A Half-Dozen for Darling
A HALF-DOZEN FOR DARLING
Dave Darling made it six on the season with yet another Pro Stock win. The wins seem almost redundant with their frequency, but it was not an easy win. Tom Scully commandeered the front from Daryl Stampfl on lap two and ran hard, fighting off Mighty Mike Brightman in the early going, then had to contend with The Rocket, Ryan Vanasse with his quick, new ride.
While everyone was trading shots at the front, Darling calmly worked his way up from tenth. He was at Scully’s bumper 25 laps in and religiously pursued him for six laps before breaking into the lead. He then led the parade of cars to the finish at lap 45.
Kevin Casper had been scheduled on the outside pole, but he elected to start in the back, elevating Scully to the spot. Stampfl and Tom, Jr. went door to door to turn four before Stampfl nosed ahead crossing the stripe. Tom settled in and Radical Rick Martin jumped onto his tail. But two laps in, Scully shot by on the backstretch and dropped in. Brightman came up on Stampfl’s high side, looking for second and began nosing ahead. There was contact, Brightman wiggled a bit but nevertheless took over second. Vanasse followed into fourth behind Martin. Fred Astle, Jr. and Everett’s teammate Dylan Estrella came up to run fifth and sixth.
There was contact in turn four on lap eleven. Stampfl got sideways and gathered up Estrella bringing caution. Casper ran for the pits. Estrella, Dick Benoit and Angelo Belsito (driving the Rollie Lindblad 48) headed pitside as well.
Scully and Brightman lined up with Vanasse and Astle behind them. Darling was already in fifth with Nick Johnson sitting on his shoulder. Scully grabbed the lead on the green and Vanasse dived in under Brightman. Darling was under Astle. But Estrella was suddenly around in turn two. He pitted again.
Scully and Brightman went at it again and Scully grabbed a nose. Brightman fired back and they were door-to-door through turns three, four and across the stripe. It continued into turn two
Vanasse got his nose under Brightman but Austin Blais spun in turn four. Martin caught something which deflated his tire and he did a double-260. Belsito and Danny Cabral visited the pits.
Scully escaped from Brightman and Vanasse went underneath for second. They dueled with Astle on their bumpers and Darling behind Fast Freddy. Then came Johnson, followed by Casper and Cabral. Another circuit and the field was single file. Vanasse got past Brightman, who dropped into third/ Astle then got under Brightman.
Vanasse was at Scully’s bumper, now and it was ten cars back to where Darling was now working under Astle. Brightman was fifth ahead of Johnson.
Darling broke away in turn two and there was an eight-car space to Vanasse running second.
Fifteen laps in and darling was just two cars behind Vanasse. Another circuit and the deficit was only a half-car. With 23 to go, Darling was on The Rocket’s bumper. He looked underneath, but Vanasse was guarding his low side. Two more laps, however, and Darling was underneath and then into second. Astle, Brightman, and Johnson followed Vanasse.
With a dozen laps to go, Darling had generated a three-car lead on Scully. The field was single file and the entire field was in its finishing order. Over the final four miles, it was a rapid unwinding of laps with no positions changing hands. At the finish, Darling had his fifth win on the season and adding to his championship points lead. Scully had a well-earned second with Vanasse a solid third. Astle and Brightman rounded out the top five.
Sixth through tenth went to Johnson, Estrella, Martin, Kevin Casper, and Kyle Casper
HUDSON GRABS FIRST WIN IN LATE MODELS
Mark Hudson has done it all since he started at Seekonk quite a few years back. He went onto the ACT Tour for several years before deciding to check back in where it all began. He’s been one of the top runners at the track, but that feature win has always been tantalizingly a millimeter or two beyond his grasp. Now, he has taken care of that as well with a dominant victory in the Power Five laps-added feature. To Do It, he had to hold off the likes of Ryan Lineham, Bobby Tripp and Gerry DeGasparre, Jr. There are more than a fistful of championships held by those three pursuers, but Hudson was on a mission, and none could pass.
Jeremy Lambert, who had won his heat race, kicked off from the pole with Mike Duarte on the outside. Hudson was outside Jason Larivee in row two. Lambert poked ahead but Duarte grabbed the lead in turn two. Lambert rose up the track bumped Duarte and loosened him up. But Mike recovered and took off. Two laps in, he had a six-car lead on Lambert. Larivee was third with Hudson coming around the outside. Two laps later the advantage was ten cars and Hudson was alongside Lambert. They went around to the stripe this way. Lap five saw Hudson push into second on the backstretch and Larivee looked to Lambert’s high side.
Adams hauled in on Lambert’s bumper on lap seven and Dan Johnson followed. Craig Weinstein was behind them. Then came a three-wide between DeGasparre, Mark Jenison, and Lineham.
Ten laps in and Hudson had pared Duarte’s lead down to five cars. But Paul Newcomb spun in the middle of the backstretch, bringing a lap 21 restart.
Duarte and Hudson lined up and they went wheel-to-wheel across the stripe and through turn two. Hudson got his nose ahead in turn three but Duarte drove back even. Hudson pushed ahead a bit coming down the front. However, Lambert went to the wall on the backstretch. Weinstein was caught up and it ended his night. DeGasparre spun down the backstretch to avoid. Lambert, Degasparre, and Newcomb headed pitside. Lambert remained there for the duration.
This time, Hudson took a nose at the outset. He took control coming out of turn four and Adams dropped in under Duarte. Eighteen laps remained as he cleared under Duarte and set out after Hudson. He looked under and went in, but Newcomb went around in turn four. Gerry D made a tremendous save to escape from Newcomb’s spin.
The uncompleted lap shuttled the restart back and Duarte reclaimed his second. Adams started third underneath Mark Jenison. Hudson had a half-car on Duarte coming across the start-finish line and took the lead in turn one. Adams dived into second but again caution flew as Larivee went around. Ryan Souliere and Newcomb were collected. Newcomb pitted. It had started as a three-wide and Larivee got sideways.
Hudson grabbed the lead again, they went three laps but Johnson went 360 degrees at the stripe.
Hudson and Adams faced off and Mark got half his car past and then into the lead in turn two. Jenison got under Adams and Trupp was under Arrenegado behind them. Lineham was door-to-door with Scott Serydynski. Hudson put a car length on Jenison who took second from Adams Tripp looked underneath but couldn’t go.
Adams and Newcomb got together on the backstretch and slammed the wall, sending sparks. The red flag flew. Both drivers were able to climb out of their machines.
Fourteen laps remained as Hudson and Jenison faced off. Hudson grabbed the lead again coming out of turn two. Tripp now dodged under Jenison while Hudson generated a two-car lead. Arrenegado waited for Tripp and Jenison to settle. Behind him, Serydynski and Lineham were debating position.
Tripp nosed ahead and Arrenegado got under Jenison. Hudson now had a five-car lead. Tripp got sideways on the backstretch, Vinny shot under him, but his nose came up and he spun in front of Tripp up the track. Tripp and Jenison both spun as well. Jenison restarted and rejoined the pack. Arrenegaado was sitting still in turn two. Jenison headed for the pits and Arrenegado was off on the hook.
Ten to go and Hudson edged away from Tripp, grabbing the lead in turn four. Lineham and Serydynski wrapped around Tripp, three wide as Hudson went to a ten-car lead. Lineham came out ahead of Tripp and Serydynski settled in behind.
Over the next two laps, the lead went down to four cars as Lineham bore down on the leader. With four to go, it was three cars. Next lap it was three. DeGasparre went under Serydynski into fourth. With two to go, Lineham had ground Hudson’s lead down to two cars and was up to his bumper as they flashed under the white flag.
But Hudson was able to hold him at bay through the final circuit to claim the long-sought prize. Lineham was second and Tripp third. DeGasparre and Serydynski rounded out the top five. Dan Johnson was in for sixth, while Duarte, Jenison, Souliere, and Arrenegado completed the top ten.
SPORTSMAN TO BRUNEAU
Scott Bruneau worked his way up from sixth and into the lead on lap ten, then ran the final 20 laps to the finish at the front. On the way up, he engaged Adam Petty, who started seventh, in a duel for supremacy. Petty pursued him over the balance of the race to finish second, just ahead of Kyle Casper. Vinny Pangelinan and Tyler Lallier rounded out the top five.
Chris Gomes and Pangelinan came off the pole and Gomes nosed ahead. Vinny stayed on the outside as Chris Rioux nosed under. Bruneau was behind them and as Rioux move ahead, he moved in under Pangelinan. Vinny looked to get back underneath but Bruneau shut the door.
Four laps in and Gomes had a five-car lead. Pettey came up to grab fifth and the forward part of the field was already running single file. Bruneau looked under Rioux and took the position in turn three. Gomes’ lead was slipping and Bruneau was six cars back, trailing Rioux and Pettey, who looked underneath and edged Rioux back. But Craig Pianka went around to the infield bringing a caution on lap eight.
Gomes and Bruneau dashed out of the box and Chris got a nose and they went around into turn two, where Gomes took the front. Rioux got under Bruneau, then Pettey dived under them both for a three-wide. The group became unstable, setting up an accordion effect, which sent Paul Williams and Ant Kohler around. Kohler retired to the pits.
Second try at the restart had them wheel-to-wheel across the stripe until Bruneau pushed his nose out coming out of turn two. Gomes got loose and Bruneau leveraged it into leadership of the race. Pettey got under Gomes and Pangelinan came around the outside for another three-wide. Petty nailed second and Vinny to third. Kyle Casper came up to get under Rioux, but Porkchop Erickson spun out off the front stretch. Erickson took it to the pits.
Bruneau and Petty were now side-by-side and they did some good paint trading coming out of the box. Bruneau escaped and Pangelinan ducked under Petty while behind them Rioux and Casper dueled. The field was stringing out and lap 16 saw the action turn into a high-speed chase. Rioux and Casper were still battling but Casper pulled ahead into fourth with eleven to go.
Bruneau had a two-car advantage over Petty and Pangelinan ran third. Tyler Lallier was the next to get under Rioux and Corey Fanning was following, looking for an opening.
Bruneau increased his lead to three cars and Petty had five on Pangelinan. Casper was on his bumper. He stayed there, looking for a way around. With three to go he found it, as Vinny got loose. Casper nosed under and they ran side by side the rest of the way to the checkers.
At the finish, Bruneau had the win over Pettey and Casper edged Pangelinan with Lallier on their coattails.
Sixth went to Kid Chaos (Fanning), while Steve Axon, Tim Watson, Rioux, and Austin Erickson rounded out the top ten.
SHAW GRABS ANOTHER TRUCKS WIN
Barry Shaw earned himself another trip to victory lane by battling up from a seventh-place start to unseat from Connor Souza on Lap 14. From there, he kept the persistent Souza out of the lead the remainder of the 25-lap feature. Souza fired in for second less than a second off Shaw’s pace. Lenny Guy, points leader Richie Murray and Mikey Cooper rounded out the top five.
Nick Testone III had one of his best starts ever, coming off the pole and raging at the front for eight laps before being forced out with difficulties. Testone came off the pole and dodged away from Lenny Guy. Souza and Maddie Harkin went wheel-to-wheel before Souza grabbed third. Shaw and Cooper ran side-by-side behind Souza, followed by Ed Perry working under Cooper. But Anastasia LeBrun spun out near the strip, bringing a lap three restart.
Testone and Guy were side-by-side again, with Souza and Shaw behind them. Testone got his hose ahead, then grabbed the full lead in turn two. Souza got under Guy and Shaw dropped in ahead of Cooper and Perry.
Souza stole second from Guy and Shaw ducked under him as well. Barry grabbed third and went onto Souza’s bumper as Testone put three cars between him and Souza. Another time around and it was five cars. Cooper had disengaged from Perry and now ran fifth behind Guy. Perry ran hard and took the spot back as Murray arrived behind Cooper. Darryl Church, at last, getting a night back on the speedway, followed Murray; Brittany Campbell pursued him, ahead of Mike Cavallaro and Harkin.
Eight laps in, Testone suddenly lost speed and took it up to the wall to limp to the pits. Souza grabbed the lead. Next time around and Shaw was looking underneath Souza as Guy followed, twenty cars up on Perry, who had Cooper at his back. Shaw continued to seek a way around as Cooper went in under Perry.
Thirteen laps remained as Shaw went to Souza’s high side and began to push forward. Another time around and the came across the stripe door-to-door. It stayed that way for the lap, then Shaw stuck his nose ahead coming across that line. Souza wasn’t done. He came back dead even. They hacksawed the lead while behind them Murray got under Cooper and into fourth.
With eight laps to go, Shaw took the front in turn one, took a bump, came loose and saved it. Souza chased, but Shaw used the next two circuits to put three lengths between them. Guy continued in third with Murray looking him over from fourth followed by Cooper, Church, Cavallaro, and Perry.
With three laps to go, Shaw still held his advantage but Murray was all over Guy’s bumper looking for third place. Through the white flag lap, he looked to the outside and then under, but Guy was not having any and held him off.
Sixth went to Church, followed by Campbell, Cavallaro, Tom Watson, and Ed Perry.
Sources: SeekonkSpeedway.com