Fellows, Riendeau Roll, First Ever for Branch Friday atClaremont
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Aaron Fellows rocketed to his fifth win of the summer, Chris Riendeau won an epic battle with Bryan Town to score his fourth victory, and Newport teen Victor Branch earned his first career checkered flag lap Friday, July 6, at Claremont Speedway.
The 15-year-old Branch, in fact, was the third Wildcat driver in as many weeks to score a career-first feature win, wiring the four-holer 35-lapper to join recent victors Kyle Buck and Kyle Templeton as first-time winners.
Ricky Bly is finally solving the mystery that has been the 2017 track champion’s new car. Friday, the Sunapee speedster moved to the top of the points parade, taking the checkers in Aaron Fellows’ shadow. Fellows, meanwhile, who’s had a feast-or-famine ten-week run, used Friday’s fifth-of-the-summer victory to move to within striking distance of the top of the leaderboard; bad news for the rest of the field.
Alex Poisson and Ryan Currier swapped the lead early in Friday’s Super Street 50-lapper, with Ben Poland taking charge on lap ten. Fellows quickly pulled up to Poland’s bumper, content to ride there until the Charlestown hot shoe slowed in a spray of sparks on lap 27.
Bly was quick to follow Fellows to the point on lap 28 but, other than a complimentary hey-I’m-back-here-if-you-need-me tap on lap 37, had to content himself with scoring the strong runner-up finish. Dylan Bodreau continued his strong season with his third-place run, Joe Brown was fourth, and Hayden Scott came home fifth.
If the fireworks that filled the speedway skyline after the races were spectacular – they were – the action over the final 15 laps of the Street Stock feature wasn’t bad either.
Chris Riendeau was the fourth man to the point – Chris Colburn, Joe Tetreault, and Bryan Town preceded him there – and once he’d caught Town up front on their 25th go-round, the two three-feature winners put on a show.
They raced side-by-side, they battled nose-to-tail. The exit turns grew narrow, the sparks flew and paint was traded; it was a classic. In the end, it was Riendeau earning his fourth victory lap; Town, with the blockbuster runner-up finish and another heat race victory going home still atop the points parade, and Tetreault – with the best seat in the house – claiming the third-place hardware.
Raven Streeter and Sam Giveen led the Wildcats to the green, but it was Victor Branch – firing from row two – jumping all over the lap-one lead and then never looking back as he sped off to his first career win.
Kyle Templeton grabbed second on a lap-nine restart, and points leader Zach Lyn took third from Giveen on the 20th go-round but Friday, Branch appeared untouchable. Only a caution could keep him from victory on this night.
That caution appeared on lap 34, bringing the field back to Branch’s bumper but the youthful pilot was up to the challenge, leading Lyn under the checkers, with Templeton close behind in third. Kyle Buck was strong in fourth, and Jon Alden came home fifth.
Next Friday, July 13, night’s event at Claremont Speedway is a big one, as the Super Streets square off in a multi-segment, added purse 75-lap event, the annual Richardson Memorial Race. The Street Stocks and Wildcats will also be in action, with post time set for 7 p.m.
Fans are reminded that there will be no racing at the speedway on July 20, as the third-mile oval observes its annual summer break. Racing will resume on July 27. For more information, please visit www.claremontspeedway.net.
CLAREMONT SPEEDWAY JUNE 6 TOP TENS:
SUPER STREET: Aaron Fellows, Ricky Bly, Dylan Bodreau, Joe Brown, Hayden Scott, Alex Poisson, Craig M Smith, Tyler Searles, Tyler Lescord, Ken Fowler.
STREET STOCK: Chris Riendeau, Bryan Town, Joe Tetreault, Lenny Silver, Dave Greenslit, Chris Colburn, Briana Akusis, Robbie Streeter, Kenny Thompson, Mike Salois.
WILDCAT: Victor Branch, Zach Lyn, Kyle Templeton, Kyle Buck, Jon Alden, Sam Giveen, Raven Streeter, Jim Carley, Chris Carver, Haydon Grenier.
Sources: Gary Dutton/Claremont Speedway PR