Darling Claims Fifth Seekonk Pro Stock Win; Stretches Point Lead

By admin August 5, 2007

Seekonk, MA — Defending track champion and current point leader David Darling of Rehoboth, MA extended his lead atop the standings by claiming his fifth victory of the season Saturday in the 40-lap Pro Stock feature at Seekonk Speedway. Darling started 11th in the field and raced his way to the front via the outside groove in the caution-free event, passing David Hutchins of Somerset, MA on the white flag lap en route to his 24th career win at the 1/3-mile Route 6 oval.

Hutchins started on the pole opened up a substantial lead on John Dabrowski, Scott Dion, Scott Fournier, and Matt Hudon in the first dozen laps. At the halfway point, Dean Pettey had reached fifth, with Kenny Spencer, Rob Murphy, and Darling comprising the balance of the top eight. Fournier slapped the frontretch wall the next time around, ending his bid for a strong finish, while Darling motored past Murphy on the outside at lap 25. Spencer was black-flagged for a fuel leak on lap 32 and Hudon faded in the final 10 circuits after getting tangled up with another car and scraping the concrete.

Sticking to the outside lane, Darling outdueled Dabrowski for second with five laps to go and quickly pulled alongside Hutchins, taking over just as the white flag waved. At the finish, Darling’s Johnson Landscaping #52 Dodge crossed the line 0.711 seconds ahead of Hutchins for the win. “I’ve got to give it to the guys that work on this thing,” the victor, who celebrated his 28th birthday this weekend, remarked. “Every week, the track is a little different and they made the right decisions. I also want to thank all the other competitors for racing me clean out there. That really makes a difference.”

Hutchins was pleased, rather than disappointed, with his near-win second place finish. “I don’t look at it that way,” the former Rookie of the Year award winner explained. “Second place is second place, and (David Darling) is the guy to beat out there. We had struggled with our other car, and so we brought a different one for the first time this week, and I guess we’ll stick with it.” The runner-up honor was Hutchins’ first top ten finish in the past seven races. Dabrowski, Dion, and Pettey finished third through fifth with Todd Annarummo sixth and Tom Scully, Jr. seventh. Fred Astle, Jr. finished in the top 10 for the 11th straight week, posting eighth, ahead of Rob Murphy and previous race winner Glenn Lawton.

Eighteen year-old Joey Pole of Hudson, NH earned his first career victory in the Phil’s Propane Bay State 100 for the visiting American-Canadian Tour. Six-time series champion Jean-Paul Cyr led the first 61 laps from the pole with David Avery and Scott Payea following closely through the first half of the race. Pole, who started fifth in the 24-car event, pulled alongside Payea at lap 44 and worked the high groove all the way to the front, passing Avery for second on lap 52 and going around Cyr 10 circuits later.

Five cautions peppered the event, which was completed in just 31 minutes. Avery and Brent Dragon tangled while battling for fourth on lap 66, two laps before A. J. Begin and Jamie Fisher crashed into the frontstretch wall.

Mechanical woes and minor scrapes sidelined front-runner Brian Hoar, former Bay State 100 victor Jamie Aube, and Seekonk alumnus Ryan Vanasse, while Patrick Laperle, Randy Potter, and Seekonk Late Model standout Kevin Casper raced their way from the back to the front. As the race wore on, however, Pole simply got stronger, pulling away in convincing fashion to earn the $2,000 first place paycheck. Cyr, Payea, defending race winner Roger Brown, Kip Stockwell, Laperle, and Potter rounded out the top seven. Kevin Casper finished eighth, earning a $1,000 bonus posted by sponsor Phil’s Propane as the only Seekonk-legal Late Model to qualify. Donald Theetge and Avery comprised the balance of the top ten.

Defending champion Mike Cavallaro of Seekonk, MA blasted past early race leader Andy Jeffery on a lap 14 restart en route to his fifth win of the season in the 20-lap Sport Truck feature. Jeffery took a commanding lead into the second half of the event from his outside pole starting position with Ted Berube, Hugh Bowser, Zach Tucan, and Cavallaro in tow. By the halfway point, Cavallaro and Charlie Rose had climbed to second and third, ahead of Bowser, Tucan, and Berube.

Rose was spun on lap 13, bringing out the first caution and erasing Jeffery’s whopping lead. Cavallaro drove by when racing resumed and held off all challengers on a final restart which was needed when Berube’s sixth place mount fell by the wayside. Rose, who worked his way back through the pack, passed Lenny Guy for fourth on lap 16, but the top three, Cavallaro, Jeffery, and Tucan, drove under the checkers unchallenged. The win was the 21st career Sport Truck win for Cavallaro, who sits atop the point standings. Guy was fifth, ahead of Rick Albernaz, four-time Pro Stock champ Rick Martin, Hugh Bowser, rookie Eric Boyko, and Mike Ronhock.

In the Street Stock 20-lap feature, Attleboro, MA’s Paul Lallier was first across the line but failed the post-race technical inspection for the second time this season, moving John Hanafin of Quincy, MA into Victory Lane for the first time in 2007. Veteran Dick Cavallaro and rookie Mark Henshaw traded the lead in the opening laps before Lallier muscled by on the third go-around. Hanafin, a Massachusetts State Trooper, started eighth and passed Henshaw for fourth on lap 8, trailing Lallier and Cavallaro.

Cavallaro and Hanafin waged a spirited battle for second for a number of laps, dueling side-by-side before Hanafin won out inside the final mile. The move turned out to the winning one for the 28 year-old, who scored his fifth career Seekonk victory. Cavallaro was second for the second time in three weeks, followed by 17 year-old Henshaw, who claimed an impressive third in only his fifth feature start. Jim Silvia came from 17th to finish fourth, with Wayne Silvia bouncing back after two weeks of crashes to finish fifth. Positions six through ten went to Sparky Arsenault, Billy Brady, Elmer Wing III, Ryan Lineham, and point leader Steve Axon.

Miller Lite presents the third of three $2,000 to win 75-lap features for the top tier Pro Stock division on Saturday night, August 11, along with a full contingent of Late Model, Sport Truck, and Street Stock racing. Saturday general admission tickets are $12 for adults and $4 for Juniors 13 to 15 years of age. All children 12 and under are admitted free. Pit admission is $20 for ARC Pit Membership Card holders and $30 for non-card holders. Senior citizen discounts are also available on general admission tickets for all Saturday night races. All guests 55 years of age and older will receive a $2 discount. Guests must present photo identification for proof of eligibility if requested. For more information, please visit online at www.seekonkspeedway.com or contact the track office directly at (508)-336-9959.

Pro Stock Feature (40 laps)

  1. #52-David Darling, Rehoboth, MA
  2. #96-Dave Hutchins, Somerset, MA
  3. #00-John Dabrowski, West Bridgewater, MA
  4. #4-Scott Dion, Taunton, MA
  5. #57-Dean Pettey, Assonet, MA
  6. #11-Todd Annarummo, Swansea, MA
  7. #2-Tom Scully, Jr., Cranston, RI
  8. #30-Fred Astle, Jr., Westport, MA
  9. #80-Rob Murphy, Rochester, MA
  10. #70-Glenn Lawton, Acushnet, MA

Phil’s Propane American-Canadian Tour 100 (100 laps)

  1. #97-Joey Pole, Hudson, NH
  2. #32-Jean-Paul Cyr, Milton, VT
  3. #89-Scott Payea, Milton, VT
  4. #99-Roger Brown, Lancaster, NH
  5. #36-Kip Stockwell, Braintree, VT
  6. #24-Patrick Laperle, St. Denis, Quebec
  7. #02NH-Randy Potter, Groveton, NH
  8. #88-Kevin Casper, Somerset, MA
  9. #80-Donald Theetge, Boischatel, Quebec
  10. #10-David Avery, No. Woodstock, NH

Sport Truck Feature (20 laps)

  1. #80-Mike Cavallaro, Seekonk, MA
  2. #2-Andy Jeffery, Middleboro, MA
  3. #3-Zach Tucan, Taunton, MA
  4. #41-Charlie Rose, Jr., Tiverton, RI
  5. #77-Lenny Guy, New Bedford, MA
  6. #28-Rick Albernaz, Paxton, MA
  7. #14-Rick Martin, Westport, MA
  8. #22-Hugh Bowser, Taunton, MA
  9. #07-Eric Boyko, Blackstone, MA
  10. #5-Michael Ronhock, Mashpee, MA

Street Stock Feature (20 laps)

  1. #76-John Hanafin, Quincy, MA
  2. #6-Dick Cavallaro, Seekonk, MA
  3. #17-Mark Henshaw, Jr., Raynham, MA
  4. #116-Jim Silvia, Middletown, RI
  5. #16-Wayne Silvia, Bristol, RI
  6. #96-Sparky Arsenault, Attleboro, MA
  7. #48-Billy Brady, Marstons Mills, MA
  8. #29-Elmer Wing III, Lakeville, MA
  9. #19-Ryan Lineham, Coventry, RI
  10. #04-Steve Axon, Attleboro, MA

Sources: Todd Baptista/Seekonk Speedway PR

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