August 5, 2003 Chuck Brings Home 6th At Riverhead The Mystic Missile team arrived at Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, NY on August 2, 2003 for the Miller Lite 200 on the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series Tour. A field of 43 cars showed up to attempt to qualify for only 28 positions available on the starting grid at Riverhead's tight 1/4-mile bullring, with 23 cars making it in "on time" and 5 slots available for provisionals. The #4 team missed the mark in qualifying and along with other top contenders #50 Todd Szegedy and #99 Jamie Tomaino, were forced to take a provisional and start from the back of the field in 25th position. Due to impending rain showers, which thankfully never came to fruition, the race got under way slightly earlier than scheduled. The first half of the race was plagued with several lengthy caution periods as spotter Greg Aumann helped guide Chuck through the carnage without incident. Once NASCAR decided to go to single file restarts, the drivers found their rhythm and the race pace picked up. Chuck skillfully worked his way though the field until he found himself running 5th and working through lapped traffic to try and reel in the 4th place car of #74 Frank Vigliarolo. A long green flag run at the end of the race, along with heavy traffic, allowed the leaders to pull away from the field. As Chuck attempted to track down Vigliarolo, #99 Jamie Tomaino had caught up to him and eventually got by Chuck in the final few laps, resulting in the 6th place finish. Walking away from Riverhead with your car in one piece is an accomplishment in itself. Finishing 6th after starting 25th and battling through the field shows why Chuck and the #4 Mystic River Marina team are serious contenders in the championship points race this season. While Chuck dropped back to 4th in the standings after this race, he is now only 100 point's out of first place. Chuck and the #4 team head to Stafford Motor Speedway this Friday August 8, 2003 for the 13th annual ASB American Classic 150. Click here for more results from the Miller Lite 200 at Riverhead Raceway.
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