It’s been a little bit since I got to share some thoughts, so here goes:
On Wednesday, June 29th, Doug Coby did something that has only happened 20 times previously in the 71 year history of the speedway. He picked up two wins in the same night. Out of those 20 times, only 5 were done in different divisions. The last time this was done was in 1958, when Hop Harrington won the A class and B class mains.
Doug picked up his third Open Wheel Wednesday payday of his career, leading the final 60 laps of the main, holding off some hard charges from several drivers, including Justin Bonsignore and Jon McKennedy over the final 40 laps. While it was his third win in this event, it is the first one driving for his current NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour team, owned by Mike Smeriglio III. They were using this event as a warm up for the Anytime Realty 150, when the Modified Tour comes to Seekonk on Saturday, September 10th.
With Doug’s experience here, and now coming off this win, they have to be one of the teams to beat.
Just before Coby took down the $10,000 winner’s purse, he picked up his second consecutive Boston Louie Memorial Classic for the NEMA Midgets, driving Tim Bertrand’s 74.
With a week off of racing, we returned to a full night of NASCAR Whelen All American Series action. 50 laps of Late Model racing with the second leg of the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown Series, and the Mike Marfeo Jr Memorial. The Street Stocks also had their second event in the Simpson’s Auto Care Shootout Series, putting and extra $500 in the pocket of the winner.
With the American Canadian Tour returning this Saturday for the Propane Plus 150, we had some visitors come in to get ready for this event. Eddie McDonald, Wayne Helliwell Jr, Ray Parent, Derek Ramstrom all took the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the 1/3 mile oval. And all 4 showed they are quick adapters.
At the end of the 50 laps, Eddie McDonald sat trackside, being interviewed by myself. Unfortunately, post-race tech found his car to have too much left side weight, by only a small percentage. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Why didn’t they just let him go if it was a small percentage? Because it was outside the parameters of the rules. If you let a small thing slide in one instance, shouldn’t you let a small percentage slide in all the rules? And if you let a small percentage slide in all the rules, where does that margin sit?
Part of the reason, in my opinion, on why he was off, lies in the way the cars are scaled here at Seekonk, VS how the cars are scaled on the American Canadian Tour. The tour scaled the cars before the race, while Seekonk scales the cars after the race. The fuel that was burnt off during those 50 laps, quite possible, may have been the reason.
But what he, and the rest of the visitors showed, is that they can race with just about anyone, and can compete at any track and be strong. Ray Parent ended his night as the surprise winner of the event. This will put him in the final 4 for the final night of the Phil’s Propane Triple Crown Championship. This was one event he was eyeing on the schedule.
The defending Everett’s Auto Parts Late Model Champion Dylan Estrella showed he has the car and talent to compete with the top runners from the ACT tour. He raced on the outside lane for well over 20 laps, trying to hold off the 17s.
The Street Stocks has a good night, with former champion Mike Mitchell picking up his first win in over a year. In addition to the regular winners’ purse, he also received an extra $500 from Simpson’s Auto Care. Not bad for a part time ride this season for him.
The fun part for Mike, is this is the same car he took to a championship several years ago in this division. Sometimes, it’s nice to be back home in your favorite chair.
Mike Cavallaro picked up another win in the Sport Trucks. He’s starting to look like the Mike of old, winning races and racking up 5 championships. While he is not unbeatable, he will be tough to beat.
When the season is over, if Tom Scully Jr is able to pick up the championship he has been chasing for almost a decade, he can look at Saturday’s race as a turning point for him. Yes, he has been competitive each week, and has been leading the championship standings since the second week, but there has always been a stigma, in my mind, about Tom. Tom has always driven hard, sometimes too hard, to get to where he is. His equipment has always been top notch, but there has always been something that has cost him championships over the past several seasons.
It appears that the thing he has been missing has been found.
Early in the race, he and Rick Martin made contact, sending Rick into a 360 off the fourth corner. Tom was sent to the rear for the assist. A couple of laps later, Tom spun, quite possibly from a retaliatory move. I didn’t see it, so I am speculating. There have been times in the past when something like that would consume Tom, and see, take over his thinking. Not that he would keep retaliating, but it would keep him from getting the best he could out of his equipment, pushing his way through.
On Saturday, that wasn’t the case. He settled down and refocused on the big picture. The one thing that has eluded him at this speedway, the Championship. Once he got back into his rhythm, he started picking cars off one by one. When the cautions would fall, he seemed to be in the right place to capitalize on each one. By the end of the 40 laps, he was on the back bumper of Fred Astle, pushing all the buttons he could to get by. While he came up a little short in the race, in my mind, he gained tremendously in the overall battle.
Two weeks ago, the Pro Stock drivers had a tough night Saturday, with several cars going off the track via the hooks. Kyle Casper and Rey Lovelace got together, sending both cars hard into the front stretch wall. Dave Darling’s mount was carried off the track hammock style. Several other cars had excessive body damage and minor issues. They have this Saturday off due to the Propane Plus 150 being in town. Some of them will need the time to get back the following week.
With the ACT coming in, the Pro Stocks and the Late Models are not on the schedule. The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends have been added to the lineup, along with the Sport Trucks and Street Stocks. You can get discounted tickets for this event through Groupon, if you subscribe to this service.
With the Legends on Saturday, the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Spectator Drags have been added to the Fast Friday lineup, joining the Pure Stocks, Sport4’s and the SYRA division.
Before all of that happens, the first annual US Pro Stock/Super Late Models will take place, with a 200 lap, $10,000 to win event on Wednesday, July 13th. The US Legends and the Pro4 Modifieds will be on hand as well. Should be a great show.
with Race Voice