Becomes New Tow Company of Third-Mile; Sponsoring East Coast Towing Spectator Drags, Presenting Mid Summer Thrill Show & Much More SEEKONK, Mass. – Seekonk Speedway is happy to announce today the addition of East Coast Towing to the track family for the 2023 season. East Coast Towing will become the official tow company of Seekonk Speedway and also will sponsor multiple special events and marquee nights during the new year. East Coast Towing, based in Taunton, Massachusetts, offers fast and friendly 24 hour emergency towing and roadside assistance. They tow all vehicles – from small cars to heavy tractor trailers and more. At East Coast Towing, they offer quality towing equipment and staff that are highly experienced professionals in their field. Their goal is to provide the best and safest service in the area. Their drivers are trained, certified, and ready to help you in any situation! For assistance on the road, give them a call today at 774-565-8459 or visit them online at eastcoasttowma.com. “Joining the Seekonk Speedway family is exciting for all of us at East Coast Towing,” Rob Martin, President of East Coast Towing said. “Short-track racing in this area at Seekonk continues to grow every year and we are excited to jump right into the middle of it. The Speedway community seems to be a true family of racers, teams, staff and fans all together and we can’t wait to feel it for ourselves. Sponsoring some of the major events including the Thrill Show and Great American Trailer Race, and the intriguing idea of the East Coast Towing Spectator Drags, was something we couldn’t pass up. You don’t find someone able to drive their street car on the race track very often. Adding the First Responders Night and recognizing those who help us get through everyday life… all of this is a great opportunity and we can’t wait to get started at Seekonk Speedway in 2023.” The tow company will become the official towing provider of the Action Track of the East – supplying trucks and assistance for all race events. On top of that, East Coast Towing becomes the official sponsor of the Spectator Drag Series, which will race 10 times in 2023 – combined between Thrill Shows and NASCAR Saturday events. ![]() East Coast Towing will also proudly present the Mid Summer Thrill Show and the East Coast Towing Great American Trailer Race on August 5, and will serve as the presenting sponsor of First Responders Night at Seekonk Speedway on September 9, which also serves as the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. Fans will also be able to see a company billboard at the track for 2023. “We are really excited to welcome Rob and his team from East Coast Towing to the track family for 2023,” Ed St. Germain, Director of Business Development at Seekonk Speedway, said. “They are coming into the Speedway in a big way, sponsoring some of our biggest events and most marquee nights. We look forward to having them connect with our competitors and showcase their business to our dedicated fans during the 2023 racing season.” Seekonk Speedway’s 2023 race season begins on Sunday, May 7 with opening day for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series divisions – the Pro Stocks, Late Models, Sportsman and Sport Trucks. Tickets for all events for the new season are available now at SeekonkSpeedway.com. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates.
0 Comments
Playoffs Extended To Four Weeks; Champions To Be Crowned September 29-30 SEEKONK, Mass. – Seekonk Speedway announced today an updated format for the Sunoco Drive For The Cup at the third-mile oval for the 2023 season. After a successful first season, the Cup championship format will return with a few tweaks to further enhance the system. All nine Seekonk divisions will use the format and the champions will be crowned September 29-30 on Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday. Prior to the playoffs, seeding will be determined at the end of August when the regular season ends on August 26-27. Beginning for the new year, the playoffs will move to a four-week format, all throughout the month of September. The first two rounds will move to a points format in the Elite Eight on September 8-9 and 15-16. The first two weeks of the playoffs will include a points format to determine who will move to the round of six. The number of cars in the playoffs in each division will remain the same with eight in all divisions other than the Bandoleros, who will have six. The Elite Eight will include playoff drivers racing for playoff points inside those two events. The highest six amounts of playoff points after those two weeks will advance (five in Bandolero divisions). Heat race points will be given at 5-4-3-2-1 values for those who finish inside the top-five and feature points will be given to playoff finishers 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3 (three is lowest finisher in the race) in the order in which they finish. If a race is rained out, only points that are counted for features and heats will count, as there is no rain date in this round. In the event of a tie, Seekonk Speedway will fall back on the points at the end of the regular season with the highest finishing of the drivers advancing to the next round. For all events in the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Seekonk Speedway’s General Rules and Technical Inspection rules are in effect. For all playoff rounds, the qualifying and feature lineups will follow the same format as they did in 2022. The first in the lineup will be those who qualified through heat races but are not playoff cars. The qualified playoff cars will line up next based on a blind draw. The highest of the points drivers going into the race will draw first for the starting spot, followed by second, etc. Nothing from previous rounds/races in the playoffs matters when it comes to lineups. Similar to last year, the lap distances for the first round of the playoffs will be as follows: Pro Stocks: 40 laps Late Models: 30 laps Sportsman: 25 laps Sport Trucks: 25 laps Legends Cars: 25 laps Pure Stocks: 25 laps Sport 4: 25 laps Bandolero divisions: 15 laps The second round of the playoffs, September 22-23, will be the Super Six. In this weekend of racing, all divisions expect Bandoleros (five) will have six cars. The highest finishing four in each division in this feature race will advance to the Championship 4. Points in previous rounds or the regular season will not determine who advances. At the end of this round, Seekonk Speedway will have nine divisions with four drivers in each to race for the title. Lap distances in round two are as follows. PRO STOCKS: 45 laps LATE MODELS: 35 laps SPORTSMAN: 30 laps SPORT TRUCKS: 30 laps LEGENDS CARS: 25 laps PURE STOCKS: 25 laps SPORT 4: 25 laps BANDOLERO DIVISIONS: 15 laps D. Anthony Venditti Championship Weekend will take place on Friday, September 29 and Saturday, September 30. The highest finishing of the championship drivers will be crowned the track champion for their respective division, just like 2022. The lap distances for the finale will be as follows: PRO STOCKS: 50 laps LATE MODELS: 40 laps SPORTSMAN: 35 laps SPORT TRUCKS: 35 laps LEGENDS CARS: 30 laps PURE STOCKS: 30 laps SPORT 4: 30 laps BANDOLERO DIVISIONS: 15 laps NASCAR and track points will run from opening day right through to the end of the season. This means a driver could still run for NASCAR National, Regional and State points and their weekly point totals will still be accumulated with no changes. In the event the final race cannot be completed due to unforeseen circumstances on scheduled date and rain dates, the champion will be decided by highest points total of remaining championship cars. Seekonk Speedway will honor the winner of the Drive For The Cup as the 2023 track champion in their respective division. Seekonk Speedway will continue a points grid, recognizing drivers from both Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday all year. The points grid will start opening day and end on September 29-30, just like the playoffs will. The playoff system will not impact Seekonk NASCAR state points or the INEX National points. Those are separate from the playoff system and will be determined using the regular points format throughout the season. Points through the entire regular season and playoffs will be honored in the same manner as 50-48- 46-44-42 & through the field. At the end of the final race of the playoffs, there will be a final points grid that includes the point totals from the entire season. The winner of the Drive For The Cup will be the Seekonk Speedway Track Champion and be awarded first place, while positions second on back will be determined based off overall season totals. For example, if car 17 finishes second in the last race of the season and they were in the playoffs, car 25 may end up second in points, because they earned the most points during the season of the others in the division who were not champion. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest updates. NASCAR Membership and License Renewal
NASCAR Member Services is moving license applications to a digital format in 2023 and the anticipated launch date for this new system is January 19, 2023. While we will still provide paper applications with to your track to be utilized as needed, there is a higher price point for paper applications submitted, so we recommend taking advantage of the new digital licensing portal. The new digital licensing system can be accessed by visiting NASCAR Digital Licensing. We will also have the link available on the NASCAR Members website as well as both a video and paper instructions. The exciting news is that now all members, new , renewing and minors, can purchase their license through the new portal for all license types, including Per Event and 15-day temporary licenses. 2023 At-Track License Prices: Feature Driver/Owner - $225 Charger Driver/Owner - $125 Crew - $125 Online Renewal with the $25.00 Discount: Feature Driver/Owner - $200 Charger Driver/Owner - $100 Crew - $100 If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the NASCAR Member Services Department at 386-310-6300. Thank you for your continued participation in NASCAR. Sincerely, NASCAR Member Services Team NEW
![]() Seekonk Speedway is happy to announce the return of Santoro Oil and Ocean State Oil for the 2023 racing season at the Action Track of the East. Santoro Oil offers various opportunities for you for your home – including new equipment installation, fuel delivery, service and maintenance and more. Established in 1973, Ocean State Oil is now part of the Santoro family of companies that include businesses in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Virginia and North Carolina. Ocean State is the most reliable, efficient and dynamic source for quality lubricants in Southern New England. They are committed to excellence for the customer - and have some of the top employees in the region on their side to make sure you get what you need. The businesses are returning to the track in a big way – with Santoro Oil continuing their billboard on the backstretch, and Ocean State Oil returning as the sponsor of Championship Night for NASCAR Saturday divisions. Ocean State Oil will also continue to have their Victory Lane banner on the midway. “We’re excited to continue to support the Seekonk Speedway and all of their teams and local race fans for the 2023 season,” Anthony Santoro Jr. said. “The Speedway is a great place for local, affordable family fun and we enjoy watching drivers race for trophies and the ultimate goal of the championship each year. We would love to add many of the Speedway family to our customer list and welcome them to reach out to learn more about Santoro Oil, Ocean State Oil and everything we have to offer.” You can learn more about Santoro Oil at SantoroOil.com and learn more about Ocean State Oil at oceanstateoil.com. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest updates. Fast Friday & Saturday Night Championship Events Includes New Four-Week Sunoco Drive For The Cup; |
2023 Seekonk Speedway Event Schedule | |
File Size: | 4910 kb |
File Type: |

Seekonk Speedway announced today the opening of online ticket sales for the holiday season for race fans to purchase for their friends and family! Seekonk Speedway tickets are the perfect stocking stuffer for everyone who loves weekly motorsports right here at the Action Track of the East throughout the summer months.
Seekonk Speedway is committed to keeping ticket prices the same for online purchases for the 2023 season, as we know how difficult these times are for everyone in the economy.
Tickets will be on sale for Friday & Saturday night events — in the form of flex tickets. Opening day is Sunday, May 7 and the first Fast Friday of the season will be May 26.
Fans may purchase tickets to any normal Friday or Saturday race and not have a date on them with flex tickets — you can pick the day you come during the season without being locked in now! Please note these are not eligible for special events like the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour or Thrill Shows.
Online ticket prices for Saturday events will remain at $15, while day of sales will go up to $18 for the 2023 season for normal race events. Tickets for special events are different.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour tickets are $35 online or $38 at the gate on race day. Thrill Show tickets are $25 online or $28 day of at the event. For all Thrill Shows, front gates will open at 2:30PM for those who have online tickets already purchased and 3:30PM for those who need to purchase that day. Shows begins at 5PM for Thrill Shows.
Seekonk Speedway looks forward to releasing the full 2023 schedule as soon as it is complete but would like to begin selling tickets to help you with the perfect holiday gift!
For more information on Seekonk Speedway and to purchase tickets NOW for some of the most exciting action during our 2023 season visit SeekonkSpeedway.com.
The Classic Car Show gives you the perfect reason to start the season at Seekonk Speedway right from the first green flag! Headlining the day before Opening Day, this special show takes place in our front parking lot, showcasing cars from the past & present. While you do, Seekonk’s NASCAR racing divisions take to the track for practice before competitive action begins, with admission free into the grandstands. Fans can also check out a special burnout drags, including a selection of cars from the show, to kick off the afternoon! |
MARK JENISON TURNS DOUBLE DUTY INTO DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIPS on historic night at Seekonk Speedway
9/29/2022
The final division to crown its 2022 champion on the night of the DAV Fall Classic was the Pro Stock division, and 50 laps were allotted for the honors to be won between Mike Brightman, Tom Scully Jr., Mark Jenison, and Rick Martin.
Martin and Jenison had already had themselves a night to remember, both claiming championships earlier in the evening in the Sport Truck and Late Model divisions, respectively, but they were back for a double dose.
Scully was in it to win his second career Pro Stock title, and Brightman set out to become track champion again, having done so in 2005 in the Late Model division.
Brightman was the leader of the playoff drivers in the early running, but a miscue between him and Ryan Vanasse brought out the yellow with 24 laps complete and shuffled both drivers to the tail of the field. Just like that, Jenison was now the cream rising to the top of the playoff drivers with just half distance to go.
Colbey Fournier sat at the point while the battle for the championship raged on his outside and his rear bumper between Jenison and Scully for the next 25 laps. A late caution reracked the field for a five-lap shootout, and just like the Late Model race, Jenison had to make do with the outside.
Scully and Jenison see-sawed for the advantage as Fournier started breaking away for the win. Coming to the checkered, in near spitting-image fashion to the Late Model feature, Scully drove to the bottom underneath Jenison on the absolute edge, sliding up enough to barely tag Jenison to the outside.
“The hair stands on my neck as soon as you say that,” Jenison said when asked about the final turn. “I knew I had to try using the 16 (Fournier) as a pick. I was faster than the 16 and the 2 (Scully) was faster than him, but we’re not racing for the win. We’re racing for the championship. That’s why I rolled up on the outside to keep the 16 down, or else the 2 might be able to get by on the inside.”
This time, Jenison kept the handles on his hot rod, held his speed, and soared across the line ahead of Scully to collect the 2022 Pro Stock Championship.
“I thought for sure we were all gonna be in the wall,” said Jenison. “As soon as I corrected and I knew I hit the line first, I knew I had it… But if he put me in the wall, I never would have lifted. He woulda had to total me to take it from me.”
The moment marked Jenison’s second championship of the night, making him the first driver in the 77-year history of Seekonk Speedway to win two championships in the same season.
“It’s too unreal… still hard to believe.” Jenison said on attaining the feat. “It’s a tribute to the track, and an honor to be the first person to do it. There could be more people to do it. If I can do it from a rusted up, beat up Pro Stock, someone else can do it.”
Jenison had an outpouring of gratitude for track management and ownership in the wake of his two-championship winning weekend. “I can’t stop thanking Ed (St. Germain), Lenny (Ellis), Dave (Alburn), and the Venditti family for all they do to run this track and this season.”
It’s to be expected that Jenison will need some time to let the storybook weekend soak in, but that hasn’t stopped him from planning ahead.
“Coming back to compete in the Late Models is pretty definite, as well as the Pro Stocks,” Jenison commented on his 2023 racing plans. “We still need to figure out how much we’ll commit to one car or the other, but the only way to top two championships in one season is by going for three.”
The Seekonk Late Models were second in line to crown their champion on the night of the Annual DAV Fall Classic. For 40 laps, Gerry DeGasparre, Mark Jenison, Richie Murray, and Chase Belcher all battled through the field to get themselves up front. The final push for the championship sent both fans and drivers flipping.
DeGasparre, the seven-time track champion, including six Late Model titles, was in the hunt to tie Dave Darling for all-time Seekonk Speedway track-champion leader. Belcher and Murray both looked to double their championship totals, adding to their Sport Truck titles from 2015 and 2019, respectively. Jenison was out to earn championship honors for the first time in his career.
Jenison started front most out of his four playoff counterparts, and was pushed by Belcher to race his way by Vinnie Arrenegado, Josh Hedges and Corey Fanning for the race lead. A Lap 21 restart allowed Jenison to get a great jump around Fanning to take over the lead, and Belcher and Murray followed close behind. A last-gas effort by DeGasparre to get around Jacob Burn and Luke Lebrun prevailed, finally catching him up to the three championship challengers.
A Lap 35 caution set up a five-lap shoot out for the ages. The Championship Four fired off, with Belcher and Jenison on the front row, Murray and Degasparre just behind. Jenison had speed on the outside, gradually edging ahead of Belcher as the laps counted down.
Approaching Turns 3 and 4, Jenison and Belcher drove their cars in as hard as their tires could physically handle.
“I started thinking about what was going to happen going into (Turns) 1 and 2, “ Jenison said in the moments leading to the finish. “Once I realized I was too far up in Turn 4, I knew I wasn’t gonna clear the exit, all I could hope is that (Belcher) was gonna give me the room to clear the wall, which would have meant he was gonna lose.”
As the checkered flag waved Belcher slid up into Jenison, pinching him into the wall at such an angle that Jenison was now a passenger in his Late Model which was sliding on its driver’s side door. Both cars grinded across the finishing line, fused at the hip, and coming to a halt in Turn 1.
“Neither one of us can deny it -- we were both on the floor with the gas pedal.” Jenison commented on crossing the line with Belcher. “When I went up on the wall, what propelled me was I was still on the throttle until I stopped. Neither one of us was gonna lift. It was almost a sign of respect, what he did. He knew he had to do that to beat me. If it were me, I would have backed out of it. But he wanted to beat me so bad.”
The championship hung in limbo as safety crews rushed to the scene high on the entrance of Turn 1. According to the timing and scoring system, Belcher had crossed the line first, by .07 seconds. That said, Race Control had a decision to make on whether they felt the action on Belcher’s car off Turn 4 was significant enough to cause the wreck. A decision was made to penalize Belcher for the incident, and complimented by a roar of applause, Jenison’s name was announced over the P.A. system as the 2022 Late Model Champion and feature winner.
“I was in the ambulance getting checked out when the call was made,” Jenison reflected on the moment he learned the result. “ My brother Glen swung the door open and told me ‘Let’s go champ!’ I was in shock. I was like ‘What do you mean?’”
After 24 years of racing, and after many close calls at tracks like Thompson and Star Speedway, the championship marked his first.
While Jenison’s victory was one for the ages, his day at the office was only half done by that point. After being cleared by medical personnel and interviewed on track by Kevin Boucher, Jenison needed to get right back into the zone to compete for his second championship of the night in the Pro Stock Division.

Sport Truck glory was on the line to start the night at the DAV Fall Classic this past weekend. For Rick Martin and Barry Shaw, and Mike Duarte claiming the season title would double their Sport Truck championship count, while Brittany Campbell set out to earn the honor of “champion” for the first time.
With momentum on his side following back-to-back wins, Martin just needed to beat the rest of the Fastest Four for one more week. Duarte fell out of the competition by Lap 4, suffering too much damage to continue after a brief stack up in Turn 2. Only Campbell and Shaw remained to try and deny Martin his sixth career track championship, and Shaw especially proved to be no small hurdle for Martin to clear on his way to the front.
Shaw and Martin raced nose-to-tail in that order, from Lap 16 to Lap 26, escalating to rubbing fenders and tapping bumpers as the laps wore on. When Martin decided it was time to go, he made his No. 14 truck squeeze between the burm and Shaw into Turn 1, sliding up just enough to stall out Shaw’s No. 85 machine. Martin put his foot down and won the inside, and there was nothing Shaw could but watch Martin outpace him for the championship.
“When you’re trying to take the crown from the top dog you don’t expect him to just roll over,” Martin said about the move for the championship. “Me and Barry Shaw had a few pushing matches this year, but nothing but hard racing. We race hard - the way I like it - but always congratulate each other after.”
Coming off yet another marquee year in his illustrious racing career, Martin put together seven feature wins and led the division in points the entire second half of the year in 2022.
“Of course none of it would be possible without the support from sponsors and friends,” Martin said. “ To me, the Seekonk truck division is one of the best divisions around. The racers have more respect for each other than other divisions I've competed in.
Though he’s been racing for more than 40 years, Martin hardly shows signs of slowing down.
“Obviously, I'm towards the end of my racing career, and with age it gets much harder to compete each weekend,” Martin commented. “But when so many people come up to me and say they can't wait already to watch me compete next year, or that they have been a fan since they were a kid, that is what makes all the time and work feel like it has a purpose.”
Martin’s 2022 Sport Truck Championship is his second ever in the division, and combined with his four titles in Seekonk’s Pro Stock division, now owns six total titles, joining the ranks of Vinnie Annarummo, Fred Astle Jr., and Mike Cavallaro.
With momentum on his side following back-to-back wins, Martin just needed to beat the rest of the Fastest Four for one more week. Duarte fell out of the competition by Lap 4, suffering too much damage to continue after a brief stack up in Turn 2. Only Campbell and Shaw remained to try and deny Martin his sixth career track championship, and Shaw especially proved to be no small hurdle for Martin to clear on his way to the front.
Shaw and Martin raced nose-to-tail in that order, from Lap 16 to Lap 26, escalating to rubbing fenders and tapping bumpers as the laps wore on. When Martin decided it was time to go, he made his No. 14 truck squeeze between the burm and Shaw into Turn 1, sliding up just enough to stall out Shaw’s No. 85 machine. Martin put his foot down and won the inside, and there was nothing Shaw could but watch Martin outpace him for the championship.
“When you’re trying to take the crown from the top dog you don’t expect him to just roll over,” Martin said about the move for the championship. “Me and Barry Shaw had a few pushing matches this year, but nothing but hard racing. We race hard - the way I like it - but always congratulate each other after.”
Coming off yet another marquee year in his illustrious racing career, Martin put together seven feature wins and led the division in points the entire second half of the year in 2022.
“Of course none of it would be possible without the support from sponsors and friends,” Martin said. “ To me, the Seekonk truck division is one of the best divisions around. The racers have more respect for each other than other divisions I've competed in.
Though he’s been racing for more than 40 years, Martin hardly shows signs of slowing down.
“Obviously, I'm towards the end of my racing career, and with age it gets much harder to compete each weekend,” Martin commented. “But when so many people come up to me and say they can't wait already to watch me compete next year, or that they have been a fan since they were a kid, that is what makes all the time and work feel like it has a purpose.”
Martin’s 2022 Sport Truck Championship is his second ever in the division, and combined with his four titles in Seekonk’s Pro Stock division, now owns six total titles, joining the ranks of Vinnie Annarummo, Fred Astle Jr., and Mike Cavallaro.
Author
Seekonk Speedway Features stories on the Stars and Cars that race at Seekonk Speedway
Categories
All
Fast Fridays
General Speedway
NASCAR Saturdays
Rules Updates
Special Events
Weekly Racing
Archives
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
April 2021