It’s time for a high-speed Fast Friday championship night at Seekonk Speedway! Race fans - expect thrilling action as all five divisions have a Final Four but only one driver in each division will come out as CHAMPION!
Due to some weather expected to possibly impact the area tonight, the Fast Friday show will swiftly move along. This means that post-race, only the race winner and 2023 track champion will be available for interviews at the start/finish line. We will not be interviewing second and third tonight to make sure we move the show along and stay away from weather. Seekonk Speedway will make every effort to run tonight’s full program. If a feature is started and can’t be completed, but is past halfway, the race will be deemed complete and the winner will be the leader at that point. In this case, the champion would be the furthest ahead of the Final Four cars in the running order. In the event of a race not being completed tonight (either not started or less than halfway) the season is over for that division. The champion in the event of a rainout will be the driver with the most overall season points of remaining playoff cars. Race fans - we know emotions will be high after winners and champions will be crowned - and we know many of you will want to celebrate with your families and friends. We ask you to please refrain from going down on the track except close family and crew post-race. The Fan Zone Victory Lane in Turn 4 will be open for all winners and champions to take as many pictures as they would like after they come off the track. We encourage you to join them there for the celebration. In a tough year of weather, Seekonk Speedway looks forward to crowning Fast Friday champions tonight. We appreciate the support of teams, competitors and especially our dedicated fans all year. Let’s go racing on D. Anthony Venditti Fall Classic Friday!
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As a reminder, the NASCAR Massachusetts State Champion will be determined during our championship night. The points from championship night will count towards determining the state champion. The updated points for Division I Massachusetts points are below. https://www.myracepass.com/sanctions/1013/points/regions/2023/24520?fbclid=IwAR383u_V9Yp3hOBl-2ofEiW0We67ncmTO0ygRv3ODfytMJGBWM7rD7B0D3c SEEKONK, Mass. — The final Fast Friday of the Seekonk Speedway season will take place this Friday, September 29. Not only will track champions be crowned in five divisions as part of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, the final event of the night will be a 30-lap Pure Stock special - but not with the normal Pure Stock drivers.
After they run their normal championship event, drivers will step out of their rides and hand them to NASCAR Saturday or INEX Legends Cars drivers — one of their choice. Currently, as of this release, 15 teams have planned to compete, most of them with drivers lined up already. Some of the drivers who plan to race in the event include Ryan Vanasse, multiple-time Late Model champion Gerry DeGasparre Jr., Jacob “Rowdy” Burns, Mike Brightman, Colby Lambert, Mike Rotondo, Richie Helger Jr. and Dick Benoit. One of the surprises in the field is former multiple-time Pro Stock champion Fred Astle Jr., who will sit behind the wheel of the No. 30, normally driven by Ethan Souza. He hasn’t been behind the wheel of a Pro Stock for a few years, but his abilities are clear, and it’s going to be something fans will not want to miss when he gets back behind the wheel this Friday night. The event will be sponsored by Spring Villa Memory Care. Located in West Warwick, Rhode Island, Spring Villa is an assisted living residence specializing in Dementia, Alzheimers and Memory Care. The CEO of the business is Craig Pianka — the defending NASCAR Saturday Sportsman champion. Pianka will also be contending in the Final Four of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup to try and win another title this Saturday night. “I think it’s awesome to have some of the NASCAR Saturday and Legends Cars drivers race in the Pure Stocks,” Pianka said. “Not only are they able to earn their car owner some cash, they may even be able to give feedback on the handling and have some fun. We’re happy to partner with Seekonk to sponsor this special race.” Seekonk Speedway has matched the purse put up by Spring Villa. As of this writing, $1,000 will be distributed to car owners who allow their car to be run with a driver in the event. The Pure Stock that is on the track for the “WTF” race must have been competing at Seekonk this season for at least a minimum of two races and must run the championship points race on that night first. This event is one the fans will not want to miss. Current team numbers running, with driver if they have one: 0 - DRIVER TBD 03 - DRIVER TBD 1 - Jacob Burns 5 - Mike Brightman 15 - Colby Lambert 18 - Kaleb Marcou 21 - Driver TBD 26 - Colbey Fournier 30 - Fred Astle Jr 37 - Mike Rotondo 41 - Richie Helger Jr 73 - Ryan Vanasse 77 - Gerry DeGasparre Jr. 83 - Driver TBD 95 - Dick Benoit For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates, including from the track on championship weekend. After a long season of racing, interrupted by Mother Nature many times along the way, Seekonk Speedway will crown 2023 track champions this Friday and Saturday as part of D.A.V. Fall Classic weekend. On Friday, September 29, the Fall Classic will include championship events for the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and Outlaws, the Everett’s Auto Parts Sport 4s, Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks and Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars. On NASCAR Saturday, the Pro Stocks, Late Models, Helger’s Sportsman and Chaz’s Auto Body Sport Trucks will all run their season-finale. The championship four drivers are now set in all divisions. The highest finishing of the Final Four in each race this weekend will be the 2023 track champion. In the Pro Stocks, the Final Four will be made up of Mike Brightman, Bobby Pelland III, Mark Jenison and Tom Scully Jr. All track champions in their history, Brightman and Pelland have Late Model crowns, while Jenison is the defending Pro Stock champion and Scully won the title in 2016. The Late Model Final Four will be made up of Vinnie Arrenegado, Mark Jenison, Jacob Burns and Charlie Rose. The top four seeds entering the playoffs have advanced to the finals and are ready to contend for the crown. Arrenegado and Jenison both have Late Model titles to their credit at Seekonk. Burns has been the dominant force through the first two races of the playoffs, sweeping both, and Rose came close to snagging last week’s win and is the most veteran of the group. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Final Four includes Adam Pettey, Craig Pianka, Steve Axon and Ryan Lineham. When you talk about veterans, you make up the Final Four. Axon, Pianka and Lineham are all former champions, with Pianka winning in this format last year. Pettey has been the most consistent of the whole division this year and now has the chance to make himself a champion. The Chaz Auto Body Sport Truck Final Four also comes down to drivers who were the top four seeds at the end of the regular season. Rick Martin, Jake Vanada, Brittany Campbell and Amy Arsenault have all advanced. Martin, Vanada and Campbell all have multiple wins this season. Arsenault advanced to the Final Four off consistency. On Fast Friday, the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and Outlaws completed their Final Four last Friday night. In the Bandits, Nick Uhrig Jr., Sam Macedo, Parker Davis and Mason Silva make up the final round. All but Silva have won this year, with Davis on a roll, sweeping the first three playoff events. Macedo is the defending champion, Uhrig is the fan favorite. And Silva, sneaking his way in, could spoil the party for all of them.
In the Outlaws, Ryan Vanasse Jr.’s dominant season will come down to one week in the quest for a title. He will be joined by Collin Vanasse, his cousin, Brent Robidoux and Andrew Gomes. With competitive action all around the track in Seekonk’s youth racing divisions, these may be some of the most exciting championship events to watch. The Sport 4 championship looks like it may run through Crystal Murray, as the defending champion rocketed to the front again last week and has victories in two of three playoff races. She will be joined by regular season top contender and multiple-time winner Jarrod Freitas, former Thrill Show standout who is now racing on Fast Friday Richie Johnson, and multiple-time Sport 4 champion Mikey LeFort. The Helger’s Pure Stocks saw the shock of Scott Cestodio, the number one seed, being eliminated last week. He was joined by Mike Henriques in the group where championship hopes were over. That leaves Ethan Souza, Danny Massa, Jared Cordeira and Greg Perry to battle for the championship. All of them are worthy of getting to this point, but all eyes might be on Perry - who started off slow this season - but has come into the playoffs hot and is the most recent winner. In Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars competition, the top four seeds have advanced. Jacob Burns, Isaiah Newcomb, Richie Helger Jr and Nicholaus Bulkeley are the four who will contend for the crown. All of them have won this year, Newcomb the most of anyone. Bulkeley scored his first and second career win, while Helger visited Victory Lane for the first time in his career. Burns enters championship weekend with a chance to win titles in both the Legends Cars and Late Models. Remember - there is still a battle for the checkered flag in each respective race - even if they are not playoff drivers. On Fast Friday, the Bandolero divisions will remain at 15 laps - but the Sport 4, Pure Stock and Legend Cars races will all be 30 laps. On NASCAR Saturday, the Pro Stocks will run 50 laps, while the Late Models run 40. The Sport Trucks and Sportsman will compete in 35-lap events. Friday night racing begins at 7PM and Saturday night action goes green at 6PM. Seekonk Speedway’s championship weekend will take place on September 29-30. Tickets for both nights, the final The championship four drivers are now set in all Seekonk Speedway divisions, as the track prepares for D. Anthony Venditti Fall Classic championship weekend on September 29-30. The Fast Friday championship four was set on Friday, September 22, with eliminations occurring during racing events. With Mother Nature impacting the show on September 23, cancelling NASCAR Saturday, the final four is decided based off remaining playoff cars seeding in the way they entered the first round of the playoffs. The seeding was determined based off point standings at the end of the weekend of August 25-26 (Regular Season). Every lap, every heat race and every feature mattered during the entire season. In the Pro Stocks, the Final Four will be made up of Mike Brightman, Bobby Pelland III, Mark Jenison and Tom Scully Jr. All track champions in their history, Brightman and Pelland have Late Model crowns, while Jenison is the defending Pro Stock champion and Scully won the title in 2016. Eliminated from contention due to the rain are Dick Benoit and Mike Rotondo. Benoit had quite the impressive run in the Pro Stocks this year in the Danny Cabral Racing mount, coming close to contending for the title with multiple top podium runs. Rotondo, in his Rookie season, drove the Rollie Lindblad No. 48 special to multiple strong runs himself. The Late Model Final Four will be made up of Vinnie Arrenegado, Mark Jenison, Jacob Burns and Charlie Rose. The top four seeds entering the playoffs have advanced to the finals and are ready to contend for the crown. Arrenegado and Jenison both have Late Model titles to their credit at Seekonk. Burns has been the dominant force through the first two races of the playoffs, sweeping both, and Rose came close to snagging last week’s win and is the most veteran of the group. Eliminated due to rain are Chase Belcher and Connor Souza. Belcher had a year filled with ups and downs, while Souza scored his first career win in 2023. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Final Four includes Adam Pettey, Craig Pianka, Steve Axon and Ryan Lineham. When you talk about veterans, you make up the Final Four. Axon, Pianka and Lineham are all former champions, with Pianka winning in this format last year. Pettey has been the most consistent of the whole division this year and now has the chance to make himself a champion. Eliminated in the Sportsman were Randy Moretti and Don Perry. The Chaz Auto Body Sport Truck Final Four also comes down to drivers who were the top four seeds at the end of the regular season. Rick Martin, Jake Vanada, Brittany Campbell and Amy Arsenault have all advanced. Martin, Vanada and Campbell all have multiple wins this season. Arsenault advanced to the Final Four off consistency. Eliminated in the Trucks are Bobby Tripp and Mike Cavallaro — two drivers that won this season in years filled with ups and downs. On Fast Friday, the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and Outlaws completed their Final Four on Friday night. In the Bandits, Nick Uhrig Jr., Sam Macedo, Parker Davis and Mason Silva make up the final round. All but Silva have won this year, with Davis on a roll, sweeping the first three playoff events. Macedo is the defending champion, Uhrig is the fan favorite. And Silva, sneaking his way in, could spoil the party for all of them. In the Outlaws, Ryan Vanasse Jr.’s dominant season will come down to one week in the quest for a title. He will be joined by Collin Vanasse, his cousin, Brent Robidoux and Andrew Gomes. With competitive action all around the track in Seekonk’s youth racing divisions, these may be some of the most exciting championship events to watch. Eliminated on Friday were Mike Hanafin from the Bandits and Bryson Robidoux from the Outlaws. The Sport 4 championship looks like it may run through Crystal Murray, as the defending champion rocketed to the front again this week and has victories in two of three playoff races. She will be joined by regular season top contender and multiple-time winner Jarrod Freitas, former Thrill Show standout who is now racing on Fast Friday Richie Johnson, and multiple-time Sport 4 champion Mikey LeFort. This may be one of the toughest divisions to pick a champion. Christine Cavallaro and Daniel Hayes were eliminated on Friday. The Helger’s Pure Stocks saw the shock of Scott Cestodio, the number one seed, being eliminated. He was joined by Mike Henriques in the group where championship hopes were over. That leaves Ethan Souza, Danny Massa, Jared Cordeira and Greg Perry to battle for the championship. All of them are worthy of getting to this point, but all eyes might be on Perry - who started off slow this season - but has come into the playoffs hot and is the most recent winner. In Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars competition, the top four seeds have advanced. Jacob Burns, Isaiah Newcomb, Richie Helger Jr and Nicholaus Bulkeley are the four who will contend for the crown. All of them have won this year, Newcomb the most of anyone. Bulkeley scored his first and second career win, while Helger visited Victory Lane for the first time in his career. Burns enters championship weekend with a chance to win titles in both the Legends Cars and Late Models. Eliminated in the Legends were Brendan LaBelle and Josh Parsons. Seekonk Speedway’s championship weekend will take place on September 29-30. Tickets for both nights, the final short-track racing of the season, are available online at SeekonkSpeedway.com. Fans are encouraged to follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Defending Seekonk Sport 4 champion Crystal Murray picked up her third win of the season on Friday night, cementing her spot in the championship four to chase the crown next week. Murray passed Justin Leduc in the final laps, taking the lead for the final time with three laps to go and never looking back. Murray will be one of four drivers battling for the title next week, as she looks for back-to-back in the Sport 4 division.
Leduc finished second after leading the first 22 laps, another strong run for him. Tyler Duhancik started at the back and charged through the whole field to finish in third, while Richie Johnson and Sam Mattera finished fourth and fifth. Mikey LeFort, Henry Lavallee, Jarrod Freitas, Daniel Hayes and Jacob Budznya finished off the top-10. The championship four in the Sport 4’s will be Murray, LeFort, Freitas and Johnson. Eliminated on Friday night were Hayes and Christine Cavallaro. The finale of the 2023 Seekonk Sport 4 season will take place on Friday, September 29, where the 2023 champion will be crowned. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Three races down in the Sunoco Drive For The Cup in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and three wins for Parker Davis in 2023.
The young driver added another victory to his 2023 season on Friday, winning the 15-lap feature and rolling his way into the championship four to battle for the title next week. Davis had put together quite the second half of the year, and will have a chance to end the entire year on top in the season-finale. Luka Dib scored his best career finish in second, after leading many laps in the middle of the race. Sam Macedo finished in third, while Nick Uhrig Jr was fourth and Mason Silva rounded out the top-five. Jace Chaber, David Bernier, Mike Hanafin, Carl Satterlund Jr and Alya Martin completed the top-10. Advancing to the championship four in the Bandits will be Davis, Macedo, Uhrig and Silva. Mike Hanafin was eliminated on Friday night. The finale of the 2023 Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandit season will take place on Friday, September 29, where the 2023 champion will be crowned. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Collin Vanasse jumped out front early in Friday’s 15-lap Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaw feature and never looked back. Vanasse drove the No. 78 into Victory Lane for another win this season, but this one was a big one. It helped Collin lock his spot in the championship four to battle for the big trophy next week in the season-finale.
Ryan Vanasse Jr., his cousin, followed him to the line in the runner-up spot at the finish. Andrew Gomes was third, while Mikey LeFort III and Brent Robidoux followed in positions four and five. Bryson Robidoux, Ben Moribito, Nathan Rioux, Zachary Keith and Dylan Calabro completed the top-10. The championship four in the Bandolero Outlaws will be Collin Vanasse, Ryan Vanasse Jr, Gomes and Brent Robidoux. Bryson Robidoux was eliminated on Friday night from championship contention. The finale of the 2023 Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaw season will take place on Friday, September 29, where the 2023 champion will be crowned. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Greg Perry didn’t let a tough start to his 2023 season slow him down. In the second half of the year, Perry now has three feature wins, including Friday night, this time locking himself into the championship four in the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks. Perry used the outside lane to get out front and drove away in the final laps to score another feature win on Friday night, September 22. Jared Cordeira charged through the field with Perry to finish in the runner-up spot. Sam Lincoln finished in third, while Ethan Souza and Danny Massa followed in the fourth and fifth spots at the finish. Mike Henriques, Scott Cestodio, Josh O’Hara, Don Courtemanche and Jason Holdsworth completed the top-10. Advancing to the championship four in the Pure Stocks are Perry, Cordeira, Souza and Massa. Eliminated from contention on Friday night were Mike Henriques and Scott Cestodio. The finale of the 2023 Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stock season will take place on Friday, September 29, where the 2023 champion will be crowned. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Nicholaus Bulkeley entered Friday night in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars with one goal: advancing to the championship four next week. After 25 laps, he was celebrating more than just advancing. Bulkeley took the lead on lap nine and led the remainder of the distance to pick up his second career win. Along with the win came the championship four berth he was looking for and he will contend for the title next week. PJ Evans crossed the line second at the finish, but didn’t pass post-race inspection. That moved Isaiah Newcomb to second, with Richie Helger Jr in third. Jacob Burns and Josh Parsons finished the top-five spots. They were followed by Mason Tessier, Nick Lascuola, Trent Goodrow, Chase Silvia and Corey Martin in the rest of the top-10. The championship four in the Legends Cars will include Bulkeley, Newcomb, Helger and Burns. Eliminated from contention on Friday night were Parsons and Brendan LaBelle. The finale of the 2023 Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars season will take place on Friday, September 29, where the 2023 champion will be crowned. 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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