photo by Norm Marx
First win for 19-year-old is final series race before 43rd HP Hood Oxford 250 August 28
Lee, New Hampshire – Pro All Stars Series rookie Derek Griffith of Hudson nailed down his first victory on the region’s premier Super Late Model circuit, scoring near home in Friday night’s 150-lap race at Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire.
Griffith was impressive aboard the Louie Mechalides-prepared racecar, chasing former Thompson Speedway Super Late Model champ Derek Ramstrom for the first 50-plus laps, swapping the lead with the West Boylston, Massachusetts native for most of the remaining laps before pulling away from his rivals during the final handful of laps.
Ramstrom claimed runner-up honors after an entertaining, late-race battle with six-time PASS champion Johnny Clark of Farmingdale, Maine. Clark started the race in tenth position and crossed the finish line third behind Griffith and Ramstrom, remaining a serious threat to claim his seventh series title.
Travis Benjamin of Morrill, Maine was fourth under the checkered flag after starting 16th. Jeremy Davis of Tamworth rounded out the top five. Heat race wins were posted by Joey Polewarczyk, Jr. of Hudson and Ben Rowe of Turner, Maine.
Griffith’s recent win in a 50-lap Budweiser Championship Series Super Late Model race at Oxford Plains Speedway had already established the youngster as a serious HP Hood Oxford 250 threat, and winning the final PASS race before the 43rd annual classic has short track odds makers rethinking their strategies.
Ben Tinker of New Gloucester, Maine prevailed in the 30-lap race for PASS Mods. It was the second win of the season for Tinker, a rookie in the class. Tinker is no stranger to victory lane at Lee USA Speedway, with a couple of victories in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Small Block Supermodifieds on his resume.
Geoff Rollins of Groton, Massachusetts, another racer with extensive experience at Lee, led the early laps and chased Tinker across the start-finish line. Dana Reed of Shapleigh, Maine claimed the third-place trophy.
Reigning PASS Mods champion and current points leader Andy Shaw of Center Conway, New Hampshire was the fourth-place finisher, with Dixfield, Maine’s Ryan Robbins rounding out the top five.
The next Pro All Stars Series North Super Late Model race is the 43rd annual HP Hood Oxford 250, scheduled for Sunday, August 28 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine. For more information please visit proallstarsseries.com or call (207) 539-8865.
Unofficial results from the 150-lap Pro All Stars Series race at Lee USA Speedway; Lee, New Hampshire; Friday, August 12, 2016 showing finishing position, car number, driver’s name, driver’s hometown:
Super Late Model (150 laps) 1 12 Derek Griffith, Hudson, NH; 2 35 Derek Ramstrom, West Boylston, MA; 3 54 Johnny Clark, Farmingdale, ME; 4 7 Travis Benjamin, Morrill, ME; 5 09 Jeremy Davis, Tamworth, NH; 6 60 Dale Shaw, Center Conway, NH; 7 4 Ben Rowe, Turner, ME; 8 15 Mike Hopkins, Hermon, ME; 9 97 Joey Polewarczyk, Jr., Hudson, NH; 10 24 Mike Rowe, Turner, ME; 11 7 Glen Lice, Turner, ME; 12 88 Kyle DeSouza, Fairhaven, MA; 13 1x Todd Stone, Middlebury, VT; 14 14 Tracy Gordon, Strong, ME; 15 03 Joe Squeglia, Jr., Derry, NH; 16 00 Bryan Kruczek, Newmarket, NH; 17 98 Steve Dickey, Jr., Hudson, NH.
Modified (30 laps) 1 19 Ben Tinker, New Gloucester, ME; 2 00 Geoff Rollins, Groton, MA; 3 60 Dana Reed, Shapleigh, ME; 4 0 Andy Shaw, Center Conway, NH; 5 36 Ryan Robbins, Dixfield, ME; 6 05 Ron Henry, New Gloucester, ME; 7 28 Mark Lundblad, Jr., Albany, NH; 8 4 Nik Coates, Turner, ME; 9 64 Matty Sanborn, Westbrook, ME; 10 25 Bruce Helmuth, Wales, ME.