The Chrome Horn - Champ Trail with Phil Smith

Champ Trail - August 1, 2016


  The big news last week was the victory scored by Ryan Preece in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series event at the Iowa Speedway in a top car owned by Joe Gibbs Racing. The 26-year-old Preece survived a green-white-checkered finish. Preece, running the second of a two-race deal with the powerhouse JGR team, started from the pole and held off Kyle Benjamin on three restarts in the final 17 laps crossed the start-finish line less than a car-length ahead of Benjamin. The 19-year-old Benjamin was a career-best second, followed by Brian Scott, Brennan Poole and rookie Cole Custer. Preece is the grandson of legendary Modified car owner Bobby Judkins. Judkins built Modifieds carried Eddie Flemke, Ronnie Bouchard and Gene Bergin to hundreds of wins.

The Stafford Speedway held their Friday night program on a cool but dry night. Taking down feature wins on the night were Chase Dowling for a division leading fourth time this season in the SK Modified® feature, Tyler Leary was a first time career winner in the Late Model feature, Marcello Rufrano in the SK Light feature, Robert Bloxsom, III in the Limited Late Model feature, Trace Beyer in the DARE Stock feature, and Nick Hadden was the winner of the special Wild Thing Karts Senior Champs feature
  In the 40-lap SK Modified® feature event, Dowling took the lead from Matt Galko on lap-35 with a pass in turn 2. Todd Owen was third with Keith Rocco in fourth and Cam McDermott in fifth with 5 laps to go. Once he got out front, Dowling began to pull away from Galko and he scored his division leading fourth win of the 2017 season. Owen finished third with Rocco and McDermott rounding out the top-5.
  The Whelen Modified Tour Series will run a 150 lapper this coming Friday night at Stafford.
  Bobby Santos, who won the recent Whelen Modified Tour Series event at Loudon grabbed his second consecutive USAC Silver Crown Series victory last Friday night at Toledo Speedway in Ohio, winning the Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness Rollie Beale Classic.

  The Tri-Track Open competition Modified Series was at the Star Speedway in Epping, NH for the – SBM 125. Thirty-two Modifieds were on hand. Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA, continued his dominance of the SBM series of Modified events at Star Speedway but also of 2017 Tri-Track Open Modified Series (TTOMS) with his win on Saturday night. This victory was a repeat for Hirschman in the SBM events and his second straight TTOMS win this season. The victory was his fourth in the six-year history of the event.
  Based on a draw of qualified drivers Steve Masse started on the pole and led until pitting on lap 73, during a caution. Hirschman, who had started 14th also pitted and after restarting in fourth spot, took the lead on lap 78.
  Over the final stages of the event he held off challenges from a host of notable drivers to score the victory. Rowan Pennink of Huntington Valley, PA, finished second with Josh Cantara of Saco, ME, third. Anthony Nocella of Woburn, MA, and Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT, rounded out the top five. Sixth thru tenth included Tommy Barrett, Steve Masse, Brian Robie, Jon Kievman and Max Zachem.
  The victory netted Hirschman nearly $7,000 in purse and bonuses. Heat race wins went to Todd Annarummo, Max Zachem, Carl Medeiros, Jr., and Woody Pitkat. The B-Main win went to Dillon Steuer.
  Thanks to the tireless efforts of event founder Kevin Rice, a host of specialty awards were presented on the evening as well
.
  Kyle James has been knocking on the door of the SK Modified division at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl since the start of the season. Last Saturday night he kicked it in. James, of Ashaway, R.I., scored his first victory of the season in the 35-lap SK Modified feature. Ted Christopher finished in the runner-up spot with Keith Rocco, third.
  In other action at the Connecticut shoreline oval Anthony Flannery was the winner in the 30-lap Late Model feature, Dana DiMatteo won the SK Light feature, Charles Canfield was the Mini-Stock winner, Chris Meyer was the Limited Sportsman winner and Jon Puleo won the legends feature.
  Gary Knight (Exit Realty Modified Touring Series Owner) and The Speedbowl’s General Manager George Whitney both confirmed that a second date has been added to the 2017 schedule. The event has been added to the Finale 2017 schedule on October 20th- 22nd. With the rain date scheduled for October 29, 2017.
  The Exit Realty Modified Touring Series will crown their 2017 Champion along with the $10,000 that comes along with “The Sunoco Quest for the Cup”. It was also announced that the purse structure will feature a $5,000 to win for the 125-lap event.

  Out on the east end of Long Island at the Riverhead Raceway with a near capacity crowd on hand on Saturday night, David Schneider of Northport took the lead on lap 5 of the 40-lap NASCAR Modified feature and drove off to score his first career Whelen All American Series victory. Among the interested onlookers was NASCAR CEO Brian France and his family who were vacationing in the famed Hamptons on the south fork of Long Island. France was beyond impressed with the improvements at Riverhead Raceway made by owners Eddie & Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz since taking over the historic oval at the conclusion of the 2015 season.
  Down in the south land, at the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem NC on Saturday night, in the twin 25-lap Modified races, Lee Jeffreys won his first race since Aug. 8, defeating points leader Burt Myers, and six-time champion Junior Miller won the night’s second race. Jeffreys dedicated the win to his father, Robert, who died during the offseason.
  Miller, who is now 66, picked up his 74th career win and first since June 7, 2014, by holding off Joe Ryan Osborne. Miller is now one ahead of Myers for second place in career victories. Tim Brown is first with 83.

  Get well wishes to Gary DeSarro who took a nasty fall onto a boat. Gary, the oldest son of the late Fred DeSarro, suffered a couple vertebrae fractures and cracked ribs.

  On the speedway stock market scene last week two of the three speedway stocks ended the week on a positive note. Speedway Motorsports went up 2.68 to 21.23 and the International Speedway Corporation went up 0.85 to 35.60 while Dover Entertainment dropped 0.10 to 2.00. NASCAR cup sponsor Monster Beverage went up 0.83 to 53.41 and NASCAR fuel supplier Sunoco (Energy Transfer) went up 0.63 to 20.58 while NASCAR tire supplier Goodyear dropped 2.89 to 32.51. The domestic car manufacturers had a down week while Toyota went up 2.95 to 112.26. Ford dropped 0.36 to 11.17 and General Motors dropped 0.30 to 35.77. In the home improvement sector Home Depot went up 1.43 to 148.08 and Lowes went up 2.64 to 76.48. In big team sponsors stocks, McDonalds went up 1.93 to 155.85, Coca-Cola dropped 0.22 to 240.54, Target went up 1.27 to 56.11, Aarons Rentals went up 7.76 to 47.54 and Fedex dropped 4.47 to 208.04.

  On the tube this week:

  Thursday, August 3

5:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBC Sports Net
6:00 PM, NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6:00 PM, NASCAR Scan All Special, NBCSN

  Friday, August 4
5:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBCSN

  Saturday, August 5
10:00 AM, Monster EnergyNASCAR Cup Series Watkins Glen practice, NBCSN
11:00 AM, NASCAR Xfinity Series Watkins Glen qualifying, NBCSN
12:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBCSN
12:30 PM, MENCS Watkins Glen final practice, NBCSN
2:00 PM, NXS Watkins Glen race, NBCSN
4:30 PM, NXS Post Race Show, NBCSN

  Sunday, August 6
12:00 PM, MENCS Watkins Glen qualifying, NBCSN
1:00 PM, NASCAR America, NBCSN
3:00 PM, MENCS Watkins Glen race, NBCSN
6:00 PM, MENCS Post race Show, NBCSN
6:30 PM, NASCAR Victory Lap, NBCSN
10:30 PM, NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1

  Monday, August 7
12:00 PM, NASCAR 120: MENCS Watkins Glen race re-air, NBCSN

   That’s about it for this week from 11 Gardner Drive, Westerly, and R.I.02891. Ring my chimes at 401-596-5467.
E-mail: smithpe_97_97@yahoo.com.

Phil Smith has been a columnist for Speedway Scene and various
other publications for over 3 decades.
 

Source: Phil Smith / Champ Trail
Posted: August 1, 2017

©2017 GeeLaw Motorsports/RGeePro   Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form without written prior consent