STAFFORD – The relationship off the track has long been close between Todd Owen and Bryan Narducci.
On Saturday the pair were about as close as two drivers could possibly be on the track when the checkered flag fell on the first SK Modified feature of the 2022 season at Stafford Speedway.
When the dust settled on a dramatic green-white-checkered showdown it was Owen edging Narducci by 24 one-thousandths of a second at the line to win the 40-lap SK Modified feature at the Spring Sizzler at Stafford.
“I think a lot of you know, that’s a lot more of a battle than just two cars on the race track,” said Owen, of Somers. “I look at Bryan sometimes as my son. I’m actually more proud of him for how he raced me than he’ll probably ever know.”
Narducci, of Colchester, was second and Ronnie Williams of Tolland third.
“Everybody that helps me on this team, it’s insane what we do out there with all the cars in the pit area,” said Owen, who won his first SK Modified championship at Stafford in 2021. “These guys just do it because they love helping me and they love being part of this deal. My hats off to all them guys, they deserve this more than me.”
Williams got by Owen for the lead on lap 10. On a lap 23 restart it was Owen retaking the top spot, with Narducci moving to second shortly after.
By lap 32 Narducci was stalking Owen’s bumper. Narducci got under Owen through turns three and four on lap 33 with the pair coming to the start-finish line side-by-side to complete the lap.
Narducci took control of the lead through turns one and two on lap 34.
Caution flew on lap 37. On the restart it was Narducci and Owen battling side-by-side for almost two laps. On lap 39 third place Jimmy Blewett stuck clawed his way into the battle for the lead. But on lap 40 it was Blewett spinning in turn one trying to hold off the charges of Stephen Kopcik.
It set up the green-white-checkered restart with Narducci leading and Owen in second. Owen stayed to the outside of Narducci after the green with Owen leading the part to the white flag. Narducci fought back on the inside through turns one and two but Owen edged back out front on the backstretch. Through turn three it was Narducci moving back ahead of Owen, but Owen evened the gap again through turn four.
The pair came off of turn four in a virtual dead heat and went that way to the checkered, with Owen declared the victor by inches.
“We were really good today,” Narducci said. “Starting ninth and coming through field was pretty good. We ended up navigating the traffic pretty well. I knew it was going to be a race between me, Todd and Ronnie. It seemed like the three best cars. It really sucks to lose it there at the end but it was a clean race and there’s not a scratch on the car and we can get it better for next [race].”
Congratulations to Todd Owen and the #81 team for the win.
Yellow flags Ruled the Day …. No less than 50 cars of the HOOK of the wreckers … Wrecker Crews were the STARS of the DAY …. They are the best in the Track Crew World… BIG MONEY proves all the doubters WRONG ….. More than a Bullring .. Yes Big MONEY CAN WIN ANYWHERE !!!!! WOW what a Finish with OLD BLUE in the mix it was only Fitting … SRX for BIG MONEY … Well deserved WIN … HE earned IT… YOU got the BEST … BE careful what you ask for .. Bounced it off the wall on the final PASS… WOW
It’s just impossible to not appreciate Owen when he wins no matter how much he does it or how. He always does the right thing this time making a point of going to Narducci upon exit from his car and he says just the right things.
But the real winner in this race in my view was Narducci. True he’s won an SK event but that was a blue moon win involving only one messy pass and a bunch of green flag laps. In this event Bryan emerged as the racer everyone thought he was previously making mature decisions at critical times, driving exactly within the limits of the car and losing only by a hair but in the right way.
Gave me goose bumps.
Check it out on FloRacing at about the 4:50 mark and you decide.
Wesson starts out by the outside wall about at the starters stand than takes a hard left diving under an unsuspecting Arute who was just driving his line. Spins Arute then proceeds to go over the nose of Arutes car and proceeds on leaving a few wrecked cars including Arute. The amazing part is Wesson went on to finish 4th.
One of these days I’ll go back to see exactly how many DNF’s Wesson had last year and I’m pretty sure it will be a high number. That sort of banzai nonsense pretty typical and completely unnecessary he had a really fast car. A wreck that was completely avoidable making a move that had close to no chance of producing anything but broken parts and the instigator only by shear luck escapes with minimal damage.
Can’t quite be sure yet but we may very well have a successor to Glen Reen.
Smith and Wesson have been making weapons for years. Weapon good choice of a name to describe Dan