Race Advance by Jeff Brown, For Granite State Pro Stock Series
New Hampshire’s northernmost paved short track is rolling out the red carpet this weekend for the Granite State Pro Stock Series.
Riverside Speedway & Adventure Park in Groveton, N.H., is the site of the second tilt of the season for the GSPSS this Saturday, June 3, the first of two planned excursions for the Pro Stocks to the storied quarter-mile in 2023.
Known through the late 2010s as Speedway 51, Riverside reverted to its original moniker when the Humphrey family purchased the bullring late in 2019. The track has hosted the GSPSS five times before, with last year’s race coming down to a battle of inches between series win leader DJ Shaw and eventual series champion Joey Doiron.
While Shaw will not be in the pits to defend his win, Doiron is coming back to try and do one position better. The quiet Mainer has been chasing new opportunities this year, but will dust off his trusty No. 73 in search of a seventh GSPSS checkered flag.
Doiron will face some stiff competition in his return, though, most notably from his Petit Motorsports teammate Travis Benjamin. Benjamin filled the void left by Doiron in the season opener, cruising to his first GSPSS victory at Star Speedway in early May. The prolific winner and multi-time regional champion has surprisingly never won at Riverside, but will go for two straight GSPSS wins to open the season.
While Benjamin goes for two, Casey Call is looking to get his season back on track. A suspension failure after qualifying at Star sidelined the hard-luck Granite Stater for the feature. Call and team have since bounced back with strong runs in weekly Pro Stock competition, and will carry that momentum to Riverside. Brandon Barker and Ryan Green, two of Call’s toughest rivals at the weekly level, will be there to keep the pressure on.
Evan Beaulieu was within a few laps of running down Benjamin at Star, and the popular Maine racer will take another shot at a first GSPSS victory Saturday. The Beech Ridge Motor Speedway graduate will be in familiar company; fellow Beech Ridge alums Garrett Hall and David Oliver will be making the trip north, too.
Connecticut’s Cory Casagrande has a long road trip ahead this weekend as well, but the Nutmeg State native will not be alone for the ride. Casagrande will field two cars at Riverside, one for himself and one for regular spotter Matt Frahm. A five-time GSPSS feature winner, Frahm will be making his first series start since 2019 in his familiar No. 14.
TJ Watson only has a couple GSPSS starts but is in line for his second of the year this weekend, and Legends car owner Nick Lascuola returns for his first GSPSS start since 2020. And rookie Trevor Krouse, who was eliminated in a grinding crash at Star in the season opener, is slated to return to the series this weekend, too.
Once again, R&R Race Parts NH will pay out bonus money to Saturday’s top two qualifiers in time trials. Earnest Performance and MDP Motorsports Promotions sweetened the deal with payouts for the top three finishers in each pre-race heat.
The road to the GSPSS championship passes through “Grovetona” twice this year, and the series’ mix of veteran talent and unproven potential makes both stops can’t-miss dates on your racing calendar.
Riverside Speedway & Adventure Park is proud to welcome the Granite State Pro Stock Series for its second race of the 2023 season on Saturday, June 3. The cars and stars of the GSPSS will be joined by Riverside’s own Street Stocks, Lil Rascals, Lightning 4s, Mattix Maddogs and Dare Devils. Pits open at 2:00pm, with a post time of 6:00pm. General admission tickets are $25, senior/military admission is just $20, and kids 12 and under are admitted free.
For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.