First Feature Victory for Shane Prucker at Whip City Speedway
Seymour, Spencer, Nicewicz, Tufano, Pease and B.Viets Repeat
By Mark McKeon
WESTFIELD, MA Rookie Shane Prucker of Stafford Springs, CT picked up the first 270cc Mini Sprint feature win of his career at Whip City Speedway on Saturday, leading from flag to flag. It was a sweet vindication for the 15 year old Sophomore at Stafford High School, who last week led 18 of 20 laps before victory slipped from his grasp.
“We were fast this week, no doubt about it, but we didn’t have a good heat,” Prucker said. “After we lost last week, we made a bunch of changes to the car, but we were awful in practice and in the heat, so we just went back to our old set-up.”
Prucker started racing Quarter Midgets at Little T Speedway when he was 7 years old and has over 35 wins to his credit. He dedicated his first Mini Sprint victory to Dave Rowe of Davison Specialty Foods, who died in April. “He helped us since I was 7 years old, he always made sure we had the best of the best equipment and this one is for him,” Prucker concluded.
In every other class, the winners had already claimed at least one feature victory in 2008.
Matt Seymour of Barre, MA picked up his third win in the 600cc Mini Sprints, battling Luke Greenwood side by side for several laps. Seymour couldn’t have done much better, leading every lap in the non-stop feature and every lap in his heat. Greenwood won the other 600cc heat.
“The Montgomery Missile,” Kyle Spencer of Montgomery, MA picked up his third feature of the year as well, following a hard fought battle with veteran racer Jay Haviland. The two competitors raced side by side or nose to tail for several laps before Spencer made a pass for the lead on lap 13, only to see it called back after the caution flew for a spin by Michael Parolo. The cat and mouse game resumed at the drop of the green flag and Spencer sealed the deal on lap 17. Hard charger Mark Dupuis started 13th and finished 4th.
In Modified Lite action, the season long battle between Ryan Nicewicz and Brian Peterson continued unabated, with Nicewicz picking up his fifth victory and Peterson finishing second. Nicewicz moved into the lead on lap 12 and while Peterson repeatedly knocked on the door, he was unable to open it.
The 1200cc feature was an example of motorized mayhem, with a 54% rate of attrition that conjured up the name “Andersonville.” R.J Tufano claimed his second victory of the year by running a line so high that his wing may well have shown up on the radar screens at nearby Barnes Municipal Airport. The crash fest had 5 yellow flags and was preceded by a flip by Jon Moore while the track was being dried.
Charlie Pease of Sandisfield, MA picked up his third 750 Sportsman win of the season. He led every lap in the feature, after having led very lap in the heat. Points leader Robby Spino came from the fourth place starting spot to finish second in the feature.
Bethany Viets of East Granby, CT threepeated in the Quad 4 Midgets, taking the top spot from Vince Jacobs with only a pair of circuits remaining. The race included 4 lead changes among 3 cars.
This coming Saturday, August 23, USAC Sprint Car and Midget star and winner of the Chili Bowl-the world’s most prestigious Midget race- Johnny Heydenreich of Indianapolis will make his Whip City Speedway debut, piloting Scott Viets’ Quad 4 Midget.
270cc Mini Sprints: SHAYNE PRUCKER, Phil Bessette, Brayton Round III, Kevin Tefft, Sr., Brooks Bennett, Brian Boudreau, Frank Russo, Scott Franqueza, Seth Carlson, Kurt Conklin, Kendall Segar, Kelly McCarthy, Dylan Menditto, Bryan Russo.
600cc: MATT SEYMOUR, Luke Greenwood, Ricci Hirth, Greg Smith, Rich Crooker, Anthony Nocella, Paul Bigelow, Chris Lennox, Ryan Bigelow, Jim DeCambra, Sam Christie, Arthur Marrero.
750cc: KYLE SPENCER, Jay Haviland, Walt Feldman, Mark Dupuis, Ed Adametz, Peter Dance, Mike King, Dan Schaubert, John Virgilio, Chet Hinkle, Paul Rose, Jack McKeon, Michael Parolo, Rob Walendy.
1200cc: R.J. TUFANO, Jamie Beaudry, Bob Dance, Dale Friedly, Chris Haskell, Jon Moore, Jon Walts, John Casazza, Mark Dupuis, Dennie Lamke, Justin Phillips, Bill Guertin, Jr, Josh Walts
250 Youth: TONY MASSARO, Alex Curley, Kyle Abbott, Tyler Chartrand, Jim Santa Maria, Cody Chick.
Quad 4 Midget: BETHANY VIETS, Vince Jacobs, R.J. Tufano, Scott Viets, Kyle Spencer.
Modified Lite: RYAN NICEWICZ, Brian Peterson, Joseph Anselmo, Tim Johnson, William Carter, Brett Crowther, Rick Ashlaw, Bob Poloski.
Competition Karts- Novice: DYLAN IRISH, Jake Higginson, E.J. Adametz, Corey Lemelin.
Turquoise: RYAN IRISH, Kyle Smith, Alex Blanco, Kate Lafreniere, Kaitlyn Brice, Jeffery Champagne, Mike Hauser, Cullen Pike, Nora Lemelin, Michael Langevin.
Junior: JUSTIN WALTS, Anna Coons, Josh Wood, Elliot Daly, Kara Franqueza, Makayla Lucia, Dylan Dexter, R.J Curry, Dylan Campbell, Carter Levreault.
Lite: STEVE ROCKWOOD, Jake Sapowsky, Dylan Campbell, Josh Dexter, Will Coons, Carl Franqueza, Scott Kalber.
Heavy: JUSTIN DUBE, Bill Tack, Tim Gallant, Jake Sapowsky, Todd Perry, Eric Jorgensen, Gary Hublard, Dan Murdzia, Gary Sokoloski.
2 Stroke: DON WOOD, Ernie Whidden, Roger Angers, Jr.
