PIT PARTY, FAN APPRECIATION, PROVIDENCE BRUINS, FAST FRIDAY UPCOMING AS SEEKONK CLOSES REGULAR SEASON

SEEKONK, Mass. — Seekonk Speedway will close the final page on the regular season this weekend. On Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday, drivers will compete to earn their spots in the Sunoco Drive For The Cup championship chase, coming up in September. The top-six drivers in the point standings for all nine Seekonk Speedway divisions will advance at the end of this weekend.


Fast Friday begins at 7 p.m., and includes all five Friday night divisions battling it out. On NASCAR Saturday, fans will want to get to the track early - with the Pit Party set to roll from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the pit area. The racing will begin at 6 p.m., as usual.


Fans will be able to come into the pits and meet and greet with the stars and cars of the Action Track of the East, which will include some of the Fast Friday teams in attendance. It’s truly a perfect night for a fan - as the annual Fans on Parade will take place during intermission after heat races. Fans can create signs, wear t-shirts, hats, etc., and take a walk around the track in a group with the others who are supporting their favorite driver. Awards will be given out for the best group for each division.


Also on Saturday, the Providence Bruins come to town as part of Fan Appreciation night.


The story going into the weekend will not only include the battle for race wins, but also the battle for the bonus points going into the playoff for the points leader at the end of the night, and the cutoff for who advances to battle for the championship and who misses out. The driver who leads the points at the end of the night will earn three bonus points towards the playoffs. The top-six in each division in general will advance.


The Pro Stock championship field is pretty much set. Locked in, Bobby Pelland III, Vinnie Arrenegado, Mark Jenison, Dylan Estrella and Colbey Fournier will all advance. In the final spot right now is Mike Brightman, who holds a lead of 28 points over Dick Benoit. With a solid night on Saturday, Brightman will advance to contend with the other five to battle for the championship. However, Benoit will go down swinging. Pelland leads Arrenegado by eight and Jenison by 23 for the bonus points at the top of the standings. The Pro Stocks will go for 40 laps this Saturday night.


The Late Model championship battle going into the final weekend of the regular season only sees two drivers locked in. Charlie Rose leads Jacob Burns by 14 points at the top, chasing the bonus points. Both of those drivers are the only two currently locked in. In third, after two strong weeks, Connor Souza has 383 points, while Chase Belcher is fourth with 380 and Richie Murray fifth with 377. Right now, former champion Mark Jenison holds the final spot, leading by just seven points over Luke Lebrun, who had mechanical trouble last week. Rookie of the Year contender Andrew Gomes still has a shot to get in as well - just 22 points from the cut. Expect Lebrun to rebound from a tough night last week and try to shove his way back in. The Late Model battle will go down to the wire in their 30-lap feature.


Helger’s Sportsman competition has just two drivers locked in going into the weekend. Leader Colby Lambert and Adam Pettey will battle for the championship this year, and Lambert has already earned himself the 3 bonus points. Josh Hedges is third with 355, while Tyler Almeida is fourth with 352 and Jimmy “Pepe” Silvia in fifth with 335. Scott Serydynski Jr. holds the final spot with 331, but is TIED with Doug Benoit. The tiebreaker is wins - and Serydynski has one so far this season, while Benoit has yet to get to Victory Lane. A tie for the final spot going into Saturday’s 25-lap feature?! Look out, this one is going to be good! The drivers just above the cutline, like Silvia, are not out of the woods, either. The Sportsman go for 25 exciting laps again this week.


The story in the Chaz’s Auto Body Sport Trucks going into Saturday’s 25-lap feature sees Mike Duarte leading Rick Martin by 16 points for the bonus points at the top. Martin has 418, while Tim Bolger Jr in third has 410. All three of them are locked in as they run. Jake Vanada (399), Amy Arsenault (391) and Mike Cavallaro (380) round out the field as they run. Cavallaro had a few strong weeks to pad a bit of an advantage over the rest of the competition. However, Darryl Church in seventh is only 27 points back, while DJ Thibeault is 33 points out. This one will also go right down to the end of the 25-lap feature on Saturday night.


On Fast Friday, the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars battle at the top for the bonus points will go down to the final laps of the 25-lap feature. Jacob “Rowdy” Burns is coming off another win last week and leads by 12 points on Josh Parsons, just six positions on the track. Richie Helger Jr is also only 22 points behind. Those three drivers are locked in and will battle for the title no matter what. In fourth, Chase Silvia is feeling comfortable with 362 -- 42 points ahead of the cutline. By taking the green, he will essentially lock up his spot. Mason Tessier is in good shape as well with 356, leading by 36 over the cutline. In the final spot, after missing last week, Brendan LaBelle has 320 points. He is ahead of Rodney Dowless Jr. by just six spots for the final position in the Playoff battle. Can Dowless get in? Or will LaBelle finish the job and advance?


The Helger’s Pure Stock field sees Mike Henriques up by just eight points on Brent Robidoux for the lead and bonus points heading into the playoffs. Henriques and Robidoux are locked in for the crown contention, along with Ethan Souza and Jared Cordeira, who currently ride third and fourth. In fifth, Bobby Bettencourt III with 332 and Danny Massa, the Everett’s Triple Crown champion and recent winner, are tied with 332 points. They are rather comfortable over former champion Greg Perry, who has 306. With Perry behind by 26 points, he will need those two to have an off night if he wants to advance. But, the 25-lap feature will tell the story.


In the Sport 4 class, Matt Pion has 398 points at the top, hoping to seal the bonus points with Richie Johnson just 10 back and Tyler Duhancik only 14 back. Either way, all three of them will race for the title. Justin Leduc with 342 is in the fourth spot, followed by Taylor Bowser and Crystal Murray, who are currently tied for fifth and sixth spots. Murray leads by 30 over Henry Lavallee for the final position. As long as Murray and Bowser have solid weeks, will be tough for Lavallee to sneak in.


The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandit field is set to roll. David Bernier leads by six points on Mason Silva and 12 on Luka Dib for the top and bonus points, but those three, along with Ayla Martin, Jase Chaber and Carl Satterlund Jr. will advance and contend for the title in September.


In the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaws, Bryson Robidoux leads by 12 points over Parker Davis and 20 points over Nick Uhrig Jr. Robidoux and Davis are locked in, and Uhrig looks comfortable, up by nearly 50 points. Behind them, it begins to tighten up some. Brody Wakefield has 382 in fourth, with Ryder Aguiar at 360 in fifth and Allyha DeSomma with 344 in sixth and the final spot. Right now, she leads by just two points over Mike Hanafin. Zacarias Kelley is only 14 points behind going into the weekend. The battle for the final spot is on with Seekonk’s second youngest group of drivers!


A full schedule for both nights of racing can be found online at SeekonkSpeedway.com under the race day info tab. For more information and tickets to upcoming events at Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates.