SEEKONK, Mass. — Even though the Sunoco Drive For The Cup kicked-off on Saturday night at Seekonk Speedway, it was a non-playoff driver who won the 40-lap Pro Stock feature. After a battle for the entirety of the race between Colbey Fournier and Bobby Pelland III for the lead, it was Fournier who used the outside lane to gain the edge that mattered: the lead on the final lap. Fournier picked up his first win of the season. He didn’t make the playoffs, after missing multiple weeks in the middle of the season due to a wreck. However, he’s back on top in Seekonk’s top division, starting the month of September with a win. Pelland and fellow playoff driver Tom Scully Jr. finished second and third in the race. Two more playoff drivers, Dylan Estrella and Dick Benoit, followed in fourth and fifth. Kenny Spencer, Mike Rotondo, Mike Brightman, Mark Jenison and Rick Martin completed the top-10. The Pro Stocks will return to the track on Saturday, September 16, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates.
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SEEKONK, Mass. — Jacob “Rowdy” Burns was the dominant factor on Saturday night in the Late Models at Seekonk Speedway. In the opener of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Burns used the inside lane after starting third to grab the lead and drove away into the night to score the win. Burns, who is also chasing the championship in the Legends Cars on Fast Friday, is showing he’s going to be a major threat to win the Late Model title on NASCAR Saturday. Charlie Rose finished second in the 30-lap race, while Mark Jenison held off a hard charge from Vinnie Arrenegado to finish third. Arrenegado followed in the fourth spot, while Richie Murray settled for a top-five finish in fifth. Connor Souza, Scott Serydysnki Jr., Chase Belcher, Luke LeBrun and Tyler Tomassi finished the top-10. The Late Models will return to the track on Saturday, September 16, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman continue to impress. Saturday night, in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, it was Adam Pettey and Ryan Lineham battling it out for the win in the 25-lap feature at Seekonk Speedway. In the final corner, Lineham tried the cross-over move to get under Pettey, but couldn’t make it work. The two went side-by-side for many laps down the stretch of the race with Pettey coming out on top and Lineham second. Steve Axon, another playoff driver, had a great seat to watch the battle and finished in third. Chad Baxter and Colby Lambert crossed the line fourth and fifth. Jimmy “Pepe” Silvia was sixth, with Craig Pianka, Doug Benoit, Chris Rioux and Kaleb Marcou finishing the top-10. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman will return to the track on Saturday, September 16, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — After running in the Truck division when he first started racing at Seekonk Speedway many years ago, Dave Darling went to the Pro Stocks and won eight championships. Saturday night, he was back in the Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks and parked in Victory Lane in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. Although Darling isn’t a Truck playoff driver, he was able to grab the feature win in the 25-lap race on Saturday night. Rick Martin was the highest finishing playoff driver in second, while Jake Vanada finished third. They were followed by Brittany Campbell and Darryl Church, two more playoff drivers, in fourth and fifth. Ethan Heilborn, Mike Cavallaro, Amy Arsenault, Bobby Tripp, Lenny Guy and Tom Scully III finished off the top-10. The Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks will return to the track on Saturday, September 16, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Isaiah Newcomb has been no stranger to the front of the field in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars at Seekonk Speedway for most of 2023. Friday night, in the first race of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Newcomb was out front right from lap one and never looked back. He started third, made a three-wide move to take the lead, and wasn’t to be denied in the final laps on multiple restarts. Newcomb, who ended the regular season second in points, is off to a strong start in his chase for the track championship in the playoffs. He was followed to the line after 25 laps by Josh Parsons and Brendan LaBalle, also playoff drivers. Three more playoff drivers followed in fourth through sixth: Jacob Burns, Richie Helger Jr and Nicholaus Bulkeley. Cole Robie, Chase Silvia, PJ Evans and Kevin Davis finished off the top-10. The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars will return to the track on Friday, September 15, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Danny Massa had his hands full in the first race of the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, but when the checkered flag went in the air, he made sure all the hard work mattered. Massa captured the win in the opener of the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment playoff battle, holding off Scott Cestodio in the final laps to score the win. Ideally, Massa would have had some clear sailing early in the race. But, Cestodio was there right from the early going. He tried everything to get around, but wasn’t able to do it and opened his playoffs with a strong second-place finish. Sam Lincoln settled for third, a strong run for him, with Ed Gould and Jared Cordeira, who went to the rear early and had to charge back through the field, finishing fifth. Greg Perry, Ethan Souza, Bobby Bettencourt, Don Courtemanche and Mike Henriques finished off the top-10. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks will return to the track on Friday, September 15, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — For much of Friday’s Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaw feature, it looked like Ben Moribito might be on his way to a second straight win. But, when the checkered flag went into the air, it was Ryan Vanasse Jr. rolling across the line first, for his eighth win of the season in the No. 11. Vanasse worked the outside lane for much of the race. Once he got out front, he had to hold off his cousin, Collin Vanasse, who was right there on his bumper. Ryan was able to accomplish the task to add another win to his second in the first race of the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup and kick-off his championship bid on top. Collin finished second, a strong opening to his own playoff bid. Andrew Gomes charged to the front to finish third, with Brent Robidoux and Bryson Robidoux, brothers, finishing fourth and fifth. Nathan Rioux, Mikey LeFort III, Brody Wakefield, Zachary Keith and Moribito finished off the top-10 after 15 laps. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaws will return to the track on Friday, September 15, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — On a late arestart in the first race of the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup for the Sport 4s, the defending division champion made sure to start off the playoffs right. Crystal Murray restarted second on lap 20, and used the outside lane to pass Jarrod Freitas for the lead, then drove away for the victory. It was the second win of the season for the defending division champion in the No. 38. Freitas finished second, opening his Sunoco Drive For The Cup title bid with a strong run. Behind them, Mikey LeFort worked through some traffic to finish in the third spot. Justin Leduc led laps early and finished fourth, while Sam Mattera rounded out the top-five. Former division champion Dave Westgate returned to finish sixth, with Richie Johnson, Andrew Rittman, Christine Cavallaro and Daniel Hayes completing the top-10. The Sport 4’s will return to the track on Friday, September 15, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. Friday marked another exciting round of racing for Seekonk Speedway’s youth racing division, the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits. For the last month, the finishes across the line on the final lap have been close, clean and exciting to watch. This week, in round one of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, all three of those things were true again. When the field took the white flag, it was defending champion Sam Macedo out front. But, when they came down the backstretch, Nick Uhrig Jr. was to the inside and they entered the final two turns racing wheel-to-wheel for the lead. However, Parker Davis wasn’t going to be denied. He found a lane to the bottom, three-wide for the lead, and crossed the line just inches ahead of Nick Uhrig Jr. for the top spot. It was the fifth win of the season for Davis and on the transponder, he officially won by .015 seconds over Uhrig, with Macedo on the outside of the three-wide battles finishing .078 seconds back. Three-wide to the finish with Seekonk's youngest drivers. Mike Hanafin and Ryder Aguiar followed in fourth and fifth at the finish. The top-six drivers in the finishing order, including Mason Silva in sixth, are the six drivers battling for the 2023 championship in the playoffs. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits will return to the track on Friday, September 15, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — After a summer filled with veteran success, first-time winners and everything in between, Seekonk Speedway is ready for the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. This Friday, September 8 and Saturday, September 9, the championship rounds begin with a four-week playoff to crown the 2023 track champions.
Friday night, the five Fast Friday divisions are on track for their first race of the playoffs. On Saturday, the NASCAR Saturday divisions hit the third-mile. This weekend includes regular lap counts for all nine of Seekonk’s divisions - headlined by Saturday’s 40-lap Pro Stock main event. On Fast Friday, the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and Outlaws, the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks, Sport 4’s and Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars are ready for battle. Youth racing is alive and well in the Bandolero divisions, with Sam Macedo looking to go back-to-back for titles in the Bandits, but he has a tough field ready to challenge him. In the Outlaws, Ryan Vanasse Jr. has been the dominant force all year, but will the playoffs kick-off on a high-note for the driver of the No. 11? In the Sport 4 class, Crystal Murray only has one victory this season, but her championship defense begins Friday night. Jarrod Freitas and Mikey LeFort have been the winningest drivers in 2023 - are they in prime spot to take the crown? Or is someone else? In the Helger’s Pure Stocks, Scott Cestodio cooled off a bit in the summer after a dominant start. Will former champion Greg Perry be his top challenger to contend with to win the 2023 track title? Or will someone like Sam Lincoln shake off some mid-season struggles and come on strong at the right time? The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars title chase might be the toughest one to predict going into it. Names like Jacob Burns, Isaiah Newcomb, Nicholaus Bulkeley, Richie Helger Jr., Brendan LaBelle and Josh Parsons have won races and are in the playoffs. But they are joined by Mason Tessier and Chase Silvia, two who have shown speed, but haven’t won yet. Will you need to win a race to win the title? Only time will tell. NASCAR Saturday’s Chaz Auto Body Sport Truck division is also tough to predict going into Saturday’s 25-lap playoff opener. Jake Vanada had a strong start to the year and has been consistent throughout, along with Brittany Campbell. But, is defending champion Rick Martin still the favorite going into the Sunoco Drive For The Cup? Or is someone else going to contend with them like recent winners Mike Duarte or Bobby Tripp? In the Helger’s Sportsman, former champion Chad Baxter might be coming on at just the right time. After winning the last two races, Baxter rolls into round one the favorite. But, he was the favorite last year, and Craig Pianka made a last-lap pass in the championship race to score the title. Pianka has dreams of winning back-to-back titles in his final season of racing, but names like Adam Pettey, Steve Axon and more will be looking to knock them off and hold the crown themselves. The 2023 Late Model division rolls into the playoffs with multiple drivers feeling the momentum. Vinnie Arrenegado, Jacob Burns and Luke LeBrun have been the three most consistent, fastest cars this season. But, defending champion Mark Jenison and Chase Belcher shouldn’t be overlooked. They are joined in the playoffs by Charlie Rose, Tyler Tomassi and Connor Souza, who is coming off his first career win last time on the track. And in the Pro Stocks, Jenison looks to repeat in this division as well. But, Dylan Estrella, Mike Brightman and Bobby Pelland III have been among the fastest cars all year, and will be threats when it comes time to decide the champion, along with a few others. It all begins Friday and Saturday — the next four weeks will crown Seekonk Speedway’s 2023 champions. Fast Friday racing begins at 7 p.m. and Saturday action goes green at 6 p.m. Tickets for all playoff racing at Seekonk Speedway, including round one for both nights this weekend, are available now by visiting SeekonkSpeedway.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates surrounding the 2023 Sunoco Drive For The Cup and upcoming events. |
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