STAFFORD – Easy Street turned to Mayhem Boulevard over the closing laps Friday night at Stafford Motor Speedway for Adam Gray.
Adam Gray celebrates his second career Late Model victory Friday at Stafford Motor Speedway (Photo: Stephanie Kimball/Stafford Speedway)
But despite the best challenges of Tom Fearn and Woody Pitkat behind him, Gray was able to hold on to the lead and win the 35-lap Late Model feature Friday at Stafford Motor Speedway.
It was the second career victory at Stafford for Gray, of Belchertown, Mass., coming almost exactly two years since his first. He won his first feature at the track on May 6, 2011.
“I was just trying save some tires,” Gray said. “I knew somebody was going to break out. We’ve got a real good field of cars here, any one of us can win. Hats off to the guys that finished second and third.”
Fearn, of East Longmeadow, Mass., survived a bounce off the backstretch wall on the final lap to finish second. Pitkat, of Stafford, was third.
Gray started on the pole, lost the lead briefly on the first lap to Dennis Botticello, but went back to the front before the field got through turn two on the first circuit.
From there Gray checked out from the field. On lap 30 Fearn went past Kevin Gambacorta for second place and took Pitkat with him to third.
By lap 33 Fearn was on Gray’s bumper. On lap 34 Fearn gave Gray two taps in turn four, but Gray was able to fight off the challenge.
“I knew he was coming,” Gray said. “The spotter was on the radio saying ‘He’s sailing it in, he’s sailing it in.’ I knew it was only a matter of time and I had to protect. There was a couple shots there. Me and Tommy race well together, we always have. I get the bumper, he gets the bumper and we try to keep it clean. It was a good, hard fought win.”
On the final lap Pitkat looked to get into the battle for the front. On the backstretch of the final lap Fearn hit hard on the backstretch wall, but was able to keep the car going straight and keep Pitkat behind him while Gray cruised unchallenged over the final half lap to the checkered flag.
“The fastest car doesn’t always win,” Fearn said. “We came from a long way back, me and Woody. We got up to Adam there on the last lap and I tried getting under him and he just didn’t want to let me go by. We settled for second, we can’t complain about that. We’re here every week fighting for the win.”
Said Pitkat: “If that race was 40 laps I think there would have been a different winner there.”
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