Seekonk Speedway Street Stock Results from 5-9-15
Seekonk street stocks are a real fan favorite with the door to door and fender against fender racing every Saturday night. The track decided on returning the points to the heat races and sometimes the heats are as good, if not better than a feature. In previous seasons it was 15 points for a heat win and this season it was decided on awarding 5 points and de-sending by a point for the top five in each heat. As a race fan I think this is the correct way to go for the most "Bang" for your hard earned buck.
Over the course of the racing season these heat points could decide the champion.
I had the honor of announcing the race as a assistant with track announcer Kevin Boucher and had a blast and a very interesting learning curve. You would not believe all the people involved with the producing this exciting product of short track racing. Flagman and assistant, race director, official scorers, service crew, medical standby, security, vendors, ticket sales, pit staff, and I am sorry if I forgot anyone else. The race teams work all week to get the race cars ready and to solicit sponsorship and keep up with rules changes and in most cases maintaining a full time job or two.
Good field of 18 racers made the second event of the year. That was divided by two for the two heat races of ten laps each.#70 Paul Lallier the 2012 weekly street stock track champion was dialed in and took the heat with a awesome 14.625 best lap. Good for 5 points. Mapleville, Rhode Island's #11 Cory Fanning has been competing at a few different size tracks the past few years and I think has the Seekonk notebook complete. Great second place finish at 14.870 and 4 points. Steven Potter who claimed the trophy in week one indicated it was no fluke for third at 14.715 and 3 points
Second heat we saw #14 Rey Lovelace back from last weeks DQ , replace the flywheel to the 2015 track rules and cross all his x's and o's to make up some ground on his march for consecutive track championships. Long season and everyone of the contenders will have some kind of a set back along the way. Lovelace turned a top speed of 14.756 to take the checkered heat race flag followed by #53 Vincent Pangelinan who finished a gust of wind back at 14.794
Third went to #41 Tony Oliveira who had one best lap at a very fast 14.785 and my vote for best looking streeter was fourth, # 43 AJ Solomon in a replica Richard (The King) Petty STP who was just a fresh tire away at 14.975
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| 7 of the 8 Photos by Wayne G. Barber. Share if you like , but if used commercially , please ask permission and reference the photographer I took 140 photos and if you are looking for a individual photo, e-mail me at waynewnri@yahoo.com I know a lot of photographers concentrate on the upper divisions but I make sure I load up on All the divisions at a facility. |
#11 Cory Fanning led the first third of the race with #74 Scotty Bruneau in tow then lost his rhythm on the high groove and slipped back to eighth with about nine laps to go. #31Steve Potter also showed early speed, then lost it with some hard racing with #2 Chris Rioux spun out and was shuffled to the rear with some minor nose damage and under caution went to the pits, got repaired and back on the track on the lead lap. Then he again put on a charge and it looked like the banging adjusted the toe on the car to make it handle even better.This race was a case of ebbs and flows and just about when you thought someone was going to check out, contact would change the race. Lovelace must have a overdrive because he car took off like a missile and on one instance was sent to the rear for rough riding.From first to last for at least 4 competitors like middle weight fighters refusing to go down. #18Adam Dion looked great in the heat and lost a axle on lap 2 Potter and #70 Paul Lallier tangled and Potter did a 360 spin. Though out the whole race #44 Craig Pianka just had better reflexes and survived the big one. By lap 22 Bruneau and Lovelace from last to second had cleared the field and when we got to the last green, white checkers only 9 race cars remained. Bruneau drove like Happy Harvick at the end for the outstanding short track win. Steven Potter was no fluke last week. This guy never gave up and will be in victory lane again in 2015 and it was great to see the father son combo of #70 Paul Lallier racing door to door with the #77 Tyler Lallier.
I invited a frequent guest to our radio program "Race Chatter, Rey Lovelace to explain his rare DQ from week one in his 13 years of racing and to answer a few e-mail questions from the listening audience and he answered every one like the professional driver that he is with total class and direct response. One of the -emails was from Portland Oregon and the short track race fan asked where in the hell was Gerald Berthelette and his favorite Bobby Bettencourt because he was going to the Cape for vacation and he always took in the Saturday night races at Seekonk. Berthelette suffered Carbon Monoxide Poisioning in his garage last year late and I think has since sold the cars and Bettencourt is at the track chopping at his wife's ear to go back if a ride comes available. Bobby is a two time champion 1998 & 1999 and was a big crowd favorite with his own cheering section every week. Let's hope someone picks him up.
Only one driver can carry the trophy in any given race, but in this particular race at least 5 drivers could have shared it and the race fans in attendance really stood up for the finish and applauded for their favorite driver of this very entertaining Street Stock Race.
Street Stock Finish Seekonk Speedway 5-09-15
1- #74 Scott Bruneau
2- #14 Rey Lovelace
3- #44 Craig pianka
4- #77 Tyler Lallier
5-#70 Paul Lallier
6-#25 Jeremy Walker
7-#3 Anthony Kohler
8-#11 Cory Fanning
9-#5 Ed Flanagan Jr.
10-#31 Steve Potter
11-#2 Chris Rioux
12-# 43 AJ. Solomon
13-# 64 Sam Porazzo
14- # 56 Thomas Adams
15-# 41 Tony Oliveira
16-#53 Vincent Pangelinan
07-#18 Adam Dion
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| Seekonk Track Photo |
#00 Joe Melberg DNS but did finish 8th in his heat race.
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