finishes in track history.
The 25-lap X-Car feature was a memorable one for Gargaro as he scored a
popular first-ever Speedbowl win. Gargaro ran down Larry Loomis, the
early race leader during a green flag run that closed the race after a
caution on the initial start. Loomis bolted into the lead leaving Gargaro
to come through the field before chasing down Loomis. Gargaro used the
inside of the track to take command on lap-10, rolling to an impressive
victory. Loomis finished second while Jordan Hadley took third. Brad
Voglesong finished fifth, enough for him to sew up the division’s Saturday
Showdown Series championship. Voglesong also won the division’s Wild ‘n
Wacky Wednesday title in what he has announced to be his final season
competing.
Butler topped the field in the 25-lap Super X-Cars, taking the lead from
Robert Goulet as the race reached its halfway point. He pulled ahead of
Goulet after the only caution flag of the race on lap-13 and went
unchallenged to the victory. Goulet ran a strong second place while Dave
Yardley came out on top in a spirited battle for third place that lasted
over the final 10 laps. Jon Porter captured the division’s Saturday
Showdown Series title by virtue of a fourth place finish. He edged Ed
Ryan in the standings by a single point.
Debbis led every lap in the 15-lap INEX Bandolero feature, a flawless run
from green flag to checkered flags in the caution-free event. He bested
Anthony Marvin, the division’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday Series champion.
With the runner-up finish Marvin clinched the division’s Saturday series
title, sweeping the division during the season.
Noll took the victory in the visiting New England Truck Series race,
holding back a furious charge by Zach Sylvester during the middle of the
race to do so. Noll raced into the lead past Chris Correll on lap-5.
Sylvester kept things interesting following a yellow flag on lap-9,
staying outside Noll to battle for the lead for several laps. Sylvester
was able to wrestle the lead away for two laps before Noll rallied,
reclaiming the top spot for good on lap-15. He cruised to the win from
there, beating Correll and Sylvester at the finish.
Johnson was impressive in his run to the checkered flag during the night’s
25-lap NEMA Light race. He rose through the pack into the lead on the
outside of the track, overtaking early leader Ryan Bigelow on the ninth
lap. Johnson distanced himself from the pack in the race, which ran
without a caution flag. Jake Stergios took second and tried to close the
gap on Johnson but ran out of time. Stergios settled for second and
Bigelow finished third.
(continued)