On Tap: Tight Championship Battles Across The Board At Stafford Speedway Finale

Drama will be the theme of the weekend at the Fall Final Saturday and Sunday at Stafford Motor Speedway.

In the Whelen Modified Tour, Ryan Preece of Berlin has the opportunity to grab his first career series title with an event still to be run after Sunday’s 150-lap feature at Stafford.

And in Stafford’s weekly divisions, four of five championships are left to be decided with, close battles in all four of them.

The Waterford Speedbowl hosts its final Whelen All-American Series Saturday weekly show this weekend before they host their finale event Oct. 5-6.

Where: Stafford Motor Speedway
What: Fall Final with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
When: Saturday – Sunday
Schedule
Saturday: Qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour and all other divisions; 20-lap SK Light Modified, 20-lap Limited Late Model, 15-lap DARE Stock, 8-lap Paradiso and Muska DARE Stock Shootout and 20-lap New England Truck Series, 1 p.m.
Sunday: 150-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, 40-lap SK Modified and 30-lap Late Model, 1 p.m.
More: The 18th and final racing event at Stafford in 2013. … The penultimate event of 2013 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The fourth visit to Stafford Speedway in 2013 for the division. … Todd Szegedy snapped a two-year plus winless streak in winning the last Whelen Modified Tour event on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. … Stafford Speedway SK Modified division regular Ryan Preece goes into Saturday’s Whelen Modified Tour at the half-mile oval looking to clinch his first Whelen Modified Tour title. Preece goes into the event with a 41-point lead over 2012 series champion Doug Coby. If Preece leaves Stafford with a 48-point lead or better, it would clinch the title for him prior to the running of the Whelen Modified Tour’s season ending event at Thompson International Speedway on Oct. 20. … Preece has four victories in 12 Whelen Modified Tour events this year, including one at Stafford. Coby and Bobby Santos have won in the other two events at Stafford. Coby, Santos and Mike Stefanik each have two victories in 2013. Justin Bosnigore is the only other winner this year in series action. … Preece sits four points behind Woody Pitkat in the chase for the Stafford Speedway SK Modified division title, which will be decided in Sunday’s 40-lap feature. Preece has eight wins in the division this year two Pitkat’s two. … Adam Gray clinched the 2013 Stafford Late Model division title in track’s final Friday night event of the season on Sept. 13. … The Limited Late Model division has a three-man battle going into the finale with Josh Wood holding a four point lead over David Arute in second and a six point lead over D.J. Burnham in third. … Chase Dowling leads Tony Membrino Jr. by four points in the chase for the SK Light Modified title. … Dave Secore Jr. takes a 10-point lead over second place Johnny Walker into Saturday’s DARE Stock division finale.

Where: Waterford Speedbowl
What: NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event
When: Saturday
Schedule: 35-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified, 30-lap Late Model, 25-lap Street Stock, 25-lap Mini Stock, 20-lap Legends, 20-lap X-Cars and 20-lap Super X-Cars. Grandstands open: 3 p.m.; Qualifying: 5:30 p.m.; Features: 7 p.m.
More: The 23rd event of the season at the shoreline oval. … Last week, Nichole Morgillo made history, becoming the the first female driver ever to win in the track’s premier division SK Modifieds. … Keith Rocco leads all drivers in the division with eight victories this season. With two events remaining this season, Rocco holds a 57-point lead over second place Todd Ceravolo in the standings. Tyler Chadwick, the 2012 track champion, is 156 points behind in third place. … If Rocco can end Saturday’s show with a 55-point lead or better it would clinch his third SK Modified division championship in the last four years. … Rocco, Chadwick and Kyle James are the only multi-time winners this year in the SK Modified division. Chadwick has four victories, James has three victories. Other winners this year include Ceravolo, Frank Mucciacciaro, Diego Monahan Jeff Rocco, Joey Gada and Rob Janovic Jr. … Last week it was Keith Rocco winning for the 10th time this season in the Late Model division to clinch the division’s title with two events remaining.