NLR SUMMER SHOWDOWN, RACE TO THE PLAYOFFS CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND AT SEEKONK SPEEDWAY WITH DAI RESTORE NIGHT AT THE RACES

SEEKONK, Mass. — Two more days of short-track racing are on tap this weekend at Seekonk Speedway. On Fast Friday, there are just two races remaining before the fields for the Sunoco Drive For The Cup playoffs are set, and the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars have a major event. Their rescheduled Nick Lascuola Racing Summer Showdown will take place this week - a $2,000 to win contest set for 30 laps.

Friday racing also includes the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and Outlaws, the Sport 4s and the Pure Stocks, as everyone looks to lock up their spot in the race for the championship. On NASCAR Saturday presented by DAI Restore , the Pro Stocks will run the Tom Scully Sr. Memorial 40-lap race, while the Late Models, Sportsman and Sport Trucks will also be on the track. The East Coast Towing & Recovery Spectator Drags will also join the racing action.

Friday’s green flag drops at 7 p.m., while Saturday begins at 6 p.m. 

The Pro Stock race for the playoffs is going down to the final two weeks. Jacob Burns used a late move to get around David Darling to win the finale of the Everett’s Triple Crown last week, taking the Triple Crown title along with it. Burns and Darling are currently tied at the top of the championship standings with 420, while Dylan Estrella, the defending champion, is just 14 points back in third. Bobby Pelland IIII is only 16 markers back, with Vinnie Arrenegado 19 and Mark Jenison in the final playoff spot at the moment, sixth. Two-time champ Jension leads Mike Brightman for the final spot by 22 points. Brightman showed better speed last week, leading many laps and bringing it home third. Is the former Late Model champion primed to make a run into the playoffs? Nick Lascuola is tied with Brightman for seventh, also looking to nudge his way into a championship race. Colbey Fournier is ninth, but 39 points back, and appears to need some help if he’s going to make it. The Pro Stocks return this week to honor the legacy of Tom Scully Sr. in a 40-lap special. Remember, the leader of the standings at the end of the August 23 event will earn three bonus points towards the playoffs, while all others will start with zero.

Similar to most other divisions, with two weeks remaining before playoff fields are set, the Late Models appear nearly ready to go. Chase Belcher used another podium to open his lead in the standings over Charlie Rose to 19 points. Belcher leads third-place Andrew Gomes by 39 points, with Richie Murray in fourth, 52 back from the lead. Luke LeBrun is 54 behind, while Mark Jenison currently holds the final playoff spot, 55 from the lead. It’s Connor Souza the first car out at the moment, some 50 points back. The most a driver can gain in one week is 55, so Souza will need to have two podium finishes and hope someone in front of him has a rough few weeks at the track. Last week, Jension used the outside lane to hold off young rising competitor Andrew Gomes to pick up his first Late Model win of the year.

Sportsman competition at the top of the standings saw a shake-up last week, with Colby Lambert having motor trouble early and sidelining himself before the race really got going. That left the door open for Adam Pettey to erase Lambert’s large championship lead by winning the race and the Triple Crown, now giving him a chance at the three bonus points the leader of the standings will get after August 23. Lambert leads Pettey by just three points, with Doug Benoit in third, 18 points out. Scott Serydynski Jr is fourth, 22 back, while Jeremy Lambert is fifth, 25 from the top. Colby’s struggles closed the top-five within 25 points heading for the stretch run, as these five appear a lock to contend for the title. In the sixth and final transfer spot at the moment is Nick Brightman, up by just two points on Nick Wood. These two drivers will be battling it out the next two weeks to see who is going to join the other five in the race for the crown. The Sportsman are back for 25 fast laps this week.

Ethan Heilborn captured the Everett’s Triple Crown title and the overall championship lead with a second-place finish last week, now 12 points up on Mike Cavallaro for the top spot. Rick Martin used a feature win to come within 13 of the top, while Jake Vanada is just 15 back and Tim Bolger Jr. just 23. Those five drivers, similar to the Sportsman class, appear to be a lock as long as they start the next two races. The race for the final spot in the Sport Trucks is a tick closer, with Dane Saritelli leading by just 23 over DJ Thibeault. A few weeks ago, Thibeault used a feature win to gain ground. Saritelli hasn’t won yet, but has been consistent and appears to be just a matter of time away from scoring his first victory. Amy Helger is 38 points back in seventh, and will need some luck to go her way to get in. The Trucks are back on the third-mile for 25 circuits this Saturday night, August 16.

As the championship battle continues in the East Coast Towing & Recovery Spectator Drags, entering Saturday night’s contest, Jarred Smith leads by just three points over defending champion Carlito Mello, with Nathan Williams six points back in third. The Spectator Drags will compete following NASCAR division qualifying heat races and before the feature events on Saturday.

Fast Friday is headlined this week by the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars, who will hit the track for 30 laps in the Nick Lascuola Racing Summer Showdown. A major $2,000 to win prize is on the line for Seekonk's very best, with it likely a few outside invaders visit the Action Track of the East to chase the cash. The championship standings saw their first shake-up of the season last week, with Jacob Burns entering the final lap in third, but coming out 13th. Josh Parsons took the overall championship lead by four over Burns, with Chase Silvia, the winner of both the race and the Everett’s Triple Crown Series title last week, third, 20 points out. Brenden LaBelle remains comfortable in his quest to lock up a playoff spot in fourth, with Mason Tessier and Ryan Vanasse Jr in fifth and sixth. Tessier leads teammate Richie Helger Jr by 18 points, with Vanasse currently holding the final spot, just four points ahead of Helger. It’s likely the Legends battle to make the playoffs will go down to the final laps of the August 22 main event.

With a strong second-place finish, Crystal Murray closed the gap in the Pure Stock playoff race, now just eight points behind Jared Cordeira going to the final two weeks. At the top, Brent Robidoux appears a sure thing to earn the three bonus points as the championship leader at the end of the regular season, as the defending champion, who won it in his Rookie year, looks to make it back-to-back. Ethan Souza is comfortable in second, with most recent winner and Triple Crown champion Matt Talbot in third. Mike Henriques is fourth, holding a 20 point lead over the final spot, with Zachary Keith, a Rookie of the Year contender, in fifth, just 16 markers up from the transfer spot. Cordeira is a former division champion, looking to hang on and advance into the playoffs. Murray has come on strong the last few weeks, trying to find her way in - looking to win the title in her Rookie season, like Robidoux did last year. The Pure Stocks will wrap the night on Fast Friday this week with 25 laps. 

The Bandolero Bandit field of six to advance to the playoffs appears set to go. Carl Satterlund Jr captured the Everett’s Triple Crown title and the overall championship lead last week, now leading three-time season winner Jace Chaber by two points. Landon Solomito used another win to close to within 10 of the championship lead, with Brook Meyer in fourth, Landon Heim in fifth, and Elias Dib in sixth. It looks like Satterlund, Chaber and Solomito will battle it out for the three bonus points, while the six drivers mentioned will all advance to contend for the championship glory, barring a miracle.

The Sport 4 battle for the final playoff spot also looks to be heading right down to the stretch run. Richie Johnson is more than comfortable in the lead, heading to his three bonus points and a run for the crown in September. Jacob Budzyna is also safe in second, nearly 100 points ahead of the transfer spot. That leaves Arthur Meack in third, Daniel Hayes fourth, Christine Cavallaro fifth, and now Samantha Sleboda in the final spot. Sleboda leads fellow female contender Hannah Arsenault by 10 points for the final spot heading for Friday’s 25-lap contest at the Action Track of the East.

The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaw field is all but set, with Allyha DeSomma opening her gap in the championship lead to 16 points coming off her victory and Everett’s Triple Crown title last week. Mason Silva jumped up to second, with Jordan Duquette and David Bernier now tied for third. Both of those drivers are 32 points ahead of the first car out, feeling confident going for the final two weeks before the field is set for the playoffs. Ryder Aguiar is fifth, 30 ahead of the first out, with opening night winner Vincent Sarro holding down the sixth and final spot at the moment. Sarro leads over Brady Connors by 22 points. The seven drivers mentioned will be dwindled down to six following the August 22 main event. 

Seekonk Speedway returns to racing action with two days of excitement on Friday, August 15 and Saturday, August 16. For more information, including full event schedules, tickets and news about upcoming events, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media.