Thomas Axsom Wins Richie’s Insulation 75 at Virtual New Hampshire
SEEKONK, Mass. — Thomas Axsom outlasted a variety of drivers in the final laps to score the victory in the Richie’s Insulation 75 at the virtual New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Thursday night. The race was the second of six in the Seekonk iRacing Road Trip Tour presented by Souza Media for 2021 — sponsored by Richie’s Insulation — and brought Seekonk drivers, teams, crews and fans to the virtual NHMS for a Modified showdown.In the end, the real-life drafting and bunched-up racing carried over to iRacing, and it thrilled Seekonk fans who were watching live on Extreme Sim TV.
Richie’s Insulation is located in Westport, Massachusetts, is a family-business started over 20 years ago, servicing both Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Richie’s is well-known for their quality services, fair prices and their commitment to customers. They have been involved in racing at a local level, at Seekonk, for many years. Twenty-six drivers took the green flag in the Modified event at New Hampshire.
There were two green-white-checkered attempts at the end — with Axsom holding off teammate Ryan Kuhn, Brad Sousa, Brandon Wilkinson and more. On the final restart, Axsom took the advantage, put a few blocks on Kuhn when necessary, and sped to the finish line out front. Kuhn finished second, taking the points lead early in the Road Trip Tour, while Wilkinson charged to finish third in the final laps.
Former Seekonk Sport Trucks champion Richie Murray was fourth, followed by Sousa, who is sponsored by Richie’s Insulation in real-life for his Sport Truck debut in 2021. Ryan Doucette finished sixth, followed by Trent Goodrow, Mason Tessier, David Lougee and PJ Evans. In race one of the Road Trip Tour, Evans went to Victory Lane at Lanier National Speedway in the Street Stocks.
Axsom collected $75 for scoring the feature win, courtesy of Richie’s Insulation, while additional funds were also distributed to the top-five finishers. For second, Kuhn earned $50, while Wilkinson collected $30 for third, Murray $25 for fourth and Sousa $20 for fifth. A race sponsorship on the Seekonk Road Trip Tour is $300 — including $200 going towards the top-five in each event — and $100 going towards the season-ending point fund.
On top of the race awards and point fund, each event has a large selection of contingency awards on the line. A full list of winners is posted below in the story.
CONTINGENCY AWARDS: RICHIE’S INSULATION 75 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
Watermark Homerun Heats from Watermark Electric ($4 per heat race winner):
WINNERS: Brandon Wilkinson, Richie Murray, Derek Gluchacki, Mason Tessier
“Hard Luck” Courtesy of Atlantic Yacht Rigging ($20 to hard luck driver):
WINNER: Derek Gluchacki
Anchor Paws Rescue Halfway Bonus ($20 to the driver who leads the halfway lap):
WINNER: Ryan Kuhn
Trent Goodrow Designs Least Incident Points Award (Free Paint Scheme To The Winning Driver):
WINNER: Cody Tripp
Bernier’s Liquors Lucky Spot ($25 to a random driver who finishes between 8th and 16th):
WINNER: Jake Vanada
Helger’s Southcoast Power Equipment Move of the Race ($20 to the driver that improves most spots):
WINNER: Thomas Axsom (+9 spots)
Lucas Milhaupt Fourth-Place Driver (A $4.44 award for the Fourth-Place Driver at Lap 44):
WINNER: Mason Tessier
RKM Fast Time Award ($10 to the driver who posts the fastest qualifying time courtesy of Ryan Kuhn Motorsports:
WINNER: Brandon Wilkinson
Following New Hampshire, additional races on the Road Trip Tour will take place through the month of April. The series visits Five Flags Speedway in Florida with the ARCA Menards Series car next on February 25th. On Thursday, March 11, Seekonk Speedway’s virtual teams return to the abandoned Myrtle Beach Speedway with the Super Late Model, while Langley Speedway hosts a Legends Cars special on March 25. The champion will be crowned at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 22 with the Late Model division.
For more information on Souza Media, visit Souza Media on Facebook or visit kylesouza.com. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit seekonkspeedway.com and follow the track on all types of social media.
Sources: Souza Media/Kyle Souza