Ronnie Williams celebrates victory in the SK Modified feature Friday at Stafford Speedway (Photo: Fran Lawlor)
STAFFORD – Near the front of the field has been essentially all that Ronnie Williams has known this year in SK Modified division features at Stafford Motor Speedway.
Finishing at the front of the field? That was the part that was getting frustrating for the Tolland driver.
In the first seven events of the 2018 season at Stafford Williams – in his first season driving for team owner Adam Skowyra – had four seconds, a third and a fourth.
Friday Williams finally broke through to the top, and it was some top side driving that got him there.
Williams held off the charges of Glen Reen over the closing laps to win the 40-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature Friday at Stafford.
“I knew Reen could definitely do something and he raced me clean, which I really appreciated,” Williams said. “It was just a more stressful night than I wanted it to be, but we’re happy we’re in victory lane.”
Reen, of Wilbrham, Mass., was second and Dan Avery of Somers third.
It was the ninth career SK Modified feature win at Stafford for Williams, with his last coming nearly a year to the day, on June 9, 2017. The stress for Williams came from spending much of the night riding the outside lane in battling for the top spot.
Williams was up to second behind Joey Cipriano by lap 18 and lead lap 18 on the outside in the side-by-side battle for the top spot. From there Cipriano and Williams put on a side-by-side show for the lead for 10 consecutive laps, with Williams using the high lane to stay in contention. Williams finally cleared Cipriano to end the side-by-side action on lap 27, but it wasn’t the end of the outside ride for Williams.
Glen Reen moved to second following a lap 37 restart. Reen found a way to get under Williams, but it was Williams who once again deftly used the outside lane to hold the advantage and hold off Reen over the final two laps.
“First couple races I didn’t think we had much of an outside groove here, but it definitely came in,” Williams said. “I feel like we’ve made most of our passes on the outside. We just had a strong car and I knew once we got out front I knew there was no way anyone was going to take the win away from us. … I think Glen could have done a lot to me in the final corner, or the final couple laps.”
Said Reen: “We almost had something for [Williams], but I just got a little bit too tight. That was probably the most fun battle we’ve had and I’m sure the fans would agree with that too.”
What happened to Rocco in this race and the 80 lap race? He was never in contention to win either race. He was unusually slow in both races. Congratulations Ronnie on an awesome win. I loved the 9 laps of side by side at the front. It was fun to watch!!
Here’s the trick with stafford guys. Since people can’t figure out why guys are fast one week and no the next. You only get two tires a week. A lot of times you could be the guy with old tires against a field of fresh ones. Or vice versa. There’s no way to tell who has what, but that’s how you get the roller coaster speeds week to week.
Second place Williams finally won Wooh ! Glenn said if he wasn’t on probation he would have drove that spoiled BRATT up into the marbles but he new he would have been suspended agian Staffords Arute bully pulpit what a joke hey Rommie do you know what a BOLT is !!!!
He won the first 4 in a row and has not been heard from since. Your math is not adding up.
Doug/Humphry
Either one of you get a look at the lap 36 contact between the 66 and 99 in turns 3 and 4? I couldn’t tell from the start/finish line if Berndt got sideways and Pennick had no where to go, or the 99 just drove into and turned the 66. Either way, Pennick got the worst of it, that car was destroyed.
On Rocco, I clicked the scanner to his frequency on their lap 16 pit stop, and all the talk was about the motor being flat.
Thanks Humphrey I thought the same thing. How can be so dominant and then fall off as he has the last couple of weeks. I thought he would have had a good car for the open race and yet in both races he was too slow and not even close to the front. That’s why I wondered if someone knew what was wrong with both of his cars. Don’t misunderstand me. I realize drivers won’t win every race and it gets boring watching the same person win week after week. But he was so slow I wondered what was wrong with his cars. Was he on old tires and just making laps saving the new ones for another race? Indontb know how the rule works but that would make sense for the front to rear tire changes that several cars made. Anyone else want curious too. Congratulations to Ronnie and Tommy on their wins!
Oh thank goodness some guys that went to the race. I was sitting next to the reserved seats and missed Penninks wreck as well. Just saw the tire rolling off. The entire right side wiped out. Yikes that’s going to be a lot of work this week. And the car was running so well. Youtube with have it in a day or two.
Rocco’s best lap times tell a story. 19.20 ish in the prior races 19.40 Friday night. Meanwhile Berndt and Williams are staying as fast as ever. Tic, toc, Berndt next for a win.
My the only guy that was mad at the SK’s on Friday. That was an embarrassment. On every restart clanging and banging. Wonder if absence of heats has anything to do with it. Dowling looked terrible. In and out for tires and adjustments as were so many. Somehow survives the race and comes home 8th. For an off night it worked out well.
The NWMT guys do their best to make you feel like you snuck out to a strip bar to see Stormy Daniels instead of a stock car event. No offense to porn actresses and stippers but I thought it was great start to a new format. I wanted a surprise and Barrett provided it. Dowling as well. Good for them. I’m actually looking forward to the next one.
Pissah, you are a pissah!! That was a great win for the 50 team. Ronnie was running old tires, started 14th and passed 12 out of 13 cars on the OUTSIDE including the side by side battles with the 78 and the 17. Reen has 1 career win, and the only way he could win would be to do something cheap; that is who he is. But he did not. Glen ran hard and clean so hats off to him for a good 2nd place run. Ronnie put on a show and your comment makes you look bad and jealous. Last I heard, Ronnie is going into his Senior year at Bryant University, plays hockey for them and is a Deans list business student. Spoiled brat? Sounds like he works hard to me. And to Ronnie: everyone in turn 4 were on the edge of our seats cheering you on and you put on a show! Keep it up and more wins will come. Ignore idiots like pissah.
Man you’re a good fan SK Modfan and I look forward to reading your view of the race every week. You mention Williams work to get his degree and the fine representative he is for racing. Agreed. It’s not really relevant to his on track performance in what has been a very good car for years basically but it’s interesting. Nor is my thorough disgust and contempt for Adam Skowyra really relevant to racing. Who can’t keep his mouth shut about politics on his social media presence and his contempt for what I believe in. But we fans are a fickle lot that make judgments on the most trivial things. I’ll be rooting for bad luck for the Skowyra car and hope that virtually anyone makes his season disappointing for virtually any reason. If Dowling can do it bonus. Superficial, irrelevant and in the end who cares but nonetheless an item to make the races more interesting.
Doug, I enjoy your interesting points of view as well. I only mentioned Ronnie’s credentials to that idiot calling him a spoiled brat to embarrass him. Chase decided to turn wrenches for a living foregoing college. Good for him. Just because Ronnie chose a different path, and can’t work on a race car 24/7 is irreverent to him as a driver. He was fun to watch in the 59/49 car and now in the 50 car. I don’t have social media and don’t know Adam. Where we differ is I don’t wish bad luck to any driver. You do what you want but my advice to you would be enjoy the talent behind the wheel of the 50 car and not who owns it and you may enjoy the races even more.
Another night and alot of bent up equipment.. look at Rowan’s car! Then there’s the poor Wesson kid, he can’t catch a brake, the Talman kid backed it in hard and Membrino has wrecked it I think every week!!! Thank God for the sponsorships and decent purses!!
The reason Rocco went from hero to zero, is the weather. If you look at his string of six consecutive wins, they all came in cold weather, on a cold track. Once it warmed up he lost the set-up