Dominance at the Dog: Gray Earns Memorial Day Victory
Belchertown, MA Native Now Tied for All-Time Series Wins
WINCHESTER, NH – Barry Gray continued his dominance at Monadnock Speedway, holding off charges from Matt Frahm, Mike O’Sullivan, and Larry Gelinas, to grab his fourth Granite State Pro Stock Series in the Memorial Day 100.
Gray took the lead at the drop of the green, after beating pole sitter Cory Robert to the line on lap 1. Robert would be out of contention early, after an incident on lap 4 with Adam Norton, bringing out the first caution of the evening. Matt Frahm and Tommy O’Sullivan would challenge Gray on three restarts, before settling in for a green flag run.
Nick Boivin brought out the fourth caution on lap 25, as his Ford of North Hampton automobile expired on the entrance of pit lane. Gray would hold on to the lead on the last two restarts, until Gelinas and Frahm mounted a charge with 25 laps to go. Gray’s racing line carried him high into turn one, where Gelinas would drop low, but could not make the car stick to draw alongside, as Gray would hold on for the victory.
After the race, Gray said “My hats off to my guys, they work really hard. This is a home track for us, all the guys ran us good and clean tonight.”
With the win, Gray is now tied with Frahm for the all-time series lead in victories.
Gelinas, who settled for second after starting in the 9
Gelinas, who maintains his car by himself, had the engine out of his car the previous night, but rushed to get the Portland Speed/Gelinas HVAC Chevrolet back together for this race.
Frahm finished in the third spot, but was not satisfied, saying “We had a great night, but I’m aggravated with myself for not pulling the trigger earlier. I think we had the car to beat here tonight, and we showed it all day in practice. I hate it more for my guys, they work hard, but congrats to Barry [Gray] and Larry [Gelinas]. They deserve it.”
Point-leader entering the event, Derek Griffith worked his way to the fourth spot, while Mike Parks settled for fifth. Mike O’Sullivan finished sixth, with Jeremy Harclerode, who made his Granite State Pro Stock Series debut, finishing seventh. Josh King, Bryon Baker, and Tommy O’Sullivan rounded out the top ten. King and Jeremy Davis, who broke an axel late in the race, won the heat races.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series will be back in action June 14, at Hudson International Speedway. For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net.
MEMORIAL DAY 100
Monadnock Speedway
5/23/15
1. (2) Barry Gray Belchertown, MA
2. (9) Larry Gelinas Buxton, ME
3. (4) Matt Frahm Hampstead, NH
4. (11) Derek Griffith Hudson, NH
5. (13) Mike Parks Walpole, NH
6. (5) Mike O’Sullivan Springfield, MA
7. (14) Jeremy Harclerode Newmarket, NH
8. (8) Josh King Vernon, VT
9. (10) Bryon Baker Claremont, NH
10. (3) Tommy O’Sullivan Wilbraham, MA
11. (16) Geoff Rollins Groton, MA
12. (6) Adam Norton Ludlow, MA
13. (17) Greg Nanigian Braintree, MA
14. (18) Matt Zenisky West Springfield, MA
15. (19) Cory Casagrande Stafford Springs, CT
16. (7) Jeremy Davis Tamworth, NH
17. (1) Cory Robert Canaan, NH
18. (15) John Salemi Nashua, NH
19. (12) Nick Boivin Belchertown, MA
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
AR BODIES (Hard Luck) 71NH – Cory Robert
BOND AUTO PARTS (Last Car on Lead Lap) 16 – Tommy O’Sullivan
BOND AUTO PARTS (Halfway Leader) 29 – Barry Gray
DRACO SPRINGS (Most Positions Gained) 66 – Mike Parks
FIVE STAR AUTO BODIES (5th Place) 66 – Mike Parks
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 1 Winner) 21 – Josh King
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 2 Winner) 21NH – Jeremy Davis
SEYMOUR PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS (Random) 02 – Geoff Rollins
RB PERFORMANCE (3rd Place) 14 – Matt Frahm
RB PERFORMANCE (7th Place) 51NH – Jeremy Harclerode
SHERWOOD WHEELS (Most Laps Led) 29 – Barry Gray
SUNOCO RACE FUELS (Heat 1 Winner) 21 – Josh King
SUNOCO RACE FUELS (Heat 2 Winner) 21NH – Jeremy Davis
VDL FUEL SYSTEMS (5th Place) 66 – Mike Parks
POWERTRAIN TECHNOLOGY (4th Place) 12 – Derek Griffith
COIL-OVER COMMANDER (Feature Winner) 29 – Barry Gray
Sources: Mike Parks/GSPSS PRGRANITE STATE PRO STOCK
Pos (Start) Driver Hometown