STAFFORD SPRINGS, Conn. – Stafford Speedway hosted the biggest and richest SK Modified race of the season, the eighth annual NAPA Auto Parts SK 5k, on Friday.
Michael Christopher, Jr., who won $5,000 two weeks ago in the TickMike.com All-Star Shootout, took the checkered flag to take home a total of $5,725 in purse and contingency money.
Christopher won $5,000 from the race purse, $450 from contingency partners Maybury Material Handling, North East Race Cars, and TickMike.com, a $25 gas certificate from New England Racing Fuel, Sunoco Brand, and a $250 bonus from Wheelers Auto for winning his heat race.
In the 100-lap NAPA Auto Parts SK 5K feature event, Marcello Rufrano went by Tyler Leary on the start to take the early race lead. Leary slotted into second, but he took the lead from Rufrano on lap four only to lose it back to Rufrano on lap six.
Todd Owen was running in third at that point, followed by Michael Gervais Jr. and Christopher. Chase Dowling was sixth in line, followed by Andrew Molleur, Stephen Kopcik, Teddy Hodgdon, and Matt Vassar.
Rufrano held the lead until lap 16 when Leary went back to the front. Owen was still third ahead of Christopher and Gervais. Owen took second from Rufrano on lap 17 and Christopher pulled alongside Molleur for third, completing the pass on lap 19.
With 25 laps complete, the order was Leary, Owen, Christopher, Gervais, Kopcik, Dowling, Molleur, Rufrano, Vassar, and Jon Puleo.
Owen hounded Leary for several laps racing for the lead before he was finally able to make a pass on lap 36. Christopher was still third with Gervais in fourth. Behind Gervais was a three-car train of Kopcik, Dowling, and Molleur.
At the halfway point of the race, Owen was still in the lead, but Christopher was up to second and Gervais third as Leary fell back to fourth in line. Dowling was still fifth with Kopcik, Puleo, Molleur, Hodgdon, and Rufrano making up the top 10.
By lap 60, Owen had begun to navigate lapped traffic and Christopher was able to close in on Owen’s back bumper. Dowling had displaced Gervais for third place with Kopcik continuing to run in fifth place. Christopher was able to make a move around Owen with a pass in turn one on lap 66 to take over the race lead.
With 20 laps to go, Christopher was comfortably in command over Owen, Dowling, Gervais, Kopcik, Puleo, Molleur, Hodgdon, Bryan Narducci, and Keith Rocco.
Tyler Leary spun coming out of turn two to bring the caution out for the first time with 90 laps complete.
Christopher took the lead on the restart with Owen going side by side with Dowling for second before taking the position on lap 91. Kopcik then mounted a charge and he took second from Owen on lap 93, with Dowling coming up to third to drop Owen back to fourth.
Kopcik made a bid for the lead and completed a pass for the lead on lap 97, but that was negated by the caution flag for spins in turn one by Rufrano, Hodgdon, Doug Meservey Jr., and Puleo, which set the lineup back to lap 96.
Christopher and Kopcik went side by side for the lead on the restart with Dowling and Owen behind them. Christopher held the lead by a nose at the line for two laps before getting clear to the lead on lap 99.
Kopcik took one last look but couldn’t get close enough to Christopher to make a move before Christopher took the checkered flag.
Dowling finished third with Owen and Molleur rounding out the top five.
Other feature wins on the night were scored by Molleur, who was a first time winner in late model competition at Stafford; Tyler Chapman in the SK Light feature; Rich Hammann in a photo finish over Alexandra Fearn in the limited late model feature; and Nickolas Hovey, a first-time winner in the Street Stock feature.
The finish:
1. Michael Christopher Jr., 2. Stephen Kopcik, 3. Chase Dowling, 4. Todd Owen, 5. Andrew Molleur, 6. Ronnie Williams, 7. David Arute, 8. Bryan Narducci, 9. Tyler Hines, 10. Keith Rocco, 11. Dylan Kopec, 12. Michael Gervais Jr., 13. Teddy Hodgdon, 14. Matt Vassar, 15. Mikey Flynn, 16. Doug Meservey Jr., 17. Chris Viens, 18. Noah Korner, 19. Tyler Leary, 20. Jon Puleo, 21. Marcello Rufrano, 22. Dan Wesson, 23. Max Zachem.