Hudson NH – Dick Dubois won the battle but Keith Caruso won the war in the V-6 Modified Division’s season ending race at Hudson International Speedway on Sunday afternoon October 3rd. Caruso won the season long points Championship for the second season in a row. Caruso had a large cushion over second place pointsman Eric Vilandre and just needed to start the feature race to clinch his second consecutive V-6 Mod title.
Vilandre had a much smaller lead over third place pointsman Chris Keubler and needed to borrow a few cars but hung on to second in points by days end. Vilandre’s engine blew up the last time the V-6 Mods raced and borrowed a ride for the last day of racing but that car had axle issues during pace laps before the start of the heat so Vilandre borrowed another car for the feature, this time from Walter Boucher who had just won the heat. Vilandre had more mechanical issues in Boucher’s car when he got loose off turn two, slid through the infield and messed up the transmission ending his day but with enough points to keep Kuebler behind him.
Dubois returned from his self-imposed two race exile to win his second feature of the season. With the win Dubois ended the season one point behind Kuebler in fourth place. Following Dubois over the finish line were Wayne Brooks Jr., Caruso, Louie Maher, Kuebler and Vilandre.
Tom Harton led the first half of the Classic Lite feature before losing the lead to Jimmy Ryder Jr. Ryder Jr. looked like he had a real good chance to pick up another win after he took the lead as no one was gaining much ground on him but Ryder Jr. tangled a bit with a lapped car and before he could gather it back up the three cars of Billy Ryder, Eddie Gilman and Rob Byrant got past him and he fell in line in fourth spot. The top four were within a few car lengths of each other the rest of the way but no one could get close enough to the others to make a pass and at the stripe it was Ryder followed by Gilman, Byrant, Ryder Jr., George Helliwell, Harton, Shane Reinhold, Jon Provost, Jeff Gilman and Dwayne Skofield.
Hudson NH’s own Derek Griffith was quick to grab the lead in the Roadrunner main and put some distance between him and the rest of the pack early on. At the halfway point Griffith held a good lead but was coming up on lapped traffic. Traffic was a nightmare for Griffith as slower cars were running side-by-side battling for position and to stay on the lead lap and Griffith had to use his chrome horn to dispatch of a few. A late race caution for Jef James’ off road experience bunched the field up for a restart. Dave Helliwell was over Griffith’s bumper for the remaining laps but wasn’t able to pass Griffith. Helliwell was second followed by Jason Carroll, “Lugnut” Louie Maher, Myles Devits, James, Loren Smith Jr., Jen Lord, Peter Raby and Nick Fissette Sr.
Rookie Stock points leader Dean Wendell won his fourth feature of the 2010 racing season padding his big lead over John Morin Jr. With two weeks of racing remaining Wendell can clinch his second consecutive Rookie Stock championship next week if he maintains his current lead. John Cashman ran a superb race, leading many laps before Wendell passed him and finished second. Dan Murphy Jr. came home third followed by Slika Ennis, Morin Jr., Chris Jacobson, Charles Roberto, Rolande Laplante, Scotty Duval and Corrie Merritt.
Jarrod Soucy won his second Thunder Lite feature of the season. It was a much better result for the Marlboro MA youngster after bouncing off the front stretch wall in last weeks heat race and doing a lot of suspension damage to his VW Rabbit GTI. Soucy was followed over the finish line by Sammy ”Hand Me Down” Gilman, Nick Fissette, Chad Wendell, Carlos Esquivel, Kordell Colon, Meegan Lord, Mike Gelinas and John Daughenbaugh.
Roland Coutu won the Spectator Drags and Spectator Race. Robert Burke won the Flagpole race.
Next Sunday is the last race of 2010 for the Outlaw Sportsman and Rookies, Roadrunners, Thunder Lights, Spectator Drags, Spectator Race and Flagpole Race. Gates open at 11am and the first race is at 1pm. Please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info for more info.