STAFFORD – Stafford Speedway officials confirmed Saturday that SK Modified and Tour Type Open Modified racer George Bessette Jr. has been suspended from all competition at the facility for the remainder of the 2024 season, effective immediately.
Bessette had been expected to compete in today’s Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series NAPA Fall Final event at Stafford and also the 40-lap SK Modified feature. Stafford also hosts it NAPA Championship night on Oct. 4.
Stafford Speedway director of racing operations and competition Tom Fox explained that Bessette was being penalized for swaying from dictated track protocol for exiting to the paddock after an event, for putting officials, crew members and fans in danger and for purposely hitting another competitor after the conclusion of an event.
On the final lap of the SK Modified feature Friday at Stafford Bessette got under Marcello Rufrano for third place through turns one and two. Rufrano fought back on the outside down the backstretch and the pair went side-by-side into turn three. Contact into the turn got Bessette sideways and ultimately spinning into the infield grass.
After the conclusion of events at Stafford cars are directed to go down pit road from turn three and exit the track via a turn one gate to the paddock. After taking the checkered flag Bessette proceeded to speed past most of the field on the backstretch and then did not drive down pit road, instead continuing to speed around the track back onto the frontstretch, where gates were being opened to allow fans and crew members access to victory lane.
Bessette then sped down an infield access road off the frontstretch. Rufrano was coming off of pit road and turning to go back down the backstretch to go over the scales as prescribed for the top finishers in the division. Bessette sped onto the pit road exit area where Rufrano was and drove into the side of his car, causing extensive damage.
“Post race … checkered flag flew, the race track was what we call cold,” Fox said. “We had opened the gates by the flag stand to let [fans and crew members] go to victory lane. Our tech officials, flagman, was on the frontstretch and George came through at a high rate of speed. You’re not supposed to go down the frontstretch. We have protocol on how the cars have to exit [the track]. He sped around down the frontstretch, which again was cold and potentially full of people, I’m glad nothing happened. And then he made his way through the infield and drove into the side of [Rufrano’s car] on purpose. He was mad at him. So the decision to park him was pretty easy. That’s a flagrant foul as far as we’re concerned.”
After hitting Rufrano, Bessette went back onto to the track and entered pit road in turn three. Bessette then continued through the pit box lane on pit road, passing at least six cars that were attempting to exit the track. At some point a crew member with Rufrano’s team threw an object at Bessette’s car and he stopped on pit road.
According to Fox, after the incident Bessette or someone involved with his team, contacted the Connecticut State Police who responded to the paddock area at Stafford Speedway. Bessette told RaceDayCT that Stafford Speedway security representatives contacted the State Police. Representatives of the State Police have not released any reports concerning any actions taken at the track.
Bessette was the 2023 SK Light Modified division champion at Stafford. He has competed in 11 of 18 SK Modified division events at Stafford this season.
I’m seeing a pattern here.
Apparently Bassette hasnt learned from when he almost got himself killed at thompson.
What happened to the squeaky kid that use to be a clean racer
I’m sorry that kids a freaking moron find somebody his age to knock his lights out because that’s what he needs is a good ass whooping he has no respect for anybody on the track. Let’s look at the big picture here the hockey game incident, the big mess at Thompson with that driver. There is a pattern here. i’m glad the season is over everybody enjoy their winter.
I see a victim you see a monster
I’m confused. Bessette gets spun, pulls a Chris Jones bonehead stunt, then calls the cops??? Definitely a WTF moment.
Stafford did the right thing suspending him, but the suspension should have been longer, and he should have gotten a substantial fine. Using your race car as a weapon cannot be tolerated regardless of the circumstances.
It runs in the family his sister is not allowed at Stafford , now him ,they don’t call them mad dog for nothing plus he was driving Kopciks car ,two peas in a pod
Many years ago, when I was a kid, my uncle was a track official and had a hothead peel out of line on the front stretch on a red light and hit my uncle and sent him 30 feet into the air. He ended up cripple for life.
I do not know about you guys, but it sounds like you all have personal qualms with Bessette, rather than an educated insight to who he really is as a person.. basing it really off of nothing but hearsay.
You really cannot rely on one source. I’m not sure if any of you have actually hung around that family, but they’re the type to take the shirt off their back for you. They very kind, but honest people. They helped my family many times, they’ve been nothing but people who are authentically themselves and it seems to bother those who try to “fit in”
Im also unsure why you are digging at the rest of the family like any of that matters. The sister seems to having a grand ole time not being there. Leave her alone too? Kinda obsessive at this point. Stalkerish.
Seems like you all care about the negativity and keeping it alive, rather than sitting there a viewing it as, “maybe there is a problem.” Or maybe that person actually is being victimized.
People have committed suicide over not having a support group. So much for men’s mental health am I right? Has anyone considered the damage that must’ve been done after that traumatic Thompson event? Fight or flight mode?
You’re reading articles and nose deep into smart phones. He got suspended. Big deal, kid didn’t even wanna run a full season. It happens. He’s not going to kill someone. If anything rufrnao is going to kill someone driving the way he did all week.
If you wanna know someone, you gotta actually talk to them. You can’t just assume or keep whining about some scuffle you clearly can’t get over, and are using an anonymous name to post your feelings. Probably would be a different story if you all used your real names.
But that is just my two cents. It doesn’t matter.
Bessette gets roughed up all year and when he finally gets frustrated people pounce. Bravo.
A lot of people are pointing to the in-car camera views posted by Fenceline Films and saying, “Rufrano intentionally wrecked Bessette.” I think the best we can say from the available evidence is Rufrano MIGHT have turned in a bit early. I can just as easily say it looks intentional as say Rufrano reacted like he didn’t expect to hit Bessette when they bumped. And that’s really what they’re arguing over- a door-to-door bump. They survive that kind of contact all the time.
Atay while I agree with your thoughts on not bringing his family into a conversation that had zero to do with what happened with this incident I think you’re totally off base trying to play the victim card and talking about men commiting suicide over not having support is way off base and has zero to do with this suspension. I’ll be the first to say Rufrano should have been sitting out on suspension as well for his crew throwing a hammer at George’s car but George also earned his suspension for not obeying track procedures for leaving the track. There are zero exceptable excuses for his actions after the checkered flag. The last part of your post is the most ridiculous thing I’ve read in while on this site. Calling people out for not using there true names while posting while you do EXACTLY the same thing. Throwing rocks in a glass house isn’t very smart.
Brian,
I will say this in regards to the object thrown. I’ve spoken to officials regarding the matter and there doesn’t seem to be any definitive proof of what actually was thrown. I’ve heard hammer from one side. I’ve heard from wrench from one side. I’ve heard water bottle from one side. Obviously something was thrown, but I’m not sure anybody really actually knows what was thrown besides the person who threw it. Keep it mind, just because someone said something on Facebook doesn’t make it true.
@Shawn Courchesne The first I saw of it was when someone said, “Rufrano’s crew was throwing sh*t at Bessette’s car,” so I guess we have to add that to the list of possibilities.
The windshield on the 21 was cracked and the A post was dented. Suffice to say it wasn’t a water bottle. Saw that with my own eyes, not via facebook.
How does one “play a victim card” when they are a victim? Please enlighten me with how someone who clearly is a victim, is playing a card? That is honestly a shameful mindset to have. That’s like saying systematic oppression doesn’t exist and someone’s playing “the race card.” please read a book and educate yourself.
You aren’t involved in the situation to even make claims like that. I’ll laugh when it happens to you.
The problem with things like this, is the consistency of people feeding into hearsay through these articles. They’re not fact based articles, they’re word based stories. Things RDCT has heard and just writes about, letting us comment our opinions on the matter. Too many of you unfortunately rely on the internet for news sources way too much. It’s concerning.
Consider the fact that many of these stories have lead to nothing but more problems rather than actually keeping racing alive and healthy. This sport will continue to drive people away if you guys keep hazing and harassing others based on how often your noses are stuck in your phone.
I’m sure if you asked someone. You’ll get an answer, rather than assuming and bandwagoning online.
I used my real name, and I have noticed the same aliases comment about Bessette all the time, so it seems like there’s an obsession or envy on your side. Can’t let it go huh?
I’ve seen the video. It was a hammer. Not a water bottle. The Rufrano’s are trying to cover their actions. We all get mad, we all act out. But I’ve never seen Bessette throw a tantrum like I’ve seen Rufrano do to his whole team… which is the reason why Rufrano has missed out of a few rides… from what my car owner friends have told me.
A Tay,
Let’s just take some time and unpack your comments here. Let’s go back to your first comment you left on Monday where you brought up last year’s issue at Thompson and you said: “So much for men’s mental health am I right? Has anyone considered the damage that must’ve been done after that traumatic Thompson event? Fight or flight mode?”
The whole bringing suicide into the conversation was extremely over the top and a little bit irrational frankly. Not discounting anything about what Bessette went through in being attacked on the track at Thompson that day, but, let’s also remember later that night there was videos of him on social media rolling out of a hospital in a wheelchair smiling and laughing and seemingly make light of the situation. Hardly looked like someone who had been traumatized by what they went through.
As far as the comment left by someone else making reference to your first comment and saying you were: “totally off base trying to play the victim card.” I can understand that sentiment from people, especially in regards to the events of the last week or so. We all saw social media blow up on Saturday with voices making reference to Rufrano making contact with Bessette on the last lap of the feature and Rufrano’s crew member throwing something at Bessette’s car on pit road, but oddly most of the voices defending Bessette totally glossed over what happened between those two moments when Bessette ignored track safety protocols and then hit Rufrano’s car as it came off pit road. I think there’s where you can source why people would say the Bessette camp on this overplays “the victim card” in that they act like Bessette did nothing whatsoever to antagonize the situation that led to someone throwing something at his car. I can attest to the fact that on Saturday morning I had multiple people on the Facebook page for this publication claiming I lied in my reporting of the race in saying that Bessette had hit Rufrano after the race. I mean, when you’re going so far as to say something didn’t happen which everybody in the grandstand saw happen and everybody watching on Flo saw happen, that’s genuinely trying to invent a false narrative that somehow Bessette was just an innocent victim who did nothing to elicit the response that ultimately happened from the Rufrano crew.
As far as your summation that what is published here are “not fact based articles”, you throw that out there with zero evidence of anything that wasn’t factual being published. Please, offer up the information you can produce that shows factually incorrect information that was published on this site.
As far as you saying people “harassing” others is driving people away from the sport. Well, I don’t think you want us to go into the matter of the history of “harassing” that has emanated from the Bessette camp targeting others in racing.
And then as far as your comment seemingly trying to rationalize Bessette’s behavior on Friday by saying: “We all get mad, we all act out.” No, that’s not how it works. You can’t play the whole, “everybody else does it so it was alright for Bessette to do it” card. Bessette had a meltdown on the track after the race because he was raced hard on the final lap. Bessette has built a reputation over the last few years as one of the most aggressive drivers in local racing. Anyone around short track racing long enough knows you get raced by people the way you race against people. Bessette is aggressive, Bessette doesn’t give anyone an inch on the track. There’s nothing wrong with that, he’s had much success doing that, but, if that’s the style you’re going to choose to employ as a racer then you have to be prepared to get it right back, which is exactly what happened in turn three on the final lap of the SK Modified feature Friday. I’ve witnessed Bessette drive people a lot harder and a lot more aggressively than Rufrano raced him on Friday and somehow I don’t remember anyone on the receiving end of Bessette’s aggressive driving ever having a meltdown afterward similar to what Bessette did on Friday.
And keep in mind, not saying two wrongs make a right, but you keep building up the act of something being thrown at Bessette when I think we all know with pretty much certainty that if Bessette doesn’t hit Rufrano after that race then nothing ever gets thrown at Bessette.
I think ultimately the lesson learned is don’t play tough guy by smashing into other people after a race is over and then try to play victim when they come back at you.
A Tay,
Still waiting for you to offer up some of examples of the factually incorrect articles that have been published on RaceDayCT. You mentioned in your comment yesterday morning that what is published here are “not fact based articles”. We asked you yesterday if you would please cite some examples where factually incorrect information was published on this website. I would think after making such a specific and damning accusation such as what you stated that you’d certainly be excited and motivated to share some examples of information published here that you’re referring to which is not factual.