Moltz Sweeps Icebreaker Weekend
Griffith, Gelinas Complete Podium
THOMPSON, CT – Continuing his success at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, “Thrillin” Dillon Moltz completed the weekend sweep of the Icebreaker with the Granite State Pro Stock Series.
The Waterford, CT native inherited the top spot after Todd Stone and Brad Babb made contact on the front stretch battling for the lead, leaving Babb with a damaged automobile, and sending Stone careening into turns one and two, ending his day.
Stone had led from the drop of the green flag, and seemed to be on cruise control early in the race. A lap 5 caution for Mike Parks brought the field together, only to see Stone fend off Mike O’Sullivan and build a small gap between the first and second spots. Babb worked his way from the fifth starting position to challenge Stone, before Daryl Stampfl spun off turn four, bringing the second caution of the day. Babb and Stone jockeyed for position after the restart, before the incident took both Babb and Stone out of contention for the win. Moltz capitalized, and never looked back, as the pilot of the Brackett Mechanical/ RB Performance Chevrolet picked up his second win in the Granite State Pro Stock Series (GSPSS).
Moltz tried saving his equipment early, stating “We were just riding it out in the beginning. The car started out free, and I didn’t want to abuse the right rear, but it came to me, and the car was the best it had been the last 10 laps.”
“It means a lot to me to win here at this track,” Moltz continued. “I raced next door at “Little T”; I had raced there since I was 8 years old. It’s nice to finally be able to pick up a win here.”
With the win, Moltz has now completed the trifecta, picking up wins at all three Connecticut asphalt tracks (Thompson, Stafford, New London-Waterford).
Youngster Derek Griffith grabbed his best career Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park finish by taking second at the Icebreaker.
“We had problems all weekend, especially with stagger. The car was a completely different car in the heat race, but Louie is a genius with this stuff, and made it work,” remarked Griffith. “I can’t complain at all, from tenth to second. It was a really good race for us, and I’m happy to go home in one piece.”
Griffith credited his podium finish to his fallen friend, Marco Turcotte. Turcotte, who recently lost his battle with cancer, was influential to the Hudson, NH resident, in all aspects of his life.
“I asked Marco for some help today, and I believe he watched over me.”
Larry Gelinas began his 2015 title campaign with a third place finish. The Buxton, ME driver fought carburetor and transmission issues to complete the podium.
On his mechanical issues, Gelinas said “I needed a long race to catch people, but to finish third is decent after the troubles we had earlier.”
Reid Lanpher capped off a strong weekend with a fourth place finish, while Barry Gray ended the day in fifth, after starting fifteenth. Babb battled back to finish sixth, with Josh King, Cory Robert, Cory Casagrande, and Daryl Stampfl rounded out the top 10.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series will return to the place it all started, returning to Claremont Speedway, April 24. For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net.
ICEBREAKER RESULTS
4/12/15
Pos (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (4) Dillon Moltz Waterford, CT
2. (10) Derek Griffith Hudson, NH
3. (7) Larry Gelinas Buxton, ME
4. (3) Reid Lanpher Manchester, ME
5. (15) Barry Gray Belchertown, MA
6. (5) Brad Babb Windham, ME
7. (8) Josh King Vernon, VT
8. (12) Cory Robert Canaan, NH
9. (11) Cory Casagrande Stafford Springs, CT
10. (14) Daryl Stampfl Walpole, MA
11. (17) Zig Geno Canterbury, NH
12. (16) Greg Nanigian Braintree, MA
13. (13) George Bessette Danbury, CT
14. (2) Mike O’Sullivan Springfield, MA
15. (1) Todd Stone Middlebury, VT
16. (6) Mike Parks Walpole, NH
17. (9) Tommy O’Sullivan Wilbraham, MA
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
AR BODIES (Hard Luck) 1X – Todd Stone
BOND AUTO PARTS (Last Car on Lead Lap) 57 – Zig Geno
BOND AUTO PARTS (Halfway Leader) 1X – Todd Stone
DRACO SPRINGS (Most Positions Gained) 29 – Barry Gray
FIVE STAR AUTO BODIES (5th Place) 29 – Barry Gray
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 1 Winner) 5 – Dillon Moltz
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 2 Winner) 59 – Reid Lanpher
SEYMOUR PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS (Random) 5 – Dillon Moltz
RB PERFORMANCE (3rd Place) 37 – Larry Gelinas
RB PERFORMANCE (7th Place) 21 – Josh King
SHERWOOD WHEELS (Most Laps Led) 1X – Todd Stone
SUNOCO RACE FUELS (Heat 1 Winner) 5 – Dillon Moltz
SUNOCO RACE FUELS (Heat 2 Winner) 59 – Reid Lanpher
VDL FUEL SYSTEMS (5th Place) 29 – Barry Gray
POWERTRAIN TECHNOLOGY (4th Place) 59 – Reid Lanpher
COIL-OVER COMMANDER (Feature Winner) 5 – Dillon Moltz
Sources: Mike Parks/GSPSS PR