SEEKONK, Mass. — Greg Perry didn’t let a tough start to his 2023 season slow him down. In the second half of the year, Perry now has three feature wins, including Friday night, this time locking himself into the championship four in the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks. Perry used the outside lane to get out front and drove away in the final laps to score another feature win on Friday night, September 22. Jared Cordeira charged through the field with Perry to finish in the runner-up spot. Sam Lincoln finished in third, while Ethan Souza and Danny Massa followed in the fourth and fifth spots at the finish. Mike Henriques, Scott Cestodio, Josh O’Hara, Don Courtemanche and Jason Holdsworth completed the top-10. Advancing to the championship four in the Pure Stocks are Perry, Cordeira, Souza and Massa. Eliminated from contention on Friday night were Mike Henriques and Scott Cestodio. The finale of the 2023 Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stock season will take place on Friday, September 29, where the 2023 champion will be crowned. 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. — Nicholaus Bulkeley entered Friday night in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars with one goal: advancing to the championship four next week. After 25 laps, he was celebrating more than just advancing. Bulkeley took the lead on lap nine and led the remainder of the distance to pick up his second career win. Along with the win came the championship four berth he was looking for and he will contend for the title next week. PJ Evans crossed the line second at the finish, but didn’t pass post-race inspection. That moved Isaiah Newcomb to second, with Richie Helger Jr in third. Jacob Burns and Josh Parsons finished the top-five spots. They were followed by Mason Tessier, Nick Lascuola, Trent Goodrow, Chase Silvia and Corey Martin in the rest of the top-10. The championship four in the Legends Cars will include Bulkeley, Newcomb, Helger and Burns. Eliminated from contention on Friday night were Parsons and Brendan LaBelle. The finale of the 2023 Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars season will take place on Friday, September 29, where the 2023 champion will be crowned. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Just two weekends remaining in the 2023 Seekonk Speedway short-track racing season, and it’s time to crown some champions at the end of the month. This weekend, September 22-23, the final four drivers in all nine track divisions will be set in the second round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, as championship weekend on September 29-30 is quickly closing in. As the drivers return to the track for both Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday, both Bandolero divisions will cut their playoff field from five to four, while all other divisions will cut from six to four. In all divisions, including Bandolero’s, the four eligible drivers who finish highest this week in their race will advance to the final four. The NASCAR Saturday Pro Stock battle eliminated Rick Martin and Dylan Estrella last week, leaving six to contend for this week. Mike Brightman, Bobby Pelland, Mark Jenison, Tom Scully Jr., Dick Benoit and Mike Rotondo are the six remaining drivers. The group includes a mix of veterans who have titles - two of them former Pro Stock champions and two former Late Model champions. Jenison is the defending Pro Stock champion, Scully won the title in 2016. They are joined by Brightman and Pelland, two former Late Model title holders who have been near the front of the pack all year long. Dick Benoit is a stranger to championship contention, but has shown consistent speed all year in the Pro Stocks in the Danny Cabral Racing entry. And Mike Rotondo - who is driving one of the New England region’s most historic rides - the Rollie Lindblad No. 48 special as a Rookie of the Year contender - has a shot at the championship. Four of them will advance, two will go home. The Late Model division is down to six, with two former division champions in the mix. Vinnie Arrenegado and Mark Jenison are the top-two seeds and enter both with championships - Jenison’s coming last year in this format. Arrenegado has been consistently strong all year with feature wins and another podium last week. Both will be tough to beat - but will have to contend with Jacob “Rowdy” Burns, who has won both of the first two playoff races, holding off Charlie Rose to do it last week. Rose, a veteran of racing at Seekonk and other tracks in New England, seems to have found some speed he needs just at the right time to contend for the title himself. Connor Souza and Chase Belcher might be the two dark-horses in the battle, but both are proven winners in the division. Belcher came down to the final few feet last year in contention for the title and was part of a wild wreck that ended up with Jenison as champion. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman division had a shake-up in their playoff battle after post-race inspection last week. With the disqualification of Chad Baxter, Steve Axon and Colby Lambert, the Sportsman field looks different entering round two than we originally thought. Axon still advances as the third seed, earning enough points in the first race of the playoffs to barely be in front of Lambert and Baxter, who have both been eliminated. That leaves Axon to battle top seeds Adam Pettey and Craig Pianka, Ryan Lineham, Randy Moretti and Don Perry. Lineham won last week - asserting his shot to make the final four strong as a former division champion. Pianka is the defending Sportsman champion, and “Captain Fun” would love to go out on top in his retirement season. Axon still has just as good of a chance as anyone to win the crown, and has been in contention right from the first laps of the season. Randy Moretti and Don Perry were originally eliminated, but are now back in. Do they have a chance to shock the division and make the Final Four this week? In Chaz Auto Body Sport Truck action, the first two weeks of the playoffs saw Dave Darling, a non-playoff driver, and Jake Vanada, the number two playoff seed, pick up feature wins. Vanada might be getting hot at just the right time, as the No. 29 has been fast all year, but a second playoff race win came at the perfect time. He will have to contend with Rick Martin, who needs no introduction and is also the defending Truck champion. Brittany Campbell scored a podium last week and the Busch Light Accelerate Her driver is certainly showing the speed she needs to make the Final Four. Speaking of Busch Light drivers, fellow female Amy Arsenault joins her in the final six and has been consistently picking up speed as the season winds down. Those four are joined by two other track veterans - Bobby Tripp and Mike Cavallaro - as contenders. Tripp and Cavallaro have both won this season and many times in their career. Cavallaro is a former multiple-time Truck champion. Picking the Final Four in this division is a tough task. On Fast Friday, Ryan Vanasse Jr. added yet another victory to his Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Outlaw season last week, cementing his spot in the final six. With the speed he’s had all year, he should be just about a lock to make the Final Four, but we will see what happens on Friday night. He’s joined in the remaining playoffs by Bryson Robidoux and Brent Robidoux - two brothers - who both have been showing consistent speed. Bryson is still looking for his first career win, but Brent has experience in this format, making the finals last year. Both Andrew Gomes and Collin Vanasse have also been up front all year and enter this week with a shot at the final four. Collin, the cousin of Ryan, may be one to watch when it comes down to the final laps. With only one driver being eliminated, no matter what, it should come down to the final laps in the Bandolero Outlaws. Will you be there on Friday night at 7PM to see it? The fellow youth racers in the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits have been exciting to watch all year. In the final six you will find Nick Uhrig Jr., Sam Macedo, Parker Davis, Mike Hanafin and Mason Silva. The only of the remaining five that has not won this season is Mason Silva - but he has shown the speed to do it from time to time. Will he make his mark with a big first career win to advance to the Final Four? Davis leads everyone with five feature wins, including the first two races of the playoffs, and has put himself as the favorite for the title. But, Uhrig is a multiple-time winner, and how can you forget Macedo - who won the title last year in this format - without even winning a race all season. He got that out of the way earlier in the year, but still would love to make it back-to-back. And then you have Mike Hanafin, the son of former track Sportsman champion John Hanafin, who is going to do everything he can to make sure he advances. Crystal Murray and Jarrod Freitas won the first two races of the Sport 4 playoffs and both have to be considered favorites heading for the round of six. Murray is the defending champion with two wins this season and Freitas has dominated much of this year and enters this weekend as the top seed remaining, with Murray second. They are joined by former Thrill Show standout Richie Johnson, who picked up his first career Sport 4 win during the summer. Mikey LeFort, a former division champion, drives the Helger’s Racing No. 13 and is going to be a threat. They are joined by Christine Cavallaro and Daniel Hayes - certainly the two dark-horses to contend for the crown. But, they have made it this far, and have a chance to make their force felt this week. Who advances in the Sport 4’s? The Helger’s Pure Stock division is down to the final two weeks with six contenders ready to go. Scott Cestodio won four times early in the year and has been fast through the summer, entering as the top seed into the round of six. Ethan Souza won last week, and if you look at the overall standings for the entire season, he is out front. Danny Massa won the first race of the playoffs and is no stranger to the front, while Mike Henriques struggled in the first playoff race, but blasted his way into this round with a chance. Jared Cordeira and Greg Perry are the two lowest seeds entering the round of six, but that doesn’t matter to them - they are going for the gold. Even at this point, picking a Pure Stock champion is extremely difficult. All six of them are worthy of hoisting the crown. The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars Final Six drivers include Jacob “Rowdy” Burns, Isaiah Newcomb, Richie Helger Jr., Nicholaus Bulkeley, Brendan LaBelle and Josh Parsons. Like the Pure Stocks, all six of them have shown they are worthy to get to this point - all winning at least one race this season. Burns has a chance to make the Final Four in both the Late Models and the Legends Cars. Newcomb is coming off a sizzling hot stretch of victories in recent weeks, including the first two of the playoff races. Helger grabbed his first Legends Cars win a few weeks ago, while Bulkeley, Parsons and LaBelle have also all been right at the front of the pack. With how close they all are on speed, it may come right down to the final third-mile - literally - before the Final Four is decided. Fast Friday racing begins at 7 p.m., while NASCAR Saturday action is set to begin at 6 p.m. Tickets for both nights and all remaining 2023 events are available online now at SeekonkSpeedway.com. For more information on Seekonk Speedway, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com and follow the track on social media for the latest news and information, including updates from the track on race day. SEEKONK, Mass. — Jake Vanada might be turning it on at just the right time in the Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks at Seekonk Speedway. In the final race of the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Vanada dominated the 25-lap feature on Saturday night, rolling to victory in his No. 29. With another feature win in his 2023 season, Vanada is also one of six drivers advancing to round two in the battle for the championship.
Joining him on the podium were Bobby Tripp and Brittany Campbell, two more championship contenders in the final six. Amy Arsenault and Mike Duarte finished fourth and fifth, with Arsenault advancing to round two. She is joined by Mike Cavallaro and Rick Martin as the other two advancing after their sixth and seventh place finishes. Dane Sairtelli, Danny Thibeault and Ethan Heilborn finished the top-10. Eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday were Mike Duarte and Darryl Church. The Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks 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.comand follow the track on social media for the latest news and updates. SEEKONK, Mass. — Ryan Lineham picked up another dominating victory in the Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportsman on Saturday night at Seekonk Speedway. Lineham, a former champion in the division many years ago, jumped to the front early and drove away from the field in the final laps to pick up another 2023 victory. The win cemented Lineham as one of the final six in the Helger’s Sportsman advancing in the Sunoco Drive For The Cup to contend for the title.
Steve Axon and Chad Baxter followed him across the line in second and third, with Colby Lambert and Adam Pettey finishing fourth and fifth. Chris Gomes, Randy Moretti, Jimmy “Pepe” Silvia, Craig Pianka and Josh Hedges finished the top-10. The results of the Sportsman event are unofficial, pending technical inspection. The Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Sportmsman 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. — 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. ![]() 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. — Isaiah Newcomb has put together quite the season so far in the Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars. In the second race of the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Newcomb passed Brendan LaBelle for the lead and didn’t look back to win the 25-lap feature on Friday. LaBelle finished second, joining Newcomb as one of the six advancing to the second round in the playoffs. Nicholaus Bulkeley was third at the finish, with Josh Parsons and Jacob Burns finishing fourth and fifth. The top-eight finishers at the end of the race were all playoff contenders. Richie Helger Jr. in sixth is the final driver advancing to round two, joining the top-five. The two drivers eliminated on Friday were Chase Silvia and Mason Tessier, who finished seventh and eighth. Kevin Davis and Jake Silvia completed the top-10 in the race. The Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars will return to the track on Friday, September 22, 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. — Jarrod Freitas has put together quite the impressive season in the Sport 4’s at Seekonk Speedway this year. Friday night, he added another victory in the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. Freitas jumped out front after early leader Justin Leduc had problems, and didn’t look back to score another win in the 25-lap feature.
Richie Johnson followed in second, while Crystal Murray finished in third. Mikey LeFort and Henry Lavallee finished in fourth and fifth. Sam Mattera, Tyler Duhancik, Daniel Hayes, Arthur Meack and Christine Cavallaro finished the top-10. In the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Lavallee, who missed the race last week, and Taylor Bowser, who missed the race this week, were eliminated from championship contention. The Sport 4’s will return to the track on Friday, September 22, 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. — Jarrod Freitas has put together quite the impressive season in the Sport 4’s at Seekonk Speedway this year. Friday night, he added another victory in the second race in the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup. Freitas jumped out front after early leader Justin Leduc had problems, and didn’t look back to score another win in the 25-lap feature. Richie Johnson followed in second, while Crystal Murray finished in third. Mikey LeFort and Henry Lavallee finished in fourth and fifth. Sam Mattera, Tyler Duhancik, Daniel Hayes, Arthur Meack and Christine Cavallaro finished the top-10. In the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, Lavallee, who missed the race last week, and Taylor Bowser, who missed the race this week, were eliminated from championship contention. The Sport 4’s will return to the track on Friday, September 22, 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. |
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