The time has come to really say goodbye, and get ready to say hello again very soon.
On Sunday I had my final newspaper assignment for the Hartford Courant. Eighteen years and eight months of working at The Courant came to a close with an absolute mess of a wreck-marred Valenti Modified Racing Series event at Thompson International Speedway.
Oh well, kind of fitting I guess that the boys from the Modified Racing Series made my last assignment last and last and last …
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THOMPSON – On April 15 at Thompson International Speedway, Rowan Pennink had what looked to be shaping up as a great start to his season on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Pennink took the checkered flag leading the Icebreaker 150 at Thompson on April 15, but NASCAR officials deemed he jumped the final restart and gave the victory to Ron Silk.
Sunday at Thompson, Pennink scored a measure of personal redemption.
Pennink, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. held off Richard Savary over the closing laps to win the 75-lap Valenti Modified Racing Series feature at Thompson.
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THOMPSON – With his race winning SK Modified preparing for inspection at Thompson International Speedway, Ryan Preece shook his head in disdain.
“This had been the worst weekend ever,” Preece said.
Preece took the trophy as the winner of the 30-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature Sunday at Thompson International Speedway, but it was a muted celebration offered by the 21-year old driver from Berlin.
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WATERFORD – On May 12 Keith Rocco missed the SK Modified feature at the Waterford Speedbowl so he could compete in a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H.
Saturday Rocco returned to the track and immediately retook his throne atop the track’s premier division.
Rocco, of Wallingford, held off Rob Janovic Jr. over the final five laps to win the 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature at Waterford.
It was the fifth victory in seven events this year at Waterford for Rocco, who has won the division’s championship the last two years.
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WATERFORD – The goal for Ken Cassidy Jr. this year is a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division IV short track national championship, and thus far the mission is going well.
Almost perfect that is.
For the seventh time in eight events this year it was Cassidy, of Lisbon, celebrating in victory lane Saturday following the 28-lap Mini Stock feature.
“[Winning] never gets old,” Cassidy said. “It’s one thing that never gets old.”
Jeffrey Cembruch of Wallingford was second and Bill Leonard of Charlestown, R.I. was third.
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STAFFORD – Woody Pitkat may not have taken the checkered flag leading the race at the finish of the SK Modified feature Friday at Stafford Motor Speedway, but he gladly left the track with the winner’s trophy for the race.
Pitkat, of Stafford, was declared the winner after Ryan Preece was penalized following the conclusion of the 40-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature at Stafford.
“The way my racing has been going this year you do have to take them any way you can get them,” Pitkat said.
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STAFFORD – On May 11, Mark St. Hilaire left Stafford Motor Speedway with his racecar bent and in pieces after a hard wreck in the Late Model feature.
Friday, rebounding from what St. Hilaire called the worst wreck in his 20 years plus of racing proved an emotional endeavor for the driver from Berlin.
St. Hilaire said the goal in returning to the track this week was to leave with a car in one piece. He accomplished that feat and got ultimate redemption in the process, winning his first career Late Model feature at Stafford.
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Officials from the Waterford Speedbowl learned Thursday from bankruptcy court in Hartford that they have emerged from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy the track filed for about two and a half years ago.
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“The court approved final decree to end our Chapter 11 bankruptcy,” track owner Terry Eames said. “We’ve reorganized the company in agreement with the creditors and we live to fight another day. We have a plan of reorganization that is in effect and we’re working the plan. It was billed as a triumphant moment by my attorney. We have no pending foreclosures or adversarial actions going forward.”
Clearing the fence is hardly something any driver wants to think about when behind the wheel of a racecar.
Bruce Thomas Jr. participating in last year's Sid's View Homerun Derby
But Saturday night at the Waterford Speedbowl, clearing the fences will be the top priority on the minds of drivers when the step into the batter’s box at the Waterford Speedbowl.
Ten drivers and 10 randomly chosen Little Leaguer’s will participate in the Sids’ View Homerun Derby Saturday at the Speedbowl, part of the Sid’s View Little League night at the track.
Drivers and Little Leaguer’s will be looking to clear the frontstretch fence with Wiffle Balls. Sid DiMaggio, producer of the Sid’s View series of videos from the track, will be on the mound.
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One event, an abbreviated one at that, was all David Hill needed to see to know he found the driver he wants in his family’s Hillbilly Racing NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car.
Now it’s a matter of finding out if Jon McKennedy wants the ride. Daniel Hemric, who ran the first two events of the season for Hillbilly Racing, quit the team following the Tech-Net Spring Sizzler 200 at Stafford Motor Speedway on April 29.
McKennedy, of Chelmsford, Mass. made his debut for the Westfield, N.C. based Hillbilly Racing team Saturday at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. McKennedy qualified fourth before a nasty crash with 50 laps left relegated him to a 23rd place finish.
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WATERFORD – Tyler Chadwick wasn’t worried about who wasn’t at the Waterford Speedbowl on Saturday night, all he cared about was who was there to beat, and he beat them all.
Chadwick drove away from the field over the closing laps to win the 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl.
It was the second victory of the season for Chadwick. Nichole Morgillo of Wallingford had a career best second place finish and Kyle James of Ashaway, R.I. was third.
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WATERFORD – It must be the wax.
In the mind of Waterford Speedbowl driver Ken Cassidy Jr. clean is fast, and clearly Cassidy’s car has been very clean this year.
For the sixth time in seven events this year it was Cassidy, of Lisbon, celebrating in victory lane following the 25-lap Mini Stock feature at the Waterford Speedbowl.
“Every week, I can’t say it enough, that thing is awesome,” Cassidy said. “I’m just trying to keep the thing in once piece every week.”
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Ryan Preece has been the master of the opening act of NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events in 2012.
Ryan Preece in victory lane at Monadnock Speedway (Credit: Fran Lawlor / NASCAR
Saturday at Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, N.H. he showed he can close just as well.
Preece, of Berlin, held off Doug Coby to win the Whelen Modified Tour Monadnock 200 at Monadnock Speedway.
It was the fourth career victory in 70 Whelen Modified Tour starts for Preece dating back to 2007 and his first win since 2009. It was also his first win driving for team owner Eric Sanderson’s Flamingo Motorsports organization.
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WATERFORD – Jeff Smith has a reputation as one of the cleaner drivers at the Waterford Speedbowl.
Saturday night he put that reputation aside momentarily in a fight to grab a checkered flag.
In a full contact battle over the final two laps, Smith came out on top of a dramatic duel with Dillon Moltz in the 30-lap Late Model feature Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl.
It was the first victory of the season for Smith, of Old Lyme. Moltz, of Waterford, held on for second and Rich Staskowski of Hope Valley, R.I. was third.
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WATERFORD – Greg Stoehr inherited the lead with 17 laps remaining and never let go.
Stoehr drove away from Randy Cabral over the closing laps to easily win the 30-lap Northeastern Midget Association Marvin Rifchin Trophy race at the NEMA’s 60th Anniversary celebration Saturday at the Waterford Speedbowl.
Stoehr, of Bridgewater, Mass., far behind leader Anthony Marvuglio when the caution flew with 17 laps left. Marvuglio suffered a flat under caution, giving Stoehr the lead.
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