STAFFORD—The most secure place to be in the SK Modified Spring Sizzler race at Stafford Motor Speedway on Saturday is up at the front.
Fortunately for Eric Berndt, that’s where he becomes.
But the rugged nature of the race examined even the veteran motive force. There had been seven cautions inside the first 16 laps. “When you’re leading, the ones feel like all the time,” Berndt stated. “It’s good to be up to the front, but you get into a rhythm and lose it. You have to find it again. “Berndt, who became forty in the offseason, could achieve this. He picked up his twenty-first career win in his twenty-fifth year inside the division, finishing in advance of Todd Owen.
“Car was true. It’s been exact because we unloaded it weeks ago,” Berndt stated. “Last week, I placed myself in a hollow and just looked to finish. We did. We started sixth (Saturday) and figured we had to take advantage of it. The vehicle just got higher as the run went on.” Third-place finisher Michael Gervais had to work more than Berndt or Owen as he started similarly back within the field.
“It was tough at the beginning,” Gervais said. “I had to avoid several wrecks; however, the car was exact once we got up front. I tried a touch too difficult to capture (Berndt and Owen) and burned my tires up. We will take a third-place finish.”
Street Stocks
Everything was regarded as going George Bessette Jr.’s way until the last lap of the 20-lap characteristic. Alexander Fuller’s vehicle went up and into the first turn wall, bringing out an overdue yellow flag. “I noticed the warning come out, and if I hadn’t been strapped into my seat, I could be bouncing all over the automobile,” Johnny Walker stated.
Walker took gain of the state of affairs to submit his first victory of the season.
Walker was strolling in the best position for the green-white-checkered, in 1/3 place, which means he got an inner position on the restart. On the backstretch of the final lap, Walker got underneath Bessette’s 39 automobiles.
“I hoped to come home in 2nd,” Walker stated. “I didn’t expect George to be as unfastened as he becomes, and he left the door extensive open. I could stand on it, keep on with the inside, and produce a domestic win for my Mom.
Bessette, meanwhile, needed to settle for a second.
I don’t know what happened. It turned into just a tough day. I upset myself and my crew,” Bessette stated. “The same aspect passed off the ultimate week. The car was given tight.
Limited Late Models
Matt Clement thought he had won his first career race at Stafford’s ultimate season. Only to have it taken away in tech for weight loss on the auto. It became heartbreaking,” Clement said.” (Race Director) Tom Fox broke the information to us at the scales, and, to be sincere, I got indignant; however, it changed into our fault. We made the error of not placing enough gas in the automobile.
He didn’t make an equal mistake two times.
Clement took the lead on the fourth turn of the 12th lap of the 15-lap race, getting below Alexandra Fearn and holding on for the milestone win. That became the sweetest feeling riding down the returned stretch after the whole lot had calmed down, searching inside the replicate and seeing Duane (Provost who completed 2d) back there. He didn’t seize me coming down the lower backstretch.
I’m just first-rate-pumped,” Clement said.
The department did stand up to seven cars, one more than an ultimate week, but had their laps decreased through the song to 15. According to Clement, the department’s drivers had been informed if they got an extra car, the department would return it as a 20-lap feature. The 15 laps helped us this week, so I gained’t bitch this week,” Clement stated.
SK Lights
Alex Pearl and Teddy Hodgdon struggled with the lead after a restart at the thirteenth lap of the 20-lap feature. Hodgdon was given free and ended up within the grass on turn four on the 18th lap, and Pearl, following a restart, hung on for the win. I became capable of working via traffic properly, starting 12th, and once I got to the lead (on a restart on the fifth lap), it became difficult to keep on. We didn’t have the excellent automobile, but we were given it achieved,” the Salem driving force said. Mark Bakaj finished 2d.
Late Models
Both Cliff Saunders and Kevin Gambacorta were a bit happier on Saturday than they had been the week earlier. Thanks to a break caused by brake troubles, Saunders finished seventeenth in the opening day race the week earlier than at the same time Gambacorta received the feature best to be disqualified in the inspection.
The two finished 1-2 within the 30-lap characteristic this time around.
Using a new car, becomes glad about how it feels despite the remaining week’s unhappiness.
“I didn’t realize how it’d be this week if we would have any problems with it this week, and it ended up being surely true. The car becomes better within the feature than it changed into in exercise,” Saunders stated.
Saunders commenced up the front and by no means relinquished the spot. He was only challenged while a caution flag flew on the twenty-sixth lap, and he had to preserve off Gambacorta’s No. 23 car. Gambacorta, meanwhile, had to work for the runner-up spot, having commenced 16th. We had a mission (Saturday). What passed off as the ultimate week turned into unfortunate. We had things to prove,” Gambacorta said.
