Rowan Pennink celebrates victory in the SK Modified feature Friday at Stafford Speedway (Photo: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR)
STAFFORD – In 2014 bad luck was the calling card in an SK Modified for Rowan Pennink through the opening stages of the season at Stafford Motor Speedway.
The story has been quite the opposite for the Huntingdon Valley, Pa. driver in 2015. Last year Pennink finished outside the top-10 in his first five starts of the season before going on to win five events.
Friday Pennink kept up the heated roll that began with a victory in the season opening event at Stafford on April 26.
Pennink drove away from Ryan Preece over the closing stages to win the 40-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified feature Friday at Stafford.
It was the third victory in seven starts this year for Pennink.
Preece, of Berlin, was second and Joey Cipriano III of Waterbury third.
The dramatics at the front of the field were constant from nearly start to finish.
Ted Christopher went the lead early in the event and held that spot for the first half of the race as Glen Reen and Michael Gervais Jr. made varied bids to take over the top spot.
Reen went by Christopher for the lead on lap 20, but a lap later Cipriano went under both Christopher and Reen to move to the front.
On lap 32 Christopher used a bottom shot into turn one to move back to the lead past Cipriano. A lap later Pennink weny by Cipriano for second.
On lap 34 Pennink dove under Christopher off turn four to take over the lead, with Cipriano moving to second. Contact between Preece and Christopher in a battle for third left Christopher flattened against the frontstretch wall on lap 36.
Preece went by Cipriano for second on lap 37, but by then Pennink had checked out enough to easily roll to the checkered.
“It was a really exciting race,” said Pennik, who started 13th. “It was tough getting through there, everyone running side-by-side. It was either make it three-wide or hope your lane was going to go. Our lane pulled through.”
Said Preece: “We have a real good car. We’re making gains on it and I’m real happy.”
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