Tony Membrino Jr. (Photo: Stafford Motor Speedway)
STAFFORD – After winning last week’s SK Light Modified feature at Stafford Motor Speedway, Tony Membrino Jr. was lamenting the struggles of the start of the season for his team.
Membrino said the two abbreviated events because of his wrecks in the first two races of the season marked the first time he had consecutive races that he did not finish.
Friday he was building a more positive consecutive streak.
Membrino, of Plantsville, used a lap 15 restart to go to the lead and win the 20-lap SK Light Modified feature Friday at Stafford Speedway.
Stephen Kopcik of Newtown was second and 14-year old rookie Daniel Wesson of Monson, Mass. was third.
It was the first time in his career Membrino had won two consecutive features at Stafford.
“I’m speechless,” Membrino said. “I’ve never had this kind of thing happen. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Maybe we can go for a three-peat next week. It’s funny how that works. First time I ever had back-to-back DNF’s, now the first time I ever had back-to-back wins. Maybe with the coincidences we can just go back to just racing and having fun and kicking some ass.”
Membrino used a lap 15 restart to go by Wesson for the lead and then went unchallenged the rest of the way.
“That was my only shot to win,” Membrino said. “I’ve been doing pretty good on my restarts this year. I’ve been known to mess them up. I wasn’t going to take anything away from him being a rookie, but I knew – he was running good – my best chance to beat him was on that restart. We got the same jump and I just got through the gears quicker and I had a good run on him. I don’t know what happened after we came out of [turn] two. He just washed right up the track.”
Said Wesson: “That restart just got me. He just got me on the outside.”
Two-time defending Late Model division champion Adam Gray snapped a great streak in an even greater way.
Gray got his first victory of the season in the 30-lap Late Model feature.
Gray, of Belchertown, Mass., had finished second in the first three events of the season.
Gray went by Josh Wood for the lead on lap 17.
Wood, of Palmer, Mass., was second and Tom Butler of Stafford third.
Stafford’s Late Model division is in serious trouble, only 11 cars took the green and one of those is basically a start and park car (the #2). Don’t think there was more than 1600 people in the stands… Both mod divisions have strong fields of cars.
Congrats to the whole membrino clan and raceworks.