Lee, NH – One of the biggest racing programs of the year went into the
record books Friday night under the lights at Lee USA Speedway, with the
Roadrunners taking center stage for the running of the David's Race Cars and
Components-sponsored 50-lap shootout.
The Roadrunners put on a beauty of a race, running caution-free from
flag-to-flag in the extra-distance event. Aaron Day took command of the
event early, and he led the first 40 laps with Steve Nichols tagging along
in the second spot.
Tim Boyle had been patiently working his way through the field, and he made
it past Nichols to take a shot at Day with ten to go. Boyle ducked to the
low side heading into turn one, and he completed the pass to take over the
lead.
Once out front, Boyle was unstoppable, cruising the rest of the way to post
the win. Day's efforts netted him a runner-up finish, with Shaun Waites,
Jr., Nichols, Jim Piaseczny, Niko Manyati, Loren Smith, Cris King, Bruce
Knowles, and Torrey Kovalesky rounding out the top ten.
The E Keys 4 Cars NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models were looking
at three feature events on the night, with Bobby Baillargeon, J.R. Baril,
and Pat Floyd taking down the wins.
Baillargeon jumped out to the lead at the drop of the green in the first
race, and he immediately began to open up a comfortable lead. Baril moved
in to challenge at the finish, but Baillargeon held on to score his third
feature win of the season.
Baril was second by a half-car length at the checkers, with Bryan Kruczek,
Jeremy Harclerode, Wayne Helliwell, Jr., Ricky Wolf, Floyd, Jeffrey
Labrecque, Jr., Tom Fuller, and Marc Curtis the rest of the top ten.
In the second feature, Geoff Rollins led the first seven laps before giving
up the top spot to A.J. Begin, but former two-time champion Baril moved past
Begin on lap ten to take his turn out front.
Baril stayed on the point the rest of the way to pick up the win, with
Kruczek bettering his finish from the first race by a position in the second
spot. Third went to Labrecque, with Helliwell, Fuller, Begin, Floyd, Wolf,
and Rollins next across the stripe.
Pat Floyd led the early going in the nightcap, but it looked like it was
over when Begin made his way past to take over. But Floyd dug deep and
charged back to the front, and he went on the collect his first win of the
year.
Begin wound up finishing second, with Helliwell, Labrecque, Fuller, Baril,
Harclerode, Rollins, Kruczek, and Mike Ordway, Jr. closing out the top ten.
Kruczek's night ended with a hard hit in the turn one wall with the checkers
in the air.
The PB Chopper Shop and Rods Small Block Supers ran twice on the night, with
points leader Dan Bowes capturing the first win after running down and
passing early-race leader Billy Osborne.
Osborne put in his best run of the year to finish in the second spot,
followed by Eddie Witkum, Jr., P.J. Stergios, Mike Spurling, Tommy
Tombarello, Jr., Steve Dickey, Jr., Mike Netishen, and Michael Dube, Jr.
Witkum returned to his winning ways in the second race, taking down the
victory over Bowes, Stergios, Tombarello, Osborne, Netishen, Dickey, Dube,
and Spurling, whose night ended in the frontstretch wall.
In the Prime Storage Late Model Sportsmen, it looked like it was going to be
the Grant Aither show once again, but former three-time champion Ron Bolduc
slipped past Aither with the finish in sight to take down the win.
It was Bolduc's first win of the year, with Aither taking down second and
Michele Fushpanski putting in a strong run to checker third. Fourth went to
Jesse Bousquet, with Bill Ahern, Bobby Melvin, Gary Beauregard, Pete Evans,
Timmy Johnson, and Ryan Green fifth through tenth.
Former champion Brian Thompson picked up his first win of the season in the
Planet Aid Hobby Stocks, holding off a tough challenge from Jim Shorey to
post the win aboard the Dennis Soares-wrenched machine.
Another former champ, Bill Fiske collected third place honors, with 2008
titleist Jimmy Russell, Dennis Dumas, Patrick Tanguay, Alby Ovitt, Bobby
Glass, and Keith Walton next in the finishing order.
Points leader Tom "Hulk" Harton grabbed his third win of the year in the
Ironman main, with Don Fortin staying right with him all the way to pick up
his best result of the year in the second spot.
Kevin Emery built a new car after destroying his in a hard wreck the week
before, and he was rewarded with a third place finish for his efforts,
followed by Joe Horvath, Matt Bakutis, Crystal Brown and Matt Lambert.