Astle Takes Second Pro Stock Win
Seekonk, MA — Westport’s Fred Astle took his second Pro Stock win of the season after chasing down a surging Kevin Casper from Somerset, MA, then holding off division leader Dave Darling of Rehoboth, through the second half of the race. It was a tightening win for Astle, as he went into the evening two points behind Darling in the race for Pro Stock Supremacy. Darling led the division 445 points to 443. The win should also put him into automatic contention for this week’s 150-lap PASS Super race at Seekonk. Astle had started on the outside of the fourth row with Darling right behind him.
John Dabrowski led off from the pole. The Bridgewater, Mass driver went to the lead while third place starter Mike Brightman of Acushnet ducked under outside pole sitter Kevin Casper into second. Casper and Tom Scully, Jr. began to fight for position when Tiverton’s Michael Medeiros flew hard into the wall in turn 3.
The lap one restart had Dabrowski battling to the lead over Casper. But the latter turned the tables, moved past Dabrowski and closes the door. Brightman took third over Ryan Vanasse and Rochester’s Rob Murphy. With Brightman trying around the 12, Vanasse got underneath Brightman, and Dabrowski closed the door on them.
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Casper went out to a 4 car lead on Dabrowski and Vanasse was all over Brightman’s back bumper. Astle had closed in behind Vanasse with Darling, Murphy, and Jake Vanada from Berkley, MA on his tail. On lap 9, Vanada spun between turns one and two.
Casper and Dabrowski lined up on the front for the restart with Brightman and Vanasse behind them. Astle and Darling made up row 3. Casper went to the front as the green fell and Brightman went under Dabrowski for second in turn 4. Astle followed into third and Murphy gained fourth by lap 11. With Casper nursing a two-car lead on Brightman on lap 13, Paul Reichert spun in turn 4, and the caution flew again for a lap 12 restart.
Now Casper had Brightman on his outside and Astle right behind him for the restart. Murphy was outside the second row. Dabrowski and Rick Martin were row 3.
Casper took the lead over Brightman and Astle went underneath into second on lap 13. Brightman, Murphy, Martin, Dabrowski, Darling, Vanasse and Dick Houlihan followed. Astle was all over Casper’s tail with Brightman and Murphy on his. Further back, Vanasse was underneath Darling.
Astle went under Casper in the first turn of lap 17 and came out on the backstretch with the lead. On the next lap, Brightman was around in turn 2. Dabrowski was collected in the spin while Martin looped his car to miss the pileup. Brightman took his car pit side, but was able to return.
Now Astle had Casper on his shoulder for the dropping of the green and Murphy behind him. Darling was high in the second row. Scully and Houlihan were followed by Spencer and Vanada. Astle was in the lead on the second turn. Murphy got under Casper with Darling behind him. But Scully quickly got under Darling for third. This was good news for Astle, who was quickly moving out to a 3-car lead while his opponents dueled behind him. Casper and Murphy were having at each other when Lillie spun into turn 1, ending up sliding through the infield grass. He rolled off to the pits and a lap 21 restart was in the offing.
Astle faced Murphy on the outside with Casper at his back. Darling was outside Casper and Scully and Spencer were behind them. Astle edged out to a lead in turn three but in the next lap, Murphy was loose in turn three, getting sideways but saving it. Everybody in the pack scrambled and got by. Then, in the subsequent lap, something appeared to break in Dabrowski’s front end. Sparks flew as he jumped on his brakes to avoid hitting the pit entrance in turn four. He was towed from the track and Vanada headed for the pits. It was the end of the night for both drivers.
It was Astle’s night as he led the final 15 laps to the end with no competitors able to mount a challenge. His margin of victory was .923 seconds over Dave Darling, and 2.044 over Scully in third. Rob Murphy and Kevin Casper rounded out the top 5.
Ryan Vanasse of Warwick, RI, came home to his second win of the season in the Late Model class
Robert Hussey of Wellfleet, MA led off at the pole with Burr on his outside. Hussey edged to a slight lead with Burr fighting him all the way and with Robert Pelland III of Cranston, RI on his tail. Burr got loose on the outside in turn one and Pelland dashed past Hussey to the front. Burr went back to third with Thompson, from Somerset, between him and the track’s inner edge.
By lap 5, Pelland had forged a 5-car lead over Hussey, Thompson, Burr, Weymouth, Mass’ Jonathan Dickerman and Acushnet, Mass driver Matt Breault. Thompson was then able to steal second from Hussey on lap 6, with Dickerman following through to third. Pawtucket’s Gerry DeGasparre, Jr. took over fourth, followed by Casper, Vanasse and Burr. By lap eight, Pelland had increased his lead over Thompson to a full straightaway.
DeGasparre was now challenging Thompson for second spot with Vanasse moving up behind on lap 12. On lap 15, DeGasparre tried the outside and they got together, getting sideways. Vanasse went by during the fracas and Thompson continued trailing smoke from his rear end.
The problem put Thompson into a spin in turn four, and he collected the unlucky against the wall just before the starter’s stand. Breault was wedged against the wall by Thompson’s car and Kevin Folan, DeGasparre, Dennis Stange and Kyle DeSouza were wedged together. The crash ended the night for Thompson, Breault and Folan. The others pitted and returned to the conflict.
On the restart, Pelland had his teammate, Vanasse, on his outside, while Burr and Casper followed. Dickerman and Frank Duquette made up the third row. Overall, the field was now down to 10 cars. Hussey, DeGasparre, DeSouza and Stange completed the field.
Pelland and Vanasse struggled for the lead on the restart with Vanasse edging ahead on the outside. There was contact between the two in turn three and Pelland got loose. He worked to save it, and almost kept it straight, but then got sideways and a closing Burr had nowhere to go and drilled him. The field scattered around them. Both were able to continue.
Vanasse now had three-time winner Casper on his outside for the restart and Burr on his tail. He went directly to the lead with Casper trying to hang on the outside. Burr held third, followed by Dickerman and DeGasparre.
On lap 18, DeGasparre began to trouble Dickerman for fourth and took the spot on lap 20.
The final ten laps were a virtual parade, with Casper two cars back, unable to close on Vanasse. Pelland, trailing Duquette, tried underneath on lap 28, and they dueled to the stripe with Pelland gaining the edge for the finish.
Somerset driver Ted Berube fought his way through a field of Sport Trucks, before coming home ahead of last week’s winner, Mike Cavallaro of Seekonk for his first win. Cavallaro chased Berube across the stripe, followed by Dylan Estrella, Ed Gannon and Martin.
Casey Sanchez and Dane Saritelli led off on the front row, with Michael Ronhock and Berube in the row behind them. Sanchez was hot early, nabbing the lead from Saritelli at the outset. However, Quincy’s Michelle Dumas went around in turn two, ending up in the infield, and the start was called back. Sanchez again nabbed the lead and Ronhock got under Berube and Saritelli into second. Sanchez was running hard at the front with the division’s hotshoes, Cavallaro, Martin, Dylan Estrella and Berube jousting at mid-pack.
Sanchez seemed off to his own party, but the Providence driver’s truck began spilling fluid and Dighton driver Dan Leach slipped and smacked the wall just before Sanchez was black-flagged on lap 7. Leach was able to continue after his light brush with the barrier, but Sanchez did not return to action.
New Bedford’s Lenny Guy had been pushing up from his fifth place starting spot, and found himself on the pole for the restart with fast Ed Gannon on his shoulder. Guy leveraged the restart against the fast Fall Riverite and Cavallaro and Martin also slipped underneath. Guy was off with the trio in hot pursuit. But Guy looped his truck coming out of turn 2. The field scattered, all but for Leach, who got into a bumper lock with Guy. Gannon and Cavallaro were on the front for the restart with Martin and Dylan Estrella at their backs. Ronhock and Berube made up the third row.
After a brief combat, Gannon slid in front in turn 3, and Martin jumped alongside Cavallaro, then took over second In lap 10, Martin nosed under Gannon, and then Cavallaro tried underneath both. Gannon, however, was up to the match and held on to the lead before Robert Andreozzi went around, bringing out caution in lap 11.
Martin was on Gannon’s outside for the restart with Cavallaro and Estrella, then Berube and Ronhock. Another skirmish sent Cavallaro to the back for contact with Martin, who earned the back as an accident car. Now, Gannon had fast Dylan Estrella on his shoulder and Berube and Ronhock at his rear. Gannon went back to the lead and Berube got alongside Estrella before the North Attleboro lead foot could get do wn into the groove. But Estrella pulled ahead to lead Berube, Ronhock and Billy Clarke, who had a resurgent Lenny Guy on his tail.
Andreozzi was around again on lap 13 and the lap 12 restart again had Gannon, Estrella, Berube and Ronhock facing off from the front two rows. Berube charged up under Gannon and Estrella making it 3-wide in the second turn and it went that way for an entire lap, with the trio duking it out for the lead. Berube finally pulled ahead of Gannon, and Estrella settled into third. Martin, who had made the restart in 11th, began moving toward the front as Dumas was black flagged.
Berube led through lap 15, chased by Gannon, Estrella and Guy. Ronhock, Martin and Cavallaro followed. But Saritelli was around in turn 4, bringing another restart in lap 15.
Berube held on for the lead again with Gannon gaining second but Estrella jumping under him. Guy followed and suddenly Gannon was battling Guy for third. Eric Boyko went around between turns one and two, and again a restart was called.
Berube and Estrella faced off with Gannon and Guy at their backs. Clarke and Martin made up the third row and Cavallaro and Ronhock followed. Berube grabbed the front again, but Clarke and Guy got together in turn two. The front of Guy’s hood bent upward like an airfoil and he went to the pits, to return hoodless.
The lap 17 restart had the same cast of characters in the first three rows except Guy and again Berube went to the front, chased by Estrella, Martin and Gannon. Estrella ducked under Berube and had the lead after a brief skirmish into lap 19. Boyko went around again on lap 20 and this time Estrella restarted on the pole with Berube on his shoulder.
He grabbed the lead at the stripe with Berube chasing, Gannon after him, bothered by Cavallaro and Martin. He ran to a 3-car lead before Boyko was backwards on the backstretch and down into the infield off turn two. The lap-21 restart saw Berube barging back into the lead with Cavallaro chasing Estrella for third. Gannon and Martin dueled for fourth. Cavallaro bickered with Estrella before taking over second spot and then chased Berube all the way to the checkered flag. Estrella captured third, fourth went to Gannon and Martin held fifth.
Defending Street Stock champion Mike Mitchell of Cumberland, RI took his first win of the 2010 season. Johnston Rhode Islander Joe Kohler kicked the race off, running to the lead from his starting spot on the pole while Patrick Delaney from Fall River ducked under North Smithfield’s Gerard Berthelette for second They were side-by-side in turn 3 and began dicing it up until Delaney was ahead in lap 2. With Delaney leading Kohler, Johnston driver Crystal Serydynski, Mitchell and Berthelette in lap 3, Tim Eaton began streaming clouds of blue smoke in turn two. He was able to limp to retirement in the pits, while the race continued. Caution came out in lap 5 for fluid on the backstretch, apparently from Eaton’s situation.
The restart had Delaney on the pole with Kohler on his outside. Serydynski and Mitchell commanded the second row, while Steve Axon and Sparky Arsenault were row 3. Delaney went to the lead while Serydynski moved under Kohler.
With the race in full flight on lap 7, Brian Spillane and Chuck Taylor touched and spun together between turns one and two. The pack split and everyone managed to get by. Spillane and Taylor recovered and rejoined the race before the yellow flag could fly. In lap 10, Delaney was working at the front, while Mitchell was working his way around Serydynski for second. Axon began to work on Serydynski for third, while Arsenault and Ryan Lineham were fighting it out. Ronald Lum spun in turn one, bringing out a lap 10 caution, after Sparky did a masterful job of saving his car from a spin when he got loose.
The caution rescued Serydynski second slot, as she lined up outside Delaney again with Mitchell and Axon behind. The front sitters battled for the lead on the green, but Berthelette went wide on the backstretch as Craig Pianka went sideways in the middle of the pack. Chris DeMoura and Spillane were able to duck around, but Mark Henshaw was collected in Pianka’s loop. He went quickly to the pits with sheet metal hanging.
Mitchell made a move around Delaney going into the 16th circuit and was able to close the door down the backstretch, beating a lap 17 caution flag to keep the pole for the restart. Delaney was on his outside with Arsenault at his back. Michael Lema now had the high side on row 2 and Crystal was low in 3 with Rioux on her shoulder. Axon and Lineham made up the fourth echelon.
Mitchell and Delaney duked it out on the restart with Arsenault clinging to third and Lema fourth. Mitchell won the contest and Arsenault moved in behind him to deny Delaney second spot. Lema gained fourth. Delaney, caught to the outside, began going backwards rapidly.
As Mitchell led Arsenault and Lema, Lineham and Scott Serydynski were fighting behind Axon and Rioux. Serydynski had a 10-point lead at the front of the division over Lineham and every point was critical. Lineham got ahead and they battled, yet unable to get past Rioux.
Mitchell led the final 5 laps to the checkered flag with Arsenault not giving him any peace. Lema came in third, while Axon and Crystal Serydynski rounded out the top 5. It was her best finish on the season.
Sources: Kevin Boucher/Seekonk Speedway PR