Phil Lausier wins Pro-4 Mod main, Ordway, Ryder, Helliwell, DeStefano, and Pyle take NASCAR Whelen All-American Series wins.
Lee, NH – Hudson racer Phil Lausier ran off to the win in the first
2015 appearance by the Pro-4 Modifieds at Lee USA Speedway on Friday night, just one of six feature winners during yet another exciting night of racing action at New Hampshire’s “Center of Speed”.
Lausier jumped out to the lead early in the race, with second-generation racer Norman Wrenn III holding down the second spot until late in the event, when Dave Berghman got past to take runner-up honors. Wrenn was third across the stripe, with Rob Richardi, Jr. and Derek Robbie rounding out the top five.
Continuing the good night for sons of former racers, Mike Ordway, Jr.
of Fremont got past five-time winner Tommy Tombarello, Jr. and picked up his third win of the season in the Supermodified 30-lap main event aboard the storied Witkum Brothers Racing machine.
Ordway is now within 100 wins of his father, Mike’ Sr.’s record, many of those victories having come here at Lee USA in the Paul Dunigan big-block Supermodified. The younger Ordway has been no stranger to victory lane here at Lee either, having won several feature events on his way to the Small Block Super championship a decade ago.
Artie Rousseau of Newmarket, whose father also logged many a lap in the Supermodified ranks in the early days of Lee USA nearly 30 years ago, led the first eight laps of the Super main before giving up the top spot to points leader Tombarello, who was looking for win number six on the season.
But Ordway was having no part of that, and he quickly reeled in the leader and moved past to take over the point. Ordway went on to post the win by a .728 margin of victory over Tombarello, with Rochester’s Mike Spurling rounding out the podium with a solid third place effort.
Fourth place went to rookie driver Jarrod Soucy of Hudson, MA in the former Jake Stergios championship machine, followed by opening night winner “Super Dave” Sanborn of Tilton, Moe Lattime of Kingston, Lance Barthelemy of Fremont, Mike Keddy of Raymond, Jim Barker of Meredith, and Rousseau.
Hampstead’s Jimmy Ryder made his first-ever trip to the winner’s circle in the R & R Public Wholesale Late Model Sportsman 30-lapper, holding off a tough challenge from two-time winner Jimmy Russell of Brentwood to join the ranks of feature winners in the LMS this season.
Russell came across the stripe within a second of winner Ryder, with fan favorite Alby Ovitt of Barrington scoring his first podium finish of the season aboard his new ride, the Brian House, A Family Cab entry.
George Helliwell of Pelham took fourth, with newcomer Charlie Sanborn closing out the top five in his 2015 debut.
Sixth went to a resurgent Geoff Rollins, who recovered from an early crash to post a point-saving finish, followed by two-time 2015 winner Frankie Eldridge of Stratham, Jason Ryan of Salem, former champ Grant Aither of Kingston, and Ray Dinsmore of Waterboro, ME.
Twin 25-lap feature events were on tap for the David’s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stocks, with veteran competitor Pete Evans of Berwick, ME taking down the win in the first. 2014 Rookie of the Year Zac Fraser of Nottingham posted a strong second place finish in the first half of the best combined finish event.
Fraser was chased across the line by LMS regular Nate Leavitt of Buxton, ME, Bill Helliwell of Pelham, Billy Clement, Jr. of Milford, Dave McDonald of Tewksbury, MA, Kevin Bowman of Grafton, MA, Chris Harding of Lebanon, ME, and Kenny “Caveman” Scott of Salem.
In the nightcap, Helliwell (another son of a former Lee USA racer) got to the front early, and went on the not only post the 25-lap win, but he took the overall title as well, earning a $500 payday from division sponsor David’s Race Cars and Components.
Christin DeStefano of Tewksbury, MA scored her first career win in the Tri-City Line-X Ironman feature event, holding off three-time 2015 winner Zach Washburn of Rochester to collect the checkered flag and make that ever-elusive first trip to the winner’s circle.
Tyler Mitchell of Dracut, MA put in a strong third place run, with Travis Hollins of Milford, Hannah Shaw of Chester, Greg Brannan, Jack Victoria of Northwood, Troy Washburn of Farmington, Mike Farrington of Northwood, and Howard Brown, Jr. rounding out the top ten. Craig Pyle of Gorham, ME scored the Pure Stock win, followed by Jesse Tellier of Dracut, MA, and Tyler Mailhot.