WATERFORD, CT – The Granite State Pro Stock Series will travel to New London-Waterford Speedbowl for the final event of the tour’s schedule, and crown the 2015 series champion, on October 24. The following is a closer look at the notes and numbers of the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS) and the New London-Waterford Speedbowl (NLWS).
NEW LONDON-WATERFORD SPEEDBOWL NOTES:
The New London-Waterford Speedbowl opened on April 15, 1951. It began as a 1/3 mile crushed blue stone oval race track, but was quickly paved due to excessive dust. The initial owners were actually 6 local businessmen, and called themselves The New London-Waterford Speedbowl, Inc. The original headlining division were called Sportsmen Stocks, which are now considered Modifieds.
Several people have owned the facility after it was sold by the original owners in 1974, including Harvey Tattersall Jr, Dick Williams, Jack Arute, the Korteweg family and Terry Eames. Current owner Bruce Bemer bought the track prior to the 2015 season, and appointed former track champion Shawn Monahan as the General Manager.
On the track, the Speedbowl has been home to NEAR Hall of Famers Dave Humphrey, Moe Gherzi, Fred Luchesi, Don Collins and Bob Potter. It’s also home to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champions like Keith Rocco (2010-Division I) & Ken Cassidy Jr (2012-Division IV) and INEX Legend Car National Champions like Dave Garbo Jr & Matt Pappa (both in 2012).
There have been four previous Pro Stock races at the facility, won by: Dick Houlihan (1988), Tom Rosati and Tony Papale (1989), and Jim McCallum (1995).
RACE DATA:
NLWS EVENT: Race 11 of the 2015 season
TRACK LENGTH: .375 mile oval
RACE LENGTH: 150 laps
DRIVER NOTES
#60 D.J. Shaw
– Has two wins, three top 3s, and three top 10 finishes in three attempts on the GSPSS.
– Most recent winner on the GSPSS (Star).
– Has not finished any worse than second on the tour.
#12 Derek Griffith
– Has four wins, fifteen top 3s, and twenty-three top 10 finishes in thirty total races with the GSPSS.
– Finished second at Star Speedway in the most recent race with the GSPSS.
– Owns an average feature finish of 6.23 in his GSPSS career.
#66 Mike Parks
– Has earned six top 3s, and twenty-two top 10 finishes in thirty-eight career GSPSS events.
– Finished a career-best 2nd three times (Hudson 2012, Monadnock 2013, Monadnock 2015).
– Picked up a sixth place finish at Star, the most recent GSPSS race.
#29 Barry Gray
– Has recorded four wins, eight top 3s, and thirty top 10 finishes in thirty-seven career GSPSS events.
– His four wins have come in each GSPSS season (2012-15), and all at Monadnock Speedway.
– Grabbed seventh in the last GSPSS race.
#37ME Larry Gelinas
– Has tallied two wins, twelve top 3s, and twenty-four top 10 finishes in thirty races with the GSPSS.
– His two victories were at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park (2013) and Hudson International Speedway (2014).
– Finished eleventh in the most recent GSPSS race.
#14M Matt Frahm
– The series’ leader in wins, Frahm has five victories, fourteen top 3s, and twenty-one top 10s in twenty-nine career GSPSS starts.
– Of his five victories, three have occurred at Monadnock (Star Speedway, Devil’s Bowl Speedway).
– Finished fourth in the most recent GSPSS event.
#5 Dillon Moltz
– Has picked up two wins, five top 3s, and fourteen top 10s in sixteen career starts in the GSPSS.
– Of his two wins, one occurred at Star Speedway, at the NH Classic in 2014, the other at the Icebreaker at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2015.
– Finished eighth at Star Speedway.
#08 Mike O’Sullivan
– Has carried the checkered flag three times in the GSPSS, adding eight top 3s, and eighteen top 10s in twenty-eight career starts.
– Has picked up a win at Hudson International Speedway, Monadnock Speedway, and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park.
– Settled in to a sixteenth-place finish in the last GSPSS race.
#16 Tommy O’Sullivan
– In twenty-five races with the GSPSS, O’Sullivan has picked up a third place finish, and fourteen top 10s.
– Finished fifteenth at Star Speedway.
#21 Josh King
– Has fourteen top 10 finishes in thirty-one career starts with the GSPSS.
– Finished twentieth in the most recent GSPSS race.
For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net.