Craig Smith, Two Others Win First of Year June 9 at Claremont Speedway
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Craig Smith, of Newport, won the Super Street feature Friday, June 9, at Claremont Speedway. He was one of three drivers scoring their first victory of the young season on Friday.
A week after he came up just short of winning his father, Dean’s, memorial race at the Thrasher Road speed plant, Smith made a late-race pass to became his division’s fifth different feature winner in as many weeks this season.
Wild Cat Kodi Sabins, the speedway’s reigning four-cylinder champion, earned his first victory lap of the summer; ditto for Limited Sportsman racer Joe Tetrault, while Modified ace Dana Smith outran Dwight Jarvis in a battle of open-wheel strongmen to post his second win of the season.
Mark Blair and Jeff Morse led the 20-car Super Street field to the green, with Morse jumping all over the opening lap lead, as Blair and Ryan Currier led the thundering pack behind him.
Joe Brown had charged up to third and was battling for second when his ride sent up a shower of sparks on lap 13 to bring out the caution, with Ben Poland – from row four – quickly grabbing the deuce on the restart. Two laps later Poland had the lead, with Morse and Bryan Town close behind.
Town took the two-spot on lap 22, then dropped to third on lap 35 as Ricky Bly shot low into turn one, as Poland held the point. The finish, though, was far from decided.
Poland and Bly clanked in turn one, with starter George Powers’ white flag in the air, with Poland then looping and both refiring from the rear of the pack. Town, with a green-white-checkers finish before him, then became the race’s fourth leader.
Diving low through turn three, Craig Smith then completed his journey from row five, grabbing the lead with one lap to go and sailing off to victory. Points leader Hayden Scott got up for second, Town came home third, with Dylan Bodreau and Ryan Currier rounding out the top five.
Dylan Rock and Brandee Tree sat on the front row of the Modified main event, with Rock immediately taking command. Firing from row three, Dana Smith wasted no time in rocketing up to second, then taking the lead on lap four.
Jeff Murray held the deuce until Dwight Jarvis dove beneath him in turn one on lap 20, with Smith still a dozen lengths ahead of his closest pursuer. A lap-29 restart brought Jarvis to his bumper but, on this night, he would get no closer, as Smith soared to his second win of the summer.
Murray completed his impressive night’s work in third, Nick Salva was fourth, and Tree came home fifth.
Dave Donahue and Chris Carver led the Wild Cats to the green, with Donahue taking charge as Zach Lynn – from row four – quickly made his way forward. Lynn powered into the lead on lap five, bringing three-time winner Greg Millette with him.
Kodi Sabins dropped Millette to third on lap 15, took the lead from Lynn two laps later, and then drove away, winning in a romp. Millette came home second, and Lynn claimed the three-spot. Dale Squires Jr. finished fourth, and Kyle Currier hit the stripe in fifth.
A momentary bobble a week earlier caused Limited Sportsman pilot Joe Tetreault a chance at visiting victory lane. Friday, the Enfield, N.H. driver ran a flawless race, wiring the caution-free 25-lapper to score his first win of the season, a third-lap ahead of runner-up Chris Colburn.
Tyler Janovsky, who entered the LS points race tied for first, came home third on the night to take sole possession of the top spot. Chris Gilbert earned the four-spot, and 14-year-old rookie Briana Akusis was fifth.
Next Friday, June 16, Claremont Speedway will host the Street Stock Showdown Series. The R.E. Hinkley Super Streets and T-Bird Mini Mart Wild Cats will also be in action, with racing beginning at 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.claremontspeedway.net.
JUNE 9 TOP TENS:
SUPER STREETS: Craig Smith, Hayden Scott, Bryan Town, Dylan Bodreau, Ryan Currier, Zach Jewett, Lenny Silver, Jeff Morse, Kenny Fowler, Ben Poland.
MODIFIEDS: Dana Smith, Dwight Jarvis, Jeff Murray, Nick Salva, Brandee Tree, Bucky Demers, Chris Bolton, Cameron Sontag, Todd Patnode, Dylan Rock.
WILD CATS: Kodi Sabins, Greg Millette, Zach Lynn, Dale Squires Jr, Kyle Currier, Nick Little, Sam Giveen, Jim Carley, Hillary Renaud, Samantha Stoddard.
LIMITED SPORTSMEN: Joe Tetreault, Chris Colburn, Tyler Janovsky, Chris Gilbert, Briana Akusis.
Sources: Gary Dutton/Claremont Speedway PR
Dana Smith takes his victory lap after winning the Modified feature June 9 at Claremont Speedway. (Gary Dutton Photo)