with Race Voice
Let’s start, of course, with the Pro Stocks. This is going to be one tough division this year. We’ve seen some great, competitive racing already, with four winners in four weeks. Well, we can say that about almost all of our classes. Fred Astle, Angelo Belsito, Dave Darling and Ryan Vanasse have all claimed victory this year already, and there are another half dozen plus drivers that could be sitting there as well before the season is over.
But there hasn’t been much consistency out of those four yet. They have run well, but there have been nights they haven’t been able to get through the traffic. So far, the most consistent drivers have been Tom Scully Jr and Mike Brightman. Both drivers have been in the top five each week.
This looks like it could be Scully’s year. He has been knocking on the championship door for several years now. Whether it has been Dave Darling, Fred Astle, Kenny Spencer or Angelo Belsito, Tom has been right there down to the final laps, competing for, and coming up short for, championship hardware.
He has the equipment, the crew, the talent, and the backing. He has the drive and determination. Always has. Could this finally be his year? He has an incredible head start against the rest of the competition.
Mike Brightman is another that has had things going his way already. Consistency hasn’t always been on Mike’s side, but they have seemed to find something that they have been able to capitalize on. He’s been able to find the right lane when he has needed it, and seems to be one of the few that has been able to run the outside consistently.
Other than opening day, one driver hasn’t finished out of the top three. Bobby Pelland III has finished third, second and second in the last three races. Opening day found him in the wrong place at the wrong time, costing him a lot of damage on his #12. He is getting closer and closer to his first career Pro Stock victory. Once he does, he could go on a run like he had in the Late Models.
Speaking of the Late Models, this group of drivers has had a few surprises for us already. Three winners in three races has not been the surprise. Dylan Estrella, Charlie Rose and Vinny Arrenegado have all visited Everett’s Auto Parts Victory Lane before. But the rise of the sophomores has been the biggest surprise. TJ Morsehead has been consistent and fast, and came close to his first win of the season a couple of weeks ago. Nick Johnson has been consistently in the top five, showing a lot more comfort behind the wheel. Austin Blais, while he won a couple of times in his rookie season, has shown that he is comfortable running up front as well. There seems to be no sophomore jinx with these three.
The Street Stocks haven’t disappointed at all. The competition in this class is second to none. They are more aggressive than the other divisions, as they have been for years. They beat and bang with the best of them. When the competition level is that close, sometimes you do have to be a little more aggressive to get by.
Now, I’m not saying dirty. There is a line there, that I have seen some drivers cross, and more than once I might add. Overall, though, these drivers continue to entertain the fans and keep them on their feet.
The Sport Trucks have seen Mike Cavallaro become the dominant force he previously had been when he went on a run and picked up his five championships. But don’t think that he has dominated the competition. Even he will say it should only be two wins. And he has had to work hard to get to the front.
Just this past week, he battled with Ed Perry for several laps before he was finally able to close the deal. He is really enjoying himself this year, and while he has been hard to beat, he isn’t unbeatable.
Fast Fridays kick off this week, and we have already seen the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends in action, as well as the Sport4’s. Jake Johnson and Mike Belanger have picked up the wins in these two divisional openers, in some hard racing. Both of these classes are going to be fun to watch. Throw in the Pure Stocks and the Seekonk Youth Racing Association, and Fast Fridays will be an exciting and entertaining night of action.
The S.Y.R.A. had their final practice this past Friday, and there are a lot of rookies in both of these classes. These kids are ready for action.
This week, the Pro Stocks have the night off, as the Valenti Modified Racing Series will be taking center stage. We will get to see the return of some of the best modified racing around. Richard Savary, Todd Annarummo, Brandon Dion, Colby Fournier, Carl Medeiros, Ryan Kuhn, and Rob Richardi all started their careers here at Seekonk in our local classes. Home cooking is always a good thing, and it will be great to see some old friends again.
This is also the only chance these teams have to get ready for the annual Open Wheel Wednesday. The show that started these 10K to win events for the modifieds. Once again, we are part of the Tri Track Series with Jim Schaffer and his group. They have done a tremendous job with these events, and with the success they have had over the past couple of seasons, this should be the biggest one yet. Wednesday, June 29th. Be here.