Parsons Nails It in Legends
PARSONS NAILS IT IN LEGENDS
Josh Parsons hauled down the big win in Legends, as he looks to overhaul points leader Peter Bennett. But with Bennett grabbing third behind Connor Holderbach, Parson’s four-point gain was not quite enough and he still trails by four points, 280-276. Still, a win is a win. Meanwhile, the top-four points leaders all landed in the top four in the race, with Brendan Hammann rocking in with fourth, so the top of the standings looks pretty much the same. The top five was rounded out by Brandon “Batman” Martinez who returned to racing just two weeks ago.
RJ Marcotte and Matthew Carpenter led off the show with Jacob Burns and Mason Tessier behind them Marcotte had the lead by turn one and Burns ducked under Carpenter. Holderbach was into fourth from the third row and Tessier grabbed fifth. The high-speed field quickly went to single file as Brendon Hammann moved into fifth on the second circuit. Four laps in, Marcotte, Burns, and Holderback were running nose-to-tail ahead of Hammann and Tessier. Marcotte pushed into a carlength lead over Burns. Hammann still ran fifth, and now Parsons and Bennett had pulled in behind him.
Five laps in and Marcotte was running high on the groove and Burns was surveying a pathway underneath. Marcotte put on a burst of speed down the backstretch to pull away but Burns close back in. Bennett made a big run to come up to third as they dueled and nine laps in, Burns got underneath, then into the lead in turn four. His lead did not last, however, as he spun between turns one and two.
Marcotte was back on pole for the restart with Holderbach on his shoulder. Bennett and Parsons, then Hammann and Tessier were poised behind them. Batman and Carpenter made up row four. On the start, Bennett ducked under Marcotte, but Holderbach leapt to the lead. Marcotte fell back and Parsons ran up along Bennett’s outside. As Bennett charged past Marcotte into second, there was contact and Jeff Wood spun, bringing caution with 14 laps remaining.
The lineup was Holderbach and Bennett, Parsons and Hammann, Marcotte and Martinez. Holderbach jumped to the lead while Bennett stayed out for the fight. Parsons ran up to the leader’s bumper and looked underneath. He succeeded in grabbing the lead on lap 13, with Bennett, Holderbach, Hammann, Martinez, and Marcotte following.
Parsons pushed out to a two-car lead.
Hammann began to look under Holderbach, who shut the door. Bennett closed up on Parsons just as Burns and Devin Deshaies made contact and spun in turn four. Nine laps remained.
Parsons and Bennett dueled off the green: Parsons pulled ahead and Holderbach dodged in under Bennentt, who again elected to fight it out from the outside. He succeeded. Martinez moved in behind Holderbach, being pursued avidly by Hammann and Marcotte. The field was strung out by this time.
The race became a high speed, single-file pursuit with the top five running bumper-to-bumper until Isaiah Newcomb spun out of turn four, bringing a lap five caution. Again, Parsons and Bennett were staring across at each other on the front row, Holderbach and Martinez were doing the same, as were Hammann and Marcotte. Ryan Doucette and Carpenter followed.
The restart was an instant replay of the previous: Parsons grabbed the lead and Holderbach dodged in under Bennett for some wheel-to-wheel. While they brawled, Parsons ran out to an eight-car margin and Hammann closed in behind them. Holderbach finally succeeded at grabbing second with three laps to go and Martinez pulled up to Hammann’s bumper. Doucette got by Marcotte behind Martinez. They ran in order through the white flag lap and Parsons led them across the finish line for a trip to Victory Lane.
Sixth on the event went to Doucette, followed by Marcotte, Tessier, Carpenter, and Burns.
BENOIT: BACK-TO-BACK WINS IN PURE STOCK
Doug Benoit worked his way from twelfth to first over the first two-thirds of a thirty lapper, then spent the final eight laps holding off the ever-present Greg Perry. Benoit claimed his second consecutive win on the season. Perry finished second and Ava Chouinard, who had led in the early stages, claimed third. Lenny Sousa and the Outlaw – Danny Massa, Jr. — rounded out the top five.
Chouinard started on the pole with Joey Morrissette on the outside. She pulled ahead on the green and Tommy Blackwell slid in under Morrissette from the second row. Then came Perry with Max Bergstrom on the outside. Over the next couple laps, Blackwell kept looking below Chouinard until she was able to grab a one-car lead on lap four. Perry was working under Morrissette for third, followed by Amy Arsenault. Massa and Mike Henriques ran wheel-to-wheel behind her.
Blackwell ran up to her bumper again.
Benoit had climbed to ninth behind Bergstrom and followed him until lap eight, when they ran sixth and seventh. He now divorced himself from Max and took over sixth behind Massa. Massa got Past Arsenault and Benoit followed, finally edging Amy out of fourth on lap ten. Benoit now engaged Massa to move past him on the next circuit.
At the same point, Perry was able to get by Blackwell into second, Missy Charette spun to the grass in turn one to bring out a lap 12 restart. It took two attempts as Arsenault spun to the infield on the first try, collecting Marissa Morgan. On the next try, Chouinard nosed out on Blackwell and Perry charged in underneath. Benoit was under Massa, followed by Henriques and Morrissette. Ava moved out to a one-car lead on Perry. Benoit was fourth, behind Blackwell.
At the midpoint of the race, Chouinard led by one carlength over Perry and Benoit. Perry closed it up just as Ed Gould spun in turn four. This lined up Chouinard and Perry for the restart. Benoit was low in row two, under The Outlaw. Chouinard nosed out and Perry dropped onto her bumper. He then rushed back up on her outside and they ran side-by-side down the backstretch. She pushed ahead once more, but could not clear and he pulled back alongside. Blackwell, Henriques, and Benoit were poised behind them.
Benoit pushed past Massa and then Blackwell as they jousted at the front. When Chouinard again succeeded at holding the front, he dropped under Perry for a shot at second. He went through and with eleven laps remaining, dived under Chouinard. Perry grabbed his bumper as he went. Benoit grabbed the lead on the backstretch and Perry went to second. Chouinard dropped into third ahead of Henriques, who now had Lenny Sousa on his back.
Perry was all over Benoit’s bumper, but Doug put some distance between them on lap 23. Perry charged back up to his bumper as they dived into some lapped traffic. They drove under it just before Bergstrom and Morrissette spun to the grass in turn four.
Four laps remained as Benoit pulled away from Perry on the restart. Morgan spun but was able to keep going. Charette continued in third. Benoit put a half-car on Perry for insurance and under the white flag it was Sousa settling in behind Chouinard with Massa in pursuit and Henriques on his shoulder.
Benoit dashed under the checkers a half-second up on Perry got collect his two-fer win. Sixth went to Henriques, followed by Blackwell, Morrissette, Arsenault, Bergstrom, and Morgan.
WESTGATE REPEATS IN SPORT FOUR
Dave Westgate took a leap from tenth to fifth on a complete race restart, setting the pace toward his second win of the season. At the same time, Tough Tim Bolger burst from sixth to second, setting him up to take the early lead from Tyler Dunancik. Westgate was on Bolger’s tail on lap five and they dueled over the lead until lap 12, when Westgate was able to wrestle the position away from Bolger. From there it was a straight shot as Westgate led the final eight laps to the checkers.
One lap after Westgate assumed the lead, Jordan Lopes edged Bolger out of second to pester the leader all the way to the finish. Crystal Murray turned in another top performance, collecting third among her string of top fives. Bolger’s performance gained him fourth, while Tyler Almeida backed up last week’s win by rounding out the top five.
Dunancik kicked the race off from the pole, pulling away from Tim Ouellette on his outside shoulder as the latter came loose in turn one and settled to second. That lasted a moment as Bolger spring boarded up from sixth to deprive him of second. Westgate took the first lap to zoom up five spots from tenth behind Henry Lavalle, stayed there for a lap, then leapt again on a lap 2 restart brought about by Almeida’s front stretch spin.
As the green dropped, Bolger pulled away from Dunancik and Westgate made another leap into third. But another caution flew as cars spun to the infield, returned and created an accordion effect with cars tangling in turn four. David Simpson Jr. had a tire cut down and pitted, as did Karlin Levesque and Ray Herman, Sr. The trio did not return to action.
Bolger and Dunancik lined up ahead of Westgate and Arthur Meack with Lavalle and Matt Smith in row three. Westgate ducked under Dunancik, Lopes, who had started fifteenth, flew from twelfth to eighth. From there he began working steadily forward.
Lavalle settled into third behind Westgate and Meack edged Dunancik out of fourth. Bolger was running five cars up on the field as Meack got under Lavalle as Lopes came around into fifth. As Meack took over third, Lopes jumped onto his tail then ducked under. Murray had been shadowing him for several laps and now had Meack in her sights. But Dunancik spun and caution ensued.
On the lap 12 restart, they crossed the stripe dead even, but then Westgate began to pull ahead. Lopes nosed in under Bolger then drove through into second. Bolger looked under but Bolger shut him out. Murray got under Lavalle just before Ronald Gajdowski spun in turn four. Westgate had the pole and Boger was outside, since Lopes’ pass had come on the same lap as the caution. Lopes and Meack followed, then Murray and Lavalle.
Seven remained as Westgate pulled ahead and Lopes came under Bolger, who settled into third with Meack and Murray giving chase. Murray, Lavalle and Mikey Lefort were giving chase. Lopes was pressuring Westgate, but got very wide in turn four, and Westgate escaped. Bolger also went wide.
Murray got under Meack on lap 16 then under Bolger with three laps to go. It was door-to-door into the next lap before she pulled ahead. Westgate had Lopes on his tail, but Murray helped out by looking under Lopes although she could not make the pass. She was followed by Bolger, Almeida and Meack. Behind them, Mattera was running side-by-side with Lavalle, She succeeded at grabbing the spot but Lefort seized the opportunity to rush past them into seventh. The top four ran across the stripe in a knot, all on the same second, giving Westgate his second win of 2019.
Sixth went to Meack, followed by Lefort, Mattera, Lavalle, Ouellette and Matt Menders.
SAM GRABS TWO-FER IN OUTLAWS
Samantha Dell made it two-in-a-row after notching her first-ever win just a week earlier. This time around she held off one of her usual rivals in Nathan Smith and Joel Newcomb joined in with the battle. But Dell and Smith ran door-to-door on a green-white-checkered restart, then she pulled ahead in turn three. She grabbed the win with Smith collecting the runner-up spot. Newcomb, Stephen Bowden and Giovanni Ruggerio rounded out the top five.
Newcomb and Smith had the front row for the green with Riley Caron and Dell in row two. They ran door-to-door out of the starting box and then Newcomb nosed ahead in turn two. He fully commanded the lead in turn four. Smith had battled from the outside and this allowed Dell to get onto Newcomb’s bumper and underneath – and into second She quickly took a look underneath but Newcomb shot ahead into a one-car lead. Smith settled in behind Newcomb and Caron grabbed fourth. Dell closed up, looked under again and once more, Newcomb pulled away. Five laps in, Newcomb had a one-car lead.
Dell closed to his bumper again and again, Newcomb shot ahead in turn two.
With eight laps remaining, neither was done with their dueling and she closed back up and looked under again. Smith was at their backs, looking for an opportunity and awaiting the outcome of their conflict. This, time, however, Newcomb got loose and wiggled for a moment. That was all that Dell needed and she seized the moment to rush ahead. Smith sighted the opportunity and shot through into second in turn four. Newcomb recovered and dropped into third with Caron on his tail.
Lap 14 saw Dell move in to overtake Nicholas Rose, who did not move up and there was contact. As she dropped under and continued. Rose went around and Newcomb, Smith and Caron all spun to avoid a wreck.
The restart with six to go saw Dell and Smith cross the strip going wheel-to-wheel before Samantha edged her nose past in turn one and then grab the full ead in turn four. Newcomb jumped onto Dell’s bumper, sticking Nathan on the outside and they ran side-by-side, allowing the leader to escape. She generated a one-car lead as Newcomb moved to second, Smith ran third and Bowden claimed third just ahead of Giovanni Ruggerio. LeMay, Caron and Cameron Tavares followed.
They quickly went single-file and rolled under the white flag, but a turn two spin by Rose brought up a green-white-checkered restart. Dell and Newcomb lined up with Smith and Ruggerio in row two, followed by Bowden and LeMay.
The leaders crossed the stripe dead even before Dell took a nose in turn one. Again, she was in the lead in turn three. Smith got under Newcomb before he could drop and they battled under the white flag as Dell went out to a two-car lead. Smith took control of the runnerup spot in turn two.
Sixth on the event went to Tavares, followed by Joey Lemay, Riley Caron, Ethan Heilborn and Aubrey Keller.
BOGUE TRIPLES UP IN BANDITS
Smilin’ Reese Bogue powered his way to his third win of the season- and second consecutive trip to Victory Lane, outrunning Rob Murphy, Jr., Ryan Vanasse, Jr. and Brandon LaBelle. Reese came out of his car with the trademark grin which earned him the nickname while he was racing at a North Carolina go-kart track. It was a smile-worthy performance as he pressed past pole sitter Murphy going into lap four, then led the rest of the fifteen circuits with Murphy in hot pursuit. Murph snared second and Vanasse, after many valiant attempts to get around settled into third. LeBelle and Collin Vanasse rounded out the top five.
Murphy and Adam Harrison came off the front row at the green and Harrison put on a burst to push his nose out on Murphy’s high side, but the two tangled going into turn two. LeBelle was at Harrison’s back when the spin occurred and he couldn’t help piling in. Joel Newcomb spun to avoid the trio. Murphy and LeBelle were able to return to racing, but Harrison was headed pit side on the hook.
The full-race restart came minus Harrison, elevating Collin Vanasse to the outside pole. Reese sat outside Ryan Vanasse in row two, while Zacharias Kelley and Brent Robidoux were in row three. Murphy grabbed the lead and Bogue got in under Collin to challenge for second, while Ryan pursued him. Bogue got under Collin and Ryan fastened onto the latter’s bumper. LaBell had come from the back and now was on Ryan’s bumper. Brogue began to close on Murphy, who was running in the clear air at the front and was two car lenths behind.
He decided to go to Murphy’s outside and they ran door-to-door down the backstretch with Collin and Ryan dueling behind them. Ryan secured third in turn four and LeBelle ducked under Collin coming over the stripe. He was able to acquire fourth going down the back. With seven remaining, the order was now Bogue, Murphy, Ryan Vanasse, LeBelle and Joel Newcomb.
Bogue continued to pull away and next time around was leading by a half-straightaway. Murphy was holding off Ryan who was emptying his bag of tricks to get by. Three more laps and Bogue’s lead was now the length of the straight.
Ryan was becoming more intent; at the same time, LeBelle and Collin were moving in and challenging him. With three to go, he looked under Murphy again and had the door slammed in his face. Now it was nose-to-tail between Murphy, Ryan and LeBelle. Ryan took another look underneath, but Murphy found a little more speed and pulled away on lap 13.
Two remained, and Bogue sailed on at the front of the field and the trailing group battled for the runner up spot. The brawl continued throughout the white flag lap, but ended in the order they were running: Bogue by himself, then quickly Murphy-Ryan Vanasse-LeBelle and then Collin.
Sixth went to Newcomb, then Zacarias Kelley, Brent Robidoux, Colin Floyd with Harrison in the pits since the wreck, covering the tenth spot on the field.