Lee USA Speedway 8/2/19 Race Report
Lee, NH –- Second-generation racer Kris Miller of Bedford bounced back from a hard wreck the previous week to collect his first win of the 2019 campaign in the 40-lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Rodfather Late Model Sportsman main event at Lee USA Speedway on Friday night.
Miller immediately broke out to the lead when flagman Steve Gran unfurled the green, and he never looked back, leading every lap on his way to a convincing victory. Miller became the sixth winner in nine feature events this season in the highly-competitive LMS division.
Points leader Bill Helliwell of Pelham maintained his position atop the standings with a solid runner-up effort, his ninth top-five finish in those same nine races. Still looking for his first checkered flag of 2019, former champ Jimmy Russell of Exeter finished third, with Bobby Baillargeon of Kingston and George Helliwell of Pelham rounding out the top five.
Adam Knowles of Seabrook strengthened his points lead in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Six Shooters in impressive fashion, picking up his sixth feature win of the year in the 25-lap main event. Brandon Mailhot of Epping was up to second and looking to challenge Knowles for the win, but for the second time in three weeks, he dropped out with mechanical issues and wound up with a DNF.
After leading laps early in the event, Pelham’s Jesse Tellier nabbed a second-place finish, with his Midnight Motorsports teammate and 2017 champion Christin DeStefano taking third place honors. Fourth spot went to Paul Childs of Derry, with Gary Grenier of Lebanon, ME closing out the top five.
Another new face was in victory lane at the end of the MLM Diagnostic Services Pure Stock main event, as Hudson driver Jon Provost was the class of the field in the 25-lapper and claimed his first career Lee USA Speedway win when the checkers waved.
Donnie McCaffrey bested points leader Shawn Lessard of Farmington for the runner-up slot, but like Helliwell in the Late Model Sportsmen, Lessard came out of the night with a perfect nine-for-nine record in top-five finishes for the year by virtue of his third-place result. 2018 champ Rob Carleton of Newbury, MA and Justin Faford of Westminster, MA filled out the top five.
A pair of action-packed Enduro races closed out the night’s action, with Bill Jones capturing the 4-cylinder win over Dave Lynch and Leon Keniston, while Danny Gill topped Jim Walsh and Ed Wheeler in the V6/V8 portion of the program.
Next up at Lee USA on Friday, August 9 is the highly-anticipated Ollie Silva Classic for ISMA Supermodifieds, along with a full program of NASCAR Whelen All American Series racing action. For more information, log on to www.leeusaspeedway.com, or follow us on Facebook.
Sources: Rich Hayes/Lee USA Speedway PR