![]() Seekonk Speedway is happy to announce the return of Santoro Oil and Ocean State Oil for the 2023 racing season at the Action Track of the East. Santoro Oil offers various opportunities for you for your home – including new equipment installation, fuel delivery, service and maintenance and more. Established in 1973, Ocean State Oil is now part of the Santoro family of companies that include businesses in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Virginia and North Carolina. Ocean State is the most reliable, efficient and dynamic source for quality lubricants in Southern New England. They are committed to excellence for the customer - and have some of the top employees in the region on their side to make sure you get what you need. The businesses are returning to the track in a big way – with Santoro Oil continuing their billboard on the backstretch, and Ocean State Oil returning as the sponsor of Championship Night for NASCAR Saturday divisions. Ocean State Oil will also continue to have their Victory Lane banner on the midway. “We’re excited to continue to support the Seekonk Speedway and all of their teams and local race fans for the 2023 season,” Anthony Santoro Jr. said. “The Speedway is a great place for local, affordable family fun and we enjoy watching drivers race for trophies and the ultimate goal of the championship each year. We would love to add many of the Speedway family to our customer list and welcome them to reach out to learn more about Santoro Oil, Ocean State Oil and everything we have to offer.” You can learn more about Santoro Oil at SantoroOil.com and learn more about Ocean State Oil at oceanstateoil.com. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest updates.
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Fast Friday & Saturday Night Championship Events Includes New Four-Week Sunoco Drive For The Cup; |
2023 Seekonk Speedway Event Schedule | |
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Seekonk Speedway announced today the opening of online ticket sales for the holiday season for race fans to purchase for their friends and family! Seekonk Speedway tickets are the perfect stocking stuffer for everyone who loves weekly motorsports right here at the Action Track of the East throughout the summer months.
Seekonk Speedway is committed to keeping ticket prices the same for online purchases for the 2023 season, as we know how difficult these times are for everyone in the economy.
Tickets will be on sale for Friday & Saturday night events — in the form of flex tickets. Opening day is Sunday, May 7 and the first Fast Friday of the season will be May 26.
Fans may purchase tickets to any normal Friday or Saturday race and not have a date on them with flex tickets — you can pick the day you come during the season without being locked in now! Please note these are not eligible for special events like the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour or Thrill Shows.
Online ticket prices for Saturday events will remain at $15, while day of sales will go up to $18 for the 2023 season for normal race events. Tickets for special events are different.
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour tickets are $35 online or $38 at the gate on race day. Thrill Show tickets are $25 online or $28 day of at the event. For all Thrill Shows, front gates will open at 2:30PM for those who have online tickets already purchased and 3:30PM for those who need to purchase that day. Shows begins at 5PM for Thrill Shows.
Seekonk Speedway looks forward to releasing the full 2023 schedule as soon as it is complete but would like to begin selling tickets to help you with the perfect holiday gift!
For more information on Seekonk Speedway and to purchase tickets NOW for some of the most exciting action during our 2023 season visit SeekonkSpeedway.com.
The Classic Car Show gives you the perfect reason to start the season at Seekonk Speedway right from the first green flag! Headlining the day before Opening Day, this special show takes place in our front parking lot, showcasing cars from the past & present. While you do, Seekonk’s NASCAR racing divisions take to the track for practice before competitive action begins, with admission free into the grandstands. Fans can also check out a special burnout drags, including a selection of cars from the show, to kick off the afternoon! |
MARK JENISON TURNS DOUBLE DUTY INTO DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIPS on historic night at Seekonk Speedway
9/29/2022
The final division to crown its 2022 champion on the night of the DAV Fall Classic was the Pro Stock division, and 50 laps were allotted for the honors to be won between Mike Brightman, Tom Scully Jr., Mark Jenison, and Rick Martin.
Martin and Jenison had already had themselves a night to remember, both claiming championships earlier in the evening in the Sport Truck and Late Model divisions, respectively, but they were back for a double dose.
Scully was in it to win his second career Pro Stock title, and Brightman set out to become track champion again, having done so in 2005 in the Late Model division.
Brightman was the leader of the playoff drivers in the early running, but a miscue between him and Ryan Vanasse brought out the yellow with 24 laps complete and shuffled both drivers to the tail of the field. Just like that, Jenison was now the cream rising to the top of the playoff drivers with just half distance to go.
Colbey Fournier sat at the point while the battle for the championship raged on his outside and his rear bumper between Jenison and Scully for the next 25 laps. A late caution reracked the field for a five-lap shootout, and just like the Late Model race, Jenison had to make do with the outside.
Scully and Jenison see-sawed for the advantage as Fournier started breaking away for the win. Coming to the checkered, in near spitting-image fashion to the Late Model feature, Scully drove to the bottom underneath Jenison on the absolute edge, sliding up enough to barely tag Jenison to the outside.
“The hair stands on my neck as soon as you say that,” Jenison said when asked about the final turn. “I knew I had to try using the 16 (Fournier) as a pick. I was faster than the 16 and the 2 (Scully) was faster than him, but we’re not racing for the win. We’re racing for the championship. That’s why I rolled up on the outside to keep the 16 down, or else the 2 might be able to get by on the inside.”
This time, Jenison kept the handles on his hot rod, held his speed, and soared across the line ahead of Scully to collect the 2022 Pro Stock Championship.
“I thought for sure we were all gonna be in the wall,” said Jenison. “As soon as I corrected and I knew I hit the line first, I knew I had it… But if he put me in the wall, I never would have lifted. He woulda had to total me to take it from me.”
The moment marked Jenison’s second championship of the night, making him the first driver in the 77-year history of Seekonk Speedway to win two championships in the same season.
“It’s too unreal… still hard to believe.” Jenison said on attaining the feat. “It’s a tribute to the track, and an honor to be the first person to do it. There could be more people to do it. If I can do it from a rusted up, beat up Pro Stock, someone else can do it.”
Jenison had an outpouring of gratitude for track management and ownership in the wake of his two-championship winning weekend. “I can’t stop thanking Ed (St. Germain), Lenny (Ellis), Dave (Alburn), and the Venditti family for all they do to run this track and this season.”
It’s to be expected that Jenison will need some time to let the storybook weekend soak in, but that hasn’t stopped him from planning ahead.
“Coming back to compete in the Late Models is pretty definite, as well as the Pro Stocks,” Jenison commented on his 2023 racing plans. “We still need to figure out how much we’ll commit to one car or the other, but the only way to top two championships in one season is by going for three.”
The Seekonk Late Models were second in line to crown their champion on the night of the Annual DAV Fall Classic. For 40 laps, Gerry DeGasparre, Mark Jenison, Richie Murray, and Chase Belcher all battled through the field to get themselves up front. The final push for the championship sent both fans and drivers flipping.
DeGasparre, the seven-time track champion, including six Late Model titles, was in the hunt to tie Dave Darling for all-time Seekonk Speedway track-champion leader. Belcher and Murray both looked to double their championship totals, adding to their Sport Truck titles from 2015 and 2019, respectively. Jenison was out to earn championship honors for the first time in his career.
Jenison started front most out of his four playoff counterparts, and was pushed by Belcher to race his way by Vinnie Arrenegado, Josh Hedges and Corey Fanning for the race lead. A Lap 21 restart allowed Jenison to get a great jump around Fanning to take over the lead, and Belcher and Murray followed close behind. A last-gas effort by DeGasparre to get around Jacob Burn and Luke Lebrun prevailed, finally catching him up to the three championship challengers.
A Lap 35 caution set up a five-lap shoot out for the ages. The Championship Four fired off, with Belcher and Jenison on the front row, Murray and Degasparre just behind. Jenison had speed on the outside, gradually edging ahead of Belcher as the laps counted down.
Approaching Turns 3 and 4, Jenison and Belcher drove their cars in as hard as their tires could physically handle.
“I started thinking about what was going to happen going into (Turns) 1 and 2, “ Jenison said in the moments leading to the finish. “Once I realized I was too far up in Turn 4, I knew I wasn’t gonna clear the exit, all I could hope is that (Belcher) was gonna give me the room to clear the wall, which would have meant he was gonna lose.”
As the checkered flag waved Belcher slid up into Jenison, pinching him into the wall at such an angle that Jenison was now a passenger in his Late Model which was sliding on its driver’s side door. Both cars grinded across the finishing line, fused at the hip, and coming to a halt in Turn 1.
“Neither one of us can deny it -- we were both on the floor with the gas pedal.” Jenison commented on crossing the line with Belcher. “When I went up on the wall, what propelled me was I was still on the throttle until I stopped. Neither one of us was gonna lift. It was almost a sign of respect, what he did. He knew he had to do that to beat me. If it were me, I would have backed out of it. But he wanted to beat me so bad.”
The championship hung in limbo as safety crews rushed to the scene high on the entrance of Turn 1. According to the timing and scoring system, Belcher had crossed the line first, by .07 seconds. That said, Race Control had a decision to make on whether they felt the action on Belcher’s car off Turn 4 was significant enough to cause the wreck. A decision was made to penalize Belcher for the incident, and complimented by a roar of applause, Jenison’s name was announced over the P.A. system as the 2022 Late Model Champion and feature winner.
“I was in the ambulance getting checked out when the call was made,” Jenison reflected on the moment he learned the result. “ My brother Glen swung the door open and told me ‘Let’s go champ!’ I was in shock. I was like ‘What do you mean?’”
After 24 years of racing, and after many close calls at tracks like Thompson and Star Speedway, the championship marked his first.
While Jenison’s victory was one for the ages, his day at the office was only half done by that point. After being cleared by medical personnel and interviewed on track by Kevin Boucher, Jenison needed to get right back into the zone to compete for his second championship of the night in the Pro Stock Division.
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With momentum on his side following back-to-back wins, Martin just needed to beat the rest of the Fastest Four for one more week. Duarte fell out of the competition by Lap 4, suffering too much damage to continue after a brief stack up in Turn 2. Only Campbell and Shaw remained to try and deny Martin his sixth career track championship, and Shaw especially proved to be no small hurdle for Martin to clear on his way to the front.
Shaw and Martin raced nose-to-tail in that order, from Lap 16 to Lap 26, escalating to rubbing fenders and tapping bumpers as the laps wore on. When Martin decided it was time to go, he made his No. 14 truck squeeze between the burm and Shaw into Turn 1, sliding up just enough to stall out Shaw’s No. 85 machine. Martin put his foot down and won the inside, and there was nothing Shaw could but watch Martin outpace him for the championship.
“When you’re trying to take the crown from the top dog you don’t expect him to just roll over,” Martin said about the move for the championship. “Me and Barry Shaw had a few pushing matches this year, but nothing but hard racing. We race hard - the way I like it - but always congratulate each other after.”
Coming off yet another marquee year in his illustrious racing career, Martin put together seven feature wins and led the division in points the entire second half of the year in 2022.
“Of course none of it would be possible without the support from sponsors and friends,” Martin said. “ To me, the Seekonk truck division is one of the best divisions around. The racers have more respect for each other than other divisions I've competed in.
Though he’s been racing for more than 40 years, Martin hardly shows signs of slowing down.
“Obviously, I'm towards the end of my racing career, and with age it gets much harder to compete each weekend,” Martin commented. “But when so many people come up to me and say they can't wait already to watch me compete next year, or that they have been a fan since they were a kid, that is what makes all the time and work feel like it has a purpose.”
Martin’s 2022 Sport Truck Championship is his second ever in the division, and combined with his four titles in Seekonk’s Pro Stock division, now owns six total titles, joining the ranks of Vinnie Annarummo, Fred Astle Jr., and Mike Cavallaro.
Summer 2023 is already heating up as Seekonk Speedway is excited to announce the return of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour!
NASCAR’s Mighty Modifieds 🏁 make a return to the 1/3 mile Massachusetts oval on Saturday June 10 2023. Stay tuned for more info and special Pre Holiday Ticket release info!
The 2022 season might be just ending but 2023 is already heating up 🔥
COLBEY FOURNIER WINS DAV FALL CLASSIC WHILE MARK JENISON WINS PRO STOCK TITLE IN HISTORIC NIGHT
9/25/2022
The Pro Stocks capped off an incredible night of championship racing with 50 laps of their own, with Mike Brightman, Tom Scully Jr., Mark Jension and Rick Martin all in the hunt to reign victorious over the division. By this point, both Martin and Jenison were going for their second championship of the night.
The field settled into a groove early, knowing time was on their side with the extra distance. Brightman was first in the line of playoff drivers until he and Ryan Vanasse got together on Lap 24, sending both drivers to the rear. This shuffled Jenison to the front of the playoff drivers, putting him on the outside of Colbey Fournier on the front row on the following restart.
Scully was inline behind Fournier, working desperately to move by Jenison on the outside off the restart. Jenison managed to get in line behind Fournier, shutting the door on Scully, and would go on to play defense against Scully for several laps as they ran nose-to-tail.
A final restart with five laps to go set up a similar situation, putting Fourner right in the middle of the championship battle between Jenison and Scully. Fournier had the lead, and Jenison on the outside worked to keep his nose ahead of Scully’s who rode in line behind Fournier.
Coming to the checkered, Fournier broke away, but Scully and Jenison both slid sideways, pushing their American Racer tires to the bitter edge. By .1 seconds at the line, Jenison had the edge, becoming the 2022 Pro Stock champion, taking down his second championship of the night.
At the line, Fournier took down the win, followed by Jenison, Scully, Bobby Pelland III, and Dave Darling to round out the top five. Brightman crossed in sixth with Martin behind in seventh.
#NASCAR #NWAAPS #TRACKCHAMPION #SEEKONKSPEEDWAY #DAVFALLCLASSIC #SUNOCODRIVE4THECUP #CHAMPION
The Late Models were given 40 laps to duke it out on Seekonk’s high banks, and Gerry Degasparre Jr., Mark Jenison, Richie Murray, and Chase Belcher all entered with championship aspirations.
The four playoff drivers wasted no time picking their way forward from mid-pack, and by Lap 21, Jenison had made his way to the front to challenge Corey Fanning for the lead, bringing Belcher right through the field with him.
A Lap 22 caution gave the field a chance to reset, and off the restart, Jenison cruised around Fanning’s outside to become the new leader. One more caution washed over the field, but not before Murray and DeGasparre worked their way into the third and fourth spots, hot on the heels of Belcher and Jenison.
The four playoff drivers started door-to-door, nose-to-tail on the final restart, and Belcher was able to gain inside position on Jenison shortly after the green flag waved. Jenison drew closer and closer around Belcher’s outside as the season championship hung in the balance.
Rounding Turn 4 for the final time, Belcher and Jenison collided in spectacular fashion, sending Jenison sliding down the wall on the driver’s side of his late model, fused with Belcher as they crossed the finish line, Belcher having the edge by .07 seconds. Race control determined that Belcher would need to be penalized for causing the contact in the final turn, meaning that Mark Jenison was both the race winner and the 2022 Late Model Champion.
Richie Murray came home second, followed by Gerry DeGasparre Jr. in third. Luke Lebrun and Jacob Burns rounded out the top five.
#NASCAR #NWAAPS #TRACKCHAMPION #SEEKONKSPEEDWAY #DAVFALLCLASSIC #SUNOCODRIVE4THECUP #CHAMPION
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