Rowan Pennink Grabs First Valenti Mod Racing Series Title At Lee; Tommy Barrett Jr. Gets Win

LEE, N.H. – Valenti Modified Racing Series owner Gary Casella can sleep again.

Team owner Gary Casella hugs driver Rowan Pennink after Pennink clinched the team’s first Valenti Modified Racing Series championship Sunday at Lee USA Speedway

The Valenti Modified Racing Series season finale Saturday at Thompson International Speedway will be a pressure free zone for driver Rowan Pennink and his team owner Gary Casella.

Pennink and his team made sure of that fact Sunday at Lee USA Speedway by clinching the 2013 Valenti Modified Racing Series championship in the penultimate event of the season.

Pennink, of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., used a ninth place finish in the Octoberfest 100 at Lee to clinch the title. Pennink, also a regular on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, will go to the season finale at Thompson with an insurmountable 73 point lead in the standings over Tommy Barrett Jr., who won Sunday’s race and to move to second in the standings.

“I wanted to get it done here so bad,” Pennink said. “I wanted to just go to Thompson and go balls to the wall and go for the win instead of having to worry about points.”

It marked the first series title for Pennink and for Casella, who has fielded a team in the division since its inception 10 years ago.

“I can’t even say what it means,” Casella said. “We’ve been so close for so long and had them taken away and taken away. I needed this. It’s a huge relief. I don’t even sleep some nights thinking about this championship.”

The championship banner is raised behind him as Rowan Pennink begins celebration of his first Valenti Modified Racing Series title Sunday at Lee USA Speedway

Said Pennink: “Last year we finished second in points and there were so many races that we didn’t finish. There were three or four races that we had DNF’s and we ended up losing the championship by 20 or so points. But I think we straightened those things out with car this year and made sure not to have as many DNF’s. I think it showed how this team worked and worked on the car and made sure it was right every week.

“I’m so happy for Gary and Kim to be able to bring this car home with a championship. They’ve been running this series since it started. For me to be part of winning it for Gary, especially on the 10-year anniversary of the series, that’s pretty special.”

It was the third victory of the season for Barrett, of Millis, Mass. Steve Masse of Bellingham, Mass. was second and Jon McKennedy of Chelmsford, Mass. third.

Barrett went by Richard Savary for second on lap 89 and then passed Masse for the lead three laps later.

“The car was started to giving up a little bit,” Barrett said. “I couldn’t get around Savary or Masse that easily, but once I got out front the car was just fast and I pulled away.”