Lee, NH – The Benson Lumber and Hardware sponsored NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Small Block Supermodifieds took center stage at Lee USA Speedway Friday night, running twin 25-lap feature events with the best combined finish determining the overall winner for the night.
Second-generation racer Mike Ordway, Jr. claimed the win in the first segment, making his first visit to the winner’s circle this year. Wayne Helliwell, Jr. scored runner-up and finished the night out with a win the second race to score the Summer Shootout victory.
Ordway broke to the front early in the first feature, and he went the distance to take the win over Helliwell, Tony Carroll, Butch Valley, Jr., Ben Tinker, Tommy Tombarello, Jr., Dave Sanborn, Matt Seavey, Leslie Keyser, and Dan Martineau, Jr.
In the nightcap, Seavey took the lead early on, and he was still out front when the white flag waved. Meanwhile, Helliwell was making a furious charge to the front, and when Seavey bobbled coming off turn four for the checkers, he inched ahead to nail down his first win of the season.
Seavey, Sanborn, Keyser, Tombarello, Valley, Tinker, Carroll, Matt Riley, and Ordway were the rest of the top ten. After finishing second in the first race, Helliwell’s win gave him the top combined finish, with “Super Dave” Sanborn and Butch Valley, Jr. next in the overall standings.
Tony Kawejsza quickly passed front row starters Kayla Cazares and Timmy Johnson to set the pace in the Prime Storage Late Model Sportsman feature event, hanging on to the top spot until Ron Bolduc took over on lap 12.
Bobby Melvin followed Bolduc to the front, and he immediately began pressuring Bolduc for the lead. Melvin eventually got past, but the lead battle ended with contact in turn three that sent the two spinning, and Ryan Green found himself in the lead when the smoke finally cleared.
Green led the way over the final laps, collecting his second win of the year by a couple of car lengths over Jimmy Renfrew. Third spot went to early leader Kawejsza, with Johnson, Cazares, Melvin, Josh Ball, Mike Mitchell, Michele Fushpanski, and Patrick Stewart the rest of the top ten.
Eric Hoffman was the man to beat in the first half of the David’s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stock feature event, leading the way until starter Bryon Callen showed the crossed flags to the field.
At that point, Steve Douphinette moved past to take over the top spot, and espite a late-race charge by three-time winner Mark Parenteau, he went on to collect the win when Callen showed the field the checkers.
Parenteau settled for a second place finish, with Geoff Rollins, Jim Piaseczny, Brian Thompson, Mike Williams, Steve Dubois, Mike Anderson, Brian DeStefano, and early leader Hoffman rounding out the top ten.
The Ironman division has become Kyle Roy’s playground as the 2011 season heads into the championship drive, and Friday night was no different; with the track’s winningest driver rolling to his fifth feature event win of the year.
Kale Billings was out front until Roy caught him at the white flag, slipping to the low side and making the pass that led to the win. Billings, Troy Washburn, Jake Rheaume, and Danielle Simoneau rounded out the top five.