5.31.19 Opening Night Fast Friday Recap
Fast Friday Recap May 31 with Kyle Souza
Our Fast Friday season is off to a perfect start.
Under picture-perfect sunshine, we opened the 2019 season with a bang on Friday, with full fields in each division and even a consi race for the Sport 4 to begin the night. The Fast Friday program continues to grow, as some of the youth at the Massachusetts oval has their chance to show their talent, and some polished Friday veterans continue to chase checkered flags in an affordable class.
Our Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandit division opened with Brenden LeBelle in Victory Lane. Early on, the young driver used the outside lane to slide around Collin Vanasse, then, he took his talents to the bottom groove to slide by Ryan Vanasse Jr. and take the lead. He never looked back, and captured his first career Seekonk win, setting the early pace.
In the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaw class, the battle to the checkered flag was one of the best we have seen in the Bandoleros. Giovanni Ruggerio set the early pace, but in the final laps, it was Isaiah Newcomb, who had charged from the back after a spin, setting himself up for a run at the checkered flag. Through the final two turns, Newcomb put his nose under Ruggerio, and the two made a little bit of contact, fighting tooth and nail to the line for the conclusion. At the end, it was Ruggerio who would capture the winning flag.
Although the Sport 4 class had opened their season at the Memorial Day Thrill Show in a non-points event, their first championship battle saw Jordan Lopes take the victory. Lopes got behind Mike Lefort in the final few laps, and used a move to the bottom of the track entering turn one to get the run he needed. Lopes thought about hanging up the helmet last year, but an offseason filled with building a brand new car gave him the incentive he needed to get back to Victory Lane.
The Helger’s Southcoast Power Equipment Pure Stock division saw Amy Arsenault open the season in Victory Lane. Amy admitted in her post-race interview that she rolled the car out of winter hibernation just about a week before the first race, tightened the necessary bolts and put it on the track. It seems like other competitors might want to try the same thing next year, because it certainly worked for her. Defending champion Doug Benoit started his title defense with a second, while Greg Perry was third.
And finally, in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars, another close battle at the end went to Casey Call. He was fighting through a lot of lapped traffic in the final laps while Joshua Parsons was right on his back bumper. Parsons looked to make a move to slide by a few times, but, couldn’t quite get the run he needed. Call won’t be running full-time with us this season, so for Parsons, a second-place finish puts him in a good position going forward. Peter Bennett was third, while Brendan Hammann charged back through the field after a spin at the green flag to finish fourth.
Next Friday, we continue our Fast Friday series with another full card of racing. For just $7 at the front gate, you won’t want to miss it.
Sources: Kyle Souza, SeekonkSpeedway.com