Lascuola wins first career SYRA feature. Ladyga, Cestodio also win. Nocella wins NEMA Lite feature.

Seekonk, MA — In a battle that came down to the last couple of laps, Nick Lascuola of Brockton MA held off Dave Hutchins Jr for his first career win on Friday, July 10. Bob Perry jumped out to the early lead from his pole position, and set the pace in the early going. Willy Sanchez slid under Lascuola and moved into second by lap three. Lascuola made a bid for second, when Dave Hutchins and Jason Enos split Sanchez and made it three wide. Enos got crossed up and slid into Sanchez, who had to chase the car up the racetrack. Enos spun, while Sanchez held on, and the caution came out for the first time.  

As the green came out, Perry slid his WM Perry mount up, opening up the bottom lane with Lascuola taking over for one lap, with Perry coming back on lap 7. Lascuola and Perry continued to race side by side, swapping position back and forth until the caution came out again when Jason Enos and Carl Medeiros got together.

A three-wide battle for the lead ensued on the restart, as Sanchez got a run to the inside of Perry and Lascuola, with Lascuola getting the run on the outside. Coming on the outside was Dave Hutchins Jr, moving past Sanchez and then Perry. By the halfway point, Nick had a seven car length advantage with Perry and Hutchins racing for second. Hutchins took over on lap 14, and started to close in the distance to the leader. With Shawn Pavlik spinning on lap 20, Hutchins would line up on the outside and try to make it two for two on the season.

Hutchins got a great run on the restart, and edged out Lascuola on lap 21. Nick would not be denied, and took back over the following lap, and never looked back. Hutchins had to settle for second, with Sanchez, Perry and Kaitlyn Donovan rounding out the top five.

In the SYRA 750 feature, Nick Ladyga jumped out to an early lead from his pole position and never looked back over the 25 lap feature. Stephen Gardiner Jr settled into second for the early laps, before being overtaken by Casey Sanchez. Sanchez started to reel in Ladyga in the race for the lead. Chris Igo Jr was running fourth, when something came off his machine on lap 9, and brought out the first caution of the event.

Ladyga and Sanchez raced wheel to wheel for the next couple of laps, while Gardiner sat right behind the Voluntown CT native. As the raced down the backstretch, Ladyga took over, leaving Gardiner and Sanchez to fight for second. In came Chris Igo, and it was a three-wide race for second. Igo slid back, which allowed Jake Spillers and Kyle DeSouza by. The second caution came out on lap 17, when Fairhaven’s Kyle DeSouza spun in turn two. Ladyga, Sanchez, Spillers, Gardiner and Igo rounded out the top five.

One more time, Ladyga jumped out front as Sanchez started to backslide on the outside. Spillers moved into second and followed Ladyga to the checkered, with DeSouza, Sanchez and Igo rounding out the top five.

Scott Cestodio needed some help to pick up his second win of the season, and he found it with lapped traffic. Amy Arsenault jumped into the lead from her outside pole position, and started to pull away from Carlos Silva. Jeremy Lambert was the first to move in and put pressure on Arsenault, but she held him off. Former champion, Bill Chouinard took over second on lap eight, but could only hold onto second for one lap, as Lambert moved back by on lap 9.

Cestodio started fifteenth in the 18 car field, and had his work cut out for him to make it to the front. By lap 4 he moved into the top ten, and made it into the top five by lap six, as he raced through the field. By the halfway point, Arsenault had a straightaway lead on the field, and started to hit lapped traffic. Cestodio was up to third, and moved into second on lap 17.

Over the final eight laps, Cestodio used the lapped traffic to his advantage, and closed in on Arsenault. With five laps to go, he had closed within a few car lengths. With three laps remaining, the reigning Pure Stock champion moved to the outside, and took the lead with two laps left. Amy tried to battle back, but Cestodio was too strong and went on to win his second race of the season. Arsenault hung on for second, with Chouinard, Bob Hinckley and Lambert rounding out the top five.

In the 25 lap NEMA Lites feature, Anthony Nocella picked up his first win in dominating fashion. Eric Cabral jumped out to an early lead, but Nocella, who started seventh, was on a tear. By lap four, he was second, and drove by Cabral for the lead. Once out front, there was no looking back.

Randy Cabral started twelfth, and moved through the field into the top five by lap five. Following Shawn Torrey through the pack, they moved into second and third by lap seven, but could not gain on Nocella. On lap ten, Cabral moved into second and put some breathing room between he and Torrey. Jake Stergios was following Cabral through, but couldn’t get by Torrey, and had to settle for fourth. Previous Seekonk NEMA Lite winner Will Wall made it up to fifth in the final tally.

The Fast Friday schedule takes a break on July 17, but will be back on course on July 24, with the Pure Stocks, Seekonk Youth Racing Association and the Sport4’s. There will also be Kart racing in the back pit track. The Pure Stocks have been added to the Saturday Night schedule on July 18, as part of the mid-season Championship. For more information, check out the all-new website at seekonkspeedway.com.

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