David Greenslit Takes Street Stock Battle for the Belt Victory
WINCHESTER, N.H. – Ben Byrne (Deerfield, Ma) stormed to his second NHSTRA Modified victory of the summer Saturday, July 11, at Monadnock Speedway, topping a stout 21-car field at the storied quarter-mile oval.
With a huge crowd filling the social-distance-spaced grandstands to take in the night’s huge fireworks display and six exciting divisions of racing at the high-banked speedplant, nobody went home disappointed. Except, maybe, Todd Patnode and Chris Davis.
Dave Greenslit (Langdon, NH) made easy work of winning the Street Stock Battle of The Belt series 50-lapper, LMS superstar Aaron Fellows (Croydon, NH) stayed undefeated on the world, while Pure Stocker Dave Aiken (Claremont, NH) earned his second victory lap of the summer, and Tim Leblanc (Hinsdale, NH) topped the Mini Stocks; all on Monadnock’s fourth night of 2020 racing.
Rob Richardi and second-generation hot-shoe Matt Kimball brought the thundering Mod Squad to the green, with Richardi leading by less than a wheel on the first two go-rounds and then setting a fast pace as Kimball and Brian Chapin went to war behind him.
Close behind them, Trevor Bleau, firing from row four, and Ben Byrne, from row six, were charging forward with four others. Byrne had almost passed Richardi when the caution waved on lap 21, and then completed the task a lap later. Bleau, on a rail, claimed the deuce as lap 28 went in the books, but could advance no further. Richardi held strong to hit the stripe third, just ahead of Kimball and Brian Robie.
Bleau’s fourth top-four of the young season deadlocked him with Robie atop the points parade, while defending track champ Todd Patnode – third in points entering the night’s racing – got taken out in a lap-five jingle, finishing 21st on the night.
Dave Greenslit, the winner of the Battle of The Belt Series’ first event of the summer at Hudson, duplicated that run Friday. Firing from row two, the defending track Street Stock champ immediately took control, inching past Chris Buffone on lap one, and never looked back.
Buffone’s uncle, former Pro Stock ace Tommy O’Sullivan, got up for second on lap 18 but, on this night, it was Greenslit in a runaway, taking the checkers far ahead of O’Sullivan and Buffone, and ending the Curtis family’s three-week stranglehold on Street Stock victory lane.
Cam Curtis, then Justin Littlewood, led the Late Model Sportsmen over the stripe the first four go-rounds, with Aaron Fellows then inching under Littlewood, taking charge, and simply driving away. Littlewood was strong in second, and Robert Hagar came home third. Fellows has not lost a race at any track so far this year.
Tim LeBlanc, firing from row two, led every lap of the Mini Stock 25-lapper to score his first win of the season. Nathan Wenzel came from row four of the 17-car field to claim the deuce, with Andy Harman nudging past two-time winner Gordon Farnum to earn the three spot.
And in the Pure Stocks, Lady Luck dealt defending track champ Chris Davis a crap hand for the second week in a row. In charge with only two laps to go, Davis dropped suddenly off pace again, this time watching helplessly as Dave Aiken stormed past to score his second win of the summer.
Mike Douglas took the checkers just behind Aiken, with Brandon Lavoie, Kodi Sabins, and Nolan McClay rounding out the top five. Davis coasted to a disappointing tenth-place finish. In a post-race inspection, Lavoie was disqualified.
Justin Harris took charge on lap 20 of the Northeast Classic Lites 30-lapper, then sped off to victory ahead of Joey Deguio. Cody Hodgdon earned the bronze, while defending four-time series champ Duane Skofield was a non-factor in this one.
Monadnock Speedway returns to action next Saturday, July 18, when the Mini Stock Battle of The Belt Series comes to town, along with a full card of weekly racing series events. Advanced Tickets and more information, please visit www.monadnockspeedway.com.
NHSRA MODIFIEDS: Ben Byrne, Trevor Bleau, Rob Richardi, Matt Kimball, Brian Robie, Stewart McCormick, Cameron Houle, Brian Chapin, Cory Plummer, Keith Carzello, Kim Rivet, Kevin Pittsinger, Eric Leclair, Zach Leone, Anthony Bello, Jerry Gomarlo, Solomon Brow, Brad Zahensky, Scott MacMichael, Jason Houle, Todd Patnode
LATE MODEL SPORTSMEN: Aaron Fellows, Justin Littlewood, Robert Hagar, Camdyn Curtis, Willie Kuhn, Cole Littlewood, Scott Beck
STREET STOCK (50-lap Battle of The Belt): Dave Greenslit, Tommy O’Sullivan, Chris Buffone, Chase Curtis, Jaret Curtis, Brian Robie, Tim Wenzel, Nathan Wenzel, Mike Radzuik, Hillary Renaud, Ed Lofland, Randy Rameau, Joe Tetreault, Paul Barnard, Robbie Streeter, Steven Dubois, Kenny Thompson, Troy Waterman, Chris Riendeau, Chris Curtis
MINI STOCK: Tim Leblanc, Nathan Wenzel, Andrew Harmon, Gordon Farnum, Hayden Grenier, Jared Roy, Ethan Marsh, Ray King, Bill Chaffee, Shelby Avery, Jake Puchalski, Kevin Mcknight, Joshua Hubbard, Jeff Asselin, Kevin Russell, Kevin Clayton, Bobby Kirker
PURE STOCK: Dave Aiken, Mike Douglas, Kodi Sabens, Nolan McClay, JD Stockwell, Jason Leray, Cory Lofland, Chris Davis, Amy Jaycox, Jimmy Zellman, Carter Chamberlain, Conor Jencik, Nick Houle, Damon Roy, Regan Buffum
Sources: Gary Dutton/Monadnock Speedway PR
Photo: David Greenslit (Langdon, NH) by Emily Miller