LAMOTHE SLICES TO OPENING NIGHT LEGENDS WIN

Jordan Lamothe wasted no time in showing the opening night crowd at Fast Friday Night’s opener that he hasn’t lost any of last year’s speed in a slicing duel with a quick crew of challengers and coming out ahead by a quarter-second. Jesse Mel berg was snarling at his bumper for the final ten laps, making the journey an uncomfortable one, but Jordan held him off to the checkers. Also slicing in on the hunt and giving Melberg fits over the closing laps was John O’Sullivan, who roared into the fray on Melberg’s tail-feathers. Colin Haley had hardly been outside the top five all evening, and he snarled into the dogfight for the final eight circuits to score fourth place, just ahead of Jake Johnson.

Chris Robbins inaugurated the excitement by leaping off the pole with Nick Wisialko trying to keep pace while Mel berg and Lamothe pursued from the second row, Lamothe working the second groove on the wide side. Haley stole fifth from O’Sullivan and chased Lamothe while Melberg elevated from second and set course to intercept Robbins, who had a ten car lead by lap four. By lap six, the duo was lapping the tail end of the pack.

Lamothe disengaged from the field and tore after Robbins and Melberg as they began navigating dense lapped traffic. The overtaken were a problem on lap 12 as Brandon Martinez was trapped by a slow-mover. Martinez and Haley were running fifth and sixth but the tangle had Haley in a spin to bring caution.

Melberg and Robbins roared out of the box with Robins working the front but Lamothe, from outside the second row, executed a devastating drop-under move as Robbins was paying too much attention to Melberg. Jordan squirted into the lead – which he would not relinquish all the way to Victory Lane.

Robbins held him off, but something was happening in his motor and he lost power while battling over second with Martinez on the front stretch. He limped to the backstretch and caution was called as the field bore down on him. He was unable to continue. Lamothe and Martinez faced off with Melberg and Wisialko behind them. Lamothe roared off and Melberg ran in behind for second. Lamothe was running so hot, he was unable to settle to the low groove but Melberg was unable to take advantage. Martinez looked under but Melberg held him off and they went bumper-to-bumper.

Lamothe ran out to a ten car lead over them but Jake Johnson and Matt Carpenter got together, bringing caution. Lamothe zoomed away again while Martinez went under Melberg, who ran hard on the outside to reclaim second and they dueled. Jesse claimed second on lap 14, but the duel had seen Lamothe gain a four-car comfort barrier. And O’Sullivan pried Martinez out of third. As Melber began to close on the leader, Martinez spun in turn one. He was able to continue. Lamothe again grabbed the lead as Melberg, O’Sullivan and Jesse Jakubatys ran a tight, brawling pack.

Haley ran under Jakubatys into fourth as Nick Wisialko then ran under to steal fifth. Melberg was closing on the lead and ran up to Lamothe’s bumper. Jordan pulled away. Jesse closed it back up as the white silk flew, but Lamothe pulled away to lead a mob across the stripe and under the checkers. Rounding out the top ten were Wisialko, Jakubatys, Martinez (who ran hard to reclaim lost ground after the spin), Joseph Marfeo and Stan Carpenter.

KUN OUTLASTS DESROSIERS IN EPIC PURE STOCK DUEL

Andrew Kun and Dave Desrosiers opened the Pure Stock season with a two-car duel that went from green to checkers in a race which ran free of cautions, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats. Desrosiers leapt off the pole while Kun went under Amy Arsenault to steal second and the smell of gunpowder was on the air. Desrosiers ran out to a two-car lead and Kun began to whittle away at it. Behind them, Keri-Lynn Manfredo got by Arsenault into third as the leadership quartet commanded the grooves, to stymie division champ Mark Murphy with a wall of competing cars. He shouldered along in fifth, hungry for an opportunity. Daniel Massa crowded into sixth and none of the rest of the 27-car field could penetrate the furious top contenders.

By lap four Desrosiers, chased by Kun led Manfredo, Arsenault, Murphy and Massa. The front continued to be impenetrable and positions remained static through the first ten laps. But lap nine saw Kun again on Desrosiers’ bumper and he found his way under on the eleventh circuit. Andrew laid claim to the lead on lap 11. Massa then outdueled Murphy and moved ahead of Arsenault into fourth.

Now Murphy came past Arsenault for fifth and edged Massa out of fourth. He then chased down Manfredo and deprived her of third on lap 21. Massa then worked his way around Manfredo into fourth.

Kun continued to lead a stubborn Desrosiers toward the waiting checkers, but was unable to disengage. Dave continued to hound him, but the time was growing short. Arsenault made a run at Manfredo on the closing lap and they ran toward a photo finish. Kun crossed the stripe a quarter second ahead of Desrosiers and Murphy followed. Fourth went to Massa and Arsenault’s lunge at the line gave her a quarter-second edge gave her fifth. Manfredo was sixth, just ahead of Jamie Birch. Eighth was Randy Moretti followed by Doug Benoit and Earl Curtin III.

LEVESQUE NAILS DOWN OPENING NIGHT WIN

Karlin Levesque took over his sister’s SYRA 600 ride when she departed for school late last year and this season, he opened with a big win to set his 2015 season in motion. Levesque was seldom off the lead and never farther than one spot from the front. He did have plenty of challenge from Luke LeBrun and later Scott Serydynski, Jr. But he cleared out to a comfortable lead in the closing laps to run home 1.1 seconds in the lead. Serydynski chased him across the line, followed by Marissa Morgan and Alexandria Lillie. Anthony Marvin filled out the top five.

Levesque started from the outside pole with LeBrun to his left. They went wheel-to-wheel across the stripe and LeBrun had a edge coming out of turn two. Levesque closed back to dead even across the stripe again but on lap two, LeBrun took over coming out of turn four.\

Meanwhile, Serydynski was getting around Marissa Morgan for third, but she drove it back and they dueled. By lap four Carlin was on Luke’s bumper with Marissa in pursuit. Serydinski, Alexandria Lillie and Ava Chouinard followed. But Ella Sprague spun down the front stretch on lap 6 to bring out the caution.

LeBrun and Levesque lined up with Morgan and Lille behind them. They ran door-to-door for two laps before LeBrun could take the lead, coming out of turn two, with Levesque dropping in. The field was stretching ou and Morgan, Lillie and Serydyinski were still in pursuit.

Lap 11 saw Chouinard spin out of turn four and again LeBrun and Levesque were hacksawing the lead, side-by-side. They scrapped for three laps before Luke’s left side tires got over the berm into the grass in turn two, slowing the car dramatically and finally bringing him to a stop on the backstretch grass.

The lap 14 restart had Morgan alongside Levesque. Karlin pulled ahead but Morgan battled back before Levesque to take the full lead. Serydynski then moved under Morgan to move her out of second. LeBrun was able to move into third behind Serydynski.

Levesque was able to gain a five car lead with four laps remaining, followed by Serydynski, Morgan and Lillie. Newcomer Trenton Goodrow moved in behind Lillie after moving Anthony Marvin out of sixth. Levesque continued to cruise out to a ten car advantage with two laps remaining. The field continued in order through the finish. Chouinard was sixth and the top ten rounded out with LeBrun, Goodrow, Sprague and Zachary Martinez.

WESTGATE SEIZES THE MOMENT WITH LAST-MINUTE SPORT FOUR WIN

David Westgate stayed around the right places throughout the Sport Four feature and was able to take advantage after leader Michael Glad was claimed by a spinning car with three laps remaining. Glad had come off the pole with Westgate on his shouilder and ran hard and wide to secure the lead. Westgate dropped in, followed by Corey Chaddick, Bob Henry and Dylan Cabral. A three-wide lifted the crowd with Gil Bradstreet, Ray Herman, Sr. and Chris Bissell going for all the marbles.

At the front, Glad, Westgate and Chaddick were running noes-to-tail and right behind them, Henry had Cabral on his bumper. Cabral began considerin the outside as Caddick considered underneath Westgate. They went door-to-door for the position, which resulted in another bumper-to-bumper line with henry, Caddick and Westgate. They were lapping the field by lap eight.

Caddick looked under the leader, but Glad shut him down. He tried again on lap 13 and inserted himself under Glad. They came across the stripe side-by-side. But caution flew as Henry suddenly burst into smoke.

On the restart, Glad got the jump on Westgate who settled into second and Caddick went wide out to third. He eased back in and challenged Westgate from the outside. Dave took control of second on the backstretch and then went to the outside on Glad. Glad held on low and kept the lead.

But he came loose on lap 17 and went up the track. Caddick dived under, got loose down the backstretch and bounced off Glad then spun up near the wall at the end of the backstretch, bouncing off Glad and made contact with Westgate, but they continued as Caddick went into the wall, nosefirst, shredding the car. There was no damage to Glad or Westgate, but Glad was declared an accident car and had to restart at the rear.

The restart with three laps remaining saw Westgate facing off against Bradstreet. Westgate pulled away and Herman looked under Bradstreet and they dueled side-by-side. Westgate was running away. Cabral rushed up to Herman’s rear bumper . Westgate claimed the win and it was three wide at the stripe for second, among Herman, Bradstreet and Cabral. Herman was the runnerup followed by Bradstreet and then Cabral. Christine Cavallaro came in fifth. Rounding out the top ten were: Nick Mattera, Henry Lavalle, Mike Belanger, Bissell and Emily Charette.

TONER HOLDS OFF KULPA FOR 750 WIN

Michael Toner held off Shea Kulpa in the closing seconds of the SYRA 750 feature for a season’s opening win. Toner came off the pole onto the point and held the front throughout the 20-lap race. Kulpa, however, started fifth and was forced to work her way through the field until she could move in to test the leader, gainig second on lap 11. They dueled from a lap 17 restart all the way to the checkers with Toner holding her off for a .2-second margin of victory.

Toner and Brandon Lillie diced it up for the first 11 laps. Lillie came off the outside pole for a door-to-door with Toner, but Kulpa was into Matthew Barboza on the start and it was a full race restart. Second try saw Toner off to the races. Lillie picked up speed and held third. Kulpa was traveling fifth on Cassie Meservey’s shadow.

By lap two, Toner had a 7-car lead. Behind him, there was a three-way contest between Eric LeBrun, Kulpa and Meservey over third. Kulpa broke from the trio ahead of LeBrun and then Meservey.
Lillie continued to pursue Toner as Kulpa moved in until lap eight saw Lillie, Kulpa and Lebrun nose-to-tail behind the leader. Kulpa moved Lebrun out of third on lap ten and went after Lillie. She was into second a lap later and eight circuits remained. Lillie, in third, now had Tom Ouelette and Lebrun door to door on his back bumper.

Toner, meanwhile, had a straightaway lead on Kulpa. Shea, in turn, had to outrun Ouelette and Lebrun. Caution came out on lap 17 as Lebrun went into the grass in turn four. Kulpa lined up outside Toner, who edged away while Kulpa struggled to keep pace. She fired up and they ran the final two laps in a tight line. Toner pulled ahead at the stripe for the win leaving Kulpa second. Ouellette and Lillie charged in side-by-side and Oeullette hung on for a .047-second margin, giving Lillie a fourth. LeBrun followed, chased by Meserey and Matthew Barboza for seventh to complete the field.

 

Source: Seekonk PR