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Silk Takes NASCAR Modified Win, Rocco Makes it Two for Two with Sunoco 100 Victory

Thompson, CT ­— While sunshine brought fans and teams back to Thompson Speedway in droves to wrap up the 2023 season at the 5/8-mile oval, both groups were also welcomed with good news. It was announced at the drivers meeting on Sunday that the partnership between the American-Canadian Tour and Pro All Stars Series organizations will continue to lease the Thompson Speedway oval for the 2024 season. What remained was a day of championship crowning, heart-stopping action to round out the 61st Sunoco World Series.

Following qualifying for the ten other divisions racing on the 61st Sunoco World Series Super Sunday, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com took the green flag to start the afternoon’s feature racing action. Young-gun Austin Beers quickly shot to the front around title chasers Ron Silk and Justin Bonsignore, leading all the way to lap 64 where Jake Johnson used lap traffic to his advantage and nabbed the top spot. Bonsignore stayed hot on the rear-bumper of Beers in third as Ron Silk dropped back to conserve tires, in hopes for a late race-caution.

That wish would come true on lap 83 with the spinning #19 of Anthony Sesely on the bottom of turn four. With the majority of the field pitting for tires and adjustments, a rough stop for Johnson gave Bonsignore the lead when green-flag action resumed. After a wild restart throughout the field, Eric Berndt lost a right front tire and collected Austin Beers into the turn four wall. While Beers was able to drive away, Berndt went back into the infield behind the Walsh’s Auto Service wrecker.

Silk and Bonsignore faced-off on the lap 101 restart with a hard-charging Jake Johnson looking for more from his fifth-place position. The two title fighters battled it out following the restart before Silk turned up the afterburners and jetted away from Bonsignore, Johnson and Craig Lutz. Despite the spin for Kyle Bonsignore in turn four, a big frontstretch pile-up that ended Sammy Rameau’s day and a late-race charge by Jake Johnson, Ron Silk took down the World Series 150 win presented by FloSports.com and padded his point lead on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour going into Martinsville Speedway on October 26th.

The Evolve Bank & Trust Mortgage Pro Truck Series took the track for their 30-lap Sunoco World Series feature event. Tyler Chapman and Duane Knoll went to battle at the front of the pack before a big pile-up in turn one ended the day for top runners ‘Dangerous’ Dave Koenig and Dennis Charette. Shawn Monahan hunted down Chapman to lead lap 27 off turn four while Chapman spun himself out in turn two to call out the final caution. Shawn Monahan took the World Series win following a strong restart.

‘Leadfoot’ Larry Barnett quickly charged to the front of the 20-lap Limited Sportsman championship event as himself, Corey Fanning and Ryan Waterman battled for the 2023 track championship. Fanning motored into the lead on lap 4 with the title chase still at play. Caution after caution, the season-long championship remained in a stalemate between Fanning and Waterman, tied as they ran throughout the feature event. ‘Kid Chaos’ Corey Fanning took down the World Series win and his first Thompson Speedway Limited Sportsman championship in tiebreaker over Ryan Waterman with three wins on the season.

The Pro-4 Modifieds made their grand return to the Sunoco World Series for their annual Harry Kourafas Memorial event. Rob Richardi Jr. and Brayden Meservey took on a hard-fought battle at the front of the pack before a quick spin for the #57 in turn four slowed the field. While Jack Dumas and Richardi battled for second, Brayden Meservey took down the Harry Kourafas Memorial 22-lap feature win. Jack Dumas held on to second with Rob Richardi rounding out the podium.

Top championship chasers Jonathan ‘JP’ Puleo and Troy Talman led the final Sunoco Modified feature of the season to the green flag with Talman taking the early lead. Talman made growing his lead over Puleo look easy until Keith Rocco caught up to his rear-bumper. Stalking the youngster, veteran Rocco played the mind games from second-place lap after lap before jumping to the low-side and leading lap 14. Keith Rocco kept the hammer down to win the battle but Troy Talman was able to win the war, taking the 2023 Sunoco Modified track championship. Jonathan Puleo able to claim the Sunoco World Series championship by six-points over Talman with his top-5 finish.

Vern Romanowski and Ryan Battle led the New England Supermodified Series (NESS) to green for their 2023 championship finale. Championship chaser Dan Bowes overtook the two front row starters to steal the lead by lap two as point leader Ben Seitz also made his way around the early leaders to take chase. Matt Swanson dove in under Seitz to battle side-by-side in spectacular fashion lap after lap before Swanson finally took the position on lap 11. The lone caution flag flew on lap 24 for Dave Duggan’s spin in turn one to reshuffle the field. Dan Bowes took charge once again on the restart, schooling second-place finisher Matt Swanson with the win and passing over third-place finisher Ben Seitz to take the 2023 NESS championship.

The NEMA Lite feature started with a spin for polesitter Tiana Kibbe as the field settled back in for another go at their 25-lap main event on Sunoco World Series Sunday. Ryan Locke inherited the top spot under green as Randy Cabral hunted him down from the second spot. Cabral took over the lead just after the halfway point and kept it all the way to Sunoco World Series victory lane followed by Jake Trainor and Locke to round out the podium during their annual World Series appearance at the Big-T.

Hard-charging Jake Johnson and Sammy Rameau brought the Sunoco 100 for the Outlaw Open Modified Series to green followed closely by Austin Beers and Keith Rocco. Rameau moved into the lead early, but Johnson wasn’t interested in another second-place run on Sunday. The two battled hard in the early goings as veterans Rocco and Eric Goodale looked to join the fun. Charlie Pasteryak’s spin in turn two called out the first caution on lap 11 leaving Beers and Johnson to fight for the restart lead.

Through several quick-spin cautions and pitting periods, Johnson, Beers and Anthony Bello kept up the action in front of the field. While troubles plagued top pilots Woody Pitkat, Chris Pasteryak, Teddy Hodgdon and Keith Rocco, the gremlins finally caught up to Johnson who missed a shift on the lap 49 restart, giving the lead to Bello. As laps wound down, Ronnie Williams made his way closer and closer to Bello before sweeping under to take the lead away on lap 77. Both would pit on the lap 80 caution, gambling with twenty laps remaining.

Rocco and Rameau led the restart, bare-knuckle battling at the front with Craig Lutz, George Bessette Jr. and Beers capitalizing. George Bessette Jr. and Rameau made hard contact in turn four, ending their days and giving Lutz the lead. Keith Rocco beat Lutz back to the line on the restart, turned around a nearly disastrous mid-race visit to pit road to win the $10,000 Sunoco 100 over Kyle Bonsignore and Austin Beers.

The SK Light Modifieds decided on a no-holds-barred affair, kicking off their 30-lap feature with three caution periods before getting in one lap. Frank Hurt led the first lap while the championship chase between Alexander Pearl and Tyler Chapman followed among the top-ten. A huge calamity broke loose across the frontstretch on lap three, ending the championship hope for Chapman and sending Hurt, George Perreault and Nick Hovey behind the wall for the evening. Pearl faced-off against John O’Sullivan again and again in restart conditions but it was the final re-rack showdown between Pearl and Meghan Fuller that saw Fuller take her first career Thompson Speedway SK Light win using the high-lane. Alexander Pearl would take the 2023 Thompson Speedway track championship with his second-place finish while Sami Anderson took third.

Dave Trudeau led the Mini Stocks to green in search of his first win of the 2023 season at Thompson Speedway with fellow championship hopefuls Kevin Moore and Jarred Roy on his tail. Roy snuck away the lead on lap 4 and kept his foot in the firewall to lead all the way to the end and take down the championship by just two points over third-place finisher, and defending champ, Kevin Moore. Dave Trudeau took home second.

 

Christopher Buffone and Chad Baxter took off from the Open Street Stock field to start their 40-lap feature event. The final event of the 61st Sunoco World Series, Ryan Waterman quickly joined the group as Baxter took over the lead from Buffone. Baxter’s strong run went up in smoke to give the lead to Waterman who held a full corner lead ahead of Buffone and Jason Woodard. While Woodard and Waterman raced hot and heavy through to lap 38 when contact sent Waterman into the turn three wall, sending Woodard to the rear and gifting Buffone the lead. Christopher Buffone steam-rolled his way to victory lane and the $1,200 grand prize to round out the 61st Sunoco World Series at Thompson Speedway!

While the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park oval settles in for the New England winter ahead, the American-Canadian Tour and Pro All Stars Series will be back to operate Thompson Speedway for the fifth consecutive season in 2024. The 2024 schedule and division rules for the 85th season of stock car racing at the iconic Thompson Speedway oval will be released by Thanksgiving.  

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

For technical information concerning all PASS divisions, and for media or marketing questions, please contact passracing@roadrunner.com or visit http://www.proallstarsseries.com. Don’t forget to “Like” the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow on Twitter @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

For general Thompson Speedway inquiries, call (860) 923-2280, email oval@thompsonspeedway.com, or visit http://www.thompsonspeedway.com. You can follow Thompson Speedway on Facebook and Instagram at @ThompsonSpeedway or on Twitter at @ThompsonSpdwy.

(Photo:  Tom Morris Racing Photography)

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park – Thompson, CT

61st Sunoco World Series Super Sunday

Sunday, October 8, 2023

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – World Series 150 presented by FloSports.com

(Finish Pos., Car #, Driver, Sponsor, Laps)

1.         16        Ron Silk                       Blue Mountain Machine & Future Homes      150

2.         3          Jake Johnson              Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks                150

3.         58        Eric Goodale                GAF Roofing                                                    150

4.         22        Kyle Bonsignore          Chalew Performance/MTT/Munns Auto        150

5.         44        Bobby Santos             Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market                      150

6.         92        Anthony Nocella         Nocella Paving/K and D Associates/Airgas     150

7.         24        Andrew Krause            Supreme Manufacturing Co.                         150

8.         82        Craig Lutz                    Horton Avenue Materials                               150

9.         6          Woody Pitkat             Koopman Lumbar                                           150

10.       64        Austin Beers                AP Marquadt & Sons/Lumiere Electrical       150

11.       89        Matt Swanson             Cervado Auto                                                 150

12.       21        Anthony Bello             Bello Motorsports/SKM/JB Mgmt                  150

13.       51        Justin Bonsignore        Phoenix Communications Inc.                        150

14.       36        Dave Sapienza             Sapienza Enterprises                                       150

15.       19        Anthony Sesely           Wanick Construction Inc.                                150

16.       32        Tyler Rypkema            Northeast Driling/MUSCO Lighting                150

17.       50        Ronnie Williams          Empower Financial Advisory/RP Enterprises 150

18.       26        Max Zachem               Lakeland Avenue Landscape Supply              148

19.       18        Ken Heagy                   Buoy One Seafood Market & Restaurant       147

20.       34        JB Fortin                      A&R Materials/John’s Fuel Oil                        141

21.       06        Sam Rameau               Quality Fleet Services/Dennison Lubricants   128

22.       01        Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales                                     127

23.       1          Eric Berndt                  Ferguson Motorsports                                   94

24.       59        Brett Meservey           BNP Machine                                                  62

25.       2          J.R. Bertuccio             Gershow Recycling                                         43

Thompson Outlaw Open Modifieds – Sunoco 100

1.         57        Keith Rocco                 Berlin, CT

2.         07        Kyle Bonsignore          Hebron, IL      

3.         00        Austin Beers                Northampton, PA       

4.         50W     Ronnie Williams          Ellington, CT

5.         46        Craig Lutz                    Miller Place, NY         

6.         179      Anthony Bello             Newtown, CT

7.         43        Matt Kimball               Bennington, NH                                             

8.         75        Chris Pasteryak           Lisbon, CT

9.         58        Eric Goodale                Calverton, NY                                     

10.       76        Kirk Alexander             W. Swanzey, NH

11.       28        Buddy Charette           Woodstock, CT

12.       25        Matt Swanson             Harvard, MA

13.       5CT      Charlie Pasteryak        Lisbon, CT

14.       31C      Andrew Charron         E. Greenwich, RI

15.       17        Kevin Folan                  N. Attleboro, MA

16.       06        Sammy Rameau          Westminster, MA

17.       1          George Bessette, Jr.    Danbury, CT

18.       3          Jake Johnson               Rehoboth, MA

19.       47        Joey Mucciacciaro      Wolcott, CT

20.       55CT    Teddy Hodgdon           Danbury, CT

21.       50M     Carl Medeiros, Jr.        Westport, MA

22.       48        Glen Steger                 Copiague, NY

23.       19        Jeffrey Battle               Dunstable, MA

24.       88        Woody Pitkat              Bellingham, MA         

DNS     81        Todd Owen                 Somers, CT

New England Supermodified Series – (40 Laps)

1.         25        Dan Bowles                 Epping, NH

2.         97        Anthony Nocella         Woburn, MA

3.         11        Ben Seitz                     Bourne, MA

4.         52        Vern Romanowski       Strong, ME

5.         41        Russ Wood                  Pelham, NH

6.         5          Rob Summers              Manchester, CT

7.         13        Bobby Timmons          Windham, ME

8.         51        Dave Duggan               Milford, NH

9.         45        Mike Mayberry           Naples, ME

10.       9          Ryan Battle                 Dunstable, MA

2023 New England Supermodified Series Champion – Dan Bowes

Open Street Stock Showdown – (40 Laps)

1.         07        Christopher Buffone   Belchertown, MA

2.         67        Aaron Plemons            Montville, CT

3.         73        Larry Barnett               Danielson, CT

4.         75x      Troy Waterman          Danielson, CT

5.         39        Chris Douton               Waterford, CT

6.         28        Austin Flanagan          Warwick, RI

7.         68VT    Jason Woodard           Waterbury Ctr., VT

8.         80        Tyler Trott                   E. Hartford, CT

9.         03        Josh Gerard                 W. Wareham, MA

10.       66CT    Tyler Cinamella           Willimantic, CT

11.       67x      Brandon Plemons        Uncasville, CT

12.       75        Ryan Waterman          Danielson, CT

13.       45        Tommy Shea               Somers, CT

14.       84        Bert Ouellette             Ellington, CT

15.       11        Corey Fanning             Mapleville, RI

16.       19        Ryan Lineham             Warwick, RI

17.       38        Jon Porter                   Lisbon, CT

18.       26        Chase Curtis                Rutland, MA

19.       22T      Tim Poulin                   Thompson, CT

20.       0          Chad Baxter                Warwick, RI    

Sunoco Modifieds – (30 Laps)

1.         57        Keith Rocco                 Berlin, CT

2.         3          Troy Talman                Oxford, MA

3.         81        Todd Owen                 Somers, CT

4.         7          Jonathan Puleo           Branford, CT

5.         82        Mike Christopher, Jr.  Wolcott, CT

6.         14        Isaiah Newcomb          Ellington, CT

7.         25        Tom Fox                      Stafford, CT

8.         18        Tyler Barry                  Griswold, CT

9.         02        Paul LaPlante              Scituate, RI

10.       8          Chase Cook                  Beacon Falls, CT

11.       62        Cody Rose                   Southbridge, MA

12.       49        John Bercham             West Greenwich, CT

2023 Sunoco Modified Track Champion – Troy Talman

2023 World Series Sunoco Modified Champion – Jonathan Puleo

SK Light Modifieds – (30 Laps)

1.         2          Meghan Fuller             Auburn, MA

2.         7          Alexander Pearl          Salem, CT

3.         21        Sami Anderson            Wolcott, CT

4.         15x      Amanda West             Colchester, CT

5.         35        Josh Morrison             Ashford, CT

6.         22        Isaiah Newcomb          Plymouth, MA

7.         09        Cassandra Cole           Westbrook, CT

8.         07        Tom Abele                   Norwich, CT

9.         78        Evan Bourgois             E. Haddam, CT

10.       34MA  Dalton McCarthy        Oxford, MA

11.       15        John O’Sullivan           Norwich, CT

12.       88        Danny Gamache Jr.     N. Smithfield, RI

13.       26        Steve Kenneway          Lowell, MA

14.       47        Zach Sangermano       Plainfield, CT

15.       07K      Jeff Davenport             Cranston, RI

16.       31        Trent Goodrow            Carver, MA

17.       24H      Frank Hirt                    Danbury, CT

18.       28CT    George Perreault        Woodstock, CT

19.       16        Nickolas Hovey            Chaplin, CT

20.       41CT    Tyler Chapman            Ellington, CT

21.       18        Tyler Barry                  Griswold, CT

22.       36RI     Michael Cooper          Pawtucket, RI

23.       16MA  Todd Douillard            Palmer, MA

24.       52        Anthony Forino           Waterbury, CT

25.       88x      Bert Ouellette             Ellington, CT

26.       05        Michael Parolo            W. Springfield, MA

SK Light Modified Track Champion – Alexander Pearl

Evolve Bank Pro Truck Series – (30 Laps)

1.         55        Shawn Monahan

2.         15        G-Rod Giordano Jr

3.         2          Duane Noll

4.         47        Todd Taylor

5.         32        Randy Burr

6.         5*

7.         ri01      Nicholas Frechette

8.         81        Tyler Chapman

9.         94        Jason Paquette

10.       6          Andrew Pelligrini

11.       14*

12.       97        Dangerous Dave Koenig

13.       1          Dennis Charette

14.       98*

15.       151      RJ Surdell

16.       28*

*No Name Given to Scoring

NEMA Lites – (25 Laps)

1.         47        Randy Cabral

2.         1          Jake Trainor

3.         61        Ryan Locke

4.         48        Todd Bertrand

5.         17        Kyle Valeiri

6.         16        John Zych

7.         20        Alby Ovitt

8.         53        Dylan Coutu

9.         35        Isiah Newcomb

10.       10        Avery Stoehr

11.       29        Chase Locke

12.       30        Paul Scally

13.       59        Brayden Egan

14.       28        Mike Horn

15.       8          Ethan Dionne

16.       3          Chris Vose

17.       55        Drew Eldridge

18.       21        Joey Bailey

19.       94        Tiana Kibbe

Pro-4 Modifieds – Harry Kourafas Memorial Top-3 – (22 Laps)

1.         5          Brayden Meservey

2.         4xl       Jack Dumas

3.         12        Rob Richardi Jr.

Limited Sportsman – (20 Laps)

1.         11        Corey Fanning             Mapleville, RI

2.         52        Al Stone III                   Durham, CT

3.         75        Ryan Waterman          Danielson, CT

4.         67        Aaron Plemons            Uncasville, CT

5.         36        Scott Sundeen             Sutton, MA

6.         73        Larry Barnett               Moosup, CT

7.         38        Jon Porter                   E. Lyme, CT

8.         84        Bert Ouellette             Ellington, CT

9.         16        Nick Hovey                  Chaplin, CT

10.       80        Tyler Trott                   E. Hartford, CT

11.       66        Tyler Cinamella           Willimantic, CT

12.       31        Troy Waterman          Danielson, CT

13.       3          Adam Coutu                Moosup, CT

14.       45        Tommy Shea               Somers, CT

15.       10        Charles Stott                Medway, MA

16.       22T      Tim Poulin                   N. Grosvenordale, CT

17.       28        Ed Flanagan Jr.            Warwick, RI

18.       67x      Brandon Plemons        Uncasville, CT

2023 Limited Sportsman Track Champion – Corey Fanning

Mini Stocks – (20 Laps)

1.         1CT      Jarred Roy                   Moosup, CT

2.         97        Dave Trudeau              Marshfield, CT

3.         82        Kevin Moore               Moosup, CT

4.         7          Kyle Wing                    Marshfield, CT

5.         19        Ryan Pomposelli         Smithfield, RI

6.         19x      David Dorr                   Gales Ferry, RI

7.         9CT      Rick LaFlesh                 Griswold, CT

8.         44        Mitch Bombard           Willimantic, CT

9.         54        Eric Finkbein                Columbia, CT

10.       81        Glynn Roy                    Sterling, CT

11.       10        Keith Ballou                 Pascoag, RI

12.       07        Edmond Cousineau     Palmer, MA

13.       41        Richard Scalora           Mansfield, CT

DNS     16        Tim Dorr                      Gales Ferry, RI

DNS     22        Brad Caddick               Wyoming, RI

2023 Mini Stock Track Champion – Jarred Roy

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