RGeeProductions
07-20-2014, 09:39 AM
Waterford Speedbowl hosted Whelen
Engineering Night Saturday, featuring a six division racing program.
Whelen sponsors NASCAR’s weekly racing series at tracks across the
country. Picking up wins in Whelen All-American Series action included
Kyle James of Ashaway, RI who dominated the SK Modified® feature, Keith
Rocco of Berlin won for the seventh time of the year in the Valenti Auto
Mall Late Models and Josh Galvin of Franklin picked up his eighth Street
Stock victory. Other NASCAR wins went to Ken Cassidy Jr. of Lisbon, who
returned to the winner’s circle in the Mini Stocks and Paul French of
Andover checkered the SK Light Modified race. Mike Christopher Jr. of
Wolcott won another INEX Legend Cars race rounding out the night’s
victors.
James turned in a flawless performance to romp to victory in the 35-lap SK
Modified® feature, his second of the season. The win was by nearly a five
second margin, almost half the track, ahead of the competition. James
took the lead on the outside of Jeff Gallup following the only caution
flag of the race, which came on lap-8.
Gallup used his pole starting position to lead rookie competitor Paul
Kusheba from the start. Diego Monahan moved past Kusheba into second and
James followed to third in the opening green flag run. That ended when
Monahan lost control of his car in turn three, spinning from second
position to bring out the lone yellow flag for the single car spin. James
lined up outside Gallup for the restart, timed the green flag nearly
perfectly, and powered into the lead out of turn two.
Once in front James steamed ahead, amassing his lead. Kusheba took second
from Gallup on lap-12, only to turn the position over to Rob Janovic Jr. a
lap later. Keith Rocco was on the move, slicing through the field to take
third spot on lap-16. He closed in on Janovic, diving underneath into
second position on lap-20. Ahead, James’ lead was already over three
seconds. He was on cruise control and Rocco was unable to cut into the
lead. Over the final laps James actually increased his lead as he closed
in on the tail of the field. Rocco finished runner-up and Janovic was
third. Tyler Chadwick was fourth and Ed Puleo finished fifth.
Rocco’s win in the 30-lap Valenti Auto Mall Late Model feature came after
a hard fought battle with Nick Sowa, a first year driver in the division.
Sowa held the lead until Rocco moved in and challenged, pulling inside
Sowa on lap-7. The pair raced side-by-side for five laps in a great duel
until Rocco got away on lap-12. Rocco slowly stretched his lead through a
lap-28 caution flag when Jeff Smith spun out of fourth position, setting
up a wild finish behind the leader.
Sowa spun from second going into turn one on the restart, collecting
others directly behind. Rocco was not challenged on the next restart and
went on to his seventh win of the year in the division. Smith was able to
avoid the late trouble to rebound from his lap-28 spin to finish second.
Bruce Thomas Jr. also overcame a rough time in the feature to place third.
Galvin lived up to his nickname of “The Comeback Kid” in the night’s
25-lap Street Stock feature. Al Stone III, a two-time champion, looked
poised to slow Galvin’s hot streak in the division. Stone moved out front
following a lap-9 restart and then held back Galvin’s outside bid over the
next 12 laps, much of which featured clean side-by-side racing between the
two. A late caution flag with two laps remaining, however, reset the
field for a final restart just after Stone had shaken Galvin from his
outside. The restart enabled Galvin to once again run outside Stone for
the final two lap sprint to the finish. Out of turn four on the final
lap, Galvin won the drag race to the checkered flag by inches in a photo
finish. Stone settled for second and Monte Gibbs finished third.
Cassidy looked to be back in top form during the night’s 25-lap Mini Stock
event. He ended a dry spell which dated back to May 31 to record his
fourth victory of the season. Cassidy, the division’s all-time wins
leader, moved up through the field and took the lead on lap-12, never
looking back. Garrett Denton moved into second position following a
lap-15 restart but had nothing for Cassidy. He finished second and Joe
Liskiewicz was third after leading early. Two yellow flags slowed the
race.
French won for the second time of the year but first time since May 10 in
the SK Light Modifieds. The 25-lap race was non-stop and French led from
the green to checkered flags. Rick Williams finished second to record his
best finish since winning the season opener, and Larry Goss was third.
Christopher continued his impressive season in the INEX Legend Cars,
piling up the accolades. The 25-lap race marked his fourth consecutive
victory in the track’s Saturday series for the division, and seventh
overall on Saturday’s for the year. Combined with his wins in the
Speedbowl’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday series Christopher has won 15 times in
2014. He took the lead from Dana Dimatteo on lap-8 in another non-stop
feature. Dimatteo ended up second and George Whitney finished third.
Next Saturday, July 26 is Nostalgia Night at the track, one of summer’s
popular weekends at the track each year. The NEMA Midgets visit for the
Shane Hammond Memorial, plus vintage racing clubs NEAR and STAR turn back
time for fans with displays and exhibition races. The NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series SK Modifieds® compete in the Charlie Mitchell Memorial
and are joined by the Valenti Auto Mall Late Models, Street Stocks, and
Mini Stocks.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds® (35-laps): 1. Kyle James,
Ashaway, RI; 2. Keith Rocco, Berlin; 3. Rob Janovic Jr., Waterford; 4.
Tyler Chadwick, Ledyard; 5. Ed Puleo, Branford; 6. Jeff Gallup, Agawam,
MA; 7. Paul Kusheba IV, Monroe; 8. Nichole Morgillo, Southington; 9.
Brent Sweet, Monroe; 10. Joe Gada, Salem; 11. Diego Monahan, Quaker
Hill; 12. Craig Lutz, Miller Place, NY; 13. John Montesanto, North
Branford; 14. Frank Mucciacciaro Jr., Milford; 15. Tim Jordan,
Plainfield; 16. Wendell Dailey, Gales Ferry; 17. Shawn Monahan,
Waterford; 18. Rich Duranti, Quaker Hill; 19. Dominic Capuano Jr., East
Haven
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Valenti Auto Mall Late Models (30-laps):
1. Keith Rocco, Berlin; 2. Jeff Smith, Old Lyme; 3. Bruce Thomas Jr.,
Groton; 4. John Lowinksi-Loh, Milford, MA; 5. Nick Sowa, Middletown; 6.
Anthony Ryan Jr., Danbury; 7. Derryck Anderson Jr., Warwick, RI; 8. Jim
Banfield, Glastonbury; 9. Joe Gada, Salem; 10. Mike Sweeney Jr.,
Meriden; 11. Chris Garside, Waterford; 12. Vin Esposito, Seymour; 13.
Ken Morin Jr., Old Saybrook; 14. Rich Duranti, Quaker Hill
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Street Stocks (25-laps): 1. Josh
Galvin, Franklin; 2. Al Stone III, Durham; 3. Monte Gibbs, Higganum; 4.
Ed Gertsch Jr., East Haven; 5. Greg Moran Jr., Preston; 6. Ryan
Waterman, Danielson; 7. Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington; 8. Chris Meyer,
North Franklin; 9. William Dunn, Prospect; 10. Phil Evans, Uncasville;
11. Brandon Fisher, Plainfield; 12. Lloyd Anderson Jr., Wauregan; 13.
Jack Aquilina, Oakdale; 14. Tim Morse, Southbury; 15. Michael Malbaurn,
Sterling; 16. Norm Root Jr., Old Saybrook; 17. Kaitlyn Brice,
Manchester; 18. Joe Arena, Bristol; 19. Harvey Malbaurn, Moosup; DQ –
Dwayne Dorr, Ledyard
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Mini Stocks (25-laps): 1. Ken Cassidy
Jr., Lisbon; 2. Garrett Denton, Hope Valley, RI; 3. Joe Liskiewicz,
Preston; 4. Eric Burgeois, East Haddam; 5. Dave Trudeau, Mansfield; 6.
Nate Taylor, Wauregan; 7. Ian Brew, Wood River Junction, RI; 8. Ray
Christian III, Groton; 9. Josh Galvin, Franklin; 10. Ed Field, Deep
River; 11. Doug Curry, Groton; 12. Larry Loomis Jr., Moosup; 13. Dale
Sherman, Charlestown, RI; 14. Nick Pappacoda, North Branford; 15. Mark
Panaroni, Ivoryton; 16. Chris Ivory, Oakdale; 17. John Bowes,
Willington; 18. Wayne Burroughs Jr., Oakdale; DNS – Pete Zaikarite,
Niantic
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Light Modifieds (25-laps): 1. Paul
French, Andover; 2. Rick Williams, Haddam; 3. Larry Goss, North Windham;
4. Randy Churchill, Oakdale; 5. Paul Buzel, Trumbull; 6. Corey Barry,
Plainfield; 7. Victoria Bergenty, Plainville; 8. Jeff Fialkovich,
Shelton; 9. Alan Tirrell, North Stonington; 10. Crystal Serydynski,
Johnston, RI; 11. Carlos Gray, East Hartford; DQ - Glenn Griswold,
Vernon
INEX Legend Cars (25-laps): 1. Mike Christopher Jr., Wolcott; 2. Dana
Dimatteo, Farmington; 3. George Whitney, Westbrook; 4. Cory Dimatteo,
Farmington; 5. Kyle Rogers, Waterbury; 6. Cassandra Cole, Westbrook; 7.
Ryan Lutz, Miller Place, NY; 8. Noah Korner, Canton; 9. Cornelius Flynn,
Hampden, MA; 10. David Johnson, Arlington, MA: 11. Scott McNickle,
Ledyard; 12. Pete DePizzol, North Franklin
Brian Darling
Engineering Night Saturday, featuring a six division racing program.
Whelen sponsors NASCAR’s weekly racing series at tracks across the
country. Picking up wins in Whelen All-American Series action included
Kyle James of Ashaway, RI who dominated the SK Modified® feature, Keith
Rocco of Berlin won for the seventh time of the year in the Valenti Auto
Mall Late Models and Josh Galvin of Franklin picked up his eighth Street
Stock victory. Other NASCAR wins went to Ken Cassidy Jr. of Lisbon, who
returned to the winner’s circle in the Mini Stocks and Paul French of
Andover checkered the SK Light Modified race. Mike Christopher Jr. of
Wolcott won another INEX Legend Cars race rounding out the night’s
victors.
James turned in a flawless performance to romp to victory in the 35-lap SK
Modified® feature, his second of the season. The win was by nearly a five
second margin, almost half the track, ahead of the competition. James
took the lead on the outside of Jeff Gallup following the only caution
flag of the race, which came on lap-8.
Gallup used his pole starting position to lead rookie competitor Paul
Kusheba from the start. Diego Monahan moved past Kusheba into second and
James followed to third in the opening green flag run. That ended when
Monahan lost control of his car in turn three, spinning from second
position to bring out the lone yellow flag for the single car spin. James
lined up outside Gallup for the restart, timed the green flag nearly
perfectly, and powered into the lead out of turn two.
Once in front James steamed ahead, amassing his lead. Kusheba took second
from Gallup on lap-12, only to turn the position over to Rob Janovic Jr. a
lap later. Keith Rocco was on the move, slicing through the field to take
third spot on lap-16. He closed in on Janovic, diving underneath into
second position on lap-20. Ahead, James’ lead was already over three
seconds. He was on cruise control and Rocco was unable to cut into the
lead. Over the final laps James actually increased his lead as he closed
in on the tail of the field. Rocco finished runner-up and Janovic was
third. Tyler Chadwick was fourth and Ed Puleo finished fifth.
Rocco’s win in the 30-lap Valenti Auto Mall Late Model feature came after
a hard fought battle with Nick Sowa, a first year driver in the division.
Sowa held the lead until Rocco moved in and challenged, pulling inside
Sowa on lap-7. The pair raced side-by-side for five laps in a great duel
until Rocco got away on lap-12. Rocco slowly stretched his lead through a
lap-28 caution flag when Jeff Smith spun out of fourth position, setting
up a wild finish behind the leader.
Sowa spun from second going into turn one on the restart, collecting
others directly behind. Rocco was not challenged on the next restart and
went on to his seventh win of the year in the division. Smith was able to
avoid the late trouble to rebound from his lap-28 spin to finish second.
Bruce Thomas Jr. also overcame a rough time in the feature to place third.
Galvin lived up to his nickname of “The Comeback Kid” in the night’s
25-lap Street Stock feature. Al Stone III, a two-time champion, looked
poised to slow Galvin’s hot streak in the division. Stone moved out front
following a lap-9 restart and then held back Galvin’s outside bid over the
next 12 laps, much of which featured clean side-by-side racing between the
two. A late caution flag with two laps remaining, however, reset the
field for a final restart just after Stone had shaken Galvin from his
outside. The restart enabled Galvin to once again run outside Stone for
the final two lap sprint to the finish. Out of turn four on the final
lap, Galvin won the drag race to the checkered flag by inches in a photo
finish. Stone settled for second and Monte Gibbs finished third.
Cassidy looked to be back in top form during the night’s 25-lap Mini Stock
event. He ended a dry spell which dated back to May 31 to record his
fourth victory of the season. Cassidy, the division’s all-time wins
leader, moved up through the field and took the lead on lap-12, never
looking back. Garrett Denton moved into second position following a
lap-15 restart but had nothing for Cassidy. He finished second and Joe
Liskiewicz was third after leading early. Two yellow flags slowed the
race.
French won for the second time of the year but first time since May 10 in
the SK Light Modifieds. The 25-lap race was non-stop and French led from
the green to checkered flags. Rick Williams finished second to record his
best finish since winning the season opener, and Larry Goss was third.
Christopher continued his impressive season in the INEX Legend Cars,
piling up the accolades. The 25-lap race marked his fourth consecutive
victory in the track’s Saturday series for the division, and seventh
overall on Saturday’s for the year. Combined with his wins in the
Speedbowl’s Wild ‘n Wacky Wednesday series Christopher has won 15 times in
2014. He took the lead from Dana Dimatteo on lap-8 in another non-stop
feature. Dimatteo ended up second and George Whitney finished third.
Next Saturday, July 26 is Nostalgia Night at the track, one of summer’s
popular weekends at the track each year. The NEMA Midgets visit for the
Shane Hammond Memorial, plus vintage racing clubs NEAR and STAR turn back
time for fans with displays and exhibition races. The NASCAR Whelen
All-American Series SK Modifieds® compete in the Charlie Mitchell Memorial
and are joined by the Valenti Auto Mall Late Models, Street Stocks, and
Mini Stocks.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modifieds® (35-laps): 1. Kyle James,
Ashaway, RI; 2. Keith Rocco, Berlin; 3. Rob Janovic Jr., Waterford; 4.
Tyler Chadwick, Ledyard; 5. Ed Puleo, Branford; 6. Jeff Gallup, Agawam,
MA; 7. Paul Kusheba IV, Monroe; 8. Nichole Morgillo, Southington; 9.
Brent Sweet, Monroe; 10. Joe Gada, Salem; 11. Diego Monahan, Quaker
Hill; 12. Craig Lutz, Miller Place, NY; 13. John Montesanto, North
Branford; 14. Frank Mucciacciaro Jr., Milford; 15. Tim Jordan,
Plainfield; 16. Wendell Dailey, Gales Ferry; 17. Shawn Monahan,
Waterford; 18. Rich Duranti, Quaker Hill; 19. Dominic Capuano Jr., East
Haven
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Valenti Auto Mall Late Models (30-laps):
1. Keith Rocco, Berlin; 2. Jeff Smith, Old Lyme; 3. Bruce Thomas Jr.,
Groton; 4. John Lowinksi-Loh, Milford, MA; 5. Nick Sowa, Middletown; 6.
Anthony Ryan Jr., Danbury; 7. Derryck Anderson Jr., Warwick, RI; 8. Jim
Banfield, Glastonbury; 9. Joe Gada, Salem; 10. Mike Sweeney Jr.,
Meriden; 11. Chris Garside, Waterford; 12. Vin Esposito, Seymour; 13.
Ken Morin Jr., Old Saybrook; 14. Rich Duranti, Quaker Hill
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Street Stocks (25-laps): 1. Josh
Galvin, Franklin; 2. Al Stone III, Durham; 3. Monte Gibbs, Higganum; 4.
Ed Gertsch Jr., East Haven; 5. Greg Moran Jr., Preston; 6. Ryan
Waterman, Danielson; 7. Kevin Gambacorta, Ellington; 8. Chris Meyer,
North Franklin; 9. William Dunn, Prospect; 10. Phil Evans, Uncasville;
11. Brandon Fisher, Plainfield; 12. Lloyd Anderson Jr., Wauregan; 13.
Jack Aquilina, Oakdale; 14. Tim Morse, Southbury; 15. Michael Malbaurn,
Sterling; 16. Norm Root Jr., Old Saybrook; 17. Kaitlyn Brice,
Manchester; 18. Joe Arena, Bristol; 19. Harvey Malbaurn, Moosup; DQ –
Dwayne Dorr, Ledyard
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Mini Stocks (25-laps): 1. Ken Cassidy
Jr., Lisbon; 2. Garrett Denton, Hope Valley, RI; 3. Joe Liskiewicz,
Preston; 4. Eric Burgeois, East Haddam; 5. Dave Trudeau, Mansfield; 6.
Nate Taylor, Wauregan; 7. Ian Brew, Wood River Junction, RI; 8. Ray
Christian III, Groton; 9. Josh Galvin, Franklin; 10. Ed Field, Deep
River; 11. Doug Curry, Groton; 12. Larry Loomis Jr., Moosup; 13. Dale
Sherman, Charlestown, RI; 14. Nick Pappacoda, North Branford; 15. Mark
Panaroni, Ivoryton; 16. Chris Ivory, Oakdale; 17. John Bowes,
Willington; 18. Wayne Burroughs Jr., Oakdale; DNS – Pete Zaikarite,
Niantic
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Light Modifieds (25-laps): 1. Paul
French, Andover; 2. Rick Williams, Haddam; 3. Larry Goss, North Windham;
4. Randy Churchill, Oakdale; 5. Paul Buzel, Trumbull; 6. Corey Barry,
Plainfield; 7. Victoria Bergenty, Plainville; 8. Jeff Fialkovich,
Shelton; 9. Alan Tirrell, North Stonington; 10. Crystal Serydynski,
Johnston, RI; 11. Carlos Gray, East Hartford; DQ - Glenn Griswold,
Vernon
INEX Legend Cars (25-laps): 1. Mike Christopher Jr., Wolcott; 2. Dana
Dimatteo, Farmington; 3. George Whitney, Westbrook; 4. Cory Dimatteo,
Farmington; 5. Kyle Rogers, Waterbury; 6. Cassandra Cole, Westbrook; 7.
Ryan Lutz, Miller Place, NY; 8. Noah Korner, Canton; 9. Cornelius Flynn,
Hampden, MA; 10. David Johnson, Arlington, MA: 11. Scott McNickle,
Ledyard; 12. Pete DePizzol, North Franklin
Brian Darling