NORTH WOODSTOCK, NH – Derek Griffith becomes the only driver to win four races in one season, after the Hudson, NH driver picked up the victory at White Mountain Motorsports Park.
Dillon Moltz jumped ahead of the field on the drop of the green flag until lap 11, when Mike Parks caught the berm of the new pavement, screeching to a halt before touching the front stretch wall. Moltz would see Griffith alongside his door on the restart, but won the battle, retaining the lead. Griffith stayed within striking distance, and took the lead on lap 44.
After an incident involving Barry Gray and Nick Sweet on lap 57, Griffith would engage in battle with Moltz on the restart once more. Griffith would win the battle, and put on a blistering pace to capture the win.
When asked about this season’s success, Griffith pointed to the support from the Mechalides family, saying “It’s huge. I stress on it every time we do well. The Mechalides family, they aren’t just friends, they are family. We go over to their house, we eat dinner there, and hang out, it’s just huge.”
Louie Mechalides, who has enjoyed so much success in his storied racing career, has not only been turning the wrenches on Griffith’s FEP Insurance/Motorcycles of Manchester Toyota, but guiding the youngster as well. “Louie [Mechalides] has been tutoring me, and dialing me in, it’s huge. That’s the biggest thing I could focus on.”
Moltz was in line to finish in the runner-up spot, but suffered a blistered right-front tire with less than five laps to go, and had to pit. D.J. Shaw would inherit the spot, and finish the job. Shaw had a good car, but not enough to run down Griffith.
“[Griffith] was good. He was just in a league of his own tonight,” complimented Shaw. “He’s been really impressive how far he’s come, and how far their program has come. He’s definitely a top-tier driver. The track threw us off a little bit with the new pavement, and we just missed it.”
WMMP 100
Jeremy Davis failed in his attempt to three-peat, but still earned a podium spot, finishing third. The Jeremy Davis Motorsports team has been firing on all cylinders this year, as well, and Davis pointed that out, saying “If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be doing nearly as good. We have a good time, and everybody comes up with something to do.”
Barry Gray earned a hard-fought fourth, and Derek Ming recovered from an incident during qualifying, and finished fifth. Nick Sweet finished in the sixth spot in his second-straight Granite State Pro Stock Series start, with Cory Casagrande tying his best career finish in the series of seventh. Jeremy Harclerode, Josh King, and Mike Parks completed the top ten. Parks and Moltz picked up the win their respective qualifying heats.
The Granite State Pro Stock Series travels to Monadnock Speedway for the JBH Memorial 100, on August 8. The race will have an extra $5000 added to the purse, thanks to efforts from Josh King and Barry Gray, amongst others, giving the winner a solid $3000 payday. For more information on the Granite State Pro Stock Series, visit www.gspss.net.
WMMP 100
OFFICIAL FINISH
White Mountain Motorsports Park (NH)
8/1/15
Pos (Start) Driver Hometown
1. (3) Derek Griffith Hudson, NH
2. (4) D.J. Shaw Center Conway, NH
3. (5) Jeremy Davis Tamworth, NH
4. (9) Barry Gray Belchertown, MA
5. (13) Derek Ming West Burke, VT
6. (6) Nick Sweet Barre, VT
7. (11) Cory Casagrande Stafford Springs, CT
8. (7) Jeremy Harclerode Newmarket, NH
9. (8) Josh King Vernon, VT
10. (2) Mike Parks Walpole, NH
11. (10) John-Michael Shenette Thompson, CT
12. (1) Dillon Moltz Waterford, CT
13. (12) Tyler Fiscus Pembroke, NH
CONTINGENCY AWARDS
AR BODIES (Hard Luck) 5 – Dillon Moltz
BOND AUTO PARTS (Last Car on Lead Lap) 5NH – Derek Ming
BOND AUTO PARTS (Halfway Leader) 12 – Derek Griffith
DRACO SPRINGS (Most Positions Gained) 5NH – Derek Ming
FIVE STAR AUTO BODIES (5th Place) 5NH – Derek Ming
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 1 Winner) 66 – Mike Parks
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 2 Winner) 5 – Dillon Moltz
SEYMOUR PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS (Random) 66 – Mike Parks
RB PERFORMANCE (3rd Place) 09 – Jeremy Davis
RB PERFORMANCE (7th Place) 1 – Cory Casagrande
FIVE STAR AUTO BODIES (5th Place) 5NH – Derek Ming
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 1 Winner) 66 – Mike Parks
MACLELLAN METAL FINISHING (Heat 2 Winner) 5 – Dillon Moltz
SEYMOUR PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS (Random) 66 – Mike Parks
RB PERFORMANCE (3rd Place) 09 – Jeremy Davis
RB PERFORMANCE (7th Place) 1 – Cory Casagrande
SHERWOOD WHEELS (Most Laps Led) 12 – Derek Griffith
SUNOCO RACE FUELS (Heat 1 Winner) 66 – Mike Parks
SUNOCO RACE FUELS (Heat 2 Winner) 5 – Dillon Moltz
VDL FUEL SYSTEMS (5th Place) 5NH – Derek Ming
POWERTRAIN TECHNOLOGY (4th Place) 29 – Barry Gray
COIL-OVER COMMANDER (Feature Winner) 12 – Derek Griffith
All Photo Credits Remember when Photography
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