By Lou Modestino
The Granite State Pro Stock Series’ (GSPSS) championship is heating up as the tour heads back to Star Speedway this Saturday, August 16, for the GSPSS 100.
Four drivers are within 28 tallies off point leader Larry Gelinas entering Saturday’s event. Larry Gelinas’ lead whittled away after mechanical misfortune at Monadnock Speedway forced the Buxton, ME driver to retire early from the JBH 100. Matt Frahm, Derek Griffith, and Dillon Moltz all took advantage as each finished inside the top 10 to begin to reel in Gelinas.
Frahm, with his third place finish in the JBH 100, now sits a mere 19 points behind Gelinas. “Everyone kept their heads up,” stated Frahm about his run at Monadnock. “Third place, we’ll take it for the points, and we’ll move on to Star.” Frahm fought his way to the front as a result of being penalized from an incident with Tommy O’Sullivan.
Barry Gray’s win brought the Belchertown, MA driver into the top five, just 52 points out of first, and 24 points out of fourth. Brad Babb, Mike Parks, Tommy O’Sullivan, Mike O’Sullivan, and Cory Robert complete the top 10.
For Moltz, a victory in this Saturday’s race would avenge some of the bad luck the Waterford, CT driver has suffered as of late. Back in June, Moltz, driver of the RB Performance/Brackett Mechanical Chevrolet, was cruising on his way to a possible victory, when an incident involving a lapped car brought Moltz to the rear of the pack. Jeremy Davis would rocket ahead for the victory, but not without a valiant effort from Moltz to catch Davis, who settled for second.
With Gray’s win in the JBH 100 at Monadnock Speedway, the Granite State Pro Stock Series have awarded a win to five different drivers in five races. Star Speedway generally boasts a strong car count for the GSPSS, which will increase the chances of increasing the streak of different winners to 6.
One driver that could extend the streak is Dover, NH’s Wayne Helliwell, Jr. In a statement on Helliwell Jr’s Facebook page, the Bruce Bernhardt led team announced their intention to participate in the GSPSS 100. The two-time American-Canadian Tour champion has one career win in the GSPSS, and most recently, had lead the Icebreaker at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park before suffering a flat tire, ending “The Punisher’s” chances of victory.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series will run 100 laps at Star Speedway this Saturday, August 16th, in the GSPSS 100. Star Speedway is located at 176 Exeter Rd, in Epping, NH.