Preece, Carey Headline Saturday Winners at Thompson

Thompson, CT — The epic Saturday portion of the 60th Sunoco World Series presented by Budweiser featured all important end-of-year action for the divisions present with championship implications laying in every corner. Deserving winners across the board made their mark in World Series victory lane Saturday all in preparation for bigger and better things to come.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour kicked off the afternoon’s activities by using two-lap time trials to establish the starting line-up for the upcoming Phoenix Communications 150. After 24 drivers competed on the Thompson highbanks, Ronnie Williams emerged victorious over Ron Silk, securing the Mayhew Tools Pole Award with his 19.073-second lap. Both R’s will complete the line-up for the 60th Sunoco World Series, sponsored by Budweiser.

In the final 20-lap main event of their 2022 championship, the Thompson Mini Stocks were led to the green flag by frequently unlucky driver, Bill Schoeler. Kevin Moore, the point leader, started from the back and quickly began to challenge the leaders. However, the first caution flag was waved on the 9th lap due to Dave Trudeau Jr. in car #9 spinning and coming to a halt in the fourth turn. After the restart, Schoeler managed to maintain his lead against a strong challenge from Dave Trudeau Sr. They battled it out closely for several laps, with Trudeau ultimately overtaking Schoeler’s #84RI.

The last warning on the 18th lap resulted in Schoeler colliding with the leading scorer, Moore. This mishap caused a tire to burst and ended Schoeler’s participation for the night. Meanwhile, Moore resumed from the end of the line, prepared for the restart. In the concluding two laps, Kevin Moore managed to secure a fifth-place finish and grab the 2022 Thompson Mini Stock track championship title. Dave Trudeau achieved his second victory of the season, followed by Jarred Roy and John Bavolacco.

Garrett Hall from Scarborough, Maine, and Jake Johnson from Rehoboth, Massachusetts, were next on the field, leading the Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models to the start of their 75-lap main event during the Sunoco World Series Saturday, sponsored by Budweiser. Hall set the pace at the start of the race, but former Oxford 250 winner Wayne Helliwell Jr. quickly advanced through the field, eyeing Hall and the top spot by the sixth lap. After closely following the young up-and-comer, Helliwell overtook the lead on the twelfth lap, with Johnson sliding into second place shortly afterwards.

By the 25th lap, D.J. Shaw had made it into the top-5 as Hall started to advance past him. Hall managed to reach Johnson’s rear bumper and, using the slingshot move, jumped underneath him to reclaim second place at the line. His next target was Helliwell. From inside Helliwell, Garrett Hall took the lead and maintained it throughout the 75 lap sprint for the PASS Super Late Models. Hall clinched his first victory at Thompson since 2016, followed by Wayne Helliwell Jr. and D.J. Shaw, who completed the podium positions. Jake Johnson narrowly missed out, just managing to keep his car running.

Triple Crown champion Todd Owen, from Weston’s Automotive, kicked off the Sunoco Modified feature race by swiftly overtaking RJ Marcotte and leading the pack, with Mike Christopher Jr. behind him. The race’s first caution flag was raised due to Adam Gada’s halted position in the backstretch grass, foreshadowing what was yet to come. After a successful restart, a massive commotion involving multiple drivers occurred across the start/finish line. This included point leader Stephen Kopcik, Troy Talman, Jon Puleo, among others.

Following a prolonged clean-up, the race recommenced with Kopcik’s team busily working in the infield pit area. Christopher Jr. led Owen into the first turn as the green light signalled the return to action. Keith Rocco then made his move, darting into second place beneath Todd Owen in the third turn. As the race reached its halfway mark, Christopher Jr. maintained a significant ten-car-length lead, with the trio of Rocco, Owen, and Cory DiMatteo hot on his tail, bumper to bumper.

Stephen Kopcik was set to return for two laps, with important championship points at stake, as DiMatteo attempted to surpass Keith Rocco for third place. However, Mike Christopher Jr. ended Kopcik’s four-win streak by securing the second round of the Weston’s Automotive Triple Crown Series for the Sunoco Modifieds. Todd Owen finished in second place, followed by Cory DiMatteo in third, surpassing both Keith Rocco and RJ Marcotte.

The penultimate event of the New England Supermodified Series took place as part of the 60th Sunoco World Series, sponsored by Budweiser. The event was led by Thunder Road winner Ben Seitz and Matt Swanson, a standout from Massachusetts. After five laps with Swanson and Seitz side by side, Swanson pulled into a commanding lead over Seitz and Rob Summers, a lead he maintained till the end. Despite this being only his second start, Swanson secured his first Supermodified win, followed by Seitz and Russ Wood. Mechanical issues caused Summers and Derek Ranstrom to drop out.

The American-Canadian Tour took the field as the fifth feature event of the evening. By virtue of his +5, longtime Thompson Speedway standout Tom Carey III took off at the front of the pack followed by former ACT Rookie of the Year Erick Sands. As Carey began to pull away, a three way battle for second between Alexendre Tardif, Sands and 2022 Thompson Speedway champion Ryan Morgan drew the fans' attention. Sooner still, point leader D.J. Shaw jumped into the top-5 before the first caution flew on lap 18 for the spinning Jacob ‘Rowdy’ Burns in turn two.

Carey and Tardif jostled for position at the front in the restart before Sands crashed into the turn four wall due to a flat right front and damaged suspension, ending his race. In the second part of the restart, Carey and Tardif were evenly matched until Carey pulled ahead coming out of turn two. The major caution of the night occurred shortly afterwards when John Lowinski-Low found himself on top of Joey Parker’s hood along the frontstretch. Up against D.J. Shaw in the return to green, Carey managed to hold his ground. As the race continued towards its conclusion, Derek Gluchacki built up momentum, coming very close to Carey’s back bumper, but ran out of time. Tom Carey III ended up securing his second career win in the American-Canadian Tour, followed by Gluchacki and Alexendre Tardif on the podium.

The Harry Kourafas Memorial event, an annual feature of the Sunoco World Series presented by Budweiser, saw the return of the New England Pro-4 Modifieds. Brett Merservey took the lead from the start, leaving the other fifteen cars to vie for position. Despite a single caution due to Jack Dumas going the wrong way in the fourth turn, Merservey maintained his lead when it mattered most. Ultimately, Merservey emerged as the victor of the 2022 Harry Kourafas Memorial race, with Rob Richardi Jr. and Doug Merservey Jr. following in second and third places, respectively.

The 60th Sunoco World Series, sponsored by Budweiser, concluded its epic Saturday night with the highly anticipated Sunoco 100 for the Outlaw Open Modified Series. The thrilling $10,000 race began with Craig Lutz and Eric Goodale leading the pack, but by the third lap, Keith Rocco had surged ahead. Ryan Preece quickly climbed to the top-5 within just ten laps, making the competition look easy. Adding to the suspense, Ronnie Williams, the winner of Friday night’s Modified Racing Series, joined the front runners as the field widened. Rocco and Williams fiercely battled for the lead, trading positions at every corner. All the while, a formidable competitor was making the most of the unfolding drama.

Woody Pitkat continually advanced toward the front in every turn. Eventually, ‘The Sultan of Stafford’ took the lead by navigating through a group of lap traffic, like a rocket setting off until there was an issue on lap 82 for Houston due to the first caution signal for a frontstretch spinner during the event. The whole field of racers entered the pit stop during the caution period, with tweaks being made and tires replaced on almost all of the cars. Pitkat, Mike Christopher Jr., and Preece were the first to finish the pit stop. Furthermore, Pitkat managed to outpace Christopher Jr. when the green flag was waved, while Keith Rocco rapidly fell behind. Two more caution signals bunched up the field, leading to several showdowns between Ryan Preece and Woody Pitkat, with Preece ultimately emerging victorious. Pitkat earned a hard-fought second place, with Matt Swanson following in the secondary Gary Casella vehicle.

The 60th edition of the Sunoco World Series, sponsored by Budweiser, concludes tomorrow, Sunday, October 9th, with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Sunoco World Series 150, also presented by Phoenix Communications. Along with NASCAR’s longest-running touring division, the event at Thompson Speedway will feature track championship contests for the Sunoco Modifieds, Limited Sportsman, and SK Lite Modifieds. The Weston’s Automotive Triple Crown Series for the Sunoco Mods will also be part of the event. Additionally, the NEMA Lites and the EXIT Reality Pro Truck Series will be showcased in the Sunday schedule.

The 60th Sunoco World Series, sponsored by Budweiser, is scheduled for a bookend Sunday with entry fees of $45 for adults and $10 for kids aged 6-12. The Grandstand Gates will open at exactly 10:00am. The racing event will be broadcast live on the Racing America pay-per-view platform, excluding the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour segment, which will exclusively be available on FloRacing.

For more information about the American-Canadian Tour, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, [email protected], or visit www.acttour.com. You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.

For any technical inquiries related to all PASS divisions, or for media and marketing queries, kindly reach out to [email protected] or visit our official website at www.proallstarsseries.com. Remember to follow our Facebook page, Pro All Stars Series and Twitter handle @PASSSLM14 to stay updated with the latest news.

If you have any inquiries about Thompson Speedway, please contact us at (860) 923-2280 or send an email to [email protected]. You can also find more information on our website at www.thompsonspeedway.com. Stay updated with us on social media; follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ThompsonSpeedway and on Twitter @ThompsonSpdwy.

-ACT Press Release
-Photo credit: Alan Ward

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park – Thompson, CT

60th Sunoco World Series presented by Budweiser Night #2

Saturday, October 8, 2022

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

Outlaw Open Modified Series Sunoco 100 – 100 Laps

1. 40 Ryan Preece

2. 88 Woody Pitkat

3. 25M Matt Swanson

4. 00 Austin Beers

5. 58 Eric Goodale

6. 25 Ronnie Williams

7. 55 Teddy Hodgdon

8. 20 Max Zachem

9. 75 Chris Pasteryak

10. 57 Keith Rocco

11. 7NY Mike Christopher Jr.

12. 45 Brett Merservey

13. 82 Craig Lutz

14. 19 Anthony Bello

15. 17B Tommy Barrett

16. 46 Justin Brown

17. 1 J.B. Fortin

18. 66NH Andy Shaw

19. 35 Andrew Molleur

20. 5A RJ Marcotte

21. 21 Chase Cook

22. 31 Andrew Charron

23. 17 Kevin Folan

24. 01NY Artie Peterson

25. 29 Spencer Davis

26. 3 Jake Johnson

27. 81 Todd Owen

28. 81NJ Jack Ely

29. 81x Josh Zentek

30. 48 Glen Steger

DNS 43 Devin O’Connell

DNS 41 Kevin Shea

DNS 06 Sammy Rameau

American-Canadian Tour – 75 Laps

Tom Carey III, 5MA, New Salem, MA

2. 03MA Derek Gluchacki North Dartmouth, MA

21QC Alexandre Tardif, Notre Dame des Pins, QC 3.

04VT D.J. Shaw Center, Conway, NH 4.

5. 41QC Jonathan Bouvrette Blainville, QC

6. 68NH Tanner Woodard Waterbury Ctr., VT

7. 31CT Ryan Morgan Franklin, CT

8. 37CT Jordan Hadley Waterford, CT

9. 9ME Shawn Swallow Groveton, NH

10. 27KY Isaac Bevin Louisville, KY

#77NH Bryan Wall Jr., East Kingston, NH, 11.

12. 38RI Connor Souza Riverside, RI

13. 60MA Joey Parker Weymouth, MA

14. 27NH #Cam Huntress Rochester, NH

15. 4CT Reese Bogue Groton, CT

16. 11QC Claude Leclerc Lanorie, QC

17. 77MA James Linardy Somerville, MA

18. 9MA Brian Tagg Millburg, MA

19. 17MA Matt Lowinski-Low Thompson, CT

20. 36NH Erick Sands Derry, NH

Jacob Rowdy Burns, 21, 30RI, East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

22. 7NH #Cody Leblanc Berlin, NH

DNS 2CT Doug Curry Bozrah, CT

Pro All Stars Series Super Late Models – 75 Laps

1. 94 Garrett Hall Scarborough, ME

2. 27NH Wayne Helliwell, Jr. Dover, NH

3. 60 D.J. Shaw Center Conway, NH

4. 15MA Jake Johnson Rehoboth, MA

5. 17MA Eddie MacDonald Rowley, MA

6. 50 Gabe Brown Center Conway, NH

7. 7CT Cory Casagrande Stafford Springs, CT

8. 72 Ryan Kuhn E. Bridgewater, MA

9. 18s Mike Scorzelli Feura Bush, NY

10. 4NH Joey Polewarczyk Hudson, NH

11. 21 Josh King Vernon, VT

12. 81 Dan Winter Deerfield, ME

13. 60M Mike Mayberry Naples, ME

14. 7B Isaac Bevin Louisville, KY

DNS 36 Dave Silvia

New England Supermodified Series – 50 Laps

1. 97 Matt Swanson

2. 11 Ben Seitz

3. 41 Russ Wood

4. 51 David Duggan

5. 5 Rob Summers

6. 45 Derek Ranstrom

Weston’s Automotive Triple Crown Series for Sunoco Modifieds – 30 Laps

1. 82 Mike Christopher Jr. Wolcott, MA

2. 81 Todd Owen Somers, CT

3. 6CT Cory DiMatteo Farmington, CT

4. 57 Keith Rocco Berlin, CT

5. 5 RJ Marcotte Millville, CT

6. 34 David Arute Stafford, CT

7. 62 Cody Rose Worcester, MA

8. 44 Darin Renihan Woodbury, CT

9. 08 Nick Halkowicz Shelton, CT

10. 27A Adam Gada Bozrah, CT

11. 26 Jason Sundeen Douglas, MA

12. 179 Stephen Kopcik Newton, CT

13. 3 Troy Talman Oxford, MA

14. 7 Jon Puleo Branford, CT

15. 51 Anthony Bello

16. 02 Paul LaPlante Scituate, RI

17. 18 Tyler Berry Griswold, CT

18. 1x Tyler Leary Hatfield, MA

19. 28 Rich Gautreau

Thompson Mini Stocks – 20

2022 Track Champion – Kevin Moore

1. 97 Dave Trudeau

2. 1CT Jared Roy

3. 42 John Bavolacco

4. 9CT Rick LaFlesh

5. 82 Kevin Moore

6. 7 Kyle Wing

7. 22 Brad Caddick

8. 84 Bill Schoeler

9. 19 Ryan Pomposelli

10. 9x Dave Trudeau Jr.

New England Pro-4 Modifieds – Harry Kourafas Memorial 22

1. 1 Brett Merservey

2. 0 Rob Richardi Jr.

3. 67 Doug Merservey Jr.

4. 95 Ryan McPartland

5. 5 Brayden Merservey

6. 57 Kurt Lester

7. 44 Derek Robbie

8. 38 Ed Field

9. 24NY Bill Luchessi

10. 03VT Sophia Ashford

11. 04 Eric Vilandre

12. 55 Doug Viner

13. 4XL Jack Dumas

14. 24VT Ben Ashford

15. 37 Al Rieser