Astle Outduels Darling For First ’07 Seekonk Pro Stock Win

Seekonk, MA — Two-time track champion Fred Astle, Jr. of Westport, MA passed six-time race winner David Darling on the 30th circuit and held off the point leader on a lap 31 restart en route to his first victory of the season in the 40-lap Pro Stock feature at the 1/3-mile Seekonk Speedway oval on Saturday night, September 8. The 42 year-old second generation racer started 12th in the main event and closed to eighth in the first five laps behind early race leader Dean Pettey.

Three-time winner Tom Scully, Jr. and last season’s Rookie of the Year Mike Brightman worked their way into the top three via the outside lane early in the contest. Scully led the 11th go-around before incidental contact with Pettey caused a flat tire and sent him backpedaling. Matt Hudon took over the third spot on lap 13, but the rookie scraped the concrete four circuits later, and dropped to sixth.

At the halfway point, Pettey led Brightman, Darling, Astle, and Todd Annarummo. Further back, Hudon ran sixth, ahead of Rick Martin, Scott Dion, Glenn Lawton, and Kenny Spencer. Scully’s mount came to a halt in turn two on lap 21, bringing out the third of six cautions. Brightman led the next lap under green before Pettey battled back to the front. Martin spun on lap 28, just after Darling had taken second from Brightman. Pettey apparently spun his tires on the restart, falling back several spots before contact from Todd Annarummo sent him around.

Darling, who had taken over the lead when Pettey faltered, gave up the top spot to Astle when the green flag waved at lap 30 and was unable to overtake the Wood Frame Structures-Anderson Motorsports #30 Chevrolet despite a final side-by-side restart. Hudon worked his way back to third in the final laps, bringing fellow first year competitor Scott Dion and John Dabrowski into the top five.

This top five sailed under the checkers unimpeded, with Astle winning by 0.831 seconds for the 46th time in his 28 year-career. “I’d like to thank my crew for all their hard work,” Astle remarked after his victory. “I have a great car owner, and these are awesome people to be around. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

Darling maintained his setllar point advantage by finishing second. “Tonight, our car was as good as its been all season, but we bent the rear end after making contact with the #47 (of Scott Fournier). We ran on old tires, too, and after that, the car was just tight. I had to turn the wheel to the right to go straight. I hate to give up a lead, but second was good for us tonight.”

Hudon finished a season-best third, ahead of Dion, Dabrowski, and Scully, who bounced back to claim sixth. Positions seven through ten went to Pettey, Steve O’Brien, Mike Brightman, who pitted after a lap 30 incident involving Rob Murphy, and Glenn Lawton.

In the 25-lap Late Model feature, Gerry DeGasparre, Jr. of Pawtucket, RI put an exclamation point on his third championship drive by securing his fourth checkered flag of the season in the Spumoni’s Restaurant-A-1 Custom Auto Body #71 Chevrolet. Bob Hussey led the first two circuits before Mike Becker motored past into the lead. DeGasparre passed Hussey on lap 4, one circuit before a multi-car incident saw three-time winner Kevin Casper go up and over the nose of John Dumas’ machine. DeGasparre outgunned Becker on the restart and drove away from all challengers while Robin Berghman worked her way into third.

At the crossed flag signal, Matt Breault ran fourth, ahead of Jeramee Lillie, Jonathan Dickerman, Kyle Casper, Mark Hudson, Randy Clark, and Mike Taschereau. Kevin Casper slowly reentered the mix, taking 10th on lap 14 and ninth two circuits later. Meanwhile, Breault and Lillie put on a torrid battle for fourth, while Kyle Casper overtook Dickerman for sixth. Contact between Lillie and Breault on lap 20 brought out the final caution of the race, and earned both drivers a trip to the back of the pack.

Kyle Casper and Berghman put on a show for third in the waning laps, but out front it was all DeGasparre, who cruised to his 24th career Seekonk win. In Victory Lane, the driver dedicated the victory to crew member Eric Carrier, whose tour of military duty will take him to Kuwait later this week.

Becker, Berghman, Kyle Casper, and Jon Dickerman claimed the remainder of the top five spots. Kevin Casper rebounded from the lap 5 crash to post sixth. Randy Clark, Mark Hudson, Mike Taschereau, and Bill Bernard comprised the remainder of the top ten.

Adam Murphy of Rochester, MA went to Victory Lane for the sixth time this season in the 20-lap Sport Truck feature, holding off four-time Pro Stock champion Rick Martin on a pair of late race restarts. Veteran Billy Clarke led the first go-around before Hugh Bowser took over the top spot. By lap 3, Murphy had come from ninth to third while point leader Mike Cavallaro climbed from 10th to sixth.

Murphy passed Bowser for the lead on a lap 5 restart as Lenny Guy, Andy Jeffery, Rick Martin, and Cavallaro snatched fourth through seventh. Martin dove under Bowser to take second on lap 11, jus before rookie Russ Borges spun coming off turn four and was slammed in a truck bed to truck bed incident by Mike Ronhock. Borges, of Fall River, MA, walked to a waiting ambulance after the hard-impact crash.

When racing resumed, Murphy’s V-8 powered Nissan easily distanced itself from Martin’s four-cylinder Toyota, although Martin would reel in the leader during extended green flag runs. Cavallaro pulled alongside Bowser for third with five to go, just before three quick incidents forced officials to call for a single file restart with 17 laps completed.

Each time, Murphy would pull away from Martin, only to have the veteran close back within striking distance as the laps ticked by. In the end, Murphy beat Martin by 0.205 seconds to claim a season-high sixth win in the Murphy’s Auto Salvage-Big Wheel Truck Sales-Tom Barboza Excavating #81. Bowser was third, ahead of Cavallaro, Manny Dias, Andy Jeffery, Rick Albernaz, Billy Clarke, Ted Berube, and Zach Tucan. Charlie Rose, who had won two of the previous three races, was sidelined with mechanical problems after finishing third in his qualifier and did not start the feature.

In the 20-lap Street Stock feature, Coventry, RI’s Ryan Lineham prevailed for the seconds time this season in the Coventry Napa Auto Parts #19 Chevrolet Camaro, taking the lead after Dick Cavallaro and Sparky Arsenault crashed on the final lap of a green-white-checker finish. Doug Rioux led the first 9 laps while cars went three and four-wide jockeying for position in his wake. Randy Arruda ran second until a mechanical problem sent him pitside. By lap 9, Cavallaro, Lineham, and Ron Barboza were battling three-wide for second with John Hanafin and Billy Brady locked in a similar struggle. Brady and Barboza crashed on lap 10, leaving Rioux, Cavallaro, Hanafin, Lineham, and Arsenault atop the leader board.

Rioux scraped the wall on the restart, allowing Cavallaro to take over with Lineham, Arsenault, Paul Lallier, and Brian Spillane in tow. Arsenault took second on lap 14 via the outside with Jim Silvia following. Silvia was black-flagged for a fluid leak, but crashed before reaching the pits, setting up the green-white-checker finale.

When racing resumed, Cavallaro and Arsenault went high up the race track on the backstretch. Arsenault scraped the wall, Cavallaro spun around, and Lineham’s third-place running machine dove to the low side, took the lead, and beat veteran George Rego back to the line by 0.149 seconds for the win. Three-time winner Mike Lema was third, followed by Arsenault, Hanafin, Dan Lineham, point leader Steve Axon, who pitted on lap 7 with a flat tire and battled back to finish seventh, Dennis Dupuis, Mike Mitchell, and Brian Spillane.

Saturday night racing continues at the 1/3-mile Bay State oval on September 15 with Armed Forces Appreciation Day, featuring the Northeastern Midget Association, beginning at 6 PM. Free grandstand admission will be offered to all attendees with a valid military identification card from all branches of the service. A $5 discount will be offered on grandstand admission tickets to military dependents with a valid ID card. Seekonk’s Pro Stocks, Late Models, Street Stocks, and Sport Trucks will also be in action, vying for the top spots in the overall championship standings. General admission tickets for this event are $17 for adults and $5 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, contact the speedway office at (508)-336-9959 or visit online at www.seekonkspeedway.com.

Pro Stock Heat 1 (15 laps)

1. #30-Fred Astle, Jr., Westport, MA
2. #95-Steve O’Brien, Scituate, MA
3. #52-David Darling, Rehoboth, MA
4. #11-Todd Annarummo, Swansea, MA
5. #27-Mike Brightman, Acushnet, MA

Pro Stock Heat 2 (15 laps)

1. #57-Dean Pettey, Assonet, MA
2. #22-Matt Hudon, Acushnet, MA
3. #96-Dave Hutchins, Somerset, MA
4. #2-Tom Scully, Jr., Cranston, RI
5. #80-Rob Murphy, Rochester, MA

Pro Stock Feature (40 laps)

1. #30-Fred Astle, Jr., Westport, MA
2. #52-David Darling, Rehoboth, MA
3. #22-Matt Hudon, Acushnet, MA
4. #4-Scott Dion, Taunton, MA
5. #00-John Dabrowski, West Bridgewater, MA
6. #2-Tom Scully, Jr., Cranston, RI
7. #57-Dean Pettey, Assonet, MA
8. #95-Steve O’Brien, Scituate, MA
9. #27-Mike Brightman, Acushnet, MA
10. #70-Glenn Lawton, Acushnet, MA
11. #80-Rob Murphy, Rochester, MA
12. #7-Wayne Newman, Cumberland, RI
13. #96-Dave Hutchins, Somerset, MA
14. #20-Todd Henshaw, Raynham, MA
15. #47-Scott Fournier, Berkley, MA
16. #11-Todd Annarummo, Swansea, MA
17. #14-Rick Martin, Westport, MA
18. #03-Kenny Spencer, Taunton, MA

Late Model Heat 1 (12 laps)

1. #3-Jeramee Lillie, West Warwick, RI
2. #20-Matt Breault, Acushnet, MA
3. #88-Kevin Casper, Somerset, MA
4. #93-Randy Clark, East Harwich, MA
5. #81-Robin Berghman, East Providence, RI

Late Model Heat 2 (12 laps)

1. #71-Gerry DeGasparre, Jr., Pawtucket, RI
2. #00-Mike Becker, Avon, MA
3. #13-Jon Dickerman, Weymouth, MA
4. #7-Kyle Casper, Somerset, MA
5. #80-Bob Hussey, Wellfleet, MA

Late Model Feature (25 laps)

1. #71-Gerry DeGasparre, Jr., Pawtucket, RI
2. #00-Mike Becker, Avon, MA
3. #81-Robin Berghman, East Providence, RI
4. #7-Kyle Casper, Somerset, MA
5. #13-Jon Dickerman, Weymouth, MA
6. #88-Kevin Casper, Somerset, MA
7. #93-Randy Clark, East Harwich, MA
8. #02-Mark Hudson, Norton, MA
9. #33-Mike Taschereau, West Warwick, RI
10. #47-Bill Bernard, Holliston, MA
11. #3-Jeramee Lillie, West Warwick, RI
12. #28-James Lawrence, Somerset, MA
13. #80-Bob Hussey, Wellfleet, MA
14. #20-Matt Breault, Acushnet, MA
15. #26-Marc DeJesus, Westport, MA
16. #40-John Dumas, Brockton, MA

Sport Truck Heat 1 (10 laps)

1. #81-Adam Murphy, Rochester, MA
2. #3-Zach Tucan, Taunton, MA
3. #41-Charlie Rose, Jr., Tiverton, RI
4. #2-Andy Jeffery, Middleboro, MA
5. #124-Manny Dias, Pawtucket, RI

Sport Truck Heat 2 (10 laps)

1. #80-Mike Cavallaro, Seekonk, MA
2. #14-Rick Martin, Westport, MA
3. #22-Hugh Bowser, Taunton, MA
4. #9-Russ Borges, Fall River, MA
5. #24-David Haywood, Tiverton, RI

Sport Truck Feature (20 laps)

1. #81-Adam Murphy, Rochester, MA
2. #14-Rick Martin, Westport, MA
3. #22-Hugh Bowser, Taunton, MA
4. #80-Mike Cavallaro, Seekonk, MA
5. #124-Manny Dias, Pawtucket, RI
6. #2-Andy Jeffery, Middleboro, MA
7. #28-Rick Albernaz, Paxton, MA
8. #1-Billy Clarke, Seekonk, MA
9. #91-Teddy Berube, Somerset, MA
10. #3-Zach Tucan, Taunton, MA
11. #77-Lenny Guy, New Bedford, MA
12. #4-Darryl Church, Brockton, MA
13. #13-Brian Murray, Tiverton, RI
14. #5-Michael Ronhock, Mashpee, MA
15. #7-Caitlin Alferes, Acushnet, MA
16. #9-Russ Borges, Fall River, MA
17. #24-David Haywood, Tiverton, RI
18. #07-Eric Boyko, Blackstone, MA
19. #41-Charlie Rose, Jr., Tiverton, RI (DNS)

Street Stock Heat 1 (10 laps)

1. #76-John Hanafin, Quincy, MA
2. #39-Mike Lema, Taunton, MA
3. #04-Steve Axon, Attleboro, MA
4. #74-Scott Bruneau, Tiverton, RI
5. #91-Daniel Lineham, Coventry, RI
6. #1-George Rego, No. Dartmouth, MA

Street Stock Heat 2 (10 laps)

1. #96-Sparky Arsenault, Attleboro, MA
2. #20-Doug Rioux, Whitman, MA
3. #48-Billy Brady, Marstons Mills, MA
4. #71-Patrick Delaney, Swansea, MA
5. #5-Randy Arruda, Swansea, MA
6. #57-John Lallier, Attleboro, MA

Street Stock Heat 3 (10 laps)

1. #19-Ryan Lineham, Coventry, RI
2. #41-Tony Oliveira, Taunton, MA
3. #77-Paul Lallier, Pawtucket, RI
4. #6-Dick Cavallaro, Seekonk, MA
5. #2-Ron Barboza, Jr., Warren, RI
6. #22-Brian Spillane, Walpole, MA

Street Stock Consi (10 laps)

1. #14-Rey Lovelace, North Providence, RI
2. #21-Bob Bettencourt, Jr., Fall River, MA
3. #94-Dennis Dupuis, Randolph, MA
4. #116-Jim Silvia, Middletown, RI
5. #16-Wayne Silvia, Bristol, RI
6. #08-Chris DeMoura, North Dighton, MA
7. #40-Michael Mitchell, Manville, RI
8. #10-Rick Shinn, Hyannis, MA
9. #00-Joe Melberg, Attleboro, MA (DNQ)
10. #03-Frank Duquette, East Freetown, MA (DNQ)
11.  #01-David Ratcliffe, Lincoln, RI (DNQ)
12. #8-Crystal Serydynski, Johnston, RI (DNQ)
13. #92-Alan MacNutt, Taunton, MA (DNQ)
14. #50-Roland Wheeler, Cranston, RI (DNQ)
15. #17-Mark Henshaw, Jr., Raynham, MA (DNQ)

Street Stock Feature (20 laps)

1. #19-Ryan Lineham, Coventry, RI
2. #1-George Rego, North Dartmouth, MA
3. #39-Mike Lema, Taunton, MA
4. #96-Sparky Arsenault, Attleboro, MA
5. #76-John Hanafin, Quincy, MA
6. #91-Daniel Lineham, Coventry, RI
7. #04-Steve Axon, Attleboro, MA
8. #94-Dennis Dupuis, Randolph, MA
9. #40-Michael Mitchell, Manville, RI
10. #22-Brian Spillane, Walpole, MA
11. #71-Patrick Delaney, Swansea, MA
12. #21-Bob Bettencourt, Jr., Fall River, MA
13. #08-Chris DeMoura, North Dighton, MA
14. #2-Ron Barboza, Jr., Warren, RI
15. #77-Paul Lallier, Pawtucket, RI
16. #14-Rey Lovelace, North Providence, RI
17. #10-Rick Shinn, Hyannis, MA
18. #6-Dick Cavallaro, Seekonk, MA
19. #16-Wayne Silvia, Bristol, RI
20. #74-Scott Bruneau, Tiverton, RI
21. #5-Randy Arruda, Swansea, MA
22. #20-Doug Rioux, Whitman, MA
23. #57-John Lallier, Attleboro, MA
24. #41-Tony Oliveira, Taunton, MA

           #48-Billy Brady, Marstons Mills, MA (post-race DQ)

           #116-Jim Silvia, Middletown, RI (post-race DQ)

Sources: Todd Baptista/Seekonk Speedway PR

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