Todd Owen celebrates the overall victory in the SK Modified 20/20 Sprint Sunday at Thompson Speedway
The event, which includes two 20-lap features and then a 10-lap Shootout awards the overall victory to the driver with the best cumulative finish for all three events.
Consistency gave Owen the title last year. Sunday at Thompson Speedway, checkered flags gave him his second consecutive 20/20 Sprint win.
Owen, of Somers, won the second 20-lap feature and the closing 10-lap shootout to win the overall title by tiebreaker over Kyle James.
“It doesn’t matter if you win one or all three, anytime you come across the line first it’s what we’re all doing this for,” Owen said. “The segment thing is pretty neat, the different strategy. We won two out of three so obviously we deserved to be in the hunt anyway.”
With a finish of seventh in the first feature and two first place finishes Owen ended the day with nine points. Kyle James of Ashaway, R.I. had finishes of third, second and fourth respectively to also finish with nine points. The tiebreaker was the highest finish in the 10-lap shootout.
Keith Rocco of Wallingford, with finishes of fifth, third and second, was third overall for the event with 10 points.
The first two 20-lap events were points features for SK Modified division with the 10-lap Shootout not counting as a Thompson Speedway feature.
For Owen, the victory in the second 20-lap feature – his first win at Thompson in 2018 – came in dramatic with a hair-raising pass out out of the final corner of the feature. Only, it wasn’t a pass for position.
Owen nearly ended crashing into the lapped car of Zachary Leone coming out of the final corner.
With Owen holding off James on the final lap, he came out of turn four but had to take evasive action to drive under Leone coming off of turn four.
“I don’t know, the lapped car there, he’s supposed to get out of the way,” Owen said. “I saw him with the wheel turned all the way to the left like he was trying and it just wasn’t going. At that point you have to make a decision to try to get to the start finish line first. Luckily it worked out.
“It’s more scary because of the fact that he almost cost me the win. That was the scary part. I saw him coming for a long way. You kind of wait to see … I kind of knew going into [turn] three that he wasn’t coming down. But I didn’t expect to have the closing rate I did. I saw he had all the wheel into it, so he was trying to get to the bottom, but the car just wouldn’t go there. So at that point, I tried to get to the outside and I didn’t really know where James was, and I don’t want to wreck him again god forbid. Luckily it worked out. I had a nice talk with him. We’ve all been rookies, he’s just starting out.”
Owen dominated in leading every lap of the 10-lap shootout.
“That thing was awesome,” said Owen, who also competed in the SK Modified feature Friday at Stafford Speedway and the SK Modified feature Saturday at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. “I don’t even know what to say.
“Two years in a row we won this race. I’m just happy for my all guys. They are my family, they are my crew, they gave up their whole weekend to be with me. That’s something special. It’s hard to find.”
Zach, sounds like you have a little “push” going on but look at the bright side….
You didn’t take the leader out and you have officially made a RacedayCT article!!!
When Rocco isn’t making moves to pass for the lead, makes for boring racing. That 10 lap shootout was a waste of time. 15 cars for what was supposed to be the highlight of the year for the sk’s?
oh i did not know ct has a track called thompson
is that the one that races during work week
great to go and come home at 1am….next day 6am to work…no thanks dummies
I wish Thompson would just run a 50 lap race instead of this 20 / 20 / 10. Not much excitement other than seeing the kid in the 68 get his first win. Preece was a no show, Rocco was having some type of motor issue, and Woody got tangled up with the 9 car….. but anyone that has seen Woody in action knows it wasn’t his fault. It never is!
Preece was racing the Xfinity car in Indy.
based on the Facebook post Rocco wont be defending his title in the 57 car . they are apparently done with some nasty words being passed back and forth .they had a falling out
Rumor is Rocco is headed back to one of the big Tour teams in 2019. Apparently the ink is just drying on the contract. Will be interesting to see him in a good car. That series has turned into a bunch of boring pansies, need someone back in there who is not afraid to boot people out of the way and cause some controversy.
I saw the whole altercation go down. Looks like pane got the best of him. He got what he had coming.
If that’s the case hopefully the ink dries on the t-shirts this time before he gets booted.
Ryan,
It’s Woody fault that he checked up for slower car’s in front of him and the 9 car never lifted and flew right over Woody left front tire ripping all the suspension off with it? Your right it’s his fault they inverted the field and put him 9th with the loads.
And furthermore I have herd on more then one occasion when Woody has taking the blame for something that has happened so get over yourself!