The NASCAR Whelen Modifieds came to town and joined us for a night of action. When the modifieds come, so do fans that follow the NWMT. The were in for a real treat of action for the night.
Now, this is not a slight on the tour at all, as they put on a pretty good show, in my eyes, but when I look back at the racing for the night, they were the least exciting race of all.
“How can you say that?” people are asking. “These are the men and women that Live by the Grace of God and 600 Horsepower” people say about the modifieds. And again, it was a good race to watch. But the weekly divisions that were on hand were FREAKIN’ AWESOME!!!
The Sport Trucks put on a good show for their 25 lap main event. Some good passing for position, but no one was able to catch up to eventual winner Josh Hedges. It was a very good race to start the night.
The Sportsman came out and put on a great show for their 25 lap main event. The lead was hotly contested by several drivers before Rey Lovelace held off a hard charging Paul Lallier and Sparky Arsenault.
Then came the Late Models. They had 5 extra laps, and each of the top five drivers were awarded $500 each as part of the Propane Plus Power 5 schedule. You would have thought that $500 was only going to the winner, but no. It was for each of the top five.
The Everett’s Auto Parts Late Models put on a phenomenal show of skill, passion, enjoyment and a little bit of luck. The group raced three and four wide at many points throughout the 35 lap feature, including some daring moves that didn’t look like they were going to end well. But each time, the drivers came out like they meant to do just that.
Point’s leader Ryan Lineham worked his way though traffic and held off Jake Johnson for the win. Seven time LM champion Gerry DeGasparre rounded out the top three.
On top of the excitement they put on for the fans, they each climbed out of their cars with smiles and the same statement. “Boy, that was a lot of fun racing!” Now there is a statement you don’t hear very often from drivers.
Well, we have here this year. Yes, there have been incidents that have brought some fun out of it, but it seems that 2017 is a fun year for most of the competitors. It certainly showed it Saturday.
The Mods came out next for their 150 lap main event and put on a pretty good show. Matt Hirschman led the opening 1/3 of the race before contact with eventual winner Doug Coby sent the defending Open Wheel Wednesday champion to the rear of the field.
Not to take anything away from Doug on his first win of the season, but in my humble opinion, the drive of the night goes to Anthony Nocella. Nocella was racing in only his second ever NASCAR Whelen Modified event. He had moved into the top five when an accident occurred in front of him, and he made slight contact, sending him to the rear. Without power steering for much of the race, he was able to move back through the pack, and at the end, was right behind Coby, edging out Ryan Preece who finished third. It was enjoyable to watch.
As we move into September, there are a lot of things still going on to keep an eye on. One of the most important one to watch are the championship chase for each of our divisions. The battles for the titles are getting close to being decided, but there are some great battles behind the leaders, especially in the Late Models and Sportsman divisions.
It was good to see Tim Watson finally get some rhythm going his way, even if it was for a little while. He was hanging in the top five for quite a while before spinning.
Don’t forget to get here early on Saturday. We will be on track at 4:30 for our second Meet and Greet the Stars and Cars of Seekonk Speedway. Driver from our Fast Friday classes and our NASCAR Weekly series will be showing off for the fans. Come out and join us. Get autographs, photos, and a chance to sit in some of their racecars.
On Sunday, a few of our competitors went to the state of Maine to compete in a couple of support divisions for the Oxford 250. Ryan Kuhn and Trent Goodrow were there to compete with the Legends, with Kuhn once again picking up the win. Trent showcased his talent all weekend finishing in the top five in three separate weekends. Way to make us proud.
Josh Hedges went from Sport Truck victory lane to competing in the PASS modifieds. Josh worked his way into the top five after starting scratch in the field, but with 10 laps remaining, he suffered mechanical issues.
with Race Voice