Estrella Grabs Second Pro Win
ESTRELLA GRABS SECOND PRO WIN
Tom Scully, Jr. was having a grand time at the front of the Pro Stock field. He’d jumped off the pole and had a grand battle with Radical Rick Martin. They ran nose-to-tail for the first fifteen laps of the race.. Kevin Casper ran third until Estrella roared up from fifth and displaced him on lap nine and turned his attentions to Martin.
Casper had just held off an outside move by Estrella’s Everett’s teammate Fred Astle, Jr. Dylan ducked under Fred on lap four while Dave Darling was outside Ryan Lineham behind them. Estrella completed the pass and set his sights on Casper.
After edging Casper out of third, Estrella put his attention on Martin who was pursuing Scully.
Mike Brightman had worked his way up behind Astle and was running sixth, ahead of Lineham and Darling. But Dave worked his way past Lineham onto Brightman’s bumper, took a look underneath and went through. Lineham pursued Brightman with Ryan Kuhn pursuing him. Darling began to close on Astle. By lap 18, he was at his bumper and dropped under on the next time around. He pushed ahead on lap 20.
Lap 21 saw Estrella catch Scully. Martin followed, ahead of Casper and Darling. Scully kept him at his back for the next four laps, but lap 26 saw Dylan looking underneath. But Lineham spun in turn two, bringing out a caution with 13 remaining.
Scully and Estrella came up to the line with Martin and Casper at their backs. Darling and Astle followed with Brightman and Ryan Vanasse in row four. Scully got his nose out front in turn two but Estrella came back on the next circuit and took the lead out of turn two. Scully settled into second ahead of Martin, Darling, and Casper.
Lap 30 saw Darling duck under Martin into third after a bit of wheel-to-wheel. Scully and Estrella lay ahead with Dylan three lengths up on Scully. Darling set out after them with Scully eight lengths ahead. By lap 35, he had cut it to five. It was four cars on lap 37, but it was looking like time – and laps would run out. With the white flag out, he was at Scully’s bumper. As the old saying goes, you can catch someone but its another thing to get by them and with just one lap left, it’s a touch-and-go proposition.
They flew under the checkers with Estrella grabbing the win and Scully in second, ahead of Darling. Martin and Casper followed, completing the top five. Sixth went to Brightman, followed by Kuhn, Astle, Vanasse and Lineham to finish the top ten.
ARRENEGADO SURPRISES TRIPP FOR LATE MODELS WIN
All eyes were fixed on Bobby Tripp and Vinny Arrenegado over the final laps of Late Model action, as Arrenegado broke away from Tyler Tomassi and set his sights on Tripp, fifteen car lengths ahead. Vinny had seemed to find a little extra in the closing laps while Tripp, who had led since the green had fallen, seemed to have a touch less in his car than he had begun with.
Arrenegado madly pressed on and the distance between them began to evaporate. They brawled under the white flag in Starter Tim Bolduc’s hands, brawling door-to-door. They hacksawed the lead through turns one and two and down the backstretch, then Vinny pushed halfway past in turn three. It was a virtual firefight from there to the finish line and Arrenegado won it by a mere 93 thousandths of a second. It was that close. The mad dash through the final laps had transfixed the crowd and now Arrenegado took the checkered flag and showed them a victory lap. Tripp was in at second for a podium finish and Tyler Tomassi was there as well with a well-earned third. Rounding out the top five were multichamp Gerry DeGasparre, Jr. and Paul Newcomb.
It looked like Trip’s race from the getgo as he came off the pole fast and smooth, escaping outside polesitter Mark Hudson, who dropped in front of Tomassi. Ryan Souliere grabbed third, but took plenty of argument from Ryan Lineham. The duo swapped position four times over the following laps.
Tripp had a ten-car lead by lap five, Hudson and Tomassi still followed with Lineham and Souliere still fighting it out. Lineham got past on lap eight and Newcomb got under Souliere. Lap nine saw Souliere spin in turn three.
On the restart, Tripp again pulled away from Hudson. Tomassi then got underneath as Arrenegado dug in under Lineham. As Tomassi cleared, Newcomb set in under Hudson. Midway through the feature, Newcomb was running third behind Tomassi and Arrenegado was wheel-to-wheel with Hudson.
Tripp now had a six-car lead with 15 laps to go. Tomassi followed and was pursued by Newcomb and Arrenegado. The field was single-file now. Arrenegado moved in and went door-to-door with Newcomb over third and pushed through, resetting his sights on Tomassi. But the rookie ws uo to the challenge and held him off. With eleven laps remaining, he was all over Tomassi’s bumper and kept up the pressure. By lap seven, Tomassi had refuted Vinny’s advances for five laps, but the pressure continued.
Arrenegado chose to take the outside and they were side-by-side in turn four on lap 22. He finally had the pass on lap seven, relegating Tomassi to third. Behind them, DeGasparre was getting under Newcomb, looking for fourth.
As Arrenegado completed his pursuit of Tripp, DeGasparre took over fourth. Behind them, a battle between Tom Adams and Lineham concluded with Lineham taking over eighth.
At the finish, Arrenegado had spoiled Tripp’s 29 laps at the front with a lap three pass.
Sixth on the event went to Mike Duarte, followed by Hudson, Lineham, Adams and Mark Jenison.
PETTEY CAPTURES SPORTSMAN, GREEN TO CHECKERS
Since it was his birthday, Adam Pettey gave himself a gift: his first career win, and he led every lap in the 25 that the Sportsman feature had to offer. He did it with speed and handling along with the Pettey skill.
He broke away from Sparky Arsenault, who sat on the outside pole after a brief door-to-door. As Pettey got ¾ past, Arsenault dropped in front of Chris Rioux. Kohler got under Austin “Porkchop” Erickson as Scott Bruneau followed. As Kohler moved ahead, Bruneau ducked under Erickson. Four laps in, Arsenault closed up on Pettey and Rioux was three cars back in third. Kohler, Erickson, Bruneau and Captain Fun – Craig Pianka — followed. Chad Baxter and Steve Axon were behind Pianka in that order. But as Arsenault fell back again, Bruneau spun going down the backstretch.
Pettey and Sparky lined up again and Pettey pulled ahead once again. Sparky stayed outside and Pettey got a full lead in turn three. Arsenault dropped in, once again ahead of Rioux. Erickson was again engaging Kohler and pulled ahead to nose in under Rioux for some wheel-to-wheel in turn two. Kid Chaos – Corey Fanning – charged under and Steve Axon pulled in under Rioux. As soon as Axon pulled through, Kyle Casper also victimized Rioux with the backwards freight train. Lallier then followed him through.
Erickson began to close on Arsenault on lap 13, as Kohler spun in turn four. This put Arsenault outside Pettey on the front once again. Erickson and Fanning were row two and three had Axon and Pianka. At the green, Pettey nosed ahead across the stripe and again Arsenault stayed high. Erickson dodged in underneath him and Axon made it three wide when he saw room underneath. Axon ran ahead and Erickson glommed onto his bumper leaving Sparky outside again. Behind them, Lallier was making his way underneath Fanning.
Azon ran to second on lap six and found Arsenault at his back with Erickson next ahead of Lallier. Erickson moved up under Arsenault while Lallier waited behind them. He moved in on Erickson and with two laps remaining went underneath. Arsenault then vaulted to third as Erickson held on with Lallier.
Lallier nosed ahead and Fanning edged in underneath Porkchop.
At the checkers, it was Pettey with his first-ever Sportsman win. He was followed by Axon, Arsenault, Lallier, and Erickson, to round out the top five. Completing the top ten were: Fanning, Baxter, Pianka, Bruneau, and Casper.
PERRY RULES TRUCKS
Four drivers led the Sport Trucks through their 25-lap feature, but the one who led the last nine – Ed Perry – got to take the victory lap and claim the trophy. In fact, Perry started his victory lap before they gave him the checkered flag, and he visited friends around the track, laying down a tire rubber smokescreen that could camouflage a battleship. Then the starters gave him the checkered flag and he went off on another rampage around the track.
Lenny Guy led the first nine laps and Mike Cavallaro and Chase Belcher split the middle before Perry came along to finish it off.
Guy hopped off the pole with Belcher alongside. Cavallaro grabbed Guy’s bumper as he took off, sticking Belcher on the high side. Belcher pushed hard enough that he made a wide trip around turn four before falling off. Cavallaro immediately looked to the outside but Lenny wasn’t yielding. Perry moved up from the third row into third, itself, and Mikey Cooper supplanted Belcher in fourth. Four laps in and this group was running nose-to-tail.
Cavallaro looked underneath on lap six but Guy squirmed loose and moved ahead. Cavallaro battled back up and looked again. Slam! Guy shut the door.
Andrew Kun was moving up and ducked under Belcher looking for sixth. Behind them, last week’s winner, Barry Shaw, looked under division leader Richie Murray.
Ten laps in, Cavallaro was still looking for a way to get under Guy, but before he could, Kun spun out in turn three.
Guy and Cavallaro sat side-by-side for the lap 9 restart with Perry and Cooper just ahead of Connor Souza and Belcher. Lenny got onto the berm and came loose allowing Cavallaro to shoot ahead. Souza looked underneath, but Kun again spun in turn two just as Cavallaro was taking off. No lap, same restart.
This time, Cavallaro zoomed out. Perry followed with Belcher at his back, followed by Souza. Shaw and Cooper were wheel-to-wheel behind them. Cavallaro wasted no time putting ten cars on Perry, but Guy suddenly erupted in steam from his cowling and then went around on the backstretch, apparently from a legion of problems. He’d been observed wrestling with his shifter as he came down the front stretch just prior to the incident. He retired after 14 laps.
Cavallaro was now dealing with Perry; Belcher and Souza followed with Shaw and Cooper behind them. Mike nosed out on the green and across the stripe, taking control down the backstretch Belcher dived in underneath and shot into the lead, while Shaw ducked under Perry, who dropped in on the next lap. With twelve remaining, Belcher led Cavallaro then Shaw. Barry pushed in under Cavallaro but perhaps pushed a touch too hard and spun crossing the stripe.
Now Murray was in row two with Perry for the restart. Belcher and Cavallaro had at it again and Chase took the front. Perry got under Cavallaro for some door-to-door while Souza and Murray debated behind them. Cooper and Kun were having at it behind them. Murray snagged fourth while Cooper got away from Kun into sixth.
Perry escaped Cavallaro onto Belcher’s bumper and Mike stayed on his but came loose in turn four.
With nine laps to go, Perry looked under Belcher and went, taking the lead in turn two. Cavallaro recovered and hung onto third. Behind them Souza was under Murray. Murray moved ahead in turn three and claimed fourth. Kun and Cooper were still debating over sixth. Shaw was working at coming back and was running outside Brittany Campbell.
With four remaining Belcher drifted up track just enough for Cavallaro to dive in. Perry was four cars ahead and Murray was patiently awaiting the resolution. When Cavallaro pulled ahead, Richie went under Belcher. Cooper got past Souza to run fifth and Kun stepped into sixth.
The final two laps were a supersonic sprint to the checkers. Belcher took a quick look under Murray for position along the way, but couldn’t get there. The top five under the checkers were: Perry, Cavallaro, Murray, Belcher, and Cooper. Sixth went to Kun, followed by Campbell, shaw, Souza and Nick Testone, Jr.
Sources: SeekonkSpeedway.com