Eddie MacDonald came visiting for the Mike Marfeo Memorial race and ran to the front, fought off Ray Parent all the way to the line, not to mention the insistent Dylan Estrella and Vinnie Arrenegado, then saw his trophy evaporate in Tech Inspection as the car suffered a rules violation. The disqualification gave hometowner Ray Parent the win on the also-triple-crown event. Division Champ Estrella notched a second to solidify his position in the standings on the double-point event and Arrenegado a solid fourth as the visiting Derek Ramstrom powered into third. Yet another visitor -- Wayne Helliwell, Sr. -- notched the final spot on the top five.
It was a battle of the 17’s in the Late Model division, as three showed up. Hometowner Vinny Arrenegado was there as usual, and Hometowner-cum-ACT Tourer Ray Parent made one of his semi-frequent visits as the same time that Eddie MacDonald rolled in for a major event which included the Mike Marfeo, Jr. Memorial for Late Models and the second stop on the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown. Double points and extra laps (50), not to mention some practice for Wednesday’s upcoming 200-lap U. S. Pro Stock Super Late Model National Championship. And the seventeens finished one, two and four with only Estrella’s 46 breaking the bunch. Unfortunately, MacDonald’s 17-MA yielded the crown to Parent’s 17-RI in the rules snafu.
At the outset, Crystal Serydynski stormed off the outside pole battling Ron Barboza, Jr. until she grabbed the front coming through turn four. Barboza fell back two cars between the curve and the stripe and on the following lap, Bobby Pelland III, coming up from fourth, went under him and into second. Arrenegado then got under Ron as Crystal built a three-car lead. Charlie Rose got onto Arrenegado’s bumper with Estrella following on his. The field began to string out on lap four.
In the meantime, MacDonald was charging forward as Parent was struggling in the middle of the pack. MacDonald was up from seventeenth to ninth by lap six. Parent recovered and began to shadow him until The Hammer, Jeramee Lillie, spun into the grass off turn two.
This set Crystal and Pelland side by side with Vinny and Rose behind them. Pelland nosed ahead at the stripe but Serydynski came back and they went wheel-to-wheel through turn three, where Serydynski nosed ahead in turn four. She took the lead as Arrenegado nosed under Pelland, who was beginning to give way. Estrella followed suit as Vinny went to second.
MacDonald slipped past Nick Johnson onto Rose’s bumper while Parent was by Johnson a lap later. Enter the picture: Nick Lascuola, who had been moving up from eighteenth, getting past Helliwell and then Johnson onto MacDonald’s bumper. Lascuola got loose on lap 12, coming out of turn two and struck a glancing blow against Pelland’s fender, sending him instantaneuously into a crushing, nose-first meeting with the back stretch wall and ending his night. The field scattered and amid the mayhem, Rose was caught up and took severe damage to his nose. Helliwell also took his car pitside as well as Randy Moretti.
Rose was back for the restart with his nose completely laid bare and took the rear as Crystal and Vinny lined up at the front. Estrella and Ryan Vanasse backed them up, just ahead of MacDonald and Lascuola. Crystal nosed out on the green and had control of the lead in turn four. Estrella got under Arrenegado and MacDonald was working below Ryan Vanasse for third with Parent as a trailer.
Estrella was moving up and stuck his nose under Serydydnski and took over the lead on lap fifteen. MacDonald went past Vanasse – who was suddenly off the pace -- Arrenegado and Serydynski on the sixteenth circuit, with Parent locked onto his bumper. They pulled in behind Estrella, who held a three-car advantage. Johnson followed Parent and in turn was being chased by Bill Bernard.
At the midpoint, Dylan was two cars up on Maconald and Parent. Johnson was fourth with a resurgent TJ Moreshead passing below Rose. Bernard was dueling with Derek Ramstrom. But Bill’s teammate Eric LeBrun found himself going sideways downt he backstretch and caution flew.
Estrella and MacDonald set up for a drag race down the frontstretch. Dylan nosed ahead and Eddie came back; they whipsawed the lead. After a pitched battle, MacDonald took over the front and Estrella settled in ahead of Parent. Arrenegado outfought Johnson for third and Ramstrom passed Moreshead to attack Johnson’s position. Two laps later, Ramstrom had settled in and Austin Blais had pulled into sixth on Johnson’s rear after getting past Moreshead.