Thompson, CT (September 28, 2006): With so much on the line at Thompson International Speedway on Thursday night, the biggest story was Woody Pitkat of Stafford, CT. Pitkat turned his rookie Sunoco Modified season into a track championship and ultimately the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Region Four Championship. Along with the glory will come a check for $25,000.

Mini Stocker Shelly Perry of Ashaway, RI wrote quite a story of her own on Thursday night. Perry became the first female champion in the 66-year history of the Thompson International Speedway.

Both the Sunoco Modified and Late Model divisional championships were decided with a pair of 20-lappers. Marc Palmisano of Hadley, MA swept Late Model twins to erase a thirty-two-point deficit in a single night to steal the championship. Joe Lemay of Millville, MA and Tommy Cravenho of Raynham, MA shared Sunoco Modified victories.

Pro Stock checkers flew for Fred Astle, Jr. of N. Westport, MA. Last week Jeff Zuidema had secured the 2006 Pro Stock championship. In support division action, Ed Puleo of Branford was the Limited Sportsman feature winner, Brad Caddick ran to the Mini Stock checkers and Kurt Vigeant won back-to-back TIS Modified honors. Titles went to Larry Barnett in the Limited Sportsman division and Roger Larson, Jr. in the TIS Modifieds.

Joe Lemay of Millville, MA saved the best for last in the opening twin event for the Sunoco Modifieds. He ran strong throughout the 20-lap feature but poured it on in the closing lap. Lemay hounded early leader Jeff Malave and made the winning move on the final lap.

The first SK Modified feature was led to green by Buddy Charette followed by Keith Rocco. Malave quickly moved into the third position on the start. Malave drove into the lead to complete lap two. Rocco followed Malave into the runner-up spot as Charette faded. Pitkat ran comfortably just outside the top-five. Lemay got around Rocco to take over the runner-up spot. The likes of Jimmy Blewett and Tommy Cravenho followed through as well.

With Malave handily up front and Joe Lemay solidly in second the battling was for the third spot between Blewett, Cravenho, and Bert Marvin. Blewett was able to maintain his position as the trio ran under a blanket.

Lemay, who had been slowing reeling in Malave, came on strong as the laps began to wind down. With only five laps remaining Lemay caught Malave. He made a bid on the lead briefly on lap 16 but settled back in line.

There was a scary moment for point-leader Pitkat when third-running Blewett dropped off the pace nearly collecting Pitkat and Cravenho. Pitkat was able to maneuver his way through and into third place. Cravenho avoided any major contact as well.

On lap 17, the first caution of event flew when Stephen Masse stalled in turn two-saving Blewett. On the restart, Malave was able to maintain his lead over Lemay. Pitkat sat in third followed closely by Cravenho while a fully recovered Blewett pressured Marvin for the fifth spot.

On the final lap Lemay dove to the underneath entering turn three to steal the lead away from Malave and ultimately the win. It was the second win of the season for Lemay. Malave chopped a mere two points of Pitkat’s point lead as the two ran under the checkers second and third respectively. Cravenho and Marvin rounded out the top five.

The Sunoco Modified divisional championship was decided with a caution-free 20-lap feature event. The drivers went heads-up to start the nightcap. Malave led the opening lap from his second –place-starting position. Lemay dropped back on the initial start; leaving Malave to battle Cravenho and Blewett. Cravenho grabbed the top-spot from Malave on lap four. Blewett started to pressure Malave for second on lap five. Rocco ran third followed by Pitkat inside the top-five.

The top three of Cravenho, Malave and Blewett ran nose to tail. Malave peeked out of line in turn two on lap eight looking for the lead but settled back into second. He made the same move on Cravenho in turn four and made the pass stick. At the halfway marker, Malave led Cravenho, Blewett, Rocco and Pitkat.

Blewett got along-side Cravenho to complete lap 11 but could not make the pass stick. On the same lap Cravenho got a good run on Malave. With Malave out front it was a three-car battle for the top spot.

Double-file lapped traffic changed the complexion of the race for Malave, who got caught on the outside, losing positions to both Cravenho and Blewett. Rocco dogged Malave for the third spot.

At the end of 20-laps, Cravenho had run to his third feature win of the season in the green-to-checker finale. Blewett came home second followed by Malave and Keith Rocco. Pitkat cashed in on his fifth-place finish to become the champ.

Marc Palmisano of Hadley, MA, earned his second-straight Late Model feature win in the opening 20-lapper for the division. Palmisano, who trailed point leader Steve Landry by 32 points, had done everything possible in his quest for the championship over the last two weeks. With his victory in the opener, Palmisano chopped the lead to 16 points entering the nightcap.

When asked in victory lane what his game plan was for the second feature, Palmisano answered simply “to win”.

He did just that. Palmisano swept both of the twin events-making it three-in-a-row in the division. With the consecutive victories, Palmisano erased the deficit and a huge come-from-behind triumph.

The Late Models had a hard time getting going in their opening twin 20. Once things finally settled down it was Paul Newcomb, Jr. setting the pace. The two went door-to-door for a single lap before Palmisano motored to the inside of Newcomb for the lead on lap seven.

A caution flew on lap nine when Rick Gentes spun with two flat tires. On the restart, Palmisano resumed his lead now with Jeff Zuidema in tow. Newcomb fell back to third followed by Conrad Cote and Dave Trudeau inside the top five. Point leader Steve Landry appeared to struggle in the tenth position.

At the checkers, it was Palmisano in for the win followed by Zuidema. Early leader Newcomb settled for third. Cote and Trudeau rounded out the top-five. Landry finished in the ninth position despite mechanical problems.

Palmisano started at the head of the pack in the Late Model main event after winning the first event of the evening. In the early going of the second event it looked much the same as the closing stages of the first. Palmisano sat comfortably atop the leader board over Zuidema.

A spin by Newcomb, Jr. brought out the caution on lap seven and shuffled the top five. When racing resumed Palmisano continued to lead Zuidema and Trudeau. Cote and Landry battled for the fourth position briefly before Landry gained the spot. Meanwhile, Rick Gentes was on the move.

A restart just shy of halfway was the undoing for Landry. On lap 13, Landry went from the fourth position to seventh in a single lap. A melee on the front stretch brought out the caution on the same lap. Under caution, Landry headed down pit road with a flat tire. The point leader had his work cut out for him, as he needed to go from last to eighth place to earn the championship

Back under green, Palmisano checked out on a battle for second between Zuidema and Gentes. Landry’s car continued to falter. Palmisano’s car meanwhile was perfect. He swept the night’s event to earn his championships.

Late in the season, Fred Astle, Jr. of N. Westport, MA has been on a tear. The second-generation driver scored his second win in three races in the Pro Stock division.

“I’ve waited 15 years to get interviewed by this guy,” said Astle, referring to long-time Thompson announcer Russ Dowd. “Now I’ve had the chance twice in three weeks.”

Luckily, Zuidema had already clinched the Pro Stock divisional championship the week before.

When racing finally got underway after a pair of false starts, Jeff Connors took his spot at the head of the field. A caution flew on lap three for a melee that eliminated the 2006 champion, last week’s winner Les Rose, Jr. and Jim Banfield. Once back under green, Connors continued to lead Astle and Norm Wrenn. On lap eight, the #1M of Wrenn dropped off the pace briefly falling back in line in sixth.

Astle had just made a move on Connors on lap nine to take over the lead when a spin by Pete Donato brought out the caution on lap 10. On the restart, Astle immediately jumped out to a commanding lead over George Bessette, who had passed Connors for second. Astle led Bessette by a half-straightaway while the team cars of Berghman and Wrenn duked in out for third. Connors had slid back to fourth.

On lap 25, something broke on the car of second-running Bessette shooting him hard into the outside wall in turn two. It was much of the same when racing resumed with Astle all by himself out front with Berghman and Wrenn now battling for second. Astle easily claimed his third win of the season. Wrenn beat Berghman to the checkers while Connors just edged out Mike O’Sullivan for fourth

In victory lane, Astle dedicated his win to his friend, former Thompson Pro Stock champion Rick Martin, who lost his girlfriend to cancer this week.

Ed Puleo of Branford, CT led only one lap in the Limited Sportsman division-the only lap that counts-the checkered flag lap. The victory was Puleo’s third victory of the season. Larry Barnett of Ledyard, CT quietly won his second Limited Sportsman track championship in three years.

Jay Sundeen set sail from his pole starting position of the 20-lap Limited Sportsman feature and set the standard for much of the event. In the early going, Barnett had been mired deep in the pack. The rookie contender held back a charging Puleo on a lap 15. On the restart, Puleo made a run on J. Sundeen to no avail.

Contact between Glenn Boss and Scott Sundeen inside the top-five rendered Boss helpless on the backstretch on lap 16. Boss sustained a second hard hit. Nobody was injured in the accident.

Once again, J. Sundeen held back a run by Puleo on the restart. Despite contact on the backstretch between the leaders, J. Sundeen was still able to retain his lead. On the same lap exiting turn four, J. Sundeen got out of shape. Puleo had to lift to avoid hitting Sundeen allowing Charlie Poulin to shoot into the lead.

But his place at the head of the pack was short-lived as Puleo got by on the final lap to score the victory. Poulin ended up second. S. Sundeen, J. Sundeen, and Larry Barnett rounded out the top-five. Barnett came on strong late in the race, snuck into the top-five to score the Limited Sportsman championship.

Brad Caddick of New London, CT took an exciting win in the Mini Stock main event. Shelly Perry of Ashaway, RI was crowned the Mini Stock track champion. Perry had to finish 21st or better to claim the title. To add some drama to the story, Perry is nursing a broken wrist suffered earlier this month while competing in the True Value Modified racing series.

Caddick jumped out to the lead but quickly had to fend off Scott Michalski. The two ran side-by-side for a number of laps. Michalski was finally able to gain the advantage on lap eight. The first caution flew when Perry spun to the infield.

On the restart, Michalski, Caddick and Rich Blanchard immediately went three-wide for the lead. They bounced off one another first on the backstretch and then on the front stretch to complete lap 12. Amid the bumping and grinding, Caddick came out of the pack with the lead once again.

Unfazed, Blanchard set out to retake the lead. With only two laps remaining, Blanchard was able to wrestle the lead away from Michalski.

In a last ditch effort, Michalski made a run on Blanchard. The two made contact on the backstretch resulting in Michalski sliding through the infield. Caddick emerged from the scramble as the leader. Deeper in the pack, contact sent the soon-to-be-crowned champion in the outside wall.

When the dust settled Caddick scored the win with Blanchard settling for the second spot. Mike Anzalone, Andy Publicover, and Shane Michalski. Perry finished in 18th position.

In the TIS Modified division, Kurt Vigeant made it two in a row while Roger Larson, Jr. earned himself his first Thompson championship. Pole sitter Richie Ferriera led through lap six before relinquishing the lead to Vigeant in turn two. Vigeant immediately stretched his lead to a sizable margin. Tim Sullivan moved by Ferriera and into the second position. Sullivan chopped into the lead but had had little for Vigeant. The leaders had nearly a straightaway lead on the three-car battle for the third position. Glenn Boss held the position but had to contend with Leo Adams, who in turn had his hands full with Larson. In the end, Vigeant ran to the checkers for his second win of the season over by Sullivan. Boss fought back all challenges to finish third. Adams and Larson rounded out the top-five.

The World Series of Stock Car Racing wraps up the 2006 season on October 13-15, 2006 with 14 action-packed divisions of racing. Point championships will be officially crowned in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the International Supermodified Association.

Sunoco Modified Feature Finish-Twin 20 #1 (Top Ten): 1. Joe Lemay, Millville, MA; 2. Jeff Malave, S. Windsor, CT; 3. Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, CT; 4. Tommy Cravenho, Raynham, MA; 5. Bert Marvin, Waterford, CT; 6. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 7. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 8. Buddy Charettte, Woodstock, CT; 9. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA; 10. Ricky Shawn, Bradford, RI.

Sunoco Modified Feature Finish-Twin 20 #2 (Top Ten): 1. Tommy Cravenho, Raynham, MA; 2. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ; 3. Jeff Malave, S. Windsor, CT; 4. Keith Rocco, Wallingford, CT; 5. Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT; 6. Joe Lemay, Millville, MA; 7. Bert Marvin, Waterford, CT; 8. Buddy Charette, Woodstock, CT; 9. Ricky Shawn, Branford, CT; 10. Kerry Malone, Needham, MA.

Late Model Feature Finish-Twin 20 #1 (Top Ten): 1. Marc Palmisano, Hadley, MA; 2. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 3. Paul Newcomb, Jr., Bryantville, MA; 4. Conrad Cote, Lisbon, CT; 5. Dave Trudeau, Mansfield, CT; 6. Jeff Hesselton, Auburn, MA; 7. Jeff Hartwell, E. Putnam, CT; 8. Pete Yetman, Peru, MA; 9. Steve Landry, Tyngsboro, MA; 10. R.J.Marcotte, Millville, MA.

Late Model Feature Finish-Twin 20 #1 (Top Ten): 1. Marc Palmisano, Hadley, MA; 2. Jeff Zuidema, N. Brookfield, MA; 3. Rick Gentes, Woonsocket, RI; 4. Dave Trudeau, Mansfield, CT; 5. Jeff Hesselton, Auburn, MA; 6. Paul Newcomb Jr., Bryantville, MA; 7. Pete Yetman, Peru, MA; 8. Conrad Cote, Lisbon, CT; 9. Jeff Hartwell, E. Putnam, CT; 10. John Materas, Voluntown, CT.

Pro Stocks Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Fred Astle Jr., N. Westport, MA; 2. Norm Wrenn, Nashua, NH; 3. David Berghman, Seekonk, MA; 4. Jeffrey Connors, Ellington, CT; 5. Mike O’Sullivan, Springfield, MA; 6. Ronald Smith, Oakham, MA; 7. Peter Donato, W. Warwick, RI; 8. Michael Rivard, N. Scituate, RI; 9. Ron Laperche, Pascoag, RI; 10. Matthew Zenisky, W. Springfield, MA

Limited Sportsman Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Ed Puleo, Branford, CT; 2. Charlie Poulin, Millville, MA; 3. Scott Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 4. Jason Sundeen, Douglas, MA; 5. Larry Barnett, Ledyard, CT; 6. Walt Hovey Jr., Scotland, CT; 7. Joe Arena, Kensington, CT; 8. John Berchem, W. Greenwich, RI; 9. Tim Taylor, Wauregan, CT; 10. Scott Fanning, Smithfield, Ct.

Mini Stock Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Brad Caddick, New London, CT; 2. Rick Blanchard, Pascoag, RI; 3. Mike Anzalone, Griswold, CT; 4. Andy Publicover, Sudbury, MA; 5. Shane Michalski, Woodstock, CT; 6. Eric Bourgeois, E. Haddam, CT; 7. Mike Romano, Pascoag, RI; 8. Matt Sagar, Seekonk, MA; 9. Jonathan Deshaies, Harrisville, RI; 10. Chuck Rogers, Quaker Hill, CT

TIS Modifieds Feature Finish (Top Ten): 1. Kurt Vigeant, Oxford, MA; 2. Tim Sullivan, Windsor, CT; 3. Glenn Boss, Danielson, CT; 4. Leo Adams, Putnam, CT; 5. Roger Larson Jr., Milford, MA; 6. Richard Ferreira, Raynham, MA; 7. Michael Viens, Seekonk, MA; 8. Roger Ducharme, Foster, RI; 9. Keith McDermott, Scituate, MA; 10. George Munger, Franklin, MA.