0
0
WATERFORD — All laps in an auto race are not created equally. All a driver needs to do is lead one lap —the last lap — in order to pocket the first-place check. Both Todd Owen in the SK Modifieds and Tommy Silva enjoyed last-lap success Saturday on Nostalgia Night at the New London Waterford Speedbowl.
Owen cracked past his teammate, Anthony Flannery, to post his fourth win of the season, while Silva thundered underneath Charles Canfield on the final lap to post his third win of the season.
Zack Sangermano, meanwhile, used a late finishing kick to hold off Nickolas Hovey in the 25-lap feature while Dylan Cote edged Jase Mongeon in a thrilling INEX Legends feature.
Owen, the point leader in the SK Modifieds, trailed Flannery for the first 34 laps. With one lap to go, however, Owen had enough room on the inside grove to bullet his way underneath Flannery to get the win. The winning margin was 0.148.
“It was two guys who were racing their hearts out,” Owen said in victory lane. “The cars were pretty much equal. But the guys on my crew work hard. I knew I had to give it my all.”
Owen said Flannery changed his line on the final two laps, moving down low to try and squeeze Owen on the bottom. It gave Owen the opportunity he needed.
“It was my own fault,” said Flannery, a former Late Model and Legends champ at Waterford who is looking for his first SK win. “I was too worried about the guy behind me.”
When Flannery veered to the inside, Owen was able to get Flannery loose and eventually get by him.
“Passing on the inside is tough,” Owen said. “But in the last two laps he changed his line.”
Owen’s win, combined with Eric Berndt’s seventh place finish, allowed Owen to expand his point lead to 12 in the standings.
Silva found himself in the same situation that Owen was in during the Mini Stock feature. Like Owen, he made the last lap count against Canfield.
“I just moved him up on the last lap,” Silva said. “I’m not running for points, I’m only running for wins. So I took a chance. Charles and I always run well together.”
The gap between the two drivers was 0.849. Canfield raised his point lead over Sam Mesick, who finished third, to 22 points.
Sangermano said after his second SK Lite win is that his car “loves the high line.”
He used a bottom-shot move, however, to scoot past Hovey and zip into the lead.
“I was trying different lanes tonight to see what would happen,” Sangermano said. “What happened was my second win.”
Hovey and Sangermano are best friends off the track but rivals on it.
“I was a little tight tonight, but Zack ran me clean on the bottom,” Hovey said. “He didn’t touch me for the entire race.
Tom Abele Jr. finished third and leads John O’Sullivan by 23 points.
Cote proved with his first-ever Legends win is that he is as good a spectator as he is a driver.
“I have been following Brody Monahan’s back bumper this year so I could find out where the line is here and where to make moves,” Cote said. “It paid off today.”
Cote took the lead after an eighth lap altercation that involved point leader Monahan and Riley Paul.
Mongeon, in only his second Speedbowl outing, however, was in his hip pocket the rest of the way. He only fell short by 0.128.
“We made a few adjustments tonight and we found more speed,” Mongeon said.
Just not enough speed to get past Cote.
Monahan, who finished 12th, still has a 21-point lead in the standings.
In the Nostalgia past of the show, Kent Ingves won the NEAR Modified feature, Doug Farrow won the Near Sportsman feature, Tom Pickerell won the American Vintage Modified race, James Allen won the STAR Modified race and John Jalbert won the Sportsman race.
Racing resumes Wednesday at the Speedbowl for Wild ‘n’ Wacky Wednesday.
35-lap SK Modifieds: 1. Todd Owen, Somers; 2. Anthony Flannery , East Hampton; 3. Andrew Molleur , Shelton; 4. Cory DiMatteo , Farmington; 5. Rob Janovic Jr, Waterford; 6. Adam Gada , Bozrah; 7. Eric Berndt , Cromwell,; 8. Dennis Gada, Salem; 9. Wendell Dailey , Gales Ferry; 10. John Bercham, West Greenwich, RI; 11. Cody Rose , Worcester, Mass.
25-lap SK Lights: 1. Zack Sangermano, Plainfield; 2. Nickolas Hovey, Chaplin; 3. Tom Abele Jr, Norwich; 4. John O’Sullivan III, Salem; 5. Evan Bourgeois, East Haddam; 6. Stephen Kelogiannis , New Hartford,; 7. Isaiah Newcomb, Plymouth, MA; 9.Geoff Nooney , Southwick; 9. Ethan Durocher , Canterbury; 10. Matt Brewer , Norwich; 11. Aaron Plemons , Uncasville; 12. Dennis Krupski, Calventon,; 13. Blair Culhane , Brookfield,; 14. Jordan Churchill , Lisbon.
25-lap Mini Stocks: 1. Tommy Silva, Gales Ferry; 2. Charles Canfield, East Haven; 3. Sam Mesick, East Lyme; 4. Christopher Ivory, Oakdale; 5. Nicholas Pappacoda , North Branford,; 6. Jesse Oloski, Salem; 7. Wayne Taylor , Moosup; 8. Tim Baker , Hartford,; 11. Erica Canfield, East Haven; 10. Stacey Zentek, East Haven; 11. Hailey Beal, Ledyard; 12. Charles Beal . Ledyard.
25-lap INEX Legends: 1. Dylan Cote , Griswold; 2. Jase Mongeon, Charleston, Mss.; 3. Wade Oemcke , Terryville; 4. Kyle Caissie, Malborough; 5. Dylan Freeman, Unionville,; 6. Giovanni Ruggiero, Seekonk, MA; 7. Ethan Avellar , Attleboro, MA; 8. Jordan Rosado , Lisbon’ 9. Nick Lascuola , Brockton, MA; 10. Scott Limkemann, Lebanon; 11. Riley Paul , Ledyard; 12, Brody Monahan; 13, Scott Kinsman, Berl
