Author Archives: Lou Modestino

News from Star Speedway Re: 2021 Season

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Star Speedway

 The 2021 schedule is just about complete.We have added two Enduro Series events. The first will be the Freedom 100, 100 laps for 4 Cyl on July 3 and the second will be 50 lap events for both the 4 Cyl and a combined V6/V8 event on Aug. 7. Leon Keniston will be handling tech and info for these events.The Six Shooters will have two special 35 lap events presented by the Washburn Family with extra bonus money. The first will be on JUly 10, the Don & Aline Coster Memorial and the second on Pre-Howler Friday Oct 23, the Lizz Paradise Memorial.

The schedule for the 56th Annual Star Classic Weekend is done and will once again be 3 days full or racing.Friday the 17th will be the MRS 100, Ken Izzett Construction Late Models, Pure Stocks and Slingshots.Saturday the 18th will see action for the NEMA and NEMA Lites, NELCAR Legends, the 1st Annual Dennis Mckennedy Memorial 60 for the 350 Supers and the Bob Webber Sr Memorial 125 for the ISMA Supers.Sunday Sept 19 will have the GSPSS Vynorius 100, Exit Realty Trucks presented by Hedges Excavation and Ty Cooper Landholdings, EKeys 4 Cars Classic Lites, Woodys Streets and Six Shooters.

Yesterday was a very busy day with many drivers from all divisions turning in registrations, license forms and pit pad rentals.We had out first duplication come in as Jenna Beaulieu was first to register #67 for the Six Shooters with Bryce Pynn having to change his 2021 number to #65.Pit pad rentals are going fast. Like we have posted many times, you must have a car registration on file in order to reserve a pit pad. We will be assigning pit pads this year and you will be assigned with divisions being put together. Some of you may end up in same area or spot you were in while others may be direct opposite from years past. This is why we ask you to check off where you prefer, we can take a consensus of others in your division and assign where the majority have checked as preferable.

With the majority of nights this year seeing Late Models and 350s running together we will be tight on cement pads those nights. No matter where you end up assigned, having a reservation paid for assures you a spot on all nights except the few listed on the reservation form. Regardless of division, whether a 350 or Pure Stock, if you do not have a reservation you may be forced to park in a less than desirable spot on a busy night. Its part of the problem of having a good car count and one we are happy to have. We will be trying to help this situation by pouring another batch of pads again in the Spring.Watch for the full 2021 schedule to be released in the next few days.

Source: Star Speedway

Keselowski, Joey Logano of Middletown,CT , Hamlin come up short in title pursuit at Phoenix

Middletown, Connecticut NASCAR Cup driver Joey Logano (Credit: AP photo)

Chris Graythen | Getty Images

Source: NASCAR.com

By Zack Albert NASCAR.com November 8, 2020  at 8:06 PM

A stout field of seasoned veterans pressed 24-year-old Chase Elliott throughout Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway, just lacking the closing oomph to take the NASCAR Cup Series championship for themselves.

In the end, Brad Keselowski finished second to Elliott — the newly crowned champ — in the Season Finale 500, followed under the checkered flag by Team Penske teammate Joey Logano in third and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin in fourth. Though the other three were fixtures among the top five throughout the 312-mile event, none were able to stop Elliott down the stretch.

Keselowski actually slipped by Elliott for a Stage 2 win, but his run was slowed slightly by some missed time on pit stops. His No. 2 crew gave up six positions during a competition caution early in Stage 1, lost another four places during the Stage 2 break, then returned him to the track fourth among the Championship 4 after the final green-flag pit cycle. Nevertheless, Keselowski was able to rally, finishing 2.740 seconds behind Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“It’s a team effort, and just was tough to fight back through,” said Keselowski, who led 16 laps in a quest for his second Cup Series crown. “We got up to second there at the end, and I feel like we were pretty equal. The 9 car and I would have loved to have had a chance to race it out, but that’s not the way it played out.”

Logano led 125 laps — second only to Elliott’s 153 — and won the opening stage. Though he secured his second win of the season at Phoenix back in March, he didn’t have the same closing kick that Elliott did down the stretch in the finale.

Although he had visions of recreating the path to the championship that he carved out at the end of the 2018 season, he wound up two positions short.

“Obviously when you don’t win it, it hurts. It definitely stings,” Logano said. “Yeah, I told the guys before the race started, I said in these races when you get to the Championship 4, you can’t lose. You either win or you become stronger. Unfortunately we got stronger today.

“We learned a lot about ourselves and learned that we are capable. We’re capable of executing when we needed to. We just need to go faster. That was one thing. But I think overall there’s a lot to be proud of throughout the season, where we’ve come from, how much we’ve grown as a team, especially with the crew chief swap in the beginning of the season this year and without practice. That was a pretty big hurdle we had to jump.”

Hamlin entered the event as a trendy pick for pre-race favorite, having amassed seven victories this season — most of the four title contenders. He ended the race as the only one of the Championship 4 who did not take a turn in the lead, struggling at times with the short-track aptitude of his No. 11 JGR Toyota.

“We just didn’t have enough car potential for us,” said Hamlin, still seeking his first Cup Series title. “Our balance was not bad, maybe a little bit off, but just not enough in reserve. I think Penske and Hendrick both had two teammates inside the top 10 before we even got to our next best two other teammates. Our organization has got to get a little bit better on these types of tracks, and especially it being — it going to be the deciding factor in the championship.

“We’ve just overall got to get a little bit better. I knew for me probably around Lap 200 that we needed some special circumstances to kind of go our way.”

2020 NASCAR Final Cup Series Standings

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Standings
RKDRIVERPOINTSWINSPOLESTOP 5TOP 10
1Chase Elliott5040521522
2Joey Logano5034301221
3Denny Hamlin5033701821
4Kevin Harvick5030902027
5Brad Keselowski2384411324
6Alex Bowman237610615
7Martin Truex Jr.2366111423
8Ryan Blaney2342101117
9Kyle Busch2341111420
10Kurt Busch228711719
11Austin Dillon22821049
12Clint Bowyer225401212
13William Byron225210414
14Matt DiBenedetto224900311
15Aric Almirola223500618
16Cole Custer22071027
17Erik Jones87300913
18Jimmie Johnson83600510
19Tyler Reddick7800039
20Christopher Bell6780027
21Chris Buescher6450028
22Bubba Wallace5970015
23Michael McDowell5880004
24Ricky Stenhouse Jr.5840134
25Ryan Newman5660002
26Ty Dillon5560012
27John Hunter Nemechek5340003
28Matt Kenseth5210012
29Ryan Preece4770002
30Corey LaJoie4080001
31Daniel Suarez3650000
32Brennan Poole2690001
33Quin Houff2140000
34Kyle Larson1210013
35Brendan Gaughan780002
36Reed Sorenson680000
37James Davison560000
38Stanton Barrett

Chase Elliott joins racing royalty with 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship; Joey Logano of Middletown, CT ended up third behind his Penske team mate Brad Keselowski. Berlin, CT’s Ryan Preece ended up 34th while Corey Lajoie came in 8th

Note: Corey LaJoie is the son of two time Xfinity Champion Randy LaJoie who calls Norwalk CT his hometown

Chase Elliott Championship Hero

By Staff Report NASCAR.com November 8, 2020  at 6:00 PM

Chase Elliott won his first NASCAR Cup Series title Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, joining his father, Bill, as champions of stock-car racing’s top division.

At 24 years, 11 months and 11 days old, Elliott became the third-youngest Cup Series champion in NASCAR history. Only Jeff Gordon, who claimed his first title at 24 years, three months and eight days old in 1995, and 1950 champ Bill Rexford (then 23 years old) were younger.

Elliott topped fellow finalists Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano in the season-ending race, held for the first time at the 1-mile Arizona oval. Hamlin, the ace for Joe Gibbs Racing this season, was also competing for his first Cup Series crown; Team Penske teammates Keselowski and Logano were both seeking their second series titles.

Chase Elliott becomes the fourth driver to bring a driving championship to team owner Rick Hendrick. His march to the title gave Hendrick Motorsports its 13th title and its first since 2016, when teammate Jimmie Johnson scored the last of his record-tying seven championships — all with Hendrick Motorsports. Hendrick’s other titles came from Gordon, a four-time champ who spent all of his Cup Series career with the organization, and 1996 title winner Terry Labonte.

Elliott rode into the postseason picture with two victories, then advanced through the playoffs with wins in both the Round of 12 and Round of 8 finales. Along the way, he continued his mastery of road-course racing, stretching his win streak to four with triumphs at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course (a new venue added after the COVID-19 shutdown) and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. His other victories were career firsts, one on Charlotte’s oval layout and the other at Martinsville Speedway in the season’s penultimate race.

His Sunday triumph brings the championship back to the small town of Dawsonville, Georgia, where Bill Elliott’s march to his only Cup Series title was celebrated in 1988. The Dawsonville Pool Room, a shrine to the Elliotts and other Peach State racing legends, regularly cheered Bill Elliott’s wins by sounding its signature “si-reen.” The pool room’s owners shifted those victory cries to mark Chase Elliott’s accomplishments as he climbed through the NASCAR national series ranks.

Like his father, Chase Elliott carried the No. 9 to a championship. They are the third father-son duo to win Cup Series titles, following Lee and Richard Petty, and Ned and Dale Jarrett — all NASCAR Hall of Famers.

The championship marked Elliott’s second national series title. He also secured the NASCAR Xfinity Series title as a rookie with JR Motorsports in 2014.

The title was also a first for crew chief Alan Gustafson, who completed his fifth season atop the No. 9 team’s pit box. Gustafson’s crown came in his second Championship 4 appearance; he also helped guide four-time champ Jeff Gordon to the title round in his final full season in 2015.

This story will be updated

McLaughlin Wins North-South Shootout After Contact With Silk At Caraway Speedway

Courtesy of Speed51.com

07 NOV

McLaughlin Wins North-South Shootout After Contact With Silk

A month after taking his first long-awaited Super DIRTcar Series feature win, an autumn to remember became more epic for Max McLaughlin on Saturday evening. In just his third appearance in an asphalt Modified, he took the win in one of the big ones, the North-South Shootout John Blewett III Memorial at Caraway Speedway (NC).

WATCH REPLAY: MODIFIEDS AT NORTH-SOUTH SHOOTOUT

Surviving some contact with 10 to go, along with multiple late-race challenges from some of the best Modified racers in game, ‘Mad Max’ took Gary Putnam’s No. 77 to victory lane in not just his second start for Putnam, but in a Tour-type Modified.

“This is only the second time I’ve driven a Tour Modified. I’d like to say this isn’t supposed to happen, but I’ll take it all day. Gary keeps this car at his house and he is so damn smart. It’s a pleasure to drive this racecar,” McLaughlin said in victory lane.

The second-generation racer had to deal with three-time Race of Champions Modified Series champion Patrick Emerling over the final eight laps, keeping his eyes out front and not on the mirror.

“David Warner, my spotter did a great job. I didn’t know who was back there, I was just hearing, ‘One back, one and a half.’ I didn’t dare to take my eyes off the road in front of me to see who it was. These guys are such great drivers, and it’s a pleasure to race them. Patrick is a great driver, to beat him for the win is pretty cool.”

For Emerling, who seemed to have the edge on longer runs in the later laps, the final restart itself proved to be his undoing, leaving him a gap that he was unable to overcome.

“The restarts, my carburetor was loading up a little bit, something was happening where I didn’t have full power. It took me two laps for the motor to kick on. We had the best car at the end of the race, but Max was able to get a little bit of a lead on us on the restart, I tried to close, if it was 160 or 165 laps we would’ve been good.”

Before Emerling’s final challenge, former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ron Silk was McLaughlin’s opponent. But, some controversy arose on a restart with 10 laps to go, when McLaughlin drifted high with Silk to his outside. Silk’s No. 16 caught the outside wall, causing a stack up and eventual crash that eliminated him and fellow contenders Matt Hirschamn, John Smith, and James Civali.

“I want to apologize to the 16 team,” McLaughlin said.  “We were driving hard at the end. I got a lot of respect for him, and just rushed the throttle, got tight off, and squeezed him into the fence,”

It wasn’t the first time the two had gotten together late in the race, which was the main source of frustration expressed by Silk.

“We were racing pretty hard and I don’t know if he got tight or what, but just ran me out of room and got into the fence,” Silk said.  “I wish he would’ve given me more room, but I understand we’re all racing hard there at the end. Just the way it goes sometimes. But, what’s more frustrating is that when we came and got our tires with 20 to go or so, he ran me up in three and four, put me back to last, and I had to drive back through.”

Speed51.TV’s tape-delayed broadcast of the North-South Shootout John Blewett III Memorial is available by clicking here.

-Story by: Connor Sullivan, Speed51 Northeast Editor

-Photo credit: Speed51

Brett Moffitt done with 2020 season: ‘Honestly, I’m just glad it’s over with’

Brett Moffitt

By Terrin Waack NASCAR.com November 7, 2020  at 12:11 AM

Brett Moffitt did not sugarcoat his words.

The driver of the No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet finished 10th in Friday’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway – despite leading a race-high 78 of 156 laps. He even held the front spot with two laps to go in regulation, but then a caution flew to force the Lucas Oil 150 into overtime. His team opted to stay out front – as he put it – “like a sitting duck” on old tires, while many other trucks pitted to freshen up before the restart.

“Race strategy has been a downfall for us all year, for sure,” Moffitt said in a post-race Zoom availability. “We’ve thrown away multiple wins because of it. It’s frustrating to lose a championship because of it.”

Which he did.

Moffitt was a Championship 4 driver. He had the third-best finish of the group, therefore closing out his 2020 season third in the final standings. Sheldon Creed came away with the race win and championship title. Zane Smith placed second in both categories. Grant Enfinger wound up 13th in the race and fourth in the standings.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing next year, so that’s that,” Moffitt said. “This year’s been hell on and off the race track. I don’t know. It’s been a tough year in my personal life with everything that happened. Having a bad year on track certainly doesn’t help that at all.

“Honestly, I’m just glad it’s over with.”

This season marked Moffitt’s second with GMS Racing. He raced for Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2018, when he won six races and the championship in his full-time season in the series.

Moffitt made it to Victory Lane just once in 2020 – Kansas Speedway in the Round of 8 to solidify his spot in the Championship 4. He pointed his way into and through the playoffs otherwise.

In total, Moffitt had the one win, 10 top fives and 16 tops 10s this year. He averaged a 9.7 finish.

“I didn’t hear what Brett said,” GMS Racing team owner Maury Gallagher said. “Anybody in that position is going to be upset and angry. I’m sure in the heat of the battle, he didn’t mean anything because that team has performed all year. Brett arguable was the most consistent driver the entire year in many years.

“Brett is a good guy. We really have enjoyed having Brett around. I’ll go look at the film. If need be, we’ll chat it out.”

GMS Racing president Mike Beam later indicated the team hopes to finalize is 2021 driver lineup in the next two weeks.

As for his aforementioned personal life, Moffitt broke both his legs during a dirt-bike accident back in March. The injuries required his first-ever surgery, and he has admitted in the past the recovery was painful. He didn’t miss any races due to the fact NASCAR had paused all on-track activity at the time due to the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“If broken legs isn’t enough of a handicap,” Moffitt said live from pit road on FS1, “race strategy is I guess.”

How Far They’ve Come: From ARCA Menards Series to Championship 4; Lots of current NASCAR drivers payed their dues with the former middle America sanction that NASCAR bought two years ago

Source: StockCarGazette.com

The ARCA Menards Series has evolved and developed into the preeminent driver development series in stock car racing. The bridge between local and regional racing and the professional leagues of stock car series nationally, the ARCA Menards Series platform has seen dozens of drivers participate as they made their way up the ladder.

Of the 99 drivers that participated in the season openers at Daytona for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, 86 of them had experience in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and/or ARCA Menards Series West. Thirty-seven of them have accumulated 132 total ARCA Menards Series wins and six championships, twenty-nine of them accumulated 93 total East wins and six championships, and twelve of them accumulated a total of 51 West victories and four championships.

All twelve drivers competing for national series titles at Phoenix have ARCA experience, and ten of them have wins within the ARCA Menards Series platform.

Chase Elliott made 12 ARCA Menards Series starts over three seasons, with one win (Pocono, 2013), six top-five, and eleven top-ten finishes. He also scored wins in what is now known as the ARCA Menards Series East (Iowa, 2012) and ARCA Menards Series West (Sonoma, 2016).

Brad Keselowski made three ARCA Menards Series starts, two in 2004 and one in 2006 for three different owners. Keselowski didn’t fare well in any of the three starts, with a best finish of 17th at Michigan in his final appearance. Keselowski is the son of 1989 ARCA Menards Series champion Bob Keselowski and won ARCA-sanctioned super late model races at Toledo Speedway before moving up the ranks to NASCAR Gander Truck Series competition.

Joey Logano has four career ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, and he’s won half of them (Rockingham, 2008, Pocono, 2009). His worst ARCA finish? Second, twice, at Talladega in 2008 and Daytona in 2009.

Denny Hamlin made two ARCA Menards Series appearances, one in 2004 at Talladega and the other at Nashville in 2005. He finished third in his debut at Talladega.

Chase Briscoe is the 2006 ARCA Menards Series champion. He won six times on his way to the championship, at Winchester, Iowa, Lucas Oil, Pocono, Chicagoland, and Kansas. He finished in the top five 14 times and had 18 top-10 finishes in 20 starts that season.

Austin Cindric has eight ARCA Menards Series starts, with one win (Kentucky, 2017). He has led laps in seven of his eight career starts. He also has two career wins in two ARCA Menards Series East starts, on the road courses at Virginia International and Watkins Glen.

Justin Haley began racing full-bodied stock cars in the Late Model Sportsman division at ARCA-sanctioned Toledo Speedway in 2013. He earned the first of seven top-five ARCA Menards Series finishes at the age of 15 in 2014. He has three series wins, at Springfield, Talladega, and Pocono. He is also the 2016 ARCA Menards Series East champion with two wins and 14 top-10 finishes in 14 starts.

Justin Allgaier is the 2008 ARCA Menards Series champion, taking the series title with an impressive three-race win streak to close the season. He has eight total series wins in 86 starts.

Grant Enfinger is the 2015 ARCA Menards Series champion. In 2014 and 2015, he opened the season with three consecutive wins. Enfinger has 16 total series wins in 95 appearances.

Sheldon Creed is the 2018 ARCA Menards Series champion, with four wins and 18 top-10 finishes in 20 starts. He also has one career ARCA Menards Series West win, on the dirt at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Zane Smith is the 2018 ARCA Menards Series runner-up and Bounty Rookie of the Year. He finished the season with four wins and finished in the top ten in 13 of his 20 starts.

Brett Moffitt has 10 career ARCA Menards Series East wins, and from 2009 through 2013 finished either second or third in the final series standings. He has 62 career starts, 34 top-five and 45 top-ten finishes.

Fr8Auctions continuing sponsorship of Brett Moffitt, on board with Our Motorsports, owned by Cape Cod’s Chris Our of Harwich, MA for four XFINITY races in 2021

Source: Jayski.com

Note: Chris Our is a building contractor on The Cape who has always had interest in NASCAR racing. Previous to his foray into the Xfinity Series he also ties to the ARCA Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour


  NOVEMBER 7, 2020 

NASCAR driver Brett Moffitt is pleased to announce that long-time partner Fr8Auctions is extending the company’s sponsorship support into the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Fr8Autions, which is the primary sponsor of Moffitt’s No. 02 Chevrolet Camaro fielded by Our Motorsports today at Phoenix Raceway, has committed to be the primary sponsor of the No. 02 car at the four races scheduled next season at Talladega Superspeedway (April 24, Oct. 2) and Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 20, July 10).

“I’m incredibly thankful to have a long-time sponsor like Fr8Auctions step up each and every year to support me across all the racing series I drive,” said the 28-year-old Moffitt, the 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion. “Marcus Barela has been there for me through the ups and downs and is committed to seeing my Xfinity Series program take a step up in 2021.”

In 2020, Fr8Auctions has served as a primary car sponsor of the Our Motorsports No. 02 car for nine races, plus as a primary sponsor and associate sponsor of Moffitt’s No. 23 Chevrolet Silverado truck at GMS Racing. Fr8Auctions has sponsored Moffitt since 2015 and was a key partner during his 2018 championship season run.

“Brett has been like family to me and Fr8Auctions since he won the NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2015,” said Marcus Barela, owner of Atlanta, Ga.-based Fr8Auctions. “We believe Brett is one of the top racers in the sport and look forward to continuing our partnership into next year’s Xfinity Series, which now includes two races at both Talladega and Atlanta.”

Moffitt will start 12th today in the No. 02 Fr8Auctions Chevrolet Camaro for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 at Phoenix Raceway. The race broadcast starts at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

— Pro Sport Management —

Teddy Hodgdon Wins NAPA Auto Parts SK Modified Rookie of the Year Honors at Stafford Speedway

Source: Scott Running

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(Stafford Springs, CT)—Following a 5-win season that carried him to the 2019 SK Light championship at Stafford Speedway, Teddy Hodgdon made the move up to the track’s premier SK Modified® division for the 2020 season.  Hodgdon and the #55 Montanari Fuel team endured a season filled with highs and lows that saw him post 2 top-5 and 5 top-10 finishes in 14 starts to claim NAPA Auto Parts Rookie of the Year honors.

“It’s a great feeling to be the Rookie of the Year, especially coming off a championship season last year,” said Hodgdon.  “Going into the best weekly modified division in the country, there’s 15 guys who can win every week, and we had some struggles in the middle of the season with wrecks and a couple of untimely incidents, but we held our own throughout the season and I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish.  I felt like we checked all the boxes for our rookie season.  My guys are the best in the business and with all the hardships we went through this year I hope we can be pretty strong next season.  I have a lot of people to thank for this season, Montanari Fuels, Pete Matton and Lori Brasher, Business Time Motorsports, A Pappa John Construction, Gator Sport Fishing, Keith Rocco Racing, Ness Auto, State Cutters, Jims Welding, Ultimate Restoration, Critical Signs, Economy Signs, Simpson Race Products, The Joie of Seating, SSR Suspension, Williams Race Gears, Pettit Race Engines, Waddell Communications, Dale and Connie Massey, Roby and Dawn Sadler, Tony Mottola and Family, Robert and Vicki Tod, Trent Markovitz, Brandon Wilkinson, Pixies Pop Shop, Lasco Roofing, Benedict Family, James R Paige Plumbing, Tally-Ho Aviation, Serio’s Pizzaria, New York Sports Show, and Fenceline Films.”

In only a short period of time, Hodgdon has enjoyed a large amount of success racing at Stafford.  He won races in the Legend Cars from 2015-2016 and then in the SK Lights from 2018-2019, including a championship last year.  Hodgdon found out first hand just how tough and competitive the world of SK Modified® racing is at Stafford.

“It was a pretty big reality check to see how you stack up against the best guys,” said Hodgdon.  “I think it was facing a whole new level of competition.  All the guys in the SK’s have been racing for so much longer than the guys in the Lights and they have a lot more experience and seat time and they know how the cars are going to react and what it’s going to do.  You have to prepare for that, you have to be ready to face the best every single week and not let up for a second.  You can’t miss your margin by any amount, you have to be perfect every week and that’s what it takes to be able to run with those guys up front in the SK Modified® division.”

While Hodgdon and his team endured the hardships of being a rookie in one of the toughest weekly divisions anywhere in the country, the high point of his rookie campaign came on July 31st when he led for a portion of the 40-lap race and ended up with a season best finish of second place behind Cory DiMatteo.

“That was the first race where we really showed our speed this season,” said Hodgdon.  “We were able to start up front and we led I think the first quarter of that race.  Being out front, there’s no rabbit to chase so I wasn’t sure where to hit my marks.  Once I fell in behind Cory [DiMatteo] I was able to keep pace with him but he had just a little bit better drive off the corner and that’s how he was able to stay in front of us.  I knew working with Keith Rocco and switching over to Troyer cars for this season that something good was going to happen.  We just needed everything to go right for us and it did that night.”

One area that Hodgdon was lacking during his rookie season was working short run speed into his #55 car.  The car would be good on long runs, but where Hodgdon really felt the sting of not having short run speed was in qualifying heat races and at the start of the feature events.

“This year was tough and I think we really needed to work on our short run speed,” said Hodgdon.  Heat races killed us, we had to start in the back for probably more than two thirds of the time and that really set us back.  Whenever we started up front we had really strong races.  We had a second in the fourth race of the year and we got a fourth place finish battling up through the field and we had a bunch of strong top-10 runs in like 7th or 8th place.  The car would always seem to take about 5 laps to come in and we tried everything this year so we’re going to start fresh for next season and hopefully we can get that remedied.  We’ll use the off-season to regroup and get everything back to normal like it was last year.  If we could change one thing on the car it would be the short run speed.  We’d get long green flag runs of like 15 or 20 laps and we would start picking cars off, it was just starting in the back that was a real killer for us.”

At this time Hodgdon is looking forward to returning to the SK Modified® division for the 2021 season and getting his first feature victory while he also has his eyes set on possibly making some open modified starts during the 2021 season.

“We’re looking at coming back with the SK next year and I’m always looking for an open modified ride if someone wanted to partner up with me,” said Hodgdon.  “I think we made a lot of progress this season and if things can go right during a night like they did for us when we finished second, maybe we can capitalize with a year’s worth of experience and hopefully we can get it done with a victory.”

For more information, visit www.staffordspeedway.com, checkout Stafford Speedway on Facebook or Twitter, or contact the track office at 860-684-2783.

Note: If your track, tour or event is not posted on this blog send your press releases and flyers to: lmodestino@hotmail.com

PATRICK EMERLING RACES TO THIRD RACE OF CHAMPIONS ASPHALT MODIFIED SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

Source: ROC

PATRICK EMERLING RACES TO THIRD RACE OF CHAMPIONS ASPHALT MODIFIED SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

Race of Champions Series management is proud to announce the Series champions for the 2020 season. Series champions were established if a Series ran three or more complete races based on the pandemic effected season.

Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y., captured the Race of Champions Modified Series title with a victory at Lake Erie Speedway in North East, Pa., in August and a second place finish in the 70th Annual Race of Champions 250. Emerling topped Austin Beers of Northampton, Pa. Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., who visited victory lane three times finished 3rd. Daren Scherer of Binghamton, N.Y., finished 4th and Danny Knoll, Jr., Amherst, N.Y., finished 5th.

“We were able to make the best of a shortened season,” stated Emerling. “I have a great team and they kept us in the Race of Champions 250 and that made a huge difference in our efforts. I’m proud of what we have been able to accomplish and look forward to racing more in 2021.”

Tommy Krawczyk of West Seneca, N.Y., scored two victories and his first Race of Champions Super Stock Series crown. Krawczyk topped defending Series champion Tommy Barron of Ontario, N.Y. and TJ Cochrane of Cheektowaga, N.Y., in the final series championship standings.

Jason Anasciewicz of Alden, N.Y., scored his first-ever Race of Champions Four Cylinder Dash Series crown. Anasiewicz won twice, including in the Series biggest event, the Tribute to “Butch Palmer” at Lake Erie Speedway as part of Presque Isle Downs & Casino Race of Champions Weekend. Anasciewicz also scored the Fred Rounds Cup as part of the Dash Series Triple Challenge, along with 7 top-five finishes in 7 races.. DJ Shaw of Waverly, N.Y., won twice and finished 2nd in the championship standings. Briar Dils of Derby, N.Y., scored one victory and finished 3rd in the championship standings.

George Skora, III of Eden, N.Y., led the Race of Champions Sportsman Modified Series standings after just two races. Bobby Holmes of Lockport, N.Y., was on top of the Race of Champions TQ Midget Series standings. Rich Sharpe of Depew, N.Y., led the Race of Champions Street Stock Series after the conclusion of two events. Jerick Johnson of Mooresville, N.C., won the lone Race of Champions Late Model Series event that was able to be completed in 2020. The Race of Champions Dirt 602 Sportsman Modified Series did not compete in 2020 due to the Canadian border remaining closed to travel. These divisions will be marked with an asterisk for the 2020 season.

Due to the pandemic, Race of Champions management will announce if a Championship Celebration is able to happen at a later date.

The Race of Champions is a sanctioning body presenting Modified and Stock Car racing on asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the Northeast, with events in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey with primary marketing partners Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Waddell Communications, Pilat Graphic Design, Jerico TDH Refrigeration, Sherwood Racing Wheels, PavedTrackDigest.com and Speed51.com. The 71st annual Race of Champions weekend will take place in 2021 at Lake Erie Speedway in North East, Pennsylvania and is the second longest consecutive auto-racing event in North America, second only to the Indianapolis 500.

For more information, contact Race of Champions Media at media@rocmodifiedseries.com

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