Lee USA Speedway 6/17/16 Race Report
Lee, NH – The cars and stars of the Northeast Street Stock Tour (NESST) were the added attraction at Lee USA Speedway on Friday night, joining the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season weekly divisions for a full night of entertainment on the fast 3/8ths mile oval.
When the NESST main went green, Lowell, MA racer Steve Kenneway, the 2013 Thompson Speedway Limited Sportsman champion, moved out quickly to set the pace, with Joe Arena of Bristol, CT up to challenge by the ten lap mark The lead duo ran side by side battling for the lead for the next several laps, and stayed that way approaching the crossed flags.
Kenneway and Arena ran nearly even for the first half of the race, with Kenneway sliding around the high groove, but maintaining the advantage as Arena worked the low side. The pair were several car lengths ahead of the field and off the decide the race among themselves, and it was Arena who eventually prevailed to collect the win.
Jim Boyle was up in the late laps to collect third place honors, followed by Frankie L’Etoile, Jr., former Lee USA Speedway Hobby Stock champion Patrick Tanguay, Jordan Pearson, Boe Green, “Flyin” Ryan” Linehan, and Steve Barrett.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action saw rookie “Hollywood” Dave Helliwell of Pelham making his first career trip to victory lane in the 30-lap EKeys4cars Supermodified feature event. Veteran Moe Lattime of Kingston led the first six laps of the non-stop main event, but from that point on, it was all Helliwell.
Helliwell worked past the early leader to lay claim to the lead in the early going, and he set a torrid pace over the remainder of the event to flash under the checkers with a .526 margin of victory over Northfield‘s Leslie Keyser, with two-time 2016 winner Lance Barthelemy of Fremont rounding out the podium in third.
Fourth went to Kyle Sawyer of Kingston, with early leader Lattime, Rochester’s Mike Spurling, Jason Phillips, Jim Lowrey, Jr. of Tilton in his first outing aboard the Wiltkum Brothers Racing entry, Mike Keddy in the family #77, and Jim Barker rounding out the top ten.
Ray Dinsmore of Alfred, ME was the man of the hour in the R&R Public Wholesalers Late Model Sportsman feature, taking the lead late in the race and going on to score his first career Lee USA win, after five long years of trying to collect the checkers.
Rookie Kris Miller of Manchester led early on and was a contender all the way, but he fell victim to Dinsmore’s late-race charge and had to settle for a career-best runner-up finish when the checkers waved. Another second-generation racer, George Helliwell closed out the podium in third, with Jesse Bousquet of Pittsfield and former two-time champ Grant Aither of Exeter rounding out the top five.
Mike Mitchell of Dracut, MA had a strong run to finish sixth, with Nate Leavitt of Buxton, ME, a winner the week before, seventh. Eighth went to “Big Steve” Paquette of Seabrook, with Jimmy Russell of Exeter and Frankie Eldredge of Stratham closing out the top ten.
The Tri-City Line-X Ironman feature event was all James Witkum, the latest entry from the famed Witkum Brothers Racing team, former owners of the Lee USA Supermodified championship. Witkum broke out from the pole to grab the early lead in the main event, and ran virtually unchallenged to score the win.
Witkum took the lead on lap one, and went the distance to collect the win, his first career visit to victory lane at New Hampshire’s Center of Speed. Opening night winner Jesse Tellier of Pelham was second, with Adam Knowles of Seabrook third.
Fourth went to Zach Washburn, followed by Luke Grammont, former champion Travis Hollins, Jamie Holland, Hannah Shaw, and Anthony Nadeau of Epping. Tyler Mailhot of Epping scored his third win of the year in the MLM Diagnostics Pure Stocks over Danielle Evans of Berwick, ME and John Boomhower.
Sources: Lee USA Speedway PR