By Gary Dutton
 
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Erin Aiken won the third annual two-segment Cody LaFont Memorial Race Friday, July 26,at Claremont Motorsports Park, putting together a pair of deuces to edge rookie upstart Dylan Adams and earn the $500 Pure Stock payday and her first victory of the summer at the Thrasher Road speedplant.
           
In the Late Model Sportsmen, Croydon Comet Aaron Fellows again rocketed to victory, staying a perfect ten-for-ten on the season. Sunapee speedster Brian Robie earned his sixth victory lap of the summer in the Sportsman Modifieds, division points leader Dave Greenslit topped the Street Stocks, and Six-Shooter Paul Colburn scored his first career win.
           
Jim Carley and Dylan Adams led the Pure Stocks to the green in their first 25-lap go-round, with Adams, in his first NASCAR-sanctioned outing ever, jumping all over the lead and then never looking back. Aiken got up to second on lap 22, but it was Adams picking up the $100 segment -winner bonus. Newport’s Chris Conroy was third.
           
In the nightcap, Chris Carver was the early leader but Kodi Sabins, the winner of the first two LaFont Memorial events, took charge on lap 19 and sped off to victory. Aiken stormed into second with two laps to go to clinch the overall victory. Adams, fourth in round two, was second, and Sabins third.
           
Mark Blair led the first two go-rounds in the R.E. Hinkley Late Model Sportsman main, then giving way to hard-charging Ben Poland. By lap 13, Aaron Fellows was knocking and, two laps later, the 11-time track champ was in charge and on his way to victory ten of the 2019 season. Poland was strong in second, and Ryan Bell posted a season-best third.
           
Mike Smith set a fast pace in the Pepsi Sportsman Modified 40 lappers, leading the first three laps before giving way to fellow Sunapee star Brian Robie. Once in front, Robie withstood the all-out charge of rookie Kyle Welch to win for the sixth time and, in so doing, increase his divisional points lead.
           
Welch, on a rail all night, was the runner-up, with Mike Smith impressive in third. Dana Smith and Alyssa Rivera rounded out the top five.
           
Dave Greenslit battled Briana Akusis for two laps in the Casella Street Stock feature, then taking command and never looking back. Chris Riendeau got up to second on lap ten but Joe Tetreault, who had won the Streeter’s previous feature, had his own eyes on the prize, dropping Riendeau to third but then running out of laps in his pursuit of Greenslit, whose second win of the summer helped him pad his championship points lead.
           
Paul Colburn led all the way to score his career-first Six-Shooter feature win. Points leader Jeremy Blood was second, and Green Mountain Boy Earl Moul came home third. Colburn also won his heat race.
           
Northeast Classic Lites kingpin Stew McCormack of Plaistow, N.H. did what he’d done a month earlier at the Thrasher Road oval, gobbling up the field for an easy feature win. Duane Skofield was second, and Derrick Marsan third.
           
Next Friday, August 2, the Street Stock Battle of the Belt comes to Claremont Motorsports Park, with more than 30 of the top Street Stocks in northern New England expected in to participate in the multi-track series event. The Sportsman Modifieds, Late Model Sportsmen, Pure Stocks, and Six-Shooters will all be in action too.
           
For more information, please visit www.claremontmotorsportspark.com.
 
JULY 26 FEATURE FINISHES:
PURE STOCK (Cody LaFont Memorial Twin 25s): Erin Aiken, Dylan Adams, Kodi Sabins, Kyle Templeton, Chris Conroy, Chris Carver, Jim Carley, Seth Melcher, Rich Streeter, Bruce Adams, Sammy Silva, Jon Alden, Aaron Thompson, Carter Chamberlain, Dylan Bodreau, Bruce Cantara Jr., Clark Brooks, Cooper Roberge.
LATE MODEL SPORTSMAN: Aaron Fellows, Ben Poland, Ryan Bell, Kenny Fowler, Mark Blair, Eric Martell, Victor Branch, Scott Boisvert, Tyler Lescord.
SPORTSMAN MODIFIED: Brian Robie, Kyle Welch, Mike Smith, Dana Smith, Alyssa Rivera, Kenny Thompson, Eric Leclair.
STREET STOCK: Dave Greenslit, Joe Tetreault, Chris Riendeau, Larry Riendeau, Briana Akusis, Robbie Streeter, Cody Schoolcraft, Raven Streeter, Mike Salois, Mike Parks, Nick Little.
SIX-SHOOTERS: Paul Colburn, Jeremy Blood, Earl Moul, Katie Buxton, Eric Lanou, Eric Prescott, Stephanie Zara.
N.E. Classic Lites: Stew McCormack, Duane Skofield, Derrick Marsan.

By Gary Dutton
 
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Four drivers earned their first victory laps of the season Friday, July 12, at Claremont Motorsports Park; no small accomplishment on the tenth night of the 2019 season. And then there was Aaron Fellows.
           
While Fellows continued to baffle both fans and fellow competitors en route to his ninth feature win in a row, Dana Smith topped the Sportsman Mods for the first time this year, as did Joe Tetreault in the Street Stock main, Bruce Adams in the Pure Stocks, and Six-Shooter Eric Lanou. Both Adams and Tetreault were perfect on the night, also winning their qualifying races.
           
Jack McClay and Eric Martell led the R.E. Hinkley Late Model Sportsmen to the green, with McClay leading lap one before row-two starter Ricky Bly took command. Luke Hinkley and Ben Poland were soon in hot pursuit, but Fellows, starting scratch on the field, was up to third as lap ten went in the books, and cruised into second four laps later.
           
The 11-time-track champ inched ahead of Bly on lap 18 and then sailed to victory, taking the checkers six lengths ahead of last season’s champ, with Poland close behind in third. Hinkley, in his first Friday night run of the summer, was fourth, and Tyler Lescord came home fifth.
           
With a huge crowd on hand for the Five Dollar Fireworks event, nobody went away less than amazed with the three-car war that waged over the final 12 go-rounds of the Casella Street Stock feature.
           
Joe Tetreault started up front and after two close laps racing against Briana Akusis, then saw multi-race winner Dave Greenslit in his rearview mirror, bearing down from ten lengths back and, not far behind Greenslit, Chris Riendeau.
Tetreault held an eight-length lead when a Raven Streeter looper on lap 18 brought Greenslit to his door and Riendeau to his bumper. And the battle was on.

With Greenslit in the high groove, and Tetreault down low, they swapped the lead back-and-forth through two subsequent cautions, with neither giving an inch. Greenslit held a wheel’s-length advantage on laps 28 and 29, but it was Tetreault scoring his first victory of the summer as the lead trio flew under the checkers glued together.

It was a Sunapee sweep in the Pepsi Sportsman Mods. Alyssa Rivera led the first five go-rounds of the main event, but two-time track champ Dana Smith, hungry for his first win of the season, then took charge on a restart and drove away.

Brian Robie – already a five-time winner this summer- was soon up to second and, a few laps later, it was Mike Smith powering into third but, on this night, Dana Smith had all bases covered as the laketown trio took the top three spots.

Chris Carver was the man on the point for the first ten laps of the Pure Stock main but when he was popped out of the lead to bring out the race’s second caution, and he and the offending party both refired from the rear, Kyle Templeton and rookie Bruce Adams moved to the front row.

Adams made quick work of taking command and speeding off to his first career victory. Templeton, the Pure Stock points leader, was strong in second, while first-timer Clark Brooks – at 11, already a Hudson champ, and weighing in at 58 pounds – made his Motorsports Park debut a successful one, earning the third-place trophy just ahead of Carver.
       
Eric Lanou led all the way to score his career-first Six-Shooter victory. Division kingpin Jeremy Blood, already an eight-time winner this summer, was second on the night, and Paul Colburn – an earlier heat race winner – earned the third-place hardware.
           
Claremont Motorsports Park will be silent next Friday, July 19, as the Thrasher Road speedplant takes its annual summer break before returning to action on July 26. For information on the speedway and its upcoming events, visit www.claremontmotorsportspark.com.
 
JULY 12 FEATURE FINISHES:
LATE MODEL SPORTSMEN: Aaron Fellows, Ricky Bly, Ben Poland, Luke Hinkley, Tyler Lescord, Jack McClay, Ryan Bell, Mark Blair, Eric Martell.
SPORTSMAN MODIFIEDS: Dana Smith, Brian Robie, Mike Smith, Kyle Welch, Kenny Thompson, Alyssa Rivera, Eric LeClair.
STREET STOCKS: Joe Tetreault, Dave Greenslit, Chris Riendeau, Robbie Streeter, Mike Parks, Briana Akusis, Raven Streeter, Cody Schoolcraft, Travis Cass.
PURE STOCKS: Bruce Adams, Kyle Templeton, Clark Brooks, Chris Carver, Cooper Roberge, Sammy Silva, Tom Englehart, Jon Alden, Richard Streeter, Jim Carley.
SIX-SHOOTERS: Eric Lanou, Jeremy Blood, Paul Colburn, Eric Prescott, Earl Moul.

 By Gary Dutton
 
CLAREMONT, N.H. – Sportsman Modified rookie Kyle Welch earned his career-first open-wheel victory lap Friday, July 5, at Claremont Motorsports Park, dominating the 40-lap main event to win in only his third outing in the potent Pepsi Sportsman Mods.

Superman Aaron Fellows stayed undefeated in R.E. Hinkley Late Model Sportsman action this summer, again dusting the field to run his winning streak to eight in a row. Chris Riendeau topped the Casella Street Stocks for the second time this season, ditto for Red Neck Enduro ace Jimmy Zullo.

Six-Shooter ace Jeremy Blood used a late-race pass to win for the eighth time in nine outings, while Newport’s Jim Carley kept himself in the Pure Stock championship points race by notching his third feature win this year. It was Carley’s second win in as many weeks.

Little changed in the weekly racing series points battles, as Modsman Brian Robie, Street Stocker Dave Greenslit, and Pure Stock strongman Kyle Templeton each came home second Friday to stay atop his respective division in the 2019 points parade.

Kyle Welch and Alyssa Rivera led the Pepsi Sportsman Modifieds to the green and this one was over quickly. Welch took off like a man possessed and, with the entire race quickly run under all green, he was never challenged.

Five-time 2019 winner Brian Robie got up for second on lap four and two-time track champ Dana Smith powered into third three go-rounds later but, on this night, Welch was in a class of his own, taking the checkers a full three seconds ahead of Robie. Smith, Kenny Thompson and Mike Smith completed the top five.

Tyler Lescord led lap one of the R.E. Hinkley Late Model Sportsman main, then giving way to Ben Poland, who held the point until Aaron Fellows inched ahead on lap eight. Once in front, the 11-time track champ drove away, easily winning his eighth feature in a row.

Poland, strong all night, came home second, with Lescord earning his first trophy of the summer in third. Jack McClay and Ryan Bell completed the top five. The 35-lapper, like the Sportsman Modified feature before, was run caution free.

Chris Riendeau beat Briana Akusis to the stripe to lead lap one of the Casella Street Stock main. Riendeau’s mirror was filled by the Dave Greenslit ride the rest of the way, but the Ascutney star held strong to earn his second victory lap of the summer. Robbie Streeter was third on the night, his first podium finish of the season.

Richard Streeter was the point man for the first nine laps of the Pure Stock main, then giving way to Jim Carley, who outran Kyle Templeton and Bruce Adams to win for the second week in a row.

Eric Lanou led all but the final two circuits of the Six-Shooter feature. Those belonged to Jeremy Blood, who led Lanou under the flags to score his eighth win of the summer.  Eric Prescott finished third.

Two weeks ago, Jimmy Zullo gobbled up everything in site en route to winning round two of the Red Neck Enduro series. Friday, the hometown hot shoe made it a little more interesting, outracing Leon Keniston to top the night’s 50-lapper.

Keniston took the lead from Kyle Buck on lap ten but, over the last 20 go-rounds, it was Zullo who was quickest through often-dense lapped traffic. Hometown pilot Andrew Brousseau, fifth two weeks earlier, came home third. The Red Necks square off again on August 30.

Next Friday, July 12, Claremont Motorsports Park will host a special Five Dollar Fireworks Friday event, with admission only $5 for a full five-division card of racing, along with a huge aerial fireworks display at the storied Thrasher Road oval.
 
JULY 5 FEATURE FINISHES:
SPORTSMAN MODIFIEDS: Kyle Welch, Brian Robie, Dana Smith, Kenny Thompson, Mike Smith, Eric LaClair, Alyssa Rivera.
LATE MODEL SPORTSMEN: Aaron Fellows, Ben Poland, Tyler Lescord, Jack McClay, Ryan Bell, Mark Blair, Eric Martell, Victor Branch.
STREET STOCKS: Chris Riendeau, Dave Greenslit, Robbie Streeter, Cody Schoolcraft, Raven Streeter, Briana Akusis, Nick Little, Chris Buffone.
PURE STOCKS: Jim Carley, Kyle Templeton, Bruce Adams, Rich Streeter, Chris Carver, Sammy Silva, Kyle Buck, Carter Chamberlain, Aaron Thompson, Sean Lantas.
SIX-SHOOTERS: Jeremy Blood, Eric Lanou, Eric Prescott, Paul Colburn.
RED NECK ENDURO, Top three of 30: Jimmy Zullo, Leon Keniston, Andrew Brousseau.

 By Gary Dutton
 
CLAREMONT, NH. – Nobody collected the Superman Bounty Friday, June 28, at Claremont Motorsports Park, as Croydon Comet Aaron Fellows again dominated the R.E. Hinkley Late Model Sportsman feature to stay a perfect seven-for-seven this season.
           
Fellows wasn’t the only repeat winner Friday at the Thrasher Road speedplant. Pepsi Sportsman Modified points leader Brian Robie held off Dana Smith to score his fifth victory of the summer, Six-Shooter Jeremy Blood earned his seventh victory lap, and Newport’s Jim Carley topped the Pure Stocks for the second time.
           
Fellows, at 40 already an 11-time Motorsports Park champion, entered Friday’s LMS main event with a bulls eye on his back and a bounty on his head. A $500 bonus has been offered to the first driver to beat him on-track this summer, but that perk went uncollected Friday.
           
After two attempts to complete the opening lap, Ben Poland was the point man as green-flag racing finally prevailed. By lap four, Fellows was already up to second but far behind the speedy Poland. By lap ten, he’d closed to within five lengths and the next time around he was knocking at the door.
           
Rocketing low out of turn four, he beat Poland to the stripe on lap13 and then gave up big leads three times as subsequent cautions regrouped the field but still took the checkers six lengths ahead to score win number seven. Poland and two-time defending champ Ricky Bly put on a great show for second and, with Bly coming home third, Ryan Bell and Tyler Lescord rounded out the top five.
           
Firing from outside on the front row, Modsman Brian Robie looked to have the deck stacked in his favor in his quest for five wins in a row. Dana Smith, though, had other plans.
           
Robie jumped all over the opening lead, bringing Dylan Bodreau with him, with Smith powering into third a lap later. By lap seven, Smith was up for second and coming fast. As the tenth go-round went in the books, he was knocking.
           
The only stoppage of the 40-lapper happened on lap 18, as a stuck throttle sent Bodreau – running strong in third at the time – hurtling into the turn three wall. While the third-generation pilot’s car was heavily damaged, Bodreau escaped the crash without injury.
           
Back under green, Robie and Smith were side-by-side. Smith, from the high groove, led by inches as lap 19 was completed, a foot on lap 20, and then two feet on circuits 21 and 22. But the next time around, it was Robie by a wheel.
           
With Robie adding to his points lead with his fifth win in a row, Smith was a strong second, and open-wheel rookie Kyle Welch came home third, earning his third top-three trophy in as many outings. Mike Smith, solid all night, claimed the four-spot, and Kenny Thompson was fifth.
           
Kyle Templeton led the first eight go-rounds of the Pure Stock feature, then giving way to Jim Carley, who sped off to his second victory of the summer. Templeton was strong all night to earn the runner-up hardware and, with it, move back atop the points parade. Rich Streeter claimed the three-spot.
           
In the Six-Shooter 15-lapper, Paul Colburn led lap one, with Jeremy Blood then taking over and darting off to his seventh win in eight outings. Colburn finished second, and Eric Lanou was third.
           
In support events, Granite State Legends ace Shaun Buffington won both his heat and feature races, leading Thomas Gray and Jack Walker under the checkers, while Baltimore, VT youngster Camdyn Curtis topped the Claremont Karting Series 25-lapper ahead of Mason Prouty and Braden Morrie.
           
Next Friday, July 5, Claremont Motorsports Park will present a big night of oval track racing, culminated by a huge aerial fireworks display. It all starts with an on-track meet and greet session from 6-7 p.m., followed by five divisions of weekly racing series action and the third go-round of the 2019 Red Neck Enduro series.
 
JUNE 28 FEATURE FINISHES:
SPORTSMAN MODIFIEDS: Brian Robie, Dana Smith, Kyle Welch, Mike Smith, Kenny Thompson, Cole Littlewood, Alyssa Rivera, Dylan Bodreau.
LATE MODEL SPORTSMEN: Aaron Fellows, Ben Poland, Ricky Bly, Ryan Bell, Tyler Lescord, Briana Akusis, Greg Millette, Mark Blair.
PURE STOCKS: Jim Carley, Kyle Templeton, Rich Streeter, Tom Engelhart, Bruce Adams, Bruce Cantara Jr.
SIX-SHOOTERS: Jeremy Blood, Paul Colburn, Eric Lanou, Eric Prescott