WHAT TO WATCH FOR ON D.A.V. CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

Seekonk Speedway D.A.V. Championship weekend is here! As the 2024 weekly racing season closes this weekend, the 2024 champions will be crowned in all nine Seekonk divisions, starting on Fast Friday and ending with NASCAR Saturday. 


Here are a few things to keep in mind going into the weekend…. 


FINAL FOUR


The Final Four drivers in each division earned their spot in the championship race through what ended up being two Sunoco Drive For The Cup playoff events. Mother Nature impacted the third playoff race, cancelling the action. 


A playoff points format was used. At the end of August, the top six drivers in the championship standings advanced to the playoffs. The leader of the standings at that point was awarded 3 bonus points, everyone else started with 0. Points were given at the end of the two playoff feature events with 6 going to the highest finishing playoff car, 5 to the next, 4 to the next, etc. At the end of the three weeks (rain cancelled week 3) the highest four playoff point totals advanced into the Final Four. If there was a tie for the Final Four position, the driver who was highest in the whole season points total advanced into the Final Four.


In the feature racing on D.A.V. Championship weekend, whoever finishes ahead of the other three in the race will become their respective division champion. 


SPECIAL NASCAR SATURDAY FINAL FOUR TIME TRIAL KICKS OFF THE SHOW


On NASCAR Saturday, the Final Four contenders will kick-off the night by running one-by-one time trials. Only the Final Four drivers will time trial. The order in which they time trial from fastest to slowest will be the order in which they start the feature race. In order for a driver to start in their spot they earned, they must qualify inside the handicap through heat races. Similarly, if a driver misses the handicap in the heat race, they will start wherever they fall in line based on their heat race finish. The NASCAR Saturday time trial will take place at the start of the program at 6 p.m., followed by all heat races and feature action. 


LAP COUNTS


The lap counts for feature racing for D.A.V. Championship weekend are higher. On Fast Friday, both Bandolero divisions will still run 15 laps. However, the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars, Helger’s Pure Stocks and Sport 4 divisions will run 30 lap feature races. On NASCAR Saturday, the Pro Stocks will run 50 laps, while the Late Models will run 40, and the Helger’s Sportsman and Chaz’s Auto Body Sport Trucks will run 35 lap events. 


WALL OF FAME CEREMONY SET FOR SATURDAY


Radical Rick Martin, who is racing for a third straight Sport Truck title this season, Skid Sorterup and current track announcer Kevin Boucher will be enshrined onto Seekonk Speedway Wall of Fame this Saturday night, September 28, on D.A.V. championship night.


The induction ceremony will begin at 5:15 p.m., leading right into the Final Four time trial and qualifying heat races at 6 p.m.


With 50 years of competition, Rick has been to Victory Lane over 110 times at Seekonk Speedway, along with 7 championships as a driver, with one more as a car owner.  Over the time of his career, Rick has been one of the most exciting competitors to compete. From the first time he raced in 1975, his fan base started to grow. Today, they continue to be among the most loyal at the speedway. His first win came on May 12, 1979 in the Late Model division, his first of two  on the season. From there, he moved into the Pro Stocks in 1980, picking up his first win in ‘82, on the final night of points competition. While the winning continued through the decade, it wasn’t until 1991 that he picked up his first championship, driving for Ray Manfredo and Dan Sweeney. He picked up his second Pro Stock title in 1996, and followed that up in ‘98 and ‘99, driving for Gil Lopes. In 2000, he competed against his own car, and watched Fred Astle Jr. pick up the championship over himself. Over the next several years, Rick would travel the Northeast, competing with the now defunct North East Pro Stock Association and then with the Pro All Stars Series, winning at tracks like White Mountain Motorsports Park and Riverside Speedway in Groveton, New Hampshire. Whenever his schedule allowed, he would return to his home track and put on a show for the fans. Later in the decade, he returned to weekly competition, coming back in the Sport Trucks, and returning to his winning ways. In 2010, he picked up the Truck title, his first of three titles, including back to back in 2022 and 2023. In August of 2021, Rick picked up his 100th career win at Seekonk, in a tight battle, edging out Tom Scully Jr. Since then, he has added another dozen wins at Seekonk. 


In the early 1940s, even before Seekonk Speedway was built, Skid Sorterup spent time with D. Anthony Venditti. Together, with Rusty Rushton, Anthony made his dream a reality. Anthony would use them both for a sounding board, but more importantly, they were by his side each step of the way. When the speedway was opened in 1946, Skid made sure he was there to support his friend. He competed briefly, but it was as a car owner that he found more success. When the speedway transitioned from the open cockpit midgets to the jalopies of the early 50’s, Skid was running his car with drivers such as Don Hall behind the wheel. Fords were at the forefront, and his was one of the quickest around the ¼ oval. But he wanted more. The Fords at the time were running a single front axle beam. Skid had an idea. He built a Ford coach with an independent front suspension. After a couple of races, and some adjustments and tweaks, he found his coach among the best cars. He was the first to try the independent front suspension when everyone else was utilizing the single front axle setup. It was that type of innovation, and his close ties with D Anthony, that helped set him apart from his peers. A mechanic by trade, his innovations and ideas over the years made him one of the early pioneers of the sport outside of the cockpit. His devotion to the sport and the speedway made his name legendary at Seekonk. 


For over 40 years, Kevin Boucher has been part of the family at Seekonk Speedway. From his first job as a runner for lineups to today, Saturday’s have been spent at The Action Track of the East. As a young fan, and the son of championship car owner Ernie Boucher, the passion has overflowed since the early days. He has worked in various forms through his youth. Selling programs in his early teens, to working on the wrecker crew for several years, working in the novelty stand, and then into the announcers booth. In addition, Kevin has been Race Director and Pit Steward, giving him an insight into the behind the scenes part of race night, helping him bring that insight to his style of announcing. He was behind the Wall of Fame from the beginning, honoring the men and women who built the foundation of the Seekonk Speedway. He was part of the 60 Years of Stars that celebrated the 60th anniversary of the track in 2005. For 30 years, he has been the man on the mic, entertaining the fans with his conversationalist style. His knowledge of the history of the speedway and its competitors and teams has been a big part of his style, making sure they aren’t forgotten. His relationships with the fans and the teams are what continues to drive him to putting his heart into his job each week. 


WTF RACE ON FAST FRIDAY


At the end of the regularly scheduled program on Friday night, the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF) race returns, set for 30 laps. The WTF race, powered by Gerry’s General Maintenance and Spring Villa Memory Care, gives Helger’s Pure Stock competitors the chance to have a NASCAR Saturday or INEX Legends Cars competitor drive their car for a special, fun event. This race continues to grow each year. Last year, Gerry DeGasparre Jr., Charlie Rose and Fred Astle - three championship names that need no introduction - battled for the win. This fun event will conclude the Fast Friday season and the roster for the race is already filling up. DeGasparre, Rose and Astle will all be back in competition. Names like former track champions Mike Brightman, Kyle Casper and others are on the roster sheet. 


RAIN DATES


In the event Mother Nature doesn’t play nice on championship weekend, rain dates of October 4 (Fast Friday) and October 5 (NASCAR Saturday) are in place. If both this weekend and the rain dates were to rain out, the season is over. The champion would be the highest of the Final Four drivers in the overall Seekonk season point standings to that point.


Seekonk Speedway D.A.V. Championship weekend takes place on Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28. For tickets and more information on the event, fans can visit SeekonkSpeedway.com - specifically the race day info page - for schedules and more. As always, follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates.