Axon surprise winner in Kraze Street Stock 30/30. Vanada, Vanasse, Vincent, and Guy also victors in a wild Saturday Night
Seekonk, MA — Steve Axon of Attleboro, MA is thanking two of his competitors for a big win in the Street Stock division this week. From his third place position with just one half lap to the checkered flag, and Ryan Lineham and Scott Serydynski just a quarter lap from the finish line, he watched the unthinkable happen: The duo, leading the 30-lap feature and battling for position all the way, began trading paint in the third turn, then spun out of control, up and into the wall between turns three and four. Axon then romped home past the carnage to the checkered flag.
Axon started ninth on the grid and was up to fourth by the tenth lap. Coming out of a lap 9 restart, Axon had Greg Perry, Jr, Chris DeMoura and Rey Lovelace in his sights; Lineham was back in the pack, going three wide to make up ground in a big hurry when Elmer Wing’s motor died on lap 10. On the restart, Lineham quickly went three wide again from his seventh position to head for the front. Serydynski took the same route from his eleventh place slot, and the two began to overtake and pass the leaders. Perry and DeMoura were door-to-door battling for first. Craig Pianka, Ronald Lum and Tyler Jarvenpaa got tied together between turns one and turn, bringing out a lot of smoke and the caution. DeMoura earned the pole for the restart for having his nose past Perry’s on the last crossing of the start-finish line.
[Photo Gallery] by Nicholas Teto
It took three restarts to get the field rolling again, but Lineham went three wide all the way from eighth to fourth place. Serydynski took the same high road from tenth to fifth. Lineham was still coming three wide on laps 17 with DeMoura still in the lead. Lineham piled into second place outside DeMoura. The brawling continued with Lineham leaping into the lead and Serydynski coming through into second, chewing at his tail. Former Pro Stock champ, Bobby Tripp, making his first run in a brand-new Street Stock, joined the three-high show, charging around a mob of cars into fifth position.
With five to go, it was Lineham, Serydynski, Axon, Chris Rioux and Tripp holding down the top 5. On Lap 28, Serydynski powered up on Lineham’s outside for the pass, but was denied and fell back into second; right on his antagonist’s back bumper. Into the white flag lap, he tried again, underneath Lineham coming out of the second turn and down the backstretch. Axon could only watch the duo battle, 6 car lengths ahead. Into turn 3, they were trading paint, and then locked together. The cars separated and spun up to the wall between turns 3 and 4. Axon romped home as the two combatants sat smoking against the wall. Rioux chased him across the line, followed by Michael Mitchell, Perry, Lovelace and Tripp.
Jake Vanada had the outside pole with Scott Dion down low. As the green flag waved, he powered into the lead and didn’t see the rear of another Pro Stock until he began to encounter lapped traffic. The rest of the field got to see plenty of the Berkely, Massachusetts driver’s rear spoiler as he handled all comers enroute to Saturday night victory. Mike Brightman was second, with Dave Darling, Rob Murphy and Ken Spencer rounding out the top 5
Vanada had also won his qualifying heat in dominating fashion.
As Vanada roared off the starting line, Dion and Dave Hutchins dueled for runnerup while Ray Parent moved into fourth. By lap 5, Vanada had a 5-car lead on Dion, Hutchins, and Parent. On lap 10, Hutchins lost the groove and looped, causing a scramble. Brightman lost his left front fender in the scramble as everybody checked up to avoid Hutch. Brightman was able to continue without pitting.
Jake Vanada #46
Vanada ran away from Dion on the restart, leaving him to a dogfight with Parent for second while Darling was on Parent’s rear bumper. Ray navigated under Dion into second.
On lap 15, Vanada was nursing a 5-car lead over Parent with Darling, Fred Astle and Brightman jousting at the head of the pack. By lap 17, Vanada had moved out to an 8-car margin. Kevin Casper, John Dabrowski and Rick Martin got together in turn 4 at that point, sending Dabrowski, Casper and Ryan Vanasse to the pits seeking repairs.
Vanada assumed command on the restart and Darling battled Parent for second, coming out the winner. Astle and Brightman in hot pursuit with Tom Scully, Jr. and Rob Murphy right behind. On the 22nd lap, Steve O’Brien went around, with hard braking by Craig Weinstein, Philip Meany, Hutchins and Michael Medeiros allowing O’Brien to escape unscathed.
Vanada and Darling battled on the restart, but Ray Parent found himself sideways in turn 3 before a lap could be completed. Dion caught Parent in the passenger’s door and continued into the wall with race-ending damage to his front end. Officials put Astle to the rear of the pack for causing Parent’s spin. On the restart, Vanada and Darling made up the front row, with Parent and Brightman behind them. Murphy and Scully were the third row.
Vanada was good again, as he went back into the lead. Brightman got under Parent into third, and past Darling for second place. Vanada was three cars ahead by lap 25, with Astle moving up fast from the back of the pack. He had a 5-car lead on lap thirty followed by Brightman, Darling, Murphy and Ken Spencer, who had quietly cemented himself into fifth place. Astle had come up to seventh behind Parent.
Into lap 35, the order remained the same with the exception of Astle edging by Parent. Vanada continued to move away from the pack for the final five circuits, crossing the finish line a quarter lap ahead of Brightman in second place. Darling was third, glued to Brightman, followed by Murphy and Spencer. Astle had made a fine run from the rear to garner 6th place over Parent.
Ryan Vanasse worked patiently through a jostling pack of Late Models for half the 30-lap race, then took control of the latter stages to bring home his first win of the season in the division. The Warwick, RI driver can add the Late Model trophy to one he won in the Pro Stock division, two starts ago.
He started ninth on the field, 5 rows back of polesitter Colbey Fournier. As the green flag dropped, Fournier pushed to the lead, fighting it out briefly with outside polesitter Matt Breault before assuming the lead on his own The remainder of the field began to string out behind, . After 5 laps, Fournier was leading Breault, DeSouza, Tyler Thompson and Jonathan Dickerman. Vanasse had quickly moved up into the sixth spot, behind Dickerman.
Ryan Vanasse #11
Breault and Kyle DeSouza began battling side-by-side for the runnerup spot, with Breault gamely holding off his antagonist. At the tenth lap, Fournier was enjoying a growing lead over the field, Breault still held second, DeSouza third, Thompson and Vanasse filled out the top five. Thompson then got the better of Breault and DeSouza, taking second away from Breault with an underneath move. Breault, on the outside, continued to battle for the position.
With fifteen laps down, Fournier was out into a comfortable lead, with Thompson feeling heat from Vanasse. Kyle Casper, who had won the first three Late Model events of the season, had closed to fourth from his tenth place starting position. DeSouza was holding down fifth place. Vanasse now went to the outside to try the pass on Thompson and a battle for the position began. Casper had closed to Thompson’s rear bumper. Vanasse completed the pass into second, and set his sights on Fournier. Battling on the outside, Vanasse was able to poke his nose past but Fournier would haul back up, and the cars were see-sawing the lead
On lap 21, however, Breault spun to the infield grass on the backstretch, bringing out the yellow. Vanasse had held the lead on the last full lap, crossing the stripe with his snout inches ahead of his adversary. On the restart, Vanasse held the pole with Fournier on the outside. Thompson tucked in behind Vanasse in the second row, with Casper on the outside. Randy Burr filled the pole spot in the third row; Frank Duquette was on his right shoulder.
Vanasse went to the front on the green. Behind Fournier, Thompson and Casper battled, with the latter dropping behind and coming up underneath to attempt the pass. Fournier was stuck on the outside, and began dropping back as the pack got under him. After 25 circuits, Vanasse led, followed by Thompson, Casper and Randy Burr. Duquette held fifth, and Fournier had dropped back to eighth.
Vanasse moved out to a 5-car lead. Casper tried to make an outside pass of Thompson, but could not get by. The final four laps saw the field strung out behind the leader through to the checkered flag.
Ted Berube jumped past polesitter Chris Rioux at the beginning of the Sport Trucks feature, but didn’t get to relish the lead for long. Berube had Lenny Guy diving under him on the third lap for the lead. Guy had missed opening day, but brought his 77 in on the second event to win his heat and finish strong. A caution called the field back for a restart and Guy had to settle for the outside of the front row. On the green, he had the lead to himself on the backstretch with Berube and John Paiva breathing down his neck.
Guy, of New Bedford, MA, Berube, from Somerset, MA, and Paiva of Fall River, MA ran hard and long on the evening. With Guy powering away, Paiva got underneath Berube for second position and began to chase the leader. By lap 5, the field had stretched out. Guy held down the lead ahead of Paiva and Berube, while Falmouth’s Michael Ronhock and Ed Gannon filled up the top 5. On lap 8, Paiva was beginning to edge up on Guy and Rick Martin was passing Ronhock for fourth.
Lenny Guy #77
On the tenth circuit, Paiva was continuing to reel in Guy and Martin was pestering Berube. Lapped traffic loomed, but Guy and the rest of the field moved smoothly through it until Dane Saritelli looped on the backstretch. Guy survived Paiva’s challenge on the restart, retaking the lead with Paiva plugging a length back. Berube and Martin followed. Casey Sanchez ran into some fluid in turn two and spun on the backstretch, bringing another caution and the crews to speedy-dry the spill.
The restart was spoiled when Joseph Gardner and Dan Leach spun coming out of turn 3. On the second try, Guy and Paiva came out side-by-side with Lenny edging into a one-car lead, only to be stopped by another caution with Michelle Dumas dead in the water on the backstretch. Again Guy outran Paiva at the green, and Martin pulled in behind Paiva. By lap 20, Martin had edged past into second behind Guy. With Martin glued to his tail, Guy survived the stress and kept it straight and fast for the final 3 laps to the checkered flag for the win, by a whisker over Martin. Paiva was third, Berube fourth and Gannon fifth. Dylan Estrella was 6th.
Billy Clarke, who has been racing Seekonk Speedway since the late 1940’s, made his return to the trucks division for the first time this year to battle to a seventh place finish.
Brian Vincent, of West Warwick, RI, came all the way back to Seekonk Speedway with his Pro-4 Modified Tour to grab a happy win in the 25 lap feature. He had raced the Cement Palace before joining the Pro-4 Tour. Vincent started fifth on the field, on the pole in the third row and worked his way immediately into contention. Another Seekonk Speedway veteran, Robin Berghman, suffered mechanical problems early and was forced to retire to the pits.
Polesitter Dave Richardi led from the pole. Vincent leapt into fourth behind outside polesitter, Rob Richardi, Dave’s brother, of North Easton, Ma. and New Hampshireite Phil Laurier. Somerset’s Billy Joerres spun, bringing out the caution on lap 3. On the ensuing restart, Mark Charette rode over the wheel of former Pro-4 champ George Sherman, bringing out another caution. Vincent started in third, behind the Richiardi’s. Dave was off and running while Vincent dived under Rob for second and the chase had begun.
At 10 laps, Dave Richardi led Vincent, Tyler Anderson, Adam Norton and Norm Wrenn in what was seeming about to become a big parade. However, Dave Richardi suddenly had a shower of sparks erupt under his hood and was forced to retire to the pits, leaving Vincent to continue at the head.
Vincent then paraded the oval, catching lap traffic on the 17th circuit, which he managed easily. On lap 20, Vincent led Tyler Anderson, Norton, Wrenn, Frank Perry and Joerres. Five laps later, the top five streamed under the checkered flag in that same order.
Sources: Kevin Boucher/Seekonk Speedway PR