 |
| 07/25/2005 |
| Foster
has something special up his Sleeve |
| By:
Matt Buckler , Journal Inquirer |
|
STAFFORD - He was
a sprinter trapped in a marathon.
Scott Foster of Ellington claimed his car could
fly like a speeding bullet for three laps before
losing its momentum.
But he had a major problem. He was competing in
the American Sleeve Bearing 100, the longest Late
Model race of the season Sunday night at Stafford
Motor Speedway. At one point in the race, he faded
as far back as 10th place.
Foster came up with a solution, however. He battled
to stay up in the front as long as he could. Then
with nine laps to go, Foster moved from third to
first on a restart, using a daring three-wide maneuver
to pull it off.
He was able to hold off Woody Pitkat on one final
restart to claim perhaps the biggest victory of
his driving career.
"I was surprised," Foster
said. "The car had a push, but we were good for
three or four laps after every restart, especially
when we were on the inside."
So when Foster restarted third on the inside on
lap 91 and with only leader Ed Ricard and Rick Lanagan
in front of him, he knew it was his only chance
to go for the win.
"That's why I didn't hold
back," Foster said. "I know Ed Ricard might be a
little upset with me now. But I got my nose under
him, and then a fender. I took my car onto the apron,
and it stuck there. That's when I decided I wasn't
going to lift."
Ricard held on for more than two turns, but Foster
was able to use his breakaway speed to grab the
lead.
Then before his power could fade, there was one
more caution, allowing him to hold off Pitkat, who
was able to battle back from the rear of the pack
on two occasions before settling for second.
"I think the cautions worked out pretty good for
me," Foster said. "I think the key was that I was
able to save my tires. The guys I was battling with
at the front might have already used their tires
up."
Foster was able to follow in the tire tracks of
his father, Scott Foster Sr., who was able to win
the first Late Model 100-lapper in 1989.
But the circumstances were slightly different. Foster
Sr. actually finished second on the track, but was
awarded the victory when the winner was disqualified.
"We didn't even find out we won until two or three
days later," Foster, 25, said. "There wasn't much
of a victory lane celebration back then. But I think
tonight's win meant more to my father than his victory
did. He had a smile from ear to ear."
And why not? His son had figured out a way to take
a car that was only at the top of its game for three
laps at a time and make it go the distance.
Rapid Rocco
Keith Rocco is a rookie in the SK Modified division
at Stafford Speedway, but he's already beginning
to think like a veteran.
He trailed Kenny Horton midway through Sunday's
40-lap feature when he noticed some dirt in the
middle of the track.
"I saw some cars slip and
slide," Rocco said, "but I knew Kenny wasn't going
to back off, so I did. So he got in the dirt and
he slid, and I had plenty of room to get underneath
him. It was a pretty good break for me."
Good enough to help Rocco claim the first SK Modified
win of the season in the completion of a 40-lap
feature that started on July 1, but was suspended
after 10 laps because of rain.
During the early portions of the race, Rocco tried
to take the lead by going around him on a restart.
"I tried to beast him into Turn 1, but I didn't
have enough," Rocco said. "Fortunately, the hole
opened up on the inside and I was able to tuck back
underneath him. I was pretty lucky that hole always
seemed to be there."
That meant Rocco had perfect track position when
it came time to make his move.
"My goal this
year was just to finish every race," Rocco said.
"I didn't know if I could win this soon. But I had
such a great starting position tonight, I knew I
had to take advantage of it."
So when the track became dirty Sunday, Rocco's clean
driving style was able to pay off.
A happy birthday
In the 15-lap DARE feature, George Nocera of Plainville,
who was celebrating his birthday, was able to hold
off Charlie Newman of Stafford down the stretch
for his first career win.
RESULTS
American Sleeve Bearing Late Model 100: 1. Scott
Foster, Ellington; 2. Woody Pitkat, Stafford; 3.
Ed Ricard, Stafford; 4. Jim Mavlouganes, Bethany;
5. Rick Lanagan, Stafford; 6. Craig Collins, Enfield;
7. Jim Peterson, Monson, Mass.; 8. Tom Butler, Stafford;
9. Dave Wray, Meriden; 10. Mark Lewis, Southington.
40-lap SK Modifieds: 1. Keith Rocco, Wallingford;
2. Kenny Horton, Guilford; 3. Ronnie Silk, Norwalk;
4. Ted Christopher, Plainville; 5. Donny Lia, Jericho,
N.Y.; 6. Jeff Malave, South Windsor; 7. Frank Ruocco,
Cheshire; 8. Todd Owen, Somers; 9. Chuck Docherty,
Springfield; 10. Eric Berndt.
15-lap DARE: 1. George Nocera Jr., Stafford; 2.
Charlie Newman, Stafford; 3. Tom Stirk, West Haven;
4. Fran Siana, Enfield; 5. David Gambacorta, Ellington;
6. Joey Ferrigno, East Hartford; 7. Stacey Botticello,
Manchester; 8. Carla Botticello, Manchester; 9.
Robert Dow, Stafford; 10. Jeff Hubbell, Naugatuck.
|
|
|
. |
Please visit their web sites
or our sponsor page
for more information.
Dur-a-Flex,
Inc
Gold & Diamond Exchange
Auto Authority, LLC
Budget Cleaning, LLC
Big A Auto Parts
High Tech Electric, LLC
Napa
Auto Parts
One
of our best and youngest fans, Amber. Click on her for more
photos of fans, crew and car.
|
