Preview: 350 Supermodifieds Set to Kick Off Their Season This Saturday at Star Speedway as Part of Five Division Card
With the annual Bunny Brawl now in the books, Star Speedway sets its sights on week one of Saturday night weekly division racing this Saturday, April 29. With a full slate of racing on the docket, the 350 Supermodifieds highlight the weekend schedule, while joining them for their second outing of 2023 are the Woody’s Auto Street Stocks, the K Cob Slingshots, 2 To Go Show Six Shooters, and MLM Diagnostic Pure Stocks. The first green flag of the afternoon this Saturday is set to fly at 5 p.m., when heat racing begins.
The 350 Supermodifieds, the fastest weekly short track division in the northeast, will see a host of contenders returning for the 2023 season. Last year’s champion Jeffrey Battle will be back on track, along with the rest of last year’s top point earners set to return, including runner-up Bobby Timmons, and third-place point man Brad Babb. Ed Witkum Jr., Ben Tinker, Ryan Battle, and a host of others will also be looking to improve on strong 2022 seasons and possibly making a run at the 2023 track championship in the process.
The Woody’s Auto Street Stocks will be on the docket once again on Saturday. Joe Ventrillo was the winner of the first race of the season at last weekend’s Bunny Brawl, collecting $1,300. Ventrillo looks like he is sure to be a contender this season. Defending champion Adam Lovejoy will be looking to defend his track title against the likes of veterans Jim Storace, Charles Baldwin, young guns Clark Brooks, and JT Cashman, and many more — all of which will be looking to throw themselves into the title conversation.
Dave Cameron may not have won last year’s championship, but seemed to have won about everything else including last weekend’s season opener in the K Cob Slingshots. Cameron will be a force to reckon with in 2023. Justin Gaillioux was the driver who picked up the 2022 championship, he will be looking to rebound from a difficult opening-day run this week. The young guns of the Slingshots may be the drivers to talk about as the 2023 season unfolds. Dwight Souther Jr., a multiple-time winner, is back and looking fast as ever, Joey Fraser was knocking on the door of victory lane last season and is back with his brother Zach in a team car for 2023. Last year’s 2 To Go Show Six Shooter champion Nate LeClair has made the jump and was in the top three on opening day, while Star Trooper graduate Jaxson Fillapone started off his season strong with a solid top-five finish on opening day and will surely be looking to build on that throughout the season.
The Six Shooters saw Billy Eastman rebound from a tough 2022 season with an opening-day victory, with Nate LeClair moving up, Eastman could be a favorite for this year’s track title. Another sure-fire contender will be Jeremy Hayes, who was a multiple-time winner in 2022 and with more experience under his belt, this year should be another step in the right direction for the young driver.
The Pure Stock division saw Andrew Harmon take home opening night checkers, while last year’s champion George Riley Jr. was forced to settle for second. Harmon will surely be a threat for the title if he decides to commit himself for the season. Another driver who is sure to be heard from is Gage Osborne, who won a handful of features last year and will be trying to step up his game this season as well.
Racing is set to begin with qualifying at 2:30PM on Saturday. For more information on Saturday’s racing, or future events please visit us on the track Facebook page or our website, StarspeedwayNH.com.
Sources: Star Speedway