Lee, NH – The chase for the 2011 championships continued at Lee USA Speedway on Friday night, with Tony Carroll taking down the win in the Benson Lumber and Hardware-sponsored NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Small Block Supermodified feature event.
Carroll was running the main event in memory of his car owner, Paul Brown, who had passed away earlier in the week after a lengthy battle with illness. The extra motivation was just what the doctor ordered, as Carroll went flag to flag to score his first win of the year.
Sparky MacIver was next across the stripe, with “Super Dave” Sanborn, point leader Wayne Helliwell, Jr., defending champion Tommy Tombarello, Jr., Bryan Kruczek, Ben Tinker, Moe Lattime, and Mike Spurling the remainder of the top ten.
Several lead changes highlighted the Prime Storage Late Model Sportsman feature event, but when all was said and done, J.R. Baril rolled into victory lane for the second time in three starts aboard the Brian
House-owned, A Family Cab-sponsored entry.
Point leader Ryan Green and the driver he knocked off the top of the season standings a week before, Bobby Melvin, both had stints out front in the early portion of the feature event, but neither was a contender at the finish.
2010 Hobby Stock champion Todd Bregy chased Baril over the second half of the race and finished in the runner-up spot, with Michele Fushpanski, Brian Grantz, Green, Timmy “Rockstar” Johnson, 2010 Rookie of the Year Josh Ball, Kyle Roy, David Piper, and Melvin the rest of the top ten.
The David’s Race Cars and Components Hobby Stock feature fell to longtime veteran and former division champion Brian Thompson, who finally won out after a race-long duel with point leader Mark Parenteau.
The duo were among the few cars to escape an early-race melee that sent several drivers to the pits and the attention of their crews, but Parenteau had a tire go down late in the race, dropping off the pace as the rest of the field took the white flag.
Thompson collected his first win of the year at the checkers, with Patrick Tanguay and Steve Dubois rounding out the podium after finishing second and third. Fourth went to Jim Piaseczny, with Sam Peabody, Mike Williams, Brian DeStefano, Dave McCarthy, Eric Hoffman, and Parenteau the rest of the top
ten.
Kale Billings grabbed the checkers in the Ironman feature event, taking a big early lead and holding it until the checkers to score the victory. Jake Rheaume put in another solid run to finish second, with point leader Troy Washburn taking down third.
Washburn inched past at the stripe to knock multi-time winner Kyle Roy back to the fourth spot, with Danielle Simoneau, Dave Brown, Evan Horvath, Chris Murray, Justin Dawalga, and Kevin Emery the rest of the top ten.
The Senior Tour Auto Racers were a special addition to the program, with a strong field of the restored racers on hand for the night’s action. Jim Gause of Londonderry, NH grabbed the win in the Sportsman end of the program, with George Brockman of Freeport, ME taking the Modified win.
Next Friday, September 9th will be Championship Night for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series presented by Pepsi Bottling Company racing, which will begin at 7:00 PM. Please call the office for more information at 978-462-4252.
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