It wasn’t a day on track at Stafford Speedway that will go down in the record books as any sort of “instant classic”, but that won’t change anything for the memories captured by Ron Silk.
After a messy day, it was Silk celebrating victory in the 80-lap Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series NAPA Fall Final at Stafford.
It was the second Fall Final victory with the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series for Silk, who also won the event with the series in 2022. He also won the Fall Final when it was a NASCAR Modified Tour event in 2020.
Silk, of Norwalk, was able to avoid a chaotic wreck when Jon McKennedy and Jake Johnson were battling for the lead on a lap 76 restart.
“It’s good to get back on track here at Stafford,” Silk said. “We had a really good car the whole race. [Jake Johnson] was probably a little better than us that first run and [Jon McKennedy] was going to be tough to beat without any cautions there at the end. But, we were in the right spot at the right time. Can’t thank everybody enough. My guys had a great pit stop and got me out first and really our car drove great all day. Thanks to everybody involved.”
It was the third Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series victory of 2025 for Silk, who won the season opener at Thompson Speedway (March 29) and the second event of the season at Thompson Speedway (May 14).
Overall it was Silk’s seventh career series victory, giving him sole possession of second place on the division’s all-time win list. He had been tied in that spot with Jake Johnson and Chase Dowling.
Eric Berndt of Cromwell rallied from an early wreck to finish second.
“The car is tore pretty bad, we didn’t have a spoiler for most of the race. We had a good car at the start of the race but when that happened we just had to stay ahead of it and just hope for some attrition and that’s what happened. Had to miss some of the big one’s and we did, and here we are in second. Did we probably have the second place car? No.”
Joey Cipriano III of Waterbury was third.
“What an eventful race,” Cipriano said. “I’ve got to just thank my guys. Halfway through I pretty much gave up. We didn’t really have a great car most of the day. Halfway through we were 17th or 20th or something like that and I pretty just gave up at that point and [my team] kept in it and just kept in my head to keep going, keep going. You’ve just got to keep trying and fighting and somehow we come out of it with a third.”
At the start it was the outside row taking control with Berndt going from second to the lead and fourth place starter Johnson moving to second.
On lap two Johnson got a run on Berndt off of turn two and went to the lead into turn three. Behind the leaders Silk moved to third on lap four.
Caution flew on. Lap 12 for an issue involving Wesley Prucker, Michael Rutkoski and Jacob Perry. On the lap 12 restart caution was quickly back out for an issue in turn one involving Prucker, Rutkoski, David Arute and Marcello Rufrano.
The second attempt at a lap 12 restart saw Johnson controlling at the front with Silk going by Berndt for second and Stephen Kopcik following to third.
Caution was back out on lap 21 for debris. Johnson was back in control at the front for the lap 21 restart. The fourth caution of the race flew for the spinning car of Prucker on lap 30.
Nine cars ended up involved in a lap 33 wreck in turns three and four set off by contact between Joey Braun and George Bessette Jr.
With Johnson continuing to dominate at the front, caution was back out again on lap 51 for the spinning car of Max Zachem.
Under caution Johnson, second place Silk and third place McKennedy went to pit road. Silk won the race off pit road, followed by Johnson and McKennedy.
The red flag flew on lap 54 for a massive wreck involving ninth place Chris Pasteryak and eighth place Joey Mucciacciaro. Pasteryak’s car ended up on top of Mucciacciaro’s car.
On 59 McKennedy went by Brett Meservey for the lead off of turn four. By lap 64 Silk was up second behind McKennedy.
Caution flew on lap 76 when fourth place Meservey ended up in the turn three wall after contact from Tyler Chapman.
The ensuing restart turned into disaster. Earlier this season there was an ugly situation at Star Speedway during a Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series between Johnson and McKennedy while the two were battling for the lead. Setting up for the lap 76 restart Saturday, second place Ron Silk chose to restart behind McKennedy in the second row, allowing third place Johnson to move up to the front row for the restart.
On the restart Johnson stayed to the outside of McKennedy. The pair went through turns one and two side-by-side. Coming off of turn two McKennedy drifted up the track and put Johnson into the wall, destroying Johnson’s car and setting off a massive pileup of about 15 cars in turn three. Silk was able to avoid the mess and go to the lead.
“At the end of the day I think it’s a lot of jealousy,” Johnson said. “We brought a great race car. I played nice … trying to mend things with the 79 camp and obviously he wants it to keep going. He’d rather wreck both race cars than see me win and it’s very obvious.”
Woody Pitkat looked to have needled through the mess to be in a good position, only to get cleared out by Kopcik speeding through the wreck.
“I was through [the wreck] and then Stephen Kopcik – the guy who probably should just stick to setting up race cars instead of driving them – just cleaned me right out after I missed the wreck,” Pitkat said. “It is what it is. … We got cleaned out by non.”
After the carnage was cleared it left Silk leading for the restart, Jacob Perry in second, George Bessette Jr. in third, Eric Goodale in fourth and Marcello Rufrano in fifth. Silk got away at the restart. Off of turn two Rufrano tried to make it three-wide into turn three under Bessette and Goodale. The ensuing wreck collected second place Perry and Goodale.
On the ensuring restart Silk got the jump with Berndt getting by Bessette for second. A lap later Joey Cipriano got by Bessette for third.
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Beautiful day of racing. All series were entertaining. Couldn’t ask for a better Saturday at Stafford. Crowd wasn’t as big per usual Fall final. Lots going on in the state. Johnson and McKennedy were the cars to beat. Silk was in the right place at the right time. He deserved to win though. Good run for Berndt. Much deserved after a lot of rottin luck outside of Waterford.
Shawn: what happened with Silk and Berndt on the caution laps regarding damage? Was Berndt in the wrong? Berndt was not bitter and was complimentary of Silk on post race interview.
Johnny J,
Not sure what happened with Silk and Berndt.
The description of the lap 76 accident between Johnson and McKennedy contains everything but what a news article should: a balanced assessment.
To state definitely that McKennedy put Johnson into the wall is an opinion that reads as if it were a press release from Johnson’s team.
A proper report would have stated the two made contact coming out of turn two, especially since there is not a quote attributed to both regarding the contact. Johnson was interviewed by pit reporters. McKennedy was not as he tried to complete laps after work by the pit crew, but was unsuccessful.
Having attended the race, I heard announcers Kyle and Ben state this same line definitively upon replay. Fans near me had wide-ranging interpretations, for what that is worth. At minimum, there is equal fault on both drivers.
Unfortunately, the race had devolved into a demolition derby by that point.
Kudos to Chris P.’s team for not giving up and finishing on the lead lap.
MikeL,
I’ve covered racing at Stafford Speedway for 31 years. I’ve watched thousands of times when cars come off of turn two side-by-side. One of three things happened in the incident involving McKennedy and Johnson: A. McKennedy purposely turned right on Johnson and put him in the wall. B. McKennedy had a mechanical issued that forced his car right, taking Johnson into the wall. C. McKennedy has a really bad spotter who cleared him with Johnson on his outside. … I’m going to guess it was C, bad spotter.
Woody is correct. Kopcik should stick to setting up cars and give up driving. He is literally one of the worst and most dangerous drivers out there. Woody this week, Chapman at Waterford, oh and the incident on the WMT. He’s a menace.
Tough deal for Jake. Class act response. John should have won Star if he had patients and probably had a good second place at Stafford or third, padding his points lead.
Goes to show who is immature. From what I understand he still lives in Mom’s basement. If John didn’t turn rt on purpose you may be correct I saying he needs a new spotter. Is it that guy who tried at arca racing? He is a real beuty.
Hopefully they clean up their act for Seekonk or he can kiss his championship goodbye
Pretty snotty remarks including the comment about him living in his mom’s basement. Should I be just a snotty and criticize your spelling skills?
Believe it was lap 95 not 76?
Fela,
I’m no mathematician but I am fairly certain there would not be a lap 95 in an 80-lap race.
Oppa…thinking it was 100 laps, even then would have been off by 1 lap. Anyway certainly Mckenndy was the instigator.
Fela,
I think you’re mistaking the lap number on the scoreboard for the actual lap number that is taking place. When you’re looking at the scoreboard it is showing the laps completed during an event. So if an accident takes place on the backstretch and the scoreboard is displaying lap 75 that means that 75 laps have been completed and the the accident you’re seeing took place on lap 76 (which had no been completed).
I guess you can blame spotter but not sure you would be turning right at that point unless you were trying to squeeze him hoping he would lift , his spotter has been a spotter for quite awhile
I think Elect is spot on , that was no spotter error . That was a squeeze job .
It’s real clear what happened-someone just got flat out wrecked. The names don’t really matter because this has now become a regular occurance.
There is a problem in the modifieds that no one wants to talk about. In the good ‘ole days, cigar chomping old men with grease under their fingernails drove the racecars, and these same men fixed the cars after they wrecked them. Now it seems that the sport has turned into a hobby for daddy’s little spoiled brat. It’s appeal is slow leaking. But, this is what keeps the sport financially afloat now, so nothing will change.
Mckennedy was leading the points, I don’t think he intentionally put Johnson in the wall as some here suggest. It was only going to ruin his day too. He’s a champion racer he’s not stupid!
Why would a driver coming out of a turn move up like that??? To put himself at risk? Jon thought, or was told, he was clear to move up. A bigly mistake. When you are leading like he is (was) you don’t take overly aggressive stupid moves like taking out another car like that. That was not intentional.
Shawn is right, it was a HUGE mistake, and probably a bit too eager on the part of Jon’s spotter. The spotter probably thought Jon would clear Jake, and that did not happen. A spotter has to anticipate, and might have been a little too much so.
Jon thought he was clear, or was told he was clear. He is not a wrecker.
Jon is not a wrecker. He does not want to wreck his own equipment.
Last time I checked the driver is the one with the steering wheel in their hand, not the spotter. Trust but verify!
Do you realize that spotters direct the driver?
Again, Jon was the was points leader and could not afford to damage his car and take himself out of the championship running.
It is pure idiocy to allude that Jon did a squeeze job. Jon has a championship to lose, Jake was not a threat to that.
Just heard the guys on the black flagged pod talking about racedayct and that Pitkat quote. What’s with all the homoerotic stuff from those guys all the time? Always references to male genitalia or men involved in homosexual activities. Methinks those three lads have a secret.
????
Ken L,
Adam is referencing something said during the latest episode of the Black Flagged Podcast about a quote from Woody Pitkat in this story. And I guess going further in the comment, he’s making reference to the crude sexual references that are a regular theme of a lot of what they do.
Would a race length of more than 80 laps result in less carnage? Perhaps counting caution laps (to some extent) would also help(?). In any event, not a great event. But, congrats to Silk!
Trying to rely to @Knuckles Mahoney… I’ve only seen one angle of the Pitkat/Kopcik wreck from Johnson’s onboard. I think it’s unfair to say Kopcik “cleaned him out.” Kopcik had gone through the grass and was slowly drifting across the track when Pitkat tried to drive past. I think Kopcik might have been trying to accelerate with dirty tires and couldn’t get traction, so he unfortunately squeezed into Pitkat’s lane. I doubt Kopcik would have known where Pitkat was, but I’d be surprised Pitkat couldn’t see Kopcik as he approached. I’m any case the way Pitkat tells it I was expecting to see Kopcik shoot straight across the grass and t-bone Pitkat, but that’s definitely not what happened.
I have to agree with Dareal. I checked out my video and you can see Jon moving up like he was clear. If you wanted to put someone in the wall, you would nudge them side bar to side bar, which gives you the best chance to continue, not use your right rear tire on their left front tire.
Who the heck is commenting about the Black Flagged Podcast and using “methinks.” Are you insufferable or something??? Haha