Nick Lascoula Wins Phil’s Propane Triple Crown Race Two; Amy Arsenault, Eric Pelletier, Doug Meservey & Curtis Rolando Win Fast Friday Features
SEEKONK, MA — After losing a differential in Open Wheel Wednesday competition, Nick Lascoula’s crew threw major repairs into the car and came down two days later to nail down another convincing win; his third on the season. He leapt away from Joey Parker early own, who was trailed by New Yorker Brandon Bock for much of the race. But after a lap 23 restart, Bock was able to navigate around and into second as the two remaining laps unwound and steal second place away. Joe Putnam and John Bellucci followed across and Wisialko, eliminated by mechanical difficulties, finished two laps down.
Lascoula’s typical escape from the field came quickly from the outside pole with Parker giving chase and Bock on his bumper. Wisialko held fourth. Five laps in, Lascoula was eight cars up on the field. He increased to ten cars by lap eleven. Parker also had ten cars on Bock.
But Parker lost momentum on lap fifteen and Bock began to close. He was loose out of turn four on lap eighteen and a lap later Lascoula was now a full straightaway in the lead. Bock was on Parker’s bumper in lap twenty. They dueled over second.
But with two to go, Wisialko appeared to lose an oil line on the front stretch, sending a burst of flame and smoke. He braked to a halt high in turn one and quickly exited the car. The fire had gone out, but rescue and track crew surrounded the car and the red flag was thrown.
When the race resumed, Parker was on Lascoula’s shoulder and Bock was behind him. As they came away, Bock was able to get under Parker for second, but Lascoula powered away once again through to the finish.
Amy Arsenault broke from the pole and into the lead at the start of the Pure Stock feature . . . twenty-five laps later she had held off a charging Jesse Melberg for her first win after six years of competing in the division. It was a gritty win as Melberg had worked his way from the rear of the pack, owing to last week’s victory and threatened to make it two in a row, but Arsenault hung tough through lapped traffic with Jesse on her tail to nail down the victory. Melberg was rocketing along on the outside with his left front corner even with her right rear as they flew across the stripe and under the checkers. Ed Flanagan, Bill Doyle and Earl Curtin chased them over the stripe.
Melberg put on a driving show as Arsenault rolled out to a long lead. She had Flanagan and Doyle bumper to bumper behind her. A short space back to John Robidoux, Curtin and Melberg grinding at each other’s bumpers was eating up the laps.
Melberg went around Curtin for fifth and started in on Robidoux down the backstretch on lap six. He was on his own going into lap seven. He set out after Doyle, holding third behind Flanagan. By lap eleven he was coming around Doyle for third and setting up on Flanagan, who himself was trailing Arsenault by two cars. Two laps later, he was alongside, but fell back momentarily then charged up Doyle’s outside again. He gained third out of turn two and set off after Flanagan.
He was alongside Flanagan into lap sixteen as Arsenault began to navigate lapped traffic. The battle for second continued five cars back. The pair squeezed under a lapped vehicle setting up a three wide momentarily, but they moved on into clear air. Melberg had second the next time across the stripe and into lap 19.
With five remaining, Melberg was closing on Arsenault, three cars ahead. The gap was a single car length on lap 21, and Jesse moved to the outside for the pass. But Arsenault toughened up and they dueled past another lapped car which moved up in the nick of time. Melberg’ s progress was slowed in the pass, and he had to ramp it back up. They were now into the last circuit, and Melberg put the hammer down. He closed to Arsenault’s rear, but the checkered flag intervened and she had the feature win sealed.
Rounding out the top ten were: Robidoux, Daniel Massa, Jr., Ed Gould, Jamie Salley and Mark Murphy.
Eric Pelletier took down his first Sport Four win with a tough duel at the finish with Devin Miranda following a lap thirteen restart. Pelletier had been running away from the field for the first two thirds of the race, but Chris Testa’s spin on lap thirteen brought the field back together and Devin Miranda – who had been showing great speed at the head of the chase pack, to his outside shoulder. Pelletier was able to leap away out of the starter’s box, however, and forced Miranda to take the lead from behind him. Miranda made a hard run with two to go, but Pelletier held him off and drove home with the win. Miranda nailed down second. 49, 15 and 37 rounded out the top five.
Pelletier was enjoying a straightaway lead by lap ten and it stretched along into lap 13. Miranda had already come around into second, when 18 spun in turn four. The lap 13 restart had Miranda outside Pelletier on the front row. Though Miranda had been showing considerable speed in the middle part of the race, Pelletier was able to pull ahead out of the starting box. Miranda locked onto his bumper and made it stick. They ran the final ten laps with venom, but Pelletier was able to deny Miranda’s passes.
Completing the top ten were: 3, 21, 9, 31 AND 89.
Curtis Rolando worked rapidly through the field, aided by early race cautions, leapt to the lead and once he was out front continued to stretch the distance between himself and Kaitlyn Donovan to increase the lead he already held in this year’s divisional standings. Donovan continued to second, but the position was not easy to nail down as a determined Taylor Bowser chewed away at her rear bumper, sticking a nose underneath to challenge for second over the waning laps. But Donovan was able to hold on for the position. Shelby Donovan, David Lougee and Christine Cavallaro came across as a mob, battling over fourth, but settled into the latter order. Ashley Kuhn rounded out the field.
Kuhn started on the pole inside Taylor Bowser, who ran into turn three loose and had to fall back. David Lougee, Jr. fell in with Curtis Rolando following. But Kuhn spun out of turn four, bringing a caution. The lap on restart saw Rolando run to the front out of turn two with Kaitlyn Donovan on his bumper. Bowser and Shelby Donovan followed with Christine Cavallaro and Lougee behind them.
Rolando went rapidly out to a long lead and Kaitlyn, in second, held a good distance over Bowser and Shelby. The field wound through several laps in a parade file as Bowser closed on Donovan. Kuhn closed in on Lougee
At the checkers, Rolando had added to his divisional lead with yet another win. Kaitlin, with Bowser challenging, held on for second. Shelby, Lougee, Cavallaro and Kuhn rounded out the finishing grid.
Doug Meservey came out with a hot setup on the evening and ran away from the SYRA 600 field for a big win over David White for his first win in the 600 series. After the fourth try to get the field started, the division erupted and ran a complete 20-lapper from green to checkers as Meservey had few challenges and won by a full straightaway. White had the same distance on Brandon Lillie who had had to work his way around the entire field after heading to the rear for an assist on one of the initial lap cautions. Lillie was closing on the leaders once he made his way through the field, but they had substantial leads over him and there was not enough time to run them down. Thomas Morsehead and 32 completed the top five.
Sources: Kevin Boucher/Seekonk Speedway PR