Can Scott Sundeen Capture his 5th Championship in the Competitive Limited/ Sportsman Division at Thompson ?

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photos by Wayne G. Barber

The two best drivers in the series this season put on quite a show as Ryan Waterman and Scott Sundeen, first and second in points respectively, battled it out for the win in the closing laps. Sundeen entered the event with a fourteen point deficit to Waterman and took advantage of a strong car and a few cautions to open up a sizable lead in the second half of the feature, taking the checkered flag for the first time in 2016 and a small bite out of Waterman’s points lead. Waterman held on for a second place finish.

“I started the race loose and the car started to come to me half way through I just didn’t want it to get tight and it didn’t. It was actually still a little loose. This is the first win for this car. This is brand new this year and I’ve pretty much struggled with it all year, but made it to victory lane this week,” a proud Sundeen said in victory. Sundeen also claimed the O’Reilly Auto Parts Triple Crown title in the Limited Sportsman Series as his closest competitor in that battle, Corey Hutchings, retired early after being involved in a mid-race incident with pole sitter Corey Fanning. With a earlier season slugfest with Jacques and then again tonight takes any chance of the (Entertainer) Hutchings winning another track championship in his hall of fame career throughout all New England in many divisions.

Larry Barnett showed up with the famous #73 with a different paint scheme and sliced and diced through the field early in the feature and the crowd responded with cheers. Not to long ago the same crowd chanted anybody but Barnett with the same scenario as Jeff Gordon and the late great Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the latter part of their careers.
Barnett's car faded late and that left Cory Hutchings to try and salvage his 2016 racing season by at least taking the Triple Crown. Hutchings always comes with plenty of horsepower and tonight was no different. Slower traffic and constant contact had him back in the restarts and never recovered to win that Triple Crown. Scott Sundeen retired his championship race car last year and has struggled with the new setup in 2016 but has stayed away from those dreaded DNF'S. Top three in points all year and when young Joshua Wood #51 broke out with a pair of wins and said on the Race Chatter radio program the young drivers are going to make their mark in 2016. Waterman ,Gleason, Jacques, Aqualiner, LeToile  are real fast every week. Throw in Al Stone III #52 coming over from New London Waterford Speed Bowl to run the super speedway and the division is worth the price of the admission.

Only two points races left in the 2016 Limited Sportsman racing season and Sundeen earns his hard fought first win and now Ryan Waterman may have to claim one of the last two to dethrone the very crafty 4 time champion veteran at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Real good for the fans to see 20 race teams or more in this division every week.
This scribe would like to see this division for 25 laps every week instead of the regular 20 laps

XTRAMART LIMITED SPORTSMAN SERIES FINISH: 1. Scott Sundeen (Sutton, MA); 2. Ryan Waterman (Danielson, CT); 3. Brent Gleason (Griswold, CT); 4. Al Stone (Durham, CT); 5. Larry Barnett (Moosup, CT); 6. Jack Aquilina (Oakdale, CT); 7. Jesse Gleason (Lisbon, CT); 8. Joshua Wood (Palmer, MA); 9. Troy Waterman (Killingly, CT); 10. Mike Palin (Dudley, MA); 11. Phil Jacques (Dudley, MA); 12. Tommy Shea (New London, CT); 13. Hank Stott (Medway, MA); 14. John Carpenter (North Grosvenordale, CT); 15. Dan Coutu (Canterbury, CT); 16. Nick Anderson (Oxford, CT); 17. Ed Correia (Raynhyam, MA); 18. Corey Hutchings (Salem, CT); 19. Randy Waterman (Danielson, CT); DQ: Corey Fanning (Mapleville, Rhode Island);