STAFFORD – The SK Modified division has been the home of dramatics this season at Stafford Speedway, but on Friday it was the Monaco Ford SK Light Double Down feature that proved to be the event steeped in almost screenplay like theatrics.
Meg Fuller went from being two corners from the biggest victory of her career to being plastered against the frontstretch wall. Nick Anglace went from a contentious and heated victory lane ceremony to getting disqualified.
And Brian Sullivan, who had a front row seat for the dramatics, on track went from settling for a second place finish to celebrating a victory while standing next to his car in the tech area at Stafford.
After a long review of the finish, Sullivan, of Tolland was declared winner of the 40-lap Monaco Ford SK Light Modified Double Down Friday at Stafford Speedway.
Anglace took the checkered flag and celebrated in victory lane, but after the lengthy review, officials disqualified him for over aggressive driving during the event.
“He kind of drove like an idiot so sometimes karma comes back to bite you in the ass,” Sullivan said. “We had a good night. We’d rather be out there celebrating in victory lane, but we’ll take this win.”
Anglace took the lead on lap three. Tyler Chapman, who had won the first three SK Light Modified features of the season, got up to second on a lap 18 restart. But on a lap 22 restart contact from Anglace put Chapman into the wall.
By lap 31 Fuller was all over Anglace. On lap 34 Fuller got under Anglace and the two went side-by-side to the start/finish line with Anglace leading at the line. It was the same for laps 35, 36 and 37. On lap 38 the side-by-side battle saw Fuller leading at the line. On lap 39 Fuller cleared Anglace off of turn two for the lead. On lap 40 Anglace got back to Fuller’s bumper off of turn two. In turn three Anglace made a diving move under Fuller. Contact sent her up the track and she ended up spinning out of turn four and came to rest wrecked in the frontstretch wall just before the start/finish line.
Boo’s rained down on Anglace as he got out of his car in victory lane and he reveled in the moment, putting his hand to his ear and encouraging the crowd’s anger.
“It sounds like you guys did not like it,” Anglace said to the crowd over the public address system. “Did everyone like it? Nobody liked it? … I don’t care about Meg Fuller, honestly. I’m so sorry to take it from her and do it in that way.”
Said Fuller: “It’s really unfortunate because I did drive him pretty clean. I drove him clean that entire race when I clearly could have probably wrecked him a bunch of times. However, I have respect for him. But clearly after his interview, he has none for me. I’ll drive him how he drives me.”
After the victory lane ceremony Anglace went to the tech area and was on the post race scales when word came down that the decision was made to disqualify him from the win. The tech area erupted in cheers when Anglace was directed back to his hauler.
Anglace was scored as finishing 24th in the 33-car field.
“[Anglace] had several counts of over aggressive driving, including the last lap with [Fuller], so we did a post race penalty with [Anglace] moving him to the last car on the lead lap,” said Tom Fox, Stafford Speedway director of racing operations. “… As a side note, he wasn’t legal across the scales either so either one of these would have been bad for him, but the in-race penalty takes precedence over tech because once you apply the in-race penalty he no longer needs to be in tech.”
Fox said following the conclusion of the event officials worked closely together as a group to review the incidents during the race involving Anglace, which led to the extended amount of time before the decision was made.
“You watch it three or four times, it takes that long,” Fox said. “The only question we had was how to dispense the penalty. To go down and make it now or do you talk it about it more and and make it official on Tuesday. We’ve done that in the past. But this was pretty cut and dry, we don’t want people winning races like that here at Stafford Speedway.”
After the decision was made to disqualify him from the win, Anglace said he didn’t understand what he did that warranted such a harsh penalty.
“I don’t care,” Anglace said. “I proved my point. I came here and we had a car that was fast, got to the lead, checked out, led three quarters of the race. Yeah, there was contact. I’m going for a win. I don’t feel like I did anything that wouldn’t have been done to me. I also don’t feel like it’s anything that was that egregious that people are coming into my victory lane celebration and getting in my face, trying to fight my crew. I also don’t feel as if it was anything that you wouldn’t see in an SK Modified race or an Open Modified race here. You’re going for a win and she wanted to block and I just sent it in on the apron and moved her up. I don’t know what to tell you. If she didn’t get loose coming out of [turn] two I wouldn’t have even had the run to get there. Whatever.”
The penalty moved Alexander Pearl of Salem to a second place finish and Chapman, of Ellington, to third.
Bottom line…his statement about it happening in SK and Tour Type racing, sure. But, if you watched Andrew Molleur in the 85 with the SKs, he could have easily junk Cory for the win and didn’t. It sucks to get beat, but don’t do what you did and think it was okay. Apple. Far from tree????
Is it me or is that kid just an idiot and a moron, he has the nerve to say he didn’t think he did anything wrong, clearly he put both Chapman an Fuller in the marbles , I thought he was on probation or something for 20 years?
My hat goes off to Tom and the other officials. Let’s see how Nick feels when someone puts him on the last lap or runs him up into the wall. Those cars aren’t cheap! Mayenot tour or sk modified expensive but expensive enough.
Keyboard drivers at it again I’m a mod fan but where did Stafford see 7 counts of over aggressive driving when the 10 car was out front by himself for 19 laps before first caution then was out front after restart by himself until like lap 25 or so in which him and Chapman put on a show side by side for how many laps until next caution. On that restart it seemed the 10 got loose getting in to 3-4 chased it and Chapman moved up to avoid wreck. Again only drivers know what happened. The last lap move has been done by TC Keith Rocco among countless others with contact with nothing done. There has been no racing like that in awhile and I’ve been around since Danbury days but it’s funny how when the 10 car gets junked no one says anything about the people who took him out. Love him or hate him that was a hell of a race and those that want to cry don’t know what racing was and should be. After race made my way from grandstands to tech area to see that many people was unreal never that many there unless you go back to the TC and Bo Gunning days. But the amount of swearing and hatred was an actual joke it’s racing everyone has been moved or wrecked you fix your car and come back to fight again I mean even the 41 cars crew swearing bitching to the 10 car but I believe last year or year before the 41 planted the 10 in the front stretch wall how easily people forget. But Stafford never saw 7 moments of over aggressive driving by the 10 car in that race so next week you should make same call in SK and lites races again be consistent or don’t make call based on drivers involved. Lastly how would 46 say Nick drove like an idiot you were in the middle of the pack until last 4 laps so how did he even see the front cars just my opinion but I thought it was good racing my opinion.
Modfan,
Where are you getting that anyone said there were “7 counts” of aggressive driving? Nobody said anything like that.
Mod fan, two counts was bad enough no one said 7
Morgan tell us you know nothing about racing without telling us you know nothing about racing.. when he couldn’t pass the 41 clean he did what he had to do to get by him.. used him up in one and two and when that didn’t work because he lacks the talent the 41 has he had to run him higher in three and four leaving him no track therefore putting him in the fence… fuller raced him clean and got by him so his only choice was to dive bomb her on last lap in three,which has been many many times but when a driver with talent does that they maintain their lane… 10 had zero chance of maintaining lane … at the end of the day he didn’t make weight either so now he’s a hack and a cheater…Chapman always races clean and has talent… 10 has no talent and has always been a hack…
{ There has been no racing like that in awhile and I’ve been around since Danbury days but it’s funny how when the 10 car gets junked no one says anything about the people who took him out}
And there it is in a nut shell. Too many people today think that type of “racing” is OK. IT’S NOT racing. it’s simply is not. And because someone in the past got away with it doesn’t make it right. I guess Modfan you didn’t watch the SK race where the 85 DIDN’T clean out the 11. He wanted to win too.
It should not take a “lengthy review” to figure out you need to DQ someone from rough riding after victory lane is already done. If you if the officials cannot figure out they if they are going to make that call within a minute or 2, you should not even do it. It might be an instance of the crowd reaction and the driver who got roughed up playing a factor into the call being made. It kind of reminds of an issue years ago when PASS waited a couple days to DQ Rick Martin from the win in a series race for jumping restart at Thompson. But many people thought that call was made because the local fans booed Martin in victory lane because they felt he raced a young Derek Ramstrom too hard near the end of the race.
Seven Modfan? You should read the article a bit closer. The word was “several”.
Fuller gave him the outside lane after racing him clean on the bottom for how many laps and what does he do? He sinks it in on the apron and cleans her out. Then says he “doesn’t care about Meg Fuller” and taunts the fans? You need a lesson on how to make friends and influence people cause your respect meter now registers 0.
The way I see it is you got one coming Nick cause karmas a bitch!
Shawn do you not read your own words right after you wrote Anglace was scored 24 out of 33 cars Anglace had 7 moments of over aggressive driving if I could take a picture which I did to post but it won’t allow me you then went on to say in your words contact with Chapman and last lap with Fuller again 10 car out front no one near him for 26 laps where are the 7 moments of aggressive driving it’s your words right in your article.
Earl I guess you don’t know English because seven and several means the same god damn thing and for all the people who keep saying car illegal if it was why was 10 team not allowed to see scales?? If your gonna say car illegal on scales show team the scales otherwise what is track hiding? Track favorites.
Modfan,
I think you need to invest in a pair of reading glasses. I think you’re referring to the quote from Tom Fox which reads: “[Anglace] had several counts of over aggressive driving, including the last lap with [Fuller], so we did a post race penalty with [Anglace] moving him to the last car on the lead lap,”
It doesn’t say he had SEVEN counts, it says he had SEVERAL counts. That read SEVERAL from the moment the story was published, so no you do not have a screen grab where it reads SEVEN. Please just stop, go to your local CVS and buy a pair of reading glasses.
Modfan,
Wait, what? Huh? Are you being serious right now? Seven and several are the same thing? I mean Just for the record, and I can’t even believe I have to explain this to someone, Merriam-Webster defines the word several in relation to a total number to mean either “more than one” or “more than two but fewer than many”. Nowhere is there a definition of the word several saying the word several equals seven. When you go buy the reading glasses, pick up a dictionary also.