Tommy Barrett Jr. Tops Valenti Modifed Racing Series Field At Stafford Speedway

STAFFORD – Coming into Friday’s Valenti Modified Racing Series event at Stafford Motor Speedway, there had never been a repeat winner in the series over five races since 2010.

Tommy Barrett Jr. celebrates Friday’s Valenti Modified Racing Series victory at Stafford Motor Speedway (Photo: Stephanie Kimball/Stafford Speedway)

That fact changed on Friday.

Tommy Barrett Jr. became the division’s first two-time winner as he cruised easily to victory in the 80-lap Valenti Modified Racing Series feature

Barrett, of Millis, Mass., won a Valenti Modified Racing Series event last August at Stafford.

“It feels great to be back here in victory lane at Stafford,” Barrett said. “… Usually we come in and pit, save tires, but tonight I was just running up front, running in the top-five, top three. … The car just kept coming in. The car was great.”

Steve Masse of Bellingham, Mass. was second and Dave Etheridge of Portland third.

It was a different scenario than usual for Barrett. Typically he starts deep in the field and often pulls to the rear and saves tires for much of the event. Friday he started second to Keith Rocco.

Ryan Preece went to the lead early in the event, but pulled off the track with mechanical issues on lap 23, handing the lead Dave Etheridge and moving Barrett to second.

On lap 39 third place runner Keith Rocco pulled off the track with issues.

By lap 55 Etheridge had opened up a straightaway leader over Barrett with the rest of the field more than half a lap behind.

But Etheridge’s hopes for a runaway went away when the caution flew on lap 60 with Jeff Rocco slowing on the track.

On the ensuing restart, Barrett easily went by Etheridge for the lead. Barrett was able to easily hold off the field over two restarts in the final eight laps.

Barrett said the typical plan of saving equipment went out the window with a front-row starting spot.

“Once I redrew second, I wanted to go as hard as I could without beating the car up,” Barrett said. “I didn’t really think I was beating it up too bad. At the end of the race the right front [tire] was really giving out and it wasn’t rotating too well in the middle of the corner, and I was actually starting to have motor problems, so I didn’t really want to see those cautions. It was real flat coming off the corners. We got lucky kind of, [Ryan Preece] had a mechanical failure [Keith Rocco] was out, they were going to be the one’s to beat. We got a break there.”