Last year Todd Szegedy’s chasing of a Valenti Modified Racing Series came to a controversial end in early August when series officials made the decision to suspend the entire Kevin Stuart owned race team for three events.
It seems that chasing of a title will come to end this year a little earlier.
Team owner Kevin Stuart said he was reviewing his options for continuing with the series after he found out Sunday that Szegedy was being disqualified from his victory in the series’ event Friday at Claremont (N.H.) Speedway.
Valenti Modified Racing Series officials announced on their website Sunday that Szegedy was being disqualified and that second place running Chris Pasteryak would be given the win from Claremont.
According to the Valenti Modified Racing Series website, “the [Kevin Stuart owned] car, powered by an 18-degree engine, was found to have a non-compliant carburetor pursuant to the 2015 Modified Racing Series rulebook.”
Stuart said he was not informed of the disqualification by series officials.
“They won’t call you and tell you, but they’ll put it all over the internet,” Stuart told RaceDayCT exclusively Sunday.
Attempts to reach series founder and owner Jack Bateman on Sunday morning were unsuccessful.
Earlier this season Valenti Modified Racing Series officials disqualified Keith Rocco from a second place finish in an event at Stafford Motor Speedway and informed him of the disqualification more than two weeks after the event, despite telling other series competitors before Rocco.
“It’s just ridiculous that they won’t even call you and tell you this stuff,” Stuart said. “It’s just become such a joke.”
Szegedy went into Friday’s event 22 points behind Woody Pitkat in series standings. Pitkat recorded a 14th place finish Friday.
Last year Szegedy was fourth in the standings, just 10 points behind the lead, when the Stuart owned team was suspended by series officials for three events.
That suspension stemmed from Stuart criticizing Bateman over a radio during an event at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl.
After Stuart said last year that he was pulling the team off the series permanently, Bateman rescinded the team suspension and instead only suspended Stuart. Though the team did not go to the next series event and stopped chasing a series title.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Stuart said. “It’s [bull]. It’s like he doesn’t want me to win the championship. He plays his stupid games. He doesn’t call anybody and tell them this stuff. It’s just a stupid game. “
Stuart said the team was forced to go a different carburetor after practice Friday at Claremont and there was no parts truck at the track to purchase one.
“I had to go with what I had,” Stuart said. “I have numerous people that stood over at the scales and watched [series technical director Bob Carrita] lift up on the No. 42 [Woody Pitkat] car so that it would pass pre-inspection because the car was too low. So you’ll penalize me but stand at the scales and make illegal cars pass to go through tech.”
It’s a shame that the MRS handles disqualifications this way but I have to say it’s better than letting people cheat….I take it that the carb was not legal according Mr Stewart, so I don’t think they r picking on the 85 team.
Hahaha. I’m not a fan of the WMT, but based on car counts and lack of BS this season, it’s beating out the VMRS. 17 cautions? Really? The geese are flying back home to NASCAR.
Registered letter seems to be the only official way to inform competitors of matters not decided on the spot. Shame on MRS for leaking on internet before snail mail can arrive. Phone call, albeit more personal, isn’t very official. I feel for Mr Stuart not being able to get his hands on another carb to use, but man, play it smart and finish outside of a tech’ed position.
I’m amazed lately!…I just keep saying it, But? As fans, media, drivers and owners we see Sanctioning bodies or Series officials performing…wrong word…doing ‘things’ that most would normally laugh at, or cry from, if it were a television show. Great Communication is the key to living and business. We are seeing none of that here, and it is a shame (as Steve states). I like the MRS racing in comparison to the NASCAR Format. But Jeepers-creepers, Talk to your teams, communicate with the drivers. All this season I am seeing good racing being ruined, I feel, by poor Social Skills…not the electronic/computer stuff. The eye to eye, hand shake to eye stuff. Its all beginning to seem like teenagers sitting at the mall side by side all on their phones, and not one true eye-to-eye partnership. It all makes an amazing group of very dedicated-hard working people seem very unprofessional, and I know that’s not the case.
Okay, so there is no disagreement that the Stuart car had an illegal carburetor. Right?
But you all are wailing about the way the news was released? The MRS series announced the findings on the MRS website. Seems reasonable to me.
So after a race, wait for the official statement on the series website of penalties and infractions. What’s the big deal?
The car owner does not dispute that an illegal carburetor was used, but is reviewing his options??? I don’t see where Stuart has any options, he cheated, he got caught now he has to face the consequences. Furthermore, MRS Officials dispute Stuart’s claim he was not notified, according to them both Stuart and the crew chief on the 85 car were notified by phone yesterday. I agree with darealgoodfella, what is the big deal? I guess Kenny Stuart could have one of his hissy fits like last year and park the 85 for the rest of the MRS season, or suck it up, admit he was wrong and move on to Devils Bowl with a legal carburetor, and don’t forget to bring a legal spare carburetor. Anyone that witnessed Kenny Stuart’s actions at Waterford last season would not be too anxious to have a pity party for him! It appears MRS Officials got this one right, even the notification, so you go right ahead review your options, does not look like you are going anywhere with this.
It really makes me laugh when a team is caught cheating they then proceed to blame the series and point fingers at other teams. Then comes the “I wont run the series anymore” like the series is gonna fold if the team that gets caught cheating doesn’t show. The joke here is that a big time race team didn’t have a spare carb that was legal or couldn’t borrow one from another team. The only “option” here is show up legal or stay home. Either way, no one really cares. The racing will go on without the 85 team.
It just seems weird that I as a car owner would leave the track thinking I passed tech and then I find out that I didn’t ?? There had to be a conversation during tech about the legality of the carb then the final decision came later.
Stuart’s comments seem to indicate he knew the carburetor was illegal before they even used it. If you are going to carry a spare, why have one that isn’t legal? You are at a MRS show.
Unfortunately the MRS again shows the unprofessionalism racers and fans have to put up with for tour shows on the asphalt in New England (it’s not just a modified/MRS thing either, ACT & PASS have their moments as well).
So you admit, you go out to the race with a illegal carburetor, yet you are mad because you got disqualified? Why are you bringing the 42 car into this? Are you trying to say that because the 42 car was not positioned on the scales correctly, that it was illegal? What your “numerous people” saw was probably the series tech official, Bob Carrita trying to assist in getting the car properly positioned on the scale. As far as the way you were notified, an article on another site “clarifies” the penalty and the action taken, according to Bob Carrita you did get a phone call and your crew chief got a phone call on Saturday. It was almost midnight when you were in tech, after your temper tantrum at Waterford last year that was witnessed by “numerous people”, I agree with officials decision to wait and call you on Saturday with the news of the disqualification. Bottom line, you cheated, you got caught, you can either suck it up and move on or you can choose to be gone! Again, just my thoughts…
It is just stunning that people try to run known illegal equipment, AND get away with it, AND then complain when caught.
Doesn’t the 85 usually use a steel headed motor? The article says they had an 18 degree in. They had carb problems after practice meaning the one on it for that motor must of been acting up. You expect someone to have 4 carbs, two for each type of motor?
4 carbs at 2500 – 3000 a piece just sitting around.come on now.