GSPSS Kicks off Star Classic with a spectacular finish
The Granite State Pro Stock series made its annual trip to Star Speedway to compete on opening night of the 55th annual Star Classic Friday night and Derek Griffith and Joey “Pole” Polewarczyk put on a show for the ages.
Griffith, the hottest man in northeast pro stock racing of late, showed up to star just off an airplane after competing in an ARCA car at Bristol the night before. “Pole” came to star winless in 2020 and feeling like their season had been sub-par. Their seasons would collide in spectacular fashion before the night was over.
In Claremont Derek Griffith was perfect. Crazy Horse Racing Fast Time Challenge winner, heat winner, drew #1 in the GSPSS redraw and won the race. Star seemed to be more of the same. Fast time, heat race win, #1 in the redraw and dominant through 83 laps of the race.
WINCHESTER, N.H. – Todd Patnode (Swanzey, NH) made a late-race pass to earn his third NHSTRA Modified feature of the year Saturday (September 12) at Monadnock Speedway.
The high-banked speedplant completed its 13th event of the season Saturday, and when all was said and done, one driver had taken her first victory lap of the year, Aaron Fellows (Croydon, NH) had stormed to his track-high eleventh feature win, and the sizzling Curtis twins, Jaret and Chase, were again tied atop the Street Stock title race.
The Six Shooter division made its maiden Monadnock run Saturday, with southern-staters Brandon Mailhot (Epping, NH) and Adam Knowles first and second under the flags, and Granite State Mini Cup ace Skeeter Beerce was dominant in both his heat and feature races.
Chase Locke, Randy Cabral Best in NEMA at LEE USA’s First Responder Freedom 300 Night
LEE, NH
The Northeastern Midget Association rolled into the Wrenn family’s LEE USA Speedway this past Friday evening for the Freedom 300/First Responder’s September 11th tribute. Great car counts across all divisions showcased some of the best drivers in New England at the New Hampshire oval. In the NEMA Lites, after so many “so close” scenarios for the youngster Chase Locke, he finally took down his first ever NEMA Lites victory, and in convincing style. In the NEMA feature, Randy Cabral inherited the lead after teammate Todd Bertrand suffered a heart breaking flat tire with seven laps to go, as the eight time champion took down his first back to back victory in many years.
In the Lites feature, NJ’s Richie Coy blasted out into the lead from the pole position on lap one. Coy was quickly hounded by the young Chase Locke in the Chester General Store/Locke Crane Services #88. Locke followed Coy closely, and made a bid for the lead on lap nine. Once in command, Locke began to set a torrid pace, with his fastest lap of the feature coming on lap nine, a 14.182 second lap. Lap after lap, Locke began to distance himself from the field, clicking off consistent 14.3 second laps. Behind him, veterans Jim Santa Maria and PJ Stergios were engaged in a battle for the second spot, with Stergios taking over the spot on lap twenty.
LOUDON, N.H. – A wild finish featuring a mind-blowing 20 lead changes in the last 20 laps, Bobby Santos III found a way to keep points leader Justin Bonsignore in his rearview mirror for the last few turns to earn a hard-fought checkered flag at the Musket 200 presented by Whelen Saturday afternoon during the third annual Full Throttle Fall Weekend, earning his sixth win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Wayne Helliwell Jr. won the ACT 75 while Shaun Buffington won both Granite State Legends Cars events.
Santos hung back in the pack until lap 167 when he slingshot around a trio of frontrunners going into turn three and pulled a similar move a few turns later to take the lead, setting up a thrilling string of lead changes with Bonsignore. The two traded the lead 20 times over 20 laps; Bonsignore dominating turn three and Santos showing how to pass going into turn one. Over and over they traded places, with Ron Silk briefly nudging his way into second, with four laps remaining. Bonsignore took the spot back, but not before Santos took advantage and drove just far enough away from the other leaders to keep from being caught before the checkered flag waved.
BELL BIG WINNER, FELLOWS STREAK ENDS, GREENSLIT CLINCHES SEPTEMBER 11 AT CLAREMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK
By Gary Dutton
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Ryan Bell topped Friday, September 11, night’s 50-lap main event at Claremont Motorsports Park, as Aaron Fellows’ 26-race winning streak steamed to an end and Dave Greenslit locked up his second track crown in a row.
While Fellows quest for back-to-back perfect seasons stopped Friday, the speedway’s winningest driver wasn’t beaten on the track, falling rather to a crash-caused overheating problem while leading midway through the LMS feature.
Other winners Friday included Hayden Grenier, scoring his first victory of the summer in the Mini Stocks, Pure Stock superstar Kodi Sabins, and top Six Shooter points man Dustin Thibodeau.
Jimmy Renfrew Jr $1500,00 Richer after Granite State Nationals Victory
By Gary Dutton
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Derek Griffith put together the perfect night Sunday at Claremont Motorsports Park..
The 23-year-old Pro Stock star won his heat, then drew the pole starting position for Sunday’s Newport Chevrolet 150 Granite State Pro Stock Series main event at the storied third-mile. The top starting spot in hand, he then led all 150 laps to pocket the $10,000 winner’s purse, the biggest prize ever in series history.
But, while both Griffith and Street Stock Richard Tetreault Memorial 73 winner Jimmy Renfrew each led all the way, it was Red Neck Enduro daredevil Jimmy Zullo’s victory-from-the-jaws-of-defeat move that got the loudest applause. Snaking through the some-kind-of-crazy traffic with two laps to go, Zullo darted past Kyle Buck to top the 63-car, 50-lap nightcap event.
