Todd Szegedy’s Valenti Mod Series Team Suspension Rescinded; Team Owner Remains Suspended

2014 VMRS LogoValenti Modified Racing Series founder and president Jack Bateman told RaceDayCT Thursday evening that he has decided to modify the three-race suspension he had previously placed on the series’ Kevin Stuart owned team, with driver Todd Szegedy of Ridgefield.

Bateman said he will not suspend the entire team from competition as originally announced, and that the team is welcome to compete in the next series event Saturday at Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway.

Bateman said team owner Kevin Stuart himself remains suspended for the next three events.

“I talked with some of my good friends in racing and we decided it was the best thing to do,” Bateman said.

During Saturday’s event at the Waterford Speedbowl, Stuart grabbed a radio from a series official and directed a tirade over the series radio frequency directed at Bateman. Stuart said he lost his cool because teams were being allowed to work on their cars in the pits under a red flag while Szegedy was sitting on the track.

When the red flag was lifted Szegedy was ordered off the track by series officials and disqualified from the event.

Bateman said Thursday that Stuart cannot work directly with the team during the suspension but he is allowed to be on site at the track and have communication with the team.

“He can go to the track and be in the grandstands and communicate with the team if he wants to do that,” Bateman said.

Stuart said Thursday evening that he’s not sure what his team will do.

“I have to talk to Jack tomorrow morning,” Stuart said. “After I talk to Jack I’ll decide what we’re going to do.”

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Comments

  1. former MRSfan says

    Bateman decided that he was wrong. And that he probably needs the cars for the shows for the rest of the season. I hope that this example will show Bateman that he needs to enforce the rules that HE has put in the rule book. It may be his sandbox, but soon he will be playing in his sandbox by himself.

  2. Sounds like a fair deal to me. U would never see NASCAR give a team a break they would fine the crew chief 25 k

  3. former MRSfan says

    But nascar’s rules are consistant. They do not change the rules each second, minute.

  4. This decision should have been made from the get go. Whatever! I hope the 85 decides not to return. They lost the points in this mess which will cost them their shot at the championship anyway.

  5. The observer says

    The only way to make that fool realize what an azz he is is by staying away! You don’t HAVE to race. It’s a choice. Stay home, party, family time, whatever. Just skip his races. Bateman is a complete hothead joke power trip fool.

  6. Andy Boright says

    Why would anyone want to be an official for the MRS if the owner of the series is going to allow owners, drivers, and crew people attack them and then not even have the guts to punish them?

    This decision makes Bateman look as bad as Stuart, and the inmates are clearly running the asylum.

    So much for the short track industry learning anything from the Tony Stewart incident.

    What a spineless, gutless move on Bateman’s part.

  7. Crew member X says

    Nothing’s been said about why cars were allowed to be worked on under the red flag. Seems like the bigger issue here.

  8. Former MRS Spotter says

    The rule for the MRS series has been for as long as I can remember if you are in the pits when the Red Flag is displayed you are allowed to work on your race car.

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