Darling Gathers in Triple Crown Feature
Dave Darling came home the winner once again to capture the Pro Stock’s initial Phil’s Propane Triple Crown feature. In doing so, he spoiled Mighty Mike Brightman’s best start of the season. Darling worked his way up from twelfth as Brightman, who had jumped into the lead from a start at the pole, led the field for 53 laps in the extended feature (65 laps.) Mike Mitchell, on the outside pole, went wheel-to-wheel with Brightman for two laps before Mike pulled away.
Austin Blais had started outside Dylan Estrella in the second row, came around Mitchell to give chase to the leader. The two circled the oval at high speed as the field strung out behind them except for a side-by-side battle for fourth between Estrella and Fred Astle, Jr.
Mitchell fell to fifth and Astle took over third just ahead of Estrella. Blais kept looking underneath Brightman, who kept closing the door. Darling was troubling Kevin Casper for eighth, just behind Tom Scully, Jr.
Ten laps in and Brightman was still fending off Blais as Astle looked for opportunity and Estrella followed. Mitchell still held fifth, ahead of Ryan Vanasse, Scully and Darling. At this point, Darling moved in under Scully, moving in behind Vanasse.
Another three laps and Vanasse took a look below Mitchell but was denied. He tried again on the next lap before The Skipper, Bob Hussey, took a solo spin out of turn four.
Brightman leapt ahead of Blais on the restart and Astle got underneath. Estrella watched while behind him, Mitchell and Vanasse dueled.
Astle took over second and Estrella went to work on Blais.
Darling ducked under Vanasse on lap 19, took the spot and went to work on Blais, taking over fifth. Mitchell lay ahead. While Brightman and Astle rushed away at the front, Darling passed Mitchell and moved in on Estrella, who was on Astle’s bumper.
Freddy fended off an attack by Estrella before Darling went on the attack for Estrella’s position. When he cleared into third, Astle sat 3 cars ahead. Brightman still led Astle. Darling closed to Fred’s bumper, looked under and went.
They ran side until Dave pulled ahead on the backstretch with 23 laps remaining.
Brightman was nursing an eight-car lead but Darling was closing in. A lap later – lap 45 – the lead was down to five cars. Then three, then two. With 17 laps remaining, Darling was at Brightman’s bumper. Brightman held him off, slamming the door a couple of times. With Astle closing, Darling went to the high side, then dropped back under the next time around. They came out wheel-to-wheel and Darling then took the lead. Astle moved in underneath Brightman. Blais was on Astle’s bumper and when he cleared, Brightman had Blais underneath and when Blais cleared, Estrella dived in, locking Brightman outside.
Mike elected to drop under and got below Estrella. Mitchell followed with Radical Rick Martin on his bumper and Casper in pursuit. Three laps remained. The field wound around the track in parade fashion to the checkers with Darling grabbing the first Triple Crown of the season.
Astle finished on his heels for second just ahead of Blais. Estrella and Mitchell rounded out the top five. Brightman grabbed sixth, followed by Martin, Vanasse, Scully, Jake Vanada, Casper and Bobby Pelland III.
Jenison with First Seekonk Win
Mark Jenison made a couple years of toil at Seekonk Speedway seem like a cakewalk when he all but stole the lead from Bobby Tripp, who had led the entire race, with just two laps remaining. It was no easy evening for the two frontrunners and there was a ton of sweat equity in Jenison’s win. But the soft-spoken Jenison came off the outside of the second row to pursue the polesitter for 33 laps. Tom “The Bomb” Adams came in to make it a three-way battle as Jennison didn’t spare the horses on the high side of Tripp. Bobby, caught between the two, tried to defend both high and low and Jenison took advantage to power to the front and claim the checkers. Adams gathered in third after Tripp and just ahead of Mark Hudson and Ryan Lineham who rounded out the top five.
Tripp was having the best night of his season, so far, when he burst away from Nick Uhrig into the lead at the start. Tyler Tomassi poked a nose under Uhrig before he could drop in and Jenison ran on their heels. Behind Jenison, Hudson and Adams were wheel-to-wheel and Gerry DeGasparre, Jr. was under Vinny Arrenegado. Two laps in, Tripp had rushed out to an 8-car lead and Tomassi held second while Jenison ran door-to-door with Uhrig.
Jenison got a nose into Tomassi and it allowed Uhrig to reclaim second. Adams squirted up outside to make it three wide with Tomassi and Jenison below him, running for third.
Mark Jenison celebrates first Seekonk win
Arrenegado and Tomassi were prodding each other when Tomassi came loose and slid up the track, carrying Arrenegado into the frontstretch wall with him. Arrenegado, on the high side, took the brunt of the impact to the concrete. Both were out of action with just five laps run.
Tripp and Uhrig lined for the restart with Jenison and Hudson in row two, DeGasparre and Adams followed. Tripp bounced ahead under green and Jenison jetted in under Uhrig. Ten laps in and Tripp had Jenison, Uhrig, DeGasparre, and Hudson in tow with Jeremy Lambert debating sixth with Adams. Two laps more and Jenison was at Tripp’s bumper and Uhrig was falling back into a fourth-place tie with Hudson as Adams, Lambert, John Paiva, and Chase Belcher pursued.
DeGasparre snugged up to Jenison and the top three were running nose-to-tail. Twice more around and the line tightened up to six cars, adding Hudson, Adams, and Uhrig in a string. This went on for another two laps until Mike Duarte took a solo spin down the frontstretch and headed toward the pits for the evening.
The lap 13 restart saw Tripp nose out but Jenison stayed outside to challenge. DeGasparre ran to Tripp’s bumper, freezing Jenison outside. Adams was under Hudson behind them and Belcher was debating sixth alongside Uhrig.
Tripp and Jenison put on a display for the crowd, running hot and hard, hacksawing the lead while DeGasparre exhausted his patience waiting for an opportunity. Finally, Jenison slipped back alongside Gerry and behind them, Adams, Hudson, and Belcher ran single file. Lineham was coming forward and moving up on Belcher.
With 15 laps yet to go, DeGasparre and Jenison were still wheel-to-wheel but next time around, Jenison pulled ahead at the stripe. Tripp, meanwhile, had generated a three-car lead, which Jenison began to whittle down. With 10 circuits remaining, he was cruising on Bobby’s bumper. He tried to look high and then low but Tripp countered each move and now DeGasparre made it three cars in line.
Jenison went to the outside and pressed forward. DeGasparre moved in underneath as Jenison continued to edge up until they were door-to-door. Adams then sneaked in under DeGasparre and got by. With three laps remaining, Adams was on Tripp’s bumper and Jenison slipped back alongside.
However, the latter looked to his left then called for more horses and flew back alongside the leader. Adams began looking on Tripp’s low side, creating the proverbial between-a-rock-and-a-hard place for Tripp, who tried to guard both sides. This played into Jenison’s hand and he nosed ahead into the white flag lap then grabbed the lead alone over the final circuit. Tripp held off Adams to the line to claim second and Hudson flew in for fourth.
Sixth on the run went to Lineham, followed by Uhrig, Belcher, DeGasparre, Paiva, Lambert and Dane Saritelli.
Axon Holds Off Pianka for Second Win
Steve Axon and Captain Fun – Craig Pianka – waged a war over the second half of the Sportsman feature and the bullets really flew heavily over the final four laps as The Captain glued himself to Axon’s tail and wouldn’t let go. They came under the checkers nose-to-tail with Axon hauling down his second win on the season.
Paul and Tyler Lallier made it a family run, finishing third and fourth respectively and Adam Petty rounded out the top five.
Dave Gargaro and Adam Pettey came off the front row with Gargaro grabbing the initial lead in turn two. Smokin’ Joe Kohler ducked under Pettey and they passed Gargaro for the lead going three-wide into lap two. Axon had started fifth but came onto Kohler’s bumper on lap three and began to apply pressure. Gargaro spun and tied up Ant Kohler as the field charged past. Gargaro recovered and continued before the caution flew.
Steve Axon wins second of the 2019 season.
Axon succeeded into the lead on lap five getting under Joe Kohler for some door-to-door, then Pianka came up to Axon’s bumper. Ant Kohler spun off turn two, bringing out a lap four restart.
Smokin Joe and Axon lined up with Pianka and Pettey in row two. Sparky Arsenault and Paul Lallier were row three. Kohler and Axon battled across the strip and Joe took a nose in turn two. Axon came back to push his nose ahead, then took the lead for himself on lap seven. Kohler stayed on his tail and Pianka followed, just ahead of Paul Lallier. Sparky and Pettey followed, running wheel-to-wheel, just ahead of Jesse Melberg and Austin Erickson. Arsenault moved up and Melberg ducked under Pettey. Scott Bruneau then took Melberg’s place.
Pianka got under Joe on lap eleven but Kyle Casper went around in turn four and caution flew. This brought Smokin’ Joe back alongside Axon for the restart.
Axon nosed out and grabbed the lead and Pianka followed from the low side of row two. Kohler dropped in and Sparky went to his outside. Paul Lallier was looking around them both. Now Axon and Pianka were in the chase for real and set a torrid pace. As the way cleared, Paul got under Arsenault. Tyler Lallier was moving up and dropped under Bruneau onto Pettey’s tail in seventh. As Arsenault fell back, Pettey got in underneath. Paul nosed in under Joe Kohler and they went door-to-door.
Axon, Pianka, and Lallier ran hard through laps 18, 19 and 20 as Petty moved in to claim fourth. Tyler got under Kohler into fifth and Chad Baxter took his place beneath Kohler.
With five remaining, it was Axon, Pianka, Paul, Pettey, and Tyler. They ran hard and single file until Tyler got under Pettey on the final circuit. He eked out a .013-second margin to grab fourth away from Pettey at the checkers.
Sixth went to Baxter, followed by Kid Chaos – Corey Fanning. Fanning had driven in late and missed the heat races and had to start at the rear but worked his way up to seventh. Chris Rioux, Joe Kohler, and Bruneau completed the top ten.
Cavallaro Grabs First Win on Season
Mike Cavallaro beat Connor Souza off the line to take the lead of the Sport Trucks feature then never surrendered the lead between the green and the checkers. It was his first win of the 2019 season and. The win edges him to within six points of Andrew Kun, who stands third in points in the division.
Cavallaro broke out of what has been a middling season for him thus far into a brilliant run at the front. Ed Perry broke past Souza into second on lap eight and relentlessly pursued Cavallaro for the rest of the distance, including a side-by-side restart on lap 15, but Cavallaro was undeterred. Darryl Dutch claimed third but saw it wrested from him by tech inspectors and third went to last week’s winner, Barry Shaw. It had been Darryl’s best finish to date. Adam Giacomozzi stepped into the 22 truck to score fourth while Richie Murray grabbed fifth.
Perry dueled Souza, helping Cavallaro drive away. They went at it over the first eight laps and the rookie stood up to the veteran for the distance. Over that time, Brittany Campbell was solidifying her hold on fifth, behind Dutch.
Ten laps in and Cavallaro was cruising ten cars to the good over Perry. Dutch was in third, just ahead of Souza, who led Campbell then Kun and Lenny Guy. Next time bye, Kun slipped under Campbell and another lap saw Shaw slide past.
Giacomozzi and then Murray slid under Guy, headed for the top five.
Twelve laps in and Cavallaro had pushed his lead out to 12 cars but Perry stayed firm in pursuit as did Dutch, Kun, and Shaw.
But with ten to go, Mikey Cooper was having looseness problems and got sideways in turn one, collecting Nick Testone III, sending Cooper spinning.
Cavallaro took a nose on Perry crossing the stripe on the restart. He grabbed the front in turn one and Perry then looked underneath but Cavallaro defended. Dutch and Kun were wheel-to-wheel over third and Shaw poised to take advantage on their heels. Dutch won the position.
Cavallaro’s lead did not rematerialize and Perry fixed himself on Mike’s bumper. Shaw, meanwhile, was leveraging past Kun and as he pulled away, Giacomozzi zapped in underneath. Cavallaro now generated a four-car lead over Perry.
The field strung out single file behind them and they rocketed toward the finish. On the white flag lap, Elias Dib and Testone got together between turns one and two and spun but the race finished on that note, without caution.
Sixth on the event went to Murray, followed by Kun, Campbell, Souza, Mike Duarte, and Guy.
Sources: Dana Rowe, SeekonkSpeedway.com