SATURDAY NIGHT RECAP
Saturday Night June 16 Recap with Kyle Souza
Even though we took off basically the whole month of May because of Mother Nature, the racing in the last three weeks seems to have been well worth that wait.
Saturday, we had the fans down on the track prior to the racing with our first of two Pit Party events for the 2018 season. The Pit Party is a great time for the fans, including the children, to come down on the track and meet with their favorite drivers. These events are a good way for the drivers to interact with the fans that come out to the track on a weekly basis and help support short-track racing in New England. Without the fans, we would have no racing.
We started an hour late, but we kicked-off feature action with the Sports Trucks, and for the second time in three weeks, Bobby Tripp was carrying the checkered flag. Tripp won the second Phil’s Propane Triple Crown Series race for the division, and he now is two-for-two in the extra-distance series. Bobby came back to racing in 2018 after some time away, and it doesn’t seem like he is missing much. Chalk up another victory for the Everett’s Auto Parts team -- they are off to a quick start.
In the 35-lap Late Model feature, we saw the return to Victory Lane for Gerry DeGaspere Jr. When I was growing up and first started coming to the track, Gerry was dominating races just about every week. However, when the technology updated and the setup under the hood started changing a bit, I think even Gerry would tell you that his No. 71 team fell off the pace more than they would have liked. It seems as though they have the setup back where he needs it to be, and he finished off a clean pass of Charlie Rose on the outside lane to seal the victory on Saturday. In the first three weeks, the Late Models have put on the best racing in any of our divisions -- you have no idea who is going to win the race until the final turn, of the final lap.
The Sportsman division saw a first-time winner, and it was a long time in the making for Ed Perry. Over the last few years, you may remember Ed driving in the Sports Trucks, specifically with the paint scheme that looked just like a cow — yes, the animal! He rolled into the Sportsman later in the year in 2017 and opened 2018 with a checkered flag in the third race of the season. Congrats to Ed, his entire family and his dedicated sponsors for finally sealing the deal. Also, I have to give a shoutout to Steve Axon, who competed for the firs time this season, drove through the field, and finished second.
Although the Pro Stock race was a little bit rough on equipment, the feature winner was Bobby Pelland III, another first-time victor. Pelland is a former Late Model champion, but his transition to the Pro Stocks came with a struggle at first. Last year, he nearly captured his first checkered flag on multiple occasions, but came up just short. Bobby, his dad, and the entire team have been waiting for a Pro Stock victory for a long time. They finally earned it on Saturday.
WITH KYLE SOUZA
WITH KYLE SOUZA