HUDSON, N.H. — A home-grown racer held the key to Sunday evening’s Gate City Classic 100 at Hudson International Speedway, but not the one most had expected to loosen the lock.
Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. put on a clinic, leading by nearly half a track at one point en route to his third career win and his second Gate City Classic victory with the Granite State Pro Stock Series presented by Hudson International Speedway.
Hometown hero Joey Polewarczyk, a four-time Gate City Classic winner, set fast time in qualifying and brought the field to the green flag. Renfrew pounced from the outside of the front row, though, taking command as “Joey Pole” opted to bide his time.
The young racer from Candia, N.H., set a torrid pace as he picked off slower traffic one by one, building an advantage of almost half a lap with thirty laps left on the scoreboard as Polewarczyk patiently negotiated slower cars.
A spin on the backstretch slowed the race with 25 laps to go, erasing Renfrew’s lead with only six cars on the lead lap. Renfrew edged ahead of Polewarczyk on the restart, leaving the pre-race favorite in the clutches of a fast Mike Mitchell. Mitchell made quick work of Polewarczyk, but could only watch as Renfrew stretched his lead to over two seconds.
Renfrew, who won the 2022 edition of the Gate City Classic, was unhampered as he cruised to a 2.267-second win, his first GSPSS trophy since his 2022 victory.
Mitchell, in pursuit of his first GSPSS win since 2017, settled for a runner-up finish in his second outing of the year. Cory Casagrande, fresh off back-to-back second-place performances, reeled off a third-place run after an opening-lap snafu.
Polewarczyk’s bid for three straight Gate City Classic trophies fell short as he faded to fourth, with points leader Jeremy Sorel finishing fifth.
D.J. Shaw, making his first start at Hudson since 2021, finished sixth after a late-race battle with Angelo Belsito. Tom Carey III survived the first-lap fireworks to finish eighth, while Dan Winter and Bobby Pelland III rounded out the top ten.
Next on the calendar for the Granite State Pro Stock Series is the Langis Caron 150 at Autodrome Chaudière in Vallée-Jonction, Quebec. Details on the GSPSS’ second-ever venture to Canada will be unveiled shortly.
Results, Gate City Classic 100 at Hudson Speedway:
1. (00) Jimmy Renfrew, Jr.
2. (40) Mike Mitchell
3. (7CT) Cory Casagrande
4. (97) Joey Polewarczyk
5. (7MA) Jeremy Sorel
6. (60) D.J. Shaw
7. (8) Angelo Belsito
8. (5) Tom Carey III
9. (81) Dan Winter
10. (12) Bobby Pelland III
11. (62) Joe Kendall
12. (82MA) Mark Hudson
13. (84) Jamie Wright
14. (09) Frankie Eldredge
15. (56) Evan Beaulieu
16. (90NH) Casey Call
17. (27NH) Wayne Helliwell, Jr.
18. (05) Pete Frappier