Degasparre, Adams, Church & Lineham with NWAAS Wins!
DEGASPARRE ROCKETS FROM GREEN TO CHECKERS
Gerry DeGasparre, Jr. exploded from the outside pole to start the extra-laps Mike Marfeo, Jr. Memorial race (also stop two on the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown) to take the lead down the frontstretch and never yield the lead. This, despite an intense effort by Nick Uhrig, who made DeGasparre’s life miserable for forty laps out of fifty. Uhrig spent the race all over the leader’s rear bumper, charging at any and all opportunities and often trying to create some of his own. But at the end of the race, DeGasparre had a .2-second lead and a trip to Victory Lane. Still, it was his first of the season and a change in what the Late Model multi-champ admits has been a difficult year for the team.
Dave Hutchins, Jr., who had run second from lap three to lap 11, ran in for third, followed by points leader Charlie Rose and Bobby Pelland III. DeGasparre revealed to the crowd that Mike Marfeo, Sr. had been spotting for him in the memorial, which turned out to be his 50th career win. Missing, however, he told the crowd, was his father, Gerry, Sr., who is awaiting surgery.
Polesitter Ron Barboza, Jr. battled DeGasparre at the start, but went to second ahead of Uhrig and Hutchins, who ran by into third on lap two. Mark Hudson then pulled alongside Uhrig. But Curtis Rolando’s spin brought out the caution.
Degasparre and Barboza set up for the restart and DeGasparre ran to the front. Barboza dropped into second and pursued, but Hutch eased him back to third. Uhrig, Meanwhile, had fallen from third to fifth as Hutchins and Mark Hudson ran by, but he turned it around and retook the place from Hudson and Barboza’s fade put him back into third.
Barboza slid back along the outside but was able to settle into sixth between Jeramee Lillie and Hudson, where contact sent him into a spin and Roland Wheeler took a spin on his own.
Gerry and Hutch were door to door for a lap and Uhrig ran to DeGasparre’s bumper. Jariah Roderick and Barboza spun together, recovered and kept going. Hutchins fell back alongside Uhrig and Pelland snugged up on Hutchins’ tail. The field began to string out with Hutchins falling into line with Pelland, Hudson, and Lillie in pursuit. Rose was working below Ryan Vanasse.
The two leaders worked their way to a 10-car lead as Pelland overtook Hudson, followed by Lillie and Rose. Pelland was looking around Hutch as Rose moved under Lillie for sixth and they dueled for the spot. Rolando spun on lap 29, but was able to continue.
Estrella had been on the move and now edged Lillie out of eighth, then took seventh from Austin Blais. Vanasse came by Lillie onto Blais’ bumper and Nick Johnson slid onto Vanasse’s. Hudson began crowding Pelland for fifth and Rose looked to get by Hudson. Pelland widened his rear bumper to hold them off.
The leaders came up on Greg Cotter and were about to lap him. As he moved up, there was contact with DeGasparre. Uhrig backed off as Gerry came loose, but they were able to gather it back up but on the next circuit, Wheeler spun, bringing caution. DeGasparre completed some miracle maneuvering to avoid a collision. Vanasse retired to the pits.
DeGasparre spun his tires on the lap 43 restart and Uhrig stayed alongside for a door to door down the backstretch but had to settle into second out of turn four. Hutchins held onto third as Rose nosed under Pelland with Hudson on their tails. Rose escaped Pelland, but got into Hutchins’ rear, and Hutch fought it back under control. Pelland came back alongside and diced with Rose as Estrella got under Hudson with two to go, taking the spot away.
Vinny Arrenegado was slicing and dicing with Lillie over eighth and they whipsawed the position through the finish with Lillie taking the spot by a mere .004 seconds.
Estrella locked up sixth, followed by Hudson, Lillie, Arrenegado and Roderick.
ADAMS HAULS DOWN FIRST CAREER WIN IN STREET STOCKS
Thomas Adams put together a hard second half run to lead the field For the final 12 laps on the 25-lap feature. It wasn’t an easy finish with Vinny Pangelinan, then Crag Pianka and finally Rey Lovelace snapping at his heels, but Adams held his composure and came home a bare tenth of a second ahead of Lovelace. Pianka was another six tenths back. Manny Dias nearly nipped Pianka in a photo finish but fell .045 second in arrears and Tony Oliviera rounded out the top five.
Dan Soloman grabbed the lead off the pole as Oliviera plummeted off the outside into fifth only to have Lovelace issue him back to sixth. Pianka leapt up to harry Soloman from second with Adams climbing into third, ahead of Pangelinan.
Lap five saw Adams and Pianka hacksawing alongside before the latter could claim second. But Cyclone Steve Potter spun in turn four, collecting Chris Rioux. Both had their left fronts down and they went to the pits. Rioux could not return.
Soloman faced off with Pianka, while Adams and Pangelinan backed them up with Lovelace and Oliviera in row three. Soloman went back to the front and Adams charged under Pianka, but one lap had passed when Scott Bruneau spun at the stripe and went to the pits for repair along with Corey Fanning. Fanning did not return.
Soloman edged Pianka by ¾ of a car and had the lead out of turn one. Pianka dropped in front of Adams, who led Pangelinan. Pianka nosed into Soloman’s rear quarter and he loosened up. Pianka shot to the lead and Adams followed under to second. Soloman began a slide that would take him back to eighth while Adams set to work on Pianka. He looked under and Pianka pulled away. One lap later, he nosed in again and the pushed forward. They went wheel-to-wheel down the backstretch until Adams claimed the lead in turn four. Lap fourteen saw Adams, Pianka and Pangelinan running nose-to-tail ahead of Dias and Tyler Lallier who was followed by Paul Lallier. Lovelace and Soloman were side-by-side behind them.
Paul began pushing against Dias but slid up and Manny’s rear bumper tore up the fiberglass on Lallier’s left front fender. With fiberglass streaming in the wind, he was black flagged and ran to the pits. One lap later, as Adams’ lead extended to a half-straight, Lallier’s wish came in too late: Sam Porazzo spun to bring out the caution.
Adams and Pangelinan lined up with Pianka and Tyler in the second row and Lovelace and Potter one back. Dias and Anthony Kohler followed. On the Restart, Pianka surged to second and Lovelace went under Pangelinan before a three-wide erupted between Dias, Potter and Tyler, spinning Potter, who had to be pushed to the pits.
The next restart saw Adams beating Pianka to the punch with Lovelace running low into second. Dias jumped onto Pianka’s tail, scooting past Pangelinan who was falling back on the outside. As the white silk flew, Lovelace was all pressure everywhere on Adams’ rear. He nosed under and Adams came loose but gathered it up and held him off to the line for the thinnest of finishes.
Sixth went to Tyler Lallier, just ahead of Pangelinan, Kohler, Soloman and Scott Bruneau. Jeremy Walker then led points leader Paul Lallier over the stripe in twelfth.
CHURCH: FIRST TRUCKS WIN IN TRIPLE CROWN RACE
Darryl Church took his first Sport Trucks win in an estimable place: the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown second round event. He led most of the race before giving way to Rob Murphy who went under the checkers first. Church charged on, claiming second at the finish line, but Murphy ran afoul of the ride height rule in tech inspection and was disqualified. Church collected the purse, the double points and the trip to the Triple Crown finale.
David Lougee finished second, followed by Dan Johnson, Eric LeBrun and Joseph Fortin II in fifth.
Church led a majority of the extended 35 laps in the only 4-cylinder truck still competing in the division. He started the feature on the pole, inside Lenny Guy (one of the long-standing 4-cylinder stalwarts who switched to V8 power last season.) Church went to the lead out of the box and Guy worked back alongside before Church owned the front out of turn two. Chase Belcher dropped in from outside the second row and Mike Cavallaro elected to say to his outside.
Guy began to fall back and Cavallaro dropped under him onto Belcher’s bumper with David Lougee in pursuit. Murphy looked between Lougee and Guy and went through. Guy fell off and Lougee hung in on the low side, going wheel to wheel with Murphy.
By lap five, they were running: Church, Belcher, Cavallaro, Murphy and Guy. Church had a 2-car lead as Cavallaro came closing on Belcher while Murphy was looking under Lougee then pushed through into fourth. Church worked out to a three-car margin as Belcher, Cavallaro and Murphy ran nose-to-tail, trailing Lougee, Guy and Mike Duarte.
Belcher was edging up on Church as the cars behind saw distance between them on lap eleven as Sean DeMello began to spill fluid and received the black flag. He missed two laps and then returned.
Church got into his rhythm and began to add distance on his pursuers, eight cars up on Belcher on lap 13. Cavallaro was closing on Belcher as Murphy narrowed the gap on him. Three laps later, Church was lapping Ed Perry.
Murphy had caught Cavallaro by lap 18 and looked under, moving into third and the chase trio was again bumper-to-bumper. Church now had a straightaway lead on lap 22. On the backstretch, Belcher moved up out of turn two and Murphy went underneath into second. Cavallaro leapt forward underneath Belcher and they ran into turn three. Belcher’s back end snapped out in turn four and he clipped Cavallaro’s rear quarter, sending them both into a spin and up into the wall, nose-first at the base of the tower in a hit that collapsed Cavallaro’s nose. Belcher was inches short of the wall and was able to back off and drive away but Cavallaro had to be taken to the pits in a double-tow truck hammock. Belcher received the black flag on the evening and the field lined up for the restart with thirteen laps remaining.
Church and Murphy went door-to-door and Murphy’s speed kept him outside, unable to drop although he had the lead in turn three. Lougee jumped onto Church’s tail and was all over his tailgate. Murphy pulled away and Eric LeBrun got under Duarte into fifth as Mike slid uptrack.
Murphy went to a four-length lead on Chruch, who led Lougee by one. Johnson and LeBrun followed. The final finishing order had been set and the field single file, ran the final six laps to the finish.
Russ Bourges was sixth, followed by Guy, Duarte, DeMello as the last trucks running. Belcher and Cavallaro, in the pits, were eleventh and twelfth.
LINEHAM NAVIGATES TOUGH WATERS FOR SECOND WIN ON SEASON
It was wild on the asphalt for a while, with cars bouncing off each other all race, but Flyin’ Ryan Lineham acted like he didn’t mind at all. In the end, he came out a survivor and a Pro Stock repeat winner. He bridged the gap cautiously from fifth to fourth with just over ten laps to go, then held off the ever-dangerous Radical Rick Martin enroute to Victory Lane. Martin gathered in second place by holding off a charging Dick Houlihan, who slid in just ahead of Kyle Casper and Mike Brightman, who rounded out the top five.
Jake Vanada hopped out of the box to the lead with Kenny Spencer and Fast Freddy Astle in hot pursuit. Behind them, Dave Darling and Mike Mitchell were in a dogfight over fourth just ahead of Lineham. Martin jumped past Angelo Belsito onto Lineham’s bumper. Freddy closed up on Vanada’s bumper while Spencer heated it up on the outside to debate the lead. He grabbed the front going over the stripe into lap two. Astle went around Vanada into second as Lineham negotiated Darling for fourth.
Now it was Martin’s turn and he got under Darling on lap seven. He made the pass one lap later. Belsito now got under Darling. Astle was on Spencer’s bumper, now, and looked to the outside while behind them Lineham was lining his sights on Vanada. Astle went wide for the pas and into lap 15 they were door-to-door. Astle was moving incrementally forward as Brightman spun out along with Craig Weinstein.
Astle took the pole with Spencer on his shoulder and Lineham and Vanada behind them.. Fred rocketed out of the box and Lineham went under Spencer. But Spencer fired up and shot ahead. They remained door to door for three laps until Spencer was able to drop into second and begin to close on Astle. Law 25 saw Astle leading by five cars and Spencer eight up on Lineham. Belsito kept looking under Lineham for the past.
Spencer was at Astle’s bumper on lap 29, but Mike Sullivan spun on the backstretch. On the restart, Spencer jammed against Astle to hold him in but Fred edges out. With Spencer working hard on the outside, Belsito dropped in to look under Astle. Fred was around in turn four before the lap could be completed, however, and both drivers were routed to the rear of the pack.
Lineham and Belsito now had the front on the restart and Ryan nosed out. He dropped in out of turn three and Belsito glommed onto his bumper with Ryan Vanasse on his tail. Houlihan followed while Tom Scully, Jr. was working under Martin. Spencer and Lascuola headed for the pits, ending Spencer’s night with 30 out of the 40 laps in the book. Lascuola returned but was back in the pits for good on lap 35.
Belsito kept looking under Lineham but was held off. The front three – Lineham, Belsito and Vanasse now were running nose-to-tail. Belsito locked onto Lineham’s bumper as Vanasse ran hard to the outside and was coming on rapidly as contact loosened Lineham, who wiggled and moved up. Vanasse jammed on the brakes and spun around, facing the rear. Astle braked hard but was unable to avert a collision, nose-to-nose with Vanasse. Astle was able to continue, but Vanasse went off on the hook.
Five laps remained as they lined up: Belsito outside Lineham and Houlihan under Scully in row two. Martin and Brightman followed, ahead of Kyle Casper and Vanada. Lineham grabbed the lead and Belsito stayed outside, running hard. Belsito dropped in on the next circuit and was bumped from the rear, going around. There was a mad scramble in the field as the pack stopped or piled into each other. Mitchell suffered damage and Bob Hussey remained immobile until a push got him restarted.
Lineham and Houli lined up ahead of Martin and Brightman. Lineham nosed out and Martin nosed under Houlihan into second. The top five ran to the checkers as Astle pried Vanada out of sixth. Weinstein ran up and moved him back once again on the final lap.
Rounding out the top ten were Astle, Weinstein, Vanada, Mitchell and Belsito. Points leader Tom Scully was just out of the top ten in eleventh.
Sources: Seekonk Speedway