By Lou Modestino

Like a firecracker, Richard Savary sizzled and then exploded on lap 95 passing race leader Chris Pasteryak, of Lisbon. CT., to go on and win the Valenti Modified Racing Series sanctioned, 11th annual ‘Firecracker 100’ before a packed house at Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, NH. Saturday night, July 5.

Savary started 14th in the 24-car field and quietly raced outside the top 10 until lap 30, then laid back in sixth position from lap 34 through lap 73. The Canton, Massachusetts., driver moved to second on lap 87, and then the lead at the completion of the 95th circuit, to go on to record his fourth series victory.

A total of nine caution flags plagued the race. A hindrance to some but welcomed by others.

“ It very truly went the way I needed it to go,” Savary said in victory lane. “I needed some cautions where we started down back. I got real fortunate toward the end. I was on the inside and there was no outside line for whatever reason. The guys really backed up bad. They got stuck out there and I was lucky enough to be on the inside.

In the April race several drivers ran hard early on. Savary took from that. “I felt it was in my best interest to wait and let them run hard and hope we had something towards the end. I raced hard at the end. Went in down low. Don’t think I got into anyone.

I raced Chris (Pasteryak) hard. I really enjoy racing with him. I think Chris is a real good driver. One of the best drivers in this series.”

The victory is Savary’s second consecutive win and his third of the season

Runner-up Pasteryak ran a strong race and appeared to be on his way to a win. He showed the way from lap 33 through 95.

“All the cautions probably helped Richard out. He was just a lot better than I was those last three or four laps. Thought maybe I could stick with him but he just drove away. This is the 3rd year in a row I’ve been leading the Firecracker 100 with 12 laps to go or 10-laps to go, oh well.”

Holtsville, N.Y. driver Justin Bonsignore had another strong run leading laps 19 through 32. Bonsignore ran top four throughout the race and finished third.

“We were a little too free,” said Bonsignore. Missed a shift on the last restart that put us a little too far back. We’ll keep chipping away.

Anytime you can be here in a podium is a good night.”

Rowan Pennink, of Huntingdon Valley, PA, finished fourth after a late race charge, with Russ Hersey,of Swanzey, N.H., rounding out to the top five. Kirk Alexander, Dana Smith, Matthew Mead, Mike Willis Jr, and Max Zachem, rounded out the top ten.

Bonsignore, Dylan Kopec, and Tom Carey Jr, won qualifying races with Norm Wrenn, the winner of the 15-lap consolation race.

28 teams were on hand to qualify. 24 cars started

the main event, 16 finished on the lead lap.

9 caution flags slowed the race taking 57 minutes

28 seconds to complete.

The next stop for the VMRS will be a return to

Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford, CT. Friday,

July 18.

Monadnock Speedway

July 5, 2014

Entrants (28)

Distance 100-laps

Time of Race: 57:39:288

Margin of Victory: 0.607

Best Speed: 70.989

Best Lap Time: 12.678

Best Lap By: Russ Hersey (# 51)

Lap Leaders: Owen (1-28) Bonsignore (19-32)

Pasteryak (33-95) Savary (96-100)

Lead Changes (3)

Cautions: (9) Laps- (27,30,32,32,35,72,73,73,73)

Unofficial Order Of Finish: (1) Savary (2) Pasteryak, (3) Bonsignore (4) Pennink (5) Hersey (6) Alexander (7) Smith

(8) Mead (9) Willis (10) Zachem (11) Wrenn (12) Jarvis (13) Carey 14) Owen (15) Cyr (16) Kopec (17) Pearl (18) Masse (19) Schneider (20) Szegedy (21) Gernhard (22) Medeiros

(23) Richardi (24) Nocella