![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Nick Uhrig Jr. is having his own breakout year in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits at Seekonk Speedway. Driving the No. 11, Uhrig has picked up his first career win, and now his second career win during the 2023 season. Friday night, he had a side-by-side battle with Parker Davis for the second straight week to decide the 15-lap feature. The two raced clean, again, barely even getting close enough to sniff making contact. Davis picked up the win a week ago in the battle, this time, it was Uhrig. He held off Davis and defending champion Sam Macedo to score the feature win. Mason Silva led laps early and finished fourth, followed by Mike Hanafin in fifth. Luka Dib, Carl Satterlund Jr., Jayden Sprague, Alya Martin and David Bernier finished out the top-10 spots at the finish. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits will return to the track on Friday, August 18, for the finale of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown Series, set for 15 laps. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates.
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![]() Seekonk Speedway is pleased to announce that Race Director and former track champion Len Ellis has been honored by NASCAR and Advance Auto Parts for winning a special award. Ellis has been nominated one of the Advance Auto Parts Home Track Heroes for his efforts in short-track racing at Seekonk Speedway. As part of winning the award, Len’s name will be featured on Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway in September. Len will also receive a special Advance Auto Parts branded gift bag in the coming weeks. “This is a major honor for someone who really does deserve it,” David Alburn, General Manager at Seekonk Speedway, said. “Len embodies all of the characteristics you want in someone involved at the track. His dedication to racing for all of these years in many different areas is incredible and we’re happy to have him part of the Seekonk Speedway family.” As a Wall of Fame member at Seekonk, Len started winning races in the 1970s and has been a major part of the Seekonk Speedway community for many years. Len is the current Race Director for the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series divisions and the Seekonk Youth Racing Bandoleros. Ellis won two championships as a driver in Seekonk’s Pro Stock division. After driving, Ellis became a winning car owner, then started helping youth through his son, Tommy. Tommy eventually worked his way up and was the champion car chief of NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano in 2022. Ellis returned to the track an an official in 2015. He began working with Seekonk’s youth (ages 8-16), teaching them the ropes of racing. He serves as their mentor and assists them with learning the track, cars and race craft. He also assists in teaching sportsmanship and how to be a positive member of the community. Often, Seekonk’s youth racers make their mark in the Friday divisions & end up racing on NASCAR Saturdays and on touring series, regionally and nationally. The impact Len Ellis has on our future NASCAR stars at is immeasurable. Ellis is one of the most genuine people in the pit area - always looking for ways to help the competitors & see the track thrive. He’s often found attending driver fundraisers in the offseason, assisting with setup advice on cars and chatting with everyone at the track before and after the races. He enjoys the aspects of short-track racing Seekonk Speedway has to offer. Len Ellis is Seekonk Speedway’s home track hero. From driver to official, to mentor, to friend, Ellis is a true Seekonk Speedway community member, and the track would not be where it is today without him. Seekonk Speedway congratulates Len for this great award and we look forward to having him around the track for many years to come! It’s getting down to the time we have all been waiting for. The fields are almost set for September’s Sunoco Drive For The Cup for all divisions, both on Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday. With just three races remaining for both nights, it’s going to get wild to decide who is in, and who is out.
On Fast Friday, most of the divisions have a tight battle to see who will advance. Let’s take a deeper look heading into the August 11 events at Seekonk Speedway. ————-- BANDOLERO BANDITS The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandit field has five contenders inside the top-five who feel safe heading for the final three weeks. In both Bandolero divisions, only six drivers will make it. Nick Uhrig Jr., Sam Macedo, Parker Davis, Mike Hanafin and Mason Silva are going to advance to the playoffs as long as they show up to the track for the next three weeks. Behind them, Ryder Aguiar currently holds the final spot over Carl Satterlund Jr. by 46 points. With drivers earning two points per position, and the field weekly around 10 or less cars in the Bandits, it looks like Satterlund’s chances of making it are slim. Anything can happen, but it’s likely going to be Uhrig, Macedo, Davis, Hanafin, Silva and Aguiar battling for the championship in September. ————-- BANDOLERO OUTLAWS Yet another feature win for Ryan Vanasse Jr. in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaws all but guarantees him as the favorite heading into September’s playoff format. With Collin Vanasse, Bryson Robidoux, Brent Robidoux and Andrew Gomes following him in positions two through five, these drivers seem to be in good shape. Gomes holds an advantage of nearly 40 points ahead of the cutline. Expect these five to be locked in. Zachary Keith jumped over Dylan Calabro after last week's 15-lap feature, now leading in the final spot by six points. Calabro hasn’t shown the consistency he will need to beat Keith straight out on the track, but that doesn’t mean something can’t change. With racing tight on the track, and two points per position, these drivers are now separated by just three spots going to the final three races. RJ Murphy is next up in eighth, but is over 40 points out of sixth, and will likely need someone in front of him to really struggle to get his way into the battle. ————-- SPORT 4S Jarrod Freitas has three feature wins and will be all but locked into the Sport 4 playoffs as long as he takes the green this Friday night. Crystal Murray, the defending champion, and Henry Lavallee are second and third, along with Richie Johnson in fourth. These four drivers are in great shape to advance. Taylor Bowser is in fifth, rather comfortable, 26 points ahead. Her consistency so far this season shows that she should be good when it comes to the cutline, but you never know. From sixth on back, the races are on. Daniel Hayes and Christine Cavallaro are tied in sixth and seventh, with Mikey LeFort coming off another win last week and now in the final spot, eighth. Just outside, it’s tough to say what’s going to happen. Justin Leduc is ninth and has shown quite the speed in the last few weeks, with a win and multiple podium finishes. He’s now just 22 points back of LeFort for the final spot. However, it’s likely if Leduc is going to get in, he’s going to have to jump over Cavallaro or Hayes to do it. LeFort has been fast enough to get in with multiple wins and should do enough to get in. Hayes and Cavallaro are consistent in their finishes but if Leduc has three more podiums going into the end of August, he could get in. Look out - this one is going to be tight. If you’re a betting person, put your money on LeFort staying in and Leduc finding his way in. But, anything can happen on the track - that’s why we race! 6 Daniel Hayes - 320 points 7 Christine Cavallaro - 320 points 8 Mikey LeFort - 318 points 9 Justin Leduc - 296 points PURE STOCKS You can all but lock Scott Cestodio, Ethan Souza and Danny Massa into the playoffs in the Helger’s Pure Stocks. The lowest of them, Massa in third, is 80 points up on the cutline and very comfortable. Sam Lincoln is fourth, and currently 48 points up. Mike Henriques is 36 ahead in fifth, while Jared Cordeira leads over the cutline by 30 points in the sixth position. With the way their seasons have gone and three races left, all six of these drivers should advance. But, we will see if the bad luck gremlins hit any of them. In seventh spot is Timmy Ouellette, a one-time feature winner who also probably feels rather comfortable. He leads by 24 points over Greg Perry for the final spot. Perry, a former champion, scored his first win of the season last time out. He’s jumped into eighth and leads by 16 points now for the final spot over Don Courtemanche. Josh Badach fell further back last week in ninth and is likely out of contention. Perry v.s Courtemanche looks like the battle going down the stretch. Perry seems to have found his groove lately, but can Courtemanche make a late push to get back in the top-eight? 7 Tim Ouellette - 332 points 8 Greg Perry - 308 points 9 Don Courtemanche - 292 points LEGENDS CARS The story in the Legends Cars looks to be all but sealed up for the top seven drivers. Jacob Burns, Isaiah Newcomb, Nicholaus Bulkeley, Richie Helger Jr., Mason Tessier, Brendan LaBelle and Josh Parsons currently hold the first seven events in the points standings and are more than comfortable. Parsons, in seventh, holds a lead of 44 points to the cutline. Chase Silvia currently leads for the final spot, over his dad, Jimmy “Pepe” Silvia by 28 points. Chase has been impressive in his first Legends Cars season with consistent runs in and around the top-10. After a nasty wreck last week, he didn’t lose a ton of points, which is a good sign for him. Kevin Davis has snuck into the 10th spot and is 36 points back in the battle for the final spot. Is a three-week stretch enough for Davis to crawl his way into it? Only time will tell. 8 Chase Silvia - 272 points 9 Jimmy Silvia - 244 points 10 Kevin Davis - 236 points All five Fast Friday divisions return to the track on Friday, August 11 for another round of racing. Racing begins at 7 p.m. each and every Friday night, there are only seven remaining for the 2023 season. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — It’s been a good season to be a Vanasse in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaw division at Seekonk Speedway in 2023. Friday night, Collin Vanasse drove his No. 78 to his second win of the season in the 15-lap feature, doing it in rather dominating fashion. Through the first eight events, the Vanasse family has won all but one of the feature events. Ben Moribito finished second, continuing to show speed in his ride, while Ryan Vanasse Jr. came back from mid-race trouble to finish third. Bryson Robidoux and Andrew Gomes followed in fourth and fifth at the finish. Zachary Keith, Dylan Calabro, RJ Murphy, Brody Wakefield and Mikey LeFort III finished off the top-10. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaws will return to the track on Friday, August 4 for another 15-lap feature. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Entering Friday night, the 2023 season had already been everything Jarrod Freitas could have imagined, with two feature wins already to his credit. After using the outside lane to rocket to the front once again, Freitas is now a three-time winner in the Sport 4's. He used the top groove to pass Richie Johnson for the lead, officially taking the top spot on lap 20, and didn’t look back. Freitas is showing himself to be the one of the favorites in the division as the summer continues to heat up. Justin Leduc followed up his first career win by finishing second, while Johnson finished on the podium in third. Crystal Murray followed in fourth and Mikey LeFort finished off the top-five. Henry Lavallee, Taylor Bowser, Christine Cavallaro, Daniel Hayes and Joseph Mello rounded out the top-10. The Sport 4’s will return to the track on Friday, August 4 for another 25-lap feature. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Isaiah Newcomb seems to have figured out the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends at Seekonk Speedway the last few weeks. Friday, in the second round of the Everett’s Auto Parts Triple Crown, Newcomb jumped out to the lead on lap 24 and held off all challengers in the final six laps to win the 30-lap feature. The win was the second of the season for the driver of the No. 22, but it didn’t come easy. Brenden LaBelle crossed the line second, charging his way through the field in the final laps. Nicholaus Bulkeley followed up his first career win with a solid third-place finish in the No. 27. Behind them, Josh Parsons and Jacob “Rowdy” Burns finished the official top-five. Mason Tessier finished sixth, followed by Richie Helger Jr., Jase Mongeon, Kevin Davis and Ethan Avellar. The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars will return to the track on Friday, August 4 for another 25-lap feature. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Sam Macedo had a tough task for the final few laps of Friday’s Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandit feature. Even though he jumped out front right away and led the entire 15-lap race, he had Nick Uhrig Jr. breathing down his back bumper for just about all of it. Uhrig tried everything he could to get around the No. 16, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. Macedo claimed his third victory of the season in Seekonk’s most youth division, holding off Uhrig by a small margin for the win in his green No. 16. Parker Davis finished third after a clean battle to the finish. Mason Silva was fourth, with Mike Hanafin rounding out the top-five. Behind them, Luka Dib finished sixth, with Jace Chaber, Carl Satterlund Jr., Ryder Aguiar, Alya Martin and David Bernier completing the field. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits will return to the track on Friday, August 4 for another 15-lap feature. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — For the fourth time this season, Scott Cestodio was carrying the checkered flag in the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks on Friday night at Seekonk Speedway. Cestodio took advantage of leaders Nick Brightman and Ed Gould getting together to grab the lead in the middle of the race, then held off a hard charge from Greg Perry to take the win in the No. 15. Perry posted his best finish of the 2023 season, as the former champion struggled to start the year, but seems to be coming on lately. Former winner Ethan Souza followed in third, followed by Jared Cordeira and Danny Massa, who finished off the top-five. Tim Ouellette, Nick Brightman, Josh Badach, Don Courtemanche and Michael Marcou rounded out the top-10. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks will return to the track on Friday, August 4 for another 25-lap feature. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. As the month of July comes to a close this weekend at Seekonk Speedway, the second annual Sunoco Drive For The Cup is coming up in September. Most divisions at the track have either four or five races remaining before their fields will be set with who will be eligible for the championship heading into September. This week and every week leading into the playoffs, we will profile the playoff battles in all divisions as the racing gets set to roll. Let’s start with Fast Friday heading into their show on July 28th at 7PM. ![]() BANDOLERO BANDITS In the Bandolero divisions, six drivers will qualify for the playoffs. And right now, it looks like seven drivers in the Bandit division are going to settle the battle, with one on the outside looking in when it starts. Nick Uhrig Jr., Sam Macedo, Mike Hanafin and Parker Davis — all season winners — are at the top of the standings and barring a miracle of something really going wrong, they will be in the playoffs. Mason Silva and Ryder Aguiar and fifth and sixth right now, with Silva ahead of Aguiar by 12 points. With Aguiar on the cut line, Luka Dib is the first driver out, 14 points behind. Points are earned with 50 going to the winner of each race, 48 to second, 46 to third, etc., down through the field. As of right now, it’s a seven-spot gap Dib needs to make up in the final five races. It’s possible — and this battle looks like it is going down to the wire. Carl Satterlund Jr. is in eighth, but is 44 points from the cutline and would need someone to have a problem to have a chance to advance into the playoffs. ![]() BANDOLERO OUTLAWS Sixth is the magic spot in the Outlaws as well, right now held by Dylan Calabro. Of the two Bandolero divisions, this one is going to be the toughest to determine who gets in at this point. Ryan Vanasse Jr., with five wins, is comfortable at the top with Brent Robidoux, Collin Vanasse and Bryson Robidoux also feeling good in second, third and fourth. Andrew Gomes is fifth, but is 24 points ahead of Calabro, who sits in the final spot. The driver of the No. 71 holds eight points ahead of Zachary Keith, the first driver out of the playoffs as they run. Mikey LeFort III is 34 points back in eighth, with RJ Murphy back in ninth, 44 points behind. It looks like right now, without major change, Keith and Calabro may battle for the sixth and final spot. But, with still five races to go and the Outlaw division showcasing more than 15 cars each week, anything could happen. ![]() SPORT 4’S It may be a bit of a surprise to some, but Jarrod Freitas leads the Sport 4 standings heading into the end of July. He’s ahead of Henry Lavallee, defending champion Crystal Murray, Richie Johnson and Taylor Bowser for the top-five spots. Daniel Hayes and Christine Cavallaro are sixth and seventh, but Cavallaro holds a 26-point lead over the cut spot. Remember, in all divisions except Bandolero’s, the top-eight will advance. Right now, after missing the race last week due to mechanical troubles, former champion Mikey LeFort holds the eighth and final spot by 2 points over Tyler Duhancik. This is significant because leading into the season, LeFort and Duhancik would have been two drivers that many would have had on their bingo card to race for the the title. Like LeFort, Duhancik had troubles and wasn’t able to run the race last week. So, as it sits right now with five races still to go, the two drivers in trouble could be Hayes and Cavallaro, with LeFort and Duhancik going to be going full force trying to cement their spot. ![]() PURE STOCKS The Pure Stock division is also set to go down to the wire with their own big name outside the cutoff spot. Ethan Souza and Danny Massa are at the top of the standings, followed by Scott Cestodio, Sam Lincoln and Mike Henriques. With Henriques sitting 66 points ahead of the final spot, looks like these five will advance comfortably. Tim Ouellette won a few weeks ago and is sixth, 36 points up on the cut. Jared Cordeira is behind him, 26 points ahead. The final spot right now belongs to Don Courtemanche. Don leads Matt Talbot by just two points, but it’s Greg Perry outside looking in, 14 points behind. A former champion outside going down the final stretch? This one could get exciting! Can Perry get his way in? If he does, who ends up out? The Pure Stock division has at least 10 drivers battling for the eight spots, and who knows who else may sneak their way into the battle before it’s settled. ![]() LEGENDS CARS The story of the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars division has been consistency for Jacob “Rowdy” Burns. Although he has one victory, he’s been up front just about every week and leads their points over Isaiah Newcomb by over 30 points. Nicholaus Bulkeley is third, with Richie Helger Jr and Mason Tessier rounding out the top-five. Tessier’s gap over eight is 32 points, with rookie Chase Silvia in sixth, just 16 points ahead. Brenden LaBelle does have three wins, but missed two races, and is seventh, six points to the good. Josh Parsons missed one race and holds the final spot as of now, with Jimmy “Pepe” Silvia in ninth, 36 points out. As of right now, if everything keeps going in the direction it has been going, it looks like the eight drivers who are in position right now are the eight who will race for the title in the Legends Cars. ————— You are not going to want to miss the final five Fast Friday’s before the Sunoco Drive For The Cup begins in September. And if Mother Nature steps in at any point, the number of races will dwindle even more. Drivers will be up on the wheel! Buy tickets for all Seekonk Speedway events today at SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — It didn’t take long for Mike Hanafin to get his second career win at Seekonk Speedway. After seven years of trying, he won his first in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits a few weeks ago. Friday night, July 21, he added another win to his young career in the No. 76.
Hanafin picked up his second career win in the 15-lap feature, holding off defending champion Sam Macedo to do it in the final laps. Macedo tried everything to get around, it just wasn’t meant to be. Hanafin crossed the line ahead of what ended up being a three-wide battle for the runner-up spot, with Nick Uhrig Jr. sneaking through to grab second at the finish. Macedo would finish third, with two-time season winner Parker Davis in fourth and Mason Silva rounding out the top-five. David Bernier, Carl Satterlund Jr., Luka Dib, Jayden Sprague and Ryder Aguiar completed the field. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero bandits will be back on the track on Friday, July 28 for another 15-lap feature. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest updates. |
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