![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — On a late arestart in the first race of the first round of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup for the Sport 4s, the defending division champion made sure to start off the playoffs right. Crystal Murray restarted second on lap 20, and used the outside lane to pass Jarrod Freitas for the lead, then drove away for the victory. It was the second win of the season for the defending division champion in the No. 38. Freitas finished second, opening his Sunoco Drive For The Cup title bid with a strong run. Behind them, Mikey LeFort worked through some traffic to finish in the third spot. Justin Leduc led laps early and finished fourth, while Sam Mattera rounded out the top-five. Former division champion Dave Westgate returned to finish sixth, with Richie Johnson, Andrew Rittman, Christine Cavallaro and Daniel Hayes completing the top-10. The Sport 4’s will return to the track on Friday, September 15, 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.
0 Comments
![]() Friday marked another exciting round of racing for Seekonk Speedway’s youth racing division, the Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits. For the last month, the finishes across the line on the final lap have been close, clean and exciting to watch. This week, in round one of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup, all three of those things were true again. When the field took the white flag, it was defending champion Sam Macedo out front. But, when they came down the backstretch, Nick Uhrig Jr. was to the inside and they entered the final two turns racing wheel-to-wheel for the lead. However, Parker Davis wasn’t going to be denied. He found a lane to the bottom, three-wide for the lead, and crossed the line just inches ahead of Nick Uhrig Jr. for the top spot. It was the fifth win of the season for Davis and on the transponder, he officially won by .015 seconds over Uhrig, with Macedo on the outside of the three-wide battles finishing .078 seconds back. Three-wide to the finish with Seekonk's youngest drivers. Mike Hanafin and Ryder Aguiar followed in fourth and fifth at the finish. The top-six drivers in the finishing order, including Mason Silva in sixth, are the six drivers battling for the 2023 championship in the playoffs. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits will return to the track on Friday, September 15, 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. ![]() SEEKONK, Mass. — Connor Souza picked up his first career Late Model win on Saturday night at Seekonk Speedway. Charging from the middle of the field to the front, Souza held off defending track champion Mark Jenison to score the win after a tight battle in the final laps of the 30-lap feature. Souza started in the middle of the field, but worked his way to the front rather quickly. He took the lead and then had to turn his attention to holding off a hard-charging Jenison in the final laps. Jenison tried everything, but it wasn’t enough. Jenison would settle for second behind Souza, with Chase Belcher crossing the line third. Belcher pitted during a caution before halfway, then charged through the field to finish in third. Charlie Rose and Scott Serydynski Jr. finished fourth and fifth. They were followed by Tyler Tomassi, Vinnie Arrenegado, Richard Souliere, Mike Duarte and Kevin Bowe. The Late Models 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. — After a side-by-side battle that seemed like it lasted most of the Chaz Auto Body Sport Truck feature on Saturday night at Seekonk Speedway, Bobby Tripp crossed the line first on the lap that mattered. Tripp used the outside lane for the entire second half of the race to battle Mike Duarte for the lead. In the final few laps, both drivers gave it absolutely everything they had. And in the end, in a race that went 25 laps without a yellow flag, Tripp won over Duarte by just .011 seconds at the finish line using the outside lane. Jake Vanada took a look three-wide a few times to try and grab the lead himself, but couldn’t grab the spot and settled for third. Rick Martin and Brittany Campbell followed in the fourth and fifth spots at the finish. Mike Cavallaro, Amy Arseanult, Darryl Church, Dane Saritelli and Danny Thibeault rounded out the top-10. The Chaz Auto Body Sport Trucks 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. — With the rainout of the final Fast Friday of the 2023 regular season, Seekonk Speedway’s playoff fields are now set for Friday night divisions. During a four-week Sunoco Drive For The Cup in September, Seekonk’s champions will be crowned in the playoff system. The Seekonk Grand Prix Bandolero Bandits and Outlaws, the Sport 4’s, Helger’s South Coast Power Equipment Pure Stocks and Nick’s Pit Stop Legends Cars will all do battle. Playoff events for Fast Friday divisions will take place on September 8, 15, 22 and 29. Championship night for all five divisions will take place on the 29th, where all five champions will be crowned. For tickets for all of the Fast Friday playoff events and the NASCAR Saturday playoff events, visit SeekonkSpeedway.com. The first round of the playoffs will take place on September 8 and 15. The first two weeks of the playoffs will include a points format to determine who moves to the next round. The number of cars in the playoffs is six in both Bandolero divisions and eight in all other classes. After the first round, the Bandolero fields will be trimmed to five and the rest of the divisions will be trimmed to six. On Fast Friday, 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 (one in the Bandolero divisions eliminated, two in all other divisions eliminated). Then, the fields will be set for round two on September 22. The Bandolero divisions will eliminate one more driver to make the final four. The other divisions will eliminate two drivers to make their final four. The top-four playoff drivers in the finishing order of the race at the end of September 22 will advance to the finals. On September 29, 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. PLAYOFF FIELDS BANDOLERO BANDITS Nicholaus Uhrig Jr. Sam Macedo Parker Davis Mike Hanafin Mason Silva Ryder Aguiar BANDOLERO OUTLAWS Ryan Vanasse Jr. Bryson Robidoux Andrew Gomes Brent Robidoux Collin Vanasse Zachary Keith SPORT 4S Jarrod Freitas Henry Lavallee Crystal Murray Richie Johnson Taylor Bowser Mikey LeFort Christine Cavallaro Daniel Hayes PURE STOCKS Scott Cestodio Ethan Souza Danny Massa Jr. Mike Henriques Sam Lincoln Jared Cordeira Tim Ouellette *Greg Perry LEGENDS CARS Jacob Burns Isaiah Newcomb Richie Helger Jr Nicholaus Bulkeley Mason Tessier Brendan LaBelle Joshua Parsons Chase Silvia |
AuthorSeekonk Speedway Features stories on the Stars and Cars that race at Seekonk Speedway Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|