Jarod Soucy took the Roadrunner Division veterans to school by winning in his first ever Roadrunner feature on Hudson Speedways 65th opening day on May 20th. Soucy was co-champion with Chad Wendell last season in the Thunder Lights, Hudson’s youth division. Soucy didn’t miss a beat in stepping up and racing in the faster and tougher Roadrunner division. Soucy started seventh and had patience and waited for the right time to make passes. Hollywood Helliwell had the lead with two laps to go and by then Soucy was on his bumper. Soucy got under Helliwell coming off a corner and took the white flag in first place and hung on to win.
Erica Page also made the leap from Thunder Lights to the Roadrunners. Page led from the drop of the green until after the halfway mark when a caution flew. Page had a poor restart and got shuffled back in the pack and finished ninth. Page has always raced front wheel drive cars but this season is in a rear wheel drive. Once she gets a little more seat time in the car we will see her in victory lane with the checkers in hand.
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Helliwell finished second. Defending Roadrunner champion Nick Fissette was third. Jef James finished fourth in a dent less new car that replaced the car that looked like a pretzel he has been racing the last few years.
Austin Erickson won the Thunder Lights feature. Erickson took the top spot at the drop of the green and never looked back. Erickson drives with the famed “LL” on his door, in honor of the father/son duo of Choppy and Goggles Baldwin who won many features in the “LL” at Hudson and help Erickson with his racing. Nick Dombrowski was second.
The Outlaws battled hard all race beginning with an early race turn three pileup that took out Jimmy Renfrew and badly damaged Matt Bosowski’s fine looking racer.
Kevin Aberle did a fine job leading many laps while Geoff Rollins and Rob Wilcox beat the bag out of each other. Rollins got into Wilcox coming off turn two and sent him spinning into the infield bringing out a caution. While under caution Wilcox did his best Kyle Busch impersonation and drove into Rollins car and cutting Rollins front tire. Rollins pitted and his crew quickly changed his tire to get him back in the race.
After the fireworks were over Aberle continued to lead with Kevin Kephardt right in his tire tracks. Wilcox was on the move and caught the front duo and took to the high side to continue his march forward. Wilcox made it into the lead but his lead was short lived as he exited the speedway a lap or two after taking the lead.
Kephardt had got past Aberle by this point in the race but now Rollins was the one on the move and caught Kephardt. Rollins toyed with Kephardt for a few laps and made his move for the lead as laps wound down took the win with Kephardt in second and Aberle third. Dean Wendel was fourth and Ron Lord was fifth.
Two-time Rookie stock champion Scott Duval led the opening laps of the Rookie Stock feature. Defending champion John Morin Jr. took over the top spot before the halfway point of the race. Morin Jr. was out front for just a few laps when he slowed with mechanical issues and dropped out of the race. By the drop of the checkers Duval was back in front followed closely by Jerry Lepage, Bill Helliwell, Roger Tanguay and Nick Clement.
Richard Beauchenes won the 4 cylinder enduro followed by Jay Kezer and Isaac Chabot.
Roland Leplante won the Full size Enduro followed by Dave McCarthy and Dave Levine.
Jim Gelakas won the Spectator Drags.
Andrew Harmon won the Spectator Race.
You can double your fun on Memorial day weekend with racing on Sunday May 27th and Monday May 28th. On Sunday the Outlaws will be back . On Monday the New England V-6 Modifieds will be on tap along with kids bike races at 11:30am. Both days will have the Rookies, Roadrunners, Thunder Lights , Spectator Race and Spectator Drags. Please visit www.hudsonspeedway.info for more information.
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