When Todd Owen went to the 2021 season opener at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl the plan at that point was to run part-time at the track.
And then he went to the second event, and then the third. And the points kept piling up, and soon the part-time plans went out the window.
Part-time plans turned into a full-time run that culminated Saturday with Owen celebrating his first SK Modified championship at the Speedbowl.
Owen used a sixth place finish in the 35-lap SK Modified feature Saturday at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl to clinch his first division championship at the shoreline oval.
“This year I wasn’t going to run the whole year, but once I got going, it was just relaxing for me because I only bring one car,” said Owen, who oversees a stable of teams running regularly at Stafford Speedway every Friday. “I get to go to Waterford and just race myself instead of doing what I have to do on Friday nights. And that place, it’s just a whole different atmosphere than Stafford. It kind of reminds me of Riverside [Park Speedway].”
Owen closed out the Speedbdowl’s regular season with 307 points. Cory DiMatteo of Farmington finished fifth in Saturday night’s feature and ended the year second in the standings, eight points behind Owen.
“We went down [to the Speedbowl] like four or five years ago and I was just going down there for one race and I really enjoyed it,” Owen said. “So we went for the next race and it just kind of got into a rhythm. Obviously with that place having its nine lives you never knew what the next year was going to bring. We just kind of kept going because you didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Owen also clinched the track’s special Triple Threat championship. He bested DiMatteo by three points in the standings for the three selected Triple Threat races. Owen also leads the standings in the Speedbowl’s special Fast Five series this year. The final Fast Five event of the season will be held on Oct. 17. The Fast Five event points don’t count toward the track’s regular points for the season.
Saturday marked the second night of a championship celebration weekend for Owen from Stafford to Waterford. Friday night at Owen celebrated his first SK Modified division champion at Stafford.
“Last night was just something that I never thought would be possible,” Owen said. “To get two of them in a weekend is pretty incredible.”
Andrew Molleur of Shelton won the SK Modified feature Saturday at the Speedbowl. Mike Christopher Jr. of Wolcott was second and Anthony Flannery of East Hampton third.
The other weekly division championships will be decided as part of the track’s finale weekend Oct. 15-17.
Jason Palmer of Berlin won the 30-lap Late Model feature. Ray Christian III of Uncasville was second and Ryan Morgan of North Franklin third.
Ethan Durocher of Canterbury scored his first career Speedbowl victory in the 25-lap SK Light Modified feature. Jason Chapman of Ellington was second and Buddy Charette of Woodstock third.
Nickolas Hovey of Chaplin won the 25-lap Street Stock feature. It was the first Street Stock victory at the Speedbowl for Hovey, the son of 2012 Speedbowl Street Stock champion Walt Hovey Jr. Nickolas Hovey now has wins this year at the Speedbowl, Stafford Speedway and Thompson Speedway.
Chris Douton of Niantic was second and Aaron Plemons of Uncasville third.
Charles Canfield of East Haven topped the field in the 25-lap Mini Stock feature. Chris Garside of Groton was second and John Bavolacco of Stratford third.
Congrats to Todd and the #81 crew for winning the Waterford championship. Great job.
Great night and Saw Bruce.
Maybe now he will get back involved and finish what he started .
Racing there has been nothing less than fantastic this year.
Car count will be big in 2 weeks.
Best racing in Ct.
Nice article about Owen. A second championship in a darned good year for Chassis Pro in general. Meanwhile Ryan Stone is burning his house down over on Unmuffled along with the reputation of Stafford Speedway and I’m here to tell you it did not go unnoticed.
Mr Courchesne referred to the disqualification of Kopcik in the larger discussion of shocks trying to get information to educate fans on the subject and Stone was no wilting violet. Good layman’s information on shocks followed by a series of grenades with very specific targets.
First on shocks. Stone used the phrase “timing device” one I’ve never heard. Meant to time the transition of tire load as conditions change when the car enters the corner moving toward the apex. I’m thinking that’s a great explanation because while being very sophisticated shocks do boil down to timing devices designed to accomplish specific handling characteristics under specific conditions. A simple concept but with infinite variables.
That was the good, then the bad and ugly when the Stafford disqualification was mentioned.
In short it went something like this and I am of course paraphrasing.
Stephen Kopcik has had the same shocks for 3 years. He’s a guy that essentially outworks every one else, he’s knowledgeable and what he did with the shocks the Stafford technical crew is not educated enough in shocks nor qualified to judge their legality. He suggested they do educate themselves before making decisions like this and especially in connection with shock pistons.
That showed a pretty low opinion of Tom Fox especially but then Ryan Stone really went off the reservation in my view. Claiming the disqualification was a hit job by Stafford to get Owen the win mainly because of the close relationship David Arute has with Chassis Pro working out of their shop.
BOOM!!!! Ryan Stone is viewed as one the best and most cerebral crew chiefs around and here he is dragging Stafford’s name through the mud without a scintilla of proof nor any of the information Stafford had. Meanwhile Shawn Courchesnes who started it all with an innocent question attempting to help educate the listening audience about shocks and what they do must have been thinking one the hell Ryan, what was that?
What this looks like from 50,000 feet is one crew chief who’s self image is that of a knowledgeable, tireless worker sticking up for another he views to be in the same category. The reputation wreckage he left in the wake of his comments included Owen who apparently got a championship handed to him on a silver platter. The special attention paid to Stafford for being corrupt in rigging the points championship in Owens favor as well as completely ignorant of shocks.
The back seat interviewer in me is shouting at the computer saying come on Shawn you can’t let that go. Challenge Stone on his trashing of Stafford by asking for proof to back up his claim of a hit job. Challenge him to explain further why if the rules state shocks are to be used as delivered from the manufacturer then why is it OK or even necessary to be familiar with the ways you can modify their performance. But you can’t do that. Tick Stone off playing Chris Wallace with challenging follow up questions Stone never talks to RaceDayCt again and worse. Other NWMT teams members do the same when they circle the wagons.
What Stone did to himself here pretty much speaks for itself. An analytical mind with regard to all thing mechanical not capable of bringing the same discipline to matters outside his realm of expertise. Without any information or proof bending facts to his own purpose and creating the conspiracies that justify his biased conclusions. Meanwhile in the succeeding interview Owen is being Owen saying all the things you expect the guy to say. He never asked for the championship to be handed to him, he’s not second guessing his driving style to get more wins and the rules are there to keep teams from spending ungodly amounts of money to gain a competitive advantage.
We say a lot of ignorant, bone headed things in this forum for sure and it’s nice to see that when it comes to ignorant and bone headed racing insiders do the same exact thing when they wander from what they know. I can’t conceive of one reason for a track to purposely blow up the season finale race in their premier division and creating a fire storm of blow back and hard feeling with the express purpose of getting a driver an un earned championship. One he would never want nor has any of his behavior through a long career indicated he’d violate his fundamental racing philosophy to get more wins and championships.
As impressive as Stone is in the shop and pit area he is equally unimpressive when he tries to think outside the things he knows best and in the end is a pretty pedestrian conspiracy theorist.
Speaking of Owen, a number of drivers again after the heat race qualifying at Waterford Speedbowl didn’t pass the ride height rule after their heat races, but as anticipated started within the handclap positions and not the rear!! So, yes favoritism exists! Rules need to be enforced for both tracks (Stafford and the Bowl) also they need a realistic handle cap system. Having the front points leaders start up front all the time yields the same feature winners week in and out.
Yes – the Stone comments are surprising. He’s a “Fury guy”, while Kopcik is an “LFR guy”?? In any event, it doesn’t sound like Stone addressed the “non-standard piston” basis for the Kopcik DQ(?).
Sorry,but its true,Todd and others got caught. AGAIN. No penalty. Not a conspiracy!!!Please dont respond with 10 page report. Its exhausting. Everyone needs to start there heat”low at the bowl”. Hint,hint. Even if everone gets sent to the back,not. Just maybe we will see some new faces. Ace of spades.