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June 24th, 2018
Shawn Buffington battles his way to NELCAR victory at Star Jim Storace, Jay Townsend, JT Cashman, Tommy Trempe & Mike Rucci Get Wins Before The Rain Came Rich Hayes PREpping, NH – With rain showers all around the area once again, Star Speedway officials somehow found a way to put an almost complete racing program into the record books. Despite a rain delay that interrupted the program for a few minutes, everybody on the schedule except the 350 Supers got their feature events in before the rains returned.
The NELCAR Legends and Senior Tour Auto Racers (STAR) were moved up in the feature event lineup to ensure the traveling racers got to race, with Shawn Buffington taking down the checkers in the Legends main after a rough and tumble battle with Noah Korner throughout most of the 25-lapper. Beautifully-restored 1960’s-era cars were the big winners in STAR action, with Tommy Trempe of Jaffrey winning the “A” main in his sharp Mustang, and Mike Rucci of Worcester, MA picking up the winner’s trophy in the “B” main in a unique Corvair-bodied Modified. In the Woody’s Auto Strictly Stock main, Ray Dinsmore of Sanford, ME grabbed the early lead, and he stayed out front for the first 12 circuits before second-generation racer Jimmy Renfrew, Jr. of Candia knocked him off the point. Renfrew immediately began to pull away from the field, but on lap 19, he dropped out of the race with obvious mechanical woes that started with smoke trailing, and ended with flames under the hood of his once-fast racer. Kingston ace Jim Storace inherited the lead with Renfrew’s demise, and he outran teammate Bill Fiske of Chester to score yet another feature win. Michele Fushpanski of Salisbury, MA came home third, with Dinsmore and Jeremy Scott of Salem fourth and fifth. Pittsfield’s Jason Hodgdon led the Brickyard Roadrunner main for the first couple of circuits before Aaron Day moved past and took over the point, but it wasn’t long before the previous week’s winner, Dan Sweeney of Barrington slipped past Day and took command. Day’s night went south just a few laps later and ended early with a lost wheel and a shower of sparks. Sweeney eventually yielded to top spot to Jay Townsend of Nashua, who held the lead until the checkers to score his second win of the season. Sweeney, Andrew Harmon of Farmington, Peter Raby of Manchester, and Andrew Gillis of Ashland, MA were the rest of the top five. Rookie J.T. Cashman of Danvers, MA jumped out to the lead at the start of the L & W Auto Repair Six Shooter main event, holding off an early-race challenge from Scott Byron of Haverhill, MA to maintain the top spot. Byron eventually lost the second spot to Pittsfield’s Cody Hodgdon, who quickly set his sights on leader Cashman. With the checkers in the air, Hodgdon moved to the low side, but his last-lap charge came up short by about a bumper cover, with freshman Cashman holding on to score his first career win. Hodgdon, Byron, Jason Terrio of Epping, and Jeremy Decourcy rounded out the top five. The 350 Supermodified “Jen Garland Memorial” was the only feature event lost when the persistent showers finally won out, setting up double features for the 350’s next week. Pit gates will open at 2:30, with practice at 3:30, and the rained out feature hitting the track at 5:30 to start the night’s action. Late Models, Strictly Stocks, Roadrunners, Six Shooters, Star Troopers, and a 50-lap 4-cylinder Enduro will make up the regularly scheduled program. |