YankeeRacer.com

Seekonk, MA —Seekonk Speedway 62^nd annual season comes to a spectacular conclusion the weekend of October 6-7, with over 650 laps of green flag racing, 10 different divisions, and in excess of $47,000 in purse money and another $5,700 in lap money bonuses on the line for the D. Anthony Venditti Memorial Festival of Racing. The annual event honors the memory of the late speedway founder who constructed the 1/3-mile Bay State oval in 1946 and served as its President until his passing in 1991. Highlighting the card will be a $14,700 100-lap open competition Pro Stock race with $3,000 going to the victor, $275 to qualify, and an additional $2,500 up for grabs in lap money awards. The True Value Modified Racing Series, Northeastern Midget Association, and Pro Four Modified Series will also be in action, along with open competition events for Late Models, Street Stocks, Sport Trucks/Four Cylinders, Pure Stocks, and 600 and 750 restrictor-plate SYRA Mini Cups.

The weekend begins with an open practice for all divisions on Friday, October 5. The pit area will open at 9 AM, with practice rounds running non-stop from 11 AM to 5 PM. Pit admission is $20. The speedway will then host an employee appreciation barbecue for the Route 6 facility’s staff under the turn four tent, beginning at 6 PM.

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Seekonk, MA — In the Fast Friday Series, Pure Stock rookie John A. Robidoux of Swansea, MA, Seekonk Youth Racing Association 750-restrictor plate division championship leader Brian Mondeau of Bridgewater, MA, and SYRA 600 first-year ace Nick Ladyga of Voluntown, CT earned their second feature wins of the 2007 season.

Robidoux, 52, started eighth in the 25-lap main, and had climbed to second by the second lap, trailing only outside polesitter Vinnie Pangelinan. Robidoux put the Sanford and Son Auto Parts #39 to the front of the pack the next time around and would lead all the way to the checkers. Fellow first-year pilot Bob Hinckley claimed third on the third circuit while John Frias, Carlos Silva, and Tom Blackwell went three wide for fourth. Veteran Mark Boisvert dove to the inside the next time around, making it four-wide, and came away with the position.

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Daniel A. Dulude, 52, of Gloria Street, Pawtucket died on Saturday at the Memorial Hospital of R.I. in Pawtucket. He was the husband of Paula (Kranik) Dulude.

Born in Central Falls, a son of the late Andre and Mance (Henault) Dulude, he had been a resident of Pawtucket 25 years where he was the owner and operator of the Darlington Hobby Shop for 27 years. He was a former participant and an avid enthusiast of stock car racing.

He is survived by his wife and one daughter, Lillian Dulude of Pawtucket.

A private funeral service was held at the Darlington Mortuary of L. Heroux & Son in Pawtucket.

Sources: Providence Journal/Projo.com

Seekonk, MA — Swansea, MA’s Scott Cestodio continued his string of successful finishes in the 2007 Sunday Spectacular programs, winning his third 25-lap feature of the season before a crowd in excess of 10,000 spectators on September 2.  The 24 year-old earned the pole via a random draw for starting spots, and led the 20-car field down to the green with fellow veteran Mark Boisvert.

The duo battled side-by-side for the lead for several laps, with both drivers taking a turn out front.  By lap 6, however, Cestodio had cleared Boisvert, with Carlos Silva, Amy Arsenault, John A. Robidoux, Steve Cromwell, Bob Hinckley, George Correia, John Robidoux, and Charles Beal comprising the remainder of the top ten.

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Seekonk, MA — Hot, humid weather and a plethora of caution flags dominated the action at the 1/3-mile Seekonk Speedway oval on Saturday night, August 25. Cranston, RI’s Tom Scully, Jr. avoided a whopping 10 yellows to claim his third victory of the season in the 40-lap Pro Stock division feature. Rookie Matt Hudon led the initial five laps from his outside pole starting berth but spun in turn two on a lap 6 restart, bringing out the third of four early race cautions and handing the lead to Scully, the second generation ace who had come from sixth to second in the opening circuits.

Kenny Spencer took second on the restart and pulled alongside Scully just before another minor incident slowed the proceedings. With six cautions coming in just the first seven laps, officials opted for a single file restart with Scully leading Spencer, Scott Fournier, and Rob Murphy. Despite turning slightly faster laps than the leader, Spencer could only close to Scully’s rear bumper and occasionally look toward the outside groove before the 26 year-old father of three would shut the door.

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Seekonk, MA — Bill Chouinard of Swansea, MA extended his lead atop the championship standings by capturing his third 25-lap Pure Stock feature of the season at Seekonk Speedway on Friday night, August 24.  Chouinard started 16th in the 17-car field after winning his 8-lap qualifier in the Highland Real Estate-Swansea Independent Baseball league-Dan Silva Electric-Sanford and Son Auto Parts #8 Chevrolet and worked his way inside the top three in just four laps.

Vinnie Pangelinan led the initial go-around from the pole before Waterford Speedbowl regular Charles Beal blasted past.  John A. Robidoux took second the next time around, with Chouinard, Steve Cromwell, John Robidoux, and Carlos Silva in tow.  Cromwell drifted into the high groove and lost two spots on the next lap, while Chouinard made a sparkling move from the bottom to the top of the race track.  The Robidouxs locked horns and bumpers on lap 7, leaving the younger racer’s #93 stranded in the infield.

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Seekonk, MA —  Bill Chouinard of Swansea, MA extended his lead atop the championship standings by capturing his third 25-lap Pure Stock feature of the season at Seekonk Speedway on Friday night, August 24.  Chouinard started 16th in the 17-car field after winning his 8-lap qualifier in the Highland Real Estate-Swansea Independent Baseball league-Dan Silva Electric-Sanford and Son Auto Parts #8 Chevrolet and worked his way inside the top three in just four laps.

Vinnie Pangelinan led the initial go-around from the pole before Waterford Speedbowl regular Charles Beal blasted past.  John A. Robidoux took second the next time around, with Chouinard, Steve Cromwell, John Robidoux, and Carlos Silva in tow.  Cromwell drifted into the high groove and lost two spots on the next lap, while Chouinard made a sparkling move from the bottom to the top of the race track.  The Robidouxs locked horns and bumpers on lap 7, leaving the younger racer’s #93 stranded in the infield.

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Seekonk, MA — Defending track champion and current point leader David Darling of Rehoboth, MA extended his lead atop the standings by claiming his fifth victory of the season Saturday in the 40-lap Pro Stock feature at Seekonk Speedway. Darling started 11^th in the field and raced his way to the front via the outside groove in the caution-free event, passing David Hutchins of Somerset, MA on the white flag lap en route to his 24^th career win at the 1/3-mile Route 6 oval.

Hutchins started on the pole opened up a substantial lead on John Dabrowski, Scott Dion, Scott Fournier, and Matt Hudon in the first dozen laps. At the halfway point, Dean Pettey had reached fifth, with Kenny Spencer, Rob Murphy, and Darling comprising the balance of the top eight. Fournier slapped the frontretch wall the next time around, ending his bid for a strong finish, while Darling motored past Murphy on the outside at lap 25. Spencer was black-flagged for a fuel leak on lap 32 and Hudon faded in the final 10 circuits after getting tangled up with another car and scraping the concrete.

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Seekonk, MA — Uxbridge, MA veteran Mark Boisvert, SYRA’s all-time win leader Chris Robinson of West Warwick, RI, and rookie front-runner Tim Brown of Norton, MA posted top honors in the Fast Friday Series of events at Seekonk Speedway on July 27.

Boisvert’s Mill Street Auto Parts #47 Ford started on the pole in the 25-lap Kraze’s Speed Equipment Pure Stock feature and led every circuit to earn the win, the driver’s third career victory and first of the season at the Cement Palace.  Point leader Bill Chouinard started last but was inside the top three in a flash, passing Scott Cestodio for third on lap 3, trailing only Boisvert and John A. Robidoux’s #39.

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Seekonk, MA — Seekonk Speedway assistant manager David Alburn announced today that the 1/3-mile Bay State oval’s Open Wheel Wednesday program which fell victim to rain on July 18, has been rescheduled in its entirety for Wednesday evening, August 29, at 7 PM.  “We’ve heard from people from all over the Northeast, fans and competitors alike, in the week since the event was rained out,” Alburn explains.  “The overwhelming consensus was that they wanted the show to go on exactly the way it had been planned on a future Wednesday night.”  After meeting with officials from the True Value Modified Racing Series, Northeastern Midget Association, and Pro Four Modified Series, a deal was finalized late Wednesday.

The fastest and fiercest competitors in northeastern Modified racing circles are expected to converge upon the Route 6 facility for the third annual Open Wheel Wednesday program, featuring the Viveiros Insurance-sponsored 100 green flag lap Modified Madness event, an open competition race paying $10,000 to the winner.  Last July, forty-two competitors from nine states attempted to qualify for the 26-car race, which carries a purse in excess of $31,000.

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Seekonk, MA — Phil Viveiros, the proprietor of the Tiverton, RI based Phil’s Propane, firm, has added a $1,000 bonus to be divided among the three highest finishing Seekonk cars, that is, any Seekonk Late Model that has accumulated championship points in 2007.  The highest finisher will claim a $500 bonus, with the second highest finisher earning an extra $300 and the third highest finisher pocketing an additional $200.  Cars purchasing the Goodyear tires for the ACT event will be allowed to use them in Seekonk Speedway Late Model events as well.

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Seekonk, MA — Second generation standout Tom Scully, Jr. of Cranston, RI passed Scott Fournier for the lead on the 15th circuit and held off former Late Model champ Mike Brightman and four-time feature winner David Darling to post his second win of the season in the Francis Farm 50-lap Pro Stock Mid-Season Championship race at the 1/3-mile Seekonk Speedway oval on Saturday, July 21. With extra distance-extra cash events on tap for the four weekly racing divisions, fans were treated to over 240 green flag laps by 91 race cars and trucks in just three and a-half hours.

Scully started fifth in the main event and moved into fourth on the second go-around behind Fournier, Todd Annarummo, and rookie Matt Hudon. Annarummo and Hudon both attempted to pass the leader in the early going but Fournier held each at bay as Scully motored forward, claiming second on lap 10. While Hudon and Mike Brightman battled for third, Scully drove under Fournier on lap 14 and completed the pass the next time by. Hudon was sent spinning on lap 21 to bring out the lone caution, leaving Scully, Brightman, Darling, Annarummo, Fred Astle, Jr., Kenny Spencer, Fournier, and Rob Murphy in the top eight. Brightman went wheel to wheel with Scully on the restart, leading lap 21, before Scully battled back on the inside. Darling used the inside groove to pass Brightman for second on lap 27 with Astle following suit the next time around.

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Seekonk, MA — Swansea, MA’s Bill Chouinard, Chris Robinson of West Warwick, RI, and Derryck Anderson, Jr. of Warwick, RI returned to Victory Lane in Seekonk Speedway’s Fast Friday Series of events on July 20.

Chouinard, a second-year Pure Stock competitor, inched closer to point leader Scott Cestodio at the top of the standings after besting a 13 others to claim his second 25-lap feature of the year. Chouinard started ninth in the Highland Real Estate Group-sponsored #8 Chevrolet and immediately headed for the front, going three-wide to work his way into the top six by lap 2. John Frias led the opening circuits before Chouinard’s step-brother, John Robidoux, took over the top spot in the Sanford & Son #93.

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Seekonk, MA — With over $31,000 in purse money and the bulk of the northeast’s heaviest hitters in Modified racing circles ready to converge upon the Seekonk Speedway, the 1/3-mile oval was forced to postpone Wednesday’s $10,000 to win Viveiros Insurance Modified Madness race due to rain. With competitors coming from as far away as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maine, and even North Carolina to attempt to qualify for the 100 green flag lap event, speedway management opted to reschedule the event after consulting with various local weather sources.

“It’s unfortunate that we had to postpone this race as over the past three years it’s gotten bigger and better and had generated a tremendous amount of interest,” assistant manager David Alburn stated. “However, we could see that the weather was not going to cooperate and felt it was important to make this decision before our competitors drove literally hundreds of miles to get here to end up sitting in the rain.” The Modified Madness portion of the program has been rescheduled for Saturday night, September 22, in conjunction with the speedway’s regular Saturday night lineup of Pro Stocks, Late Models, Sport Trucks, and Street Stocks.

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