Lee, NH – Over forty race teams hauled into the Lee USA Speedway over the
weekend, hoping to secure a starting spot for the prestigious season-opening
American Canadian Tour New Hampshire Governors Cup 150.
Drivers from all over New England as well as two Canadian provinces were on
hand for the action, but when checkers waved, it was home-stater Brad
Leighton of Center Harbor taking home the Governor's Cup win.
Defending race winner Joey Pole of nearby Hudson was in the hunt all race
long, but Leighton put him in his rear-view mirror with some 20 laps
remaining, and he led the balance of the event to score the win.
The win also sent Leighton the first invitation to the big ACT Invitational
race to be held on the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September,
a race that will feature the best ACT has to offer.
Following Pole across the stripe, was Scott Payea, who ran a solid race from
flag to flag to grab third, with hometown favorite Eddie MacDonald closing
out the top five ahead of former Lee USA champion Ricky Wolf, who wound up
sixth.
John Donohue was scored seventh ahead of another former Lee USA champ, Wayne
Helliwell, Jr., followed by teammates Brian Hoar and Mike Olsen, who started
the race on the front row.
Defending champion Eddie Witkum, Jr. was a heavy favorite to win when the
Small Block Supers took to the asphalt for their feature event, but he had a
few problems and finished slightly off his usual blistering pace.
Mike Netishen jumped out to the early lead when starter Bryon Callen
unfurled the green, but he quickly gave way to Justin Belfiore, who moved
the Tom Tombarello, Jr. machine to take a turn out front.
Just past halfway, Bowes made his move, and he never looked back on the way
to victory lane. Belfiore finished second, while Witkum checkered third,
with Danny Lane and Mike Spurling rounding out the top five.
In Late Model Sportsman/Super Street main event action, second-generation
racer Nick Gravel bolted out to the early lead, moving out to a healthy
advantage while the pack sorted out behind him.
Lee Weldy held down the second spot in the early going, but Grant Aither
took over that position before they reached the crossed flags, and he was
headed to the front.
Aither ran down leader Gravel and quickly completed the pass, and the race
was his to lose from there. Aither pulled away to a comfortable lead, and
he held it until the checkers to score the win.
Gravel held on for a solid runner-up finish, with Weldy, Sandy Lee, Jimmy
Renfrew, "Piranha Pete" Evans, Gary Beauregard, Cory Robert, Jesse Bousquet,
and Geoff Rollins the rest of the top ten.
Dennis Dumas led the Hobby Stocks around to take the green for their feature
event, but he was quickly knocked off the point by Eric Hoffman, and Jimmy
Renfrew followed him to the front.
At the end of the fourth lap, Renfrew made his move on Hoffman, and he came
away with the lead. Hoffman gave chase the rest of the way, but Renfrew
held on to score the inaugural win of the season.
Hoffman took home runner-up honors, with Chris Titcomb taking a hard-earned
third. Titcomb's car was badly damaged in qualifying on Saturday, but his
crew got it back in race shape in time for the feature. Dumas and Bobby
Glass finished up the top five.
There was a strong field of Roadrunner/4 cylinder/Mini Stocks on hand for
their 20-lap feature event, but there was nobody stronger than defending
Roadrunner champ Ricky Porter, Jr.
Cris King led the first lap of the main, with veteran Loren Smith next to
take a turn out front. Emerson Cayer slipped past Smith to become the third
leader of the race, but he couldn't hold off the hard-charging Porter.
Porter took it to the outside to make the pass on Cayer, and he was off to
the races after that. Porter pulled away by a couple of car lengths, and he
stayed out front the rest of the way to score the victory. Cayer, Niko
Manyati, Jim Piaseczny, and Smith were the rest of the top five.
Next Saturday, April 25th is the final test and tune session for all
divisions with a rain date of Sunday the 26th, and the weekly Friday night
season gets underway a week later on May 1. For more information, log on to
www.leeusaspeedway.com, or call the speedway office at 978-462-4252.