Lee USA Speedway 8/24/18 Race Report
Lee, NH – The 2018 season championship was decided in the Rodfather Supermodifieds at “New Hampshire’s Center of Speed” on Friday night, with Salem’s Dave “Hollywood” Helliwell claiming his third consecutive title aboard the famed Witkum Brothers Racing machine.
The Supermodifieds were up for double features on the night, and when the first fell to Rochester veteran Mike Spurling, the points lead also went his way. It was Spurling’s second straight feature win, but with a runner-up finish, Helliwell kept the points chase close enough that a win in the nightcap closed out yet another championship drive.
Spurling returned the favor in the second race with a runner-up finish of his own, but Helliwell had earned enough of an advantage to collect the championship by the slimmest of margins.
Defending R & R Public Wholesalers Late Model Sportsman champion Frankie Eldredge topped both ends of the LMS doubleheader, adding to his win total with an impressive and dominating night.
The first feature was relatively uneventful, but the second was red-flagged for a scary incident with nine laps in the record books.
Race leaders Bobby Baillargeon and Bryan Kruczek got together coming off turn two, with Kruczek’s mount bouncing off the wall and immediately bursting into flames. Kruczek and the Brian House-owned machine came to a stop at the end of the backstretch, and the Lee FD was quickly on the scene to extinguish the flames.
In other NASCAR Whelen All-American Series action, Race Parts NH Street ace Alby Ovitt topped the biggest field of the year to claim the win in the annual Lance Davis Memorial race, taking the lead from former champion Jim Shorey on lap 15, and going the distance to collect the 50-lap win.
Making up for rainouts earlier in August, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Ironmen had two feature events on the schedule, with Seabrook racer Adam Knowles breaking out of his season-long slump and making a trip to victory lane in the first race of the night with Christin DeStefano and Jamie Holland rounding out the podium.
The nightcap turned out to be one of the best races of the night, as Kaycie Kustra outdueled veteran Randy Washburn to take the lead early in the 30-lapper, and spent the better part of the second half of the event with a mirror full of points leader Brian DeStefano.
DeStefano gave it all he had, but Kustra was not to be denied, flashing under the checkers to pick up her first career win by a car length. DeStefano and Jamie Holland rounded out the podium.
Tyler Mailhot topped the first MLM Diagnostics Pure Stock main event, with Rob Carleton and Jacob Michaud second third. Carleton topped the nightcap, with rookie Cam Huntress and Mailhot closing out the podium.
The battles for the 2018 championships continue on Friday, August 31, with racing action featuring the R & R Late Model Sportsmen, Race Parts NH Street Stocks, O’Reilly Auto Parts Ironmen, and MLM Diagnostics Pure Stocks. A 4-cylinder Enduro is also on the program.
ALL RESULTS ARE UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CONFIRMED BY THE OFFICE ON MONDAY MORNING.
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Sources: Rich Hayes/Lee USA Speedway PR