SUNOCO DRIVE FOR THE CUP OPENS THIS WEEKEND AT SEEKONK SPEEDWAY

PLAYOFF RACING AT SEEKONK SPEEDWAY

SEEKONK, Mass. — Seekonk Speedway is set to crown champions 2025 track champions in the month of September.

The Sunoco Drive For The Cup kicks-off this weekend on both Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday, with six drivers in each division racing for the championship. On top of those six title contenders, the rest of the field will be looking to capture the trophy and improve their points position heading for the stretch run.

Fast Friday’s Sunoco Drive For The Cup will crown champions in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars, Pure Stocks, Sport 4s and Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and Outlaws.

The Legends playoff drivers include Jacob Burns, Josh Parsons, Chase Silvia, Brenden LaBelle, Ryan Vanasse and Richie Helger Jr. Burns ended the regular season with his fifth win, while Parsons had one and Silvia two. LaBelle hasn’t won, but Vanasse captured the $2,000 to win NLR Summer Showdown in August. Defending champion Richie Helger Jr had a tough regular season, but found his way into the playoffs and will look to make it back-to-back crowns. 

In the Pure Stocks, a mix of veterans and rising stars make up the playoff field. Zachary Keith, the leading contender in the Rookie of the Year, has qualified for the playoffs, one year after moving up from the Bandolero class. The Pure Stocks are led into the playoffs by Brent Robidoux, who won the championship in his rookie season last year, and will look to go back-to-back. Other contenders include Ethan Souza, Matt Talbot, Mike Henriques and former champion Jared Cordeira.

Both Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero divisions are guaranteed a first-time champion in their respective class. In the Bandits, the six strongest cars this season include Carl Satterlund Jr., four-time winner Landon Solomito, two-time winner Landon Heim, three-time winner Jace Chaber, Elias Dib and Brook Meyer. In the Outlaws, all six playoff contenders have been to Victory Lane this season - Allyha DeSomma (regular season champion), Jordan Duquette, Mason Silva, Ryder Aguiar, Vincent Sarro and defending Bandit champion David Bernier. Seekonk’s youngest drivers will battle it out in September for the right to be called champion in Seekonk’s 80th season of short-track racing.

The Sport 4 title chase appears to run through Richie Johnson. With podium finishes in all but one of the 10 races to start the season, Johnson, who came close to winning last year, is the man to beat. He’s joined by Jacob Budzyna, who earned his first career win in the regular season, Christine Cavallaro, Daniel Hayes, Samantha Sleboda and three-time season winner Arthur Meack. Only Cavallaro is yet to win in 2025.

On NASCAR Saturday, playoff contenders include a mix of former champions, race winners and drivers looking to make a name for themselves. 

The Sport Trucks will have to battle Rick Martin for the championship again this year. Martin is looking to make it an incredible four straight championships in the division, coming off a regular season that left him with two wins and three playoff bonus points as the leader. He will be tough to beat. Up for the task, though, appears to be Jake Vanada, multiple-time winner and Triple Crown champion Ethan Heilborn, Tim Bolger Jr and Dane Saritelli. Making the playoffs, but unable to compete due to injury, is Mike Cavallaro.

The Late Model battle includes a mix of high-speed contenders. Chase Belcher won the regular season title with a victory and loads of consistency, but there are five other drivers trying to chase him down. Season winners Charlie Rose, Mark Jenison, Connor Souza and Andrew Gomes have all qualified for the playoffs. Gomes won the final race of the regular season, his first career. Rose won the 80th Anniversary special earlier in the summer. The other driver racing for the crown in the Late Models is former Sport Truck champion Richie Murray, who has been in the Final Four before, and although he hasn’t won this year, Murray ended the regular season with extreme consistency on the podium most weeks.

In the Sportsman division, the race for the championship will run through defending champion Adam Pettey, two Lambert brothers and Doug Benoit. These four drivers have been the most consistent this season - led by Colby Lambert, who captured multiple wins and leads the championship seeding with three bonus points going into the playoffs. His brother, Jeremy, didn’t win during the regular season, but was consistent and came close multiple times. Pettey captured the win in the final race of the regular season and also won the Everett’s Triple Crown title this year, entering the playoffs looking to win back-to-back titles. Doug Benoit, who picked up a win during the summer, invested his time back into some old notes to gain speed and looks primed and ready to chase the title. The other two drivers racing off the title in the Sportsman are dark horses - Nick Brightman and Nick Wood. Both of the Nick’s would love to storm into the Final Four and give it their best shot to become first-time track champions.

The Pro Stocks playoff battle includes three former champions. Defending champion Dylan Estrella, two-time champion Mark Jenison and eight-time track champion David Darling have all qualified. All three of them will be major players when it comes to deciding the Final Four and the eventual track champion - but - is Darling the favorite of the three - looking for an elusive ninth title? Also in competition will be regular season leader and Rookie of the Year contender Jacob Burns, who captured three regular season wins and the Everett’s Triple Crown title. Other contenders in the Pro Stocks include Bobby Pelland III and Vinnie Arrenegado - two former Late Model champions - looking to add a top-division title to their resume.

Fast Friday Sunoco Drive For The Cup round one begins at 7 p.m. NASCAR Saturday playoff round one begins at 6 p.m. The Fast Friday playoffs and NASCAR Saturday playoffs will run for the entire month of September, ending with championship weekend on September 26-27. For tickets to the playoffs and all upcoming events at Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates.