Many of the amateur meteorologists of the local motorsports scene were predicting racing wouldn’t be taking place Friday at Stafford Speedway.
And while mother nature soaked the track early in the evening, it was Mike Christopher Jr. doing the real reigning on the night at the historic half-mile.
Christopher followed up a victory in the Casella Waste Open Modified 80 by winning the 50-lap SK Modified Senator’s Cup.
“Two in one night is impressive,” Christopher said.
It was the first SK Modified win at Stafford for Christopher since Oct. 6. 2023 and his 14th overall win in the division.
Christopher held on through a rash of restarts to get his first SK Modified win at Stafford since Oct. 6, 2023 and his 14th overall in the division.
“Late race restarts when you’re in the lead are stressful if anyone doesn’t know,” Christopher said. “When it comes down to it, you’re coming through [turns] three and four coming to the box and you really only have to do one thing and its don’t spin the tires and hit your shift and figure it out past there. … You don’t really have to worry about that too much when you have dominant race car and that’s what we had tonight.”
Michael Gervais Jr. of Wolcott passed Austin Beers of Northampton, Pa. for second place on the final lap.
“I did have to fight for it,” Gervais said. “Hats off to [Beers], he raced me so clean the whole race. He definitely could have got into me. As I got underneath him he gave me at least a lane to race with him. That was awesome to have that respect back.”
Beers scored his first podium finish in an SK Modified at Stafford.
“That was really fun,” Beer said. “I haven’t had fun like that in a race car in a long time. … To come here and run third in the SK [Modified], which we’ve been struggling, it felt really cool racing Gervais and [Christppher] and finishing top-three. … It felt really good to finish up here.”
Division points leader Andrew Molleur recovered from an early wreck to finish fourth and get his sixth top-five finish in six events this season.
Early on it was Tyler Chapman getting by Jon Puleo for the top spot, with Beers moving to second and Mikey Flynn to third.
Contact between fourth place Puleo and sixth place David Arute set off a massive pileup in turn two that collected at least eight cars. Also caught up in the melee were Molleur, Keith Rocco and Noah Korner.
On the lap four restart it was Chapman and Beers going side-by-side for two laps before Chapman cleared for the lead on lap six, with Mikey Flynn moving by Beers for second.
Beers fought back to second by lap eight and began hunting down Chapman.
On lap 12 Beers found the lane under Chapman and came off turn four with the lead. On lap 13 caution was back out for a wreck in turn three involving Jack Baldwin, George Bessette Jr. and Wesley Prucker.
With Beers leading, Flynn in second and Christopher in third, caution flew on lap 17 for the spinning cars of Joey Ternullo and John Sandberg on the frontstrech.
On the lap 17 restart it was Beers holding the top spot with Christopher moving by Flynn for second. A lap later Christopher found the low lane into turn three under Beers and came off of turn four with the top spot.
On lap 21 Beers was able to grab the lead back from Christopher, but Christopher fought back through turn four to regain the top spot.
With Christopher leading, Beers in second and Todd Owen in third, caution was out on lap 22 with ninth place running Chapman into the wall hard in turn one.
Christopher held the top spot on the lap 22 restart. A lap later Owen got by Beers to take over second.
With Christopher leading Owen and Beers in third, caution was back out on lap 37 for the spinning car of Baldwin. On the ensuing restart it was Christopher keep hold of the lead with Beers moving under Owen to retake second place. On lap 38 Gervais got under Owen to take over third.
Caution was back out on lap 41 for the spinning car of eighth place running Bessette. Christopher was able to hold off all challengers on the restart.
With Christopher leading, Beers in second and Gervais in third, caution flew on lap 45 for the stopped car of R.J. Marcotte in turn one. Christopher got the jump on the lap 46 restart. Behind him Molleur, rallying from his early wreck, moved from fifth to fourth.
Caution flew once again on lap 48 for the stopped cars of Bessette and Arute. On the lap 48 start it was Christopher and Beers going side-by-side for the lap. The pair went side-by-side for most of lap 49. Christopher cleared Beers just before taking the white flag. Gervais got by Beers for second on the final lap.
Congrats to MCJ and both teams on the double up. Great job.
Nice job Mickey, Teddy{Lab} sends congrats.
John P