It was also on this day that a then unknown driver by the name of Brian Ross got a big break. Dick Armstrong had brought two Modifieds to Trenton. Ray Hendrick drove one of them and Fred DeSarro convinced Armstrong to put Ross in the seat. Ross put on quite a show and was running in the top ten when he was called in for a driver change as Hendrick had lost an engine. Armstrong should have left well enough alone because shortly after, Hendrick blew up the engine in the other car too. Ross, none the less, got to show his stuff and went on to become one of the top drivers in the modified division.
 

Twenty five years ago in 1983, the Oswego Speedway ran their season ending 35 lap-modified event. Reggie Ruggiero took the win over George Kent, Richie Evans and Doug Hewitt. At Waterford, Bob Potter won the season finale. Glynn Shafer finished second with Don Bunnell, third. Brian McCarthy was the late model winner. Alan Johnson won the DIRT Syracuse 200.In Winston Cup action at Charlotte; Tim Richmond took the Busch Pole with Benny Parsons on the outside. Richard Petty took the win. A post race inspection revealed that Petty's engine was illegal and his tires were also illegal. Petty was not stripped of the win but was fined $35,000.

Twenty years ago in 1988, Ricky Fuller, driving the Bob Sterns U2 scored his first Modified Tour Series win as he won the modified portion of the annual World Series at Thompson. Fuller took the lead from Tom Bolles on a lap 26 restart and paced the field for the remainder of the 50-lap contest. Bolles finished second and was followed by Brian Ross, Mike Mclaughlin, Jeff Fuller and Doug Hevron. Bob Potter was the winner of the companion SK modified event.

Fifteen years ago in 1993, Jeff Fuller was the Thompson World Series winner. Fuller took the lead from Jan Leaty on lap 45 and held it until pitting on lap 62 for tires and fuel. Fuller was first out of the pits and led the rest of the125 lap distance. Mike Stefanik started dead last in the 32-car field and finished second. Satch Worley finished third and was followed by Leaty, Jamie Tomaino, Ricky Fuller and Tony Ferrente. Lloyd Agor took the checker in the SK modified 30 lapper but was disqualified due to illegal heads. Tom Tagg got the win with Richie Gallup, second. Brett Hearne won the Syracuse 200 and in Winston Cup action at Charlotte, Ernie Irvan cleaned house.

Ten years ago, in 1998, the Thompson World Series and the D.Anthony Venditti Memorial at Seekonk were rained out. Despite rain, the DIRT organization got their Syracuse 300 in the record books. Billy Decker took the $50,000 win.

Five years ago in 2003, the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour Series Fall Final was supposed to go off on Saturday afternoon but rain interrupted the event at the completion of the preliminary late model event, which forced NASCAR and the Speedway management to use Sunday as a rain date. This created a confliction with the Waterford Fall Finale but because of the coming weeks schedule, NASCAR had little choice. The PASS event scheduled for Thompson on Saturday was also rained out and re-scheduled for Sunday. Three tracks within 50 miles of each other held races on Sunday. All three had poor crowds. It wasn’t meant to be that way but the New England weather has a nasty habit of letting it rain at the wrong time. Plus the fact the tracks were competing against the Winston Cup on TV, NFL Football and the baseball playoffs. Jerry Marquis won the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Fall Final 150 at Stafford. Marquis, who started deep in the field, passed Tony Hirschman when he went high following a restart on lap 134. Hirschman had attempted to go the distance non-stop without a change of tires. Marquis pitted and had fresher tires. Hirschman held on to finish second and was followed by Chuck Hossfeld, Chris Kopec, Nevin George and John Blewett III. Mike Johnson was the Busch North Series winner. Jerry McCarthy finished second with Andy Santerre, third. Ed Flemke Jr., Ricky Fuller, Ted Christopher and Mike Stefanik rounded out the top ten in the Modified 150. Todd Szegedy, despite having motor problems and finishing 17th, continued to lead the point standings by 36 points over Chuck Hossfeld. John Blewett III sat in third, ten points behind Hossfeld. The Stafford Speedway was able to get in their Late Model portion of the Fall Final before the rains came on Saturday. Tom Butler won his first feature in four years as he beat out Woody Pitkat for the win. Ryan Posocco started 12th and finished fourth. Ted Christopher, who ran in all three events, took his sixth win of the year when he won the SK-Modified event. Todd Szegedy finished second. Second generation driver Kerry Malone finished seventh and wrapped up the 2003 SK Modified Championship. At the Waterford Speedbowl on Sunday Dennis Gada took the lead from Jeff Pearl following a restart and went on to record the win and the track championship, his fifth in a row. It all came down to a restart with two laps to go when Ron Yuhas and Gada made contact. Gada almost went into the fence but somehow held on. Ted Christopher, who arrived from Stafford just as the cars were called to post, finished third. It was Gada’s 42nd win in 120 starts over the last six years. Other Sunday winners at Waterford were Chris Burton in the Mini Stocks, Chuck Rogers in the Sportsman, Bob Santos III in the NEMA Midgets and Mark StHillaire in the Late Models. The Elmira New York Savings and Loan started foreclosure action that could lead to the auction of the Chemung Speedrome as property owner and speedway promoter Bob Stapleton was two years behind in his payments. In Winston Cup action at Kansas City Ryan Newman scored his eighth win.

Last year, 2007, In Whelen Modified Tour news rumor had it that Ed Cox would retire as the Tour Director. His replacement was rumored to be former Nextel Cup driver Chad Little. Employed by NASCAR, Little was the sanctioning body’s Director of Racing Development in Mexico.

The Seekonk Speedway closed out their 62nd season with the Annual D.Anthony Venditti Memorial Racing Festival. A vital part of that event was the True Value Modified Series. Conceived and owned by Modified racer Jack Bateman, the series had become an affordable alternative to those who couldn’t afford to travel or compete in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series. The Hartford Courant stated that Bateman may be interested in selling his series. The Courant alluded to the fact that a likely buyer might be Ben Dodge. If that came to be it could very well be the saving grace for Modified racing in the northeast. Behind the scenes it’s a known fact that NASCAR officials have asked Modified competitors not to support the series. A lot of confusion and indecision has placed a dark cloud over the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour series at various times during the 2007 season. Ben Dodge had the experience and the ability to make the True Value Modified Series the top racing division in the northeast. In addition to his promoting skills Dodge was also a former Modified car owner who understands the ins and outs of being a car owner. Although they won’t go public because of possible retaliation from NASCAR many of the prominent drivers and car owners felt the time is right for a change.

Vinnie Annarummo of Swansea, Mass. passed Kirk Alexander of of Swanzey, N.H with just three laps remaining to win the D. Anthony Venditti Memorial Festival of Racing True Value Modified Series 100 lap event at Seekonk Speedway. Alexander’s second place finish clinched the 2007 series point championship. It was the third win at Seekonk this season for Annarummo and a hard fought victory. After starting the event in third he was placed to the rear of the field following a lap 2 accident with Andy Seuss. Annarummo methodically worked his way back to the front to take the lead on lap 81. Alexander then retook the lead on lap 86 and held off the challenges of Annarummo for the next 11 laps before the final pass for the win.The 2007 True Value Modified Series Championship is the third for Alexander in the last four years. He also is the series leader in career wins. Les Hinckley, who entered the event 14 points behind Alexander, suffered suspension failure and finished 25th. Alexander’s 56-point margin with one race remaining mathematically eliminates Hinckley who is assured of second place in the standings. Dick Houlihan, Chris Pasteryak and Rob Goodenough rounded out the Top-5 at Seekonk.
 

Nationwide Insurance would also become the official auto, home and life insurance provider of NASCAR. In Nextel Cup action at Talledega Jeff Gordon agreed to turn parade laps for much of the race before surging past Jimmie Johnson on the final lap and holding off his teammate to become the career victory leader at restrictor-plate tracks. He parlayed his decision into his 12th career plate win and fifth victory this season, and moved back on top of the points standings. He led Johnson by nine points with six races remaining in the Chase for the championship. Dave Blaney was third in the best finish this year for a Toyota driver. Title contender Denny Hamlin was fourth and was followed by Ryan Newman, who was leading late in his Dodge, and Mears.

Vic Coffey was unbeatable Sunday afternoon at the New York State Fairgrounds' one-mile track as he scored his second victory in the Rite Aid 200 DIRT modified race. Coffey led the final 46 laps to collect over $50,000 in prize money. Chasing Coffey's Sweeteners Plus modified to the finish was Tim Fuller, the point leader in the chase for the Mr. DIRT national modified championship.

This week are several vintage racing photos from the Danny Pardi Collection
Courtesy of VintageModifieds.com
 

That’s it for this week from 40 Clark St. Westerly RI 02891. Ring my chimes at 401-596-5467