STAFFORD – Twenty-three years ago Kevin Gambacorta turned his first laps in a race car at Stafford Speedway.
Over that span Gambacorta has had plenty of high points, from 26 visits to victory lane to championships in the Street Stock and Limited Late Model division.
Friday that highlight resume for the Ellington veteran got a massive addition added, fittingly in a No. 23 race car.
Gambacorta finished second in the 30-lap Late Model feature Friday at Stafford. The finish clinched the 2023 Late Model division title for Gambacorta with one event still to be run this season.
“When I was a kid I never got a chance to race Go-Karts,” Gambacorta said. “As a teenager I worked in the tobacco fields to save my money so I could buy my first [Street Stock]. That first year I ran out of gas three times because I didn’t even know enough to put enough gas in the car. To come from that to winning a Late Model championship, I never even dreamed I would be driving a Late Model. To win a Late Model championship against guys like [Tom] Fearn and [Adam] Gray, I never would have believed it.”
Gambacorta came into the penultimate event of the season Friday holding a 48-point lead over second place Tom Fearn in the Late Model standings. Adam Gray was 60 points behind in third with Wayne Coury Jr. and Darrell Keane tied in fourth, 70 points behind Gambacorta.
Gambacorta closed out the night holding an insurmountable 70-point lead over Gray, who moved to second in the standings.
Gambacorta won a Street Stock championship [formerly DARE Stock] in 2004. He had Limited Late Model championships in 2006 and 2011. Overall Gambacorta has 26 career victories at the track with 15 Late Model wins, eight Limited Late Model wins and three Street Stock wins. He finished fourth in the Late Model standings at Stafford in 2021 and third last season.
Andrew Durand of Chicopee, Mass. won Friday’s feature. Gambacorta got to second on a lap 23 restart. On lap 29 he got under Durand in a battle for the lead but Durand fended off the challenge.
“I wanted to win the race,” Gambacorta said. “We got to second and I wanted to win. [Durand], he’s tough to get by.
“… We’ve still got one race next week. We can win the damn thing next week when we’ve got nothing to worry about. ”
It was the second win of the season for Durand. Wayne Coury Jr. of Fairfield was third.
“My car was very good tonight,” Durand said.”… Definitely fun racing with these guys week in and week out.”
So what do you think was the most bizarre thing that happened in a night of bizarre racing. My vote goes to Fearn Motorsports. The cars collected certainly did not deserve that but poor Stewart likely wondering what the heck just happened? Lost points for the 92, damage to fix all self inflicted. No doubt testing the ties that bind until future success can wash it all away.
No having to review the video on that one counselor it was what it was.
Congrats to Andrew Jerry and the #43 team for the win.
Congrats to Kevin and the #23 team for winning the championship. Solid effort all season long. Great Job
23 in ’23👍👍👍
#12 Alexdra is over her head, and it’s showed throughout the season. #12 shows signs of speed, but just finds more ways than one to screw it up….
The car is on the 💰 , driver is misusing the killer equipment and resources that shes fortunate to have🧐