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JON MCKENNEDY
WINS HIS FIRST MTS RACE AT STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY
McKennedy Changes His Apex To Make Passing In Turn Three A
Winning Move!
by Denise DuPont |
The
Modified Touring Series (MTS) dodged the rain to run their 125 green
lap race at Stafford Motor Speedway. Twenty modifieds showed up to
compete in the series first appearance at Stafford. The pre-race
format was different with no pre-qualifying. Heat races only then
all twenty modifieds took the green flag.
Eric Goodale from Wading River, NY and Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT
secured heat wins. The final pre-race activity included a draw for
the top ten qualifiers for their starting position. Last to draw was
Keith Rocco of Berlin, CT and with only one gas can left, Rocco had
the pole with Ted Christopher from Plainville, CT on his outside. So
two modified drivers that could call Stafford their home track led
the MTS field to the first start of the series at Stafford.
When the green flag flew, Christopher wasted no time to charge to
the front position. Kirk Alexander came along for the ride and took
second. Dylan Kopec from Palmer, MA had third and pole sitter Keith
Rocco fell back into fourth. The top position swapped leads a few
times until on lap 7, Preece pulled passed Rocco to take the top
spot. Preece went forward to lead until lap 110 when second place
runner Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, MA zeroed his #29 modified in,
got under Preece coming out of turn two. McKennedy then passed under
Preece in turn three to take the lead position. McKennedy’s car was
the fastest on the track as he charged forward to take the checkers
and race win.
“It
was tough those last 30 to 40 laps,” confessed McKennedy in victory
lane. “Ryan and I were very equal. We stayed running about two cars
lengths apart at the end and Ryan was tough. For at least 40 laps we
were nose to tail and I could see his (Preece) car was starting to
get free. I was trying to make the time just right off of turn two
to get a big run out of turn three. When he pulled away a little
bit, I said “Man that is all that I got”. Then I started to change
the apex a little bit and I was slowly gaining on him and at the
same time I could see him getting a little looser. A few times I had
a good run on him and he was able to close the door. It was then
that I said “I have to do something a little different to get the
timing right.” That last run I got right up to his door and that
time he could not pinch me off. So it was a good hard clean passing
in three. From there we were able to hold him off those last few
laps. We definitely were going as hard as we could those last few
laps.“
McKennedy came from last place a couple of times during the race and
ran hard to get back to the front. “We had a great car tonight. The
car was really good. After the competition yellow we selected to pit
right after to swap left side. We basically started tail end twice
and basically passed forty cars. We had a great car and a big thanks
to my crew.” Exclaimed McKennedy. “We had an A Frame break in a heat
race. They basically had to rebuild the whole front end and that put
us really behind. So I have to really thank my crew, they really
worked hard today.”
“It
was great to win in this series being only the second race.” Stated
McKennedy with a smile. “And it is great to come out of here with a
win. Stafford is a great facility and the track has been real good
to me the last few years. To beat one of the best head to head is
also good. Ryan is one of the top dogs and they have a good drive
with a great team behind them so it was a good win. Now we are off
to Lancaster tonight to run a Super Modified in the ISMA tour.”
Preece had a very strong run going and then with less than fifty
laps to go his car started to falter. “I do not know what happened.
When Chris was in second and all of a sudden he was right on me. My
car was getting really tight for some reason. And it was not because
of the right rear wearing.” Acknowledge Preece. “Around lap 80 or
so, something felt like it just collapsed in the left front and then
from there I just had to pump a bunch of rear brake into it trying
to get it to turn and to rotate into the center. And that was really
early for that to happen. I am a little nervous on why or what may
have happened. But we had a good car and there is nothing more than
you can ask for. You cannot win every race and nor do I expect to.
To lead a race like this a lot of laps and come up just a little
short -- it is what it is. Jon and Chris are both hard workers. I
just have to work on getting a little better for the next time”.
With a win and now a second place finish, Preece now has another
favorite race venue to compete in. “I am really happy with how that
car performed. I thought the race went really well. The series does
do a good job at keeping the show going. I like the heat races. I
actually like Monadnock’s heat race format better. It (#6 modified)
was fast qualifying and then it was time trials and then the
feature. That was cool.”
Chris
Pasteryak hung on for a podium finish and as usual was all smiles
and happy at race end. “It was a lot of fun. I drove every lap, all
one-hundred and twenty-five green, harder than I drove any lap in an
MRS race, except of course for the last five. And I thought that the
car had more underneath me the whole time. We missed it. We have the
motor combination pretty close. I do not think that I got beat by a
Steel Head or Spec Motor. I think that I got beat by two cars that
were handling better.”
Wishing he was closer to the leaders at the end to see some of the
action, Pasteryak still was happy with a third place finish. “I am
sure it was an exciting pass for the lead. I was just not close
enough to see it. They were in another zip code. I know we have some
ideas for the next time. We will work on it and come back a little
bit stronger. We are not close, but we are closer than everyone else
behind us.”
Richard Savary, Keith Rocco, Woody Pitkat, Mike Holdridge, Dylan
Kopec, Les Hinckley, and Ted Christopher would round out the top
ten.
So after a cool night of racing, MTS teams and fans headed home and
will prepare for the next race and the challenges that it brings.
The MTS series will be at Seekonk Speedway next Saturday night to
bring more fun and excitement to the racing community at the ‘Cement
Palace’.
Notes from Stafford Motor Speedway Modified
Touring Series 125:
Thoughts on American Racer Tires?
Jon McKennedy
Did you take any tires?
“We did take a tire at that caution about lap 70. We pitted with the
leaders and we put on a right rear as well.”
Ryan Preece
“The American Racer (tire) races well. I like it. As it wears it
does not become a really hang on type of situation.”
With a good tire under him, Preece now has to up his plan, “It
becomes a now I have to get up on the wheel and drive my butt off.
And that was what I was trying to do ahead of Jon. He had a little
bit more forward drive than I did. So that is something that I need
to work on for the next time.”
Chris Pasteryak
“I really liked the tire. I actually loved the tire”.
Thoughts on the MTS series after the second
race?
Ryan Preece
“What I like about this series is it does not matter if you are an
ROC guy, an MRS guy or a modified tour guy, they make the rules so
that they are level field. You have an eighteen degree motor that
finished third. You have Spec Motor that finished second and a Steel
Head Motor that won. You have three different combinations. And if
you looked at Race Monitor I am sure that the lap times were
relatively close.”
“To be honest with you, for guys that have 15 gallon cells, that it
great for them. But I do not really care. I am going to come and
show up just like I would show up for the modified tour. All I am
doing is adding some lead and that is what I like about it. I do not
have to change anything about my car. If they chose not to give us a
forty lap break with adding five gallons, it would not have bothered
me one bit because I would have made it on fuel. I always pack it
full for a race. You have some guys who are trying to make everybody
happy and that is great. We are all racers and we all want to race.
It does not matter where we are, we just want a place to race. So
when you have something restricting you from going there, it drives
people away. That is what is so great about this series, they have a
combination that allows anybody whether they are an SK, SK Light,
Modified tour car, ROC or an MRS car like I said. Any series can
come and run here in the competition. That is what is cool”.
Chris Pasteryak
“I thought our MTS race here went pretty well. We (the series) did
not look dumb. Which is good. This 40 lap deal, hopefully they
interviewed a couple of guys to try to fill the time a little bit. I
am going to come anyway even if it means I have to put a dry brake
in the car. Maybe some of those guys that were on the fence saw that
we had a good night (The MTS series) and maybe they will come to the
next one knowing that I do not have to buy a fuel cell, I do not
have to buy a dry brake… There is a safety element too. They are
going to come and we are going to try to fuel and knowing that there
could be a lot of caution laps with one hundred and twenty-five
green flag… It might be a 200 lapper by the time that you get done.
Being on the cover of RaceDayCt or Area Auto or Speed51 for a big
fire in the right rear with a guy in a tee shirt fueling a car does
not look good for anybody. That is worst case. It that is what we
have to do to make it safe to get more guys to come then we will do
it, If more guys do not come and there is no 40 lap break then we
will take it out and we will do it that way.
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Source:
Denise DuPont /
TheChromeHorn.com
Posted:
June 3, 2017 |
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