![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Mark Jenison picked the perfect time to get back to Pro Stock Victory Lane for the first time in 2023. Jenison had a tough first race in the Sunoco Drive For The Cup last week, putting his chances of making it two championships in a row in question. But, Saturday, Jenison passed Mike Brightman for the lead and drove away in the final laps to get back to victory lane and cement himself into the second round of the playoffs. Dick Benoit passed Brightman late and finished second, while Brightman settled for third. The top-three are all advancing to round two in the race for the championship. Ryan Souliere finished fourth and Mike Rotondo was fifth. Bobby Pelland, Tom Scully Jr., Colbey Fournier, Dylan Estrella and Tommy Adams completed the top-10. Jenison, Benoit, Brightman, Rotondo, Pelland and Scully are the final six racing for the title in the Pro Stocks. The full race results are unofficial at this time, pending post-race technical inspection. The Pro Stocks will be back on track for the second round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup on Saturday, September 23. It will be followed by championship night on Saturday, September 30. 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, Mass. — The first race of the Late Model Sunoco Drive For The Cup was a dominating performance for Jacob “Rowdy” Burns that ended in a feature win. The second and final race in the first round also ended with him carrying the checkered flag, but it didn’t come easy. Burns had to hold off the charges of Charlie Rose in the final few laps, including in the final corner, to score the feature win. Saturday’s 30-lap feature win completed a clean sweep for Burns in the first round of the playoffs, advancing him to round two easily in his quest for the title. Rose and Vinnie Arrenegado will join Burns in the final six in the playoffs after their second and third-place finishes on Saturday night. Tyler Tomassi and defending division champion Mark Jenison finished off the top-five. They were followed by Connor Souza, Scott Serydynski Jr., Chase Belcher, Mike Brightman and Tommy Adams in the top-10. Eliminated from playoff contention were Tomassi and Luke LeBrun. The Late Models will be back on track for the second round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup on Saturday, September 23. It will be followed by championship night on Saturday, September 30. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Jacob “Rowdy” Burns was the dominant factor on Saturday night in the Late Models at Seekonk Speedway. In the opener of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Burns used the inside lane after starting third to grab the lead and drove away into the night to score the win. Burns, who is also chasing the championship in the Legends Cars on Fast Friday, is showing he’s going to be a major threat to win the Late Model title on NASCAR Saturday. Charlie Rose finished second in the 30-lap race, while Mark Jenison held off a hard charge from Vinnie Arrenegado to finish third. Arrenegado followed in the fourth spot, while Richie Murray settled for a top-five finish in fifth. Connor Souza, Scott Serydysnki Jr., Chase Belcher, Luke LeBrun and Tyler Tomassi finished the top-10. The Late Models will return to the track on Saturday, September 16, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman continue to impress. Saturday night, in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, it was Adam Pettey and Ryan Lineham battling it out for the win in the 25-lap feature at Seekonk Speedway. In the final corner, Lineham tried the cross-over move to get under Pettey, but couldn’t make it work. The two went side-by-side for many laps down the stretch of the race with Pettey coming out on top and Lineham second. Steve Axon, another playoff driver, had a great seat to watch the battle and finished in third. Chad Baxter and Colby Lambert crossed the line fourth and fifth. Jimmy “Pepe” Silvia was sixth, with Craig Pianka, Doug Benoit, Chris Rioux and Kaleb Marcou finishing the top-10. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman will return to the track on Saturday, September 16, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — After running in the Truck division when he first started racing at Seekonk Speedway many years ago, Dave Darling went to the Pro Stocks and won eight championships. Saturday night, he was back in the Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks and parked in Victory Lane in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. Although Darling isn’t a Truck playoff driver, he was able to grab the feature win in the 25-lap race on Saturday night. Rick Martin was the highest finishing playoff driver in second, while Jake Vanada finished third. They were followed by Brittany Campbell and Darryl Church, two more playoff drivers, in fourth and fifth. Ethan Heilborn, Mike Cavallaro, Amy Arsenault, Bobby Tripp, Lenny Guy and Tom Scully III finished off the top-10. The Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks will return to the track on Saturday, September 16, for the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — After a summer filled with veteran success, first-time winners and everything in between, Seekonk Speedway is ready for the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. This Friday, September 8 and Saturday, September 9, the championship rounds begin with a four-week playoff to crown the 2023 track champions.
Friday night, the five Fast Friday divisions are on track for their first race of the playoffs. On Saturday, the NASCAR Saturday divisions hit the third-mile. This weekend includes regular lap counts for all nine of Seekonk’s divisions - headlined by Saturday’s 40-lap Pro Stock main event. On Fast Friday, the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and Outlaws, the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks, Sport 4’s and Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars are ready for battle. Youth racing is alive and well in the Bandolero divisions, with Sam Macedo looking to go back-to-back for titles in the Bandits, but he has a tough field ready to challenge him. In the Outlaws, Ryan Vanasse Jr. has been the dominant force all year, but will the playoffs kick-off on a high-note for the driver of the No. 11? In the Sport 4 class, Crystal Murray only has one victory this season, but her championship defense begins Friday night. Jarrod Freitas and Mikey LeFort have been the winningest drivers in 2023 - are they in prime spot to take the crown? Or is someone else? In the Helger’s Pure Stocks, Scott Cestodio cooled off a bit in the summer after a dominant start. Will former champion Greg Perry be his top challenger to contend with to win the 2023 track title? Or will someone like Sam Lincoln shake off some mid-season struggles and come on strong at the right time? The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars title chase might be the toughest one to predict going into it. Names like Jacob Burns, Isaiah Newcomb, Nicholaus Bulkeley, Richie Helger Jr., Brendan LaBelle and Josh Parsons have won races and are in the playoffs. But they are joined by Mason Tessier and Chase Silvia, two who have shown speed, but haven’t won yet. Will you need to win a race to win the title? Only time will tell. NASCAR Saturday’s Chaz Auto Body Sport Truck division is also tough to predict going into Saturday’s 25-lap playoff opener. Jake Vanada had a strong start to the year and has been consistent throughout, along with Brittany Campbell. But, is defending champion Rick Martin still the favorite going into the Sunoco Drive For The Cup? Or is someone else going to contend with them like recent winners Mike Duarte or Bobby Tripp? In the Helger’s Sportsman, former champion Chad Baxter might be coming on at just the right time. After winning the last two races, Baxter rolls into round one the favorite. But, he was the favorite last year, and Craig Pianka made a last-lap pass in the championship race to score the title. Pianka has dreams of winning back-to-back titles in his final season of racing, but names like Adam Pettey, Steve Axon and more will be looking to knock them off and hold the crown themselves. The 2023 Late Model division rolls into the playoffs with multiple drivers feeling the momentum. Vinnie Arrenegado, Jacob Burns and Luke LeBrun have been the three most consistent, fastest cars this season. But, defending champion Mark Jenison and Chase Belcher shouldn’t be overlooked. They are joined in the playoffs by Charlie Rose, Tyler Tomassi and Connor Souza, who is coming off his first career win last time on the track. And in the Pro Stocks, Jenison looks to repeat in this division as well. But, Dylan Estrella, Mike Brightman and Bobby Pelland III have been among the fastest cars all year, and will be threats when it comes time to decide the champion, along with a few others. It all begins Friday and Saturday — the next four weeks will crown Seekonk Speedway’s 2023 champions. Fast Friday racing begins at 7 p.m. and Saturday action goes green at 6 p.m. Tickets for all playoff racing at Seekonk Speedway, including round one for both nights this weekend, are available now by visiting SeekonkSpeedway.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates surrounding the 2023 Sunoco Drive For The Cup and upcoming events. Breaking Down The Sunoco Drive For The Cup: Format, Rules For Playoff Time at Seekonk Speedway9/5/2023 This weekend, September 8-9, Seekonk Speedway kicks-off the second annual Sunoco Drive For The Cup. The playoff format will crown champions in all nine Seekonk divisions during championship weekend on September 29-30, after a four-week battle to find the title holder. With the playoffs moving up to four weeks instead of three this season, let’s break down the format and rules leading into the excitement. The first round of the playoffs is set for September 8-9, with the second round set for September 15-16. No one will be eliminated from any division until the conclusion of the September 15-16 weekend of racing. Unlike last year, eliminations in the first round will be done based on a points format. Both Bandolero divisions will trim from six drivers to five, while all others will go from eight to six after round one going into round two. Playoff drivers will be given points with 10 going to the highest finishing playoff car, 9 to the second, 8 to the third, all the way down to the final playoff car. The highest five amounts of points after two weeks in the Bandolero divisions will advance to round two, while the highest six amounts in all other divisions will advance. On NASCAR Saturday, heat points of 5-4-3-2-1 will also be given and used in the final totals. If a race is rained out in round one, only points that are counted for the other event will determine who moves on. If both races were to rain out, then the regular season points would be used to determine who advances and who is eliminated. In the second round of the playoffs (September 22-23), eliminations are based off where drivers finish in a feature race. In all nine Seekonk divisions, the top four playoff finishers in the race during round two will go to the Final Four. The championship weekend, September 29-30, will have the Final Four race each other to determine the champion. The driver who beats the other three in that feature event will be crowned the 2023 track champion. For all events in the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Seekonk Speedway’s General and Technical rules are in effect. For all playoff rounds, the qualifying and feature lineups will follow the same format as they did in 2022. The first in the lineup will be those who qualified through heat races but are not playoff cars. The qualified playoff cars will line up next based on a blind draw. The highest of the points drivers going into the race will draw first for the starting spot, followed by second, etc. Nothing from previous rounds/races in the playoffs matters when it comes to lineups. On Fast Friday, normal lap counts will be used for each round except the final, where the Pure Stocks, Legends Cars and Sport 4’s will run 30 laps. The Bandolero divisions will remain at 15 laps for all rounds. On NASCAR Saturday, round one will be normal lap counts. Round two will see each division run five extra laps - for example, the Pro Stocks will run 45. In the final NASCAR Saturday championship races, each division will run 10 extra laps. For example, the Sport Trucks will run 35 laps in the final race of the season. In the event the final race cannot be completed due to unforeseen circumstances on scheduled date and rain dates, the champion will be decided by highest points total of remaining championship cars. Seekonk Speedway will honor the winner of the Drive For The Cup as the 2023 track champion in their respective division. Seekonk Speedway will continue a points grid, recognizing drivers from both Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday all year. The points grid started on opening day and will end on September 29-30, just like the playoffs will. The driver that wins the championship will be placed as the leader in the division for the season. However, from second on back, the final points will be calculated with the driver who earned the most points in the overall season highest, in second. For example, if Johnny Smith was eliminated in round one of the playoffs, but scored the most points among playoff cars for the season, he would finish second in points. It all begins Friday and Saturday — the next four weeks will crown Seekonk Speedway’s 2023 champions. Fast Friday racing begins at 7 p.m. and Saturday action goes green at 6 p.m. Tickets for all playoff racing at Seekonk Speedway, including round one for both nights this weekend, are available now by visiting SeekonkSpeedway.com. Fans are also encouraged to follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates surrounding the 2023 Sunoco Drive For The Cup and upcoming events. ![]() After the final round of the regular season was completed on August 26, the field for the second annual Sunoco Drive For The Cup for NASCAR Saturday divisions at Seekonk Speedway has been set for 2023. All four of the NASCAR divisions will do battle in a four-week playoff format on September 9, 16, 23 and 30 to crown the 2023 track champions. The Pro Stocks, Late Models, Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman and Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks each have eight eligible drivers ready to chase the title in their respective divisions. For tickets for all of the Fast Friday playoff events and the NASCAR Saturday playoff events, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com today. The first round of the playoffs will take place on September 9 and 16. The first two weeks of the playoffs will include a points format to determine who moves to the next round. After the first round, six cars will advance from all divisions. Feature points will be given to playoff cars with 10 going to the highest finishing playoff car, 9 to the second highest playoff car, 8 to the third, etc., down through the playoff field. At the end of the two weeks in round one, the lowest totals will be eliminated. Heat points will also be included with 5 to win, 4 for second, 3 for third, 2 for fourth and 1 for fifth for Saturday divisions. Then, the fields will be set for round two on September 23. After round two, two more drivers will be eliminated and the Final Four in each division will be set. The two eliminated on September 23 will be the lowest two playoff cars in the final results on that night. On September 30, the Final Four will crown the champion with the highest finishing of the four winning the title in their respective divisions. In the event the final race cannot be completed due to unforeseen circumstances on scheduled dates and rain dates, Seekonk Speedway’s champions will be decided by the highest points total of remaining championship contenders. Throughout the entire playoffs, regular points will be calculated for each race and a tally will remain kept. At the end of the championship night, only the champion will keep their position in the final points (first) and all other drivers in the playoffs will be aligned based on their overall season points. For example, someone who finishes second in the final race of the season in the Final Four may be the second highest finishing playoff car, but have the fifth greatest point total for the season. They will be aligned to fifth in the final standings. For tickets for all of the Fast Friday playoff events and the NASCAR Saturday playoff events, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com. PRO STOCKS Dylan Estrella Mike Brightman Bobby Pelland III Mark Jenison Tom Scully Jr Dick Benoit Rick Martin Mike Rotondo LATE MODELS Vinnie Arrenegado Mark Jenison Jacob Burns Luke LeBrun Charlie Rose Chase Belcher Connor Souza Tyler Tomassi SPORTSMAN Adam Pettey Craig Pianka Chad Baxter Steve Axon Colby Lambert Ryan Lineham Randy Moretti Don Perry SPORT TRUCKS Rick Martin Jake Vanada Mike Duarte Brittany Campbell Amy Arseanult Bob Tripp Mike Cavallaro Darryl Church ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Tom Scully Jr. hadn’t put one ounce of luck together heading into Saturday night this season at Seekonk Speedway. But, after 40 laps in the Pro Stocks, it looks like Scully may have found some just at the right time. Scully passed Tommy Adams for the lead on the outside lane, then drove away in the final laps to win the final race of the regular season. Adams led early in the race, but it was a restart while second where Scully found his advantage. From there, he never went challenged again. Adams lost the second spot to Colbey Fournier on the final lap, finishing third, while Fournier returned after some time off to finish second. Dylan Estrella and Dick Benoit finished fourth and fifth. Bobby Pelland, Rick Martin, Mark Jenison, Danny Thibeault and John Studley finished off the top-10 spots. The Pro Stocks will be back on the track on Saturday, September 9, for round one of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup playoffs. 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 second week in a row, former Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman champion Chad Baxter picked up the win at Seekonk Speedway. But, this time, it was a lot harder than it was the week before. Baxter used the outside lane to hold off his teammate Ryan Lineham to take the feature win. After 25 laps, and really 10 or 12 battling side-by-side for the lead, Baxter was on top. Lineham worked the bottom for the lead trying everything in the final laps, but had to settle for the runner-up spot. The two put on a classic Sportsman battle around the third-mile. Steve Axon finished in third, with Adam Pettey and Craig Pianka finishing fourth and fifth. Rob Kohler, Paul Williams, Colby Lambert, Don Perry and Dan Saritelli finished off the top-10. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman will be back on the track on Saturday, September 9, for round one of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup playoffs. 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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