Stafford Springs CT (8/26) Ted Chrsitopher made a rare Pro All Stars Series appearance Sunday afternoon at Stafford (CT) Motor Speedway and when the checkers waved the man they call TC added yet another entry to a record book he already dominates at the half mile oval. Christopher led almost every lap to capture the first PASS feature at his home track.DJ Shaw came on strong as the laps wound down to finish second and Travis Benjamin pulled himself closer to Cassius Clark in the PASS North point battle with a third place run.
The win was Christopher’s second in a PASS super late model, his first coming at Thompson International Speedway in 2004. He’s the eighth driver to carry the PASS North super late model checkers in 2012.
Jay Fogleman made the trip North to challenge for the PASS National Championship as Stafford ‘s race marked the kick off of six late summer and fall races that will decide that title and the PASS South regular led the field to the start with Christopher to his outside. Christopher immediately took control in his Mulkern Racing ride and team mate Lonnie Sommerville was second at lap eight After an early red flag for Dave Macomber’s oil down the field ran clean and green until lap 58 when Woody Pitkat spun, and a five minute competition caution was called allowing teams to change left side tires and make chassis changes. As a result of tire wear the teams were experiencing the feature distance was shortened to 110 laps in the interest of safety.
When racing resumed it was still Team Mulkern first and second but Johnny Clark decided it was time to challenge and he took over second from Sommerville on lap 65. Christopher was able to open up a lead on the 54 but Clark mounted a serious challenge on a lap 85 restart, edging in front at the start finish line on lap 86. Christopher was back in control one lap later and Clark’s good run was about to end when DJ Shaw tried the bottom on Clark and the pair got together, sending Clark into the turn one wall. The incident knocked the right front corner off of Clark’s race car, ending his day and relegating him to a sixteenth place finish.
Christopher maintained control but Travis Benjamin and Shaw had a good scrap going for second. Benjamin got the best of Shaw on the lap 89 restart but Shaw battled back and regained the spot on lap 97. The field ran clean and green to the lap 110 checkers, with Christopher out front by 1.117 seconds.
Dan McKeage was the benefactor of a wild PASS Sportsman finish that saw McKeage and Stafford Limited Sportsman regular Corey Casagrande tangle in a lap 58 skirmish that ended Casagrande’s challenge for the win and left Carey Martin with a torn up race car in the third spot. Tom O’Sullivan slipped by Martin during the melee to claim second. Craig Smith and Rudty Poland rounded out the top five.
Mitch Miller ran away and left the PASS Mod field to score a popular first PASS Mod feature win. Dale Shaw gave chase but other than a red flag early on for Sumner Sessions and Scott Alexander’s wall pounding wreck the race went green the whole way and there was no catching Miller. Travis Buzzell had another strong run in third, and point leader Andy Shaw came from the back of the seventeen car field to earn fourth.Dana Reed completed the top five.
PASS North has a weekend off before returning to action Labor Day weekend for a 150 lap PASS North / PASS National Championship Super Late Model showdown at White Mountain Motorsports Park in North Woodstock NH. Post time at White Mountain is 6:00 PM.
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UNOFFICIAL RESULTS – PASS NORTH – STAFFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY – 8/26/12
PASS North/National Super Late Models – 110 laps
1) 18 – Teddy Christopher – 110 2) 60 – DJ Shaw – 110 3) 17 – Travis Benjamin – 110 4) 4s – Jay Fogleman -110 5) 35 – Derek Ramstrom – 110 6) 77 – Cassius Clark – 110 7) 4n – Ben Rowe – 110 8) 73 – Joey Doiron – 110 9) 48 – Lonnie Sommerville 110 10) 76 – Zane Zeiner – 110 11) 08 – Mike O’Sullivan – 110 12) 75 – Gary Smith – 110 13) 2 – Matt Matheson – 109 14) 5 – Woody Pitkat – 108 15) 92 – Bill Brady – 107 16) 54 – Johnny Clark -89 17) 44 – Austin Brehio -56 18) 71 – Lorin Arthofer – 38 19) 00 – Bryan Kruczek – 15 20) 42 – Dave Macomber – 2
PASS Mods – 40 Laps
1) Mitch Miller, Boylston, MA 2) Dale Shaw, Center Conway, NH 3) Travis Buzzell, Hollis, ME 4) Andy Shaw, Center Conway, NH 5) Dana Reed, Shapleigh, ME 6) Mike Carignan, Somersworth,NH 7) Billy Dixon, N Waterboro ME 8) Allen Wilson, Hebron, ME 9) Rusty Bryant, Weymouth, MA 10) Ryan Morgan, Ledyard, CT 11) Chad LaBastie, Oxford, MA 12) Mark Lundblad, Conway, NH 13) Brian Tagg, Oxford, MA 14) David Sprague, Limington, ME 15) Jay Sundeen, Sunderland, MA 16) Sumner Sessions, Norway, ME 17) Scott Alexander, Orrington, ME
PASS Sportsman 60 Laps
1) Dan McKeage, Gorham, ME 2) Tom O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA 3) Corey Martin, Denmark, ME 4) Craig Smith, Berwick, ME 5) Clyde Hennesey, Windam, ME 6) Rusty Poland, Windam, ME 7) Dennis Botticello, Suffield, CT 8) Rob Drew, Lowell, ME 9) Cory Casagrande, Stafford Springs CT 10) Josh Wood, Palmer, MA 11) Bill McNeil, Putnam, CT 12) Jesse Hinze, Farmington, CT 13) Scott Dorr, Portland, ME 14) Duane Provost, Indian Orchard, MA 15) Joe Pastore, Gorham, ME 16) Mike Clarke, Littleton, NH 17) David Arute, Tolland, CT