Rain cancels Kraze’s Speed Equipment Truck 30 lap Feature with Pro4 Mods and Pro4 Powder Puff. Ryan Vanasse claims 2009 Late Model Title.
Seekonk, MA — With a steady diet of rain falling on Saturday, September 12, 2009, speedway management was forced to cancel the events scheduled. With this cancellation, that leaves one more race in the chase for the 2009 championships. . As of this writing, there has been no make up date set for the Pro4 Modifieds, or the Pro4 Powder Puff Race for Breast Cancer Awareness and the Race Against Cancer.
The ARC Pro Stocks roll into their final night of points with three drivers fighting for the 64th crown at The Action Track of the East. Two time champion Dave Darling holds a slim 7 point lead over 3-time defending champion Fred Astle. Lurking another 15 behind is Tom Scully Jr. All three drivers have traded victory in the last three points events.
Jody Tripp trails Rick Martin in the win column, six to nine, but leads the chase to the 2009 crown in the Seekonk Sport Trucks. The difference? 15 top five finished to 14, and 16 top ten finishes to 15. Consistency has been the key for this second generation racer. With his father, John Tripp at the helm, Jody has been sitting in the right place at the right time. Martin has been able to pick up an astounding 9 wins, but after falling out early last week, Martin now finds himself playing catch-up once again. The duo has combined for 9 one-two finishes over the season. John Paiva sits solidly in third, with Lenny Guy and Kyle DeSouza, who is coming off his first career Truck win, rounds out the top five.
Mike Mitchell is setting up to knock reigning champion Sparky Arsenault off the Street Stock perch. Mitchell holds a 32 point lead over the three time title holder. Mitchell picked up a win in week 3, but has been able to roll to 14 top ten finishes in the 15 events. Arsenault has held the title for the past two seasons, and has three overall, and if anyone knows how to make it happen, it is him. While he has been shut out of Victory Lane so far, but if he can pull it off, it would not be the first time he has won a title without a feature win. Ryan Lineham enters the night third in points, 69 out of the lead. While he still has a mathematical chance at the crown, he has a steep hill to climb. Coming off a three win season is nothing to be ashamed of. Mark Henshaw JR comes in fourth, with a chance at a top three, with Mike Lema rounding out the top five.
The first chase to be settled is the Late Models, scheduled to complete on September 12. Ryan Vanasse had clinched with one event remaining, riding the wave of seven feature wins. The Late Model division had not been dominated like that in over a decade, but Ryan, Mike, Paul, Nick and the rest of Team V were on a mission. Ryan is a second generation racer, and starting out the season, the goal was to follow up on his 2008 Pro Stock Rookie of the Year title, while setting up their dad, Paul behind the wheel of the Late Model. Opening day say Ryan bring the 11 home first, so he stayed behind the wheel, pulling off another win the following week.
While running both divisions can be taxing, the luck they were having with the Late Model did not rub off with the Pro Stock. A mid-season wreck sidelined the Pro, while they focused on the Late Model title, which was coming closer to their grasp. While their last win of the season came in July, consistent finishes, along with trouble for his closest competitors, gave him a lead that will stand at 98 points in the final tally. Defending Champion Gerry DeGasparre tried to rally late, but had to settle for second. Mike Cavallaro rode his first win of the season into third, while Bill Bernard and Kevin Casper rounded out the top five. Kevin rode in second in points for much of the season, but an incident on August 15 put the Phil’s Propane Toyota on its roof, ending their bid.
With the Late Model crown decided, the race on this final night has been opened up to all competitors in the Northeast, with a 64 lap feature. The 64 laps are in reference to the 64th season that the speedway has been in operation. With $1,000 up for grabs to the winner, management is looking for competitors from area speedways to come in and try to take home the Seekonk Gold. Many speedways have shut down weekly operation, and with competitors looking for a venue, this event makes perfect sense to get ready for the DAV Fall Classic in October for the Late Models.
The Pro Stocks, Seekonk Sport Trucks and Street Stocks will be in action for their final points night. Join us as we crown our 64th Champions at The Action Track of the East. Tickets can be purchased online at Seekonkspeedway.com.
Sources: Kevin Boucher/ Seekonk Speedway PR
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